Senseless Ramblings of the Mindless

The other day I went over to the Hope Chest in my home town. All the proceeds from the Hope Chest goes to help pregnant mothers and free services. They do all kinds of things for free.  I go over here and there to see if there is something that I don’t need. I bought some books and some were free. One of the books was the Holy Bible. I love Bibles. When I purchased a couple of Bibles and some other books I felt blessed.

When I picked up this Bible, I was intrigued. This Bible is very much-loved. It’s a leather Bible that has verses highlighted here and there. I am always surprised when I see people donate Bibles that belonged to their loved ones. I bought one from a thrift store years ago and I was able to track down the family that it belonged to. The family lived in California and went to a Presbyterian Church. That Bible meant a lot of them.

I love older Bibles that were loved. As I thumb through the Bible, I could feel God’s presence. Some of the verses highlighted warmed my heart. On the front of the Bible it has a presented to page. It Says:

Presented to, my dear wife Bonnie K Miller on Easter 1950. Where it has the by section, it goes on to say, By, your husband Clint – in the hope you will gain eternal life. Easter 1950. I felt very touched that he loved his wife so much that he felt that the best gift would the Bible.

Inside the Bible, there are colored pictures and an article that was clipped out of the newspaper. Washington Still With Us- Good Counselor Never Dies. I don’t know the importance of this article, but it must have been something special to either Bonnie or Clint.

As I was sitting in the chair, I was leafing through it to see if there may be a clue about how it belonged to. It was obvious that they both loved the Lord. Out of all of my possessions, the Bible is the most important item I have. I hope my family realizes how important the Bible is to me and just toss it away when I die.

A very good friend of mine died about 9 yrs ago. Miss Dena Allen loved to study the Word of God. She loved to study everything. She gave me some books and one of her Bibles. When I put my hands on her Bible or books it’s as if she is still here. I would read her side notes and highlights in her Bible. I felt like she was leading me through the lessons in the Bible. I would go to the pages, verses or whatever because I was interested in her thoughts.

In this Bible, Bonnie highlighted a number of areas, but it seems as if she was doing a lot of studying about the end times. She has a paper clip on a section from Daniel 8-the end of Hosea. The passages that she was reading and studying discusses Daniels Dream of the 4 beasts of the ancient of Days and the Son of Man. The paperclips on these passages are a bit rusted, so I will leave it there.

Here are a few verses she was studying.

• Matthew 7:11, And he answered and said, Elijah indeed cometh, and shall restore all things.
• Mark 1:14, Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
• Acts 1:9-11, In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
• James 3:14-26,  ¹⁴ What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. Read More…

I guess in many ways I see it being disrespectful when someone throws out a Bible that was cherished by a loved one. I don’t know the circumstances on this Bible. I would hope that my kids or grandkids would think more about wanting to hold onto my Bibles. Not all of them, but some. In my opinion everything else is just stuff. But there will come a time when we won’t have accessed to God’s Word. I have many BIbles that I give to others and I would hope when I am no longer hear that my family would care enough to not just toss out God’s Word. Maybe I am over thinking the whole tossing out a Bible, but it breaks my heart. Especially when it is a Bible that has been an important part of someones life.

A pastor friend of mine posted this on Facebook. It pretty much summed up my thoughts on this whole “locker room” talk. Thanks for sharing this message Bernie.

America is descending into vulgarity,lewdness, crudeness, and profanity. Those of us who are believers need to be careful that we do not descend into this trashiness! From the book of James- ” Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27.
What kind of world are we living in? All this “locker room” talk we hear in the news is often met with comments like this from Christians- ” It is no big deal; we all say and do things like that.” Really??
The question is today- regardless of our past- How are we living today? What do we think and talk about! The issue is: The purity of our hearts and the purity of our lips, also our actions. God calls us to live a life of purity!! Ephesians 5: 1-4. ” Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love- do not let sexual immorality or covetousness be named among us. Let no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking be named among us- let there be thanksgiving.” WE use to be in darkness,but now, in Jesus, we are light! Let us walk as children of light! II Corinthians 7: 1. ” Since we have these precious promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

People of God- Let us change the world rather than be changed by the world!! Bernie

If you haven’t seen or heard what is going on in the world of politics, you must be living under some kind of a rock. Even if you don’t vote, I would think with social media and the times we live in, most know that this has been a crazy year. It has been said many times over and over again throughout history that “religion and politics don’t mix.” In my personal view when it comes to my political views I do take into consideration that I am a Christian.

I have been staying off of Facebook more than I normally do. I try to stay current on what is going on. When it comes to the hatred and false information being shared from both sides, it is giving me a headache. This year politically and faith wise has been different for me. We live in a world that is filled with immoral, idolatrous and a corrupt government. There has also been more civil disobedience and lawlessness in the past few years.

I have no  doubt that we have a responsibility to obey the laws of the land and our government. We can turn to Romans 13:1-8 where Paul tells us that is the government’s responsibility to rule in authority over us such as collecting taxes and keeping the peace.

• Romans 13:1-8; Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

We live in a country where we have free speech and we can vote for our leaders. I believe that each person that chooses to vote should be voting for those who stand close to what our views are. When I consider who it is that I would vote for, I am taking many things into consideration. I don’t vote for a party, I vote for the person. I am having a harder time with sorting things out this year. I’m not into the whole, “lesser of two evils”. When I consider what evil is, there is no good or bad. Evil is evil !  Some may disagree with me, but it isn’t the politicians job to defend and guard Christian principles. It is a huge plus when we can have a Christian leader that has Christian morals and principles.

