Discerning Voices

In front of our house runs a four mile curvy, hilly, two lane country road.  Over the last seven years of sitting on the front porch, I realized that I could hear the vehicles before I actually saw them.  And that I could distinguish the sound of a car from a truck, and a jeep from the truck or car, and obviously the sound of a motorcycle was different.

            I ponder over the different voices that we hear throughout our lives.  Some speak the truth, some falsehoods.  Some encourage and some are downers. Some try to lead you down the wrong paths, while others try to show you the way down the wonderful road of redemption. We need to be able to discern the good ones from the bad ones.  Some will flatter and tell us what we want to hear, and others will tell us what we need to hear.

            l Thessalonians 5:21-22 tells us it is our responsibility as Christians to be discerning, to decide between right and wrong, truth from lies.

            It took time sitting on my porch and listening to the sounds, learning to distinguish one car sound from another.  It is the same with discernment.  It takes time being in the word, getting to know the Lord and recognizing His voice.

            Our loved one seemed to have this discernment up to the age of 18. An extremely bright, intelligent, kind, and sweet natured boy who always listened respectfully and was loved by so many listened to the wise voices.  But something happened after that 18^th birthday.  Suddenly, he began to listen and follow after the wrong voices.  So many have asked, “How did that happen?”  We do not know to this day.  It’s obvious though, the enemy can snag and snare even the best of them.  Did he let his guard down?  Yes, I believe he did.  After being with the wrong voices, he decided he knew everything about the Bible and didn’t need to open it up again.  There is never a time when we should close that book ever!  Did he ever really have it?  I can say yes to that!  We lived with him, taught him, played and prayed and were very close. We prayed the sinners prayer with him. But the devils schemes can be subtle and yet so strong, that we did not see what was coming.  Yes, there were little red flags, but never in a million years did we think he would follow after those wrong voices.  We were wrong.

You cannot just blindly follow every voice the way the neighborhood dogs blindly chase every thing that comes down our road.  (I wonder what they think they would do if they ever caught one?)  The dogs are taking a chance getting hit just like our lives can get hit and hurt by following, chasing the wrong voices.  Our loved one was hurt as well as those left behind.  But God was there to pick us up and stands ready to reach out with that righteous right hand of His to pick up the one who needs to raise his hand and his eyes to the one who can lift him up.

 Our loved one wrote us a letter this morning saying he recognized the need to get rid of the wrong voices.  That it was time to be alone, to get rid of the clamor, and that between God and himself, they would figure things out.  Please pray with us that he will be still enough to hear that wonderful, still, small voice in his ear, in his heart and follow the One Voice that can lead him out of despair into a life filled with amazing grace and unconditional love.

            The porch is a good place to start spending time in the Word, learning to recognize those false voices for what they really are and begin to understand those quiet discerning voices God plants within and around us.

            We do not want to be described by the words of Ephesians 4:14 “…being tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”

            Let’s be like Proverbs 3:21 “…preserve sound judgment and discernment and do not let them out of your sight.”

            So, I have a word for you or for someone you know that you believe is running in the wrong direction.

Stop!

Before you go blindly chasing voices, open up the Word and see if their voices go along with God’s voice. I wouldn’t want you or a loved one to crash and burn.

And just another word of caution. If you’re driving down a two lane country road and dogs are blindly chasing your car, just smile and watch out for them.  They just don’t know any better.

267.  crushed ice and straws

268.  chap stick with pretty colors

269.  a Savior who bends down to listen

270.  not having to know all the answers

271.  being able to trust my God who does (have all the answers)

272.  beautiful letters

273.   beautiful words

274  beginnings

           

Blog Blessings

I was given this lovely award by Lisa Maria of  http://shinebrightlyforjesus.blogspot.com/.

She has become a dear friend, one I have never met in person but that God brought to me through the blogging world.  She is a lover of the Lord, shines brightly for Him, is a prayer warrior who goes into her closet every week to hunger for Him adding my requests along with hers.  And so I will humbly accept this award.  Thank you!

God has blessed me so with new friends through the blogging world, all who have a deep love for the Lord.  They encourage me, love me, push me to be creative, and pray.  God has blessed me with so many personal messages and comments regarding this blog and I am forever grateful that He pushed me to write. I am grateful for each one whether family, friend, stranger or blogger that has taken the time to come visit me. I always pray that Ponderings will be a blessing to all who read it. I am not a writer, so I pray before every story, before the pen is picked up, that He would give me the words.  I know there will be typing errors here and there and an editor would be most helpful, but those mistakes are made by my earthly hand.  May God bless whoever He brings here to the pond, the porch, and wherever else we may land,

an abundance of Himself.  May all glory and honor be to Him!

"It's not the gifts that fulfill, but the holiness of the space.  The God in it."

