SCRIBBLES

The I Am of My Being

2011-02-01T23:17:00.000-08:00

Worried about tomorrow, finances, job security, something you said or did? Can your worry change any of those things? No! Our worrying over what is to come accomplishes little or nothing, except perhaps 'sleepless' nights and an increase in our 'worry' lines. Infinitely better than all our worry is our surrender of the problem to One who can make a difference.

I have found that my problems placed in His Hands become much lighter, my sleepless nights peaceful and my 'worry' lines fewer. I have learned that the I AM is all I need.

I AM...
The Alpha - the Omega, I Am
The First and the Last, I Am
The Father, the Son, the Holy One,
The Life, the Truth
I Am the Only Way.

I Am Everything you need,
I Am the Blood you plead.
I Am the Answer to your Prayer,
I Am the Faith you seek.
I Am the Word you speak
There is no other One - I Am.

I Am Water when you thirst,
Bread of Life when you hunger.
I Am Hope, I Am Strength
I Am Healing for your Body
Refreshing for your Soul.
I Am your Salvation,
The One who makes you whole.

(J Chance 2010)

Passing by....

2010-11-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

Just passing through - all of us are just passing through. I seem to be harking back to the same thoughts lately. Time and where it goes when we aren't paying attention. Friends who just keep silently passing by and then...

Another one just left for a better place last evening. Isaac Velasquez was a warrior of the faith. He was steadfast in his beliefs and trust in God, though life had taken a toll on his body. His body had grown weak, and shaky but his commitment to living a life pleasing to God was strong until the end. We should rejoice at his going for his battles are over and he is the victor.

The Apostle Paul wrote that "...for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Bro. Velasquez has gained a rest from the struggle and a promise of the Resurrection.

"CAROLYN" TIME

2010-09-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have a friend, more than one really, but Carolyn was someone special. Once upon a time we lived close enough to spend a lot of really good times together, but time and circumstance placed us many miles apart. We only got to visit together occasionally and chat on the phone. We lost touch but those good times were never far from our thoughts.

Today I was thinking about my friend Carolyn and remembered one of Carolyn's unique characteristics. Carolyn kept time by her own 'clock' which ran slightly behind our schedules, but she was always there eventually.

Today Carolyn's special time-piece, usually a bit behind our own clocks, suddenly decided to catch up and skip ahead of us. You see, we won't be waiting for Carolyn to finally get here because on today she finally got There. Today her time-piece was adjusted by the Master Time Keeper and she won't ever be late again. Today, she is looking back over her shoulder and we are the ones who will always be slightly behind her schedule.

Carolyn, we'll be there ...eventually, so please save us a place at the Table.

Life is just a dash (-) between our beginning and our ending. The dash represents a simple allotment of time that represents all that comes between our beginning and our ending. Time to be used wisely. Carolyn seemed to know that life was meant to be lived not in a rush, rush, rush but enjoyed in a steady pace toward the goals she had set.

What will you do with your own 'dash'? Someday and maybe sooner than we think our own time-peices will be adjusted by the Master Time Keeper and we will arrive at our final destination. Will we have used our time with wisdom and prepared for our departure?

TIME THIEF

2010-08-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time has flown away and taken a year with it. I can't believe that it's been so long since I posted. I do believe there is a message here.

Last October I posted a message "Redeeming the Past", logged out and never imagined that it would be almost a year before I signed in again. What happened? Where did the year go? Life just got incredibly busy and blogging fell by the wayside. Is that all that fell by the wayside? Sadly, I fear that blogging was not the only victim. What one area of our lives is more important than all others? Our relationship with God - that daily visit with Him. We wake up in the morning rushing to get out of the house - rushing right past Him sitting there waiting to visit with us. Do we even feel His disappointment? All day long we rush here and there, from one meeting to the other never having a moment to spare...just too busy. We rush from home to work, from work to this appointment, time for the gym, time to cook dinner, time to wash the laundry and plan tomorrows meal, but no time for Him. Sorry Lord, I'm just incredibly busy. Yet He is always there when we have a need, always watching us as we rush around without time for Him. He always has time for us, and longs for us to take time to visit with Him.

