God Used a Cricket to Save My Life

In December of 2014, I was having problems with feeling very weak and nauseated. I do deal with

Fibromyalgia (Fibro) and a list of other health issues so feeling weak and nauseated is not new to me.  Even Fibro sometimes feels like the flu. Yet this was weird because I couldn't get up off the floor of my lounge pad on that Monday.  Usually I can go about doing things a little at a time, but something was different this time.  I thought that it was just another health issue I have to endure so it didn't really bother me too much. On Tuesday,  I felt a little better but I could barely do my laundry. I just sat by the dryer and pulled out the clothes and threw them over my head to the table because I was too weak to get up. I didn't even fold all of them. I don't normally act like this.

photobucket.com

On Wednesday, I saw a cricket in my kitchen. I don't like crickets so I was anxiously trying to get it out of my kitchen so I would be able to sleep at night. No I am not one of those people who loves the sound of crickets chirping or chiming in the middle of the night.  I tried to catch it with a cup I found nearby, yet it hopped to the back of the stove.  Grrr, I thought. I am never going to be able to get it. As it hopped behind the stove, I leaned toward the wall to see if I could see it.  All of a sudden I smelled gas coming from behind the stove.

I immediately called the gas co and sure enough there was a small gas leak coming through the regulator.  He fixed it as I tried to find the cricket. No luck. After he left, I opened the windows and felt fresh air in my lungs immediately. I was too lightheaded to think about opening them beforehand. I noticed that even my cat Buttons was walking around more after I opened the windows.

The next day I saw the cricket hopping out of the kitchen. I ran to it to catch it because I didn't want him in my bedroom making those cricket sounds. Yet I felt sorry for him. Poor little guy, he probably felt sick too with the gas leak because I didn't hear him at all make a peep the night before. I decided to capture that little guy and I walked the three flights of stairs to the outside and released him. He needed a second chance and some fresh air.

God sent that little cricket to save my life and my cat's life too. If I didn't see him hop near the back of the stove, I wouldn't have known I had a gas leak.  I have heard people say that animals (cats and dogs) have warned people when danger was close by. God must have a sense of humor, because he sent me a cricket.



For this story and more of my creative writing, tips, and artwork, checkout:

www.teensytidbits.blogspot.com

My Artwork is a Good Distraction

Wow, I can't believe I haven't touched this blog since September of last year.  I have been working on artwork to keep my mind off of physical pain which is a good distraction, I might add. Yet I guess the fibro fog kicked in and I forgot about my blogging that I love to do.
I am a member of the local art gallery and try to keep myself motivated to have something brought in the gallery every 5 weeks.  There was a funny moment about my artwork, In November or December, I was feeling a little delirious and not well yet I didn't have anything new to put in the gallery. I felt very weak and wasn't in my right mind. I went through some old sketches I did in ink when I was around 13 years old and threw one in a frame. I put $25 on it and displayed it in the gallery.  It even had my assignment grade of a "B" on it and the class number....I didn't think anything of it until I got a call from the gallery saying that someone bought it...I thought "Yikes, I really didn't want to sell it because it was from when I was a kid." I did take a picture of it so I would have a copy of it but I had to reset my camera phone and it totally erased that picture amongst others. So that was bye bye picture.

EYE in the STORM

I did enter a piece "Eye in the Storm" in a photography art show. First, people were just passing my picture by, but then I started interacting with them to get them interested. It worked.  People were literally sitting on the floor trying to figure out what my picture was. It was too funny. This picture is actually of me holding a glass of water that the light of the sun made the water glisten. I thought it looked so cool, so I took a picture and put it on facebook (FB) and asked people what they thought it was.  That is when I started a game on FB called "Tanya's Picture Game," which I still do.

Pilgrimage to Zion

I also had worked on another painting "Pilgrimage to Zion" for about 4 months minus the one month I took off for Christmas. My apartment is too small to have an average size Christmas tree and work on a painting at the same time.  I finally finished it in February. It was so great to finish it, yet it was so hard to let it go when I gave it to the new owner. My paintings are kind of like my babies because I put so much time and energy into them. I also had someone ask me to restore an old photo. I have never done that before so that was fun and a new challenge.

Eucalyptus Trees

Every year for the art gallery they have a Multi Medium Mini (MMM) Art show in March. I have been disappointed each year because I haven't been accepted.  I started asking what the other artists are doing and I learned from their techniques and what equipment they use. I decided  that I really need to improve my artwork abilities and supplies. This year, being very nervous, yet I pushed through the rejection I felt in the past and entered the MMM art show, I was finally accepted into the MMM Art show this week, where the "Eucalyptus Trees" is displayed. It felt good yet I did feel bad for the ones who didn't make it in because I know how hard it is when one's work is not accepted.

I am so grateful to God that He has given me this talent that I have been working at wholeheartedly in my middle aged life. Yikes, Yes It's hard to say that I am middle aged, but it's the truth. I have been there for awhile but didn't like to admit it.  I focused on my writing abilities most of my life and took a few art classes in elementary and middle school but I didn't think I was any good, yet now to see my art abilities grow, is truly an amazing experience and I do thank God.

