where are we...

Today in church we had a guest speaker who had an incredible ministry. I found the attention to a message of honesty was refreshing and gave me a sense of hope.
Each Sunday I have been doing my best to get my butt out of bed and make it to the eight o'clock service. One of the most important things that I got out of the message was "I want to be what God wants me to be." We are too consumed with ourselves and need only to commune with God through God we can do what is needed to do in our lives. Trusting in only what Christ did for us upon the cross is key in our life.
I use to get up each morning and read or listen to an audio Bible now I find my self questioning weather it is just a routine or am I honestly seeking God in the morning. One of the other parts of the message was to examine yourself. We can find all the things we do are all out of vanity or just out of habit. God wants us to commune with us it is the relationship he wants. God is closer to us then anyone in our life. I would love to have God hear my cry, bring me out of the pit and make my footsteps firm and to put a song of praise in my heart and mouth. I need to trust in him for everything. Funny I have to read and pray Psalm 4 to myself. When will my belief kick in? I pray for all those like me who question themselves and examine what they do.

Pray

It is just too easy to loose heart through out the day.  We have to structure our day around the Lord. So you start the day with a prayer and a Bible reading. Now when we find ourselves thinking about the things that knock us down like current situations and things that derail us and unbalance us we have to pray. Keep this up through the day...

When we loose focus

There are many reasons why we do this its because we have sins we commit in our lives that slowly pull us away from Christ.  They bring us down and take us away from God and hurt us. As children of God we beat ourselves harder then most because we are aware of the gift we are given and we compromise it and do things out of desperation. We feel as if we are desecrating the grace that is given. When in fact Christ understands he became a man so we can ride his coat tails when we are judged and say no matter what Christ will except 0 or 100% nothing in the middle. So we have only relay on what Christ did at Calvary and nothing we do...  All our own righteousness is filthy rags to God... Its just something to think about. God Bless!

Like everything there is a end, and a end of the day. We can't forget that we have tomorrow and its another day to live for Christ...

The Lord's Grace

How often do I read the Psalms and find myself commenting upon what is written and say to myself  when did I do this, I spend more time proving and judging myself for example:

Psalms 26

PS 26:1 Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.  –How many times do we give up on God and want to rely upon our own strengths to get through everyday things, and we miss the blessing on finding the Lord each day, or even praying our way through the day.  But we find ourselves believing that this is small and we can handle it and why bother God but that is part of the lie because the small things easily turn into very big issues and because we did not cry out to the lord in the beginning we end up getting unbalanced and loosing focus on God.  

PS 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. –This is something we need to ask for each day for the help and ability to do his will.

PS 26:3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.  –If we hold and pray through the day we will see a different perspective. Since we are trusting every step on God we walk in his truth and instead of seeing people for the evil they do and hate them for it we have the understanding and forgive them because they don't have the help we have in God. 

PS 26:4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. 
PS 26:5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked. –I have always heard the statement "Love the sinner but hate the sin." How often did we find our selves straying from God because we needed and association for the things we need in life to find our selves in the company of others who don't follow the same code you do. When we make concessions for sin we except that behavior in our life for others and not for our selves, but we are excepting the sin. I have lost friends because I did not except what they were doing, and if I remanded associated with them somewhere in my heart I can except sin when God doesn't want us to.

PS 26:6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:
PS 26:7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
PS 26:8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
–Staying close to the Lord has its rewards. We can see them each day when we are seeing things through his eyes.

PS 26:9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
PS 26:10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes. –Keep our selves close to God and reading his word will help us when we can't help being in the company of sin that we will not fall into sin. We all know that any little sin is just as bad as the biggest sin so we must hold on to the hand of God through his word to be a light to our feet to get out of any situation.

PS 26:11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
PS 26:12 My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD. –Was told by a man who was close to God that the very thought of God is remembrance of him and like a prayer in its self. But I believe that to know God is to know his word and the focus should be daily.  If I can hang on to what he tells me through out each day and apply what I have learned as well as pray my way through the day his Grace will abound in my life.

So each step closer to God and Christ is always a  step ahead in the game of life... 
Remember that when we can't live up to the law we have Gods Grace... God Bless!

Tonight...

How is your path? Each time that I read the Bible or even listen to my online audio Bibles the Lord directs us to pieces of scripture that we need to apply to our lives...
Tonight is is Psalm 70:

1 MAKE HASTE, O GOD, TO DELIVER ME; MAKE HASTE TO HELP ME, O LORD.

2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.

