Overcoming fear...

Sometimes, things, unknown things, can cause us to be fearful. I've noticed that as I get older, I am less inclined to go to unfamiliar places, and I'll experience a little fearfulness, some apprehension. Which brings me to my point.

I have wanted to start going back to church since we've moved, and it has been five months since I attended any church. Yet the thought of going into an unfamiliar church alone is daunting. 

I woke on Sunday, unsure, yet I got ready just in case I had enough courage to do it.

Why something so benign can cause me to physically shake made no sense. 

I have gone to church nearly every Sunday for most of my life. Church has always been an integral part of my life. Yet here I was, fearful and praying for God to give me strength and courage as I kept looking at the clock, like it was the count down to D-Day. But I pressed on determined to conquer my fear, and out the door I went. 

As I pulled into the church parking lot, I could feel my heartbeat and I kept reminding myself it would be okay. After all, it's church, not a police station. 

If you are wondering how it was... It was okay, but it was definitely not the church I could call home, not for me anyway.

Maybe I can talk about that in another blog. However, I am glad I went, and I was blessed. 

So, my search continues. I just hope  my courage to find the right church also continues. 

If you also find yourself a little fearful I encourage you to think on this...

"Choose faith over feelings and do what you know is right even when you don't feel like it."

"Progress involves overcoming fear."

Blessings everyone!

Mindy Lou 2009 -2025

 Mindy Lou 2009 - 2025

It has been a long cold, hard winter, and even though the calendar says it is springtime, the weather is still cold, and winter seems to want to hold on with all its might.

To be perfectly honest the weather is a good reflection of this season of my life. Every once in a while, I get a glimpse of the warmth that life offers, only to be overtaken by the cold winds of turmoil. Yet by the grace of God, I prevail.

Unfortunately, on April 2, 2025, my beloved little Sheltie, Mindy Lou, passed over the rainbow bridge. She had been in a slow but steady decline for the last two years. I honestly think that after her companion, Missy May died in October of 2023, was the beginning of her decline, (I have a blog posted on December 14, 2025, about Missy May).

“Perfect” is the word that best describes Mindy Lou. She was always obedient and completely loyal, almost to a fault. Her goal in life was to please me, and that she did, completely. 

Mindy Lou was a AKC purebred Shetland Sheepdog, born on June 2, 2009, and I got her from the Humane Society in September of 2009 as a 12-week-old pup. The entire litter as well as the parents had been confiscated for cruelty.

I never had to work at training her (except house breaking). She seemed to instantly understand everything I went to teach her. Sit, stay, and come were learned, understood and remembered within moments. The first time I put her on a leash to walk; she promptly took my lead and walked next to me like it was nothing new to her. She was nothing short of amazing.

Her beauty was unsurpassed. She loved when I groomed her, it was our special time together. When we were finished, I’d put a bow in her hair, and she would prance around like she knew how pretty she looked. There is so much I could say about this amazing dog, but time and space inhibit me. She will be forever loved and missed. 

💖"I will endure a lifetime of missing you 

        for the privilege of loving you." 💖

Road Blocks

Life can bring turn of events that can hit so hard, getting back up seems impossible. This is what has happened in my life. 

In the last five months I have experienced such emotional pain, and disappointment, along with life alternating change. I am still reeling from the fall out. 

Even my faith faltered, leaving me questioning the very existence of a good God that cared for his children. I don't know how much I will reveal in today's blog. For I  have not yet fully recovered, nor do I know if I will ever recover. But I do believe God is trying to help me. That in itself is a huge milestone for me. 

One thing I found that gives me a little joy, and I wish to share is making pictures that can include a Bible verse or a thought to contemplate or a provoking thought. 

I hope you find them comforting and fun also.

God bless and I will talk to you again soon.🥰

@Patti Rose Life Happens 

Merry Christmas🎄

Let's remind ourselves. . . Who Jesus is. . .and let us never. . .Cease to be amazed. . .

As the cries of a newborn filled the air. . . His heart beat next to Mary's - a human heart.

The LORD has come.

Every baby is a gift, but this One was the best gift of all.

Jesus Christ our Immanuel, God with us. . .

The Creator that possesses all glory and power. . .

Yet chose to enter our world. . .

As a little child. . .

To dwell with us and restore relationship with us.

Jesus, is the Word of God... available to all who seek Him. . .

Jesus the Holy One. . .

Brilliant in majesty and in authority. . .

Perfect without sin. . .

He gives us reason to hope. . .

Because He alone clothes us in divine righteousness.

 

I hope you enjoy watching the video. . . Blessing to you and yours this Holiday season.🎄🎁💗

https://youtu.be/LvMwbJHS84k?si=4NMY6eZ4nFVojAIA

https://youtu.be/LvMwbJHS84k

 We lost an important member of our family...   

