African Bullfrog - Trevor Hill Birds and Animals

African Bullfrog - Trevor Hill Birds and Animals

Cocoon


One of my favorite books is Hope for the flowers by Trina Paulus, if you have not read it; it is worth a half hour of your time. If you have kids they need to here the story of the caterpillar pillar and the longing for something more.

If you have ever watched the process of a caterpillar making his cocoon it is a frenzy of work. He first has to prepare by eating enough to sustain him through the process. Then he works non stop until he seals the very last hole in his cocoon. Once the cocoon is complete and the hard work is over he will rest and the slow process of becoming a butterfly starts.

Once the process is finished the butterfly has to fight and struggle to get free of the cocoon. Watching the butterfly struggle, you just want to help and rip open the cocoon for him. If you help him the butterfly will die. He won’t be strong enough to fly. The struggle has to take place so the butterfly’s wings will be strong enough to fly.

Once the struggle is complete you have a beautiful butterfly, without the struggle no beauty.

What a beautiful metaphor for life. Life is hard and becoming is a lot of work. How many of us give up the struggle and stay safe in our cocoon never realizing the beauty that is on the outside of the work. Never being able to spread our wings and fly.

James tell us to consider it joy when we face the trails of life because on the other side is place were we are lacking nothing. What a beautiful place to be lacking nothing.

James 1:2-4

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything



God has been taking me out of my comfort zone a lot recently. Everything I used to be or I thought I was, is being replaced with what God wants me to be. For a long time I felt like I was swimming upstream. I was tired and my muscles ached and I could not see the end. I still can’t see the end but I have grown stronger from the struggle and I can see bits and pieces of what is ahead. I have to say that I like God’s vision of me a lot better then my vision of me. I feel like I am still in my cocoon but the struggle to get out has started. I know I can trust God to carry on to completion the work he has already started in me.

Philippians 1:6

6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I pray that God will give me the strength for the struggle and that I too will one day spread my wings and fly.

Princess Tom Boy

Princess Tom Boy

I was raised to be a princess but to my salvation I had older brothers. So I am this strange mix of girly girl and tom boy. I know completely useless things like a lady never crosses her legs when the Bible is open, on the other hand I can throw a pretty good right hook. I know which fork to use for the salad, main course and dessert and what rifle to use for a duck, boar or deer. (Not that I would actually shoot one but I could) I believe in being in the trenches but in also having a good pair of work gloves to preserve my manicure. I could no more deny the princess side of me then I could the tom boy side of me.

James 2:14-17
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.


In the same way faith and works should be different sides to the same coin. We don’t earn our salvation by our works but good deeds should be a natural outpouring of the grace (unmerited favor) that is poured out on us.
When we love others we are spreading Christ’s love. We have to minister to the physical before we can reach the spiritual. Someone who is cold and hungry cannot grasp the love of a benevolent savior. Do you just tell people of Christ’s love or do you show them his love?


Mark 12:30-32 (New International Version)
30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."
Father,
I thank you for all you have blessed me with. I pray that you will make me a good steward all you have given me. I pray that if there is a need in my community that I can fill you will show me. Please let me touch the lives of those around me in a very real way. In all I do I want your love to shine through. Make me a see through servant for you. In Christ name I pray!
Amen

you want me to do what?

If the world abuses me I am a match for that, I begin to like it. It may fire all its big guns at me; I will not return a solitary shot. [Ill] just store them up and grow rich upon the old iron.
Charles Spurgeon


I think my brain may explode; you may want to stand back at any moment you could be covered with blood, gray brain matter and other yucky stuff.

I have been doing a lot of praying, reading, crying, praying reading lately. It just seems like it takes so much to fill me back up I was going to say spiritually but truthfully spiritually, emotionally and every other way. I seem to have so many questions and so few answers. I keep searching and searching, it seems every answer leads to more questions. Life is a fight and is not easy. Okay I can handle that I have had to fight my entire life. I always assumed victory, if God be for us who can be against us. But the question I have been asking myself a lot lately, is have I quit fighting?

I threw my hands up in the air and shouted God what do you want from?

His answer was everything you got.

Who am I? What do I have? You want everything I got I have tears do you want my tears? I have a broken heart and a body that doesn’t quite work right. All that I am is crying out to you ANSWER ME! What do you want?

My child I want your willingness, I want your yes when I call.

God I really don’t know if I can do this one, I am so torn I don’t know what side to choose, I don’t know what he answer is? I need to know the answer God.

My child the answer has always been love. Love me and love my people.

God I do love you!

Then love my people!

But God that is what has my heart torn in 2. What if I am not capable of loving everyone?

Then let me love them through you.

That still involves me and my first instinct is to fight, when pushed to push back and push hard. Make sure they think twice before crossing me again. God I really need you to take this one.

Then let go.

God that is so hard, maybe I can fix it. I want to fix it.