Here is my link to my art portfolio that I am working on continually: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1380021952284491.1073741829.100008300975340&type=1&l=07061a5251

Lois Arneson...a True Legacy

Lois and Tanya (2005/2006)

I recently went to a memorial service for a dear friend of mine who had died on December 18, 2013. I have always thought of Lois Arneson as a loving person, a godly woman, a prayer warrior, and like a grandma to me. Every time I saw her, I sure would get a nice, big hug from her. You could feel her love through those hugs.  She also made me some nice items: a quilt, a soccer ball, scissors holder, and some pillow cases to match the quilt. I was also one of the many people she sent birthday cards too. I just looked in my recipe book, and sure enough, I did get her recipe for Pecan Pie Muffins, one year.

Then in July of 2011, she presented me with a special gift. It was a Christmas couch cover, or a couch quilt you can cuddle with. It is so pretty. She gave it to me in July because she had been working on it for awhile due to her failing eyesight. She told me she couldn't see very well, but she didn't let that stop her from making this beautiful Christmas blanket just for me. You couldn't tell that the maker of the quilt had any eye problems because it's nicely made.  It really touched my heart that she gave it to me at that time. Every year, when I pull out the Christmas decor, the Christmas blanket goes on the couch. It reminds me of her special love for me and for making people special.

After the memorial service, I talked to a few family members of Lois'. One of them said that "Lois was so loving to us (her family), and it was kind of expected since we were her family, but I had no idea that she was so loving to so many people outside of her family until we heard everyone talk about her here (at the memorial service). She gave love to a variety of ages (the young and the old)." 
Another relative, I think it was Lois' nephew, had a bag of Lois' items. There was a stack of papers that she had piled up in her room. He shared some of them with us. As I told him my first name, he asked if my last name was Kirkendall. After I said "yes," he pulled out a red card stock with a poem I had written in 2005. Lois had kept that poem I had written. It really touched my heart that she had that poem in her special pile.

She has taught me to treat everyone the same. Treat each one with special love.  And Pray, Pray, Pray. She sure loved God....

To me, it seems she treated everyone with that special love. As Chris Neal said, "Lois was the church 'Mom.'"  That was our Lois. She sure loved people and we sure loved her.  She definitely was the "Church Mom"... or in my case..., "The Church Grandma."

I heard someone recently say: "A Christian doesn't die, they just have a change of address."

by Tanya Kirkendall

Living Stone

(picture from Expressive Praise)

I read this scripture today.
"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 2:4-5

I have heard this scripture preached so many times, but I always hear people say that "Jesus is a living stone" and that is all I hear about this scripture. Yet even though he is the living stone we also are living stones.  The scripture above says:

"...you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

(picture from photobucket.com)

 It is like he is building our spiritual bodies into spiritual houses. If everyone is a stone, think of how strong our churches or families would be if we work on them together.  Putting one stone on top of another stone can hold things together; we can make big structures out of this rock material. If we are stones, then we are solid rock....what use do stones or rocks have?

"A lot of cities are made from stone... Roads, parking lots, bridges, airports, and highways are all made from crushed stone and concrete." (http://www.rocksforkids.com/RFK/BuildingStones.htm)    Stones and rocks have a lot of use...we can have that same usefulness in God.

If Jesus is the cornerstone, he's connected to us, and joining himself with us. He is connecting himself with us together; and you and I together, to be stronger. Stones are hard to crush...they are solid. 

Be the solid stone that God wants you to be, yet allow Jesus in your life as the Cornerstone.

by Tanya Kirkendall

To learn what other stuff you can make out of rocks, stone, or minerals, go to http://www.rocksforkids.com/RFK/BuildingStones.htm...

Acts of Random Kindness, Anyone?

I have been hearing lately from my church and even online that we should be spreading more kindness. I even watched a couple of online videos of people helping others out randomly. One video has 2 guys giving t-shirts, water, and snacks to homeless people.  Another video has various people helping others in various situations.
I think of myself as kind, yet I realized I need to work on being more kinder.  Sometimes the physical pain I am in gets in the way of what I want to do. So since I am at the doctors' appts a lot lately, I decided to be kinder to the patients that go on the elevator. I have to ride 6 floors up to get to my doctor's appts and the elevator door constantly opens on various floors as I go up and down the elevator.

Recently I started smiling more and chatting with everyone that enters the elevator...Then I noticed that people who looked like they were in pain or overcome with health issues were returning my smiles and some were even laughing. They looked surprised that a stranger was actually talking to them. Then I started smiling and waving at children that walked by me and  I noticed the children and their parents started smiling.

This last week while I was at Kaiser, waiting for my bus to arrive, I noticed an older lady who seemed like she was struggling and looked worn out. She was trying to get her husband who was in a wheelchair settled in their car, plus she had a bag, purse, and other items she was juggling. She looked so worn out.  I decided to leave my seat on the bench and go help her.  While she was in the car fastening her husband in the seat belt, I grabbed her bag and put it in the opened trunk. I told her that she looked like she could use a hand. She thanked me and smiled a big grin. As I went back and sat on the bench, I noticed she was smiling while she was in her car...Before she drove away, she honked, waved, and had a huge smile on her face.

We don't always know what people are going through.  Just a simple act of me putting one bag in her car, made her day,,,and it added joy to my heart.  What can you do to brighten someone's day?  Just one act of random kindness can add a smile and happiness to someones day.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35b
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18


Watch these inspiring u-tube videos of some ways you can help others. Click on these links below: 

Random Acts of Kindness Caught on Film

 You are Here for a Reason (Life Vest Inside)



(Picture is by Expressive Praise_Tanya Mae K
videos are from http://www.youtube.com/)

Today's Forecast: The weather is a changing

The weather is a changing.
What is brewing in my body?
some partly cloudy days
and rays of pain seem so naughty.

