Journey of the Heart ~♥~

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (John 14:1-4)

How comforting it is to know that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. A place where we will reside with the Father and be reunited with our loved ones. In our Father's house there is shelter from the storms. In our Father's house there is great comfort and rest as He embraces us with His Holy Spirit.

Here are the Directions to My Father's House...

If you are headed down Sin Alley, you will soon find it is a dead-end road and that at it's end is a place called "Destruction".

To avoid this place you should:Quickly make a U-Turn and head towards Repentance Road.(You will have to make a Right Turn to reach this destination.)

Watch out for the Potholes of Pride that might deter you or Signs of Independence that might lead you to go the wrong way.

Once you are on Repentance Road, keep going until you reach Believer's Blvd.

Then, Keep Going Straight, until you come to Gospel Lane, make another Right turn and go through the Green Light, which is Jesus Christ.

You are now on Grace Blvd which turns into Forgiveness Lane.

Next, turn onto the Bridge of Faith, which at times may be over some troubled waters, but if you Keep Going Straight you can make another Right turn onto Prayer Place Parkway and once there, you will find help anytime of the day or night.

Then, another Right turn will take you to Words of Life Place which is on Scripture Street. This is a good place to find answers to any questions you may have about life for The Helper lives here and will guide you to all truth.

Remember, as you go on your way,yield Not to the traffic on Temptation Ave and Pass up Envy Drive, Hate Blvd and Grudge Lane.

Also, pass Hypocrisy Street, Gossiping Avenue, Lying Lane and Backbiting Blvd. You will also do well to avoid Worry Road, Doubt Street, Pride Place and Pity Path. For these are all Detours that will lead you back to Sin Alley or Depression Dump.

There may be times that you have to go down Long-suffering Lane, Persecution Blvd., or Trials and Tribulations Ave. But that's all right, because VICTORY Street is straight ahead!

So, Keep Going Straight for You are on the King's Highway and Heaven-bound!

If you follow these directions you will someday reach My Father's House where a special place has been prepared just for you to dwell in for eternity!

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)

We all would like to think we will be remembered after we are gone. That our friends and family will keep our memories alive. That we will me missed. I remember crying at my father's funeral over the loss of a father, over the traumatic experience of seeing him completely burned, but mostly because I never knew him. He started traveling around the world installing turbines the year I was born. I didn't grieve the loss of my father. I grieved the loss of never having one.

Years later I learned that, even though I could barely remember him through personal experiences, I could remember him through other people's experiences. I believe there is something important about remembering...you keep people alive in your mind and heart. The Bible gives us this same opportunity. Even though we didn't walk with Jesus, we can remember him through the experiences of the disciples. Jesus told the disciples "Remember Me!" as they shared their last supper.

"Remember Me!" Jesus emphasized that twice during the last supper, which we repeat when we share in Holy Communion. Holy Communion is about remembering Him and Him alone. It is about remembering His love for you and His victory over sin. It seems we have made it into something else...something ritualistic and self center...remember "me"...am "I" worthy. No one is worthy. It is through Jesus' broken body and shed blood that God forgets my sins... but not me. God remembers me!

Whether you had a relationship with your earthly father or not, we have a Heavenly Father who will never leave you nor forsake you... in your sorrow and in your pain...He will remember you!

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Isaiah 49:15-16

My Father was born in Cozad, Dawson Co., NE. He was a Renaissance man. He learned carpentry from his father and built our family home including the kitchen cabinets. He played trombone in his high school band, then played in a swing band as an adult. He also played the saxophone, violin, and organ. He was so proud of his organ just like the one on Lawrence Welk. He taught himself whatever interested him. He built and flew his own airplane. When televisions became prevalent he learned how to repair them and started a small repair business. He also taught himself how to repair watches and anything mechanical.

He was a mechanic and always wanted to take everything apart and put it back together. During World War II he wasn't required to serve since he had loss the hearing in his left ear as a child. His sister was living at home during the war. While her husband was in the service she worked in their parent's grocery store. It was necessary to have a car because she was pregnant and needed transportation to the doctor. My Father took the car apart and put it back together just to see if he could do it. His sister was apprehensive about this since she was not so confident in his abilities. The car was put back together and ran wonderfully except she was again distraught when he would use up her gas rationing.
My Father worked at the city power plant. While he was there the company who installed a new generator, was so impressed by his work they offered him a job. In 1955 he went to work as an erectional engineer installing turbine generators around the world. With all his frequent travels we rarely saw him. During one of his infrequent visits home he was at the city power plant trying to help them get more power when an accident occurred, completely burning his entire body. I was still home at this time and went with my Mother to the emergency room. I was the only child to see this horrendous sight. He was taken to a burn unit then to dialyzes. He died 3 days later from kidney failure. He was only 45.

All I can remember is that he spent hours playing the organ and we always had to watch Lawrence Welk when he was home. I remember him teaching me how to use a slide ruler. Mathematics seemed to be the only thing we had in common. My sister's have a lot of memories. It is difficult to believe we grew up in the same house, since our experiences where so completely different.

