Changing You

"And we all, with unveiled face, be holding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."- II Corinthians 3:18

"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." - Romans 8:16-17

"For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."- II Corinthians 4:17-18

"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. - Ephesians 5:18-21

Dear God, 

I am being changed to be like You. I must be willing to suffer as You have suffered in order to be more like You. And then I will have glory as You have glory. God, troubles are deep right now. Fears abound. Republicans are monsters with regard to healthcare issues. The disabled are concerned. Please intervene and continue to provide for us. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

I Will Go Before You

"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." - Deuteronomy 31:8

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:14-19

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." - I John 4:18

Dear God, 

You will go before me. You will be with me. I should not be afraid. I should not worry. You love me. You are everywhere all the time. No matter what is going on, You will be with me. I can be brave and bold because You are with me. Fear and worry doesn't belong. Your perfect love takes away fear. Right now, God, I present to You with my fears and worries. The republican monsters are at it again attempting to make healthcare far far worse than the ACA. They want seniors to be charged far more than they already are. They want women to have no care. They want the disabled to have no primary care. And they claim to be doing this in Your name! God, You say You provide. You say You will go before me and be with me. Please show Yourself in a huge way in this matter. Do it not just for me. Do it for the least of these. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

The Sun

"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he Edwards those who seek him." - Hebrews 11:6

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete." - II Corinthians 10:5-6

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." - Colossians 1:9-10

Dear God, 

In order to please You, I must have faith believing that You are real and that you reward those who seek You. Keeping You at the center of my every thought, word, and action IS a challenge though! I must take captive every thought and make it give up and obey You. I need to study Your word to find out pleases You. Please do be the sun of my world and shine in my life. Today, I give You my thoughts about what the republicans are doing to destroy healthcare again. This time in a way that would charge the elderly more and would potentially turn insurance into nothing more than the junk plans that were allowed before the ACA. They have a plan that is far worse than the ACA and is still short of universal care. Today, I give You my thoughts about their proposed cuts to HUD which helps house homeless veterans and disabled people. See, they complain about those of us against the wall and refugee bans not being for veterans yet their own party is cutting programs that help veterans!!! I can care about both the refugee and the veteran and I do care about both. God, help us all the next several months. God, do Your will here. God, prepare our hearts and minds and keep them awake against the devil child Trump. He lies. His party lies. And we need to be alert to the lies so we are not misled. You will know them by their fruit. Rotten fruit is rotten fruit. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

Strong Again

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, "In returning and east you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength." But you were unwilling, and you said, "No! We will flee upon horses"; therefore you shall flee away; and, "We will ride upon swift steeds"; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. - Isaiah 30:15-16

Other translation focal verse: This is what the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, says: "If you come back to me and trust me, you will be saved. If you will be calm and trust me, you will be strong." But you don't want to do that. - Isaiah 30:15

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6

"Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:30-31

Dear God,

If I will be calm and trust You, I will be strong. You will not leave me when I need You. God, I give You all of the concerns the disabled have right now with regard to healthcare and the ACA right now. I am going to trust that You will not allow the republicans to hurt us. I am placing this in Your hands. Strengthen me and guide me.

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

My Mighty Hand

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." - I Peter 5:6-7

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." - James 4:6

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. - James 4:10

Dear God, 

You want me to be humble under Your mighty hand and to trust Your work in my life. God, I am struggling with that as we watch yet another very evil man, Jeff Sessions, who has stood openly opposed to the laws that help the disabled and openly opposed to veteran's healthcare funding. I am watching America get destroyed. And I am seeing this after having just gotten out of the hospital for an overnight IV antibiotic treatment to combat a couple of serious infections. And this coming at a time when the republicans are bent on destroying the ACA which would cause 200 million people to lose protections they now benefit from with some 180 million not getting coverage through the marketplace.  God, please show Yourself in a might way. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

You Are on the Path of God's Choosing

Luke 1:76-79 - "...And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Luke 12:25-26 - "And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?"

Dear God, here and now in this moment is where I am supposed to live. It is hard not to worry about the future. Today I received another message warning about the threats to Medicaid and how it would negatively affect the disabled. More threats to the Affordable Care Act which would also negatively impact the disabled, including myself. The GOP budget of hate is literally going to be the most unChristian thing ever and this time, things are going to be even uglier than ever before. As I evaluate the GOP right now and those who defend their actions, all I can think is how dare you call yourself a Christian while you support a party that wants to cut the disabled off, wants to cut off veterans, and now wants to cut off the elderly! If I will know them by their fruits, the GOP has NO Christians. They are greedy war hungry idiots who care nothing about anyone who is not white or rich. God, while worrying may not help me or extend my life, and while I know I shouldn't wish ill will on anyone, I actually do wish the GOP idiots in D.C. would have to be dealt a serious blow to their bank accounts and wallets such as that which so many families of special needs individuals, including my own, have dealt with. Be it from lack of insurance or lack of proper insruance, or be it from the lack of community services or access to them, every single special needs person and family has suffered the consequences of a very hateful GOP of late. They say they are pro-life yet have no problem cutting the disabled off from the things they need in the way of healthcare and other services. God, please intervene before it is too late. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Accept the Limitations of One Day at a Time

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 - For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. 

