Hail the Heaven Born Prince of Peace

Say what you will about the commercialism of Christmas, its the only time of year I can hear the GOSPEL preached in a public restaurant:) We were out to eat the other day and Carrie Underwood's version of Hark the Herald Angels Sing came on. There I was in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers and these beautiful words were ringing out over the sound system:

Hail the heav'n born Prince of Peace,
Hail the Son of Righteousness,
Light and Life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings,
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that men no more may die,
Born to free the sons of Earth,
Born to give them second birth,
Hark the herald angels sing,
GLORY TO THE NEWBORN KING!!!!

Awesome words about the GOOD NEWS of the birth of our savior, AMEN!!



Here is the version I heard...enjoy:-)

Happy Thought for Creaky Bones:)

Photos: some of my favorite trees from the Fairy Glen on Skye, Scotland

Hello again- Im still here!! Getting all caught up and more organized day by day, but still working on finding time to do detailed posts.

I did want to pop in and share this WONDERFUL passage in the Word I discovered a while back when I was feeling a bit old (all this "grandma" talk was starting to affect me, lol):

13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
15 To declare that the LORD is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

~Psalm 92:13-14

And I know sometimes the Amplified version is just a wee bit wordy, but this is good too, so I will include it here for your ponderment:)

12The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible].

13Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.

14[Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment].

15[They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

~Psalm 92:12-14

That just makes me want to dance for joy!! And reminds me to quit confessing that Im getting old and creaky- now when Im a bit slow to start in the morning, I just remind myself that I am "FRESH & FLOURSHING" and get on with my day with joy in my step:-)!!

Update & A Prayer for You

Hey everyone! Im sorry Ive been away so long- its been a busy summer!! My husband Ian and I are traveling the midwest selling our handmade jewelry at Renaissance Faires on the weekends, Im getting to spend a lot of time with my now 6 month old grandson (yes, this is him, learning to crawl and playing with my window curtains:) when Im home in between AND we are keeping our online business going all at the same time.

Along the way I have been victorious in some health struggles (YAY GOD WE WIN:) and been having a wonderful time drawing near to the Lord whilst making the jewelry we sell- I am so thankful for the wonderful life He has blessed us with, and expect it to just keep getting better every day!!

Right now we are in the middle of a 7 weekend in a row festival stint, once we get a wee break from that I will plan to take a bit of time to write in more detail about the things Ive been pondering from the Lord, but for now here is one of my favorite prayers from the New Testament- a wonderful idea to pray this for ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world!!:

...I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
~Ephesians 3:14-21

You're the Lion of Judah A Praise Song by Robin Mark

One of my favorite praise/worship songs of all time!
This is Robin Mark from the Revival in Belfast CD. (click on either link to get to his website and for ordering information:)

Lion Of Judah
Robin Mark

You're the Lion of Judah The Lamb Who was slain
You ascended to Heaven And evermore will reign
At the end of the age When the earth You reclaim
You will gather the nations before You

And the eyes of all men Will be fixed on the Lamb
Who was crucified
With wisdom and mercy And justice You'll reign
At Your Father's side

And the angels will cry
Hail the Lamb
Who was slain for the world
Rule in power
And the earth will reply
You shall reign
As the King of all kings
And the Lord of all lords

There's a shield in our hand And a sword at our side
There's a fire in our spirits That cannot be denied
Cause the Father has told us For these You have died
For the nations that gather before You

And the ears of all men need to hear Of the Lamb
Who was crucified
Who descended to hell Yet was raised up to reign
at His Father's side

Truly one of the great Psalmists of our day, Robin Mark is a native of Belfast and brings a wonderful Celtic flavor to all his recordings. You can find more of his wonderful lyrics and songs here:

