The day with dianne Louise

Philippians 4:23 (MSG) Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves. In Him I live, in Him I Move and have my being. Well, my goal is to capture the full understanding of this. Last night, as I was babysitting, one of my grandsons woke me needing a cuddle, he was having a bad dream. I lay awake talking to the Lord and having a revelation about me being in Him and Him being in me. For the longest time I had seen myself possessing a small fragment of the Holy Spirit. Aah! but it is not like that. He is everywhere, without bounds. when I give Him access to me, without bounds, then I in turn have access to His limitlessness and unbounlessness . It is as if I walk through Him, like a ghost (thus Holy Ghost) but He can solidify at any times and with anything. WOW! Therefore I am surrounded by His love, His grace, His wisdom, His patience (I need that right now as I have to face three selfish little boys and train them), His determin...

Philippians 3:20-21 (MSG) Jesus Christ, .... He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him. It is He who is making us whole, it is He who is causing us to be complete, not we ourselves. At times I discover arrogance inside and am amazed at myself, but then that is all it is, myself. The unwashed parts, the parts He wants to change. I find there are some people who bring out the worst in me. Is it their fault? Or do they mere highlight the nasty bits. I cannot blame them. It is in these times I must go to Christ and ask for grace to behave as He would, with kindness and gentleness and grace. Lord today I ask for grace that I might respond as You would have me, what does this person need me to do to enable them to move on in God? This is not all about me. Amen!

Psalms 150:6 (MSG) Let every living, breathing creature praise God! Hallelujah! Yesterday I was viewing the clip below and moved t0 tears and realised others might enjoy it as well. I woke in the early hours of this morning with my spirit singing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE Why did the song touch my heart? Because it was well done? Because of the subject? Because of how it was sung? All of the above but best of all because people sang it. The earth constantly sings forth God's praise, it has no problem doing so, it is us who get all foggy in the head and forget. we see His glory and don't appreciate it. I remember when had a blind girl board with me. We discussed colour. Because she had never seen it she was not bothered to miss it. I decided to give her an appreciation of green. I said 'Green is a happy colour', she replied 'ah then I understand that is why people get all sad when their grass dies.' I love colour, I live it, appreciate i...

Psalms 146:3-4 (MSG) Don't put your life in the hands of experts who know nothing of life, of salvation life. Mere humans don't have what it takes; when they die, their projects die with them. There is no one like our God. There are many good men and women but at the end of the day they are not God and cannot do what He does. My God, You alone are God. It was you who created all we see, breathe and feel. It was You who created me, so you really know me. Who knows me better? Who else can fix my broken bits but You? Everyone, no matter how good they are, even if they walk closely to their God, will one day fail because they are not God. He is the only one who can absolutely keep His word. We become bitterly disappointed when we lock into a leader and they fail us by not walking in integrity, awareness, compassion. If we have our eyes on them instead of God we will become disappointed, bitter, angry. In the book I am reading called 'The Partnership', the story about our pa...

Psalms 144:2 (MSG) He's the bedrock on which I stand, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight, The high crag where I run for dear life, while he lays my enemies low. In the New Testament Jesus said in John chapter 15:4, 'dwell in me and I will dwell in you.' In psalms we see a constant cry for deliverance, the need was on-going. However, although my life is on-going, if I catch that I am in Him, then, although stuff will constantly happen, I am in the safest place. Being in Him does not stop stuff from happening, stuff happening is a part of growing up. Our enemy's plan is to distract us from knowing where we are. If he can persuade us that we are in the problem then he has won. These are two different perspectives. In Christ I am safe, in the problem I am in trouble. Which will I choose? Who's report will I believe? Satan's constant move is to empower the problem, to endeavour to rob us of peace, focus, faith. I remember the children's song...

Psalms 143:1 (MSG) Do what's right for me. This is a very trusting prayer. There is no control here. I remember when I was first divorced my fear caused me to want to control God's answers yet He has taken me to peace. If God created me, then He knows exactly what is good for me, in every area. What is right for me is His best plan. Circumstances come along and try to dictate outcome. He is above circumstances and can see farther than I can. When I am in trouble I often am overwhelmed by the trouble but He sees clear skies ahead. We have to catch the fact that our enemy wants to dictate the course of our life by sending along wave after wave of circumstances, some good mostly bad. In all things we have to live out of the one who is wiser, lives higher and is unaffected by circumstance. Our enemy's plan is to trap us, rob us, steal from us, harm us. He will use whatever means he can to do this. The trick is to live out of Christ, let Him be the doorway. He, not circu...

