Mission Impossible?….Not At All!

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“God has created me to do Him some definite service:  He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.  I have my mission – I may never know it in this life, but I will be told it in the next. “

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“I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.  He has not created me for naught.  I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it –if I do but keep His commandments.  Therefore I shall trust Him,  Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away.  If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him.  If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.  He does nothing in vain.  He knows what He is about.  He may take away my friends.  He may throw me among strangers.  He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me — still He knows what He is about. ”  Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

“Lord you have probed me,  you know me:  you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar.  My travels and my rest you mark;  with all my ways you are familiar.  Even before a word is on my tongue, Lord, you  know it all.  Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach.” Ps 139:1-6

May you walk in your mission this day….grounded in the love of God.

My readers…you are in my prayers, fromtheheartof j

fromtheheartofj

 

Will There Be Room at the Inn?…

In the final weeks before the arrival of a new baby there is a flurry of activity…

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The Mother cooks extra meals and stores them in the freezer, catches up on the family laundry, spring cleans throughout the house. The Father and children all help out.

There is a PURPOSE in the busy-ness.

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There is an expectancy..a deep longing…to meet the new baby…to hold the new baby…to get to know the new baby…to love the new baby.

Everything is done to clear the way and remove any obstacles that would stand in the way of being able to give total attention, focus and time on the new baby.

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This is called “nesting time”.

The Mother and Father are preparing the nest of “home” for baby to be. Everything being done points toward the baby.

We too are awaiting the arrival of a new baby…

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The Christ Child!

In the busy-ness of our holiday shopping, cooking, parties, decorating, and traveling are we truly “PREPARING THE WAY”?

Is all our busy-ness pointing toward the arrival of the Christ Child? Are we clearing away disruptions so that we can give total attention to loving, praising, thanking, and worshipping the gift of the Christ Child?

Are we spiritually nesting the home of our hearts?

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Have we entered into John the Baptist’s cry, “PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD?”

Will there be room at the Inn of your heart?

Enter into the expectancy.

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Let your busy-ness point toward the approaching light. Truly “PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD!”

“A voice cries out; In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” Is 40:3

(Thank you SD for the inspiration behind this post!)

The King Has Chosen You…

Recently I read…”We should act in everything as if an exalted king has chosen us”…

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An exalted king has chosen us!

Let us don robes of splendor adorned in virtue…

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Let us hold our heads high in belonging and our vision cast upwards in hope.

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Let our gaze be sure and steady in charity and compassion for the oppressed.

Let our voice be a strong but gentle breeze reflecting the Word written within.

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Let our gait be steady in the shadow of the King’s steps, following wherever He leads.

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Let our shoulders be broad to receive the cares of the downtrodden about us…all to bring to the King.

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Let our actions be fueled by the power of Love, reflecting a beauty that attracts others into the courts of the King.

Let the joy of the Lord be before us and what we leave behind us.

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All wrapped in that peace that transcends all human understanding.

We ARE royalty. Have we come to discover and live this truth?

The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, He is our Papa.

The Prince of Peace, the Saviour of the World, He is our Brother.

The Counselor, the Teacher, the Advocate, the Power of Love, He lives within us.

The King has chosen us! We are royalty.

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We must live our Royalty. One with the King!

“But you are a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Pet 2:9

YES…YES…YES…

Every YES we utter contains no’s…

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If I say YES to God…

to live a life of faith, hope, and charity…

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I say no to to a life of doubt, despair, and selfishness.

Why is it the no’s seem to creep into my YES?

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Why do the no’s try to whittle away the strength and the authority of my YES?

It is a fallen world. We are fallen people.

While in this world we must do battle against these persistent no’s.

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Yet, His grace is sufficient.

Let us daily, even hourly if in the midst of a battle, renew our YES with trust and confidence in God’s love and mercy.

Let our YES drown out the no’s in the world and in our hearts.

Let not our no’s speak defeat…

Let our YES shout victory!

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YES is more powerful than no.

“Do I make my plans according to human considerations, so that with me it is “yes, yes” and “no, no”?  As God is faithful, our word to you is not “yes” and “no”.  For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not “yes” and “no” but “yes” has been in him.  For however many are the promises of God, their YES is in him; therefore the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.” 2 Cor 17-20

Parched Lives No More…

Sundays are for resting…

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Jumping off the crazy spin of life.

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Settling into the “He looked at everything and said this is good and on the seventh day He rested” rest.

