God Spot Verified

From my friend Faith.  What a great name!

My Thoughts:
Jeremiah 10:6
No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.

So…most of you know that this last week was pretty intense for my family. I received the call Friday evening from my parents telling me that my mom had been having chest pains, had been to a cardiologist, and that she would have a heart catheterization (with stints or bypass) on Monday. My entire family rushed to Missouri to be with my mom and dad. My mom was having all the symptoms of a heart attack on Sunday and was taking nitroglycerin. On Monday, the doctor told us that my mom had some anomalies (defects) and 2 clogged and calcified coronary arteries. He told us that he was pretty sure that she was going to have a triple bypass. We rallied, prayed, and hoped for the best.

An hour passed and the doctor came out with a perplexed expression on his face. He said, “She’s fine. Actually she is better than fine. Her arteries have zero plague and no calcification. Being 65, she should have some but she doesn’t. Not only is she plague free, but the abnormalities on the CAT scan just aren’t there anymore. I cannot explain it, and I called 3 other doctors in to look…God must have performed a miracle.”

My mom went home that evening and has had no chest pain or any symptoms. My mom says that all her symptoms went away shortly before they wheeled her into the procedure room and that it was fascinating to watch the doctors freaking out because they didn’t see what they thought they would. They even checked to make sure they had the right CAT scan.

I am praising God because I truly believe He healed my mom…a mighty demonstration of His power. As you pray and listen to God this week, what is God demonstrating to you?

James Harrison T-Shirt – What will you pay?

How much will you pay for an authentic James Harrison Superbowl record breaker T-Shirt?  I think this shirt may have been worn during the Super Bowl game and James made his record breaking touch down.  I think the guy that has this shirt stole it off his back while he was in the shower.

 Or possibly you’d like to bid on Aretha’s hat she recently wore at the Oh’Bama inaugeration.  She says she’s not sure if she is going to let the Smithsonian Institute have it.

 

And if nothing else you could always bid on Michael Swim Phelps’s hooka pipe.  He says he used bad judgement.  Probably thought the pipe was a bad fit for his teeth.

Or possibly my dirty socks. 

I don’t know.  I guess the Super Bowl brings out the best or worst in me.  Sigh…

 

Which item will bring the best price on ebay?

Run. But, you can’t hide.

Google
	Error

Bad Request

Your client has issued a malformed or illegal request.

————————————————————————————

I am focused and praying hard for couples in marriage that I know are struggling.  Yesterday, one of the couples said they were separating and another said they had already separated.  Sometimes it seems God sends back a “Google Error.  Bad Request.” response. 

What am I doing wrong in my prayers?  If separation is the result of my prayers, maybe I shouldn’t be praying?  Is God just too busy keeping up with presidents and kings and things?  Does God really care?

Then, I think about Jesus willingly dieing on the cross that I might have life and have it abundantly.  That negates any argument of not caring.  Could it be that my prayers are adding light to the couples’ life that reveals things they don’t want to see?

Running from God is never the solution.  He never tires.  He will chase.  Abundance is found when God is embraced and you walk faithfully together through the fire.  Let God catch you.  Give up the chase.  He can and will make a difference.   God bless.

Till Death Do Us Part

Till death do us part… Excuse me!  But what does that mean?  Does it mean I will stick with you as long as I “FEEL” like I love you? Does it mean I will be faithful as long as you stay young and perky?  OR does it mean I will stay faithful and love you until death separates us?

Believers in our church are beginning a movement to turn our eyes and hearts to God every 60 minutes for 60 days.  God has impressed me that for now, I am to pray for specific marriages.  These couples include friends, family and even a new friend reqesting prayer in Barbados. 

Something really profound happened today.  A friend called today and said he was bringing his wife to town as a surprise and wondered if we could meet for dinner at the River Walk.  We hadn’t seen each other for years and he reminded me that they were in a marriage enrichment class we taught 10 or 15 years, ago. 

Our meeting was not a coincidence.  It was God reminding me.  The battle for marriages is worth the fight.  If I can pray for you or a friend of yours, let me know.  I will be honored to add your choice to my list.  God is in the miracle working business for those that love Him.

I look forward sharing some incredible “God Spots” with you as God rescues marriages!

I am focused!

So, i woke up 2 minutes early in the middle of the night.  It was 3:35.  It is usually my pattern to wake up at something o’clock:37 .  I’m told 37 is God’s fingerprint in the Bible’s original text.  I’m ok with 37, but wondered why I woke up 2 minutes early.  Turns out I must have needed a couple extra minutes of prayer.

I am focused, as of a couple hours ago.  I am focused on fighting for marriages.  Too many of my friends and family are hurting themselves by letting their marriages collapse.  A marriage between a man and woman is Holy and something worth fighting for.  At 3:35, I began the process of becoming focused on the battle. 

I prayed.  The evil ones are skampering.  They are frightened.  They are mean, tough and ugly, but they will run.  I am focused.  Every 60 minutes and many times inbetween I will pray specifically for my friends and family.  I will pray they will take up the battle for their marriages.

