More about God- How He Loves You and Me!

I hope you like
these thoughts and poems 
about the Lord Almighty!
Today's writing is dedicated to a very close and dear friend of mine, Marguerite Mount Brown, in memory and honor of her lovely sister, Kathy Mount Luedtke, who passed into Glory with our Lord Jesus Christ this last week! Kathy was (and is, because she continues to live in a more fantastic manner and way we can only peek at in the Bible) a kind and gentle woman; her voice and face are beautiful, and she exuded love.  She truly loved all the most special people in her life, but particularly~~~she loves her precious daughters.  I extend my heartfelt and most loving condolences to her father, her husband Mark, sisters Lynn and Marguerite, beloved daughters, four granddaughters! and two grandsons! nieces and nephews, and all family and friends.  Although Kathy is not with us at present~ apart from the body, present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8), she continues to love her family, her church and Jesus, with Whom she lives now!  Can you imagine?~~~ Kathy is seeing Jesus' real face and hearing His genuine voice.  She is forever and always- HOME. 
Heaven is the greatest place we will ever be- exciting, purposeful, beyond our imagination, hopes, and dreams~ where there is never sadness, evil deeds or people, competition, illness, brokenness, people unworthy of trust, nor ever experience separation from our loving Lord again, and those of us who have accepted His "free," to us, not to Him, gift of Salvation, will be there forever and ever!  It is quite, that simple!
He is spectacular and amazing, above all of our knowledge and wisdom...
Stay in the Word of God, which is the Bible, to keep learning His Truth in Jesus Christ.  The Holy Bible is full of many true-life stories of real people just like you and me, including psalms, revelations, and actual happenings and events in the Life of Jesus, the Son of God... Who willingly came to earth for those He made in His image, just for you and me, so that we could: 1. Know of Him; 2. Accept Him as our Lord and Savior; and 3. Continue on following Him as His disciples~~~making other disciples!  (I learned Number 3 (just above) much more this past church's sermon/s and last weekend at a great weekend conference that our church, Community Life Church, in Shawnee, Kansas, hosted.)  We are to love God first, then love and help others, as we also care for ourselves. The first and second greatest commendments.  (Jesus answered this when asked, and, yes, there are the Ten Commandments that were given to Moses on Mount Sinai.) 
The more we follow Jesus to be like Him each day in our walk; the more we fellowship with true believers in Christ; and continue to study and learn together, praying with one another in the Body of Christ~ and to pray alone as Jesus did with the Father......if we do these things with an openness of heart to learn and to possess the mind of  our King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus, we will be blessed! For who has known the Lord's mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. - (1 Corinthians 2:16).  What we do counts!  Helping others, having compassion, loving one another, and showing in truth and authentic love the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. - Galations 5:22-23) are signs to the Lord~ our body of Christ in the church~ and the world~ that we are God's Beloved, true believers in Jesus Christ as our Lod and Savior. The Bible is all about Almighty God's Names, Character, Attributes, and  and His relationship with us!  You can hear from the Lord directly through His Word, taking Godly advice from many wise counselors~ who are people in the faith whom you trust~ asking and using the insight and guidance from the Holy Spirit.  God is NOT in a box, He is the unlimited, loving and just Creator of heaven and earth and everything in it- most notably in His value and love, you and me, whom He made in His image. )
God is the Great I AM. 
There is only
One God: Who is Father, Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit~~~Who are the Trinity.  They are Three Persons, yet God is Spirit.

Thank you to my dear friends in Christ Jesus~~~ Sister-Mentors, fellow students of the Bible, Jan and Vicky, for each encouraging me in the same few days of recent~~~ to continue using my poetry in the blog- how dear you are; your love and words meant a great deal of encouragement to me from you!  (***See the note at the end of today's writing to link to Vicky's blog and Jan's own postings; you won't be disappointed!)

Coming across an "old" cd today, I found these poems and writings that I wrote approximately 10 years ago, while I was still recuperating from a serious car accident.  That accident brought me much closer to God, and I am grateful, not for being injured/disabled, but that circumstances that He did allow, brought ultimate good for me, and I hope others.  In some ways, it was hardest on my family.  As my husband Royce said recently, "It made us better people."  Most items below/here are from earlier 2000, although there is an exception with one or two that are more recent. 
I hope and believe that these words of encouragement and truth will speak to your heart and mind to bring you comfort, reassurance, and the Promise Who is Christ, alone,
none other. 

