Psalm 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.

God is in control. Nothing takes Him by suprise.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” ~Maria Robinson

A Dream...

Psalm34:

1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

I had a dream the other night. God & I were talking. I was troubled & upset about Hannah leaving us at such a young age and questioned God about the details, her suffering, our suffering, why, why, why?

Finally God said "Do you remember what I told Job?" Job lost his entire family (except his wife) in one day as well as his financial security and his own friends judged him as someone who may have deserved what he got. Then to add insult to injury, Job was stricken w a devastating disease called leprosy. In his day, there were no hospitals, no support groups, no clinics, etc... just isolation. The only advice he received was from his estranged wife and she told him to "curse God & die".

I quickly replied, "but I'm not Job!" Never have been, never wanted to be, how is it that my father, my mother, grand parents, my brother, & now my daughter have all been taken from me. What is the deal?

God reminded me that "everything is mine". Gold, silver, cattle, fruit of the vine, and even humans. He created us, He redeemed us, He is coming back for us.

I Thess. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Hannah, Mom, Dewayne, were never mine. God put us all here as a family together to help each other make it to that final day. God also said "they are here because their work was done, they are finished." "You on the other hand are not finished." "You still have a purpose to fulfill.

And those that have gone on before you are cheering you on."

As He spoke I thought of this scripture...

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Then God smiled and said "your race isn't over, keep running..." and I woke up.

A Poem sent to me

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in North Platte , Nebraska , it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Missouri . The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging its way across the world via internet.

What do you see nurses? . . . . . What do you see?What are you thinking . . . . . when you're looking at me?

A crabby old man . . . . . not very wise,Uncertain of habit . . . . . with faraway eyes?Who dribbles his food . . . . . and makes no reply.When you say in a loud voice . . . . . 'I do wish you'd try!'

Who seems not to notice . . . . . the things that you do.And forever is losing . . . . . A sock or shoe?Who, resisting or not . . . . . lets you do as you will,With bathing and feeding . . . . .

The long day to fill? Is that what you're thinking? . . . . . Is that what you see?

Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . . you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am. . . . . . As I sit here so still,As I do at your bidding, . . . . . as I eat at your will.

I'm a small child of Ten .. . . . . with a father and mother,Brothers and sisters . . . . . who love one another.

A young boy of Sixteen . . . . with wings on his feet.Dreaming that soon now . . . . . a lover he'll meet.

A groom soon at Twenty . . . . . my heart gives a leap. Remembering, the vows . . . . . that I promised to keep.At Twenty-Five, now . . . . . I have young of my own.Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home. A man of Thirty . . . . . My young now grown fast, Bound to each other . . . . . With ties that should last.At Forty, my young sons . . . . . have grown and are gone,But my woman's beside me . . . . . to see I don't mourn.At Fifty, once more, babies play 'round my knee, Again, we know children . .. . . My loved one and me.Dark days are upon me . .. . . my wife is now dead.

I look at the future . . . . . shudder with dread.For my young are all rearing . . . . . young of their own. And I think of the years . . . . . and the love that I've known.I'm now an old man . . . . . and nature is cruel.Tis jest to make old age . . . . . look like a fool. The body, it crumbles .. . . . . grace and vigor, depart. There is now a stone . . . . where I once had a heart.But inside this old carcass . . . . . a young guy still dwells, And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells. I remember the joys . . . . . I remember the pain.And I'm loving and living . . . . . life over again. I think of the years, all too few . . . . . gone too fast. And accept the stark fact . . . . that nothing can last.So open your eyes, people . . . . . open and see. Not a crabby old man . . . Look closer . . . see ME!!

Heavenly Visions...

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

Wow! What John must've felt like. Getting a glimpse of heaven. Heard another wonderful message on Revelation this weekend. Text taken from this passage. God opened the door to the very throne room of God and gave him a quick tour. Read the entire 4th chapter. It will give you goose bumps.
Then continue into Chapter 5. Revelation 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Worthy is the Lamb! So amazing that the LION of Judah is also the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world.
Thoughts & prayers, DLC

Revelation1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Heard a good Bible lesson on this taught yesterday. The thing that stood out to me the most was the description of Jesus by John. John saw Jesus daily walking around Palestine for 3+ years. Saw Him crucified, saw him resurrected, etc. But this description is so different from the Jesus he described in his Gospel. This was truly a revelation of risen, victorious, triumphant savior. The other cool thing about this is when Jesus spoke to John and told him not to be afraid. he used a familiar phrase to describe Himself. One that John was all too familiar with. I AM.
FEAR NOT, I AM. Earlier in John's relationship w Christ, Jesus proclaimed "I am the good shepherd, I am the way, the truth, the life, I am the bread, before Abraham was, I AM". In John 18, Judas & the guards came to apprehend Jesus and when Jesus asked "whom seek ye?". They answered "Jesus of Nazareth". His reply was " I AM HE".
Verse 6 says they went backwards and fell to the ground.
Truly one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, AKA I AM.
Thoughts & prayers, DLC