Bible Blog: Psalm 2 – May 30, 2008

Psalm 2: 1-12 (GNB)

“Why do the nations plan rebellion? Why do people make their useless plots?
“Their kings revolt, their rulers plot together against the LORD and against the king he chose.
"Let us free ourselves from their rule," they say; "let us throw off their control."
“From his throne in heaven the Lord laughs and mocks their feeble plans.
“Then he warns them in anger and terrifies them with his fury.
"On Zion, my sacred hill," he says, "I have installed my king."
"I will announce," says the king, "what the LORD has declared. He said to me: 'You are my son; today I have become your father.
“Ask, and I will give you all the nations; the whole earth will be yours.”
“You will break them with an iron rod; you will shatter them in pieces like a clay pot.' "
“Now listen to this warning, you kings; learn this lesson, you rulers of the world:
“Serve the LORD with fear; tremble
“and bow down to him; or else his anger will be quickly aroused, and you will suddenly die. Happy are all who go to him for protection."

What is rebellion? The best dictionary definition I’ve seen is, “organized opposition to authority; a conflict in which one faction tries to wrest control from another.” Okay, so in the very literal sense, David is referring to his earthly enemies in this Psalm, the people who were trying to overthrow the kingship God established. The message for us today is no different. Every time we try to do things our way, go against what we know God wants us to do in our lives, we are trying to take control away from God. “Why do people make their useless plots?” Our typical answer, “we just can’t help ourselves, it’s our human nature.” Well ladies and gentlemen, when you ask Christ for forgiveness from your sins and ask Him to be the ruler of your life, you are asking HIS nature to take over your life. Instead of answering, “its human nature,” we should be saying, “I’m struggling for power over my own life.” It’s not as easy to admit that though is it? As soon as those words are out we realize we’re sinning and need to change our ways. But as always, there is good news… if we submit to Him and allow Him to protect us, we will find happiness. Maybe not complete happiness while on earth, but when we are in His presence in Heaven one day, we will know joy beyond our capability to imagine.

Hugs & Love

"rebellion." WordNet® 3.0. Princeton University. 02 Jun. 2008. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rebellion>.

Bible Blog: Psalm 1 - May 29, 2008

Psalm 1: 1-6 (GNB)

“Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God.
“Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the LORD, and they study it day and night.
“They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.
“But evil people are not like this at all; they are like straw that the wind blows away.
“Sinners will be condemned by God and kept apart from God's own people.
“The righteous are guided and protected by the LORD, but the evil are on the way to their doom."

We have a decision to make; it’s as simple, and as complicated, as it sounds.
Option 1 – God’s way
Option 2 – Man’s way
On the surface this seems so simple; we want to live for God. End of story, right? WRONG!

Every association we have in life, teachers, parents, siblings, friends, every conversation, has the potential to impact our thoughts and perceptions on what things in life are good and what are not so good. Sometimes we can find ourselves strongly convinced to believe in a way contrary to God’s teaching, but we can also find ourselves indifferent to Him. What’s the danger in indifference? Well, when you don’t have an opinion on something, you can’t really have any goals. For example, a neutral opinion on sex before marriage could result in putting yourself into compromising positions and having the decision made for you. Yes, that’s an extreme example, but it’s effective. In addition to not being able to set your goals and boundaries, you will find that your contentment in Christ and your joy in Him will start to fade. If you’re indifferent to His presence in your life you can’t experience the joy and satisfaction of a relationship with Him because it just doesn’t matter.

I have good news for you though… you have a choice!

When we study God’s Word, immerse ourselves in Him, His ways, and His Love, His will becomes obvious to us, His Love restores our contentment and our lives are once again filled with His joy! When we give God our time and attention we become productive, fruitful and we grow. The more we become like Him, the more joy, hope, and grace we experience in our lives! It’s the same idea as making those human associations, except that association is the one where we get to experience perfection through an intimate relationship with the Perfect One! He offers us everything; all we need to do is accept it.

