Faith Outside the Box

Greetings! I pray all is well with you, and that no matter where today finds you that your hope is in The One who redeems, sustains and upholds us, the only Christ the King!

I have a confession to make. I am passionate about political issues. It's funny, the world does not like us to be passionate about our faith. Too bad. It's essence of who we are and why we are here in the first place to grow and develop as we learn of Our Lord. But the Church nor the world really cares for people who are passionate about political issues.

I was raised to be passionate about both, though I did not and have not always done so. It's been a process for me. Doing without Christ drove me to Christ. Then as I grew and life moved forward, I happened to begin homeschooling 6 months prior to September 11 2001. Studying history with biblical perspective was such an eye opener and a gift to us. It gave rich perspective to the history making times we were living in.

I won't take you through the blow by blow here, because really, who cares? Suffice it to say that something happened last August which made me unable or unwilling to compartmentalize my life from faith and politics (twin passions). It began to seem that to live my faith I must apply myself to day by day, in whatever ways I can find appropriate for my family apply my efforts to keeping myself aware, finding ways to encourage and inform those around me (family) and friends on the 'net. When opportunity presents to do more (donate, make calls, sign petitions, etc) do so. And always, and in all things pray and give thanks!

It's tempting to say forget it, my efforts are inconsequential and politics attracts so many "me-me-me people" (yuk factor). But, my conscience won't let me turn away. Until I am led in a new direction I better run with determination the road set before me.

I finally made peace with this transition during the last few days. I am hoping that I can keep two blogs going by posting and cross posting from time to time. I haven't been doing much of either because I have been struggling with what strange thing was happening to me. My faith and family and relationship with the Lord was just as strong as always, but I struggled with why was I so driven to political things.

Finally, I just relaxed and had PEACE! It's OK to be who He made me! I can TRUST Him! How novel! ;) He gives us GOOD gifts for His glory and His purpose! Who am I to kick against the pricks!?!

Yesterday there was a successful (well behaved, highly motivated and about 300+ btwn hours of 12:00 5:00) Tea Party in my hometown of St Augustine. I chose to go to next door Jacksonville (4,500+ from 12:00-2:00) with my parents, and the party THRILLED my heart. So many different types of people, different ages ALL of 1 mind and 1 accord. When God was mentioned no one was offened or ashamed but all cheered and gave honor. There was no hate but lots of wisdom and insight from young children, young adults and adults in the middle of life and adults who have been there and done that and know what they are talking about!

I have some encouraging words to share with you all my dear sisters in Christ, and am looking forward to visiting and checking in with you all. This was an important "Bird" Housekeeping matter that required tending to first!

There were a couple of times that when we sang "America, America God shed His grace on thee...and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea..." and when we prayed that I had a flash that God was pleased, that we were taking steps in the right direction and it made my heart happy!

Whether America shines or falls, God's people must trust in Him, look to Him, put our hope in Him. The Word is filled with accounts of Nations falling or pulling back from the brink, in either case there is always a remnant that looks to Him and is provided for even in the midst of trials.

If you would like to know more about where I have been dabbling check out Minorcan Maven. I will be around to visit over the weekend and catch up with ya'll! Some of the posts I have written there explain what I am speaking about better.

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14

ABC's of the Word - G

From there they continued on to Beer, the well where the LORD said to Moses, "Gather the people together and I will give them water."
Numbers 21:16

I was facing a situation that was pressing me over the weekend. Still pressing as it evolves...through it all my spirit keeps singing this song :

"God will make a way, He'll make a way, He'll make a way,
God, will make a way!"

Then my spirit took it further and started changing it up -

"God has made away, He's made a way, He's made a way, He's made a way
He gave water from a rock,
God has made a way"

"God has made a way, He's made a way, He's made a way, He's made a way
He made manna fall all around,
God has made a way!"



"God has made a way, He's made a way, He's made a way, He's made a way,
He gave us life and made us clean
God has made a way!"

Good Thursday to you all! I know God will bless you for seeking Him through His Word and fellowship with other believers! What I hope you take from my thoughts on His Word today, is that if He has to make water flow from a rock for you, He will! If he didn't hold back His one and only begotten Son for us, He won't fail you now. Whether in His Sovereign wisdom He knows we need more time, more favor, more mercy, more grace or just plain and simple physical HELP and needs met, He will move Heaven and Earth to meet our need. What will we move to meet His need?

Lord, sometimes I feel like that rock, hard, unyielding and flinty and lacking fruit. Make your water (Spirit) flow from me I pray! Lord, Sometimes I feel like Moses - who struck the rock in anger the last time he had the opportunity. When He should have just spoke in authority to it. Help me to speak with love, patience, wisdom, authority in the power of Jesus Name , to the rocks which You have given me stewardship over. In Jesus' Beautiful Name - The Name above ALL other names! Amen

Please visit Pam at Grey Like Snuffy for more!

