child of God – Page 16 – The Jesus Chick

Posted in Life Inspiration

Did You Find What You Were Looking For?

Written by talk2shari Published November 29, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Yesterday was a spendthrift’s paradise and a penny pincher’s nightmare. Merchandise flew off the shelves and cars were packed to the brim with Christmas gifts, goodies and bargains… or so I’ve been told. I wasn’t a part of the mayhem and bedlam this year; my shopping was done from the couch with a click and cha-ching, I figured that was a lot easier on my feet and my wallet. But it still didn’t eliminate the issue of finding the perfect gift for the folks I love, it’s tough! I do however know the perfect gift giver!!!

The Perfect Gift

James 1:17 says “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

The gifts that God has given each one of us are good, perfect and beyond a shadow of a doubt, just what we need. They’re nonrefundable and un-exchangeable. So why is it they’re not being used? I ask myself that question almost every day. Every Christmas we usually get at least one gift that has us scratching our head and asking “What were they thinking when they bought that?” We’re as hard to buy for as those we’re buying for. But not so with God, He has us pegged from birth, it is we to try to change the game.

The Perfect Gift Perfected

As a child I loved to write, speak and sing. The world inside my mind was always a stage. But over the years I convinced myself I wasn’t good enough at any one of them and pushed those ideas into the recesses of my mind. And upon the occasion that I’d unclutter it, they’d resurface for a while only to be returned to a corner for fear of inadequacy. But praise God for scripture such as that in Psalm 138:8 which says “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.”

God is merciful and patient with me. Praise His holy name for that. Even though I forsook the gift, God never allowed me to forsake the notion and eventually He won me over. I struggle daily with feelings of inadequacy and self-esteem issues, usually masked with comic relief. God said He would perfect that which concerns me, not me.

The Perfect Gift Accepted

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Finding that perfect will of God is about as easy as finding the perfect gift for someone because the world is always vying for our attention. It’s not easy, but it’s worthy. Because within that perfect will we’ll find:

Peace

Isaiah 26:3

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Love

John 17:23

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Contentment

James 1:4

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Are those not the perfect gifts!

Posted in Church attendance, Life Inspiration

Are You at His Feet Today?

Written by talk2shari Published November 23, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Early on in my salvation the Holy Spirit may have gone to bed a few nights saying “Wow! that was quite the workout!” It seemed that minute by minute He was guiding and instructing me in a better way to live and removing 34 years of bad ideas or misnomers of what was acceptable for a Christian to do and not to do. I remember sitting in a revival service one evening when Dr. Norris Belcher preached at our church, feeling as though every thought and sin in my life had been revealed. His sermon hit on everything the Holy Spirit had been dealing with me that day. I ask him when I shook his hand that night “Who opened my heart and allowed you to see in?” I don’t think he understood the magnitude of what had happened to me that night as he preached, but I certainly did. I discovered that sermons were supernatural events where, if you allowed, you could be ushered into the Lord’s presence and the light that shined during that time would illuminate every speck of dirt in your soul, and I loved it.

I wanted Him to show me what was wrong and I wanted to get it right. But not always. Many times I would flick the switch back to the flesh and say I’m not ready. It began during that time of my life that I couldn’t get enough preaching. I listened to preaching like many other Christians listened to music, it stirred my soul in a way it had never known and I couldn’t get enough. Not much has changed, I’m still a preaching fanatic. There’s an old time image of Christ with children all round His feet looking at Him adoringly, that’s how I envision myself during those early years, I sat in awe.

But just as we do in the physical realm, I grew up. I’m not just sitting at the feet of the Savior I’m also teaching as I had been taught; I teach Sunday School, I write and speak at ladies events when given the opportunity. Sometimes I get so busy doing life that I forget to spend time at His feet. I go to church, I take notes, I ponder the Pastor’s thoughts but I don’t always prepare my heart to hear the message as God would like.

