The Pierced FOIL



He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Col. 1: 13-14 (NIV)

Foiled Again!

Have you ever made plans or set goals, paying careful attention to every little detail as to how you would arrive at that goal, only to have something happen to "foil" your plans?   Ugh!  

Maybe it's late, and my brain is a bit "fried" from all the studying this week, but it seems a bit ironic to say "foiled" when referring to my plans being "Ruined," and yet we use "foil" to cover food (to "keep it from getting ruined" for the time being.)  LOL  

Oh, anyway, when I was younger, my childhood friend, who was VERY creative, was over one night and asked me to "get out a roll of aluminum foil---bring it in here to the TV!  I've got something 'cool' to show you!"   So, with mom's permission, I brought the foil in there and wondered "what in the world" she had come up with now!  :)  Based on the excitement in her voice, the anticipation began to grow so much that my little sister "got in on the action" and had to see what was going on!   Well, Marsha--my friend, took a pin and began to poke holes in the foil . . . .of course I thought, "What is she doing?!"  But the smile on her face made the wait worth it. . . I knew it had to be good.  Finally, after what seemed like "an eternity," she got some scotch tape and began to tape the poked foil onto the front of the old TV screen.   Then she said, "Turn out the lights!"  Hardly able to contain her eagerness, she began to smile really big!  "Click"---lights were out...then she went over to the TV (we didnt' have remotes back then!  LOL)...she turned on the TV and VOILA!  There was "a million" twinkly, colorful lights reflecting from the TV!   With all the "OOoooo's & AAAhhhhhh's!" heard from her "audience," you'd have thought she was a magician!   My parents even "watched the TV show" too! :)  

This was before "Must See T.V."

Sometimes when our plans get "foiled," we become discouraged, even falling into the pit of despair.  "This was NOT supposed to happen!"   I know. . . I know.  Trust me.  But~recently the Lord opened my "eyes" to something:   "Is the servant greater than his Master?"    We can be assured that He understands EVERYTHING we are going through, because He has walked on this earth---endured suffering beyond our imagination.  Anything He allows us to go through is to teach us something about Himself---to make us more like Him---draw us closer TO Him...and just purge us of the "US" in us. (the "Ugly Sin" in us.)    To suffer is no fun---to have plans "foiled" is disappointing--maybe even painful!   But let's allow Him to pierce us--to pierce this "foiled" plan, or maybe even this "foiled life" we may feel we are living---pierce it through--and then in turn, we'll begin to let His LIGHT shine through us!   

WOW! What a Picture!

One pin hole poked through the "TV Foil Display" was "just okay"---but MANY holes revealed the MOVING COLORS that were on the TV screen behind the foil.  OH!  It was just the "coolest thing" ever!  MOVING COLORS!  Think of it!    Our "Foiled" plans, even the temporary "Veil of Darkness" being pulled over us, is just a tool in God's hands to pierce our hearts, tenderizing us to His Love, allowing HIS COLORFUL, MOVING LIGHT to SHINE through so others around us can say, "Ooooo!  Ahhh!   Why are they so COLORFUL?"  And we can say, "it's not why, but WHO!!"    

Our Lord's hands, feet and side were pierced on that cross, to cause a Fountain of Life to flow~~ Let's just be sure to get Plunged INTO His precious blood.  Guess what happens when I am plunged into the MIDDLE of the Fountain Of Life!    F O I L    THE ENEMY's PLAN to destroy my life is FOILED!!!!!!!     

Can we picture the HAPPY DANCE going on here?? 

So, it may seem like you're plans are getting poked through---and everything is just falling apart!   Be sure that YOUR plans are HIS plans!   Be plunged into HIS Fountain of Life--that's the first step to having His and YOUR plans to coincide.  Then~let these "piercings" remind you of Your Master and HIS piercings---We, after all, are NOT greater than our Master--so when He allows us to suffer, He's allowing us to fellowship with Him!  And when we fellowship with Him, we'll begin to beam HIS LIGHT to others!

