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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

WOYWW: A New Destiny!

 We are celebrating a friend's birthday tomorrow and we found out she likes 
doing coloring books with her niece.  
When I went to the book store to find one for her, 
I did not like the ones I found.  
So I decided to make her a coloring book and that is what is on my desk this morning.
All I did was to make a book from a drawing pad. Then I traced different pictures with tracing paper on to the pages.  I hope she likes it!

 "It was there at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians." Acts 11:26
There are several schools of thought about how and why the first believers were called Christians. Some scholars think the term "Christian" was derogatory, as the Tacitus writes, "the vulgar called them Christians". Then there are teachers who believe the ones who followed the new way were called "Christians" by God Himself. "Were called" which is two words in English is only one word in Greek, which means "divinely called or appointed". I can well believe this, as God did promise to give those who are committed to Him a new name.
In Isaiah 56:1-5, God said through Isaiah that He will give a great name, an everlasting name. In Isaiah 62:2, it reads, "And the Lord will give you a new name." In Isaiah 65:15, "He will call His servants by another name."

 God changed the name of Peter, to probably confer the strength of a rock on him who was weak. God changed Jacob's name to Israel, "He who prevails with God." So with Abram who became "Abraham", which means father of many nations or a multitude. Is it not that when God gives a new name, it comes with a blessing? And not only blessing, but sometimes a new position, or a new mission. A new name is also like a prophecy of what that person will become. Is it not that God's Word will NOT return to Him void?
Indeed as Christians, we have a new identity in Christ! Our new name comes with a blessing, a mission and a new destiny! I think that is exciting, don't you?
 "...while they were engaged in liturgy of the Lord and were fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke to them..." Acts 13:2
There are many inspiring testimonies online about how God answers prayer when we voluntarily abstain from food for spiritual purposes. In the 13th chapter of the Book of Acts, we are in Antioch, in this vibrant young Christian church. Imagine many prophets and teachers in the church. Some of their names are mentioned: Barnabas the encourager, Symeon a black man,Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul. These men of diverse backgrounds are worshiping the Lord, reading His Word and FASTING. I can imagine really lively and loud praising and singing, hands raised high, truly enthusiastic and pleasing to the Lord! When men of God get together, it can be rambunctious! And then what happens? The HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS TO THEM! The Holy Spirit instructs them to send Barnabas and Saul on their first missionary journey together.
"...while they were engaged in liturgy of the Lord and were fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke to them..." Acts 13:2
There are many inspiring testimonies online about how God answers prayer when we voluntarily abstain from food for spiritual purposes. In the 13th chapter of the Book of Acts, we are in Antioch, in this vibrant young Christian church. Imagine many prophets and teachers in the church. Some of their names are mentioned: Barnabas the encourager, Symeon a black man,Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul. These men of diverse backgrounds are worshiping the Lord, reading His Word and FASTING. I can imagine really lively and loud praising and singing, hands raised high, truly enthusiastic and pleasing to the Lord! When men of God get together, it can be rambunctious! And then what happens? The HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS TO THEM! The Holy Spirit instructs them to send Barnabas and Saul on their first missionary journey together.

When we want to hear God, when we are desperate for His intervention and direction, we have the recourse of fasting. When we fast, the battle is not ours but God's. "So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty," Ezra 8:23. What is in our hearts right now that needs the gates of heaven to open wider? Fasting and praying are the keys!



Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 
peek at desks and projects!
 
I find a lot of inspiration
visiting my friends here:

Blessings!
Patsy
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Monday, April 27, 2015

Inspire Me Monday: The Greatest Sermon!

 "The sheep follow Him, because they recognize His voice." John 10:4
Do we recognize God's voice?
I think He speaks in different ways, and we will never be able to box God in, much less the way He chooses to communicate with us. Yesterday, as we were driving home from a weekend at the beach, I had this urge to pray. First it was because there was a danger we would run out of gas, and when that danger passed, I still had that strong compulsion to pray. I prayed that angels surround our van, that God would thwart any evil intentions of bad men, that we and my sister's family would reach home safely, that we would not be in any accident. I prayed in tongues. I prayed for the people of Nepal affected by the strong earthquake, for persecuted Christians, etc, etc.

