James 3:1–18

June 24, 2013

The tongue. James teaches about the importance of controlling the things we say.

Just like a small bit in the mouth of a horse can be used to control its whole body and a ship can be controlled by a very small rudder, our tongues (even though small), can wreck havoc on those around us and start wars among friends, families, and even countries if not brought under the Spirit's control. Our tongues of course cannot without our permission control us or say harmful things, but the actions of our tongues are a window to our souls. Our tongues reveal who we truly are.

We have a choice. Our tongues can be used to inflict harm on people and start a fire around us, or our tongues can be used to build others up and to teach others how to live. Our tongues reveal the truth of our lives. If our hearts are pure our tongues reflect that. If our hearts are selfish and evil, the truth will eventually be revealed by our tongues. Man can tame a wild animal, but in our own power we cannot control our tongues. Our tongues can only be tamed by a changed heart.

"When we submit to the claims of Christ upon our lives, our untamed natures are brought under His control. We become meek, tamed, and 'fit for the Master's service.' " ~ From The Secret of Happiness by Billy Graham

IF—there hasn't been true submission to Christ and true repentance, and IF—our "changed" heart is for appearances only, THEN—"we use our tongues" to praise God on one hand and turn around and use that same tongue to criticize and abuse people. James 3:10 - "Praises and curses come from the same mouth." IF—that happens THEN—something is wrong!! Good water and bad water cannot come from the same spring. A fig tree cannot grow olives. A grapevine cannot grow figs. A well full of salty water cannot also produce good water. It just cannot happen. We are all created equal. You cannot say you serve God and then use your tongue to harm someone God created equal with you. 

Selfishness and bitter jealousy cannot come from God. Cannot. It is not spiritual and it is a lie straight from the devil. Using the tongue to brag "is a lie that hides the truth" of a selfish and jealous heart. James 3:16 - "Where jealousy and selfishness are, there will be confusion and every kind of evil."

Wisdom and understanding does not produce confusion and strife. It instead shows itself by living right and doing good things with gentleness. The wisdom that comes from God is:

• Pure (first and foremost)
• Peaceful
• Gentle
• Easy to please
• Always ready to help others
• Always ready to do good
• Always fair
• Always honest

James 3:18 - "People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a crop of right-living." Even if those who are outside of your control rage against you, you can live at peace and peacefully.

It all comes back to DO. Do the right things. Be real  Be genuine. Our tongues are a reflection of the attitude of our heart. The only way to change the tongue is to change the heart. That is not to say that we can never make a mistake. We can and do make mistakes, but a mistake is different than a way of life. 

As teachers, we need to be very careful with the words we say. We need to make sure ALL we say aligns with God's Word and is not part of a personal agenda. We will all be held accountable for the things we say. Guard your heart. Guard your mind. Guard your mouth. It all starts with our hearts and minds.

We all need to be careful. If we are not growing in Christ then we are reverting back to our sinful nature and our tongues will reveal the truth about the condition of our heart.   


Next Entry: James 4:1–17

James 1:1–27

June 17, 2013

James lets us know that troubles are something we should embrace and not try to avoid. Yet in our culture, the exact opposite attitude of "avoid trouble at all cost" is the norm. Listen carefully the next time you hear prayer requests being shared. The prayer "requests" are often about some sort of trouble someone is trying to avoid. It is through our troubles that we grow and become more like Christ.  

"Deep water" times in our lives is where we best learn patience and perseverance. During difficult times we begin to understand the totality of our inabilities and our need for complete dependence on Christ and wisdom that can only come from God. When we empty ourselves of "self" and fill ourselves with Christ, we have complete joy in spite of our circumstances.

James 1:5 - "But if any of you need wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to all people so he will give you wisdom." It isn't that you just flippantly ask God for wisdom and—voila—you have wisdom. When you seek wisdom you must be willing to:

• Open yourself up to examination
• Surrender yourself to God's will
• Believe
• Hold on and not doubt

James describes someone who asks for wisdom and then doesn't believe and starts doubting as a "wave in the sea, blown up and down by the wind." When you are wavering back and forth you cannot make any progress and you will not "receive anything from the Lord." You have to ask; listen; and then act.

*****

Jane has written in her Bible:

Wisdom—"The quality of judging rightly and following soundest course of action."
Heavenly Wisdom—"Able to discern divine dealings of God in your life and able to relate joyfully to them in order to profit to the fullest from them."

"Ask in faith!"


Next Entry: James 1:1–27 (Continued)

II Timothy 3:1 – 4:22

May 28, 2013

What a contrast between II Timothy 2 and 3. II Timothy 2 talks about what kind of life we should live, how God can use us, and what it looks like to be a worker who is pleasing to God. Then in II Timothy 3, Paul describes the person who is not a follower of God, and whose actions bring much trouble.

• Lovers of themselves
• Lovers of money
• Want what others have
• Brag; are boastful
• Proud
• Abusive
• Say evil things against others
• Will not obey (honor) parents
• Are not thankful
• Are not filled with gratitude
• Refuse to be the kind of person God wants
• Without empathy; does not love others
• Holds grudges; refuses to forgive; truce breakers
• Slanderous; false accusers
• Without self-control
• Cruel; brutal; fierce
• Despises those who are good
• Traitors; will turn against their friends
• Rash; acts without thinking
• Conceited; high minded
• It's all about them, not about God
• Will act as if they serve God, but do not

II Timothy 3:5b - "Stay away from those people. Have nothing to do with them." Paul goes on: These people are always learning new teachings but they are never able to understand truth fully... because "these people are against the truth. Their thinking has been ruined, and they have failed in trying to follow the faith. But they will not be successful in what they do... everyone will see that they are foolish." (From II Timothy 3:8–9. See Psalm 1 as a Cross Reference.)

Paul's description of the person who is not a follower of God is an accurate (in my opinion) line-by-line description of the person I now know my sister to be. I didn't fully come to terms with the truth until the carefully constructed facade cracked and the truth was slowly revealed from late 2006 to today. My sister is in her sixties, yet she is still holding grudges and still falsely accusing and still seeking to harm innocent people. You don't "grow" out of sinful behaviors. The exact opposite is true. The more you don't change your ways, the more ingrained into you the evil behavior becomes, and the more it becomes part of your DNA.

I hate writing the word "evil" and relating it to someone's actions (especially my sister's) but her actions exactly mirrors Paul's description of one who is against God. The truth is the truth whether I want to face it or not. I recognized some of the actions on the list prior to the blow up in late 2006. My response was almost always, "Oh, that's just ______ (my sister's name)." I was wrong to overlook and excuse her actions away. Sin is sin, regardless of how much you love the person, and I should have called it that and confronted her about it years before. When I finally did try to speak up about her obsession with my brother it did not go over well, and my bringing up her obsessions became part of the final breakdown in our relationship.

Scripture says it very clearly. "Stay away from those people. Have nothing to do with them." I am grateful to God for the forced separation their lawsuit and "the storm" has caused. It would have been really difficult for me to break free on my own. I would have felt like I was abandoning my sister and I would have tried to hang in there and "fix" the problem. I now understand that I can't fix it. There is only one thing that can fix it, and that is true personal repentance which brings about a new way of thinking, and a changed heart and life.

Our prayer for my sister and brother-in-law remains the same. LORD, may they understand that without you they are nothing, and may they desire nothing but you.

As believers we will experience hurt. Paul suffered, but the Lord saved him from his troubles and the message of Christ still went out. II Timothy 3:12–13 - "Everyone who wants to live as God desires, in Christ Jesus, will be hurt. But people who are evil and cheat others will go from bad to worse. They will fool others, but they will also be fooling themselves." How incredibly sad to think you are wise, when in reality you are not aware, and don't know or understand what truth and true wisdom is.

