Saturday Silly – October 10, 2020

I love visiting with my friend Sadie Snide. We were discussing my birthday…I told her I’m really looking forward to turning 39 again again. LOL Her birthday was in August. She said her family threw her a big party, and it was actually a family reunion, so many of them came to help her celebrate. I said, “Oh, Sadie, it must have been wonderful to see all those relatives again.” She said, “Yeah, it was alright. I could have done without some of those relatives; especially that one sister of mine.” I said, “Really? Don’t you get along with her, Sadie?” “Well, let me put it this way,” she replied. “NO!” I said, “Well, did you at least get an update on her life? I mean, is she healthy and doing okay? I know you want to know that, don’t you?” Sadie said, “She’s in great health, had a facelift and a boob job, and won a bunch of loot in the lottery recently.” I said, “Well, that’s great! Aren’t you happy for her?” Sadie replied, “Yeah, now she’s got enough money to pay someone to blow smoke up her behind; so she doesn’t have to delude herself anymore!” Ooh, Sadie, as soon as I stop laughing, I’m going to pray for you and sister. LOL

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

The Richest Girl In The World

…Is Daddy’s girl! Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to “lay up treasure in Heaven,” and to set our affections on those things. They are higher than anything we’ll ever find here. And, they are the ones that will endure forever.

My first treasure is my Jesus and my Heavenly Father! Then, there’s the privilege of communicating with them; the privilege of prayer. My children, grandchildren, family and friends are great treasures. I have some beautiful people in my life! There is the sun to warm me, the wind to cool me, the stars to count -because sheep can’t jump that high, the moon to dream over, the water to hydrate, wash, and entertain me. (I love to swim and fish) I know, I know-those are temporal things; but God sends them at exactly the right time, every time.

There are those few moments in the morning, as I’m saying my prayer…this warm hush comes over my spirit, and I can almost feel the Lord wrapping His arms around me. What a way to start the day! I could go on with this list, but it would never end. When I think about having to fight for every breath I took, and being able to breathe deeply now, I’m overcome with tears of gratitude. Healing and health are two great treasures. And, I’m not getting old; just older. See, already I’m winning that battle! LOL

I have the peace and joy of the Lord, within, and once everything gets down to a dull roar, round about me too. That’s the second most awesome thing to possess in this crazy world; the peace and joy of the Lord. Peace and joy in the Lord, all the time, is the most awesome! We walk by faith; and when you have that, you’ve got all you need.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Pray, Pray, Pray! And Praise Him!

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that prayer is to be a part of our lives as the people of God. I’m posting the link to twolisteners.org so you can read the message for yourselves. I hope you will; it’s a blessing.

When I think about prayer, and how important it is, I recall some days that I just really didn’t want to pray. I wanted to see that so-n-so get his or hers. I wanted God to come down here and smack the “not be Jesus” out of ’em all! I chose to obey, and pray, instead. I have never regretted it! And those prayers always end up in praise; sometimes tearfully. That, I believe, is God letting me know He hears. Casting Crowns does this awesome song. I hope it infuses your spirit with a renewed energy and joy to pray with.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Giving Comes From Him

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to give all we can, in every way we can. We are to imitate the greatest giver(s) of all time; Jesus, and our heavenly Father, who gave His own son for us.

Jeremiah is the prophet I’m currently reading for my study on generational curses. Chapter 30:18-22 speaks to me of what a great giver God is. It shows how mindful He is of us, our needs, our trials and tribulations. This is how we should think when we are presented with opportunities to give. After all, we are blessed in order that we might bless others as well. Jesus said, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

As you read these verses, we can see God’s heart is to lift up, to rebuild/restore dignity, joy, and peace, to prosper a soul, and to honor humanity, as it was designed by God. That leader spoken of is Jesus Christ, our Lord. “I can do all things through Christ Jesus, who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) When I think about that in light of everything we face in the world, and how much of a difference one kind word, even a smile, or a helping hand can make for someone…I am inclined to bow before the Lord first, at every opportunity, and ask Him just to do it through me.

I’m also so grateful for all those beautiful people who give in almost every step they take. You are an inspiration to me when I want to just give up and throw in the towel. Thank you, all!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Saturday Silly – August 29, 2020

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to breathe Jesus’ Name. That Name strengthens us and banishes all fear. Proverbs 18:10 is referenced: “The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it, and is safe.” As I thought about how many times I’ve run into it, in terror, in dejection, even in anger…and ended up holding my sides and laughing as I came out…

That leads me to this little treasure. On this day, August 29, 1964, Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins was released. It’s one of my favorite Disney movies! I’m posting the link to one of my favorite scenes below. It reminds me exactly of how strong we ladies really are…in all our own silly ways…and, yes, I’m pretty sure I, for one, give poor Jesus some good laughs…Just keep breathing His Name! That’s were we get that power, isn’t it? Oh, we’ve come a long way, Baby; haven’t we? LOL I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you, Disney, for sharing!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Peace, Power, Pleasure In Service

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that the Kingdom of Heaven is one of service. We are bid to serve the LORD/Lord in all we do. That’s in the Bible, in Ephesians 6:7. We’re bid to serve Him even in rest.