 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 New International Version

~~~~~~~~~~

Nothing Unnoticed

Did you know that you have a Heavenly Father

Who counts your tears and puts them in a bowl?

That He knows the desires of your heart?

Knows the very number of the hairs on your head?

When you sit, or stand, or are in any other position or

Happenstance,

He is aware, ready to help…

Nothing about you goes by Him,

Unnoticed!

He knows the very character of your soul.

 He died- just for you.
1/2015

~~~~~~~~~~ 

 God is So Good

How can God be so good to me?

I asked

As I learned that my

Hope for healing was coming true.

But He is, was, and ever-shall-be

Our greatest hope for wholeness.

~~~

 He wants us

As he had hope for us

In the beginning.

~~~~~Donna, 3/20/2003~~~~~

Snippets of Thoughts on God

Every single breath I take is by the will of God.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for my life in You.

Donna, October 10, 2004

~~~~~~~~~~

God is so very beautiful to me today—

Is it God, or is it my perception of Him?

Donna, March 1, 2004

~~~~~~~~~~ 

 Do not despair,

For God is with you- today and tomorrow.

He will see you through each passing day.

His mercies are unending,

And someday, you will be with your loved one-

Forever!! 

3/1/04

~~~~~~~~~~

Beyond Compare

  

I can’t wait to

See your face,

Lord.

Your real, exact

Face.

~

 Will I fall down

Before you?

Will You

Sweep me up

Into your arms?

~

 Probably both-

And a

Million other

Possibilities.

~

Whatever- it will be beyond any expectation!!

Donna- June 19, 2003

 ~~~~~~~~~~

Full in the knowledge and grace that Christ is, has been, and always will be…

We serve Him with those He puts before us this day.

11/10/02

Donna M.

This latter sentence about serving God was a very important insight to me as I was getting well from the car accident...there were such incredibly special and loving, giving nurses who helped me, and I could see more how God was using me in little ways to help others, too.  Do not ever underestimate how much the Lord puts you where you are and gives to you there from others, and then how He puts YOU right where you can be an uplifting person to another :)

~~~~~~~~~~

Be Happy, Christian!

 You have eternity in perfection with

Our Perfect Lamb, Sweet Jesus,

For which to look forward!

How could we be sad?

You are a daughter or son,

A saint of Christ.

Oh, Holy Spirit,

Comfort us ‘til we join

Our Great God.

 Donna M.

3/02

~~~~~~~~~
The LORD is So Very, Very Good

God just keeps healing me,

God just keeps healing you.

If we only could conceive

Of the many healings we receive!

~

 Taking for granted

His daily miracles-

So many, uncountable…

But His heart is so full

And His mercy and power

So boundless.

~

 Yes, God just keeps healing me,

And He keeps healing you.

If only we could fathom

His never-ending love.

~

 Only Christ Jesus

Shows us the way to the Father

Through our Savior’s sacrifice- for us,

We can accept the truth, that, yes…

~

 God just keeps healing me,

God just keeps healing you.

