Thankful Thursdays ~ Small Praises 3

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalms 118:24

I have so many things to be thankful for this week.

I'm thankful for:

1. The people for this week's Prayer Places...(see post below).
2. The way the Lord is working in the Dirty Feet for Heaven in 2007, (also see post below).
3. Snow
4. Cold, COLD winter air
5. Snow on top of bushes that remind me of cupcakes with butter cream white icing..YUMMM....:)
6. God working in my heart with my feelings and attitudes toward the people who have hurt me and my family recently.
7. My husband's church nearby; that I'm able to walk the halls for my morning walk, since the winter weather is here.
8. Sun peaking through the clouds at various times during the week.
9. Birds singing.'
10. Homemade chicken pot pie
11. My husband and son.
12. Christian friends on the Internet
13. My blog's readers
14. Good books
15. Beginnings of inner peace because of #6
16. Beginnings of a new outlook on life because of # 1, 2, 6, 15
17. YOU

Click here for more Thankful Thursday posts.

Updates on Prayer Places/Dirty Feet for Heaven

This is going to be a combo post:


First, the Prayer Places for this week are:

This week let's pray for those living in:
U.S.: California
Canada: Prince Edward Island
World: Haiti
Pray as you are led for everyone living in these places around the world.
For more info click here.



An update on the Dirty Feet for Heaven in 2007

Well, the Lord continues to lead me to do small things for him. The lady with the dog that I mentioned meeting on my walks, is rarely seen. (Click here for the story.) Due to weather, I am forced to walk inside. Since my husband is a pastor and the church is nearby, I now walk in part of the church. I saw her picture in the paper recently. She was a part of a group of ladies rewarded for their faithful service for the local historical society. I'm thinking of sending her a copy of the picture, with a 'I'm thinking of you' note.

Also last Sunday two of my Sunday school students are in the same family and they told us (I team teach), that their dad was having back surgery (again) the next day. After Sunday school and before church I met up with him. While in discussion, I asked him if he needed anything, and he admitted that he was low on food. He's a single divorced parent with the custody of four children,at least two maybe more have special needs. So after church my husband the pastor told me who to go to...and they immediately got a package of food ready from the church's emergency food pantry supply. I also was speaking to another lady about seeing how we could get meals to this family. She admitted that this outreach (meals to those who have been sick, hospitalized, etc) has been loosely organized, in the past several years. Since my husband and I are still relatively new to the church, I didn't know who to call on. So one thing led to another...and now WOO--HOO YEAH!!! I am the new coordinator of this ministry. I was able to arrange meals for this family for the next few days. I'm also putting in an insert in the bulletin to update the list of people who I can call on when a need comes up.

On Sunday afternoon, I needed to visit the man and family, who lived nearby, and has no phone, to see about arrangements for the meals. I realized that this man is definitely struggling financially. I am SO glad that he is a part of our church. I'm so glad that this is becoming a part of the Dirty Feet for Heaven revolution for me!!

I grew up in a lower-middle class income area, where we saw and (I actually lived) a lot of these same struggles that this family is going thru. I've been in his shoes and understand maybe more so than others in the church, who happen to be middle to upper middle class income levels. It's something, I'm easier to relate to the lower, and have a harder time relating to the higher income people. I guess from my experience on the Indian reservation, my level of comfortability also further increased with those who are struggling financially in this country. Now, only to get others in our church to look past their noses!!

Poverty in America: its not just in foreign lands...its right here, down the street and up around the corner. Don't you think?

Coming soon

I have been learning A LOT in my daily Bible readings over at Into the Bible . I will soon be adding another Bible study on Esther encouraged by Heidi over at God's Grace In Practice. I am waiting on the books to be delivered. I didn't discover her study until recently. I will be doing the same book as she is, but I'm a few weeks behind, so I'll go at my own pace. I will also be tying in some things of Esther that I'll learn from a Kay Arthur's Bible study. As I said, I'm a few weeks behind Heidi, so instead of catching up, I'm going to go at my pace...probably about once a week per chapter. Feel free to join me. I should do the first post sometime this week.

The two books are: Book one and Book two. Feel free to join me. You don't have to buy or read the books, but feel free to comment on my posts, as you do your own reading.

