God Treasure

2012 Possibilities

2012-01-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

I'll be taking the month of January off to get my house in order. A decluttered space is a decluttered mind I always say.

I'll still be posting verses, quotes, thoughts and all-around good and godly stuff on my Twitter and Facebook pages as God puts them on my heart. If you haven't subscribed to the blog or "followed" or "liked" the the pages yet, please do! You'll find the links at the side and at the top. And please share with your friends!

I'm excited about 2012 and all it holds--the good, the bad and the ugly.  We all love the good--the blessings and joys, but we learn and grow from the "bad" and the "ugly."  No matter what comes our way, God already knows about it, has a plan for it and He'll be with us all the way.

I know God has great plans and I can't wait to share what I learn through them with you.  And I can't wait to hear from you.  Let's go through this year together.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear how you are planning to be intentional about your relationship with Jesus in 2012.  Successful, thriving relationships don't just happen, they're lovingly cultivated.

So, what's your plan? How will you walk closer with Him? How do you plan to know Him better? How will you develop your faith in Him?

Getting closer to Jesus will affect your heart, your mind and every aspect of your life.

"with God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26b

So how will that deepening relationship with Christ manifest itself in your life? How will allowing Jesus to live His life through you affect your attitudes? Your relationships?

Let me know what God is doing in your life and what dreams He's given you for the new year.

The past is gone. Time to forgive, let go, refocus, look ahead.

The new year has a clean slate. How will you fill it up?

Let's make it a year rich in God's treasures as we know Him and love Him more and more each day.

Blessings!

Dorci

1...2...3...

2011-12-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

How many things can you thank God for today?

Arise, shine; for your light has come! Isaiah 60:1

2011-12-24T10:10:00.002-07:00

Relax! It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect

2011-12-09T17:03:00.001-07:00

For to you is born today, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this is a sign to you. You will find the babe wrapped, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:11-14

I was once told that it isn’t Thanksgiving without green bean casserole. As if green beans, mushroom soup and fried onions make us thankful. Could we not be thankful if we gathered around pizza or hot dogs?

I think the lack of celebrating Thanksgiving in its purest sense by being deeply grateful is what leads people straight into having a materialistic Christmas. If we don’t acknowledge our thankfulness for all we have then we feel we need more. And more and more.

There’s even a current commercial being run that boasts it can give you “more Christmas for your money.” We are being sold the lie that Christmas means having as much as your credit card will allow. And when we buy it then our focus on what’s truly important becomes very fuzzy.

We can get so caught up in the rituals and traditions that we forget the true meaning of the holidays. Green bean casserole is nice (so they say!) and so is turkey. Gifts are wonderful and so is spending time with family.

But so much emphasis is put on having the picture-perfect Rockwell holiday that many feel left out when they can’t live up to those expectations. And that’s when people become depressed during the holidays. I know. I’ve spent a number of holidays that looked more like a Picasso. But Picassos are beautiful, too, you just have look a little deeper and remember...

it’s about the Lord, not us.

Christmas is about celebrating the birth of the Christ Child. The Savior of all mankind came to take away the sins of the world! How awesome is that?! Celebrating Him begins in our hearts, not on a Martha Stewart dinner table and not with a lot of charged-up gifts under a lighted tree that will take half the next year to pay.

No matter where we are, no matter what’s going on around us, if we have family or not, if we have money for gifts or not, we are the richest when Jesus lives in our hearts and we celebrate Him.

And if we have spaghetti for Christmas, so what? Have it with gusto and thank God for it! After all, Jesus’ birthday wasn’t picture perfect, either. But the joy in the stable and beyond was immeasurable.

If you’re having a difficult time this Christmas and you’d like some prayer, I’d be more than happy to pray for you. Just leave a comment or send me an email. Or you can click on A Place for Prayer Requests at the top.

God bless you!

Dorci

Suffering with Purpose

2011-12-02T15:53:00.001-07:00

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ,

so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.

1 Peter 4:12-13

I’ve been reading a devotional called The Gospel According to Job by Mike Mason. I may have mentioned it once or twice. It follows the story of Job and his sufferings and compares them to Christ and the lessons we learn in the Gospels.

Job suffered in every way imaginable way including having to put up with the insufferable and ignorant advice given by his so-called friends. They accused him over and over. But because we were given a peek into the conversation between God and satan that led to Job’s sufferings, we already know that God considers Job a righteous man.

But Job is caught in the middle between God and the men who came to impart their religiosity. And in the end, God instructed the men to offer their sacrifices to Job, saying that Job would pray for them and He would hear his prayer and forgive their sins.

Job is given the position of being a type of messiah, a foreshadowing of the mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ.

At the end of the story, we know what happened to Job. God blessed him more than at the beginning, much like Christ received back His throne and rightful place at the right hand of the Father in heaven, along with all the souls that were saved, once His work here was done.

But I wonder what happened to the three men when all was said and done. Once God told them they had sinned, once they offered their sacrifices and were forgiven through Job’s righteous prayer, I wonder what happened to them when they went back home.

Were their hearts changed? Did their encounter with the Living God, and with a true man of faith, dispel the incorrect beliefs they had previously held about God? Did they change from men of religion to men of faith? Personally, I don’t see how they couldn’t.

And if their hearts were changed, if they believed, did they go back to where they lived and tell their family and friends? Did they go back and preach faith rather than religion? And did word of a just but merciful and loving God spread throughout the land?

Could it be that along with millions of people throughout the centuries who have been comforted by identifying with Job and his intense suffering, those fiery trials were meant for his present time as well? Could God have used a righteous man’s faith and steadfastness during suffering to change the very hearts of those around him (including his wife’s)?

Just as Jesus Christ, an innocent man, suffered for the purpose of salvation of all people both then and now, could the mystery of Job’s seemingly unwarranted suffering be made clear in a similar purpose: to spread the good news that in faith in God alone there is righteousness?

If so, can we see that purpose in our own suffering, that as we walk through it in faith we are a light to those around us, believers and unbelievers alike? I think so. No matter how little we may understand about all the reasons we’re going through whatever we’re going through, we can always rest assured that it is for the purpose of glorifying the Lord.

Job had no idea of the impact his trials and tribulations--and his faith in God--would have on the world. And we also have no idea how God wants to turn the world around us upside-down for Him as we walk through our own shadows with faith.

Giving Thanks For the Greatest Gift

2011-11-23T21:23:00.001-07:00

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,

and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Ephesians 2:1-10

I shudder to think what my life would be like without the Lord. What I would be like, or if I would even be. Before Christ I was on a one-way track headed for a collision with...something. Any number of things could have ended my life. And I'd have faced a just and holy God with no payment for my sins. I'd have faced an eternity without His goodness and light and love.

"But God...."

God came rushing in when all others had rushed out. He showed His mercy to me by preparing me all my life to receive His offer of faith and belief in His Son, Jesus. And on a day I thought was a simple visit to a church, having no idea there was more to this life than my eyes could see, He touched my heart.

He showered me with grace and the rain has never ended.

And so, I am thankful for the most precious gift I have and will ever receive, God's gift to me of salvation.

Thank you, Lord!

Thankful For Lessons Learned

2011-11-22T19:12:00.001-07:00

Today I'm thankful for the lessons God's taught me over the last year. Well, is teaching me...

He's taught me a deeper level of hope, faith, trust, grace, endurance, patience (oh so much patience), and compassion.

Compassion's been a biggie. I always felt like I was a compassionate person, but God's taken me to a whole new level of compassion. And grace. Grace has to go along with compassion.

I've noticed that I have compassion for people who seem to be one thing on the outside, like cruel or angry or selfish, but I know on the inside they're really lost and fearful, many times with no one to help them. I see beyond the rough exterior, through the wall, and into the hurting heart.

How can I do that? Because I've been there. I understand at least some what they may be feeling. And that's only come from enduring trials.

Those trials have been my lessons, in many ways. I wish I could have learned an easier way, like, by osmosis. That would've been much easier than ripping my heart out. But if heart surgery is what it takes, then I will trust in the great Surgeon.

And of course when there are lessons there are tests. Instead of learning compassion long distance--that person in the news or in someone else's life--I've faced some of those people up close and personal. Sometimes I pass the test; sometimes I fall flat on my face.

When I pass I know it's only by God's good grace. When I fail, I ask forgiveness and get back up again.

It's been a year in the trenches, otherwise known as God's classroom, but I know I'll come out the other side more like my Jesus.

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

1 Peter 3:8-9

What are you thankful for?

I'm So Thankful For God's Strength!

2011-11-21T19:41:00.001-07:00

I am so grateful for the strength of God. There have been days that have melted into weeks and beyond when I didn't think I could take one more step. In those times it is only by the strength that comes from God alone that I rise and continue on for another day.

No matter what comes, He is my strength, and for that I am forever thankful.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

He enables me to tread on the heights.

Habakkuk 3:19

What are you thankful for?

Giving Thanks for Song (And That God Hears My Heart!)

2011-11-20T17:02:00.001-07:00

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night,
On an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound.
For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.

Psalm 92:1-4

Today I'm thankful for the gift of song. All we do and say and think is to be done with an attitude of praise and worship. But God has given us musical abilities just for the purpose of praising and worshipping Him. He's given our hearts the desire to worship and when our heart can hold it no longer, we can sing out our worship with the gift of song.

We have voices that are made to worship in melody and harmony, to sing a tune of notes and words that, when formed together, shout the gladness of our hearts at the greatness of our God.

We may not always feel like it because difficult circumstances have left us wondering... But we sing out anyway as a sacrifice of praise because we know that He is still worthy.

Our rhythmic voices join us together as a family as we rise our thanksgiving to the heavens and to the very throne room of God as a sweet-smelling sacrifice. And as we join with the Lord, we are filled with refreshment and joy.

Someday my voice will sing as well as my heart (and my heart even more so!), but until then I will keep singing the praises of my God and know that He hears my heart. Praise the Lord!

What are you thankful for?

Stuff I'm Thankful For, Part Deux

2011-11-19T18:47:00.001-07:00

So today I'm thankful I got to spend some time walking around shopping with my son. I don't get to do that very often these days, what with him being all grown up and cool now. We shopped for dress shirts, smelled some candles and noticed how crazy tall some people were. And it's nice to see how much of a gentleman he's grown to be.

Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

Psalm 30:4

What are you thankful for?

Putting the Thanks Back in Thanksgiving

2011-11-19T02:11:00.001-07:00

I have a little pet peeve that we here in America mostly go right from Halloween to Christmas and forget all about Thanksgiving, except that it's a day we stuff our faces silly, watch a football game or two and maybe catch a parade. Sometimes we even take the whole meaning out of the day and just call it turkey day.

We forget to be thankful for our heritage as a country, for all our freedoms it gives us and for the men and women who have fought and died for that freedom. We're surrounded by so much abundance that we lose sight of the tremendous blessings and opportunities we have.

So I say, let's bring back Thanksgiving!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us:

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

If you ever want to know God's will for your life, this is something that should always be on our list--to be thankful...in everything. That doesn't leave much room for argument, does it?

Why is it so important to God that we have thankful hearts? Because it makes us see our lives and the whole world in a godly way. Through eyes of thankfulness we learn to be grateful, to be content, to give, to be compassionate.

And from it all we have joy.

We all have so much for which to be thankful. Even the bad stuff has a silver lining, we just have to see it through eyes of faith. And if we take the time to look, I think we'll find we have more to be thankful for than we thought.

So, I hereby resurrect Thanksgiving! From today until Thanksgiving, I'm going post something I'm thankful for every day and I'd love to hear what you're thankful for, too!

11.19.11 ~ I'm thankful for all the people in my life and the love and grace they show me. From my family, to friends (that includes you!) to caregivers, and even to strangers that God puts in my life for a brief moment to make me take good, hard look at myself, I am thankful.

The Forging of a Man or Woman of Character

2011-11-14T19:01:00.001-07:00

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

I am drawn to movies about sports and war. The funny thing is I don’t especially like either. It’s not the competition or the violence I like, but the stories within the story.

The team of young men, black and white, and their newly-appointed black coach, who want to play football amid the backdrop of integration in a small southern football town in the early ‘70’s.

The coach and the team persevere through struggles among themselves and from the town. They begin to forge friendships with one another as they work hard, harder than other teams are required. And their hardships knit them together. In the end, the young men are bound together in brotherly love and an entire town learns to love, too.

* * *

The schoolteacher who is called to serve his country and leads a band of men whose mission it is to find and save one man from the fate that befell his brothers. All he wants to do is go home.

But first he has to face and fight the ruthless enemy time and time again, all the while leading men who are dying, fearful and angry. Against all odds, he saves the young man and goes home, although not the way he wanted.

* * *

It is these stories of selfless courage, of commitment, of dedication that inspire me. When everything says quit, they don’t quit. Oh, they may want to. They may want to quit more than anything else sometimes.

But in the middle of this hardship, they realize what is important. It is the dream, it is the mission they must accomplish. They keep their eyes focused on the goal during the day as they face an enemy of racial hatred or an enemy of war, and at night when they’re left alone with their thoughts.

Their trials developed the character they already had but didn’t know was there. And they discovered they were more than they thought. They were more than a team who aspired to play football and more than an English teacher or a band of men called to serve their country. They were men who stayed the course, facing enemies both within and without, to do the good and honorable thing.

I love these stories because this is what we need to remember in a life that is full of facing our own personal battles. And as we do, if we choose to put our trust in God, we gain strength and courage and wisdom, we come through the other side and our faith in Him grows. And we go on to face another battle for another day. And little by little, if we don't give up, a godly character develops. We may not see it happening as quickly as we can in a two-hour movie, but it is happening. It just takes a lifetime.

So gird up, my friends! Be ready, be prepared, be alert. Be prayed up and repentant and humble. We never know what a day may bring. We may not face war or an entire town of people, but we will face something. But with the Lord, we’ll never face it alone.

And in the end, we will be victorious.

Fight the Good Fight, Keep the Faith

2011-11-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

I watched The Book of Eli again. And again, it’s left me with a feeling of determination, of gravity, of sober-mindedness about my faith in God and my desire to serve Him well to the end.

Just to let you know, this will contain major spoilers. So if you’ve never watched it, watch it first, if you like, then come back. I’ll wait.

But a warning: it is rated R, and in the case of this movie, that could stand for raw and rough, but also for revelation. There are several instances of very strong language and many scenes of disturbing violence. Normally I wouldn’t recommend a movie with that level of crudeness, but the context in which it’s used in this movie is not gratuitous but conforms to the grave time and situations within the story. If you’d still rather not watch it, read on anyway. I’ve included enough of the story that you won’t miss out on the message.

So why would I watch a movie with such violence and vulgarity? Because it is an excellent allegory of our lives--as messy and ugly and painful as they can be—as we walk with the Lord.

* * *

“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." 2 Corinthians 3:3

A man named Eli wanders through a barren land some thirty-one years after an apocolyptic destruction of the earth and most of its inhabitants. He carries only a backpack and a few weapons which he skillfully uses against the violence he finds at nearly every turn in this lawless land.

Eli guards with his life the contents in his backpack: a book. But not just any book. It is the only copy of the Bible left on earth. He’s been traveling with it since the destruction and his job is to take it west. Why? Because a Voice told him to.

The Voice leads him through peril after peril.

Eli comes to a futuristic old west town of lawless men, run by one deranged man whose goal is to find a Bible. He knows there is power in the Bible and he wants power. He’s managed to enslave a group of people, including a blind woman and her daughter.

The man discovers the contents of Eli’s pack. Eli takes off in a hail of bullets, leaving several bodies in his wake. Eli is unharmed.

Eli is back on the road, dutifully headed west, when he discovers the teenage daughter of the blind woman has followed him. They find shelter for the night where he removes his most guarded possession from its cocoon and begins reading. The illiterate girl asks him to read to her and he begins to recite scripture from memory.

She asks him if he reads it every day. He responds, “Without fail.”

As they continue on in their journey west, the deranged man and his band of not-so-merry men have found Eli and the girl. After a gunfight, Eli finds himself standing in the middle of the men while the ringleader has a tight hold on the girl and a gun pointed at Eli. Eli has hidden the Book, and the man wants it. Eli stands in total confidence that the protection he’s known for thirty-one years will continue.

