Sat, Feb 18th - 9:16AM

MARMEES' DEATH

This past week has been a hard one. Not so much for me in one sense, but in another, yes. I wonder how many times Jesus was in the same position. Something hard has happened and you don't respond how people think you should. This past week was the one year anniversary of Marmee's death. I look at death differently than some (most) of my family. They tend to look at death as the end, but I look at it as the beginning of life. This is the dream. She has the reality. Do I miss her? Yes! But if I could bring her back I would not. I know that just as Jesus did not go immediately to Lazarus, because He did not want to stop the greater good that His Father had planned by the death of Lazarus, I would not stop what God has planned, if I could. With mother's death so many things changed. Without her we must learn to look to our creator and not the creation. Do we cry? Yes! I cry for my brothers and sisters. I want all of my family to join mother and father in heaven. When "Jesus wept", was He crying for the people that were standing around watching, because they did not understand? Or was He crying because He had to bring Lazarus back?

And still at times I feel sorry for me also. I miss her because she was my friend. But I understand that the world does not revolve around me and my "wants". I am not God and the world does not revolve because I tell it to. It revo;ves because God told it to. 

So please remember to pray for those of our family members that don't understand death as we do. Answer their questions to the best of your ability and try to help them see death as the door to a greater good.

vv. ref. John 11:4, 11, 15, 35.

v. ref. : res: John 11:43-44

Tue, Feb 14th - 12:11AM

God's Love and Life Lessons

When I think of the many things that God has used to teach me something, I am always amazed at the length He has gone to. Everything that has happened in my life has contributed to making me the person that He is crafting me to be. I am not a person that just happened. God does not do things haphazardly. There was and is a reason for all that takes place in my life. It will always make me stronger. Either in my faith in Him or in my resistance to Him.

I have seen some people that have been hurt by others in their lives and they walk away believing that they deserved this treatment. That they had somehow done something that made the abuse right, (what they deserved),  but that is a lie. No one deserves to be abused, in any way, shape or form. God loves us too much to ask this of us. But He will use the abuse that satan dishes out to teach us about love and forgiveness.  We must look to Him, the maker of our heart and soul. Trust Him. He loves you and will take care of you through all that happens in your life. Listen to Him and grow closer as you walk each mile. After all, wouldn't you rather be loved by someone that gave His life for yours?  John 3:16-17

Sun, Feb 12th - 10:21PM

Apologies

As I sit here thinking about the mess that I made of my first "blog" by not clearing all of the non-important "drivel" out of it, I am reminded how there are times that we leave drivel in our teachings to others. Sometimes the drivel is not drivel to us, but it is to others. God sometimes has to use more to teach us but if we give this information to others it becomes drivel. The point is that they don't need it but we do. But then there are the times that we will hear a testimony or even give one and there is too much information given. We don't always need all of the "fillers".

So, anyway please be kind and forgiving. Take care and may you be blessed. All I really want to say is please ignore the drivel and enjoy the rest of the writings. It is kind of like having a nut, first you have to crack it, then peel away the shell. Then you can enjoy it.

Love and peace.

Thu, Feb 2nd - 9:00PM

DEVOTIONAL INSIGHTS

DEATH IS ONLY A DOOR WAITING TO BE OPENED

For us, death is the end of life, but death is only a door that has opened for us to go through,  to be with our Father. When Jesus spoke of His coming death, trying to prepare the disciples for it, He did not speak of it as a "boogeyman" to be afraid of. He spoke of it as a joining with the Father, being busy with the Father. He spoke of  going to prepare a "place" for us.  We see death as a separation from our loved ones, and it is. But it is  a coming home for us, to be with our Father and the other family members that have gone before us. Jesus led the way for us when He said that "no man took His life, but that He willingly lay it down for His sheep". (John 10:18)  Because of conflict with our human side, we see death as the finish of our life.

I am not saying that death is something we need to rush into, because we don't know the time that God has designated as our time for dying. But we also don't need to be so in love with this life that we don't want to go home. When my mother died I had to look at things a little differently than most of the family. I was looking at a bigger picture. I was looking at the fact that she was no longer in pain but she actually was celebrating with the loved ones that had gone before her, starting with King Jesus.  I am sorry that she is gone, but I would not bring her back if I could. She is happy and she is home.

We must learn that death is only a door waitning to be opened  for us to go through when our heavenly Father says it is time. May we all learn to look for our day of homecoming with joy and not fear. May we learn not to love this life less but our future life at home more.