Back safely at home, when I was about to fall asleep, my husband Luigi asked me, "Did you have a good sleep?" as he thought I had been dozing in the van while he was driving. "No," I answered, "I was praying almost the whole time."
"Then you heard the loud noise?" 
"I did. I thought a rock hit our van." 
"That was a man with a gun," he said. 
"Whaaat!!" He then told me that there was this SUV that he went ahead of last night. After that, the driver kept trying to squeeze in front of our van but couldn't. He even turned on his flasher. Then, when our vehicles were caught in traffic on a bridge, the man got out and Luigi saw that he had a gun. Then the gun SLIPPED from his hand, and the man scrambled to find it in the dark. When the vehicles started to move, the man ran toward our van and hit it hard with his fist twice!

After Luigi told me this story, I realized that sometimes God gives us this need to pray for protection. When we do pray, we don't even realize what dangers we avert through prayer. I think God allowed this incident because I have been praying for protection for those being persecuted in the Middle East, India and Africa, and sometimes I think to myself, "Am I helping even a tiny little bit? Maybe this is all useless!" But God showed me that I should persist even if I do not see any results!
Yes God speaks. It doesn't have to be an audible voice, or a whisper. He constantly speaks to us in many different ways. Let us be like sheep who know the voice of our Shepherd, and listen and watch for when He speaks for He will if we but be vigilant and wait.

 
"I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me." John 10:14
On the 4th Sunday of Easter, the Catholic Church celebrates Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep. Although a lamb is lovable and cuddly, it is not exactly a compliment to be compared to sheep! Sheep are quite dumb, short sighted, stubborn, and defenseless. They gather in groups and really need someone to guide them because they can't take care of themselves. They move all together in a herd. In 2006, 400 sheep fell into a 15 meter deep ravine and died because of this instinct.

 I like telling the story of my husband when he asked a shepherd if he could feed his sheep. The shepherd said, "That's my problem. Even my son can't feed them. They only recognize my voice!" True enough, when Luigi tried, the sheep did not come. He would approach them and the sheep would move away. Then when the shepherd called, they came right away!
Sheep who know a good master's voice and follows him, will be taken care of. But sheep who follow the wrong voice can end up in a ravine!!!!


 "Proclaim the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15
This 'great commission' is not for the apostles alone but for all of us, not just for priests and preachers, but for teachers, housewives, musicians, runners, carpenters, computer experts, garbage collectors, nurses, baby sitters, businessmen, etc.
My sister went to Osaka recently and she was very happy and proud when she went to mass there and most of the mass goers were Filipinos. A young Filipino altar boy and a Filipino nun was helping the Japanese priest read English. In many parts of the world, Filipinos sing heartily in the choirs just like in Osaka. Many Filipino yayas or baby sitters tell stories of Jesus to children they take care of. Sometimes, that is the only time they hear about Jesus.

There is a song that goes, "The greatest sermon ever preached on earth any day at any time is a sermon of a life well lived" and another which goes, "Make me like a love letter, open to all to see, make me legible to all to read...that when they look at me, they see You!"
Yes indeed, when Jesus is the center of our life, we too become part of the Word of God. And sometimes that is the only word they are exposed to!



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Friday, April 24, 2015

Paint Party Friday: Water in the Desert

 "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?" Acts 9:4

Saul was traveling to Damascus on a mission to arrest and drag to Jerusalem anyone following the 'new way'. In Acts 9:1, he is described as 'breathing murderous threats' against Jesus' disciples. He was stopped by a light in the sky, and a voice asking,"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

In Damascus today, Christians are being persecuted by modern day Sauls who want to exterminate them. Christians have lived in Damascus for more than 2000 years but now they are being driven away from their homes. Hundreds of thousands of Christians in Syria are being kidnapped, tortured, and even crucified and beheaded. There are still a few Christians who speak Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. Their churches, St. Elias Church and St. Grace Church in the Christian village of Maaloula near Damascus are under attack. 


There is not much we can do. But I know prayer changes more things than this world thinks it can. Let us pray that these modern day Sauls get converted if not by a light from the sky and a voice from heaven, then by other miracles. Nothing is impossible with God! And He is so creative I believe that even now, saints are arising in the persecuted areas of the world! Let us cover those areas with prayer and fasting! Let us combat the jihad against Christians with an army of interceding warriors!

