You’re The Pearl

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are works in progress. We are bid to cultivate ourselves. This message really came home to me when I began to journal, and discover all the little joys I treasured, and all the ways in which I could incorporate them into my daily living. They were the gifts and talents God had hidden within me. I really advocate journaling to stimulate creativity; and to establish self dialog and connection with your spirit/soul. So many ideas begin to flow, so much inner conflict can be resolved, and a much better understanding and relationship with the real you can come about.

When I read the message, I think about Jesus’ words about the pearls of great value. (Matt. 13:45-46) “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” We are the one fine pearl of great value that Jesus found. Actually, He’s had us since the beginning. But He had to sell all that he had, or give up all of His heavenly splendor, to buy us back from the powers of darkness. That is, to buy our birthright back, and restore us to the family of God. (1 Cor. 6:20) (Isa. 44:22) (1 Cor. 7:23) (1 Peter 1:18-19)

When we begin to look within (which journaling helps us to do) and see ourselves as God sees us, we can begin to find all kinds of precious pearls (talents, gifts, knacks, etc.). The more of these we find, the greater the field becomes. We are both pearl, and field.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Block Them And Keep Going

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are far too hard on ourselves. The message addresses guilt, shame, and self-reproach. “But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail.” (Jeremiah 20:11)

This is such a key revelation to us; especially when we’re dealing with generational curses. We bring a lot of baggage with us when we come out from under them. We may have been used to negative talk, thoughts, attitudes. Those persecutors (guilt, shame, reproach) are all right there and ready to whisper those same negative things into our hearts. Let me tell you what God’s Word will do: God’s Word will refute every tongue that rises to accuse you (negative criticism) (Isaiah 54:17)

When we fail, right there is Jesus’ love surrounding us. In the spirit, we have to hear that “it’s alright, let’s get up, and keep going.” When we do this, we begin to realize that it’s never really as bad as it seems. There’s always hope; and always a way, if you’re willing. As I’m writing this, I’m thinking of my very first cake. I misread the directions, and poured the entire bowl of batter into a bowl of cold water. My chocolate cake was about 1/2 inch tall, and my poor dad was the taste tester. He kept assuring me it tasted delicious, and said, “now that you understand, you’ll bake a great one next time.” But I remember how disheartened I was when I took that cake out of the oven. Had it not been for the love and kindness of my dad, I may have given up cooking and baking altogether. That would have been a shame; because I love to cook and bake!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Go, And Sin No More

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, gives us a powerful revelation about Jesus’ words in John 8:11 – “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” The message bids us to “feel that between us and all scorn and indignity is a strong shield.”

We are also reminded that we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. Being human, we are bound to do things imperfectly at times. We are limited in patience, and even in perseverance at times. Of course, it’s always easier to give up, isn’t it? That’s because we have a tendency to be self-condemning. Sometimes, we’re even harder on ourselves than others are.

Jesus spoke those words to a woman caught in the act of adultery. The whole scene changed from one of self-righteousness and condemnation to one of self examination, repentance, and opportunity. The men who were ready to stone the woman to death had to admit their own sinfulness, and repent of their condemnation of her. The woman was saved from them, and forgiven by Jesus, and given the opportunity to correct herself. Jesus didn’t require anything from her, but to get up and go forward; onward.

We can do that very same thing when we miss it. We can do it each and every time, if we just determine to step up and forward into the opportunity, learning from the mistake, without judging or condemning ourselves. Psalm 119:1 says it like this: “Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.” (NIV) Now, if you give it little thought, you’ll realize that can also be applied to being non-judgmental, non-condemning…to learning what caused the failure, and correcting it, rather than focusing on who caused it. Remember, God does not impute wickedness to us. We ought not to either, then. I, for one, do not attempt something with the intent of failing at it; do you? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. *Something I learned from my son when he dropped the bag of cookies at the store is that that’s the way the cookie crumbles. LOL PS – they’re just as good crumbly as they are whole.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Fear Not! Rather, Take My Heart!

