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Matthew 28:20 "And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." The situation preceding these instructions was that Jesus had just risen from the grave. The guards reported this mystery of the missing body to the chief priests. Together they and the elders concocted a plan and paid off these eye witnesses to say the body was stolen. Was Jesus concerned with their false testimony? No. He ignored their doubts and gave them their job to do. hmmm... teaching them to obey... ohhhh... everything I have commanded you... Why does that always get you in an argument? I get it that very few people like their errors pointed out but for crying out loud why take it so personal? In my work environment it was found to be more effective to be "coached". This coaching was accomplished through mutual respect of experience, fact based, impersonal, ego free, "let's learn" and "move on for the better", a much more effective approach that made it a great working environment. However! Out in the real world, oh good Lord it is messy and complicated as egos run as rampant as a willful brat under the tutelage of its parents King Narcissism and Queen Vanity, the rulers of the New Age type mantras and religions. As I write this, I hear the song Kung Fu Fighting: Everybody is Kung Fu fighting, Your mind becomes fast as lightning Although the future is a little bit frightening (Little bit frightening) It's the book of your life that you're writing (Life that you're writing) Repeating on my path of late is seeing Christians dabbling in New Age. Yes. Yes it happens. New Age "sounds" about right and is not foolish enough to publicly admit "redefining" our walk with Jesus but rather "enhancing" the experience, to think outside the box. Interesting enough the new bible I purchased came in a box. Anyways then, yes there is some truth in its philosophy but only some. All things "should" be pointing to Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We are not to usurp Him, empower ourselves to do it without Him, replace Him, take His place, or to even put the focus on ourselves over Him lest we make ourselves our own idol where the hurt of transgressions, real or imagined, become our new and improved altar. Just as we are to not replace the Holy Spirit with guides or light workers. And be careful on that as there is no coming back from dissing the Counselor. Now! Just as in 1 Corinthians 5: 12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. Right! you are not to judge them! And you are to not be hanging out with them either. But this is not about judging. This is about when you hear a lie, you tell the truth. The devil himself tangled the truth of the bible and switched it over to "philosophy" against Jesus. Oh but do you just blurt it out? What happens when you do? Thats the rub and a tough spot to be in. But here's the deal... God made you the way you are for a reason. Those who do not like to hear the truth will say it is you. You said it wrong. You said it in not enough words. You said it at the wrong time. You said it. Nope. This stuff is not true either. Once a lie comes out of a mouth, they tend to keep coming. Sometimes He needs the wallflowers to hold up those walls. Sometimes He needs those boisterous to speak over the din of someones self-importance. Sometimes He needs to use where you were healed to speak life to another. Sometimes He asks you to step up out of your comfort zone to show others you really will not fall off the edge. And sometimes you just gotta say what you gotta say. In all these things, it is the thought that counts. And for heavens sake, do not stay for they inevitable arguments or debates as they too are a distraction from looking at Jesus. You have other things to do knowing that they cannot unhear what they heard and cannot unsee what they saw. Ask Him to bless it and make it to His glory and move on. You did what you could and that will shine brightly when you see Him on your own one on one with Him. You tried. Even the disciples bore this burden and gave the divine appointed instructions described in Titus 3:9 " But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. (10) Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. (11) You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned." Blessings to you till I see you on the other side. In the meantime, wrestle with the angels. At least they will bless you.

Late last night my dreams were distressing. I awoke from a horrible one and got up and prayed for God to take full control over my thoughts as I slept. I walked back to bed and picked up my phone to see what time it was. As I did, its screen light came on and illuminated an angel standing guard next to me! Made me jump!! I laid back down thinking to Jesus “good! thank you!” And it was a silent night! Holy night! with a radiant hosts causing all to be calm the rest of the night.

The Bible speaks often of a contrite heart. In Isaiah 66:2, the Lord says, “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” If you have to be told to make amens, does it count as the same?