(from 1000 blessings)

262.  new friendships

263.  old friendships that stay with you forever

264.  friends that leave you silly texts

265.  a God who looks down and says, "These two should be together."

266.  my husband who is also my friend

"What can I give back to God for the blessings He's poured out on me?  I'll lift high the cup of salvation ~ a toast to God!  I'll pray in the name of God; I'll complete what I promised God I'd do, and I'll do it together with His people."

Psalm 116:12-14

(Be sure to scroll all the way down and see how my husband captures the blessings)

Tears

Frankie Valli is known for a song back in the 1960’s. . . “ Big Girls Don’t Cry”. . .remember?  Can you hear him whining cry yii yii yii?  If you’re too young, you might not know this one.  You can U-Tube it…Frankie Valli and the Four Tops.  It might be a catchy tune but I’m here to tell you, Frankie is WRONG!

I cried a lot several years back. Having a prodigal will do that to you.  Actually I have shed many tears over the years.  I am just like my mother.  She cries easily. Yes, we are those girls that even cry over the Hallmark commercials.  The world would like to think that we are weak people for doing so, but I wasn’t too sure about that, so I went to my Bible to do another study of my own.  I found out quite a bit.

            Guess what?  Jesus cried!  We believers know this one, because in our younger years of memorizing scriptures, we caught on to the shortest verse in the Bible. . . John 11:35 and it says,

            “Jesus wept.” He wept over the sorrow of his friends at the death of Lazarus.

            I bet he cried in the Garden of Gethsemane also.  It says he sweated drops of blood, he was in such anguish.  And usually when we are in such anguish, we cry.  And he certainly was not weak.  He is the strongest man I know.  He knew he was about to be crucified, to die a horrible, painful death, his Father turned his back on him during this time, his disciples…friends…slept when he needed them the most.  When the time came, the soldiers didn’t force him on that cross.  He crawled onto it willingly, willingly let them drive the nails into his hands and feet, willingly let them put a crown of thorns on his head, listened to the crowds taunting him and he asks the Father to forgive them!  When the soldiers reached up to give him vinegar and gall, something that would deaden the pain, he refused it.  He wanted to feel, to take on the pain of the whole world.  If that is not strength, I don’t know what is.  And yet, he cried.

            You will also find in Luke 19:41, that He wept regarding Jerusalem from afar, knowing what would befall the people of that city because of their rejection of him.

            Hebrews 5:7 says,

            “During the days of Jesus life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

            I loved reading he cried loud, because I have done the same.  He understands where we are coming from, how we are feeling, because he has been there.

            David, a man after God’s own heart, said in Psalm 6:6,

            “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.”  I hear ya, David.

            Then in verse 8 he says,

            …The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.

            This tells me that crying is ok with the Lord.  The Psalms also tell us that He knows our sorrow and sees every tear.  He sees EVERY tear of EVERY person.  That is compassion.

            ll Kings 20 also records God seeing tears.

            Psalm 126:5 says,

            Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.”  The footnote says,

            ‘God’s ability to restore life is beyond our understanding.  Forests burn down and are able to grow back.  Broken bones heal.  Even grief is not a permanent condition.  Our tears can be seeds that will grow into a harvest of joy because God is able to bring good out of tragedy.  When burdened by sorrow, know that your time of grief will end and that will again find joy.  We must be patient as we wait.’

            Another man in the Bible who cried was Job.  He is described as a blameless and upright man who fears God.  Job 16:20 says his eyes poured out tears to God.

            So you see, we criers are in good company. And did you notice these were big people?  It’s o.k. to cry, not just us big girls, but you men also.  A lot of the crying in the Bible was done by men!

            Don’t be ashamed, let the tears come and flow as long as needed. Cry yii yii! I know from experience, as hard as the process is, afterwards, you will feel inwardly cleansed, calmer, and you will sleep well.  And remember the good news in Revelation.  I found it twice…being spoken about believers…

Revelation 7:17

“For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;

He will lead them to springs of living water,

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 21:4

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Could that living water be all our tears?

Bring on the joy!

251.  toasted sesame seeds

252.  spring, bloom filled branches inside to enjoy

253.  bible study in small group homes

254.  sharing thoughts with a couple at church

255.  hearing other people pray for our boys

256.  acceptance letters to school

257.  excitement on boy's face when he read above letter

258.  new, faithful, sincere prayer warriors

259.  that still small voice that whispers into the soul

260.  an endless cycle of grace

261.  tears

(be sure and scroll all the way down to see my husbands video of his photography set to music...be sure to listen through your speakers.)

Simply Saturday

to our dirty front porch.  I thought it was time to remove all furniture and

put out into the yard so. . .

the hose could come out and. . .

my younger son could enjoy this simple Saturday washing

off the dirt and grime from the past year.