"Bah! Humbug!" is the famous line quoted by Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol declaring Christmas to be a fraud. Scrooge despised Christmas because of his cold heart and greed, but many people feel the disappointment and unmet expectations that Christmas brings.

For them Christmas was "humbug"...something designed to deceive and mislead. The problem is Christmas has been turned into a cornucopia of religious and secular traditions with a sprinkling of fairy dust on top. It has been turned into something designed to deceive and mislead.

It has been turned into something "magical"... where all your dreams may come true. In reality all your dreams rarely come true. This combination of fantasy and marketing leaves many disappointed when confronted with the reality of their personal experience. Some remember the magic of childhood, when the twinkling of lights took them to "Never Never Land," when the happiness from a new toy made life complete, and long to return.

That is not the message of Jesus, whose birth we are celebrating. His message is love. Not "magical" love, but love coming from a heart transformed by the cross. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say this is the day of my birth, let us rejoice and remember it. What Jesus does say in I Corinthians 11:24-25 is...

“...This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”25. In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

So, this Christmas season, let's remember the real message of Jesus and long for HIS return.

Emma took care of the class frog for the Christmas break. Coreyn loved it!

Just days before Christmas seems like a strange time to be writing about sorrow, but for many, Christmas is a time of great sorrow. It is a very difficult season for people dealing with a loss; whether from a death of a loved one, stressed relationships, financial difficulties, or poor health. It magnifies your loss when you see the world celebrating and frolicking... spreading good cheer and singing "Joy to the World"... because you don't feel that same sense of happiness.

We all have known the pain of sorrow. Whether from a loss or a deep rooted melancholy, the pain is just as real. It doesn't make your pain any less because someone else has a perceived greater loss. Nor does the fact that you are a Christian remove the pain. In Romans Paul refers to his own sorrow over the unfaithfulness of Israel “My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart" (Romans 9:1).

I also, have known my share of life's sorrows. My father died from organ failure after having his body completely burned in a power plant accident when I was young. I will never forget the sound of the explosion or the shaking of the ground. Being the youngest, I was the only one home during this traumatic event. I will never forget walking into the emergency room and seeing that horrendous sight. Our family was never the same afterward.

I was recently going through old Christmas photos and realized we stopped celebrating Christmas in our home after my father died. Sometimes we would go to one of my sister's house, sometimes I would go with a friend, but it was never the same after his death. Years later, I was the one who took care of my mother in my home as she was dying of cancer. I was also taking care of three small children, many visiting relatives, and dealing with chronic illness. It took me months to have time to grieve her loss, since I was the one responsible for taking care of everything.

Again years later, after the strain of living with a chronic illness made me barely functional. My husband walked out stating "you are going to end up in a wheelchair and I don't want to take care of you." I was left without home, finances, or insurance and no way to provide them, but God was faithful. Shortly after he left, my friends took me to a Joyce Meyer conference. In the middle of her message God spoke to her to call forward those whose husbands had just left them and tell them that "God will provide for them." Not only did she pray for me, but my friends said I was the only one she blew her anointing on. God has provided and given me hope.

Being a Christian in the midst of sorrow doesn't take away the pain, but it does give us hope. Hope that we will be reunited with our loved ones. Hope “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Hope in the joy of our salvation. "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

"Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life" (Psalm 119:49-50). I have learned that through Christ there is comfort in my afflictions... that God's word gives me life... that the depth of my sorrow is the level of the joy that God will fill the void. True joy doesn't mean happy which is based upon what it happening in our life. True joy comes from the Holy Spirit. True joy comes from knowing our name is written in the lambs book of life. That our sins are forgiven and that we are loved by a heavenly father who loved us so much he sacrificed his only son.

So, this Christmas season, as we celebrate the birth of God's son, Jesus, the Christ. I pray that your hearts will be filled with joy...the true joy of Christmas.

Once my sorrow was for the pain
Of all I stood to lose and yet my sin remained.
This sorrow, born of my pain,
Kept my heart from turning back to Him again.

Now my sorrow is for the sin
That gives offense to God and stains my soul within.
This sorrow of godly pain
Hopes I never give offense to Him again.

Sorrow for my sin brings my soul such pain.
Yet this pain I know
can lead my soul
back to Him again.

Godly sorrow became the start
Of the path that led to a mighty change of heart.
This sorrow out of love
Helps me find the way back to His home above.

Sorrow for my sin
brings my soul such pain.
Yet this pain I know
can lead my soul back to Him again.

"We are about to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior... and don't you know that while He was born, God and all of heaven were celebrating... but there was also a great burden that night too. The Cross... the most terrible thing to endure... but the very purpose of His coming... the eternal focus even before His coming that weighed upon God's heart. Mmmm... I think we can afford both expressions this Christmas and bless our Father!" Preston Pittman.

There is a side of love that must be shown.
The side that leaves with us a silent moan.

We should not hide this love so deep.
The side I mean that makes us weep.

For what is love so sweet and nice.
That we could give without sacrifice.

Of course the love that's from the heart,
is meant for joy right from the start.

But woven deep within it's passion,
a blood was poured into it's fashion.

This side of love we give is not for loss...
It's rooted in and from the cross.

