My Good King

Short and sweet today. I got this from a friend and found it so profound.  I hope it provides food for thought and that it speaks to you personally. Man and Butterfly A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.  One day he saw a small opening in the cocoon.  He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.   Then it seemed to stop making any progress.  It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther ... So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.  The butterfly then emerged easily.  But, it had a swollen body, and small, shriveled wings.  He continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened!  In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life...

I am doing this AMAZING Beth Moore Bible Study (on my own) on the book of Daniel.  I am about halfway through, and this week's video message spoke to me so deeply. One of her main points in this week's video is something that God has been trying so hard to drive home to me, but I have an extremely difficult time believing it and receiving it.  I understand it in my head, but it has not reached my heart yet. I was so moved and awed by one of the revelations God gave her.   Daniel Chapter 5 starts out with a very unholy bang, so to speak (vv. 1-4) : Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand.  2  While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which  had been  in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.   3  Then th...

f3nation.com One of the most remarkable points that I'm gleaning from the book of Nehemiah is his incredible steadfastness in the face of constant, serious adversity.   This guy just seems unshakable.  No matter what, he forges on ahead.  Every chapter has had serious satanic attacks on his mission and himself, but he keeps his eyes focused only on his God-given mission, and does not allow himself to be distracted or dismayed by ANY adverse circumstances, even threats on his life. The reason God has brought this point into sharp relief is because the same can DEFINITELY NOT be said of me.   I am learning that, spiritually speaking, I am a "whiny baby."  Kind of a difficult pill to swallow--not fun to admit at all.  If adversity is short-lived, and God brings a quick reprieve, I can stay strong.  BUT, if the adversity continues with no end in sight, and I cannot see the outcome, or the situation worsens over time, I am beginning to understand tha...

hubpages.com http://www.prayfordetroit.com/ As I mentioned in my Nehemiah  post, God has nudged me this summer to study Nehemiah in depth because He has some things He wants to show me.  I am just starting Chapter 5, and I must say it is so exciting and interesting. I have to admit, though, that when I got to Chapter 3, it just looked like one of those boring chapters: it gave all the boring details about each section of the wall of Jerusalem that was being rebuilt, and gave countless names of the people who rebuilt each section.  I was going to skip it and move on to Chapter 4 when I felt the Lord nudge me to look deeper--that there was something here that He wanted to show me.   So I dutifully sought the Lord (and a research book, and the internet!) , and was ASTOUNDED at the incredible layers of symbolism in the names of the gates!  It has turned out to be my favorite chapter so far.  :)  God is incredibly amazing, huh?   The big pi...

http://bearsinspirations.homestead.com/  My "Embrace the Suck" post reminded me of an amazing story that I heard several years ago.  Maybe you've heard it, too.  I'm going to copy and paste the story here (as well as the link I used).  It uses the analogy of the process of refining silver to describe PERFECTLY how God refines us and the results of God's refinement.  The first time I heard it, my jaw just dropped to the floor and my eyes became as big as saucers.  It is so profound to me.  I hope it blesses you. It is based on this Scripture (Malachi 3:2-4) “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He  is  like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. 3  He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the  Lord An offering in righteousness. 4  “Then the offering of Judah and Je...

Hello, peeps! This is the title of my pastor's message yesterday at church.  I was so inspired by it.  I am going to attempt to attach the link to his video message in case you would like to experience my church service yesterday. Warning:  The entire message is 1 hour 40 minutes.  If you want to skip the Praise and Worship (which I don't recommend!--I LOVE Praise and Worship!) , you can start at the 45-minute mark--that's where he starts his message.  Or you can listen to it in bits and pieces as you are able.  Or you can choose not to listen.  Whatever works for you.  :)  I just thought I'd throw this out there for anyone who desires. This is just an image.  You cannot click here.  This is NOT a link. "I Will Not Be Intimidated" Church service   This is the link for the service. He underscores the fact that we can choose not to be intimidated by Satan's attacks because we have God in us.  He talks about Dav...

I'm back!   (Did you miss me?!)  ;) "Embrace the suck,"  Sounds so "ungirly," doesn't it?  I know.  I hesitated for quite a while about this title, but in the end I decided to go with it because it so succinctly embodies today's theme. Honestly, I don't even like the word "suck."  I don't let my students use it, and even my own children are not allowed to use that word in front of me.  I don't know exactly why--it just sounds so vulgar to me. Where did I acquire this expression?  Glad you asked!  ;) One of my TV obsessions is watching military shows and survival shows.  I believe that these people, through their perseverance, fortitude, and creativity in  extremely uncomfortable  circumstances, demonstrate a powerful, observable, outward expression of great inner character.  These experiences are definitely not for the faint of heart.  I, for one, have a secret desire to prove myself in this way, but ho...

www.psalmsquotes.com I treasure every second of my summer vacation because I can spend a couple of hours a day praying and soaking up every bit of God that I can.  It brings astonishingly deep peace in spite of the trials I face. Today after church, I just wanted to soak up the peace I'm feeling, so I just read Psalm 23. I encourage you to read it slowly, soaking up every word into your spirit, and allowing God to fill you with His peace which passes all understanding.  Try to imagine yourself in the scene.   I wonder what God will speak into your soul today to edify you.  :) I am using the New Living Translation. Psalm 23 A psalm of David. 1  The  Lord  is my shepherd;      I have all that I need. 2  He lets me rest in green meadows;      he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3       He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths,      br...

just a song that is very special to me because the lyrics focus on how powerful God is and surrendering our lives to Him

FYI:  I was informed by my boss that I will not be able to access my room next week (maintenance), so I'm sorry (I don't think it matters because I don't think I have any readers, but JUST IN CASE!) , I will NOT be able to blog next week.  I do plan to come in on Sunday and make one more post. But I will not be able to blog for a week. I was prompted to write this post because a friend shared a story with me. It caused me to reflect on Psalm 37:6, which says: "He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday." This Scripture is extremely meaningful to me because several years ago, someone that I trusted wronged me severely, and my life changed dramatically because of her choice.  I remember crying out to God for justice to be served.  I cried out continually, several times a day for several weeks. My desire for justice in this situation was astonishingly strong.  He gave me Psalm 37:6 one evening, and I clung to it d...

Hello! FYI:  I am so sorry (IF I have ANY readers out there!) , but because I no longer have a computer at home, I will not be able to post as frequently-- probably no more than three times per week (because I now have to use my work computer). God Blesses Faithfulness I was reading  I Chronicles 17 in my One-Year Bible this morning, and I was so moved that God chose to bless David for his faithfulness.  In I Chronicles 15 and 16, David follows procedure to move the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Obed-Edom to Jerusalem. You can tell by the text in I Chronicles 16 that David is over-the-moon excited that he gets this privilege.   You can feel his enthusiasm and excitement leap off of the pages, even several millennia later.  Then, once the Ark reaches Jerusalem, he throws a big feast, offers sacrifices, gives everyone bread, meat, and raisin cakes, sets up worship, and dances in the street.  In short, he organized the world's largest b...