"8-year-old Różyczka Goździewska, the youngest nurse in the Warsaw Uprising in WW2. She helped as an assistant in the field hospital by bringing water to the injured, chasing away flies and serving as a source of happiness."

When the gates swing open wide to let Rozyczka enter into her eternal home, can't you hear the voices of all in heaven sing out "Bless this saint, she chased away flies!!!! She gave a cup of cold water! and she served the living Christ as a source of happiness for wounded and lonely soldiers. Oh what a day of rejoicing that will be!!!!!!

 

  Evangelism is a noble and heroic work! To seek the lost, last and the least; to be busy looking for pale and jaundiced hearts beaten down by abuse or sin, to delve into the deeps of the heart and point the anguished towards Christ, this is a work above all others! 

I read this poem that illustrates gospel work so well.

   

Who are they that - 

"Pluck bright glory from the pale-faced moon,

Or dive into the bottom of the deep,

Where fathom-line could never touch the ground,

and drag up drowned honor by the locks!" 

William Mathews, LL.D.

 

"Oh how God loves to reveal Himself to those who long to know Him. I don't care where you are or whom you're with, you may be in a cult or in the midst of great errors, but if you have a heart that longs to know God He will pierce the darkness and disclose Himself. 

Ever seeking, ever loving, always calling. 

It reminds me of a quote by John Wesley, "I want to know one thing -- the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God Himself has condescended to teach the way, for this very end He came from heaven. He has written it down in a book. O give me that book!!!!! At any price, give me the book of God!'

Read the Bible, it's good for the soul.

Overcoming depression

 Overcoming depression requires a multifaceted approach.                  The following post comes from the National Suicide Prevention Line; and it contains such good advice. Of course this is a secular piece that contains no references to religion or the power of it; but this is simple and practical helps for our well being.

DEPRESSION TIPS:

Shower. Not a bath, a shower. Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you gotta.

Moisturize everything. Use whatever lotion you like.

Put on clean, comfortable clothes.

Drink cold water. Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.

Clean something. Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink.

Blast music. Listen to something upbeat and dancy and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.

Make food. Don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s ramen. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something.

Make something. Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create.

Go outside. Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.

Call someone. Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps.  

 May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive. 

* At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on. 

* In case nobody has told you today I Love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing on!!!!

***People don’t fake depression.. they fake being ok.

Find something to be grateful for!

US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. 

800-273-8255

 Overcoming sin by Grace. 

The Kingdom of God, and the holiness and virtue of it, is not gained by our power, resolve or persistence. "For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." 

The message of victory and purity isn't a message of self-control, programs, accountability partners or practical attempts, as good as they may be. Paul declared, "my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,  so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." 

Our faith begins, grows and overcomes "not by might nor by power but by My Spirit,' says the Lord. 

When we come to Christ we are 'born again' by the Spirit, and we are to continue to walk in that Spirit to achieve the holiness, peace, power and the joy Christ promises.

 So don't come by the Spirit and expect to overcome by your determination; "Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?""We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God."  

1 Cor. 4:20, 1 Cor. 2:4-5, Zech. 4:6, Gal. 3:3, 1 Cor. 1:23-24

When I first started in Children's ministries I wrote this poem.

Feed my Lambs

When I watch children at play

inspired by their innocence

drawn by their laughter

giggles and fun,

I understand a little better

the purity of, and the entrance to

The Kingdom.

Oh to help in some way!

To guard the heart

to guide the path

and spare the sorrow

that comes when we leave His way.

To add one stepping stone,

To lay one line, one precept or principle

that broadens the entrance

for one child.

Let me taste the freshness of childhood,

Let me share the freely given love,

Let me take the infectious joy,

But most of all, let me give -

The bread of life

and help feed His little lambs.

 "There is something in our human nature which engages us to take part in every accident to which man is subject, from what cause soever it may have happened; but in such calamities as a man has fallen into through mere misfortune, to be charged upon on no fault or indiscretion of himself, there is something then so truly interesting -- that at the first sight we generally make them our own, not altogether from a reflection that they might have been, or may be so, but oftener from a certain generosity and readiness of nature which disposes us for compassion, abstracted from all considerations of self; so that without any observable act of the will, we suffer with the unfortunate, and feel a weight upon our spirits, we know not why, on seeing the most common instances of their distress. 

