Total Eclipse Of The Heart A Lesson

Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Lesson One

There are many things that make me stop and think of God, His Word and His love. One of those things happens to be lyrics to songs. These songs were not written with the intent to praise God, but the words in the lyrics make me think about my relationship with Him and how He feels about me. Some songs make me feel like He is singing personally to me. Others make me feel like I am speaking to Him, either out of desperation and need of Him, or my love for Him.
The song, ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ is not a duet, but as the singer sings, there is a voice that keeps responding, ‘Turn around’. That one little verse made me think of how God is there, where ever we are and no matter what we are going through, if we will just turn to Him we will make it through.
Let us read the lyrics of this song and my thoughts and questions alongside.

Total Eclipse of the Heart Lyrics written by Jim Steinman and sung by Bonnie Tyler
[Verse 1]
(Turn around)
Even before she sings a voice is saying to turn around
Every now and then, I get a little bit lonely
And you’re never coming ’round
Question; Do you ever feel lonely or neglected like the person in this song?
Can you think of people in the Bible who had felt this way?
Psalm 25:16-17 “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.”
(Turn around) I hear God saying turn to Me.
Matthew 28:20 “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Every now and then, I get a little bit tired
Of listening to the sound of my tears
Question: Have you gotten tired of your situation and pain?
1 Samuel 30:4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.
(Turn around) Turn To Him. He will comfort you and give you strength.
Psalm 29:11 The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.

Every now and then, I get a little bit nervous
That the best of all the years have gone by
Question: Are you afraid that you have wasted your life?
1 Peter 1:17 ESV And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
(Turn around) Turn to Him and no matter how you lived before, your life still has purpose.
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Every now and then, I get a little bit terrified
And then I see the look in your eyes
Question what terrifies you or causes you to have fear or anxiety?
In the world we live in it is easy to have things that can cause you to be stressed, worried, anxious, and terrified. I have a constant battle with all of these things myself. The good news is that I know that thes are things that God did not give to me, so I can still have hope.
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
[Refrain]
(Turn around, bright eyes) Turn to Him and He will take care of your needs.
Psalm 22:26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him may your hearts live forever!
Psalm 146:7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners.

Every now and then, I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
Question: Have you ever felt like you or your world has fallen apart?
I have more times than I can count, and I am even going through one of thos periods right now.
Question; So how do we get through these times?
[Verse 2]
(Turn around) We turn to HIm and trust Him.
Isaiah 41:10-13 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. 12 You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. 13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Psalm 84:11-12 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Every now and then, I get a little bit restless
And I dream of something wild
Question: Do you ever get tired of where you are at?
Maybe you want to try to do something that might not be right for you because things might not feel like they are going in the direction you want them to.
(Turn around) Seek Him and pursue His direction for you even if for the moment you have to wait.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[b] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Every now and then, I get a little bit helpless
And I’m lying like a child in your arms
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I get a little bit angry
And I know I’ve got to get out and cry
No matter how you may be feeling it is okay, it is even okay to feel angry. Feelings are not wrong, but we need to be careful with our emotions. It is so easy to lash out at others when we are in pain. If you do this, don’t beat yourself up, just make sure to apologize and let the other know you did not intend to hurt them. There is a saying that is very true, ‘Hurt people, hurt people’.
(Turn around) Take what you are feeling to God and He will help you. You may have to keep doing this, because emotions can come at you like waves of the ocean. That is okay because He will always be there for you, no matter how you may be feeling.
1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV No temptation(emotion/my personal thought) has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Ephesians 4:26 ESV Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
Ephesians 4:31 ESV Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Every now and then, I get a little bit terrified
But then I see the look in your eyes
[Refrain]
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart

[Chorus]
And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight
We’ll be holding on forever
And we’ll only be making it right
‘Cause we’ll never be wrong
We need Him every moment of our lives. He will never leave you, and will hold you in the palm of His hand. He makes all things right. With Jesus you will never be wrong.
Together, we can take it to the end of the line
Together with Him, wlaking the path He has set before you and walks with you, you will make it to the end of the line.
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (All of the time)
He covers you with His love and is with you at all times.
I don’t know what to do and I’m always in the dark
Living in a world filled with darkness, we cannot always know what to do. So we turn to the One True Light and He will lead us through it.
We’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight
Forever starts the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

The Lesson continues.
Recap
The song, ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ is not a duet, but as the singer sings, there is a voice that keeps responding, ‘Turn around’. That one little verse made me think of how God is there, where ever we are and no matter what we are going through, if we will just turn to Him we will make it through.
Let us continue to read the lyrics of this song and my thoughts and questions alongside.

[Post-Chorus]
Once upon a time, I was falling in love
But now I’m only falling apart
There’s nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
You made the decision to follow Christ and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then the trials and tribulations of this life knock you down and you start looking at the problems more than you are focusing on Him. The problems become giants and mountains that you begin to circle.
Once upon a time, there was light in my life
But now there’s only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
Now the mountains and giants block out His light and you don’t know what to do, and once again you feel lost and hopeless. You still know He loves you but all you can see is the darkness around you.
Question: What are the giants and mountains in your life that are eclipsing the Light of Jesus in your life?
Question: What do you do now / how do you defeat the giants and get over the moutnains?
[Interlude]
(Turn around, bright eyes) Turn to God and put your trust in Him
1 Samuel 17:44-46 David Slays Goliath
…44“Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” 45But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.…
(Turn around, bright eyes) Turn you eyes and see the goodness of God and have faith.
Psalm 27:13 NKJV I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.
Matthew 17:20 NKJV 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your [a]unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

[Verse 3]
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I know you’ll never be the boy
You always wanted to be
Every now and then it is easy for us to forget who we are in Christ and forget whose image we are being made into.
(Turn around)
But every now and then, I know you’ll always be the only boy
Who wanted me the way that I am
God not only knows who you are but has loved and wanted you before you even knew who He is.
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I know there’s no one in the universe
As magical and wondrous as you
There is no other God, He is both Creator and our Heavenly Father, and He is truly amazing.
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I know there’s nothing any better
There’s nothing that I just wouldn’t do
There is nothing better than Him, and He gave us something no other would ever do. He gave the life of His only Son so that we are not only forgiven, but we have eternal life through Jesus.

[Refrain]
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
So if you fall down, fall apart, or even get lost along the way. He is there to find you, pick you up, and put you back together.
[Chorus]
And I need you now tonight (And I need you)
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight (If you love me)
We’ll be holding on forever
And we’ll only be making it right (And we’ll never)
‘Cause we’ll never be wrong
Together, we can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (All of the time)
I don’t know what to do, I’m always in the dark
We’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight
(Forever’s gonna start tonight)
[Post-Chorus]
Once upon a time, I was falling in love
But now I’m only falling apart
Nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time, there was light in my life
But now there’s only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart

[Outro]
(Turn around, bright eyes)
(Turn around, bright eyes)
(Turn around)
(Ooh-ooh)
(Ah-ha, ah-ha)
(Ah-ha, ah-ha)
(Ooh-ooh)

Just like life the lyrics repeat, but the message and lesson remains the same. He will never leave you or reject you. If you fall down He is there to pick you up. If you feel broken and useless He will heal you and give you purpose. There is some things you will need to do, and that is turn to Him and give your life to Him. Love and follow Him. Listen to His voice and never be afraid of asking Him for help.
You may have noticed that I di not include as many scriptures in the second part of this lesson. The reason I did this is because your assignment is to share scriptures that the lyrics of this song inspired you to think of. Just my little way of encouraging you to seek Him in His Word.
Looking forward to reading the scriptures you have to share, and also share what inspires you.
God bless and prosper you and your loved ones.

Katherine’s Blog/The story of the nails in the door

The story of the nails in the door

Katherine has shared a wonderful lesson. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have.

