To my precious family and friends

May your New Year hold blessings beyond your comprehension. I pray that you will walk in the love of the Lord every step that you take. When you turn to the right or the left, may His voice clearly lead you into His perfect way. I pray that good health and well being will be your daily portion, and that your every need will be fully met. May your spiritual understanding be opened as never before, and your life be filled with peace and joy -- even in the midst of circumstances that are difficult. Be blessed with the blessings of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Happy New Year!

                                                                                                                                             Penny

P.S. Mitzi sends her love too!

Does God blog?

While I waited upon the Lord as a participant at a prayer meeting tonight, I was struck with the number of times that the scriptures make reference to writing. My thoughts hopped from scripture to scripture. For example, we know that in the beginning was the Word . . . the spoken, creative Word. That Word, given to men became the scriptures, which we call the Word of God. We read that God wrote on tables of stone when He gave the ten commandments to Moses. He wrote. I like that. Malachi 3:16 speaks of a book of remembrance that records the thoughts of those who fear His name. Who is writing it? Hmm. I think I know and that excites me. I wonder if my reflections are written there? Of course, there is also the book of life. My name is written there.
Is yours?

Cutting off the heads of the giants in the land

The Old Testament accounts of giants in the land give us clues as to their traits. Some are friendly, others a threat. But they are all huge. Problems are like that, especially personal "issues". Some of them, we have become so comfortable with, that we want them around. These are the friendly giants. Others have proved to be enemies. They take up too much space. But they are all a threat.
For example, the giant called Impatience. He pops up when he is least expected. Things are going great, and all of a sudden something happens -- a glitch in the program -- and presto! Impatience is on the scene, center stage. You seemingly get him under control with a dab of an apologetic prayer. OK. Now we can get on with the daily events. You decide on a hot dog for lunch. With catsup. The bottle is empty. No problem, you like mustard with onions. You peel the onion, cut it up, get the mustard. Oops. Forgot the hot dog was cooking. Rather, overcooking. In your attempt to rescue it, you burn yourself and drop the dog -- which is the cue for the two Bichon retrievers to do their thing. There went the dog -- the hot dog, that is. Oh well, you weren't that hungry. Want to settle for the bun?
Impatience is just dying to get in on the act. You can almost feel him crowding you out. But instead, you give him a poke with the tip of your sword. I will bless the Lord at all times, you sing. And off comes his head. You are learning that you are the land, and the giants are the nasty little foxes that have grown up inside you.
What giants have you befriended? You have a sword. Use it. If they are not too big, a stone might do.

Steps to Emmaus

Shivering, I pulled a blanket around my shoulders. The edge of the small roll-away bed where I sat sagged like my spirits. I was troubled and bewildered. “God, talk to me,” I whispered as I opened my Bible.

I penned those words a half century ago! That was the day I chose Philippians 3:10 as my life’s verse.  That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.


Increasing domestic problems had enslaved me in hopeless, helpless defeat. But now, a glimmer of hope pulsated within. I had no idea what the future held or how I would manage, and yet the uncertainty and fear of the unknown vanished. God was with me. He had spoken to me. My life was in His hands. Since that time, the Lord has taken me through many "gateways" on the road to His throne.

Like Esther of the Bible, the disciples on the road to Emmaus were being prepared. The preparation was intense. Part of our preparation will be an intensity of spiritual cleansings and anointings. Let's not look for an escape, or put up our defenses. The disciples failed to understand the reason for the crucifixion until they witnessed the resurrection.

We are on a road called Life. It is leading straight to the throne of God. If you seem to have encountered roadblocks along the way, be encouraged. Jesus knows how to recalculate the route. When you walk with Him you are in good company.

How have you connected with Him through your ups and downs?

Treasures of Darkness

And I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord God of Israel, who calls you by your name. --Isaiah 45:3
We need to search for treasures in the ordinary. We don't always appreciate the seemingly mundane tasks or the uniqueness of the ordinary soul. But ordinary events are gates, doors to the extraordinary. On a starlit night, which seemed to be an ordinary night, there burst forth a new Star, pointing out the resting place of a new order of Creation in a New Day. This One Who would change the course of human history forevermore was cradled in an ordinary manger in an ordinary stable.

But this was no ordinary babe. It was the birthplace of a King. A Treasure had come to a sin-sick world - a Treasure in the midst of darkness. A heavenly King, disguised in human flesh, walked among men who were ordinary. His touch became the magic that transformed ordinary lives into vessels of honor - even as ordinary water was turned into wine at the wedding at Cana. He showed us that He saves the best for last, so that our ordinary lives would no longer seem futile, but fulfilled.

