****UPDATE: Hey Siestas! Our blog maintenance has been moved and will actually happen tomorrow, Friday, March 25 at 8:30AM. Thank you for your patience!
****QUICK HEADS UP: Thursday AM, March 24 (tomorrow) at 8:30, our LPM blog will be shut down for what we anticipate being only a couple of hours. (Hopefully at most.) We are remaining right here on WordPress and right here at exactly this same address but we are switching servers to better accommodate our high volume of activity and comments. SO, if you try to get on after 8:30 AM Thursday morning and can’t connect to the page, you’ll know why. Sometimes the transition can take even a day or two but they are not anticipating that length of time. One thing is for sure, we’ll be back the moment we’re up. Until then and after then, go right ahead with your rich comments to this post!
OK, Siestas! It’s time for a pop quiz! We haven’t had one in a while. This quiz is for those of you who read many of the comments from our previous post about the moment or season of your life when you had your biggest “HE IS REAL” revelation. (The post is named “For Real” just so you can be sure you’re reading the comments to the right one.) The question conveyed on the post was about the time when you moved from believing God exists (Hebrews 11:6) to knowing (2 Timothy 1:12).
Here are the instructions for the comments to this post for those who want to participate in our pop quiz: (No other comments besides these please on this one post. This is a test. Grin.)
Write 2 observations you find yourself making based on all the testimonies you read under the post called “For Real.” There is no right or wrong answer. No pass or fail. You’re just simply saying, after reading so many of those comments, these two things seem clear to me. I’m asking for 2 observations. Not 1. Not 3. But 2. (Can you hear the classroom teacher in me coming out to play?) Testimonies are powerful things. We’re meant to be effected by what we read. So, how were you effected?
NOW, here is the very important catch: YOU MAY NOT READ ANYBODY ELSE’S OBSERVATIONS BEFORE YOU WRITE YOURS. In other words, don’t look at the comments to this post until after you’ve written your own answers. These are meant to be your observations and no one else’s. Your reflections. Your take on those testimonies. Not another Siesta’s. You are all great thinkers. Think for yourself.
I absolutely love this community. Go at it, Girls! Students, come forth!
1. There is a trial we can’t handle alone, a humbling, then a seeking for God.
2. God changes our mind (a revelation?), a realization, then a shift in our thinking – a change of perspective
I rarely post, BUT…I have a prayer request and I know without a shadow of a doubt this is a ptaying community of sisters (ie siestas)!
My friend, Tammy, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that has metastasized to her liver. It is non-operable. She has a husband and an 11 year old daughter.
Tammy is starting her first chemo treatment as I type. Please pray for strength, side effects to be minor and recovered from quickly, and please pray for peace for her and the family! Thanks Siestas! Kristy =)
Will do Kirsty! xxx
1. They saw — and then believed.
2. He bridged the gap between what was had(eg the empty jars) and the human impossiblity of what was needed.
Read through some of the entries, and here are my observations:
1. Most of the time someone is suffering something that they did not bring on themself, and it is overwhelming
2. They see the hand of our Lord, not necessarily removing the pain, but getting them through it. And, the image of our Lord that they receive is very clear and real.
Wow. 1.) First thing I noticed was that there is no formula for each of these experiences. Some women were not seeking God. Others were seeking Him in the middle of a painful horrific circumstance, and still others were simply seeing new things as they studied their Bibles! That is encouraging to me!
2.) The second thing is that each time God revealed himself to these people, he’s saying in a bridegroom’s voice, “I am with you, and I love you with an Almighty Love!” I cried happy tears as I read most of them! Thanks everyone.
Two observations:
1. God reveals Himself in a REAL WAY through His Word
2. God seems to make Himself REAL when we have trials in out life.
From Hazlehurst, says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” KJV Hebrews 4:16
Romas 8:27
And he who searches our hearts know the mind of the spirit, because the spirit intercedes for saints in accordance with God’s will.
1) When we are at our lowest God is with us.
2) When we seek HIM; HE finds us.
After reading all of the comments, two things are clear to me: One, we have a God who loves us passionately, right where we’re at. He comes to us in all different situations, through all different types of circumstances, but the message is the same. He calls us to come to Him, to sit on His knee, so He can wrap His strong arms around us and love us like no one in this world ever can. It’s a love like no other…not based on our performance, but on His love. How can we pass it up? What can compare? Secondly, death. Having gone through the loss of both of my parents within a year and a half of each other and being the one that walked that path with them…I was able to stand in the face of death and say, “Oh death, where is Thy sting?” When my heart was crushed and broken and I didn’t think I could go on….His great love and peace that passes all understanding gave me the strength to look death in the face and rejoice!
Ok, here it is. I saw this posting a few days ago but did not have time to comment until now. There are so many instances in my life that point directly to Jesus Christ. For the sake of space on the posting board, I am going to limit it to one event.
It was August of 2005. I was really upset because of a work situation, so naturally I decided to go shopping…at Wal-Mart. Where I live, this is considered the local mall. It was about 10:30 at night when I left the store and walked to my car to go home. Little did I know that I was about to get mugged. My attacker tried to grab my purse but the purse strap got caught underneath my armpit. As a result, he ended up dragging me from one parking lane to the next. I was in so much shock that I never let go of my bag because of the way it was strapped to my arms. Eventually he let go of the purse strap that was attached to me and was unsuccessful getting it and was caught and arrested and put in jail for 2 1/2 years.
