Superior fellowship this morning!!! Just love those early hours that I spend dwelling on what God wants to have me learn. Yesterday I read a description of what heaven might be like from a book called The Unknown Prophet and I was so overwhelmed I cried for an hour. You think you might have an inkling as to how glorious it will be and then these words made me fall to my knees.

It has been a busy week so far as we really start the countdown for our precious grandchild to makes his or her journey into this world. I am making plans for the dog sitter (Uncle Ben),buying baby gifts,packing,getting the car ready and just plain worrying about all the things that won't get done and won't matter one way or the other if they do. It's like one of the most wonderful events is on the verge of happening and your mind can't even comprehend how you are going to handle it. I can only imagine how on edge with excitement Jill and Eli are as they enjoy these last few days of being two.

A few things have stood out this week that have made me stop in my tracks and really think. It started yesterday when Suzanne sent me this email:

"Like your blog from Friday. I've been thinking about rotten apples since Wed, too. Peter and I talked about it a little. One scripture you quoted reminded me of a story - "Don't spend time with those who are foolish or eventually you won't be able to discern knowledge. (Proverbs 14:7)"

Ruth Bell Graham was at a dinner party - and seated beside her was the Chairman of the Fed Reserve. So she started talking to him about his job - he was explaining about the Reserve, how it worked, etc. They were talking about counterfeit money - and Mrs. Graham commented that they must have looked at and studied a lot of fake bills. He said No! On the contrary - they spent all their time studying the real thing. Then when they saw a fake - they knew it immediately. I thought that was an interesting reverse way to look at it. And funny, I thought of that story immediately when I read that verse.

Another thing Peter and I were talking about last week - you and I were discussing "crucified with Christ.." Peter said remember, crucifixion is a slow death. We didn't have the chance right then to discuss it further - but it made instant sense to me."

And to me also. The action that causes death and our reception of it, is quick but the dying part of the flesh is a slow process. I never really thought of it that way before. We won't be able to say "it is finished" until we see Him face to face. So...in the mean time this week I am getting quite a lot of conversation on fruit. Last week it was rotten apples and this week the bearing of the fruit. I read several things on this subject yesterday. This one from Nelson Mandela:

"It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."

David Wilkerson wrote this:

“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit” (John 15:16).

Many sincere Christians think bearing fruit means simply to bring souls to Christ. But to bear fruit means something much larger even than soul winning. The fruit Jesus is talking about is Christ-likeness. Simply put, bearing fruit means reflecting the likeness of Jesus. And the phrase “much fruit” means “the ever-increasing likeness of Christ. Growing more and more into Jesus’ likeness is our core purpose in life. It has to be central to all our activities, our lifestyle, our relationships. Indeed, all our gifts and callings—our work, ministry and witness—must flow out of this core purpose.

If I am not Christlike at heart—if I’m not becoming noticeably more like him—I have missed God’s purpose in my life. You see, God’s purpose for me can’t be fulfilled by what I do for Christ. It can’t be measured by anything I achieve even if I heal the sick or cast out demons. No, God’s purpose is fulfilled in me only by what I am becoming in him. Christ likeness isn’t about what I do for the Lord, but about how I’m being transformed into his likeness. So, do you want to bear the “much fruit” that springs forth from becoming more like Christ? We fulfill our life’s purpose only as we begin to love others as Christ has loved us and we grow more Christ-like as our love for others increases."



The image that I was led to in the analogy of a piece of fruit helped me to see it. Exposing yourself to the negative energy of decay also gave me a vivid picture of how much bad company corrupts good character. Always learning with these little tidbits.

I have had good opportunities this week to first of all feel God's love and then to instead of "hiding my light under a bushel" move out into the world and shine a bit. I have been spending way to much time withdrawing from the world these past few years. It was so obvious to me the minute I moved out of my safe,non stressful place I have been stagnating in. The enemy wants nothing better than to render you useless and that's kind of how I've been feeling lately. Your life is so full in the beginning with children and careers and all the planting going on(there's that image of seed to fruit again) and then what happens? Fruit is formed but doesn't grow and stays green and eventually falls off the tree and rots. I feel like God is saying, "get a hold of yourself and remember who you are. You come from a royal lineage,predestined to do great things for My Glory. Keep moving, keep growing and I'll tell you when to stop which will be when you're ready to leave this world and you get to experience first hand that Glory you got a taste of the other day." It's kind of hard to let your light shine which in turn reflects the sun/Son when you hide in the shadows and don't take risks. What does that all mean......I don't know for sure. In hindsight it will probably all make sense. I'm just expressing what He's showing me for today and hope it blesses someone else as well.

