Something Happened and I must tell...

 Over the past few months I've been leading a Bible Study group of generally 4 ladies, 5 including myself. I say leading rather than teaching because that's what happens. We are using a book written by Dr. Jeremiah "The God You May Not Know". Our group meets every week at the home of one of the ladies and is always relaxed and always a cold canned Pepsi is offered. We are all Seniors and range from the 60's to the 80's.

My groups are usually talkers because I encourage questions and comments even small debates at times. The point is to learn from the material and each other. I truly believe Holy Spirit resides within each believer and He is our ultimate teacher and I like to hear what he has to say through each of the participants. Of course there must be constraints of sorts but that's to fit within our time limit and to stay on task. The Bible is on hand of course.

This study has changed me and I am surprised and totally in! I've been a Christian, born again, since 1975. Been in lay leadership in the church, home group leadership with my late husband, Officially a leader in the church as Co-Pastor after graduating from CFNI, Dallas, Tx in 1987. Official ministry ended in 2001. That means I was no longer officially licensed within the denomination that Licensed me. This happens when a licensed minister no longer holds a paying position in a church. Because God's calling is without repentance, I continue on without a church covering, in ministry. 

I do not consider myself to know the answers to life, about God, the church, or any asked of me. I do follow the lead of my God in daily life as much as I know how. I love my Creator more and more everyday and spend time with Him daily. And yet, I'm blown away at how much the study that is finishing up this next week about the Creator of all that is created and all that is, is created by the Creator, make no mistake about that. It is fact and has nothing to do with whether or not mankind believes He Is.

Certainly I cannot rewrite the book I'm finishing up, in the telling here. What I do want to say is I am thoroughly amazed by the explanation of who God is. I still don't know it all and no one can because we are limited. He is not. Only by His own Holiness and it's His choice.  There are certain words that I have decided are never ending. They are as follows:

Eternity, Omniscience, Love, Heaven, Hell, God's Creation...the universe, galaxies, space, never, always, more. 

To actually realize that all of God is everywhere all at the same time and involved in every human life in such detail that he even knows how many hairs on every head at every moment while knowing what we are all thinking, doing, saying, living and dying all at the same time world wide! And this is hour after hour after hour, day after day, and so on. He never sleeps or turns away from anyone...never. NEVER! He has no limitations, none, zip! He doesn't have a big toe! He isn't human! and yet he's emanuel, God with us.

We have limitations and we die! God does not! We cannot, don't have the ability to limit Him. He is and will always be who he says he is and mankind cannot change him in anyway. Lack of belief in Him does not make him small or powerless or disappear in anyway. He is and was and will always be. The theories about how the world began without God Himself are nothing, mean nothing and accomplish nothing except rob mankind of the truth. And, further more like it or not, God is in control, in charge and man cannot change that. God is! Above it all! Is Power! and there is no other. He is the only one. Satan lied to Adam and Eve in the Garden and he is still lying.

I have known that God is bigger than I can even think and this study enlarged that I know that today without doubt but more, I know how more about the how much more which tells me there's so much more that I don't know. He's amazingly more.

God is known by many names and each one describes a part of his character. If you don't have the faintest Idea what I'm talking about, One of His names is Jehovah, and Yahweh, or Abba. Pick up a Bible...a New King James or a Living Bible and start with the Book of John in the New Testament. Let the author of that book in the Bible introduce you.

It's Friday evening before Memorial Day. Have a great weekend. Milo is somewhere asleep. I think I'll wake him and we will go sit on the back porch and enjoy the late afternoon. Blessings, I'm Judy and I'm glad.

Change...interesting word, interesting outcome...makes life interesting!

 Seems that all around me things are changing. Everything is changing. Since my last post...just the other day...you know my housing has changed. Funny thing is happening on my way to April 15th this year, I'm changing to 80! Now there's a number! 80!

How does it feel? I dun-no! Actually, it feels great, absolutely great. Interestingly, I'm younger. Yes, younger. On the inside, still in my 30's, on the inside of my head that is. The body, well that's another issue. Though things are changing there too, my outlook on the whole thing is surprisingly upbeat. I'm the most comfortable with myself than I have ever been. I do things that I want to do. Want as in choose to do. Not from a selfish point of view but rather a considered decision based on is it a good thing for me and others to do what I think I want to do. That's a whole other take on living if you truly think about it.

In the past I did things because, I should...someone told me to...I had to...it was the right thing to do...there wasn't a choice...it's what I always do, etc.. It's different now, oh, it's the same but the thought behind why I do what I do is different. I do consider the why of it. Truly, I think about why and do I really need to or want to or should I. I have a new freedom to choose. It was always there only now I'm brave enough to look at the choice. Seems like my choices now are acceptable to myself. In other words I'm happy with my choices more so now than before.

Why now?

Maybe because I've lived through so much life. You know, good, bad, hard, easy, life and death. I've been around the block so to speak. There's just not a lot of really new things going on around me that I haven't experienced in some way or another. Someone said "most crisis' last just 2 weeks." followed by "you can do anything for 2 weeks". Of course that 2 weeks isn't scientifically calculated but the idea is a good one. When all things are considered in any crisis how bad is it, all things considered? Of course that depends on what the crisis is, but think about it. Two weeks in time isn't very long at all. Only while you are in the midst of that 2 weeks.

