Mannaword

As you can clearly see, we are making great progress. I say “we” but it is really the crew of wonderful volunteers that is getting it all done. John and Diane Hernandez, my husband-Joe, Faye DeJohn as well as several others — all giving tirelessly of their time and their energies to get this accomplished. I get to do little stuff, and I was away for 5 days on a “time away” period, so I really have not done much of the building etc. So much was accomplished while I was away. I am so blessed.

Stay tuned — more to come. I will probably have quite a bit of time to blog during the next week or so, if that is true, then I will have several entries.

Bless you for reading.

Keep praying as there is still much, much to do.

I have not forgotten about blogging and podcasting. However, I have too much, way too much to try to get done in these holidays months to be able to concentrate this direction. Please keep checking. I will be back soon.

Above is one of the “busy” reasons. It is our Psalm 19 Ministries’ Bible Learning Center “before” pictures. Actually we had accomplished a lot when this photo was taken. Now we have that wall down and others up, carpet removed, and we are ready to put wall board up. All this in the middle of a busy ministry season. I have such an appreciation for our volunteers who work endless hours to make things work for me and all at Psalm 19.

I drive (with several other ladies) to Canada this coming Friday for ministry both Saturday and Sunday. (Lauren is leading worship and I am teaching), then we return home on Sun. Evening. We appreciate your prayers as we travel and minister — as you think of us. We will be at the Joshua Center in Hamilton, Ont. Ca.

Thank you for reading and for caring — I have not forgotten and will be back — soon!

“He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.” John 12:40 NASB

I have been doing a lot of thinking and searching in my mind about my last post on Emotionalism. What is happening in me is a real revelation of what the Bible actually says and how we seem to believe something it doesn’t say.

There are no admonitions about “following” our emotions or the dangers of “being led by our feelings.” There just simply are none. The heart is often mentioned and mentioned in connection with the mind or with results that come from the mind, as in the above quote. When we begin to discover the understanding in both the Old and New Testament regarding the word “heart,” it is always the mind and the emotions involved. I have not found one place where it means only the emotions. It is both. The heart thinks, stores data, and is the motivation for speaking. Maybe I am missing something here, but I am not finding any indication that our emotions are not to be 100 percent involved in what we are doing.

We are to have hearts that are aflame with God, not hard ones (both in picture). But for some reason we, in the US anyway, have come to believe that emotional interaction in church or anywhere regarding the Lord is a lack of education or maturity. How very far from the truth this is!

We need to truly be Biblical. Let us work with Word terminology and not what we “see” or even with modern psychological understanding. Emotional expressions are a part of our release of the love of Jesus, and should not be shut out. Those expressions do not have to be loud, or pentecostal, or anything else, but they must be released or else our religion will be blinded by intellectual information instead of the reality of love released into life.

We are not “cookie-cutter” Christians. We are different from one another, and our expressions of the release of His love will be different. But we must allow freedom here, and we must warn those who choose to be “non-emotional” of the dangers of that, and its non-Biblical premise.

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

It seems strange to me that many times those of us who are charismatic in our theology are accused of riding on emotionalism. I am sure some do, however, by far I find most of us are working in an area of misunderstood truth.

The scripture above is a statement by the Lord Jesus and is descriptive of His people. It is not trying to say we are unreliable, or unstable in our lives and responsibilities. However, it does speak of producing something that is seen and felt. In fact, if one begins to study the Holy Spirit in the New Testament we find that almost all of the descriptive terms about Him are emotions expressed. Let’s see, comforter, encourager, wind, breath, life, hope, then there are the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22. They are all emotional expressions of reality: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

There is almost no way to know the Holy Spirit or His ways in the Church, if we do not freely “feel” Him. I realize that some of us (a long journey for my English/Irish bones) are more reserved in our interior than others, but none-the-less, in order to flow (oh what a wonderful descriptive term) in the Spirit in His Word and ways, one must “feel” and “know.” Not just “know.”

Faith also has a “feeling” to if, if you will. When it rises inside, there is a “knowing” and our feet go down in its fact. Not a seen fact, but a fact of Scripture and of truth. When that happens, it occurs as a feeling.

We may not all agree on what are proper responses, and what are “over-the-edge” responses, but we do need to see that if we work at all in the area of truth in the Holy Spirit, it is emotional in its response.

This being true, then I think the Body of Christ needs a big dose of “emotionalism,” uh…I mean Him!

Just some thoughts.

“The secret counsel of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He reveals His covenant to them.” Psalm 25:14 HCSB

We know that as we dwell in friendships, especially close ones, we get to know one another deeply as time is spent together. In a Christian friendship much is shared and treasured as two hearts in friendship open and receive from one another’s heart. We all know this. There are reasons for our sharing deeply with only those we trust. Those are usually the ones who take the time to be with us and know us. Casual friendships are also treasured, but they do not hold the the same depth of personal sharing.

We are made like our Lord. This passage in Psalm 25 tells us (what Mark 4 and other passages also share with us), that our Lord loves to share with people who love to have Him share. He has secrets in His Word about Himself that He longs to share, but they can only be shared in-depth and therefore it takes time to listen and learn to know Him in those ways. He says those secrets are reserved for those who choose to take the time to allow Him to be Himself with them and show Himself to them. He loves to share and loves to listen to our sharing. I fear that all too often I am prone to do my part of the sharing, but do not take the time needed to allow Him to share Himself — not just for me to share with others, but for me to treasure in the depth of my friendship in Him. I am thankful for His forgiveness and grace. I know you are too.