Will you pray with me?  Will you fight?  Are you willing to die for what is right?

“God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong”.  Paul

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are One.

^“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

I’m up in the middle of the night, because I just had the most vivid dream of a life time.  I dreamed I had a poisonous snake trapped in a box and periodically I would let it out of the box.  The snake would then come after me.  It would stalk me and look for an opportunity to strike. 

I would beat it into summission if I could.  It would end up back in the box until I released it again.  Each time it got stronger and more difficult to subdue.  I woke up and begin repeating the name of Jesus over and over until my adrenalin eased and my heart stopped racing.

This has never happened before.  I believe I was visited by the evil one.  He was beaten by Jesus.

I believe this to be a revelation from God requiring soul searching for what in my life is of the evil one, that I periodically take out of the box, only to be stalked. 

I believe there are those of you out there that are reading this that are doing the same thing.  Without Jesus, you will never beat satan.

Thank you Jesus for being there for me in a time of need.

God can not be put in a box

The Holy Word of God can not be captured and put in a box.  There is but One mighty and powerful God who is able to subdue the evil one.  It is by His Word and authority that the evil one has no place in our life.

Value His Word.  It is a gift from the One true God.  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. 

Believe and you will receive.  Reject Christ and you will die and experience death eternally in Hell.   There is a place called Hell for those that reject the name of Jesus.

Thank you Jesus for dieing on the cross and saving us from our sins.  There is but one true God.  Thank you Jesus.

Thank you for revelation.  Thank you for growing us in your Spirit.  May the world believe in the One true God.  Amen.

Hinderance From God’s Best

Cora and I attended the Grace Point Advance Retreat for church workers.  Dave Galbraith challenged us to identify what hinders God from doing his best work in us and take it to Jesus.  God really made it clear to me that my low self esteem is keeping me from being as effective as He wants.  I pray for God to continue to build me into the new creation He desires.  I feel like I am in ‘Basic Training’, again.  I was torn down and now Christ is building me back up in His image.  I am excited to know that God cares and He has a future designed for me in service to Him.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us“.  Hebrews 12:1

The Promise and a Story

Likely you have noticed that God is a God of creativity. Look at the forming of the world. Look at life given a new born. Creativity is everywhere. It is what God does. He creates freshness and new life in a world of darkness. But, have you noticed God is a God of repetition. Take Noah’s story for example:

Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. Mankind chased after their own selfish lusts and ignored the God that created them. So, God chose to destroy them by flooding the earth. God said to Noah to build and board his ship, him and all his family. Out of everyone in this generation, God knew Noah to be the righteous one.

Noah did everything God commanded him and when the flood subsided, God blessed Noah and his sons: He said, “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth.

… never again will floodwaters destroy all life.

God is a God of repetition. God looks continuously down on the earth. He doesn’t sleep. He doesn’t take a break. He sees me and knows me intimately. As God chose Noah, God chose me.

As destruction comes to those that do not know God, a repetitious promise of life came to me. God has promised to never leave me. He has promised to never destroy me. The question is, “Will the floodwaters in your life destroy you or create life in you?” Without God there is no hope. With God there is a rainbow waiting to be formed in your life. That same God and his repetitious promise is available to you. Choose God. Choose life.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Family, Friends and Blessings

I believe God is restoring to Cora and I all of what we have lost and is multiplying it many times over. It is not a dollar for dollar exchange. It is an exchange of what we thought was valuable for things that are of much more value. It seems God is putting us on a fast track in valuable relationship building. David and Jo have been super heroes of faithfulness and risk takers in our lives when it might not have been the safest thing to do.

Last year, I took an ugly house in the country and reinvented it into a beautiful large country home on acreage. It was the house of my dreams. I advised Jeff to invest in it. It seemed like a safe thing to do since as a worse case if it did not sell at a profit, I could move into it and cover his risk. At the time my real estate investment companies were going strong and I didn’t see the downside. But then there was the proverbial train wreck. The business collapsed.

We moved into the country house and attempted to make the house payments. We quickly lost all sources of income and could not cover the payment. We lived too far from town to get a real job. We needed to move into town to find work. This left Jeff with a house, big payment and no help from dad. I still feel rotten at how things have turned out. But, I believe God is not finished. He has a plan and will reveal it in His perfect timing. Thank you Jeff and April for believing and being faithful in the midst of a storm you didn’t create.

With the collapse of the real estate investment companies, we needed a place to live close to work and church, yet a safe place away from the storm. Tony and Julie heard of our need and graciously provided us with a beautiful house to live in rent free until we got on our feet. It was an incredible blessing. I am use to giving, but not so accustomed to receiving. God has done a wonderful thing in all our lives. This is a God thing that will not be forgotten.

Jeff and April graciously allowed us to move out of their ‘investment’ house while owing them rent and blessed us with encouragement. We still look to God to see how he works out the details of the future of us all and how the needs of Clover Court are met. I pray frequently for God’s grace on the situation.

“Job lived on another 140 years, living to see his children and grandchildren—four generations of them! Then he died—an old man, a full life”.

Job 42:17