Long time no write...

It has been just over a year since I last posted on my blog. I slipped into the everyday hum drum of life and simply forgot to post.

It's not like I have many amazing adventures to post about. No whirlwind life of world travel.

What I do have is an amazing Savior that literally saved me from the brink of eternal hell. I have a Lover of My Soul who pursues me day and night. I have a Valiant Warrior King who fights a loathsome enemy for me.

I guess I have some pretty wondrous things to post about after all!

I will commit in my heart (and my calendar) to post more often.

I have so much to tell you . . .

-Mar

Simple.

Just wanted to say this morning...

I love  you Jesus.

Thank you.

I bless Your name.

That's all :)

A Place of Quiet Rest ~ Near to the Heart of God

1. There is a place of quiet rest,
   Near to the heart of God;
   A place where sin cannot molest,
   Near to the heart of God.

• Refrain:
  O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
  Sent from the heart of God;
  Hold us, who wait before Thee,
  Near to the heart of God.

1. There is a place of comfort sweet,
   Near to the heart of God;
   A place where we our Savior meet,
   Near to the heart of God.

1. There is a place of full release,
   Near to the heart of God;
   A place where all is joy and peace,
   Near to the heart of God.

======================

"Near To The Heart of God" is one of my favorite hymns. I love modern worship music, well some of it anyway but there is just something profound about the lyrics in the old hymnals.

Cleland B. McAfee wrote this hymn in 1903 after the death of two infant nieces. The entire town was grief stricken and McAfee, who was a worship leader, did what he knew how to do and wrote this amazing song.

This hymn draws us into James 4:8 which reads "Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." (NLT)

The further we travel away from the heart of God the more room we give our enemy to bring chaos in our lives. Living out our lives in the very heart of God is the safest place to be! We must live in this world, minister to this world and suffer this world until it's our turn to die or Jesus returns. While we are here we need to keep our hearts right in the center of God's heart. To stray left or right of center gets us into a lot of trouble.

1 Timothy 2:8
Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

Pray. Lift up your hands. Don't be angry or quarrel. Prayer keeps us right where we need to be. We can use prayer flippantly sometimes but the reality of the power of prayer is something we should investigate. Prayer helps us keep tethered to the heart of God when our Enemy is prowling around us. Merely speaking the name of Jesus can make the devil run and every demon tremble and flee.

Job 17:9
Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger

Stay strong! Don't allow yourself to be pulled one way or the other. Jesus is the only One with the right to direct your path. Be righteous and don't let anyone, even those you respect, tell you something contrary to what is in God's Word. If you meditate on His Word you cannot be easily moved. Read as if your life depends on it because it does! Post scriptures in your home. Read them as you prepare dinner or brush your teeth. Let the living words of Jesus send you to sleep at night. Let prayers and scriptures greet Him each morning. These things will make your anchor in the heart of Jesus even stronger.

Isaiah 1:16
Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong

Confess sin. Confess it often and sincerely. Don't make light of your confessions. Take sin seriously and see it for the disease that it is. Scour every inch of your life for the telltale signs of sin. Every thought, every action, every spoken word should be examined. Search your heart with the light of the World as a filter. When you find the darkness in you then confess it and repent! Don't be Lot's wife and look back! Turn and run away from it as fast as you can.

Remember that "worldly-mindedness is enmity with God." Don't think that you can shake hands with the sins of this world and then worship at the glorious feet of Christ. Even the angels did not dare to show their feet to Holy God. They used their wings to cover their feet in his presence. Don't think that any sin is too small to matter - it all matters to Jesus.

Submit your will to His. Submit all that you have to the control of Jesus Christ. "All sin must be wept over; here, in godly sorrow, or, hereafter, in eternal misery. And the Lord will not refuse to comfort one who really mourns for sin, or to exalt one who humbles himself before him."

We have to wash ourselves of our sins and run to God. Never straying too far from Him to explore the darkness of this world. We are to be "in it" but not "of it."

So, the next time you wash your hands apply it to your heart. As you watch the lather growing in your hands and you smell the scent of the soap search your heart. Search your thoughts and intentions as you scrub your hands intently. Ask Jesus to scrub your heart with the same vigor. Holding your hands under the warm water and letting the soap and dirt slip away, thank your Merciful Savior that He has forgiven your sins and loves you with unimaginable grace and mercy.

-Marilyn
 

Are We Not Human?

 

¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12-13)

Sometimes I go through a tough season in life. It could be emotional, mental, physical or spiritual in nature. I've been through seasons of droughts that lasted years and I've experienced mere blips of hurt in otherwise serene seasons. This scripture reminds me that no matter what is happening in my life I've got to give thanks to Jesus Christ, my King.

