Tag Archives: Choose

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #9 Where do we stand?

I’ve been going through a bit of a down time lately…and I was asking the Lord – PLEASE bring me up out of this down time….and, as HE ALWAYS DOES…He answered me.

I awoke to this song this morning:

This is Holy Ground
We’re standing on Holy Ground.
For the Lord is present
and whre He is, is holy.

Last night, I was praying that Father would draw me into HIS secret place…and hold me close under His wing….(Ps 91)
A few days ago, I was asking Father to help me to not sin against Him, because I really want to please Him, and make Him smile.
This morning – He reminds me that IF I am dwelling in the secret place, IF I am abiding under the shadow of the Almighty….I am on HOLY GROUND!

When Moses was told he was on Holy Ground…he was ordered to take off his shoes.

EX 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy ground.

Interesting…..when you tie that with Jesus’ washing of the feet….

John 13:5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe [them] with the towel wherewith he was girded.

Jesus cleansed my feet so that I CAN stand on Holy Ground!

MORE IMPORTANTLY, I AM STANDING IN HIS PRESENCE ON HOLY GROUND!!!

Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I am in His presence…and He is on His thrown of GRACE – no judgement…no condemnation….GRACE.

Ps 84:11 For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

John 1:14, 16-17 – And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

2 Cor 9:8 And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work:

Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Something I was forgetting…besides being in HIS presence…He has assigned His ministering angels to me…here’s the song lyrics:

We are standing on Holy Ground.
And I know that there are angels
all around.
Let us praise Jesus now;
We are standing in His presence
on Holy Ground.

I know that in His presence, there are angels…

1 Kings 22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

and we have some interesting descriptions of those angels by Ezekiel – in Eze 1 and Eze 10

He has given the angels a job, in regards to us!

Ps 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Where am I standing?It depends on whether I have recieved the gift that Christ purchased for me!

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:

On Holy Ground, I’m standing on Holy Ground…with my feet washed by the blood of the LAMB, and surrounded by HIS angels sent to keep me in all my ways. Whom shall I fear?

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

It is only a gift to the one that  receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour….

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Ps 27:1 The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Where do I stand? On Holy Ground…by the Grace of Jesus Christ, through faith, NOT  OF MY OWN, but by a gift from the Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and EARTH – to invite me into HIS presence…to walk with me and talk with me, as HE did with Adam and Eve before sin.  To walk with me and talk with me as if I had never sinned.

You are holy, God,
a Perfect and Holy God.
We will come before YOU
with hearts made clean
by Jesus’ blood.
You are Holy, God,
A Perfect, and Holy God.
We will come before You
with hearts made clean
by Jesus’ blood.

We are standing on Holy Ground.
And I know that there are angels
all around.
Let us praise Jesus now;
We are standing in His presence;
We are standing in His presence,
We are standing in His presence
on Holy Ground.

Make sure that you are washed in the blood of Jesus, your feet are washed by the water of the Word…and that you have entered into the Holy of Holies…dwelling in the secret place, under the cool shadow of HIS wings…..

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #8 – what if you can’t walk?

Walking.
From birth, everyone strives to walk.
First, you roll over. And the rolling over is sort of surprising!
Once you can roll onto your belly, you can start picking up your head, and see things in a different way.
Then, when you find yourself sitting up..what’s with this view!
Rolling leads to crawling which leads to standing which leads to walking.
Sometimes, walking too fast can lead to sitting back down on your rump!
Sometimes, the person walking just needs to rest – and needs to sit down to take stock of what is going on around them.
A child moves in one direction, because it is their destiny to grow from one point to another. The goal for a child is to grow into an adult.

1 Cor 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a MAN, I put away childish things.

Ps 1:1 Blessed [is] the MAN that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

My life verse, since being in Navy bootcamp in 1978, has been Isaiah 40:31:

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
[and] they shall walk, and not faint.

I have wanted to walk with Jesus since my salvation day, and I have wanted to be an example of walking physically – to share what HE has done for me.  And as I wait, I am less and less able to walk.

But what if a person cannot walk? What if a person is disabled, and unable to “run with the horses” as Elijah asked?
What can someone do, if they cannot use their legs?

They can stay out of the counsel of the ungodly…even if they aren’t walking with them.
They can stay out of the way of the sinners…even if they can’t stand.
They can sit in the seat of the wise and faithful, not in the seat of the scornful.
But that seems very passive.  It’s full of NOT being able to do something…even though it’s written with the language of “they can”.

What can they do – to take down the counsel of the ungodly?  Seek Godly counsel.

Prov 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Is 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Prov 9:10The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.

What can they do affect the path/way of the sinners? Choose another path, and shine the light.