How did we get so busy? How did so many of life's little things become so much more important to us than our time with Him? If we could only see into the realm of eternity I believe we would see Him, the one who loves us with a perfect love, as His tears of dissappointment flow. I also believe that we would see the 'Time Thief' with a broad smile upon his face as he enjoys the scene of all our rushing busy-ness.

Redeeming the Past

2009-10-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

I have heard it said and said it myself that the past is the past and we need to let it go. The past is a weight and will poison our future if we hold onto it. In one sense these are true words, but there are sometimes things from our past (time) that we need to redeem. Redemption sometimes requires us to restore things lost in the past, sins of commission or omission against others. I am realizing today that just because we failed to do something in the past does not mean the opportunity is lost forever. Admittedly righting a past failure is a bit more difficult than having done the right thing to begin with, but far from impossible.
When I first began this blog my purpose was to share my Scribbles with others in the hope of encouragment. There was also a prayer that as God inspired me to write regarding His love, His mercy, and His redeeming Grace the words would find a place in hungry, hurting hearts. That is still my desire, but recently I have been reminded of the people who have passed through my life since that day in March of 1962 when God mercifully filled me with His Holy Spirit and my walk with Him began.
In those days I was a bit timid in fulfilling my commission to be a witness for Him, and prayed only to be a 'living testimony' as I lived and walked with God. So, as an eighth grader I began to live my Godly convictions and live a repented life. I continued through school to try to be that 'living testimony' of God's power to save. I graduated from high school, married a year later and began a family. Life was good, God was Great and my life was blessed but still my lips were silent - I was still just living my testimony.
God began to convict me for failing to speak my testimony - for my failure in reaching out to others with His Word. They were good people, they went to church, but did they "know Him in fullness and truth"? I began to pray for another chance to be the witness I had failed to be when I first came to know Him. About fifteen years ago I began my Scribbling era as I was inspired by sermons, by my children's successes and failures as well as my own, and by the written Word of God. I scribbled on the fly leaf of my Bibles, on scraps of paper from my purse, and finally bought small notebooks for my scribbles. In the beginning the messages were probably for me - but as time progressed I wanted to share them and thought 'I could write a book!' Well, that didn't happen and for a time the scribbling stopped. Life had gotten in the way and I wasn't being inspired too often. Then along came blogging (introduced to me by my daughter) and I began to share my Scribbles.
I have come to understand that God wants more of us than just 'living testimony' - He desires our boldness in sharing our testimony of what He and He alone has done in our lives. Yes we are to live Godly lives before others and before Him, but we are to speak of the Power of God that enables us to walk in His Grace and Mercy.

Lord, grant that I may speak boldly of You; sharing your Word and your Plan for each of us. Give me wisdom to couch my testimony in such a way as to encourage others to seek Truth, and to know you as the Apostle Paul in Phil 3:10: "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death".

Walls

2009-09-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

He who builds a wall of protection about himself often creates a prison cell occupied by those things he has held onto from the past. A sanctuary created not by walls of mortar and stone, nor walls created by bars of steel, yet walls none the less cemented into place by scars and memories. Once enclosed in this 'sanctuary' the builder may find himself tormented by those things from which he sought to protect himself.
We humans have been conditioned over the ages to defend ourselves from those things which cause pain. We want to live safely, peacefully, painlessly. In a perfect world this would be possible; however, we no longer live in a perfect world. The perfect world existed 'in the beginning' and then was lost through disobedience. Our only hope for a perfect world lies in a journey to the cross.
Our journey to the cross begins when we leave the safety of our walls, walls which can only be erased by the blood of the Lamb. At the cross we find His Sanctuary, His Joy, His Peace and there we begin our journey to His Perfect World.

One More Thought on Faith

2009-08-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Job 13:15-16
15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; but I will maintain my ways before Him.
16 He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before Him.

