Christian living

Jesus is no secret……


In a society that seeks quick fixes and the flavor of the month, along with financial abundance, the movie The Secret became a phenomenon in 2006. This led to appearances on Oprah and other popular television programs and media venues for speakers such as James Arthur Ray, whose book Harmonic Wealth rose on the best sellers lists and drew a steady flow of registrants for his expensive spiritual retreats. It was at one of these retreats held in Sedona, Arizona, that dozens fell ill and at least 2 participants died as a result of something that went awry at a sweat lodge ceremony. Article taken from Examiner.com, Philadelphia

In fact, 3 ended up losing their lives.

Last night on Dateline.NBC they were recapping events from this tragedy. They interviewed some of the participants, all of whom are intelligent individuals with successful careers and bright futures. But there was a common thread wound around all of them.They were looking for something they hadn’t found yet.

The Angel Valley Retreat Center, where the weekend events took place, is owned by Michael and Amayra Hamilton, who rented it to Ray for a five-day “Spiritual Warrior” retreat that promised to “absolutely change your life.”
Participants paid between $9000.00-$10,000.00 for the retreat.

One man emerged from the Sweat lodge halfway through the ceremony because he thought he was having a heart attack, and instead of summoning medical aid, Ray said “It’s a good day to die,” according to a search warrant affidavit. Source: CBS.com news

Participants, at least the ones who made it out alive, continue to be haunted by events of that fateful weekend in 2009. It did change their lives, but not for the better. Three lives ended unnecessarily only because they thought they were doing something good. They put their very lives in the hands of the wrong person.

People do it everyday. We’ve all done it at one time or another.

But there is One who contains within Himself all we will ever need to be fulfilled in this life and that is Jesus. No, I didn’t say rich, I said fulfilled.

What makes Him qualified?

He has been here since the beginning. John 1:1
At the appointed time He came to earth, born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14
He lived a sinless life. 1 John 3:5
Voluntarily gave His life for us by going to the cross. 1 Peter 2:24
Rose again on the third day. 1 Corinthians 15:4
Appeared to many eyewitnesses after His resurrection. Acts 13:31
Ascended to the Father, where He intercedes for us today. Romans 8:34
Gives us His Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. John 16:7
At the appointed time He will come back. Hebrews 10:37

James Arthur Ray is charged with 3 counts of manslaughter and faces a minimum of three years in prison and a maximum of 12 for each manslaughter charge.

I pray for those today who continue to be deceived by James Arthur Ray and others like him…….He continues to lecture on his website.

My First Thought


Excerpt from A Diary of Private Prayer, by John Baillie

Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of You, let my first impulse be to worship You, let my first speech be Your name, let my first action be to kneel before You in prayer.

For Your perfect wisdom and perfect goodness,
For the love with which You love mankind
For the love with which You love me
For the great and mysterious opportunity of my life
For the indwelling of Your Spirit in my heart
For the sevenfold gifts of Your Spirit
I praise and worship You, O Lord.

Yet let me not, when this morning prayer is said, think my worship ended and spend the day in forgetfulness of You. Rather from these moments of quietness let light go forth, and joy, and power, that will remain with me through all the hours of the day;

Keeping me chaste in thought
Temperate and truthful in speech
Keeping me faithful and diligent in my work
Keeping me humble in my estimation of myself
Keeping me honorable and generous in my dealings with others
Keeping me loyal to every hallowed memory of the past
Keeping me mindful of my eternal destiny as a child of Yours,
Through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

A solitary place…..


“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

We know this place….we have seen it in our dreams, in our minds. That solitary place of peace that we long for. We think, if I can just get there…. then I will be okay. It is not as far away as you might think, that place. Sometimes it comes when you least expect it, a sudden feeling that all is right, at least in your world. You want to hold it close because you know it won’t last, but it is enough for now. You look up and say a prayer of thanks because you know where it came from. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

Some people spend a fortune going to exotic places seeking that place of peace and never find it. Real peace can only be found in Him. What a blessing we don’t have to go that far……We can find it where the Spirit resides. In the quiet soft nest of our very own soul, where He has carved out His home. He knew we would need that. So much so that He wanted us to be able to carry Him wherever we go.