Prov 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

Prov 4:18 But the path of the just [is] as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Ps 27:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

Ps 119:105 NUN. Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Ps 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.

Matt 5:16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

How can one that cannot walk choose to affect the seat of the scornful? By choosing a different seat.

Eph 2:5-6 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:

Matt 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

My physical walking days are few and far between right now.  I thought that Is 40:31 would be a manifested reality in my life, but my body is not showing an agreement at this time.  I still am believing that God can heal my body, but in my life, I know that God uses the troubles in my body to purify my spirit and soul.

So, what if I can’t walk?  There are many things that I can do…writing is one of them.  And as long as I don’t focus on what I can’t do, I CAN focus on what I CAN do through Christ Jesus Who STRENGTHENS ME…as in, renews my strength! And, the JOY of the LORD is MY strength!  I get that by abiding in HIS presence, where JOY abounds! (Phil 4:13, Is 40:31; Neh 8:10;Ps 16:11)

Who would question that Joni soars with eagles? Her life and ministry, Joni and Friends, gives hope to all with differing abilities.

Have you heard about Nick Vujicic? No Limbs to No Limits…his videos put my whining to shame.

We must choose to walk, stand and sit in the presence of GOD, and do what HE puts in our hands to do.  HE is the one that is in charge, and HE is the one that takes what we offer Him, and makes it glorious.

Choose to Abide in the shadow of the Almighty today!
Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – Step 7- Feel the Rain

I like to think of myself as someone that shares her walk with the Lord, and invites others to join me in the journey.
In that regard, I have some preconceived ideas about what I should write about, and what should be referenced.
The thing is, I live in the world, even though I choose to not be OF the world, and there are some songs IN the World that have really struck a chord with me lately, pun intended.

Step 6’s was “The Rose”
Step 7’s is “Unwritten”
First verse:

I am unwritten,
can’t read my mind, I’m undefined
I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand,
ending unplanned

Theologically – this is not true, if you believe in a divine plan from the beginning of the earth. I am not writing to discuss the theological aspects of predestination and election. IF one is so interested in that discussion, Wikipedia has a general article on Predestination(Calvinism). Since I am a mix of Arminianism and Calvinism, I have the challenge with believing that all things are preordained, and at the very same time, I have free will in every aspect of my life.

While I believe that all things are known to God from the beginning…Acts 15:18…I also belive that I am responsible for my own choices…Joshua 24:15 and I choose LIFE in Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 3:2-3 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

I am a letter…written on the tablet of my heart…sharing what Jesus has done in my life.
Today, at this moment, everything that has past is past, and written down in the Lamb’s book of life.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Yesterday, every moment that is past, is already written down.
Now, I can focus on that…but the beauty of living in Jesus’s Love is that He doesn’t choose to remember the bad:

Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

So, with that under my belt, I can lay yesterday, last night, this morning, at the feet of Jesus, and look forward, not bound by the baggage of guilt and condemnation.
But what about the song?
The rest is still unwritten!

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

It has been so long since I felt rain on my skin…I had forgotten how refreshing that was.  I can see a child dancing in the puddles, smiling up at the rain.  That child was me.

I have been told many times, in many ways, that I have a book to write. The book is about my life..and the lessons I’ve learned through trail, trauma, tragedy, and tribulation. It’s not written.  This is a physical example of how I have held back the words, kept them unspoken…and that is not what Jesus, The Word of God, would want from me.

I have spent many years living my life the way other people have told me to.
I have spent many years of NOT drenching myself in the words unspoken.
Here are the lyrics that struck me:

I break tradition,
sometimes my tries,
are outside the lines
We’ve been conditioned to not make mistakes,
but I can’t live that way

I am not the typical Christian, Mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend. I don’t do things the way others do. I am different, but, that’s not so bad!

1 Peter 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

The “Peculiar” designation goes back to Deuteronomy 14:2 and Deuteronomy 26:18

There is a Voice inside me that tells me which way to go – and I need to allow that Voice to drench me with Words unspoken – and feel the rain of HIS grace and mercy fall upon me.
I’ve been hiding behind a dirty window – looking back at all my mistakes – and I haven’t always been able to see the Light of the Son shine into my being.
No one can do this for me…I need to open my arms up wide…and embrace what God has put before me…and choose wisely the path on which I tread. My future is still unwritten, but I desire to have my life be written boldly, clearly, and decisively in the Lamb’s book of life.

I pray that each one that reads this will take all that is past this moment, put it in Jesus’s hands, under His blood, and put it up on a shelf…or better yet, let Him carry it…and then, listen for His voice.

Is 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Ps 37:23 The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

credits – AZ Lyrics

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.


