Grateful...Eucharist

grateful: "pleasing to the mind", also "full of gratitude", from obsolete adjective grate "agreeable, thankful", from Latin gratus "pleasing"

Eucharist: "sacrament of the Lord's Supper, the Communion", from Greek eukharistia "thanksgiving, gratitude", from eukharistos "grateful", from eu "well" + stem of kharizesthai "show favour", from kharis "favour, grace". Eukharisteo is the usual verb for "to thank, to be thankful".

Matthew 26:17-30 (NIV)

The Last Supper

¹⁷ On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” ¹⁹ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
²⁰ When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. ²¹ And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
²² They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
²³ Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. ²⁴ The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
²⁵ Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
²⁷ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ This is my blood of the^[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
³⁰ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Ponder: What hymn did they sing? What hymn would you sing?

Receive

Be quiet - the Father calls, the Spirit speaks, Jesus draws us nearer - He welcomes us. His death and resurrection allows us to come near. Listen.

For the love of God we are.

Grace and mercy envelop us, and with a grateful heart we come. We respond. We stand before the throne.

On bended knee...prostrate before the King...standing tall, head held high...receive.

Receive the Holy Spirit and all He has for ...you.

Rhema Marvanne - The Prayer

The Prayer - Amazing 7yr old Rhema Marvanne @ Yahoo! Video

A friend on Facebook posted this link...and I am sooo thankful she did! This little girl is absolutely inspiring! I was immediately sure the Spirit of God had filled this little one with such a beautiful gift to bless this world. And perhaps I needed to hear the sweet, unhindered sound of innocence, and that is why I am so impressed. Listening to the tone and the quality of her voice, the flow of the notes, it is so easy to imagine heaven...rather, a piece of heaven on Earth. Wow...just wow!

Sabbath - A Short Note

'Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.' ~Leviticus 26:2

Do you set apart a day in the week for Sabbath? A day away from cell phones, iPods, iPads, Blackberries, TV, the computer, work, and any other distraction from rest and worship? It doesn't necessarily have to be Sunday, but in a week, you should always have a Sabbath for your own good - spiritually, mentally, and physically. Back in Jesus' day, and according to Jewish law, resting on the Sabbath was to be taken very seriously, almost to the point of absurdity by some.

In our culture today, the concept of Sabbath can be very difficult to fathom weekly because we are so interconnected. Within seconds, we know the latest happenings locally and around the world, and we immediately can begin to determine the impact of whatever is going on, how it will affect us, and plan our participation.

Look at the quake in Haiti for example: Years gone by, the news of what happened in Haiti would have taken days or even weeks to reach us and though we may have felt for the people there, we probably would have carried on with our lives and let those closest to the action take care of things. Today, we hear the news of something like the quake in Haiti and we immediately share it, mobilize funds and/or ourselves to engage in action to help. This is not a bad thing per se, but I believe it is this interconnectedness, in part, that sabotages the practice of Sabbath in our day.

I like to define my faith as being a "relationship with Jesus surpassing religion." And just as religion can be an idol to many, interconnectedness can also be an idol.

Interconnectedness can and has been utilized for great good, but it also has become an god of sort to the current generation...How it takes away from observing Sabbath is by keeping us always connected to the world and distracted from connecting with God. How many people do you know check their Facebook, blog, Twitter, MySpace, e-mail everyday? Every hour? (And yes, I am preaching to myself here.) Even on the day that is set aside for God,  there are moments stolen here and there to check in on things through the World Wide Web...you know, just to see how everyone is doing and check in letting the world know you are having a great Sabbath...

Now, I am not saying that you should be closing yourself into a cocoon on the Sabbath. I am just pointing out that some of us are neglecting a very important gift from God and in the process, denying God our attention and denying our whole self from being blessed to the core. It is a practice that teaches us to slow down and focus on what is really important - our relationship with God.

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, ~Heb 4:9-11a

God is Holy

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."~Revelation 4:8

Our God is Holy...Take some time today, away from everything and everyone and turn your thoughts and heart towards God. Really allow yourself to explore this Truth: God is Holy.

