..or what woman,having 10 silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and searches carefully until she finds it.
And when she found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying "Rejoice with me for I have found the piece which I lost!!" Luke 15:8-9
FIRST LOVE: 1 JOHN 4:19 We love Him, because he first love us. Today is sing a long Wednesday, not too many words, just singing, and worship . Do you remember your first love? We all do, they were the ones that made our hearts flutter, caused us to stammer, sleepless nights, and all that. But more and more, I know for a surety that the Savior is our first love and rightly so. Maybe you think that the term "first love" is a number, a time and situation. It is not, first means higher, greater, no comparison. The first to love, literally means that Jesus invented it, placed his seal on it. Our goal should be to love as he loves.He is the Teacher.
Fell for You first day that I met You Never dreamed that I ever could forget You But black and white make a mess when it turn to grey
Sunlight came sweepin' cross the window Rewind to the time when we were so close Got me longin' for yesterday
But Lord You know me so well I can be a little punk sometimes
But don't leave me, leave me alone Bust down the door to my heart like it's Your home Don't need no keys I'm on my knees Begging You please I've gotta settle this thing once and for all You got my heart my soul You can have it all I'm on my knees Beggin' You please Beggin' You please Lord, don't leave me alone
Don't leave me alone Through the tears, through the pain comes a new day Blown away still amazed You pursue me
…
I really like this song, it really makes you appreciate that the Lord will speak to us in a language that we can all understand. Sometimes it's Rap or Hip hop, Maybe Gospel,inspirational or whatever. But no matter, songs are like prayers, and the prayer of the righteous is like a song to the Savior. Holla
John 5:5-6One man there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. Jesus saw him lying there and realized that he had already been there a long time. He said: Do you want to get well.
I love finding those little surprise statements in scripture, this one; Jesus seeing this man, lying on the ground or floor or whatever by a pool. He realized that this man had already, been therea long time.
had already,
been there
a long time
Now, that puts a different spin on this tale, because the man himself verifies it, by making an attempt to explain to the Lord why he was "still " down there on the floor, and that's why he has footprints all over him from being literally trampled underfoot. But it's not about why he was still on the floor,Jesus is concerned that he had been there a long enough and it was time for a hand up for this good brother. He didn't make him feel bad, or even ask again like others have done, how long have you been down there? How long has it been since your husband or wife or family have walked away from you, or died? Has the statute of limitations on "having a hard time" passed? I am so glad he didn't ask him if had been to THERAPY. Because having a hard time gives you a special kind of crazy, that only the Lord himself can heal.
Can you imagine, that maybe you were homeless and sleeping in the street. Or worse, you tripped over your shoe,and fell in public, oh the horror!! Because you know, now days people will not help you up in public, worse they may call 911 because you are causing a public nuisance. But as you fell,maybe you hit your head, or worse damaged your pride, and if you keep your eyes closed, maybe people will step over you, kick you while you are down. But you hear a voice, and someone is tapping you, touching your face. The Voice says "Hey Buddy, buddy, are you ok, do you want to be well? Do you want to be made well?