The weather is a changing.
I feel it in the air. 
The moisture stabs my skin
and it's a caution to beware.

The weather is a changing
My skin is crawling off its shell.
My muscles are wanting to scream
and my bones complain, "o well".

The weather is a changing
More sleepless nights to endure
because my hands and feet are burning.
My vision and dreams are such a a blurr.

The weather is a changing.
There's burning in my head to my feet;
neck, hands, and back;
nothing is lacking with this pain of heat.

The weather is a changing.
I have to deal with fibro fits.
All of my body is hurting, 
and even both of my arm pits.

The weather is a changing.
I have to keep my spirits up high 
because this fibro can throw you for a loop
and make you want to cry.

The weather is a changing.
Sometimes the rain is out and tears flow,
so I have to keep my umbrella handy
and hold it tight, so with the wind, I don't blow.

The weather is a changing.
Days like this, make me lean on God more
because the pain has increased;
and is intense even more than before.

The weather is a changing.
I know it's hard to comprehend,
yet I wanted you to know 
that through all of this, God does lend.

The weather is a changing.
He gives me strength to en-dure
and the people he sends me
helps me and lifts me up, for sure.




The weather is a changing.
It brought me closer to Him, that's true.

It made me lean on God so much more;

especially when I feel oh so blue.


The weather is a changing.
I guess, my character needed refreshing, no doubt.
My heart knew so much pain
and the weather changed my life's plan and route.


God thank you for the weather a changing.
I know that you know I deal with so much.
Please give me strength, give me peace,
and God, I thank you for your special touch.






Chronic Pain and Fibromyaligia awareness.
People with Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, and Chronic Pain Syndrome like I have tend to feel a lot of pain if the barometric pressure changes, the temperature changes, or if there is any moisture in the air. If there is any humidity of moisture in the air, it could be our worst enemy. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, especially on those days. Thank you Tanya


Note: all pictures are by Expressive Praise (Tanya Kirkendall)

Fibromyalgia Poem...What We Deal With. (please read if you or someone you know has fibromyalgia or any chronic pain)

Fibromyalgia is no doubt a pain.
You may feel like you are going insane.
Your skin hurts to touch
Your brain is not alert, that much.
The pain is so intense and excruciating everywhere,
and even your skin feels like it's crawling and hard to bear.

The vision is blurred, doubled, or even spotted
and the neck and back muscles, are all knotted.
Your head may hurt and feel like it will explode;
the pressure is so intense and feels like a huge load.
Your brain is so numb, unclear, and foggy
and if you didn't sleep well, you may be groggy.

Pain in the hands and feet increase when the weather changes
and runs through the body in different ranges.
Then there is the snap, crackle, and pop of the TMJ jaw syndrome
and it's even affected by the food you intake, from going out or eating at home.
We don't know what a good night sleep is all about
and it's hard to handle and not focus, no doubt.

The skin may itch all over your body and all you want to do is scratch,
and your immune system is lower, so sickness, you may catch.
The muscles spasms are no laughing matter;
they make everything worse, even the bladder.
Then there are the sensitivities to food, allergies, meds, and more.
Sorry if all these many symptoms, to you, are a bore.
But this is what we deal with on a regular basis
and we try to be our self and put on different faces.
We try to smile, yet there are days that it hurts to even do that.
Then there is the IBS that causes bloating and make us look pregnant or fat.
It is so embarrassing at times, with all that we have to put up with
and people say Fibromyalgia is all in our head, but that's such a myth.


We just want people to believe in us
and not to make a huge fuss.
We so want to live a regular life without pain
yet our daily challenges keep our energy drained.
So please take us seriously, we have feelings too.
Stand with us when we are happy or feeling blue.
Encourage us, pray for us, and help out when you can.
We need your support, your love, and to be our big fan.
Cheer us on, encourage us, so we don't feel alone,
by emailing, texting, visiting, or calling on the phone.


We appreciate all the encouragement we can get
yet if this is too much for you to handle, don't fret.
But PLEASE do not minimize what we go through,
because everyday it feels like we have the flu.
Think of going through body aches, weakness, and of the worst cases.
Well, that is what we deal with and even more, on a regular basis.



Fibro buddies, keep your chin up and breathe in fresh air;
Look up into the sky, and remember someone does care.
There is the God of the Heaven who knows what you go through.
He knows when you are having a hard time and feeling blue.
He has an unconditional love for you, He wants to share.
Acknowledge Him because He loves you and does care.
I (Tanya) totally understand what you all go through
because I have a list of health issues along with Fibromyalgia too.

Poem By Tanya Kirkendall

4/1/2013 (12 am)

(all pictures are from photobucket.com)

Cloud Therapy (in Memory of Debbie Hodson)

Cloud Therapy. 

There is something about looking up into the sky and seeing white, puffy clouds.  It is very relaxing and peaceful.  My dear friend, the late Debbie Hodson, loved to talk about looking up into the clouds and thinking about God's great love.  In 2008, when she was going through chemo therapy due to cancer, I made her a fleece blanket.  It was sky blue with white puffy clouds all over it.  I have been wanting to make more of them but for some reason I cannot find that same material in the stores that used to sell them.  I guess I should have listened to my mom and bought that material when we had that idea several years ago.  

I miss Debbie and I am still reminded of God's love when I look into the clouds. I imagine that she is having the time of her life as she is totally in God's presence without any pain... I wrote this poem in honor of her:

When the pain is so great and times are so tough

and you don't think you can make it, because life is so rough,

Look up into the clouds, high in the sky

as they are sitting still or passing by.