By: Preston Pittman "This Side Of Love"

Our sorrow can never compare to the pain of the cross or the sorrow God feels over lost souls. Yes, we can express both the joy and the sorrow, but through our sorrow we can touch the heart of God. It is a communion of love, of Him reaching down and touching our pain and our reaching up with a broken and contrite heart.

I have tried to understand the pain that God must feel over His lost children. There have been times when I have felt God’s sorrow. Those are the times when sorrow can just grab a hold of you and transform you. Godly sorrow is a powerful manifestation of the presence of God that touches hearts and draws them into a glimpse of the pain sin brings to the heart of God.

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done..." 2 Corinthians 7:10-11

There are so many wounded warriors in the body of Christ. We walk around bleeding, limping, and sometimes even taken out. The enemy knows just where you are vulnerable and the weapons to take you out. Sometimes he doesn't even have to keep attacking, just get you weak enough to self destruct. Then you react to every negative and even positive word. I had a difficult time with Preston's comments on my last post. My first thought was "who you talking about." Then I thought how kind, he is just being nice, but I know Preston is not a liar. The truth is, it has been said to me before. The truth is, I am not feeling much like a warrior these days nor taken to many spiritual depths. The truth is, I am a wounded warrior.

"I know, often, our conversations are "all over the map"... hehe, but I never forget where we went. The things you share at times amaze me for the spiritual depths they take me. Even, Envious at times, because The Spirit had not given to "me" such depth... of which I repented of course... but burdened too, that the enemy was able to bind your amazing expressiveness from the body (Church). Yet, in my prayers for my very good friend, there was ALWAYS a confidence... a peace, which surpasses all understanding. And so, I was thankful for what I had to wait to see. And here it is... Friends, get ready to be blessed by our Father, through this warrior... my friend... Brenda." Preston Pittman

The truth is, Preston sees what God sees in me, not what the enemy is saying, not what my flesh is saying. I became a wounded warrior because I was listening to the wrong source. The enemy tried to make me feel disqualified because of everything wrong with me. My flesh tried to disqualify me because I didn't have the strength to endure or mental ability to converse. To disqualify means "to deprive of a power, right, or privilege" Webster. By listening to the enemy and my flesh I was deprived of power, right, and privilege. The truth is, I am only qualified in Christ. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit I am able to do anything.

I realized persevering wasn't just about pushing through and writing in pain. I tried that...had a list of things I wanted to cover...had notes of many things I had already taught. I snuggled up with my laptop in bed. Propped up my arms on pillows...had hot packs on my neck, shoulders, and back. Got my Bible, notes, and Kleenexes on the other side of the bed. Nothing but words and goobledegook. If it didn't speak to me it wasn't going to speak to anyone else. So I learned, Perseverance was waiting on The Lord. Waiting on what He wanted me to share. So, dear friends, this morning it was about wounded warriors.

^"9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:9-14

Preston has started a Bible Study covering Colossians on our HeartCry blog. There is also a page on Facebook: Colossians.

Do you believe that anything less than perfect is unacceptable? Are you compulsively working toward impossible goals. Is your self worth valued on your accomplishments or those of your children's and spouse? Maybe you are a closeted perfectionist...hidden behind procrastination and self deprecation. Do you suffer from analysis paralysis.

Then my friend..."you might be a Perfectionist."

I have known I was a perfection...liked everything in symmetry...ok...maybe a little OCD. I thought of it as a good thing. I didn't realize the bondage it was keeping me in by not writing because I couldn't express myself "perfectly." Granted I had a valid excuse of being in a lot of pain, hands and arms vibrating with spasms, and a brain so foggy it is like driving in a constant storm. It would take me hours to unravel goobledegook.

I told myself it didn't matter. What did I really have to say anyway. Bottom line it is not about what I have to say...it is about what God has to say and Christ in me. There have been so many lessons the Holy Spirit has put on my heart. I would discuss a few with Preston and think..."I will put that down when I feel better." Well...feel better never came...feel better may never come. Maybe that is the greater lesson. The lesson of perseverance in adversity. I never understood that people could be blessed even with a lesson that is less than perfect.

There has been a lot of talk about the new Michael Jackson album from a compilation of songs he had worked on before his death. Some people say it shouldn't have been made public because it wasn't up to Michael's perfectionist standards. Now, I was never a Michael Jackson fan, but I have heard some of the new releases and they sound pretty good to me. I am sure his fans will enjoy them. I am sure they are not perfect, but sometimes things can be more "perfect" in their imperfections.

God has not called us to perfectionism. He alone is perfect. I believe we should pursue excellence...to the best of our abilities. There was one in the Bible who was a "perfectionist." His name was Lucifer. He saw imperfect man as unacceptable. He worked toward the impossible goal of being God. His self worth was based on his accomplishments. This is what God did to him...

"Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings" Ezekiel 28:17.

So, lest I continue on in more perfectionism...I will post this with all its imperfection.

