new posts in all blogs
Viewing Blog: Considerations, Most Recent at Top
Results 1 - 25 of 42
Words of encouragement, life, and hope.
Statistics for Considerations
Number of Readers that added this blog to their MyJacketFlap:
This morning I read about how the Jews in the time of Queen Esther were experiencing a difficult time that seemed certain to conclude in their destruction. Haman, the enemy of the Jews, had been experiencing growing favor with the king, and had succeeded in obtaining permission to try to exterminate them as a race on a certain day. He had built a gallows for the purpose of hanging Mordecai, and was on the way to a banquet with the king and queen.
But his whole plan was overturned in one night when the Spirit of God began to move on the heart of the king. The king was reminded that Mordecai had saved his life and had not been rewarded. When Haman walked in the next morning, expecting to receive glory and honor, he was used by the Lord to give glory and honor to Mordecai. Within 24 hours, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Soon, the Jews defeated their enemies and rose to prominence in the kingdom. They celebrated by having a “feast and a good day” and by “sending portions to one another”.
When the Spirit of the Lord moved on the heart of the king in response to the prayers of Esther, Mordecai and a few faithful ones, the whole flow of power was reversed and the plans for good that God had purposed for the Jews began to be realized. By the same action, the declaration of destruction that Satan had spoken about the Jews through the mouth of Haman, was turned upon himself.
This scenario is played out repeatedly in the Bible, in both the old and new testaments. Joseph, for example, said to his brothers, who had betrayed him, “you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good…” The ultimate fulfillment of this theme came when Jesus went to the cross. Satan thought he had won, but he had actually destroyed himself.
If you are feeling that evil is closing in on you, and that you are powerless to overcome the massive obstacles you face, be encouraged and know that God has already provided for your victory through the completed work of Jesus Christ. Whatever your need, God has already provided for it. Let the Lord open your eyes to His provision and see the Spirit of the Lord reverse the flow of power that has been oppressing you, so that it becomes a river of life, bringing grace and favor, while at the same time bringing destruction on your enemies. “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Our purpose at Lilies of the Field, Inc., is to be a vehicle for the Spirit of the Lord to express His love for you, and to empower you to rise up into possession of the unlimited grace and blessing He has made available to you. Our greeting cards, prints and book “All My Children Shall Be Taught By Me (God)” are all designed to encourage and uplift you and to build into you a consciousness of the victorious life He has provided.
We don’t know who you are or what battles you are facing, but each of us knows someone who can use an encouraging word – a beautiful floral print with a message of hope and power, a personalized greeting card, or a little book with a message of love from God. “Send portions to one another…” by sending a gift with enduring value. For the next special occasion, whether Christmas, a birthday, or other, send a gift from Lilies of the Field, Inc. Better yet, anytime you are reminded of a friend or relative in need of encouragement, send them a card, a book, or give them a print that will lift the darkness and turn the flow of power to their benefit.
There is a movement underway in which people are writing “love letters” to friends, relatives and total strangers. The object is to lift depression, bring encouragement, to bring healing and peace to those in need. It is a wonderful, God-inspired movement, because God is love. Join the movement, and pass it on.
We at Lilies of the Field, Inc. also have a letter of love that we would like to see in the hands of as many as possible. It is called “All My Children Shall Be Taught By Me (God).” It is a simple introduction to the tender love of the Father for His children, young and old. It will make a perfect Christmas gift, birthday gift, or special letter of love to someone on your list. Please help us to spread His message to all who have ears to hear.
You can find it at www.liliesinc.com
God’s blessing to you.
This will by no means be a catch-all spiritual article. I will merely be attempting to put into words some of the lessons I have learned in the past year.
First of all, YOU are an individual Son of the Living God. You are a unique expression of the life of God, and you have all goodness inside of you. Nobody else can express in exactly the same way you do, which is so beautiful!
Just knowing this can cause evil things to fall away from you. Meditate on the fact that it is God, who is perfect and holy, love itself, and all power living inside of you. Imagine what that means. Can God and disease co-exist? Can God and poverty co-exist? Of course not.
What then will bring into manifestation that which you want in your life? Here is a secret- You must put it into your heart. You do that through your imagination, and feeling. It sounds really simple, but the truth is that you need to imaging yourself as you want to be, in the situation you want, with a good motive. You can’t use God to create evil situations for other people or yourself. Pick something. Imagine yourself in the condition you want to be in. Play games to convince yourself that its already true. This is the believing game. Know that God wants every good thing for you, so He is eager to bring your heart’s desires to you. Believe and imagine all good flowing to you all the time. Change your attitude. You must feel what it is like to be there in the condition you desire. You cannot create a good picture holding on to negativity, or just wishing things were different. When the thing lives in your heart, know that it is on its way.
This is very simplified and I am sure that I will be able to elaborate more in the future, but give it a try. Open up your imagination to all the good things your Heavenly Father wants to give to you. Even use this process to help someone else!
Written by Walter Lanyon:
YOU sent that letter this morning, didn’t you? You carefully wrote it, addressed and sealed it, and then you dropped it in the box. You didn’t have a string tied to it, did you? No, you just dropped it in the box and went on your way. You didn’t think that the box was especially burglar-proof, did you? And you didn’t wonder how it would get from the box to the post office, and from the post office to the train, did you? You didn’t spend all that morning worrying about whether the train would arrive with it, did you? No, you dropped it light-heartedly into the box and forgot it.