  

For sixteen years she has been a part of our life. 

            "Missy May 2007 - 2023" 

Her antics kept us amused and amazed. She was so full of life...everyday she enjoyed exploring with her nose to the ground smelling all she could take in. 

She loved everyone and wanted to be loved by everyone. The world truly was her oyster - because everyday she would find a pearl! 

 

Forever loved and forever missed - until we meet again. 

Romans 8:19-21 AMPC 

For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship]. For the creation (nature) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it—[yet] with the hope That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children.

 

 

                                                          
   

Silly little ants...🐜

 I would like to share with you a comment that I read online from a person giving a response to an unbeliever on an open news blog:

 "Silly little ants, swarming around the foot of an ELEPHANT. You cannot demean OUR GOD. You’d better get to know Him. He owns it all, even the computer you are typing on…it’s all His. Silly little ants". 🐜🐜🐜

 So true, so many people are like silly little ants thinking they can defeat an elephant! 

I hope you enjoy reading this and pray that everyone has a very

 Blessed Resurrection Day!

CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS

In desperation, the Philippian jailor cried, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul’s reply was simple: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts:16:31). The great apostle said nothing about baptism or sacraments, candles, incense, church attendance, reforming one’s life, or anything else being necessary or even helpful for salvation. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that there is nothing a sinner can do , much less must do , to pay the infinite penalty required by God’s justice. One can and need only believe in Christ, who paid the penalty in full: “It is finished” (John:19:30)!

Scripture could not be clearer: “To him that worketh not , but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly , his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans:4:5); “For by grace are ye saved, through faith... not of works , lest any man should boast” (Eph:2:8,9). To attempt to do anything for one’s salvation beyond believing “on the Lord Jesus Christ” is to deny that Christ paid the full penalty for sin on the cross and to reject God’s offer on that basis of forgiveness and eternal life as a free gift of His grace. Clearly, we can be saved only by faith in Christ

Suppose someone claims to be a “Christian,” believes in Christ as a historical person and the best of men, admires and seeks to follow Christ’s selfless example, is emotional about Christ’s suffering and death on the cross, and regularly goes to church. Yet he thinks it doesn’t matter whether or not Christ was virgin-born, or whether He is God come as a man to die in full payment for our sins upon the cross, or whether He rose from the dead. Is such a person saved? Does he really “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ”? Or does he admire and believe in “another Jesus...another spirit...another gospel” (2 Cor:11:3,4)? Does it really matter, or are we just “splitting hairs”?

Christ warned a group of Jews, “ye shall...die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come....if ye believe not that I am he ...[ he is in italics, added by the translators] (John:8:21,24). “I AM” is the name of God that He revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Ex 3:14) and that Christ clearly claims for Himself: “I and my Father are one” (John:10:30). Isaiah declared prophetically that the Messiah who would be born of a virgin (Isa:7:14) would be “The mighty God, The everlasting Father” (Is 9:6). Christ’s language is precise. He doesn’t tell the Jews, “Before Abraham was, I was.” He says, “Before Abraham was, I am ” (John:8:58). He is the self-existent One without beginning or end, “the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev:1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13).

So we have it from the lips of Christ himself that in order to be saved, one must believe that He is God come as a man through the promised virgin birth. Of course, that makes sense. No one but God could be our Savior. Repeatedly, Yahweh, the “God of Israel” (203 times from Ex 5:1 to Luke 1:68) declares that He is the only Savior (Isa:43:11; Hos:13:4, etc.). To be saved, one must believe that Christ is God. To deny this essential is to reject the gospel that saves. 

Consider your heart, the Bible tells us that it is deceitful and wicked. It is only by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith that one is given a new heart. A heart that the Holy Spirit can now teach and reveal His Truths! 

Obedience is not a “No;” it's His best “Yes!"

 John 13:17 “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

Obedience can be an intimidating word. Depending on our upbringing and other influences from our early life, it may invoke different emotions.

For some, it conjures up thoughts of harsh, and pointless rules that seemed overwhelming and unfair instead of life-giving and fulfilling.

For others, it may have been a lack of intimacy, a sense of feeling unloved, and never feeling good- enough or measuring up.

Yet for many of us, the word itself feels like a threat to our desire for independence and it goes against our need for self-reliance and self-sufficiency.

But the kind of obedience that our good, loving, God requires—

is neither legalistic nor lacking in affection.

Although it places needed boundaries and demands on us—as in, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (as we are instructed in Matt. 16:24)

You see, each bit of instruction He gives is born out of the tenderness of His heart toward us and His desire to steer us toward His best for our lives.

Obedience is not a “no;” it is actually His best “yes”.

His grace leads us to freedom, wholeness, and health. It opens us up to His blessings.

The irony of obedience is it may require real sacrifice from us, while somehow leading to blessings and incomparable provision.

