tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87782264290670651602024-03-05T18:08:00.550-08:00Penny NoyesThoughts on Knowing God and Growing to Love Him more in Everyday Life.
Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-45444397043351949462022-06-01T20:10:00.001-07:002022-09-01T12:43:29.273-07:00Change Happens-Jesus Never Changes<p style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI", -apple-system, Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b><i>Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8</i></b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESh7fPPyeLuctfiSFNcojlRVv7IpkTWuuLIvGyDexdsYW10A3SHsGjnFxcEJUKXG6n4nUzK_thJCVXdr60AGiIoYastumMrZk_0EyRI3L_fFfIiEGNA36ailvmQNlNNHnhMM6aENtt59u50MCyE7ET6tRcXcqEX1liHcZHVxIV0jxJ1PuUShURvx7/s4022/image0%20(2).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2317" data-original-width="4022" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESh7fPPyeLuctfiSFNcojlRVv7IpkTWuuLIvGyDexdsYW10A3SHsGjnFxcEJUKXG6n4nUzK_thJCVXdr60AGiIoYastumMrZk_0EyRI3L_fFfIiEGNA36ailvmQNlNNHnhMM6aENtt59u50MCyE7ET6tRcXcqEX1liHcZHVxIV0jxJ1PuUShURvx7/s320/image0%20(2).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #0e101a;">How can you trust God after life-shattering loss? Naomi's story in the Book of Ruth </span><span style="color: #0e101a;">taught me to shift my focus from myself and my relationships when people leave me picking up the pieces of who I am without them. Rather than focusing on them and my loss, I must turn to Jesus. He is faithful and never changes. <br /></span><span style="color: #0e101a;"> Naomi teaches </span><span style="color: #0e101a;">us that God can still use us even when we feel weak and insufficient and we are wrecked with grief. </span><span style="color: #0e101a;">As women, our relationships often define how we view ourselves. Naomi's identity was devastated in ten short years. First, she lost her husband, and then both of her sons died. <br /></span><span style="color: #0e101a;"> The Book of Ruth starts with Naomi's and Elimelech's </span><span style="color: #0e101a;">journey</span><span style="color: #0e101a;"> to escape a famine. Ten years after leaving home, Naomi's husband and two sons all died. </span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How can you be a mother when both of your children have died? </em></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How can you be a wife when your husband has died? </em></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Death and divorce create times of deep mourning for lost relationships and the survivor's former identity. Several of my friends have lost their fathers recently. As they have deeply mourned their father, they have also mourned their lost identity as a Daddy's girl. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Have you ever felt as if you have lost who you were? </em></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How did that change your relationship with other people and God?</em></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Our roles and relationships as women give us meaning and identity, yet they are temporary because children grow up, parents die, and friends move away. While our relationships are important to help us fulfill the greatest commandment, to love God and love others, they are not meant to be our identity. Our identity must be in Christ, who does not change like the shifting shadows; who never leaves or forsakes us; who laid down His life for us and has defeated sickness and death.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> If our identity depends on our relationships with our spouse, children, or friends, we will let their happiness and joy determine how we live rather than allowing the Lord to guide us. We will compromise what God has called us to do for the short-term benefit of their happiness. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <i><b> Our passionate desire for relationships with people must be superseded by our passion for a relationship with Christ. </b></i> Matthew 6:28 says, "Seek first the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you." Righteousness means a right relationship. Here's my paraphrase, "Seek first a right relationship with God and all the other things will be given to you." </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Putting Christ first is simply a trust issue. It requires letting go of valuing ourselves by the relationships we have. We have to let go of defining our success by other people's happiness. It requires believing that God has infinite love and infinite resources to take care of our loved ones even when they aren't with us. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> If you put God first in your life, even before the people you love the most, God will bless you and bless them more than you with all your resources. He made all of us and loves us more than we could ever comprehend. He has all resources and all knowledge.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Putting God first will result in better relationships and lasting blessings for generations. Naomi's faithfulness and belief in God resulted in blessing for her daughter-in-law Ruth and generations to come through her descendants, King David and Jesus Christ! </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span>As we wrap things up, pray and ask God to help you put Him first. Focus on God rather than the people around you. Repent of places of idolatry in your life and ask God to fill you with His presence. Praise Him because He is our Creator, God Almighty, our Lord, our Healer, our Light in the desert, our True Love, and our Peace. In the midst of change, we can depend on Jesus. <span face=""Segoe UI", -apple-system, Verdana, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;">Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Parts of this blog are an excerpt from the Bible study, "<i>Embracing Change Learning to Trust God from the Women of the Bible</i>" available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Embracing-Change-Learning-Trust-Women-ebook/dp/B01FY45S4E" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. </p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-6932055580885536202022-02-17T21:00:00.006-08:002022-02-17T21:10:16.766-08:00A Supernatural Vision<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigUndpSuynP4lakuTsprSYdfxut3GHuS1g4BOISa67d09MW1KgCjF0fZywZ2WIit7MIxqTYCxW6qP1g-XAaPS9ZAptDQQoqPWem3zyNh4_hCXjOKDcKmDgDkqHUF7HfhdA6tAoI-oHujSKA2YjiSS3y5pdHCBjmQL92z2a1yDEMAoLU-d_D5Vpvspp=s1881" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1881" data-original-width="1623" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigUndpSuynP4lakuTsprSYdfxut3GHuS1g4BOISa67d09MW1KgCjF0fZywZ2WIit7MIxqTYCxW6qP1g-XAaPS9ZAptDQQoqPWem3zyNh4_hCXjOKDcKmDgDkqHUF7HfhdA6tAoI-oHujSKA2YjiSS3y5pdHCBjmQL92z2a1yDEMAoLU-d_D5Vpvspp=w173-h200" width="173" /></a></div><br /><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><h3 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Wrecked with Doubt </strong></h3>Losing my mom in August 2021 sent me for a loop. I reevaluated everything that I believed and took some time to re-examine the foundations of my faith. My mom confidently and expectantly prepared for her death. She had no doubt about her salvation, and it was evident from her preparation and will that she anticipated spending eternity praising God. (</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://https://www.lifecharlotte.com/for-me-to-live-is-christ/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Read more about this on a blog I wrote for my church here.) </span></a><div><span style="color: #0e101a;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a;">But after being with my mom when she breathed her last, doubts crept in. I couldn't help but question, "Is there really a heaven?" "How did I know that I would see her again?" "Was everything that I read in the Bible and wrote about true?" I had to get back to the foundation of my faith, step by step, breath by breath. </span><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As I reassessed my belief in God, it wasn't logical arguments or definitive scriptures that gave me confidence. Instead, </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">supernatural and not humanly or logically explainable experiences convinced me of another dimension to this world.</em></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In my book, </span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Seeing Value a Biblical Perspective on Intrinsic Value, </em></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I wrote that God has set up the world with natural laws that led to predictable consequen</span>ces. You reap what you sow. When you drop something, it falls. But occasionally, God suspends his natural laws and opens the curtain on eternity to allow us to have a supernatural experience. Grace overcomes the law of sin and death and gives us freedom and life. Grace is a miraculous blessing that we can't earn and don't deserve. The grace that God gives us is truly supernatural.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">A Personal Miracle</strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Last week, I experienced supernatural grace that showed me with a glimpse of life and </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">time without limits</em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">. As I was looking through my mom's files, I came across a document entitled "Intrinsic Value." My curiosity was piqued since I thought it might be about my book until I realized she wrote it nearly 14 years ago! </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In May 2008, God gave my mom, Sandy Brown, a supernatural vision of a book with statements about "Intrinsic Value" on each page. She faithfully wrote down her experience and filed it away. Amazingly, I don't remember her mentioning this piece of writing or vision to me. At the time, my mom was struggling with her purpose and value while dealing with intense physical pain and other limitations. During this painful time, God encouraged her with a vision of my book with "Intrinsic Value" on each page!</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Long before I wrote the first word of </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Seeing Value-A Biblical Perspective on Intrinsic Value</em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> and close to a decade before I even thought of the phrase "Intrinsic Value," God gave my mom a miraculous glimpse into both of our futures. My book was dedicated to her, and I gave her two copies on my birthday, less than a month before she was put on a ventilator.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As I read her brief document about Intrinsic Value, I could visibly see how the vision (written in bold, all caps) transformed her perspective on her life and value. Her tone went from depressed and feeling useless to confidence that "to be" was enough. It is a message that we can all use at every age and stage of our lives. When we encounter the supernatural, it is transformative. It goes beyond logical explanation. </span>I pray you are blessed.</p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i>Love, Penny </i></span></p><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /> Following is a copy of <b><i>"Intrinsic Value"</i></b> by Sandy Brown </h2><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As a grandma, we want to be needed or useful. We also want to be helpful for our children, we want to do for them, but we reach a point that we can't. We are not capable of really helping and being useful. The joints and the fast movements are no longer possible. The back is weak, the legs can't carry the weight, the arms are not capable of the loads, and the brains seem to forget the details (and sometimes the facts!), as well. This shutting down of capabilities and abilities forces a grandma to reevaluate her purpose as a mother and a grandmother. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The following questions come to mind; though they seem negative and desperate, they are also worthy. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When can I enjoy life? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">What is my meaning in being alive? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Wouldn't everyone be better off without me?</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">What value can I bring to my children or to my grandchildren?</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Isn't my wealth of information important anymore? If not, am I?</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When I buy presents for my kids, they are outdated, wrong or just not liked. Should I bother?</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Is there a reason for my being around? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Can I still make a difference for those I love and care about? Should I care about them from a distance? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Should I move away? Or disappear from their sight? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When do I stop being a mother and start being me? And start being a grandma? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">These are not truly negative questions, but rather questions to start the upward climb to what God says about me and why He sent His son to die for our sins, to die in our place.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Should I learn new ways, or will the old ways be good enough?</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Perhaps new ways are needed. Our generation threw away prayer. </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Let's start anew. Let's pray!</em></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But now, new questions come to the surface. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Why do I have to get older? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Where is my faith? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">What kind of God would throw us a curve?</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Why does He give us a hard life and seem to leave us lost, poor, and hurting more? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Why has God done this? is an even greater question. Answering this question will answer many of the other questions, religious and secular.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Why has God allowed all these things to happen to us? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It is because He sees our intrinsic value. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Hmm, you might say. Is it that easy? </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Intrinsic value comes because of putting value on the person we are, not on what we do.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">AT THIS TIME, I SAW A BOOK WITH STATEMENTS ON EACH PAGE< IT IS BECAUSE OF OUR INTRINSIC VALUE.</span></b></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We were created by God, and therefore we have value. Our worth is not created by our works or our ability. God loves us, and He sent His only Son to save us because of His love. This great love has washed away the matter (sin) that was offensive to God. He has claimed us as His, and we have value because we are His. We are not here on this earth because of our doing, but because of His design and purpose for us to be. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b>To be! That is what we have to offer to everyone who is around us. </b></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b>To be! Our existence is important to God and therefore is vital to this world that we live in.</b></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To be and not to seem</em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> is the North Carolina state motto. It is so full of hope to those who want their efforts to count. It is important to others, but it is essential to God for us just to be! The founders who decided on this motto went beyond the concept of being [to be] and wanted things to be more than what the eye could perceive. They wanted to be right and good, not just seem that way. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To be is our goal as a Christian. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To be a Christian and Christ-like, not just to seem to be one. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As Christians, our efforts to be Christ-like and share God's love are necessary, but they are not why God loves us. We must still understand that God loves us because we are. </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We are valuable because He says we are. We have intrinsic value.</em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> In the same way, we need to know that we are a grandma or a grandpa because we are, not because we bake delicious cookies, buy the best presents, or tell funny stories, but because we are! </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Rejoice, and again I say rejoice! </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind (self-discipline). The Spirit of power, love, and sound mind is the essence of the Holy Spirit, and we are wise to hold on to that! By seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, we can have it all! 5-5-08</span></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-30916547875421340382021-10-18T06:45:00.004-07:002021-10-18T07:04:06.583-07:00Are You A Righteous Judge?<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We all have a natural instinct to make judgments. From a survival perspective, judging if a fruit was safe to eat, a bridge could hold our weight, or a person was an enemy or a foe could be a matter of life or death. Since we are created in the image of God, who is a judge, we judge. In 1 Corinthians 6:2 Paul explains, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vjQieBnR00wRzZuxfUgPzHDYVDhE3iCt93Ii99Tom_mp9WladxEclFKuXVD00lN8VUs_94pNm4W7TZ-QW2WGhIkZUySJcbb1As_rbOj2OqBh3CTaTy1mbBZ6SkQQcF5FI9_RUpJBYjc/s1549/_DSC4360.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="1549" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vjQieBnR00wRzZuxfUgPzHDYVDhE3iCt93Ii99Tom_mp9WladxEclFKuXVD00lN8VUs_94pNm4W7TZ-QW2WGhIkZUySJcbb1As_rbOj2OqBh3CTaTy1mbBZ6SkQQcF5FI9_RUpJBYjc/s320/_DSC4360.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-bc06fef2-7fff-36bf-10b2-0e4d59d1307c"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our judgments should line up with God’s justice. God is a just judge. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Psalm 89:14 describes the basis of God’s judgment, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” God’s judgments are pure and holy. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Isaiah 16:7 explains, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Any person’s personal relationship with God and their inner character can not be measured by a bank statement, or outward appearance like height, skin color or the style of clothes. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, without the redeeming work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, our natural inclination to judge can be distorted by evil desires. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are we dishonoring other people with our thoughts?</b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">James 2:4 challenges early believers, “Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” Our evil thoughts lead to putting people down and judging others for their outward appearance, success, and wealth. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">James warns these early Christians that they had dishonored the poor with their evil thoughts. As believers, we haven’t always taken James’ warning to heart. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Historically, our culture and even the church have tolerated discrimination that devalued people based on outward appearance, ethnicity, and gender. If you have felt judged by other Christians and religious leaders, you are not alone. <i>Jesus was also dishonored. </i> In John 8:48-49, Jewish leaders attacked Jesus with a racially motivated slur and accused him of being demon possessed. He replied, “I am not possessed by a demon” and “I honor my father and you dishonor me.” By dishonoring God’s only son, they were dishonoring God. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Similarly, when we dishonor other people because of how they look or the clothes they wear, we are dishonoring God’s beloved children and therefore dishonoring God. Dishonoring one another is unacceptable behavior for brothers and sisters in Christ. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Are we dishonoring God by putting ourselves down?</b></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Often the person I judge the harshest is myself. When we judge ourselves for our hair, skin, success, or intelligence, we are judging God. We are questioning God’s sovereignty, goodness, and wisdom in creating us and allowing the life experiences that he permitted to develop our character. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We all will have physical limitations and challenging life experiences that will teach us about God and be a bridge that connects us to others. For instance, doing without material things can lead to spiritual riches that are only nurtured by the faith that springs from having to depend on God to meet our daily needs.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s how James 2:5 explained this, “Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of us will go through times when we are poor in spirit. By allowing those challenging times, God is opening our eyes to the Kingdom of heaven and a greater understanding of his provision. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>God loves you and created you for a purpose that only you can fulfill.</b></span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is time to stop equating outward appearance, material success, and accomplishments with spiritual approval. God completely loves you, not because of how much money you have, how you look, or your accomplishments. He loves you because you are precious and valuable to him. Once you understand how passionately and deeply God loves you, you will be able to share that grace and love with others. Your natural inclination to judge will turn into a celebration of God’s grace and love in your life and in others. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Parts of this blog were first published on Lifecharlotte.com</span></div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-3689853037090333502021-02-01T23:16:00.003-08:002021-02-01T23:18:07.968-08:00Happy Groundhog Day<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcX3xbNmCFa6_649456eDoM4CLVUrvliKVi8iE79ryyHxLduASUvCK2NA4E807y9TGPRMA4jyZFldRYhdY6ecVMQwuGQJPh317v1M9bH8dYZkQnFuJRVFroJnR_ovBLGnXn3vtwc3NmQ8/s1500/sky.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcX3xbNmCFa6_649456eDoM4CLVUrvliKVi8iE79ryyHxLduASUvCK2NA4E807y9TGPRMA4jyZFldRYhdY6ecVMQwuGQJPh317v1M9bH8dYZkQnFuJRVFroJnR_ovBLGnXn3vtwc3NmQ8/s320/sky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #001320;">Do not
despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to
see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”</span> Zechariah 4:10</i></span><o:p></o:p></p><span style="font-family: georgia, times, "times new roman", serif;"><em><strong>It’s Groundhog Day, again.</strong></em> </span> I eagerly anticipate Groundhog Day like some people look forward to St. Patrick’s Day or Halloween. I don’t have to hear Cher singing “I got you babe” to appreciate the gift of second chances. I love to ponder Bill Murray's transformation from self-centeredness to wisdom in the Groundhog Day movie. <strong><em><span style="font-family: georgia,times,times new roman,serif;">Our small choices over time make a big difference in our lives and the people around us.</span></em></strong><p></p><br />For many of us, the past year has had the surreal quality of being stuck in a movie. We desperately want things to get back to normal but have been stuck. When my kids were young, I felt like I was living my own version of Groundhog Day, only my screenplay involved changing diapers and watching Elmo. But I started to take small steps when my youngest was in preschool, by investing a few minutes a day in my writing, It took several years but I finished my first Bible Study. Since then, I have written two other and I have the proof of book number four! <br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia,times,times new roman,serif;"><em><strong>Little choices add up to big rewards</strong></em></span>. Choosing to connect with someone I didn’t know well for a few minutes over time has developed into a wonderful friendship. Slowly learning Hebrew with a friend over the past couple of years means that I can now phonetically read a completely different alphabet and I am starting to understand it too. I am optimistic that working on my tennis stroke now will allow me to beat 40-year-olds when I am 70, since I am often trounced by 70-year-olds who walk on the court with knee braces, wrist wraps and a hip replacement.<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="font-family: georgia,times,times new roman,serif;">Incremental investments make a difference in our relationship with God.</span></em></strong> It is easy to discount reading only a couple verses of the Bible but if you keep at it and read one chapter a day (you can break up Psalm 119) you will completely read the Bible in three years. Three years is long but imagine if you had started reading one chapter a day ten years ago, you would have already read every word of the Bible three times and you would be starting on your fourth time through. I can’t think of anything more incrementally beneficial.<br /><br />Groundhog Day is a day of reflection for me. It prompts me to think about the future. I don’t think about the big stuff, the problems that I can’t solve, the fears I have, or the stuff that upsets me. I ponder how to spend my time in small ways, none of us know how long we have on this planet but everyday we can grow a tiny bit closer to God and to other people through our choices. We can plant the seeds and trust that God will bring the harvest. <strong><em><span style="font-family: georgia,times,times new roman,serif;">Is there a small thing that God is calling you to do? </span></em></strong><br /><br />What little choice have you made over time moved you in the direction you needed to go?<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-18998331124319052822020-11-02T21:23:00.000-08:002020-11-02T21:23:24.144-08:00A Political Mirror<h1 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #134f5c;"> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you surprised by what you see in the mirror?</span></span></b></h1><span id="docs-internal-guid-b0c1d7b8-7fff-d9b8-ac2b-19d79078c5bc"><div><span><i>"</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><i>You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:5</i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaE0_FwhpQsOXMJYH4Pa2gEJ0SPrRiSy78kFrLg_VSkyky0YAmkXHh1XYTEc1J9MbA64Ytj_7lJD9tblPL-yhpuRh1QrRy0UqiJUwqRmHfi1dXNpV7q_yY3Zj4vyoYavbXg3uwuNWscGY/s2048/mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaE0_FwhpQsOXMJYH4Pa2gEJ0SPrRiSy78kFrLg_VSkyky0YAmkXHh1XYTEc1J9MbA64Ytj_7lJD9tblPL-yhpuRh1QrRy0UqiJUwqRmHfi1dXNpV7q_yY3Zj4vyoYavbXg3uwuNWscGY/s320/mirror.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I walk by a mirror, I am shocked by my reflection because, in my mind, I am still 27. It is hard to see my imperfections. How did I get this way? It has been so gradual. I never imagined all the changes time and gravity would bring. When we see ourselves in the mirror, we make small decisions; we brush our hair because it is sticking up, we decide to start a diet, or we apply anti-wrinkle cream. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since 2016, Trump has been a mirror of our country's imperfections. His flaws are many and visible, like the ones I see in my reflection. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Just like my mirror is not the problem, Trump was not the problem; we are.</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I can hear your arguments, "But Trump is racist, sexist, fake, materialistic, pays for porn stars, egotistic, thinks he knows everything, belligerent, and judges by appearance. I agree, but if Trump is all these things, we as a country are worse. As Jesus told us in Matthew 7:3-5, we have to get the plank out of our own eye before finding fault with others. Seeing sin is painful, but until it is named, it can't be removed. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The problem has persisted for generations</span></b></div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During the past four years, we looked in the mirror, and we saw our imperfections. Our society has tolerated sexism and racism for generations, devalued humanity, and arrogantly exploited our b</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">lessings for our gain. These problems in our nation existed long before Donald Trump was President.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We are an entitled nation that was given a valuable heritage of freedom bought with our forefathers' labor and lives. We have arrogantly disregarded others' opinions that don't align with ours, and we have devalued the religious freedom our founders fought for. We have gone through the motions of being pious but have become corrupted by greed and power. </span></span></span></p><h4 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>We have been complacent</b></span></h4><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As a country, we have tolerated sexist attitudes toward women that demeaned and commoditized them. We are embarrassed about having a president who paid off porn stars. However, we have created a porn industry's size that is greater than $12 billion. This is more than the revenues of the major TV networks combined. The casting couch was an expected part of doing business in Hollywood, but in response to frustration about Trump, the #metoo movement has changed show business. Sexual predators like Jeffrey Epstein have been stigmatized, and rings of human traffickers have been broken, and children set free. </span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><h4 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our hearts have been transformed and our eyes have been opened</span></span></h4><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The reality of racism was exposed, and hearts have been stirred not to tolerate it anymore. We looked in the mirror and hated the idea that we tolerated racism; after all, Barack Obama had just finished eight years in office. But Obama becoming President didn't fix racist assumptions in our country that meant a black kid couldn't run down some streets in the US without being judged as a criminal. In the past year, our whole country has risen up to say that all black lives matter. Widespread disgust at racism has changed our nation for the better but we still have a long way to go.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We couldn't stand having a President that judged people based on their appearances. But 7.8 million people have downloaded an app that allows them to swipe right based on appearance. We know we judge by appearance, but we don't like how blatant Trump is about it, so we get mad at the mirror. Our materialism has led to debt and always wanting more. We judge the President's showy lifestyle, but curate pictures on Instagram and spend hours dreaming up our next purchase. He is our mirror.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As a society, we don't value our children and have aborted over 600,000 this year, but we were angry that the President didn't value the lives of immigrants and their children. We know that all people matter regardless of their age, financial status, and nationality, but our actions tell otherwise. God forgive us for being hypocrites.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>We are experiencing God's mercy and grace in the midst of judgment</b></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In 2016, I was distraught by choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. I felt like they were both evidence of God's judgment on our country. Most of the Bible's prophetic books contain warnings of God's judgment on people who have followed after idols and false gods. So in 2016, I started praying and fasting for God's grace and mercy on our country. I fasted and prayed for months. It was a conviction I couldn't shake. I knew we deserved God's punishment, but I prayed that we would experience mercy and grace in the midst of judgment. There are many many ways most of us would like to change how Trump governed as a President. But I believe that Trump presidency has been evidence of God's grace. How is that possible, you may ask?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even in the midst of a pandemic, I have seen God's grace in the last three and a half years. Not only has our society radically changed to stand up against racism and sexism, but during this time, religious freedom has been protected, ISIS has been defeated, and our embassy moved to Jerusalem. Our stronger ties to Israel make a cosmic difference because God promises that He will bless those who bless Israel. Our support of Israel has led to other Arab countries acknowledging its existence. I do believe the judges matter, and God's grace allowed the appointment of three judges who don't think their job is to make laws. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As we head into the election, I pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Though we live in a time of grace, I am afraid that we are taking it for granted and have no idea of the hell we deserve. God is on the throne, regardless of who is President. So once again, I am praying for God's mercy and grace on our country. We don't deserve it, but we desperately need it. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="regular" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; text-align: center; text-indent: 25px;"><span class="woc"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: times;"><b><i>Pray then like this:</i></b></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: times;"><b><i><span class="block-indent" style="background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: normal;"></span></i></b></span></span></p><p class="line-group" style="margin-left: 35px;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: times;"><i>“Our Father in heaven,</i></span></b></div><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: times;"><b><i><div style="text-align: center;">hallowed be your name.<span class="footnote" style="margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 1px;"><sup><a href="https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/6.htm#footnotes" style="text-decoration-line: none;" title="Or Let your name be kept holy, or Let your name be treated with reverence">a</a></sup></span></div><span class="reftext" style="line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="reftext" style="line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-10.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;">10</a></span><span class="ln-group"><span class="woc">Your kingdom come,</span></span></div></span><span class="ln-group"><div style="text-align: center;">your will be done,<span class="footnote" style="margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 1px;"><sup><a href="https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/6.htm#footnotes" style="text-decoration-line: none;" title="Or Let your kingdom come, let your will be done">b</a></sup></span></div><span class="indent" style="margin-left: 35px;"><div style="text-align: center;">on earth as it is in heaven.</div></span></span><span class="reftext" style="line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="reftext" style="line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-11.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;">11</a></span><span class="ln-group"><span class="woc">Give us this day our daily bread,<span class="footnote" style="margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 1px;"><sup><a href="https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/6.htm#footnotes" style="text-decoration-line: none;" title="Or our bread for tomorrow">c</a></sup></span></span></span></div></span><span class="reftext" style="line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="reftext" style="line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-12.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;">12</a></span><span class="ln-group"><span class="woc">and forgive us our debts,</span></span></div></span><span class="ln-group"><div style="text-align: center;">as we also have forgiven our debtors.</div></span><span class="reftext" style="line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="reftext" style="line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-13.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;">13</a></span><span class="ln-group"><span class="woc">And lead us not into temptation,</span></span></div></span><span class="ln-group"><div style="text-align: center;">but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:9-13</div></span></i></b></span><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-25039985832839173202020-06-11T10:14:00.000-07:002020-06-11T10:14:17.528-07:00The Problem with Tolerance<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />I first published this blog in 2017. I thought it was worth sharing again with an updated title and intro<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBsI_W4mVONJAlq96rqZe51p3R_JyekX8bcEjyADg6aItKtWkDD8Mf9xw3x9GUgnBenVfjLk0czJh05IBLTREFRMeUE7l_lFN2jIMAdEQJGniOlffFCvJnMsgXfLUh9pFAzyjgjl00mY/s1080/Peach+and+Gray+Watercolor+Background+Instagram+Post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBsI_W4mVONJAlq96rqZe51p3R_JyekX8bcEjyADg6aItKtWkDD8Mf9xw3x9GUgnBenVfjLk0czJh05IBLTREFRMeUE7l_lFN2jIMAdEQJGniOlffFCvJnMsgXfLUh9pFAzyjgjl00mY/s320/Peach+and+Gray+Watercolor+Background+Instagram+Post.jpg" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">I firmly believe racism is incompatible with being a Christian. One of my favorite verses states</span> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+3&version=ESV" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">Galatians 3:28</a> This verse was written to address areas of racial and economic discrimination in the early Christian church. The early church leaders knew tolerating discrimination devalued Christ’s sacrifice for everyone. While it might be human nature to devalue people of different economic, cultural, or religious backgrounds, it was incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">James 2</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">Early Christianity was remarkable in that people of all backgrounds worshiped together. First Century society was more racist and economically divided than anything we could imagine today. While the first twelve disciples were men, a <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/Matthew28.5-7" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">woman</a> was chosen to tell everyone that the Messiah had risen. </span><a href="http://biblehub.com/galatians/3-26.htm" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">Galatians 3:26</a><span style="color: #222222;"> says w</span><span style="color: #222222;">e are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We might be different but we are all loved and valued in our Father's eyes. </span><span style="color: #222222;">One of the most beautiful pictures painted by a scripture verse is found in </span><a href="http://biblehub.com/revelation/7-9.htm" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">Revelation 7:9</a><span style="color: #222222;"> describing a vision of heaven, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">All this to say, as much as I am certain that racism is incompatible with both Christian and American values, I am just as certain that I am intolerant. <b> I believe that much of the conflict and heartbreak today has grown out of tolerance. We have sat passively by and tolerated racism, injustice, and lies with an attitude of tolerance that has allowed atrocities to continue.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><b>I am intolerant of racism.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">I am intolerant of devaluing another person because of their race, gender, mental capacity, age, economic status, nationality, viability outside of the womb, weight, physical handicap, or any other thing that could cause us to look down on someone. When we devalue a person based on their skin color, nationality, gestational age, or gender, we are devaluing God because every person is created in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 clearly states, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” There is no doubt that there are remarkable differences between the 7.4 billion people in the world but I believe he made us different colors, genders, heights, aptitudes, interests, and temperaments so in our diversity we get a taste of His vastness and we reflect His beauty and creativity.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><b>I am intolerant of lies.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">I am intolerant of disrespecting ourselves and others by lying to ourselves and to other people. Satan is the father of lies (<a href="http://biblehub.com/john/8-44.htm" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">John 8:44</a>) and I hate that He twists the truth so that we sacrifice the blessings God has for us for cheap imitations of love and happiness that devalue Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and devalue His Word. <a href="http://biblehub.com/psalms/119-128.htm" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">Psalm 119:128</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><b>I am intolerant of injustice. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">Proverbs 20:23 states “The LORD detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.” While I am certain life is not fair, as this <a href="http://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2017/07/curse-god-and-die.html" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">blog</a> about Job’s suffering points out, one of the reasons God set up the Law in the Old Testament was to provide justice and a safeguard for His people, including women and children and to protect immigrants who were of different races. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2010:17-18" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">Deuteronomy 10:17-19</a> makes this clear, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">While <a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/21-24.htm" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">laws</a> like “An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, foot for a foot” seem incredibly harsh to us today, 3,500 years ago when this law was given, it was remarkable because it limited retribution. Rather than a tit for tat battle that says, “You hurt my eye, so I am going to hurt your eye and kill you cow” spiraling out of control like a gang war or generations of conflict we see in parts of the Middle East, the Law created a system of justice.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">If we tolerate injustice, lies, and discrimination; our hearts grow hard and insensitive to the Holy Spirit and a feeling of hopelessness and victimhood takes hold among those who are mistreated. Anger grows and violence explodes just like a pressure cooker that wasn’t used according to the directions. God gave us very clear directions. We are to love him and love our neighbor as ourselves. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22:37-39" style="background: transparent; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;">Matthew 22:37-39</a> As Christians, we are called to a higher standard. It is time to repent of not following His directions and hold each other accountable. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">My tendency, when faced with bad things, is to be passive. I freeze up when someone is telling a racist or sexist joke. I know it is weak but I don’t know how to respond. Confronting lies, calling out injustice, denouncing racism, and actively valuing every person is hard. It is scary and can upset people but I have realized that just as James denounced favoritism in the early church in Jerusalem and Paul argued against racism and sexism in the Galatian church in Greece, each of us has this same responsibility.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><i>Dear Jesus, I am sorry for being complacent and tolerant of sin in my life. I am sorry for not confronting racism, injustice, sexism, and the Devil's lies. I am sorry for not standing up for those who do not have the resources to stand up for themselves. I am sorry for valuing comfort over listening to the Holy Spirit. Please forgive me and show me how I should love others as I love myself. Amen</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"> Are you intolerant? How do you intentionally value everyone? How do you confront lies?</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-58807919786436908592019-09-09T13:00:00.000-07:002019-09-09T13:00:37.413-07:00What did Jesus look like?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFVy8E00Vq7Vmd6iIeqSLdvWyyuNgf3UCSOQLbEvPUDv0FxRVOo9CELCmWYsi8dVqTXdnIlNFQprwJmbi3_0RKuK_9ApUVPNQqjrzfpvYoc48yOAMuMkgSKcnYXPAS5HpXrl23_f07Nc/s1600/IMG_3805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1600" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFVy8E00Vq7Vmd6iIeqSLdvWyyuNgf3UCSOQLbEvPUDv0FxRVOo9CELCmWYsi8dVqTXdnIlNFQprwJmbi3_0RKuK_9ApUVPNQqjrzfpvYoc48yOAMuMkgSKcnYXPAS5HpXrl23_f07Nc/s320/IMG_3805.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I write articles about Christianity based on popular Google searches for a national website. A series of my recent articles have answered the question, "What did Jesus look like?" People also wanted to know if Jesus had long hair and how tall he was. To save you from asking Google the same questions, I'll give you the short answer, "No one knows." (I'll put the links to my articles at the bottom of this blog in case you want to know more.)<br />
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Anthropologists and archeologists estimate that Jesus was between 5'1" and 5'5" tall because that was the average height for a man in First Century Jerusalem. Based on auxiliary scripture references from Paul, who lived about the same time as Jesus and rules in Leviticus concerning beard and hair care, Jesus likely had short, black hair, and a beard.<br />
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But here's the thing, this is just conjecture. There is no proof. Though Matthew, Mark, John, and Peter were all disciples who lived and followed Jesus during his ministry, none of them mentioned a single thing about Jesus' appearance. Even Luke, who most scholars think interviewed Mary and several disciples to write out an "orderly account" of Jesus' life, didn't spend a single word describing how Jesus looked.<br />
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This is significant and something I hadn't even noticed until I started this writing project. Think about how much time you have spent focusing on how you look- your hair is too curly or too straight; your nose is too long or too short;<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"> </span></span>your body is too curvy or too thin; your skin is too dark or too pale. I've spent days, maybe months, of my life, analyzing this stuff. As a child of the '80s, my quest for big hair meant I would perm, tease and shellac my hair to stand up three inches off my scalp but even after all that work- it still wasn't enough.<br />
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Not only do we spend time judging how we look, but we also spend time judging others by their hair, clothes, shoes, weight, height, and skin tone. I was in a Bible study with a girl who said to the young mom sitting next to her, "I knew we were going to be good friends when I saw your shoes." She was 100% sincere. Maybe she was right, and they did become good friends, but imagine the opposite, "I knew I could never be your friend because of your shoes (or hair, or height, or skin tone, or weight.)" How sad. <br />
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What if we chose to follow Jesus because we liked his brand of shoes or the style of his hair?<br />
What if we decided not to believe him because he had a beard or his skin was darker than ours? We would have missed out on the greatest blessing of knowing our Savior and true love. <br />
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God warned Samuel to not judge by outward appearance before he anointed the second king of Israel.<br />
"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7<br />
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When was the last time you described someone and didn't include a word about how they looked? Amazingly, all of Jesus' friends wrote about his life and ministry and didn't include a single detail about his appearance. Maybe it is time we treat ourselves and others with the same perspective. It is our heart that matters. Imagine looking in the mirror and not criticizing a single thing about yourself. It is time to ask God for eyes to see ourselves and others as He sees us. Stop stressing about how you look. As Jesus privately said to his disciples, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see." Ask Jesus to give you the ability to see others and yourself with His eyes. He looks at us with unconditional love that is not based on what we do, our sense of style or outward appearance. He loves us completely. It is time to give yourself and others, including your kids, the same grace and acceptance.<br />
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Dear Jesus– Please forgive me for judging myself and others based on outward appearances. Please forgive me for spending more time focusing on how I look than on you. Please forgive me for judging and putting others down (including my kids) because of their appearance or clothes. Please give me eyes to see myself through your eyes of love. Help me see that even my perceived flaws and weaknesses helped me to connect with you and others in a way that would not be possible without them. Help me share your love and acceptance with others so that they know they are valuable and precious just the way they are. Thank you for your grace and love, Amen. <div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-53736845428819251232019-07-06T22:02:00.001-07:002019-07-10T11:12:40.033-07:00Hoarding and a Little More<br />
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“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19</div>
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I have a confession- I struggle with piles of clutter on my desk that can top half a foot on any given day. It gets organized and then if I am not diligent to put things away, I collect more and more - it is evidence of being overwhelmed by having too much! God gives us resources,
abilities, life experiences and even our temperament so that we can make our world a better place and bring God glory as we use
our gifts and abilities. But when we aren't intentional about using the gifts and experiences we have to bless others we get buried under all the stuff in our lives. </div>
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We are
drowning in so much stuff- even Goodwill is overwhelmed with all of our
discards. Our country’s trash is literally floating across the ocean on
tankers. We might not make it on the TV show “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoarders</i>” or have 200 pairs of shoes but we have our places of
excess. </div>
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<o:p></o:p>Too often, we view times of abundance as an opportunity to spend more and waste what we have. We have drawers of food that will expire before we eat it and closets of clothes we should have never bought to begin with. Hoarding and simply having too much can be evidence of a
lack of faith<i>. We don’t believe that God will provide what we need when we need
it, so we strive to get more, rather than trusting God to provide. </i></div>
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There is a story in the Bible that actually deals with hoarding! Soon after the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites
learned that hoarding is a form of disobedience. God had provided manna, a strange food,
the name even means “What is it?” God also gave them specific instructions on
how much they needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Exodus 16: 15-20 And Moses told them, “It
is the food the LORD has given you to eat. These are the LORD’s instructions:
Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each
person in your tent.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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So the people of Israel did as they were
told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. But when they measured it out
everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and
those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it
needed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it
until morning.” But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until
morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was
very angry with them. them. (NLT)<o:p></o:p></div>
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I totally get
the Israelites' decision to gather more than God instructed them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were living in the desert, what would
it hurt to get a little more?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
problem with this logic is that it shifted dependence from God to depending on
their abilities, wisdom and work ethic, and on material items to meet their needs. </div>
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Here's how Eileen Koff, Professional Organizer and author of <i>Organize His Way</i> summarizes this idea."A lot of what clutter is…is fear based. 'What if I don’t’ have this…If someone needs this, then I should be able to supply it.' Instead of trusting God to supply our daily needs, we hang on to the manna, and like the manna in the desert, eventually it rots."<br />
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God gave them
these instructions because He wanted to make their life easier- they didn’t
have to pick up more than they needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Obedience also meant they wouldn’t have to clean up maggots in the
leftovers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Always a good thing. </span>Instead, some of them chose to devalue God’s instructions and elevated their opinion over the word of God - never a good idea. As a result, they wasted their time and energy
collecting what they didn’t need and when it went bad, they had to waste more time and precious water cleaning out the maggots or they had to throw out the pot it was in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A total waste. We might not live in a desert with manna but a hording mentality will limit us and limit our view of God. It leads to waste and to extra work.<br />
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In contrast, walking by faith and trusting God who provided manna today will be
faithful to provide it tomorrow, allows us to walk in freedom and generosity. Philippians 4:19 promises “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." We
don’t have to work extra hours to make the money for food we don’t need,
clothes we won’t wear and gadgets that take up space. We are not hampered by
our belongings instead they become a tool by which we carry out God’s plan
today. We are able to give generously to help others because we have an <a href="https://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2017/04/making-space.html" target="_blank">abundance</a>. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ask God to show you how you are hoarding and wasting the time, resources and opportunities that God has given you. Repent of not trusting God to provide all that you need. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Be intentional to not buy things you don't need- food, clothes, household items. Every dollar you spend makes more work! </div>
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Ask God to help you find opportunities to give and help other people according to His plan. </div>
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Let me know how you do! </div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-56988386665749042392019-06-09T22:08:00.002-07:002019-06-09T22:08:53.902-07:00The A, B, C's of Psalm 119<br />
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<i><span style="text-align: center;"> "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">I rejoice in following your statutes </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">as one rejoices in great riches. Psalm 119:14</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i></div>
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A<span style="font-family: inherit;">s a kid, I was a compulsive reader and since my mom wouldn't let me read <i>Nancy Drew</i> in church on Sunday mornings, out of desperation, I started reading the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I soon discovered Psalm 119.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> Psalm 119 stretches over 8 pages in my Bible. It is the longest chapter in the Bible and longer than many complete books of the Bible. It had funny symbols and words like "Aleph" and "Beth" at the top of each section. </span>It asked questions and then answered them. Since I love knowing the answer,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I was hooked. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> “<i>How can a young man keep his way pure? By living
according to your word. I seek you with all of my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not let me stray from your commands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have hidden your word in my heart that I
might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:9</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Though I wasn’t a “young man,” I knew these verses
applied to me. As a little kid, I decided to hide God’s Word in my heart. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> The beauty of reading the Law and Psalm 119 when I was a kid was that I knew I had much to learn. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Verses that started with “Teach me” like verse 35, “<i>Teach me O Lord to follow your decrees,</i>”</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">verse 66, <i>“Teach me knowledge and good judgement for I believe in your commands,</i>” and verse 68,</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“You are good and what you do is good. Teach me your decrees” </i>made sense to me.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn’t know everything and I wanted to learn.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> When the psalmist said, <i>“Your statutes are wonderful therefore I obey them,”</i> I updated my definition of "wonderful" to include God’s commands along with ice cream, horses and libraries.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Psalm 119 was not only
inspirational but it was practical. When I felt lonely and people picked on me
by calling me names, I took hope in this verse.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: inherit;">“May your
unfailing love come to me O Lord and your salvation according to your promise
then I will answer those who taunt me for I trust in your word.” Psalm 119:41</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i>I realized that even the guy who
wrote this Psalm was picked on and taunted, so I learned not to take </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">things personally
and to trust in God’s Word rather than the words of my bullies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i> "<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify;">I rejoice in following your statutes </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify;">as one rejoices in great riches. Psalm 119:14</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I leaned it was possible to rejoice in God’s statutes as one rejoices in great
riches.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had a pretty good idea of the
effect that great riches would have on my life and family.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every year, I would fill out the forms for
the Publisher’s Clearinghouse sweepstakes.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I carefully picked out if I wanted a lump sum payment and a blue Jaguar.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I knew winning the sweepstakes
would be amazing and if God’s command led to rejoicing as one who has great
riches, I decided to rejoice in following God’s commands. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> My passion for
reading helped me understand the all-consuming longing for God’s commands the
psalmist described. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all
times.” Psalm 119:20</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Love is a theme throughout Psalm 119. This
grabbed my attention, it was short and inspiring.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">Oh how I love your law. I meditate on it all day
long.” Psalm 119:97</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"> I decided to love God’s law. It was
the only logical thing to do, especially after I read the following verses that
said God’s commands would make me wiser than my enemies, give me more insight
than my teachers, and more understanding than the elders (verses 98-100) I was
a kid who wanted to know more than my teachers and since most everyone was
older than me – the thought of surpassing my elders was highly motivating. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> I learned that obedience was a sign
my love for God.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> </span></div>
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<i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">“I obey your
statutes, for I love them greatly.” Psalm 119:167</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I also realized that the law was a
sign of God’s love for me. It was a two way relationship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i> “See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, LORD,
in accordance with your love.” Psalm 119:159</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Imagine being a kid sitting in
church, halfway listening to a sermon reading,</span><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">“All your words are true; all your righteous laws are
eternal.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psalm 119:160<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> These words went deep into my heart
and provided a value framework for everything I read in the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I got older, and I read Leviticus,
Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; my understanding of the law was filtered
through love and passion. As a preteen, I didn’t understand legalism and
control, adding to the law, or perversion by human interpretation but I knew
God’s words were true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Knowing and loving God’s law became
a defining part of my relationship with God.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because I knew that God deeply loved me, obedience to the law wasn’t a
