Saturday Silly-October 22, 2022

Ahh, the Haloween Candy’s out. I saw some of those Wacko Wax Lips Halloween candy in the store the other day. It reminded me of a Halloween past. An old friend of mine and his wife were appearing in the local Halloween parade. She was dressing up as that sexy woman in Roger Rabbit. She apparently couldn’t get her lip plumper to work right, so she opted for Wacko Wax Lips. My friend said, she was a knock-out, of course-(She is a beautiful woman), but what he loved about those lips the best was that he finally got a word in edgewise, because she had to hold them between her teeth.

That reminded me of one of my beauty experiences. Some mornings, I can be pretty muddled. This particular morning, I was more than a bit muddled. I was rushing to try to get ready to go, too. I put my lip plumper on my eyelids, and my eye-roller serum on my lips. I looked like one of those google-eyed gold fish with an attitude.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Yep, Even Greater Works!

I’m happy this post is coming at the end of the work-week. I think it’s the perfect time for this shot in the arm! May it fill you with peace, joy, and a new excitement about all the wonder God’s put into you!

(John 5:19-20) So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.”

The scripture above says it all for us. This is why we are to teach our children, to foster their interests, to encourage their efforts, etc. In them, we can also see the reason for being born again. When we’re born again, we become God’s spiritual children. We have a new father. This father will teach us correctly. This father will admonish us correctly. This father will encourage us, dote on us, back us up, defend us-and to the death. He sent his Son to die for us, so that we might live. (Deut. 4:9) (Proverbs 3:1) (Proverbs 1:8) (Proverbs 16:9)

No, not everyone’s parents were absent, abusive, and/or dysfunctional. Some folks had wonderful parents…and still got off track…and still ended up in recovery from drug addiction or alcoholism…and still committed suicide. There are no guarantees in life. A parent can’t be with you every second; and certainly not after you’re eighteen and/or considered to be an adult yourself. We don’t listen when we should, we think we know how to do it so it’ll work, we believe in taking a more “modern” approach to things, etc. We end up falling flat on our faces sometimes, and the crashes leave their damage behind within us. Thank God, we have a Heavenly Father who’s always ready, willing, and so much more than able to take us in His arms and get us back on track, healed and whole again.

I love verse 20, telling us that greater works than these will He show us so everybody can marvel. God is a revelation giver. (Romans 8:19) (John 6:45) (Eph. 1:17) (Psalm 25:8-9) When I read this verse, I think about Jesus telling of the man who found a precious treasure in a field. He sold all that he had and bought the field. Of course, you know that man was out there digging up that field and looking for more treasure, don’t you? I remember when I learned to crochet my first granny square. Then I learned to read patterns and follow them. Now I’m designing crocheted squares, and making my own patterns. “Greater works will He show him…” That’s so exciting to me! We have the mind of Christ, and the possibilities are endless!

Love you from Café du Mondieu

My Sheep Hear My Voice

It seems, for whatever reason, that someone thinks I’m in competition with him, or her, or perhaps a group of people. I’m not! I don’t compete with anyone but myself. I try to be better today that I was yesterday. That way, I can always be better; always get better, always do better. This caused me to think about some of the stuff going on in the world around us. I did a little research into what God has to say about all that envy, strife, competition, and stupidity and selfishness.

There is a real economic crisis, and increasing insecurity for, really, the global community. It’s important for us all to become even more determined to pull together. We are all members of the family of mankind. Let’s help one another to help one another. By that, I mean let’s determine to not get into one another’s way. Let’s determine to seek ways in which we can support each other. We’re all affected by any crisis anywhere, really. It might hit some financially; others may be heartbroken over it, and still others may be completely overcome by it…and succumb to it. If we all pull together, we can pull through. We all, and especially in the body of Christ, must determine to stand together against the crises; not against each other. (Numbers 11:25-29) (Eph. 6:12) (Psalm 22:26-31) (1Cor. 13)

(Mark 9:38-41) John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,*(Some manuscripts add “who does not follow us”),and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. (2Cor. 10:17)

(John 10:16) “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:12)

(1Cor. 3:1-9) In these verses, Paul is addressing the church; but we all are created in God’s image, after His likeness. The verses apply to every single human being on the planet. There is One God, creator of all that’s living. (John 11:52) (1Cor. 8:5-6)

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Music Break

Ah, follow up appointment with my surgeon went well. Thank you, and I praise you, LORD/Lord! I know I’m safe in your hands-always! There’s not enough time to study and post, so I’ll just share this song with you. I will never get tired of praising with Hillsong! I hope this helps you start your day wonderfully!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

I Am…

This post goes with the last two previous posts. Really, every bit of progress we make hangs on getting this one down in your heart. You have to know who and whose you are. We get to choose…choose what to keep, what not to, what to reach for, what not to. I hope this helps you to see a little more clearly how much God loves us. He predestined us to overcome the world, because He knew Satan would become its ruler. He predestined us to grow into the image He created us in; His own divine nature. He predestined us to beat all the odds! He predestined us to shout that victory shout, and go from glory to glory!

