EVERY EFFORT

MAKE every effort to BE self-controlled. What stirs us to discipline our steps? We all agree that LOVE causes people to do CRAZY things! A humble widow gave all she had, a servant named Martha loved without shame. What is it that motivates us to make every effort to obtain the character traits of Whom we love and respect? What does self-control require of us? How do we practice self-control if we have none? A wild fisherman named Peter was known as a foot-in-mouth kinda guy. Peter did not always behave perfectly, yet over time, we note that in his daily walk, he began to practice self-control. It was his choice to supress his personal will and tongue in order to glorify God. Each ordinary person in scripture eagerly and willingly did what they did for God's glory AFTER reflecting the truth of who they were before they heard the word of God or met Jesus face to face. With hearts that overflow with deep appreciation for Who God is, and how His deposit of love changed them --- they persevered in + through trials and persecution with loving kindness BECAUSE they had been GIVEN FREELY what no ruler, president, teacher, parent could. Will our mental focus on what type of character we want to BECOME be enough for God's glory? Does not our faith compell us to make EVERY EFFORT, to do something to add to our faith, steps to show others His goodness, devoted time to get to know God? To control self will in order that we remain surrendered to His will and live without malice, envy or hate is OUR sacrifice. Jesus is worthy to be LOVED like crazy! Our faith is a gift from God. Ask God to increase my zeal, increase affection for You!To be Christ like is to be holy regardless of popular opinion, our loss or circumstance. Being kind to the unkind and loving the unlovable is to be like Jesus. In our daily walk, if we miss the mark, or if we miss a few turns, we have the choice to return to our first love and trust that God hears our confession as we listen to His gentle voice. Equipped with an internal GPS, God does not rebuke us, He simply and quietly "recalculates" our direction as He encourages His beloved "Walk this way". For what reason do we submit or depend on God? Why do we swerve to the left when we know what is right? "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall." (2 Peter 1:5) Day by day, little by little, as we emerge from our sleep in the cocoon, we add to our faith by what we read, what we watch, Who we listen to, and what steps we take to gain wisdom, to possess faith, to EMPLOY knowledge, goodness, and self-control. Perseverance suggests that action was taken. Godliness is not laziness. How do I love Thee, let me count the ways! What is it about Jesus that we love? Naming what He has done for us personally, what He provides daily for us, motivates us to worship Him above all else. Once we possess a heart that beats for Him, we listen to all that He said then, and especially what the Holy Spirit speaks to us today through His Word. Because God gave us all that we need, His love, and the omni-presence of the indwelt Holy Spirit --- we are partakers of the divine nature of God because He put His Holy Spirit into us so that we can communicate with Him. His spirit to our spirit. By His power we have escaped the desires of the flesh, and the rule of our deceitful hearts. FOR THIS VERY REASON we GET to pursue a deeper relationship with Almighty God. Do we choose God because we fear hell, or does our fear, our respect of Who God is bring us to our knees with such graditude that we WANT all that He desires for us? We get to walk away from temptations, from doubt, from lonliness, from hatred, from self-indulgence. We get to BE diligent in our every effort to supplement our faith. To seek to put on the virtues that please the same God who forgave us much, and Who gave us much. To Luke the doctor, God gave these words
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?" (Luke 16:10) Once there was a time when I distanced myself from my sister who I love, because of a debt that I was unable to repay. She was the one who approached me and said "your debt is forgiven" The love, grace, compassion and forgiveness she extended caused me to WANT to change, to become a person of such benevolence. Her act of forgiveness compelled me to WANT to become a trustworthy, honest person. When we are forgiven, do we not desire to honor that person by diligently seeking to change ourselves? What God has forgiven us, and what God has given us --- is ALL the motivation that we should need to self-control our will, our choices, our desires! God warns us and He encourages us with wisdom. "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheiritance with me." Jesus replied
"Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Then Jesus told the story of the rich fool who decided to build a bigger place to store the over-flowing riches and goods that God had blessed him with. The rich man said to himself "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." But God said to him, 'You fool!' This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then WHO will get what you have prepared for yourself?" This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Have you ever seen a hearst pulling the boat, harley, or a trailer full of possessions to the grave site? Jesus continues to teach us "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes." Jesus asks us to observe the birds and the flowers in the fields. We are to consider how richly God takes care of that which is here today and gone tomorrow, and that we are far more valuable to God than birds or flowers. "And do not set your HEART on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such THINGS, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do NOT be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to GIVE you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also." ---- We servants of God, the Creator and Owner of all things. We should WANT to work diligently to become more like Jesus, and love God with all the fruits of the Spirit that we have been given. "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:49) Oh Lord Jesus open our eyes and ears that we may hear what the Spirit is saying. Show us the wisdom in loving Whom we have always had --- Open our eyes to SEE the foolishness of longing for THINGS we do not have, and be thankful for what is before us. AMEN

GREAT CHARACTER

Reflect on the character of people who have risen above attack. Smile and rock with Jeremy ELVIS Pearce, who sings HYMNS with his Christmas act. Consider the good King Hezekiah. Not unlike leaders or entertainers today, this king inherited a kingdom that had been given over to idolatry and wickedness. Hezekiah trusted in the LORD and his obedience to God's commands, he was a spark the LORD used to ignite reformation and revival in the land. We can look at the corruption and darkness of the world around us and be tempted to give in to despair, but this isn't how the godly are to respond. Let us look at the character of Hezekiah ~ WHO caused him to live joyfully, as pure as snow? ~ Above us all, is God and His plans are to prosper us. This King did not need to SEE to believe in God ~ he trusted in the LORD God because he believed in God's written word. Our belief in the God of the Bible is an absolute if our life is going to have any value or purpose to it. Whoever does not believe is under condemnation, but whoever believes is made a child of God with tremendous potential. Next, he held fast to God; which is to say he didn't vacillate and hesitate in his walk with the LORD, he was serious about the things of God. Thirdly, he didn't depart from following Him; when things got tough or didn't go his way, he didn't throw in the towel. Finally, he kept His commandments; Hezekiah obeyed the LORD in every area of his life. Obedience brings blessing and the smile of God; "he prospered wherever he went." Let us allow the indwelt Holy Spirit to direct us, to change us, to use us to glorify our Savior Jesus Christ. Let us celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and like the wise me, let us bring great tidings of JOY and the gift of song and praise for He is among us! Nehemiah 8:10 said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

On Your Knees ?

If we hope to win a battle, it is wise to trust One Ruler, One Almighty General, One Sovereign Lord, the One CEO, the only Commander in Chief with ALL authority. Soldiers cannot go off into battle and disobey orders and expect to win! The big picture, the past, the present, the future, and eternity is held by the One who holds ALL the authority, and ALL the power to win! One great soldier named Paul told a young man named Timothy to "fight the good fight". How do we fight to win? In every fight there is one winner and one loser! How do we fight without thinking, speaking or acting like a fool, like those that deny that God exists? God warns us in His word to prepare for battle, to put our armor on and STAND FIRM. When our souls are deeply troubled, when doubt takes a hold of our minds, when our hearts are grieved, when we cannot make a decision, what should we do? How we as Christians fight the good fight is ON OUR KNEES! A war rages, and we must be aware that the Liar, the temptress, the coniving one makes the praying Christian his special target. We know the good fight is the ongoing battle for our souls and with the right stratedgy, we WIN everytime ON OUR KNEES! The enemy knows that if he can keep us distracted by being overly extended at church, at home, at work, so that we will not take time to get on our knees and pray, THEN Satan plans his victory! Have you ever been falsely accused? Ever been the victim of a crime? Have you been laughed at, or made to feel unwanted, guilty, discounted, disrespected to the point you squirm to fight --- to defend yourself, to lash out, to attack back? Well that it is our sinful nature at work in us. We do not hold our tongue, we whine inside, to others about the wrong been done unto us, then we scheme to return the pain that we feel. In our darkest hour we begin to slander others, to plot to kill their character, as we gossip about how they offended us. TO WIN THE BATTLE, we must hold our tongue, STOP, get