Facing a tough spot right now and I am pleasantly surprised to find that I haven't completely shut down! I've kept my focus on Him and I'm finding that I know in whom I have believed. I've been in my Word a lot more lately. Going through good, solid Christian video material instead of regular t.v. Doing my quiet time every single day for the past 2 weeks. Seems to me that focusing on Christ instead of my problems really works for the soul.

Even though I may be in "want" I am not forgotten. The Father's love letter to me says this:

²⁴ Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁶ If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. ³⁰ For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. (Luke 12:24-30)

 

In the eight years that I have served beside my husband in the ministry I have always noticed one insinuation about preachers that always made me cringe and feel belittled. The thought that somehow your pastor is an employee of the church. The belief that he is an hourly employee of a church body is so prevalent in the church. I can remember each time vividly when someone made a snide comment about "I guess we pay the preacher too much money." It's usually uttered when the pastor or family have something new in their possession. It could be something as simple as a new skirt or as big as a new vehicle. From my view point it seems that people are confusing small church pastors with mega pastors and pastors seen on tv who are worth millions.

 

Let me assure you that being worth millions is not a "thing" with pastors! Can I also be so bold to say that true men of God do not go into the ministry with money as the first thought. Yes, a man has to provide for his family but a man of God knows that provision comes from the Lord. Just because your church cuts a check each week for your pastor doesn't mean you have ownership of him and have the right to question his purchases or choices. (Please note that I am speaking about everyday, normal choices. Of course, if you notice your pastor with a new Mercedes all of the sudden you should inquire and check out the finances of the church!)

 

There is a constant influx of information about people in the congregation that the pastor hears on a weekly basis. The needs, the lack of funds, the loneliness, the hurting, the angry, the offended. There are calls about health issues, hospital visits, surgeries and general malaise. Calls about marital issues, fighting, wayward kids. Conversations about lack of personal vision, theological questions and everything in between.

 

I wonder - how often does anyone in the congregation stop to think about the pastor and his needs? Is there any real thought put into the needs of his family? Are they ok? Are they struggling at any point for any reason? Sometimes it feels like the pastor is simply there to notice the plight of others, give advice and move on to the next crisis. Ok, I know this seems like I'm whining a bit and maybe, truth be told, I am. I'm a pastor's wife! I've seen it all! The good, the bad and the really ugly. I've seen all that from the congregation and even from my husband at some point.

 

But at the end of a Friday night after a tough week all I can say to that is this: I'm still human and so is your pastor.

 

Our Community Life Group prayed over Teddy last Sunday night. It was so needed and I know that it affected him greatly. He was being poured into and didn't have to pour anything out. His life gauge moved closer to full! So I suppose this posting on my blog is really about feeling like people care, not just about shallow things in our lives but that they care about every part of our lives. Your pastor (not just my husband but all men of God who are pastoring churches) need more from you than an "amen" on Sundays and a pat on the way out the door. They deserve more than that from the people that they lead. They have chosen a life that is hard and completely worth it at the end of the day.

 

We all know that they deserve respect but they also deserve even the most basic level of human compassion and concern from you. They are not super human and sometimes their lives are hard.

 

Just my thoughts.

Mls

This is my kingdom and it needs to fall

 



 

 

 

Standing, standing I'm standing on the promises of God.

 

 

"But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

 

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs." (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

 

 

I want my heart to be overflowing with gratitude for what I have been given by Jesus Christ. I want to be so caught up in the blessings of my life that I cannot be tricked into focusing on the things that I lack.

 

 

If I really stand back and look at my life I have nothing to regret. If Jesus took me home right now I doubt that I would look back and wish I had obtained so much more on this earth! I will simply wish that I had been more of an impact on this earth for His Kingdom.

 

If I know this then why am I sometimes caught up in the belief that I don't have enough? Why do I find myself restless and ready for something new? Why have I compared my life and what I have to others and felt as if I was missing something? I do this because I am not pursuing the things that God has commanded of me. It's not rocket science!

 

"Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (I Timothy 6:11-12)

 

The Afters have a song that says, "You lift me up when I am weak. Your arms wrap around me. Your love catches me so I'm letting go." If the arms of the Master of All has His arms wrapped around me then why should I focus on what this world, my flesh and my enemy say I am lacking? It's because I am still tethered to this world by my flesh. My spirit in thriving and alive in the presence of Jesus. The Holy Spirit resides in me and tries so hard to keep me on track.

