Thanks.
Good to have you back.

SS

Thanks Still Seeking! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I don’t know if you’ve read about it, but my H finally received a permanent job offer (he first need to work on 3 months probation). I’ve posted an update about it on this post last week (for in case you’ve missed it)! I’ve also posted how we currently feel about the in-vitro infertility treatment.

Take care.

The Road of Life

At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or he11 when I die. He was out there sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn't know Him.

But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal. I don't know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since.

When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable it was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on!

Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!" I worried and was anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?" He laughed and didn't answer, and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure, and when I'd say, "I'm scared," He'd lean back and touch my hand. I gained love, peace, acceptance and joy; gifts to take on my journey, My Lord's and mine. And we were off again.

He said, "Give the gifts away. They're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He'd wreck it; but he knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly to shorten, scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I'm sure I just can't do it anymore, He just smiles and says...
"Pedal."

God has kept you here for a reason.
You survived because He has a plan for you.
All your bad relationships,
the consequences,
the hard times,
the sad times,
the death of loved ones,
the back stabbing from friends,
the negative thoughts,
or the lack of support;
You made it because you’re blessed!
You can release and let go of all past hurts,
misunderstandings and grudges
because you’re abundantly blessed!
Recognize them as the illusions they are,
and sent from the enemy to kill your spirit,
steal your joy,
and destroy your faith;
for God is all there is.
All else is a lie!

Now give yourself a hug, wipe your tears away and walk in victory!

More appropriately God loves you BEST.
Be blessed and know that you are at one with THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD!

"The Will of GOD will never take you where the GRACE of GOD
will not protect you.”

The Truth About Feelings
by Jon Walker

“… And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ ….” (Philippians 1:9-10 NIV)

Submitted now for your consideration is Pamela, a loving wife, a nurturing mother, a prayerful Christian. This morning her husband, Richard, left a tender note on the bathroom mirror, inviting Pamela to join him for lunch at their favorite restaurant.

Pamela eyes the clock all morning, anticipating meeting her life-long love at 1 p.m. She’s excited and feeling extraordinarily loved by her husband, so she leaves for the restaurant early so she can buy Richard a small gift. She splurges a little, buying two balloons that float from the ribbon around the present.

As she pays for the gift, she notices her cell phone isn’t in her purse – again. No matter, it’s 12:30 and in a few short minutes she’ll be with Richard, giving him her undivided attention. Who needs a cell phone in moments like that?

Pamela arrives at the restaurant first, and she patiently waits for Richard to arrive. What she doesn’t yet know is that there has been in a horrible, tragic traffic accident, and Richard died at about the time she was tying the balloons to his present, excitedly anticipating their romantic rendezvous.

The point to this painful snapshot is that our feelings don’t always reflect the truth. Pamela was soaring high on feelings of love, completely unaware of the awful truth bearing down on her. Her feelings are not yet in line with the truth.

Imagine Pamela as she waits for her husband. When he doesn’t arrive soon, she becomes annoyed. After 20 minutes, she’s irritated and hurt. Her feelings still do not line up with the truth.

By the time 40 minutes have passed, she is worrying. This just isn’t like Richard. Maybe something has happened. She borrows the restaurant's phone and calls Richard’s office. His boss says, “Pamela, we’ve been trying to reach you. There’s been a terrible accident ….” The truth and Pamela’s feelings collide – and become one.

There’s nothing wrong with our feelings; God gave them to us. As one of my friends often says, “Feelings are just feelings.” Sometimes they reflect the truth; often times they don’t. They can serve as an early warning system, such as when fear alerts us to danger, or they can draw your attention to the one God wants you to marry, when you feel an overwhelming sense of love.

But your feelings do not define the truth. Only God defines the truth. You may feel worthless, but the truth is you are uniquely created by God, who loves you deeply. You may feel like you can walk on water, but the truth is you can only do that if Jesus calls you from the boat. You can’t; God can.

The apostle Paul teaches us to discern the truth, not through our feelings, but through knowledge and insight. He writes, “… and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ ….” (Philippians 1:9-10 NIV)

Eugene Peterson, in The Message paraphrase, translates that passage like this: “… You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush ….” (Philippians 1:9b-10a MSG) Otherwise, you end up in a life “shaped by things and feelings instead of God.” (Colossians 3:5 MSG)

Your feelings are from God; they are a gift, and there is no need to avoid them or be ashamed of them. However, God never meant for our feelings to measure our life and determine how we live it. Your feelings do not define you; they are not designed to interpret the situations you now face. Only God’s truth can define you, and only God’s truth can pass judgment on the circumstances of your life.

