Outcomes We Don't Expect

There are many outcomes that we don't expect in life.  An unexpected pregnancy, a sudden and seemingly inexplicable loss of a loved one, losses in the stock market that wipe out entire retirement accounts, a lost court case that sets you back financially in your business, a family that was close suddenly seems to be falling apart, friends who find out your a Christian now ostracize you....the list is endless however, there is not much you can do about any of it except to have a lot of faith, pray a lot and EXPECT God to do something about your problems!   Don't waste time feeling sorry for yourself like I did either.  I turned it around, so why can't you?  You know what my real problem was?  My problem was myself!  I had to get rid of a bad, hurtful thinking process, the one that the devil wanted me to have because it kept me in bondage so don't let him make a fool of you like he did me for the last 10 years!

No matter what we have been through, are going through now or will go through in the future, we need to get a little "holy boldness," and step out of the sin in our own shadows and get right with God.  Especially on the "little things."  Those are the things that the devil uses most to bring us down the quickest, those little sins we don't recognize as sin.  For instance, how much time do you fiddle on the internet at work?  "Yeah, but everybody does it?"  Well, if your co-workers were planning to jump off the building????   I promise, if you stick to the 10 commandments, accept defeat when you know you blew it, and ask God to forgive you, then you won't have a break in communications with Him, and you don't want that.  (I should know, cause it really sucks!).

And even in the little things you do for others, God can be honored.  Do it for Him, and He will reward you, just be careful to keep what you do for others between you and God, or you will receive your reward on earth, and trust me, you'd rather have that reward up in heaven waiting for you, so keep it to yourself!  (Matthew 6:1-2).

Just don't forget?  That includes all of God's children, past, present and future!  He is returning soon to take us all Home, an outcome I am in full expectation of, and cannot wait to experience!

Jesus started to call me awhile back, and I started to pray, "Oh Lord, please find me worthy." I of course, was thinking, "God please find me righteous enough to come home with You in the rapture?"  Then out of nowhere, there was an outcome I totally didn't expect.  He turned my life right side up and took ahold of my heart and I answered Him that time.  That was on April 30th, I got up out of my sick bed and said, "What would you have me do Lord?"  He said, "You're a Barnabus.  You know what to do."  Then, this blog was born.  The idea was to get the call out, that Jesus is INDEED calling us!  Even those of us who think we're safe because we go to church every Sunday?  I just dare you to watch just one of the embeded episodes of "The Hal Lindsey Report" that are posted on this blog.  It will blow you away!  We are SO CLOSE!  The rapture is coming, the question is?

Can you hear Jesus calling? 

All or Nothing?

Are you giving it your all, or are you living a life overcome with depression because of your circumstances?  Maybe a broken marriage?  Maybe you are caught up in the chains of alcoholism or addiction, or have you just given up completely?  I have a little experience with this, because up until April 30th of this year, I had given up on life completely, thinking that my situation was too big to overcome.  I truly believed there was no way out.  But I had forgotten one very important thing.  Nothing is too big, too awful or too hard for God!

You see, I knew God had a plan for my life, but I was so lost in my anger, depression and hurt feelings, all of them emotions we should never trust, that I turned my back on God and everything He wanted for me!  I was the most irresponsible, angry, hurtful and disrespectful person you could meet but all of that changed on April 30th when God reached down into the my muddy pig pen, (for the umpteenth time?) and told me, "Oh no you don't!  I'm not done with you yet!"

I'm not trying to beat anyone down here, I mean, I am the biggest mess of a person there is on this planet!  In fact, if there were an award, I'd have a shelf  full of them! No Shame, Best Whiner, Most Critical, Most Judgmental, the list is very long and I'm sure the devil has a shelf  just full of them all engraved and everything, but when God reaches down into your pitiful life and blesses your socks up, it blows those awards up and the devil ends up with a lot of egg on his face!  So as Paul did, I have decided to "focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead."

Now just think about that for a moment:  Paul was a Pharisee.  One of the highest levels of the religious realm of the times of Jesus. He was responsible for the deaths of several Christians before Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus.  He then became an apostle of Christ, but imagine what he would have seen in his rear view mirror?  All the Christians he had put to death?  How could he look in the rear view?  He never would have been as powerful for Christ had he focused on his past, so he had to stop looking over his shoulder!  This is something I have had a very hard time doing.  Letting go of the past.  The devil is constantly using it against all of us but we don't realize it!   So get your eyes focused on what is ahead and let's get going because there is a lot of work to do!  So many are lost, and they need to be saved! 