 

I hesitate to say "but" after the above sentence. I don't want a "but" in my life! When I focus on my perceived lack in this materialistic world I am bringing disgrace on the name of my Lord. How can I forget that He provides for every aspect of nature so easily? And yet He says in His word that I am more precious than even nature!

 

Really? I seem to prefer to think I'm less than precious in the eyes of my Father. I think in a very twisted way it feels safer that way. If I keep my earthly eyes on my earthly prize then I don't have to really trust my spiritual eyes. Sad thing is that my earthly eyes are very weak! I am legally blind, good ol' 20/400 vision.

 



 

So my reality is that I trust my weary, worn out eye balls over the perfect eyes Jesus has given me. I don't trust my eyes to pour a glass of milk with out the help of my super strong eyeglasses, yet I let them guide me daily in my walk. Showing me in all the blurriness of astigmatism what it is that I lack in my life. I'm blindly leading my life when the Holy Spirit is pleading with me to let Him take my hand and lead me on the correct path. I'm heading for cliffs, pot holes and slippery slopes on my own. With Jesus I'm able to walk freely without worrying about stumbling and potentially harming myself.

 

Contentment is the acknowledgement and satisfaction of reaching capacity.

 

Serenity.

 

Gladness.

 

Ease.

 

Peace.

 

It is well with my soul. 

 

It is well.

 

No matter what happens.

 

No matter who I lose.

 

No matter how much I hurt.

 

No matter.

 

This is true contentment as far as I can figure out with my limited mind. Life is so much more than what my poor eyes are seeing.

 

Hope.

 

Love.

 

Friendship.

 

Grace.

 

Miracles.

 

Family.

 

Prayers answered.

 

Relationships restored.

 

Marriage.

 

Kids.

 

Grandbabies.

 

Laughter.

 

Fellowship.

 

Chocolate.   <:)>

 

Overcomers.

 

So many things around me should be in focus. I've got to take off the lenses of this world and slip on the clear vision of the Holy Spirit. My time here is so limited. I'm pretty tired of wasting it on the "what ifs." This life is so full of them! The ifs of life mean nothing.

 

I'm not here to glorify and worship the ifs/maybes of this life!

 

I'm created to worship the Creator and to be about His business.

 

I want to show that He is a living God not a dead god still in the tomb. How can my witness be powerful if I am wandering around, sightless and grumbling for a better tomorrow. What about right now? Scripture says if I have food and clothing I am to be content. It's enough!

 

Dear Abba,

 

Lead me to the cross, where Your love poured out. Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down. Rid me of myself, I belong to You. Lead me to the cross.

 

Take everything I have if it gets me focused on You. Remove every desire I have for material gain and worldly things. Tear it out of me God! Yes, I know a wound will remain but I know that You will heal it.

 

I'm tired of the rat race. I'm tired of comparison. I'm tired of striving for more. I'm tired of the constant worry. I'm weary of it all. I just want You and nothing more. Everything else is just the icing on the cake. You are what I truly desire but I am so covered by the world. I'm so caught up in my sinful nature.

 

Help me clear my vision. Remove these scales trying to become permanent over my eyes. What have I besides You? I want nothing but You. I belong to You. Claim what is Yours and free me from these self-imposed chains of discontentment and selfishness.

 

Take it all because I don't want anything but You Lord.

 

Lead me to the cross.

 

-M

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Dragonfly Faith

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. (Psalm 107:10-12)

 

A definite theme ran through my day yesterday. First it was my husband's sermon on the third Commandment and then it was our evening Community Life Group and talking about how do we know if we are hearing God's voice as opposed to Satan or ourselves.

 

 

It's been a while since I got up at 5:30 a.m. and sat down with a cup of coffee and God's Word. I haven't touched my devotionals in a long time. I've been skimming by on the surface of my religion like a dragonfly on a still pond. I woke up this morning and opened up my Whispers of Hope prayer journal by Beth Moore. I was embarrassed to see that I had only made it to day four before I gave up and moved on to something else. Consistency is a big issue for me.

 

The topic of the day is basically about rebellion against God. I'm thinking to myself, rather smugly, that I do not rebel against God. I do a lot of thing but I DO NOT REBEL! Certainly this day's devotion did not apply to me and I contemplated moving on to something else when I read this sentence and I was instantly stopped in my tracks:

 

The biblical definition of rebelling against God is simply refusing God's counsel.

 

Rebellion is drawing back from God's Word.

