Intercession & Blessing

Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you. It all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory.

History is your story. The Scripture tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is One.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now, today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hingepoint of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

- Rick Warren's Prayer at the Presidential Inauguration -

The Gang

The little people in my life -

Lydia - 5, Katie - 3 1/2, Andrew, 2, & Melanie, 6 weeks.

~ Crazy in love with my grandbabies ~

Ma

Checklist for God-pleasers

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 – Take a few moments right now to read this text in a modern translation and ingest the following characteristics of one who uses their spiritual giftedness to please God. ~

1.) Real and Courageous use of your spiritual gift in obedience to God after having been hurt by people when you used it previously. (vs. 1 - not “hollow,” “empty,” a “failure”)
2.) Truth, Honesty, Moral Purity, and no Manipulation when you use your gift in ministry. (vs. 3)
3.) Integrity characterizes you as you open your heart to God’s testing of your motives and as you never use Flattery, Greed (seeking more), or doing things to draw attention to yourself. (vs. 4,5,6) It’s not about you!
4.) Sensitive to the Culture even at personal cost. (vs. 6b)
5.) Gentle and having Deep Genuine Affection for those to whom you minister. (vs. 7)
6.) Share both the Truth of the Word of God and Yourself -your inner being, time, and energy with others. (vs. 8)
7.) Work Hard and Don’t Give Up in the face of difficulties. (vs. 9)
8.) Model Holiness (piety), Righteousness (moral integrity), and Blamelessness (honest dealings). (vs. 10)
9.) Work Personally (one-on-one) with people. (vs. 11a)
10.) Teach Godly Practical Conduct, Encourage, Inspire, and Urge your hearers to live lives worthy of God.(vs. 12)

Paul directs us to imitate him in these characteristics just as he imitated Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:9 tells us “Why” – “We make it our goal to please Him.”

Which characteristic in this list needs improvement through the Holy Spirit’s power in your life?

Seeking to please Him ~ Bob

A Few Lessons

Gordon MacDonald finds some insightful, timely lessons for the Church from what's now known as "The Miracle on the Hudson." Read on ...

Appreciating his observations ~
Linda

Cultivating The Garden

... a slow, gentle awakening, praying for the people in my life, giving their situations to the only One who can affect change, bring peace, give hope. Praying through 1 Corinthians 13 for myself, the Spirit reminding me of areas where I've recently been impatient, unkind, jealous, envious, haughty and rude. Self-seeking, keeping track of wrongs. Thankful for forgiveness, and thankful that in the powerful name of Jesus we have the power to banish the enemy of our souls far from us.

God, develop discernment in my life in the areas of self-knowledge and perception. To see much more quickly where I am not, deep in my heart, like Christ, and to quickly ask for forgiveness and to send the enemy packing. Bottom line - I want to be like Jesus and I want to respond in the same ways as He did when He walked the earth. There's no emotion new under the sun - He was confronted with everything that I deal with, but He never sinned. Thank You for the Spirit's presence today. Help me to be discerning and aware and obedient to His still, small voice.

That's why I need silence and solitude. Because without this time when He can speak gently yet firmly, I will not grow. I'll never cultivate those moments needed where He can speak and say, "This is the way, walk ye in it" (Isaiah 30:21).

So help me as I cultivate the garden of my heart. As a farmer cultivates his field - getting rid of the rocks and debris. Readying the soil by adding good nutrients. So as the seeds are sown, the ground of my heart will be well prepared to receive them, and the seeds will yield bountiful, healthy fruit (Matthew 13:1-23). And the fruit of the Spirit's work in my life will be evident. "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self -control" (Galatians 5:22-23).

This is who I want to be, inside and out.

Today's journaling ~

Linda

You're Interested In ...

The poll is closed and your votes have been tallied! The results? You're interested in the development of spiritual disciplines, improving your health & wellness, and dealing with unfinished projects.

The new question we're asking addresses the spiritual aspect of life, the foundation of who you are and how you live. If your spiritual decisions and disciplines are unwise, weak, or non-existent, every other area of life will be deeply affected.

So, once again, let your voice be heard, and we'll address the subjects that you think are important. It's simple to vote - go to the right hand side of the blog, look for THIS WEEK'S QUESTION, and click on each option that applies to you. Hit the Vote button. And if you're interested in what other people are saying, click on the underlined words, "Show results."

~ Intrigued By Where You Are ~

Linda

Squeezed Like a Grape

What happens when pressure is put on you to remain in the non-productive and depressing life style that you have always experienced? How do you react to suggestions for change? What effect does peer pressure have on your acceptance of a new behavior or a way of life?

Paul praises the Thessalonian church for radically altering their life style to conform to Jesus Christ and His way of life rather than maintaining the idolatrous habits that had characterized their experience. They were tired of that which was neither satisfying nor fulfilling.

They “welcomed” the message of Jesus as Messiah and the new lifestyle that was authentically lived in front of them. Paul says it this way in 1 Thessalonians 1:6: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” Note four things:

1.) They “became imitators of us and of the Lord” – They had a model of godly behavior that was radically different from their own experience. They followed that model to a “tee” because they found it to be fulfilling, authentic and powerful. Are you a model of Jesus to someone and do you have a godly model to imitate?

2.) They “welcomed the message" instead of criticizing or trashing it. To “welcome” means “to greet happily and enthusiastically as you would greet a favored guest into your home.”

3.) They encountered "severe pressure” from themselves and others to remain like they were, instead of being like Jesus. “Pressure” here refers to "squeezing a grape until it bursts.” They resisted that kind of pressure. Sound familiar?

4.) They were "given" a gift from the Holy Spirit – “joy” – a portion of the fruit of the Spirit, which includes a deep inner sense of fulfillment and peace. This is the “prize” for experiencing transformation.

The Thessalonian’s experience of deep inner joy and fulfillment can be yours as you resist ungodly peer pressure, welcome the freeing message of Jesus’ grace and forgiveness, and then imitate the life style of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Experiencing transformation ~ Bob