They can say all day long that they are living a godly life, but I have serious doubts on that. I can’t judge a person who says they are Christian like God can. The only thing I can go on is by their actions, words and how they live their lives. As I watch the politicians, government officials, the media and church leaders it demonstrates how far we have come from our nation being a country founded on Christian principles.

As I pray and have discussions with God throughout the day all I can say is that politicians and the leaders of this world are not Jesus Christ who is the Savior of the World. My hope is in Jesus Christ and only Christ is the salvation for mankind. God knew that we needed to be saved. God showed the world that redemption cannot happen by mankind or the politics of this world. I have a great deal of peace and hope that we can only be accomplished through Jesus Christ.

Christians throughout time have lived under a tremendous amount of stress and pagan governments. During my prayers and listening to what is going on in our own presidential races, it is clear to me that believers in Christ are under an immense amount of stress. While I ponder who I will or won’t vote for, I will be praying for our country and our leaders. Whether this is a write-in kind of year, none of the above or a specific person, I will do that in a prayerful way.

My prayer is that when I cast my ballot that I will vote for the one who best aligns with my faith and beliefs. I’m not into this whole bickering and back biting. I don’t listen to satire sites and I fact check everything. I have also found that 90 percent of the things on the internet and on social media are mere distractions and half-truths. I have made it a point to not share my political views on social media since there are those who are willing to attack, unfriend and behave in violent manners. It is shocking to see those who profess to be Christian can be filled with a great deal of hate. It is like a road rage kind of atmosphere on social media. Thankfully that isn’t everyone, but there are some scary people out there.

I have a friend on Facebook that is a Christian and he has made a few comments about how he can’t believe people would vote for a person who would talk about women, Mexicans, Putin and a number of other things. The anger and backlash he received from those who say they are Christian is nothing short of what it would have been like to live during the Salem Witch Hunt. Nobody deserves to be treated the way he was treated. It isn’t just him, it is happening to people all over the place. People don’t need to be hateful and have a lynch mob mentality just because a person doesn’t agree.

I just want to say that it seems as if we are relying more on what is being put out by the media and the internet when it comes to who we stand up for and stand behind. In our country, we have the ability if we choose to make our opinions known by voting for our choice. I wonder what America would be like if every Christian prayed for God’s guidance and voted for their conscience?

My one vote won’t change anything, but I know I will be praying for God direct my vote and I will be praying for our leaders and our country.

• I Timothy 2:1-3  “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,  for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior…”

God is sovereign over everything that happens to us.

“…love the Lord your God with all [our] heart and with all [our] soul and with all [our] mind and with all [our] strength.”  When we live this way, we have nothing to fear from man at all, not even the entity we call ‘government’. And we for sure don’t have anything to worry about when it comes to the media and social media sites such as Facebook.

I want to add just one more thing about voting. There are many who have said that Christians have a moral obligation to get involved in politics and to vote. I have many friends and family members who don’t vote. They have their own reasons and I respect them for that. I actually try my best to respect each person because they can vote for who they like, even if I don’t agree. When it comes to getting involved in politics and voting the Bible tells us that as Christians we have a moral obligation to obey the law, but it never tells us that we have a so-called moral obligation to become involved in politics or to vote.

Then there are those who say that as humans we have a responsibility. We can’t just sit there and let our world go to hell in a hand basket. “What about our human responsibility?” they insist that we must go vote because it is our responsibility to vote and campaign for a particular candidate, even if that means we don’t like him/her very much.  I think when they say it is our moral and human responsibility that it is a kind of calling someone out.

I just want to say that who ever you vote for, vote for the person you can best align with. I will vote for my conscience and I will vote for the person who stands closest to my beliefs and my faith. I am praying that Christ comes soon and that this whole election won’t happen. Instead of beaming me up Scotti, I am saying to “beam me up Jesus.” If a person doesn’t want to vote, that is their business. I don’t plan on harping on them or belittling anyone for their choice. Now, I will say,  if someone doesn’t vote or doesn’t get involved in whatever activity they are grumbling over, then I don’t think they should have a right to grumble. But, that’s just me.

In closing I just want to say that I feel that as a Christian my obligation and responsibility is to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).  If we really believe this, then we should be doing more for Christ. Just think about how different our world would be if we took our faith and sharing the Gospel as serious as some politicians do. We are spending a huge amount of money, time, resources and laboring without fail. They are fully devoted to their politician or government leader just so they can get elected. I just wonder if we put that much into sharing the Gospel with others would make our lives and world better. I guess that isn’t in Satan’s plan and he is trying to get people to fight over things that divide instead of unite.

Tonight I was talking to a friend who has been having a difficult time health wise. During our conversation we got talking about how God’s present with us during difficult times, even if it is hard to tell while we are going through dark moments.

Psalms 46:1 is my all time favorite Bible Verse. This is also the verse that gets me through so much. tomorrow as my friend goes in for another biopsy, I will be praying for her and remembering this verse on her behalf. The verse says, “God is our refuge and strength, ever-present in times of trouble.”

