tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078127775888895272024-03-05T00:17:37.659-05:00One Woman's Pilgrimage... Pressing OnAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.comBlogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-73894381012547502692015-07-01T12:04:00.000-04:002015-07-01T12:04:23.340-04:00To Hear Like A Robin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lSoE76mM70N0S3C0OP_liNVI1QyeYRJ4z_nkTeJcxvokZO_pBHXnriFrxasvsRQysx4G8oJEZzytzieHsHAtkb4fwx3hyphenhyphengRLTlch1aDohs1c8G3jy2aO8KzOpeEx2FHDlo3MarNen-JQ/s1600/robin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lSoE76mM70N0S3C0OP_liNVI1QyeYRJ4z_nkTeJcxvokZO_pBHXnriFrxasvsRQysx4G8oJEZzytzieHsHAtkb4fwx3hyphenhyphengRLTlch1aDohs1c8G3jy2aO8KzOpeEx2FHDlo3MarNen-JQ/s200/robin.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I looked out my window I saw two birds foraging in the
morning grass. One was a starling, black
feathers gleaming in the sunlight. The
other was a robin, with a chest round and red like an apple. The starling moved at a steady pace, walking
and pecking at the ground, constantly moving.
The robin, however, would take a few steps, and then stop. His head would tilt and cock, intently
listening, and then he would peck the ground quickly. He would take a few more steps, stop, wait,
listen, and peck. I watched for a few
minutes at the two birds and their completely different methods. There didn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason
in the starling’s walk, but there was intentionally and mindfulness to the
robin. Finally, the robin took flight,
seemingly riding on a stream of golden sunlight into the nearby tree, where he
rested, a flaming jewel against the jade leaves and cerulean morning sky. The starling meandered over to a gathering of
his friends and they all just kept walking and pecking, walking and pecking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus in Matthew 13:9 tells the people, “He who has ears let
him hear.” He tells us in John 10:27,
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The word hear is used over 360 times in the Bible. How often to we stop to hear God? I don’t mean a quick prayer as you multitask,
commuting in your car or running on a treadmill. How often do you stop whatever you are doing,
and take time to be alone and listen with every fiber of your being, soul and
spirit for God’s voice? How often do we
obey His command to be still and know He is God?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The psalmist writes in Psalm 40:6, “I delight to do Your
will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”
How can we delight God if we don’t take time to listen so we know Him
and know what delights Him? How can His
word be at home in our hearts if we do not hear it? We are told in Luke 8:17-18 to take care how
we listen, for whoever has, to him more shall be given. God wants us to hear Him, to know Him, and
the more we spend time with Him He promises to give us more of Himself. He wants to be known, as intimately as a man
and woman when they come together in one flesh.
He calls to us, sometimes in the thunder (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+81%3A7&version=NIV" target="_blank">Psalm 81:7</a>), sometimes in a
whisper (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+19%3A12-13&version=NIV" target="_blank">1 Kings 19:12-13</a>). The God who
spoke and called all into being is calling us. Stop!
Listen!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I want my spiritual life, my relationship with God, to
emulate that robin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to spend my
first morning moments with Him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To begin
by stopping to be wholly in the light of the Son, then listen silently without
motion or distraction until I hear His voice, His directives, followed by immediate,
unwavering obedience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only then will I
take the next few steps as He has led.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only then… until it is time for me to fly away to find rest nestled in Him.</span><span style="display: none; mso-hide: all;">Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-2619100942081520322015-03-09T08:15:00.000-04:002015-03-09T08:17:35.048-04:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 11<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJbFfeRR-lkhOxAxtRwPoPxjOBkQka2KE5O19KD6vkCbCoMIZMFQt6l4MtU3Dp8aUKdhEVF23XkohT5eN-xQdoLvBxe7zdB1lNkVU1BfRjXckrtDTaop28zVm0v_NtzXg3y4HDePJ7lMl/s640/blogger-image-124889899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJbFfeRR-lkhOxAxtRwPoPxjOBkQka2KE5O19KD6vkCbCoMIZMFQt6l4MtU3Dp8aUKdhEVF23XkohT5eN-xQdoLvBxe7zdB1lNkVU1BfRjXckrtDTaop28zVm0v_NtzXg3y4HDePJ7lMl/s400/blogger-image-124889899.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Linda Cannon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sadly, one area in which we lose our ability to truly see the Cross is in religion. We go through a myriad of spiritual gyrations, disciplines and dances in an effort to perform the dance of good enough until we drop, hopeless and exhausted, never really having any assurance that we got a passing grade. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The simplicity of the Cross is hard to embrace. So we play connect-the-dots on our perceived path to salvation, hoping that if we can clean up, be good enough, say enough prayers, perform enough good deeds... Well, there you go, you'll be in! But when is enough enough?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus has told <b><i>us, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." (John 14:6).</i></b> It is not what we do. But what God has already done in His unmeasurable love, grace and mercy. <b><i>"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him" (John 3:16-17). </i></b>God has already paid the price for our sin and condemnation -- all we need do is accept His free gift of salvation by giving Him our lives. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiv8l8qUDGv5vPTQh6DviOkQ4oVpAoQcM2YUx9IqlCYb2ylQBTeXvc81NksNSU01-3z07ToWVU1pYM4JPBbL96jr15blxXkPr9DJYJlJLZm-hZnXamy_SAjKdRbr3NqHg_Ru_AxklJbsNN/s1600/dot+cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiv8l8qUDGv5vPTQh6DviOkQ4oVpAoQcM2YUx9IqlCYb2ylQBTeXvc81NksNSU01-3z07ToWVU1pYM4JPBbL96jr15blxXkPr9DJYJlJLZm-hZnXamy_SAjKdRbr3NqHg_Ru_AxklJbsNN/s1600/dot+cross.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Photo: Linda Cannon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Religion is man's reaching up to God. But nothing we ever do will be "good enough." So let go of trying. Instead, grab hold of Jesus, accept His gift to you. See the Cross in the field of your futile efforts of connecting the religious dots... And rest in the assurance of eternal and abundant life in Jesus Christ when you ask Him into your life as Lord and Savior. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-60950997892551021072015-03-06T13:27:00.000-05:002015-03-06T13:32:18.015-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 10<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CdLuGiD0W4U_JAFz3RijWzeKRQOhkznJr3iGJ94MhTgMWsh1xU3wjIFH9nz9T0uF2jCPxuNQawVgmzFPrlGoXq1WRQccdjyg6d05bCwEReBTO1SKx-iOkf6yQQVrrEJxy4kOgysTVlSS/s1600/be+still.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CdLuGiD0W4U_JAFz3RijWzeKRQOhkznJr3iGJ94MhTgMWsh1xU3wjIFH9nz9T0uF2jCPxuNQawVgmzFPrlGoXq1WRQccdjyg6d05bCwEReBTO1SKx-iOkf6yQQVrrEJxy4kOgysTVlSS/s1600/be+still.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Toni Campbell</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+46%3A10&version=NIV" target="_blank">Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God…”</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lent – a time of releasing, giving up. I read a posting on Facebook that challenged
the readers to give up their “gadgets and technology” from sundown one day to
sundown the next (sort of like a technology Sabbath). Giving up my internet, my iPad, and (gasp,
she breaks out in a cold sweat as she writes this) my (dare she actually put it
in print) attached-at-the-umbilical-cord smart phone?” Seriously?