 

 

  1. Weight Watchers – week 3…starting over
  2. 100 Spiritual Steps- blog – CHECK
  3. Chronological Bible reading…starting in the NT
  4. 50 days T-Tapp – AL, OIP, HD- gotta start!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – who cares what day it is?

The last five days have been rough.
Somehow, something has happened to my left foot…and I am VERY slowed down.
Somehow, our plans have been delayed because of the fire incident…and knocked us off plan mentally.
Somehow, my energy levels have been in the tank…and I haven’t been able to do the things necessary for us to be ready to move for vacation.
Somehow, Jim’s job sent him to NYC, and both ways the planes were delayed, and now it’s Thursday.
We were SUPPOSED to turn in our keys on Saturday – apartment all done, and trailer ready to roll.
Two wonderful friends have been working very hard to get the apartment clean…but there are things that we women cannot get done – moving heavy furniture out, and making decisions about Jim’s piles in the office.
My left foot is in a boot, immobilized, for the most part. And the off balance walking is messing with my hips, draining more energy from me.
I have cysts on the bones in my left foot(I don’t know what kind), a collapsed dome(whatever that is) and something called vascular necrosis…yipppee!
Gabe has crystals in his urine…and the vet wants me to give him food that he is allergic to, in order to potentially eliminate the crystals…

Feel the whirlwind? What day is it? Who cares about the date, the day, or even where it is on the calendar. Who is in charge?

Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Evening and morning were the first day.
God created the days.

Job 38:1-2 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who [is] this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

While I believe that we can ask God questions…there is a line beyond which we should not go.  Reading the rest of God’s discourse to Job can really put a person in their place.

I am not in charge of the time.
I did not choose to have the box burn up in the trailer – and we were not responsible.
I did not choose to have Jim fly to NYC, taking days off of his availability.
I did not choose to have cysts on my ankle, and induce horrible nerve pain as they grew.
I did not choose to have FMS or CFS that limits my energy.

What I have chosen is to honor God with my life, by following Jesus Christ as my Savior through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
That means I need to choose to:

James 1:2-4 count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

I’ve been working on LOVE(1 Cor 13) for many many years. The first definition, or qualification of love is….PATIENCE.

Everything is going to happen as God has planned.
What I’m in charge of is MY ATTITUDE, and MY RESPONSE.

So – What day is it?
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

 

 

  1. Weight Watchers – day 4
  2. 100 Spiritual Steps- blog – CHECK
  3. Chronological Bible reading…
  4. 50 days T-Tapp – AL, OIP, HD- gotta start!

Spiritual Walking – Day 3 – PAIN!

After my walk yesterday, and some working around the apartment and such, I had a HUGE PAIN in my left foot.

I was limping…badly.

My WALK  was affected – in many ways!

  1. I was having trouble remembering that my mouth is not connected to my foot! Nor do I want my foot in my mouth!
  2. I was having trouble moving from point A to point B. I wanted to just sit, lay, stop and stay – but I wasn’t really wanting to pray.
  3. God’s grace comes to those who ASK – and as we sat with friends, I WAS ASKING so as not to harm anyone with my mouth.
  4. sometimes, God wants you to sit, stay and pray – and we don’t listen so good!
  5. We can’t do this alone…not even Me & Jesus…we are in a fellowship – fellows in a ship!  And I needed some ‘fellas’ to help me out in many ways…and in this blog, I am going to give several shout outs to the fellas(and sistas) that have helped me out today!

This morning, I awoke, and I still could not put weight on this foot…and I was having an inner argument with God.

“I do not need this now, Lord!”

SILENCE

“I know You know what is best for me Lord – I mean, I do not WANT this now, Lord!”

SILENCE

“I am afraid of going through another round of foot surgeries, Lord, and I don’t think I can handle it on top of everything else that is going on”

SHOUT OUT TO MY HUSBAND, JIM!

My husband was praying – and he said “I pray that you will go back to bed for a nap, and wake up, and the pain will be gone, and the bump will be gone or much smaller.”

I had just confessed to him that I was trying to keep my tongue from evil…

Ps 34:13 Keep MY tongue from evil, and MY lips from speaking guile.

Ps 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

I didn’t believe…but I confessed that I would trust in the Lord.  I apologized each time I snapped…and I reminded myself, just because I’ve confessed I’m having trouble with my tongue, doesn’t mean I need to abuse his grace by letting my tongue fly!

Then, verses came up on Face book:

SHOUT OUTS TO MY ONLINE ENCOURAGERS!

