Stuart Townend - Spirit of heaven - Christ in me

Spirit of heaven, flood over me
Forming Christ in all that I do
Turn every sinful desire in me
Into holy passion for You

O Spirit of God, come down
Let mercy and grace abound
My passionate prayer shall be
Christ in me

Spirit of beauty and holiness
Come refine with fire from above
Till I am cast in Your righteousness
And I love the things that You love

O Spirit of God, come down
Let mercy and grace abound
My passionate prayer shall be
Christ in me

Breathe Your forgiveness when darkness falls
And my heart is heavy with sin
Fill me with faith for the higher cause
Of the ceaseless praise of the King

O Spirit of God, come down
Let mercy and grace abound
My passionate prayer shall be
Christ in me

Stuart Townend - There is a hope

THERE IS A HOPE
by Stuart Townend and Mark Edwards
Copyright (c) 2007 Thankyou Music.

There is a hope that burns within my heart,
That gives me strength for ev'ry passing day;
a glimpse of glory now revealed in meager part,
Yet drives all doubt away:
I stand in Christ, with sins forgiv'n;
and Christ in me, the hope of heav'n!
My highest calling and my deepest joy,
to make His will my home.

There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
A consolation strong against despair,
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Savior there!
Through present sufferings, future's fear,
He whispers, "Courage!" in my ear.
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
And they will lead me home.

There is a hope that stands the test of time,
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
and every longing satisfied,
then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
For I am truly home.

Psalm 91:4

Psalm 91:4
He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

(Got this from a friend in Florida. She didn't tell who the photographer is so I don't know either. If you recognize it please tell and I will credit the rightful owner)

"A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish" (Isa. 42:3).

There Is A Balm In Gilead

Dear Reader,
I got a letter from a dear friend yesterday and her words brought this song to my mind.
Her answer was like "balm" to my soul. I'm blessed with a friend who is a wise woman, a trustworthy woman and a woman of God who believes in Jesus /Yeshua/ as her savior and in a moment of need for help she always has a word of comfort and encouragement. So I praise God for her friendship and share the song with you

Sincerely yours, Ida

"The Paradoxical Commandments"

"The Paradoxical Commandments" were written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders. It has also a second version credited to Mother Teresa.

1.The Original Version:

The Paradoxical Commandments

by Dr. Kent M. Keith

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
   Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
   Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
   Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
   Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
   Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
   Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
   Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
   Build anyway.
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
   Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
    Give the world the best you have anyway.

© 1968, 2001 Kent M. Keith

2. This version found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

Sincerely yours, Ida

FAll ... and the need to care

Dear Reader,
September is here; with mornings filled with chill in the air and fog covering the fields like a loosely knitted blanket and the geese are going south. The young geese are trying to perfect their formation with various results. They cry out to each other to keep the v-line and to keep the formation because that is the only way they will succeed in reaching their destiny.

How we need each other as human beings. Being alone can be fatal. A human touch can bring a sad heart to recover and a kind word heals wounds.

"Security is always another person" is a quote from another blogger "Harpasione". When everything is said and done it is the people we have known that counts. Some in a formal way; some as close to us as our hearts but they all matter one way or the other.

Sincerely yours
Ida

James Taylor The Water Is Wide

Bless me

Lord Jesus,
If you stood before me,
here,
visible,
like you stood before Thomas
maybe I wouldn't dare kiss your feet
because I have unclean lips.

But when you are gone,
I would bend down
on the spot where your feet touched the floor.
with my forehead touching the floor.

But Lord, you are here,
as you promised.
Therefore I bend all the way down and I ask you to
put you hand on my head and bless me.

For the one who is alone.

Lord God, help those who are alone
alone in being your disciple,
alone in yearning for a Christian life,
alone in knowing about the secret of you, Lord Jesus.

alone in a family,
alone at work,
alone in a group of friends,

alone when blessing the food,
alone in sneaking into a place for prayer,
alone in attending church.

Lord God tell this lonely person:
"I Am" with you
don't be afraid, I have redeemed you,
I have called you by your name,
you are mine".

Amen

/Painting by Natasha Villone/

Potrait of a friend

Potrait of a friend

I can't give solutions to all of life's problems, doubts,
or fears. But I can listen to you, and together we will
search for answers.

I can't change your past with all it's heartache and pain,

nor the future with its untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.

I can't keep your feet from stumbling.
I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall

Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine;
Yet I can share in your laughter.

Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge;
I can only support you, encourage you,
and help you when you ask.


I can't prevent you from falling away from friendship,

from your values, from me.
I can only pray for you, talk to you and wait for you.

I can't give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
But I can give you the room to change, room to grow,
room to be yourself.

I can't keep your heart from breaking and hurting.
But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces

and put them back in place.

I can't tell you who you are.
I can only love you and be your friend.

--Unknown

Heritage Singers

NOT disqualified

( Icon "The Holy Trinity". Painter: Robin Johansson
His Blog: http://kristenkyrka.wordpress.com/ )

Dear Reader,
Time passes quickly and posts have become more rare. In May I reached one year of blogging and I think one or two people have returned here and I hope they have found comfort and thoughts that have encouraged them. I have asked myself several times if this has any value to anyone out there or if it has just been self serving; but then again if it has helped just one it has served its purpose.

The title of the post comes from a meeting with a stranger some weeks ago. He came uninvited on a mission to make me a new member in the organization he belongs to. He has to do his work to qualify for the Kingdom of God.

He wanted me to study his literature and most of all join his organization in order to be qualified for the Kingdom of God. I told him I was already qualified for the Kingdom of God because Jesus had died in my place, forgiven my sins; given me peace with God and now lives in my heart.

In the beginning he agreed with everything I said but finally I was too stubborn about my faith in Jesus and that he is the only way to salvation, the only redeemer of sin and that Jesus is fully man and fully God at the same time; and so he revealed his true identity and that he didn't agree with me at all. If I joined his organization and studied the literature I would know Jesus better.
According to this man's belief, Jesus was a created human being; the Holy Spirit an impersonal ghost and the faith in the Father, Son and Holy spirit was an abomination. I believed in three gods was his conclusion. When I told him that was not the case; he still insisted that I was doing just that and we started a somewhat heated debate where he had no clue what I was talking about when I talked about grace.

How do you make somebody understand; that has been fooled for 26 years into believing that he has to please God with works before he can be saved? I pleaded with him to honestly ask God to reveal Jesus to him; to ask God to explain Jesus to him and trust that God was bigger than all his doctrines and traditions. Simply that God was not stupid!
He looked puzzled as if it was totally unthinkable to approach God like a child and ask for help. It wasn't something he could do. He said knowledge would free me and then I could see clearly that I was wrong. He had no understanding for emotions and he only knew God from the scripture but obviously the scripture had not reached his heart. We parted in peace but I felt sad for him. He had all the knowledge; he could recite more Bible verses than I ever will be able to but he didn't know what they meant. They were just words that he had to know by heart.

He has been misguided by liars; put in prison by a doctrine that has invented a salvation that is not built upon the salvation through Jesus. But God let him stop by my house and now I have another person on my prayer list. I didn't get his name but God knows who he is.

As for you reader; the Book of Romans, chapter 5, says it all. Read it!

Sincerely yours, Ida

“I found Jesus in the book of Romans”

(picture artist Galina Kim)

Dear Reader,

Yesterday I talked with a lady who told me about how she got saved.

She had had contact with Jehovah’s Witnesses but felt that she must break away from them and be saved. She saw all sorts of fault with other Christians and twisted and turned on all the arguments against other Christians; but everything changed when she opened the Bible read the book of Romans because she said:

- There I found Jesus

She continued:

- It was a relief that I didn’t have to turn all the arguments inside out anymore, but I only had to focus on Jesus.

The churches that praised and confessed Jesus as their Savior were those she trusted, even if they sometimes acted strange in her eyes. (after all the churches would be perfect if it wasn’t for the people involved; but then again without the people it wouldn’t be a church but just a perfect empty building)

She continued:

- It is sometimes difficult to know whether you meet “wolves in sheep's clothing” or true Christians, but I've learned to look for evidence that Christ is their Lord and that their main goal is to serve him. You sometimes hear about cults and despotic leaders, but what will be characteristic of a church and give it credibility is that all glory will point to Jesus and all activities are focused on glorifying the name of Jesus.
It was a difficult time before I got saved, but when I saw Jesus, everything changed. A burden fell from my heart and I could live in peace with myself and other Christians, she said.

Sincerely yours, Ida

I refuse to give in

Go to blog entry 20120413

When you feel pain
I will comfort you
When you feel despair
I will become your tears

On a dark night, When you walk up a troubled path,
I will, I will, I will, I will become your lamp.

When you feel empty and alone,
I will be your friend.

I am your eternal brother,
I am your friend,
I am your eternal music.
I am, I am, I am I am your.......delight

"But, when I feel lonely, who will comfort me?"

"You"

I am your eternal brother,
I am your friend,
I am your eternal music.
I am, I am ,I am I am your.......delight

"All of You. Thanks."