I have been going through 60 years of clutter. It is not like the shows about HOARDING, but still it is a lot more than necessary. Over the past 5 years or so, I have managed to get it down to part of one room.
It is still a lot. The habits that got me to the point of collecting stuff that I now regard as pretty much useless have gone by the wayside as I have aged.
The stuff I thought I would save for my child for when he grew up and married has pretty much been pared down to what I gave him and his new wife for a wedding present. The broken toys I kept to fix when I had the time have finally (after 25 years) been discarded. The material I bought to make him some play clothes will either be sold in my yard sale or made into something very different. As time passed and several moves around the country took place, stuff got packed away only to resurface long after the need for it had passed. So, now I have it and knowledge. I have the knowledge that it is no longer needed.
About 15 years ago, we had a bonfire. We were burning debris from the lot that we acquired for our trailer. My spiritual life had taken a turn for the better in February of 1992. I came to know THE LORD JESUS CHRIST as my personal Saviour. It was now March 1993. When the fire was started, I added books to the mix and there were many, about 6 moving boxes full and more. Most were science fiction and there were other non-Christian books as well. I even had a satanic bible.
As the fire started burning, my husband got a call to go to work. There was a 10 foot or more wide fire break around the stuff being burned. The pile itself was about 20 feet in diameter and probably 6 feet or higher in the middle. If you have ever burned a stack of paper or books, you know that they have to be separated in order to burn completely. There was no cause for concern about the fire getting away from the lot nor burning anything down and my in-laws said they would watch the fire for us since they lived next door to the empty lot.
We were not able to stay and watch the fire, but I was going to go back the next morning to check on it and restart it. I knew all those books would not be burned completely. When I arrived the next morning, there was nothing there. It did not even look like anything had been burned. There were no books, no portions of books, there was nothing left, not even an ash pile.
My assumption, after quizzing everyone who lived next to the property, was (and still is) that THE LORD sent a HOLY fire which consumed everything. No one saw the fire that consumed. It was amazing. It was unexplained. No fire department put out the fire. It simply came. It burned what was necessary. It did the job and stopped. There was no explosion. There was no wind. There was no rain. There was not a cloud in the sky for days. There was nothing remarkable except that it happened.
My heart wanted to rid my self, my mind and my heart of the trash that I had accumulated. I wanted to obey THE LORD and keep the distracting things of the world away from me and I could not in good conscience give those books away nor could I donate them to the library. If they were not fit for me to keep, they were not fit for anyone else, particularly the unsaved.
Somehow, I have lost that single-minded desire. I have not strayed into sin, but still the first blush of new love has left and it is tough to regain. I know whom I love, but the flesh is weak. The Spirit longs for the time spent with my Saviour, learning about HIM, following HIM. I allowed too much to come between us. It was work. It was family. It was even church work. I had less and less time for HIM.
Scripture tells us that the time will come when there is a falling away. I often wonder exactly what that means. I have heard several explanations, but I wonder if it is not more personal.
I must return to my purging. Maybe that will help rid myself of wasted time.
Shalom. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Do You Feel Safe?
A friend of mine went to a celebration of 67th wedding anniversary. What a commitment!
What makes a strong relationship? From my experience it is not through experimentation. It is not through jumping the gun and becoming intimate at the drop of a hat. One night stands and multiple marriages do not foster good relationships.
Patience, waiting until marriage to share yourself with someone, is a big item. Did I wait? No. I had more than one marriage and I can tell you all the things you can do to mess things up. The biggest one is throwing away a gift that you have to give and can give only once. Yes, I am talking about your virginity. It is something that once you lose you can never get back. You can never give it twice. Once it is gone, it is - gone. The same is true for a man.
When you do find the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, do you want to go to your marriage bed with all the dreams and aspirations of everyone you have previously had sex with? Or, do you want to share the newness of life and all the dreams to come with one person?
The problem today is that virginity is not highly regarded. It is often regarded as a nuisance to be dispensed with as soon as one finds a willing "partner." It is thought of as outmoded. It is old fashioned. It is unnecessary. We have lost the value of love. We often regard sex as simply a way to release frustration and we lose the closeness and the wonder of it all.
