A Morning View

April 1 April Fools Day Is everything a joke? Is your relationship with God a joke?  Are you committed to sacrifice and go deep?  Are you committed to give everything up? No Joke!  A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.  “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ “Or what king would go to war against an...

How often do you doubt God? How often in your humanness do you limit God? Do you offend and limit God by not accepting and loving yourself as who you are? Do you offend and limit God by not seeking to grow in and challenge your faith while not allowing the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and change you to become who you are in Jesus Christ? Have you ever told yourself how horrible you are? That offends God also.  Do you desire deeper love with God, for yourself and all of God's creation?  I have been reading Ephesians 3:20-21 from the Message quite often lately. I think it is starting to sink in..... "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!"

This has been a difficult week.  I was honored and privileged to be able to share my heart about the love bond between two friends at his memorial service. It was bittersweet. Too often times I read all the cliches and right things to say and I can easily become cynical because the words only mask the pain. But truthfully, it was a bittersweet service and in our selfish loss, my friend is now home with Jesus.  Am I suffering from the pain of loss? Absolutely! Am I joyous over hime being healed? Overwhelmingly celebrating him singing to and praising the Creator of all!  My journey this past week has made very clear to me that God created me, God loves me and God is going to continue to pursue me as I strive for perfection in love with God. I am beginning to accept this undeserving gift. I am beginning to see I do have value and I am beginning to believe that what I share with others that I know about God also pertains to me. If you truly know me to the depths of my hidden,...

But God, “These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.” - Acts 7:9-10 NLT Peace, PB

But God, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” - Romans 5:6-8 NLT Peace, PB

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”   -  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. From  Strength to Love . "The light shines in the darkness,      and the darkness can never extinguish it." - John 1:5 NLT Peace, PB

But God...... Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said. But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.” - Genesis 50:18-21 NL Peace, PB