The God part of this is that my 8th students happen to witness what was happening. It turned out that the person who attacked me was one of my student’s brother (she was not one of the students there at the store). I am grateful to God for saving me. It could have been so much worse. I felt a peace about the whole situation -weird as that might sound. The attacker’s sister, my student, never mentioned anything to me about it the entire year. I figured that she was aware of it because the kids who saw it were in her same grade. I am sure she was embarrassed about the situation. To this day, I still pray for her and for her brother, the attacker. I know God is the only One that can give me this kind of peace and comfort.
1 God can see and hear!
2 He is more than able to do something about the things He sees and hears–and He does!
(1) I have often heard nonbelievers and believers alike say, “Where was God when BLANK happened”.
Reading these testimonies gave proof to something that I have always testified to – God does not waste a single thing! Over and over these posts reveal that God does not let a person’s pain go to waste! A lot of people testified that they became closer to God or came to know God when BLANK happened!!
(By no stretch of the imagination am I saying that God does these things on purpose, but I do believe that God loves us enough to use these circumstances to draw us nearer to Him.)
(2) God is REAL and God is GOOD.
Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Isaiah 55:2b
Our church is in the middle of the new David study. This was inspired by that study: (Reads as a rhyming poem)
Who Am I? O Sovereign Lord, who am I that You see? How could it be that you’ve chosen to use me? I’m no one special out there in that great big world, going down roads that are often twisted and curled. I’m just a sinner full of all the burdens I carry; But could it be that through YOUR eyes–I’m NOT so ordinary?
O Sovereign Lord, who am I that You see? From my burdens, Jesus–you have set me FREE! YOUR righteousness put in my account, My sins to cover NO MATTER the amount! Now sanctified, I am set apart–YOUR mercy and grace FILL my heart!
O Sovereign Lord, who am I that You see? You’ve FILLED my life with possibility. The work I do with my hand, Is Yours to use–Yes! I’ll take a stand! It’s all so perfect when it’s YOUR plan. When I use Your strength–I KNOW I can! YOUR power I need to use on this earth, Proclaiming Your Kingdom and ALL it’s worth.
O Sovereign Lord, who am I that You see? Your child–PERFECTED–How can that be? You saw the beginning and know the end, You created the plan of how my time I would spend.
O Sovereign Lord–IT IS I THAT YOU SEE!!! Your child with you forever–for eternity! Thank you Lord now that I CAN BE, O Sovereign Lord–who it is that YOU see!
Oh YES—it’s FOR REAL!!! Hope you enjoyed! God has (and is) inspiring many more like this. I’ll post more if anyone would like… Jody
He touches our lives while in the midst of difficult, unfathomable, challenging, life moments. We are not isolated along our journey, as we have each other, (this blog) as testament… but we especially have the love our Lord & Savior.
Plz do an in-depth Bible study about the book of Job!! It could be powerful and rewarding to us all!
1. I KNEW God was real when I fell in love with my second baby! Not that she wasn’t completely wonderful – she was! It was just that, as a young mom, I couldn’t imagine loving anyone like I loved my first daughter. And so I knew that God – and His amazing love for each of us – was real when I was head-over-heels the minute I first saw her.
2. I know that God is real when I spend time outside in his creation. When you live in Washington and the sun is shining (that’s almost enough proof for me right there!) and you can ride a ferry over Puget Sound with the water and the waves and the mountain out . . . Wow! How can I not believe that God is real?!
Ditto! I cherish Washinton State! It is so absolutely beautiful here!! God gave this land such blessing!!!
Karen from Kentucky – John 15:7 NIV If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. Love ya Dawn!!!
1. God wants to show out!
2. God shows out
1. Funny (ironic, not haha) how we don’t always notice that He really, really, really IS real and DOES care until we are in a place of desperation.
2. The thing that activates one’s faith so many times is reading God’s Word or having someone else pray God’s Word over them.
Psalm 61:2 NKJV
“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
kari in Benton, Ar
Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
Phillipians 2:14-15 NIV
“Therefore, my dear borthers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain”
1 Corinthians 15:58
Wow, looking at just some of the other posts about Him being real, my two observations are that 1) His realness was most visible to many through suffering 2) His Word and His presence was the healing balm in many posts…
Blessings to you all at LPM, ((HUGS)) for all because my love language is as such, and love in Him:)
“His realness was most visible to many through suffering.” That is a profound statement. I promise to give you credit as I copy it and attach it to my desk to remind me of the importance of my suffering.
Thomasine, Rio Rancho The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest. NIV Exodus 14:14
God speaks to us personally through His Word.
What the world sees as troubles and problems, God is more than able to use for our good.
okay, after reading nearly all the comments i decided peeking at the answers was more important than taking the quiz…God is Good! I’m doing the bsf isaiah study and this 2 blog exercise has “fleshedout” Isaiah 50:10!!!!We all can walk in darkness by his Light…..and only by His Light! I see all these siestas walking in darkness by the Light and Joy of the Lord. Oh how truly blessed we are!Praise Him! and May He be our forever Light!
1) That God hears.
2) That God actually cares about all things – not just the big things that will impact everyone, but the small things – the things that lets you know he’s thinking of you!
AFter reading the blogs on Real, these are my two observations:
1. God is very busy…helping us…showing us love…holding our hand…giving us courage…giving us His peace…healing us…strengthening our faith…so we can believe He is real.
2. His lovingkindness never ceases and His sense of humor can bring a bit of laughter in the middle of our crisis.
Psalm 30:5 (NKJV) For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 NIV
Vicki from Waco: I pray there is grace for my tardiness in recording my verse. If so, here it is: Hebrews 11:6 NIV–“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
JESUS WEPT,John. 11:35 we all know that Jesus Wept the whole week of the passover. amen have a Glorious Easter. ouida
Diane, Florence: Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him (Moses) and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. KJV