Once upon a time there was a married couple traveling down a road in a car. The woman didn’t like the roads that the man was choosing. They were quiet roads with few cars traveling on them; they were narrow roads, but he had a map and knew where he was going. The roads he chose had been traveled by many others in the past with success and although they did not have much scenery and there were no exciting attractions, there were many beautiful places to stop and enjoy each other’s company.
The woman was bored with the safety of these roads, she wanted to take the scenic routes, be adventurous and stop at the many attractions offered along the way. She hinted that they should take a scenic route just to see what it offered, but the man was caught up in his driving and didn’t hear her. She kept telling him that she just wanted to stop at one of the attractions and have some fun, but again the man was involved in his driving and did not heed her pleas. Finally the woman insisted that unless he would take her on a scenic route or two she would get out of their car to get her own car and never ride with him again.
Now the man didn’t want to take any scenic routes because he had already been on scenic routes in the past. He knew how easy it was to get lost on these scenic routes and that the excitement offered by these attractions was empty and short lived. She finally wore him down and he gave in but instead of going with her to guard her and protect her, he allowed her to go alone, thinking that she would tire of it quickly and return to the road they traveled together.
However, these outings only encouraged her adventurous spirit and did nothing to nurture the love they had for each other. She began to go for scenic drives more and more often and to be less and less satisfied with their travels together. Finally she informed the man that she no longer needed him to take her anywhere, she had her own car and was going to take the scenic routes all the time.
Now the man really did loved her and he apologized for his inattentiveness, told her he loved her and missed her, promised that he would listen to her and take her on a scenic route now and then and that he feared for her safety if she went alone. He asked her to please not take her own car, but to stay with him and he would let her do all the driving.
And so they did. They traveled the wide scenic road and stopped whenever the woman wanted to stop. The man would occasionally go with her but most of the time he just waited in the car. He would ask her to go back to the road they had traveled together but she didn’t want to. He would ask where they were going and what the destination was but the woman would reply that she didn’t know and that it didn’t matter. She would get angry and tell him that he could get out of the car whenever he wanted to, that he didn’t have to go with her. The man would then become silent because he loved her and wanted her in his life; he worried about her and knew that she was lost. He hoped that he could convince her to come back to the road they traveled together and that everything would be okay.
Will she get tired of the fast paced road that leads to nowhere?
Will his faithful companionship convince her of his love or cause him to be forever lost with her?
How do you think this story will end?
1/30/12
Longing - a poem 7/19/11
I see your beautiful face burdened with disappointment and disillusionment.
Where is the smile that lights your whole face?
Buried under pain and unrealized dreams.
Worn away by life's harsh winds.
Once upon a time there was a golden girl.
Joyful, full of life, determined to win at everything.
Greeting the sun with that smile and confidence.
Welcoming each day with arms outstretched.
Once you danced with God,
Once you marched to His beat,
How did the enemy coax you away?
Do you even know when you switched partners?
My heart aches to see joy in your face again,
I reach out to hold you and all I have in my arms is
memories and promises.
My heart weeps the tears that you don't shed
My heart aches for you.
Where is the smile that lights your whole face?
Buried under pain and unrealized dreams.
Worn away by life's harsh winds.
Once upon a time there was a golden girl.
Joyful, full of life, determined to win at everything.
Greeting the sun with that smile and confidence.
Welcoming each day with arms outstretched.
Once you danced with God,
Once you marched to His beat,
How did the enemy coax you away?
Do you even know when you switched partners?
My heart aches to see joy in your face again,
I reach out to hold you and all I have in my arms is
memories and promises.
My heart weeps the tears that you don't shed
My heart aches for you.
End of the World 2011
May 21st 2011
Someone has declared that the end of the world is tomorrow, he says that he knows that Jesus is returning on that day. Even though God's Holy Bible says that no man will know the day or hour, this guys says he knows the secret.
I hear that people are stockpiling food, selling all they own, cashing in their bank accounts....why? Are they so convinced that they will be left? How sad is that?