As I was talking to her, I got thinking about one of many times I was in the hospital for what seemed like months at a time. Which literally, it was.

When I am in the hospital for any period of time, I always bring music with me and my fan.

One night, I was having a very difficult time. I was already in the hospital for about 6 weeks and I was at the point of wanting to throw in the towel. I was fighting sepsis during this particular visit.

During this night, I was done. I didn’t want to go on any longer. I spent most of the year in the hospital off and on and I couldn’t handle anything else. My daughters were teenagers and I was feeling like I wasn’t a good mother because I was always in the hospital fighting for my life.

Around 11pm, the night-time nurse came into my room to do my vitals. She was asking me about the songs that were on the radio at the time. I must have been listening to Klove. She wasn’t a Christian, so she wasn’t familiar with the songs I was listening to. I talked to her about them for a few minutes and then she  left to finish her rounds. Right before she came in, I was in tears. She asked me what was wrong and I told her that I was fine. I was just having one of those moments.

As I was having a discussion with God, which is my way of praying, I was frustrated and I have to say I was feeling a bit like I was abandoned. I have been going through so many storms, that it was getting hard to see and feel God’s presence. I was emotionally spent and I cried out to Jesus and I wanted to know what it was that I did so wrong to be going through all of the things I was and still am going through.

After crying to the point where I had no more tears left, I rolled over to my side and quieted myself down. I prayed and begged God to show me that He was there. I needed to know He was with me. And then it happened. The first song came on and it was called, “Praise You in the Storm.” It is a song by Casting Crowns. Here is a snippet of the song. Click Here to Listen to it;

Praise You In This Storm

And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

As I was listening to this song by Casting Crowns, I couldn’t help but let the tears once again flow. I must have been a mess emotionally. A nurse heard me sobbing in my room and she poked her head in and asked if there was anything she could do. All I could say was that, “God is here and I’m not alone.”

Then the next song that came on was a song by Third Day called, “Cry Out to Jesus.” By this time I am blubbering all over the place and inconsolable, but in a good way. Here are some of the lyrics;

Cry Out To Jesus

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keepin’ you back from your life
You believe that there’s nothing
And there is no one who can make it right

There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary
And love for the broken hearts
There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing
He’ll meet you wherever you are

Cry out to Jesus
Cry out to Jesus

This song spoke to me in so many ways. I’m laying in my hospital bed and the Dr’s didn’t know what else they could do or if they were going to have to send me to ICU. My life was in the hands of God at this point.

Then, a third song came onto the radio. It was an old hymn that many probably know. That song is called, “What a Friend We Have In Jesus.” About a year before this hospitalization I was listening to this song as I was driving down the road. I became so overcome emotionally that I had to pull over. Since I was in the hospital, it wasnt like I could pull over, but God did get my attention. I have listened to this song most of my life. It wasn’t until my life was falling apart medically that I got it. I finally figured out that Jesus is my friend. He will never leave me. He is always there. Pay attention to the words. Even though this song was written by Joseph M. Scriven in 1855. He wrote this as a poem to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada. These words mean just as much today as it did back then.

What a Friend We Have In Jesus

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear,
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour still our refuge;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends dispise forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in Prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee;
Thou wilt find a solace there.

As I was talking to my friend tonight about how there are times when life gets so hard and it is hard to feel God around us, He makes sure to show us that He is there. One of the things that she shared with me and it is so true is that we can pray over people at any moment. It doesn’t matter what else is going on around us.

By the way, if anyone out there would like to pray for her, she could really use some prayers. She found out that she has a mass it is malignant. So, she will be having treatments. What she and I were saying is that even though all these things are happening. We can allow these moments as opportunities to reach out to those who needs help. God does some awesome things.

I want to just share one more thing about my hospital stay. After the three songs were played and I was just exhausted emotionally and at the same time, I felt such an overwhelming peace that only can come from God.

As I was laying there, a cleaning women knocked on  my door. She asked me if she could come into the room? I told her that was fine. Even though I probably had puffy eyes and looked horrible. So, she came in and shut the door behind her. She was saying that she enjoyed the music that has been playing in my room. She felt the promoting to come in and pray over me. She explained that she had to shut the door or she would get in trouble. She prayed and held my hand. I felt the most warm and loving touch from her hands.

She was only in there a few minutes and she did say that she is a believer in Christ. As she left, I felt this cool breeze. I thought it was from the AC. When the nurse came back in to check the vitals and to see how I was, I asked her about the AC and she said it wasn’t on. I did find it strange that there was a cleaning lady that late, I asked the nurse to thank her for coming in and helping. She didn’t know who or what I was talking about. She said there was no cleaning ladies.

In closing, I would like to ask you all to say a prayer for my friend.

Dear Lord, I come to you today for my friend who has been told that she has a malignant mass. Lord, she is in need of your healing hand. In you all things are possible. Give her the strength to move forward on the path you have shown her. We pray that You bless my friend and renew her health and strengthen her as only You can.

Wrap your loving arms around her family as they draw near to you Love. Bind us with Your loving hands. You are the Vine dear Lord and we are the branches.

We praying these things in Jesus’s name, Amen.

