A place where my thoughts, words and feelings converge…
Category: Portraits of Life – Seeing God in All
I have discovered a new and exciting hobby of taking photos and sharing God’s Words as they inspire me to be in complete “AWE” of how great our God is! I hope you enjoy the photos.
I thought I would add some fun to this post today. I ask Google “what is the answer?” It told me “42”. I’ve included some websites for light reading. I also went through the Bible to see if there were any chapter/verse match ups for 42:42, which there aren’t. So, I have included three verses below of 42:24. I believe God has a message for anyone reading them.
42-24
Genesis 42:24
“He turned away from them and wept; then he returned and spoke to them. And he picked out Simeon and had him bound before their eyes.”
Sirach 42:24
“All things come in pairs, one opposite the other, and he has made nothing incomplete.”
Isaiah 42:24
“Who gave up Jacob to the spoiler, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned, in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law they would not obey?”
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” ~Micah 6:8
ACC Mission:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ~Acts 1:8
ACC Values:
About Us at ACC:
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
“So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them.”
Dry Bones: The dry bones refer to the restoration of a people spiritually dead. *Believers Bible Commentary
Breath: The breath, breathed in the bodies is regeneration of the people. *Believers Bible Commentary
It is time for a REVIVAL!
The passage in Ezekiel 37:1-14 is referred to as “The Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones.” Ezekiel was told by God to prophesy to the dry bones that they would come to life. (Dry bones represented Israel and Judah). These two kingdoms had been torn apart in the days of Rehoboam. The prophesy is that they would be reunited and one king, the Messiah would reign over them. They would be saved, cleansed and restored. This story can be found in Ezekiel 37:15-28.
We know that the Messiah came and was crucified so we could be saved, cleansed and restored/reconciled with God.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.”
During this season of Lent, are you experiencing “dry bones?” There is HOPE, my friend…dry bones can come alive again! Our HOPE is in Jesus Christ and in Him all things are made new!
2 Corinthians 5:17
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”
Dry bones can be brought back to life through the breath of God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit will breathe restoration into you and then regeneration, making all things new. This is all possible through the Word of the Lord and the Holy Spirit.
Pray and ask God to send you a revival!
Practice:
What in your life feels dry? Ask the Spirit of God to hover over you and offer a fresh breath.
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
We are called the children of God, Believers of the Faith, and Followers of Jesus. As such, we are called to be the literal hands and feet of Jesus. The time is now, the whole earth is suffering from the horrible pandemic called COVID-19. Now is the time for action and responsibility. This is the time to help those who are in need of services: medical, physical, emotional, nutritional, transportation, educational, and so many more. We need to be praying for our leaders, our first responders, our pastors, our teachers, hospital medical staff, the families that have lost loved ones, caregivers, and so many more. God knows the needs of each and every individual and He hears the prayers of the people and He is mindful of us all.
I am not suggesting that we literally go out and help others, unless it is in the best interest of all parties. I am saying, be safe, follow state/local guidelines. Be mindful of social distancing, washing your hands often, wear protective gear if necessary and available. Support your local businesses and law enforcement, donate if you can. When shopping take only what you need and share with others in need. Be KIND, these are stressful times for everyone, some are just better at concealing it. Trust one another, be honest and quick to forgive. Remember, we all have value and we are all loved.
1 Corinthians 13:13
“And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
1 John 3:1
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
1 John 4:7-8
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
Jeremiah 29:11-12
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.”
Practice:
Write down one way you will come alongside those in need of RELEASE this week and commit to showing up.
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below.
Dear friends around the globe, I would like to thank you for the love and support of my blog. This is a dream come true to write and share my thoughts & beliefs with others. I never imaged I would be in a position that allowed me to reach out to so many people. I am blessed to share the love of Jesus around the world. We are all neighbors and connected through our Creator, who created each of us with purpose and a plan. I am honored by your presence in the world. ~Blessing!
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
The Photo-a-Day Challenge word for today is: BELIEVE
Merriam-Webster Dictionary: BELIEVE
• to consider to be true or honest
• to accept the word or evidence of
• to hold as an opinion
• to have a firm or wholehearted religious conviction or persuasion
• to regard the existence of God as a fact
What do you believe?
I believe that Jesus was born and died so that I could be reconciled with God my creator, the Creator of all things. I believe in the Holy Spirit and that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus will return and will rapture all believers. One day, all believers will be with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit for all eternity.
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
Top Photo: Disciple’s Women’s Conference 08/2019; Bottom Photo courtesy of my friend Lisa O.
In the devotional reading for today, Rev. Sam explains that the 12 steps of AA were made for Lent. I have never given any thought to such a comparison. She points out rather appropriately in my opinion, we are all addicts in a sense. If we take the time to inventory our lives, I’m sure there would be things that we are addicted to, loosely saying. I know individuals who will only drink certain brands of coffee, now that’s not terrible but they are not happy if it’s not available. I am in no way trying to compare addiction of coffee to someone addicted to more harmful things such as drugs or alcohol. Addiction, is a serious epidemic in several parts of the world. But I do think Rev. Sam, rather Fr. Richard Rohr makes some good points in his book, “Breathing Underwater: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps.” The Twelve Steps closely parallel what Christians should be doing. Individuals who participate in and successfully complete the twelve steps know how to be honest about themselves, willing to confess, and seek to make amends. I don’t know what your thoughts are but mine, this sounds very Christian-like behavior. The season of Lent reminds us that we need to take inventory of ourselves and our relationships. Similar in the Seven R’s we have been discussing so far in this season of Lent: REPENT, RECOVER, REMEMBER, REST, RELEASE… We have two more weeks of Lent as we rediscover RISE & RELIVE!
