Success and Failure Blog

As I was reading this morning, Matthew 14:29-33 struck me.  Jesus was walking onto the water towards the disciples.   The disciples thought they saw a ghost.  Peter said “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you.”  The Lord did.  The first sign of a wind Peter lost all faith and confidence and started to fall in.  He cried out to the Lord to save him.

How many times do we cry out to the Lord in the middle of a faithful act because they just seem to blow a little south, not exactly as we had expected or not as smoothly as we would like?

This verse led me to rethink a discussion in our womans group.  We are studying the Holy Spirit and leading a Spirit filled life.  This past week we had a chart illustrating Heart attitudes of the flesh and heart attitudes of the Spirit.  I have put the chart at the end of this post in order for you to peruse it and see where your heart lies and what you need to ask the Lord to assist you in.

The last one on the chart a fleshly heart’s emotions are controlled by their circumstances and a Spirit-filled heart has joy for the Lord always.  I checked this one in my book.  As I can definitely see where I can be controlled by my circumstances but I also have such a joy for the Lord.  Hmm?

So reading the devotion from Dr. Charles Stanley (Intouch.org) this morning “Looking for Fruit.”  He says “Fruitful believers are not controlled by their environments.”  Yikes I am not fruitful:(  I do not like where this is going.

Fruitful believers will return harsh words with kindness.  They do experience pain and anger but in the end they always trust the Lord to protect them through these circumstances.

Now this part I like:  “Fruitful believers recover quickly.”  Fruitful believers are thankful for the trial and for God showing them their weaknesses.

Thank you, Lord!

After reading these words, I needed to meditate and speak with God.  He comforted me.  You see this past weekend I had harsh words said to me.  Although I walked away at first, when it reoccurred I know I did some ungodly actions and words before walking away again.  God said, Mary, you have come a long way.  Still a long way to go, but you have come a long way.  Let us think about what the old Mary would have done.  Well, Lord, she would have screamed and yelled.  She would not have walked away.  She would have stayed there crying and insulting with insult.  She would have become severely depressed and angered for days.  Forgetting of your love and graciousness.

Why did I walk away?  I wanted to be with God.  The second time I walked away my 7-year-old was getting ready to play a football game.  But I  needed to choose the 5-mile walk back home vs. staying there and being more fleshly.  It was a great walk with the Lord.  He let me get out my frustrations with Him and He relieved my hurt, pain, and anger.  He showed me to be more forgiving in the light of not wanting to be.  Thank you for that walk, Lord.  You have made me stronger.

Thank you for this revelation, Lord.  You are always so good to me!  You never repay us as our sins deserve.  (Psalm 103) You are an awesome God!  May all glory and honor be Yours, Almighty Father!

Heart Attitudes of the Flesh                                 Heart Attitudes of the Spirit

Gruff, abrasive, anxious                                          Sweet-spirited, pleasant

Stern, irritable, unmoved                                       Tenderhearted

Focused on self, impatient                                     Kind

Bitter, easily hurt, scornful                                    Gentle

Jealous, demanding                                                   Lowly in heart

Proud, selfish                                                                 Sacrificial

Lazy, irresponsible, wants credit                          Servant’s heart

Enduring religion, critical                                        Enjoying Christ

Self-righteous                                                                Faith is a delight, not a duty

Loose-tongued, judgmental                                    Mourns with godly sorrow

Unfriendly, wants own way                                     Meek, yields rights

Seeks own pleasure and comfort                           Hungers and thirsts for righteousness

Unforgiving                                                                     Merciful

Loves self and world;y pleasure                              Pure in heart

Gossip, stirs up strife                                                    Peace maker

Emotions controlled by circumstances               Full of joy in the Lord

from “The Spirit Filled Life God’s Power in You” pg 22

//

//

I would like to share some notes with you on a few days devotions pertaining to witness.