 Now where the spectacle is uncommonly tragic and complicated with many circumstances of misery, the mind is then taken captive at once, and, were it inclined to it, has not power to make resistance, but surrenders itself to all the tender emotions of pity and deep concern. 

So that when one considers this friendly part of our nature, without looking farther, one would think it impossible for man to look upon misery without finding himself in some measure attached to the interest of him who suffers it -- I say, one would think it impossible -- but there are some tempers - how shall I describe them? formed either of such impenetrable matter, or wrought up by habitual selfishness to such an utter insensibility of what becomes of the fortunes of their fellow creatures, as if they were not partakers of the same nature, or had no lot or connection with the species." Sterne.  

 "Seven years old, third row pew

John 3:16, something changed in me

Red letters coming off the page

Flooding my heart with amazing grace

I knew then I believed

And those roots run deep"

 

Gotta love those lyrics from Anne Wilson's song Sunday Sermons.

 When Billy Graham was 92 years-old, he was struggling with Parkinson's disease. In January, a month before his 93rd birthday, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favorite son, Billy Graham to a luncheon in his honor.

Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because of his struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, 'We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you.' So he agreed.

After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the podium, looked at the crowd, and said:

"I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train, when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets.

It wasn't there.He looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn't find it.

"The conductor said, “Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it.” Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car,he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.

"The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know who you are; no problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one.'Einstein looked at him and said, “Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going."

Having said that Billy Graham continued, "See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My children, and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this:

"I not only know who I am. I also know where I'm going." May your troubles be less, your blessings more, and may nothing but happiness, come through your door. "Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point."

May each of us have lived our lives so that when our ticket is punched we don't have to worry about where we are going. See less

 I think I hear more misunderstanding about Grace and Works than any other important subject. Within the Protestant church there is so much emphasis on Grace, that Works are almost discounted.When Paul met with the pillars of the church at the council of Jerusalem, they affirmed Paul and Barnabas's work with the Gentiles, with only one admonition, Paul said, "They only asked us to remember the poor -- the very thing I also was eager to do." Gal. 2:10 Paul was faithful to that as we can see by the following verses. 

"In all things show yourself to be than example of good deeds..." Titus 2:7

"Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed." Titus 3:1

"This is a trustworthy statement, and concerning things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in good deeds?" Titus 3:8

"Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful." Titus 3:14

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Eph. 2:10

James, gives us this example of good deeds - 

"This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God our Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." Jas. 1:27

 We are saved by Grace, not by works, but we are saved for good works, as plainly taught by Christ, and all the apostles. Jesus summarized the entire Bible in Mark 12:29-31 "Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

 In Luke 19 we read the story of Zacceus, pictured here, up in a tree so he could look at Jesus who was surrounded by crowds because he was a man of short stature. Jesus walked by the tree and looked up to Zacceus and simply called him by name saying, "Zacceus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." This picture captures what might have been the look Zacceus had when Jesus spoke to him, a man despised in his community for building great wealth from his corruption towards those in his community. Shocked that Jesus would call him, Zacceus didn't hesitate but immediately came down and he was full of joy. Those in the crowd mumbled and complained because Jesus was going to eat in the house of a "sinner." 

At some point Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Lord, I will give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I will restore it fourfold.” 

After this single encounter with Christ his heart was changed, and because of that his entire community benefited and who ever had a legitimate claim against him was restored four fold! 

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Oh the lessons within this story! The high position brought low, the outcast welcomed, the free invitation of Christ, the deeds that faith produces, the impact one person has in a community when Christ dwells in the heart. Truly this is the answer to our nations corruptions and evils!

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Ro. 12:21

Inspired by Pastor Eric, Jacob's Well, Spokane Wa. 

