Category Archives: It’s a Bonus Post

2022, Gospel of Matthew, It's a Bonus Post, Just Chatty Today

Queen of the Night

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Something personal. 

We have a plant.  Actually two.

Queen of the Night Cactus. Here’s a LINK to read about this special plant — amazing!  

One of the two plants bloomed this year!

What is so special about that?
Well, the Queen of the Night Cactus, only blooms at night, and only ONCE does each bloom open; it also closes by morning – not to open again.
Once a bloom develops on the cactus and that bloom begins to turn upward, you must keep watch.
Every night you must check to see if the bloom has opened.

Perhaps this reminds you of a passage of Scripture.
It does me.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins.  Matthew 25:1-13.
I hope you will read it.

5 Now while the groom was delaying, they all became drowsy and began to sleep. 6 But at midnight there finally was a shout: ‘Behold, the groom! Come out to meet him.’

11 Yet later, the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour.
source 

More of our story and perhaps you will see the parallel of the parable. 

No upturn yet.
Still, we watched.  A few days passed and then the upturn began – sorry I don’t have a picture of ours but the link above will show you how it looks when it begins to upturn.

Our daily night watch began.  With a flashlight in hand, we stepped onto the back porch and peered into the darkness with the flashlight directed toward the Queen.
Nope. No opening.

On one particular night we looked early, 8:00 ish I think it was. 
No opening.
We chose to retire early that night, read Scripture, talked a bit, and we were just about to turn out the light. It was 10:00 ish.
Promptings.
You may think what you like but I am convinced Holy Spirit nudged me to go look.  Again.  And again He nudged.
We have to go I said.
We did.

Look what we would have missed had we ignored the promptings.
We would have missed the most beautiful, glorious flower I have ever seen — in our own backyard even! 
And you know what I believe?  Our Father GOD didn’t want us to miss it. He didn’t want us to miss that glorious beauty He prepared for us.
He doesn’t want us to miss the beauty of His Heaven either.  None of us. Not one of us does He not want to come, repent, receive and believe. 
All it took was obedience to the call, the promptings of GOD. 
That’s all it takes to see the glory of GOD. 

What have you missed because you have ignored the promptings of GOD? 

The blooms were closed by morning and they opened not again.

Love, Kathie 

2022, Christian Living, Holy Soap Box, It's a Bonus Post

I Went Shopping

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Made in South Carolina.

That got me to look.

And look I did, all 25 pages. I found about 3 that I think I would be pleased to wear, considering colors and styles.

Some of you will surely understand when I say the world of clothing makes me sad.

Obviously, the goal is money but the hook that seems to work on too many is that we must look sultry, sexy, and skimpy.

Admittedly many (perhaps most even) of these dresses I saw would be considered fully clothed compared to others I see on Facebook, Programmed Streaming, and around town; but some of these I would not wear out of my house.
(In the house, for my beloved, oh yeah — but that’s another story that I’m not telling here.)
And that has nothing to do with my chronological age or the shape of my frame, it has EVERYTHING to do with – is FATHER GOD pleased. 
Would I be honoring Him or would the evil one be snickering that he conned me into believing his lie that how I dress is my choice?
Seriously, I think this way.
And I know some of you do too. 
But from what I see, not enough of us yet.

Are there guidelines in Scripture, true for all generations as to physical modesty? 
Absolutely there are! 
And I am willing to discuss those with any SERIOUS SEEKER who is pre-determined to please GOD. 

Modesty (even among professing Christians)  is all but lost in this world.
Genuine Modesty of body and SPIRIT.

Where are the women who do not flaunt much-uncovered (or skin-tight spandexed) endowments to any man in sight; either in person or digitally? 

I heard a sermon on porn recently. 
The preacher said TV commercials are porn. I agree.
Some might be so bold to call it soft porn, certainly not the stuff of pedophiles and sex trafficators. 
I’m just being real here. Underwear is advertised, wearing only the advertised underwear. The key word there, y’all —UNDERWEAR. 
But alas what can we expect sinners to do, but sin — lack of modesty is part of it. 

So this evening I am not talking to females or males that know GOD and have embraced modesty in every sense of the WORD. 
No. I am addressing here or hoping to address Christians not yet aware of how important it is to be obedient to all of Scripture — including how we clothe these bodies in whom The Holy Spirit abides. 
As I said, I am willing to discuss this with SERIOUS SEEKERS who are pre-determined to please GOD. 

Again, what can we expect sinners to do but sin?
But we who profess with our mouths that we have been saved and washed in the Blood of JESUS; what did He not wash (clean) our closets too?!
Do we really think with the Price He paid that we have the right to dress any way we please? 
And if we are pleased to dress sultry, sexy, and skimpy, should not we check to see if we really are Christians? 
Repeating a prayer 10 years ago with no transformation since — is not proof of salvation. 
Do we really think we can go to the Anchor Stores, The Big Box Stores, or even the neighborhood General Store and buy anything on the rack and wear it just like the people walking in those stores that are lost without CHRIST? 

What are we thinking?!

Why am I preaching this?

Because I care.

And why do I care?

Why wouldn’t I? My Father does.

Love, Kathie 

2022, It's a Bonus Post, Just Chatty Today, Questions

Appropriated

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I have a list. 
A written list of people in my life, family, close and beloved friends, some close acquaintances, some people that friends have asked me to remember in prayer, and folks I have yet to meet but have found their way to my list. 
I regularly open this list, read their names, if I can visualize their faces, and I pray for them.

Today is a particularly sobering day with my list. 
Many of those names coming before me today give me no confidence of salvation for them.
I said to Father I want to see evidence of salvation.
I want to see fruit meet for repentance – fruit that is evidence that they are saved, that they have been delivered from Darkness to Light. 
I am confident they know. I am confident they have heard the Gospel – repeatedly. 
And then a word came  — appropriated. 

Appropriated is a tricky word. 
I looked it up.

At first glance, it looks like a word not applicable but on closer examination, it surely is just the word. 

You see it does mean to take or make use of without authority or right.
And in that sense, it is way not applicable. 

But it also means to take exclusive possession of 

And that does fit. So fits!

I think many people, lots and lots of people – particularly Americans, have heard the Gospel over and over.
They are so very aware that JESUS is the Son of GOD.
They are so very aware that He died and even rose again – they celebrate Easter and Christmas.
So they have heard. They know. But they don’t know. 
They don’t know because they have not APPROPRIATED the Gospel to THEMSELVES. 

JESUS has not become personal to them. He is not THEIR Savior, He’s just the One who claims to be the Savior of the world. 

This means these precious, loved people are still LOST. 
And this disturbs me – greatly! 

Do you have people in your life this way too?
What do you do?