Pablum???

Is our home becoming a storage unit?  

Now when I was much younger, I remember mothers' of small children recommending pablum to other women with small babies. My thought as a five year old was pablum could not be all good. In some cases, I would see some relatives would take to making their own cereal of sorts for their small babies. I thought the Gerber baby food was good. Not sure when it came, but that applesauce and pears was good. But anything else seemed so bland. Anything that was so watery, so dull with no flavor had to be on the boring end of no adventure in eating.

As a child I thought dessert would be great for the beginning course of any meal!

But did you know that even adults can show no emotion, be rather bland, watery, with no flavor, no pizzazz! And what is interesting to some, is that some folks can seem really "out there"! No, not that they are that different, but they seem emotionless till they come on some kind of gadget that really excites them and they have a fire to try "it" out.

My husband was looking for a specific thing for a gift some days ago, and when he had walked through the store, there was a display of this "lounge looking chair" that would wrap around a person, and massage their body. Yikes! And in a store with many in line to try out the "latest" thing seemed odd to me. But it must have held some kind of awe to those who looked on and relished the thought of the machine giving them a massage who waited in line to try the new thing!?!

But not to step on toes, what adds adventure to your day may not seem like an adventure at all to others. So what things allure us? If you are to teach others of Jesus, do you mention of the Lord's return?

Parent's of the twentieth century, and relative to the 50's and 60's had come to the time of the T.V.
For those of the 1950's and early 60's pablum and detergent were the optimum words. Commericals were rampant: like Salvo tablets for the wash, Breck shampoo for the hair (funny the model always had blond hair).
For that time period, many products did not find their way to the market shelf for you to buy. So in reviewing that I am reminded of words  like: gardening,  ironing clothes (Yikes), using dial telephones, no diet Pepsi or Coke (something called Tab was the diet drink of the day), athletic shoes were for the court, like basket ball and not for running 10 miles. Other words were: cooking dinner, washing out some linens (yeah) by hand, taking the trash to the dump (yourself), gassing up at the station, and men came out to gas up your vehicle, wash your windshields, and clean the dash if need be.

Sewing, mending, and starch were important words of the day. Everyone in the household needed to know what day the laundry was to be done. For all the clothing, sheets and such had to be in the laundry room, if you had one. There were still limited Interstate highway travel, limited plane rides, limited rail travel, but change must come to all, right?

And "Mom" would remind us when it was darning day?
And then one thinks of the Tomorrowland  at Disneyland.  With where their active thoughts took them in the mid-twentieth century seems lame to today's standard such as the people mover, Opening July 17, 1955, they had to have some great displays of rockets and rides to allure all ages.
In truth the future date they worked or looked toward was 1986...and it displayed the Monsanto House of the Future.

Of course some tag words never change:"get your homework done."

On thinking of that pablum, the mother worked hard and diligently to make that watery cereal. I am certain the baby ate it if they were hungry enough. And that recipe probably got passed around to many who found out a child was going to be born into their family.
I am certain that the pablum company in Canada made a lot of money making that product for some years. It certainly worked for that period of time, when most food was grown in people's gardens. Also lot of clothes were made at home by a sewing machine, and many things were ordered through a catalog: like Montgomery Ward's, Sear's, and J.C. Penney's. Alas though many are closing or have closed in the last 40 years like Ward's.
BUT,Why do I say this, why do I write in this manner?

Some "new things" are great to see, try it even and maybe, just maybe to take home., but sometimes things need to stay at the store. Or else our homes begin to look like storage units instead of an actual home to rest and find comfort in.

One day is coming where people will need to know how to prepare their foods, plant a garden, grow something the family can eat. Take a look at that market you shop at now and has it not changed in the amount they keep on stock? Yes, the earth has a great population of people to feed!
I started noticing this about 15 years ago.  Has it not changed to the amount of food or maybe such item you really liked to purchase cannot be found. Now in some instances you can purchase it on-line. But there are times they say the item is not available at this time.  And what if you need that one thing, can you find it in a moment's notice or would it take some searching?
Some hair products I once purchased can no longer be found. Some certain food items we once kept regularly are no longer available. And that is by searching all the food markets in this area of about 100 miles.


Yes, catastrophes can occur. Just think on all those in Tennessee who lost their homes and their jobs all in one day this past year of 2016. ( and that one fire was caused by two teenagers.)

