MUGGED

(After Matthew Henry was mugged)

"Let me be thankful first because I was never robbed before;

Second, although they took my purse, 

they did not take my life;

Third, because although they took my all,

it was not much. 

And Fourth, because it was I who was robbed, 

not I who robbed."

Matthew Henry

(Quoted by Billy Graham/ Unto The Hills)

Sure a better response than anger, self-pity, depression or hopelessness. 

God, help me reframe some of life's ugly circumstances;

for my good and Your glory.

lonnie

INPUT------OUTPUT

"It is said that the food of certain worms colors

the cocoon of silk that they spin;

and just so the nutriment upon which 

a man's inward nature lives

gives a tinge to 

every

word and deed proceeding from him."

Charles Spurgeon

Morning By Morning  (November 28)

Barbour  2005

The truth hasn't changed from Jesus' day to today's high tech computer days.

What the heart is full of the mouth speaks . . . (Luke 6:45)

If you program, into a computer, that two plus two equals ten, it will operate on that principle.

And if you feed a baby too many carrots . . . 

their skin takes on a tinge of orange. 

I don't know what happens with broccoli,
lonnie

FIGHTING FOR YOU

 "There is no greater comfort than to know that someone will 

protect you,

fight for you 

and rescue you--

risk his very life for you. 

This is the description of your Good Shepherd."

Jennifer Rothschild

Pslam 23:The Shepherd With Me  p.129

Lifeway Press   2018

My heart is racing with excitement. 

Rothschild directed her readers to 1 Samuel to see the heart of a shepherd. I believe the heart of your shepherd, and mine.

Check this out:

" . . . your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock,

I went after him and attacked him, and 

rescued it from his mouth;

and when he rose against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him."  1 Samuel 17: 34-35  NAS

God takes an attack against His sheep personally.

Think Prodigal.

If you are responsible for pulling

 God's child away from Him, you better be scared.

If you are a Prodigal's

parent, spouse, or friend,

CELEBRATE AND ANTICIPATE.

You're on the winning team!

Gentle Shepherd?

Not so much

Not when His sheep are in danger.

Loving Him,

lonnie

CAN FEAR AND FAITH CO-EXIST?

"Fear and faith can share the same heartbeat."

Really?

Do you agree?
Do I?

Paul tells us that 
". . .everything that does not come from faith is sin (Romans 14:23)."

Well, fear doesn't come from faith; but what if we put it this way?

"Though fear and faith can share the same heartbeat, they 

don't share the same perspective.

. . .

"Fear focuses on the shadows. 

Faith focuses on the Shepherd."

Jennifer Rothschild reminds us of the man in Mark 9. Dare I say, 'a man in process? Someone like me?'

"Lord, I believe.

Help my unbelief."

John Piper might add these 2 cents:"The reason faithless acts are sin, is that they don't glorify God as trustworthy." (desiringgod.org)

I do believe;
God, help me trust more and fear less,

lonnie

Psalm 23: The Shepherd With Me  p.120

Lifeway Press   2017

LOSS

"When we've suffered loss, 

starting again always feels like a gamble."

Maria Goff

Love Lives Here   p. 9

Broadman&Holman  2017

What has amazed me, lately, is the vulnerability of authors. It is SO refreshing and comforting to know that I'm not the only one that's struggled with "that" whatever the "that" may be.

Sometimes I cry because it hurts again.

Sometimes I cry because I am so grateful that someone understands. 

Back To My Book,

lonnie

VALLEYS

"Valleys are part of life's journey.

And even when they last a long time,

they are still 

temporary."

Jennifer Rothschild

Psalm 23: The Shepherd With Me  p.  116

Lifeway Press   2018

This fact gave me the first step out of depression and, yes, a  l o-n-g valley. I sat at our dining room table, looking out our patio door. It was a beautiful day with birdsong, but I was crying in hopelessness.

I heard these words in my heart:

"No matter what it is, its temporary." 

No matter how hard;

No matter how ugly:

Temporary.

And for those of us who know Jesus, it absolutely is!

He has gone to prepare a place for us.

lonnie

HE IS STRONGER

" . . . The people of Israel are oppressed,

and the people of Judah as well.

All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go.

Yet

Their redeemer is stronger."

Jeremiah 50: 33b-34a  NIV

I love this!

WHATEVER we are going through,

OUR REDEEMER IS STRONGER!!

I can't see Him, 

But I've come to trust that

HE CAN SEE ME.

lonnie

THE WORSE THEY ARE THE BETTER THEY BECOME

"Look at Beethoven.

The worse his deafness, the greater his music.

And the best was composed when he was walled into 

a silent world.

. . .

"Justin might never have started composing

had his hands not been broken

in Auschwitz."

Madeleine L'Engle w/ Carol F. Chase

Glimpses of Grace   p. 54

HarperSanFrancisco  1998

How can that be?!

I can't help but think of one of my memory verses: "Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit."   John 12:24 NAS

Both are miracles that we enjoy, but cannot explain.

lonnie

JUST DO IT!