On This weeks in other words

"Satan's ultimate lie is that you are capable of being the god of your own life, and his ultimate bondage is getting you to live as though his lie is truth."~ Neil Anderson ~


I totally agree with this week's quote. Satan is getting people even Christians to believe the above mentioned lie. What do you do when you see a dear loved one believing Satan's lie?

That's how I feel about this quote this week. I totally agree, but I'm almost helplessly standing by watching a loved one who seems to be caught up in the lie of being the god of their life. Now this person is a Christian, but is temporarily blinded. I feel for them. I love them. I know what they are going through because at times I have gone/(am going) through the exact same thing. A few years ago, I went through an extended time of trying to live life my way. But the Lord soon humbled me and gently and mercifully showed me a better way. HIS WAY. I am not perfect. There are days, or hours, when I struggle to put God in the second seat, and myself in the first. Since I know what it feels like, it is painful to watch a loved one living through an extended time of trying to be their own God.

How to fix it......I guess one thing I learned recently is : I can't be anyone else's Holy Spirit. I can only pray and allow the TRUE Holy Spirit be at work in the other person's life. I can be faithful to God in my OWN life. I am not perfect, but I'm finding the more I trust the Lord in my own life, the more assurance I feel that He is working quietly behind the scenes in my loved one's life.

PRAYER, and LET GOD WORK!! (I have to keep saying this to myself...sometimes over, and over, and over, as I'm literally covering my hand over my mouth before I slip and say something that I shouldn't. I can't say it but only the Lord can!)

Thankful Thursday ~ Small Praises 2

The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
Psalms 19:1 (NLT)

1. I'm thankful for the beautiful sky this week. From cloudy and dreary, to a cold crisp blue, to heavy laden with snow clouds.

2. I'm thankful for the creek, now almost completely covered in snow and ice. A small portion of the flowing water is still visible. How gorgeous.

3. I'm thankful for bobcats! I'm not referring to the four legged kind, but the kind that comes along and plows the town's sidewalk after a snow.

4. I'm thankful for a lady in a medical office. To be honest, at first my feelings toward her was not totally nice. I was on the phone asking a question, not a medical emergency...but a procedural/scheduling question, and she put me on hold~~ after twenty minutes, I gave up. Then I called back, and was immediately put on hold again, I gave up after 5 minutes. Then I called back and was finally able to leave a message. She called back the next day, and the Lord showed me that I needed to be nice....she really was in a very high stress office. So I'm saying Lord, thank you for ...you know who. I also have to be honest...I'm not quite ready to say thank you for 20 minutes of 'elevator music'. Unless........I can say, thank you Lord, for the speakerphone capability on my phone so I could take it away from my ear!!!

5. Thank you Lord for another person on the other end of the phone. This time she was a lady in the customer service department of a Christian supply outlet. I'm thankful for a lovely conversation, and for the chance to get to know her, albeit, briefly.

6. I'm thankful for the cold weather,and for warm hats, and for gloves that allow you to stick your fingers out of them sometimes.

7. I'm thankful for small things that come up that I can do behind the scenes at church.

8. I'm thankful for the people in this week's Prayer Places (see post below to find out what I'm talking about :) ). I'm thankful for the people of: Florida, Newfoundland, and Iraq.

9. I'm thankful for my family.

10. I'm thankful for Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

11. I'm thankful for all my blog friends and visitors.

12. I'm thankful for cozy comforters and quilts.

13. I'm thankful for chocolate milk.

14. I'm thankful when I look at snowflakes close-up that have fallen on a mitten or hat, that they are gorgeous, unique, individual, and special....just as each of us are to God.

For more Thankful Thursday's participants click here on Thursday.

This week's Prayer Places

I for one am enjoying praying for people around the world. This week let's pray for people in:

U.S.: Florida
Canada: Newfoundland
World: Iraq

I know Florida has a mixture of people living within the state. It depends upon the time of the year. From 'snowbirds' to locals I imagine Florida is a pretty diverse state. Let's pray for the people of Florida, both the locals, and the visitors this week as you are led by the Lord.

Now, I know the saying is true, Canadians know more about us then we know about Canada. Newfoundland is another Atlantic maritime province, that many of us may not even know much about. I know I don't know a lot, but I want to pray for the people there. Please join me in praying for the people of Newfoundland, Canada as you are led this week.