Ephesians 6:10 (MSG) And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. As part of my holiday mode I read more. At present I am reading a book called 'Partnership'. It is about the relationship between Howard and Bush during the years after Sept 11 and the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq . The author shows how highly the Australian SAS soldiers were thought of, how excellent they were in war and the high regard the US now has for them. The reputation did not come without a stand. The Aussie commanders had to stand their ground and in the process earn the ire of several American leaders who, by the end, respected them. Training, hard training and hard fighting, learning to survive on next to nothing in the harshest of climates. They did not rely only on brute force, but were, and still are, lean killing machines. Christianity is like that, or it is supposed to be, yes, even on Christmas day. We cannot afford to be soft with a multitude of fleshly weak...

Ephesians 5:26 (MSG) Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, Wow! What a man! 'His words evoke her beauty'. Not just in courting or selfish manipulation but for my own good. The power of love is to make us whole, how good is that. Praise God. Just think, we can do that for others as we lovingly give them room. I have made friends with a little 3 year old boy next door and the Lord has constrained me to give him room, even though he is 3 and asks a lot of questions. I have something he likes 2 little dogs, a hammock and 2 swing chairs.....and perhaps a grandmothers heart. I wonder what God will do in the grown man that will come down the road, will he remember the generous lady across the street. I did. I remember the generous old ladies that lived at my grandmothers boarding house. Is this what Christmas is really all about?

Isaiah 66:9 Shall I bring forth to the moment of birth and not cause to bring forth? says the Lord. Shall I who causes to bring forth shut the womb? says your God. This is a scripture that the Lord constantly gives me when times get tough and they are tough at present. Tough times are humiliating. I cannot make things better I have to trust. Aaagh ! My God wants to be God, because that's who He is, His nature does not change when I am pressed. I am pressed because He wants to see what will come out, what will I say? will I say 'it is well', or will I spew forth vindictives , whine and complain? Lord I ask for Your Grace because Your word says 'my grace is sufficient for you'. If Your word says it that settles it. Your grace is sufficient. Amen! I have those around me who look and listen and rely, what behaviour will I display? My eldest grandson was asking questions again re 'why did grandad leave? who will you marry now nanny'. Myer understands the con...

Psalms 131:2 (MSG) I've kept my feet on the ground, I've cultivated a quiet heart. Like a baby content in its mother's arms, my soul is a baby content. Having a new baby grand daughter I can testify to this. Eloise, once fed, lies with a contented, stuffed, countenance , blissfully happy and full. My daughter -in-law is a photographer of infants and when Eloise is content Roz has her camera out, Eloise lies wherever put, in hanging pods, on rugs, chairs, wherever. For a baby to allow such behaviour she has to be totally happy in her environment, not wanting to dictate at all. As she grows up, that will be a different story. Oh to be so simple, oh to be so trusting. Yesterday I had coffee with a girlfriend who is struggling with Christmas. My friend is a divorcee and all her children are happily trotting off to her ex husbands home for lunch when this friend had, or thoughts she had, everything planned. My friends concern is that she is working night shift Christmas...

Ephesians 3:20 (MSG) 20 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Our circumstances tell us all sorts of stories but at the end of the day they are just stories. We must decide what is truth. My bible tells me God’s word is truth. If I choose it as the voice in my head and my heart then there is no confusion. Every time the noise starts I can focus on what the word of God says and the noise has to go. If the Son of God had been tried and had to stand on the word of God how can I assume that I am any different. I must choose the word of God as final authority, if there is no argument then peace reigns. Miracles come as we choose His word and remind Him of what is written in His word and call it to pass. My bible tells me that ‘the Kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force.’ This is talking about ...

Ephesians 2:19 (MSG) This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here.... The Kindom of faith is sure a strange place, a place of rest and trust. It is foreign to every other kingdom. The Kingdom of self makes it all about ME. What I am doing, what I can do, how I am doing, how successful I am, how I fulfill me yardy yardy ya. The Kingdom of God is about Him, fulfilling His plans, His wishes, forgetting me. In this Kingdom there are heroes gone before; Abraham, Sarah, Noah, Moses, David, Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Ruth, Mary and the list goes on. Imagine having an angel turn up and tell you you were going to become pregnant with the saviour of the world. Absolutely everyone would think you were nuts. They would think you were promiscuous and had a child out of wedlock, no respect there. Where was the angel when you had to travel all the way to Bethlehem in the freezing cold, to find there was nowhere to stay a...