Donna, September 28, 2003

~~~

Of course

I give credit

To the Lord

For healing me…

Who else did it?

Donna- April 30, 2003  

 "Jesus Tomb," with Mary Magdalene (one of my favorite people of the Bible)... Thank you, lostseed.com , so very much for your gorgeous pictures of Jesus that are free to the public. I appreciate the Light and Life of Jesus Christ that you give to my blog and to other people and places for inspiration and enjoyment. God bless you!! :)

*** Jan Bracken:

http://www.thehealingisalwayschrist.com/2012/12/christmas-poems-by-jan.html

http://www.thehealingisalwayschrist.com/2014/03/the-wedding-invitation-and-go-by-jan.html

*** Vicky Thomas:

http://www.thehealingisalwayschrist.com/2014/03/a-life-filled-with-personal-suffering.html

Vicky's blog, "Active Mentoring in Christ:"  www.activementoringinchrist.com  

God richly bless you in the grace of His Son, Jesus Christ, now and forever!  Thank you for stopping by, anytime. 

Note on poems and writing: Please feel free to enjoy any of my work or people mentioned herein the blog postings- we write for the Lord and you, Dear Friend~!  An earnest request and statement: you may send to your personal circles of influence; however, it is not my intent for anyone to publish any material.  I have copyright and exclusive ownership- from the Lord- He made me and gives me the inspiration, help and guidance, and any ability whatsoever that I possess. 
Jesus blesses you and me.  Jesus saves.  He is the only One Who does that for humanity, each one of us.
Donna M.

"People Get Ready, Jesus is Coming!"

There is a Crystal Lewis song that says,
"People Get Ready, Jesus is Coming!" 
The Lord has continued putting that title upon my mind and heart to speak to you, to be mindful! and ready! regarding this most vital Truth. 
Jesus IS returning soon.
That fact is more real than we can truly imagine right now,
and it WILL happen. 
(Please disregard the poor spacing between some of the sections for this posting, keep cursoring down if there is a gap.  I apologize!)
~~~Please click on the link below, for in-depth reading on the Lord Jesus returning for His bride, His beloved, the body of believers who are His church.  "Written by John F. Walvoord, who was president of Dallas Theological Seminary,one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. He is considered perhaps the world's foremost interpreter of biblical prophecy.  John is perhaps best known for his bestselling work on Bible prophecy, Armageddon"~~~
https://bible.org/seriespage/13-when-christ-comes-church 
Note: the original version is Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" with
The Impressions (1965). 
Here is Crystal's version from youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REc6uRQRnV0 (Lyrics Version) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5LJXkodg 
Other artists have sung it, and one of my close friends said recently that Crystal's version ministered to her deeply when she was in a very difficult place and time in her life; she is Sally Pesta, contributing writer on this blog, who has written this fascinating posting:  
http://www.thehealingisalwayschrist.com/2014/03/christs-suffering-and-our-suffering-is.html  
 I am dedicating this song and two more toward the end of today's writing*** to our beloved sons- Tyler Joseph, first, and then Eric Gregory, son ("in-law") who was actually born prior to Tyler, to make sense of that---our daughter and her husband are older than her little brother Tyler :) 
How much Royce and I love these three~~~ vibrant and caring individuals, our grown-up children~~~ with all of our hearts and minds, with everything we have, always and forever!!! 
How much MORE does the Lord Jesus Christ love them and us-
all of us!?  I cannot quantify it other than Jesus died on the cross, a horrid, wretched death and had all of the sin that would ever be, heaped upon His body and Spirit in a human, fleshly, vulnerable body.  He was rebuked for our wrongs.  Jesus, completely God Almighty and completely a Man, was and is totally pure and holy~~~ enduring so much scourging, rejection, and absolute hatred, that HE CHOSE to endure it- so that we have the opportunity to accept Him as Lord and Savior, to believe in Him, and to follow Jesus Christ all the days of our lives. Then, we do NOT have to endure complete separation from God forever.  Those of us who say, "Yes, Jesus, I believe in You and will follow you each day~~~and I choose to be in Heaven in bliss beyond measure, thankfulness, Joy and Love with You~~~ and other beloved, forever and ever.  I will never be separated from You, the many who will join me, and those who are already waiting there for me."
LISTEN, FRIEND  Please!  For the good of your whole life long, now and into eternity: do not let the message of Salvation in Christ, alone in Him, pass by you, yet one more time.  We do not know if Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah, The Chosen and Promised Righteous One is returning tonight or in 100 years, but do you want to take the chance of your eternal soul to be separated from God and everyone-everything! you have ever known or loved?! Just because you waited too long?!  You do not know what can happen to you in the next day, let alone minutes, or hours.  If I could shout out to you, I would.  I implore you to stop a moment to consider your eternal self/soul/person/YOU!  Rather, listen to the Lord God Who has planted many seeds in you waiting for that (perhaps THIS) moment of fruition when you are ready to take the step toward Him to accept His Son, Jesus Christ, of Nazareth.  Waiting for you at the Door, He has always been standing there; what a beautiful Truth.  He  paid the price for you since He was the only One acceptable, Wholly Man and Holy God, Who could pay the price of the unblemished, totally Righteous One He is, to pay your sin debt and mine in full!!  Maybe this is the first time you have heard about Jesus.  BE one of those incredible souls who believes immediately and takes hold of Christ!  Perhaps you believed, then fell away; come back to Him now by knocking on the door of His heart; He most assuredly will open it to you!  Of that, you can be completely sure; God is always faithful to His own.  Regardless of the number of times Jesus has drawn you near to Him for that moment in time when you take your Salvation and Lordship with Him...take this very moment to: 
Be One of God's Redeemed!