In heavenly armor we'll enter the land
The battle belongs to the Lord
No weapon that's fashioned against us shall stand
The battle belongs to the Lord

We sing glory and honor
Power and strength to the Lord
(repeat)

The power of darkness comes in like a flood
The battle belongs to the Lord
He's raised up a standard, the power of His blood
The battle belongs to the Lord

When your enemy presses in hard do not fear
The battle belongs to the Lord
Take courage my friend, your redemption is near
The battle belongs to the Lord

(Jamie Owens-Collins)

Yes, the battle belongs to the Lord, but if you read the first stanza "In heavenly armor we'll enter the land." Before we enter "the land" we must be clothed in Christ and in His "heavenly armor." Without your armor you will not be protected and be vulnerable to attacks from the enemy.

I have had my share of injuries and been fodder for the devil. The poem I wrote "Ready for Battle" was based on my experience of being attacked by the enemy. In a vision, I was battling the serpent and all I had was the sword. The serpent just kept getting bigger and bigger and I was standing there unprotected holding him off with my sword knowing my defeat was eminent, then I called out...Jesus...help!

I saw Jesus coming down from heaven sitting on His throne and dressed in royal garb. He took his sword and anointed me with armor and said now go and fight...it's time for battle. I immediately turned and was able to slice the serpent into pieces. I learned without God's armor on "the serpent" is going to have you for lunch.

It would be nice if Jesus would come down and tap us all and poof we had armor. I know some people will repeatedly quote Ephesians 6:13, but it's not the words, it's the actions. God gave me that vision so I would understand without the "full" armor of God the serpent is going to have you for lunch. Since then I have been studying to understand the weapons of our warfare. As we continue in Ephesians we will learn more about our heavenly armor.

I have always loved Willow trees. As a child I spent many hours nestled under the branches of our big old Willow tree. The branches cascaded to the ground leaving a wonderful cavern around the truck for tea parties and baby dolls. I mostly felt safe sheltered under the shade of Willow's gentle flowing arms. I remember, even as a very young child, being awed by a row of Willows near a creek. They were so graceful as they swayed with the wind and reached out with their roots to grasp the flowing water.

I still feel that connection with the Willow. I believe many times I am underestimated...like a Willow. The Willow gives the appearance of being weak and fragile. The trunk is small and the branches are thin. It is not until a storm blows that you see the strength of the Willow. The thin truck is pliable and the branches move and stretch with the wind. Ever bending, never breaking. However, the real strength of the Willow lies underneath. As thin as it is on top, it is as deep underneath. The roots of the willow run long and wide, holding the willow in place during the attacks from the violent storms.

Like a Willow my strength comes from being deeply rooted in Christ's Love. "Stand firm and be deeply rooted in His love" Eph 3:17. Ever growing and reaching for water...the living water of Christ. "They are strong, like a tree planted by a river" Psalm 1:3. Like a Willow I choose to bend and not break when the raging storm of life's challenges come my way. I choose to look for Jesus in the midst of my storm.

There are many storms raging around me lately. We are still waiting for my daughter's pathology report. The last one went from here, to Chicago, to Mayo because they were not sure if it was Melanoma. I suspect this one is making the same route. It looks like I might have had a mild heart attack a few weeks ago. My EKG was abnormal and I will be seeing a cardiologist Wednesday. It is getting more and more difficult to get around, but I will choose to look for Jesus.

He is there to give me shelter from the storm.He is there giving me the strength to make it another day. He is there as the Holy Spirit inspires me in the Word. He is there in the comfort and guidance of a friend. You just need look to see Him. "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11:10

In a field, there was an oak at one end, and a willow-tree at the other. Whenever a wind moved through the field, the willow swayed in the wind, while the oak remained unmoved. When this happened, the willow said to itself, “I wish I was as strong as the Oak, instead of bending over with every breeze“ then one day a large windstorm whipped through the field.

When the storm passed, and the darkness lifted, the willow looked across the field, and was shocked to discover that the oak was laying on the ground, broken. When the Gardener came into the field, the willow said, “Oh sir, what happened to the Oak? How is it that I survived the storm, weak as I am, and the Oak fell?”

The Gardener said, “Oh little willow-tree, do you not understand what happened? When the winds blow, you bend with them, while the oak remains still. So when a really powerful wind comes along, you can bend with the wind, and survive it. But the Oak cannot bend, and so if the wind is strong enough, it will break. For the Oak had a secret, a weakness within that no one looking at the outside could see. And the Gardener went on his way, leaving the willow to ponder what he said.

Moral: Strength within and strength without are not the same, and one should cultivate strength within first. Also, when the winds of life blow, bend, and you may survive the real storms when they come. Try and resist them, and when the real storms come, you may break instead.

VERY often, after a violent thunder-storm, a field of buckwheat appears blackened and singed, as if a flame of fire had passed over it. The country people say that this appearance is caused by lightning; but I will tell you what the sparrow says, and the sparrow heard it from an old willow-tree which grew near a field of buckwheat, and is there still. It is a large venerable tree, though a little crippled by age. The trunk has been split, and out of the crevice grass and brambles grow. The tree bends for-ward slightly, and the branches hang quite down to the ground just like green hair. Corn grows in the surrounding fields, not only rye and barley, but oats,—pretty oats that, when ripe, look like a number of little golden canary-birds sitting on a bough. The corn has a smiling look and the heaviest and richest ears bend their heads low as if in pious humility.