But for you who believe—continue on. You know what truth is. You know that salvation is found through faith in Christ. You know that you have everything you need in God's scripture. II Timothy 3:16–17 - "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness so the man of God can be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

We have everything we need to navigate living in this world—and that is the Bible. Paul used his life as an example and tells Timothy:

• Preach the Good News
• Be ready at all times  
• Tell people the Truth about what is right and wrong
• Encourage others
• Have great patience
• Teach carefully
• Control yourself
• Accept troubles
• Do the work
• Tell the Good News
• Complete ALL the duties of a servant of God
• Give your life as an offering to God
• Fight the good fight
• Finish the race
• Keep the faith
• Receive the crown

Paul finishes his letter by telling about the people who helped him. Then he talks about Alexander the metal worker, who did many harmful things against him. II Timothy 4:14b - "The Lord will punish him for what he did." It is up to God to deal with those who wrong you. It is not your (or my) place to avenge or seek revenge. II Timothy 4:17–18 - "The Lord stayed with me and gave me strength so I could fully tell the Good News... So I was saved from the lion's mouth. The Lord will save me when anyone tries to hurt me, and he will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory forever and ever be the Lord's. Amen."

And I say—Amen. God has saved us from the mouth of the lion as well. And, He will continue to save us.

Psalm 22:21 - Rescue me from the lion's mouth.
Psalm 58:6 - God, break the teeth in their mouths! Tear out the fangs of those lions, Lord!
Job 4:10,11 - Lions may roar and growl, but when the teeth of a strong lion are broken, that lion dies of hunger. The cubs of the lion are scattered.
II Thessalonians 3:3 - But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.


Next Entry: II Timothy 3:1 – 4:22 (Continued)

I Timothy 3:1–16

May 20, 2013

"Leaders must know God's Word and have a mature Christian lifestyle. Every Christian ought to pursue these characteristics. Leaders must already have them."  ~ From the Life Lesson in my NCV Bible.

In this chapter Paul lists the attributes of a leader. Leaders must:

• Not give people a reason to criticize them
• Have only one wife (spouse)
• Be self-controlled
• Be wise
• Be respected by others
• Ready to welcome guests
• Able to teach
• Not drink too much
• Not like to fight
• Be gentle
• Be peaceable
• Not seeking wealth
• Be a good family leader
• Have children who respect God
• Not be a new believer
• Have respect from people inside and outside the church
• Be sincere
• Be above approach
• Not be quarrelsome
• Not try to get rich by cheating others (dishonest gain)
• Keep and hold the truths of God
• Be tested
• Be bold in their faith 

"If the church can only be the church when it exists for others, then the Christian can only be truly Christian when he or she is willing to be emptied out for others. There are no harder words in all of Scripture than Jesus' commandment that we love one another as He loved us – which means love that lays down its life for another." ~ From The Body by Charles Colson.

Next Entry: I Timothy 4:1 – 6:21

Colossians 1:1 – 2:5

May 09, 2013

"Jesus paid it ALL, All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow."

The old hymn has it right. It is ALL about Jesus. I like how Max Lucado says it in his forward to Colossians. "If we are saved it is because God rescued us and not because we learned to swim. God is the verb and we are the noun. God does the saving and we do the receiving." In Jane's NIV she has written: "Christ is Supreme through entire book."

It (everything) is ALL about Jesus. Nothing needs added and nothing should be taken away. We are saved because someone shared the Gospel with us. We need to pass it on and tell others so they too may receive Christ as Savior. We need to produce fruit and help strengthen those who are growing in the Lord.

I like how Paul always told the people (he was writing to) what his prayer for them was. I have started to do that more and more. Instead of just telling someone I will pray for them, I actually write out my prayer and give it to them. People have responded and said how much it meant to be able to read the prayer being prayed for them.

Here is what Paul prayed for the people of Colossae. He prayed they would:

• Have great wisdom (knowledge) and understanding (living it out) in spiritual things
• Live in such a way to bring honor and glory to Christ
• Produce fruit in every good work
• Grow in the knowledge of God
• Understand that it is God who strengthens them
• Not give up when trouble comes
• Be patient
• Joyfully give thanks to God

After his prayer, Paul reminds them of the importance of who CHRIST is.

• Jesus IS God.  
• Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God
• He ranks higher than everything that has been made
• Through His power ALL things were made. ALL things—in heaven and on earth; seen and unseen; all powers, authorities, lords, rulers—ALL
• ALL things were made through Christ
• ALL things were made for Christ
• He "was" before anything began
• He holds ALL things together
• He is the head of his body (the church)
• Everything comes from HIM
• He was the first to be raised from the dead
• In everything He is first.  
• He is Supreme.

Jesus is in all, above all, and through all. He is God and He is the only way to Salvation. Through His death we gained access to God. He took upon Himself our sins so we could be presented to God as holy people who are without wrong and who have nothing in our lives for which God can judge us guilty. That's what Jesus/God did for us. It is an available and unfathomable gift. BUT! In order to receive the gift of Salvation, we must accept it for ourselves and that means surrendering to the Lordship of God in ALL areas of our lives. Understanding HE is God—I am not. We go TO Jesus for forgiveness; salvation comes FROM God; and we SUBMIT to Him as Lord of our lives.

"Continue strong and sure in your faith. You must not be moved away from the hope brought to you by the Good News that you heard." Colossians 1:23

How to remain strong? The secret is in Christ himself. HE is in us; HE gives hope; HE gives wisdom and understanding; and in HIM we are safely kept.

Addendum: 10/2/16 ~ As I was reading these chapters this morning several things stood out to me.

Colossians 1:19–20 - "God was pleased for all of himself to live in Christ. And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ's death on the cross."
Colossians 1:27 - "God decided to let his people know this rich and glorious secret which he has for all people. This secret is Christ himself, who is in you. He is our only hope for glory."
Colossians 2:2–3 - "I want them to be strengthened and joined together with love so that they may be rich in their understanding. This leads to their knowing fully God's secret, that is, Christ himself."

What a gift of love. God has given himself to us! The thing is, it is a secret that can only be known and understood when you accept Christ as your Savior. No wonder the world doesn't "get it." You have to FIRST by faith believe THEN God's secret is revealed and made known.

Thank you, Lord, for YOUR gift of yourself to us through YOUR son Jesus. 


Next Entry: Colossians 2:6–23

Ephesians 1:1–23

April 23, 2013

Paul writes to the people in Ephesus. He begins the letter by praising God. Now that we have begun to understand the importance of praising God (as a believer there is nothing more important!) the passages in the Bible or lyrics from old hymns that mention praise just jump out at me. How did I miss the importance of praising God for who HE is (not thankfulness for what He has done) for so many years? The only explanation I can come up with is this: I was breaking the first two commandments and "self" was on the throne.

Without even realizing it, my husband and I were both definitely too self-sufficient. Why would praising God be a priority when you are independent and think yourself capable of most things? It isn't. That is why I am so grateful for these last six plus years. God put us in a situation that we couldn't fix on our own, and God, (through Jane) very clearly pointed out to us and what was wrong and out of balance in our lives. We weren't purposely rejecting God and trying to remove Him from the throne in our lives, we were trying to join Him on the throne and we don't belong there!! Joining Him is the same as removing Him.

Jane taught us that praise (first and foremost) puts everything else in your life in the right order and perspective. God is God—and we are not. It is an understanding of the

God

↓

Man

relationship. Praise! First, foremost, at all times, and in all situations. Oh, what a difference this understanding has made in our lives. 

Paul goes on and talks about the wonderful grace of God. This must be the passage that inspired the  the song writer of the old hymn "Grace, grace, wonderful grace, coming down from the Father above..." (Now that I have written that I think I have the wrong song and the words are actually "Peace, peace, wonderful peace...") Other old hymns about God's grace and love are going through my mind this morning. My heart is just full of praise. I can still hear my Dad's rich baritone voice singing, "The love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong! It shall forever more endure the saints' and angels' song." Love singing the new songs, AND the old hymns.  