We have lost that feeling of safety. What if this one is the same as all the rest? How many have there been? Two? Three? Five? Ten? Twenty-five? A hundred? How does one feel safe when one knows what he or she has done and is secretly wondering if the other has done the same, more or less?
How do you feel safe when you are wondering if they will be there in the morning? How do you feel safe wondering if you need to get checked for STDs? How do you feel safe wondering if they will share your pillow talk with their co-workers or team-mates?
Do you physically share yourself on the first date? Maybe the second date? Maybe without a date? Did you get their name?
It really is not a matter of what makes you feel good right now. Ice cream makes me feel good, but I have not formed a life-long commitment to it.
Where do you get your advice for maintaining a relationship? Do you get it from other people with failed relationships or do you go to someone who has a long term marriage?
Do you keep doing the same thing with every man or woman you meet? Do you expect different results? Have you had a psych evaluation? If you do the same thing over and over and expect different results, then maybe you need to have your head examined. That is the true meaning of insanity. It is also what the US government does each year. You see what kind of mess we are in as a result. The same thing is true with relationships.
If you have been having sex with all your mates and it is not working, that ought to tell you something. Sex, good, bad or indifferent, is NOT the way to get a long term relationship started. Even if you have been doing it for years, you can put on the brakes and do things differently. It is not going to hurt you to try. You are not doing so great as it is. It worked for me.
My husband and I have celebrated our 19th year together as husband and wife. We were living together when I got saved. At that moment, I said we would not be together again until we got married. It was not a problem for me. My husband (then lover) was confused, but willingly went along with my desire to remain totally sex free until we were married. At that time, we had lived together for almost 2 years.
When he asked me why, I told him that GOD did not like what we were doing and it had to stop. Period, end of discussion. I thought it would be horrible. It was not bad at all. It was refreshing to know that I could have a man interested in something other than that and really, truly know for sure.
We are human beings with control over ourselves. We are not animals. We know the difference between right and wrong and we can control our emotions and our physical desires. You can do it. It is not the end of the world to wait for sexual expression and to only have it within marriage. In fact it is much, much better than without a secure marriage. The flesh does not have to have control over us.
You can feel safe in a relationship, but you have to know your boundaries. Holding hands leads to hugging which leads to kissing which leads to touching things that are better left alone until after marriage.
If a man or woman tells you that they do not want to be intimate until after marriage, respect that and wait. It will not kill you. It will help. Follow Scriptural guidelines for relationships and it will be better. It worked for me. My only regret is that this revelation came so late in life.
Shalom. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
What makes a strong relationship? From my experience it is not through experimentation. It is not through jumping the gun and becoming intimate at the drop of a hat. One night stands and multiple marriages do not foster good relationships.
Patience, waiting until marriage to share yourself with someone, is a big item. Did I wait? No. I had more than one marriage and I can tell you all the things you can do to mess things up. The biggest one is throwing away a gift that you have to give and can give only once. Yes, I am talking about your virginity. It is something that once you lose you can never get back. You can never give it twice. Once it is gone, it is - gone. The same is true for a man.
When you do find the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, do you want to go to your marriage bed with all the dreams and aspirations of everyone you have previously had sex with? Or, do you want to share the newness of life and all the dreams to come with one person?
The problem today is that virginity is not highly regarded. It is often regarded as a nuisance to be dispensed with as soon as one finds a willing "partner." It is thought of as outmoded. It is old fashioned. It is unnecessary. We have lost the value of love. We often regard sex as simply a way to release frustration and we lose the closeness and the wonder of it all.
We have lost that feeling of safety. What if this one is the same as all the rest? How many have there been? Two? Three? Five? Ten? Twenty-five? A hundred? How does one feel safe when one knows what he or she has done and is secretly wondering if the other has done the same, more or less?
How do you feel safe when you are wondering if they will be there in the morning? How do you feel safe wondering if you need to get checked for STDs? How do you feel safe wondering if they will share your pillow talk with their co-workers or team-mates?
Do you physically share yourself on the first date? Maybe the second date? Maybe without a date? Did you get their name?
It really is not a matter of what makes you feel good right now. Ice cream makes me feel good, but I have not formed a life-long commitment to it.
Where do you get your advice for maintaining a relationship? Do you get it from other people with failed relationships or do you go to someone who has a long term marriage?
Do you keep doing the same thing with every man or woman you meet? Do you expect different results? Have you had a psych evaluation? If you do the same thing over and over and expect different results, then maybe you need to have your head examined. That is the true meaning of insanity. It is also what the US government does each year. You see what kind of mess we are in as a result. The same thing is true with relationships.
If you have been having sex with all your mates and it is not working, that ought to tell you something. Sex, good, bad or indifferent, is NOT the way to get a long term relationship started. Even if you have been doing it for years, you can put on the brakes and do things differently. It is not going to hurt you to try. You are not doing so great as it is. It worked for me.
My husband and I have celebrated our 19th year together as husband and wife. We were living together when I got saved. At that moment, I said we would not be together again until we got married. It was not a problem for me. My husband (then lover) was confused, but willingly went along with my desire to remain totally sex free until we were married. At that time, we had lived together for almost 2 years.
When he asked me why, I told him that GOD did not like what we were doing and it had to stop. Period, end of discussion. I thought it would be horrible. It was not bad at all. It was refreshing to know that I could have a man interested in something other than that and really, truly know for sure.
We are human beings with control over ourselves. We are not animals. We know the difference between right and wrong and we can control our emotions and our physical desires. You can do it. It is not the end of the world to wait for sexual expression and to only have it within marriage. In fact it is much, much better than without a secure marriage. The flesh does not have to have control over us.
You can feel safe in a relationship, but you have to know your boundaries. Holding hands leads to hugging which leads to kissing which leads to touching things that are better left alone until after marriage.
If a man or woman tells you that they do not want to be intimate until after marriage, respect that and wait. It will not kill you. It will help. Follow Scriptural guidelines for relationships and it will be better. It worked for me. My only regret is that this revelation came so late in life.
Shalom. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Appointment.
Appointments are meetings that we have intentionally made because we intend to keep them. But what about the appointments that are made for us?
THE LORD makes appointments for us more often than we will ever know. HE puts us in motion and nudges us in the right direction.
I know HE does. I had one of those appointments today.
I am not inclined to pick up people walking along the highway, particularly men. Today became one of those rare exceptions.
I was driving east on Highway 98 this morning. I saw a man walking slowly. He had a backpack and his long sleeved shirt was tied around his waist. He was wearing a T-shirt or tank top and long pants. He walked as though he were about to collapse. As I approached him, I saw him stop, lean forward and put his hands on his legs just above his knees. He looked like he was about to pass out.
This all happened in a populated, industrial area and it occurred to me if he fell over, surely someone would see him and give him a hand. So, I did the Christian thing and drove past. The next 2 or 3 miles were filled with unease.
What if:
a) Everyone did what I did - passed him up thinking someone else would help him?
b) He really did collapse and no one saw him and he's laying in the ditch?
c) He's a serial killer - NAH! If he is, he's too worn out to hurt me. I think I'm bigger than he is anyway.
So, while pondering the what ifs, I found the next intersection and went back to see what had happened to the man. I saw him walking, more like trudging. I pulled over to the side of the road and parked waiting for him to catch up. While he walked toward the van, I studied him and I once again asked THE LORD if I really was supposed to do this.
When the man came close, I got out of the van and approached him. The scariest thing about him was that he smelled of cigarettes. He was obviously in need of a bath but he did not smell like it. He looked like he was just worn out. I asked him where he was going and he told me to his sister's house just down the road a ways. (In the country that phrase can mean anywhere from a hundred yards to a hundred miles.)
There was an odd peace about him, or maybe it was simply the presence of THE LORD. The man told me his name was Bo and he had been walking from south Louisiana, easily a hundred miles (and I grouse about having to park too far away from the door of the mall). He said that he did not do drugs nor drink and there was a child like honesty that made me believe him. He told me a couple of stories about law enforcement who had given him rides to county lines after frisking him and asking the usual questions.
