Category: Soul (Blessings, Miracles, Prayer, Spiritual Growth)

This morning as I bit into my Chambersburg Peach, one of summer’s magical delights, I remembered the analogy I heard about people some time ago.

Peaches are fuzzy and soft on the outside and have a giant, hard seed on the inside… the pit.

Coconuts have a very hard, thick outer shell, but once cracked, are soft and tender on the inside.

The context of the analogy about peaches and coconuts was our pastors wife, sharing her experiences after a mission trip to Paris last fall. During their trip, someone equated the French people with coconuts…. seemingly hard on the outside, but soft and tender on the inside, seemingly closed minded about the things of God, but once penetrated, open to hearing the Truth.

Many of us have become hard on the outside, for various reasons, with different life experiences. Deep inside, however, we are tender and fragile. Only when we break through that hard, outer shell are we open to see the works of God.

Ezekiel 36:26 says:
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Are you open to allowing God to break through your shell? It’s scary, for sure, to step out in faith, not really knowing what’s in store for your future. After all, you’ve been pretty successful being tough. Will you allow God to break through?

Or are you a peach? Seemingly soft and tender in the outside, but inside hard and closed minded? will you allow God to soften your insides?

Think about it… be blessed my friends!

SB

Is it possible to turn the world upside down for Jesus when it seems all those around are completely against anything of God? In a society that not only allows, but seems to promote everything that goes against the gospel?

In his sermon this weekend, our pastor reminded us that the first century Christians faced exactly this same opposition, yet the church flourished. The tenets of the Christian Faith were in direct opposition to the culture at that time…

In America, a country founded in Christian values, we’ve seen a moral decline and are appalled at the cultural norms that are so widely accepted, but our society is not terribly unlike the society of the first century Christians.

Like many of you, I am watching the events in our country unfold, grieving in my heart at the moral decline, the hypocrisy that abounds, and the division I see occurring, not just between political parties, but between friends and family members.

As the country focuses on politics and its upcoming election, I am choosing to focus on the One who holds tomorrow. It’s not that I don’t have a political view or see the importance of standing up for what is right. I do. …. and I truly value those who are fighting the political battles that need to be fought..

My focus will be first and foremost on Jesus, and I will be calling on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct every step I make that my impact would be for eternity for Gods glory and not my own.

By Gods Grace, I have been found, and by His grace I will take every opportunity I can to show His grace to others, that they, too, may find the peace that passes all understanding in a world that desperately needs Jesus.

Be blessed today, my friends… I am praying for all of you!

SB

For some households, socks enter the dirty clothes pile and are never again seen together… lost forever in the black hole of laundry… that happens in our house…. but even more than the sock, the Tupperware lids in our kitchen live a solitary life… they may start life together, but typically once a plastic container goes through one wash cycle, they are never to be friends again…

A week or so ago, I went to Target to pick up a few items, including a 1/2 gallon water cooler for my daughter in preparation for band camp. While there, I found a French Press… oh, how I love my coffee, so I bought it.. and eagerly made my first pot of iced coffee.

The directions said to mix the coffee with water in the pitcher, put the solid lid on, and refrigerate for 12-24 hours… then take the solid lid off and install the lid with plunger, press the coffee and then serve.

The next day, I eagerly put the plunger lid on and put the solid lid into the sink for washing…. that was the last I saw it. For a few days, I waited, sure it would eventually show up… and then finally, I just made a pitcher and put it in the sink without its lid, hoping no one accidentally knocked it over.. and so far, so good. In truth, I was more than a little irritated that the lid went completely missing – I looked in all of the places I thought someone might put it. With 4 females in my household (some of them more OCD than others) it could literally be anywhere.

Every time I misplace something in my house, my mother, who lives with us, says, “why didn’t you ask me.. I knew where it was…” except that every time I ask her, she doesn’t know where it is….whatever it is… so I tried it with this, and she gave me the deer in the headlights look… a week ago… so I asked tonight, since she is the one most often in our kitchen.. if it had ever turned up.. nope. I’m not gonna lie. I was a little irritated and assumed that she lost the lid.

Truly, it’s kind of a running joke in our house… the fact that we have a pile of containers and a pile of lids… and can’t find two that actually go together.

As it happened, my youngest daughter was with us tonight when I asked about it.. she silently left the room and was gone a few minutes to return with the lid!