Ephesians 1:23 (MSG) The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence. I have a friend who has always been single and he is very independent , he knows no other way, yet 'two is better than one', 'one can put 1 thousand to flight but two can put 10,000 to flight'. The power of two is much greater than the power of 1. The church is the power of many. When a church mobilises to pray and act it mobilises heaven. In my own self I can experience God and have good fellowship with Him but when I walk into church I sense the greatness of His power, He is there in force. When we as a church work in unison and seek Him He delights in turning up. God knows this that is why He instituted the church. In the Old Testament He went so far as to give the people set days to worship Him. Going to church washes my spirit as I worship H...

Ephesians 1:11(MSG) Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, The best romantic stories have a beautiful maid seen from afar and loved by a handsome prince. The story is a part of our core longing, it is written on the fabric of our beings. I have such a prince, He saw me before I was born and chose to know me, His eye was upon me throughout all my growing up years and He loved me. He has the power to move mountains, nothing is impossible for Him. Even the guys are given a frog kissed by a princess story. He kisses our lives and they change. He is our rescuer, He is our High tower, He is our lover. If I have the one who created all this wanting a relationship with me, wanting to pour out all His love on me am I about to say 'no I like my pig squalor more'? No way! I receive His love, bask in His love, frolic in His love. I will enter His love and discover the halls of delight in His love. Ame...

Galatians 6:4 (MSG) Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. When I was a young married woman I was torn as to which way I should go. As I became aware of the gifts inside of me I was totally lost. Before I knew myself, I had been completely focused on only one direction, the then passion of my life, nursing, oblivious to the me inside. The more I knew the more the struggle became. Until my mid 20s I was blind to the creative within my life. As I unlocked it it sprang out with such a force it knocked me over. As I surveyed what I had unlocked I was overwhelmed. I had only known academia and the pursuit of knowledge. To discover the creative was a little disconcerting, what do I do with all of this? Why is it such a raging torrent? Where did this force come from? I had come to Christ at 19. As I pursued my relationship with Him the floodg...

Galatians 5:19-21 (MSG) It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. Wow! You would think Paul (the writer) was alive and living next door. What has changed? Our trinkets are electrical, we move faster but the underlying results are the same. So what is the answer? something so simple, free, clean, peaceful, restful, considerate, right. A relationship with a living God who says 'come to me, you who are burdened and I will giv...

Galatians 4:8-9 (MSG) Earlier, before you knew God personally, you were enslaved to so-called gods that had nothing of the divine about them. But now that you know the real God—or rather since God knows you—how can you possibly subject yourselves again to those paper tigers? Why do we go back? We return to old patterns of behaviour because we do not embrace the new. I have a lady who runs a coffee shop near where I work who, in her endeavour to be independent , has moved away from pure Christianity and her world is a mess. She constantly talks about 'being good', 'but I pray'. Christianity is not about earning favour, this woman is under law. There is nothing I can do that will make God love me more. He already loves me more than I can imagine. How can I pay a price higher than the life of the Son of God? The simplicity of forgiveness, freedom and love all given in grace is ours for the asking. I am watching someone try to re-invent the sacrifice. She piles high ...

Galatians 3:26-27 (MSG) By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise. How do we grasp this? By renewing our minds, changing our thinking. Why is the transition such a struggle? Perhaps because we have spent so long believing 'if it is to be it is up to me'. My role is to come to rest and trust. Yet all around me are questions 'how will you do it? How will you survive? Haven't you got a good job yet? On and on are the questions. Stuff calls out 'you can't have me because you're a loser. Since when does stuff call the shots, since when does it rule? Why is the having of excess rubbish important? For years I ran down the accumulation of stuff alley and all it did was ruin. I watch my children run down this path and know what waits at the end. At Chris...

Galatians 3:11 (MSG) The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you. We really must get this! As I embrace what God is doing in my life and allow Him free reign He delights in surprising me. Yesterday I had my son call and ask me to take his three boys to church, which I did. I am amazed at the resource of strength we find when we need it. I had the usual little boys problems, wet pants, fights, cranky and hungry little men but because I had experience with these boys I handled it. I was watched. I was given a financial gift, w hich I inadvertently threw away by mistake and could not find. The Lord spoke to my heart 'trust Me, look at Me'. Alright Lord I will. I went to church last night and expected several friends to come, a few less did, my seats I had marked were taken but I kept it sweet. Totally by chance I met someone, a man who might...