God through His Holy Spirit is beckoning you!  Don't you hear Him?  Have not you had those inklings or gouging holes of emptiness, that something is missing in your Life?  Something is not complete yet, but it can and will be once you step over that line of faith to Jesus Christ.  He died on the cross for your sins and mine, each person, but YOU are the one who must say, "Yes, I believe in YOU, Jesus!  You died for me and rose again, going to sit at the Father's right hand, and You left so that the Holy Spirit could come!!"  He protects, guides, prompts, loves us, and, Jesus, You said that we would do even greater things than You had!  You know why?  Because Jesus lives inside of you when you accept His gift of Salvation and Lordship in your life!
~~~A Salvation Prayer~~~
Dear Heavenly Father, I want to accept Jesus, Your Son, as my Lord and Savior. I know He died on the cross for me and my sins, and arose again. He is with you in Heaven now. I know the Holy Spirit will come be with me now to comfort, guide and direct, and help me to be more like Christ, the Living Water, Who is fully God and fully Man. When I leave this earth, I will go directly to Heaven to be with You, Lord, and other loved ones forever! Help me to learn more about The Holy Bible, to have fellowship with other true believers, to pray, and to walk with You each day. My old sins are forgotten, for You have cast them to the bottom of the sea, and they are no more! Thank You for letting me witness Your Kingdom now and into eternity. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Thank you so much, lostseed.com ! and others for your tremendous gift to people around the world online- offering free pictures of Jesus.  The opening picture is one of my most favorites- "Forgiven," by Thomas Blackshear II.
My beloved younger sister-in-law, Lori Ballinger introduced me to this picture about eleven years ago at her home...I said that I didn't quite understand its meaning, even though I had been a long-time Christian~ I remember I wondered why a man of today would have pounded the nails into Jesus' body. Lori explained to me, and I see similarly now that this grand painting says: each one of us has, in one way or another- probably in many ways- rejected and sinned against God's Son, Jesus of Nazareth, Who is the Messiah, The Promised One, The Anointed One promised for approximately 6,000 years:
God the Father gave us His One and Only Son, Christ, our Lord and Savior of the world and ALL that is in the universe~~~
Jesus came to us willingly and let Himself be put on the cross to die for your sin and mine!  He did this first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Romans 1:1-6; 1:16-17 - (NIV).
1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life^a was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power^b by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from^c faith for his name’s sake. 6And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ....
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,^e just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”^f 
Author Max Lucado says that if we had only been given the Grace by God to have eternal life when we choose so and accept, then that would be more than enough for Him to give us.  (Thanks dearest friend and sister in the Lord, Darlene Harrel, for bringing this fact to our Bible study's attention.)  As if Salvation and His daily Lordship in our lives is not enough, our Great God, the Lord, gives us so much more~~~
in abundance and without stops on His loving care and kindness! 
My, how He is longsuffering and patient with us. 
***Here is Kristion Binion's breathtaking song, "Pieces," with the Mission Kids Drama Team's short, interpretive play, made for the Binion "Pieces" song.  Do not miss out on this, folks!   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsL-vRGYYw8  I wish I had the lyrics for "Pieces" so that everyone could see the exact words, AND very importantly, so that people who have a myriad of first languages, besides English, could read the meaning...I could not find the right page, but maybe you will be able to find the written lyrics!!And now, Israel Houghton, an awesome Christian artist and his people: listen to these incredible words about our Savior and Lord Jesus!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIF7UCljQSQAt the end of the above song, immediately click on the arrow in the video, for the next video of Israel and New Breed, or click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfAFS3uJ9o4
To Him Who Made Us in His Image and Who Has ALWAYS LOVED US.

 28One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He [Jesus of Nazareth] had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" 29Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'… - (Mark 12: 28-30).

May Jesus richly bless you in your walk with Him. 
We must not forget how much he loves us and wants personal relationship with Him!
Donna M. 

Looking Up to God When Nothing Makes Sense

Looking Up to God When Nothing Makes Sense

Encouragement from our Lord and with each other!
(Thank you so much, lostseed.com, for this picture: believe it is Jesus Hugging Girl.)