Self Portrait/ A lesson in how we see ourselves

I originally wrote this lesson back in 2015 and I thought it was a good time to share it again with a little editing, since it was originally done for a women’s Bible study but since then others have asked if they could use it with the men in their church as well.

How we can see ourselves and how God our Heavenly Father can be two very different pictures.

Self Portraits Lesson

Self Portraits / Julie Sheppard

A lesson on how we view ourselves and how God in His Love and Word can transform us. How we see ourselves, and how others see us can be completely different. Then there is how God our Heavenly Father and our Creator sees us. How do these views reflect the other is what this is part of what this lesson teaches.

Taking a good luck at ourselves is not easy for most of us. We can look into a mirror and see our reflection but this is not all that we are. God created each one of us individually and He knows our hearts, our thoughts, and everything else about us. He created each of us with a purpose. We are beautifully and wonderfully made. Each one of us is His masterpiece. Most of us do not see this though. I admit that I do not see what God sees, but through this study, I hope we will have our eyes opened, and that we see who and what were created to be. We are His daughters and His sons. We are His chosen, and we are His bride.  We do not usually see ourselves in the best light. It is time that we see ourselves in the Light of Jesus, which He shines favorably upon us.

The worlds view of women has taught us that we to look a certain way be seen as beautiful. Men are supposed to be rugged and strong to be considered men. TV shows, movies, magazines, and fashion has reinforced this view into our own way of thinking. We are not only guilty of putting each other’s down, we also put ourselves down. If a person doesn’t fit our view of what we think they should be or act, we often criticize gossip and make jokes at the others expense. We may be nice to their face, but slander them behind their back. Let us break this terrible behavior. We are called to love each other. The Word even tells us to go a step further, and to love our enemy! But how can we love, if we do not love ourselves? It is okay to love yourself, because God created us in His love, to be loved.

Will you now take the time and see who you are created to be. In the first part of this four part lesson, we will make a self portrait of ourselves. You do not have to be an artist to do this. This exercise is to be fun and an opportunity to be creative. This is not a pass or fail exercise. Paints, pens, pencils and crayons are usual art supplies, there is also pictures from magazines etc… that you can make a collage. This is an opportunity to show off your creativity, and to take a look at ourselves in a new way. When you have completed your portrait take some thought and think of a scripture(s) or a person in the Bible you can relate your portrait to. You can write as many scriptures as you would like. One thing if you want to get something more than an arts and crafts lesson. I do hope you will be honest with yourself as you do these lessons so that you can really get something from them.

Lesson one

Draw, paint, or make a collage of how you see yourself. Remember to be honest to yourself in this portrait and the others in the following lesson. This may be the hardest of the lessons. No matter how you see yourself it is okay. I am hoping by the end of these lessons that you will see yourself in a new light. When you are done with this portrait, see if you can find any scriptures to go with it. Most Bible studies or life groups meet once a week, so I suggest that in the first week you create your portraits, and follow up the next week by sharing them and any scriptures in a loving a supportive way with each other. This should be done with each portrait making this lesson eight weeks long if to get the most out of this lesson.

Example

In this first picture, I see myself alone in the darkness even though I know God is there.

Isaiah 49:14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And the Lord has forgotten me.”

The second is a collage.

Lesson two

The second lesson is not going to be much different than the first lesson except this portrait will be one to portray how we think the world sees us as. We may say we do not care about what others think of us, but if we are honest with ourselves we do care. Sometimes this can cause  our view of ourselves to diminish. This can keep us from doing what God has called us to do, because we are afraid of being judged, this can also cause us to harshly judge others out of this fear. (Strike first) So this lesson is to get us beyond that fear of being judged and criticized. Once your portrait for this lesson is done, think of someone in the Bibles who makes you think of this portrait. Then ask yourself does their story reflect how you feel you are seen by others? Discuss with another if they see you as this portrait or not.