As I prepare to go to church today, that is my heart’s desire… I pray the same for you.

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration

No more Pew Puke… a Monday Message from the Amen

Written by talk2shari Published November 10, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Revelation 3

¹⁴And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

These things saith the Amen…

The Amen being the steady and unchangeable Lord Jesus Christ, the faithful and true witness who from the beginning of time has watched over His creation. I have to wonder what yesterday was like for Him, or any other recent Sunday. How excited were His people to come into His house?

¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

The unchangeable, still excited to love on you Lord Jesus Christ knows that the most of His church sat in their pews without so much as an amen or glory hallelujah, they were a pew full of spue. He seen the few that were willing to raise their hand and amen the message… I was one of those, but I could have done better too. I awoke this morning with a determination in my heart to light a fire under my own feet like the one that John saw on the isle of Patmos when he looked at the Lord Jesus. We’re getting a new roof on our church this week, I want to blow the roof off in praise. I want the kids in my youth group to say “that crazy woman is our leader… and she loves us.” I have from now until Wednesday night to stir my heart so that I can stir my Wednesday night class and encourage a few adults in the other classes and churches to jump on board with me.

Enough of being pew puke.

¹⁷Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

¹⁸I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, th at thou mayest see.

Sunday morning our church was blessed to give the Pastor a go ahead and have the roof replaced on Victory Baptist Church. No debate, no argument over color, just get it done Pastor… we are blessed. We have need of nothing… the Lord has provided for us! Hallelujah!!! But Christ goes on to say you need to buy of me gold tried in the fire. We need an eye opener, some godly wisdom and it starts with a reality check. Yes I love you, but you need a trip to the wood shed.

¹⁹As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Be Zealous! Get excited for crying out loud. Stop sitting in your pew with your Bible in your lap making notes for another day… today’s the day. Christ has just knocked on your door and mine.

²⁰Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

This verse is so often to referred to as the verse that calls sinners to come. He’s speaking to the church, not to the lost. It’s we who have locked Christ out of the dining hall to where He has to knock to come back in. How ridiculous is that… He has the food!

²¹To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

²²He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

That’s all of us… red, yellow, black and white, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc., etc. you are precious in His sight. He said He loved us…

We can do better this week. Open the doors wide to what Christ wants to do with you this week. I’m ready! Who’s with me?

Posted in Leadership, Life Inspiration, Political

Avoiding Transgression at the Election Polls

Written by talk2shari Published November 4, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

“Then Came Amalek.” A sermon that I heard preached over ten years ago and I can’t for the life of me remember the preacher; but I can remember the sermon because it made such an impact on my life. It’s heavy on my heart as I prepare to go to the polls of Election 2014. Every single box that I check has implications on my future. Somehow America has forgotten that they are the ones held accountable for who is elected. There are times when we in good conscience elect an idiot, usually because we don’t have all the fact or they’re a great deceiver. It never ceases to amaze me when they get reelected.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!

We may forget transgressions, God however does not.

The Amalekite’s transgression:

Deuteronomy 25:17-19

Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

The Amalekites were the first ones to attack Israel as they left Egypt and they attacked them from behind where the feeble and defenseless of the Israelites were located. God could have wiped them from the face of the earth that day, but he waited for an appointed time. When the children of Israel had been at rest for some time this would become a test of obedience for Saul.

In 2 Samuel 15:3-5 Saul has been given the final go ahead by God to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites.

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

Saul failed. He didn’t utterly destroy the Amalekites, he kept back the elite and allowed his men to keep the best of the best from the Amalekite property. And judgment came.

²²And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

²³For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Here’s the Word I received on Election Day 2014

When the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon occurred it wasn’t necessarily on the feeble but it was on innocent lives that had nothing to do with a battle field. And I believe that America for a few days acknowledged the power of God and His sovereignty over our Nation. We did repent… but not utterly. Our leadership kept some of the spoils and we who elect them allowed those who dishonor God to continue to be in office.

