Jesus Friend of Sinners

Heavenly Father we humbly come before Your throne and ask that you mold us and make us into what You would have us be and do as Your servants.  Thank you for allowing us to serve You. We are so grateful for this chance. 

Casting Crowns - Jesus Friend of Sinners

"Break our hearts for what breaks yours."

 YES YES YES. 

Father please teach me how to love like You. To understand without question and to be able to help and minister too and love.

Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem

Oh Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Your servant.

Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not judge my brother. For You are blessed unto ages of ages.

Amen.

Listening To A Voice

Image Credit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Good-Morning-Girls/109768529062766

You're not good enough.  No one cares what you think. You're just too fat/skinny/whatever shape it is they don't like. Why are you even trying to preach and teach Christianity? You're not smart enough. You're bringing your spouse/family/friends/people that half-way know who you are down. 

Here's the one that really gets to me... Just.Give.Up. 

Ouch. That one still stings a little lot. Usually that one brings me to almost tears.  A place of just about desperation when I really just want to give up.  But guess what? We don't have to give up.  That is the father of lies, the evil one talking.  

I've heard it said that you know you're doing what you're supposed to be as a Christian when the devil won't leave you alone. 

Thank you Father for giving Your word to me to learn from and lean on and to be able to grow and feel closer to You.  You are amazing for thinking of me as Your child and knowing that You'll never leave me or give me more than I can handle.

Living The Crazy Life

Living the Crazy Life

(La Vida Loca)

When my alarm goes off at 5 A.M. There's not a lot going on in my brain but usually there is a song to be had in there. Sometimes it's stuck for a minute and sometimes it's there for days and days and other times it's there to spark me thinking about something.

This is one of those such moments.

Sometimes we're living the crazy life and no idea why or when it's going to slow down due to anything and everything and other times we're living a crazy life with no job and no income and yet knowing that we're okay because we're trusting in something. Anything. In our case..we're trusting that God has it handled because He's the one that called us to this life and we know it to be true otherwise we wouldn't be here in the first place. Still other time's we're wondering when that next big thing is going to happen with our lives and waiting sometimes patiently and others not so much.

Yet if we're Christians then we're on the same path and living our lives according to God's word and Holy Tradition and knowing where we're going in the end. So I challenge you to live that crazy life on purpose doing God's will for your life and helping each other along the way. Ya never know what might happen next.

May the Lord bless you on your journey.

Cleaning Out the Trash Can

Not too long ago one of my chores listed was to clean the trash can(s). I sighed looked at it again and sighed again.

Fine.

So after taking out the trash I take the can to the shower with the Dawn soap and proceed to scrub and clean it. While doing this it got me thinking.

Yes I'm odd. I know.

When we ask for forgiveness of our sins we in effect clean out the trash can. A new wholeness is restored at that one moment of “please forgive me” .

So simple. So easy.

Hopefully we ask for forgiveness of our sins more often than we clean out the actual trash can.

May the Lord bless you on your journey my friends.

Knowing What Hospitality Really Means

In our occupation as Christians there is a word that will get thrown around. Sometimes a lot sometimes not just depending on what part of the States you're in and what denomination you're with.

Hospitality.

Yep I said it.

Your house must be open at all times to anyone and everyone and you must have coffee, tea and hot chocolate available at all times to be served in an instant with a snack of something or other that took a couple hours to prepare and a perfectly clean house with not a speck of dust anywhere. Your hair is perfectly done and makeup on (don't forget the lip gloss) you're dressed to perfection and your husband and kids look perfect and ready for a Christmas card photo shoot in all matching outfits.

Oh yeah and all that is done with a smile on your face that doesn't leave.

Or Not.

Hospitality is more than opening your house to someone; although that is part of it. It's sharing your life and your experiences and even your advice. A lot of times it's just being an ear to listen when someone needs to talk for a while.

Scripture tells us in Heb 13:2 ^G3588 Let not hospitality^{G5381 G3361} be forgotten!^G1950 [²by^{G1223 3}this^{G3778 1}for]^G1063 some were unaware^G2990 having lodged^G3579 angels.^G32

Kinda clear and concise ain't it?

Be who you are; the best that you are and God will take care of the rest.

The house, the kids...all that's just a bonus. The real value is what you're willing to offer to someone else.

May the Lord bless you on your journey

Psalm 25

Psalm 25

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Psalm 25

Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.