ON OUR KNEES and hash it out with God! Cry out your pain to Him, ask for His help, then listen for what He points out in you to release. Why would we not follow the example of Jesus and get on our knees before the ALL MIGHTY, ALL POWERFUL GOD, Elohim, Adonai, Yaweh, Jehovah God, Jesus Christ and TRUST in His word, His promise as the truth? "God causes ALL things (hatred, envy, jealousy, bitterness, emotional and physical pain) to work together for good, to those who love Him, to those called according to His good purpose". GET alone with GOD daily. SET UP a SACRED place. SET ONE HOUR aside. GET ON YOUR KNEES. CRY OUT TO GOD. LISTEN TO GOD. BELIEVE HIM. "For I know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." IF we trust that what God says is true then ALL that happens to us comes from God! The boss, the mate, the neighbor, the child, the parent, the sibling, the friend that betrayed you, that lied to you, that caused you pain --- came from God. WHAT? Does God mean that the unfair criticism, the hatred, that hostility, that rejection, that abandonment, that abuse was from Him? YES! Whatever it took to cause us to give up, surrender our ways, abandon revenge, to fall on our face, to get on our knees --- will be allowed and used by God to bring us to agree with Him, that we are lost without Him, that we need Him, and when we stop blaming others, when we forgive as we are forgiven, when we let go and trust God to fulfill His word, His promise to WORK ALL THINGS for good, we are then ready to receive the best of His blessings! When did you last get on your knees with confident assurance that the Spirit himself intercedes for us and that God listens? ROMANS 8:26-28 Zig talks about how God used situations that appeared to be disastors in his life for good. God does the same for all of us. As for me, I thank God for all the people that have prayed for me through many troubles. My faith rattled as excruciating pain and fear gripped my soul. A freak VAD, vertebral artery dissection occured and I was raced by ambulance to UC Davis for a week. God used that incident to reunite me with my estranged dad. GOD says "Hold on to what you have" The truth, the light, and the way shall be revealed. Within the same year, before my back surgery, my ex-husband, the father of my only son died. My son who was then strung out on drugs, came to live with me. It was hard, we both suffered tremendous pain. But God used it for good. He sent saints to assist me and my son was there to help me during many necessary trips to the ER. Life is hard, and we are tempted to deny Jesus, the narrow path and go with the crowd. God gave me a position in life to see the truth, to work in a job that confirmed that it was time to give up my home. Losing the hope of future equity to assist at retirement was real hard. The short sale of my home ruined my credit, but it did not limit God! He used the situation for good. My son moved into the house under contract for sale and kept it safe as he regrouped without rent. Then God did the impossible and provided the way for me to purchase a new home in Mexico and pay it off in three years! MIRACLES happen when we are bankrupt, when our plans fail, and when we simply surrender all we are and have to God. Jesus also struggled in the garden of Gethsemane. In His ALL knowing, He knew He was going to be separated from God, for a time, on the cross. "He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.' Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will. Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. 'Could you men not keep watch with Me for one hour?' He asked Peter. 'Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 26:37-42) Soon after that Jesus was taken prisoner and He told Peter that he would deny even knowing him three times before dawn. Peter's pride was hurt, and God knew his heart, God knew he would be tempted to betray his vow to serve Him. Out of fear, Peter defended himself, "No Lord not me, I love you!" God loved Peter, He asked Peter to pray, He warned him that he would be tempted. His word is our handbook, it points out what works, and what has never profited our souls. We do not see the wind, but we know that it moves the trees. We do not see God, but we know that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, because God said so! He waits to hear from us, to fill us, and to use us. Prophets approached our Holy God with reverence on their knees. In Daniel's captivity, he got on his knees and cried out for help before he entered the lions den. Isaiah the prophet, the man who God used to speak through his lips had been preaching from the pulpit in chapter 5: "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, Woe to those who draw sin along in cords of deceit, Woe to those who call evil good and good evil" But in the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord Jesus seated on a throne, higher than any authority, exalted above all creation, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Flying above Jesus were seraphs calling to one another "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory" At the sound of their voices the door posts shook and the temple was filled with the smoke of God's glory coming down! That is when Isaiah got on his knees and said "Woe to me! he cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!" Then a seraph flew over to Isaiah with a live coal taken from the alter of the Lord and touched Isaiah's mouth. "See this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for". Then Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Isaiah responded "Here am I. Send me!" Jesus came to show us the Way, the Truth, and the Light. He is the King, and He submitted to His Father, to die for us, to serve us, to wash us of our sins. In the presence of Jesus, in the light of the truth, Isaiah was convicted of his sin and cried out "Woe is me!" When Jesus came down from the throne, He came down with a purpose. He took the pain of being seperated from God, the abuse of the mockers, the unfair beatings, the torture of the cross --- to take away our guilt, to atone for our sins, forever! IF we desire the joy and peace that surpasses all understanding, then we must OBEY God's request "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, through prayer and supplication, let your request be known to Him." Jesus asked Peter to take one hour to pray with him. Peter did not think he needed to, and Peter denied that he knew Jesus. So let us give the King of Kings one hour in our garden, a sacred place that we go to be alone with God. Let us ask for wisdom and patience to wait on Him. Let us talk it out, then listen. When our spirit is tugged, IF we feel resentment, bitterness, anger, let us spit that truth out --- no sense in pretending to be holier than thou art! Lets take it to the cross and let the light shine through. God knows your heart, and that it is deceitful above all else! When we have lost our pride, money, or relationships as a result of our stubborness, allow God to reveal in you what you need to let go of in order to win the battle! Take my daughter, my son, my dad, my mom, my mate, my home, my health, my job, my money, my freedom, my pride and watch me continue to praise God --- THEN is WHEN what we treasure most of all is SHOWN to a watching world. That our relationship with the Author of our life, the Lover of our soul is our gold. When we surrender our will, our wants, our desires --- THEN we can see through His eyes, and we see ourselves as He sees us --- Holy, Holy, Holy is God, and when we are purged of all malice, envy, unforgiveness and loathing - we are purified and filled with His Holy Spirit to do His will, and we are blessed with His very presence. AMEN "Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray." Mark 1:35
Lord God Almighty, we kneel humbly before You, as Your children, and we ask that You would speak a word to us. We come before You to worship You as the God of all creation, the God of our salvation and our redemtion. We claim You as our loving Father full of compassion. We want a fresh encounter, we want to feel Your presence, we want to hear Your voice speaking in our ears. We sincerely desire to feel Your glory filling our temples. We ask You oh Lord, to perform that supernatural miracle of communication. We are open to hear Your Holy Spirit speak to our spirit. Nourish us, sharpen us, quench our thrist with truth, satisfy our hunger for more of You. Here we are Lord Jesus, speak to us and we will listen and obey. AMEN

BEING HIS SERVANT

A portrait of HOPE fulfilled, found in the wisdom in a turkey's simple purpose! To surrender its life in order to provide sustaining strength to others. My HOPE was to host Thanks Giving in my new home and serve a meal that would bless the souls of all those who have touched my life. My son and his friend Caroline, Sue and David, and Doyle genuinely enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere was filled with God's loving presence. Admitting a recent disenchantment as I got not what I had hoped for on match.com ~ my HOPE renewed as I felt His "well done" in this extra-ordinary moment of Thanksgiving! A picture of my HOPE in 1979 ~ My single soul, as promised has never been forsaken or rejected by God. My dream to re-marry never happened. People over the years have disappointed, abandoned, and rejected me and caused me to whimper and desire to become more acceptable to man. ALAS, an interior revolution occurred while questioning WHY God did not respond according to my requests. GOD is NOT my servant! In a manner quite unexpected, in the midst of one of my darkest days ~ when the sweetness of scriptural revelation was gone along with my will to love God and seek Him above all else! My soul was diseased by selfishness and discontent and the light of God and His love defeated my natural notions of Who God is. Ever wonder "Is this all there is"? ~ or "Why am I here"? When we are denied the expected pathway, or the life we have long HOPED for ~ for Barbara it has been to marry a man of God ~ Barb's 2010 Thanks Giving AHA is to praise God for His persistent denial, His sovereign witholding! At long last, like the turkey, I surrender my life that He can use it to fulfill His purpose. God's plan for me as a single woman, is that I remain faithful to Him in spite of not getting all my prayers answered. "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you...do not be afraid, Sue and Barbara, you have found favor with God. You will marry, then be widowed and remain single as the Lord's servant. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will over-shadow you. Thank You Jesus, may it be unto us as You have said, blessed among people as single women. My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in Jesus my Savior, for He is mindful of the humble state of His servants. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. God has helped His servants Barbara and Sue, He rescued them from the evil one and extended His mercy that they may serve Him, as His LIGHT shining on those living in darkness all the days of their life. Oh Lord guide our feet into the path of peace. (Be refreshed by LUKE 1:46-80) As we are hungry for more blessings, our Lord waits to commune with us. Our deepest level of satisfaction is not in a single meal, or bite of scripture. We are not fully satisfied when we are surrounded by family, or in communicating, talking with others ~ we are only deeply satisfied in our holy communion with our Father. Communion is wordless, timeless, tasteless and beyond speech and concept. We enter the AHA ~ not a new unity with God, but the ancient day of being One. While we wonder and hunger for more ~ we only imagine that we are NOT connected, NOT already One with the Peace, the Way, the Light of the world. Authentic communication is more than a sharing of ideas, knowledge or a formulated truth. Above and beyond the hearing of words, the reading of scripture ~ communion or being in the Presence, being infused by His Spirit is the experience, at the deepest level of knowing, that we are connected, we are One, we are close, we are His, we are loved and in communication with God. Jesus is the bridge that connects us to the Holy of Holiness. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:10 ~ It seemed as though I had made every human effort to live in peace, to be holy, to embrace the grace of God, to change my mind to that of Christ, in order to inherit God's blessing. I attended conferences, church and led women's groups in prayer - Thousands and thousands of angels in joyful assembly rejoiced as I sought the voice of God, vowing to not refuse Him who spoke 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken ~ that is created things ~ so that what cannot be shaken may remain." Hebrews 12:26 ~ Today God overwhelms my senses to another great epiphany ~ that in all that man has created or become, there is nothing more important than the reality of God. The darkness, the challenge of my flesh and its desires shall remain as dark as ever ~ yet somehow my soul is illumined with the clarity of Christ Himself. At this moment, my soul enters a new world, a world of rich experience that transcends natural knowledge and what the world defines love to be. Realizing and accepting that all external sufferings and life's difficulties at times shall continue to multiply, however, today my soul's interior shall remain calm and simplified by His abiding Presence. My mind, heart, body and soul contains one thought, one love: Jesus Christ. This love, infused unto my soul by God, unifies all its powers and raises them up to the fire of His infused love. Lord help me to NOT forget Your blessed words of encouragement "My daughter, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves ...endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His son." ~ Personalized from Hebrew 12:5~ "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and AWE, for our God is a consuming fire." Hebrew 12:28 ~ God responded to my souls's cry. On my Birthday 2010, my son returned to Christ and attended church! Bottom line, for me, my maturity in Christ is a process of elimination of all external distractions. My hunger for unity, for Love itself, finds me feeding on what the world has to offer. My human nature is impatient and self-serving, and God watches me take another detour while in transit towards Him. My desire for unity with another human distracts me from the only love that will outlast my yearning. Where I am, is where ever He is, and all I need to be is the being He created for His pleasure ~ and 'be' His as is. The powerful and mysterious ways of God are a marvel to navigate ~ to soul fully consider in the calm of a stilled floating pause, to be still, to be infused in an aware state of contemplate. Indeed the world is full of attractions to legitimate pleasures. My soul drifted out to see ~ and was washed ashore, illumined once