You sent that prayer this morning, didn’t you? You carefully made your declarations for right and offset the wrong thoughts. You addressed your prayer to the All Highest and only ONE. But what did you do after you had sent it? You had a string of worry attached to it, and kept pulling it back to you to see if you could not add another word, or to see if it were really “made.” All morning long you doubted, and the next morning you sent another prayer; but it, too, was attached by a string of doubt and fear and did not get far.
Several days after you sent the letter you received an answer, which read: “I have your letter of such and such a date;” and you recalled that you had written a letter. Still you didn’t rush out of doors and stop every passer-by and say, “I sent a letter and got a reply,” and then elaborated on how you went through the whole affair, how you had hunted for paper and spilled the ink, or lost you pencil, etc. No, you accepted the letter, read it, got the benefit from it and went on you way.
And finally, in a half-hearted way, the poor little prayer which only half loosened, came back to you with a ray of light and you rushed to you nearest neighbor and said: “I had a demonstration – - you see it was this way, etc.”
“O ye of little faith!” Why don’t you cut the strings of worry that are attached to you every thought and “loose it and let it go?” Have the same faith back of your prayer that you have back of the letter and it will return to you with greater certainty and with surer reward.
Away out in the front lines while the battle was raging, a carrier pigeon was let loose with a message, and as he disappeared into the distance, fading away into the limpid blue of the sky, no worried thought hampered his voyage. When they “loosed him and let him go” they knew that he would fly to his destination and results would follow.
Who had not felt the perfect faith of a child in St. Nicholas? They ask for their heart’s desire and are never left without some expression of love. When ye ask, ask as believing ye shall receive. You don’t go into a store and ask the clerk for a certain article and then chase madly about repeating the request a thousand times. You ask and then wait. And so when we learn to ask and wait – - wait with the patience, which is absolute faith – - then we shall constantly receive the reply, the reward that is rightfully ours. “Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you; seek and ye shall find.” Don’t knock and at the same time try to force an entrance by the window. The master of the house will take you for a robber and only bar his doors heavier.
And so as you send a letter send your prayer – - let them go forth unhampered, untrammeled by fear, worry or care. Don’t stampede your thoughts – - a multitude of assertions accomplish nothing, they only congest you thinking. Speak to your Father in secret, and he will reward thee openly.
-Walter C. Lanyon
The Echinacea flower is one that has slipped my attention in our gardens until recently. It is an herb, or a plant that dies to the ground every year, and reproduces from its own seeds, which fall in the fall. This plant has a hearty green stem with long, skinny, hairy leaves and is not bushy; typically there is only one flower on each stalk.
Echinacea Group
Our flowers are purple, which means we have Echinacea purpurea. Echinacea has a center of cones where the pollen is stored, around which the petals grow. This herb belongs to the daisy family, and one can immediately see the family resemblance. Echinacea centers are a bit more robust than say a Shasta daisy, but the petals are very similar. Our plants are living next to some lavender bushes and some thyme; an herb garden of sorts. The tall purple beauties stand alone, somewhat like skyscrapers in a city. I wonder if the bees and other insects think the same thing!
Traditionally, echinacea has been used in teas and as an herbal supplement thought to shorten the length of the common cold or flu. Actually, this purple beauty has chemicals that boost the immune system and there have been tests done which suggest that people who drank five cups of echinacea tea at the first sign of cold or flu symptoms had less severe symptoms than those who drank normal tea. Antibiotics have lessened the use of this herb in America, but for native Americans, echinacea was a cure-all.
To find the symbolic meaning of echinacea, I had to defer to the daisy family, but found that its meaning co-insides with its medicinal use. Daisies represent purity, patience and simplicity, innocence, loyal love. It is interesting to me that purity and innocence would be associated with healing. I guess God is all of those qualities, and when one aligns himself with purity and love, innocence and patience, he is aligning himself with God. I also suppose that it follows closely that to align oneself with God in character is to cause the body and spirit to function harmoniously. Let that be a lesson to us all.
A sample of Echinacea purpurea
It is of particular import that function follows character or the nature of a plant is what directs its purpose, as is true in all of life. If we would align ourselves with truth and a particular good that we seek, let us find the character of God that is behind that good. Who comes up with the meanings of flowers anyway? I don’t know but they are pretty darn good at it. Kudos to you flower people!
Along the lines of the character of God, we shall explore this in more detail in postings to come.
I suppose that even the smallest details of a plant could reveal its purpose and if we know the purpose of a thing, we can bring that thing into manifestation in our lives.
More to come…
Today at the Lilies’ gardens we have an abundance of Hollyhocks. Our original plants came from a nursery, as most of our plants do, but these have been extremely fruitful plants, reproducing from seed all over the garden.
Hollyhocks are tall slender plants with leaves similar to grape leaves, with different lobes or sections. The flowers are mostly yellow or pink. Although there are a few other colors, like dark purple, ours are mostly shades of pink or yellow. Flowers surround the stem, mostly at the top, which can grow to be almost 12 feet tall. Our plants range from 4 feet to 8 feet currently, but in past years we have had them reach upward of eleven feet. This makes them blow around in the wind quite a bit, which necessitates staking, although the Hollyhock stem is generally quite strong. Flowers are abundant and bloom for what seems like an eternity. One variety has a single layer of petals with a strong central stamen, and another has at least two rows of petals. Of course, the flowers which have a single row of petals are easier to press for use in our cards and prints, but both are very beautiful.
Hollyhocks are known as such but their true name is Alcea, and they are native to southwest and central Asia, with some species native to southeastern Europe and even Egypt. (Wikipedia) There are many varieties of Hollyhocks, and I am not sure how many we currently have. I suppose 3 to 6 different varieties out of around 60 live in and love our garden.
