It's Safe and Warm in God's Loving Arms !

*Note: On the previous blog ( An Open Love Letter) written by my beautiful wife of 31 years on my birthday; I love and adore you and give thanks to God for blessing me with whom He had created for me!

When one thinks of Dallas Texas, it is not usually a thought of a cold and frigid city, but this week it has been extremely cold with the Arctic blast that came in.  High temps of 26 with a real feel between 11- 17 degrees F and icy roads has stopped a lot of movement -  from the schools to the local and county governments, people have gotten extra days off.  Sorry to a lot of us that still have to slowly make it to work by scraping our cars or using DART, the public transportation system.  A loss of power has or had a quarter million people without electricity in their homes, and I would be one of those people.  But it is winter time, and I'm sure there are many people from other parts of the country [where this type of weather is the norm] that are not feeling too sorry for us.  This may be a bit of a natural inconvenience, but there is a spiritual place where there is an abundance of warmth.  A safe and comfortable place where even the weary and tired can relax and know that the cares of the world will be taken care of.  I've been talking about the weather, but this world can be cold and cruel because we can be cold and cruel to one another.  Unfortunately, we spend many moments of our life in the coldness of grief, pain, loss, anxiety, and anger.  However, God is the opposite of the coldness of this world.  God is the warmth of the universe. God is the goodness of the universe.  God is the core unity of the universe.  When you live in God and you turn toward God you can feel His warmth come against the cold cruel nature of life.  In the cold and bitter nature of grief we find a warmth and comfort from God helping us deal with grief.  In the cold and bitter nature of pain, we find a warmth and comfort from God taking the edge off of the pain…often taking the pain away.  In our times of fear and anxiety, we find in God's warmth a help to find the courage to defeat our fears.  We find the courage to defeat our anxiety.  We find in God the warmth to come against the cold nature of the world so we can work for His glory in spite of every adversity.  In our anger and frustration, God comes into our heart to give us His warmth, caring, and love so we can let go of the anger, and let go of the frustration.  Then, as we let go, we find the warmth and warm glow of His freedom full of His grace and love.

Psalm 91:14 "Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. (NIV)

An Open BIRTHDAY Love Letter to My Husband

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday to the love of my life from your loving wife.

God has blessed you to see, and be here 54 years on this earth.  He has blessed me with being able to spend 31 plus years of that time with you.  In the beginning of our relationship you told me to pack my bags because you were taking me on a trip.  And you've made good on that statement both figuratively and literally.  Figuratively, darling, you and I together are truly a trip!  Literally we have flown and mostly driven to 36 plus states, some three or four times.

Our marriage has gone through so many changes over the years, but through it all (the good, the bad and the ugly) it all has been one big love fest.  Love always sees us through.

You, Robert Paul Miller, are not just my husband, you are my best friend.  I knew you in your youth and now I know you in your advanced years.  I thank God for you and the years we've been blessed to spend together.  And, knowing you, and our Father [God] the best is yet to come.  After all, I've also seen you go from sinner to saint.  Oh the talents, the gifts, the skills, the testimonies that you have inside of you.

God bless you my darling husband.  Happy Birthday and may God bless you with as many more as you desire to have.


But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. [1 Corinthians 2:9/KJV]

I'm Living When I'm Giving

Boy! the devil must have really hated for me to write this blog, because I've been trying to write it for at least two weeks, but it seems like every time I tried, something would come up and delay the process - uh-oh the phone is ringing!!!  It is 5:30AM in the morning, but I have to answer it because it's the hubby, and, after-all, it is Thanksgiving Day, and I am truly thankful for him.

I come to life when I can give my time, money, talent, skills and gifts in ministry.  I am a people person and love being able to add to peoples lives by helping and/or encouraging all those that I come in contact with.  I can be doing something as simple as talking with a stranger at the bus stop or something more important like praying with and for incarcerated youth.  It all makes me feel alive. When I'm not doing anything for a long period of time, I feel like I'm not being productive.  I begin to feel dead inside, because my spirit thrives off of being a blessing to others.