As luck would have it, the lids diameter is approximately the same size as her new water jug… and She saw it in the sink and thought somehow they must be connected, but couldn’t figure out how it connected. She had it in her room. lol! So, at least for now, the lid and the pitcher have been reunited! I asked her to put it in the kitchen so I could make a pot of coffee.

A little while later, my oldest daughter came into the family room and I was telling her about it, and kind of laughing. She said, “well I just saw it on the kitchen table and put it with her water cooler which I was going to take to the storage closet downstairs (now that band camp is over)… good thing you told me or it would have been gone til next summer!” 😂. Then she told me that they were trying to figure out what it was and Tiffy actually googled her water cooler and said “oh this is what it is! It goes inside to keep liquid from spilling during transit”… turns out that the lid is the exact inside diameter of the water bottle. I came dangerously close to losing the lid again… 😂

My mother… exonerated… at least until the next lid goes missing.

Eagerly awaiting my next pitcher of cold brew coffee…

Be blessed today…

As I watch the news unfold around me, and, perhaps more importantly, watch how people respond to it, I am struck by the coldness with which I we live. In a tangled irony, we mandate life saving measures to “save the few” while allowing the majority to suffer. Yes we have forgotten our compassion and our hearts wax cold.

In Matthew 24, Jesus talks about the sin that abounds in the last days before His second coming… 24:12 says, “because sin abounds, the love of many will grow cold”

Many people have been outraged this week over the execution style killing of a five year old boy by his 25 year old neighbor, who had dined at his house just the evening before. Many have posted on social media comparison between George Floyd’s death and commented on the glaring lack of media coverage. Heart wrenching story.

In one Facebook post, “i know this is going to be a hard one for some of y’all to grasp but no one is talking about the little boy who died because his murderer is being held accountable for his actions. wild, i know.”

My first thought in reading their post was, my, my, my, what a cold, cold heart. Though I understand the logic behind the comment, I am duly disturbed by the lack of compassion, and it drove me to my knees to pray for the hearts of people who have become so desensitized as to not be bothered by the execution style murder of a little boy in front of his siblings. Yes, perhaps his murder is being held accountable… and perhaps it had nothing to do with skin color… but to speak so callously about it as if it’s no big deal is beyond disturbing.

I can only pray for the hearts that have become so cold they fail to have compassion for anyone.

The good news is that God has promised us a new heart and a new spirit when we allow ourselves to be renewed by the transforming of our mind.

I have a cousin who suffered with heart issues when she was young… she is a wonderful Christian woman. Many years ago she shared with me that she came to faith in Christ in part because of my father, one of the few Christians in his family who made an impact for generations to come, even though he died over 40 years ago. She told me that he had given her the scripture in Ezekiel 36:26, probably due to her physical condition.. when I first read it, though, I knew it applies much deeper than physical, and speaks to the emotional condition of our hearts.

Life has a way of desensitizing us, allowing us to become cold and stubborn. We need compassion… we need understanding… that only God can give. I pray for all of the cold hearts in the world today

LORD, let my heart never lose compassion for Your creation, let love conquer a multitude of sins. Give me Your love for people and help me to see past their cold, ugly hearts and know that they need You. Help me to pray for them… help me to love and accept them. In Your Holy name I pray, amen

On Sunday, our pastor preached on the upcoming battle… a spiritual battle. He mentioned the battles that the devil send our way but he also mentioned that God allows someone battles in our lives in order to strengthen us.

Monday morning started like any other day … with my devotional time. During my prayer time, I felt deeply convicted to spend the day in prayer… truly in prayer… and so I messaged my boss and told him I needed to take the morning off. I grabbed a cup of coffee and my Bible and a journal and headed to my new favorite “office” in my back deck… and literally spent hours in prayer.

Oh the topics I covered… from family and friends who don’t yet know Jesus as their savior to the coronavirus and the fear sweeping our nation to the allegations of pedophilia among the elite in our country to my own hopes and fears… for hours literally on my knees in conversation with my Maker.

I felt strangely at peace yet knew He had called me specifically to pray this day.

When it was time, I headed to my studio to teach piano lessons for the evening and came home very late at night. I was unaware that the storm had already begun brewing.

I cannot share the details but will tell you that over the next three days, one calamity after another occurred in my small circle, both directly and indirectly affecting me.

I know That I belong to God and I know that He is stronger than anything I face. The battles He’s already brought me through are my reassurance that He will do it again. I have no doubt.