This just in… a query of the gift of observation. 1 John 4:16 We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him. What have you observed in the faith of others that has changed or enhanced yours? For me… the biggest thing that impacts my faith for the deeper appreciation of His mercy is in observing the harshness of the “rule followers” or those bound by legalism. I see in their practice they have put God in a box… which they control. Love One Another John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The season of holidays are upon us and its a time of sad vs happy which triggers the fixers to step up, And an interesting observation on these people called "fixers” arose again. fixers: defined as “A fixer is a person who carries out assignments for someone else or who is good at solving problems for others. The term has different meanings in different contexts.” In this context today a fixer is defined as those that wear their heart on their sleeve and strive to minimize others struggles. Here is the issue with a fixer… they tend to intervene for God by going in to situations willy-nilly without checking with Him first and get hurt or aggravate an already unstable situation. Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verses 1-8: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven… To the fiixers... go easy on yourself, check in with God and wait on His answers allowing God to be God, for there is only one savior, Jesus. And when He urges you to step in, go for it knowing you have Heavens protection and promises at your fingertips!! And lastly, to the fixers... good on you and your big hearts!! You bring the grace of God to real life! Don’t quit! But let God clear the way to protect you please. ❤️ You are loved and needed!❤️ ps.., In Acts 16 today our bible time reflected on how Paul and his companions were stopped from going ahead by the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and were sent elsewhere where they spoke with to a group of women instead. There in the group was a woman named Lydia whom God had made ready to receive His word. It’s all in the plan! whats the big deal? Lydia’s conversion marks the start of a new epoch in the Bible. Up to that point, the gospel had not gone further west than Asia Minor. In fact, on this journey, Paul’s original intention had been to stay in Asia, but God had changed his plans. The Lord sent Paul a vision calling him westward across the Aegean Sea and into Macedonia ( Acts 16:6–10 ). Lydia, although a native of Asia Minor, is the first person recorded to have been saved in Europe.

“Only the eyes of your heart can perceive spiritual realities.” #SarahYoung A closed heart will only see the mundane. Jesus teaches us to go beyond and see into the reality of His Spirit. Amen. “Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 i have to share! this morning I got up, walked into the laundry room to feed Charly and saw his water bowl was still pretty full so oddly enough I had the never before feeling to pour the rest of my nights water bottle into it and set it on the washer as I put food in his other bowl. I know more than set it on their when an angel knocked it over and it landed on my foot! Ow that hurt! I then heard “dominion! everything deserves fresh water.” My takeaway on this… we can do better as His stewards. I am okay. Angels mean only to get our attention and never to maim 😂

What artwork helped you discover hidden meaning in your life? I don’t think there was any one creation or moment that helped me discover hidden meanings in my life. I’ve toured the art shows, museum’s, including the Louvre, and nothing ever reached out to me for a second look. It was more of a sequence of events that caused me to turn away from art. It was in this loss that I found out just how much I needed the outlet to create. I tried to feed this need by taking it out on flipping houses, interior design, manufacturing design and random corporate arts and crafts stuff but it was just settling. When I finally turned back to getting my fingers in the oils and turning my being loose onto my own canvases that I am finding me and what makes me tick.

I prayed, as always, before my sweet student arrived for our painting session that the results of it would be a blessing to all involved and intended. She painted. I coached. We talked. We laughed. It is as always a treat to commune with a like hearted soul. It was only after the picture was completed that I was shown from the Holy Spirit why it was chosen to be painted by this particular Miss Ayla for her family. Even though the mom thought it was she who picked out the subject matter, this piece changed and evolved into something similar yet different. It is no surprise to me that God will have His way to get His message delivered. He always does. He always will. I count on it. The message...the blue and green section represents their world, a seemingly small but yet very important part in the big picture of eternity. Swimming about are three symbols of the Christian fish representing the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in every area of their lives. At the top is the 5 pointed crown of His glory as it is bestowed upon this family as in 1 Peter 5:4 "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." And those five squares on the top left? Oh so significant because His creation, the ‘man’ has five fingers, five senses and five toes and it is the number of God’s grace. There are five great mysteries: Father, Son, Spirit, Creation and Redemption. Oh but it is the twelve stripes that stand out loud and proud and represents those He calls His own and shall claim Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Nothing is random in Jesus.