The great and best Good News is this: God’s truth is a person – Jesus Christ, our Lord.

So what?

• You are not your emotions – You are defined by God, not your emotions. You may not feel like it, but God says you are wonderfully and fearfully created in his image, accepted in the Beloved. He loves you no matter what you’ve done.

• God uses your feelings – God may use your feelings to reveal a piece of your heart that you need to turn over to him. He may use your feelings to draw you closer to him. Paul speaks of feeling like a wretched man, and that draws him deeper into the grace of God. Your feelings of hopelessness in a situation may be what God uses to show you that you’re hanging your hopes on the wrong thing – because he is the God of a hope that will not disappoint.

• Your obedience is based on the truth, not feelings – The facts may appear daunting, but it is up to God, not you and your feelings, to interpret the facts. God calls us to be obedient to the truth, not to the way we feel. As C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity, if you don’t love someone, behave as if you do, and your feelings will catch up.

The Winner

I was watching some little kids play soccer. These kids were only
five or six years old, but they were playing a real game - a serious
game - two teams, complete with coaches, uniforms, and parents. I
didn't know any of them, so I was able to enjoy the game without the
distraction of being anxious about winning or losing - I only wished
the parents and coaches could have done the same. The teams were
pretty evenly matched. I will just call them Team One and Team Two.


Nobody scored in the first period. The kids were hilarious. They
were clumsy and terribly inefficient, as only children can be. :-)
They fell over their own feet, they stumbled over the ball, they
kicked at the ball and missed it, but they didn't seem to care ...
they were having fun!

In the second period, the Team One coach, pulled out what must have
been his first team players and put in the scrubs; with the exception
of his best player, who he left at goalie. The game took a dramatic
turn. I guess winning is important even when you are five years old,
because the Team Two coach left his best players in; the Team One
scrubs were just no match for them. Team Two swarmed around the
little guy at goalie. He was an outstanding athlete for five, but he
was no match for three or four who were equally as good. Team Two
began to score.

The lone goalie gave it his all. Recklessly throwing his body in
front of incoming balls, trying valiantly to stop them. Team Two
scored two quick points in succession. It infuriated the young boy.
He became a raging maniac - shouting, running, and diving. With all
the stamina he could muster, he finally was able to cover one of the
boys as he approached the goal. But, that boy kicked the ball to
another boy twenty feet away, and by the time the young goalie
repositioned himself, it was too late. They scored a third goal.

I soon learned who the goalie's parents were. They were nice,
decent-looking people. I could tell that his dad had just come from
the office, tie and all. They yelled encouragement to their son. I
became totally absorbed, watching the boy on the field, and his
parents on the sideline. After the third goal, the little kid
changed. He could see it was no use; he couldn't stop them. He didn't
quit, but he became quietly desperate - futility was written all over
his face. His father changed too. He had been urging his son to try
harder - yelling advice and encouragement. But then he changed; he
became anxious. He tried to say that it was okay ... to hang in
there. He grieved for the pain his son was feeling.

After the fourth goal, I knew what was going to happen. I've seen it
before. The little boy needed help so badly, and there was no help to
be had. He retrieved the ball from the net and handed it to the
referee - and then he cried. He just stood there while huge tears
rolled down both cheeks. He went to his knees, I saw his father start
onto the field. His wife clutched his wrist and said, "Jim, don't.
You'll embarrass him." But, he tore loose from her and ran onto the
field. He wasn't supposed to for the game was still in progress.

Suit, tie, dress shoes, and all - he charged onto the field and he
picked up his son so everybody would know that this was his boy. And
he hugged him and kissed him ... and cried with him. I have never
been so proud of any man in my life.

He carried him off the field, and when they got close to the
sidelines I heard him say, "Scotty, I'm so proud of you. You were
great out there. I want everybody to know that you are my son."
"Daddy," the boy sobbed, "I couldn't stop them. I tried, Daddy, I
tried and tried and they scored on me." "Scotty, it doesn't matter
how many times they score on you. You're my son, and I'm proud of you.
I want you to go back out there and finish the game. I know you want
to quit, but you can't. And son, you're going to get scored on again,
but it doesn't matter. Go on, now." It made a difference - I could
tell it did.

When you're all alone, and you're getting scored on - and you can't
stop them - it means a lot to know that it doesn't matter to those who
love you. The little guy ran back on to the field, and they scored
two more times; but it was okay.

