Saturday Silly – May 29, 2021

Well, I have an update on my recovery from that attack. They said the stress caused me to develop Shingles, in my eye, and on the inside of my head, -Yes, you can get Internal Shingles. Sure, why not me, Lord? LOL

Anyway, I also had to see an ophthalmologist to make sure it cleared up, didn’t damage my eye. Everything is fine, I’m happy to report. One more day on the drops and I should be good to go. That trip to the eye doctor was an adventure. They dilate your eyes for the exam, and afterward, you’re almost blind in the sunlight, and things are blurry. I had a heck of a time finding the bus stop! I wasn’t sure I’d gone the right direction; and, of course, the bus stop sign was about 13 feet off the ground, on that pole. I saw some writing on what I thought might something having to do with the bus. I couldn’t read it with my shades on, and when I took them off, it almost vanished. I got as close to the thing as I could and tried to make out the letters. That poor man! He almost shouted, “Hey, watch it lady! Back up, and get your nose out of my shirt, will ya?!” I said, “Oh, I’m so sorry; I was trying to read the bus stop sign, but I can’t see very well right now. Is this where the bus stop is?” He kind of grunted, “Yes; the bus will be here in three minutes.” I was going to tell him his shirt smelled nice, but I thought better of it.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

You Cannot Serve Both

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to ask ourselves whether we are serving God, or serving money/riches. Mammon, it is called in the Bible.

As I read the message, I recalled a conversation I had recently, about someone being refused a meal because they wouldn’t give up their personal information and register. They were told the reason was that if they didn’t register, the church couldn’t get paid for the meal by the government. Jesus tells us, in Matt. 6:24, that we cannot serve both God and money. Either we will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. This is very true. We prove it. I don’t think there’s a Christian that hasn’t experienced this conflict in one way or another. And, the love of money will definitely cause conflict in your life. With it comes debt, deceit, stress, all kinds of stumbling blocks.

Some of us who have held down two, and sometimes three jobs, just to make ends meet, know what a cruel Lord money can be. Work, work, work; and there’s still nothing left over, and still no chance of getting ahead. Some of us have fallen into the prestige and power trap. We sold ourselves to the “up and coming crowd;” the “Haves.” Some of us got caught up in the money trap because we tried to replace our self respect and/or dignity with stuff, stuff, and more stuff. We have to be very careful with our attitudes about money/mammon, because mammon is a very sneaky adversary. I say that, because the spirit behind it and the world’s ideas of wealth, are at work for the powers, principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness in the heavens. In reality, it is only sidewalk. It’s what the streets in Heaven are paved with.

Solomon said that money answers everything. It does. It pays the rent, puts food on the table, fills the car with gas, etc. But, money is to serve us; not vice versa. Keeping our attitudes about it in line with God’s Word, and practicing good stewardship/management, are the keys to staying free of bondage to it. There’s also that checklist of things like pride, fear, greed, and the like, to reckon with. We can easily fall into the money trap by way of these.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

It All Goes Together

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to dwell in God’s Presence. We’re told to dig deep into the soil of the Kingdom. This message ties in with the one for Saturday, August 8th, and with my post on Friday’s message. All three go together.

Friday’s message speaks of getting to know God intimately to dispel fear and doubt within. Saturday’s message – read it at twolisteners.org- bids us to empty ourselves to ensure constant fresh supply. This is so important when we’re finding ourselves stressed, anxious, angry, anything that’s contrary to the Divine Nature within us. Immediately emptying ourselves of all that negative emotion and replacing it with truth from the Word of God, and what we know of God’s love and grace toward us, is critical. This is the way we remain in His Presence.

Do you know what Satan’s goal in the Garden of Eden was? It was to separate Adam and Eve from the presence of God-and from the security there is in His presence. That’s why we’re told to dig deep into the soil of the Kingdom…you’ll find treasure upon treasure, strength upon strength, glory upon glory, until your faith is unshakable! You will think, feel, and act like the king or queen you are ordained to be. *Remember what the King of kings said, though: “I have not come to be served, but to serve.” And remember Solomon’s prayer for wisdom, so that he could rule over his people wisely and justly.

