Thursday, August 27, 2009

Will Work For Food

will work for food Nowhere to go, nothing to eat

Homeless & hungry -it is no treat

I didn't imagine life this way

Don't know what to expect from day to day

How did this happen?  What went wrong?

I thought I was more, I thought I was strong.

Now on the corner I sit of 5th and Jude,

Holding my sign "will work for food"

A single mother of 3, I have found myselfhungry children

Looking for money in the jar on the shelf.

Down to my last dollar, no job in sight

Struggling to make it, with all of my might.

The children are hungry, I'm weary and worn

Can't "dress to impress", my clothes are all torn.

I'll go to this restaurant, that's what I'll do...

I'll let them know that I "will work for food".

A sinner am I, I was born that way

angela's hair 014But down came a Savior, so in sin I won't stay

He gave His life on the cross, He bled and died.

So I could be saved and swallow my pride.

The Living Water, they say, the Bread of Life,

He keeps us, sustains us, so we won't live in strife.

For His Kingdom, I'll strive, to always do good,

And for the rest of my life I "will work for food"!

John 6:47-51
 
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 
NIV

Pictures taken from:  www.andybrarer.typepad.com and www.old-photos.blogspot.com

                       

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

An Invitation to Praise

Ps 105:1-4
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.
NIV

I think this is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. I love the Psalms anyway!! It's all such a song and it blesses me every time I read it!! Here is what I came up with after reading today....

AN INVITATION TO PRAISE

invitation

Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name

For the good things in life HE is to blame.

Make known above the nations what He has done

If you want it simply put, it means tell everyone!

Sing to Him, sing praise to Him

Through your worship, He'll fill you to the brim.

Tell of all His wonderful acts

Don't make up stories... just give the facts.

Glory in His holy name

In Him is where you'll find true fame!

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice

Lift it up... don't be afraid to use your voice!!

Look to the Lord and His strength

Draw close to Him, don't keep Him at arms length.

Seek His face, Seek His face always

Not just from time to time, but seek Him ALL days.

What a blessing we get when we tell of the Lord;

About all of His goodness and our great reward.

How blessed are we all to be called HIS child!

When we each called Him "father", I'm pretty sure He smiled.

Now rejoice in the Lord and in all of His ways;

For this, my dear friends, is

AN INVITATION TO PRAISE!!

So what are you waiting for?? I think it's time you RSVP and let God know that you're accepting this invitation!! Let Him know that you are coming and You'll meet Him there!!! He'll be there for sure!!

Have a praise-filled day!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

See. Hear. Smell. Touch. TASTE!!!!!

YUMMO!!!! I love to taste of good things!! Are you a foodie?? I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a "foodie", in the sense that I like to try a lot of foods, but I do love to EAT.... mostly junk food, sweet stuff, snack food.... not always the stuff that is really good for me! I'm definitely NOT a health-food freak or anything like that!! I would just as soon put junk Baby_Eating_Strawberries food in my mouth than healthy stuff!! But...... nevertheless, I LOVE TO TASTE food!!!!!!!!!!! What about you??? Do you love to taste too?? That must be my favorite sense that the Lord blessed me with!! ('Cause it's definitely not common sense!! LOL!!) I am thankful that he blessed me with all five... but I do love that TASTE one the best!!!! You know, I didn't realize it, until today, but God uses faith in the Scripture "under the emblem of all of these senses".... check out this commentary that I found on my PC Study Bible this morning!!

"His fruit was sweet to my taste." --Song of Solomon 2:3

Faith, in the Scripture, is spoken of under the emblem of all the senses. It is sight: "Look unto me and be ye saved." It is hearing: "Hear, and your soul shall live." Faith is smelling: "All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia"; "thy name is as ointment poured forth." Faith is spiritual touch. By this faith the woman came behind and touched the hem of Christ's garment, and by this we handle the things of the good word of life. Faith is equally the spirit's taste. "How sweet are Thy words to my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my lips." "Except a man eat my flesh," saith Christ, "and drink my blood, there is no life in him."

This "taste" is faith in one of its highest operations. One of the first performances of faith is hearing. We hear the voice of God, not with the outward ear alone, but with the inward ear; we hear it as God's Word, and we believe it to be so; that is the "hearing" of faith. Then our mind looketh upon the truth as it is presented to us; that is to say, we understand it, we perceive its meaning; that is the "seeing" of faith. Next we discover its preciousness; we begin to admire it, and find how fragrant it is; that is faith in its "smell." Then we appropriate the mercies which are prepared for us in Christ; that is faith in its "touch." Hence follow the enjoyments, peace, delight, communion; which are faith in its "taste." Any one of these acts of faith is saving. To hear Christ's voice as the sure voice of God in the soul will save us; but that which gives true enjoyment is the aspect of faith wherein Christ, by holy taste, is received into us, and made, by inward and spiritual apprehension of His sweetness and preciousness, to be the food of our souls. It is then we sit "under His shadow with great delight," and find His fruit sweet to our taste.

