Pearls before swine...

I know I already posted today, but I had to share what wasn't being reported by the media. However, I have something deeper that I want to impart to whomever stumbles upon this post.

I was reading in Matthew today, Matthew 7 to be exact, and God stopped me at verse 6 'Do not give to the dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do they may trample them under their feet and then turn and tear you to pieces.'

Why this verse, well, it's simple. This verse comes after the verses that talk about not judging or you too will be judged according to how you have judged. Then it directs you to remove the plank from your own eye before you removed the sawdust from your friends. It is then piggybacked by the verse above... again why? Because Christ wants us to work on US and seek our faith in him for OURSELVES and not for someone else. A Christian should not go throwing their righteousness about willy nilly. Nor should they expect others to live as they do. However, I believe, Christ wants us to work on US and be the light unto the world through not only what we say but what we do as well. If we walk and talk like a duck then guess what the world will think of us. And if that is how we are living what then will happen when we try to suddenly interject Christ into the equation? They will 'trample our words under foot and tear us to pieces' You CAN NOT act like everyone else and claim Christ. Be set apart. Your actions and deeds should mirror Christ (and you will fail). If people see Christ in you in word and deed you will be a force to be reckoned with.

Please remember Christ did not treat people like he was better than them, instead, and the bible says this, he made himself a servant. Do like wise. Pray for teachable moments, beg God to reveal anxious ways in you so that you can get rid of them. Christianity is not easy. God is not a bank. We will be faced with trials, we must lean on Him who created us in love and saved us by grace. We must not try and throw the first stone. He didn't and he's the only one who could have.

Don't be Slient

Leigha

Sandy's wrath and God's path.

My sister has been on the phones coordinating with pastors in churches in New York finding out what all needs to be done and donated to help out. This is an update she recived this morning. God is alive and sees all! Praise Him! Praise Him from the highest mountain to the depths of the sea! 

Via Briana Nei:

I have spent some time on the phone with pastors and volunteers on the ground in New York. In Staten Island, there are thousands of volunteers coordinated from churches, feeding 20,000 people a day and mucking out houses. Just on Sunday, they got 200 houses done and sanitized. In the past 2 weeks they got the work done that would normally take 6 months. This is the power of Jesus Christ when the people of God are unified and working together to help those in need. They were the first responders before FEMA or the Red Cross. They were already there, in their neighborhoods, serving God and were on the ground from day 1. I spoke with the coordinator of Staten Island churches today. The director of FEMA visited him this week. He was told that there was no way FEMA could have pulled off the incredibly detailed and volunteer-based effort they have on the ground. Truly a blessing to see the work of God! So proud of everyone working there.



So thankful that Americans of all creeds and colors are receiving help from those who are more than willing to give. We can't count on the government alone. The swath of the storm was huge and yes some places have yet to receive aid, but it's not because they are being ignored. It's for lack of help and because the storm affected so many. Please, if you have the time and means find a local church or charity that is coordinating with organizations within the affected areas donate time, money, food, etc etc. We have so much in this country we can definitely share with each other. 

Also before I go I just want to let all those who are actually reading my posts that I have a friend who drives a tractor trailer and today he was stuck behind a line of trucks carrying transformers to repair the electricity disaster up north. ALL THE TRUCKS had transformers on them! 

Don't be Silent

Leigha 

Why So Outspoken Against Your Own?

Election season is over. The nation voted and the results are in. We are divided and I'm not just talking about America. Matthew 12:25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.' Our Savior hit the nail on the head! POW! That's us. Church. That's us. We are not standing. I read and heard so MANY Christians call each other out, using the words of Christ against each other in a blame game. 'He who casts the first stone... do not judge.... etc etc' Why? It's simple. We lost the plot. We forgot. We are the sleeping giant. The bride is second guessing her choice. It's so sad. We just shluff off society and have decided to pray that God comes quickly. It doesn't have to be that way! Stop, please stop! Think of who you are talking to. Think of what you are saying. Think why are you saying it. No one likes to be told that we are broken and need to be fixed, but we are. Every human is so broken. The issues shouldn't be issues for us. We should talk to each other with respect and love. Listen to each other with respect and love. We can't name call. If someone's opinion is different we can't 'jump down their throat' and call them judgemental because indeed none of us can cast the first stone. When that case arises we need to ask why and not be offended when our own views are challenged. Maybe, just maybe, God is using that encounter to edify you. Being a Christian is about being free in Christ and trusting him, but it's also about digging up all the gunk inside of you and letting him clean you. Submitting to his will and asking for his assistence. We can't do this on our own and He desires greatly to help. 