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that fear is a real temptation; an unclean spirit, actually. We are bid to attack it with the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.

As I’m studying about generational curses, this particular thing comes to the forefront time and time again. As children, we fear the reproach of our parents, the rejection of our friends and peers, we fear things we don’t understand. Then, depending on the parenting we had, the environment(s) we grew up in (addiction, co-dependency, abuse, etc.), that spirit of fear drives us. We fear failure, fear emotional attachment, fear loss of control, and so many other things. Sometimes, fear can actually cripple us. There are people who actually cannot leave their homes and go outside, because they are so overwhelmed by fear.

As we learn to change the words we’ve heard and the ways we’ve handled things, and replace them with God’s Words and His ways, we can overcome those fears. When we’re dealing with our children, doing this changes the entire scenario for that child. Now, instead of creating a fearful and hesitant person, we are empowering a person with self-esteem and a sense of personal power over his/her world.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Saturday Silly – September 7, 2019

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My, my, my! Lot of things to celebrate in September. Two of my babies were born in September; one at the beginning of the month, and one at the end of it. The first Miss America, Margaret Gorman, was crowned in New Jersey, on September 7, 1921. Among other things, this is Chicken month, and Self-improvement month. And, September 7th is the great Buddy Holly’s birthday.

Those of you who know me, know that I like to streamline, so often I combine tasks into one smooth operation. That’s what I did with this bit of information. For my self-improvement project, I started working out to get rid of those chicken wings on my arms. I happen to be a Buddy Holly fan. So, I was doing my workout to “Oh, Boy,” one of his hits. Now, being homeless, I don’t have any dumbbells to work out with. Well, not the kind you lift, anyway. Anyway, I do carry a couple of bags that contain my water and stuff. So, here I was, listening to Buddy Holly, and working those arms.

The trouble started when I got to the exercise where you’re reaching behind you with the weights. The very first rep I did, I reached behind me, bags in hand, and some guy snatched one of my bags and ran off with it. One of the guys at Catholic Charities tried to chase him down, but couldn’t catch him. He gave up and came back to where I was standing. He asked, “What were you thinking, anyway? What were you doing, lady?” I said, “I was trying to exercise my arms so I can keep them firm. Older women like to look sexy too, you know.” He broke out in the chorus of, “That’ll be the day.” LOL ** This is a work of fiction. I’d never have let either one of those guys get away with that in real life. LOL

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Press Onward…It’s Really A Key

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we’re running an endurance race, and not a sprint. We’re bid to hold onto our courage, and press on to the next level.

The message speaks to us of being protected, shielded from self-loathing, from bitter remorse, and from self-defeat. When I read it, I think of Peter, of Judas Iscariot, who committed suicide over what he’d done. Peter wept bitterly over betraying Jesus. I bet he had some serious struggles within himself during the following days and weeks. We go through the same struggles with ourselves; especially when we feel like we’ve failed the Lord. It’s so easy, when we fall down, to just lay there and wallow in self-pity, bitter remorse, self-loathing…yeah, that’s the very stuff that leads us right over that cliff called self-defeat.

The way to overcome that stuff is to open our eyes to the truth about that short-fall, that failure, that weakness. What it really is, is a KEY that opens the door to learning, gaining strength, improving, and stepping up to the next level. Jesus said, “I’ll give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. That truth is a key to freedom from all that self-defeating stuff. It will open the door to courage, to boldness, to confidence, self-assurance, and most importantly, PEACE within.

This song by the Gaither Vocal Band is so precious to me! I can’t even begin to tell you what it does for me. I’m always so moved by it. I think it fits perfectly.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Perfecting It All

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are works in progress. We are told to strive for perfection, by taking inventory at least weekly. We are to check our attitudes, character, shortfalls, weaknesses, etc. We’re also to look at that in regard to everything about our lives; from housework, or homemaking, to even self care. Now, here’s a surprise. You already are perfect in God’s eyes. (John 17:22) You’re precious and honored in His sight.

