Star-fish

     If this body is a temporary "tent" for my spirit, then why do I spend so much time on it? Recently, my fretting has been over gaining weight and an ever increasing number of wrinkles, age spots, and thinning hair. I know it's all vanity, yet it preoccupies a lot of my time as well as money purchasing diet regimens and lotions and potions for finer skin and thicker hair.      I just want to throw up my hands in defeat as I lose the battle against the bulge and the blemishes. But then scripture speaks hope into my heart, reminding me that although my body may be wasting away, my spirit is maturing in preparation for the Lord's return or my return to the Lord, sans the effects of aging. 2 Cor. 4:16   Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly  we are being renewed  day by day.

    On the news, announcers continue to postulate on the reason behind the bombings in Boston this last week. To me, that is to ask the reason for evil. We, as Christians, know the reason for evil: choice. God gave us the opportunity to choose our own way from the beginning and what did we choose, exactly what God told us was the ONE tree in the Garden of Eden from which we were not to eat. Since that point, sin has been allowed to rule and reign here on earth because we continue to choose it over God's will and His ways.      There is nothing to ponder in the minds of these bombers except that they had chosen to live according to Satan's realm and not live by God's design. Spending any more time trying to figure out the thinking processes of evil men is a waste of energy and worse yet a scary place to loiter.      Better yet, pray for the victims and the families of those who died or lost limbs in this awful plot by evil. Be continually in pray...

      A pastor told a story about an elderly man that came to talk to him about bitterness in his life. The man was angry and his body was physically twisted up and his hand's gnarly. After prayer with the pastor to forgive the other person, years of self-torture and hatred began to disappear and the pastor said the man's curled up fists unfurled. His handicap was self-imposed through years of unforgiveness.      That's what can happen to any of us, especially in the days in which we live. Today's senseless bombings at the Boston Marathon could call us to cry out for justice and become angry with those that set off the destructive devices that maimed and killed people today. But this kind of justice is beyond our ability to judge, beyond our ability to comprehend, and it's a fight that is not of the flesh, but of the principalities.      Today's travesty can only be given to God. His Son died for the evil sins committed this fateful afterno...

     It's sometimes hard not to be all things to all people, but it is sometimes easier to just be who you need to be for the people who need you. I'm working on being a God pleaser and not a man pleaser. God wouldn't have me worn out and stressed. Let's give our problems to Him this week and wonder at His goodness:) Galatians 1:10  Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people?  If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

     Recently, a woman said to me, "I don't want to gossip, but..." and told me something about another woman. It struck me as she said the words, how often have I done the same thing. I don't want to gossip, but I do! Whenever I speak words that are not edifying or encouraging about another person, I am gossiping.      Office gossip can be time consuming, energy wasting, and divisive. Words of criticism about others' work habits, attendance issues, and leadership skills can cause coworkers to question an other's integrity and character. Some folks in the office are bent on telling me what they know about others. I need to be just as bent on telling them what I know about the Lord. Proverbs 11:13  A gossip betrays a confidence,      but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. Proverbs 17:9  Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,      but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. ...

      The women's Bible study I'm in now by Margaret Feinberg, Wonder Struck , is focused on friendship this week. She makes some great statements about how we chose our friends and how to make sure our friends are aligned with God's best for our lives. She notes a woman that she had a lot of fun with, but as time went on she began getting into gossip, slander, and less honest behaviors when around her. On page 112, she notes the following: Instead of challenging me to become more Christlike, I was being drawn away through my relationship with her. I had to take a step back. Sometimes knowing when to pull back from a friendship is hard--especially when we're trying to make a difference in that person's life--but we need to ask ourselves: Are we more of an influence toward godliness or are we being influenced for ungodliness? Whenever the primary influence is that you're being drawn away from God, the time has come to take a step back and prayerfully reassess. ...

     I cooked today and have bandages on both pointer fingers to show for it! I believe my knife was too dull. It sounds strange that a dull knife would be more likely than a sharp knife to cut me, but the truth is sharp knives glide easily through whatever I am cutting and dull knives get stuck and jerk away from what is being cut to the next closest thing...my fingers! Ouch!      In a way, that reminds me of my Christian relationships. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Those we hang out with have an influence on us, one way or another. We begin to emulate them the more we are around them. I pray to spend more time with Jesus so that when my friends spend time with me, I'm a person that helps them cut through the toils of the world and go straight to the Maker. Proverbs 13:20  Walk with the wise and become wise,      for a companion of fools suffers harm.

     I saw a cute picture on Facebook of our grandson with green hands and a Hulk T-shirt on. He had been coloring Easter eggs and must of thought that dipping his hands in the green dye would help him be more Hulk-like. On the radio this morning,   Joni Eareckson Tada  w as speaking about when she was first paralyzed and a friend was playing a song on her guitar. Tada said, "I play the guitar," so the young girl propped the instrument up against her chest. Joni said she sat there looking at her limp hand for a moment wondering what was going on, it wouldn't respond. It hadn't sunk in that she could no longer use her hands, she wasn't physically who she once was before the accident.      Our hands do define us in some ways. The work we do most often is related to what we are able to do with our hands. We shake others hands in welcome, clap our hands in celebration, fold our hands in prayer, and work with our hands to earn an income. If you are s...

     Tonight, while I organized a pile of coupons, I watched on television, The Voice . It's a show where people compete in a singing competition, fairly harmless as far as television is concerned. But the commercials that came on about other shows involving serial killers, zombies, and end times survival shows were so evil that I had to look away and mute the TV. Then the news came on and it was even worse!      As a Christian I know what Revelations tells us about how this story of earth ends, but right now I'm having a hard time finding the good in this present day. Evil appears to be winning the battle for today's youth and gaining speed in every direction. I pray God shows us His light in these dark days, and gives us mental, physical, and most of all spiritual strength to stand firm.      Lord, do not abandon us to this decaying world, but come along side us, those that love You and call on You as our Lord and Savior. Please keep us c...