How often do we say, ” God gave us free will choice? ” Or have you heard someone say that? And on the flip side of the coin, how many times have you heard, ” God is in control and we have No Choice”?  In actuality Nowhere in the Bible are the words ” free will choice”  actually used.  Yep, I have researched, and as a dear friend says, I googled it, & the words “free will” are not to be found. But the fact that we are ” free to choose ” whether to Serve Him or Not is the theme throughout the Word.

I believe “Free-will” is a term that WE, mankind use to describe the actions we’ve seen WITHIN the Bible. Are there references that imply we have “free will”?  Yes, all through the bible. Here are a couple I like:Joshua 24:15–And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Deuteronomy 30:19–I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and acursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

It is my opinion, verses such as these that have “created” the term ” God gave us free will choice.”   I for one can testify,     “Life is all about choices” and the consequences of those choices belong to me too. Even though I do believe God is the Almighty Lord, my Creator I do not believe He is a dictator who lords over me stripping me of my Right to choose. The family of God wants us, their family to Love them from the Heart just as They love us. Just as we want our families to Love US.  For me this one verse sums it all up, proving that “in this house” we have the authority & freedom to choose…

Gen 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, to be like us. Let them be masters over the fish in the ocean, the birds that fly, the livestock, everything that crawls on the earth, and over the earth itself!”

Can I get an AMEN?!!

On that note:  as Kariamu says, “Choose Good Things!”

today’s view by Rev. Jones

Ever feel like your energy got up and left you?  I used to think age played no part in the loss of energy. I believed this due to how active I see the seniors here in California & now where I live.. in an Active over 55 apartment complex. I am noticing as I age and hang out with more people in there golden years, I hear it said, ” It sure isn’t like it used to be. Back in the day, I could run around all day, stay up till midnight dancing, sleep a few hours, and do it again.”  I hear myself saying, ” Amen, I feel ya.”  Of course they laugh at me cause I am the baby of the group but, I DO feel them. I am a pretty high energy person as many of you know but, like my neighbors say, ” I am not like I used to be.”  Now it is a couple of days a week I can hang pretty hard and the rest of the time all I can say is, “Praise God He slowed my fast pace desire down a notch or two.”  Do I also have days of being in denial & tellin’ myself ” you still got it – you just gotta get it revved back up. ”

I do know ” exercise, yes exercise” provides more energy in your day to day. Stress reduction helps tremendously, and Water! Go ole water…it is that inner garden thing again…it must be watered if you want it to thrive and reach for the heights of potentiality. So on that note..I am off to take a walk.   Oh & did you know Coconut Water will give you a boost?

Check out this website for 8 healthy energy drinks. http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/8-healthy-energy-drinks-that-can-give-you-boost-without-caffeine.html

All to often we get caught up in the ” what about Me?” blues.. yet, if you really think about it, the question should be,

” How can WE serve, how should we love, how can We?….. ”

This last few weeks over and over again it is being revealed to me just how BLESSED I am & how all through my life if it were not for “We” there would be no Me.  As one of my favorite songs says,  ” It shoulda been me, coulda been me, woulda been me, sleepin’ in my grave”  As I sang along it hit me, IF it weren’t for so many with the hearts of ” how can we ” ( help you, serve you, do for you )  That shoulda, coulda, woulda been dead sleepin’ in my grave verse woulda belonged to me. And    not once, not twice, but, three times IF He hadn’t made ole Death behave.. you ask, how was Death made to behave?            It was in thru the hearts of those who asked, ” how can We?”  And then they listened when Jesus showed up and gave them the answers saying, ” come and I will show you the way WE can Save her.”  Now mind you, I’ve known for years it is by the grace of God I am here today. But, somewhere along the way, all to often, I let my gratefulness turn into what about me?     So, when my parents called 3 years ago my mind went straight to, “what about me?, what about my life in Cali?”  Part of that  what about me was fear, I was afraid of going back into the darkness that surrounded them. But, the other part was just plain selfishness, having taken His blessings for granted & responding like a spoiled child. But, my spirit and His Spirit had a come to Jesus meeting and I listened and now I am so thankful that I did. Was it a cake walk ? – Oh no..but, God did use the situation not only to His good but, for my good, my parents good, & a few others along the way.  And there were a lot of times we had to ask, ” How can We…get along, help one another, get thru this? ”  As I always say, God was on time all the time and showed us ” the Way to and thru.”  Now I, like my song, go forward in testimony saying,   ” I’ve Got So much to thank the Lord for – forgiveness, a great home back in Cali, a job I love, & once again ole death was made to behave. ..ohhhh I am so full now with the spirit of grateful & do so love the Lord from the bottom of my heart.”  There is a verse that tells us to leave the dead to the dead and to go with Jesus and LIVE.  That’s where He is leading me Now, on the Journey of Life and LIVING.     In a place full of Light and Joy where I can enjoy my golden years.  Home, in the finest city in America, San Diego and I am So Grateful to be back. There were many things of the past that I had not realized still held me in bondage and oddly enough somehow the time spent with my parents & their death broke those chains and set me Free. I didn’t realize that for a bit..my heart was hurting but now, It is like they took the past to the grave with them. What a Beautiful parting Gift they gave me.         I thank Them for the things they shared with me before they left & the lessons I learned from them, for they were many in a short amount of time. And most of all,  I Praise God, who is an awesome God, I thank Jesus for being right there on time all the time, and I sincerely thank all those angels who were there for me with hearts of ” how can we?”   That list of angels would be to long to list and I wouldn’t want to miss not one name but, you know who you are…all of you my family, my friends, and even those strangers unaware…I thank You for your hearts of ” how can we when it came to me.”  Smile

