Sing like you used to, dance like you want to

This morning on my walk, I got this one: con·vo·lut·ed /ˈkänvəˌlo͞otid/ Adjective Extremely complex and difficult to follow. Intricately folded, twisted, or coiled. Synonyms convolute - intricate This is what we have when we do not have Christ. On my walk this morning I saw low lying clouds heading west, while the rest of the clouds headed east. Lightning and thunder and rain. All kids of things going on. There are so many things flying at us in every kind of direction, there is no possible way we can handle this by ourselves. We must have supernatural help, the kind only God can provide. The stuff I'm going through right now seems kinda crazy. I got stuff heading east and west at the same time, rumblings, and shocking things. When I tell other people about it they actually can't believe it, they say, how, why? Like Job I just say, "Though He slay me, yet I will praise Him." These things are evil, and I hate these evil things that attack us, but that's why we need the Lord. He is faithful, true, good! He is, after all, God! He controls every circumstance, every situation. He has it all, there is nothing that He does not have! It's crazy without Him, way too convoluted! "Lord, help us to trust in You, all the way, in Jesus Name, amen." After my walk, this song was on the radio, Need To Breathe, Slumber, I have quoted here in part: Days they force you Back under those covers Lazy mornings they multiply But glory's waiting Outside your window So wake on up from your slumber And open up your eyes Tongues are violent Personal and focused Tough to beat with Your steady mind But hearts are stronger after broken So wake on up from your slumber And open up your eyes All these victims Stand in line for The crumbs that fall from the table Just enough to get by All the while Your invitation Wake on up from your slumber Come on open up your eyes Take from vandals All you want now But please don't trade it in for life Replace the feeble With the fable Wake on up from your slumber And open up your eyes All these victims Stand in line for The crumbs that fall from the table Just enough to get by All the while Your invitation Wake on up from your slumber Come on open up your eyes Sing like we used to Dance when you want to Taste of the breakthrough And open wide All these victims Stand in line for The crumbs that fall from the table Just enough to get by All the while Your invitation Wake on up from your slumber Come on open up your eyes Sing like we used to And dance like you want to Open up your eyes The innocence of dancing like we used to, singing like we want to, is a wonderful thought. I love the Lord's timing, it is perfect in every way!

A Way That Seems Right

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12) This morning on my walk I encountered the Lord, but I didn't know it was Him! There is a field I usually walk to but this time, on my way back, I thought I'd save some time. I saw the road ahead of me, so I "counted the cost." (Luke 14) It was looking muddy. I heard a still small voice that said with in the first 10 steps, "You can still turn back." I didn't. I could not see the entire path set before me, it was muddier, more than I had thought. Before the real mud started I had a vision that my shoes would be caked with mud, and that they would become heavy. Two lessons. One, that instead of simply counting the cost, with not all the information available, I should let God order my steps. Psalm 37:23 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way." Two, if I go ahead of the Lord, without His direction, my load will become heavy. Matthew 11:28-30 New King James Version (NKJV) 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” When the mud caked on, it did become heavy. The promise that is so sweet to me, when we get goofy, and go our own way is, Romans 8: 28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." God used this simple thing to teach me what I need to hear. His ways a pure, they are right, and they are good, very good.

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgement.

James 2:13b, "Mercy triumphs over judgement." This was said after comparing how we treat the rich verses the poor. "When a rich man comes in and you say, no, sit here, verses a poor man, no, you sit here..." We know that God's mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23) We also know that they endure forever. (Psalms 136) So we as Christians must have so much mercy that it flows freely, without hinderance, and with abundance, to everyone we know! Mercy can be defined as having compassion, or forgiveness on someone you have the power to harm or judge. We must have more mercy if we are to show the world that our God has mercy on us!

Gnats are like thoughts, they just don't want to go away!