"...It brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves. In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace, which he has given to us so fully and freely. God, with full wisdom and understanding, let us know his secret purpose."

Wisdom and understanding. (Someday I want to complete my study I began on the difference between wisdom and understanding. A very simple explanation is: wisdom is the knowing and understanding is the doing.) God is both wisdom/knowing and understanding/doing. "When the right time comes" (Ephesians 1:10) he WILL act and His will WILL be done, and it WILL bring honor and glory to His name.

Ephesians 1:14 - "The Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive what God promised for his people until God gives full freedom to those who are his—to bring praise to God's glory." It is ALL about HIM!  Until that happens, everything works together "so that you will know him better." (Ephesians 1:17)

• (He) gives the spirit of wisdom and revelation— so we will know Him better.
• (He) gives understanding in our hearts—so we will know the hope He gives and we will know our blessings come from Him. We will know His great power.

God is in control. At the right time, He WILL act.

 Addendum: 5/6/2016 ~ As I was reading Ephesians 1 this morning, three words resounded with me. "You will know... you will know... you will know." It's all about HIM. The LORD—He is the One! Ephesians 1:11 - "... He is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants." What assurance!


Next Entry: Ephesians 2:1–22 

I Corinthians 2:1–16

March 12, 2013

God's power—verses—human wisdom.  

Man cannot in his own wisdom understand the Truth(s) which come from the Spirit of God. Cannot! In human wisdom it is foolishness. I Corinthians 2:11 - "No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." When we accept Christ as our Savior, God sends the Spirit to us; we are taught by the Spirit; and we in turn can teach others. But, "a person who does not have the Spirit does not accept the truth that comes from the Spirit of God." And, "that person thinks they (the truths of God) are foolish and cannot understand them, because they can only be judged to be true by the Spirit." (I Corinthians 2:14)

Understanding these truths has been an "aha" moment for me. It has been both enlightening and very sobering. So, is this why? Is this why we have said over and over these past six years—"Why don't they get it?" Is it because they don't have the Spirit of Truth and therefore can't "get it" and it all seems foolishness to them? Is this why? Is it because of a stubborn refusal to surrender all to God's authority, or is it because they don't have the Spirit of Truth at all?

O LORD, have mercy on them. Have mercy on their souls. LORD, we continue to pray that my sister and brother-in-law would understand that without you they are nothing and that they would desire nothing but you. Thank you, LORD for giving them these years of mercy. Lord, I pray that you will put into their paths whatever it takes for your Spirit of Truth to be revealed to them and accepted by them.

But, for those who have the Spirit of Truth:

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him." I Corinthians 2:9 and Isaiah 64:4

Wow! We choose the Spirit of Truth and God's Wisdom.

I Corinthians 2:5 - "This was so that your faith would be in God's power and not in human wisdom."


Next Entry: I Corinthians 3:1–23

I Corinthians 1:1–31 (Continued)

March 11, 2013

Human wisdom and God's wisdom are often polar opposites.

Human wisdom says:

• Get as much as you can
• Believe only what you can see
• Enjoy pleasure
• Avoid pain

But God's wisdom says:

• Give all you can give
• Believe what you can't see (faith)
• Enjoy serving others
• Expect opposition and persecution 

Paul says, "Even the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength... God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose what the world thinks is unimportant and what the world looks down on and thinks is nothing in order to destroy what the world thinks is important." (I Corinthians 1:25–28)

God is in control. You can't out-smart, out-maneuver, or out-play Him. I Corinthians 1:30–31 - "In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy, and have been set free from sin.  So, as the Scripture says, 'If someone wants to brag, he should brag only about the Lord.' "


Next Entry: I Corinthians 2:1–16

I Corinthians 1:1–31

March 03, 2013

We are all in Florida! We arrived yesterday. It's hard to believe we are all here as a family celebrating our 40 years of marriage and family after all this family has been through these last six years. God has blessed our family richly. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow.

 *****

Paul writes the people in Corinth and tells them, "God called me" to do what he was doing, "because that is what God wanted." (I Corinthians 1:1) We absolutely believe that about our own lives. We didn't just "happen" to be in the situation we are in with my sister and brother-in-law for these last ten years now. We believe we are right where God wants us. God most certainly did (and does) not want there to be discord between family or a lawsuit filed. He did not choose that—man did. But we are all called to be people who share with others who God is—no matter what the circumstance—and He has given us everything we need in order to do that. I Corinthians 1:7 - "So you have every gift from God while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again."

While you wait. It is not instant relief or gratification. The waiting room is often where God does His work. He's like a doctor removing from our lives all that is not pleasing to Him and is harmful to us. There is one thing we can be sure of—God is faithful. I Corinthians 1:8–9 - "Jesus will keep you strong until the end so that there will be no wrong in you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God, who has called you to share everything with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."

Paul urged the people in Corinth to get along, to focus on the big picture of what really is important, and not to argue over petty details. Our sole purpose is to bring glory to HIS name. Paul says that the teachings about the cross is "foolishness" to those who are "being lost" but to those who are "being saved" it is the power of God.

Isaiah 29:14 - "I will cause the wise men to lose their wisdom; I will make the wise men unable to understand." 


Next Entry: I Corinthians 1:1–31 (Continued)

Acts 6:1–15

November 21, 2012

The group of followers had grown so large that it was becoming difficult to govern. It was decided to select a group of seven men to help with the logistics so the apostles could focus on the praying and teaching. One of the men chosen was named Stephen, "a man with great faith and full of the Holy Spirit." Stephen "was richly blessed by God who gave him the power to do great miracles and signs among people." (Acts 6:8) Stephen wasn't someone out to promote himself. His life was about "whose" he was not "who" he was. The words used to describe him all point to God. Great faith; filled with the Holy Spirit; richly blessed; power from God; the ability to perform great miracles and signs; the hands and feet of God.

"But some people were against him" and they came to argue with him. They were trying to stir up trouble. Acts 6:10 - "But the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom, and his words were so strong that they could not argue with him." When their first tactic didn't work, they resorted to a second—false accusations. Stephen was forcibly taken and brought before the leaders and teachers of the law. Those who were against him brought in people to lie about him. The people in the meeting were watching him. What they did not see was someone fighting back, full of anger, revengeful or frightened. What they saw was "that his face looked like the face of an angel." The battle was against God—not Stephen himself—and God was the one defending him.   

When we face battles and false accusations it is God's battle, not ours. He is the One who "secures justice and defends the cause..." (From Psalm 140 - Her Name Was Jane)  Praise the LORD!


Next Entry: Acts 7:1 – 8:1a

Luke 21:1 – 22:71

September 29, 2012

"This will give you an opportunity to tell about me." (Luke 21:13 - NCV) "And it shall turn to you for a testimony." (KJV) "This will result in your being a witness to them." (NIV)

We have witnessed first hand the truth about these verses. Jesus is talking about His followers being falsely accused and treated cruelly. He talks about being betrayed by family members. And Jesus says, "This will give you an opportunity to tell about me." 

"The storm" situation we are in—the betrayal by family members and subsequent lawsuit—has given us so many opportunities to tell others what God has done for us. Jesus says, "Make up your minds not to worry ahead of time about what you will say." (KJV says - "settle it in your hearts") "I will give you the wisdom to say things that none of your enemies will be able to stand against or prove wrong." (Luke 21:14–15)

We are ordinary people who believe in and trust an extra-ordinary God. It is not about us! It is only about Him. Luke 21:15–19 - "I will give you... none of these things can really harm you. By continuing to have faith you will save your lives." None of "these things." These things ________ (fill in the blank). Not betrayals, not lawsuits, none of these "things" can harm you.

HE is in control. The KJV says to have patience. The NIV says to stand firm. Our job is to stand firm, be patient, and continue to have faith.