You see -

   • It binds us while concurrently loosing us.

 

   • It holds us tightly while also letting us go.

 

   • It redirects us only to replenish and renew us.

 

   • It restrains us while simultaneously releasing us.

 

   • It limits us while also opening up possibility.

 

Without our intentional surrender to the Lord...we cannot experience the benefits that surrender brings.

We must intentionally pursue obedience.

If left to our flesh’s tendencies toward rebellion, we will live in a consistent state of resistance toward God and His ways.

But if we (literally) plan to obey, we put ourselves in position to purposefully hear what the Lord wants from us, it’s only then we will experience the supernatural joy of following Him.

To help you understand this concept...

If you ever experienced trying to get out the door in the morning for school or work while wrangling with toddlers or even teenagers, in order for this to happen... With everyone dressed and fed and in one piece, you know that this involves some planning, it takes a strategy. Otherwise its nothing but a recipe for chaos and frustration.

And as any mom knows – Nothing would get accomplished during your morning routine without a plan. Having a spur of the moment, flying-by-the-seat-of-our-pants routine would invite nothing but mayhem.

Now let’s apply this same logic to something even more important than a mom’s sanity on a weekday morning.

So, remember that key I shared in my previous video. The key of surrendered obedience.

Because if you desire to use your key of surrender and obedience...what you need is a plan.

We aren’t haphazard with a lot of the things we think is important in life: our health, our retirement plan, our monthly calendar of appointments. 

We even enlist others to help us stay on track with some of those things—help we’re sometimes willing to pay for!

So, what about our commitment to being spiritually aligned with the God of the universe and with how He wants to direct our hearts?

If we don’t put an intentional resolve and strategic course of action for following Him in place, we’re basically leaving it up in the air, susceptible to the flighty whims of our circumstances and feelings. There’s simply too much eternal treasure at stake for that.

Psalm 105:4 “Seek and deeply long for the Lord and His strength [His power, His might]; Seek and deeply long for His face and His presence continually.”

 

 

The Key of Obedience🗝️

 

Obedience Takes Surrender

I realize how difficult surrender can often be and without the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, our hearts will be hard and indifferent.
Some of the things that keep us from surrendering to the Lord, are fear, pride, laziness, selfishness, and even becoming impatient with God’s timing.
Likewise, being busy with personal ambitions, and even concern that we might be hearing God wrong. All will keep us from hear God’s voice.

And it’s things like these that keep us distracted and rob us and will keep us disoriented, unfocussed and confused.

I believe that every true believer desires to hear God clearly.

Let’s look at what Jesus stated in John 5:30; “I can do nothing on my own initiative or authority. Just as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just (fair, righteous, [and] unbiased), because I do not seek My own will, but only the will of Him who sent Me.”

Notice what Jesus didn’t seek and what He did seek.
Clearly Jesus was not ignoring the fact that He possessed a will of His own.
Yet He was committed to honoring His Father’s will above it.
The defining characteristic of His life was that He was prepared to obey at all times. He was humble and available to do His Father’s bidding over His own sentiments and ambitions as a man.

You and I have our own will too. And that’s normal. Our problem comes from not surrendering our will to the Father’s all-perfect will, His all-wise will, and His all-good will.

Most of us fear the loss of our hopes, our dreams, and our ambitions should we ever submit ourselves entirely to the Father’s will.
We imagine them being crushed and discarded, never to be fulfilled.

Honoring God’s directives will indeed require adjustments on our part, but it will never leave us lacking.

The will that is submitted to Him is not extinguished; it is simply surrendered.

It becomes like clay in the Potter’s hand— soft pliable and moldable—we are, or rather we become the raw material for a masterpiece made by Him.

We don’t lose. We win! 

Have you been concerned about “losing yourself” if you surrender completely to God?
I know was... I remember asking the Lord “What about Patti? What happens to me? I couldn’t seem to wrap my head around it.

Yet surrender is the key.

We must stand and position ourselves to be obedient—that’s how the door flings open for His voice to be heard and His will to be accomplished.

We learned in the last devotion in Psalm 32:8, that the Lord says to those of His children who freely submit their wills to His (that He) will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; (that He) will counsel you with (His) eye upon you.

I also said that - Facing up to this issue of obedience is the alpha and omega of how we hear from God.

That obedience isn’t just one of the keys. That it is the key that unlocks all of the blessings God intends for us.

So, I want you to hold a key in your mind’s eye. Now picture this key being unlike any other key you’ve ever seen or used before—let this key that you are visualizing be big, and shiny, maybe it even has a few jewels in it. Because this is a key that is able to unlock something you’ve never experienced before.

This key is unique and is only for you. For it is God’s specific assignment and calling exclusively made for you. 