Now our society is changing rapidly. People are now calling things that are evil in the eyes of God good. Sex before marriage, drunkeness, gambling, homosexuality, greed, dissention, factions etc etc etc. There is no moral compass anymore. God was deemed a story and it's now no holds barred. If you can't see it, then ask God if it is or not, he'll tell you. If you don't think you'll recognize his voice ask him to give you ears to hear it... he will. As His voice in this darkened world we need to first and foremost go inward and allow God to clean us out. Restore the full uncompromising truth so that we can serve Him best. Next we need to get out there and start to shine really shine. People notice. Now I'm not saying get in their faces, i'm saying be an example and pray that God send you to people or people to you in order that they might be given the chance to know him. He'll guide you and your words. We have to save as many as we can. Set the captive masses free. Satan wants our fellow brothers and sisters of the human race to burn with him in hell. Christ wants his beloved children in heavan with him! Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world! We can do it. Get into your prayer closet and let God sort you out. It will not be pleasant, but we were told that this was not going to be easy. Next get out there and start a revival. We can change people and the world. It starts small, but like the ripples in a pond it grows. 

Don't be Silent!!

Leigha

The Giant

There once was a Giant. He stood tall and proud clothed in armour, ready for battle. In his right hand a sword and his left a shield. His head and breast were covered to protect from any attack. His eyes looked at his enemies with no fear. He knew his Commandar's order's and carried them out, no questions asked. To light his way his Commandar lit a lampstand and placed it in the ground next to him. 'As long as the flame shines bright, your fight will be affective.' This was the most important instruction. So day and night he defended against the enemies that attacked and always found time to tend to the lamp. He didn't waiver or move, but kept on fighting. His eyes always searching for any sign of his Commandar. 

As time grew on the Giant grew weary. His enemies grew more and more numerous and their attacks more devisive and harsh. The Giant began to forget his training and would lash out haphazarly hoping to hit a target. All the while the lampstand grew dim until one day, the Giant laid down, weary from battle. 'I must rest. I can not go on. My Commandar will understand. He has left me too long, he must have forgotten me.' The Giant fell asleep under his lampstand.

Time passed. The Giant slept. The lampstand faded until all that was left was a flickering flame, defying the wind that blew around it. The enemies of the Giant and his Commandar began to chip away at the armour trying to find weak spots where they could wound the Giant further, and they wounded him greatly. Yet, the Giant slept, seeminly unaware of the attacks. 

Finally, the Giant awoke. His body weakened and wounded his armour in tatters his sword rusted and his shield cracked. In the distance he heard the sounds of his Commandars return. He looked to the lampstand, a small ember remained. The enemies were now numerous and growing. They showed no mercy nor would they relent. Their attacks grew more and more vicious now that the Giant was awake. The Giant remembered his final instruction, 'As long as the flame shines bright, your fight will be affective' 

A messenger appeared in front of him out of the chaos. 'A message from my Lord.' The Giant read it, it was not plesant. His heart lept at the thought of seeing his Commandar, but just as quickly it sank because he had utterly abandoned his mission. The messengar waited for the Giant's reply. Should he go when his Commandar calls? Should he send word for the Commandar to tarry as he makes another stand? What would the Commandar do? Was he that kind of soldier? He looked to the lampstand, it still burned, even if it was dwindling, there was still time. Was there still time? 

What should the sleepy Giant do? Oh church, what should the sleeping Giant do?

We don't have to accept that this is the end, God can and will bring about a change. We just need to clear out the temple with a whip!

Don't be Silent!

Leigha C.

