Hi! Just a heads-up for those of you who read my blog, I have moved my location and consolidated everything under one heading, Squeakings of a House Mouse, at:
http://squeakingsofahousemouse.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
A Psalm of Thanksgiving
Psalm 116 (The Devotional Bible, by Max Lucado)
I love the Lord, because he listens to my prayers for help. He paid attention to me, so I will call to him for help as long as I live.
The ropes of death bound me, and the fear of the grave took hold of me.
I was troubled and sad. Then I called out the name of the Lord, I said, "Please, Lord, save me!"
The Lord is kind and does what is right, our God is merciful. The Lord watches over the foolish, when I was helpless, he saved me.
I said to myself, "Relax, because the Lord takes care of you." Lord, you saved me from death, you stopped my eyes from crying; you kept me from being defeated.
So I will walk with the Lord in the land of the living. I believed, so I said, "I am completely ruined." In my distress I said,, "All people are liars."
What can I give the Lord for all the good things he has given to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation, and I will pray to the Lord. I will give the Lord what I promised in front of all his people.
The death of one that belongs to the Lord is precious in his sight. Lord I am your servant; I am your servant and the son of your female servant. You have freed me from my chains. I will give you an offering to show thanks to you, and I will pray to the Lord.
I will give the Lord what I promised in front of all his people, in the Temple courtyards in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
This is one of my many favorites in the Psalms. At one point of my life, I was in such despair that I wanted to end it. I was trapped on one side of a huge wall, and the rest of the world was on the other. I didn't know how to climb the wall. But I had faith, somewhere in my depths, that I was not even aware of. Jesus broke down that wall. He gave me a reason to live and brought wonderful people into my life. At the lowest point of my life, when I was contemplating suicide, I was only 18. Now I am getting old and unable to do a lot of things I'd like to do, but the Lord guards my way and keeps my feet steady and sets me upon His High Places, because He keeps His promises. He said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you!" If you are distress today, know that Jesus is aware and is so close to you right now. If you have sunk into despair, He is the ladder to climb out of it on. He will make your steps steady and lead you in the way everlasting, because He has promised to take care of us, and He will. Turn your eyes upon Jesus instead of your circumstances, and know that His hand is outstretched to you. Take it, and rejoice for the Lord God Almighty has not forgotten you. You are His child and He loves you whether you love Him or not. Maybe you don't know Him. Maybe no one has ever explained it to you before. He came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Trust Him. He will bring you out of all your deep waters, He will part the sea of despair and let you walk through. He did it then, He will do it again in your life. Let Him in. He is waiting just outside the door of your heart.
His words are just as true today..."If ANY man hears me knock and opens the door to his heart, I and my Father will come in and sup with him and stay with him." It's a promise that He will keep. You're the one who has to open the door. True Life is waiting just on the other side of the door of your heart.
I love the Lord, because he listens to my prayers for help. He paid attention to me, so I will call to him for help as long as I live.
The ropes of death bound me, and the fear of the grave took hold of me.
I was troubled and sad. Then I called out the name of the Lord, I said, "Please, Lord, save me!"
The Lord is kind and does what is right, our God is merciful. The Lord watches over the foolish, when I was helpless, he saved me.
I said to myself, "Relax, because the Lord takes care of you." Lord, you saved me from death, you stopped my eyes from crying; you kept me from being defeated.
So I will walk with the Lord in the land of the living. I believed, so I said, "I am completely ruined." In my distress I said,, "All people are liars."
What can I give the Lord for all the good things he has given to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation, and I will pray to the Lord. I will give the Lord what I promised in front of all his people.
The death of one that belongs to the Lord is precious in his sight. Lord I am your servant; I am your servant and the son of your female servant. You have freed me from my chains. I will give you an offering to show thanks to you, and I will pray to the Lord.
