No Resurrection?

I cannot leave the Seed in the ground. Without the
Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, there is no
salvation.

"...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile
and you are still in your sins." (I Corinthians 15:17)

Jesus said that if a seed voluntarily falls into the
ground and dies, there will be fruit, there will be
resurrection. Once Jesus went to his death,
resurrection was certain.

Pause a moment and listen to the music, feel the joy
of heaven over even one sinner who repents and
partakes of the resurrected life of Jesus. You see
all that singing is because of the fruit born out 
of death.

It is YOU beloved!

Check out the story page:
My Search for God: 
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html

The Seed of Hope

Going back to John 12:23,24 we read:

"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls
into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies
it bears much fruit."

A seed that refuses to die, does not experience resurrection.

It will be unchanged and it will be alone--no flowers, no

fruit, no mighty oak.

Jesus said, "The hour has come for the Son of Man
to be glorified." What He is really saying is: The hour]
has come for me to fall into the ground and die.

Jesus chose to die in order "to bring many sons to glory;"

It was because of the "joy set before Jesus, that enabled
Jesus to endure the tremendous suffering of the cross."

 We are the fruit that came out 
of the death of this Seed! 

Dear reader, if you have never trusted the death of Jesus for

forgiveness of your sins; if you have not received Him into

your life as Savior and Lord, then His death avails nothing.
(He died for the whole world. No one is left out, but we get
to choose...) If, on the other hand, you are the only person to
receive this gift, then His death means everything!

New story up! Click here
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html 

Hope Begins with Death

Yesterday I shared the death of George Beverly Shea,
but today I want to talk about our hope in death. A few
weeks ago we celebrated the death of Jesus. (I bet you
think you know where I am going with this...) What
strikes me about the resurrection of our Lord? Had He
not died, He would not have risen! Jesus could not rise
from the dead without dying first. About now all you
Bible Buffs out there are scratching your heads. "What
in the world is she talking about?" I am talking about a
principle so profound that Jesus made sure his disciples
had a chance to grasp it BEFORE He went to the cross.

"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls 
into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies 
it bears much fruit." (John 12:23,24)

When Jesus used the words, "truly, truly," the disciples
snapped to attention. Think about this verse and I will get
back to you later with some thoughts of my own.

New Story is Up: My Search for God
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html

George Beverly Shea

For 70 years Bev Shea sang with the Billy Graham Crusades
and meetings.  Back in the1960's I met and became friends with
Bev's niece who was a Shea. Back then the Crusades were
well known with thousands attending and hundreds coming
to Christ in every meeting. I was living in New York City
at the time so imagine my surprise when a phone call to Eila
was answered by a deep male voice:
"Shea's water works, which drip please!"

George Beverly Shea died a few weeks ago at the ripe old age
of 104. His niece sent me the website of the funeral service.
Cliff Barrows who directed the choir at the Crusades spoke,
and Billy Graham was there in a wheel chair. I was moved
by the passing of a generation. Other emotions crowded in.
It is well worth your while to watch at least a portion of the
funeral service:  (you will have to copy and paste.)

http://www.georgebeverlysheamemorial.org/georgeBeverlyShea_video.asp

A beloved song from 1983--The Love of God

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgIb5g21Eg

New Story Up

Read how a very special woman found
God at a desperate time in her life.

My Search for God
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.html

Self-pity

The past few days have not been pretty. The ink had
barely dried on the miracle called, "Sophia,"when I
went into a blue funk. Lyme Disease has been more
active in the past few months which has affected my
energy and my brain, giving me a skewed interpretation
of things around me. It has affected relationships not
to mention other things that are not going my way.
Self-pity clothed in passivity has not only knocked but
has been given a place of residency! Makes it hard to
write a blog...

"Lord, I have been as a beast before You."

