Burdens

 When grief is ours to bear the only way to unburden ourselves is to share.  When our hearts are heavy laden and it feels as though we have no where to turn, gaze upon the One whose Amazing Grace is plentiful, His mercy is bountiful.  His love captures our heart when we open it and let the tiniest of holes fill up with Christ Jesus.  He is the healer of my heart.  He lifts my burdens when I am in despair.  O Lord Jesus the many tears I've cried seem enough to fill rivers.  But I know deep in my heart as well as I know my name that Jesus, My Redeemer, will dry my tears and bring comfort to my soul.  He will take our burdens.  He will pick up the broken pieces if we bring them to Him.
 
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid.

Oftentimes our brokenness is our fears.  We can't move forward because we are afraid.  Afraid of whats around the corner.  Afraid of whats down the road.  Afraid to get up in the mornings.  Afraid to go to bed at night.  Just AFRAID! ...
But like Psalm 27:1 says, we have the Lord on our side.  He is our light and our salvation we don't have to be afraid of anything.  I am the biggest "scaredy cat" there is but when I think of Jesus Christ being in my corner, I am so "strong" "empowered" "unafraid" Whom shall I fear?  No one! Nada! Nothing!  Not Happening!

Psalm 34:4
I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.
It says ALL my fears, not just the ones I pick, and then try to hold on to all the rest.  I want to be alive for Christ and with these fears and burdens holding me back, I can't!

In the words of Chris Tomlin and LaCrae:

Awake, awake, awake my soul,
God resurrect these bones
From death to life, for you alone
Awake my soul

Lecrae:
Yeah, Im not alone, I realize
I breathe out, I come alive
Your word gives life to my dry bones
Your breath tells death it can ride on
Awake me, make me a living stone,
A testament to your throne, I
Im nothing without you, Im on my own
The only one who satisfies my soul

 

Psalm 27: 13 and 14

¹³ I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

I will never look at sheep the same way!  Maybe that's why God has given me the desire to walk.  I am just a stupid wandering little sheep!  Going to and fro!