How will I live, breath, manage????? I shake just visualizing this barren wasteland of unplugged!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This also got me to thinking (a dangerous endeavor)… how can
I go about giving up not simply the toys/tools of my life, but the underlying
disease for which I use these implements of distraction… yes, I’m going
there. BUSY-NESS. How do I give up, release, let go of this
lifestyle that is wearing me down, stealing my joy, and probably killing me
softly?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fully admitting it is my own hand which feeds this
ever-hungering monster that I call my daily calendar, am I at a point where I
can even stop? Am I addicted to
busyness? To the maddening pace of
rushing like a crazy woman from job to school, meeting to gym, office to
client, lunch/dinner with friend to church activities? Is living in such a manner that I am
perpetually frazzled, frayed, tense and tired – and barely ever feeling 100% --
giving any glory to God, giving my best to my beloved husband, treasured family
and friends, and all my varied responsibilities and positions? Barely making deadlines, being so worn out
that procrastination becomes my only guilt-ridden method of stopping, falling
into bed only to fight through a night of classic stress-related, Technicolor,
detail-crammed dreams where I find myself always late, lost or frantically not
ready… I say I don’t want to live this way, and yet every call, appointment,
and commitment is one I have chosen to add, selected to feed the beast of “just
one more thing.” I have struggled for
years with this disease. How often have
I joked that my life is like a hamster wheel, and someone has fed my hamster
crack!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dear God, I crave YOU.
I am hungry and thirsty for your peace… I want so much to stop the thought
fest in my brain long enough to pray, really pray and hear You. I confess I have no idea how to be still
before You in order to know You. Yes, I
read my one-minute daily devotional and listen to sermons on the radio and podcast, pray during my commute, catch a quick video on the internet and hear the Sunday sermons... but we
both know that has nothing to do with spending quiet time just with You,
reading Your word, just being still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Be still, cease striving, the Hebrew word says to
sink, relax, let drop, abandon, refrain, forsake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Okay… I am clueless, Papa.
But I come before You and ask Your help because I do want to cease
striving, drop everything at Your feet, forsake all else in order to gain
You. And yes, I am warped enough in my
sick little brain to think, “Uh-oh, is He going to put me in a coma or break my
leg so I will stop?” Not that I would be
surprised, because I realize in my rebellious heart sometimes You have had to
take unusual measures to get my attention.
But as the Michael Smith hymn goes, I am desperate for You. So take my iPhone, my tablet, my Google
calendars, my multiple email address, blogs, my shattered and multi-tasked, wrung-up self and my 24/7s. Teach me how to live each moment as You would
have me live. I pray for the eyes,
wisdom and discernment to choose not the easy good-from-bad but the best from
the good. Whether this is a season of activity
or a season of rest, help me live it so I know it is on Your time frame, and not
my own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead of constantly looking at the clock, let me instead
rest my gaze on the Cross.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-49069535193314011942015-03-04T16:09:00.000-05:002015-03-04T16:09:00.325-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 9<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGapU8L0qLGS7DD15061VMrYAeDazrstWgWEcjXA2Tre3hv_ya_L64PM_fndU1Gv0TfoUkKf3FhI1PCbpv8YrLS7Yu1sJu0sAB_dhsm_tEUjHn30Bw_89lAAhwk_uFr9DAxLI6BDIJmvwe/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGapU8L0qLGS7DD15061VMrYAeDazrstWgWEcjXA2Tre3hv_ya_L64PM_fndU1Gv0TfoUkKf3FhI1PCbpv8YrLS7Yu1sJu0sAB_dhsm_tEUjHn30Bw_89lAAhwk_uFr9DAxLI6BDIJmvwe/s1600/9.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Linda Cannon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+3%3A5-6&version=NIV" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">"Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all
your ways acknowledge Him a</span><span style="font-size: large;">nd
He shall direct thy path." </span></a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+3%3A5-6&version=NIV" target="_blank">~Proverbs 3:5-6</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am
a very stubborn, independent, proud and self-reliant woman. I do not like to
need or depend on anyone. I will do it myself, thank you very much. I <u>will</u>
handle it and most of all control every step of it along the way. I will forge
my own path in the darkest of nights, through the midst of any storm. That's
just the way it is. That's just the way I am. Period. End of
conversation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or
is it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tonight
I drove for 90 minutes smack dab in the middle of an ice storm to get home --
normally a 15 minute ride over 10 miles of suburban side roads. I don't
freak about driving in bad weather, but my knuckles were firmly clenching the steering wheel the whole ride and, in the morning, I have no doubt whatsoever that I will probably find permanent indentations
there. I pulled into the driveway and breathed a sigh of relief and a quick
prayer of thanks for a safe ride. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As
the ice-encrusted driver door slammed shut creating a frozen symphony of
shattering icicles, my eyes caught the first glimpse of it. There it was... the
Cross. Covering the path I had taken to get into the driveway... shining and as big as life. The Cross was with me, every
inch of the way. Through every red light, every turn, every slippery
corner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why am I so worried, fearful and obsessed with letting go? Giving the control
of all life's issues to Him (like I ever really had control anyway)? Every mile of my path is covered by the Cross.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today
I give up control to You, precious Lord. Today I will trust in and rely upon
You, acknowledge and obey You. Please direct my path this day. Amen. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-1326992112122046932015-03-04T10:29:00.000-05:002015-03-04T10:29:42.398-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 8<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOaZ-lRv1LzftZAMhb9nNCPKHdF5JWQt_m5Ji6tYZ5c6xh6NUon8DFIA3EVdW9E-GkGhtL03dMK-k7avbBQMLlQTolY8dETt8Sx5Z0Mw-OXvZIkjAiOq3WBy5wbjDB91jyZpqvTxD7Nh_/s1600/shelf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOaZ-lRv1LzftZAMhb9nNCPKHdF5JWQt_m5Ji6tYZ5c6xh6NUon8DFIA3EVdW9E-GkGhtL03dMK-k7avbBQMLlQTolY8dETt8Sx5Z0Mw-OXvZIkjAiOq3WBy5wbjDB91jyZpqvTxD7Nh_/s1600/shelf.JPG" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Toni Campbell (see note below) </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is your Cross ever hidden by the "full" of your life? Has the comfort, the plenty, the ease of a life with warmth and food and the general necessities met taken up all your shelf space... Yet still you find your heart barren, longing for more?