Monday's Moment

Ephesians 2:4-6

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Good morning, and a Marvelous Monday to you all!

A busy weekend is over, one that was filled with wonderful fellowship, food, fun, and uplifting church! We are a very blessed people to know our God and to enjoy His presence and His people.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus (chapter 2) about our God who is, "rich in mercy", and, "for his great love wherewith he loved us." Just those two phrases are enough to cause overwhelming comfort to one's soul. RICH in mercy, not just a minimal supply but abounding in wealth. Great love, not just a casual feeling but BIG love. Our God is more than enough and He owns more than enough for us.

While we were dead in our sins, and all because of God's rich mercy and great love, we were saved by His grace. Redeemed from the corruptible things of this world. Bought by the precious blood of Jesus. Our sins are forever washed away. 

Then, we are raised up and "made to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." How very blessed we are to live this Christian life! Rich mercy, great love, saving grace, and sitting in heavenly places - it's all in Him!! We are privileged people to be partakers of the righteousness of God. It's hard for me to even write what my heart feels right now.

This song was sung last night in service, and I feel that it fits today's post:

Feel the Joy

by Mark Condon

Chorus

I feel the joy of the Lord falling fresh on me

I feel the joy of the Lord delivering me

I feel the joy of the Holy Ghost all over me

Verse One

I'm a little tired of the devil's games

Keeping me in bondage from my sorrows and shame

I deserve better, I won't go another day

I'm here to claim deliverance in Jesus name

Verse Two

Now, I have royal blood flowing through my veins

I'm a child of the King, I've been buried in His name

There is no devil that can come against me

I've been bought, I've been blessed, and I've have been set free

Tag

I have been loosed, I've been set free

So pardon me a moment while I have a jubilee

The joy of the Holy Ghost is all over me

The joy of the Holy Ghost is in us and all over us every day that we live. We need a daily renewing of it, a daily stirring up of the gift within us. Our Monday doesn't have to be mediocre or mundane.... not when we know the Master..... it can be Marvelous!!!

Until tomorrow, rejoice in the Lord......

Sunday's Specialty

Romans 10:14-15

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Good morning, everybody!

Another Special Sunday is upon us and only God knows all the blessings in store for us today. Once again, I'm grateful to be alive, awake and active (well, not too active yet!!!)

I have been acquainted with ministers most of my life. My Dad received his call into the ministry when I was in my teens and, since then, my husband, brother, brothers-in-law, and many others have been called. My family as well as my husband's family is full of ministers. What a blessed group of men - those who are called of God to preach His word!

Where would I be today if there had never been a minister in my life? I shudder to think of how different my life would have turned out if there had not been a voice in the pulpit, declaring God's Word to me. How very thankful I am that I developed a love for the ministry before I was even a teenager. 

The past few days as we attended a youth meeting in LA, there were so many ministers present there and it was truly a safe place to be, largely in part because of the representation of godly leaders. These men are held in high respect for their calling but they carry heavy burdens upon their shoulders. They need our support and prayers, especially now. 

I've heard this song a few times and I'd just like to add it today in honor of the men who have had such a great influence on my life:

Thank God For The Preacher

Verse I

As I walk down the street of a sin-stricken city

I see the misfortunes of men

A man in the gutter lying there lifeless

Clutching a bottle in hand

He was some mother's darling

Maybe some young man's father

But, now he's a prisoner to sin

No hugs in the morning and no family altar

He's gets by the best way he can

Chorus

Thank God for the preacher, who told me of Jesus

For I'd be a beggar if not for his grace

Lord help me show others, your love and your mercy

Make my life a witness to others I pray

Verse II

At a little white church house at an old tear-stained altar

A prayer for God's mercy was heard

Though his sins were many and his burdens heavy

He took the Lord at his word

The angels rejoiced as he was forgiven

Shouts filled the temple that day

I will never get over that trip to the altar for I was that sinner who prayed

Words and Music by Jason Crabb/Gerald Crabb 

In just a few hours, I will once again attend a church service where the Bible will be preached with anointing. How very blessed I am today because of the preachers in my life!

May your Sunday be very special as you, too, take time to show appreciation for the men of God in your life.

Until tomorrow when, Lord willing, we'll meet again for another spoonful.....