The other country we are praying for is Iraq. I am not going to state my opinion about the conflict there, nor do I wish to start a debate. I want this to be a week of prayer for all those living there; from the local people, to all of the international military personnel, to any visitors, news media personnel, missionaries, etc. Please pray for the people of Iraq this week as the Lord leads you.

To see last week's post on Prayer Places, click here.

Regarding this week's in other words

"You act more like a Christian by your influence on the lost, then the saved people you impress."~ Dr. Alvin Reid ~

I had quite a time on deciding how to approach this week's quote. I appreciate Dr. Reid's website and his work on making the general Christian population aware of the lost. I may be adding some of his books to my reading list in the near future. However this quote gave me some trouble. At first glance it is a very meaningful quote talking about how we should not spend our time trying to impress the saved, but influencing the lost. I have come to the conclusion that I have two general opinions about this quote.

First, who exactly is the lost, and the saved? I know that this may sound like a very basic easy answer. But before you rush off to mentally answer me think for a moment. The structure of today's society especially in the United States has changed. It was once easily assumed that anyone attending a church knew the basic fundamentals of faith. They generally when asked could tell you about Moses, Joshua, Adam and Eve, Esther, Jacob, Peter, John the Baptist, and especially Jesus. When it came time to put into words the salvation message, they could do it.

However today, many of the people who cross the threshold into a church building today struggle with the above stories. They do not understand even the basic tenets of what it means to have faith in Jesus. I recently heard a preacher equate having faith with being positive in one's outlook on life. Yes, being positive does play a role. But when you stand one day at the throne of Jesus, will you be rewarded eternal life simply because you were a positive person. NO. Eternal life is a gift from God, and must be accepted personally, through repentance. If one could be positive and gain eternal life...then Jesus' death is meaningless. No, Jesus died for our sins. How many people in churches today really understand the meaning of my last sentence: Jesus died for our sins. ??? How many know what to do to gain eternal life? How many people pick up a Bible and read it faithfully? Therefore the definition of the lost and the saved are not as clear as they once were. "There are plenty of 'lost' people warming many churches pews. "


Secondly, since the definitions of lost and saved people are now blurred in today's society I want to encourage you, (and me...I'm speaking to myself too. ) to simply be a light among everybody.

14 You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15 Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Matt 5:14-16 (NLT)

8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:8 (NLT)

I will always remember when I lived in the Southwest U.S. on the Indian reservation. Often when I travelled off of the reservation to get supplies, a distance of 92 miles, I would come home in the dark. Man, it was dark!!! After leaving that town and turning north, I would enter a period of driving where the only thing that was visible were the stars, the headlights of a oncoming car (rarely) and animals' eyes as they scurried across the road....roadrunners in particular. I knew that there were mesas and hogans somewhere out in the darkness. After quite a long period of time, I would see WAY off in the distance, high atop a mesa..LIGHTS! Although not my particular village, but nonetheless a welcome relief. Once I saw those village lights, I knew that I was on the home stretch. I still had about 10 or more miles to go, but I was nearing home. Then, after a few more miles, I would round a bend, and crest a small hill, and behold the lights of my own village. {sidenote: The words to the Christmas carol, "O little town of Bethlehem" drew new meaning after my experiences on the reservation}.

We, you and I are to be like those village lights in the dark desert, shining faithfully to passersby. Our lives, living for Jesus will be a light both to the lost, the saved, and those in between. If we don't worry about impressing or influencing, but merely be faithful to Jesus in our walk; then our lights will shine so that others may see the light of Jesus through us. Be faithful to Jesus, then He will see that our lights are spotted by the people who need to see them.


For more takes on the above quote click here for more participants in this meme.

Authentic Christianity~part 2

If you haven't already done so, please read part 1 of my post entitled: Authentic Christianity, to get a better understanding of where I'm coming from.

To answer the second question I saw being raised about authentic Christianity in "View from the Trekant"'s post, let me continue telling you about my snow adventures today.

After I got my son on the bus, I took off for my morning walk; a normal part of my morning routine. Today with the three inches of snow on the ground my walk was very interesting. Thankfully it wasn't icy~if it was, I would've went back inside. I had enough with a foot injury due to ice a few years ago. Anyways there was no ice, just a blanket of snow on the sidewalks. The bobcat hadn't been through yet. Now if you are wondering: the bobcat I'm referring to is not the four-legged, live, animal~~its the machine, with wheels and a driver safely encased in a hood-like thingy plowing the sidewalks! :) Walking in three inches of snow is very similar to walking on dry sand at the ocean's shore. Let's just say my leg muscles got their work-out today! LOL.