It is well with me, I am a prize fighter, I get knocked down, and even sucker punched by this life, by this world. But Jesus, is in my corner, he is laying down on the mat, right beside me, saying, "Hey buddy, buddy "I love you, be well"
It Is Well:Kristene DiMarco // You Make Me Brave
Today is Thursday sing along, and there is also a bonus you tube. Love all of you
Francesca Battistelli - This Is The Stuff (Live Fan Video)
Four days into the New Year, hang on it is going fast, maybe even faster than 2016. I have the impression that there will be no "lull in the action" so to speak. I thought about some resolutions, but I need revelation more. So here it is, not a list, but a word. I had the opportunity to meet Elder Kim Clark last year, he was speaking at our Ward Stake Conference. His message was so important to us that he was "the only speaker" aside from the Stake president and some who bore their testimonies. (there is a link to his talk at the end). His message was so heart piercing, so phenomenal that we had what could only be described as a "Mormon Pentecostal meeting." He blew our minds with the gospel. And yet he wasn't speaking anything more than what had been said. But he showed love for us, and concern for our well being. He "disrupted" our complacency, he shook us awake with what we already knew to be true. I am forever changed and in process of changing and shedding unnecessary layers that stand in the way of God's truth, of "becoming" better. Being refined in the refiners fire. Pray for me. Our challenge is to become more profitable servants
I learned that we needed to ask ourselves two questions. I believe these are the questions whose answers will lead us to do what we need to do to prepare for what lies ahead. Here they are: (1) What am I doing that I should stop doing? and (2) What am I not doing that I should start doing?Elder Kim B Clark
Deep learning is “an increase in the … power to Know, to Do, and to Become.”12 It definitely means increased knowledge, but it also means increased understanding of the heart. It means increased skill and capacity to act. It means increased strength of character, including integrity, courage, and kindness.Deep learning is inherently a spiritual experience. Elder Kim B Clark
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this
age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern
what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
Music for a Thursday, Sidewalk Prophets...... Keep Making Me
Happy New Years to my faithful 6 (?) What? Today is Tuesday, but really Monday. It's raining here, traffic , etc etc.Got some "good feels", some praise worthy music, something to think about. Today's question "Is love a miracle"? So Love is on my mind, dunno why, but it makes good topic. Food and love go together so check this out, and when you do, invite a friend, no matter where they are, to have a bite.
So I am going there............ Have you had your breakfast yet, or whatever meal you haven't had.
Knorr #LoveAtFirstTaste
Now after all of that, you may want to do a Happy Dance, The Mike is now Open Tasha Cobbs Put a Praise On It We're having a Pentecostal dance party, It's okay, its early
God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?17 Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought? mormon 9:27-28
Adam and Eve had the first
arranged marriage by their parents, it's true. Here it is in Matt 19:5, for
this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife
and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore
what God has joined together, let man not separate.
I
have always thought that the proper translation of "one flesh" should
be of one heart. I mean I am not a Bible translator, but one heart seems more relevant.
Do you think Adam and Eve met on a blind date, or a speed date or some kind of
heavenly dating service? I think that
Adam and Eve are patterns for Gods sons and daughters, to show us how to seek
for those better things that he has promised for a loving relationship and
marriage.
Did
you think that they were married when they came here? Nope, I could be wrong,
but maybe not. Jesus
said ( in Luke 20:34-36)”The people of this world and present age
marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered
worthy to gain that other world and that future age and
to attain to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in
marriage.” Wait a minute, what? The
marriage process is part of the eternal progression? It’s like part of the body
package.
“ For they cannot die again, but they are([a]angel-likeand[b]equal to angels.) They are
immortal and partakers of the heavenly gift of eternal life;they are sons and
daughters of God.For this reason, a man
will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will
become one (flesh) heart? So they are no longer two, but one (flesh) heart.
Therefore what God has joined together, let man not (separate) cast
asunder. (Matt 19:5-6)
Now in some translations,
the word flesh is translated as heart, and to separate is translated as
"cast asunder" What does it mean to cast asunder? It means to literally
tear apart, to cast means throwing down and being trampled underfoot. It is
like “cast not your pearls before swine, they are in danger of being trampled underfoot.
So the union of man and woman is such that it cannot be “torn apart” by the
world, neither the sanctity of love between a man and woman is trampled
underfoot.
But wait, I am getting
ahead of myself. Let’s talk about Adam and Eve and when they met. So
romantic!!!!!!
So there is so much grief
about Adam being created first, Eve being a help meet yada yada. But let’s read that story again: In the book of Abraham (lds) 1:26" And the
Gods took counsel among themselves and said: Let us go down and form man in our
image, after our likeness…..And we will give him dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of air, and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over
every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
Adam was a man after Gods on heart, hard
worker, responsible, loved animals etc. He was a man like David. This is what
the Lord said of David:” I have found David, son of Jesse a man after my own
heart: he will carry out my will in its entirety.” Acts 13:22.
