Shalom

Shalom...

Father Bob says it means Gods peace and presence... Even if things around you are not so peaceful. So here I am at church prayer, asking God for His peace and His presence. I am aware that I am being greedy with this request. God has blessed me so much already. All my life He has called me and made Himself known to me, yet I ask for more of His presence in my life. All my life He has provided for me and yet, I ask for more provisions. I am keenly aware that I am insufficient in being able to provide, and produce in any way for myself and my loved ones. It is God who makes all things happen and who orders my steps. It is God who will one day watch me take my last breath and command my angel to bring my spirit to Him. In the mean time I wrestle...against this fallen world...against my fallen soul. I am the most unworthy, and yet, spoiled by my Father. With all this I pray, Lord Jesus, Father God give me your shalom. Lord God, Father God I come to you with my fears and dreams, shepherd me I pray. Amen.

The Staircase

1.   Just another day Gin thought to himself, another day full of the same old boring chores. The sound of fathers constant yelling was causing Gins ears to ring. Although, Gin thought to himself, as he emptied the burlap bag of rubbish onto the backyard fire pit, life here in the meadow land is peaceful...too peaceful perhaps.

2.   Gin could hear his mother calling him from inside their small thatched cottage home "be careful not to burn yourself Gin, do you hear me?" "Yes mother!" Gin yelled back with a tone of annoyance. "How many times have I burned the family rubbish?" Gin asked himself, "only a thousand times!" was his quick answer to himself.

3.   night fell as the fire grew and faded. Gin laid next to it on the grass starring at the night sky. The stars looked amazing on these clear summer nights. What if I could somehow go up to the heavens and commune with the ancients who lit the stars so long ago? What could they show me? What could they teach me? Many in the meadow lands are saying that perhaps the stories of the ancients were just legend, like fairy tales, but Gin, he was a believer, and he knew up there, or somewhere far away there were great things!

4.   "Hear ye Hear ye!" came the morning call. Gin jumped up from his earthen bed, he must have fallen asleep and now the whole village was in a stir as the kings messengers were yelling and posting the kings proclamation on various post and doors throughout the village. Gin did a quick morning stretch and then quickly ran to the front of his families cottage. Mom, dad, and little brother were already there. dad had the kings proclamation, which was nailed to their door, now in his hand...mom looked worried.

5.   "Says here that King Xavier is calling all , able bodied, young men to his service" "what's it about?" Gins mother asked as she looked at Gin. "Doesn't say" Gins father replied. "But all qualified candidates have to be ready by sunset tomorrow, the kings regiment will come through to pick them up" Gin looked down at Sammy his little brother at age five he surely would not be a candidate, Gin however, had just celebrated his nineteenth birthday last week. It was a merry celebration indeed with too much food and too much drink, it took a couple days for Gin and his friends to recover. Funny,  Gin thought  I sure didn't imagine this coming. What is going to happen to me and my friends now?

6.   to be continued...

The blessing of God for the new year

There is a prayer of blessing in the old testament that is absolutely perfect...

Nm 6:22-27

The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:

The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

What strikes me this first day of the new year is the "may the Lord keep you" part.
The longer i walk with God the more I realize that I need Jesus to keep me.
Given up to my own lustful passions and desires I would surely consume to my undoing.
It is the tragedy of the human condition, we are fallible sinners with appetites for destruction.
So this year as I pray the blessings of God on my life and for my family and friends, I focus on the keeping!
Lord Jesus keep me in you, in your presence, in your care, filled with your Holy Spirit and love.
Don't let me stray Lord lest I wander beyond finding!
May Gods blessings rush upon all who read and share this message!

Godspeed
Jimmyg

Prayer of blessing

Sometimes the best way to pray is by pouring your heart on paper and writing a prayer down, here is one I wrote for my family and i. My wife and I use it now as we go before God. Maybe you can use it as well.

Prayer of blessing 
Heavenly Father, Savior Jesus Christ, Precious Holy Spirit ...we come to you with this petition. We pray as we have been sealed in the natural with the chrism oil upon our confirmation, that in the spiritual realm you would always pour out your abundant blessings upon us. We pray you would grace us with the gifts of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. That we would gain your spiritual discernment, that you would open our eyes to you and the spiritual unseen realm around us. We thank you for making us victorious, the head and not the tail, the lender And not the borrower, and for bestowing upon us your humble servants, all the blessings you desire to bless us with. We pray that we would be a blessing to all those in need that you put before us. We ask you Holy Mary Mother of God, Saint Joseph and Saint Anna to pray and intercede for us to The Lord Jesus Christ as only you can from your heavenly position. We ask you to keep us in your prayers, care, and watchful eyes from now until the day we go to meet The Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen!


From Spurgeon. ....

