The 31st Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 30th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 31st day of 2014, might I suggest again that your walk with Christ should not be a discussion more than an experience . . . ==> "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God . . ." [Galatians 2:20] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy your weekend.] 

The 29th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 28th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 29th day of 2014, I share another message with the hurting and concerned. Keep in mind that we're still stronger than we think . . . ==> "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" [Psalm 27:1] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy your day.]

The 28th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 27th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 28th day of 2014, my faith is strengthened by what I see Him doing in the lives of others . . . ==> “I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” [Psalm 121:1-2] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy your day.]

The 27th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 26th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 27th day of 2014, I'm still believing in a God Who has this habit of reaching back into what we call the past and making it right for our future . . . ==> “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” [Romans 8:28] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy your week.]

The 24th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 23rd day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 24th day of 2014, allow me to encourage YOU, while I try to encourage ME . . . ==> “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” [Romans 8:37] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy your weekend.]

The 23rd Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 22nd day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 23rd day of 2014, though I am still hurting spiritually and emotionally, I still believe that God CAN work it out for me. He still has my Praise and my Worship . . . ==> “But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.” [Psalm 22:19] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and have a great day.]

A Fireside Kinda Faith

Sometimes life takes us to places we don't really care to be. Even as Christians we sometimes find our feet in the fire and our faith on the floor. We cry, we hurt, we can't eat, we don't want to speak, we can't sleep. And depending on the size of the flames, we may even find it hard to pray. Have you never been there before? Well come. Stand here next to me on the corner of Fireside Drive and Faith Avenue. I have something I want to share with you . . .

[Please Read Daniel 3]

Lately many of you may have been wondering about my daily posts, which have simply said, "~ · · · Don't call. I will not answer. Please just continue to pray for me, and He will hear . . . Thank you." Well no it's not a contest or some kind of a "chain post" that you'll see others posting. I really am in need of your prayer support. Even as I'm writing this, there may be someone somewhere making my furnace "seven times hotter". A "furnace" that I really don't care to walk into. Christian or not, I really don't carry the desire to prove my faith in this fashion. I've gone through hell before (see my Note "Trusted With Trouble"), and I distinctly remember telling God, "Thank You for bringing me through that. Should you decide to trust me with trouble again, please don't." And yet, here I am . . .

"(13) Then Nebuchadnezzar became very angry and called for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And they were brought to the king. (14) Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the object of gold that I have set up? (15) Now if you are ready to get down on your knees and worship the object I have made when you hear the sound of the horns and harps and all kinds of music, very well. But if you will not worship, you will be thrown at once into the fire. And what god is able to save you from my hands?” [Daniel 3: 13-15]

As I've mentioned before, in times like these, and based on experiences I've had in the past, I found it easy- well maybe not easy, but routine- to pray the words of David in Psalm 42, or the words of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. But something is different about this furnace. This furnace has a thermostat that appears to have been melted and made useless by the flames. And the blame is partly mine. And it already feels seven times hotter. A bit too hot for comfort as I continue to pray, and try to keep my faith.

There it is. Did you catch that? It's the "trying to keep my faith" that brought me to you today.

"(16) Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer to this question. (17) If we are thrown into the fire, our God Whom we serve is able to save us from it. And He will save us from your hand, O king. (18) But even if He does not . . .” [Daniel 3:16-18a]

I've come to realiz that in my past experiences I've been able to pray the words of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego because I could see and believe that God was gonna bring me through. I didn't know the WHEN, but I could almost see the HOW He was gonna do it. But what happens to a Christian's faith when "even if He does not" begins to look more and more like "maybe He WILL not"? In reading the rest of Daniel 3, you'll see that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were indeed cast into the fiery furnace. You'll also see that they walked back out of the furnace without even the smell of smoke on them. But they didn't know they would be walking back out. Sure, they believed in a God Who could save them. But they had a "fireside kinda faith" that said, "But even if He does not . . .". And that's what I pray I have- that "fireside kinda faith". I think I have it. But I'm still human enough to be just not sure. (In any case, you'll understand that I'm still praying that I won't have to find out!)

So I'm asking you to stand here next to me on the corner of Fireside Drive and Faith Avenue. I'm asking you to support me as I go through this. I don't know if He'll save me from the furnace, or if He'll send me through it. But I need prayer warriors to pray my strength in the Lord. I need prayer warriors to strengthen my "fireside kinda faith". That faith that will stand firm. Because today, my "even if He does not" looks more and more like "maybe He WILL not". And my tears flow over my feet in the fire, and my faith on the floor . . . (vsm 2014)

The 14th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 13th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 14th day of 2014, I'm reminded that I am God's masterpiece. His prized possession. And so are you . . . ==> "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." [Genesis 1:31] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a wonderful day.]

The 13th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 12th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 13th day of 2014, I remind you that there's still a blessing on the other side of through . . . ==> "But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." [Job 23:10] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and have a great week.]

The 11th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 10th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 11th day of 2014, I pray Health, Strength , and Peace to you all. But especially to Maya Mells . . . ==> "And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace." [Luke 8:48] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy your weekend.]

The 10th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 9th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 10th day of 2014, as I continue walking into this new year, I invite you to join me as I strive to walk yet closer to Him . . . ==> "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." [Psalm 73:28] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy your weekend.]

The 9th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 8th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 9th day of 2014, I'm reminded that we are ALL sinners in constant need of receiving (and sharing) God's grace . . . ==> "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more . . ." [Romans 5:20] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, KEEP WARM, pray for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

~ . . . What I wouldn't give for a chance to sit on your lap,

Be held in your arms, just one more time. ~Vince

PS: Dear Mommy . . .

The 8th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 7th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 8th day of 2014, I challenge you to focus on the unconditional love of God that carries you through every moment of every day . . . ==> "This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." [1 John 4:10] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, KEEP WARM, pray for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

The 7th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 6th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 7th day of 2014, it's freezing across the USA.  I challenge you to check on your neighbors!  Especially those sleeping outside!! . . . ==> “For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [Galatians 5:14] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, KEEP WARM, pray for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

The 6th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 5th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 6th day of 2014, I challenge you to plant a seed by simply walking up to a stranger and telling them this truth: "Jesus Loves You" . . . ==> “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, STAY WARM, pray for one another, and enjoy a great week.]

The 2nd Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 2nd day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 3rd day of 2014, as you continue your walk into this new year, don't worry about yesterday.  We serve a God Who has this habit of reaching back into what we call the past and making it right for our future.  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” [Romans 8:28]  [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a restful weekend.]

The 1st Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 365th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 1st day of 2014, once again I want to welcome you into my world. I invite you to follow me throughout 2014, as I follow Christ. And together, let's make our lives available to Him . . . ==> “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom should I send? Who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” [Isaiah 6:8] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, PLEASE play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy prosperous New Year.]