The Beating Heart

The title of the blog is a phrase I read in a tweet from a friend this week. It stood out to me among the other information (under 140 characters) about a crisis in the early pregnancy of her daughter. That gets my attention!

In spite of the bleeding and pain, this baby's will was TO LIVE! This tiny heart kept beating and is still beating! God's people around twitter gathered and prayed and that matters to God. Imagine that, everything that we go through here on earth matters to the God that created all things. God hears our cries and answers us. (We can never say, "nobody listens to me!") We are so thankful! There was unity in that prayer for life in this baby, for healthy delivery and a long life serving and loving the Lord. I expect this baby to be a blessing to everyone who knows him.

The beating heart is from God.

What Endures?

From the looks of our dumps around the United States, not much endures. Even our lives here on earth will not last forever, so that means God wants us to look elsewhere for the enduring things. The King James version of the Bible calls the enduring, "spiritual" and the unenduring is "temporal." Very fitting for those temporary things in our lives.

God has a lot to say about the enduring, so just what is it that lasts beyond this life? It took an entire page of 8.5x11 notebook paper to get all the notes written down on the enduring from God's point of view. Most of the scriptures declare these enduring qualities and virtues to last forever.

The Lord shall endure forever Ps. 9:7
Fear of the Lord endures forever Ps. 19:9
His name shall endure forever Ps. 72:17
God's goodness endures continually Ps.52:1
His truth endures to all generations Ps. 100:5
His righteousness endures Ps. 111:3
His praise endures forever Ps. 111:10
His righteous judgements endure Ps. 119:160
God's dominion endures Ps. 145:13
Word of the Lord endures forever 1Peter 1:25

The mercy of the Lord is through-out the Bible. A good beginning place is Psalms 136:1-26, then with a sturdy copy of Strong's Concordance, the Strong's EXHAUSTIVE Concordance, begin to find the other verses on the enduring of the Lord's mercy. If anything, after reading this word we should be fully convinced that our mission here is to spend our time living in the spiritual which lasts forever.

God hasn't left us out of this enduring process either. Ready?

David's seed and throne will endure Ps. 89:29, 36
He that endures to the end shall be saved Matt.24:13
Endure hardships as a good soldier (P. Jeff
mentioned this verse on the Freedom video) 2Tim. 2:3
I (Paul) endure all things for the elect's sake 2Tim.2:10
Endure afflictions 2Tim. 4:5
IF we endure chastening, then we are sons Hebr. 12:7
Blessed are those who endure James 5:11

Here are a few more, 1Peter 2:19, Hebr. 10:32, 34, Hebr. 11:27, Ps. 30:5

Hebrews 12:2-3 KJV "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him ENDURED the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that ENDURED such [hostility] of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your [souls]."

Seek those things that endure forever and we will endure to the end.

Common

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1Cor. 10:13

The answer that God gives us in this verse is the completion of so many things. First of all, the trouble we go through is COMMON! We aren't the only one on earth that has unusual problems. No matter what it is, every temptation remains, COMMON.

All the disciples were in the boat when a great storm came. That story is the metaphor for 1Cor. 10:13. So, we can stop saying things like "...but you don't understand." Or, "you've never been through what I go through." Then there's this one, "Why is God doing this to me?" These are arrogant statements said when we think we are different than everyone else when it comes to trials and temptations. This attitude opens the "it's ok" door to self-pity.

Here is the counterweight to our imposed long-suffering or self-pity. "But God is faithful." All the air is taken out of the complaining with "but." He is faithful. He is so faithful that He will help us out of our trouble before we are overcome with sorrow. Unless we have opened the "it's ok" door to extended self-pity which becomes a comfort zone.

Problem with the self-pity comfort zone is the isolation. People have become tired of whining and complaining. Self-pity creates blind spots, we can't see who we have become because we live in our whining and complaining. The blind spots cut off our vision of the way of escape.

Remember, this is our way of escape, "that you may be able to bear it," (ESV uses 'endure') That's right. It doesn't say the problems will disappear, our escape is enduring through it, whatever 'it' is. Not to avoid it or dance around it, but to bear it with and in the Lord's generous help overcome. Learn everything God wants us to learn in the time of trouble.

God is more than able to deliver us immediately out of trouble and temptation, but many times we remain like Daniel in the lion's den or Joseph in his Egyptian prison. Jesus asked God for deliverance three times and each time He told God, "your will be done Father." There are many saints and martyrs who cried out to God to be delivered from torture, the fire, lions, swords. Some escaped, but many died and they came to a far greater place with God.

In faith, believe we are all in the same boat, we all have things in common and we all serve the living God.

Remember, God tempts no man or woman.

It's God's Choice

This blog is based on a twitter I saw today from @burk_parsons "Osama bin Laden may be among the elect."

There. Someone said it, or rather, tweeted it. One of the most electrifying, profound, doctrinal, stirring, challenging statements I've ever seen on Twitter.

It's true. OBL could be among the elect because election is God's choice. God chooses us, the elect. If he is among the elect, OBL has been there from before the foundation of the universe. It's God's choice. OBL may not be a Christ follower now, but if God has chosen him and planned it, OBL will be saved at some point. It's God's choice.

Read the story of Hagar and Ishmael, Genesis 16:7-14 and Genesis 21:1-21 and Paul's use of Hagar's story in Gal. 4:21, 5:1. In the end, God pronounced a blessing on the seed of Ishmael and Hagar, their people would become many. God chose the murderer of His people, Saul, to be saved for His glory and the building up of the Church. Like OBL, Saul murdered people whom he despised because of their beliefs. Both felt they were doing God a favor by getting rid of those who disagree with their religion.

We are the people who preach, believe, sing, and convince others that with God all things are possible. Imagine what would happen if we who believe that with all our hearts and pray for the salvation of OBL's soul? Millions of Christians around the world praying the fervent righteous prayer. It's a prayer that will be heard and answered.

God knows exactlyhow to deal with OBL, just as He did Saul and any of us who are Christ followers. Only God knows and since we don't know who will say yes or no, we must keep
praying.

If social media has a purpose at all, let's keep this twitter about OBL in mind, along with Saul story. What are the similarities in their lives? If OBL will be saved one day, what similarities will he face that Paul did?

Let's keep praying.

Missional/Confessional or Attractional?

Short and sweet. That's the way the wrangling should be that's going on in some churches about church identity and mission. Do we go into the world or attract people into the church? A total of 82,600 sites will give you their opinion on which concept is correct and heaven sent.

We are attractional: Every person saved was attracted to Jesus and drawn by cords of love to His salvation. The prodigal son was attracted enough to the Father that he came to the place of rescue with the Father. God gives us this same love to attract those who need His love. The Church is attractional. Ps. 126:5-6

We are missional: Matt. 28:19 The command is clear and straight forward, go into all the world.