When the clouds are pure and inviting and are white as a dove

they are a small reminder of God's great and awesome love.

When it is overcast and the clouds seem, oh so gray

remember God isn't leaving; He is here to stay.

When all the clouds seem to have disappeared and want to hide

Remember if you do not see God, He is still always at your side.

so if you are having a sad moment or some major uncertainty

Lift your chin up, look up at the clouds, and remember God's cloud therapy.

I originally wrote this poem on February 18, 2009. Also the picture of the dove is a copy of the oil painting I painted in 2011 called "The Holy Spirit is our Comforter." The original painting is displayed at the Loma Linda Children's Hospital in Loma Linda, CA. It is in the children's cancer ward (infusion room). With a help of a friend, we donated it to inspire children who are going through cancer treatments and for their parents who need encouragement too.

Are you like a Cat?

I have noticed that my cat Buttons has a mind of his own. Buttons comes to me when he is hungry, when he wants love, and when he wants to play yet ignores me when he wants to, like when I want to pet him. Yet he always comes running when I am cooking or if I give him his food.  He comes to me when he wants attention, like when he wants me to pet his long-haired fur. Many times, even in the middle of the night, he will meow to get my attention while I am asleep and wake me up, just for me to pet him.  I won't allow him on my bed, so I tend to sleepily, throw down my arm and try to find him in the darkest of night to stroke his gobs of fur.  During those times, he just starts purring as though he is content because he has made contact with me and then he will go off on his merry way. There are other times, I just ignore him because I am too tired to reach down to where he is even though he will be persistent in his meows. Sometimes I wake up with him just starring at me while sitting beside my bed.  I wonder how long he watches me.

During the day, I enjoy petting Buttons. He has this beautiful purr that touches my heart.  I like to cuddle him in my arms and pet him. I don't have children, so this is the next best thing, or is it? lol. Half of the time, he tries to jump out of my reach so I can't touch him when he doesn't want to be petted. Most of the time if he wants to be petted, he will come to me so I will pet him. I love it when he throws his body down, and lands belly up; it's my invitation to rub his belly.  Yet there are those times that he still wants to be rubbed but he will lay just far enough so I have to move closer to him so I can pet him... Even when I give him treats, at times, he will sit or lay close to me, yet far enough for me to have to reach him.  I decided he may be trying to play a game or outsmart me, so I put the treats where he has to move.  I have seen him become so lazy that he won't even get up; he will lay down while he eats his treats or food.

My cat can be a "scared-y" cat at times.  If I turn on the vacuum cleaner in the living room, he will run as fast as he can and go hide under the bed. Then when I am vacuuming the bedroom, I know he is under the bed and I know he will jump out and run to the living room.  He scares me at times when he jumps out from under the bed even though I know he will do it. It's like I know he is coming, but I never know just quite when. He hates those vacuum cleaners.

I have a recliner. I have to be careful with the recliner. Because when I pull the leverage to recline the chair, Buttons runs as fast as he can to the other room as though the recliner is alive. He is afraid of the mop, the broom, and even anyone that comes to the door. He will growl when he hears the doorbell ring.  I kind of feel sorry for the 15 lbs of fur.  I try to console him when he is afraid.

If I pet Buttons too much, he voices his complaint. If I don't pet him as much as he wants, he starts meowing even more. Yet I have learned to understand the different ways he meows to know what he wants. I know when He is hungry, doesn't want to be disturbed, when he is sick, wants attention, when he is afraid, wants to be petted, or just misses me.

The more I think about it, I realize that sometimes I am like Buttons. I go to God when I want something. I want him to nourish me, keep me healthy, and console me when I am afraid. I want him to take care of my needs and my wants when I want them taken care of.  I know there are times that I do not want to be bothered, don't want to pray, don't want to do what God wants me to do, and I even will vocalize my complaints to him. I may do everything else that I think I am supposed to do while I am in God's presence but then I realize I haven't shut off the Internet, the cell phone, Facebook,  the radio, and maybe the TV.

Today, I had to make a special effort. I turned off everything for 1 hour and had a candle light dinner with God. I realized that my mind was racing because of all the advertisements I had seen today. All the bright lights that are on the high-tech things I own felt like it was making my brain literally light up.  Then I had all these ideas running through my brain of all the to-do-lists of things like, I have to check my emails, my Facebook, my Blog, and all the other stuff I do with all these high-tech things I own and use daily. I had to keep refocusing on God and his presence.

 I realized I haven't been spending a lot of quiet time with God. I am either reading about Him, writing about Him, etc...but I haven't had quiet time with him. So again, I turned the high tech things off, and decided to spend more time with God. I decided to lay face down on the ground, and pray.  I  sensed God tell me to just keep silent before the Lord before I spoke a prayer to Him.  The only thing I heard was the buzzing sound from the air purifier in my living room. I remember thinking, wow this is so nice and peaceful as I had my head face down on the blue pillow I had on the carpet.  But then I started to think about other things.  

Like I said earlier,  it  is so easy to get consumed with all this stuff now-a-days.  I remember when I was younger, I used to just think about like what is for dinner, or what is on my to-do-lists when I would try to pray and I would have to refocus.  Yet now it seems like it is so much harder to focus on God even when praying. I try to pray through out the day when I am doing things around the house or even when I go out, I acknowledge God in my mind and heart daily.  Yet I noticed I need to get back to having more quiet times with God.