Trish, couldn't resist adding to your comments relative to sheep. God used them as an example of his followers for lots of reasons. Read this Bible Study I recently gave to a group of men here. Sheep are Dumb Animals Sheep aren’t smart. They tend to wander into running creeks for water, then their wool grows heavy and they drown. They are basically defenseless creatures – no claws, no horns, no fangs. They are helpless. So they always need someone or something to protect them. Some sheep farmers will put a mule into the same pasture with the sheep and that mule will attack anything, a dog, a wolf, a coyote, even a bear or mountain lion and often come out the winner. Sheep need a shepherd with a “rod and . . . walking stick” (Psa. 23:4) to protect them. All sheep can do is use their legs to flee when danger threatens, and that not very well. Sheep also have no sense of direction. They always need someone to lead them “on paths that are right” (Psa. 23:3). Their natural inclination to follow a leader to new pastures was the pivotal factor in sheep being one of the first domesticated species of livestock. Sheep have always been of interest to me…their habits, weaknesses, etc… This interest on my part came about because of the many references in God’s Word to sheep, Shepherds, etc. There is a wonderful little book entitled: A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, that you might want to read. It’s author Phillip Keller, both a Christian and Sheep Rancher, was given, I believe by God, an ‘inside look’ at both sheep and the work involved in being a loving, caring true Shepherd. It’s a wonderful little book. We have a misconception in many cases, about sheep…at least I did before reading up on them and their ‘habits’. I always saw them as innocent little creatures who just ‘trotted along’ behind their Shepherd pretty as you please, always obeying, NEVER rebellious. That is farthest from the truth! They can be some pretty head-strong creatures. It’s one reason we sometimes see photos of Shepherds with both a rod and staff–both are needed to care for the sheep: Each shepherd boy, from the time he first starts to tend his father’s flock, takes special pride in the selection of a rod and staff exactly suited to his own size and strength. He goes into the bush and selects a young sapling which is dug from the ground. This is carved and whittled down with great care and patience. The enlarged base of the sapling where its trunk joins the roots is shaped into a smooth, rounded head of hard wood. The sapling itself is shaped to exactly fit the owner’s hand. After he completes it, the shepherd boy spends hours practicing with this club, learning how to throw it with speed and accuracy. It becomes his main weapon of defense for both himself and his sheep. The shepherd asserts that the rod, his weapon of power, authority and defense, is a continuous comfort to him. For with it the manager is able to carry out effective control of his flock in every situation. If the shepherd saw a sheep wandering away on its own, or approaching poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort or another, the club would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the bunch. Being stubborn creatures sheep often get into the most ridiculous and preposterous dilemmas. Philip Keller said “I have seen my own sheep, greedy for one more mouthful of green grass, climb down steep cliffs where they slipped and fell into the sea. Only my long shepherd’s staff could lift them out of the water back onto solid ground again…” Another interesting use of the rod in the Shepherd’s hand was to examine and count the sheep. In the terminology of the Old Testament this was referred to as passing “under the rod” (Ezekiel 20:37). This meant not only coming under the owner’s control and authority, but also to be subject to his most careful, intimate and firsthand examination. A sheep that passed “under the rod” was one which had been counted and looked over with great care to make sure all was well with it. Because of their long wool it was not always easy to detect disease, wounds, or defects in sheep. In caring for his sheep, the good shepherd, the careful manager, will from time to time make a careful examination of each individual sheep. The picture is a very poignant one. He can draw sheep together into an intimate relationship. The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and bring it to its mother if they become separated. He does this because he does not wish to have the ewe reject her offspring if it bears the odor of his hands upon it. As each animal comes out of the corral and through the gate, it is stopped by the shepherd’s outstretched rod. He opens the fleece with the rod; he runs his skillful hands over the body; he feels for any sign of trouble; he examines the sheep with care to see that all is well. Finally the shepherd’s rod is an instrument of protection both for himself and his sheep when they are in danger. It is used both as a defense and a deterrent against anything that would attack. The skilled shepherd uses his rod to drive off predators like coyotes, wolves, cougars or stray dogs. Often it is used to beat the brush discouraging snakes and other creatures from disturbing the flock. In some cases, such as David recounted to Saul, the psalmist no doubt used his rod to attack the lion and the bear that came to raid his flock. In a sense the staff, more than any other item of his personal equipment, identifies the shepherd as a shepherd. No one in any other profession carries a shepherd’s staff. It is uniquely an instrument used for the care and management of sheep – and only sheep. It will not do for cattle, horses or hogs. It is designed, shaped and adapted especially to the needs of sheep. And it is used only for their benefit. The shepherd’s staff is normally a long slender stick, often with a crook or hook on one end. It is selected with care by the owner; it is shaped, smoothed, and cut to best suit his own personal use. ********************** Is it any wonder God uses the example of Sheep when speaking of His own?! The behavior of sheep and human beings is similar in many ways. Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance. Yet despite these adverse characteristics Christ chooses us, buys us, calls us by name, makes us His own and delights in caring for us. We are just like sheep. We, too, tend to be swept away by waters we should have avoided . . . the river of drugs, or alcohol, or fame, or wealth, or pornography. Those waters are swift and will quickly drag us down and drown us. The Bible says Satan “goes about as a roaring lion, (A lion has sharp teeth and claws) seeking whom he may devour” . . . and he can easily devour us when we succumb to his temptations. Without the Good Shepherd along to pull us away with his crooked staff and keep us pointed in the right direction, we will quickly fall prey to the Devil. What weapons do we have that will defend us against Satan’s attacks . . . can you name one? Muscles? Claws? Speed afoot? Without the Holy Ghost power to call on the name of Jesus, we are as defenseless as those in the Bible who tried to do things in the Name of Jesus when Satan responded, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” Act. 19:15. What happened then in verse 16? We also, like sheep, can flee when danger threatens, in fact we are told to do so. We are told to shun the very appearance of evil. How do we do that, run away from it. Put distance between us and evil. 2 Tim 2:22 tells us to do what? How about I Cor. 6:18? Just like sheep, we have no direction when it comes to finding the right path . . . otherwise why would David have written, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me”? Remember, the staff is never used to hurt the sheep, only to guide, lift, and help the animals. A good study on Sheep and their habits is a very good study on followers of Christ … I would highly recommend any Christian to look into these creatures–their habits etc. If you are like me, you’ll see yourself depicted in most [if not all] cases. 2 Timothy 2:22 22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 1 Corinthians 6:18 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Good food for thought!  I mean GOING AND DOING!

