I love to express what I feel called to say. Writing helps me to open up my heart and do that. I hope that what I write helps you in some way. I hope it makes you think, encourages you, or inspires you. If it challenges you or if you disagree, I hope you know that I respect your right to have a different point of view.
I woke up this morning with observations about astonishment dancing in my head. The more I paid attention to them, the more excited I became. After about an hour of lying in bed and listening to those incredible thoughts, I got up and wrote the following words. After posting them on Facebook and coming to WordPress, I saw today’s writer’s prompt. I am excited to share today’s amazement with my blog readers.
Learn To Be Flabbergasted! (Even By Little Things) Rediscover Your Lost Marvels
When we let explanations eliminate astonishment and we allow understanding to undermine amazement, we lose our sense of wonder and appreciation. That’s why illusionists don’t explain their tricks. They want their audience to walk away in awe, not to walk away from awe.
Explanations can tell us how the different aspects of the human body function, but they can’t make us treasure our existence. However, amazement and astoundment wake us up to significance, purpose, and calling. Marvelment matters. If you’ve lost your marvels search your heart until you rediscover the sensitivity of your childhood wonder years and it unleashes fountains of joy within you. Little by little cultivate the ability to receive, enjoy, and appreciate astonishment in the way that a little child does. (Luke 18:17)
I’m looking for a city built differently. Like an ancient man who left his home and family to follow an inner calling, I’m looking for a city whose designer, “builder and maker is God.” His name is Abraham. You can read about him in the Bible. (Hebrews 11:8-12 and many other verses.)
To experience that city in your daily life begin to vet your circumstances in a different way. Instead of analyzing them with your mind or running them through your emotions, consistently say: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (Habakuk 3:18) Regardless of the details of your life situation, nevertheless, continually trust in, rely on, and enjoy the presence of the risen Jesus. If you listen to and obey Christ, He will lead you and empower you to begin to experience the kingdom of God — the inner city and government of God that causes your heart to continually celebrate His presence and glorious reality.
Who Says?
Simon says Is a game. Jesus says Is the way To true life. Every day Listen to And obey What Jesus Has to say. In your heart Jesus says “Follow Me.” Jesus says “Stay aware. My sheep hear My voice.” Jesus says Let Me be Your Leader All the way Everyday.”
As I watched dozens of tree branches in my backyard being moved by the wind, I thought about how beautiful it would be if people would allow God the Holy Spirit to move their heart and continually lead them to take the action of obeying His inner promptings. (Romans 8:14) That would begin to bring about the joyful kingdom of God both within them and around them. The answers to life are blowing in the inner wind of God’s Spirit.
Always seeking first to be led by God the Holy Spirit (surrendering to the inner kingdom/government of God the Father) brings astonishing purpose, meaning, and fulfillment to life. It makes your life like a glass perfume jar. God’s peace radiates from your pain and brokenness and releases a sweet aroma that anoints others with an astute awareness of the beautiful presence and reality of the resurrected Jesus Christ — God the Son.
Notice and obey the inner promptings of God the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:14) It makes Him sad (Ephesians 4:30) when you ignore or resist Him. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) Consistently obeying the inner voice of God the Spirit (Revelation 3:20-22) — Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27) — will cause you to overflow with Spirit-produced righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17) and all the rest of the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) God the Father’s joyous and glorious kingdom will come within you when you begin to listen to His Spirit and to do His will on earth as it is in Heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
When I am being broken and downtrodden, and my motivation is being crushed I am motivated by a guy named Habakuk and His deep reliance on and trust in the Lord. Habakuk said:
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakuk 3:17-18)
Lord, Like the group of Moravians on the ship in the life-threatening storm in the mid-Atlantic, even when I feel broken and crushed, I will sing Your praises with great hope, trust, and joy so that my life may touch and help to transform someone the way those Moravians touched and helped transform John Wesley. Lord Jesus, Christ in me my hope of glory, empower me to be faithful to You and to this prayer.
Uttering words I struggled to mean (little by little) led me to seeing “wows” on the valley floor of my life even in the right now of my painfilled and broken moments. I was recently reminded that the world is full of many kinds of “wows” — tremendous or tiny things that are amazing. “Wows” are so common and familiar (like the grains of sand on the seashore) that it’s easy to overlook them especially when in pain.