One day the VEIL is going to be pulled, we shall see Him face to face.
And the only piercings left to behold will be the ones
on His dear hands, and feet and side!

Thank You, Father, for reminding me of that simple "foil" craft from many years ago, and turning it into a special lesson.  It's so hard to have "our plans" be "foiled again!"  But that's just it!  These are "OUR PLANS!"  Let our plans mesh with Yours, and let Your light Shine through the piercings in our hearts each day.  These piercings keep us tender!  Thank YOU Jesus, for enduring the cross, and being pierced for me!  For US~~the "Ugly Sin" in all of us!  We love you!!  In Your Name, Amen.

H.U.N.T. ~~ Hugs Until Next Time,

Are You in a 'F.O.G.' ??

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken.
Isaiah 62:4 (KJV)

Have you ever experienced what it felt to be forsaken?  By a loved one?  By a friend?  Have you (or I) ever felt that maybe, even though we KNOW that God will never leave nor FORSAKE us, (Heb. 13:5) that maybe He had?  He had become very quiet, and it seemed His presence was "not there" ??? 

Maybe unconfessed sin in our life had caused a barrier to come between us and the Lord, and therefore caused a strain in our relationship with Him ~~  How could He fellowship with us while there was something (unconfessed sin) between us?   I understand.  Maybe the GUILT from our past, even though we know we're FORGIVEN~has caused us to feel "as though we're still forsaken."  Not forgiving ourselves is a BIG reason why a lot of us don't experience the Abundant LIFE that God has given us through Christ.

To feel "forsaken" in the spiritual sense is a :

Feeling of being 

Oppressed and
Ruined because my

Sin and Shame

Are

Keeping me from

Enjoying my

New life in Christ. 

Whoah.   Ever been there??    Oh yes, I have..."been there, and DONE THAT!"  That's a sly trick from the enemy to keep us under his "thumb"~ and essentially "in bondage," even though we've been SET FREE through the atoning work of Christ on the cross!

To feel "Forsaken Of God" is to actually feel as if we're in a F.O.G.  Where is HE?  "The smoke and ashes from the piled up rubble of my collapsed life are blinding me from seeing His face!  Why, I can not even MOVE since I can't SEE anything in this spiritual F.O.G. !!"

I can't seem to SEE A THING here, PEOPLE!!!

Well, let's step out of this F.O.G. . . and hop right into another F.O.G. shall we?  No, we're not hopping from the frying pan into the FIRE!??   Well, maybe we ARE---into the FIRE of the HOLY SPIRIT's POWER!   

Watch this:  We can experience the Favor Of God by remembering:  

Faith in God brings the Forgiveness Of God.

Abundant and

Victorious Living follow, when we're

Overtaken and

Regenerated by His POWER to

Enable us to Enjoy HIS

Divine Life within!!!



Looks  like THIS FOG is lifting~~ MY SPIRIT anyway! :)



Cha-Ching!!!!  Now, THAT'S MY KIND OF FOG!!!!   When I was a SR in high school, our "Family Living" teacher used to tell us "Get out your notebooks, this is a meatball (or "important tidbit of info to chew on.")  Well, well well----this just puts "Cloudy with a Chance of MEATBALLS" into a WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE, don't ya think?!  LOL 

Anyway, I was actually STUDYING anatomy, and then the Lord reminded me of the verse in Isaiah and applied that to a situation I recently experienced.   So I thought I'd share this with you ~~because I KNOW that "what He tells us in darkness, that share ye on the rooftops."  (Matthew 10:27) OK, this blog is not a rooftop, but it is a platform of some kind.  :)    BTW, if I don't do well on this week's A & P quiz, I'll just tell the instructor, "My brain must've been in a F.O.G."  LOL 

Well I must get back to reviewing flashcards.   But before my next post, whenever the Lord leads that to happen, be thinking about "which F.O.G." you are in. . .we're all "in a F.O.G."~~let's make sure it's the GOOD FOG---to be FAVORED of GOD!  And the only "Light" we need to have SHINING ahead of us is HIS WORD onto our path!  Don't forget that He will NEVER leave us NOR FORSAKE US, no matter what!  So let's be FREE to enjoy the Favor Of God, since we're NO LONGER termed FORSAKEN!!   :)

H.U.N.T. ~~  Hugs Until Next Time!