When Jesus says, “Be ye perfect, therefore, as your Father in Heaven is perfect,” we all skip over that word, “Be,” and we start frantically doing. Did you forget that God sees Jesus when He looks at us? Yes, He sees Jesus’ righteousness, Jesus’ love, Jesus’ compassion, mercy, etc. He attributes perfection to us the instant we come to Him. (Hebrews 12:1-24) is a wonderful piece that speaks to us regarding this. Verse thirteen tells us to make level paths for our feet. This is what that inventory is about. You check for any place, anything, that can be improved upon-even, and especially within. The outward often manifests where the inward (spirit) is…be it depressed, anger, sloth, confusion, etc. When we deal with those things, and include discipline and perseverance to correct them and the outward situations created by them, things change. This is called progress, which is the rule of the Kingdom of Heaven. 2 Cor. 3:18, in the New Living Translation Bible says it this way: “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” Also, Psalm 84:7 tells us we go from strength to strength until we appear before God in glory.

Sadly, I must tell you that we are all “only human.” This is to say we are subject to fatigue, depression, laziness, confusion; all those things that clog up the spirit within, and weigh us down. God knows that, though. He’s given us the Holy Spirit and the power of prayer. We can go boldly to the throne to confess and to get help. He doesn’t love us any less at any given point in time-not one second of our lives! You are already perfect in His eyes. His love, grace, and mercy are going to help us manifest that-in this life. As we manifest that glory to glory progression, it becomes the testimony that draws others to Him; and to Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

He’s the Fountain of Youth

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God’s hand keeps us in, and through all things. When I read this, I think about the fourth man in the furnace with the three; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo. (Daniel 3:25)

I also think about the disciples in the storm, with Jesus right there in the boat. I wonder how much we really age when we live depressed, anxious and worried, angry, and in all those other negative mindsets. I know that stress can cause all kinds of illnesses, and wreak havoc with our health. Spiritually, and emotionally, it can cause us to do a great deal of damage to ourselves.

Here’s a quote directly from the message: “There is no age in Eternal Life. Have no pity for yourself, nothing but joy and gratitude.” Does that give you some idea of how soon you should be measuring yourself up? Does it speak to you of God’s patience with us? it spoke volumes to me, of God’s confidence in me. Do you know He believes in you? Yes, He does! You say, “But how can i be joyful and grateful when I fail?” Well, look at it from God’s vantage point: It isn’t perfect yet, so this is an opportunity to make it so.

Here’s the other part. I love this one! I’ll be sixty years old this year. I do have a chronic health problem; Systemic Inflammatory Disorder. It’s aggravated by stress-both physical and emotional stress. Guess what I’ve learned to do as a result of this illness. I have learned how to manage stress better. I’ve also learned to cultivate healthier eating habits, healthier lifestyle choices, and most importantly, I’ve learned that self care is important. I have a great deal to be grateful for, and joyful about. I have been able, for the most part, to get it to go back into remission, and keep it there for pretty long periods of time, when it has flared. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself; I’m too busy enjoying the health I’ve gotten back and kept.

I think, especially for us women, that self care ends up on the back burner all too often. We have husbands, children, family members, friends…to care for…and to distract us from those things within self that we really don’t want to deal with at times, don’t we? Yes, oh yes, I’ve been there myself. Here’s a secret: When you get diligent about your self care, you’ll find the fountain of youth. Yes, you’ll still wrinkle, you’ll still fight the battle of the bulge, you may even get a little stooped or bowed over, and your stride may lessen in length and strength. But, you will always be the very best you can be in spite of all those things. You see, you’ll be living from the inside out, which is the right way. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of Heaven.” Well, He also said, “The kingdom of Heaven is upon you, or within you.” When we get this all aligned like it needs to be, we truly can take joy and be grateful for all we have, and for all we are…no matter what we have, or what we are.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu