Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!
Like many others, including the Queen of England in her Christmas address, I must acknowledge the darkness in this world this past year.
How can we ignore it?
In our despair I am comforted and strengthened by the promises of the LORD, and the surety of His return.
Yes, we all wish it happened yesterday...
But each new day we can thank God for another opportunity to praise His name, thank Him for everything He has done for us, and learn to be patient.
We are in the midst of holiday celebration and a few more house project tweaks. We are putting a tile floor into the basement after ripping up the carpet.
All of this involves a lot of moving, carrying, and jockeying in this new house.
There have been so many little things that needed attention since we moved in, but now that the old house has sold we have the time and energy to devote to this house.
The snow finally came during the night. It's beautiful. It finally looks like Minnesota!
Margaret promptly put on her skis and went for a refreshing work-out.
I should join her, but I'm too busy wrapping up loose ends in the house.
I wanted to wish you all, dear readers and friends, a wonderful New Year, and a very happy Holiday season.
I was particularly blessed by a short message from IBLP about what the stable in Bethlehem really was, and why the shepherds knew exactly where to go to see the baby Jesus.
It was very logical and fascinating. Look it up if you are interested. I'll try to get the link to you if you want it. Just message me.
As the light increases in the season I pray the light increases in your spirit.
May God bless you and keep you.
With love,
Costanza
How can we ignore it?
In our despair I am comforted and strengthened by the promises of the LORD, and the surety of His return.
Yes, we all wish it happened yesterday...
But each new day we can thank God for another opportunity to praise His name, thank Him for everything He has done for us, and learn to be patient.
We are in the midst of holiday celebration and a few more house project tweaks. We are putting a tile floor into the basement after ripping up the carpet.
All of this involves a lot of moving, carrying, and jockeying in this new house.
There have been so many little things that needed attention since we moved in, but now that the old house has sold we have the time and energy to devote to this house.
The snow finally came during the night. It's beautiful. It finally looks like Minnesota!
Margaret promptly put on her skis and went for a refreshing work-out.
I should join her, but I'm too busy wrapping up loose ends in the house.
I wanted to wish you all, dear readers and friends, a wonderful New Year, and a very happy Holiday season.
I was particularly blessed by a short message from IBLP about what the stable in Bethlehem really was, and why the shepherds knew exactly where to go to see the baby Jesus.
It was very logical and fascinating. Look it up if you are interested. I'll try to get the link to you if you want it. Just message me.
As the light increases in the season I pray the light increases in your spirit.
May God bless you and keep you.
With love,
Costanza
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
Monday, December 14, 2015
Refugees
If only the world could be a simple place where evil did not exist and we all could live in peace.
Ideology drives us, and it lends itself to discord.
Accepting truths about human nature and religion (man's search for God) is the beginning of finding the solution.
Accepting religions and the respective rules thereof is part of finding truth.
Jesus said that the way to eternal life is narrow and few find it. A recent clip illustrating the flux of world religions put out by Business Insider is a stark picture of this Biblical truth.
Those of us who believe the Bible have little hope in anything BUT the promises of the Bible.
Truth.
God's Word is True.
So how should we regard the hopeless, the lost?
Compassion and wisdom.
Evil must be acknowledged. Good laws should be kept. Citizens should expect a return for their taxes in public defense.
The elephant standing in the room is the religion of Islam and the practice of it according to the teachings of Mohammed.
Why don't people read the Koran?
It isn't hard to do it, although it is a book of dark spiritual origin. Anyone who reads it can see that.
Christians and Jews are the victims of pure Islam. For centuries the different Islamic factions were in complete discord among themselves, keeping Islam from a complete takeover.
It has spread significantly throughout the world, especially recently in Europe and North America.
While most Moslems are quietly nominal in their religion at least 1% and as many as 25% of all Muslims actually believe the tenets of Islam.
This should be of concern to non-Moslems. That bodes ill for anyone who does not adhere to Islam.
World domination is their goal. Yes. It is. It is in the Koran.
We are all witness to the beheadings, the breasts cut off of young rape victims, the burnings, the hangings and stonings. The photos are all over the interwebs.
The massacre of Americans at Fort Hood and lately San Bernardino are harbingers of future events bound to occur by that creed.
It's inevitable.
So when you "stand with Moslems" you have made a deliberate choice to stand against freedom of religion. Islam dictates that.
To all the Moslems I know and those who read this:
My faith dictates that I love and serve you. I pray you convert to faith in Christ, as that is the only way according to the Bible.
I pray with you that pure Islam will not spread in the world, and that we would be kindhearted toward one another.
I pray that my country would protect the rights of Christians and Jews, and your right to live peacefully among us.
I pray that you would find the truth of Jesus Christ, but no one forces you to convert. You have free will here.
I pray that the people who have been abused by your religion find peace, healing, and a safe refuge in the world, even in America. They only want to live.