I find myself wanting more of Him. Well, here is the answer to that. Lord I hear. I know you will help me when I want to run off and “do” instead of listen and treasure. I choose the later. Help me remember that is my choice.

New Podcast – Link on Right

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. The all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

There are several things in these verses that are interesting and often overlooked as we look at this passage (1 Corinthians 10:1-4 NIV) There was a dual baptism, or a one-two punch baptism, or a one-in-one baptism for the Israelites as they followed YHWH. There was the cloud and there was the Sea. Many times we overlook the “cloud,” and concentrate on the “sea” part. It all occurred at the same time but there are two separate elements involved. He provided for them as they did the impossible (walked through the sea) and He was visibly present to them in the cloud that overshadowed and/or enveloped them. What a wonderful demonstration of His love and His care!

The Holy Spirit’s usage of this event in Corinthians has to do with the following verses:

Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. (V5-6)

The children of Israel complained about their food, their safety, and each of their provisions. They perceived God as not meeting their needs, yet He provided everything. In the crossing of the sea, there was the obvious walking through on dry land. With the Egyptian army at their backs, our Lord opened a way when there had been none. This is true provision. Then of course, He drowned their enemies. More provision. They complained about Manna. The food He sent. They grew weary of it, yet they were not ill because of it but well and strong. They complained of thirst so the Lord brought water from a rock, yet they complained over and over again.

What they ate and what they drank was God’s provision for them — verse 4 tells us that Christ was the Rock of water (and the manna by implication). In other words, God’s present provision is always some way of expressing Jesus Christ to us. Of course, this incident is many, many years prior to the incarnation. Yet, Christ in God was and is the provision for the people of God. To reject the provision or to complain about the provision, is to misunderstand and disregard the nature of the provision. The provision is always Jesus Christ. We can be bold to say that Jesus Christ is the only provision of God. That encompasses everything.

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 21:6NIV

I am carefully examining my heart and my speech. I want more of the Lord revealed in my life, therefore I must begin to trust that my circumstances are of His design and I am to receive Him in the events. Even when I may not like them, or even if they cause me pain and discomfort.

Lord, You say in Ephesians 1:18 that the eyes of our heart either are opened or can be opened. Please do that for me today, and I open my mind and emotions to perceive and receive a demonstration of Your love for me in my today’s moments.

A little bit different post today. Talk about fruit! WOW! I took this picture a couple of days ago in a friend’s garden. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes — many, many of them hanging and ripening and looking luscious (and of course, they are sooooo… good).

My mind goes to the way our Lord set our world up to function. In Genesis 1:11 he placed seed in the plant. Then later when man was created, he was created with seed in him. In Genesis 3:15 our God says Eve has seed (prophecy of our Lord Jesus). So the entire creation was made to reproduce itself over and over again.

In Mark 4 Jesus tells us that the Word is the seed, and people are the ground. Later in 2 Corinthians 9: 6 the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul tells us that if we only sow a little (implying the sowing of seed) we will only reap a little. In this passage it is referring to the money of the Corinthian people.

This is true in all things. If a farmer only plants a little bit of seed, his harvest is in proportion to his planting. This is just plain ole’ common sense. So we need to come back to the truth of this Scriptural principle. My harvest will be in proportion to my planting, whether it is teaching, loving, my words, sharing, encouraging others, giving money, investing in others … whatever. The Biblical principle holds. What we sow is what we will reap.

Seed is abundant. If it is not, then begin sowing what you have. It will become abundant. Let’s plant some seed. I want a harvest like these beautiful, delicious tomatoes, full, rich, abundant, able to feed and bless many.

Have a blessed day!

“…the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Psalm 19: 8b

In this section of Psalm 19, we are discovering what the Word will do. I am amazed at us. We think we can live out the relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, on our own, so to speak. Oh we would not say that, and we would give lip service to the Word, but so many do not realize that their “level” (for lack of a better word) of understanding within this relationship depends on the attitude toward and intake of Scripture.

Our Lord’s words are pure. They are clean, pure, safe, refreshing, and how we see them determines everything in our walk as believers.

Here we are told that our Lord’s commandment “enlightens” the eyes. The word here means to illuminate, and also is used as a fountain, or the source of what is received. In Ephesians 1:18, in Paul’s Holy Spirit breathed prayer for the recipients of his letter, He writes, “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened;….” In order to understand the Word, we must “see” it with the enlightenment that comes only from the Lord through the Scripture itself. If we choose not to explore His writings, we choose to be limited in our seeing.

Wanting to know, needing to become wise, desiring more of my Lord expressed in my life — all these “wants” are wonderful. We use many ways to try to answer them and to allow within what will cause change. In reality all we need is more “seeing” of the Word. I hesitate to say “more Word” because many do the “Word thing” who never “see.” So it is not just reading, studying, praying the Word, it is interacting with the Holy Spirit in it and letting His Spirit knowings penetrate the fiber of me as I learn to “see” what He is saying. The Word is the way, but not just in the form it comes to us. We must become its fiber as it becomes ours. This is supernatural and exciting. Then we learn the truth of “more Word” and we “see.”

I have recorded and uploaded another podcast. Please click the link on the side bar to connect with the recording (or click the mic picture to the right). The recording level is much better this time (some up and down with it, but finally got the right level) and I will get a mic that has a breath shield so the “pops” of breath will not be heard. However, please forgive them on this one.

Thank you so much for listening. I am enjoying the process of recording. It has been along time since I have done radio work, and this reminds me of that. However, it is a bit more relaxed because I can make the teachings as short or long as I feel I need to instead of having to produce a certain number of minutes and seconds worth of talk. This is much more relaxed. I am having fun. Thanks for sharing in it with me.