Take a deep breath and keep going

Ah, my Lord, you are the friend of the world. No better friend could we0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Medium-New have. But so many snub you out of arrogance, Satan telling them they can be their own god. They see you as their enemy, they fight you and twist your motives. Sometimes I do it myself because no one is immune to the influence of Satan. I know how often you must weep as we break your heart.  You are only trying to save us from our enemy, Satan. You are only trying to bring us into the refuge of your home so we will be forever safe. How ungrateful and arrogant we are. Some believe you will have no choice but to take them into your home when they die, forgetting you have a door, a gate into your home and do not allow just anyone into your home for the same reason we have doors into our homes.  But you love all of us anyway. You are so patient. None of us deserve you. Despite my sins, I do praise you and magnify you in my heart. Of every being in the world, you are most deserving of all honor, respect, and love.

Father, there are lonely people in nursing homes and prisons, in the military and just confined to home. I forget about them because I do not see them. Forgive my neglect Lord and make me reach out to the ones I can find.

Lord, it is getting really cold outside but I am warm and cozy inside.  Thank you for what I sometimes take for granted. And thank you for the hope of heaven. Sometimes I am tired and want to rest.  Then I think of all the lost souls who think you are their enemy, or who think they can get to heaven ~ your home, not theirs ~ their own way.  Today, may I take a deep breath and keep going.

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0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-NewCOME FLY WITH ME is the last novel in THEY MET JESUS.  Witness the agony of loss and the ecstasy or resurrection. Then a final goodbye and a final forever reunion in heaven.   To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/FLY-WITH-ME

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/historical-novel-about-jesus/book-8-come-fly-with-me-adults-childs-versions/

 

As long as forever lasts

inside-cover-mediumYou are the God of my heart, my life, my soul.  I long to be with you some day. I have praised you in the past, I praise you now, I will praise you in the future and as long as forever lasts. You are the originator of all material things and all motion. You set the stars in motion and they have never stopped their movement for all these thousands of years. You are the First Cause of all that is good and right. You have made me in your image so I may have a sense of goodness and right ~ a sense of conscience ~ in my thinking and behavior.  I stand in awe of you.

Thank you, Lord, for interruptions in my life. Sometimes people have to get loud and make me stop what I am doing so I will pay attention to them. I get so absorbed in what I am doing day to day, I forget the rest of the world other than a casual hello or goodbye. Keep doing it, Lord.  Keep sending people to my door, to my phone, to my email, all intent on interrupting me. Thank you for sudden changes. They certainly do make life interesting, and you, my Lord, are always interesting.

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Inside-AUDIBLE-thumbnailINSIDE THE HEARTS OF BIBLE WOMEN includes the stories of twelve Bible women (1) in their ordinary life, (2) when a tragedy happens, (3) how they try to survive the tragedy.  Also available in audio form for listening in the car.  The stories are great for private reading or listening.  The thought questions and teacher’s manual are great for classes or ladies retreats.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/HeartsBibleWomen

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/1107-2/my-book-inside-the-hearts-of-bible-women/

Our prayers are diamonds

00-hero-alone-cover-kindle-mediumI adore you, Lord God, and worship you.  I laugh with you, cry with you. I am unworthy of all the attention you give me, especially among the millions of others who long for you.  You know my name and follow me around. My thoughts, attitudes, and activities are readily open to you.  My sins are among them.  How unworthy I am. You love me still.  How marvelous and magnificent you are in love and mercy. I worship you.

Forgive me, Father, for eating too much. I am eating strictly for the taste and not because my body needs it. When I taste something good, the delight lasts less than a minute. Then I have to take another bite to return the wonderful taste to my mouth. On and on it goes until I have made myself sick. Help me find something else as pleasurable and fulfilling to do so I can forget my gluttony.

Thank you for my being able to live in a country that gives me as much freedom as I need to worship you. Even if I must worship you in hiding, I still will have the freedom to find a hiding place.  Every place has valleys and galleys to hide in, and basements, and abandoned buildings and mountain tops. Thank you for the hiding places. And thank you for the heroes who long to worship you together so much, they will do anything to do so. Thank you for worship. Our prayers are diamonds, our songs are silver, our Lord’s Supper rememberings are rubies, and our reading your love letters are gold.

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00-hero-alone-cover-kindle-lgthumbnailYOU CAN BE A HERO ALONE: SURVIVAL STORIES FOR THE COURAGEOUS ISOLATED CHRISTIAN.  God for prisoners, military personnel, university students who feel isolated from other Christians.  And during this time of “social distancing”, it is good for us all.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/BeAHeroAlone

 

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/1107-2/you-can-be-a-hero-alone-survival-stories-for-the-isolated-christian/

 

My song will soar

OldOldTunes-mediumI praise and adore you, God. You are perfect and are willing to see me as perfect even when I am not. I try to be like you but fail in some way every day. You love me in my imperfection. Your love wins over Satan’s hatred. Your forgiveness wins over Satan’s accusations.  Your mercy wins over Satan’s judgmentalisms. I often wonder how you can do it ~ always be forgiving me. Sometimes I am embarrassed to, once again, ask for your forgiveness.  Yet, you are delighted to forgive. You are the God of second chances. And third. And scores. And hundreds. Such patience and love I cannot even begin to comprehend. So, I worship you.

It is Sunday morning again. Oh, how I will sing out my praises to you!  They will soar through the roof to the clouds and beyond, echo from star to star, and surround your throne. My song will not be harmonious and lovely or lyrical, but it will be my song and it will be for the God I love. Accept my praise, my song, the offering of my lips.

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OldOldTunes-ThumbnailTHE OLD OLD STORY SET TO OLD OLD TUNES.  Forty songs for the Old Testament, Forty for the New Testament.  Set to old folk tunes, they are fun to sing in classes with grandchildren, or alone in the car.  To  BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/OldStoryOldTunes

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/links-to-some-of-my-fun-bible-stuff/the-old-old-story-set-to-old-old-tunes/

The future remains a dream

0-Michel-COVER-Kindle-ThumbnailAh, my God. My life is like a flower I think.  I started out as a seed in my mother’s womb, the promise of a breath, a heartbeat, a soul. Then as a bud with promises of things to come in my parents’ arms, I wrinkled my nose at them, puckered my mouth, blinked, and cooed. Next came the excitement of slowly opening up as I gradually grew through childhood. I tried to be lovely and sweet, but that’s when the thorns appeared. Sometimes I stuck myself with those thorns. Eventually I reach adulthood and have been in pure water full of life, but other times in murky water that interfered with my growth. As I look back, it was all a sigh.  The future remains a dream. A dream of being with you forever like a flower that never fades. I long for that day. Until then, I will continue to praise you, the sunshine of my life and soul. I worship you.

Lord, thank you for the morning. It is so beautiful. It is a little nippy outside, but the sun is strong and warm. I see squirrels scampering about preparing for winter. I see people out jogging and enjoying the autumn breeze. I think of my garden and all the food it produced ~ more than I need. Thank you for such a bounty that I have plenty to give away to other people.  And thank you for the newspaper that reports on people with problems. It is as though they are calling out to me. I can look them up in the phone book and write them a letter of encouragement and say a prayer for them. Thank you for newspapers. And parts of the internet.

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MICHAEL: THE FOURTH WISE MAN sits in the palace just north of where the Garden of Eden had been.  As a descendant of Jewish Daniel in a pagan world, he longs to restore the garden in hopes that God will walk the earth again as he did with Adam and Eve.  But he is interrupted by a star.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this………. https://bit.ly/Michel4thWiseMan

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https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/books-more-biblical-historical-novels/book-6-michel-the-fourth-wise-man/

Me forgive?

05-Joseph-KindleMediumThe scripture for today, October 30 (10/30), is Hebrews 10:30 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ “

In the Law of Moses, people were expected to avenge those who did not follow the law. The vengeance was to be carried out by the person who had been hurt. Some things were even punishable by death.  Remember the “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” command? If someone kills your child, you kill theirs.

But, under Jesus, the Prince of Peace who “turned the other cheek”,  who forgave people torturing him to death, you must forgive people so God, in turn, will forgive you (Matthew 6:14).

What is forgiveness? It is not condoning the bad someone did. Forgiveness is letting go and letting God do any punishing that may be required. Forgiveness is wishing the other person well. You may not trust the other person to not do the bad thing again, and you may forever fear that person. But you can always hope and pray that their lives and hearts will change for the better someday. No one is so bad that you cannot wish them well and pray for them. That’s forgiveness.

Vengeance only prolongs the pain; vengeance is hard on you. So, as the old saying goes, “Let go, and let God.” God will do his part ~ the hard part. He has left the easy part for you.

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A CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES: JOSEPH. He was forced into slavery because of his brothers. He spent years in prison because of his brothers.  Did he become bitter? That would have been natural. But Joseph did not know how to be bitter.  His love for everyone drove him to always be forgiving. So, with a constant positive attitude, he became “prime minister” of all Egypt.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://bit.ly/ForgivingJoseph

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/a-childs-bible-heroes-book-5-joseph/

The sun will return

inside-cover-mediumSometimes storms sweep around me with gales that attack my faith. You break through the dark clouds, sweep them aside and reveal blue skies to renew my faith.  Sometimes I dare try to walk on water and do the impossible, then begin to sink. You come to me on those same waters, reach down, take my hand and lift me up out of my danger. Then you hold on to me until I am safely on the shore. Sometimes the darkness folds in around me ~ the darkness of my sin ~ and I despair of being lost. But I see in the distance a glow and know it is you coming to light my way and forgive my sins. I am overwhelmed by your love, Lord God, and worship you.

