Monday, July 31, 2017

Thoughts....

Thoughts that I’ve Pondered in My Heart
By Nina B.

Thought
Mankind is like a tired stubborn child, who refuses to sleep or be comforted by its mother.
We strive after so many vain things that are inconsequential - that in the end, it’s total nonsense. We miss the beauty of the bigger picture? The grand scheme - to see ONE minute pixel, WE miss the Glory of God, to only see our sinful selves and call it “great” when we are nothing - not even good - no, not one.
...And we’ve been doing this from the beginning. Why can’t we simply surrender and allow God to comfort the weary child - us?


Thought
Based upon that which is temporal - mankind -
Is love always a compromise?
Is there a love, where both parties “win”? Why is it that one person often gets more than the other? Why is there always a sacrifice - usually just from one?

Thought
Based upon that which is Eternal - God
We, may never fully grasp the atonement for our sin, (I know, I don’t and therefore take it for granted). The total wrath of God was emptied onto Christ when He hung on the cross.
Jesus paid it all!
God only has love for us - no punishment - because of Jesus’ atonement - payment for our sins.
And there are folks who rather pay for themselves - Why? 
WE can’t pay the price - only Jesus can and did!



Thought
The Bible is one theme but directed at many different people. It’s like when I say something to my adult children, but say the same thing, but differently to my students, or to my friends or colleagues. It’s the same theme/topic, but different perspectives and different points to give specific understanding to various groups. For me - this is God’s Word - it’s to everyone and we’re all in different head spaces.

Thought
It’s been my observation that men, on some pretty significant occasions have placed, however, seemingly gently; women under the proverbial bus, because they lack the legs to stand.

They have used these weak, shaky legs and stood back and watched women do the work or whatever is necessary while they sometimes, most times, benefited of sorts, from the efforts of their women. However the benefits surely weren’t long lasting, nor as sweet as they thought…

However first and foremost… Let me clarify: I AM NOT A FEMINIST, nor do I enjoy emasculating or undermining men. My point with this thought is to merely state an observational epiphany of sorts, that I had back in Jan. of 2016 and wrote a note about it.
My frame of mind was in the throes of some pretty ugly life changing events… But let me start at the beginning…

Let’s take Adam and Eve
You know what happened...

Adam stood back and watched the exchange between the serpent and Eve, (which I find just crazy - she was “conversing with a serpent” - maybe this was normal, back then), and did nothing. He heard every word. He watched Eve take the forbidden fruit and didn’t once stop her, didn’t once say, “Uh sweetie,...maybe we should ask God about this one…”. He didn’t even intervene with his opinion. He just watched to see what would happen and when the expected didn’t happen - That she would drop like a lead ball through wet tissue paper…. “Oh!?! Well, maybe it is ok and God meant something different…”

Sigh!

Then she gave it to him and he didn’t question, he just thought, (or didn’t…), and said “Oh...Ok!”

This is not being a man!

Then there was Abraham, who rather than stand up and be a man for his wife, said, Sarah was his sister… which lead to very bad international affairs… What were you thinking Abraham?…And Sarah, were you going along with your husband’s idea out of obedience or what? Bottom line: Abraham, you were trusting in your own ideas rather than God’s!

Truly, these are ideas that swim in the depths of my mind when I’m idle too long...

Everyone’s favorite - poor David - he gives so much fuel for the fodder. He’d rather commit adultery and then murder than to be the man of integrity that he was supposed to be… that he could have been… A man dies, and a child… for that weakness.

I’ve got others but those make my point. There are others where men allowed women just to be the boss, (kinda like these days). And stuff got really messed up, but there are other Old and New Testament men who fall short… We live in a fallen world, so there’s much to choose from, however, we’re all broken and pretend we’re not, (which makes us crazy - it’s like trying to drink from a broken glass and saying all the time, “it’s not broken”, even with the water pouring out from the broken places…”It’s not broken...really!” -  Insanity!). Men and women - boys and girls are broken! Past, present and future - BROKEN!

But in these dark days I see men abdicating their responsibilities left and right and it’s to the point now-a-”daze” where men are expected, encouraged and are supposed to roll over and simply play dead! I recently read a tweet from a person named “Zinna” that men are supposed to get over that thing between their legs, (this is a paraphrase) - still, this is insanity!

Despite the disappointment from the men in my own family, and broken marriage, I can only pray that the legacy, the cycle - just stops. That men, my own sons, stand and be counted as men… that they look to God the Father to be their example.

