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Two Rooms. Two Couches.

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I grew up in the era of the “front living room.” This was a more or less uninhabited space—except when company came over. I remember we had a maroon couch in there that, although old, looked new, simply because no one ever sat on it. That room was different from the “den.” The den went through a series of well-used couches, which, when we were finished with them, eventually ended up at the dump. It was the room with the TV, and it was thoroughly used by our family. The front room was nice to visit—but not used much. It was also a room where you had to be on your best behaviour: use proper intonation, mind your manners, and be very polite. After all, if you were in there, so were visitors. The den, on the other hand, was a place to sprawl out. To yell when the Leafs won the Cup (yes, it was 1967!). It was the place to snack and burp out loud—as long as Mom and Dad couldn’t hear. Why the story of the two couches? Because those two couches, those two rooms, represent a couple of (very use...
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More Alive than Ever!

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  John 5:25 (ESV) 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. The more you hear, the more alive you are.  Gradually, you will hear more and more, and you will become more and more alive.  So there is the paradox of Christian spirituality.  The longer you live physically, the more you die physically.  The longer you live spiritually, the more opportunities you have to become increasingly alive.  So that at the end of your physical death, you are more alive spiritually than you ever have been prior.  How?  By listening to the voice of the Son of God!   That spirituality will then burst forth into eternity.   This is why D.L Moody wrote the following:  “SOME day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shal...
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Where are you God?

  When you read the book of  Job, you are reminded—again and again—that things are NOT what they appear to be.  There is often NOT a clear answer.  There is often an undefinable darkness, wonderment, and mystery. As spiritual progression and maturity occur, one must realize this.  Sometimes things are left unanswered.  Sometimes God seems to be silent, quiet, and even absent.  It is in those times that our faith is strengthened and honed to shine brightly for all eternity.  We say this glibly, but we need to say it faithfully: ‘Only eternity will reveal the true story.’  My all-time favourite poem: THE WEAVER My life is but a weaving Between my Lord and me. I cannot choose the  colours, He weaves so steadily. Oft times He weaveth sorry, And I, in foolish pride, Forgets He sees the upper, And I the underside.  Not till the loom is silent, And the shuttle ceases to fly. Will God roll back the curtain, And explain the reason why....
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Breath Prayers

    Abba — I belong to you. Be still and know that I am God. Come, Lord Jesus — come. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Holy one—heal me. Holy Wisdom—guide me. I belong to YOU, LORD! Jesus be the Centre. Jesus —let me feel your love. Jesus, lead me into joy. Know that Jesus is Lord—cease striving. Lead me, LORD, I will follow. Lord Jesus Christ —be formed in me. Lord Jesus Christ, Thou son of God .   Have mercy on me. May God be merciful—and bless me. May God ’ s face smile with favour on me. O LORD, show me Your way. Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening. The LORD is my Shepherd—I shall not want Compiled by Peter W Cusick Beside Peaceful Streams 
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Listening to God's voice and walking in the Spirit.

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  Listening to God's voice and walking in the Spirit. This is a journey.  It is not a one-time act of surrender. Therefore, you will make mistakes. You will misinterpret God's voice from time to time.  There is now no level of perfection!  No one hears perfectly. And so you can learn from your mistakes.  Don’t quit.  Ask Holy Spirit to help you. And, as soon as you hear from Holy Spirit—obey!  Do what He says! This is a journey by definition.  So don’t be hard on yourself.  Give yourself a break!  Relax.  Enjoy the journey.   Listen, obey, learn, repent if needed, and try again…that is the order.
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Learning to hate your sin

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   John 5:13-15 (NLT) 13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. 14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” 15 Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.   Lord give me grace, power, and effort to maintain a resilience against sin.  Sin is ALWAYS a dark path. It ALWAYS pays wages.  The wage of sin is death.  Sin will always hurt, always destroy, always wound—you, relationships, stuff, goals, etc.  It is a killer.  It is a wound-er.  It is a consumer of all that is healthy, strong, good, and perfect. Learn to hate sin. Learn to fear sin. Learn to run as fast as you can away from sin. Search deeply for hidden sin. Be disgusted with your sin.  Repent, repent, repent daily for your sin. Be afraid of your sin. Be petrified of your sin. Be worried ab...
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It's just too noisy!

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  “Be still and know that I am God:   Ps 46:11 Silence What a pile of noise! Noise—Noise—Noise. Noise in my head. Noise in my ears. Noise in my eyes. Noise—Noise—Noise. Are you crying out for silence? His presence manifests itself, not in fire or wind or thunder, but in a still small voice.  Only in this quietness does he give us the certainty of his presence.  We usually cannot hear this because we are making so much inner noise… The word from the Word is often something like “Grow up!”  I suddenly see the far more important things are at stake than my feelings…We do not always get specific answers, even when we invoke his name, but we always get the Answerer! … Peter Kreeft- Payer for Beginners Silence is not just silence or emptiness or nothingness but…the best preparation there is because then there is no obstacle.  And God’s love—since it is no pervasive—just comes in, like the weather, and like it fills any empty spaces. …Thomas Ke...
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