Election Day in Florida

As a Fox News junky, the election is really on my mind today. Like most of my friends, I feel this is a critical time in our country.  As a Christian, we've seen the results of a liberal, progressive government and are shuddering in dread at what the future might hold if that doesn't change. 

I believe Christians have a critically important role to play in this.  Of course, we must be informed.  I repeat WE MUST BE INFORMED, and there is no excuse for not spending the time in this endeavor. That is why I prefer Fox News because I believe you can get both sides of most issues, and although many of the commentators have specific viewpoints, they do allow the other side to voice their points.  This is an incredible gift to us, considering many countries and much of the world do not have the ability to make an informed choice if and when they can vote.  I know it's one more thing I have to do, but the alternative is the pollitical pit we are in.

Second, my next top prioritiy is to pray for wisdom to interpret all the information I've ingested. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I am just like the great mass of people who hear a few news clips, see a few political ads, and who vote for the guy that their friend is voting for. This election is far too important for that.

James 1:5-8    If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

I lack wisdom, so here's my prayer this morning.
Oh, Lord, how we need You to help us elect a new president who will restore us to the American Dream  - the pattern which came from You in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution.  Lord, help us to once again be a nation that honors You and is a light on a hill, a Christian nation, an example of God's grace, where all can be inspired to do their best and love one another.

Father, put into place the man who can lead us in these paths, and break through the greed, selfishness, and political power and wealth conclaves.  If not Santorum, my first choice, keep us from making a terrible mistake, and from losing the election to President Obama.  When I vote this afternoon, help me to know for whom to vote.

Forgive us Christians, Lord, for taking our freedom for granted, for being deceived into bellieving the sugarcoated lies of those who have selfish and misguided motives.  Forgive us for not taking the time to be informed, to pray, and to vote.

I pray specifically for Newt Ginrich, Lord, that You will continue to reveal Yourself to him, that his  heart will be sincerely humble and open to Your love and guidance.  I pray for Your protection around him from the Deceiver, the Corruptor, from pride, selfishness and other weaknesses.  Help him to listen to his advisors and place wise advisiors around him; and if it is Your will, place him in the presidency.

I pray for Your widosm for Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul also, Lord.  Help them to really know You .  Help them not to lose sight of your presense and power in their lives. Give them all a will to be obedient and humble before You and those they serve, and help them to listen to Your leading.  Thank You that all these candidates proclaim You as their Saviour.  Help them to be entirely sincere in their politics, as well as their private lives.

     Let Your Kingdom come, Your will be done
           on earth, Lord, as it is in heaven.
     Amen

Is He listening?

A week ago I awoke with a real sense of anxiety...the preparations and repercussions of the move, my dog, Clifford, has diarhea again, and a lot of pain in my body.  As I walked Clifford, I cried out to my Lord, my Husband, to come alongside me.  Be my strength, my wisdom, my source of provision. "I have so much to do this week and Kathleen, my sister, is coming tonight.  Take my yoke on Your massive shoulders and hold me tight", I whispered. 
Then followed a list of specific requests:

• What do I feed Clifford?
• Let the plumber come tomorrow on time to fix the leak under the sink.
• Help me get the emails out about Kathleen's performance on time.
• Most of all, keep me close to You, my Love.

John 2:1-12
Jesus came to the rescue of some friends and His mother at the wedding at Cana.  I believe He did this out of compassion and love for them.  Also, He listened to His mother's concerns;  she knew Him and His heart and tapped into that even when she knew that there were far more improtant things on His mind.  And He listened to her and her request, and then her command to the the servants spoken in absolute faith that He would answer.

vs.3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."  "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you".
vs. 7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"' so they filled them to the brim.  Then He told them, " Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet".

And we know how this first quiet miracle of the Lord turned out.  The water had turned to an excellent wine, better than had been previously served and depleted.

