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My Fathers best friend died on Thursday. My Dad has been gone for 26 years but we would still see this man and his family sometimes, his Daughter and I are close, she lives a couple hours away but we talk a lot. Her family was more like my Father's family to me then his actual family. We spent a lot of time with these people. There is a viewing today. I'm going, my Mom and her Husband are going, my Sister I'm not sure, but my Brother probably has a baseball game to go to for his Son. I'm not sure, but he's not going. He and my Sister should go. They're older than me, and I'm not going to say anything, but GO.
When my Dad died these folks, and when I say folks, I mean, them, their children, their brother's and Sister's and their children all came and supported us. They are Italian, all from Italy, very close. My Father loved them dearly. I love them dearly. I know he's dead and he doesn't know or care but these people have always been a part of our lives, I wish my siblings would prioritize today.
OK got it out. Thanks!
When my Dad died these folks, and when I say folks, I mean, them, their children, their brother's and Sister's and their children all came and supported us. They are Italian, all from Italy, very close. My Father loved them dearly. I love them dearly. I know he's dead and he doesn't know or care but these people have always been a part of our lives, I wish my siblings would prioritize today.
OK got it out. Thanks!
A
People often say that when one is first converted, they experience a 'honey moon stage' that lasts for about a year or so before the spark dwindles away, things get harder and your new levels of growth, test and trials gives you right of passage to let that passion run dry.
To be honest, I'm sick of people saying this. We are called to move from glory to glory. I want my heart to get bigger, I want the Lord to draw closer, I want more of Him. In the 22 months I have been His, He has taken my hand and lead me through situations and trials I thought were going to see the end of me. But He was so faithful, He was so patient, He remained and in my heart breaks and trials, He revealed more of His divine and breath taking nature to me.
The more He reveals of Himself, the more I hunger, the deeper I fall in love. I am not going through a stage that will suddenly end. The sweetness and captivating beauty of this relationship is not going drop like a veil that has been covering reality all this time. I want so much more than this. God comes, and He fulfils the needs of the deepest part of my being, and at the same time that fulfilment creates a new sense of hunger and need for God to move in me like I've never experienced before.
I never want to say there was a time when love awakened me, stirred within, and then lost its flame. I NEVER want to say that. Oh, how the Lord took me out of the depths of complete despair and darkness and loved me when everyone I knew had turned their backs on me. I could never turn my back on the love that brought me back to life. I will swim the depths of that love and allow it to consume me for all of my days.
I want to be overwhelmed with that kind of passion and fan the flames in my heart until it ignites like wild fire... and to see that light spread. I used to think, "I want to do good"... then I thought, no, "I want to make a difference." But those words don't seem to capture how I feel anymore. Now, "I want to be part of something that changes the world". I want to see a move of God that has the world at a stand still. I don't want anything less.
To be honest, I'm sick of people saying this. We are called to move from glory to glory. I want my heart to get bigger, I want the Lord to draw closer, I want more of Him. In the 22 months I have been His, He has taken my hand and lead me through situations and trials I thought were going to see the end of me. But He was so faithful, He was so patient, He remained and in my heart breaks and trials, He revealed more of His divine and breath taking nature to me.
The more He reveals of Himself, the more I hunger, the deeper I fall in love. I am not going through a stage that will suddenly end. The sweetness and captivating beauty of this relationship is not going drop like a veil that has been covering reality all this time. I want so much more than this. God comes, and He fulfils the needs of the deepest part of my being, and at the same time that fulfilment creates a new sense of hunger and need for God to move in me like I've never experienced before.
I never want to say there was a time when love awakened me, stirred within, and then lost its flame. I NEVER want to say that. Oh, how the Lord took me out of the depths of complete despair and darkness and loved me when everyone I knew had turned their backs on me. I could never turn my back on the love that brought me back to life. I will swim the depths of that love and allow it to consume me for all of my days.
I want to be overwhelmed with that kind of passion and fan the flames in my heart until it ignites like wild fire... and to see that light spread. I used to think, "I want to do good"... then I thought, no, "I want to make a difference." But those words don't seem to capture how I feel anymore. Now, "I want to be part of something that changes the world". I want to see a move of God that has the world at a stand still. I don't want anything less.