Today I made a choice to enter into His presence and
be quiet before Him. Peace descended. I did not have
"to do" anything to get back into His good graces;
to get back on a good footing with my dear friend. I
simply turned and looked toward the One who loves
me best, whose love is not determined by my behavior.
It has taken me most of my Christian life to realize that
My Papa God does not keep me at arms length until I have
done something to please Him. I am in Him and He is in
me, whether I sense His presence or not. A number of
years ago  a church put up a little ad on TV:

Does God seem far away?
Well...
Who do you think moved?

An Update on Sophia

As you know from a previous blog, Sophia, my great
granddaughter, was born with the diagnosis of Spina Bifida.
Not only that, but the opening in her back was rather large
and up high which indicates severe neurological damage
from the waist down. These kids need help walking, going
to the bathroom, often have kidney problems, hip problems
and once the hole is repaired many of them have to have a
shunt to drain off the fluid from the brain. On Wednesday
they did an MRI and yesterday her Mom got the results:

the doctors found zero problems!

Our great God protected her back throughout the pregnancy
and delivery. The hole was there and took two hours to close,
but all of her nerves were intact, her hips look good as do her
kidneys; no fluid was found either in her brain or around the
spinal cord. The Mother and baby will go home today.

My dear Papa, I am amazed by your power, your mercy, your
love for this wee one. Really, words fail me. You are so awesome!
I have heard of these miracles happening to others, but to actually
experience it for myself, upfront and personal, is something else
entirely. May Sophia grow in the love of God, and may her life
and testimony be a blessing to many! Amen and Amen. 

God of Wonder

Recently we were having a season of very warm
weather which came on the heals of unseasonably
cold temperatures. The warm April days felt very
much like muggy July. Fortunately summer flowers
are in the shops and I have been digging and planting.
The Pansies planted in the fall are bursting with life
and color; all of the bulbs are blooming. It is amazing
to me that I can plant tiny wave Petunias and know
that they will grow quickly and soon spill over the sides
of the pots in a riot of color. Good soil, a little rain
and lots of sunshine brings life into the garden.

Last week was the birth of a beautiful little girl who
grew from a single cell in just nine months. Today I
see the beginning of promise in the roses, clematis,
and honeysuckle. God's creativity is always before
me, but often I fail to see it.

"Stop and consider God's wonders." (Job 37:14)

In His Presence

As I have pondered Asaph's experience where the wicked
did NOT get punished and Job's predicament of why the
innocent DO suffer, I found something in common:
Both men changed in the presence of Almighty God.
Both men broke, bowed, and worshiped.

Broken

by Janice Walker

Lord, You allow me to be broken

Again and Again,

So You can pick me up

And put me together:

Rearrange the pieces

In a new form.

Each new dying

Holds promise of a new resurrection.

New life and new celebration.

May you, dear reader, find new resurrection, new life, and new 

celebration, as you walk through this day.

Life AND Death

Yesterday I wrote of a tiny miracle wrapped up in
a newborn baby but today I want to share about a
dear friend who was given the diagnosis of Cancer
in January and who feels that death is not far off.
She is now in Hospice Care.There is another story
about another baby named Sophia who was born
with a serious birth defect--God took her home
within a few weeks of birth. In each situation, many
believing prayers went up, are going up. It seems
like such a mixture. Some get healed; some do not.

Edith Schaeffer, who recently died at the age of 96,
wrote a *book about suffering and in it she included
two museums in heaven: Museum A was full of miracles,
crutches left behind, even stories of those raised from the
dead. Museum B contained the stories of those not delivered,
those who walked through deep suffering. The stories in
both places gave glory to God; one emphasized deliverance
and the other, His keeping power.

Papa, there are so many things I don't understand,
but I love You.

*Affliction by Edith Schaeffer

Our Little Darling!!!

