Christianity Oasis Forum

[Mackenaw]

1/2/10 Saturday 3:26 am

Cool, the first time I've actually written "10" as the year. I'm looking forward to what this year will bring and where He will take me.

In the last 2 weeks, my mom has fallen once and my step-dad has fallen twice -- both of them fell inside the house. Thankfully, my mom's fall did not result in any injuries, but my step-dad hurt his head and his ribs as a result of the second fall. Being that he goes to the hospital 3 times a week for dialysis and is closely monitored by medical personnel -- they too will be monitoring injuries sustained in a fall. I am grateful for the additional safety net and for the extra eyes. Thank You Lord.

I know that 6 1/2 years ago when my parents moved in with us that many didn't understand -- they didn't see the need, and quite frankly they thought hubby and me totally nuts. And, even though we, ourselves, didn't understand fully, I knew without a shadow of doubt that it was what God was calling for. The vision continues to unfold, and as it manifests so does the provision.

I'm reminded of a great line in the movie "Out of Africa" where the main character, Karen Blixen, says: "Perhaps he knew, as I did not, that the Earth was made round so that we would not see too far down the road."

Oh, how I love to experience things with The Holy Spirit -- even a non-Christian movie.

I Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

And of course, there is a song:

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
Its gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Son-Shiny day.

A year and half ago when we were re-doing the front porch, I mentioned to my hubby that maybe we should build a wheel-chair ramp, considering that my step-dad may end up in a wheel-chair. He dismissed the idea, saying we'll deal with that, if and when it happens. Interesting. See, I do get glimpses of future things. Hubby operates in the now. There was a time I would get upset with him when he wouldn't comply with my visions of the future. But, he was right on this -- because it would have undone my step-dad had we built a wheel-chair ramp prior to him needing one.

There was also a time that I fretted myself into oblivion when I had glimpses of future events. My imagination could go places where no man or woman should go on their own. It's different when The Holy Spirit takes me there now. Yes, my carnal mind wants to go flippy, but He quickly reminds me that He is with me so I need not freak out. Awwwwwww, thank You Lord.

There are so many challenges to taking care of elderly parents and loved ones. It is not the same as rearing children. They are adults, and even though their physical abilities wane, oftentimes their pride grows. The Holy Spirit reminds me of I Timothy 5:1 often. I Timothy 5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;

People often dismiss this verse saying that it is speaking of "elders" as in the office of elder at church, but they fail to see the tie...treat him as a father. Remember when Noah's son Ham saw him passed out and uncovered in his tent? Noah's over-indulgence of wine was not the problem as much as Ham's desire to cast aspersions on his father, and Ham's own son suffered the consequences of his actions.

It seems I repent daily in this area. Thank You Lord.

Love,
Mack

[Mackenaw]

1/3/10 Sunday 11:23pm

deleted by Mack

[Mackenaw]

1/27/10 Wednesday 5:51 am

God is Good!

Yesterday, The Lord answered one of my prayers. Both my husband and I have been encouraging my step-dad to get a walker, because he is so unsteady on his feet, and his cane no longer gives him the support he needs. He hasn't been very receptive to the idea. So we continued to pray for God's will to be done. Then yesterday while at a doctor's appointment, the doctor suggested he use a walker, so he complied. My hubby drove him from the doctor's office straight to the Care Center where they were able to accommodate and fill the Rx immediately. Praise God! Thank You Jesus.

Walkers have come a long way. They don't even look like the old walkers. This one is red and black with a seat, if he should need to rest quickly, and a mesh bag under the seat for carrying odds 'n ends. Fancy Dancy My step dad was able to walk from living-room to kitchen without assistance from me or my mom, and he was able to get up out of his chair with just the aide of the walker. Woooooohoooooo!!! Thank You Lord!!!

Perhaps we'll build that ramp from the front porch this Spring. God's will be done.

Thank You Lord.

Love,
Mack

[Mackenaw]

1/29/10 Friday 6:05 pm

A song, revisited.

"All Along The Watchtower" written by Bob Dylan, performed by many artists -- namely Jimi Hendrix


"There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief,
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief.
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."

"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke,
"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late."

All along the watchtower, princes kept the view
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.

Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl

[Mackenaw]

3/23/10 Tuesday 10:37 pm

Another great song, revisited -- with the tiniest twist.

"How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" as sung by Marvin Gaye, and first released in 1964.


How sweet it is to be loved by You
How sweet it is to be loved by You

I needed the shelter of someone's arms and there You were
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs
and there You were
With sweet love and devotion
deeply touching my emotion
I want to stop and thank you Jesus
I just want to stop and thank you Jesus

How sweet it is to be loved by You
How sweet it is to be loved by You

I close my eyes at night,
wondering where would I be without You in my life
Everything I did was just a bore,
everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before
But You brightened up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you Jesus
I want to stop and thank you Jesus

How sweet it is to be loved by You
How sweet it is to be loved by You

You were better to me than I've been to myself
For me, there's You and there ain't nobody else
I want to stop and thank you Jesus
I just want to stop and thank you Jesus

(repeat and fade):
How sweet it is to be loved by You
How sweet it is to be loved by You


Love,
Mack

[Mackenaw]

4/2/10 Friday 6:27 pm

Sharing another song, this one is from the 1980s. Awesome to listen to with the volume up.

