February letter

 

Dear Ones,

I greet you as “Dear Ones” because you all hold a special place in my heart. Afterall, we are Family! Think about the fact that we are, “Dear Ones” to our Heavenly Father. His heart is a God/Love sized heart, and he knows each of us by name; how many hairs we have on our head; the words we will speak before we speak them; the thoughts and intents of our hearts. That never ceases to amaze me. Not one Child of God is out of the boundaries of His amazing love and grace. “Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus” You find this truth in Romans 8:38&39. These words should bring us great comfort.

On the other hand, we are human. I occasionally have to struggle to remember a person’s name. It bothers me because I am concerned that if they knew I couldn’t remember their name that they would think they were not all that important to me. I have honestly resorted to asking a mutual friend of a friend to divulge the others name. Or, ask someone to please go introduce themselves to someone whom I just met and can’t remember their name. Now there is a confession for you and some might confess you have taken the same tactic. I work on remembering because it makes people feel that they are valued. I can see faces light up when I have remembered their name after meeting them only once. I do, however, remember faces even though I cannot always remember where I know their face from. All a part of being fallible. So thankful we serve an infallible God!

Well, here we are in another new year. 2025. Seems surreal at times. Had some paperwork we needed, dated January 2024. Another human quirk. After signing the same date for a year it has become a habit, for some,  hard to break.

You know how I am always “thinking”. Ha! Here are some current thoughts: How often do we get stuck in the same habits year after year? Some habits, of course, are excellent. For instance, reading your Bible and praying every day. My husband reads his Bible every time he has to wait in the car for me to shop, etc. However, some habits can become road blocks that keep us from moving forward; stepping out of our comfort zones. I had a professor in a college class challenge us all to take a different route home than we usually used. “Over the River and through the Woods, to Grandmothers House we go.” Cute song. What if we went “Over the mountains and through the desert…” You get my meaning. What if the Lord spoke to our hearts to do something totally out of our “box”. Perhaps he wanted you to go volunteer at the local food bank. Or take a trip to a state where a disaster had taken place and volunteer to help the victims. What if he asked you to give a certain amount of money above the usual, habitual gift. How would you feel? Maybe at church, teach children or sing a song (if you are a singer) to bless the congregation. Things that would generally be intimidating.

Life can be such an adventure in the Lord when we are willing to say like Isaiah, “Here am I, send me”. We can be a voice to bring new life and He will equip us for whatever he wills. Serving the Lord is like being in an ever-flowing, clear as crystal river. As we move out, led by the Holy Spirit, we bring new life and refreshment to others and our own spirits are moved from a possible place of stagnation to a place of freshness and renewed energy. Even in old age, we can have that new life day by day. We can have our eyes opened to “present interpretation and fresh revelation” to how the Living Word of God applies to our ever changing maturing process as we are willing to grow in Him. Ephesians 4:13 “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man (perfect in His Righteousness), unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”

Hope this letter finds you all walking in His blessings. We have snow in the forecast which is not unusual for our location in the Oregon Outback. Enjoy each new day and each new breath of life and let us continue to “walk each other home” through encouragement and prayer. Jesus is returning for those who are watching. I am excited for His arrival!

In His Love,

BarbaraJean

 

Be Strong in His Power

 Hope you are all doing well and rejoicing in the Lord! I have been rejoicing a lot recently. Thanking God for answered prayer! I rejoice in the fact that He is on the Throne and has a plan for all of His children and He has a plan for America and the World. It is exciting to see what will come in days ahead. Now, we put the election behind us, be at peace and watch our Father, Master, Creator, Savior and Lord do what He does so well. The reason the Son of Man came was to destroy the works of the enemy (1 John 3:8) which is sin and it's results. 

So many times we don't realize that is what He did on the Cross and what He continues to do. He is healing, restoring, redeeming and releasing people every day, every hour, every minute, every second! These are exciting times in which we live. When things look bad, seem bad, just plain feel bad, God is working on our behalf answering prayer and bringing Glory to Himself. Nothing can take His Glory from Him!

It is up to us to take hold of His commandment to "Be strong and of good courage..." (Joshua 1:9). He never commands us to do something He doesn't enable us to do. I don't know about you, but I appreciate it when I see someone walking in strength and authority throughout the trials of life. Those who get back up after getting wounded and offered defeat. They get up and move forward in the Power of His Might, knowing there is a great reward, the Crown of Life awaiting them at the end of the fray.

