WHAT DOES YOUR HEART SEE?

Whether you stand in the shade,

Or in the sun,

Is not the tree still beautiful?

By Martha L Shaw – ©2014

Handmade from twigs by M L SHAW

 

ARE YOU LIVING IN YOUR TRUE IDENTITY?

In His Image

In the quiet

I felt your arms around me.

I smiled.

I sighed.

I knew your breath,

So close to me,

Was filling my lungs

And giving me strength

To grow . . . to go on.

I was you.

You were me.

By Martha L Shaw – © 2014

DIRTY FEET-SMELLY FRIENDS-JESUS’ CHOICES?

Jesus chose those 12 and surely eyebrows raised then as now. Consider seeing them sitting in the dirt eating fish Jesus cooked for them.  Smelly fishermen and others gathered with Him, and Him soiled from prepping the meal for them. . . FOR THEM!?

Sadly, so VERY sadly we are no different today!  Those whom we judge are not soiled, OUR OWN HEARTSAND MINDS ARE AND THIS MUST CHANGE!  Surely, you noticed the reaction at church to these:

• the single mom with 4 kids
• the lady who coughs so much
• that guy with the cane
• the teenager alone
• the elderly lady with dirty hair
• the old man with a wrinkled shirt
• that odd smell

Do you sit  near the pew they select?  Welcome Them?  Introduce yourself?   Hug?  Shake hands? Introduce them to others?  Escort them to coffee?  Jesus was waiting for you by the door!

 

Matthew 25:31-46

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

This Morning’s Gift

The Lord often awakens me by giving me a song, and please sing this with me!

POETRY IN MOTION

BEAUTY IS EVERYWHERE By Martha L Shaw ©2016

 

How To Change My Life

“The mindset of Christ.” Ponder that. As His children, we are to approach everything through that mindset. I think of the things I do each day. Some bless, some depress me. The difference is not so much in which challenge me most but more in which I approach as His call for my life. I find joy, grace, blessings, passion in those . . . and displeasure and sometimes dread in the others. Many of those I frown on become difficult needlessly because of my mindset . . . the dishes in my sink, the budget, answering the phone . . . if I can make all things a prayer without ceasing . . . doing them through the mindset of Christ, what a transformation that would be!

You

When you walk into the room
And believe all the smiles
Are meant for someone else,
Know that mine is meant for you.

By Martha Shaw © 10-7-2014

I Just COULDN’T Help Myself!

Okay, can you relate? You see, when someone says “don’t look now, but” tell me, don’t you look anyway?  How about when you have a tooth ache.  Do you keep sticking your tongue there to see if it hurts? 

Yup, I hate that I do those things.  Oh, then there’s the fact that on a gloomy day, it seems I and everyone else wears dismal colors.   How about when someone yawns.  Don’t you often do it too and you’re NOT EVEN TIRED?  So today as I was driving down the road in heavy traffic heading to the school where I teach Creative Writing to some children in an after school program, I noticed a dusty dump truck in front of me and in big bold letters painted across the back was the phrase “Keep on smiling!” 

I was suffering from allergy issues.  I had other concerns weighing on me.  Lots going through my mind and heart, but those concerns didn’t stop me from doing what the sign said.  I smiled and since seeing the truck I keep finding my self doing it and even giggling a little.  So I was thinking, as Christians we are commissioned to reflect the love of Christ.  Do you suppose if enough of us do, it could really and truly catch on as folks on some deep level are drawn to what lies deep within US?  Let’s try it!  Joy, not because life is easy, but because we are HIS!

Jesus Has Been Trying To Tell Us!

You can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people. You can’t save the people if you don’t serve the people.  – Cornel West –

 

Our amazing and loving Lord has been trying to write this message on our hearts since He walked this earth in human form and He still is trying to urge, to teach, to command us to love.

 

He came!

He loved!

He served!

 

If you have picked up a newspaper, turned on the television or radio, or simply walked down any street whether far or near, you cannot deny that we have failed in this . . . it is not “they” who have failed.  It is not an undefined “those who walk in darkness” who need to hear this message . . . it is each and every one of us.  Regardless of the denomination of the “church” you belong to, you know that we are the body of Christ and that the ultimate message is love yet all too often the message we focus on is one of being judge.  God is the judge.  We are not.  Want to change the world?  Reflect His love!

 

 

 

 

 

Are You One in Ten?

Wow, I woke up tormented today by voices in my head which spoke of gloom and doom and lack of hope.  I considered writing about it, but didn’t want to fan the flame, so I read some.  As I read, the loud voices in my head continued their firm stand on things, but the voices of heart and soul began to whisper . . .

I quickly began to feel the peace pouring out of that place and the whisper won out over the loud voices.  What I read spoke of all that’s real and of being Christlike . . . the truth didn’t need to shout . . . shouting is for the untruth.

I also read that only one in ten in any given group of Christians are truly ready to take on our commission and are willing to do the work.  Initially, this sounded discouraging.  Not so. 

When I was last working, back in MA before a move and a bad economy shifted things, I recall the sales part of my banking career and the truth that our great product was likely to be met with only one “yes” in ten attempts to sell it.

Know what?  When those one in ten who want the good and the real and are willing to do what is necessary to be what they truly are . . . when that one in ten who buy the good product at a high cost over the cheap imitation . . . suddenly, the product sales go up, because those one in ten reflect its glory so brightly.  Suddenly, the number of those whispering the truth is growing and those who have to shout to make the lie heard?  They are growing fewer.

Are you one of the ten?