Who we think we are

Who we think we are, is often not at all who we really are. I think more than anything else we see who we'd like to be. I once had a friend of mine whom was well educated, tell me this quote. It went something like this. ''You're not who you think you are, You're not who others think you are, But you're who you think others think you are"". Now mind you I had a lot of trouble letting that sink in my brain and understanding it. But when we have personal weaknesses, we often think others can see right through us. Our self portrait in fact is blurred. We think we understand ourselves, but the real us is still hiding behind the same blurred vision to see ourselves only as we want to see ourselves.

Let me give you an example. These two men are real persons, both elderly, and this is my view of both people. There's a business in town that I frequent. This business has many employees. There are two men that I guess you could say work the front, where they are in contact with the public. I do want to bring to your attention that both men claim to be Christians and go to church.

Now man #1. we'll call him smiley, He's always got a smile on his face. Always has a nice word to say. But he never mentions being a Christian 'persay'. He always tries to please the customers, and poor old guy, he hurries the best he can. The last words he will say to you is"have a blessed day" He's the type of person that just makes you feel good, if you know what I mean. But he never thinks of himself too highly, He's just a good old soul.

OK, so on to #2 man we'll call him, not so smiley. Ok, so he's like this, smileless, he tells all about his church, his Christian life. While ignoring your request not to overfill your bags. He's always telling everyone that any tips he gets will be donated to the church. He goes sooooooo, slooooow, as if saying I really don't care whether I get this done or not. And because I complained to him about how he filled my bags, he holds the grudge, like nobodies business. OK, so he thinks of himself and a good person, and in fact brags on himself as a Christian.

You see smiley, doesn't see himself as that great a person, while not so smiley thinks himself tops.

I really do NOT want to know what people really think of me, I have way too many flaws. There's only one man who was born on this earth who was perfect. Jesus Christ. The rest of us are mishaps from the first Adam's sin. We all have sinned, we all do things we don't want others to know about. There is no perfect human person. Most times, truly, I think I'm at the bottom of the apple barren, well rotted while others smell the obfensive fumes.

God bless and remember, Whatever you may think of yourself, God knows the real you.

Grocery store still up to tricks

I really need to start taking my camera to the grocery store. Why you may ask? You wouldn't believe what they're doing now. OK, so I was looking for a cabbage to make some slaw with. Today hot hogs and Hamburgers, tomorrow, fish. I make enough slaw at one time for both.

So I walk myself to the produce section, and started looking at the cabbages. It was the oddest thing, the smaller heads of cabbage seemed not to have a stark. Looking more closer I noticed what the personal had done. It seems as if they were taking some of the leafs off of the larger cabbages and wrapping the smaller ones with those dark green leafs that most people discard. Now I ask you is this good business? I mean there are families out there that are having a hard enough time feeding their families without some manager of a grocery wanting a bigger bonus check. I really wish that some one in the government in whatever department, The FDA, I think, would would step in and start putting a big fine on these stores.

Hoping for better, God bless.

Jesus, All over the old testament

It still gets to me when people say"The Old Testament of the Bible doesn't apply to our life as a Christian". The Bible ''the whole Bible'' was written to show God, God's people, and the history of God's promises to all people. Jesus is all over the old testament. Again and again God made His promise of a Messiah. But I want to just bring one or two passages to your attention today. Take a look in 2ND Samuel, Chapter 7, and verses 17-19. Nathan the prophet had a message from God to David about the building of the temple.
2Sam. 7:17According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
God is not going to let David build His temple, but God tells David through his seed that there will come a man that will build an ever lasting temple.
2Sam. 7:18
Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?
David, realizing that the Messiah is meant, David ask the question that most shows his understanding of just how small mankind is compares to God, "Who am I". I think that when we consider just how awesome God is, We too ask that question many times.
Now, David remembering the words written in Scripture in Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Ask the question in the following verse' Is this the matter of man. In other words, is the the matter of Adam? Is this the second Adam that will bruise the serpents head. 2Sam. 7:19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?
Nathan must have said much more to David in these prophesies. In fact David seems to have been permitted to have more than just a glimpse into the future. As he writes so many, many Psalms of Jesus. especially the ones of the Crucifixion. In Psalm, 22, for one, David writes the exact words that Christ Jesus would say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? You really need to read the whole Psalm. It, 's David's words explaining what he was allowed to see in the future. There are many Psalms David wrote about Christ Jesus' life and His death on the Cross.
So back again to Genesis. This is Easter Monday, and I want to remind all, that the old serpents head was bruised. The first Adam failed. He sinned, and by that we are all born in sin. But the second Adam, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, lived a life of righteousness. He won the battle over sin while alive, and He defeated it as He looked upon us as He hung on the cross and gave Himself, the perfect sacrifice, pure and holy. And as He arose from that death, He stepped on that serpents head and bruised him. That serpent has no control over us, over our lives, nor over our deaths, nor over our eternity. Jesus is our way back to the Heavenly Father. And all you have to do is except Him as our Lord and Savior. It seems so easy doesn't it? Jesus said in Matthew, 11: 30 My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. And dear one, it's so very true. Please think about it, and come to know Jesus, He's waiting.

The cause that made us Christains 'It's still the "Cross"

The whole cause as to why we are Christians is being celebrated this week end. From Good Friday till Easter Monday. God would have but a spotless, blemish free, sacrifice for our sin. And as I was telling my Bible study class, Jesus was the only sacrifice that God would except. This had been God's planned from the foundations of the earth.