So is it going to be All or Nothing?  All of the gifts and wonderful plans God has laid out for you, or none of it?  It's a choice YOU must make for yourself.  I have fibromyalgia which is a very painful neurological condition but God is bigger than my pain.  I have a messed up marriage but God is bigger than my messed up marriage. He is bigger than anything that comes against me because "no weapon formed against (me) you will prosper!"  (Isaiah 54:17).

Just remember that no matter what your mess and no matter how big it is, you really should give God another try.  Do it just one more time....try it one more time...and have a changed mindset.  "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2).

Please give God another try?   Just one more time?

What Do You Believe?

Lord, I beg for all who see this, that they pass it along to those they love, their family & friends!  There are things occurring in the Middle East that our own media in the U.S refuses to cover.  Just this one event could have very serious implications in all of our lives in the future.  Thank you God for your protection through your Holy Spirit and for your Son, who died so that we might live.  Amen.

Please listen as Hal Lindsey, a premiere expert in Biblical Prophecy, explains a verified deal between the Chinese and the Saudi's and the scriptures that explain the end days.

 The Chinese have promised to provide off the shelf nuclear missiles (Dong Feng 21) to the Saudi Arabians who in exchange have agreed to pay the Chinese 60 billion dollars as well as provide them unlimited oil thru 2035!  So, please pass this on.  This all has very important, significant and spiritual implications for everyone on this planet because it isn't the Israeli's that the the Saudi's are afraid of.  It's Iran!  So please forward this to your family and friends?  This information is very important, scary and very spiritually significant for every human being on this planet.  
As you watch, please ask yourself  this one very important question.  

What do I believe?

Peace for the Broken

My dad once told me that "There was a man who was sad that he had no shoes until he saw a man that had no feet."

We all think we have it bad, till we see a neighbor moving out of their foreclosed home or hear of a neighbor who committed suicide.  We "knew" them sort of?  But waving at one another isn't really "knowing them" is it?  It's more like just being friendly to a person on the roadway, waving in your rear view mirror at them because they allowed you to merge in front of them, not knowing who they are or what their problems or needs are.  We never even try to really get to know our neighbors anymore.  What is wrong with any of us that we show no love to one another anymore?   I have had both of these situations happen to me and I don't sleep as well as I used to.  All I can do is continue to ask God for forgiveness for the missed divine opportunities that He was trying to give me, but I ignored them.  I can't sleep at night because I continue to wonder, "what if."  Well it's too late for that now isn't it? 

For those of you who are going through the roughest times of your lives?  The Lord DOES love you and He DOES care for you.  I would ask that you read the scriptures and find out just what God says about you.  You are so special to Him!  He created you so uniquely, that there is not another YOU on the planet, so please don't lose hope?  Don't lose your faith?  It is the only thing that will sustain you in these rough times!

And no matter what happens, please just remember, Jesus will always be there.  He is carrying you through these rough terrible times and He does hear your prayers and He is your hope! Even in the little things.... I know they are not enough sometimes, but God is there.  I have to remind myself a million times a day to be grateful for what I do have, even though my life is a total complete mess, because I know that someone reading this right now has it worse than me.

So please, hold onto those you love, hold onto your friends, share what you do have with those who have nothing.  Love isn't love till you give it away!  So those who have, give and help those who don't have.  And those who don't have, be gracious, don't be too proud!  Accept the help that is offered to you!  And for those who have and feel guilty for not helping?  If you truly feel badly, share with others!  Buy a second lunch when you go thru the drive through and offer it to the man with the sign that says, "Out of work please help," that you see sitting just off the side of the driveway.

During The Great Depression, my grandparents helped as many as they could.  They didn't have a lot themselves, but my grandfather was blessed with skills.  He was hired by MGM studios (I'm pretty sure it was MGM?),  to build sets as a carpenter.  He built sets for Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments and other great movies of the 30's and because he had a job and was able to take care of his family, they had a little extra.  They didn't have a lot with 5  kids to feed and clothe, but they did what they could, God rest their souls.  They took people in, especially the women with children during the winter, using every blanket they had, to where my mother said she remembered sleeping through a few cold nights because the people they had taken in needed a blanket too.  They all had to share.  They would also take what they had left from a nice roast they would have each Sunday and my grandma would make soup and then feed it to those who had no food.  They did what they could, though it wasn't much.  That was who we were back then.  I'm sorry to see our character has changed so much in this country that we don't even take notice of our own neighbors anymore.

So take someone in if they need your help and feed those who are hungry, pray for those who are too proud to accept your help or work a "trade," for something totally worthless that they have so that they won't deny your generosity because of their pride!  Trust me, it does work!  Donate old jackets your kids can't wear, and old blankets and bedspreads to help them keep warm.  So many shelters are closing at night now - it's backwards I know, but it's what we are dealing with and if we don't help each other, we won't survive.

