More Than Just a Green Crate

Rodney and I occasionally stop at the local fresh market for some fruits and vegetables. Rodney always seeks out the strawberries. They are normally piled high in a plain green crate. The strawberries themselves are tempting with their bright red color and dark seeds on top as a decoration. Rodney can't wait to pay for the crate, he takes one and bites into it with great anticipation of a sweet and juicy taste. Before we can get home or out of the market, Rodney has devoured this scrumptious treat of strawberries. Can you just imagine how one would taste right now? My mouth is watering with desire, is yours?
The green crate that the strawberries were held in was not fancy nor a container that I would want to keep, but what was inside is what mattered.
If you look in one's home you may find a Bible sitting on the shelf, on a night stand, or a coffee table. The book just might have dust on it from not being touched. The cover may not be desirable to even look at especially if it was used by another person that knew what sweetness it held inside.
I looked at my bible this morning. I have one that the cover is coming off, the edges are worn, and it has notes written inside it. My Bible is definitely not one that looks like it would be my first pick. In fact, I am attempting to use another Bible, but it just wasn't the same this morning. I was drawn to this rugged covered Bible with the pages torn and worn. Yet it is the taste of the delicious and succulent words inside that draws out the flavor which is captivating.
I was drawn to read Psalms 73; from verses 1-22 it is a worldly view of people doing all kinds of awful things while being prosperous in health and wealth. From verses 23-28 it a Godly view that is so intriguing and pleasurable.  The first 22 verses is that green crate and the rest of the chapter is the plump, tantalizing, and fullness of God's love for those who choose him.
It isn't what you see that matters (the green crate or the red strawberries shape), but it is what you cannot see that matters in the end; the savory taste.  God tells us that we will have trials and hardships in this life, but we should count it all joy with thanksgiving because it is the end with Him that will matter.

I don't know if you read your Bible everyday, once a week, or on special occasions. What I do know is there is a mouthwatering and tasty treat inside that relates to every need and desire you have for your life. I encourage you to pick up your dusty bible, the one that sits on your night stand or shelf and open to the book of John. There you will find the love that you have always longed for.  It is a romance novel, an adventure, mystery, comedy and tragedy book written Just For YOU.

~Enjoy the sweetness of your tomorrows

Be Liberated by LOVE

In the book of  1 Corinthians 13 it talks about the way of love. It mentions what love is patient and kind next it says what love isn't; it reads: "Love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy." I pondered over this word for a while and was reminded of a time in my life that I was envious and jealous of others.
We are so prone to compare ourselves with others. The world tells us we should be better in our looks, our manners (well use to be), and what we own.  The world tells us we need the best or the better upgrade. I see this with our cell phones. You need the 4G Iphone because it is faster and better than the 3G. I receive "upgrade" messages on my blackberry all the time. It tells me I need this because it is better.
Now, someone walks in the office with their new phone and I might say "I need to upgrade my phone," and then proceed to tell you why I need to upgrade (from the reasons the world told me). If I am not careful I can fall into the trap of being envious or jealous of others and their stuff, money, or looks.
God tells us to NOT be these things.
I was once told that "Envy is angry at what everyone else has that it doesn't have; jealousy is afraid that what it has will be taken away."  When I reread this statement this morning, I was transported back to around 2009.  I remember being among a group of women that were rejoicing at good things that had happen to a couple of the women there; I was miserable. I didn't want to clap or cheer for no one. I wanted to be the center of attention, the one that the light shined on. I wanted what they achieved and if I can't have it I don't want to cheer and I'm not going to! I was pouting, upset, and angry. Sound familiar?   Envy and jealousy are incapable of rejoicing over another's success.
God tells us we are to to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15; 1 Corinthians 12:26).  It is time to replace these two yucky puckies with something better, "upgrade" if you will with something that is right and good, pleasing to the heart.
Before I continued writing, I had a talk with the Lord and I asked him why he was showing me this. The word "repent" is before me. I know there was a reason why I was reading over the love chapter. I was transported because I was holding onto jealousy and envy in a time of my life. I've asked the Lord to show me where there is any wickedness in me. I've caught myself comparing myself to others when I know I shouldn't. If I agree with the enemy to have envy or jealousy of others it is a sin. Envy is a sin. The Lord tells us we should not "covet anything  that is your neighbors."  I know that as I love others, offer forgiveness to myself and others, God is faithful and just to forgive me. Then God is able to use me far more than before.
If you recognize that you too compare yourself with others, become jealous or envious because of what others have, I encourage you to release it. I encourage you to renounce jealousy as a sin and ask Jesus to forgive you. Submit to the freedom you can have in Christ instead of the bondage of Satan.
Be free through love.