God Speaks...Even on Facebook

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
I have never really thought of myself as sheep.  First off I always thought they were pretty stupid-as animals go. But you have to give them credit, they know their shepherd.  They follow blindly because the shepherd says to.  I wish sometimes I could hear my shepherd just as easily as these sheep.  God speaks and I listen but I don't always hear.  I am getting better at it or else He is getting louder.  I try and ask him things during the day- regular mundane things that actually have an effect on my life but its not the important stuff.  So when the important stuff comes along I don't feel so bad about going straight to Him and asking what I want and what I think I need.
Matthew 7: 7&8
Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Praise Him in all things.  Thank him no matter what.  What we think we need is not necessarily the case.  He gives us what we need.  As I am learning to listen to His voice, He is telling me all these things, but I don't understand them.  So I have to remind Him, "God I am a slow learner, not too bright at times!"  He simplifies them for me!  Sometimes His voice comes in a breeze, sometimes through another person, often and mostly- scripture.  And YES even Facebook!  He knows how you navigate your day and if you do so via Smartphone and FAcebook-by cracky He will speak to you there!  After all He is God-Omnipotent-The Great I Am- I think He can get around Facebook and take all that negative and turn it into good!  Isn't that what Romans 8:28 says?  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose!
I have received much inspiration and support from my facebook friends.  God speaks to us all!  All of his children-not just pastors, deacons, teachers-He talks to all of us!  And what we do with that is up to us.  sometimes He tells me to post it on Facebook-He knows who it is for and He knows it is going to be just right for someone at an appointed time!  I hope I always obey Him and do what He tells me.  If I can just be like that stupid sheep and follow my shepherd.  Surely if they can do it I can.  Right!?  I don't want to miss out on receiving a blessing because I didn't hear Him, then didn't obey Him!  My prayer today is for you, my friends, to listen and hear the voice of God.  But after you listen and hear...DO!  Do whatever he tells you, even if it seems silly or it doesn't make sense to you.  It makes sense to God and He has a plan- You are a part of His plan.  Let Him use you!  Just like the parable of the Four Soils in Luke 8.  As the farmer sows the seeds on various soils-the seed is the word of God and the soil represents the four different kinds of responses you can have when God is trying to talk to you.  If you want to hear God speak you have to be eager, open and willing to hear what he has to say.  The hard soil- you already have your mind made up-not listening-hard hearted-unwilling to listen.  Thorny soil-choked out!  Wayside-down trodden-devoured!  The seed that fell on good ground sprang up and bare fruit.  So when God speaks to you I hope you are "good soil" so that what He tells you can go on! Its ripe and you are ready to bare fruit!
Luke 8:15
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience

Prayer for a friend

My God where do I find you? I find you in the morning darkness as I begin to wake up. You hear my prayers as the chill of the night air invades my space. I find you throughout my workday. I see you in the eyes of children- through their smiles!  I find you at the grocery store as the greeter meets me at the door. The creations sing of your wondrous praise; our almighty creator!  The master of the universe. Our conductor in life. You have fine tuned us all to live in perfect harmony. We can never praise you enough. When we feel despair we just remember where we find you!  For me, I find you on my knees!  I feel the most comfort when I'm on my knees. I can unburden myself and seek you in so many ways but none so close as when I  am on my knees!  So Father God while I am here, I have a friend, you know her well!  For you created her, you love her and you can heal her. Whatever she is going through I know you are going with her just like you said you would. You will never leave or forsake her. Give her a peace that passes all understanding. May your spirit wash over her and comfort her. Take this opportunity to shine in her life. Help her to lean on you when she can't lean on any other. You will be her best friend. Her confidant. Remove the worries from her mind and replace them with your promises of everlasting joy and eternal life!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12 NIV)

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. (Psalm 28:7 NIV)

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10 NIV)

We don't question why, but we do ask for strength and courage to see her through and your mercy and grace to cover her! In Jesus name,

Amen!