I recall an older sitcom where the stereotyped ditzy blonde was being prepared to be on a television game show. And for every useless piece of information she gathered in to her mind in order to win, she lost a piece of useful information. By the end of the show she could barely remember to tie her shoes yet she won the grand prize of something like four years worth of canned tuna fish. Sad. I would have much preferred canned chicken myself The apostle Paul said, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things and the God of peace will be with you" Philippians 4:8. That being said it also says in John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." I was reading that "of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has many functions, roles, and activities. First, He does a work in the hearts of all people everywhere. Jesus told the disciples that He would send the Spirit into the world to “convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” John 16:7-11. The Holy Spirit's primary task is in coming to glorify Christ. PoW! “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:14). So you have all heard that "God is a jealous God" right?! Did you know, even though well intended, you actually grieve the Holy Spirit when you fill your conversations and prayers for others with stories and glories about the tribulations sent in affliction from the evil one. WHAT! ?! ummm... yes. Paul tells us not to "grieve the Holy Spirit" meaning "to pain, to hurt, to cause sorrow". When we as Christians allow negatives to be such a big part of our life, God is hurt and the indwelling Holy Spirit is affected by this attitude. And you are in the lineup to be put into a serious timeout. When one asks for prayer, pray to Jesus for them. Give Him the top billing as well as the total package. Do not make the whole prayer in honor of the devil and all the things that are wrong or going wrong. Hence the series of the Lessons from the Jars! Jars Yes! The canning season is upon us and just as we put up seasonal goodies for the winter ahead it’s also a good time to remember to lay up our treasure in heaven. And with the right spices, accurate amounts and time and patience the pantry can be laid in waiting like treasures in Heaven. So here's the deal... "check yourself" the Father says. "Put yourself together a swear jar. And start owning your conversations." For every time you speak of the devil or His minions, add coins to the jar. ​​If you are talking about him how an you be talking about Jesus. And really, would you like it if your spouse spoke so often of their ex? It is to be to Christ be the glory. Only. Forever and ever. Amen. PS... the "I CANNOTs" cost double. And it looks like this story just cost me $2.

Mark 3:28-29 says, “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.” The Holy Spirit is our counselor, at our invitation, helping us open our eyes, to urge us into repentance, and to point our walk always in alignment to Jesus. You disrespect Him… you basically just shot the messenger…and yourself. The point to ponder on is just how far off track did one get in their sinning that hardened their heart to stoop so low? Or how naive must one be to think that Gods grace is a given? “If by God’s grace you can repent today of your sin, do it now, because you may not be able to tomorrow.”

I wait. On the Father. The creator of all including me and everything about me. In Exodus it says “… 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds …”. When I am led to create, I create at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And when I am at told to rest. I rest. In my rest, it is my time to seek Him more. To love His more. It’s my time to give back. To practice the next step in becoming more like Him. And then ta-ta-dah! The paintings begin again. Better. Deeper. More.

I have been in ongoing prayer vigil/battle (25+ years) with another that has waxed and waned over all this time to where God stepped in and said “enough!"and put us both in a time out. And it’s been going well. Personal and spiritual growth is apparent which is a given when you are walking by faith and feeling calm, determined and at peace, blessings happen. And then … dun-dun-dunnnnn! The past few days I was sorely tempted to contact them, I miss them and I love them. Then “weirdly” enough the face time, the texting, and the calling out all stopped working on my new phone. Everything else works but that! God is hilarious! ❤️ Message received. Into His hands I place my faith and my trust. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Thank you Jesus and forgive me for picking that back up off the cross. I give it back !!