And then, Eli is shot. He stumbles and his face twists with confusion.

The man snarls at Eli, “Where’s your protection now?” And we wonder the same thing. Why would God allow him to be hurt? And even more, why would God allow him to be placed in a position where he feels he has to give up the Bible to this abusive, power-hungry man?

Eli gives up the Book’s hiding place, it is taken and the men are gone with the girl. Eli gets back on the road and continues his journey west, led by the Voice, as if nothing has happened. The girl musters some courage of her own, and finds her way back to Eli.

They reach the ocean where they cross by boat to a sanctuary. The guard asks him why he’s there. He says he has a copy of the King James Bible. The girl looks at him quizzically, and so do we.

They enter the sanctuary where they meet with the proprietor who is in the process of collecting a library of books which have become precious in this post-war era. He’s never seen a Bible. He, the girl and Eli sit down. Eli asks for some paper.

Meanwhile, the man is back in the old west with his stolen Book of Power. The Book is opened and we see the pages but there are no words, only raised dots. The blind woman stands in front of it, having no clue as to the treasure that lay right in front of her. He screams at her to read it. She throws her hands down in anger, and she feels the dots. Time stands still for her as she realizes this is a Bible, a Bible she can read.

Back at the sanctuary, Eli begins to recite the Bible, from memory, word by word, verse by verse:

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

We are taken up close and we see Eli’s eyes, and suddenly realize that he is blind. And yet, he sees more than anyone because the truth of God is written on his heart. It is the light from the sun and the voice of God that led him, gave him discernment, and filled him with wisdom to walk across the country for thirty-one years, facing death at every turn, fulfilling his mission. And so it is with us.

My friends, our life in Christ is a journey, and we’ll most surely encounter struggles, pain and evil along the way. And God will use those times of trial in ways we may not ever know until we stand with Jesus in heaven. Because Eli was shot and the girl’s life was at stake, he had to release the Bible. No doubt the Voice told him to, a Voice with which he had become very well acquainted. And in doing so, the Word of God that gives freedom to the humble was taken back to a lawless town and the truth was spoken. Ironically, the man who wanted to use it for his own gain lost the very power he coveted.

And because Eli persisted in doing God’s will, the Bible was produced again en masse, and its message filled a lost and dying world. Eli sums up his belief about the Bible’s message by saying it’s about doing more for others than for yourself. And so it is. Rather than saving Himself, Jesus Christ died for us so that we can be saved and live with God forever. And this is the message we carry in our hearts.

Whatever comes along on your long and winding road--the good, the bad and the ugly--our ultimate purpose is to carry the Lord, and with Him, the inspired Word of God, in our hearts. We are the living letter of God given for our own lost and dying world. Keep focused, keep true and finish well.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

2 Timothy 4:7-8 kjv

God Is Good...All the Time!

2011-10-31T17:39:00.001-07:00

(Speaking of Jesus) who, in the days of His flesh,

when He had offered up prayers and supplications,

with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death,

and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son,

yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

Hebrews 5:6-7

“God answered my prayer for (insert your prayer). He is so good!”

We often hear people say this, and it’s true, God is good and faithful to answer our prayers. But what about when He answers them with a “no”? Or even worse, the dreaded “wait”?

Do we say things like, “God didn't let me get that house!" or "God hasn't brought me a husband or wife!" or "God didn't let me get that job I wanted!" or "God didn't heal me or my loved one! He is so good!” Not usually.

Are we sending ourselves, and each other, a subtle message that God is not good when He doesn’t answer our prayers in the way and time we wanted?

Hebrews tells us that even Jesus prayed loudly and with tears to be saved from death. He knew He had to face this death, but His humanness recoiled from the horror of it.

Jesus, God’s beloved Son, knelt in the garden, alone, sweating drops of blood, pleading to His Father to take the cup of suffering and death from Him.

And the Father heard His prayer. But His answer was no.

God had a good reason for telling His Son no. He had a greater purpose than keeping His Son from seeing death. He wanted to keep all of us from a spiritual death.

The death of One for the life of many. And God is glorified daily.

And it says that Jesus learned obedience by what He suffered. Jesus prayed and then rested in His Father’s wisdom to answer the prayer according to His good and perfect will.

And in saying no, God was so good.

When we pray to the Father, through Jesus Christ, with an attitude of godly fear--a reverence or respect—we can know our prayers have been heard. And then we rest in God’s wisdom to answer according to His good and perfect will.

Through the “no’s” and the “waits” we can have assurance that we are being moved in the direction of God’s plan for our lives. And as we rest in His wisdom, we learn obedience through the things we suffer. We learn that God has a greater purpose to accomplish than He could if He answered yes to every prayer. We learn that it is by God’s grace and mercy that He sometimes answers with a no or a wait.

So if our prayers aren’t answered in the way or the time we want, we can still say, boldly and with confidence, He is so good!

A Place for Prayer Requests

2011-10-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,
Prayer is where we find victory in every circumstance we face. It is there we meet with the Lord and find strength, courage, wisdom and discernment.

I'd be delighted to join you in prayer. Just leave a comment or email me. Details aren't necessary if you don't wish to leave them. Jesus knows.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble,

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is

admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 4:6-8

Blessings,

Dorci

Riding Bicycles and Other Wild Adventures

2011-10-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:9-10

I must’ve been no older than five or six. I held onto the handlebars of my little two-wheeler for dear life, glancing back at my dad as he pushed me down the center of our cul-de-sac. I was wobbly and unsure.

Sure enough, after a few practice runs, I looked back and saw my dad standing there where we had started with a proud grin on his face. It was a scary and thrilling moment. I rode on for a bit and then turned around and peddled back to him.

Now I am grown up and, inevitably, the time came that I didn’t need my dad anymore. But now I have my heavenly Father and I will never outgrow my need for Him. He guides me and never lets go.

Those first risks I took on a child’s bike were preparation for the more formidable adventures I have faced since. Now, instead of facing a scraped knee, the Lord and I face wild waves in a darkened sea, swinging rickety bridges, and flames leaping from the mouths of volcanoes. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Funny how sometimes I’ll get through one of these adventures (we’ll just agree to call them that) and keep on going, forgetting to look back to see where my Father is headed, or if He’s still standing back there, waiting for me.

I can put my brain on auto-pilot in the morning, assuming all is status quo, not realizing I’m headed straight into a tornado.

I need to go back and grab my Father’s hand again. I can’t go through these adventures without Him and survive. Not well, anyway. There’s a lot He wants to teach me along the way, like how to love and forgive when I’m staring into the jaws of a crocodile, or how to trust and even have joy when I'm climbing a vertical rock.

And one fine day, I’ll sit down with my earthly dad and tell him about all the adventures the Lord and I had and what I learned. And I’ll thank him for trusting me with my first push.

Q: What great adventure are you and Lord having and what is He teaching you?

Lessons From a Rosebush...or, Is It Pruning Season Again?

2011-10-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away.

And every one that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bring forth more fruit.

Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you.

John 15:1-3

I don’t know about you, but this isn’t usually what I picture when I think of a rosebush. Not many stoop to admire bare canes studded only with thorns.

But the caretaker of this rosebush appreciates the work he has done in order to sculpt a living, growing masterpiece. He knows that a lack of pruning will create a spindly, weak plant.

He has a vision for the beautiful and useful plant it will be when the pruning is over, colorful buds begin to re-appear and the powerful fragrance it gives will attract birds, bees and us when it is once again in full bloom.

The funny thing about pruning a rosebush is that it’s done just when the plant seems to be at its most beautiful--full of large, boldly-colored, intricate blooms. The husbandman, in his wisdom, decides when and how much to prune each plant and for what reasons according to its individual needs. Pruning a plant too early or too late can have devastating effects.

Like the regal rosebush, we who are the children of the King find ourselves in varying stages of growth. Some are newly planted and some are full of energy and ready to begin blooming.

Some are full of growth and busy being pollinated by birds and bees or being picked by a child to give to his mother. Some are being carried down the aisle by a bride and others are being used as a perfume or a healing medicine. Some inspire song lyrics (or part of a band’s name), and some are being showcased in paintings and admired by many.

And some have been pruned and lie dormant.

Pruning for the rosebush is as easy as sitting still. Pruning for us can be a little more painful. Sometimes it can be so painful we aren’t sure we’ll survive it.

Pruning can come in the form of trials through financial loss, relationship struggles, in sickness, the death of a loved one or removal from a ministry. It can come through sacrifice like a move across the country or world.

All these can cut into our flesh and leave gaping wounds. But the Caregiver of our souls binds up our wounds with His Word, applies the Son and fresh water through His Holy Spirit. And when we are filled up and the time is right, we will begin to bloom again.

We can’t see all the reasons why pruning comes at the time it does and why we sometimes have to be cut back so far. But God knows the reasons.

Some Reasons to Prune Rosebushes and Us

1. To remove old, dead and damaged wood;

Sometimes a part of our lives may be over, or we may have allowed some bad attitudes, like unforgiveness, to creep in and damage our faith, and they need to be cut away to allow for new and exciting things to begin growing.

2. To shape the plant;

God shapes us as we mature so that we grow up in all areas and no part of us is lacking.

3. To remove canes that are growing in the wrong direction;

Sometimes we may pick up some wrong thinking about who God is. We learn to put away these false ideas about Him as He reveals who He really is so that we can know, love and worship the One, True God.

4. To encourage vigorous blooming and new, healthy shoots;

Sometimes we feel like we’re cut down in the prime of our service to the Lord. But God knows that we will be even more useful and more capable when we identify with the Lord in His suffering and so adopt His mind, His humility, and His heart toward people. God changes our attitudes so that we are even more productive than before.

Whatever the individual reasons for our pruning, it is all meant to clean us up. I find it interesting that in the verses in John above, the word for prune has the same meaning as the word for clean in the last verse. What seems to us to be meaningless pain and suffering is really the Lord cleansing and preparing us during a time when we are still and listening intently to Him as we read His Word. He grooms us so that we will reflect His beauty and magnify His Name.

Wherever we are in our growth, we will soon find ourselves in another season, many times one we didn’t expect. But God has a vision for you and me. He knows each of our needs and how best to accomplish His plans.

As we realize more and more that there is indeed a master plan, we can grow to appreciate the beauty of every stage of growth, offering comfort to others, being patient with ourselves and trusting in God's loving and wise hand.

Waiting in the Dark

2011-10-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.

Psalm 130:5

We’ve recently noticed how much our dog is losing his eyesight, especially when he comes in from lying out on the back patio in the sun. Jake loves surveying his own little personal Ponderosa. But when he comes in the house he’ll walk right into a pillow that’s been left on the floor or into a piece of furniture. Or he’ll come in and just stand there, looking lost, as if he’s waiting for his eyes to adjust to the indoor light again.

I let him in after his sunbath today and he did just that--stood there looking dazed, confused and thoroughly lost, not knowing which way to go. There was nothing I could do but I wanted him to feel safe and not so alone. So I sat down with him, pet him reassuringly and asked him, in a voice I reserve just for cute little babies and Jake, if he wanted me to wait with him until he could see again. And I did. We sat there together, waiting, until his vision returned.

That is what the Lord does for us.

There are times when the trials of our lives make us feel like everything around us is dark and we don’t know where our next steps should be. What we could see the day before, those things that used to make sense, no longer make sense. A fog descends around all logic and no answers come. Even God may be silent. And all there is to do is wait.

Waiting seems to be the hardest thing to do. The time ticks by like dog years and if the wait is long enough it can seem almost unbearable. The pressure to do something, anything, can become overwhelming as our logic wants to take over. But waiting does not imply doing nothing. When we wait on the Lord we are hoping, we are trusting, and we are growing as we learn to put all our faith in our Lord and in Him alone.

So when darkness comes we wait for God to show us the way again--where to plant our next steps, which road to take, which decisions to make. We wait for Him to give us insight into what to do next.

And while we wait, God sits with us. He sits patiently by our side, loving us and calming our fears until we can see again. He waits with us until the path is ready to be revealed, until the way has been cleared, until the events are lined up, until the other person is ready, until…

And when the time is just right, the fog is lifted, the light invades the darkness, and He gives us the vision for the thing He has prepared for and known about all along. Some answers may come in this life, and some, not until the next. But they will come. And until then, He is there. And since we always need sight for something new, He is always with us. So take His hand and wait with Him until you can see again.

Q&A:

Do you wait patiently for God to show you what to do next or do you have a tendency to try to run ahead in the dark?

Friday Funnies...A Kid's Eye View of Baptism

2011-10-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Have a great weekend!
Dorci

The Nails in the Long and Winding Road

2011-10-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

“Then he {Jesus} said to them all:

‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily

and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it,

but whoever loses their life for me will save it.’”

(Luke 9:23-24 NIV)

I started writing about my long and winding road back in March of 2009. And like the song, it’s been a wild and windy night. And like all winding roads, the turns in the path have kept me from seeing the end of it. Where was I going? What was this road leading me to? I just kept walking, or standing, or crouching in a bend somewhere behind a rock to cry for a little bit.

God always got me up and walking again, but to where I didn’t know. Oh, I know all roads for the believer lead to God Himself. Though He’s promised to be on the road with me, there’s always a bigger revelation of who He is and of who I am in Him along the way.

But I’m beginning to catch a glimpse of what lies at the end of that road, and I don’t necessarily like it. It’s fuzzy at first, but as time goes on, something starts to come into view. It’s tall, it’s crude and it’s ugly. It’s a cross. It’s my cross.

No one stands there to force me onto it. But God is there to help me up, to be my strength as I crucify myself. The nails are what I’ve been picking up along the way. Every dream demolished is a nail. Every time I’ve been misunderstood, every new body part that decides to start screaming with pain, every sleepless night, every rejection has been a nail, an opportunity to kill the flesh.

And I can throw those nails across the valley and run off the path, away from the cross, which would be the easiest thing to do. I can hold onto my so-called right to be understood, or to have my dream or what have you. That doesn’t mean I would get them, it just means I’d get resentful and bitter that I didn’t have them, because they are my rights. Right?

Or I can give up my rights, climb up on the cross, with God beside me, and use those nails to die to myself.

I give up my right to be understood, or even heard… Wham!

I give up my right to have my prayers answered in my way, in my time… Wham!

I give up my dreams… Wham!

I give up my right to ever, ever, ever sleep through the night again… Wham!

I give up my right to be pain free… Wham!

I give up my life…

That’s what I want to do. And if I do, if I get up on that cross and die, God promises to raise me to a life that is more full of life than I had before because then He can fill me up. I die, He lives. And when He lives in and through me, all His dreams for me can be realized.

And tomorrow I’ll have to get up and do it all over again.

But someday, some bright day, the long, long night will be over, all the dying will be done, and all that’ll be left to do is live forever.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Jesus Is Alive and So Is Our Hope

2011-09-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been another grueling week. How about you?

And while I have been far less than faithful and all my frailties have been the bed of nails I've walked on this week, God has, as always, been faithful to love me, to forgive me, to be right beside me. He takes ahold of my broken heart and cradles it like a helpless, newborn babe.

This God, this Maker of the Universe, this Lord who reigns on high and yet is humble enough to be born into one of these frail, limited bodies and then to die, loves me. And He loves you.

So, to enter into the weekend, I'll leave you (and me) this verse:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who according to His great mercy has regenerated us again to a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and unfading,

reserved in Heaven for you by the power of God,

having been kept through faith to a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time;

in which you greatly rejoice, yet a little while, if need be, grieving in manifold temptations;

so that the trial of your faith (being much more precious than that of gold that perishes, but being proven through fire) might be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of

Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love;

in whom not yet seeing, but believing in Him you exult with unspeakable joy,

and having been glorified, obtaining the end of your faith,

the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:1-9 NKJV

Amen and amen.

God bless you,

Dorci

Whatever Happened to Holiness?