We had been in the throes of financial frustrations and concerns with our home, and, yet, this time had been one of the closest that we have had together as husband and wife, and yes, our family with three grown children; in fact, our house sold this past summer!  Praise God for His goodness. 

We are thanking the Lord for never taking Himself out of the equation or our great need!  We are praising Jesus Christ, our Savior and the Lord of our lives, because of our adult children's help, support, and love that has brought us to tears in great thankfulness and even closer family cords of sincere, grateful hearts and a richer love.  We have appreciated more than we can adequately say for our Christian, praying family and for our Prayer Warrior friends who prayed over a long period of time, never getting daunted or tired of hearing from me and petitioning Almighty God.  We are astounded, still, how our realtor Debbie Waid (Reece and Nichols Realty), having patience beyond what anyone could expect or hope, used her brilliance in this field/profession, and advocated for us~ incredibly so!!  She saw at least two times when truly miraculous things were happening in the situation of selling our home and professed so boldly because of her faith in our living Lord God.  That aspect in itself- having a professional, whom you feel is a true friend and who believes in the same Living Water of Life, Jesus Christ, who shares your faith- well, it is rare and exceedingly good!

God has done kind and amazing things throughout this time period of more than two years now, specifically to provide and help give us a way of escape. He continues to show us His hand and His faithfulness every step of the way. He has opened doors that by human standard could not be opened. Over and over again, the Lord has said in this way and that way, “I AM. I am right here with you, Donna and Royce. I know what you are going through, and I will never leave you, nor forsake you.  I, am your Help in times of all trouble.”

One morning, I was distraught, fraught with indecision and stymied by a point in this long succession of problematic twists and turns, unexpected pitfalls and delays.  The cell phone rang as I was driving, so I pulled over to the side for safety to answer my caller.  My close friend, *Jan Bracken, had phoned to say that she was praying for me; her only awareness to pray for me was through the Holy Spirit because she and I had not spoken the last day or so.  We briefly discussed the dilemma.  When I got off the phone with the Scripture she had given me, within minutes, I had clarity, resolve, and knew what to do!  I called my husband to tell him what had happened and my decision; he was very happy.  Thanking the Holy Spirit for prompting Jan to pray and to call me with a specific Bible verse that fit our exact need, I started up the car and went back on the road to accomplish what I had heard from the Lord via a mentor in the faith! 

The mission was accomplished within the family of God in Jesus Christ.

Royce and I were under terrific pressure.  I went to bed one night rather angry with human problems (#see note at end), prayed to God to help me and felt slightly better.  The next morning I called our pastor, Chris, to ask if I could meet with him for prayer; he made time in his schedule and said we could meet at the seminary coffee area for prayer that afternoon.  We talked, and Chris brought to my mind how very loving our grown children had been in many ways and commented on their having helped us get prepared for the move: our daughter came back home a total of four times, our son would be there doing the move as well as numerous times on weekends, and our son-in-law, whom we love like our own, came to our rescue with a large trailer of his own folk's, set up storage for us, and helped tremendously with the actual move.  Chris had brought several pages of Scripture that he had selected for these kinds of stressful times and encouraged me to read them over and pray from them.  Just before we prayed together, he got at the crux of what was really bothering me the most...Chris said this:  Donna, imagine that you are on a playground swinging or doing something fun, and the Lord is standing over to the side of it and comments to someone else standing there, "See Donna over there?  Well, she's my daughter; she's mine!"  Then, Chris repeated the same scenario about Royce saying, "See Royce over there?!  He is my son!"  Then, Chris said to me, "God's not disappointed in you, Donna.  Not at all.  He loves you."  The tears came, then, to my eyes because that was at the crux of what was bothering me- wrongfully.  It was either Satan's hedious crew or myself or both who had been plaguing me that week, lying to me.  Pastor Chris had discerned exactly what I needed to hear- that I had NOT disappointed my Savior, and that Jesus truly dotes on and loves me---and my husband!  I cannot tell you how grateful, relieved, and freed Chris' kind comments and Scriptural sharing, and prayer meant to me---still today!

