A Note in the Night

The time on the clock varied. It was either the middle of the night or early morning depending on how you looked at it. As I still was feeling the pain and uncertainty from my radiation treatment 'the middle of the night' sounded more right to me.

As my cancer recently grew it seemed like everything was falling into the category of the 'middle of the night.' Answers were yet to be found. Problems yet to be redeemed. Darkness was covering an area that was already gray. 

As I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night searching for something I opened my Bible to read one more time a scripture I took with me to my radiation treatment from Daniel 11:32b. "...but the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits." Just seconds after reading it my phone signaled me an email had just came in. Already wide awake I thought I would read it. As I opened it the only thing that caught my attention was the signature at the bottom. It said "Shirley" then after that it had the scripture I just read in Daniel. It was as if God had sent  me a note in the night reinforcing the importance of what I just read. 

The note in the night from Him was to let me know those who know their God will be strong and carry out great exploits. It wasn't a fly by thought to carry me over from disaster to disaster. It was a promise with great faith and trust behind it. One I was responsible for to make come true strictly by "knowing" intimately and closely who my God was. I had always known in my heart it was never good enough to just know of Him we need to know Him as we know our best friends, child, spouse, or anyone else we are close to. 

For its with that knowledge comes the fact that we will be strong and carry out great exploits. Great exploits such as surviving cancer, addictions, emotional wounds, and life itself. Our knowledge of who God is and what He is capable of doing gives us the strength to go on. We are not living off a kill or cure policy but a know and grow one. It's not, God cure me of my cancer this day and I'll love you forever. It's I will love you forever because I know you, what happens to my cancer is obsolete. Therefore the process of knowing and growing continues and so does our strength. 

Where my cancer leads me next I don't know but oh what the joy for those notes in the night if only I am willing to look. If only I am willing to gain back the strength that is lost in the middle of the night so I can be carried over to bigger and to greater exploits. 

Copyright 2014  Karen J Gillett @ pencil marks and recipes publishing. 

Sent from my iPhone

In Udder Words ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~God Is Real

Train your eyes to see evidence of God’s presence instead of looking for confirmation of His absence.  Wayne Corderio

 

In a powerfully inspiring sermon on Sunday our youth minister spoke about making an appointment with God. He challenged the congregation to look for ways to come into the presence of God, to feel Him there, to know in their hearts He is near, that He is real.

 

In other words he was challenging us to train our eyes to see evidence of God’s presence. Too often we are looking for the confirmation of His absence instead of the evidence that He is near. We grumble about the things going on around us and say, “If God was only here. Why did God abandon us?” instead of looking for the evidence He was there all along. All along being our support thru the worse of tragedies.

 

Mary and Martha in the Bible pulled this very thing when their brother Lazarus died. The minute Jesus arrived they jumped on Him for not being there to prevent Lazarus from dying. “If only you were here!” They both said to Him. God didn’t abandon them. He was there all along with His love for them and the plans still in place He had for them.

 

Bad things happen to good people, it’s just the way it is whether we want to accept it or not. God is real, we need to lean in to Him and look for His presence. It’s important to make a daily appointment with God to meet up with Him to mix and mingle with Him. Doing it frequently enough that we get to know Him as He gets to know us. We have no problem doing this with our friends, co-workers, the beauty parlor, the doctor’s office, why not God.

 

Right this very moment God loves us. The very God of the universe, the Creator of the atmosphere, the designer of how the ocean comes and goes loves us. Wow. That doesn’t mean a million dollars in unmarked bills, or the perfect health, or wedded bliss, or everything we ever wanted. It means He cares, we mean something to Him.  He has a plan for us that will take us into eternity with Him. He is preparing a place for us in the highest places of Heaven. We may have to suffer a little on earth but not for all eternity because God has given us a place in which to come in to. A place full of His presence where no appointments are necessary, the place called Heaven.

 

Until that time in which our room is ready we still need to be making appointments to spend time with the Lord. We don’t need bright lights to show He is present with us this very moment, we don’t need angels announcing His arrival, or chariots of fire showing up to take us to Him for the day. What we need is the willingness to take the time to come into God’s presence. We can do that thru the reading of the Bible, prayer, or simply talking to God as if He was sitting right across the table from us. It is from there or any place that we can chat with Him about our frustrations, share our accomplishments and joys, cry over our fears, laugh over our shortcomings and goofy moments in life.

