“What’s on the menu this morning,” I asked my friend.  We were waiting in line at Catholic Charities.  I often have breakfast there.  Biscuits and Gravy was his reply.  I said, “Oh, no.  I sure wish they’d get away from those drop biscuits.  They’re really not that easy to make, and if you don’t get them just right, they come out like doorstops.  My friend said, “I don’t think they make them, I think they have them shipped in.”  In response to this, the woman behind me asked, “from where, Ace Hardware?”  LOL  I’m happy to report there’s a new cook on duty; and he did a great job with the drop biscuits…now if we could get the regular strength coffee back…

Today is Winnie the Pooh Day, in honor of A.A. Milne’s birthday.  A.A. Milne is Winnie’s creator.  It’s also Oliver Hardy’s birthday.  Remember Laurel and Hardy?  “Ollie?” -and you knew Stan was in trouble.  Laughter makes the heart merry, and a merry heart makes a good medicine…so I’ve posted a couple of links for you to enjoy.

Don’t forget to sing along, now…one of my favorites from Winnie the Pooh…

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 16, 2020, 1:23 p.m.

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to be silent before the Lord, and to seek in all things, to know and to do His will.  Let me tell you about that thing that Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, and how that hit me when I read this message.  “Read,” there, is present tense.  Like I said, I am one of those silly creatures, and I have a short memory span at times; especially when it’s easier to gratify my flesh.  Ooopppsss, did I just tell on myself?  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am keeping it real.  Not there yet, but not where I used to be either.

We are bid to abide in His love, which is also an atmosphere of loving understanding toward all men.  Here’s where that “becoming like a child,” comes in.  It’s summed up in this scripture: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)  When we do this, we’re told in the message, God surrounds us with a shield of protection and favor; a protective screen against all evil.  Psalm 5:12 tells us this: “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”  That shield is fashioned by our attitudes, words, and deeds toward others.   It comes back to sowing and reaping.  “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Gal. 6:7)

You know how a little child runs ahead, headlong, not really thinking of possible dangers, etc.?  The hardest part of this is not being kind, patient, etc. with others-because I can do that-sometimes.  We all can, can’t we?  C’mon, keeping it real, right?  Truth is, the hardest part of this thing is becoming like a child, and seeking Jesus’ word, will, and way in regard to others when we’re finding it hard to be patient, kind, etc..  I discovered a secret to overcoming that ; or at least to making it a little easier.  It’s the same thing we learned about fire safety as children.  Stop, drop (the attitude, fear, doubt, etc.), and roll.  The one we’re rolling with is Jesus.  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” -again-(Proverbs 3:5-6)  OMG, my flesh has the hardest time with that!  Then, though, I am reminded of just how infantile I am in regard to eternity, and the Eternal One.  And I am so grateful for His patience with me.

I make it a point to remind myself daily that I’m just a baby girl in eternal standard time.  It helps.  It also helps to review that list in 1Cor 13, and the one in Gal 5:22-23.  I found practicing one of these daily helps to build one up in them.   I think of what Paul said in 1 Cor. 9:23-25 “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”  It isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon.  But, no matter what, keep going-God will get you there!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 15, 2020, 3:57 p.m.

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that joy is the cement that holds the whole thing together.  That’s a powerful revelation!  It made me determined to find, to get, to keep joy in my life, and within my being!  Please read the message at twolisteners.org  It will inspire you, and it ties in with yesterday’s message and post on this blog.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 14, 2020, 12:18 p.m.

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to bathe our spirits in the Lord’s joy; to live in that joy, and to reflect it.  This is the way we keep our spiritual poise and balance.  Ecclesiastes 7:16 tells us not to be too righteous, or too wise, for therein lies destruction.  Romans 12:3 says it this way: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”  To me, that translates as, Get real, be real, and keep it all real.

We get unbalanced when we don’t keep it real.  We try to make it look perfect, sound perfect, and work perfectly-and usually, for our benefit.  There’s that motives thing again, right?  When Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,” (Eph. 4:13) he didn’t mean I can go and go and do and do and on and on…and it’s all going to be perfect, and I’m not going to feel the strain or stress.  We are built to handle so much, and only so much.  Yes, God will strengthen us, but we’re silly creatures.  We’ll just take that in stride, and go even faster and harder-most of the time.  I’m keeping it real; I’m one of those silly creatures.

Ephesians 3:16 is Paul’s prayer for us: “I pray that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.”  That power comes to us through the love, grace, peace, and joy of the Lord.  We’re bid, in God Calling, to live in it, and bathe our spirits in it.  When we do that, we begin to reflect it.  I made a list of things that bring me peace and joy.  Yes, I did go over my lists, and still do from time to time.  If there’s something on it that’s missing, I put it back in place asap.  Some things that bring me peace and joy are neatness, routine, peaceful and joyful folks-especially in the morning.  See how this is another thing that comes back to boundary stones being out of place?  These things are just not always in the form of stones; unless you think of your spiritual wellness as a rock garden.

