Come Home

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we become a "witness against ourselves" that we have chosen the Lord. (Our choice)
Joshua 24:21
"THEN put away the foreign gods that are among you and incline your hearts to the Lord."

Mouth service.  
Humans tend to be fickle...
We promise, vow....
And so often ....stroll away!

How this grieves the Savior!

Take a moment and assess your life..have you let anything take the place of God?
Look carefully you may be surprised. Like the song says it can be a "slow fade" and soon we've forgotten

What a great time to drop to your knees and get your relationship with the Lord right again.  Throw out and denounce all that has control over you.  "The Name of the Lord is like a strong tower..the righteous will run into it and be safe"

Welcome home wanderer!

Come Home

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we become a "witness against ourselves" that we have chosen the Lord. (Our choice)
Joshua 24:21
"THEN put away the foreign gods that are among you and incline your hearts to the Lord."

Mouth service.  
Humans tend to be fickle...
We promise, vow....
And so often ....stroll away!

How this grieves the Savior!

Take a moment and assess your life..have you let anything take the place of God?
Look carefully you may be surprised. Like the song says it can be a "slow fade" and soon we've forgotten

What a great time to drop to your knees and get your relationship with the Lord right again.  Throw out and denounce all that has control over you.  "The Name of the Lord is like a strong tower..the righteous will run into it and be safe"

Welcome home wanderer!

WireTapping

this morning while readying for church I remembered a part of a dream I had had.  It remained vague and I asked the Lord if there was anything in it I needed to remember.
One specific part came to mind. 
I was on the phone with my was-band and was sharing some concerns I had about various things...
He said" marnie, I think we should talk in person because I believe our conversation is being recorded"

WOW!  Do you realize our conversations are being recorded???

Matthew 12:36 tells us, "on judgement day you will have to account for every (idle, thoughtless, careless) word that you have spoken."

Last night sitting with a group of Christian friends around a campfire I now am remembering the 1000's of words that were spoken.   How many of those words will be brought to remembrance on "that day"?

The Bible speaks at length about the tongue***.....How we should be slow to speak.....How we should measure our words.

It's a good reminder for me.  I'm not in charge of all that conversation but I will be accountable for my part.

I want to do better
James 3:11 "can clean and polluted water flow out of the same stream?"

***
James 3
Proverbs 18:21
Proverbs 12:18

It's Stinky Business

You know what "stinks"?
When someone thinks you do😔
 The Scripture says that we are the Fragrance of Christ...to some the fragrance of LIFE .. To some the fragrance of death. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

We carry His "smell".  
So when someone is "turned off" by us ...they are really turned off by Him.  I think it's one of the ways we "join in His sufferings" and I think it's also a way "we can tell" discern where someone's allegiance  lies.

It's hard...and it Stinks.

BUT 
When I consider what HE has DONE FOR ME...
I want to REALLY SMELL.

There I said it...call me stinky if you must
Or if you like His Fragrance...join me being a Holy Aroma!

He's been so good to me!

He Hears

"Hagar......HAGAR.....you must take Ishmael and leave"

She wakes trembling at the sound of his voice.
What has happened now?
As she sits upright she sees her master Abraham in the early morning light.  He motions for her to hurry and she gathers her things.  Meeting him outside the tent he explains that Sarah has erupted once again but this time she has demanded that she and her son leave.
"Leave?" she asks. "Where am I going?"
Still groggy from sleep she begins to realize what he is saying.

She is being cast out!

He quickly prompts her to gather her son and their few things as  he almost pushes her to the edge of the camp.

Once away from the others he seems to move in slow motion.
Silently he shoves a loaf of bread wrapped in cloth and he slings a skin of water around her neck.

His face is grey and drawn.  He looks so sad.

"Master, what has happened?"

"Isaac is the Promised Seed."
"Yahweh has promised to multiply through him".
"It is only going to get more difficult if you stay here....Sarah will make sure of it"

As if in a thick fog Hagar  stumbles and pulls Ishmael with her.  A million thoughts run through her head.
"Lord why?"
"You told me to return when I left as a pregnant woman". Gen 16:9
"You promised to make a nation out of Ishmael".
"Are you a man that you can lie?!"

"She wandered on aimlessly and lost her way in the wilderness of Beersheba" Gen 21:14

 "Beersheba" the dreaded wilderness, known for its wind and dry land,
 she recalls it being called "the land of the dead end"

Hours turn into days as she tries to find a way.  The bread is gone and the water skin dried up days ago. Ishmael  is having trouble walking and weariness has settled heavily upon the two.