Coat drives are already starting and it's not even July 1st yet, but that's because more and more people are having to use last years coats for their kids which barely fit them anymore.  You can usually do a coat exchange at a local church who would have a clothes closet, and maybe even a soup kitchen, so try the churches.  There are city coat exchanges as well, so find a coat exchange and take the smaller coats and trade them for larger ones so your children will feel comfortable in them.  Believe me if the jacket is too tight, they'll freeze before they wear it?  There are people around you who do care and who do love.  You just have to look!

The trauma that is happening to people all over this country right now because of the failed policies of our government is truly frightening to me.  I am one step away from that myself and it hurts to see people hurting and it's frightening to be living right on the edge myself.  I pray a lot, but most of all, I pray that none of us ever forgets that Jesus is always there, caring for us, watching us, and carrying us when we cannot stand on our own.  Even when you don't have enough, like the man who had no shoes?  Just remember that there is someone else that has less.  There are people in your own back yard who have spiritual and emotional needs as well that are not being met!  Give them the support they need!  Take a casserole to the widow up the street and offer to be her friend, someone she can count on to be there if she needs to talk.  And then there are those who are struggling to feed their children or make ends meet, with both parents working two jobs, having nobody to look in on thier kids after they get home from school.  Offer to help them!  Just offer to step in a few times to make sure the kids are okay before their folks get home.  If you are a stay at home mom or if you are retired you should offer to help!  There are so many things we can do to help each other, just like my grandparents did, but these days it's all about ME ME ME!  I'm so sick of people saying they can't help, coming up with some excuse as to why they don't want to "get involved."  That attitude coming from my fellow AMERICANS makes me want to throw up!  

My heart aches for those who have lost their homes, lost their jobs and are losing their entire retirements because of what is happening around us.  Just remember that this is all part of the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 and 39.  When you see Syria in a Civil War, where they are literally blowing building up and killing everyone?  Just remember, the Prophet Isaiah, 17:1-3, he discusses what is happening there right now.  Pick up a bible and read that passage and then fall to your knees and either accept Christ or re-dedicate yourself and your life to Him for we truly are in the last days, but remember, always remember. that NO MATTER WHAT?

Jesus will always be enough.

Miraculous Discoveries that Confirm Biblical Truths!

 Hal Lindsey in this particular episode of his show "The Hal Lindsey Report," which can be seen on DayStar TV on Sunday nights, shares this new evidence, explaining what they found and how it plays into biblical prophecy!

They have now found and verified evidence of two earthquakes, one of which occurred around 33 AD which would coincide with the time of the death of Christ as he was 33 at the time of his death by crucifixion.  This earthquake occurred just after Jesus cried out in a loud voice and said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." (Luke 23:46).  The earthquake as we have all read or been taught, occurred just after Jesus died.  (Matthew 27:51).

Watch as Hal explains all these new archaeological findings, which includes a lime stone box, (or tomb?),  of the granddaughter of the High Priest Caiaphus's who presided over the trial of Jesus as well as evidence  they have  found proving that King David and King Solomon actually did live and were not creations of mythology!

I will leave you with the same thought as Hal does in this video:  "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."  (John 5:24).

Read Matthew 24, which gives the signs of the "end of the age," and then contemplate whether you would prefer to be taken Home to be with Jesus Christ when He comes to retrieve His Bride, The Church,  from the earth, or if you would rather be left behind to a form of hell on earth, in which men will seek death, but will not find it. (Revelation 9:6).  Jesus is coming very soon to take His Bride, Home to heaven!  "Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door." (Matthew 24:33).

 I truly do believe that He is indeed, "At the door."

Jesus is The Melody of my Heart

For some reason today, I've been thinking of a special loved one.  

My Grandma Maime who went home to be with the Lord in Jan 1990.  We would take trips to see her in Tennessee when I was very young and I remember, when one of us grand kids would sin (be mean to one another, call each other names, etc.,) she used to say, "Now stop being ugly."  The "ugly" referring to our "sin" not how we looked.  I have never forgotten it.  Try it on your kids sometime and watch them do a "Kodak Moment" double take!

