LESSON FROM THE PINE TREES

The past couple of weeks while driving to work from Nashville to Adel, I have been watching the pine trees to see if they were going to display their annual celebration of Holy Week.  Two years ago they were spectacular!  Last year they formed their fingers pointing upward but I never saw them form into crosses.  It was a disappointment and a mystery.  I was afraid they weren't going to do it this year because I didn't see any signs.  Then, last week I noticed that the fingers had appeared on some of the trees I passed.  Yesterday I was delighted to see some of the trees were forming into crosses.  

Today is Thursday of Holy Week and my thoughts journeyed back to that eventful Thursday and Passover meal that has come to be called The Last Supper.  I pondered on the scene in my mind that I have formed from exegetical study and teaching of The Word of God for over twenty years.  Several things are prominent about that night.  One is that Jesus changed some things about the commanded feast of the Jews.  He gave the unleavened bread and wine new significance and said they were now to do it in remembrance of Him whenever they ate the bread and drank the wine. He told them that was the last time he would eat the bread and drink the wine until He had it in the kingdom of God.  He told them He would be betrayed, suffer death and be risen and meet them in Galilee. He told them He was going away to prepare a place for them in His Father's House and would come back and take all Believers to be with Him.
   

He also gave a new commandment to "love one another as I have loved you."   The reason for this is that while He is gone to His Father's House, The Father is sending His Holy Spirit to live in those who belong to Him until He comes back for them.  Therefore, loving one another as He loved is loving Him and being loved by Him!  That's why His Believers are called His Body.

Today as I was driving to work and thinking on these things, I watched the trees along the side of the road.  To my delight there were crosses forming.  At one point the trees were so beautiful that I just stopped my car and sat and looked and praised The Lord our Creator and our Savior along with them.

If you haven't seen this spectacular wonder, start looking up at the pine trees.  You will see the tips of their branches lifted like fingers and hands in praise to The Creator and announcing the coming of Easter and Passover.  They do this every year a couple of weeks before Easter!  Almost overnight the fingers will transform into crosses lifted toward Heaven reminding all of us of what our Creator God did to redeem us from the bondage of sin. Then the crosses become the new life on the tree. 

As the pine trees display their yearly message of telling us that Easter is coming...I wondered about mankind and our praise (especially those who have received the gift of salvation).  Are we pointing the world to the cross?  Are we demonstrating the new life of The Holy Spirit of God living within and helping us to love as He loved?

I stay amazed at the wonder of God and His creative genius!   May we demonstrate that He lives! ~Betty

"You are My witnesses, declares the Lord, that I am God." Isaiah 43:12

LIFE IS PRECIOUS!

On March 6, 2013 at 2:51 pm a perfect little girl was born.  She is so blessed because she was loved and wanted even before she was conceived!  The moment her parents learned they were going to have a baby, there was immediate joy resounding the news.  Soon we learned we would have another little girl join our families.  Her name was chosen to be Piper Jean Blanton; her middle name honoring three of her Great Grandmothers.  Great anticipation began as we all waited eagerly for 9 months to pass, each of us imagining how precious she was going to be.  All our excitement and joy was multiplied when we heard the first petite little cry and saw her perfectly formed healthy little body.  She was surrounded immediately with an overwhelming  outpouring of love being expressed by everyone.  As each one of us held her, our hearts were meshed with hers and we would never be the same again...she was ours! 

She is the first niece to 4 aunts and 1 uncle; the first grand baby to 4 grandparents; the first great grand baby to two grandparents.  She has lots of cousins and other aunts and uncles and grandparents as well. All who think she is very special!  I'd like for you to meet our Precious little Piper:

“Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn, whatsoever opens the womb...both of man and of beast;

it is Mine; saith the LORD.” 

Exodus 13:2

"Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord. and the fruit of the womb is his reward." 

Psalm 127:3

"Children's children are a crown to the aged..."  

Proverbs 17:6

Lord...You created the deepest parts of my being.

    You put me together inside my mother’s body.

¹⁴ 

How you made me is amazing and wonderful.

    I praise you for that.

What you have done is wonderful.

    I know that very well.

¹⁵ 

None of my bones was hidden from you

    when you made me inside my mother’s body.

