Thursday, May 30, 2013

Whirling Words Trapped

GOOD grey matter or thoughts that linger in a cloud in my head need IMPROV or improving before repeating!  Capturing random encounters that strike me as funny during a normal day at the front counter of code enforcement, is part of what I love about my job! Yes I take a pause here and there, I break out in the giggles while listening to voice mails.  "My mom is my landlord, I have not paid rent for a few months so she has refused to remove the can of oil in the backyard that my ex left, can you make her fix things around here?" We open cases and dispatch officers to handle safety hazards caused by building code failures. Some folks call us about roosters keeping them awake, about dust bunnies under their beds, and some very bored retired people drive around town and take notes on Memorial weekend of anyone with a BBQ in their front yard! Jotting down tidbits that make me laugh, some may translate a rare insight for a worthy blog post. One blog entitled Amazing Words is dedicated to stop the whirl of words that swirl through my grey matter.  Some matter,
most do not.  Some are edited adnauseum, some are deleted, but most are enhanced with oodles of pictures that bring back vivid memories.  A writer needs to write and it does not truly matter if it ever gets published or read – the world wide web is a stage where anybody has the right to write!  My online journal is a fascinating resource for recounting my blessings. Moments of praise get longer attention because I know my scribbling gets attention from an audience of One, my Lord, whom I aim to please with the contents of my heart and mind. When it comes time to others being inspired or moved to journal their own odyssey of thoughts, I encourage them to trim the fat and get to the meat, the source of all inspiration, GOD!

Friday, May 24, 2013

LEAPING IN JOY

Rise up and leap for Joy, for the Lord gave us a new life, another day "in Him" for His pleasure and our benefit. God infused our spirit with His, He delivered the promised Holy Spirit into us. "Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. When he went to Antioch and saw how God had blessed the believers there, he was very happy. He encouraged them all, saying, “Always be faithful to the Lord. Serve him with all your heart.” Many more people became followers of the Lord." The King James version of God's word says "And when he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord." To be blessed by God we must be open to receive His intention to bless us,
in the amplified bible, the meaning is amplified, or expanded by bible scholars so that our minds and hearts would grasp the depth and the width of God's word ~ God loves us regardless of how long we have been gone, out of touch, or out of church. God is faithful even when we don't call Him back. He will run to greet us, wagging his robes in the wind! God loves us forever, or in His word eternally! "I have seen that everything human has its limits and end, no matter how extensive, noble, and excellent; but Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits into eternity." Psalm 119:96 ~  "When he (Barnabus) arrived and saw what grace (favor) God was bestowing upon them, he was full of joy; and he continuously exhorted (warned, urged, and encouraged) them all to cleave unto and remain faithful to, and devoted to the Lord with resolute and steady purpose of heart." Oh Lord we seek a sure, rock steady foundation on which to stand and we treasure the salvation of our souls! Jesus Christ is our anchor in our times of trial. He alone is the overflowing, unceasing warehouse of GRACE!
Destined for a shipwreck, He rescued us. Jesus Christ is our salvation, He broke the chains, and we are free "in Him".  The mystery of God, namely Jesus Christ, is where all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found. The key to unlock this treasure is our fear, our respect for the Lord of lords and the King of kings.  "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, Oh Lord." Psalm 89:15 Our confidence comes from understanding and acceptance of His imperial love for us.  Declare without a doubt the secret truth that God called us, and His plan for us is glorious! Truth is Christ Himself. In Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are kept safe from change, for our Lord is consistent, He never changes, but thank God, He changes us. "For my concern is that their hearts may be braced, comforted, cheered, and encouraged as they are knit together in love, that they may come to have all the abounding wealth and blessings of assured conviction of understanding, and that they may become progressively more intimately acquainted with and may know more definitely and accurately and thoroughly that mystic secret of God, which is Christ, the Anointed One." Colossians 2:2-3 AMP ~
 "O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things, even purposes planned of old [and fulfilled] in faithfulness and truth." Isaiah 25:1 God's living Word shall be fulfilled. In the last days before Jesus returns, as His Word says, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, pests, fires, will increase in their INTENSITY and in their FREQUENCY.  This week Oklahoma was hit with the worst tornado ever.  China and Japan shook with earthquakes, and California felt tremors.  Our treasure is NOT in things! Our treasure in Jesus, we are "in Him" and He is "in us".  The truth is "We live by faith, not by sight" 2 Corinthians 5:7 ~ Bless us Lord with Your superior way of thinking. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV

Monday, May 13, 2013

HAPPY in HIS MIDST

"Give THANKS in ALL circumstances, for this is GOD's WILL for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess 5:18 ~ It is not all black,or bleak, in the world. God created all things, He is ever present and therefore all things are not all bad, cruel and doomed. Good in many forms exists, in every cloud, in the midst of all the grey, and inside the gloom. Pain and suffering is part of life on earth as we know it. God tells us the truth, always!  "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 
As frail humans we fail to see as perfectly, as mercifully, as gracefully, as patiently as our Father does. HAPPY MOMENTS are abundant if we look for them with confident expectation. Let us NOT bypass the benefit of new beginnings and total reliance on God's will. When our team loses, when seasons change, or when our vote, our way is cancelled by the way of another, PRAISE GOD! Give thanks in ALL things for God's will is done, on earth as it is in heaven. It is AMAZING how much can get done when we do not mind who gets the credit! When the winds of time blow and toss aside our hope to get noticed, this youthful perception does not stop God's will of being done. When we endeavor to do what is right in the sight of the Lord, so that He gets the glory, then our maturity shows.

Ignorance flung about by untamed tongues that are fast to punish the unjust terror of gangs, wars, or the often times unsavory political manipulations ~ or of a polluted church member ~ when these foolish ones thrust their tongues as daggers, they pierce society with a vengence that belongs solely to our Lord Jesus.  His living word wisely warns us "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7.  On Mothers Day at our Galt community church we danced lightly through the book of Peter and we were reminded that we are beloved of God, set apart as His holy nation, for His purpose, saved by His 
amazing grace, infused by His Spirit, to walk in His ways, that we bring Him glory by what we speak, and by how we live. We are to shine His light and seek the good that is embedded in whatever the world perceives as bad.  "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." Genesis 50:20 ~ Wisdom begins when we respect the Lord's perfect word and apply it daily as we watch TV, listen to the world news and speak to our loved ones. 
"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, DO NOT FEAR; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13 ~ Lord Jesus thank You for equipping me to encounter difficulties with Your lighthearted perspective.  Lord Jesus Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a lighthouse for my mind.  You are the Light of the world, and in You I rest confidently that in You there is no darkness at all.  "This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you; God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5 Our sovereign Father chose us, we are His royal subjects. We were elected as God's royal priesthood, to be a holy nation, set apart to represent Him, in His power, by His supreme authority in our workplace, in our community.  We belong to God. This means we are no longer slaves to any man. He gave us His royal robe of righteousness that we may declare Who brought us out of the dark and into His eternal light. Once we were without mercy, but now we have mercy to give. Earth is not our home, we are strangers who are equipped by God to fight and win the war that is ever targeted to destroy our faith in Christ. We are charged to live such good lives, and to speak words of life among the lost that we cause them to ASK US "Why do you smile in the midst of chaos?" Simply declaring "I am blessed" no matter the circumstance is to tell the truth. Praise Jesus for He alone is worthy, He alone is responsible for our JOY.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

STRIKE A POSE

LET GO, GET IN THE FLOW, STRIKE A POSE, HOLD IT! Free Yoga in a community park.  Enjoying the groove of cool music that is allowed by park officials every Saturday morning at 9:00 am - 10:00 am starting May 1 - October 1. Outside in the openess, baby carriages are parked nearby while moms, dads and secured dogs all unwind together. In Stockton at Victory Park near the Rose Garden, the class is led by the ever passionate Allison Boyd. Explore your flexibility, balance and strength in this awe-inspired outdoor setting. Enjoy the sounds of the water fall in the pond and the occasional flap and cluck of the ducks. The Saturday morning to do list is put on pause as your body does its own applause for the serenity seen and felt in the park. The DJ Michael Harris selects tunes that accompany the hour-long session of stretches that people with a wide range of ability can easily accomplish. Enjoy the community, the outdoors, and feel the cool morning breeze. Experience something positive in your community. Organize it with a local YOGA instructor that wants to build an in-home-business of private lessons during the week. In the second season in Stockton the group has grown from 20 to 40 people. FREE of charge, the instructor accepts donations. What a terrific idea!  Increase your circle of friends with YOGA in Galt or Chapala, outdoors at the PARK!