He talked, with no ill will, of one who had taken advantage of his circumstances and not paid him for work done. He spoke with pride of having his own food and not having to beg. He was self-sufficient in his own way. He had very little more than the clothes on his back and the few things in his back pack which included his Bible.
I had to ask him about his soul and asked if he had a relationship with THE LORD. He said, "Oh, YES Ma'am! I read my Bible every night before I go to sleep." Last night he had slept in a pine thicket just off the road.
Please pray for Bo. I know he needs prayer. He is looking for work. He is staying with his sister and his sister is ill. THE LORD knows their names and what they need. HE provided my van to take this man a little closer to home. HE will provide. HE provided for me so I would be there in the right place at the right time. I only had to be obedient. I had put this excursion off for a week and when I got up this morning I just decided to go. It was all in THE LORD'S good time.
For once I feel that I kept one of THE LORD'S appointments.
Shalom. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
THE LORD makes appointments for us more often than we will ever know. HE puts us in motion and nudges us in the right direction.
I know HE does. I had one of those appointments today.
I am not inclined to pick up people walking along the highway, particularly men. Today became one of those rare exceptions.
I was driving east on Highway 98 this morning. I saw a man walking slowly. He had a backpack and his long sleeved shirt was tied around his waist. He was wearing a T-shirt or tank top and long pants. He walked as though he were about to collapse. As I approached him, I saw him stop, lean forward and put his hands on his legs just above his knees. He looked like he was about to pass out.
This all happened in a populated, industrial area and it occurred to me if he fell over, surely someone would see him and give him a hand. So, I did the Christian thing and drove past. The next 2 or 3 miles were filled with unease.
What if:
a) Everyone did what I did - passed him up thinking someone else would help him?
b) He really did collapse and no one saw him and he's laying in the ditch?
c) He's a serial killer - NAH! If he is, he's too worn out to hurt me. I think I'm bigger than he is anyway.
So, while pondering the what ifs, I found the next intersection and went back to see what had happened to the man. I saw him walking, more like trudging. I pulled over to the side of the road and parked waiting for him to catch up. While he walked toward the van, I studied him and I once again asked THE LORD if I really was supposed to do this.
When the man came close, I got out of the van and approached him. The scariest thing about him was that he smelled of cigarettes. He was obviously in need of a bath but he did not smell like it. He looked like he was just worn out. I asked him where he was going and he told me to his sister's house just down the road a ways. (In the country that phrase can mean anywhere from a hundred yards to a hundred miles.)
There was an odd peace about him, or maybe it was simply the presence of THE LORD. The man told me his name was Bo and he had been walking from south Louisiana, easily a hundred miles (and I grouse about having to park too far away from the door of the mall). He said that he did not do drugs nor drink and there was a child like honesty that made me believe him. He told me a couple of stories about law enforcement who had given him rides to county lines after frisking him and asking the usual questions.
He talked, with no ill will, of one who had taken advantage of his circumstances and not paid him for work done. He spoke with pride of having his own food and not having to beg. He was self-sufficient in his own way. He had very little more than the clothes on his back and the few things in his back pack which included his Bible.
I had to ask him about his soul and asked if he had a relationship with THE LORD. He said, "Oh, YES Ma'am! I read my Bible every night before I go to sleep." Last night he had slept in a pine thicket just off the road.
Please pray for Bo. I know he needs prayer. He is looking for work. He is staying with his sister and his sister is ill. THE LORD knows their names and what they need. HE provided my van to take this man a little closer to home. HE will provide. HE provided for me so I would be there in the right place at the right time. I only had to be obedient. I had put this excursion off for a week and when I got up this morning I just decided to go. It was all in THE LORD'S good time.
For once I feel that I kept one of THE LORD'S appointments.
Shalom. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
We Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet!
The world is in turmoil, quite literally, this morning. The earthquake in Japan has taken a toll still undetermined. As the tsunami winds its way across the Pacific, it will create more devastation. There is no doubt that there are many dead this day that thought their whole lives were ahead of them.