~Be Encouraged, you are not the only one that deals with this stuff.
Marjorie

Loving Kindness ~ Jesus' Way!

^{As I was in a study of 1 Corinthians 13, which most everyone knows this to be the "love chapter," I came across a note that Dr. David Jeremiah said that I had to laugh and yet it made me meditate over the words. I hope this will strike you with some thought too.
There are two scriptures that came together within my study and I want to share them with you. I hope this finds you as intrigued.
4} Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;"
1 Corinthians 13:4

³⁹ And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better."
Luke 5:39

Dr David Jeremiah wrote:
The Greek word Paul uses for kindness in 1 Corinthians 13:4 is a rare word: chresteuomai.  This is the only place where it occurs in the New Testament. The literal meaning of the word is to show oneself to be mild (of temperament), which meant literally "fit for use" or "virtuous, good." Figuratively, it meant to be a manageable, that is mild or pleasant.  When Jesus commented on the difference between old wine and new wine, He said "The old is better [chrestos]" (Luke 5:39).
A kind person is one who gets better with age.

In all my life, I never thought about how I wanted to be like a fine wine.."better with age" until now. I do want to be a better person. I want to be more loving, kind, gentle, forgiving, and encouraging.
I want to be among the elect of God who are called according to His loving kindness.

I am desperate for God. When I deal with people I need the ability to not give away anger, resentment, and unforgiveness. I don't want to retaliate or get even, but I want to move from brother kindness to brother love. As God has shown me the way of his kindness when I was striving to accept the world and all it's pleasures; while I was heading down a very dark and lonely death, I want to move and reach out to that same kind of person and extend the same pure love and kindness.

Titus 3:4-6 says it this way:
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared..." the kindness of God 'appeared' in the person of Jesus Christ who came to save me from my sins.  I want to not only talk about God's love and kindness but I want to demonstrated it, show it to those who need it and thirst for it.

You might be this person who is longing for some kindness or longing for love in your life. Jesus loves you so very much. What you care about, he cares about. You are not alone nor abandoned. You are worthy because He says you are worthy. 
Come with me and let's learn of the loving kindness of Jesus Christ.

~Be Encouraged today!