In the Language of Flowers (www.languageofflowers.com) Hollyhocks symbolize ambition and fecundity. For those of you like myself, who might not know, fecundity means “producing or capable of producing abundance of offspring or new growth”. This definition is most apt for the Alcea. Of all of its characteristics the ability to reproduce is at the top of the list. We have found Hollyhocks abounding in places almost unimaginable. In between the bricks on one of our patios, we regularly find seedlings popping up. This is not to mention all of the abundant reproduction we find in other areas of the garden. Even in late summer we have new seedlings popping their heads up out of the ground, ever eager to begin their new lives.
Transplanting the Alcea is a bit tricky. We attempted it in late spring, and the tap roots of the plants were already a foot or more deep. Once transplanting was accomplished, the plants did not reach the height they normally would have, although they did survive.
Truth be known, we appreciate the Hollyhock for its nature, bold, fruitful and beautiful. It occupies a place in the forefront of our garden, intermixed with lilies and other wild flowers, which fortunately bloom at the same time as the hollyhock.
0 Comments on Hollyhocks as of 1/1/1900
Think about heaven for a moment. If it is true, and I think it is, that every need is met and every desire is fulfilled, if it is not harmful to others or to you, then there is no more need to be selfish. Think about that. Why do we take and try to get things for ourselves? Is it not because we feel needy? Aren’t we taught that every good thing comes from hard work and sweat? In a nutshell, we have to compete and take from someone else what we need just to survive. So we build this attitude of lack and selfishness into our thinking and it is backwards.
Then we are told to be a good person that we need to give a certain amount of what we earn or have to those who don’t have enough. This is no doubt a noble and right thing, but in reality there is enough to go around; AND we should do our very best with whatever we have been given, to increase and multiply, but not because we have need. If all is freely given and freely received, then we have lost our motivation to be greedy and take.
Then what do we think about?
What motivates me to be all I can be?
What if there really is enough for you and everyone else too?
What do you think?
Today is another beautiful day. I have the most wonderful brother and sister-in-law, and nieces and nephews. They are such a joy to be around. Each one is different, but equally wonderful.
My brother is a joy-bringer and laughter creator. He sees life very freely and enjoys each moment with an ease that is rare. He is also very generous. He thinks more about giving to others than getting for himself. I love his company. You are my bro!
My sister (in law) is a beautiful person. She is always smiling and laughing and loving. She is the best mom I have ever known, except for my own wonderful mom. If someone needs to be encouraged, she is the first to speak up. Thank you.
My niece, Goldilocks, is a ham. She is also very loving and gentle. She likes to play horsies and call me on the phone. I cherish time with her. I love her broad smile and her imagination! She is a genius you know.
Goldy’s little brother is a wiseguy with just as big a smile, and a huge heart. He likes to wrestle and climb anything that can be scaled. He also likes to curl up in your arms and take a nap, which is probably as much fun for me as for him. I can’t wait to take him camping and show him the outdoors with his daddy!
Older brother is caring and thoughtful, and very creative. I very much enjoy his newest drawing or building project. Senior is also very good with the little kids. He is gentle and likes to play! What a gem!
Very closely linked to older brother is older sister, the firstborn of four wonderful siblings. She is adventurous, helpful and an excellent watcher for the kids. Although I have not spent as much time with the older children, they are becoming wonderful young adults.
Together they are an incredible family full of fun and love, which I am delighted to be a part of. Thank you for sharing your lives with me everyone! God Bless You All! I am so grateful for you and cherish every minute we have, which will only increase!
God is good to have put us all together.
Guilt is like a plague. It causes us to react to it and say:
“I cannot be guilty of anything lest I be crushed and destroyed. Therefore I
must guard against it by being ready to throw it off at every turn. I will
examine every event and motive of everyone to be certain that I am not
guilty of any wrong. I will excel at this; I must! ”
Guilt has crippled mankind and has produced two extreme reactions:
sociopaths who can be guilty of nothing and those who wrestle against guilt
day and night only to find themselves defiled by the exercise. The former
cannot be saved and must be avoided. They have their reward. The latter
must cease the contest to be delivered. As long as the wrestling match
continues, the defilement continues. We must refuse to engage our
opponent! He will leave the arena for lack of anything to do.
The Holy Spirit cannot finish the work in us as long as the cloud of guilt
remains. The cloud is kicked up by our constant groveling in the dirt with
guilt. Cease wrestling with otherʼs opinions! Cease constantly examining
your thoughts and reactions and motives. These things are the Holy
Spiritʼs responsibility not yours.
Learn to delegate.
Cease feeding the Giant.
ʻOne little stone will fell him!ʼ That stone is truth.
You are not guilty. How can Christ be guilty? He has triumphed gloriously!
Welcome to Christʼs life, uninterrupted. It is no longer yours! Neither you
nor the opponent can defile that! Hallelujah!
-Pastor Jerry White
It is commonly said that “Jesus died to forgive your sin,” but why do I care? What does that mean today? In a society where Jesus increasingly seems irrelevant, what does it mean that Jesus took my sin?
The Bible teaches us that death, sickness (slow death), poverty, and every kind of evil came into this world because of sin. Basically we become separated from God because of sin, but that gap has been bridged through the gift of God, His Son, Jesus, who is the Christ.
Just to clear things up, everyone is initially considered a sinner. So you are not especially bad, nor does God expect that you can all of a sudden act perfectly. What He does want is the humility to see that we are incomplete and incapable of pleasing God without Him.