I will give the Lord what I promised in front of all his people, in the Temple courtyards in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
This is one of my many favorites in the Psalms. At one point of my life, I was in such despair that I wanted to end it. I was trapped on one side of a huge wall, and the rest of the world was on the other. I didn't know how to climb the wall. But I had faith, somewhere in my depths, that I was not even aware of. Jesus broke down that wall. He gave me a reason to live and brought wonderful people into my life. At the lowest point of my life, when I was contemplating suicide, I was only 18. Now I am getting old and unable to do a lot of things I'd like to do, but the Lord guards my way and keeps my feet steady and sets me upon His High Places, because He keeps His promises. He said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you!" If you are distress today, know that Jesus is aware and is so close to you right now. If you have sunk into despair, He is the ladder to climb out of it on. He will make your steps steady and lead you in the way everlasting, because He has promised to take care of us, and He will. Turn your eyes upon Jesus instead of your circumstances, and know that His hand is outstretched to you. Take it, and rejoice for the Lord God Almighty has not forgotten you. You are His child and He loves you whether you love Him or not. Maybe you don't know Him. Maybe no one has ever explained it to you before. He came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Trust Him. He will bring you out of all your deep waters, He will part the sea of despair and let you walk through. He did it then, He will do it again in your life. Let Him in. He is waiting just outside the door of your heart.
His words are just as true today..."If ANY man hears me knock and opens the door to his heart, I and my Father will come in and sup with him and stay with him." It's a promise that He will keep. You're the one who has to open the door. True Life is waiting just on the other side of the door of your heart.
Friday, July 13, 2012
God's Works and Word
Psalm 19:1-14
The heavens tell the glory of God, and the skies announce what his hands have made. Day after day they tell the story; night after night they tell it again. They have no speech or words; they have no voice to be heard. But their message goes out through all the world; their words go everywhere on earth. The sky is like a home for the sun. The sun comes out like a bridegroom from his bedroom. It rejoices like an athlete eager to run a race. The sun rises at one end of the sky and follows its path to the other end. Nothing hides from its heat.
The teachings of the Lord are perfect; they give new strength. The rules of the Lord can be trusted, they make plain people wise. The orders of the Lord are right; they make people happy. The commands of the Lord are pure; they light up the way. Respect for the Lord is good; it will last forever. The judgments of the Lord are true; they are completely right. They are worth more than gold, even the purest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even the finest honey. By them your servant is warned. Keeping them brings great reward.
People cannot see their own mistakes. Forgive me for my secret sins. Keep me from the sins of pride; don't let them rule me. Then I can be pure and innocent of the greatest of sins.
I hope my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock, the one who saves me.
Taken from The Devotional Bible, by Max Lucado
General Edition
Experiencing the Heart of Jesus
These words say more than anything I could put together. It is good and true, like the purest of foods for a newborn baby. His words strengthen and heal us. His word has Power to overcome all Evil. Let us rejoice in the words of the Lord and live according to all his statutes. In the Name of the Lord, May His Peace rest upon all of you who read these words, and may your hearts be filled with joy.
Peace to you and every good blessing be yours!
Your Sister in Christ, Bonnie
The heavens tell the glory of God, and the skies announce what his hands have made. Day after day they tell the story; night after night they tell it again. They have no speech or words; they have no voice to be heard. But their message goes out through all the world; their words go everywhere on earth. The sky is like a home for the sun. The sun comes out like a bridegroom from his bedroom. It rejoices like an athlete eager to run a race. The sun rises at one end of the sky and follows its path to the other end. Nothing hides from its heat.
The teachings of the Lord are perfect; they give new strength. The rules of the Lord can be trusted, they make plain people wise. The orders of the Lord are right; they make people happy. The commands of the Lord are pure; they light up the way. Respect for the Lord is good; it will last forever. The judgments of the Lord are true; they are completely right. They are worth more than gold, even the purest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even the finest honey. By them your servant is warned. Keeping them brings great reward.
