Times Like These

It's times like these that I remeber just how much I love Jesus, how much being His means to me. I see Him on His cross of shame, I kneel at His alter as cleansing tears run down my face, I feel the warm westerly breeze and I know that He is here and that I am His.
It's not always like this. Sometimes I have doubts. Sometimes I listen to others who also claim to love and serve Him, as they discuss all sorts of concepts and doctrines. And sometimes things happen, life things, hurtful things. And I reach out to my LORD, like a blind man groping in the dark, and I can't find Him.
But this past week, I have touched Him, I have had sweet fellowship with His followers. I have worshiped Him in spirit and in truth. And I don't care about the theoLOGICAL, I only care that He has redeemed me and has called me by name...
Maryellenbernadetteiachettageniipuffbrokop. He knows and loves all of me!

The God of Glory Thunders

The Word of God describes the voice of God in three ways that I can recall. As thunder, the God of Glory Thunders, and as many waters (Psalm 29 and Revelation 14) and as a still quiet voice First Kings 19. Today, in my small part of the world, the God of Glory is thundering. Unlike some people who find this type of violent weather frightening, I find a sort of peace in the midst of the storm. I wish I was able to interpret the words contained in the rumbling and cracking of the thunder. I was thinking, perhaps, on the sea of Galilee, when the storm arose that caused the brave fishermen to tremble, perhaps the triune Godhead was having a converstion. God the Father was the Thunder, The Holy Spirit was the Strong Wind, as in Acts 2, and Jesus, the Light of the World could have been putting in his two cents (mites)as an occassional bolt of lightning. Was Jesus surprised, or perhaps disappointed that this frightened his 12 so badly. Peace, be still...and oh you of little faith. One more thought before I get on with my day.
Tuesday evening I was feeling very burdened because of the shooting in Minn. I teach young people very much like the young man who did the shooting, and the victims. Same age, same profile...and as I cried out for the victims and for my own students who are so angry and so lost (see my Greensleeves poem). The tears were flowing freely as I drove through my community.
And in my prayer journal I wrote "Jesus, the beginner and completer of faith - Jesus the way and the truth - and Your message to me is do not grow weary, do not lose heart, do not be discouraged...God I long to see your glory. The next day He answered my prayer, and I nearly missed it until I re-read my Journal two days later. My husband put part of Wednesday's journal entry on our ministries blog (Gateway of the Rock), and I don't want to post it again. Just to note, rainbows are never just rainbows...YHWH is a God of Glory!

Green Sleeves in Shiprock

12/07/04

What child is this all dressed in black
With long dark hair and eyes so bright
Who thinks her future is just as dark
As the clothes she hides behind?

He looks so angry this bright eyed son
The world he lives in is so unkind
But should he smile at a hint of joy
His face can light up the shadows

Jesus, Oh Lord I cry
Release an army of warriors
Fight, Fight the demons here
So the children can see the light.

What child is this without a dream
Dressed in black and shadows
Who cannot hear a word of hope
For the din of the angry clatter

Jesus, Oh Lord I pray
Release an army of angels
Drive away the deafening throng
So they can hear your whisper
Open your hearts while the way is clear
See the truth around you
The Joy and Promise of the Living Light
The truth of the stories you’ve heard.

Full Moon Setting

A time to mourn...a time to weep

Up before dawn again, and the moon which is nearly full

is setting behind my friend the mountain.

Created by YHWH to give light to the night and to mark the seasons...

And everything on Earth has its special season (Ecc.3:1 New Century Version)

The seasons are preordained, but are the events?

Was the shooting in Minn. preordained or was it preventable?

His young face haunts me now. And in it I see the eyes of my

troubled students, my angry students, it is too late for him and so

my prayers for them grow stronger... more urgent.

In our country...21st century America,

Land of the Free and Home of the Brave

A woman is publically being starved to death, and people say that is her right.

A community is beating drums to mourn the death of their children.

Churches who don't even believe that Jesus was divine, or that he actually rose from the dead, are planning big Easter Productions because they know that is one of the two days annually that people will bother to attend church, and they want their cut...LORD have mercy on us all