THE HAT

This is going to be what I refer to as a "Moses Post".  I have no idea what I am going to say, it is just one of those times where God points me in a direction and promises to lead me.

Since He has been so faithful in His leading me, I just follow along, knowing some think maybe I am in serious need of counseling, but all I can do is follow.  So know that as you read this we are taking this journey together, neither of us knowing where we are going or where we will end up...

Since I have no idea where I am going let me share with you my story of the hat.  You might think it is a special story since I feel compelled to write about the hat, but it's not.  I was looking for books to sell at the flea market (jockey lot for the people in SC) and a ran across an add on Craigslist where there were free books in Williamston.

I went to the address and a couple of women were there and told me to take whatever I wanted in the living room area, they told me it was their fathers home and he had reached a point in his life where he could no longer live alone.  I thought it was great that they cared so much about him that they were taking him into their own home to live out his days not trusting his care to others.

I was saddened that all the things he cherished were being given away (ah, that's where we are going) I ran across the hat.  It is not much to look at, you can tell though that at some point someone spent alot of money on a hat of good quality.  The hat is well worn, it had been cared for with love, on the front is a pin of an American flag.

I asked the ladies there if they were sure about giving the hat away, you could just tell that it was well loved.  They assured me that their father had give them a list of all that was important to him and the hat did not make that list.

I just could not let this hat go to anyone who walked through the door, strange but the truth, so I took it home with me and hung it on a nail inside my doorway and have really not given it a thought in all the months since.  The other things I got that day are gone, sold or given to someone in need.  The hat someday will have a home also, I don't know where or who it will go to but I am keeping it, holding on to it for that day.

God has talked to me a lot in the last year about holding on to "things" that nothing I have is mine, I can be a bit stingy about my things sometimes and have on more than one occasion been reluctant to give something away that I love.

I once heard a preacher say that she wished everyone could go stand in a trash dump and see all the junk there that was important to the people who bought it once, and now was taking up space,  junk thrown away.

I have written this before but it seems that I am destined to write it often, the hardest thing for me to give has been my words on these pages.  I who am considered fearless by many who know me am terrified of how people will judge my words.  Which is why I post them to my Facebook page, I don't deal well with being afraid, so I confront it head on, I refuse to allow fear to lead me.  Sadly, I have learned I have nothing to fear since very few people read them... 

But mostly I hold onto my words because they are the heart of who I am, the part of me that I don't want to share with you "It's mine and you can't have it".  I don't know what you cherish, what you hold onto but true freedom comes when you share with others.

MOVING ON UP

PROMOTION TIME

I DON'T KNOW

YET

WHERE MY

PROMOTION

WILL LEAD

BUT

I DO KNOW

GOD

WILL BE

THERE TO

LEAD ME

THOUGH I

KNOW HE

WILL CONTINUE

TEACHING ME

THROUGH THE

TROUBLES

THAT HAVE

ABOUNDED ME,

RAINED UPON

 AND ALL

BUT

DROWNED ME

I KNOW

THE DECEIVER

IS FEARFUL

SO A PROMOTION

MUST BE

BEFORE ME!

1 Corinthians 3

King James Version

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4. For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
5. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

6. I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

8. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

9. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

10. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

13. Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

14. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

15. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

16. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

17. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

18. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

19. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

20. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
21. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;

22. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

23. And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For all the dreamers, and believers take the few minutes needed and listen to this great message.   I truly enjoyed it!
http://mjharvell.com/2010/10/29/audio-post-4/

THE LOST CHILD

http://www.mcjackie.com/galcrisis.html

I have written this post at least a hundred times over the years.  I have never posted it, never wanted to post it and still do not want to post it.

But like a sore tooth or an itch it keeps coming back to me and only through writing it do I have any hope of maybe healing this driving need in me to preach this the only sermon I have ever had in me.

If after reading my words you think, how could she write that, who does she think she is, what a hypocrite, whatever you think I promise you I have thought also.  But God has let me get away with not following His will in this for years.  Dr Phil likes to say "this is not my first rodeo" well I have been in the belly of a whale and I have seen the hand, writing on the wall.  Don't plan on spending anymore time in those places, so God's will, not mine.

MY ONLY SERMON

MY ONLY TESTIMONY

It was Thanksgiving Day, I have forgotten the year, but it has been many years since.