3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.

4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.

5 But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.

Through all I have been through this past few weeks the Lord has done some incredible things in my life and I praise him for all that he does and what he gives in the time he ascribes for my life.

I pray that through him and the use of this Blog will give me a place to spread the word…

Praise God! For the work of the Lord Jesus for his work on the cross for he went to the cross freely to give us salvation through his perfect work.

do we have a purpose

How do I know that God is real?
Who am I in Christ?
Does God have a plan for us?
Is God in our everyday life?
Do we believe That God is on our side?
Did God open the eyes to our heart?
Did Jesus die for me?
Did Christ Rose for me?
Is Christ living through me?

Ephesian 1:15–20

So many questions and the only place we can find the answer is in his word. Is it too late for anything in life? My answer is not if your still breathing God is Power! True Power in this world, why dose our hearts ache why don't we have purpose. We are taught each day by the Holy Spirit things we don't understand and we are so blind to what the spirit does in our lives... God grant us the grace to see your plan and find the understanding so we can apply your wisdom to our life. God Bless!

Is a Labyrinth just a beautiful design to make in a garden? What were they for? Should everyone try it?
"Things that make us go, Hmmmmmm..."

 Look to Christ to fill your life!

in every case...

It is funny that the Lord provides for you even when you know that your not worthy for anything that is of grace. But his grace is always enough for you. Remember one thing when faced with trials and problems" God provides the lamb..."and the good work he has started in your life he will finish and he will win. His will shall be done. Praise God for everything!

Every step we make to get closer to Christ is harder and harder why because the closer we get to God the more the apposing forces are fighting you. Today image is the staircase a stone or marble  it is sorta like life as you climb and the task get harder each time you fall it hurts more but you can get right back up.

Sleepy time

Growing up I ruined my voice from smoking cigarettes and over time if you don't use that instrument you loose how to use it, because we are always changing that is one of the only factors that is consistent in life  besides the the promises of God. Well my wife and I have come to an agreement with in the seven years we are married, I can't sing.  Sure I have been playing guitar for 30 plus years but still I can't sing. My two year old son who will not go to bed at night finds it soothing the songs that I sing to him while he is in my arms as I put him to bed. Well I guess there is an audience for everyone and my son finds my voice soothing. First we pray the Lords Prayer and then I sing... and Praise God! he goes to sleep...

Surrealism is derived from a dreamers journal which is kept by your bed for the purposes documenting imagery for your paintings, this is one of my practices I do when I awake from a dream.

The dreams we have are always a reflection of us our hopes, fears, desires and sometimes that seed that God has planted in you gives us a bit of insight in to our lives in hope to guide us and make the correct decisions for our life, you feel it in your life and others who have no clue call it Déjà Vu. We all don't realize and acknowledge how much of the Lords hand is in our lives... GOD BLESS! 

Got to do the laundry! 

Needs...

I spent the last five years reading my Bible every morning at 5:30 a.m. and before I got my job at BOCES I would go to church in the morning to pray.  Then over time my reading in the early morning just resulted in just listening to an audio Bible on line. I think something happens when we read the Bible its a part of a meditation process.  Because the words stay with you more and you are convicted by the words and there meaning.  I want to go back and read the whole Bible from start to finish because I need to because it is a vehicle which stirs my soul and and turns my heart of stone into a heart of flesh where I feel the presence of the holy spirt in what is done in my life.

Concept: If the Bible is the word of God, and Jesus is the word made flesh, and the Jesus is also known as the bread of life, then when we pray the Lords Prayer "give us this day our daily bread..." Each day we need the Bible each day we need Jesus and every waking moment we need the Lord.

Each time I have read the Bible it has always been this surreal kind of imagery from the painting that I paint or compose in photoshop.  Funny years ago when I saw the movie Titus with Anthony Hopkins (none religious film) the way the imagery was presented was the way I saw the old testament.
My needs are to re-read the book again that has the inspiration for living...

a good story...

Today I went to church at 8:00 a.m. it was a bit of a chore to get my butt up and get there but I made it. The small white church I go to is Christ Church, United Methodist Church off of Old Town road in Port Jefferson Station on long Island. The service was very small and for communion we were all called up to the alter where we held hands and prayed together.  Then my pastor's sister I believe. Anyway her message was astounding to me. The the story of extreme Faith from 2 Kings 4:29-37. Faith is a action word  and the way this woman told the story and linked it to so many other aspects made me cry and think... God Bless!