*sigh* this world

Over two thousand years ago a man was declared a heretic and a threat to society. He was tried, beaten almost to death and then forced to carry the final instrument of torture that would result in his death to the place where they deemed this final act would take place. He committed no crime. In fact, all he did was question the moral compass of the day and lived his life by the law, but lived for the love he had for mankind and following the instructions of his teacher. His name translated to English is Jesus. He foretold the events of this day and age thousands of years ago. Then reminded us to not worry because these events must take place in order for the Glory of God to be revealed. He summed up the law of the prophets by saying, 'Love the Lord your God and serve Him only' and to 'Love your neighbor as yourself' there is so much more going on in this world than what has been in the media lately. Christian, little Christ, do not waver or stray from the path God has laid before you. Take everything to Him in prayer. Remember we are in the world not of the world. Our neighbor is everybody and they have His precious breath of life in their lungs as much as you do. Treat everyone with respect and pray for teachable moments and that you can address these moments in the same spirit that He did when He walked the earth. Proverbs 15:1 A kind word turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger. Stay strong in your faith, do not turn to the right or left. Don't be ashamed.
Everyone seems to be sticking to their guns when it comes to what they believe and want out of this life and society. Christians, because we feel threatened, will make allowances to try and smooth things over so we don't look like villains. What most people don't realize is that we aren't villains. We SEEM like it simply because we try to live our life by a set of rules that society dictates as judgmental. These rules do not bend or sway, but they lead to a very peaceful existence here on earth simply because we take all of our problems and issues to God and leave them at his feet. We ask that he finds anxious ways in us and that he leads us through them and once we have conquered them through Him we find more strength and peace. A TRUE Christian will lend a helping hand to any and everyone. We find SIN despicable not the people involved in them. A person is a person and they are created in God's image as much as the next person. God loves every man woman and child on this planet, but not all of us love him. He gave us this choice. I can't live your life for you, but I know what has happened to me since I became a Christian and I would love for you to experience the same peace and happiness, but I can't make that choice for you. We are both members of the human race. We were designed with a purpose and created in love. We choose our lives on earth. Christian's only want to share what we know, not judge you because of who you chose to be. There is a difference.
Now there are those who use the name of Christ to serve their own agenda. How can you tell the difference? If they sound like pushy hate mongers and use phrases like 'You're something something this  because something something that' or 'God hates you because of this and that and no hope for you' or 'if you live like this than you're better off that.' Please do not define Christian's by those who spread hate and fear. A Christian will give you the shirt off their back before you smack them in the face and the shoe's off their feet after that.

Grandma's Poem

This morning I felt compelled to write this. Last month my grandmother was diagnosed with aggressive brain tumors and was given 6 months to live or a year with treatment. Since she had just gone through a mastectomy and chemo she said, 'just send me home'. This was the pinnicle of a 5 year battle with various cancers that kept popping up after they would find and treat one. She was done. She was ready to die, but not in a morbid longing for death kind of way. In a peaceful resignation of her life here on earth and yielding her spirit eternally to the one who first created it and then saved it. Her words were, "I'm ready to go home and meet Jesus." Today she did just that.

This morning, before I got the phone call from my dad (her son), I wrote a rough draft of this poem. It is for her. For the woman who I, my daughter, and the daughter of a pastor's daughter in India are named for Barbara Sue Dean. The name we all share is 'Sue'. The three of us named for her all share the middle name 'Suzanne'. I loved her very much and she will be missed and thought of fondly. There were too many good times to count. There were some not so good (only three I can think of), but mostly good.  Please enjoy my tribute to my grandmother.


Restored and Renewed!

‘Into your hands Lord I commit my spirit.’

Words uttered with a last breath before the greatest gift was given.

You said them when they told you ‘You are soon going to heaven’

Peace and calm were your gifts sent from above.

From the Savior you taught so many to love.

You gave and gave your whole life through.

There was no other way about you that I ever knew.

It grew and grew into a beautiful tale of salvation and love,

Prayers and thanksgiving all from our Lord God above.

I’ll miss your smile and those kinds eyes,

Your hugs and kisses at all our good byes,

Your cookies and cobblers and pies.

I’ll remember you tenderly from all the grand times gone by.

Grandma you were love and cheer and surprises every year.

You accepted death gracefully, without fear

But it was time and you knew,

And your peace got me through.

Grandma I miss you with all of my heart.

But in heaven it will seem to you as though we were only one day a part.

We gather to say goodbye one last time.

The testimony of your faith is here in this sign.

There are tears in our eyes

But there is joy in our hearts

Because death had no victory and it had no sting

Since your soul and life you committed to Jesus Christ the risen King.

So mourners, turn your sorrow to laughter, your sadness to joy, and let praises ensue.

Barbara Sue is in heaven restored and renewed!

Leigha (Dean) Cabrera

Living Sacrifices: Part 2

Therefore I urge you brothers in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.

1. Offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God
   • Christ offered himself to save our soul from death and destruction and an eternity of separation from God in hell. He asks that we emulate him by doing the ‘same’ thing. Simply put, we are not of this world and we should not indulge in the same fleshy desires that those who serve only themselves chase after. 
   • If we have bowed our soul to him our bodies/actions should follow suit.

             i.     How?

 We have all heard the phrase die to ourselves daily and pick up his cross. Whaaaa…? Really the Bible says it best, ‘We are in this world and not of this world’, ‘Man judges the outward appearance…’ Basically if you look and talk and walk like a duck what is the world going to think? As Christians it is so very very important that we separate ourselves from that image. Unfair? Not ‘with the times’? Yes, and yes, however, we serve a never changing God, he is the same today and tomorrow as he was yesterday and the thousands of years that came before yesterday and the thousands years that come after tomorrow. He doesn’t want us to ‘move with the times’ He wants us to move in Him and He in us, He will guide us. He will set our path and feet right. He calls us to shine in the darkness. So when we go out and causally cuss, and party with our friends and coworkers not only are they watching and recording, but God sees you too. Those same people who you party with will think, 'He/She says they are a Chrisitan, but they sleep around and drink and swear etc etc. If that's what a Christian is than what is so different?' I've heard these comments made, recently as in the past year, about people who say one thing and do the opposite. Remember we are to be different and yes we are held to a higher standard. If God is the same and you believe that than what he asks of us is also the same. The world will always judge us. If anything we should thank them, because without that judgment we may not see ourselves or our sin (that must find us out) and we could continue down a destructive path. So thank you world, thank you for noticing that we should be different! Now Christians let’s be that different. 

Remember, don't be silent!

Leigha

Intolerance within Christianity

I just read an article that is becoming more and more prevalent as the years swiftly pass by. The main point is basically this, Christians are intolerant. Ok, I'll give you that, but what are we intolerant about? Not what everyone pins on us.

I am intolerant of sin. I am intolerant of evil. I am intolerant of selfish reasons for ignoring those more in need than we are. Now what am I accused of being intolerant of as a Christian. The list is long and brutal, but increasingly more and more people are just plain upset that we believe marriage should be between a man and a woman and that waiting to have sex until marriage is best. In a nutshell, sanctity of marriage and purity. Man I'm such a bad person.

Now, will I judge you/treat you differently if I find that you are homosexual or haven't waited until marriage to turn in your 'v-card'? No. Why? Well, the bible clearly teaches us to love the sinner and hate the sin and to pray for those who persecute/do not tolerate us. Really? Yes. Jesus did not go to the priests and teachers of the law. They knew the law and they knew how to use it to their advantage, which was in direct violation of the law itself, but they did it anyway because it made them rich and prestigious. Jesus ate and talked with tax collectors, prostitutes, adulterers, etc etc, people who were rejected and hated by society because Christ knew that their hearts were longing to be filled and the only way they could be was with the love of the God the Father.

Society now a days wants to worship one god and that is ourselves and we do not want to be told that we are wrong. The bible even foretells all these things. Thousands of years have passed and yet all that it says still holds true. Christ said we are to be hated because of him and we are. If you are a Christian reading this embrace that intolerance and hatred of us. It's part and parcel of who we are and what we accepted when we prayed and told the Lord that we would serve him only. Be glad and rejoice.

Leigha

Balance

I'm sitting here thinking about balance as my 5 year old is huddled against my knee begging for my attention. She's an interesting little girl with more questions than they day has seconds and I have less than half of the answers. I'm so proud of her. She makes me smile and giggle and then look at who I am as a person and the desire to change becomes quite strong. There are so many flaws within that I become so focused on them sometimes that it's hard to see who or what I am supposed to be changing for. That's where the balance part comes in to play. Is the house work really that important as opposed to the reading assignment my daughter has for her kindergarten class (yes, she is reading at a first grade level and I'm very proud of her)? Yes, they are both important, but in that moment which task is the more important. I guess this is where intuition and motherhood comes into play sometimes the former trumps the latter and vice versa, you just have to be aware of everything that is going on around you and as a mother you find the more experienced and more children you add that it's much easier to do this than you think.

In life we have to understand that there is a time and a place for everything and that deciding which is what and what its which is very important. Life now a days is not what it use to be and I'm sure everyone will agree with me. Gone are the days of lazy summer afternoons spent sipping ice cold lemonade on the porch just enjoying the moment. We have programed ourselves into a rat race where every second is deemed to valuable to waste and yet by doing so we are squandering our lives.