Well, there I was, I finally was refocused on God. Then next thing you know, I felt a plop. Well, if anyone could hear a plop, I could...I look up from the blue pillow that I was leaning on to find Buttons' back, right at my face.  I told you he has a mind of his own. I began to pet him, and of course, he started purring. But then I realized, I had stopped praying and lost my focus on God and started to pet Buttons.  It was then that I realized I am a lot like this cat when it comes to doing what he wants, when he wants, and how he wants to do things. It is so easy to get distracted when praying. Well, I stopped petting the pile of fluff that was in front of my face and started praying to God.  

I love Buttons so much, and I know he loves me. He knows that I will take care of him.  God loves me so much, and I love Him and yes, I know that He will take care of me. When I go to touch Buttons, I realize that God reaches out to me, just as much, and even more. When I hear Buttons purring his contentment. It reminds me that God knows how much I love him. He hears my delightful heart.  But then again, when I know Buttons is ignoring me or wanting to do things his way, it makes me realize that God knows when we ignore Him and want to do things are own way. It is hard, but I need to stop acting like a cat, and really focus my attention on my God who loves me and takes care of me just like I take care of my cat.  

All pictures where taken by Tanya Kirkendall. The cat is my baby Buttons.

About the picture of the cat in the TV: the TV is a template in my Samsung Camera.  It's a picture I took inside of a picture on the template.

Just a Simple Poem about God & Me

My Lord, my God,
I learn of you
through books, church, friends, and listening to you.

My Lord, my God,
I live for you
with my heart, soul and even my mind too.

My Lord, my God,
I worship you
at church, at home, and through those songs of praise.

My Lord, my God,
I trust in you
and try to follow you in all your ways.


Thank you, My Lord and My God!
By Tanya
9/25/12  @ 1 am

Just Blogging..hmmm....Interesting!!!

Darlene Douthit drew a caricature of me

Last night when I spent my alone time with God, I started thinking about how I should be more intimate with God. I tried thinking of people in the Bible I could research who had an intimate relationship with God and I could follow their example. You may think it sounds strange to ask about who has an intimate relationship with God because some people associate intimacy with their lover or sex. I am not talking about that kind of intimacy.  


In the Webster's New World Dictionary and Thesaurus, it defines intimacy as very close or familiar; deep and thorough; and private or personal.


When I say I want an intimate relationship with God, I mean that I want a very close and deep relationship with Him.  I want to know Him more. What does God like? What does He desire for me? When one has an intimate relationship with someone, he/she will try to learn all about that person. What do they like? What are their goals or aspirations?  What are their hobbies? What do they do outside of work? Are they a Christian or are they totally against God? What is their favorite color?  What do they like to do for fun? What is their favorite meal? How do they like to spend quality time with you?  One can not learn about the other if they do not communicate to each other. 



I sometimes imagine God sitting beside me and talking to me. I try to sit still and listen to His quiet voice and then, I communicate with Him. I will tell Him things that I like about Him (praising Him) or I may share a need that I have for me or others (interceding). Other times I may just talk excitedly in my thoughts or out loud and just tell Him all the great things that are happening in my life. I know this may sound crazy because He already knows everything. Yet it's in those times that when we stop and communicate with God, that they may be the most precious moments we have with Him.  But if we are doing all the talking then we are missing out on LISTENING to HIM about HIS desires, HIS love, and HIS will. HE desires a two-way communication.


Okay, so getting back to my little Bible study I did. I desire to have a strong, intimate relationship with God.  Because I want to be as close to God as I can, I tried to think of someone in the Bible who had an intimate relationship with God. While trying to think of people, I came to the conclusion that Enoch must have had an intimate relationship with God, so here it goes.


When I first started researching information about Enoch, I did not realize that there were two of them in the Bible.  I started studying one of them in Genesis 4 and realized I was researching the wrong one. The first Enoch you hear about is the one who is the son of Cain also known as the son of Adam and Eve. Cain was not a good person because he killed his brother Abel, so therefore, his parents, Adam and Eve, had to have another son, Seth, who would be a family link from Adam to Jesus' birth.


I want to talk to you about the second Enoch that is in the Bible; this "Enoch" is the son of Jared.  First, we read in the paragraph above that Seth is a son of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 5:6 Seth had a son named Enosh and then Enosh had Kenan; Kenan had Mahalalel; and Mahalalel had Jared. When Jared was a ripe age of 162 years old, he had Enoch. Enoch was the sixth person born in Adam's line from Adam to Jesus.  So now we know that Enoch's dad is Jared. We don't know much about him except after he had Enoch, he lived 800 more years and had sons and daughters.  I wonder if he was still having children while he was at the age of 789. What kind of father was Jared to Enoch and his siblings? Were Jared and his wife strong believers in God?  Did they teach their children to serve God? How was Enoch's mom in all of this? Actually how OLD was she at the time all of her children were born and how many were there? Were they changing diapers at this old age? 


It doesn't mention the age of Enoch's mother, let alone her name. I think anyone having a husband for over 800 years deserves to be named. You know, she could have died at an earlier age after all her kids were born. We will never know, until we get to Heaven. Okay so now Jared dies at an old age of 962 years. Wow, I wonder what they used for wrinkle cream back then. Did he have a lot of people at his funeral or did he outlive his friends and family? Sometimes I think that 40-50 years on earth is a long time; I couldn't imagine living 800 more years. Wow, that just seems so long!


