Preparing for Easter ~ Place of Paradise

[Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations…from everlasting to everlasting  Psalm 90:1-2  

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me, and let's explore God’s Presence, our dwelling place. Are you dwelling in the presence of God? ~ Donna Howell Oswalt]

“And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He put man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:8-9 ESV

God creates the Garden of Eden as an oasis, a paradise where He desires to dwell alongside of mankind. This magnificent garden contains all that is necessary to sustain life. In the garden, mankind finds purposeful work and divine fellowship, as well as a place to worship the Creator. In this place, God establishes the institution of marriage. Man and woman, created in the image of God, have all that is needed.

Yet, in this place surrounded by the righteousness of God, trickery and deceit test the obedience of Adam and Eve. Without confession of sin and true humility, they begin to offer excuses. God sends them out of the garden, and “at the east of the garden of Eden” He places “the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” Now, a separation exists between man and God, and there is no way back into the garden. Holy, Holy, Holy, I cry out to the Most High God. Forgive my sinful ways, my rationalizations of sin, my good intentions, my failure in obedience, my selfishness, my apathy. There is a broken road between You and me that is beyond my repair. I long to once again dwell alongside You. Count me alive in Christ. I desire to linger in the garden with You. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2014 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author

Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Ash Wednesday ~ Jehovah Shammah

[Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations…from everlasting to everlasting  Psalm 90:1-2  

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me, and let's explore God’s Presence, our dwelling place. Are you dwelling in the presence of God? ~ Donna Howell Oswalt]

“And the name of the city from that time on will be THE LORD IS THERE.”

Ezekiel48:35 NIV

While living in Babylon in a refugee settlement among the exiled Israelites, the prophet Ezekiel encounters “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking”. Through visions to Ezekiel, God reveals His warnings to an unrepentant Jerusalem, judgments on all nations, hope for Israel, and a New Jerusalem. Most refuse to listen to Ezekiel. Forty-eight chapters and over twenty years later, Ezekiel records as the Sovereign LORD declares, ”And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”  Jehovah Shammah, Hebrew for ‘The LORD is there,” describes the New Jerusalem, the same city in Revelation 21:3 where God will dwell with His people.

Although idol-worshiping Babylon seems an unlikely place for Israel to find God, He is there. After Christ returns and all Believers live in the New Jerusalem, God will be there, too. God desires to dwell among His people. God’s presence exceeds our finite boundaries of time, location, and circumstance. Lord, today as I come to the altar acknowledging my infinite dependence on Christ, let me leave the altar wearing the ashes as a sign of repentance. Whisper the hope of THE LORD IS THERE into my brokenness, into my disappointment, into my weakness, into my silence, into my vanity, into my prayers.  Count me alive in Christ. Jehovah Shammah!  Amen ~ dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2014 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author

Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for EASTER ~ 2014

Beginning tomorrow - Ash Wednesday 3/5/14 - You can read daily devotions on the WAFJ web site called Preparing for Easter and on my blog,  Breathing Room For My Soul. Join me as we reflect and renew our personal relationship with Jesus. Share this with your friends. ~ Donna Oswalt

photo by Marian Morgan - Fayetteville, NC

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations…from everlasting to everlasting,

You are God. Psalm 90:1-2 NASB

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me, and let's explore God’s Presence, our dwelling place. Are you dwelling in the presence of God? ~ Donna Oswalt

Thank you for the opportunity to share the Extravagant Love of God with you during this Easter Season. For more devotionals throughout the year, see my blog: BreathingRoomForMySoul.com  Donna Oswalt

Integrity, Honesty, and Sincerity ~ Psalm 15

Only those who are innocent and who do what is right. Such people speak the truth from their hearts and so not tell lies about others. They do no wrong to their neighbors and do not gossip. They do not respect hateful people but honor those who honor the LORD. They keep their promises to their neighbors, even when it hurts. They do not charge interest on money they lend and do not take money to hurt innocent people. Whoever does all these things will never be destroyed. Psalm 15:3-5 NCV 