A
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Arlene89 again.
Botheration!
Beautiful post, Arlene! I pray that Christ really continues to work in you. It sounds like He's doing great things. You're a great encouragement to me, and I'm sure, other believers.
Botheration!
Beautiful post, Arlene! I pray that Christ really continues to work in you. It sounds like He's doing great things. You're a great encouragement to me, and I'm sure, other believers.
I
In response to Arlene's post (which btw was pretty awesome)...
I never had a "honeymoon" period when I got saved. Never felt like I was on some ultra-close high trip with Jesus for a season & then, BLAMMO! it was over.
I went from giving my heart to the Lord & then it seemed I was pretty much tossed out of the nest & had to truly develop my faith right away..to trust in what I was learning in the word & what I was being taught was TRUTH ,and not something that was going in one ear & out the other. I had to really put it all into action,or crash & burn.
At least this is how I felt.
I still to this day wonder if I ever really "hear" God. I never get "feelings or signs" from Him. The only thing I've been able to go by is His word. (which should be/is sufficient) It's nice when once & a while someone in my life that I am close to and/or respect in the Lord confirms something I feel that I've been in prayer about or maybe studying/pondering on. Those are really the only outward comforts I really get.
God seems to reveal Himself to me in the oddest thing's at times...not so much the usual ways that I hear most Christians speak about. He really does meet us all on a personal level that we can understand & relate to. I think over the years this is one of the main thing's I've always tried to impress upon my unsaved friends & those unbelievers I have witnessed to or shared anything about the gospel of Jesus with..and that's the truth that God is into details & he cares about you/us/me as a person...that nothing is ridiculous to Him that we bring to Him. Even though we feel it might be. It's relationship. That's what it boils down to.
I think that's why so many people have such messed up relationships when they date or get married. They haven't gotten straight the most important relationship of all even close to nailed down yet. One with Jesus. If we can't be brutally honest with Him about who we are,or what we feel/think/desire...and He unconditionally loves us,then how can we ever hope to have a healthy loving relationship with someone else,especially a person that we intend on marrying & sharing the rest of our lives with?
It's no wonder so many marriages fail when the blueprint of our love for someone else,that foundation isn't rooted in the unconditional love God has demonstrated to us through His Son Jesus.
I dunno if I have a "passion" to change the world,as much as just a strong desire to make the part of the world I exist in a better place,by being a better me. Then it will just have a domino effect.
The Spirit of God is/has & always will be moving...nothing can stop what God has planned.
I don't always see myself as having some effect on lives in general,but I trust that God's Spirit is doing many things behind the scenes that I cannot even comprehend. I just have to keep my faith & trust set on Him as always to do what He said he'd do.
If I am a part of that in some small way,that's pretty cool.
I never had a "honeymoon" period when I got saved. Never felt like I was on some ultra-close high trip with Jesus for a season & then, BLAMMO! it was over.
I went from giving my heart to the Lord & then it seemed I was pretty much tossed out of the nest & had to truly develop my faith right away..to trust in what I was learning in the word & what I was being taught was TRUTH ,and not something that was going in one ear & out the other. I had to really put it all into action,or crash & burn.
At least this is how I felt.
I still to this day wonder if I ever really "hear" God. I never get "feelings or signs" from Him. The only thing I've been able to go by is His word. (which should be/is sufficient) It's nice when once & a while someone in my life that I am close to and/or respect in the Lord confirms something I feel that I've been in prayer about or maybe studying/pondering on. Those are really the only outward comforts I really get.
God seems to reveal Himself to me in the oddest thing's at times...not so much the usual ways that I hear most Christians speak about. He really does meet us all on a personal level that we can understand & relate to. I think over the years this is one of the main thing's I've always tried to impress upon my unsaved friends & those unbelievers I have witnessed to or shared anything about the gospel of Jesus with..and that's the truth that God is into details & he cares about you/us/me as a person...that nothing is ridiculous to Him that we bring to Him. Even though we feel it might be. It's relationship. That's what it boils down to.