Once there was also a field of buckwheat, and this field was exactly opposite to old willow-tree. The buckwheat did not bend like the other grain, but erected its head proudly and stiffly on the stem. “I am as valuable as any other corn,” said he, “and I am much handsomer; my flowers are as beautiful as the bloom of the apple blossom, and it is a pleasure to look at us. Do you know of anything prettier than we are, you old willow-tree?” And the willow-tree nodded his head, as if he would say, “Indeed I do.” But the buckwheat spread itself out with pride, and said, “Stupid tree; he is so old that grass grows out of his body.”

There arose a very terrible storm. All the field-flowers folded their leaves together, or bowed their little heads, while the storm passed over them, but the buckwheat stood erect in its pride. “Bend your head as we do,” said the flowers.
“I have no occasion to do so,” replied the buckwheat.

“Bend your head as we do,” cried the ears of corn; “the angel of the storm is coming; his wings spread from the sky above to the earth beneath. He will strike you down before you can cry for mercy.”

“But I will not bend my head,” said the buckwheat.

“Close your flowers and bend your leaves,” said the old willow-tree. “Do not look at the lightning when the cloud bursts; even men cannot do that. In a flash of lightning heaven opens, and we can look in; but the sight will strike even human beings blind. What then must happen to us, who only grow out of the earth, and are so inferior to them, if we venture to do so?”

“Inferior, indeed!” said the buckwheat. “Now I intend to have a peep into heaven.” Proudly and boldly he looked up, while the lightning flashed across the sky as if the whole world were in flames.

When the dreadful storm had passed, the flowers and the corn raised their drooping heads in the pure still air, refreshed by the rain, but the buckwheat lay like a weed in the field, burnt to blackness by the lightning. The branches of the old willow-tree rustled in the wind, and large water-drops fell from his green leaves as if the old willow were weeping.

Then the sparrows asked why he was weeping, when all around him seemed so cheerful. “See,” they said, “how the sun shines, and the clouds float in the blue sky. Do you not smell the sweet perfume from flower and bush? Wherefore do you weep, old willow-tree?” Then the willow told them of the haughty pride of the buckwheat, and of the punishment which followed in consequence.

This is the story told me by the sparrows one evening when I begged them to relate some tale to me.

Hans Christian Andersen (1842)

"You know...how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." Acts 10:38

I have been pondering this passage and going through scripture trying to get a better understanding of "under the power of the devil" then as I was going through my files I came upon this message that was being sent around a few years ago. In a style very reminiscent of "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis, it gives a very thought provoking scenario of...

B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke

Satan called a worldwide conventions of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their Savior. Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ."

"This is what I want you to do" said the devil. "Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" "How shall we do this?" shouted his demons. The Devil replied "Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds.

Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade them to work long hours so they can afford their empty lifestyle. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!

Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Surround them with non-biblical music wherever they go. Entice them to play the radio or CD whenever they drive. To keep the TV and PCs going constantly in their home. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.

Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mail boxes and inboxes with junk and every concealable enticement offering services and false hopes.

Keep shinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so husbands will believe outward beauty is what's important and become dissatisfied with their wives. Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night. Give them headaches too! That will fragment their families quickly.

Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children about the real meaning of Christmas. Give them the Easter bunny so they won't talk about His resurrection and power over sin and death.

Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy!

Crowd their live with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. It will work! It will work!"

It was quite a plan. The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there. Having little time for their God and their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.

I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?

Does "BUSY" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?

Are you too busy for Jesus?

Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.

Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.

Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours, I am yours.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.

Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1

It seems many times we get so caught up in who am I that we loose sight of who He is. Whether it is the self center search for identity and importance or the self deprecating paralysis of I am not worthy and not capable...they all focus on "self." You hear many times "It's not about me...it's about Jesus." Easy to say not always easy to do. Our "self"... "flesh" wells up at every turn. It's a constant battle. The first step is to recognize your battle.

Are you constantly looking inward trying to find yourself and purpose? Are you too afraid to step out in your calling because you believe your are not good enough. Do you hear the enemy saying "who are you, that God would use someone like you?" Do you battle addictions and compulsions? Do you have analysis paralysis? The enemy knows our weakness. If he can keep us focused on ourselves we can not focus on The Kingdom. I battle everyday...some days easier than the others.

Years ago God spoke to me to pray for the Christians in Lebanon. I didn't even know where that was at the time. I had a horrible vision of Christians being slaughtered. Quickly the enemy was speaking in my ear...you just had a pizza dream..."who are you, that God would use someone like you?" Days later I heard on The 700 Club that all the Christians in Lebanon had been slaughtered. I just shook with regret that I had thought only of myself.

"He who seeks only himself brings himself to ruin, whereas he who brings himself to naught for Me discovers who he is." Matthew 10:39

It is only when we get beyond asking who am I to who I am in Christ we begin to discover who we really are.

Millions of Americans will be celebrating the 4th of July holiday today. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, and family reunions. I wonder how many don't even realize it really is Independence Day. A remembrance of the day we declared our independence from Great Britain. It represents our freedom as a nation. This freedom was bought with the sweat, toil and blood of countless Americans who initially fought to obtain it in the Revolutionary War, as well as those who have fought to secure it over the past 2 1/2 centuries.