People cannot see their own mistakes. Forgive me for my secret sins. Keep me from the sins of pride; don't let them rule me. Then I can be pure and innocent of the greatest of sins.
I hope my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock, the one who saves me.
Taken from The Devotional Bible, by Max Lucado
General Edition
Experiencing the Heart of Jesus
These words say more than anything I could put together. It is good and true, like the purest of foods for a newborn baby. His words strengthen and heal us. His word has Power to overcome all Evil. Let us rejoice in the words of the Lord and live according to all his statutes. In the Name of the Lord, May His Peace rest upon all of you who read these words, and may your hearts be filled with joy.
Peace to you and every good blessing be yours!
Your Sister in Christ, Bonnie
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Karma
Today I am going to post something from my Tao book. I read it everyday along with my Bible. I often see the same thing being said in 2 different ways. There are more that agree, than disagree. I hope you enjoy this little excursion into another realm. It always pays to be open-minded towards life. It has much to teach us, and I think you will find that this resonates with a truth that can't be denied or done away with. In essence, it is teaching us to "do unto others, what you'd have other's do unto you!"
From "The Tao of Joy Every Day", by Derek Lin. Day 189:
"Once we see the Tao as the oneness that includes all of us, we can also see that karma must be the energy exchanges in this metaphysical medium. Just as there are actions and rections in the physical world, karmic energies must also go back and forth along the connections of the Tao. Loving kindness toward others may come back as helpful assistance; hatred and abuse toward others will also come back as equivalent negative consequences.
This is why sages have always taught that the movement of the Tao is circular. What goes around will always come around, regardless of its positive or negative characteristics. This movement takes place in the timeless Tao, so it is not constrained by the passage of years or even lifetimes. Sooner or later, all accounts will be balanced; karma has all of eternity to see to this.
Look at your every action in a new light; not as a single, isolated event, but as a stone cast into an invisible pool of metaphysical water. Visualize a karmic ripple spreading outward from you, affecting more and more people as its circle expands. You know this is the beginning of an exchange of karmic energy. You also know that, before too long, you will see ripples being reflected back at you."
Very often we get upset with some negative happening in our lives. We'd all like to have good luck all the time. But rarely do we see that our own negativity brings with it a negative reaction. We can't control others, but we can control ourselves. We are in essence, shaping our own destiny. "Do unto others"....be kind and thoughtful, and you will receive in like manner. You are the Captain of your ship. Steer it well and enjoy your destination's. Every day you have the opportunity to change your fate. You are in control.
From "The Tao of Joy Every Day", by Derek Lin. Day 189:
"Once we see the Tao as the oneness that includes all of us, we can also see that karma must be the energy exchanges in this metaphysical medium. Just as there are actions and rections in the physical world, karmic energies must also go back and forth along the connections of the Tao. Loving kindness toward others may come back as helpful assistance; hatred and abuse toward others will also come back as equivalent negative consequences.
This is why sages have always taught that the movement of the Tao is circular. What goes around will always come around, regardless of its positive or negative characteristics. This movement takes place in the timeless Tao, so it is not constrained by the passage of years or even lifetimes. Sooner or later, all accounts will be balanced; karma has all of eternity to see to this.
Look at your every action in a new light; not as a single, isolated event, but as a stone cast into an invisible pool of metaphysical water. Visualize a karmic ripple spreading outward from you, affecting more and more people as its circle expands. You know this is the beginning of an exchange of karmic energy. You also know that, before too long, you will see ripples being reflected back at you."
Very often we get upset with some negative happening in our lives. We'd all like to have good luck all the time. But rarely do we see that our own negativity brings with it a negative reaction. We can't control others, but we can control ourselves. We are in essence, shaping our own destiny. "Do unto others"....be kind and thoughtful, and you will receive in like manner. You are the Captain of your ship. Steer it well and enjoy your destination's. Every day you have the opportunity to change your fate. You are in control.
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