 "Do you really grasp what you are reading?" "How can I," the man replied,"unless someone explains it to me?" Acts 8:30-31
Philip was one of the seven men, along with Stephen, who were chosen to distribute bread to the widows and the community. Like Stephen, it was important to him, not only to give bread, but also the bread of life. In this chapter of Acts, he is instructed by an angel to go to the desert. There he meets an Ethiopian eunuch, a treasurer of the Queen of that country. This man was reading Isaiah and Philip asked him if he understood.

 "How can I unless someone explains it to me?" the man answered. Philip then took the opportunity to tell him about Jesus. Back then, it took a movement of the Spirit for someone to know about Christ. The Holy Spirit directed Philip to go to the desert. The Spirit told him to catch up with the man's carriage. After the encounter the Spirit snatched Philip away and the eunuch saw him no more!


But today, there is so much opportunity to read the Scriptures, to understand it, to know more. I love listening to preaching on YouTube, and reading teaching from books. I can search about almost any topic and like the eunuch, find living water in the desert!

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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

WOYWW: Bread of Life

Here's a shelf on the right side of my desk.
I just keep changing what's on it.
I bought 3 old-fashioned jars but you can hardly see them
in this picture!!! But I know it's there! 

 This is what's on my desk this morning.
A man with a gun!!!
I was looking for a man that would symbolize Saul
persecuting the Christians in Jesus' time!

 "Saul was going everywhere to devastate the church." Acts 8:3

Chapter 8 of the Book of Acts begins with a lot of drama: "A great wave of persecution began that day (after Stephen was stoned). sweeping over the church in Jerusalem." Only the drama was very real, just as it is in the Middle East were people are being martyred, in China where the underground church flourishes in secret, in India, in Africa. 

Francis Chan tells of when he visited China, and visited an underground training place for young missionaries, aged 18-25 years old. He asked them to tell him stories. One young girl said that once she had to hide from government officials and she was so happy she was skinny, because she had to squeeze in between two boards. She could hear them looking around and she prayed hard her back pack would not be seen.  Another guy told him that there were 14 of them, and 3 govt. officials, and they just ran while they were being shot at.  They were puzzled that he was so hungry for their stories. 

"Why do you want us to tell you stories?" they asked. "Because you're all amazing!" he answered.  "Why are we amazing? Jesus said if we follow Him, we will be persecuted. Isn't it like that in your country?"  

And Francis Chan told them that where he comes from, people choose their church on the basis of how the songs are sung, or if there's parking, or if they like the people going there.  And while he was saying these things, the kids were laughing hysterically!

Yes, persecution and martyrdom are happening in many places of the globe today, just as it did in Jesus' time. This does not make sense to us. But Jesus did warn that "..if they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you...because they do not know Him who sent Me."  These martyrs willing to shed their blood for Jesus know Him, know their Father in a very real way.  Because of them, many Sauls are becoming Pauls!

 "I am the Bread of Life." John 6:35 and John 6:47
This is one of the "I AM" statements of Jesus that we can't ignore. We have to decide if this man who claims to be the the bread of life, meaning "essential" for our existence, is saying what He knows to be truth. Is he a liar? The worst kind, who knows what he is saying is false but desires to deceive others? Or is he delusional, crazy, living his own reality? He could also be a fool, couldn't he? We could say "I like Jesus. I admire Him. I like reading His words. He is wise, compassionate, but I don't believe I have to obey Him. He's not God!" Well then, who is he? Isn't He who He claims to be?

Jesus said in John 6:32: " For the bread of God is that which COMES DOWN FROM HEAVEN, and GIVES LIFE TO THE WORLD." So of course, the people hearing that said: "Lord ALWAYS GIVE US THIS BREAD!!!" They were probably looking for manna, like the bread that fell from heaven during Moses' time every single day! But today, we can have the bread of life every single minute! If we believe. If we don't believe He is God, then we will always be hungry. Always be searching. But you see, that's OK. Jesus said, "If you seek, you will find." (Matthew 7:7) Let us just keep seeking, keep asking, keep looking. Don't stop. One day we'll be able to decide and know for ourselves if this man is who He claims to be!



Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 
peek at desks and projects!
 
I find a lot of inspiration
visiting my friends here:

Blessings!
Patsy
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