He Saw What I Could Be

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being."

By: Goethe

When I read this quote it brought to my memory the song my pastor sings, "HE SAW WHAT I COULD BE". When Jesus looked upon us, when we were yet sinners, He truly looked at us as we ought to be and not as we were and then He helped us to become what we are capable of being.

But he saw not what I was, He saw what I could be
When he reached his hand to where I was

He took a chance on me
For all he had to hope for, Was just a possibility
Still he saw not what I was, He saw what I could be

Thank you Jesus, for looking beyond what I was and seeing a possibility. Thank you for taking a chance on someone like me. Thank you for seeing what I could be and for making me what I am today. For all that I am is because of you. Now in return, I want to reach out to others and see them as you see them. I want to treat them as if they were what they ought to be and help them to become what they are capable of being by leading them to you Lord. I want to look beyond what they are and see what they could be in you.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Look Upon The Fields

John 4:35; "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."

We have been praying for revival at our church. God is moving in a mighty way. This past Sunday evening we had an awesome service. The power of God came down and the people of God responded in a beautiful way. There were several in the altars and we had a wayward child of God come home and it was a precious sight to behold as she began to speak in tongues once again. I am expecting more backsliders to come home. I am looking forward to seeing new faces to receive this precious gift of the Holy Ghost. I am desiring to see lives changed. But we, as the children of God must do our part. We must take the seed to them. We must spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The fields are white and ready to harvest.

We each have a field of our own to harvest. That field is right in front of our eyes. These fields are our job sites, our schools, our neighborhoods, our communities. Each of us are responsible for our own fields. We must work them ourselves. We have been provided with the tools we need to get the job done. Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

The bible tells us in Luke 14:23; "And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." I believe that God is calling His church to fill His house with hungry souls so that He can do what He does best, Deliver, heal, restore and save souls. He is in the soul saving business, is He not? Our mission is to:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God did His part. Question is , Are you willing to do yours?

If the answer is yes, then reach out to the souls that you come in contact with. We run into souls everyday. Do we take the opportunity to tell them about Jesus and invite them out to the House of God? If not, then now is a good time to start for the fields are white and ready to harvest.

In Honor of Our Veterans

I know that Sunday was actually Veterans day but since Monday is being observed as a holiday in their honor, I would like to post a poem that I wrote in honor of our Veterans.

VETERANS

V – Valiant men and women - Fought for you and I

E – Engaged in battle - Knowing they could die
T – Tall they stood - For what they believed
E – Encouraged by their love - For this country
R – Remembering loved ones - Back at home

A – Anticipating hugs - Not knowing how long
N – Never the less - For their country they stood

S – Service to America - They gave all they could

Jolene Mendoza

11-12-2007

**Note** If you have not been to Shirley Buxton's blog site and viewed the Salute To Veterans, click on the link below to her site and check it out. It is worth watching. http://writenow.wordpress.com/2007/11/11/i-salute-the-veterans/

DE-STRESS!

I went to see my neurologist this past Thursday for a follow-up and he told me that he felt that the tumor was stable and growing at a very slow rate if at all. PRAISE GOD! He did tell me, however that he was concerned with the amount of migraines that I am still dealing with. There is a mass of blood vessels on the right side of the back of my head that swell and stretch every time I suffer with what they call these "complicated migraines" that cause me to have temporary paralysis to the left side of my body that last any where from 2 hours to 78 hours.

His concern is that one of these days I am going to have one of these attacks and the vessels will rupture and I will have a massive stroke. So he said I am to stay STRESS FREE. I really wanted to laugh at that. I mean we live life, right? Life is full of stress. How is that possible? He went on to tell me that when I feel any type of stress beginning to come on, then I need to learn how to DE-STRESS. How in the world am I to do that? He said that I am to turn and walk away. Doc said that if I needed to get in my car and drive away from what is causing my stress then do so. Whatever it takes, I need to learn to De-stress. He told me to be aware of any body signals that would alert me that stress is starting to attack me. Like tightness in my neck and shoulders. Any type of headaches coming on. Any signals like that. I need to be aware of these type of warnings and then heed those warnings and take action against them.

