Answered Prayer

I’ve been watching the Monarchs flying around the yard all summer waiting for one to light on a flower and stay there long enough for me to capture a photo. Their movement is usually so swift it’s hard to capture, and they would never light on a bloom. I eventually stopped following them because my attempts were futile.

Watching them this morning I thought soon they will migrate, and I won’t see them anymore. Without a second thought I spontaneously said, "Lord please let me get a shot before they leave".

God is faithful...He hears, and He answers. I followed one...it was like he knew what I wanted; or, was he being obedient to the voice of God; he slowed down—and even perched on a bloom; on second look it wasn’t a bloom, it was a leaf. How astounding is that! Even more astounding he allowed me to capture him in an area of the yard that is the least beautiful. Nonetheless, I was excited! To my delight this is what I captured:

God answers even the smallest of prayers...

and teach us lessons in the answer.

1. The swiftness of the butterfly
2. My futile chase
3. Acknowledging my desire to God in a spontaneous request
4. The butterfly cooperating, choosing a barren site to land
5. Lighting on a leaf instead of a bloom
6. I stumble trying to get a closer view but don't fall
7. My eventual victory

What Does God Look Like

What does God look like…

He looks like joy when there’s no reason to be joyful
He looks like peace in the midst of a storm
He looks like praise going up from wherever you are
He looks like strength in your moments of weakness
He looks like power when your strength is gone
He looks like courage when fear is overwhelming
He looks like victory in times of adversity
He looks like compassion caring for a broken heart
He looks like kindness intentional and unintentional
He looks like laughter when sadness reigns
He looks like sacrifice when you want to do your own thing
He looks like justice when you do the right thing
He looks like truth when it’s easier to tell a lie
He looks like honesty when you unveil the beauty hidden under the mask
He looks like forgiveness when you’re too hurt to forgive
He looks like the love of a mother cradling her newborn child
He looks like healing on a grief-stricken face
He looks like the smile of a homeless man when given a hand up to a better place
He looks like mercy abounding with grace
He looks like radiance shining in a believer’s face—wrapped in unconditional love

He is not a color

He is not an economic status

He is not a language

He is joy

He is peace

He is praise

He is strength

He is power

He is courage

He is victory

He is compassion

He is kindness

He is laughter

He is sacrifice

He is justice

He is truth

He is honesty

He is forgiveness

He is love

He is healing

He is a smile

He is mercy

He is grace

He is radiance

What does God look like…He looks like love—unconditional

Comfortable Favorites

You ever want to walk up to someone that’s sitting at your favorite table at your favorite Starbucks and say, "excuse me, you’re sitting at my table" all the while smiling politely. That’s how I feel right now, that lady is in my favorite place. 😏

I keep watching for her to leave so I can grab my spot.

With that said we often get stuck in comfortable places. God says branch out, I can bring you comfort in new places.

As I was writing that last sentence I looked up and the lady had been replaced by a couple. When did she leave?! Now I’m forced to stay in this new spot since I didn’t grab my opportunity to get my favorite one back.

Do I like this new spot...not really, it’s not comfortable or familiar; the view is different, the feel is not the same. Is that a bad thing? Probably not. It’s a new experience in the same place with a different perspective. I’m sure there is a lesson in this and could be considered a God moment.

Strange thing...this is the second time this has happened, in separate locations (I have several favorite Starbucks locations with a favorite spot in each one).

The couple finally left and I ceased my opportunity to get my spot, and guess what...it feels good to be home.

Moral: What feels good to you feels good to others too...share the comfort.

What Can We Do

In my previous post I expressed my view on homosexuality. I have since engaged in some research on how the church should respond to this issue. I was struck by a passage I read in a pamphlet entitled “How Should We Respond? - An exhortation to the church on loving the homosexual” By Joe Dallas

"If you have a homosexual loved one, relative, friend or co-worker, you can do them a powerful service by asking them, “What is life like for you? I want to know you. I want to hear about your experience. I want you to know I’m interested in you, not as an object of conversion,  but as someone I care about."

How different could we be if this was our sincere response...I have a whole new perspective on my emotions.

Joe also brought out some very convicting points on how the church has responded and how we should respond. While I’m not faced in my personal space with anyone struggling with this I do see it everyday on the media and wonder how to react if I am faced with it up close and personal. If like me you are wondering how to respond I suggest reading the literature I mentioned above. You can find it among other resources here:  

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues/understanding-the-issues/thriving-values-resourcess on the Family

We Need Real Men

Will the real men please stand up...