Allowing our lives to be watered with the great YES that gave us life…

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Entering into the streams of ever flowing thanksgiving and alloing it to water the past week, the gift of the day and the rest given, and all that the week ahead contains.

Sundays heal our parched lives.

Remember…keep holy the Sabbath.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matt 11:28

Signposts…

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A wise person once told me…

“Leave every place behind better than you found it.  Leave a bit of beauty.”

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In a world that mars Beauty by twisting the beautiful into the ugly and promoting the ugly as beautiful.

Our vision has become distorted.  Deceit saturates truth.

But the Love of God is written on our hearts…

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 And the strength of the Spirit within can bring forth beauty and truth through us.

Leaving bits of beauty behind…

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Untangles the knots of the enemy’s destruction.

Bits of Beauty can be as simple as…

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A smile, a kind word, a hug, a generous act, a song, a single flower…

Bits of beauty left behind paves the way…

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A signpost on the road to heaven.

Be a Beauty signpost this weekend.  Leave bits of beauty behind you for others on this trail home.

“From Zion God shines forth, perfect in beauty.” Ps 50:2

Liebster Blog Award…

Wow…Thank you juliemoore at http://gracefullwomen.com  for nominating me for the wonderful “Liebster Blog” Award. Y’all take some time and check out Julie’s Blog “Grace n Coffee”….it’s a regular read for me!

The “Liebster Blog” Award is given to blogs that have less than 200 followers (sometimes that is hard to tell. Excuse me if those listed below are larger) and deserve more recognition and encouragement.  There are some guidelines while giving or receiving this award.

1.  Thank the blogger who gave you the award.

2.  Pick 5 small blogs that are worth the honor.

3.  Spread the word about the “Liebster Blog” Award.

Thanks Julie….I accept your nomination and myself nominate the following blogs.

http://mountupbook.wordpress.com

http://faithbeyondwords.wordpress.com

http://jessiejeanine.com

http://opencanvasjg.wordpress.com

http://trimed04.wordpress.com

Messengers Among Us…

Friends…true friends…are the greatest of gifts.

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A true friend gives a bit of his/her golden heart…

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May we return the blessing.

A true friend is strong when we are weak…

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May we return the blessing.

A true friend reminds us to look towards the light when all seems dim…

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May we return the blessing.

A true friend offers to lend us his/her Hawaiin shirt when we just have to “get outa’ here”, but usually encourages us to stay put and persevere.

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May we return the blessing.

A true friend knows how to make us laugh when we’d rather cry…

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but sits with us through the tears when they start to fall.

May we return the blessing.

A true friend is a messenger among us showing us the love of God and pointing to us the direction upward and beyond.

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May we return the blessing.

Messengers among us preparing our way….may we return the blessing.

Messengers among us…gifts from God….

Let us thank those messengers among us in our lives…

And may they return the blessing.

“I give thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers” Phil:4

Song in the Heart…Part II…

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There is a tribe in East Africa where the birth of a child is marked not on the day of the physical birth, but the first time the child is a thought in the mother’s mind.

Aware of her intention to conceive a child with a particular father, the mother goes off alone and sits under a tree.

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There under the tree she sits and listens until she can hear the song of the child she hopes to conceive.

Once she has heard it…

She goes back to her village and teaches it to the father so they can sing it together as they make love, inviting the child to join them.

The mother sings this song to the baby in her womb. She teaches it to the old women and midwives of the village so that at the miracle of birth the child is greeted with this song.

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This song is taught to all the villagers so when the child falls or hurts himself they sing this song to comfort.

This song becomes part of the marriage ceremony and at the end of life, loved ones gather around the deathbed and sing this song for the last time.

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If all creation sings God’s praise, then we too sing praise from the depths of who we are. We do have a song in our hearts….we came into this world in a love song of heavenly praise. Discover your song. Assist others to do the same. We will be a symphony of praise to the Lord.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”  Col 3: 16

A Song in the Heart….

Sundays are for singing…

What is the song in your heart?

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We all have one…sometimes buried underneath the busy-ness of our everyday lives.

It’s a tune that no one else can sing but us.

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Dare to ask, what is the song in my heart, Lord?

Teach me the tune, Holy Spirit…

so that I may join my voice with the choirs of heavenly angels whose song echoes into the hustle and bustle of our busy lives.

If we but slow down…and listen…

we will learn our part of the love song that a myriad of souls are already singing here and above.

This tune of love.

Discover it within…walk in it…find peace in its melody.

“Let everything that has breath give praise to the Lord. Hallelujah!” Ps150:6