What a beautiful night to be sitting here on the front porch. To look out and behold the moon rising from behind the hills. It is an awesome sight. Knowing that the moon reflects the sun, even as we are to be a reflection of the Son of God!!

That we are to be radiant, allowing that new life within to shine forth, that the presence of the Lord in our lives will draw others to want to know more, to have a desire to know the Lord Jesus Christ as we do, as Lord and Saviour.

Today was a good day but it was also a day that I found myself feeling very oppressed of the enemy, feeling like I was under intense pressure, that it would not take much to cause me to flee, to say no more!! But I knew that it was not from the Lord.

But our Father is faithful. He always, and I mean always makes a way for us in the midst of the storms of life, in life's battles a way to stand and be strong in Him. He sends people into our lives, that will stand with us, encourage us and let us know that He is there and He is listening.

He has given me friends such as my Pastor Scott, my friend Lewis. They have been there for me many, many times during this season in my life. There is Diana and Bob, who have also been there and have walked with me down this path, this journey that I am on with the Lord. They have been there. That I could call and they would listen and pray and share and just let me know that they loved me and were praying with me. There are prayer warriors such as my friends, Robin and Von who have lifted me in prayer many times and my number one prayer warrior, my mom, who daily stands in the gap for me and many, many others.

He has brought Steve and Luanne, into my life, to be a source of encouragement me also as I am walking this path, encouraging me in my writing, and in the things that I am sharing. That the Lord used Luanne's book, to bring me to a new level in my walk with my Father, that I am truly being caught up in the thought of who He is and who I am in Him.

There is Roy and Jessica and the many others at Crossmap, who too, have been a source of encouragement, who pray and lift me before the Lord.

There are so many of you who are having an impact on my life such as Kat, Denise, Meesh, Romi, Bob, Paula, Sharon, Vicki, Princess Deirdre, Pam, Rita, Donna, Jason, Lawrence, Funky, Romi, Mrs. Diamond, Mrs. Darling and the many, many others of you who have been a source of encouragement as you have stopped by Hill Country Thoughts.

You all will never know how much you have blessed me because there are not enough words to do so. It is so important to see what the Lord is doing, in that He is building His church, the body of Christ and He is using the church, the Internet, to link us together in ways we would have never thought possible many years ago.

I am blessed to be able to sit here on the porch, to be able to enjoy the beauty of the evening, the presence of the Lord. That indeed in the midst of lifes storms, comes a calmness that only our Father can give.

What a joy and a privilege it is to lift each other up and exhort one another in the things of the Lord. That the Lord is building a church, a people called by His name and that we have the honor of building each other up in the faith.

So be strong my friends, draw close to your Father this day and He will draw close to you and you will be blessed!!

Till later,

Paul

This Post is for Friday 10-29-04

There are days when you wonder, why get up, why bother. Who cares?

Then in your heart you heart you hear “I Care”

You look around to see who just spoke out. To you it sounded like an audio voice. You kind of shake your head and say, “Nah, I just hearing thing. I mean who really cares about me, about what is going on in my life and why does it matter. Again, you hear that voice again saying,

“I care, I really care for you more than you will ever know.”

And then the Lord begins to speak to you and begins to share His heart with you.

“Even before the foundation of the earth I cared. Even in the garden I cared, though the ages I have always cared. I always loved my children. Even when they rejected me, I still loved them.”

“I loved them so much that I gave them my only Son.”

"I cared so much that I allowed Him to be nailed to the cross. He bore it all, He took your sins to the cross and with the blow of the hammer as the nails pierced His Hands, His feet, it all was taken to the cross and that day He bore it all. Every single sin, every betrayal, every hurt, every wound, He bore it to the Cross and the third day He arose and now He sets at my right Hand.”

“I care so much that when you come to me through my son, that I see you through His eyes. I see you as my children, whom I loved, who I yearn for, who I want to fellowship with.”

“I created you to be one with us, to have fellowship with. I created you for me.”

“I cared so much I sent my Son to redeem you and bring you back home to Me. Back to a place of fellowship, to a place of learning to know me as Abba Father!”

Till later,

Paul

This post is for Thursday 10-28-04

If there is one thing that I am learning is how important it is to daily lean on the Lord. To come into His presence in order to get the strength to walk each day.

I am so thankful that the Lord allows my friend Lewis and I to pray here on the front porch and to know that the Lord is in our midst. That He will show us how to pray and what to pray for. That He will put people or events on our hearts to bring to Him.

Prayer, Worship and Praise is what drives the Heart of God when we come to Him with supplication and with a desire to know Him. To simply talk to Him and let Him know how you feel, what is on your heart and on your mind.