 Eph. 3:16 Roughly speaking, the prayer is divided into four petitions, of which each is the cause of the following and the result of the preceding-

1. ’That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man’  

2. ‘In order that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith,’ ‘ye being rooted and grounded in love’ 

3. The result of the first, and the preparation for the third. ‘That ye may be able to comprehend with all saints ... and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge,’   

4. And all lead up at last to that wonderful desire beyond which nothing is possible-

’That you might be filled with all the fullness of God.’

I do not know what Christianity means, unless it means that you and I are forgiven for a purpose; the purpose being that we should be filled with all the strength and righteousness and supernatural life granted to us by the Spirit of God.

The Gospel is the gift of pardon for holiness, and its inmost and most characteristic bestowment is the bestowment of a new power for obedience and service.

And that power, as I need not remind you, is given to us through the gift of the Divine Spirit. The very name of that Spirit is the ‘Spirit of Might.’ Christ spoke to us about being ‘endued with power from on high.’ The last of His promises that dropped from His lips upon earth was the promise that His followers should receive the power of the Spirit coming upon them.

 There are so many things right with this photo! To me it represents a vibrant Youth ministry. I notice they are outside the church walls, they  are different ages, the older caring for the younger, how powerful is that when Teen suicide is at an all time high! So many children are isolated by social media bullying but here are older girls standing for this young girl. 

They are all colors, how needful is that in this day of new intellectual racism with divides at every turn. Prayer is powerful! Corporate prayer is more! Prayer is intimate, personal and life changing! 

  

  "He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success." Eccles. 10:9-10 

  The work of the Christian is to delve into the hearts and lives of others; in so doing we are faced with complex and deeply held beliefs and often personal histories that are dark and foreboding. 

So fools must not rush in where wise men fear to tread, but rather cautiously, lovingly, with axe sharpened with wisdom, and Spirit guidance, we sympathetically enter in and painstakingly build trust and intimacy.     

  Lives are not suddenly changed by quoting a verse or casting a rebuke; more often we are hurt by doing so. 

   "I no longer have to prove that I or my group is the best, that my ethnicity is superior, that my religion is the only one that God loves, or that my role and place in society deserve superior treatment. I am not preoccupied with collecting more goods and services; quite simply, my desire and effort is to pay back, to give back to the world a bit of what I have received. I now realize that I have been gratuitously given to—from the universe, from society, and from God. I try now, as Elizabeth Seton said, to “live simply so that others can simply live.”

Erik Erikson calls someone at this stage a “generative” person, one who is eager and able to generate life from his or her own abundance and for the benefit of following generations. Because such people have built a good container, they are able to “contain” more and more truth, more and more neighbors, more and broader vision, more and more of a mysterious and outpouring God.

Their God is no longer small, punitive, or tribal. They once worshipped their raft; now they love the shore where it has taken them. They once defended signposts; now they have arrived where the signs pointed. They now enjoy the moon itself instead of fighting over whose finger points to it most accurately, quickly, or definitively.

One’s growing sense of infinity and spaciousness is no longer found just “out there” but most especially “in here.” The inner and outer have become one. You can trust your inner experience now, because God has allowed it, used it, received it, and refined it.

Richard Rohr, Adapted from Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life,

pp. 121-122

“May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back.” (Rainer Maria Rilke)

Taken from my son Eric's blog.

 

In Mark 8:23 Jesus spits on a blind man's eyes, He also lays his hands on him and the man is partially heeled, then Jesus lays His hands on Him again and his eyesight is completely restored. I spent an hour reading commentaries on this miraculous healing because it contains so many perplexing elements. Not the least of which is why Jesus spit in His eyes, a practice which was viewed as an act of disrespect, and was offensive and disgusting. 

There are so many theories ranging from pagan to practical. Some think Jesus used spittle to remove debris that may have gummed the eyes, but why not simply use water? Others surmise it related to pagan practices that believed spittle could cure disease, epilepsy, neck pain, and numbness in the limb. However, the spit is not applied to the area affected. In the case of neck pain, the spittle should be applied to the knees. For a numb limb, it should be spit into the bosom or placed on the eyelid. Also, spitting on the ground can increase the potency of any healing remedy. Others say it had a spiritual application relating to the disciples; and others a host of other things. The only thing scholars agreed on is that it remains a mystery. 