The Bible is relevant to society today because we as humans and all of the earth around us came into being through God, and He is everywhere around us now (In Him we live, move and have our being.) So we are only separated from Him through our unawareness of Him. We were created to live in union with God, not separate from Him. When we struggle for independence, thinking ourselves able or desirous of live apart from Him, we only deceive ourselves. The only true life is union with Him.
Guess what, you can’t really exist without Him anyway, He is the very life that you are, and your life is in fact only a gift, which we will all discover in time.
God is not a God of wrath, waiting to destroy His own children, but a God of infinite compassion, wanting only to have a large family.
To return to my original point, we exist in a state of death by default. Science seeks to cure mankind’s ills by studying the obvious, which is good and admirable, and God-inspired. However the only real cure for these things is the removal of sin, which does not happen by good works, although those are good. It can only happen by a free gift of love, in order to show us His love. You see, God had this whole picture in mind from the beginning, and you are walking in a path that was destined for you long before you can remember. God wants you to know that you are loved, and that He actually came as a man and died to prove it to you. I don’t know anyone else who show love to that extent. We think of God as mean and nasty because He requires death as the penalty for sin (or disobedience). But what we don’t most often see is a God who knew the incapability of His creation, so pre-destined Himself to take the fall, all just to prove that He is a God of Love, not hate or death.
So if something within you is stirring, its God’s spirit, and you should just say “Thank you” for taking my place in death, so I could be re-united with my Father and life a life that is full of wholeness, prosperity, and Love, for all of eternity. You were chosen to love Him. Thank you for restoring me to relationship free from hindrance or guilt in the very presence of God. Please come into my heart and remain there forever, thank you God. Now YOU have the divine nature, too! Also, please give me the Holy Spirit to guide and lead and comfort me, and give me life, and abide in me forever. Thank You.
Jesus is really God, and man. He could set you free because He alone could live without sin. Being God He had the perfect nature within Him, being man, He was able to step into our place. We were all made by Him, and even now our very breath is His life. When He died, He was perfect, but He was taking the place of every man for all time, if we only acknowledge His great love. When He died, all of sin and death and every form of sickness died with Him. (are you getting the significance of this for today?) No matter what your problem, its root cause is sin, not necessarily your own. But it has ALL BEEN WIPED AWAY. Yes, every problem, every fear has all been taken care of. It is really that simple. It is the simplicity of it all that is so beautiful. This is faith. God just wants you today to say, &l
Dear Friend,
I understand that you are having difficulty, as you believe that you have “failed” in some way.
I have pondered this same issue on numerous occasions – I believe we all do. It may be we feel as though we’ve failed people, failed in a situation, failed ourselves or failed the Lord.
I believe the Truth is that we do not fail in Christ, we only grow. The problem comes when we place the emphasis on “us” instead of Him. Learning to trust Him is our quest and rest in Him a command. “Be not afraid.” “Enter My rest.”
We all find ourselves in storms. No one is exempt, but how we deal with the storm is the issue.
When we focus on “us”, our problems or other people or their problems we are definitely not asleep in the boat as He was. He said He would see us through, He’d take us to the other side. Do we believe this? When our eyes are on the waves and the wind, we are then giving more credence to them, more power to them than to Him. He said “Peace be still”, He said we would get to the other side. We have to fall asleep in the boat too. This however is not a passive state, but an active faith.
“Do not let your heart be troubled.” We do not fail in Christ, we go on to know the Lord. As our eyes are directed off of ourselves,(incidentally this is why we feel “failure”- our eyes are on ourselves and how we appear) and are constantly on Him, we will gain peace in God and rest in Him.
I can’t tell you there won’t be more storms, however we can grow through them, and He will constantly Be right there showing us what we need to focus on.
Let your wounds be healed – just get in the boat with Him and He will lead you on. After all it’s His work to perfect us ( “I will complete the work that I have begun in you”), ours only to believe and LET HIM DO.
Sweet Dreams,
Jane
Hello all,
Lilies of the Field, Inc. has published its fall catalog! If you love gardens, flowers, or just creative artwork give this a look-see. The cover (front and back) is comprised of photos of our own gardens, from which come all of Jane’s beautiful creations.
The catalog is featuring our ability to customize Thank You’s or Christmas cards using any of our designs, which of course are on the web at http://skyrivergallery.com/ Even though some of the cards have messages already, they can be altered.
Being in the gardens can truly bring healing, to your soul, mind and body. It seems to help one get in touch with the Creator of us all. Our cards and prints are directly descended from this atmosphere, so if you need a touch, please take a look.
Download your copy of our catalog for FREE, by going to www.skyrivergallery.com and clicking the picture of the catalog that shows up on the right side.
Pleas take five minutes from your busy schedule and read this! It could change your life.
For all you business owners and other folks out there, I know that the market has been tough for a lot of us. That is why we decided to do something to help you. Whether you are aware of this or not it is true, that there are principles at work in our lives that go beyond just the exchange of matter.
Things cause matter to do what it does. So with your business, and your personal life. So, what is the point?, you are asking.
I think we can help your business turn around if it is not successful, or make it more successful if it is. The principle is giving.
All of us have been the recipient of gifts at some point in life. If we are willing to admit it, everything we have has been allowed to come to us. Gulp. What SHOULD that make us want to do? Maybe give back?, or bless someone who needs a little light? None of our businesses would survive without customers or clients, would they? They trusted you with their money, or maybe they haven’t yet, but you want them to. One of the best things that you can do is to humble yourself and open up to a thankful attitude. Be thankful that your car started today, or that your husband or wife said “I love you!” today. Be thankful that you HAVE a husband or wife. Be thankful that you are healthy. Be everlastingly grateful that we live in the United States and can operate our own businesses and make our own decisions. Be thankful that the sun is shining, that you have teeth! How about the dog that comes to rub against your leg every day when you get out of bed, or come home for lunch, or get in the car, or come home from work? I am thankful that I get to eat a hot meal for dinner. That I have a solid roof over my head, for the flowers blooming in the yard, and the gorgeous foliage turning orange and red in the forest. I am thankful for clean water.