Saturday's Snippet

2 Timothy 4:7-8

7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Good morning, one and all!

What a sweet Saturday to be alive and well, grateful to God for His blessings!

Last night, we attended a service in Lake Charles, LA, otherwise known as Youth Weekend. The First Apostolic Church of Moss Bluff put on a wonderful drama entitled, "Blood Bought." The drama's overall theme was to portray the price paid for our salvation, and those who kept alive the truth of God's Word throughout all ages.

There were happy scenes when they acted out the Day of Pentecost, yet there were sad, tragic scenes as they portrayed the martyring of Christians from ages past. It was a well-written, well-acted drama, but above all it was filled with scriptures, and it was soul-stirring.

In several scenes, the life of Paul was depicted; his preaching, some of his travels, but then the ending of his life. A guillotine was set up and the acted out beheading of the Apostle Paul took place. I know it wasn't real but it gripped my heart heavily, and the feeling is still with me this morning. Paul loved his God and His word. He loved it enough to die for it. 

Paul's final words were...."I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." He knew that his life on earth was ending but he looked through eyes of faith at the reward awaiting him on the other side of the chopping block.

Today, I am more thankful than ever before of Calvary, and this Apostolic Church. I am especially grateful to those who stood for truth even when it meant laying down their lives for it.

May my heart and life be so bound up in God that I will not only live for Him, but I will gladly lay down my life for Him. I am so thankful to be blood bought!!

Here is a little chorus from long ago.... 

For me to live is Christ

For me to live is Christ

I reckon myself dead unto sin

And live my life for Him

Have a Sweet Saturday with the Savior, who shed His blood for us at Calvary. He died so that we might live.... in this present world.... and with Him for eternity!

Friday's Footnote

Ecclesiastes 12:1

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Good morning, family and friends!

Seems that we will be having a warm, sunny day here in Nederland, TX. God is good at all times; on sunny days and on not-so-sunny days. He is just good and great for always!

Yesterday, we did some shopping in nearby Beaumont, TX, ending with a trip to an antique mall in Lumberton, TX. While my husband went to see if some friends were free to meet for supper, I browsed through most of the booths in this store. It had been over a year since I had shopped there, but I was glad to be able to return.

I hadn't walked far when I entered a booth and beheld a glass, one-gallon milk jug from long ago. As I stood there, my mind took me back to a time when we had milk delivered to our door three times a week by a local milk company there in Chicago, IL, where I grew up. Memories flooded my mind.

On I walked, and then I saw a cigar box on a table in another booth. Once again, I went on a mental stroll down memory lane. In about the first and second grades, we all brought an empty cigar box to school and that's where we kept our glue, erasers, pencils, etc. One year, I spilled my glue in my box but, for some odd reason, the teacher refused to let me take my box home and get another one. Funny, the things we remember!

As I continued to walk through more booths, I thought of my parents and really missed them. I wished for Mom to be with me at this antique mall so we could share memories from the past, but she's in IL and much too sickly to travel and/or shop anymore. Dad is in a convalescent home due to his failing health and the ill effects of dementia. 

I had a wonderful childhood, being raised in a loving, two-parent home. At the age of nine, my parents began attending a Pentecostal church and that's where we all were born again of the Water and the Spirit. Then, life with Dad, Mom, and my two brothers, Dwight and Casey, really became good and interesting!

I'm grateful for precious memories of the good old days but, I'm really appreciative that my parents introduced me to the Lord so many years ago. He never grows old, nor does His love for me. 

I have an old cassette by the Imperials, and this is one of my all-time favorite songs to listen to:

I Still Love You, Lord

performed by the Imperials and The Oak Ridge Boys

Verse One

There's a place in the back of my mind

A little corner reserved for all time

It's home sweet home

Precious memories, oh, so fine

There's just some things

I cannot leave behind

Chorus

And I still love You, Lord,

In that same old-fashioned way

And I know that I could never feel any other way

And even if I could live to be a hundred years or more

I'd still love You, Lord,

In that same old-fashioned way

Verse Two

Father Time grows older every day

He says I've changed

Well, I guess, so have you

And as time runs out on this life of mine

I know my love for Jesus will never change

Have a blessed day, and I hope you, too, have sweet memories to think of occasionally. I pray that our love for Jesus will never change!

