I was given the following words and visions to aid my understanding, may they add to your understanding as well.

When I asked what was keeping us from getting fully into the presence of God, it was revealed to me that mankind has “compartmentalized” all aspects of our lives. We live in our countries, within our states, within our cities, and a part of our neighborhoods in our private houses, sleeping in specific rooms, eating in specific rooms, and in general living pieces of our daily lives in predefined compartments. This has carried forward into our places of work and even into churches.

Our worship and each activity of the church have even been compartmentalized by our own agendas. When we worship we place the Pastor in a specific location at a specific time during the service to lead a particular portion of the pre-established worship service following a pre-existing and somewhat rigid time schedule. The worshippers arrive and sit in orderly rows, many times sitting in the same specific seats in the sanctuary as they have for years. Our worship services traditionally contain a prescribed amount of time for songs, for reading of the word, for teaching on the word, for prayer, and for closing of the worship service with dismissal.

How can we enter into the presence of God if we keep bouncing off of the borders and boundaries that we place around every aspect of our lives as we seek Him? Since our Creator God can not be contained in a “box” we can not expect to find Him in one – especially one that we have built.

Once again I asked what was keeping us from getting fully into the presence of God. I realized that what I was about to “see” was being shown to me because I did not have full understanding of the words that I had just received.

I saw the familiar vision of a church sanctuary, with the altar flanked by rows of pews stretching orderly from a specific distance from the altar to the back of the sanctuary. The front few rows of pews were mostly empty as if all feared to sit too close to the altar.

As the worship service was about to begin the entire altar was illumined and a layer of what appeared to be a cloud floated above it. The illumined altar began to expand to fill the entire sanctuary as the pews and the choir loft and the balcony all disappeared in the illumed a cloud that filled the room rising above the ever expanding altar. The leading edges of the altar were brightly illumined as if they were on fire. The light from the “fire” caused the cloud to glow.

The altar continued to expand beyond the church, across parking lots and streets into adjacent neighborhoods. As the altar passed over each house and building they would disappear from sight to be covered by the consistent layer of the illumined cloud.

The altar continued to expand across the limits of the city, then the county, then the state, the country … until the entire world was covered by the altar and the encircling layer of brightly illumined cloud.

From upon the altar and within the cloud, across the entire surface of the earth, was heard the sound of people praying, singing, and praising God in “one voice”. As the voices could be heard a layer of sweet smelling incense rose from the cloud into the heavens and God smiled upon the earth, for the prayers and praise of His creation had come into His presence and pleased Him.

Almighty and ever-loving Father, May I seek each day not my agenda and my familiar “compartments” but seek the altar of sacrifice of self that you have set before me. May I seek to be enveloped by the fire of your Holy Spirit and spread among my Brothers and Sisters as an illumined blanket of cloud bringing light, hope and peace? Father, may the fire of your Spirit rage upon the earth until it is completely encircled by the children of your creation praying, singing and praising you, my Lord. May these true sounds of worship rise like incense into your presence and bring you joy? Then Father, may you call the children of your creation to rise into your presence and fall at the foot of your throne to worship you for eternity. Amen

4/25/2005 JMc

What is your Faith?

Faith

Someone asks me “what is your faith?” The questions start flooding my mind as I stumble for a response.

Is “my faith” my denomination”? Is faith a compilation of my beliefs?

Is faith just trust? Is faith just belief? Is faith just hope?

What are the foundations of faith? What can faith be compared to?

Is faith developed, created, instilled or inherited? Where does faith reside, in my head or my heart?

Is faith maintained or is it constant? How big does faith need to be?

Just how can I explain what faith means to me?

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Now how can I explain what I can’t even see? I can’t tell them that it is just a feeling that I have – it’s much more than a feeling.

I recall Jesus healed people that witnessed their faith, but what did he see in them? I also recall that Jesus rebuked his disciples and others because of their lack of faith.

Jesus seemed to be always telling people that they could do much more than they thought they could if they had stronger faith. The size of faith doesn’t seem to be significant because Jesus said that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed that we could move mountains.

I do know that I need to hold onto my faith – no matter what struggles I may be facing. In Matthew 24: 9-13 Jesus warns, "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

My friend is standing there still waiting for my answer to his question – what can I tell him? It seems that my faith must be rock solid, void of all uncertainty; it must be a large part of who I am and how I respond. What ever I tell my friend should not be a “smokescreen” it must be what I really believe my faith to be, it must be the truth.

Yes! That is what my faith is! My faith is the truth of my belief in God, my trust in his guidance in my life, and although I can never “do” enough to “earn” my way into heaven I have the assuredness of my salvation through Jesus His Son who suffered, was crucified and died for my sins and the sins of so many others. Jesus rose from the dead and is alive and will come to claim his kingdom, once and for all time.

OK, time to respond to my friend … here goes.

My friend, my faith is the truth of God and in the gift of salvation through His Son Jesus. All faith, all truth, all hope is in God - God above me (in the Father), God for me (in His Son, Jesus), and God in me (in the Holy Spirit). My faith is a gift. My faith is a gift from God!

JMc 3/9/2007

On My Father's Lap

My favorite time is when I climb into my Father’s lap. I know He’s always there waiting and inviting me to sit with Him awhile. I know He’ll always welcome me no matter how I’ve grown, what I look like, where I’ve come from, or how long it’s been since I was with Him.