So I Began to think on De-stressing. How does one go about it? Well, some people like to work out. They go to the gym and exercise. My youngest daughter is a 911 communications center dispatcher supervisor and let tell you that is one stressful job. She goes to the gym and works out after a hard day at work. She says it helps her to release a lot of stress. She also likes to go for pedicures. She says it relaxes her. Or she just likes to go shopping. My oldest daughter is a foster mom and also holds down a full time job working with severely handicapped children who are in wheelchairs and she has to do most everything for them. She loves her job and loves working with these children. It is hard work and she has to do a lot of lifting. She De-stresses by finding a good book to read in a quite place and she kicks back and reads with her radio playing softly in the background. Or she will play her piano. Sometimes she will put her kids in the stroller and go for a brisk walk or she will play a game with her 6 year old son. That is her way of De-stressing. My son works in Corrections and he likes to De-stress by just be totally alone some where quite and peaceful after a hard day at work. Maybe he will go for a quite drive in country just to get a way from it all or he will just go home and crash in his room. I enjoy doing art work, decorating bulletin boards, and reading. Just let me do something creative and play some Godly music in the background and soon I am feeling much better. Some people like to play golf. That helps them De-stress. Whatever works we need to do it in order to De-stress.

I got to thinking about this in the spiritual realm. There are times that we get stressed out spiritually. When we feel the pressures of life begin to bear upon us and we find that we are struggling in our walk we need to De-stress. If we don't find a way to De-stress in the Lord we will start floundering around and things will just get worse and eventually we will have a spiritual stroke.

My pastor just preached a great message recently on "Stop Struggling" He said that when we are struggling we are not leaning on or trusting in God. Pastor compared it to when someone is drowning and you are trying to save them, the person being saved must relax and let you save them. They can not fight against you or you can not help them. They have to relax and trust you and let you do what it takes to get them to safety. That is how it is with God. We need to trust in God and let Him be in control.

Brother I. H. Terry once told me, "Sis why pray when you can worry?" I looked at him and said, "Didn't you get that backwards?" he replied, "Yes, but unfortunately, so does everyone else. People would rather worry, than pray and leave it in the hands of God. So, I ask why pray when you can worry?" Made me think, that's for sure.

The problem is, a lot of us go to the altar and pray and ask God to take care of a situation for us. We ask for His help and plead with Him and then when we get through praying, we get up, grab the problem and place it back upon our shoulders and walk away with it instead of leaving it there upon the altar for God to take care of. What is wrong with us? Do we not believe that God is well able to take care of the situation? Evidently not or we would have left it there for Him and Him alone to deal with. When we pick that problem back up and walk away with it, we are saying, "God, I think I can do a better job at solving this than you can and then we just make a bigger mess of things than what they already are.

It is time to quit flapping around with the chickens who can barely get their feet off the ground. All they do is go around squawking all the time. Then there are others who do a little better and they fly around with the sparrows. But why not let it all go and quit struggling like my pastor said. Hey I'm talking to myself as well. I am going to let it all go because I don't want to flutter around with the chickens and I don't want to fly around with the sparrows. I want to soar with the eagles. I want to rise above it all. I am going to let go and let God be in control of it all. I am going to De-stress spiritually in the Lord.

How does one De-stress in God? Fasting and prayer, reading His word, faithful attendance to the House of God. Godly fellowship, listening to Godly music, Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." We do not have time to think on negative things. When we think on negative things it causes stress. We must think on Godly things and that is the key for Godly things are positive. When we are positive in God we will be able to stay De-stressed spiritually and then we will begin to soar with the eagles.

So just like in the natural, heed the warning signs. When you see and feel the stress coming on, give it to Jesus. Matt.11:28.says; "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." When you go to Him, give Him your problems and burdens and leave them on the altar. Do not pick them back up and carry them away with you again. Quit struggling. Let go and let God. Quit flapping around with the chickens and quit flying with the sparrows. De-stress and let's soar with the eagles.

Propelled By Our Discomforts

M. Scott Peck:
The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.

I have pondered on this quote for several days now, probably because it hits home. I have been feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, and unfulfilled lately. It is as though I have been stuck in a rut. I feel as if I have been idle to long and that is not good. I am talking about feeling this way in my spirit.