May your Friday be fabulous with our Faithful Friend & Father!!

Thursday's Thought

Isaiah 55:2

 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Good morning, everybody!

I usually blog about something heartfelt, or spiritual, but today I am going to be painfully honest... with hopefully a bit of humor. 

Weight is a "heavy" matter, wouldn't you agree? I struggle with mine. Back on April 9, 2015, I took a look at the number on my scale and wanted to scream, for it showed that I was at an all-time HIGH!! That HIGH number brought my spirits very LOW but, with the help of two great friends (one being my daughter), I bit the bullet (it was calorie-free, by the way - LOL), and began reducing that number.

I ate healthier, I recorded my calories every day on My Fitness Pal; my children bought a FitBit Zip as my Mother's Day gift (one of my most favorite gifts); and I began to feel better. By November 12, 2015, I had lost 24.3 pounds, and I was ecstatic.

But, plans only work if you work the plan, especially as relates to changing one's eating habits. You know what followed November 12th, right? Thanksgiving! You remember what followed Thanksgiving? Christmas!! Then, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. We tend to celebrate every holiday with food!

I regret to write that I have gained back some of those lost pounds, and I'm feeling miserable. My clothes are tighter, and my overall morale is low.... Funny, how my emotions are - if the number on the scale is low, my morale is HIGH, but if that number goes high, then my morale is LOW. And, I am confessing to a lot of emotional eating lately.

Honest confession is good for the soul, so I am confessing that I have allowed cookies to be my chums; French fries to be my friends, brownies have become my buddies, and pies have turned to being my pals. 

Today, I am trying to wrap my brain around the truth that cookies are crumb-collecting challengers, French fries are fat-filled foes, brownies are bulging bums, and pies are pitiful pollutants. I must resist them if I truly desire to get back to feeling better.

Finally, the Lord has blessed me with one body for this lifetime. I do not get another opportunity to take care of another body. My temple IS the temple of the Holy Ghost and, while I strive to live a good and holy life inwardly, I also need to crave more of good, healthy foods, in order to function at my top level physically.

Thanks for bearing with me today as I bared my soul about something that really "eats" at me. I know there are really serious things bothering others and I am not trying to downplay their true pain, but I could use some prayer about my weakness toward foods.

I have an imaginary friend, and I call her Wilhemina Patrice... WP for short. She is actually the sister to Will Power... you remember him???  LOL!!! Sometimes I have to make something light and fun in order to press forward. I'm hoping WP comes back to live with me, walk with me, and talk with me.... she is a big help in my life!

Have a Tremendous Thursday and, whatever is bothering you in your life, please lay it at the altar, and God will always be there to help you through it!

Until tomorrow......  

Wednesday's Whisper

Isaiah 53:4-5

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken of God and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Good morning, one and all!


Today is Wonderful Wednesday, but here in TX, it's windy Wednesday. Hold on to your hat because it might blow off your head!

The Lord is good, and when I think of the price that was paid at Calvary, I am continually overwhelmed by the great love and sacrifice displayed on that day so long ago. Yet, the blood still flows, and the love still comforts, and the healing still touches even today!  Calvary was not a pretty picture but the beauty of the blood and goodness of Jesus Christ is beautiful!

He bore our sins, sorrows, griefs..... He bore it all at Calvary! He died that we might live. He was bruised that we might be healed. He took our sins that we could be set free from our sins. 

Just a simple chorus to finish today's post:

O the blood of Jesus
O the blood of Jesus
O the blood of Jesus
It washes white as snow

I'm thankful for the blood of Jesus
I'm thankful for the blood of Jesus
I'm thankful for the blood of Jesus
It washes white as snow

May we be reminded every day of the sacrifice paid for our sins... And may we hear His whisper once again, "I did it all for you!"

Hope to see you again tomorrow!

Tuesday's Tidbit

Philippians 3:14

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Good morning, everybody!

It is a rainy morning here in TX, but the Son still sines! If we never had rain, flowers and trees would wither and die. In our spiritual lives, we must have some rain or our souls will become dry and barren. So, I will do my best to see through the dreariness into God's brightness.

