Tag Archives: God

STORYTELLER

27 Oct

“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33

From the first time I saw the Storyteller, and was told the story behind it, I have wanted one. Storytellers, carved by Native Americans, have one large person at the center, eyes closed and mouth open, and lots of little people all around it, most sitting upon the large person, listening.

In the Native American culture, the Storyteller was usually the oldest person in the tribe, male or female, who taught the history of the tribe to the children. The history was passed from generation to generation by the stories the Storyteller painted.

This little statue has always reminded me of the early Jewish culture, where fathers sat and taught their sons the lineage of their family, the words of God (the Old Testament), and primarily the Torah. The only written reminders of history, for thousands of years, were the scrolls kept in the synagogue and read by the priests to the men of age. It was the duty of the men to teach the family and to help the sons memorize the words on the scrolls.

In today’s culture we are spoiled by inexpensive Bibles, study tools, computer software, audio and video tapes. Bible memorization, other than in Sunday school classrooms, is uncommon, and essentially, not desired.

Why memorize something you can retrieve in a moments notice? The answer – relationship. Intimacy with God is never accomplished through a keyboard and a hard-drive. Intimacy with God is accomplished by knowing his story, knowing it, meditating on it, sharing it (storytelling), by putting it deep within your, and your children’s heart.

Instant coffee, instant food, instant scriptures. Lord, remind me always of the preciousness of Your Word, that I may never take it for granted. Remind me to study and read, day and night, that Your Word will be etched in my heart.

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Written 7-14-2000

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RUNNING AWAY

27 Oct

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

I have been most blessed. God has given me three wonderful boys to love, encourage, and enjoy. Each of them has a strong call of God upon their lives, all in different capacities. We call each one by the name God has placed upon our heart – Pastor Jon, Deacon Eli and Chaplain Paul. In the body of Christ, all positions are of equal importance (1 Cor 12:12), this we have shown them so that neither feels of less importance than the other.

Having children called to the ministry is a tremendous challenge. The challenge isn’t in Bible study or scripture memorization, they strive to meet those desires themselves. The challenge is in recognizing the Spiritual Warfare and the schemes of the enemy that tempt them away from the call God has upon them.

Although there are many stories of miracles and answered prayer for each of them, our greatest challenge has been with our oldest son. He is currently a teenager (written in 2000), raised most of his life in Christian education, but placed into the public school system during the 8th grade, when the Christian school he had been attending closed. Placed in an environment he had never been subjected to, the enemy tempted and attacked, stole and taunted. However difficult these trials were, they couldn’t compare to the luring and wooing that called his name.

With peer pressure and Satan’s enticing whispers, he was drawn into a life we never expected. Although the rejection of family values was difficult for us, it was the running away that tormented our family. Where was he? Was he eating? Did he have a safe place to sleep? Who is he with? Why has he left us? Doesn’t he love us anymore?

Doesn’t he love us anymore? Rejection by your own child. Harsh words and accusations fly about. Why didn’t we see this coming? Only prayer brings us peace, difficult travailing prayer. I can’t begin to explain the depth of emotions a parent goes through in circumstances such as these. Love, hope, anger, hopelessness. Faith, doubt, pain, faith. Sorrow, prayer, memories, trust.

As I prayed one night, I asked God if He could understand the special relationship that grows as you hold that baby, child, young man in your arms and protect him from every possible danger that could come against him – God showed me Jesus, sent to earth to be born in a lowly manger, vulnerable to man, protected by the angels; the same angels that he has sent to watch over my son. I asked God if He could ever understand the pain and the rejection of a child not wanting to be near you, after you’ve been his best friend for most of his life – God showed me Jesus, standing before the crowd, as they chose Barabas to live and Jesus to die. I asked God if He knew what it felt like to sit in your child’s room, empty, hollow, except for the memories that line the walls and shelves – God showed me Golgatha, and Jesus’ lifeless body on the cross. I asked God if He could understand the pain of searching every street, every car, looking closely at every child the same age and build, in hopes of seeing your child, even at a distance – God showed me the people at the cross, dividing Jesus’ clothes, cutting into His lifeless body with a spear, laughing at all He was, void of any righteousness or desire of God. I asked God if He knew what it was like, waiting for the phone to ring or the front door to open, just to hear your child’s voice calling again, waiting , praying – God opened my ears to hear Jesus’ last cry, “Why hast thou forsaken me?”

Yes, He knows. He gave His son willingly, to walk in places of evil that all may be saved, even my son. He gave His son to bring hope, life and peace, knowing the pain and agony His son had to feel before it could be done. He watched as everything His son did was rejected and scorned, even as He lay lifeless. Yes, He knows.

Then God reminded me of the many times I have turned from Him. How many times have I turned my back on the family He has placed me in? How many times have I rejected the values and desires He has placed inside me? How many times have I spoken harsh and hurting words to Him, as I ran away to a world of selfish pleasure? How many times have I simply chosen to be somewhere else instead of in the sweet relationship with my Father? How many times have I put other things, people, places before Him? How many others have done the same?