Robin Mark Lyrics from RobinMark.com

Mike Huckabee, Jon Stewart, Bill O'Reilly and a Lesson Learned

James 1:19-20
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

I was listening to a teaching from Keith Moore recently where he talked about the value of this lesson in James. He pointed out that some folks seem to have a "Mach 2 mouth and a 20 MPH brain" and that we need to often need to stop the mouth to allow time to let our spirit catch up. As is often the case, the Lord was faithful to give me a WONDERFUL example of how this works in my own life yesterday~it requires a bit of a story, but here goes:

With the tragic murder of Dr. Tiller here in Kansas there has come a renewed vehemence in the abortion debate and at times I have been too caught up in the heated discussions in the media (yes Im one of those sillies that yell at the TV on occasion). It has been frustrating to me to hear everyone talk about how awful this killing was- which I agree with- and yet speak of this man as a hero at the same time. Reasonable estimates put the number of human lives lost in his clinic at over 60,000. The phrase that came to me at the time was "One death is indeed a tragedy, but does that make 60,000 babies just a statistic?"

One particularly disturbing accusation from the pro-choice camp was that Bill O'Reilly incited Dr Tiller's killer to commit the murder...something which begins to hint at things that could encroach on freedom of speech for Christians everywhere. Last night in his Talking Points Memo, Mr O'Reilly eloquently defended himself and that can be seen here: O'Reilly on Human Rights and the Liberal Media

Last night I was VERY tempted to post this on Facebook- there are a lot of people out there in the world who believe that everything on Fox News is a lie and from time to time I would just like to prove them wrong- BUT- I had a check in my spirit about it and decided not to post.

Then, this morning I came across this WONDERFUL interview with Mike Huckabee (one of my heroes, BTW) on the Jon Stewart show.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mike Huckabee Exclusive Interview Pt. 1
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mike Huckabee Exclusive Interview Pt. 2
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mike Huckabee Exclusive Interview Pt. 3
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

Can I just mention again that I love Mike Huckabee? :) This is one of the most rational and fair discussions about both sides of the abortion issue I have ever heard in the media.. . kudos to Jon Stewart for hosting it!!

As I watched this piece I saw Truth, wisdom, grace, love and patience displayed as Mike discussed this volatile topic with Jon Stewart. This really was a chance to see James 3:17 in action:

James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

This is also an example of what Paul talked about in Colossians:

Colossians 4:5-6
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

SO, after deciding not to post the O'Reilly clip, I DID post the Huckabee interview on my Facebook wall. While Bill O'Reilly made some very valid points and defended his position with the media fairly, at its core that particular clip was much more about "right versus left" than it was about getting to the heart of the matter about the tragedy that is abortion. If I had posted that on Facebook, I feel like I would have been just sort of sticking my tongue out at those who disagreed with me...making what might have been a valid point, but one that would do more to stir up strife that it would to enlighten.

On the other hand, I believe Mike Huckabee's interview was anointed and powerful-he spoke the Truth in love-and with Jon Stewart's courteous but firm debate, both sides of the issue were allowed to be aired. What this interview did was leave the hearers with the right to make their own decision.

Ultimately, that is what our beloved Father God does when he speaks to our hearts about the Gospel. He will speak the Truth in love, presents us with a choice- even points out the BEST choice to make- and yet leaves the choice itself in our hands:

Deuteronomy 30:19-20
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you,
that I have set before you life and death,
blessing and cursing;
therefore choose life,
that both you and your descendants may live;
that you may love the LORD your God,
that you may obey His voice,
and that you may cling to Him,
for He is your life and the length of your days...

The lesson I learned? If I had impetuously posted the O'Reilly video last night, I feel like I would have pushed people away. At that time I didnt know why it was so important not to do that, but when I saw the Huckabee interview this morning I realised THAT was why. THAT was the message that needed to be shared at this time, THAT was what God was telling me to share. By waiting and not posting last night, I shut my "mouth" and waited- then the Holy Spirit was able to "fill it" with what He wanted to say:)

With Joy!