Yesterday a friend told me that I say “wow” a lot. I wasn’t even consciously aware that I did, but when he pointed it out, I realized I do. As we talked about why that might be, I noticed what he was cooking in a skillet and said, “Wow! Purple cauliflower! Oops I did it again.”
Saying “wow” could just be a habit or it could be something more — a grateful response to something remarkable. Many years ago, a question came to my mind that I believe was from God: If you could have any personal characteristics that you want what would they be? I came up with 5 and put them together in a sentence: “I am peaceful, content, thankful, healthy, and extremely happy.” I began to repeat that sentence many times in my mind day and night for years. I still do it some, but not as often. I thought about that sentence after my friend’s observation.
Wow! I think it worked. I think that when I say “wow” I am rejoicing in the Lord in spite of my painful feelings and circumstances. I thank God that I now have enough inner peace and contentment to notice little things and be thankful and awed by them. I am healthy and have a hardy happiness that doesn’t depend on hopeful happenings. I’m glad I say “wow” a lot.
Smile awhile. Even when Life’s a trial A true smile Is worthwhile.
I love to express what I feel called to say. Writing helps me to open up my heart and do that.
I hope that what I write helps you in some way. I hope it makes you think, encourages you, or inspires you. If it challenges you or if you disagree, I hope you know that I respect your right to have a different point of view.
People need a positive purpose, a hope-filled vision, a passion to live for, a reason to get out of bed. Writing is how I articulate the mission that motivates me. Our causes may not match, but we can still show appreciation for one another as fellow human beings.
The beauty of nature moves me deeply. It helps me connect with my reason for living.
When I look At a tree What I see Astounds me. I feel peace Within me.
Listening to God the Holy Spirit — who I believe to be “Christ in me,” — thrills me. It fills me with a burning desire to share what comes to my mind and heart.
God the Spirit Has a voice. You can hear it. Gratitude, love, Conscience, and faith Are inner ears. Be one who hears Until inner Healing appears.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider my posts. I appreciate your respect for my right to write about what I believe. I strive to do it with kindness and to honor your right to agree or disagree.
There are so many things I love about living on planet earth. I love the beauty that surrounds me. I love the air that I breathe. I love the kindness of strangers and of friends and of strangers who become friends. I love the heartbeat that I see in the synergy and energy of the glorious plants and animals on planet earth–the heartbeat of God.
To keep Your heart Away From God Is to Snub His Heartbeat. Pour out Your heart Before The Lord. Set your Heart on Jesus.
A closeup says it all. If a closeup view of your heart shows that it’s not close up to God, come closer.
To live in the way of the Lord let God the Holy Spirit soften your heart. Let Him continually align your heart, mind, and life with what He has proclaimed in the Bible. Let Christ live in and be Lord and Master of your heart and overflow your life with “the hope of glory.”
Through the decades I have come to have inner peace — a sense of joyful contentment — in my life. It hasn’t come all at once, but little by little. It hasn’t happened easily. I’ve kicked and screamed along the way, but through it all I’ve gradually surrendered more and more of my life and will to the reality, presence, and authority of the risen Jesus and felt His supernatural peace gradually growing within me.
We humans don’t need a hypothetical Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4) who we only suppose, or a merely historical Jesus who we only remember, (Hebrews 13:8) or a rhetorical Jesus (Galatians 1:6-9) who we only talk about. We need the living, resurrected Jesus — God who became a human being to die for our sins — (John 1:14) to rule and reign as Lord and King within us. (Luke 9:23) When I let King Jesus have His way in me and mold my thoughts, feelings, opinions, and desires, He brings His energy (Acts 1:8) and changes me “from glory to glory” into His image. (2 Corinthians 3:18) The peace of Christ is truly the “peace that passes understanding.” (Philippians 4:7)
The brilliant sunrise And the morning moon Call me to make room For a closer walk With the risen Christ So Jesus can tune My heart to God’s will.
People say, “Listen to your heart,” and “To your own heart be true.” However, many different voices speak in my heart. Some offer good and true advice. Others offer bad and deceptive guidance. My goal is to listen to and be led by one particular voice in my heart — the music of God’s voice.