The Motive  Why should I bother to witness?
There are so many who are lost spiritually – separated from God by choice and in danger of ruin or destruction. Or like the lost coin in Luke 15:8-10 do not even realize they are lost and like the lost sheep God seeks out those who may wander off and find themselves lost.  They are lost to themselves and their true home in God’s family and to the joy of His loving care.

That in and of itself should be enough motive to want to go out and share God’s Word. For those of who know who His loving grace and comfort in our lives, we should desire for all to come to Him and feel His grace poured upon them and for them to receive His gift of salvation which leads to everlasting life with Him.

Jesus isn’t merely looking for a large following, He wants committed followers. The one’s heeding Jesus’ message are exactly the ones who need it. Jesus treated the sinner with tenderness. God saves the lost – no matter how “lost” we perceive them to be.

Lost people are not attracted to religion, but they are attracted to the life, words, and example of Jesus.  We are to avoid legalism that distorts or misinterprets the principles of Scripture:  Instead, we are to ground everything we do in the same love that Jesus expressed.  Showing love and mercy is greater than showing judgment.

Like the parable of the lost son who turned his back on his loving father, sometimes we need to hit rock bottom before we will look up and see the need for our Father.  God the Father is watching and willing to restore and welcome those who come to Him.  God goes far beyond what we might expect or certainly deserve in restoring us to Himself.  Regardless of a person’s past, we should celebrate when he or she comes to Christ.

The Message What can I say to a lost person?

There is only one Gospel-the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Christ.  We should not add or take away from this.  Galatia was being presented with a false or another gospel from the Judaizers indicating that although they had been saved by God’s grace through the truth and in spirit they still needed to heed to old Jewish laws in order to stay in God’s will. This is just not true.  Our salvation is grounded, from start to finish, in God’s grace.  Any teaching that adds something to the gospel message of what Christ alone has accomplished for our salvation is a false teaching to be avoided.  The greatest danger Christians often face is not from outside the church, but from inside by those who sound biblical but are, in fact, twisting the truth of the gospel.

The gospel is not a human point of view.  It comes from a revelation (an unveiling, the removal from something which conceals or obscures) from Jesus Christ.  We cannot be taught or receive it from a human source.  We may learn the gospel from others, but the ultimate source of the gospel goes back to God Himself, who revealed it to us.  The gospel is from start to finish the work of God.  He carried it out, and He revealed it to us.

We may not have a testimony such as Paul’s on the road to Damascus, but we do have a testimony.  Anyone who has received Jesus Christ in truth and spirit is a new person in Christ.  Look back, meditate on it, search out who you were before Christ came into your life, and who are you now.  Right down these differences this is your testimony.

• Is my testimony centered in Christ or myself?
• Does my testimony highlight the work of God?
• Does my testimony emphasize the need for faith and nothing else?

Just as we cannot save ourselves, we cannot live the Christian life ourselves.  We need the work of the Holy Spirit both in regeneration (salvation) and sanctification (daily living.)  Faith in Christ is all we need to become children of God.

The Messenger What is required of a witness?

Because of the need, Jesus expects His followers to witness for Him.  Following Christ is not like some late night infomercial, promising you wealth and only seeking your money.  Jesus told us to count the cost of following Him.  Part of the “cost” is the investment of time and work in the lives of others.

In 1806, Samuel Mills, a student at Williams College, habitually met for prayer with four other students in a maple grove.  One rainy day the gathered on the lee side of a giant haystack.  On that wet day, their prayers turned toward the need for the message of Christ to be shared abroad.  From that moment on, their prayers and passion for sharing Christ did not wane.  As a result sending agencies arose, sending men like Adoniram Judson, and Luther Rice to witness abroad.  Our modern mission movement grew out of an urgency to prayer.

We are called to witness to those around us but to also pray for the harvest to be abundant.  Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.  When we are faithful in witnessing of Christ’s work, we will find those who are receptive to the message.  Any ministry or witnessing endeavor we undertake should include prayer, especially prayer for others to join in the work of evangelism.  God is the One who shows us the needs around us, initiates the call to evangelism, and sends out the workers, but it is our responsibility to “step up to the plate” and join Him in His work.

