Being Spiteful - Who Does It Really Hurt?

The hair from your last haircut ... what would it say about your new style?

First, let me clarify that my last haircut was in May 1979 before God came into my life. Ohhhhhhh this question makes me want to split a gut. You talk about precious memories. How they linger.

An individual and I had an argument over this last hair cut and I was told that there was one thing I had better never do. Never dye my red hair a different color. Well, that just made my blood boil. I thought to myself, "Just who in the world do you think you are to tell me what I can and cannot do. I am over 21 and I'll do what I stinking well please! Besides you're not my boss!" So as soon as he left I proceeded to call up my friend and said, "Hey Cid, I was thinking about bleaching my hair blonde, what do you think, can you do it?" Her response was, "Sure, you would make a great looking blonde. Let's go for it!" Oh what a friend! See, Cindy was the one who cut my hair for me in the first place. So off to the store we went to buy the supplies to make me a knock out blonde.

We went back to my place, read all the directions and proceeded the process of bleaching my hair. I noticed as she was doing my hair she had this worried look on her face and I kept asking her what was wrong and she would just shake her head as if it were nothing. Then finally, she blowed my hair dry and Whoala! It was finished. She stepped back for me to take a look and I was excited and couldn't wait to see myself as a blonde but sudden panic took place. Instead of a beautiful knockout blonde I was a puky army green haired freak! I proceeded to grab my head and scream at the top of my lungs "What in the world have you done to my hair?" She swore up and down that she followed all the steps accordingly. I kept crying, "What have you done? What am I going to do?" over and over again. After much hand wringing, floor pacing and much tear shedding, Cid was finally able to calm me down. She convinced me that we could fix this. We just needed to get more supplies to re-do the job. So out came the bandana, wrapping it securely around my head, making sure all hair was tucked underneath, on went the sunglasses, to hide my identity, and off we went to the store to buy more ingredients to give it another try. It took us three more attempts to tone down the green machine so that I would not be that conspicuous in public.

Did I ever become a gorgeous blonde? Nope! Not even close. Just a dull, dingy, dishwater brown haired chick with a tinge of green. Will I ever dye my hair again? Well, obviously, since I am living for God, the answer is no. I don't believe that I would do it again,even if I had not been blessed to have God come into my life. Not after that experience. Nope, don't think so. I don't care what they are doing to their hair today.

The hair from my last haircut...what would it say about my new hairstyle? In my case, I think it plainly states that I cut off my nose to spite my face. While in trying to prove to someone else that they can't tell me what to do, I'm the one who had to pay the price for rebellion. Did the individual whom I dyed my hair out of spite for in the first place get upset? Not even. When he came over and saw what I had done to my hair, he laughed so hard he had tears rolling down his face. He showed up in the middle of the second attempt to correct the mistake. Please believe me when I tell you that it does not pay to be spiteful.

P.S. I learned that a lady should keep her best friend away from her hair especially if she has a pair of scissors or hair coloring in her possession. :)

Rock Of Ages

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee...

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Psalms 18:2)

This morning as I was flipping through my photos, the one posted above caught my attention. When my son sent this one to me from Quantanamo Bay Cuba, my first reaction was ‘Why send me a pic of a bunch of rocks?” But as I took a closer look I could see the creature hiding in the rocks. (Click on pic for a closer view.) When I looked at the photo again today, the above verse came to my mind. This scripture has proven to be true to me many times. When I am weak, He is my strength. When the devil throws fiery darts my way, my God is my shield and He wards off those fiery darts. When the situation becomes more than I can bear then all I have to do is grab a hold of the horn of salvation and He becomes my stronghold and I get renewed strength in Him. Yes, He is worthy to be praised and when I give Him all the glory and praise He deserves, He will deliver me from mine enemies. Surely He is my Rock Of Ages. For when I am facing times of trouble all I have to do is go to the Rock of my Salvation I go to the Stone that the builders rejected I run to the mountain and the mountain stands by me. When the earth all around me is sinking sand, On Christ, the solid rock I stand. When I need a shelter, When I need a friend, I go to the Rock.

What Is Your Talent?