There are many mornings when I come out to the front porch, that I sense the presence of my Father, that He is as excited about spending time with me as I am with Him.

It is something that I look forward to. It is not a chore or something that I haft to do, it is something that I want to do. I want to please my Father. I want to bring joy to His heart and we do, we really do when we take the time to say, “Father, what a joy it is to come into your presence, to sense your heart, that you are teaching us what it means to commune with you, to be one with you.”

As we touch the heart of God. He touches ours and He shows us how to love with His love. How to care for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. That He will show us what it means to be one with Him. That we have been reunited with Him through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that we have all been made one in the Lord and that is awesome to think about!

Take time to talk to Him today! Set aside some time to let Him know how much you love and appreciate Him. That He is your Father and you thank Him for revealing Himself to you!!

Let us bless the Lord with our whole heart, with our soul, with our whole being. As the Psalmist David said, “With all that is within us , let us Bless His Holy Name!!

Till later,

Paul

This is Post for Wednesday 10-27-04

Sitting here on the porch reading an awesome book called “The Knowledge of The Holy” by A.W. Tozer. This is an awesome book, published in 1961. Mr. Tozer passed away in 1963 and many of his books have been republished. At Crossmap in the library section, you can find hundreds of articles by Tozer as well as other worthy reads by such men as Leonard Ravenhill, Alan Redpath, Andrew Murray and many others. Most of these men that I have read take you right to the heart of God.

In the preface Tozer talks about the church, about Christians losing the sense of the Majesty of God, that unaware, over time, she, the church, universal lost the awesome awareness of the King of Kings, of the Lord, of our Father.

He says “with the loss of the sense of the majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine presence.” It ought to be when we come together in our churches, in our places of worship, or where two or three are gathered together, that we can come with an expectancy, an awareness that we are coming into the presence of God and we should be in awe of this honor that we have.

Tozer says further “we have lost our Spirit of worship and ability to withdraw inwardly to meet our God in adoring silence.” This is what our Father is wanting to do. To bring us into a place of worship, into that place that we are consumed by an awareness of who He is and in silence adoring Him, soaking in His presence as spirit ministers to spirit, that the divine presence of God brings healing inwardly. Bringing restoration as we simply behold Him in adoration, in silence, heart to heart.

Tozer also says “Modern Christianity [1961] is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit.” That the words, “Be Still and Know that I am God” mean next to nothing to the self-confident bustling worshiper in the middle period of the twentieth century" and he also says, “The decline of the knowledge of the Holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the Majesty of God will go a long way toward curing them.”

The Lord want’s to bring us back to that place in our walk and relationship with Him that we learn what it means to walk in the Spirit, to walk in the presence of the Lord. That we will truly learn what it means to be still and know God, to know Him intimately.

Indeed we as the Body of Christ, as the Church, as His sons and daughters need to rediscover the majesty, the awesomeness of our Father, of our Lord and Saviour. We need to remember that when we come together in His name, that He is in our midst, at church or even here on the front porch we can experience the awesomeness of our Father.

We are being brought back to that place of intimacy, to that which He purposed from the very beginning, that place of knowing Him, of knowing our Father intimately and learning anew about His Majesty. Of learning to worship Him, to be caught up in who He is and learn a new what it means to truly sing, to praise Him and hold Him in Adoration.

That our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is bringing us back to that place of knowing Him, of knowing our Father and that they are revealing themselves to us each day as we draw close to them, as we allow the Holy Spirit to make us aware of the Majesty and Awesomeness of our Heavenly Father, who allows us as His sons and daughters to enter into His presence and say, “Abba Father, be the strength in me. Allow us today, this day to reflect on who You are and what You want to be in us, as your children, as your sons and daughters, as we come into Your presence.”

Till Later,

Paul

This was Sunday 10-24-04 Post

You know if you had ask me several years ago about my front porch, I would have looked at you strangely and would have shook my head. After all it had become a gathering place for junk, for things not in use, a place to store things. That it got so bad you could hardly open the screen door to get into the house.

Now I can look back as I write this, here on the front porch in the cool of the evening, with an almost full moon. I can look back and see how it represented our lives. How we allowed things to gather. Things that had no purpose but I held onto them anyways. There was a lot of clutter taking up space, not allowing us to use the porch for what it was intended to be, a place to rest, to relax, to talk, to share, to meditate and to think.

The porch represented my old life, my old ways. All the clutter that was blocking my communication with my family, with my wife, with my children and it was blocking my communication with my Lord. There was so much clutter that I could not see the beauty of what I had. I neglected to maintain a walk, a relationship with my Father like I should have. Oh, I was a Christian, I was born again, spirit-filled but I was a neutralized Christian.

