Tempered by Fire (Story)

Of late, the sad news of the New Mexico/Colorado fires crosses all streams of media. There are literally hundreds of homes destroyed and thousands of people now homeless...

Yesterday, I found a website (Samaritan's Purse) with story and pictures of the recovery efforts already underway.

There was a photo in their story, though, of a woman holding up an intact ceramic figurine that survived the fire when there was nothing but ash and charred remains around her.

Yet on her face, there is this smile as she presents what she found.

This brought to mind another story, which I would like to share with my readers now. This was a story I heard on the radio back in 2009.

Tempered by Fire

A firefighter was going through a house that was completely destroyed by fire. Sifting through the warm ash, his fingers found these white ceramic figurines.

All it took was lightly dusting the ash from them, and they shown bright and beautiful, practically the same as the day they arrived at the house.

Everything else was gone. 

Moved by what was found, he asked the homeowner if he could keep one.

Surprised and still in shock over all she had lost... the homeowner mutely nodded her assent.

A few days later, that firefighter was speaking with some of his friends who were going through a very difficult period in their life. One had lost a job, the other ill, their roof leaked and the bills just kept piling up.....

The firefighter pulled the white ceramic figurine from his pocket and held it up for them to see. He explained how he came to find it. Then, he explained why it meant so much to him. 

"This was tempered in fire before it was ever brought into that house. While everything else in that house was destroyed by that terrible fire, these survived.

"If they hadn't gone through the fire first, they would have been destroyed."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes we need to go through touch times to become strong enough for even greater challenges in life that would otherwise destroy us completely.

-ESA

Twinkies and Root Beer (Story)

This is a cute little story someone pointed me toward and found here.

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

Twinkies and Root Beer

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey.
 

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons. 

The boy sat down next to him and opened his pack. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.

Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?

"He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

~author unknown~

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

-ESA

Lessons Learned

Last night, I worked through the lesson; it wasn't the first time. While some may think this is just a dream, I have learned to recognize the difference.
First, I realize I am dreaming.

Second, while there are things in dreams that seem "weird" or "not quite right" when observed while we were not dreaming, our dream-self accepts it as normal. In these, one or more of the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, scent, awareness) detects something is different.

Third, these dreams always take place where the body is sleeping, whether  my familiar bedroom, another room, another home, a hotel room, a camp site, etc. Often the dream starts as "waking up" in the middle of the night.

Alice stepped through the looking glass.

While I won't go into details of this particular dream, I do want to cover some common elements and steps I've learned while in these lessons.

We're not in Kansas anymore...

I recognize something is not quite right with the reality around me. This frightens; that's its purpose. When I first started these lessons, I became so petrified and trapped at this point. But I have since learned what must be done to escape.

There is no escape

Waking up (escape) isn't as easy as normal dreams. There are dreams I realize I am dreaming and can just wake myself up by willing it. This I can do on my own.

In these lessons, I cannot.

Even if I take some of these steps, or do them halfheartedly, I wake up into another of these dreams. Like walking through a door from one room only to find another room just like it instead of an exit.

Fighting the fear

Fear is tremendous, but I only go completely witless if I let myself. There is a stronger Will within us. Fear manifests all sorts of weird, frightening things that change from dream-to-dream. But they are all strange, frightening, and with an overwhelming fear that it will attack and hurt you - sometimes it does.

Never alone

If there are others sleeping in the same room as my body, they may appear sleeping in my dream, unable to help me. If I reach out to them and try to wake them, it will not work.

But I am not alone; God is there - always.

The dream-state may be too frightening to recall this tidbit. But God IS there, even when I don't think it. We are never separate, even in the darkest corners of the mind.

Power of His Name

Yeshua (Jesus) can be called into the dream too, just by thinking of Him and believing He will be there.

If fear is takes my mind beyond reason, I find power in Christ's name, whether I use Jesus, Yeshua, Yehoshua, Joshua, etc. Whatever name is written in a heart will do. Even if my mouth does not seem to work or my tongue utters these unintelligible sounds - I SHOUT the name with my mind.

His Presence comes into my mind, even if I don't see Him in the dream.

He is there - for real.

I realize this name isn't the same step for everyone, and that a name from any relationship a person has with God (for example, YHWH) will apply here.

YOU can NEVER escape this

I need to realize I am trapped in this lesson and there is NOTHING I can do to get out of it. Nothing.