It is autumn. The leaves are glowing, the squirrels are scampering, and I am busy harvesting my garden and preserving it for the cold winter ahead. It is autumn and the shadows are growing longer as the earth tilts and winks at the sun.  It is autumn and the sun is disappearing much sooner now. But I have the promise that the sun will be back after a while. And it reminds me of your promise to take me home with you where you will be my sun and never will you disappear. Thank you for all this, my Lord.

inside-cover-mediumINSIDE THE HEARTS OF BIBLE WOMEN offers four approaches. (1) Short STORIES with intermittent thought questions.  (2) AUDIO of the author reading the book.  (3) TEACHER Manual (very large) with background scriptures and statistics of the times, good works; suggestions for a small group or week-long retreat; (4) ADVERTISING templates for newspaper, radio, and personal letters.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/HeartsBibleWomen

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/1107-2/my-book-inside-the-hearts-of-bible-women/

How many times?

I praise and adore you, Lord God of the unfathomable  universe. You are my 000-COVER-KINDLE-MediumKing, my Maker, my betrothed. All glory and majesty belong to you. This is your world and no one ese’s. You are willing to fight Satan and get him away from me because he is too strong for me.  I give in to him so often, especially with my attitudes and use of my time. But you run after me and snatch me away from him again and again and again. You never tire of returning me from unknown and unsuspected danger to the safety of your everlasting arms.  I do not comprehend such love. All I can do is praise and worship you every day from the depths of my heart and the heights of my spirit.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me so much. You have been so good to me ~ far beyond what I deserve. I have salvation from Satan and peace of soul.  I have freedom from sin and fulness of life. When I think of so many people without you, without hope, without understanding, all wondering what this hard life is all about, my heart aches. How much more does your heart ache for them? Thank you for my time on earth when I can work along side you to seek and save the lost just as you did me those days long ago.

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000-COVER-KINDLE-ThumbnailLAZARUS THE SAMARITAN covers 45 years of Zarus’ life.  Each chapter he lives one of Jesus’ parables.  When he marries a Jewish girl, no one comes to the wedding, so her father sends to the highways and byways for wedding guests.  His son grows up to be the prodigal son. His daughter’s wedding maids are the ten virgins whose lamps flicker at midnight.  He becomes rich, but while in a far country, his servants turn on him. He is the Good Samaritan and at the end he is the beggar who dies and is carried away by the angels.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/LazarusTheSamaritan

 

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/books-more-biblical-historical-novels/more-biblical-historical-novels/

Love Letters

Love Letters of Jesus & his Bride, Eccelsia-THUMBNAILYou delighted so when you made me.  Ah, yes. You gave eyes for my body to see the beautiful earth you made for me, and eyes for my heart to see the beauty sometimes hidden deep in other people’s hearts.  You gave ears for my body to hear the songs of the birds, the brooks, the rustling leaves, and eyes for my soul to hear the songs sometimes hidden deep in other people’s souls. You gave a mind for my body so I can reason through the many happenings of life, and a mind for my spirit to reason through the many temptations of life sometimes hidden deep in other people’s spirits.  You made my body and the earth I live on as a parable to help me understand your world. You thought of everything. How I love and praise you for it.

Oh, glorious King Jesus. You reign over all who have been reborn with clean souls.  You search the hiding places of those who have escaped your protection thus far. You are so good to us.  Though you had to die to pay our ransom to Sin, Satan and Death, you never resented us for it or threw it up to us. Your love is strong and unrelenting. Your love is unstoppable and unbeatable. How can I thank you enough? I will spend eternity trying.

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Love Letters of Jesus & his Bride, Eccelsia-THUMBNAILLOVE LETTERS OF JESUS TO HIS ECCLESIA.  With over 500 footnotes, the Song of Solomon on his wedding day is paraphrased with updated terms of couples in love and how each reflects on the love of Christ for his church and the sometimes wanderings of his beloved church who he gently brings back to him.  Great as a class book or personal reflections.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/LoveLettersOfJesus

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/love-letters-of-jesus-his-bride-ecclesia-2/

You follow me around

You, Lord God, travel through time at your ease. Time means nothing to you. I am confined to seeing and hearing on a single highway as I travel through life. But you are above that highway and can see and hear everything going on around me, both past and future. It is all the same to you. Perhaps time is good for me because it offers me forgetfulness of pain that ever lurks in the shadows of eternity and anticipation of the exciting that rises with each son. You need none of that because you are everywhere at once and have been from eternity to eternity.  Some day you will dissolve time when all is well and I am home with you at last.

Thank you, God of my heart, for following me around, even when I am not thinking about you. You guard me. You guide me. You surround me. You are in me. I am never away from you, for I am your child. You hover over me, turn me around, stop me. You do whatever is necessary to keep me on the path to heaven. I am never alone. In sadness and joy, in danger and safety, in sickness and health, in poverty and wealth. How can I thank you? I cannot adequately. Still, my puny gratitude flows from my heart and soul to yours.

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CHRISTIANITY OR ISLAM: THE CONTRAST.  One third quotes from the Qur’an and Bible on the same subjects w/o comment.  One third explains misunderstandings Muslims have about Christianity.  One third is 100 quotes from some of my Muslim students who have decided Jesus was the Son of God and not just a prophet.  Can be given to a Muslim w/o offending.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/3-IslamContrast

 

https://inspirationsbykatheryn.wordpress.com/1107-2/my-book-christianity-or-islam-the-contrast/