The presence of divine majesty

0-BK 2-DreamMaker-cover-kindle-new-thumbnailHeaven stirs. The song comes near. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Angel wings are heard then stilled.  Prayers rise from earth and soar to your majestic throne.  The mountains declare your glory and the ocean answers with a mighty roar.  Your love is like trees in a storm, bending but not breaking, and coming back stronger than ever. My praises break forth from my heart, dear Lord, in jubilation. The forests shiver in excitement and the tiniest creature answers with its little squeak.

It is dawn. The sun is shining today. We have had a lot of rain and that made the gardens happy. Now the sun is back, gleaming in a deep blue sky while cottony white clouds bounce here and there in satisfaction. Delightful serendipity. No matter what the heavens bring day by day, I thank you for that, and I smile. And I worship you.

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0-BK 2-DreamMaker-cover-kindle-new-thumbnailDREAM MAKER is lyrical historical novel #2 in the THEY MET JESUS series. Jesus reveals his identity with his miracles. Most of those who believe are foreigners. He begins recruiting future apostles who still do not grasp that, though a man stands before they, they are in the presence divine majesty disguised as a carpenter.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/30P7jSi

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I’d die if I had to do that.

00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-ThumbnailThe scripture for today, June 17 (6/17), is Matthew 6:17 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face.”

This is interesting because Jesus did not say “If, you fast,” but rather “When you fast.” It was as though he was teaching us to take for granted that we would fast ~ it would be second-nature to us. In a sense, it is, for when most people go through a sudden tragedy such as loss of a loved one, they often cannot eat.

But what about voluntary fasting? The early church sometimes fasted. Acts 13:2 says a congregation in Antioch, Syria, fasted and worshiped, then chose men to go out as missionaries. Queen Esther fasted before going to the king uninvited with a request he might not like (Esther 4:16). Isaiah 58:3 says people fasted in order to humble themselves.

Some people respond, “I’d die if I had to fast.” Perhaps that’s kind of the idea. We know we would die if we went without food long enough. So perhaps one day of fasting is a way of saying, “God, I would die for you if I had to.” Yes, fasting is a humbling experience and frightening to some people. But perhaps that is the point.

Is something important coming up that you know you will be urgently praying about? Once you skip one meal, you will have conquered your desire to eat. Then, with your brain not having to concentrate on digesting food, it will be able to focus more on that important thing happening in your life. Your prayers will be more focused. You will be more focused with your eyes more clearly on God.

So, take a shower, comb your hair, put on some nice clothes, and look like you have something important to do. Then fast.

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00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-ThumbnailSTEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR did everything he could think of to convince people his religion was good.  He recruited help.  At night they would sneak pages of scriptures under rocks, inside people’s houses, nailed to statues of the gods.  They met in secret and worshiped. Then publicly they would march.  And they fasted as Queen Esther had done.  If it worked for Esther, surely it would work for Stephen and his zealous friends. Would it backfire? To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/2XBFXvJ

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Stretch your spirit and praise him anyway

The scripture for today, June 15 (6/15), is 1st Timothy 6:15 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Michel-COVER-Kindle-Thumbnail.” ..which God will bring about in his own time ~ God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords!”

But it’s hard to know just when God’s time for certain things in our life is. You may think it is when an opportunity arises, but something happens, and it doesn’t turn out. So later, another opportunity arises, but something happens there too, and it still doesn’t turn out.

This verse can carry you from hope to hope from discouragement to discouragement. That is because you cannot see what God sees.

Your life is like a line drawn across a piece of paper, and you have to stay on that line. But God looks down and can see the entire line at once, and he can also see everything going on around you. Those other events may not be good for you to become involved in.  There may never be a time when events around you will be good for you.

Rather than give up on God and decide he doesn’t really love you as he claims, amidst your tears of disappointment, stretch your spirit and praise him anyway. Acknowledge him. Then rest until his own time, whether it be soon or in eternity.

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0-Michel-COVER-Kindle-ThumbnailMICHEL: THE FOURTH WISEMAN is a fictional account of what may have been.  Michel decides to buy and restore the Garden of Eden down where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers meet.  But he is interrupted by a Star.  He and the other Wise Men search the world for the meaning of the star while his Garden of Eden wait so God will walk the earth there again. Then they God to Bethlehem. He realizes God is already walking the earth. He has a meltdown.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/2UJitnI

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An odd way to beat poverty

The scripture for today, June 10 (6/10), is Proverbs 6:10f as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Applied Christianity“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest ~ and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

Oh! This scripture really comes to the point, doesn’t it? Perhaps during difficult economic times for some people, this can be a gentle reminder. If you can’t work for money, you can work for free. There is always work to do as a volunteer either in an organization or just by yourself. All it takes is for you to look around.