But I am also not alone. God can get me out.

This requires a very great amount of effort to humble myself, step away from my pride, my will, my belief that I can take care of myself. I must become like a little child - completely dependent on our Parent. I ask God for help - THIS is the only way out. All those other rooms are the same nightmare.

Prayer is a Shield

I simply pray a prayer (mantra also works) I know by heart - from my heart. Often my mind can become paralyzed with fear, but there's a part that will be the calm in the storm.

If I cannot reach this safe harbor, just calling out "God, help me!" works. A "please" is of great benefit too.

Just repeating the words over and over WILL establish calm, and help me get to the other steps.

Turn away from the Darkness

I will warn my readers of one thing all past lessons like this have taught me: There is a strong temptation NOT to pray. There's an overwhelming sense / sensation / understanding that when I turn my focus away from whatever it is I fear, I will be attacked. The temptation is to focus full attention on the attacker - NOT on the One who can save. While this seems allegorical, it is very real as well.

In praying, I don't have to kneel, bow or position my body in any particular way, as long as my mind bows to God's Will. But this requires I turn my attention completely to God. Closing my eyes seems to help, though the weird noises and other senses are very much alive; I'm aware of something ready to attack me.

Resist that temptation; risk the injury. I will not say it will not hurt. In fact, I sometimes have residual aches from it afterwards. But it fades once I realize I am free. I become far stronger when I turn away from fear- to God.

This is the hardest part.

God does the rest

Whatever is about to attack me, may or may not. Once my attention is completely on God, humbly asking for help, knowing there is nothing I can do about it, God does the rest. I am wrapped safely in God's Hands and brought from this darkness.

I am freed.

Practice, practice, practice!

Over years, I've learned practice makes perfect - or at least better. I pass through these steps much more quickly now, knowing the steps instinctively.

I also understand that I may not be freed right away. This leads to doubt and the temptation to turn my attention away from God and back toward the fear. The longer I cling to God, the stronger I become.

More than a dream

These lessons are part of my journey home. There are some dark things in the corners of my soul, and God helps me clear these out. Sometimes, though, I am asked to face these dark corners myself. I don't see what is really lurking in them, at first, for I only see the manifestations - the weird things of these dreams. It's only after I wrestle my focus away from this darkness, that I am free, able to look into that dark corner and realize... I don't want it anymore.

Take this as spiritual or psychological - it works either way.

Take it on the road

The lessons I learn though this can be applied in my waking life too. All of it. There is so much in my life I dread, worry about... fear. Yet, I still insist on tackling these, by myself.

Share it

We can all take these steps, in dreams and in life. Through them, we are free.

Row, row,

Row your boat

Gently down the stream

Merrily, merrily,

Merrily, merrily

...

Life is but a dream.

~ESA

Positive Thoughts

I realized, the more I read the negative blogs, tweets, comments and news, the more bitter, negative and snappish I become.

I need to stop feeding my mind with the negative and focus on the positive.

There's good in this world.

We can help it shine!

~ESA

Soaring Heart (True Story)

This is a true story published last year in Time by William Lee Adams. It was received via email, and I wanted to share it with my readers.

There are many bright lights out there.

Look to see them and please share.

~ ESA

_______________________________________________________________

The most important trips aren't about getting somewhere. They're about getting to someone. But in an age of mounting airline fees, reduced in-flight services, uncomfortable security pat-downs and multi-day delays caused by erupting volcanoes, it's easy to forget that.

Amid the cries of "I've already paid for my hotel!" and "You need to get me to Atlanta!" anger and inconvenience frequently blind us to the fact that travel is ultimately about people. We also forget that airline employees - bound by big company rules and regulations - get frustrated, too.

Enter Nancy, whose situation makes complaints about leg room look downright petty.

"Last night, my husband and I got the tragic news that our three-year-old grandson in Denver had been murdered by our daughter's live-in boyfriend," she wrote. "He is being taken off life support tonight at 9 o'clock and his parents have opted for organ donation, which will take place immediately. Over 25 people will receive his gift tonight and many lives will be saved."

So early in the morning, after what must have been a torturous night's sleep, Nancy and her husband arranged for him to fly from Los Angeles, where he was traveling for work, to Tuscon, where he would step off one plane and immediately onto another one headed to Denver. "The ticketing agent was holding back tears throughout the call," Nancy wrote. "I'm actually her step-mother and it's much more important for my husband to be there than for me to be there."