They had plans to go to work. They had plans to celebrate holidays, birthdays and go to funerals of friends and relatives. They are now no longer on the earth alive. Their bodies are somewhere here on this ball of dirt, but their souls are in eternity.
The rapture did not occur. The LORD has not set HIS foot upon the mount. They are, nonetheless, gone, departed. Were they told of the impending doom?
There was virtually no warning for the earthquake, but were they warned? It is appointed unto man to die at the appointed time. We were warned thousands of years ago that man would die. We were warned after the first disobedience in the Garden of Eden. We were also given the Promise of HIM Who was to come.
We have all been warned. What we do with the warning is up to each of us. We can take it seriously and warn others or we can simply ignore the ones who stay for the earthquake party or the tsunami party. It is our duty as Christians to spread the Gospel of HIS WORK ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY AND THE RISEN MESSIAH.
Of course there is more destruction to come. The days are short. It is no longer whether we speak out or not, it is how loudly will you shout the alarm? Will we be obedient and go forth and tell the multitudes of HIS Saving Grace? Or will we be reticent and say nothing or speak so softly that no one hears?
Trust me. I fall short daily and fail to take advantage of GOD given opportunities to tell someone.
Watch the news and wonder at the magnitude of it all. There is more to come. Will it be tomorrow? Maybe next week? How about next year or next century? We do not know what moment will be our last. Do not dwell so much on what happens when the Rapture takes place as what happens when souls die without Salvation. Prophecy is a wonderful teaching tool and can be used to explain what will happen, but that soul we speak to may not be alive when that prophecy is fulfilled.
I really love books on Prophecy and discussions on the same, but what happens in that one person's life right now is what is most important to me. Pray and plead and watch your own steps that you may be in step with THE LORD.
Do not pass up an opportunity (an appointment THE LORD has given you) to pass on the Gospel. It may be that person's last chance to accept GOD's Grace.
Shalom. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
They had plans to go to work. They had plans to celebrate holidays, birthdays and go to funerals of friends and relatives. They are now no longer on the earth alive. Their bodies are somewhere here on this ball of dirt, but their souls are in eternity.
The rapture did not occur. The LORD has not set HIS foot upon the mount. They are, nonetheless, gone, departed. Were they told of the impending doom?
There was virtually no warning for the earthquake, but were they warned? It is appointed unto man to die at the appointed time. We were warned thousands of years ago that man would die. We were warned after the first disobedience in the Garden of Eden. We were also given the Promise of HIM Who was to come.
We have all been warned. What we do with the warning is up to each of us. We can take it seriously and warn others or we can simply ignore the ones who stay for the earthquake party or the tsunami party. It is our duty as Christians to spread the Gospel of HIS WORK ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY AND THE RISEN MESSIAH.
Of course there is more destruction to come. The days are short. It is no longer whether we speak out or not, it is how loudly will you shout the alarm? Will we be obedient and go forth and tell the multitudes of HIS Saving Grace? Or will we be reticent and say nothing or speak so softly that no one hears?
Trust me. I fall short daily and fail to take advantage of GOD given opportunities to tell someone.
Watch the news and wonder at the magnitude of it all. There is more to come. Will it be tomorrow? Maybe next week? How about next year or next century? We do not know what moment will be our last. Do not dwell so much on what happens when the Rapture takes place as what happens when souls die without Salvation. Prophecy is a wonderful teaching tool and can be used to explain what will happen, but that soul we speak to may not be alive when that prophecy is fulfilled.
I really love books on Prophecy and discussions on the same, but what happens in that one person's life right now is what is most important to me. Pray and plead and watch your own steps that you may be in step with THE LORD.
Do not pass up an opportunity (an appointment THE LORD has given you) to pass on the Gospel. It may be that person's last chance to accept GOD's Grace.
Shalom. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Watching Them Squirm
Unfortunately, sometimes the fleshly side overtakes and it gives some sense of satisfaction to watch someone squirm as they try to do evil to me.
I trust that THE LORD will overcome on both our counts.
Shalom. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
I trust that THE LORD will overcome on both our counts.
Shalom. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
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