True Faith…
Job desired to ‘reason with God’. He desired that God would ‘explain’ things to him. When God visited Job in the “whirlwind” He required answers of Job – a lot of questions and in those questions Job found his ‘explanation of the unreasonable’. Job’s faith in God was not one of reason; rather, Job believed in the goodness and righteousness of God in spite of what was happening in his life, in his flesh. Faith is not reasonable – faith is believing in spite of all reasoning. Faith believes the unbelievable.
Peter walked on water until he realized he was doing the impossible. Peter took his eyes off of Faith and looked at his fleshly feet sinking beneath the waves. Peter was sinking because he could not believe the impossible, the unreasonable, the unbelievable.
Our walk with God defies the ‘reasoning of men’; our faith in Him – in His word – cannot be explained; it is not a matter of reasoning. It is a matter of faith – ‘Now Faith’; ‘By Faith’, ‘Through Faith’ and ‘True Faith’.

Thoughts on Faith

2009-08-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 11:3
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Through Faith…

"Things are not as they appear." I remember how often my mom told me this truth, that things aren't alway as they seem and we just need to wait for the truth to be made known. Somehow as a young person that was not so comforting, since I was dealing with the here and now and how things appeared at the time. As I have grown older and wiser, I have realized that mom was simply paraphrasing Hebrews 11:3. Waiting for the truth to be made known is "through faith" simply moving forward and trusting God. Our finances, our children, all those things we see with our own eyes in the here and now are test of our "through faith". We wonder how we will ever see our prayers answered when we just can't see it coming to pass. We need to ask God to give us 'faith vision'- eyes that look beyond what is happening right now and see what God sees just a few miles on down the road.

“Through Faith” is the vehicle that carries us forward when the road we travel becomes a trail and the trail seems to disappear. “Through Faith” carries us on realizing that because God is leading us we can follow the path He is cutting ahead of us. “Through Faith” simply follows the trail markers. “Through Faith” is the all terrain vehicle that moves forward, over and through the obstacles to our progress toward God-set goals and destinations. "Through faith" allows us to see beyond those things that appear to be and view the truth of what God has set in motion and believe that what He has promised will come to pass.

A Few Thoughts on Faith - "By Faith"

2009-08-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

Heb 11:8-12; 17-19
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude — innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Abraham’s faith in God surpassed reason:
He went out without knowing where he was going…
He and Sara became parents when they were far beyond the natural ability to do so…
He offered up his only son in obedience, to the seeming detriment of God’s promise to make him the father of many.

By Faith…..

“By faith” is the route we travel toward goals set by God for our lives. Abraham had no map when he set out in search of the ‘city not made by hands’. He had a goal, a target to reach for, but the only direction he had was his faith in a promise made by a God he desired to believe and please.
“By Faith” is the vehicle by which we will attain our goals. When we do not understand and have no road map to follow, faith in God’s promise requires only our commitment to follow as He leads us.
“By Faith” is the act of saying, “I have decided to follow Jesus – I will not turn back – I will trust Him to lead me in the path I should go.

Thoughts on Faith

2009-08-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 11:1-2
1 Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.

Now Faith….
“Now Faith” has substance; it is revealed in the things we hope for though we may not be able to ‘see’ it’s reality. “Now Faith” is the space ( ) we leave for God to fill. It is evidence that we believe the promise that God has given us concerning His plan to prosper us. “Now Faith” is evidence of our trust in His Purpose for our existence. “Now Faith” rejoices in those things we cannot yet see.

It seems so simple, just have faith! To have faith implies belief. It seems so simple to just say 'I believe' and yet it is not simple at all. Words are easy to come by - we are all wired to speak. Faith is more than saying the words, "I believe". Faith is 'allowing' God to fill a vacuum in our lives with His own will as we hope for fulfillment of His promises. Intellectually we may believe, but faith puts aside our intellect, our own abilities and leaves space for God.

