I never know when it will happen but happen it does. Suddenly without warning in the midst of a personal experience that small still voice of the Holy Spirit is heard and then the down load of information begins.
Sometimes it is within a daily routine that I have experienced forever. A small seemingly insignificant blip occurs out of the oridinary ... I see something that my eyes have missed for as long as only the Lord knows how long!
Let me explain, this morning I woke, got up, put on my robe, stepped out of the bedroom door making my way to the kitchen walking the path I take ever morning ... and in an instant my eye catches the tiniest quick flash of light on the floor next to the baseboard on the wall to my left just a few feet ahead of my steps.
It happen so fast that I lost its location because I had passed whatever it was that caught the light quickly ... but my mind was intrigued and I had to know what caught my eye!
I had to back up two three times and re-trace my steps each time to catch it again ... there is a reason for this and it is not because of my aging eye sight. I had to find my original steps again on the daily path I take so that the light which exposed the tiny sliver of glass (from a broken picture frame that fell off that wall a year or so ago) and my line of sight would once again line up correctly. Only then could I catch the play of light on the otherwise invisible object.
Immediately the Holy Spirit began teaching ... Only when light is present can the hidden object be revealed. Only when my steps aline on the path of my journey correctly, that is to be in alinement with the light upon the object, will I be able to see the otherwise invisible object. An object that needed to be revealed, apprehended, and removed from the path so as not to endanger myself or others.
Truth, a tiny sliver of glass can be painful on contact. If it becomes embedded in the foot or heel, it can cause difficulty in walking due to its presence and if untended, infection will set in and well I could spend some time here on how I have personal knowledge and experience with embedded slivers of glass in flesh. I will spare you the details.
The Holy Spirit reminded me of a verse of scripture Matthew 10:26:
“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known."
In reading the whole of that chapter you will get the context ... the Lord is speaking to the twelve disciples sending them out to the towns and people of Israel. He warns them He is sending them as sheep among wolves. Their journey will not be easy. Why? Because they have aligned with Him, who is Light, and as it is for the teacher so shall it be for the students for the students are not above the teacher.
The Teacher needed the Holy Spirit to guide His steps so as daily to be correctly aligned with Light so that things hidden in darkness and otherwise invisible to sight, but none the less dangerous, could be revealed. How much more do we students need the Holy Spirit to guide us on our daily journey to stay line up correctly with the Light.
Isaiah 9:2 reads: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."
Lets us walk in the Light.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
A Vineyard's Seasons ... From A Husbandman's Persepective
The vineyard planned ... at the right location in the correct season. Husbandman's Dream
The vineyard planted ... at the right time in the correct season. Husbandman's Investment
The vineyard pruned ... at the right time in the correct season. Husbandman's Decision
The vineyard cultivated ... at the right location in the correct season. Husbandman's Work
The vineyard collected ... at the right time in the correct season. Husbandman's Harvest
The vineyard cuttings ... taken at the right time in the correct season. Husbandman's Dream
For if one has an ear to hear ...
The vineyard planted ... at the right time in the correct season. Husbandman's Investment
The vineyard pruned ... at the right time in the correct season. Husbandman's Decision
The vineyard cultivated ... at the right location in the correct season. Husbandman's Work
The vineyard collected ... at the right time in the correct season. Husbandman's Harvest
The vineyard cuttings ... taken at the right time in the correct season. Husbandman's Dream
For if one has an ear to hear ...
Friday, February 18, 2011
Following The Yellow Brick Road
I shifted a bit ... not from the path or the journey but on how to relate it here as it plays out from Psalm 119. Lets see how this turns out. Please read on.
In Psalm 119: 9-16 one can read:
"How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 12 Praise be to you, LORD; teach me your decrees. 13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. 15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word."
In the movie Wizard of Oz, young Dorothy having found herself no longer in Kansas and rather lost as to how to get back was given only these words " follow the Yellow Brick Road". Suddenly the trial appeared before her feet. At first just a small spiral that necessitated small almost baby steps. However with each step the trail began growing and moving outward ... taking Dorothy out of the present circumstance she found herself in, alone, lost, without hope, afraid, giving her a path to follow that offered direction, purpose and hope. But still with a lot of "unknown" out there.
Soon the path became a broadened road. It was her day to day focal point of her field of vision. Each day the path caused her to look ahead. The days before were only memories of what was left behind or had been lost. Dorothy now fixed on the hope that was set before her in the promise that if she stayed on the path before her she would discover the answers she sought on how to get home.
The promise with hope was now tangible in the form of a yellow brick road ... the path that she was given to follow and stay on no matter what ... why ... because now she had real promise of finding out how to get back home and having hope that she would be successful in discovery of those answers ... the keys for unlocking the mystery that kept her from her goal.
