The day Rene was healed

I heard you can heal.
I can't, but God can.  Do you need to be healed?
No.  My daughter.
What's the matter with her?
I can barely tell you without crying.  Will you please come and heal her?  You'll see what's wrong with her.
I'll come.  God will heal her.
How do you know He will?
God blessed me with a gift.  It's His gift of compassion, and His compassion heals.
So He feels bad about my daughter?
He feels infinitely worse than you do.
Then why did He even let it happen in the first place.... I'm sorry. 
It's ok.  Let's go to your daughter.  We can talk after He heals her.
Alright.
***
Rene, can you sit up for a moment?
It's hard daddy.
I know sweetheart. 
It's ok.  She can lay down.  Rene I'm Darren.
Hey.  Why are you crying Darren?  Dad, please stop crying.  I can't stand that I'm hurting you.
We love you Rene.  Your dad.  Me.  And God.
I don't feel like God loves me.  I feel like He hates me.  I feel like I'm going to die.
You're not Rene.  You're not going to die.  In the name of Jesus, who died for you and rose for you, be healed.
Dear God!  Rene!  Your skin!  Your hair!
I feel it daddy!  I'm better!  God made me better!
God thank you!  Thank you Jesus for healing my daughter!  Thank you so much God!  Thank you!
Daddy, I'm better!  I'm not tired!  I don't feel like I want to throw up!  My hair and skin are completely healthy!  God healed me daddy!  He really healed me!  Daddy, where did Darren go?
I don't know sweetie. 
We have to find him.
Ok.  Maybe he's back at the church.
***
God, thank you so much for healing that beautiful girl!  I never get tired of seeing you do that.  Sometimes I have the same question her dad had.  Why do you even let things like this happen in the first place?
Why did I let Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit?  Why did I even make that fruit?  Or why did I allow Lucifer to rebel?
I don't know Lord.
Somethings are mysteries to you son.  But this isn't a mystery:  Evil is possible because of freewill.  The evil of one rebel effects all of creation.  The sin of one man and one woman effects every man and every woman.  I'm allowing evil for now.  But I will destroy it once and for all and forever.
Thank you God.
When Rene and her father come, tell them what I've told you.
Please give me power to tell them.  I'm sure they've heard about freewill before.
I'll be with you.  I'll speak through you.  I love you.
I love you too.

How to be Free from Anxiety and Worry

Do not be anxious or worry about anything, but in all things through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. ~The Apostle Paul

What do you usually do when you experience anxiety, or when you worry?  I usually can't stop thinking about whatever worries me.  I can't sleep or concentrate.  I'm distracted by what I fear will happen, or by what's happening that I can't stop. 

Is that true for you?

If so, God gives us a way to be free from anxiety and worry.  I know from experience that what I'm about to share is true. 

First, God commands us not to worry or have anxiety.  This means two things:

1. It's not God's will for us to worry or have anxiety, so much so that we are sinning if we do it.   But don't let that discourage you; look at number two.

2. Because God commands us not to worry, we actually have a choice; we have control over worrying or not worrying.  It's up to us. 

So God commands us not to worry.

But He doesn't stop there.  He tells us what to do instead. 

Pray. 

• Thank Him for what we have.
• Ask Him for what we don't have,
• Ask Him to take away whatever we have that is harmful to us.

When we do these things, God promises to replace worry and anxiety with a divine and incomprehensible peace. 

This is an example of how it has happens for me.

Say I'm worrying about a financial need.  I've been sick and I need money for a specific doctor's bill that I just don't have.  I'm beginning to worry.  So I pray, first thanking God for the services the doctor provided, and that I'm actually doing better.  Then I ask God for the specific amount of money I need.  I tell him why I need it (though of course He already knows,) and I tell Him when I need it.  After I've poured out my heart to God, one of three things may happen, resulting in a divine, incomprehensible peace:

1. God provides the money.  Someone feels led by His Spirit to give me the exact amount I need, though I never asked them for it.

2. I no longer feel the need to think about the money, though I can't explain why.  I don't have any money yet.  And I don't know when or if it will come.  But for reasons I can't explain, I feel absolutely no need to think about it any more.

3. The due date for the bill is three days away, and I still have no money, or any guarantee that I will have money.  Yet I still feel no need to think about the bill.

In all three cases, after praying my heart out, I am no longer distracted by thoughts about the money at all, though I can't explain it.  I'm free from anxiety.

You can also be free. 

This is how.

What are you worried about right now?  (Be very specific.)

First, thank God for what you have, for every blessing in your life you can think of, at least two blessings.

Second, tell God exactly what you're worried about and why you're worried about it.

Third, ask him to give you what you lack, and to take away whatever is causing you harm.

Keep asking until you no longer feel distracted by the thoughts at all.  It should feel like a gradual lessening of a need even to pray any more.  Your prayer will fade into thoughts about other things in your life.  You worry will fade away.  This is God's incomprehensible peace.

Satan fleeing

No.

How can you say no to me?

I can. I am.  No.

We'll see.  Time will tell.

Not now.  Not ever.  No.

It's easy to say, but impossible to enforce.

No it's not.  I can choose or refuse you.  Accept or reject you.  I reject you.  Unconditionally.