Yes, God sure does work in mysterious ways.

All I can do now is give Praise and be SO GRATEFUL to be a part of the family of God who is a how can We..serve you, love you, help you, Save You  kinda family. Yep, I just LOVE this family and as He says, ” In this house WE will serve and Love”

Have you ever said to yourself, ” If I could just have a Do Over” ? While reading the accounts the Levites gave of God’s faithfulness in Nehemiah Chapter 9, it hit me Hard how God Does give us “Do Overs”  over and over and over again. At first when I was reading I thought, ” Geez, what hard heads, look how many times they rebelled horribly and He gave them another chance.”  That’s when the Holy Spirit hit me Hard, ” How many times have you been given another chance, nothing has changed, just like You, mankind is still needing Forgiveness over and over and over again.  ”  OUCH!! ” Right behind that ouch Love overwhelmed me over and over again.  I had flashes of memories of the many times and the many people who gave me    “Do Overs”.  Who loved me in spite of myself. But, most of all the memories flowed of how Jesus, even when others didn’t, showed up saying, ” come on, get up, let me show you The Way Again.” Talk about Love, Mercy, Patience. And all the while blessing me with all my needs and many of my wants…over and over again.   Think about it…think about how many times Loved ones, co workers, your boss maybe, children, friends, and Most especially God Have given you another chance to start Over Again.

A ” Do Over”

Now think about how many chances, because you have Love in your Heart, you have given others and God another chance.

A ” Do Over”

This moment with the Holy Spirit showed me this is what Relationships are all about, ” Do Overs”.  Now some things we learn the lessons and Praise God we don’t have to ” do over ” but, all to many times we do, we have, and we will experience again  ” do overs”. Or if you want it softened up you can call it a ” de ja vou moment “.  Any way it goes, it is a repeater. I pray YOU like me, once you think on it, will find it will soften your heart once again or more. Cause another thing we all fall into is a hard heart at times. Remember, We are called to reflect our BFF, Jesus. To grow continually in Love, Mercy, & Patience that we might be continually blessed & continually Bless others. To do this we must grow in the ability to be able to turn the other check one, two, 77 x 7 times.  Why?  Cause we all make mistakes, we all have tough times, bad days, pity party woooo is me days, and all to often in those times it brings out emotions that are not meant to feel like a personal attack but, they do. And most of the time we so regret the words we can’t take back…all we Can DO, just like they did in times of old, is ask & pray Again for a ” Do Over.”

Peace, Love, and Hugs!

P.S. I am not saying abuse in any form is ok, nor that we should allow a do over in that moment. I am not saying we shouldn’t Ever forgive either but, God does not call us to endure Abuse. The Abuser needs help and until they receive it and are Healed we must Step Away, leave them in God’s hands, shake the dust off our feet, send up prayer they will come to know God’s Love and move on in our purpose and Journey. Leave that situation to God to grant the ” do over ” and IF God wants you to show and give a “do over ” once they are healed..He Can and Will let you know….till then, stay out of the Way..                    that battle is not yours.