A saint is someone who is continually led by God’s Spirit. (To be led by the Spirit is to tune your heart to the music of God’s voice and move in step with it.) A saint overflows with the joy, the fruit, and the gifts of the Spirit.
The Orthodox and Catholic churches call certain dead Christians saints, but the Bible says that all Christians are called to be saints–God’s holy people. (Romans 1:7) When a saint goes marching into a place, he or she carries the actual presence of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) A saint’s message isn’t presented with mere human wisdom but with demonstrations of the Spirit’s presence and power that radiate God’s supernatural revelation. (1 Corinthians 2:4-10) Saints are ordinary people who follow and obey the risen Jesus with their whole heart.
Instead of praying and talking to the official church saints, I let the saints talk to me. I’ve read hundreds of books by holy and devoted Christ-followers (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant) from across the centuries. I love to let the saints talk to me, however, I always check what they say with the Bible.
“In truth, all human beings are called to be saints.” –William Stringfellow
“We can, if we will, become a saint, for God will never refuse to help us to do so.” –John Vianney
“Saints live not after the fashion of the world. The dignity of the saints is so great because they are not of this world, but ‘of the household of God.’” –St. Thomas Aquinas
“Be often reading the lives of the saints for inspiration and instruction.” –Philip Neri
“Never say, ‘What great things the saints do!’ but ‘What great things God does in His saints!’” –Philip Neri
“Maybe more than anything else, to be a saint is to know joy. Not happiness that comes and goes with the moments that occasion it, but joy that is always there like an underground spring no matter how dark and terrible the night. To be a saint is to be a little out of one’s mind, which is a very good thing to be a little out of from time to time. It is to live a life that is always giving itself away and yet is always full.” –Frederick Buechner
“Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.” –Francis of Assisi
Here’s a poem that came to me:
There’s more to see than Religious routine. We need a new scene. I want to see Christ Actively working Among His people To make our hearts clean And cause us to lean And to rely on His presence unseen.
This morning I walked out into the slowly disappearing darkness. There as I stood between the dim early morning moonlight and the newly rising sunlight I heard an inner voice say, “It’s all My Light.” I love to let the risen Jesus shine His light within me. (2 Corinthians 4:6-7) He’s “the way, the truth, and the life,” (John 14:6) and “the Light of the world,” (John 8:12) not just for emergencies. He’s the Rock of revelation to light your way day after day.” (John 16:17-18 and 1 Corinthians 2:9-10)
Through the inner government of Christ Jesus — the kingdom of God — the Lord is uniting His followers in one mind, one purpose, and one voice. (Romans 15:5) This is not happening through human legislation, executive orders, or religious organizations. It’s occurring from the inside out. It’s all about location, location, location!
Where is the kingdom of God being built? God’s kingdom is being built in every human heart that is being fully surrendered to King Jesus. God’s kingdom doesn’t come with observation. No one is able to say “Here it is!” or “There it is!” because the kingdom of God occurs inside of people. (Luke 17:20-21) It doesn’t have a physical location — no man-made throne or capitol building to point to. “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Because King Jesus lives inside of His faithful followers, God’s kingdom doesn’t need a human hierarchy, dignified titles, or outward rules to be able to effectively govern. King Jesus governs directly from within — “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) As the Good Shepherd, (John 10:10) He inwardly leads His followers. (Romans 8:14) Christ’s sheep recognize, listen to, and obey His inner voice. (John 10:27)
What’s first in your heart? (Matthew 6:33) The kingdom of God or the kingdom of self? Loyalty to the risen Jesus or loyalty to a particular religious institution, to a favorite preacher, to a political leader, to a human ideology, or to a certain country? If you won’t allow Christ to establish and maintain His inner kingdom and to continually rule and reign inside of you as the Absolute Ruler over your thoughts, desires, feelings, and actions, you won’t be any good at helping His kingdom come in your community and your country.
Lighten your load with God’s Light. Christianity is so much more than merely passively sitting and listening to a religious talk. Let God’s light clearly and consistently shine in your heart. Google: Beyond Church Ekklesia.
Free Gas for Your Think Tank -- Fill Your Mind and Your Heart With Hope 