In a moments notice, things can change for anyone anywhere in this world. We should know how to do some things, like first-aid, provide dried food to those in need, give them life support in God's word, pray for them, and see they get to the place they need to be.

Most people today cannot or don't want to cook a meal. Some will not try to plan a meal. But I know they take great pics. Alas, they won't help when a real need arises. We should take every effort to inform other's of Jesus' return. We should be looking for those opportunities to minister life and in doing so, to find joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. We find our place in the Son of Righteousness, with healing in His wings....

Habakkuk 3:17-19   NKJV....17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the live may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls----18 YET I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.

Although things may not go as you expect them to, always expect God to be faithful for you and yours. Our fellowship should be with Him who can feed us in famine and provide everything we might need. Truly He is with us, always, even to the end of the age. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)



IN CLOSING: I leave you with another scripture passage: Luke 12: 42-48  NKJV   42 And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? 43 "Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 "Truly I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. 45'But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk; 46 'the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him portion with the unbeliever's. 47 'And that servant who knew his master's will and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many strips. 48 'But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of strips, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, form him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they ask the more.


Leaders of the family (dad and mom) lead their children by teaching them the importance of being responsible of the household chores. Each of their children are communicated love in the beginning and healthy growth is expected in a loving home of support. So "a team adventure" has begun. The life of each should be with anticipation of what God has planned for those who have been introduced to knowing God, not just knowing of Him but to have a relationship with HIM!
Within the church, too, that leader is to lead the congregation. As an apostle, teacher/pastor or prophet they remind everyone that Jesus is returning. And each apostle, prophet, or teacher/pastor has the responsibility of teaching and always reminding of the Lord's return. If they are not they end up with the unbeliever's......that's the word of God!

He who is the faithful and wise will give those their portion in due season. The parent's give their children that due them for each age as they develop into adults. So too, the leading of the "church" has to give the "food" to those he leads. That which is due season is now being told of the Lord's return. If your leader has not, then pray for them, and ask the Lord if you should talk  with them about it. But most certainly tell your peers of Jesus' return.
For what food we need should have developed to the sincere"meat" God intends for us to mature. Our next step would be toward reading the book of Revelation.
If you lead others, much is required of you, are you telling them of the Lord's return? Or is your group still receiving "pablum"?



Notice: 

The Voice of Prayer  has a new teaching:

Working Out Our Salvation: Taking Our Position....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9UDbQDgEpc

You can also visit my You Tube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at:  http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

Do Not Discount the "MARTHA'S"

Oh, what is in a name?
Martha...means..in the.transliteration...Mar...."Lord"

Luke 10:38-42
38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."   NKJV

Martha: the manager, the lead, the mayor, CEO, a House Representative, a doctor, a lawyer, a research analyst, a archaeologist.........busy about much. Seizing the TEACHER in the House should have been the priority! 

Today, an example does not stand as bold for the "stay at home Mom" as it did back in the mid-twentieth century. In those modern shows at the time , the three main stations of T.V. portrayed them, the woman of the house as dressed to "party" with heels and jewels draping the dish pan hands. Yet, dressed in a shirt-waist dress,she fried up chicken in a pan. With every hair on her lovely head still in place and "no sweat" on the brow, she shined throughout the 30 minute program!. Oh, and please  excuse me about the "sweat thing", as no moisture would be found on the brow of the woman from some person's imagination of "the stay at home Mom".

Today women are in trades of all kinds. What were mostly male trades like welding, plumbing and the such 4 or 5 decades ago, many women do them more often and do it better than some males I hear. But the proof is in the product!

In the case of two women, we see sisters who have much in common due to parentage, yet the two can be so different. In the case of my sibling: Sis, was all athletic, as a youth loved baseball, and did well riding her bike without gears. In other words, our bikes had one gear: us! Going up a grade of a hill in your own gear certainly proved to me that my sister was strong and performed well on that bike. Her being my younger, I was more comfortable riding around the block going downhill and commending her on her great skill. Oh, yes, I loved exercise too, but my bike had no gears either than you pedal yourself around....hill or flat under your steam with no help.

It was Mom who kept us in "check". As we saw with Jesus, Kept the team in "check". He was always speaking of "kingdom" things and healing was evident in those who came to see Him. and in the coming, if they heard, for some that is, well, they left whole and healed.

John 11:17-45

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." 