Why Yes, I have been extremely busy for the past 6 weeks, how did you guess?
:-)
I have one more week of lots of busy, and then I hope to catch up here and on my jewelry blog...I have been contemplating the joys of being a tree planted in the courts of the Lord (from Psalm 92) and will update on that soon..in the meantime, Join with me in rejoicing in the mercies of our GREAT GOD:



Isaiah 12
Songs of Praise

1 In that day you will say:
"I will praise you, O LORD.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.

2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."

3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

4 In that day you will say:
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.

5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.

6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

A Heavenly Prescription for Swine Flu

Photo: Glen Coe Scotland 2005
What is the BEST medicine for the Swine Flu and the fear it has sent around the country and around the world? The living active breath of God-His Word-and in this case, especially Psalm 91.

Why do I call it medicine? God's Word calls itself medicine in Proverbs:

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.Do not let them depart from your eyes;Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them,And health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22


...and again in Psalms:

He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Psalm 107:20

In addition to forgiveness of sins, healing for our physical bodies is part of the atonement that Jesus accomplished for us:

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5

Now Im not saying that you shouldnt go to the Doctor, or take "earthly" medicine...but that can only help so much. In the case of the Swine Flu, the FEAR is potentially as much a problem as the flu itself and God's Medicine has healing for both problems.

Psalm 91 has so many incredible promises...I encourage you to read this out loud any time you are feeling concerned or afraid:

Psalm 91


1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”


3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a]
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.


7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.


9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

AMEN!!:)

NOTE: If you would like more teaching about God's will for our healing and/or freedom from fear there are some great free teaching resources available online:

God's Will to Heal by Keith Moore
Free From All Fears by Keith Moore

God Wants You Well by Andrew Wommack
Eternal Life by Andrew Wommack
Christian Survival Kit by Andrew Wommack

Here are some of my favorite books by Andrew Wommack:

Fields Filled with Praise

Be praised for all Your tenderness
by these works of Your hands
suns that rise and rains that fall to bless
and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat
and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the colour green
that fills these fields with PRAISE

~From The Color Green by Rich Mullins

Some days I really miss Rich Mullins and his barefoot gypsy heart after God...he was such an incredible poet and psalmist and just my sort of a bit of an odd fish:)

This morning I was delighted by the greening of the city, and decided to take a wee drive out west into the edge of the Flint Hills before I started my work day..the landowners have started the spring burning, and the fields are a patchwork of leftover autumn purple copper golden brown tallgrass, burnt black fields and the brilliant spring green of the ones that have already started growing back from the burn. I Praise God for giving us the incredible gift of appreciating beauty- and the beauty of his creation to appreciate:)

Here is my favorite spring song, the one quoted above...it fits today perfectly!!







The Color Green Lyrics:

And the moon is a sliver of silver
Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop
And every house must have it's builder
And I awoke in the house of God
Where the windows are mornings and evenings
Stretched from the sun
Across the sky north to south
And on my way to early meeting
I heard the rocks crying out
I heard the rocks crying out

Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise

And the wrens have returned and they're nesting
In the hollow of that oak where his heart once had been
And he lifts up his arms in a blessing for being born again
And the streams are all swollen with winter
Winter unfrozen and free to run away now
And I'm amazed when I remember
Who it was that built this house
And with the rocks I cry out...

(chorus)


Amen!!

This song is from Rich Mullins EXCELLENT CD A Liturgy, A Legacy & A Ragamuffin Band and is available for purchase on Amazon as either an mp3 download or CD

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY

Sunrise in Pitlochry Scotland

What a glorious day to draw waters from the wells of salvation with JOY!!
I'm not much of a cross person usually,although I do understand the importance of what happened there, the death means nothing without the resurrection. That is the main reason why I like the Celtic cross (as in the photo)- although there are different symbolisms attached to it, to me the circle represents the resurrection and Eternal Life:)
Want to hear a wonderful Resurrection Day truth from the Word? I love this passage from Romans Chapter 8~ This is a big chunk..so take it one or two verses at a time...
Romans8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
~when a person is born again, their spirit is made totally new, old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17)..your outsides are still the same, and your mind will and emotions need some work, but your SPIRIT is totally new..(continued in V 11;)
Romans8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
~I know, sometimes it doesnt seem this way, but if you start with that truth..that IS truth, then you can stand against sin and all things that pertain to death (sickness etc) in your life much easier:)
Romans8:3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
basically - we cant do it by following the Law..being good, or anything else JESUS did it for us!