Others are out partying, drinking themselves into a stupor, pretending that they are not afraid. Maybe they are not afraid but isn't that worse?
How sly is the enemy to keep causing these 'false alarms', drugging us into nonchalance, making the return of our King a joke.
One of these days (and no one knows when) He will return, there will be a trumpet sound, the sky will open up and He will appear in all His glory. We will then see the Creator of all things, the One who conquered death for us, who sacrificed all He had in order for us to be with the Father.
We will then realize how poorly we follow Him, how disobedient we really are. We will see how shallow our interests have been and how hollow our pursuits for happiness.
We will see the truth of His love for us, His faithfulness to us, how much He has desired our fellowship. We will see what we forfeited when we chose to please ourselves instead of pleasing Him. We will see how much better our lives on this earth could have been if we had chosen to live His way, in purity, kindness, focusing on others instead of ourselves.
We are a selfish, immoral, unfaithful, stubborn people and it amazes me to know that He loves us anyway, that He lovingly and patiently waits for us to see the error of our ways and turn to Him. The greatest gift He has ever given us is His grace - His 'undeserved favor'!
When He returns and you think you will go with Him, please examine your life and make sure it lines up with His plan for you; don't be surprised by getting left behind. Live by His Word, the Bible.
When He returns and you don't expect to go with Him, please know that He loves you and that is the last thing He wants! Nothing you have ever done will ever EVER stop Him from loving you and it is never NEVER too late to choose Him.
Those of you who wait for Him, who walk in righteousness and humility, hang tight til He returns. Continue to love His way, continue to stand for His ways, continue to fight for those who are lost, deceived or ignorant. Remember that the enemy is not flesh and blood, live in peace as best you can. Fight the good fight by prayer, worship and fasting. Fellowship with the family of God, find strength in the unity of His Spirit. Be strong and courageous.
He Will Return!
Someone has declared that the end of the world is tomorrow, he says that he knows that Jesus is returning on that day. Even though God's Holy Bible says that no man will know the day or hour, this guys says he knows the secret.
I hear that people are stockpiling food, selling all they own, cashing in their bank accounts....why? Are they so convinced that they will be left? How sad is that?
Others are out partying, drinking themselves into a stupor, pretending that they are not afraid. Maybe they are not afraid but isn't that worse?
How sly is the enemy to keep causing these 'false alarms', drugging us into nonchalance, making the return of our King a joke.
One of these days (and no one knows when) He will return, there will be a trumpet sound, the sky will open up and He will appear in all His glory. We will then see the Creator of all things, the One who conquered death for us, who sacrificed all He had in order for us to be with the Father.
We will then realize how poorly we follow Him, how disobedient we really are. We will see how shallow our interests have been and how hollow our pursuits for happiness.
We will see the truth of His love for us, His faithfulness to us, how much He has desired our fellowship. We will see what we forfeited when we chose to please ourselves instead of pleasing Him. We will see how much better our lives on this earth could have been if we had chosen to live His way, in purity, kindness, focusing on others instead of ourselves.
We are a selfish, immoral, unfaithful, stubborn people and it amazes me to know that He loves us anyway, that He lovingly and patiently waits for us to see the error of our ways and turn to Him. The greatest gift He has ever given us is His grace - His 'undeserved favor'!
When He returns and you think you will go with Him, please examine your life and make sure it lines up with His plan for you; don't be surprised by getting left behind. Live by His Word, the Bible.
When He returns and you don't expect to go with Him, please know that He loves you and that is the last thing He wants! Nothing you have ever done will ever EVER stop Him from loving you and it is never NEVER too late to choose Him.
Those of you who wait for Him, who walk in righteousness and humility, hang tight til He returns. Continue to love His way, continue to stand for His ways, continue to fight for those who are lost, deceived or ignorant. Remember that the enemy is not flesh and blood, live in peace as best you can. Fight the good fight by prayer, worship and fasting. Fellowship with the family of God, find strength in the unity of His Spirit. Be strong and courageous.