 

I really like to watch the Big Bang Theory. The one I am watching right now is about where Sheldon’s sister is having a baby. All of his friends, Amy, Leonard, Penny, Howard and Bernadette, Raj are sitting around discussing what it would have been like if they never met Sheldon. For a long time I wouldn’t watch the show because I thought it was more about evolution and since I am a Christian, I wasn’t going to watch it. But, after watching it, I have grown to love it.

While I was watching the show it got me thinking about what my life would have been like if circumstances were different. As I thought about this episode, I thought about this Bible verse;

• Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I met my husband Chuck when I was 17 and we got married about 4 months later. We lived in Texas at the time. I ended up with Guillian Barre Syndrome just before we got married. At the time I was probably in most ways not doing things in the right way. The reason I say that is that, I ran away from home, then met Chuck in Tucson. His mom met me when I was illegally working at a Winchells Donuts. I ended up with the job because I was wearing a bikini. I was pretty thin then. The owner gave me a job without even knowing my age or name. I am pretty sure it was because he was a pervert. But, like I said, I got a job there. I had no ID and he paid me under the table.

My mother in law walked in to get Donuts since her son (Chuck) was going to be coming home for a couple of days on leave. I gave her my number and told her if he wanted to do something. She wasn’t going to give him my number, but then my father in law stepped in and told him that some girl gave her his number. She gave it to him and he called.

We arranged to met at the Winchells Donuts. He told me what he was driving and I told him what I looked like. Since I ran away from home, I only had the clothes a friend let me where. Let’s say that she wore reallllllllly short shorts and shirts that didn’t leave much to the imagination. What didn’t help was that I just got my hair permed and the lady had it done in tight curls. I had no clue what it looked like since it was still wet and I was heading to met Chuck.

So, here I am walking of to this truck that was not in very good shape. Chuck was sitting in the truck working on something and I was thinking that this was NOT going to be a good fit. Then he looked at me and he thought the same thing, except he thought I was EASY, lol. The reason he thought that is because Robin let me wear her cloths till I could sneak back home to get mine. So, here I am walking up to his 58 Chevy wearing red shorts, a tub top and heels. My hair finally dried and it looked like an afro. When I seen how it looked, I about died lol.

The reason I am going into this little bit of history is that, if I wasn’t where I was at and met my mother in law because I had a perverted boss, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I wouldn’t have ended up in Texas,  I wouldn’t have met Chuck which means I wouldn’t have my daughter. I was completely paralyzed from Guillian Barre Syndrome. I ended up pregnant while having Guillian Barre Syndrome.

Chuck and I weren’t married at the time. But we did get married after 4 months of knowing each other. I guess we assumed we would get married before all of this happened. We got married early because I had no insurance and he was in the Army in Fort Hood, Texas.

 

God has a way of working things out because I would out about 7 years later that if I wouldn’t have had a child when I did, I never would have had kids. God had a way of making my bad decisions into something good. I ended up having to have a hysterectomy at the age of 25. When the oncologist told me that I should never have been able to get pregnant when I did. She couldn’t understand how I was able to carry a child the way I did. Since I had been paralyzed from Guillian Barre Syndrome and an undiagnosed illness, she didn’t get it. I got it. It was a God thing.

Hopefully, I’m not boring you all. But, since I had all the problems I didn’t really work. But we were struggling and there was NO WAY I was going to let anyone else raise my daughter. That’s when I met up with a friend and she had two daughters. She needed a baby sitter and I needed money. I offered to babysit her daughters and she took me up on it.

That’s when Rebechia (Rebecca) came into our lives. Jessica and Beckiah (Becca) became close friends. I had no idea what was going to happen. All I knew was that I was a babysitter. Eventually things happened and we ended up adopting Rebechia. She has a younger sister that also was in need of a home a few years later. At that time, I knew we were not equipped to be able to adopt two children. I had so many medical problems and was not able to do it. I felt guilty over that for many years and I guess even now I do also.

Because of circumstances we adopted her and we now had two daughters. God put everything in order. He knew what He was doing, even though I didn’t. Both of my daughters are huge blessings in my life. Even though Jessica was what I would have considered at the time an OOOPs baby, she wasn’t a mistake. I have never thought about Jessica being a mistake, even though I was just a teenager and I had major medical things going on, God worked it out.

 

 

If any of these things didn’t happen and in the right order, I don’t know where my life would be now. But, I do know that I wouldn’t have the life I have now. I wouldn’t have my daughters Jessica and Rebechia. I wouldn’t still be married to my husband almost 36 yrs next month. I wouldn’t have the most amazing grandkids. If I wasn’t working that night at Winchells, none of these things would have happened.

 

It’s interesting how a TV show can make a person think about how blessed you really are. Which I have to say I am very blessed. I don’t know what tomorrow holds and that’s OK. There are no guarantees, but I know that God holds my future in His hands. I don’t need to know about what is going to happen since God already knows that information and I am just going along for the ride. 🙂

in closing, I just want to say that if it weren’t for everything that happened in the order it did, I wouldn’t have met Chuck. Which would mean that Jessica wouldn’t have been born and there would be no JJ or Josalyn. Beckiah would be here since we adopted her. But more than likely she wouldn’t be married to Jason Barton, which would mean that there would be no Tyson, Jace, Ashton or Kora. Everything works out for the good, even when we may not realize it at the time.

 

 

I want to forewarn you all. This blog post is more of a vent. I just want to get if off my chest.