Romans8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
So once you realise who you are IN CHRIST, things get much easier. Its important to allow the Word of God to show you who you are so you can be spiritually minded- to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind"(Romans 12:2). The Word is God's mirror to show us who we are...you cant see your spirit in an earthly mirror, but you can in the Word! For a start, do a study on all the verses you can find with the words "IN CHRIST" and "IN HIM"...2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Romans8:8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
So see, if you are born again then YOU ARE NOT IN THE FLESH BUT IN THE SPIRIT...but as Paul says in Galatians, it is still up to us to walk in the Spirit- Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit
Romans8:10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
If you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life then THE SAME SPIRIT THAT RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD LIVES IN YOU!! And takes hold together with you against the flesh to "GIVE LIFE" to your mortal body...in other words to help you live in the spirit, free from sin and sickness and death!!
Isnt that amazing? This is really what baptism symbolises...we died with Jesus when we made him Lord of our lives and are RESURRECTED with him as we walk in the Spirit with Him....this is what the prayer in Ephesians is talking about, and I am praying this for every believer reading this blog:
Ephesians 1:17-21 For I always pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him, By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints His set-apart ones (THATS YOU IF YOU ARE BORN AGAIN!!),
And so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named-above every title that can be conferred, not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come.
Amen, so be it:)
Andrew Wommack has some great FREE audio teaching along these lines:
Spirit Soul & Body Did you know you have all three? And there is a difference between your soul and spirit?? very GOOD basic teaching covering the concepts I have written about above:)
ETERNAL LIFE isnt just living forever in Heaven, its here and now too:)

Sparkling

Photo:Glen Nevis, Scotland 2005

Every now and then when I am studying the living, active breath of God (aka the Bible;-) I am delighted to stumble upon something that reminds me how intimately God knows and loves each one of us personally...

I have always been a "sparklie" person-its one of the ways I express joy! I learned a long time ago that a well placed heart-felt smile can make a big difference in a stranger's day, even without a word- and I try to put the heartfelt part into my eyes with a special sparkle that has the love of God in it. Last week there was this Hebrew word I kept running across in my studies:

נָהַר transliterated "naw-har" which means river, & then by association it means to sparkle or be radiant

Psalm 34:5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.

both ideas come together in the Amplified translation of Jeremiah 31:12~

Jeremiah 31:12 (Amplified Bible)
12They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion and shall flow together and be radiant with joy over the goodness of the Lord--for the corn, for the juice [of the grape], for the oil, and for the young of the flock and the herd. And their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow or languish any more at all.

I have also always loved the way God uses water as an illustration in his word... "with Joy shall ye draw waters from the wells of salvation", "with You is the Fountain of Life" and the one that speaks to me continually is Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit in John

John 7:38 (Amplified Bible)
38He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water.

I have felt the wonder and delight of this river flowing through me, and at the same time the amazing feeling of flowing IN it...I remember being in a huge congregation of worshippers all singing in the spirit and having that feeling of flowing together in the Holy Spirit river.

When I saw this word and these two passages this week, it was like God added just a little extra dimension to the river...it was now not only a river, but it was a SPARKLING river of joy...and I felt this great big Father God hug-like he was delighted with ME as much as I was with Him.

sparklie..thats how it made me feel;-)

Blood Bought Church REJOICES!!

Talk about JOY!!