I also made a list of things that make me feel loved.  This is not a wish list or a checklist for people in my life.  It is an inventory of my blessings.  As for grace, I am alive, I am forgiven, never forsaken, always watched over, and guided and guarded, blessed coming in, going out, etc.  Are you getting the idea?  Yes, it is okay to post these lists where you can access them easily.  I did in the beginning.  Today, I am filled with joy at the sound of the birds chirping and singing in the morning.  I laugh at their antics when they’re feeding.  I find myself saying, “Thank you, Lord,” much more often than I say, “Lord, I need or want.”  Practicing grace is a beautiful thing.  Simple, little things like letting someone go ahead of you in line, or not saying, “I’m too busy now,” but taking a few minutes to listen and/or chat, can make a big difference in someone else’s day, or even in someone’s life.  Start today with your lists, and make a point to check them regularly.  PS – Keeping it simple helps to keep it all real.  Watch how much strength and power you gain within through this exercise.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 14, 2020, 12:06 p.m.

 

Today’s message from A.J. Russell, bids us to conquer self.  It is by conquering self, that we triumph over life’s difficulties, great and small.

Quoting directly from the message: “When I died on the Cross, I died embodying all the human self. Once that was crucified, I could conquer even death.”  That’s a powerful revelation about the frailty and fickleness of humanity.  We can do the same with every death in our lives, if and when we face those things and deal with them from the divine self within.  That divine self is the love, joy, mind, peace, and passion of Christ Jesus.  When I use the word, “passion,” here, I mean life.  Jesus is the truth, the life, and the way.

“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  (Luke 21:28)  Jesus was talking about the end time-but it works every time.  I’m living proof.  Elevating our thoughts and attitudes brings us up above the difficulties.  Sometimes you have to remove yourself from the situation and just seek divine interference from the Lord.  Reading God’s Word, prayer, praise music, all of these help make that connection with the Lord.  A good question to ask is, “do I want results, or do I want relief?  Relief is you running from the way the problem makes you feel.  Results is gaining insight and taking control to bring about a remedy for all concerned.  Progress comes as a result, because we grow from experience.

Conquering self isn’t as frightful as it sounds.  It means swallowing your pride-and fear- and looking a little more closely at what drives us.  Why does that certain thing irk me so?  What am I trying to avoid by putting this off?  Things like that.  Some of that has to do with boundary stones.  But, the more you get to know yourself, the more you’ll find to love, and to like.  And those difficulties within will be easier to deal with.

There’s a difference between self worth, and self caring/nurturing, and selfishness.  If it is selfishness, it’s easy to overcome, with a simple no and turning to the right way.  This is where discipline and perseverance come in.  But, when we surround that human self with the divine self flowing out of us, it gets easier and easier to step up above all selfishness.  The biggest part of this is, I believe, accepting and implementing my right to feel at peace and have beauty around me, and a loving atmosphere.  This really does help to elevate attitude and thought.  Heaven ain’t ugly…so nothing of ours need be either; we are, after all, children of God…on our way home.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 13, 2020, 3:45 p.m.

 

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to be channels of helpfulness for others.  There are a couple of things I want to touch on here.  Please read the message in its entirety at twolisteners.org; it will really inspire you.

First, I want to say that helpfulness from a child of God does not mean there’s a sermon called for always.  Sometimes, somebody just needs to know where the darn bus stop is.  Another time, it may be someone who needs a dime for a cigarette, or a dollar for a cup of coffee.  Sometimes, you might need to go clean the house for your daughter because she’s been in the hospital, and hubby doesn’t have the first clue.  See what I mean?  When I read this message, I thought about Jesus taking the little children in His arms and just loving them, and blessing them.  Sometimes, that’s all that’s needed.  God’s message of love comes through it, believe me.

Secondly, somebody’s source of help doesn’t always need to be known to them.  Remember what Jesus said about not letting your left hand know what your right hand is doing?  “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you openly.” (Matt 6:18)

Finally, I want to touch on the Heavenly Host that God has given charge over us. (Psalm 91:11-12)  They are for us, not against us.  They are dispatched immediately when we pray for help, for ourselves, or for someone else. (Daniel 9:20-23)  Never discount the power of your prayers.  Sometimes the best thing you can do for someone is pray.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 8, 2020, 5:10 p.m.

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to say thank you in everything, even trials.  “You must say thank you for everything,even seeming trials and worries” quoting directly from the message.  I hope you’ll read it for yourselves at twolisteners.org

Here’s how I found out this isn’t just an order.  I am a survivor of sexual abuse, and rape, of child abuse, and of domestic abuse.  I’ve lived with a chronic illness-a pretty serious one when it wants to be, for a long time.  I’ve been through two divorces.  I’ve also survived some heartaches.  “Boo hoo,” right?  It sure was while I was going through those things.  I won’t lie; there are still times the memories bring tears to my eyes.  But, guess what.  God never put me through those things.  God brought me through them!  That’s the first truth we need to grab hold of and hold on to for dear life, whenever we’re assailed or assaulted by a trial, tribulation, storm, etc.  God does not do those things to us. His plans are to prosper us, not to harm us.  The second thing is this-and this is where God ordained you to overcome victoriously, and gloriously-“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release from darkness to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who grieve in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.…” (Isa 61:1-3)

