Did you Miss your Divine Appointment?

Only one woman sat in the doctor’s waiting room.  Even the receptionist disappeared into the back somewhere.  I sat opposite the woman and soon started talking to her.

We made small talk about the weather and the strangeness of an almost empty room.  She looked so sad that I asked her if she was okay.  A torrent of words poured out of her. 

In the past year, she lost two children.  One died in a car accident.  The other succumbed to cancer, after a long and grueling battle for life.  To top it all off, she gained a hundred pounds and it showed.

Here I was, confronted with an empty room, a grieving woman who needed help, and a nudge from God to ask her if I could pray with her.  “What would she think?” I wondered.  Someone might think I’m weirdo and laugh.  She could tell me to mind my own business or to get lost.  “But, she really needs to know how much God cares for her and can bring wholeness into her shattered life.”

During my hesitation, the nurse called her in. I lost the opportunity.  When I left after my appointment, the room was filled but she was not there. I still pray for that nameless mother and look for her everywhere. That hardly makes up for missing my divine appointment.

How do you know? 

If you believe in God and are growing in that faith, you just know when you see a divine appointment.  The circumstances are ideal and the need is great.  If you hesitate, it disappears.  Each one is unique and designed by God to grow your faith and compassion, to share the gospel message, and to help someone else.

Think about the opportunities presented to you in the past.  Did you act on them or let them pass by as I did?  Will you miss your next divine appointment?

Angels Unaware

Angels rarely look like the pictures of angels complete with wings and heavenly robes.  The bum on the street, the sick old woman next door, the crying young girl sitting on a bench outside of Wal-Mart could all be angels unaware perhaps waiting to see what you want to tell them, what you want to share with them.

“Let brotherly love continue.  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:1-2 KJV

Opposition-The Trouble With My Blog

 Writing a blog sounds like a simple thing.  Almost anyone can do it.  Thousands of blog entries dot the pages of the Net everyday.  Some write Christian blogs such as mine.  I started one and that is when the trouble began.  I do not know if it is Satanic opposition, but it feels like it.

Crash

I started the blog.  I got one entry posted and then my computer crashed.  I owned the computer for over ten years.  The printer worked well with it.  I put photos on and ran a slide show with my personal pictures.  My trusty desktop ran Windows XP I loved it.

                        

One day it kept clicking on and off.  Then it refused to start. I wanted to write another blog post and felt angry and frustrated.

Notebook

My old friend was dead, so I hooked up a little Notebook running Windows 7.  I found it not compatible with my printer.  Photo posting became a mystery.  Everything I tried came out as thin lines signifying nothing.  It often froze and the cursor bounced more than a ping-pong ball. 

I tried to register the blog on catalogs and found I needed a Meta tag. I hounded my writing friends (thanks Mike W. and all) for a magic formula.  It eluded me and I still can’t find what I need for the tag.

Word crash

I tried to use Google Documents to write the blog.  I found that the processor lacked a grammar and spell checker.  I bought a disc for a word processor that I used to crank out a couple more blogs.

It crashed, went on strike. I cried from frustration and rage.  Then, I prayed and reminded God that I am writing this blog for His glory.

It started working again.

Today

If I needed further proof, today was it.  I wrote and saved most of this post. Then, my processor malfunctioned and I lost all of it.  I had to start over.  God’s word is unstoppable. People and events suppress it for a while but it always breaks free.

The Bible tells us “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evildoer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.” 2^nd Timothy 2.9 (KJV)

Does God Exist?

 No one can prove that God exists.  We can’t put Him in a test tube and run Him through the lab.  We can’t enter a formula into a computer and prove that He does or does not exist. 

Also, we can’t prove that He doesn’t exist. 

Theories abound about why He does not. One of my relatives insists that alien travelers from an unknown planet, galaxy, or solar system planted the human race here.  We may be part of an elaborate experiment.  We could be related to prisoners ejected from an extraterrestrial society.  Worst of all, an accident happened with life resulting from it. 

He believes that everything started with a “big bang.”  A particle of something blew up and created all the matter that makes up the universe.  Somehow life got started on Earth and just evolved from there.

Although many scientists subscribe to that theory, I cannot comprehend an atom of some thing smashing us into being? Where did that atom come from and how did it explode?  

