Is There A Child in The House?

Recently watched a short clip of a young man.  He was goofing off, dancing and laughing.  It was uplifting until one realized that he had died tragically a day after that video in a skiing accident.  Watching him made me want to reach into the screen and grab his essence and retrieve the laughter and the boy that once was.

The body is only a house.  The soul really is a separate entity.  I could see it in the video.  The childlike nature of this young man evidenced in his love of life jumping around telling the body to move to express his joy.

Jesus knocks on the door of the house.  Is there anyone there?  A child, perhaps,
that joyfully runs to see who is there.  A child looks up with a smile and hope, that this stranger will fill a need in his/her life.  Children are like that, selfish by nature but in a good way.  Feed me, hold me, make me laugh, play with me, keep me warm, keep me safe.  Intellect, education, life's experiences, background are all worthless when entering the Kingdom of God.  We need to run to the door of heart and throw it open to the King of King and let Jesus enter in.

Hearing from God

Everybody wants to hear something from God!  Look at the popularity of preachers that call out people and start reading their "mail".  It is pretty simple.
1.  Your circumstances may indicate God is trying to get your attention.  Jonah finally quit complaining and started listening when he found himself in a dark, lonely and smelly place (whale).
2. Counsel - Listen to those in authority - Pastor, parents, trusted friends.
3.  Peace Philipians 4:7 (one of my fav scriptures).. it is a feeling that everything is right in the world no matter what is happening.  When my husband was away in Desert Storm (war in Kuwait) God put me in a God Bubble.  Nothing bad could penetrate and I was on a Spiritual High!  It was amazing.
4. Dreams and visions.  Mathew 1:20.  It took a dream to convince Joseph to marry Mary!
5. Thoughts are powerful and Amos 4:13 describes God speaking to man. 2Co 10:5 tells us what to do to protect our mind against thoughts of the enemy.
6.  Natural Manifestations point to our Creator and as a Christian, one should study the science of creationism to understand the miracle that is all around us.
7. Supernatural manifestations are mentioned in the Bible (burning bush for Moses, Voices from Heaven, Angels appearing) and so we should see and expect them in our lives (receiving the Holy Ghost)
8. Bible Hebrews 4:12 describes the power behind the Word of God.  Any true Christian can tell a story where he/she has opened their Bible and a scripture has spoken to their heart or their situation.
9.  Whisper  1Kings 19:12 describes God speaking to Elijah in a still, small voice.
Sometimes one will be given a thought or hear a thought spoken as if they are thinking it but it is really from God.  When acted upon, confirmation in the form of the result lets you know that it was truly from God.  "Speak to that person"  "Stop" "Wait"  "Don't speak that"  "Ask her to go to altar and pray" "Tell them your testimony"  These are some examples that come to my mind when I have heard from God.

Finally, my wonderful readers, read Jeremiah 7:13 which is a warning to truly hear what the Lord is saying and respond to Him.

Highlights from Rev.McNealy's Message

On target message 'do you want to be happy?" Sunday evening by Rev. McNealy. Just want to drop some quotes from his message that I thought were significant:
1. You will never change anything in your life that you tolerate. (if I can just change _____ then I will be happy.)
2. Center your life around good things. Life is like a sponge. It only soaks up what surrounds it. Life pressures will come. Pressures upon the sponge will squeeze out what has been put in.
3. Better to resolve marriage difficulties than to dissolve marriage vows.
4. Oops! I married the wrong one (person) instead of trying to be The One (for the other person).

This message left me with an image. Two bowls of water. One dirty and the other clean. Two sponges. Two lives. One lives clean and the other lives in sin. Life happens to both sponges, sickness, loss of jobs, no friends, treated unfairly, car breaks down....life looks bleak...both sponges are wrung dry. The comfort and peace the clean sponge felt kept him standing until he could dip back into that clean water and restore his spirit. The dirty sponge had no relief and all he could do was complain. The situaltion went from bad to horrible as he was plunged back into the dirty water.