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You look, but see nothing. You go through a closet crammed with clothes and shoes and jewelry and purses, yet proclaim you have nothing to wear. You stack your shelves (and credit card debt) sky high with your instantaneous "I'll feel better once I have this because I really need it" self-centric pleasures. But no sooner is it out of the designer bag than you weary of it (like a two-week old Christmas toy long forgotten) and are on to the next magic distraction that will momentarily fill your longing but soon gather dust on your heavy-laden "self shelf"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is the season to strip away all that hinders you from seeing, hearing, and giving first place to The One Who was nailed to the Cross... Sacrificing all for You. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today, empty your self shelf. Unburden yourself, unchain yourself from whatever needs to go. For it is only when we empty our shelves of self that we will clearly come face-to-face with the Cross... and our Savior... THE ONE AND ONLY fulfillment of every need now and forevermore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Amen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254);"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);">Photo Credit: My friend Toni Campbell -- she wrote of this photo: "</span></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I asked a volunteer to take a picture of our empty shelves in The Pantry to share online with our request for food donations. Look at the pipes above the shelf.." </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-8329675699440423362015-02-27T07:59:00.001-05:002015-03-04T10:23:23.107-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross - Day 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfi1BxcnSqzBV7RENrC2-ISLn2yXlT4zbhQ7dRBGZwAw1Ckdtd7GtKxjYqaQZF_5aiOuNVJG4tUiHgJ-p8-MTRsxBfOX83Z2T3ZF4PFPtISg1E_zeGdZX5pYslk5CeVtif_Wk3xujcTxcc/s640/blogger-image--1219644764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfi1BxcnSqzBV7RENrC2-ISLn2yXlT4zbhQ7dRBGZwAw1Ckdtd7GtKxjYqaQZF_5aiOuNVJG4tUiHgJ-p8-MTRsxBfOX83Z2T3ZF4PFPtISg1E_zeGdZX5pYslk5CeVtif_Wk3xujcTxcc/s400/blogger-image--1219644764.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Linda Cannon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of my favorite old hymns is "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus." The words declare, "the world behind me, the Cross before me... no turning back, no turning back." It communicates a steadfast resolve to turn our back on our old, sinful ways and to look ahead to the daily glory of living with our eyes on Jesus, our hearts and lives given to Him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I peer back in the rear view mirror of my life I can see the Cross - in mercy and grace, woven amidst each day, even when I was not living for Him. He was still loving me, seeking me. Even when I didn't want to hear and ran with all my might to pathways far away... dark paths that left me empty and broken. The Cross was calling me even in those selfish, sin-laden days of disobedience and rebellion, extending love and forgiveness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Gaze turned forward... the Cross before me. Communicating life, hope, the promise of now and forevermore with Jesus. Now I live for Him, now my life is His and my future is in His hands. And while the journey may have bumps along the way, and turns I may not anticipate or understand, my heart rests in the peace and confidence that I am in His will, and He is in control. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So as I travel forward, no turning back, I can't help but think of the fitting lyrics of a modern song of praise: "Jesus, Take the wheel!"</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-44771365963562401602015-02-24T13:23:00.004-05:002015-02-24T13:23:54.765-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPsfS1GHqYW5z3blaAbcBMHPGn5r9zmMI7PQ1XuZBfNKiTuVKR8Y60UNMdbiBzQRljyMYp-5omTXBMzhylHPKEpHYwcKuOT24G0qhoXB4A0Fj2xRU-oTxiZcywkIdomRY65P_WYh9-8jp/s1600/Speranza+with+ashes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPsfS1GHqYW5z3blaAbcBMHPGn5r9zmMI7PQ1XuZBfNKiTuVKR8Y60UNMdbiBzQRljyMYp-5omTXBMzhylHPKEpHYwcKuOT24G0qhoXB4A0Fj2xRU-oTxiZcywkIdomRY65P_WYh9-8jp/s1600/Speranza+with+ashes.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Linda Bush Cannon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is my coworker and friend Bob. He commutes by train, and on the first morning of Lent he was met by a priest at the Princeton Junction train station from Trinity Church, where they have a program called "Ashes to Go". The priest was administering ashes right at the station. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The church reaching out to people - and proving that God doesn't need a fancy sanctuary for worship - it can be as simple as a train station platform!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finding the Cross on the station platform... beautiful.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-40968530743745975092015-02-24T13:21:00.000-05:002015-02-24T13:28:27.278-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 6<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pcokf2SEbK0HaDRASQvvFltd3jQToAw29DvrfT9WmjcPEK7T4wVU_-ck8nhcnHQz6yn7WxjSt81YvC7FHG5_slYT_-ZwCJzWp6QXnbpZzOPjZ_5aWSUbRGpfI3YRnq-xdS8ZY4n47ivG/s1600/cross+in+the+snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pcokf2SEbK0HaDRASQvvFltd3jQToAw29DvrfT9WmjcPEK7T4wVU_-ck8nhcnHQz6yn7WxjSt81YvC7FHG5_slYT_-ZwCJzWp6QXnbpZzOPjZ_5aWSUbRGpfI3YRnq-xdS8ZY4n47ivG/s1600/cross+in+the+snow.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Linda Bush Cannon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the bitter cold of the darkness, as the moonlight turned the powdery snow into a shimmery blanket of diamonds, I took off my glove and drew a Cross in the frozen canvas. I stood there in the silence and prayed, my breath carrying my frosty petition up to Heaven. The near zero air hurt as it entered my lungs, so I gasped a hasty “Amen” and bolted for the warmth of my kitchen door.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Looking for the Cross – God, am I so secure in my warm little world, enveloped by the creature comforts and affluence of my American Christianity, that instead of seeking You I choose instead to run back to what I perceive to be the easy safety of my daily existence? Do I whisper a pious prayer of routine that I add to my checked off To Do List, then escape the possibility of discomfort, inconvenience… even danger?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh God forgive me. Take it all, take it all… just give me Jesus. Break my heart for all that breaks Yours, give me Your eyes, Your plan, Your will. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+83%3A16&version=NIV" target="_blank"><i>Psalm 83:16 “Cover their faces with shame, Lord, so that they will seek Your name.</i></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=deuteronomy+4%3A29&version=NIV" target="_blank"><i>Deuteronomy 4:29 “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”</i></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+chronicles+22%3A19&version=NIV" target="_blank"><i>1 Chronicles 22:19 “Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.</i></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+27%3A8&version=NIV" target="_blank"><i>Psalm 27:8 “My heart says of you, ‘Seek His face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.”</i></a></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-39410038140299608772015-02-24T12:52:00.002-05:002015-02-24T12:52:51.530-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFm3Y0brzWjowltRsh6UnMd-k2juh2EXM6AYlbAa2ucw27ZbqdsABcfXrdIlODghOGDs7I9uHMLsBvXgJmX6OBlbdxMxs17OizcSmxlayzfvTlakNcfN3ExlsEOZorKHh9QQVjKQXI3bZ5/s1600/Ott+finger+cross.