I sat back and allowed myself over the years to become lazy in my walk, in my love for the Lord. I allowed myself to become lukewarm, I became of non-effect, I was not a threat to the enemy. I ceased to be the covering that I should have been.

It took nearly two years of my life, of cancer, of surgeries, of radiation, chemotherapy and a divorce to see what I had lost. Oh, I am not down on myself, and yes it takes two people. I am not having a pity party but as a dear friend ask me yesterday, would I go through this again if I knew that it would bring me to where I am now in my walk and relationship with the Lord, in the things that are happening in my life now, would I go through it again? And when I thought about it, I had to be honest, and say yes, because if brought me to the place where the Lord wanted me in my relationship with Him.

I don’t know if there could have been an easier way, maybe, but all I know is that I am where the Lord wants me. That I am in the center of His will and that I am a pen in His Hand and I have never been as happy as I am now, knowing that I am doing what my Father wants, that I know that I please my Father and I know that the enemy of my soul hates this with a passion.

His objective was to destroy me and bring me down so that my Father’s plans for me would never happen. What appears to be utter disaster my Heavenly Father is turning around and in the end all Glory and Honor will go to Him!!

Well restoration come to my former wife and myself? I hope so, but if not I will still go on, I will serve the Lord with all my heart, with my whole being, with all that is within me because He has called me for a time such as this to stand and to declare that He is Lord of Lords, King of Kings and His purpose in my life will be accomplish as they will be accomplished in you as you walk day by day with Him.

As we remove the clutter, clear away the garbage and remove the blockage, then we will be able to function fully in the Lord.

As I sit on my porch each night or each morning, it reminds me that I can see the sky, enjoy the stars, sense His presence and enjoy the lamp that is lit not only on my desk but also the lamp that is lit in my heart, a flame that is breathe upon by my Father and consumes all that is not of Him, that I can, that we can come forth as pure gold, as instruments that can be used of Him to exhort, lift up, and encourage others in their walk with the Lord.

My hearts desire is that Hill Country Thoughts will become a place on the net, where people can come and draw forth hopefully from wells of living water of the presence of the Lord. That the Lord is allowing me to share that which has been made real in my life. That which I have experienced, to give out of what He has given me. To be able to sit here on the Front Porch of Hill Country Thoughts and to be able to say here I am Lord, use me this day.

May that be the cry of your heart also as you come to that place where the Father reveals Himself to you and teaches you to give out of what He has given you, no matter how small, it may seem to you, to use if for Him, for when you use it, He will expand it. We can never out give our Father. He will keep filling our vessels as we pour out what He has given us to others.

We are to be His hands extended, sharing out of that which He has given us. We are to share the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ and the hope that is in Him!

Till later,

Paul

A quiet Monday night here in Junction, in the Hill Country of Texas, also known as the Land of Living Waters and has also been called the Front Porch of Texas!

Sitting here at the desk on the front porch thinking about the words that I have been listening too, to a song called "Be Still My Son" by Luanne Hunt.

What amazes me, which it shouldn't is how the Lord will use a song lately to speak to me, to confirm things to me and let me know that He knows what is going on and where I am at and He wants me to know it's alright, it's ok!

You know sometimes we listen to music and then there are times we really listen to the music, to the words, to get a hold of their meaning, what they are saying and that's what happen when I listened with my heart and my spirit. I heard the words this time. It wasn't just music playing in the background.

I heard the song. There is a difference. To me it was a real revelation, not only to music, but to how I read or how I hear now.

I needed to hear from the Lord today and when I began to listen to this music and this song, it was as if the Lord came into the room and was singing it to me.

I think I can understand the Psalmist David a little more now. How that when He began to worship, he was brought into the presence of God and lifted up out of the battles, the trials, the turmoils and focused on God and say it is well with my soul!

As I listened to the words "Be still my son, be still my son and know that I am God. Be still my son, my chosen one and know that I am God. Enter into my rest and know that you are blessed. I'll never leave your side. Be still I will provide."

That is what I needed to hear this day and as I listened, a peace came to my heart. It was His way of letting me know that He has brought me this far and that which He has begun He will complete and that I have not yet seen all that He has in store as I learn to be still and know He is God.

So if your going through some storrms, some fears and wondering about the path your walking and you can't see fully then be still and know that He is God, that you are one of His chosen ones, part of the Body of Christ. Enter into His rest and abide in Him, dwell in His presence and know He will never leave your side. Know that He knows your needs.