Anyways, it seems that I was a trailblazer today. I loved it! I was going where no man/woman had gone before. Now as I came closer to some of the businesses, some of their sidewalks were cleared and my legs got a little reprieve. However most of the time I was blazing a trail in the fresh white snow, albeit closer to the road's edge it was brown from the plow's throwing the road snow up onto the sidewalk. No matter, my footprints were enjoying the snow!!

On one part of my walk, I noticed I wasn't the trailblazer anymore. Someone, with boots much larger than mine had gone on before. I'm guessing this was a man, due to the size of the boots. What was unique about these bootprints were the way they were planted. The prints were almost at a 90 degree angle with each other. Instead of being semi parallel like: I I........they were more like V. I know footprints are not exactly parallel, side by side, but they are generally going in the same direction, albeit a little apart. These bootprints were almost like: \ and then / in the snow. I'm guessing maybe the person had some sort of limp or trouble with their legs...something. All I know if I was to try to follow in his footsteps exactly..that would be very painful for me. My stride is shorter, my feet aren't that far apart, and the angle of his prints would cause some difficulty...maybe even throw my bad knee out of joint! So following in his footprints would not be recommended.

Thus I need to make my own tracks...blaze my own trail in the snow, for the comfort and health of my own legs, knees, feet and ankles. I liken this to our Christian walk....if we try to follow others in their walk by trying to do and be like them, it is in essence as difficult as trying to walk in a V formation. We can't walk in a V if we are made to walk more like a I I. Conversely, that man would not be comfortable if he tried to walk in I I formation, when he was created to walk in a \ / formation. We each need to blaze our own trail in our Christian walk, not following anyone else's footsteps, but only following the footsteps, though often unseen, of our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. We know where He is leading us by our daily Bible reading,and talking/listening Him in prayer.

Are you a trailblazer, making your own trail by following Jesus, or are you trying to bend your legs into a \ / formation in your Christian walk?

Authentic Christianity~part 1

This post is inspired by some questions raised by View from the Trekant regarding authentic Christianity. As I read her post entitled "Rabbi Zusa and Judgement Day" I found two questions being posed about authentic Christianity. I would like to answer these questions by sharing my snow experiences today.

This morning we woke up to about three inches of snow on the ground, with more to come. Schools weren't cancelled so when it was time to put my son on the bus, I realized we had a little dilemma. His backpack was too heavy for him to carry the distance of the driveway, and the snow was too deep for him to put his backpack down and roll it on the ground. His backpack comes equipped with a pull-up handle and wheels for convenient rolling. However with three inches of snow, I did not want him to roll the backpack, and clog the wheels, and cause the material of the backpack to become worn.

So I decided to shovel a path for him. It was the light and fluffy kind of snow, so I pushed the snow a distance with my shovel, and then lifted it and threw the snow off to the side. So there we were, I pushed the snow, lifted and threw, and then pushed...etc. He came right behind me rolling the backpack in the mostly-cleared path. When I stopped to lift and throw he stopped. When I went on, he went on. Finally at the end of the driveway, I cleared a little portion for his backpack to sit, and for us to stand while we waited for the bus.

I feel this is very similar to Christians in the church. First there are some that would never admit that they have the burden (the backpack) or problem, (getting the heavy backpack to the end of the driveway without ruining the backpack, or hurting themselves if they tried to carry it). Then secondly some Christians will not let others help them. (Now honestly I couldn't carry the backpack either, it was too heavy for me to manage my son, it, and not slip and fall in the pre-dawn hours. I had to shovel. ) My son graciously :) allowed me to go first and clear the way while he enjoyed rolling the backpack in the cleared path. He's all boy and loves rolling the wheels thru the mostly snow-cleared path, making his own tracks. Together as a team, we got ourselves, and his filled backpack to the end of the driveway, while creating some neat tracks of our own.

How many times are Christians willing to work as a team, humble themselves and admit their own limits, realize and accept the gifts and strengths of others in order to get something done? Are we being authentic, or just proud when we don't admit our needs, or our strengths to help someone else out? I guess even the basic question is how many Christians are willing to admit they even have problems, needs or struggles. Do we want to appear that we have it all together (dare I say perfect?) and can manage life's little (or big) struggles on our own? How authentic is that....or is it being dishonest? What do you think?