It is not yours to fix but you can love and let me do the fixing.

But I am hurt I am jaded, can you have someone else do the love thing.

I choose you!

But

Love my people all my people.

Is my heart that big?

I made your heart I know what it can handle.

I guess I have to put my heart in your hands?

Yes,

But it is the only heart I have.

My child do you trust me?

Yes Lord, you know I trust you.

Then trust me with your heart.

All of it?

Yes all of it.

I don’t think you will like all of it.

Then let me change the parts I don’t like.

I am here and I surrender God, I surrender.

Remember my child remember how much ILOVE YOU AND REST IN MY LOVE.

Creating the perfect Storm

Creating the perfect storm

When I was kid I lived in a subtropical climate which means it rains a lot. We would get these storms that would come out of nowhere. I used to love to sit on the front porch and watch the storm develop. This bright blue sky with puffy white cotton clouds would start to turn gray. Gray meant rain nothing special just rain but then sometimes the sky would go from gray to dark purple and this struggle would take place. Streaks of sun light would break through the purple and patches of black would try to cover the sky. There would be all these colors in the sky, you would have your blue and gray and purple and black and sometimes red and orange and the sky was just brilliant. Then the air would change and become thicker and it was a little harder to breathe, very quickly the daylight would disappear and darkness would cover the sky. Streaks of lighting would flash across the blackness and thunder would roll across the expanse. The lighting may have lit the sky but thunder could shake the very foundation of the earth. I would think wow that is power. If Mom forgot about me and left me on the porch then I would get to not only see the rain come down but to feel it come down. It would rain so hard that it came down in sheets. You couldn't see more then a foot in front you. Then the wind would shift and the rain would beat against the house. The wind would drive the rain so hard that it would hurt when it would hit your skin. At some point Mom would realize I was on the porch and I would get drug in the house and spend the rest of the storm at a safe distance from the window watching the storm dance across the sky. Then the sun would brake through the clouds and eventually take over. The storm would disappear and I would be just a little sad.


I always stood in awe of these storms, completely fascinated by there power. As a child I didn't understand the destruction of these storms. I didn't understand that 70 mile per hour winds could take my little 40 pound body and break it in half. I didn't understand the consequences of the storm and the death and destruction it left in its wake. I didn't understand how hard and costly it is to rebuild. I was just blinded by the awe of the storm.


As an adult I have learned the hard way about the consequences of the storm. I see sin and it looks pretty and I am so struck by its awe that I don't look past the awe to the destruction. So I embrace the storm and there is no one to keep me in the house a safe distance from the fury of the storm. So I walk out into the storm and think wow what power. The beautiful colors are there, but then very quickly the sky becomes black and the rain is beating down and stings my skin as it hits me. I turn around to run for the safety of the house but I can't see the house for the blackness and rain covers everything. Lightening lights up the sky but for only a second and thunder shakes the earth and knocks me to the ground. I am cold and wet and hurting, lost in the darkness. I cry out but no one can hear me over the fury of the storm. I am in the storm and there is no way out and it is raging all around me and I wonder am I going to make it out a live, is this it, is this were it all ends.


Then I cry out to God more of a whisper then a cry. I have been in the storm so long that all my strength is gone. I know God can't hear my whisper over the howl of the wind but I whisper anyway. Then the Son breaks through the clouds and I look up to see hope. The storm has disappeared and I look around at the destruction and chaos and I cry. Everything looks hopeless as the Son shines light on the destruction and it is ugly and broken and jagged and my destruction against the backdrop of His light makes everything I have done wrong shine brightly for everyone to see. I hang my head in shame, guilt washes over me. I am cold and wet and broken, bleeding from the ravages of the storm. I know there is warmth and healing in the light but I look around at all the people who are not broken and bleeding and if I step out into the light they will see everything, they will see me, bleeding and dirty. There is nothing pretty about me. I could run and hide in the darkness then no would see me, only shadows of me. In the darkness I could hide, I will stay cold and wet and broken but everyone in the dark is cold and wet and broken. I have a decision to make do I walk toward the Son or do I hide in the darkness. I look in both directions there are a lot more shadows in the darkness then there are people in the light. I can't really see what is happening in the shadows but in the light everyone looks clean and safe and warm. I am by no means clean maybe I belong in the shadows. I take a deep breath and slowly start walking to the Son. I hear the shadows calling to me.

