The Holy Spirit*

The Holy Spirit is a big part of my life. He counsels me, encourages me, edges me on to do what is right; He even helps me to not give into what is wrong. I am not perfect. I didn’t say I always obeyed Him. I wish I did, yet I strive to obey Him.

Thinking or hoping God didn’t just ask me to do something I don’t want to do; I tend to argue with Him. I always say, “but God...” and then I hear this voice in me that repeats what he wants me to do. I try to obey, but many times I fail the test. Please don’t take this the wrong way, now I am not saying I am hearing voices so please do not carry me away in a straight jacket...lol.. Let me make this clear; I hear ONE voice, the Voice of GOD...The Voice of the Holy Spirit prompting, nudging, and sometimes even pushing me to do what is right. Yes, I said "pushing" because I can be stubborn at times, or even scared, have too much pride, embarrassed, or just plain don't want to do what He asks. 

My precious cat: Buttons

Yet I notice that He always blesses me each time I obey Him. He doesn't give me a hundred bucks each time I obey Him, but He blesses me in different ways. Sometimes it is through a friend, a child's laughter, a beautiful sunset, or even helping me manage my bills, supplying my needs, helping me with good deals at the store, etc... There are even those times that I feel blessed through my cat Buttons. As I am typing this right now, he is scooping up water with his paw and bringing it to his mouth to drink. Aww, he is so cute, but let's get back to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit also gives me the strength and power to help me overcome temptations. I hear this quiet voice, that tells me to not give in, and it is my choice to obey Him. I can’t blame it on the devil, an enemy or even a family member. If I don’t do what the Holy Spirit asks, then I am the one sinning. I believe it is very important to listen and obey the Holy Spirit’s voice, for it is the Voice of GOD.

The Holy Spirit is like a big brother without all the teasing, but yet He is greater than any big brother or person out there, for He is God. He is always watching out for me and He can do the same thing for you. Yet greater than all that, He is a part of the Trinity. The Trinity is God in three: The Father, the Son (Jesus), and The Holy Spirit.

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PART OF THE TRINITY

The easiest way to describe it is the way one of my former pastors from 20 years ago taught me. The Holy Spirit is like a watch. If you look at a watch that you used to wear on your wrist, before they invented cell phones, you would notice that there are three hands. There is the second hand, the minute hand, and the hour hand. There are 3 different hands with 3 different functions, yet all three make up the watch. That’s how it is with God. There is the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. There are three, yet they have different roles and they all make up God.

Read Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

 I have read and skimmed over the 1^st Chapter of Genesis many times, yet I didn’t think anything differently about verse 26 until I was in my late 20’s. It already says that God made the light, the animals, the sky, the stars, etc... He made everything...All those verses talk about what God did. Yet in verse 26, it says, let “US” make mankind in “OUR” image. So who are they talking about in this verse? I believe it is talking about God as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God always existed. Jesus has always been the son of God which is part of the trinity. He wasn’t created the day He was born on this earth thousands of years ago. He already existed, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

John 1:1-5  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS GOD. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Word was Jesus. Jesus was in the beginning, Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. It says all things were made through Him (Jesus). He was there even when God made all things.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR HELPER (COMFORTER) and is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH

John 14:16-18  NKJV   And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

(If you look at the above verses, notice how The Father, the Son, and the Spirit work as a team. They are God, yet they all help each other out in helping us. They all have a different role. Also In verse 16, different translations of the Bible have different words for Helper, such as in the newer NIV version, for Helper, it says “advocate,” in the KJV: “Comforter.”

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR COUNSELOR, TEACHER, and HE EVEN HELPS US REMEMBER THINGS

In verse John 14:25-26  “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. "

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and will remind you things. Yes, in these particular verses, Jesus is actually face to face with the disciples and is telling them to not worry, they won't be left alone. The Holy Spirit is coming to town!!! Can you imagine, what these disciples were thinking? I would be distraught or devastated too if I was walking with a form of God (Jesus came down as man) and then He is telling me He is leaving. Yet He told them to be comforted because another form of God is coming down to them who is the Holy Spirit. Now this verse applies to us as well. because the Holy Spirit is our counselor and teacher, and will bring to our memory what you have read or heard from the Bible. The Bible is the written word of God.

OUR FATHER GOD SENT DOWN A GIFT who is THE HOLY SPIRIT.

In Luke 24:49 Jesus is telling his disciples that His Father (God) has promised Him that He will send them a comforter.

Acts 1:4-5   On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

So not only will they be anticipating a gift, but this gift will give them a baptism of the Holy Spirit.

THE EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS SPEAKING IN TONGUES AND YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT

Acts 1:5,8  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit... But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:1-5  When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

It says: all began to speak in tongues. It doesn’t say, some of them, or only the ones that God chose, it says all of them began to speak in tongues when the Holy Spirit was upon them. Also it does mention that they spoke in other tongues when they were enabled by the Spirit.

(NOTE: The day of Pentecost was a Jewish holiday called The Feast of Weeks. Many Jews came from all around to have a celebration).

Acts 2:18-19, 21 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. ¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heaven above...²¹ And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

The Holy Spirit is for you and I.

RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT IS FOR ANYONE WHO REPENTS OF THEIR SINS (AND is BAPTIZED) AND RECEIVES JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR.