From Jim Wildman’s FB page:

Gods standards have not changed. If we want to abide, we must walk His way.
Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. http://bible.us/Ps15.1.KJV

From Larry T Crafter’s FB page:

No one enjoys having to wait..but as a friend of mine loves to remind me; ” Be Still and know that I Am God!” Waiting teaches us patience and allows us to see God’s plan unfold. As we wait, we learn acceptance, steadfastness and faith that God is in control! When the cloud tarried… then the children of Israel… journeyed not” (Num. 9:19). I will stand still until God’s will is clear!
Blessings

And this prayer ring from Cheryl Miller’s FB page:

Family I need God to do something for me, and I’m pretty sure many of you need him to do something for you as well. So just for today, how about you pray for my breakthrough and I will pray for yours…family lets move heaven today with our prayers. The word of God clearly states, where 2 or 3 come together in my name I am there, (Matthew 18:20) so come on family lets get down on our knees and move heaven today.

Then, this appreciation note from AntoinitaViolette on FB:

Today is your appreciation day, not the only one…but, just wanted to tell you that you have been an encouragement to me. Thank God for you, and thank you for saying, Yes! to the Lord…daughter of The Most High and Royal King, making you of the houselHold!Amen!

How was I supposed to continue in this funk, if the Lord is putting words like these together on Facebook, just to hit me in the eyes, and in the heart, and remember HIS WORD?

And I got an email in one of my groups…where a dear lady reminded me that we are all in the same boat:

Well, girlfriends, it sounds like we can all relate!!! Is there something crazy in the air? phases of the moon? unrelenting demands? rogue hormones? Let’s band together in “fellowship”–fellows, or rather females, all in the same boat–and encourage one another! Keep your heads up, eyes on the Prize, resting fully in His promises as we just “do the next *right* thing”!!! ~MT

Another friend sent email – and she really ‘got it’.

Christi – I know you did not need this. I am praying that this would heal quickly or just disappear. ~ Love, CB

This friend, Cathie, even went so far as to ask me, in chat, if I had cried out to God! The honest answer was I’d yelled out, I’d begged out, but did I cry out?  I don’t know if my heart was in a right place,  but yes..before my nap(per my husband’s instructions) I told the Lord, cried out to the Lord – “I don’t think I can handle this! Please, take it away, or give me the strength to bear it!”

What have I learned?

  1. The Lord can put a watch over my mouth
  2. I have to MOVE toward’s God – because HE didn’t move away from me
  3. I have to CRY OUT to God for HIS help; I have to ASK for help.
  4. I need to wait until I know God’s will, Be Still
  5. I can’t do this by myself.  I am in a ship – a fellowship

I don’t know if this is 1 step or 5…but the key is that I did beg out to God…and HE put the words in several people’s mouths and hearts – to encourage me in my walk today!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

 

  1. Weight Watchers – day 3
  2. 100 Spiritual Steps- blog – day 3
  3. Chronological Bible reading…
  4. 50 days T-Tapp – AL, OIP, HD- gotta start!

 

Renewing your mind….by Nellwyn Blackmon

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.



Wow!  Such a powerful verse this morning!   Such an awesome “gift” to start my day!

I can be transformed.  I can transform my thinking.  I can transform my life.  I can transform my body.   I can transform my health.

All by the renewing of my mind.   By changing my thought processes.   By changing how I react to things.

I don’t have to listen to what the world is telling me.   It’s up to me!   And in doing so I will be bringing honor and glory to God.   I will be proving and living the will of God.   What better testimony could I want?

I think too often we try to “tell” the world about God while we don’t “show” the world through our own lives.   I know I do.   It’s a lot easier for me to tell someone about being disciplined than to actually show them discipline.    We teach our daughters that they should have self-control over their bodies while we sit on the sofa scarfing down oreo cookies.   We teach our sons that they should live a disciplined and controlled life while driving along, reacting to the man who cut us off in traffic.   And then we wonder what went wrong?  Why did they not get it when we told them all this?    Steve pointed out to me once that Anna could bring out my “mad momma” side easiest, when she was acting like I was.

There is a lady in my Bible Study who’s daughter has an eating disorder.   She made a profound comment the other day, nothing new–I had made that comment to someone in the past.   But at the same time, hearing it from someone else drove it home to me.   She commented that they had spent all this money, all this time, all these hospitalizations–and still her daughter was anorexic.   (She is one of those 4X4 ladies–about 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide-but losing).   She said she had talked to her daughter about eating disorders and taken her to counselors.   Suddenly one day, when she was praying and pleading to God on her daughter’s behalf, He reminded her of the verse Matthew 7:5.   “You hypocrite!  Take the beam out of your own eye and then worry about taking the splinter out of someone elses eye!!”   She realized that her lack of self-control, her “I want it, I like it” attitude about food was as serious and deadly of an eating disorder as her daughter’s anorexia.    And that while she sat there asking God to heal her daughter of her food disorder while enjoying her own–she was nothing but a hypocrite.