What about that!!! I can use my TASTE and know it is FAITH at work!!! I think I'll call this my "Tasty Faith"!!! I so much desire to use all of my senses as I practice faith in my life!! I want to hear the voice of the Lord, I want to see HIS goodness and mercy, I want to touch Him daily, I want to smell the sweet aroma of HIS presence and I most definitely want to "taste and see that the Lord is good..." What about you?? Which sense will you use today?? How about using that COMMON SENSE and find yourself basking in the presence of our ALMIGHTY LORD and see what awakens your senses today!!!!! I'll guarantee that it will work better than "Folders in your cup"!!

Ps 34:8

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
NIV

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

On A Personal Note II




As I promised!! Pictures of my family!!





Posted by Picasa



And now, for a picture of my pride and joy!!!! You are not going to believe this picture!! They were so good for me and didn't complain a bit for me to take this!! MY PRIDE & JOY!!


Hope you enjoyed the pics!!! Especially the one of my PRIDE & JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!

Friday, August 14, 2009

SIN & SEATBELTS???

It's vacation time for the Jackson Family!!  We are so excited to be going all the way to Arkansas to see my beloved grandparents and then on to Texas to see my parents.  The car is loaded, children are comfortable in the back, complete with pillows, blankets and video games.  So, off we go!!  Chuck and I are in the front seats having good conversation - talking about all we plan to do when we arrive.  Rest and relaxation - aaahhhh - the joys of vacation time!!  We've made it about 3 hours, into Mobile, Alabama, with little to no arguing from the children.  Looks like it's going to be smooth sailing (well, driving).  LITTLE DID I KNOW WHAT WAS COMING!!!

Marleigh, my dear daughter of 9 years, is buckled up, but laying sideways in the car.  Head on the pillow against the door and feet in the seat... she's resting.  She decides to sit up and talk to her brother for a bit.  But, instead of putting her feet down, she keeps them in the seat and turns backward (now facing the backseat).  So begins the downward spiral of "smooth sailing"!!

Conversation begins between brother and sister.... all is going fine then the conversation takes a turn.  It goes a little like this:  Mason:  "Marleigh, look - on the roof- it's a spider"  Marleigh:  "eeeekkkkk, Mason, kill it!!"  she screams, while jumping into the center of the back seat.  (Let's don't forget, she is turned backward and still buckled up.)  Mason:  "Marleigh, you kill it, it's just a little spider and it's over on YOUR side!  I can't reach it."  Marleigh continues her frenzy and insistence on Mason to kill the spider.  I've heard enough!!!  I unbuckle, turn around and kill the little spider myself.  Marleigh resumes her position in "her" seat - problem solved!!  NOT QUITE!!!! 

After a few minutes I hear Mason saying "Ummm, Marleigh is stuck in her seatbelt."  What??  "What do you mean "STUCK"?, I say.  "Ok, not a problem - just unbuckle the seatbelt and straighten it up, buckle it back."  Problem solved - NOT QUITE!!!!  "She is unbuckled and she can't get out of it.  It's wrapped around her waist."  "Ok, not a problem", I say.  I unbuckle, again, turn around to help her out of the seatbelt.  "Hmmm", I think... "this is NOT good".  She really is STUCK!!!!   The thing is, when she was resting with her feet in the seat, then turned around backward, then jumped to the center, then moved back into her own seat... somehow the shoulder strap is UNDER the lap belt, wrapped around her waist.  Now, Marleigh is a tiny thing, so surely she can just wiggle her way out of the seatbelt, we will untangle it and "voila"!!  Not quite!!!!  We stop the car.  Get out and walk around the back to see if we can get her out.  Well, because she "jumped" to the center, that pulled the shoulder strap and caused it to lock (like it would if you slammed on the brakes suddenly), so it would go back in but not come back out, therefore causing the belt to tighten with every little move.  What a predicament!!!  What are we going to do??  By now, Marleigh is in a panic, not able to breathe, because it is cutting off circulation or something and I am in a panic because I don't know how to get my daughter out of this death trap!!  THANK GOD we brought Chuck's mustache scissors with us.... we literally had to CUT THE Texas Vacation 7-2009 001 SEATBELT!!  Finally.... PROBLEM SOLVED!!  Only problem now is that she has to sit in the center, right next to her brother, for another 10 hours!!!!  WHEW!!!!  What a trip!!!

So, I'm thinkin'.... Isn't that just the same way SIN works!!!  We are riding along, having a great trip and before we know it we are right in the middle of a situation and haven't a clue how we ended up there!!  Maybe we got caught sleeping for a while and when we woke up we were in the middle of a tangled up sin and didn't know how to get out of it.  It has wrapped itself around us and with every move it gets tighter and tighter, cutting off our air supply and we have no where to go.  We are trapped!!! 

Proverbs 11:4  "The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires"  NIV

I say instead of laying down, turning backward and getting TRAPPED, stay UPRIGHT and RIGHTEOUS.  It is so great that we can call on GOD and He will stop the ride, come to where we are and cut us out!!!  We may have a few things to fix afterward (like I'm going to have to get that seatbelt fixed), but at least we are now free!! 

John 8:36 "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
NIV