As I begin this devotion, I have a heavy heart for America. Rampant, blatant, willful sin; spiritual blindness, apathy, political corruption, media bias, all these things and more are as a blanket of sorrow upon me this evening. I am longing for the time when Jesus will come and rule from Jerusalem as Lord and King over all the peoples of this earth. His Thousand Year Reign from Jerusalem will eliminate terrorists, abortion, alcoholism, drug addiction, murder, rape, taxes, deceitful politicians, ungodly monopolies, all debauchery of any sort. I can only imagine how GOOD those years will be! I am jealous for those days; I want to see My Jesus honored, worshipped, loved, and obeyed in every nook and corner of this planet. Through the pen of John, The Holy Spirit has written: Revelation 22: 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Yes, even so, come, Lord Jesus! Ever how much longer He tarries, it will not be as long as it has been. And until then I must allow this blanket of sorrow to do it’s work; to move me to the action He desires as I occupy this little nook of my world. I am asking you all to do the same. If He gives you a burning in your gut and a means to speak it – do it! Please don’t be silent. Our land is sin sick; so sick that She cannot be fully healed until Jesus comes but at least let us rescue as many of Her peoples as we can in the time we have left. Matthew 28:18-20 The Message Bible 18-20 Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave His charge: “God authorized and commanded Me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” An update on Jeremy H: Jeremy will be having surgery today (Tuesday?) to put in a Trach. When he’s awake he starts choking and gagging on the tube so they keep him pretty heavily sedated. So they’ll give him the Tracheotomy so he can be awake more and they can asses him more easily to see how alert he is and how well he’ll respond. He still has pneumonia and his blood pressure is still low. But everyone is hopeful that once he’s off so many sedatives he’ll quickly be on the road to recovery. Update on Joseph Toomey: TUESDAY, MARCH 04, 2008 12:27 PM, CST Joseph does have a urinary tract infection so pray for that. He had some sorority girls from Auburn come visit him last night and they lifted his spirits. He is excited about coming home Friday. The TV crews just left his house and are doing a story about all the work that the GREAT people of the church and community are doing to the house. It is amazing to see how good people are! Father, thank You for good reports, good news in the midst of heaviness and sorrow. You know the sadness and You know the work You desire for this sadness to do with me and I pray it be so. I ask You to have mercy upon this Country; forgive this People Lord; bless us with conviction and grace to repent. I continue to pray for the election of Your Choice for President. I don’t know what You can do with me to help this little corner of my world but I am here and I welcome Your Work in me. I pray for our IDOK Troops; for their safety and protection today of mind, body and spirit. I pray for the successful conclusion of this war; I pray for the Peace of Israel; I pray for each of these listed here; not knowing what to ask, just lifting them to Your Throne of Grace for Your Face and Your Touch – that will be more than enough Lord, more than enough.Jon David. Smith and family. Barber Grandsons. Renee’. Cathy’s friend and son. Jeremy H. Pastor’s Widow and four children. Martin Family. Odessa H. Margie & Duncan. A Caregiver for Baby Emily while her Mom works. Kearley Family. Kathy S. Glen Beck. Bev and family. Tonya and family. Rick Burgess and family. Lawson Family. Mrs. Dobbs. Dall T. Dylan. Marsha’s grand-baby. Kathy N. Kyle A. Joseph Toomey and Family. DeLois. Terri. Patsy B. Kim T. Kevin and the children. Lisa’s Mother. Katelyn (B). Janie B. Vickie. Lisa W. Anita. J Lloyd and family. Janet and Steve. Cathy. Toy and family. Caleb and family. Bay and family. Jennifer B. John and Carolyn. Larry and Claudia and family. Taylor & family. Jeanette and Earl and family. Libby and family. Callie. Madie. Ruth. Cynthia. Martha F and Bob. Allyson and Glen and family. Brittney and Kersten and family. Sharron and girls. Sheila and Andy. Carrie and Rachel and Jacob and family. Billy and Gina and boys. Lance and family. Grace and family. Tressa. Brad, Lindsay, Karah and Haley. Cindy K and family. Chuck. Jessie L. Windy and Jared and families. Helen and Dan and family. Jen and Larry and family. Chad and Brittany and family. Mollie and family. Julia. Bobbie. Tj. Zack. Phillip. Jessica. Larry. Kayla. Trey. Jacob. Ashely. Lance. Candance. Laura and family. John and Sandy. Bill and Judy. Adam & Family. Andrew. Sharron and Tonya’s houses to sell. Every IDOK and every IDOK son and daughter and grandchild. Every IDOK Pastor and Family. Every IDOK church. The Peace of Israel Revival in America. IDOKs Military Families. IDOKs Troops (foreign soil) – Ethan. Christopher. Raul. Robert. Billy. Josh. Buddy. Mark. Josh W. James. Bryan. Nick. Hawk. Brant W. Lyndon A. Christopher R. Travis N. Joshua M. Brent. Drew. Justin G. IDOK Troops leaving shortly for foreign soil: Albert R III. Bay N. Serving Stateside: Jonathan. Jasmine B. Tommy T. Shaun. Bay. Danny. Tim. Lee. George. Injured and brought State side: Anthony. Hector Injured Stateside: Hospitalized outside USA: Corpl. Light. Bradley T. Military at home adjusting – Mack. The 226. Troy. Brad. Tommy. Desi. Edward J. Civilian in Country – Mike. Lee. As I post this it is 47°F and clear in Al Asad, IQ & the time there is 8:40 AM AST – on March 5, 2008
IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008 If memory serves only 3 times in my adult life have I picked up a book and finished it before going to sleep. This time it is Idol Eyes by Mandisa. I am not a fast reader and often I fall asleep but not with this one. I started it before breakfast and before bedtime, I closed the last page. I have highlighted, underlined, and written prayers on more than a few pages.
