Sunday, I was talking to my husband and telling him how I felt like God had somehow come closer lately, how it seemed like He was answering prayers more.

Sunday night when I went to check my little message from God app, this is what it said:

On this day of your life, Vanessa, we believe God wants you to know … that you’ve been talking to God too much, and not listening enough.

Prayer is when you talk to God. Meditation is when you become quiet and listen to God. You’ve learned how to talk and ask well. Time to learn how to listen and hear, because God has been answering you.

I mean!  Seriously!  That is just some weird kind of stuff.  I love it!

Check out the app for yourself, maybe it’ll be that way for you too. 

~Ness

This song flowed through my Reader from one of the newsletters I follow, and I fell in love with it.  I think I’m going to get the CD. 

So, you know, I just had to share.

Happy Day After Christmas!

Here comes the letdown Christmas is over
Here comes the meltdown, there goes the cheer
But before we have a breakdown, let us remember
The light of the world is still here
Happy day after Christmas
And merry rest of the year
Even when Christmas is over
The light of the world is still here
The light of the world

Come January I’m ready for summer
The Super Bowl’s over and I’ll settle for spring
Sometimes we all need a change in the weather
But it won’t change the reason we sing

Happy day after Christmas
And merry rest of the year
Even when Christmas is over
The light of the world is still here
The light of the world
The light of the world
The light of the world

So take down the stockings, take back the sweaters
Take down the lights and the star and the tree
But don’t let this world take your joy after Christmas
Take joy to the world and just sing

Happy day after Christmas
And merry rest of the year
Even when Christmas is over
The light of the world is still here

Please bless our nation, Lord, please guide and direct our leaders.

Thanks to MountainRepublic for the picture. 

Sunday’s on the Way

[in case the video doesn’t play, here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muK1DPKhKJ8 ]

Coincidence?

A Jewish businessman in Chicago sent his son to Israel for a year to absorb the culture. When the son returned, he said, “Papa, I had a great time in Israel. By the way, I converted to Christianity.”

“Oy vey,” said the father, “What have I done!”

He took his problem to his best friend. “Ike,” he said, “I sent my son to Israel, and he came home a Christian. What can I do?”

“Funny you should ask,” said Ike. “I, too, sent my son to Israel, and he also came home a Christian. Perhaps we should go see the Rabbi.”

They explained their problem to the Rabbi.

“Funny you should ask,” said the rabbi. “I, too sent my son to Israel, and he also came home a Christian. What is happening to our young people?”

They prayed, telling the Lord about their sons.

As they finished their prayer, a voice came from the heavens: “Funny you should ask,” said the voice, “I, too, sent my son to Israel…”

Matthew 5:11-12“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

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That verse always stuck with me.  I used to know someone who, every time they got in a fight or argument with someone, it was because they “were being persecuted for the Lord!”  How often I wanted to say, “No, people fight with you because you’re a witch!” 

I think so many people take this verse too lightly, especially in modern day America.  Really, we have little concept of persecution.  Someone cutting you off in traffic is not persecution.  Sometimes people are just jerks and it has nothing to do with your faith.  And sometimes we are just jerks and bring shame to the name of our Lord. 

People are being killed out there because of their faith – that’s persecution.  People are being tortured – that’s persecution.  A lot of other stuff is just human beings being fallen and fallible human beings.  It behooves us to learn the difference.