Adam was beloved too, but
was Adam alone in the garden? No he wasn’t, Eve was there too.
Abraham 1:27” so the Gods went
down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods they him, male
and female to form they them. “
Have you ever wondered
what Adam & Eve looked like? They were created in Gods own image, his own
heart. David was described 1 Samuel 16:12 as having a healthy reddish complexion,
and beautiful eyes and was fine looking. Anoint him for this is he.” (So David was hot and so was Adam)
I know, we are getting to
the good part. ”14 And the Gods said: Let us make a help meet for man, for it
is not good that the man should be left alone, therefore we will form a help
meet for him.”Was Eve in the garden? Did Adam have open heart surgery so that
a woman could be “made” from him? The Lord said “And I will give them one heart, anda new spirit I will put within them. I will
remove the heart of stone from their fleshand give them a heart of flesh,that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey
them.And they shall be my people, and I will be their
God. (That they shall united in one heart) Ezekiel 11:19-20
The Lord teaches in patterns. He prepares the
heart and "creates" a human, like Adam waiting for Eve; he creates in
the pattern of line upon line, precept upon precept. And that "here a
little" and there a little seems to allow for humanness, and frailty and
strength renewed.
Oops, did I forget about the deep sleep and the rib?
So I am no bible scholar, or Hebrew expert, but in Abraham 5:15 the Gods caused
a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept. I have often wondered if Adam was
in the process of receiving deep truths thru revelation for the course of his life
and his future wife Eve. That Eve too was in this “deep sleep” this revelatory
process, being taught, having their hearts intertwined as one. This is a
spiritual process.
I mean love is like that, hearts working as one.
So now Eve is called Wo-man, which points to partner, helper. It isn’t noted as
Co-man, or two working on the same project. Help meet denotes one who is like
or complimenting the other. It is the image of the other, one heart that beats
for both, so heart of my heart, bone of my bone.
And they lived, according to the plan of
happiness, to become immortal and have eternal life.
I am a hopeful romantic. I know that the Lord is preparing my heart, and your heart for love.
1 Corinthians 2: 9 But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God, has prepared for them that love him.
Here is a poem for you "hopeful romantics, and earnest seekers.
I want to meet someone who makes my heart flutter and gives me
sweaty palms. Not because he’s charming or says all the right words because he
knows the game-but because he is kind and because he thirsts for Jesus in a
very authentic way.
Someone who is funny-who can make my stomach hurt from laughter because the
world needs more of that. Someone who is flawed but relentlessly seeks after
God in their humanness. Someone who knows darkness and therefore knows the
depths of light.
I know that in today’s world, this kind of person is very few and far between.
But I won’t give up in holding out, I won’t settle for anyone to
compensate my loneliness.
I am not a half looking for someone to make me whole, I am whole now, I have
joy now.
But I hope to do this life thing with you someday, and I hope this waiting is
deepening you into a better, stronger person as it is for me. I
can’t wait to not be strangers.
See you when I see you.
Oh yes and I can't leave you with out at least one song from the heart. Keith Urban: Making Memories of us
Happy New Years everyone, turn your love light on, sweep the earth for that person that God is creating a new heart just for you.
“Life
is full of voices of God, only we lack the spiritual faculty which discerns
them--The responsibility of life lies in listening for Divine voices, and in
the response to them that we give. We may cultivate the spiritual faculty that
hears God’s call, or we may make it obtuse. We may cherish God’s call, or we
may silence it; obey it, or rebel against it.”
The Lord never stops talking to us; we just choose whether or not
we hear him. In the book of Moses he tells Moses this:
And God spake unto Moses, saying : Behold IAM the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name, for I am without beginning of days, or end of years and is not this endless? 4 And behold, thou art my son, wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands, but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, they never cease.