Fog

 This morning I am walking from the clinic to the Middle school and the fog is so thick, I literally can feel the spray of the mist on my face as I cut my way through it.  I made the comment to one of my students that it reminded me of a scary movie-where you see people walk into the mist-but they never come back!  I know the sun is there and will shine-eventually-because the weatherman tells me it will.  I know as we walk through the mist and we can't see whats on the other side-I know the school is there.  Just as we know these things to be true so do I know God is there for me.  I can't see Him but the Bible tells me He is always there.

Deuteronomy 31:5,6
Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. 

He's always there to brighten my day-even when the fog of life is so heavy I can't see.  When I have to wade through and not know whats on the other side, I have to trust in his promises that He is with me-holding my hand-while I put one foot in front of the other.  He is like that sunshine that the weatherman has forecast!  I know He is going to shine.  He will take whatever fog is getting you down and shine through it until it is all lifted.

Psalm 117:2
Great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever!

David, I told Trish that you might be able to hook her up with a publisher.  There is some good meat in that writing!

Seasons

 Autumn...the season of Fall when the leaves change color, the temperatures cool off, the sweaters go on, football is in full swing and the wooly worms begin to give the winter weather forecast.  This time of the year has always been my favorite... until this year.  Just the thought of it has been depressing to me.  Just thinking about sweaters turning into coats and cool temps turning into cold brings a sad feeling to my soul.  Early dark evenings makes for short days and long nights and that thought alone is scary.  Being cooped up in the house gives my brain a cramp.  For the past two weeks I can feel, literally feel, the joy being sucked out of me! I see it-or the lack of it- when I look in the mirror.  Its gone from my eyes.  Football used to bring me lots of joy- now its just sad because I shared that with Danny.  And we all know how he loved football.  And of course football and Fall go hand in hand-together.  So I guess the root of my sadness and depression is the fact that we loved Fall and football and I can't love that anymore, or at least not the way I used to.  Yesterday as I walked I told God, "I am depressed and I don't like that feeling- Please deliver me from that!"  I also shared with Him my many other woes and worries.  So you know God!  He always has a comeback.  I always stop and "breathe"  so I check facebook and right there the first post was "Jesus Heals:  Cancer Addiction Mental Illness Drpression- Then he touched their eyes and said "Because of your faith, it will happen."  Matthew 9:29 and then "Faith is not believing that God can it is knowing that HE WILL!"  Jesus is always there talking to me reassuring me.  But sometimes its so easy to let those little seeds of doubt start to take root.  Doubt turns to worry then fear then the next thing you know the devil has weaseled his way in and has stolen all your joy, which is what he did to me.  And I let him!  Before I went to bed last night Our Daily Bread devotion had this for me "You need not be afraid of where you're going when you know Gods going with you"  How true that is.  I have no idea what is in store for me!  As I was getting ready for church this morning, Joel Osteen had these words of wisdom..."Some of you have had unfair things happen, life has not turned out like you'd hoped.  God is saying "If you'll rise up out of those ashes, put on a new attitude, I'll not only bring you out but I'll bring you out with twice what you had before!"  God was answering my prayers from yesterday.  I do believe he is telling me to move forward even though I don't know where I'm going, He is going with me!  This morning one of my scriptures was:

 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

16Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

We are only here for a season so we must make the most out of the time God gives us here.  If we let Satan steal our joy he also takes some of that precious time that we could be using for good.  Depression has no room in my life!  And satan sucking away all my joy stops today!  This morning at church I could just feel His goodness washing all over me!  Through songs, prayers, hand shakes, hugs around the neck, even little Elijah!  He just huggged me with such passion it was like he was trying to squeeze the devil out of me!  I think it worked because even getting groceries after church, I felt happy and even shared Jesus with several people- even my WalMart cashier!  So live life to its fullest no matter the season- whether it be a season of the year or a season of your life.  Don't let the devil suck your joy!  If you have to go search out your own Elijah and let them squeeze the devil out for you!  In Psalms 103:5 it says "He fills my life with good things"  don't let those good things go to waste.  Squeeze out that devil to make room for all his goodness!