Lesson three

The third part of our lesson is to do a portrait of one of someone else in your group. Names will be put into a bag and each one of us will pick a name from this bag. This is not an easy exercise, because of how we may feel that we are viewed.  Yet one rule to this lesson is we will not be tearing each other down. This is a lesson in how we can build each other up. To show the other person the beauty, strength and value that they may not see in themselves.  Here we will also learn some truth about ourselves we didn’t know about before. This will also reinforce that we do not need to fear judgment and criticism. Just as in the previous lessons choose a scripture or person in the Bible who reflects this portrait. If you are not sure of what this portrait should look like pray and let God’s Holy Spirit guide you. You may even choose you scripture or biblical person first. Remember to build your sister or brother up. Make sure to stay away from all things negative.  Remember the saying a picture can speak a thousand words? So let us watch our words. Speak LIFE! When you have completed this portrait and added the scriptures or person from the Bible present it to the person you made this portrait of. In this you will both be blessed. The following week discuss the reason for your choices in making this portrait, the scriptures or person from the Bible that made you think of this person. Then ask the person if they can now see themselves in this way.

Lesson four;

The best lesson is for last. This portrait is how God our Father sees us. His view of us is so much better than what we see ourselves as.  It is time to see ourselves through His loving eyes. Allowing Him to open up our eyes to see the beauty of His creation. Now in this lesson you should have no trouble finding scriptures detailing how He sees us. Not only should this lesson help us to see the beauty in ourselves but in each other. Then we can learn to be more encouraging, lest critical, and to let go of our fears. Learning to see ourselves through His loving eyes. Now complete your last portrait. Once you are done let us discuss how has your view of yourself changed through these lessons? Do you see yourself as being loved? Do you see how beautiful you are? Do you see your value? Do you see how important you are?

I only included a couple of examples to help give you ideas. If you choose to do this study please let me know. I would love to see your portraits  and read what you have learned and if there are any lessons you learned that you would share to help another. I am hoping that we all can learn to see our true value.

Love your enemies

Matthew 5:43-48, and again in Luke 6:27-36, Jesus is teaching us to love our enemies. We can say the words ‘I love you’, without meaning what we say. We can say it as easily as saying “Hello”, or ‘Goodbye’. We are being polite, but we are not truly caring about the other person. Now this is where it is going to get harder, ‘Love your enemy, bless those who persecute and you’. I have tried over and over again in this area and failed miserably, so what I am writing is for myself and anyone else who struggles with this.
I have been thinking a lot about Jonah lately. He was a man God used to save the people of Nineveh. Yet he did so unwillingly. He tried to run from His purpose of giving the message of repentance to the people of Nineveh. To say that he did not like them is being kind. He wanted them to be condemned for how they lived. He had passed judgment on them and thought they deserved what was coming to them. So he ran in the other direction, and ended up in the belly of a whale, that spit him up on the shore of Nineveh. He told the people to repent for God’s judgment was at hand, and they did. This did not make Jonah happy though. He sat outside the city angry and wanting to die. Even though the people had repented and God showed mercy, Jonah had no love or mercy for the peopl of Nineveh.
How many times have we turned and gone another direction because we did not like what a person or group was living without taken the time to give the message of God’s love, and the price Jesus paid to show us how much He loves us? Yes there are those who we have shared God’s Word and love with who rejected what we had to say and even turned against us. Yet how many people do we reject? We don’t like how they dress, talk, live or their beliefs’. Is this a spirit of humility? Are we so much better than we can turn our backs on them?
There are people in my life currently that I have a hard time dealing with, from their behavior and vulgar language to their hateful attitude and I must admit that even though I have been polite, I have wanted to take a gallon of Dawn dish soap and a toilet brush to their mouth. this is not a loving attitude and I know it. I also have had people in my life that I have shared the Word of God with and His love who are members of a church who have not only rejected me but cursed me and slandered my name while living in adultery. Do I forgive the one who is attacking me personally and yet judge the other because they do not attend church? Or should I love them as Jesus loves them. It is not up to me or you to change how they live, but to introduce them to the only true love that can transform their lives as He is continuing to mold us into His image.