Psalms 105:18-19 (AMP) His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into the iron, Until his word [to his cruel brothers] came true, until the word of the Lord tried and tested him. The above passage is speaking about Joseph. Joseph was a young man loved by his father and despised by his brothers. He was also loved by the Lord and destined for greatness, yet he suffered. 'His soul entered into the iron', he became one with his chains. What would that have taken, how broken would he have been, how surrendered? He surrendered to the 'chastisement' as the future Christ would do. My God has woken me to speak to me about my heart attitude, to cleanse me and then have me pray for the lost. I can't pray effectively with an unclean heart. The Holy Spirit does His housework in the night, He puts attitude in perspective, spoken word in the light, He sifts intentions and behaviour. I have given Him charge and so He is doing what He is...

Psalms 103:2 (AMP) Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits— It seems we humans forget when we should remember and remember when we should forget. We should remember that we are His people, the sheep of His pastures, that He loves us and works all things, I say again 'all things', out for our benefit. Where do things go wrong? In our expectations. We often live out of immaturity in our relationship with God. We go ' waa waa ' and expect the dummy, the bottle, to be picked up and held. Hebrews admonishes us, we should be teachers by now but we still live on milk. Why? we are allowed to stay as babies. God does not allow it but there are enough sympathisers around us who do. God forbid! I am being transformed into a daughter of God, who knows my God and does great exploits. this life is not about me, it is about Him and His purposes. All things work together for my good, all the bad stuff, all the pain ...

Psalms 100:3 (AMP) It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! Yesterday a beautiful little princess was born, Eloise is her name. She is perfect, tiny, dark haired. The joy I had looking at my little grand daughter was overwhelming. At last my three grandsons will have a sister and learn to deal with girls. To say to the Lord 'You are not involved, genetics did it, we did it without You', is like saying to me 'Go away you are not involved you have no claim to this child'. I know my joy in seeing Eloise and I hazard to guess that my God's joy was greater. To have not been able to hold my little grand daughter would have been painful and to not have her dedicated to, or given back to the Lord would be a slap in the face to Him. We humans really must get perspective, up is really up and down is really down. We are not God and we cannot save ourselves through our own efforts. There is no other God like our God, there is only one God. Amen!

2 Corinthians 13:3 (AMP) [For He] is not weak and feeble in dealing with you, but is a mighty power within you; There are times when the stress and tension within seems to far outweigh the knowledge of Christ and His power. I have to remind myself that greater is He who is within me than he who is in the world. Smith Wigglesworth used to say 'don't trust your feelings, trust the word.' Totally opposite to the world's point of view. How many time have I heard 'trust your feelings'. My feelings are a product of my thought life and it in turn is a product of what I look at. What is in front of my eyes? David said 'I hide your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.' In the Old Testament the Lord instructed His people to bind the word to themselves, look at the word, there is life. Jesus challenged the Jewish leaders with 'you look to the scriptures to find life but you have the author of life here and you refuse to believe'. This ...

Psalms 95:11 (MSG) Exasperated, I exploded, 'They'll never get where they're headed, never be able to sit down and rest.' " God's plan is that we come to rest, He lives in rest, He wants us to join Him. I am now in rest. Rest comes from hearing, really hearing and knowing that I am safe, I have a place I belong, I have family, I am loved. How did I hear, He slowed me down, His reigns gently but firmly slowed me down so that I could really hear and believe that He loves me, is looking out for me, has everything in His hands. I am currently reading a novel about a mother and daughter discovering their roots and their family. They are white girls but now discover they have aboriginal blood. The mother accepts but the daughter struggles. The book is about their journey. My life is a parallel, I am on a journey discovering my roots as a christian but also I am discovering my maternal and paternal families have someone writing the family history. During my younger y...

2 Corinthians 12:9 (MSG) and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. The trick is to trust the Lord. Trust Him in good times, trust Him in bad times and not sink to berating ourselves for our weakness, because when it is yielded it is a tool in His hand. I have a lovely neighbour who helps me mow my lawn. He can talk under water with a mouth full of marbles but I don't mind. This man has a good heart, he continually blesses me. I enjoy listening to his chatter because he has a good mind and a clean heart. Idle chatter that goes nowhere is different. This man loves the lord and seeks His ways. He is so committed to the Lord I can trust him, therefore I am blessed. I think I can be a bit blunt at times and I have to trust the Lord for His grace. Grace makes the difference. Grace is God's goodness in the land of the living. If God can take my weakness and lovingly use it for His glory, how's that? How a...