My beloved mother, who passed onto Glory/Heaven! 7 years ago, raised my sister Sherry and me in the Christian church, with the Bible as our guide and standard of right and wrong, including many truths of the Lord.  We were taught at church and by our mother's example to love God above all and to walk right in His sight, helping others and loving them as we cared for ourselves.  We learned the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do to you.  I remember Mom saying many times to us, "There are many people who have far worse troubles than we do." I am keenly aware that people are going through far worse difficulties in health, finance, relationships, and all areas of human need. 
My health has flagged increasingly worse, at least in part from stresses of the last few years, and I know for certain that the devil is delighting in making things difficult for ALL people, perhaps especially Christians.  In these crises, we are still walking, AND we will emerge victorious! No matter what happens! We already are Victors in our Lord Jesus Christ!  One cannot ask for more than that, and, yet, our most gracious Lord God delights in seeing us happy and prosperous.  While we are now, still on this earth, for a little while, we suffer.  Those of us who have accepted Christ's offer of redemption through the shedding of His blood and sacrifice for us (He is our atonement, the only acceptable Lamb of God) as only He can give that Life-giving power of eternal life for us to come into His Kingdom in Heaven one day when our earthly lives are over.

2 Corinthians 4:8-18 English Standard Version (ESV)

  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death is at work in us, but life in you.  Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.  For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light 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.

We realize the great gift of Salvation and the
Lordship of Himself~~~ walking with the Lord every, single day in communion through His Word, The Holy Bible; prayer; fellowship with other believers/disciples of Christ;

striving to be as much like Jesus Christ~~~ to be our best, for others and ourselves; and loving and worshipping Him always.  He gave us this Offer of Complete and Full Redemption of Himself on the cross, died for our sins, arose and was seen for 40 days by over 500 people who talked with Him, dined with Him, listened more to His divine wisdom, then He went to be at the right-hand of His Father, God in Heaven, where Jesus Himself is interceding for us for our good.  Royce and I took that Offer that He Paid for in full, not by our own works, but by stepping over that line to Salvation now and forever, believing in Him, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and to ask for His daily leading and direction, in obeying Him as very best we are able, asking Him to forgive us when we are in error.  He is the Lord of our lives.

Isaiah 43:2

  When you go through deep waters,

I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty,

you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression,

you will not be burned up;

the flames will not consume you.

New Living Translation (NLT)

This is when the Lord does His highest glory for Himself, yet He gives it to and through and in us, for others. How great, loving, kind, merciful, full of charity, and grace...forgiveness for you He has and will lovingly give you.
A Vision
God gave me a vision one day as I stood in the kitchen at the counter: 
I saw Royce and myself down on all fours, paired and yoked like two oxen, beasts of burden, struggling to move forward.  It was a very ugly picture, and then immediately, I saw the two of us in a standing position facing each other, no yokes on our necks or backs!  We were smiling, glowing really, and lifting our hands up high in the air toward a great light that was beaming down upon us, and we were praising God!  It was magnificent- only as, indeed, our Lord can do for us!  This picture from Jesus ministered to me many times (it still does) through the rough waters we were experiencing and the times ahead- to a more sure and steady future, without the terrible burdens.  Of course, I shared it with Royce and a few friends...and now, with you, my Friend.  Matthew 11:29 English Standard Version (ESV)  Jesus said,
 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

Royce and I saw truly miraculous happenings: doors opening that normally would not have; lovely prayer warriors and our church people praying for us and giving us moral support; money showing up that was needed at the right times and totally unexpected, including dollars "stretching"; and many signposts along the way, reassuring and giving us that peace that passes understanding that only Jesus Christ has the power supernaturally to give to His flock.  ~~~Philippians 4:7 English Standard Version (ESV)
   And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.~~~  I have not seen this many helps and signs in a rather short period of time to make us keenly aware that He loves us and is taking special care of us- continuing throughout all of our life together and individually before, continuing since my very serious car accident, 12 years ago.

Do you know that when everything was said and done, through the Lord's help and knowing our hearts, we did not shortchange anyone, only ourselves through some of our own mistakes and, yet, the times that we are in and circumstantially with health, medical, and financial that we had no power or say-so played a great part.  Ultimately, it is our responsibility.  ONLY the LORD GOD could work it out in our behalf and for others during our time of trial and testing.  With God, ALL things are possible.  When we are weak, He is strong, and I can accomplish all things in Christ (alone!).