I think that's why so many people have such messed up relationships when they date or get married. They haven't gotten straight the most important relationship of all even close to nailed down yet. One with Jesus. If we can't be brutally honest with Him about who we are,or what we feel/think/desire...and He unconditionally loves us,then how can we ever hope to have a healthy loving relationship with someone else,especially a person that we intend on marrying & sharing the rest of our lives with?
It's no wonder so many marriages fail when the blueprint of our love for someone else,that foundation isn't rooted in the unconditional love God has demonstrated to us through His Son Jesus.
I dunno if I have a "passion" to change the world,as much as just a strong desire to make the part of the world I exist in a better place,by being a better me. Then it will just have a domino effect.
The Spirit of God is/has & always will be moving...nothing can stop what God has planned.
I don't always see myself as having some effect on lives in general,but I trust that God's Spirit is doing many things behind the scenes that I cannot even comprehend. I just have to keep my faith & trust set on Him as always to do what He said he'd do.
If I am a part of that in some small way,that's pretty cool.
You know I love this fact that you are a peculiar person as God said we are, and not attached to this world in wanting attention, and get it not wanting it. Kind of like God did not entertain others to see him as the center, yet by this is seen as the center, as he never made or claimed to be the center. I think the same for us
Anyway, you do make me smile with your posts out of character you are who you are
Anyway, you do make me smile with your posts out of character you are who you are
This egg is like a drug, put it in the frying pan and this is your brains on drugs
The drugs i speak of here are thoughts of stinking thinking, cast out that unclean thing and focus on what is pure, perfect well and correct in the Spirit of Father through Son and rejoice in what is done for you to releive you of stress and worry, knowing God is for you, so then anyone against will never prosper, unless you let their stinking thinking remain in you as if you have post it notes of failure written in your mind that Stick around, with the excuse because I care. Pull and discard
Emotions are like the caboose on a train and need to stay at the back and not up front you think?
The drugs i speak of here are thoughts of stinking thinking, cast out that unclean thing and focus on what is pure, perfect well and correct in the Spirit of Father through Son and rejoice in what is done for you to releive you of stress and worry, knowing God is for you, so then anyone against will never prosper, unless you let their stinking thinking remain in you as if you have post it notes of failure written in your mind that Stick around, with the excuse because I care. Pull and discard
Emotions are like the caboose on a train and need to stay at the back and not up front you think?
You are not alone Sister, you are not alone. you are discerning truth from error and being set free, four steps forward one back, may be two, then more steps forward, and sometimes more backwards, And telling truth here God never leaves us =nor forsakes us, ever and we do grow to all truth that sets us free
God does not leave us alone to be stupid we are taught trust in order to see and be strong in Father through Son having the ability in agreement to say no, with the utmost confidence, knowing you are delivered by trust.
And this is not to brag, been dry for 30 years now, and God gets all the credit for this, as well as now food binge I was on. lived in Las Vegas and "All you can eat" was my Smorgasbord. Glad God moved me, and went through what appeared as tragedy when i went to emergency room and was cut open, and have been disabled ever since, 11-2012, yet by Faith am up much better than was, praising God most of the way through, not at first, yet stood fast.knowing there was a reason for it. Just not seeing it at first. finally now do
So stand Sister no matter what and that dark glass we all are seeing through becomes clearer
God does not leave us alone to be stupid we are taught trust in order to see and be strong in Father through Son having the ability in agreement to say no, with the utmost confidence, knowing you are delivered by trust.
And this is not to brag, been dry for 30 years now, and God gets all the credit for this, as well as now food binge I was on. lived in Las Vegas and "All you can eat" was my Smorgasbord. Glad God moved me, and went through what appeared as tragedy when i went to emergency room and was cut open, and have been disabled ever since, 11-2012, yet by Faith am up much better than was, praising God most of the way through, not at first, yet stood fast.knowing there was a reason for it. Just not seeing it at first. finally now do
So stand Sister no matter what and that dark glass we all are seeing through becomes clearer