Lord, I have Been Here Before..Really...AGAIN? Can you Hear Me Whining?

How was your weekend? We had a great time with family this weekend. Missed my oldest. He was supposed to be able to come with his fiance'. But, he had to cover for someone at work and couldn't get away. But there was lots of fun with the nieces and nephews at a birthday party, and good times with my father-in-law and his wife yesterday. Bunch of other stuff too. God has blessed us greatly.

In the midst of that, I began last Wednesay taking on a new project that may or may not be a waste of time, but I HAD, as in HAD to try it. We shall see! Nothing ventured nothing gained!

And at the outset of the weekend, I was faced with a situation that was oh so familiar to me, as to make me want to just stay at home and put the covers over my head, because it just made me weary to comtemplate the SAME scenery AGAIN! Sheesh! Enough already! But, I did not! I hung on to the hem of His garment and said "I can't do this. I. CAN. NOT. Do. This. Please. Take. This...."

And He did. Through the weekend, since it was a busy time, (and many times I just wanted to escape and be alone with Him, My Father, My Savior, My King) when I was maybe in the truck driving by myself to run a quick 100th errand in town, or in the shower, or feeding Roto (our pig)...there was this song that I would sing - and it stirred my faith, and kept the enemy at bay. I don't know if I have heard it before ,or if it just was my spirit initiating a call out to the Lord. I just know the ministry of The Holy Spirit through that song blessed me and kept me going.

I am determined to not see this scenery again. I press on, and I don't look back. I trust Him!

How about you? If He's bringing you through - say so! Happy Monday, Ya'll!

ABC's of the Word - F!

5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me? Hebrews 13:5-6 Amplified Bible

In the strange times we find ourselves living in, it is important more and more that we remember where our hope comes from, and Who we place our faith in! He IS faithful. He is more than enough - at all times, whether in times of plenty or want - He is MORE than enough. The world will increasingly need to be able to see that God's people are not afraid. We are secure and assured. Our children need to see it, our in-laws, our customers and our co-workers, sometimes even our spouses. It need not be a front. It should be and can be real. Lights on, groceries in the 'fridge - He's my God. No money in the bank, lights off, pink slip - He's my God. At all times, He is my God.

Lord, help us to be faithful to You like You are to us! Thank You, Father that You never leave us nor forsake us! We love You, we adore You! Fill us, Father with more of You! That we may lives lives useful to You! In Jesus' matchless and wonderful name! Amen!

For more ABC's of the Word, please visit Pam at Grey Like Snuffie - you will be so glad you did! Toodles!

Come to Me!

Where oh where does the time go? I remember so often a season that occurred 5 years go last fall. It was our youngest's season playing football. The coach was a real good guy and SUCH a character! He had this thing he would say to the guys on the team that just rung in my heart like it was words from God everytime he said it. I STILL think of it. His nickname for my son was "Head" and he would say "Head! COME TO ME! COME TO ME!"

The news is frustrating, I know I am not alone....could we get some real people in Washington and have the place to ourselves for about say oh, 48 hours? We can straighten it up in the Name of Jesus, pretty durn quick...but I digress...grim and frustrating news..HIGH grocery prices, children who need much more than the little $5 dollar prize from the local Supermart, workplace politics that make the job so much harder than it has to be, a scale that just really is NOT kind. No. Not. At. All! ; ) Yikes!

But, we have a friend, who sticks closer than a brother! A friend in high places! He can make that dollar stretch, give us favor, grant us peace and the ability to be gracious. He gives me focus, the RIGHT one! Purpose and right motives. His ways are OH SO MUCH higher than my ways!

He gives to us, but our hands, our hearts, our very heads - must have room for what He gives! Empty your hands at His feet, pour out your heart to His ever present ear, clear out your head and make room for His thoughts!

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. Matthew 27, Amplified Bible.

The Answer to Questions in the Dark

This morning I want to share a little thing I wrote 7 years ago next month. In March of 2002 our oldest son moved out in his 11th grade. His grades were in dire straits, but he had turned the much ballyhooed age of 18 the month before. He was surrounding himself with friends that encouraged him to ditch his family and go his own way. He was on a collision course with us, his parents. There was toxic relationship at the root of it all. And he was just completely focused on how to maintain that relationship. We were completely focused on how to get through to him. The night he told me he had made his decision and that he was moving out, I could feel the gut wrenching pain. Then came the night he came with two friends to remove his things from his room. You could feel the hostility radiating from his friends, because they had this impression of us as the overly strict parents who made their friend miserable. The two friends came from extremely dysfunctional homes and had much reasons to not respect or trust authority based on their relationships with their own parents. But these were young men we had been kind to, shown sacrificial love to and prayed for - how did they, how did we become strangers? The darkness.