My brother was having dinner at his house that year, I was looking forward to a great meal and a hard earned 4 day weekend.  I had plans of relaxing, eating lots of good food and going back for more.

. 

My brother was then and still is a Deputy in Lake County, Florida and just before dinner was ready he received a call requesting volunteers.  A little girl was lost, missing from her home nearby, they needed help scouring the woods, it was going to be cold that night.  I looked at my own child, my daughter and knew there was no choice to be made, I had to help, I had to look for this lost child.

I had never done a search before, and have not since, but would do one again if called or asked to search for a lost child.

We searched that day until past dark, scouring subdivisions that I would not have gone into day or night on my own.  The people were kind, concerned, offering prayer for this lost child.

We were asked to come back the next day, there were hundreds of searchers, the buses overflowing with people, we searched the woods that day and the next.  By Saturday we knew where this search would end.  We were told to look for freshly turned earth, to flag any found, notify a deputy who would check it out, to search for this lost child.

Sunday morning dawned a bright and beautiful day.  I was a mess, every muscle in my body screamed at me to stay home, not move, pamper myself.  I had more than earned it, I knew where this search would end.  I did not want to search for this lost child.

I slept/drove to the search base that day, wearily climbed the steps onto the bus and fell asleep.  I woke when the Deputy in charge of us that day climbed onto the bus and said good morning.  When I looked up there was such a look of disgust and contempt on his face that I glanced around to see what the problem was.  There were maybe 10 people on the bus that morning and they all looked as bad as me, we were truly a sorry looking lot.

The Deputy told us that we would only be searching a few hours that day, someone had reported seeing the father of the child in this huge pasture but since there were so few of us it would take hours to search.

He then looked at this pitiful lot of humanity and said something that haunted me all that day and all the years since.  He said "I guess we know where all the good Christians are today, in church!"

I know all the arguments, all the excuses, all the reasons why.  You don't need to try to justify to me, I have heard it all before.  What I don't understand and never will is WHY ARE YOU STILL SITTING IN YOUR PEW?????????????



PROMISE

Psalm 89:34 (King James Version)

34) My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

I wonder how many of you when reading the title of this post, how many of your first thoughts were "She must be having troubles" or that I was referring to the words spoken by Jesus.  We all have troubles, but mine are safely in God' Hands and are His troubles not mine for I stand on His promises to me.  The title is from Psalm 22.

I was asked once why do we need to read the Old Testament?  I have to say I was flabbergasted, I could not imagine why someone would not want to read it!  I am not a preacher or a great Bible scholar,  I am just a simple woman whose faith walk needs to be watered daily with God's Word.  I am as far from perfect as you can get, I am under construction, on my way to perfection, but most of all I am loved...

I will leave it up to the preachers to give you the religious reasons to read the Old Testament, I read it for the sheer beauty, I read it for the promises given, I read it because that is where our covenant, our promises are found.  I read it because I love it...

But mostly I read it because.......Jesus Lived It

Psalm 22

1) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

2) O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

3) But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

4) Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

5) They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

6) But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

7) All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8) He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9) But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

10) I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

11) Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12) Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

13) They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

14) I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

15) My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

16) For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

17) I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

18) They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

19) But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

20) Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

21) Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

22) I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

23) Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24) For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

25) My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

26) The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

27) All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

28) For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.

29) All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

30) A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

31) They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

TO DREAM

I am a dreamer both in my sleeping hours and while awake.  I love being a dreamer, even though often my dreams are,  just dreams.  God never promised he would make all my dreams come true, he promised to look out for me, to lead me in the path He has planned for my life.

I have had moments where I ranted, raved, and just generally pitched a tantrum when God did not see fit to grant one of my dreams-life...  But like any good parent God has shown me that sometimes the dream was not in my best interest, was not the direction my path was going. 

It is only in following God's path, His will, His way, that dreams I thought were to big to dream, dreams I did not even dream, have been given to me. 

So follow your dreams, but listen to God, He will never lead you astray!

