The God of Glory thunders. I love that verse. Last night there were two flashes of lightning, one rumble of thunder, and about 13 drops of rain in Farmington, NM.
Art and I prayed about ministry...about how maybe we might be being led to try again. Baby steps into the unknown. We can not do it on our own. But aren't all truely successful ministries acts of God? Waiting for more rain. Waiting for wisdom and guidence. We won't let go of each other's hands, we won't let go of His.
Heat waves and wild fires...Climate Change and Signs in the Heavens. I watched the movie "Hair" yesterday. The astrology in "Age of Aquarius" is all wrong. But it brought back a flood of memories.
There was this big UN summit in Rio this week. The major news networks hardly mentioned it. 130 world leaders gathered together to discuss how miserably they failed at fulfilling the plans made at a similar summit 20 years ago. 130 world leaders...Obama wasn't there. Didn't seem to be any reps from the Kingdom of God either. Humankind has been such poor stewards of the beautiful world the creator made just for us. And those who name the name of Christ seem to doing such a poor job of taking care of each other. If we just lived by the words of Matthew 25, there would be no children starving to death, no sick person suffering alone in the dark, and just maybe our planet wouldn't be in such bad shape. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done...easy to say, hard to live.
When I was a little girl, going to St. Monica's School, I learned the answers to these questions:
Who made you? God made me!
Why did God make you? God made me to know, love and serve Him on earth so that I could spend eternity with Him in Heaven.
Recently I heard tell, that the reason God made us was to glorify Him.
I didn't like that answer. It made Him sound more like a self-centered, egotistical tyrant and less like a Loving Father (Abba Father). Of course, if any being has the right to be self-centered and egotistical its God. But the thought that humankind was created so that for eternity we could sing "Holy, Holy, Holy" seemed somehow out of wack.
But this spring I was working through a Beth Moore Bible Study, Breaking Free, and learned something about what it means, Biblically, to glorify God. It's more than singing worship songs, or even dancing before the throne. It is reflecting back His goodness and love to those who see us. It is doing His will, and letting His Majesty and Truth shine forth from us.
The heavens declare His glory. For ages people who have gazed at the night sky have realized that someONE did that, made that. People need to look at me and know there is a God. My life must declare His glory as clearly as the Heavens and the Earth.
It doesn't always. And lately I haven't even cared. Still...my Abba Father says, trust and obey, and so
to God be the Glory!
Sometimes, when I know I should be praying but have a hard time getting focused, I fall back on the ol' time religion, and start saying the Lord's Prayer.
Our Father...
But often, like now, the first two words tend to overwhelm me.
Our - who is "our" ?
Does it encompass all of humankind?
Or is it limited to those who name the name of Christ?
I like to think it includes all the people on my prayer list...even those who are not "saved" yet.
Surely it includes the prodigal sons and the Jews (God's chosen)
Was Judas there when Jesus taught the disciples to pray? Was he part of the "our" ?
Our Father...Abba Father...Daddy
A perfect...THE perfect Father in a world of imperfect fathers.
Provider, Protector, Teacher and Disciplinarian.
Father's Day has just passed. I trust my own, imperfect father is resting in peace.
I am thankful that my husband is a father...because if he weren't, I wouldn't be a mother, and I so love being a mother - and a grandmother. My son is a great father. Not perfect of course...but great.
Thank you Jesus, Yashua Messiah for reminding us that the Almighty and living God, Creator of all that is seen and unseen, is in fact Our Father.
amen
Abba, Father
Creator
Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Creator, Creator Who walked among us, and Creator who lives within us
Thankyou for this season of rest...the chorus of birds that sing your praises every morning.
A job I love and a job that gives me a nice long break to relax and reflect.
"...in returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" Isaiah 30:15 LORD, YHWH, I will not refuse...I will claim the promise that You shall be gracious to me, that You shall rise up and show Your mercy toward me, and that You will bless me because I wait on You...Isaiah 30:17
Thank You for birdies, humor, and joy in the morning.
Abba, Father,
I must take a moment this morning, while the sparrows peck at their
breakfast and Art plays his morning song on his native flute, to say a quick
prayer for Frank. 40 years ago I was a silly, starstruck young thing walking
down the aisle of St.Monica's Church to the sound of our Folk Group playing
"Love is but the song we sing, and fear's the way we die, we can make the
mountains ring, or make the angels cry" I wonder if heaven shed a tear
that day, knowing what I was getting myself into? Yet, it was a great
adventure. From what I've discovered about him, my first husband, he's not
exactly walking with you LORD. So dare I say "God bless him?" I have
no hard feelings toward him. I do remember the bad, and there was some very
bad...but there are many memories about those 4 or 5 years that I...well I
can't say I cherish them, but I do enjoy them. So yes...God Bless Frank Puff!
We're both 60 now - getting closer and closer to eternity. God, save his
soul...he learned the truth as a child - and he is a republican (LOL) so open the eyes of
his heart, open his ears, so he can hear you calling his name, before the final
hour. Time for me to get ready for church. I love you LORD.