again while waiting for a man of God to respond ~ All music, movies and scenic drives do nothing but cause a rebellion in my soul. Knowing that all these temporal things will surely pass away ~ that nothing compares to the Light and Love that dwells within me, that all the pleasures, riches and beauty of the world cannot satisfy the cry of my soul for more. His response to my angst was "From the moment you accepted Me into your heart, you received all of Me ~ there is no more than "ALL" available ~ all the wisdom and Love that will ever be has been deposited in FULL and merely waits for your full acceptance of how much you are loved, and of all that you have already been given." My joy and conviction grew immensely with this revelation of God Himself, within me. The peace that surpasses all understanding, for today, has consumed me. Halleluiah! Barbara

YOSEMITE

Tis time to take my body up to a mountain peak that speaks. Tis my soul that longs to sing in the wind and spend a night in the wild among the beasts and the blooms. A three day get-away into the sculptures fashioned by the Father for my leisure and pleasure. To smile awhile in His presence -- to accept His most generous present of mighty trees that dwarf me into thanksgiving. Responding to Thy precious call, I run. In 1851 the astonishing beauty of Yosemite Valley and the geyser wonderland of Yellowstone give birth to the radical idea of creating national parks for the enjoyment of everyone. John Muir is the eloquent defender of nature and the poet of the trees, canyons and uninterrupted vista's created by God to nurture the souls of mankind. Because the magnificent natural wonders of the land should be available not to a privileged few, but to everyone, on June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed a law to preserve forever a beautiful valley and a grove of trees that he had never seen. John Muir believed when he looked upon the mountains he saw what God created to restore the soul of man. The winds sing, and the clouds hover atop the mountain where all our answers lay. Our non-verbal response to nature, our reply to the lesson of towering tall trees, is that we stand erect, that we look across time and know that this too shall pass, but while we are here, we can weather any storm with the dignity of swaying trees. The Rock of ages can only be heard as we stand still, and in awe --- it is then that we hear the voice of God. The gospel of nature was written by John Muir and as a result 60 acres wisely were set aside public use, to dwell within the sacred and refresh and bask in the garden of Eden as God intended. Born in Dunbar, Scotland and raised in Wisconsin, John Muir was a natural-born scientist who studied geology and botany at the University of Wisconsin. By the age 11, Muir was able to recite three-quarters of the Old Testament by heart, and all of the New Testament. Muir felt a spiritual connection to nature; he believed that mankind is just one part of an interconnected natural world, not its master, and that God is revealed through nature. Muir wrote of Yosemite that it was "by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter...the sanctum sanctorum of the Sierra." When he was not running the sawmill, Muir devoted all his free time to exploring the valley. Like Muir I too feel a deep, spiritual connection to the moss covered rocks, the redwoods that direct me to look up, the creatures that crawl, and the eagles that soar. While I yet live close enough to drive up Priest Grade Road, I choose to loose all the burdens of this world and devote myself to under
standing His wild invigorating creation. To allow the flower to speak in the language of beauty and to be transformed once again by our communication. Muir moved to Oakland to begin work on a series of reports and articles about Yosemite. Barbara shall move to Lake Chapala to begin a report of what else God has created for my soul. The written Word that inspired Muir to marvel at the majesty of the whole creation, is the same living Word that compels Barbara to write and articulate a heart that overflows with graditude to simply breathe the crisp air while dazzling in the depth and height of a God that gives all of this to us. His abiding Love for us is evidenced in whatever shouts natural beauty at us. Nature is essential to our ability to walk this earth at any length --- "wildness is a necessity". We were created to appreciate places like Yosemite for reasons greater than their economic value. A wild forest still ministers to the souls of people, as it did John the Baptist. After five years of writing in Oakland, John Muir had become a famous voice for nature. Soon Muir began to yearn for the wilderness. Upon returning to Yosemite, Muir discovered that California had neglected his "sacred temple." Tunnels had been carved through the hearts of some of the big trees, meadows had been converted into hayfields and pastures, and the valley was littered with tin cans and garbage. As if that were not enough, the mountain ramparts in the Sierras above were