    That place was as dark as the deepest parts of the earth.

When you were putting me together there,

your eyes saw my body even before it was formed.

You planned how many days I would live.

    You wrote down the number of them in your book

    before I had lived through even one of them.  

Psalm 139:13-16

As I saw the love and joy surrounding this new little life and reflected on God's Word about His heart and purpose,  I was also saddened as I realized that all babies are not loved and wanted such as this one.  I became overwhelmed with tears as I thought of the millions who were not wanted and were aborted.  It seems almost unbelievable that it is possible to be living in a world and time where life is so insignificant.  Just look at the statistics and weep with me: 

Statistics from AMERICAN LIFE LEAGUE

Abortions in the United StatesTotal number of abortions in the U.S. 1973-2011: 54.5 million+

234 abortions per 1,000 live births (according to the Centers for Disease Control)
Abortions per year: 1.2 million
Abortions per day: 3,288
Abortions per hour: 137
9 abortions every 4 minutes
1 abortion every 26 seconds
These statistics include only surgical and medical abortions. Because many contraceptive measures are abortifacients (drugs that induce or cause abortions), it is important not to overlook the number of children killed by chemical abortions. Since 1965, an average of 11 million women have used abortifacient methods of birth control in the United States at any given time. Using formulas based on the way the birth control pill works, pharmacy experts project that about 14 million chemical abortions occur in the United States each year, providing a projected total of well in excess of 610 million chemical abortions between 1965 and 2009.

Lord God, may you forgive us for allowing such a devastation to take place and for not standing up for these precious lives that didn't have someone loving and wanting them.  How can it be stopped?  What must we do?  

I LOVE TO DANCE

I was a teenager during the late 50’s and 60’s ~ Rock and Roll at its best and I loved it!  I danced more than I walked!  My Mama had a drive-in restaurant with a jukebox, and I danced!  I danced by myself, with strangers, my sister’s boyfriends, doorknobs…you get the picture.

We moved to Miami from Lake Okeechobee when I was 12 years old and we lived next door to a boy cousin that loved to dance as much as I did.  He was 2 years older.  We discovered we were very good.  So good that when I was 14 and he was 16 we were going to be on American Bandstand!  Can you even begin to imagine how exciting that was?  We were in proper attire (I had on 7 colorful crinolines), pumped, confident and on our way…my Daddy was driving us to Miami Beach where the telecasting was.  You’ve run ahead of me haven’t you?  You guessed it – we didn’t make it!  The car broke down in Miami traffic and two hours later we knew we were Has-Beens and our golden opportunity was lost forever!  That didn’t end our dancing craze though.  Larry was my dance date to two of my Proms because I didn’t want to go with some guy who didn’t know how to dance.

The summer following that nightmare, my friend Alice invited me to go to a Christian Camp at Miami Bible Institute.  That summer I met the Lord Jesus and gave Him my life.  I attended a Baptist church and you probably know that Baptists don’t smoke, drink, dance or chew nor go with those who do!  The preacher pointed out more than once the hazards of dancing as a Christian.  Now, I was a really sold out Christian and didn’t hide it; but I now had a huge problem.  I knew that I just couldn’t quit dancing on my own, so I prayed an honest prayer and told The Lord that if He didn’t want me to dance, He had to take the desire away….guess what?  I’ve never danced since!

Don’t jump to the conclusion that God is against dancing.  I asked Him if He didn’t want me to dance.  He knew I couldn’t be an effective witness for Him on the dance floor and gave me other environments that did give Him glory. 

Care to know about my Senior Prom?   I went with the love of my life at that time and you know what…he didn’t know how to dance!  I’ve had 3 husbands and knew it was acceptable to dance with my husband.  You guessed it – none of them danced! 

It’s now 50 years later and I should be too old to “cut the mustard” but somewhere in my physical construction there is still a beat yearning to be expressed in dance.  I even put on my bucket list an empty line that secretly has written:  I’d like to dance one more time with a really good partner who knows how to lead.