For the second question that was posed, I'll tackle it in part 2.

Small praises; Thankful Thursday

1 O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.
Psalms 8:1 (NLT)

1. I'm thankful for the Lord, for truly His majesty is too awesome to completely understand.

2. I'm thankful for winter weather.

3. I'm thankful for a beautiful sunrise, and a partially frozen creek which I was able to enjoy seeing on my morning walk.

4. I'm thankful for cold temperatures that keeps my water bottle in the car relatively cool as I did errands today.

5. I'm thankful for ice build up on another person's car that when we had a fender/bender today in a parking lot that the majority of the damage was the ice being knocked off her rear bumper and some scratches/nicks on the paint on my car's rear bumper. (Now I'm praying for a understanding husband ;) )

6. I'm very thankful that there were no injuries to #5.

7. I'm thankful for the brief amount of sunshine this morning and the beautiful clouds.

8. I'm also thankful for the snow that is on its way....we've had such a mild winter that we really could use some snow.

9. I'm thankful for my blogging friends, and visitors.

10. I'm thankful that I can finally get on the Internet....our ISP was down for quite a while this morning.

11. I'm thankful for the people in the places I chose as this week's Prayer Places.

(See Iris at Sting My Heart for more Thankful Thursday participants)

Plodding on (aka update on Dirty feet for Heaven)

Note: scroll down to the next post for this week's Prayer Places.

Distances can be deceiving. Take a look at this picture here. I was trying to find a 'distance' picture with mesas in it. However this one is quite effective, even though I didn't live in Monument Valley, (I lived near it enough to have the similar visual effect.) When I lived in the Southwest, on the Indian reservation, driving was very often on roads like that pictured. Things would seem very close, yet it would take you a while to get there.

I liken that deception of distance to our spiritual lives. So often we are plodding along and given some kind of hint or hope that a particular battle or struggle is almost over, yet in reality God still has quite a distance for us to go. This may sound discouraging at first, but I'm learning that on the way there are still insights for us to learn.

When I was driving those 'long' distances in the Southwest, and still haven't arrived at my destination, I learned to appreciate the drive. Because with every turn of the wheel brought a different aspect of the view, a different angle so to speak. It might be a creek, (I can't think of the Southwest term for creek~ it's on the tip of my tongue but I can't get it. LOL ). It might be a prickly pear cactus, or a sudden spread of desert flowers. Or more often, a particular way that the sun was striking the mesas and causing beautiful almost indescribable color effects.

Today, I had one of those occurences. I have been doing the "Dirty feet for Heaven in 2007" for over a month now. Although I have been faithful to the Lord, I haven't had any really terribly exciting events lately to report. Just daily, small outreaches; a wave here, a hello there, a prayer for someone here, helping an elderly person here, etc. All these small things I know do matter.

For the past couple of weeks I have been watching for a particular elderly woman and her dog when I take my morning walks. I saw her right before Christmas, and then once just after the holidays. I hadn't seen the pair for several days and was getting concerned. I knew that she still lived with her husband. But I hadn't seen lights on her house, or her and the dog out walking for quite a while. It was getting to be a little concerning for me. It was like I was plodding down that desert road, with little to show for it, but still plodding. Finally today, the Lord allowed a hope. A flower in the desert. Today, it was a bitter cold walk, about 18 degrees, with a 9 degree wind chill. I know call me crazy. But I had to walk, had to stretch my legs. The past few days the weather was worse. Anyways, I had just turned the corner and was heading home when I saw a person and a dog up ahead crossing the street to my side. I hoped it was this woman, and her dog, and it was! This woman is a little curt, not easy to talk to but I feel led to be kind to her and keep interceeding for her in prayer. Her dog is never on a leash. As soon as she crossed the street, and the dog looked up and recognized me, she with all four paws barely hitting the snowy sidewalk came bounding toward me with her tail going a mile a minute. BOY! What a way to be greeted after a long cold walk. I stopped and petted her for awhile while her owner caught up to us. The lady barely stopped to talk, but I wasn't too surprised. I did ask her how she was doing and I missed seeing her. Too soon she was gone. However, this bright spot remains with me. My courage to keep praying for her is renewed. My plodding on the road is refreshed. I have seen some desert flowers and the Lord has strengthened me.

