While We Can

Gallery 8 Oct 2015 Kathie Whitestone Thompson Leave a comment

A few words. The same words. Again and again they present themselves for my consideration. They challenge me. They interest me. And they beg to be shared.

While you can flood your world with every word exalting JESUS (YESHUA) that you can. Tell your friends. Urge your friends to do the same (the reason for this post). With whatever media within your sphere of influence saturate it with all things honoring the LORD. Saturate your world with His Truth in all the ways available to you. While you can, flood your world with Scripture, Messages of hope and laughter and goodness and kindness, Songs and Music that Honors The LORD, Hero Stories, Blog posts encouraging holy living, forgiveness, mercy, grace, ALL things to tell your world that GOD is and He is good! While we can, Folks. While we can make Him known!

For Now ~ ~ ~ Kathie

Christian Living, The Loft

Praying ‘n’ The Loft

Gallery 8 Oct 2015 Kathie Whitestone Thompson 6 Comments

House of Prayer. That’s what JESUS said the Temple (for us Church) was to be. He was quoting from Isaiah 56:7.

Isaiah 56:7 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

⁷I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

House of Prayer. A place where people gather and pray. Together. But you know what? We are the CHURCH. So any two or more can gather anywhere in HIS NAME and HE will be present with them. HE said so. See Matthew 18:20. (HE is present when even one prays :) but for the purposes of this piece, I am speaking of a gathering of at least one more.)

Graphic by Kerry Messer

Today’s LOFT subject is prayer.
A matter of thought that has been rolling around in my heart/mind for a few years as the MAIN practice that would change the world, beginning with our Local Congregations of The Body of Christ – The Church.
Real prayer. I mean gathering for the expressed and practiced purpose of praying. Aloud. Together. For the Church. For the Lost. For the Nation. For the World. For one another.

Many Churches still have Prayer Meeting on Wednesday night. I attended one last night. We gathered, we fellow-shipped, we shared prayer requests, a prayer was offered, the Pastor spoke, another prayer was offered, we fellow-shipped a little more and we went home. I am grateful for those prayer meetings, but such prayer meetings will not change a local assembly of believers, or a community, or city, or state, nation or world. It will take more.

I was privileged about a decade and half ago to be a part of a very special group of prayer-s. It was a season of struggle and deep sorrow for me and yet then and now a most treasured juncture. Memories to this day are precious and honored. We were 20 to 25 strong, gathering each Sunday evening. We fellow-shipped (for an hour or so) at various homes over a meal, sometimes a big spread, other times just sandwiches, chips and dessert; and then we prayed. Individually all around the room, one after the other we poured out our hearts before GOD and each other. It was a safe group. A group GOD had called together. To my knowledge there was nary a betrayal of confidence, even to this day. We’d meet around 5:00 in the early evening and reluctantly break to go home around 9:00 that night.

Those prayer gatherings, that communion, that power in prayer I have not known in recent years — but I want to. I believe it is the answer to our ails. I believe if we are to see revival; if we are to see an awakening in the Christian Church it will take praying together all over Christendom.

And so it is for this I pray. Sometimes in my ‘war room’, sometimes written in my prayer journal, sometimes on this computer screen, sometimes walking about, sometimes with others, praying for more others to join in.

Until Next Time ~ ~ ~ Kathie

2 Thessalonians, Christian Living, KWT Paraphrasing

Continuning

Gallery 8 Oct 2015 Kathie Whitestone Thompson Leave a comment

2 Thessalonians

These were amazing people to me. They were a delight to Paul. He thanked GOD for them continually because they kept on trusting the LORD and kept on loving each other. In further verses we will learn they were continuing to trust and continuing to love even in the face of persecution. Amazing!

As Paul traveled he talked to others about them. Perhaps he gave them as examples of encouragement to other congregations.

Then in Verse 4. There it is. persecutions and troubles you are going through.

Verse 5. He offers them comfort and counsel. Counsel to keep on walking in trust and love; keep your flesh at bay because GOD knows. He knows you are suffering. He is mindful of you. He will not forget. He WILL avenge. All your persecutors that do not repent will meet the fiery flame. But YOU. You will be rewarded. Great reward will come to you.

¹⁰On that Day, when he comes to be glorified by his holy people and admired by all who have trusted, you will be among them, because you trusted our witness to you. [source]

Amazing people!

Thank You, ABBA, for Your Word preserved for us, alive today for us to encourage us. Help us too to continue trusting You, loving You and others till JESUS (YESHUA) comes.