Happy Thanksgiving!
Tomorrow is turkey day and I'm ready. We're going to our son and daughter-in-law's for the day. We'll also bring home our two oldest 'grands'. Because we share Nate with his other g and g, we don't get to have him; Chuck and I are both bummed about that. We'll enjoy what we can.
The other day I thought about a blog and I'm finally getting here to share it with you. I learned quite awhile ago that the reason that churches in the olden days built their buildings beside where they had their cemetery was so that when people saw the head stones that it would remind them that death was reality and that eternity needed to be dealt with.
That brings this verse to mind: Hebrews 9:27-28: "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him."
Have you ever thought about those verses? What do you think about them now? We're all going to die. Then what? When I got sick with Lyme disease and almost died, I knew where my soul would go, to heaven to be with our Lord. Because I was so sick and in great pain, I wanted to go home. A part of me didn't because of family, but I longed for my Lord so greatly that I grieved what I couldn't have: heaven.
The Lord wasn't ready for me, so I'm still here. Our days are numbered by the Lord, even before the world began. So, walk with the Lord in such a way that your heart, soul, mind and strength are constantly directed at Him, the author and perfecter of our faith. Then, when you stand before the Lord, Christ's blood, covering us will find us acceptable to the Lord and we will spend eternity with Him. Alleluia! Amen.
Blessings to you all,
Sandy
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Matthew 5:10
Greetings,
Isn't this fall weather giving us a gorgeous sky? We are so blessed by the Lord in His nature. Do you feel blessed today? Have you counted some blessings?
When I look at the scripture for today I tried to think of a good story and here's what I want to share: Mattew 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
When we were in Europe, one of the camps that we had in western Czech was attended by a lady from the states that had been born in Hungary. Her name is Maria and as the camp progressed we realized that she was only there so that she could get a free trip back to her home country.
She didn't want to teach and Chuck and I had to take care of her classes and the fall out onthe first couple of days as this problem became evident. The students rebelled and justifiably. She also seemed to direct all of her angst against me. There wasn't anything that I could do right. Even her team members noticed and tried to correct her bad behavior. They were embarrassed.
When we were finally done with the camp and back in Prague for the team to sightsee and then leave, Maria needed to catch a train to Budapest. The night before she left, we all were going sightseeing and to supper.
As we were walking to the trolley station, Marie started in being really nasty to me. Her team members jumped all over her, but it didn't stop her bad behavior. Finally I stopped and faced her. The whole team was gathered around watching what was going to happen. Many times through the week the team had talked about how patient I was with her.
So, I was put to the test and because the Spirit allowed me to see through the week that I was being persecuted, not by Maria, but by warfare, I was able to handle the persecution with grace. I apologized for anything that I had done or said that might have hurt her. I was sincere and she knew it. It took her completely unaware.
It was hard for her to accept my apology. Everyone gathered said that I wasn't at fault, but I knew that in order to diffuse the situation, I needed to apologize. Whether I had done anything or not. I took the darkness of persecution, and exposed it to the light, therefore the hold of persecution was disarmed.
When we got on the Trolley, Chuck was worried about me, so I quoted Ephesians 6:12. I wasn't hurt by Maria because I saw it for what it was: warfare because we were doing the Lord's work. I knew that Maria was being used. Satan loves to use those that are weak in their faith to persecute others.
My witness to all of the team was important, as a teaching tool. Hopefully the Lord used that time to help them see what was going on so that they wouldn't be harsh with Maria when they met up again, back at their home church.
It wasn't me that handled this situation well, it was the Spirit in me handling everything well. I just got to see the Spirit at work and to have His comfort as He dealt with the persecution.
Not all problems in life are persecution, but many are and we need to know how to handle them, with God's grace.
Grace abiding,
Sandy
Isn't this fall weather giving us a gorgeous sky? We are so blessed by the Lord in His nature. Do you feel blessed today? Have you counted some blessings?
When I look at the scripture for today I tried to think of a good story and here's what I want to share: Mattew 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
When we were in Europe, one of the camps that we had in western Czech was attended by a lady from the states that had been born in Hungary. Her name is Maria and as the camp progressed we realized that she was only there so that she could get a free trip back to her home country.
She didn't want to teach and Chuck and I had to take care of her classes and the fall out onthe first couple of days as this problem became evident. The students rebelled and justifiably. She also seemed to direct all of her angst against me. There wasn't anything that I could do right. Even her team members noticed and tried to correct her bad behavior. They were embarrassed.