Christians demonstrate their relationship and fellowship with God in the everyday, ordinary, getting-up, going-to-work, having-lunch, sitting-in-car line, helping-with-homework, cleaning-the-kitchen-again activities. Worshiping God is not confined to the church building. When our inner integrity merges with our outward sincerity, the heart reveals its true intimacy with Jesus. Desiring to serve or wanting to love, wishing for faith or longing for hope, simply is not enough. Behavior becomes the thermometer for our worship. Integrity exceeds doing what is right by doing it for the right reason. Sincerity has only room for truth, honor, and love. Are you lukewarm?

"In the stillness, our false, busy selves are unmasked and seen for the imposter they truly are." Richard Foster, Prayer, Finding the Heart's True Home 

 If we take inventory of our behavior, what will we find? What happens when we remove our masks: control, busyness, apathy, carelessness, greed, prejudice, rationalization, self-consciousness, comfort? Can we find justice without truth? Can we know completeness without mercy? The simplicity of Psalm 15 lays out the characteristics for a Believer who desires to abide in God's presence. So,take off the masks. Live with honesty. Work, speak, and think, making Christ the center of your intentions.

"He who does these things will never be shaken." NASB

This phrase, a promise of a faithful God, appears at least 8 times in Psalms and Proverbs.The Hebrew word mot describes something that "falters, falls, shakes, slips, or staggers." In these last words, God reminds us our completeness in Him; He is our sure foundation. While we are certain to falter, likely to fall, sometimes shake, and frequently stagger, God embraces our frailty and failures with mercy. God calls us, first, into His holiness to restore our inward integrity, then reveals Himself to others through our outward sincerity. If we walk among the bruised and broken, sit beside the outcasts and overlooked, encourage the frail and fallen, and do this in the name of Jesus, we will never be shaken. ~dho

Consider This:
- Identify the masks you wear that keep you from finding completeness in Christ.
- Will you take off the masks and enter God's holy space?

When our inner integrity merges with our outward sincerity, the heart reveals its true intimacy with Jesus. Donna Oswalt

God calls us, first, into His holiness to restore our inward life, then reveals Himself to others through our outward tasks. Donna Oswalt

Who's Invited? ~ Psalm 15

GOD, who gets invited to dinner at Your place?
How do we get on Your guest list? Psalm 15:1-2 The Message

In considering the qualities that God desires of His children, the heart could feel overwhelmed. After all, by the very nature of our humanity, we struggle with sin, daily recognizing our inability to be love, to show kindness, to offer forgiveness. Yet, God's unconditional love for us reaches down into our brokenness. Without such extravagant love, we remain in constant need of rescuing, both restless and reckless. The truth is that no one can enter His holy space without an invitation, but the greatest truth is that God is inviting all of us to be His guest! Jesus personally seals each invitation. Will you leave behind the fractured places and worn-out spaces of life?Will you allow God's grace to cover you, to renew your soul? Will your RSVP to God's heavenly dinner feast be YES? "Be my Savior, be my lifeline, be my everything..." - dho

I Can Just Be Me by Laura Story

Consider This:
- LISTEN to this song (also can be heard by clicking the song title "I Can Just Be Me")
- In what ways does this song describe your life? Give you hope? Bring you peace?

After all, by the very nature of our humanity, we struggle with sin, daily recognizing our inability to be love, to show kindness, to offer forgiveness. Donna Oswalt

The truth is that no one can enter His holy space without an invitation, but the greatest truth is that God is inviting all of us to be His guest! Donna Oswalt

Snowbound With Hope

Like much of the south and south eastern part of the United States, I am snowbound, only not at home without power and thankfully, not snowbound on the side of a road in a cold car. Currently, I am safely snowbound in a hotel across from Duke University Hospital in Durham, NC. Leaving snow falling in Fayetteville, NC on Tuesday morning and arriving just ahead of some winter weather for this area, my sister, nephew and I checked into the hotel for another round of the seemingly endless post-cancer follow-up examinations, tests and appointments. Don't misunderstand; we remain abundantly thankful for the opportunity for these visits. Trying to keep perspective can sometimes be difficult, but like every other visit to Duke Children's Hospital, God will remind us of magnificent healing and Hope!