She embraced the journey. She committed to the unknown path before her because of her motivation to get home. For her to be off the path was to prolong the sense of what was lost and delay further what she was hoping to gain ... home.
You and I are on a journey ... but there has to be more to this than just the journey ... more on that next post.
In Psalm 119: 9-16 one can read:
"How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 12 Praise be to you, LORD; teach me your decrees. 13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. 15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word."
In the movie Wizard of Oz, young Dorothy having found herself no longer in Kansas and rather lost as to how to get back was given only these words " follow the Yellow Brick Road". Suddenly the trial appeared before her feet. At first just a small spiral that necessitated small almost baby steps. However with each step the trail began growing and moving outward ... taking Dorothy out of the present circumstance she found herself in, alone, lost, without hope, afraid, giving her a path to follow that offered direction, purpose and hope. But still with a lot of "unknown" out there.
Soon the path became a broadened road. It was her day to day focal point of her field of vision. Each day the path caused her to look ahead. The days before were only memories of what was left behind or had been lost. Dorothy now fixed on the hope that was set before her in the promise that if she stayed on the path before her she would discover the answers she sought on how to get home.
The promise with hope was now tangible in the form of a yellow brick road ... the path that she was given to follow and stay on no matter what ... why ... because now she had real promise of finding out how to get back home and having hope that she would be successful in discovery of those answers ... the keys for unlocking the mystery that kept her from her goal.
She embraced the journey. She committed to the unknown path before her because of her motivation to get home. For her to be off the path was to prolong the sense of what was lost and delay further what she was hoping to gain ... home.
You and I are on a journey ... but there has to be more to this than just the journey ... more on that next post.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
“Barricade The Road That Goes Nowhere"
Last night I noticed the side by side signs for Alabama Highway 119, one for South, our current path home, and the other for North which I would take if I wanted to skip home and go to Pelham, Oak Mountain, Hoover, and Leeds. Not wanting to go to those places I just simply wanted to go home. This meant I would be turning onto State Hwy 119 South towards Montevallo. As we entered the left turn lane ( btw: a left turn represents the spirit rather than the natural ) on State Hwy 31 in Alabaster seeing the signs it was like seeing them for the first time. I immediately thought of Psalm 119 and then almost said out loud; “Wow, that is a really long chapter of scripture!”
But the next thought was asking myself an important question: “How many time have I been this route but never paid any attention to those two sings … side by side … double Hwy 119 side by side … HELLO!” When Jesus says anything twice … PAY ATTENTION!” So I knew what I would be doing when I got home … reading Psalm 119!
At this point it might be beneficial to tell how long my wife of nearly 41 years and I have lived in Alabaster, Alabama. I am not certain if more for me or the reader … if for me … a helpful reminder; if for the reader … a helpful point of reference establishing history of the Humphreys’ journey to “South Central” Alabama circa 1995. In the spring of 1995 the Humphreys found themselves in a rather major transition … again … as with most when a relocation is involved. Actually our reasons were not quite that simple more like obscure at the time but rooted in events seven years earlier.
So set back, get comfortable, you may want a cup of Joe and tissues … just saying.
We were in another time of transition … the year … August 1989. I did not know it then but the events of that entire year, 1989, would leave me scarred and struggling for decades. The only thing … I sincerely mean this … the ONLY thing that I would be able to draw any strength and inner peace from for the next decade or so would be a dream given me on the eve of the total collapse of all the Humphreys had known.
The dream was God’s merciful way of warning, instructing, preparing, and later encouraging his servant as a kernel of hope. One seed. The three year effort plant an Assembly of God home missions church was a failure, at least in my eyes. Personally ruined financially, riddle with self doubt, without a ministry, no open windows or doors in Alabama or the six other states I contacted in a desperate self initiated (not the Holy Spirit) effort to make something happen!
At 39 years old … a wife … two teenage daughters … no job, no home, no savings, no plan, just an ache in my body, mind, and spirit! Life was screaming!! …Heaven was silent!!!… nothing but the dream. The dream that made it clear it was time to leave! However, the road to take out of there was NOT the option I wanted! It was the ONLY option I had. I called my parents … with family in tow we moved in with my parents who were renting a two bedroom bungalow style home in East Birmingham, Alabama. Not a real high point of my or Denise’s life. Neither was it for my parents. Thus began a seven year journey on a road not of my choosing. That journey ended with the arrival of yet another transition. This time the road I thought I chose. That is where this article picks up and I have this thought I only had the illusion of choosing the road for this journey.
