God is fun!

How often do we consider that God is fun?  He enjoys us!  (Click on bold print for Scriptures.)

That he adores and protects us,

and thinks we’re gorgeous when we praise Him!

Yes, we can "be still and know" He is God.

He also loves noisy, exuberant singing and, yes, dancing .

He loves the blessings of uplifted hands, too, that's why we see them so much today.

And He does allow drinking and celebrating Him!  We can find lots of objections in some traditions, but we can balance them with this.

And we can pray and sing in other tongues.

Because all the gifts of the Spirit are for today.

( They will disappear when knowledge does, but in the last days, knowledge will increase. So we still have knowledge and all the gifts of the Spirit. )

In fact, in these three chapters, there's a Holy Spirit sandwich of Power, Love, Power.  I want the whooole thing.

We also have a ruthless enemy

But we also have the gift of God within us forever.

We have authority over the enemy until the end of the world. We also have the power of the help of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit until the end of the world,

and our mission includes doing all things whatsoever I have commanded you which would not negate these heal the sick and cast out demons
. Freely you have received, freely give.

If we're not seeing these things today as much as the first Christians probably did, I have to suspect we're in the Laodicean Age of the Church.

Most of all, since I know I am going to Heaven someday.

I want my friends and family--and enemies--with me.  And there’s only one way to get there.

So I hope everyone who hasn't already will give up their way for God's.

Because here's God's  Good News.

Hope I haven’t annoyed anyone, unless it’s to look into these things I’ve placed here with much love. This is how I understand it all, anyway. I'm open to discussion. : ) God bless~

Father's Day discovery an ocean away

My dad used to let us sit on a big old tarp and he'd run and drag it behind him. Better than any E ticket ride at WDW. He also turned that tarp into a tipi and told us the story of Pocahontas. Later, he was my choir director and my driver-to-get-everything-for-science-projects, etc.. He was diligent to keep a roof over our heads, AC and heat working, food in the pantry, clothes in the closets. He wasn't perfect but he was my Dad and I miss him this Father's Day and always.

I remember another Father's Day whose significance started some years ago when my husband and I toured Scotland. One morning, I got up very early, sleepless, and sat downstairs in the living room of this cute little old hotel in Ft. William. Another sleepless traveler on our tour soon joined me. It was a few weeks before Father's Day and he mentioned where his estranged daughter lived. He named my hometown without knowing it and a street less than a mile from my house. We were both amazed that I knew his daughter's neighborhood.

When we got home, I couldn't forget that. We got our photos developed and I thought about delivering one of him to the daughter. He had told me her name. Would I be butting in where I was not welcome? Why were they estranged? Did he abuse her, or something? Would I just be opening old wounds? We're called to forgive. We don't have to put ourselves back in harm's way.

I prayed. And kept praying. What should I do?

Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. The night before Father's Day, I looked her up in the phone book, drove to her house, and rang the bell. Thank goodness, she came to the door. I introduced myself and handed her the photo. She was amazed. I told her we had traveled with him, that he missed her. "Tomorrow's Father's Day. Maybe you'd like to give him a call." She thanked me and I left.

I don't know what happened. I never heard from her. But maybe there was a reconciliation. I pray for that.

All I could think was that, sitting there in Ft. William, Scotland, across the Atlantic Ocean and thousands of miles from our homes, her father and I discovered that out of all these United States, towns, and streets, I lived near his daughter. I knew what I had to do. What would you have done?

Pretzels and passivity, anyone?

Interesting story within the story Mexico by James Michener. Ancient civilization got intoxicated on the juice of maguey and later their great, prosperous, peaceful civiliation was known only as the Drunken Builders. They just *watched* with some alarm as an aggressive tribe of the War God moved closer *every year.* Just watched and wondered what would happen to them. They hoped something would happen to the others and make the problem just go away.

Finally, the War God people marched into the Drunken Builders' bulidings & sacrificed the people to the War God. Cut out their beating hearts.

This troubled me b/c sometimes when I discuss current issues with others, I find that some argue from emotion, not facts. Sometimes they call me a name because I don't agree with the policies of the candidate they like. But they can't always give me a real reason to like him, either.

I know I'm not as informed as I could be.

So, are we sometimes intoxicated with *entertainment* & emotion while an enemy comes closer and closer, instead of being really informed on issues that will affect the rest of our lives and our children's and theirs?

Walter Martin said the cults can make "doctrinal pretzels" out of Christians who may know what they believe but not why they believe it. Where is it written?

So can politicians make pretzels out of our views. Where is it written? Who said so? How do *they* know?

My friend plays golf and has a trainer but her husband is sometimes out of work as an independent contractor and she wants me to pay her medical bills. Oh, yes. She wants socialized medicine. Who does she think pays for that? Just for an example.

Whether politics or religion--do we know what we believe--and why?

Workin' on that! Starting by reading Economics in Plain English. This economy thing is terrifying. China says we are trying to default. Will they try to foreclose?

I don't understand it all but I'm going to try. At least I'll understand more than I do now. I hope.

"Welcome Holy Spirit" Pentecost Sunday's Comin' Concert

Could we know God the Father and God the Son without God the wonderful Holy Spirit inside us ? I don't see how.

We sing about God the Father and God the Son at Christmas and Easter. Why not God the Holy Spirit at Pentecost! 

God the Holy Spirit came to Church at Pentecost, the Jewish feast held fifty days after Passover. He empowered the Church with His presence inside each believer. And He promises never to leave us.

How sad that,  because of the excesses of a few, others practically ignore Him, the Third Person of the Trinity, GOD in US!

May 20, 2018 is Pentecost Sunday. To celebrate, I've collected these songs into a "concert." Just click on the titles. May we--and He-- enjoy! Welcome, Holy Spirit!

Welcome, Holy Spirit 

Come Holy Spirit, Revive the Church Today!

Cece Winans- Holy Spirit Come Fill This Place

Spirit Song

Holy Spirit Rain Down

Holy Spirit Rain Down with lyrics

Let Your Spirit Fall

Come Holy Spirit I Need Thee

Spirit of the Living God

Elvis Presley introduces The Stamps - Sweet Sweet Spirit 1972 

It's Beginning To Rain

Adoration by Mike Adkins

Shine Jesus Shine ... blaze, Spirit, blaze...

Spirit Fall Down

If you have any suggestions for other songs about the Holy Spirit, please leave a comment. Thanks.

Acts 10:38 is my favorite Bible verse, besides salvation verses.

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power,

Amazing! Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible doesn't speak of Him doing any miracles or teaching until then. But then! But then, He

went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil for God was with Him.

I love it because we, too, are commanded to be filled with the same Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus.
And we will be His witnesses, says Acts 2. Are we witnessing to others about salvation in Jesus? That is the test.

We know that God the Father sits in Heaven, and God the Son sits beside Him. It's God the Holy Spirit who lives in us and through us, and heals us and encourages us....

And He gives us the power of the gifts of the Spirit for victory in situations of life and we will receive the fruit of the Holy Spirit for victories within ourselves. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. I Corinthians 1:7 All the gifts are for today, for our good and God's glory.

I Corinthians 12, 13, and 14 are about the Spirit's power, love, and again, power. A Holy Spirit sandwich. And I want the whooole thing!

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