Acts 2:36-40   “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” ³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off —for all whom the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Peter is the one speaking in the scripture above. (refer to Acts 2:14).
So Peter is telling them, this Jesus you crucified, the one you killed, He is the one that is God; He is the Christ. Can you imagine that moment; thinking that you just killed God? Thankfully He rose again, but can you imagine hearing those words; You crucified the Christ, God. If I was there with Peter, I think my heart would have sank into my big toe and my head would have been spinning so much i would have thrown up. I would have those words in my memory forever and probably would have played them like a broken record. "God had made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
Thankfully Peter also says that there is a way to overcome this. He says: Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ... for the forgiveness of your sins.  Webster's New World dictionary defines the word "repent" as to feel such great regret over as to change one's mind.  Jesus Christ saves our souls...Wow, have you really thought about that lately? Christ forgives us of the sins we do. What sin have you done recently? Each time we are sinning, it's as though we are nailing Jesus to the cross again....

Matthew 28:16-20     Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus has authority!!! He is always with us!!!

Titus 3:3-8     At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ⁸ This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

God saved us, cleansed us, and renewed us through the Holy Spirit and Jesus.

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

John 16:5-15 but now I (Jesus) am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. ⁷ But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because people do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. ¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

 The Holy Spirit guides you... He will talk to you... He may whisper in your ear, speak to you through a person, be real to you in a sermon or song, or just speak to your heart, mind, soul, or spirit. The Holy Spirit is a vital part to your relationship with God. He is our counselor, comforter, friend, teacher, guidance counselor; He is so much more than you can ever imagine.

LIFE THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

Romans 8:1-17  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  

(Note: I believe in previous times, people had to follow the law; they had to do all those burnt offerings and sacrifices so that God would forgive them. It was an act of repentance. We don't need to follow those laws anymore, because Jesus was the ultimate sin offering. When Jesus Christ  died for our sins, he was OUR sin offering. He died for us to be set free. JESUS was the ULTIMATE SIN OFFERING.)

⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.


(Note: Usually what your flesh wants, is totally different than what your spirit wants. Seek what the Holy Spirit wants for you; die to your flesh. For example, try thinking about turning off the tv when your favorite program is on, and it's the season finale, better yet, it's the last, final show they will have. Now, think about praying instead. Do you think your flesh wants to turn off the tv. No Way, it wants to sit and watch that tv program. Dying to your flesh, is turning off the tv, and praying. What does the Holy Spirit want in your life? How can you seek Him more? What is your spirit crying out to do for God? Has God put something on your heart that He wants you to do?)


⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.


The Spirit gives life.
Children of God are lead by the Spirit of God. They are heirs of God, and Co-heirs of Christ. Think of yourself as a co-heir in Christ. I don't know about you, but that just totally excites me. I am an heir of God; my destiny is heaven. I will live with God for eternity...wow, how exciting. It just gives me holy goose bumps.
Now just think, you get rewarded with this too. No, I am not talking about receiving Holy goose bumps; I am talking about living in Heaven for eternity. This destination is for believers in the true God. Just take a moment to think how glorious that day will be when you will see the face of God without any filters.

I like to think of myself as God's princess. He is God, the Lord of my life, the King of kings, the Prince of Peace...He is Royalty!!!
If I am His child and have an inheritance to Heaven, then I am His princess for He is Royalty.





We serve a God who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient...Thank you GOD!!!

You are a child of God, when you accept Christ as your personal saviour.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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Psalms 103:12 As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

All you have to do is believe that He is God and confess your sins...He will forgive you of your sins...and then clean you up to make you brand new... Once God forgives you of your sins, He doesn't condemn you; He removes them...that's it...


I am enclosing a prayer for each of you.

Dear God,
For all those who have read this blog, I pray you bless them and give them a sweet anointing on their lives. May they feel your presence in a strong way. May they sense you are so much greater than our minds can comprehend. Please bless them, strengthen them, and may they just feel you tugging and hugging on their soul and spirit. May you be their source of strength and peace. 

For those who do not know Christ as their savior, I pray that they feel your sweet, unconditional love and they will acknowledge you as their savior. May they know that you are the Ultimate God, and all they have to do is confess you as Lord and savior and repent of their sins.  In Jesus name, Amen






note: all pictures and paintings are by Expressive Praise, unless otherwise noted. 

Oh No Lord, Can I Start Over?*

Have you ever done something that you wished you had not done? Have you wished you could go back in time to erase what you did, and then start over and do the right thing? Have you done something that even people said that you might do if you stay on the path that you are on, but you didn’t listen to them? And you ended up doing the exact thing that you denied you would do? Boy, I have. Sometimes, I so wish I could go back in time, and change all of my mistakes or sins I have committed, and make everything right.

That’s what happened to Peter. No, I am not talking about your neighbor who cut you off while you were trying to park your car. I am talking about the Peter who was Jesus’ disciple in the Bible and was also his friend.  If you read Matthew 26:31-75, you will find that Jesus tells Peter that Peter will deny Jesus three times and then the rooster will crow. I can picture Peter thinking, I am his friend; I would never do such a thing. Never. Not even once. How could he think that I would ever deny him, my friend and master, three times? I feel hurt that he would feel that way. In the NIV Bible, it replaces the word deny for disown. Can you imagine any worse thing than to deny or disown Jesus? Jesus says that Peter will disown him THREE times. That same day, Jesus takes the disciples to Gethsemane where Jesus prays and his so called friends and disciples fall asleep. Then a little bit later, Jesus is arrested in that garden.

