The Pen is Still Mightier than the Sword.....

The princes sat in stunned silence as the letter containing God's Word to his people was read. Baruch had delivered it to them and they had questioned him but he said that he had written it just the way Jeremiah had said to. It was a message from God to the people offering to deliver them if they would only repent and turn from their ways.

They had told Baruch they needed to read it to the King. He would be the one who needed to act and lead his people. It was a cold night and snow outside had become whitened by the moonlight. The King sat in front of the crackling fire as his servant Jehudi read the letter. The princes watched for him to show signs of shock or at least fear but he showed neither. As Jehudi read thru three or four pages the King took the scroll with God's Word and cut it with his knife and he would throw God's Word into the fire. The Princes shocked by his movements protested and and pleaded with the King to heed the Word of God but watched as the tender curls of green and blue heat flames rose from the parchment as it burned by the hearth where the King was warming himself.

The King and his servants showed no signs of respect, repentance or even fear at God's Words. They didn't rend their garments or show any emotion. They had been removed so long from God's presence the Word written had none effect on them thereby sealing their fate and their destiny in judgment and not mercy.

The sum of our lives will be defined by the choice we make to either heed the the Word of God or throw it into the flames of judgment sealing our destiny.
The simplicity of love defined is a forgiving God who will write into our lives mercy and hope if we will but heed His Word or a vengeful God who doesn't lie and will judge men according to same Word we could have found our salvation in.

Jesus stood on the roadside overlooking Jerusalem and tears ran down his cheeks caking on his face from the dust of travel and fatigue and he said these words, " Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Who kills the Prophets and stones them who is sent to you how often would I have gathered your children together as as a Hen gathers her chicks under her wings but you wouldn't listen" I wonder that as God if he didn't remember the burnt embers of His Word that were thrown in the fire burning mercy's only offer to those who only lived only for today and didn't care about their tomorrows.

Find sometime today to call on God and remember his Word, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

God will respond to us when we pray and humble ourselves before Him.

Hebrews 12
"Indeed, the Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart."


Be Encouraged...

Randy

"The pen is mightier than the sword" is an adage coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 for his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy.


Jeremiah 36
Chronicles 7:14
Luke 13

Getting on with Life.....Slowly.....and Christmas Lights...

Time seems to pass by much slower here in Oklahoma than it did in California,or so it seems....

We got everything we needed to get done last night, even having time for a nap...only to wake up and head to the drug store because our youngest son has been sick...of course we had stop by the "bucks"...looking down at the clock in the truck it read...

8:30!!!!.... I made the remark to my wife....time is cool here in the OKC...:)

The town we are living in takes an entire city park and completely bathes it is Christmas Decorations... It is very beautiful...We took the boys there a couple nights ago and will probably make the trip again.

We put a bid on a home here and are waiting to hear the counter offer....

Michelle started back to work yesterday for our local school district and her "vacation" is over...:) She is enjoying it tho...

Well just some notes about where we're at...

Be Encouraged...

Randy...

Happy Thanksgiving... Everybody!!!

I hope that you have a great, or better Thanksgiving...


Eat some Turkey and think about the Good things in your past...


Be Encouraged...

Randy

Finding Hope in the Faces of the Damned...

This weekend my wife and I visited the Science Museum here in OKC. They were featuring an exhibit on the human body. Various people had donated their body to be displayed and a process was used to preserve the muscle tissue and various body parts somewhat freezing them in time. Simply put, it was amazing to see. They had different bodies posed; some standing, others sitting and some were simply cut into slices allowing you to glimpse into them and realize what is in your own body. We found the prenatal exhibit to be especially touching and telling.

As we walked into the exhibit we were met by the skeleton of a man greeting us. Soft music playing and the walls surrounding the exhibit were respectfully black. The skeleton was standing and there were little plaques beside them with information. There were clear glass boxes around with the different preserved body parts of the skeletal structure; elbows, knees, tissue and so on.