A Salvation Prayer to Accept Christ or to Recommit to Him
Dear Heavenly Father, I want to have you as my God.  I trust in You and that You did send Your Son, Jesus Christ, for me!  He came to tell us Who He is, to heal the sick and desperate, the lost, the lonely, and to heal sinners like me.  I believe that He took the total penalty for my sins.  He is the only One Who could do so because He is the spotless Lamb of God, both God and Man, perfect and without sin.  He rose on the third day and walked amongst us, His Disciples and many, many people, then went to be in Heaven with You.  He intercedes for me because He loves me.  I am glad He went back to Heaven to make a beautiful place for me and so that the Holy Spirit would come to live inside me, as I now accept Jesus.  Thank You for being my Lord and Savior from now on and making me new!  Help me to be more like You every day with Your help.  In His Name, Amen.
Please note: to the right and above if you are on desktop- mobile may not show this button- You will see below the most read postings, at the top of the About Me section, a Donation area that goes directly to my friends, the Dicksons, from church.  Kevin, the husband, had a liver transplant last spring, 2014, and is doing well- Praise our Lord!  However, they have large bills needing to be paid for the operations, many hospitalizations, and long recovery.  IF you are able to donate, thank you so much.  Either way, thank you for listening and looking and praying for them; they are great, sweet people of the Lord.
Thank you for visiting The Healing is Always Christ, and please come back!  If you like it, please share with others.
Further Notes to Comtemplate and to Consider:

When we are saved, after that fact as we are growing closer to God and in our relationship with Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit can "convict" us to things, such as our behavior, our feelings, and actions, and so forth that are NOT good for us or others. He brings to our awareness, mind through, perhaps, a sermon; something someone says, something we read, a thought that goes through our head; that "this" is not pleasing to the Lord. He is not convicting us as to a sentence or jail, etc., but to make a change to be more Christ-like in who we are. Conviction, no but no condemnation.

God can and does correct us when in error, but even then it is as a loving Parent, helping us along the way for good. He does this for every individual because none of us is perfect. His grace is ever-present. When we reach Heaven, God will give us our glorified bodies, and we will be the best we have ever been, for eternity! It will NOT be boring; we will be as unique, wonderful, individual and with our personalities- all the good and greatest parts!- of whom He made us to be! We will be fascinated, loving, loved, have complete JOY, have fun, and see things more abundantly, more exceedingly, the loveliest and best that we have ever seen or imagined~~~ the new Heaven and the new earth will be the way we were meant to be in the Garden of Eden, forever!  Adam and Eve experienced it before having to leave when they believed the devil that God surely would not let them die and that He was withholding goodness, perhaps...those taunting thoughts and lies that he can do, and we allow him to do, oh, so well.  Do NOT let him lie to you.  Stay in the Truth of God: His Holy Word, the Bible, and with people who believe in Jesus Christ and are living the Life, also, go to places, read other books and view movies that are life-affirming and not sick lies and evil.  (Did you know that our Lord was sooo loving- and continues to be- with Adam and Eve- that He did not want them to stay in Heaven/Paradise/the Garden because they would have eaten from the Tree of Life and lived forever, becoming more ugly and decadent in body and mind- and never been able to die and to start clean and fresh?!!!) 
An amazingly generous God, always, Whom we love and serve.
*Please read Jan Bracken's two postings; you will appreciate their messages and have enriching thoughts.  Both are very popular :)  
http://www.thehealingisalwayschrist.com/2014/03/the-wedding-invitation-and-go-by-jan.html and
http://www.thehealingisalwayschrist.com/2012/12/christmas-poems-by-jan.html
which was just re-shared recently!
#We are told in the Bible not to let the sun go down without letting our anger go.
May the Lord richly bless you in the grace and love of Jesus Christ now and always!!

Donna M.

Jesus, the Babe of God- His Son and our Savior and Lord! A Prayer of Salvation! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to YOU!

Merry Christmas 2017 and Happy New Year for 2018- 
With God, ALL things are possible!

Greetings in our Lord and Savior's Name,

Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

May you find Him close to your heart and mind, having Him as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.