Thought
The struggle with the unknown. I sometimes have a hard time seeing how the proverbial “it” all fits together. I struggle to do the right thing and walk the righteous path - and more stuff just happens - I’ll be honest sometimes I just want to stay inside and never go out. I have my art stuff. I eat simply - hard boiled egg in the morning, salmon and spinach for lunch, maybe homemade soup for dinner. I drink only water - If I want a treat I put lemon and ice in my water. I can go without sweets.

See sufficient!

I know - methinks not too. :-/

I need Jesus and He tells me to get out into the mix...

Still, God is Good. All else that this world has to offer pales greatly - even on the BEST of days, to the Goodness and Love of my Father God.

Soli Deo Gloria

Sorry that this got a bit lengthy - I should post my thoughts more regularly - or simply keep them to myself! Of course, you don’t have to read this stuff either - it would be nice if you commented. I’ll email back - I’d be honored. In the stats for the blog I can see where folks are reading - You folks in Germany, Portugal, Russia, France! I mean - who are you? Singapore? Poland? The Netherlands?! I am honored and wouldn’t mind having a dialogue.
Jesus is my favorite subject. :-)









Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Prayer: Thy Will Be Done


Prayer: Thy Will Be Done

by Nina B.



I once heard it said, from a popular evangelist, that the average Christian spends about 3-4 minutes in prayer. I don't know if this is even daily, however, the mind wanders off like a rabbit down its hole... A prayer-life gets lost.



While I don't spend time on my knees as often as I like... Let alone prostrate in awe, humbleness, fear... I do spend time in conversation with God - which seems like an endless flow of childish chatter,... Lord,... God... Father... Daddy... Please... Now... I want...
I WANT IT! NOW DADDY!
(spoken in the full rage of Veruca Salt, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
I have had my moments with my Father, in fact nearly every morning... 
One, two, three,... fifteen, sixteen,... "Lord why is my metabolism dead? ... Twenty, twenty-one, ... THIRTY! - You know you can make it work again - if You wanted to." Why isn't this working - ever! ? Am I to be stuck looking like a pear with legs" (Such a first world problem - I'm ashamed to admit it)
Lord, how long before my children come back... I invested so many nights of prayer - beseeching Your throne... Don't You see them journeying into a far country... MAKE THEM STOP! 

MAKE THEM COME BACK!

DO SOMETHING!!!  

You did.

Didn't You... 

The cross... 

I will cling to the cross, Your cross... What else is there? But still my prayers, my cries, my pleading seem to fall
                       so
                               far
                                                                                                away
                      from

       their  intended mark -                                      You,
                 Lord...

God, why don't Your people talk with You more?... Perhaps, that's why the children of Israel made their idols. They needed to see You and they hadn't an idea of how to create that which has never been seen before - like describing something to someone who's blind. Think about it... How would you describe colors, shapes can be done via touch, but so much would be lost in the translation because much of what we really see is ethereal - like a sunset... But I digress.

We don't talk with one another much, because sometimes people care very little for what people have to say. People nod their heads in agreement for stuff they know nothing about... We say "Yeah, ah-huh..." It's really crazy. We presume to know what God is thinking when we speak with Him, because we help Him out. We have all the answers and expect Him to catch up with our program... So, we really don't pray we talk at God, because a lot of times we just like to hear ourselves talk. Like baby chatter and sadly, we care little for what God has to say - His response.

Sometimes, people don't talk with God because they simply don't like His responses or lack thereof; so they avoid Him like the plague and don't pray. They have the attitude, "He doesn't say much anyway! and what He says, doesn't agree with what I'm thinking ... so...."

Sometimes they don't have the time for His responses... "Yo! God! What's Your thoughts... like, I needed Your response like weeks ago...". Hey little people - He's God - you're dust! I'm just sayin' in case you forgot

People are fearful of His response - they simply can not believe He just said what He said... remember Gilead and the fleece... I can just imagine that discourse, "No, You didn't!... Now wait just a minute there God, did You really mean what You said or were You goshin ?... Okay...just one more time.... No, no, no, really this is the last time...." 

ASIDE: I don't think God goshes/jokes. Of course, I do believe He has quite the sense of humor - Some dog owners look like their dogs. Why? Have you watched squirrels play? When you're over a certain age why does hair grow in your ears? God's humor.