I honestly try to stay out of conversations that are political. I particularly try to stay out of religion and politics. My friend Lisa and I were discussing who is running and who we are voting for. We were able to have good conversation without trying to kill each other. We never unfriended each other. It isn’t that way on Facebook or social media.

I can’t even begin to count how many times people would literally get into screaming matches. They would go into how they are right and they read this article about it so they believe what it said. My guess is that they never go check out the sites to make sure they are real or not. This whole election year is out of control. I have had to restrict so many people on my Facebook because of the hate filled comments.

Being thankful for the elections to get done and over with is an understatement. When I turn on my computer, the first thing I see is Trump said or done this or that. Clinton is unfit and blah blah blah. I am so done with hearing about the blasted emails that got lost. I am tired of hearing how Trump is going to do this and that because he is the human form of Under Dog. Trump should get a blue cap and buzz around the world and tell everyone, “Have No Fear, Underdog is Here.”

Now it is the whole birther thing and again blah blah blah. All of these stories are  blurring the lines of where truth and reality will be met. I want to hear the facts, not all the other things that are cluttering my mind.

Then, there are those who are posting all kinds of stupid stuff without finding out if it is true or not. Satire sites (fake news) are popping up all over the place. Fake news websites are satire sites that are not funny. They are an attempt to play on gullible people who do not check sources and will just pass the news on as if it were really true. They make them look real but they are far from it. Here is a list of satire sites. These are sites you shouldn’t consider right. More and more fake-news websites have appeared online. These sites publish articles that  – for the most part – are simply made up by their authors.

• National Report: (http://nationalreport.net/)
• Huzlers: (http://www.huzlers.com/)
• Empire News : (http://empirenews.net/)
• Empire Sports: (http://www.empiresports.co/)
• The Onion:  (http://www.theonion.com)
• The Christ Wire: (http://christwire.org)
• And Many More…

Then you have  what is called clickbait websites. They are sites that will take a little bit of a true story and then they  will make up other details to create fear.  For the most part they are conspiracies and not reliable.

It bugs the bejibbers out of me when I see links to these sites on my Facebook wall throughout  the day and at least dozens of times a day and it makes me want to smack my head into a wall.

In closing I just want to say that my  prayer is that Christ would come soon. I wish this election is over when. We must be getting close to the end times. I am also coming before the Lord to ask Him for wisdom and guidance for who I should vote for. I will NOT vote for Trump. No amount of money will convince me to vote for him. I can’t vote for him because he stands for things that I am against.

No other person on Earth knows your story better than you do. Sharing your testimony with others can be a powerful and important way to tell God thank you for all he has done. The Bible says in Isaiah 12:4, “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the world about his wondrous love and how mighty he is!”

I have shared my personal testimony with many people. My personal testimony of faith isn’t really much about what I would call the “ah ha” moment.

As I have said off and on in my life, I wasn’t raised in a church-going family, and for the most part they weren’t Christians.

What I would like to discuss is why it is important for us to share our personal testimony.

When we share our testimony it is about what we have experienced. It’s important share our experiences with God.  I actually believe it is mandatory to witness to others. As Christians  we need to come forward and talk about what God has and is doing in our lives. Friends, families, neighbors and strangers will begin to believe that God is real, prayers get answered and miracles happen. When we share the Gospel and our testimony it will inspire others to seek God.

Acts 1:8 says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” When we share our testimony we are to be a witness to Jesus Christ. By witnessing to Jesus Christ we are communicating the things that we have seen and experienced in our lives.

When we share our testimony with others we are helping others that may be going through the same things we have gone through both good and bad.  I can’t even begin to count how many testimonies I have heard  that have been beneficial in my life. There are situations and experiences in our lives that may be causing anger, despair and they eat aways at your insides.

A good friend of mine has been going through some pretty rough patches in her life. If she were to allow these feelings to take over, it has the possibility of making everyday miserable and makes each day hard to get through. While I observe these moments in her life and how debilitating they are, I also see her love for Christ. At the end of the day, she gives it to God and that is something each of us should be doing.

 

I believe Christians have an obligation to share  what God is doing in our lives. We each have our own unique experiences with Him and I would think that because of our experiences with Jesus. We each have the ability to reach people who can relate to what we have or are going through. Jesus has a plan and purpose for each of us. Even if you are afraid to say what Jesus has done in your life, He will guide each person specifically in every  part of your testimony.

There are those who claim to be Christian and yet they feel empty inside. As I talk to various people about my experiences they are shocked that I feel the way I do and I still put my faith in Christ. For me, there is no other way. Jesus is the ONLY way. I find it very sad that people are loosing their faith. I wish churches had a time in their services where people would share what God is doing in their life or share their personal testimony. I wonder if churches had a time of sharing if people would do it. I’m not the kind of person who likes to stand front and center when I share my testimony. I use blogging and one on one interactions.

There use to be a ladies get together called, “Tender Touch.” The ladies who started this were able to offer something to the ladies that helped renew their faith. One part of the program was where someone would share their testimony with the ladies. Usually there was someone in the crowd that needed to hear that message. I wish we still had this. I would love to get something like that back at my church.

It is our responsibility to share the good news that Jesus Christ paid for their sins, and conquered death for us through rising from the dead.  Once a person believes  that Jesus Christ is the son of God then His people should go on to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and then testify to others what God has done for them.