The end is near.

She practically carries Ishmael to a near by bush and tells him to sleep.  She knows they are both near the end. Her tirade has reduced to a dry sob and she herself walks away and leans her bent body against a rock.
"Lord I cannot bear to see my child die.  Take him quickly".

She realizes there are sobs mixed with the rise of the winds.  They puncture her heart and her own cries join the boys  in a final discord.


And the end becomes THE BEGINNING

"Are We There Yet?"

I remember those days.
When children were small.
When they saw us as "fully in charge"
When they (often without realizing) had not a care in the world.

We would pile in the 15 seater. Each child with his paper sack full of clothing...going to Nannies in Maine.   Oh the planning and execution of those trips...!  I sit now and say "how did I do that?!"

Finally in and driving....snacks gone in the first 15 minutes of the trip, it would not be long before we would hear...

"are we there yet?  How many more minutes?  Almost????   Now ????"


We would assure these precious little ones (with ants in their pants) that "it won't be long...we have not crossed over the big bridge yet...we have not seen the Indian etc etc" which set them at ease for approximately 2 miles and then it would start all over...

.."are we there yet?  How many more minutes?  Almost????   Now ????"

Talking with a young friend today who, sitting in the center of this  Great Unknown, wanted to ask the same questions......"when. Why. Who. Where. WHEN!??"

When I remembered that well worn phrase from years long ago....

"You know it will go much faster if you fall asleep.  All of a sudden you will wake up and we will be there!"

Quiet yourselves little ones.

God is in control of the trip.

He will not lose His way.

You are being safely carried by the Universe making God.

He never tires or gets weary.  He is not impatient or angry with our frets and anxiousness.

He says, 

"You know it will go much faster if you fall asleep.  All of a sudden you will wake up and we will be there"

Rest my friend

REST!

PERFECTION

Often when praying or counseling with someone I get a picture.  I love that the Lord does that for me.  It deepens meaning and helps with the understanding and remembering.

Today while praying with a friend I saw the game of Perfection after the timer had "popped" and thrown all the shaped pieces all over the place.  

The lord said "I did this...you thought you had perfection...you had placed everything where you thought it should be but I want to be in charge.
I have allowed this season where everything is not in order and I want to "right it" and set your life in the pattern I have for you"

Friend dont be afraid when Life goes awry.
God wants to shape your life in a way that is useful to Him and will glorify His Name.
He is the Only One Who can make Perfection.  Let Him take the wheel and order your life aright.

After all He created you in the very beginning!

When God Questions

Reading in Genesis today I was struck once again at the  scene between adam (with Apple on his breath) and God.  
In fact I often smile when recalling how God has asked me a question.  
I mean the ALL KNOWING, OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT AND OMNISCIENT God asks ME a question?!

I guess it's kind of a parenting tactic.  He knows the first couple are hiding and obviously don't want to be found... Never mind not wanting to admit to their wrong doings.

"Where are you hiding?
Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten from the tree?"

It's obvious that a lot of things are going on here. But what I see mainly is Relationship.  God had already been walking and talking in the garden with them.

He Knows friend and He just wants to talk about it....let Him in

For Better or for Worse

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

WHILE DOING A BIT OF SHOPPING IN TARGET  I noticed two middle aged men "holed up" waiting for someone to finish their shopping.  I assume that they knew each other but at the same time seemed a little hesitant in their sharing

It kind of went like this;

MAN #1

"I don't know why my wife is here.  She has more clothes than our closets can hold.  She just never has enough, wears something once and then loses interest."

MAN #2

"My wife has 48 pair of shoes....and then another 20 plus pairs for summer alone.  She wears them all but always wants more"

I sensed that they were both frustrated.  They obviously had both "lost their voice" if they ever had one. And had seemingly entered the Passive Zone.  You know the saying "happy wife..happy life". Then why didn't they look happy?

So girlfriends....are any of you just ignoring the subtle and perhaps not so subtle hints/looks/ sighs/ frustrations that your husband may be showing?  Have you turned a blind eye or deaf ear?  Do you care?  Have you gotten used to having your own way?

Do you really want your own way?

Men.....have you given up and shut up...?  Have you abdicated your role of "protector and provider"?  I'm not suggesting that it is going to be easy but it is obvious to me that something has to give if your marriage is going to grow

I know I'm stirring a pot....perhaps even going where angels fear to tread...but..the picture of those two men  who had obviously abdicates their position in the family.....saddened me.

It's good when someone takes the lead and I think in a marriage setting it should be the man.

Please remember it's just a "musing"