There are not enough real men anymore. Every time I look at tv I spot a man with female tendencies; the sad part—he’s proud of it.... it grieves my heart.

Where have the real men gone...

Why are they are turning to each other...

It is interesting that the gay community use the word "pride" when pride is the fall of man. Our men are falling, we are losing them.

On a segment of Sister Circle Live, Bishop Clyde Allen founder of The Vision Cathedral of Atlanta known as “The Vision Church” was hailed as setting many gay people free and helping them live in their truth. What he refuses to see and acknowledge is "their truth" is a lie.

His quote: "if you don’t live in your truth, you die in your lie". (He got big applause)

I say: "you are confused about the truth, and already dead in your lie...you just don’t know it". (I wonder what kind of applause will I get)

I already know...backlash and ridicule, because the people in that lifestyle (and its supporters) can’t handle the truth. They talk louder and more often to hush the voice of conviction so they can continue to feel comfortable in their lie.

We need real men that are not being persuaded by this lie to refute what the enemy is trying to steal and stand up for what is morally right so we can have more real men.

Unfortunately, more women are starting to live that same lie.

What would happen if every male and female decided they were gay and lived a homosexual lifestyle...
What would happen to procreation in the world...
...the human race would cease to exist...

If gay men and women don’t recognize the real truth they will die in their lie.

Real men…stand up—we need you.

Does Life and Death Coexist

Life and death does coexist

We were born to die

The beauty of life

Becomes the sadness in death

Life lived in the light 

Escapes the shadow of darkness

From beginning to end

We cycle through life

Starting as buds 

Coexisting with those in full bloom

Exuding the fragrance of togetherness

Like divine perfume

The epitome of the coexistence is… 

the beauty in death—is life eternal 

For those that know

They escape the infernal

When I...

When I walk I walk alone

But in my walk I'm not alone

When I search I search to find

But what I find I cannot see

When I dream I dream to have

But what I have I cannot keep

When I think I think of much

In that much I learn to give

The Growth

In an earlier post I shared about my experience in North Georgia with the oil dripping from the bible. I shared a link in the post that tells the story of the oil, so I won’t explain that in this post. On the site https://hisnameisflowingoil.org/story-of-the-oil/  there is a space for sharing testimonies; this is what I shared on the site:

It’s gone! I can’t believe it! But I believe it!! I had an awesome experience visiting the Bible dripping with oil back in April 2019 with two wonderful friends. We had an awesome opportunity to pray with John and his wife Eileen in the prayer room at the Grace 251 bookstore. In November 2018 I had a large growth surgically removed from my eye and was disappointed when I discovered another one was growing on the same eye. Eileen anointed my eye with the oil and prayed the growth would melt away. In the days after I would periodically check my eye to see if it was gone—it was a great test of my faith each time I felt the growth still there. On May 23^rd I was sharing my experiences of the North Georgia Revival and helping bottle the oil with a friend I had sent some of the oil to; as I was sharing about the prayer in the prayer room and being at the altar in the theater the following day I touched my eye where the growth was and it was gone—it melted away!! Praise God! In the midst of sharing my experiences God healed my eye.

My testimony proves what was said in the service that the miracle of the oil happens away from the site where the oil drips. I was prayed for while I was there, but nothing happened there. It’s also not about the oil itself but what we believe about God and what He can do. Jerry, the former owner of the bible, said God told him, “if I can make oil drip from a bible—I can do anything”.

Life and Death

When They See Us

(Dedicated to the Central Park Five)

When they see us

They see our black

In our black…

They see worthless

They see bad

They see no good

They see unintelligible

They see dispensable

They fail to see a happy bright shining star

They fail to see us for who we really are

It’s not what they see

It’s what they are filled with…hatred

When they act on what they feel rather than look deep and really see

The light in the shining star begins to fade

And we cease to be who we really are

Our outlook turns to despair

And where we’re going turns out to be nowhere

When things get tough and hard

And we’re thrust into a world full of anger and void

Just hold on and look up

There is always the grace of God

He dwells with us in our terrible place—sets things in order

And cause His love and mercy to shine on our face

Righteousness is delivered to us on a silver platter

And in His eyes—what they see when they see us

…doesn’t really matter