Talking in the Shower

 I don't know why God has this sense of humor to talk to some of us in the shower perhaps it is because we are at our most vulnerable state or maybe we're staying in one place for a length of time. Whatever the reason God decides to talk to me in the shower, there are times I wish he didn't reveal some things to me.
There was a day not too long ago that as I was taking a shower when my mind wondered into the past. I thought about situations, conversations, and people that were in my past. All of a sudden the Lord revealed to me something I may have already known but he reminded me of if. A friend of mine was raped. Your first thought may be that it was a girl but on the contrary it is a man. Now what was ironic about this revelation is that the man never came out and said it. There were bits and pieces he mentioned while he was under the influence of alcohol or in sober conversations, but non the less it was a very deep hurt.
I asked the Lord why he brought this incident to my mind and he replied with "you asked me how you could pray for Bobbie (not his real name)."
At first I cried for this man and then began to pray for him. Periodically Bobbie will come to my mind and I pray over this deep hurt. As Bobbie comes to my mind, I think of all the choices he could make to be set free from this hurt. Yet, how difficult it must be for a man to admit this deep pain. My heart cries because God cries for his son.
As I look back on this man's life choices, I can see the shame and guilt he holds on to. I see the unforgiveness he grips to because he is reminded daily of the weakness he feels, and the fear of rejection he endures if he tells someone.
I pray for my distant friend to know God is very near to his heart. I pray Bobbie will find peace in the only One who can give him peace. I pray that he will press into God and find refuge in his bossom that perhaps one day Bobbie will be free from the bondage and lies of Satan. I pray Bobbie will find freedom in Christ Jesus who paid Bobbie's bail bond on a cross.
Do you have a hurt that is keeping you in a cage or keeps your hands bind up or even your stomach in a knot? I hope that you too will find peace and strength in the living God who breathes life into the dry bones. He cares about what you care about no matter how small or big it is. I encourage you to tell him about your deepest hurt, tell him how angry you are, and how tired you are of living in darkness with hopelessness. He is the lamp under your feet and the light unto your path.
He won't reject you, but will embrace you. He will not turn from you, but run toward you.
There isn't anything his big broad shoulders can't handle and his heart is bigger than the universe in which he laid the stars.
Come to the river, come to the water, come and be healed.


Praying for those who have such a deep hurt that they are bound by shame and guilt.
I hope God finds another way to talk to me than the shower.


~Marjorie

I've Accepted Christ; Now What?

Celebrating Resurrection Day is over for some, others that know the Lord celebrate it every day. BUT what about those among us that accepted the saving grace of Jesus Christ through this celebration? I was one of those that asked "now what?" It was Resurrection Sunday in 1993. There was a cross in the church I attended made out of railroad ties (I think) or dark wood anyways. The pastor gave us a visual after his teaching of the crucifixion. He gave us a half sheet of paper and said "now write down what sin is in your life that you want to get rid off and give it to Christ. This may include your life." I thought what an odd statement until he went into further explanation about it. A life with Christ begins with our death. If you have accepted the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ's death on the cross you have died too. Now what?
Well first examine your ways by asking yourself these questions and answer accordingly.
What will you do now? Next step is to be baptized with water and continue to live a new life. What does this look like? Well here is some food for thought....
 Should you keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? If you choose this path, you will end up doing the same thing you have always done and you will not live abundantly.
How can you who died to sin in your life still live in it?
The message describes it best for me to understand the truth in Romans 6:1-4
  If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
When you die to sin and baptized as Jesus was than you will want people around you to see the change in your actions and attitudes that show you've been crucified with Christ. 
I encourage you to share what Jesus did for you these past few weeks and share your faith with three (3) other people. I encourage you to show your new attitude and actions to those three people you choose to talk to and share Jesus with them.
Next, it is always good to hook your wagon to a friend that is walking with Jesus. This person can be a friend, a bible study teacher, or even a pastor and his wife. Whoever you choose let them be your accountability partner. This means to allow them to help you stand up when you fall, show and tell you when you are not walking right with God, and  know that there is no condemnation with Christ; they will not judge you. 
Last, write down some scriptures that you've heard that have meaning to you. Next, place them in your pocket and examine them throughout your day.
Now, be excited over your new life and show the world your new attitude.