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFm3Y0brzWjowltRsh6UnMd-k2juh2EXM6AYlbAa2ucw27ZbqdsABcfXrdIlODghOGDs7I9uHMLsBvXgJmX6OBlbdxMxs17OizcSmxlayzfvTlakNcfN3ExlsEOZorKHh9QQVjKQXI3bZ5/s1600/Ott+finger+cross.JPG" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Nicole Portine Ott, taking a photo of her daughter Abigail with her Daddy, Curtis.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Looking for the Cross...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">The simple act of a precious child touching her father’s hand. Laying one chubby little soft finger over the strong, working hand of her daddy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">God is that close to us. Always reaching His hand, His heart towards us. All we need do is respond, reach out to Him, grab hold tight. Our heavenly Father - eternally there, guiding, loving, seeking us. Offering His unconditional love and strength. Seeking our best, with plans for a life we can’t even begin to imagine… And when we seek Him with all our hearts, He is there… always. It's a promise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah+29%3A11-13&version=NIV" target="_blank">For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.</a>"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah+29%3A11-13&version=NIV" target="_blank">Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV</a></i></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-47551740260031865592015-02-24T12:25:00.000-05:002015-02-24T12:25:04.920-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkNipgqiVjkXEs_j1wH-N-2X0iuOPFgxKsSmf0rCCRwr4lVEJ3IGlDYszgI5nkwm3D5yjaUWhR6RYz8tq7CP__M4A_S8ur1NMVgM6LQdR0t7rbeLSX6qhGw3gRjVGhz5JFU1RrbfVl0M2/s1600/subaru+cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkNipgqiVjkXEs_j1wH-N-2X0iuOPFgxKsSmf0rCCRwr4lVEJ3IGlDYszgI5nkwm3D5yjaUWhR6RYz8tq7CP__M4A_S8ur1NMVgM6LQdR0t7rbeLSX6qhGw3gRjVGhz5JFU1RrbfVl0M2/s1600/subaru+cross.jpg" height="400" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Linda Bush Cannon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This morning I was getting gas at 5:30 and the temp was 4 degrees -- and I was feeling sorry for my little, cold self, UNTIL... the poor gas attendant came up to my car, looking like the little brother in the movie "The Christmas Story", all bundled up barely able to move. Suddenly I felt guilty for needing gas!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I sat there in my warm, comfy car across the road a guy was riding his bicycle (I'm assuming to work) - complete with flashing lights and those glowing reflector stripes on his coat. This is obviously his regular mode of transportation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lent -I am looking for the Cross. I am seeking Christ and to be like Him and to clean out the mind/body/soul/space clutter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Forgive me, Lord, for the clutter of being so self centric that I don't realize each moment all you have given to me. For when my eyes are on me, they aren't on You.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thank You for my blessings this morning as I sit in a warm car and a warm office, space heater fully cranked, drinking a hot cup of tea. I am humbled at how wealthy and privileged I am to have so much. Teach me to be more appreciative for the little things that really aren't! And help me let go of all the blessings that I have turned into "rights" or become so blinded to in my selfish endeavors of greed and comfort.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The photo is a picture of my car logo... Funny how I never saw the Cross until this morning.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-48812855556455703862015-02-24T12:19:00.001-05:002015-02-24T12:19:19.561-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_U8EfQOFyomRMCQq7LtlpflC9Q-UP1oLMfMjSSVDTXvu2WeDCXESX9P_kYSfaXrkEDWns31pVdjDoHkd-ihJkTGrr3exX4If4gwDZ97TI7L9AwJtILBqppUvKWEHRvUVXXS-cWzL6GPD/s1600/Kitchen+Floor+Cross+-+by+Heather+Bush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_U8EfQOFyomRMCQq7LtlpflC9Q-UP1oLMfMjSSVDTXvu2WeDCXESX9P_kYSfaXrkEDWns31pVdjDoHkd-ihJkTGrr3exX4If4gwDZ97TI7L9AwJtILBqppUvKWEHRvUVXXS-cWzL6GPD/s1600/Kitchen+Floor+Cross+-+by+Heather+Bush.jpg" height="227" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Heather Bush</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Cross is humbling. The path of the Cross takes many turns, but is never more than one step at a time. It beckons us come, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2011:28&version=KJV" target="_blank">all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and Christ will give you rest</a>. Too often, however, we are so busy or distracted that we never see the Cross… even when it is before us at the very next turn.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Look down at the pattern of the Cross in this kitchen floor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is only when we lower our head that we can “see” the Cross. It is in the everyday, the mundane, the walking across the floor to get a cup of coffee, the mindless acts we perform without a second thought. The walking dead. We trample the Cross, walk right by, completely oblivious to its message and gift. Too proud to believe. Too weary to care. But there it remains, day in, day out, whispering your name. The Cross… ever before you, ever loving you, offering you life, abundant, eternal life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Take time today to sit in your kitchen, the common room of most homes, often the heart of the home, lower your head, and spend time with the Christ of the Cross.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-51798958621528835802015-02-24T12:13:00.001-05:002015-02-24T12:13:26.696-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYl2xIAeDQK7LXL7rBbH6YeuYoE1euzuRq_xVgxTnTjdKA4wFPquxBidMcO5T6BdXPDWRkNdmB9HojoYOde_bjTT6mjphNUo238EJhUcJ9555hTsbs8_GC8LG1GL3mqKGZbnsy0odz3Qd/s1600/Bathroom+Cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYl2xIAeDQK7LXL7rBbH6YeuYoE1euzuRq_xVgxTnTjdKA4wFPquxBidMcO5T6BdXPDWRkNdmB9HojoYOde_bjTT6mjphNUo238EJhUcJ9555hTsbs8_GC8LG1GL3mqKGZbnsy0odz3Qd/s1600/Bathroom+Cross.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Linda Cannon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lent Day 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am looking for the Cross. I want my eyes to be laser-focused to see the Cross everywhere I am, everywhere I go. Because we see what we look for in life. Look around and notice everything red. Now close your eyes and remember everything blue. See what I mean? You remembered what you were trying hard to notice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This Lenten season I have challenged myself, and my friends, to find the Cross. In the obvious, and in the obscure, in the natural, and in the most bizarre. I’m doing this as a reminder to myself that all I am, every breath I take and every moment I am given life here on earth, needs to be built on Christ, and the Cross, and all He has done for me, on all His blessings and promises, and His return. I am basing this on <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A1-3&version=NIV" target="_blank">Hebrews 12:2</a> – keep your eyes on Jesus!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today I took this photograph of a handicapped bathroom stall. The symbols screamed out to me. First, you can see from the highlights (mine – the walls/floors were not stained in any way) that there are crosses everywhere. So even when I think my life is “in the toilet”, the Cross is there with me. And as a former bulimic, who was handicapped for so long in the chains of this eating disorder, a handicapped stall took on a whole new meaning for me. There are handrails in this stall – embedded in the Cross tiles – I know He will hold me up and help me in my weakness. There is water – dirty and clean – symbolizing how He washes me and flushes away all my sin. And it’s not polite to talk about, or politically correct to show a toilet – and I love that because the Cross was never meant to be polite or politically correct. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And finally, there is the realization that the great equalizer in life is that EVERYONE, EVERYONE needs a bathroom, rich or poor, celebrity or common folk. Just like the Cross.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is my gift of praise to Christ my Savior on this first day of Lent.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-44522706743020373942015-02-18T10:39:00.002-05:002015-02-18T14:31:02.731-05:00Dr. Jeckyl to Mrs. HIDE!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjwJ5wX1_g9T2OCZSMdT6gyfpe92WrXxk0XnU4a4KOZ8BclzJkOzcojL9R3tKa403rNUsboEym49z6nWrxxE4hLF3r3krj8KQO_43doOrjA3nB_3iC6hnCceDkwR19iA6vtUA-g9Rmzlq/s1600/dirty+sponge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjwJ5wX1_g9T2OCZSMdT6gyfpe92WrXxk0XnU4a4KOZ8BclzJkOzcojL9R3tKa403rNUsboEym49z6nWrxxE4hLF3r3krj8KQO_43doOrjA3nB_3iC6hnCceDkwR19iA6vtUA-g9Rmzlq/s1600/dirty+sponge.jpg" height="301" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In a recent sermon I heard by Dr. Tony Evans, he used an
illustration of the Christian as a sponge. </span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He said (and I’m paraphrasing from my unreliable memory) that when you
squeeze a sponge what comes out is what has been stored on the inside. So when you are put in a pressure situation,
what comes out of you in the process is exactly what has been hidden
within. That analogy has stayed with me,
and sadly, hit home in a big way over the last few days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve been under a lot of little pressures building layer
upon layer, and have felt them rumbling and bubbling and churning inside me
like molten sewage, furious to erupt.
The more I felt squeezed, the higher it rose in my chest, and within the
last week I have watched it gush out in muddy sludge, spewing negativity, eye-rolling
putrid attitudes and a sickening 3-V vocabulary (vicious, vitriolic and
venomous). I have been ugly and sinful, embarrassed
at the sloppy slurry of slime that is being squeezed out of me… ashamed and
disappointed in myself that I am not who I had hoped I was at this point in my
walk with the Lord. This is not to say
that I have to be little Miss Barbie Perfect 24/7/365, but I have so not been the
example of Christ, and this above all is what saddens me. Out of the abundance of my heart the mouth
speaks, and the abundance in this heart has NOT been the treasure trove of that
which is true, honorable, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent or
praiseworthy. The quiet and gentle
spirit which I seek to cultivate and nurture has morphed into a spirit of
grumbling, screeching, discontent from one hot mess of a person I do not like
or wish to be around. I have gone from the
proverbial Dr. Jeckyl to Mrs. HIDE!!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So today, on this first day of Lent, it is time to start
again. I seek forgiveness for my
words/attitude, from both Christ my Lord and those who have been caught in the shrapnel. I humbly learn the lesson that my maturity
level needs serious work, and ask the Lord to squeeze until every drop of me is
gone, that I might then absorb His Living Water and be filled to a juicy,
dripping overflow of His Holy Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4%3A8&version=ESV" target="_blank">Philippians 4:8 -- Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthyof praise, dwell on these things.</a><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A34&version=ESV" target="_blank">Matthew 12:34 -- …for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.</a><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A4&version=ESV" target="_blank">1 Peter 3:4 -- …but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.</a></i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-82705992671073539122014-08-08T12:19:00.000-04:002014-08-08T12:19:30.199-04:00Epic Fail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYu0eKKE7sj7mellmP6Zqhp_ec_qEO1vBUHvEp69XP4QE7dQcLXt5ZuWLzAwdgCnRvgX1pcF4HNBHWGewh04kHrruW8CYDTjfZ_UTmaOsrSxXWhZxjaL3bGLLDLZi_Na-jwlPMGC-ZEnf/s1600/how+beautiful+to+be+silent.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYu0eKKE7sj7mellmP6Zqhp_ec_qEO1vBUHvEp69XP4QE7dQcLXt5ZuWLzAwdgCnRvgX1pcF4HNBHWGewh04kHrruW8CYDTjfZ_UTmaOsrSxXWhZxjaL3bGLLDLZi_Na-jwlPMGC-ZEnf/s1600/how+beautiful+to+be+silent.JPG" height="400" width="390" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Did you ever want to duct tape your mouth shut
within a micro millisecond of your ears hearing the syllables you spewed out?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yup. Guilty. Soooo guilty.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday I wasn’t having the best of days, but I
opted to try and make the best of the late afternoon/early evening. I grabbed my two new furry stepchildren
(okay, step doggies) and ventured out with them solo for the first time to a
local dog park. It was beautiful
weather, and I thought it would be just what we all needed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I parked and they excitedly bounded out of
the car (after I had grabbed their leashes with superhero speed), and off we
went for a bit of bonding in doggie heaven.
There were two other doggies in the small dog area, and everyone seemed
to be doing well as I unleashed them to socialize. All good… </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">until…</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">two (cough, cough) older gentlemen
walked right by the big dog fenced-in area (not three feet away) and brought in
their dogs to our area. The one dog was
quite old (as was his owner), and then there was… the OTHER dog. The alpha dog. The dog that immediately ran after the smaller
dogs like they were appetizers. My two
pups jumped up on the bench with me, and Scooter (my alpha pup) began growling
and barking with all the bravado (masking fear) that his little body could
muster. I’m sitting there, watching all
this, and none of the other small doggie owners are saying anything. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I spoke up, feeling
quite the Joan of Arc champion of all dogs small, telling this guy that this
was the small dog area and the large dog area was right other there (and
pointed with raised eyebrows for dramatic effect). The alpha dog alpha owner smarmily proceeds to tell me that his dog is right in the middle, and… yes… and
that “you can complain all you want.” He
then informs me that they don’t like aggressive dogs in the park… as Scooter
continues to growl, which seems like a great thing for me to begin doing as
well. I add a bit of a grrrr as I spit
out, “Well, he wasn’t aggressive until your big dog came in here and scared
him!” He laughs, this big bully man with
his big bully dog, and then arrogantly says, “Oh, you probably don’t even have
a permit to be here.” Ugh… okay, I need
a permit to be in here? Seriously? My brain feels like it’s about to explode and
about a million “comebacks” fly through until I land on this one and it comes
out of my mouth dripping with venom, “Oh, why don’t you just shut up?” Now there’s a snappy, intelligent response. He just laughs again, and after a few minutes
decides to leave. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Needless to say, I left shortly thereafter, chalking
up this foray into the world of dog park politics as an epic fail. But more importantly, I am most disturbed
about my own attitude and behavior.
