October 23, 2019 - Holy Detachment

"We are never free until we are detached.  Holy detachment comes when we live not for our wishes or for another human or for our future, but only for God.  He is our life.  If my first allegiance is to Jesus, then I can have a holy detachment from other people and other things that enables me to obey Jesus and therefore keep those other relationships clean." (Dennis Kinlaw, this day with the master, Zondervan Publishing, 2002, October 23 devotional)

Scripture from Genesis 22:1-19 where God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac.  After a three day journey to the mountain where the sacrifice was to take place, and Isaac was tied to the altar, and Abraham had raised his knife to slay him...only then did the angel of God speak and tell him, "Don't lay a hand on the boy!  Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God.  You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son."  (Gen 22:12)

Abraham knew the Lord would provide...and he did.  After the test, a ram was caught in a nearby bush and was sacrificed instead of Isaac.  However, the point is not missed that if the angel had not stopped Abraham, he would have killed his only son in obedience to God.  What faith!  May my allegiance to Jesus be strong enough to enable me to do whatever God asks of me, knowing His way is the Best way!

September 13, 2019 - Do I have any scars or wounds?

This devotional thought caught my heart this morning, as read in Dr. Dennis Kinlaw's this day with the master on this date::

"Have you ever connected Jesus' phrase "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21) with the Cross?  Peter and the disciples did not want to hear about the Cross and neither does the church in our day, particularly about the Cross for us.  Christ came in the Resurrection to show his wounds and his scars, and I wonder if on Judgment Day we will be required to show him our scars.  He will not care about our trophies and victories; he will care about the wounds and scars we have received because of him.  Those are the cords that will bind us to him."

August 14, 2019 Devotional from Dennis Kinlaw

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my message  in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.  (Mark 8:34-38)

"Sometimes the ways of God seem contrary to everything we believe ought to take place.  But if we attempt to manipulate God into doing our will, we are on the side of the forces of evil.  God's will must be done God's way, and God's way always involves a Cross."  (Dennis Kinlaw, this day with the master).

Devotional Tidbits from Dennis Kinlaw - May 29, 2019

If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  (I John 1:6)

"Christ is with us as long as we stay with him, but when we begin to go our own way in contrast to Christ's way, then the presence of Jesus will depart from our life.  God cannot save us if we keep our back toward him.  Nothing will enter God's ultimate Kingdom that is unclean or impure or deceitful.  In truth, God never sends anyone to hell; we made the choice to turn toward him or away from him.  Which way are you turned?"

May 2, 2019

Always be full of joy in the Lord.  I say it again -- Rejoice!  Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.  Remember, the Lord is coming soon.  Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

An now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  (Philippians 4:4-8)

Today I woke up with this chorus in my mind:

"The windows of heaven are open
The blessings are falling tonight
There's joy, joy, joy in my soul
Since Jesus made everything right.
I gave him my old tattered garments
He gave me a robe of pure white
I'm feasting on manna from heaven
And that's why I'm happy tonight!

May 1, 2019

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.  (Philippians 2:5-8)

"If I am to be a Christian, I must settle in my life once and for all that the law of my life is not my will, but Christ's will.  His will has to be supreme, and that means my will has to be crucified.  It is surprising what healing and growth can occur in human relationships when we reach the place where we can bow to others and above all bow to him."  (Dennis Kinlaw - "this day with the master")

That kind of attitude and living can only come about as we continually surrender to God, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Lord, keep me obedient to you in my thought life, my attitude, and my spirit!  Amen!

April 16, 2019

They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. (Acts 2:45)

I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own:  it is not for man to direct his steps.  (Jeremiah 19:23)

"Jeremiah recognized that the way of fulfillment for us is never in ourselves.  It comes from beyond...  The resources that we need to reach the goals God has for us are not in ourselves.  They are in the One who has the key to the life of Jesus, the Holy Spirit.  That is why we need to be sensitive to this heavenly Guest, who can lead, enlighten, cleanse, and fulfill our very being."  (Dennis Kinlaw, this day with the master, 2002).

"I am thine, O Lord, I have heard your voice, and it tells thy love to me.  But I long to rise in the arms of faith, and be closer drawn to Thee!"  (Fanny Crosby)

April 12, 2019

Father, I am so privileged to be your child.  You have led me down the path you have chosen for me for 69 years.  The only regrets are the times I took my eyes off you and placed them on my own desires.  I am so humbled and grateful that you have forgiven me.  I love that you are in control of my life.  Because of that, I have peace, and I choose JOY!  Amen!

April 4, 2019

"The greatest sacrifice is not that of physical death; the greatest offering is when we take our hands off our lives so Christ can live in us victoriously and joyously.  If our hearts are not clean, we will fight him or resent him.  When we let him have our whole heart, then we delight to do his will, and there is a sweetness in it.  That sweetness comes from precious fellowship with the One with scarred hands.  There is no earthly joy like this.  Don't miss it."
(Dennis Kinlaw - this day with the master)

Welcome, 2019!

I am still here!  I know I have not blogged in a long time, but every now and then I hope I will just stop by and give you an update, so you know I still exist.  

In 2018 I decided to post my college writings in my blog as a way to save them and delete the hard copies off my shelves.  I will forever be downsizing my library!  Books and notebooks take up space, and are heavy to move.  Now that most everything is electronic, I thought I would try to go that route a bit, and empty some shelves and file drawers.  But I kid you not...when I am into reading a book, I want the hard copy in my hand!  I'm not good with holding an electronic and marking my place.  Yeah, I'm still an old fashioned girl in many ways.  

We are in Michigan this winter.  Paul has been under various eye treatments and diabetic changes, so it has been necessary to stay close to his doctors.  His insurance frowns on us taking care of routine business out of state.  This is the year, however, that Paul will join me in the Medicare journey part of life, and I hope that frees us up to head south more often. 

Some day we hope to be living back in Southeast Tennessee...the area of the country where Paul took his first job out of college, and we basically raised our family there.  We absolutely loved the climate, having the change of seasons, but nothing drastic!  I'm sitting here in my office looking out at our snow fall from last weekend that hasn't faded a bit (10"), and trying to thaw out from the frigid temperatures of the last couple of days (negative degrees wind chills).  When winter comes in Michigan, it stays around a while.  Granted, there are some pretty sites out there...if I can stay inside and just look at it!  But having two dogs to walk, it can be bone chilling!  The last two days the dogs have had to use the indoor potty pad...Mamma wasn't going out or exposing them to the single digit or below zero temperatures!  

Paul still has both of his parents living here in Michigan.  His father turned 90 last week, and still going strong.  However, there is still a need for us to be close by to assist Paul's sister in the health care of their mother.  This is another reason for us to still be in Michigan.  In God's timing, He will lead us.

So here we are almost to the end of the first month of 2019.  I'm excited to see what God has in store for us in the year ahead!