Next Entry: The New Beginning: Keep Moving Forward

Luke 7:1–50

August 30, 2012

This chapter is a study of contrasts. Great faith—verses—religious unbelievers. God desire is for His people to have great faith. He gave examples:

• The soldier whose servant was deathly sick. He knew that Jesus only had to say the word and his servant would be healed. He believed. 
• The widow's only son brought back to life. Jesus healed him before she even asked.
• The woman who washed his feet with tears and expensive perfume. She believed. "Because you believed, you are saved... go in peace."

It's okay to ask questions. John the Baptist asked questions. You inquire of the Lord, and then you believe. Luke 7:23 - "Those who do not stumble in their faith because of me are blessed!" Blessed! Blessed are those who believe.

Jesus asked the people a question. He asked the same question twice. "What did you go out to see?" Did you just go out to see the desert? You could do that anytime. "But what did you go out to see?" Did you go out to see a rich man? You knew you wouldn't find that in the desert. You went to see a prophet, and as great a man on this earth that John the Baptist is, he is nothing compared with the least important person in heaven. So, now that you came out in the desert to see a prophet, what are you going to do? Are you going to have great faith? Are you going to believe?

And, then the contrast. Luke 7:30 - "But the Pharisees and experts on the law refused to accept God's plan for themselves." 

Luke 7:35 - "Wisdom is proved to be right by what it does."


Next Entry: Luke 8:1 – 9:17

Luke 4:1–44

August 24, 2012

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert where He went through an extreme time of testing. He was sustained by the Spirit during the time of testing. And, He left that season of time and returned to begin His ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit  He wasn't being punished—He was being prepared. He wasn't abandoned—He was led, sustained, and filled with power. We should not try to avoid or cut short our times of testing. It is often during those times that we grow the most and we can be used the best.

The devil asked Jesus "if" questions. "If you are the Son of God... If you worship me...; If you are the Son of God." How much time do people waste with "if" questions? Jesus responded to the "if" questions in the same way we should—by quoting scripture.

To quote God's promises you have to KNOW God's promises. To KNOW God's promises you have to spend committed time reading His Word and communicating with Him. It can't be just what you have heard. It can't be your own version of belief. It must be a personal surrendered life to following God's Word and God's Will. You have to able to differentiate between what sounds like truth and what IS truth. The devil himself used scripture when he was attempting to derail Jesus from the mission He was given.
To wisely discern you must: KNOW, UNDERSTAND and DO what the Bible says. To know is only the first step.

Knowledge without understanding, and understanding without action is worse than no knowledge.


Next Entry: Luke 5:1–39

The New Beginning: Out With the Old

July 30, 2012

We've been back from hiking the Appalachian Trail for several weeks now. It was while we were staying at the Pheasant Field Bed and Breakfast in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, that one evening I strongly felt we were to start praying about a NEW BEGINNING. I had no idea what a "New Beginning" meant, what it was or what it was going to look like, but we started praying about it anyway.

I don't know how to explain it, but there just seems to be something different in the air: a looking forward; an anticipation. We were not "stuck" in the past, and we weren't "holding on" while waiting for the future. In spite of "the storm," we were happily living our lives in the present—day by day seeking and doing the Lord's will. And now it was as if God was saying, "It's time. It's time to start looking forward." But, how do you look forward when you don't know what forward is? So, we began to pray and seek God's will, guidance, and wisdom concerning the NEW BEGINNING, and He is slowly starting to reveal what the "New Beginning" looks like.

First and foremost, we need to always make sure we are totally God-reliant and not self-sufficient.  No matter what is going on externally in our lives—good, bad, or in between—the foundation always needs to be Christ. Difficult times are often a tool God uses to bring us into a closer relationship with Him. As we search for God we will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:11–13) God uses difficult times as teachable moments. It is often during times of difficulty that we begin to get a glimpse of HIS majesty.

John tells about the death of Lazarus. Jesus could have prevented his death and the pain and suffering felt by all those around him. He could have, but He purposely chose not to. John 11:15 - "And I am glad for your sakes I was not there so that you may believe. But let's go to him now." Glad! Jesus was glad because HE KNEW there was a plan. Mary and Martha only knew they were in pain and that Jesus could have prevented it. They didn't understand and couldn't see that JOY was down the path they were on.

Back in 2007, when the truth about what my sister and brother-in-law had done and what they were capable of doing became obvious, we just wanted away from them and we wanted away from them NOW! I remember my husband's prayers as we walked together every day and how he wanted the lawsuit to end quickly. Now, it is five plus years later, and we can honestly and truthfully say, "Thank goodness it was not over as quickly as we first wanted it over." We would have missed out on SO much. We have literally seen the Hand of God working in our lives. How could someone ever regret that? Jesus knew the plan. He knew the path. He knew what He wanted to show us and teach us. "I am glad for your sakes..." This whole mess was and is for our good. God has chosen the path we are on and we are content in following Him one step at a time. 

I've already referenced John 11. The reason I was reading John 11 is because that is where the Life Lesson for Mark 8 sent me. The two things that struck me were: 1) God choosing not to prevent Lazarus from dying because of what He wanted to teach them; and 2) The words Jesus said when He called Lazarus out of the grave. He said, "Take off the cloths (the things which were binding him) and let him go..."

It was Jesus' lack of action that allowed Lazarus to die. Jesus made the decision not to act quickly because He wanted to have a teachable moment. So, it was God's decision that caused him to be bound. But now Jesus is saying, "Take off the cloth... let him go." I just sat in the loft and read that over and over. "Let him go... let him go... let him go!" Take off what is binding him and what is holding him captive—and let him go. When God decides the time is right, "the storm" WILL be over and the cloths which have been used to bind us (and God allowed) will be removed and we will be let go. The when is God's decision, and we are willing to calmly and patiently wait until that day happens. It is part of the NEW BEGINNING.

But, there is more. As I was writing in my Journal on Friday, (before reading John 11) a phrase came to my mind. "It doesn't matter." It doesn't matter? What doesn't matter? One thing that doesn't matter is anything my sister or brother-in-law do (or do not) do. Their questionable, immoral or illegal activities—doesn't matter. Whether they are lying or not—doesn't matter.  Anything about their lives—doesn't matter. It doesn't matter!

That isn't an angry or I-don't-care-about-you statement. Not at all. It is just acknowledging that God has everything under control and that He has a plan. I don't need to know what His plan is, because it doesn't matter. My responsibility is to let go and let God. A NEW BEGINNING—it doesn't matter! I have no desire to know what is or is not happening in their lives—because it doesn't matter.

That all happened on a Friday morning. Friday night I was vacuuming and my husband was outside mowing. I was cleaning around our antique mule bin chest which was completely filled with lawsuit files. As I was cleaning a new thought (impression) came to my mind in the form of a question. "Why is all this stuff still in the house?" The question seemed strange. Why? Well... isn't it obvious?  We have to keep it (duh), the lawsuit is still going—and I kept vacuuming. The same thought came again. "Why is it still in here?" I paused what I was doing and began to think about it. Well... I guess it wouldn't have to be. We could get more of those large industrial strength containers we had just purchased for another project and put the stuff in our garage I guess. There is room in the storage building/garage now that we've cleaned out some of the project's assets. In my mind I started questioning the possibilities and ramifications of removing all the items. Wouldn't it be crazy to take all of it out now? What if the lawsuit starts back up soon? But then I thought, so what if it does? It doesn't matter! You would still have it, it just won't be in the house.

I turned off the vacuum and went outside to tell my husband. He stopped the mower and I said, "I think we are supposed to store all the lawsuit stuff in the garage." I was ready to go to Menards, get the boxes, and get started, but it was already late in the evening and we decided we would stop and get more boxes on the way home from church on Sunday since we were going to our daughter's (in Ohio) in the morning. So, that is what we did. On the way home from church we stopped and purchased five more boxes to go with the one we had just purchased. By Sunday evening, all the boxes were full and stored in our detached garage.