I pray that you would be kind to the many former Moslems that are increasing in number despite the despicable threats against their lives.
I pray that Yeshua HaMeshiach becomes your Mesih.
Isa Mesih.
Savior.
Shalom.
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
"Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.
I remembered thy judgments of old. O LORD; and have comforted myself.
Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgimage.
I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law.
This I had, because I kept thy precepts."
Psalm 119: 49-56
I have been delighting in the offerings of the holiday season. Concerts, treats, visits, and preparation for Christmas.
Yet in the back of my mind I hear the struggle of these days we live in, and it surely lends a dampening to these festivities. I struggle with the pagan influences that take over.
This is, after all, the kingdom of the Prince of Darkness.
He may not reign in our hearts, if we believe in Yeshua, but he certainly reigns on this earth!
"Glory to God in the Highest! Peace on earth to men of good will!"
You don't hear it that way very often, but there are translations to this effect.
It changes the thought remarkably, and it excludes much of mankind. In the Reformed tradition it would mean those who are of the elect, the ones who believe in Christ. These are the ones with the goodness of Christ in their hearts and souls, and as Paul says, "There is no one good," Romans 3:11.
We all know good people: our friends---family----neighbors---philanthropists---churchmen and women. Goodness seems to abound.
God bless these good ones.
Yet those washed in the righteousness of Christ's blood sacrifice are the truly good, declared good, by the Holy God of creation. Our goodness is a declaration, not a characteristic.
We are called to being good. We are called to do good. We are declared righteous. (Even if it doesn't seem so!)
And this makes everything so wonderful.
We bask in the love of our savior, Jesus Christ, Messiah. We do and love out of His power and His goodness.
It's not us. He has made our spirits alive, born again, and it is His Spirit which reveals His thoughts and direction to our lives, through His Word, the Bible.
When I read the remarkable biographies of believers who have since passed away I am so encouraged! The work of the Spirit is so evident in their lives! It just thrills me. It is the most wonderful thing.
I am currently enamored with a website called "One For Israel" which features testimonies of Jewish believers. It is the most sweet and inspiring place to spend some time each day. The love of our LORD just shines on the faces of those testifying. It's wonderful.
How I hope that the love of our LORD shines on my face, that the daily grind of dealing with pain, cancer, mental illness, and discord is erased. I pray that the true strength of the Holy Spirit is the prevailing attitude anyone can see.
A few weeks ago, when I was having a particularly hard day, I was encouraged by the LORD. I cry out to Him regularly when I'm in the car alone, driving somewhere. Eyes open!
I was crying about being unable to handle a certain situation, one that I've had to deal with for awhile.
"Stop Trying!"
"Find your peace and joy in ME, and LIVE FOR ME!"
I don't claim to be like Sarah Young, or hear the voice of the LORD. I'm too afraid to claim any special inspiration. I have real issues with anything claiming to be Jesus. (Test the spirits, and DON'T use occult means to find your path!)
Yet there is, in a believer's soul and spirit, a direction of thought and action which the influence of TRUTH from the Word of God can surely shape. It happened for me that day.
I can't fix the ones that need fixing. I'm not called to that. I can only have the prayerful and peaceful attitude that Christ has commanded me to have.
How freeing! How wonderful! I am called to live my life in obedience to Christ alone, and that is the most wonderful and joy-filled calling any person could have.
We may be mistaken, or have sinned, or chosen unwisely----all a part of the human condition---but we have the most wonderful solution to this!
We believers have the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the assurance of God's Word, setting out a direction for each of our lives.
SO, dear friends, it IS the most wonderful time of the Year! It's always wonderful! It's living in the joy of the LORD, and obeying His commands and precepts. It's being confident in worldview and message. It's loving others as they should be loved, sharing truth, helping, correcting according to God's Word!
As we deal with each other, all of us sinners, all of us fallen, we should be flat on our faces before God in awe of His tremendous love for us.
A baby, born of a virgin, the story written in the stars from the dawn of time! Distorted, to be sure, by Nimrod and Semiramis, Isis and Horus, and countless other evil powers. This baby (not born in December!) sent as a pure and holy sacrifice, pure blood, there can be no other substitute. It had to be Him.
This One, this precious gift to mankind---PEACE!----is the Way to God. This is GOD'S WAY.
Once you've found it you will be forever changed, forever His. There's no going back!
The Truth wins.
How wonderful.
Don't forget to repent and believe today. Don't wait! Time is running out.
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.
I remembered thy judgments of old. O LORD; and have comforted myself.
Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgimage.
I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law.
This I had, because I kept thy precepts."
Psalm 119: 49-56
I have been delighting in the offerings of the holiday season. Concerts, treats, visits, and preparation for Christmas.