~Marjorie

Friends Come in Different Forms

I read a story recently about a woman and her dad. Her dad was grumpy after his wife passed away and it caused friction between him and his daughter. Then his grumpiness caused problems between his daughter's husband and her. It was a mess. To make a long story short, the man was given a dog and the dog became his best friend until their last breath.
My husband is my best friend and I can share most everything with him. However, girls just seem to understand the womanly things of a woman as a man probably understands a man better. My friend Judy is no exception. I have friends who make me laugh, but Judy and I can sing the first three notes of a song and just laugh at our age difference or change the lyrics of the song and just have a belly laugh. She and I don't have too many different opinions but she is quick to tell me when I am wrong about something.
Judy is quick to lend a hand if she can and willing to step into a leadership role if needed.
Recently she and her sister, Joni, opened their home up to me and Rodney to hold our wedding on their parent's water front property. It is a beautiful place even with the smoke stacks across the water. The day was sunshine all the way. I knew the Lord was going to provide the perfect weather for it and my friends wanted me to set up an alternate location if it rained. I kept telling them that the Lord has chosen their place and he'll provide the right weather for it. Needless to say, he did.
I love my friends Judy and Joni. They both had the willingness to open their home up to my brothers and sisters for our wedding celebration was a huge act of love and kindness that I will treasure forever. I didn't realize how difficult it was for them on some levels until afterwards or just up to the hour of the festivities. I know God was not surprised and that comforts me. It was truly a huge act on their part and I want to thank them publicly and this is the best way I know how.
There were some comments on how beautiful the property was, the view was magnificent, and the day was a joy to many. I owe these wonderful comments first to my Papa for creating such a beautiful place and to Judy for offering it when I was contemplating where to have the party.
Judy bug, you are so very much loved, appreciated, and prayed for. I am your friend and I only want what is best for you. May the Lord richly bless you and keep you until he calls you home.
Jesus says in Proverbs 17:17 "a friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need."
From a dog like my Sadie to my husband and friend Judy, it is true that friends come in different forms.

Judy is that friend that shows up in time of need and as I grow to know her sister Joni, I find this to be true of them both.

Thank you for being my friend and being so special.

~Marjorie

What a Woman Should Be....

Today feels like the beginning of a new life. Although Rodney and I have been married since January 28^th, it wasn’t until yesterday; April 7^th that this unity has truly begun.

If you have read my previous blogs, you would probably recognize the heart aches I have shared and the low points of my life.  I was taught a saying a few years ago that I wrote on my heart and it is that a woman should be so hidden in Christ that a man has to go through Him to get to her.

I can honestly say that I was hidden in Christ…completely. I pressed into his covering however I did not complete trust him until one day I surrendered completely, totally, and transparently to Jesus Christ. I didn’t want anything to do with a relationship except to be my all in all with Christ.  I wanted to work for Christ, play for Christ, and experience ONLY Christ. Focus completely on Him regardless of what happens.

Once I surrendered to the LORD, he opened a window that lead me to the man I am now completely and totally committed to; Rodney. Yet, Rodney had to go Jesus Christ to ask for me. Rodney, too, had to surrender completely, totally, and transparently to Jesus Christ in order for the LORD to present me to him.  

Now, we’ve experienced our trials and some tribulations and what we know to be true is that Christ will see us through on the other side of the hurdle.

We shared our transformation with our family on Saturday April 7^th and it was a taste of heaven for me. I hope it was the same for those that attended also.

I truly felt like a “Princess of the Most High God.”  I felt I was being presented to Rodney as I was on January 28^th but it was an invitation to our brothers and sisters to join us in our journey, to thank God for the great thing He has done in us, through us, and most importantly for us just because He loves us.

This morning I woke up filled with a joy that was overwhelming and so much so that I was in tears. Rodney and I talked and we feel the same way. We dreamed of a complete love like this, a unity of this kind, but had not experienced it….until now. My cup runneth over.

I strongly suggest to you my sisters to press into the LORD and be so hidden in his word, write his words on your hearts and most importantly allow Him to change you from the inside out.

I shared this truth with two girls friends the other day and I feel lead to share it with you.

I want to be all that God calls me to be as a woman. I therefore looked up what his word says about that. I found that a woman needs to be a daughter. God is our Father; therefore we ought to press into being HIS daughter.

The word tells us to be a “wise woman.” Therefore we ought to pursue his wisdom; his ways. We ought to pay close attention to how we dress and speak how we present ourselves to one another and to the male gender. What does the male gender see?

We ought to be wise in our decisions and think before we act. This just might save us a lot of heartache we place upon ourselves.

Last we are called to a wife. Just as God presented a helper and wife named Eve to Adam in the establishment of marriage, we too are made to be a man’s helper and wife. Gen 2:18  Later, the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a companion that is a suitable match for him.” Though we may have to go through molding and shaping by God he will completely transform us to be a match for someone HIS else.