I hated having all the vile and poisonous junk in our home. Everywhere you looked there was lawsuit junk. The mule bin chest was full. The entire bottom drawer of the large legal size file cabinet—full. The bottom three drawers of the tall office cabinet—full. The storage room downstairs—full with many items. While I hated having all the lawsuit "stuff" in our home, NEVER in all these years, did I even consider removing it before the lawsuit was over. NEVER! Before I would say, "I can't wait 'till the lawsuit is over so I can get all this evil out of here," but I never ever considered doing it while the lawsuit was still going. And then, out of nowhere, the thought comes, "Why is this stuff still in the house?" Well, by Sunday night, everything was gone and stored in the garage. Everything except the three boxes stored under the copier with the important numbered documents.

I cannot explain how freeing it is to have the house purged of the wickedness. It literally felt as if a heavy weight was lifted. Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, free at last!

If (or when) the lawsuit starts back up we still have what we need, it just isn't in the house. The last three boxes (the boxes with the numbered documents), I was going to put downstairs. Those are the "really important" files. But this morning (Monday) while in the shower I suddenly had the same impression or thought. "What are you doing with those last three boxes still in the house? Hmm. Well... those are the "really important" boxes so I thought I should keep those close by so I was going to put those boxes in the basement. And again, "Why are you holding on to those?" Okay, LORD. I'll take those out too.

I called my husband and asked him to stop and get more storage containers on his way home from an appointment. The final boxes are going to the garage.

We are either ignorantly foolish, or we are courageously obedient. Fear would say, "You know of course that as soon as you do this it will cause the lawsuit to start back up." But faith says, "Believe me! Be obedient to me! No matter what."

July 31, 2012

Here is what we are learning about the NEW BEGINNING so far:

1. Our sphere of influence is increasing and expanding;
2. It doesn't matter. We don't need to know about everything that is or is not happening;
3. We have been released from the oppression of the vile and poisonous junk that surrounds this lawsuit. The house is purged of ALL of it. The air is cleared.

It will be interesting to see what else God is going to show us and what else we are going to learn as we follow God down this path of NEW BEGINNING.

"I am glad for your sakes I was not there so that you may believe. But let's go to him now."  John 11:15   

Jesus said to them, "Take the cloth off of him and let him go." John 11:44

*****

I understand I am taking a huge risk by putting my thought processes down on paper. Those who have ulterior motives would use this to say it proves I am crazy because I am making up and listening to "voices" in my head. My sister and brother-in-law have already made reference to this by claiming to be afraid of me because I (according to them) am emotionally unstable. However, I will not let the false accusations of others keep me from writing how the Holy Spirit has guided us and led us down this path. On my own I would have NEVER EVER considered taking the toxic junk out of our house. We KNOW God has guided us on this path. The things that seemed random was actually God's hand. To God be the glory for the things HE has done!   

Addendum: 1/12/16 ~ Interestingly, I found out our lawyer removed all of his storage boxes (twenty some) from his office and put them in storage the exact same week that we removed all the "junk" from our home.

For three and one half years the storage boxes remained in the garage. Then before the Settlement Conference, I told our lawyer that I wasn't going to look up any of the things my sister referred to in their settlement "offer" to us unless he told me he wanted me to. Well, he responded that he did want me to review and be able to respond to her "facts" with the evidence. He wanted me to be the one doing the talking at the Settlement Conference. He wanted the judge to be able to hear directly from me and to make his own decision about who was telling the truth and what the truth was/is. So, the boxes were brought back in and I went through each one of them. What a mess. It was during the weeks before Christmas and I had large black industrial boxes with piles of paper strewn throughout our entire living room. I methodically went through everything. I pulled relevant documents out and organized them in binders, and then the boxes went back to the garage.

I'm not sure why I was to go through everything again because none of it was needed for the Settlement Conference. NONE. The judge did an awesome job and purposely did not go into any of their accusations and did not ask about the facts of the case. So, why was I to go through everything again? I don't know. Maybe it is so we are prepared for trial because everything is now in organized binders. Or maybe it is part of the trail and someday the rest of what is in the boxes can be burned.  Trial? Or trail? I don't know, and I don't need to know. It doesn't matter!

In my Journal Entry for Genesis 4:1 – 5:24 (written on November 21, 2009) I wrote about why God asks us questions. It isn't because He doesn't know the answer. He asks us questions because He wants us to admit the truth. I can see more clearly now the "why" of the question, "Why are those still in here... why are you still holding on to those?" We have said all along that we believe the promises God gave us through Jane (Her Name was Jane) and the other promises He has given us throughout the nine plus years on this journey. I wrote in a letter to our lawyer clear back in 2008 that we strongly felt this lawsuit would never proceed to trial, and even though we were still in the thick of it, the end result is past tense—it is done. Then why? Why was everything still in the house? And why, after removing everything else, was I still holding on to the last three "important" boxes? We said we believed it was over. So, why?

I now believe God was showing us truth. Our house was filled with (and we were holding onto) things as if we were the ones who were going to need to prove our innocence. Obviously, we still did not completely "get it." We are to be wise, but God does not need our help. Our lawyer had me go through everything again, and not one single thing was needed. You have to wonder if it was wasted time, but I don't believe it was. It was an important reminder of where we've been; what we've gone through; and WHO is in charge of where we are going. It was also a stark reminder of what this lawsuit is really about and who my sister and brother-in-law truly are at the core.

The Settlement Conference showed us there has been no heart change. Going through everything once again only reinforced our understanding of what God has done to protect us and provide for us. HE IS IN CONTROL and we trust HIM. He does not need our help. He only needs our obedience.

Addendum #2: April 14, 2017 ~ I have finished putting my journal entries into this blog and have begun to work on getting Walking By Faith: A True Story of God's Faithfulness (the blog which tells the story of Jane) finished. In the process of doing so, I have been adding links from her blog to this blog and I came across this July 30, 2012 entry. What struck me today was Jesus' words, "Take off the cloths (the things which were binding him) and let him go..."

It was Jesus' lack of action that allowed Lazarus to die. Jesus made the decision to not act quickly because he wanted to have a teachable moment. So it was God's decision that caused him to be bound. But now Jesus is saying, "Take off the cloth... let him go." I just sat in the loft and read that over and over. "Let him go... let him go... let him go!" Take off what is binding him and what is holding him captive—and let him go. When God decides the time is right, "the storm" WILL be over and the cloths which have been used to bind us (and God allowed) will be removed and we will be let go. The when is God's decision, and we are willing to calmly and patiently wait until that day happens. It is part of the NEW BEGINNING.

When I first wrote this in 2012, the words of Jesus obviously resounded with me. However, it wasn't until today that I saw the correlation between Jesus' words and the words King Cyrus used to free the people of Israel and thereby fulfill the promise God gave to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 33. Incredible.

In July of 2012 I didn't realize I had missed writing about the Lost Chapters between II Chronicles 11:18 and II Chronicles 36:23. I didn't write about those chapters until exactly two years later, July 2014. You can read about the Lost Chapters that God set aside for such a time as this and didn't have me read and write about until my journey of reading through the Bible was completed, here.

The very last sentence in the very last verse in the very last chapter of my journey of writing my thoughts while reading through the Bible, records the words King Cyrus used to fulfill God's promise to Jeremiah and God's last words of promise to us through Jane:

You are free to go.

The words of Jesus: "Take off the cloths... and let him go."

The words of King Cyrus as he fulfilled God's promise to Jeremiah: You are free to go.

What a surprise to read this today and see the correlation between the words of Jesus and the words of God's promise fulfilled. There will come a day when we are "free to go." There will come a day when the cloths used to bind us (the lawsuit) will be peeled away and we will be freed to change the private designation on this blog to public. The journey has been for our good and it soon will be used for the good of others as well. When the time is right, it WILL happen. There will come a day.  

