The Church of God of Carmichael

1Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you

It is God’s will that I should cast
On Him my care each day;
He also bids me not to cast
My confidence away.
But, Oh! I am so stupid, that
When taken unawares,
I cast away my confidence,
And carry all my cares.

Philippians 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Let us ‘walk in grace’ together.
May we find ‘joy in the journey and good times in the going.’

Let the Lord have His way in your life every day
There’s no peace, there’s no rest
Until the Lord has His way.
Place your life in His hands
Rest  secure in His plan
Let the Lord, let the Lord have His way.

These are the words to a Sunday School song, such a few words; but the reminder is so strong. Perfect rest comes from complete commitment to God’s will.

Psalms 37:3-7  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Let us ‘walk in grace’ together.
May we find ‘joy in the journey and good times in the going.’

Psalms 127:3  Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:
      And Grandchildren are doubly precious.

Priorities

There is time enough
For things that  matter
the quiet flow of conversation
The gentle closeness of a lullaby;
There is time

There is time enough
For things that  matter
For picture books and nursery rhymes
And  wild romps upon the floor
And laughter. . .
There is always time for laughter.

So often in the rushing to and waiting for,
The moment is negated

Slow down.
Take time.
Surrender to the moment.

There is time enough
For the things that matter.
There is time enough
For love.
Elizabeth Keller Robinson

Psalms 78:4-7  We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

Let us ‘walk in grace’ together.
May we find ‘joy in the journey and good times in the going.’

Psalms 46:10-11
Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah.

Be still, and know that I am God  Cease from your provocations of the Divine justice; cease from murmuring against the dispensations of his providence; cease from your labor for a season, that ye may deeply reflect on the severity and goodness of God - severity to those who are brought down and destroyed; goodness to you who are raised up and exalted: - cease from sin and rebellion against your God; let that disgrace you no more, that we may no more be brought into distress and desolation.

Know that I am God - Understand that I am the Fountain of power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and truth.

I will be exalted among the heathen - By the dispensation of punishments, the heathen shall know me to be the God of justice; by the publication of my Gospel among them, they shall know me to be the God of goodness.

I will be exalted in the earth - I will have my salvation proclaimed in every nation, among every people, and in every tongue.

The Lord of hosts is with us - Having heard these declarations of God, the people cry out with joy and exultation, The Lord of hosts, the God of armies, is with us; we will not fear what man can do unto us.

The God of Jacob is our refuge - He who saved our fathers will save us, and will never abandon his people in distress.

Selah - This is a firm, lasting, unshaken, well-tried truth. Clarke's Commentary

Let us ‘walk in grace’ together.
May we find ‘joy in the journey and good times in the going.’

Exodus 16:4  Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

Exodus 16:13-14  And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.

Exodus 16:16-17  This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.

Enough for Today

God liberated his children from slavery and created a path through the sea. H gave them a cloud to follow by day and a fire to see at night. And he gave them food. H met their most basic need: He filled their bellies.Each morning the manna came. Each evening the quail appeared. “Trust me and I will give you what you need.” The people were told to take just enough for one day. Their needs would be met, one day at a time.    “Just enough for today,” was God’s message. “Let me worry about tomorrow.” The Father wanted the people to trust Him   Max Lucado  And the angels were silent

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his
compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy
faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I
hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. Lamantations 3:21-26

Let us ‘walk in grace’ together.
May we find ‘joy in the journey and good times in the going

Genesis 1:27-28, 31  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them…. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good……

You are a Miracle
In the sparkling of your eyes
And the melody of your speech
In the touch of your hand
And the space your body fills
In the rhythm of your heart
And the breath expanding your lungs
In the message that you bring
You are a Miracle   Julie Jordan Scott , 2005

Psalms 139:14-17  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:  marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

Willing to Work, Willing to Wait

Lord, what he said was,

“You can have instant coffee, and instant tea, and instant potatoes, but you can’t have instant relationships.”
And he was right.

We can’t measure out a portion of ourselves to  each other, and stir once, and be friends
Or measure out an instant prayer, and beat with a fork until fluffy.
For “instant” never quite satisfies like the real.
And a depth relationship has a mutual history of shared joy and anguish.
It is a mellowed blend of caring and being cared for—

of listening--
of removing masks (which is seldom easy)--
of openness and honesty . . . without which
no relationship is valid.

Not with him. . . nor with them . . . nor with thee.
All of this takes time. And effort.

And expenditure of self.

So, Lord, why do I keep asking for instant communion?

Why am I not willing to put the same effort—the same care—into my relationship with Thee, that I have found necessary in my relationships with others?

Why am I so unwilling to wait?

So unwilling to apprentice my soul?

So reluctant to do my part?
Ah, Lord. I come. . . in joys and in anguish. . . in my moments of peace, and in my times of quiet desperation—
to sing,
to listen,
to pour out my humanness, to remove my masks.  Amen.
----Jo Carr and Imogene Sorley

Jeremiah 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Let us ‘walk in grace’ together.
May we find ‘joy in the journey and good times in the going.’

Genesis 24:27 . . . I being in the way, the LORD led me to . . .

“The way” means God’s way, the pathway prepared for us; not our way;  not any kind of way (Prov.14:12); not man’s way; but the direct way of duty and command. In such a way the Lord will be sure to lead and guide us. The Lord answered the servant’s prayer exactly as he prayed, step by step. “God never gives guidance for two steps at a time. I must take one step, and then I receive light for the next.”         Fairelie Thornton

Proverbs 14:12  There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Psalms 37:23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Let us ‘walk in grace’ together.
May we find ‘joy in the journey and good times in the going.’

All I Could Whisper Was "Jesus"

All I could whisper was "Jesus"
I was torn in the depths of despair.
All I could whisper was Jesus
His name alone was my prayer.

All I could murmur was Jesus.
He knew all my struggles and pain.
He knew my requests all unspoken
While I softly cried out His name.

Bound in the depth of His mercy
Held fast in the shade of His care,
His sweet gentle name was my refuge,
Anchored safe in that harbor of prayer.

Still, all I could whisper was Jesus.
All I could say was His name.
All I could whisper was Jesus,
But He knew my prayers just the same!  

But my God shall supply all your need  according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19  

He is all I need
He is all I need
Jesus is all I need
He satisfies, every need supplies
Jesus is all I need.

Let us ‘walk in grace’ together.
May we find ‘joy in the journey and good times in the going.’