Who around you needs Jesus?  God makes you aware of the needs of people so that He can use you to meet those needs.  People are individually responsible for what they do with the message of Christ.  When we go in Jesus’ name, people should see Jesus and not us.  As God’s Children, we are so united with Him that any rejection we experience is really a rejection of Christ.  Do not let rejection hinder you from sharing the gospel!

The Model What actions can I take to witness effectively?

I want to do it and I know the message to share, but how do I get the presentation started?  Jesus is our model for witnessing effectively.  Let’s look to the story of the Samaritan woman by the well with Jesus to see how he swayed the conversation to witness for His Father.

Jesus is weary from a long journey.  He does the unthinkable as a Jew, he sits by the well to which a Samaritan woman was coming.  Now Jesus could have avoided this location by walking around Samaria as Jews did in that day, but Jesus had a purpose to spread God’s Word even to the most conflicted.  It is not our choice who is saved but by the grace of God.

He starts the conversation out with something common to both of them.  Water – she is coming to get some from the well, He could use a drink after his long journey, and He can provide the living water with which we all need.

Instead of going out of our way to avoid contact with people who make us uncomfortable, we should welcome that contact as a way to introduce them to Jesus.  We should not wait for others to ask about Jesus, but we should initiate the conversation that ultimately leads to spiritual matters.

So Jesus arouses the Samaritan woman by offering her the gift of living water so that she would never go thirsty again.  She was still confused about it but Jesus had gotten her attention.

We may feel we have much to offer God, but He offers us far more than we could ask or imagine.  God is the only one that can give us this living water – the sustaining grace.  Only Jesus can satisfy the things for which we ultimately thirst.  The Holy Spirit is the living water indwelling us, refreshing us, and sustaining us.

Jesus proclaimed that we can come to Him, we will never need to go anywhere else.  Period.

Help them see their need.  We may not have the power to do what Jesus did in revealing the Samaritan’s woman sinful nature but we do understand sinful nature as sinners ourselves.  Don’t try to fool others about sin, God knows even the secret things of our heart and in the hearts of others.  Use your sin(s) to reach out to others.  It is part of your testimony.  How has God helped you see it for sin and help you to turn away from it?  Christ convicts us of our sin for the purpose of leading us to accept His forgiveness.  Share your sins with others so that God may be glorified in your weaknesses.

Amen!  All glory and honor be yours Almighty Father!

I have been tormented lately with the inability to forgive my husband. It is not just one thing or something huge in which he has done to me. It starts with one comment or action that makes me feel less of a person than the bitterness sets in with other things he has done in the past for which I had previously (or at least thought I did) forgive him.

Sometimes it is as if I do not want to forgive him. Then I feel the Lord quietly telling me who am I to judge him according to whether he should be forgiven or not. As I will be judged as I judge others. Boy, oh boy, I do not want that, Lord.

I feel the Lord asking me to see him through His eyes. Sometimes it is easy then his mouth opens and something ungodlike comes out. Help me, Lord.

So the Lord reminds me, Mary, have you done everything perfectly today? Have you not done something today that may have irritated me, annoyed me, or angered me? Yes, Lord, I probably did. Did I forgive you, Mary? Yes, Lord, you always do! Then why should he not be forgiven? You are always right, Lord. Forgive me for being unable to forgive.

Unforgiveness leads to bitterness, anger, deception, depression, and most importantly a huge wall between God and yourself. This is not what you need or want in your life.

So, Lord, how do I rid myself of this anger and bitterness? Deliver me, Father, from my unforgiveness.
*acknowledge aloud the sin of unforgiveness in your life.
*acknowledge aloud the person who has committed this pain to you.
*acknowledge aloud the hurt which they inflicted upon you.
*Ask Father God, to rid you of these inflictions and iniquities and to take back this ground which Satan has stolen from you.