So today, we choose. Do we give our time and attention to others with imperfect hearts and motives and allow ourselves to be complacent and indifferent to God OR do we choose to spend time with our Savior, learning about His desires for our lives and living in His Love and Grace while letting Him mold us and remake us in His image?

Hugs & Love

Poetry

Did you know that a poet opens his or her mind and heart to provide us with a lyrical and almost tangible account of that person’s inner struggles and desires? The Psalms of the Bible aren’t any different in that aspect. Where they differ is that they illustrate an intimacy with our Savior, the open, honest, free communication that is available to any who call on Him. Isn’t it wonderful? We are free to call upon the most important and powerful being ever to exist with the mundane (toe stubbing, hang nail, split ends) to the problematic (disciplinary issues with children, unemployment) to the emotional (loneliness, depression, joy) to rejoicing (praises, songs of worship, promotions) and anything else we might want to talk with Him about. He wants more than you’d give your best friend on earth, He wants EVERYTHING!

It is my hope that during my journey through the Psalms I will feel comforted, encouraged, but above all, that I develop a deep and intimate knowledge of my Savior, a closeness that I’ve never before known that will remain with me until I meet Him. I also hope that whoever reads my accounts of the Psalms will get from it whatever God intends. Above all, I want to be His servant and do His will.

Hugs & Love

God will take care of you...

Some background info: I lost my job. I'm not going to get into the story, I'm working on the next chapter of my life right now.

Well, I'm sitting here, starting to wonder which bills to pay, which to hold off on paying, the normal monthly financial situation but with the knowledge that there will not be another paycheck coming in 2 weeks. I start feeling my anxiety level rising, my blood starts pounding, and I pray... yes, I prayed. I asked God to help me through this and His answer? The lyrics (and melody) "God will take care of you, through every day, o'er all the way, He will take care of you, God will take care of you." How wonderful is it to hear the voice of God just by being open to Him?

I know many don't believe God can or will talk with us, but He does, every day, if we take the time to listen. It won't always be as obvious as this situation, and in other cases it will be even MORE obvious, but that still small voice inside of me is my connection to my Savior and I want to listen to it every time it speaks to me. Hope you have moments like this with God, they are wonderful!

Hugs & love

Not Dead...Yet

Sorry for the delays in posting, most of you were following along with my health status outside of my blog, so I didn't bother posting updates here. I'm finally doing MUCH better!

During my not so willing hiatus from work, I did manage to get out a few resumes and find a new job... and it's the one I wanted! I actually had 2 offers, the first one came, and it didn't "feel" right, they were pushing for an answer, I didn't feel sure of it, and there was as much stress about the possibility of taking that position as there was at the one I had left, ultimately, the company withdrew the offer. About a week later I was called in for an interview for the job I now have which is making about 8k more a year than I was at KCI and 5K more than I would have at the other job offered. I'm still doing plan review work, but I'm in the field now also, I'm going to be sent for training next month so I can do official construction inspections if the need arises rather than just tagging along with a co-worker (although getting stuck in the mud is more "fun" when someone is there to pull you out!) and I'm already given more respect on this job than I had in 2 years at KCI. They are helping me learn because it will help me do my job more effectively and in turn help lessen the burdens of co-workers. From day one they started taking me to meetings and introducing me to local engineers and getting me into the public eye as the new engineer. It is wonderful! The stress is limited to the normal work related stressors rather than personal ones, and the hours and benefits are phenomenal.

That said, when I went back to KCI to clean out my cubical, within 2 minutes of talking with my old boss she had my stress level so high I was ready to scream out "this is why I quit!" What's worse, someone took my calculator and they were treating ME like I was some type of criminal... can you believe it?

Anyway, I've been in meetings with former co-workers for KCI already and they went relatively well, considering that they never made eye contact with me.

I just wanted to let you all know that I am alive, what I've been up to, and that I am about 90% better health wise. I still have flare ups, I still have 3 children to care for, and I still love Jesus... so everything will be fine. I'm back into my Bible study group, oh how I missed those ladies! I am so happy to once again be learning about God with them and discussing Him with them, I missed it so much while preparing for Christmas!