She said Father has called her and us to three things: obedience, holiness, and transparency. I like that and I want that! We are familiar with each of these words: obedience, holiness, and transparency. And maybe at some time, we will look at all three of them but first I want us to examine transparency.
Readily when we think of transparency we think as my online dictionary says:easily seen through and detected.
But that is not the complete meaning of transparency. Listen to this: capable of transmitting light so that objects or images can be seen as if there were no intervening material. You can ‘see’ where I am going with this can’t you? But let me give you one more meaning of transparent according to my online dictionary: free from guile, candid, open.
No kidding that’s what it said! I think Mandisa is right; being a transparent Christian would be GREAT!! Reminds me of this passage of Scripture
Let your light so shine before men, that they may GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. In other words, may our Holy God be seen in us AS IF THERE WERE NO INTERVENING MATERIAL!! What would that intervening material be that would keep ‘men’ from seeing HIM in us? Only one thing our FLESH.
Father God this excites me. I want to be transparent! I want to be free from guile, be candid and open; to be a conduit for You to show Yourself in this world. Make me that way Lord Jesus; nothing in me can do that except YOU. Thank You for being here within us.
As I post this it is 66°F and haze in Balad, IQ & the time there is 4:46 PM AST – on March 4, 2008 His Ministry to You
We have some updates; lets see them first. From Cathy: My friend’s son has committed himself to a rehab center. He will be living/staying there full time. Thank you for your prayers and for your continued prayer support for this situation. From Helen: Dan’s dad (Mr. Smith) is back home as of today (Saturday). The valve they put in in December is working great-but- another valve is leaking and the arteries areall blocked but one. The doctor said he should be able to do just about anything he did before just in smaller amounts. Thank you all for your prayers God is still in control. We know all of our days are numbered and- Granpa may outlive us all it’s just at times like this we reflect more on just how helpless we really are without our Lord we really can’t so much as put one foot in front of the other unless He allows it. Enough Thanks once again for the prayers. Regarding Jeremy: For those of you who don’t already know Jeremy is making some progress as of yesterday(Friday). I know my last email didn’t sound very promising. A few hours after I mailed it out, I learned that yesterday Jeremy was doing much better. After a very rough night with his blood pressure being very bad they checked him throughout the night and in the morning his blood pressure was back to normal and his body is completely over both types of influenza. He was awake a little yesterday as well and responding well to different commands (squeeze someone’s hand, nodding his head to different questions). He will still be on the breathing machine until his lungs clear of all the fluid, and they’ll keep him sedated until he’s off the breathing machine. So, needless to say he’s not out of the woods yet, but we can still praise God for healing him of the flu, and the small steps he’s taking. Regarding Barber’s Grandson: We have great news. Grant urinated on his own once last night and once this morning. Each time was only a little bit, but it is a great start. The nurses and doctors are very optimistic that we are turning that corner toward kidney function! Praise God!! Grant is in dialysis right now; they are still drawing off the excess toxins that his body can not void right now. Continue to pray that his kidneys heal completely. Another issue we are facing right now is nutrition. Grant has eaten hardly anything since last Tuesday, almost 2 weeks ago. He still has NO appetite, and the doctor is concerned about him getting some food in him. Pray that he regains his appetite and will begin eating better.Again, I can not express how thankful we all are for all of your kind words and support. We have seen the family of God in action and are forever grateful to you and to the awesome God we serve. He has met every need and His presence has been so tangible. Father, we are grateful for these good reports, for the Merciful Healing You are applying to these lives. We are grateful for decisions to enter re-hab and we pray these steps to recovery will be successful. Thank You for Who You are and who You are bringing us all to be. Psalm 143: 8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. 9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; In You I take shelter. 10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. 11 Revive me, O LORD, for Your name’s sake! For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. 