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Look Not To The Left Or The Right

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to walk by faith in Jesus’ keeping power.

God’s power will never fail us; but we fail to keep our minds fixed on Him. Again, Peter walking on the water comes to mind: “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” (Matt.14:30 -NIV) Looking neither to the left nor right, but keeping our minds and hearts fixed securely on our Lord and our Heavenly Father, is the way to get through every day with so much less stress! What a burden is lifted off one’s shoulders when we get this right.

The next thing that comes to mind is putting on the whole armor of God. (Eph. 6:13) I think the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness are the most important. You see, this is where our head and heart is at. The shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit-which is the Word of God, do us no good whatsoever, if we do not believe and receive that Word; that truth. This is where building our spiritual strength comes in. We have to feed our spirit with the truth; which is, that we are children of God, the head and not the tail, nothing can separate us from the love of God, and nothing can stop God’s purpose for you! If you have to write this down somewhere and read it aloud every morning, do it until it’s the first thought you think when you wake up. It works. Keep it with you and remind yourself that whenever you’re feeling anxious or stressed. Before you know it, you’ll be sailing through most of your days joyfully. Read about God’s love in the Psalms and the Prophets, about His keeping power, and about His fierceness in dealing with our adversaries. (powers, principalities, hosts of spiritual wickedness) (Eph. 6:12)

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Rest in Work, Work to Rest

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that forced, or tired work never shows the best within us. We’re told that it is wrong to force work.

As I think about the message, I think about all the times Jesus withdrew to be alone. I’m sure He needed rest from all the activity, the stress of dealing with the haters, and of the upcoming events that He knew He would have center stage in.

Our lives are no different. We have all kinds of acitivity going on around us all the time. We’re involved in all kinds of activities. We deal with haters, nay-sayers, doubt, and fatigue at any given point in time, too. It’s stressful. We have upcoming events like deadlines, finals, presentations, etc. The spot-lights will be on us then, won’t they? That’s stressful too. It can be, anyway. It can make the projects, the problems, and the prospects seem overwhelming.

That’s when we need to step back and recharge. We need to work, then, at resting in quietness and confidence; strengths we’ve already gained. We need to draw on our knowledge of who and whose we are, and all the gifts and talents He’s given us. He never calls us to do anything without empowering us to do it. When we work to rest in those truths, and in the peace of confidence in Him, and in ourselves, the tables turn in our favor. We are rewarded then, with restful work. No flurry, hurry, worry, etc. Just a peaceful and restful soul at work. I’m smiling now, because of Jesus’ words: “Come to me all ye, who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” Also, “Greater things than these shall you do because I go to my Father in Heaven.” I know, that’s taken a little out of context; but, it’s true. He does go to the Father and intercedes for us.

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

To Do It Well, You Must Become It

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that Jesus told us to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. Quoting directly from the message: “To accomplish much, be much. In all cases the doing, to be well-doing, must be the mere unconscious expression of the being.”

When I think of the word perfect in regard to us (mankind), I think of things like perfectly comfortable with myself as I am, and as I am growing. I think of perfectly truthful about my imperfection(s). I think of being perfectly aware of my spirit’s longings, my strengths, my weaknesses, my fears, my hopes, my dreams. In order to do this, one must know one’s own soul. There’s a great little book titled, “Simple Abundance,” that’s a wonderful tool for getting in touch with the creativity within. As I was working my way through it, I also came face to face with some of my weaknesses, fears, hopes, and dreams. I discovered strengths I never knew I have, or had forgotten I had. I also embraced my spirit’s longings, and as I did this, I became more and more at ease with them. When this happened, I began to find some awesome treasures within.

When we get in touch, really in touch, with the soul within us, we begin to become the person we were created to be. Each one of us is unique, with multitudes of treasures to share with our fellow man. As we become perfected in being the person we were created to be, the things we do flow from that perfect person. God is perfect, and we are created in His image and after His likeness. That means that I was born perfect, and I am perfect at any given moment in my life. What I need to do, then, is to love myself just as I am, at any given moment in my life. Keep in mind that loving oneself does not include denial of fault or flaw, of imperfection or error. It does mean that I can be real with myself without taking on guilt or shame and being defeated by it.

Remember, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That means I don’t condemn others; nor do I condemn myself. We are not condemned to stay as we are, for we have resurrection power. That means I can come up from wherever I find myself. I can progress, I can improve, I can grow, expanding my knowledge and abilities. See there, you’ve been perfect all along! When I got that revelation down in my spirit, my life changed completely. I began to truly love myself at every given moment in my life.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Is It Really “No?”

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that all the promises of God are yes and amen. (2 Corinthians 1:20) That means that “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Just because it isn’t happening right now, or just yet, doesn’t mean we should give up on it.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) Is referenced in the message. As I’ve said before, it’s not always all about you because it is all about us. God has perfect timing, perfectly pure motives, and perfect aim and reach. So, if you’re ready to give up, don’t! Look again, listen again, read it again, and see if you didn’t miss something along the way. You just may have, and now is a great opportunity to get that thing-whatever it is. That’s called gleaning, by the way. Speaking from personal experience, God’s used the same exact scripture to speak to me in several different situations. Now, this does not apply if you’re plans are for evil; I wouldn’t recommend that to anyone. God will hedge you in to save you from yourself. I’m speaking from personal experience there too. Okay, ’nuff siad. Have a beautiful day, know that God is with you, and He’s for you…so don’t give up!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Perpetual Springtime in Your Heart

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we can, and should, have perpetual Springtime in our hearts. That means we can have perpetual renewal of attitude, of effort, of energy. We are constantly evolving and recreating ourselves as we progress from one level to the next in spirit. (1 Cor. 14:20) ” In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.” Babies are about as close to coming face to face with God on this side, I believe. They don’t judge anyone; they just love. They’re not looking for the other shoe to drop; they’re excited about whatever’s next…well, most of the time anyway. The world belongs to them. That is exactly what God did for us in the beginning. (Genesis 1:28) I found the pics below on Google. Thanks to all the contributors who allow us to use them.

Some of my favorite things about Springtime in Montana…

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Canadian Lynx Kitten at Triple D Game Ranch in Kalispell, Montana

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Harmony Within, Harmony Without

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that when things aren’t going so great, it’s usually because of some disharmony within. I’ve posted the link to the website, so you can read it for yourselves. I’ve addressed the principles of harmony and power that are outlined in the message. https://www.twolisteners.org

“The difficulties of life are caused by disharmony in the individual. There is no discord in My Kingdom, only a something unconquered in My disciples. The rule of My Kingdom is perfect order, perfect harmony, perfect supply, perfect love, perfect honesty, perfect obedience — all power, all conquest, all success.”

Perfect order results when we organize things to work best for everyone involved. This also results when we are disciplined to put things where they belong, throw trash away right away, pick up after ourselves right away, make the bed first thing, etc. There is no set standard because the order must be set to accommodate each person’s need.

Perfect harmony comes when perfect order becomes the priority for everyone. We all work together to keep order. Sometimes that means doing dishes for someone who’s unable to for whatever reason, etc. The priority isn’t “making sure everyone does his/her share. It is making sure order is maintained. Remember fighting over chores as a kid? “I did the dishes yesterday; why does she get out of doing them?” – etc. However, fairness is also part of keeping order, so we must strive for that too.

Perfect supply comes from God. He always either gives it to you, or gives you a way to get it, or get it done.

Perfect love is that which says, “I’ll do your dishes for you so you can finish your science project that’s due tomorrow.” Not having to be asked, but anticipating the other’s need; being mindful that we’re all in it together.

Perfect honesty, with oneself, and with others is essential to keeping all the rest going.

Perfect obedience is obedience to God’s Word and His Ways. Pretty much, that means, “do unto others as you want them to do unto you.”

All power, all conquest, all success comes from adhering to the above principles, even when it hurts, even when you’re tired, even when…even then…anyway!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, April 26, 2019, 11:07 a.m.