2011-09-26T15:36:00.002-07:00

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:13-16

Being holy sounds so lofty, so impossible, doesn’t it? And in ourselves, it is. But when we received Christ’s sacrifice as payment for our sins, we are at that moment, in Him, free from the law of sin and we are made holy, called out from the world to become His bride.

The same word used for holy in the above verses is the same word for saint in Romans 8:27-- “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

We are now saints, temples of the Holy Spirit. So we are holy, but we still have a choice to behave in a holy manner.

God’s Word tells the story of Hosea who was commanded by God to take a wife, Gomer, who had either already lived as a prostitute or who God knew would leave Hosea multiple times to commit adultery. It was a picture of Israel who had turned her back on God, gone back to the world and by that, effectively committed adultery against her Betrothed. Hosea continued to forgive his wife and take her back, and God was saying He would do the same with His people.

Is the bride of Christ any different today than Gomer or Israel?

We, as individual believers, wander back into the world, back to our former lovers, if you will (or never come out from them altogether), leaving the Lord behind, taking up our former ways and attitudes. We continue to let greed, unforgiveness, sexual sins, etc. dominate our lives and we become lazy in the things of God. We hate our enemies instead of loving them. We adopt worldly attitudes about divorce, abortion and homosexuality instead of searching God’s Word and living by His truth. We think nothing of going out and partying with the world. We keep the world’s view of members of the opposite sex and look on them in lustful ways. We watch too much t.v. and go to bed at night never having cultivated our relationship with our Heavenly Husband that day. The list of choices to give our time and energies to anything other than God is endless.

And God sits and waits for his bride to come to Him.

Even in the church, holiness is not always a popular theme. Some who have leadership roles in the church try to use human logic and the world’s ways to reach lost souls. They entice people with flashy music or programs. They try talking about Jesus in a dark bar over spirits instead of being filled with the Holy Spirit and letting His power bring salvation. Nevermind that the Christian leader could be giving justification for drinking to a lost soul who may be an alcoholic or stumbling a fellow believer.

I’ve even heard some so-called ministries laugh at Christians who are conscientious about being too physically close to members of the opposite sex so as not to stumble them.

We’re all in a struggle with our flesh every day to remain completely faithful to our Bridegroom, foregoing those worldly lovers. But God has called us to live a holy life. He has freed us from the power of sin and His Holy Spirit indwells us to give us the power to do so. The choice is up to us.

Gomer was a married woman, but she didn’t behave as though she was married. She was disrespectful, to say the least, to her husband and to her marriage vows. And when we choose to live impure lives as if we aren’t the bride of the King of kings and Lord of lords, we disrespect Him, we cheapen His grace and we bring shame to the Name of Jesus in the eyes of a lost and dying world.

Jesus died and rose so that we could have a relationship with Him and fulfill the high calling of being His hands and feet on this earth, encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ and making disciples. But why would unbelievers think they needed Christ if they see those who call themselves Christians acting no differently than they do?

Our Bridegroom’s return is near. I’m convinced that the more we’re willing to call our sin for what it is, walk away from it and the death it brings and focus instead on the joy of His return and fall in love with Him the more we’ll want to deepen that relationship and keep ourselves pure for our heavenly wedding day.

May God bless you as you seek Him!

Dorci

Before It's Too Late!

2011-09-23T16:32:00.001-07:00

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call on Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
   and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and He will have mercy on them,
   and to our God, for He will freely pardon.

Isaiah 55:6-7

From the time children are toddling around in their parents' shoes, their minds are just like little sponges, soaking up everything they hear, good and bad. I don’t think we’re any different as adults. It’s why billions of dollars are spent every year on advertising. We see the commercials and we believe what they tell us. We need that thing, so we buy it.

We believe internet rumors; we believe email scams; we believe what the government tells us. Well, sometimes. We watch people sinning on t.v. and in movies and we laugh. We soak up the world like a sponge and we’re left dripping with its inane gossip, its cynicism, its bitterness, and its greed and selfishness.

And sometimes we need to sit before the Lord in repentance and let Him wring out of us the ungodliness and then we can soak up the pure holiness of the Holy Spirit.

Time is short, my friends. Let’s seek the Lord while we can. Let’s stop giving ear to the world and listen to the Lord’s heart instead. He has things for us to do, people to see and places to go. He has a gospel to spread before it’s too late and He wants to use us to do it.

The flesh and spirit war with each other and we are the captains of our own war. We choose which side wins every day. For the spirit to win we must starve the flesh and put it to death. We must put aside the insidious sins, the secret sins, the accepted sins.

God tells us it’s when we die to ourselves that we can really live. Why? Because our plans are so selfish, so temporary, so small compared to the great plans God has for us. If we’re willing to let go of what we think may be good and listen to the Lord, then He can bless us with what is great.

He can bless us with Himself.

We have all we need in Christ Jesus to live a victorious life full of His power, wisdom, strength and peace and to be able to look back on a life of spiritual growth and service to the King.

Will we?

May God bless you as you seek His face!

Dorci

The Effects of An Icy Heart

2011-09-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Please enjoy the following devotion I was blessed to write for my friends' website, Halas & Phos, Salt & Light.

”And he showed me a pure river of Water of Life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Revelation. 22:1

“’He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive;” John 7:38-39a

Did you know there are actually three waterfalls that comprise Niagara Falls? The water flows from the Niagara River and is separated by two islands into the three Falls. The constant flow of approximately 1,500,000 combined gallons of water per second make Niagara Falls an amazing and beautiful sight to behold. The massive and continual flow of water also makes it a great source of power for both the Canadian and American sides.

But there was one day--March 29, 1848—when the water stopped flowing.

Please read the rest at Halas & Phos here.

Has Someone Put Wings on Weeks or Something?

2011-09-16T17:54:00.002-07:00

Is it Friday again already? The weeks seem to be flying by faster than I can keep up. We are already smack-dab in the middle of September! It's been a long week and I have some bruises to show for it (emotionally speaking, that is), but spiritually I think I know just a little more than I did on Monday. And that's always a good thing, although I'd rather not cross any more rickety bridges to get there.

But I know there will be more bridges, more dry valleys, more dark caves and more spooky forests. But God will always be with me. And He'll always be with you, too. And in the end we will see God.

I have an MRI in my future, Monday, to be exact, and I'd really appreciate your prayers. Speaking of dark caves.... lol.

I pray your weekend is lovely and filled with wonderful conversations with the Lord. And if you need prayer, I'm here.

God bless!
Dorci

A Message from a Would-Be Sept. 11 Pilot

2011-09-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, my then 9- and 12-year-old sons were getting ready for school. My older son came into my room and said to come look at the t.v. in the living room, that something had happened to the World Trade Center. I ran out there and stood transfixed, unable to speak or believe what I was seeing.

My husband was getting ready for work and stole glances at the t.v. as he could.  As the second plane came into view of the screen, careening toward the second tower, all I could do was point.  I did the same thing as the first tower crumbled into a huge, horrifying heap. And with the rest of the country and the world I sat in the days afterward, with tears, watching in disbelief at the after effects of this national tragedy.

Every chance I get I watch programs on t.v. that tell many of the personal stories of that day. I feel it's the least I can do to honor the memory of those who died that day at the Twin Towers, at the Pentagon and on Flight 93 that crashed into the earth in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  There are countless stories of heroism that day, stories of men and women putting others before themselves, of laying down their own lives for the life of someone else. They are an example to all of us.

This is the story of a man who should have been on one of those planes.  He was scheduled to pilot American Airlines Flight 11 that Tuesday morning. But he wasn't on that flight. And he has a message.

Please watch the video on YouTube here.

"And, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and in which you stand; by which you also are being kept safe, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried,

and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures;"

1 Cor. 15:1-3

Prayer Requests and Laboring Over the Grill

2011-09-02T16:31:00.001-07:00

Hello all,
I wanted to give you all an update on my cousin who had a couple of brain aneurysms about a month ago. She is finally home and recuperting with the help of her mom. The doctors believe it's a miracle she's doing as well as she is and I'm praising the Lord for it.

For those of you here in the United States, I pray your Labor Day weekend is a blessed one full of faith, family and lots of fun. (And if you're out of the States I still hope you have a great weekend!) Our Labor Day usually consists of as much grilling as we can squeeze into the 3-day weekend and maybe a movie or two. I've been trying to wrangle my peeps for a couple of weeks to watch Soul Surfer. Maybe I can secretly slip it into the DVD player between whatever games are on this weekend.

How are you celebrating the long weekend?

You're in my prayers and if you have anything specific you'd like me to pray about for you either leave a comment or shoot me an email.

God bless!
Dorci

In Him Above All Else, Hope

2011-08-19T16:38:00.003-07:00

God delights in His children and He knows that no good thing for us is found in anything but Him. He has a way of turning our wandering eyes back to Him as He allows us to see and experience the emptiness of hoping in anything but Him.

Dreams are not bad, but God must be the God of our dreams, not the dream itself. Plans are not bad, but God must be the God of our plans, not the plan itself. And so on and so on.

There is much loss in this life, but God--the great I AM, the Mighty One, our Redeemer and our Victor--He is our portion. He is the measure we receive in this life and in Him we lack for no good thing.

"'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!'

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should

hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."

Lamentations 3:24-26

Can I pray about anything for you?

Hope and Peace to you,

Dorci

The #1 Best Last Line

2011-08-15T16:00:00.094-07:00

I read an article yesterday that listed the 100 best last lines from novels (according to somebody). I'd say the last line in a book is almost as important as the first. The last sentence should tie the story together, leaving the reader with a lasting impression, a lingering thought that touches the heart and both completes the story and continues it in the mind of the reader.

After reading the list I thought, I wonder what the last line of the Bible is?

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen." Revelation 22:21

Grace.

The lingering thought is grace--unmerited favor, a gift given when the beneficiary is undeserving, but when it is needed the most.

And this grace comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, no less. A gift given from the Highest of the all to the least of all. That is what the Bible is all about. Every word, every book, yes, even the Old Testament, is about God's grace.

The Old Testament is a collection of stories that shows God's love and grace. They show Him calling out one man to be the father of a nation who would be called His own, to whom He could show His grace and mercy and through whom He could reveal Himself to the world. He miraculously rescued His people out of the hands of their enemies over and over even though He knew they would continue to turn away from Him. Yet He continued to love them, to let them go to face the consequences of their own will and actions until they repented and came back to Him, and He would forgive again.

It's the story of a man who is hiding from his enemies being called a mighty warrior by the Angel of the Lord. It's the story of a prostitute being grafted into the geneology of the Savior. It's the story of a boy who would be king who would commit awful sins, yet was called a man after God's own heart. It's the story of a cupbearer being called by God to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. It is story after story that shows man's unquestionable need for a Savior.

The New Testament begins with grace in the form of a baby who would be the Savior of the world, borne of a poor couple--an unassuming girl and a frightened, young man. The baby grows into a Man and heals the sick, feeds the poor, raises the dead and transforms the lives of eleven, argumentative, presumptuous, young men, and even calling His betrayer, friend. And then He dies for all sins, even the most heinous, sins which he did not commit, and offers forgiveness to anyone who would believe on Him. And it is the story of the Lord calling a twelfth man--one who had persecuted Him and His people greatly--to be filled with the Holy Spirit and become one of the greatest champions of Christ and the gospel who ever lived.

It is all the story of God's love for each of us wrapped in grace.

And we are left with the words, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen," words which touch the heart, and both sums up the story and begs the reader to continue the story in his or her own life.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

We are saved by grace and we are kept by grace. We serve Him by grace and we commune with Him by grace. God's grace should never be distorted in order to carry on in our own selfish whims leading us back into sin. But when we live with a humble gratefulness for what He's done for us and continues to do, we will find ourselves doing all, speaking all and being all for the glory of His Name.

Grace and Peace to you!
Dorci

Prayer Request

2011-08-12T15:04:00.002-07:00

I got news yesterday that my cousin is in the ICU with a brain aneurysm. She had two when she was first taken to the hospital two weeks ago, one of them actually bleeding into her brain. The surgeon was able to fix that one, but there's still another one that is apparently hard to fix and it seems that to try to fix this one could be more dangerous than leaving it and waiting. The surgeon says that just the fact that it's been two weeks and she's still alive is a good sign. So I'd really appreciate your prayers for her and her family. Please also pray that the Lord will soften her heart and speak through me as I go visit her and present to her the gospel of Jesus.

I'd love to pray for any of your prayer requests, too.

God bless,
Dorci

God Treasure

2011-08-01T16:50:00.002-07:00

Years ago I lost the diamond from my wedding ring. I looked down at the ring one day and there was only a gaping hole where a diamond once sat. I had no idea how long it had been since it dropped out and I had no idea where to start looking. The diamond was relatively small and I knew it would take a miracle to find it, if I could at all.

I could have given up and bought a new one. Heck, I could have even bought a bigger one, but it wouldn’t have been the same. It wouldn’t have been the diamond I was married with. So I started praying and I asked my friends to pray.

I adopted a new posture of walking through the house, the yards and the garage with my head down, eyes scouring the ground. At night, when it was dark, I’d shine a flashlight through the house hoping to see a glint of a sparkle from my little diamond. I crawled on the ground, running my fingers through the carpet fibers trying to feel for a marquise-shaped pebble. I looked through the bed sheets, through the closet, under the couch cushions, everywhere I could think. And I kept praying.

Each day that went by it looked less and less like I’d find my diamond. A week went by, then two. Then one Wednesday night, I got in the car to drive to church. I glanced down near the pedals and saw a glint of something reflected by the overhead light. I thought maybe it was a wadded-up foil gum wrapper or something. I bent down and picked it up. It was my diamond.

How it ended up down there I’ll never know. And how, after driving the car for two weeks, it didn’t get kicked hopelessly under the seat, I’ll never know, either, except that the Lord heard our fervent prayers and rewarded my perseverance.

Most of us would search as earnestly for earthly treasure—treasure that is worth relatively very little. I wonder what would happen if we searched as fervently for God treasure? Colossians 2:3 tells us that in Christ is “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” There is wisdom and knowledge that cannot be found with a Ph.D., an MD, or a DVD. Only God holds these priceless treasures and He gives them to those who seek Him.

God says that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6b

Seeking God is not a Sunday morning project. I may never have found my diamond had I looked once or twice and then given up. And we won’t find much of God if we only look once or twice a week, either.

The hunting grounds God has given us for His treasure are His written word and the ground at His feet as we commune with Him in all kinds of prayer. And the peace and joy we experience as we walk with the Lord through this life’s hardships, receiving His wisdom and knowledge for all aspects of our lives, is a treasure that far outweighs any temporary earthly bobble, no matter how shiny.

Don’t forfeit your treasure! Seek Him and be truely rich.

Q: With what piece of wisdom has God blessed you recently?

All for Him,
Dorci

A Whole Week Off, Prayer Requests and a Call to Prayer

2011-07-29T16:10:00.001-07:00

Vacation {woot!}

At noon today I officially began a week of vacation. Ten days, to be precise. Ten days of book-slash-blog-writing, movie-watching, book-reading, cookie-making and just plain ol' hanging around doing nothing. Maybe I can catch a nap or two. God is good to bless us with a breather just when we need it.

So what are your weekend plans? Whatever they are, I hope you're blessed!

Prayer Requests

Please leave a comment or email me with your prayer requests and I will be happy to pray for you.

* * *

A Call to Prayer

This U.S. budget crisis looms over our heads as I write this. I don't claim to be politically savvy, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know we're in a heap o' trouble right now if Congress can't come to a united conclusion here in the next few days.

As we have pushed God out of our schools, government and lives slowly but surely over the last few decades, God has respected our wishes and left us alone. And now our world seems to be crumbling down around us. Long-established businesses are closing, jobs are being lost, mortgages are being foreclosed on at an alarming rate with the threat of property values plummeting further, and now our government may not be able to pay its own bills.

We need God in every aspect of our lives more than ever. I hope you'll join me in prayer over the next few days for our country, for our government, for our President and for all those who are making critical decisions about the way this country will be run financially.