When we were finally done with the camp and back in Prague for the team to sightsee and then leave, Maria needed to catch a train to Budapest. The night before she left, we all were going sightseeing and to supper.
As we were walking to the trolley station, Marie started in being really nasty to me. Her team members jumped all over her, but it didn't stop her bad behavior. Finally I stopped and faced her. The whole team was gathered around watching what was going to happen. Many times through the week the team had talked about how patient I was with her.
So, I was put to the test and because the Spirit allowed me to see through the week that I was being persecuted, not by Maria, but by warfare, I was able to handle the persecution with grace. I apologized for anything that I had done or said that might have hurt her. I was sincere and she knew it. It took her completely unaware.
It was hard for her to accept my apology. Everyone gathered said that I wasn't at fault, but I knew that in order to diffuse the situation, I needed to apologize. Whether I had done anything or not. I took the darkness of persecution, and exposed it to the light, therefore the hold of persecution was disarmed.
When we got on the Trolley, Chuck was worried about me, so I quoted Ephesians 6:12. I wasn't hurt by Maria because I saw it for what it was: warfare because we were doing the Lord's work. I knew that Maria was being used. Satan loves to use those that are weak in their faith to persecute others.
My witness to all of the team was important, as a teaching tool. Hopefully the Lord used that time to help them see what was going on so that they wouldn't be harsh with Maria when they met up again, back at their home church.
It wasn't me that handled this situation well, it was the Spirit in me handling everything well. I just got to see the Spirit at work and to have His comfort as He dealt with the persecution.
Not all problems in life are persecution, but many are and we need to know how to handle them, with God's grace.
Grace abiding,
Sandy
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Eviction
Hey Everyone,
I've not done well with blogging this week; sorry :(. Life has been, well life. Anyway I'm not going to blog anything scriptural today. But, I do have some news, sort of.
Froggie/Herbie has been evicted. Today when I was watering my plants, little tree toad Froggie/Herbie jumped out. I guess he didn't like the sudden bath. Chuck came with a Puffs tissue and gently picked him up (after a few tries) and took him out to our mulch pile so he could find safe harbor for the winter. Lots of good food and wonderful mulch in the rotting leaves.
So, the croaking at unexpected times is gone. I'm going to miss that. But at least he lives to go on with life as a tree toad. He was kind of cute.
Aren't you glad that the Lord doesn't evict us because we sometimes get in the wrong place? I mean, like out of His will? He never moves away from us but is always there, waiting for us to come back into His will and presence. We are so blessed by His patience too.
It was interesting that the plant that Froggie/Herbie jumped out of wasn't the plant that he came into the house in. The plant that he started out in is a hanging spider plant. The one I found him in this morning was a jade plant, on the floor. So, sometime he jumped out and landed in the jade.
I wonder if he was surprised to find himself in another plant? I think the Lord protected this little animal of His. Believe it or not, I prayed the Lord would take care of him, and He did.
If the Lord will take care of a tiny tree toad, how much more will He take care of us????
Sandy
I've not done well with blogging this week; sorry :(. Life has been, well life. Anyway I'm not going to blog anything scriptural today. But, I do have some news, sort of.
Froggie/Herbie has been evicted. Today when I was watering my plants, little tree toad Froggie/Herbie jumped out. I guess he didn't like the sudden bath. Chuck came with a Puffs tissue and gently picked him up (after a few tries) and took him out to our mulch pile so he could find safe harbor for the winter. Lots of good food and wonderful mulch in the rotting leaves.
So, the croaking at unexpected times is gone. I'm going to miss that. But at least he lives to go on with life as a tree toad. He was kind of cute.
Aren't you glad that the Lord doesn't evict us because we sometimes get in the wrong place? I mean, like out of His will? He never moves away from us but is always there, waiting for us to come back into His will and presence. We are so blessed by His patience too.
It was interesting that the plant that Froggie/Herbie jumped out of wasn't the plant that he came into the house in. The plant that he started out in is a hanging spider plant. The one I found him in this morning was a jade plant, on the floor. So, sometime he jumped out and landed in the jade.
I wonder if he was surprised to find himself in another plant? I think the Lord protected this little animal of His. Believe it or not, I prayed the Lord would take care of him, and He did.
If the Lord will take care of a tiny tree toad, how much more will He take care of us????
Sandy
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Matthew 5:9
Hello All,
What a gorgeous day the Lord has given us. The sky is so brilliantly blue. We are so blessed. Have you counted your blessings today? I did a few. It's good to count blessings each day to help keep our equilibrium in this crazy upside down world we live in.
