My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." - Psalm 28:7

Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
Never had a reason at all
Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
You always answered me when I called.

There were times my eyes were clouded
By storms that I'd been through
I could not see Your purpose
But in my heart I knew

Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
Never had a reason at all
Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
You always answered me when I called.

I'm tired of all those feelings
Knocking in my ears
But I don't hear their whispers
When Your voice draws me near

Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
Never had a reason at all
Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
You always answered me when I called.

So goodbye to confusion
Don't tag along with me
I got lots of promises
And the truth to keep me free

Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
Never had a reason at all
Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
You always answered me when I called.

Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
Never had a reason at all
Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
You always answered me when I called.

Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
Never had a reason at all
Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
You always answered me when I called.

Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
Never had a reason at all
Never had a reason to doubt You Jesus
You always answered me when I called.

♬   Silverwind: Never Had A Reason

Go Around With You (Raya Stuiver)

The Little Things (a poem about 9/11)

Never Surrender

【Lyrics】WE GO DOWN - KREWELLA

A comforting thought if you ask me. We're all experiencing this life together, and if we fall, we fall together.

Michael's children home - God will take care of you.mpg

When someone just doesn't want to be friends

There is a nurse who has been taking care of me here almost daily. I began to notice that every day, after she leaves, I feel like a piece of shit. I've confronted her about her attitude, then also I've tried the opposite approach: ignoring her vicious, antisocial behavior and putting my best foot forward in an attempt to endear myself to her, NOTHING WORKED. Her heart was like an iron gate.

Have you ever had someone in your life whose heart was a well bolted iron gate? Cause I got good news for you: God doesn't expect you to play Houdini. Many years ago I did a helpline ministry from my home. Unfortunately, I was told that the only appropriate place for the newspaper to put my announcement that I wanted to help people with their problems, was the personal column. Although my ministry was relatively successful, and at least I let people know that I was available to help them, I occasionally was woken up in the night with an obscene phone call. I thought I was doing the right thing to hang up. However, a church friend said to me, "you hung up on a person that Christ died for!" I believed her at the time because I was so very vulnerable. But looking back on what this woman said to me, I'm like, UH-UH! no way do I have to try to bring someone to Christ while he's in the process of speaking abusively to me. I was just an amateur wishing to make a difference, and by no means was I expected to do miracles like that!

I'm saying all this to say, it is very benevolent when we reach out to people and try to help them feel loved and understand that God loves them. But there are people who are simply beyond our level of expertise. There are people who, hard as it is to accept it, need more help than we are able to give. When we have people like these in our lives, we need to politely if we can, or if necessary not so politely, let them know that we need them out of our lives. Sometimes too, if they can't accept it, we need to point them to a professional. And when the situation is really untenable, I would say that you, who have found yourself in such a situation, may need to contact the authorities. Sometimes, even the law.

♬   Lobo: Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend

1990 The Winans - A Friend

I wanna thank all my online friends for caring.

Friends need gentleness

Hi! In had a productive realization about myself today. I realized that I need to be much more gentle with people than I've been. And the Bible says "Pray unceasingly" (Darby Bible Version), so now I am praying for myself. I am praying that God will help me become a more gentle person. I was curious what the Bible has to say about gentleness, so I did a search for the word gentle throughout the Bible. I want to share it with you. This is the link I used: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=simple&format=Long&q1=gentle&restrict=All&size=First+100

The main link to the website is http://quod.lib.umich.edu/r/rsv/ (in case you're interested)

Bible, Revised Standard Version

28 matches.

Deut.32

[2] May my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distil as the dew,
as the gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and as the showers upon the herb.
Prov.15

[4] A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
Jer.11

[19] But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
I did not know it was against me
they devised schemes, saying,
"Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more."
1Esdr.3

[18] "Gentlemen, how is wine the strongest? It leads astray the minds of all who drink it.
[24] Gentlemen, is not wine the strongest, since it forces men to do these things?" When he had said this, he stopped speaking.
1Esdr.4

[2] "Gentlemen, are not men strongest, who rule over land and sea and all that is in them?
[12] Gentlemen, why is not the king the strongest, since he is to be obeyed in this fashion?" And he stopped speaking.
[14] Gentlemen, is not the king great, and are not men many, and is not wine strong? Who then is their master, or who is their lord? Is it not women?
[32] Gentlemen, why are not women strong, since they do such things?"
[34] "Gentlemen, are not women strong? The earth is vast, and heaven is high, and the sun is swift in its course, for it makes the circuit of the heavens and returns to its place in one day.
AddEsth.15

