Prisoner? or Free?

When I first saw this platform from the highway, I thought it was an observation tower at a prison.  It isn't.  It is part of a Zip Line that goes over an African Animal Reserve in Arizona.  (But, it is the only picture I have that would make someone think of a prison.)

I have been studying the Book of Hebrews.  In Chapter 13:3 it says:  "Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body."

That thought stuck in my mind - remember the prisoners.  Sometimes I feel like a prisoner.  Sometimes I don't want to be hospitable.  Sometimes I forget how easy my life is and how difficult those in the Middle East and places like Haiti have it.

I have called myself a "Christian" since I was 8 years old.  I have been able to study the Bible and  Doctrine and have an understanding of what being a Christian is about.  But, at different stages of my life I have been overwhelmed by my situation and forgotten to look for those who are in deep need.

The two sides of the coin are abundant life and tribulation.  God's Word gives us direction regarding both.  To be a Christian is to find out what Christ was doing here, then ask the Holy Spirit to create that purpose inside us.  I think maybe that is why Paul was "free" when he was "bound" in Rome.  His relationship with Jesus Christ gave him the freedom to help me find my place in this Body of Christ.

There are a lot of people locked inside themselves for various reasons.  I am asking the Holy Spirit to set me free from my phobias so that I can better fulfill this admonition found in Hebrews 13.

Have You Ever Kissed A Frog?

There is something about our imagination that can take something mediocre (or someone) and transform them into a prince.  It isn't until reality sets in that the mist over our eyesight is gone and we realize we have "kissed a frog".  It isn't easy to erase the frog image and get the prince back.

I did this to a car one time. Someone who was going to help me get an inspection on my car and I went to look at new Volkswagons.  Why? you ask?  I don't know, it was a good idea at the time.  The end result, I drove off that lot with a new car.  I was sick at my stomach.  My companion was excited!  I was terrified.  How was I going to pay for it?

I was attending Southern Bible College at the time and we had a redheaded business manager named Bro. McMullen.  I went into his office and explained my predicament.  Well, Super Dad McMullen went with me to that dealership and I drove out in my car!

That frog led me to a prince who delivered me from a situation I was not prepared to live with.  How often God has done that very thing for me!  He directs my steps and brings about deliverance out of a  place of debt that is not His plan.

Psalm 32:7 says, "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."  He used a special individual to help deliver me.

I have used eye drops more often through the years to ensure I recognized the frogs and didn't mistake them for a prince!  Sometimes it even worked!!

"Welcome Back!" said the Papa

 They were there waiting for us as we drove into the ranch. The road was muddy with ruts that almost took our SUV into a quagmire that would require a chain to pull us to the trailer.  It was phenomenal!  Glenda slapped it into first gear and put the gas peddle to the floorboard!  We wobbled and the wheels spun as the mud engulfed the car.

Gloria was on the edge of her seat gripping the handle with a steel determination.  Nancy sat quietly without emotion beside me in the back seat as I hung onto my purse.  Glenda slid and careened down the muddy road into the compound proper.  There they were.  The cattle were waiting to say hello and eat the corn that Matt had put in the road to make sure we had a reception.

It was three days of fun, food, new places and experiences.  We went to Sequin to Tavern on the Creek. It was decided before we left that we would order several items and divide them.  Some of the food was good, but the best part was returning home and watching Gloria make her famous pecan pie.  It was wonderful!

Wednesday we went to San Marcos to the Salt Grass on the college campus.  It is beside the river and as I munched on my grilled chicken and baked sweet potato, I could watch the river traffic float by.  Students lounged on the banks and reminded me of a distant time when I was younger and beginning adulthood.

For three years the four of us have come to this ranch.  We investigate the surrounding towns and enjoy the scenery and restaurants.  But the purpose of the trip is to see what God has for our future, There is such growth when there are others who are committed to helping you find your spiritual path and build that foundation you can stand on when needed.

Thank you to Gloria, Nancy and Glenda for being supportive and consistent in your love for me, your sister/friend,  Jer. 29:11

Haunted?

Clark Hall is gone now.  It was the dorm and cafeteria building for Southern Bible College, a Denominational College for The Pentecostal Church of God.  I arrived in the Fall of 1963.  I was young and excited to move out of my parents home and begin my journey into adulthood.  This would be one of the most influential seasons of my life.