Jesus Himself is attractional and missional. He is still doing both. He is interceding before the Father for the Church, missional. When His name is lifted up in the world and the Church, He draws all to Himself, attractional.

We are what He has made us, so now Go in the power and might of His Spirit. This is our mission. Boldly speak the name of Jesus, He is IRRESISTABLE!

God's Goodness

From the very beginning we see the goodness of God as He creates Adam and Eve, then displays His goodness to them in the garden of Eden. Everything they needed was there in the goodness of God, including communion with Him. The first mention of the word goodness in the Bible occurs in Exodus 18:9 "And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel..."

Right in the middle of this sin-filled world, God is still pouring out His goodness especially to His people, but not exclusively. He is mercifully good to those who haven't come to Him yet. God is mercifully good because that is who He IS. He IS I AM and it is all in Him eternally!

The nineties were tough years and my mission was deliberate; I looked for the goodness of God every day! One example of finding that goodness occurred when I was entering a store. A young mother was in front of me and was carrying a toddler in her arms. This baby and I locked eyes and the biggest smile came to his face! The mother didn't see it, they were faced in opposite directions. No one around us saw it, everyone was too busy, focused on other things. The goodness of God on a baby's face.

Here is some descriptions of the goodness of God from the Bible:

Exodus 34:6 abundant in goodness and truth
2Sam. 7:28-29 His goodness is promised
1Kings 8:66 joyful and glad in His goodness
Nehemiah 9:25-26 delighted in God's great goodness
Ps.23:6 goodness and mercy shall follow me
Ps.27:13 believe to see the goodness in the land of the living
Ps.31:19 great is the goodness that God has laid up for those who fear and trust in Him
Ps. 33:5 the earth is FULL of the goodness of the Lord
Ps.52:1 goodness of God endures continually
Ps. 107:8 David pleads for us to praise the Lord for all His goodness
Ps. 107:8 He satisfies the longing soul with goodness
Jer. 31:14 God's people shall be satisfied with His goodness

Believe, receive, rejoice and be thankful! Rejoice as Jethro did in God's goodness...today!

All scriptures from the KJV

It Goes a Long Way When...

...mercy is shown
... people are honest
... your work van or truck is really clean
... your contractor vacuums and sweeps up everyday. Thanks Mr. Contractor man.
...the driver in the other lane signals before he moves into your lane
...the pho cafe is always good
...Christians who have Jesus stickers on their bumpers remember they are advertising Jesus
...we remember the poor, the weak, and widows among us
...we do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God
...remember we are pilgrims on the earth
...your hubby texts you on a business/fun sales day camp-out, thanks honey
...you know, know, know that God has a plan for your life
...your church has vision that inspires people to SERVE

There is my list. What goes a long way with you?

The '61 Red Comet III

Autumn day, sunny and warm compared to our cold windy days we had left behind in Alaska. Quiet Sunday morning, and Jim is getting ready to hitch hike 50 miles into Whitehorse. Grizzlies are already hibernating aren't they? Jim/Daddy takes one more look back at his waving family. We're blowing him kisses to make us feel better. I kept remembering all the answered prayer we had in the last three years we had been saved and committed to living for Jesus. We sang a song in the Nazarene church with this line, "Count your blessings name them one by one..." I think that line ran through my mind for the next few hours. I'm praying that God will have grace and bring him back quickly before the sun goes down and we are left in the cold and dark.

Jim walked nine miles and he was picked up by an elderly couple (probably the age we are now) in a pick-up. They drove him to Whitehorse without expecting anything. Jim found a Nazarene church and the pastor called his friend who had a tow truck, then made reservations for us at the lone Whitehorse motel.

It was dark by the time Jim and the driver got to the car. What a welcome sight! Kids and mom are squeeling happily. Our kids know God takes care of us. Our five year old son Jimmie was in heaven, he got to ride in the front of a tow truck with the driver and his dad! Joy all over the place. The creeky old motel in Whitehorse was a palace. Canada was taking good care of Americans. In all this time our image of the Canadian mounties was shattered. We didn't see one this entire time. Like Sgt. Preston and his faithful dog Yukon, we thought for sure some red uniformed mountie would show up for the rescue. We were grateful for the rescuers God provided.

Next morning we show up at the mechanics shop. He has the news, all the news for us and it's not very good. They have nothing we need in the way of repairs, he has already ordered it from Edmonton, Alberta and the entire process would take would take five days. I think we asked him, "How many days??" Five long days.

We set a plan and the kids loved it. There is just nothing that can stop the excitement of children. Especially the excitement of our three kids. Bobby was two years old, he didn't know anything except his big brother and sister were happy so he was too. Thanks Bob. Thanks Jimmie. Thanks Jeri. Up early every morning. Buy what we could at the grocery store and eat. Then walk the boardwalks in Whitehorse. The favorite question the kids had was, "Where are the mounties and their horses?" Then every afternoon we went back to the mechanics shop and asked, "How is it going?" We were glad our car was the only job he had that week. He got to know us pretty well. He knew we would be in his shop every day at the same time.

When the work was completed, the mechanic tried to start the '61 Red Comet. First time, engine is running and what a beautiful sound! The kids knew this meant we were on our way again. We all made the rounds to the friends we had made in Canada to thank them and say good-bye. The Alcan looks really good! The car repair cost $600, that meant we had $300 left to get us to Kansas City. We bought breakfast and lunch food from the grocery before we left.

By the time we got to KC, we were raiding the ashtray in the car where Jim kept his parking change. The cheapest meals we could find were McDonalds. The kids loved it, mom and dad not so much. That's why we have only McD's french fries every five years or so. The regular hamburger cost 15 cents.

God had gotten us to our destination; happy, mostly healthy. There was not one dime left in our pockets or parking money ashtray. He had provided everything we needed. My parents loaned Jim some money to get gas to go to work that Monday. What more could we ask of a generous God who has given us all things?

The next blessing we had that next April 18 was a healthy baby girl named Patricia Kathleen. With God's touch and good medical help I got safely through gestational diabetes. My last diabetes test showed my blood sugar was normal. The internist had told me to expect to have this disease the rest of my life. This is from a God who has good plans for His people and will deliver us through everything.

This memory was triggered by seeing that red '61 Comet on the street the other day.

Conversation at Seattle Lighting

We keep going back to Seattle Lighting in all the remodel work we have done in this 70's something house we have lived in almost 20 years. We like their prices and their designs are very creative. Not your usual hardware store lighting fixture.

One of the designs I love exploring are the chandeliers. This is the conversation Jim and I had in the store about these fascinating lights.

We are waiting at the counter to order lights we need for the master bath, and I hear something calling me from the front of the store. Oooohh yes, it's the chandeliers!

