notes from lisa...

 I don't know why, but today seems to be a day of Scripture revelation. Not complaining at all , but feeling inadequate--and knowing that I haven't really understood the magnitude of some verses (that I thought I understood) is humbling, as it should be.  Clearly, we’re ALL "seeing through a glass darkly" for now. In these non-glorified, dying bodies we will never grasp every bit of Scripture. We need changed bodies and souls to comprehend all of it. However, if you KNOW the Subject of the Bible...and not just the words of the Bible, then you can know more--a lot more .  God has and will (continue to) reveal some great and precious promises to His children--those who are born again AND seeking His truth, with the help of the Holy Ghost. "...He will teach you all things" [John 14:26]. Without the Spirit alive in our hearts, the Bible becomes a book of rules and regulations--and that is how we will treat the Bible in our interactions with people. With the ...

 I wish we could be a color-blind society; acknowledging and accepting of all cultures. Skin color has nothing to do with who any of us are. Unfortunately, that reality is not a lived experience in this nation. Skin color tells nothing of the heart within any of God’s children.  Black Americans (others, too, but I'm speaking about the experience that I know, at the moment) have longed to fit in, but were never invited. Whenever we have shown up, we're reminded that we cannot be a full participant. There's no permanent seat for us at the table. Our "seat" is brought in and removed, based on our adherence to the (invisible, but very real) line that has been drawn for us in America.  (Please don't stop reading--this isn’t a post about race). It's about how we must be reconciled to God and one another [ 1 John 3:10 GNT  " Here is the clear difference between God's children and the Devil's children: those who do not do what is right or do not l...

     Most, if not all of us have traditionally been taught that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for sexual immorality. That is not quite accurate. [Ezekiel 16:15 is a really good example of the sequence of sin]--that the beginning of sin is pride , arrogance and not caring for or about "your sister". Read, slowly Ezekiel 16:48-59, *verse 56, NKJV].       What I think we miss with this simplified reason for the destruction of sin (in us) is that all sin has a root. If we deal with the root it will positively impact the health, growth, and well-being of the entire organism--whatever or whomever that may be. Sodom and Gomorrah didn't start out with sexually deviant behavior... no one does . We have to first think that we know what's best for us--only then, will we do anything to achieve and maintain our comfort. That’s pride. " Anything " is all the sin that we struggle with; not understanding that, sins are a symptom  (of something much deep...

 Let me start by saying, if that's the way you choose to give that's totally up to you. Tithing (or not tithing), isn't a Heaven or hell issue.  Tithing according to the Mosaic Law was always agricultural unless the giver had to travel a great distance. Then, money was acceptable. Money existed long before the Law was given. If God meant for money to be tithed, wouldn't He have required that rather than agriculture when He gave Moses laws regarding the tithe? Money was used as early as Genesis 23, by Abraham...so, well before Moses. Grace (or New Covenant) giving is sacrificial.  There's no mention of continued tithing after Jesus died, buried and rose. And, when Jesus talked about the tithe in Matthew 23:23, He wasn't speaking in positive terms. He was talking about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who liked to make a show of everything they (supposedly) did for God. The Pharisees were over the top in everything-- just read that chapter as Jesus rebuked them. H...

I'm not interested in changing your mind. I just want you to consider a few commonly held beliefs.  I had some crisis moments in my life--a whole bunch! In looking back, I realize that those crises were necessary to humble me enough to see that I don't have all of the answers (imagine that!). It took trouble and discomfort for me to see Jesus and to begin to grasp the magnitude of His unspeakable Gift. I learned that everything that I was so sure about--particularly Scriptural things, were not necessarily as I (thought) knew them   to be. I was so sure of myself (and full of myself, too).  Then, life got real...really real; and hard, too. In the midst of my storms, I ran to God's Word for the answers to my prayers. My prayers weren't answered the way I assumed God would answer them. I think I forgot about His Sovereignty. You see, I had been getting information from unreliable sources about my situation and the way God works. So, I was "naming and claiming" ...

 Laws don't add up to righteousness... ever . Do we make laws, for the purpose of drawing men and women to God; or is it really about our comfort in this world? "For if a system of law had been given which could impart life, then righteousness (right standing with God) would actually have been based on law.  But the Scripture has imprisoned everyone [everything—the entire world] under sin, so that [the inheritance, the blessing of salvation] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe [in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s precious Son]" Galatians 3:21 [Amplified Bible]. If our goal is the salvation of the lost, we're most assuredly going about it the wrong way. Soul winning is accomplished by the "Good News" . The Gospel (Good News) is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and that is all . God is not impressed with our gimmicks, our laws, our politics or our church membership. He just isn't. He does...