What all that means, is that God will bring it to pass, that you will rise from this thing, anointed with power and glorified with Him.  I am a trained rape crisis counselor, an advocate for victims of sexual abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence.  I learned to modify my lifestyle and get, and keep this chronic inflammatory disorder in remission for the most part.  I also know a thing or two that just might help someone else going through some stuff out.  There’s NO WAY I CANNOT SAY “Thank you,” LORD!!!  All that taught me to just be quiet and say thank you right from the start.  Oddly enough, I seem to come through much more quickly when I do.  “Thank you, Lord”- because I know you’ve already ordained me with power because of this.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 8, 2020, 4:48 p.m.

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that only scarred lives can save.  We are reminded that this is the discipline of a child of God.

I got an awesome revelation about Matthew 9:13 recently.  “But go and learn what this means:  I desire mercy and not sacrifice.  For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  God showed me something about Jesus’ anger at the Pharisees, and over the money changers in the temple.  He said to me, “If God, Himself provided the sacrifice, who did they think they were, that they couldn’t reach within themselves or into their  own pockets, to provide it for someone?”  That brought me to Jesus’ words in Matt. 16:19 – “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven.  I remembered Job, who sacrificed and interceded for his own children.  God, Himself, became the sacrifice for us all.  I believe learning to bind and loose things connected to those scars, is the discipline the message speaks of.  Learning that mercy is better than sacrifice; that mercy empowers us to sacrifice ourselves (pride, fear, anger, “rights,” etc.) to save the one(s) who wronged us.  It empowers us to save others who are going through the same things we went through, as well, because those scars become lights for them.  Thank you, Lord, for expanding that scripture for me.

I can’t think of a better song to share than this one by Ray Boltz.  It’s titled: Scars, and it is beautiful…even after all this time…

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 8, 2020, 4:15 p.m.

Oh, boy…2020 is starting out sooooo fun for me!  Apparently my ears are not 20/20 anymore either.  There’s a field where they come to feed the homeless some mornings.  I was there recently, and this man came up to me and called me, “hotty.”  I smiled at him and said, “Aw, you’re so nice.  You’re a hotty too, honey.”  He said, “Lady, I’m married!  I was offering you hot tea; it’s my job today.”  Oh, my God, Jesus!  I can hear you laughing up there…  LOL

January’s a great month!  It is Hot Tea Month, among other things.  It’s also National Bath Safety Month, and National Hobby Month.  The only complaint I have is that they put Bubble Bath Day on the same day as Male Watcher’s Day (a hobby of mine)…do you all know that’s not too safe?  What if I swoon?!  Do you all know that two of my favorite males to watch are Enrique Iglesias and Johnny Depp?!  LOL  That’s on January 8th.  That’s also “Take the stairs day.”  All you folks with porches, watch out when you go out the door!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 8, 2020, 3:52 p.m.

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are are born to eternal life, in, and through, Christ Jesus, our Lord.  This, we’re told, “alters our entire existence,” in regards to what we speak and the influences our words and deeds have.

As I thought about the message, I thought about some people who had a profound influence on me.  I thought about Helen Keller and her courage and determination.  I thought about Martin Luther King, Miss Jane Pittman, Mahatma Ghandi, Confucius, and the Buddha.  These people are not spoken of in the Bible-not named, anyway-but they have influenced generations by their words and deeds.  The world became a little better to live in because of them.

I also think about Jesus’ words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) He also said, “I’ve come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)  That lets me know that I have the power to speak life into someone’s heart.  I have the power to make someone’s life a little better-even by the simplest acts of kindness and caring.  I can do this all as myself, too.  I don’t need to be a big star, or head of a multi-million dollar corporation.  I can be just little old(er) me, and still influence someone’s life positively.  Practicing little kindnesses and encouragements -genuine ones – on a daily basis does amazing things for your own sense of worth and self-esteem, as well as that of others.

I believe one of the best ways to see how our world was shaped, and is being shaped is to read about people of influence, past and present.  One of the best ways to get in touch with who you are and what that means in terms of your destiny, is to look at the people of influence in your own life, past and present.  I am a descendant of Charlemagne of the Holy Roman Empire, and also have a president in my family’s lineage.  A few other colorful characters influenced my life, as well-some family, some friends or acquaintances.  What I’m getting at here, is that these people and their influences tie in with boundary stones and “living water.”  Remember the woman at the well, and what Jesus said to her? (John 4:6-14)  People who influence our lives have the power to influence our boundaries and mindsets/attitudes, and choices.  Jesus said that “wisdom is proved right by all her children.” (Luke 7:35)  They were calling him a glutton and drunkard.  He also said, “A good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matt. 7:18)  That’s why we have to be discerning when it comes to the friendships and alliances we make, and to check things out before we fall in line behind someone.  Thank God that stones can be moved, and that, through Jesus, the bad influences can be overcome.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 7, 2020, 1:24 p.m.