Staying free from your bitterness of a person, especially someone you need to deal with daily, is a daily process of
*asking the Lord to break down the wall that is separating us from Him.
*asking the Holy Spirit to help us forgive this person for all the wrongs against us.
*asking the Lord to allow us to see this person through His eyes.
*asking the Lord to help us love that person as He loves them – compassionately, with mercy, kindness, and without judgement.
*Father God, wipe the hurt and pain from heart, mind, and body that has been caused.

My husband wonders at times why I stare at him with a smile on my face. Those are the times that I am asking, Father God, to show me what He sees in him. All the good.

We are all born into evilness. And if someone wants to they can all look at us and only see the bad if they are not waliking steadily with the Lord. But if we are allowing God’s glorious light to shine upon us through daily prayer, dedication, and meditation. If we allow, God to control our lives instead of ourselves, we will see everyone the way H sees them – beautiful.

Amen, Father God, may all glory and honor be Yours, Almighty Father.

The Lord Jesus Christ Lives!  Praise God!  Praise be His Holy and Beautiful Name!

I woke up this morning at 3:30 a.m. wanting to come and spend time with the Lord then write in my blogs.  Writing in my blogs is my Sunday thing to do.

Each morning I arise to exercise physically and spiritually.  Then to work on the computer and have coffee before working for the family.

This morning I awoke weakened.  Achy.  Not knowing what I was to write about.

I felt the Lord call me to Him.  Rest, Mary.  So I went and washed my face and put on my cucumber mask that I made the night before and rested on the couch.  Calling out His Holy Name.  Praising Him.  Seeking Him.  Picturing Him as Ezekial saw Him:  “…what looked like a throne of sapphire and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.  I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire, and brilliant light surrounded him.  Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.” (Ezekial 1:26-28.)

This put me into such a deep trance – not total sleep – but a trance.  I was resting deeply, my whole body and mind, but my mind was astir with visions, thoughts, and praises of my Lord.

I awoke what seemed to be a sleep of an hour but it had only been minutes.  More alive.  But still groggy.  The Lord lead me to finish reading some chapters in Acts that I wanted to read to clarify some struggles I am having with spiritual baptism (to be written about later.)  I read these as if for the first time with clarity and reassurance from Him.

I still felt the need for rest.  So I went to the bedroom and laid there on my bed.  Feeling the Lord’s glory all around me.  Then my son came in awoken from a bad dream.  He laid beside me and I prayed over him.  He wisked back off to sleep.  My 2 year old woke up in his crib and I prayed for him.  He quietly laid his head on the pillow and returned to sleep.  In between these episodes all I could do and wanted to do was to quietly lay there in the Lord’s presence.  The more I did the more peace and love and security and comfort I felt.  The more alive I became.  My 10 month old woke up and laid back down quietly so that I could go and get washed up.  Now here I am letting you know all this.  He is starting to stir again so I will have to return to him to start my day.

In conclusion, if you are feeling heavy today, burdened, weary, please do yourself a favor and no matter what anyone says to you at the time, go into your prayer closet, lie on the floor, the bed, wherever you can find quiet and comfort.  Snuggle in a blanket if need be.  Call to the Lord and ask Him to redeem you and to send His Holy Spirit within you, ask Him for wisdom, love, and peace.  Whatever it is that you may be seeking.  You don’t know?  Then just lay there and call His Beautiful Name – Lord, Lord – I need you.  He wants to hear from you and He wants to soothe you and awaken your heart, mind, and soul.  Allow Him to do that for you!  You need to regain your strength through Him sometimes by just sitting there or lieing there with Him.  Go be with Him now dear one!

Amen!  May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with each and everyone of you today and always!

Mary Ludolph

How I miss my Mom’s Bible Study.  We were a group of women who dedicated our time to studying God’s Word and dedicated our time to each other.  We trusted each other with our deepest, darkest feelings with no fear of judgment or persecution.  We knew we would only receive love and prayer.

I have followed my beloved husband to New York in hopes of a better life.  He was to maintain a better job.  The area would be a better place to raise our children.  We would sustain ourselves through use of our land.

Well, he does not have a job. Our neighbors and others surrounding us are evildoers.   I am having a tough time sustaining my land with crops as it is exhausting, time consuming, and frustrating.  There are a lot of nice people in my church but no one I really feel a connection with.  I have tried to start up a women’s group but these women do not seem to feel the need to give up their extra time for one another let alone the Lord.  We have a couple of registered child molesters living on our street. And I have no one to confide in.  Well, I can talk to my husband.   Although he believes in God, we are not at the same crossroads.   He listens but does not hear me.   His troubles are always so much more…

So what has all this taught me.  You know, God uses everything, people and situations for His purpose.  This has truly taught me that the only person, being, anyone can truly count on is their Heavenly Daddy.  He is the only thing I can trust.  He is my best friend.  He is the only one that knows my inmost being, every thought, feeling, whim, desire….This has taught me to totally rely on Him for everything and that is what He wants.

Thank you, Lord, for this tough road and this revelation.   I love you, Lord. Praise God!

A Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there!  May God bless you and give you wisdom and knowledge to bring your children up in His righteousness.

I know the gifts have probably already been bought but just wanted to guide each of you to this book – “52 Things Kids Need From a Dad” Check it out everyone for the men, dads, grandpas, dads to be in your lives!

Guys, remember your children a blessing, a gift from God.  He freely gave you His children because He trusted you to bring them up righteously.  Treat them as gifts and not burdens in your lives.

God Bless and have a great day, dads!

In His Holy Name, Mary Ludolph

I recently read an article in “Voice of the Martyrs” that has left me convicted.

“Who is First?” In our day to day living are we putting God’s Kingdom first?  As I reflect and read stories of Christians sacrificing themselves and their families for Christ, I feel remorse for not doing more for God’s Kingdom.  I feel guilt for thinking the minor persecution I suffer for my faith may be enough.

I am guilty for putting my family first.  How many of us are?  We live day to day being a Martha.  Filled with anxiety and worry about what we have not gotten done, what we need to do.  Worrying about our finances and the picnic we are preparing for…..How much of this is really essential in our daily living.  How much of a role is all this in our real job here on earth -  servants for the Almighty God.

My heart yearns for the Lord yet I do not do nearly enough to sacrifice myself.  I feel sorry for myself because my marriage is not nearly what I want it to be.  I feel pity for the daily grind I need to put up with in my household and feel this is a sacrifice in an of itself.

It may very well be but when you look around the world at what others are sacrificing young and old it really makes you appreciate the fact that we have so much even if we feel we have so little.

Although I may not be a part of their faith, I have a great respect for the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses for going door to door spreading the Word of God.  Stopping people on the street to tell them of Jesus’ love.  Praise God for witnesses such as these.

Lead me, Father God, to be the Christian witness you need for me to be right here where you have placed me.  Although I may not have to give my life in order to spread your Word, Lord, I want to be a living sacrifice in my community.  Teach me your ways, Lord.   Teach me how to spread your Word and to be an effective witness for your kingdom.

We all go through these times in which we wake up and have other things on our mind except that which we should be thinking about.

I know just as well as the next person that the first and only thing on my mind should be the Lord. Not just a passing thought of His greatness but totally and emphatically the Lord and His almightiness.

So why do we cast aside our Heavenly Father when we know how unhealthy it is for us? Why do we say Father can I get to that later? Or Father God won’t mind if I just skip one day of reading His Holy Word as long as I pray?

