Love Beyond Words

       During my recent birthday and after a nice breakfast with friends I felt called to go to a scenic place alone. The Sunday before the Lord said instead of spending it keeping busy with friends all day that He wanted me to quiet myself and listen to Him. He wanted to speak to my heart. I found a river with waterfall and bridge nearby, I sat first listening to worship then waited....... He led me to Ephesians 3:16-19. I won't print it, I want you to pick up your bible and read it.
      I have heard so many diverse definitions lately about love, from one spectrum to another. It all depends where folks are spiritually I guess. If they are angry and judgmental then love is harsh, if they are permissible and carnal then God's love is a carte blanche for any behavior. I prayed hard that day (and every day) for Him to permeate through it all and reach me. I do not have all the answers. I am a sinner, a faulty human being at my best. But I serve a Holy God who is merciful beyond my understanding, and He has given me a great gift, His Holy Spirit. And Oh what a gift! Without Him where would I be? I couldn't even find myself out of a paper bag without Him.
      I came away with this, I need Him every day and every minute to lead me and to guide me. He is the light in this great darkness we call the world. And He alone can fill us and teach us what His love truly is. While some of you seek to make something great of yourself, a question arises often lately, "How do you treat the ones you live with?". It does not matter if you preach amazingly, you sing like an angel, you have a mountain of degrees, or vast wealth accumulated by great success, if you cannot treat the ones you live with, with kindness and patience, then you have missed it my friend. Behind closed doors how do you respond to those nearest you. I lived with a great example, my husband. With abounding love shown daily by service, patience, kindness and passion he showed me the Savior. It has remained the greatest conviction in my life and I seem unable to move away from it. It has been a central force thrusting me to humble myself daily before my Savior to be the same.
             I Corinthians 13 was written almost 2 thousand years ago and yet it is read and quoted to this day. What greater way can bring conviction and repentance to this world? It does not mean that I live for this world, follow its ways, or be entertained by it, but that I understand that each individual is a soul and that soul needs to experience God's love. Our Lord said it is easy to love those that love you, but to love  those that hate you, use you, disrespect you, well that is God's love. And if we cannot treat the ones we live with by the love of 1 Corinthians 13 then how the world?
         Its surprising to me how many people think it such a sacrifice to have moved in with my parents in their old age to help. It is not. I have been served and loved with great passion. I was taught what real love is. This next saying is not new but it is very true. No one cares how much you know till they know how much you care. Before you throw words at someone, try showing them God by your actions. As Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel and when necessary use words". Love the ones God has given you with His heart and watch the change that will come. Oh....not first in them my friend but in you. Their change may come or it may not, but that will not release you from showing them continuous patience and kindness. This we cannot do without the Holy Spirit Who sheds abroad in our hearts the love of God. (Romans 5:5)  I need Him, You need Him, the world needs Him. Let us show them Who He is..........By this the world will know we are His disciples........John 13:35

Read: Ephesians 3:16-19; Romans 5:5; I Corinthians 13

Two Streams, One Rock

          It has been awhile and much has happened in my heart. In asking the Lord recently if I really hear His voice, He answered me very clearly. There was no doubt for He let me know something that I couldn't even tell myself. I think a lot of us have been hearing His voice but we either doubt it is Him or we excuse it as our imagination. But after all these years with Him, I am one of His sheep and I know my Shepherd's voice. This past month it came to a choice. So I tested it by asking a question that only He could answer. It was very obvious and I could no longer deny that I had heard Him. Yes those things He has been putting His finger on and asking me to do were not deniable. And 3 different people shared in a week's time how hearing is not enough, there must be the obeying. I shared my challenge with a few friends who are holding me accountable. Now the test to see that what He promises will happen.........(I know it will).
         One of my challenges is to remain faithful to writing what He shows me and to continue a project that will take a lot of time and effort. You can pray for me........really you can! To go along with the last blog on Sabbaday Falls I was given another vision and message from the beautiful White Mountains. Sometimes majestic in beauty and sometimes treacherous in inclement weather. I have climbed many a mountain to experience the change that comes sometimes without notice. One moment clear and the next, clouds rolling in and you have a hard time seeing a few feet in front of you. Once during one of those sudden rain storms I climbed down the second mountain of the day to have the cold causing such pain in my extremities. Thanks to my brother Gerry who pushed me on.
         There is a story in the White Mountains that has always intrigued me. The story is of the Willey Family that Mt. Willey is named for. Here in 1825 this family had made their home to house the travelers going through the Crawford Notch. If you type it in your search engine you will be able to read it in detail. Let me just share this portion......because of drought a ferocious rain storm cause a landslide which ultimately took the whole family's lives. The odd part of this story is they had fled from the house because of a panic only to have the house remain untouched in the end. When others came to check up on them they found the dog howling and an open bible on the table. The flood was split in two above the home by a great rock ledge.(There is so much more so please look it up)