Anyway, as you know if you visit regularly - that was 7 years ago, and life is dynamic flowing forward thank goodness, and praise God!!! Our family made it through that awful time intact, healthy and vibrantly. Were there rough times? Yes. But, God sustained us so sweetly. He kept my son. He went with him into the "darkness". He kept my youngest son, who this marked greatly. His one and only brother, his "big" brother, leaving in rebellion - prematurely, yeah it made an impact. He kept the little one as well, in the "darkness". His father and I experienced God's sustaining grace and "peace that passes understanding" through that period. I remember thinking at the time, "this is why it's called peace that passes understanding". The sheer grace, unexplained, and breathtakingly comforting. He kept us in the "darkness".

During that time for about 6-8 weeks I wrote several songs that just overflowed from my heart. I call them songs, but mind you I can't play or write music, so it's just lyrics that had music in my head to go with them! God knows the tune! LOL!

Anyway, lately I have been thinking about these particular verses and the times peope are going through all over this nation, and our nation as a whole. I hope you enjoy these words.

The Answer

He is majestic, mighty and holy

Lovely, and righteous and pure

He is deliberate, awesome and wonderful

He is Lord! He is Lord

He is light in the darkness

And shade in the desert

He is The Answer to the questions in the dark

He is The Answer to questions in the dark

When Your Call Comes - Shaving!

I have been ever so blessed by beginning a reading plan on January 15th for reading through the Bible in a year. Do you know that as much as I LOVE to study the Word, and get little and big treasures out of it, and to have wisdom imparted to me for being a more effective servant in everyday life, I have never completed such a plan? I only started my first attempt last year. I was really enjoying it and it got me out of a bit of a rut I was in. Once my wheels got turning though, I was off "chasing butterflies" in the Word. But this year over at Karen's blog, Surviving Motherhood, when she mentioned a plan she had used, it just clicked for me. This time I believe I have the grace to complete the plan. I like this one the most, because it is chronological, and I have always been interested in reading in that order.

Anywho, as I was studying Joseph's life during the read through Genesis, something I have studied more than a few times, I came across a phrase that just seemed to "pop" for me. I felt immediately like sharing it here.

The Set Up: We all know that Joseph suffered much painful, egregious and harsh injustice from age 17 for a period of about 13 years. We know that the scriptures tell us that he enjoyed success and favor, in all that he did, as a slave, and as a slave accused of rape and tossed into prison - still favor and success, still the presence of the Lord with him always. However, false accusation, slavery, imprisonment - the sting, the loneliness, the injustice were not evaporated. No, those feelings were something Joseph most likely had to daily render unto God, as he took up his cross and followed Him.

The Promise: Joseph had been given a promise and it called to him, it simmered at times, it gave him hope, hope for a future, hope for good, hope for a life of liberty, peace, restoration, and kingdom authority. There came a day about 11 years into his dark period where he gave the interpretation of a dream for each of two fellow prisoners. One of the men would be restored to his rightful place in service to the King. He asked for the man to remember him. The man forgot him instead. Two more years went by.

The Call Came! "14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh." I don't know if I can explain why this excited me so, I am not even sure I know why it excited me so. But, it did, and does. And I really immediately wanted to share it here. The idea that we can wait and wait in seeming obscurity. But, to the eyes of God we are not obscure. It seems like the years are ticking by and our "chance" has been devoured by the enemy, but it hasn't, because God has a perfect time!

One Day: One day our call will come, our child's call will come, our spouse's call will come, and when it does, we want to be clean shaven, dressed appropriately and ready to stand and serve in the manner which God's perfect clock work has been moving us towards, inch by precious inch, day by grinding day. We are made to shine! We are made to come forth like silver - smooth, shiny and serviceable!

Joseph's day came and he was never a prisoner or slave again. He served in the way God had uniquely prepared and placed him to serve., and it saved all of his entire family, all of Egypt and many peoples surrounding Egypt. Exceedingly, abundantly beyond ALL that we could ask, think or imagine! Our Father loves us too much and is entirely too wise by far, to give us the authority and influence our hearts tell us await us, until we can handle the power and influence without being overtaken in the sins of pride, fear, lust, and a myriad of others. And that takes preparation. That takes refining. Strengthening. Chiseling off the superficial layers of what you thought was your faith, until all that remains gives glory to God! And when it does, the fires of hell can't burn it, the waters of the ocean can't drown it, the winds of the storms of life can't snatch it away from you. He IS the author and the finisher of our faith!

Shave & change clothes! When the call comes make sure you are groomed and dressed for it! Make sure you have your stuff ready and waiting! If you need an outfit for that interview, if you need money set aside for that trip, or maybe that passport, or that wedding present for a child, or a degree for a job, or the house painted ready to sell it - get it ready for your call! Pray, be with God, believe and do your everyday part. And tell me when you get your call!