My Burning Bush

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My Burning Bush

…Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” …God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. … the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. Exodus 3:2-5 NLT

There is a “burning bush” in my daughter’s yard in Illinois. And it is ablaze with glory right now! So when three year old William and I came outside yesterday morning, we couldn’t help but notice the changes that seemed to happen overnight.

“It’s RED!”

“Yes, William, and it’s called a Burning Bush. You know what? God spoke to a man named Moses from a Burning Bush. It’s in the Bible.”

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Waking Words: He Saves us Every Day

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Waking Words: He Saves us Every Day

I take my waking thoughts seriously. God often speaks to me in those thoughts. How do I know? One reason is that I have asked the Holy Spirit to grab those otherwise anxiety-prone thoughts. And He does. (Be sure to read Waking Thoughts.

Well this morning, I had the very strong and repeated urgency to post this devotional about salvation. If you persevere to the end, you will see how Jesus not only saves us eternally, He also saves us every day.

May you hear your Lord and Savior encourage your heart as you run to Him and experience His rescue today and forever.

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Touch Jesus . . . Touch Life

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Touch Jesus . . . Touch Life

Years ago I had a mentor-friend named Donna.  She was the one the Lord used to usher me into experiencing Christ in me as the One who does the doing in the Christian life!  Her key phrase was (as I remember it) "God does it."

Then by the Spirit of God came the realization that my indwelling Lord Jesus Christ is my All in All!  He is the Father's Ultimate Gift to me...no-thing else, no-thing more!

Jesus + Nothing = Everything

 

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The Secret of Detachment is Attachment

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The Secret of Detachment is Attachment

Detachment, Relinquishment ... Letting go! No matter how you say it, it is hard but beautiful. And it is needed...needed, that is, in order to grow in the spiritual life. In fact, Jesuit Richard Rohr, says, "All great spirituality is about letting go." (Everything Belongs) Our Lord Jesus was the One truly spiritual Person on this earth. And He was detached in a healthy way. He was detached because He was attached to Another ... to His Heavenly Father. All through the gospels, especially the gospel of John, we see and hear this truth clearly. 

 

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Morning Prayer & Meditation: I AM...

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Morning Prayer & Meditation: I AM...

Lord,

You are my King. I am your beloved servant. I live to serve Your purpose in my generation for your honor and pleasure (Acts 13:36). Live through me. Love through me.  Serve through me...Today!

With love beyond my love. With skill beyond my skill. With forgiveness beyond my forgiveness. With endurance beyond my endurance...

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The With-ness of our God on ZOOM -- Coming September 13

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The With-ness of our God on ZOOM -- Coming September 13

Are you struggling to feel connected to the Lord, though you may know in your head you belong to Him? Please consider exploring with us this fall, The With-ness of our God: Relationship in Every Dimension. This volume reveals a God who is intimately and securely united with us through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. In it you will find manna for your heart, not just your head. You will discover not only simple, practical instruction, but also meditation, stories for application, questions for journaling and just pondering...and more.

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Jesus, I am working, working

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Jesus, I am working, working

I'm such a worker bee...how about you? I get great satisfaction out of accomplishing something. It can be a "driven" thing if I'm not careful. By the time I realize it, I'm really dragging! And rather than being satisfied, I'm disgruntled and out of sorts!

Being the worker bee is especially dangerous when it comes to the spiritual life. I lived for a long time under the yoke of what I call "to do list" Christianity. What a bondage! Self-effort doesn't work when it comes to doing what only God can do...which is anything and and everything of any spiritual value.

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The God Who LOVES You is Your Source

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The God Who LOVES You is Your Source

Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!
Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!
For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’
My husband is not my source of unconditional love and I am not his source of unconditional love! It’s nice when we hit it right and make each other feel loved, but even that is short lived if we are looking to each other to fill our tank of need for love.

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Virtual Ocean Bay Sunset: a Surprise in the Setting

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Virtual Ocean Bay Sunset: a Surprise in the Setting

Sunrise, sunset, swiftly flow the days...

Each morning at the beach, I experience sunrise after sunrise over the ocean, each one, unique and special and "speaking.". But I remember one evening, I unexpectedly witnessed a sunset over the bay. The horizon wasn't quite as straight and "uncluttered" as that of the ocean, but oh my! It was pretty close.