But it’s your choice to receive this key, and it’s your choice to take seriously the privilege of using it, for only you can make the commitment to use your key. 

If this is your desire...

Then let God search you. As we’re told in Psalm 26:2, “Examine me, (prove me) O Lord, and try me; Test my heart and my mind.”

And ask the Father to reveal what might be keeping you from totally surrendering to Him in every area and every part of your life. Ask Him to reveal any hardened (calloused) places in your heart.

This will require courage and tenacity.
And even without full clarity as to what the Lord may ask you to do...
Or how He may instruct you to use it, now or in the future...
It’s up to you to make that choice... to say “Yes, Lord.”

For this, is the key of obedience that will unlock all that the Father intends for you.

Now don’t expect to wake up tomorrow doing everything perfectly... That isn’t how it works.

This “obedience thing” takes time... Time for God to show you the areas in your life, and in your attitude... Time for the Lord to expose things you may not have even realized were there.

Remember from our previous devotion, what Psalm 32:8 told us, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you. 

For...

This key to obedience, is a willing heart and a will purposefully set to live for Christ. 

A Cold Chilly Day 💯 We Must Make a Decision

 

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you.” Amplified Version

There comes a time in every Christians life when we must make a decision.

Do we want the freedom to do what we think is best for our life or will we follow the direction God wants us to go?

Are we going to submit to the Holy Spirit’s authority, or will we rebel and do things our own way?

As Christ followers we must understand that...

Freedom, fulfillment, and victory hinges for every one of us on this decision... "Will we Obey?"

Because until we face up to this issue of obedience, we will not experience harmony, fulfillment, or victory.

Each of us need to realize that obedience comes before hearing from God.

Although many believers seem to have started their journey backwards.

Because. . .

Facing up to this issue of obedience is the alpha and omega of how we hear from God. Obedience isn’t just one of the keys. It is the key that unlocks all of the blessings God intends for us.

Just as physical growth is an inevitable indicator of life and health.

The same is true for our spiritual lives.

If our spiritual lives are healthy, we should see growth and changes in our perspective, this is simply the natural progression.

Hearing from God starts with our commitment to humble obedience.
No, we’re not going to do it perfectly. But we must do it purposefully.
Our ears need to be primed to hear and discern God’s voice.

However. . . and this is an important however. . .

We’re not likely to hear anything from God until we’ve abandoned our tug of war with Him. . . between our will and His.

We will continue with this tug of war until we surrender.

Drawing a clear connection between obedience and hearing God is the critical piece of discerning God’s will and His ways. 

We will stifle the voice and conviction of God’s Spirit within us the more we ignore or disregard it.

He will not waste His words for very long on those who aren’t posed to obey.

A tender, and submissive heart is one that is sensitive enough to continually detect God’s leading.
But is also one that is able to pinpoint when other voices whether from the enemy, or fear, or even our own ego, seek to lead us astray.

So, this leaves each of us with a few tough questions:

Do you intend to obey God?

Do you really want to do His will? 

Or perhaps have you already decided to follow your own way despite what God’s Spirit will say? 

You might as well be honest. (He already knows your answer.)

The choice is personal, only you can answer these questions for yourself.

Psalm 25:14 says, “The secret [of the wise counsel] of the Lord is for those who fear Him, And He will let them know His covenant and reveal to them [through His word] its [deep, inner] meaning.” Amplified Version

My prayer is that the Lord will soften your heart. . . to lay down your own ambitions and elevate His will above your own.  

God bless and I hope to continue this study on hearing God’s voice in our next devotion.

What’s Your Song? April 13 2023

 The sound of Jesus’ death thunderously split earth, tore through religion, and climaxed with the death-defying salvation symphony of Easter morning. He is risen, and we’ve never stopped singing about it. 

The once profane, slave-trading sailor, John Newton, heard the reverberating, life-changing sounds of Easter and was remade into the anti-slavery song-writer of Amazing Grace.

Joseph Scriven lost the love of his life, twice, then went on to cut wood and work sometimes for no wages, to help the widows, the sick, and the underserved around him. Despite life’s deafening pains, He also heard that sweet sound of salvation and wrote, What a Friend We Have in Jesus. 

On his father’s cotton farm, Albert E. Brumley began humming along with salvation’s tune. Because of Jesus, everyone can sing and believe the eternal hope of I’ll Fly Away. 

And if Horatio Spafford can look down at the ocean that stole his four children, and then in the same boat look lovingly up to the God who welcomed them home, then we can all sing his song, It Is Well with My Soul.  

So here is some questions I want to ask you...

What’s your song? What has He taught you to say? What makes you sing?
How have the sounds of Easter reached into your life and changed you? 

You don’t have to be a song writer or a poet. Just write down what God’s done. Everyone has a song in their heart.

Psalm 33:3; tells us, "Sing to him a new song..."

