Tag Archives: Walmart

Father, Forgive Them . . .

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I’ve been watching movies today while I iron shirts and blouses. As I sat up the board and poured water into my iron, I caught the last few minutes of a Christmas movie – I don’t recall the name. It was a familiar theme: a court room, a youngster on the witness stand, a kindly judge, a heartless lawyer and a benevolent lawyer proving to the courtroom and to us the viewing audience that Santa Claus is the heart of Christmas. He is the hero of the season; he is someone for children to believe in; someone to remind us and inspire us all to remember that Christmas is about love, forgiveness and family.  And I thought how clever! Wonder whose idea it was to take a fictitious character give him supernatural powers to know what gift every boy and girl on planet earth wants, to know which child has been good and which child has not but then what does it matter because all children get gifts from Santa on Christmas; but that’s not all Santa delivers these gifts to every house in the world in one night with the help of 8 reindeer who can fly! Wow! How fantastic is that?!

How much better would it have been just to have told the truth to the children? That the REAL GOD sent His only Son into the world as a human baby who grew from infant to man. He really and truly has supernatural powers. He healed the sick, caused the lame to walk, gave sight to the blind, even raised the dead; did the right thing even when humans did the wrong thing to Him. He laughed, He cried, He learned to walk and talk, read and write, played with friends, loved His Mother, His foster-father, His brothers and sisters, and that barely even begins to tell how He  demonstrated to the world that He loves us, that He desires for us to be His family, that He Himself came to enable us to love, forgive others, do good for one another and be a family.  And then added to all that He died our substitutionary eternal death and after three days arose from the dead, never to die again and made the way for us to live eternally and today He is STILL healing and still bringing the dead to life – that beats Santa Claus hands down, if you ask me!

But GOD just wasn’t good enough, was He? He just was not quite Christmas-y enough was He? He just didn’t give us the warm fuzzies, did He? He just wasn’t reason enough for the children to dash off to bed with so much excitement they could hardly sleep waiting to see what wonderful gifts they would be getting in the morning, was He?

Can you imagine the bewilderment of the angels who gave the GOOD NEWS to the Shepherds as they hear us tell our little white lies to the children? Can you imagine their faces as they watch the madness of the Season: Black Friday shoppers storming the door of a Wal-Mart leaving one man dead this year as they trampled him under the door; businesses vying  for every Christmas buying dollar yet refusing to acknowledge that JESUS even came? What else? What other ‘Christmas’ goings on are you privy to that have nothing to do with JESUS? How do the angels feel about that? How does JESUS feel about that?  Perhaps He is saying, ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do.’

This I know: I am forever grateful that He has said, ‘Father, forgive her.’ I too have had some Christmas celebrations that gave little remembrance and not much resemblance to JESUS.  I pray to learn better.

Holy Christmas my friends,

Kathie

Cracks

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I miss you all when I am deterred from coming here and yet life often keeps me away; but for today a quick hello and some encouragement to you to keep a journal – a diary if you will.  Cozi is a great tool – portable even – 🙂 with phone apps. Cozi lets you take your calendar, journal, shopping list with you wherever you go.  And it is that ability that has prompted my quick note here today.

You see I have not been faithful with my portable diary (shame on me!) but I made some entries today:

Lemon verbena soft soap batch cooling now. Got Vitacost ordered.
Got pineapple potted yesterday! Teacup flower-pot. Got it a Wal-Mart. So cute!

And while I was making those entries I noticed the last one I made. It was Saturday, September 7, and we were in Mentone, Alabama at the Wildflower Cafe and without my portable diary I would not have made the note nor would I have such a sweet memory triggered today. There was a plaque on the wall of the cafe. It read:

There is a crack in every thing. That’s how the light gets in.

Will that preach or what?

Romans 3:23 [source]

23 since all have sinned and come short of earning God’s praise.