Deciding who to vote for isn’t easy. Israel wanted a King because the rest of the world had one. Saul looked like a king but when push came to shove he sided with the world. He kept the pretty people and the pretty stuff. Those on the ballot may look the part, but what about their hearts. Finding someone who “utterly destroys Amalekitian thinking” and refuses to go against godly principles is tough… if not impossible. (I know Amalekitian is not a word, but for effect it works)

A few automatic red flags for me is:

If they supported abortion, they’ll have no support from me.
If they campaigned on Sunday, they lost me there too.
If the proof’s not been in the puddin’ for their last term as an incumbent. They won’t likely do a better job next time around.
I’ll support my community, I will not however support mismanagement.
I’ll pray for wisdom for me and for my community. I’ll love them… democrat, republican, libertarian, mountain or constitution party.
I have but one King. His name is Jesus.

Posted in Grace, Life Inspiration, Life's Failures

Another Day… Another Faith Lesson

Written by talk2shari Published October 31, 2014October 31, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Faith! How on earth do the unsaved survive without it? I was one of them for 34 years, and yet it feels like I’ve never been. Has it been so long that I’m just walkin’ in perfect peace? The answer to that would be a big “No.” There are times, more often than not, that when a crisis occurs I get a smile on the inside of my heart (that sometimes eeks its way out to my mouth) that knows “God’s got this!” And then there are the times when I fall to the flesh and get that queasy stomach and feelings of uncertainty that cause me not to walk by faith but rather walk by sight which is no doubt the worst thing we can do. There is no peace to be found in relying on self, anyone, or anything in this world.

WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH

Romans 3:28

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

We are made innocent, guilt free by faith. Just as if I’d never sinned. How many worries and concerns in life come because of something that in err we have done or said and the guilt is heaped upon us. Satan loves to poke us with that big stick does he not? Reminding us again and again of our failures and recommending solutions that only end up making us tired when all the while God is waiting for us to let Him fix the issue. It may be with an apology if something’s been said that shouldn’t have been, or perhaps we need to right a wrong, but the guilt gathers at the door is laid their by Satan. Jesus took ours as far as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12

WE ARE PURIFIED BY FAITH

Acts 15:8-9

And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

That grin I get in my soul. That’s the Holy Spirit! How awesome that feeling is when it wells upside of you and comes out on your face, that God Himself dwells within your heart cleansing the junk that I add daily into my life.

WE ARE SANCTIFIED BY FAITH

Acts 26:18

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Sanctification: Set apart. In order to have that faith that brings a smile to your soul there must be separation from sin and the things that lead into sin. You can’t hang out on the Devil’s door step and think that God’s going to join you. He said to “be ye separate.” 2 Corinthians 6:17

One of the greatest stealer of the joy and peace Christians are afforded is the idea that you can continue as a part of the world, loving all the things in and about it and “fit” God in when it’s handy. God won’t play second fiddle to anyone or anything; and there’s a long list of things that we are all guilty of putting before God.

So I realized again today that much of my faith failures come because I spend too much time “working” on trying to get life right and not enough time Reading the Word of God, Relying on the Grace of God and Remembering Who it is that has my world in His hand.

Posted in Life Inspiration

I know what you seek…

Written by talk2shari Published October 25, 2014October 25, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Mark 1

³³And all the city was gathered together at the door.

³⁴And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

³⁵And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

³⁶And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

³⁷And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

I can’t imagine the weariness Christ felt as a man, even though He was God. People continually desiring healing and help and each time, as it said about the woman with the issue of blood in Chapter 5 of Mark that “Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?”

If they but touched his clothes healing occurred and he felt the virtue (power) leave His body; how draining that must have been when soul after soul required something. After a night where all the city had gathered at the door of Simon’s house because the fame of His ability had spread throughout the community, we find Him arising the next morning “a great while before day” and going to a place alone to talk to God. If Jesus Himself who was healthy and strong needed that time in the morning to power up for the day, how can we think we’ll survive without it.

I never thought about the health of Jesus until this morning. Yes He was human, and I guess the human side of Him could have caught a cold or the flu but if He had gotten a cold He would have just healed it. That’s not the case with us, our bodies die a little more daily, our strength weakens as life sucks the energy out of us. I take vitamins every day to try to get a jump start on all the bad things I suspect I’ll ingest the remainder of the day. I do the same with the Word of God. I need that morning boost. When they found Jesus they said “all men seek for thee.”

I believe that.

I believe that in the soul of every human being on earth there is something that seeks God. They can deny it… that’s okay, I won’t believe it. Because God created them and just as an infant seeks the parents that created it, so do we all seek the Creator.

Oh how I long to know Him deeper… that’s why I have to get up before the rest of the house, before all men, grandbabies, friends, neighbors, church folk, children and telemarketers seek me. They don’t seek me for the same thing they sought Jesus for, but it’s still tiring. I know I’ll need my strength today and so I am here; in Mark 1 desiring to start my day as Jesus did. Alone in prayer. I can’t heal people, or fix problems but I know the one Who can… no wonder the whole town showed up at Peter’s door.

Steal away today, and rejuvenate yourself in Jesus…Seek on friend.

Posted in Christian Service, Church attendance, Leadership, Life Inspiration

Parents: Here’s your sword and shield

Written by talk2shari Published October 22, 2014October 15, 2021 Discussion Leave a Comment

Judges 5

⁷The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.

⁸They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

⁹My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord.

This post will be so not politically correct, but that’s okay… because it’s biblically correct. My frustration mounts in my community and country daily. I watch as person after person jumps on the bandwagon of politically correct nonsense and even in my little country home, the big city ways have made their way here. What once would have been unfathomable is now happening on the courthouse steps. I’m not a hater… I’m a God fearing woman who reads her bible and knows what the word of God says about homosexuality. It’s a sin. That’s it in a nutshell. So is lying, stealing, coveting, etc., etc., etc.! One is not greater or less than the other. 1 John 1:8 clearly says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” I won’t point my finger at a homosexual population and get on a religious high horse about their sin because I too am a sinner. I will however get on a platform and declare what God says, because He is not a sinner. He is a righteous and just God who will judge all men’s sins for what they are.

I want to arise a mother in West Virginia. (insert your State here)

That’s what Deborah did in her community, she took the reins. Should it have been a man? Yes. But where were they? And I ask in sincerity today, where are the men in our communities. I’m blessed to attend a church that has several men, but there are many absent husbands and fathers there too. There are many men absent in the homes as well. Often it is because of work, especially in our area where there are so many pipelining families and there is little choice for employment. So what then? What about those Dads?

As a mother in West Virginia I suggest you make the most of those few days you have at home and make church a priority without excuse. My own daughters have husbands who are gone much of the time, so I get the reality of trying to make a family work… I too raised my girls with an absentee husband much of the time because of his time in the fire department and EMS in addition to a regular job that consumed 40-60 hours a week. I really do get it. But there must be biblical foundation in your family if you want to be a greater influence than the world. Because right here in our little country community the influence of evil abounds and what we don’t want our children to see as the “norm” has become so.

Our schools spend far more time dealing with the corrupt than rewarding the good. So what has your child’s attention? In verse 8 of Judges 5 it asks the question “was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?” There wasn’t and there’s not a shield or sword in many of the homes in West Virginia, biblically speaking. Parents want good children, and some do have them go to a christian school, as they are mindful of the education they receive. Then there’s others that argue they don’t have “time” to take their children to church on Sunday. Their influence is what they see happening in the school, on the courthouse steps, in the news and on the television shows that they’re permitted to watch. And then they ask, “Why can’t I get my child to behave.”

Because nobody else that they view is behaving either.

Please, share this with a young parent. And young parent… get that shield and sword out and protect your home.

Posted in Leadership, Life Inspiration

Heart Upgrade

Written by talk2shari Published October 19, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

1 Samuel 10:9 – And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.

A chapter before, that would make it Chapter 9 if you’re counting, Saul, the first appointed King over Israel had been chasing donkeys. He was a “goodlier” boy, so the Bible says.

“…there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he.” I Samuel 9:2.

And he was good because throughout this chapter we see Saul’s concern for his father’s donkeys that had run off and concern that his lengthy attempt to find them was going to cause his father to worry over him; and it did. But little did Saul know that the donkey adventure was a staged design of God to put him in contact with God’s man Samuel for the revealing of Saul’s call and a heart transplant.

Saul left home with a servant’s heart and returned with the heart of a leader. How does that happen without the proper education? Funny thing about the giver of knowledge… it’s His to give and requires no certification by a state or national agency.

I love the quote:

“God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”

I don’t know if Saul ever dreamt about being King. His reaction to Samuel’s announcement was one of great humility, “And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?” But something tells me that in the recesses of Saul’s mind was an untapped dream of what was to become reality. When Saul inquired of Samuel the Prophet as to the where abouts of his father’s donkeys, scripture says in verse 1 Samuel 9:19 “…go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.” So somewhere in Saul’s heart must have been a grander idea about his life besides chasing donkeys.

When God called me into the ministry in 2010 my response was much like Saul’s… Who am I, Lord?” and then He reminded me of all the hopes and dreams I had had as a young girl but never allowed anyone to see. I had suppressed them into the recesses of my own heart so that when God brought them out he had to give me another heart. The old one was still there, but I needed an upgrade. Mine had been clouded with doubt, sin and fear, God couldn’t use that. To be in service to the King there has to be a level of bravery that I had never experienced in my life. Before this when I was put in front of people I’d go to pieces. But that day I had to leave the past behind and move forward with a different heart, a leaders heart.

The thing about being a leader is that you’re in the front! Even today I’m not comfortable with that, so I get why Saul hid “ among the stuff” when Samuel made the news public. (10:22) You know what God’s called you to do, others in tune to God know what God’s called you to do, but the general public know you as the donkey finder, the least of the least.

I believe God’s called a generation of leaders that are still hid among the stuff. God’s given you the heart upgrade, but you’re still unsure of stepping out into what God’s called you to do. I still have a tendency to get lost among the stuff. But the problem with that is if God’s leader isn’t in the lead… who is?

Everyday Satan tells me to go back to finding donkeys. I thought about that this morning and then thought about what a donkey is… it’s a beast of burden. I don’t need to find the donkeys, God carries my load. He’s called me to show the Light of the World to the people, not cart around the burdens of yesterday, or the doubt, sin or fear.

Posted in Life Inspiration

That’s my God!

Written by talk2shari Published October 18, 2014October 18, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

On shouting ground again this morning with the Word of God! Some days I’m just as apt to give God a sigh of frustration with the world here below. That was last night… Oh how my heart broken for God when I saw once on fire Christians now catering to a world who would who has not hope, and the unsaved looked at me as though I was to be pitied because I didn’t have the intellect to know that God does not exist. I watched as my fiddle case was examined by one such man as he read the verse from Psalm 100 that I have scribed across the case with a sharpie. He admired my penmanship but appeared not to know the Author. They attempt to play gospel music as though it were any other song, but they can’t. Ha! I love it, that’s my God. The One that shows up at the party uninvited and says “Hey, I created you. Don’t pity my girl Shari, you should be so lucky to have what she does.”

Whew Doggie! That’s my God!