Well, I'm talking about this because in just a couple of months I will turn 80 and I feel better now than I have in years in all areas of my life. I'm more at liberty in nearly all aspects that I can think of. I live alone which has great advantages if you don't get bogged down in being lonely, and that can be a decision to be made. I do pretty much what I want to do. I'm a crafter and I like to write and paint and build things. I've learned how to rewire a chandelier, work on a clock, build with power tools and repurpose things for my purposes. I don't do without much. If I need something I can usually make it and that is invigorating to me. I have a real tool box with power tools, a 3 step ladder, work gloves, paint brushes, sand paper and all kinds of things to use to make the things I want or think I need.

One day I decided I needed a foot stool so I made one out of a cardboard box an old pillow and material plus hot glue.  It lasted several months until I got tired of it and threw it away.  My friends think I can do anything...I can't, but I can do what they think they can't do. Because I think I can.  Is what I do perfect, or will it last a life time, probably not but it does the job for me and that's all I need.

Part of my life now is attitude. I don't pay a lot of attention to what other's think about what I do or what I wear and stuff like that. Not anymore. Just that adjustment in my thinking has freed a whole aspect of life up for me. I choose to enjoy everything. I choose to laugh, make fun of hard things and say nice things. I choose to think good things and enjoy as much in a day as possible. I don't watch a lot of news or anything that is unpleasant. I already know about that side of life. I know it exists and I choose not to entertain it in my life. I pray about those things when I think I'm suppose to but I don't worry about things I can't change. I've learned to look to the written word of God in the Bible as my life guide and do what He says to do in life. He's got me covered and I know that so there's nothing for me to worry about. After all, He loved me first and has known me before I was in my mother's womb. He is after all the Creator of all that there is and with that in mind it's up to me to Love Him first above all else.

I'm Judy and I'm writing this from my new makeover bedroom/ craft room combo of which I'm delighted to be in this evening. Hope you are well where you are and content with your life. God Bless You and good night.

                                                                             Milo                

Writing!

A day trip to the University Museum with a bus load of Seniors. As you can see, I fit right in with the exhibition of dinosaurs....

Trying to concentrate on my next book writing title "6 Ways to Regularly Get God's Blessings" takes discipline! Takes tenacity, perseverance and time! BTW that's the temporary name of the next book. I read somewhere from an established author that it's best if an author doesn't give out information about the next or current book that is in process.

The cool thing about this effort is what I'm learning about how tender God's heart is for those who heart who love Him. 

And...I'm not entirely sure how the next one will be financed. I have thought I could step out and try to get one of the big 6 to publish it. Though I certainly am neither a known author nor a best selling author. Besides that, there are certain stringent requirements to even getting a manuscript in position to be even accepted or looked at or considered or even to get them to open an envelope with a manuscript inside.

Then there is a required person (I forget what that person is called) that makes sure what you submit is perfect and coaches through the entire process.

Besides doing it that way there is always a free book publish opportunity through Amazon and I haven't really looked into all the details with that. But of course I have to get further along with the book to do anything at this point. Anyway, I'm busy writing and also keeping up with my normal life activities. Which includes feeding and walking with Milo twice a day. Once after his breakfast and once after his dinner. That's daily.

I usually end up writing in the evening and even into the early morning hours. I'd say 65% is general writing from what I've learned as I study and research the topic and the rest is scripture which is the basis for the general writing. You know that if one wants to the scripture can support almost any point of view you take on most any given subject. There are those who put their teachings and sermons together in such a way as to support their opinion.

I truly hope that I don't do that. I'm aware of the possibility. I can't be totally positive that I don't do that but I don't set out to do things like that. There's a serious accountability I think, to writing about God and the scripture to be sure it's correct and not abused to support something that is not according to God's character. What I'm thinking about this line of conversation is that one can get so caught up in trying to convince a reader to accept their way of interpreting God's intent or meaning and that's when the scripture is found after the idea is written, to support the idea.

It is not hard to write like that. The next book is based pretty much on the first two commandments and 1 Corinthians 13. Those two scriptures (or three), are about God's kind of love. Oops, there I go, spilling the beans. Okay, that's all I'm going to say about the next book. 

I have considered writing a biography but not sure what benefit it would be to the reader and I want whatever I might get published should be helpful in some regard. My life did a complete turn around in 1975 and from that starting point I've moved forward and have a purpose and there's a plan that is working and it will until I move on up. 

May sound strange to some but as I get older, year by year, it is clearer to me that there is purpose and reason in and for my life and it's not just exciting but energizing and entirely fulfilling. I wake up knowing something is going to happen that day that will be totally outside my realm of expectations. Some in my age group are satisfied to do as little as possible on a daily basis. A few stay in their pj's most of the day, most days. To those I've talked to regarding daily activities and encounters with others have decided that that's just the way it is because they don't see that they have any usefulness left. Family has pretty much moved on in life and that individual has little or in some cases no contact from their immediate family. There has also been no expectation of future friendships to be made.

Just because the age numbers keep rising and the hair turns white and wrinkles have or are beginning to take over doesn't mean that life is done. I admire some of the ladies I've met who just keep moving, keep fixing their hair and face, even if their day is spent only in the garden or in a chair knitting or whatever it is they find to do. Then, when the weekend arrives, they are up and out on Saturday, yard sale shopping and come Sunday they are on time to Sunday School and Church with their Sunday best on and an eagerness to greet everyone they see.

 I love the stage of life I'm in and I have great things ahead of me, both here and there. This is Judy in the cottage with Milo who, once again is on his round pillow asleep. I hope you had a good day and Blessings for Saturday and Sunday ahead. Good night