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" Who Has the Majority? August 17 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. (2 Kings 6:16) Horses and chariots and a great host shut up the prophet in Dothan. His young servant was alarmed. How could they escape from such a body of armed men? But the prophet had eyes which his servant had not, and he could see a greater host with far superior weapons guarding him from all harm. Horses of fire are mightier than horses of flesh, and chariots of fire are far preferable to chariots of iron. Even so is it at this hour. The adversaries of truth are many, influential, learned, and crafty; and truth fares ill at their hands; and yet the man of God has no cause for trepidation. Agencies, seen and unseen, of the most potent kind, are on the side of righteousness. God has armies in ambush which will reveal themselves in the hour of need. The forces which are on the side of the good and the true far outweigh the powers of evil. Therefore, let us keep our spirits up, and walk with the gait of men who possess a cheering secret, which has lifted them above all fear. We are on the winning side. The battle may be sharp, but we know how it will end. Faith, having God with her, is in a clear majority: "They that be with us are more than they that be with them." From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

Day after Christmas

Well, it's the day after Christmas.

I woke up wishing it was Christmas morning again! 

I woke up struggling through some thoughts as well.

Why the two different emotions?

Well, there is something about the magic of Christmas, 

the good food, 

family visits, 

gift giving, 

traditional music, 

talking to old friends again! 

I especially love Christmas mass, the church looks amazing and the choir sounds beautiful. 

I have to admit this year I am stunned at how God blessed me so that I could bless others. It was nice to see my kids faces light up when they opened their gifts!

But I also see how God is changing my heart. I really understand that Christmas is not the holiday of materialism, it is indeed a birthday celebration. The greatest birthday celebration In the world! 

But God gave me a sober Christmas spirit this year. I am so aware that many people in the world are suffering, many people did not have a merry Christmas. For some people it was their circumstances, their health, for some people it was their attitudes and mind sets that kept them from being blessed. 

Me? I feel humbled. I know I don't deserve the blessings God bestows on me. And yet, He blesses me anyway? I feel humbled and if I'm totally honest with my self, a little guilty.

Let's face it God the Father spoils some of us! 

What's my point?

As Gods children we have to find better ways to help those in need, those who are suffering. We need to take our abundance to the needy. It's about giving not taking. That's the true Christmas spirit. Not shopping till we drop. Not hording metal and plastic goods that we really don't need. 

We have to keep in mind it's the Lords birthday. 

Funny how all year long The Lord Jesus and even the church is attacked, but on Christmas Day the whole world is aware that it's the saviors birthday!! And most of the world is celebrating it. 

Ever wonder why?

I think in the hearts of all people there is a deep longing for peace, the peace that passes all understanding. The peace that only Jesus can give. 

The church can't be selfish, we have it and we need to share! There is too much need out there!

So many people need Gods love.

So many people need Gods peace.

So many people need Gods blessings.

But they don't know how to get it.

When we take our blessings and give them to others people don't just see us, they see Jesus through us. That's how Christ the savior is born each year, that's one of the ways He keeps coming unto mankind. Through our giving!

So I have to ask myself.....

Am I helping people see Jesus?

Am I helping people get into Gods kingdom?

Helping people see the true meaning of His birthday?

Or am I part of the thing that keeps people blind?

Have a BLESSED Christmas!!

Merry Christmas,
its a very catchy phrase this time of year. One the ways I like to greet or say goodbye to people. It is a great way to present the name of Christ to people, to try and throw a blessing at people, to remind people what life is really all about.
We have a creator that has come to us and continues to come to us in so may ways!
Merry Christmas, but it is so much more than that...more than "merry"
this Christmas I am humbled
this year I realize I am having a Blessed Christmas!

Why? Perspective.

A young lady stopped by at work today. I haven't seen her for awhile because she has been out on disability most of the year. I didn't realize how serious her condition was, I must admit when I saw her I was shocked, it was obvious, this poor girl has been suffering.
Here I am thinking about so many trivial things, you know Christmas shopping, Christmas dinner, Christmas visits from family and friends, Christmas money. In my little world that God has protected and blessed so much this year I almost forgot that so many other people are suffering.
As I looked at this young lady, I felt foolish, and instantly humbled.
Lord forgive me for taking for gran it all my blessings. The good life you have given me, as a sinner I know, I sure don't' deserve it.
Its so easy to forget how blessed we are. to not see all the blessings we have in life,
  food,
    water,
       clothing,
            shelter.
                employment,
                   transportation,
                      indoor plumbing
                        safety,
                          good health,
                             loved ones,
                                the church,
                                     and Jesus Christ himself!
In so many ways the cup is half full not half empty.
So this year
have a BLESSED Christmas,
         ... I think if you search your heart you'll see your already having one!