 I'm not sure Jesus would approve of the way we treat our neighbors.  I think Fred Rogers was onto something with his little song, "Who are the people in your neighborhood...they're the people that you meet each day...". But, our neighborhood is global, and our neighbors include all of humanity --"even unto the ends of the earth". It's easy to lose track of that fact, when you can't see and may never know someone.  Still, if we recognized the world as a neighborhood and everyone in it as our neighbor--because we are ALL "made in the Image of God and after His Likeness ". Each person is the apple of God's eye. I love what Max Lucado wrote: "If God had a refrigerator, YOUR picture would be on it". We seem to have trouble making the connection between ourselves and others who may look, speak different than us--or have cultural differences that we may not share or understand. When we forget that those people who may be very dif...

 You know, when Constantine decided to get in the "business" of church he made a big mess. We're still trying to disentangle from that conundrum.  The Church was doing just fine following the Commission, that Jesus Christ left us. Every time, we try to mix church and state, we add to the mess. The Church is THE CHURCH and government is of the world . Until the Nicaean Council, the Church was growing--and people came to Christ, because they were drawn spiritually --they CHOSE this Way. The hardships and persecution couldn't keep them away! Those new Christians simply walked out their testimony and loved the way Christ taught us to; and they came in droves. The Gospel was never meant to be a "have to" thing. We have been gifted with free will to choose how we will live our lives, (at, and since) the beginning of the world. That free will has never been rescinded. Even when God was sorry (repented) that He had made mankind, He didn't withdraw it. What H...

 I think I must have dreamt about Stephen last night. You know, the first Christian martyr--that Stephen. The name Stephen, means "crown". What a heavy crown to wear, or what a majestic crown to wear; it's all about perspective.  Of course, I had to read about Stephen when I got a chance today. Before I could read about his martyrdom, or even what led to it, I got caught up in the description of this newly appointed deacon. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles says, "...Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit...". I got stuck right there. I've been pondering how to share the Word of God concerning the Holy Spirit (Ghost) for quite some time, so it isn't strange to me that I'd get stuck there. You know, there's something about the Holy Ghost that makes people take notice when nothing else will.  This Spirit that we so often speak of--and claim to possess within, is not simple, or light, or easily overlooked. The Holy Ghost makes His Pr...

    Globally, we are so disconnected from anyone who doesn't think, look, or have the same political and religious beliefs that we do.    We have no respect for differences, today. In fact, we have no desire to hear from anyone that has a differing opinion. We choose our news based on our political leaning, rather than looking for news that presents facts and gives us the opportunity to decide what to believe, based on the facts. We're too lazy to think for ourselves; or as Christians, we have become too lazy to check facts and pray. We rely on pundits rather than spiritual discernment and God's Word to direct us, in our decisions. If we're Christians, our choices--all of them, political, churches, what we watch and how we spend our time (and with whom we spend it) should be made based on prayer and discernment.     For Christians, we owe it to ourselves and the world, to seek God before we decide things that have the potential to affect other people. ...

      I hope my friends who support former President Trump won't bypass  this because of the title. I'd really like to share my feelings--all of them, without debate; and in a way so that they can be pondered thoughtfully, if you care to do so.     So, I have three key reasons why and I will explain each of them.  I'm a woman, I'm a minority, I'm a Christian.      The first two won't be as in-depth to explain as the last, but they are still very important.       As a woman, I can't support a candidate who views women as objects. He makes it clear by his statements and behavior that women are either beautiful (then they're fit for his pleasure and can be in his presence), or they're ugly (and he would "never sleep with them", "they are disgusting", "nasty", horseface", "' A crazed, crying lowlife' and 'a  dog'","low I.Q.".  " In a New York magazine profile published in Novembe...

    I know exactly what you're thinking, right now. Who is this crazy (or know-it-all) woman who thinks she has the answer to everything?  That would be me, because I do--but I can't take credit for it, at all . All I did was read it and acknowledge its truth, and the simplicity of it.      Here it is: "Ye shall not oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I AM the L ORD your God." [Leviticus 25:17, KJV]. It really is simple, but what we call "human nature" gets in the way (it's really sin, but you can call it human nature if it makes you feel better). The truth is we make it sound like we are without choice in the matter; but that's not entirely so. Each of us has been gifted with free will --no matter how good or evil, we have it; and we can do with it whatever we choose. So, in reality it's not human nature--we weren't created to do evil; that's not the natural thing for created mankind. It is for fallen mankind; but eve...

Often, when bad things happen--we find ourselves shocked that the person we knew would do something so heinous. The truth is, there is an explanation for it and it lies in the makeup of mankind. Man is a trichotomy . God intended for us to be a trichotomy--we are spirits , that have souls and bodies . We are made up of all three. We can't exist without all three, but failure of one or the other to function according to the original plan can wreak havoc; and not simply on ourselves, but those who come in contact with us. The intent of God was to have a man and a woman "made in His Image and after His Likeness". God is One ! "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD..."[Deuteronomy 6:4, The Shema]. And that is His plan for us--that we would be one, as He Is One. There is a difference in the original nature (that God desired for us) and the sin nature that exists in every man, woman and child after the fall of mankind. Now, we have the opportunity to be one...