28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there." 32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" 37 And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" 

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."   NKJV

Busy in life, busy with family, the workplace, ministry possibly, and troubled with current events will take any family, man , woman or child to the point of..."breaking".
Relying on family members, and expecting them to be there always is not a good approach to living life that is good in God and His promises. 

In seeing these two women come to Him as the wailers they wailed loudly, Jesus found a blame game. "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
Yet when Martha spoke, she finished with verse 22.......John 11:  22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."


She did not have the relationship she needed but still relied on Jesus for help....yet she called in verse 24...resurrection. And she spoke that she believed that Jesus was, is and will always be the Christ, the Son of God who is come into the world.
He had someone to agree on earth, in earth if you will, and move unbelief out of the way to maintain a flow of God's love to others in the tombs.
Faith was operating in that she knew Jesus to be the Son of God.
She was calling on His "divinity". She knew Who He was and what would and could be seen by speaking with Him.

Where might we be distracted that we should engage some discipline in our actions to stay up with God. Jesus was at their house regularly and sounds like they were close friends. If we are truly in Jesus, and reside in heavenly places, we should speak as God speaks. In Him there is a freedom that is about love and faith in God, Who is more than enough for any situation. And being trained as Jesus was in God, reveals to us a conduct that is righteous, is speaking as God speaks, and one who remained in holiness.
In those situations of trial Jesus kept His peace. His freedom language was what He heard the Father speak. In offering ourselves to God, we have one Master, Jesus Christ. In Him, we are the caring, abiding in righteousness that is truth infused into our lives by the Holy Spirit.
Keep in touch with the Lord.


The crowd was certainly loud around the tomb of Lazarus. There was probably panic on the part of those who cried in despair seeing that Lazarus is gone and he still had two sisters in the house to see after. Terror might have gripped some within the closed ranks of the family, yet, God was on the scene. Yes, heavy hearts were there, and peace far from them that day. But Jesus!
When the Prince of Peace came on the scene, it had to change.

What is interrupting our routine? Is the devil stirring up that which is beneath, say around our feet to agitate to make us move in making destructive decisions or is God wanting us to advance to another place? 

Death is one without hope. But Martha held on. Although she did not know the extent of what would occur that day, her faith filled Jesus. Is it possible that when "Martha" spoke what she did, that He had some who agreed with Him in His divinity? I think so. I believe He sees in "the spirit" Lazarus walking out of the tomb.

Jesus just had to speak "Faith" and see His friend return to a rich life in the Lord. For whatever word they heard from Jesus, regeneration had started.

Things changed that day for many. And the others, well they never recognized real life.

In the wind of activity, Jesus sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24) Martha was right with the Lord. Many faces of love was revealed in this event. 

Do not discount the "MARTHA'S", they are the doers. Never get bogged down in stuff or be too busy to see the beauty of Jesus, the power of His blood and the greatness of His peace, for the wind and waves still KNOW HIS NAME.

I HAVE A NEW WEB SITE AVAILABLE NOW WITH OTHER CURRENT BLOGS AND YOUTUBE TEACHINGS. I INVITE YOU TOO CHECK IT OUT.  THERE IS A PRAYER REQUEST SECTION ON THE SITE.

www.godsgoodnessandlove.com

Notice: 

The Voice of Prayer  has a new teaching published:

God's Standard; Real Freedom Precious Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV-WKKiWyEc

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

Leadership: A Challenge to Grow

Man, woman, or child all have the potential to continue to grow as leaders!
There are many called to leadership. It is apparent at times to see some kind of leadership in young children and how they will tell other children what to do and when to do it. But the leadership I write about is that which influences others. You may tell me that you are the President of the Women's Committee for such and such........and that means nothing to me. I will be more influenced by what problem you have solved for that committee or what you have accomplished to lead others by your influence.

A leader is faithful to what they have been given. A leader always looks out for the team!
Leadership always involves us being problem solvers.
Thinking of it as our assignment, we are called to solve someone else's problem.

As a leader for prayer meetings, I spend time searching scriptures, reading & studying, and praying for the Lord's plan for each meeting. My hours vary daily on the amount of time I spend, but I rarely go a day without searching the scriptures for something the Lord has given me in my thought process.
As I do, I prepare in praying over the Prayer Meeting and those attending. I pray and expect women to go away with a nugget from God's truth and to be encouraged to pray in their homes, on the job, in the car or in the quiet time with the Lord!
Like Jesus, our days can be very busy. He was teaching, traveling and also preaching. He had time to mentor those who wanted to learn. Jesus always went to the quiet place to spend time with His Father. Jesus, I believe, came away from that prayer time, being refreshed and rejuvenated. Jesus showed a diligence to continue to seek the Father for His plan and purpose for His life.