Today's blog is on Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." I like this one because I live with a peace maker. I've seen how the Lord uses Chuck through the years to help keep peace in our home.
Our daughter is so much like Chuck that it's scary. But, it's also a wonderful blessing. But, because she's like Chuck, she's not like me and we would often collide in many ways. Chuck, thankfully, would be the peacemaker between us. He was always encouraging us to keep communications open, even if there was anger on either/or both sides.
I think that being a peacemaker is a gift from the Lord to help keep things from getting out of proportion, especially emotionally. Another name for peacemaker is mediator. Christ and the Holy Spirit are mediators between us and God.
So, how to do you act as a peacemaker? Do you need a peacemaker to help in your life? Why do you think that Jesus said that peacemakers will be called the sons of God?
I think that those who cause trouble are living in a sinful state. When we come to Christ, we have His peace in our lives. If we are not being peaceful in our every day lives, we are not manifesting Christ to others. If a person is NOT saved, they certainly aren't going to be peacemakers, are they?
God blesses us when we are peacemakers. He gives us His peace and the assurance that we are doing His will when we manifest His peace and help others achieve peace in their lives. Strive to be a peace keeper.
Striving,
Sandy
What a gorgeous day the Lord has given us. The sky is so brilliantly blue. We are so blessed. Have you counted your blessings today? I did a few. It's good to count blessings each day to help keep our equilibrium in this crazy upside down world we live in.
Today's blog is on Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." I like this one because I live with a peace maker. I've seen how the Lord uses Chuck through the years to help keep peace in our home.
Our daughter is so much like Chuck that it's scary. But, it's also a wonderful blessing. But, because she's like Chuck, she's not like me and we would often collide in many ways. Chuck, thankfully, would be the peacemaker between us. He was always encouraging us to keep communications open, even if there was anger on either/or both sides.
I think that being a peacemaker is a gift from the Lord to help keep things from getting out of proportion, especially emotionally. Another name for peacemaker is mediator. Christ and the Holy Spirit are mediators between us and God.
So, how to do you act as a peacemaker? Do you need a peacemaker to help in your life? Why do you think that Jesus said that peacemakers will be called the sons of God?
I think that those who cause trouble are living in a sinful state. When we come to Christ, we have His peace in our lives. If we are not being peaceful in our every day lives, we are not manifesting Christ to others. If a person is NOT saved, they certainly aren't going to be peacemakers, are they?
God blesses us when we are peacemakers. He gives us His peace and the assurance that we are doing His will when we manifest His peace and help others achieve peace in their lives. Strive to be a peace keeper.
Striving,
Sandy
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Matthew 5:8
Hello,
What a cold blustery day! Where is our fall? Of course, our spring was spectacular, wasn't it? Did you enjoy the revival meetings? The Lord blessed us with good attendance every night. I enjoyed going through the old testament looking at examples of revival and obedience to the Lord.
I enjoyed the worship that Chris and Vanilda brought us too.
Today we're going to look at Matthew 5:8. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." This is such a wonderful verse. Do you know of anyone that you could say is 'pure in heart'? I do. Her name is Retha and when I'm in her presence, I sense the Lord's presence more fully. When she prays, I feel like the Lord Himself sits down beside her, waiting to answer her prayers.
Retha has cerebral palsy. She's older then me and has difficulty getting around. Her speech is difficult to understand sometimes, even though she speaks slowly to help us understand her. She loves the Lord so much and has been a prayer warrior for me through the years since I met her back in 1982.
What does it take to be 'pure in heart'? I think it means to walk in obedience with our Lord in such a way that the purity oozes out. This 'heart' is kind, gentle, loving, patient, prayerful, etc. I have too much fire in me to be pure of heart, but it's something wonderful to aim for, isn't it?
So, what changes can you make in your life to become 'pure in heart' so that you fulfill this blessing? I'm thinking of ways and seeking the Lord for His help. How about you?
Seeking,
Sandy
What a cold blustery day! Where is our fall? Of course, our spring was spectacular, wasn't it? Did you enjoy the revival meetings? The Lord blessed us with good attendance every night. I enjoyed going through the old testament looking at examples of revival and obedience to the Lord.
I enjoyed the worship that Chris and Vanilda brought us too.
Today we're going to look at Matthew 5:8. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." This is such a wonderful verse. Do you know of anyone that you could say is 'pure in heart'? I do. Her name is Retha and when I'm in her presence, I sense the Lord's presence more fully. When she prays, I feel like the Lord Himself sits down beside her, waiting to answer her prayers.
