…And I cry, “Abba, Father”
Mere mortal words escape me;
And I cannot express
nor convey the depths of this soul.
…And I cannot speak
But only in unknown tongue
not known to mere man,
But, You, Abba, and only You
can truly comprehend.
______________
L.A. Knowles
“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
*
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” –Matthew 7:15-20
Much Love To You All,
L.A. Knowles
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” -Maya Angelou
When we give of ourselves to help those around us, we demonstrate the love of Christ; and in the Gospels, when we see our Savior being moved with compassion, we also should be moved with compassion as we follow His example and help those around us.
May we always remember to be His hands extended.
Much love to you all,
L.A. Knowles
_______________________
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” -Luke 6:38
“For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” -Hebrews 6:10
“And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” -Hebrews 13:16
You may be left standing alone as you stand for what you believe.
You do NOT need man’s approval.
You need God’s approval because
His approval is the only thing that matters.
DO NOT COMPROMISE FOR ANYONE. Mankind is as temporal as everything else. First John 2:15-17 states, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
*
Just like everything else, mankind is temporal, not eternal.
*
Even if you were deserted by family and friends and neighbors, be assured you are NOT standing alone, God is The One Who Has Got You Covered all around. He is your Hedge of Protection, your Strength, your Shield, your Portion. He is your All and All; He is Everything.
“‘I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against. ‘Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’ Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, ‘When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’ And you are right. When the south wind blows, you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is. You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times. ‘Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? When you are on the way to court with your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. And if that happens, you won’t be free again until you have paid the very last penny.'”-Luke 12:49-59
Much love to you all,
L.A. Knowles
Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have clothes on your back? Food on the table? Do you have family… friends? Did you wake up this morning?
IF YOU HAVE ANSWERED YES TO ANY OR ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS, YOU ARE BLESSED.
Put a smile on your face. Count your blessings. You have been given another day, a fresh start, another chance. Rather than focusing on yourself or all things negative, DO SOMETHING nice for someone else. Look for opportunities to commit random acts of KINDNESS. Believe it or not, those opportunities to commit random acts of KINDNESS happen quite frequently. Extending yourself to help someone else will help begin the mending of a broken heart or a crushed spirit.
The most miserable people are those who have not learned to be content with what they have and not learned to be grateful. Develop an attitude of gratitude; it will carry you through good and bad times
Much love to you all,
L.A. Knowles
“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.” -1 Timothy 6:6
*
MAY YOU ALL HAVE A BLESSED
& PROSPEROUS
& HAPPY NEW YEAR!
PLEASE BE SAFE DRIVING
AND IN ALL YOUR CELEBRATING!
*
MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL,
L.A. KNOWLES
TO ALL MY FAMILY,
FRIENDS,
BLOG SUBSCRIBERS,
& BLOG VISITORS:
*
May your holidays be filled with
the blessing of family and friends,
and may your days of celebration
be filled with joy.
*
Much Love To You All,
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
Linda
I’ve loved paper and pen for as long as I can remember, and when I went to college, college only fueled my love for it a lot more. Some say I was addicted, and many have wondered what my fascination was with pen and paper; if I could write on it, I was fascinated. No matter where I was, no matter what I did, paper and pen were immediately within my reach.
*
There’s nothing like opening a brand new ream of paper, fresh scent, crisp feel to it where secrets, thoughts, things in life that make no sense can be worked out, described in detail until everything inside is out of your system… A safe place, a friend, and a great therapist which can be immediately ripped to shreds, burnt up, or put away depending on the thoughts and/or the confession. I know it may sound crazy to some people, and that’s fine. However, each of us has some way of dealing with stuff. My way happens to be with pen and paper.
*
With Much Love,
L.A. Knowles
IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR!
Black Friday shoppers mobbed the stores, filling carriages, and others making preparations as Christmas is fast approaching. Some are trimming trees already as others are just bringing out their decorations from storage to get them ready for the family tree trimming day. Some have their trees already trimmed and decorated. Houses are being decked with boughs of holly. Long held traditions are being put into action. People making sure they got all the gifts for each child as well as for family and friends on their list as they rack up credit card debt or maxing those credit cards out. Children are looking forward to Christmas vacation from school and opening all their presents. And then there is the flash forward, smiling as they think of Christmas day being with family and friends and gathering around the Christmas tree and possibly eating all day.
Let’s look at the other side of this: Little Matty wants the latest toy and Mommy has to get to the store early to pick up the latest toy while trying not to get trampled by the other parents who are also trying to get their sons and daughters the latest toy. People get stressed out as they watch the dollar amount accumulate on their credit cards. Some dude is stuck in line as he mutters something about the commercialization of Christmas while he has been waiting in line for ten plus minutes. Then there is the concern if Uncle Lou or Aunt Clara will jump over the dinner table to try to clobber Uncle Clyde or Aunt Rose. Who’s going to sit next to Aunt Hilda at the Christmas meal because she won’t let anyone get a word in edgewise? The stress runs high, blood pressure boiling, and tempers ready to hit the fan when a tray of cookies get burned or someone knocks the gravy onto the floor… I could go on and on.
