Category Archives: Faith

Money Test

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widows’ mite worth less that a cent

Now in my 70’s I can tell you that I have ALWAYS found God faithful to provide for ALL of my needs. Additionally I have seen that my heart has followed my decisions about money.

The tiny copper coin known as the “widows’ mite” was worth less that a cent.  To His disciples, Jesus commended the poor widow who gave two of the tiny coins to the temple treasury.  Furthermore, Jesus said she was giving all she had, even her whole livelihood!

Why would she give so much?  What motivated her?  And why did she give to the temple treasury?

In her day, she would have had knowledge of the scriptures of the Old Testament in which God invites His people to test Him by bringing tithes and offerings into the storehouse.  He promises to provide generously for those who will enter into this “faith” agreement with Him.  This is the ONLY place in the Bible where God asks us to test Him so that we can experience His faithful provision. Continue reading →

Purge Project

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Bathroom storage space

I love this feeling of freedom and anticipation as I rid myself of the stuff around me that serves no purpose for the present or future adventure I am anticipating.

One room at a time and I started in the bathroom.  It took, can you believe, THREE hours!  I sorted out stuff to throw, give away, store and take with me to Germany.

My past as a hair design artist meant I had lots of stuff related to that business.  Those were very good years when I worked in a lovely salon with a lot of creative colleagues.  Each day was devoted to making beautiful hair for the many clients I served and I loved it.  But now, most of the tools of that trade are no longer relevant to the present and in fact those tools might be well used by another.  The give away category took the majority of those items. Continue reading →

Retirement Ahead

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Retirement Ahead for Minnesota Marion

I will retire from my position as Resident Manager of Banfill Crossing in mid April of 2017.

I will retire from my position as Resident Manager of Banfill Crossing in mid April of 2017.  A search for my replacement is under way and I love thinking about handing off this terrific job to someone else knowing that I have developed order and structured organization into this setting.  Great Lakes Management Company has provided a fantastic working environment and I am so thankful for these last 6 years.

My job is “on the market” and everything I own is being stored or sold. I am lightening the load and the ground is shrinking as I move to a place of further dependence on the Lord of my life. Continue reading →

Corrected Vision

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The first wearing of my new glasses

The big surprise was the first wearing of my new glasses. Everything was sharp and in focus, but when I tried to walk it seemed to me that the ground was tilted to the left.

When I was young, I assumed upon my eyes.  They saw everything correctly and I never gave them a second thought.  One day, when I was about 36 years old I noticed something that looked like thick hairs floating across the page as I read a book.  Concerned, I went to the eye doctor who assured me that the vitreous floaters I was seeing were a normal part of the “aging process”.  With the pride of my youth wounded, I set about accepting “floaters” as part of the altered vision I would have to live with.

Some year’s later, severe pain in my left eye signaled the presence of some terrible problem.  “Shingles” was the diagnosis and I was dismayed to learn that the virus, which caused the pain, was already in my body.  It had been lying dormant in my spinal fluid since my childhood bout with chicken pox.

The pain brought life to a halt and I sought help in the doctors’ office. Continue reading →

Prayer Helped

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Prayer helped anointing him with oil

…let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

When I was 40, after 23 years of marriage I was served with divorce papers and left to care for 4 young children on my own.  Over half of the money I had from the sale of our house was immediately handed out for rental housing that would accommodate our needs.

I was working as a self-employed hair stylist.  With less than 1 year of history in that position my income possibilities were not great but I was willing and able to work hard and I was good with hair.

At the time my Church, in obedience to the direction of James 5 in the bible, invited those who needed special prayer to be anointed by the elders (appointed leaders of the church) and to receive prayer for their needs.   Continue reading →

Rejoice!

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the entire multitude was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him

Are you at peace with God and your word today? Are you in a time-frame where everything is going fine and troubles of the past are a memory? Will you enter into the rejoicing that can be your experience as you see what Jesus is doing in the lives of those people you know?