I pray that pride and reputations and politics will be set aside and a new posture of humble submission to the Lord will be adopted, both individually and collectively. I pray that the men and women in Washington will come together, refocusing their attention as united citizens of this country instead of trying to win the game. Right now no one's winning, and we're all losing. All because people don't want God in their lives.

I pray that President Obama will set aside all pretense, all reputation, all politics in order to rise up and lead our Congressmen and women and our country to the One, True God in repentance for going our own way and seek His wisdom.

Jesus said that He is "THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me." {John 14:6}

Our country has been great, and we can be great again, if we will turn to God through the only way of salvation--His Son, Jesus Christ. I shudder to think what will happen if we continue to push God further and further away. We must pray or watch our country continue to collapse.

"For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD." {1 Cor. 1:22-31}

We are of the called, by the will of God, to pray and to proclaim Jesus Christ. Let us set aside the ungodly things of this world--things that put distance between ourselves and the Lord--in order to get down to the business of calling on God, first, to ask for forgiveness for ourselves, and then that He will bring about a revival in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Let us pray that the enemy of God will be bound, that the hearts of men and women will be changed and turn toward Him for salvation and that our land and its people will be healed. God holds the power to do great and might things and the prayers of the righteous--His children in Christ--can unleash that power and God's will for our country.

God bless you!
Dorci

Prayer Requests

2011-07-22T14:22:00.009-07:00

It's Friday, y'all, and I'm looking forward to the weekend. I've been trying to see a documentary called Buck for a few weeks now. It's the story of Buck Brannaman, a so-called horse whisperer who lived with a violent father until he and his brother were removed from the home and placed with a foster family. As Buck grew up, he went on to be mentored by horsemen whom he respected and found a level of healing through caring for horses in a humane way. He now tours the country holding workshops for "people who have horse problems and horses who have people problems."

Mini crises keep getting in my way, but this IS the weekend...I hope!

But more importantly, if you have any prayer requests I'd love to lift them up!

What are you planning for the weekend?

God bless!
Dorci

Walk Away From the Chain

2011-07-18T16:52:00.001-07:00

Last time I talked about being freed from a chain of bondage. Chains of bondage come in all sizes, shapes and weights, but they all have one thing in common: they keep us from walking freely in Christ. Once those chains have been laid down, though, we can be tempted to pick them back up again.

The enemy of God will whisper to us that that person isn’t worth forgiving, that we need to go back to that drug or alcohol or a myriad of other forms of physical and spiritual bondage. And our own flesh, that is our sinful nature, will give way to its weaknesses and after months or even years of carrying these chains we can become so accustomed to them that we pick them up again. Just as the power of God transformed us at the cross, only His power can heal our hearts, mature our spirits and allow us to walk away from the chains that bind us.

“For in that He Himself (Jesus Christ) has suffered, having been tempted, He is able to rescue those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18

Although He didn’t sin, Jesus understands what it’s like to be tempted, and He understands our weaknesses. He desires to rescue us as many times as it takes. He is the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one who is lost. He is the Father who waits with open arms until His prodigal son or daughter comes home.

If God has delivered you from a chain of bondage and you’ve picked it back up again, don’t give up. God loves you and He wants you to go to Him in faith and ask Him to help you again. Sometimes it takes a lot of prayer, a determination to be obedient and the renewing of our minds in Christ as we abide in Him before we will be completely free of certain things.

Years ago, I had to go through a months-long process of forgiving the man who raped me several times before I was finally, blessedly able to leave the chain of unforgiveness and walk beyond it. I didn’t feel like forgiving him, but I wanted to be obedient to the Lord. And I knew that unforgiveness would choke the spiritual life out of me if I didn’t let that chain go. After several months of telling God over and over that I was choosing to forgive, God met me in my obedience and the Spirit healed my heart.

God’s Word always tells us to put on a godly character to fill the void left by what we have put off so that we are less tempted to pick the chain up again.

“But now also put off all these things: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, shameful speech out of your mouth. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender feelings of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving yourselves, if anyone has a complaint against any. As Christ forgave you, so also you do. And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.” Colossians 3:8, 12-14

Continue to abide in Christ and in the truth He is teaching you. Allow the Holy Spirit to continue ministering to your heart and renewing your mind. Be careful to put your faith in the Lord alone and as you pray with a humble and sincere heart, He will meet you at the cross to demolish those strongholds.

“Faithful is He who called you, who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Prayer Requests?

2011-07-15T14:05:00.002-07:00

Taking your prayer request today. Have a great weekend!

Dorci

Commentary

2011-07-12T12:55:00.002-07:00

Hello Readers,

For those of you who have tried to leave a comment in the past and have found it difficult because they were moderated, I've turned off that feature. Your comments will now be posted immediately. I hope this helps generate discussion, questions and your (kind and courteous!) comments. Thank you!

Dorci

The Thud Heard 'Round the Universe

2011-07-11T14:45:00.003-07:00

In the deepest recesses of hell, demons heard a thud last week. It was the thud of a thick chain of bondage falling from my soul and slamming to the ground. I could never have broken free of it myself in a million years, but God did. I won’t go into all the details (I’ll save it for my memoir!), but I will say that this chain was a way of thinking that I had from childhood as a result of painful circumstances and was reinforced over and over through the years.

The enemy’s plan was to slowly wrap the chain around my heart with each cruel word carelessly spoken and every evil act perpetrated against me, and suffocate the life out of me. And he nearly did.

I was saved 21 years ago, but this chain remained and even continued to wrap tighter. The funny thing is, I didn’t even realize it was there. Oh, I knew I had issues from my past to deal with and one by one I prayed about them over and over. Somehow, though, some things seemed to get worse instead of better. It’s like that in a storm sometimes.

The storm raged wildly within my heart. It became louder and more violent. Could He hear my cries above the wind and the waves? Did He care? I pleaded for mercy.

And suddenly, a new perspective occured to me. God revealed the truth and the lie I had believed dissolved. And the storm was gone. A chain I didn’t fully realize existed lay beside me and the only sounds left were the rattling of the foundations of hell and my heart rejoicing with the Lord's.

God had heard my cries and He answered them in a way that only He can.

My friends, do you know that God is still in the miracle business? He loves us more than we can know and desires to bless us in ways that cannot come naturally, only supernaturally. But we must ask. Ironically, though, the times we need God the most can also be the most difficult times to go to Him.

Sometimes we think we can figure things out on our own. But we are powerless to resolve these issues ourselves. Sometimes the anger or bitterness in our heart makes us feel ashamed to face the Lord. But He knows what’s in our hearts already, and much better than we know ourselves. And sometimes we can just become so comfortable living with the chains that we begin to hang bells and whistles on them.

But God wants us to be free. He wants us to cry out to Him, to trust Him and put every ounce of faith in Him and Him alone. He knows that only He has the power to heal our broken hearts, our broken bodies and our broken lives.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10

It usually doesn’t happen in our time or our way, but if you ask and keep on asking, seeking and knocking, God will do great things in His perfect time and far better than you can ever imagine.

Q: How can I pray for you and your miracle?

All for Him,
Dorci

Oh, Yes I Am!

2011-07-08T15:28:00.001-07:00

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36

Q: What are you free to do today because of Jesus?

Forgiven For Little or Much?

2011-06-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

"Moses said to the people, 'Remember this day which is the day that you came out of Egypt, out of the place you were slaves, because the LORD acted with power to bring you out of there.'" Exodus 13:3

I remember the day the Lord saved me. I remember the joy of being rescued from the world, from the curse of being a slave to sin and the darkness of it all to feeling my heart come alive with the Spirit of God. I was more thankful to the Lord for that than I had ever been for anything in my life. I had gone from utter darkness to pure Light. It was a radical transformation because I was acutely aware that I had been saved from so much. My heart was on fire.

Jesus said about the woman who kissed His feet, washed them with her tears and anointed them with oil, “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." Luke 7:42

It is not that this woman was forgiven for more than others were, it is that she recognized how much she was forgiven. We are all forgiven for sins. Not all transformations may seem as outwardly obvious as mine or the woman's, but we were all saved from the same spiritual blindness, the same emptiness of heart, the same hell. We were all sinful and we all needed a Savior. And for all of us the Lord acted with His power to bring us out of Egypt--out of the world, out of our sins and their eventual consequences of being separated from God for eternity.

The more we recognize the depths from which we have been saved and the far-reaching love, grace, mercy and power of Jesus Christ that saved us, the more grateful we will be and the more we will love our Savior. And that gratefulness gives us, like the woman, a desire to be a blessing to the Lord, not to repay Him, because that gift can never be repaid, but to honor Him and join with Him in giving ourselves to the building up of the Kingdom of God.

After a while, though, we can forget the life we were rescued from and begin to take this new one for granted. The level of thankfulness we once had can be forgotten. We get caught up in the daily grind of our lives and forget that we were saved for a purpose: to bring glory to the Lord. Our service wanes, we set aside our spiritual gifts and we live lives that look much like they did before that day of salvation.

But if we purpose in our hearts to remember our day of salvation and all that we’ve been saved from we will be filled with love and we will desire a more intimate relationship with Christ. We will be filled with thanksgiving, and the gratefulness we allow to penetrate our hearts will spur us on to good works.

Remember that we were taken out of the devil’s grasp by the power of God and by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Remember how many sins we were forgiven for and how many we were saved from committing had we lived in our sins another day.

We have only a short time here on this earth. We can waste it, or we can remember and be thankful, loving the Lord more each day, and allowing Him to do great things through us.

All for Him,
Dorci

Bathtime

2011-06-06T17:32:00.002-07:00

I love our dog, Jake. He is the most laid back, unassuming, trouble-free dog on the planet. But you’d argue with me about that if you had to give him a bath. Because he’s a Lhasa Apso/Shih Tzu mix his hair grows very long, and because he’s a boy it gets very dirty.

When I decide enough is enough, I get a towel, set out the shampoo, clear away the shower curtain, and adjust the bath water until it isn’t too hot or too cold. I go to find him--usually doing his best impression of a shag rug-- scoop him up, give him a kiss while making my way to the tub, and gently set him in.

I’ve done everything I can to make him as comfortable as possible and yet, the minute the tepid water touches him you’d think I was killing him. His crying and whining can be heard through the closed bathroom door into the hall. I do my best to get the job done quickly but thoroughly. I give him another kiss and tell him he’s okay. He tries a number of times to make his escape, but we get through it.

As soon as he’s cleaned and rinsed and not one minute more, I turn off the water, set him on the towel I’ve laid out on the floor and dry him before I open the door and he goes flying through the house in utter joy and relief. He rubs his body all over the carpet and runs to each of us as if to say, “Look at me! I’m clean!” His hair is silky soft and he looks like a brand new dog. He loves to be clean but he hates the process.

Aren’t we the same way?

We want to be cleaned—to be made into the image of the Son of the Living God—but sometimes we whine and cry during our spiritual baths.

2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “For this cause we do not faint; but though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”

Daily we face opportunities for spiritual cleansing and growth. God knows the ways each of us needs to be cleaned up--an attitude adjustment here, the purging of a sin there. And every day God brings certain circumstances into our lives that allow for our particular need of cleansing. Maybe it’s a trial to instill more trust and faith; perhaps it’s another person who gives us opportunity to learn patience and love.

He readies the tools, scoops us up, gives us a kiss, tells us it will be alright, and gives us our bath. And sometimes we can find ourselves crying our way through it, thinking we are being harmed, when all along our souls are being perfected and made more holy than they were the day before. We are being sanctified for His work that we may be useful in His hands.

I'm not saying baths are always fun. Sometimes they're downright painful. But we can hold onto the Lord, knowing that He’s with us the entire time, being as gentle as possible and He doesn’t allow it to go on one second longer than is needed. And as we hold onto Him, He whispers in our ear truths and wisdom that we can only know in those times of intimacy.

In the end we will be complete, our souls readied for eternity in the House of God.

Jake would make it a lot easier on himself if he would learn to relax and trust me. He only adds stress to the situation when he allows himself to become anxious and fearful.

Like Jake, we’re going through the bath one way or the other. We can choose to go through it filled with anxiety or we can relax and trust the Lord and His unending wisdom and love.

And Jake knows that in the end he gets a cookie.

A Call to Anguish

2011-05-18T15:51:00.000-07:00

I hope this stirs your heart as much as it did mine.

Taking a Short Break

2011-05-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hello, friends. Just a note to let you know I'll be taking a little hiatus from the blog to work on writing a book I've been trying to get off the ground for a while. It won't be a long break, maybe a few weeks, just to try to get a little momentum going on it. I'll still be posting scripture and music on my Facebook and Twitter pages as God puts on my heart, though. Prayers would be very much appreciated! See you in a few!

And if you have any prayer requests in the meanwhile I'd still be happy to pray for you. Just shoot me an email.

All for His glory,
Dorci

Joyfully Living a Sacrificial Life

2011-05-02T17:45:00.001-07:00

A few months ago I put up a new gadget on the side of my blog where readers can post their own ideas for blog topics. I was thrilled a few weeks ago when I saw I actually had a taker. And then I saw the topic: joyfully living a sacrificial life. Oh my. Not your typical fluffy topic. I can’t even pretend to be an expert on this, but the Lord is, so I’ve been praying and thinking about it ever since, asking for His wisdom.

Living a life of sacrifice can be difficult enough, but to do it joyfully? Well, that’s a whole other ball of wax. But I’ll tell you what the Lord has shown me. We can sacrifice in the flesh or we can sacrifice in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus tells us, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:9-11)

Jesus said that if we keep His commandments as He kept His Father’s, we will abide in His love and that our joy would be complete. Don’t misunderstand, God’s love for us never waivers. But we leave a degree of our love for Him when we choose to disobey and then we will find a measure of our joy is gone.

What are those commandments?

1. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37)

2. “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13)

The more we love God the more we will love His people. And as we continue showing love for one another, we will abide in Christ’s love and we will be filled with joy. And loving others requires sacrifice.

There is no joy sacrificing in the flesh.

Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The first part of these verses speak to the bondage of sin in our lives. When left unchecked and unrepented of, it becomes a weight, keeping us from moving forward in our spiritual maturity and usefulness in God’s hands.

When we get out of the will of God, either by allowing sin to reside in our lives, or by sacrificing in a way He has not called us to, the power of the Holy Spirit cannot lead us and the sacrifice is done in the flesh--with our own strength and our wisdom, which are no strength or wisdom at all. This is a sure-fire way to burn out in our faith and lose our joy.

Sacrificing in the power of the Holy Spirit brings joy.

When we throw off that weight, choosing not to sin and when we do, being quick to repent, even of those insidious sins that we may think of as harmless, those thoughts that form in our minds that we can nurture, like jealousy or unforgiveness, then we can move forward in our faith, walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, giving our lives as a sacrifice in God’s strength and wisdom.

Jesus lived a life of sacrifice that culminated in the ultimate act of sacrifice: giving of His very own physical life. He fulfilled the commandment to love others as He laid down His life, and not even just for His friends, but for the world, even while we still hated Him.

But He didn’t focus on the suffering of His sacrifice. He obeyed His Father and endured suffering for the joy that was set before Him. He focused on His reward, on the fruit of His suffering. And that reward was us. He knew that because of His obedience to the Father to give up His life He was purchasing our souls from the pit of hell and that ultimate sacrifice brought Him ultimate joy.

God’s ways are always contrary to our nature and to the world’s way of doing things. Our nature and the world tells us that to be happy we must fulfill our own desires.

But God tells us that when we sacrifice our lives, dying to our own personal desires so that we can allow Christ to love others through us on this earth, fulfilling greater missions than our own comfort, we will be filled with real joy.

Conversely, when we focus on self, when we allow sin to govern our lives, we forgo love of others, we do not abide in Christ’s love, and that brings spiritual separation, depression, fear and loneliness.

God doesn’t require most of us to sacrifice to the point of giving our lives through physical death. We are to be living sacrifices for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are hundreds of ways we can sacrifice our lives every day, but each one boils down to showing love for another.

Joni Eareckson Tada

Joni Eareckson Tada, a woman who became a quadriplegic at the age of 17 after diving into shallow water and suffering a spinal cord injury, is a great example of a life given over to the Lord in humble and joyful sacrifice.