Yet in the back of my mind I hear the struggle of these days we live in, and it surely lends a dampening to these festivities. I struggle with the pagan influences that take over.
This is, after all, the kingdom of the Prince of Darkness.
He may not reign in our hearts, if we believe in Yeshua, but he certainly reigns on this earth!
"Glory to God in the Highest! Peace on earth to men of good will!"
You don't hear it that way very often, but there are translations to this effect.
It changes the thought remarkably, and it excludes much of mankind. In the Reformed tradition it would mean those who are of the elect, the ones who believe in Christ. These are the ones with the goodness of Christ in their hearts and souls, and as Paul says, "There is no one good," Romans 3:11.
We all know good people: our friends---family----neighbors---philanthropists---churchmen and women. Goodness seems to abound.
God bless these good ones.
Yet those washed in the righteousness of Christ's blood sacrifice are the truly good, declared good, by the Holy God of creation. Our goodness is a declaration, not a characteristic.
We are called to being good. We are called to do good. We are declared righteous. (Even if it doesn't seem so!)
And this makes everything so wonderful.
We bask in the love of our savior, Jesus Christ, Messiah. We do and love out of His power and His goodness.
It's not us. He has made our spirits alive, born again, and it is His Spirit which reveals His thoughts and direction to our lives, through His Word, the Bible.
When I read the remarkable biographies of believers who have since passed away I am so encouraged! The work of the Spirit is so evident in their lives! It just thrills me. It is the most wonderful thing.
I am currently enamored with a website called "One For Israel" which features testimonies of Jewish believers. It is the most sweet and inspiring place to spend some time each day. The love of our LORD just shines on the faces of those testifying. It's wonderful.
How I hope that the love of our LORD shines on my face, that the daily grind of dealing with pain, cancer, mental illness, and discord is erased. I pray that the true strength of the Holy Spirit is the prevailing attitude anyone can see.
A few weeks ago, when I was having a particularly hard day, I was encouraged by the LORD. I cry out to Him regularly when I'm in the car alone, driving somewhere. Eyes open!
I was crying about being unable to handle a certain situation, one that I've had to deal with for awhile.
"Stop Trying!"
"Find your peace and joy in ME, and LIVE FOR ME!"
I don't claim to be like Sarah Young, or hear the voice of the LORD. I'm too afraid to claim any special inspiration. I have real issues with anything claiming to be Jesus. (Test the spirits, and DON'T use occult means to find your path!)
Yet there is, in a believer's soul and spirit, a direction of thought and action which the influence of TRUTH from the Word of God can surely shape. It happened for me that day.
I can't fix the ones that need fixing. I'm not called to that. I can only have the prayerful and peaceful attitude that Christ has commanded me to have.
How freeing! How wonderful! I am called to live my life in obedience to Christ alone, and that is the most wonderful and joy-filled calling any person could have.
We may be mistaken, or have sinned, or chosen unwisely----all a part of the human condition---but we have the most wonderful solution to this!
We believers have the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the assurance of God's Word, setting out a direction for each of our lives.
SO, dear friends, it IS the most wonderful time of the Year! It's always wonderful! It's living in the joy of the LORD, and obeying His commands and precepts. It's being confident in worldview and message. It's loving others as they should be loved, sharing truth, helping, correcting according to God's Word!
As we deal with each other, all of us sinners, all of us fallen, we should be flat on our faces before God in awe of His tremendous love for us.
A baby, born of a virgin, the story written in the stars from the dawn of time! Distorted, to be sure, by Nimrod and Semiramis, Isis and Horus, and countless other evil powers. This baby (not born in December!) sent as a pure and holy sacrifice, pure blood, there can be no other substitute. It had to be Him.
This One, this precious gift to mankind---PEACE!----is the Way to God. This is GOD'S WAY.
Once you've found it you will be forever changed, forever His. There's no going back!
The Truth wins.
How wonderful.
Don't forget to repent and believe today. Don't wait! Time is running out.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
Sunday, December 6, 2015
God put a tree
In the garden of Eden God placed a forbidden tree.
It was a test of man's will.
Adam and Eve failed the test, as Lucifer failed before them.
God gave freedom, but His created chose a dreadful path.
Another tree was significant, the one on which God sacrificed His Son Yeshua.
This tree, the cross, was the remedy for the first tree's debacle.
God's great merciful idea to lovingly save a creation He kindly brought forth.
Perspective.
It matters.
Wait until we know Him face to face.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Friday, December 4, 2015
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Hiding Out
Ed and I are at a secret location in the US swimming and reading, being quiet, making plans and resting. No sight-seeing. No visiting.
It is a much needed vacation.
Back to the normal daily grind soon.
It's fun.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Answer to ISIS
http://www.assistnews.net/index.php/component/k2/item/1228-canon-andrew-white-believes-the-only-answer-to-islamic-state-isis-it-to-radically-destroy-them
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