Christianity Oasis Forum

[sbennett]

Thank you for sharing this Jill....it really blessed me.

[xxJILLxx]

I found this beautiful quote.


Light gives of itself freely,
Filling all available space.

It does not seek anything in return;
It asks not whether you are friend or foe.

It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished.

Michael Strassfeld

-----------------------------------------

God is the light that gives of himself so freely to whatever space we make available to Him.

Oh what a brilliant picture of us radiancing His glory back to Him.

I envision a girl just drawing her blinds back from her window in midday just like the first time, and she squints to shield her sensitive eyes.

Tyring to refocus her sight in the radiance of His glory, light so warm shining brightly upon her face.

"All this?" she asks. "This is what i have been missing?"

She draws her blinds back even more and looks in the room she had been living in and sheds a tear or two.

She will miss this place, it is all she has known up until this point. But the invitation of the warm light she cannot refuse or turn away from. Not after seeing what she saw in the Light.

Opening her window she jumps out in faith and the earth rejoices to feel her bare feet run across it. The wind playing in her hair and the warmth of the Light kissing her cheeks.

There are others there who were once as she was. And now she is a carrier of the light herself and waits and seeks for those precious moments that another will lift up their blinds and see Light for their first time.

Light goes to the areas we make available . And those who have seen and felt the Light look earnestly within and out for more available areas for it to inhabit.

Holy Spirit search me and show me where my blinds need to be drawn back.
In Jesus name
Amen


God bless
love,
Jill

[xxJILLxx]

Worthy is the Lamb
That was slain
To recieve the Honor the Glory
the Power the Riches
You Sit at the right hand of the Father on High
Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty
who was and is and is to come
You are the worthy One
Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

Frustration, seems like I am running in circles. My mind runs away in circles. I put my hands on my head in hope to stop the thoughts from repeating. It seems like it is only when i notice the thoughts running off again that i got to snatch them back and place them under His light.. Examine them and see if they are True and if not discard. Reminds me of the old vampire movies "THE LIGHT, THE LIGHT! IM MELTING ...." well at least i can laugh about it

I found that the only time they stop or cease from running away into their circles is when i am helping others.

N E WAYZZZZ, guess one of those days... poor vahn!

God bless
♥Jill

[xxJILLxx]

We have a couple new residents at work.

They are precious. One is a 96 year old lil lady. She is all but 80 lbs soak n wet. But she is very spunky and independant, not wanting to call us for help.

She said as she looked in the mirror to fix her hair, " It is terrible to get old, I dont look like this. " As if to explain to me her appearance. I reminded her of how blessed she is.

Another resident across the hall says later to me, "My kids left me here to die." I comforted her and tried my best to console her and reminded her of how often her children visit her and call.

A continuing of quality of life is key for these residents. They need to feel as if they are wanted and loved, by their new family... us.

How do we do that with such a diversity in background and different age groups of our workers?

We stay on the same page...We have one purpose which is to create an environment of quality care coupled with compassion, understanding, interactiveness on a continual basis. With the work load that we have due to short staff the residents suffer the most of that quality because then things may be done in a rushing and what seems to be an uncaring manner to the resident.

The other new lady is a dear as well. She is very outgoing and loves to play cards with the other residents and made herself right at home among them.

Thers has been alot of backbiting and ill will towards between the co-workers. Mainly due to a specific nurse who always is trying to turn coworker against coworker and now has realy crossed the line and continued to turn a family member of a resident against the facility. Filing her head with untruths about the facility. I have reported such to the administrator, sadly to say the residents family is now looking for another place for their mother to live.

When one person isnt happy about their job, the whole place suffers.

I think of this and how it relates to our call and unity. And i see the bigger broader picture and think back to something i read about work.

Then a ploughman said, Speak to us of Work.

Will have to find it and write it here later. Got to get ready a friend called and needs my help.

God bless
♥Jill

[Dora]

Jill those residents are so blessed to have your compassionate spirit there amongst them, just as we are here.

I love you to pieces. ((((((hug))))))

When I began reading I started thinking that sounds like here! And you saw that too. Couple smurt cookies aint we.

[sbennett]

Jill how wonderful God placed you in this job to show the compassion these residnets need. Also how wonderful to be so concerned about your job. I can tell you enjoy the work you do.

praying your coworkers find more compassion and understaning in the workplace. Also praying that God continues to use you to do HIS will at work.....and here as well.

luv ya!

[xxJILLxx]

oh pine... i pray for more compassion and the truth is... THEY BLESS ME and i get to enjoy learning from them too!! How cool is that?

Sb thank u sister for your kind words and prayers. I realy do enjoy my days at work, especially when we are fully staffed. God ' s will be done, Amen.

I am going to share from Kihlal Gibran

Then a ploughman said, Speak to us of Work.
And he answered, saying:

You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.
For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life's procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.

When you work you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music.
Which of you would be a reed , dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison?

Always you have been told that work is a curse and labour a misfortune.
But I say to you that when you work you fulfil a part of earth's furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born,
And in keeping yourself with labour you are in truth loving life,
And to love life with labour is to be intimate with life's inmost secret.

But if you in your pain call birth an affliction and the support of the flesh a curse written upon your brow, then i answer that naught but the sweat of your brow shall wash away that which is written.

You have been told also that life is darkness, and in your weariness you echo what was said by the weary.
And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,
And all work is empty save when there is love;
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself; and to one another, and to God.

And what is it to work with love?

It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.
It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.
It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit,
And to know that all the blessed dead are standing about you and watching.

Often i have heard you say, as if speaking in sleep, "He who works in marble , and finds the shape of his own soul in the stone is nobler than he who ploughs the soil.
And he who seizes the rainbow to lay it on a cloth in the likeness of man, is more than he who makes the sandals for our feet."
But I say, not in sleep but in the overwakefulness of noontide, that the wind speaks not more sweetly to the giant oaks than to the least of all the blades of grass;
And he alone is great who turns the voice of the wind into a song made sweeter by his own loving.

Work is love made visible.
And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man's hunger.
And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distills a poison in the wine.
And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man's ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.

Hope you enjoyed it as much as i did!

God bless
love,
Jill

[xxJILLxx]

Well....

I have been a bundle of emotions lately to say the least, be it hormonal, spiritual, physical ...aggrivation, or a COMBINATION of all of these.

Doubting alot lately. Realising that i cannot stay in dreamlike state of mind.

Everything is GLORIOUS! Amen... but then u get hit with a slam dunk of "reality"

Wondering how I should live... Is it a combination of living in this dreamlike state, or "high" that everything is GOOD? Throw it in there with a dose of REALITY.. that everything is not good, or is that just the way i look at things? Is it my perception? If i think of good things i convert the bad into being good? It is all your mind.... The power to change the perception is in our mind? BUt we cannot change REALITY itself my simply changing our minds.

Do we continue to live in a dreamlike state of mind ?

Do we live in "reality" ( or maybe my warped perception of reality)

Do we give it all up and trade it in for something "new" , or actually would it even be new? Maybe an old thing dressed up in a new outfit?

Do we try to balance the two? Live in the World but be not of the world.

Somedays when living in reality, things dont look so "good".

Somedays when living in this dreamlike state (i call it that because it is like a "high" ) of "everything is good" nothing can be bad.. even the bad is good, cause it works out in the end for the good? And that can be dangerous, couldnt it? Because then wouldnt i be turning a blind eye to things.


*wonders if i am the only one like this*

Full of questions today. Pondering on alot.

I guess I'm just a lil tired... possibly just a lil whine, or a rant.. needed to get out of me, possibly searching for answers, possibly searching for understanding.. maybe all the above ?

God bless
♥Jill

[xxJILLxx]

Dont ever let go...

The invalid by the pool of Bethesda has been on my mind as of late.

John 5
Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes.

3In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; 4for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.]

5A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, Do you wish to get well?

[xxJILLxx]

Heart issues

"Man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7) You may think you know your heart because you know this scripture, but our hearts are deceitful ( looking one way, but appearing another) Only God can show us the state of our heart. If you really want to enter the Kingdom, God will reveal things about the state of your heart you never knew.

We should rejoice in this, this is good news! For if we know not what lies within our hearts how can we see what we need to turn over to Him to replace?

Search us Lord... Show us Lord... Search me Lord... Show me Lord

It hurts to see the Truth, within ourselves... shows us how we realy are and in our own defense we say the ole " no .. but I..." "But you dont understand .." "I couldnt help it...." , "what about this?" Our heart lies to us and tries to justify the lies. Oh what a wretched flesh i am.

NO EXCUSES!

When lined up with the Truth, there is no excuses and we have a choice to make.

To see the Truth for what it is, accept it and transform ourselves and actions to it ~or~ to close our eyes to it and put your fingers in your ears and sing a tune as if it will go away.

As Christians we are pardoned from all our sins, but our hearts must be circumcised to serve Him. (Deut.30:6 ; Jer.4:4) It's always co-operative. We do it with Him. We are told to "make for yourself a new heart" and "I (God) will give you a new heart."

.. and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 18:31

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

Compared to Him, we will never measure up. He knows we cant be perfect. So how is it that we can make a new heart?

Continually giving it to Him. Handing it over to Him.

[xxJILLxx]

Well, seems like it has been ages since I have been able to write here.

I fell in love again... twice actually in the same day.

I was presented with the gospel again and i just fell obliviously in love with it all over again. The story is precious, the best ever. It definately is the Good News. And Ive comme to a realization that i want to hear the good news over and over to keep my love for Him burning.

It is so simple yet so complex. He makes it simple for me to understand, so that He would and could remove any veil that may still be over my eyes. It is a beautiful story of sacrifice, compassion, and redemption. How could I not fall in love with it over and over.

Sometimes during our walks we get to the point of " Yup i know that good news." And we lose sight of the beauty of it all. At least i have, I can only speak for myself and be under the assumption that others have been in that position as well before. Nothing is never new, and everything has been done before. May be new to us, but not new as in "He makes all things new." Only He can make new, create new... He is omnipotinent, omnipresent and omnificent. Perfect and new in all His ways. He creates new hearts in us... In me he creates a new heart and mind daily as i give it to Him.

Ahhh so that is the first i fell in love with again.

The second time i fell in love all over again is vahn. Well i will just leave that at that.

Each time I am presented with the gospel i am tickled and freed. Oh my if you have not heard the good news as of late... sit and listen to His good news. And start with a freshened love, burning with passion. You wont regret it.

Glad to be back home, ive missed u all. But i do know that this time away was not for void, alot has been learned and alot of me sitting still and listening to Him ( and vahn , joking hun xox) . Was worth every minute of it, and showed me actually, that it is not the Oasis (although i love this place dearly and all who come and are to come) But He is my strength and i need to rely on Him first, no body else can do for me like He does. So for that i thank Him once again. Nothing happens by mistake.

God bless and keep u all
♥Jill

[sbennett]

I am soooooooo glad you are back!!!! ( ehhh....vahn too) I have missed you and your lovely thoughts! Yes, the gospel of Christ is a thing to be visited over and over. Praise God for HIS saving grace through Jesus HIS son! Amen!