HOW'S YOUR HEARING?

There was a man who could not hear very well and was told by his doctor that he would have to buy a hearing aid, but he did not want to spend much money on it. So he went to the store and asked the clerk, "How much do hearing aids cost?" "Well" said the salesman, "it depends. They run from two dollars to two thousand .'' "Let me see the two dollar model," the man said. The clerk hung a string around the man's neck. "Just put this button in your ear," he said, "and stick this string in your pocket." "How does it work?" asked the customer. "It doesn't work. But when people see it on you, they'll speak louder."

Well, that may be one way to hear what someone is saying to you, but to hear from God, your ears must be spiritually in tune to His voice or you will miss it all together!

Job 33:14 For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.

SPIRITUAL MIDNIGHTS

There are times in our lives that we all face moments of fear from literal darkness, because we know that bad things do happen in the darkness. Yet, we also have times of spiritual darkness that just seem to creep in as clouds of despair, pain, personal issues and disrupt our peace and cause us to fear something that while we may not can see it, we know that something is wrong. Faith will always overcome fear when we apply it to the situation that we may find ourselves to be in. The scriptures tell us in Ps 139:12, that darkness, is as the day to God….it can’t hide from God and neither can anything that is in that darkness. David knew firsthand what it was like to fear the unknown and those things that were lurking in the hills and desserts of Judea. He like us, was forced to put his faith to the test, many times to either be consumed with fear over his spiritual midnights (or things that he could not control) or choose to have peace and trust God for whatever would be….would be, but he himself was going to follow the God He knew, loved and trusted!

I recall years ago, of a weekly television show that you may remember as well… called, “Blue Thunder”. It was a about a helicopter that could fly over buildings and homes seeing in the dark by detecting invisible, infrared radiation in human bodies and objects. This technology is very real today and enables man to see in the dark what they could not see before. In spiritual darkness, it is God’s light that probes that darkness and dispels it as He shows us the way out. But we must engage that light by turning on our faith to make it happen. John R. Mott was a godly layman who led a world movement for today’s Modern missions. In his early life, he had his doubts about prayer, he read over forty books concerning it and had many discussions about it. Yet it was only when he set aside all that; and began to pray… that he truly began to understand… that God’s power is released through prayer. He learned that, “the prayers of a righteous man is powerful and effective…it avails much!”  It was his practical faith that was the dividing line between his religion and actually experiencing God. It separates those that are simply “fans” of Christ from those that are true ”followers” of Christ.

On Sunday nights, we are going through an excellent video series at Church that helps us to distinguish between being a true Follower of Christ or simply a Fan of Christ. These videos are exceptional in bringing to light the fact that many people are simply fans of Christ but not true followers. The videos cut to the core and help you to define your relationship to Christ as being either an enthusiastic admirer, close enough to Him to get the benefits, but not so close that it requires you to sacrifice anything….or that through your willingness to do what He ask by picking up your cross and following Him, that you truly are a follower and not a just a fan; of the One who died for you. We will all be confronted with this question at different times in our loves. Those times may come during our spiritual midnights like they did in one of the characters in the video series; and when they do, it is then that our level of commitment will be revealed to us as to where our heart and devotion to Christ really lies.

We have no rights of our own apart from bearing a cross daily that keeps us humble and committed to a call on our lives. Do not be deceived in thinking that you do not have a call on your life if you are a true follower of Christ. Do not think that being a believer entitles you to anything other than knowing about Christ….because the scriptures give us many examples or checkpoints to test ourselves and see if we are in the faith or in the beloved. Not all that say, Lord, Lord, will enter heaven, but only those who do the Father’s will…according to Matthew 7:21. So may I encourage you today sweet friend, even challenge you, to pick up that old dusty Bible that you have in your home and begin to look at those checkpoints that are there, and you will find them if you are sincere in your looking for them….and discover for yourself, if you are truly a follower of Christ or simply one of His fans.

If you are going through a spiritual midnight today, allow the One who can shed His light and brighten your world and make your path clear to you…but it will be up to you to walk in it!

Loving you today,

Bren

LOSS & GRIEF

The horrific experience of loosing a spouse, sister, brother, parent or child is something that no one ever wants to face, yet at times, we all do. In the loss of a child, it is one of the most unnatural experiences that a parent would ever have to face and while every parent may fear it, more than likely most of us may never have to experience it. While I have no personal experience with loosing a child, I do know firsthand the pain of loss and that pain has often times driven me to a place where I could find and experience hope enough, to bear what I must and endure the shock and loss of something or someone that I loved deeply. A person that has recently experienced the loss of a loved one is simply needing and searching for hope. A hope that assures them that things are going to be okay and will get better than they are at the moment. A hope that promises them that at some point the pain will get better and they can begin to make some sense of what has happened.
Rebuilding their lives around their loss will be most challenging, but it is very possible. It will be a daily effort for a while as they learn to move on. No one ever really recovers from a loved one’s passing….they simply "move on", and learn to live in the new world that they now find themselves to be in. Finding resolution as they walk through their personal grief, they will be forced to learn to invest in other parts of life, task, relationships, trying to forge new meaning and understanding to their loss as well as their future without that precious loved one. While life may not feel normal for a while, there can be a “New Normal" for them in time; as they settle into that new world that they now are left with. Whether loosing a loved one by cancer or by an accident, there are some core issues and specific circumstances that have different emotional attachments that the bereaved are left to deal with. Turning to others for help and encouragement can help to aid in reaching a turning point away from the pain of the situation, to possibly see the good that can be drawn for it. Hearing other peoples stories of personal pain and loss can even allow a little bit of anonymity to say and ask questions that one may not be able to discuss with someone who has not walked in their shoes; and may not truly understand their hurt, pain, sadness and even anger. We should never deny ourselves time to grieve, God’s word encourages us to walk through our grief’s. Yet we must not allow ourselves to live in a state of grief. Letting go of grief in no way equates forgetting about that precious one that we may have lost; even though we may find it difficult to do so. Raw emotions can seem to last a lifetime... so grieve well, and one day those tears can be replaced by laughter and joy, as time heals and removes the rough edges of the pain. Every parent or person will have their own quest for solace over a loss. They may handle it different than what we would expect. But the fact that they are handling it and not filing it away is enough; because they are at least trying to walk through it.

