Someone else's blog...

Not sure I've ever done this before, but this blog REALLY ministered to me... How I hope some day I too will minister to others "from the grave"...

70x7 STINKS!

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Matthew 18:21-22

Are there ever portions of scripture that just "stick in your craw"??? There are for me... and THIS is one of them!

490 figurative times??? are you KIDDING me God?  Forgiveness is painful. Forgiveness is HARD. And sometimes to be honest I just get stinking tired of forgiving people for the same old EXACT selfish, rude, cruel thing!
But I forgave YOU.

This blog isn't going to be long... it isn't going to be eloquent... it's going to be short, sweet and TO THE POINT.

If you ever get to the point where you are sick of forgiving.... If you ever want to snip 70x7 right out of your Bible.... If you're ever moping around in the injustice of forgiving some sinful, self-centered human being again and again and AGAIN...

STOP!

and remember:  God forgave YOU. Jesus hung on that cross for YOU. His precious, holy blood was spilled for YOU.  And when turned back around towards YOU that 70x7 thing ain't so bad anymore... is it?

Here's hoping that visions of the brutal, somber, excruciating cross bring a smile of hope to your face today... because all that pain was suffered for YOU and because in just three days...

:)

The end of the world....

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:22-23

Doesn't it feel like the end of the world????  Earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear threates, war in the Middle East, heinous crimes, sickness, betrayal, filthy-rotten-evil SIN everywhere you look!  I sure feel like it is the end of the world.  I feel Satan fighting hard in his death throes.  He knows his time is short.

But then I wonder... is his time really short?  I mean this sure FEELS like it is the end of the world.  All the signs and wonders mentioned in Revelation seem to be all around us.  However, I can't help but think that every generation has felt the same way....

When Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed...

When the extent of Hitler's evil became known...

During the Cold War...

In all of these times I'm sure people thought, "This is it.  This is the end of the world."  Looking back, I'm sure we could say, "DUH!  That was SO not the end of the world."  But I have to wonder if future generations might not look back on 2011 and say the same thing.

So what do we do???? Caught here in what very well might be the last days... yet possibly still here for the duration...

1.  PRAY!!!!  I can't help but think that the #1 TOP OF THE LIST solution is PRAYER.  Whether you're praying for comfort because you're frightened of the times we live in... or you're praying for help and healing for all those suffering in Japan, Libya, Israel, or our own homes... or you're praying for wisdom and guidance.... or you're praying for the strength to make it through these end times... or ALL OF THE ABOVE... it just doesn't matter... just PRAY!  PRAY!  PRAY!  PRAY!

Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice.  Psalm 55:17

2. Draw closer to God. Read your Bible. Listen to worship music. Go to church. Join a small group. and PRAY!  Do anything and everything to draw near to God.  Don't waste your time watching the news.  Don't fret over the radiation levels in Japan. Don't dwell on the bombs dropping in Libya. Be aware of what's going on but don't DWELL on it.  DWELL on things of God.

Come near to God and He will come near to you.... James 4:8a


3.  Be ready.  In spite of all I said here... whether it's today or some tomorrow in the future... you need to BE READY to meet your maker!  Don't think, "See Jami even admitted this might not be it.  So I can just wait a little longer."  DON'T DO IT!  BE READY.... TODAY!  I've blogged about it before... I won't waste your time again... but I am going to cite one verse on this topic... and bump one of my FAVORITE songs to the top of my playlist... just BE READY.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.  2 Corinthians 5:10

Because whether today or tomorrow... He IS coming back to take His own.  I, for one, CAN'T WAIT!  Dancing on streets of gold... Praising at the feet of JESUS HIMSELF... no more sickness... no more pain... no more tears... reunions with those who've gone before... bodies made whole... OHMIGOSH!  I'm getting gooseflesh just typing about it!  HOME!  I can't wait to go HOME!  