She and I were close, but mostly from my early teens until my mid 20's, mostly through cards, letters and little gifts we would send each other like little knick knacks that had been hers, which meant the world, all my children's Christmas Stockings which she crochet herself, and I would send regular photos, and specially framed photos of the babies and more as they grew.  I would send her flowers just for no reason on occasion to show her how much she meant to me and we just had the best relationship.  We talked on the phone over the years as much as we could afford, or she would call me on my birthdays and such.  But as she got older, it got less and less, but I always kept her in  my prayers because she told me once during one of those phone calls when she was getting towards her mid 70's that she had prayed for me every day of my life and that she wouldn't stop until the Lord called her home!  That thought, hearing her say it....will bless me till the day I am called to go and be with Jesus.  I'm sure she'll be the first one there to greet me with that "Hello there Darlin. Now come give me some suga!"  She had the most calming and assuring voice. 

When she passed away, I felt like I'd lost my best friend, and still do.  She was a faithful Christian and once on one of our trips when I was little,  I went to church with her.  After church, she showed me the church's garden and taught me how to smell the roses without getting pricked by a thorn.  She talked about how I should always be thankful for the Garden's because God lives in each one!  I think the "ugly" we are seeing around us today would make her glad to be at home with the Lord, for the flowers are still blooming and beautiful, but the people in the midst of those beautiful gardens are rotting in sin worse than ever and they are hurting, maiming,, murdering, stealing the innocence of children and the list goes on, and oh...how she would grieve and pray for the lost and the horrible "ugliness" they were perpetrating against others.

God Bless you Grandma Maimie!  I know you're watching & listening in one of God's many beautiful Garden's in heaven.  You are one of the most precious gifts God ever gave me which I thank Him for on a regular basis, for without your prayers for me all my life,  I might not even be alive right now if not for your faithful prayers and while I may have been born and raised in California it feels so much like I was born and raised in Tennessee and I think that is because of you! 

You were and still are the most faithful Christian woman I feel that I will ever know and I think of you very often.  This one is just for you.

I love & miss you dearly.  

This is an Emergency.....Come Back Home!

Lord Jesus, Help all of us Lead Them Home!  

Help Me Be Strong with Your Strength,

Help Me to Never Give Up

Help me to Help Those I don't Want to,

Lord, fill me with your Mercy

Lord God, fill us all with your love...

This is an emergency!  For your Son's Return is at hand!  Please God, Make them Come back Home!

We Love and can't wait to see you Jesus, but I am not the only one burdened at how asleep we all are.....

Don't let us miss you when the trumpet sounds...

Lead Us all Home Jesus!

Steps to Encourage Others

Okay, I know I'm always encouraging you to encourage others, but I never really give you any ideas on how you might get started!  I know some of you are shy, scared to talk to other people, etc, so let's think of some ways you can be more like Jesus.  You see there is a way to do things and not have to share, in fact we are encouraged not to!     You can keep it as a special memory in your heart for the more friendly, helpful, encouraging and biggest of all, helpful you are to those who are defenseless to do anything about their situation...the better!  No matter how small the situation is!

Jesus said, "Do not do good things so that people will see you do them. If you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give money to poor people, do not send men in front of you to blow trumpets or horns. Some people do this in the meeting houses and on the streets so that people will praise them. They are not true to themselves. I tell you the truth. They have their pay already."  (Matthew 6:1-2).

SHINE YOUR LIGHT!  HERE'S JUST A FEW IDEAS!

Maybe you walk or ride your bike to school, and you see how bad the paperboy's arm is?  If there is no doubt which house they were aiming for, pick up the paper and throw it closer to the mark, like the walk way or the porch?  (Someone will think they got a different paperboy!).   Or, how about just giving a respectful smile to someone older as you hold a door open for them?  (As a woman, let me tell ya, some of those big glass doors can be very heavy, so I know they'll appreciate it!)

How about finding the least popular kid or the newest kid at school and showing them around or just sitting with them at lunch?  And when he or she is bullied, stand up for them!  Be bold!  Start standing up for the bullied kids,!  You'll be storing up eternal rewards for caring for one of the "least of these"!

And what about us adults?  "Nah, we give to charity"!  Hogwash!  FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD!  Open the door for someone, if its a weekend and the paper boy missed, take it over and throw it on the correct walk way yourself!  You see, as adults we have resources our children don't.

So, how about paying the bridge toll for the guy behind you once in awhile?  You could pay for the coffee for the next person in line while going through the Starbucks drive-thru? You could give a very hard working employee a day off with pay?

And you ladies, how about doing those same things, safe in your car at the drive thru?  Pay for the coffee or bridge toll, but how about finding the newest girl at work and offering to take her to lunch, your treat and get to know her, offering her something a little scarier...oooh......your friendship!!!!  

AND WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT - DO IT ANYWAY!  GOD WILL REWARD YOUR OBEDIENCE WHEN YOU FEEL HIS PROMPTING TO DO SOMETHING!

