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Showing posts from July, 2011

My Divine Journey: Heading into the unknown - Psalm 37:5

June 24, 2011 Psalm 37:5 Depend on the Lord; trust him, and he will take care of you. I like to drive on moonlit nights. But tonight I drove between Houston and Austin after taking a day trip and it unnerved me just a little bit. The highway was unusually empty, so I didn’t have the comforting taillights of an 18-wheeler or lots of other cars to light my way into the night. The uneasy drive made for deep thoughts. It dawned on me that I trusted that a road existed in the dark night ahead as I drove 70 mph up and down hills to reach my home. That’s the same way I have to trust God even when I don’t see him ahead on my trail. He is there – and he makes sure that I don’t veer off the road, crash into other cars or run over innocent animals and make a mess of my life or the lives of others. I am always on the right road when I trust and depend on God. He will take care of me.  

How great thou art? or How great is our God? Psalm 98:4

July 24, 2011 Psalm 98:4 (GW) Shout happily to the LORD, all the earth. Break out into joyful singing, and make music. A young country music star belted out a very touching version of the gospel great “How Great Thou Art” and created a sensation across all music lovers. The video went viral as thousands watched it on the internet. Worshipping God is one of the beautiful ways we express our devotion for him. We will be worshipping the Lord in eternity, so I think it’s a good idea to get used to it. When the Holy Spirit is in the house [or anywhere], it doesn’t matter who you are – you will feel his powerful, all-encompassing presence and it will stir your soul. Don’t fight it, instead embrace it and lift up your hands to praise God! I can no longer attend a church service and sit or stand quietly when I feel the power of God in the house – I just can’t go along with religious customs that put restrictions such as traditional or contemporary on worship. After all, I will not be sto

Don’t be mad at God: Remembering my best friend - 1 Thessalonians 4

1 Thessalonians 4 - The Hope of the Resurrection 13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. 15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words. She would be 55 today - July 20, 2011. My bes

My Divine Note #100 - God held my hand: My testimony - Isaiah 45:5

November 21, 2010 Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will strengthen you, though you do not know me. On May 2, 2006, I looked into my eyes and I saw my soul. I was terrified because I was facing a major health crisis and I wasn’t able to maintain the strength and self-sufficiency that characterized my entire life. Before walking into the laboratory to face a cold, clinical MRI machine, I glanced into the dressing room’s mirror and realized that I was not in control on many fronts. Plus, my child had stayed behind crying because she wasn't allowed to enter the testing area. I was terrified. I looked into the mirror and said, “Oh, God, please help me, I am so scared and I don’t know what to do, please help…” Those words changed my life. The best way to describe it is that I saw my soul through the window of my eyes. It was amazing… Then I entered the testing room… As I lay flat on the bed entering the MRI cylinder, waves of terror

In the hands of God - Psalm 17:8

June 26, 2011 Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. I don’t like that I put my life in the hands of airline professionals no matter how well qualified they are when I fly. I dread those immortal takeoff and landing feelings . A few weeks ago, I got on a plane and it occurred to me how much easier our lives would be if we put ourselves in the hands of God each morning before we start our day (just like many of us do when we fly). J What if we put our decisions in the hands of God? What if we put our lives in the hands of God when everything seems bleak? What if we put our children in the hands of God instead of worrying about them? What if we put our health in God’s hands regardless of the diagnosis? What if we put our fears in the hands of God? What if we put our desire to control all our circumstances in the hands of God? I would rather put myself in God’s capable hands – in the shadow of his wings. He specializes in smooth landi

Grief and the pastoral caregiver - Matthew 11:28 ♥

June 25, 2011 Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 ♥ Ordained or not, people who are called to care for others will at some point need to reach out for help when they experience grief. Professionals who are gifted and equipped to minister and care for the ill or dying must realize that they cannot stay in the same role when it comes to their families, friends – those they deeply love. I am sharing my journey to help those who find themselves in my situation. My mother is terminally ill and we recently authorized palliative care to ease her symptoms and pain. Our goal now is not to cure, but to provide comfort and maintain the highest possible quality of life for as long as life remains. While we’ve been prepared for months to make this decision, it still hit me like a ton of bricks. I had a dark night of the soul. My heart is heavy. The day after we authorized palliative care, I found my

A sense of forever

May 2, 2011 Ecclesiastes 3:11 (GW) 11 It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time. He has put a sense of eternity in people's minds. Yet, mortals still can't grasp what God is doing from the beginning to the end {of time}. We are born to connect with God; to have that sense of eternity that he puts in our hearts. The only steps we take are to surrender our desire to conquer our own destiny and to have our own agenda. It's not that complicated. Depend on God’s strength and then you can walk in the purpose for which you were made.