So go find a quiet place today. You will find that Someone’s footsteps have been there before yours, seeking peace. He has left it for you to find.

“And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone…..” Matthew 14:23

The Right Path….

Image from The Passion of the Christ

Grateful today for the Path, and that I never have to walk it alone.
Whatever I do, and however this world may distract me,
My path ends here, and always here at Your precious feet.
The ones that went to the cross for me.
You are mighty to save and you have led me out of darkness into Your marvelous light and I am eternally grateful today….

My path starts and ends here, always here.
In the dust, at the hem of Your Holy garment, at Your feet.
My steps may be halting, hesitant at times, but…”though I stumble, I will not fall, for the LORD upholds me with His hand.” Psalm 37:28

You said……
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

Yes I am grateful for the path today, Your path that leads to life.

Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Counting blessings to one thousand and beyond…..#353 His mercies which are new every morning…#354 The depth of His unsurpassing love for us…..#355 Friends who gather and pray with us….#356 Words that breathe life into our souls…..#357 That He hears my voice….#358 That He is interceding for me…..#359 His Words that come alive….#360 Moments of peace when I least expect it…..

holy experience

Your Redemption Song


It is the most beautiful song of all, and it’s yours! God’s melody written just for you, it echoes throughout the halls of time and space and it will never stop, only increase as new melodies are woven into the Master Song. It is the most beautiful story, the most beautiful gift you can gift to someone else…..Your Redemption Song. All over this world new songs are being written and sung, can you hear them? God does. It is written into the very fabric of creation…… Heads bowed in church, along the side of a dusty road, beside a quiet lake, hands raised, tears flow. New births day by day, minute by minute. Pause and listen.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Romans 8:18-21

Check out Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir’s “Favorite Song of All” here

Fire in the Desert

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1”

The desert is merciless. The sun cracks the dirt into hard baked clay, and in the winter when the sun goes down, the temperature drops alarmingly fast. Only the strongest survive. But the devil didn’t count on the Holy Spirit being there with Jesus for those forty days. He couldn’t lose! God’s fire was with Him.

“For the first 30 years of His life, Jesus led a good “Christian” life, he went to church and made furniture, then the Holy Spirit came.” Pastor Gary Kinnaman, speaking at City of Grace church this past weekend. Yes, then the Holy Spirit came and all hell broke loose. Satan was ticked! “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through the whole countryside.” Luke 4:14 The first time He got up to preach in His hometown, he made the crowd furious and they tried to throw Him off a cliff. Luke 4:28-29

No doubt about it, the Holy Spirit may get you in trouble. Look what happened to the disciples after the day of Pentecost! They went from hiding out behind locked doors to preaching on the street corners, facing off demons, and healing the sick!

Has the Holy Spirit ever led you to do something you never thought you could do? Even something that seemed to make no sense at the time? Called you out of your safe place? He will do that. Sometimes I would like God to be very predictable and manageable. I would like Him to just let me be comfortable. I love safety and comfort. But I need to remember those times when I did let go and say, “Yes, I will do that.” And I do remember, He never left my side.

Lord, help me to be open to what you might ask me to do. Give me the strength to say yes and not cave in to fear. For I know You will never leave me……Has the Holy Spirit led you into the desert? If so and you need prayer, please leave a comment and I will be happy to pray for you.

God’s furious love…..


Are you struggling to forgive yourself today? Maybe for something you did in the past? Some wrong decision? A turning away from God? Something you have given yourself a life sentence for? Maybe your kids are grown and you see the scars they carry, scars you think were inflicted by you. Maybe you think you’ve failed God, blaming yourself for a failed marriage. You think your verdict is just, fair. You heard the hollow echo of the metal doors you slammed on yourself. You threw the key far away, out of reach. After all, you messed up, right? Here is what God laid on my heart the other day in prayer: “When you don’t forgive yourself you are making yourself into the God you think I am, but I am not that God, I have already forgiven you!”