He will make the way, He will be a light to your path and He will meet your needs physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Be still and know He is God!!

Till later,

Paul

For Monday 10-18-04

By Paul E. Dawn Jr.

The basis of prayer is hunger and desire that rise within. It can only be fulfilled by God. To the extent that we desire or hunger after the Lord we will obtain, or be filled. If we put little in, we will get little out. The degree of relationship that we want to have with the Lord is up to us. It is up to us to hunger and desire after the Lord; it is our individual relationship with the Lord. When our spirit is open, then the Lord can deal with us, speak to us and bring forth the changes that are needed within. The more that we want to be like the Lord, the more time we will spend with Him, cultivating an individual relationship, communing daily with the Lord and learning to talk to Him.

Discipline is an important factor in our prayer life. When we discipline ourselves, we put ourselves into submission to the Lord, allowing Him to have His way. It is a time of putting down all the activities that keep us from communicating with the Lord, being still before Him that we might hear His voice.

To come before Him, we must set time aside and purpose in our heart to hear from the Lord. It is not based on our feelings, but on the Lord. No matter what, we must purpose to set time aside, not allowing anything to interrupt our prayer and time with the Lord.

The Lord desires us to come to a face-to-face relationship with Him; a place of knowing Him, and not just about Him. When we come to the Lord in prayer we are ministering to Him. He desires that we minister to Him, worshiping and loving Him; for as we come before the Lord we will begin to love the Lord God with all our heart and with all our soul. We will worship and exalt Him with our whole being

In Proverbs 8:34 we are told, “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my door.” Blessed are they who hear, who are waiting upon the Lord, watching, observing and seeing with the eye of the Spirit: for in Him we find wisdom. We are to dwell and reflect upon the Word of God and allow it to become alive within; we are to meditate and think upon the Lord. Prayer requires action on our part, a response to the call of God in coming before Him.

We must learn to respond to the Lord no matter what time He calls us to prayer, for when we respond to the voice of the Lord we will not only fulfill God’s purpose in the call to prayer, but it will do a work within us.

John Wesley says of him that prays, “For Indeed he prays without ceasing. It is given him always to pray; and not faint. Not that he is always in the house of prayer; though he neglects no opportunity of being there. Neither is he always on his knees. although he often is on his face before the Lord his God nor yet is he always crying aloud to God, or calling Him in words: For many times the ‘Spirit maketh intercession for Him with groans that cannot be uttered’ But at all times the language of his heart is this: ‘Thou brightness of the eternal glory, unto thee is my heart, though without a voice, and my silence speaketh unto thee.’ And this is true prayer and this alone. But his heart is ever lifted up to God, at all times and in all places. In this he is never hindered or interrupted, by person or thing. In retirement or company, in leisure, business or conversation his heart is ever with the Lord. Whether he lies down or rises up, God is in all thoughts; he walks with God continually, having the loving eye of his mind still fixed upon Him, seeing Him that is invisible.”

(Wesley’s Works, Vol. 8, Page 343).

Wesley had a real insight into prayer. He was a man who spent much time before the face of the Lord, a man for whom God answered prayer.

Andrew Murray in Secret of Believing Prayer, said, “It is only when we live and associate with God in a personal living relationship, where God Himself is all to us, where our whole being is continually opened and exposed to the might influence at work where His Holy Presence is revealed, that the capacity will be developed for believing that He gives whatever we ask (according to His will)". He said, “The power to believe a promise depends entirely on faith in the promisor. Trust in the person begets trust in His word” As we pray, we are to be full of the Lord; our heart is to be filled with the Lord and with His presence.

In Psalms 55:16-17, David says, “As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud and He shall hear my voice.” David sought after the Lord. Speaking of a relationship with God he said, “I will call upon God,” and he states that God will save, for God shall hear his voice. If we are walking in right relationship with the Lord we shall be able to say as David said, “The Lord will save; He will deliver.”

Our prayers are not to be an outward show for man, but unto the Lord, to His glory and honor (Matthew 6:6). We are to please the Lord and not man, going to our secret place (our prayer chamber) and communing with our Father.

In Matthew 26:41, we are told to watch and pray, to be alert, to enter not into temptation and not be ignorant of the tactics of the enemy, but to be prepared at all times, knowing that the enemy will try to trip us up. Therefore, let us always be in the Word and in the presence of the Lord, attuned to the Spirit that we might combat that which the enemy throws our way. We are in a warfare.