 

Do You Listen? / June 18, 2019

(In this post I have included the original post, but as I read it again I heard God speak to me and tell me that it was unfinished. So The bold print is from the original.)
When your children do not listen to you and disobey you do you get upset? Of course you do. I do not know of any parents that does not care when their child does something wrong. As a parent you have rules you expect your children to follow those rules. There are the things you want them to do, and the things you do not want them to do. When they break your rules you discipline them. So why is it that when God tells us to do something or not do something we like to argue with Him, or we go ahead and do the thing He has told us not to do? He is our Heavenly Father, and we are His children. As we want our children to listen to us we need to listen to God our Father and not argue with Him and do what we know pleases Him. We are not to talk back or tell Him what to do. We do not tolerate this with our own children, so why is it that we think we can do this with God? 

Growing up, talking back to any adult was not allowed, and you definitely did not talk back to my father, unless you wanted a beating. Yet are there times when we do this with God, our Heavenly Father? Do we make demands and tell Him what to do? I think we have become spoiled children at times. We have used prayer as a one-way street, with a list of demands and wants. A combination of a shopping list and a to do list.

When Jesus was asked by His disciples how to pray, He had included, ‘Thy will be done’ in His example of how to pray, and what we today call the ‘Lord’s prayer’ (Matthew 3:9-13). Later while praying in Gethsemane, He again said in prayer, ‘Not my will but Thine be done’. In both instances, Jesus the Son of God does not make demands but prayed for the will of God to be done.

It is not our own will that we should be seeking but His. How can we know His will? Let us not only hear what He tells us, but listen. Remember that prayer is communicating with God. He is not your personal genie granting you what ever you wish, He is our Heavenly Father. He wants to hear from you, but He also wants for you to listen to what He has to say. He is not your ATM machine where you put your membership card in so you can take something out. Stop for a moment and give Him your time and attention. Listen to His voice.

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
John 10:27-28 ESV My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Mark 4:24 ESV And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.

Proverbs 1:8-9 ESV Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, (9) for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

Proverbs 7:1-3 ESV My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; (2) keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; (3) bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Right Relations / Relationship Status

Now this is still a rough draft continuing my work on ‘Right Relations’ a lesson on learning who we are and the relationships we have. Would love your thoughts and feedback if you have any. Well here is the next installment. I hope you find something you can use in your own relationships.

Relationship Status

When filling out forms, how often do you come across your relationship status? You have to check the box next to-: Single-Married-Divorced or Widowed. On some of the social media you will even find the status of-Complicated. This one I find interesting, because to me it is a big flashing sign you are not in a right relationship. Regarding the original choices on my relationship status, tells me that I am partially defined by what type of relationship I am in. If you are a woman who is married you take on your husband’s name and are identified as his wife. There is nothing wrong with this. It is something I am in agreement with. Today you have women who keep their maiden name or hyphenate their last name with their husband’s name. Both of these I have a problem with, because to me this is telling the world you are only partially committed to your marriage. I am divorced and could have gone back to my maiden name, but I chose to keep my married name when my ex-husband divorced me even when he had petitioned the courts demanding that I changed my name. I did not keep his name as a way to hold on to our marriage. It was over and that is actually a blessing because it had been an abusive relationship. We had a daughter together and I wanted her to grow up knowing that even though I was no longer married to her father, that we shared a name. That I was not going to deny how she came into my life and that I would not abandon her.
Now back to the status check list there have been times I have wanted to create a new box and label it Bride of Christ. In Isaiah there is a verse that talks about God taking me in like a wife who had been forsaken. This as well as many other scriptures have and continue to encourage me. I am a bride of Christ, I belong to my Heavenly Father and I am proud to say this. It is a major part of who I am. It is my identity. Taking on the name ‘Christian’ tells the world I belong to Him, and that He loves and accepts me for who I am. I do not claim to be the same person I was before I entered into this relationship, but whom of us in any of our relationships, stay who we were in the beginning. As my relationship with Jesus has grown, I have grown. I am still me, but I am much better than who I was before. So this is part of the reason for me diving in deeper on learning about relationships. As I am learning more of what relationships are and who I am in these relations, I am learning and growing in each relationship I have. My relationship with God, my Heavenly Father, with Jesus, and His Holy Spirit. Also my relationships with my family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc…