I put my sponges through the dishwasher to sterilize and clean them. The power of repentance and the tears of joy are wonderful cleansers! Put your sponges in a Holy Ghost dishwasher and feel clean again.

My Pledge

Today, no matter what comes my way, I know that I have planted my whole life in the garden of verses and my strength flows from the vine of the Word of God. Everything else we may fill our lives with is emptiness. The only truth that is worth holding onto is the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism in His Name (Jesus) and receiving the Holy Ghost and living a Holy life pleasing to Jesus.

My Pledge today is I will not be moved from the side of my Savior. My pledge is my whole heart belongs to the Lord. My pledge is I will remain faithful the rest of my life. My desire is to see the Lord and to see my fruit. I trust the Lord and I believe He will be faithful for my children's sake. My children have been gifts from God and I have returned them to Him many times, over and over again.

Fragile New Life

Tyler Austin Koch was born 7:46PM 5-27 by cesarean section to Jessica and Shane Koch at Santa Teresa Kaiser Hospital. He was 5lb and 10oz and 19inches long. Being 4 weeks early has taken a toll on his new life outside the womb. We are trusting our wonderful God to care for him as he struggles to breathe and our prayers are constantly bombarding Heaven for this new family.

Everyone falls in love the minute they see Tyler. I remember falling in love with Jesus the minute I truly saw Him. The presence that filled me with a life-giving force is an unforgettable experience and one I constantly thank Jesus for. This is such a fragile new life.

I have started a garden and I am watching new growth everyday. The plants are tender and need me to refresh them with life-giving water as the heat of the day evaporates the moisture. Night-time brings out the life-sucking bugs and slugs that would like to feast on this new life. Vigilance pays off as I look for them with a flashlight and destroy with a satisfying crunch under my shoe.

Remember Christians, this new life is fragile and should be handled with care! It will be worth every effort when we feast at the Lord's table in Heaven.

What is that in your mouth?

Bro. Brian Koch preached a moving message about the Lord tries the reins of the heart. He guides us, pulls back on the reins and sometimes just lets us have the lead.

I love horseback riding and it has been many years since I was on my horse. I have ridden retired race horses, old geldings, spirited quarter horses, and my favorite... a Tennessee walker (like being in a rocking chair!)

Tack is what you use to ride a horse. It is the equipment (saddle, pad, halter, etc.) One particularly important piece is the bridle and reins. You slip the mouthpiece or bit into the horse's mouth and up over the ears with the bridle and the reins are attached. You buckle it around the neck. This is how you really communicate with the horse. Depending on what style of riding will determine how you use the reins in turning. The way you use the reins will directly communicate with the horse because they run down into his most sensitive area of his body...the mouth...in which lies the bit. Now if you have a gentle horse, you use a small metal bit that won't hurt when you pull to stop but if you have a racehorse, well, you better wear gloves and be strong if you want to stop! They need a strong bit in their mouth.

Bits can look like torture tools...rings, chains, leather. I wonder what kind of bit does the Lord have in your mouth?

What is the "World"?

Look at your arm, hand, fingers. Look in the mirror. What do you see? Flesh. We live in this vessel that is made up from the dust of the earth. We are part of this world. Too often we are living in this world and not living in the Spirit. This flesh complains loudly. "I am too tired!" "I have a headache!" "Make me feel good!" "Entertain me!"

The flesh demands and demands and demands. Saint of God, what do you hear? What do you listen to? Does your flesh tie you down to the tracks of this world? That demon train is barreling down. The enemy won't stop for anybody.

The Spirit is calling, calling, calling. Soft and quiet comes the urgings from the Holy Ghost. "Come to me, child." "Pick up my word, precious." "Lay your worries down at my cross."

The world is all around us. Keep your eyes open. Ask for discernment. LIVE IN THE SPIRT NOT IN THE WORLD!