I could hardly believe a news report I heard earlier. Colleges were not only telling students they could take time off from classes to "grieve" the election results, but for those who stayed, they were sending in support animals to help them get through the process. This is just an example of the world's viewpoint. We don't need to be coddled when things don't go our way. We need to take a deep breath, get up, square our shoulders and go forward. Of course, for me, I had no grieving, only rejoicing at the outcome of  "the people's choice". But, this is the world's way of doing things. The world and the enemy would keep us all in a place of weakness, defeat and self focus. That is not God's way.

God's way is a way of Victory no matter the circumstances. Those of us who know Him, are His Children, His Body, His Bride, don't walk around in despair and defeat. We don't have our minds on ourselves. We have our minds on the things of Christ and His purpose for the Cross which was to destroy the dividing line sin brought between God and His beloved Creation, Mankind.

It seems that people's attention span has shortened over time. I find I have hundreds of views on my YouTube channel when I record the short 15 to 60 second videos as opposed to the 10 to 20 minute ones. I believe it is because of the increase of knowledge and information coming to us from all aspects of media. I find it a challenge at times to relay even a tidbit of truth in those "shorts". 

We need to continue to "Wait on the Lord". That takes time. Strength training takes time. Training is constant if you want to "become" all that your Creator wants you to be. He wants us to be strong in Him and in the Power of His Might whether we are in the greatest health or confined to a hospital bed. This is because we are spiritual beings. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood..." (Ephesians 6). Our Father God is Spirit (John 4:24) and we worship and relate to Him as such. 

Isaiah 40:31 :"Wait on the Lord..." As you study this portion of scripture you learn that as you do this, in close, intimate relationship, you exchange your strength (weakness) for His strength (sovereignty) to take hold of you and enable you to face anything and everything that comes your way as we look for "His Glorious Appearing".

To close: Keep your (spiritual) eyes on the Prize. Walk in His Strength and Victory. Live a Life of Love that invites others to take hold of what you have. You have Jesus!

NOTHING STAYS THE SAME, EXCEPT...

In this post I would like to point to my blog header photo. It is very special to me. Not only because I love living in the Oregon Outback, which I kind of consider by "backyard", but because within the past couple of years that sign has been missing. At the beginning, a semi truck slid into it and knocked it over. It layed there on its side for months. I waited and waited for someone to put it back up on its rock base. However, that never happened. During that time, I wondered whose responsibility it was to fix it. Next thing I knew, it was gone! The base remained but the wooden sign was just gone. I felt saddened by its disappearance. I made calls to different agencies and organizations to find out what happened to it and if it was going to  be replaced. No one seemed to know anything about it, not even when I gave them the location. The city sent me to the county. That county sent me to another county. Then that county sent me to the state road department. No one seems to even care about it. To me it was a special landmark. It marked the gateway into the Outback. I still do not have any answers as to its whereabouts. It may have even been stolen.

Proverbs 22:28 says, "Do not remove the ancient landmarks which the fathers have set." These were markers that marked out ones property. The command to not move them had to do with not stealing you neighbor's property.

Psalm 16:6 "The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places. Surely my inheritance is delightful."  Ephesians 1:13&14 "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him you also, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." 

I Peter 1:4 states that we have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled  and unfading, kept in Heaven for us. This is all by Faith which according to Hebrews 11:1 is the "substance of things hoped for  and the evidence of things not seen." The Righteous live by Faith!

Jesus is our Boundary lines. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being. Colossians tells us that it is in Him that all things exist and hold together. It is our responsibility to keep our boundary lines or landmarks within Him,

It is by Grace we are saved through Faith in our Savior Jesus Christ and His shed blood on the Cross to remove the separation from God that came about through sin. We have now been brought back in and have received a beautiful eternal inheritance. The goal of our Faith is the Salvation of our souls.

I said all that to say that John 10:10 lets us know "the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy (our landmarks, our boundaries, our inheritance... in essence our FAITH). Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundantly."

We need to watch out in these last days to not allow our "ancient landmark of Faith" to be removed. We must not allow ourselves to be tempted to doubt what God has said like Eve did in the Garden. We must not allow ourselves to lose faith because of persecution or suffering. We must not allow ourselves to lose faith in the ability of God to expose the lies of the "thief". We cannot look to this world, the government, the economy, the medical field, the pharmaceutical industry or anything that promises hope in the natural. Those boundary lines are temporary. Some may disappear never to be seen again like my special landmark. Our boundaries are according to the Truth found only in Scripture and they remain firm and steadfast forever. We have to contend through Prayer, Fellowship and the Word of God dwelling in us richly. 

Encourage one another daily. Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever." Don't be deceived. Abide in the true Vine. Stay close to the Shepard. His Sheep hear His voice. Only through deep intimate relationship with Him can this be accomplished. 