        When I was praying for the new year, I felt such a burden to intercession. As I was praying I saw this story come to me in a vision. I saw the house and and two floods beside it. Then I understood that we are the house, the bible being God's Word within us and the Rock of course Christ.  There are 2 flooding streams in our society today. One is against Doctrine or Truth the other is against Kingdom Culture. I have heard and read some very disturbing diatribes from my fellow believers that have left me speechless at times. There is so much anger and personal opinion that has challenged our very foundation of faith. The bible is left on shelves rarely read or meditated on, prayer and worship has become "on a need" basis, (which if we confess the truth, we'll admit these are a constant need). My husband always demonstrated this to me, of how we are to remain in prayer, worship and in His Word daily. That this is essential to our personal relationship to our Lord Jesus Christ. His life has and will always be an inspiration to me and a constant reminder that no matter what I am not to let anything come between me and my Lord. I know there is a debate always going on about the traditions that have cropped up in the church and their biblical basis. But I am not addressing those. I am writing about the Foundation or our Faith, Jesus Christ the Chief Cornerstone. I do not trust my heart, feelings, opinions, or traditions. I seek Him daily in His Word and prayer because He is the North in my Compass, True North. The world system, the styles, the trends, politics, culture should not dictate who I am or Who He is. If we remain in the center with Christ Jesus, the floods will pass and we will be untouched.
         I end with this.....this is what He told me, "The Narrowing will bring the Broadening." As I put all my energy in abiding, in seeking Him and keeping Him first, He will broaden my path of effectualness. The rushing and running about without the fresh Knowledge of Him causes us to crash and burn and may eventually bring us to deception. Don't let anyone or anything rob you of your time with Him. Come apart and be cleansed from the world only to go back into it as world changers.
 I end with this about the Willey Story......
       ....The area had been prone to mud slides in the past. Each time there was a slide, the Willey family stayed put. Samuel argued it was safer in the house. This time, however, the Willey family, along with 2 hired men, decided to flee. But instead of running to safety, they fled right into the path of the mudslide. They all died. Ironically, the slide split in two, each half passing on either side of the home and leaving the house intact. Inside, on the table, sat a Bible, open to the 18th Psalm, Samuel Willey's glasses on the page. 

                          Taken from  http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/2000/03/01.html

Psalm 18

   I love you, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my irock and my jfortress and my deliverer,

my God, my irock, in kwhom I take refuge,

my lshield, and mthe horn of my salvation, my nstronghold.

I call upon the Lord, who is oworthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

pThe cords of death encompassed me;

qthe torrents of destruction assailed me;1

pthe cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

rIn my distress I called upon the Lord;

to my God I cried for help.

From his stemple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

Then the earth treeled and rocked;

the foundations also of the mountains trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

Smoke went up from his nostrils,2

and devouring ufire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

He vbowed the heavens and wcame down;

xthick darkness was under his feet.

He rode on a cherub and flew;

he came swiftly on zthe wings of the wind.

He made darkness his covering, his acanopy around him,

thick clouds bdark with water.

Out of the brightness before him

chailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

The Lord also dthundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his evoice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

And he sent out his farrows and scattered them;

he flashed forth lightnings and grouted them.

Then hthe channels of the sea were seen,

and the foundations of the world were laid bare

at your irebuke, O Lord,

at the blast of jthe breath of your nostrils.

He ksent from on high, he took me;

he ldrew me out of mmany waters.

He rescued me from my strong enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were ntoo mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the Lord was my support.

He brought me out into oa broad place;

he rescued me, because he pdelighted in me.

The Lord dealt with me qaccording to my righteousness;

according to rthe cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

For I have skept the ways of the Lord,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

For tall his rules3 were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

I was ublameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

With vthe merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

with the purified you show yourself pure;

and with wthe crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

For you save xa humble people,

but ythe haughty eyes you bring down.

For it is you who light my zlamp;

the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can aleap over ba wall.

This God—his way is cperfect;4

the word of the Lord dproves true;

he is ea shield for all those who ftake refuge in him.

For gwho is God, but the Lord?

And who is ha rock, except our God?—

the God who iequipped me with strength

and made my way jblameless.

He made my feet like the feet of a kdeer

and set me secure on lthe heights.

He mtrains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand nsupported me,

and your ogentleness made me great.

You pgave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

and did not turn back till they were consumed.

I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;

they fell under my feet.

For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.

You made my enemies qturn their backs to me,5

and those who hated me I destroyed.

rThey cried for help, but there was none to save;

they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

I beat them fine as sdust before the wind;

I cast them out like tthe mire of the streets.

You delivered me from ustrife with the people;

you made me vthe head of the nations;

wpeople whom I had not known served me.

As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;

xforeigners ycame cringing to me.

xForeigners lost heart

and zcame trembling out of their fortresses.

The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,

and exalted be the God of my salvation—

the God who gave me vengeance

and asubdued peoples under me,

who delivered me from my enemies;

yes, you bexalted me above those who rose against me;

you rescued me from cthe man of violence.

dFor this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,

and esing to your name.

Great fsalvation he brings to his king,

and shows steadfast love to his ganointed,

to hDavid and his offspring forever.

Praise God for His Word and for His ever guiding Presence. Let us not rush into the path of the oncoming floods panicking that our Faith is not enough, our Savior not Present, or His Word is not true. You will be tested, the roar is deafening at times, accusing us of being fools for staying put but we must remain steadfast and firm to the end.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying.......