In Genesis 5:18-21, Enoch lived only sixty-five years before he had Methuselah. I said "only" sixty-five years because it just seems so young compared to the age his father was when he had Enoch; Jared was 162 years of age. Sixty-five years sounds like a baby when you think about that Jared died at 962 years. Any way, after Enoch had Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years and had sons and daughters within that time frame.  The Bible doesn't mention that Enoch walked with God before Methuselah so I wonder what happened in Enoch's life to get him to that point of wanting to walk with God. Was Methuselah one of those miracle babies that was going to die and they needed lots of prayer to keep him alive or did something else happen around that time?  I was thinking that he might have had some kind of encounter with God or some kind of closeness or intimacy with God. Did Enoch's parents train him to live a godly life? Maybe at one time, Enoch was living for God, but when he became a teenager or young adult at the age of 65 (lol), maybe he started living the way his parents taught him to live. We can only speculate at this time because not much is said.


In Genesis 5:23-24 "Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years.  Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."


Can you imagine that being in the news about you or I.  NEWS FLASH!!! "Susan lived 365 years. Susan walked with God; then she was no more, because God took her away."  I can just see the headlines now, making fun of this event or doing some kind of report on a mysterious missing person of some UFO sighting that must have abducted Susan. 


The Bible does not mention how he disappeared or how he was taken. It just says that Enoch walked with God and then God took him. Period. He's gone; The end... but why? Why did God take Enoch away?


Hebrews 11:5-6  "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."


Can you imagine one day, your father or your husband had just disappeared? Did Enoch's wife or children get the warning ahead of time that he was leaving this earth? Did his wife look for him everywhere and were the police investigating what happened? Was there a search party for him? Was his wife or children not pleasing God like he did? Wow, he was walking with God and then poof, he's gone; because he pleased God.  Does God still take people off of this earth when they are walking with God?




What do we know about Enoch?  The only other thing I could find about Enoch was in Jude 14 where it says that Enoch prophesied. Okay, so we know that Enoch had children, a wife, and many siblings; plus he walked with God and he prophesied. That's about all we know. 


How do you think Enoch walked with God? When it says that he walked with God, I imagine him doing everything in his life he could, to please God. Are we pleasing God or are we pleasing our own earthly desires? Are we living on this earth just to fill space until it's our time to leave this earth, or are we living on this earth in doing God's will and pleasing Him.  Do we include God in our everyday life? or Are we just a Sunday Christian; do we pray and sing to God only on Sundays?

Prospect Park, Redlands, CA (photo by Teensy's Art)

I challenge you (and myself) to walk with God. Be so close to God that you can listen to His heartbeat. When you are listening for a heartbeat on a person, you have to be still and be quiet so you can hear it beat. When is the last time we heard God's heartbeat? How can we please God, our creator? We are on this earth for a reason; there is a special reason why God chose us to be born? He did not have to include you when he created people and their souls. I mean, he knew you and I would be born ahead of time. I am pretty sure God could have said, "hmm,  I know the future and in 1994, Tanya will not please me so let's not even create her soul."  Thankfully He did not do that for probably none of us would be born and He doesn't want robots serving Him.  Do you like it when people do things for you because they love it or just because they have to? Now put those thoughts and ideas into serving and pleasing God. You will be amazed how enjoyable it becomes.


Oh, I forgot to mention: about the thing of how Enoch served and pleased God and then God took him. Yes, I believe that was a special case. I can't imagine God taking everyone away who pleased Him. It was something special that God did with Enoch at that time, and hopefully in the eternal future, we will see or understand why He did that. Be free to please God; He might just bless your socks off.


Note: If you would like to read information about the genealogy of how Adam, Seth, and Enoch are in the ancestry of Jesus, read 1 Chronicles chapter 1 (refer to verse 3) and also read Luke 3:38.


Note: all scripture in this post is from the (New International Version) NIV, 1984 edition.


Remember that you can leave a comment by clicking "Post a Comment" below. It will link you to a place you can type in your name and comment. Type in your comment in the comment box. Below that you will see "Please prove you're not a robot"  and then type the two words they request in the appopriate box. You will notice it says "choose your identity." Click on "name;" type in your name. Then click on "publish your comment." Thank you.

My Heavenly Father, my Real Father

Here is a vision God gave me this morning. I am about 8 yrs old, my hair is in curled locks. I have a layered fluffy yellow dress on that bounces when I run. I can even see white tights with white dress shoes on my feet. I see myself running to my heavenly father's arms. The whole time I am running, I am giggling, smiling, laughing and so excited to see my heavenly father Abba. As I am running to Him, I jump up and He catches me without hesitation. He holds me with one of those tight hugs that an unconditional loving father gives to the daughter He cherishes. He twirls me around and we laugh together. We love each other...  (I don't know what loneliness, hurt, sorrow, disapproval, scared to death of abuse, abandonment or fear are, because my heavenly father didn't given me them.) I only know safety, closeness, fatherly love, and being cherished...it feels sooooo good.

This is what God wanted me to see:

God has taken my past hurt of not having that loving earthly father in my life and He is rewriting my past for me. God is my father and He invented a new childhood memory for me to have the rest of my life for my past. I need to focus on what my Abba father has given me as a young child to a young adult; His unconditional love, him wanting to be my Abba, my Father.

It’s as though I could see the little girl (me) from my past, running into God's arms and God lovingly throws me up in the air and catches me to give me a huge hug. I feel safe; I feel loved; I feel so much comfort.