This is such a special time. It’s a time when, though my family is large, my Father has reserved for just He and I to be together. He invites me to talk with Him and to share what’s on my mind and in my heart.

My Father listens to my every word. He seems to understand my pain, concerns, heartbreaks, and worries, and He shares in my joys and sorrows. While sometimes He may respond, in His quiet voice, other times I know that through His silence His response will come later, and that He will faithfully respond at another time.

He knows all of those that I talk to Him about and through His responses; sometimes I believe that He knows them much better than I do. His words of wisdom I may not immediately understand, yet I have grown to know that sooner or later I will see that what he speaks will make all things clear.

My favorite time, while in my Father’s lap is when neither He nor I say anything. How wonderful the assurance that at that time there is no one else around – just my Father and me. I lay my head against His chest, hear His heartbeat, listen to His breaths, and feel the warming comfort of His arms around me.

My Father’s lap, no safer place, nowhere more comfortable – an ever-present place of solitude where love is expressed and felt like no other. I love to be there, yet often forget to go there when I am so wrapped up in things going on in my life and in the world around me.

While I know that I can’t stay there every hour of every day, I know that when I most need Him He will always be there ready and waiting for me to climb back into His lap and find the comfort, reassurance, healing and hope that can only be found there.

He told me of another Son that died before I was born. He said that His Son also climbed upon His lap when He needed comfort, reassurance, or just to listen to His Father’s heartbeat. He said that, though it might be hard for me to understand, because this Son died it was possible for me and His other children to climb into His lap.

My Father has shared with me that one day I, and my brothers and sisters would all be able to gather around Him, along with His Son. He said that His Son would come to gather us to take us to our Father. He said that then we would never need to leave Him – how grand that day will be.

I don’t know when that day may come, but I do know that until then my Father is just waiting for me to climb into His lap - no matter how I’ve grown, what I look like, where I’ve come from, or how long it’s been since I was with Him.

JMc 2/16/2007

In God's Will

As I awake today where shall I go?

When I get there will I even know?
What does God want me to see?
I wonder, just what He wants me to be?

I long to just serve Him and not to seek fame.
I want Him to love me and know me by name.
I'll swim any river or climb any hill
I just want to please him and be in God's will

JMc

Please go to this web site for a wonderful movie about God's Will.

http://www.inspiringthots.net/movie/wog.php

The Trap

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer

and his wife open a package.

What food might this contain?

He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning,

"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the

house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said,

"Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is

of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap

in the house."

The pig sympathized but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse,

but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you

are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow. She said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm

sorry for you but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected to

face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house; like the

sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the

darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the

trap had caught.

The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the

hospital and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you

treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his

hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came

to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer

butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people

came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to

provide enough meat for all of them.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think

it doesn't concern you, remember when one of us is threatened,

we are all at risk.

In the book of Genesis, Cain said this about Abel, his brother,

to our God: "Am I my brother's keeper?"

We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep

an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage

one another.

REMEMBER: EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S

TAPESTRY; OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

~Author Unknown~

Expect The Unexpected!

"Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, ‘above all that we ask or think’. Each time, before you Intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!" - Andrew Murray



Pray possibility into the impossible, hope into the hopeless, strength into the weak, healing into the terminal, and love into the unloved ... Wait for His response, being alert, and be prepared to give thanks to Him for the unexpected ways that He will answer your prayers.

A CHOSEN VESSEL

The Master was searching for a vessel to use;

On the shelf there were many - which one would He choose?

Take me, cried the gold one, I'm shiny and bright,

I'm of great value and I do things just right.

My beauty and luster will outshine the rest

And for someone like You, Master, gold would be the best!

The Master passed on with no word at all;

He looked at a silver urn, narrow and tall;

I'll serve You, dear Master, I'll pour out Your wine

And I'll be at Your table whenever You dine,

My lines are so graceful, my carvings so true,

And my silver will always compliment You.

Unheeding the Master passed on to the brass,

It was wide mouthed and shallow, and polished like glass.

Here! Here! cried the vessel, I know I will do,

Place me on Your table for all men to view.

Look at me, called the goblet of crystal so clear,

My transparency shows my contents so dear,

Though fragile am I, I will serve You with pride,

And I'm sure I'll be happy in Your house to abide.

The Master came next to a vessel of wood,

Polished and carved, it solidly stood.

You may use me, dear Master, the wooden bowl said,

But I'd rather You used me for fruit, not for bread!

Then the Master looked down and saw a vessel of clay.

Empty and broken it helplessly lay.

No hope had the vessel that the Master might choose,

To cleanse and make whole, to fill and to use.

Ah! This is the vessel I've been hoping to find,

I will mend and use it and make it all Mine.

I need not the vessel with pride of its self;

Nor the one who is narrow to sit on the shelf;

Nor the one who is bigmouthed and shallow and loud;

Nor one who displays his contents so proud;

Not the one who thinks he can do all things just right;

But this plain earthy vessel filled with My power and might.

Then gently He lifted the vessel of clay.

Mended and cleansed it and filled it that day.

Spoke to it kindly. There's work you must do,

Just pour out to others as I pour into you.

~Author Unknown~