Every morning I try and go for a walk, very sweet time with the Lord. Lately their have been gnats that are relentless. (Interestingly I am helping at an FCA camp with the title Relentless right now!) They fly in my mouth, eyes, ears & nose. There seems to be nothing I can do to get them to stop. Outside of a fire emanating from my head in every direction, I don't see them going away. When the Holy Spirit was first given to us, it came like tongues of fire above the heads of all who were waiting in the upper room, as Christ instructed them to after rising form the dead. (Acts 2:3) That's what we need when faced with our days, the thoughts, the situations that surround us. We need to "Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5) Also I've noticed it helps a lot when we crucify the flesh daily with it's passions. (Galatians 5:24-25) But we need to be relentless in Christ, in our pursuit of Him, as He is of us. I will continue on my walks, even if I have to wear a hat! I will praise Him in everything. I will pray, fast, I will live for Him and not for me. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my Father God and I will exult Him! Thoughts swirl around my head daily like gnats. I must have the power of The Holy Spirit at work in me, walking daily in The Spirit, so He can have all the glory! In Jesus Name, Amen!

Bonhoeffer

Here's some observations I posted on Facebook after reading the new Bonhoeffer book. When Germany's youthful generation was considering the Fuhrer, because of their lack of trust in the previous leadership of both the government and the Church; it came out of a search for meaning, and deliverance from it's troubles, looking for a savior, they elected Hitler. Out of this came this quote, "the difference between real leadership and false leadership of the Leader was this: real leadership derived it's authority from God, the source of all goodness. The Fuhrer was submitted to nothing." Bonhoeffer "Confirmands (young Christian disciples) today are like young soldiers marching to war, the war of Jesus Christ against the gods of this world. It is a war that demands the commitment of one's whole life. Is not God, our Lord, worthy of this struggle?" Dietrich Bonhoeffer around the time the Nazies were stopping the church from speaking against Hitler and the killing of the Jews When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hitler had just suffered his first military defeat at the hands of the Russians. He took Japan's Pearl Harbor attack as a sign of Providance encouraging him in his mass killing spree. We must listen to the voice off God and surround ourselves with people who hear The Lord as well. I have been trying to work with friends now for over 90 days, all they seem to want to do is stop me from feeding the starving, and they believe they are hearing from God. Lord, please let us serve only You, and not our own kingdom building ways. Forgive us of our pride, please save us from the voice of the enemy. Another attempt at Hitlers life was made at an operation code named Valkyrie. After this failed bomb attempt Hitler, after a very thick table leg miraculously saved his proclaims, "It was providence that spared me. This proves I am on the right track. I feel this is a confirmation of all my work." This is really sad to me because there are so many who actually believe they are doing the will God, but are being used as tools of the enemy. "Lord save us from deception, let us be tools of peace in Your hands instead of tools of destruction in the enemy's arsonal. " Like · · Share Tim Stromer After surviving the failed bomb attempt on Hitlers life, he mailed his tattered uniform to Eva Braun, again stating about Providence, "Proof that Providence protects me and that we no longer have to fear our enemies." A radio address at midnight again stating, "I see this as another sign from Providence that I must and therefore shall continue my work." Goring of his staff then came on and said; ..."saved by a miracle...whom almighty God so visably blessed on this day." Not to be outdone, the head of the German Navy then stated, "Holy rather...has filled our hearts...Providence guarded and protected...Providence did not desert our German Fatherland..." So deceived, now this will be used as ammunition to kill even more, all credit given to Providence. Save us Lord from the terany that still stalks the hearts and minds of those given over to their evil intentions, forgive us. Friday at 10:04am via mobile · Like Tim Stromer Even a German "church" newspaper stated, " ...for this we thank God (for saving Hitler) with all our hearts and pray...for God's assistance and help in the grave tasks that (Hitler) has to perform in the most difficult times." Paul say rightly, " Even if an angel appears before you, but teaches a different doctorine than hat I have preached, DON'T LISTEN!" In these last days we must stand in The Word of God and not depart from it in anyway, we must not allow compromise of even the smallest of things if we are to stay true to His Word, every jot and tittle must be obeyed, in Jesus Name, if we are to see the glory of God. Friday at 10:15am via mobile · Like Tim Stromer The date of the failed attempt on Hitler was July 20th, on that day Bonhoeffer's readings were, Some trust in chariots and some in horses; but we will boast in the name of The Lord our God. (Psalm20:7) and If God is for us who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) next days readings were, The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not not want. (Psalm 23:1) and, I am the Good Shepherd; I know My own, and My own know Me." (John 10:14) Friday at 10:25am via mobile · Like

His kingdom come, His will be done...