Prayer is one of our main weapons of warfare against the enemy, for it prepares us to enter into spiritual warfare. Prayer prepares us and makes us pliable in the hands of God so that He can take that which He can use to bring honor and glory to Him. The most important thing that we are to learn is that the Lord looks for and desires those who allow Him to speak to their hearts, to use them to stand in the gap, to call upon the Lord and to do battle in the Spirit, for the Lord will keep us as we cleave unto Him.

We have just begun to touch on the true meaning of prayer!

Till later,

Paul

Copyright (c) 2004
Reposted October 2004

It is an absolutely beautiful night here in the Hill Country of Texas!! Such a sense of the peace and presence of the Lord as I sit here at the desk on the front porch. It seems as if the crickets have magnified the intensity of the sound that they play through the night, loud enough to almost drown out the fan next to me here on the porch.

I am sitting here, drinking some juice, lamp lit and just soaking in the presence of the Lord after several days of wrestling with Him about the articles that I posted. Sometimes we can get just a little bit stubborn and resist what we know the Lord wants us to do, because it is not comfortable always to do what He wants, but the end result is that in trusting Him, His purposes are fulfilled and others are ministered to. So our trusting and obedience is very important.

It is times like tonight, that I enjoy sitting here and thinking out loud to the Lord and sharing my thoughts, knowing that He is listening. He knows that I am thinking about what He is doing in my life, knowing that I do not fully understand but He knows that I also know that He has a plan and that my part at this point of my life is to trust Him. That is what He wants us to do. Simply to trust Him.

To trust Him absolutely, totally, without reservation. This is not an easy thing to do and there are times that I have fell on my face but I get up, though it may take me a day or two and I press on. Do you know what happens when you get up and press on with the Lord?

It get’s easier to trust Him, to release ourselves and let go, even when it does not look like the natural thing to do, but we go ahead and step out and you know what? He is there to catch us and to lead us on because we have taken that step of trust, of faith in Him.

But it has to be a day by day walk with the Lord. Each day being a new day of drawing closer and closer to the Lord. We cannot just be weekend warriors, there are no reserves in the Body of Christ. We are all called to full time duty, in that we are to live our lives as unto the Lord in all that we do, no matter our job, our calling or our position in life. We have all been called to serve, we are His servants and we are to share the faith, hope and love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The word says we are a royal priesthood. We are His representatives. We are to show, to reflect who He is in our life, so that which others see within will draw them to a place of wanting to know our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We are being brought to a place that we are to trust the lord with all our heart, with all of our soul, with our whole being and as that song of old says, “Trust And Obey, For There Is No Other Way But To Trust and Obey.”

Till later,

Paul

This is Saturdays Post 10-16-04

As I am sitting here this evening at my desk, there is one word that the Lord keeps bringing to mind and that word is Hope!!

What really gets to me sometimes, is how often, I will hear brothers and sisters in the Lord make comments like it’s hopeless, we are without hope and I really wonder if they realize what they are saying, for I too have caught myself saying there is no hope, when the opposite is true and again, we as Christians ought to realize that.

We are a people of hope. Our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. That He is the anchor of our soul. That He is sure and steadfast, that He is certain. There are a lot of scriptures that deal with hope but the one that caught my attention this evening is “[Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it--a hope] that reaches farther {and} enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil,..." Hebrews 6:19 (Amplified Bible).

Though we don’t see Him, He is that anchor. That we are secure in Him. That He sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.

Though we go through trials, battles, through the rough seas and the storms of life, we need to remember that the anchor of our soul still holds, still is secure and has not moved. That this anchor, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will not slip, will not move.

He will hold us in the midst of the battles, of the raging seas of life, that the anchor, Jesus, will speak to our hearts and say, “Peace. be still.” and in that moment and time, rest will come in the midst of all that is going on, that the anchor still holds and that our Captain, our Lord Jesus Christ will bring us safely into port.

The one thing that we know, that we have assurance of, is that our Hope is alive and it is anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So anchor yourself in the Lord today, for your hope is in Him!

Till later,

Paul

This is Fridays Post 10-15-04

Tonight is one of those times when it is really hard to write that which the Lord has put on my heart. That it hurts so deep and goes to the inner most part of my being but I promised the Lord, that as a pen in His Hand that I will write, even when it hurts to do so!!

It is a lot easier to write about dealing with chemotherapy, radiation, two major surgeries and recovery, then it is to write about divorce. A word that I have come to loath, to hate with a passion. That such a small word would have such a hideous impact on me, on our children, our grand children, our families and our friends.