Now Jesus is before the Sanhedrin, which is the highest Jewish court in Roman times. The Sanhedrin say that Jesus is worthy of death. So as you can see, this is an intense meeting. He gets convicted and the result will be the death penalty, but He hasn't done anything wrong. Even though Jesus is God, he came down in human form. He knows what pain and sadness is. He could really use some friends right about now. Peter is in the courtyard listening to what the Sanhedrin are saying when he does the unthinkable. People start approaching him and asking him if he knew Jesus and was he a follower of Jesus. He says “no,” not once, not twice, but three times.” The rooster starts crowing and Peter remembers what Jesus had told him earlier. Peter feels horrible. He had done the exact thing Jesus said he would do. He denies Jesus three times. I can imagine him running to hide his face while weeping profusely until his eyes are blood shot and swollen.  I can see him replaying over and over and over the denials of Jesus, the rooster crowing, and the words Jesus had spoken to him earlier that day. His heart aches. The story doesn’t end there.  

Jesus dies and on the 3^rd day he resurrects. He doesn’t go to Heaven right away.  In John 21, Simon Peter and his friends go fishing. They catch absolutely nothing. Not even a teeny, tiny sardine. The next morning, a man stands at the shore and tells the guys to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. So they probably thought, “Well it wouldn’t hurt.” So they did it. The next thing you know is that the net is filled to capacity of fish. Not just any fish, large fish and 153 to be exact. At this time, all of them realized that the man was their Lord, Jesus. They all go to Jesus and have breakfast of fish and bread with Him. Remember, Peter had previously disowned Jesus three times. Jesus could have thought, “You know Peter, you are not invited because when I needed you the most, you denied even knowing me.” But Jesus didn’t; he includes him for breakfast. He talks with him. He fellowships with him.

John 21:15, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?”

Jesus: “...do you truly love me more than these?”

            Peter: “Yes Lord. You know that I love you.”
            Jesus: “Feed my lambs.”

            Jesus: “...do you truly love me?”

            Peter: “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.”
            Jesus: “Take care of my sheep.”

            Jesus: “...do you love me?”

            Peter: “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
            Jesus: “Feed my sheep.”

After the third time that Jesus asked him the question, Peter is feeling frustrated. He’s probably thinking, “Lord, you know that I love you; why do you keep asking me. I totally love you undeniably.” But remember before Jesus was executed, Peter denied him three times.  Maybe Jesus is counteracting the fact that Peter denied him three times, so he asks Peter how much does he really love him, and reinstated him.  Not only does Jesus forgive him, he spends time with him, and reinstates him. No, the story doesn’t even end there.

 Jesus could have said, “you know Peter, you denied me three times, I don’t want to have anything to do with you.” But he doesn’t do this. He includes him with all the disciples each time Jesus appears to them before he goes to Heaven. He even allows Peter to be there during the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28:16-20. This is where Jesus tells the disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...” So Jesus includes Peter, to go out and minister to people. He is basically saying, “You denied me, but I forgive you. I know your heart; I know you love me. You were weak and now you are strong.  I want to include you to help me spread the gospel.” The story keeps going...

 
If you read in Acts 2:1 - 5:40, you will see that Peter is a leader, heals the sick, ministers to people and does even more. Even though he screwed up big time, and he couldn’t change the past no matter how hard he tried; he was still used for God’s kingdom to further the gospel. In the Bible, you can read more stories about many people who screwed up, yet God used them in mighty ways to do mighty things, after they repented.  (Repent is to feel sorry for; to change our mind and actions to not do it again).

 Dear God, help us lean on you when we commit sins we have done, temptations we succumb to, flawed characters that need fixed, and other things that we do that we wish we could reverse time and go change them. We can't change the past, but we can accept your grace as we repent. Lord forgive us as we change from the mistakes and sins we commit. Help us to keep moving forward when we do things that we horribly regret like denying you three times. Lord give us strength to live the life you want each of us to live and help us be a blessing to each other and especially to you, God. In Jesus' Name...AMEN


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Happy New Year 2012*

I pray you have goals that you will accomplish, tasks that you will complete, and dreams to keep you going and give you hope of something to look forward to. May you always be willing to grow, learn, and be taught.

This year could be the end of your life on earth or it could be a beginning of great things to come. This year could hold tragedy in your life or it could be the happiest, joyful year you could ever imagine. No matter what it is, I challenge you to have a relationship with the true God. Because WITH Him, there is true hope, true peace, true joy, and true love that is with Him. He is also someone to lean on, to get strength from, and to depend on when you need someone through hard times. May God guide your footsteps to do HIS will and may you be a willing vessel to do what is in HIS plan for your life.

I pray a blessing over you and your family that you will find peace, comfort, and joy. I pray you have an awesome year and may this be the best year of your life. May you have a wonderful, blessed year in 2012. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Does This Ever Happen to You?*

On Tuesday, I started oil painting a dove while I had the windows opened to circulate the air so I don't intake too many paint or paint cleaner fumes. One of my neighbors wanted me to paint a picture of a dove to represent the Holy Spirit. I thought that was an awesome idea, plus it helped that she's paying me to paint it. Even though I was praising God and praying over this art canvas, I spent too many hours in one day painting. As I finished for the day, I am just exhausted. But for some reason, I picked up a mirror I have in my "art studio" and tried to move it. I say my "art studio" because I have a spot in my living room that I decided is my place to do my artwork and I named it "Expressive Praise" (formerly known as Teensy's Art) Studio. The mirror hit a picture on the wall. The picture fell and collided with my head. So now I think, I definitely have to go to the chiropractor on Wednesday. I was hoping to sleep in on Wednesday, but I had to go to my chiropractor afterall. Luckily I did, because my neck was out of whack and totally had to be readjusted. No problem, this was nothing compared to all the other stuff that's hit me in the head; like the 20 lb box that fell on my head in 1995. For all you new friends of mine, I won't tell you what was inside. lol

On Wednesday, I was standing near the bench waiting for the bus. I purposely did not sit on the bench because there was a puddle on the bench due to the sprinklers. When I saw the bus, I grabbed my bag and walked up the stairs. As I sat down, I noticed I had water dripping down my leg. I knew I already used the bathroom, and I know I don't have a problem with that anyway. lol.  Then I sat down. I wiped the outside of my waterproof grocery bag. A puddle of water is now on the seat and one on the floor. I thought, I must have had my bag on the bench. Then I look in the bag and notice my water bottle's lid was not completely tightened. Oh well, I think. Then I go on my merry day, yet I am kind of embarrassed because it kind of looks like I couldn't wait to go to the bathroom. Oh well, it will dry, I think.

Wednesday night, I have to heat up a hot pack for my achy muscles. So I throw it in the microwave. I timed it for 1 minute...so I thought. I am talking on the phone in my bedroom, and I thought that I am smelling cigarette smoke. But I never smelled it that strong in my apartment before. (I don't smoke, but my neighbor's do). Then it's getting stronger. Than something smells like it's burning. I go to the kitchen that is filled with smoke, turn off the microwave and take out the heating pack. All the rice is charred, stuck together, and is on the outside of the hot pack. I guess it had exploded. So I dumped the whole thing into the trash. Then I realized, wait, I don't want anything else to catch on fire. So I grab it and throw it in the sink and turned on the faucet. Smoke is everywhere now. I am now coughing and trying to air out the smoke. I don't burn food; I burn hot packs.

Then Thursday, Thanksgiving morning, I throw my oatmeal, water, and cinnamon in the microwave as I get ready. I put my apple sauce, almond milk, and almonds in it after it cooks. I eat a couple of bites. Then I notice I have something on my spoon that I didn't add to the oatmeal. I look at it and I am thinking did the pages of my Bible come apart because I see "God" typed on this paper. I keep looking at it and laugh as I read, "Let God surprise you." I just laughed and said, "okay, God, I am waiting." I had previously cut that little sentence out of a magazine one day and placed it on my fridge, but I never knew that it would surprise me and make me laugh so hard. I don't have any idea how it got in my oatmeal but it was too funny.

Today, My friend and I went to the Thanksgiving meal my church provided. We were so grateful that it was actually on Thanksgiving day. It was a delicious meal and the people were so friendly. I was so grateful to be a part of this gathering. After we played games, they let us take home as much food as we wanted since there was so many leftovers. So I piled my containers of food into that same waterproof bag I had on the bus along with my umbrella. My friend and I walked to my house. I carried the food and he carried the empty dishes that I had leftover from the special (non dairy) mashed potatoes and homemade chocolate chip cookies I had brought over to the church for the meal. As I was putting away the food, I noticed the gravy had spilled onto my blue umbrella and down to the bottom of the bag. I rinsed it off and I figured I would attend to it later. Later I decided, that bag has been through enough, so I gave it a farewell greeting to the trash can.

A few minutes ago, I grab my checkbook to pay a bill online. I notice it's wet. I look in my purse and the only other thing that is moist is some important papers. I am thinking "Okay, how did that happen," and then I remember about Wednesday morning. I chuckle a little bit. O well, if I cried about everything that ever happened to me that was unpleasant, I would never want to smile. So now  I have to air out my checkbook and the other papers so they will dry. I still have to keep the windows open because of the paint fumes, and not to mention the smell of smoke that is in my house. The air exhaust fan above the stove is on to take away the smoke smell, the ceiling fan is circulating to help the paint fumes, the air purifier is on to re-clean my air, and one more fan is on to dry the oil painting. Brr and now I am bundled up and want the heater on. lol Anyone know how to get the burned smell out of a microwave? So does this kind of stuff happen to you? lol

Well I had an awesome day on Thanksgiving day. I had a delicious Thanksgiving meal with friends at my church. I even won a prize. It reminded me of that note that fell in my oatmeal.
Even though today was Thanksgiving, it felt so much like Christmas because of the genuine love I felt among friends at church. I am totally excited of all the things that God is doing in my new life. I am enjoying my church family. I am so blessed to have found this church. I am grateful for the emotional and Spiritual growth I had at my previous church and now I look forward to all the great things in store for my new church. and Yes, I will always have crazy things in my life to give me something to blog about; I will always have God loving me; and I will always continue to grow! Thank you God for wonderful memories and crazy experiences in my life. God bless.

A Promise is a Promise*

Sunday, I went to The Ark. Yes, it's true. I found Noah and we are traveling back in time. All those animals were pretty hungry, so Noah decided it was my job to feed them, uggh...not my cup of tea. The smell of the elephants and camels were too much for me to bear with my strong sense of smell. After I talked to God about it, he gave me one of those filtered masks to wear. It made it much easier for me to breathe. He told me to spend time with all of the animals, and not just the monkeys. Although I did like to look at the spider monkeys; they so fascinated me.

Even though God told me to spend time with ALL the animals, I would not go near anything that looked or smelled like a bug or reptile. I left that up to Noah. I had to draw the line somewhere. Well maybe that's why God didn't choose for me to be on the ark. I have way too many allergies and stubbornness. He probably thought, "Nope, I cannot picture Teensy (a.k.a. Tanya) on the Ark, she just wouldn't make it out alive”. Lol

Well actually my new church is called "The Ark." If you look up at the ceiling in the sanctuary, it may resemble of what Noah's ark might have looked like. I know the church just changed its name to the Ark so I am pretty sure the ceiling had nothing to do with it, but sometimes my imagination takes the best of me.