Do you think God just lowers His head and shakes it sometimes - when we do pray

Sometimes it is scary praying, "Thy will be done" - especially when you want someone to get better, or... 
"Thy will be done" - you're hoping for that new next thing... 
"Thy will be done" - When you want answers to the unanswerable - stuff that has to do with other folks... 
"Thy will be done" - When you want change...

 But think about it, He's either God or not. He either has our back or He does not. He either loves us or we are to be pitied...

We either trust and believe which equals faith - Faith in God to have His own way for our good. He loves us so dearly and knows every second of our lives and knows what is best. 

It's easy to write about this stuff - Totally another thing to put it into practice. My life reads like one of those A and B novels. She took path A folks so this is how God stepped into fix that....Oh this time folks... she took path C but in the last moments changed to path B, but pulled some crazy stuff in... And God fixed that too, (she didn't even notice that He did...). He heard her cries for help and sent a response in a surprising way - she didn't understand, so she missed it. She asked.... She didn't go with His leading/God's plan... ...Sigh!

God fixes.

Prayer - Thy will be done.

If/when you pray, just trust and believe. 
Be still and wait.








Soli Deo Gloria

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Regrets


Regrets
By Nina B


Regrets are crippling.

They stop us dead in our tracks - from moving in any direction.

Think for a moment. It’s the time you should have said something… and in looking back you know the impact would have been life changing for you… for her… for him… and you didn’t say what was needed at just the right time… Instead there was silence

 
I have such regrets.
When I was a child - no longer. I was old enough to know right from wrong; but I was a brat and I said hurt-filled words that had no merit at all and I tried to justify them.
I remember it like it was yesterday.

I asked questions of the wrong person… I trusted…
Can we regret trusting a person with something valuable - surely. When in hindsight you see that they did not hold the thing with the same value as you… There’s a Proverb about misguided - misplaced trust… I didn’t know it then… I was just a kid… for such a short time...

When my mother died; at her funeral I regret not playing a song for those who attended. It was a song that I always played for her when I stayed with her… It would have been comforting. I could have shared my Jesus and I didn’t.

I regret not standing to my feet in a show of encouragement at my son’s graduation - when he tried to give his graduation speech through anguished sobs. I thought I should go to his side, but that was not needed - but something was - standing to my feet and offering my applause… was it... but I didn’t think of it until days later - I wish I shoulda done…

There are tons of  things I shoulda done, but I don’t have those deep regrets until something sparks a memory, there is that shooting hot pang of pain, you get it when you've bent over too long over something and your back aches when you straighten... or that pain that hits my heart and makes my knees go weak, (I know, heart attack!). 

I relive the experiences all over again… You do too.

My children remind me of times gone by, that I didn’t do… I can remember too - sometimes,... ...of the times that I forgot, or I never showed up at the… or I showed up late… or I worked too late and … And let’s not even mention the words that were spoken or not…. While these too are regrettable - they are NOT regrets that make you stop and sigh, ‘cause some things just can’t be undone, forgotten... dropped to the floor of our minds because there’s just too many.

Perhaps, these special regrets are so regrettable because we don’t forgive ourselves.

We can look pass some regrets for whatever reason, that are minor incidentals/minor regrets. These are our background noises - murmurings that we compartmentalize/classify as kinda - unimportant. Then there are the things that make you want to crawl away… because you do remember.

The enemy wants you to remember all the time. he is whispering justifications for your pain and twist the knife in just a little bit deeper, you feel it don't you?

…. but remember

You are forgiven, (beautiful words)

...and that weight that buried you - you are resurrected! We don’t have to live in bondage to our own unforgive-ness. God knows we keep others in captivity when we don’t forgive and we do the same to ourselves, because we feel we deserve the sentence of unforgive-ness.

Unforgive-ness is a death sentence.

Think about it. If God did not offer forgiveness we are condemned.

Let me spell it out clearly - damned to hell - a real place for those who do not want the forgiveness of God, (the choice is yours).

Are we bigger than God?

I’m not saying, all the things we consider deeply regrettable are sinful - I’m saying we classify them as  unforgivable. Some may be sinful acts - in which case we should seek God’s forgiveness, but some are simply misguided thoughts or the lack thereof and not sinful in nature,... Bottom line, forgive yourself and move on to a glorious life in Christ, where you are human and full of mistakes and poor memories… and lack initiative and more… stuff that is funny and crazy and silly...and yet more...

Hey, if you wake tomorrow it’s your refresh - your reset button. You get another fresh new day to try again - so do something different.

Christ forgives, you should too.

Soli Deo Gloria