You get the picture. But what just happened as you read this? Be still. I became much lighter and joyful thinking about the things that make my life wonderful, and these are just a tiny part of the wonder of life.
What does being thankful do? It makes us aware of the Good, which comes from a good God, which is all around us all the time.
So if our business is suffering, it could be because we are not seeing that the goodness really never went anywhere after all, but we started looking at matter and not the eternal substance behind it. If we start being honest we will admit that really all we need to do is open our eyes to Good (God) and it starts flowing in, and we will find it flowing into those places that we thought were sick or lacking before.
Just look up.
If you are thinking that you know this but its the other people out there that need to learn, there is a solution for that, too. Tell them you are thankful for them. Show them that there really IS good everywhere. This will backfire on you in a Good Way!
Cheers and Happy Day!
P.S. Practice being thankful in all areas of your life. As you begin to be the conduit for thanks, and any good thing, (as you tell someone you love them, pet the dog, or give lunch money to someone in need) you can’t help partake of what you are giving out. Try it!
Fall is Here!
Let the natural beauty of the flowers bring life into your home and spirit through this elegant, timeless work of art.
At first glance you might notice its simplicity, yet this print is full of warm detail and depth, all delicately captured and intricately formed into the fruit of life.
A true heavenly creation awaits to bring forth life into your home!
On Sunday morning, September 13, 2010 I heard:
“The Spirit of God is the only Real Sustainable Resource”!
Talk about your “green” statement. After reading and quietly waiting upon the Lord, I knew I had a Word from the Spirit – pay attention!
Well, I looked up sustainable and according to my computer dictionary the word means:
1. able to be maintained at a certain rate or level:
2. conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources
Consider the following scriptures:
Psalm 3:5 “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.”
Proverbs 18:14 “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity…”
The “Selah”, the pause and take time to consider the above will cause you to rejoice! The Spirit of God within you is your eternal, infinite,sustainable resource of LIFE-His LIFE! The more you see that the One God – the One who created you is in you – sustaining and giving His LIFE to and through you the greater the manifestation of His LIFE and Power.
As I see it, we have this incredible Power Source within us – the Spirit of God- constantly renewing, energizing, supplying, permeating – ALL we need to sustain us in every way. He is the only REAL RESOURCE! Sustaining all by the word of His power.
We need only to ACCEPT and RECOGNIZE HIM – He does the rest. The government is truly and surely upon His shoulders! Praise thee the Lord!
Hope you are having a wonderful day. I am sure as you really take the time to meditate upon this amazing Word that you will receive much further enlightenment. May His blessings overtake you.
Posted on 8/20/2010
Blog:
Considerations
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Laughter,
Jesus,
Vision,
Holy Spirit,
Provision,
Jane's Journal Notes,
Prophetic Insight,
The Kingdom of Heaven,
love,
God,
Add a tag
Before you read this word, let me paint for you the picture I saw, so you can see it, too.
When I heard “Walk over the Bridge.”, I saw a small wooden bridge – in perfect repair, in fact appearing as newly finished wood. It was completely safe – I saw no dangerous river beneath. There was nothing to cause alarm. In fact, it was just a lovely bridge, that didn’t take many steps to cross from one land to another. The surroundings around this bridge are many types of trees and greenery – all is friendly and inviting; perhaps the quiescent scene from a quaint countryside.
The grapes are ready for harvest!
Now for the word:
“Cross the bridge from the land of want and need
go ahead and walk over the bridge to the land of plenty,
the land of ALL you can ask for, dream and desire.
The only thing you have to do is start walking and cross (walk) right over the bridge.
Swing in the playground of plenty.
Laugh in the surroundings of ALL is enough!
Dance in the fields of blessing
Rejoice in the goodness of abundance
Take in the fragrance of all sufficiency
See with eyes taking pictures of joy fulfilled.
See your heart completely fulfilled and running over.
Blessing comes easy and a heart full gives gratitude and thankfulness
as it overflows with the fullness it enjoys.
As others see from a distance they will leave the land of darkness
and cross over the Bridge.
Just make sure you stay in the Land of Plenty
others can see you and as they do they will walk across too.
Swim in the river of Goodness.
Bask in the Sun of Joy.
Breathe in the air of Completeness.
Laugh in the fullness of All is totally, completely, fully overflowingly well.
This is the Kingdom of Heaven.
This is the land I’ve given to you.
This is the place where your heart, your soul, is at peace.
The Rest is present and your Joy is Full!
This the place of “over the rainbow!”
Dreams, wishes, the desires of the heart already are complete,
already fulfilled, and your enjoyment – your completed enjoyment,
brings forth Praise – brings forth Thankfulness – the True Fruit –
The perfect vintage of Wine on the Lees.
Thanks for walking across the Bridge –
I’ve put it there for you.
You are the jewels in My crown and you are the colors in the rainbow.
My delight is in you – and you are My delight.”
God said to celebrate this word, for this is how He truly sees you in His Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
Take time to meditate on this word and make it part of you.
