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Keith Green - Oh Lord, You're Beautiful

Thursday, June 25, 2009

DESPERATION CAN DRIVE US......

The call came....late at night. It was from a friend who was visiting her mother, who lived in the same end of town still, where she grew up.
Her mother had cancer....that's why she'd gone home.

She found herself in the small church of her youth......and ended up on her knees.....eyes filled with tears!

"I was praying for my mum, " she said,...."And then I felt so guilty.......WHY???
Because I'd been away from church....and God, so long...and now.....when I'm desperate, I'm back in church and praying!"

EVER BEEN THERE?

I'm talking about DESPERATE prayer?!

The..."I-just-got-sacked-and-the-bills-are-overdue"....kinda prayer.....
OR the cancer prayer.....or the heart surgery prayer......

YOU CAN SPEND A LIFETIME IN CHURCH..... go through all the motions......and never call out to God as you do.....in pain......and suddenly......you feel guilty!

It's almost as if you've been ignoring a parent....but now.....there's a problem!
A big PROBLEM!
Too big for you to handle so, now, you're bringing it to mum and dad.
You're begging....and through it all you feel so much like a hypocrite.....at least....I do!

I'm supposed to know something about faith and prayer. I talk about it a lot and yes, I pray with others about it, but when I get desperate and really plead with God to do something, I feel like my friend did....in her old church.

It's almost as if God is saying..."Now you're in a mess you come to me..." or...is God saying.....

"Where have you been?" or is God saying....."So, you're not as strong as you think?"
or, as my friend said.... "I just feel I should get my act together, before going back to church..."

I gave her the theologically correct answer..."Going back to God is how you get yourself back together, God does it by forgiving you, then giving you the power and grace to get through it.
It's a fresh start!"

I BELIEVED EVERY WORD AS I SAID IT.....I still do....right now!

My friend told me later that this conversation was one of the keys to her returning to faith and church.

THAT'S A CELEBRATION!

But...... do you ever find that the advice you give some one else, seems to work better for "them"
then what you tell yourself?
Whenever I am in a tough spot, the first thing, ( make that the first few things) is to try and figure out how I can do it myself.

I don't pray first....I don't like to ask for prayer.....
It's like I'm afraid of those "real heart pounding desperate prayers" followed by waiting....patience!

It forces us to do that though, because....we can't fix the cancer.....we can't make money with the snap of our fingers.....we have to wait....we have no other choice...as some one once said..."We find out that God is all we need....when God is all we've got"

In desperate prayers we get closer to God, and that is what He wants.

God longs, yearns to have real conversations with us....not just a quick "hello" followed by asking favours. HE wants to connect with us.
That seems to be the main story lines of the Bible!

It's just a shame that too many have to get desperate, to do it!

Bless you...
Yaddy

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

THE THIRD MAN.........

Last night, I dreamt I took a walk on Calvary's lonely hill.

The things I saw with my own eyes could not have been more real!

I saw upon three crosses.....three men...in agony!

I cried out for mercy.....and the third man.....looked at me!

And, oh, the hurt....in this man's eyes just broke my heart in two
it seemed that I could hear Him say, "I'm doing this....for you.

I knelt beneath that third man's cross and slowly bowed my head
and, as I reached to touch His feet....they stained my hands.....with red!

Then, when I heard Him cry with pain, I raised my eyes to see
blood spilled from the third man's side.....and some of it spilled on me!

The third man wore a crown of thorns....spikes held Him to the tree and I heard Him say,
" O God,...My God.....hast Thou forsaken Me?"

And there, within the mighty crowd, were ones who mocked and cried,
" King?.....save thyself if thou art king.....and then....
the third man died!

Suddenly I heard the thunder roar....saw lightning pierce the sky
the third man ws still hanging there...and I began to cry!

I saw the wall was falling and heard the breaking....in the crowd
and then I woke and thought I'd dreamed, I touched my cheek
and found my eyes were wet where I had cried, and in my mind I knew....

I still can hear the third man say..."I'm doing this.....for you..."

Bless you...

Yaddy

Friday, June 12, 2009

WHO KNEW THIS???

The most selfish one letter word is....................."I" avoid it!

The most satisfying two letter word is..............."WE" use it!

The most poisonous three letter word is........... "EGO" kill it!

The most used four letter word is...................... "LOVE" Value it!

The most pleasing five letter word is................ "SMILE" keep it!

The fastest six letter word is............................. "RUMOUR" ignore it!

The hardest working seven letter word is...... "SUCCESS" achieve it!

The most enviable eight letter word is........... "JEALOUSY" distance it!

The most powerful nine letter word is........... "KNOWLEDGE" acquire it!

The most essential ten letter word is............ "CONFIDENCE" trust it!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

THE TWO MOTHERS....

A long time ago, so I have been told, two mothers once met, on streets paved with gold.
"By the stars on your crown,...." said the one to the other, "I see that on earth, you too were a mother. And by the blue tinted halo you wear....you too have known sorrow, and deepest despair!"

"Ah, yes..." she replied, "I once had a son, a sweet little lad full of laughter and fun...
but..... tell of your child...."

"Oh, I knew I was blessed from the moment I first held him close to my breast and my heart
almost burst with joy....on that day...."

"Ah, yes..." said the other...."I felt the same way..."

The former continued..."The first steps he took, so eager and breathless.... the sweet startled look which came over his face....he trusted me so..."

"Ah yes...." said the other...."How well do I know..."

"But soon he had grown to a tall handsome boy, so stalward and kind and it gave me so much joy
to have him just walk down the street by my side..."

"Ah yes, " said the other, 'I felt the same pride..."

"How often I shielded and spared him from pain, and when he for others so cruelly was slain.
When they crucified him....and spat in his face...how gladly would I have hung there in his place!"


A moment of silence......"Oh...then you are she.....the mother of Christ...." and she fell on one knee!

But Mary raised her up, drawing her near, and kissed from the cheek of the woman a tear!

"Tell me the name of the son you love so... that I may share with your grief and your woe?"

She lifted her eyes looking straight at the other....

"He was Judas Iscariot........I am his mother...."


Bless you all...

Yaddy