East Rockaway Nazarene

Snowing, again.  This is the fourth huge snow storm of the season.  This morning around 5:30, while soveling an area in the garden for Ricky and Annie to do their orning constitution in, the outside light was on and Oh my goodness me, was the snow beautiful.  The crystals were just sooooo shiny and stood out like beautiful "stars" against the ground and dark background of the morning.

Then, later on, the sun came out and I was outside with the dogs again, and watched as each crystal fell to the ground, and felt that feeling of amazement again at God and His beautiful creation.  There are no words to describe His beauty, just for us to stand in awe and enjoy it.

After I heard that Evelyn Meyers had passed away, once again I took time out to consider the legacy she left behind and also wonder whether I will be leaving a legacy and what kind of legacy will I leave behind.  How will people remember me?  fondly or not even give me a fleeting thought. 

Evelyn was known to us as a woman who loved God very much.  She knew where she was going when she closed her eyes for the last time, she had no doubts. 

When the time comes for me to close my eyes for the last time, what regrets will I have?  will I have any?

I then went to God again this morning regarding this issue of legacies and regrets.  By the time I left His side, I was at peace with my life, my goals and my dreams being in line with what He wanted me to accomplish.  Now, I just have to make sure that I do not get side-tracked, instead I must look ahead to the prize at the end of my life which are the words "Well done my good and faithful servant."

Do you have any regrets, dreams or doubts?

I am in awe of God when I see His hand at work through the lives of so many helping out in the total devastation and destruction of Haiti.  There are those who see God's hand at work even though there is so much sadness and sorrow there.

It is at times like this that I say with Paul "if we can learn to be content with much or with nothing," then we can "rest" in the true knowledge of God and His salvation. 

This past Tuesday we have all witnessed the harsh realities of what happens when a catastrophe hits a nation.  Haiti is experiencing a very difficult time right now.  I was speaking to someone this past week and in her daily devotions she was reading Lamentations 3, and even though Lamentations is a harsh doom and gloom book, in verse 19 it says "Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall.  My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.  But this I call to mind, and therefore I have HOPE>  in verse 22-26  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  The Lord is my portion says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.  It is good that on should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

It is during a difficult time such as this catastrophe experienced by the Haitians, that we "wait patiently and quietly for the salvation of the Lord"  also remembering "He is our hope"

We continue to keep those who are in distress in our prayers.

Isn't it a wonderful promise to know that every single day God's mercies are new and He does not carry the old sins forward, it's us who look back and hold on to memories which destroy our productive lifestyles for the Kingdom.  Again as John 10:10 says  "The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy...."  It is the enemy of our souls which keeps bringing to our remembrance all the garbage and makes out like we can not move forward because of what has happened in our past.

God's grace and His forgiveness spans far across the earth and wipes us clean.  We have a fresh start today, and can choose to walk in love and in God's plan for our lives.

Thank God 2009 is over.  This has been a great year in the fact that God was again faithful to His church and took care of everything that happened, both physically and financially.  He is the one who we glorify and thank.

Some of you did not have such a great year, yet if you look at the difficult situations you went through, and look at God's hand in these situations where He helped you through it, all honor and Glory goes to His faithfulness in your lives as well.

This year, I vow to look at my past, learn from mistakes made and also lessons learnt, then place everything in the perspective of God's eyes, just as the prophet Hezekiah did.  When we look at circumstances through our own eyes, it is impossible to see a positive outcome or the outcome which God will lead us to.  Keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus, will help me see clearly and walk in His plan which is perfect for my life.

God bless you, I'm excited about 2010, why?  I don't know but I am.  I have everything placed in God's capable hands, so why would I not be excited right?

tell me your story.

2010 holds promises, joys, sorrows, and a year of "vision", both personally and as a Body of Christ in east Rockaway.

If you look over this past year, so much has happened and it flew by.  There were days of darkness and then the sun came up again with days full of promise.

I am trying to convince myself not to hope that this year will be the year in which my list of "must accomplish" will be fulfilled.  As each day rolls on, I will try to walk by faith, putting on Christ and moving in the direction which He wants me to walk in.  Of course there will be choices that I will have to make, and I will make the wrong choices, guaranteed, maybe not all the time, but a lot of the time.

The one thing that I hold dear to my heart is the reality that Christ lives and He will be right there beside me helpng me to make the right choices and be there to pick me up when I make the wrong ones.

What about your dreams this year?  any suggestions?

While sitting through these past few weeks in church and hearing about God's love and how He sent Jesus so that we can live lifes of fulfillment and free from our strongholds because He died for those strongholds so that we can be free and do even more than He did here on earth.

Every time we confess that we are going to "walk by faith" or "be obedient"  or just even think that we are overcoming an area of our lives which we thought needed overcoming, we are given a "test", not by God because He does not test us, but by the other dark side. 

I am now walking in one of those times of "testing" and trying to put God's words into action and live more by faith, trusting Him for each brand new day, that He has a beautiful plan for my life and I will be fruitful.  Note the WILL. 

I never saw this before, but in my reading today I came across Dave Thornton from Rev Magazine who pointed out the fact that we are commanded to be fruitful by God.  God was always telling people to "go", in other words, be the messenger and disciple-makers on behalf of the God of the Universe.  What a beautiful sign of confidence God has in us.  So, by faith we do as we are commanded, we "go" into our neighborhood, in our church, schools, restaurants and see the wonderful thing that God has got planned for us as we "move" and "shake" the quiet little neighborhoods.

God bless.

Over the past few weeks, we have been encouraged through the weekly sermon to apply the message we heard and let it transform us.  Well, I have been trying and each week it was not hard, because it was applications which I was normally doing, but this past week was "Putting on Christ" and the first thing which came to mind was "if I put on Christ what would I do differently this week?"  well, the first thought that cae to mind was that I would "have more faith"  actually apply myself more to my ministry and actions, through faith in Christ, knowing that He is directing my path and I am walking by faith as He wants me to.

This was extremely difficult, because once you make up your mind to apply God's word, circumstances change and you are put to the test.  This week I have had to "walk by faith and not by feelings, circumstances, fears, desires, doubts"

But if I am to put on Christ, this is what He requires me to do.  How about You?