We, like Nicodemus, learned that a second birth released us from the dungeon of darkness to thrust us forth into Light, into the Kingdom of His dear Son. "Seek first the Kingdom of God," He said. "Consider the lilies" -- "Let not your heart be troubled" -- "Come unto Me" -- "Go and sin no more."

He demonstrated the Power of Peace, spoken to the wind and the waves; and His cry in Gethsemane's ghetto, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me," poured out in blood and tears to become for us the prayer that never fails -- "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done." And new meaning comes to the darkness. "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

The grave clothes could no longer bind Him; the tomb can no longer hold Him. Darkness would no longer diffuse His Light. Human flesh no longer conceals His Glory. The wonder of His resurrection is that we too, become treasures within the darkness - for we have this treasure in our earthen vessels. Now we can proclaim with certainty, He is coming again! We rehearse His words: "In a little while you will not see me, but I am coming for you."

We see that His coming is not an end in itself, but rather, a means to an end. Our mission is to seek first His kingdom, to lose our selfishness and self-centeredness, in order that He may become in and through us, all that He desires to be. That we might be broken bread and poured out wine in celebration of a New Creation, a New Day, and a New Order of Life -- becoming echoes of praise to our generation, dispelling darkness by showing forth His Light.

His Holy Spirit strengthens us to live, to love, to proclaim, "Even so, Lord Jesus, come!"

The Cross is the Gateway to His Glorious Kingdom

"When we cannot reconcile our Christian experience with our sufferings, our failures, and our troubles; when the deep gnawing within finds no satisfaction; when a divine restlessness grips our hearts, we need to consider once again the Cross. Our King desires to show us the riches of His glorious Kingdom and the honor of His excellent majesty. He desires to turn our water into wine."
(Quotation from Gateways to Growth and Maturity through the book of Esther - See Esther 1:4)

Comments on Thoughts About Guidance

I am publishing this post for friend, Tina Luce (Eyes of Faith ministry). Tina is visually impaired, but I'm sure it is only a matter of time before she can navigate around my blog to insert her own comments. She sent this comment to me by e-mail. It is so insightful, coming from her perspective, that I just had to share it (with her permission). Thanks Tina!

"Perhaps the subject of divine guidance can be put in terms of the methodology that is often employed in the guiding of those that are visually impaired. One method is called "sighted guide" and it basically involves the blind person grasping the arm of the sighted guide who then remains one step ahead of the visually impaired individual. This insures close enough contact that will give the blind person warning of obstacles, ascending or
descending stairs and narrow passages. One step behind the Lord... not lagging behind and not straining too far forward.

"The same can be applied to the use of a dog guide. If I lag too far behind my dog, he/she is obliged to essentially drag me along and if I try to go ahead of the dog, he or she cannot warn me of oncoming traffic that I may not detect, holes in the sidewalk that could break something important or the edge of a train platform that could spell disaster if I overstepped it.

"The same is true in the guidance of our Lord. If we overstep or lag behind we are at cross-purposes with His will in our lives and will eventually be compelled to go around the mountain again.

When will we ever learn?"
Tina Luce
http://www.eyesoffaith.com/

Penny Comment:
I like the scripture, "I will guide thee with mine eye". Lord, may I stay near enough to see which way Your eye is looking. For Tina, may she keep her hand in the Hand of her Divine Guide.

Thoughts on Guidance

The quality of God’s “preferred” guidance is subtle. It is given through relationship with Him. It is simple. The better you know God, the less you need specific instructions or complicated procedures. It is special. In other words, it is specialized for you. A common mistake we make is in jumping too soon. The opposite mistake from that is in waiting too long to act. If there is no “green light” we should proceed with caution.
Do you have a thought on guidance? I'd like to hear it.

A Day of Restoration - A Word for the Hour

There is a day at hand in which believers of every description will begin to take back what the enemy has stolen from the body of Christ. As the pressures increase, joy will supersede them; as discouraging situations crowd our lives, this refreshing restoration will renew the strength of the weary. Those who have felt the pain of failure will rise up to the spiritual potential, which is their rightful inheritance in Christ. Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom.

Gateways To Growth

Lord, help me to deal with my imperfections in the way that is spiritually profitable. As Fenlon wrote, "to neither justify them nor to condemn them -- but to offer them to You," and abide in Your peace.