Each day God is revealing not only how important it is to have a relationship with Him but, with Myself…How important it is to LOVE myself as He Loves ME!  Here are a few Steps to remember as we move forward in our Life’s journey.

If it feels wrong, don’t do it!

Listen to that still small voice within

Never give up on your hopes and dreams

Never speak bad about yourself – (or others)

Avoid negativity as much as possible. We are Blessed and Loved..embrace all Life has to offer.

TGIF !!!!

Since July I have been reading the Bible, from the beginning and reading thru like you would any Good book. In the past I have read segments, even whole chapters but, never from beginning to end.  At 1st it was a hard read, then I prayed about it being difficult and how God seemed so angry so often and how that is not the God I know. I asked God to reveal himself as I know Him and help me understand why He reacted in what seemed such hostile ways in the Old Testament. I didn’t have to read much further and I began to see the words I was reading from the eyes of a Loving parent whose children were out of control, more than disobedient,  and just down right off the hook wild. Taking the gifts and blessings given and Slapping their Father and all His Love and Blessings in the face every time He looked up. As I continued reading God, the Father keep trying again and again to Forgive and try again with His children. Once again He would abundantly bless His children asking ONLY One thing; Be obedient and follow My guidance while ” in this house” (on earth, his Creation given to his children)                But, Ohhhh no, repeatedly His children showed their colors of greed, lust, disrespect, and blatantly I might add. More and more I was understanding. Many things were brought to my mind, both as a parent and as having been a disobedient child. Do any of you remember the saying, ” I brought you here and I can take you out too”?  I remember it well. How many of us have felt that way when Highly disrespected?  Now as I read the life stories of those in His Word Much is being revealed. God’s Love, forgiveness, Mercy, and His continuously asking only One thing, Be Obedient in my house.

Then tonight as I read Samuel 1 Chapter 15 verses 20-25 I saw myself and others in the scenario I was reading. The message really Struck a cord. Then I heard the Spirit say, ” Share these verses and pray they speak to your friends that they might see my Love, the Love of a Father & pray they too desire more than ever ” in this house ” to Be Obedient ” to My Word.

Verse 20: ” But, I have obeyed the Lord ” , Saul insisted. ” I did what he told me to; and I brought King Agag but killed everyone else. And it was only when my troops demanded it that I let them keep the best of the sheep and oxen and loot to sacrifice to the Lord.” Samuel replied, ” Has the Lord as much pleasure in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. He is much more interested in your listening to Him than in your offering the fat of rams (your stuff )  to Him. For rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshipping idols. And now because you have rejected the word of Jehovah He has rejected you as being King.  Saul admitted , ” I have sinned, Yes, I have disobeyed your instructions and the command of the Lord, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. Oh please pardon my sin and go with me to worship the Lord.”

How many times have you let the urges of “the people” override what you know in your heart is right and wrong. How many times instead have you turned your back on the Lord and participated in things you know are an act of disobedience?              I confess, I have and like Saul I can say, ” I have sinned”.  I can also testify and give thanks for God Loving me sooooo much that He gave His son, my brother Jesus, who takes all my sins and then gently takes my hand to guide me along “The Way”  Why do they do this? : Because they Love me so much that they are willing to break it down in The Word and show me the error of my ways.   It is times like this I pray & say, ” Thank You for never leaving me even when I have disobeyed. Thank You for your Mercy and LOVE. It is because of your everlasting Love & your Word bringing my spirit into oneness with your Spirit,  I am finally with my hard head, getting it !  It is the desire of my heart to live “in this house” as your obedient child, always growing and becoming. Personally, I want nothing more than to hear my Father say, “well done my child”. And you know I do hear Him say these words! Ya know when? It is when I spend time in His Word, when I listen and am obedient to His call when He asks me to do something, like in the sharing of these words I am posting right now. SMILE

May you all have ears to hear and eyes to see.  Shalom.

I think it is safe to say, ” we all have times of weak moments.”  Times of worry, doubt, and fears.

According to His Word, as children of God, we are to Be Strong and of Good Courage , as He will Never leave or forsake you, If you walk in His Word not turning from the right hand or the left, you can rest in this;  you may prosper wherever you go.  You ask, ” what and how do I do that? “

In Joshua 1: 8-9 God is letting Joshua know how. ” This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall Meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and you will have good success. Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.     Notice God is saying, “don’t just talk about His Word, don’t just read it out loud to be heard or just reading along.” But, Meditate in it day and night, that you may Live in it. Benefit from it, Grow in it’s Wisdom.