I first heard this amazing song in 1985 at Kenneth Hagin's Campmeeting. Ray Gene Wilson sang it several times over the course of the week.. the Joy of the Lord just erupted all over the entire auditorium every time he sang it and I cant remember anyone sitting still:). I remember dancing through the aisles with my 11 month old son Matthew in my arms..I probably should have been tired when it was over, but somehow that Holy Ghost JOY anointing kept me from wearing out:)

The song, written by Nancy Harmon combines powerful lyrics with strong joyful southern gospel music...its just amazing. I wish I could find a recording of Ray Gene Wilson singing it (If anyone knows where I can get one please let me know) but this version by Jessy Dixon is good as well...enjoy!!:






Blood Bought Church
They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for joy,
they shall cry aloud and be free
They shall glorify the name of the Lord,
it's the blood bought, the church, the redeemed

Oh, pick up your heart, oh, Zion of the Lord,
let the earth ring forth with His praise
All His children rejoice from the islands of the sea,
it's the blood bought, the church, the redeemed

Chorus:
And we are in that army of the Lord,
we've been washed in the blood and we are going forth
There is nothing that can stop this mighty moving force,
with a shout of praise a two edged sword

Every stronghold of bondage must fall beneath our feet,
Every prisoner held captive must be free
For our deliverance has come through the power of the son
It's the blood bought, the church, the redeemed

Let the earth be silent all winds cease to blow,
every created being fold your wings,
For there's a new song being sung with a new melody,
it's the blood bought, the church, the redeemed




Jessy Dixon's recording of this can be found on his album I Saw the Light (click link to be directed to product page at Amazon.com:)

Talk to Your Soul

Guess what? Your SOUL-your emotional realm-is not the boss! If you are a born again child of God, your SPIRIT- the "new man" (Rom 8, 2 Cor 5:17,Eph 4:24,Col 3:10) inside of you that has been reborn into the image of God and is 100% wall to wall Holy Ghost-is the boss, in Christ Jesus:)

Paul prayed in his letter to the Ephesians (a letter to the church, and that includes us too:) for them to have "the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you," (eph 1:18 amp). We need to renew our minds to the truth of who we are because of who He is within us!

There is no reason for a Christian to EVER be depressed-but that doesnt mean we dont feel depressed sometimes. It also doesnt mean we need to feel guilty for feeling that way..it just means its time to talk to our souls!!

When my soul is tempted to be depressed, or to throw a self-pity fit, I just grab hold of it spiritually by reading Psalm 103 out loud-sometimes REALLY LOUD- and it always works!!

Psalm 103
A Psalm of David.
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The LORD executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.[a]
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the LORD, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Some good teachings in this line:

Spirit, Soul & Body by Andrew Wommack

Victim or Victor by Keith Moore

Both of these are available for FREE download via the links above

Don't Blame God- its Not His Fault

"O give thanks unto the LORD;
for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever."

You can find this exact phrase or a
very close paraphrase in ALL these places:
1 Chronicles 16:34
2 Chronicles 5:13
2 Chronicles 7:3
Ezra 3:11
Psalm 100:5
Psalm 106:1
Psalm 107:1
Psalm 118:1
Psalm 118:29
Psalm 136:1
Jeremiah 33:11

While working today Ive been listening to a great Bible teaching by Andrew Wommack-"God is a Good God" -that starts by examining our misunderstandings about the sovereignty of God...we have so messed this about! I have friends and family who are mad at a God that they are trying hard to believe doesn't exist and the root of this anger is a direct result of this "tradition of man" that has so permeated Christian teaching.

The series I was listening to is no longer up on the website, but here is a previous one that Andrew Wommack did: "The True Nature of God"

Keith Moore also has a series on the goodness of God available at no cost here: "God is Good"

Here are some of my favorite books by Andrew Wommack:

That's My Boys

Im a grandma! My son, Matthew and his new baby boy Aidan Daniel, born this morning at 7:54am. We are all totally chuffed to welcome this delightful 'little fire' into our family..mother & baby are doing well, and dad is recovering, lol

He will Speak Peace

God is SO good (I think I've said that before, eh?;). This week I had a brief unexpected trip to the hospital~which ultimately turned out fine, but was a bit scary for awhile~and while I was there I spent a few hours reading the Word and praying. He quickened Psalm 85:8-13 to me as I was praying about how to keep the days events from throwing me off track:

8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak,
For He will speak peace
To His people and to His saints;
But let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
That glory may dwell in our land.