When I read this what struck me was His disciples brought the blind man to Christ and earnestly asked Him to "touch" him. They prescribed to Jesus the method they had seen Him use many times to heal, and it is understandable why they did. But Jesus used a method He had never used before. I couldn't help apply that to myself and how I can sometimes think I know the right thing to say or do, only to find out it's not at all how Christ chooses to bring healing and salvation. 

It reminded me of when Jesus breathed on His disciples, an act of close intimacy, and now He uses his saliva and touch to bring the remedy. The Gospels, what a fascinating account of the miraculous, individual, unpredictable works of Christ! 

  Sex!!!!! Oh the power and intoxication! It can be absolutely electric! It can be a state completely lost in the emotion of unreasoning desire. Urgency, intensity, sexual desire, anxiety, high-risk choices, reckless abandonment of what was once valued and it can overwhelm our good sense, faith, morality and past experience! And when once in the web of romantic passion we are blind to almost everything else; we forget about looking for warning flags, we just steep and drink in the addictive, intoxicating flood of endorphins! Once we are in this state of mind, what chance is there we will truly look deeply into the person's life, past, or faults? We just want more of the life consuming desire.

We often idolize our partner, put them on a pedestal, profess a rapid and deep connection and push for premature commitments. It can feel like the love of a lifetime! In the book Jane Eyre she describes it this way -- "My future husband was becoming my whole world; and, more than the world: almost my hope of heaven. He stood between me and every thought of religion, like an eclipse intervenes between man and the sun. I could not, in those days, see God for this man, of whom I had made an idol."

But all too often the romance fades, the charm diminishes, and we are left with a stranger. And we find this stranger is no longer our passionate lover, but all too often, they are controlling, demanding, and want someone to raise babies and be little more than a modern day slave. After a few years we sometimes find out they were abused and are continuing their model with us, or they had an obsessive porn addiction and become our enemy seeking their pleasure alone without us. Sometimes this doesn't raise its ugly head until we have children, and then getting out is infinitely more difficult. We feel trapped.

So waiting to have sex until we have done deep and vigorous detective work is sooo important! Dating is the most important time we have to find out who they truly are, and sadly, many of us give into the love of pleasure and find ourselves repeating mistakes from the past or making tragic new ones.

What can be done? If we are people of faith we can fall into the breast of Christ and seek His guidance for resolution, reclamation, direction and some redeeming conclusion. Whatever our beliefs we need mature guidance and resolve because the solutions are rarely easy. Prevention is far easier than resolution, which is why I wrote the post for those who have faith and those that do not.

 

"Men in all ways are better than they seem. They like flattery for the moment, but they know the truth about themselves. It is a foolish cowardice, which keeps us from trusting them, and speaking to them raw and honest truth. 

They resent your honesty for an instant, but they will thank you for it always. 

What is it we heartily wish of each other? Is it to be pleased and flattered? No, but to be convicted and exposed, to be shamed out of our nonsense of all kinds, and made men of, instead of ghosts and phantoms. We are weary of gliding ghostlike through the world, which is itself so slight and unreal." Emerson. 

 

I was really struck by the following line from a poem by Tupper.

"Heed only this, -- not whether those be swine,
But whether these be pearls, precious and pure."

So my take on this is, that we need be less concerned about the faults in others, and make sure what we call the pearls we have to give, are truly pearls.

 

  "It was found that the intellect could be independently developed, that is, in separation from the man (soul), as any single organ can be invigorated (like a bicep), and the result was monstrous. A canine appetite for knowledge was generated, which must still be fed, but was never satisfied, and this knowledge not being directed to ACTION, never took the character of substantial, humane truth, blessing those whom it entered. It gave the scholar certain powers of expression, the power of speech, or the power of poetry, of literary art, but it did not bring him to peace or to beneficence." R. W. Emerson.