Because of her injury, Joni had been forced to sacrifice much of her independence, her previous love of playing sports, even being able to wipe her own nose. You’d think the sacrifice she was forced to make (yet more than willingly and lovingly submits to her Heavenly Father) was enough. But in one particular book I read about her life she says that, among other things, she has given up eating French fries. Why? Because her husband and friends must lift her in and out of her wheelchair and she wants to be mindful of her weight for them. Now that is love. She shows the love she has for others by choosing to give up her right to eat what she wants for them.

When we willingly give our lives to the Lord, sacrificing in the will and power of the Holy Spirit, that is when we look, act, see, think and feel most like the Lord.

We have two choices every day.

1. We can try to fill our lives with temporary, earthly pleasures to try to find happiness—a hollow counterfeit of the real joy we were meant to have in Christ.

2. We can abide in the love of Christ, allowing Him to love others through us as we lay down our own wants and desires for the glory of God and for His kingdom.

Finding joy in sacrifice doesn’t mean it will be fun. Sometimes it will be downright agonizing work. But as we continue walking in the Holy Spirit, praying and reading God's Word and abiding in His love through obedience, the joy we will have will be evident and deeply satisfying within our spirit. We must remember to keep our focus on heaven, sending up our treasures ahead of us through our sacrifice for the joy set before us--glorifying the Lord now and abiding with Him forever.

He is Risen!

2011-04-24T03:00:00.003-07:00

Sunrise over Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska

"I am the Resurrection and the Life!

He who believes in Me, though he die, yet he shall live."

John 11:25

The Road To Victory Is Paved With Crosses

2011-04-22T00:26:00.004-07:00

He had anticipated this day all His life. He had prepared His followers the best He could. He suffered alone in the garden, sweating drops of blood, until His will was submitted to His Father. He was ready.

It was morning and He hadn’t slept in over 24 hours. A friend betrayed His loyalties with a kiss. Religious leaders sought to kill Him. False witnesses spoke out against Him. His death was demanded by an angry crowd. He was flogged beyond recognition. A crown of thorns pierced his head. He was ridiculed and spat upon. On His bloodied back He carried a wooden cross.

His friends denied Him.

Large, thick nails bored into His hands and feet. He was lifted up as an instrument of mockery.

Because of sin, yours and mine, the Son of God was found guilty. Christ Jesus gave Himself as the sacrifice and payment for our sins.

And on the third day He rose victorious.

At Easter we gather together to remember what Christ did for us on the cross and to celebrate His resurrection. But more than just recognizing His atonement for our sins on one day a year, we now have the high calling of honoring His sacrifice with our lives. We have the opportunity every day to follow the example the Lord gave us on Golgotha and as we do, we also will rise to spiritual victory and life.

The day we put our faith in Jesus Christ and in His work for our salvation, our old nature was put to death and we were risen to a new, spiritual life. But our bodies are not yet glorified; we are still bound within them and with them a pull to the old life.

Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

Just as His cross led to victory, our road to spiritual victory is paved with our crosses-the daily putting to death of sin and our own fleshly desires.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

My dear friends, the day of the Lord’s return draws nearer every day and there is work to be done in and for the kingdom. The lost need to hear the gospel, churches need planting, souls need prayer, people need loving and we need to grow up in Him.

What is keeping you from being usable in His hands, from being the most effective salt and the brightest light you can be? What is keeping you from walking the road to spiritual victory? The way is the cross, yes, but we never carry it alone, and with it the joy of the Lord is set before us!

Instead of denying Him with a life of compromise, let us courageously follow hard after Him, taking up our cross and nailing to it our sins, both the acts done outwardly and those that live in our minds. As we do, we will glorify and honor our Savior and His sacrifice. His life will be lived through us and we will become a fragrant offering to our risen King.

Happy Easter!
Dorci

The God Of All Things

2011-04-12T21:52:00.004-07:00

I had the blessing again of providing the devotion for Halas & Phos' April newsletter. Halas & Phos (Salt & Light) is an online ministry that offers Christian products, including apparel, jewelry, homeschool curriculum and much more, through quality affiliates. I hope you'll check out their site!

* * *

At a ripe ninety-nine years old, the Lord confirmed His covenant with Abram to give him a son and countless descendants, telling him that He was God Almighty—El Shaddai, God of all strength and provision. (Genesis 17:1)

When a shepherd named Moses moseyed over to investigate a bush that was on fire but refused to be burned up, he found himself being called by God to go to Pharaoh to free His people. God told him His Name was I AM THAT I AM-the One Who exists, Who always was and always will be. (Exodus 3:14)

When God called Joshua to lead His children--numbering into the millions--into the Promised Land (and all that entailed), He said He would be all Joshua needed through every situation by declaring He was his LORD—his Jehovah, the Self-Existent One. (Joshua 1:9)

As a lonely Samaritan woman lifted water from a well, she spoke to Jesus, saying that she knew Messiah was coming. He said to her, “I AM, the One speaking to you,” declaring Himself to be God, the great I AM-the One Who exists, Who always was and always will be. He was her Messiah, and the Savior of all mankind. (John 4:26)

In all these ways and many more, God saw the need of a single person and offered Himself as the fulfillment. He became the answer for every question, the sufficiency for every lack, the satiation for every thirst, the treasure for every bankruptcy.

(Continue reading at Halas & Phos how God can meet your every need.)

How Big Is Your God?

2011-04-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Our Father sets before us a lavish banqueting table full of the choicest meats, the rarest of delicacies, the sweetest fruit, the richest desserts, even milk for the little ones, all served with ornate silver and intricate glassware, meticulously set on a silken tablecloth.

So why do we sit on the floor and settle for crumbs so much of the time?

That is what we do when we rarely open our Bibles to feast on the riches of His Word and when we pray puny prayers.

We serve a mighty God, the God Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the One Who can move mountains and keeps the planets in line. Our God controls it all! We serve the King of kings Who has served us a feast within the pages of His personal love letter written over thousands of years just for us. We serve the Almighty God Who invites us over and over on those pages to come to Him, to seek Him, to find Him.

We serve a Big God; why are we not willing to pray big prayers?

Lay aside the mundane and read of Him, talk to Him, know Him, trust Him, love Him, be one with Him in spirit and let Him reveal to you the big thoughts and dreams and visions He has for your life. Dare to dream in line with the God who dreamt of the vastness of the universe and the countless galaxies contained within it.

Don’t be afraid to lift up grand prayers to the One Who created the impossibly complex human mind and body. Pray lofty prayers to the God Who controls the heat of our sun and the ebb and flow of the tides. Don’t limit your prayers by what you can see, but sit with the Lord and allow Him to fill your mind and heart with magnificent visions and plans of the things He wants to accomplish in and through your life.

What an exciting life awaits us when we freely put our lives in the hands of the One Who has no limits on imagination or resources and Who loves us more dearly than we could ever hope.

“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Friday Foodie - French Almond Macarons

2011-03-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Seems we haven’t had a Friday Foodie in quite a while, so I wanted to make something a little special today. Actually, I’ve been trying to make these little, French delicacies for months now and something always manages to move them further down on the list of things to do.

But hold onto your chapeaus, mesdames et messieurs, today is the day for…. French Almond Macarons! No, not macaroons, the American cookie with coconut in them. These are macarons, a light and airy meringue-type cookie sandwiched with Swiss Meringue Buttercream. All together now….mmmmm…

I’ve seen them made in almost every flavor combination, from chocolate to strawberry to pistachio and even sandwiched with tiny discs of crème brulee.

Today I’ve made a basic almond macaron recipe, though, and from there you can change the color or flavor of the cookie by adding 4 drops of food coloring to the egg whites, or a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder with the confectioner’s sugar. Or you can change the buttercream flavor by adding 1/3 cup strained preserves after the butter has been incorporated.

French Almond Macarons

Macarons

1 ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla

All-purpose flour, for dipping

1 ½ cups (4 oz.) sliced almonds, finely ground, or almond flour (preferable)

3 large egg whites

Pinch of salt

¼ cup granulated sugar

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

2 large egg whites

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla

To Make Macarons:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Sift confectioner’s sugar into a bowl, whisk in grounds almonds (or almond flour); set aside. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or wax paper and mark circles using a 1 ½-in. cookie cutter dipped in flour.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat egg white on medium speed until foamy; add salt. Gradually add granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time until the whites reach medium-soft peaks. Transfer to a large bowl.

3. Sprinkle half of the sugar-almond mixture, folding just until incorporated. Firmly tap bottom of bowl on counter to eliminate any air pockets.

4. Transfer mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a ½-in plain tip (Walmart has a decent selection of baking supplies.) Pipe mixture onto marked circles on prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake, rotating halfway through, until macarons feel slightly firm to the touch and can be gently lifted off the parchment (the bottoms will be dry), 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer parchment to wire rack to cool completely.

6. Spread buttercream on flat side of one macaron and top with another. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes….if you can wait. Filled cookies can keep for about 2 days in the refrigerator.

To Make Buttercream:

1. In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites and sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 5 minutes).

2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until the mixture is fluffy and cool, about 6 minutes.

3. Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixture on medium-low speed, add the butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. (If the frosting appears to separate after all the butter has been added, beat on medium-high speed until smooth again, 3 to 5 minutes more.) Beat in vanilla. Beat on lowest speed to eliminate any air bubbles, about 2 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.

The God of the Secret Place

2011-03-21T17:09:00.002-07:00

Since the time I was very young, the circumstances of my life have always dictated maintaining a level of secrecy. It was never a conscious effort, but society’s taboos and lack of compassion and understanding silently say to the abused or to those who are caught in a sin things like Aren’t you over that yet? or We don’t talk about things like that. And so you don’t. And it begins to seem easier to live in defeat than to face your giants. Shame sets in and you learn to stuff it down deep somewhere where no one will see it, and maybe if you stuff it down long enough even you will forget it’s there.

But God sees. There is nowhere that is secret enough to hide from God. We can’t stuff our pain down far enough that He does not go further still. Jeremiah 23:24 says, “’Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the LORD.’”

The Lord sees your pain. He is your El Roi—the God Who sees. And not only does He see, but He is also a God of understanding, compassion and mercy. He longs for you come out from the shadows of pretense and worry and pour out your heavy heart to Him. The pain sits in your heart as a lump in the throat, suppressing words and acts of love.

I know it takes courage to face that pain again. It takes courage to go through life-saving surgery. But God is a skillful surgeon. Just as He is able to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12), He is also able to divide pain and sin and leave a heart more whole than it was before.

Trust your God again. Stop worrying about that thing that has left a part of you broken, or even pretending it’s gone when you know it isn’t, and fall on Jesus again. He is a God Who is able.

“Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

Do you see that, my friends? He LIVES to intercede for us. Jesus Christ rose not to just return to the comfort of His Father’s side, but He lives to continue to make intercession to His Father on our behalf. He sees our secret pain and He sets about restoring our heart.

But we have our part, too, and that is to be honest with ourselves and with the Lord. There will be work to do. With His strength, there will be forgiveness to offer, bitterness to let go of and sins to be nailed to the cross. And then there will be joy to behold.

Don’t wait until tomorrow. Enough tomorrows have passed. Begin your new journey today and walk in the light of life.

"Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart." (Psalm 51:6)

God bless you on your journey,

God of the Mountains

2011-03-14T17:52:00.001-07:00

I was watching The Waltons a while back (yes, with John Boy, Mary Ellen and the rest), and in this episode John Boy was all grown up and going to college. The clothes he wore, the car he drove and his slight southern mountain twang always threatened to give him away as a country bumpkin in a sea of rich, college boys.

The annual horse race that was held on Walton’s Mountain was coming up, and since John Boy’s family was too poor to afford a horse, John Boy decided to enter with his faithful, hard-working mule, Blue. One of John Boy’s rich, college buddies--who was forever playfully rubbing his wealth in John Boy’s nose--caught wind of this contest and decided to compete with his prize-winning race horse.

John Boy seemed fairly confident at first, but as the weeks went by and the contest neared, his friend’s boasting began getting into his head and the thought of racing against a purebred stallion had him a little worried.

The day of the big race came and people from all corners of Walton’s Mountain came to cheer on their favorites. John Boy sat on ol’ Blue, and the rich, college buddy strutted up to the starting area with his beautiful, quick, pedigreed horse, clearly standing a number of hands taller than Blue.

The rules were given to the riders. They were to ride to a certain spot, round a marked tree, and head back. How the riders and their mounts got there and back was up to them.

The race was on. College Boy and his thoroughbred were off, racing straight for the turnaround tree along with most of the other riders and their horses. John Boy and Blue knew the shortcuts. They veered off the main route, making up for Blue’s lack of speed with John Boy’s wisdom of knowing the terrain like his own bedroom, and Blue’s strength and sure-footedness that comes from being bred a mule.

They climbed up and down the steepest slopes, ran through creeks that might spook any other horse, climbed up out of the forested mountainside and onto to the homestretch path just ahead of all the other riders, including College Boy, and won the race.

Just as John Boy and ol’ Blue had a wisdom and strength that College Boy and his fast horse knew nothing about, so God’s children have been granted a godly wisdom and strength that is far richer than anything found on any college campus or in a bank account that is bulging at the seams.

Now, in case you think I’m saying that an education is unimportant or even wrong, I’m not. An education is great when you can get it, but its wisdom will never replace the wisdom of God. It is not a degree that grants us entrance into the kingdom of heaven, gives us eternal wisdom, never-ending strength or a peace that surpasses all understanding as we face our own uphill battles. It is only as we rely on the Lord that He will fill us with power, strength and peace to victoriously endure those mountainous terrains of suffering.

It is God, the Creator of the Universe, Who is able to sustain us and mature us in Christ, not just in spite of our suffering but because of it. It is the obstacles that are placed in our lives, coupled with the leading of the Holy Spirit that brings us a spiritual maturity that the world will never know. Unlike the world’s, His wisdom and resources are infinite and so is His love toward us.

So fall on the Almighty God, El Shaddai, which, ironically, is also translated as “God of the mountains.” He will more than take care of us and we, in turn, are blessed to have our lives used to glorify the Eternal God.

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:30-32)

"Therefore, as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'" (1 Cor. 1:31)

Anatomy of a Sin

2011-03-07T08:00:00.076-07:00

“City Worker Stole $100K”

“Con Man Offered 19 Excuses As To Why He Couldn’t Pay Back Investments”

“Ex-Teacher Guilty of Sex Charge”

Most of us would look at these current headlines in shock, maybe even with what we might think of as righteous indignation, and wonder how a person can sink so low as to commit these crimes. But sin doesn't take over a life overnight. It’s a process of giving in to temptations, justifying the acts and deceiving one’s own heart. And none of us are immune to it.

If we were in Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago, we might see this headline in the local paper:

“Judas Iscariot Betrays ‘King of the Jews’”

“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests. And he said to them, ‘What will you give me, and I will betray Him to you?’ And they appointed to him thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.” (Matthew 26:14-16)

Why did he do it? Why would Judas betray this man--this friend whom he walked with for 3 years, who taught him, who trusted him, who had just knelt before him and washed his feet--for a mere 30 pieces of silver, the wages of a slave?

I think we find the answer in John, chapter 12.

Many are gathered in the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus where a dinner was being given in honor of their friend, Jesus. Mary had just unsealed the lid of a very expensive jar of perfume and had washed the feet of the Guest of Honor with it, wiping them with her own hair.

Judas said, “’Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” John 12:4-6.

Instead of confessing to Jesus that he had given in to the temptation to steal from the money bag, Judas gave in to the temptation time after time, letting greed take over. And in 3 short years, Judas’ love of himself and of money became more important to him than any love he would have had for Jesus. And at some point evil took over as satan, the enemy of Jesus, entered into Judas Iscariot (Luke 22:3), carrying out the betrayal through him. And by the time Judas' conscience caught up with him, it was too late. He had handed over the Son of God to His death.

(Yes, Jesus' death was planned for by God all along; yes, it is by His death that we are saved from our sins and are given eternal life, but I wouldn't want to be the one who betrayed Him, would you?)