So how does balance come into play? How doesn't it? Slow down and think about what you are doing and can it wait. We do so much work on computers and smart phones that it is just so very simple to push pause/save and let the work wait while we either tend to that fight between our children, talk to our spouse about whatever they need to discuss, or just take that time to enjoy the moment and make that special memory, even if it includes reading that ever so important book, or chapter in a book to your child right before bed. There is so much more to life than work and connecting to the umpteen social networks that there are now. Balance and focus is just what the doctor ordered and it's about time.




Don't be Silent
Leigha

Necro- Preface

In the year 2020 Earth made first contact with other worlders. Their name was unpronounceable in any language except their own. We called them Healers. A peaceful race dedicated to the development of medicines through synthetic and natural remedies. They traveled from planet to planet curing all diseases they came into contact with using their synthetics and herbs found on the host planet. We accepted them with open arms and minds. Within five years all disease was gone save one, cancer. All their efforts became focused on eradicating the slow killer.

Ten years later their research died along with three quarters of their test subjects. In their efforts to end all sickness on Earth they created a super virus so lethal that it killed every medicine and remedy they tried. Their last resort was to bring medicines from other planets in to try and kill it; this only fueled the virus. It mutated and twisted itself so that even the most experienced one of their doctors struggled to find an explanation for it.

Humans died at all stages of life. However, newborn babies up until the age of two showed no signs of the virus. The Healers were so awed by their resilience to the virus that they spent three decades studying why, there was no explanation, once the babies turned two they became carriers as well.

It was so terrible and so deadly that they called it the Necro Virus, meaning simply death. The virus would lay dormant for any amount of time. People could live their entire life and die in their golden years, while some would die on the playgrounds at school. It didn’t matter who you were or how old you were, when it took its full form it was only a matter of moments before the body lay dead. It was violent and painful. Deaths were so common, that even children were not fazed when they saw someone in its grasp. 

Living Sacrifices Part 1

This will be a weekly post for the next couple of weeks. I did a study of the first two verses of Romans 12 during lent while on a 'Facebook Fast'. This is what I found. I will also be posting my story (whether it's short or not is to be determined) 'Necro' weekly as well.

Living Sacrifices Part 1

While I was 'away' over lent I got to do a fairly in depth study into the first two verses of Romans 12. It was an interesting hiatus from Facebook considering that as soon as I made that decision I sprained my back and then had to deal with children throwing up the rest of that week while I was, for the most part, a non-combatant. However, this study just kept my spirits up and I refused to be defeated emotionally and mentally by it. Some of it is tough to swallow, but it's such a great reminder of who we are as Christians and what we have forgotten and made excuses for in today's world. We are not our own. We were bought at a price. We made the decision to be separate from the world and we need to honor that. Here is part one. For verse one. I will break it down key phrase by key phrase, as I saw them.

Romans 12:1

            Therefore I urge you brothers in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.

1. In view of God’s mercy.
   • What is God’s mercy? God offered Christ as a sacrifice (The burnt offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, sin offering, and guilt offering all in one, they were how the Jews asked for forgiveness of sins and cleansing before Christ came) for us out of His love and mercy toward us instead of condemning us to death. God does not want to be separate from us. He made the earth so that he would have a place for us and Him to enjoy together. However, he loved us enough and understands that to truly experience love it has to be given freely. So he placed within our grasp the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told us to stay away from it because he didn't want to be separated from us, but we had to make that choice. He wants us to choose him and sadly we didn't and still don't, we choose to be apart from him. God saw that all people were rejecting him, including his chosen people, and so he sent the most precious thing he had to earth, His son. 

• His son was human and divine, why? So that he would know and feel every emotion and driving power behind those emotions for himself. He literally walked a mile in our shoes, so he knows what you’ve been through and how it feels, who better to go to with your problems and life aches than someone who not only has experience, but wisdom. Since he knows and understands, when you ask him to give you guidance and are truly seeking it with all your heart in order to do a 180 on whatever problem it is he will know how to help you best, even if you don't want his solution remember it always ends in the same way, peace. Therefore, God’s mercy brings us peace. 

Please seek out Christ prayerfully if you have any questions regarding any of this. This is kind of the bread and butter of it, there is more and it's not so wonderful to hear, but still so many have forgotten the importance of our sacrifice because we desired the benefits of Christ's. We are different and that difference is expected of us. Praise God for that! 

Don't be silent,

Leigha