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and evidence of things not seen. -Hebrews 11:1

Easter Sunday

Well After struggling with being sick, I did not make it to church on Friday night and today. Call me wayward but today I had fellowship with my family. Its tuff going through trials and also seeing the others you love going through similar ones.  But my sister made me aware of a simple truth in the scriptures.

The Lords Prayer
Luke 11:2 – 4


2     And he said unto them, When ye pray, say,
       Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
       Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3     Give us day by day our daily bread.

4     And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
       And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

This is everything we need in our lives, what more do we need? I have needs like employment
But I am starting to listen to the voice of the Lord and remain focused upon his word. When my sister and I discussed this today it made so much sense. I pray for all of you, and for my needs. If you want me to put you on my prayer list respond to me by putting the person who needs prayer and what for and I will pray for them. Pray for me that the Lord gives me the ability to continue this and keep up my head above water. GOD BLESS!

Sometimes the light in our lives seems a bit obscured though we sometimes can't see it it does not mean it's not there.... My Lord and Savior Jesus of Nazareth has risen from the dead he has stirred something in me... I pray he does in you...

Gathering yourself

There are times in your life that you are beaten down and made to feel so weak, sometimes you wish you were dead. I hate those moments because they take me to places where I don't want to be but the most important thing that we need to do is to look upwards and ask "Lord see me through this." Well its easy to say but why can't all keep putting our faith to the test. Not in any way to test God but who we say we are and what we believe. We are only who we are when we are at our worst. If We believe that God will see us through this, he will. The question I need to ask is You is Jesus in my/our life. Praise God for all the wonderful work he has don in our lives and for the work he will continue to do. Remember with Christ it was finished...

Hindsight is always 20/20 Trust is the work that Christ did upon the cross and keep him your focus and he will not let you give up. You will look back at the trials of life and someday say I could not have gotten through without him. God Bless!

Good Friday

Well last night I was asked about what was Holy Thursday and my answer was the evening of trial of Jesus. So the next question was,"it was the night of passover?" I told my friend yes. then I expanded on the whole story; and say that  most people who don't read the Bible feel as if the whole thing about the dead of Jesus was an accident when in fact it was not. This is what he was born in the world for. Then I asked him if he was familiar with the movie the Ten Commandants and he said, yes.  I told him that the blood of the lamb that was painted upon the post and lentils of the doorways of the homes in Goshen was done for the same reason.  So when the spirit pasted through, the blood would signify that the blood of this lamb was shed to cover and save me from spiritual death (in that case by the spirit) as Christ going to the cross was his choice to to save us from spiritual death also. 

One of the interesting things was that it was always depicted an eclipse on the day of Christ's death I need to go back and check if this was so... let me know if this was true.
-God Bless

Holy Thursday

Well when I was a Catholic I  did not have the same convictions or understanding of what I was doing in the church. I was involved in a youth group but it was far from being at all Christ centered. I was saved in the winter of 1989 and since then the Lord has made himself real to me many many times.  Funny I was working and took off Sundays because I needed to go to church and since that time I took Sundays off I was far from the church. So now(as of May 1, 2012) I will be out of my civil service position which I graciously held with the utmost respect and honor,  job I loved. So what is this all about? I look at is as a wake up call that I have to examine and reexamine my life what I am doing and how I am living... The Lord gives and the Lord take it away, Bless the name of the Lord! I am going to read Job.

If you look each day around you you will see the beauty he gives us in our lives, sometimes it is just simple... God Bless!

Fear...

Its been said that fear is the "mother of violence" as well as to be a "mind killer." It is the feeling that makes us loose all focus, as well keeping us immobilized and not progressive.  It manifest itself in many ways and plays on our esteem. It makes us all feel as if we are not good enough or we don't deserve the things we need. 

Fear is not from God, when we start to feel this feeling the more we focus on the things of the Lord the more we trust him. The focus on God takes away that fear, read your Bible,  old or new testaments  and just keep praying. We will get the understanding that we have hope in the Lord and if your with God who can be against us. 

As we can see in the photo the fear is always hidden where we least expect it...

Read Psalm 23 memorize it and pray it back to God and hide it in your heart.
1. A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. 

New Trails

Life throws you things that sometimes you are not prepared to handle the only thing that comes to mind is a piece of scripture. "Be still, and know I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

I am praying for strength to keep going each day... Loss of employment from my state job due to budget cuts is a way God is telling me that I need to examine my life and what I am doing. I look it all this way, God has not brought me this far to drop me.
God Bless,
Peter