Finally I am standing in the light and the warm feels so good. The Son reaches down and dry's my tears, he wipes the mud off of my face. As I stand there absorbing the Son, a transformation begins, I have become a new person in Christ. I am clean, the broken places are healed.
I feel so good I want to tell everyone to come out from the shadows and come into the light and feel the warmth. I walk around and meet other clean people. They tell me there storm stories and I tell them mine. I can still here the shadows calling me. I ignore them and keep talking to people. I find people who don't have storm stories. Most storm stories are not as long as mine. I say things like I couldn't here the Son over the wind howling but other people could hear him. Why didn't I hear him, what is wrong with me? I hear the shadows calling me and I turn to walk away but one of the shadows calls me by name. I walk over and talk to the shadow. He says I belong in the darkness and I am just kidding my self hanging out with the clean people. I was a shadow and would always be a shadow. I shout NO but he says look at your hands they are dirty. I look down at my hands they are black and covered in dirt. I wipe them on my shirt now my shirt is dirty. I run away from the shadow crying and I run to the Son and I show him my hands and my shirt. He smiles down at me and says my grace is sufficient for you and he wipes my hands and shirt clean.


I sit on the street corner to think. What if my hands get dirty tomorrow? Or what if I get really dirty next week will his grace still work then? How many times can I mess up before my grace runs out? I can't seem to get this staying clean thing right, what if I really do belong in the shadows? Just then Jesus sits down beside me, wraps his arms around me and tells that he died for all my sins past, present and future. He says I belong to him and he is just crazy about me. That his love for me knows no limits and if I will put my tiny hand in his he will lead me. I hesitate for a minute I don't like being lead, I can find the way on my own just fine. He looks into my eyes and I see a love so deep that it takes my breath away. I put my hand in his and ask where are we going? He just smiles and gently leads the way.

Who Am I

As a believer,

WHO AM I?
by Neil Anderson


1. I am the salt of the earth. (Matt. 5:13)
2. I am the light of the world. (Matt. 5:14)
3. I am a child of God. (John 1:12)
4. I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ’s life. (John 15:1, 5)
5. I am Christ’s friend. (John 15:15)
6. I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit. (John 15:16)
7. I am a slave of righteousness. (Rom. 6:18)
8. I am enslaved to God. (Rom. 6:22)
9. I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father. (Rom. 8:14, 15; Gal. 3:26; 4:6)
10. I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him. (Rom. 8:17)
11. I am a temple - a dwelling place - of God. His Spirit and His life dwells in me. (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19)
12. I am united to the Lord and am one in spirit with Him. (1 Cor.6:17)
13. I am a member of Christ’s Body. (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30)
14. I am a new creation. (2 Cor. 5:17)
15. I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:18, 19)
16. I am a son of God and one in Christ. (Gal. 3:26, 28)
17. I am an heir of God since I am a son of God. (Gal. 4:6, 7)
18. I am a saint. (Eph. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2)
19. I am God’s workmanship – His handiwork – born anew in Christ to do His work. (Eph. 2:10)
20. I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God’s family. (Eph. 2:19)
21. I am a prisoner of Christ. (Eph. 3:1; 4:1)
22. I am righteous and holy. (Eph. 4:24)
23. I am a citizen of heaven, seated in heaven right now. (Phil. 3:20; Eph. 2:6)
24. I am hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:3)
25. I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life. (Col. 3:4)
26. I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved. (Col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4)
27. I am a son of light and not of darkness. (1 Thess. 5:5)
28. I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling. (Heb. 3:3)
29. I am a partaker of Christ; I share in His life. (Heb. 3:14)
30. I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house. (1 Pet. 2:5)
31. I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. (1 Pet. 2:9, 10)
32. I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live. (1 Pet. 2:11)
33. I am an enemy of the devil. (1 Pet. 5:8)
34. I am a child of God and I will resemble Christ when He returns. (1 John 3:1, 2)
35. I am born of God, and the evil one – the devil – cannot touch me. (1 John 5:18)
36. I am not the great “I am” (Exod. 3:14; John 8:24, 28, 58), but by the grace of God, I am what I am. (1 Cor. 15:19)

I have the power

My husband gave me a blow torch now he did not know it was a blow torch when he gave it too me, and as for as blow torches go it is small. It is the kind you would use in the kitchen to Caramelize sugar. I love fire and I always have some small flame around, mostly candles but now I have a blow torch and I am capable of so much more. I am sitting around my office looking for things to burn. I have had this blow torch for a while; I did not realize it was a blow torch just thought it was a candle lighter. It sat on my shelf for months and I never thought twice about it. BUT now I have the POWER, the POWER of a BLOW TORCH I want to use it. Nothing else really has my attention but the BLOW TORCH and I will invent uses for it just so I can TORCH things.

This made me think of God’s word. As Christians we have the power of God’s word but how often does our Bible sit on a shelf and get dusty because we don’t realize what we have. Ephesians Chapter 6 refers to the word of God as sword. How many Christian are living defeated lives because they don’t know how to use there sword.

In the book of Daniel with Israel being held captive in Babylon, Daniel reads that the captivity is supposed to last 80 years. It is not until Daniel prays the scripture back to God that he releases Israel from Captivity. Pray the scriptures, there is power in GOD”S WORD.
The only way we can know God’s will for our life is to know God’s word.

Remember we fight from a VICTORY not for a VICTORY.