"People of talent resemble a musical instrument more closely than they do a musician. Without outside help, they produce not a single sound, but given even the slightest touch, and a magnificent tune emanates from them". - Franz Grilparzer

When I ran across the above quote my mind immediately went to the scriptures in 1 Cor.12:12-31 and Matthew 25:14-26.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 tells us there is one body with many members. Some are the eyes, some are the ears, while others are the feet or the hands. We also have some who are the mouth. All are necessary and each used for a different purpose but all equally important in the kingdom of God.

We have all been given a measure of talent from the Master. Matthew 25:14-26 speaks of the master who gave his servants certain talents and how two of them took those talents and used them and multiplied them. One servant took the talent he received and buried it. He did nothing with his talent to further his master’s kingdom. The two who used their talents brought great happiness to their master and received blessings and the one who buried and did nothing with his talent brought the anger of his master upon himself.

We need to find out what our talent is. It could fall under any one of the following categories. It could possibly fall under two or more like the servants in Matthew 25 who received more than one talent. Our talent could be in the field of a preacher, evangelist, Sunday school teacher, home bible study teacher, outreach, kid’s church leader, or a bulletin board decorator. There are those who are called to keep God’s house clean and in order. You could be a door greeter, or have the talent of singing, playing an instrument, leading song service and the list goes on. Whatever you talent is, it is given of God. The question is: What are you going to do with it? Use it and multiply it for God’s kingdom or bury it and do nothing?

Lord, whatever talent you choose to give me, I’m willing to accept it and I want to be a musical instrument in your hands to glorify the kingdom of God. I want the slightest touch of your gentle hand to make a magnificent tune emanate from my life for your glory.

Kids! Don't Ya Just Love'Em?

My grandson, what a character he is. He thinks his uncle Mark is the best and can do anything. Uncle Mark rides a motorcycle, cool! Uncle Mark goes deepsea diving, real cool! Uncle Mark plays games with him, he's his best friend. Uncle Mark fixed his broken computer, he rocks! When we went to Eureka last summer for my sister's wedding, Caleb was telling my new brother-in-law something about uncle Mark, and he said " you know my uncle Mark don't you? He Rocks!" If you haven't noticed by now, uncle Mark is his hero.

Yesterday afternoon we were looking at my neice's blog site and my grandson noticed her article with the picture of the earth. Caleb, my grandson, is only 5 and into anything that is about science, the galaxies, ocean creatures, and dinasaurs. So it is no wonder he wanted to know all about Yvonne's blog with the pic of the earth. So we got on the story of how God created the heaven's and the earth, again. This was right up his alley since it involved the sun, moon, stars, water, sea creatures, and so forth. But this time he really got deep into the discussion. When we were through with our discussion and what a discussion it was, Caleb's final comment was, WOW, God rocks better than uncle Mark, Huh grandma? You gotta love that one, don't ya! Yes, Caleb, you're right, God rocks better than even uncle Mark!!!

Poem by: Yvonne Hinshaw

My niece, Yvonne, has written a beautiful poem about the blood. If you get a chance stop by and read it. This poem is just one of many poems she has written. Hopefully she will share more of them with us. http://yvonnehinshaw.blogspot.com/

Standing In The Gap

Chihuahua vs. rattlesnake
Zoey, a Chihuahua puppy, saved a toddler from an angry rattlesnake.

Tiny dog saves baby from rattlesnake
Mon Jul 23, 7:56 AM ET

MASONVILLE, Colo. - Zoey is a Chihuahua, but when a rattlesnake lunged at her owners' 1-year-old grandson, she was a real bulldog.

Booker West was splashing his hands in a birdbath in his grandparents' northern Colorado back yard when the snake slithered up to the toddler, rattled and struck. Five-pound Zoey jumped in the way and took the bites.
"She got in between Booker and the snake, and that's when I heard her yipe," said Monty Long, the boy's grandfather.
The dog required treatment and for a time it appeared she might not survive. Now she prances about.
"These little bitty dogs, they just don't really get credit," Booker's grandma Denise Long told the Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald.

When I read this story, it reminded me of how God stepped in and took the blows of sin for me at Calvary. It appeared that God wasn't going to survive those vicious blows of sin just like it appeared as though little 5 pound Zoey wasn't going to make it after taking the vicious poisonious strike of the rattler. But just as Zoey prances about today, My God Lives! Yes, He did die and go to the grave, but just long enough to make a trip to the pits of hell and recover the keys to death and the grave, then He arose again to continue to fight the battle against satan for me. My God continues to step into the gap and protect me from the fiery darts that satan throws my way even today.