Sometimes God uses the natural things to speak about spiritual things. Hosea was a man of God, a prophet. God told him to marry a prostitute to show how unfaithful Israel was to God. My wife had a dream years ago that she was the bride, she was in the ceremony, and Jesus was the bridegroom. Recently she had cancer, she is now cancer free, but not from a miraculous healing, but through a painful sugary that was like a car wreck, and left her badly damaged. My mom a few years before had cancer and they gave her chemo, and she dies a slow painful death. This is never God's will, but we in the Church are such a mutilated, disjointed mess, that we have lost sight of the intimacy we are to have with Christ, where, "His kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," is actually fulfilled. If His prayer is a prayer that is actually true, then are we supposed to be living in this world as if we are of this world? Or are we simply in this world, and not supposed to be of it? Is there cancer in heaven? Do people get mutilated in heaven? If we suffer for Christ, and die because we believe in Him, then we are blessed because we suffer for His Names sake, but if we contract some kind of deadly disease, and we die a slow painful death, that is not the same, nor is it God's will according to scripture. In James it teaches us to call together the elders of the church and pray for the sick that they may be healed. "And the prayer in faith will heal the sick." Mark 16, "and these signs will follow...they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover..." that's the Lords will, so what has happened to the Church, His body that is supposed to be doing these things? What if the church is in need of a healing. What if the structure is so dismembered that we can't, and aren't being that body that God intended, "from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:16) So why are we not fitly joined together? We are so busy building our own version of His kingdom, we have left His building site and gone onto our own. Leaders are supposed to be servants, not kingdom builders. We live as if we are the ones to be served, and not the ones to be serving. Like the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus responded, "You know the commandments...." " I have kept them from youth." The ruler said. Jesus respond, knowing his heart, "One thing you lack, go and sell all you have, and give to the poor." (Mark 10:17-27) But the rich young ruler went away for he was very rich. Most of the leaders in the church are rich when compared to others in the world. Many of our famous preachers drive fancy cars and live in mansions, while many of their flock live in poverty. This is not the root of all evil, but it is the root of much of it. (1 Tim 6:10) We in leadership have become fat and lazy, gluttony not one of the things you hear preached about in our churches. (I am as guilty as anyone, loving my coffee flavored Haagen Dazs ice cream way to much) So if we are an undisciplined, train wreck, that brings diseases on His body, then what else should we see, but rampant sin, sickness and the like that has befallen His body? Maybe we've been building the wrong kingdom all along. Now let it be "His Kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Then we can ask, "Give us this day our daily bread, (What we need, and there are so many starving in the world) forgive us our trespasses, (We seem to be holding on to a lot of sin) as we forgive those who trespass against us. (We seem to not be such a forgiving church when we live for ourselves) Let us pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." And then, let us live it.

It is Enough

This morning I was reminded of the tree we just had to take down in our back yard, it was going to fall on our house! Lisa had cancer, it had to be taken out, or it would kill her. The sin in me has to come out, or it will kill me. Visits by the angel of death, warnings from people I don't even know. I need to declare, IT IS ENOUGH. Enough of my flesh, enough of me. He is the potter, I am the clay. He alone is wise in understanding, He alone is good. And yet He saved me,so He alone will I serve. No more GOd's of self, only The One True, Holy God, Jesus Christ, Lord of All! He is now the sole King of my heart, the only occupant. You are Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. In Jesus Name, amen.