 

The evidence is there that God is present, just look, feel, and absorb. However, is there proof on the other side where can God say the same about us? Does He see evidence of our presence with Him in spirit, in our choices, in our attitudes, and every day living? If not we need to do something about that, its time to show up to our own appointment with God. The appointment book works both ways.

 

God is real. God is present. God is there. He has a personality that we really need to get to know. Did you make your appointment with Him today? Do it now.

 

 

© 2013 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing       In Udder Words Tuesday

 

 

 

Let the Adventure Begin

“I know a lot less about God, but the things I know about God, I know a whole lot more, for sure.” ~ Steven Curtis Chapman, on Larry King Live after the death of his 5-year-old daughter, Maria.

It’s interesting sometimes how circumstances in our lives have the tendency to bring out things in us both good and bad. One of those certain things is the issue of how well we know someone. Whether it is a love one we’re close to, a friend we hardly know, or even God himself.

Years ago I went through that very thing with my parents who I thought I knew all there was to know about them. Until…….until mom had her major stroke six years ago. At the time of the stroke because I was the one living the closest to them I got the honor of watching over them during mom’s recovery. Immediately I began to learn things about them both I never saw or noticed before. It turned out to be a real blessing.

Unable to talk and communicate her needs and wants I had to get to know her in order to try and figure out what she was thinking and what her likes and dislikes were. At times it was frustrating while other moments were full of love and laughter. As much as I would like to have my old mom back, the one who could talk and get around on her own I wouldn’t trade this time with her and dad for anything. It has been a great experience.

Often this is the way it is with God. We think we have the full knowledge of God when we find out otherwise as circumstances arise. Just because we can pass a Bible Trivia test we think we know Him inside and out but then things happen and suddenly things are different. What we knew becomes brighter and clearer and what we didn’t know at all comes to light.

The Chapman family being Christian based probably thought they knew everything there was to know about God. Much to their surprise they evidently had more to learn and the death of their precious child brought that out for them to experience.

Often our reaction when it comes to situations like Maria’s death, my mom’s stroke, or anything else is to turn on God not to Him. We push the blame on to Him for all of life’s struggles instead of opening our arms to the One who is there to see us through them.

As the picture of God grows bigger and bigger we realize just how little we know about Him. We should never underestimate that knowledge and its ability to grow. God is not someone we can fit in a small box or picture designed by us and our knowledge of Him at the time of the design.

If we would just take the time to get to know Him we’d probably be overwhelmed with what we learn. Given time, if I’m so blessed, I probably will eventually know all there is to know about my parents but with God it’s never ending. Let the adventure begin and most importantly let it never end either! The choice is ours.


Our host this day is Jennifer at Scraps & Snippets and you really need to scoot on over there and let your knowledge begin!

© 2010 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

It's All in the W.R.I.S.T.

“To just read the Bible, attend church, and avoid “big” sins –is this passionate, wholehearted love for God?” ~Francois Fenelon, The Seeking Heart

Pathetically enough people not only think that reading the Bible, attending church, avoiding the “big” sins is showing a passionate love for God but they think it qualifies them for being a Christian too. I must say, “Congratulations” to Satan for managing to sneak this lie in past the many people who have fallen for it hook line and sinker.

As they say in tennis its “all in the wrist” well passionate wholehearted love for God is all in how we approach the things we do. Things such as Bible reading, church attendance, and willful sin dodging. There should be a definite difference between showing up for church to be marked down in the attendance book and going there to worship the Lord. A noticeable variation between reading God’s Bible like a deep book that needs to be studied as compared to a shallow Romance novel that is read today and tossed tomorrow. A significant distinction between the understandings that sin is sin as compared to thinking it’s only the violation of the “big ones” that will get you into hell.

Our passionate, wholehearted love for God needs to be just that, a fervent enthusiastic affection for God. A love requiring intentional efforts on our part to study His word, go to church to worship and serve Him and to not sin. Doing whatever it takes to intentionally obey His Word, to follow His lead, and to show proof in our lives that He is living within.

Why in the world do we settle so often for mediocre when we can have something really awesome between our Lord and us, something vibrant and alive and growing daily that has no end that begins with us? Sadly enough we probably do this because we want things that end with us not begin with us. Things that have “us” written all over it instead of Christ as we nobly step aside for Him to go first to reach out to us then it becomes all about us.