10 Mercy and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth,
And righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 Yes, the LORD will give what is good;
And our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before Him,
And shall make His footsteps our pathway.

~Psalm 85:8-13

Selah!

A Good Word

Just time for a quick word- a prayer for you all from THE good word. I remember the first time I opened the book of Ephesians and started to realize what it was really about. It was a letter! It was a letter to the church! IM part of that church! This is a letter to ME...wow!!! I often pray this prayer and the one in Chapter 3 for myself and others-God is so good, and he wants us to be able to comprehend how good, and how powerful He is within us. THAT IS JUST SO COOL!!!

"...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe..." ~Ephesians 1:17-19a

Of Spiritual Fruit & Joy Bubbles

Another post from my jewelery blog highlighting our pieces that are inspired by spiritual themes.

I woke up one morning last fall with the idea for bubble wands in my head, and my beloved circlet wizard (aka husband Ian:) was able to make them for me to add to our shop. I decided I would call them Joy Bubble Wands! These photos were taken by my sister~the amazing photographer~ when we were out at a family gathering a few months ago...my nephew helped me kid test the wands and Marci got some lovely photos in the process:)

The term joy bubbles is sort of a concept I came up with when I was going through a difficult time in my life and realized that the best way to make it through was to enjoy the little things that could be enjoyed no matter what else was happening. Like little bubbles of joy in the midst of trials.

Habakkuk 3:17-19(Amplified)~
Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation!

The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds' feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!

Some days it was harder to find something to smile about, but I remembered reading the truth that Joy from God was a fruit of the Holy Spirit within me, so it was never impossible. The more I looked for them the more the bubbles got bigger and the problems got smaller....joy is a STRONG force in our lives!

Psalm 103:1-5~
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The thing about joy is that it is totally different from happiness. Happiness can depend on our mood, depend on our circumstances, depend on the chemical reactions within our bodies, depend on other people, depend on our surroundings..the key thing is it DEPENDS. Joy on the other hand doesn't depend- it just is. Our connection to joy is rooted in the one thing we can control...our REACTION to all the things I just mentioned. Choices are always there waiting to be made...even if its only a little bubble to start with, joy is always there inside waiting to be discovered:)

Isaiah 12:2-3~
Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.

Therefore with JOY you will draw water
From the wells of salvation.

Prayers, Thoughts & Focusing

(at left: Gore Glen, Scotland-photo by me:)

Ive been a bit scarce the past few days, but Im working REALLY hard this first week of 2009 at getting my year off to a good start with business and organization. Not leaving God out of it of course~ As I said earlier on Twitter I've been praying a lot about my business..Not like "EEK HELP!" More like,"You created heaven and earth, me & everything else.I'll bet You know something I don't about business too":)

SO- in the midst of my busy-ness, here are just a few random things I wanted to share today...



First, a link to an update and prayer requests from Maoz Ministries in Tel Aviv, Israel about the war in Gaza:
DATELINE ISRAEL January 6, 2009 News Service of Maoz Israel Ministries

Second, a couple of verses I that Im reminding myself of often as I wander through my "business" day:

2 Corinthians 9:8~
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

(the bold bits there are just in case we were wondering if this principle is supposed to be working in our lives ALL the time;-)

Isaiah 48:17~
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“I am the LORD your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way you should go..."

Just to let you know, I do know there is a LOT more to that passage...Im not trying to take it out of context or anything, but that basic principle is repeated over and over in old testament and new. One day soon I plan to take more time and expound (theres a really fancy bible scholar word for that, but I dont speak theologian as a general rule, lol).

Blessings on your days everyone-may your first days of 2009 see you "prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers" Grace & Peace be with you!!