"I woke up thinking about her . . .

In an effort to not miss something, I called her.

I'm glad I did.

She's going through one of the toughest times 

of her life."

Terry Esau

Surprise Me  p. 36-37

NavPress  2005

You could have written that. And me too . . . or at least the first part; the "I woke up with someone on my mind, or was driving home when . . . or saw someone or something that reminded me of . . ."

The call part? Not so much. I hate phones.

But TODAY we can text, email, or even write a pen-to-paper note and drop it in a mailbox. 

Unless . . . the Holy Spirit prompts us to call. 

Then we obey.
Just Do It!

But the main point is this: make contact. Someone may just need to know they aren't alone.

I've been the recipient of such a blessing. To have God prompt someone to touch base with me told me that . . .

God hadn't forgotten me either.

Sometimes, that's all I need.

lonnie

WORTH RESTORING

"He retores my soul."

Psalm 23

"No one restores silver or furniture if it has

no value.

No one wastes energy or work 

to restore

something that has no potential."

Jennifer Rothschild

Psalm 23: The Shepherd With Me  p. 82

Lifeway  2018

I hope that brings comfort to your heart like it does mine.

Whatever it takes,

We Are Worth It . . .To Jesus.

I've spent years studying sheep and their relationship to shepherds. From that study I began praying that God would restore my soul and the souls of my family. I often think of deep wounds, or people who have left the faith. Then I include friends and large groups bearing a title of their own.

Rothschild expands her observations:

"When our Shepherd restores our souls,

He is bringing us back from

Ignorance, errors, and wanderings."  P. 81

Who doesn't need restoring? 

And who better to do it than a Shepherd who knows the deepest parts of us;

parts so deep we don't have words 

(or courage)

to explain.

One of His sheep,

lonnie

WHAT I ONCE DESPISED

"I am forced to confess

that what I once despised

I now praise unreservedly."

Robert Jeffress and Erwin Lutzer quoting Einstein 

Twilight's Last Gleaming p.37

And

When A Nation Forgets God  p. 89-90

Einstein declared that only the Church stood "squarely across" Hitler's path. 

Albert Einstein also acknowledged that the Church, alone,  

"had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual truth and moral freedom."

I know how easily we can all stand our ground, believing that WE are the ones standing for truth and morality. But what I find interesting is that Einstein, in watching the way the Church handled the current crisis, began to unreservedly praise what he once hated.

History is His Story. 

It's facinating.  

God, open our eyes to see Your way.

Help us to trust even before we see.

You've Got This!

lonnie

IS GOD ANTI-EASY?

"I wish my ideas came with a logbook that clearly identified their source.

'This one's from God, this one--not so much.'

It does make me wonder . . . 

is God anti-easy?"

Terry Esau

Surprise Me:A 30 Day Faith Experiment  p. 15

NavPress   2005

Is God anti-easy?

Well, of course He is!

Or maybe . . . not anti-easy, but pro-growth.

If we don't strain at the reins, it gets us there sooner,

and it hurts less. 

Still Learning,

lonnie

PRAYER FOR OUR LEADERS

"Our Father and our God, hear me now as I pray for our national leaders. Turn their hearts to You, Lord, and help them to bow their knees in submission to Your holy will. Give them courage to stand strong for Your truth among the nations of the world. Help them to look to Jesus for Lordship and leadership.

In Him I pray.

Amen

I don't know if I'll manage to pray this daily, but I'd like to pray it often.

Will you join me?

lonnie

(Billy Graham; "Unto The Hills;" p.385)

JUST SAYIN'

"Give up the illusion of being in control of your life."

CHOICE: JOB OR FAITH

"As they were driving away, the boy (14 yrs old) told his father that the enlisted men had spoken to him.

'They told my son that, 

'you can be proud of your father

because

he's keeping his faith.'" 

Wes Modder ministered to Navy Seals. Though his record exhibited nothing but excellence, he suddenly became unfit for his job.

"Unable to function in the diverse 

pluralistic environment."

Being a chaplain, it makes sense to me that he would give biblical counsel. But that counsel would not permit premarital sex, homosexuality, masturbation, or worship of other gods. That didn't sit well with a young man who'd been peppering him (setting him up?) with leading questions.

Job Lost!

Clean Your Desk!

Thus the above scene played out. 

The choice: Job or Faith

What would you do? 

What WILL you do?

It all seems so unfair--so tolerant one way, but not the other. We're encouraged (demanded) to tolerate all faiths and lifestyles Except Christianity.

But . . .

Seriously,

How will people know whether our faith is a duty thing,

or our very heartbeat and existence?

How will they know it's Genuine,

Life-Giving,

Worth the sacrifice?

Unless . . .

They see that WE are willing to make that sacrifice.

"The whole command knows that Chaplain Modder is 

Keeping The Faith."

Todd Starnes

The Deplorables Guide To Making America Great Again  p. 209 Nook

Frontline  2017

Sustain Me With A Willing Spirit (Ps. 51:12)

lonnie