There is a ***Salvation Prayer toward the end of today's posting~~~please pray it or say in your own words to God that you believe in Jesus and want God in your life forever.  Ask the Lord to forgive your sins and mistakes- He most certainly will!  This may be your first time, or it may be a re-commitment...  His love for you is fathomless, never-ending, and magnificent- more than anyone has ever loved you, more than all people in your life, in total, are capable of loving you!

Here are a few of my poems about God~~~the Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, three Persons, yet One Sovereign God Who made you and me and all the heavens and earth.  Yet, God is also Spirit.

Long Memories and Gratitude

Oh, Lord, keep our memories long

With plentiful gratitude

For what you have done.

May we not be as

We were from Egypt

To the Promised Land:

Longing for meat, instead of Your manna

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sweet little Dove

From heaven above:

Come down, from on high,

To prove Yourself King

By and by.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Good News of Jesus Christ

Is that He lives today among us,

His believers,

And He reigns o’er the entire world

That none of us should perish.

The Holy Spirit works and hovers

To move us to Christ.

So come, come now

To Lord Jesus

Your Savior.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God usually speaks

I have found-

In a quiet voice.

You will hear

Him clearly, softly.

It is definitely

There.

Make no mistake.

Avoid the oft

Human response

Of overlooking,

Procrastinating,

Going on.

Have you noticed?

How God seems

To speak quietly

When guiding,

Then sometimes

Comes deeply

Through action

To get our attention?

However He leads and

Speaks to you,

We should definitely

Listen, friends!

He is our Creator.

He made the world and

All that is in it.

God thinks that we are the important ones,
However!
God is Holy, 
there is no one above Him, 
All the glory always goes to Him,
and He alone! is sovereign...
Over All- that includes 
most certainly,

You and me.

A note: God speaks to us in a myriad of ways!!  He is all-capable.  One of the best pieces of advice ever given me was by a Christian friend, Joni Ames; don't put God in a box.  She was right- He cannot be put in a box!***   The Lord spoke to me one day a few years ago in a very crowded and loud foyer at church while I was talking to a married couple, who are friends of mine.  God's Voice and helpful directive in a sentence was unmistakable. 

My point: God speaks to us, not only in quietness, but in so many ways!  He can and does break through to us!!  Ask Him to help you in your belief and your walk. Even if you are an unbeliever as of now, ASK HIM to help you to believe!  He will!! 

Many true believers, disciples of Christ, find that spending time in The Holy Bible (the Bible) with God in His Word, in prayer and listening, is a great way to learn about our Lord: the Trinity, Who is the One, True God.  We show El Olam, the Everlasting God, that we love Him enough to take some dedicated moments with Him~ alone~ each day- and to hear His Voice for guidance.  

The Lord Almighty always refreshes us, never drains us or makes our time feel like work/toil.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In His Presence

Won’t we be softened

By being in the presence

Of our Lord?

Won’t we be purer

When we sit at His feet?

In His shining countenance,

With loving, outreached arms

For us,

In the fragrance of His Home-

Oh, it will surely be sweeter

Than any earthly fruit could bear

Our clear faces will reflect

Precious Jesus’ smile,

And when we look back at Him,

He will see the love

We were meant to have for Him

In the beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love the way

Everything just stops

For a little while

At Christmas…

All of the craziness

Ceases,

And we bow down

To worship

Our Lord and King, Jesus.

It’s so soundlessly

Beautiful,

As we all stop

To stare

At the newborn Savior

Of heaven and earth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Donna M., all poetry)

***A Salvation Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

I know I have fallen short many times and been less than You would have me to be.  Please forgive me of my shortcomings and errors; I want to do better and to rely on you as my Lord and Savior, Jesus.  I believe You are the Son of God and that You came to earth to save us- me.  Thank You for loving me so much!  I want You as the Lord of my new Life.  I know I can talk with You, Jesus, at any time, and You are right here with me.  You are my true Friend- You lay down Your Life for me!!  Thanks for sending the Holy Spirit to comfort, guide, and counsel me.

In Jesus' Name I pray,

Amen- so be it.

***www.joniames.com (Joni is the friend in Christ mentioned above, who gave me the advice, "not to put God in a box," which means: don't try to limit or put boundaries on what God can do!)

  Almighty God richly blesses you in Christ.
Thank you, lostseed.com, for the picture, "Jesus Face 2."

All of my poems are copyrighted.  I WANT to pass on the Good News, the Gospel of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
PLEASE use as you see fit to encourage yourself and people to believe in, accept, commit and dedicate your life- or re-commit- to Christ Jesus.  All rights reserved.  Please do not mass publish, not for publication.
Donna M.