(Exodus 3:13-14) Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”* (I am what I am, or, I will be what I will be)

WIKIPEDIA tells us that “I AM WHO I AM” is the common English translation of the Hebrew phrase “ehye aser ehye”, which encompasses all of these: “I AM WHO I AM, I WILL BECOME WHAT I CHOOSE TO BECOME, I AM WHAT I AM, I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE, I CREATE WHATEVER I CREATE, or, I AM THE EXISTING ONE. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_that_I_Am Please check out the page for the full information on it; it really helps to get a much clearer and bigger picture of our God.

When we take these statements separately, and apply them to ourselves, we can get a little clearer picture of who and whose we are, and what’s going on –within especially. It all starts within. Let’s take a look at what we might see. They’re not in the same order as we see them above, because I want you to see the positive and negative in them.

I am who I am…”My parents only had 6^th grade education; that’s good enough for me.”

I am what I am…”I can’t help it, it’s just the way I am. They made me that way.”

I will become what I will become…”I’m just going to follow in my parent’s footsteps…”

The three statements above are made negatively to show us mindset (usual) when we feel disconnected from decision/choice making, or powerless to make choices. Now let’s look at them from the positive stance.

I am who I am! –The choice is mine. I am what I am! –The choice is mine! I will become what I choose tobecome! –The choice is mine. The key word is choice. God told Adam and Eve about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All choice must be based on knowledge. If you know the stove is hot and will burn you, will you not choose to avoid touching it? If you don’t know it’s hot, might you touch it? This is why, and especially when we’re dealing with generational curses, we have to know the truth, we have to tell the truth, then we can deal with that truth properly.

When we take the right stance, which is the one that Jesus died to give us, we have the authority to make the choices. We have the power to get the knowledge we need to become the person we want to become (be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect)*perfected in love. We have the authority, power, and inspiration, guidance, support to get the knowledge and skills to create what we want to create. We are the existing ones because in Christ Jesus, we are eternal, having the divine nature God put within us. We are the existing ones, existing within our choices and creations. “God is in all and is all.” (Eph. 4:6)

Joshua made the choice. (Joshua 24:15) “As for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” We get to choose every single day of our lives. Are you going to be the victim, or the victor? Are you going to walk in power, or be powerless? Are you going to overcome or be overcome?

When we begin to make the choices, starting with what’s right and what’s wrong with, or in our lives, we can begin to take steps to make things better than they have been.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Watch Out For That; Don’t Trip

Today’s post ties in with yesterday’s post about walking in our heritage and authority as children of God. Sometimes the hardest thing to do as a new Christian, especially around other Christians, is to be honest. The same goes for anybody who is in recovery from anything. No, you don’t have to tell them every little thing you’re dealing with. And, you should be careful whom you tell what to. But, if and when you find yourself being secretive, elusive, or hiding something, you need to find out why.

(John 3:19-21) (ESV) “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” -There’s a warning here for us. The first thing Adam and Eve did after they’d eaten of the tree, was to hide themselves. (Genesis 3:1-13) They tried to hide their nakedness by covering themselves with leaves. When God came looking for them, Adam said, “I was afraid and hid myself.” Then, he proceeded to blame Eve, who blamed the serpent for her disobedience. We get caught up in the blaming and making excuses game too. When you find yourself doing that, you need to rebuke that devil and stand up straight. Tell yourself the truth!

Fiction can be changed anytime. Life cannot be changed until it’s true-because God is not a liar, and He is the author of your Life. When we tell the truth, God can do something with it. That’s what Jesus means when He said ,”so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” The story of the Samaritan woman and Jesus illustrates that perfectly. (John 4:7-26) She told Jesus the truth; “I have no husband.” One of the toughest things to do when stuff starts going wrong, or not working quite like it’s supposed to, is to be honest about it. You need to be honest with others, and you need to be honest with yourself. And, honestly, you’ll get over it. Jesus said, “Be of good cheer, because I’ve overcome the world.” If He did it, we can do it-as long as we’re honest with ourselves and others-because He said all that is His is ours.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Walking Away…

(Luke 18:-8) (ESV)The parable of the persistent widow is a revelation to us regarding God’s timing and our faith. It’s also a lesson on learning to just walk in it (the answer to your prayer, the desired result, goal, etc.) also known as the peace, power, and progress. Those three are interchangeable, by the way; they all three work together. Where there’s peace we have power to progress. Progress brings peace and power. Finally, power (the right power) brings peace and progress.

