Be Strong In the Lord

 📖 Finally,  be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power; Ephesians 6:10 (NRSV)

Our Banner Verse for Knights Of North Castle VBS.

We can not be strong on our own.

It has never been more evident to me than in the last month or so. 

Dad couldn't be strong on his own...not when given a paralytic and then heavily sedated...for over 3 weeks. He had no strength, no strength to breathe without assistance.  Not now, when his mind and body haven't yet cleared completely of the sedation affects, and are having to relearn things.

And mom!? Who hadn't driven enough to say so in over four years, who had never spent a night alone...now finds the strength to drive most days an hour one way. And has been living alone for over a month, doing the things dad had done for her.

📖 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians 6:10(NIV)

And the people who are suffering; sickness, tragedy and loss who show up...for Sunday service, show up for VBS, to give, for the week, of what they have left.

📖 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV)

Before we can be strong in anything we must first be strong in our relationship with the Lord.  We draw strength from His might and power, because that may be all we have.

🙏I pray His strength and power be yours today, regardless of what you feel you have.❤

🎵 Be Strong In the Lord

It's Your Breath

 "It's Your breath in our lungs, we pour out our praise to you"

The line is from a song Great Are You Lord, written by Songwriters: Jason David Ingram / Leslie Anne Jordan / David Alan Leonard

And right now, "breath in our lungs" is something that is very prevalent on my mind;

From remembering my sister (and others) whose cancer returns attacking their lungs, to my grandchildren (as well as many others) with upper respiratory sicknesses, me with asthma wreaking havoc,  and of course my dad, who is having a machine bringing breath in and out of his lungs.

With every breath in we take in life, 

God gave the first breath

📖 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2 :7

And He knows when the last one will be

📖 A person’s days are determined;

    you have decreed the number of his months
    and have set limits he cannot exceed. Job 14:5

But all the ones in between need to be praises to Him.

We breathe in life, but mingled with it can be; the sadness, fear, anxiety, hatred, bitterness, pride, self- righteousness, anger, rage, despair, complacency, worry, emptiness, that swirls around us, bangs up against us, wanting a way in.

Don't let it, with every breath take in Him, allow Him to filter all of that out BEFORE it gets in and fills the spaces.

So that every breath that comes back out is Praise, 

with every breath from our lungs we cry Great Are You Lord!

You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope and You restore
Every heart that is broken

It's Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise
We pour out our praise

🎵 Great Are You Lord - Casting Crowns

🙏I pray today that with every breath He gives you you breathe back praises to Him❤

"You Have To Move"

As I was praying on my knees today I heard those words.

One other time years ago...I heard them. It was a very rough time in my life and I was on my face crying out to the Lord without words...I had none. I had no idea what to do..what my next step was ...and I heard "Get up...and go...." so I did, not knowing what any steps after that first one would look like.

Today, on my knees pouring everything out to God, 

"Here I am again God, pleading for healing, strength", not just for my own family but others in my church family who are broken and grieving. 

And I just kept going and going....and then I "heard"..."you have to move".

We are to keep an open conversation with God, I believe, all day.

📖 Rejoice always, pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

📖  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

But I believe our prayers also require movement.

The prayer time fills us ..allowing us to move forward.

Jesus could have stayed in the garden talking to His Father all night...but He had to move...He had to get up and move forward into what God had for Him to do.

📖 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”..... When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.   Luke 22:42 + 45

We are the same, at some point we are to move...forward into what is before us....knowing God is right there...

📖 So do not fear, for I am with you;

    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

We all need our time in prayer...alone with God on our knees...on our face.

But then we have to move..from that place forward into what is next.

🎵 Sweet Hour Of Prayer ...Casting Crowns

So I got up, stepped forward into today, knowing God has been there before me and is going along with me! 

🎵 I Will Follow You.. Chris Tomlin

🙏I pray that whatever the circumstances you find yourself in you can spend time in prayer and then...move and follow Him❤ 

Holy Spirit Come

 June 1:

 I blogged 4 years ago about mountains that God moves as my mom went through extensive surgery and recovery. 