Yesterday was a darkish day. Oh, yes, the sun was shining
but we were waiting for the birth of our great granddaughter.
The doctors painted a very black picture of all the disabilities
expected on this tiny being who was diagnosed with
Spina Bifida in the second trimester. Sophia was born by
C-section at a specialty hospital in California. They have all
the latest gadgets, except that not one of them knows how to
put a baby together. King David knows:

"For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my
mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret,
intricately wrought in the depths of the earth."
Psalm 139:13-15

Well, Sophia Marie Reeves was born kicking and today they
fixed the hole in her back and found nothing wrong with her
spinal cord! How could this be? Well, we have an
amazing God who is the one who puts things together and
then holds everything in its place!

Papa, I am dancing today!!!!

Noah Time

No, I am not referring to the Patriarch, but to our
grandson. We just spent a delightful eight days
with him. Noah is TWO--thats with two fingers
added for emphasis! Awareness of his surroundings
is exploding, and he mimics what he hears like a
little echo. He calls me Amma, and his grandpa
he calls Abba.

He likes to "go fast," play with his cars, read books
with us--I murder the dutch ones and he finally gave
up on me.

He is a study in motion. One evening at the park he
talked his Abba into going down the slide with him.
He climbed up and walked through the tunnel followed
by Glen who had to either crawl or swing through, legs
first. He chose the latter which sent Noah into gales of
laughter. Down they would slide together and with
a hearty, "AGAIN," Noah ran all the way around the
sidewalk to watch his grandpa swing through the tunnel.
10, 20 times? I lost count.

Families belong together. This is God's plan. We see
it in our culture for the holidays like Thanksgiving
and Christmas--

"I'll be home for Christmas if only in my dreams."
"The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh..."

Then it took a sleigh; now it takes an all day trip
by air. I think technology has increased the isolation
of families and loneliness is the result.

We are planted here for the time being, and, yes, there
is suffering in the mix. I get to see Noah 3 or 4 times
a year and with each visit it gets harder to leave his
hugs and sloppy kisses.

Some Further Thoughts

I woke up this morning thinking on Job. He has
impacted my life in so many ways since I started
blogging on his life. Job is such an amazing man
and I can't wait to meet him! The verses that sparked
my interest today came during the fury of Job's
personal storm, right in the middle of immense suffering:

"For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God..."
(Job 19:25,25 NIV)

My heart leaps as these words spill out across the page.

Job KNOWS that his Redeemer, his Savior, lives.
Job KNOWS that this Redeemer will one day stand
upon the earth.
Job KNOWS that even after death and the destruction of
his body, he will see his God.

Jesus.  Job's Redeemer--and mine.  

Restored!

After Job interceded for his friends, God restored his
fortunes--and then doubled it.

Job's friends, family and neighbors came and told him how
sorry they were and consoled him with generous gifts.

He ended up with:
4,000 sheep
6,000 camels
1,000 team of oxen
1,000 donkeys
Seven sons and three daughters--the other seven are alive
and in heaven. (I guess his wife stuck with him through
it all.)

"Job lived another 140 years, living to see his children, 
and grandchildren--four generations of them!
Then he died, an old man, a full life."

Job never found out why he went through unbearable
suffering. He was not told of God's conversations with
Satan. God knew Job's heart. He knew that Job would
not deny Him--no matter what.
Satan lost, didn't he?
In the end he always loses.

This is Our God

God now turns and speaks directly to Job's friends:

"He turns to Eliphaz and says,
'I've had it with you and your two friends.
I'm fed up!
You haven't been honest either with me or 
about me--
Not the way my friend Job has.
So here is what you must do...
Sacrifice a burnt offering on your own behalf.
My friend Job will pray for you,
and I will accept his prayer.
He will ask me not to treat you as you
deserve for talking nonsense about me,
and for not being honest with me, as he has."

What? God is calling Job his friend?
After all that Job has said?
God is not angry with him?
God has not rejected Job?
On the contrary,
God is bringing
Job alongside as He deals with Job's arrogant friends.

Dear reader, THIS IS OUR GOD!!!!