I hope you have been encouraged by this "word". Love one another deeply!

BarbaraJean

 

One Purpose

 Well, I can't believe it has been over a year and a half since I have posted on this site! It seems in my life that there are seasons for all my different activities. That could just be an excuse for being lazy, but I would rather hope it is because there is something within me that wants my actions to count. So many times, we go through our days just filling time. We run here and there as circumstances would dictate. But how often do we say to the Lord, "What would you like me to do today?" It is He who has given you life and breath for each day and it is He to whom we give back that life. If we don't commit our days to Him and to His guidance, we can just go through them operating by rote, meaning, without much thinking or care, even mechanically. People who are depressed often perform in this manner and it helps them get through each day, however lifeless it may be. When you have the "Christ", who is Jesus, the Messiah, your days demand meaning. By the way, Christ is not Jesus's last name nor is it a name at all. It is a designation, meaning Anointed One, The Divine Son of God, the One sent by God to take away the sins of the whole world. We only need to Believe and Receive. 

Colossians 3:23-24 tells us to "Do all things heartily as unto the Lord, knowing that from the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ." It is actually more than receiving a reward, it is knowing you are part of a divine plan and purpose. This life is temporary no matter whom you have chosen to serve or how you have chosen to live it. We are all leaving this planet at some point in time. Our biggest purpose is to show the Love of God so that people will be drawn to it and come to the realization that God wants the world to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. The Scripture says in Matthew chapter 5 to let our light shine; to let people see our good works. Why? So that God will be glorified. Our purpose as Believers is to point people to Christ. 

There was a time in my life I did not realize my purpose. I cared about people and was touched by their suffering. As a teen, I would try and stand up for those being bullied and abused. There was something within me that caused that reaction. I didn't understand God had placed that within me by design. He was preparing me to bring Him glory. "There is none righteousness, no not one.", Romans 3:10. That care and compassion for others comes only from our Creator Himself. But if we don't understand that we can begin to take it to ourselves perhaps beginning to believe we are such a good person. We were made that way to point to the One who with the strongest compassion had the perfect plan and ultimate power to deliver the hurting, not just temporarily but eternally. We can share a smile, give a word, dry an eye, put a bandage on a wound, but we cannot ultimately heal, deliver or save a soul. It is the power of the Love of God, through the Sacrifice of His Only Begotton Son on the Cross and the Resurrection of that Son, Jesus, from the grave that offers the permanent solution for man's suffering.

I said all that to say, that I want my life to point to Christ. I want my actions to cause people to know I live for Jesus and His Spirit within me is what touches them and draws them. I remember three years after I received Jesus as my Savior, my beautiful sister said, "If what my sister has is real, I want it." That is the impact I want to have as I walk through this life. 

So, whether I am posting a video on my YouTube channel, sharing a blog post, speaking to someone out in public, singing a song I have written, I want people to be drawn to something below the surface of my outward being. I want them to say, "What is it that I am feeling, sensing?" I want them to ask as opportunity arises, "What is it about you?" 

"...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect," 1 Peter 3:15

Let's continue to walk each other home, living our lives with purpose and bringing as many with us as we are able by the Love of God in and through us! God bless and strengthen you all as you endeavor to live your life with purpose in these last days.

CHRISTMAS AND A WRETCH LIKE ME

Greetings in the Powerful Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I am so glad to be writing to you during this wonderful, joy-filled season. I love Christmas because of what it means to me.

As a child, I was so excited to see what presents I would receive. Sometimes, the gift was so large it wouldn't fit under the tree! One year, the doorbell rang on Christmas morning and a huge (to my young eyes) box was sitting on the doorstep with my name on it. Of course, it was supposedly Santa who delivered it. I opened the box to find a beautiful, shiny black rocking chair, just my size! I didn't really believe Santa Claus was real at that time, but I went along with the narrative. Jingle bells were even ringing in the background as Santa "rode off in his sleigh". 

It was all fun and exciting and a nice break from the private stressors in my mind and heart. I was a very unhappy little girl. I say private because I lived in my own little world. I did not really share my pain and fears with anyone. Nightmares visited me regularly and I always lived with a sense of shame that I was unable to identify. 

Throughout my early years, the many abuses I experienced took a toll on me until that shame and self-despising caused a state of lifelessness to engulf me. Again, I was in my own little world.

So, what does the title of this blog post have to do with the aforementioned you say? Well, "a Wretch like me" was my reality. 

"Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound that Saved a Wretch Like Me." This "Wretch" one day came to the realization that she had been given the most incredible "Gift" imaginable! Christmas took on an entirely new meaning. Yes, it was still about receiving a Gift. That Gift came in the package of "God became man" in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ, who was born, grew up, died an unthinkable, horrible, totally underserved death on a cruel cross, was buried in a tomb and rose from that tomb three days later and after disarming all opposing principalities and powers sat down at the right hand of His Father God Almighty in Heaven and tore apart any barrier that kept me separated from Eternal Life! 

The "Wretch Like Me" had a difficult time taking hold of that astounding "Gift". The one Gift of all gifts I should have grabbed hold of with all my might, I looked at with fear and trepidation. Guilt and Shame tried to tell me I was unacceptable to receive this Gift. However, "Something got ahold of me" and persuaded me to reach out and "take ahold" of that Gift.

When I reached out, by the enablement of the Holy Spirit, and accepted, Amazing Grace took over the Guilt and Shame of Sin and saved a Wretch Like Me. 

Now, Christmas, for me, is all year and a lifelong experience of opening gift after gift that he gives to me through the continuing generosity of His Holy Spirit through relationship with the Christ of Christmas, the Word and my Heavenly Father. Those gifts include love, peace and joy within.

I pray that you have a Merry "Christ"mas and that you embrace the reality that without the confession that we all, due to sin, have the definition of, "A Wretch", are not completely able to receive the fullness of the "Amazing Grace" by which we were and are saved. Ephesians 2:8&9, "For by Grace you have been saved through Faith and that not of yourselves (you can't earn it) lest any man should boast."

God Bless you as you receive Gift after Gift until the Gift of His Returning transfers from Faith to Sight!

WAITING

One of the hardest things to do is wait. However, waiting takes up a huge amount of our time and effort. I would like to share a couple of experiences with you. Throughout my walk with the Lord, some people have said I pray for unusual things. Years ago, when my girls were quite young, we went camping on the back side (opposite of Portland) of Mt Hood in Oregon. It was a remote spot with none of what we all call the "creature comforts". We were using our van as opposed to a tent. I was really excited about the possibility of seeing a bear out the window during the night. I remember the van being shaken in the early morning hours. However, I was so cold I did not want to raise up out of my sleeping bag and take a look. Low and behold, the next morning there were all kinds of animal tracks, including bear, around the van. My loss! God answered my request, but I let my comfort keep me from receiving my blessing. Just recently, I had some sweet little birds build a nest inside a birdhouse that is a short distance from our front door. We can watch the parent birds as they fly in and out feeding their young. If we were sitting very still at the patio table, they would do their duties as we enjoyed the show. Again, I prayed for a special blessing. I wanted to see the young fly out of the nest. Sure enough, I was taking a nap right inside the door one day and something hit it and woke me up. I almost went back to sleep but instead made the effort to get up and look through the glass. A baby bird had tried to fly and in fact, flew into the door. It was stunned a bit but continued its attempts and flew from ground to chair, then chair to table and finally off to the trees with mom. I continued to watch the house when finally, a second little one appeared and gradually flew to back of chair then to table and off to the trees. If I had gone back to sleep, I would again have missed the answer to a special request.

Waiting on the Lord is, in a way, similar to my two experiences. Isaiah 40:31 is a favorite to many Christians: "But those who wait for the Lord--who expect, look for and hope in Him--shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up (close to God) as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint or become tired." That is from the Amplified Bible.

Waiting is an action word. It is the opposite of being passive. We are anticipating something. Sometimes it takes a long time to receive the object of our expectation. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

When we are young, we can't wait to grow up. We wait to get married. We wait to have children. We wait to buy a house. We wait for the computer to load. We wait in line at the grocery store, the gas station, the stoplight... wait, wait, wait. Life is full of waiting. However, the most fulfilling "waiting" is, actively waiting on the Lord.

As we wait on the Lord, keeping the eyes of our heart on him, seeking him through worship, prayer and the Word, waiting becomes a thing of life. We can almost feel the very breath of God and almost see the look of love and encouragement on his face as he cheers us on and strengthens and comforts us with the words implanted deep in our spirits, "Hold on my Child! Joy comes in the morning". As the Psalmist said, "Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage, wait for the Lord!" 

2 Peter 3:4 tell us what the enemy of our soul throws at us: "Where is this coming he promised?" In verse 9 and 10 of the same chapter we have this: "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord WILL come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and works that are done on it will be exposed." Peter goes on to say we need to live holy lives, waiting and hastening his coming. Waiting for new heavens and a new earth full of righteousness. All these things are true!