Once again, instead of confessing his guilt to the one Man who would have forgiven him, Judas confessed to the chief priests and the elders who couldn’t have cared less. Guilt consumed him and he hung himself.

All of us are faced with the temptation to sin every day. Being tempted is not a sin; even Jesus was tempted, but He remained sinless. It's when we've given thought to the temptation, however brief, and choose to submit to it that we've sinned.

In the beginning, it may seem as harmless as taking a few coins here and there from a money bag, or looking at a picture on the internet every now and then that we know we shouldn’t, or flirting with that co-worker. If we continue to deceive ourselves, thinking it's no big deal, or we can handle it, we may look back someday and realize we've made the biggest mistake of our lives.

Whatever your temptation is, before it gives birth to sin and the consequences are more than you ever wanted to pay, confess it to the one Man who can and will forgive you, the God Who can help you, the Lord Who loves you--Jesus Christ.

Just Give Me Jesus!

2011-02-19T14:52:00.003-07:00

We interrupt your regularly scheduled weekend for this important announcement: Jesus loves you!

I was talking to some friends about how noisy the world is and how sometimes I am overwhelmed with all the do's and don'ts, the criticism and rejection. Sin abounds in the world and temptation is ever lurking. Life is hard and painful and exhausting....and sometimes, I just want to shut all that out and say, JUST GIVE ME JESUS!

My dear sister in the Lord, Anne Graham Lotz, evangelist Billy Graham's daughter, wrote a book and recorded a DVD set of teachings called Just Give Me Jesus. Every now and then, when life just gets to be too much, I think of her teachings and say, "Just give me Jesus!"

Oh, how I hope this gives you a measure of comfort in your life right now in those hard-to-reach corners of your heart that have become weary...those places you try to ignore and hope they'll go away on their own..those places you've tried filling up with anything other than Jesus Himself.

He is waiting to fill them up, to fill you up, with His love and His good and faithful character. He is complete and He is all you need. I pray that after listening to the precious words of Anne Graham Lotz you will be inspired to draw closer and dive deeper into the God Who created you for a purpose and loves you over and above anything you could ever imagine.

Just let the world go, let Him have your cares, close your eyes and let Him love you.

Friday Funnies - The Don't Song

2011-02-18T13:27:00.005-07:00

As we head into the long weekend, some sage advise...even when it comes wrapped in a wig.

Have a great one!

An Extravagant Love

2011-02-14T17:03:00.006-07:00

There is one love that surpasses them all, the love story of all love stories. A love that overshadows all other loves, one that has been since before time and always will be, and that is God’s love for you and me.

God is the genesis of all love. His love is pure, it is perfect, it is constant. It is unconditional and selfless. All He has done and ever will do stems from His unwavering love for us. He has poured out His love on us so lavishly that sometimes we hardly notice it. Nevertheless, He’s been wooing his Bride since the beginning of time.

He gave the sun to warm us, the stars to shine and lead our way. He gave us galaxies to discover, mountains to climb, caves to explore. He gave the oceans’ waves to ride and summer's smell of fresh-cut grass. He paints a new masterpiece to wake us and another to send us to bed. He gave us cool breezes rustling through leaves.

He gave us one another as spouses, as parents and children, and as friends. He gave us language that we might speak and pen our love for one another. He even gave us fragrant roses, diamond mines and cocoa beans.

He called one man to be the father of His people that He might show His amazing love to and through them. And He never left them. He led them through the desert to the Promised Land, provided all their needs and came to their rescue time and time again.

Then He gave another Man to show His love to all the world; He gave His only Son over to death to purchase our souls from hell. He then raised Him from the dead, showing us His power over death and gave us hope.

And though it could never contain Him, His Holy Spirit dwells within our hearts, even the very darkest, most broken recesses. He leads us and ministers to us, counsels us and comforts us. And He rescues us time and time again.

He is our Knight in shining armor, sparing nothing to go after us, revealing Himself to us over and over until we let Him in and His love is ours and ours is His. He has given all the universe, and imprinted the farthest reaches with His everlasting love.

This is a picture taken by the Hubble telescope of the center of the Whirpool Galaxy, which is located approximately 31 million light-years from our Milky Way Galaxy. The radius of the Whirpool Galaxy is approximately 38,000

light-years. This center, thought to be a black hole, stands perpendicular to the spiral nebula.

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting

love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Jeremiah 31:3

Friday Funnies - Hey There Delilah

2011-02-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

The Secret World of Snowflakes and You

2011-02-07T17:26:00.001-07:00

In the last week or two here in the U.S., people have shoveled, scraped and trudged their way through one of the biggest snow storms we (and when I say “we,” I mean “they,” since I’m from Arizona) have seen in quite a while. My guess is most of those people have seen enough snow to last them until December.

But as we take a magnifying glass and look at a single snowflake, we'll see that they really are fascinating little miracles. Just like precious pearls begin as something ordinary--a grain of sand, snowflakes also begin as something just as unpretentious--a dust particle, a piece of volcanic ash or sea salt.

As it falls through the atmosphere, each particle forms into a clear ice crystal, its individual shape and size determined by the various conditions, such as the altitude, temperature and humidity, that each particle encounters as it falls to the ground. The one thing that all snowflakes have in common is that they each have six sides or branches.

All of us are also born with an ingrained imperfection, that is, our sin nature. As we grow, the conditions we encounter, such as the family we grow up in, the experiences we have in life and even our own personalities determine the one-of-a-kind of person we become. But our sin nature continues to act as an irritant, wreaking havoc in our souls.

“’Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD,

‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Isaiah 1:18

Interestingly, crimson is deep, red color named after maggot-like insects called Kermes that produce the scarlet color. It’s a type of plant parasite that feeds on the leaves of evergreen oak trees. (Here’s another snowflake factoid to blow your mind: though snowflakes come in many different shapes, the snowflakes with branches like the ones in the picture are called Stellar Dendrite snowflakes. Dentritic means “tree-like.”) Our sin acts like those parasitic creatures, eating away at our joy, our lives and our souls.

The Lord tells us that though we have been stained with the blemish of sin, He will make them white as snow. But we are all individual clear ice crystals, if you will. What makes snow, and us, white?

As snowflakes fall to the ground and begin to gather together, the light shining into the snow gets scattered around inside and is reflected around all those unique six-sided snow prisms and the light that comes back out appears white. And the imperfections are no longer seen.

The Bible refers to the number six as the number of mankind, of incompleteness. Just as the one commonality among snowflakes is that they have six sides, we all have in common our imperfect humanity. Without Christ, we are incomplete and impure. But as we receive Jesus Christ by faith and become part of God’s family, His light shines into us and is filtered back out through the prism of our character, purifying our hearts and making us white as snow.

It’s amazing to me that God made snowflakes as a microscopic allegory showing us our need for Him. It’s as if He calls to us in the whisper of a tiny, almost secret world and says, “I know all about your weaknesses, your frailties, your sins, but the power of my love can overcome all that!” You have come through different backgrounds, different circumstances, different sufferings and different joys than anyone else. And the shape that your heart and mind have become through your own uniquely-designed life allows Christ to shine through you in the extraordinary ways He’s chosen just for you and the lives around you.

Praise the Lord!

Friday Foodie - Chicken Sandwiches with Balsamic Barbecue Sauce

2011-02-04T06:00:00.025-07:00

So it's Friday and that means time for a foodie, a wintery barbecue foodie. (It has molasses in it and to me molasses means winter. Don't ask me why.) These pulled chicken sandwiches are sweet and tangy all at the same time, easy to prepare and the recipe makes enough for leftovers. And there's nothing like walking into the kitchen the next day to make dinner and realizing, "Hey, I have leftover chicken sandwiches already made!"

I made some homemade baked sweet potato fries (sprinkled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and baked on a greased cookie sheet at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, turning once) to go with. Enjoy!

Chicken Sandwiches with Balsamic Barbecue Sauce

1 4-lb. roast or boiled chicken, shredded

Sourdough or other sturdy sandwich rolls

Balsamic Barbecue Sauce

1 cup ketchup

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 tablespoon worcestershire

1 minced garlic clove

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

To make barbecue sauce, add all ingredients in a 2-qt. saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about 2 cups, about 12-15 minutes.

Mix together shredded chicken and sauce. (You may not need all the sauce. Add some, stir in, and add more according to taste.) Serve on rolls.

Have a great weekend!

No Rubbernecking!

2011-01-31T15:03:00.004-07:00

After taking off almost a month from blogging, I’m back, and so happy to be!

If you’re a subscriber, first, thank you so much! And, if you haven’t actually been to the blog lately, I want to invite you to come back and check out some changes, including new songs on the playlist and some great links. I’ve also added a box where you can suggest blog topics that I’d love to have you fill out. This blog is for you and I pray you are encouraged in the Lord by it. Now, let’s dig into the Word!

* * *

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.”

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

Every now and then you see a news story about someone driving off the road and into another vehicle that has stopped off to the side. At first I think, didn't they see that car? But the odd thing is, when a driver becomes focused on something on the side of the road, he will actually begin to veer off the road toward that object.

As I write this, there is a lot going on in the world that we can begin to fix our attention on—violence in the middle east, and most recently, anarchy in Egypt, a sky-rocketing U.S. debt, increasing acceptance of sin to name just a few. Even in our own lives, and more personally, many times in our own hearts, there is conflict, pain and uncertainty.

When we begin to focus on these things, our minds will follow and at first that will cause us to slow down our progress on the path the Lord has set us on—following and serving Him. Eventually, we'll veer off onto a wrong avenue and begin a journey down a dark road of despair. Soon we'll look back and find that much of our peace is gone.

But we have the sure promises of God.

God has given His children the promise that if we keep our minds focused on Him we will have peace. If instead of focusing on problems, we immerse ourselves in His Word and let it penetrate into our hearts, continually praying to Him for wisdom and strength, and allow Him to take care of the battles that rage around and even within us, we will find that He is faithful, we will learn to trust Him more and more, and His peace will reign in our hearts.

It’s not always easy to do, especially when we get blindsided with difficult news or we encounter a turn we didn't anticipate. I think we have to begin our journey every morning making a new commitment for that day to focus on the Lord. And one day our journey will be over and we’ll greet the Lord and say, “I’m home!”

God bless!

Photo attribution to Stuck in Customs on flickr.

Time Out

2011-01-05T12:19:00.008-07:00

Well, this is going to seem like odd timing considering I just started the Facebook and Twitter pages for the blog, but I'm going to take a break for a little while. If God puts it on your heart, please pray for me. Thanks for your support.

Love,

How's Your Love Quotient?

2011-01-03T13:46:00.005-07:00

I saw an interview with Aron Ralston, the mountain climber who, in 2003, went for a day hike and instead spent 5 ½ days trapped by a very large boulder that had dislodged, falling onto his right forearm and pinning him to the side of a canyon. He was in a very remote area, leaving him alone with only his camcorder, his hiking gear, and his thoughts.

He attempted to free himself first by trying to push the boulder off his arm, then by using a knife to try chipping away at the boulder. Neither worked. He sipped on the little bit of water he had and when that ran out, he hydrated himself by drinking his own urine.

When the days slipped by and he lost hope of being freed, he carved his name, date of birth and the date he believed he would die in the canyon wall next to him. He videotaped what would be his last will and testament and last goodbyes to his parents in hopes that someone would eventually find his body and return the message to his family.

And then, the last night he spent in the canyon, he had a vision. The vision was a scene of himself, sitting on a living room floor, playing with a little blonde-haired boy. Though he wasn’t married and had no children, he somehow knew that little boy was his own son. And the immense love he instantly felt for his son gave him the courage to begin to free himself by cutting off his own arm.

Through intense pain, he cut through the skin and nerves and muscle all the way to the bone but then realized the knife was too dull to cut the bone. He would have to break his arm. And so, using some of the hiking gear, and the boulder as leverage, he broke the bones in his forearm, cut off the rest of the arm, and freed himself. As he walked the several miles back to his vehicle, he crossed paths with a couple who called authorities and he was rescued by helicopter.

During the interview, Aron spoke about the vision he had of the boy he knew was his son, and the fact that it was the deep love he felt for this child that gave him the courage to do what had to be done throughout his staggeringly painful ordeal. He said that there was nothing like the love between a parent and child. He knew he had to survive for his son.

As I listened to Aron, I couldn’t help but think of Christ and the fact that what kept Him held in the arms of His captors, what kept Him standing before Pilate, being sentenced by a mob to a cruel death even though He was innocent of any wrongdoing, and what kept Him held to the cross despite unbearable pain, was His love for us.

His love for every one of us and His overwhelming desire to purchase our freedom from the penalty of our sins far outweighed the love He had for Himself.

His love for us knew no bounds even when that love kept Him bound.

So, why do we, as children of God, do what we do? Why do we get up every day and serve others? What motivates us to turn away from all the world’s attitudes of selfishness and greed? Why do we go against common sense and love our enemies? What keeps us going through trials without sinning either in deed or attitude?

If we forget that it’s all about our love for the Lord and glorifying Him, we will lose sight of why we’re going through it and that will cause us to forget how to get through it. As our focus on the Lord gets smaller, our trials will seem overwhelming in our eyes. We will forget to entrust our lives to the loving Lord who died for us. We will get so focused on the trial itself and on ourselves that we will forget that God is working all things together for our good.

We may not always know the exact reasons why we go through very difficult and painful adversities, but God, Who loves us more than we can imagine, does. If Jesus would put Himself on a cross for the reason of purchasing the freedom of the ones He loves, why would He not have eternally praiseworthy reasons for allowing us to go through our momentary afflictions?

Have courage, my dear friends, we are loved by the King!

“let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1b-2

Oh, and by the way, Aron married Jessica Trusty in August of 2009, and they had a beautiful baby boy in February of last year. His wife has blonde hair.

Blessings,

Out of the Shadows and Into the Light

2010-12-31T12:10:00.006-07:00

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Now is the time everyone likes to make resolutions. I’ve never been a big resolution-maker myself, although I do like the thought of starting a brand, new year. We plan and have lofty ideas and goals and ways to make our lives better.

We think losing weight will make our lives perfect. Or climbing the corporate ladder and making more money, surely that will make our lives perfect. Or finding a spouse--a first one or a new one--or putting all our efforts into this relationship, that’s bound to make our lives fulfilling. Or we could just determine to pour all our efforts into serving at church.

We make all these plans, thinking that in them alone will be the magic bullet that makes our lives all we want it to be. Somehow, though, those resolutions don’t seem to last that long, do they? And even if they do, they never seem to be quite enough and we go searching for something else to fulfill our lives.

The thing is, we can resolute until the cows come home, but unless Jesus Christ comes first in our lives and He fills that void that only He was meant to fill, we will keep trying to fill it with something else.

As I look back on this past year, I realize the one thing the Lord has shown me over and over again is that all things are but a shadow of His grand and perfect love for us. Only He is meant to fill the emptiness in our hearts and fulfill our deepest longings.

When we don’t seek God first and allow Him to be everything to us, we will automatically begin to focus on lesser gods--relationships, careers, entertainment, drugs and alcohol--to fill the void. None of that will ever completely satisfy and so we hungrily continue searching and trying to fill that emptiness with everything but Him. Even service to the Lord will not meet our spiritual needs without first seeking relationship with our Heavenly Father.

As I look ahead to the stark-white pages of the coming year, I wonder what will be written on them. Will they be filled with stories of running ahead of God and trying to fill the void of my heart that His absence has left with all those other things?

The Christian life is not about seeking the things, it’s about seeking after God. It’s about an active, loving relationship with the Lord. It's about the act of daily worshipping the King of kings in all we do. And if we are making plans without Him, we could be taking ourselves far away from the awesome plans He has for our lives. We could be settling for good, when He desires to give us His best. But when Christ is first in my heart, then my spiritual eyes are focused and the Lord can show me what His plans are and He will give me the power and strength to carry them out.

When we make the decision to make the Lord our number one priority, when we focus on knowing and loving Him, when we allow relationship with our Heavenly Father to fill that deep, dark longing in our souls the way He desires, then everything else will fall into place. He will make sure of it. Not that our lives will be perfect, but we will have the peace of knowing that no matter what happens, we are right in the center of His will.