Acts 2:21 [source]

21 ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

John 8:12 [source]

12 Yeshua spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives life.”

We are all cracked pots; and JESUS gives us LIGHT and LIFE. So I hope you will take a hint and keep a diary;  Just short quick notes will keep memories accessible and who knows might even give you a springboard to share the GOOD NEWS with someone. Blessings my Friends~~~

ABBA, thank You for modern tools that You, HOLY SPIRIT, can use to help us; help us serve others and help us remember to praise You. You are so AWESOME. Thank You for loving us continually.  And I am thinking of someone who I want You to heal, Carolyn. She is dear and precious to me and I pray You will heal her and restore her to us; we miss her in Bible Class. And I am confident there are Readers who come here that have someone dear they too are asking that You heal. And it is not just Carolyn; faces and names are on my mind right now: pending surgery, unresolved health issues, financial needs, estranged relationships, wounded children, enslaved people of every kind, the government shut down, the blindness of people, cruelty,  the ministry of reconciliation-raise up people to bring it to others; all this and more, ABBA. We are a needy people and I am certain YOU are our answer and our help; I pray, HOLY SPIRIT, You will help us receive Your help. Amen and amen in the Mighty and Holy Name of Yeshua. 

Kathie

Beauty! Give Me Some of That!

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1 Peter 3:3-4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

3 Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes.
4 Instead, it should consist of what is inside the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes.
via I peter 3:3-4 HCSB – Your beauty should not consist of – Bible Gateway.

Your beauty should not consist of outward things

I got that far and was stopped.

How many outward things do I do to enhance my appearance? How many changes of clothes do I make some days before I leave out my front door? How many moments do I linger in front of the mirror wishing the reflection looked differently? Those questions I am not going to answer – not here in print anyway.  🙂

But I am answering them as I read: Your beauty should not consist of outward things

No way do I believe that ABBA is saying that clothing and hair products and colors and even out those tones foundations are inappropriate.

Yet. I am back to this again: Your beauty should not consist of outward things

Beauty? I have beauty? How often have I worked for beauty and was certain I had failed? I work for the wrong thing when I overtly busy myself with hair and face and clothes.

In this passage ABBA is saying you do well my daughter when you attend the beauty of SPIRIT – a gentle and quiet spirit.

Gentle. We know what that means don’t we? Do we? Look with me at this.

Definition

  1. mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness

Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend them against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time.

So if I desire to be beautiful I will apply more than fine hair products, more than colors and foundations to my face, more than drape modest classy-looking clothes on my frame, I will consistently refuse to resist the work of the HOLY SPIRIT inside me. I will accept all His dealings with me as good. I will rely on my ABBA when injuries come; whether those injuries, pains and griefs come at the hands of evil-doing people or just because this world in which I live is hostile to God and me.

But what about quiet? We know what quiet means, right? Look at this from my online Greek Lexicon:

to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to; to be closely joined to a person or a thing

So to be gentle I will not resist the HOLY SPIRIT. To be quiet. I will be closely joined to Him. Not only will I not resist but I will eagerly seek and cling to Him. 

Do this I will be a woman of beauty. A woman ABBA highly favors and values. Even when I run to Walmart with NO even out the tones foundation, NO colors or mascara for my eyes and my hair in a ponytail, and my not small enough frame clad in a wrinkled T-shirt and Capri pants with stains.

So next time you see me that way, look for a JESUS smile on my face and His love in my eyes and if that is what you see, I am certain you (and I) will think I’m a woman of beauty.  And you know what? If you are adorned the same, I will know you are a woman of beauty too!!

Thank You, ABBA, for stopping me short this morning. I pray all my sisters and my brothers will seek this ‘beauty’ that You have for us.  Again, we ask that You heal our sick and afflicted and that You rescue our rebellious and oblivious Ones. I pray too for Israel, for Her Peace and for the subduing of all her enemies and for this beloved Nation, I ask, please forgive us, please have mercy and pour out great conviction and repentance on we the people for JESUS sake. Amen and amen.

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,
Praying (PFT)!