Mourning the loss of his child's child, and no doubt worrying about his grieving daughter, he was likely in no state to travel. Airport stress only compounded his despair. He arrived at LAX two hours before his scheduled flight time, but quickly realized that delays at baggage check and security would keep him from making the flight.

According to Nancy, he struggled to hold back tears as he pleaded with TSA and Southwest Airlines staff to fast-track him through the lines that were moving like molasses. Even though missing his flight could mean missing a final chance to see his grandson, no one seemed to care.

Too much was at stake to simply roll over and cry. When he finally cleared security - several minutes after his flight's planned departure - he grabbed his computer bag, shoes and belt, and ran to his terminal wearing only his socks.

The pilot and the gate agent were waiting for him. "Are you Mark? We held the plane for you and we're so sorry about the loss of your grandson," the pilot reportedly said. "They can't go anywhere without me and I wasn't going anywhere without you. Now relax. We'll get you there. And again, I'm so sorry."

It's hard to underestimate the courage of the pilot's decision. The flight, which ultimately departed 12 minutes late, likely had hundreds of passengers rolling their eyes in contempt. And given that any delay has knock-on effects for passengers at the destination airport, his decision placed Southwest at risk of facing the wrath of travelers, and more than a few demands for compensation.

Southwest was approached about the story, half expecting the airline to be outraged by a pilot's refusal to push the on-time departure. Instead, they told him they were "proud" of their pilot, a man who clearly understands that taking a child off life support has consequences that run deeper than a flight taking off late.

As Nancy wrote: "My husband was able to take his first deep breath of the day." Hopefully, over time, his daughter can do the same.

Challenging Question

There is a question that should be asked. Whether the end-times will occur in 2012, this afternoon or some point in the distant future, many across several beliefs believe it will happen. Of which, many describe this period as turbulent, including large natural and man-made devastations.

Some fervently hope to escape from these fearful visions of doom and destruction. Many choose to become followers, clinging to the understanding that to follow means to avoid these worldly horrors - to become "raptured."

I find it amusing that there is a similar mindset in the Cthulhu mythos. It's said that the following is a conversation with a follower of this belief:

• "Why do you follow this faith?"
• "So I can be a chosen one."
• "And what do you believe?"
• "When Cthulhu rises, mankind will face horrors beyond knowing, there will be death, destruction, and a period of time when people will BEG to die."
• "And what about the chosen of Cthulhu?"
• "We will be the first to be eaten."
• "WHAT?"
• "Think about it carefully. If all that will follow is true, would you want to stick around for long and have to live through it?"

While it may disgust some of my readers that I parallel Christians with followers of some squid-headed deity, I hope it illustrated the point.

Many will convert just to get the ticket-out-of-hell-on-earth via Rapture.

What if you were asked to stay?

Yes, if you are a good follower with a loving heart committed to Christ, and you were asked to stay behind after the Rapture.

Those left behind would need some guidance.

If the world is going to go through such dark times, one can safely assume a complete disruption in our current technology. Forget about the internet, the phone may not even work - landline as well as cell.

It would be a dark world on many levels...

All that could help people "left behind"... are people, face-to-face and hand-in-hand, particularly those with a loving forgiving heart willing to face a future far more horrifying than Hollywood could conspire to create.

If you were presented the choice to Love God, Love Jesus / Yeshua with such a commitment that you were willing to literally face hell-on-earth for Him, would you?

Or would you flee for the next one selling the easy-way out?

This is a challenging question indeed.

~ ESA

Kingdom Visitor (Story)

There was a king that loved all the people. Because he had such love for the people, he wanted them to be happy and to love each other as he loved them. One day, he called before him all the magistrates in the land and decreed that there be a way that best enabled all the people to love one another.

The magistrates gathered and spent much time in council determining the best methods to govern the people that would make them love each other so the king would be happy. They decided on a long list of rules that the people would have to memorize and adhere. They decided on celebration days that would, by their annual repetition, reinforce the rules they established. Further, they set up a system where there would be rewards for those who obeyed the rules and punishment for those who did not.

This, they surmised, was the best way to make the people love each other.

Over the years, the magistrates instructed the people in the rules, meted out the rewards and punishments, and watched the people carefully so they knew who to reward and who to punish. In response, some of the people would either vie with each other to do the most loving acts to gain the best of the rewards, or they followed the rules minimally when they knew they were being watched, lest they face the dreaded punishments. 

