Far Away

I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD ; teach me your decrees. Psalm 119:10

Ann Green shares: One afternoon I was sitting outside in the swing relaxing, enjoying the nice weather, when I heard a very distinct sound coming towards me. Clop-clop, clop-clop, clop-clop, clop-clop. Horse hooves on pavement - there's something romantic to me about that sound. I looked, waiting to see the horse, and soon an older gentleman riding in his horse-drawn buggy passed in front of my house. We waved to each other and for a moment it was like I was transported to a different place and time. For a few moments, life slowed to a quieter, simpler pace, and as I watched him pass, my heart ached for a moment at the beauty of this simple sound.

Not too far down the road, a young kid came riding toward the buggy and exchanged greetings with the driver. He then turned to follow and brought his bike up along side of the horse. He asked the man, "Are you supposed to be doing this? I mean, like, is this legal?" The man simply replied, "I sure hope it is, 'cause here I am doin' it!" This answer seemed to satisfy the kid and soon after, he turned around and headed back in the direction he had been taking.

A pearl to string: "Is this legal?" Something as simple as taking a nice afternoon buggy ride, that was common practice 100 years ago, could quite possibly become illegal at some point in time. Isn't that sad? The simple, quiet, steady pace of life that our grandparents and great grandparents enjoyed is eroding away. Swept away by the hectic, over-scheduled, "fast food" lifestyle that we currently live in, those days have become stories the grandchildren hear about and soon will just be history. I bet they never dreamed we would go this far. This far away, that is, from what's truly important in life - family, friends, integrity, God.

Thankfully there is something that does not change. Something that is ever constant, ever present, ever true. That's God. He DOES NOT CHANGE. The ever constant, ever present, ever true I AM. Even if a day comes that man outlaws the reading of God's Word in public and even in private for that matter, His Word WILL NOT CHANGE. This is what we base our faith upon.

“…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

Amen!
Know that you are loved,
Lyndi

Countenance

Katinas on the K-Love Cruise

And the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron and his sons, This is the way you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them, The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually). —Numbers 6:22-26

Jesus' countenance was changed on the mountain as He was transfigured. Our countenance is simply the way we look. It refers to our face. In the church today we need to be concerned about our countenance. One of the blessings that was pronounced upon God's people was that God's face would shine upon them and that He would lift up His countenance upon them.

When the world looks at us, they need to see something about us that is different from them. They can't read our minds or see into our hearts, so our countenance is the only way we can show them that we have something they do not have but really want and need. I believe that we look better when we worship God. Worship puts a smile on our face. It is very hard to keep a scowl on our face while we are being thankful, praising and worshipping God.

If we regularly do these things, our countenance will carry His presence, not the expression of inner frustration and turmoil. Christians are supposed to be joyful people who walk in love. We must ask ourselves, "Would people know that I am a Christian by looking at my countenance most of the time?"


Ruta Aunese

Is Your Heart Sad & Blue?

Does it feel like your heart is ripped in two
And your days seem O so blue?
Have you given all your heart
Only to see it torn apart?
Do you feel he or she does not care
As if you were never there?
Do you feel you can't trust again
And left in continual pain?
Do you feel you must face tomorrow
All alone, with so much sorrow?
There is hope my friend for you today
Stop and listen, don't walk away
There's someone who loves you very much
It's not a lie, you'll see as such
About things you can't change in any way
You can talk to God night or day
You can trust him for he really cares
He said, I'll never leave you there
I came to heal your broken heart
And help you find a brand new start

Open your Bible let Him heal your heart.

The Bear in the Cave

by Wayne Rice



Two adventurous teenage boys who were good friends were out spelunking (exploring caves) when they found what appeared to be huge bear tracks deep inside a long, cavernous tunnel. They bravely decided to keep going, but they moved ahead slowly and with extreme caution, keeping their eyes and ears open in case they actually encountered a bear.

Suddenly, from the darkness behind a rock jumped the biggest, meanest-looking grizzly bear they had ever seen. Standing squarely in front of them, the bear beat on his chest and roared like a lion, sending a terrible sound echoing off the walls of the cave. Scared to death, the two boys decided they had better run for their lives. They immediately turned to make a dash for daylight.

Just then, one of the boys dropped to the floor and started untying his hiking boots. He whipped the boots off, jammed on his running shoes, and began tying laces.

His exasperated friend yelled at him, "Come on, man! Let's get out of here! Why in the world are you changing shoes? We don't have much of a chance of outrunning that bear anyway!"

Lunging to his feet and starting to run, the first boy replied, "I don't have to outrun the bear. All I have to do is outrun you."

A pearl to string: Coach Wonderful has a saying most family & friends would recognize with fondness: “We’ll be friends to the end but this looks like the end my friend”. I guess that guy out running his friend must have heard that one before.

Do you ever feel like your friends treat you like bear bait? When the going gets rough, they bail out on you. They remain friends with you until it costs them something - then they ditch you.

One of the great things about having Christ as your friend is knowing that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Matt. 28:20 and Heb. 13:5). He is the friend who is not only willing to lay down His life for you, but He has done exactly that. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friend". John 15:13

May His presence light your way
You have a friend in Jesus
You are loved
Lyndi

Making Pancakes

Six -year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten. Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad.

He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove and he didn't know how the stove worked! Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky.

And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon 'S eyes. All he'd wanted to do was something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him.

Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process!