Out of the blue a huge mountain has cropped up again. Last week I stuck with Memorial Day as this mountain was fairly new....and even as I begin to work on this my dad hasn't been in the hospital a week.

But I know even before next posting time ...God is going to give me something...and it will be about this mountain we are standing at...looking way up. .can't even see the top.

Maybe it will be "BabySteps" as we keep hearing.  Or "The long Haul" as we know this will be.

Or 

And now it is Wednesday June 8,  instead of Monday and Dad has been in the hospital for 13 days and on the ventilator for 11.

And what I have is;

📖  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:26-27

We are praying for strength and healing, but on my knees, sometimes, I don't have the strength or clarity for the words...but rest in the knowledge the Holy Spirit carries the deepest cries of my heart to the Throne.

🎵 Holy Spirit Come. Patrick Mayberry

Sometimes my heart is spoken through the lyrics of a song....this next one I have played/prayed over several people and circumstances...I am going to play it for Dad today....as you listen know that it is over you as well.

🎵 In Jesus Name. Katy Nichole

🙏I pray today that what ever circumstances you find yourself in you know that the God Of Possible has given you the Holy Spirit ...to cry out for you if you feel you can't ❤

Memorial Day Repeat

I hope you don't mind I am reusing last year's Memorial Day post, and I added the poem I have posted in the past as well.

What does Memorial mean? 

1 : serving to preserve remembrance : commemorative. 

2 : of or relating to memory. (Merriam-Webster.com)

Today,  in the United States, we celebrate Memorial Day...a day that was set aside to honor those who gave their lives in service to our Country.  Wreaths are placed on memorial stones, flags lowered, poems read, Taps played and gun salutes fired.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday is observed on the last Monday of May. Wikipedia

I have blogged about the day in past Coffeetime With a Dear Friend posts; Bucket Full of Grace (2020), Lord Bless (A Reminder) 2019, Lord Bless (2018, 2017)

Today, as we celebrate and honor those who have sacrificed on Memorial Day...I am going to go in another direction with the word "memorial"; "Of or relating to memory"  

As we read scripture, there are many who gave their lives in the "battle" to advance the word of Christ.  His followers, disciples, were martyred.  Stephen, Andrew, Peter and other names down through out the ages.

📖While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60

Of course the One that comes to mind most prevalent is Jesus Himself.  He died so that we could have eternal life, so that our sins would be forgiven, and so the Holy Spirit could come for each one of us.  

📖  “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 

John 14:25-26

 When Christ walked the earth He was able to talk to crowds but there were limitations of what His earthly body could accomplish.  it wasn't until He gave His 

life that there were no limitation, no boundaries, (short of our refusal).  Once His death and resurrection were completed the gift of the Holy Spirit was able to happen and every individual  believer was able to have that indwelling.

We as believers can never forget what was done for us.  To memorialize what He has done we need to tell our story; what Christ has done for us, to pass on the words of Christ. MEMORIZE His word, it is another way that we can remember what He has done for us. 

Giving our lives as living sacrifices allows us to be living memorials as well.

📖 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship Romans 12:1

However there is a BIG distinction; Memorial Day we honor the dead ....and I have talked about the martyred for Christ...Christ died.. BUT He LIVES!  Because Jesus conquered death itself ...and we have the victory!  THAT is our story and what we want people to know!!

📖 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1 Peter 4:13-16

                                                          Lord Bless 

Lord Bless the memories

of those who have given their lives in service to our country

Lord Bless the soldier

at their post, where ever that may be

Lord Bless the families

who are left behind to continue on with their lives

Lord bless the ones

who carry the scars as a reminder of their sacrifice

Lord Bless those

who have been and are prisoners to an enemy

Lord Bless the children

who hold a picture of the man they call their Daddy

Lord bless the wives

who sleep alone,

Lord Bless the parents

Lord Bless the children
who hold a picture of the man they call their Daddy
Lord bless the wives
who sleep alone,
Lord Bless the parents who wait at home  

Lord Bless them,

the men and women

who have dedicated their lives

to protecting what we know as our country,

our freedom, our home;

the United States of America

  

Tracey J. Thompson

©5/27/06

Photos by Rachel Ramsdell Photography

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Still Celebrating!