SO HERE IS WHAT I HOPE FOR
EVERYONE THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON
(1) I hope you will be filled with the peace
that comes from God alone.
“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'” -Matthew 11:28-30
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:6-7
(2) I hope you remember the real season for this season:
Jesus Christ, Son of God, Our Lord and Savior
sent by God to this Earth.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
“Then Jesus told her, ‘I am the Messiah!'” -John 4:26
(3) I hope you remember how blessed you are as there are
those who have little to nothing or
are without family and friends.
“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” -James 1:17
MAY ALL MY FAMILY & FRIENDS,
ACQAINTANCES & BLOG READERS,
NEIGHBORS & THOSE I HAVE YET TO MEET
BE BLESSED ABUNDANTLY
THROUGH THIS SEASON AND ALWAYS!
*
Much Love To All,
L.A. Knowles
“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.” -Ephesians 2:14
I thank you, Lord, with all my heart;
I sing praise to you before the gods.
I face your holy Temple,
bow down, and praise your name
because of your constant love and faithfulness,
because you have shown that your name
and your commands are supreme.
You answered me when I called to you;
with your strength you strengthened me.
All the kings in the world will praise you, Lord,
because they have heard your promises.
They will sing about what you have done
and about your great glory.
Even though you are so high above,
you care for the lowly,
and the proud cannot hide from you.
When I am surrounded by troubles,
you keep me safe.
You oppose my angry enemies
and save me by your power.
You will do everything you have promised;
Lord, your love is eternal.
Complete the work that you have begun.
Developing an attitude of gratitude is a daily practice.
Choose joy by being thankful every day.
Much Love To You All,
L.A. Knowles
One does NOT inherit Christianity, and one cannot get into Heaven riding on someone else’s coattails. There’s a choice that must be made. The book of John tells us TO ALL WHO BELIEVED AND ACCEPTED HIM, to them, He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).
As children of God, we are called to live righteous and holy lives, not to live as the world does. We’re in this world, but we’re NOT of this world because this world is a temporary home, a place we’re only traveling through; and we’re chosen to bear fruit, walking the walk, not just making claims but actually living the life. We must keep in mind our faith needs to be backed up by actions, walking in obedience to God who has chosen us to be His own. It is not enough to make claims. If we love God, we’ll obey Him. We’re called to bear good fruit such as helping our fellow man/woman, encouraging one another, following the examples Christ has given us. May we always be His hand extended.
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” -Matthew 7:21-23
Much Love To You All,
L.A. Knowles
Ah, the right to vote! Just dandy… I can’t wait for Election Day to get here so I don’t have to read about all the insane campaign melodramatics. Trying to stay informed with the smearing in every article has gotten tedious and downright foolish. It’s as if I’m reading the chronicles of mudslinging on an elementary school playground.
One of the rights you have as a citizen of the United States of America is the right to vote. However, the irony is we have the right to vote, and there are those who are determined and have minds made up not to vote. You’re a citizen, and you should, therefore, take part in the process. Stop neglecting your right to vote. It’s also a responsibility we have to the future of our country and to the current generation.
I get it. Personally, I would like a campaign year do-over. It has been one wild and crazy ride.
I find myself with an overwhelming responsibility as a Christian to get out and vote. I’m not so much voting for the person, but I’m looking at the platform. In other words, if you cannot decide who to vote for, then the question is “Which platform best reflects your morals and ethics,” or if you’re a Christian, “Which platform best reflects Biblical beliefs and lines up with Godly morality.”
I’m not foolish to believe everyone lives by the morals and ethics I live by which is why I have thought about both questions. Yes, we can protest. Yes, we can shout and scream. Is it realistic for you to believe your vote does not count? Is it realistic for you to believe as a citizen of the USA that it’s not your responsibility to vote? IF YOU DON’T VOTE, OTHERS ARE VOTING TO ELECT SOMEONE WHO WILL GOVERN THIS NATION WITHOUT YOUR SAY (YOUR VOTE) IN THE MATTER. Do you really want others choosing for you? Because if you don’t vote, you’ve basically handed over your say to someone else by not going to the polls and voting. If you are able bodied and not bothering to vote come this November, in my opinion, that’s being lazy and shirking your responsibility. Even USA citizens overseas have gone through the trouble of obtaining their absentee ballots and are sending in their absentee ballots in order to have a say in who gets elected as well as exercising their right to vote.
Educate yourself on the Democratic Platform, Republican Platform, and the Libertarian Platform. Do the research.
Get all the information you can, make a decision, and go vote on November 8, 2016.
Don’t let others speak for you.
Let your voice be heard through your vote.
Stained Glass Confessions 