Holy: Sacred, worthy of reverence, worthy of respect, pure...

God is Holy and worthy to be praised! Commit your body, mind, soul, and spirit to Him and Him alone, this day and always. He is worthy! To God be the Glory! Praise Jesus! Amen.

Just Dance...

Dance

Sway and leap

Dance to My music, the sound that you hear

Stretch and twirl

Dance

Laugh and giggle, shine with Me

Release yourself to the joy within and...

Dance

What are you waiting for?

Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship,

praise him under the open skies;

Praise him for his acts of power,

praise him for his magnificent greatness;

Praise with a blast on the trumpet,

praise by strumming soft strings;

Praise him with castanets and dance,

praise him with banjo and flute;

Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,

praise him with fiddles and mandolin.

Let every living, breathing creature praise God! Hallelujah!

God Working In Us and Through Us

Easter. Jesus is risen! Hallelujah!

Well, I pray all have had a wonderful Easter holiday! This Easter, for me, was filled with much reflection - especially around the Risen Lord. This entire day I was drawn into His presence over and over - words of prayer and songs of joy could not contain themselves and flowed forth from my mouth. It was one of those days, that I could have lost myself completely in the Presence of the Lord, but when there are people around, losing yourself completely gets hindered. That being said, it was not a bad thing by any means, perhaps others were blessed by my behaviour.(?)

We never know who is watching us. This is not something that we should be paranoid about, rather, if our eyes are fixed on Jesus, our heart beating with His, our steps in pace with His (or at least we are attempting to keep focused and paced with our King), others observing us, should see Him in and through our words and actions.

And though we may never really know the impact of our behaviour and prayers on others - in the natural or in the spiritual realms; we trust that God will work in us and though us to His Glory.

Don't hide your love and praise of our God and King. Be filled with the Spirit to His glory -whether in private, in your work, or in community...focus on Jesus and trust Him to work in us and through us.

~

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ~Hebrews 13:20-21

What is Beauty?

This is a Leafy Sea Horse. It, to me, is very beautiful, fascinating in fact.

"Everything has beauty,but not everyone sees it." ~Confucius

"Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." ~Franz Kafka

"Beauty comes as much from the mind as from the eye." ~Grey Livingston

"He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." ~Isaiah 53:2

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." ~Proverbs 31:30

"Life is beauty, admire it." ~Mother Theresa, from LIFE IS....

This is an image of Jesus on the cross. This, as gruesome as it may appear, is beautiful. Beautiful because this was the ultimate and final sacrifice for all mankind. The beauty is in the action, not the image.

What is beauty, but the glory of God manifested in His creation - you see it,

the Love He pours forth in us and through us - you experience it,

the sacrifice that He made for us - you believe it...

...What is beauty, but God?

None can compare.

For those on the feed, come to the blog site to see the video... :)

today

Today, look to God for all your needs. Be joyful and thankful, honouring Him with what you do and say! Stand tall and give honour to our King...our Saviour! Grace and Peace, smiles and blessings...
~mp

He will provide.

A Taste of Warfare...

shut down. locked out. where do I go from here?
closed off. blacked out. who has the answer?

Just when confusion and chaos, deceit and fear step forward to cross the threshold of my heart, I raise my shoulders...steady my stance with my arms outstretched...lift my face to the heavens and sing praises to my King!

"The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.
The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty.
Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O LORD."
~Psalm 93

~

"...Dare you come at me - a child of the living God?!
Name yourself! For I am in no mood tonight to be badgered by the likes of you!"

Carefully following the movement of the spectre, the child spoke confidently.

"Though you circle me with growling, I will walk right through you. Be assured."

The royal child gave no opportunity for a response and carried on forward - for the mission would not be compromised for anything or anyone. The spectre slowly drifted aside, its hollow face never turning from the sight of the child.

"Leave me and do not return! I speak by the authority of Jesus, the King!"

With that final command, the spectre instantaneously disappeared and the royal child continued on her way, gratefully acknowledging the protective power the King had bestowed upon her. The same power bestowed upon all His children...The power of His name.