In verse 8, Jesus says, “I tell you, he (God) will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” This makes me think of another thing Jesus said. (Mark 11:24) “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Matt. 12:22) tells us the same thing.

Our responsibility, or our part in the deal, is to walk in the answer, the result. In Genesis, when God created everything, He said, and it was, or it became. When we pray, God says, and it is-it’s already been since the beginning, really. God ordained it, and us for it. (Romans 8:29-30) We have to step into that peace, order, beauty, knowledge, health, and walk in it. Every day walk in it. If you stumble or fall, get up and start walking again. Think of how many times a little one falls and lands on his/her tush when he/she is learning to walk. We don’t let them give up, do we? We can’t give up on ourselves. Remember that walking in that peace, etc., includes walking in the authority Jesus gave us to rebuke those spirits of heaviness, fear, doubt, etc.

Ready, set, walk!

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Saturday Silly-October 15, 2022

Ah, the surgery went well, I’m feeling great, and looking forward to my 39 again, again year ahead. LOL I’ll have to update my picture and let you see my 63 going on 39 again smile.

I have to tell you guys, though, I was so disappointed while I was hospitalized. I mean, c’mon, I’m what’s considered a “blue blood!” I just couldn’t believe it! Every single vial of blood they took came out red just like everybody else’s!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Some Things To Think About

(Luke 17:20-37) Jesus is talking about the coming of the kingdom of God. He’s warning us that the coming of it won’t be with signs and wonders. Everybody will be doing what they always do, and suddenly it will hit them. Jesus said it would be like this in the days of the Son of man.

Keeping in mind that Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is within you, we have to give a little deeper thought to these verses. Again, I’m thinking about that party I left. I did feel as if I’d been hit by a freight train inside. In one fell swoop the way everything looks can be changed very drastically.

Jesus talked about people being swept away in the flood of Noah’s day, and being destroyed in the fire and brimstone of Sodom and Gomorrah. He also told us that we have to be born again to receive the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life. We don’t have the same ears, eyes, or hearts when we’re out there as worldly people. We have a tendency to become a little jaded by our fellow man and all the things we’re capable of. You can’t get into God’s hands without having that stuff destroyed off of you-when you’re really serious. So, the destruction is of that worldly nature; of the fleshly mindset.

Verses 30-36 give us a warning about turning back, or going back to get some of that stuff we just don’t want to part with. They also tell us that we may be going alone. Don’t expect everybody in the house to be ready to go with you when you’re ready to go. But, thankfully, know that God’s will is for all to be saved, and none to perish. Pray for them; God is the way-maker. God knows each heart, and when it’s ready to receive Him.

Verse 37 tells us that where the corpse is, the vultures will gather. This has to do with those unclean spirits Jesus talked about in (Matt. 12:43) Yes, they circle over us as we’re going about our day. And, sometimes they use those we love the most to try and destroy us by. That makes me very glad that God is our strong fortress, He does hear and answer prayer, He does know the end from the beginning, and He does have our loved ones as long as we’re praying for them. In (Isaiah 54:15) He promises us this: All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children. Hallelujah!

Love you from Café du Mondieu

What Do You See In There?

(Luke 17:20-21) Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst* of you.” (*within)

I lost count of how many times I looked around me and thought, “I don’t know why I bother; nothing’s changed around here, nobody cares anyway, etc., in my early years as a Christian. I have to laugh now; especially when I read those verses in Luke. It wasn’t until I’d had about three or four days in a row where I’d gotten out of bed, and made the bed, without having to pray and ask the Lord to help me do that first, that I got that it was within me that the changes were happening. It’s within us that the changes need to happen. Then, that manifests outwardly. Don’t get me wrong, there are still mornings I have to ask the Lord for help with my stiff old knees, but that’s physical. Most of the stuff we struggle with when we come out of generational curses is the stuff within. Depression, anxiety, bitterness and negativity, self-doubt, and self-loathing are all rooted within. They are the results of bad seeds planted within our hearts. The kingdom of Heaven is joyous, peaceful, passionate about love, peace, and joy, and powerful. That power keeps all things negative in their proper place –outside, outside, outside!

If you’re doubting yourself today, look within and find out why. It could be you’ve missed the fact that you’ve made the bed every morning this week, and forgot to savor the peace and joy in the accomplishment. That morning walk is important to me because it’s keeping my muscles working, and helping me to bring the weight down. Oh, how wonderful I feel because I’m doing something good for me! I celebrate every step, and I can feel the joy welling up within. When we begin to look within for the changes, we have much more energy to make positive changes manifest outwardly. It’s like graduating from cleaning the house, to designing your living space (creating beauty). You have to stop and savor(recognize and acknowledge) the order first; then begin to plan the beauty.

Love you from Café du Mondieu