The Bible says, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the people’s!” (1 Chronicles 16:8).

You also give them a glimpse into God’s will for their lives. The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV). God’s will for our lives is to show gratitude in all circumstances. I have a bit of a hard time doing this, but it is something we are instructed to do. Begin thankful doesn’t happen just on Thanksgiving and it isn’t about a national holiday.

Take a few moments to thinking about the following questions and share your answers;

• What has God done in your life that you need to share with others who are struggling through difficult circumstances?
• How has someone else’s story inspired or impacted you?

On Monday evening my church showed the movie “Risen.” It wasn’t in the theaters very long where I live. I think a week if that, so I didn’t get a chance to watch it till Monday. I never thought much about what it was like for the Roman soldiers that was present during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

I have a hard time imagining what it must have been like for those who were living during the time of Jesus Christ. There isn’t a doubt that things were much different then. What was it like to witness what happened from the time Jesus had the nails was hammered into his hands and feet? I can’t begin to fathom what it must have been like to watch a man without sin being nailed to the cross. I have always had this sick feeling when I think about what it must have been like for Jesus. As the nails are hammered into Jesus’ hands and feet. I can’t handle watching scenes like that. The reason why I don’t watch them is because all I can imagine is my hands holding the nails while pounding them into Jesus’ body. It’s because of my sins that He died the most horrendous death of all.

Clavius is a Roman Tribune who is serving Pontius Pilate.  He was ordered to guard the body of Jesus Christ. Clavius is dumbfounded and visibly shaken after he comes face to face with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Clavius looks up to Jesus after Jesus’ side was pierced to make sure He was dead.

This part of the movie kinda reminded me of an experience JJ had at the Catholic Church where I live. We were at a special program and we were sitting up front. My grandson was around 6 at the  time. He has never been in a Catholic Church before. We were sitting up front enjoying the music, but JJ was curled up in a ball and covering his eyes. I thought he was horsing around or very bored. We would try to keep him quiet and not distract the singers, but it was a losing battle.

After the musical program was finished we took JJ aside to ask him what he was doing and basically he was no being respectful to those who wanted to listen to the music and it was disrespectful to those singing. When we asked him why he was doing what he was doing, he said “he was scared.” I had no clue why until he said that he was afraid because of how Jesus was hanging on the cross with blood coming from his eyes, hands and feet. He wanted to run and hide because he was so frightened.

Clavius came face to face with Jesus Christ. He saw the blood and pain that was coming from Jesus Christ. It was at that moment that Calvius realized this wasn’t an ordinary man. This man was special. The expression on Clavius’ face was similar to the expression JJ had in a sense. As Clavius looked up to look directly into Jesus’ eyes with blood pouring down His face, it make him uneasy and fearful and yet there was a connection of sorts. He didn’t have to say anything since it was written all over his face and demeanor.

Clavius was ordered to oversee the intombing of Jesus. Two of his soldiers that were keeping watch ended up passing out because they were drinking too much. Clavius doesn’t believe in Jesus or anything that other than some god that he prayers to. Pontius Pilate was embarrassed because those who were suppose to be guarding the tomb has failed. Pontius Pilate orders Clavius to find the body of Jesus Christ and to interrogate Jesus’ followers.

There was a number of places in this movie that gave me chills. Clavius was searching for Mary Magdalene. As he followed her through the upper room, he encounters Jesus Christ sitting there with his disciples. Clavius is obviously shaken to the core. I totally get why he would be in shock. “I have seen two things which cannot reconcile,” he says. “A man dead without question, and that same man alive again.”

When Clavius, and Jesus’ disciples finally got to where they were going in Galilee and he spent the night there on the rocks. Clavius went to where Jesus was sitting and Clavius sat next to Him and this is a part of the conversation that struck me the most.

JESUS: What frightens you?
CLAVIUS: Being wrong. Wagering an eternity on the wrong answer.
JESUS: Know then.
(I think that’s what he said. I missed the line. Either way, he didn’t say anything.)
JESUS: What is it you seek? Clarity? Peace? A day without death?
CLAVIUS: *crying as he nods his head in agreement*

God knows each of us so deeply and intimately and  he is always there, with open arms. I find it amazing how God uses those like Clavius and others who we would least  expect to do great things to advance His kingdom. It is truly amazing how time and time again, God uses the ones that we least expect to do some of the greatest work for His kingdom. God was able to speak to Clavius’ heart by presenting Himself, through His son Jesus.

I just want to finish this post up by saying that this was an awesome movie. I don’t know if I would take a young child since there is blood and gore. This is one of those movies that will reach those who have doubts about Jesus. This is probably the first show I have watched that is from the perspective of a non-believer.

At the end of the movie they have it where Clavius was taking off his ring. I would think that this was the last bit of evidence that he was once a Roman Tribune and serving Pontious Pilot. It was at this point where Clavius was leaving everything behind so he could follow God. The man he was sitting with asked him if he really beleived in Jesus and he said,  “I believe, and can never be the same.” God is changing lives every day, and I know for myself I am a different person because of God.

God knows each of us so deeply and intimately and  he is always there, with open arms.

Some of you may have been noticing that I have been doing a number of blog posts about answering the call from God. Pastor Ray usually will include in his prayers on Sunday that we should open our hearts and clear our minds. The reason he does that is because we need to be paying attention to what God is calling us to do. I will be the first to admit that I get very distracted during church. My mind is always thinking about what it is that God wants me to do.