From what I can tell from the article above, Zoey seems to be a gentle and loving dog. But I can tell you from first hand experience that I personally know that my God is a gentle and loving God.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28

But just like Zoey, Woe unto those who try to harm God's children for the bulldog in Him will come out. God will step into the gap when satan attacks if we will but stay faithful to Him.

PSALMS 91: 1-3
1. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3. Surely he shall deliver thee...

If you find you have some spare time on your hands, then read the entire chapter of Psalms 91. It makes for good reading.

God bless you all!

Magnets & Silverware

Question:
Whoops! Your tongue is now a magnet. Whatever will you use for silverware?

Magnet: Any piece of iron or certain other materials that has the property of attracting similiar material

Our tongue is like a magnet. Whatever we spew out of it is what will be drawn back to us. Jesus said that "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Mat. 12:34). According to Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." In James 3:6, the Bible says that the tongue is "a fire, a world of iniquity", and James 3:8 calls the tongue a "deadly poison."

The Lying Tongue
Proverbs 25:18 says, "A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow." A lying tongue is nothing more than a misuse of a deadly weapon. It can be used to harm others.

The Proud Tongue
Psalm 12:3-4 says, "The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?" "Christians" who have proud tongues have closed ears and minds! They learn very little from anyone else. They are hard to teach or reason with because they think they know everything.

The Backbiting Tongue
Proverbs 25:23 and Romans 1:30 make mention of a backbiting tongue. A backbiter is someone who uses their tongue against you when you aren't present. They stir up problems instead of trying to solve them. They would rather talk about the preacher than talk to him. They prefer to talk about someone in the church with a problem than offer them words of encouragement. "Beware of the backbiters, especially the ones who sow discord among brethren" (Pro. 6:19)!

The Talebearing Tongue
Proverbs 18:8 says, "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." Leviticus 19:16 says, "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people. . ." Talebearing spreads hurtful information around, and Satan uses this information to hinder and tear down God's work.

We are responsible for the words that we speak. "But I say unto you, That every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." (Matt. 12:36-37) Our own words snare us. (Prov. 6:2) We are ensnared by vows and promises spoken, but not kept. By reckless criticisms and rash judgments. "How can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil."(Matt. 12:34-35)

The strongest thing is surely said in Proverbs 18:21 -"Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." I want to be like David in Psalms 39:1- "I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle." Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt."

Psalm 51:19 cries "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." I want this to be my cry. I want God to help me to - "Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile", as found in Psalms 34:13. I want the following to be my prayer - "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." Psalms 19:14

Remember, a magnet is a material that has the property of attracting similiar material. So, if I let good things come from my mouth then my tongue is a magnet for good things and I won't have to worry about what will come back to me. If my tongue is a magnet then I want His Word to be my silverware.

Random Question

I received a Random Question and it reads as follows:

When your science teacher smashed a frozen rose with a hammer, did you warm the petals to bring them back to life?

The first thing that came to my mind is the song that a young man in our church sings - "When God Unfolds The Rose".

The frozen rose that the question is speaking of, reminds me of a soul that is cold and void of God's presence. The rose being smashed with a hammer reminds me of a life that is being smashed and destroyed by satan. So if I was to rephrase the question it would be something like this:

When the devil smashed a frozen soul with a hammer (sin) did you warm the broken pieces to bring it back to life?

First of all, I can not take a frozen rose that has been smashed with a hammer and place its petals between my palms to warm them and bring them back to life, for "Only God Can Unfold The Rose". I can, however, take a soul that has been smashed and destroyed by sin and satan and place it in the palm of my spiritual hands and put it on the altar before God in prayer. I can reach out to that destroyed soul and let God's love flow through me. If that soul will render itself unto the Lord then God can take the broken pieces and place them in the palm of His hands and warm that broken soul back to Life.

So let's reach out to the broken pieces of a crushed soul and show them God's love. Let's lead that soul to Him so He can
can warm the broken pieces and bring it back to life. If we do this, then we can watch as "God Unfolds The Rose".