Okay, this guy was a real dork, but I didn’t have to be. I just can’t imagine Jesus telling His
enemies to shut up. Hmmm… godly woman
attitude and “quiet and gentle spirit”… epic fail.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has bothered me ever since, even though I have
asked the Lord to forgive my attitude and dishonoring and disrespectful
words. This little momentary snippet of
my life has revealed some “ugly” that I don’t want to have in me… a chink in my
character. It revealed the nasty nature
that I don’t like to admit having, with an aroma not of sweet perfume, but more
of something that I might have trekked through on my way out of the dog
park. As I was driving into work today,
two separate sermons on the radio addressed the use of words (uh-huh, yes
indeed, no co-winky-dink here, God was sending a lesson to me LOUD AND CLEAR –
with loving grace, but nonetheless, a lesson that pierced my heart, which I
need to hear and put into practice). </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The
first was from Truth for Life’s Alistair Begg in his message “The Use and Abuse
of Words”: </span><a href="http://www.truthforlife.org/broadcasts/2014/08/08/the-use-and-abuse-of-words-part-2-of-2/" style="line-height: 115%;">http://www.truthforlife.org/broadcasts/2014/08/08/the-use-and-abuse-of-words-part-2-of-2/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second from Adrienne Rogers is entitled “Tune
In, Tone Down, and Sweeten Up” and can be found at <a href="http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/love-worth-finding/custom-player">http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/love-worth-finding/custom-player</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Both pastors spoke from James chapter 3. And it doesn’t surprise me that both men
quoted the same poem below (author unknown):<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If all that we say in a single day,<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With never a word left out,<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Were painted each night in clear black and
white,<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It would prove queer reading, no doubt.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then just suppose 'ere our eyes would
close,<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We must read the whole record through,<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then wouldn't we sigh, and wouldn't we try,<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A good deal less talking to do.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I more than half think that many a kink<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Would be smoother in life's tangled thread,<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If half that we say in a single day<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Were forever left unsaid.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think this weekend I will spend time memorizing
the following verses, in the hopes and prayers that next time I find myself in a
similar situation, my words, however necessary, however, justified, will be filled with grace and
will honor my Savior. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+3%3A10&version=NKJV" target="_blank">James 3:10 “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessingand cursing. My brethren, these thingsought not so to be.”</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and my prayer will be that of King
David: </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+141%3A3&version=NKJV" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Psalm 141:3, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.”</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-42398669621000961102014-04-22T13:33:00.002-04:002014-04-22T13:33:44.838-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm currently taking "New Testament Survey" at Liberty University Online, and I wanted to encourage any Bible readers to pick up a copy of "The Essence of the New Testament: A Survey", by Elmer L. Towns and Ben Gutierrez. It is a wonderful book that provides a fascinating, readable, practical view of the New Testament. I am learning so very much and it truly is helping me see many new things. I am recommending it as our book of the month. You can get it at Amazon for $19.99 as a Kindle edition, or as a hardback book for $25.68. A must read and have for your library! And do take the class online at Liberty University if you have an opportunity as well. Blessings!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-32275685926686065622014-03-06T16:28:00.000-05:002014-03-06T16:28:11.971-05:00Lent Challenge Day 2: "GIVE"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-47380491294383867912014-03-05T09:28:00.000-05:002015-02-24T13:21:47.920-05:00Lent: Looking for the Cross Day 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is my coworker and friend Bob. He commutes by train, and on the first morning of Lent he was met by a priest at the Princeton Junction train station from Trinity Church, where they have a program called "Ashes to Go". The priest was administering ashes right at the station. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The church reaching out to people - and proving that God doesn't need a fancy sanctuary for worship - it can be as simple as a train station platform!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finding the Cross on the station platform... beautiful.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-62207674936283102512014-03-04T17:18:00.001-05:002014-03-04T17:18:45.524-05:00Lent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lent... a time of reflection, a time of looking forward, a time of renewal and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ for His sacrifice for us that we might have eternal life through Him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is only in the last few years I have honored this season and I am happy to see it receiving more recognition. There are several wonderful options to take time for Lent this year, and here I will share some with you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/">http://www.aholyexperience.com/</a> = Ann Voskamp's website where she is offering a free Family Lent and Easter Devotional. You can create an Easter tree, read as a single, roomie, family, coworkers... invite others to join you!</span><br />
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/yYi_z2jpj8w/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/yYi_z2jpj8w&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/yYi_z2jpj8w&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Read the New Testament over the next 40 days - here is a video from National Community Church. Here is the video.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have decided to accept Laura Humphrey-Dohmann's Instagram Lent Challenge of taking a representative photograph a day and I will post each day here. I have also invited several of my very talented photographer friends to join as well. You can find Laura's challenge at:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://instagram.com/p/lH7blCmQps/">http://instagram.com/p/lH7blCmQps/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So... I am planning on reading the New Testament over the next 40 days, select an item or activity from which to fast, and to take Lent photo challenge. I pray the Lord will be honored and glorified by these offerings to Him as I seek His face and draw closer to Him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blessings as you prepare your heart for the Savior.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-64370778037586630502014-02-14T20:04:00.001-05:002014-02-14T20:16:44.340-05:00A Few Thoughts from a Single On Valentine's Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Valentines Day. Ah yes, that hyped-up Cupid-infused Hallmark-created reminder to many that their left-hand ring finger is as empty as their bed. That there are no card-giving, roses-toting, candlelit-dinner-taking romantic-words-whispering heartthrobs ringing their doorbells tonight. And if you're in the 50+ singles category you can add the icy-fingered despair that your shelf life is expiring with every passing minute and if God doesn't send "him" (cue sunbeams and the angelic chorus ) soon, there won't be much left to be swept away to happy ever after-ville! Oh, where IS that bottle of wrinkle cream?!?!?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes I'll be the first in line to admit sometimes it stinks to be alone. But God's been working with me a lot on this very subject for awhile now. He has asked the hard question when I've cried and told Him I'm lonely and I didn't think I'd be where I am at this stage of the game, and I have so much to offer and how come...