Retha has cerebral palsy. She's older then me and has difficulty getting around. Her speech is difficult to understand sometimes, even though she speaks slowly to help us understand her. She loves the Lord so much and has been a prayer warrior for me through the years since I met her back in 1982.
What does it take to be 'pure in heart'? I think it means to walk in obedience with our Lord in such a way that the purity oozes out. This 'heart' is kind, gentle, loving, patient, prayerful, etc. I have too much fire in me to be pure of heart, but it's something wonderful to aim for, isn't it?
So, what changes can you make in your life to become 'pure in heart' so that you fulfill this blessing? I'm thinking of ways and seeking the Lord for His help. How about you?
Seeking,
Sandy
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Genesis 3
Hello,
I've finally decided on Genesis 3 to use with our resident tree frog. I named him Froggie, but Chuck calls him Herbie. Anyway, I think he's hiding in the dirt and until I re pot the plant, we have a new addition to our menagerie.
Froggie/Herbie likes to croak at really weird times. If I speak to him, he shuts up for about 5 minutes. Now, we're assuming that Froggie is a boy, but he could be a she. I guess I'm not ready to call her Frogette. Anyway, Froggie hides from us and that brings me to the reason for this topic.
Hiding. We hide or try to hide from God. We hide our sins, thinking that He doesn't see them. We hide from doing service because we don't want to get involved. We hide from listening to Him when He wants to spend time with us.
Adam and Eve tried to hide from God also. After reading Genesis 3, come and join me......
After the pair had eaten from the tree it tells us starting in verse 8, that they could hear God walking in the garden. God calls to them: "Where are you?" Because God is all-knowing, He knew where they were and what had happened. They didn't understand this because the Bible had not been written yet to tell them. But, they had an advantage over us: they walked with God.
Adam answered that he was naked and hid from God. He knew his sin, didn't he? Then, he tried to pass the buck of responsibility to Eve, telling God: 'the woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.'
So here's the list of sins: defied God's order to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Believing Satan's lies instead of God's truth. Hiding from God when no one can hide from Him, ever. Then, blaming Eve for his own sin. Also, as head of the family, he was responsible for Eve's being led astray and him not correcting the situation.
Adam's sin didn't just affect him, did it? Eve, and all generations to come have paid the price for not listening to God. That's a great example for us, in that our sins affect those around us, even to further generations.
So, what decisions are you going to make so that you don't hide from God? How can you lead the way in your family to help others not hide from God so that their sins don't grow?
Don't be a Froggie. Hiding from our Lord is Satan's way of deceiving us. God's way is truth. Remember: He is the truth, the way and the life.
Trying not to hide,
Sandy
I've finally decided on Genesis 3 to use with our resident tree frog. I named him Froggie, but Chuck calls him Herbie. Anyway, I think he's hiding in the dirt and until I re pot the plant, we have a new addition to our menagerie.
Froggie/Herbie likes to croak at really weird times. If I speak to him, he shuts up for about 5 minutes. Now, we're assuming that Froggie is a boy, but he could be a she. I guess I'm not ready to call her Frogette. Anyway, Froggie hides from us and that brings me to the reason for this topic.
Hiding. We hide or try to hide from God. We hide our sins, thinking that He doesn't see them. We hide from doing service because we don't want to get involved. We hide from listening to Him when He wants to spend time with us.
Adam and Eve tried to hide from God also. After reading Genesis 3, come and join me......
After the pair had eaten from the tree it tells us starting in verse 8, that they could hear God walking in the garden. God calls to them: "Where are you?" Because God is all-knowing, He knew where they were and what had happened. They didn't understand this because the Bible had not been written yet to tell them. But, they had an advantage over us: they walked with God.
Adam answered that he was naked and hid from God. He knew his sin, didn't he? Then, he tried to pass the buck of responsibility to Eve, telling God: 'the woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.'
So here's the list of sins: defied God's order to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Believing Satan's lies instead of God's truth. Hiding from God when no one can hide from Him, ever. Then, blaming Eve for his own sin. Also, as head of the family, he was responsible for Eve's being led astray and him not correcting the situation.
Adam's sin didn't just affect him, did it? Eve, and all generations to come have paid the price for not listening to God. That's a great example for us, in that our sins affect those around us, even to further generations.
So, what decisions are you going to make so that you don't hide from God? How can you lead the way in your family to help others not hide from God so that their sins don't grow?
Don't be a Froggie. Hiding from our Lord is Satan's way of deceiving us. God's way is truth. Remember: He is the truth, the way and the life.