And Psalm 40:3; says, "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God..."

So write down your song. Then find a quiet place, and read it and better yet, sing it, back to God.

Add your words to the symphony of salvation, and if you do, our good and gracious Father will be saying, “How sweet the sound.” 

 *Taken in part from, How sweet the sound devotion.

God bless, I'll see you in the next video.😇🕊️✝️

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME 4/3/2023

 Proverbs 30:4 ESV

Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
  Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son's name?
    Surely you know!

Philippians 2:9-11 ESV

Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Have you ever noticed how often ‘the name of God’ or ‘His name’ is mentioned throughout the testimony of Scripture? If so, have you ever really thought about why the name of God is so significant and even central in the Word?

Why is His name a refuge and strong tower (like we’re told in Proverbs 18:10. 

And in Ex 20:7, why is it so important that we never take the name of the Lord in vain?
(There are far too many verses to list) but, why is it imperative that we bless His name and exalt His name and praise His name?
And why, if we pray in His name and ask for anything, (as John 16:24 tells us) will He respond? 

I think, in today’s world, the notion that a ‘name’ would be so important, may seem a little strange and not make much sense to us.
But it is important, and this is why - you see, biblically, a name is not just a name, it’s an entire identity.
It’s a story. It’s a revelation. It’s a message. It’s the description of the unique attributes, character, and personality of an individual. 

The reason that we sing “What a beautiful name” is not because “Jesus” is a beautiful word or an especially nice-sounding name, it’s because Jesus is a beautiful and glorious Person. 

When we run into the strong tower of His name we are safe.

It’s not because His name has special protective powers, but because Jesus Himself is our refuge and our strength.

We end our prayers “In the name of Jesus,” because we enter into His presence with thankfulness and with the confidence to draw near to the throne of grace because of Who Jesus is and what He’s done.

In fact, the only way we can truly enter into His presence with boldness, is through our certainty of Who He is.

If we think about the commandment to never take His name in vain, it parallels the command for us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our mind and all our strength.

We must never take God for granted or belittle who He is... especially with our lips.

His name is holy, because He is holy. His name is the reflection of, and testimony to, all of the glory and goodness that makes Him who He is.

The whole of our worship is wrapped up in the wonderful name of Jesus because our faith is wrapped up in the identity of the beautiful God-Man -Christ Jesus.

Jesus is the name that is above every other name, because He is supreme and preeminent in His identity and existence.

Just as Colossians 1:16-18 says, "For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent."

 You see, this is the God who created the stars, the planets, and the galaxies, and holds them all together by His Word.

For He is the One who put the mountains in their places and set the boundaries of the oceans, He tells the flowers to bloom in Spring and opens His hand to feed and satisfy every living thing.

God is the One who sustains the very breath in your lungs.

He is the incomparable One who is slow to anger, rich in mercy, abounding in love, compassionate, kind, faithful, true, and just.

Our God... left His throne with a multitude of angels singing His praises, and the Word was made flesh.

The God who made the heavens in all its glory was born in human flesh and laid in a dirty manger in Bethlehem.

He grew in wisdom and in stature.

And all the while, with every word He spoke and every movement of He made, He was revealing the God Most High.

Jesus, God-in-the-flesh walked the long road of Calvary carrying a Cross that was not His.

He let men, with the very hands that He Himself knit together in their mothers’ wombs, nail Him to that Cross of shame, and cried out “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”

God, the Son, gave His life so that we could be with Him where He is.

But even death itself could not contain the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords.

Indeed, the Risen Christ overthrew the power of death, and before returning to His Father and His throne, He made sure His disciples knew He hadn’t left them and He never would, even to the end of the age.

This is our God, who even now sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you and for me and watches over our lives with His loving-kindness.

And we look up with a longing for His return and say… “Come, Lord Jesus, come.”

We remember and Think on His goodness, His glory, His beauty, His tender mercies, His justice, His faithfulness, His kindness, His patience, and His great love, and we bless His Name, a beautiful Name! 

We remember how He’s helped us with such faithfulness and kindness.  and how we see how His hand has helped and guided us, and we sing praises to His wonderful Name, a beautiful Name!  

We realize that there is no one like Him, no one who even comes close to Him and we fall to our knees and worship His holy Name.

We worship His Name, we pray in His Name, and we hide ourselves in His Name.

And we sing of His Name, we delight and exult in His Name, and we never ever take His Name in vain, all because - this Name is the fullness of who God is…

It is the revelation and identity of God Himself in all His unsearchable glory.

What a beautiful Name it is… the Name of Jesus Christ our King...

What a beautiful Name it is… because absolutely nothing compares to Him.