Entering the prenatal area was extremely telling. There were vials there that contained the baby from one month to seven months. It made us to realize that the term "fetus" may be scientific but with the little hands and feet we saw at just two months the little baby is anything but just a blob. It's a baby.

As we turned a corner were met by a human standing with muscle tissue completely exposed. You must know that these are donated by the person that once lived in them. The soul long gone and the body is preserved. They were long dead but somewhat alive in that their body had been preserved. Something you don't see everyday. As we continued we went into the vascular system. The process used was amazing to see the arteries and the blood vessels exposed like a mass of red strings throughout the body. To see our internal organs put together like a puzzle it really made the words of David in Psalms come alive when he said, "We are fearfully and wonderfully made".

Towards the end there was a body standing with all the muscle tissue exposed and arms extended with the hands holding a clothes hanger and on the hanger was the complete skin that once was draped over the body.

Finally as we exited our thoughts were somewhat interesting because after seeing the exhibit you’re not quite sure how to respond. On the one hand your not really repulsed because of what you have seen and on the other hand your somewhat taken back because you just got a glimpse into the eyes of what was at one time a living, breathing human being that now was a empty shell no longer containing the life or spirit that made this person who he or she was.

Truly we are all born with a curse upon our lives and the curse of death that will one day come upon all of us. How we choose to die is up to us really. I'm not talking about the cause of death but the condition of our soul. As I looked into the bodies of those displayed I could see something they never got to see. I saw the many different parts of their body and while it was interesting and contemplating I could not see their soul. I could see where science had brought them through chemicals and preservation but I could not their soul and did not know the condition of their soul when they died.

Where were they spending eternity? How did they live their life? Was it fulfilling to them? Did they have regrets? Were they abusive or giving? Were they happy or sad? Did they suffer? Did they have great success? There is one thing to note that while there were many bodies displayed none of them were smiling.

So many questions to ask but we will never know because all we see now is the damned and yet I saw hope surrounding the damned. It was a glimmer in a child's eye and the parent who was walking through the exhibit. I heard laughter outside as the kids were enjoying other aspects of the museum. I heard a baby cry as the mother tried to console. I saw an older couple holding hands as they were looking at the train exhibit. So many signs of life and even though I didn't know their stories I knew that there was still time to make a difference.

Paul wrote in Corinthians that we are looking thru a glass darkly now but one day all will be revealed. I hope that when that day comes and my body is lying in a grave waiting for the call that my soul will be in a place of peace and fulfillment because I choose that while I lived I would do my best to live for God and make a difference here on this temporal place called life.

The Bible says it is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment. When it comes my time I want to know I did everything possible to live, love and finish what God has called me to do. Regardless of where your at in your life today find some time to pray and ask God to find you,encourage you, help you...

Be Encouraged...

Randy...

A Sad State of Affairs...

I know how to worship..

I know how to Praise God...

I know what to say and how to say it just right so it pulls the cart the way I need it to go..

I know how to sing the songs and dance the dance...

I know how to laugh and cry at the right time...

I know how to clap and say Amen....

but in all I Know the one thing I've lost

I treasured the most

was how to weep before God in His Presence...


Just a thought...

Randy
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We are Getting Settled In... And Thank You...

We met with the Pastor of the Church we have been visiting here and told him we would like to become members...

It is a good growing Church and the Boys are happy going...

We are still looking for a Home here and there are plenty to choose from...but just finding that "perfect" one is fun.

Michelle is sending out resumes and has had some interviews but she won't take the first thing to come along... She wants something she can get in to and enjoy....

I appreciate all the Visits here and the comments... it is encouraging...

Please when you visit take the time to send me an email or comment... I appreciate you stopping by...

Remember to Be Encouraged...

Randy...

Negatives are Things you never Show your Friends....

Everybody say Cheese!!

When the picture is right there is a desire to share your captured moment in time with everybody. You get the pose and the camera just right with the focus sharp and angle correct. You get the great moment frozen in time by the speed of the shutter and the tell-tale click of its opening and closing and your picture is captured.