The following link inspired my thoughts of dreams.  His words of encouragement are great and well worth your time to read.  I dream someday of being able to inspire others through my words as he does through his.............

http://mjharvell.com/2010/10/27/are-you-a-dreamer/

SEEDS

SEEDS

I AM A GARDENER

OF NO GREAT

NOTE

SEEDS I PLANT

OFTEN

WITH NO

THOUGHT

THEN IN SURPRISE

ONE DAY

I SEE

A

LOVELY PLANT

GROWN

FROM

A SEED

GOD

WATERED FOR

ME

TODAYS JOURNEY

I TOOK

A TRIP TODAY

DOWN

MEMORY LANE

IT WAS A

WINDING JOURNEY

WITH STOPS

HERE

AND

THERE

WHAT SWEET

JOY CAN BE

FOUND IN

THE

PAST

BUT,

 I

WOULD

NOT WANT

TO

 LIVE THERE

IT SEEMS THAT TODAY IS ONE OF THOSE CONTEMPLATIVE DAYS FOR ME.  IT IS ONE OF THOSE DAY'S WHERE I FEEL SO CALM, PEACEFUL AND HAVE SUCH A QUIET JOY WITHIN.

IT IS HARD TO DESCRIBE THESE DAY'S TO NON-BELIEVERS AS WELL AS SOME BELIEVERS.  I DON'T KNOW IF SOME PEOPLE WHO PROFESS TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD, IF THEY JUST WERE NOT GIVEN THE GIFT OF PEACE OR IF SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY THEY GOT LOST.

*

I WAS THINKING OF WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS YOUNG AND WE WOULD TAKE WHAT I CALLED LEFT OR RIGHT TURN ONLY TRIPS.  WE WOULD USUALLY BE HEADING HOME FROM SOMEWHERE SINCE WE ALWAYS RAN LATE GOING PLACES.

THE ONLY RULE TO THESE TRIPS IS THAT YOU HAVE TO PICK EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TURNS ONLY AND STICK TO THAT TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION.

ON ONE OF THESE TRIPS WE WERE COMING HOME FROM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS DOING ONLY RIGHT TURNS.  I HAD TO PULL INTO A MALL PARKING LOT TO TRY AND WORK MY WAY AROUND TO THE RIGHT TURN I NEEDED.

I HAD NOTICED A SUV FOLLOWING US AND IT FOLLOWED US INTO THE PARKING LOT.  I AM GLAD IT WAS DARK AND THEY COULD NOT SEE MY DAUGHTER AND I LAUGHING OUR FOOL HEADS OFF AT THESE POOR PEOPLE WHO AFTER ABOUT THE THIRD TIME AROUND THE PARKING LOT FIGURED OUT THAT US HAVING A FLORIDA TAG DID NOT MEAN THEY COULD FOLLOW US TO THE INTERSTATE.

I USED TO SIT IN CHURCH AND WONDER WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.  YOU KNOW THE ONE'S WHOSE FAMILY HAS ALWAYS GONE THERE, ALWAYS GONE TOGETHER.  THE ONES WHO KNOW EVERYONE AND SEEM SO MUCH BETTER AT THIS WHOLE BEING A GOOD CHRISTIAN THAN I...

MY UPBRINGING IN CHURCH CONSISTED OF WHEN IT WAS CONVENIENT MY MOTHER WOULD GET US UP AND DRESSED, FLAG DOWN THE CHURCH BUS AND SEND US OFF SO SHE COULD HAVE A FEW CHILDLESS HOURS ALONE.  THERE WERE NEVER ANY OF THOSE MOMENTS WHERE YOU SIT WITH YOUR CHILD NEXT TO YOU, ABSORBING THE SERMON, WHILE STROKING YOUR CHILD'S HAIR.  NOT A PITY PARTY JUST THE TRUTH.

I ENVIED THESE PEOPLE FOR A LONG TIME, ASKING GOD WHAT WAS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THEM.  WHY WAS I NOT DESERVING OF THIS, WHY DID MY FAITH WALK ALWAYS HAVE TO BE THE HARD WAY.

NOW, I WONDER WHY GOD HAS BLESSED ME WITH SO MUCH.  WITH A FAITH WALK THAT HAS GIVEN SUCH STRENGTH, SO MUCH PEACE AND JOY.  I WONDER NOW IF THESE PEOPLE STEEPED IN TRADITION OF GENERATIONS, IF THEY KNOW THE PEACE AND JOY I HAVE.  IF WITHOUT THE STRUGGLES THEY SEE THE BLESSINGS.

