A SACRED SPACE
  • Welcome
  • Joy in the Morning
  • Sacred Prayers
  • Pause & Ponder
  • About the Author
  • The Books

Hurts, hand-ups, and habits

3/29/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Joy in the Morning                                                                                                                     

 

The Bible says that as the women walked that long, lonely path to the tomb, it suddenly dawned on them, “Who will roll the stone away from the tomb?”      Mark 16:3                                                                   

Hello Friend,

          As Christians, we are all anticipating Easter Sunday.  I’m making my eggs and beets tomorrow to allow them just the right amount of time to pickle.  YUM! In my family, this is an Easter tradition.  But in addition to selecting our Easter finely and preparing our baskets and menus, we are recalling the Story.

                 Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, had seen where the body had been placed and knew that a huge stone had been rolled across the entrance to the tomb, so as they approached the gravesite they remembered the stone and realized that they couldn’t move it on their own. The stone itself probably weighed several hundred pounds and would have to be rolled uphill out of a rut in the ground in order to open the tomb. Even if all five women worked together, they wouldn’t have been able to budge it. As far as they were concerned, it was an insurmountable obstacle.

            But you know what that’s like, don’t you? We all have our own stones: hurts, hang-ups, and habits that we can’t budge. This week, ponder, “What is the unsurmountable obstacle in my life that is keeping me entombed and hindering my joy?”                                                   Preparing for new life in Christ, Linda



0 Comments

Good reasons to become still!

3/23/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Be still and know that I am God.                                                                                     Psalm 46:10

Hello Friend,

          Good morning.  I know that it is a busy Monday morning and your to-do list in front of you looms large.  Mine does also.  We, as a culture, are super busy.  Not much down time, and what little there is, is often consumed with our fixation on our electronics.  When was the last time you just sat still in the Presence of God?

          I have been preaching during Lent on the topic, The School of Prayer, just teaching the basics.  Prayer isn’t about rules.  It is about a relationship with God. And relationships take time to develop.  The very first step of prayer is receiving God into your presence.   Too many people never learn to pray because they never change from an aggressive into a receptive mood. 

          The Bible urges us to pray without ceasing.  I believe that means that whenever a need comes to mind during your day, in that moment, you have the opportunity to place that situation in God’s open hands.  And then you continue with your routine—your schedule.  But the beginning of a prayer relationship requires us to consciously open our mind to God and to be receptive to His voice.  That is how we cultivate spiritual serenity in spite of the shaking mountains and agitated waters.  This spiritual calm does not come from a lack of troubles, but from trust in your relationship with God.  You believe God hears your prayers and answers every one because you have felt His presence. You have a closeness with the Holy One that is only born of stillness and receptivity.  I urge you to find time in your hectic life for God.  Life seems easier when you do it with God.  You learn to relax and trust.  You actually begin to enjoy your life.  How’s that for some good reasons to become still?                         Linda                                                                                                 

0 Comments

Victory is coming~

3/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Joy in the Morning                                                                                                                   
  
I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.                                                                   Revelation 1:8

Hello Friend,

          Good morning.  I pray that you woke this Monday morning with gladness and hope in your heart.  If you greeted this day with a smile; good for you? However, if you are facing a challenging week, even lifting your head may seem difficult.  It is at times like these that our faith can be sorely tested.  Often we ask, “Why me, Lord?”  And our spirits can sink to the depths of the ocean floor.  Let me try to offer a word or two of encouragement to you this morning.

          First of all, God created this world.  For a time it may seem that evil will triumph.  Faith means that, in spite of your circumstances, you believe that God will win in the end.  No problem is too difficult for God.  With God, “all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23).  Don’t you dare lose hope.  Even the end of this life is the beginning of a new life so wonderful that our minds cannot even conceive of the glorious future awaiting us. 

          Secondly,   God cares.  You have not been forgotten.  If you are feeling all alone in your suffering, please turn to Psalm 139. It says, “God goes before you, follows you, and places His hand of blessing upon you.”  You are deeply loved.

          And lastly, God is working with us and not just watching from afar. Not everything that happens to us is God’s will.  Many things happen in this world that actually hinder His will, but in the end, oh yes, in the end, God triumphs.  And so do we.  I have faith that God is the Alpha and Omega, that God cares, and that God is beside us till the end.  Hold onto your faith, my dear ones.  Be not afraid. There is victory just around the bend.

                   Glimpsing the light at the end of the tunnel and moving forward with faith.   Linda

0 Comments

Judging Others

3/1/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture

Joy in the Morning                                                                                                               Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.               Matthew 7:1-5

 

Hello Friend,

          I know our scripture this morning is long, but it is so succinct and to-the- point of my message, I couldn’t decide how to edit it.  My, how we love to judge!!! Brian Williams has been a trusted voice in network news for decades until last week when questions arose about his credibility when he admitted he embellished a story he covered in Iraq.  Wow, the public outrage!  Much like the Paula Deen outrage! And much like the outrage we feel when we find out a neighbor is having an affair. “It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part” (Matt. 7:4)

Point 1:  I believe we have all embellished, perhaps on a resume or in a conversation.  It is the psychological need to make ourselves feel important.                               
Point 2:  Often I tell personal stories during my sermons.  Always, they have a basis in truth, but sometimes I embellish to make a dramatic point or to increase the laugh factor.  Should I be judged by the same standard as Brian Williams?   
Point 3:  Why are we so intrigued by other’s failures?  Does it make ours look less serious?  We do the “whose sin is worse” strategy to make ourselves feel more righteous. 


          Please friends, God takes our judging others seriously and He doesn’t like it.  I have enough trouble just keeping my life on the straight path. Let’s offer a hand to those who have strayed rather than kick them when they are down.                                                                      Linda

0 Comments

    Archives

    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

New post

Photos used under Creative Commons from FotoGuy 49057, Artotem, wildrosetn39, Matthew Paul Argall, kencf0618, The Linen Lavoir, Tony Webster, judy dean, irio.jyske, inkknife_2000 (7 million views +), France1978, wuestenigel, rkramer62, T.Kiya, fishhawk, 3loomi.4ulike, bazadwalker, DaPuglet, focusonmore.com, Klausiee, Juanjo+Willow, YLegrand, Dimplemonkey, shorts and longs, Mon Quixote, ewan traveler, Charlón, LiteWriting aka Loreen72, OC Always, [Duncan], jvanpelt, FutUndBeidl, Grand Canyon NPS, Waiting For The Word