No Matter What...

Souvenirs of Solitude

Finding Rest In Abba's Embrace

by, Brennan Manning

God is there and loves us no matter what. Even when we can't even love ourselves. His love is more than enough for the both of us...and then some. No matter where we are on our faith walk, He is there inviting us into a closer relationship with Him. His love us not a love that depends on us...it is a love given freely and abundantly...no strings attached. 

Lord God,

We thank you and praise you God that we are fearfully and wonderfully made....that you know the very hair on our heads that you yourself have counted...that there is nothing of this earth or any other realm that can take away the love you have for us. Thank you that no matter what we do or day you will never give up on us. You are the true Champion and Cheerleader in and of our life...

Amen!

No One is Perfect

http://bible.com/97/luk6.38.msg 

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” 

We, as Christians, sometimes forget who/what we were before God's saving grace in our lives. How can we preach the gospel of grace when we are unwilling to show that grace to others?

Lord I Don't Want To Be Free

Souvenirs of Solitude

Finding Rest In Abba's Embrace

by, Brennan Manning

Lord, you have set me free from 

sin and death through

You Son, Yeshua Christ,

but I don't want to be free...

I don't want to be free from 

my desire

to know you more

I don't want to be free from 

the joy within my heart

as I contemplate on Your goodness and mercy

I don't want to be free from 

my thirst for the 

Living Water You pour out from Heaven

I don't want to be free from 

my desire to make you

my all in all

I don't want to be free of those

moment for tears when 

I think of Your love for me

I don't want to be free from

the call You have been put on my life to 

preach the Good News of Your love

I don't want to be free from

longing to feel your presence 

with me and within me

I don't want to be free from

hearing Your voice as I 

journey on this life of faith

I don't want to be free from 

those times when my Spirit 

is so full over joy that I 

can't contain it

I don't want to be free from

those times when I see You

in the face of a stranger

I don't want to be free from

hearing 

"Well done My good and faithful servant"

Lord free me to not be freed...

God Speaks through His Creation

As I pass by the overlook in Patten, Maine each day, I get to see Mt. Katahdin in all it's beauty and song. It takes my breath away as I contemplate on the awesomeness of our God. I can hear the voice of God within it's beauty. It speaks of God's grace and protection as the mountain stands there in all it's grandeur. It speaks of God's love as it stands as tall as it can to hear the voice of God speaking back. The beauty of it's song speaks to the divine within me as we both enter into the song of gratitude and awe. Thank you God for the reminder of Your Divinity and love... May my life speak of the beauty that is You.

An Exciting Place to Live

Souvenirs of Solitude

Finding Rest In Abba's Embrace

by, Brennan Manning

If we Believe in Christ's Spirit and that He was telling and is telling the truth, then the world we live in can be a real exciting place. We have romance and adventure, promise and possibilities, confidence and joy. But most of all we have a world of love.

There must be love within us...we need to be willing to "take a chance on love" whether it be with the "love our life" or showing love to a stranger...we need to be willing to take a chance and be Christ's love to the world. God is love (period), there is no guess work on this fact. God is love...end of story. If we are to be the example of Christ...if we are to be a "mirror image" of Christ...then we too should reflect that love.

Luke 15:11-32 talks about God's love...it's the story of the "prodigal son." Paraphrased... 

"There was a son who wanted all that he was going to get after his father died but wanted now...he didn't want to wait. Well the father...who loved his son very much...gave him his request. So the son goes off...spends all of his inheritance then realizes what a fool he had been. Now with nothing left, he decided to go back home and work as one of his hired hands to live...he felt undeserving to be his son because of all that he did. Well he went home and when his father saw him from way of he ran to him, hugged him, clothed him, accepted his wayward son back as if he had never left."

Now it's not the son's sin but the fathers love and acceptance that mattered. The son never even really got the chance to say he was sorry for what he had done. The father had already set his homecoming celebration.

All we have to do is show up and God is already waiting with the robe of redemption...the crown of salvation...the signet ring that identifies us as part of the family....all this before we even have a chance to back away again...we are His passionate love.

In the story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus never even asked her if she was sorry. He just forgave her and told her to go her way and stop sinning. He didn't need to hear her plead her case...the forgiveness was already there waiting for her to realize she needed that very forgiveness.

God's love for us is "scandalous"...almost embarrassing... That is how deeply and emotionally God loves us...no matter what we've done or where we've been. The father of the prodigal son (you and I) doesn't decide to ponder on whether the son is really sorry or repentant. The father welcomed him in even before the son was done apologizing. 