God has put on my heart to get off the pew and reach out to other people. As I look around to those sitting in the pews at church, I often wonder how many of those sitting there has been called to “make a difference.”My heart has been on missions since I was little. I was set on going to third world countries and do whatever it was that God wants me to do.

That dream was dashed when I came down with Guillian Barre Syndrome. Well, at the time it did. I was extremely disappointed that I couldn’t do that. Since Jesus went out and seeked people, which would include me, then I should be doing the same thing. I had to trust God and God has never failed me.

A couple of weeks ago I was told that it is going to do no good to try to reach out to the students at Dixie State University. They went on to say that my church is full of old cranky people and how some doesn’t even know how to smile. This person came to my church as a guest. Usually I try to listen to people who are new to the area and to our church. When they said this about how it will never work to get students, there is nothing for them. Well!!! That pretty much made me want to dummy slap them, but I didn’t. How dare he judge my church in just an hour. I could imagine the headlines on St. George’s News page, “Christian Woman Arrested Because She Smacked Down Grumpy Man.” What I did consider when he said that is that He wasn’t shown the loving and friendly church. He was honest when asked how he liked the service.

This person motivated me to seek God’s Word and to put the wheels into motion. We all can make a difference in someone’s life by introducing them to Christ. God has made it apparent to me that I can make a difference to others in my own city.  Each and everyone that is a Christian should be on a mission to serve God and to serve others. How awesome is it that we can make a difference to others by sharing the GOOD NEWS that they can live forever and that Jesus Christ died for them.

 

• 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

⁵ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed,Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service;you are God’s field, God’s building.

I have no doubt that this ministry will be difficult, but I know that God is at work and I am hoping people join in. I am excited to see new faces. When I consider the obstacles that are ahead of me and the ministry team, I realize that if we give of ourselves we will be a witness to something much bigger at world. Without a doubt God is working n all of us, through us all we will be impacting the lives of people by sharing the love and truth of Jesus Christ.

As I continue to seek Gods advice on what direction is the best when it comes to Dixie State University students and the families that surround our church. I will be praying for the students, families and young adults to come to the realization of what God has done for them because Christ died for them.

When I was the Young Adult and Youth leader we started with just my daughters. Each and every week we came prepared. Within a few months we had about 15 students, families and children. Our church became the church where they didn’t feel like they were discarded and hopeless.  A couple of the ladies each week served hot meals to the students. Many of the young adults, college students and so on had home lives that broke them down. As friendships formed they felt safe. God told me by putting it on my heart that we need to do something. Not just we or someone else, but I also need to do this. Each and every person can be used by God. All you have to do is say “YES.”

When we reach out to those who are seeking, hurting, lost and has pretty much given up. This may be something new to you or out of your comfort zone. You make a difference because God is making a difference in you.

There was many people in my life who helped me learn about God. There is a song called, “Thank You” that pretty much sums up what a difference each of us can make. God is speaking to us and it is our responsibility to make a difference in someone elses life. God put many people in my life and they weren’t telling God to send someone else. They stepped up to the plate and because of that my life was given to Jesus Christ. I will also be one of those people who will say, “YES I WiLL!” We can’t keep expecting everyone else to say something needs to be done. Well, if God put in on your heat, that someone becomes you and I.

We humans waste a ton of time because we are fulfilling our own desires. I would hope that I fill my days serving others and loving God. If we were to our time and energy helping others and serving God, could you imagine how awesome that would be?

There was a movie that came out eons ago. It was where people had to defend their lives in order to go on. It was like a trial to see if you are worthy to go to a much better place or you were punished for not living your life. The show was kinda out there, but what I remembered about it is that when I look back and review my life, I would love to know that I made a difference and impacted someones life.

Discussion Questions

• If God asked you to give up everything and follow him, would you?
• Do you believe there is opportunities to reach people where you live?
• Have you ever had a chance to make a difference to someone else? If so what happened?

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:10 

In closing I just want to say that I can’t save those who I reach out to,  Jesus is the only who can save. It doesn’t take very much to reach out to people. Even if it is out of your comfort zone it is something we need to do. I have chosen to make myself available to God. He can use me in whatever capacity he desires. Here are some ways you can serve others in your community.

• Smile
• Pray for a person
• Visit someone homebound
• Share a meal
• Hold someones hand that is hurting
• Listen

Keep your eyes open today to seek people whom Jesus can touch through you. Be willing to be right there when He wants to use you.

 

A long time ago, I would say around 15 years ago, my sister-in-law Carol asked me a question about my faith in Jesus Christ. She was pretty direct with her questioning as she was spewing some unknown alcoholic beverage all over herself. She asked me why I would want to be a Christian because they are boring and don’t have any fun. As she was vomiting and spitting all over the place, I asked her what was it about what she was doing was fun?  I was waiting for her head to start spinning around like in the movie “The Exorcist.” She didn’t make it that far though since she passed out while laying in her own bodily fluids.

I have had other non-Christian friends make similar comments , but not as they are about to pass out. A long time friend of mind has it in their head that people who are Christians doesn’t get to have fun. I have tried to debate friends and strangers, but it stuck with me and there were times I would wonder if there was some awesome fun activity I was missing out on. I know there are a lot of things I don’t like to do, but was there something wonderful waiting for me as I went to church and studied the Word of God?

