Wisdom & Understanding

Sad to say...the way I see how some of these "ministries" are going, there is cause for alarm. I usually don't post on subjects like politics and "religion" because I know that it can get some people's goat a'goin' and this forum is not for debating purposes I believe and I don't have the time, so I usually stick to MY experiences...sort of safe that way :-D So consider this post to be about MY experience ok?  It grieves me deeply to see how some ministries have turned from their Biblical purpose and instead have made it into a Business. They appear to have the same organizational setup as the successful "pyramid" type businesses that are so popular.  To me...it appears to be all about success being accomplished by the number of attendees, the size of the buildings, and the entertainment atmosphere created during the worship. Some go as far as to have personal stylists for their leaders, thinking they should be fashion conscience an...

Every year I say I'm not going to post on my late husband's birthday, October 22nd. I mean folks are probably tired of hearing my tribute...but then I remember that we should "give honor to whom honor is due" and though he has been gone for almost 17 years, his life has had such an impact on me that it seems sometimes that he was just here not that long ago.  My husband was a quiet, humble man, with a dry sense of humor that always made me laugh out loud when he on occasion made a really funny remark. I think that is what made the remarks so funny, because they came so rarely and it was done with a serious face. 😊  After receiving Jesus as His Lord and Savior, he became a man that loved God first, me and his family even more with a passion that increased with each day of his life. He was a teacher of men and did it every opportunity he got. He was a "Fisher of men" whether it was taking the men from his job on a deep sea fishing trip or hosting up...

Afternoon coffee (decaf as always) on the back porch...  "Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits..." Psalms 103:1-2  GRATEFUL = A. appreciative of benefits received B : expressing gratitude (Merriam-Webster dictionary)  I am truly grateful how the Lord has kept me all these years. I would have given up a very long time ago, but He has been so faithful to keep me going forward.  I remember reading a book by a widow many years ago and the most important thing that she could have written were these simple words "You will not always feel this way." The words leaped off the page and into my heavy heart and I could almost feel it becoming lighter.  The grieving process is a long journey, but the important thing is that somehow, some way... God gradually exchanges the bruised and broken heart for a newer stronger one.  You will never be the same after a ...

“Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns..." Jeremiah 4:3  Fallow ground, for those "city" folks that may not know much about farming or gardening, is ground that has been left untilled, unplowed or as the dictionary states, dormant or inactive. Such was the case of the little raised garden bed that my son and grandson built over the summer. The project was sincere and exciting, but between the summer heat, and the busy-ness of life, finishing the summer planting got put on the bottom of the list.  We started off with a bang; had a meeting with an expert home gardener (thanks Geannine) bought the suggested books, resources and materials. We even added extra protection against the moles, voles and groundhogs; but our energy seemed to fizzle as the season went on and the summer planting season was soon over.  Every time I would look out the back door to the garden with its one Blackberry bush that my son did manage to plant, I knew that I had to g...

PEACE...something that everyone is seeking, something that you can not tangibly hold in your hand and yet... many have fought wars, lost lives and some have chosen to give up and have taken their own lives because of its absence.  Where do we get this precious sought after gift? Certainly not from man... Some of my most loneliest and un-peaceful times can be when I am surrounded by people, good people...and then some of my most peaceful, comforting times have been when I am alone and in the presence of God's Holy Spirit. Having inner peace is not dependent upon the presence of man, but totally on the presence of God.  King David knew that having peace is a treasured commodity when he wrote this in Psalms 51:10-11 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." He knew that God's presence brought Peace and he did not want to lose that.  Have you lo...