Emily and Zacs blog

Family

                                           

 Emily Fridenmaker is a regular contributor at 'for we have rebelled.'
 You can find her at A Relentless Embracing of Good.


                               

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I'm from Greenbrier county.

It's located in southern West Virginia. If you aren't also from southern WV, you probably have a few unsavory and [mostly] false things that come to your mind when you hear about my dear, sweet home, such as:

• toothless hillbillies
• ignorant rednecks
• racism
• terrible education
• meth labs (I'm only on Breaking Bad season 4...don't you dare spoil it for me)

Now we have our problems, just like any other place. While we may indeed have our fair share of meth labs, let me tell you about one thing that southern West Virginia does exceptionally well:community.

It's difficult to describe home to you if you aren't from a similar place, but I'm going to try, using my own life as an example. 

Both sets of my grandparents, and their parents, and their parents, and so on have lived in roughly the same place forever. I lived less than 10 minutes away from both sets of grandparents all of my life (until moving for college). My nearest neighbor was my great grandma, and the next nearest after that was my great aunt. My church had around 50 people in it, and almost all of them were related to at least 1 of about 3 families. So many families have known each other for generations. My elementary school teachers remembered teaching my parents when they were in elementary school. People I don't know have seen me out and asked, 'Are you a Treadway?' or said, 'Boy, you sure look like your mom.' I'm not unique in this either...most of the people I know from home have similar stories.

The unique thing about home is that there is a history among us...there are so many things that we all share that are ingrained in us from the time we're born, and other people just don't understand. 

I tell you all this to make one point: we are all for one another.

When Homer had surgery, Mommy went around the road every day to change his bandages.

When my grandparents passed away, there was the biggest collection of rolls, casseroles, brownies, beans, chicken, sandwiches, and salads you'd ever seen.

When a new baby is coming, that mom-to-be likely won't have to buy much because church ladies love to buy blankies and onesies. 

When someone's house burns down, everybody knows which bank has the donation account set up, and they give. Or they know about what size those little girls wear, and they know just where they can pick something up for them.

When Daddy was sick, and when he passed away, there was the greatest outpouring of love and prayers I had experienced in my entire life. People weren't only messaging and texting us, they were bringing food, detergent, paper plates, offering to mow the grass, telling funny stories about him at the wake, stopping by to see how we were, and just generally loving on us.

The people in my community consistently and lovingly rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Ultimately though, this type of community doesn't have to be preceded by generations of knowing one another.

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As Christians (wherever in the world we may be), we have something in common that is much greater than family history, geographical location, or our accents.

We have all been saved, snatched from the brink of death and the depths of sin bythe very same Savior. Though we may not realize it, we all share the same story: a history of sin, trumped by an Epic Intervention.

But wait! Not only do we have history in common, we also share a present and a future.

We labor alongside one another in the present, brothers and sisters longing to see the works of our Father widely proclaimed, and hoping to see the lost reconciled.

We look ahead to our future, trusting in His promises and anticipating the city that He builds.

Believers, we have all been adopted into the family of Christ, and are therefore related by blood. God has given us one another to lean on, to help up, to call out, and to work alongside.

There is no greater community than the community that God has called together. May we absolutely wring ourselves out for the good of it.

Romans 12: 9-18

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.

Never be wise in your own sight.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Trish, I believe the picture you found was from Easter :)

 

This was at the Harvest Festival yesterday :)

 

 

Look what I found on facebook!