way to earn God’s love instead it was a way to show my love to Him.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I knew that the Law was a gift and a sign of
God’s love for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Seeing Value</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you value God’s law? Are you
consumed with longing and love for God’s law? Why or Why not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you think your passion for God’s
law has affected your life for good or bad?</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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Have you experienced times when people are more focused on tradition than God’s law?</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What is more precious to you -wealth
like thousands of pieces of gold or God’s Law?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If God’s laws are eternal, how do
they apply in your life?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-6907541144032189672019-04-06T08:18:00.000-07:002019-04-06T10:18:23.460-07:00Never Alone- Filling the Gap in My Heart<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">He heals the brokenhearted and
binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was lonely, too.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">The
realization struck me when my friend mentioned feeling alone in the midst of the
busyness of life. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Why would she feel
alone?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">I knew she had a flexible job, a
supportive husband, and great kids; plus I was her friend.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">And why did I understand how she felt, not in
a casual "I know how you are feeling" kind of way, but in a socked in the gut understanding
that came as soon as she said the word?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lonely isn’t a word that I have spent a lot of time with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked Jesus into my life at a very young
age, so for as long as I can remember, I have known that I was never alone. I
went to sleep knowing I could pray and talk to him. I was confident my first
day of school knowing He was with me. I boldly traveled the world knowing He
was with me. I knew if friends betrayed me or ditched me, He was always
faithful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I dug deep to remember another season when I had felt deeply lonely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went back to my sophomore year of
college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My fifteen year old sister had
died only months before. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the fall
semester started, I was in a place that I loved, surrounded by people who were
great friends, but I was desperately lonely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I knew my friends cared for me but none of them knew what I was going
through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My world had changed. Though I was
confident that my sister knew Jesus and I would see her again one day, my heart
was ripped open by the hole she had filled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I realized my friend and I were lonely - not because we didn’t have
great friends and family - but we were both lonely because in the past year, we
both had lost a part of ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
both were mourning the death of someone very dear to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone who grounded us, encouraged us and
listened without judging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone who
had been a rock in our lives, who was a part of our routine and who had made us
who we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we lost them, we lost
a part of ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Grief has filtered my daily moments so I have been more aware of friends
who have lost their loved ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I texted
a friend through the night as her mom agonizingly took her last breath. Three
friends have lost parents or grandparents to dementia and Alzheimer’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat at the hospice bedside of my vibrant,
opinionated friend from book club who was struck with an aneurysm. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In just the past six months, I have hugged two
friends who lost their sons in vehicle accidents. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grief and loss is overwhelming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">How do you go on - and yet - in the midst of grief - you do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You get up, get dressed, go to work, feed the
kids and even see friends. Lysa Terkeurst posted on Instagram that “sorrow and
celebration can coexist together in a heart quite authentically.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But in the midst of celebration, sometimes the loneliness is like a knife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The loss feels the strongest because they are
not there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNTQDW_T4ODEHychkNEAyV8acsWZ8yYv9MypKYjmDfupnxPIhUBpzc3PiK9HQMQ2sSH_FwnELbPVTKN1Z6nH_QUGQzHuqL7lxKmqOtxeyqbs8FPIezrw2hmbHjb32RpBGCd3a8xCXcoM/s1600/loss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="330" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNTQDW_T4ODEHychkNEAyV8acsWZ8yYv9MypKYjmDfupnxPIhUBpzc3PiK9HQMQ2sSH_FwnELbPVTKN1Z6nH_QUGQzHuqL7lxKmqOtxeyqbs8FPIezrw2hmbHjb32RpBGCd3a8xCXcoM/s320/loss.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">It is logical to assuage our loneliness by reaching out and trying to
fill the gap in our hearts. If we look to anything- people, food, work,
busyness- to heal our hearts we will be disappointed. None satisfy. We will
still be lonely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have friends who got
divorced after a parent died. Feeling like their spouse didn’t understand their loss created a wedge in their relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Parents who lose children are statistically more likely to get divorced.
The pain and grief is numbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To expect our spouse, kids or friends to understand is
unrealistic; so our unmet expectations magnify the pain in our heart. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: large;">No other person can know what we have lost because in losing our loved one, we have lost a part of ourselves.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although no person can really understand our pain, Jesus can. </span><span style="font-size: large;">When the burden is overwhelming, he will carry me and my heartbreak.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<i style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></i>
<i style="font-size: x-large;">"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light." Matthew 11: 28-30 </i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I feel lonely right now but I am relying on truth that I learned as a
little girl, I am not alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is
with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He promised to never leave me
or forsake me.<b> </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Since he knows my heart, he knows the part that is missing.</b> He
holds me close and understands. He is acquainted with grief.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">He wept when he was told that his friend
Lazarus had died.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">He knows the pain of
loss.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death He is with me. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dear Jesus, Please give my
friends and me rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ta</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">ke this heavy
burden of grief and give us peace. Hold us close so that we know we aren’t
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You understand our pain and
sadness. Walk with us while we are in the shadow of death. Bind up our broken
hearts. Remind us that you love every part of us- even the part that we have
lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Amen<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-14524621186712806902019-03-03T06:21:00.000-08:002019-03-03T06:21:33.475-08:00Silent Treatment- Knowing When to Shut Up and When to Shout<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">Proverbs 17:28</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlggEI9ZYq9_KkruUxORLDF9ENBxAFaUDcv5utPKhS1nVfnddKoa4lIlDdv9OkEyXY5Hi2V8caM-9Y5MF65SHZCmtdNhZFJ3F7ncCjNpfCPRIljdpJG2aQflnNfjcI-aKpYYj-Kwjz-U/s1600/scott-umstattd-1183046-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="photo courtesy of Scott Umstattd on Usplash" border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1600" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlggEI9ZYq9_KkruUxORLDF9ENBxAFaUDcv5utPKhS1nVfnddKoa4lIlDdv9OkEyXY5Hi2V8caM-9Y5MF65SHZCmtdNhZFJ3F7ncCjNpfCPRIljdpJG2aQflnNfjcI-aKpYYj-Kwjz-U/s320/scott-umstattd-1183046-unsplash.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320;">Being silent is hard for me. I have an opinion and I am more than happy to share it, whether you may want to hear it or not. Then one year for Lent, God challenged me to not give my opinion unless asked. It became a gift and blessing in ways I would have never imagined. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As we are drawing near to the Lenten season, I was reminded of my vow of silence when I heard a wise woman share her take on the story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. She didn't focus on the miracle of the walls falling down or the obedient faith of the soldiers as they marched around the city. Instead she pointed out that they were silent. Joshua commanded the people, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #001320;">“You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=joshua+6&version=NIV" style="color: #001320;" target="_blank">Joshua 6:10</a><span style="color: #001320;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #001320;">Silence is an effective military strategy. Think of ninjas and SWAT teams silently creeping into position. But this wasn't the case in the attack of Jericho, though the soldiers were silent, seven priests were blowing seven trumpets as they marched to the city and around it. The soldiers' silence wasn't about sneaking up on the city but was about the work of God in their hearts. They had to focus and pray, heal and gain </span><span style="color: #001320;">strength. Joshua's command reminded me of something similar in Exodus when the people realized Pharaoh had nearly caught up with them and the Red Sea was in front of them. Moses told them, "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320;">The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” <a href="https://biblehub.com/exodus/14-14.htm" target="_blank">Exodus 14:14</a> I realized that when G</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320;">od's people were heading into a place of freedom and deliverance, it often required a time of silence. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have to admit, when God called me to fast giving my opinion, I wasn't silent right away. Instead, I started </span>arguing<span style="font-family: inherit;"> with God. My mental debate went something like, "Why'd you give me a mouth if you didn't want me to use it?" But my debate only lasted until the first day of Lent. </span></span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;">Arguing</span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;"> with God isn't worth it. Long ago, I became convinced that if God tells me to do something, it is for my benefit and I will only make my life miserable if I resist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320;">As I braced myself for an extended month of silence, I reminded myself God had spoken through a <a href="https://biblehub.com/niv/exodus/3.htm" target="_blank">burning bush</a> and a <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+22%3A21-39&version=NIV" target="_blank">donkey</a> so He could certainly get His message across to the people in my life without my help during the 40 days of Lent. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: inherit;">Not speaking unless asked became very freeing. Pressure I didn't even know I had evaporated away. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;">I started enjoying not having to say anything. </span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;">Scholars say that most of us don't really listen to people because we are so focused on what we are planning to say in response. </span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;"> I didn't have to worry about coming up with the perfect response, so I prayed more and really listened. My words became focused on God rather than on myself. I didn't have to fix the people and situations in my life - God could. </span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;">T</span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;">he greatest gift during this season was when people I respected and loved asked for my opinion. It was my time to shout. When they stopped to say, "What do you think?' I was humbled to my core. I had given my opinion so freely in the past, I never realized the </span><span style="color: #001320;">privilege</span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;"> of sharing my thoughts. Because I didn't expect to share my opinion, I was taking the time to pray and really listen, so my response had substance. I paused to let God speak to my heart before I spoke to others. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: inherit;">God might not be calling you to give up sharing your opinion for Lent but He is calling you deeper every day. </span><a href="http://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/search?q=lent" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Lent </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: inherit;">is often a time that I seek to hear God and grow in obedience to things He has already called me to do. It has become a boot camp of spiritual growth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: inherit;">What is God calling you to do for Lent this year? Are you going to give up something? What has He been calling you to do that you can do for the next 40 days? </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: inherit;">Let me know in the comments below. </span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-55659162823717955922019-01-27T14:11:00.002-08:002019-01-27T20:26:57.913-08:00Mirror Mirror on the Wall- Who is Fairest of Them All?<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." 2 Corinthians 10:12</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How do we teach kids to value themselves but not think they are superior to others? This is a question that several of my friends have asked me in the past several weeks. It is a tough balance. They want their kids to know that they are wonderfully made. And every person is precious and unique. Created with a purpose to do great things. But so many kids can't see all these good things. These kids are struggling with body image issues- hair color, weight, skin tone, height and athletic ability. They also struggle with comparing their bodies to others and feeling inferior. They don't feel as pretty or as athletic as their friends. They feel judged by their insufficiency because they judge themselves. They envy what others have and even question God's love and their parents love because they don't love themselves. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><span style="color: #001320;">I understand the questions in my friends' kids' hearts- because I was that insecure kid. I knew that God loved me- but I felt like he loved other people more.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"> T</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">hough I was blessed - I didn't see the blessing. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Other people had better hair, better families, and were more coordinated. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">I resented how God made me so I became bitter toward God and I rejected Him. Ironically, my feelings of inferiority transformed into pride. What is pride? Here's a quick definition- pride elevates our opinion and our will over God's opinion and His will. In my pride, I rejected what the Creator of the Universe had designed. I looked in the mirror and said, "I am not good enough." </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Rejecting God's design never leads to happiness. </span><i style="color: #001320; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">"Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"> Proverbs 11:2 If pride is elevating my opinion and my will over God, then humility is elevating God's opinion and God's will over my own. When I chose humility - to elevate God's opinion of myself and others- my life fell into place. Jesus told his followers </span><i style="color: #001320; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">.’ in Mark 12:31. Loving myself and others was second only to loving God. I knew that God wasn't finished with me and that His plan was eternal. I had peace and contentment- though outwardly I was the same. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">As I was talking with a friend about this struggle to see my value, I shared with her this analogy. Imagine that that God started with the same lump of gold and created every person with equal value, then He molded each of us into beautiful earrings, necklaces, and rings. Each creation was beautiful and equally valuable but dramatically different. A simple gold ring that compares itself to a necklace will always feel inferior. But a ring that realizes it is a wedding ring - created for a special purpose - is confident not in its own abilities but in the Creator who designed it. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Each of us have been designed for a specific purpose. It is not wise to compare ourselves to others. It is hurtful to God and to ourselves when we put down God's design. Here's how Paul explains it, "</span><i style="color: #001320; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">." 2 Corinthians 10:12 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">As moms, we can't teach our kids if we haven't learned the lesson. We need to stop comparing ourselves with others or our internal ideal. God's not finished with us - He is still molding and making us for his glory- even our imperfections can be used to bless others. As moms we need to remind our kids who are struggling that God created every person with intrinsic value - not one person is more valuable than another- but everyone is unique and special. They don't have to compare themselves with their friends, celebrities or their internal idols. God is not finished with them because He has an eternal plan for their lives.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Here's a great verse for us and for our kids to memorize:<i>"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10, NLT </i></span></span><br />
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<i style="color: #001320; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Dear Jesus- Thank you for making me unique and special. Thank you for creating me with a purpose. Please forgive me my pride and for comparing myself to others. I am sorry for doubting your plan for my life and rejecting your design. Please help me love myself and love others. Please help me show your love and acceptance to my kids and friends. Amen</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-22080382260534808592018-12-29T19:38:00.001-08:002019-01-01T20:36:34.913-08:00Going to Disney World and Other Wonderous Adventures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. <a href="https://biblehub.com/niv/galatians/5.htm">Galatians 5:22-25</a></i></div>
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What is the best age to visit Disney World? I think seven is a great age- My grandson is five and so I think he is
getting close to that age where a kid can walk the entire park, can appreciate the rides and remember the trip but not be too
old for wonder. His mom and I were talking about her first trip to Disney World when she was 8 years old. The funny thing
is she didn't remember that trip at all; as we were talking about a good age to
visit, she insisted her first trip was when she was 10. Fortunately, I was into scrapbooking back
then so I was able to pull out a scrapbook with pictures of the cutest 8 year
old in front of Cinderella's castle, her picture on the Safari ride and our whole family on the Dinosaur ride in Animal Kingdom. After seeing proof of
our family trip, she agreed that she had been to Disney at 8 <i>and</i> 10.</div>
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So if kids can't really remember going when they are young... why even take them? This leads to a story my friend told me about her friend that shocked me completely. So my friend's friend goes to
Florida every year on a week long vacation.