As an American I am grateful for my freedom, but I shall be eternally grateful for my freedom in Christ. The freedom bought with the sweat, toil, and blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus' life, ministry, torture and death were planned before the creation of the world in order to redeem the hearts of mankind and demonstrate God's love for us. God in the person of Jesus Christ identified so closely with every human being who had ever lived or who ever would live that all of our pains, sicknesses, failures, sorrows, lies, rebellions, transgressions, hatreds and murders...all the brokenness of humanity...became Jesus'.

"... Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32. This truth brings us the ultimate freedom...freedom from sin and death. Freedom from the bondages of our flesh and the oppression of the devil. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" Galatians 5:1.

On this Independence Day, I am going to declare my freedom! My freedom from sin and death! I Declare my "Dependence" on The Lord, Jesus Christ. I Declare...

I am God’s child - for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (I Peter 1:23)
I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10)
I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and long suffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12)
I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (II Corinthians 4:4)
I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22,25)
I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17)
I am a new creature in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17)
I am a partaker of His divine nature (II Peter 1:3,4)
I am a spirit being - alive to God (I Thessalonians 5:23; Romans 6:11)
I am a tither, so I have the right to heavenly windows open and poured-out blessings! (Malachi 5:10)
I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)
I am an ambassador for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20)
I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11)
I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (I John 5:18)
I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (II Timothy 1:9; Psalm 66:8)
I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10)
I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13)
I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14)
I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7)
I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7)
I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2)
I am greatly loved by God (Colossians 3:12; Romans 1:7; I Thessalonians 1:4; Ephesians 2:4)
I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (I Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:5)
I am holy and without blame before Him in love (I Peter 1:16; Ephesians 1:4)
I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37)
I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (I Peter 2:9)
I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Colossians 2:12; Ephesians 2:6)
I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 28:15-68)
I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossians 1:11)
I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7)
I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13)
I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)
I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:21)
I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (I Corinthians 6:19)

This is real freedom...freedom in Christ!

Please join us for our Independence Day discussion on HeartCry.

The third Sunday in June is the day set apart to celebrate and honor Fathers.

"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise—" Ephesians 6:2.

Let us take this day to honor our fathers and remember we also have a Heavenly Father who is there regardless of whether we have our earthly father in our lives or not. Our Heavenly Father will never leave nor forsake us. He is there in our time of need. He is a father to the fatherless!

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5

Every child, young and old, wants to be the apple of their father's eye...to be Daddy's little girl or boy. Every child wants a father they can admire...a father that will nourish and protect them.

For some of us, Fatherhood, from our earthly experience, may not have been as wonderful as God intended. For others it was beautiful, but is only a memory now with their passing.

Others have never known fatherhood at all. For those not so blessed, there is a Father that is always there for us, never judges us, and loves us more than anyone.

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Matthew 15:26

"How excellent [is] thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings." Psalm 36:7

"I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings." Psalm 61:4

I was watching Grey's Anatomy "Shiny Happy People" on hulu.com and starting thinking about the insanity of chronic pain. A young girl was brought into the hospital because she tried to scratch her eyes out and commit suicide. She was in so much pain and delirium they thought she was Schizophrenic. It turned out she had pressure induced vertigo from a small hole in her inner ear causing her to hear every sound in her body and every sound outside her body was magnified.

Living with chronic pain is not only an assault on your body it is an assault on your mind. The un-relentless torture of agony, limitations, and lack of understanding brings many people to utter despair. It makes you want to scratch your eyes, tear your hair, or blow your brains out. The mind is more fragile than your body and without a strong faith it is almost impossible to maintain. Even then, it is almost impossible to continue without prayer support. Moses needed Joshua and Aaron to hold his arms up when he was too weak to carry on. And so people with chronic pain need to reach out.

Dear Friends, I am reaching out in the mist of my insanity and pain asking for prayer...asking for help...asking for understanding. It is so difficult for me to write and yet that is the very thing God keeps calling me to do. He keeps giving me all these messages to share and they are stuck in my brain...stuck with a body too painful to spend time on the computer...stuck with fingers that keep typing gobble de goop. I pray to heal my body or stop asking me to write...and He has chosen neither. He simple spoke to my spirit and explained you are here to learn to completely rely upon Me.

It is only by His Grace and with His Anointing I am able write anything. Without His Anointing it is like driving in the mist of a raging storm. You can barely see the road, but somehow with prayer manage to get to your destination. Yes, you got to where you were going, but not without a lot of stress and very slowly. Sometimes you just have to stop, pull over, and wait for the storm to pass. That is what my brain is like, dear friends, and my storm never passes. I am grateful for His Anointing. I am grateful I have these moments of lucidity, but I would love to be able to function day to day and just simply chat with my friends.

I have learned to have a grateful and positive perspective. I am being REAL. When you have everything taken away from you it is a choice how you are going to respond. I choose to be thankful for what I have and not to be complaining about what I do not have or can not do. Yes, there are days I am sad and lonely, days when I am delirious from the pain, days I don’t have the strength to feed myself…let alone make it to the store if I am out of food. Yet, with all this I choose to be joyful and content in the Lord. For…the joy of the Lord is my strength. Every day is a struggle, but I will continue to praise the Lord.