He is a good, good father,
a loving parent, who is always, endlessly looking out for us, and working on
our behalf. His work and glory is to bring about the immortality and the
eternal life of man. The Lord has been
whispering in my ear for a long time, and it has been only recently, that I
recognized that voice. For a moment I felt like Samuel, when as a toddler, the
Lord called out to him, when he had been put down to sleep. And it wasn’t in a
dream state that the Lord called out to Samuel, but the scripture says that the
“Spirit of Lord”, stood at the foot of his bed.
But Samuel was like a lot of us, he heard the voice and it sounded
familiar; so we ask others if they have spoken to us. So Samuel ran into the
old Priest Eli’s room, to find out if he had called. Now Eli was “going blind”,
his eyes had “waxed dim”, he said, I called not my son, lie down again. So Samuel went back to bed, and 2 more times
during the night he heard this familiar voice calling his name.
Wemanytimesreceiverevelationwithoutrecognizingpreciselyhoworwhenwearereceivingrevelation David A
Bednar: The Spirit of Revelation
The scripture says that Samuel did not “know” the Lord yet and
the word had not been revealed to him (yet). It is amazing those words that
Samuel had not been taught about the Lord, he had not been properly introduced
to Him, neither had the adults who were in charge of him, bothered to teach
him. But the Lord did make his presence
known to little Samuel,
Moroni 7:48…. thatwhenheshallappearweshallbelikehim,forweshallseehimasheis;thatwemayhavethishope;thatwemaybepurifiedevenas he is pure.
The scripture says that the Lord came, and stood and called. What
is the significance that the Lord stood? Does standing mean that in this
posture, his voice and message will be clearer? Does it mean that the Lord is
presenting himself as the authority? And
in that posture of standing he called. What does the Lord say when he calls,
what is that call? Is it a request or is it a statement. I believe that the standing or proclaiming of himself, the authority, is the bid to
come unto Christ. When he appears to us in the form of “revelation” or
communicating, it can take on various forms of an established pattern.
When I was a child growing up, my biggest problem, according to my
mother at least, was that I “did not listen”, that my “mouth was always running”.
She feared that I would suffer because of this obvious defect and I was pronounced
“hard headed. But lately, I have tried to overcome this. I have felt like
Samuel and maybe Joan of Arc; hearing voices, exploring ideas that clearly I
had not focused on previously. The Lord has revealed a plan for my life, that
when I look at it, I am sure I have imagined it, that I wished for it like
children do. So surely it is not true, right? I have had very “low “expectations
for my life, or no expectations of anything changing, and I feel like, the
Father decided to stage an intervention, to help me in my unbelief. He sent messengers, so in effect he “came and
stood and called “out to me. He sent 2 priesthood holders, who being guided by
the Holy Spirit, asked to know who needed prayer, who needed some interaction
in their lives. So they came to my house and said, “We don’t know why we are
here”, and I said “I know why you are here, please give me a blessing”. It was a teaching moment and I did my best to
lean into it.
Thursday Devotional: Pass me not O Gentle Savior, Speak Lord, for thy Servant hears
Psalms 73Truly Godisgood to Israel,To such as are pure in heart.2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;My steps had nearly slipped.
So the
question was asked, “How do you know that Jesus loves you?”
It’s a
simple question, right? I am sure that if this question were posed to a group
of kids, they would literally stumble over themselves to give their tiny
testimonies of God’s love for them. What do they know anyway? I asked this
question to a group of adults, including myself and I can say that for a moment
I was temporarily stumped and judging by the deer in headlight stares from the
members, they were too. But someone got the ball rolling with a story of a bad
day that got better when various friends came to the rescue. I thought to
myself, surely I should know that the Savior loves me, right? And I do know,
but I thought about the best way to express it, and I came up with a “Gratitude
List”. As I think of this, I wonder how sad it is that the Savior seemingly has
to literally “glean” our hearts for love and thankfulness. But we are all He’s
got, poor, imperfect souls, all stumbling to eternity. We mean well but
sometimes we can’t do well.