Trying not to hide,
Sandy
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Mathew 5:7
Hey Everyone,
I'm not doing well in blogging every day. Sorry. Life happens. Prayer, for everything. We need prayer for our revival at church. Betty and Debbie are going to have surgery. I learned a couple of days ago that a very dear friend, Diana Rea has Mezophilioma cancer. That's the cancer from Asbestos. She's a mom with 8 children and a pastor's wife. Her lungs keep collapsing. There isn't any cure for this and the standard chemotherapy won't touch it. She's about 50 and a wonderful Christian woman. Please, keep her in your prayers too. Thanks!
On a funnier side, we have a tree frog in the spider plant in our living room. I took the plant back outside to try and get rid of it, but it won't go. Needless to say that when we're not expecting it to 'croak' it does. Even Tucker looks up to see what's going on. I have named it Froggie and Chuck is calling it Herbie; go figure! Not sure how long it will last, but for now we have an additional pet in our home. I've been trying to find a verse so I can do a blog on Froggie, but haven't come up with anything, yet.
Our verse today is from Matthew 5:7: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Because I like what Warren Weirsbe teaches in his commentary, I'm going to quote it: We experience God's mercy when we trust Christ (Eph. 2:4-7), and He gives us a clean heart (Acts 15:9) and peace within (Romans 5:1). But having received His mercy, we then share His mercy with others. We seek to keep our hearts pure that we might see God in our lives today. We become peacemakers in a troubled world and channels for God's mercy, purity, and peace."
That says it all, doesn't it? Do you share His mercy with others? Those of you who have the gift of mercy, you do it better than people like me who don't have the gift. But, we're all to give mercy because we've received mercy. I like what Warren said at the end: we are channels for God's mercy, purity, and peace. What an opportunity to be those very things to our families and others.
What things hinder our being merciful? Perhaps selfishness? Or busyness? Not thinking about others at all?
I'm married to a giver of mercy and I've watched him through the years and learned a lot of things. I've told people before that Chuck got all the mercy in our family; none leftover for me. I have to work at being merciful. I have care and concern for people, but I don't always show it. That's the difference between Chuck and me.
So, watch those with mercy and study them. Then, using God's Word as your guide, emulate what they do in their service to the Lord with His wonderful gift of mercy.
Working to display His mercy,
Sandy
I'm not doing well in blogging every day. Sorry. Life happens. Prayer, for everything. We need prayer for our revival at church. Betty and Debbie are going to have surgery. I learned a couple of days ago that a very dear friend, Diana Rea has Mezophilioma cancer. That's the cancer from Asbestos. She's a mom with 8 children and a pastor's wife. Her lungs keep collapsing. There isn't any cure for this and the standard chemotherapy won't touch it. She's about 50 and a wonderful Christian woman. Please, keep her in your prayers too. Thanks!
On a funnier side, we have a tree frog in the spider plant in our living room. I took the plant back outside to try and get rid of it, but it won't go. Needless to say that when we're not expecting it to 'croak' it does. Even Tucker looks up to see what's going on. I have named it Froggie and Chuck is calling it Herbie; go figure! Not sure how long it will last, but for now we have an additional pet in our home. I've been trying to find a verse so I can do a blog on Froggie, but haven't come up with anything, yet.
Our verse today is from Matthew 5:7: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Because I like what Warren Weirsbe teaches in his commentary, I'm going to quote it: We experience God's mercy when we trust Christ (Eph. 2:4-7), and He gives us a clean heart (Acts 15:9) and peace within (Romans 5:1). But having received His mercy, we then share His mercy with others. We seek to keep our hearts pure that we might see God in our lives today. We become peacemakers in a troubled world and channels for God's mercy, purity, and peace."
That says it all, doesn't it? Do you share His mercy with others? Those of you who have the gift of mercy, you do it better than people like me who don't have the gift. But, we're all to give mercy because we've received mercy. I like what Warren said at the end: we are channels for God's mercy, purity, and peace. What an opportunity to be those very things to our families and others.
What things hinder our being merciful? Perhaps selfishness? Or busyness? Not thinking about others at all?
I'm married to a giver of mercy and I've watched him through the years and learned a lot of things. I've told people before that Chuck got all the mercy in our family; none leftover for me. I have to work at being merciful. I have care and concern for people, but I don't always show it. That's the difference between Chuck and me.
So, watch those with mercy and study them. Then, using God's Word as your guide, emulate what they do in their service to the Lord with His wonderful gift of mercy.
Working to display His mercy,
Sandy
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