I get scored on every day. I try so hard. I recklessly throw my body
in every direction. I fume and rage. I struggle with temptation and
sin with every ounce of my being - and Satan laughs. And he scores
again, and the tears come, and I go to my knees; sinful, convicted,
helpless. And my Father rushes right out on the field - right in
front of the whole crowd - the whole jeering laughing world, and he
picks me up. And he hugs me, and he says, "I am so proud of you. You
were great out there. I want everybody to know that you are my child.
And because I control the outcome of the game. . . I declare you the
WINNER."

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

TEN RULES FOR A BLESSED DAY

1. Today I will not strike back:
If someone is rude; if someone is impatient; if someone is unkind… I will not respond in like manner.

2. Today I will ask God to bless my “enemy”:
If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will quietly ask God to bless that individual. I understand the “enemy” could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker or stranger.

3. Today I will be careful about what I say:
I will carefully choose and guard my words, being certain that I do not spread gossip, slander or malign anyone in any way.

4. Today I will go the extra mile
I will find ways to help share the burden of another person. I will find ways to make life more pleasant.

5. Today I will forgive:
I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way. (I will also work to forgive injuries that have been inflicted upon me in the past.)

6. Today I will do something nice for someone, but I will do it secretly:
I will reach out anonymously and bless the life of another person.

7. Today I will treat others as I wish to be treated:
I will practice the golden rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you – with everyone I encounter.

8. Today I will raise the spirits of someone who is discouraged:
My smile, my words, my expression of support, can make the difference to someone who is wrestling with life.

9. Today I will nurture my body
I will eat less; I will eat only healthy foods. I will thank God for my body.

10. Today I will grow spiritually
I will spend a little more time in prayer today; I will begin reading something spiritual or inspiring today; I will find a quiet place (at some point during this day) and listen to God’s voice!

[color:"blue"]The underneath daily devotional speaks to me today since I often struggle with fear and sometimes also struggle to put my full trust in God regarding ALL things in my life:[/color]

FAITH IN YOUR FEAR
by Jon Walker

“But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27 NIV)

Across the breadth of the Bible, God consistently sends the message, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

The Bible reveals that God knows we tend toward fear, particularly as we respond to uncertainty and change. Yet the Bible also reveals that God is the only thing in this world – or out of it – that is certain and unchanging.

Is it possible we have more faith in our fear than we do in God?

No matter how complex life becomes, it still comes down to the basic choice. Will we place our confidence in the All-Powerful, Supreme Being and Sole Authority of the Universe or will we place greater confidence in our fears?

Although the choice is black-or-white basic, God knows it’s not simple. It involves a challenging stretch, and that’s why God continually reminds us, “Fear not, for I am with you.”

God is clear that our abilities, our resources – even a belief in the myth of luck – will not be what strengthens us for the journey. (Philippians 4:13) We fear we can’t do the things God calls us to do, and we fear that God will not protect us or provide for us – and so we choose to fear, embracing the unholy lie that our circumstances are bigger than the One True God.

And we place our faith in God on the altar of our own perceptions, as opposed to placing our perceptions on the altar of unflinching faith.

If you’re like me, you often fear what’s behind the curtain of God’s call, and God – frustratingly – won’t let me peek behind the curtain:

• Our fear shouts, “Pay no attention to the God behind the curtain; he’s just another wizard from Oz, using smoke and mirrors to give you the illusion of power and grace.”

• Our God whispers, in that still small voice, that he wants us to develop confidence in him and not in what we see or feel. He keeps the curtain drawn so we will learn to live by faith and not by sight, so we will become certain of what we hope for and sure of God, even when we can not see how he’s at work in our current circumstances. (Hebrews 11:1)

So what?

• Ask God to replace your fear with faith – Eliminating your fear involves more than working up your courage; this is a spiritual battle that requires you to develop faith. But first you need to make a choice – Will you fear, or will you “faith?”

• Faith means you believe the truth – Your behavior and decisions are most often rooted in what you believe. When you experience fear, ask yourself, “What does this fear say about what I believe in this circumstance?” What fears are you experiencing today? What do they say about the beliefs embedded in your being? Ask God to root them out.

• Get caught in an act of faith – One day a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped behind Jesus and touched his robe, thinking he could heal her. “Jesus turned – caught her at it. Then he reassured her: “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you're well.” (Matthew 9:22 MSG) God is for you, and he encourages you to be caught doing acts of faith. When you act in faith, you proclaim your belief in God, that he exists and that he cares about you.