Don't allow yourselves to become discouraged, disappointed, depressed, hopeless, helpless or despondent. Encourage one another as a runner alongside the other to keep running. Keep focusing on the Goal and in the meantime, as Isaiah encourages, exchange your strength for Christ's because in our weakness, He is made strong.

We can and we will receive the answers to our prayers, "Even so come quickly, Lord Jesus." Whether we go to be with him or meet him in the air, it will happen. Any other "waiting"; placing our attention, efforts, devotion or hopes on any "gods" of the things of this world or of Satan will only bring results of suffering and death.

"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you." Ephesians 5:14. We are also encouraged in that chapter to "be filled with the Spirit" and to encourage one another.

I love how the Lord speaks through everyday life experiences, like wanting to see a bear, or see a fledgling fly. The lesson may be, pray about everything, expect the answer; "know" that He loves you and is trustworthy and that He does not lie, but keeps His promises. The rest is to walk in His love while you are waiting; practice His presence by getting to know him "more deeply and intimately" as the apostle Paul desired (Philippians 3:10) and "love one another deeply". Be an active "waiter" and Peter seems to indicate we can hasten that day by living holy and godly lives. I like to use a capital "G" as we allow His Righteousness to fill us. If we are spreading the Good News of the Gospel in our own "world" of influence, we will not have time to become impatient as we "wait"! 

Waiting with love along with you, Brothers and Sisters!

Smiling through the Thunder

 "You wonder why I'm smiling through the thunder..." This is a line from a song written by Dottie Rambo. I love the song because it is all about Jesus being our "Harbor in the time of Storm". I like it when people notice the "Life" in me and I can come back with the answer... "It is the Joy of the Lord!"

There was a time many years ago that I did not have this Joy, or even a smile for that matter. A life of sin, abuse, criticism and self-loathing had taken its toll. I could almost feel the despair wrapped around me like a stifling straitjacket of bondage. At times it even felt as if I couldn't breathe. Whatever I did, wherever I went, it was as if I were being led along by some sort of invisible halter. I was numb. I was lifeless. Living or dying, it didn't matter. Nothing could wipe away the shame I felt from things that had been done to me and things I had done to myself and others. All I was doing was existing. I found nothing to fix the condition I was in. 

During this time of desperation there were people I had yet to meet and some I never would, who were praying for my salvation. I was unaware and the word salvation was not part of my vocabulary. Through a series of events, I was finally led to a simple altar at the front of a small church in the middle of the night. A pastor I had never met and a handful of relatives I hadn't seen in years were surrounding me with prayers and tears. Soon I was sobbing and with doubt in my mind because of my disgusting state of being, I dared ask the one I was told loved me, to please forgive me. 

That was the first step toward being filled to overflowing with the Spirit of Almighty God and having my life turned upside down by that same Spirt that raised Christ from the dead! Overwhelming Love flooded my soul and a Joy beyond comprehension arose within me and began to eradicate every ounce of guilt, shame and dirtiness. Oh, yes, there were times when I had tried to push all of this deep down inside and I walked in falsehood. However, my faithful Savior knew it all had to come to the surface and washed completely out of my heart and mind.

The day the reality of His love for me penetrated my inner being and shame, guilt and hatred of myself were replaced with "Joy Unspeakable and Full of Glory" no one could ever tell me again that I was not loved or that Jesus and what he did for me on the Cross was not real.

Now, my life glows with the reality of a changed life by the Power and Blood of Jesus Christ. It glows with the Joy that erupts with the truth that he is coming again to take me, his beautiful, cleansed, forgiven daughter to be with him where he is. The Hope of Eternity is Mine!

The problems of life did not leave me. I "smile through the thunder" because I am no longer being led along by the halter of my own sin, or of Satan, the enemy and hater of my soul. I am now being led by His unseen hand, always guiding my footsteps as the words to this same song proclaim. I am being led by the Spirit of the Living God and my Savior Jesus Christ. I have been brought out of the Kingdom of Darkness and transported into the Kingdom of Light.

His life within me creates a joy that cannot be hidden. It is a joy that strengthens me beyond measure. It is a joy that assures me that my future is secure in the Creator. It is a joy that I don't keep only for myself. It is a joy that I pray will always exude through me to others that they can take hold of what I have taken hold of and together we can await that thundering shout to be heard from the Lord himself and the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet call. He is returning!

Ephesians 2:1-5 "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved."

If you have never experienced this joy... seek and you shall find HIM. If you have experienced it, never forget your first love experience. Never let the light of your joy fade. People are dying physically and spiritually from lack of hope. Let them be drawn to Christ through the Joy in your life today.

Thank you for letting me, through this epistle, share a portion of my testimony with you. May God richly bless you with his Joy today and always!