Wrong! It is just like excercising physically or watching what we eat. What happens when we say well I excerised so intense yesterday what is one day to miss. Or that little piece of chocolate cake did not hurt my calories yesterday so what if I have one more piece. Well we skip one day then the next…we eat one more piece then another….we skip one day of devotion then another…

We do this because we are human and think we can get away with it without anyone knowing our downfalls.  We do this because we are human and believe we are immortal.  We do this because we believe our last efforts will give us everlasting effects.

Then we realize that not everything lasts forever and we start to feel the need to go back to our rightful ways of living, exercising, eating.

Staying in sync with the Lord is an everyday exercise. It is a commitment not to be taken lightly. It takes time, effort, and devotion. It is the biggest and best commitment to make in our lives.

We need to wake up knowing that we need Him.  That in light of our best efforts we will never have as successful of a day if we skip Him.  That the few moments of our day that it takes to devote to Father God are little in comparison to what we receive back from Him.

I want to stop taking my relationship with Him for granted.  I want to continue to devote my time to Him everyday not just some days.  I pray to you, Oh Heavenly Father, that I will stop taking you for granted.  That I will remember you need for me to be prepared as much as I need for you to be here with me.  Thank you, Father God, for your forgiveness and understanding to my human tendencies.  I love you always and forever.  Mary

The tenth commandment instructs us to love our neighbors.  Matthew 5:42 instructs us to love our enemies.    I don’t know about you but these are the hardest laws that God has given to us for me to follow.

I have had experiences of loving others that I considered my enemy.  My ex-husband for example he admittedly loved to  get me angry or upset even after I left.  My husband’s ex loved to do the same to him.   As my relationship with God flourished I realized the need to pray for these two and their families.  I also came to the conclusion that because of my sin of divorce that there were certain things that God was not going to keep me from experiencing.  These are the consequences of my sin.  But it is easier to love someone from a distance, not having to deal with their idiosyncrasies on a daily basis.  Now I am experiencing a much tougher love of my enemy and neighbor.

In August 2008 my family and I moved from New Jersey to Greene, NY in search of the wonderous open lands available and the safety of not living near the high crime cities of Philadelphia and Camden.  We felt it God’s will.  God moved mountains to get us here.

We really did not want neighbors to close on either side of our home but the home we chose has a neighbor to our right within 50 feet.  When we moved here the house was empty.  At the time we were so busy readying our home and land that I never thought to pray for christian neighbors. What a mistake!

In April 2009 we were going to have a new neighbor.  A single mom with two children who fell into our children’s age groups.  At first glance it seemed great.

As the weeks went by and the time of their move in was coming, I was filled with such ill-will about these people who were going to move next door to me.  I had not even met them yet.  Awful nightmares, feelings of nausea, depression, anxiety ensued.  I prayed to the Lord for His will to be done but to also protect my marriage and family during this time.  I had no idea why I was feeling so insecure about all this but I knew that something evil was lurking.

On the day of move in I mustered up the strength to go over and introduce myself.  Gave the new neighbors a casserole and cake.  As weeks went by it became clear that some of the behaviors in their household were temptations to not only myself but to my husband and children.  Behaviors that I had prayed and worked hard to rid myself of and that I prayed and hoped my husband would rid himself of.  Behaviors that we were hoping our children would not pick up on from others.

My husband was liking our new neighbors and could not understand why I just did not want to have more than a “hello, how are you” relationship.  He kept encouraging me to make friends with her and her friends.  So for his sake I kept trying thinking that this instinctive gut feeling I was having was maybe me just having an overactive imagination.

As more time went by, what I saw with my eyes was disturbing and made me uncomfortable.  My husband just kept assuring me that we would be okay and that we should be neighborly.

I was praying so hard at this time for myself and my husband, our marriage, and for our neighbors and their friends.  I was especially praying for God to instill a loving heart in me for these people because I just did not want to love them.

They seemed so nice bearing gifts, etc…I am having trouble finding the passage but the good Lord does warn us to guard ourselves against those who appear to honorable by giving they do it only for their own credit not from him.