I read Psalm 91 on Wednesday as I reached out to my prayer warrior friends in my inner circle to ask them to pray. I know God is faithful… but dang, the battle is tough sometimes.

This morning I read the phrase “emotional equilibrium” in a post that a dear friend posted on her Facebook page. The post is a reminder from a pastor of the passage in John 10:10 which says

10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully.

John 10:10 | CEV

And the reminder from the pastor was that Satans whole purpose is to rob us of joy… to take from us our peace and cause us to fear and destroy one another. but Jesus came that we might have life abundant and free of worry. The authors last sentiment was that he could see nothing better for our emotional equilibrium than to rejoice and praise Jesus like Paul and Silas did in prison.

My emotional equilibrium has been knocked off kilter. Truly. And I know that’s exactly what Satan wants. I refuse to allow him to win.

In order to balance my emotional equilibrium, I went to bed early last night, after praying and giving all of my praises and concerns to the One who created me. I rest in His power, waiting with the knowledge of his power to see how He resolved the situations before me.

I can say with confidence that He will come through, though I truly don’t know what His plan will bring.

I believe with my whole heart that God is preparing His people for battle. I know that preparation involves trials that will potentially upset my emotional equilibrium from time to time but I am resting in His promise

I am continually reminded of the time, about a year ago, that God so clearly asked me, “are you still going to trust me when it gets really bad?”

I don’t know what “really bad” means, Lord, but yes, I trust you always!

In His arms I rest, be blessed today my friends!

SB

I’m always fascinated when I read the account of the 99…. if I were the shepherd, I would have surely been tempted to reassure myself that I still had 99…. but God loves us so much that He left the 99 to rescue me…

How humbling. That the Creator of the universe would think I am worth rescuing. Me… piece of garbage sinner that I am… He thought I was worthy of rescue…

You are worth rescuing… He has left the 99 and is reaching out to rescue you.

Let Him rescue you today… full surrender, full repentance… give Him your life… He has given so much more than that for you… and He wants so much more than that for you…

If this is what you needed to hear today, and you want to talk further, please contact me… it’s you I’ve been burdened to pray for this morning..

This morning, as I got ready for work, I felt an overwhelming need to spend time in prayer. I messaged my boss and let him know I’d be taking a few hours off this morning to attend to some urgent matters. I grabbed my ear buds, my prayer journal, and a pen along with my coffee (because coffee) and went to my new place of solace… my back deck.

For the first hour, I tried to quiet my soul… there’s always a million thoughts in my head and sometimes I have difficulty in just listening for God. With piano music in my ears, I simply closed my eyes to listen for God and pray where He guided me….

I am learning to listen more and more… and trusting Him to guide me, renewing my mind in Him. My list is long of those for whom I pray… so many needs in our world today. Praying today especially for those who are the one… who needs to be rescued. He has left the others to bring you home. Go with him… today…

Be blessed my friends.

I am a sinner, not a Saint. But I am trying to repent for my sins through Jesus Christ. And just in case you wonder where I stand, read below.

The 7-year tribulation will be worse by far than anything anyone could imagine. If you think this is our last Pandemic or “natural” disaster you are sadly mistaken. Read the book of Revelation. As a Christian, I’ve heard about the corruption and debauchery of the end-times most of my life. It appears the book of Revelation is unfolding right before us. We shouldn’t be shocked either, given the state of immorality in our world. Every day, the boundaries of sin seem to be pushed further and further. The line between right and wrong has slowly been erased by society, television, and pop culture. Witchcraft, spiritualism, “New Age” belief systems are being celebrated and exalted, even among some professing to be Christians. We have been removed further from the world God created and intended. We need to take this time to re-evaluate ourselves. We need to prepare and repent. Jesus will return just as His Word tells us. This is a huge wake up call, and I am taking it seriously. I want to go Home to my Father, when my time is up.
Until the Lord calls me away from this world to the next, I want to make it clear that I believe in Jesus Christ as the true Lord and Savior. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, was sacrificed on the cross, died for our sins, and rose again. He loves us all regardless of the color of our skin (far more than we deserve) and forgives our sins if we repent. His Word says “whoever believes in Me, will not perish but have everlasting life”.

The above paragraph was not written by me. But it fits who I have become. Fill free to copy and send on. 🙏🙌

Posted on social media by my friend “Rob”…. I read it early this morning thinking he had written it until I got to the last paragraph….