Glenn Frey of The Eagles (group) fame, singing

"The Heat Is On"

The heat is on, on the street
Inside your head, on every beat
And the beat's so loud, deep inside
The pressure's high, just to stay alive
'Cause the heat is on

Oh-wooohooo, oh-woooohoooo
Caught up in the action, I've been looking out for you
Oh-woooohoooo, oh-woooohooooo
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
the heat is on Oh it's on the street , the heat is . . . . on

Oh-wooooohoooo, oh-wooohoooo
Caught up in the action, I've been looking out for you
Oh-woooohoooo, oh-woooohoooo
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
Oh it's on the street , the heat is . . . . on

The shadows are on the darker side
Behind those doors, it's a wilder ride
You can make a break, you can win or lose
That's a chance you take, when the heat's on you
When the heat is on

Oh-wooohooo, oh-wooohooo
Caught up in the action, I've been looking out for you
Oh-wooohooo, oh-wooohooo
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on

It's on the street
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
Yeah it's on the street
The heat is on


Thank You Lord for always looking out for me, and YES, I can feel it.
Love,
Mack

[Mackenaw]

Friday 4/9/10 7:10 pm

Periodically over the last 36 hours or so, the song "O Sole Mio" has come into my mind. I wasn't sure why, because I don't know the Italian language. I love to hear some of the great tenors singing that song, even though I didn't know what they were singing. I remembered that Elvis Presley had sung a song entitled "It's Now or Never" that has the same tune, but I wasn't sure if the lyrics translated or not. Soooo, I did a little digging, and NOPE, they don't translate. Apparently only the music was used, not the lyrics.

So I looked up the translation of "O Sole Mio" and WOW! what a blessing!!!

It's as if the chorus is God answering back to the person singing the song.

"O Sole Mio" (English translation)

What a beautiful thing is a sunny day,
The air is serene after a storm
The air's so fresh that it already feels like a celebration
What a beautiful thing is a sunny day.

(Chorus) -- (I imagined it as God singing back to me in the Chorus)
But another sun/Son,
that's brighter still
It's My Own sun/Son
that's upon your face!
The sun/Son, My own sun/Son
It's upon your face!
It's upon your face!

When night comes and the sun has gone down,
I almost start feeling melancholy;
I'd stay below your window
When night comes and the sun has gone down.

(Chorus)
But another sun/Son,
that's brighter still
It's My own sun/Son
that's upon your face!
The sun/Son, My Own sun/Son
It's upon your face!
It's upon your face!

Awesome!!! I listened to a couple of famous "tenors" singing it today, and I read the English translation as they sang. Gave me chills. Wooooohooooo!

I love You, Lord.

Mack

[Mackenaw]

4/20/10 Tuesday 3:21 pm

Sound. I'm really impacted by sound -- for the good and for the bad.

I'm acutely aware of it. Every living thing makes a sound.

Routine makes a sound. Routine is not what I would call a living thing, but it is something living things tend to find and operate in.

There are some routines that I don't like the sounds they make. I pick up on the spirit of those that are making the sound. If their spirit is at peace, the sound is not annoying, and in some ways it's comforting. But if their spirit is angry, or annoyed, or tired, or jealous, or whatever, the sound of the routine carries the vibrations of those emotions with it, and can cause me agitation.

I have lots of routines in my life. I wonder what sounds my routines make -- how their vibrations impact others, or even me. I know my doggies pick up on those vibrations.

I like the sounds at a diner. The sound of the coffee cups against the saucers, and the teaspoon against the cup and then as it is placed on the saucer. I even like the sound when the dishwasher is carrying those racks of clean dishes. I like that sound... Unless the waitress is ticked, or the dishwasher is ticked. The sound changes then.

Just some observations.

Love,
Mack

[Mackenaw]

Thursday 4/29/10 1:45 pm

Song: "10,000 Miles" performed and co-written by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Fare thee well
My own true love
Farewell for a while
I'm going away
But I'll be back
Though I go 10,000 miles

10,000 miles
My own true love
10,000 miles or more
The rocks may melt
And the seas may burn
If I should not return

Oh don't you see
That lonesome dove
Sitting on an ivy tree
She's weeping for
Her own true love
As I shall weep for mine

Oh come ye back
My own true love
And stay a while with me
If I had a friend
All on this earth
You've been a friend to me

Thank You, Holy Spirit.
Love,
Mack

[Mackenaw]

Wednesday 5/10/10 1:58 pm

Oh the temptation to worry when those which you are concerned for desire that you worry. Then as you minister to yourself, the enemy of our souls whispers more and a little louder.