Then suddenly an uprising at their home occurred and I had one of my neighbors friends on my doorstep.  Over the weeks she gained the trust of myself and my husband.  I wanted to believe that she was good.  She listened to me witness to her.  Her significant other and my husband were liking one another.  I thought okay now I know why God sent these people for us to be great witnesses to them.  I was still uncomfortable so many old habits that were tempting me but I was able to trust them enough to allow them to watch my children while in the hospital having my last child.

Then suddenly without forwarning after they visited the baby and went out with us once after, they no longer were answering our calls…She had fled to her mothers for rest.  I thought something was wrong so I tried to reach out.  She said she would call or come visit and there was nothing.  So I stopped reaching out.  She now is back to being great friends with the neighbor.

Hmmm…why can’t two people befriend another.  Deceit, lies, hidden lives….

The Climax:  Our neighbor has always had a problem keeping her dogs in her yard for their duties.  My husband gets disgusted with it.  So he would pick it up with a shovel and fling it. I did not agree with this.  So the last time he did it he came in and asked me what he should do about the dogs pooping in our yard.  I told him maybe we should scoop it up and put in a bag and give it to her as she is not listening or heeding to our requests to stop.  I had not realized he already flung it nor did he tell me.

The next morning I had a knock on my door.  My neighbor bearing gifts once again but this time from her friend.  Father God had given me my answer.  I had pondered how to stop the gifts coming over (free clothes and such but still…kindness I did not want to accept from the enemy I did not want to allow my home to be victimized by such deceit)…this was the opportunity.  I kindly told my neighbor that I could not accept the clothes from her and that she should not allow her friend to put her in the middle of anything.  That she should not allow her to use her like that.  Her friend needed to have the courage to face me and the lies she had weaved.  Why did I warn her?  Because I respect her enough as a human being not to see her get hurt.  I may not like her ways, beliefs, and values but she is still a person.

We both had tears in our eyes I thought maybe I struck a chord of revelation….then she lashed out at me about the poo.  Then her boyfriend came over and started yelling at me.  I told them I understood their frustration with how that was handled and that I spoke to my husband about it being inconsiderate and disgusting and it would no longer happen but on the same note they needed to keep the dogs doing their business in their yard.  They still kept yelling about how it was not their dogs and that our dog was at their house and the stray cats (that came with our house) were in their yard………….

I cannot believe I kept my composure during all this I do not like being yelled at………I kindly asked them to leave and that they were no  longer welcome in my home.  It took me a couple of times of saying it before they left but they finally left.  I was at such peace.

I told my husband and of course he needed to go out and clarify his actions which started an argument between him and them.

He seems to be so interested in what these people are doing.  Not interested in making friends with people at our church.  It has become an obsession with him.

I would be happy just to live my life with my family and stay isolated in my own yard.  If they have a need I will assist.  If they are in trouble I will be there.  But under no circumstances do I want to have them over for dinner or dessert or vice versa.  Is this loving my neighbor and enemy?  I am not being loving enough?

I do still pray for them each and every day to come to the revelation that there is a God.

Sorry to be so long winded it was hard for me to get my point out in just a few sentences and still this is not every detail that I have dealt with.

I would love to hear from others who may have had similar experiences and how they handle their neighbors on a daily basis.  Do I need to do more for them?  Less?  I need prayer for the upcoming spring.  Right now I do not see these people as much due to the weather but come spring they are always out.  They are the type of people that need to make their presence know with outlandish and loud remarks.  We are working on getting a fence over there with our tax refund………Any thoughts?

Aaaah!  It is Sunday!  A day of rest!  A day to refuel the soul!  A day to set aside just for you, Father God, to give you glory and praise your Holy Name!