Whatever.  I'm still here.

It doesn't matter. 

So I don't matter?

My choice matters.

Ok.  Let's look at this another way.

No.

You haven't even heard what I have to say!

I won't. 

Closed minded are we?

I reject you once and for all and forever.  I won't say anything else.

Well then I'll do the talking, how about that?

...

I can talk all night.  All day.  Everyday.

...

You can't go on like this.  Minds snap. Yours will.  All do.  Eventually.

...

I won't be ignored!!

...

Say something!!!

...

How dare you treat me like this!  Like I don't exist!!

...

I won't be disrespected!   I don't deserve it.  I won't take it.  I'm leaving.

...

You'll regret this.  It's your loss.

...

Goodbye...for now.

...

When the Spirit came to Me

I remember the night God's Spirit came to me.  I sat alone, in the dark, in my room, wanting to die-- because I kept on doing the things I hated.  But I remembered something I heard in church about death, sin, and punishment: 

Jesus died for me.

He died for all of the bad things I'd done,

the things I should be punished for. 

Jesus died for me. 

Jesus was punished for me. 

I don't know how I remembered this, but I did.  And so I said these words: 

"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died for my sins." 

I felt peace cover me like a blanket. 

I no longer wanted to die. 

The Spirit was with me and in me, giving me life and peace.

The next time the Spirit came to me was when I shared Jesus with my whole class.  I wanted them to experience the life and peace the Spirit gave me through believing in Jesus.  So I planned a message for my class.  And on the day that I spoke to them, the Spirit covered me, like he did on that night.  But on that day it was very different.  It was like warm water I couldn't see being poured slowly on my head. 

The invisible water gave me a super power to think, see, and hear like God does.  My words flowed easily and powerfully.  No one talked while I spoke, and at the end everyone stood up and clapped their hands.  God was with me while I spoke.  He gave me power to speak, and everyone who heard me felt it and knew it.  The Spirit was with me when I spoke, giving everyone who wanted it life and peace.

The Spirit is with me now as you hear these words.  Just as He was with me on the night I believed in Jesus, and on the day I shared Jesus with my class, He's with me now. 

He can be with you if you want Him to. 

(All images are from google images.)

The Man in the Corner (Part 2)

How'd it go?
I don't even know where to begin.  First, do you want to order something?
I will in a minute.  Begin wherever you want, if you want.
Well, I called her after I got off work that day we talked.  (Thanks again for that.)  We talked for an hour and a half.
Deep things?
Very.  She's actually an intensely deep thinker.
How'd you find out?
I did what you said.  I just told her what I wanted, and she said she wanted the same thing.
What took you both so long to find out.
We were both scared.
Of what?
Of being hurt or rejected.  She'd been turned down by her first boyfriend because he thought she was too serious.  The same thing happened to me with my first girlfriend.
And you both never dated again?
Well, neither of us really date...at least we didn't after our first loves.
What do you both do?
We both want a best friend...who we could see ourselves having sex with everyday.
That's interesting.
Yeah.  In other words, we want to be married.
To each other?
We didn't get that far, but we're heading in that direction.
I'm glad to hear that the conversation went so well...better than you both expected, it seems.
Much better.  Are you ready to order?
Actually, I need to see a menu.
Really?  You've never looked at one before.
I think I'll have a meal this time.
That's good.  If you'll be here for a while, I want to ask you another question.
Ask me whatever you want.

The Man in the Corner (Part1)

Always in the corner of the coffeshop where I'm a waiter, he sat.  Sipping cider.  Seeing.  Senses serene.  I liked lingering.  Listening.  Asking him for wisdom.  He freely gave it.  Especially today.

I don't know if she's the one.
It's hard to tell based on your relationship so far.
Exactly.
What makes it hard?
I don't know.  In some ways I'm attracted to her.  In others, she's somewhat annoying.
Like someone you couldn't see yourself living with.
Or being good friends with.
But she's attractive.
Very.
How attractive?
I can't take my eyes off of her.
She entrances you.
Her face.  Her voice.  Her hands.  I can't keep my eyes or hands off of her.
How does she feel about you?
I don't know.
If you had to guess.
She lets me gaze at her, touch her, admire her.
She seems to like you liking her.
It seems like it.
And how does she show that she likes you?
She gazes back, touches me back, returns my affection.
So the affection is mutual.
Very.
What about the conversation?
I like to laugh with her.  She's hilarious.
She's fun to be around.
Very much so.
What annoys you?
I think it's that we don't talk about deep things.  She's too fun loving.
And you want depth?
I need it.
And she doesn't.
That's the thing.  I don't know. 
You're very honest about not knowing things.
Thank you.  What do you think I should do?
What do you do when you need to know something?
I find out.
How?
I look it up on line, or ask people who know things...like I'm doing with you.
Who would know things about her?
She would, of course.
Of course.
Yeah.  I guess I should just tell her what I'm feeling. 
Let me know how it goes.
I will.  Thank you for listening.
You're welcome.  Thank you for sharing yourself with me.

Home with the Setting Sun

silent still sun
soothing solitude
solitary sunrays

holy home
humble heaven
haven harmony

silent still sunset
soothing soundlessness
signs sent

holy heavenly home
humble haven
happy solitary harmony