This is not a complete work and I am continuing to dive in deeper, hope you enjoy my process.

Right Relations / Outline

This is a new way I am tackling a writing project. I usually want to edit and polish a finished work before I share what I am writing. So here I am sharing my process and how i am being inspired. I have so much work to do. This subject can take me in so many different directions it is going to be fun staying on track. Considering the break from writing that I had taken it feels like I am being flooded with new ideas and thoughts and they just keep pouring out onto this screen. Well my next addition to ‘Right Relations’ is a rough draft of an outline. I hope it gives you an idea of the direction I am being lead.

Right Relations

Introduction / we relate to people every day. There are the people we relate to on a personal level. Others through daily activities, such as work, shopping, dining and ways we find entertainment, to name a few.

 

Define relations/relationships –List of relationships
How do we relate to one another?
Communication-Key to building relationships
Relationship status
Family relations / Relationships Restored / Cain and Abel (when those closest to you seek to take your life)

How does our earthly relationships effect our relationship with Jesus and how we view God?
What impact does our faith make in our relationships?
You have to work at making a relationship work/A work in progress
Healthy relationships
Intimate relationships /difference between intimate and sexual
Codependent relations
Damaged and broken relationships
Abusive relationships – not all abusive relationship are physical, and some are not even intimate.
Healing relations
Restored and reconciled
Testimonies on relationships that have been healed and restored
The most important relationship
How do Christians change how we relate with each other and with the world? Can we change and make a difference?

Right Relations / The Relationship List

Well I am at work on my ‘Right Relations’ project. So I have compiled a list of some of the different types of relationships we all have. Please feel free to add to the list ones that I did not mention and tell me are these good or bad relations.

Relationship list
1. Immediate family – Parent/child – mother child – father /child father/son – father/daughter – mother/son –mother daughter – brothers/sisters – Grandparents – grandmother/grandfather – aunts/uncles – cousins etc…

2. Faith based relationships-Church/Ministry Relationships Preachers, pastors, ministers, teachers, nursery workers, prayer partners, other church members, visitors etc…
3. Community –  Babysitters, neighbors, teachers, coach, business owners/employers, managers, supervisors, coworkers, doctors, nurses, police, firefighters, cashiers, waiters/waitress, store clerks, etc…
Wrong Relationships
Abusive, controlling, codependent, neglected, etc…
This is not a complete list, but it gives us something to think about. Even if you are single, live alone and have no living relatives, you still have relationships. Some are personal and intimate. Then there are the casual acquaintance and even the strangers you may meet only once but you interacted even if you never spoke a word, and then we have business relationships. I hope your relationship with those you go to church with falls into the personal relationship list.
Now think about what impact has your walk with Christ made on any of these relationships? Is Jesus a part of how you relate to all who are listed here? Can you add to this list?

Right Relations / March 10, 2018

I have not been writing much here lately. I have not wanted to write just to write. Waiting for inspiration and direction from God, because He always gives me the best stuff to share, and to learn from as He speaks to me. So I have taken my break and gotten busy doing a few other things and working on some older projects and working on illustrating a story for a friend. Well I guess break time is over because He has given me my next writing project and lesson which I will be sharing here as I make progress in writing what He is teaching me. So here is my first installment. Be kind because this is a rough draft and is only the introduction, but please leave your comments and share your thoughts with me.