These days so many say, ” the book of the law” of the Old testament does not apply. ” Not so” according to the Word of our Lord, Jesus: Matt. 5:17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”     He came to show us the benefit and Love found within the book of the law.
There was and IS reason for the book of the Law; As with any Loving Parent God’s Law was given to His children to remind us of who we are & who we Can Be. Revealing what is needed to Live the Good Life God planned for our lives & save us from being led astray into the depths of darkness possible in a reprobate mind. The law is Not written to be used as a ” damnation” tactic but, instead as a guide of His Love, that we not loose site of right and wrong as we walk in the ups and downs of the trials and temptations of the world. The law is Not of No effect but, instead when we meditate on it, all of it, day and night, it is of Great effect ! Each day we grow, see, and experience how “all things do work to the good” for them who Trust in the Lord. So, as His Word says, ” be Strong & Courageous” seeking Him & His Word that you might have a Personal relationship with God the Father, Holy Spirit Mother, and Jesus the Son of God. Seek His Word with All your heart & mind, & body. In this your spirit & His Spirit become One and you will experience Living LIFE with God and walking in all His promises. You, like the children of Israel will be brought over and through any and all trials and temptations that may come your way. In this, like Joshua, you can rise up each day knowing, that you and yours will inherit all God has planned for You, His children who Love and Obey His Word. 

Praise God,  By experience I can testify His Word and Promises work when you work it.

His Way is The Way & the Light thru all things in this world. It is a fact we can not live All in the Positive nor is there Life all in the Negative. It is also Truth that it takes Both for existence to Live Life fully. Like a tight rope walker, he begins at the beginning and  does not turn from right or left but, with confidence, trust, strong, & courageous he steps out walking forward left foot, right foot on a narrow straight path, pulling what is needed as he goes until he reaches his goal;

the other side.

It is our nature to seek and in that seeking we will fall as we learn to walk, and Praise God we do have His Love and Grace thru the teachings of His Word that pick us back up and set us back on The Way until we too reach our goal; ” the other side”

Hugs to all and be of good cheer, we are never Alone.

Thank You Lesa for this post on FB. Thought it a great one to share on my Daily Living page for those prone to Migraine’s. Or maybe your day has just given you a plain ole Headache. Try this out and feel better.
It sounds very refreshing too..hmmmm think I need to hit Sprouts!

1/2 Pineapple
3-4 Kale leaves
1 stick of Celery
1/2 cucumber
1/4 lemon
1/2 inch of Ginger

Put it all together and BLEND into a great smoothie.

Enjoy!

How often have you heard or Said ” I just want to live a balanced life.” Or how about those that say ” here are the keys to living a balanced life” Can’t tell you how many times I myself have said that or sought out trying to live “the balanced life”. Then I gave up, coming to the realization there will always be ups and downs and occasional balance, but not to often. Praise God – I learn from it all. In God’s plan of nature here on Earth, there is the positive and the negative and without it we can not Live here on Earth.
Osho said it much better than I so, I will share this tidbit of his wisdom, cause he said it just right: “One of the most fundamental misunderstandings down the ages is that you can leave pain and walk in only pleasure, that you can avoid the moments of hell and have only heaven, that you can avoid the negative and can have only the positive. This is a great fallacy. It is not possible in the very nature of things. The positive and negative are together, inevitably together, indivisibly together. They are two aspects of the same energy.
Life consists of extremes. Life is a tension between the opposites. To be exactly in the middle forever means to be dead. The middle is only a theoretical possibility; only once in a while are you in the middle, as a passing phase. It is like walking on a tightrope; you can never be exactly in the middle for any length of time. If you try, you will fall”….Osho

So, on that note: Pay attention to all that comes your way, there is Life and Lessons in each moment. Love you all.