Seek the Lord wholeheartedly and then wait in faith. He’ll show you where to go and what to do and how to do it, and you’ll have His power to accomplish it. And who doesn’t need God’s power to drop a few pounds, right?

All God's best to you,

I'm All Ears

2010-12-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

Larry King recently aired his last show after 25 years. I’ve wondered what made him such a long-standing success. Even he has said that all he’s done is ask questions, but I think that's only part of it.

I think what’s made Larry King and the show so well-received is that he listens. He doesn’t gab, he doesn’t try to steal the limelight; he simply asks a question and then he listens. And that allows the guest to pour out their heart, and we, then, have a chance to hear it.

Jesus is a good listener, too. I think about the time He passed by the pool at the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem where many of the sick went, believing that if they were the first to step into the waters when they were stirred by an angel, they would be healed.

Scripture says that a great multitude of people who were sick, blind, lame and withered lay near the pool, and yet Jesus apparently spoke to only one--a man who had been ill for 38 years. Why did Jesus choose him out of the rest? I believe it’s because Jesus listened to his heart. Jesus knew without a word that this man had laid there for a very long time. He knew that he truly desired to be healed and that he had no one else to help him.

And so He asked him, “Do you desire to be made whole?”

And the man answered, “Sir, when the water is troubled, I have no one to put me into the pool. But while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

Jesus heard his heart--that is, He comprehended the pain and longing in this man’s heart--and He had compassion on him and said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And he did. (John 5:2-9)

Because Jesus slowed down and listened, a man was healed.

We live in a very noisy and busy world with many hurting people. A lot of people talk, but not many listen. I can’t tell you how many times someone has walked past me, asked me how I was doing, and barely slowed down long enough to hear the answer. Many of those times I was hurting and needed a friend. It’s not their fault; I don’t blame them. We all get caught up in our noisy, busy worlds and we forget to listen.

What’s more, we forget to really hear. We forget to listen with real compassion and empathy.

How many hurting people do we pass by every day? How many of those people are members our very own family, whether by blood or by Spirit? Do we hear the struggle in their words or the pain in their voice?

How much strength could another person find to get through their trial, how much joy, how much love could we bless another with who is in pain just by listening?

I know when I’ve been hurting I don’t necessarily need someone to fix the problem for me, I just need someone to listen and to care and maybe even take just a moment to pray with me. What a tremendous blessing it is when someone does.

We need to be real with one another about the difficulties we’re going through, and we need to allow others to be real with us. We need to live out Galatians 6:2 which says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the Law of Christ.”

Jesus always hears our hearts whether another person does or not. And He always listens with a compassionate ear. We become more like Him when we slow down and show the same love and compassion toward others whose hearts need a friend.

How has someone blessed you by listening?

Dorci

A Light In The Darkness

2010-12-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

In the dead of night, as the world around them slept and all was dark and quiet and still, under a twinkling mobile of stars, a King was born. No fanfare greeted Him, no parade announced Him, no room was made for Him save for an ordinary barn.

And in the light of day, as the world beyond them busied and all blindingly labored under the weight of their own sin, a Messiah was born.

Though creation groaned for a Savior, the world was wholly unaware of the miracle that had occurred in their midst.

The Christ had stepped down from His regal throne at the right hand of the Father and was born a helpless babe.

And his mother laid Him in a manger. The trough that was constructed to contain food for beasts now contained the spiritual food for all mankind.

Though we sought Him not, He poured Himself as the Living Water and gave Himself as the Bread of Life.

Quietly, humbly, the Light of the ages shone into the world and, joyfully, into the hearts of man. There is no high enough exaltation to give our King Jesus Who lovingly gave Himself for the salvation of all people.

May all glory and honor and praise lift up the precious Name of Jesus forever and ever.

“And the angel said to them, ‘Do not fear. For behold, I give to you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For to you is born today, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this is a sign to you. You will find the babe wrapped, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’” (Luke 2:10-14)

Let God Be Magnified

2010-12-20T10:20:00.003-07:00

This is not the post I was going to write for today. But I'm too angry to write that one. I'm too upset and saddened by news I just got about someone in my extended family. I won't say what it is, but suffice it to say satan is having a heyday right now.

I hate the enemy.

With a passion I hate him. He takes anything that God wants to give us for our good and enjoyment and pleasure and he twists it and makes it ugly and painful. He takes rainbows--given to us by God as a sign of hope and His enduring, holy love--and distorts it into something that is used to symbolize an unholy, irreverent sexual act.

he takes marriage--ordained by God as a union between one man and one woman--and deteriorates it into meaning little else than hooking up for a while and then leaving when it gets boring.

he takes relationship that God has given to each of us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and turns it into nothing more than a religion of self-pride. And then he takes those religions down deeper, darker avenues of God-distorting, Christ-lowering, self-elevating, heart-crushing, lying, mindless, evil organizations.

And people swallow the lies hook, line and sinker.

And the aftermath is never-ending. The pain goes on, the disappointment continues, and true love goes unfulfilled. And it's not just the story of my loved one I'm talking about. I keep hearing about others who are faced with their own enemy-warping joy-stealing stories. And all in the week of Christmas. What a coincidence. Not.

This is Christmas week and I will lift my God high. I will magnify the Name of Jesus above all names. I will ascribe to Him the glory and honor that is due His Name and more, if there ever could be more.

He is my Abba, my Father, my Counselor, my Comforter, my Truth. He is my Hope, my Future, my Love, my Teacher, my All in All.

He is the blessed King of kings, Lord of lords and God of gods. He is Elohim, Jehovah-Jireh and Jehovah-Rophe. He is Jehovah-Nissi and Jehovah-Shalom. He is the great Shepherd, the eternal Judge and He will have the last word.

He is El Shaddai.

He is the Alpha and the Omega and His Word will stand forever. He is the Rock of solid ground.

He is beautiful and His love is perfection. He does no wrong and tells no lies. He keeps every promise. Every soul who asks He will receive.

His Name is Emmanual--God with us. He stepped down from His high and lofty throne where He was worshipped and controlled the universe to show us just how much He loves us.

I think no one has said it better than S. M. Lockridge. I hope you join me in worshipping the one and only true God as you listen to Pastor Lockridge extol the great and mighty Name of our God.

You can read the Names of God here.

With all love and sincerety and hope for all God's blessings,
Dorci

Friday Funnies - A Lego Lesson {Jonah 4:6-11}

2010-12-17T14:15:00.002-07:00

Jonah, you sap. I'm going out on a limb and saying you're barking up the wrong tree.

Go here to catch up:
Jonah 1:1-3
Jonah 1:4-17
Jonah 1:17-2:6
Jonah 2:7-3:3
Jonah 3:3-10
Jonah 4:1-5

Trials Don't Take a Holiday, Do They?

2010-12-12T20:12:00.001-07:00

Last week I talked about my favorite Christmas, one when Jesus rode up on the white horse and saved the day. But not all of my Christmases have been filled with miracles. And I know that every year during the holidays there are many who are struggling.

We imagine that Christmas should be an exciting time full of parties and shopping and eggnog, but when we or a loved one is going through a trial or depression or loneliness, the expectations that we put on this time of year can really magnify our pain. Maybe you’re having a less than picture-perfect Christmas this year.

I want you to know that you’re not alone.

My dad suffered with depression and alcoholism since he was very young. There were many times he would be gone from home for days at a time on a drinking binge. The holidays were always an especially difficult time for him, and there was one year when I was about 14 that it became very apparent.

It was Christmas Eve and my dad had been gone for a couple of days. At some point during the day he stumbled into the house, went to his bed and passed out. The joy had been sucked out of our home. My mother, my sister and I sat on the couch together that evening to open our gifts, which was our tradition. There were no giggles or excitement as we opened our presents, only an overwhelming sadness. I can only imagine what my mother was going through.

My parents didn’t know Christ as their Lord and Savior, and my sister and I hadn’t yet given our lives to Him, so there was no hope of change, no joy of salvation, no understanding and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. That was a difficult Christmas, one of the worst. There would be others.

I want you to know that in Christ there is hope.

To have the hope of Christ you must first have Christ. Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me. (John 14:6) There are not a thousand roads to God; there is only One, and that is through God’s Son. Two thousand years ago, Jesus died on a cross and wrapped up the gift of salvation just for you. That gift can be opened right now by believing in Him, confessing your sins and giving your life to Him. I pray you don’t let another Christmas pass by without opening this most precious of gifts. And if you do pray to give your life to Christ, please email me and let me know!

Next, know that there is no such thing as a picture-perfect Christmas. Perfect is in the eye of the beholder. So tuck away those expectations of perfection in a box and mark it “Heaven.” Only there will everything be made perfect and we will lack for nothing.

Until then, if you are going through a difficult time, know that God is with you. I don’t want that to sound trite and I know that when you’re in the middle of a dark and painful trial those words can sound that way. But sometimes in the darkness, when you can’t see or understand, all you can do is hold the Lord’s hand and let Him lead you. He has promised to be your Shepherd and He always fulfills His promises.

Put your hope in Christ, the Creator of the earth, the Almighty God Who has redeemed you from hell and the Holy Spirit Who is your constant Companion of comfort. He is with you right now and He has a plan for your life. Keep focused on Him and continue to pray, pray, pray.

I didn’t realize it when I was 14, but Jesus was with me and my whole family that Christmas Eve. There would come a day when first my sister, then myself, and then my dad would each receive Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Remember, we are only sojourners in this very temporary life. And we are here for a high and lofty purpose. Just as Christ came, not to live in comfort, but to bring unparalleled hope and joy to the world, so we have been given the awesome gift of carrying His Light in our hearts so that we can continue to bring that hope and joy of Jesus Christ to the world.

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (2 Cor. 4:6-10)

What an amazing thing! We may not be surrounded by everything the world says is needed for a successful life, (and I don’t even think they can agree on exactly what that is) but we carry in us something of far more intrinsic, eternal beauty than anything this world has to offer—the life of Christ!

So rise up and have hope my brothers and sisters in Christ. Hold onto the Lord Who has redeemed you. Remember that Christmas is not what the world has made it. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our King, Jesus Christ, the joy and light of the world.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:3-9)

If you need someone to stand with you in prayer this Christmas, or at any time, please don’t let fear keep you from reaching out to someone. I would be honored to pray for you.

May your Christmas be filled with Christ!
Dorci

Friday Funnies - A Lego Lesson {Jonah 4:1-5}

2010-12-10T15:21:00.003-07:00

Jonah seeks counseling for his anger issues and god complex.

Go here to catch up:
{Jonah 1:1-3}
{Jonah 1:4-17}
{Jonah 1:17-2:6}
{Jonah 2:7-3:3}
{Jonah 3:3-10}

The Christmas Pop-In

2010-12-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

Just a quick pop-in to say hi and see how everyone's doing this Christmas season.

Are you having a blast? Are you snowed in? Are you hanging in there? Are you struggling? Are you done shopping??? We're just about done with that, thanks to the interwebs. Shopping goes a lot faster when you don't have to get in the car, drive somewhere and brave the crowds.

I'd really love to hear how you're doing.

Blessings!
Dorci

He Hears You When You're Praying

2010-12-06T12:54:00.004-07:00

I thought I had shared this story here before but I couldn’t find it when I searched. Whether you've heard it or not, I pray the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart in a fresh and personal way.

* * *

My husband and I were facing our second Christmas after we became Christians. Just a few months before I had quit my job to stay home and raise our son, who was a little more than a year and a half.

On paper we didn’t have the money to support ourselves, but I felt strongly that God wanted me home and I wanted to be there. We had faith that He would honor our obedience and that He would take care of us.

That faith was tested as Christmas day neared and we had no money to buy gifts for our precious son. He was still so young that he really didn’t understand that he would be missing out on Christmas morning, but we knew. And so I turned to the Lord.

I sat down in the living room one day while my husband was at work and just talked to the Lord. I was open and honest and poured out my heart to Him. I told Him we had no money (of course He already knew that) and that I knew the only way Eric would have any presents on Christmas morning would be if He gave them Himself, and so I asked Him if He would do that very thing. As far as I know, no one else knew about our situation.

Christmas morning came and we still hadn’t found a way to buy presents. My husband and I and our smiley, little Eric got up and started our day like it was any day, making breakfast and going about our usual routine, but joyful to celebrate the birth of our Lord.

And then there was a knock on the door.

All three of us went to the door and opened it. It was our next door neighbor. She explained that they had looked out their front window and noticed that in their driveway there was a Christmas tree and some boxes. When they went outside to have a look, they saw that there were some lights and ornaments for the tree. And there were gifts.

But she said they knew the gifts weren’t for them. They had two daughters who were older. The gifts were for a little boy, our little boy. She said they knew we went to church and thought maybe someone from the congregation had left them for us and just missed our driveway by one. (Personally, I think it was a divine “mistake,” so that God could reveal His grace in the eyes of our neighbors, too.) They handed us the tree and the gifts and I stood there stunned with tears in my eyes.

My Father had heard my prayer. I had reached out to Him in faith and He had blessed me by blessing our son…His son. He hadn’t seen it as a silly or frivolous prayer. What He saw was a heart that believed in Him and was reaching out to Him in faith in a time of need.

We set up the tree, gave our son his gifts and sat in awe as we comprehended the heart of our Lord. It was His birthday and yet He was blessing us. That was 20 years ago and it’s still the most precious Christmas I've ever had. In the world’s eyes we were poor, but in Christ we couldn’t have been richer.

I hope you know God loves you and He hears you when you call out to Him. And I hope you know the riches of Christ this Christmas and always.

“Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever.” (Psalm 28:6-9)

Blessings!
Dorci

Friday Foodie {Chocolate Pudding}

2010-12-03T12:20:00.002-07:00

I had some lonely whipped cream just lying in the fridge since the last bit of pie from Thanksgiving was eaten. It was crying out for some chocolate pudding to hang out with, so I made some.

It’s creamy and delicious, infinitely better than a box of powdered, chocolate-flavored preservatives. And it really only took me about 25 minutes from start to fridge.

Chocolate Pudding

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons cornstarch or ¼ cup flour

2 2/3 cups milk

4 egg yolks

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

1. Have egg yolks ready in a bowl. In a heavy medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch or flour. Stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly; cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Very gradually whisk in 1 cup of the milk mixture into egg yolks. (This is so the eggs don’t cook.) Add egg yolk mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk mixture.

3. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter or margarine and vanilla.

4. Strain the pudding through a fine strainer (just to make sure you remove any cooked egg bits) into a bowl and put plastic wrap directly on the pudding while it cools to prevent a skin from forming…unless you’re a fan of pudding skins. Refrigerate until cool.

Or, if your pudding craving just can’t wait (like me), or you just like warm pudding (also like me), put some pudding a separate bowl just for you, put the plastic wrap directly on the pudding and put it in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes. Take it out, peel off the wrap, slather it with whipped cream and enjoy. You can even top with a little cinnamon, crushed peppermint candy, crushed Oreo cookies or whatever your little ol’ heart desires.

Have a great weekend!
Dorci

Word for the weekend:

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:3-4

A Righteous Death

2010-11-29T19:52:00.002-07:00

“And coming to a place called Golgotha, which is called, Place of a Skull, they gave Him vinegar mixed with gall to drink. And when He had tasted, He would not drink.” Matthew 27:33-34

As was the custom, Jesus was offered vinegar mixed with gall, a bitter poison, to ease His unthinkable suffering. He stood exhausted, spat upon, profusely bleeding after being beaten nearly to death, thorns piercing his head, and facing a barbaric death. And yet He refused the cup.

He refused to have his suffering eased and his senses dulled by the narcotic.

He refused to take in the bitterness of spirit, the deep resentment that can come, if allowed, when one has faced suffering.

He loved His Father and He loved us. To Him, obedience and the salvation of our souls was infinitely more important to Him than His own momentary comfort.

We, too, are called to die to ourselves. Just a few chapters before, in Matthew 10:38, Jesus said, “And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.”