As I think about this, especially in terms of generational curses, (1 Samuel 7:3) is the perfect scripture. “Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” We must strive to keep things in the proper perspective, first of all. There is nothing bigger than God! God first, you second, others next, is the proper order. It’s amazing how many foreign gods we serve without thinking about it. (in-laws, bosses, co-workers, hubby/wife, siblings, children, etc.) Secondly, and this is where the service in rest comes in; give God priority in your heart. Think about His goodness and praise Him-just like you do your hubby/wife, and others in your life. I’m still amazed sometimes, at how awesomely powerful that is. It really does carry over into your resting times. You find yourself actually quieting your spirit and stepping right into that beautiful Presence at will. When we do this, all the giants (Philistines) we’re faced with, become ants. Now, we’re seeing them in a different light. They’re not daunting. We can relax and work with God, to deal with them. You’ll be surprised to find out how much you can learn from a Philistine, when God’s with you. LOL Yeah, the weight of that depression, the unmade bed, all that darkness is gone forever! Thank you, Jesus!

This all translates into so much more power in our walk, and in our service to others. There is peace in serving the Lord. There is power in serving Him. There is pleasure in serving Him. – The pleasure that we bring to others, and the pleasure we derive from that.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

The Ultimate Healer

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God never causes us more pain than is necessary. As I read the message, I am reminded of Jesus’ sermon on the mount… Matthew 5:3, to be exact. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Poor in spirit, here, is humble, I believe. Like a child, we must be trusting.

Matt. 5:4 also comes to mind. It deals with being comforted. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Have you ever seen a child who is not happy? Let me tell you, that child will be comforted, or else! Am I right? Yeah, and I’ll tell the truth-I RUN to Jesus when I’m not happy! I RUN when it’s not working right! I RUN when I don’t want to run! Your pain will cause you to seek the cure!

We are reminded that it is directly, or immediately when we pray or call out to Him, Jesus is on it. Actually, it was already worked out in the beginning. That’s a powerful boost to one’s faith, when you can grasp it. However, in this world, in the physical, it is worked out in flesh and blood, isn’t it? That’s the hard part. Getting your mind, heart, and will to line up with God’s promise, and His power. This is where Matt. 5:6 comes in – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Yes, Jesus will tell you the truth every time-whether you like it or not-because you need to know the truth, so you know the way that promotes life, protects life, and empowers life. And when we humble ourselves before the Lord, and let Him teach us, (Matt. 5:5) it’s always alright…and all right -within and round about us-as much as is in our little world, anyway. That empowers us to effect the rest of the world positively. See, Jesus is the ultimate healer!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Acceptance Changes Them

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to accept the trials that come our way. We are reminded that we cannot be destroyed; that God’s grace is sufficient for us. God’s grace is sufficient for all our needs, in every circumstance. That one’s easy to forget, isn’t it? Something that has helped me in the past, and continues to be a great help to me, is acceptance .

As I thought about acceptance in regard to this message, I saw it in a different light. It isn’t merely acceptance of the trials that matters. It is, first and foremost, acceptance of our new heritage in Christ Jesus, complete with all the authority, peace, power, etc. that comes with that heritage, that makes the difference. (2Co. 5:17) -“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” That acceptance changes the way we see those trials. It changes their size, first of all. Seeing them in light of who you are in Christ, is like looking through the other end of the binoculars. Remember the Israelites seeing themselves as grasshoppers in comparison to the Philistines? (Numbers 13:33)

Jesus showed us how to turn the binoculars around, so we see the truth. The truth is that nothing can separate us from the love of God, He is our beginning and our end, and in Him there is no end for us. (Romans 8:39) (Psalm 91) (John 11:26) Finally, there’s the last part of that scripture about God’s grace being sufficient for us…”for my power is made perfect (or perfected) in weakness. That weakness spoken of there is the laying down of our will, our attitude(s), thoughts and words, and our ways. Instead, we are to adhere to God’s will, His attitudes, thoughts and words, and His ways. (Jeremiah 29:11) (2 Co. 10:5) (Matt. 5:48) That changes the trial to an opportunity to win; just like Jesus does-every time…and, when He wins, we all do. Lord, help me to get this one down for good, please. Thank you.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Sit, Rest, Let Him Refresh You

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell reminds us that the best cure for exhaustion, physical and spiritual, is rest. We’re told that sometimes that exhaustion is actually the guiding of the Spirit.

My Bible study this morning included Psalm 147. The whole psalm is awesome; but verse 13 comes to mind when I read the message. “For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses the children within you.” Here’s why; quoting directly from the message at twolisteners.org: “Many wonderful things would not have happened but for the physical weariness, the mind-weariness of My servants, which made the resting apart, the giving up of work, a necessity…” You see, often, it is during those times that the Holy Spirit steps in to refresh our spirit, that creativity is replenished. We are creative beings, and those ideas and plans are like children. When the mind is purged of all that clutter, creative and logic processes are restored to tip top working condition. The logic is where the step by step stuff comes in…you know…”connect the piece marked A to the bottom of the piece marked C“…and so on. Some of my most delicious dishes, and most beautiful crafts were created after a half hour of praise music or a “Lord, I’m just too tired…”-and a short nap.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Set If Before Your Face

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that it is the truth in God’s Word, received into our hearts and firmly stood on, that brings us out and up to victory. Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed comes to mind. (Matt. 13:3-9)

This principle needs to be applied to every situation we’re dealing with. Dig into the Word of God, both new and old testaments, and write down those that apply to what you’re feeling. Put them on the bathroom mirror, tuck them into your bag, keep them in your desk drawer at work. God told the Israelites this in regard to the Law in Deuteronomy 6:8-9. Read them aloud until you feel your feet back on solid ground in your faith, instead of feeling like you’re being buffeted by the wind and waves under you. I assure you, this is the way to overcome that difficulty. It not only stirs you up and strengthens your spirit; it also puts the forces of evil on notice and reminds them who the real authority is!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu