Don't be ashamed

It was  the birthday of  a precious old lady.  Her daughter with friends had come  to celebrate  and they all hoped it would be a nice afternoon for her with cake and coffee.  The lady at first seemed tired and almost asleep; but after a while she opened her presents and took part in the party. They were all enjoying the conversation but sometimes the lady seemed to be somewhere else in her thoughts. 

After a couple of hours it was time to say goodbye and the guests started to prepare to leave.  In the middle of all the hugs and good wishes and farewells she suddenly reached out and took hold of the hands of a man who stood next to her. She watched his hands closely; turned the palms upward and said:

“I’ve been watching your hands and you are the only one here who has hard working hands. You should be proud of them. Don’t be ashamed of them but be proud of them”

The man was surprised by the remark but thanked her for her kind words. Afterwards, he told me he had a warm feeling inside, almost like he had been given a special greeting from God through this lady.

God knows what hard work means from his own carpenter’s shop in Nazareth, so be proud of your calloused hands and use them to honor Jesus.

And don't underestimate little old ladies;They observe a lot more than you think.

God's doors.

Dear Reader,

Found this on a Blog called Orthodox Life. 

God's doors

- Where is God in a serious or even a fatal accident?
- It's a question, neither good nor right, but I would say that it is a real question. That question exists in the soul of every healthily thinking and normal person. I will tell you how I understand it. God's space has walls and doors. A great door is God's love. Another great door is God's wisdom. On the other hand, pain is a wall. Anyone who wants to enter God's mystery through pain, will get serious injuries depending on the momentum with which he enters. You have to enter through love to see clearly the God's mystery about pain...

from a television interview with f. Nikolaos Chatzinikolaou, metropolitan of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, to Antenna Cyprus TV

I was searching for a bible study plan  and ended up reading almost everything on this Blog called Orthodox life. I know nothing about the Orthodox Church but has been interested in their beautiful icons and how they are made.  Anyway I came across interesting posts and this is one of them. I might not agree with everything I read but there still can be hidden diamonds where you least expect them.
Sincerely your,Ida

Praise the Lord

Psalm 103

Of David.

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children —
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
²¹ Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
²² Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

“The most important Commandment

Mark 12 

The Greatest Commandment

²⁸ One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^{[e] 30} Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^{[f] 31} The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[g] There is no commandment greater than these.”

³² “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. ³³ To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. 

SHEMA YISRAEL ADONAI ELOHEINU
ADONAI ECHAD
V'AHAVTA ET HASHEM ELOHEICHA
B'CHOL LEVAVCHA U'VCHOL NAFSHECHA
U'VCHOL MEODECHA

HEAR O ISRAEL THE LORD OUR GOD
THE LORD IS ONE
AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD
WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL OF YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR RESOURCES

...time to say goodbye ... again

(click the image for higher resolution)


A dear sweat old Lady has stepped out of time in her 83rd year.
Nobody expected that 2 days ago. She always seemed young at heart; was physically younger than her age; dearly loved by her family and she loved them.
And suddenly ... she gets a heart attack but she beats it and is believed to be heading home in a day or two. She is watching the Olympics on TV in the evening but the next day  ... a massive stroke to her brain and withing hours she is gone.
And here we are taken by surprise; chocked and  we cannot fathom the fact that we will never see her again.

This is the third person this year  that I had no chance to say goodbye to. It creates a certain void; an empty area or space; and nothing but  memories can dwell in that space; and in the end that will also fade away one day.
No more phone calls to my cousin before Christmas; no more looking for clothes or curtains for my friend when shopping on Sales; and no more doing the dishes with S.
I'm grateful that her family could be with her; it is a privilege to have that opportunity no matter how painful it is.

Thank you Lord for S.
Although I only knew her for  a short time I know I will miss her; ... her smile and positive approach to life. Give strength and courage to her family in this time of grief.

I know I have posted this quote before  but I think it is well worth repeating:
“If I knew that today would be the last time I’d see you, I would hug you tight and pray the Lord be the keeper of your soul. If I knew that this would be the last time you pass through this door, I’d embrace you, kiss you, and call you back for one more. If I knew that this would be the last time I see you, I’d tell you I love you, and would not just assume foolishly you know it already.”

— Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Love In The Time Of Cholera.”

Jesus - a man of integrity

Matthew 22
“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion?

Integrity -  definition:

1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.

2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.

3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

Integrity enters into every aspect of one's life. It is a belief system without faltering, no matter how dangerous it is or how unpopular it is with others. It includes: sincerity, keeping one's word and agreements, honesty, truthfulness, ethics, fairness and justice.

If you are interested in the opinion  of Jesus; just ask him.
Read the Bible and learn by heart what Jesus said so the Holy Spirit can remind you when you need a word from Jesus.

Pedestrian crossings and U-turns.