Sharing CoffeeTime with my hubby this morning

Today marks a big day!  Well...at least my husband and I think so!  Today we celebrate 35 years of marriage! 

I felt I couldn't NOT have it be a part of what I share today.

However, I remembered doing something similar sometime in the past...so I went back searching and sure enough...it was on our 30th!  There are some good truths in it ..so with a bit of adjusting I am going to recycle and rework (new words in green) and repost 

"A Marriage Celebration"  originally posted May 23, 2017

As I have been making preparations to celebrate 35 years of marriage today I began thinking about how I could impart my wisdom to you!  HA! Still no wisdom to be found....but I can share with you a few thoughts God has shown me through this journey, this institution that He created!
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
 The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Genesis 1:18-24

35 years is worth celebrating!  But don't we celebrate each year of our anniversary...don't they even have "gifts" for each year...
1st year - paper
2nd year - cotton
...
25th - silver

30th - pearl
etc etc

I checked again and 35 is coral...interesting! (Something living,  but to give as a gift it must die?? Possibly another blog idea!)

Jesus told a parable in which heaven was like 10 virgins waiting for their bridegroom.  Matthew 25

and Jesus refered to Himself as the bridegroom when His disciples were questioning Him about who was fasting and who was not...
 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. Mark 2:19-20

John the Baptist also referred to Jesus as the Bridegroom.
 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”
John 3:27-30

SO He is our Bridegroom....we are to prepare ourselves for Him as we do for something as special as our wedding day. And His voice should fill us with joy!  How exciting that we BELONG to Him!

Shouldn't we celebrate that "marriage"!  That we, as believers, are the Bride and He is our Bridegroom!
Our Bridegroom has shown us what Love really is, we can Trust Him, He will never fail us! He can take care of ALL our needs.
 Isn't that worth celebrating!

One passage that God has used with me over the years is from Philippians 2
and to me it is a perfect model for a marriage relationship.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

As a husband and wife....we are made of the same flesh, we are both created in His image, but one must be willing to be humble, so that both can be raised up and God glorified!

If we can have the attitude of Christ in ALL our relationships, how much more content would this world be! 

Celebrate your marriage today.....but more than that celebrate the fact that you have a Bridegroom that loves you and has all the best for you!

IF you don't know this Bridegroom I talk about please email me ....or ask someone who has a relationship with Christ.  BEST decision you could ever make!

It is a "marriage" made in Heaven

🙏My prayer today is that you know the Bridegroom❤

The Squeaky Wheel

 In my prayer time the other day I was praying the song; "I Love You Lord

And I lift my voice to worship You Oh my soul rejoice. 

Take joy my King in what You hear, may it be a sweet sweet sound in Your ear"  as I do often...it says what my heart wants to say, it settles my spirit before my God.

As I was praying the thought comes into my mind..."I pray it is a sweet sound and not a  squeaky wheel,  you know...those wheels the furry rodent pets run in...like their mini treadmills.   Movin' movin' movin'!  Squeak, squeak, squeak. 

I have been so busy lately. .. as my Wednesday Blog can attest...

But it struck me...does God hear what I intend to say or is my running on the "wheel" too noisy?

📖 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

📖 Be still before the Lord

    and wait patiently for him;   Psalm.37:7a

I am not saying all we are doing is wrong, and that being busy goes against God and His word.

We are to work and labor, doing all things for His glory.

📖 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, Colossians 3:23

But we must make sure that when we take our time to be with Him...we make sure to step off "the wheel".

📖 But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors. “Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! 1 Samuel 12:15-16

We don't want all our busyness to drown out the worship of our Savior. To be too busy to settle our hearts and be still before Him.

📖 Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

for he is our God

and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care. Psalm 95:6-7

AMEN!!❤