When It's all Been Said and Done by Robin Mark

I love this song! I would like to have it played at my funeral, when the time comes :o)

When It's all Been Said and Done by Robin Mark

The Weaver

Hi Y'all,
I can't believe I've been away so long.  I guess going back to school took up most of my time. One thing I learned at collage is that I can write poetry.  Several of my poems were published this year in, "Frontage Road", an accredited collage publication.  I would like to share a poem I've written with you call The Weaver.

The Weaver

by Frankie Moses Conar

The hands of the weaver

Make changes ever so subtle

Meshing the strands together

Using a loom and a shuttle. 

He creates the fabric;

He chooses every strand

To form a unique design

The cloth doesn't lend a hand.

He patiently guides each string

And selects the colors too.

He is the master of his craft;

he knows just what to do.

Imagine if the fiber rebelled

Causing chaos, worry and stress.

Instead of a thing of beauty

There would only be a mess.

Then why do we fight

And go against our makers hand?

Our lives would be more beautiful

If we followed our Master's plan.

Write each day with God's love,

Frankie

How We Should Live pt.3

How We Should Live

Pt. 3

     Have you ever done something that has hurt someone you love? Have you ever spoken harshly in anger and as soon as the words were out of your mouth, you wish you could take them back? We’ve all been guilty of hurting someone in this manner.


     Ephesians 4:30 reminds us to live our lives in such a way that we will not grieve the Holy Spirit. 30-" And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,[b] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption."  Have you ever thought about how your speech or actions hurt God? To be truthful I had never given it much thought in relation to my day to day living.

     There have been times in my life when I’ve really messed up big time. I’ve since repented and ask God’s forgiveness of my sins. Not only has he forgiven them, but he has forgotten them. I use the general phrase, ”forgive me of my sins” in my prayers each day but I’ve rarely given those sins much thought. The phrase was just a blanket to cover things I never really repented of or thought about. Not only did those sins grieve the Holy Spirit, but I’m sure my lackadaisical attitude hurt him even more.

     Verse 30 tells us to live our lives in such a way the world will know we are a Christian. Being human we are still going to sin from time to time, but we should be so in tune with God that the sin we’ve committed should prick our heart. Right then and there, at the time we commit the sin, we should repent and ask for forgiveness of the sin. If you’re like me, there are so many ‘little things’ we do to grieve the Spirit each day we don’t even notice them.

     A harsh answer, letting our thoughts dwell on something we should not be thinking about, gossiping or telling a little white lie are just a few of the ways we bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit. I think this article was written just for me because this morning I was trying to figure how to deal with a situation that has recently come up in my life. The plan I came up with was not one God would be proud of, while writing this piece my conscious was pricked and I had to stop and ask forgiveness. I also asked for strength to live my live in such a way there would be no doubt that I’m a child of God.

     We are told to get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, and all types of evil behavior. We should live our day to day lives in a way that is pleasing to him. 31-" Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32- Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you".

     We’re to forgive others just as God has forgiven us. Wow, that’s a powerful statement. God has forgiven me of so much, it would take a book to list all those many grievances. He expects me to forgive others who have hurt me and be kind and compassionate toward everyone. That’s a pretty tall order, to love the unlovable and forgive those who have hurt us. But if we are truly his child, we should reflect his image so that the world can see Jesus in us.

     Dear sweet forgiving Father,  Please help me to reflect you in all I do and say.  Forgive me for all the sins I've committd and never gave a second thought.  Fill me with your loving spirit so that I may never grieve your Holy Spirit again.  Fill me with your love and compassion for others and help me to forgive them as you forgave me.  Let everyone know that I am your child by my words and deeds.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Paint each day with God's love,
Frankie

Orphans of God

Liberia Mission Trip 2010

Here is a video my daughter, Ginger, just posted. It shows what we did in Africa this summer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCJoLw1VQJY

How We Should Live

How We Should Live
Pt. 2

     Today in part two of “How We Should Live” Ephesians 4:25 NLT gets right to the point with the following words: “So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.” If we want to live our lives the way God wants us to live them, we need to do all he tells us to do. He tells us to speak truthfully to everyone, all the time.

     I know it’s easier said than done, all of us have told a little white lie a few times in our life. Most of us have told out right fabrications from time to time. God says to Stop It! That means stretching the truth as well as not saying anything and letting a faults idea go uncorrected.

     You may say, “That’s all well and good but what about the questions like: Do you like my new hat, or Do these pants make my back side look big?” We are told to speak the truth in love even when called on to answer tricky questions like those mentioned above. The key is to do so with LOVE.