Not only did Jesus attend the wedding celebration, when they ran out of wine, he made more wine (John 2:3-10). The problem is not with attending an occasional party, the problem is with centering your life around attending parties. The problem is going to a party that results in our losing control and doing things we would not normally do.

• “We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don’t participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy.” (Romans 13:13 NLT)

• Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (Timothy 6:17).

As I reeled over this whole notion that my life must be boring and I was destined to live my life in a way where I wouldn’t be able to enjoy life, I had to laugh about that, lol. At-least to them I was living a life that seemed boring. If we are honest about things, sin can look fun at times. But! looks are deceiving. My sister-in-law Carol has been gone for a number of years. I think around 10 yrs or so. She and I are very different because of our lifestyle choices and faith wise. We are worlds apart.

We had many conversations about my seemingly lack of fun in my life. One night while I was on the phone to her, which was rare since we didn’t have any common ground besides my husband Chuck is her husband’s brother. I figured this night I would humor her and ask her to point out to me what it was that I was missing in my life because I am a Christian. So, here is her list of things in a nut shell.

1. I can’t go to the bars and hang out with friends while drinking. If I got to drunk the taxi cabs will give me a free ride home.  OK
2. There are all of these casinos and if you are playing the games they will give you free drinks. OK
3. Strip Poker is a ton of fun and the more friends you can find to play, the more fun we could have. OK
4. She says that it is fun to be able to have sex with those that was at the strip poker game. Nobody looses, well, except the clothes and then we all win. OK
5. I wouldn’t be able to wear cute cloths since I must have certain parts of my body covered. OK
6. Drugs, Sandie, Drugs. You can’t even get high with us because you don’t want to have fun. Pot doesn’t hurt anyone and here are some shrooms. Yep, she told me that. OK
7. You can’t even smoke? Why? Why can’t you smoke? She said this as she was smoking a joint. OK

The above list is things she actually told me. Some things I left off the list because she was throwing a lot of bad language into the conversations. Eventually her need for me to take on a more fun lifestyle ended on a sour note since she passed out and eventually died.

When I was able to answer her questions or questions that other non-Christians had about my beliefs, I would pretty much tell them that we obviously have different priorities and standards. There are many things that people do that may look like fun, but they aren’t necessarily fun or right for us to do. There are consequences for everything. Some of the consequences in the name of so-called fun can end up causing more problems and even cost us or someone else their lives.

I can’t say there wasn’t times when I wanted to do certain things. When I did do things that I knew were wrong, I usually have had to pay the price for it. It is tempting to want to do things that God says we shouldn’t be doing. Time and time again I haven’t regretted doing what God has instructed me to do. I don’t think that God “tells” us what to do anyhow since we have free will.  God is helping me to live my life the best I can. He knows that there are going to be things I want to do. The things I enjoy doing obviously are different from what others do.

I will have an alcoholic beverage from time to time. I just don’t get drunk. When I think about how Carol would comment about the fun I am missing as she is downing the last of a 18 pack of beer, I don’t see that I am missing out on anything. I prefer to remember things in the morning. I prefer to be talking to God, not the porcelain god.

The more I hear from others that Christians have no fun, I  basically feel that Christians do have fun-the difference is they have fun without the things that some non-Christians find fun. I have chosen to live my life in a way that is pleasing to God and by a different standard. When people say they are living the “good life”,  I don’t buy into that.

There are many who will debate and argue with you no matter what. It doesn’t do any good to argue with anyone since they can’t really understand where I am coming from. Many will say, “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you will die.” Or, you will hear some say, “you only live life once, so make it good.  When you hear someone say this it usually means: eat to excess; get drunk; and do stupid things you’d never do if you were not drunk. It also refers to the belief that life based on doing whatever makes you feel good, without regard to anything else.” My sister-in-law would say these things also. I found it incredibly sad that she thought she was happy and having fun as she was checking out of reality because of the drug induced haze that was going on in her mind and life.

God is the center of my life and when we allow things that are so-called fun, we are allowing those things to pull us away from Christ and that hurts us. There are many things like that may give us pleasure and we have short-lived fun, but it isn’t going to last forever. Eventually you are going to crash and burn. During some of my conversations with Carol when she wasn’t plastered, which wasn’t often, she had a hard time being happy in her own skin and life. She was unhappy and unfulfilled.

I have no problem honoring God, even if that means I can’t do certain things. I mean, I could do whatever, but they wouldn’t be fun for me. I prefer to please God. I try not to become judgmental or condescending of my non-Christian friends. Sometimes it may come off that way, but it isn’t intended. I guess I just don’t get what is fun about partying and playing games that could cost you your life.

• 1 Corinthians 10:31 reads, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” In other words we can glorify God by enjoying the meal I am about to sit down and eat. I can glorify God by simply appreciating His blessings and being human.

In closing,  For some like my sister-in-law Carol fun means drugs, premarital sex and gambling and so on —  Since these were the things she was concerned about I would telling her that if you aren’t happy and having to do the things she is doing to be happy, then her true result is that she wasn’t happy. She felt good when she was high, but empty when it comes to her life. I do hope she found a true sense of peace before her passing.. This is not the way God intended us to live. God has a better plan for my life and our life.