Greetings! I have risen out of the wilderness and returned to my “promised land!”
I am filled with Thankfulness, Joy, Praises, and my heart is filled with Love.
Very soon after I arrived back in California I spoke to one of my dear friends here who reminded me Ramadan was beginning the next day. Ramadan is a 30 day fasting time in Islam from sun up to sun down – nothing by mouth. Not food or water & in this 30 days you pray and read the Quran. The WHOLE Quran. Trust me it is not a small undertaking. Once the sun goes down you break your fast with family and very often friends. When I was practicing Islam, of course I always participated and it was always a revealing time for my spirit and wonderful cleanse for my body. But, since called into my walk with my BFF, Jesus I had stopped doing these fast with my friends and unfortunately stopped fasting almost altogether. I hadn’t even realized it really until she mentioned Ramadan was to begin. In that moment the Holy Spirit tapped me too, bringing to the front of my mind how I haven’t fasted in a really long time and reminding me ” Fasting should be a part of your worship & time with God. I have sent her your way. You should kick off your return home to Cali with fasting, prayer, and some quality time with God, Jesus, and Me.” This of course brought a slew of emotions and thoughts of how I have Not been spending quality time them even when I heard them knocking at my door. And how I have not been taking very good care of me either. Before we ended our conversation I told my friend, “ya know I am going to fast too…don’t think I can do sun up to sun down but, I will pray about it and ask God what He wants me to do.” A rush of Joy washed over me with even the thought of what I was about to begin. While thinking about how I used to be so committed to doing Ramadan His Spirit spoke to my spirit and said, ” you read the whole Quran several years in a row doing Ramadan, you prayed 5 times a day talking to me and sharing what was on your mind, you took to heart what was revealed to you in the teachings you were reading. Do you remember, it is how I brought you to back to know my son, Jesus. This time I want you to read the Bible from beginning to end, just as committed. As for your fast it will be on Only healthy foods 24 hrs a day. No yeast, as close as possible no salt, very little sugar and Yes, I want you to Pray and talk to me. I want you to get out of Your way & really listen for what I have to reveal. I have blessed you with a daughter who is an Organic cook, she will help you. I have blessed you with the job to support you and have reduced your stress considerably. This is your time to begin a new journey in life, your time is now meant to be spent a lot more with Me and the family of God. We love you, will heal you, & life will begin anew. ” Of course, I said, ” Yes, Lord” and felt the push to ask another of my friends to join me. I knew from our conversations, She too had been hearing that call and of course she accepted with bells on. It is a blessing when we talk once a week and share a little of our experiences and what is being revealed. One thing that we both have seen is Just how Blessed we are. Not to mention, how we really need to check ourselves when we even think of grumbling or complaining. We are pretty darn spoiled even in the tough times compared to what the Israelites went through.Read the Old Testament and I think you will get the picture too. It was during this reading I realized and heard the Spirit say, ” Do you realize, Like the Israelites, how much mercy I have given you, how much I Love you, and it is “I your God”, who has brought you out of your Time in the Wilderness, Home to the Land of Milk and Honey; I who brought you here so many years ago” That really tapped my door in many ways. It washed all over me, as I realized I too had behaved many times like the Israelites – grumbling and complaining because He wasn’t ALWAYS making things easy breezy. Or asking, ” why did you bring me back here to this wilderness, there is so much pain connected here ?” When the fact is He didn’t bring me to the wilderness and pain, I did. He just let me go and then taught me some serious lessons which have resulted in His Promise of “Romans 8: 28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” And Praise GOD all things did work together and for my Good with icing on the cake of Angels who were there to help and care for me the whole time I was floundering in the wilderness. Angels who are still and always will be my friends full of Love. Angels from all walks of life, going thru all types of journeys themselves, Angels of all ages and faiths. I have learned a lot about Love, Mercy, Forgiveness, about how we have no right to be Judgmental and how important it is we All learn to Love one another and understand one another. I have learned God does work in funny ways sometimes (literally Funny) and that being closed minded and hard of heart not only hurts others but, Really hurts you most of all. Beautiful blessings can be missed by being a closed minded hard head and not spending time with God. By not being obedient when He is trying to tell ya somethin’. But, Praise God He never leaves me in the wilderness all alone, Yes, I am blessed with many wonderful friends of all races, religions, and ages who are always there ready to walk with me and remind me of where I really need to go. I am SOOO thankful God keeps reminding me of How much He Loves me, Loves All His children, and how I am part of ” the I AM” created in the image of Him…the very image of Love. I am thankful He guides me to look in the mirror and see, That it is only when I pull away or disobey that things get hinky and my hairs turn Grey.
So my challenge this post is:
If you haven’t done a fast either in a very long time or maybe never done a fast at all, take the time to give it a try – Really would it be so bad to give God & yourself some Love…some quality time in His Word and in fasting and prayer?
Think about it…this challenge will only work to your good. Smile
Peace and Much Love – talk to you soon.