being destroyed by sheep and lumbermen. Muir threw himself into what became a pitched battle to preserve the high country. He once again wrote articles describing both the region's beauty and its vulnerability and soon Congress was flooded with public petitions. Muir endured attacks on his integrity by opposing politicians, but finally, on October 1, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed into law a bill creating Yosemite National Park, and Sequoia National Park to protect two groves of Big Trees on the western flank of the Sierra Nevada, up highway 4 just outside of Arnold, California. Muir's three-night camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903, was a night under the stars that forever changed conservation history. Muir was able to persuade Roosevelt to return Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to federal protection as part of Yosemite National Park. The trip had a lasting impact on the president. Roosevelt made a speech in Sacramento the next week saying "The night was clear and in the darkening isles of the great Sequioa grove, with the majestic trunks beautiful in color and semetry, rose around us like the pillars of the most ideal cathedral that was ever conceived, even by the fervor of the middle ages. Hermit Thrushes sang beautifully in the evening. Surely our people do not understand the rich heritage that is theirs. There is nothing more beautiful than Yosemite. Having the unchanged view of the Grand Canyon or the summit of Yosemite, the natural environment is infinitely more valuable spiritually and economically than anything man made or achieved. We must leave it as it is." These two greatly esteemed men John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt agreed that God touches our souls with His creation. Muir said of his time with Teddy "I had a perfectly glowing time with the president and the mountains. I never had a more interesting, hearty and manly companion. I stuffed him pretty well regarding the timber thieves and other spoilers of the forest." Muir was a founder and the first president of the Sierra Club. Muir Woods National Monument, is a grove of redwoods north of San Francisco named in his honor. John Muir remained a deeply religious man writing, "We all flow from one fountain—Soul. All are expressions of one love. God does not appear, and flow out, only from narrow chinks and round bored wells here and there in favored races and places, but He flows in grand undivided currents, shoreless and boundless over creeds and forms and all kinds of civilizations and peoples and beasts, saturating all and fountainizing all." He described the beauty of the Sierra Nevada as the Range of Light. "After spending time in the heart of it, rejoicing in the glorious floods of light, seeing the sunburst over icy peaks, the noonday radiance across the trees, a thousand dashing waterfalls, it is the most divinely beautiful mountain range I have ever seen." John Muir

Blessed by His Will

We are assured in Matthew 5:3 that we will receive the Kingdom of Heaven, we will be comforted, that we will inherit the earth, we will be filled, we will be shown mercy, we will see God, and as the world insults us and says all kinds of false things about us, we will be called the children of God and we shall REJOICE! God's promises are fulfilled as we BECOME more like Jesus. As we admit that we are bankrupt before God, that we have nothing to impress God with, that His holiness shines as a light on our depraved poverty---that we are authentically poor in spirit---THEN we begin to mourn our short-comings and ASK that God break our hearts that we may have a need for the Comforter. As we humble ourselves, as we become content that only God is worthy of our praise, by becoming transparent before our Father, we realize that only His parenting will grow us into becoming good stewards on this earth. As our hunger is satisfied by the Word of God, and as our thirst for truth is quenched by the indwelt Holy Spirit, we become right before God. As we affirm that our debt has been paid in full, that we inhabit His mercy --- THEN we can spill mercy on those God brings into our lives. As we become laser focused on what delights our Lord, as we remain in Him as He dwells in us, we will SEE God at work in His creation. As we speak the truth in love, as we work to reconcile differences in His name, and by His authority, we become the Peace Makers that bring all glory to God. As we mix our TIME with the TALENT God has given us, and as we TREASURE the desire of God that none should perish, our purpose becomes clear. Our hunger and thirst, our desire to become right before God is satisfied by The Beatitudes taught by Jesus Christ. The sermon on the mount is the first recorded teaching of Jesus. Compared to the rules that Moses was chosen to teach in order to receive God's blessing, Jesus came down to teach us the blessings that result from surrendering our mind, body and soul to the One God sent. Matthew 5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. AMEN