The Practicality of Life~~The L.O.L.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.  II Tim. 2:15 (NIV)

Just wanted to touch base with everyone, since....yes, I'm still "out here."  LOL    The Lord helped me to survive my first "anatomy" lecture test and lab "practical."  Not only did I "survive," I passed--with A's!  Hold on while I pinch myself.  OUCH!   That hurt!   Ha!  I don't need to pinch myself to "believe it," because I feel the exhaustion from all the studying just about every moment of the day. . . that's "all the reminder" I need.  HA

Anyway....of course, I do a lot of thinking on my way "to and fro" school.   Wondering about this "phase" of life that I'm in..  Almost 40 well, um, "much older than your average college student" and in school again?  Really?  Well, it's more about "what's the deeper purpose in all of this, Lord?"  (because I know that there's SOMETHING ELSE He's wanting to teach me~~in addition to "Anatomy and the other classes," of course.) 

Guess what happens "in between school" ???  Give up?  Life!  That happens.  Duties of "being me."  Duty Calls.  Not sure about you, but sometimes I feel like taking this old flesh of mine and throwing it away. 

Allow me to explain:  (HA  that sounds so fancy!)  LOL

In Anatomy we not only have Lecture, but we also have a nearly three hour Lab class each week.  The tests in Lab are called "Practicals."  That's basically where we "see who really knows (*and can apply) what they've learned from the text book."  Some of us students prefer the lecture, whereas others like the "hands-on" approach of Lab.  Isn't it ironic that the Lab tests are actually called PRACTICALS??  

Do you have a "Hands-On Approach" to learning??

That's what LIFE IS for us, y'all.  We go to church, we listen to messages, take notes, do devotions, write journals, study the Word, dig deeper, and then guess what happens...we put the Bible down, close the devotions, strap on our "boots" and head out the door---into the big test of life~~ THE Practical!   It's early morning, and "unbeknownst" to me, I'm at the "first station in the Practical of Life,"  where I find--the car in the garage...I've got my keys in hand...and yet, where are the two children I am "to transfer from home to school?  Why are they not yet in the car??  Were they not just behind me?? Where art they!??   Hmmm.  What to do--What to do?!  Well, do I "APPLY my knowledge" from my earlier "moms-need-more-patience, and-here's-how-to-get-it" devotional???  ~~OR~~ do I flunk this first "station" in the Practical of Life and just completely blow my cool....Honking the horn, flashing the lights, etc?  "Okay, gather your cool, here come the two children...Lord, forgive me....okay...Let's shake this off and go to school."

Time flies whether we're
"having fun" or NOT! 

Head out the driveway, down the street and on towards Lab Practical Station #2 the main road..."Who let the floodgates open??   Where is all this traffic coming from? We'll never make it to school if I can't get out of this neighborhood~~What am I saying?  I have to get MYSELF to class!!"  What's that~~Could that be my blood pressure rising??   I look back to find the kids are biting their nails, tightly grasping their backpacks!  Wait...their backpacks are STILL ON THEIR BACKS, yes, while they're strapped in by their seat belts~~they must've been rushed to get in the car and "strapped in!"  ("Oh man, that's gotta be uncomfortable!")    Meanwhile---Time's tickin' away. (did I mention Lab practicals are TIMED!??)