Dear Reader,

I have bee riding through the landscapes of the Bible and I hope to get through the whole "country" by the end of the year. Some places have been scary, some full of sunshine and joy; sometimes in the valley and sometimes up on the mountain and all the time The Holy Spirit has been the the motivated and ingenious guide on my journey.
Well this is a symbolic picture so you have to follow me on this road where there has also been pedestrian crossings. In Sweden there is a law that gives pedestrians priority over motorists and if you see a pedestrian standing at a crosswalk you have to stop and see if the person standing there wishes to cross over. Sometimes if the person is approaching the crosswalk but is  not yet on the sidewalk the motorists cheat and pass by in high speed as if they haven't seen the person.

Now; ... where on earth is this leading, you might think ... hold on ... I'm getting there ...

On my journey listening through the Bible I had to stop in Matthew because a bunch of "pedestrians"; other Bible verses, waited for me and I was told to stop. It can be annoying when you have to keep to a time schedule in order to get to the final goal in time. In fact sometimes the Holy Spirit has even insisted on a break and that I would rest in a specific place; a word worth looking at more. Like the beautiful view from the mountain of Beautitudes; or the sunny oasis of the 23th Psalm; the comforting sight of the lake of Isaiah 53 and so on. I really don't need to feel stressed when the Holy Spirit has made a halt but sometimes  I have left the intended route;not listening to the Bible for a while. Then he has finally lost his patience and has told me to make a u-turn and get back on track and it is wise to listen to the Holy Spirit who is the most trustworthy guide.

Well, I'm doing that now; making a u-turn back to Matthew and I will continue the journey from chapter 6.  
If you can understand this picture; if you are in a hurry when reading your Bible; or not reading at all; if God is showing you a special place in the Bible and wants you to rest; trust the Holy Spirit and let the small voice from him guide you and keep you on track. It is a wonderful journey but there is no rush. So come along now.
Let's go on!
Sincerely yours,Ida

 ("no rush" and "let's go" = sounds like a contradiction doesn't it?... But you know what I mean)

" Don't feed the predators ..."

Dear Reader, 
One evening I happened to find an interview on TV with a lady who explained one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  You can read about all of them in 1 Corinthians 12:

^{“ 7} Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,^[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.^{[b] 11} All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
“Distinguishing between spirits” was the subject of the  program with this lady preacher.

She had in her work met many people with sicknesses that were related to spiritual sufferings and sometimes she just couldn’t help because she could not find a reason why the man or woman didn’t find peace and health.

In those moments when she felt that she could not reach the person she was talking with; she prayed that God would open her eyes to what was wrong. She asked for the gift of distinguishing between spirits.

We know there is a heavenly realm and there is also a demonic and hellish world; both not seen by our human eyes but can be experienced in a spiritual way and it depends on which of them we invite into our lives.

Jesus promised  that he would send the Holy Spirit as a Helper to his children and the one and only mission for the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus and bring each Christian into becoming more and more like Him. If you take that as a reminder; you can also judge what spirits are not from God, while they do just the opposite work; to bind and destroy and in the end cloud people’s minds so they cannot see Jesus.

The lady also emphasized that in our lives as Christians there can be times when we are lured into circumstances that has nothing to do with Jesus although it can have an innocent and even “spiritual look”.  This lady had been drawn to a special preacher in her youth.  He was charismatic and attractive to people in his preaching but she felt something was not right. When she asked a more “mature” Christian to pray over this he said; “I see a cross … in a spider” and shortly after this, this preacher turned his followers into a sect that had nothing to do with the Gospel of Jesus. So she left it behind and was ever so grateful to the man who had warned her in advance. 

Now what about the title of this post? 

She once talked with a man who was suffering from depression and no matter how they prayed or what spiritual advice she would give him he was still in the same condition. She prayed that God would let her see what held  him in a firm grip and God answered:

“He is feeding the predators”

It sounded really weird but when she confronted him with it he finally told her about what he was holding back; what was happening  “back stage”. He committed himself to activities that was holding him in darkness and in depressing thoughts; he nourished the dark spiritual realm; his predators, by not confessing them and leave them behind.

If you are a Christian what is Buddha doing on your book shelf? 

If you are a Christian what has “healing” crystals “magic mantras” to do with you?

If you are a Christian what has tarot cards to do with you?

If you are a Christian what has visits to witches and healers and magicians to do with you?

If you are a Christian what has metal rock music that worships satan to do with you? 

If you are a Christian what has mystical séances and nightly visits to people who worships asa gods to do with you?

If you are a Christian what has role plays and computer games about torture and death to do with you?

If you are a Christian what has the practice of giving human people divine and holy status that is only bogus, to do with you?

Why would you as a Christian feed the predators who are wolves in sheep's clothing and whose only mission is to destroy and kill your Christian life?

There is freedom in Jesus name so throw yourself into his arms and let him free you. Tell him all your hidden agendas and let his liberating love erase your heavy burdens.

Sincerely yours, Ida