Oh, Lord, thank You for reminding me that you care about even the small things in my life.  You always hear my requests, and mercifully and graciously answer them even better than I expect.  I love You, my Lord, my Husband. Let me be bold and step out in faith as Your mother did, knowing that Your Holy Spirit empowers me, teaches me, gives me wisdom, leads me, and dwells within me at all times. Amen
PS All those prayers were answered perfectly!

What are you seeking?

     I find myself preoccupied with the many tasks I have to accomplish today, among them writing this blog on a regular basis.  It is my way of keeping in contact with you, my friends and dear ones, and perhaps finding new followers as I prepare to move to Phoenix in March, and leave so many behind here in Florida.
    John 1:29-42
    So I come to you, Lord, like Andrew and John did when they heard their rabbi, John the Baptist(JTB) point out Jesus as the Lamb of God.  Coming from JTB this was a weighty title.  It meant something to them other than a casual reference.  They grasped the spiritual attributes of a Lamb of God without understanding why JTB might have called Jesus that.
    So, they went to Jesus and perhaps listened to Him as He interacted with the people around Him.  This was the beginning of His ministry immediately after JTB baptized Him and, perhaps, even before His wilderness experience with the Devil's temptations, and as yet there were probably no crowds.
      And Jesus, amazingly, asked, "What are you seeking?"(ESB) or "What do you want?"(NIV) They didn't really know...they just wanted to check Him out, be near to Him.  After they had followed Him to where He was staying that night, Andrew even went and got his brother, Peter, and brought him to see this man whom they now believed was the Messiah.
    I've often wondered if I would recognize Him if I lived then and in those circumstances.  And then I remember another scripture, John 15:16, where Jesus tells His disciples, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last."
     You, Lord, it's really all about You, isn't it? You are the One who draws us to You, and the first thing You do is ask us, "What are you seeking?"  Well, Lord, I could travel down that road for a long time this morning, but I feel an urgency to get on to my work.  So, in answer to Your question, this morning I say:

• Thank You for caring about me and what I need...specifically for this day.
• Thank You that I know You will answer me in the most creative way, and I will watch for that answer.
• Thank You that nothing I want or need is too insignificant that You don't have a comment or an answer for me.
• Lord, I need help with my computer and its problems.
• Lord, I need help and energy to perform the tasks ahead of me in preparation for the move.
• Lord, I want You to connect my friends on a regular basis to this blog, so we can keep in contact, sharing our spiritual and not so spiritual journeys.

Thank You, my Beloved, for asking "What are you seeking?"

My heart burns for You....

In my walk this morning with earbuds in place, I listened to an album, Consumed, by Jesus Culture,and the refrain "....my heart burns for You..." kept coming to me over and over again when I returned and sat down to have my quiet time (QT) with the Lord.

Lord, how do we get to the point where You are more than just a "household Name" in our lives? What makes my heart burn for You? Another song in this album says, "We are Your burning ones". Lord, help me to understand how to set my heart on fire for You.

Mat. 2:1 - 23 and John 1:1-18
Just meditating on the real effects of Jesus' birth on His family, His visitors, and His neighbors...all were profoundly empacted by "Immanuel", God with us, most tragically, the families who lost baby boys after the Wise mens' visit. How long did it take for them to understand and accept that these children died because Jesus lived and was among them? Did they blame God the Father? Bodie Thoene's historical fiction series, A.D. Chronicles, include a shepherd who was one of those, who became bitter and then was converted later during Jesus' ministry.

But John's first few verses speak most to me of the revelation of the incarnation of God, the Word, amongst us.
Vs. 18 No one has ever [completely]seen God; the only God [Jesus] who is at the Fathers's side has made Him known!
Known to those who saw Him then
Known to those who have heard and read about Him since
Known to me

Lord, You chose to reveal Yourself to me, individually! You chose to make Yourself real to me, to tell me in so many ways that You love ME! You are always behind me, beside me, and in front of me.....I feel Your touch when I cry out for it. You answer little prayers like the one I prayed at the beginning of this entry, and You teach me about Yourself. This is Your gift to each of us who choose to believe. You have made Yourself known to me!

That makes my heart burn!