God and the Spider – take a look (it’s good even if you have visited previously)
Click here: God and the Spider…a very special thanks goes out to Betty for this one…

A familiar topic of books and discussion in recent days is purpose. What is our purpose here on planet earth? What am I suppose to do with these 24 hours that roll around so quickly, day after day? Monday we said we are to OCCUPY until Jesus comes and so we are. Some of us would like more definitive direction and we’d like it succinctly. Right? I read this verse of Scripture in several translations; I like it best in King James.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
This is a bottom line verse for me and I like bottom lines; sometimes I even carry that to a fault – I rush through the middle to get to the ‘bottom line’. When all is said and done; the books have been written and read, and all the discussions have ended, the bottom line is my whole duty, my whole purpose for being here on planet earth is the same as yours: to reverence God our Creator and give Him Glory by keeping His Commandments. And as I type this I am reminded of another verse and maybe you are too.
NASB- Matthew 22:
35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him,
36 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, ” ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
Wouldn’t you know it, a lawyer would test God? But he served a purpose because Our Lord’s answer to him gives us the ultimate bottom line. And when we couple these verses with our verse in Ecclesiastes, we have our answer to what am I to do. I am and you are to Reverence God our Creator. We are to love Him with all our hearts (bodies), all our soul (emotions) and all our minds (wills – volition). So what does this mean in practice? It means I can occupy these 24 hours, day after day, with anything I choose to do as long as what I have chosen does not violate reverencing, loving and worshiping HIM with all my being. I can work in the marketplace in any legal capacity, I can stay home, I can cook, clean, write, read, watch television, listen to music, visit my neighbors, shop for food, shop for clothes, work in the garden pulling weeds and planting flowers and vegetables, play with the grand-kids, play with my husband, spend the day on a photo shoot, I can go to school, I can invest in business, I can play tennis (well, not really, I don’t know how but I could learn) and on and on and on. All of these things, any of these things I can do as long as I am while in the practice of doing them REVERENCING HIM, WORSHIPING HIM AND LOVING HIM. And I hope you know that I can not reverence Him if I am outside His Revealed to me Will for me. And I can only know His Revealed Will for me by Prayer and Bible Study. And what is true for me is true for you.
So let us come out from under that bondage of agonizing over what is my purpose; what am I suppose to do; how am I suppose to spend my time here on this earth; spend it reverencing – worshiping our Awesome God. If we make this our goal and our aim – He will fill in all the blanks as we go!
Father, I like this very much because I am tired of wrestling with the clock and I am tired of feeling guilty when I loose. Thank You. And since You have given us this I know that as long as we desire and we aim to please You, to worship and reverence You, You will fill in the blanks and we don’t have to worry about this any more. Thank You Father. And now we come on behalf of others, like the conference on the 4th of next month; we pray the women will agree to come and that You will empower them to do so. And we pray for Brenda and Linda and Tammy and Lois as they prepare to speak and sing that You will anoint them for this good work. Bless them and their families with good health – especially Brenda. Thank You for the good reports. And we bring our IDOK Troops again asking that You protect them in mind and body and spirit and bring them home to us at the appointed time, safe and sound and more in love with You than when they deployed. Protect and comfort the families too we pray. And we come with these, each and every one and we ask that You comfort, give strength and discernment and blessings of every kind as needed by each. And this we ask in Jesus Name.
The Peace of Israel Joey and Kathy and family. Kim T. Krystee. Sybal W. Brenda D. Rachel B. Kevin and the children. Lisa’ s Mother. Janie B. W.C. The Ellis Family. Ed Litton and family. Vickie. Lisa W. John Thomas. Cole. Taylor & family. Anita. Kathy. J Lloyd and family. Janet and Steve. Cathy. Toy and family. Katelyn. Caleb and family. Bay and family. Jennifer B. John and Carolyn. Larry and Claudia and family. Jeanette and Earl and family. Libby and family. Callie. Madie. Ruth. Martha F and Bob. Rev and Mrs. Carpenter. Allyson and Glen and family and Kaitlyn. Brittney and Kersten and family. Sharron and girls. Frankie and girls. Sheila and Andy. Carrie and Rachel and Jacob and family. Billy and Gina and boys. Lance and family. Grace and family. Tressa and Brad and family. Cindy K and family. Chuck. Windy and Jared and families. Helen and Dan and family. Jen and Larry and family. Chad and Brittany and family. Mollie and family. Jenny. Julia. Bobbie. Tj. Zack. Phillip. Jessica. Larry. Kayla. Trey. Jacob. Ashely. Lance. Candance. Laura and family. John and Sandy. Bill and Judy. Adam.

As I post this it is 72°F and clear in Baghdad, Iraq & the time there is 5:19 AM AST – on October 16, 2007

His Ministry to You

Bethany’s Garden- published 10/12/07
www.whitestonephotographyart.com

R.D. was still, so very still. Jerry gave him his usual morning stroke against the side of the vase. R.D. did not move. Jerry stroked the glass again. Still R.D. did not move. Fear gripped my stomach and I could see the alarm on Jerry’s face. Once more Jerry stroked the side of the glass, stronger this time and R.D. swam to attention and we both let out a sigh of relief. All these intense emotions for a Beta fish named R.D.
What does that tell you about us? We get attached, don’t we? Bring something into our home and it is ours. We care for it and it’s ours.
Jerry and I are leading a Biblical Financial Study with our Young Folks at Myers and one of the first things we have learned is EVERYTHING we call ours belongs to God. We OWN nothing. He owns it ALL. If we do not embrace this truth then those things we think we have, we don’t; they have us. But when we believe and abide in this truth that ALL is His, we spiritually thrive and physically enjoy His boundless gifts to us — even R.D.
R.D.’s sleeping in this morning was a good reminder that for our peace of mind, for our well being we must hold EVERYTHING entrusted to our care with an open palm. It is HIS to give, it is ours to enjoy, nurture, invest and sometimes multiply until He returns for an accounting.
1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
Matthew 25: 14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.
18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. Revelation 1: 7
And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. I John 2:25