Hang on everyone!  This COULD be the end of it all.... or it could be just another event in world history that we all thought was IT.  Doesn't really matter which it is... our response should be the same:  pray, draw near to God and BE READY!

Have a GREAT day!

A personal blog (part 2)....

So there I was this morning,  walking down Valley View Lane, song one playing on my music player as God's love FLOODED over me.... reminding me that I was "made for so much more" than this war torn, tsunami riddled, nuclear threatened, polticially tense, financially strapped EARTH. I'm just like a fish flopping on the beach, CLEARLY out of its natural environment. I was made for MORE..... But I digress. You've all read part 1.... right?

So song two began and it was MY turn. My turn to bless Him. My turn to take the love He had just showered onto my aching soul and send it right back...

I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all 
I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

Pouring from my soul!

I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all 
I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

SCREAMING from the depths of me!

I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all 
I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

A promse I intend to KEEP!

I'll stand
(come HECK or high water!)
with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all 
(gave it all for ME!)
I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours
(the good the bad and the ugly... ALL of it is YOURS Lord)

Wowzer!  It was such a PERSONAL moment... ministered in such a PUBLIC place... the most private, tender, aching part of my soul, comforted and then lifted back up to my God... all right there with neighbors and even strangers driving by... exquisitely private yet perfectly public.  Kinda like this blog....

A personal blog....

Sooooooooooooo.... I'm venturing into unchartered territory.... Attempting to walk with this tattered and tender Achilles tendon. I am proceeding slowly and with GREAT caution.  Just one lap down the cul de sac and if I feel pain, I am (almost always) turning back. My purpose is two-fold really:  workout AND break in these new shoes I got before my orthotic inserts arrive.

This morning as I walked God NAILED me to the wall with 2 songs from my music player.  It was INTENSE and personal and AMAZING... so of course I wanted to share it with you.

I'm not really a HUGE fan of promoting a strong self-image.  I really truly believe that when we focus on our self-image we take our eyes off Him for too long.  However, that being said I can EASILY identify the fact that I am WAY too hard on myself.  Seriously I am!  I am too fat... too busy... too unorganized... too impatient... too... too... too...  My mom recently said to me, "You are the most guilt-ridden person I know."  I can make just about anything my fault.  I bet I could make the Tsunami in Japan my fault if I tried hard enough.  So while I don't put much stock or time into building up my self-image, I recognize that I do need to ease up on myself a little.  

This morning the first song as I walked was Beautiful... Mercy Me; I love this song; it's made me cry many times before; but NOTHING like this morning before.... I literally almost fell to my knees with the power of it today.

Days will come when you don't have the strength 
[EVERY SINGLE DAY JUST ABOUT]
When all you hear is you're not worth anything
[seems that's all I hear]
Wondering if you ever could be loved
[or why I would be loved]
And if they truly saw your heart they'd see too much


You're beautiful
[really Father?  cuz I don't feel like it]
You're beautiful
[You're just SAYING that... you have to!  you're my Father]
You are made for so much more than all of this
[SHABAM!!!!]


He kept on speaking LOUD through this one lyric.  Every time I heard it in the song:  you're made for more than sleepless nights, stretching a dollar, squeezing into tight pants, your eyes bugging out of your head in frustration, tears pouring down your face in hopelessness... YOU ARE MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE THAN ALL OF THIS!

You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are TREASURED, You are SACRED, You are HIS
You're beautiful


I'm praying that you have the heart to fight
Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
[you're fat... you're ugly... you're unlovable... you're emotional... you're overwhelmed...]
And they are nothing in the shadow of the cross
[NOTHING]

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
[me???]
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
[me...]
Enough to die
[ME!!!!!]

You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than this
You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His

Over and over and over the words poured over my soul... Soothing me.... Healing me... Making me feel LOVED....

Soooooo not to leave you with a cliffhanger, but I just realized that this idea is TOO long for one blog... I will have to do part 2 tomorrow....

Just remember:

You are treasured

You are sacred

You are His