I prefer to believe in God.  I see Him in the beauty of the earth and the majesty of the heavens.  Looking at the stars and realizing the vastness of those wondrous works of His hands make me realize that our lives are more than an accident or an alien lab experiment. 

His Own Hands

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27 KJV

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7

God made human beings with his own hands.  He spoke the animals into being but he took clay, shaped it into his own image, and breathed life into the man, Adam.  Then He took the rib from Adam and formed Eve.  That shows the importance of humankind to

God. He loves you!

I see Him the fragileness of a butterfly’s wings, a bird that knows how to make a nest, and in a baby’s smile. I see Him in so many places.

What Do You Think?

Do you believe God exists?  Why do you believe or not believe?  Where do you see Him?     Why are you here?  Whether you believe, or not, God still loves you!  He is seeking you.  Let Him find you!

Move that Mountain!

Someone told me a remarkable story about prayers that moved a mountain, a human mountain who resolved to remain unwavering.

A woman of great faith started taking her son’s three little ones to church.  Her grandchildren, Tammy*, Amanda*, and Max*, never went to church in the past.  Grandma wanted them to learn about God and the stories in the Bible.

Everything went okay for a while.  Then the parents fought.   The mother, Ida*, took them out of school so she could teach them herself.

As the animosity between the parents increased, she moved out of state with the children, mostly out of spite.  She gave the father little access to them and made accusations of abuse.  She banned the grandparents from all contact.

Grandma and grandpa often asked the church to pray about this dreadful situation.  They began to lose hope that the problem would ever reverse itself.  

Faith moves mountains

Grandma’s friend pulled her aside one day and reminded her that faith moves mountains.   

Matthew 17:20 “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, Remove from here to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” KJV

Name the mountain

She continued that in order to move a mountain, she had to name it.  Ida is the mountain.  We will believe that God will give you the faith it takes to move Mount Ida. Grandma’s friends started praying the same way.

The mountain moves

Soon Ida changed her mind. She moved the children back where they belong.  She reconciled with her husband.  Best of all, she began church attendance and rededicated her life. Praise God.

Name your mountain

Who, or what, is your mountain? Name it and pray about it.  Believe in the power God gave you. .  If you have faith, you can move it.  

*Name changed

Your Secret Stash

 TV shows some kind of news about hoarding on TV just about every week.  They show houses filled with so much stuff that it is hard to move.  Most of the most extreme hoarders are mentally ill.

 Many more fear for the future and store up things against want and deprivation.  They fear that they will not have food or goods in an emergency or disaster.  The government warns that we will be on our own in case of natural or manmade catastrophe.

Do you remember the Y2k crisis?  The news warned of computer failures, airplanes falling from the sky, stores unable to sell, and necessities disappearing.  Most of us started hoarding.  I remember the equivalent of a small grocery store in the basement. 

The appointed day arrived and left without incident, but we ate canned soup for months.

Don’t worry

The Bible tells us to not worry about tomorrow.  Matthew 6:34 says  ^“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” KJV

Depend on God

Of course, it is prudent to be a wise conservator of what you have, but God wants us to depend on Him.   The book of Exodus tells us that God fed the Israelites manna from heaven for the 40 years that they wandered in the desert.  He sent doves when they complained that they wanted variety.  When the women gathered up more manna than they needed, it turned to worms.

They wore the same clothes and shoes for that entire time.  A pillar of fire guided them by night and a pillar of cloud during the day. 

He still supplies us with what we need. Many of you bear witness to times when God took care of you during extraordinary circumstances.  We need not hoard and worry but move ahead with the confidence that comes from knowing God has your back.

Who do you trust?

Do you trust God, or yourself? What is your secret stash?  Is it filled with treasures in heaven, or futile attempts to take care of the future? He will never fail to meet your need if you put His kingdom first. 

    

Are You a Killer or a Healer?

Everyone carries a mighty weapon everywhere he/she goes.   It can destroy lives, ruin reputations, or start a riot. It can discourage, betray, or belittle.   It cuts deeper than the sharpest sword and leaves scars that seldom heal. It is the tongue.  James 3:8 says, "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison," KJB

The words flow straight from the heart, echoing the things that go into it.  Evil thoughts start in the heart and roll off the tongue when we speak. Jealousy, hatred, revenge fill pages of mainstream novels.   They sell because they speak of the human condition to which we are subject.