To make it so simple to get a divorce, a so called "no-fault divorce." That with a stoke of a pen! A judge can wipe out 29 years as if they do not exist in the eyes of the law. But, how do you remove 29 years from your life, from your heart? How do your children deal with the fact that which they counted on and seen all of a sudden is not there anymore? How do you explain to your grand-daughter, your grand-children when they ask you, why don't grandma and you live together anymore? How do you cut off 29 years of relationship with one side of the family? How do you answer these questions?

How can two people called Christians, justify what has happen? When one feels it is ok, that God gave them the ok, when we know that God hates divorce. That it is one of the most destructive tools that the enemy, that satan uses to destroy the foundation of the family, of the home and the church!

How does lack of communication justify the ending of 29 years of marriage? To say in effect I can't handle it anymore. It takes two! Somewhere down the line we lost touch with the foundation, of building everything upon the Lord, upon the word and over time we allowed the enemy to come in and do what he does best, to destroy. We can't blame the enemy, we were the ones that let him in. Me, for not being the spiritual covering I should have been for my family, for my wife and for my children and her for allowing the enemy to convince her there was no hope.

Since the divorce people and friends no longer treat you the same whether they realize it or not. It is like having a scarlet letter "D" branded on you and people no longer know how to react. They don't realize we are still people, we are still ourselves, we are just divorced and not always because we want to be.

This is the way it comes across to me. I can go weeks and not hear from anyone, unless I call them. There are those that I would like to go visit but I don't sense the freedom to do so because of the awkwardness that they feel.

I don't like being alone and I do have the Lord as my comforter but I crave fellowship with others. Not just Monday Prayer Group, Wednesday Night Men’s Bible Study or even Sunday school and Morning Service. I don't like the feeling of isolation, it is not by choice.

The Lord has given me Hill Country Thoughts. He is allowing me to be a pen in His Hand, to share, to exhort, to lift up, to encourage and to be honest and real! But it does not replace real people or fellowship with others.

Let me encourage you to not be so quick to judge your brother or sister in the Lord who is or has gone through this trauma, and it is a trauma in their life. Both are hurting, both need your love, your prayers, your concerns, your fellowship. They need to see the compassion of Christ in you. To know that you are praying for them. Lifting them up to the Lord even when you "don't know the whole story!

Let’s not wound the wounded anymore than they are! Build them up, encourage them, listen to them, don't shun them as if they are contagious. We are just wounded, hurting and need time to heal and more important we need to know that we are loved by our brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If God can love us and forgive us, why can't you?

Till later,

Paul

As I was writing this post, sitting here at my desk, at the computer, all of a sudden a fast moving storm past through the Hill Country, and the power went out, only briefly, but yet that storm wiped out all that I was working on and it made me realize how we never know when the storms of life may hit us as we are walking with the Lord and I wondered what would my reaction be, what would I do, how would I respond, how is my relationship with the Lord?

Is my walk with the Lord such that my immediate thought would be “Lord, I turn to you, I trust you, that in the midst of all that is going on, that even though I don’t understand why, I turn to you Lord, for you are the anchor of my soul, the sure foundation that I build on” and then to look to my heavenly Father and be able to say “Abba Father you are the strength in me.”

Through the tears, the pain, the wounds, the hurts, the disappointments, to be able to look to my heavenly Father and too know that He takes my face in His hands as it where and looks into my eyes and with tears He lets me know that He understands.

That He is there to comfort us, to strengthen us and lead us through the storms and that He will bring us safely into port, as we stay focused on Him, even in the midst of the storm when everything is coming at us, trying to distract us, to cause us to fear, to be afraid, even during that time, we must stay focused on Him.

So when the storms come suddenly, know that there is one in the midst of the storm, whom the Father sent to redeem us, restore us and bring us back to Him. That our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, speaks to our hearts, to our spirits and as He spoke to the raging sea in the midst of the storm, He speaks to our hearts and says “peace, be still” and know that He is with us, to bring us safely through the storms.

Till later,

Paul

Sure wish you all were sitting on the front porch with me this evening, hmmm, I sure would have to increase the size of the porch if you all showed up. (grin)

It is so calm and quiet and cool this evening. Sitting here at the desk, the lamp lit, just thinking about the day.

It has mostly been a day of thinking of how blessed I am to be able to sit here in the middle of Texas and be able to be in touch with the whole wide world via the Internet.

It is really awesome how more and more Christians are learning the value of linking together, sharing together, praying together and blogging together. That we have been given one more tool to unite the church, the Body of Christ. That we are able to supplement the local church.

I know that when most people see someone at the computer they are not thinking ministry but yet it is. It is a whole new field of ministry. A ministry that we must have wisdom with and those that we are accountable too. We are in the learning process and we have to learn to weed through a lot of things but when we do the results are awesome.