I am not a perfect woman, I do not have all the answers on how this is to happen, but I am striving to be the best woman, wife, and friend to the man God has matched me with.   Ahhhhhhh!

 ~We are loved by a perfect God.

Answered Prayers

Are you a person that writes your prayers down in a journal and watch God answer them? Do you write down your victories through God in a journal?  How do you remember what God has done for you lately?
I can honestly say I do not write down my prayers nor the victories in my life. I probably should, I might have something more interesting to write about. I'm just kidding.....
Well, this morning is different. You might be a little smarter than me, but I realized that I can be angry with God and he makes a way for victory; I am here to write it down. I had a situation happen that I got mad at Rodney and God. I went for a walk to talk with God the Father. I told him I didn't like what he allowed to happen, I blamed God for the decisions at hand, I was beyond mad at a few times that I wanted to throw something, scream from the top of my lungs, but instead I went shopping.  Yep, at 5:30am I was at Walmart by 5:38am. I need to mention that I took a walk at midnight yelling at God within my small voice and in my kitchen I raised my fist to the Lord, I was purely angry the night before. I woke up still angry and I tried to follow scripture “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,....etc. However, I did. I don't remember sleeping at all. I woke up just as mad as I did, if not more, when I woke up. Therefore, I went shoppping. On the way to the store, which by the way is empty that early in the morning and it's a great stress releaser, I stopped the car and looked at the moon because I heard a still small voice tell me to. So I did. I heard "I made that moon." I replied, "yes I know you did and it's nice." I didn't want to hear anymore so I put the car into drive and moved onward with my task at hand; shopping.
On the way home, I decided not to agree with being angry anymore. I asked God to show me why He allowed this situation to happen. Why were darts thrown at my heart like they were, why did this disagreement have to happen at this particular time in my life.
So,I brought my two bags of groceries in, went onto my porch and sat in my abmaster chair. No I did not work out, I stared at the stars and the touch of moon showing through the trees. I heard that still small voice again "relax and breathe." I took a deep breath and I began crying. I was hurt, my heart was broken. I didn't realize God was trying to change me within minutes. He wasn't. I recognized he wasn't trying to show me something, but someone else.
God's word of truth tells us But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Matthew 5:37
Rodney and I made a decision together, we both said "yes" in agreement on a particular situation. This decision we made was a small one, the object we agreed on was a small one. However, just two days before we were to walk through the decision Rodney and I made his decision changed to "no." Now this decision cost money, time, effort, and sacrifices.
His "no, I'm not going to do this" made me fly off the handle. I have learned that my 'yes' needs to be 'yes' and my 'no' needs to be 'no'. I've worked diligently to be a woman of my word. I still die daily to that promise of waivering in the flesh.  Not just that, but when it is a small decision between two people there is trust involved and when one of you makes a change it breaks that trust. It can determine how we handle larger decisions in the future.
I have worked hard to be trusting of a man. I hold onto the scripture "let God be true and every man a liar." Romans 3:4 I am not perfect, I strive to be better than I was and I continue to be all that I can be for God and others as he molds me to be. I am faaar from perfect.
God was using our decision making to be a lesson for Rodney. I don't know how this will work out, I don't know if this will alter the situation, but what I do know is that no matter what side we are on; it's a sacrifice. It is a sacrifice to be a woman/man of our word. It is a sacrifice to keep your mind and eyes on the those things which are pure, noble, pure, lovely, good report, or praiseworthy.
God made a sacrificial decision when he came off of his throne to be beaten beyond recognition for the sin in our lives. We are all guilty of placing Jesus on the cross. It was a sacrifice for him and he loves us so much to do that. He is worthy of me and you writing down our victories, answered prayers, and even our angry moments.
Thank you Rodney and God for this time of valleys and mountain tops to celebrate God's resurrection.

~BUT GOD!