Leaders are those who walk in integrity. Jesus always spoke and did what He saw His Father speak and do. Those who truly desire your success will always deal with you in truth. If anyone does lie to you, understand that it may take weeks, months or years, but it will surface. We are told in Proverbs 28:13....that "he that covereth his sins shall not prosper."

Communication is always key to being a good leader. A leader will always reach out to others. Many times people stop trying to connect with others just because they have the fear of rejection. But our dream is greater than any rejection. When finding that fear thing appearing, it is time to find that one person who desires to grow. In our communicating with others, we should be looking for those who go beyond their own skill, talent and ask questions about why you do what you do!
Today, make a plan to communicate with others. Send them a note, or write an email and give them an encouragement. Make a plan to touch someone's life and make a difference. We may not know they are going through something, but it may be just the word, or scripture they need to make it through the day and actually see the Lord in you.

When thinking of a Leader, I always think of champions. When you think of world champion boxers, they spend much time with the opponent within a confined area. My dad loved boxing and when I was a child, we watched it every Saturday night. Wow, that takes me back! It was not till the Rocky movies came out that I saw the real life fights and battles of a boxer. Although this was a movie, I could see how the two things had to work together. One thing I saw was the discipline to exercise, and have the morning workouts plus hours of running. Ready to sign up for that program? A boxer has much to prepare for not only training his body, but to face the opponent. The boxer could not hurry his program. It was a step-by-step plan to get to participate in the championship event!
When our daughter and son-in-law were expecting their first baby a few years ago, our son-in-law called our daughter "the champion" and sometimes just "champ"! I really thought that was awesome and although some may think it unusual, I think how appropriate it was at the time. Our daughter was preparing herself for the birth of a baby. She prepared in excellence in eating the right foods, and exercise. She got her rest and she traveled less often to prepare for the birth. She showed passion and desire to see that this baby got the right start in life. She got the Bible on CD and such other teachings, so the baby could hear the Word of God. Even today, I think our grand-daughter knows God to sound a lot like Johnny Cash. Our daughter planned with passion that empowered her to go the distance. At birth time, and a C-section ordered, our daughter had no birth pains, although her body was registering birth pangs on the Dr.'s equipment, she felt no pain! Our daughter put out the honest effort to trust God and His Word. As she put forth to care for her unborn child, God went ahead of her to prepare the way with no pain for her to experience. Today, our grandchild is a few years older, and loves to sing worship to the Lord. She gathers with family to pray for others. From the day of conception, she was planned on and  today, her parents teach her daily how to lead!  She still hears her dad call her mom "Champ".I believe she has a good start, yes a good foundation, on that leadership program. I believe she will be a problem solver.

Leaders will know their opponent. They will know when to avoid conflict and when to address a situation. In conflict, the flaws are revealed, but in dealing with others, we always look for their potential. What has God placed in them? What is God's desire for them and especially if they truly love the Lord with all their heart?
Leaders will know when to confront and when to rise above those who are critical. When Jesus was being prepared for His crucifixion, He was silent. Matthew 26:63...states "but Jesus held His peace." Like Jesus, we would do well to refuse the critics.

Like Jesus, we as leaders are to teach others. Activate the gift in you and use it for the kingdom of God. It  is important that you mentor someone today. Teach your children, and find those who stand out in the crowd, who love the Lord, and would excel in the excellence of the Lord. Mentor and instruct a teenager, a friend, or an employee. Jesus was the Master Teacher! He needed NO microphone, but He taught. He motivated them to come out, He gave them instruction in relationships and how to lead others.
Spend time today and find those you can nurture in their vision. We can all grow and mature in leadership.
I was inspired by my son-in-law when he spoke the words of "champion" and I speak them to you today.
I call you out to mentor those God has placed around you.
Who are you encouraging and teaching today?
What are you doing to prepare someone to succeed?
Just like the lamp needs to be plugged in to the light the living room, you need to connect. Seize the day and create that connection............that causes someone else to succeed in leadership!

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at (http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV)