SO LONG 2024!

...even in times of troubles / struggles ! 

LEFT HANGING!

Ever been in a lurch?! A vulnerable and unsupported position.

Think……….left hanging!    Dangling!!

Even worse......hanging upside down for almost 30 minutes! 

It can happen anytime. Anywhere! (Even peeing and vomiting) It doesn't have to be on a broken 10 story high pendulum ride at Oaks Park amusement park  in Oregon.

Precarious pendulum dubbed AtmosFEAR had commentators' catastrophic remarks loudly calling out, "Oh my God...." and "Jesus Christ."

I prayed for safety of the riders along with hopes that the commentator who used the personal pronoun "my" for God, truly knew Him. Who do people call out to in distressing, uncertain times? We all know the "correct" answer. 

But God.....puts answers in His Word.* During stress, those might come quickly or maybe relegated to one word. "Help."

But God won't leave you hanging!

*Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” - (Isaiah 41:10)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - (Joshua 1:9)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble....(Psalm 46:1)

He asks us to take our fears, worries, and anxieties to Him because He cares about us and wants good things for our lives (1 Peter 5:7).

MUSING ON BENDING GOD'S EAR

"Bending God's Ear in Times of Trouble" *was Allen Bible Church's sermon yesterday!

Pastor, Buddy Liles, assured the Texas congregation and those of us listening via livestream, that King David's, Psalm 86 "pressure cooker prayer," can give believers a vocab to express our trust even as we are troubled.

From our lips to God's ear. Whether he bends down to listen to my cry for help, (MSG) or inclines His ear as it says in Psalm 116:1, I know that when My anxious thoughts multiply within me, it's His consolations that delight my soul." (Psalm 94:19) Sounds like comfort to me.

How thankful I am that because of his goodness, God is eager to bend his ear to hear our cries for mercy and offer comfort. Whenever I'm in trouble (or distress,) I pray, knowing you will listen. (Psalm 86:7, CEV)

As we pour out our hearts to him in times of suffering we can trust Him to be our refuge.(Psalm 62:8).....an ever present help.

*link will be provided when it becomes available of YouTube

FRIDAY FOCUS

FRIDAY FOCUS...........

• “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”(Jeremiah 29:13) 
• "Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live." (Isaiah 55:3) 
• "God is our refuge and strength:" (Psalm 46:1)
• The joy of the Lord is your strength: (Nehemiah 8:10)

FRIDAY FOCUS....NEEDS TO BE A DAILY FOCUS FOR ME!!

May I be steadfast in this focus the rest of the month! (Psalm 36:1

PORTMANTEAU

Portmanteau---a suitcase opening flat with two equal sides. But....that's not what this entry concerns. It's just to give you a mental image of 2 parts into 1 whole. Now, think two words combined to give one entirely new thought.

Wordsmith's have long had a way of creating their own words. At our house the kids became familiar with an entirely new vocabulary created by their dad. 

Portmanteau words in my past seem to "stick" long before I knew they were a literary device. 

 

Brunch, at our house meant Mother's bridge club was coming and brunch (a repast between breakfast and lunch) would be served. Sporks would be provided if cobbler with ice cream followed as this spoon fork utensil would be perfect. Plus, it took up less room on their "card table."

Literary devices make some of these creations "legit" by "naming them."

• hungry + angry = hangry
• IPod + broadcast = podcast
• situational + comedy = sitcom
• smoke + fog = smog
• emotional + icon = emoticon

 

...created character combos side ways on keyboard to save space

Wordsmiths love combining words to make new words.

Recently I began using selrel as a negative in my journal jottings.

My portmanteau for self reliance. Two words together for one meaning. 

Trying "to do" all  in your own strength. 

SELREL----Think antonym for God's strength.

Selrel--won't become legit in the linguistic world, but it's an "in your face" reminder for me to BEWARE---of looking to self for strength instead of leaning into the LORD, who is our strength. (Psalm 46:1)

HAPPY DANCE FRIDAY!

K-LOVE celebrates "Happy Dance Friday".....that's my kind of day!

Celebrating I'm a "Child of God" & dancing is going on my calendar for everyday.

As the song says, "On my my best day, I'm a child of God."

But what about your worst day?---you might ask.