Okay, so I went to church Sunday and the pastor talked about covenants with God. He had mentioned about how God may make a promise with you personally, but you should wait on God’s timing for the promise to come to pass. He said don’t do like Abraham and Sarah did. Don’t try to make God’s promise come to pass in your own way.
   

I will start out with Genesis 12; God tells Abram that he will make him a great nation. But Abram’s probably thinking: I am 75 years old, childless, and how can I make a great nation without children or descendents. Sarai didn’t feel that God would make Abram a father through her so she tells her hubby, “hey I’m old and gray, and way, waaaay up there in years. God won’t let me have children, so here is my maidservant. Go marry her, and have a child like God said even though it’s not happening with me.” (Okay she probably said it a little differently).

Abram says "okay, if I must. I mean God said he would give me a son. Right? So I have to do my ‘duty.’ It’s not going to happen unless I do something about it.” (emphasis is mine, again.)  

Notice that he didn’t stop, and say: “I love you; I don’t want to “sleep” with anyone else.” He goes and marries the lovely Hagar. I am sorry, but with a name like Hagar, I am picturing an ugly witch with a wart on a long nose. Hagar doesn’t sound pretty to me. Lol Abram gets married, has a honeymoon with his new wife, than out pops a baby 9 months later.  Sarai is bitter, and hurting. I can almost understand her pain, of wanting a child so badly, yet seeing someone else with a baby. It is very hard. Although she did put it on herself when she told her hubby to go have a baby. But now she’s so bitter, that she is mistreating Hagar.

In Genesis 17, God tells Abram,

“As for me, this is my covenant with you; You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram, your name will be  Abraham. For I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful...As for you, you must keep my covenant... As for Sarai, your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai, her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations...” 

Here’s my favorite part.  Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “will a son be born to a man of 100 years old. Will Sarah bear a child at the age of 90?”

God told Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child. Well they weren't exactly at the childbearing age of 70, I mean 40 years or under. I mean Sarah may have been around 89 and Abraham about 99 years old. Can you imagine having a child at that age? I mean nowadays that's at your death bed, or umm...about to get your ticket to heaven, hopefully. If you know what I mean. Well they might have laughed, but maybe they were a little scared. Can you imagine a 90 yr old lady pregnant? She probably couldn't or didn’t want to think of it. I wonder if she still had the aches and pains of an older lady and dealing with pregnancy too! Was she having a hard time walking with a walker made out of rods and rocks? Being pregnant might have seemed like a big joke. Did they have C-section’s back then?  Probably not.

Genesis 21 it says that the Lord was gracious to Sarah and gave her what he promised. She became pregnant and bore a son to her hubby in his old age. He named him Isaac. I like what Sarah says: “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” So she finally gets her baby; she is 100 years old now, and breastfeeding. Yes, Sarah, we can laugh with you; it doesn’t seem possible, but what God promised, he had it come to pass.

So many times we try to do things on our own. When God promises us things, we do what we can to make it come to pass. It’s like when I bought an emergency window ladder the other day. I had priced some of them online for $100 -$200 dollars. Well I found one at the second hand store for $10.  Instead of saving my money and waiting to buy one, I saw what I thought was a great deal. Well I purchased this ladder. It only is for 2 story buildings. I live in a 3 story building. I figured, just maybe I can jump down the ladder one more story. It was actually a useless purchase for me and I wasted my money. There is no way I can use that ladder if there was a fire at my apartments. So instead of waiting and buying a better one, I am stuck with one that doesn’t do what I need it to do.
We need to wait on God’s promises. When God promises us something, He will do it. We just have to be patient, and not try to make the promise happen like Abraham and Sarah did by trying to have a baby through their maidservant or me trying to buy an emergency ladder that is one story too short.
Did God promise you something special? Something that is just for you? Or maybe did he promise something for your family? I know that God has personally promised me things in my own life that haven’t come to pass yet, but I have to do my best and wait and not try to make the promise happen on my own. We have to let them go, yet have faith and hope that they will come to pass, in God’s timing. Even if we have to wait until we are 100 years old for the promises to be fulfilled, it will be worth the wait, when God’s involved.  

Made It to the Art Gallery*

Wow, time sure flies. Christmas will be here before we know it. I can not believe September is here. I have been busy with art projects and have a love for it in my life.   To me, oil painting is challenging but it keeps my mind focused. I love to listen to the Christian radio station and sing praises to God while I paint an abstract picture or a scenery.  I have submitted some artwork at a nearby Art Association.

I am a newbie, so my paintings look minimal to the extravagant, gorgeous $1000 oil paintings that are near it at the art gallery.  I have seen gorgeous paintings and met some amazing artists who totally inspire me.

Who would have thought that I would be submitting artwork at art galleries?  I never even thought about this ever happening. It's amazing how God works and has changed my life.


The good news is that the more I paint, the better I get. But the better I become, the higher the prices I will sell them, hopefully. Hey and when I die and become famous, you may have wished you bought my beginning artwork, hahahaha....lol.