The words and melody of an old hymn are playing in my mind. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus of Nazarene.  How appropriate on this Good Friday. Easter is coming!! Praise the LORD!


Next Entry: His Hands and Feet

The New Beginning: Where and How it Began

July 08, 2012

We've arrived!! We are staying at a Pheasant Field B&B in Carlisle PA, only one half mile from the Appalachian Trail. Tears are in my eyes. There were plenty of tears in the truck on the way here. The
A.T. has always been special, but now it is a thousand times more special. Before, I thought hiking the Appalachian Trail was some random idea I came up with. Now I know it is so much more than that. This was God's plan—not mine. Tears of joy will be flowing tomorrow.

July 11, 2012

We are having a wonderful time. We've hiked in the mountains and we've hiked in the valleys. Our truck was in the shop being serviced yesterday and for most of today. Being without a vehicle forced us to stay at the B&B in the afternoons after hiking. We slept, read, visited with the innkeepers, and had a wonderful relaxing time. My husband and I looked at each other and said, "When have we ever just sat and relaxed like this?" It has been wonderful. We've hiked over twenty miles so far. We've talked, prayed, praised, and reflected on these last five years as we've walked. Last night, during the middle of the night, I just felt strongly that on today's hike we were to begin praying about "New Beginnings," and that is what we did today. It's like God was saying, "I've brought you back. I wanted you to reflect on where you were and where I've brought you. Now—now I want to prepare you for a New Beginning."        

            2007                                    2009                                      2012

               |   Lawsuit Begins              |   Holding Pattern              |   New Beginning →    

What is the "New Beginning"? I don't know yet. What I do know is this: we have turned a corner.

Philippians 3:13–14 - "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

God has a "New Beginning" for us and He is beginning to prepare us for it. We will be obedient and follow His lead. Psalm 32:8 - "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you." Hosea 14:8 - "I the Lord am the one who answers your prayers and watches over you. I am like a green pine tree; your blessings come from me." Jeremiah 29:11–13 - "I know the plans I have for you saith the LORD, and they are good plans. Not plans to harm you, but plans to give you hope and a good future. When you call for me I will listen, and when you search for me and search for me with all your heart you will find me, I will let you find me... and I will bring you out of captivity... and I will restore the land."  

July 16, 2012

We're home. We're relaxed, rejuvenated, and excited about the future. NEW BEGINNING!

LORD, use us however YOU want. As you prepare us for the future, may we follow YOUR path and listen to YOUR instructions. How interesting that our Pastor's sermon yesterday was about what my husband and I have been talking about. It has been amazing. For the last five plus years, God has used our Pastor's teachings to confirm what He (God) had already put in our minds and hearts. We just spent last week hiking thirty some miles on the Appalachian Trail path and talking about God's path for our lives. Our Pastor's sermon yesterday? Staying On The Path. Here are excerpts from his July 15 sermon:

Wisdom—Don't leave home without it!!

When headed on a trip, there are a few things you never want to forget! In navigating the journey of life, wisdom is absolutely essential. Traveling through unchartered territory amidst all kinds of variables requires wisdom. Get ready for the journey of a lifetime: challenges, adventures, disappointments, excitement. Yet, with wisdom guiding your path, there will be joy and fulfillment. 

Three words that jump out of Proverbs: Plans, Paths, and Ways

• God says, "I'm taking you somewhere. STAY ON THE PATH—WITH WISDOM!"
• God provided Israel DIRECTION during their MIGRATION toward the land He promised them (Deuteronomy 1)
• God wants us to ENJOY THE PLANS He has for us. Jeremiah 29:11–13 - "good plans"

When Wisdom Guides Us. (The opposite of wisdom guiding us is—ruin.)

• Her ways are PLEASANT (Proverbs 3:13–17a)
• Her plans are PEACEFUL (Proverbs 3:17b)
• Her paths are GOOD (Proverbs 2:9)

God's Wisdom to Us.

• STAY ON THE PATH (Proverbs 4:11; Psalm 119:105)
• Don't get trapped on the DEAD-END STREETS (Proverbs 5:7–9a)
• When lost, GET BACK ON THE PATH (Proverbs 4:14–15)

God's Path is Totally FULFILLING. (I Corinthians 2:9)

Addendum:  1/05/2016 ~ The drive out to PA in 2012 was incredible. The tears began as we pulled out of our drive. We had eight hours of uninterrupted time to reflect over the circumstances of the past ten years and how God was preparing the way long before "the storm" even began. It was overwhelming and humbling as we recounted all the ways God's hand has been evident in our lives and how His hand has led us safely ALL the way. And then after the eight hours of reflection and several days of hiking, the path turned and the New Beginning began.

4/5/16 ~ Without us even realizing it, God began to lead us on His new path. The New Beginning: The Path Unfolds


Next Entry: Mark 3:1–35

Matthew 24:1–51

June 27, 2012

Jesus prophesies about His second coming in this chapter. Several month ago while talking to my Sunday School girls about Hunger Games and the similarities between that story and what the Bible says about end times, it became very apparent that they were totally unaware of what the Bible says about Jesus' second coming, the tribulation, and the Great White Throne judgment. So, I spent a lot of time studying it myself so I could teach it to them. The end result was four pages of information for them. End Time Prophecy 101 is included in this journal. The girls were very interested. We've since shared it with our daughter and son-in-law and will soon be sharing it with our son and daughter-in-law. Many other people have requested a copy of it as well.

Jesus prophesied about His second coming while sitting on the Mount of Olives, exactly where the prophet Zechariah predicted the Messiah would stand when He comes to establish His kingdom. It is just amazing how scripture is intertwined with prophecy foretold and prophecy fulfilled. See End Time Prophecy 101 for a summary of His second coming.

A few things stand out in this chapter:

1. Don't be afraid
2. Those who keep their faith will be saved
3. Always be ready

We don't know the "when" of His second coming, but Matthew 24:32–33 says we can determine the "season." Don't be afraid. Keep the faith. Always be ready.   

"Simeon reminds us to "wait forwardly." Patiently vigilant. But not so patient that we lose our vigilance. Nor so vigilant that we lose our patience." ~ From When Christ Comes by Max Lucado

Next Entry: End Time Prophecy 101

Matthew 18:15 – 19:30

June 05, 2012

What To Do When a Person Sins Against You

I am always amazed at how God takes His Word and reveals Truth. When I read Matthew 18:15–17 it was an "Oh my goodness!" moment. Most everyone knows these verses, but oh how often they are abused. Jesus tells us when a fellow believer sins against you (key words underlined) we should:

1. Go the person in private and tell him what he did wrong. After repentance there is restoration.
2. If he refuses to listen, then try again by taking several other people with you so there are witnesses.
3. If that doesn't work "tell the church"
4. If the person still refuses to accept truth, then treat him as an outsider.

Here is my "Oh my goodness!" moment  First, you have to understand the groundwork. For weeks now I have been gripped by the new thought (to me) of religious unbelievers. People who are planted by, used by, and deceived by—the Evil One.

When anger, revenge, and greed is the fruit that comes from someone's trees, how can you come to any other conclusion but that they are religious, yet unbelievers and therefore deceived. So, yesterday when I read these verses and I think, "Oh my goodness!" it is because I realized for the first time that in my sister and brother-in-law's (what I believe is their) deceived hearts they actually think they have obeyed Biblical truth. What appears to be their level of deceit, both in what they believe and in what they project, is just absolutely gut-wrenching. It breaks my heart to realize the deceit they are bound by.

O LORD, please open their eyes. Reveal truth to them. LORD, give them another opportunity for repentance. LORD, may they confess, surrender, and save their souls. May their eyes be open to see Truth, and may the Truth—YOUR Truth—set them free.

Here is why their belief that they've followed Biblical principles is flawed.

Step #1:

You are to go to your fellow believer IF they have sinned against you for the purpose of restoring that person's relationship to Christ with Christ which in turn would typically also restore their earthly relationships.