He Will Return!
My Soapbox on Marriage
I wrote this on April 27, 2010
Attention all wives! He is never going to appear repentant enough in your eyes!!
Attention all husbands! She is never going to appear forgiving enough in your eyes!!
Matt 18:32-35
"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
Please get your eyes off the other and keep them on your own life in Christ! Use this time to focus on your walk, are your actions honoring Christ? Leave your spouse to God, He is fully capable of bringing about change IN HIS TIME not yours!! Trust the God who created the both of you and brought you into His kingdom, He has a plan for your marriage! Do NOT allow the enemy to play in the midst of your holy relationship!!
Okay, I have stepped off my soapbox!
Attention all wives! He is never going to appear repentant enough in your eyes!!
Attention all husbands! She is never going to appear forgiving enough in your eyes!!
Matt 18:32-35
"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
Please get your eyes off the other and keep them on your own life in Christ! Use this time to focus on your walk, are your actions honoring Christ? Leave your spouse to God, He is fully capable of bringing about change IN HIS TIME not yours!! Trust the God who created the both of you and brought you into His kingdom, He has a plan for your marriage! Do NOT allow the enemy to play in the midst of your holy relationship!!
Okay, I have stepped off my soapbox!
Why Do I Weep
I wrote this on March 12, 2010
I weep tears of sorrow, anger and helplessness.
I weep as I watch marriages stumble and fall; husbands and wives struggling to make their relationships meaningful. Spouses trying to love through rejection and hardness.
I weep because I know men and women who choose to turn away from the blessings God offers to go in search of their own non-existant blessings.
I weep because I see our enemy dancing with deception and disallusionment, dressed in his jester's garb he jugggles pretty balls of promises that won't be fulfilled; coaxing God's beloved children to just 'give it a try!' The lie is as old as time - "God doesn't want you to have fun! He only wants to tie you down to a bunch of rules. He doesn't care about what makes YOU happy. Come with me, we will have a good time with no cares and bothersome responsibilities!"
I weep because I am helpless to convince them otherwise; helpless because God won't force them to see the truth; helpless because He wants them to choose to know the truth. I hate feeling helpless!!
Show me, my King! How can I best release your power? How can I help them see?
Living in Your Kingdom, guided by Your boundaries brings such joy and peace. It's like a spring day with sunshine, trees dancing in the breeze, flowers and the music of birds and fountains!
And when times are hard and cold, living in Your Kingdom doesn't make them go away but is like a heavy winter coat that gives wormth and protection against the harshness.
How can I show them how much better it is to stay close to You and follow You?
Oh my King, I weep.
I weep tears of sorrow, anger and helplessness.
I weep as I watch marriages stumble and fall; husbands and wives struggling to make their relationships meaningful. Spouses trying to love through rejection and hardness.
I weep because I know men and women who choose to turn away from the blessings God offers to go in search of their own non-existant blessings.
I weep because I see our enemy dancing with deception and disallusionment, dressed in his jester's garb he jugggles pretty balls of promises that won't be fulfilled; coaxing God's beloved children to just 'give it a try!' The lie is as old as time - "God doesn't want you to have fun! He only wants to tie you down to a bunch of rules. He doesn't care about what makes YOU happy. Come with me, we will have a good time with no cares and bothersome responsibilities!"
I weep because I am helpless to convince them otherwise; helpless because God won't force them to see the truth; helpless because He wants them to choose to know the truth. I hate feeling helpless!!
Show me, my King! How can I best release your power? How can I help them see?
Living in Your Kingdom, guided by Your boundaries brings such joy and peace. It's like a spring day with sunshine, trees dancing in the breeze, flowers and the music of birds and fountains!
And when times are hard and cold, living in Your Kingdom doesn't make them go away but is like a heavy winter coat that gives wormth and protection against the harshness.
How can I show them how much better it is to stay close to You and follow You?
Oh my King, I weep.
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