Me: Jim, I'm going to check out the chandeliers again.
Jim: Ok, see you in a sec.

Made a couple stops before I got to my target and there they are in all their glory. What glitter! What creative design! What prices though! Jim is done at the front desk and walks over to where I am and kisses me on the cheek and says...

Jim: I don't care if we live in a quonset hut in Monroe, I'm buying you a chandelier.

I am swept off my feet. This is why I love Jim so much. Two weeks after we met, I knew this was the man I would marry. Big decision for an 18 year old and it definitely was the right one.

The 1961 Red Comet II

The family car way back when, forty-nine years ago. Four doors, and away we go. This is back in the day when no one used infant seats or child restraints. Jim reminded me of some facts about this red beauty (?) I had forgotten. It was actually our second red '61 Comet. The first two, one for Jerry his twin brother and one for Jim, were to be used as work vehicles. We all waited impatiently for the cars to come up to Alaska by barge. Unfortunately, a storm in the Gulf of Alaska demonstrated its power and the barge flipped over and both red Comets went into the drink. We waited another six months for the new ones. Not such a wait considering we were still on a waiting list for phone service and we got on the list when Jim was discharged from the navy in 1960.

Jim also reminded me the "formable" tires were made of nylon, not rayon. They were still flat as a pancake in the cold winters.

Back to Eagle River and the flashing red oil light. At that moment my brain started working overtime. "We are only 13 miles from Anchorage. We could turn around, get the car fixed and head out again." No place to live, no job. I still thought it. Jim said, "we're going to make it." He is a man of vision, and seeing the vision fulfilled! Four quarts of oil and we were on our way. I noticed people on the road were looking at us. What do they see? I turned around to look behind us. Ooooohhh! It's the blue smoke coming out of the exhaust! We're still on our way.

We had the best kids. They loved the cozy in their very own play room in the back seat. They entertained each other, napped, sang to Jesus (hymns in those days), did some running around exercise when we made frequent stops and asked "are we there yet?" Our kids, all of them are a blessing!! One of their favorite stops was in B.C. where they got to explore an old miners cabin not too far from the road. It was about this time that the "washboard" road began to get to my stomach. The answer is swollow hard.

On the road again. About 600 miles out of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, in Watson Lake. Funny sound, the car is making a very loud noise. Jim has one word, "muffler." Part of the noise of driving the Alcan is going over rocks. They are constantly hitting under the car, plus winter driving for two years on ice melt containing salt had rusted out the exhaust pipe. Now the kids really believed Dad had a very hot car. No gas stations, repair shops, Sears. But lots of wilderness. We keep pressing forward.

Fifty miles out of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory I woke up to another very loud sound. This time it was the engine and Jim is pulling over to the side of the road. It's still wilderness. It's a warm Canadian Sunday morning. Haven't seen other humans for a long, long time. As much as we knew about prayer, we prayed and had the kids praying. Jim decided he had to hitch hike and walk into Whitehorse. Jim's guess was the engine blew a rod, seized the engine, blew the oil pump. Oil pouring out, he saw a crack in the engine. Our money is quickly depleting. My only thought as we got out of the car for exercise and took a look at Canada was, all this beauty is from God.

Amazing the memories that keep flooding through in writing this. To keep it short, I'll continue on part III soon.

Even in tough times, His beauty and goodness remains all around us.

The 1961 Red Comet

This is one 60's memory I thought had fadded long ago! Apparently it hasn't because Jim and I discussed this means of transportation we had in our early Spenard, Alaska days. The '61 Comet was first used as a company vehicle, so it had been well worn over our dusty roads, icey roads, frost heave roads, and pot-hole roads of those days. (there is an old Alaska joke about the bad Alaska pot holes. Pot holes were always called chuck-holes cause a guy named Chuck drowned in one the winter of '53).

The Comet had rayon tires. That meant when it was -30 to -48 degrees, the tires were not round when we started it up in the morning. They were semi-circle round with a flat as a pancake area that was on the ground. When we would drive on these flat-bottomed tires, we looked like Fred and Wilma Flintstone bouncing up and down in our car. Every vehicle in Anchorage always had a heater cable installed in the front of the car and with a very long extention cord so our car was "plugged in" for the night. On the coldest of nights, Jim always took the battery inside the house to keep it warm for the next day. Driving in Alaska was a science, a very demanding science. Memorize the method and everything worked ok.

This car served its purpose well getting Jim to work every day, hauling all of us ( that would be five of us at this time) to church every Sunday and the weekly trips to the grocery store. Adjustments to Alaska winters meant you always left grocery shopping to the very last on the to-do list. If you did it first, then made a stop to visit with friends, potatoes and eggs had a way of freezing fast!

This car was easy on gas, hard on oil. Therefore, we kept a supply of oil handy in the trunk. Part of the discussion Jim and I had of this little red car from yesteryear was this...with all of its history, why did we choose in 1963 to drive the Alcan? Our three little kids were five years old and under and another little one expected in five months.

We want to believe it had everything to do with innocent faith in a generous God. Jim and I had been serving the Lord a short three years. After all, God can do the impossible can't He? Our motivation for leaving the place we loved was my pregnancy had some complications and we intended to drive to Kansas City area where my mom and dad lived at the time and I would be close to high-risk pregnancy care. All righteous.

We start off our trip on a beautiful Alaska October day. Warm, at least 45 degrees, sunny and we are hopeful. The kids are excited. Each child (Jim Jr or Jimmie as we called him, Jero Lynn and Bobby) had been given surprise packages to open. One for each day of the ten days my sweet mother-in-law Questa thought we would be on the road. What a wise and kind woman of God she is.

If any of you are familiar with the Anchorage area, we were a few miles out of town coming to a little place in the "boonies" called Eagle River. Our little red Comet is warning us with a red oil light flashing on the dash. The light set off sirens in my mind. Oh oh. My fragile stomach is getting queasy.

Sorry to leave you. There are several paragraphs already, so its time to close down and begin the rest of the story soon.

Family Teams: Generations

One of my favorite men of the Old Testament is Nehemiah. Visionary ( 2: 11-18), com-
passionate (1:1-4), strong in the Lord, prayerful (1:4-11). Nehemiah was a man who remained faithful to God, to his calling in God no matter what his station in life was. He was a man who knew to count the cost before building (2:11-18). Nehemiah was a leader who motivated God's people to do the right thing (2:18) and he knew how to handle the mockers and complainers (2:19-20). Reasons enough to stop and take notice in our twenty-first century!