Love and Blessings,
Jane
There is a rose bush in our garden that has been there for probably fifteen years. It amazes me how nothing seems to faze it. Every year it comes back with more pink blossoms than the year before, and we really don’t do anything special with it. It does not care if we feed it every other week or not, or if the sun is particularly hot for a few days, or if we have a rainy spring. Thing is, it just grows and produces its blossoms without complaining or asking questions. It is the essence of faithfulness.
What is faithfulness. According to me, it is being full of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. -Hebrews 11 So faith allows us to see the invisible substance that is behind the picture we see in this realm, the life-force or reality in the spirit realm. When we see by faith, we see into another dimension and can create what we see by speaking it. We do this whether we know it or not, so say what you want to live in!
What I am getting at is that there is an invisible force that causes the rose, and every other part of creation its life and form. This is God in action.
Consider this…
If we take a moment to be still, we can let ourselves recognize the force that causes the rose to live and bring forth life. It is light, easy, fun, and free. It goes on into expression, even if we don’t recognize it, yet we can bring forth a greater manifestation by recognizing its reality. God is in you, too. See this with open eyes. What is God to you? Is He holy, is he alive? Is He anything negative or bad? You have to answer this for yourself. This is good news. God IS LIFE! God is LOVE! God is PEACE! God is JOY! You cannot impart to God something He is not, that is, God is never going to be evil or bad. He is not a creation of your making, but you have to let into your understanding the goodness that God is. God is light and in Him is no darkness. -1John 1:5
Faithfulness
So God is being the faithfulness of the rose that lets itself come up year after year for a testimony of God’s loving care and faithfulness to us. God is here and He is both good and faithful. Faith for us is seeing God’s goodness and believing it even in the face of other “evidences” that will disappear as vapor when we lean on the arm of God. This pleases God greatly, when we can have faith in Him. He will not let us down, not even for a moment, if we dare to believe. Lets forget for a moment about all of the reasons why not. Forget about the past, it is gone. The future is full of only good, so leave it alone too. Be still.
Look outside your window and see the wonderful goodness of God in your yard, or in the people walking by on the street. In the animals, in the plate of food in front of you. Feel Him in the wind blowing through your hair and the green grass under your feet. God is present. Nature is one of our most obvious lessons, but there are others. God is everywhere. All the time. You cannot escape Him, try as you might.
The gentle breeze is brushing through you hair, carrying away all of your fears, insecurities, and worries. A lightness is flooding your heart and the security that all is well. You are in His kingdom now. Nothing can hurt you, for God is love. “I made you, you know. You are my precious child and I love you. Rest. Lay your head upon My chest and let me surround you.” Listen carefully. God is singing you a song. He is humming a tune just for you. “I love you, I love yo
The water is babbling through the creek, Rhododendrons are in bloom, white, violet, deep purple. Bright orange Azaleas, sky blue Lobelia, Pink Therese Bugnet set against green Ferns and Lilies. There are some Forget-Me Nots and Jacob’s Ladder. Carnations, Oregon Grape, Columbine, Astilbe, Geum, Geranium and Sweet Woodruf sprawl across the ground intermingling with one-another. There is an almost audible expectancy and awe in the air as the sun shines down giving its precious life to each and every happy faced seeker.
A shot our fountain and one of our Healing Gardens
Even now as I write I am laying in the grass watching the splendor of the afternoon bring sweet serenity to the air. An ant crawling through the grass just found my keyboard. I wonder if it could lift this computer, and I shouldn’t be supprised if I find the screen inching away from me momentarily.
Do flowers feel and know or are they just there? I think they know more than most of us ever take time to appreciate. The Impatients and Maiden Hair Ferns sit in their pot joyfully stretching out, smiling to tell their story of God’s wonderful light. Somehow they don’t need words or they would speak. Their existence is more profound and more elegant than mere words. To me, flowers are a testimony to God’s ever-pervading presence and goodness. Each plant is so beautifully crafted, with its instructions for life already in place – yet so changeable, so adaptable. Show me anything man-made that is so perfect, so alive. If each plant were programed like a computer, each rose would look exactly like the next one. How much sun do they get? How much water? Is the soil full of nutrients? Does it drain properly? A plant cannot get up and walk to a more preferable spot if it thinks the conditions might be better. A flower is utterly dependent, upon so many things! Not just water, but water, food, temperature, soil, a mate, or mates, being kept safe from animals, bugs, disease. Yet did you ever see a more eager, more trusting, dedicated creation than a pansy? What joy in bursting forth at the first sign of spring, what rugged determination when it is cold, to keep pushing up, continue searching for light and water, as if everything in the world depended on it, yet without effort.
Think for a moment about us as people. We struggle to maintain a control of our environment to such a degree that if my morning coffee is 10 minutes late it throws off my whole day. What if it rains for the soccer game this afternoon? Does that mean God has forgotten me, or is He just displeased with me? Why is the rain necessarily bad?
We people worry about money more than anything. We look around, trying to figure out where our next paycheck is coming from, or if the stock market is up or down; how we are going to put the kids through college, or how we are going to buy groceries for dinner tonight.
Why would God take care of and love a Pansy more than you? You who are made in His own image and likeness, you who He gave His own Son for! God is not withholding anything from you! How could God, who calls Himself our Father not give us abundantly all that we need and desire? If you doubt this just look at at flower. How simple, how beautiful, how utterly dependent on God for everything! How faithful He is. Let us now open up our hearts and just trust in the goodness that is everywhere. Maybe we could throw off some ballast and experience Joy!