Forgive us Lord, with your unlimited mercy, for all the times we fell to temptation and disappointed You. Forgive me, Lord, for thinking that You could never understand the pain of a Mother. Remind me that you are in control of all things. Help me to trust You and run back to You all of my days.

 

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Written 7-14-2000

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TENDER BUDS

22 Oct

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:1-2

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How splendid, Lord, the flow of Your words,

Delightful, they float through my days.

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How precious the promise I carry within,

As I walk and I live in Your ways.

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How tender the souls that search for the joy,

That only Your children can know.

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How blessed the moments of sharing God’s love,

And watching those tender buds grow.

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Written 5/24/92

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ISOLATION

20 Oct

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. Psalm 91:15

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I have fallen back into myself,

It’s so comfortable there.

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I see the child

Looking for shelter, reaching out to me,

By my solitude – so precious –

Keeps me from reaching back.

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I see the man

Drinking away his pain.

“No, no, no.” I shout,

But from my safe place no one can hear,

They continue toward death.

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I see the woman

At the point of desperation

Mouths to feed, bills to pay, all alone.

I start to reach out

But in my isolation she can’t see I care.

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The pain of others so overwhelms me

That I crawl farther out of sight

To my safe place with Jesus.

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Yet in my safe place there’s a stirring

Scriptures echo in my mind

The rumbling of the Spirit bursts through bone and sinew!

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“Is this what I’ve called you to?” Cries God.

Hesitantly I look into the eyes of my Father,

He’s not angry, only hurt.

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The tenderness in His eyes draws me.

I reach for His outstretched hand,

And step back out of myself.

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In my mouth He’s placed the words that I must take,

To the Child, To the Woman, To the Man.

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The words that will turn their pain to Hope,

Their death to Life.

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The Words – The Gift – of my Father.

 

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Written 2/5/2003

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SWEET FRAGRANCE

15 Oct

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“I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.” Ezekiel 20:41

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I love flowers. I could study the simple beauty of a flower for hours – breathing in the gentle aroma that lifts from the petals. I am completely convinced that when God created the Heavens and the earth He knew I was coming and created flowers just for me!

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I most enjoy the age-old garden variety flower; the one with bugs and bees. The kind you can smell without having to bend down and stick your nose in. I grow them in pots at home, as well as in my office. Being blessed with an office window and a door to the outside, I now enjoy the fresh color every time I have to deliver a memo. God is so good!

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This last Mother’s Day I was given a carnation by a local restaurant. It was a beautiful peach color. It immediately brought back memories of buying carnations from the “Flower Children” in the 70’s and 80’s as they held their street corner stations. I quickly buried my nose in the cool petals, but was surprised and dismayed at the absence of its sweet perfume. The was no aroma – no sweetness.

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A few days later I was given a rose boutonniere, left over from an awards presentation. The leaves were perfectly formed, the bud slightly opened – the rich red petals were awesome – but no aroma.

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As beautiful as these two flowers were, there was a hollowness, an incompleteness, like a peach without flavor, or a lamp without light. The first flower I thought was an oddity, but the second was more than coincidence.

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All that week, as I passed retail flower shops, I would stop to smell the flowers – NOTHING!! “Lord,” I prayed, “where is the sweetness You created with this gift? Why is it gone?”

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The answer came as simply as asked, “There is no fragrance without the sun.”

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These plants had been grown in greenhouses, under artificial lights, in special climate controlled conditions. No warmth of the sun, or cool of the night. No rain from Heaven, just processed city water. No fragrance.

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We, too, are like greenhouse flowers. We can be beautiful to look upon, and give the “Impression” of sweetness from a distance, but without the Son, kissing us every day with His soul feeding Word, we have no sweet fragrance. Impressions only last a moment, but beauty, blessed with sweetness, will remain a pleasant memory for a lifetime.

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The Bible refers to our praise and sacrifice as a sweet savor, rising up to the nostrils of God. An eternal pleasure in God’s memory.

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Lord, let me always be a sweet savor in Your thoughts. Remind me, daily, that without the Son, and the gift He gave, there will be no fragrance.

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Written 5-23-00

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HARVEST

13 Oct

 

“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.” 

1 Peter 1:24-25

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We grow each and every day. What we will be as we grow depends upon our parentage – how we will grow and develop depends on what we allow ourselves to be influenced by.

Just as a flower, a rose will always produce a rose, a lily will produce a lily. But the strength and beauty of the plant is shaped by pure and plentiful water, as well as rich and fertile soil. A beautiful plant will wither and die without ever once producing a flower or seed when grown in a harsh dry area. A simple plant can become abundantly beautiful with special care, dropping its precious seed back into the soil as the flower dies, to produce again and again.

We make a choice – every day, every hour, every moment – as to the type of water we allow to be poured over our seed. We choose the stagnation of wicked thoughts and senseless gossip or the pure washing of the Word.

We make a choice of the ground that our seed will fall into. An arid desert where the children of Israel took 40 years to learn the greatness of God – and even then, only the children were allowed to cross over because the roots of the parents were broken off, but still firmly planted back in Egypt.