Psalms 92:15 (MSG) My Mountain, my huge, holy Mountain! I have not been to Everest yet I have seen beautiful mountains in New Zealand, Canada, Hawaii, America, Japan, Scotland and Wales and they leave me in awe. Mountains are majestic, full of mystery, strength and history. Many are the feet that have climbed them, the eyes that have enjoyed their views but there is a mountain greater than all, He is God. Longer than time, He was there, before the creation He was there. When I have visited England, especially the city of York I have sensed time and the thousands of lives that have lived there. It's past calls out to me. One greater than this is here, He calls to me, all that He is begs me to come, to stay, to seek, to find. Last night a saw another new, brand new little boy, He came from the one who saw Him through time. When I looked at tiny little toes and fingers I was in awe, how great is my God. When I see brand new little birds I am amazed at the mind of the creator. ...

Psalms 89:13 (MSG) With your well-muscled arm and your grip of steel— nobody trifles with you! As a woman who notices men's arms I can relate to this. I admire a well-muscled arm. It is funny to think that mortals would think of the Lord this way, yet many do have unusual ideas about Him. I have know Him for nearly 40 years and must say He gets better with my age, as He is ageless. Last night I went to a girlfriends 50 th birthday party. I was introduced to her school mates, the girlfriends who raised their children together. I met her family, her work colleagues . My friend is a delightful friend and all who know her love her, except her ex-husband. She is faithful and true to those in her world and they in turn are faithful to her. The unfaithfulness of one so close to her would have been devastating. This friend is a recent born again believer, she has come to the one who is faithful and true. My friend manages a council cafe and does a brilliant job for which she rec...

2 Corinthians 10:5 (MSG) We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Yesterday being my birthday I had to contain all selfish desires and attitudes which seem to crop up on my 'birthday'. My pay did not go through and therefore a direct debit was defaulted with resultant charges. My boss thought nothing of the pain he had caused because he paid me, late. After a week of struggle I had to go for a walk and deal with my attitude, which I did. 'I will bless, forgive, release'. Family and friends had asked 'what do you want for your birthday?' and were told, then several went and bought what they wanted. Praise God I still love them. The rain came and threw all it had, but it had to leave, my God is bigger. I had to go and see my doctor, at his request, after having tests and while waiting I che...

2 Corinthians 9:8 (MSG) God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. Today is my birthday. I find myself poor, unable to help myself, sick and covered with an itch yet I am looking for the ones He has for me to help. Tonight I am throwing my own birthday party as an excuse to invite the ones, the lost, the sick the lonely. I know this is important and I am staying focused. I know He is well able to provide and I must trust Him, I put my hope in Him. I will not complain but resist, bring them in Lord. Amen! Today I ask for Your abundance Lord, I thank You that You have a plan that is far greater than I. Thank You Lord! Amen!

Psalms 81:5,7,11,12 (MSG) I hear this most gentle whisper from One I never guessed would speak to me: ....... 'I answered you from where the thunder hides,' ...... "But my people didn't listen, So I let go of the reins and told them, 'Run! Do it your own way!' In all the poetry is a lover hungry for relationship. My God is ever ready for relationship, He lives it, breathes it. I, and all my siblings (the human race) approach the line and walk away, approach and walk away. My God wakes me in the wee hours because then he has my attention. So many things, so many pressures crowd out relationship. Attitudes get in the way of clean relationship. When I wake I am aware of my lack, my sin of missing the mark, and am able to confess it and be free. Carrying junk around in my heart is the last thing I need to do. The Lord constantly has to let us go and 'run and do things our way', then He waits for it all to go wrong and for us to return to the line of recon...

Psalms 77:2 (MSG) I found myself in trouble and went looking for my Lord; my life was an open wound that wouldn't heal. When friends said, "Everything will turn out all right," I didn't believe a word they said. 'My Life is an open wound'. When I continually am facing the same thing and it keeps happening again and again I must ask 'what am I missing?' Naturally we cannot heal if we are taking the wrong medicine or applying the wrong ointment. In life we do this. We go round and round and round, it is groundhog day over and over and over. 'When my friends said everything will turn out right I did not believe them.' If we stop long enough to ask 'what am I missing?' and wait for the answer we will have it. Yesterday I found I had repeated my folly yet had thought I had learned my lesson. I find myself saying 'how could I have missed that?' Yet I did. On the way home I was listening to an African preacher and he was talking...