Then one day, a stranger arrived and set up a temporary home among the people of this kingdom. Within a few days, one of the magistrates presented to her a thick bound volume of the rules. But the stranger handed the book back unopened and, instead, took out her visa which indicated that because she was not a subject of the king, she had diplomatic immunity and thus was not subject to those rules. The magistrate tried to harass her, but she knew that the magistrate could not force their ways on her.

At that time, the king wondered how well the system his magistrates established was working. Were the people truly loving one another as he loved them? Was the system enabling their love for each other to flourish? Or were the people merely following the established set of rules because they sought individually to gain a reward or avoid a punishment? So the king decided to find out for himself. He disguised himself and went out among the people.

Where the magistrates were to be found, people performed all kinds of loving acts, helping one another and more. But where there were no magistrates watching, the poor were left hungry, the cold were left outside alone to fend for themselves, the sick were shoved apart from the healthy, and the outcasts were friendless. There was very little love here.

Then the king spied a young woman, a stranger in this land, and she was doing what the people were not, when the magistrates were not watching. She shared her supper with someone that had none, she helped carry someone's heavy load, and she welcomed the homeless into the rooms she rented so they would not have to suffer the freezing rain and falling snow. Who was this woman?
 

The king called court the next day and called this woman before him. "I am king of this realm," he told her, "and I have seen what you have done."

"I know of your rules may be different here, your majesty, but as I am not one of your subjects, so your rules do not apply to me."

"You do not act as you do fearing punishment?"

"No, sir."

"You do not act as you do expecting reward?"

"No, sir."

The king's cheeks started to glisten with tears and he stepped down from his throne and faced the woman eye-to-eye. "Then why do you do the things you do?"

The woman shrugged, "It's just the right thing to do. We're all part of this world, we should help each other."
 

The king stepped forward and embraced the woman fiercely!

When he stepped back he announced, "Let this be known across the land, this woman has acted with Love for her neighbor, not because of reward, not out of fear of punishment - for she clearly does not expect either. She acted simply out of the Love found in her heart. THIS! This is what I sought for my people. All I simply ask is that they love one another."

Love
thy
neighbor

~ESA

Weeds & Wheat (Parable)

There once was a field planted with the finest seeds of grain. The sun shown down gentle and warm. The ground, freshly tilled, remained moist with the gentle washings of the rain.

Soon the spouts began to grow, bright and green, as they stretched themselves toward the sun.

As the spouts grew, the weeds snaked their roots under the tilled soil and sprouted their own kind in the field.

Concerned for the grain, the field hands took action. They heated the plants hoping to scorch the weeds. Many wheat stalks withered. The ground became dry and bitter; roots were pulled up when the wind buffeted the field.

The field hands spread poisons hoping to kill the weeds that way. The wheat itself also sickened, many stalks never gaining the head that grain reaches in its maturity.

As a last resort in their vendetta to kill the weeds, the field hands viciously attacked the field, cutting down stalks of wheat as well as weeds, leaving both to wither and die rootless on the side.

At last the weeds were gone. A fraction of the wheat remained in the field, ready to be harvested.

When the landowner arrived, he looked dismayed at the remaining wheat. He cast his eyes to the piles of wheat cut and cast with the weeds on the side, the lines of wheat that had sickened and never matured, and the remnants of the wheat that were scorched so badly, they never had the chance to grow.

"What became of the crops I planted?" he inquired of his field hands.

"The weeds had gotten into the field, Master. But don't worry," they added proudly. "We got rid of them."

The landowner wept bitterly...
______________________________________________________

Let those who have ears, hear.

~ESA 

God's Timing

If you read the prior post, you will easily see I screwed up and I knew it - big time!

I also shared links with those involved.

Then, while I was poking around in Twitter's DM box, I was led to read through some of the older messages.

There I saw one that hit me between the eyes and into the heart. "Very nice. ADAGE: "Our History is Not our Destiny!" ~Agape' Love 4eva"

This was sent June 9th, and at that time I smiled and moved on. This time, I GOT the message.

Through this person, God had reached out and let me know that while I did screw up, it doesn't mean I will do so again. My past is not my future.

