The Dilemma of Obedience

This is today's quote of the day -

[Samuel] was afraid to tell Eli the vision. 1 Samuel 3:15

Get into the habit of saying, "Speak, Lord," and life will become a romance (1Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, "Speak, Lord," and make time to listen. As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time.

"My Utmost for His Highest" - Oswald Chambers - An Updated Edition in Today's Language

(Yes, that sort of Oswald Chambers for Dummies!)

What language does God speak?

Life is moving very quickly for me these days! Some days I can’t even keep up with my own shadow so this is going to be short!! (Okay, quit rolling your eyes, yes, I can be brief sometimes!) I read this quote today and it just really struck me so I wanted to share it. I have often wished I could hear from God only to realize He was speaking loud and clear if I would just pay attention! Be blessed by this thought:

God speaks in the language we know best – not through our ears, but through our circumstances.

I've been tagged!

Heather tagged me, how fun! Hopefully educators and legislators won’t get involved and decide it is too dangerous and that someone might get hurt and outlaw tag in blogland! Okay, enough stalling. Really, I didn’t know how to play blog tag so I did what I always do when I need technical advice – I phoned my daughter, Vanessa, for help! She scolded me today because I hadn’t gotten it done yet! Have our roles reversed here or what!!

Here is how it works:
1) Grab the book closest to you
2) Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3) Post the text of the following three sentences
4) Name the author and book title
5) Tag three people to do the same

Here’s my quote:

“I think Satan sends our demons whose job it is to do nothing but repeat that phrase [questions from Matt. 6:31 – What are we going to drink, eat, & wear? Joyce Meyer – What are we going to do?] in the believer’s ear all day long. They fire off difficult questions, and the believer wastes his precious time attempting to come up with an answer. The devil is constantly waging war on the battlefield of the mind, hoping to engage the Christian in long, drawn-out, costly combat.”
Battlefield of the mind by Joyce Meyer

This is a great study! I highly recommend it!

Now for the fun part:

Danna (there’s more than one way to get you to blog!)
Shane (I know you are currently reading a book so enlighten us!)
Vanessa (I’ll be checking to see how quickly you get this done young lady!)

TAG YOU’RE IT!

A thrilling thought!

As I turned over the page for one of my "thought for the day" calanders, I was greeted with this thrilling thought, (actually it's tomorrow's thought but I peeked!) -

"If we could see as our Father sees, I'm convinced we would be amazed at the size of His family. If the spiritual iceberg were suddenly turned upside down and exposed for all to view, the magnitude of the Church He is building would literally take our breath away."

"I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne." Revelation 7:9
The Grace of Encouragement Charles Swindoll

I am so thankful that God removed the religious scales from my eyes and that now I see the HIS family more completely! Why did I ever think we were in this all by ourselves?!? Praise God, there really is safety and strength in numbers! Praise God, HIS church doesn't have just one brand name! Praise God, HE is in charge of building HIS church! May we see HIS church for what it is - truly awesome!

The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney

Well, … WOW, AMAZING, COMPELLING, THOUGHT PROVOKING …
Okay, so I’ll never be a professional book reviewer, but really, WOW! This is an incredible read! The author, Randy Singer, is a fiction writer and former trial lawyer. Singer does a masterful job of portraying a believable character, Oliver Finney, who is trying, just like us, to live out his faith so that others might see Christ. He’s not perfect; he has his own struggles, failures, and vices perhaps that why I liked him so much. The author weaves intrigue, mystery, humor, and a whole bunch of faith into a must read for everyone! It’s a lengthy but easy read, and so compelling you’ll have trouble putting it down. Thanks to snow days I did approx. 50 chapters in one day! Now that’s a good book! It will leave you reflecting on the kind of impact your life makes in His Kingdom.

I’m anxious to read his other book, The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ. Here’s what Singer has to say about his book –
“The purpose of this book, like the purpose of any effective cross-examination, is to reveal the truth – not just what Jesus taught but who Jesus is. His character. His intellect. His mission. The astounding depth of His love. Our verdict will be a lifestyle more like His.

Cross-examination, my professors stressed, is the most dangerous part of any trial. … That’s why you never ask a question if you don’t already know the answer.
The classic illustration goes something like this:
LAWYER (defending someone accused of assault): You didn’t actually see my client bite the nose of the alleged victim. Isn’t that true?
WITNESS: That’s true.
LAWYER: In fact, at the time of the alleged incident, there were several people engaged in a fight and your view of the victim was blocked. Isn’t that true?
WITNESS: Yes.
LAWYER: Then how can you be so sure that it was my client who bit the victim’s nose as opposed to one of the other men in the fight?
WITNESS: Because I saw him spit it out.

Tricky business, and dangerous, this road toward the mind of Christ. The devil is still a crafty cross-examiner, twisting the truth and distorting the testimony. Like Mike Tyson after his prime, Satan couldn’t land many direct punches on Christ, but he still had a nasty bite. At the cross, hell bit off more than it could chew.

“How do you know?” you ask (violating the cardinal rule of cross-examination).

“Because three days later they saw hell spit Him out.”

What do you long for?

There are many things in life that I want, few that I really need, but only one that I have discovered that I long for. Only one thing that I truly and genuinely feel myself so drawn towards that at the thought of it my heart pounds with excited anticipation while at the same time a soothing, calming peace fills my excited heart. This “thing” that I have discovered is a sincere and intense desire to see Jesus face to face. I do believe that when we look at our brothers and sisters in Christ with our spirit eyes, we do indeed see a representation of Him. I have seen Him in many I know and love. However, lately I have been drawn to a different type of seeing Him. It began to come together for me recently when I believe He allowed it through worship to slowly and gently settle into my conscious awareness. I love so many songs that it is always hard for me to name any one song as my favorite; however, lately a beautiful spirit "eye opening" moment came all together. Not all in one day, but over a period of three days. It began on a Wednesday night when we sang one of my favorites – Jesus Let Us Come to Know You – it goes like this:

Jesus let us come to know you
Let us see you face to face
Touch us, hold us, use us, mold us
Only let us live in you

Jesus, draw us ever nearer
Hold us in your loving arms
Wrap us in your gentle presence
When the end comes, bring us home

It continued on Thursday night with this song – Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

The awareness became complete Friday morning on my way to work when yet another song came across my heart from off the radio. This song is so much a favorite of mine that it was my ring tone on my cell phone until I had to change brands of phones and it wasn’t available for my new phone! Everytime I hear the song "I Can Only Imagine" I am swept into His presence!

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk By your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face Is before me, I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all I can only imagine
I can only imagine When that day comes
And I find myself Standing in the Son
I can only imagine When all I will do Is forever
Forever worship You I can only imagine
I can only imagine ,I can only imagine
When all I will do Is forever,
forever worship you


My question for you is this, what has the Spirit brought into focus lately for you? What do you long for in the Kingdom?

Christmas with Ethne!

The shirt may say "Bah Humbug", but the smile says "I want more presents!"