Wrong! That’s not what passionate wholehearted love is all about. We’ve gone so far away from “wholehearted” that we don’t even know what it truly means. It means giving our total sincere unreserved heart to Jesus and stop holding back pieces for ourselves. We think we have enough zeal to go around but yet we find ourselves strapped thin from spreading it out so much that it loses its excitement and enthusiasm.

Our love for our Savior, our spouse, our children, family, friends, and anyone else is all in the wrist. It’s all in how we approach it and handle it daily. It’s what we intentionally put in to the relationship not what we get out of it. God’s passionate wholehearted love for us showed up in His act of sending His son to die for our sins. How is ours showing up? Where’s the proof?

We shouldn’t be afraid to look for the evidence. Especially when we can use it to correct where we may be slightly off so we can aim for that perfect passionate wholehearted love we can have between us and the Lord. The other day as I flipped a spit wad off my thumb towards my grandson I missed him as it went a little to the left. Turning to my mom I told her, “Well it tends to shoot a little to the left.” After that I used that proof to correct my aim as I managed to get him before he tickled me.

Our relationship with our Lord is our responsibility. It’s not going to grow on its own without intentional effort on our part. Don’t settle for mediocre. Go for the passion, display the zeal. It’s all in the wrist.

Worshiping daily
Reaching out always
Intentional living
Seeking Him
Turning towards God

Amen? AMEN!!!!!!


Our lovely host this week is Debbie over at, Heart Choices so hurry over there and read and share with the gang. It’s fun.

To a God Who is Known

IOW quote April 11, 2008

One of the most wonderful things about knowing God is that there's always so much more to know, so much more to discover. Just when we least expect it, He intrudes into our neat and tidy notions about who He is and how He works. ~~Joni Eareckson Tadaby~~~

Joni in her quote talks about how one of the most wonderful things about knowing God is the fact that there is always so much more to know and discover about him. Although that is true I’d have to say that more breathtaking than that is the fact that we all have the opportunity to “know God” in the first place. He is not reserved only for Priests, Preachers, or Popes to know Him personally. He’s available for all who is willing to seek, search, and serve Him and Him alone.

It’s important that we are not guilty of what the people in Athens were in the 17th chapter of Acts who built an altar “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” Instead of taking the time to get to know this “unknown” God they just built an altar in His name as if that would cover it. When Paul saw this when he was in town he boldly approached the people in that area and told them he was going to tell them about this “unidentified God” that truly had an identity.

First thing he pointed out to them was the fact that in the beginning it was God who created the world and everything in it. He was not a God who lived in temples built by hands nor did He need to be served by human hands as if He required anything. After all, Paul went on to say, He is the one that gives ALL men life, breath, and everything else. Making man to inhabit the earth in which God determines the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

He told them God did these things that man would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. In other words, He didn’t need to be an unknown God to them and there is no reason for Him to be that way to us today. He wasn’t designed to be “off limits” to anyone who wants to know Him for it’s in Him we move, live and have our being. We are His offspring.

We may never learn all there is to know about our Heavenly Father but that is the joy that can be found in seeking Him, finding out new things, experiencing new blessings. Finding ways to brighten a picture often smudged by Satan and his worldly ways. Although God is the same as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow there is always more to know, more to seek, more to experience. Praise the Lord. Its up to us to keep on seeking, to take down the sign that once hung on our hearts, “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD” and get to know the God who can be known. It’s our move.

CLOSING THOUGHT: As we would never want to miss out on knowing someone we dearly love we don’t want to be guilty of missing out on knowing God. God doesn’t fit in a box, He doesn’t fit in a pocket, there’s a lot to be known about Him, the opportunity is ours. The journey is ours for the taking to get to know the God who is and always will be. Experiencing His love, comfort, strength, guidance, sense of humor, and so much more. Forever prepared to have Him interrupt what we thought we knew about Him with bigger and greater things. An infinite God that doesn’t belong in our pockets, He belongs in our heart where there’s room to grow and expand as we erect a new sign that says, “to a God who is known!” Praise the Lord.


This week our host is Susan over at, Forever His , get over there quickly and read and share what others have to say about today's quote.