By:
admin,
on 5/20/2010
Blog:
Considerations
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
hope,
love,
God,
Jesus,
Faith,
Holy Spirit,
Faithfulness,
Spiritual Life,
The Lord is good to me,
Add a tag
Hudson Taylor was a missionary with an organization called “China Inland Missions” in the 1800’s. Daily he faced impossibilities, and met them with peace and victory. The following excerpt is from his biography, Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, Hudson’s son and daughter-in-law. Hudson and his wife had sent their children home to England, as conditions were unsafe for children in China.
In a letter to the children Hudson writes:
“You do not know how often Father thinks of his darlings, and how often he looks at your photographs till the tears fill his eyes. Sometimes he almost fears lest he should feel discontented when he thinks how far away you are from him. But then the dear Lord Jesus who never leaves him says, ‘Don’t be afraid: I will keep your heart satisfied.’ … And I thank Him, and am so glad that He will live in my heart and keep it right for me.
I wish you, my precious children, knew what it is to give your hearts to Jesus to keep every day. I used to try to keep my own heart right, but it would always be going wrong. So at last I had to give up trying myself, and to accept the Lord’s offer to keep it for me. Don’t you think that is the best way? Perhaps sometimes you think, ‘I will try not to be selfish or unkind or disobedient.’ And yet, though you really try, you do not succeed. But Jesus says: ‘You should trust that to Me.’ I would keep that little heart, if you would trust Me with it.’ And He would, too.
Once I used to think very much and very often about Jesus, but I often forgot Him. Now I trust Jesus to keep my heart remembering Him, and He does so. This is the best way. Ask dear Miss Blatchley (the children’s caretaker) to tell you more about this way, and pray God to make it plain to you, and to help you so to trust Jesus.’
You too, dear reader can trust Jesus to take care of every detail of your life. Blessings.
Hi Friends,
Well, I thought I would give a garden report here. Spring came early for us this year – about the first two weeks of March. It was lovely and warm, the snow was melting away on the paths, green grass was showing more each day and flower beds were showing their treasures as each day revealed more plants coming out. Some plants were so excited they were clapping their little leaves. A pansy even burst through with a happy new face – the first bloom of the year.
Then winter came with great determination. Cold, snow, rain, but mostly new snow; about 1.5 feet or more altogether. Needless to say, everything in the garden again went under wraps awaiting more friendly weather. To be fair, the latest white stuff has melted and I can see yellowish signs of day lilies that will green up with the sun & some roses have bare ground showing.
This week is promising. It has snained here (rain and snow mix), rained & snowed. As I look at the extended forecast it appears that each day should be a little bit warmer. Its now 36 degrees and the end of the week will be close to 60. If that forecast is true we will be celebrating!
Everyone is looking forward to the sunshine and I mean all of us here at “Lilies” – that includes the inhabitants of our gardens.
So there you have the report on the West Side, Cascade, Idaho.
P.S. The sun is trying to come through the clouds right now. We do know its always there, just haven’t seen much of it yet!
It’s time for lift off
Are you ready to go
On the journey of a lifetime
Through heaven’s door.
Come up says the Father
Come and see
All the wonderful things here
That fill eternity.
The city of gold will open to you
Her arms everlasting of all things true.
There are mountains and rivers just waiting for you,
Moonbeams and radiances for you to view.
Angels and beings heretofore never seen;
Colors and fragrances to delight your being.
There is life upon life just waiting for you
So come up My children,
Heaven’s waiting for you.
Just enter the heavenlies through the door of faith -
And I will draw you and give you forever the place,
Of abiding here with Me,
Of seeing My face.
My place is your place,
Just come and see
Wonders and miracles forever free.
No shadows nor darkness
Only truth, only light,
No needs, no ambitions
Only fulfillment, only Life.
Lift off in your spirit
Come and stay with Me
My doors always open
Just come up and see.
Greeting Card #98-06 by Lilies of the Field, Inc.
By:
admin,
on 3/23/2010
Blog:
Considerations
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Spirituality,
Jesus,
Truth,
Faith,
Recognition,
Salvation,
Consciousness,
Redemption,
Spiritual Life,
Thank You Father,
The Cross,
Lanyon,
Manifest Light,
The Finished Kingdom,
The Light,
Add a tag
Today we will finish the article we began yesterday, enjoy…
Jesus, too, said the answer existed before the problem, – “Before you ask, I will answer, and while you are yet speaking, I shall give it unto you”, – and again, “Thank you, Father, I knew that this was done”, – in this latter instance, making concession to the mass-mind which believes something must be done. Yet He did not touch the woman who was healed in the crowds. She touched Him. The wonderful recognition in her came forth and met the perpetual agreement of His consciousness, and the answer, which always had existed, became a reality to her.
Jesus was not pleased with blood-sacrifice, – asking only the sacrifice of the human thought with its limitations and its terrific bondage. He was always looking for someone who could take it, – -always seeking a temple-body who would stand up to the point of equality with Him. That great unselfishness on His part is the God-Love within Him, and within us. He found it once in the Centurion who came boldly up to Him with recognition of the Power and who deigned to set himself on an equal level when it came to authority. “I have not seen so great a faith, – no, not in all Israel!” How would you like that to be said of you?
What do you suppose the widow’s mite meant to a Man who could with impunity feed five thousand? But it was important enough to be recorded. The motive of the widow was greater than the “measure” of the rich.