                                            Here is a flower pen bouquet:

These are my photo greeting cards:









This is a dormant or dead tree (This is not something I normally paint.  It was painted upon request)

















Artwork is by Expressive Praise

106 THINGS TO DO* WHEN YOU CAN’T SLEEP*

106 THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU CAN’T SLEEP
All sheep seemed to have disappeared, so no need to count them any more.
(Warning: The author has not tried all items on this list and is not held responsible for any damages that may occur while trying anything, especially if it is done while sleep walking; nor is she responsible for any lack of sleep that may occur or will continue to occur. There is no guarantee that sleep will occur or will be limited or excessive after doing all items on list. Caution: Do at your own risk)...  haha lol 
1. Pray
2. Read Bible
3. Tell God 20 things you are thankful for
4. Do relaxation techniques
5. Watch a boring DVD to make you drowsy
6. Pray for people you know
7. Pray for missionaries in other countries
8. Pray for people in other countries
9. Read a book
10. Drink a glass of warm milk
11. Check your email
12. Check your Facebook
13. Change your Facebook status
14. Check what everybody else’s Facebook status is
15. Write a To Do list
16. Accomplish something on your TO Do list
17. Water your plants
18. Go outside and count the stars
19. Ponder about who made the stars
20. Tell God how much you love him
21. Take pictures of the sunrise
22. Turn on TV and see how many infomercials you can watch in one hour
23. Make your lunch for later
24. Sneak downstairs in the dark and pretend you’re a spy in another country
25. Call someone you know who would be up at this time. Bonus, it could be someone on the other side of the USA or country who you haven’t talked to in awhile
26. Order something online
27. Scrapbook
28. Balance your checkbook
29. Balance your credit card book
30. Write out a budget
31. Watch videos on Utube.com and type in “clean comedy” in search bar
32. Dance a crazy dance
33. Do the laundry
34. Do 20 sit-ups
35. Do 20 sit-ups while singing “I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner”
36. Eat a nutritious snack
37. Write a nice letter (or email) to a friend
38. Make a grocery list
39. Write a goal list for the upcoming week
40. Write a goal list for the upcoming month
41. Write a goal list for this year
42. Write a bucket list
43. Write a Thank you card to someone who has helped you
44. Write Get Well cards to people you know who don’t feel well
45. Take a class online
46. Check how many minutes you used on your cell phone this month so far
47. Check you how many texts messages you used on your cell phone
48. Call the operator and wish them a Merry Christmas
49. Call 1800 4prayer (and say "help, I need sleep")
50. Find out how many ways you can laugh
51. Look in a mirror and make funny faces
52. Floss your teeth
53. Try a new hairdo
54. Clean the bathroom
55. Write a poem of song, and dedicate it to yourself
56. Count how many paper clips you have
57. Clean under your bed
58. Defragment your computer
59. See if your computer’s security system is up to date
60. Make a list of any vitamins or medicines you are running out of
61. Go for a walk (if it’s light out)
62. Clean your bedroom
63. Restock your stapler
64. Defrost your meat for tonight’s dinner
65. See if you can make something with a glob of dried glue
66. Connect the freckles on your arm (or face)
67. Write out your tithe or offering check
68. Count how many times you see the word “and” in the Bible
69. Count how many times you find the name “God” in the Bible
70. Find the word “Rapture” in the old testament
71. Find the word “Rapture in the new testament...just kidding...The actual word “Rapture” is not there, only the meaning. Lol
72. Dust your TV
73. Polish your silverware. If they are not real silver, just shine them with a towel anyway. Still looks nice
74. Do ice or heat pack treatments if needed
75. Organize your bookcase in alphabetical order (no, I haven’t done this)
76. Color coordinate your closet (I seriously used to do this in my early 20’s. Lol)
77. Draw a picture
78. Color the picture
79. Pay your bills
80. Take digital photos of everything you own
81. Delete the digital photos of everything you own
82. Organize your food pantry
83. Set aside any cans of food that could be donated to a community food pantry
84. Straighten the living room
85. Fix any pictures that are slanted by your kids or earthquakes
86. File your paperwork
87. Mend some clothes
88. Organize your miscellaneous drawer
89. Pray for your children or spouse
90. Do 20 pushups
91. Delete any folders or files in your computer you don’t need
92. Erase your old text messages in cell phone
93. Upload pictures from your camera onto your computer
94. Send pictures to your friends
95. Delete the pictures on phone or camera you don’t need any more
96. Add songs to your MP3 player or IPod
97. Play songs from your MP3 player or IPod
98. See how big you can blow a bubble with chewing gum
99. Go through all your clothes, and set aside any that don’t fit anymore and donate them.
100. Type up a prayer to God
101. Write “To God” on the envelope and mail your prayer
102. Count how many times you blink your eyes
103. Take deep breaths
104. Inhale
105. Exhale
106. Slowly close your eyes

Good Night or Good Morning to whichever came first!!!

Calmness in the Night *

TO DO LIST:
*Do change of address (check)...
*Buy groceries (check)...
*Call Verizon (check)...
*Secure and tie down rabbit cage and plants...

I woke up at 2:40 a.m. and jumped out of bed when I heard the effects of the high winds. The day before I had looked at the Weather forecast online and it didn't mention high winds. Daily I had been keeping a mental note that I needed to tie down the rabbit cage and my outside plants before the high winds start up yet I kept procrastinating. I didn't want my rabbit cage (along with my rabbit) to blow away with the gusty winds we get over here.

I ran downstairs, grabbed some scissors and rope and jetted for the rabbit cage. My plants were blowing frantically and swaying crazily. A nearby heavy object flies past me along with some other debris. The wind takes my long, brown hair and circles it like a tornado and twists it into a complete mess. The leaves cling onto the trees, not wanting to let go. It was a chaotic circus of events that affected natures quiet time.