Psalm 71 put me in this mode this morning. I was feeling a tad forlorn from the antics of my fellow pickers last night. They’re good people, please don’t miss understand. I wasn’t at some bar in the boonies… well I was in the boonies but not at a bar. It’s a friendly non-alcohol gathering of musicians that are wonderful, wonderful people… but there are a few who would rather God not come up in the conversation because it makes them extremely uncomfortable. It makes them uncomfortable because they don’t understand my God.

Read the “My’s of Psalm 71”. I encourage you to read the whole chapter it’s quite a read.

My Trust – (vs. 1) When the world has let you down, in Him you can depend.
My Strong Habitation – (vs. 3) When there no place that feels like home, He is there.
My Rock – (vs. 3) He’s solid and unmovable. There is no storm that can phase my God.
My Fortress – (vs. 3) On my ever side, even my blind side. God has me protected.
My God – (vs. 4) When I accepted Christ Jesus as my Savior in 1996
My Hope (vs. 5) Today is the anniversary of my Father’s death in 2003, but because of My Hope I’ll see Him again!
My Trust – (vs. 5) When my brother was killed at 19 and my Mother was asked why she didn’t blame God, she said how can I blame the only One who will allow me to see him again. That’s trust!!!
My Praise – (vs. 6) From before my birth God created me to be who I am and love His people the way I do. I’ll rejoice in every opportunity to serve Him.
My Strong Refuge – (vs. 7) That same purpose has on more than one occasion caused an attack on my life but in Him I have safety that no man can touch.
My God – (vs. 12) It bears repeating!
My Help – (vs. 12) Indeed this very morning he helped me out of the pit of despair the world had created and planted me back on shouting ground.

Oh, Read on weary Pilgrim, we serve an awesome God who’s there for you this day.

I love ya, hope I encouraged you. Be blessed Friend.

PSALM 71 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

²Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

³Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

⁴Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

⁵For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.

⁶By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

⁷I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

⁸Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

⁹Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

¹⁰For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,

¹¹Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

¹²O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.

Posted in Life Inspiration

Good Grief Charlie Brown

Written by talk2shari Published October 16, 2014October 16, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

I realized I was out numbered last night in the teen class when I ask a question about their favorite television classics. I watch very little television, preferring silence or a podcast of my favorite preachers, perhaps I’ll pick a little on the guitar or play the fiddle but upon the occasion that I decide I’d like to watch a movie or show, I spend more time scrolling through the guide than I do actually watch anything. I usually end up on DIY or HGTV channels because at least there I don’t have to put up with gore, drama, language or just plain idiocy.

I’m for certain dating myself, but when the commercials came on for the Halloween episode of “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown,” my heart went pitter pat wondering if my grandbabies would find it as big a deal as I did as a child. We waited weeks with anticipation for those special TV nights when kids ruled! Today half the kids in America have their own TV and there’s a new cartoon on every hour. Wow… that’s really sad. Another example of excessive living taking away the wholesomeness of our youth.

The conversation in the teen class last night stemmed from the question “Why does it matter about the music or Television I entertain myself with?”

I gave them the verse Philippians 4:8~ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

It’s really hard to think on those things when you have zombies screaming at you from the television, or a chick just got stabbed to death. Reality TV is not reality at all… or is it? Have we really gone that far as a world today? Even my beloved DIY shows have gotten ridiculous as spoiled brat couples are just SO STRESSED OUT because the million dollar home they toured had the wrong color tub. Oh my goodness, my stomach just seriously rolled over, and this is why I don’t watch television.

In the words of Charlie Brown, “Good Grief!”

I need a Philippians 4:8 day. I need things that are honest, just, pure, lovely, a good report and praise!!! I need good news! I know the world’s full of bad and I need to understand the dangers that are out there but I do not need to sit with my nose glued to the latest Ebola report or watch garbage on television that makes me treat every stranger as a suspect in a murder or go to bed with fearful thoughts.

I don’t care if Charlie Brown’s not cool. As much as I love the technology of today, there’s a part of me that longs for those Kool-aid and popcorn nights and the Great Pumpkin…