She said she immediately asked for forgiveness for her attitude.   For the fact that she was looking at her daughter’s eating disorder through one set of glasses, and at her own through a rosy pair of glasses that made everything look better.   She said that she went to her daughter and asked her daughter’s forgiveness for preaching a lie to her through all this, for reacting to her daughter’s anorexia while justifying her own gluttony…..and then she began to work on her own eating disorder.   She joined Weight Watchers.   She went to a counselor to deal with stuff from her past that was causing her to turn to food for comfort.   She quit getting on her daughter’s case about food diaries, and weight.  Instead she transformed her mind  and began to deal with her own beam.   As she began to eat healthier, and to lose weight herself–and most importantly, to quit turning to food for comfort, she said it had been unreal how her daughter’s attitude had changed toward her.   And that she realized that all these years, she had been living blind to the fact that she was no different than her daughter.   And that whereas she always felt her daughter was being judgmental, she was simply reacting to hearing one “testimony” and watching another one.  She also said that God reminded her that the only eating disorder in Scripture was gluttony….and He had plenty to say about that!  🙂

She renewed her mind, and she has begun to transform not only her life, but her daughter’s life, and the future generations in their family.


According to this, all I have to do is to renew my mind….and then I will be transformed.

Awesome!


Nellwyn

Spiritual Walking – Day 2 – Who Done It????

When I walk, I pray.
When I walk, I listen to music.
Today, I was listening to Butterfly Kisses, and thinking of my girls, and how I’m so proud of them.
But one line,

“Oh with all that I’ve done wrong
I must have done something right
To deserve a hug every mornin’
And butterfly kisses at night”(1)

My mom used to say to me, “I don’t know what I did right to deserve a daughter like you, but I must’ve done something right.”

The truth?
I did absolutely NOTHING to deserve these wonderful children – well, except for obeying the command to multiply!
I did absolutely nothing to deserve the miscarriages, the children that I never held in my arms.
My five children are gifts from God – totally undeserved, unearned. Just like the sunshine and the rain that God blesses even the wicked with every day. Gifts, undeserved and unearned.

Then, I thought about myself, a child of God Almighty, saved by the gift of sacrifice, by the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and sustained by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Gifts – I did not deserve them, and I did not earn them, and NOTHING I do can change the fact that I can do NOTHING to change my daughterhood.

I used to tell my children, there is nothing you can do that is so bad that I will stop loving you. It’s true.
Some have tried to test that out…but even with estranged times,

I love them forever,
I like them for always,
as long as I’m living,
my babies they’ll be! (2)

God says the same thing to us…John 10:27-29

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father’s hand.

We didn’t do anything to deserve this gift …as Paul explains in Eph 2: 8-9

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The first step was to know that I needed a Savior, the second step is – HE SAVED ME not the other way around. The very faith it took to ask Him into my life was a gift from Him, because, without Him, I could not have done it.
And I know that:

He will love me forever,
He’ll like me for always,
as long as He’s living(eternally)
My Daddy, He’ll be!

Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak, but He is strong!

(1) BUTTERFLY KISSES LYRICS
(2)Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

 


 

  1. Weight Watchers – day 2
  2. 100 Spiritual Steps- blog – day 2
  3. Chronological Bible reading…
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Spiritual Walking Steps – Start Over – Day 1

I started a blog a while ago about 100 Spiritual Walking Steps.
I apologized in a blog, for not making sure that I kept that blog going as I traveled.
Well – I hope to start over…

Walking – a spiritual walk.
Why does walking have such a deep meaning to me?

Well – while in the Navy, I fell and was paralyzed from the waist down for several months – because of inflammation around five discs that were slipped. While I am very good with a wheelchair…I really appreciate the ability to walk.

After many surgeries on various parts of my legs, last summer culminated in three surgeries on my right ankle. After each surgery, I had weeks that I could not walk – wheelchair bound, and beholden to others to help me get around, and do things. I was very good with the wheelchair, but I wanted to walk on my own two feet.

Last December, when my daughter was going to give birth to our second grandchild, I was not permitted to travel, because of the recovery of my ankle. Needing a wheelchair would be a burden to them, as well as not being able to walk up and down the stairs in their house, or walk my own dog. This was very devastating to me.

Therefore – physically, I want to walk! But, while I have not been able to walk, I have thought about my Spiritual Walk.

The Psalm that comforts me the most, whenever I am in a trial, is Psalm 23.