John 16:33 - "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

Dear God, for everything there is a season and a time for everything under heaven. As I reflect on these beautiful words which I believe a 70s song delved into, I see so many things. You see, God, I know some people are quick to judge women who get abortions, but the thing that troubles me the most about those people who do that is that they claim to be Christians and pro-life. However, here is the truth: THOSE people are not pro-life because they oppose everyone being able to have access to healthcare when they are sick or access to food when they are poor for whatever the reason, and it is not laziness that causes poverty, but they don't seem to understand that no matter how many times they are proven wrong. According to this passage, there is a time to be born, and a time to die. While most of us might prefer that one's cycle of life be from the point of conception to the point of natural death, the truth is that some women have high risk pregnancies that end up either killing the baby or her. And the other truth is that YOU have a master plan and a purpose for everything that happens. YOUR providential plan may have been for that woman to get an abortion because YOUR providential plan might not have been for that baby to be born. Yes, You created that baby, or began creating that baby, but for whatever the reason, You allowed that woman to choose abortion. Today, I ask forgiveness for all the women who have ever before chosen to have an abortion or might ever choose to have an abortion. I ask forgiveness for those who condemn them for their decisions. Because according to this passage, YOU are the master mind and You decided the time for everything. The other thing in that passage that speaks to me right now is the time to love and the time to hate. God, I apply that to Tom and myself. Right now, we are going through the time to hate. But in due time, we shall hopefully be restored to the time to love as friends. I am still growing. He is still growing. When we can both move to the same point, then we might have a reconciliation. But in Your time. Not mine. Not his. Yours. In the world, there will be trouble. But You have overcome that trouble. As You know God, America is in trouble. The primary reason for that trouble is the GOP hatred and racism that is very much alive and well. And no, there is no logic beyond what it is: racism. I am now regretting the day I ever voted for the republicans because that shift has been beyond what I am able to handle. I had never known that party to be so hateful until Mr. Obama got elected the first time. After his election, I saw something that I didn't like and I had to separate myself from it. Things in my own life took a turn as well, so I definitely had to pull away from that party. I cannot tolerate the hate they evidence. Hate for the president which is against Your word. Hate for the poor, also against Your word. Hate for the disabled, also against Your word. Hate for anyone that is not rich or white, which is also against Your word. The more I study Your word, the more I see that my decision to defect from the republicans is the best one I could ever have made second only to choosing to following You and third only to accepting my autism as part of who I am and fourth only to deciding to love and defend people no matter the personal cost. Will I lose friends over it? Yes! And that is their loss and only shows me their true values. You will know them by their fruit. Well, I can tell You now that there are no Christians in the GOP. Their fruit has been against the people, especially the least of these. There can be NO REAL Christians in the GOP as long as any of them thinks that it is okay to cut off the resources for the least of these. Even theology, at its core, is about helping the least of these and that being one of the three functions of government. Oh, God, I long for peace. You have overcome this world. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Learn to Let Go

Psalm 89:15-16 - Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.

Isaiah 41:13 - For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Dear God, I really wish right now that I could rest secure in Your presence, but as You already know the republicans are out the trying to financially hurt the elderly, the poor, the disabled, and the veterans again threatening to strip away at the programs that are designed to help them. They are also yet again threatening to take away their healthcare. And the worst part is that they are doing this and claiming to be Christians. Please remind them about the least of these. God, it is scary really. Because if how they treat the least is how they treat Jesus, then Jesus is being condemned to starve to death, die of cancer or whatever illness befuddles him, be thrown out on the streets, and just keep silent because if he fights back, they will just get uglier. I know because that is what my representative that I did not vote for is willing to do to me. He is serving his rich buddies that can line his fat pocket and claiming that he is doing it because he is a Christian and condemning the rest of us to our deaths just because our circumstances are not of wealth. Their budget plan is so unChristian and so unpatriotic, it is no longer funny. The worst part is somehow they will still survive because they have money, but all the rest of us will be screwed. Oh God, right now, my prized possession is not a person or an animal or anything I can actually hold onto. And yes, I still desire reconciliation but it is up to You to bring that about in due time as You continue to work through me and through that person. Right now my prized possession is the need for security, even if just short term. God, hold my hand and don't let go. Please keep financial provision in my family. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Do Not Conform to the World

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Romans 12:2 - Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

Romans 12:2 (NIV) - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Dear God, I want to have an ever increasing attentiveness to Your presence. I need my mind recharged and refreshed and renewed each and every night and day. While the world may want to make me exactly like everyone else, You did not create me to be exactly like everyone else. You created me to be my own person in You and to follow my own path after You. You created me, autism and all, with a purpose, and no one can change that no matter how hard they might want to try. It will take me a long time to recover from the abuses I went through at Oak Mountain, but I trusted You and took a first step and offered Tom forgiveness and trust You that You will work in his heart to bring about restoration and reconciliation. In today's America, we have a group of people calling themselves Christians but trashing on the president, trashing on the poor, and trashing on anyone who is not white, is not perfect, is differently abled. It is disgusting that they dare do these things while claiming to be Christians. Your words are very clear with respect to the president, the poor, and the differently abled. Your word is very clear with respect to how we are to treat fellow human beings. To do anything else is not Your will. Thank You for renewing my mind everyday and creating me in such a way that being different is actually cool! In Jesus' Name, Amen!