Choosing not to worry, almost feels cold -- or that is what the enemy of our souls would like us to believe. And if I'm not careful, it can turn to anger -- anger from the "what ifs" that the enemy plants in my head.

We can be so childish at times. No, I'm not typing about being childlike -- that is a good thing, but childish is not so good. It's selfishness at it's finest. It says "I'm miserable, and I want you to be miserable too, and I'm gonna press your buttons until I see that calm leave you -- even if it kills me, even if it kills you."

When I witness that behavior in someone I love, it saddens me. I find myself dwelling on it -- having a difficult time figuring out what it is I'm supposed to do or to say. My silence tends to tempt them even more to reach for more shocking behaviors, yet if I speak it seems my words just set them off in a rage.

I've heard it all before -- when other people have lost others (in whatever way, by whatever means), there is always this..."if I had known, I would have done this, or I would have done that." Well, yes could of, would of, should of. But truly, sometimes you do not know. Prayer, prayer and more prayer for them and for you. Sometimes silence is golden.

Truth be known, there is no justification of the flesh...the carnal. There is only sanctification by The Lord. It is a process, and one that can take a very LONGGGGGGGGGGG time.

I'm still amazed at my own slow progress. I am aware of what He has done in me, and sadly I'm still aware of the areas it seems I haven't grown at all.

A woman I know tells a story (circa 1950s) about she and her first husband when they were married. Her husband had been reading works by Dale Carnegie. He had begun voicing positive statements and expressions -- things like "Good morning, it's a beautiful morning." His new-found expressions and his attempts to be more positive just irritated his wife to no end. One morning about 3 a.m. they were awakened by a loud crash and then heard water running. Seems the tank on the toilet literally cracked and broke in half, spilling water all over the floor, along with the pieces of porcelain that were once a tank. While the two of them scurried to turn off the water to the toilet and then clean up the mess, the wife shouts "Good morning, it's a beautiful morning!" The woman is proud to share that her first husband gave up on his quest to be more positive.

Thank You Lord.

Love,
Mack

[Mackenaw]

8/7/10 Saturday

I had a dream, another of those type dreams where I'm in a house and trying to sort out food and provision for the group of people that were also in this house.

I was busy pulling out food from the refrigerator and cabinets -- as if taking inventory and also for meal planning for everyone present -- for a meal that evening, but also taking into account the next morning's breakfast. I knew everyone was going to leave this place the next day. Most of the people in my dream were my sisters, and some of their adult children, and possibly some of their grandchildren, my daughter and my mother, but at times those people's faces changed into someone else. There were some other people there too, but I couldn't identify them, and there was a group of children. My husband was also there, but more as a spiritual presence -- I didn't really see him, but knew he was with me.

The young children all seemed bored and weren't given any real direction -- as if the adults considered them as an annoyance, an afterthought and a burden. The adults seem to break down in twos. Some would leave (in twos), as if they were totally disenchanted with the rest of the people, almost in a mocking way. Those drove away in convertibles with the tops down. I knew they were going to return though. Another two decided to go to the store, they seemed excited to go on this mission of sorts, not so much to get away but to be productive, BUT, when they were backing out the small pickup truck they were in, they got ticked that the parking conditions were not ideal, and complained to me, then they sped off leaving me in their dust.

Another two were wearing long raincoats and they too were leaving -- to walk somewhere -- but they seemed really down and wouldn't answer me when I asked where they were going. I was really concerned for them. I also knew that they were supposed to be taking care of the children, and I'm certain everyone else thought this too. The children were trying to follow the two in raincoats, but they kept yelling at them and telling them they couldn't go with them.

There were also some that seemed to be loners, even though they were all in the same room. There was idle talk, but each seemed totally and completely self-absorbed and only interested in getting their own temporal needs met. TVs and radios playing loudly. There were no conversations, just an occasional verbal expression, such as: one would yell out something like "Oh Nooooooo!!" and run to another room, having me run after them to see what was wrong, only for them to say -- "oh, nothing", snickering and then them reaching for a coffee mug or paper towels or food that I had prepared. Everything they needed was there for them, but for some reason they enjoyed getting a rise out of me and watching me run. Their cellphones were their lifeline.

I realized that one of the two, in the raincoats, was sitting in a room by herself. I approached her and asked if she was ok. She started crying, weeping from her gut, then she started yelling in anger that life is crap, and no one can help and saying she had no use for any of it.

I woke up.

Lots to talk to Him about.

Love,
Mack

[Mackenaw]

Tuesday, 2/1/11, 4:44 a.m.

Thank You Lord for Your Word, blessed Jesus.


Matthew 20:1-16

1For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

2And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

5Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

6And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

7They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

8So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

9And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

11And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

12Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

13But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

14Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

16So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
------------------------------------------------------

Luke 10:38-42


38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

40But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.


Thank You Lord. I love You.