Well, if you’re already in the clutches of poverty, what will volunteering do to help the situation? People will notice you. They will notice your work ethic and your cheerfulness and your thoughtfulness.  They will know you are out of work and just might tell people looking for someone to hire. And in the process, you are helping others. That in itself can make you feel rich ~ even if you’re not.

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Applied ChristianityAPPLIED CHRISTIANITY: A HANDBOOK OF 500 GOOD WORKS gives ideas for every age group, every town size, every congregation size in a step by-step manner.  Some congregations have even used it as a class book.  Great for teen classes and home-schoolers too.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  bit.ly/APPLIEDCHRISTIANITY

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Besides, why should I?

The scripture for today, June 2 (6/2), is Galatians 6:2 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Applied Christianity“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

In case you’re thinking people should take care of their own problems, you are right. But the term “burdens” here refers to overloads.

The main reason this is hard to do is that taking on someone else’s overloaded burdens upsets our daily routine and our peace of mind which we have worked so hard to achieve and maintain. It is inconvenient.

Just remember, it is always inconvenient for those people to have an overload of burdens. They don’t want them. Many times they didn’t ask for them. But, even if they did ask for them with foolish acts, can we not roll up our sleeves and help them out a little while (not forever)?

We do not have to take on all their problems. But we can give them relief of some of the basic problems so they can concentrate on the more serious ones.  If they need a babysitter, find one for them. If they don’t have decent clothes to go to work, take them to Goodwill.  If they’re behind financially, buy them a tank of gas. Wash their dishes for them so they can have a clean kitchen at least until the next day. If they’re behind on their laundry, take the dirty clothes and linens home with you to wash and dry yourself. If they haven’t written their parents for a year, sit with them while they write that letter. Take parts of their overburden from them.

What if Jesus had said, “Hey, it’s not my problem! Those people on earth mess up their lives all the time. Why should I leave the comforts of heaven to live among sinners and misery?” But he didn’t say that. Thank God he didn’t say that.

Inconvenient for him to take our overloaded burdens to his cross? Yes. Did he want to do it? No. But he did what was necessary to rescue us. Do you really and truly want to be like Him?

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Applied ChristianityAPPLIED CHRISTIANITY: A HANDBOOK OF 500 GOOD WORKS. Letter writing, benevolence, works for and by the handicapped, newcomers, military personnel, university students, works for Bible school class children to do, crafts, keeping your home, workplace by employee and employer, church office, worldwide missionary work, works for seniors, assisted-living homes, nursing homes, loss of loved ones, telephoning, prayer warriors, prayer partners, home Bible studies, heavenly reward. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/2TQBGDF

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Hmmm. I seem to be missing my tantrum.

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE ThumbnailThe scripture for today, June 1 (6/1) , is Psalm 6:1 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.”

This is not only a good request to God, but it is a good request to each other ~ family and friends alike. When you disagree with someone, do you “back it up” with loud yelling or throwing or hitting things? Do you believe that your point cannot be understood and will not be accepted without a “tantrum”?

This scripture indicates that it is indeed possible to rebuke someone without the tantrum. In fact, it is more effective. When you calmly tell someone you disagree with them, it does not raise their blood pressure and put them on the defensive. With tantrums, they may react as you want on the outside, but you drive them farther from you on the inside.

Calm rebuke does not mean you don’t mean it; it means you are convinced enough, your point of view does not need reinforcement. In that case, the other person is likely to be convinced too.

Today, practice saying calmly what you normally back up with a tantrum. Practice in front of the mirror.  Practice when driving. Practice when cooking or mowing the lawn or combing your hair.  Then, next time you disagree with someone close to you, you will be ready. Ready to not rebuke in your anger.

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0-Mefiboset-KINDLE MediumMEFIBOSET: CRIPPLED PRINCE got along with everyone. Well, except those who were determined to be his enemies.  His patience and happy disposition were a mystery to most, especially after becoming cripple for life and being denied the throne.  How could he do it?  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/2ywrqJi

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Are you smiling, God?

Applied ChristianityYou are so amazing, My Lord. They tell me your universe has two trillion galaxies in it and each galaxy has 100 thousand million stars.  And you are larger than  all of that.  You are so large, no one can really see you. Seeing you is like trying to see a 100-story building of different colors of marble, decorated with majestic columns, splendid filigree under the roof and around all the windows, and statues on each side of a grand stairway and on the roof.  Seeing you is like standing an inch from that building and seeing only a little wood or brick and that’s all.  I have such a limited view of the building, I cannot begin to understand its grandeur. In the same way, when I try to see you as you are, my human view is so limited, I cannot begin to understand all that you are. You are impossible to see. How I long for the day when my faith in you will become sight.