Reminder from a teapot-

2009-06-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who collects teapots of all sizes and kinds. Miniature tea sets and life sized usable teapots. I had her as a secret sister and wanted to give her a 'pot' for her collection. So one Saturday while wandering around in a thrift shop I found a small teapot and cup, one of those stacking sets. It was used but in good condition and both feminine and usable. So, I bought the teapot for a couple of bucks and took it home. I cleaned it up and wrapped it nicely intending to leave it for my secret sister the next morning at church. Then I remembered I hadn't bought a card for the gift. So, I sat about writing a short note to attach to the gift. This is the result:

Reminder from a teapot!

I'm just a little teapot,
Not very much to see.
Short and round
A handle, a spout
And a lid to steep the tea.

Like you I serve a purpose.
Like you a job to do!

So, add me to your collection
and as you make your tea,
Remember the reason that
You and I were made.

Since that time, I have often thought about the job of that little teapot - just steeping the tea, and yet it brings such enjoyment and comfort. Our own jobs are just as simple - just doing His will, and yet we often set aside His purpose in order to pursue our own will. How often have you seen a teapot refusing to be a teapot and do it's job? Silly question, you may say since that little teapot has no will of it's own, no choice in the matter. But we as Christians need to learn from that little teapot the lesson of 'being what we were made to be'.
We were made to be like Him a reflection of Him. We were created to be His own.

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

2009-06-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

Remind Me of the Cross

Remind me of the cross
Let me see myself there.
Remind me that my sins were
The nails that held you there.
Remember Lord I’m human
And sometimes I forget
That it should have been me
And yet…
In love you took my place.

Remind me that on the cross
I was purchase by your blood.
Remind me that my sins are gone
For in my place you stood.
You took the slander and
Counted it not loss.
Remember Lord I’m human
Remind me of the Cross.

Take a little time to LISTEN

2009-04-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Another day....I seem to be pretty far behind in posting to my blog. Life in the Chance household has been pretty hectic and I seem to need more "vegging" time now days. Life seems to be rushing by at lightening speed and I am not doing a very good job of keeping up. So let's see if I can 'share' what's been happening in my 'world'.

About mid-2008 James, my other half for the past 40+ years, and I decided to make a change in where we attended worship. We began going to the Promise Center in Santa Rosa - a church that is on the move, growing and reaching out to the community. This church has been around for a number of years, but about 3 years ago a young minister and his wife came as pastor of the church and in the past 3 years there has been enormous growth in the congregation. We have a great youth department, dedicated Bible Study teachers, growing attendance in our small group ministry, and we are just beginning a bus ministry. The pastor is an excellent Bible teacher and an inspired evangelistic minister. We are baptizing new people in the name of Jesus on a weekly basis and seeing an outpouring of the Holy Ghost in our altars every service. This congregation is comprised of folks in all phases of learning to walk with God as well as those who have been in that walk for 40+ years. God is blessing us and fulfilling promises at the Promise Center.

So, we are busy working in the Kingdom and enjoying the fellowship of God!

In addition to the change in our place of worship, I have taken a new job. I moved from the position of loan officer at the credit union into the corporate office as a department supervisor. I am beginning to think I should have allowed God a little bit more time to answer my query about whether or not I should take the 'promotion'. I am on a steep learning curve with the new responsibilities and have a very short period in which to get on top of things. The good news is I will either pass or fail in a short time and the pressure will be over. The bad news is I don't exactly do well with failures and like to do all things well. So, since I jumped into the promotion without sufficient conversation with God, I am throwing myself on His Mercy and hoping He has a handle on the 'Electronic Services' department.

There is a lesson in all of this! My mom used to tell us that if something seems too good to be true...it usually isn't. Now God would say, take time to seek me in all of life's decisions and after seeking, take time to listen.

So slow down, don't be hasty in your listening and let Him make your decisions. Life seems to work better that way. Now, if I can just follow my own advice. Hmmmmmm....

Only One Life

2008-10-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted and in that time a lot has happened.

My nephew, Rob, passed away in his sleep while still sedated. He did not know God. His mom knows God and knows the truth but walked away from God in her youth.