The LORD is MY shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores MY soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for HIS name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death: I will fear no evil: for YOU are with me; YOUR rod and YOUR staff, they comfort me.
YOU prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: You anoint my head with oil; My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

For me, the main points in this psalm are about walking, following, and yielding to the shepherd.
The FIRST step, is making sure that the LORD Jesus Christ IS YOUR Shepherd!
I did that in August of 1969.
The Plan of Salvation is simple.

The thing is – just like exercise, every day, I have to wake up, and say “Jesus, I choose YOU, and YOUR path, TODAY.”

The other TRUTH is, there are times during the day that I have to say “oops, I have walked off the path. Jesus, I’m sorry, I choose to walk on YOUR path again.”  It seems that the first step seems to often need to be repeated.

***I am not speaking about salvation needing to be repeated – I’m talking about needing to notice where one is walking, and making adjustments when needed to get back in focus with Jesus Christ.***

So – Step 1 for a Spiritual Walk is choosing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and choosing to walk in His paths daily.  Maybe that’s steps 1 & 2…but they are the ONLY steps that are important when it all boils down to it.

For Today, I choose Jesus.  My plan is to choose HIS paths every second of every day – but I know that I will fall.  And just like walking, when you fall, you need to get back up…but I’ll talk about that later.

My verse for today:

Josh 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.


Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

 

  1. Weight Watchers – day 1
  2. 100 Spiritual Steps- blog – day 1
  3. Chronological Bible reading…
  4. 50 days T-Tapp – AL, OIP, HD- starting NOW

Walking in the Spirit – sometimes it’s just messy

In the last few months, I’ve been focusing on walking in the spirit – the SPIRIT of God, that is.

One month in Germany started with walking through the whole security issues with an assistance dog, and abuse issues if we needed the pat down screening.

Hohenekan Castle Stairs

Some of the stairs in the Hohenekan Castle

Then, walking up hill EVERYWHERE in Germany! Stairs to my room, UP to go to the bathroom. UP to take Gabe to the bathroom. UP to any castle.

Then, the walk back to the airport, with folks that don’t speak English all the time. We got through security, and wheeled to the plane just before it flew off…PERFECT!  God was with us!

Now, the walk of moving out of an apartment – into the RV for the next phase of our lives committed to God’s work.

The Burnt Wires

The wires burnt right under the brown spot on the cover

 

Burnt Electrical Box

See the brown spot, where the heat was starting to come through?

But, we had a fire in an electrical box, which endangered our lives, and the RV, and everything we had moved into it.

Now, we are walking around an apartment with little to no furniture – because it’s all gone!

 

Why did I go to Germany? To bless our daughter and son-in-law, and to be blessed by them.
Was there a struggle? Yes…
Was it worth it? Yes…
Would I do it again? Yes…
But some steps were VERY hard! But that was last week….

NEXT….. today’s walk….

Why did we give away our stuff? To bless others that they might bless others in return.
Was there a struggle? Not until now, when we’re sitting in the empty apartment…until repairs are done.
Was it worth it? We are in the middle of this valley – we cannot see the ‘worth’, though we can trust that God is faithful to HIS promise.
We can count the blessings:

  1. I was watching a movie, Jim was working later than usual on the computers…therefore: We didn’t go to bed at the usual time, and put on our CPAP’s and miss the burning electrical smell.
  2. Jim is an electrical computer guy…he was not about to quit looking for it…he tore off some plywood to find the burning box.
  3. Jim smelled the burning…many times, he doesn’t smell the smells I smell…but this time, he smelled it, and reacted.
  4. we are under warranty…and so is the RV!
  5. we have two more weeks of an apartment…before we have to be OUT!
  6. we have the mattress out of the RV to sleep on…on the floor…just like when we first got married!

Was this worth it? Well..I think I’m too close to it, right in the middle of it right now…but I KNOW that God’s work in our lives is ALWAYS worth it…because it brings us closer and closer to HIM. And, this has caused a lot of prayer time and personal reflection in Jim’s and my life in the last 18 hours.

Would we do this again? – where I’m at right now…NO WAY! This was a valley of the shadow of death! IF, IF, IF…if we’d gone to bed at the normal time, in the normal way…we would be a story on the front page.

These steps are VERY HARD! I’d rather climb to the top of the Heidelberg Castle twice, maybe three times…maybe up and down all day…to not have to have this feeling that we could have been burned to death.(confirmed by the service manager that looked at the thing).

BUT – GOD!
That’s the story.
BUT GOD – had me decide to watch a movie that kept us up longer than usual.
BUT GOD – had Jim working with the computers, and notice the smell.
BUT GOD – the thing didn’t burst into flames when we opened the container to spray it.
BUT GOD – we are alive – we did not die – we are here to declare the glory of God.