"Barely scraping through that station," we get to school, they hop out of the car...."have a nice day y'all....I've got to run..I leave for classes in an hour!!"    Whew!   Arriving home, grabbing my backpack and a snack for later, what do I see on the dining room table?   My daughter's homework--the one she worked tirelessly on til "way past her bedtime" the night before!  OH NO!  Without realizing it, I've just proceeded to Lab Practical "Station #3!"    Now, the correct answer to this "problem" is to "not panic" and take the assignment to school (which happens to be a few minutes away..."No biggie," I thought.)   Well, I enter the garage~~keys, backpack AND daughter's assignment in hand (forget the snack-who has time to eat??)...I open the garage door, only to find...IT'S POURING DOWN RAIN!  . . . "Where's my umbrella?!"   (in the house!)   Entering Station #4.   (or could it be I never REALLY left "Station 1"  ????)  LOL 



(...."Ah...there they are, again!")

Y'all get the idea don't you!?    Life is just one big "Lab Practical" after another.  How well are we doing?  We may have the BOOK knowledge....but how well are we applying what we've learned "in the real world."  ?   ?   ?   (okay..where's my steel toes from last time?  HA)



Of course, some of these above-mentioned situations "may or may NOT" have been "added to for fictional purposes," but I have been thinking about this aspect of life. . . Surely we're fearfully and wonderfully made--as I've been  learning about all the microscopic details that we humans are composed of. . . but I'm also learning that whenever my feet hit the floor in the morning, I've just entered the "L.O.L."  Lab of Life.  And sometimes it "aint so funny!"  (Can I get a witness!?)   :o)  And the difference between the LOL (Lab of Life) and Lab in Anatomy is----in Anatomy, I'M the one who's looking into the microscope, deciding what specific tissue or cell I'm looking at. HOWEVER--in the "L.O.L." it's not MY eyes that are looking through the microscope..it's the LORD'S eyes. . . thing is----what's He seeing?    Am I squirming and/or complaining on the "microscopic stage" of life??   How do OTHERS see me?  How am I "Handling the Word?"   Life is hard, and sometimes it's literally hard to breathe under the weight of these burdens... sometimes "trying to live the life" becomes a burden in itself---which is DEAD WRONG!  Our Heavenly Father KNOWS we can not do this!!  He wants us to depend totally on HIM to live HIS LIFE through us...all He wants is for us to be a CHANNEL for HIS STRENGTH and power to flow, and therefore "pass with flying colors" in the "Lab of Life."

Happy news is.....when we're His children we're covered in His Son's righteousness.  So, when He sees us, He's seeing perfection~~POSITIONALLY, not practically, of course.  Does this mean I am to continue on in my sinful, fleshly ways?  Nope.  I'm to stay under His wing, dependant totally ON HIS STRENGTH and fully obedient TO HIS WORD to get me through these "not-so-practical" times in life.  And that's a lot to LOL about!    Rejoice in the Lord!!

Okay..that's it from me until next time.    In an email, I teased a fellow blogging sister, Karen at Hallelujah Anyhow--who's taking a short BB (Bloggin' Break)...I mentioned how I'd missed her...anyway, when I signed off, I said, "H.U.N.T.  Hugs Until Next Time. . .no, we're not sending out a search party to hunt for you!"  LOL    So...y'all don't have to send out a search party for me. . I'm here. . . .But here you go:  Happy HUNTing--Hugs Until Next Time.  :)  Oh, and BTW, Kay (at Nana's Nuggets) I nearly "cracked up" LOL'ing when I got your latest comment!  Thanks for checking in!  (And whew, you didn't have to send out a "search party" for me...not yet anyhow!)   :)  HUGS!

Like a crane [or] a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail [with looking] upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.  Isaiah 38:14 (KJV)

Thank You, Father, for Your never-ending patience, and for being the most tolerant, loving, generous, helpful, patient Instructor I've ever known!  Help me, please..help us ALL as we enter the LOL---and make sure that we are filled with YOUR JOY, so that instead of feeling "under the microscope," we can really do some LOL'ing---rejoicing in Your presence!  In Jesus' Name...Amen.