The vision awaits its appointed time

And the Lord answered me:
"Write the vision:
make it plain on tablets;
so he may run who reads it.
For still the vision awaits its appointed
time;
it hastens to the end- it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay."

Habakkuk 2:2-3

Set apart

God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the gentiles.

(Gal. 1:15-16)

I thank Thee, O living and eternal King,

Who has mercifully restored my soul within me;

Thy faithfulness is great.

(Ibid., I, 1.)

Immigration reform

I received this email from a friend who, disagreeing with my point of view about the resent topic being discussed in Congress regarding an immigration reform that would allow many illegal immigrants to gain their legal status as residents in the US, wrote to me because such reform would back fire... If you have any comments for or against, they will gladly be welcomed.

Hey Sarahi:

What kind of immigration reform do you want to see?Well, without making you or anyone else mad, I want to see:

The borders closed because I want our govt to know who is coming across, plus to slow down the drug, gangs,and human trafficking coming across the border. Especially gangs like MS-13 that are causing problems in our streets and cities. I don't think we should make all illegals Felons, for one, it's unrealistic, and two there are good people here in the U.S. trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. But after you commit a felon in the U.S., and you serve your time, you should be sent back, and never granted access again to theU.S. Too many repeat offenders coming back and forth, and our judicial system is almost a third illegal alliens. They should receive due process of law.

I am okay with a guest worker program as long as they pay taxes, and the workers receive at least minimum wage. My thing is illegal workers are hurting the middle class, union jobs such as painters, construction, carpenters are going away because business are paying illegals a lot less and with no benefits, and it drives wages down and hurts our middle class. Middle class is the backbone of American society in my opinion. Business should befined when they hire illegals knowingly. However, there should be a guest worker program, or a "work for citizenship" program for those who have been here.

Then, the government should give Homeland Security more money to process visa and citizenship paperwork, it should be quicker and easier to encourage immigrants to go through the process.

These are my opinions, don't be upset if you disagree with me, you know I love the Latin culture, but I love my country too, and I think I have a descent planto fix immigration reform. I have put a lot of thought into it...

Ask of ME , and I will give You
the nations for Your inheretance,
and the ends of the earth for your
possession.
Ps. 2:8

A Hymn

Anna L. Waring
(1850)

Father, I know that all my life
Is portioned out for me,
And the changes that are sure to come
I do not fear to see;
I ask Thee for a present mind,
Intent on pleasing Thee.

I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
Seeking for some great thing to do
Or secret thing to know;
I would be treated as a child
And guided where I go.

Wherever in the world I am,
In whatsoever estate,
I have a fellowship with hearts
To keep and cultivate .


In hot pursuit,
SD

Broken

If my life is broken when given to Jesus , it is because pieces will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad.

- Ruth Stull

O Christ, He is the fountain,

The deep, sweet well of love!

The streams on earth I've tasted

More deep I'll drink above:

There to an ocean fullness

His mercy doth expand,

And glory, glory dwelleth

In Immanuel's land.

( Annie R. Cousin)

Two weeks! Two weeks of waiting, of seeking the Lord's face. Two weeks of longing, of uncertainty, of trying and testing. Slowly, the Lord has been showing me the intentions of my heart, and of the hearts of others; the Lord is with me as I walk through the waters, and as I pass through the fires of life, He holds my hand. I am being refined, perfected, stretched.

Yet, though I am suffering and learning from the pain I am feeling, my heart is at peace; I rest under the shadow of His wing because He has requested me to stay there (Ruth 2:8), to not go anywhere else. I am at His feet, one of His servants who has found favor in His eyes! He rules over everything and anything; why would I question Him? He created the mountain tops and the valleys; why am I to ask for an explanation? Happy is he/she who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his/her God (Ps. 146:5).

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases. (Song of Solomon 3:5)

In hot pursuit,

SD

...etc

Waiting

What is waiting?

From Quiet Talks on Prayer by S.D. Gordon

Steadfastness, that is holding on;
patience, that is holding back;
expentancy, that is holding the face up;
obedience, that is holding one's self in readiness to go or
do;
listening, that is holding quiet and still so as to hear.