     Jesus spoke the truth everywhere he went, some people didn’t want to hear it, and others accepted the truth because Jesus spoke in love. God is the way, the truth, and the life, he is also love. Satan is the father if lies. The next time you are tempted to stretch the truth, or tell a little white lie, stop and think who you will be honoring with your speech.

     The next few verses talk about anger, 26- "And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”[a] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27- for anger gives a foothold to the devil". How can you give the devil a foothold in your life and still say you are living for Jesus?

     There is a lot of anger and rage in today’s world. We hear about cases of ‘Road Rage’ where someone has become so agitated over some real or imagined driving incident, the enraged person pulls a gun and kills the offending driver. I think that a spirit of rage has been set loose in the world. We need to guard ourselves against letting anger control us. It is possible to be angry and sin not with God’s help.

     Verse 28 explains itself; “If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.” We need to find something useful to do with our hands. Work hard and help others who are in need.

     Paul wrote in verse 29, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”  Foul or abusive language, I wonder what Paul would think if he could hear our speech of today? Well, guess what, Jesus does hear, is he pleased with the words you let slip from your mouth?

     We also need to be careful of how we talk about others. We should season our speech with love and not be critical of others or speak hatefully to one another. The old saying about sticks and stones could not be farther from the truth. Words can and do hurt especially those spoken in anger. Hastily spoken words have the power to crush the spirit especially the spirit of a young child.

     Have you noticed that most of the scripture used today dealt with the tongue? Lying, letting our anger control our speech as well as our actions, and not use fowl or abusive language was a common thread in today’s study. God knew we would need help and gave us a lot of good advice on controlling our speech found all throughout the bible. If you have a bible with a topical index, you will be able to find many more verses dealing with control of the tongue. Better yet, go to biblegateway.com or Google and you’ll find enough verses to keep you busy reading for hours.

Until next time, my friends, keep living your lives in a manner pleasing to our Heavenly Father.
Oh, by the way, does this hat make me look silly?

How We Should Live

How We Should Live
Pt.1

     On my last trip to Africa, I met a lot of baby Christians. They may have been saved years ago, but no one was there to teach them how to live their lives as a born again believer. A large percent of the country is illiterate and cannot read the Word for themselves. They must rely on someone else to tell them what the bible teaches, and some of the teachings they receive are pretty twisted. My experience in Liberia drove home the point that I need to study my bible and seek God’s answers for how I should live my life.

     As Christians, we are called to be set apart from the ways of the world while we are living here on earth. We are called to be a peculiar people, and living a Godly lifestyle in today’s society will certainly make us look weird in the eyes of the world.

     Have you ever wondered just how you should live your life? We all know we should keep the Ten Commandments and love Jesus, but have you ever wondered if there is more to it than just a set of ten rules? A few weeks ago I was reading in Ephesians and found a blueprint of how a Christian should live. Over the next few weeks, I plan to bring you a devotional beginning with Ephesians 4:17-32 and then move on into chapter 5. Today we will start with verses 17-24.

Ephesians 4:17-24 (New Living Translation)

Living as Children of Light

17- With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18- Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19- They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

     Does this sound like Paul was writing about society today? He wrote this to the Christians in Ephesus, while he was imprisoned in Rome, around 60 A.D., but it fits so perfectly with our generation. Today’s society has a hardened heart against God and his people; they would rather live a lie that hear the truth.

     The NIV translation verse 19 reads, “Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” We as Christians must keep up our guard not to lose our sensitivity to immoral behaviors, in a world that bombards us with commercials, television shows, music and even billboards. Do you remember the children’s song, Oh, be careful little eyes what you see?” We need to apply the words of that song to our lives today and be careful what we see, hear and say.

     It seems everyone is trying to outdo the other to see how low they can sink. Look at the way the world acts, dresses, talks and boast of sexual conquest and practices. Even some children’s shows encourage disobedience and bad language. Unless you work in a Christian environment, you probably see and hear enough in your workplace to curl your ears.

     The apostle Paul is urging his fellow believers to stop living like the unbelievers in their society. Verses 20-24 tell us how we should live. 20- But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21- Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22- throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23- Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24- Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

     Did you catch the part in verse 24 where it said we were created to be like God, righteous and holy? Do you blend in with the world or do you stand out as one of God’s children?

_____________________________________

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to live as children of light. May we stand out as a ray of hope to a dark and fallen world. Help us to guard against the onslaught of the world’s lifestyle that we may not lose our sensitivity to the wickedness that surrounds us. Give us wisdom for how we should dress, talk and live our lives. Help us to grow to be more like you - truly righteous and holy.


In Jesus precious name I pray,
 Amen.

Paint each day with God's love,
Frankie