Smoke Signals

Remove the root that festers;
sustaining rot and that putrid stench
of that which has gone bad...
Trace the arrow back to the point of entry, Lord...
calling to mind the sin inflicted by my own hand;
and carving off the calloused flesh to allow
new levels of healing...
draw out the poison, Lord...
and renew the springs of hope and forgiveness;
for what have I done that You cannot forgive?
what have they done that I cannot give a piece of my heart
as a downpayment towards a full release from my judgement?
Soften my heart to seek Your face on that journey towards renewal...
loosening the grip I have on the door I push against to guard against light.
Remove the root that poisons the waters;
and draw back the scales from my eyes.

It's Me Again...

Morning! I just added a new feature on the bottom of my blog page. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will see a thought-provoking question with list of multiple choice answers. I hope you take a few minutes to put your two-cents into the mix:). I am looking forward to the responses; and I will be sure to change the question once a month(which gives more folks time to put in their two cents:).

Cup o'joy...
Lynne

Addendum...

I neglected to mention that I am stuck on the NKJV these days. I took the last verses I posted on the blog from the NKJV(New King James Version).

Joy and fresh bread...
Lynne

Rejoice...

Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God;and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

This verse goes with the last post. There is so much in it that I could write for a lifetime on all the Spirit stirs up within me as I read it. I pray that He would show you today how to rejoice in Him. In these days of anxiety, I pray that He teaches us anew how to stay in an attitude of prayer. We need His strength to focus on those things that are lovely, true, of good report, and praiseworthy. Let's praise Him and invite His presence in our lives; and may it increase in the days to come.

Have a cup o'joy
and a fresh taste of the bread of heaven...

Lynne

Dancing in the Raindrops

"Rejoice" He says...
while the apparent scent of dung
floats up to my nostrils;
burning away any illusion of
easy jubilation...
Still, act of will
and leap of faith
combine to form a tenuous bridge
towards grace and gratitude;
knowing that my eyes are not accustomed
to seeing the rush of angels' wings...
"Rejoice in the Lord always..."
brought a puzzling rampage of inner rebellion;
as my selfish desires pushed themselves to the
forerfront of my consciousness.
Finally...
I looked down and noticed the water slapping playfully
against my dancing feet;
bringing me to the foot of the cross
and arising again with the jubilation of knowing His presence...
Once again, I see His beauty in the water of provision
and rejoice in the promise that the droughts have their endings.

Re-Runs and Cold Pizza...

I recall when I was a single gal and in my first apartment that a Saturday night could very well include a good book and a plate containing a couple of pieces of cold pizza. Cold pizza and iced coffee are wonderful bedfellows. Maybe it would be a re-run of an old TV show. I am stepping out of the closet as a Trekkie...

The re-run was not the only thing that repeated in this scenario. I would sometimes have to reach for the tums, an open window, or a combination of both. Freedom is a dangerous thing when it is indulged in to excess. Had I kept more company as a grave-shift hermit, I might have been forced to eschew such behavior in favor of being more sociable.

Human nature tends to seek out the comfortable and familiar places and routines; returning to a previous path has its' allure. Re-runs end the way that we expect them to. Cold pizza tastes like...cold pizza. It may be an aquired taste, but once you have it programmed in your neurons; it is found in the endorphin zone:).

New life has its' way of moving us past our comfort zones towards unexplored country, however. Life has changed and expanded the sights and sounds of daily life for me. Luckily for me, my husband also likes re-runs and cold pizza. What a man. He turns on the tube, and I reach for the pizza and the window...and there is love:)...Heaven alone can surpass such simple joys. I can hardly wait.

Cup o'joy
and a fresh taste of the bread of heaven....

Lynne

Joy In The Journey

I may be taking a leap of faith with regards to what I sense as the Lord's leading, but I am thinking that I am being encouraged to remember that there is much joy in the journey with Him(even in the midst of stressful situations). I am not talking about being happy with the situation at hand. No. I am really not saying that...

However, there are moments to be grasped and praises to be sung in the midst of anything. He inhabits our praises and ushers in words of comfort by the Holy Spirit
when we seek Him with our whole heart. Trying to see the situation from His perspective isn't always possible; but just making the effort to remember that His ways are past our understanding can jolt us out of a self-inflicted pity party. If I am "going down", I want to "go down" swinging. You may think of it as a giant raspberry in the face of our adversary. "I still love the Lord, even though I am confused at the moment. So there."

He is worthy of our praise in the valleys as well as the mountains. My prayer is to stay out of the pit as much as possible. I am setting the goal on the prize of being like Him. If I fall on my derriere, I want as much cushion as possible. Praise is like that cushion...bringing the joy of Lord into the darkness of the valleys. He is able to make all things new in His timing. He is that awesome.


Have a cup o'joy and a fresh taste of the bread of heaven...

Lynne