At this point I should have some clever ending to my dance story…and I do!  A couple of years ago I received one of those pass it on emails that was quite meaningful and had a catchy title:  Dancing With God.  How about I just let you read it and then you can come to your own conclusion about me and dancing…

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word..
I remember reading that doing God's will
is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that,
and lets the other lead,
Both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge
to the back
Or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness -  
Gentle guidance and skill .
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God,

followed by "U" and "I".
"God, "U" and "I" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
That I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
And mercies are upon you
on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
And to guide you through each season of your life.
If God has done anything for you in your life,
Please share this message with someone else.
Interceding in prayer is one of the best gifts
we give and receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
So let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance!

Proverbs 3:5~6 & John 15

IS IT LOVE OR LUST?

I couldn't let February be gone without my contribution and opinion on Love! I've been married and divorced three times, so that should give me some degree of authority on the subject...or not!  I was once told by a man that I highly respect that I could certainly tell others what not to do.  I have learned a lot and I'd like to share some of my sweet tidbits!

One of the first things I learned about love is that we don't have a good definition of what it is or what it means!  It can be a noun or a verb.  In other languages they have more than one word for love that describes it with greater meaning.  Ancient Greek has the words philia or phileo, eros,  agape, and storge.  These cover love of parent and child; friendship love; sensual love; love of things; love of ambitions and pure unconditional love, like God.

Is it love or lust?

LOVE  

What exactly is love?  Do you really love?  How do you know if it’s love that you feel?

It is not an emotion; it is a characteristic!  Love is permanent!  GOD is the Source and the expression of LOVE!

GOD IS LOVE.  -  Check out I John in His Word - it's found at the end of the Bible; I John, II John, III John, Jude, Revelation .

Love always wants what’s best for the other person!  Love provides, protects and keeps promises.  Keep this is mind because it applies with humans and God. 

“I love you!  Now; tomorrow; forever…even if you don’t love me back!  I will wait!  Love never ends!"

I Corinthians 13 describes Love.  See if it fits your description.  It is recommended that couples read this together and then pray together every night for the first six weeks of their marriage and they will have established a lasting foundation.

The Greatest Love was demonstrated by Jesus – unselfish; unconditional; for God’s glory!

Without God’s Love, you and I cannot love!  

Jesus said:  “Love one another.”

He said to Peter: “Peter, do you love Me?  Feed My sheep!”  His sheep would become His Body!

When we love one another, we love Him and He loves us!!

Love Is Forever!

LUST ~ A ravenous desire for something or someone

Lust always wants NOW!  Lust is always temporary  (“I don’t love you anymore!” “I need something better!”) 

Lust is totally self-centered.  Lust is never content or satisfied…it always wants more.  Lust gets what it wants by any means.  Lust always finds fault and is conditional love. ("I'll love you, if you....!")

It’s mine, what will you do for it!

It’s yours, I want it; give it to me!

What will be your choice - an imitation or the real thing?

Life's

Only

Valuable

Experience

TODAY MAY BE THE DAY!

Well Folks, tonight at church, when Daniel Crews powerfully sang Midnight Cry and Rick Coram preached from Matthew 24 on "Today May Be The Day" - I was expecting to hear the trumpet and the shout and be caught up to meet Him in the clouds!

 The signs indicate that He COULD come today!  When He does there will not be time to get ready!  NOW is the time!  Behold TODAY is the day of salvation!

 Matthew 24:36; 42; 44  “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only…  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come... Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”  I Thessalonians 4:16-18  “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”No one knows when; but it could be today!  I would love for it to be today, because I am ready and watching.  I pray that it’s not today because of all those who haven’t heard that they are redeemed and don’t have to die in their sins and spend an eternity in Hell with the Devil and his angels.  They have been freed.  Their debt has been paid by Jesus. They only have to believe it and repent (turn away from sin and turn to God) and receive a new life filled with The Holy Spirit of God!

 Jesus came to earth to redeem sinful mankind from an eternal death and separation from God The Creator.  He did that over 2,000 years ago.  He Left and went back to Heaven to prepare a place for those who believe they are redeemed and have a new life that is eternal with Jesus!  He is coming back just as He promised…and it could be today!  (John 14:1-3)*

 Please believe…repent…and receive eternal life…and be ready for His coming!  It is a matter of life and death – the choice is yours!