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Am I not enough?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whoa. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Am I not enough?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It stopped me dead in my tracks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How do you answer that? "Well yeah-uh, but... Uh... Well..."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That question has haunted me ever since... And then I realized that, if I let Him be enough He could fill the emptiness. He could calm my longing heart. He could help me get my eyes off what I didn't have and fill me with all I did have... And all I could give away. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can take this love and pour it out on others, just love on them and bless them and bring them joy. I can use this time and energy to spend with The Lord, cultivating our relationship and growing and maturing as a godly woman. Instead of whining I can be shining, radiating His love to others... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So okay, it's still not having a flesh-and-blood someone to romance and hold and cuddle up next to all warm and sleepy in the middle of the night. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But before me is my holy Bridegroom, the Lover of my soul. The One Who gave His life for me. The One Who loves me unconditionally in spite of my past and ugly heart and sinful selfish self. The One Who always has time to listen to me, Who will never hurt me or lie to me... or abandon me. He will never leave me - He has promised me that. And I believe Him and find comfort and contentment in that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Does it mean I'm never sad or lonely, or don't hope for a lifetime of love with that special "someone"? (Cue sunbeams and chorus again). Of course not. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But... I have found me... in Christ. I am finally, fully myself in/with Him. I have found joy and contentment in my singleness. I don't know what The Lord has in store for me. We talk about it, and He knows the desires of my heart. I place them all in His capable hands. I surrender them to His will for my life. He will give me strength and wisdom to walk whatever journey is around the corner. I'm done worrying and fussing and fretting about it. I'm gonna live each day with everything I've got, every drop of love I can give --regardless of whether I'm a Ms. or Mrs. Because at the end, whether it's been with someone I can call "the Hubs", or whether it's been with family, friends and others, I want to know I loved deeply and fully and completely in His name. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"I’ve kept my feet on the ground, I’ve cultivated a quiet heart. Like a baby content in its mother’s arms, my soul is a baby content." Psalm 131:2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-35159850361799945642014-02-10T03:31:00.001-05:002014-02-10T03:31:13.939-05:00Terrors in the Night<div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ETNyWwLPqSQs6tfcNAhUH3EF5jIGiQVAyda4vFFwUyxQYj8Jui4BMAQk3UH-HNP2_XPviVoaPVAT6loUHfcMswyk6S55gINGX7sz3_qyz5BxURj_Ao1ggxuCiDrtt-uz2aV6YtNBQYOC/s640/blogger-image-378555610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ETNyWwLPqSQs6tfcNAhUH3EF5jIGiQVAyda4vFFwUyxQYj8Jui4BMAQk3UH-HNP2_XPviVoaPVAT6loUHfcMswyk6S55gINGX7sz3_qyz5BxURj_Ao1ggxuCiDrtt-uz2aV6YtNBQYOC/s640/blogger-image-378555610.jpg"></a></div><div><i><br></i></div>"Tonight I will sleep securely on a bed of peace because I trust in You, You alone."</i></div><div><i>Ps 3:5</i></div><div><br></div><div>I wrestle awake, heart pounding out of my chest, mouth drought dry, practically gasping for breath. I fumble as trembling fingers flail for the safety of the lamplight on my nightstand. Struggling to sit up, the horrific video of the nightmare washes over me like an unwelcome sea wave. My body shakes as I try to convince it that what just happened was a dream, not reality... </div><div><br></div><div>I have struggled with nightmares my whole life. Dreams that pierce my sanity in the darkness - so vivid and detailed I can tell you the patterns on the wallpaper, describe the scents, and recount each scene as if it were a recently watched movie. And here I am again, lights ablaze, fully awake to fight against the monsters not under my bed... but in my head. </div><div><br></div><div>Once more, however, I find my refuge in God's Word. My sleeplessness finds solace in His truth, my rest in His reality. Like a loving Papa comforting his young child, He wraps His love around me and whispers tenderly, "Shhh... there now, rest securely, I'm here... I'm here. You're safe in My arms."</div><div><br></div><div>My heartbeat and breathing rest. Terror subsides. Peace replaces panic. My Father is here at my side and will not leave me. I snuggle down as I almost feel Him tucking me in. I cradle my Bible as a babe clings to a teddy. My heart calms as His lullabye of love blankets my sleep. </div><div><br></div><div>Fear not, my soul, for He is with me. </div><div><br></div><div><i>"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will... rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div><i>"He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You wi not fear the terrors of night,,," Psalm 91:4-5</i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-531143243070890852014-01-18T10:41:00.001-05:002014-01-18T10:41:20.582-05:00Day Star... Morning Star<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2 Peter 1:19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love stars, sparkling like diamonds in the velvety blackness of the night sky. There is nothing like being out in nature on a clear night when the only light is that from above, the moon and stars. I can breathe deeper, think clearer… gazing at the miracle of the twinkle, twinkle from a little star. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I read this verse in 2 Peter this morning I looked up the word star. In the original Greek it is phosphorus, from which we get the word of the same name – <i>phos</i> meaning light, and <i>phoros</i> meaning bearer. Phosphorus is in every cell of our bodies. It is light-bearing, bringing and giving light. White phosphorus glows in a darkened room when exposed to oxygen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most importantly, when you find the phrase morning star or day star in the Scriptures, they are all a metaphor for Christ Himself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Christ, the Star rising in my heart, setting the darkness aglow, brilliantly glittering and shimmering and flashing life-giving illumination to every corner. Taking my breath away, restoring it again. I inhale deeply as I think of Him in His majesty residing in me, this dark, worn vessel. My hand reaches up to my chest as if to hold Him there, feel His energy, longing to experience His splendor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I lift my face to the morning sky, to Him, the Morning Star… the Day Star… the Star that lights my world and my soul shadows. A Star that shines more intensely vibrant than anything He has created. A Light that shows the way to eternal life. A luminescent Lover of my soul. Encompass every cell in my being, my Star… radiate in me Your love, Your light that I might glow from within bearing witness to You. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-40871321079190301172014-01-14T10:03:00.000-05:002014-01-14T10:04:19.238-05:00Meaty Reading<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrDIpAA4K-llaMi5DxhBd24ady3pB8qaKJ5IN0ZsLMB36VtvUIBF7LBIQWTLXn0vzSKpOcMUI3RNoWAYibCX57JDEcrdvZsQ3_-RKuzBsK6RPYuQ97e9DCG6LL5wWycmYhU7xgOGa4Jt1/s1600/bible+heart+pages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrDIpAA4K-llaMi5DxhBd24ady3pB8qaKJ5IN0ZsLMB36VtvUIBF7LBIQWTLXn0vzSKpOcMUI3RNoWAYibCX57JDEcrdvZsQ3_-RKuzBsK6RPYuQ97e9DCG6LL5wWycmYhU7xgOGa4Jt1/s400/bible+heart+pages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In a post from my Coach Linda Bush blog yesterday (click <a href="http://www.coachlindabush.blogspot.com/2014/01/must-read-monday.html" target="_blank"><b><i>HERE</i></b></a>) I mentioned I was reading Andrew Murray's devotional on John 15 regarding Christ's parable on the Vine and branches. Well today a friend told me about this website: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/bookcat.htm">http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/bookcat.htm</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">where you can read FOR FREE many wonderful books by classic Christian authors including Murray, Hannah Whitall Smith, Karl Barth, E. M. Bounds and many others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am seeking to be "Frugal in '14" this year, but that doesn't mean just saving as much $$$ as possible. I want to be very careful how I spend my time as well, which is priceless. Let's face it, in time you might be able to earn millions of dollars, but millions of dollars won't buy you one second more! Okay, maybe you can hire people to do all your work, but you get my meaning!!