Our words carry consequences.  Have you ever regretted something you said?  Once it is out there, we cannot take it back.

Words also heal, bring encouragement, inspire greatness, and mend wounds. With God’s help and a heart powered by good fuel, we can begin to use our words wisely to edify, build up, to witness, inform, and teach.

Read the Word, pray, listen to inspiring music, meet with other believers, and study to fill the heart with good stuff and healing words

Questions to ask before speaking:

• Is it true?
• Is it judgmental?
• Is it kind?
• Is it necessary?

Truth is important to God.  It says so in His Word. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but they that deal truly are his delight.” Proverbs 18:8 King James Version states that "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." God wants us to speak truth.

It is easy to judge people.  We have not walked their walk. We have no idea what they are facing.  Most people hide heartache behind a smile and laughter.  We imagine we know the facts of a life when we truly do not.  We see and hear things and jump to conclusions.  We don’t need to spread false rumors and information.   Judging is God’s department and better left to Him.

Even if something is true and free of judgment, it probably is not kind. Spreading this information leads to more agony for a person already burdened with problems

Is it necessary?  Probably not. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." James 1:19

We can be a force for good or evil.  It is up to us. We can fill our hearts with evil and kill those around us.  We can fill our hearts with the good things and heal, soothe, and build up for the glory of God. 

Which do you choose?  Are you a killer or a healer?

Will God Meet Your Need?

When I lived in Rochester, my friend, Ruth, lived four or five blocks down the street.  I met her in church and she always inspired me to reach greater heights.

I visited her from time to time.  A busy woman, she worked in the schools as a teacher’s aid and stayed active in the church.  She always pointed out that God would meet every need.  As it turned out, He met her need in a most unusual way and it involved me.

One afternoon as I sat in my house, I heard a nagging voice in my head.  It said I needed to go for a walk to Ruth’s house.  I ignored this “imaginary” prompting but it clamored louder every second.  “All right, I’ll go,” I told it.

It said that on the way I would find some money.  I need to pick it up, take it to Ruth’s house, and give it to her.  “Yeah, right,” I skeptically said to myself.  I thought it would be nice to visit Ruth for a while, so I went.

About half way there, I spied something out of the corner of my eye.  A dollar bill!  Another and another blew across my path and stuck to a fence where I gathered them and pocketed them.

I gave them to Ruth.  “Oh no,” she said.  “I can’t take your money.”  I told her the money came from God and who is she to refuse God.  She confided that she desperately needed that exact amount of cash for something and could not wait until payday. 

God presented what she needed and He can do the same for you, if you ask and trust Him for the answer. Matthew 17 tells about Jesus and Peter needing money to pay a tax.  Jesus told Peter to cast a line and bring him the first fish that he caught.  Jesus opened the mouth of the fish and found a coin worth exactly the right amount to pay the tax.

 How has God met your needs?  Did He do it in an unusual way? Talk to me about it.

My New Year's Resolution

  My New Year’s Resolution

It is March already, but I broke my resolution way back in January.  I only made one but it was a lot simpler making it than trying to keep it.  I resolved to treat whomever I meet   or talk to as the most important person in the world. 

What a hard thing to do! I know I truly care about the people around me but so many things draw my attention away from them.  Why can’t I give him or her my undivided interest for a few minutes every time and make a difference in their day? 

Luke 10:27, states “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.”

That sums up the way we ought to live, a supreme commandment, that seems to encompass so why is it so difficult?

 Everyone wants to be liked and loved.  What could make a child, a neighbor, friend, coworker, or just someone you meet in the course of a day feel more loved than your total attention?  Look her/him in the eye, flash a friendly smile, and really listen. See what a difference that makes in your life.  It does in my life, that is, when I actually remember to do it.

Each day, I make the resolution again.  “Just for today, let me carry it out.”  When I succeed, I feel glad.  When I mess up, I promise God and myself that I will try again tomorrow. 

Try it yourself for a day.  Even practicing this for a day, will make your part of the world a little happier.  You can always decide to extend it for another day.

Let me know how you feel about this.  I am paying attention and ready to listen intently.