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Hi,
I had the morning off the last two days and went to morning mass. the church is just a few blocks away and being on the road, one gets mighty lonely at times. I needed to hear some truth and just be in a place where I knew the Spirit would be present.
one sobering truth about the mass ritual is the gospel is preached along with an old and new test. verse. the priest typically only talks about the gospel message.
it is refreshing because my current church(presby) just drove out the head pastor whom I may have mentioned led a tithing doctrine that was preached in such excess one may have thought it was a ponzi scheme to aspire to not unlike the church of scientology and their levels of "whatever"
I hadn't had the ashes put on me since childhood, and as he put them on , he whispered that instruction, " Be faithful to the gospel and do not sin."
It reminds me very much to the instructions Jesus gave to all those he healed. It was encouraging because I know I need to be encouraged in this walk of faith.
lastly, heard a great teaching the other day about how the first sermon Jesus gave was to the devil in the wilderness. I have always felt the truth coming from Jesus lips supercedes all others and all else. How about you?
Dear Dave, Yours was the very first thread I read this morning...you know, you have a very sweet spirit, and your words reveal a person who's heart is tender toward the things of God...you inspire me by reminding me on this beautiful morning, to be faithful to the gospel, and do not sin...I love it so much when the Holy Spirit speaks to me through others' love. Thank you for your precious gift to me this morning...for starting me off on my journey today, strong in His love. God bless you. Love
the time in the wee hours is the time I fellowship with our Lord. For me, simply going to a church was what I needed and you know, God did have a word for me. That is why I just brought up encouragement. those words the priest whispered were great encouraging words we all need to hear from someone. outside of another massive debate, I can take stock in that simple "reminder" and encouragement. funny though, since I was raised as a kid in the church, I don't have any problem wandering back in. I tis just a matter of returning somewhere so things can come into focus. i guess some folks go back to their home towns or to a moutaintop. My biggest struggle isn't with sin right now, but with loneliness in my job and feeling like God is working on me. I guess that's a good thing...Sure it is.
...yes...I know lonliness..we've been very close "buddies" for a very long time now...these times, however, are the most precious times for me...God does His finest "refinement" work...where He can reach down deep inside of us...nothing around to take our focus off of Him...this silence is golden...this lonliness...is priceless. He is working on you dave, as He is me also...may we always have the ears to hear, and the eyes to see the things that can not be seen or heard in the natural...our lonliness will be filled with Presence! God bless you...Love.
Let me a share an outcome of what I think was happening the last 2 days. I'm home after a long commute from philly to carolina. While I was in jersey, God gave me a vision to look up on the web an old schoolmate from parochial school who is in jail for life for second degree murder. I remember tim so well. His father used to beat these kids, 7 of them and Tim was a terrified youngster. every time the teacher called on him , he would cry. this was in 7th grade. he got into drugs and robbed a next door neighbor. the young 28 year old caught the teen and He paniced and killed her. Tim has been incarserated since 1977. His whole life has been suffering.
I have reached out to him and asked to correspond and maybe visit . i want to tell him about Jesus and the cross and the resurrection. mayeb he knows but I wrote the letter and mailed it. I will keep you posted. His mugshot just spoke to me. God was calling me to be His ambassador. I couldn't help but think about "whatsoever you do to the least of these, that you do unto me."
The Holy Spirit is speaking to you dave...God loves tim so much, He has impressed his picture upon your heart. dave, you may be the only Jesus that tim will ever know in his lifetime...you may be the only Bible he will ever read. Follow the unction that is inside you for him...from some of our perspectives, we where dealt a pretty lousy hand for life....being wounded constantly; battered and bruised...many scars-some healed, some not...I speak from this perspective. But, I wouldn't go back and change a single day, because someone came to me in mercy and in love and told me about the love of Jesus Christ for me...and I found a love like I'd never known before...changed my life forever. Now I can look back on this difficult life that I've had, and know that all that time, God had a purpose for me to live this life...and it was so I would understand the human condition and show God's mercy and His grace to others that they would know Him through me...that they too would know of His love for them...this is what you will be for others that God brings into your world...we are all responsible for our "territory", and those that God puts within it. Please, keep me updated dave...I would love to walk through this with you...In His Love.
you know there is no way I would even be sensitive to His direction were it not for the daily walk. you're right. and to hear about your testimony only makes mine more relevent. when I was still broken , God's grace gave me the peace to carry on. A man showed up to board my 19 seat turboprop. I was a 1st year co pilot and he walked up and , "I love you more than you love me." I needed to hear that so much. After the flight, he invited me to his home in jersey. turns out he is the pastor of a large free will baptist church. after my dad died , I often told him he was my new earthly father. His love and concern came sometimes in a phone call and message. Maybe I had just gotten through a horrible day. his message would make my spirit soar. We have this treasure in these vessels and you know, Verna, it truly is the necessity that we look for these things that God will reveal. tim and I were friends and I ran into him shortly before the crime.
This really is the calling of the saints. We have to give witness but do to the way this has happened I feel much more convinced of the calling and the purpose. A man on the radio said last night that God used John the Baptist for only 6 months yet Christ said there was no one more regarded than John the Baptist. Have you ever thought that our mission could be so little as to maybe affect one, two maybe three souls but we have to be ready to act? Grace and Peace. God Bless .
Dear dave, if every Spirit filled Christian living on earth today who heard the call of God, through the Holy Spirit, and obeyed Him, to go and witness to that "one" individual God has placed upon their heart...well...I can only imagine.....
Beautiful dialogue between you two Verna and Dave, My son is also a trucker, has been for over twenty years..He was very lonely on the road, but he loved his wife and family and endured the sacrifice..His marriage eventually broke up and she married another and took the children away with her.. Terrible depression set in as he continued his long and lonely job in order to continue supporting his children and keeping their home up..He was/is agnostic ,and how I prayed that he would just at least try to talk to God, who I am sure was/is always with him in that cab protecting him from the dangers of the road..
He is happily married again and has a short run and is able to be home most of the week ..His wife is a devout catholic, and I truly believe that God is using her to bring him in contact with God..My son has never done drugs, drink or smoke, nor did he ever rebel as a teen..He just doesn't "know" about faith and belief..
I think when God sends someone to introduce Himself into our lives He chooses by the persons heart, not what group they feel comfortable worshipping and serving Him with...
Thank you both for such a refreshing posts.
Dear Miss Blue, Thank you for sharing...you know, as I read your post, I really see many more blessings in the picture you paint, than I see not...seems to me that God is perfectly working things out in your sons life...we all have to go through, but God is so loving and faithful to His children...and their children...until they too come to know Him. He will send angels unaware to guide him...just look where we were when He called out our name...we sure weren't looking for Him...but He had His eyes on us...the entire time!!...Love you.
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Would like you to know...
...just let there be one, O Lord...