Yesterday we received word that Sharon Chance, wife of Pastor Mike Chance, passed away in the early morning hours. Remember the family in prayer. They have endured a long battle with cancer and the slow dance of death, but what a wonderful thought that Sharon's dance with death is over and she is dancing with the Lord in a much better place.

God is Good - He is Faithful

His Peace is everlasting and His Arms are comforting.

He brings healing to body and soul whether in this life or dancing with Him, for when we arrive at His throne we arrive there without the pain and sorrow of life and death.

God Is Good

2008-09-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

A week ago my nephew, Rob Fairchild Jr, had a stroke caused by a hemorrhage somewhere deep in his brain (apparently the left hemisphere since his right side is impaired). He has been in a heavily sedated sleep for the past week on a respirator and a feeding tube. Daily they bring him up to a light sleep in order to test his reflexes and he fights the tubes, succeeding in pulling them out at one time. Anyway, on one day they actually woke him up and removed the respirator for an hour or so. He appeared to recognize his parents and his siblings, turning his head toward their voices, winking at his sister and trying to pinch his brother. However, they discovered that he is unable to breathe sufficiently on his own at this time and returned him to the respirator and took him down into deep sleep again. Then on Wednesday they did surgery putting in a trache tube and a feeding portal. This evening they will wake him up and begin trying to determine the degree of permanent damage to his brain and give the family a prognosis for recovery. Please remember Rob and his loved ones as you pray, that God will grant him healing and recovery, but more importantly that He will bring them to the realization of their need for salvation. He has been near to them all week and my sister told me that she is beginning to realize that God may be trying to give them all a wake-up call.

What a waste of time.....

2008-08-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Jacque and I am a worrier.
If I don't have a worry I can usually find one, how about you? You know how we say that some things are a 'guy thing'. Well, I think worry must be a 'girl thing' and more specifically a 'mom thing' because I don't really remember having any worries until I became a mom. Then, I was 'blessed' with a plethora of things to worry about and worry I did! And once a mom - always a mom; hence, I am a worrier still.
Mostly I worry about the children and the grandchildren. Are they safe, are they financially secure, is anyone sick....you know the routine. Well, in studying the scriptures I have been convicted of my weakness for worrying. Deuteronomy 31:8 tells me not to be dismayed (worried or fearful) for the Lord goes before me, He will not leave me nor forsake me. The prophet Isaiah in chapter 41 verse 10 of his writings tells me not to be worried for the Lord is my God and He will strengthen and help me. And then, to top all of that off II Timothy 1:12 tells me that I should know whom I have trusted is able to keep ALL that I COMMIT into His hands.
I know that I have committed my children and grandchildren into His Hands. When I persist in 'worrying' about these things I am in effect removing them from His Hands. I recall an instance when I was worrying over my son in prayer and suddenly I felt Him 'tap' me on the shoulder and tell me I was wasting my time and His with my worry. He wanted me to just put him back into His Hands and trust! Trust! Don't worry! Since that time I have been trying to just leave my worries in His Hands and trust. Am I always successful? No, I am human and my first reaction sometimes is all too human. I start to worry, but I feel a check in my spirit that says "you're wasting time again - trust".
Time is valuable and once past, can't be recalled. I really don't want my 'heavenly time card' to reflect all of my wasted time and energy. So, I have to actively remind myself daily to 'commit my cares to Him and trust'.

"Lord, I know you are dependable - bigger than all of my worries and cares - and able to keep all that I place into Your Hands. You are always near and will never leave me; therefore, I have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about. But Lord, I am still human flesh so please remind me if I start to waste our time with worry."

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child..."

2008-08-08T23:31:00.000-07:00

Where do you think this little guy has spent most of his time? He's about 18 months old and he's been listening and paying attention. Children are such a precious commodity! Talk about the 'futures market', these small impressionable packages are the future of our world and our way of life.

What are we teaching them? What will they bring to our future? What will they bring to the Kingdom of God?