Lord, thank you for the things I take for granted ~ dishes to eat off of, paved streets, electricity, flowers, butterflies, puppies, stars, friends, buses, food, cotton, trees, water. Also for all those prophets through the ages who wrote down your divine words and all those who translated them into the languages of the world. So much to thank you for. Are you smiling, God? Me too.  I’m smiling too.

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Applied ChristianityAPPLIED CHRISTIANITY: A HANDBOOK OF 500 GOOD WORKS. Every possible type of good work is included in this book, along with step-by-step methods. Something for everyone, whether you have 10 minutes a day or 1 hour a day available.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/2TQBGDF

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Let justice roll on like a river

Supper-Front Cover-ThumbnailThe scripture for today, May 24 (5/24), is Amos 5:24 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.”

 When individuals of a nation begin taking advantage of each other, the nation loses its standard of justice. Eventually, nations fall because of it ~ maybe not right away, but eventually.

Although acting justly may decrease people’s income or status or power, that nation will roll on and on like a river.

Injustice is not impersonal. Injustice begins with you. One person at a time until Eventually, an entire nation reduces itself to a river, then a spring, then nothing.  Drought.  It falls.

On the other hand, justice also begins with you. One person at a time, and  your nation rolls on and on like a river.

What are you doing for your nation?

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I pen my thoughts to encourage souls.  Will you help me spread the word about this book?          https://bit.ly/2ZvCTDS

 

Supper-Front Cover-ThumbnailTHE LORD’S SUPPER: 52 READINGS WITH PRAYERS.  For public leading of the Lord’s Supper or private meditation during the Lord’s Supper.  A scripture and prayer for each Sunday.  To BUY NOW click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/2ZvCTDS

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Christians during plague of 3rd Century AD

At the first onset of the disease, they [pagans] pushed the sufferers away and fled from their dearest, throwing them into the roads before they were dead and treating unburied corpses as dirt, hoping thereby to avert the spread and contagion of the fatal disease; but do what they might, they found it difficult to escape.

Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead. 

~ Dionysius of Alexandria

There is nothing remarkable in cherishing merely our own people with the due attentions of love, but that one might become perfect, he who should do something more than heathen men or publicans; overcoming evil with good, and practicing a merciful kindness like that of God, he should love his enemies as well…Thus the good was done to all men, not merely to the household of faith. 

By the terrors of mortality and of the times, lukewarm men are heartened, the listless nerved, the sluggish awakened; deserters are compelled to return; heathens brought to believe; the congregation of established believers is called to rest; fresh and numerous champions are banded in heartier strength for the conflict, and having come into warfare in the season of death, will fight without fear of death, when the battle comes. 

~ Cyprian of Carthage

He poured his heart out

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-ThumbnailThe scripture for today, April 22 (4/22), is Proverbs 4:22 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

.” ..for they [my words] are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.”

God poured out his heart and soul in the Bible. He revealed his most inner feelings ~ all his desires and disappointments, all his moments of highest joy and deepest sorrow, all his dreams and plans and hopes for us.

Have you ever done that? Have you ever bared your heart and soul to someone else? Would you do it for just anyone? Would you do it if you did not trust the person, especially if the person did not even like you?

That’s what God did. This thought escapes my mind and soars to galaxies unknown. They begin in a mist and burst forth in reality. To know the inner-most thoughts of my God and my Creator!

With this thought in mind, why not read the entire Bible, beginning to end? Perhaps you can read a chapter a day. Or, if you want to read it through in a year, you can count the total number of pages in your Bible, divide by 365, and read that number of pages each day. Or, if you have time, why not go all out and read it in just a few sittings? This will take on new meaning for your life. No matter how many times you read it, there are always new meanings waiting for your mind to grasp it, cling to it, and grace your life.

So much comfort. So much information. So much of answering our questions of how and why.  So much of reading God pouring his heart out and filling an empty soul.

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I pen my thoughts to reach out to souls. Will you help me tells others about this book?        https://amzn.to/2RZlf6T

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0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-ThumbnailTHE HOLY SPIRIT: 592 VERSES EXAMINED reveals everything in the Bible God wants us to know about his Spirit ~ no more and no less. By grouping scriptures together on the same subject, understanding changes from complicated to simple.  The Bible always interprets itself.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://amzn.to/2RZlf6T

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