Now that I have seen this vision, I realize that the soul of this little girl in me needed a healthy, loving daddy in my past memory. I always yearned for a healthy bond from an earthly father/daddy... With this vision, God made a new memory for me and He did overwrite the hurt and the unfulfilled longing I so wanted all of my life for a father/daughter bond from my earthly father. I now have a "daddy" memory from my heavenly Father.


Now I am a mature woman of God, a mature Christian. Maybe God wanted me to see that I do not need a "daddy" anymore because that empty longing of a loving father is now fulfilled in God,  the Father himself. Right now, I need a "Dad" and God is completely taking that place and role right now. I need a Heavenly DAD in this time of my mature life.

Dear God, my Heavenly Father Dad,

May you always know how much I love and adore you. Thank you for being there when my earthly one was not the father he should have been all of my life. When I was an innocent young girl to a young adult, things happened that should not have happened to me, but for some selfish reason on my earthly father's part, they were. Thank you God for the friends, pastors, and counselors you brought into my life to help me overcome so many different kinds of pain... God, thank you for helping me during the process of  when I had to learn to forgive my father, and helping me understand that I do not have to spend time with someone so destructive to my emotional health and well being. I realize that the people I bring in close to me should be safe, loving, and emotionally healthy people. Father God, I adore you and am relieved that you are my Eternal Loving Father, my Dad. From my past to my future, you are always there. Thank you!!!

Happy Father's Day, Dad. I love you!
Love your lovable and cherished daughter,
Tanya Kirkendall

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a big part of my life. He counsels me, encourages me, edges me on to do what is right; He even helps me to not give into what is wrong. I am not perfect. I didn’tsay I always obeyed Him. I wish I did, yet I strive to obey Him.

Thinking or hoping God didn’t just ask me to do something I don’t want to do; I tend to argue with Him. I always say, “but God...” and then I hear this voice in me that repeats what he wants me to do. I try to obey, but many times I fail the test. Please don’t take this the wrong way, now I am not saying I am hearing voices so please do not carry me away in a straight jacket...lol.. Let me make this clear; I hear ONE voice, the Voice of GOD...The Voice of the Holy Spirit prompting, nudging, and sometimes even pushing me to do what is right. Yes, I said "pushing" because I can be stubborn at times, or even scared, have too much pride, embarrassed, or just plain don't want to do what He asks. 

My precious cat: Buttons

Yet I notice that He always blesses me each time I obey Him. He doesn't give me a hundred bucks each time I obey Him, but He blesses me in different ways. Sometimes it is through a friend, a child's laughter, a beautiful sunset, or even helping me manage my bills, supplying my needs, helping me with good deals at the store, etc... There are even those times that I feel blessed through my cat Buttons. As I am typing this right now, he is scooping up water with his paw and bringing it to his mouth to drink. Aww, he is so cute, but let's get back to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit also gives me the strength and power to help me overcome temptations. I hear this quiet voice, that tells me to not give in, and it is mychoice to obey Him. I can’t blame it on the devil, an enemy or even a family member. If I don’t do what the Holy Spirit asks, then I am the one sinning. I believe it is very important to listen and obey the Holy Spirit’s voice, for it is the Voice of GOD.

The Holy Spirit is like a big brother without all the teasing, but yet He is greater than any big brother or person out there, for He is God. He is always watching out for me and He can do the same thing for you. Yet greater than all that, He is a part of the Trinity. The Trinity is God in three: The Father, the Son (Jesus), and The Holy Spirit.

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PART OF THE TRINITY

The easiest way to describe it is the way one of my former pastors from 20 years ago taught me. The Holy Spirit is like a watch. If you look at a watch that you used to wear on your wrist, before they invented cell phones, you would notice that there are three hands. There is the second hand, the minute hand, and the hour hand. There are 3 different hands with 3 different functions, yet all three make up the watch. That’s how it is with God. There is the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. There are three, yet they have different roles and they all make up God.

Read Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

 I have read and skimmed over the 1^st Chapter of Genesis many times, yet I didn’t think anything differently about verse 26 until I was in my late 20’s. It already says that God made the light, the animals, the sky, the stars, etc... He made everything...All those verses talk about what God did. Yet in verse 26, it says, let “US” make mankind in “OUR” image. So who are they talking about in this verse? I believe it is talking about God as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God always existed. Jesus has always been the son of God which is part of the trinity. He wasn’t created the day He was born on this earth thousands of years ago. He already existed, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

John 1:1-5  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS GOD. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Word was Jesus. Jesus was in the beginning, Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. It says all things were made through Him (Jesus). He was there even when God made all things.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR HELPER (COMFORTER) and is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH

John 14:16-18  NKJV   And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

(If you look at the above verses, notice how The Father, the Son, and the Spirit work as a team. They are God, yet they all help each other out in helping us. They all have a different role. Also In verse 16, different translations of the Bible have different words for Helper, such as in the newer NIV version, for Helper, it says “advocate,” in the KJV: “Comforter.”

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR COUNSELOR, TEACHER, and HE EVEN HELPS US REMEMBER THINGS

In verse John 14:25-26 “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. "

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and will remind you things. Yes, in these particular verses, Jesus is actually face to face with the disciples and is telling them to not worry, they won't be left alone. The Holy Spirit is coming to town!!! Can you imagine, what these disciples were thinking? I would be distraught or devastated too if I was walking with a form of God (Jesus came down as man) and then He is telling me He is leaving. Yet He told them to be comforted because another form of God is coming down to them who is the Holy Spirit. Now this verse applies to us as well. because the Holy Spirit is our counselor and teacher, and will bring to our memory what you have read or heard from the Bible. The Bible is the written word of God.