Chapter 3, the entire chapter, is devoted to a long list of FAMILY teams Nehemiah had gathered together to get the work done (that means he was an organizer too). It's not a short list either. Every family, name after name. Sons, fathers, grandsons, daughters. Wait, DAUGHTERS? Yes! (3:11-12). People of God responding to God's leader at a time of tremendous loss and hardship of captivity. All had been set free for the time to rebuild the wall. God gave His people favor in the most difficult of times and He had the right leader in Nehemiah to get the work done. Each family had their own project. Their gifts were being used in the area where they were needed.

The mayor of a certain district was there working for the church (3:14). One entire town showed up to work on one gate and ended up repairing 1,500 feet of the wall too! Can't stop those motivated-by-God's-love people! And then there was Meshullam who rebuilt the wall in front of his storage shed (3:30). We all go in the strength we have!

Families building, getting the work done for God. It didn't matter what they had been through, they were there with ONE purpose...to do the will of God. When His people are called and equipped, moving in the power of His might, there is no stopping the work.

In Nehemiah 3 we have the family legacy passed down for our encouragement. How very important it is to pass down our own legacy of our generation! Never give up on what God has called you to do, children are watching, learning, planning. Get started today on what God wants you to do and build.

All scriptures are from The Message.

Connection

Part of who we are is the need for connection in this life. Being successful at this means it helps us find our 'place'. Actually, TRC is the first church we've been a part of that recognizes the importance of connection. That's what we stand for, "Connecting People to Life." Jesus has done such a powerful work in connecting us, we want everyone to experience what we have in Him. It's where we find our purpose in life, our gifts and how we impart those things to other people God sends our way.

The desire has always been there at TRC to connect people to life and with the introduction of a new computer program and a new Connect card, that work just got a little easier. That was a statement of faith! Many of us are still learning the ins and outs of the program, and it's coming along! Who would have ever thought a little Connect card would play such a huge role in people's lives and what it will mean for TRC? Awesome job on the Connect card!

I'm excited about this because we've had the experience in Guest Services of people dropping through the cracks. One person disappearing from the scene is too many. It's painful! If people leave no information, we have no way of connecting, but now we have a way of improving that. It's not just new guests we're concerned about. We love the people who call TRC their home and when any have missed two or three weeks, we care enough to find out why.

This is the function of the Connect card. I love it when things function properly and when there is beauty besides, all the better. Function and beauty all in one... great! Take a look at the Connect card and see if that doesn't stir something in your heart to be connected in a stronger and more fruitful way to the church. That's what I'm praying for, God's people established on the Rock, Christ Jesus.

It's ultimately being connected to life in the Son of God. Let it grow in your life.

Prayer and Praise to God in C

I've never prayed like this before! I like it. Our prayer life to God is to be exciting and fulfilling and not one of doing it out of duty or feeling obligated. Most of my prayers are written in prayer journals and that's what I was doing this morning and I realized there seemed to be a lot of "C" letters. I'll share the prayer with you, it's for a purpose. I went to the table of contents in my study Bible, (everyone should have one), and I kept reading and writing as I went through the "C's." You'll notice I've used pronouns us and we, meaning the Church. This is an intercession for the Church.

Holy Father, Holy God, The work you do in our lives is a holy work. Your divine works separate us (or set us apart for His purpose, we are IN the world, but not OF the world) from this world to make us like You. Your work Chastens, Cuts, Comforts, Cures, Calls, we Cast our Cares on You. Your grace gives us a Cause to Celebrate everyday, Chains are broken, your grace Changes us, Chooses us for your very own people and we belong to Christ. You Circle us with Your love and grace.

You Circumcise our hearts, You alter our Circumstances to fit Your plan. Where we were once broken Cisterns, now we are Citizens of the heavenly kingdom. You give us Cause to Clap for joy. You make our way clear and You give us place to hide in the Cleft of the rock. You Clothe us with Your righteousness and one day You will return in Clouds in the air. You touch our lips with a burning Coal to speak Your word, You Call us, Come and I will give you rest.

You are our Commander and we Commit our lives to You. There is no other god that Compares to You, our God full of Compassionate grace, we are Complete in You. You Confirm Your word to us, You have taken away our Confusion and have made us more than Conquerors in our Christ Jesus. Now we praise and thank You in the Congregation of the righteous. We Consecrate our lives to You oh Lord. When we Consider Your steadfast love our hearts are filled. What great Consolation You give us!

You are our Guide, we Consult with You and we are given wisdom. Our zeal for You Consumes our lives. If all You are doing on earth were written in books, the earth could not Contain all Your works. You have made us Content in whatever state we are in. Your love is a Continual river flowing deeper and deeper. You do not despise the humble and Contrite heart. It was Conviction of sin that brought You near to us and with Cords of love You drew us to Your heart.

You are our Cornerstone and one day we will look on Your Countenance. You give us Courage to face the roaring lion, Courage to delight in doing Your will in the face of the lion. Your Covenant is everlasting, You Cover us in the Your shadow of Your wings. You Created in us new hearts, we Cried to You and You made us well because of Your sacrifice on the Cross.

One day in heaven, Your people will gladly Cast our Crowns before You because You deserve all the praise and glory. Thank You for enduring the shame of Your Crucifixion for all our sins. We will thank You face to face at the river of life, Clear as Crystal. You have given us a Cup overflowing with blessings. You are the Cure for this frame of dust, we are no longer Cursed, but blessed. We no longer have a Curtain separating us from our God.

All because of You Jesus.

Purpose, may all of us grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord.

That Childhood Dessert From the Fifties That We Loved So Much

Just amazing what our mom could do with her creativity to keep my brothers and me happy. One of her most famous creations we couldn't get enough of was a dessert out of a can. At least the beginning of the dessert.

First let me introduce you to our mother. Her maiden name was Amundson. Karen Alette Amundson. Over the years she became affectionately known as "Letty," or "Karen," but in her home in Rothsay, Minnesota she was always known as Alette (pronounced Aletta), or Alett for short. The shortened version Alett, went very well with the short and clipped sounds of the Norwegian that I remember.

I imagine Mom was creative for a variety of reasons. The government ration book of the war years allowed certain things and she used what she had, or maybe this tasty dessert was handed down for generations. Or, maybe it was because she didn't have much time to spend on cooking after coming home from work. Mom was one of two women in our neighborhood in the forties and fifties that worked outside their homes. The other mom was a widow. Whatever her motivation was, this dessert delighted us every time!

It was a big deal when we saw the new can she was about to open. It was time to gloat around neighborhood friends we had in our alley. Na-na-na-na! We get dessert tonight! All the alley games stopped to hear once again the full story of this concoction; baseball, marbles, tag, or Red Rover, it all came to a stop to hear the description. Life was so good!