A Psalm of David. ¹ To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
² O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.
³ Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
^[a]Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
⁴ Make me know Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
⁵ Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
⁶ Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your loving kindnesses,
For they have been ^[b]from of old.
⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.
⁸ Good and upright is the LORD;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
⁹ He leads the ^[c]humble in justice,
And He teaches the ^[d]humble His way.
¹⁰ All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth
To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
¹¹ For Your name’s sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
¹² Who is the man who fears the LORD?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
¹³ His soul will abide in ^[e]prosperity,
And his ^[f]descendants will inherit the ^[g]land.
¹⁴ The ^[h]secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him,
^[i]And He will make them know His covenant.
¹⁵ My eyes are continually toward the LORD,
For He will ^[j]pluck my feet out of the net.
¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
^{17 [k]}The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
¹⁸ Look upon my affliction and my ^[l]trouble,
And forgive all my sins.
¹⁹ Look upon my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.
²⁰ Guard my soul and deliver me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
²¹ Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.
²² Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his troubles.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 25:3 Or Let those...be ashamed
2. Psalm 25:6 Or everlasting
3. Psalm 25:9 Or afflicted
4. Psalm 25:9 Or afflicted
5. Psalm 25:13 Lit good
6. Psalm 25:13 Lit seed
7. Psalm 25:13 Or earth
8. Psalm 25:14 Or counsel or intimacy
9. Psalm 25:14 Or And His covenant, to make them know it
10. Psalm 25:15 Lit bring out
11. Psalm 25:17 Some commentators read Relieve the troubles of my heart
12. Psalm 25:18 Lit toil

Nahum

Nahum 1

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Nahum 1

God Is Awesome

¹ The ^[a]oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. ² A jealous and avenging God is the LORD;
The LORD is avenging and ^[b]wrathful.
The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies.
³ The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
In whirlwind and storm is His way,
And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
⁴ He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
He dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither;
The blossoms of Lebanon wither.
⁵ Mountains quake because of Him
And the hills dissolve;
Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence,
The world and all the inhabitants in it.
⁶ Who can stand before His indignation?
Who can endure the burning of His anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire
And the rocks are broken up by Him.
⁷ The LORD is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble,
And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
⁸ But with an overflowing flood
He will make a complete end of ^[c]its site,
And will pursue His enemies into darkness.
⁹ Whatever you devise against the LORD,
He will make a complete end of it.
Distress will not rise up twice.
¹⁰ Like tangled thorns,
And like those who are drunken with their drink,
They are consumed
As stubble completely withered.
¹¹ From you has gone forth
One who plotted evil against the LORD,
A ^[d]wicked counselor.
¹² Thus says the LORD,
“Though they are at full strength and likewise many,
Even so, they will be cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no longer.
¹³ “So now, I will break his yoke bar from upon you,
And I will tear off your shackles.”
¹⁴ The LORD has issued a command concerning ^[e]you:
“^[f]Your name will no longer be perpetuated.
I will cut off ^[g]idol and ^[h]image
From the house of your gods.
I will prepare your grave,
For you are contemptible.”
^{15 [i]}Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace!
Celebrate your feasts, O Judah;
Pay your vows.
For never again will the ^[j]wicked one pass through you;
He is cut off completely.

Footnotes:

1. Nahum 1:1 Or burden
2. Nahum 1:2 Lit a possessor of wrath
3. Nahum 1:8 I.e. Nineveh’s
4. Nahum 1:11 Or worthless; Heb Belial
5. Nahum 1:14 I.e. the king of Nineveh
6. Nahum 1:14 Lit No more of your name will be sown
7. Nahum 1:14 Or a graven image
8. Nahum 1:14 Lit cast metal image
9. Nahum 1:15 Ch 2:1 in Heb
10. Nahum 1:15 Or worthless one; Heb Belial

Psalm 112

Psalm 112

Prosperity of the One Who Fears the LORD.

1 [a]Praise [b]the LORD!
How blessed is the man who [c]fears the LORD,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
2 His [d]descendants will be mighty [e]on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light arises in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;
He will [f]maintain his cause in judgment.
6 For he will never be shaken;
The righteous will be [g]remembered forever.

7 He will not fear evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is upheld, he will not fear,
Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.
9 [h]He has given freely to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted in honor.

10 The wicked will see it and be [i]vexed,
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked will perish.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 112:1 Or Hallelujah! Blessed
2. Psalm 112:1 Heb YAH
3. Psalm 112:1 Or reveres
4. Psalm 112:2 Lit seed
5. Psalm 112:2 Or in the land
6. Psalm 112:5 Or conduct his affairs with justice
7. Psalm 112:6 Lit for an eternal remembrance
8. Psalm 112:9 Lit He has scattered, he has given to...
9. Psalm 112:10 Or angry
   

Psalm 1

Psalm 1

BOOK 1

The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.

¹ How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the ^[a]path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
³ He will be like a tree firmly planted by ^[b]streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its ^[c]leaf does not wither;
And ^[d]in whatever he does, he prospers.
⁴ The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
⁶ For the LORD ^[e]knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.

 

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 1:1 Or way
2. Psalm 1:3 Or canals
3. Psalm 1:3 Or foliage
4. Psalm 1:3 Or all that he does prospers
5. Psalm 1:6 Or approves or has regard to