I'm hoping to get back into a good pattern here where I can start blogging my Bible journey as well as anything else I feel relevant. I want to figure out how to long for heaven while at the same time living an abundant life... any thoughts?

Hugs & Love to all, I've missed you!

History of the 2007 War on Mold and Mildew

History of the 2007 War on Mold and Mildew
by: Alice Maer


In the August heat, on the hottest day of summer, the compressor in the air conditioner broke. The day before, the downstairs neighbors moved out. We were without a cooling system and living in a 3rd floor apartment. The war has begun.

Our first sign of trouble was condensation on the kitchen floor, not just a light mist, but puddles so large that they would soak your entire foot. The children thought this was fun, splashing in puddles in the kitchen, but I knew better, I knew this was a breeding ground for the worst enemies any apartment has ever known, mildew and mold. Oh the kitchen was safe enough; they have windows to help dry the air and floor, but the bathrooms, oh the poor bathrooms! The hall bathroom sustained only minor injury, easily repaired by the maintenance crew, but the master bath, completely enclosed and isolated from any semblance of air circulation; it did not stand a chance against this evil. The maintenance crew came and scrubbed the mold and mildew until the walls were faded to a light pink color… but you could see that the little buggers were still alive and waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

Late in October, the weather became warm again, short sleeves, humid air, everything was perfect for this monster to once again assert itself. The walls, the ceiling, the shower… all covered in a blanket made of mold and mildew after three short days of humidity. They struck for the second time and this time it was personal. I called for reinforcements, Joe, ever ready with a bottle of bleach, a sponge, and gloves approached the bathroom with a warrior’s pride. He strode in with a ladder, scrubbed every possible surface of the bathroom, and managed in 3 hours to remove about a quarter of the offensive scum from the ceiling. The rest remained because our might warrior was tired and needed a much deserved rest.

Time was dragging by, the proud mold and mildew regrouping where the mighty warrior Joe had once devastated their population. We did not concede defeat; never will we allow the mold and mildew bullies to win this war against us! A new plan of attack was formed, and late in November, the mighty Rachel approached for round one with a bottle of chemical warfare in hand. She heartily sprayed every centimeter of mold and mildew infested walls and ceiling with the chemical whose purpose was to remove all signs of their existence. After her first attack, she realized the advantage the mold has over her, they can not smell the chemical warfare, nor can they breathe it in, but it is toxic to them, and soon they will run away, crying for mercy. A few hours later, Rachel the brave enters, armed once again with the chemical weapon for a fresh attack. She sprayed the entire bathroom once more, trying to save the rapidly infected room from total demise. The folly in her plan was soon realized as she started to cough and wheeze, the chemicals were hurting her! She ran for the relief of fresh air, and had to use an inhaler to restore her breathing to normal levels. Upon her retreat she noticed a significant withdrawal in numbers on the mold and mildew side of the war, one or two attacks more and this war will be won, the bathroom saved, and mold and mildew defeated until the next air-conditioning system failure next summer. The call is out, for a mighty warrior to come to the aid of this bathroom, to save Rachel the Brave’s lungs from total ruin during her attempt to decimate the stubborn mold and mildew so ruthlessly attacking her abode. Is there a warrior out there willing to fight this battle and help bring us to victory?

Time is running short, the enemy is approaching, I must send this now and hope for our Knight to come to us and rescue us from this danger. Please, come quickly!

Long anticipated...

Sorry for such a long delay. I've been so weak and tired that I just didn't know which end was up most days. My medications are now working, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) seems like a happy thing in relation to others that this could have been, and I've gotten the new job with the county! I'm being cleared to return to work on the same day the offer to start at the county is effective and all is well.

God has managed to use me through all of this, much to my surprise, and I'm thrilled He has. I just hope it doesn't take a major illness to get my attention next time!

For the past month or so I've been reading what others have been writing about the Bible, their thoughts and ideas, etc... instead of doing my own digging. I do plan to resume my own study and writing but for now am concentrating on getting better, resting when needed, etc... for those who have told me they miss my input, I'm sorry. I will be back though, I promise!

Hugs & Love