How is He strengthening you in your walk today?

This week's Prayer Places

Last week (click here for post) I began to pray for those around the world. I would pick each week a state of the United States; a province of Canada; and a country to pray for. Last week Kansas, Nova Scotia, and Australia were chosen. This week, I'd like to choose:
United States: Maine
Canada: New Brunswick
World: Estonia

I am fascinated by the story of the Acadians in Canadian history. To read more about this see this article here. I was first introduced to the struggle of the Acadians by Christian author, Janette Oke. Together with T. Davis Bunn they wrote a series that was based on the time period of the Great Expulsion and subsequent events. The first book is entitled, "The Meeting Place." Some of the Acadians returned to Canada and settled in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, with the larger population being in New Brunswick. Today, I believe there are still descendants of the Acadians, still living, and primarily Roman Catholic.

The Acadians are just one portion of the population of the province of New Brunswick. Let's pray for the entire population as you are led by the Lord.

I also chose Estonia. Freedom from Soviet rule was acquired in 1988, thus resulting in religious freedom. Since the church is no longer persecuted Christian witness is allowed to occur. Lorna, who is currently attending a seminary in Estonia, from see-through faith, writes the following prayer request, "For Estonia another prayer request would be that Christians could reach the Russian speakers here (they are a minority - about 25% I think. Sometimes the Orthodox Church think the Russians belong to them." This week let's keep the people of Estonia in prayer as you are led by the Lord.

The state for this week, is Maine. Let's pray for those in Maine this week as you are led by the Lord.

If at any time you have any information about the places we are praying for, please leave a comment.

On In Other Words

"Let us learn to discern whether the words spoken against us or against God or against the truth are merely for the wind--spoken not from the soul, but from the sore. If they are for the wind, let us wait in silence and not reprove. Restoring the soul, not reproving the sore, is the aim of our love"~ John Piper from "A Godward Life"~

Sometimes I can be disagreeable. When it comes to writings, especially within the Christian scheme of things, I tend to examine everything closely on the basis of the Word of God, before accepting it as truth. I stand up for the Lord. It has not always been an easy or a popular decision.

I say all this, because I’m not sure where this week’s In Other Words quote is coming from. I have not read this book, nor much from John Piper for that matter. So I am giving him the benefit of the doubt.

But given what the quote is saying…I’m not sure if we need to place a high priority on discerning where exactly people’s words against us or God, or the truth are coming from. I believe that God and the Bible, the Truth, can certainly take criticism. God is big. He doesn’t need us to defend or justify other’s words against Him or the Bible. He has His own ways of doing those things. God works out His ways in the lives of His critics. If they (the words) are against us, then the Word gives us clear direction on handling criticism, rumors, etc.


Secondly, I don’t think that it should be our goal, our aim of our love to restore one another’s souls. The work of soul-restoring is God’s business. Our business, is how WE act toward others; how our hearts are in relation to God. Are our hearts right with God? Are our hearts, thoughts, actions right toward others? There was a great quote here from “Today at the Mission,” in his blog the other day entitled, “Irreducible Minimum.” It sums up how we should be acting toward others. Also This Side of Glory , had a great post the other day too entitled, "Real Love" also discussing this topic. I encourage you to visit these two bloggers. (And speaking of Christian community, the book recommended by Lorna at see-through faith, by John Ortberg, “Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them,” is excellent! )

Take care of our actions, and soul; let God take care of other people’s actions, and their souls.

So my take on this week’s quote may be different. But I think we need to take it with a grain of salt, and judge it according to the Word of God. Feel free to disagree with me, but keep it nice!

Christian community

As I said in another post, the Lord has been showing me different areas in my life that I need to work on to further obtain Christian community with those around me. A few years ago I began a search of what Christian community really meant. Is obtaining or finding oneself within a Christian community possible in this age of individualistic emphasis within our society. Can we as people look beyond our noses to the needs of others around us. Many times we feel that our prayers are bouncing off of the wall, and not reaching heaven. Thus, we tend to focus more on our situation which ends up bordering on self-pity. I have to force myself lately, in the midst of a church crisis to realize that 1) the Lord is here with me and my husband who is a pastor. 2) Though the situation may not be changing immediately, that is okay. 3) The Lord will provide me with reason to rejoice each day. 4) He's teaching me things that I may otherwise not be able to learn 5) He is a loving God and will not allow any more than I can bear.