ROTTEN APPLES

Well for some reason this week God is speaking to me about what exactly happens when a rotten apple is able to co-exist with it's fellow apples as in the familiar phrase of how "one rotten apple will spoil the bunch." I thought it a strange topic at first but once again confirmations come at me right and left so I listen carefully to those confirmations and ultimately end up with something to write about. This seems to be working well for me and I trust that God is leading me always towards my growing up in Him.

So what exactly is the scientific explanation of what happens when your nice big bowl of fruit succumbs to this process of decay?

"This occurs because the rotting apple gives off a gas called ethylene, which speeds the ripening of the other apples in the fruit. Ethylene production can also be induced by a variety of external aspects such as mechanical wounding and environmental stresses. Ethylene gas in biology, is known as a hormone. Hormones, as they do in humans, cause growth."

Interesting to see the connection of decay and then breakdown that is at work in all of God's life. I think this topic came up because of a discussion on the fear of some individuals being susceptible to friends of theirs that are walking in dangerous areas.....drugs, loose morals,denouncing Christ as the only way to salvation. Can they stand firm in their walk with God without this negative influence affecting them? That is always every parents biggest fear....peer pressure that can raise it's ugly head in children as well as adults. It must be an important issue, as there is much spoken on this topic in Scripture:

Be not deceived, bad company corrupts good morals
(Proverbs 4:14)

* Don't be spending your time with someone who's angry or hot tempered or you may become like that yourself. (Proverbs 22:24)

* Don't answer a fool regarding his own foolishness because you may end up like him. (Proverbs 26:4)

* Don't spend time with those who are foolish or eventually you won't be able to discern knowledge. (Proverbs 14:7)

If you are in the company of those who are wise, you will gain wisdom. If you are in the company of those who are evil, you too will become evil. (Proverbs 13:20)


The Bible tells us that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. God’s ultimate aim for us is spiritual growth. His goal is to transform us into the express image of His Son Jesus Christ. The main reason that God will start to take out the friends in your life that He does not want you to have is because some of these people may be negative influences in your life and hinder your own growth. The pressure to conform is so hard, especially in young people. Having friends and being accepted is such a huge mountain to climb. I feel all my kids have gone through some form of this and even now I still feel that they walk the middle of the road sometimes just to be a part of the accepted group.

God will not put up with this, and He will remove these bad influences out of your life if you enter into this full surrendered walk with Him. For those who are married and have children - it is the same thing when you do not want your children hanging out with other children who you know would be a bad and negative influence on your child. You know that if your children start hanging out with the wrong type of crowd, they can become very easily corrupted in a very short period of time. It would be comforting to believe that if they have received Christ they are strong enough to stand their ground but there is a growing up process going on physically and spiritually. We go from infant to young men to adults and along these growing years is where maturity happens. At some point I think you do reach a place of maturity where you are not easily swayed but it takes time.

Ephesians 4:13
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

We are all operating at different levels of spiritual development with the Lord. God knows best as to who would be best suited for you at the level of spiritual development that you are currently operating at with Him. I have always been a person with a few very close friends, even in high school. When God does bring in these types of special friends to share your journey with, they become real treasures! They might be with you throughout your life or maybe just for a season but I trust that each interaction has a purpose.

Sadly, what you will find out very early on, is just because someone may be a saved and born again Christian does not mean this person has their act together in the Lord. Some people have become too judgmental and too critical in their walk. Some have become too arrogant and pompous, thinking that they have all the answers to everything. God will always be fine tuning us in how to walk in the Spirit. I know sometimes my kids think that is where I am coming from and I am trying to stay strong in what I believe,share who I am in Christ with them and hope that it doesn't come off that way but I know it probably does sometimes and I ask God and them to forgive me. When someone says that they see something different in me, I only hope that it is Christ that they see.

I pray that God will bring the right people into their lives at the right time. How He gets you to meet some of these people in the first place is exciting. Some of these interactions are quite incredible, as most of these people will be total strangers to you until God moves in to match the two of you up. I just took a new job the other day and was so delighted to meet a new Christian woman in real estate, also expecting her first grand child in a few months. It was kind of a confirmation that this is where God wanted me for now. The possibilities are endless as to where these people may come from and I've come to realize that these kindred Spirits can come from anywhere and at anytime - so keep your radar up, as you never know when God may move to bring one of them into your life.