I actually started to laugh in Joy over this, silly as that may seem. For me, though, it was a small sign. God knows. God cares. God had timed things so that message reached me at the very moment I needed to really hear it.

God's timing is perfect.

Always!

~ESA 

Jealousy Bug

This morning, I was bitten by the jealousy bug. I swung by Twitter, where I saw several group responses (including my username), and worked my way down to the initial tweet. It was a blogpost, for which my name was included in a previous request.

Someone has gotten others around the world to pray for America for a two-week session. Each day he posts something of prayer. Friday, he tweets to this group: "if God leads 2 a Prayer focus for this, Let me know and I will add it to the 14 Day prayer blog and you will get the mention. I need Prayer Focus/Bible verse too"

There is a lot of hatred and animosity over several differences of opinion in the US; it jumps to a new intensity within election season. Last time, someone was shot - literally - over it. So, as we are praying for America, its leaders, voters and people in general, my focus has been on establishing more Peace, forgiveness and compassion for each other. I want to erase all the hatred and dividing lines, helping others to see each other as sisters and brothers.

So, I gathered several bible passages that seemed to embody this sentiment of my soul. I sent a DM (Twitter direct message) to him and members of the group: Prayer focus 4 me:Mark 11:25~Luke 6:42~1 Cor 13:13~Numbers 14:19-20~Isaiah 43:25~Matt 6: 9-15~Luke 11:1-4~Hebrews 10:15-18 (sorry no rhyme)

While intention seemed clear to me at the time, I must admit in hindsight that it's a bit vague and may even appear accusatory. There was no direct correlation with the request above, just a string of bible passages.

Mark 11:25 - But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.

Luke 6:42 -  How can you think of saying, 'Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.

1 Corinthians 13:13 - Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.

Numbers 14:19-20 - "In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.” The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked."

Isaiah 43:25 - I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Matt 6: 9-15 - "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today your daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Luke 11:1-4 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

Hebrews 10:15-18 - The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

So, reading the blog post this morning, I discovered a good introduction how there are people as far as South Africa praying for America these two weeks. There are several quoted prayers, but my ego had - by then - taken the reigns. I scrolled rapidly down the page, looking for my username. When I discovered it wasn't there, I became outraged, jealous that other names were there and that my own input had been seemingly ignored completely.

WHO DO I THINK I AM???

First, anything and EVERYTHING I do and say, especially under the username @JesusSister, should be for God's glory ALONE! Second, I was the one clearly in error for I never elaborated on the prayer intent, just callously rattled off bible verses and assumed the recipient would read my mind. Third, I never read the rest of that blogpost, or their prayers and intentions, but was focused solely on seeing if the spotlight fell onto my own name. I had become so wrapped up in myself. Me, me, ME!

How our proper priorities change and our world crumbles when we let the ego out to play. 
 

I am ashamed...

Living Example

This is reported as a true story, but I cannot place its origin. Wherever it is from, it holds a valuable message for us.

~ ESA

________________________________________________________________________

In a country where a non-Christian faith was the dominant religion, there lived a small family of Christians. Despite the harassment from military, government and neighbors, the family never diverged from practicing Christianity. The young woman saw her parents killed, then her brother.

This is her story.

While she didn’t see those who slaughtered her parents, she did look onto the face of her brother’s attacker. She had it burned in her mind. Paralyzed with fear and shock, she could do nothing that night.

Left alone, she continued to work as an aide in the local hospital, so she could earn enough to feed and care for herself.

One day, the man that killed her brother was admitted to the hospital with terrible wounds. She recognized him immediately.

He also recognized her, and realized she knew who he was. Bound in several bandages and lines that helped keep him alive, he had no easy means of escape. He lived in constant dread of this woman, for now he was completely at her mercy.

Day-after-day, he wondered how she would extract her revenge on him. Yet, day-after-day she continued to bathe him, feed him and gently tend to his wounds. He began to recover and grow in strength.

At last, the day before he was released from the hospital, he stopped her ministrations, looked her in the eye and asked, “Why?” He was completely baffled and perplexed by her actions. “Why did you do this? You clearly know who I am and what I did. Why did you help me instead of taking your revenge on me? I was at your complete mercy!”

She smiled and responded. “I do know who you are, and I remember everything. I am a Christian. We are taught to forgive and love our enemies.”

Tears started to trickle down the man’s cheeks. Then he wept openly as he admitted, “I had never known there was such a religion…”