Swoosh, whirl, boom are the noises all around me. A distant tree bark that was long in length collides with my forehead. After I look around at the surroundings,
I decide to take a peak at my velvety rabbit under the blue, torn tarp that had been covering his cage. Precious, which is the name I gave my precious rabbit, was completely calm and at peace, in his little shelter I had made for him. He looked like he was a rabbit in a hole or even a cave protected from the outside world. Precious was just sitting there munching on his rabbit food as though nothing was going on around him.

I decided that I should still secure the rabbit cage. I took some white rope to hold down the metal cage, and then I paused. I look up and I saw the most beautiful sky above me. It was so clear, yet deep and dark. It portrayed peace and calmness above. The winds had emptied the sky of it's fog, mist, and white puffy clouds that hide the universe; for all you could see were the very things that God created. The sparkling stars were numerous in the heavens way above my head. I took a moment to say "Thank you God" and acknowledged his peacefulness.

No matter what the chaos is, God may show up with his calmness and serenity that relaxes your soul and you know without a doubt, that there is nothing greater than God Himself.

(11/11/10)
Picture by Expressive Praise

Almost Passed Him By*

After my doctor's appointment today, I walked towards the crosswalk and I noticed a man near the street. He was holding a cardboard sign that read: "Need money for food."

I didn't need to think too much about it because I thought I didn't have any money in my purse to give. Besides it's hard to tell if people are telling the truth.
As I walked passed him and pushed the black crosswalk button, I heard God quietly say: "give him the $5 in your purse."

I forgot I had that money. I had placed it in my purse yesterday to save for gas money for Sunday. I wanted to give it to my friend who will give me a ride home from church. I thought, "that money is for gas money for my friend. It's not really mine."

I heard God say, clear as day, "I will take care of your friend, you take care of this man."

I stood a distance away from him with his back toward me, and quietly reached in my purse to get the money. Then I walked back and gently placed the rolled up bill in his hand. He was surprising clean, nicely shaven, and very grateful. He was not the typical person I have seen on the street corners asking for money.

The gentleman said a genuine and polite, "Thank you. God bless you."

I looked into this gentleman's eyes as I walked away. I noticed his innocence, his sincerity. He was so appreciative.

We never know who we are helping. We never know the needs of the people we see at the street corners, especially nowadays when the economy is down. Not everyone looks like the typical "needy" person like the ones who haven't showered for days or weeks, have holes in their clothes, or maybe are homeless; or ar not the ones who do drugs or drink to get drunk. There are sincere, innocent, and appreciative people.

I was so thankful that I obeyed God; I almost just passed him by and kept walking. Thankfully God doesn't do that to me.

This is so "Precious*

I have been doing a lot of changes in my life since March 26. Trying to get all the negative junk out of my mind and be a more positive person. Trying to focus on positive stuff and not all the negative ones that I tend to dwell on. I didn't say it was easy, but I am a work in progress. I have been learning about attracting positive things and thinking in positive ways about my now, my past, and my future. I have been learning that I may attract good things by being more positive and a lot more that I may have to blog another day. Well, all this positive stuff is making me more understanding and closer to God.

Well, today God told me today: "go outside I have a surprise for you." I first thought, nah just my imagination. Then I thought okay, I will after I clean my breakfast dishes and fill up a water bottle. But I just kept hearing God say "go outside now, I have a surprise for you. I was picturing myself by my tomato plant but I went to one of my plants outside and was pinching off the dead flowers to cause more growth. While I was doing that, I had this urge to go toward my tomato plant that was on the side of the house. I walked over there, looked to see if any new strawberries have grown and then I went to my tomato plant. I knelt down and was admiring how big my tomatoes were growing. I said thank you, they are bigger since I moved the plant to this area. I thought that was my surprise.

Then my roommate comes walking through the gate adjacent her car. I watched her as she was coming towards me. I then looked under her car and spotted a black ball, the size of a soccer ball. Yet as I was staring at that ball, I kept thinking that I never saw this color of a ball in our yard. My roommate asked what I was staring at; I just told her I think there's a black ball under your car. I kept staring at it because I was confused of the ball.

To my amazement, the ball moved out of the shadow and I saw this beautiful brown bunny with remarkable ears. I leaped with joy and told my roommate. She grabbed some carrots from the house and I lured him closer to me so that I may catch him. He let me hold him.

He is so soft, with brown fur, not to mention his beautiful crystal like brown eyes. He is very gentle, calm, and tamed. He is so precious.

My roommate thought he must belong to one of the neighbors, so she called some of them, yet no one claimed him and no one knew where he belonged. As I was trying to catch the bunny, I remembered what God said, "Go outside; I have a surprise for you."

It totally made my day. I named the bunny "Precious" because it was a special gift from God. and Yes, He did surprise me.
Thank you God!!!!

On the Outside, Looking In*

I was out of town in February so I wasn't able to attend my church; I attended another one with some relatives. I jotted down some things that I thought were interesting.

hard wooden pews with no padding (reminded me of my church days in Japan in the 80's).
Wooden floor
huge stain glass individual windows (in memory of a loved one was under each window).
huge pipe organ display
I did admire the 7 foot stainglass window by the one-toilet-bathroom.


Two young boys come down in middle aisle to light the tiered candles.
A boy in a robe comes down middle aisle, holding a huge opened Bible in which he places it in the hands of the pastor.
The Pastor places the Bible on the wooden Bible stand at the front.

Pipe Organ solo.
choir sings.
Everyone stands and re-sites something from out of the bulletin.
Everyone grabs a hymn and sings the 4 whole verses.