We are occupying as the word says till He returns and I think that occupying also means cyberspace. There are many, many resources available to Christians for the work of the ministry and one of them is Crossmap.

I think Crossmap is opening a whole new door for the Christian Community to have access to more and more information that will help us to grow as believers, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. That this Christian portal is to build up the body of Christ and provide the best that is out there on the web and help weed through a lot of it.

They are growing and learning more and more ways to use the net for the Lord and for that I want to say thank you for the doors you have open and the resources you have made available and no I didn’t get paid to say any of this. (grin)

It is something that the Lord put on my heart to share this evening as I am sitting here on the porch. I want to ask my many friends and readers to lift the Crossmap Team and their ministry to the Lord. From talking with them, I came away with an awareness of the great love that they have for the Lord and for wanting to honor our Father with all that they do.

Each day I look forward to spending time in the presence of the Lord, with a pen in hand, waiting as the Lord brings to mind things to share. Hopefully they are things that will bless, lift up and encourage those that take time to read or listen or if they do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their saviour, that it will cause them to want to know more about the life changing power of Jesus.

I trust that Hill Country Thoughts will be like a well, a spring of water on the net, a place where others can come and take a drink and go away encouraged, lifted up, filled with the peace and presence of the Lord, that it will encourage them in their walk with the Lord, or if they are searching, it will be a place that will make them want to know more about the Lord Jesus Christ.

That our lives, our words, the things we say and do, that they will reflect the reality of Christ. That we will share the bread of life with others, to minister to the needs and hurts of a wounded world, a world that needs to see the Hope that is our Lord and Savior.

May you be blessed my friends as you blog by, as you read or listen to the post or if you are one of those that read the posts on the Crossmap columns.

The sole purpose of Hill Country Thoughts, is to be an encouragement and blessing to the Body of Christ. To encourage, to exhort, and to lift you up before the Lord and to remind us that all we do, every aspect of ministry, of teaching, of blogging, of living, is about the Lord. It is all about Him.

Let us use the gifts and talents that He has given us to bring glory and honor to Him. Let us build up one another in the Faith and stand strong together in sharing the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Even on the net, the great commission applies, “Go ye and make disciples.” Use the tools and the gifts that the Lord has given you.

Till later,

Paul

Another beautiful day in the Hill Country!!

What a sense of the joy and peace of the Lord this morning when I awoke. Knowing that my Father has already prepared the way before me. That He has given me the strength and the desire to walk with Him!

That is something that the Lord wants to do. Is to walk with us, to commune with us, to share with us and to spend time with us.

He wants to say, “Denise, Bob, Weebie, Nancze, Kat, Brandy, Meesh, Sparrow, Mrs. Diamond, Mrs. Darling, Pam, Paul, Lawrence, Romi, to all of us, Good Morning, what a joy it is for Me to walk with you all today, to spend time with you. To get to know you, to know your heart and to let you know how much I love you.”

Is that not an awesome thought! That our Father wants us to know Him, not about Him. My children and my grand children know me, not just about me. I have held them, talked to them, soothe them and been there for them and they know I am just a call away, that I always have time for them no matter the time, night or day.

Our heavenly Father is no different. He is there for us. He wants us to know Him. He want’s us to know that He cares for us, that He loves us, holds us and that He is there anytime night or day and He does hear our cries, even when it may not seem so at times, He is there!

He want’s us to walk with Him today. He wants to share His heart and His presence with us. To know that He is not afar off, but that His very presence is with us and we can come before Him and we can say, “Father can we talk?” and He will say, “Let’s take a walk!”

To me that is an awesome thought. That Abba Father wants to walk with me. To reveal His Heart to me, to us, to walk with Him each and every day!

Take time to talk and walk with your Heavenly Father today and remember those word’s “And He Walks With Me and He Talks With Me and He tells Me I am His very own” from that very special Hymn, “In The Garden”

Till later,

Paul

This is the post for Monday Morning 10-4-04

Sitting on the front porch, oil lamp lit and thinking about the book that I am reading for the first time called “Like Christ” by Andrew Murray. As I was unpacking some things I came across this small hardback book that I had forgotten.

As I picked it up and began to read it, I didn’t get past the preface as I was struck by some statements that he made in the very beginning. This book was written in the late 1800’s I believe.

Here is what caught my attention:

“I was very much struck some time ago, in an infant school examination, with the practice a little class in object lessons was put through. A picture was shown them, which they were told to look at carefully. They then had to shut their eyes, and take time to think and remember everything they had seen. The picture was now removed, and the little ones had to tell all they could.