To me Thanksgiving Day is a reminder to be thankful all year round.  And, I don't interpret it as being thankful for what I can get, but [literally] for what I can give.  It is called THANKSGIVING not thanksgetting!

I am so thankful that I can give Godly advice to others; share wisdom with my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren; give my love to friends; take food to the homeless; be involved in ministries that reflect the Word of God; put decent used clothes in the recycle containers for others; love on my neighbors with kind words, a smile or an unexpected gift; share this life with my husband; and, most of all, give God the glory.  What a blessing that I have all these things that I can give, because I'm living when I'm giving.

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. [Philippians 1:3/NLT]

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.  Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. [1 Timothy 2:1/NLT]

Delay Can Determine a Better Decision

Based on the title I instantly think about the times my husband and I were traveling and wanted to get into the hotel early.  On two occasions the hotels couldn't let us in until 3PM which is the standard time, but we wanted to get in right away.  Turned down by our first choice, each time, we found a better deal just across the road.  The most important time that delay determined a better decision was when we missed being part of a major car pile up on the highway.  You see, when we traveled we would often make quick over night stops to get some sleep, and we would be up and out first thing in the morning, but, thank God, not this particular morning.  We decided to take it slow and spend some quality time with each other.  We actually drove up on the wreckage, in Durham, North Carolina, just after it had happened.  God was truly looking out for us that day!

How many times are we impatient - waiting in traffic; waiting at the doctors office; waiting for someone slower than we are [children, someone physically challenged]; waiting on God?  How many times after the fact were we glad that someone or something forced us to wait, especially when it comes to God making us wait.  God knows what is best for us at all times. He will allow one door to close so that another one, a better one can open.

How about the 9/11 terrorist tragedy that took place in New York City.  Who can ever forget the horrors of that terrible time, but remember the many stories of the people who were saved by never getting to work because something delayed their arrival.  Sometimes delay can determine a better decision that can lead to life or death.

Delay teaches us to have patience, and that quick, fast and in a hurry isn't always the answer.

Our blessings may be delayed, but they are not denied.  We make plans, but we have to give God time because, after all, He makes the final decisions.

Psalm 37:7-9

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.

Weary, Weak, Wounded & Worn

Weary: tired, exhausted

Weak: lacking strength, feeble, fragile, defenseless, easily influenced, faint

Wounded: injury, hurt from cut, stab, etc.

Worn: valueless or useless, exhausted

Life does all of the above to us.  And, once life finishes wearing us out, the devil comes along to take advantage of the situation.

When we are weary because of being tired and totally exhausted we can hardly think right, and Satan loves to manipulate our minds.  That is where he starts - in the mind.  He plants a thought.  This is so easy for him to do because we're exhausted from our jobs, children, spouses, cares and woes and/or just striving to be a real Christian.  Being a Christian is a blessing, but it ain't always easy.  It's rough taking stuff from the world (all the time) and running out of cheeks, but GOD.  Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.  [ESV]

We're weak because we have given all we have to give and then some, but everybody just keeps on taking.  Our defenses are down and we become easy prey because we didn't pray to be restored or we prayed, but we didn't have faith.  Our faith has waned because patience has pushed our endurance to the test (no test, no testimony).  Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

There is nothing more deceitful than someone smiling in your face and all the while stabbing you in the back. You know the song: "They smile in your face; all the time they want to take your place the back stabbers." Everybody that's with you ain't for you.  When we are wounded in the heart because (not the world) but another brother or sister-in-Christ, (not a stranger) but a close loved one has, without compassion or consideration, stepped all over it; we can't go to a doctor to get it fixed, but we can turn to the Great Physician.  Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and mad whole. [Amplified]

Wow, so worn down by life until we feel useless and of no value.  The most depressing, self degrading thoughts come from thinking we have no more value in this life.  Nobody cares about me; I don't really count in the scheme of things; they don't take me serious, heck, they don't even see me - I'm invisible; they don't see my tears; they don't feel my pain; they don't hear me screaming; yet, I'm doing all of this right in front of them, but it's like we are in two different worlds - worlds apart.  I'm begging, out loud, for help, but my cries are falling on deaf ears.  I'm baring my soul and all they can do is console me with the same old, typical stuff. LORD, help us in our understanding!   Psalm 139:13-16 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.