Well, that's my story of the world's greatest dessert from childhood. Oh, I'll bet you wanted to know just what it was, is?? Here it is, get out the pencils. The can was the biggest we could afford, full of sweet peaches. Mom got out the chipped cereal bowls and crumbled up at least two whole graham crackers in the bottom of each bowl. Then she got Grandma's big "grey spoon" (it was silver but it looked grey to us and remains "the grey spoon" to this day.) Wonder if my brothers realize I have Grandma's grey spoon in my silverware drawer? Got sidetracked there. Up comes a huge spoonful of the juicy peaches over the graham crackers and it softens the crunchy-ness a little. Out of habit we chimed in at the same time, "more juice please mom." She was so accommodating! Next came the whipped cream, real whipped cream from the farm. Thick, so thick you could whip it up with a fork and just full of butter fat. Who knows how much butter fat, we didn't care. When Grandma brought fresh cream, the fresh home-made butter came with it. The whipped cream was generously poured over everything until it looked like the bowl was nothing but cream. Everyone should have such childhood memories.

Back to the twenty-first century. I went out to the kitchen to help with clean-up and guess what? Jim is fixing the world's greatest childhood dessert! Every step the same, crunched up graham crackers, canned peaches with plenty of juice. But the cream is different, it's Reddi-whips finest canned whipped cream. The taste is great, crackers a little crunchy and a little soft from the peach juice. Peaches sweet and the cream passes the test. Still have the memory of every detail from happy days, and now you do too.

Have any memories of childhood desserts from creative moms or dads?

Sunday Night Thoughts

It was -17 in Fairbanks today. Relatives are really cold and heater cables for car engines are plugged in again.

@zacjs8 needs prayer. His twitter today said his stomach is at war and feels like carpet bombing.

Jesus said, "Remember me..." He was broken for us.

I'm so thankful for my husband Jim.

Bought a hot pink tote bag today. Now for something silver! Never had anything hot pink before. Ever!!

Ladies of TRC love being with each other. 55 of us met in the Hub today planning for the women's conference with Lisa Bevere in May. You can't miss it!

Friday night women met at TRC , "Love Letters." Powerful word about being God's authentic love letters to the world today.

Monroe has it's very own Inflated Big Blue Monkey at the Dodge dealership and I took a picture of it for Tony Morgan, a collector of such pictures.

Had Thai lunch today after church with Brad, Katy, Riley and Olivia. Benjarong in Monroe.

Tomorrow is another day. Whatever missteps, misunderstandings, or disappointments, cover it all with love and make a new beginning.

Jesus loves you and so do I.

Encourage Each Other

That's one of the gifts that God has given to us in the Church, encouraging each other. God shows us how to do that in His word, He is always an encouraging God! The only God that can. We'll be successful at encouraging people in the Church by imitating God's example and the example of other Christians.

Today I had such a great experience with a friend at church, it just wouldn't all fit in a twitter, so here I am, blogging. Love the doors the Lord opens up in the twenty-first century for communications! This experience was about the power the Lord gives to us every day, just because we are His. I told my friend I noticed some big changes in her and her child since they have been coming to TRC. A child previously too shy to go to her class and a mother who was too nervous to bring her child and leave her in this new area in children's church.

The day came when in Jesus name mom and daughter each took big steps. It came a little slow at first and it included some pacing for mom, but God is faithful! His power is for children taking their first big steps of faith and so I encouraged my friend of the powerful God changes I have seen in her and her daughter. On their own, they could not do it, but in the power of His might, it's being done to the glory of God.

I was getting ready to tell my friend that I have been thinking of reading the book of Acts again, all because of the powerful way God worked in His early Church. My friend asked, "why don't we read the book of Acts this week and then talk about God's power next Sunday and see what He has done?" Don't you love the way God works?

So this week is my Acts of the Apostles week. What more do you have in store God? Acts is one of the greatest adventure story! If you want your kids to know that power God has for the Church today, start by reading the book of Acts together. The twenty-first century is a pretty adventurous timeto be living in. We can expect God to be faithful to His word!

zacjs8

The title of this blog is the twitter address of a young man who lives in Anderson, South Carolina. He is a member of New Spring Church and has a ministry of keeping the technology flowing for his church.

A few weeks ago I started following his twitter when I read a request for prayer for him and his family on another twitter. I'm touched by this young man's life and the grace that God has given him. He doesn't complain, he would rather talk of the work God is doing in his life. That is part of the tension of desiring healing and not being healed yet. Along with the facts of cancer he must deal with everyday and the truth of God's word. Getting through that tension area is truly the grace of God.

Everything in his life is being threatened by this disease, but he and his family are secure and comforted by the Lord and the support of his family and church. They are all learning the value of focus on Jesus, even though zacjs8's life is in the balance.

Here's how I pray for zacjs8; first thanks to God for who He is, for healing and for grace. On this earth we will never fully understand the power of that grace that is completely enough in EVERY situation. God said that. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2Cor. 12:9 One of the key words is "weakness." That would be our weakness!

Grace for today for zacjs8 and his precious family. Grace for the next hour. Grace for sleep this evening, the entire night. Grace for peace on the whole house all night. Grace that sustains and gives deep-seated joy that can't be explained. zacjs8 is learning the lessons of gratitude and faith. Contentment in whatever state he is in.

I treasure the life of zacjs8, his wife Mandy and their three children. They are the story of God's grace.

If you want to see the vid of zacjs8's testimony, you'll see it when you go to New Spring Church and P. Perry Noble's blog. It's well worth the time.

Just Because

There is great joy in the house of God in Australia and P. Brian Houston has ably tweeted that
joy to the whole world in CAPITAL LETTERS! A new baby is coming to the Houston family through their daughter, and Brian is positive it's a boy.

How generous our God is, gifts upon gifts and Grandpa Houston gets to SHOUT it out to the entire world through technology! The baby isn't here yet and already he knows how a grandpa acts! Shout it out! In a simple connection, we sign up and we get to share in their joy, scripture fulfilled! Marvelous God!

We serve the only generous God. There is no other God like Him. He continually gives gifts out of His treasuries to His people. Even though we are undeserving. We are a people most loved, highly loved, eternally loved! As long as we live, we will never have enough time to do enough good deeds to deserve any gift from God. That's why God is so full of wisdom. He knows we would take the credit for what happens, but it's all from Him

God gives just because He is a generous God, just because. Thank Him today for His gifts. If we start with the bed we sleep on...it could go on forever. Always be thankful.

Worship

This morning I woke up worshiping. "Glory in the highest, glory in the highest, glory in the highest, to You." Too bad blogs don't have automatic sound, you could have joined in too. Life changes when we worship. In fact it's never the same again. God created us at His pleasure and for His pleasure. Imagine, God gets pleasure from us!

All of Israel knew where their strength was, that's why they had the tribe of Judah (praise) at the head. No fear in praise here, the desert was filled with loud praise, because God alone is worthy. The world is being filled with praise again. Powerful praise and TRC is part of that!