How long, Lord, must I wait?
Never mind, child. Trust me.

In hot pursuit,
SD

Prayer Insights

by Steve Swihart

Presumption is the NATURAL ability to believe God for what YOU want. Faith is the SUPERNATURAL ability to believe God for what HE wants. The difference is found in the starting point. Presumption begins with YOUR heart. The prayer of faith begins with HIS heart. Therefore, the first step in prayer should be to distinguish and get rid of the clever ideas and agendas that are rising up from our own mind. Remember, real faith is nothing more or less than believing God for the fulfillment of the desires that He himself is planting inside our hearts.

I owe my parents

Something a friend sent me... Enjoy!

1. My parents taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My parents taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My parents taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My parents taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My parents taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My parents taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My parents taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My parents taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONIST.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My parents taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12 My parents taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My parents taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My parents taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My parents taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."


In hot pursuit,

SD

Life

Faith
Hope
Joy
Peace
Heartache
Longing
Patience
Silence
Dissonance
Love
Vulnerability
Tenderness
Sensitivity


I am with you.... I am the Lord your God... Your deliverer (Isaiah 43:2,3)


He is my creator
He's fashioned me
He has paid my ransom
He called me by name.

So

He is with me
He is my Lord
He is my deliverer
I am His claim.


In hot pursuit,

SD...etc

I resolve to...

I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and recieve the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. (Philippians 3:12-14 NLT)

"These are the articles on which I must stand, and, God willing, shall stand even to my death; and I do not know how to change or to yield anything in them. "
-Martin Luther

There is more for me than what I think there is... I will not comform... I will not yield... I will not give up... I will not sell myself short!

I choose to run this race, and every race is meant to be run alone; even if it means to let go of things, people, or any sort of yoke that strains me; I will run this race, I will not stop now, I cannot just give up now. I have started this race, and I am running, and finishing this race no matter the cost!

In hot pursuit,
SD...etc

Quotes

I found this quote today, and thought it to be very significant, specially because as some of you know, I am going through something- a journey where I am having to wait, wait, and keep on waiting. Don't know how long this waiting process will last, but I am enjoying the journey because not matter the circumstances, we as children of God have the assurance that God is in control, that He's watching over us, and that above all, it is all for the Glory of His Name...

" It is not the goal but the way there that matters, and the harder the way the more worthwhile the journey." - Wilfred Thesiger

SD

Uncertainty
Ashish Joy


You play the part…it seems so easy
You seem like you got it all together…seemingly
Why do you burn within me so?
Why don’t the passions die?

Your eyes, ever so beautiful…yet unlooked for
Your mask, beyond compare…yet you remain my mystery
You haunt me…yet you strengthen all the while
Why believe at all? Why feel the dregs of endearing loss?
When the joy ascertained, though unfulfilled, allows for a mindless maze
I stand unsure of who I am, for somehow I think I am who I am with you

Though uncertain, I can with honest say
You keep me screaming at myself
With my silence, and my stares
You keep me doubtful of this core
With your wavering visage
I keep reading, yet find no coherence there

Keep me without a vision
Let me run without a care
Even if I’m not the object of your affection
I will still find solace there

When my voice comes through the skittishness within myself
You’ll know my heart, and the words for you I’ve penned
Until above and below, meets perfectly within my soul
May these words be my hope, and your sight be my sorrow

Show me your Glory

Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim His savation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise

PS. 96:2-4a

By Cindy Cruse-Ratcliff, Israel Houghton

Show me Your glory, show me Your glory
I want to gaze into the beauty
of your holiness
Show me your glory I'm desperate to see
I will be still as You reveal Your glory

I am drawing near to worship You
There's a longing in my heart
To be with You
Call my name and I will answer YOu
In humble truth Lord here I am
hide me with Your hand.



There is absolutely nothing more precious than the Glory of the Lord. As His majestic face is shown to us, we are transformed, renewed, perfected in His presence...
I want to see the Glory of the Lord this year; be known as one who carries such glory and doesn't shred His precious presence. As David carried it with him, learn to call onto the Glory of the Lord, to not let anything come in the way of reaching out, of moving forward, of growing in Him as I allow the Glory of the Almighty to grow in me as well.