 

Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! (Psalm 113:2-3 ESV)

 

Charles Spurgeon said: “Let the music of His name ring in your ears all the day long; and if you would have it ring in your ears, it must ring from your tongue. Whenever you have the opportunity, tell the marvelous story of His great love…”

Everything is Different

 Zephaniah 3:17 

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

If you are in Christ, the God of the universe sings over you. He sings loudly and lovingly over you as a proud, faithful, and very happy Father.

If we know who God really is, and if we’re honest about who we really are, that should be absolutely stunning.

Because of our sin, we do not deserve to be spared by God, much less to be loved and even prized by God. 

We’ll never truly understand God and the gospel until we understand just how little we deserve from God.

Before we were saved, we were enemies of God, earning His awful, unthinkable wrath with our sin.  

Every day that we lived for ourselves, and not for God, we were falling deeper and deeper into a debt we could never repay.

Although we didn’t yet know how serious the situation was, we were thoroughly and eternally helpless and desperate. There was nothing we could do to remedy our rebellion, and so we were headed to a place of everlasting punishment. 

But now, based on nothing we did on our own, God is singing over us. Instead of spending eternity crushed by His wrath, we’ll be forever wrapped in His loving kindness.  

And because He is singing over you, everything is different.  

Before our life in Christ, we were dead - no life in us at all. Sin had robbed us of abundant life with God, and left us alienated and hopeless (as Ephesians 2:12 clearly affirms).

Before, we were aggressively and recklessly trying to find life and happiness in the things of this world. 

Before, we couldn’t see Jesus for who He is, God himself - our Lord, our Savior, and our Treasure. 

We were like the crowds that came to Jesus looking to see signs and wonders. (John 2:23–25), or like the Pharisees who missed Jesus because they were looking for power, fame, and influence.

Then - Jesus came into our life and everything was different - and everything about us changed. We would never be the same person again. 

Now, as born-again believers we are no longer slaves to sin, to serve its destructive desires.

We are completely, utterly, and eternally free, in Galatians 5:1, we're told   

"It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed]."

You see, the Spirit inside of you is fighting with you against sin’s lies and undoing the hold it has in your heart.

The war is over. Sin has lost, and Christ has won. When He walked away from death and ascended into heaven, His life, righteousness, and freedom became ours.

Now, you and I have full, lasting, and unshakeable joy. 

In God’s presence, ransomed by the blood of his Son, we are able to experience “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). 

Lots of things promise happiness in this life, but nothing can deliver like the gospel.

We were born to enjoy Him above all else.

Jesus for all that He is... “[He] is the radiance of the glory of God.”

Not reflecting, but actually embodying the holiness and worth of God.

Listen to what Hebrews 1: 3 says, “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

You see, Jesus upholds and sustains the universe with words from His mouth and He is the Savior of the whole world - from every tribe, and from every tongue, and from every nation (Revelation 5:9).

He’s not just a good role-model, or a miracle-worker, or a wise teacher. 

He is the God who was and is and is to come.

And He is our life and He rejoices over us with singing. Because in Christ, everything is different!

 

Our Cornerstone ✝️ March 27, 2023

 "As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame." (1 Peter 2:4–6)

Today, a cornerstone is typically a large slab of concrete placed at a prominent corner or place around the outside of a building with important information inscribed into it, like the date it was finished.

Historically, though, the cornerstone has been the first stone laid, the stone on which every other stone is built. It was the most important stone in the most important place of a massive structure of stones. Small flaws or errors in the cornerstone or the placing of the cornerstone would affect the whole building. It had to be perfect, reliable, strong, and sure.

Peter uses this imagery of stones and buildings to talk about our relationship to Christ.

Each follower of Christ, each child of God, is their own stone — a living stone — and they have been formed, shaped, prepared, and filled with life in order to be a small, but important part of a house for God, a place of worship to our God. 

And at the very foundation, at the most important position, there’s a stone greater than all the others, a stone stronger than all the others, a stone on which all the others rest — a Cornerstone. His name is Jesus Christ.

When most of us first meet Jesus, and it’s a struggle to make Him the cornerstone in our life.
As the cornerstone, He will change our priorities and habits and decision-making, He’ll change us.

But the only sure bedrock of the Christian’s life and worship is the broken body of our Savior. If we want to know God and experience full and lasting life, everything must be surrendered to Him and built on Him.

In Matthew 7:24–27, similar imagery is used when Jesus compared two builders - One man built his house on the strength and stability of a rock. So, when storms came with heavy winds and pounded on his house, it held secure. It proved to be a safe place in a storm.

But the second man, in this story, built his house on sand — which is loose, and easily shifts and moves. So, when the winds and the rain fell on this house, the storm destroyed the home.

There was nothing under the structure that could withstand that kind of pressure and force. The house was helpless, and so it was leveled by the storm. 

Jesus painted these two pictures to describe two kinds of people, those who build their hopes and choices and lives on Him, and then there is everyone else.