I looked up the definition for the word press and I do believe I could write an entire post about this one word. Here are a few definitions I found interesting:

1) To exert steady weight or force against

2) To continue a course of action, especially in spite of difficulties

The Apostle Paul wrote about pressing toward "the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." He knew firsthand the struggles of living for God in his present evil world. Paul daily exerted force against evil so that he could maintain his integrity with God. The prize ahead, the high calling of God, was so important to him that he kept under his body and brought it into subjection. (I Corinthians 9:27)

We are daily pressing, continuing the action, especially when life gets difficult. God has not promised us all sunny days, but He has promised to be with us always. He hasn't promised continual days without pain, but He does bear our infirmities. If we continue the press, God will be our strength.

Consider the woman with the issue of blood. Mark 5 tells us that she, "...came in the press behind, and touched his garment." She put forth all the effort she had, in spite of the crowd around her - she pressed through the press - and found her miracle. 

Today, wherever you are and whatever you're battling, put forth every effort you have to press against the things that try to hinder you, remembering there is a prize ahead. We cannot afford to stop pressing!

Have a Terrific Tuesday, and I pray to be back again tomorrow with another spoonful!

Monday's Moment

2 Kings 6:14-17

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Marvelous Monday to you all!

The above Bible story was mentioned by the first speaker in the Ladies' Retreat I attended last week. When Elisha's servant saw the horses, chariots, and great host surrounding them, he was greatly disturbed. 

"Master, how shall we do?" was his cry.

But, Elisha prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant and allow him to see what was REALLY out there. That's when the servant saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire round about him and Elisha. 

It is important that we have our eyes opened by God because, if we see through natural eyes, we will only see the terrifying, the bad, and the ugly. But when God opens our eyes, all of a sudden, we see Him and all His glory. Oh, to have God touch my eyes today!

Many disturbing things are happening around the nation; troubling things are happening in our families, our friends' families, and even in our churches. If we are carnal and only see what is before us, our hearts will constantly be troubled. But, Jesus still opens eyes so we can see that He is at work; He is still our strength and song. 

I heard this chorus back in January but it was also sung at the Ladies' Retreat last week. I hope I can remember all the words.... (Sorry, but I do not know the artist's name.)

Lord, You are holy

Lord, You are righteous

You are so good

Lord, You are holy

Lord, You are righteous

You are so good

No matter what is going on with me

You are still the same

You are so good

Forever I will lift up my hands

And worship Your name

You are so good

It doesn't matter what is going on with me (for that's all I can see sometimes) but God remains the same. I choose to worship His name because He is faithful.

May your Monday be mighty Marvelous with our Magnificent Maker and Master! 

I hope to be back tomorrow with Tuesday's Tidbit....

Sunday's Specialty

Romans 15:13

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Good morning, one and all!

Every day is a good day to give thanks unto the Lord... especially on Sunday! No other day is like this day, one in which we attend service twice, and we are focused on the Lord more than during the other days of the week, or so it seems.

Our God is the God of peace, and His peace passes all understanding. Peace that is found only in God cannot be understood for it is a calm in the midst of a storm. It is serenity when our lives are surrounded by pressures and stress. Paul wrote to the Romans that he desired the God of hope to fill them with "all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope..." How are we going to be filled with joy and peace, and abound in hope? Through the power of the Holy Ghost!

What is the Holy Ghost? It is the Spirit of God living inside of us; walking, talking and moving in our lives 24/7!!! We have been endued with power from up on high, and we are victorious through that power of the Holy Ghost! 

Here are the lyrics to a song that I heard sung at the ladies' retreat I attended this past week:

You are My Peace of Mind

by Karen Peck

All things work out for my good

I don't need a four -leaf clover

I don't need to knock on wood

My life is completely in Your hands

And before my heart was beating

I was in Your plan

If the sun would stop burning

This world that's now turning

Suddenly stopped on a dime

I won't worry at all

'Cause You are my peace of mind

You can walk on the water

In the midst of my storm

With You in the fire

I won't be harmed

If by others forsaken

You remain faithful

Your love is much stronger than time

I won't worry at all

'Cause You are my peace of mind

When the mountain stands in my way

You can move that mountain right out of place

This lyrics of this song are so beautiful and true, and when sung with the anointing of the Holy Ghost.... well, it doesn't get any better than that!!

May the God of peace and hope fill you today with all of His goodness! Special Sunday to you.... and I'll see you tomorrow, Lord willing!