My sister and brother-in-law (in what I believe is their deceived state) have chosen to believe and have convinced themselves that we have sinned against them. Therefore, they think they've obeyed Step #1 by asking to meet with us in the infamous January '07 meeting. They now say the sole purpose for the meeting was so they could "just listen" to our concerns. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They didn't come to listen. They didn't come to restore a broken relationship between us and Christ. They didn't come to restore a broken relationship between sisters. They came to our home for one reason and one reason only—to restore their own agenda. They saw the plan they carefully crafted and secretly put into was place falling apart and they were panicked and angry. What they wanted to restore was our submission to them. They did not try to restore a relationship by listening or by engaging in honest conversation. They tried to restore their own evil agenda by domination, deceit, threats, accusations, vicious lies, manipulations, and control.

Trying to restore a fellow believer from heading down a wrong path and trying restore you own evil agenda of trickery and false accusations is as different as night and day. Yet, in their minds (deceived state), they have convinced themselves they followed Step #1 of God's principles.

Step #2: 

Jesus says to take other people with you if Step #1 doesn't work.

My sister and brother-in-law "believe" this is what they were doing when they contacted our pastors multiple times. My brother-in-law called one of our Associate Pastors, introduced himself, and told him there was a broken relationship between themselves and leaders within the church. He told our Pastor they were trying to follow Matthew 18 and Step #1 had failed so they were contacting him to ask his help in facilitating a meeting between us. Sounds biblical doesn't it? Yet, the purpose wasn't for reconciliation. It was for manipulation. Our Pastor, with God's wisdom, knew something wasn't right. He told them he would speak to us and call them back.

Our Pastor called me on my cell phone. It was my day to watch our grandson and I was taking him for a stroller ride to the park. Our Pastor told me about receiving a phone call from my brother-in-law and he asked me if Matthew 18:15 had been tried. I told him there definitely was a break down in our relationship but this was not a situation where my sister and brother-in-law were looking for personal restoration. I explained it was our business "partnership" that had to end and we were trying to break free from any type of business ties with them. I shared with him some of what we were learning about their personal lives and business practices; I shared with him what happened in the January '07 meeting and the revised "agreement" they tricked us into signing; I shared how we had already sought counsel with the Senior Pastor about the situation; I explained how my sister and brother-in-law were demanding we compromise our belief system and that once we became aware we did not share the same core principles and values as my sister and brother-in-law, we knew we had to separate ourselves from them. It was a good conversation.

Our Associate Pastor called my brother-in-law back and declined to set up a meeting. My sister and brother-in-law were angry that our Pastors would not help them with their agenda. Their son later told us that this Associate Pastor was a "moron." Can you imagine what that meeting would have been like? Oh, my sister and brother-in-law would have appeared so concerned; they would have said how during the first meeting they came back just to listen; they just don't understand what is going on; they never asked us to lie or compromise our beliefs; I must have misunderstood; I was emotionally unstable; they don't know if they will ever be able to trust us again; they didn't trick us into anything; yadda, yadda, yadda. God would have revealed truth to our Pastors, but thank-you, Lord, that we were spared from that!

Our Associate Pastor called me back to tell me the conversation with my brother-in-law did not go well and to be careful. He felt they were unpredictable and may try to arrive at our house unannounced to confront us. Sure enough, several days later we arrived home late at night to find my nephew sitting on our dark porch waiting for us to return so he could confront us. We live in a secluded area. He had parked his car (off the road and hidden) in a woods adjoining our property and trespassed across multiple farm fences and fields to arrive at our porch.

In their mind's eye, they "believe" they are following Jesus' instructions. How do you get into a deceived state? By compromise and disobedience. There has to be a purposeful turning away FROM following truth. You aren't forcefully overtaken and it doesn't happen as a victim of circumstance. It is instead the direct result of the choices you make. A "little" sin never remains little and before you know it, wrong becomes right and right becomes wrong.

After their Step #2 scheme (not obedience) failed, they moved on to the next step.

Step #3:

Tell the church.

And so they did. More phone calls. Emails. Letters. Trying to manipulate our Senior Pastor (manipulation is how our Senior Pastor described it) and force the church to remove us from our leadership positions by implying threats and embarrassment to the church through intimidation. All to continue to try to further their own agenda and not for the purpose of restoration. All night and day different from what Jesus was saying in Matthew 18:15–17.

I've said this before. My sister and brother-in-law somehow believe (or at the very least project) themselves to be like us (upright, honest, trustworthy, believers) and they project their actions (dishonest, untrustworthy, liars, unbelievers) upon us. Incredible. Our actions and lives speak for themselves, and so does theirs. The things we have learned through this lawsuit, discovery, and the passage of time, have shown us more of the iceberg—the truth. You cannot deny the facts. Like Jesus said: A good tree cannot produce bad fruit and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. As much as they want to claim they are a good tree, I believe their actions speak otherwise.

In their deceived state they can't figure out why Step #1 – Step #3 didn't work. In a letter to our Senior Pastor, my sister and brother-in-law said they were "mystified" about why none of the steps to restoration worked and so now they were "forced" to file a very public lawsuit against us as a "defensive move." And that brings us to the next step.

Step #4:

Break all ties.

"The storm" begins. The "big guns" (my brother-in-law's words) are brought out and they file a lawsuit against us as a "defensive" move. Trying to make us pay them three quarters of a million dollars doesn't sound like a "defensive" move to me.    

My sister used to say that you had to take everything our Mom and Dad said and turn it 180 degrees. Now I understand that is what I have to do with her actions. She projected her problems on to Mom and Dad. Now, my sister and brother-in-law are projecting their moral, ethical, legal, and religious failures on to us, or at least they are attempting to. By their actions you would think we were the ones who tricked them into a "revised agreement"; lied about it; promised to change it; removed $250k from the project funds for our personal use; refused to return the money or sign a promissory note for it; refused to remove the "revised agreement"; and then filed suit against them.

My sister and brother-in-law, think they followed the biblical principles of Matthew 18. But then they follow it up with a direct violation of both Old Testament standards and the written instructions of the New Testament, and they file a lawsuit against a fellow "believer." And not just any lawsuit, but the most personal, vindictive and vicious lawsuit our lawyer has seen in years if not ever.

How do they explain that to themselves? I guess by saying it was a "defensive" move they rationalize they didn't do it and once again project their actions on to us.   

Twisted, sick, and deceived thinking. Lord, have mercy on them.

Addendum: Well the Settlement Conference is over, and it was not successful. The judge was awesome. He was so wise and did his very best. But you cannot deal rationally with people who are irrational.

The judge told us that less than 2% of civil lawsuits ever make it to trial. I guess we are going to be in that "special" 2%. I'm guessing that the rest of the cases that make the 2% are like ours and not really about the merits of the case at all but are about personal vendettas and revenge. What they wanted was absurd. The good thing about it is that it was so absurd that there was no doubt what our answer had to be. So, we will wait to see when a trial will be scheduled. The judge tried to tell them that we don't have that kind of money and their response was, "they have a successful business." Our business is a small business with expensive equipment but it is not a cash cow. If you sell your equipment then you don't have a business. We couldn't come up with that much money if we sold everything we own.

The judge clearly saw what the motives were behind the issues.

The Lord is faithful, and He once again gave them another opportunity to do the right thing and drop this lawsuit. My sister and brother-in-law always accuse us of "digging in," another projection on to us of who and what they do. I'm learning that this projection, both the projection of assuming our qualities upon themselves and asserting their actions upon us, is symptomatic of a personality disorder.

It has been several years since we have seen them. Whenever we see them I find it very shocking. They both arrived in court in blue jeans. My brother-in-law's jeans looked like he had worn them for days or weeks without washing. They both looked very disheveled, hard, and unhealthy. Their personas do not portray any kind of peace or contentment in their lives. It is so sad. So very, very sad. LORD, what is it going to take? Will they ever understand how to have peace and contentment in their lives? Will they ever turn FROM the lies and turn TO truth—YOUR TRUTH?