ONLY GOD KNOWS AND THAT IS BETWEEN THEM, NOT FOR ME TO JUDGE.  WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT LIKE THE TRIPS WITH MY DAUGHTER OUR JOURNEYS, OUR FAITH WALKS, ARE UNIQUE.

GOD HAS A PLAN MADE ESPECIALLY FOR EACH OF US, TRYING TO FOLLOW SOMEONE WHO SEEMS TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE GOING IS A LOT LIKE THE SUV THAT FOLLOWED US THAT NIGHT.

THEY HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THAT

WE WERE ON A RIGHT

TURN ONLY JOURNEY.

WE WERE FOLLOWING

OUR PATH, SET JUST FOR US.

OUR JOURNEYS MAY BE DIFFERENT

SOME EASY, SOME HARD

BUT THEY ARE ALL

PRICELESS

TO US.

AND

THEY ALL

LEAD US

HOME

1 Corinthians 13

12) For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

I love these verses esp the 12th verse.  We shall all be known someday for who we really are not as the worlds sees us but as God knows us....  I can only speak for myself, but I want the heart that is me to be judged as loving and kind, sometimes it may not seem that way to others.  But I fear not for God knows where my heart is and what is my truth.  His judgement is the only judgement I seek.

1 Corinthians 13

1) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.


2) And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.


3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.


4) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,


5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;


6) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;


7) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.


8) Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.


9) For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.


10) But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.


11) When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12) For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13) And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

GOD'S SONG

PSALMS 23 (KJV)

The LORD Is My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

 He maketh me to lie down

 in green pastures:

he leadeth me

beside the still waters. 

He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me

 in the paths of

righteousness

for His name's

 sake.

Yea, though I walk

through

 the valley of

 the shadow of death,

 I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff

they comfort me. 

Thou preparest a table

before me in the

 presence of mine

enemies:

Thou anointest my

 head with oil;

my cup

runneth over. 

 Surely goodness

and mercy

shall follow me 

all the days of

my life:

and

I will

dwell in the

house of the

 Lord

 for ever.



GOD PICKS ON ME

I was reading "Why is it so hard to sit still" by Marcus Buckley this morning and was reminded of a recent time when as often happens my mind was flooded with this lovely vision of steps leading up to the Cross in my Memory Garden (sounds better than it looks)

So even though I just had a slope to work with, a shovel and no money, I started to dig.  I figured that if I just took away everything that did not look like a step, I would have steps left, yeah!  So when that did not work a couple of days and blisters later, I went to the internet.  No help there.

I have got to tell you I was doing some powerful fussing at God asking Him why he would give me this beautiful idea and no ability to create it, I pointed out to him all the people in the Bible He had given visions to HE GAVE THEM DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS!  Why was He picking on me.

Well, by the end of the week all I had was a mess, my grandson was over and I was tattling to him about how God picked on me all week, fussing about how when God told Noah to build an Ark he gave him such clear instructions that you could go to the Bible to this day and by those instructions build an Ark.

I don't think my grandson will go build an Ark, but he did not know the directions were there in the Bible and maybe someday he will go look them up and fall in love with Gods word as I have.

So, I gave thanks and praise to God for the week I had spent reviewing His words and the opportunity to share His wisdom.  (Still think He picks on me)


http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwp.me%2FpOOo7-2p&h=9fc72

THE KEYBOARD

I ASKED GOD

(okay, I whined)

WHY! CAN'T I

UNDERSTAND

THE

KEYBOARD

*

THE PIANO

I LONGED TO

PLAY

*

I PRAYED THAT

HE

ALLOW ME TO EXPRESS

MYSELF IN

THIS BEAUTIFUL WAY

*

TO POUR OUT

MY THOUGHTS

MY FEELINGS

THROUGH THE KEYS

MY HANDS

PLAYED

*

SADLY,

*

FOR YOU

MY READERS

HE ANSWERED

MY PRAYER

*

BUT

AS USUAL

FOR ME

ANYWAY

*

BY HIS WILL

IN HIS WAY

*

SO, HERE I SIT

AT MY

KEYBOARD

*

THE MUSIC OF

MY SOUL

MY LIFE STORY

*

POURING THROUGH

MY HANDS

ONTO THESE

PAGES

*

FOR ALL TO

HEAR

THROUGH THE

KEYBOARD

*

HE

*

GAVE

*

ME