One of the experiences the Apostle John had while on Patmos was vision. One vision after another. After the messages to the churches, John's eyes are opened to heavenly worship. In Rev. 4:7-8 there are four living beings who did not stop worshiping the Lord, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."

One of the wonders of worship is it spreads like fire. Now the twenty-four elders fall down before God, Rev. 4:10-11. They give their crowns to God and say, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

Have you ever wondered why you were born? Verse 11 tells us why we are born, why God created us. To worship Him. He alone is worthy of all worship.

Rev. 5:8-14 The four living beings and twenty-four elders sing praise to Jesus, the Lamb of God for His gift of redemption. Verse 11 describes the number of creatures and angels who join in worship of the King, (it's spreading again) "...the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands and thousands."

Rev. 5:13 "And EVERY creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard...Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."

And the four living creatures said, "Amen."

So how does this worship translate to us in the twenty-first century? Next blog.

More on Tears

Just because the tears come, doesn't mean the joy of the Lord has gone away. God made us emotional beings and one of the ways we show that emotion is through tears. So, it's ok.

The shortest verse in the Bible is about Jesus and His tears. John 11:35 "Then Jesus wept." In previous verses it says that Jesus was angry in His spirit after seeing and hearing the unbelief around Him. In fact, it says in verse 33 that Jesus was "deeply troubled." Even as they walk along to the grave of Lazarus, "...Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb..." I think there is a blog here for later.

Jesus isn't the only person that wept, we can read of many who have shed tears. Psalm 69, David, the King of all Israel wept, many times! Another King, Hezekiah cried, Isa. 38:3. Now we come to the fishermen. We've known many fishermen, loggers, construction guys and the entire 25 years we lived in Alaska I never saw one fisherman, logger or builder shed a tear. Doesn't mean they didn't!

Peter, the great fisher of men spent three and a half years with Jesus, but in the end when he was tested, he failed because he denied his friend, the Son of God, Jesus. Matthew 26:75 "Peter wept bitterly." What bitter tears to have because of betrayal. God wasn't through with Peter though. God is the Author and Finisher of our faith and He faithfully did that job in Peter's life and now we have the epistles and life of Peter to be blessed by.

Others, the remaining disciples wept at the death of Jesus, Mk. 16:10, Mary washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, Luke 7:44. Paul serving the Lord with many tears, Acts 20:19. In Acts 20:31 because of Paul's constant watch care over the church, he cried night and day. Toward the end of his journey here on earth, Paul wrote that he had many tears for the church at Corinth because of the love he had for them.

So while we are here on earth, we will have tears. If tears don't come out of your eyes, they may have gotten stuck at the top of your throat. It's ok. One of these days we will be released from tears. But, in the meantime they are important enough to God that He stores them all in a bottle.

"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." Rev.21:3-4 NLT

Heros

Thinking about my list of heros. It's a big one! Over the years it changed, but many of the old heros have remained.

When we were kids our big heros were the soldiers, marines, navy, the whole bunch. Four of my uncles served the entire time of WWII. There were the baseball heros, Brooklyn Dodgers all the way! No, I didn't make a mistake, I know they are the LA Dodgers now!

When I got saved in 1960, my #1 Hero on the list was Jesus, and remains the same today. Jim was replaced as #1 for Jesus! Second on my list is Jim, he's my hero everyday too. Jesus is my Hero because He gave His life for me when I deserved nothing from Him. Family members are my heros!

Bible heros. Ordinary people who say yes to the Lord and change the world they lived in. In spite of great adversity. By His power, they got the job done. Noah, Abraham, Joseph, David, Gideon, Esther, Deborah, Nehemiah, Ezra, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul. God calls ordinary people who are sure they can do nothing on their own, but with the God of the universe, can do all things.

Church heros. Early saints and martyrs who lived and died for Christ. His name the most important thing to them. Every pastor and Church leader today that keep their eyes on Jesus and the vision He has for the Church are my heros. No adversity will ever stop the work of the Church. We have some heros in TRC!

Who do you have on your list??

Tears

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Psalms 56:8

We try so hard to keep those tears back sometimes. So hard in fact, some of us have been taught to not cry! Problem with that is, the tears get stuck somewhere in us. God has a solution for everything! The only thing we have to do is let them come, and He will do the rest. When our tears are collected, God is telling us He cares about those things. He keeps them as a memorial so we don't have to.

I first wrote about tears in 1977. They still keep coming! The past two weeks had many tears for many people. Last weekend was one of those times. I've had to wait until today to be able to write anything about the events. The Memorial weekend for Joe and Linda Knight didn't have the edge to the tears that has been there before. In fact, the Gala night was a night of resoration and healing. We never met Joe and Linda but we love the church that has come out of their legacy. New strength is here. Some old things passed away and the vision for the Church is ahead. The Lord isn't the only One saying, "Go, go!"

We saw and heard tears on Saturday night, but it was time. It was meant to be. Now there are more tears in the bottle.

I wonder if God intends our collected tears to be His river in heaven? Rev. 22:1-2

This I Know...

Two little words, "you know" or "I know". Everything can have its up and down times but when we say "I know..." these are the words from the Bible that makes everything steady. I started looking up verses with "I know" and "you know," or "we know" and discovered that God has caused His people to "know" some very important, stablizing truths for all times and especially during rocky times.Here are a few of them. Add to your list when you run across them in your study of the Bible.

"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand on the earth at last." Job19:25

"Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you." Ps.9:10

"Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." Ps. 46:10

"We believe, and we know you are the holy one of God." John 6:69

"... I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return." 2Tim.1:12

"And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments." 1John2:3

"This is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." 1John2:6

"...the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth." 1John2:20

"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us." 1John3:16

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him." 1John3:18-19

"Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us." 1John3:24

"We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know that we are the children of God and the world around us is under the control of the evil one." 1John5:18-19

Have you noticed the epistle of John seems to be the book of "know?"

Here's another, do you know this one?

"Jesus loves me this I know,
for the Bible tells me so..."

All Bible verses are taken from KJV or NLT

Stand

That's the way we get the victory, standing. Read this command the Lord gave Moses when it was his time to stand. Exodus 8:20 "Then the Lord told Moses, Get up early in the morning and STAND IN PHARAOH'S WAY as he goes down to the river [one of the worship objects of all Egyptians, the Nile River]. Say to him, This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me."

It probably was the last thing Moses wanted to do. He stuttered, had no confidence in his abilities given him by God. Couldn't quite trust God all the way, in spite of numerous assurances. Moses obeyed, maybe his knees were shaking, but he was standing. God was faithful to all he promised Moses and because of God's faithfulness, Moses was the great leader of his people out of slavery.

