Sunday Summary and Stuff...

*Disclaimer: If you weren’t here Friday, skip down to the pics for the ‘fluffy-post’.

I want to leave the conversation from Friday with these thoughts.

First, I want to thank each of you who came and read and commented. It is heavy stuff, but the ‘stuff’ our world is made of and the ‘stuff’ Jesus died for. It matters less whether or not our doctrine aligns, than if our hearts align.

My personal goal is to GO make disciples of all nations; to see the blood of Jesus pour out over the world, and to be a part of the heart absorption of the cleansing power of that blood, in whatever way Jesus directs me.

Jesus did not just wait for the sick to come to Him. No, He went out and found them and loved them and healed them. THAT is the body in which I am a part. So it should, and it DOES break my heart that the young and/or weak turn to a place where they find love and acceptance and answers from a source other than truth and light only God can offer.

God created us to have a yearning back to Him (that God-shaped hole we each possess from birth). He is constantly ‘woo-ing’ us back to Him, ALL of us! Some of us feel and respond to this romance early and some not so early. Some find our way by holding the hand of another, who is willing to see beyond the pain and flesh, to see the brokenness of a heart void of Jesus.

I firmly believe and will ALWAYS assert that God is God for all. A part of the grace and mercy afforded us is that Jesus came to meet us exactly where we are. Of course He desires more for us and gently (and sometimes not so gently) urges us forward in our growth. My hope is that this post and subsequent comments served only to facilitate further seeking and wisdom and discernment in the call God has placed on us to the lost.

When our ‘organized religion’ is no longer serving it’s purpose in Christ, it seems it has then overstayed it’s welcome and become more of a hindrance and a source of judgment and condemnation instead of a path to Jesus and the cleansing conviction that only HE can provide. We must gird ourselves in truth, but truth without love is only empty judgment.

I urge each of us to maintain the motivation of love for ALL humans. I urge each of us to open our spiritual ears and our spiritual eyes and our spiritual voice to proclaim boldly the love Jesus died to offer.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” I Corinthians 13:1-3

My witness is only authentic if and when it reaches the very people Jesus puts before me, including the lost. I am called to more than communion with other believers. I am also called to the lost.

"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Cor. 9:19-23).

In the words of Forrest Gump, ‘that’s all I have to say about that’.


Because I had all this excess physical energy from over exerting my brain, I was able to get quite a bit accomplished at home.

Take a look:

Of course that’s not IT…keep going….

And from this:

To this:

It is SO much brighter than I imaged. I still have a bit to work on in terms of wall décor, throw rug, ribbon curtain, scripture border, etc, but it’s coming along….and you’ll see in this picture the pillows I made….

My mom and I found that darling “faceless” bear at Hobby Lobby for $5.00. They apparently ‘sell’ their display items sent from the home office once a promo is over. I made the green pillow behind the large blue pillow and the four other pillows to the right of the blue-bear.

One of the down sides is I get ready each morning at that vanity you saw above and I now have a nice ‘blue glow’ to apply make up in. I haven’t quite mastered that after day 2, but thankfully church-folk are a bit forgiving or too polite to mention misapplication of makeup. You know I have a history of poor-lighting make-up mishaps….so I imagine the coworkers will inform me of any such ‘issues’ and eventually my eyes will adapt to the lighting and another perk is that previously pesky fluorescent lighting will seem so much less problematic!

One more photo I’ve been dying to share that now resides in the ‘blue-room’ is original artwork provided by a then 4 year old artistic prodigy! She is the daughter of some dear friends of our….what do you think? I’m thinking about writing a children’s book and having her illustrate it…all about this colorful zebra!

This still doesn’t do it justice, but it’s closer. Yes, the mat I purchased for it is an almost exact match to the wall! Isn’t it gorgeous! It’s my favorite piece of art in the house right now. This young lady is now 8 or 9, so it's actually worth more in its age!

Have a colorful and happy Sunday!