Then they recite this for worship. It says:
The leader says: We gather as those who want to walk with you Jesus to Calvary.
The church says: We know that it was there that you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of God's saving embrace.
The leader says: so clothe us in your Spirit, O Christ, that we, in reaching forth our hands in love, may serve you in all that we do.
The church says: May we be agents of your love, doers of your will, proclaimers of your grace, workers of your justice, servants of your peace, and missionaries in your name.


Kids come up for a little illustration with a missionary from Haiti.
The missionary does her illustration of how women carry gallons of water on their head.
Children's teacher comes up and starts speaking a blessing over kids.
Then everyone starts resiting a blessing over the children.


Anyone who has a prayer or praise report is given a microphone to speak.
Pastor then says, lets be together. So I bow my head as I assumed that meant we were to pray.
The choir starts singing, the pipe organ is playing a song.
The Pastor prays for all the needs then the church immediately says the Lords Prayer.
As soon as we say amen, the choir sings a verse.

Then the golden offering plate comes my way and it's so heavy I help a lady carry it to the next person who is on our same pew.
The plate is brought to the front and we all say a prayer over it (which is on power point).
After the missionary speaks again, immediatlely everyone stand to their feet and sings another hymn.

The pastor starts preaching and then everyone sings a song while the 3 young boys in robes come up the aisle again. This time the boy gets the open Bible from the pastor's hands and the the young boys all in robes snuffs out the candles. All three boys go down the middle aisle along with the pastor and missionary right behind them.
We are still singing. Then everyone says a loud AMEN.

Even though I was a little confused of when to recite things, sing, or stand up, or sit down, I am glad for the experience. It was very interesting, and I have to admit, I did do a lot of chuckling. It was a lot different then what I am used to.

All end with a quote from The Missionary:
"Every human being is a human being."

They also said: we got to GO where we got to GO and DO what we got to DO.

What is Real Forgiveness?*

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in church listening to a sermon called "What God was saying at the cross." I thought it would be the same kind of sermon you hear around Easter time when he was betrayed, tortured, whipped, crucified, etc... Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all that Jesus did and I need the reminders of what he did. It's just this time, something was said that I never really thought about.

I've always heard, and even read about, what happened before Jesus was on the cross. There were those 12 disciples and even three of them were Jesus' close amigos (Peter, James, and John). The amigos seemed to spend a lot of time with him. He walked with them, spent time with them, he had them close by when he was at the garden praying a heart wrenching prayer. They were always there...

I've always heard (and read) that Peter denies Jesus three times. Yet that is not the end of the story.

I believe that Peter loved Jesus. That was his friend, his mentor, his coach, his counselor...

Yet Jesus told Peter that Peter would deny him three times. Peter says: No way Jose, I would never do that. Jesus tells him that after he will do it three times, a rooster would crow. He probably thought: yah right, that's never going to happen.

Judas betrays Jesus by placing him in the hands of the soldiers; Peter stood up and tried to protect him. Well, I think that is what he was doing when he sliced the soldiers ear off. I think putting the sword in his heart might have done more damage, but hey the guy stopped doing what he was doing because he was in pain from his ear being sliced off. Even though, Jesus picks up the bleeding ear, and miraculously heals the soldier, I still believe that Peter showed that he loved Jesus, even though he should not have hurt the man.

So here we are later, Peter is nearby when Jesus is being accused, betrayed, etc... Peter had to be hurting so much to know that his friend Jesus was going through some really tough times that were about to get worse. Three people ask Peter if he knows this Jesus, and three times, he says no. (Wow, his good friend is being hurt and he says that he doesn't even know Jesus. They ask if he has spent time with him and he won't admit to spending time with his close friend and his soon to be savior.)

Maybe Peter was afraid that he would be tortured also. So three people ask Peter; three times, Peter denies him. Just for a moment, it's quiet, the earth stands still, and the rooster crows. Peter feels his skin crawling, and this chilling shiver runs down his back. He realized what he has done. This uncontrollable, heart wrenching painful sorrow bursts out of him. He remembers what Jesus said earlier, and he sobs in remorse. He realizes what he did. He betrayed Jesus. Jesus was at one of his weakest hours of his life He needed his friends to be there for them. BUT not one was there at his side.

Jesus dies, miraculously resurrects, and comes back to his disciples which are some of his good friends. He sees Peter. Peter sees Jesus. (I wonder what Peter is feeling at this very moment. Jesus could have said: in my weakest hour, you were not there for me. You abandoned me. You left me. You knew what I would go through, and you didn't even have the audosity to say you know me. What kind of friend are you? You really hurt me. I will never talk to you again. I am taking you out of any ministry and I do not forgive you. You may walk away;don't ever speak to me or ask for me,because I will not come. Jesus didn't say any of this to Peter.

Three times, Jesus calls his name in the most loving voice: "PETER" and talks to him and restores him. Jesus showed so much love to Peter and allowed him to feel this unconditional love. He restores him and leads him into ministry. WOW!!! What a testimony! What love!

Wow, have you ever thought about how someone you know has really hurt you. They might have done some horrible things to you. I thought I had forgiven some people all these years, but I was wrong. I didn't have true forgiveness in my heart. I honestly didn't know how to have it, but something clicked when I heard this sermon a few weeks ago and it has changed my life forever. I understand forgiveness so much more. I have been forgiven and I have forgiven others.

Thank you God, for sending me people to speak your words to my heart. I gave my life to Jesus at an early age of eleven and I stuck to what I was taught, yet I never truly understood what forgiveness was really all about, until now. I now understand true freedom, true forgiveness, and being transformed and having a newness of mind. I get it now. God, thank you for rescuing my soul.