From the Mouth of a Child - (Kanon Tipton)

2008-08-08T23:11:00.000-07:00

The Hills of the Lord

2008-07-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting my blog site - haven't posted in a while. I don't really know why other than life just seems to have been taking up all of my time. Funny how that works, isn't it? Well, I was looking through a few of my notebooks, re-reading some of my scribbling and found lyrics to a song (at least I think it is a song) that I started writing a while ago - before life got in my way. I thought sharing what I had written so far might actually help me to complete an unfinished verse. I am hoping that someone will be blessed by the thought... and maybe it was never meant to be completed.

Inspired by the writing of King David.

I Can Lift My Eyes Unto the Hills

Days may come when the sun doesn't shine

Gray clouds hang low and strong winds may blow.

But in every situation,

Every trial and tribulation

I can lift my eyes unto the hills.

I can lift my eys unto the hills of the Lord

His strength is there

To still all my fears.

He will keep me through the sunshine

And through every storm.

When my heart is discouraged

When I'm overcome by fear,

I can lift my eyes unto the hills.

Perhaps the Lord will inspire me to complete the thus far unwritten verse. Until then, I will wait on Him and keep my eyes on the Hills of the Lord. Lord willing I will be more faithful to sharing on my blog.

God has been good to us - recently bringing us through trying times. We have come to appreciate the faithfulness of God. Our church family is growing - a spirit of revival is in every service. God is leading us as we share His Word with a hungry world.

Just A Poem? or A Prayer of Praise?

2007-10-05T00:39:00.000-07:00

You Are My Father

Lord God, you are the Mighty One
Great in wisdom…full of knowledge.
You are Right and our only righteousness,
There is none like you.

You know our thoughts and see our deeds
You know all our needs before we are aware of them.
You in your wisdom and knowledge
Know the desires of our heart,
Even as those desires are born in us.

You, who are wise in all things,
Know how to give us good things.
You are the provider of every need
The one from whom all blessings come.

You, in all your wisdom,
Know when to allow us the desire of our heart,
Though it may grieve yours.

You are mighty in power,
Awesome in Glory.
There is truly none like you.

When I consider the heights and depths
Of your love,
I am overwhelmed, to think that you
Would give that love to me.
I have nothing worthy of this gift.

Why would you shower me with your love?
Why would you pour out these gifts on me?
All these questions and more rise up within me,
And yet the only answer I can find….
You are my Father…
I am your child.

Who Do I Look Like?

2007-09-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

Never take anything for granted! For instance, you pick up a pen or a pencil and you begin to "doodle", you know just a wiggle, a squiggle here and there, disconnected lines that suddenly take shapes and forms. Not a formal picture, nothing identifiable as yet, but something is taking shape. I have always been a "doodler" and a scribbler. I can be sitting around talking with others or taking notes in a lecture or a Wednesday evening Bible study and suddenly the pen or pencil in my hand begins to move around on the paper in those lines and squiggles. I am still listening but often those squiggles become 'flowers' or a butterfly and sometimes they become scribbles - words take shape in the form of poems, lyrics or a record of thoughts inspired by what I am hearing. Sometimes those scribbles begin and then just end becoming fuzzy and losing shape.

If you think about it, you might discover that our lives are much like those 'doodles' and scribbles. We begin life sort of like an empty sheet of paper and as we grow something begins to take shape on our sheet of paper. Perhaps at first the pen or pencil is in the hands of our parents and other family members, but we soon take the pen and begin to express ourselves. That 'empy sheet of paper' is becoming who we are - the shape of us. Our lives are beginning to be defined, to have purpose, to impact those around us. We are writing our lives daily - growing and becoming. We reach a point in our writing when we don't really know what comes next and the pen begins falter and our 'writing becomes fuzzy and without purpose.