It doesn't matter if you're a teen aged boy/girl/mom/dad, etc., don't let these simple  opportunities to be kind & encouraging to others, pass you by?  They won't know us if we just pass on by, they will only know us by our Love!  (John 13:35).

I leave you with the words of Jesus when he was asked about which of the Commandment was the greatest?  Jesus said,   "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this:  Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these."  (Mark 12:30 -31).

Love yourselves, your families, and please  love others by passing along this blog!  +1 us on Google,  Tweet us,  Share us on FB !  You know what to do to get the word out!  I'm just one person, I need your help to get this  "Love Crusade" on the train tracks!

The day is drawing near!  Let us rise up Church!  Love everyone!  Don't love just your Christian friends, LOVE STRANGERS EVEN MORE!  THE WORLD NEEDS JESUS!

He's Just a Prayer Away

I told a story recently, that I think deserves repeating, and I hope it blesses all who happen to read it!

First let me tell you about my panic attacks.   If you're a sufferer you definitely understand how paralyzing they can be.  There are many "triggers" , and you will notice that they do have this way of changing over the years depending on what kinds of stress you may be under, and how many different things are causing the stress.

Anyway, that night in the ER recently, the nurse left the tiny little room I was in, which was definitely not helping because I also have pretty severe claustrophobia.  But by God's grace, she left the small curtain open just enough for me to see an older gentleman in a hospital bed, with an IV, heart monitor and other monitors and machines, and he was alone.  I could feel the Lord's heart and my own, breaking  so I started to pray for him.

I felt so ashamed, I hung my head, and I asked God for forgiveness for being so focused on myself instead of others.  What was so awesome though, is that one second I was totally under attack with severe panic syndrome and the next, I was at perfect peace as Jesus and I sat there together praying for that man.  I didn't even know his name, but God knew!  That's all that mattered.  

Since then I start my mornings with "Good Morning Lord.  What can I do for YOU today?  Please grant me opportunities to share your Good News and to rejoice with a smile and a God Bless you, when I am rejected.  Just please Lord, give me the courage to be kind and let others see the changes you have made and are making in me.  Amen."  Pretty simple right?  Then just like the neighbor you are committed to praying for, start praying for your co-worker friends and also pray for your enemies!  

You know, that even in the darkest of moments, don't ever forget,  Jesus is always listening.  He hears every word you and I say, and no matter what we've done, if we come home with a humble and contrite heart, He is faithful to forgive us!  And He will never leave you nor forsake you. 

He sure didn't forsake me that night.  If anything He made my faith stronger and I left with a stronger heart than when I went in! I have no doubt that you will see amazing things happen when you learn to "let go and let God," do His will through you and me!

Besides, even if you get lost and weary, just call His name!  Because he's always "Just a Prayer Away."

The Least of These

SPRING CLEAN CHALLENGE!  Clean out all of your closets, all those clothes that are too small for your kids, etc., shoes, and what not and then clean out the garage and do one of two things:  Give the items to a good and honest charity, preferably one that will not charge for the items you are giving them.  Your local church may have a pantry as well as a clothes closet for just such items.  Some of them will even come and pick them up from you for free!

The idea is to help our brothers and sisters around us, and also to show the love of Christ to those who are not yet saved.  They might just find more than clothing or shoes, they might find Jesus!

God will remember how we have treated others and there are a lot of us who truly believe that His return is growing closer by the day!  So please, let's all start to "walk the walk" and not just "talk the talk?"  A lot of people are hurting out there, but the best trait of being an American is the love that we show to one another when there are disasters, etc., is the same love that has always gotten us through!  As an American, and a Christian, I believe what they believed.  That God would help them and protect them in their time of need and He did, or we wouldn't be here today! 

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left  Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?   When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.'"  (Matthew 25:31 - 46). 

Even if you are poorer than most, I bet there is still something you have or that you can DO to help a neighbor in need?  The measure of our character is in what you do when you see someone in need, no matter what your circumstances are.   Do you try to help or do you keep walking, ignoring the elephant standing in front of you?  That's right, you're not as poor as somebody else so stop your whining about what you don't have and start Praising Him for what you DO have and give His Love even if you have nothing else, for HIS LOVE IS PRICELESS!

 
"Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.  Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins worth only a fraction of a penny.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41 & 42).

Don't forget to Love one another.  And remember, that whenever you put God in the center, all the rest just seems to come together!

Lean on the arm of God, rather than the flesh and what you THINK you can and cannot do, and just TRUST THE LORD!  You're Miracle is at Hand!