We are so praying for our children to find these prayer partners, kindred spirits, forever friends, "good apples" in their early adult years. To have friends that share your faith, that will pray for you when things get tough and stand with you through thick and thin is truly a blessing. Dividing yourself between who you are in Christ and who you are in the secular world is tricky. Only in Christ is there power to defeat the enemy and I believe it's only purpose on earth is to stop the spread of the gospel. The gas that is released from the apple, quickly does it's job on a bowl of fruit and the negative energy of an ungodly person has the same effect.....decay!

Feel like I wrote this for someone.....it's just what was on my mind.

HOLDING ON FOR DEAR LIFE

I said this to myself this week. Just marveling at what the meaning of that phrase is. It can at first bring images of panic as if your world is caving in and you are hanging on by a thread and then when I put the emphasis on "dear life", I felt a soothing double emotion of safety and protection. I've been a little stumped this week with my conversations with the Lord. I wasn't paying careful attention and He wasn't speaking. Distractions were everywhere and even a few ill feelings trying to defend myself with one of the children. I have a tendency to make the world look dangerous because indeed I think it is a very dangerous world but after spending many years preaching the "it's all good" message to my family, I get challenged every once in awhile.

It's a very different world these days and myself and many others are sensing there might be a time coming soon where God says, Enough...and so the end times will begin. According to one member of the family, I am not practicing what I preach when I react to the fear mongers that are everywhere on the internet. So today as I look for your nudge God, You ran Psalm 16 across my path and there was my confirmation in the first verse. This translation is from The Message:

Keep me safe, Oh God
I've run for dear life to you.
I say to God, "Be my Lord!"
Without you, nothing makes sense.

And these God-chosen lives all around
what splendid friends they make!

Don't just go shopping for a god.
God's are not for sale.
I swear I'll never treat god-names
like brand-names.

My choice is you, God, first and only.
And now I find I'm your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
And then you made me your heir!

The wise counsel God gives when I'm awake
is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I'll stick with God;
I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go.

I'm happy from the inside out,
and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell-
that's not my destination!

Now you've got my feet on the life path,
all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
I'm on the right way.

LOVED THAT!! Needed that. It doesn't take much to push me forward and most of the time it's a stone thrown that makes me leap ahead and duck for safety. I am quick to anger but in that anger I reevaluate and focus on the Truth of the matter. Everyone has to find their own truth and the hard part as a mother is to not drown out another's voice.
Who am I but a small reflection of the bigger picture. I've always loved this line from a William Alexander Percy poem that came to mind:

"I have a need of silence and of stars.
Too much is said too loudly. I am dazed.
The silken sound of whirled infinity
Is lost in voices shouting to be heard."

On Wednesday when Suzanne and I prayed, I felt sure I heard the words, Relax and Trust. You never know what that implies....where that direction will take you and tonight as I make peace with my unseen foe, I see that there is somewhat of a duel message here. I am for sure hanging on to "dear life" and at the same time learning how to relax and trust.

"Ever since you took my hand
I'm on the right way."

As a mother all I want to be sure of is that He has their hands.

Setting My Faith

After a busy week with much activity going on in both of our lives, Suzanne and I spent most of our time together Wed. morning discussing the events of the week. As I look back over what was said I think the question of how God touches the lost world through Christ's life in us, might be the message He will be using for me to focus on this week . We both discussed friends that were caught up in lifestyles that in our eyes would not be pleasing to the Lord. Both of these people are not believers but both people are friends that we love and respect and so how you relate to them when your foundations are so contrary is an important issue. I will wait to hear what you have to say about these interactions God and why you would want to discuss this with me.

Since last week You drove home the point of what faith actually is, I am thinking this week that in relation to being a living witness to people in my circle of life that do not know how to operate in this realm, the point would be..... how is that glow of faith's reflection made visible?

This came my way this morning, written by David Wilkerson,that gave me some insight:

"When I can rest through storms, when I have cast every burden on Christ and I hold my faith position, then I have obtained a “good report.” I am becoming a beacon of hope to those around me. Those who watch my life at home, at work and on my block may not respond openly. But they will know there is hope and redemption available to them. They can look at me in my hour of crisis and say, “There is hope! There stands someone who has not lost faith in God. There is a fighter who will not quit. He trusts his God!

As calamities increase, and the world falls into great distress, the believer’s response must be a testimony of unwavering faith. We have the Holy Spirit abiding in us, and we have the Bible, the fully revealed Word of God. We cannot boast in our own flesh, but we can lean on His Word.

I still have so much to learn about “setting my faith.” But I have tasted the victory that comes when I trust the Lord in all things, when I purposefully lay all my burdens on Christ and go my way at rest."