You take it to your local pharmacy or camera shop to get the pictures developed and the expected minute comes when you excitedly open the envelope to experience the moments you shot with your camera. The pictures came out beautiful and you can't wait to share them with your friends and family. But in the back of the envelope there are some strips of film called negatives. They are the captured moment that produced the beautiful pictures you now see. They are the imprint of the photo that birthed the beautiful colors and landscapes in your picture but you never share the negatives with your friends. The negatives are never displayed in your photo albums or on your walls. They usually lie dormant for years either being lost in the shuffle of life or in a box somewhere in the attic only to be forgotten in time while the beauty of what they produced still hangs on a wall or studio or in a photo album to be enjoyed by all for the ages.

Why can't we allow the negatives in our lives just to be lost or forgotten to?

Why is it we constantly pull the negatives out to show our friends? Why do we take a frozen moment of time in our life and pull out the fuzzy, small and not easily seen moment instead of realizing the bigger picture? I don't want to be constantly displaying the negatives in my life when there are far greater pictures to be seen. The blessings of God though mixed and can be misunderstood at times are often our greatest achievements in life. Overcoming the obstacle of the negative and turning it into the beauty of life that can be shared with friends over and over again. The small things we take for granted everyday may be giants to others with disabilities to overcome. Don't take the negatives for granted because many times out of the negatives are born the beautiful pictures we share with others. And when the time comes put the negatives away and forget them because they are never things we should show our friends.

Be Positive today and dwell on Good Things...


Philippians 4:8 (The Message)
8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Be Encouraged...
Randy

Blood...Death...and Perfume.....

The Blood ran into the dirt until it was saturated and caked but the blood kept coming and wouldn't stop until it was a river that flowed through the camp. The constant flow coming from the tabernacle of animal skins and altars as the heat of the day soaked the carcasses of burned animals with its waves that kept coming.
The stench of death permeated the air as people came in and out of the Tabernacle's entrance. The blood came from animals that were sacrificed for the sinful condition of the people in the camps. There had to be a constant flow of blood for the sins of those who were the people of the Lord.

In the mist of the morning fog as they would bring their sin offerings with the stench of the cattle, doves, goats out of the swirling dust there was the Tabernacle. It stood there in the middle of the camps, a beacon of hope for the souls of the Israelites. The exterior was animal skins, dried and dyed and when someone walked around the tabernacle there was the stench of sweat, animals and death but when one stepped inside the doors they were met with a perfume that caressed the senses and calmed the soul. It was myrrh, cinnamon and cassia with oil that when applied would bleed into what ever it touched until it blocked out the stench that was without the walls. It was the Holy Oil made with explicit direction from God that was used to anoint the insides of the tabernacle. The walls, the ceiling and all the stations including the Ark of the Covenant were to be anointed with this sweet and savory perfume. Even the priests were anointed with it. It completely blocked out the smell of the death and the stench of the dead outside the walls of the Tabernacle. It was a type then of what we call the Holy Spirit today.

When the Holy Spirit of God comes into our lives it completely bathes us and washes our souls and it scents our spirit with the sweet smelling perfume of God. It completely blocks out the sinful stench of death and sin that’s in this World. I also love walking into the Tabernacle of God which now we call the Church and smell the sweet perfumes of anointing that reside there as people come together and worship God lifting holy hands anointed with same anointed oil that ushered man into the Glory of God.

Today the final sacrifice of the blood that was shed flowed down the cross into the earth soaking the ground with crimson and in its place today we are filled with the Anointing of God's Spirit: The Holy Ghost...

I want you to be encouraged today and take refuge that there is a place of anointing and position of anointing that I encourage you today to find and it will be sweet and precious in your life blocking out the stench of sin and death... and if you are filled with His Spirit rejoice that the precious oil of anointing flows in you this moment and YOU SMELL BEAUTIFUL to God from it!!!

Just a Thought...

Randy