We've all heard the saying, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." When we become idle and don't do anything to get out of that state of mind that is when destruction will come to our soul. Here's what the bible has to say about idleness: "By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through." (KJV) If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks. (NIV) Ecclesiastes 10:18

Then the bible goes on to say: "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger." Proverbs 19:15

"Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to." (1 Timothy 5:13)

One can be on the same level in God and not go any higher in Him only for so long before you become stale spiritually. If you stay there and don't do anything about it you become idle in your walk with Him. You won't grow any deeper or climb any higher in Him, you will become lax in your spirit. You will then become negligent, careless, sloppy, and laid back spiritually. You will then become comfortable in that state of mind. Then you will start to stagnate. Next you will begin to decline, fester, and rot within your spirit.

I do not want to shrug off this deep uncomfortable feeling that I feel in my spirit. For it is the hand of God trying to get my attention. Telling me to move on up a little closer to Him. Climb up higher. Grow closer to Him. Get a deeper walk with Him. Yesterday's walk isn't good enough. What He has for me now is even better than before. I must climb higher and higher each day. My walk must get deeper and deeper in Him each and every day.

It's just like swimming. I don't just get my feet wet, I jump in head first. That is the way it has to be with God. We must jump in head first. Let's get in to deep waters with the Lord. We must let Him surround us. I don't hang onto the side of the pool or stay where my feet touch the bottom of the pool when I go swimming. I like to get out to where I can swim. That is the way it has to be with God. I must get into deep waters with the Lord. I don't want a shallow walk with Him. I want a deep deep walk with the my God.

I thank God that He has stirred my heart one more time. But I ask that He doesn't just stir me but that He changes me as well. I don't ever want to become comfortable in my walk to the point that I find myself stagnating, festering, rotting, and declining spiritually. I want to be propelled by my discomfort so much that when I fall into a rut it will make me climb out of that rut and I will go in search of a deeper and closer walk in HIM. I will make sure that I am doing HIS will and not mine. I want to be open to HIS call and be willing to say yes Lord to whatever it is He ask of me to do. Maybe I have been holding back. But now I am letting it all go. I am yours Lord. I hold nothing back. I hold NOTHING back.

The Interview With God

Below is an e-mail that my daughter sent me. I thought it was beautiful so I wanted to share it with you. Click on the link below and then click on view presentation. I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup-frame.html

Isn't is good to know that He is there for us ALWAYS?

Anger - Is It Worth It?

Frederick Buechner:
Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue, the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel, both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back -- in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.

Anger, I have seen this cause a lot of people lose out with God. It has eaten them alive. I don't ever want to let anger get the best of me. I ran across the following scriptures and they go well with the above quote and I would like to share them with you.

What to do when you feel Angry:

(James 1:19-20 KJV) Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

(Ephesians 4:26 KJV) Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

(Proverbs 15:1 KJV) A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

(Matthew 6:14 KJV) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

(Proverbs 14:29 KJV) He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

(Proverbs 16:32 KJV) He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

(Ecclesiastes 7:9 KJV) Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

(Romans 12:19 KJV) Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

(Proverbs 25:21-22 KJV) If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.

(Hebrews 10:30 KJV) For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

(Ephesians 4:31-32 KJV) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

(Matthew 5:22-24 KJV) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

.(Proverbs 14:16-17 KJV) A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident. He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

(Colossians 3:8 KJV) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

.(Psalm 37:8 KJV) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Even if you feel you have a right to be angry, do you really have a right? No one had a right to be angry anymore than Christ did when He was on the cross and yet all he said was: "...Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..." Luke 23:34

Remember this: by Elizabeth Kenny:
He who angers you conquers you.

Lord, help me to be more like you!

Hold Fast To Your Dream

Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. (Lanston Hughes)

I looked up the word dream in the dictionary and the best definition for it was a fond hope.

"For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it." Romans 8:24-25 (NAS)

That same hope that delivered us from sin and gave us a new start in life will some day come and take us to a better place. So when things get rough and the way grows dim don't lose sight of what lays ahead.

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" Titus 3:16

While we are waiting for His returning there is still a work to do. We must reach out to a hurt, lost, and dying world. While doing so, we will face much opposition and many trials and tribulations. Don't let it get you down. "And let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9).

When the way gets rough that is when we call upon the name of the Lord. Psalms 121:1 reads; "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help." When He comes to your rescue then you can say: "Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:" Acts 2:26

What is my dream, my hope? That one day soon I shall rise to meet Him in the air to live with Him forever more in a better place called Heaven. I will hold fast to my dream. I will not let it die. I must not become a broken winged bird that cannot fly.

He is our hope, our strength, and the wind beneath our wings. Remember, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Hold fast to Him for He is our Hope - our Dream!