For some of you this day may be Saturday, but I usually spend Sunday as my Sabbath.  This has confused me. It  makes sense  that since Father God spent 6 days creating and spent the 7th day resting that Saturday would be the Sabbath, but most of us spend our Sabbath on Sunday since that is the day we go to church.  Some weeks I have more convictions of this than others so I wind up celebrating my Sabbath on Saturday but still attending church on Sunday.   In doing this I feel I really prepare my heart for worship. But where did the Sunday Sabbath come from if the Bible is really clear on the 7th day?

I once was a member of a small group that had this discussion.  The big issue was how many people worked weekends and could not get to church on Sunday?  So is it okay for people who need to work weekends to spend their Sabbath, their day of rest, their day of isolating themselves to the Lord, the day of praise to the Lord, another day?

I guess in retrospect if you spend your 6 days of work Saturday through Thursday or Sunday-Friday, or whatever your schedule might be then your Sabbath would be the day or one of the days you actually do not have to go to work.  That would be the day you set aside for rest.

Some denominations are very set on what the Bible says about the Sabbath.  Going by our calendar, etc.  But although our calendar was derived from a former does it make it exactly the calendar that God used and did God use a calendar?  He has always existed, He is older than all the grains of sand, He has always been there and will always be, His day is a thousand years.  So what type of calendar did He or would He use?

In conclusion, I believe that each of us has our own personal relationship with our Lord.  We need to rest in Him and His Word each and every day to be drawn closer to Him and have the ability to hear His will in our lives.  But we also need to have our Sabbath, where we do no work in order to glorify His Holy Name and His Word.

Draw near to the Lord today and everyday.  Set aside your Sabbath.  Speak to the Lord of your habits, needs, desires, and the Sabbath.   Allow His Holy Spririt to guide and lead you and listen for God’s Words of Wisdom.

I would love to hear from you and what God leads you to do!

I love you, Father God!  You are my King of Kings, my rock and fortress, without you life would be impossible and with you life is amazing!  All glory and honor to you, Abba Father!  Praise be your Holy Name!

Even God Himself acknowledges the existence of other gods (“Has any god ever tried to take one nation out of another nation…” Deutoronomy 4:34).  He warns us time and again in His Word to be careful not to place our trust and our worship in other gods.

God = the supreme being.

gods= an image of a deity; an idol.

The question is not the existence of God and/or gods but where our faith lies.  What we believe.

In Christianity we believe in One Supreme Being, The Lord is God, who has existed before all time.  Before the earth and stars and the Milky Way as we know it was formed, He was there.

We also believe that there other powers  which can take control over our lives, these would be the other gods.  It could be a thing such as money or power; a person such as a spouse, child or public figure; a being, such as mother nature.

In order to serve the One and the Only true God we must recognize that other gods do exist.  Why?  If we deny that other gods exist, how will we know when they are intruding with our faith, our trust in the Lord.

It is difficult for me to understand how someone could deny the existence of God, Our Father, but it is difficult for some people to understand why I and many others choose to believe in a loving, merciful God who created mankind and everything around us.

If not for God and His promises, then what is our purpose?  I choose to believe for many reasons.

First, if there was such a thing as a “Big Boom” do you really think that it would have been able to create a perfectly round planet(s) with such intricate elements?

Second, if we evolved from something else why have we not evolved again?  It would only stand to reason that if evolution is right that we would keep on evolving into some other form.

Third, there is what God has done for me in my life.  Before God I was a scared, unrational, depressed, angry person with no hope or faith.  God has created within me a new being, a new person.  He has placed hope where there was no hope.  He has given me peace where there was chaos.  He has given me love where there was hatred.  He has given me mercy where there was guilt.

Lastly, I choose to believe that there is something better for us all.  We are here to fulfill God’s purpose.  To strive for the reward of heaven on earth.  The road that will take us “home.”  If I am wrong, I would rather believe and be at peace than to be right, and not believe suffer the wrath of Him who created us.

Not sure of God’s existence?  You do not believe He does exist? Read Does God Exist? written by a former atheist.

Have a great day!  Godspeed to you!  And may His blessings overflow to you and your family.

In His Loving Name, Mary