I remember hearing the prayers of students as God would move in their hearts and lives all over the campus.  I loved this place and what I experienced during my time there.  It forged friendships and life lessons that have lasted.  I remember coming downstairs from my room as they were announcing the murder of John F. Kennedy.  The cafeteria was located just below my room.  My window was one of the two by the palm tree on the second floor.

This property is now a Half-way House.  Inmates from Huntsville head to 10950 Beaumont Hwy, Houston, Texas for interim housing until moving back into society.  My daughter began working at this location several years ago.  She tells this story...

Well, the residents of the facility talked about this building before it was torn down.  They said it was "haunted".

I remember the Holy Spirit moving in our lives over the years I was at SBC.  He moved in the Ad Building, the NEW cafeteria and always in the dorms. He moved especially in this dorm, as it housed so many of us as we worked our way through the curriculum that would give us the spiritual grounding to move into the future years of our lives.

Well, it was haunted.  But, it was inhabited by The Holy Spirit as He directed my life challenges, dreams and future plans.  Some things I did right.  Many times I failed.  But, this building stands as a remembrance of  those years God reached into my heart and forged a forever bond.

JOY

It was a hot summer afternoon on the West End of Galveston, Texas.  A breeze had cooled the air on the beach as the waves pushed in and out.  The water moved at a softer pace as the day wore on.  But the sheer joy of being so close to the Gulf never waned.

I sat watching Kamri watch the water.  At that moment I experienced pure joy.  I was content, happy, at peace and filled with the wonder of God's creation.  I have never felt as close to God or my family as at that dot in time.  

There are not many instances in life that one is completely content.  I can say that the majority of those ocurances, for me, have happened near the water.  There is something about the sound of the surf that relaxes my angst.  I can actually feel the tension leave my body when I drive up to the seawall.  Rolling down the windows, experiencing the breeze on my face, hearing the gulls and watching the pelicans glide overhead set everything in motion, releasing peace in my heart.

Funny, I can close my eyes and I am sitting there watching my granddaughter watch the surf.  That was several years ago, but it remains the same.  I can come to the water for healing,  Quenching my thirst for the Gulf is 15 minutes, 20 miles south for me.

In Rev, 7:16-17 Scripture speaks of never thirsting again.  There will be no scorching heat.  There will be springs of living water.  Think of it!  Eternal contentment. Eternal JOY.

                                                     

Sunrise on Lake Houston

Have you ever stopped and just thought of the beautiful gifts God has placed in your life?

I have spent four days with this view at my disposal.  I didn't see the sunrise everyday, but this one particular morning I was up at just the right time.  In fact, I was almost too late to get a good picture.  The sun was getting higher up in the sky and my phone caught the glare.

This gift embraces me with peace.  I can walk down to the water and feel the cares of life begin to melt away.  The breeze wraps itself around me as I watch the birds glide overhead.

Then, there are the deer.  They wait patiently for the feeders to go off, relaxing in the green grasses of the lawns of those who love the wild life and provide for them.

Every time I take a vacation at my friend's home, I realize how blessed I am to be able to enjoy the views provided.  God knows what we need and makes a way to give us that peaceful retreat just when it is most useful.

I am always amazed at His care as He brings about circumstances to make sure I am doing well.
God loves me so much that He gave friends who have resources that they share to make my life better!

Hopefully, I can return the friendship, Jer. 29;11

The World Through Cataracts...

Cataracts:

Ophthalmology:  an eye disease in which the lens becomes covered in an opaque film that affects sight, eventually causing total loss of sight.  It can be treated surgically by replacing the lens with an artificial implant.

I have cataracts.  Surgery will clear up my vision so that I possibly won't even need glasses.  It is a condition I have developed over the years.  The reason?  Aging.

I think this country has developed cataracts.  Things that were once black and white have now become fuzzy.  Definitions of right and wrong have been rewritten.  I don't think they have necessarily changed, but as our society has walked further and further away from respecting God and having a belief in Him, the definitions have been replaced with those adhered to throughout history by mankind who chooses to do what is right in his own eyes.

There is a cure.  But, I have to choose to undergo an uncomfortable surgery of the soul to see clearly.  When I accepted Jesus Christ, I began a spiritual surgery to remove the cataracts of political correctness and self fulfillment.  Being filled with His Spirit will remove the opaque moral issues and give me clarity of His will.

1 Corinthians 13:12  King James Version (KJV)

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

I like me better when I am under His guidance than the me I am when rattling around squinting, bouncing off walls,