Luke 13: 10-17

17         And as He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire multitude was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

……. and the entire multitude was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

The multitude were the people in attendance at the worship service where these events occurred and possibly would include others who may have been pressing in outside the building. Jesus had done something glorious among them by healing the woman who was bent over.

I am certain that there were many other people nearby that day that needed healing as well. Continue reading →

Humiliated

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Have you ever felt humiliated when the understanding of Gods truth comes to your heart and mind?

Have you ever felt humiliated when the understanding of Gods truth comes to your heart and mind? Have you ever realized that you and Jesus are not on the same side of the fence on some issue that has been part of your thinking? What is the response that God desires? What are the choices here?

Luke 13: 10-17

16    And as He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire multitude was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

While He said this…… Let me review here what He was saying.

15           But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead him away to water him?
16           “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

Remember, Jesus was saying this to the synagogue official and all those who sat with him in the places of honor. These men were the ones who organized and led the worship of God in the place designed to exult the Lord of glory. Here these very same men are identified as the opponents (rival, adversary, competitor) of the one whom God sent from heaven to live among them. They had already aligned themselves in their hearts and minds against this Jesus as has did many other religious leaders in that day. Are there religious leaders today who actually speak against Jesus? Continue reading →

Leadership

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The best leaders are devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Follow the leader! People, do you know? The best leaders are devoted followers of Jesus Christ. They are those who know that their gifts of leadership are for the healing of those who allow them to lead by being followers.

Luke 13: 10-17

Verse 14                             And the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the multitude in responds, “There are six days in which work should be done; therefore come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

In the Old Testament Laws that were given to Moses on Mount Sini, The Lord said, ‘Remember the Sabbath Day. to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work….’ (Exodus 20:9-10a)  The religious leaders had developed an elaborate set of rules designed to try and be obedient to this command.  In doing so they had gotten miles away from the spirit of the command and in fact created impossible burdens for the people.  Somehow, unbelievable as it may seem, they had decided that healing was considered work!

It is of great interest to me that this official does not address Jesus, who is the Sabbath breaker in these events.  Continue reading →

Glorify God

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And He laid His hands upon her; and immediately she was made erect again, and began glorifying God.

What exactly does it mean to glorify God. The Amplified Bible says that she recognized, thanked and praised God. Her connection to God went from participation in a ceremony to an experience that she could know, feel and understand. Her knowing of God became an undeniable, obvious experience to her and to everyone who knew her.

Luke 13: 10-17

Verse 13     And He laid His hands upon her; and immediately she was made erect again, and began glorifying God.

…immediately she was made erect again, and began glorifying God.

She was made erect again.  Think of what transpired in just the few seconds that it took for Jesus to touch her and transfer the power that was in Him to her deformed body.  She had been viewing whatever was under foot, being unable to ‘straighten herself up or look upward’ (Amplified Bible)  Now in a moment of time she is made erect and is able to see everything around her as others did, free from the bond of sickness that had identified her life and existence for the last 18 years.

Surely, these moments became the centerpiece of her identity from that moment on.
Surely she would repeat each detail tirelessly from then on to everyone she met.
Surely, everyone who looked at her would wonder how she could be the same person. Continue reading →

Freedom

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And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day

“Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” Not, your going to be freed, or your freedom is beginning right now, but rather you ARE freed from your sickness.

Today, we hear Jesus speak to her……

Luke 13: 10-17

Verse 12     And when Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”

“Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”

You are freed from your sickness.  Not, your going to be freed, or your freedom is beginning right now, but rather you ARE freed from your sickness.  Remember that this sickness which bound her for 18 years was caused by a Satan.  It’s interesting to me that He does not address Satan or the spirit involved at all in this instance.  In some other cases He does, but here He simply speaks the truth that is Gods plan for her life and Satan is rendered powerless to stand in the way or to put forth any argument at all. Continue reading →