Our father in heaven wants us to be his beloved children not caring about our past indiscretions. We too are expected to love with such abandon...God actually expects us to do just that. He did it for us and in return we should show that same love for and to others. The place we need to begin though is within ourselves. If we can't show compassion to ourselves, how can we show it to and for others...)love your neighbor as yourself).

It takes real faith to believe the message of the Good News...and really believe it for ourselves. We need to have enough faith...trust in the Good News...as we become daring enough to be different, humble enough to make mistakes, wild enough to be burnt by loves fire...how radical and out there is that? Let is strive to be that outlandish lover of those around us. 

Love...it does a body and soul good...

We Are Sheep By Grace

Matthew 25:31-46 Names of God Bible (NOG)

"Jesus Will Judge the World

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left.

34 “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. 36 I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then the people who have God’s approval will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “The king will answer them, ‘I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for me.’

41 “Then the king will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me! God has cursed you! Go into everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me into your homes. I needed clothes, and you didn’t give me anything to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t take care of me.’

44 “They, too, will ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or in need of clothes or sick or in prison and didn’t help you?’

45 “He will answer them, ‘I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you failed to do for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do for me.’

46 “These people will go away into eternal punishment, but those with God’s approval will go into eternal life.”

We all want to be the sheep that the Lord talks about in this story but are we truly being sheep all the time? Each time we look the other way when someone is in need...each time we feel we are too busy with our "call" in life to stop and help someone...each time we decide we should be first...we deny Christ among us. 

N ow no one is perfect and yes we are goats at times...even if we try to help all around us there is still someone who would be denied our help. Praise God through Christ our Advocate we receive God's grace upon us. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to help others. What it means that we aren't sheep by design but through God's grace we are allowed to be called sheep.

Looking Like We Are Saved...

Souvenirs of Solitude

Finding Rest In Abba's Embrace

by, Brennan Manning

We, as Christ followers, go about our lives very somber at times. We look as if we have the hardest life...nothing is good in our lives...a  the things we plan see to "go south" on us.

But we have a joy...the joy of our salvation within us. Why is it we have difficulty showing our joy in the Lord but no difficulty showing joy when we are...say...going to a party with loved ones?

The kingdom of God is like a wedding feast. Now we all like weddings and have a great time at the reception. We have been invited to the reception to beat all receptions. So why is it so hard to show that joy? Do we really believe we are invited or do we just don't trust in God's promises?

Our hope...our joy is not in the fact we are invited to the wedding banquet...it is in the fact that we will conquer over the suffering in our lives and be at the Great Banquet our God has waiting for us in Heaven, after we have run our course on earth, and God is waiting with arms wide open to "hug us in."

Our hope stands firm even in the face of the Chaos and death around us. Nothing can change it or take it away...except we ourselves with and faithlessness. God has promised and God doesn't break promises to His children.

Jesus gives us a radical call...a radical leap in hope...found in the joy of the Good News. Do we believe the Word of God and it's truth? Then why so "glum chum." We have a wealth spring of joy just waiting to be tapped into...a well so full that it will flow out to and upon the world around us. 

We have hope not just in out Heavenly home but also in the banquet God sets before us each day/ God offers us a world of hope...a world full of His splendor...a world in which we can delight in...if we only allow ourselves the joy of living within God's banquet of love for us...Now that's something to smile about...

In the Quiet of My Heart

Souvenirs of Solitude

Finding Rest In Abba's Embrace

by, Brennan Manning

Lord, I have come to this desert place to meet you...I have come to this quiet place to hear Your voice within my soul...I have come to become so close to you that I can hear Your heartbeat. Lead me to where You would have me go...unstop my ears so I may hear You more clearly...reveal those places I don;t let You enter so that I may fling the doors wide open for your inspection and healing. May I have a new vision...a new insight of you and for you. May I be open to You as You love me into wholeness...

Faith is not stagnant:

• You want to grow and have a growing intimacy with Yeshua.
• The cost doesn't matter.
• You want a deep, passionate, undivided love for Jesus not just that puny surface stuff that others settle for.
• When you feel you have it all figured out...you have closed the door to God's blessing of a deeper faith.
• Faith is like a river that flows...when it becomes dammed up by life and your own limitations you put on it...it becomes stagnant and dead.

Let's live a faith life that is ever growing...ever flowing...ever thirsting for more.

When faith becomes stagnant...all of heaven mourns...