Have you ever been in this spot, feeling fuzzy and without purpose? The book of Genesis (Gen. 1:26-27 and Gen. 5:3) tells us that God created man in His own image. Why? Adam and Eve were never 'empty sheets of paper' to be written upon by parents, family, or friends and certainly they were never intended to shape themselves. They were created - made by the Hand of God - in the image of their Creator. Life for them was perfectly ordered and in perfect harmony with each other, with their environment, and with their Creator until the day they picked up the pen and began to write their own story. We all know what happened then! Life took on fuzzy, jagged edges and they were no longer reflections of their Creator.

I have decided that for me the best place for my sheet of paper and my pen is in the Hand of my Creator. When I allow Him to write my story everything comes into focus, all the jagged edges are smoothed and all the disconnect lines and scribbles take on a shape, the Image of the Creator.

2007-09-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

One morning last year while having my morning devotional time I felt like maybe what God was leading me to do was write a book of morning devotions. I began by writing what God gave me each morning, but writing a book is timely and costly I found and I abandoned that idea for the time being. I kept writing and one day I may write that book and maybe it will be published. The folks who visit Scribbles though will have already read most of it by that time since I have decided to share those writings on my blog.

The first few devotions I wrote all centered around the theme of 'Fire'. I guess God was trying to make me understand personally how important it was for me to spend time with Him - letting His fire consume my sacrifices. So I, like Abraham and Moses of old, began to build up an altar and offering my sacrifices. I found that most of what I had to offer up was my time and He was thrilled that I gave Him my time. Soon I began giving Him those things I held dear in my life, like the hurts and the anger over offenses that I was hanging onto as memorials. Yes, we humans hold onto the oddest things - we drag our little memorials out and almost gloat over them as we remember why we don't talk to this one or we talk about that one. We remind ourselves continually how this one hurt my feelings or got recognition instead of me.

If you find yourself hanging onto these memorials, let me share this with you. Those little memorials will one day take on a life of their own and destroy your confidence and thereby destroy your future. The Word of God tells us to forgive (not just once but we are to forgive 70 times 70) and forget. You may say I can forgive but I can't forget. Yes, you can forget and the process is simple. Build your altar and sacrifice those 'memorials' to Him. His fire will turn them to nothing more than ashes and God does great things with those ashes.

A Morning Devotion

2007-09-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

Beauty for Ashes

When the fire of the Holy Spirit burns within us, tended daily by prayer and the Word of God, all of the doubt, fear, and unrighteousness that troubles us will become just so much ash in the furnace of our soul. What do we do with all of that ash?

We know that at some point we need to clean the ash out of hearth in order to allow airflow to feed the flames. Shoveling ash isn’t the most endearing task of our day, but is a necessary one.

Isaiah 61:1-3 speaks to us concerning those ashes in our lives. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,……..to give them beauty for ashes, and the oil of gladness for mourning.

I have found that when I shovel out all the ashes in my life and pour them into His hands, He exchanges them for the beauty of His Spirit and covers me with His Grace.

What a great trade – all the worthlessness in our lives reduced to ash and traded for beauty. Not beauty as the world judges – not just surface beauty, but the “Beauty” of righteousness and holiness before His Throne. A beauty of the heart and soul which causes our countenance to reflect His Image.

O, God, grant that I may keep your fire burning within me
so that I may trade my ashes for the Beauty of Holiness. Let
all who encounter me see a reflection of your Love, your Grace, and your Mercy. Oh that they might see You in my life and desire your life giving fire.

Written January 22, 2006

Lyrics - J Chance - January 2007

2007-09-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

Jan - at your request here are the lyrics - You gave them music. What good are the words without the music? Thank God He gave me you.

YOU ARE EVERYTHING

You oh Lord are everything
All my needs you supply
Light in my darkness
Peace of mind
All my needs in you Lord I find….

You are ……

Strength in my weakness
Bread of Life to me
Water when I’m thirsting
You are everything
Hope when I’m hopeless
Perfection in my faults
Potter for this lump of clay **

You are my strong tower
My shelter in the storm
You’re the very air I breathe
You are everything

A devotional written January 2006

2007-09-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today I have decided to move forward. I’ve spent the past 57 years ‘growing’ in the Lord, but never reaching the place of ‘grown up’ in God. By the help and Grace of God, today I will begin to tend the fire of God in my life and share that fire with any who desire to know about this life giving ‘Fire’.