*Please feel free to add your own steps specifically for yourself on steps 8 thru 12.
Practice:
Recite the first lines of the Serenity Prayer:
• “God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
• the courage to change the things I can,
• and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Consider working these steps over the next few weeks. 🙏🏻
Friends, I leave you with a prayer from James 5:13-18, A Prayer of Faith. Much love to all of you. Be safe, Be Healthy, Be Smart, Be Kind! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍🤎
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below.
Richard Rohr, OFM, (born 1943) is an American author, spiritual writer, and Franciscan friar based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was ordained to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church in 1970. He has been called “one of the most popular spirituality authors and speakers in the world.”
• perceive with the ear the sound made by (someone or something)
• be told or informed of
• be aware of; know of the existence of
The Bible tells us in Matthew 11:15, “Let anyone with ears listen! And in Revelations 2:29, we read, “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
Hearing, listening with our ears. Jesus says, “Let anyone with ears listen!” Ears unlike eyes do not have lids for closure. I personal think that was by design! Jesus was instructing the people to listen to the message of John the Baptist, John was fulfilling the prophecy of Elijah, and Jesus was indeed the Messiah. The verse in Revelation 2:29, heeds similar message to “anyone with ears listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” I’ll be honest with you I have not studied Revelation enough to even try to explain the verse but I think the message is clear that we must listen to what the prophets said, the voices of God and Jesus and the spiritual guidance of the Holy Spirit. Below are photos of the verses in the Believer’s Bible Commentary. Thank you Carol & Mike, I cherish this wonderful gift.
Matthew 11:15Revelation 2:29
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
Dear friends, I do not often write about “love” (Eros Love), it refers to passionate or romantic love. I choose to keep it at a distance because it reminds me of what was, what has been and is currently, not. I am a romantic at heart, and I love being in love. I’ve been blessed to have experienced love a couple of times in my life. Would it be too tempting to think it could happen again? I have many people in my life that love me and I them in return, friendship love, affectionate love and charity love; they are very comforting and yet, I miss Eros love. My favorite author, C. S. Lewis wrote a book called, “The Four Loves” here’s one of my favorite quotes:
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
Even, in the midst of writing this I cannot ignore the fact, I love my independence. Sounds like a contradiction when I proclaim my desire for Eros and my independence. Being single has taught me many valuable lessons. I might have missed out on them if my life journey had not taken this path. For this I am grateful. Most importantly, love cannot be rushed. Love is like putting a puzzle together, it works best if you start with the border pieces. Then little by little putting pieces together in groups of like colors until your able to see the picture clearly. Relationship need a starting point and a foundation of sorts, then little by little build upon commonalities of interests, chemistry and life philosophy. It is true that opposites attract but do they stay together? … The answer is sometimes.
Just like Eros, I miss a lot of things in life but the memories of have of the most important are so valuable I would not trade them for copy of something similar. I am so grateful for the life experiences I have had and look forward to whatever the future may hold. My trust is in Jesus! My life may not be what I thought it would be, in many ways it’s better. I am a child of God, He created me with purpose. Life is not about the destination, it’s about the journey. One will never find their future looking backwards. Life is forward motion.
I’m thankful that our paths have crossed on this journey called life. Love is a gift, treasure it, respect it and never take it for granted. Say “I love you” often and always mean it when you say it.
Matthew 22:37-40
“He (Jesus) said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
In the devotional pamphlet for today (page 31), Rev. Sam shares a story of a member (Betty) of her church, referred to as a saint. The church had ask her along with others to participate in a series called, “My Story, My Song.” Betty, who was a widowed 89 year old woman, talked about losing her husband and her best friend. An emptiness for sure but this lady was still active, visited home-bound friends, baked cakes and candy, attended church, Sunday school and bible studies. She told a story that one day she was outside raking leaves and heard geese flying over, she paused to look at them and saw that two geese were missing from the “V” formation. She immediately thought to herself, “If the geese can keep moving on, I can too.” Her chosen song was “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.”
This story reminds me that no matter what happens in life, we can handle it as long as we have God. Sometimes it takes something like a gaggle of geese to remind us, we are stronger than we believe.
Practice:
• Reflect on your story.
• Do you have moments of RELEASE that might help someone else?
• Listen to or sing, “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.”
Friends, please feel free to share your song and story!
My song is, “In the Garden,” I have loved it since I was a child. I love the new contemporary Christian music but my first love was traditional hymns. Two of my cousins (Terry & Teresa) and I would sing a cappella at our church when we were just kids. Not sure we were any good but it sure felt good at the time. Such fond memories. The most difficult thing I’ve faced in life is the passing of my mother. She was the bravest and strongest person I knew. She was smart, intuitive, and resourceful. She was self-disciplined and responsible. She loved her family and her family loved her. She was only a few months from retirement when Jesus called her home. Though I did not realize it at the time, my mother was still able to teach me things beyond the grave. I’ve grown in more ways than I ever imagined possible, I’m stronger than I believed, and I am loved beyond measure by God, my friends and my family. Whenever, I hear or sing, “In the Garden” it’s like watching 8mm films of my childhood. I thank God for watching over me and for always being with me.
And, He’s always with you too!
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below.
DISCOVER 
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