When her kids were little they would drive to Disney World and pause and
take a picture of the front entrance.
Another year, they might drive by Epcot or Sea World and stop at the
entrance and take a picture. They never actually went in the parks! But when people asked the kids what they did on
vacation in Florida, the kids would happily say, "We went to Disney
World." These little kids didn't
know better. They thought the entrance
signs were all there was to see at the Wonderful World of Disney. When they got home
they could happily look at pictures of themselves in front of the Magic Kingdom Monorail or Epcot sign, confident they had been to Disney World. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Imagine, when the kids get older, would they want to
go back to Disney? They think they've been there and they have the picture to
prove it. They really wouldn't care about going. No big deal. But anyone who has been inside the gates
of Walt Disney World will tell you there is no comparing what the entrance is like to what is inside the gates. Yeah - the monorail outside the gates is nice
but Space Mountain and the Test Track are so exciting. The free boat ride from the
parking lot is fun but the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride is an adventure.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As my friend was telling me about this mom's choice to
"take her kids to Disney World,” I couldn't help but see spiritual
similarities. Often we take our kids to
church and we show up on Sunday, but we never enter into community. Our connection with God and the church starts and stops at the entrance. We have a "check the box"
mentality. Our lives aren't transformed and our kids don't see the point of a relationship with God.</div>
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Imagine if those kids grew up and "took" their kids to Disney World, the next generation would think that taking a picture outside the gates was enough. Unless one of the kids pipes up and says, "Mom, there's more. I see people going in the gates. I want to go in too" the cycle of ignorance would continue. As Christians we should want to know God more, we should experience more of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we shouldn't be content with a surface understanding of God's Word. Without a desire for more, we can continue in a cycle of spiritual ignorance; maybe because we haven't been taught the truth or because we have hardened our hearts to God and ignored it. </div>
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<i> "Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no
longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are
darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the
ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become
callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every
kind of impurity. </i></div>
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<i> But that is not the
way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught
in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to
your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be
renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after
the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A17-24&version=ESV" target="_blank">Ephesians 4:17-24</a> ESV</i></div>
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We can all be ignorant of God's best. We can continue in the patterns and habits we learned from our parents and from the culture around us. Just like those kids thought they had been to Disney, but had never been; there are many people who are ignorant of the life-changing impact a relationship with Christ should have in every part of our lives. </div>
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As we put on a new self in Christ, we should experience transformation in our hearts that scriptures call the “fruit of the spirit.” "<i>But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. <a href="https://biblehub.com/niv/galatians/5.htm">Galatians 5:22-25</a></i></div>
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If our lives haven't been transformed, if we don’t have peace, joy or forbearance (aka patience), it is possible we know about Christ but we don't know Christ. Many people know about Jesus; when he was born, when he died, and where he grew up, however they do not know him personally. Knowing Jesus makes a difference in every part of your life. You have <a href="http://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2017/01/know-jesus-know-peace.html" target="_blank">peace</a> with God. </div>
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If you want to know Jesus personally, the
first step is to pray and ask to know him. Prayer is simply talking to God.Your prayer should be your
own, from your own heart. If you're not in the habit of praying, though, you
may need an example, you can start with something like this:</div>
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<i> “Dear Jesus, I want to know you, not just know about you. I
realize that I have made many selfish choices. I am impure and not perfect. I want to turn from my sins. You are holy and perfect.
Please forgive me for my sinfulness. I believe that you died in my place to pay
the penalty for my sin and rose again for my salvation. I invite you to come
into my heart and life as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for taking away my sin
and making me whole. Please give me your Holy Spirit so that I can experience
peace and joy. Thank you for loving me and adopting me into your family. I ask
this according to your will in your holy name. Amen.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> As you are making plans for the New Year, I want to challenge you to seek out more of Christ. Be like the little child who says, "There's more." Some things that you can ask for include asking God for more understanding of His Word, asking to experience the Holy Spirit in every day life, seeking to get deeper this year. Go beyond the entrance and really experience all that God has for you this year. </o:p></div>
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<o:p> Let me know how you have asked for more- I'd love to hear from you.</o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-31329615700971777372018-12-02T07:41:00.004-08:002018-12-03T11:06:12.789-08:00Pinterest Paranoia<div class="reg" style="text-indent: 25px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>This is what the <span class="name" style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> says: <span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches,b</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">ut let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> </span><span class="name" style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: justify;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” Jeremiah 9:23-</span></i><i><span class="reftext" style="font-weight: 700; line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: text-top;"><b><a href="http://biblehub.com/jeremiah/9-24.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;">24</a></b></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You might not realize this about me but I am afraid of Pinterest. I didn’t realized till someone innocently asked me, “Why don’t you look it up on Pinterest?” Feelings of shame and inferiority; that I would never measure up to "<i>Pinterest Perfection</i>" and that my puny efforts to be creative would be wasted, grabbed hold of me. I am a stay at home mom and my kids are in school, how do these Pinterest people have the time to be creative and then post how to do it? I start to question what I am doing with my life. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pinterest isn't bad; it inspires, teaches and provides a fun creative outlet. My friend Dawn shared her Pinterest worthy Thanksgiving table for the picture above. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Why should a website filled with recipes, teacher handouts, house plans, table decorations and hair styles fill me with fear? I know I am not alone, I have friends who avoid social media because they don’t want to be consumed by comparison of what other people have, they are embarrassed by their less than perfect lives and are afraid they don’t measure up. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"> I realize my fear isn't actually about Pinterest and it goes back long before I even had a computer. It is the same fear that led me to worry about what clothes I wore to middle school, if they were the right brand or style. I was ashamed of our family car, a 1971 Dodge station wagon, google it, you might understand. Though my sisters and I went through a bottle of hair spray a week, my flat hair never measured up in the big hair 80's. Christmas time in middle school was even harder. Kids would come back from Christmas break with new clothes and shoes and technology, my presents never good enough.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why would any of us feel ashamed of the clothes we wear, how we look, the car we drive, our parents or where we go on vacation? This is a distortion of shame. We are supposed to feel ashamed of things like adultery or murder, lying or stealing. Think about it. Our society condones actions that devalue God’s Word and glorifies adultery and sex outside of marriage, promotes marches to support abortion and encourages ways to lie and cheat. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Gossip becomes entertainment. Infidelity becomes satisfaction. </span><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Satan uses bait and switch tactics so that we focus on the wrong things and never realize what we are missing. By getting us to focus on temporal things that we don't have, clothes, hair, perfect kids and Pinterest worthy decorations - envy and </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">inferiority keeps us from focusing on God's eternal gifts. Our lack of gratefulness for what we have and our focus on others lets covetousness and greed creep into our hearts- we want what someone else has. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The antidote to greed is gratefulness and love. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"</i></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 25px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? </i></span></span><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span class="reftext" style="color: #001320; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/10-31.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>31</b></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 25px;">So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:30-31</span></i></span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"> </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #001320;">When we love someone we want the best for them. </span></span></span><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">"</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="color: #001320; font-size: 16px;">Do everything in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14 </i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: #001320;">We don't resent what they have or feel we need to compare. Compassion, generosity and beauty flow out of love. <i>"</i></span></span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: 36pt;">Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We should celebrate our friend's creative talent, not because she can set a table that rivals Martha Stewart, but because she is using her God given gifts to make this world a more beautiful place. <i>"</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px;"><i>Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>1 Peter 4:10</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We should rejoice with friends who receive the present we longed for because it doubles their joy and more joy makes the world a kinder place. "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px;"><i>Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." Romans 12:15</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We should give to others who have little because it helps us appreciate what God has given us. <i>"</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We should comfort those who are lonely and mourning because we will all be comforted, <i>"</i></span><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px;">Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4</span><span style="text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I realized my problem isn't Pinterest, Facebook or any other social media site, my problem is my heart. I allowed greed and envy to take my focus from all that God has given me. My friends who are blessed with the gift of creativity are to be celebrated. I don't have to compete with them just like they aren't competing with me on blogs written. God made us all different. We are blessed because we get to enjoy each other's gifts and giftedness. We can celebrate with friends that go on amazing vacations or have the perfect wardrobe knowing that every good gift comes down from our Heavenly Father. He loves us completely and knows what is best for us. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we lose our focus on eternal priorities, we will start to covet and become ungrateful. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we are living in a place of ungratefulness, we choosing to despise God's gifts just like when a teenager is ungrateful for their birthday present. God's blessings are not limited, His love and resources have no end. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rather than focusing on what you don't have, stop and thank God for all that He has blessed you, your kids, friends, husband, and your neighbors with. </span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Dear God- You are the creator and giver of every good gift. You are the source of breath and life. Your resources are without end- you create from nothing. You have all knowledge and wisdom. Thank you for blessing this world with your grace and spirit. Thank you for blessing me with breath and life. Thank you for food and clothes, thank you for the people you have brought into my life- friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, clerks, postal workers, healers and teachers. Thank you for the gifts and resources you have given them- knowledge, money, time, wisdom, love, encouragement, ability, creativity, dependability. Thank you that you fit us all together like a puzzle- each piece shaped differently yet integral to your whole picture. Please help me not compare my part and design with others but be grateful for your plan and perspective. I am sorry for not trusting your timing and design, I am sorry for not being grateful for all you have blessed me with, I am sorry for letting greed and envy sneak into my heart, Please forgive me and fill me with gratitude, love, patience and understanding. Amen </i></span></span></span><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-37679904244691841292018-10-28T05:48:00.001-07:002018-12-03T11:10:55.742-08:00Chosen to Love<br />
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<i>“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the
LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.”