Necessity. T he principle according to which something must be so, by virtue either of logic or of natural law. Standing in the grocery store with my long list and short budget and picking up a can of peas and it's newly updated price figuratively broke me. I stood there in well worn bell bottom jeans and a tee shirt with a sequined peace sign left over from my high school days and I cried. In that moment, over a can of processed peas, I reached the end of me. I had just moved into my one bedroom efficiency apartment with my two babies and started back to school. I gave my babies the bedroom and I slept on a camper cushion in the living room. The $25 a month awarded child support never arrived and I never counted on it. But I had my pride. I had my kids. And we would be okay. My dreams were intact. My budget was outlined. And there really wasn't a dime to spare. The biggest blessing was that a previous tenant had wired the dryer coin slot permanently to the on position saving me precious quarters every week. But we were safe and we had the rest of our lives ahead of us. Money has never come easy to me. I have had to work for everything we had. Yet we had fun. Once a week we would walk to the bakery and they could pick out any kind of treat they liked. And it was always a chocolate frosted cake donut. We walked everywhere. And we talked and we enjoyed. We had no sense how poor we were. But then that was our perspective on poverty. We stood in no soup line. We had clean clothes and water. We had a roof over our heads. Because I was on my path according to God and He saw to it that I was provided for. I suppose I could have begged others so I could have more stuff but then that would have stripped me of my self worth. Thank you Jesus and I am grateful no one disrespected my attempts. So what brings this story about? I have been solicited by many for money. Seems you ask one person on social media about their needs and bam! you are inundated with requests from all over the world for money to help them attain their goals of getting more money and stuff. After all, as an American with seemingly endless bounty, I too have been lumped into the generalization that I am a possible savior with a quicker answer to their prayers than the real Savior. I have been a giver for as long as I can remember and in the manner I was tasked by my gram to do so. "If you are going to give, don't you dare take credit for it and for heavens sake try really hard to not let anyone find out that you did! Let the glory go to God." Matthew 6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." I am well aware that my money and my stuff will not get anyone into the Kingdom of Heaven or even up the path so they can answer the door when Jesus knocks. And I see "gifting" money fundamentally disrespects the person on the receiving end and changes the nature of the relationship. It puts the giver in control and in a role that does not rightfully belong to them and it just may well stifle the message of the gospel. Are you willing to take that risk? Not me! Search your heart to see the what is at the root of your giving. Is it to gain friends and acceptance? Are you thee most popular giver ever?! Is it to become another's master so that you are able to "advise" them? Or because you are directed by the Holy Spirit Himself to do this? In that case only, then please give! give! give! But giving to appease your conscience changes the game and you will completely miss the chance to give something of infinitely more worth: genuine relationship, the kind that isn’t built overnight. It dismays me when my prayers are poo poo-ed when I respond to requests with "I can and will support you to the end of the world with my prayers". After all, do you not know who I am and that God and I are one? And we talk! And I get prayers answered all the time. Or do you not really know God? After all, He does own everything and disperses everything as He sees fit. Still after all this time I will look upon a can of peas in the grocery store and remember. We made it through, God was sufficient and I have another success story to tell. So if you ask, of course I will pray for you. And I will see you on the other side.

As I dreamed last night, I heard an alarm clock go off. And I told the Holy Spirit I am awake but “ Father why I am here?” Who do I paint for? Who do I write for? He answered, “For the 1 in 99.” I asked, “Tell me about the one.” And in my thoughts, I saw the one who was brave enough to look up as the rest were content to graze. I saw the one who wandered off looking for adventure. I saw the one who wanted more. I asked, “But I thought the 1 in 99 was about a lost sheep.” He showed me that Jesus didn’t come for just the found, but to save the lost and help those convicted to helping Him help others find His gift of salvation and bring them into God’s kingdom. He came for those who have woken up. These are those people who really get ”it.” For Him… they live to make a difference. And then I read this… about the 98? TIME TO WAKE UP - Romans 13:11 "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." God is saying, "Wake up." There is such a great need for the slumbering saint to wake up. “A man came into church and he thought he would impress his pastor, so he said, "Pastor, give me a good prayer to pray unto entering the sanctuary." The pastor knew him and knew his habits, so the pastor suggested, "Why don’t you pray, ‘Now I lay me down to sleep.’” from http://preacherscorner.org/alarm.htm