12 In Your mercy cut off my enemies, And destroy all those who afflict my soul; For I am Your servant. Amen and Amen. We are His servants and He hears us! However, our bodies are functioning or not functioning today, we can Praise Him! Whatever station we are holding today in HIM we are His Servants and we can serve Him and each other today! To HIM be ALL the glory!! And we have a new prayer request from Claudia:Wanted to let you know about Jon David, and ask that you put him on your prayer list. He had his nose broken yesterday (Saturday) …..they were playing basketball in the driveway, and Jeremy came up as Jon David was going down. Father, a broken nose has got to hurt big time and be especially difficult for a one young so we pray for him, for calmness of heart and supernatural ability to be still and allow Your healing to come. We pray for surgical intervention to be accurate and textbook perfect. We pray for restoration of the cartilage and resetting of bone; we pray for a complete recovery for Jon David, both medically and cosmetically. And we pray for parents and grandparents that this will be a time for You to be glorified and faith and love for You to grow deeper. We pray too this morning for others, for houses that need to sell; I can think of 3 Father in particular. We pray for families that are struggling to keep their homes and pray debts that look like merciless mountains to them. We hardly know how to pray except please help; please send relief. And we pray for the unemployed; we ask You to grant favor as they seek a place to earn and we pray You will open right doors and close wrong ones and we thank You that Your timing is perfect especially when we are fearful. Forgive us for our fear and thank You that You understand and You love us and help us in it. These names listed here represent many and varied situations and conditions of heart and health and we pray for each one; sometimes we wonder, help us just trust and wait to see the Awesome Ways You are answering. We pray for the election of Your choice for President. We pray for health and safety for our IDOK Troops today; we pray for them the ability and determination to make right decisions today about personal matters and following orders. We pray for Commanders, most of all that they will humble themselves today before You as their Great Commander. We pray that our IDOK Troops will each and every one come home safely at the appointed time; we pray for a successful conclusion to this war. We pray for the peace of Israel; the repentance of America and the revival of Your Church. Bless each IDOK in particular today Lord Jesus I pray. Amen and Amen.Jon David. Smith and family. Barber Grandsons. Renee’. Cathy’s friend and son. Jeremy H. Pastor’s Widow and four children. Martin Family. Odessa H. Margie & Duncan. A Caregiver for Baby Emily while her Mom works. Kearley Family. Kathy S. Glen Beck. Bev and family. Tonya and family. Rick Burgess and family. Lawson Family. Mrs. Dobbs. Dall T. Dylan. Marsha’s grand-baby. Kathy N. Kyle A. Joseph Toomey and Family. DeLois. Terri. Patsy B. Kim T. Kevin and the children. Lisa’s Mother. Katelyn (B). Janie B. Vickie. Lisa W. Anita. J Lloyd and family. Janet and Steve. Cathy. Toy and family. Caleb and family. Bay and family. Jennifer B. John and Carolyn. Larry and Claudia and family. Taylor & family. Jeanette and Earl and family. Libby and family. Callie. Madie. Ruth. Cynthia. Martha F and Bob. Allyson and Glen and family. Brittney and Kersten and family. Sharron and girls. Sheila and Andy. Carrie and Rachel and Jacob and family. Billy and Gina and boys. Lance and family. Grace and family. Tressa. Brad, Lindsay, Karah and Haley. Cindy K and family. Chuck. Jessie L. Windy and Jared and families. Helen and Dan and family. Jen and Larry and family. Chad and Brittany and family. Mollie and family. Julia. Bobbie. Tj. Zack. Phillip. Jessica. Larry. Kayla. Trey. Jacob. Ashely. Lance. Candance. Laura and family. John and Sandy. Bill and Judy. Adam & Family. Andrew. Sharron and Tonya’s houses to sell. Every IDOK and every IDOK son and daughter and grandchild. Every IDOK Pastor and Family. Every IDOK church. The Peace of Israel Revival in America. IDOKs Military Families. IDOKs Troops (foreign soil) – Ethan. Christopher. Raul. Robert. Billy. Josh. Buddy. Mark. Josh W. James. Bryan. Nick. Hawk. Brant W. Lyndon A. Christopher R. Travis N. Joshua M. Brent. Drew. Justin G. IDOK Troops leaving shortly for foreign soil: Albert R III. Bay N. Serving Stateside: Jonathan. Jasmine B. Tommy T. Shaun. Bay. Danny. Tim. Lee. George. Injured and brought State side: Anthony. Hector Injured Stateside: Hospitalized outside USA: Corpl. Light. Bradley T. Military at home adjusting – Mack. The 226. Troy. Brad. Tommy. Desi. Edward J. Civilian in Country – Mike. Lee. As I post this it is 73°F and blowing widespread dust and haze in Balad, IQ & the time there is 4:30 PM AST – on March 3, 2008
We are glad you are here; stay a while, look around, and be encouraged. We estimate there to be over 3,000 posts here at The White Stone Blog. Please know my hope is ALWAYS to help and NEVER harm. I have voiced many opinions and thoughts here since 2007 and by now I MAY NOT EVEN AGREE with all of them and some of my grammar and punctuation likely needs editing. But this is changeless: JESUS is our ONLY Savior and Hope. Do you KNOW Him?