Here I am Lord, have your Way!


In hot pursuit,

SD...etc

Prayer Insights

by Steve Swihart

Our horizontal relationships are often the key that either unlocks or locks the door to our relationship with God. Paul writes, “I want men to pray with holy hands . . . free from anger and controversy” (1 Tim. 2:8 NLT). Peter warns husbands that if they fail to treat their wives with a proper honor, their “prayers will not be heard” (1 Pet. 3:7 NLT). And Jesus said if a person offends someone, he must first “be reconciled to that person” before he offers any gifts to God (Matt. 5:23-24 NLT).

No one can be right with God who does not first attempt to be right with people, too. This includes every possible relationship: spouse to spouse, parent to child, employee to employer, citizen to government, pastor to church member, and so on. Are you doing everything possible to be united with everyone? If so, the Lord will open His door wide to you. If not, the Lord will block the way to His heart until you humble yourself and seek reconciliation.
Keep your relationships with people free from clutter and you will always find it a smooth walk into God’s presence.

Show me the way

You will show me the way of life,

granting me the joy of your presence

and the pleasures of living with you forever

Ps. 16:11 (NLT)

Me mostrarás la senda de la vida;

en tu Presencia hay

plenitud de Gozo;

delicias a tu diestra para siempre.

Sal. 16:11 (RV)

The Life I owe

O love, that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
that in Thine ocean depth its flow
May richer, fuller be.

George Matheson

I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face

Beneath the cross of Jesus,
I fain would take my stand,
The Shadow of a mighty Rock
Within a wea-ry land;
A home within the wilderness
A rest upon the way
From the burning of the noon-day heat
And the burden of the day.

Upon that cross of Jesus
My eyes at times can see
The very dying form of One
Who suffered there for me:
And from my smitten heart, with tears,
To wonders I confess
The wonders of His glorious love
And my unworthiness.

I take, O cross, thy shadow
For my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than
The sunshine of His face,
Content to let the world go by,
To know no gain or loss,
My sinful self my only shame,
My glory all the cross.


Elizabeth Clephane (1868)

Quotes

Here are some good quotes I found by Mariama Bâ- a Senagalese novelist who advocated for women's rights. Enjoy. Selah.

1. Friendship has splendors that love knows not. It grows stronger when crossed, whereas obstacles kill love. Friendship resists time, which wearies and severs couples. It has heights unknown to love.
2. One imagines the birth of happiness to be accompanied by some great spectacular upheaval. One can imagine it flowering in the most luxurious setting. Yet happiness is born of a trifle, feeds on nothing.

There's more... You can find them in So long a Letter (1979) if any of you, my fellow readers wish to do so.

In hot pursuit,

SD...etc

Words from the heart

I’m yours… By Ashish Joy

You don’t know what to say
It’s like you got it all wrong again
Why does it seem to consume me from the core?
Does sin have no bounds to stay clear of my psyche?
Does life have no defense, to remain untouched?
It keeps growing, just a little here, just a little there

You’re trying your best, but it doesn’t seem to go
You’ve laid it on the line, but you don’t have the will to stay the course
What do you do, when life’s heaviness comes your way?
How to react, when the struggles, take your breath away?

God I’m angry with myself, consumed because I want to…but can’t
O God take this blemished vessel, and use it for your glory
I have not more, than the scars from my past
Screaming at me, making me remember my life, my death
I am nothing more than you my God…and yet
It all still hurts, because pain has this way of staying
So here I stand, my life secure in you, yet a whisper away from failing

Take this imperfect man, and breathe into me, heaven’s breath afresh
Take this impassioned soul, crying for more
Bring me low, that I might find grace in you
Smash me down, that I solely rely on youI
need you God, desperately need you
More than ever, I need you

Jesus, thank you, for redemption
For grace, for the unforgiven
For life, when death was around me
For all you gave, when I needed it most
Now God, I come to you humbly
For I am nothing….but a mess cleaned up thoroughly
You are my God…my King…my Redeemer…my Love…my Everything

I’m yours…only yours


Beautiful words... I pray that you will never forget to whom you belong, and that you will always remember the creator, always.

In hot pursuit,
SD...etc