All of us have been where Moses was, scared. Moses had good reason, Israel had been slaves to Egypt over 400 years and he was told by God to stand in the way of the slave master. But, the more he trusted the Lord, the stronger Moses was.

It's time to stand. Right in front of Pharaoh. The Pharaoh for us today is anything and everything that holds us prisoner and keeps us from worshiping God with all that we are. We've been fasting for liberty, freedom, breakthrough and that's exactly what the Lord wants to give us. Time to rise early and stand.

The Debt

Pastors Jeff and Melinda have led us well in the Awakening21 fast these last weeks. Jim and I have been reading Isaiah 58 every day and one phrase keeps sticking out in my heart; "...cancel debts." Isa. 58:8 MSG. Talk about flying in the face of American culture! If I can use an analogy, our cultural 'scripture' would say: "Show me the money," or, "You owe me." This is not a call to abandon our contract debts, this has more to do with forgiving personal offense. However, God is blessed when we forgive money debt too.

Matt. 18:21-35 is the parable Jesus told about the unmerciful servant who refused to forgive the debt of a fellow servant. They were ALL servants of the king, ALL in the same boat, but one chose to hold on to the debt and threw his fellow servant into prison for non-payment of the debt. Of course, in prison there is no way the servant will ever be able to repay the debt. Forever in debt. That's the way unforgiven offenses are, holding the person in the prison of our making, except we are the ones that end up in prison too. At some point we will come face to face with the king.

I see Isaiah 58 as a call to spiritual maturity in the body of Christ. This is the meat of the word. This is a scripture that if we take it to heart will eternally change us. Another step in faith to faith, glory to glory. This is the denying of self just to please Christ who has given all for us. This is one of the greatest breakthrough scriptures in the Bible. This is the rhema that sets us free from the degradation of offense when it lingers. This is the scripture that will lead us out of offense or help us forgive the offense before it gets deeply into our hearts. This is what we are fasting and praying for. God does what He says He will do, this is His covenant with us who will follow His word. God says "if" and "then." The 'if' part is ours to do, the 'then' part is what God will do when we first do the 'if.' No mistaking anything in this scripture, God is ready to do exactly what He says He will do.

Why are we fasting and praying? Is it not... Fill in the blank space. When God does a work, it is mighty. Expect to see Him do just what He promised.

God bless you in this great step of faith.

Days

No, I do not have the ability to see Jim's blue eyes on twitter. That's what happens when you blog early in the morning. But I can text him and say, come home so I can see your blue eyes and ask how your day was! This blog idea began with the twitter from Down Under, Pastor Brian Houston; "Gidday." Wonder what we tweets made of that day the 20th? All our days and nights are from the God who created them and all things.

"Then God said, 'Let there be light.' And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'day' and the darkness 'night.' And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day." Genesis 1:3-5.

As I wrote the blog titled "Twitter," there was a new blog moving around in my brain about days. YesterDAYS, toDAYS, future Days, and the decisions we make in this gift of days we are given by God. Making it count every day, or just floating by in this life. Putting decisions on the shelf somewhere or taking steps in faith when we don't know what the outcome will be. (Marriage is like that, a step of faith whether we know it or not.) No one can know what the future holds for us, but our days are made up of many decisions. Some small, some very big, some excruciating.

One DAY Abram (Abraham) heard God tell him to leave his country and family for a place he knew nothing about. It must have been like taking the last known stairstep into darkness. But he followed God's will and it has changed and influenced the entire Church. One day, one obedient man.

Days pass and before we know it, we are moving into the seventh decade, at least I am! There is nothing we can do to change any day we have lived, just thank the Lord we had every day, because our times are in His hands. He is the one who uses each day for His glory no matter what happened or didn't happen. God said the light of day was good, I'm thanking God for the light of every one of my days.

Today is a new day, a gift. Tell someone you love them. The new day is opportunity. Surprise. Open doors, closed doors. Laughter, lots of that. (One twitter friend said she had a goal of 25 laughs for the day, excellent!) Encouragement. New steps of faith. How about this one? Sunday is another opportunity to worship with family and friends. Jesus is worthy of all praise! God wants us to have breakthrough, so come ready to praise.

I can't imagine a more exciting day to be living in than the 21st century. Whatever the day holds, give it everything you've got!

Twitter

Is it the sound birds make at 4AM out of your open window in the summer? Or is it the descriptive word of a bride coming down the aisle as she watches her husband-to-be? All a-twitter. If you were born after 1950, you've probably never heard that expresion before, all a-twitter.

Twitter is a form of communication thousands (maybe millions) of people are doing on line or over their cell phones. Does anyone own a landline any more? Twitter is a community in itself. Twitter is a form of connecting people to life in Jesus. Twitter is used as a cry out to the twitter world for prayer. Twitter may be an easier way for a guy to ask a girl out on a date?? Twitter is a great reminder of events coming up. You know, for those of us that need the reminder. If only we could remember to look at our date book. C'mon, you really don't think we're that old do you? After reading twitters from friends for several months, it's easy to see when something isn't going quite right, so God uses this form of communication to care for each other. Twitter is an open door for 21st century busy people to stay in touch. We need each other. We really do. (Guy named Reuben Welch wrote a book a few years ago titled, We Really Do Need Each Other).

January 20 late at night thousands of people got a one word twitter from Pastor Brian Houston... "Gidday". His day was just starting and he thought of the twitter world that follows him. Our day was ending. Wednesday was gone for us. We can never go back to add or take away what that day was all about. Did we go to bed angry or stressed? Did we miss opportunity? Was it filled with busyness or did we take time for silence and listen for God's voice?

Never fear. Another day is here right now. Thank God for creating day and night. He is present in both. I'm going to make the most of it, and we can use twitter to help a little. Encourage a friend. Pray with a friend until they are feeling stronger. Take a long look in Jimmie's blue eyes and ask him how things are going. Get encouragement from Jeff's daily blog on Awakening21 fast and prayer.

I'm glad for the day I decided to use twitter. Always wanted to hear more of T.D. Jakes since Creative Church Conference (C3) a few years ago and I just "hear" his voice now on twitter. It's amazing the people who have twitter accounts! Try it, you might like it. www.twitter.com

What Do You Have in Your Hand?

I went on a hunting expedition this morning for the multiple stories of Jesus feeding multitudes of people. (Mt. 14:13-21, Mt. 15:32-39, Mk. 6:30-34, Mk. 8:1-9, Lk. 9: 12-17, Jn. 6:1-13). There is a common thread in these accounts that is amazing. Jesus told, and still tells His disciples (that would be us!) "you feed!" How are we ever going to feed so many Lord? Whatever Jesus blesses will be multiplied and it will be done. Jesus is telling us not to fret when hundreds come, because thousands are coming!