 *2 Peter 3:8-10a ”But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…”

 It has been said by some theologians that this could be significant with creation and the end.  Seven days of Creation = 7 thousand years!  Creation was actually 6 days and God rested on the 7^th day.  Biblical history has the timeline of 4,000 years from Adam to Jesus.  Since Jesus we have completed 2,000 years, that would equal 6,000 years or six God days!  The Millennial reign of Jesus on earth for 1,000 years would be the 7^th day of rest.  This 1,000 years begins at the end of the seven years of Tribulation.  Do the math…….

 Maranatha!  Even so, come Lord Jesus!

 MIDNIGHT CRY
I hear the sound
Of a mighty rushing wind
And it’s closer now
Than it’s ever been
I can almost hear the trumpet
As Gabriel sounds the call
At the midnight cry we’ll be going home.
Chorus:
When Jesus steps out
on a cloud to call His children
The dead in Christ shall rise
To meet Him in the air
And then those that remain
Will be quickly changed
At the midnight cry (at the midnight cry)
When Jesus comes again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GDefLJHg0I

WHAT DOES GOD WANT ME TO DO?

Back in the '80's I was involved in Lay Renewal Weekends.  As I was looking for some material from those times, I came across this outline for how to spend time alone with God seeking for personal spiritual awakening and renewal.  I had printed it out to share with my Sunday School class and didn't have time to hand it out.  I was delighted to hear the evangelist this morning challenging us to seek personal, passionate revival.  I thought I would share this with you as I did with others at lunch today.  I pray that each of us will get alone and delight The Lord, and we get cleaned up, renewed, awakened and revived to be all that He has planned for us...individually and as His Body.~Betty

Quiet Time

Alone with God

What Does God Want Me to Do?

Spend the next hour and read slowly through this Meditation. Before you start, ask God to speak to you during this hour.

Just as you have done before, first you need to confess all known sin to the Lord. 
Read Proverbs 28; 13; I John 1: 8-9; Psalm 51: 1-6

Three kinds of sin must be confessed :

1.      Private – Against God alone – must be confessed to God alone

2.      Personal – Sins against others. There can be no peace until this sin is confessed to God.

3.      Public – Sins against the church, the Body of Christ….gossip, tale bearing, wrong & negative attitudes, whisperings, lack of involvement etc. James 4: 1

Am I too concerned with things?

Are there any habits I should forsake?

Are my thoughts pure?

What reading and listening material am I putting into my mind?

Should I be eliminating some of these things and replacing them with things of God ? Such as His word? 

II Timothy 3: 16-17

Am I faithful to my wedding vows? In deed and in thoughts?

Have I asked God’s help?   James 4: 2c

If these are not confessed, we cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit and we cannot make progress in understanding God’s plan for our lives or the way He has gifted us.

Remember the marvelous grace of God.

God has promised to forgive every confessed sin. Read Isaiah 1: 18, 44: 21-22; Hebrews 8: 12;  
Hebrews 10: 17; I John 1: 7,9

Do not despair….God loves you!  John 3: 16;  II Corinthians 4: 7-8

At this time, are you giving all that you are aware of to the Lord?

What are you holding back? Why are you holding back?

Read Galatians 5: 22-23 The fruit of the Spirit shows your maturity. Are you seeing fruit appearing in your life? What about love, joy, peace ( John 14: 27), patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control?

Which one of these is your biggest challenge as you grow as a Christian ?

As the Fruit of the Spirit appear, they become evidence that God’s Holy Spirit is beginning to take control in your life. How much evidence is there for you? 

Is it possible that God is waiting patiently for you to look closely at your life and take a new step of faith? 

I Peter 2: 9

Do you have any idea what that new step of faith might look like for you ? Hebrews 5: 11-12

Who might be someone you could trust to help hold you accountable for change ?  

Will you ask them today ?

Read Romans 12: 1,2

This passage brings to the surface several thoughts which are worthy of your attention

1. Paul says that you must make your life a life of sacrifice to others; that this would be the logical or reasonable thing for you to do if you understood what Jesus has done for you.

Do you come here today having already made that decision to live with God’s purposes living in you or are you still living with your purposes driving what you do? This is the key! You must make this decision or you will not make much progress understanding His will for you. 

Are you ready now to make that decision?  What holds you back?