I smiled to myself as I thought about the phrase “fits who I have become”… and this paragraph fits who he has become… by God’s Grace alone, I have seen this man moved from a hospital bed in detox to sharp minded, Jesus loving man who wants others to know what he’s experienced. I’ve seen him restored from a man who literally lost his mind to a man who can comprehend designs of electromechanical systems, untangle the current political nonsense and take charge to lead his friend home… I’ve seen his heart transformed with anger replaced by love and concern, I’ve seen Jesus fill his life.

I have spent hours talking to him about the coming judgement, the tribulation, the rapture, and the fact that we are called to bring people back to Jesus. I have watched as God has strengthened Robs resolve, cleared his mind, and drawn him close to Himself. I am watching as he reaches out, in love, to help his atheist, alcoholic friend get help. I am watching him share Jesus with him in the hopes that he will experience His saving grace. Rob isn’t perfect… nor are any of us… but it fits who he has become. He is a new creation in Christ, and I am rejoicing in that!

^{2 Corinthians 5:17. 17} Therefore, if anyone is ^(A)in Christ, he is ^(B)a new creation.^[a](C)The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

God is not done with Rob yet. Not with any of us… He is raising up an army, friends… an army that fights for the souls of those who don’t yet know Him.

The time is short, friends. The time is now to get our hearts right with God, to repent of our sins, and place our faith in Jesus. He loves us so much more than we could ever imagine. He does not want us to spend eternity in Hell, but seated with Him at the Right Hand if God the Father.

Are you ready to be part of that army?

If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.

Charles Spurgeon

Be blessed,

SB

Such a common phrase, especially among the Christian church… it’s so easy to sound flippant… almost like saying, “see ya” as you part company with someone.

Do you pray for those to whom you say, “I’ll pray for you!”? Or is it rhetoric… to make you feel good that your doing something for someone?

What about when the rubber meets the road…. when someone is really reaching out for help and you say, “I’ll pray for you.” But the help they need is physical or emotional…. yeah, flippant.

But real intercessory prayer…. now that is powerful. Real, deep, gut wrenching petition to The God of the universe on behalf of someone…. that’s powerful stuff. That’s when mountains are moved.

So what makes the difference?

The power and the petition. Petition. There are times we must go through difficult times to drive us to the place where we realize we are completely powerless apart from God…. that our works and our efforts can not change the circumstance…. and we surrender all our vain attempts and lay them completely at His feet.

It is then, and only then, after we’ve completely emptied ourselves, that we can truly petition the Lord to meet our need.

I have so clearly seen God move mountains that I was told were immovable… I have so clearly seen the power of God bring change that seemed impossible….

I heard the doctors and nurses tell his family and me that my business partner “Rob” would be in a nursing home for the rest of his life because he wouldn’t ever be able to function on his own. I sat with bewildered doctors who could not predict or prescribe a recovery plan… and I went to God completely empty of anything that I could do… and I begged and petitioned.. for hours at a time.. that God would not only spare him, but use him for Gods glory…. and I watched closely as, over a five day period, God completely restored his mind and strengthened his body.. to the point where he was discharged from the hospital and walked out on his own… and returned to our business and began to play in our worship band… and then found someone to share Jesus with… all for God’s glory.

I’ve been watching silently as my business partner “Rob” reaches out to share the saving grace of Jesus with his atheist, alcoholic friend, Richard. I’ve been watching as Richard self-implodes and cries out for help on social media to have numbers of people respond, “I’ll pray for you”. He doesn’t yet know the power of prayer…. he feels their response is flippant, almost arrogant, that they would just offer up some thin words on his behalf rather than really helping…. but if THEY truly know the power of prayer, they know that, by prayer and petition, his hear can be softened to the point of surrender to the God of the universe. THATs when God can truly work in his life. THAT is my prayer and petition on behalf of Richard…

I am praying for those who are trying desperately to help him before it’s too late.

In my early morning prayer time, Lord, I weep for Richard… I weep for the poor choices and wrecked lives he’s left behind… but I know You love him enough to have died for him… and Your resurrection provides a way for us to be reconciled with You. He is the one, and You have left the ninety nine to rescue him. Lord, with all that I am, I plead with You to send Your Holy Spirit to call to Richard, and bring him home… that he would find your saving grace and place his trust in You… and go on to reach other Richards for Your glory….

In Your precious name I pray… petition… beg…. Amen

SB