As long as we continue to imprison this beautiful revelation of Jesus in garb, books, teachers and temples, it will be nothing but another philosophy. Most of Jesus’ teachings were given out of doors, He went seldom in the Temple. When He did, He astounded them with His Light, – and they began the old roundelay, “How does this man speak, seeing- he has no learning”. They went even farther than this in the protection of their limited views of life and were glad to shout at Him when He was going through His greatest manifestation, – “He saved others, – Himself he cannot save”. Yes, and the derisive shouts, “Come down from the cross”. Had He done this, – and He could have, – He would have defeated the purpose of His teachings and we would still be awaiting the Messiah who would save the world. What world? Your world, of course, – the only world you know anything about.
A thousand religions have been hung upon Him, like barnacles on a ship. This is no diatribe against any of them, but nevertheless, there can be only ONE interpretation of the Truth that two times two are four. True, you can write it in Roman numerals or even signs, but the principle is ONE and remains unchanged and eternal, – regardless of opinions to the contrary.
Simpler than the laws of mathematics are the laws of Truth. A child can understand and employ them through the capacity of the unsullied mind which accepts and brings out that acceptance with apparent ease. When the child-like consciousness enters a thing; all the universe cooperates to bring it about, – all of which is foolishness to the adult mind whose greatest capacity is to commit adultery. It will endeavor to take away such beautiful laws from the child through false education. He learns to smile with tolerance or derision at the things he formerly believed possible, stumbling along through the morass of human life until finally he comes to an insurmountable hurdle. Then he may realize there is something greater than John Smith and all his intellection, plus that of all his text-books and teachers, – and perhaps he will “let go” and (‘let God” into expression through his body-temple and be saved. Saved from what? His own thought creation.
The Philistines did the same thing, and finally a giant named Goliath dominated that city (state of consciousness) so completely that it was faced with destruction. Then
This post is from an author named Walter Lanyon. He lived and worked in the early to mid nineteen hundreds. He was a prolific author of spiritual books, and plays, and I believe that Mr. Lanyon was also a painter. He lived His life for God, a most admirable conquest. Thank you, Mr. Lanyon.
In this article, which we will post over 3 days, we are encouraged to see Jesus as natural and normal, so that we can understand what He was trying to teach us. The tendency of man is to put God far off in an impossibly distant land where we cannot contact Him, nor He us, unless we are a saint. God wants to engage us on a personal and real level here and now. He wants to prove to us that He and His kingdom are not imaginary or removed from us at all. If we can see Jesus moving and living among us maybe we will begin to understand what He was trying to say. What would Jesus wear today? Listen.
JESUS IN TWEEDS
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, – even the death of the cross.”
THE DRAMATIC INSTINCT in man is so strong that whenever he mentions or thinks of Jesus, he automatically places Him in a theatrical background, so glorified as to set it completely apart from the remotest possibility of naturalness. He forgets that at the time of Jesus, flowing robes, purple, fine linen and long hair were the vogue of that time, just as sack suits and military haircuts are today.
There is no mention made of the robes of Jesus being outstandingly beautiful. True, there was the seamless robe, – not so much a comment on His clothes, perhaps, as an illustration of the wholeness of His teaching. In fact, Jesus asked the very pertinent question, – “What went ye out for to see”, – a fashion show, or to hear a revelation. It is more than possible that the rich young man mentioned in the Bible, as well as many others, were dressed in silks and brocades.
Have we, then, been caught in the very thing against which He cautioned us? Is this beautiful teaching and revelation given us by Jesus as a usable every-day pattern of life always to be wrapped in dramatics? Will we perpetually be an audience watching a drama?
The tendency to glamorize anyone in the limelight is common to all men. It has a tremendous financial urge back of it. But as with Jesus, so with all the idols of the stage, – sooner or later lots will be cast for the robes. The sport of the human mind is to build an idol, – and then attempt to discover its clay feet.
And again, the décor and background against which Jesus moved were natural and normal to the times.
Can you imagine Jesus in a tweed suit? At first the idea shocks the sensibilities. But suppose He was with us today, – or rather, suppose your consciousness was of such a level as to permit you to see Him today, – would you want Him to go about in flowing robes True, there is yet this practice in America, a thousand and one “prophets” and “teachers” have donned robes entirely out of keeping with the times, playing on the dramatic value, – and people have followed. But Jesus was of all things, natural and normal. He said definitely, “I live in the world, but not of it”. This did not set Him apart anymore then than it would now, for we find ample proof of His moving with the people, high and low. In fact, He was accused of being a friend of harlots and wine bibbers. Jesus was unafraid to live His life. He held no brief with hypocrisy and spiritual wickedness, gossip or scandal,
Can you imagine Jesus and His mother attending a wedding of a Hollywood star? Well, why not? They attended a wedding-feast in Cana, which from the record, was very spirited, to say the least, &
I read a story of a man who was in WWII in China. There were Chinese who were fighting alongside the American Troops. One Chinese man befriended the American Captain and somehow showed him to see through the eyes of God.
God would never see war for He is Peace. He would see beauty where it appeared that destruction was all around – in other words the American soldier saw through the illusion of war and was able to see the beauty of flowers on a mountainside. When confronted by death, a Presence (perhaps an angel) came to him on the battlefield and he “knew” that Life was eternal and that seeming death was an illusion.
My great desire is to “see” through the illusions i.e. lack, limitation, sickness, loneliness, fear, etc. and “see” the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven hear and now. In God there are no illusions. Illusions are like things that wave their hands in front of us saying “Pay attention to me!”. God is Reality – life – abundance – joy – peace. We recognize a veil (a belief) over our eyes as we see the Reality of a Kingdom that has no end, and that Kingdom is within us. Our recognition of Truth removes the veil.
View Next 16 Posts
0 Comments on Hollyhocks as of 1/1/1900
I bet you are the bestest Uncle Matt ever!