There are different stages of grief and healing always takes time, so remember to take the time you need, discuss your feelings in whatever environment allows you to express them best....and always remember that the One that seeks to give you Comfort is never far away....
 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." II CORINTHIANS 1:3-4

Shock & Denial - At first, losing someone seems unreal. You can't believe it's happened. You play and re-play all of the events that led up to finding out over and over in your head. You will analyze every word said, every action performed, every detail no matter how small will be examined. You are looking for anything that will make sense. In those early moments, nothing will make sense and you begin to deny it happened and try to convince yourself it was just a dream. You will insist that this can't be happening to you. Not today, not now, you're not ready. You will tell yourself that you cannot handle this.
Pain & Guilt - Next the pain sets in. Your stomach hurts or it can feel hollow and numb. You ache inside and nothing soothes it. You begin to blame yourself for their loss. You wonder what you could have done, even should have done, to have prevented it. Without thinking about it, you try accept responsibility and insist that you somehow let them down and if you had just done one thing differently, they'd still be here. You'll shed a lot of tears at this stage.
Anger & Bargaining - At this stage, you become angry and indignant. You insist on having answers. You want someone to explain it, you want someone to fix it. You want someone to take responsibility because it just isn't fair. You are willing to make deals with God, the devil, or anyone else if it will just bring them back. And you want it now.
Depression & Loneliness - The realization of what's happened begins to set in. You are beginning to accept that they're not coming back. You begin to think about life without them. You experience depression and a gloomy sadness weaves its way into your everyday routine. You reflect back on how things used to be and try to reconcile it to how things are going to be now without them.
Making a Turn
Rebuilding and Working Through It - At this point, you've decided it's time to move on with your life. You begin to create ways to find moments of happiness that still honor their memory. There is a certain respect that you have for the one who has died. You begin to see your work at getting better as something they would be proud of and you feel good about doing it. You know that there are others in your life that need you and want you to be whole. Keeping in mind that what you have been through will some day help someone else walk in their own pain and loss.
Acceptance & Hope - At this stage, you have accepted their death and you realize that blaming anyone (including yourself) doesn't bring them back. You realize that life does go on and you will be okay. You have hope for your future, even though your future no longer includes them. You honor their memory with loving thoughts of them. You are proud of yourself for being a survivor. You still miss them, you still wish they were here, but you understand that in order for you go on, you must accept that which you can not change and in doing so things will be okay just like they are.  

Loving on you today, and praying for your pain to pass quicky!
Bren

WHY I LOVE THE BIBLE

I love the Bible because it has proved itself real to me. It is alive and gives life and hope to those that desire it. It is the living Word of God, it is the very breath of God. It speaks on His behalf to the world. It represent Him; Who He is and what He has to say. The Bible lives because it is the Word of the living God. It is a living thing that reproduces  and multiples, it propagates, it gives birth and life to the one who seeks what it has to say, believes and ask something of it. A stone does not reproduce because, it is not alive. A car while it may run, is not alive because it cannot reproduce another car. Concerning God’s Word, Peter said in I Peter 1:23, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” A single seed under the right conditions can produce thousands of fruit. Why, because within that seed lies the genetic makeup of life. The word of God is a seed. It will grow wherever it is planted. Depending on the conditions of the heart of the one whose been confronted with it, God’s Word will either take root and produce a mighty spiritual fruit, or it will convict the heart that it has come into contact with, of it’s need for God….the result is left up to the individual’s choices and what they choose to do with the truth that is planted in every heart that the seed or word of God comes in contact with. But, it never returns void. It always accomplishes it’s goal to convict and change or simply to convict one of their spiritual need for God or truth.

It has a power that acts and reacts like a person towards me. Because it is alive, it gives me comfort when I seek it. The pages weep with me; in God’s understanding of where I may be sometimes in my deepest pain and suffering. It sings to me and causes me to run to it when my joy needs to be restored. It even wrestles with me, and smites me, when I need it. God’s Word will often times whisper my name, calling me to it, when there is something that I need to hear or be told. It never gets old, it never rejects me. When I make the effort to hide it in my heart, I cannot forget it. There have been so many times that I have picked it up, weary, stressed, distracted by so many things, my mind cloudy, my body tired and sleepy, and as I open it up, the strangest thing happens. The weariness drains from me, the distractions leave me and I find myself slap dab in the middle of something that I needed to hear or know. Nothing else does that for me like the Word of God does.

Throughout the ages men have tried to refute, disregard, discredit, deny, attack, restrict, contain and destroy the Word of God. Yet it continues to spring back greater each time, why? Because it is alive, God’s Word lives. It is sharper than any double edged sword. It cuts deeper than any cutting tool known to man, even into the soul of a man, woman, boy or girl. I read once where God’s word must be put to the throat of every sinful tendency, habit or thought, to reveal to man his nature and the nature of the living God. The sinful nature must be slayed, and the Word of God is the tool that can do it. It need only to come into contact with a heart to reveal and bring change. God’s Word cuts thoroughly, “It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow”

I love the Bible because through God’s revealed spoken word, it has given me new life, and the power to walk in it! There is much to say about the Bible….but it is the One that it reflects, that is the most important…and that is why I love “It” so!

Loving you today…

Bren