Continuing I pick back up with my original thoughts. In that I have seen those very road signs yet not seen those road signs for how long now? … 15 years! … To in a moment, a blink, to have my eyes open so I can see them for the first time. My thoughts upon seeing the signs: “Denise and I now live in a subdivision right off Hwy 119 South ( Ps 119) so I think I need to read Ps 119 … I mean really read it” … and what I saw there … see there … is amazing!
So I believe I am suppose to write or blogg for as long as I am getting revelation from Psalm 119. This will mostly be personal, that is the general purpose of a blogg I think. No strict schedule for it may be daily or gaps of days between entries… but I will reveal what I find and hopefully it will be interesting maybe even insighful to those brave souls wishing to follow along. I will be using “The Message” version of the scriptures cause I really like to read the scriptures from that translation. I may have lost someone who might have otherwise followed me if I’d use the KJV, of the NKJV, or the ASV, or the NIV …. my choice but if it helps let me suggest you read the blogg and then see if you can find the same reference in your favorite version of scripture I just bet the Holy Spirit will speak to you from there too and see ... we all benefit … “) … unity in love approaching the fullness of Christ Jesus … got to love it!
Hope you will decide to check back and see what treasure was found on the journey of Ps 119.
But the next thought was asking myself an important question: “How many time have I been this route but never paid any attention to those two sings … side by side … double Hwy 119 side by side … HELLO!” When Jesus says anything twice … PAY ATTENTION!” So I knew what I would be doing when I got home … reading Psalm 119!
At this point it might be beneficial to tell how long my wife of nearly 41 years and I have lived in Alabaster, Alabama. I am not certain if more for me or the reader … if for me … a helpful reminder; if for the reader … a helpful point of reference establishing history of the Humphreys’ journey to “South Central” Alabama circa 1995. In the spring of 1995 the Humphreys found themselves in a rather major transition … again … as with most when a relocation is involved. Actually our reasons were not quite that simple more like obscure at the time but rooted in events seven years earlier.
So set back, get comfortable, you may want a cup of Joe and tissues … just saying.
We were in another time of transition … the year … August 1989. I did not know it then but the events of that entire year, 1989, would leave me scarred and struggling for decades. The only thing … I sincerely mean this … the ONLY thing that I would be able to draw any strength and inner peace from for the next decade or so would be a dream given me on the eve of the total collapse of all the Humphreys had known.
The dream was God’s merciful way of warning, instructing, preparing, and later encouraging his servant as a kernel of hope. One seed. The three year effort plant an Assembly of God home missions church was a failure, at least in my eyes. Personally ruined financially, riddle with self doubt, without a ministry, no open windows or doors in Alabama or the six other states I contacted in a desperate self initiated (not the Holy Spirit) effort to make something happen!
At 39 years old … a wife … two teenage daughters … no job, no home, no savings, no plan, just an ache in my body, mind, and spirit! Life was screaming!! …Heaven was silent!!!… nothing but the dream. The dream that made it clear it was time to leave! However, the road to take out of there was NOT the option I wanted! It was the ONLY option I had. I called my parents … with family in tow we moved in with my parents who were renting a two bedroom bungalow style home in East Birmingham, Alabama. Not a real high point of my or Denise’s life. Neither was it for my parents. Thus began a seven year journey on a road not of my choosing. That journey ended with the arrival of yet another transition. This time the road I thought I chose. That is where this article picks up and I have this thought I only had the illusion of choosing the road for this journey.
Continuing I pick back up with my original thoughts. In that I have seen those very road signs yet not seen those road signs for how long now? … 15 years! … To in a moment, a blink, to have my eyes open so I can see them for the first time. My thoughts upon seeing the signs: “Denise and I now live in a subdivision right off Hwy 119 South ( Ps 119) so I think I need to read Ps 119 … I mean really read it” … and what I saw there … see there … is amazing!
So I believe I am suppose to write or blogg for as long as I am getting revelation from Psalm 119. This will mostly be personal, that is the general purpose of a blogg I think. No strict schedule for it may be daily or gaps of days between entries… but I will reveal what I find and hopefully it will be interesting maybe even insighful to those brave souls wishing to follow along. I will be using “The Message” version of the scriptures cause I really like to read the scriptures from that translation. I may have lost someone who might have otherwise followed me if I’d use the KJV, of the NKJV, or the ASV, or the NIV …. my choice but if it helps let me suggest you read the blogg and then see if you can find the same reference in your favorite version of scripture I just bet the Holy Spirit will speak to you from there too and see ... we all benefit … “) … unity in love approaching the fullness of Christ Jesus … got to love it!
Hope you will decide to check back and see what treasure was found on the journey of Ps 119.
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