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I think about how to achieve my Frugal in '14 goal, one thing I am being very mindful of is the use of my rare moments of down time, which I often use to catch up on my reading. Instead of spending it on "fluff" (certain magazines, books, mindless internet surfing, TV, etc.) I want to make my time count, especially for eternal value. This link above to literature that I call "meaty reading" (as opposed to fluffy sugar-candy spun reading that isn't worth the paper it's written on, including a LOT of fiction so-called "Christian" books out there, but that's a whole 'nuther topic), will give me a lot of great and FREE reading this year. Please understanding, I'm not saying I won't ever watch a TV program or pick up a magazine... but like choosing the most nutrient dense and healthy foods for my optimal physical health, I want to be sure to select solid food for my brain and spiritual health as well. Frankly, I also want to do everything I can to walk strong and close to Jesus, and something I ask myself often is "How would I feel if Jesus came back today and I was reading this? doing this? watching that?" It's a question that certainly convicts me to spend my time with more of a kingdom-focus!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">May I encourage you to select at least six of the books offered, and take a month or two to read each one. I know you won't regret it! And if you have any recommendations on books that you have found helped you get deeper into your Christian walk, please post your comments here or email me at westudyGodsword@gmail.com. Just FYI, a current author that I enjoy and recommend is Mark Batterson, and my January book (which is also our book of the month here on this blog) is his newest, "All In".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks and blessings for a day walking close to the Lord, filled with love and laughter! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-16856713676258973122014-01-06T08:16:00.000-05:002014-01-06T08:34:06.433-05:00Free Beth Moore Book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today I'd like to start off the new year by sharing with you THREE FREE Kindle edition books by Beth Moore's book, "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Finding Authentic Restoration in the Age of Seduction", "To Live Is Christ", and "The Beloved Disciple". Here's the links: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Godly-People-Ungodly-Things-ebook/dp/B003WEA50G/">http://www.amazon.com/When-Godly-People-Ungodly-Things-ebook/dp/B003WEA50G/</a></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/To-Live-Christ-Beth-Moore-ebook/dp/B003WEA5C4/">http://www.amazon.com/To-Live-Christ-Beth-Moore-ebook/dp/B003WEA5C4/</a></i></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WEA5BU/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WEA5BU/</b></i></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Beth Moore is one of my favorite authors/speakers. Over the years I have done many of her studies, watched her DVDs, and I highly recommend her! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the things I'm doing this year is to keep a list of books that I want to complete (as I'm usually the one with the 6-7 books on the nightstand all about 1/3 read!), and I am not allowing myself to spend one red cent on any more books until I have completed reading the ones I already have in my hot little hands or on my Kindle!!! So this was kind of a fun way to get THREE FREE BOOKS from an author I love!!! Plus, I am going to replace three on my list with these instead, so I'm saving money and decluttering at the same time. Ahhhh.... frugal and organized - today's baby step towards two of my 2014 goals. Not too shabby - the first Monday of the month and I saved about $60 in freebies - woohoo!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For more info on organizing, you can go to my website at www.coachlindabush.com where this week I'm featuring blogs about organizing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy these books, and I wish you every blessing and joy as you begin a new year in your journey with our Savior!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-60979134055830454572013-12-11T17:04:00.004-05:002013-12-11T17:04:59.397-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Okay, I'm putting it out there - this independent, strong and content and usually incredibly busy and happy woman...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the hardest time of the year for me to be single. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's the time when everyone wants the Norman Rockwell fantasy family. And when you want someone to snuggle with on the couch while sipping a glass of wine or hot cocoa while staring dreamily at the lights on the Christmas tree. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's not about exchanging big fancy gifts... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">but sitting together in church and singing Christmas carols. Holding hands and praying together as you celebrate the birth of your Savior.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's about watching old Christmas movies, being with family and friends.. and sharing love and laughter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's about falling asleep next to the one you love and feeling all warm and cozy just as you drift off to have sugarplums dance in your head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But my couch is empty... and my bed is cold...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There's no special Christmas card, or eyes to gaze into... no one to corner under the mistletoe...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And while most of the time being single is fine and dandy and I don't equate marriage as the be-all end-all status to solve life's problems... and I know you can be just as lonely wearing a little gold band and having the houseful of kids and a dog and all the yada-yada that goes along with every two-hour sappy Christmas movie ever made...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">it's especially hard this time of year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just sayin'...</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742013752235101652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107812777588889527.post-8589157312737755772013-12-03T06:15:00.000-05:002013-12-03T06:15:51.150-05:00Oh Come Let Us Adore Him<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Matthew 2:11</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wise men had been watching and waiting for Him. They had been actively looking, scrutinizing the skies for signs, and when they saw the star they got up and pursued Him. They travelled a specific path until they found Him they fell down and worshipped Him. Only then did they open their treasures before Him and lay them at His feet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On this third day of December, do you find your heart searching for Christ? Or are you distracted with the tiring trimmings of hurried and harried holiday demands? Is your mind and calendar already diverted from the path that seeks the Sacred? Are you prematurely preoccupied with plans, pushed by people and poor from present purchases? Already find yourself disenchanted, looking not so much for the Savior, but for the end of Christmas when all the madness will cease and you will be able to “get back to normal” (whatever that is)?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Weary one, drop everything now and fall down at the feet of Jesus. Worship the Babe in the manger Who has come to give you life. Let all else fade and focus on Him and Him alone. Then, like the wise men, open your treasures to the Savior – your time, your talents, your day and all the intentions, arrangements and preparations therein. Kneel and seek His face… seek His guidance… come to Him and He will give you rest as your priorities align with His will. Seek first His kingdom, His righteousness… The well-worn phrase means so much more than just some seasonal saying on a bumper sticker in holiday gridlock – He really IS the reason for the season. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh come, let us adore Him…refreshed and renewed and centered on the Savior.</span><br />
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