That's how God deals with us... We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess..
Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend, or we can't stand our job, or our health goes sour.

Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to do. That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him.

Don’t Jump!

KTLA News
April 11, 2009

"Sin will take you further than you want to go,
keep you longer than you want to stay and
cost you more than you want to pay."

On Good Friday at the Berlin Zoo in Germany a frantic rescue took place to save a woman who had jumped into the polar bear moat at feeding time. The woman was hit several times by an adult bear while Zoo workers tossed rescue rings to lift her from the water. People distracted the other polar bears swimming nearby. The woman was being treated at a hospital for injuries that were described as severe.

Hummm…. You don’t have to be the smartest one on the block to figure out that was stupid. What possible explanation could that woman give to justify her actions? May the Lord have mercy on her and heal her quickly.

As I read this story I thought about Christians (people who have a personal relationship with Jesus and know His commandments) who jump into sin like this woman jumped into a polar bear moat at feeding time. What’s the difference? Stupid is as stupid does… didn’t Forrest Gump say that? Really, sometimes when I read about the sin of a good person gone bad I think “they have got to be dumber than a box of hair”. Where is their brain? Where is their heart? What could they have been thinking?

A Pearl to string: Sin isn’t in competition! We don’t have good sin and bad sin or even stupid sin. Sin is falling short of the glory of God. Whoa! When I put it that way it sort of includes us all. I know I don’t want any reality cameras set up at my house. Even when I don’t leave the house and no one is home I still fall short of the glory of God throughout my day. There is just no way I can overcome that myself. I need Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday – I need what I have called Easter ever since I was a little kid.

"God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners". Romans 5:8 (NLT)

It is finished, It is paid! Wow, God did it! He did it for us! I’m giving thanks for God who loves us so much and recommending to all - Don’t jump……. check with God first and wait on the Holy Spirit.

Refreshing in the glory of God,
Lyndi

I KNOW MY REDEEMER LIVES

Nicole C. Mullen - Redeemer (Video)

Via Dolorosa

Sung by Sandi Patti

Prison of Innocents

by Maria Hanna

Have you ever read about a criminal that was released just because he confessed being guilty? It may sound strange, but let me relay to you this story.

Once upon a time, a French king decided to honor his dear guest. He gave the guest the right to release any prisoner from Tolone's prison. Accordingly, the guest asked the prisoners about the reasons why they were imprisoned. To his surprise, many prisoners stressed their innocence and their perfection. Others claimed that the surrounding circumstances were to be blamed for their wrong deeds. While listening to their claims, the guest cast an eye over a silent prisoner sitting in the corner with his eyes bearing tears. He approached this man and asked him about his guilt.

The prisoner replied,"Lord, my guilt is more than I can bear, I am lucky, since I deserve more than my current penalty."

The guest said, "You have to get out of here as soon as possible. A criminal should not remain among innocents."

Dear friends, I admit that such a story would rarely happen in our days. However, such a scenario always occurs in our relationship with God.

If we stubbornly insist on playing innocent and insisting that devilish desires are to blame, we will remain in the sin prison of innocents. But if we, with kneeling body and contrite heart, repent to the Lord and ask Him to control our attitudes-- He, with His unlimited mercy, love and forgiveness--will embrace our lives and release us from this deceptive prison of innocents. No bribes nor mediation is needed, just true repentance.

Can you see God smile?

Anxiety is worry over things which we cannot control and which we do not remove from our thoughts. Anxiety dominates and controls a passive mind and a troubled heart, filling both with doubt, fear, and dread. But, anxiety cannot be removed; it must be replaced. So I want to replace my own anxiety & yours over these troubled times with God’s smile.

I can see God smile in a sunrise. I can hear Him sing in the songs of the birds, I can hear Him breath in the roar of the ocean. I see God smile when you smile at me. I see God smile in children running and laughing and playing. When people are hurting physically and they persevere with a sweetness of spirit it’s a smile from God that inspires you.

God is smiling from a little girl’s heart somewhere across the sea. She’s a little first grade beauty who recently won a talent contest. Her story is told by her proud grandma:

Little Julia was reading the Easter Story from her Child's Picture Bible. She wanted to take her Bible to school the next day and read the story to her class. With her parents’ permission to do so she practiced diligently that evening.



The next morning she was off to school with Bible in hand. Julia’s reading of the Easter story was so beautiful and so well done that her teacher asked her to read to the parents and faculty as they met after school. It seems little Julia brought the Easter Story to life for all in attendance, and that is the high point of this story. "and a little child will lead them”. Can’t you just see God smile from this precious little one?

A pearl to string: If we just stop, take a deep breath and look around we can see God smiling in a million different ways. Let those smiles wash over you and comfort you but realize His biggest smile came in the death and resurrection of Jesus. What God did for His creation was an eternal miracle of love. So remember, I will repeat it often, YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT A MEASURE OF GOD’S LOVE – THE CROSS IS!

Let us celebrate His smile and His love
Happy Resurrection Sunday,
Lyndi

The Daffodil Principle

This is a version if not 'the' version of the known 'Daffodil Principle'. It was put together for a inspirational presentation to show at a Church meeting. They did not see any other 'Daffodil Principle' slide shows or videos so thought they'd share the one they created. Hope you enjoy it. The music used was written and performed by Tracy Rowe. The two songs used are from her CD 'Expressions'. Copyright Tracy Rowe 2005. The images used were from Google searches, in other words, they got them from the internet