One of the things He is teaching me is to learn to love those around me, at church, even in the midst of a conflict. Loving those who may not return our love; or those who have hurt us, is not a simple act. Vicki, at Windows to My Soul, discussed this very topic yesterday 1/9 on her blog as part of her series analyzing the book 10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, by Donald Whitney Click here for her blog. (also on my sidebar under friends).

Also around the web, another blogger, Lorna, from see-through-faith, has been writing posts that also fit this theme. The Lord has really used her two recent posts, "Abnormal is the norm"; and "through the roof" to really speak to me. You can read the entire two posts, here. (also on my sidebar as friends.) Also check out the book she refers to in her posts, "Everybody's Normal till You Get to Know Them" by John Ortberg.

Thanks ladies, for being faithful to the Lord,and being used by Him to help me through some tough times.

One of the other things I'd like to start here on my blog, as part of reaching out is to pray for various places around the world. I'm thinking of praying for a particular state of the U.S. , a Canadian province and an additional country(ies) each day. Now, in all likelihood, I may not rotate them as frequently as daily, but I may rotate them a couple times a week or weekly. I haven't decided yet. I may add something to my sidebar to indicate the state/countries that I'm praying for. (Edited to add: Yes I have a section on my sidebar. ) Will you join me? Feel free to pray over the state/country/province in whatever way you feel led. But together, if we pray for a particular area of the globe, as united believers, we can only imagine what our prayers will do. Join me in this adventure.

This week, (I will list them for no longer than one week,or less, still deciding :) )

United States: Kansas (let's start in the middle of the U.S.)
Canadian Province: Nova Scotia
Country: Australia

Prayer requests

This is a post that I will link to on my sidebar. Please at anytime feel free to leave a request, or even a praise report. I LOVE to pray for my readers, and will be more than happy to pray specifically for your request together with you. Leave a comment on this post, thanks.

This week's in other words 1/9

If you are looking for January 9th's This week in other words: click here.

Of Stained Glass and my sidebar

Some of you may be wondering what is up with the stained glass motif for my blog. Over Christmas, I was analyzing my spiritual life, and my life with those around me. The Lord has led me to focus the coming year on the Dirty Feet for Heaven in 2007 Revolution, (see sidebar for links explaining this revolution. The first couple of links are from my old blog.). I feel the Lord is also having me to learn the hard work of moulding together with other people for Him. Trying to meet others where they are at, sharing Christ with them, forgiving them for any hurts they may have caused me and learning how TOGETHER we can glorify God. Thus the stained glass imagery. Being brought together as individual pieces into a common bond to reflect Christ's love and light to the rest of the world.

You'll find on my sidebar a link to a post I created where you as a reader can add your own prayer requests and praises. I LOVE to pray for my readers. Above that section, is a place where we as believers can pray for people living in other places around the world. Also on the sidebar is a section of noteworthy posts by other bloggers that have said some things that has really helped me and may be a blessing to you as well. I will keep adding these quotes as I come across them. Scroll down further for previous posts, friends (my blogroll), my other active blog, what I am participating in, and other useful links.

Feel free to comment at any time about the posts, and any prayer requests you may have. I LOVE to pray for you my readers.

Be blessed.

Of Epiphany, Christmas and Comments

Good morning. Just a brief post on this Epiphany weekend (though some churches may have celebrated it last Sunday) to remind us of the wise men who sought our Lord. It is also Christmas...Russian Christmas. I have Russian Orthodox in my ancestory. Their calendar is a bit different than ours. I remember going to one grandmother on or around Dec. 25 and the other grandmother celebrating Russian Christmas. It was fun, we never took our tree down until after January 7. It was like having two Christmases in one year. Sadly, my grandmother died when I was a teenager, and over the years it just wasn't the same.

Comments; It has been brought to my attention that there may be problems with this site. Please if you are reading this, please, please comment. I have done some adjusting that may have solved the problem, but won't know until you try, especially for those with a non-Blogger(Google) account. If you could comment on this post to 'test' the comment section...I would appreciate it. I would like to get everything solved as soon as possible. Thanks so very much.