• Question to consider: Ask a friend if he or she sees a part of your life where you show more fear than faith – and then ask God to help your unbelief. (Mark 9:24)

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a effort.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

The Coffee or the Cup?

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:
“If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups….And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided for us.”

God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!
“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything.
They just make the best of everything.”

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.

Bumping for Suzet...

Because there's an awful lot of great stuff in here! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Faith Reaches Out
by Mark Kelly

Matthew 9:20-22 (TEV)

20 A woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, "If only I touch his cloak, I will get well." 22 Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage, my daughter! Your faith has made you well." At that very moment the woman became well.

Everything about this situation was improper. This woman’s problem was more than physical. According to the Law, her illness made her unclean before God. Anyone she touched would be made unclean and have to endure the hassle of ritual purification. She had lived in isolation all these years, forbidden to touch or be touched. Her condition would have prevented marriage; if she had been married, her husband most likely had divorced her. She should not have been in a crowd where everyone was bumping into everyone else. If people hadn’t been so focused on Jesus, an angry mob would have chased her away.

This woman was desperate, utterly at the end of herself. She had no one to help, no hope for anything better in life ... except this teacher who everyone said could work miracles. Reaching out to touch Jesus was scandalously inappropriate. But Jesus was far more concerned about people than about religious rules. Desperate souls need the healing touch of God’s love and forgiveness – even more when those souls are isolated and alone. When we realize our only hope is Jesus, faith is met with healing. When our faith reaches out, desperate souls find love and forgiveness.

PRAYER: Lord, I’ve never been able to fix what’s wrong with me and neither has anyone else. Only you have the power to heal body and soul. Thank you for the healing you bring into my life. Help me be sensitive to those in the crowd around me, the lonely, hurting souls desperate for healing. Give me the faith to reach out to them – without worrying what others will think – so you can pour your love and forgiveness into their lives through me.

POINT TO PONDER: Faith reaches out, without worrying what others will think.

From the PurposeDrivenLife Daily Devotional

Radiant Certainty
by Jon Walker

“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 16:20-22 NIV)

There are some days when, frankly, I don’t feel much like worshiping God. There are probably more days like that than I’d care to admit.

But usually those are days are when I’m staring at my circumstances and making faithless judgments about what I see around me. And I struggle with the God-truth that he is in the circumstances that surround my life – all the circumstances.

Have you ever considered that heartbreak is part of God’s plans for you, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”? (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV) We put so much energy into avoiding the hurt when God would have us embrace it. He wants us to know that he can heal our hurts, even use our hurts for his benefit, and for us to faithfully believe that sometimes the circumstances we think are harming us are actually positive situations God is engineering.

God, who is omnipotent, sees the breadth and depth of our circumstances, and he knows his plans for our lives. Thinking, then, like Christ, we can slowly, ever so slowly, begin to understand that avoiding the pain in our lives is actually an act of faithlessness. God calls us to faith in him during difficult circumstances; we’d rather place our faith in avoiding the circumstances.

As always, Jesus shows us the way – because he is the Way. Jesus embraced the pain of God’s plan for his life, and he did it with full faith that God was still working the plan to bring a “hope and a future” to your life and mine. Christ was so sure that his grief would turn to joy that he showed a radiant certainty in God’s faithfulness (“Radiant certainty” is a phrase William Barclay uses to describe the attitude of Jesus at the Last Supper).

Our Brother Jesus, who is also our King, was heading into a crisis that would cost him his life, yet he was so certain – radiantly certain – of God’s faithfulness that not one of his disciples even discerned the gravity of the crisis! Jesus was so certain of God’s faithfulness that it radiates throughout his whole being.

And we, too, can have this radiant certainty about God’s hand in our lives. We can say, when it comes to God’s faithfulness, “I know because I know that I know.” That’s radiant certainty! The cross was Christ’s glory, not his penalty – and the same is true of difficult circumstances in our lives.

So what does this mean to me?

· God’s faithful character – You will develop this radiant certainty in God when you learn to trust in his faithful character. Your daily worship of God is irrevocably tied to your faith in God.

· Praise God anyhow – You must choose to praise and worship God every day, no matter what the circumstances of your life. Developing a radiant certainty in God begins with simple steps of faith and obedience.

· Respond to God, not your circumstances – When faced with a painful or difficult circumstance, ask God, “How do you want me to respond to this?” Keep your eyes wise for the “Why me?” traps that lay about your circumstances.

· You can be radiantly certain of this: Difficult circumstances are opportunities for you to intentionally focus your faith in God and to see what he will do to give you hope and healing.

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

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