(Deuteronomy 6:4-6 )</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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My husband and I went to a beautiful Fall wedding
in the mountains, we were outside and surrounded by the beauty of
nature, awed by the beauty of the bride and touched by the groom’s deep love. Weddings are synonymous with love. Two
people who love each other deeply and have chosen each other above all others invite
their friends and family to celebrate their love in a celebration of marriage. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Love is the central force behind the commands throughout the
Bible. God loved his people simply because He chose them. God’s love for His
people is often compared to a husband’s love for his bride. It is all
encompassing, life-changing love. Deuteronomy 7:7-8 explains why God chose his
people, “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that
the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all
peoples, but it is because the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">LORD loves
you</i> …”(Italics mine) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deuteronomy may
appear to be a book about rules and commands but at its heart is captures God’s
amazing love for people and His desire to be loved by them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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As part of this covenant between God and his people, Israel
was expected to love God and obey His commandments out of love. “Hear, O
Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments
that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-6 )<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s take a minute to dig into what “Love the Lord with all
your heart, all your soul and all your strength” really means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The word translated “heart” in this verse is
also translated “courage, desire, intelligence, purpose, understanding and
thought.” Soul can also be translated, “body, desire, feelings, greed, human
being, passion, person, thirst and life.” The Hebrew word translated “strength”
is an adverb; it refers to doing things strongly and mightily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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God wants a powerful life-changing relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wants us to love him with “courage, desire,
intelligence, purpose, understanding and thought” and with all of our “body,
desire, feelings, greed, being, passion, person, thirst and life” and we are to
do it strongly and mightily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not
a weak passive relationship but determined and powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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How can we love God using our intelligence… our courage… our
understanding… our body… our feelings and desires… our passion… our life and
our whole person?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we live this out
with every breath and thought, every action and feeling, our lives will be
transformed in relationship with the one who chose us, deeply loves us that is
beyond our human ability to love. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jesus quoted this verse when he was asked, “Of all the
commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered
Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
and with all your strength.’ <a href="https://biblehub.com/niv/mark/12.htm" target="_blank">Mark 12:29-30</a> The most important thing that we can do is to love God, it reciprocates the amazing love that God has already given us, it brings us into relationship with Him, it fulfills our purpose and allows us to know how precious, beautiful and loved we are to our Creator and True Love. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-26214720001636931222018-09-30T07:28:00.000-07:002018-09-30T07:29:16.590-07:00This Little Light of Mine<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWVeh3kD4flxnGDBO1D-5moNkNJ7ykLGeqrKSg8NAKTh0j7sCVSgSCkJrcHeNEXfJGbRW9010rPWHvQvTVD6-M2shdxuBCmWTrw-gQAEiqpp0_tnJyP1pfTwr1hyUBehGgY-H3T4wlFk/s1600/IMG_0849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWVeh3kD4flxnGDBO1D-5moNkNJ7ykLGeqrKSg8NAKTh0j7sCVSgSCkJrcHeNEXfJGbRW9010rPWHvQvTVD6-M2shdxuBCmWTrw-gQAEiqpp0_tnJyP1pfTwr1hyUBehGgY-H3T4wlFk/s320/IMG_0849.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have been living in darkness, not all the time, but only when it came to getting anything out of my closet. My closet light was an old fluorescent fixture that was crotchety about doing its job. Though we had replaced the light bulb and ballast, it barely worked. On rare occasions, I would flip the light switch and after a brief moment my closet would be illuminated. But these times were rare and often too late. The light would turn on just as I was done picking out my clothes for the day or hanging up laundry. Other times it would wait till 3:00 am to turn on waking me out of a sound sleep. I learned to accommodate my light's idiosyncrasies by turning on the hall light and grabbing the closest thing. The bottom of my closet became a landmine. Why bother to put things away if you can't see it? Living in darkness wasn't the end of the world for me, I made due and tolerated the lack of light, as we so often tolerate inconveniences. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then my husband's closet light went out. It was dramatic. No warning or flicker. His closet was suddenly dark. He hadn't been living with sporadic light, one day on and one day off until it stopped working entirely like I had. He wasn't willing to tolerate the lack of light. So off to the home improvement store we went to buy a new light fixture. A couple of hours later he had installed two beautiful LED track lights. Our closets were now lit up like a high end retail store. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was soon inspired to clean and organize my closet, buy new felt hangers for my shirts, and put away all the things that had been thrown on the floor. My closet is filled with clothes I really love; my wedding dress, favorite sweaters and fun dresses, but I had forgotten about most of them in my grab and go mentality. Organizing my closet was like going on a free shopping spree- I found all these great things that I had completely forgotten about. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">My closet isn't perfect now but it is so much better. I would have been embarrassed to have you to walk into my closet before. Since it was so dark, you wouldn't have really seen anything but you might have stumbled over the shoes and bags. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When we shine a light on something- its flaws and its beauty can be clearly seen. Light illuminates and highlights the truth of a situation. The sunrise shows the spectacular beauty of the sea and sky, the spotlight shows the versatility of an actor, the microscope light shows the intricacy of a cell. Light can also show places of compromise, chaos and decay. Here's how Jesus explained this in John 3:20-<a href="http://biblehub.com/john/3-21.htm" style="color: #0092f2; font-weight: 700; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 25px;">21</a> "<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Seeing the chaos in my closet after my husband turned on the light was humbling. It required work to get back to be organized and useful. I could have been mad at my husband for replacing the light- it made a lot of work and showed my flaws. But that would have been foolish. The light made my closet and all my clothes more useful- you can't use something if don't know it is there. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We all get comfortable with places of compromise- dark places - what we read, what we watch on tv or the movies, what we drink or eat, what we say like gossip and judging- that we would be embarrassed to have anyone see. These are the places that we need to invite Christ. He is the Light of the World - in him there is no darkness. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As the weeks have passed with my new closet light, I have realized something funny- I forget to turn the light on. I'll blindly grab clothes or stuff clean laundry in it just like when I didn't have a light. I got so used to living in darkness, I'll forget to use the light. This can happen spiritually as well. Here's what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5: <span class="reftext" style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-weight: 700; line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><b style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/5-8.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;">8</a>- 13, "</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light </span><span class="reftext" style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-weight: 700; line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/5-9.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>9</b></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) </span><span class="reftext" style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-weight: 700; line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/5-10.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>10</b></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">and find out what pleases the Lord. </span><span class="reftext" style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-weight: 700; line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/5-11.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>11</b></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. </span><span class="reftext" style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-weight: 700; line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/5-12.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>12</b></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. </span><span class="reftext" style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-weight: 700; line-height: 15px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/5-13.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>13</b></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just because we have a light in our closet doesn't mean we turn it on and just because we have the light of Christ in us doesn't mean we are living as lights. Ask God to shine a light in your life to expose places of chaos and compromise, places where goodness, righteousness and truth are not evident. Cleaning it up will take work and can be humbling but the long term benefits are more useful and beautiful than a designer closet.</span></span><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-20874997896630863362018-09-03T06:34:00.002-07:002018-09-03T06:36:00.722-07:00A Life of Privilege<span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." Matthew 25:23</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxv0TL9FjuTIi1gV2BChelapU5f1kX5_W9JU2tvKekCwCgRJqSZwz_NQ_rPyKCxvtrd7_bDapb1SJNTX0XhPijsdsCtej8N62x95sDHcsgkd6nNsXypq-FltNtvIuNJsuDc1X73Nr5Ckw/s1600/IMG_0694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="1600" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxv0TL9FjuTIi1gV2BChelapU5f1kX5_W9JU2tvKekCwCgRJqSZwz_NQ_rPyKCxvtrd7_bDapb1SJNTX0XhPijsdsCtej8N62x95sDHcsgkd6nNsXypq-FltNtvIuNJsuDc1X73Nr5Ckw/s320/IMG_0694.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I was raised as a child of privilege. Though our family would have been considered poor, my mom didn't focus on what we didn't have but made sure we appreciated what we had. When I didn't want to make my bed, my mom told me it was a privilege to have a bed and that with the privilege of having a bed comes responsibility. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I was taught to take care of books because using the library was a privilege. As the oldest of four girls, my mom taught me that having sisters was a privilege because not all people have little sisters. She really wanted a sister but she only had two older brothers. Because I had the privilege of being a big sister, I also had the responsibility to take care of them, love them, help them and teach them what I knew.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Long before I could read, my mom taught me about the privilege of praying and having our own copy of the Bible. She told me about kids in Communist Russia whose parents were jailed because they believed in God. I remember being five years old, I knew that I had the privilege of freedom of religion and I prayed every night for kids all over the world who didn't. Even at that young age, I wanted to tell people about Jesus. It was my privilege and my responsibility.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">When I was</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 7 or 8 my mom allowed me to cross the big street by our house with another lesson on privilege and responsibility. She explained that crossing the street by myself was a privilege that my little sisters weren't allowed to do. It was dangerous and I needed to be careful. It was my responsibility to handle this privilege carefully. I needed to tell my mom when I was going to cross the street. I needed to always look both ways. I couldn't play in the street and my little sisters weren't allowed to cross with me. </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Getting older, I learned that baking was a privilege, If I wanted to make cookies, it was my responsibility to clean up. When I got my driving license, it came with the knowledge that it was a privilege to be able to drive and have a car. My responsibility was to follow the law and pay for my car, gas, and insurance.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Every part of my life was filled with privilege and responsibility- they were two sides of the same coin. My mom taught me that I had been entrusted with much. We didn't have as much as other people but that was okay because our job was to be faithful with what we had.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At a very young age my mom taught me a story she called the </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A14-30&version=NIV" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">parable of the talents</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. In the story, a rich man entrusts three employees with his wealth. He gave one man a large sum of money, the second man he gave twice as much and the third man he gave five times as much money as the first guy. By the time the boss came back, the man who received five times as much money as the first man doubled his money and had ten times as much! The guy who had twice as much also doubled his money by the time the boss returned. To both of these employees the boss proclaimed, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" The guy who had been given the initial sum of money decided to literally bury the gold in the ground. This did not make the master happy, "You wicked lazy servant ...you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers so that I would receive it back with interest."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My mom explained to me that we were all given different abilities, talents, money and experiences. God gives us what <a href="http://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2017/07/too-much.html" target="_blank">we can handle with His help</a> and not every one can handle five times as much responsibility. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our job is to use whatever we have in a responsible way just like the employees were responsible for their boss' money. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our mission is to be faithful with what we have- if the guy who had been given the first sum of money had simply doubled it like the other employees, over time he would have had as much as the guy who was given twice as much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are always going to be people who have more; we aren't responsible for their resources and we shouldn't compare. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rather than focusing on what we don't have, it is time to realize the privilege</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> of all that we have been entrusted with. Take a moment to look around at all of your responsibilities- kids, finances, health, house maintenance, cleaning, laundry, job, friends, school, car, etc.. and thank God for the privilege of each of these gifts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Those of us who have been entrusted with much have the responsibility of being faithful with what we have; part of that responsibility includes teaching our children about privilege and responsibility. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How do have you taught your kids about privilege and the responsibility that goes along with it? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-65780433407559386192018-07-22T18:20:00.001-07:002018-07-30T07:29:49.522-07:00Best Friends Forever<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the Law of Christ. Galatians 6:2</i></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I have been recently thinking about the privilege of being a friend. As Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times." Over the past month, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">several friends reached out to me to celebrate my birthday by treating me to a pedicure, taking me to lunch, sending me fun presents and calling me to let me know how much they appreciated me. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I see each friend as a gift from God. As I think about my friends I can see God's beauty and creativity and love in their uniqueness. They fill my heart with gratitude and bless me in so many ways. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I felt special and loved. I needed it because in the midst of all the fun, m</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">y celebration this year was bittersweet as I remembered the joy of my birthday celebrations with my friend who </span><a href="https://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2017/10/heartbreaking-hope.html" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">passed away</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> last year, knowing that we won't be celebrating together again till I am in heaven.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The privilege of having friends also means walking beside them in the hard times and sometimes even carrying them. We can't do life on our own. We are commanded to <a href="http://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/6-5.htm" target="_blank">Love God</a> and <a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/22-37.htm" target="_blank">love others</a> because God knew what we needed to have the best life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">As King Solomon wrote about friendship in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/niv/Eccles%204.9-12" target="_blank">Ecclesiastes 4:9-10</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Two are better than one,</span><br />
<span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Eccl-4-9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">because they have a good return for their labor:</span></span><br />
<span class="text Eccl-4-10" id="en-NIV-17392" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">10 </span>If either of them falls down,</span><br />
<span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Eccl-4-10" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">one can help the other up.</span></span><br />
<span class="text Eccl-4-10" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">But pity anyone who falls</span><br />
<span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Eccl-4-10" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">and has no one to help them up.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Loving others is a gift even when it is hard. A friend recently texted me and asked me for a favor- my response was "It would be my privilege." I meant it with every beat of my heart but it wasn't easy. You see my friend asked me to pray during the celebration of life for her amazing 29 year old son who had died two days before in an accident. He was just a couple of months away from marrying his beloved. My friend had picked out the rehearsal dinner venue and was so excited about the next stages of his life, welcoming his new bride into the family and dreaming of grand kids that looked like him. In an instant her dreams of planning a wedding were replaced with planning a memorial. It was devastating and heart breaking.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">In the midst of overwhelming grief and loss, I saw the amazing sacrifice of so many friends. Several friends had traveled from far and wide to just be with her. J</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">ust as these friends walked with her to her son's basketball games and overnight trips, they </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">dropped everything to walk beside her on this hard journey. His friends came to remember him and celebrate his amazing life. They surrounded each other with grace and love. They celebrated the privilege and gift of knowing and loving him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Friendship is a wonderful gift from God that allows us to carry out our mission of loving others. It isn't easy but it is an amazing privilege to celebrate with those who we love and who love us. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Take a minute to reach out to your friends this week. Celebrate them. Rejoice that they are <a href="http://biblehub.com/psalms/139-14.htm" target="_blank">wonderfully made</a>. If you have a friend that is going through a hard time, let them know that you are there for them. True friends do not run away from hard times but run closer to help <a href="http://biblehub.com/galatians/6-2.htm" target="_blank">carry each other's burdens. </a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Let me know how friends have helped you in hard times, carried you when you were weak and celebrated with you.</span><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-22977370649351643492018-06-24T08:11:00.002-07:002018-06-24T08:11:19.788-07:00No Trespassing<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i>But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:15</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; text-align: justify;">I was pretty upset at a friend, which is an an anomaly for me unless I am hormonal, which I am not, so I have spent a little extra time this week processing my indignation. I feel like I was justified in being upset at a Christian friend who made a comment that demeaned and belittled an entire group of people in front of my kids. I first said something like, "You are joking right?" I had known this friend for years and couldn't imagine such a comment would come out of their mouth. Being a little more blunt than the average person, I quickly told my friend I was shocked to hear such a comment and that it was mean and inappropriate. Though I told them how I felt, I am having a tough time forgiving them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;">As I have been processing our conversation, I have been trying to view it from an eternal perspective, because a part of me is really struggling with how someone who knows that God created everyone of us and </span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">loves the whole world so much that he sent Jesus to sacrifice for all of us </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;">could then think it was okay to put an entire group of people down. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;">I started thinking about how it seems that people have gotten more open with their </span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">demeaning </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">racist, sexist, ageist, and xenophobic view</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;">s. Maybe those attitudes have been there all along but I see them now. Maybe I tolerated them in the past but find them <a href="https://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2017/08/are-you-intolerant.html" target="_blank">intolerable</a> now. Maybe all of society including myself is so quick to protest and call out hypocrisy in others because we have tolerated it for so long in ourselves. We all have messed up, thought unkind and demeaning thoughts, and tolerated white lies and places of compromise.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;">People who don't even know the Bible, can be known to quote Jesus when he said, "Don't judge others or you will be judged'" from Matthew 7:1 They might feel that a friend's shoplifting, infidelity, alcoholism, sexist or racist comments are bad but they "Don't want to judge..." because they don't want to be judged. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;">When you read closely, you will see that Jesus' comment "Do not judge" was to hypocrites. So if you are a hypocrite, you shouldn't judge others. However, if you don't want to continue to be a hypocrite or you aren't one, you should read the rest of the Jesus' commentary on judging.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;"> "</span></span><span class="red" style="color: red; text-indent: 25px;">“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; text-indent: 25px;"> </span><span class="reftext" style="color: #001320; font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/7-2.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>2</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red; text-indent: 25px;">For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="reftext" style="font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/7-3.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>3</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red;">“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span class="reftext" style="font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/7-4.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>4</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red;">How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="reftext" style="font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/7-5.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>5</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red;">You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend's insensitive and demeaning comment judging an entire group of people, resulted in my judging my friend's heart and their understanding of God's love. When we demean and devalue God's people, we start a cycle of being demeaned and devalued. My natural response to my friend's comment was to judge and devalue their perspective. This is a cycle that is playing out over and over in our society right now. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interestingly, I don't think "not judging" is the Biblical solution to stopping this destructive cycle. As Matthew 7:5 explains you still have to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Jesus' solution to breaking a hypocritical cycle is to first judge ourselves. When we feel our feathers get ruffled, our indignation rises and we get offended, we have to stop and judge ourselves. Jesus uses the phrase to "get the plank out of our own eye" as a way of showing us how beneficial and life transforming judging ourselves could be. Imagine how hard it would be to walk around with a 2x4 plank coming out of your eye.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">Once we go through the process of seeing our mistakes, we can't keep the plank in our eye. We </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;">have to repent and we have to ask God for forgiveness. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;">When we become aware of a plank in our eye, God's forgiveness is waiting for us as soon as we ask for it. 2 Samuel 12:13 encapsulates God's heart to forgive us no matter what we have done. After the prophet Nathan confronted King David with his adultery and murder,"T</span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">hen David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "Yes, but the LORD has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin." David had done horrible things- way worse than my friend's mean comments- yet all it took for him to be forgiven was his confession. God's forgiveness was instant. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">An interesting part of this story is that Nathan didn't hold on to his righteous judgement after David repented. I find I don't always want to give forgiveness and I want to hold on to my indignation and judgement. If I am holding on to forgiveness and continuing to judge someone after they have repented and asked forgiveness- I am holding myself above God.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">Jesus says in Matthew 6:15, "</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;">but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." The Greek word translated "Trespasses" in this verse is "</span></span><i style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">paráptōma</i><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;"> (from </span><a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/3895.htm" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;">3895</a><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;"> </span><i style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">/parapíptō</i><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">, see there) – properly, fall away after being close-beside, i.e. a </span><i style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">lapse</i><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;"> (deviation) from the truth; an error, "slip up"; wrong doing that can be (relatively) unconscious, "non-deliberate."" The idea behind this word is of trespassing on someone's property, stepping on their toes, unintentionally offending them. I know their are so many things that I have unintentionally done and said things that have been unworthy of my calling as a child of God, I am sure that </span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">God has forgiven</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;"> so many trespasses that I am completely unaware of. His grace covers all the mistakes that I haven't even realized I needed to ask forgiveness for.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">As I have been processing my friend's comment, God has taken me full circle. I realized I first had to repent of the times when I demeaned a group of people (I used to think girls were better than boys, I guess that is why God gave me two sons). I had to repent of having eyes but not seeing. I had to repent of my insensitivity to others. I had to repent of when I unknowingly made blanket statements about other people. I had to repent of saying demeaning</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;"> things in front of my kids. I asked for His forgiveness for not even realizing all the times He had forgiven me. As I prayed and asked for God's forgiveness, I heard him clearly say, "I forgive you. As I have forgiven you, forgive others." </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Experiencing God's grace and forgiveness helped me move to a place of faith rather than anger and indignation. What my friend said was wrong but I know I have to forgive my friend just as God has forgiven me. I have to trust that just as God is working in my heart to reveal my hypocrisy and need for forgiveness, my all powerful and all knowing God is also working in my friend's heart. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you process hypocrisy in others? Is your response anger or repentance?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;">Do you think people can change? If someone repents, do you still hold on to indignation and anger or do you respond like Nathan, "God forgives you"? </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">Have you let your frustration over someone's hypocrisy</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;"> keep <i>you</i> from receiving God forgiveness? </span></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-43556744557900794042018-05-27T11:48:00.001-07:002018-05-27T11:48:59.115-07:00Peace in the DMZ<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;">Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. </span><span style="background-color: white;">And the peace of God,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29450J" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29450J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">which transcends all understanding,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29450K" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29450K" title="See cross-reference K">K</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was recently struck by the similarities between a story in Second Chronicles and a newspaper headline about North and South Korea. The headline was </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">South Korea Turns Down the Volume as Trump Talks Up Summit</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. The caption below the picture explained that South Korean soldiers had removed high decibel loudspeakers that were used to broadcast positive messages along the contested border between North and South Korea. As a prerequisite to a peace summit, the North Koreans asked for the speakers to be turned down because it demoralized their troops and was an effective tool against the propaganda and lies put out by the North Korean government. Interestingly, this is a strategy that has been used for thousands of years both for good by countries like the US and South Korea and for bad by countries who used various communication channels to restrict freedom and promote </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">lies. A couple of days after I saw the headline in the paper, I read the story in 2 Chronicles 32 of Assyria's threats to Jerusalem. Though the situation in the Bible happened over 2700 years ago, it is relevant today because propaganda and lies still cause us to doubt God and let fear rule our decisions. I have written </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Penny-Noyes/e/B00IYH79LO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1527430770&sr=8-1" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">two books on Hezekiah</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> because I think this story is relevant to each of us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In<a href="http://biblehub.com/niv/2_chronicles/32.htm" target="_blank"> 2 Chronicles 32</a>, King Hezekiah and his leaders were in a tough situation. The Judean town of Lachish had fallen to Assyria after a devastating siege. Lachish was only 39 miles away from Jerusalem and Assyria's armies had decided that Jerusalem was their next target. An Assyrian advance team had been sent to Jerusalem to convince King Hezekiah and his leaders to surrender without a fight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Assyrian emissary's goal was to strike fear and confusion into the hearts of the people. Just like the South Korean government broadcast their message along the North Korean border, the Assyrians blasted their message in Hebrew so that the people would understand and be afraid. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They played on the people's normal fears that they would die of starvation like the people of Lachish. They asked the people, "<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;">On what are you basing your confidence, that y</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;">ou remain in Jerusalem under siege? </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;">When Hezekiah says, ‘The </span><span class="name" style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: justify;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"> our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst." It is interesting to me that Satan used food to draw us away from God as a strategy both in the Garden of Eden when Eve realized that the fruit was "<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3&version=NIV" target="_blank">good for food</a>" and when he tempted Jesus to <a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/4-3.htm" target="_blank">"tell these stones to become bread</a>." Jesus responded to Satan's attack by quoting scripture from Deuteronomy 8:3. " </span><span style="background-color: white;">Jesus answered, </span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">“It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’<span class="footnote" data-fn="#fen-NIV-23214a" data-link="[<a href="#fen-NIV-23214a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4:4&version=NIV#fen-NIV-23214a" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote a">a</a>]</span>” </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"> We have to trust that God will give us what we need.</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;">Jesus taught us to pray, </span><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-11.htm" style="background-color: #fdfeff;" target="_blank">"Give us this day our daily bread."</a><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;">When we look to food, money or any thing else as our security, our salvation and our happiness, we aren't trusting God. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Assyrian officials used words to attack the people's faith in God as misguided; other other cities had trusted their "gods," yet they had all fallen to Assyria. The Assyrians used logic to make their case against the Lord God delivering Jerusalem. They asked, <span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;">“Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand? </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;">Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;">Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!” 2 Chronicles 32:13-</span><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_chronicles/32-15.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none;">15</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think it is interesting that the Assyrians accuse Hezekiah of misleading and deceiving the people when they were the ones who were lying and distorting truth. Satan used the same strategy in the Garden of Eden was to accuse God of lying by asserting to Eve, "<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3&version=NIV" target="_blank">You will not certainly die.</a>" Satan often will call the truth a lie so that we doubt it. Satan often uses fear to cause us to doubt God and His sovereignty. Doubt weakens our faith and leads us to disobedience and away from God's blessings. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;">Hezekiah's response was to pray and ask his friend to Isaiah to pray. Hezekiah's prayer is recorded in 2 Kings 19 and ends with his plea, "</span><span style="background-color: white;">Now, </span><span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white;"> our God, deliver</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-10081AF" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-10081AF" title="See cross-reference AF">AF</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-10081AG" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-10081AG" title="See cross-reference AG">AG</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> of the earth may know</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-10081AH" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-10081AH" title="See cross-reference AH">AH</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> that you alone, </span><span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white;">, are God.”</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">God miraculously intervened and wiped out the Assyrian armies and peace reigned in the land. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;">When we are faced with overwhelming situations that cause us to doubt God, we have to get on our knees and pray. We have to go to the source of truth. </span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;">We have to be aware that the same loudspeakers can be used to communicate truth and lies. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"> We need to fill our mind with His Word so that we can discern truth and counteract Satan's lies . Too often I d</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;">on't go straight to God, because I have let doubt weaken my faith; I start to worry, I call friends and get their opinion, I google and let anxiety rule my heart. This is not the best strategy for overcoming anxiety. Philippians 4:6 tells us </span><span class="versenum" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> "</span><span style="background-color: white;">Do not be anxious about anything,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29449H" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29449H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." This passage in Philippians continues, "</span><span style="background-color: white;">And the peace of God,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29450J" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29450J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;">which transcends all understanding,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29450K" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29450K" title="See cross-reference K">K</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> will </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Though we might not be under siege by the Assyrian army, we can have peace and freedom from anxiety by bringing every situation to God in prayer. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are there places in your life that you doubt God? He is big enough to handle your questions and doubts. Fill your mind with the Word of God - often a slight distortion of truth - propaganda from the enemy can cause us to doubt God's goodness, power and love.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you facing an impossible situation? You are under siege and it seems like there is no way out. Bring your worries and requests to God. His power and might is not limited by what we can see, the resources we have or our abilities. Peace will come when you praise God, give thanks for all that he has done through time and make your requests known.</span></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-81604581367781654012018-04-15T07:40:00.002-07:002018-04-15T07:40:37.669-07:00My Embarrassing Audition<div class="body1" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">
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<i>Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, <span class="red" style="color: #cc0000;">“Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” </span>“No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, <span class="red" style="color: #cc0000;">“Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:10-11</span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I have had many embarrassing moments in my life- some I am not ready to talk about and others I am way too open about -mention lactose intolerance and you will get an earful.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Looking back on my high school years- one stands out. I was reminded recently of my embarrassing audition as a just turned 16 year old to play the adulterous woman in a professional production of the Passion Play. The Passion Play was a re-enactment of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. I had been cast the year before as a shepherd girl and I was pretty great at herding sheep and shouting “Hosanna” or “Crucify Him”during my scenes. Mid season the actress playing the adulterous woman left the show, so the director held an open audition. My friend Sandy, a beautiful curvy junior in high school with perfect 80’s hair was auditioning, though as a sophomore, I had the figure of a skinny middle school boy and flat hair that did not scream stylish, oblivious to the concept of typecasting, I decided to audition. Getting the part would have doubled my pay, plus it wasn’t a hard role. All I had to do was scream, cry a little and look around and say “No one, my Lord.” No problem, I thought.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The time for the audition came. Sandy’s audition went perfectly. She screamed loudly while being roughly dragged to Jesus. She huddled crying softly on the ground by his feet. The priests proclaimed, “This woman was caught in adultery, the law says we must stone her.” Jesus looked each of the accusers in the eye and said, “If any of you are without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone.” Each of the priests and accusers dropped their stones and slowly began to slink away. Jesus then looked her in the eye, and gently asked, “Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, my lord.” “Neither do I accuse you, go and sin no more.” Jesus answered. End scene.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">It now was time for my audition- I was ready. Everything went perfectly till the actor playing Jesus looked my accusers in the eye and said, “If any of you are without sin, let him cast the first stone;” then he ad-libbed, “You should be ashamed of yourselves, this woman is not even in High school”. I was mortified. First of all, that wasn’t in the script and most importantly, I was in High school! The director had us redo the scene to give me a fair audition but it was too late. It was even more embarrassing the second time. I knew what people thought of me. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> I knew I didn't have a chance.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Every time I would read this story in the Bible, I would hear "This woman is not even in Highschool." I finally got past my embarrassing audition memories of this story by focusing on Jesus amazing sacrificial love for this woman and all of us. When Jesus got down in the dust and told her “neither do I accuse you,” he made this statement as one who was without sin.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I realized by pardoning this one woman, He was condemning himself.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Jesus made the choice to bear the consequences of her sin. For Jesus, it was personal. That woman didn’t realize the price Jesus would pay for her pardon. She and everyone watching the accusers drop their stones probably thought this was a legal and philosophical question. They were impressed with Jesus’ ability to turn the question back on the accusers.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Two thousand years ago, every person that witnessed this woman being accused of adultery knew that the legal consequence of adultery was death. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">They didn’t realize Jesus had come to fulfill the law.