On a side note: Today the guys came to begin building the shelter that is a symbol of God's protection in our lives. They should be finished tomorrow and the antique lithograph store manger scene that I bought last year (but didn't know what I was going to do with it) will go in the shelter the next day. This shelter represents what God told the Israelites to do during the Feast of Shelters. They were to build a shelter on their property to remind them of how God took care of them while they were in the wilderness. That is why we are building this simple shelter. It is a reminder to ourselves, the generations that follow us, and all that come to our home—HE IS THE ONE—who protected us and took care of us while following HIS path in this trial.


Next Entry: Matthew 18:15 – 19:30 (Continued)     

Matthew 11:20 – 12:50

May 01, 2012

I find it interesting that the same things that kept people from believing in and trusting Jesus back in Bible times, is the same thing that keeps people from believing in (and obeying) Him now; the need to be in control ourselves and wanting a "god" that fits our own agenda instead of getting the

God

↓

Man

relationship in the correct order and submitting our lives to His. Control—verses—Submission. It's not about us! It is about Him.

• "We played music for you, but you didn't dance."
• "We sang a sad song, but you did not cry."
• John the Baptist came and did not eat or drink and they accuse him of having demons.
• Jesus comes eating and drinking and they accuse Him of doing it too much.
• Jesus does miracles—but they don't change their lives.
• Jesus' followers pick and eat grain on the Sabbath and the Pharisees throw a fit.
• The Pharisees try to trick and trap Jesus.
• Jesus heals a man's hand on the Sabbath—and the Pharisees make plans to kill Him.
• Jesus heals a blind man who also could not talk—and the Pharisees accuse Him of using Satan's powers. They just could not stand the thought that Jesus did not fit in their mold.

Still today, people try to create a god to their liking. Look at all the different denominations and theologies. All trying to put their own spin on who they think Jesus should be and creating their own god, with a

Man

↓

god

model. Man being in control and their "god" subservient. Why do we make things so difficult? Jesus' words are very clear.

• Wisdom is proved to be right by what it does.
• How terrible for you! I did all these miracles, I showed you who I was, but still you would not listen, and you would not change your life and stop sinning. On Judgment day it will be better for Sodom than for you.
• I have hidden truth from those who think themselves wise and smart.  
• I have shown truth to those who will trust me like little children.  
• God the Father and I are one. To know me is to know Him. 
• Come to me! You who are tired and weary and you who have heavy loads. Come to me. I will give you rest.
• Accept my teachings. Learn from me. I am gentle. I am humble, and you will find (Find!!  Not work for, not achieve, but find!) rest for your souls. You will find it because I will give it. 
• What I am asking you to accept is easy. All you have to do is believe me and trust me.
• What I give you to carry is light. If your load is too heavy then you haven't given it all to me. Because what I give you to carry is light.
• I keep telling you this but you just don't seem to get it. Matthew 12:7 - "I want kindness more than animal sacrifice." (See Psalm 51:17) "You don't really know what those words means. If you understood them, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong."

Next Entry: Matthew 11:20 – 12:50 (Continued)

Hosea 6:1 – 10:15 (Continued)

February 1, 2012

Sadly, instead of planting goodness, they chose instead to plow evil. "But you have plowed evil and harvested trouble; you have eaten the fruit of your lies. Because you have trusted in your own power and your many soldiers." (Hosea 10:13)

God gave the Israelites many years of grace. But there came a time when God took it a step farther. When they refused to change their hearts, he removed from them the things they relied upon. He gave them opportunity after opportunity to repent and change. He could have given up on them and left them. But he didn't. He pursued them even further. He took from them what was keeping them from him. "Their heart was false, and now they must pay for their guilt. The LORD will break down (NIV - demolish) their altars; he will destroy (KJV - spoil) their holy stone pillars." (Hosea 10:2)

It was for their own good that God destroyed the very things they relied upon. His purpose was not to hurt them. It was to restore them.

Whatever it takes LORD... whatever it takes! We open our hands to you, LORD.

Psalm 81 - Choose the Lord's blessings!

Addendum:  9/20/15 ~ How appropriate to be reading and writing about Hosea 6:1 – 10:15 today. This afternoon I finally sat down and read the 40+ page ruling from the judge. I just hate reading these papers; papers filled with their lies and false accusations. Before I started, I got down on my knees and asked God for wisdom, discernment, and the Holy Spirit's protection over my thoughts and emotions—and then I began. When I got to page 22, I remember thinking—okay, I am halfway through, I can do this. I just find their lies, insinuations, and false charges so toxic. I took notes and emailed my thoughts to our lawyer. Then I got up and went outside.

My husband and I went for a brisk walk. It was good to get outside and clear our minds. We once again surrendered our ALL to the Kings of kings and Lord of lords. We praised the LORD for His protection and guidance these last eight years of dealing with "the storm" and asked Him once again for His blessings on our lives. He is faithful... and we trust Him.

On one hand, God has graciously given my sister and brother-n-law eight years of Grace, but yet it does not appear they are going to accept that Grace. The anger, revenge, and pursuit of ill-gotten gains still continues and rules their lives.

Addendum #2: 12/11/19 ~ Four more years have passed... and still they are pursuing the enforcement of their underhanded schemes. Fourteen years ago their deceptive plan was put in place. Fourteen years!! How does someone doggedly continue to pursue what the LORD calls evil for fourteen years?! My mind just cannot comprehend it. The answer can only be that not only does anger, revenge, and the pursuit of ill-gotten gain rule their lives, it is also the fuel that keeps them going. It is so sad. So very, very, sad.


Next Entry: Hosea 11:1 – 14:9

Daniel 10:1 – 12:13

January 26, 2012

The conclusion of Daniel.

Daniel has another vision. It is written in great detail. I don't understand all the details, but one thing is clear—God is in control. Nothing is left to chance, not here on earth, and not in the heavens. There are powers at work that we cannot see or even imagine. Our finite minds cannot understand the infinite Power, Majesty, Holiness, Authority, and Glory of the God of the universe. There just are not enough human words to adequately express who or what God is! The idea we can presume upon Him, or by our actions abuse His Grace, is just such an arrogant thought. Psalm 8:4 - "What is man that you are mindful of him?"  've written this before. When you even begin to understand a glimpse of His Awesomeness, falling to your face before him and crying Holy, Holy, Holy, just isn't enough. No wonder we have eternity to worship and praise HIM. No less time would ever be enough.

The man said to Daniel, "Do not be afraid. Some time ago you decided to get understanding and to humble yourself before your God. Since that time God has listened to you, and I have come because of your prayers... don't be afraid. God loves you very much. Peace be with you. Be strong now; be courageous." (Daniel 10:12) Hard times will come, but it is for your good. It will make you stronger, purer, and without fault. When the time for the end comes, it will come. "What God has planned to happen will happen." It will happen exactly when and how God intends it to happen. Nothing is left to happenstance. Romans 8:39 - "No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand."

Daniel 12 - The Time of the End

"Everyone whose name is written in God's book will be saved. Many people who have already died will live again. Some of them will wake up to have life forever, but some will wake up to find shame and disgrace forever. The wise person will shine like the brightness of the sky. Those who teach others to live right will shine like stars forever and ever... Many people will be made clean, pure, and spotless, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. Those wicked people will not understand these things, but the wise will understand them... as for you... go your way until the end. You will get your rest, and at the end you will receive your reward."

Revelation 22:17 -

"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" Let the one who hears this say, "Come!" Let whoever is thirsty come; whoever wishes may have the water of life as a free gift." 

Revelation 22:20–21 -

"Jesus, the One who says these things are true, says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.' Amen.  Come, LORD Jesus! The grace of the LORD Jesus be with all.  Amen." 

Next Entry: Hosea 1:1 – 3:5