2. Once you make this decision to make your life a life of sacrifice to others, you will no longer conform or look like those around you. As God’s purposes begin to drive you, your priorities will be different. You will be motivated towards different goals. Your styles, conduct, aspirations, ideas, habits, speech and mannerisms will all be affected.

What about your conduct? Does it look like those around you?

Do you find the same things are funny as those around you or are you uncomfortable with some things that others find humorous?

What about your habits, your speech; Is it different than those you associate with? 
I Corinthians 13: 11; I John 2: 15

God’s thoughts and ways are far beyond our ability to fully understand. Yet, scripture does give us a glimpse into God’s thoughts and desires. He has called us to forsake our worldly thought patterns and assumptions and learn instead His principles for life. By saturating our minds with God’s Word, we begin to see both God’s message and God’s methods. We consider such questions as these : How has God worked in history? How does He work in our lives?  What are the great concerns of God’s heart? What should be our concerns? Are they the same? Why not?

3.      This is the transformation the scripture talks about.

It takes place from the inside out. Now, you will be able to see God’s will for your life begin to emerge. Jeremiah 29:11

For you see :

You have no right to ask, “What is your will for my life Lord or “What is my ministry,” unless you are ready to do it – are you ?

You have no right to ask, “What Spiritual Gift have you given me Lord,” unless you are ready to use it for His purposes – are you?

Surrender your will to Him – He knows your heart 

You are giving yourself to one who loves you, who knows you, the future, the past, all about you, His will is best for you. It is good, acceptable and perfect for you!

Do not be afraid.

Take a step towards the darkness – and you will have more light!

Praying for more light is wrong if we are unwilling to act on the light we have.

Read John 17: 18 

Do you have a sense of being sent into the world? Pray for that. 

Now, take a few moments to write down how this meditation has been revealing to you. 

I Thessalonians 3: 12-13

Pray that many of your church members may come to an understanding of their giftedness and that many of them will step forward to serve Him thereby discovering His will for their lives.   

THE OLD PATHS

This is a refreshing look at the good 'ole days that it would seem are only memories for those who had the privilege to live and experience them.  Oh, how I miss them.  I suppose to the younger generation, they must sound boring and obsolete; even funny.  To those of us who knew this life, it is precious.  I share for those who may enjoy the journey back in time when life really was good! ~Betty

THE OLD PATHS 

 I liked the old paths, when 

 Moms were at home. 

 Dads were at work. 

 Brothers went into the army. 

 And sisters got married BEFORE having children! 

  

Crime did not pay; 

 Hard work did; 

 And people knew the difference. 

Moms could cook; 

Dads would work; 

Children would behave.. 

Husbands were loving; 

Wives were supportive; 

And children were polite.

 Women wore the jewelry; 

And Men wore the pants. 

Women looked like ladies; 

Men looked like gentlemen; 

And children looked decent. 

People loved the truth, 

And hated a lie; 

They came to church to get IN, 

Not to get OUT! 

  

Hymns sounded Godly; 

Sermons sounded helpful; 

Rejoicing sounded normal; 

And crying sounded sincere. 

  

Cursing was wicked; 

Drinking was evil; 

and divorce was unthinkable. 

  

The flag was honored; 

America was beautiful; 

And God was welcome! 

We read the Bible in public; 

Prayed in school; 

And preached from house to house 

To be called an American was worth dying for; 

To be called a Christian was worth living for; 

To be called a traitor was a shame! 

Sex was a personal word. 

Homosexual was an unheard of word, 

And abortion was an illegal word.

Preachers preached because they had a message; 

And Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY! 

Preachers preached from the Bible; 

Singers sang from the heart; 

And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!

A new birth meant a new life; 

Salvation meant a changed life; 

Following Christ led to eternal life. 

  

Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God; 

Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord; 

Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus; 

And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you! 

  

Laws were based on the Bible; 

Homes read the Bible; 

And churches taught the Bible. 

  

Preachers were more interested in new converts, 

Than new clothes and new cars. 

God was worshiped; 

Christ was exalted; 

and the Holy Spirit was respected. 

Church was where you found Christians 

on the Lord's day, rather than in the garden, 

on the creek bank, on the golf course, 

or being entertained somewhere else. 

  

I still like the old paths the best!  

  "The Old Paths" was written by a retired minister 

who lives in Tennessee.