A few Sunday's past our Bishop taught a lesson that seemed hard for him to articulate, and
hard for many to figure out where he was coming from. (And some of us are still buzzing over it.) He talked about puzzles,
human weakness and sin. His thesis was that all of us are like puzzles, and we
all have a few pieces missing. God fills in that missing space, however, I
could not correlate where weakness and sin came in. Weakness is a “dirty little
secret” to some. What is it anyway? Are we weak in character, or do we lie and make up stories? Are we
spendthrifts, do we secretly drink coffee or tea? That’s one thing about being
Mormon, we don’t worry about cigarettes, or wine or beer, it’s that devil Starbucks around the corner. What does
God see as a weakness, which is inevitably a character flaw or trait?
Stumbling;
when we come to Christ, it takes a lot to do that, and even when we are
“invested” in our relationship with him, we are still in a state of coming forward, learning to trust, making our own mistakes, turning away,
hiding, coming back, and eventually leaning in to Christ. We stumble, and trip and flip flop.
We all do, and there is no one that is good among us, so put down that stone.
Did you
know that Jesus has purposely laid down a “stone of stumbling” for us? What is
stumbling, it is “the weakness” of man.
Hence, what is the singular weakness of man? It is that condition
of which you and I are most acquainted; it is our fallen nature (seeEther 3:2). We
often view this weakness only under negative light. However, Jesus Christ, who
“knows the weakness of man” (D&C 62:1) and is
merciful unto our weakness (seeD&C 38:14), does
not -- for, if we will humble ourselves and have faith in Him, it is through
our weakness that His strength is seen and made perfect (see2 Corinthians 12:9). As to
our strength we are weak, but in the strength of God we can do all things (seeAlma 26:12).
Therefore, God has chosen the “weak things of the world [to] come forth and
break down the mighty and strong ones” (D&C 1:19), to
thrash the nations by the power of His Spirit (seeD&C 35:19), to
confound the wise (seeD&C 133:58), and to
show forth His wisdom (seeD&C 124:1). And
“the Lord God show us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace,
and his great condescension’s[i]unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things” (Jacob 4:7).
(I found
this quote in blog in a random search)
(The
stumbling of disobedience) Disobedience is a stumble
Our
weakness is our “fallen nature”, the natural man, who struggles everyday to be
worthy to “put on”, like new clothing, the name of Christ and all of its glory. Did you know that in theory, when we “Come unto Christ and take
upon his name, we are in essence putting on “new garments that reflect the
attributes of the Savior and also entering into a new relationship with Him? (The new and everlasting covenant). This is why the Lord says that he
cannot view sin with the least bit of tolerance. We are sin in the eyes of God,
when we have not entered into a covenant relationship with the Savior. The
covenants we enter into are designed to make us clean, every whit.
Ether 3:2
O Lord, thou hath said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold,
O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before
thee; for we know that thou are holy and dwell in the heavens, and that we are
unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil (the
opposite of good) continually. Nevertheless, O Lord, thou has given us a
commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive
according to our desires.
And to
this the Lord responds: Ether 12:27 And, if men come unto me; I will
show unto them their weakness.(Ether3:2, our fallen nature) I give
unto men weakness, that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient (the missing puzzle piece) for all men that humble themselves before me;
for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make (restore
their fallen nature) weak things become strong unto them.
So I am opening the “Mike” for open mike Friday. I have been listening to a “body” of music by Hill Song Church. You can do your own research on this group, but I will say that in listening to their music, they have a heart for God, and God seems to take notice. Their music is like a psalm, full of praise, shouts and introspection of the human condition
Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) LIVE -- of Dirt and Grace -- Hillsong UNITED
Today is sing a long Wednesday, not too many words, just singing, and worship . Do you remember your first love? We all do, they were the ones that made our hearts flutter, caused us to stammer, sleepless nights, and all that. But more and more, I know for a surety that the Savior is our first love and rightly so. Maybe you think that the term "first love" is a number, a time and situation. It is not, first means higher, greater, no comparison. The first to love, literally means that Jesus invented it, placed his seal on it. Our goal should be to love as he loves.He is the Teacher. 