1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We're going to be alright because God's in charge and He has it all under control.  "It's Already Alright!"

Marriage, God's Way

My wife and I have been married a long time, and just like other marriages, we have had our ups and downs. But, by the grace of God; and shear will and determination, we have held onto our love for each other.   As friends first, we decided long ago that we wanted to go down life's road together.   It appears that marriages that do survive are built from being friends first.  The statistics are alarming; about 40% of marriages end in divorce, and this statistic is as prevalent among Christians as it is in secular society.   Now there are a lot of reasons for this; financial, infidelity, unpreparedness, expectations, etc.  All of these are long term responsibilities.  When we first see a person it is the physical attraction that captures our attention.   And, when we first get together with another person we are like a kid with a new toy.   Once the newness wears off we lose interest.   Again, we are like a kid with a pet.  We want all of the fun parts and none of the parts that need us to invest time and work to make good things happen and last.  When the going gets tough, we fall out.  We're looking at marriage based on the "hot" beginning and not the reality of a lifetime of work, of nurturing, of feeding it.   Now with all of the distractions, the temptations, the anti-marriage enticements that exist in society, it is difficult to stand strong in the commitment that was made, but a commitment was made to each other, and this covenant was made before God! [By the way, did you know that the only relationships that represent a covenant is our relationship with God, and our relationship in a holy marriage sanctioned by God; also God created marriage to show that two people from different walks of life could live together in harmony!] When a man and woman get married, they have become a union of one.

Matthew 19:4-6
"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Now, let's look at two of the main reasons for marital strife, stress and divorce - money and infidelity (adultery/cheating). [By the way, did you know that, and I'm paraphrasing, the Bible says that when you look with lust at another human being that you have already committed adultery? Money is not the root of all evil. It is the love of money that is evil. It is not a sin to have it, it is what one does with it that counts.]

Hebrews 13:4, 5
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.   Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

The bottom line is this, if we want to have a successful, happy, joyous marriage, let God be in charge and in control of our marriages, and all other areas of our lives.   Read His Word daily in order to know the dos and the don'ts, and to stay on the right track.

Ephesians 5:22, 25
"Wives, be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as [a service] to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her," (Amplified)


“A man doesn’t own his marriage; he is only the steward of his wife’s love.” ~ Edwin Louis Cole (Ed Cole)

Depression, An Old Trick of the Enemy!

The enemy (devil, Satan) wants our minds, and he doesn't care how he gets it.

Depression, much like the rest of it's family - fear and chaos, can be debilitating and paralyzing.  The enemy is very clever about manipulating our emotions; getting us to focus on the things that will make us depressed and keep us from progressing forward in our lives, especially in the direction of spiritual wisdom and freedom.  My husband has a saying that I believe holds true - "Once you get a man's mind, you don't have to worry about his actions."  Depression will weigh us down.  It will zap our energy and/or strength.  Depression is prevalent right now in the world and Christians are not exempt from this attack.  As a matter of  fact, we are attacked more and worse than any others because we know the truth and are a threat to the enemy because he doesn't want us telling others what we know.  Well get ready Satan because I'm about to unleash a can of Christian whoop out on you!  Let me tell you what I know!  Let me tell you what I know from personal experience, preaching, and teaching.  When you become depressed it will usually be on the same day; at the same time, and about the same thing and, most likely, you are alone.  If you can, don't let the enemy find you at that place any more.  Change your location by going out for a walk at that time, make a phone call, visit someone, etc.  If you can't get out, praise your way out (read the Bible, talk with God, play gospel music, watch a Christian program, or maybe you just need to laugh - watch something funny).  The enemy is not omnipresent like our Lord.  When you change your location he can't find you to mess with you.  Besides, when you become active and/or busy your mind is already too occupied for the enemy to invade.  When you have a praise party it will send the enemy running out of your life and back to hell where he belongs.  Alleluia!  Be the victor and not the victim.  Remember, the enemy plants thoughts but they are fake and don't become real until you accept them, and give life and power to those fake thoughts from the enemy.

James 1:1-5 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  (NKJV)