[8] Then God changed the spirit of the king to gentleness, and in alarm he sprang from his throne and took her in his arms until she came to herself. And he comforted her with soothing words, and said to her,
Wis.2

[19] Let us test him with insult and torture,
that we may find out how gentle he is,
and make trial of his forbearance.
Wis.18

[14] For while gentle silence enveloped all things,
and night in its swift course was now half gone,
2Mac.15

[12] What he saw was this: Onias, who had been high priest, a noble and good man, of modest bearing and gentle manner, one who spoke fittingly and had been trained from childhood in all that belongs to excellence, was praying with outstretched hands for the whole body of the Jews.
Matt.11

[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
1Cor.4

[21] What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
2Cor.10

[1] I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ -- I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold to you when I am away! --
Gal.5

[23] gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.
Gal.6

[1] Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted.
1Thes.2

[7] But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children.
1Tim.3

[3] no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money.
1Tim.6

[11] But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
2Tim.2

[25] correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth,
Tit.3

[2] to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all men.
Jas.3

[17] But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.
1Pet.2

[18] Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the kind and gentle but also to the overbearing.
1Pet.3

[4] but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
[15] but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;

♬   4Him: Basics of Life

Climb Every Mountain

Neediness and friendship

What is neediness? Merriam-Webster defines it as

    : not having enough money, food, etc., to live properly

: needing a lot of attention, affection, or emotional support

April is the month my mother passed away (3 years ago), and therefore, this is a month in which I miss her, and feel particularly needy. Also though, I have noticed that when 2 needy people get together, there are high expectations of one another, and it is next to impossible to get along.

An acutely needy person will resort to tactics as a cry for help, and their tactics often tend to alienate them from people. When people are indirect about what is disturbing them, they get misunderstood, and I will say it: disliked. So when a person reaches an intense form of neediness, their communication skills wain, and they do not get the very thing they are most in need of: reassurance and affection.

I was in psychotherapy for many years, and I still periodically see a psychologist. As a result of my understanding and accepting that I had a problem and needed help, I communicated very well with those who were there to help me. I developed good introspection skills, and came to understand the dynamics of my own neediness. Active participation in therapy, as well as faithfulness in taking my meds, and 30-40 years later, I think most people would say I'm a well-adjusted woman.

If you are unhappy in your life, and are experiencing paranoid thoughts, or if your present circumstances are particularly difficult, I would recommend that you seek help. Rather than letting it make you ineffective at the workplace or with your family, seek someone who you can talk to. The way I look at it, of you don't, you, as well as your relationships are only likely to get worse.

♬   The Beatles: We Can Work It Out

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today- Ashley Cleveland

Not feeling it

Well, it is Saturday night, actually Easter Sunday morning in my time zone, and since I know probably many of you who read this blog are in need of friendship, I came here tonight to tell you, I am in need of friendship. I should feel ashamed because I have many people in my life who are loving and supportive. But I'm tired of feeling ashamed. if I am failing at life, if I am failing to "do it" for the people in my life, then it is what it is. I try to live as selflessly as I am able.

This morning recognizes the man who will save me one day from this veil of tears. And let me tell you, I love Him sooo much. I have been sharing in His feelings of rejection, helplessness, and this exasperation with being stuck inside flesh, which never stops nagging me about things I just wish I didn't have to deal with.

What made me so sad this evening was I happened to look at a series of photos I took of my boyfriend. I did a poor job with those photos, and I could see how unhappy I made him when I kept thinking they were too blurry, and he was trying so hard to keep a happy expression on his face. And now on Saturday I didn't hear from him at all. As I share this with you I'm picturing your reaction as being "Yes, it is sad".

I don't know how to talk to people and I don't know how to treat people. It makes me miss my mom because she always had something compassionate and understanding to say about every situation.

All I can say is I am thankful for people who care for me and want me in their lives. And I need to say, I am thankful for Christ's death on the cross for me, and better yet, that afterwards he beat death. He was stronger than death. The one who IS.

♬   The Martins: Dear God

Only A Sinner (Saved by Grace)

The Night Jesus Was Betrayed

1 Corinthians 2:1-5