Preparing For Lent...

Before I start, I want to say, I am not Catholic or any other of those traditions... I was raised in a Pentecostal home, interned as a Lutheran and Evangelical Free, and married a Baptist,... still I believe in fellowshiping with other believers, and my membership currently is Baptist...  All this to say, I have celebrated Lent since I was a teenager. ~ Morria

Lent, such a blessed time in my life. It is a period of fasting and prayer, spanning 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday.  It is a time of quiet reflection, preparation, and devotion, in preparing the heart for the coming of Resurrection Sunday (Easter).  The 40 days of fasting and prayer are moddled afters Jesus 40 days in the wilderness.  For me, in the past 19 years, when ever I have practiced Lent, Easter has always had much deeper meaning for me...
This year I am giving up chocolate and Facebook games for Lent... and adding back Lent Devotions and Bible Journaling... pray for strength for me as Lent begins in just 2 days. 

~ Morria

Seasons of Change...

"Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my Light..."  As seasons change, and the people we know change, are taken from us, or grow away from us, tis a joy to know Iosa* is always with us.  And winds of change do keep blowing strongly through my life.  Yet that can be a good thing, as it give clarity, focus, and new experiences to the journey of life. I do not as of yet know exactly where this journey will take us for long, but I am so thankful for Iosa's Light as I have gone through my journeys.... not sure where I would be with out it, but not here that is for sure.

"High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art!"  It can be strange to think about what use to be important.  All the stuff that needlessly clutters our lives. All those small things that take up so much space, but yet mean soo little or nothing at all.  What is a treasure to me?  I only have a few earthly ones:  Robby, my doll - Beth (which I have had since I was 10), our two Navajo Rugs, and all our dear friends and family (most of these people we shall see in heaven, if not all before the end)...
But my greatest treasure is Iosa, I would chose Him above it all, for He is my hope and my salvation!  Without Him nothing else matters!

"Be Thou my soul's shelter!"  A shelter for the soul, a refuge in troubled times, that is what Iosa  is!  More than that, He is the strong tower in which we wage our war against the spiritual darkness from within.  Outside of Him, we fall and are easily slain and devoured by the enemy (Satan), but in Iosa, His Light, and with Him as our Treasure, we can stand strong through it all.  I may not know where the journey is going, but I know with Iosa, we will journey on!

~ Morria


*Iosa is Irish Gaelic for Jesus.

Living our Faith...

When we talk about living our faith, and being Jesus hands and feet, what do we really think about? Do we see a poor widow?  Do we see the fatherless kids down the street?  Do we remember the thousands without clean water?  Do we think of the many without a meal, espcially the 1 in 5 children who will not eat today?  Do we remember the orphans, the homeless, the strangers, and the outcasts?  Do we think of those ill?  Do we think of those alone?  Do we care?    Do we picture feeding 5,000?

When Robby and I returned to Kentucky, we also returned to our anchor church here, Immanuel Baptist Church of Corbin, because of their heart to reach the world.  Little did we know we would be returning during the Love Loud outreach, which is not just hosted by IBC but many other churches from the area.  One of the goals is to feed 5,000.  How?  That is the awesome part...

Have you ever gone to church Sunday and had a reverse offering?  What is that?  Were the church passed the offering plate and TOLD you to take $1 dollar out for yourself.  Then we learned about the parable of the talents   Then we all, along with many other churches descended upon Walmart (only food place that could handle all of us), and each spend that money, and many of us beyond that, to buy food for others.

Result?  One large truck, plus 7 small pick-ups full of food...  how many feed still pending...  That to me is living our faith... in a BIG way.

~ Morria

A Goal: Holiday Work

Snow hath come this Christmastide as of yesterday.  At last, we have good white snow.  The city looks so white and pure, thought that most likely will not last long.  Even my bike, "Meg", loves this... though I dont dare taker her out on the streets in this weather.  It looks as if tis finally time to rest her for the winter.  Until we meet again in the spring, dear "Meg".  I am sure the bike shop will care for you well.

As everyone left for Thanksgiving, and is now preparing to leave for Christmas, Robby and I are being able to pick up a bunch of extra paid work.   And that is a good thing, as in January we are journeying to Dine Bikeyah for about a week.  Other than Aaron, Skot and Rachel, and a few other families, we are not close to many anywhere...  And our Christmas was spent with Rob's family over Thanksgiving...

I love how they have made the L and other lines all festive.  In this busy bustling city, it is nice to have some good will and spirit of cheer.  I just pray that everyone, whether traveling home, journeying through the city, or snug as a bug with their computer and a cup of Zhena's Fireside Chai Tea, never forgets the Babe born on Christmas morn.  We ought not celebrate Him one morn, but all 365 days of the year.  Let us not blot out the lesson we have learned on the journeys way, and share His love all the more with those about us.

~ Morria