So many times the guilt we feel is totally false. Useless. Destructive.
If the guilt is real, confess it! He will not only forgive you, He will forget you ever did it!

Our God loves us with a relentless love we can scarcely understand. We are so used to living in a performance based world that we think God is that way too. We even make our churches performance driven! The church should be a safe place. A place we can expose our imperfections, our vulnerabilities, our sickness, a place of reconciliation.

“He (God) is not moody or capricious; He know no seasons of change. He has a single relentless stance toward us: He loves us. He is the only God man has ever heard of who loves sinners.” Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

He loves us! Right now where we stand, without us changing one single thing about ourselves. When that love is grasped, really grasped, only then can we begin to live the life He calls us to live. A life that seeks to please Him, obey His commands, not because it scores us any points, but because we want to return the love that He has so mercifully shown us. We won’t reach perfection, but it’s okay. He will still love us, and there is nowhere His love won’t go to reach us.

His love chases us out to the desert wilderness like He followed a distraught Hagar, whispering His great mercy into her desperation. It sends Jonah to the Ninevites, even grows a shelter for him when he gets ticked because the Ninevites repent. His love is Hosea to our unworthy Gomer. Ultimately it went to a lonely hill and there it reaches us. Outside the gates……at Calvary.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. Col. 2:13-14

Water and the Word…..

I continue counting blessings today…..
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth, and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater…… #282

so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. #283

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. #284


Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.” Isaiah 55:10-13 #285

Not too long ago I read a commentary over at Musings of a Minister about these passages that really deepened the meaning of this Scripture for me, so thank you Cliff! Hop over here to read it! So many times reading this passage I thought of it only in terms of God’s word going out and producing fruit, but the deeper meaning is that God is comparing the word to water that permeates the ground that nourishes all of creation. It is in all and through all. So that everything we see is part of that Living Word “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” John 1:1 #286

So today, I lift my gratitude to God for His Word, the more I read it the more it comes alive to me. Behind every desert bloom, and every sunrise it speaks for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. Thank you Lord, for without You I never would have seen it!

#287 Cool mornings, #288 quail’s plaintive cry through open windows, #289 the bloom of new life in the desert, #290 taking God along on my morning walk!

Keeping the gratitude alive, along with Ann and many others….
holy experience

All photos provided by Google….

Sometimes silence is best


Went out to dinner last night and three young people came in and were seated close by. One of the guys proceeded to talk non-stop for a solid hour about himself and his particular way of eating. It was obvious that he thought his way was superior than everyone else’s and it seemed like he was trying to convince his audience of two, well, four if you count my friend and I. He proceeded to tell them about the evils of things like red meat, as his friend, unfazed, went ahead and ordered a rare steak.

It was an interesting evening.

Have you ever went out with someone and had them talk non-stop about themselves?

“Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” Proverbs 17:28

The King of Peace

Grounds of Mount Angel Abbey, St. Benedict, Oregon

Good Morning, Lord! I thank You for Your Presence, Your sweet peace that rushes in when I truly open my heart, confess my fears. Your Spirit takes my sins and holds them up to the light, exposing them for what they are and yet You still love me! It humbles me more than I can say Lord, so I let my tears speak instead. Forgive me Lord, for the fear that have I have allowed to rule in my heart. Fears that have been magnified in my mind by the enemy, forgive me for giving him that control. I release them back to You, Lord once again. You have taken my fears and turned them once again to peace. Help me to not take them back……In the name of Jesus I pray all these things, Amen.

“We must carefully examine ourselves to see which virtues we are in most need of, and which we find the hardest to acquire. We should also take note of the sins that we most frequently fall into and what occasions often contribute to that fall. It is in our times of struggle with these areas that we can go before God with entire confidence and remain firm in the presence of His divine Majesty. In humble adoration, we must confess to Him our sins and weaknesses, lovingly asking for the help of His grace in our time of need. In this way, we will find that we will partake of all the virtues found in Him, even though we do not possess one of our own.” Brother Lawrence

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossions 3:15