This morning, as I walked with God, I asked “What happened to Psalm 91..no evil shall befall your dwelling?”
“Did your dwelling burn?”
“Well, no…But…”
“But what? Why didn’t it burn?”
“Because YOU had your hand on it, and us, and YOU prevented ANY evil from coming near our dwelling.”

…insert humble pie, and grateful heart…..

We could have been out on our trip to Ohio…and have to spend the time in a hotel.
We could have been in it…as I’ve said.

Ps 91:7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall not come nigh thee.

Personally, I think ‘at thy side” and “at thy right hand” is pretty “nigh” me…but, the point is…it isn’t ME!

Ps 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Walking “through the valley of the shadow of death” seems to be surrounded by evil…the key is “I will fear no evil”. The evil can surround me…but I am dwelling in the Secret Place of the Most High…and in His shadow, I am safe!!!

Walking this one out means to face a fear I have dreamt about  all of my life…dying in a fire.

  • will this get fixed so that it won’t happen again?
  • is there something else that could happen?
  • how can we make sure that we don’t burn in this RV?
  • Is this safe?

Where is my trust?  In what/Whom is my faith?  Was this something that we did wrong?  Or was this an attack to test us?  Or was this just something that happened..that we have to learn from, and walk on?

The main issue here is in Whom do I place my trust? And, I have to admit, I have placed my trust in safety measures…rather than in Jesus Christ.  I’m NOT saying to practice unsafe things, to tempt fate, or test God, but make sure that once having done the practical measures…the trust is in Jesus.

This thing should not have even been working…it was to connect to a generator THAT WE DO NOT HAVE!!! And yet, power went through it and burned up the wires, and started to burn the box that held it. All the safety features FAILED! In fact, there were NO fuses, we did not trip ANY of the safety features!

BUT GOD DID NOT FAIL!!!

Here are my confessions of faith…to walk on through this valley:

Matt 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:(OR FIRES DESTROY-author)
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

John 15: 1-14
verses 4&5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Ps 91:1-2 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, [He is] my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Prov 18:10 The name of the LORD [is] a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Ps 27:4 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

Ps 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

I’m walking…I’m moving forward…and God just isn’t finished with me yet.  I’m rechecking my spiritual armor, checking on my spiritual focus, and my spiritual roadmap…and keeping in close contact with my Spirit Guide…not the wierd one, The Holy Spirit( John 14:16, John 14:26, John 15:26), given to me, by Christ Jesus to teach, comfort, and guide me along this path of life.  Maybe, there is something special to this walk!

Eph 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Doing a search for walk and Spirit starts up a whole ‘nother discussion…So, I’m thinking that when I get through this valley, God will have done some more boot camp work on my Spirit walk, and I will look back and say it was worth it.  I don’t know if I’d say I’d do it over again…but then again, the repeat parts are walking with the Lord through the valley of death…and on the other end, there is that table set for us in the presence of our enemies, anointing with oil, and cup overflowing.

As I walked to the top of each of the castle mounds…I actually thought, I want to do this ONCE…and not do it again.  And yet, I did it again, for the next castle, and the next.

I choose to walk with the Lord, on the mountain tops AND IN THE VALLEYS, over and over and over, until HE is through with me, and takes me home.

After Jesus told the disciples about the coming comforter, He said this:

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

I remember the Mandie  book series – and whenever they got into a rough spot, she would quote this verse:

Ps 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

As I sat down to write out my thoughts…I was focused on Ps 91 and 23…but, through this writing, as I’ve confessed my fears, and confirmed my trust in Jesus Christ, God has led me to John 14, to talk about being led by the Holy Spirit.  Interestingly enough, as I am walking through the testing of the possible loss of my dwelling…here is the beginning of John 14:

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.

Isn’t that just like God?  I’m worrying about my little RV, while He’s reminding me that HE has a mansion for me…and He’s preparing it for me…and what’s more….

John 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

He has shown me the way…and if I forget, or am confused…The Comforter – John 14:26…shall teach me and bring back all things to my memory.

Ps 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Not the things of this world…but being led on the path that takes me to that mansion prepared just for me.  Now, for that, I’ll walk up a mountain again!

Zugspitze

The highest peak in Germany - Zugspize

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.


  1. 100 days of moving challenge – starting June 1
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  3. Chronological Bible reading…
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The First 100 Days – day 87 – Locked OUT!

This past weekend, I removed my house key, and my garage door key fob from my usual huge collection of keys.
It was sitting on the table next to me last night.
This morning, I went out for a walk with my husband and dog, with my cell phone documenting the walk for me! Jim had the keys.