We make the choice of cultivating the soil with the rich blessings of God, as well as the truths and laws that give a firm foundation to support a healthy root. We make a choice.

Do we grasp our seed tightly in our hand so that no one else can get to it? Do we toss our seed casually aside, allowing it to fall where it will? Or do we place it carefully between our feet, to be guarded and tended until the day we must go on – and it remain.

The seed you hold is not for you. The seed you hold is not just one seed. The seed you hold is the seed of the seed it shall bear, and the seeds they shall bear, and the seeds they shall bear. Have you prepared for the harvest?

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Written 1/2/99

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GENTLE BREATH

13 Oct

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4

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A rush of angel’s wings,

Soothing,

Drawing away,

The stress of yesterday.

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Angels of protection,

Wrap your wings about,

That no evil,

May Penetrate.

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Gentle breath of God,

Wash over,

Cleanse – Fill – Release.

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Precious Holy Spirit,

Heal the broken walls,

Fill the voids,

With Your joy.

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Release Your anointing,

To bring a new walk,

Stepping in the footprints,

Of the Father.

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** Prayer – May your time with Jesus be tender, precious and everlasting. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Written 1/13/2004

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COMMUNICATION

13 Oct

Words, Actions, Prayers

 

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.   Psalms 19:14 (KJV)

Probably the most difficult challenge as human beings is communication. It would be simple if we could rely on verbal language to express everything we need to communicate, but words come with multiple meanings, sarcasm aside, and can only be truly understood with tone of voice and emotional body language.

As wonderful as email, texting and IMing is, it can be easily misunderstood. I’ve been told people don’t know if I’m angry or teasing in my emails, because they can’t hear my voice inflection; they can’t see the twinkle in the eye or the suppressed smile.

God gave us so much more to communicate with than mere words. God gave us emotions; explosive and tender. God gave us body movements to emphasize our words – but even more, God gave us touch. God gave us a tender caress, a gentle pat, a moment of understanding through direct eye contact that communicates far more than reams of paper could ever express. He gave us the ability to hold and comfort the broken, then jump and rejoice with the excited. He gave us the “parent face” to correct our children, and the “I love you” face that can be seen across crowds.

God also gave us the ability to communicate by our chosen actions. How much clearer can you communicate love than by handing a hungry child a plate of warm food? How clearer can you say you care than by putting a warm jacket or blanket around the shoulders of the homeless? How much clearer can you speak love and friendship than to sit quietly with one who grieves?

Greater yet is the communication that not only says “I care,” but says “My Father in Heaven cares and He is with you always.” Prayer is the ultimate communication because it opens the loves, desires, visions, joys, sadness, pains, illnesses, and brokenness to the one true God who can make a change. Prayer takes the situation directly to the throne room of God. We can pray alone and intercede. We can pray with the person individually. We can pray in a team or for the person in a circle. We can pray in corporate prayer, bombarding Heaving until the hand of God moves.

Communication is using the whole person (body, soul, spirit) to touch a whole person or community. It is not sterile words on a page. It is not long distance ministry – it can’t be. Communication is you and me and God intimately touching the world.

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Written 8-1-2010

 

** NOTE:  Since this was written we have been given the world of emojis and gifs!  That does help in texting and messaging, but there is still the issue with the email having a bit of confusion.

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FALLEN FRUIT

7 Oct

 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

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Stepping up to an office,

Stationed by God,

I stand in the valley of change.

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Casting down yesterday’s garments,

Putting on the mantle of righteousness,

Sending out the proclamation,

The ways of the past are cut off,

Tomorrow we walk anew.

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Many are the voices of comfort,

That come against me.

My shield drops in disappointment.

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The arrows of discontent,

And false accusation wound me,

Causing my fruit to be pierced,

And fall down around my feet.

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Then, I recognize the voice,

Not the voice of the brethren,

Only the vessel,

Confused for a season.

It is the voice of the enemy.

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I cast off hurt as I raise my shield.

Many fruit have fallen,

My branches are broken and splintered,

But next to the wounds are buds of hope,

Watered by the words of the spirit,

Preparing the branches for an abundance,

Of new fruit.

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Written 2-7-2001

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DANCE

7 Oct

Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.   Psalm 149:3

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Dance, Baby, Dance

Reach to the Sky,

Eyes set on Heaven,

Let your Fears fly.

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Drop down the grave clothes,

Shed them – break free,

New Joy – New Laughter,

Dance now for Me.

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Dance, Baby, Dance

Reach to the Sky,

Eyes set on Heaven,

Let your Soul fly.

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All chains are Broken,

Past debts are gone,

Your tears are bottled,

You’re never alone.

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Dance, Baby, Dance

Reach to the Sky,

Eyes set on Heaven,

Let your Heart fly.

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Clothed in New Garments,

Love leads your way,

God Kissed – My Daughter,

Hear what I say.

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Dance, Baby, Dance

Reach to the Sky,

Eyes set on Heaven,

Know that You’re MINE.

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Written 2-4-09

 

 

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