In His presence there is joy. In His presence there is peace. In His presence there is freedom from pain. It’s a choice and even though I might be crying on the outside…in my soul there is joy.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Where hatred resides,
Let love prevail.
When hatred prevails,
Have love reside. 

I awoke to the Lord speaking those words to my spirit one morning. It seems there is so much hatred in the world today, whether it is one religion against another, one denomination against another or one believer against another. Even in our own personal life it is so difficult not to respond to hatred with hatred.

Our nature wants validation for the injustice we think has been imposed upon us. As if hating them back somehow childishly takes the pain away or evens the score. You might think I don't hate, but how do you behave when someone cuts in front of you, is rude and inconsiderate, when you are just plain tired and no one seems to care. If you are not responding in love, you are responding in hate.

To respond in love is difficult merely in the fact that it is a choice, a choice contrary to our nature, contrary to our desires, contrary to our logic. It is however, the very nature of God. So where does that leave us? To choose God is to choose love. To choose to overcome the pain of our rejection and draw in those that shut you out. It is so easy to forget that we are the ones drawing the circle around our own life, not anyone else. Therefore, we can choose to make our circle as small or large as we want it to be.

"He drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win
We drew a circle that took him in."
-Edwin Markham, Outwitted

One time I passed a person who had been particularly cruel to me and I cried out to God "How can you expect me to love these people." I was overwhelmed by His response. He merely spoke to my spirit and said, "How can you expect me not to love them." Then I realized that to know God is to love His beloved. For where hatred resides there is all manner of evil things.

We need to realize our battle is not against individuals, but a spirit of hate, not only in the world, but our very nature. Only when we allow God to transform our nature can we respond in love. We need to let love prevail and reside in our lives. I don't think we comprehend how powerful love can be, nor what it actual should be! I truly believe that love is the most powerful weapon we have against the powers of darkness.

The problem is that we have to learn what it is and how to weld it. God has been trying to teach me, it has been difficult, but I am learning. I believe Love is about treating people with honor and respect unconditionally, even when they are not loveable. Not sardonically saying "I love you with the love of Christ", then walking away and act unloving.

Love can't operate in un-forgiveness, anger, strife, jealousy, lust, or anything contrary to the love of God. Right now God is teaching me how critical it is to have control over what I say. I believe a significant aspect of love is expressed by our words; therefore, it is imperative that they be under the control of God. As anything, once you learn something you can only grow if you continue to practice it.

"Love is patient,
Love is kind.
It does not envy,
It does not boast,
It is not proud,
It is not rude,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil,
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
Always trusts,
Always hopes,
Always perseveres."
1Corinthians 13:1-7

Where [a place] hatred [hate-bad temper, to trouble, to dislike or wish to avoid; hatred-a state, condition/strong dislike or ill will] resides [to dwell for a long time, to be vested, have rights, powers], Let [implies power or authority to give or deny consent] love [a deep and tender feeling of affection for or attachment or devotion to a person or persons, a feeling of brotherhood and goodwill toward other people] prevail [be strong, gain the advantage, victory, be more widespread], When [a time] hatred prevails, Have [to own or control, gain possession or control] love reside. 

The love that was lost in the evening time,
Shall be restored again.
The burned out candle in the night,
Shall be ignited again.

To wander through the darkness,
Only draws us closer to Him.
The Love that never leaves us,
The Light that is never dim.

So...Take comfort in the knowledge,
Of His enduring Grace.
To be there right beside us,
To shine upon our face.

by~bren

Easter is a highly celebrated occasion all around the world. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the secular trappings of bunnies, candies, and new dresses. Even traditional church attendance can be void of the very essence of what we are celebrating. Easter is the sacred celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead. For the Christian, It is truly something to be happy about, it was the greatest expression of love in all of eternity. "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only son." Jesus Christ is God fitted into human flesh to demonstrate God's love for us.

When the soldiers taking Jesus' body down from the cross stabbed him with a spear point, "blood and water came out". That rush of fluids revealed what may have been the actual final cause of death for Jesus...a burst aorta. Jesus died of a broken heart. The breaking of Jesus' heart was what "finished" Jesus' sacrifice. On Easter morning the great surprise is that sacrifice was not the end of Jesus' mission. Out of Jesus' broken heart there emerged a new heart, a resurrected heart, an unbreakable, unstoppable heart. A heart overflowing with love beyond our understanding.

Jesus' life, ministry, torture and death were planned before the creation of the world in order to redeem the hearts of mankind and demonstrate God's love for us. God in the person of Jesus Christ identified so closely with every human being who had ever lived or who ever would live that all of our pains, sicknesses, failures, sorrows, lies, rebellions, transgressions, hatreds and murders...all the brokenness of humanity...became Jesus' while He hung upon that Roman cross outside of Jerusalem.

So when you think about resurrection from now on, don't just think about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as historical facts that make your Christian faith possible. Please believe that the same God that raised Christ from the dead has not only raised you up from the death of separation from God, but this same power gave you a new heart and will live in you for all eternity.