We cannot follow Christ unless we daily nail our own sins and yes, even our dreams, our worries and our own agendas to our own personal, figurative cross. How can we follow Him if we are busy following ourselves? How can we allow Christ to fulfill the unimaginable dreams and plans He has for our lives if we are busy following our own small, finite dreams? How can we live in righteousness if we are busy following worldliness?

And even the death of our old man, our carnality, the selfishness and pride that manifests itself in our mortal flesh, is painful. Sometimes that death has to come through suffering—an illness, a financial blow, a strained relationship. If we allow resentment to take hold of our hearts in a season of suffering, it will cause a root of bitterness to grow that is not easily removed. And that bitterness will dull our spiritual senses to the point that God will seem afar off.

And some will look to the poison of sin to ease their suffering. And when I say “sin,” don’t be tempted to think only of something obvious, like adultery or drug or alcohol abuse. Whatever we put before God in our lives, whatever we depend on more than Him, whatever we go to for comfort when we are in the middle of a painful trial instead of going to Christ, that is sin.

The comfort of sin is a façade, and when it has reached its end will swallow us in bitterness of soul.

Like Christ, we must refuse the cup of bitterness in whatever form it presents itself. Our suffering is for righteousness’ sake, for our own spiritual growth, to work into us the image of Christ our Lord. Suffering in the Name of Christ is a good and noble thing and will produce much fruit in the loving and skillful hands of the Father—fruit that will remain pure and unspoiled as we refuse the poison of bitterness.

Eternally Thankful

2010-11-24T19:29:00.001-07:00

To all my American friends: Happy Thanksgiving to you!

To all my international friends: Happy Thursday or Friday, whichever the case may be!

And to my God:

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever."

(Psalm 30:11-12)

You Are The One

2010-11-22T21:15:00.001-07:00

"When Jesus had said this, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, 'Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you shall betray Me.' Then the disciples looked upon one another, wondering of whom He spoke. But there was one of His disciples leaning upon Jesus' bosom, the one whom Jesus loved." (John 13:21-23)

"Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." (John 20:2)

"Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following (the one who also leaned on His breast at supper, and said, 'Lord, who is he who betrays You?' Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, 'Lord, and what of this one?'" (John 21:20-21)

I love that the apostle John refers to himself over and over in his account of Christ as "the one whom Jesus loved." Not that Jesus loved any of the other apostles less, but John saw himself first and foremost as one who was loved greatly by his Lord. It would seem there was never a doubt in his mind of Jesus' love for him.

John was confident of Jesus' love at the last Passover meal when Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him.

He was confident of His love in the dark hours of confusion that followed Jesus' crucifixion and death.

He was confident of the love that Christ had for him even when a brother tried to point a critical finger at him.

In all circumstances he knew he was loved by the only One Who really mattered.

I hope you know, too, that you are the one whom Jesus loves. No matter what hardship you face now or in the future, no matter what you've tackled in the past, you are loved by the Lord. There is no one He loves more than you. If you had been the only inhabitant of earth, He would have come and died for your sins just the same.

If you are a disciple of Christ, I hope you'll walk in faith and pure confidence at all times that you are the one whom Jesus loves.

Friday Funnies - A Lego Lesson {Jonah 3:3-10}

2010-11-19T10:57:00.001-07:00

Well waddya know, the Ninevites really are all "eeeeeeeeeee."

Go here to catch up:
{Jonah 1:1-3}
{Jonah 1:4-17}
{Jonah 1:17-2:6}
{Jonah 2:7-3:3}

Awaited Blessings

2010-11-13T17:52:00.001-07:00

The following is a devotion I had the blessing of contributing for the November newsletter for the Christian website, Halas & Phos, Salt & Light, run my dear friends, Tim and Cindy Mrva. Hop on over and take a look around.

* * *

There are so many things I’d like to teach my children to do: how to cook a meal other than hot dogs or pizza, how to clip a dog’s hair, how to plant a garden according to season and light, how to better prioritize their lives to reap the best benefits, how to save money and how to give it, how to study God’s Word. But they’re so busy running here and there and their vision for the future doesn’t see much past tomorrow.

I wonder how much the Lord wants to teach us, too--how to cook a meal for an ill neighbor, how to care for God’s creation, how to plant seeds of the gospel and how to water them, how to better prioritize our lives to reap godliness, how to give generously, how to love Him and how to better receive His love. But we’re so busy.

God’s creation begins to slow down in autumn and it calls to us to contemplate with it. Leaves gently change color and invite us to stand and look at their beauty. The crisp air slows our bustling to enjoy its fresh aroma. Even Thanksgiving beckons us to sit a while with loved ones and happily chatter all at once about the previous year’s events and reminisce about days gone by.

Yes, it’s been a difficult year, but we still have much to be thankful for. And if we will only slow down our mad running from this to that to the other and be still, we will be able to look around and see again all the ways God has blessed us and give Him thanks.

And as we’re still, giving thanks for blessings already bestowed, God invites us to call to Him that we might discover the blessed mysteries we have yet to know that He so longs to reveal to us.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

Our Father’s love for us is terrifyingly wonderful. He desires to teach us all things crucial for a blessed and fruitful life and they are ours if we will only linger at His table, and listen, and be inspired with awe at our Father’s goodness.

Friday Funnies {Friend Request}

2010-11-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

Is your face in His book?

The Pop-In

2010-11-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

So I thought I'd pop in today just to say hi.

Hi.

Last week proved to be interesting in the "being poisoned" department, first by an innocent-looking banana, and then apparantly by a spider who took advantage of the fact that I was sleeping. But it's a new week, and hopefully one that doesn't include any vomiting or prophylactic use of Benadryl.

It is November, and probably the umpteenth one I have sworn to get all my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving. To date this year...I've done none. Oh, I've thought about it, but you know, it's hard to figure out what to get your kids when they're no longer kids, let alone know what to get family members. I'm gonna give it my best shot to get the shopping done in the next couple of weeks, though. Come on, we can do it!

I really just want to enjoy my Christmas season this year without the stress of last minute shopping and crowds and traffic and then by Christmas morning I'm worn out and realize I haven't given much thought to the real meaning of Christmas. I hate that.

Well, time to go brush the dog.

Have a great week, everybody. And don't forget, my email's always open for prayer requests, comments or questions.

God bless,
Dorci

Friday Funnies - A Lego Lesson {Jonah 2:7-3:3}

2010-11-05T17:05:00.003-07:00

{Jonah 1:1-3}
{Jonah 1:4-17}
{Jonah 1:17-2:6}

George and Jonah work on their projects...downtown.

Operation Christmas Child

2010-11-04T14:04:00.002-07:00

Can you believe it's November already? Before you know it'll be Thanksgiving and then Christmas is right around the corner. Maybe you're thinking about how you can help others who are far less fortunate than we are during this season of giving.

Samaritan's Purse is a 40-plus year old, non-denominational Christian, philanthropical organization whose President and CEO is Franklin Graham, the son of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham. Samaritan's Purse works tirelessly throughout the year to bring aid to the poor, sick and suffering around the world.

At Christmastime every year, Samaritan's Purse launches Operation Christmas Child, an outreach where they take in shoe boxes filled with gifts and send them to children in need all over the world. This is where you come in. It's simple:

1. Pack a Shoe Box

Just grab a shoe box or a small plastic container, fill it with simple toys, school supplies, hygiene items, certain types of candy and even a personal note, if you wish. Include a check for $7 to cover the cost of shipping. Or use the EZGIVE option below.

2. Download a Label

Download a label that shows whether your box is for a boy or a girl and the age range the gifts are appropriate for.

3. Drop It Off

Enter your zip code on the website and it'll show you your nearest drop-off location.

4. Follow Your Box

If you pay for shipping online using EZGIVE, you can follow your box online.

And that's it! Last year Operation Christmas Child fulfilled Christmas dreams for 8 million underprivileged children. I don't know of a more worthy organization and better way to bless others as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and all the ways He's blessed us.

Collection week for the shoe boxes is coming up quickly, November 15-22.

Take a look at just how easy it is:

Unadulterated

2010-11-01T11:58:00.001-07:00

Truth is unyielding to the whims and opinions of man. It is unbending to the changing world around it. It is immovable and unshakeable. It is enduringly constant; it is uncompromising, unrelenting and unwavering in its steadfastness. It is laid open and bare and invites the light to reveal its purity and beauty. It is what it is.

Truth will not compromise its frame to fit our character; we must bend and stretch and twist and turn and yield to mold to the shape of truth, or else be broken.

But the Master Carpenter will see that only our will is broken. With His tender and loving hand He heats and hammers and shapes and forms. He removes only the rough edges of darkened character that do not fit the shape of truth. He prepares us as a thing of beauty and when we stand before Him--a masterpiece.

The Other Side of Darkness

2010-10-29T13:44:00.002-07:00

When I was a little kid my mother started getting together with a friend of hers to play with a Ouija Board and Tarot cards while all the kids played in the basement. It was harmless fun, they thought. After all, Ouija Boards were tucked between Twister and Monopoly at the toy store. I have no idea where they got Tarot cards. My best recollection is that they got together a few times over the course of a number of months, and then something happened and they were no longer friends. We moved across the country and my mother brought with her the game of curiosity in the spirit world.

It was never anything serious, or so it seemed. We grew up with it and it seemed normal to be surrounded by conversations about my mother seeing the spirits of dead babies sitting on the foot of her bed, or the belief that objects had been moved around the house by spirits long gone...or something. It was a regular occurrence for me to wake up in the night filled with fear in the belief that an entity from beyond the grave overshadowed the threshold of my bedroom door.

As we got older the fear and darkness overshadowed our entire home. My mother’s sense of logic became completely unsound and a lie to her was as good as the truth. Her words toward all of us became vile and emotionally and mentally abusive. She became a master deceiver and manipulator. My dad couldn’t see it because he was busy drowning in alcoholism.

One night, after I had moved out of the house at age 17, my dad’s alcoholism reached a breaking point and my mother decided he needed help. She always thought it was someone else who needed help. So she called for some type of minister or counselor to go to the house some time later. During that meeting, a type of prayer of sorts took place, and while “praying” my mother feigned the voice of Christ to coerce my dad into changing his life. He began to see the depths to which she had descended. It had happened gradually, but the dark deeds of evil had taken hold.

Sober, my dad was a quiet, sensitive, loving, although depressed, man. He had been shocked by his own behavior that was brought on by his alcoholism and he quit drinking cold turkey, at least for awhile. But the darkness in our home had taken hold of him and everything that had happened would weigh heavily on his heart for the rest of his life.

Meanwhile, my mother continued to spiral downward into her own little world of mental illness. After their divorce, she continued her tirades toward my dad and me. Even her body began to be ravaged. She became so ill that she had to be made a ward of the state and she was taken to live in a nursing home where she lives to this day. She regularly spewed vulgar rants to anyone who came near, including every one of her caretakers, whom she lost one by one because they couldn’t take her abuse. It was heartbreaking to watch and to be a part of.

The last time I saw her I barely recognized her. She lay motionless in her bed and looked at least 20 years older than her true age. I tried talking to her via email. She didn’t really remember me at first, and once she did, the attempts at abusive manipulation started all over again.

For many years before my dad’s death, I tried talking to him about the Lord and about salvation. He would always say he was trying but somehow I could never get through. He became ill in the last couple of years of his life and I prayed more than ever that God would open his eyes to faith in Christ. Many precious saints prayed for him as he lay on his death bed in the hospital. On what would be only days before his death, the hospital called one morning to tell me that he had had some sort of seizure and that I should come quickly.

As I was getting ready to go, my pastor’s wife called saying that she had been outside when the Holy Spirit put on her heart to call me. I told her what had happened with my dad and she offered to call the man who was our assistant pastor at the time to see if he could go to the hospital to see my dad.

By the time I got to the hospital, my dad seemed to be over whatever had happened to his body earlier in the day and no one knew exactly the reason for his seizure. He had never had one before or since.

A few hours later, the assistant pastor and his wife came. She talked to me in the hallway while he went in to visit with my dad. A short time later the pastor met us in the hallway and said that he had talked to my dad about his salvation and my dad had said yes, he wanted to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. They prayed together right there in his hospital room. Needless to say, I was overjoyed. After all those years of not only my prayers, but come to find out, the prayers of many saints throughout his life, my dad finally opened his heart to Christ for salvation and I knew I’d see him in heaven someday.

I will always wonder if the evil forces that were brought into our house as a game so many years before had slowly but surely permeated our home and had somehow taken hold of my dad to such an extent that it took a miracle of the Holy Spirit to unleash it from his body, and if that was really the cause of the seizure the same day he prayed to receive Christ.

I’m sure that never in their wildest imaginations did my parents ever believe that their lives would turn out as they did. One looked for a way to pass the time by satisfying her curiosity about contacting the spirit world. The other seemed to dismiss it as if it were nothing. I believe the enemy gleefully used both perspectives.

What may be a game to us is no game to the enemy; it is an open invitation into our lives. And when we overlook the seemingly innocuous ways the enemy worms his way into our lives, he grabs the chance and runs with it. He is always looking for a way to deceive and to lie and he’ll use whatever methods work, even wrapping them in pretty packages and entertainment, and he counts on us seeing the deceit as only an apple.

I don’t for one second believe that the enemy ran scurrying from me when I received Christ as my Savior. Oh, he has no hold on my soul anymore; Christ is my Savior and always will be. But I see the enemy using the same, old tricks to try to get me focused on him instead of the Lord.

As believers, we have a choice every day about who and what to allow in our lives--the Light of Christ or the fruitless deeds of darkness. Whoever and whatever we give place to in our lives each day--that is where we’ll receive power and direction.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:8-11)

Yes and Amen

2010-10-25T13:52:00.001-07:00

At least three times a month I decide to quit blogging. And yet here I am again. Hope springs eternal, I suppose. And so does the Fountain of Life. If you tire of hearing about the ways an extraordinary God moves in and through an ordinary life, namely, mine, you might as well move along to a food or decorating blog, or go back to watching your favorite re-runs of I Love Lucy or your RPG’s.

Here is where we’ll participate in the ultimate Role-Playing Game--our own lives. Here is where we’ll leave the world behind and scratch and crawl our way to the hem of the Master’s robe and find healing for our souls. Here is where I hope to reveal the wisps of an all-powerful Holy Spirit breathing life, hope, meaning and even holiness into an otherwise meaningless albeit sometimes odd existence.

I couldn’t get by without the promises of God. Although He is well-acquainted with our own failings, we serve a faithful God Who loves us enough to want to calm our fears by telling us of His promises over and over in His Word. And we can count on those promises as sure as if they have happened. "For all the promises of God in Him (Jesus Christ) are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Years ago, early on in my walk with the Lord, I began to struggle with how I could ever serve the Lord. I desperately wanted to be of use, but I had no discernible talents. I couldn’t sing or play an instrument, I couldn’t teach, I wasn’t even one of those out-going people who felt comfortable just jumping into a role.

The Lord heard my prayer about it one day and the Holy Spirit put some words on my heart that I knew I had heard spoken from scripture, but wasn’t familiar enough with them to even know which book to find them. So I started doing a word search from the few words I could remember. I finally found it and it turned out to be Jeremiah 29:11, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

So I held onto that promise and sure enough, the Lord blessed me with many ways to serve Him.

And now, here I am again, almost 20 years and one very worn-down body later, wondering what I can do to be useful in the hands of the Lord. How can I serve Him when even cooking dinner has become a challenge? The answer? I don’t know. I think that’s why three times a month I change my mind about blogging for the kingdom. I want to do something, if even a small thing, for my Father Who saved me from so much.

So I’ll hold onto His promise again - that He knows what He’s planned for me, and that those plans are to prosper me, not to harm me as satan would have me believe. No, my Father has planned to give me hope and a future. After all, I’m still here, right?

Are you holding onto that promise for yourself?

Friday Funnies A Lego Lesson {Jonah 1:17-2:6}

2010-10-22T09:32:00.001-07:00

{Jonah 1:1-3}
{Jonah 1:4-17}

Jonah hangs with Geppetto in the belly of a fish.