Today on the news I saw an example in Haiti of God's people taking care of business. No one is waiting around for someone to come and help them out. I wouldn't call it a well-oiled machine, but the job of caring and loving survivors is getting done.

Their church lies in ruins in the background. They have arranged shelters for themselves and any neighbor who comes into the church property. Fires are going, huge pots of stews are being cooked. Each of God's people have given what PENNIES they have in their hands and from that little bit, God is giving much. Vegetables, fruits and perhaps a little meat. Their faces show their trust is in the Living God! The earthquake has strengthened their faith and they are ALL sharing what they have. They know they are the blessed of God. We don't have much in the way of problems do we?

Every day we have a roof over our heads, food on the table and clothing to wear, gas in the car to get to work. Let us be thankful and realize when tough times, really tough times come, our Father never abandons us. Be encouraged today to give what you have in your hand. Haiti is one of the poorest nations on this earth, yet in the middle of their adversity, Christians have their own "Feed-a-Block" going. God bless His people in Haiti.

Vision 2

Yes; without vision, the people perish. "When people do not accept divine guidance [vision],they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful." Prov. 29:18 NLT. Now, "Vision 1" is complete.

I've been reading of the loaves and fishes. In the three accounts I read, Jesus had compassion on the people. Love compelled Him to feed and take care of the people who came to Him with their needs. When Jesus blesses what we give, there is more than enough to go around.

What a large vision for the disciples. You feed...you feed...you feed. And with the blessing of Jesus, they did just that. No one went away from the provision hungry. I love the prefix, pro and suffix, vision! At the beginning it must have seemed an impossible task. All by ourselves it will always be so, but we will never have to be anxious about the vision God gives. He will never leave us or forsake us.

This is no small mission Jesus has given us. From the beginning, it's been large vision. Consider the Great Commission...go into ALL the world and preach the gospel. Everything God does is big. Creation vision, big. Salvation through Jesus Christ, the most powerful vision the world has ever experienced. God's vision for love, so great it's never ending. It's difficult to imagine anyone ever turning down the blessing of being part of this. Even if our part is small, when it's together, God will bless it.

Keep your eyes and ears open for the next few weeks concerning vision. Pray. Talk with friends about vision. Churches all over the world are getting ready to see a move of God so great...There are no words for it, except be ready. No one is left out, just say yes and God will provide for vision. Opportunities will seem to pop up out of no where. Just look at the news today, the terrible quake in Haiti and Dominican Republic. Look, just look at the outpouring of compassion God is giving people to help rescue, to heal, to provide. This is God moving in our earth. This is so big, it overshadows everything else we hear in the media . This is the Great Commission in action. Action has been a big part of TRC as long as we have been attending, almost six years. I expect it to soar and we will never look back except to thank God for what He has done in the past.

Can we do this? In our really small Monroe? In the power of His might, we will do it. God says.

Vision

I've been praying since yesterday for blog words to write about God's vision. Every day we know that God has been stepping up the pace of ministry through TRC, but putting living words to the vision that He has given is another thing. It's like trying to explain the presence of Jesus. Words are wholly lacking to describe what that means in the heart. It's the same with vision.

There are certain things we know about vision. We perish without it. "Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." There's a clue, obedience to the will of God. Jesus very simply called his disciples, "Come, follow me." No big explaination, no great response from the disciples about what questions they may have had, if they did have questions. (Do you suppose Judas thought to himself, "what's in it for me?" Just wondering.)

The call of Jesus covers everything. Anxious about the unknown? Come, follow me. How will I have time for everything? Come, follow me. I will if... What is that to you? Come, follow me. I don't have much. Come, follow me. I'm weak, come follow me. Whatever we can come up with, Jesus says: "Come, follow me."

The second part of Vision soon.

Sweet Presence of Jesus

Early this morning my granddaughter Rosemary and I had a twitter exchange about a worship song titled "This is our God." It's one of many worship and praise songs that Hillsong has produced. The song is the title to the cd. Well worth having it.

This afternoon I was doing some veggie shopping at Uwajimaya in Bellevue, thinking this whole time about worship and found myself rushing to get done with errands and get home. I knew an "event" with the Lord was about to happen. I got my iPod and started listening to the song. Had to play it again. And again and again. How precious and sweet is the presence of Jesus our Lord! We are powerfully changed in His presence. Oh, if all the world would know how beautiful our Savior is!

Since being a part of TRC, the way I look at praise and worship has been changed forever.

We are created to worship the Lord. All of God's creation has a desire to worship something greater than what we are, so some create no-gods so they can "see" their god, but their no-god will forever be what it is, a no-god without power to love, create, forgive, or bless. We have the honor to worship the true and living God, and I pray all of us will come to prayer and worship looking at worship with new eyes. We can have high expectations because of who our God is.

I pray this Sunday we all come expecting to know the presence of Jesus as we worship together. Let's thank God we still have the privilege of freely worshiping Him with all that we are.

Christmas Eve 2009

Must see! Our granddaughter Rosemary just posted pictures and comments from the evening together. She and her husband Josh, also known as CB1, have a definite flair for capturing everything with pictures. That's why you must see! www.chakulablog.com This is their food blog and it is very much like them; joyful, colorful, and passionate. Click on the link here, or on the left side of my blog and you'll be there.

2010:Men and Women of Influence

We are chosen by God to be people of influence in our families, the Church, our neighborhoods, our nations, our world. God hasn't called us into His great kingdom to be men and women sitting on the sidelines of life.

I've been thinking about influence since before Christmas; who has influenced me, who are the great influences from the Bible, what great pastors have we had that have influenced us? Some of the greatest influences have been people with humble spirits. Most have never been well known. Others from the Bible are favorites of all of us. I love the life of Esther. Her circumstances of being an orphan could have had a negative influence on her, but God had big plans for her. From God's point of view, it doesn't matter what our background has been. Many times He chose the humble to do His greatest work. The shepherd boy David faced down the giant and influenced his nation for God the rest of his life. And what of Gideon? Saul/Paul had a confrontation with God and look how the world has been influenced by Paul's obedience?

It's true, no matter who we are, because of His Spirit in us, we are men and women of influence. World changing, nation changing, life changing influence. Just coming to church, doing the bare minimum (no such thing in God's kingdom), isn't for any of us. If someone in your life has said to you, that you'll never amount to anything, I challenge you to reject that in Jesus name because it's a lie.

2010, twenty-ten, MMX, however you want to put it, dust off your gifts that God has placed in you and use them to influence people...this year. If you're wondering how that will happen, come to TRC Sunday, 9:30 and 11:30 AM and you will hear about prayer and fasting. Put yourself in God's hands and you will know what He wants you to do.