What If......

Thank you Lord, for Faith, Family & Friends & Freedom
(and flowers, food,

Choice? Choice.

Definition #1 Choice:
The power or opportunity of choosing; option.
I was not my Mother's first choice. She had lost 6 babies to miscarriage, and was sure that would be my end as well...she told the Dr she couldn't go thru it again.
So He gave her some pills to expel me (or least that's what he told her in 1952)
She took them, laid sod, painted the house...anything and everything that might hurry the process along. I was the only pregnancy she had with no complications.
Though I did not hear this story until I was an adult...I always had a longing in my heart to be someone's "choice".
We all long to be chosen, accepted, wanted, valued....what i longed for all my life...yet what i received (or perceived) was rejection.

It came in the worst ways and in some pretty mudane ways too. Words meant to tease- I took to heart. Rejection from those who were suppose to love me. Family, Friends...My childhood was full of rejection; and don't even talk about the teen years...just more of the same. I looked for acceptance everywhere, and found it briefly in some bad places...and then one day, a friend told me the truth..."God chooses you, first." I was His choice? God chose me, me? Did he know about me? Did he know what I'd done, did He know what i'd thought? Yes. And still I was His choice., He chose to come for me, to die for me, to redeem me, to cleanse & forgive me, to sanctify me, annoint me, use me...

but now I had the choice. Would I choose Him? I had the choice. I took it! Oh Yes I took it! I chose being known, I chose being forgiven, I chose being freed, I chose being loved, I chose being His For all time and eternity!


Because He first chose me. Because He first Loved me,
I made the right choice,
and received His Choice Life for me....
He is my Choice. He is choice.


Definition #2 Choice: The best part;
that which is preferable.

A Good Friend

A GREAT Friend, tells you about Jesus, and prays with you to receive Him as LORD and SAVIOR! A Superb Friend walks in when everyone else is giving up on you...The BEST friend is the one who is there when you call...but doesn't care who called who last.

Maggie Potapshyn is that friend to me!!! LOVE YOU MAGGIE! Thanks for sharing Jesus with Me...and sharing your life with Me!

Where there is no vision,

the people perish. Proverbs 29:
.
A FOCUSED LIFE
Overall life vision
1. Spiritually (prayer time, fasting days, Bible study, etc.)
2. Relationally (family, friends, etc.)
3. Vocation (marketplace calling, etc.)
4. Ministry (in the church, outside the church, etc.)
5. Economically (spending, giving, saving, investing, etc.)
6. Physically (exercise, health, diet, etc.)
7. Rest (recreation, vacation, play, entertainment, sports, etc.)
C. Action plan – for each long and short-term goal in each area of your life.
D. Schedule – for each action plan, i.e., focuses us to prioritize. This is where our life vision most easily is derailed and lost.

The Lord says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ willshine on you." 15 See then that you walk wisely, not as fools but as wise, 16redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise,but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:14–17)

The Yoke of Meekness:

The Way To Greater Grace and Favor from M. Bickle
“Meekness is the magnet that attracts God’s favor.”



The only character trait that Jesus declared about Himself was that He was meek or lowly in heart - Jesus promised that we would find spiritual rest as we learn of meekness from Him.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart [meek or humble], and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Mt. 11:28-30)


Learn from Me: The most significant issue in being a disciple of Jesus is to learn meekness from Him. Meekness and its greatness is within reach of all who pursue it. We are to regularly ask Jesus to teach us about meekness by giving us insight into the specifics of walking it out and then to release the inspiration to walk it out with joy.

Heavy laden: This is manifest in different ways including emotional pain (mistreated or overlooked) and the weariness of striving with others instead of serving them.


Rest: The Lord desires to spiritually heal, refresh, and tenderize our hearts.


Easy yoke and light burden: This speaks of the ability to enjoy our fellowship with God and receive grace to obey Him even when outward circumstances are not easy or light.

Most of our pride is unperceived.
It is not obvious to us. Most people are socially sophisticated enough to avoid blatant strutting and to politely honor social etiquette and protocols.
The enemy tempts us with pride that subtly lies hidden in our attitudes ...
It is expressed in having a condescending attitude that has an inordinate confidence that is not rooted in truth.
It seeks to teach others instead of being quick to be taught.
It is defensive instead of quick to acknowledge its need, lack and error.
The measure of our anger is the measure of our unperceived pride.
Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. (1 Cor. 8:1)

Though I be not Irish

Sure I wish you all the blessings of a Happy St Patricks Day
...

snow = Life

Ok I know by now most of us, save the snowboarding enthusiasts, are feeling like there has been enough snow, and we are longing for the sweet springtime to appear.
It's coming. We know this. It will flutter...come and go a few times...then suddenly, everything will be green... the lillies of the valley, tulips and Daffodils , and new life will be abundant, and we'll sit outside and go to parks and all too soon, we'll be fanning ourselves, beneath the summer sun.
Our spiritual walk follows a similar pattern...long winters, brutal, harsh realities, beat us down, steal our comfort, bleakness where it seems we are in a whiteout...where is the end, the comfort, the promise?

It's coming. We know this. It will flutter, come and go a few times....and then He will return to us...the Lily of the Valley, will appear in all His Glory, to renew us , new beginnings, new life, new mercies, a new pattern slightly different from the last time...and finally we will be basking in the Glory of the Lord, fanning our faith under the presence of the SON....and receving His promise of Life once more.