Jesus knew as He walked in the garden to pray what would happen to Him. From His arrest, His betrayal by Judas. From standing in front of the people to hear them shout crucify Him. And the long hours of brutal beatings, that ripped the flesh from His body until the ribs in His back were showing. He knew before it was ever given, every stripe. And as He was taking those flest ripping stripes on His back. He was looking at each and every one of us and saying in His heart to us. By these stripes you are healed. Yes a healing for our very souls. Jesus knew as He walked down the road to the cross, the name of each person the were shouting and cursing and yes even spitting on Him. He knew even before it happen how the nails would feel that were hammered into His hands and feet. And with each lunge with the hammer, still looking at us He said in His heart still, this is for you, My beloved. I can't ever imagine the even greater pain as the cross was lifted and His already battered back rubbed against the wood on that cross and wood splinters dug their way into His back tearing at an already bloody raw flesh. And as He hung there, pain surging through every part of His now frail body. If all that had happen was not bad enough, Then my friend, He went through the most awful pain of all. He hung there as one right after another, of our sins were put upon Him. waves and waves and waves of agonizing torment, as He took on to Himself our sins, He did it without uttering a word of complaint. Our sin was so ugly that even God the Father had to turn away. The Heavenly Father as great and awesome as He is could not look upon such evil being pounded upon His only Son. What we should have suffered ourselves. Yes each and everyone of us should have been on that cross instead, suffering that fate, instead Jesus took it for us. He loved us more that we ourselves ever know how to love.

Now last, He was put in a tomb, but He didn't stay there. He rose from death, into everlasting life. And because He won the battle and stepped on that serpents head. He won over death and hell.

We as followers of Christ Jesus, now have won this battle too. Through Jesus Christ, and only through Jesus Christ have we won the victory, over satan, over death. Into eternal life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To be with Him when we leave these bodies. Out of the body is present with Christ.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank you Christ Jesus.

God bless, and a blessed Easter to each and every one of you.

What the wind blows in.

Have you ever watched as the big winds with weather fronts tears at the country side, ripping whole trees to shreds. I remember setting at the back screen door when Hazel came through, watching as the trees bent to their breaking point. Watching as all kinds of debris flew by, as if being swept from the face of the earth by God's own hand.

With the winds came destruction of many homes and businesses. The storm not only changed the land scrap, it changed people lives. The wind blew in fortitude in some people, ready to make a come back. But it blew in weaknesses in others. Self pity took hold of many, and they just gave up. Sold their lands and moved into nearby towns and went to work in whatever job they would find. My Granddaddy Autry showed strength. He cleaned up his farm and worked long and hard hours to get things back to almost where they were before the storm. My tiny little Grandmother working right by his side. He never to my knowledge, asked anyone to help. It was He, God and my Grandmother against to storms of life. He lived that way all his life.

I wish we had people like that now. It use to be a person had pride in the way they lived their life. Now sadly, you only see prideful people with none of the God given strengths.

We've lost something in the years since then. I don't have a name for what we've lost because there are many names for it. But what we have lost most in this country, are dedicated Christians, serving the Lord, with strong faith and strength in character.

Sadly now...........

The wind of Godlessness now blows strong. very strong.

until next time God bless,

and remember when winds blow in our lives, it's up to us how we handle the storms that rage.
Rom 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Our mouths, our own enemies

Our lesson in chapter one of second Samuel, Wednesday, at the nursing home, sparked conversations of our mouths and how they can get us in a lot of trouble. Our mouths are really our enemy that we carry around twenty four seven.

The unnamed man in this chapter, told lies to impress David. But those lies cost him his life. He, as we often don't, did not control his mouth. As did his, our mouths often give a hint of what's in our hearts.

Our mouths can cause others harm. It only takes a few words to destroy. A little gossip goes a long way in shattering a life.

Isn't it sad that we use this feature on our faces to tear and rip up people. We could just as well use it to lift them up.

As James 3:10 instructs us, Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be so.

The same mouth we use to praise God, is the same mouth we do the devil's work with.

This is just a reminder to myself and to others, we really must keep a guard on our mouths and think before we speak.

Until next time God bless, and remember, once said, words can't be took back.

Grocery store policy, just not right

OK, It's been a great while since I've been on my blog. Lazy is the only excuse I have. And too, I wonder at times if anyone wants to read it anyway. But it's still a good way for me to vent my views and opinions. And vent my views is just what I'll do today. I have noticed in grocery stores lately that when a product is on sale, that the sale item is somewhere to the back and a higher priced item is where the sale price item should be, as far as the location of the sign. It's my opinion that the grocery store management is counting on people either not paying enough attention, are hoping that the person can't read well enough to read that the product at the sale sign, is not the product on sale. This irritates me so much. Willard and I can read and understand what they have done and choose the correct item, buried somewhere way behind the much higher priced item. But there are many that can't read well, that will assume the price and the sale item are together. And older folks that can't see that well, etc,etc. These are the kinds of people that are hit hardest by this slyness of our retailers. The one with little education, who have families to raise on what little money they bring into their homes. Or the older folks out there who live on fixed incomes. I wish each and every person who would read this would voice your objections to this kind of practice in our retail stores.

Until next time God bless.