He thinks I'm crazy for following him around with the camera, so I came inside to capture him:) 

But it was just too nice this day.  I had to go back outside.  He tried not to smile for me. . .

but he had a hard time concealing it. . .

His momma is just too goofy. . .

I decided to give him some space. . .

so went back inside :)

The house is clean.  Notice how clean the windows are?  I did that.

Now that the porch is presentable. . .

linking with Jenn over at

find your way over here for more Simply Saturday fun :)

Speed Bumps

One day my son and I were driving home from Wal-Mart and I decided to go behind the mall because of less traffic there than in the front.  But there are a lot of speed bumps in the back which seems to irritate my son because you have to slow down every few yards.  In my really bad Darth Vader impression, I told him, “You must master the speed bumps or the world may master you.”  He acted like that was really corny but I noticed he couldn’t keep from smiling.  I can tickle even him at times!

            But I kept thinking about my Darth Vader sentence and thought there were lessons in there to think about.  A lot of us go speeding through our days like there is no tomorrow.  Go, Go, Go.

            Yesterday, I spent the whole day alone, very quiet, with head bowed, at times on my knees, at other times lying prostrate on the floor praying for eight different people, eight different situations, and thanking God for eight miracles to come.  I went into hunger mode to be filled by Him, to be in tune with Him as best as I could.  By 5:00 pm I had a terrific headache.  But with a couple of Tylenols and a good stiff neck rub, I was all better.  There is nothing like a good cleansing of self and falling at the throne for grace and miracles-to-be and praising the One on the throne for all His good gifts.  I feel at peace, I feel content, and I feel very grateful!  I am full.

            My husband told me if you keep going over the speed bumps in the parking lot too fast, you can throw the car out of alignment.  I believe it’s the same with our lives.  If we keep going at this fast pace, our lives can be thrown out of alignment.  If we do not let the speed bumps slow us down, we can crash in our relationships, in our physical health, in our mental, emotional, and spiritual health.  There are a lot of things that need to be done in our day but let’s always remember to let the speed bump, the Holy Spirit, speak to us, to slow us down before we go racing into a conversation without thinking, before we go racing through our day without consulting our Lord about what it is He wants us to do, who He wants us to speak to, what He wants us to say, where He wants us to go.  Let’s always slow down and consult Him before we make decisions.  Let’s slow down and remember the ones who do not know how to and lift them up to the Savior.  Let’s don’t rush over those speed bumps and throw ourselves out of alignment.  But, if we do, let’s also remember we can always fall to the floor and ask to be realigned. He is always there, waiting and willing.

222.  Aahh, sunshine, the natural vitamin D

223.  open windows

224.  sweet, singing birds

225.  Oh, so faithful friends

226.  long talk on phone with cousin until phone died

227. re-charged phone ~ long talk with sister'

228.  open doors ~ of opportunities

229.   absolutely gorgeous full moon hanging low

230.  sitting in the swing with my husband

231.  a husband who ALWAYS supports me

232.  getting my 18 year old son to laugh as I take his pictures as he cleans the outside of the house

(Check back here Saturday to see those pics:)

233.  sharing hamburger and fries with same son after a good day

234.  sparkling, clean windows

235.  worshipping together with fellow believers

236.  prayer time over food

237.  bread on tongue ~ remembering

238.  dark liquid down throat ~ participating

239.  closed eyes, practicing eucharisteo (thanksgiving) amongst a crowd

240.witnessing the birth of a tulip tree flower

241.  watching my husband show little boy how to shoot a bow

242.  the sweet smell of spring blossoms drifting onto my front porch

243.  neighbors waving, yelling out my name

244.  spring-time breezes

245.  the sound of pea frogs at night

246.  hearing the next-door neighbor children giggling on my trampoline as I stand at the stove cooking.

247.  smiling ~ remembering many giggles between two precious little boys long ago

248.  the aroma of home-made sloppy joe mixture with the hint of cinnamon

249.  to have hunger filled only by the Holy Spirit

250.  to share something as intimate as hunger with my husband

Hunger and Filling

Sometimes the hardest lessons are learned in the hunger.

   Sometimes the blind eye can only be opened through hunger.

      Sometimes the guidance needed and the requests bestowed come answered best

          Through hunger.

And the only filling of this hunger is the manna of words, the very presence of Himself, the Bread of Life.

I depend on food, and not so very good ones for me way too much.

   I depend on my mate too much, at times.     

      I depend on my feeling too much, at times.

         I depend on my own time table too much, at times.

I want to be totally dependent on my Heavenly Father,

   I want to be cleansed from the inside out.

      I want to lay down requests that are deep in my soul, and then let it go.

          And so I will let myself go into hunger to be filled up totally by Him.