Setting my faith.....I like that. God you really are talking to me this way and I love the anticipation of what You are up to. I am learning to hear Your voice by being observant to the day to day, moment by moment earthly voices that pass before me. You are so invisible and seemingly out of reach but you have given us the Holy Spirit made possible through Christ and you have given us each other for strength and encouragement......if we only have ears to hear and eyes to see what is right in front of us.

Tonight is the memorial service for one of our dear friends that was killed last week in a car accident. This will be a difficult evening for all of his family and friends. He was not a believer in the gift of Salvation but he was a good man. His death has had a tremendous effect on me in exactly what God has been discussing with me this week...how we reflect God's presence to the world when it's all said and done. I woke up at 4:30 this morning with no question that God was beckoning me to get up and "let's talk". I curled up in the bed in our guest room and opened my Bible to Psalm 15 and got great comfort from David's words:

"Lord,who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?

He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
and has so slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe
against the innocent.

He who does these things will never
be shaken."

And I have to add that none of that is possible without the perfect Life of God that so graciously has been given to us through Christ. I couldn't make it one day in my own strength and thank goodness I don't have to. I really sense God telling me to stop and smell the roses.....they are all around you. God isn't concerned with outward appearances, or religious symbols and rituals. The only thing that matters to God is our faith in Jesus Christ, and the way that it is put into practice in our lives.

Next Wednesday, when Suzanne and I meet, is still a few days away.
What more do you have for me Lord?

The Muscle Of Faith

Every Wednesday at 6:30am,my friend Suzanne and I meet together via the telephone to pray for our families and share what God has been doing throughout the week. There can be no doubt about it that the topic of conversation last week was Faith. Seems like a common aspect of our walk with God but for some reason today after discussing all the ups and downs a few of our children are walking through, the thought popped into my mind...could faith operate somewhat like a muscle? There could be no debate on the fact that a muscle needs to be worked in order for it to perform it's function so the first thing I did was look up the actual definition of a muscle to see if I could see the correlation.

mus.cle
noun-a band or bundle of fibrous tissue in a human or animal body that has the ability to contract, producing movement in or maintaining the position of parts of the body.

verb-move an object in a particular direction by using one's physical strength.

I soon found out that I am not the first one to come across this revelation, as my research produced many things written along the same lines. But what exactly is God telling me about faith in my walk with Him and almost as a answer to my question, I noticed that throughout the week everywhere I looked I saw a message pertaining to this topic. Even the apostles said unto the Lord..."Increase our faith" in a chapter of Luke. So I'm getting the picture that the Lord might be speaking to me about the increase of my faith. I'm curious now to think that if I visualize faith like a muscle that maybe giving that muscle a workout might be of some benefit to my soul. The opposite of faith is doubt,fear and worry and I can attest to the fact that I swing back and forth much to often.

How else can this muscle of faith be developed unless it is put to the test in what I call the issues of life which we all wrestle with on a daily basis. We would love for our faith to move mountains but what about the the little things, the day to day worries such as getting from point A to point B, or to know that your finances will carry you through the month or that a sick child will be made well? Jesus said "if your are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in the greater things too". Faith is not magic. It has taken me many years of dependency on a God I can't see or hear to trust His word. One issue after another provides me the opportunity to lean on Him and acknowledge His ways and sure enough, He has never failed me.

The Psalms say that the Lord is our refuge, a light and our salvation but I think what is going on has more to do with our participation rather than us just sitting silently by waiting for God to take care of our every need. When Jesus said in Matthew 7 to "Ask,seek,knock and the door will be opened" that implies a forward motion, a movement on our part, a strengthening of the muscle to gain the victory. The exercise of that faith muscle makes the difference in what ever issues you are facing. Is there anything truly worthwhile in life that has been won without an effort? I guess once we know we have done all we can do, we then stand still and watch and wait.

This morning God spoke to me about an interesting way of communication with Him that I never thought about before. Throughout these past months of my prayer time with Suzanne we marvel at how God leads our conversation and has us discussing what He wants us to pray about. Since this topic of faith was so vividly real to me last week and it was no coincidence that every day I was being presented with yet another nugget of information on my original question, I decided to start a journey of a "one on one" with God in this same way and write about it so I can look back and read the writing on the wall. I have asked God to reveal what He wants to discuss with me each week; what does He want to show me, teach me, grow me up in? What areas of my life do I need discipline in and I will in faith be expecting His reply.

Here I am Lord, speak to me!!!