Because Jim took the walk with me, I wanted to give him a lift over to the park and ride to catch the bus. I grabbed my keys, my purse, and the dog and walked out to the truck. Jim locked the house behind us. I prayed with him at the bus station, and headed home. First clue something was wrong…I didn’t have the key fob to let me back into the community!!! So, I ignored the rules and drove in the open out gate after someone left. I drove up to my parking space, parked, grabbed everything, and told Gabe to get out…and then, it hit me…my house keys are on the same ring as the community AND garage door opener key fob! I was LOCKED OUT!

Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
:2 And five of them were wise, and five [were] foolish.
:3 They that [were] foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Every one of them were virgins…all setting themselves apart, keeping themselves pure for the bridegroom.
Every one of them had a lamp.
Every one of them had access to oil. It doesn’t say they were poor and couldn’t get any oil, it says they were foolish and didn’t take any oil.

Matt 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
:6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

I was so distracted by my conversation with Jim(my bridegroom), that I did not pick up the key ring that was RIGHT BY MY PURSE!!!  I left so fast, I didn’t even pick up my phone! No wonder this little purse is so light! I was NOT prepared!

A few friends have had stories about locking themselves out recently. Each one had some resource that enabled them to protect themselves from danger.

One got frostbite being barefoot in freezing weather, but she was able to get into her car to stay warm, and drive for help. She remembered a hidden key!
Another thought she was locked out, in her night clothes. She borrowed clothes from the scarecrow, and later, found out that a door that was always locked, was open, leading straight into her kitchen. She wandered around, looking to break in, when the door was already open.
Who would have thought that being locked out could be a life or death matter?
Being locked out of heaven is a LIFE or DEATH matter!

Matt 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

As the virgins awoke and trimmed their lamps – some found that they were without oil.  They had run out.

As I came up to the gate, I found that I was without keys, or clicker.  The windows were all locked.  My options had run out!

Matt 25: 8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
:9 But the wise answered, saying, [Not so]; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

The one friend was blessed. She was able to drive the car to WalMart, call her mom, and with various people involved, got help to get back into her new apartment.
The other friend was blessed.  A door that was normally locked, was open, and she was free to walk right into her kitchen.
This morning, I was blessed. I have a wonderful neighbor that I could wake up at 7:30am, and she let me in, gave me water to drink, and we had a great hour and a half of visiting.

Not so much for the virgins that were not prepared.

Matt 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, [Not so]; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
;10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

The door was shut.
Locked out.
Intense desire to get IN.
No way to do it alone.

The one friend – with phone calls, and a friend’s Dad, she got a key that was able to get her back into her apartment.
The other friend – someone left a door unlocked, and she was able to get right in.
I was able to go to the Office, and one of the ladies gave me a copy of my key, and I was able get back in.

The five ill prepared virgins couldn’t get in. They needed the key!

Matt 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

The friend that needed to get back into her office had her ID verified in a casual way, by meeting her friend’s dad for help.
The other friend owned the house…she knew who she was.
When I went to the office, I have to give them my ID, to hold until I brought the copies back. They wanted proof of who I am!

The virgins that did not MEET the Bridegroom BEFORE the entrance to the wedding feast WERE NOT KNOWN, and therefore they WERE NOT PERMITTED IN. Only this time, it’s not just a party, it’s eternal.

THEY WERE LOCKED OUT! They didn’t have the key.

What was the key? Knowing the Bridegroom.
Simply:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

It wasn’t the Bridegroom’s fault that the five virgins were left outside. They did not prepare, and were not ready, they did not endure to the end.

If we do not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, it’s not because we have not been given everything needed to do so, it’s because we have been lazy, not preparing, and not choosing that which leads us to the narrow gate.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Today, I got so distracted, I didn’t stop to think, and I had to avail upon the help of others to get into my home.

Someday, I will walk to the gate of heaven, and again, I will have to avail upon the help of another to get into my eternal home. The blood of Jesus Christ redeemed me from my sin, IF I apply it. The KEY to entering into the wedding feast of the Lamb of God is to be WASHED by His blood, CLOTHED in the wedding garment of white, and KNOWN by HIM.
I do not want to allow the distractions of this world to cause me to run out of oil in those final moments.
By faith, I continue to choose this path, and I look forward to the day that He comes, and then, in the celebration of His reign, I will enter in with HIM, as His bride.

Everyone can enter in. Everyone has John 3:16. No one has to be left outside. Choose ye, this day, whom ye shall serve.

Matt 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

  1. 100 days of moving challenge – day 87 – walked the dog!
  2. 100 days challenge- blog – check
  3. 90 days Bible Reading – Luke
  4. 50 days T-Tapp – AL, OIP, HD