To You

It is an absolutely beautiful brisk -22, and the myriad colours of the sunrise filled my soul with a continued appreciation of the awesomeness of our God. It is the dawn of a new day...

To the Lord of all creation, I give my life to you

To the King of Kings, you have my all

To You, may all glory be given - to You alone!

Hallelujah to Jesus Christ our Saviour!

Look to Him this day, eyes fixed firmly on Him alone, let nothing distract you from the Truth of His Love. Stand firm in the Faith, solid on the Rock of our salvation. Shalom.

Go here: Psalm 113

Be Still And Know

Be still and know that I AM - God, be still and know that I AM - God, be still and know that I AM - God

I AM the One that healeth thee, I AM the One that healeth thee, I AM the One that healeth thee

In Thee, O Lord, I put my trust, in Thee, O Lord, I put my trust, in Thee, O Lord, I put my trust.

Be still
Know
Receive
Trust

To You, my King, I give my thanks, to You, my King, I give my thanks, to You, my King, I give my thanks

Thank

Thank-you Jesus.

When Its All Been Said And Done

WHEN ITS ALL BEEN SAID AND DONE

When its all been said and done

There is just one thing that matters

Did I do my best to live for Truth

Did I live my life for You

When its all been said and done

All my treasures will mean nothing

Only what I've done for Love's reward

Will stand the test of time

Lord Your mercy is so great

That You look beyond our weakness

And find purest gold in miry clay

Making sinners into saints

I will always sing Your praise

Here on earth and ever after

For You've shown me Heaven's my true home

When its all been said and done

You're my life when life is gone

Lord I'll live my life for You

~Written by Jim Cowan

I was listening to a new CD with this song on it and the words "Did I do my best to live for Truth, Did I live my life for You" stood out to me, rather it was like I was being challenged to consider it.

I know there are so many areas of my life that have yet to be submitted consistently to Jesus, and as I listened to the lyrics of this song, I was convicted even more to give my all to Him. Time is running out...for all of us. I have decided to challenge myself...I am going to paint these words and place them where I can see them first thing in the morning and last thing at night to remind myself that in all that I do, it is my desire to be right with God, to honour and glorify Him in all I do and say.

It is so easy to get distracted from giving God our all. And even when we do attempt to give Him our all, it can be like climbing a rock face with bare hands - difficult and scary. But we persevere, because we know that it is worth it...what we often forget is that it is worth it more than we could have ever imagined...(let that sink in...seriously)

He can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20)...What could He do with me if I gave Him my all? I love the quote by Michael Warden in his book "Alone with God" that suggests that, "The goal is not to change the world, but to change the focus of our hearts."

If I take the focus off of the world and put my focus on God - if I give Him my heart, let Him work through me as I fully submit myself to Him each day, will I be able to look back on the day and say, "I did my best for You Lord"? Will He be Glorified through what I have done and said throughout the day?

"Did I do my best to live for Truth, Did I live my life for You?" When it is all been said and done and you are standing before our God, what do you think His answer will be to you?

Will you live your life for Him?

Josh Groban Little Drummer Boy

I am sitting here this morning listening to my favourite musician, Josh Groban. I absolutely love his voice! And even though it is a little early for Christmas songs (though my mother would disagree as she is of the opinion that Christmas songs are for every day of the year...I can hear her singing now...;)), I am listening to Josh's Noel CD. The Little Drummer Boy is playing and as I am listening (and singing along), the part where he sings "....I played my drum for Him, I played my best for Him...Then He smiled at me, Me and my drum..." stands out to me. This boy's (seemingly) only gift is given...with his best effort... to honour God... and God is pleased! Our Father is pleased by us using the gifts He has bestowed upon us! If you have been reading the different links to the different blogs I recommend, you will see different people honouring God by giving their best by choosing to use the gifts He has given them. I would encourage you too to use the gifts God has given you to honour Him...He will be pleased.

Last year, I drove to Florida at Christmastime listening to this CD (it made the drive go quickly). I highly recommend it!! You can buy it here: http://joshgroban.com/noel/

A Conversation With God

Father, how can this be?
~It is My Will.
But, what am I supposed to do?
~You do not need to do anything.
How do I walk then?
~Walk with me.
What does that look like?
~Daughter, my children all over this world are struggling to walk with Me just as you are. You are to learn from one another and encourage each other, and together we will arrive. As you walk with Me, you will see that you are walking with your brothers and sisters. Do not strive against one another. We must walk in unison. One in Spirit, One in Purpose, One heart after Christ Jesus. Love one another as I love you. Others will see this and know that you are My disciples. Then you are doing the work of My Kingdom. Peace will reign forevermore. I will guide your steps. Focus on Me and all else will fall into place. You will rejoice in Me and My Name will be glorified, souls will be saved, and together you will bring praises before My Throne. You will be filled and satisfied, you will weep no more, My Joy will be complete in you. Rejoice, my daughter, rejoice, for I am coming soon to claim what is rightfully Mine. Rejoice!

Struggle, Struggle, Strive...

There is a painting called "Forgiven" by Thomas Blackshear that I absolutely love. It speaks of the forgiveness that Jesus Christ has offered to all of us, even the one who pierced His hands and feet...I used to carry cards of this print and give them out when led...and I am not one for handing out literature, but I was so impressed with the message that the image conveyed that I wanted to share it with others.

The artist, Thomas Blackshear, has done something in his work that I pray I will one day be able to do consistently...he poured out his heart in his God-given talent to honour his King. I see many others do this also, the Brennflecks, Donna Lee, Oliver, Michael, Os, the nakedpastor...they are all working with their God-given talents to inspire others and honour God. (They are not all pastors either.) They work with what God has given them - the interest of their hearts - in the workplace and in the world, to do what they do.

Over the past few years, I have struggled (to say the least) with this notion of becoming a nurse. You see, I have always wanted to go to Bible College and work full time in a "pastor"-type position. This is the only way I thought I should serve God. But apparently my King has other plans. I was putting limits on where I thought I could best benefit the Kingdom of God, but I am recognizing now that God needs people in the work place, in every work place, from the construction site to the CEO's office to serve Him and bless others. And as we reflect the character of Christ, so that others will be impacted, it doesn't necessarily mean sharing the Gospel outright at first, but rather, loving people with the love of Christ, regardless of whether they want to know more about Jesus specifically or not. We leave the details to the Holy Spirit, in the mean time, we are called to honour God where we are. I know this is an old message, and perhaps you are shaking your head doing a "no-duh" moment at my 'revelation', but I mention it because I also have struggled with something else.

The church.

Where does the role of the church fit into our society today?

More and more, I am seeing churches, church buildings, becoming obsolete. The traditional form of church services are being shaken to their core...and many have fallen. Again, an obvious statement of fact that many veteran Christians are quite aware of, I know. The question is, what are we doing about it??

A friend of mine made an observation about our particular city. He said that the majority of churches are on the edge of the city where people are required to drive or take buses to get there and that very few churches are in the core of the city to reach out to those who do not have vehicles or the money to take the bus. This is an issue for several reasons, one of which is the churches outside the downtown tend to stay away from the downtown core - they do not see the needs that are there and thus do not extend their ministry there consistently, also, the people in the downtown core are not necessarily aware of these churches and have little interest in going out of their way to seek one out, especially on the edge of town.

There is also a whole (cross) generation of people that are absolutely turned off by the idea of attending 'traditional' church and will not even darken the door of such an institution! This is disturbing because, it is not that these people are not seeking, they have just shut out this particular venue as a consideration.

So, what do we do as the body of Christ? It is a no-brainer, really...get out of the pews and into the streets, right?! Maybe...Actually, serving our community by going out into the streets and addressing needs and sharing the Gospel is a good thing, but it is also not the only thing we can do. To do as Jesus did, we would take every opportunity to serve and minister to others in our neighbourhood, our workplace, our schools, etc. But few of us do this consistently. Why? We don't feel like it, fear, embarrassment, insecurities...the list goes on, I am sure. The thing is though, time is running out! As each day goes by, our lives become shorter (reality check!) and we are one day closer to the Lord's return. We don't have time to put off reaching out to our neighbours, friends, co-workers, family members...It is time to get out of the pews with our love for Christ and be the love of Christ in the world, our world, our mission field, our community, our backyard!

Oh wait...! One other place for ministry, for sharing the love of Jesus...THE INTERNET! This is a new mission field that opens up possibilities we could have never imagined! Whether it is through an encouraging email to someone, a word of blessing on Facebook, or a website dedicated to sharing the Word of God, there are countless opportunities to reflect the love and Truth of Jesus Christ!

The Church is changing. Traditional institutions are being challenged to transform to meet the needs of the people, not remain as is and expect the people to keep coming because "this is how we have always done it"...

For me, the struggle to accept that God could use me in the field of nursing just as powerfully as a pastor in a church, has taken me to a new level of understanding of how God works, again how I have boxed my God in -and how He is truly uncontainable...and how I need to maintain an open and teachable spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me and not depend solely on tradition.

Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:25-27 (in Context) Matthew 19 (Whole Chapter)


The link to "Forgiven" by Thomas Blackshear - Check it out!http://www.blackshearonline.com/cgi-bin/globaltemplate.cgi?id=18

Mercy is Falling

I am sitting here this morning listening to the sound of a heavy rain that is wonderfully calming.

As I listen to it, I am reminded of a song by David Ruis with lyrics that state, "Mercy is falling, is falling, is falling. Mercy is falling like a sweet spring rain. Mercy is falling, its falling all over me."

These words begin to paint a beautiful picture of God's mercy in our own lives.

Mercy is defined by Merriam-Webster's dictionary as, "compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power." It is an act that overlooks offense and precedes and/or accompanies forgiveness.

To show mercy to another is one of the most admirable actions a person could extend. To give mercy to another can be very fulfilling...but what about those on the receiving end of mercy?

What does it feel like to receive mercy?

The song mentioned is a simple repetitive song that continues..."Hey yo. I received Your mercy! Hey yo. I received Your grace! Hey yo. I will dance forever more!"

The person at the end of mercy has a choice to receive mercy or deny it. And, how often do you hear of someone denying the gift of mercy? Other than the odd few (mostly in fiction), most people receive mercy with gratitude. A need has been met. Sometimes it is a need that the person was unaware of until mercy was offered. Regardless, the response seems to be gratitude in each circumstance.

Continuing on...Gratitude... gratefulness - a thankful attitude.

How grateful are you when you receive mercy? How is your gratitude expressed? For the author of this song, he danced - and he will continue to dance. This is one happy cat! It makes you wonder what mercy was extended that would engage a man to want to dance forever!?

Well...let's step back...It would seem unreasonable for anybody to refuse mercy, wouldn't it? Especially if it was a matter of life and death, right? And yet, many do. These are not fictional characters. They are your friends, neighbours, co-workers, and relatives...perhaps you? The mercy offered here includes salvation, forgiveness of your sins, and reconciliation with God. The author has recognized that he, in his very core, was not right with God. He asked for forgiveness and reconciled with God. And don't forget, there was one other important item I mentioned in the receiving of this mercy...it was salvation. Salvation is the ultimate gift of mercy, to which rejoicing over should last forever! And it will last forever if you are saved.

How do you know if you are saved? ...You know, it is one of those things that a lot of people make more difficult than need be.

Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:8-10 (in Context) Romans 10 (Whole Chapter) Even a child can do this!

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:11-13 (in Context) Acts 4 (Whole Chapter)

Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:12-14 (in Context) Ephesians 1 (Whole Chapter)

I specifically use scripture in this instance so that you may read for yourself what I believe and so you can choose to receive the Truth, receive mercy.

We have a loving God, who desires us to know Him. He is offering mercy....will you receive it?

SHALOM

SHALOM

Psalm 148

Psalm 148:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. Psalm 148:12-14 (in Context) Psalm 148 (Whole Chapter)