The answer is, "On my worse day, I'm a child of God." (Nahum 1:7)

I'm so blessed!

"It doesn't matter about the rest if I've  got you Lord, I'm so blessed." 

Today and "every day is a good day." 

God, our help, is the reason why..... I'm going to dance on Happy Dance Friday!!

REFUGE!

Another community is reeling from a mass shooting. This one is close to home---son Buddy's church home....3.4 miles away.

But God.... in His love and mercy has been their rock and strength. 

during this unexpected tragedy. I can only imagine how many would have been even more dismayed had they not seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)

As friend Anne B. shared from her Every Moment Holy Volume II, p. 15, on widespread suffering.....for all to continue to love more generously and spread God's mercy.

Now labor in and through us, O Lord, 

extending and multiplying 

the many expressions of your mercy. 

(Every Moment Holy, p. 15)

An expression of God's refuge right here, right now. 

HELP NEEDED!

I need help. Don't we all!!

Dear friend, Doris, sent this pic to me to remind me of the One who is my help!

Immediately "a very present help in trouble, " came to mind. 

A picture with the answer to all my woes and fears......JESUS!

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. 

Past. Present. Future.

He is all the help I need!

CHOOSE: TRUTH AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Choose truth again, is a merger of Monday's 4/17/17 "Choose: Truth" entry and "Choose: Not to Choose "  3/28/17 entry. An important revisit because all folks need to be able to distinguish---between GOD'S TRUTH & HOGWASH.

It's only a "little" sin----one that doesn't really count.  (Hogwash)

(1 John 3:4) Sin is sin, regardless of a man's perceived "size." God grades sin by the cross, not on a sliding scale or a curve. (Romans 3:23)

No one will ever know. (Hogwash)
Our sins are not hidden from God. (Psalm 69:5)

Going to church will make me a Christian. (Hogwash)
It might help you hear truth that leads one to salvation but church attendance does not guarantee an entrance into heaven. (June 14:6)

I can do it MYSELF! (Hogwash)
Sounds like a two -year-old, doesn't it? Self-reliance is a dead end street. Humankind needs God and each other. Others whom they can trust. (2 Corinthians 12:9-11)

God helps those who help themselves is in the Bible. (Hogwash)
No it's not.
God is our very present help---we can depend on Him. (Psalm 46:1)

If one prays hard enough and often enough God will give them whatever they want. (Hogwash)
God is not an ATM machine or a cure-all. He will more likely give what we need rather than what we think we want. That's NOT a  prayer based on a relationship aligned with the Lord's will. (1 John 5:14)

Money is the root of all evil---Baloney! (aka Hogwash)
It's the love of money and greed that is the sin problem! (1 Timothy 6:10)

Only good & perfect people will go to heaven. (Hogwash)
God's standard is not perfection for humans. One could never be good enough apart from the blood of Jesus.(Romans10:9-10)
CHOOSE TRUTH, not Hogwash.....it's an important choice!

SaveSave

V is for....

1/30/10 …..volumes of “V” words whirring in my mind with none anchoring yet. Virgin’s son. (Luke 1:27) Vine---John 15, my life-changing chapter. Victor----the victory is His. He is the victorious one. Through Him we have victory---we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) Conquerors are indeed victors. As I discovered in both Hungary and Mexico and especially through this last year He is also a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1) He is TRUTH----veracity starts with “V” but I couldn’t find it in my concordance.

But God……………there was the “v” word right in my good old KJV, my grandmother’s Bible, with its broken binding, loose pages and cracked leather cover. “Verity”---in the concordance---not veracity but another great synonym for truth.

In our life’s journey we are all mere voyagers on this earth and it is the verity of the One who is Truth that guides us. Knowing His truth has set us free (Romans 8:2) As believers, we’re at least on the ship that’s headed in the right direction----eternity with Him. If we weren’t voyagers on His ship, we would be facing life without Him. I’m glad that even in the midst of life’s storms, we don’t have to be tossed around by every wave of circumstance or wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14-15) because we are stabilized by truth and anchored by the One who is Truth.

We need to listen up ------His verity speaks volumes.

Psalm 111:7--These works of His hands are verity and judgment; all His commandments are sure.
I Timothy 2:7--Whereunto I am ordained and a preacher, and an apostle, ( I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.