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The woman and the man she had been caught with were to be stoned according to the law. (On a side note, this situation was a little sketch because only the woman was brought to Jesus).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Long before he lifted her out of the dirt and shame, he knew that he would pay the ultimate cost for her selfishness,her choice to please herself and her lover instead of choosing to please God, yet he still chose to intercede and to save her. Jesus has done the same for all of us, regardless of the mistakes, selfish choices and shameful decisions we have made, Jesus reaches down into the dust to lift us up and ask us “Where are your accusers?” “Neither do I accuse you. Go and sin no more.”</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Do you feel guilty or ashamed of the choices you have made? Take a minute to imagine yourself accused and caught red-handed in the biggest mistake you have ever made. Now imagine Jesus choosing to accept the consequences, the suffering and to pay the price for your guilt. It is finished. You are forgiven. Jesus chose to pay the debt long before you fell at his feet. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">You are free.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-6359489994537695442018-03-25T15:58:00.002-07:002018-03-25T16:01:17.785-07:00Put Your Phone Down and Pray<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">"Put your phone down and pray." I knew it was God speaking to me, just like I know my son's voice even if a dozen kids were saying "Mom" at the same time or I know my husband's sneeze even if he is on the other side of a grocery store. I just knew it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Hearing God is one of those sketchy subjects that can bring up images of charlatans dressed in church robes proclaiming "God told me....and give money" </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I haven't always known if God was talking to me. I struggled with hearing and knowing God's voice before I made it a priority to read and </span><a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/audio_video/popPlayer.cfm?type=nlt_d&b=1&c=1" style="font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">listen</a><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> to the entire Bible. I personally love reading the Bible in </span><a href="https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/chronological.html" style="font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">chronological order</a><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> because reading the prophets in context makes it easier to understand. F</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">or me discerning God's voice has gotten easier because I have read the entire Bible more times than I can count. I know God's voice as the Author and finisher of our faith just as I can pick out Jeff Kinney's style of writing or know Dr. Suess' voice in a children's book. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God's voice always aligns with his heart and his Word. I knew "Put down your phone and pray" was a modern version of a verse I had read many times before. </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First Thessalonians 5:17 says </span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">"Never stop praying". </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> This is of those verses I would have loved memorizing as a kid. It is short and sweet. It is even shorter in other Bible translations. The entire <a href="http://biblehub.com/1_thessalonians/5-17.htm" target="_blank">NIV</a> verse is "pray continually."</span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> It is easy to read but hard to do.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Put down your phone and pray" was a command, maybe not on the level of the Ten Commandments but for me it was just as significant. </span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I have come to realize if the God of this Universe, the Creator of Heaven and Earth speaks to me I need to drop everything and be obedient. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I heard God say this to me while I had a few minutes of solitude between picking up my son from school and taking him to tennis practice. This was "my time" that I would </span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">spend on my phone </span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">scheduling activities, researching health stuff, checking social media and texting my friends. </span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">All these things are good ways to spend my free time but I was avoiding what I knew God had called me to do. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I realized I was looking to my phone to fill my mind and my calendar, to answer my questions and meet my needs. My phone had become a crutch that kept me from depending on God and tied me to my own resources, knowledge</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> and time. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rather than praying I was researching, </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rather than praying I was chatting, </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rather than praying I was escaping. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is nothing wrong with researching, chatting or even escaping but I was avoiding praying for the people God had put around me. I was resisting prayer because it felt vague and weak even though I know it is not. I filled my mind and my time with concrete things, facts and information instead of seeking God's perspective and power in the situation. Prayer is not mutually exclusive. Just because God has called me to pray doesn't mean I can't do the other stuff. Logically, it must be possible to research and pray, chat and pray and even escape and pray or 1</span></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">st Thessalonians 5:17 wouldn't tell us to "Never stop praying." Prayer should be like breathing. Prayer is the foundation that everything else is built on. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My favorite scripture passage is found in <a href="http://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/6.htm" target="_blank">Matthew 6:25-33</a>. It points out if you make the kingdom of God and His righteousness a priority then all the other things you need like food and clothes will be given to you. </span></span><span class="red" style="color: red; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"> </span><span class="reftext" style="color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-26.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>26</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"> </span><span class="reftext" style="color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-27.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>27</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life<span class="nivfootnote" style="color: #0066aa; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 1px;"><sup><a href="http://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/6.htm#footnotes" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Or single cubit to your height">e</a></sup></span> ?</span></div>
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<span class="reftext" style="color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-28.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>28</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.</span><span class="reftext" style="color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-29.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>29</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"> </span><span class="reftext" style="color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-30.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>30</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"> </span><span class="reftext" style="color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-31.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>31</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" ,; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: 25px;"> </span><span class="reftext" style="color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-32.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>32</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"> </span><span class="reftext" style="color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px; vertical-align: text-top;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-33.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>33</b></a></span><span class="red" style="color: red; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This week I am turning "my time" into prayer time. Rather than seeking first to get my friends' opinions or see their status updates, researching 50 sites for the best deal or discovering a new health and diet tip, I am going to put down my phone and pray. I will pray for God to guide my research, for God to lead my friends to truth and help us all not worry, for God to provide all my friends and I need, for God to heal and guide their Doctors to truth, for God to lead our government and protect us. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">If God has told you something or shown you truth, why wouldn't you treat it with honor and respect and obey His word? Do you struggle with worry?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Do you find it hard to pray continually? What is your biggest distraction? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Want to join me in putting down the phone and praying? </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Let me know how it goes. </span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-84131342432321158102018-02-11T07:49:00.001-08:002018-02-11T13:32:31.992-08:00The Plan is Salmon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslnnjGdJcTpPTgRxgNIPdvShdPAiqWMiNo9eZKNrpb-ecHJEKCVCt_wabx4OHnXXI_LZtznUpwAzlFAgmTYHMQu57i8mfZHiSktu4S_lt53Y0-E6oStanyeIRAzPTUr5qOeYbIv-P8x4/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252849%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="1600" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslnnjGdJcTpPTgRxgNIPdvShdPAiqWMiNo9eZKNrpb-ecHJEKCVCt_wabx4OHnXXI_LZtznUpwAzlFAgmTYHMQu57i8mfZHiSktu4S_lt53Y0-E6oStanyeIRAzPTUr5qOeYbIv-P8x4/s320/FullSizeRender+%252849%2529.jpg" width="320" /></i></a></div>
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<i><span class="text Prov-16-9" id="en-ESV-16850" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">The heart of man plans his way,</span><span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Prov-16-9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">but <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-16850B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-16850B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>the <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> establishes his steps. </span></span></i><br />
<span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Prov-16-9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><i>Proverbs 16:9</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">"What's for dinner?" my people asked. It was a little after five and the natives were getting restless.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">"The plan is salmon," I proclaimed</span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">"We don't want salmon," they exclaimed. "We want pizza."</span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">The one who works so hard every day explained he had already had fish that week.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span>I didn't argue - maybe I didn't really want to cook anyway.</span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">But the salmon is coming. It is already defrosted in the fridge. The plan hasn't changed even though they are eating pizza. It only appears that it has. The plan is still salmon.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">I bought it for my family because it is good for us, full of healthy fats, protein and other nutrients.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span>My plan for them to have the salmon was because it was beneficial for them and my desire hasn't changed.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span>I serve it with sushi rice and sauteed zucchini.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span>I have assembled all the ingredients.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span>It is always a delicious dinner and way better than pizza.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">As I was cleaning up the kitchen tonight, which after ordering pizza is a breeze, I wondered how much of our life is like my "Plan for Salmon." <span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span>God plans our steps, assembles all the ingredients and tells us His will for our lives; even if we go in an opposite direction, His plans have not changed. <span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">His plans for Jonah didn't change even though Jonah got on a boat heading to Tarsish.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> <a href="https://www.biblestudytools.com/jonah/passage/?q=jonah+3:1-2" target="_blank">Jonah 3:1-2</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">His plan for Joseph didn't change even though his brothers sold him as a slave.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> <a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/50-20.htm" target="_blank">Genesis 50:20</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">His plan of salvation doesn't change even if someone rejects it.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+12:44-48" target="_blank">John 12:44-48</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">His plan to bless us doesn't change even if we are living with the consequences of poor decisions.<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+29:11-13" target="_blank">Jeremiah 29:11-13</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">My kids might get a couple more meals without salmon- but it will happen. I know the future because I am the cook. <span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span>In the same way,<span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span>God knows the future because He is the Master Chef. Rather than wasting our energy resisting his plans, let's trust that what he plans for us is good and lovely. </span></div>
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<a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/12-2.htm" target="_blank">Romans 12:2</a> encourages us that God's will is good, pleasing and perfect. It is time to make that jump and trust Him completely in every part of your life. <span class="m_2578301782061648400Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Thinking back on your life, have their been times that you have let go of your plans to follow God's will? </span><br />
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<span class="m_2578301782061648400s1">Is their something that you need to let go of to fully embrace God's will? </span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-65913868787834914182018-01-07T17:45:00.001-08:002018-01-27T13:21:11.801-08:00A Season For Everything<i>For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: Eccl 3:1</i><br />
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Everything is cold here. Lakes and ponds are covered by sheets of ice. Cars take forever to heat up in the morning, plants have gone dormant and I actually started wearing a coat when I go outside. A couple inches of snow and we will have a Winter Wonderland. It is cold. Very, very cold!<br />
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Cold weather brings out my desire to roast turkeys, bake potatoes, and make pies. I am basically looking for any reason to use the oven as an extra heat source. My husband loves the cookies and pies. I think he looks forward to these cold induced domestic urges all year long. Unfortunately for him, my urge to bake is a brief season that lasts as long as a cold snap in the South. Instead of calling this time of year, Winter; I propose naming it, Baking Season. What do you think? Would you name this time of year "Netflix Season" or "Football Season"?<br />
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We all go through seasons that aren't exactly determined by the calendar or even the weather.<br />
Solomon wrote about this in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+3" target="_blank">Ecclesiastes 3:1-8</a><br />
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a time to be born, and a time to die;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to kill, and a time to heal;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to break down, and a time to build up;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to weep, and a time to laugh;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to mourn, and a time to dance;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones
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a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to seek, and a time to lose;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to keep, and a time to cast away;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to tear, and a time to sew;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;<o:p></o:p></div>
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a time to love, and a time to hate;<o:p></o:p></div>
a time for war, and a time for peace.<br />
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As I look back on last year, it ended with a season of <a href="https://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2017/10/heartbreaking-hope.html" target="_blank">mourning</a> for my dear friend Joyce but was filled with rejoicing with my brother in the birth of his son. God restored <a href="https://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2011/05/will-you-be-my-friend.html" target="_blank">friendships</a> that had been lost for years and brought new friends into my life. It has been a year focused on studying <a href="https://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2017/12/unlocking-value.html" target="_blank">blessings</a> but as a result it has made the power of <a href="http://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2017/11/understanding-curses.html" target="_blank">demeaning</a> people so much more obvious. It was a year of determined blogging, after only sporadically blogging in the past, I was determined to faithfully write my blog every week. </div>
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Looking forward into 2018, I am challenged to finish my fourth book. I have been researching and studying <a href="https://pennynoyes.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-power-of-blessing.html" target="_blank">blessings</a> for the past two years. This is a loaded topic that has a lot of baggage from the prosperity gospel to being used in a demeaning way like, "God bless her pea pickin' heart." To focus on my book, I am taking my new friend Sue's advice to cut back on my weekly blogging. Hopefully, I'll get a couple of blogs written over the year to let you know what I am working on and learning but this year is going to be "Blessing Book Season." I would appreciate your prayers and I am so excited about all that God has in store this year. </div>
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What season did you find yourself in last year? Is there something you need to let go of or cut back on to fully embrace the next season? Is God calling you into something new for next year? </div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778226429067065160.post-14381327330204906832017-12-24T12:21:00.003-08:002018-01-08T11:27:46.874-08:00What Makes a Gift?<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. <a href="http://biblehub.com/niv/colossians/3.htm" target="_blank">Colossians 3:23-24</a></span><br />
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Is a gift determined by the heart of the giver or the acceptance of the recipient? Our church often receives requests for help at Christmastime and I signed up to help a family who had asked for help. The lady I spoke with requested Christmas presents for her two grand kids ages 4 and 5. They didn't want much and I was happy to help make their Christmas special.<br />
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Her humble apartment was decked out in anticipation of Christmas - with a cute "Santa Stop Here" sign that stood out among the emptiness of the other doors. A petite blond grandmother with the wrinkles and voice of someone who started smoking young met my son and me and invited us in. She quickly hid her pipe in the other room as we walked into her house. In the apartment was a small tree with one present under it and <i>Home Alone</i> was playing on TV. <br />
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She was grateful for the gifts and explained that she suffered back pain from an accident in her teens. Her daughter and kids weren't there but I am hopeful that they will be blessed. I gave her a hug and told her I would be praying for her, her daughter and her kids. After I left I had take off my sweater because the smell of smoke that wasn't tobacco was overwhelming. <br />
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On my drive home, I struggled with feeling like a sucker. To counteract my doubting heart, I had to dedicate all the gifts to God, hoping that the kids would get them and love them but realizing this wasn't about two kids getting a Buzz Lightyear and Imaginex toy but a lesson in God's great love for us. I have no control over that Grandma giving those toys to her grand kids. She could easily take them back to the store and buy alcohol or use them to barter for drugs. I intended to bless their family but it is up to them if they accepted the blessing and use it for good. Isn't that the story of God's love for all humanity. He gave his chosen people the law and his love as a blessing and they rejected it. He sent Jesus to share His love with the whole world. Even though Jesus was the perfect gift and just what everyone needed so many people will exchange God's love for cheap fleeting thrills. Yet God doesn't stop loving us or generously blessing us. In spite of our foolishness and unfaithful hearts, he still loves us, pursues us and lavishes us with grace.<br />
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Here's how <a href="http://biblehub.com/niv/titus/3.htm" target="_blank">Titus 3:5-7 </a>explains this amazing concept, "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."<br />
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I have decided to trust that I am fulfilling my mission to love others just as God in his mercy and generosity is always giving and reaching out whether or not we are worthy or even appreciate the value of the amazing gifts He is giving us.<br />
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Have you ever given a gift that was rejected or wasted? How did you handle that? How have you seen God's love in spite of being rejected?<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for being interested in my blog. I am so glad that you took the time to read it. Click on the side link to subscribe to new blog posts. Penny</div>Penny Noyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462956705048498677noreply@blogger.com0