Fire 101

Flames
Pieces of Wood
A bit of Fire
Fueled by the Wind
Creating a flame
To keep out the cold.
(JC 1-2006)

This morning I woke up to pray and read the Word. The night had been cold and so was the house, so I built a fire before beginning my devotional time. While reading the word and giving it my thought and attention, what had begun as a bright cheery fire in the stove slowly began to die down. As I rose from my chair to begin my prayer time I noticed that logs once bright with flame had gone dark.

I opened the stove and began to tend the fire. This was to be my spiritual lesson for the morning. ‘An untended flame will die out’.

Our spiritual lives like that fire depend on fuel, ignition, and air. Our fuel is the life we submit to God; ignition is provided by contact with the Power of God and the Breath of the Holy Spirit is the air this spiritual life depends upon. If we fail to continuously submit our life (wood for our fire) to God (our source of ignition) and regularly experience the Breath of the Holy Ghost, our fire will go out. Embers will be left which may be fanned into flames, but those embers left untended will eventually become cold ashes.

If we desire to be a spiritual force in our workplace, in our neighborhood and our community we must tend our own personal ‘fire’ with poker and shovel. Poke around in our life to insure we are in contact with God and shovel out the pile of ashes left behind by the undesirable contents of our life in order to feel the sweet breath of the Holy Ghost as He creates flames that impact our world for His Glory.

Everything or Nothing

2007-09-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Mom always told me to give my best-nothing less, to recognize my strengths and my weaknesses. I know that she was referring to my education, my job, or whatever I set out to accomplish in life. Those are wise parental words - I gave the same instruction to all of my children and will no doubt share that same 'wisdom' with my grandchildren at some point. Give life your best and nothing less! Through the years I have found that those instructions are even more important when it comes to living for God.
He is my Everything, how can I give Him less than my all. You say my all isn't much! You're correct! He knows my beginning and my ending; my faults and my failures; the best of me and the worst of me and He wants all of it. In His hands my faults and my failures can become my greatest victories! In His Hands my broken, scarred soul is molded into a new vessel. What shall I do with this new vessel? You see I gave Him everything! He gave it all back to me and asked me to allow Him to fill my vessel and use it to reach a world that needs Him. The decision was mine. I chose to give my all or give Him nothing, now He is my Everything. What will you do with your everything?

Opportunity to Scribble

2007-09-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

When I first heard my daughter talk about 'blogging' I was sure it was just one of those frivolous activities. You know 'sharing' recipes, what's up with what, a tidbit of gossip here and there-just stuff. But I have been visiting her blog and am impressed with her 'sharings'. She is an inspired musician and song writer but much more than that she is sharing God News.
I have been scribbling for years - poems and lyrics and sometimes just prose inspired by Bible studies and sermons. I have all these scribbles in small notebooks stuck here and there and read only by me. I guess I have been hoarding my scribbles, or maybe I have been hiding them. Anyway, recently I was reading some of my scribbles and realized that God may have originally given them to me for my own growth but others might benefit by those thoughts inspired by God. I will be posting those 'scribbles' periodically on this blog site and it is my prayer that those who visit will be inspired to grow in God.
I came to the Lord at the age of 14 and have never regretted giving Him my life. He filled me with the Holy Ghost in March of 1962 and I don't know what I would do with out Him. Have I always walked in His Wisdom? No but He has allowed me to walk in His Forgiveness with a repented heart. Through the years I have failed Him numerous times - failed to give voice in testifying to others of what He has done. Failed to share the 'good news' of His plan of salvation twith those who did not know Him. I don't doubt that they knew of Him, but to truly KNOW Him is to be filled with His Spirit. I hope to give voice to my testimony of Him to all who visit this blog and read my scribbles - I have a lot of catching up to do.