God is Pro-choice

What a commotion this motto would cause posted on a church, or carried on a sign.
God is Pro-Choice.
Have you ever wondered how a loving God could allow ______________. You fill in the blank. The reason is simple. God is pro-choice. In His wisdom, and sovereinty, He choose to create His children with the power, right, and responsibility to choose. Ok, you Bible trivia experts, how many times does He say "if". Blessings, if....Curses if....
We are free to choose...but He is very clear in pointing out that our choices carry with them consequences. If our choices go against the natural law, the civil law, or His Divine Law...there are consequences.  Illness, Fines and Imprisonment, Eternal Damnation.
And aren't we at the mercy of those around us who make poor choices? But isn't He able to influence the choices we make? Of course. And I think that is where the Romans 8:28 promise comes in. He is faithful to make things work out for our good and His glory if we trust Him.
He taught us to pray "Thy will be done"
Right before His death on the cross He, Himself prayed that prayer..."Thy Will Be Done"
And he took upon himself the consequenses of all our wrong choices. I have things to do today. It will be a good day. A prayerful day. I'm breathing more deeply now.

Tuesday afternoon and Art is on his way to Albuquerque. We are praying for wisdom. How far should he take this new job?  What if it interferes with his teaching? Are these paths that converge or diverge?
Which way is more profitable, both financially and spiritually? Especially spiritually.

This day, out of obedience in what I felt the LORD was impressing on my heart...I am blogging my ACTS - a prayer method of which I was reminded at last Saturday's Bible Study.

I used 3 psalms (150, 32, 136) and Matthew 6:7-14, 7:7-11 as my guide-lines.

A - Adore...and I begin to ask myself what is the difference between praise "Let everything that breathes praise the LORD", and Adoration. I got hung up right from the start. How to adore God? I started to sing an oldie but holy chorus "Father I adore You, lay my life before you, how I love you!"
And then a song from last Sunday's service at the UM church..."Beautiful One" by Tim Hughes
"Beautiful One I love, Beautiful One I adore, Beautiful One my soul must sing" I think I sang them more out of obedience than pure love. I think...I rather be adoring Him as Art and I drive through the hills on the way to Albuquerque.  I wanted to go with. We didn't have enough money for both of us to go...but still I sing...hoping for now that its good enough.

C - Confess...did I tell you that I tried to go to confession a few weeks back. The priest won't hear my confession until my marriage to Frank is annulled. Not an impossibility, but a complication. Then Art is supposed to get his first marriage annulled as well. He has no idea who married them or how to get a hold of Paula. If I pushed him, he'd be willing to try. "Bless me Father for I have sinned"  And what are my most recent sins, those which I am harboring. Bitterness. It is a spirit of bitterness that is mostly keeping me from going to the community Passover Service (that and the fact that it cost $25 a plate) I am holding a grudge against  CP, MH, PP, and even AB. I know these grudges are helping to keep me in a state of spiritual destitution. I also confess that there is that one thing which He wants me to give up all together, and I don't want to. And I feed my "doubts" with the thoughts of "What difference will it make?"  And  "I know He can but I don't believe He will."

T- Give thanks.  Last night I went to sleep counting my blessings. I used the ABC's: Thank you God for Art and Ardy and the Alcheffs and apricots.  Thank you God for Bobbie, Babies, the Bochno's, and hot baths...and reading Psalm 136, a real reason to give thanks...His steadfast Love endures forever, even when my faith faulters. Thank God for our daily bread. Thank God for my job, for this day in my comfy home with no pressing dead lines. Thank you for Father Tim's gentle voice in the back ground as I type this. Thank you for this lap top, this technology, this outlet.

S-supplication - a chance to ask - "ask and you shall receive"
I will go to the email, and pray for the prayer requests listed for the Saturday Bible Study also will pray for my mother, sister, and brother involved in a crisis. I pray for Art's safe travel. I will hold my personal supplications for later. He knows what I need and want anyway. I am thinking ... I always used to ask my prayer partners to pray that the LORD would bless us and our ministry with Peace, Provision, and Wisdom. We don't have a ministry. At the Bible study last Saturday a situation was mentioned where a mother was asked by her back-sliding son for prayer. It had become a common request, when this young man - whose personal faith was failing and who wasn't walking with the LORD - sensed a spiritual need he would ask his mother for prayer. It finally got to the point, where in the spirit of tough love and wisdom, the mother said "If you need prayer, pray yourself."
Yes and Amen.

Sunday

We went to the neighborhood United Methodist church today. It was a good service. Colossians 3:1-17 and the song "Beautiful One"
I have something that the LORD is working on, something I am supposed to give up, and I actually keep telling Him...yeah I know, but not yet...not yet.
The sermon was very pertinent to where I am right now.
We are supposed to go to Albuquerque Wednesday thru Saturday. The room is only $25.00 a night, but...I don't know, Maybe I'll send Art and I'll just stay home.
We took Tziporah and Ethan to a birthday party this afternoon. Oh how I love those little angels.
Art and I are having breakfast for dinner...he's grating potatoes as I type. I'm doing the eggs and turkey sausages (we're trying to be Kosher this year)

Spring

I find my self in a state of spiritual destitution.
It's lent...I've given up some of my favorite, but ungodly TV shows...and I'm involved with a BethMoore Bible study...but there are aspects of my life that weighing me down...a heaviness in my heart, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  There are moments of joy...bright spots...my grandkids, my job, my comfy couch, holding my hubby's hand. I went to a News Boy's concert a few weeks ago, my friend Pat had an extra ticket. It was loud, and the crowd was focused on the lights and music and in the darkness around me, I was in a bubble - anonymous - and i took advantage of the moment to shout at the LORD...the question He never answers...I know, He certainly doesn't owe me an answer. But I remembered my boys, years and years ago, at the first NewsBoys concert at Darian Lake at Kingdom Bound. My sweet little godly boys...and how I cried for them. Our Father, in heaven...how could You? How could this be Your will. Didn't we try? Why?
God has let me down...my faith is faltering...I am 60 years old...my pay has been garnished, we live check to check, we don't go to church regularly, every ministry attempt has been uprooted before it has had a chance to bloom...my adult sons are struggling...i fear for the spiritual well being of my two oldest grand children.
Spring Break - and i feel the need to write. Blogging, Face booking, I'm writing a play for the school's drama club. We were supposed to be going to Albuquerque. Art was going to be working on the movie set (if you don't know, don't ask) and I was going to stay in a comfy hotel room and write, write, write...but the shoot dates have been pushed back and we don't have enough money to travel anyway. 9:13pm Saturday Night...and I've said enough already...at least for tonight.
See my Tziporah? See her and her big brother? See my little Ethan.. Hear me Sigh!