So enjoy this Christmas Sunday, Epiphany weekend, first weekend in January. Have a blessed day.!

This week's in other words

“Wherever you are spiritually, whatever you have been through emotionally, you are already wrapped in the Lord’s embrace. Held close by nail-scarred hands.” (Liz Curtis Higgs, author of Embrace Grace)

This is an excellent quote Iris from Sting My Heart has picked out for Tuesday's January 9 "In Other Words". See Iris' blog on Tuesday to read more takes on this quote. I'm writing this post a little early because I have some extra time today.

As I reread this quote a song came into my mind. I remember singing it at church and at camp. But I think the words are very appropriate here. I don't know many of the verses, but here's what I remember.

For Those Tears I Died

"Jesus said,
'Come to the water
stand by my side
I know you are thirsty
you won't be denied...

I felt every teardrop
when in darkness you cried
and I strove to remind you
that for those tears I died' "

I don't remember anymore from the song. But I do remember that I also sang this as a youth alone in the bathroom with tears running down my face, as I encountered difficult problems in my life. I also sang it at other times in my adult life as I once again faced hard times. I am also singing and crying now as challenges continue in our family. But this song and this quote reminds me that the Lord is here, even when I feel alone. When I fall to my knees, with tears, He is holding me close with His nail-scarred hands. It truly is why He died, for salvation, and for victory.


My Father who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. John 10:29


I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Psalm 16:8


He is always watching, never sleeping. Jehovah himself is caring for you. Psalm 121:4,5


He was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was chastised that we might have peace; he was lashed--and we were healed. Isaiah 53:5

A Scripture for the Night part 2

This is turning out to be a great passage for me. I will be discussing it for a couple of days. Please join me as I look at the passage in more detail. Tonight I want to discuss the first portion.

25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: "Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?" 26 Jesus replied, "What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?" 27 The man answered, " `You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, `Love your neighbor as yourself. "' 28 "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!"
Luke 10:25-28 (NLT)

By rereading these verses, we learn that an expert in religious law wanted to test Jesus, in the end however the expert was put to the test. The first part of the discussion focuses on how to obtain eternal life. Jesus is upholding what was taught in the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy. 6:5; and Leviticus. 19:18) as loving God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and loving your neighbor as yourself .

My question to myself is yes, I have already begun my walk in faith with Jesus. I have already asked Him to be Lord of my life. But am I continuing to love Him with everything, with all of my heart, soul, mind, strength...? I know its not perfect, and I have a long way to go.

The Barna Group released their year end "12 Most Significant Religious Findings from 2006 Surveys". Click here for the article. The first finding they discussed was how few people say that their religious faith is their top priority. The article is under copyright, therefore I can't quote it here. Please visit the link.

Something to chew on!! Read the entire article. Then feel free to comment here.

A Scripture for the night

I was almost ready to shut the computer down for tonight, find the cat and do some other things before going to bed when I clicked into my computer Bible program. It was opened to Luke 10. I was looking something up for my son about the Good Samaritan. I began reading the entire story in context of what the setting was when Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan. Find it in Luke 10: 25-37. I found some very intersting things that seemed to leap out off of the page at me as I continue to get my feet dirty for heaven. I have to admit that my mind is crashing, I'm tired. I will write more about my thoughts tomorrow. In the mean time, what strikes you with that passage?

25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: "Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?"26 Jesus replied, "What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?"27 The man answered, " `You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, `Love your neighbor as yourself. "' 28 "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!"

29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

30 Jesus replied with an illustration: "A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 "By chance a Jewish priest came along; but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.33 "Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt deep pity. 34 Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two pieces of silver and told him to take care of the man. `If his bill runs higher than that,' he said, `I'll pay the difference the next time I am here.' 36 "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked.37 The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy."Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."
Luke 10:25-37 (NLT)

Ok its official

I'm beginning here. A new look, a new year, and onward with the revolution!!

If you would like me to add your name/blog to my sidebar please leave a comment. If you have visited my old blog regularly and don't see your blog link on the sidebar already and want to have it listed please let me know. I'm in the process of moving over some of my favorites from my old blog....but for the moment its not working.

Edited to add....okay I figured it out...so now its official. I've moved! :)

Welcome

I'm trying out this new blog on blogger and possibly will be moving from my old blog to here. I do want to keep a journal of my revolution for 2007: Dirty Feet for Heaven in 2007.