It seems many people are going through a very difficult season these days. Whether from financial difficulties, stressed relationships, or poor health the sources are endless; the need for a change of season epidemic.
Too many are suffering in a winter of discontent. Do we just endure the long winter or can we change the season. Daniel 2:21 says God can "change times and seasons." If you don't like the season you are in... change it.

So, how do we change the season? If I can take liberty with Shakespeare..."Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of [God]. Through Christ our winter is made a glorious summer. The presence of the Lord will bring us times of refreshing in the midst of our drought.

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord," (Acts 3:19)

To change our season we need to repent and be converted so that our sins may be blotted out that a new season "may "[is allowed] come. To repent means "to change one's mind" (Webster.)
If we change our mind...the Lord will change your season. He will change the winter of our discontent into glorious summer. When we change our mind...our thinking... we don't change the winter...we change the discontent!

We still have financial difficulties, stressed relationships, or poor health, but through Christ we can change our mourning into dancing. Through Christ we can choose to be joyful and content in the Lord. For…the joy of the Lord is my strength. We can change our discontent, our whining, and complaining into rejoicing.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)

You are to rejoice always, because joy is the easiest fruit to lose. You can't live off of the joy you had yesterday. Joy can give you strength only when you possess it. Yet you need to rejoice always because if you don't then you lose the strength to fight when facing trials.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." (James 1:2)

Why is it pure joy whenever we face trials? Because joy gives you strength to fight in the midst of your trials. So by rejoicing, you have victory over your trials. When you change your thinking from despair to rejoicing...you can change your season.

Are you facing a challenge or difficulty that seems overwhelming? When you stand strong and remain faithful to God, He promises to set your course for victory! And victory doesn’t necessarily mean everything is going to go our way all the time or work out the way we planned.

The Bible says that the real battle we face isn’t in our circumstances, it’s in our minds. The enemy is after your thoughts. He’s after your peace and joy. He knows that when you have peace, it’s a sign that you are connected to the Father. When you hold on to your peace and choose to be joyful, you are walking in victory, and it’s just a matter of time before your circumstances line up!

Remember, God knew every person who would wrong you, and He’s already laid out your vindication. God knew every disappointment, and He’s already laid out new opportunities. God knew everything that would be stolen, and He has already laid out your restoration. Rejoice today knowing that He has set your course for victory in every area of your life!

"He holds victory in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones" (Proverbs 2:7-8)

Heavenly Father, thank You for the victory You have in store for me. I choose to be faithful; I choose to walk humbly before You. I stand in faith knowing You are working all things together for my good because You love me. In Jesus´ Name. Amen.

On this Saint Patrick's Day instead of asking if you are wearing your green... the question should be... Are you "green" with envy?

Do you begrudge another’s good fortune because you feel the good fortune should have been yours? Does it make you uncomfortable when someone has more acclaim, prestige, or possessions than you? Do you ever speak with contempt, or unkindness, or severity about someone with more than you? Do you have any tinge of satisfaction when someone who has more than you is "brought down?" Do you carry old grudges?

Envy/covetousness is one of the deadly sins to which no one readily confesses and yet it is rare to find anyone completely free of its grasp. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Exodus 20:17

Envy will always destroy relationships. Often it is a relative who seems to be the most envious and this person can drive families apart. Envious people often tear down another’s accomplishments by belittling or sometimes subtly uttering well-aimed negative comments. Have you ever gone to a person to share good news? The look of ambivalence you received lets you know you hit an “envy nerve.”

Envy is counting another's blessings instead of your own. If you are honest with yourself, everyone would have to admit they have experienced envy at some point in their life. It's the battle with our flesh that wants to say "what about me." However, if you simply are unable to bear the good fortune of others then "the green-eyed monster" has captured your heart.

What spirit do you now find as you search your heart? Individuals attempting to deal with problems of jealousy and envy should strive for critical and realistic evaluation of their own capabilities, both positive and negative. After making the evaluation, they should then give thanks for their strengths and recognize that it is usually impossible to possess everything in life that is valued.

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:24-26.

Lord give me the strength,
To keep loving.
Keep my heart open only to you.
Help me shower all your love,
Like the rain from above,
Not be squandered away without you.

Lord give me the strength,
To keep caring.
Keep my mouth open only for you.
Help me spread only your word,
To those who haven't heard,
Not be carelessly spoken without you.

Lord give me the strength,
To be quiet.
Keep my ears open only to you.
Help me hear all of your word,
So I can share what I heard,
Not be loud and distracted without you.

Lord give me the strength,
To be humble.
Keep my eyes open only to you.
Help me to grow in your love,
Shining from heaven above,
Not be proud and self-centered without you.

by~bren

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

One by one
The faces go
We meet them everyday.
But, oh what a thrill
That special face
Who touched your world one day.

Remember when
You met someone
Who brightened up your day
You hold them
Dearly in your heart
You wished they'd always stay.

So, show your love
Put a smile on your face
Let the Lord shine through you everyday
So that you might be
That special face Who touches someone else today.

~Bren