Several years ago, Tuesdays were appointed times to be on the knees, tasting only what is good, the Word, Holy and Pure, sweet beyond measure.  An answer came.  I quit the physical hunger. Now I begin again to beseech, petition, and praise on Tuesdays only to be filled by Him.  May I come to His feet, His throne of grace for you too?  I would be honored to do so.  If you are not comfortable to leave a comment or prayer request here, please send me a personal FB message or e-mail. ( Krbrid@aol.com ) I assure you it will stay confidential!

I did not advertise this post on FB.   I prayed, asking the Lord to send here for this one whoever He chose.  If you want to quietly leave, that is fine.

May God bless you abundantly with His filling.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Phillipians 4:6

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone…this is good and pleases our Savior.”

First Timothy 2:1

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Matthew 5:6

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Psalm 34:8

Words

On this Simply Wonderful Saturday, I would like to welcome you to our home...please come in. I hope as you reach the bottom you will have a feel of home by being here.  Home to me is beautiful whether it is a huge home, small bungalow, apartment, mobile home, etc. 

It's not the words but the actions, attitudes, and fruit of the Spirit within the walls that make it a home.  Love makes it a home.  Love is beautiful.  These words just convey what we believe, how we feel, and I pray it gives you all a welcoming, loving feeling. 

This is what we 

With Christ in our hearts, we have the privelege to come before Him. . .

In amongst the

We. . .

for. . .

With these letters, we can form

messages to each other. . .

Words in the Bible tell us. . .

With Jesus, we can have

Home is where you find

It's a place where we can. . .

To. . . 

. . . . .

Words are important.  Words convey. Words inspire. Words can hurt.  Words can heal.

But the most beautiful Word of all is stated in

John 1:1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Simply Beautiful!

Thank you for coming to my home, please feel free to come back anytime!

linking with Jenn at

You Know It’s Time to Go Home From the Hospital When…..

(It was this time last year that I left Kentucky to go to Oklahoma where my mother had just had a couple of surgeries with complications following.  I went to be with her and help out.  After awhile, I just had to write and she helped me with this one...just reliving some memories)
*********************************************************************************

My mother has been in the hospital for fourteen days. She and I have had a lot of sweet moments…holding hands, praying, singing old hymns, playing the alphabet game.  But after many days in the same room you tend to get a little crazy.  We have become hysterical with laughter amongst the pain and complications of a couple of surgeries.  My mother has relived the past two weeks with me and here is what we have decided.

You know it’s time to go home from the hospital when…

1.      you know how many tiles are on the ceiling.

2.      you know how many slats are on the blinds.

3.      everyone on staff starts calling you mom.

4.      you know the whole life story of all your nurses and aides.

5.      the clock battery dies.

6.      you start thinking about how to redecorate your hospital room.

7.      the flowers are all pooped out.

8.      the bed gadgets are not fun anymore.

9.      you decide modesty is not important anymore.

10.  you’ve blown the ball clear to the top of the oxygen blower.

11.  you start looking for pictures in your bruises.

12.  you have memorized the t.v. schedule.

13.  you start making your visitors play the alphabet game with you.

14.  you start making animals out of the rubber gloves.

15.  you start finding bruises you didn’t know you had or where they came from.

16.  you decide it’s more fun to blow into the rubber glove instead of they oxygen machine.

17.  you start pushing the nurse button when you don’t need a nurse…you just want to see how fast they will respond.

18.  you start trying to figure out the musical notes of the beeping on IV machine.

19.  all your neighbors have gone home and a new crop has arrived.

20.  you have exhausted all your routes for your ambulatory exercise.

21.  you start trying to figure how many things you can do with a rubber glove.

We concluded that when circumstances are not the most ideal, having a good attitude, a sense of humor, can bring smiles, joy, and laughter.  Next time you find yourself in the hospital feeling down and blue, grab one of those blue rubber gloves and blow.  The hysterical laughter may hurt but Proverbs says it’s the best medicine.

And if you’re in Tulsa, Oklahoma roaming about, and you see an older lady with blue fingers hanging out of her purse, there’s a pretty good chance that’s my mother...or if you're going down the streets of Tulsa and see a blue glove lingering on the ground, my mother was probably there.

as I reminisce, I count. . .

207.  hearing a new song, Blessings

208.  a new sister with a compassionate heart

209.  being able to stay in jammies when not feeling good

210.  cheerful, yellow daffodils

211.  redbuds blooming

212.  belief

213.  husband who always listens

214.   husband's arm around me in the church pew

215.  husband lacing his fingers through mine while praying at church

216.  new sisters on same journey

217.  memories

218.  encouragement

219.  laughter in unexpected places

220.  mother with a sence of humor...even in her pain

221.  blue rubber gloves