 

And suddenly this smug little dragonfly was snatched into the mouth of a large bass! A light bulb went on over my head and I could almost feel the Holy Spirit rolling His eyes over my shoulder and saying, "Well duh!" I'm fairly certain that the Holy Spirit does have a sense of humor you know.

 

Back to my epiphany. Not only was I rebelling, I was carrying a flag and marching down the street with my rebellion! I was the poster child for it. Slap me down in a metal chair in the nearest "RA" (Rebellion Anonymous) meeting and I'd be leading it before too long. I am a rebel.

 

I go to church Sunday after Sunday. I show up for my Wednesday "Refueling in Flight" religiously, pun completely intended. The thing I haven't been doing in a long while is seeking His counsel first above all else. I've skimmed my precious Bible for passages that I am familiar with and found myself, well let's be honest here, bored with the rest. Yep I said it. My transparency might be shocking but I found it B O R I N G!

 

How can a child of the Most High God have found His word boring and of no real use?

 

How can I not have seen the dire situation of my spiritual life?

 

Where were the warning whistles and bells? The submarine siren blaring in my head and making me cringe?

 

I had to stop my train of thought immediately because I found myself wanting to question the Holy Spirit about where He was during all this. How dare He leave me to my own devices doesn't He know how frail and pathetic I am without His counsel? The nerve!!

 

The great Counselor quickly let me know that He's been here the whole time. He never left my side and in fact has been whispering in my ear, yelling at the top of His lungs while I chose to ignore Him and move about my life of my own accord.

 

 

"Healing is found in God's Word--not just in seeking healing--but in seeking Him. We can be children of the living God and still sit "in darkness and the deepest gloom" as "prisoners suffering in iron chains" because we refuse His counsel." {Beth Moore}

 

 

Thank you Beth, now would you kindly stop stepping all over my tender toes? I get it. I got it. It's all good. A change of direction has occurred and I'm optimistic about the outcome.

 

Psalm 119:2 testifies to the healing power of God's Word: "If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction."

 

 

Ain't that the truth! Had I not read my devotional this morning I would have kept on a very slippery path. My holy Life Coach decided I needed to be up at 5:30 a.m. before even the sun began to rise in the eastern sky.

 

 

Wake up from your slumber! Open up your eyes!

 

 

God's Word is His primary healing agent. I'm pumped up at this point and I go into Proverbs 4. I have to admit that I snickered because I just love when I experience God's sense of humor. What is the title of Proverbs 4 in my Bible you might ask dear reader?

 

 

A FATHER'S WISE INSTRUCTION  Ha! The entire proverb is about the importance of wisdom and God's Word. You cannot make this stuff up! If that's not supernatural forces at work in my life then I'm Donald Duck. I don't have feathers and I don't quack!

 

 

The fourth sentence into the proverb says this: "do not forsake my teaching."

 

Umm, ok Jesus I'm listening. Continue on reading and I get these morsels of spiritual food that are nourishment to my starving soul.

 

Proverbs 4

 

(v2) do not forsake my teaching

(v5) Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

(v13) Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.

 

It goes on and on in that proverb. Obviously the Holy Spirit had a plan for me this morning and I listened. I took it to heart. I want to grab on to what He's saying to me with both hands and never let go. I want a fire not a flame. I want a tsunami of Jesus to flood through me, over me and into my life.

 

I'm listening Lord. I promise I'm listening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



Sugar Coated Death Sentence

Words from the King Himself:

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. " (John 14:6)

Thinking about truth. Not the wishy washy truth of the world but hard truth. Truth that can't be ignored no matter how hard you try. There are a million variations of worldly truth out there. One minute the media touts one "truth" and then it changes it completely into a new "truth."

I have lived a life being tossed on the sea of the world. I've changed my stance on issues as quickly as the news changed. I know that worldly truth is false.

There is only one truth that ever changes: Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He is the King. He is the only way that we will escape hell. He is the Truth of Life.

If we, as Christians, insist on sugar coating truth to the lost we are merely serving them barbed wire coated in chocolate and merely smiling as they choke it down. Too graphic? To bleak? To dark?

Not graphic enough! Not bleak enough! Not dark enough! The truth of this world and the one who rules it is so much darker than people understand.

We are handing out sugar coated death sentences when we fail to tell the lost the entire truth about our Lord!

He is loving, merciful, graceful, caring and forgiving to us.

He is also the Judge, the Truth, The Holy One, The Almighty.

We do Him a disservice when we only tell people about one side of the coin.

Let's stop dealing in the sweet, sticky things of our enemy. Let's deal in the glorious burning TRUTH OF CHRIST to the darkness around us.