Thomas turned 12 last week and wears the 6 inch posterior cranial scar beneath this winter's hair. The words "a malignant brain tumor" still seize the heart, despite the surgery, physical therapy, and 30 radiation treatments. A little over two years ago, the post-radiation MRI scan reads "all clear"! Life is supposed to just go on after that; it does, but in a radically changed way. Everything feels and looks different. This new found perspective comes with a steep price but the life experiences are priceless. 

Along with a fasting blood draw (for a future appointment), there is the MRI with contrast, then the appointment with the radiation oncologist who will reveal the results. Needles are never fun, no matter how kind and professional the medical staff. Lying perfectly still with your head in a cage for an hour never gets easier. Then there is the waiting to hear the results. Every repeat test opens the door for old memories and new possibilities. The routine of these every 3 month or 6 month exams can almost become rote, but there are triggers ~ sights, sounds, smells. These unpredictable memories come suddenly and capture the heart, like being snowbound in a winter's storm.

This visit added another dimension ~ the 20th Annual Duke Children's Hospital Radio-thon by MIX 101.5 WRAL in Raleigh. Set up right in the middle of the lobby of the DCH, tables with phones manned my volunteers, the radio personalities interview children and parents of Duke patients. Some travel for miles as they are invited to this event. Some children are patients now, some have been patients for years. Story after story of hope is shared live on the radio. People all across this region listen to these stories and donate to the cause. This two-day annual event raised $1,070,000 this year for Duke Children's Hospital. Last year Thomas and Linda were interviewed, and again this year, Thomas, an official Ambassador for Duke, shared his story and wrote 'thank you' notes to sponsors.

The atmosphere brings laughter and excitement but the children bring the love. All ages with all kinds of medical problems gather. Their commonality is Duke's medical care and their scars. Some scars are carefully hidden while other are openly worn without shame, without option. Smiles come easily and hugs always invited. Parents recount stories and nod with understanding while deep emotions reveal their private, invisible scars. Patients that have endured and nearing high school graduation sit beside patients thriving in elementary school but struggling with on going medical problems. We sit across from Micah, barely starting elementary school, sporting a creative spirit and a tracheostomy while undergoing palliative chemotherapy for a brain stem tumor that has already spread to his spine. For now, he looks forward to Duke's Dance Marathon fundraiser March 22, but there will be no cure for Micah this side of heaven. I watch his mother bravely wearing hope, thankful for the time Duke is offering her. Snowbound with hope!

For us, the MRI continues to report "all clear" while Thomas continues to grow, physically and spiritually. God's presence comforts and encourages us as we walk this journey together. In December, Thomas, ever the fundraiser, promoted a Small Toy Drive at his school and brought 5 large containers of toys for children staying in the hospital and those receiving chemotherapy treatments. Thomas' Radio-thon website page for Duke has raised $1650.00 to date. Always quick with a smile, he explains that God has healed him with the help of Duke and now it is time to give back ~ generously and with thanksgiving. Colossians 3:17 reminds us: Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of The Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Lord, I pray our life experiences will keep each of us 'snowbound with hope' in Jesus! To God be the Glory! ~dho

from the journal I recorded Thomas' journey:
There are some who see this difficult journey as great tragedy. Surely, it is not something we would have chosen; yet, the goodness of God has been revealed in ways and through people that bless my soul beyond words. The kindnesses offered and the gestures of love come along side the weariness that this illness brings. Through these sometimes small and often huge offerings, the spirit is renewed. Invisible, intangible HOPE comes to rest within the soul; the Presence of God is near. To God be the Glory! !dho