Verse 24 of Matthew 7, Jesus states, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock”   

The rock under the first house represents Jesus and everything He said.

The sand under the ruins of the second house is anything else that tries to claim the position of first place in our hearts, anything that tries to be the cornerstone of our lives other than Jesus Christ.

Which could be children, a spouse, a career, even a bank account.

Jesus’s story is a call to Him... to the Cornerstone.

We are not to build our lives on or around what will not last, or what will ultimately fail. Our purpose, our source of strength, and our fullest satisfaction will only be found in Christ, as we build our life on the rock of His sufficient sacrifice and steadfast love.

We cannot find the strength we need for today within ourselves. 

No, the weak are made strong in the Savior’s love and nowhere else. 

Amazingly the sovereign and saving God has taken little, weak, unworthy us and built us into a joy-filled, living place of worship where we get to say together that "He is worthy!"

And at the very corner of the foundation of that place of worship He has placed one who can cleanse us from all our sin and carry us through every storm. 

 Let Jesus be the anchor of your soul! ⚓ Make Him your chief cornerstone! 

The Sounds of Easter ✝️

Luke 23:33-34 - And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴ And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 

“How did I just make the same mistake?” 

Do you ever hear that same old song? Listening to those tired words leads me back to Scripture’s song of sin and grace.
I find music that never tires. I listen again to the sounds of Easter.
Low notes, like Jesus’ death, and high notes like His resurrection, all within the melody of grace.

Do you ever hear alluring thoughts that coerce you with false freedom, then shame your every misstep?
Do you hear whispered undertones of, “You won’t be enough, you’ll never get out of this, or you’re on your own”?

Next to the sounds of Easter, these enemy sounds are exposed as empty racket. 

I hear angrily concocted accusations, a whip on innocent skin, a hammer driving nails through open hands, and I hear, “Father, forgive them.” I hear one last breath, and within a beat I hear sky and earth thunder with rock-splitting power. As the right note and pitch cracks the tallest glass ceiling, these sounds tear through religion’s curtain between God and man, from top to bottom. 

Then, silence.

Matthew 27:45-51 - Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.  ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” 
that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  ⁴⁷ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”  ⁴⁸ And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”  ⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.  ⁵¹ And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

 

For three days, silence. Darkness. Did death win?

But dawn brings the slow, crumbling sound of rolling limestone crushing earth covered in morning dew.

The tomb is open. Birds sing again.

A woman’s feet pit-pat, then stop in their tracks. Her hands drop everything with a childish gasp.

Then she hears an Easter sound, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

The tomb is empty. Death did not win. The sound of grace is tuned for every ear. And a voice speaks new life, “He is risen.”

Another sound of Easter came some 50 days after Jesus rose.

The promised Holy Spirit came like a blowing violent wind to fill Jesus’ followers with power. Now, when you speak on behalf of Jesus, you unleash some of that mighty power.

When you respond to life with "Thank You, God," He hears beautiful music. 

An honest "Help me, God!" invites the Holy Spirit’s powerful presence.

Your defiant, “Not this time,” silences the stinging ring of sin.

A humbling defeat confessed, settles the noise of shame, and strikes a chord of healing.

You bravely find words to tell others of His love, and the Holy Spirit opens ears.

Romans 10:9 - because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

How sweet are the sounds of Easter.

Let’s thank God, thank His for grace—

To silence the enemy sounds, and ask the Holy Spirit, to give us courage to live out loud for Him.

Help us to hear and live out the sounds of Easter today and every day!

What does true rest look like?

 Matthew 11:28 says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Have you ever wondered – What true rest looks like?

Let me read this verse in the Amplified Bible and see if this helps clarify it a little...

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation].

So today let’s see if we can answer the question – “What does true rest look like?”

In a world burdened by busyness, Jesus invites us into something greater—and the Bible calls this - rest.

Here are 3 ways we can create a place to rest.

1^st TALK TO GOD

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He often withdrew to rest and connect with God.

Whether you’re driving, going on a walk, or spending time with the people in your life, it is important to pause and talk to God throughout your day.

Not just because you need Him, but because you love Him and desire to share your day with Him.

2^nd BE INTENTIONAL

You must realize, like with the many other things you need to do - Prioritizing rest won’t happen by accident.

If this isn’t something you’ve done before...

Try scheduling time to be still each day on your calendar, and if needed, convey those times to your family and friends.

This will help you stay accountable when the world tries to pull you into work and activity.

Now these first two are ways in which we can rest throughout our daily life. But this 3^rd one involves something more ...  And that is:

3^rd PRACTICE SABBATH REST

From the beginning, God modeled rest, and He told us to make it part of our weekly rhythm.

Hebrews 4:9-11 AMP

⁹ So there remains a [full and complete] Sabbath rest for the people of God. 

¹⁰ For the one who has once entered His rest has also rested from [the weariness and pain of] his [human] labors, just as God rested from [those labors uniquely] His own. 

¹¹ Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience [as those who died in the wilderness].

This idea of intentionally setting aside a day to be with God and enjoy His presence is called Sabbath rest. It’s a way to remember that God loves us not because of what we do... but because of Who He is.

If we fail to enter that rest, then we will miss true worship of our redeeming God.

Our need for Sabbath rest has never been more relevant than it is today. It offers much needed physical rest, space, and time for reflection upon the incredible works of God. And it paints a timeless picture of our spiritual rest in Christ.

For the Sabbath rest is our Divine empowerment, our Divine catalyst and invitation to worship.

I’m reminded of that hymn, “Lord Be Glorified”  It’s a simple little song....

In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified!

In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified today.

In Your church Lord, be glorified, be glorified!

In Your church Lord, be glorified, be glorified today.

In my home Lord, be glorified, be glorified!

In my home Lord, be glorified, be glorified today.

In my words Lord, be glorified, be glorified!

In my words Lord, be glorified, be glorified today.

 

But, let me end with a question...

When was the last time you really rested in God’s presence?

 

 

 

Why This Waste?

“Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?” Matthew 26:6-8 

Just imagine what this must have been like for Mary...

She is carrying a full years’ wages in the form of myrrh to pour over the head of her Lord.

Remember this is a years’ worth of wages... How would you feel walking through the streets where you live carrying a years’ worth of wages?

Do you think maybe she was feeling nervous?

What might she have been thinking about as she walked through the small village of Bethany over to Simon’s home where Jesus was?

What do you think is going through her mind in those few minutes leading up to walking in that house?

Perhaps she wondered if Jesus’ disciples believed Him when He spoke of laying down His life...

Maybe, as she walked through the streets, she wondered what they would think when she poured this fragrance over Jesus’ head...

Could she have been wondering if they will they even understand what she’s about to do? Was she apprehensive on how they would react to her offering?

Could Mary have been concerned about what they will think of her? 

I don’t know, however if I’m honest, and put myself in her shoes, I know that these thoughts and questions would have been going through my mind...

But then again... I the story of Lazarus, her brother who was dead, and walked out of his tomb, alive. Perhaps this caused any uncertainties or reservations Mary might have had to leave her...

And yet I have to believe that Mary wasn’t much different from the rest of us... I’m sure she must have been working through some of the thoughts that are common to us all.

Nevertheless, I do believe she had to have had an amazing resolve and a firm belief that enabled her to put all her hope, and all her fears, her everything...

In to the One she believed WAS WORTHY OF IT ALL.

Mary - had a purpose – a determination because Jesus was worth it.

But how did she get there, and how can we?

A good place to start would be to remember the story in Luke chapter 10 (verse 42). When Mary was interacting with Jesus while He was spending time teaching in her and her sister Martha’s home.

Martha had gone to Jesus because she wanted her sister Mary to help... And Jesus said... “But one thing is necessary and Mary has chosen the good portion,”

Perhaps This is when Mary began to find her resolve... in this “one thing” that Jesus was talking about.

Do you remember what she had chosen? 

She chose to sit at His feet and listen to His Words.

Here the God of the universe had said to her, "the one thing necessary,” And Mary chose the good portion.

Mary realized Jesus’ worth because she had spent time with Him.

For we will never see the worth of Jesus without spending time with Jesus.

Time is the most precious thing we have, and without daily doing that “one necessary thing,” everything else in our lives creeps up as way more necessary than it should ever be.

And we would also do well to take note from these simple words...

If you are like me, You may hear this voice chime in when it comes to setting aside real time to ‘sit at His feet and listen to His Words.’  

A voice that says: “Why This Waste?” 

Sound familiar? The same accusation the disciples hurled at Mary as she emptied all that she was worth on the One Who she saw as Worthy.

“Why This Waste?” We hear it from the old man within us.

We hear it from our culture that tells us that if we don’t accomplish certain things, that our worth is in question. We hear it from the pit of hell... that there are so many other things we could be or should be doing today... and Jesus is not in that list

It’s a deceitful voice. It can easily convince us that what we are doing is good and godly.

And like Martha, concern ourselves with the “more important things” that need to be done before we give Him ‘our’ time. 

Sadly, some of the important” things we believe are worthy of our time are not.

John Piper once said, that he believes "One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day - that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.' "

Let’s stop and consider our own priorities with spending time with Jesus.

For we need to make the place that Mary went, a normal stop. We need to allow His steadfast love to be better that life. 

We like Mary need to sit at His feet and listen to His Words. We need to return to that place day after day, and behold His Power and Glory.”   And fall in love over and over again for the One Who is Worthy....  

 “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,” Psalm 63:2–5

...because He is WORTHY OF IT ALL.