OUR FATHER GOD SENT DOWN A GIFT who is THE HOLY SPIRIT.

In Luke 24:49 Jesus is telling his disciples that His Father (God) has promised Him that He will send them a comforter.

Acts 1:4-5   On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

So not only will they be anticipating a gift, but this gift will give them a baptism of the Holy Spirit.

THE EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS SPEAKING IN TONGUES AND YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT

Acts 1:5,8  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit... But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:1-5  When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

It says: all began to speak in tongues. It doesn’t say, some of them, or only the ones that God chose, it says all of them began to speak in tongues when the Holy Spirit was upon them. Also it does mention that they spoke in other tongues when they were enabled by the Spirit.

(NOTE: The day of Pentecost was a Jewish holiday called The Feast of Weeks. Many Jews came from all around to have a celebration).

Acts 2:18-19, 21 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. ¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heaven above...²¹ And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

The Holy Spirit is for you and I.

RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT IS FOR ANYONE WHO REPENTS OF THEIR SINS (AND is BAPTIZED) AND RECEIVES JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR.

Acts 2:36-40   “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” ³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off —for all whom the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Peter is the one speaking in the scripture above. (refer to Acts 2:14).
So Peter is telling them, this Jesus you crucified, the one you killed, He is the one that is God; He is the Christ. Can you imagine that moment; thinking that you just killed God? Thankfully He rose again, but can you imagine hearing those words; You crucified the Christ, God. If I was there with Peter, I think my heart would have sank into my big toe and my head would have been spinning so much i would have thrown up. I would have those words in my memory forever and probably would have played them like a broken record. "God had made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Thankfully Peter also says that there is a way to overcome this. He says: Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ... for the forgiveness of your sins.  Webster's New World dictionary defines the word "repent" as to feel such great regret over as to change one's mind.  Jesus Christ saves our souls...Wow, have you really thought about that lately? Christ forgives us of the sins we do. What sin have you done recently? Each time we are sinning, it's as though we are nailing Jesus to the cross again....

Matthew 28:16-20     Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus has authority!!! He is always with us!!!

Titus 3:3-8     At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ⁸ This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

God saved us, cleansed us, and renewed us through the Holy Spirit and Jesus.

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

John 16:5-15 but now I (Jesus) am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. ⁷ But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because people do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. ¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

 The Holy Spirit guides you... He will talk to you... He may whisper in your ear, speak to you through a person, be real to you in a sermon or song, or just speak to your heart, mind, soul, or spirit. The Holy Spirit is a vital part to your relationship with God. He is our counselor, comforter, friend, teacher, guidance counselor; He is so much more than you can ever imagine.

LIFE THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

Romans 8:1-17  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  

(Note: I believe in previous times, people had to follow the law; they had to do all those burnt offerings and sacrifices so that God would forgive them. It was an act of repentance. We don't need to follow those laws anymore, because Jesus was the ultimate sin offering. When Jesus Christ  died for our sins, he was OUR sin offering. He died for us to be set free. JESUS was the ULTIMATE SIN OFFERING.)

⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

(Note: Usually what your flesh wants, is totally different than what your spirit wants. Seek what the Holy Spirit wants for you; die to your flesh. For example, try thinking about turning off the tv when your favorite program is on, and it's the season finale, better yet, it's the last, final show they will have. Now, think about praying instead. Do you think your flesh wants to turn off the tv. No Way, it wants to sit and watch that tv program. Dying to your flesh, is turning off the tv, and praying. What does the Holy Spirit want in your life? How can you seek Him more? What is your spirit crying out to do for God? Has God put something on your heart that He wants you to do?)

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

The Spirit gives life.

Children of God are lead by the Spirit of God. They are heirs of God, and Co-heirs of Christ. Think of yourself as a co-heir in Christ. I don't know about you, but that just totally excites me. I am an heir of God; my destiny is heaven. I will live with God for eternity...wow, how exciting. It just gives me holy goose bumps.

Now just think, you get rewarded with this too. No, I am not talking about receiving Holy goose bumps; I am talking about living in Heaven for eternity. This destination is for believers in the true God. Just take a moment to think how glorious that day will be when you will see the face of God without any filters.

I like to think of myself as God's princess. He is God, the Lord of my life, the King of kings, the Prince of Peace...He is Royalty!!!

If I am His child and have an inheritance to Heaven, then I am His princess for He is Royalty.

We serve a God who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient...Thank you GOD!!!

You are a child of God, when you accept Christ as your personal saviour.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

http://www.bing.com/images/search

Psalms 103:12 As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

All you have to do is believe that He is God and confess your sins...He will forgive you of your sins...and then clean you up to make you brand new... Once God forgives you of your sins, He doesn't condemn you; He removes them...that's it...

I am enclosing a prayer for each of you.

Dear God,

For all those who have read this blog, I pray you bless them and give them a sweet anointing on their lives. May they feel your presence in a strong way. May they sense you are so much greater than our minds can comprehend. Please bless them, strengthen them, and may they just feel you tugging and hugging on their soul and spirit. May you be their source of strength and peace. 

For those who do not know Christ as their savior, I pray that they feel your sweet, unconditional love and they will acknowledge you as their savior. May they know that you are the Ultimate God, and all they have to do is confess you as Lord and savior and repent of their sins.  In Jesus name, Amen

note: all pictures are copies of my oil paintings or pictures I have captured, unless otherwise noted.