Right Relationships

What is a relation? It is how we relate to one another. We all have relationships. The first relationship we have is with our parents. This begins before we are born. Nice and safe, in our mothers’ womb, we grow hearing her heartbeat. Then the day comes when we enter into the world and can then be held by her. Most of us had both a mother and a father, but there are some of us who only had our mother to welcome us into this world. We then have our grandparents, and then there are brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles, and cousins. The list of people goes on to include friends, and neighbors. The list of relationships we have continued to grow as we grow. There are those we form in our neighborhoods, our schools, work and church. Then the most important relationship we have is with God, our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus and His Holy Spirit.
So what is a right relation? Are there wrong relationships? Does not God love us all? I will answer the last question, and that is yes God loves each and every one of us. He loves us so much, He sent His Son to die for us, so that we could have a relationship with Him.
Recently I felt Him prompting me to write about relationships. So here I am beginning my own personal journey on getting to the true heart of relationships. You see God did not create us for religion. He created us to have a relationship with Him. Then sin entered the picture and came between us. Sin divides us, not only from Him but from our Creator. He did not give up on wanting a relationship with us. He made a way for us to have a relationship with Him. He was not going to let sin steal us from Him. He could have given up on us, and started over once Adam and Eve committed the first sin, but He didn’t. He spoke to them both and told them how their lives were going to be and that they had to leave His garden. Thankfully He didn’t stop there; He also told them that through a woman He would redeem man. Then He let the serpent know that his days were numbered and that the one He was going to send would crush his head.(Read Genesis and the fall of man and John 3:16.)
Father and Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him before He came to our world. He knew He would be rejected, ridiculed, beaten and finally crucified, but this did not stop God’s master plan to redeem His creation. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die so that we would not perish but have everlasting life if we will believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Seems like an easy choice for us all to do, right? Then how is it that so many people refuse to do this, or only say the words but then continue living as we always have? Never really knowing the love of Christ, or what it means to truly receive Him into our hearts.
In scripture we will find that we cannot love the world and Jesus at the same time. It tells us we cannot serve two masters. You will love one and hate the other. So how do we learn how to have a real relationship with Him?
One thing I am going to be discussing is how all of our relationships effect how we relate to God our Heavenly Father.
I hope you will be patient with me as I share my journey and what jesus has to teach me about relationships.

Is it time for a change of your name?

As you read through your Bible you find that names were changed by God. In Genesis 17:5 You read that God change Abram to Abraham and in verse 15 Sarai becomes Sarah. Jacob becomes Israel, Simon becomes Peter, and Saul becomes Paul are just a few names that were changed by God.

So why the name change? When a woman marries a man she then takes on his family name which identifies her as his wife. Think about that we are called the bride of Christ. Who we were before we came into the knowledge and relationship with Jesus is now a part of our past. That is who we used to be, but now we are made new by Jesus.                 2 Corinthians 5:17  (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.                                       Isaiah 43:18 “Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past.
Ezekiel 36:26″Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Most of us still identify with the person we were and still hold onto the traits of the person we were before we received Christ Jesus as our Savior and repented of our sins. When we repented, we turned from our sinful way of living and turned to Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father but through Him.

I can try to change my behavior on my own, but this is nothing more than what is called behavior modification. My actions have changed but the desire to do the things I once did is still there. There are two things that I need, but not limited to, and they are (1) The heart of Christ Jesus.  James 4:8  – Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded. 1 Samuel 16:7  – But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. (2) I need the mind of Christ. For how I think and see things are not how God sees or thinks. Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

I have to make the decision to submit to God and allow Him to transform me into the creation He wants me to be so that I can better share the love of Jesus and testify what God has done for me through His Son Jesus. How He changed my life in ways that I never could on my own.

Questions;

If God changed your name today, what do you think He would change it to?

What part of the old you are you holding onto? (like an old pair of jeans that do not fit anymore but you hold onto because one day they might fit again)