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To Write the Love of God Above!

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To Write the Love of God Above!

There is a gem of a hymn that really grabs my heart and soul.  I almost forgot about it until someone commented on an old post containing the song. The hymn? -- "The Love of God."  The metaphor in the third stanza absorbs my mind and imagination:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,…

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Virtual Ocean Sunrise: Scripture & Song

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Virtual Ocean Sunrise: Scripture & Song

For several years before my mom went home to Jesus, I spent lots of precious time with her on the coast in New Jersey. One of the highlights had always been my early morning walks along the beach at sunrise.

I’m returning to this blog that I wrote after a sweet summer with my mom at my sister's house in Belmar.

Maybe you too need some peaceful reflection today. Why not join me as I "go down the shore" and enjoy the glory of our great Creator in pictures (my own), Scriptures and song.

Blessings, my friend.

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Virtual Ocean Sunrise: Fresh Mercies Every Day

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Virtual Ocean Sunrise: Fresh Mercies Every Day

I am never disappointed at the beach. I see and hear and feel and smell and even taste God here in a unique way. The vastness of the ocean and the littleness of me on the shore help to correct my perspective about God and my life. And the sunrise over the ocean speaks with new messages every day.

These mornings here at sunrise in Belmar, I have been arrested by an awesome observation.

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Virtual Ocean Vaca: Senses Come Alive

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Virtual Ocean Vaca: Senses Come Alive

I’m taking a virtual vacation at my favorite of all places: the East Coast ocean beach. Why the East Coast? Because it is there that I can also enjoy another favorite — sunrise over the ocean. So why not join me there in my next few posts … specifically the Jersey shore, because I’m a Jersey girl.

When my mom moved to the beach in New Jersey many years ago, I was able to spend many early morning hours on the beach.

I am basically an intuitive, rather than sensory, person (a la Myers-Briggs). But I've found over the years that my senses come alive at the beach.

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The Stabilizing Focus of a Morning Prayer

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The Stabilizing Focus of a Morning Prayer

Life is a mix, a conglomeration.
There is confusion and clarity, flailing and focus, excruciating pain and exquisite peace.
There is bitterness and sweetness, strength and fragility, "rugged seas" and "smooth sailing."

As Paul Lawrence Dunbar so aptly expresses in his poem Life:

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SIMPLICITY IN CHRIST: Morning Thoughts for Battles You Face Today

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SIMPLICITY IN CHRIST: Morning Thoughts for Battles You Face Today

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:3 NKJV

Good morning, brothers and sisters in Christ.

May you rejoice in this gift of another day to experience the sufficiency of Christ who lives in you today … right now.

And let’s face it … there will be battles today in this fallen world. Christ has won the war. But while we are here on earth, we will face opposition from the world, the flesh, and the devil (who uses the world and the flesh to lie to us and lure our dependence away from our loving Father God).

So here are a few thoughts and scriptures that may help as we face our today:

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SIMPLICITY IN CHRIST: the Armor of God

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SIMPLICITY IN CHRIST: the Armor of God

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:3 NKJV

The simplicity that is in Christ, my word for the year, has grabbed hold of me deeply.

As I was preparing a lesson on Spiritual Warfare in our ladies’ Bible class, I was arrested by my word and verse again.

Of course, HE is the key to spiritual warfare, and setting my mind simply on HIM is the answer to every battle I face in this life. After all, HE is the One who has already won the war (Hebrews 2:14-15)!

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SIMPLICITY IN CHRIST: "Be Thou My Vision"

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SIMPLICITY IN CHRIST: "Be Thou My Vision"

For years this hymn has been my go to song…from the time I was “in the convent” back in the late 1960’s to this very day no matter my Christian context. And recently it has been my morning song as I awaken the dawn walking in my area — even as the darkness is departing and my neighborhood owl is singing out the final hoo-hoo of his “day.”

And so I sing…even aloud…despite the high school young people passing me by on their way to the bus stop, wondering about this weird, white haired woman softly singing. I love the focus. I love the plaintive melody. I love my indwelling God who draws me toward thoughts of HIM Alone. And I love the story behind the song…

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