Again the picture was shown, and they had to try and notice what they had not observed before; again to shut their eyes and think, and again to tell what more they had noticed. And so once more, until every line of the picture had been taken in.

As I looked at the keen interest with which the little eyes now gazed on the picture, and then were pressed so tightly shut as they tried to realize, and take in, and keep what they had been looking at, I felt that if our Bible reading were more of such an object-lesson, the unseen spiritual realities pictured to us in the Word would take much deeper hold of our inner life. We are too easily content with the thoughts suggested by the words of the Bible, though these are but forms of truth, without giving time for the substantial spiritual reality, which the Word as the truth of God contains, to get lodged and rooted in the heart. Let us, in meditating on the Image of God in Christ, to which we are to be conformed, remember this.

When some special trait has occupied our thoughts, let us shut our eyes, and open our hearts; let us think, and pray, and believe in the working of the Holy Spirit, until we really see the blessed Master in that special light in which the Word has been setting Him before us and can carry away for that day the deep and abiding impression of that heavenly beauty in Him which we know is to be reproduced in us. Let us gaze, and gaze again, let us worship and adore; the more we see Him as He is, the liker Him we must become.

To study the image of God in the man Christ Jesus, to yield and set open our inmost being for that image to take possession and live in us, and then to go forth and let the heavenly likeness reflect itself and shine out in our life among our fellow-men, — this is what we have been redeemed for, let this be what we live for.”

What an awesome thought! The more that we see Him the more that we will become like Him. That we are to gaze on Him, on His word. That as we focus on Him, as He reveals Himself, then that which we see becomes part of us and leaves an impression, a stamp as it where of the one that we are spending time with and becoming like.

That He is reproducing Himself in us by His Holy Spirit. Is that not awesome, the Christ within shining forth. As Andrew Murray says: “To study the image of God in the man Christ Jesus, to yield and set open our inmost being for that image to take possession and live in us, and then to go forth and let the heavenly likeness reflect itself and shine out in our life among our fellow-men,—this is what we have been redeemed for, let this be what we live for.” (Emphasis mine)

Again, that is an awesome thought to think about, to ponder, to dwell on. To let the Christ within consume us and then to go forth and let Him be reflected in our life, in all that we do, that others will see and want to know about that peace, that rest that you have in Him.

As Andrew Murray says: “...this is what we have been redeemed for, let this be what we live for.” (Emphasis mine)

What are we reproducing?

Till later,

Paul

This is Sunday's Post

Interesting title isn’t it?

It is really an interesting question and something to ponder about.

A couple of weeks ago I had lunch with Mom and Dad Shelley at Isaacks Restaurant and we were having a good time talking and Dad Shelley made the comment “You are a joy to be around” and I replied, “ I am beginning to enjoy being around myself too.” Mom Shelley began to laugh and Dad Shelley had a big grin on his face.

It is then I began to realize how much I have changed in the last couple of years and especially in the last six months of coming to a place that I am in the center of God’s will in my life and that I am truly enjoying that peace of the Lord because I am beginning to answer the call that the Lord has placed in me a long time ago. To be a pen in His hand, to be able to express those things that He has written upon my heart.

Being in the place where the Lord wants us, brings such a change. When I finally let go, then God was able to do what needed to be done in my life. To bring me to a place that I am now in my walk with the Lord. That people enjoy being around me, not because of who I am but because of what the Lord has done in me. Of coming to a place of allowing the Christ within to show forth and knowing that the Lord has brought these changes.

As we spend time with those that we love we begin to reflect that. We become like those that we spend time with and it is reflected to those around us. Others can tell often whom we have spent time with.

The more time we spend with the Lord the more we begin to reflect those qualities that He wants in us. That we can reflect the joy, the peace, the love of the Lord. That we can live in this present world, that we can walk daily with the Lord and have a peace within.

This is not a down the road, I hope I will attain it walk. It is a here and now walk, a relationship that enables us to walk in the here and now with the Lord.

We are to reflect the joy, the peace, the rest of the Lord in this present time. Each day is a new day, a new beginning.

Of coming to a place in our walk with the Lord that others will be able to say, “ you know, you are a joy to be around” and you can smile and know that indeed the Lord has done a new thing. That He has brought you to a place that you can truly love others as you love yourself as it is reflected in Mark 12:33.

That in loving ourselves we can love others because He is teaching us to love who we are becoming. We are becoming like Him and someone that others enjoy being around.

Thank you Dad Shelley for those seven word’s “You are a joy to be around.” That made my day and it let me know how far the Lord has brought me.

May we all be a joy to be around!!

Till later,

Paul

This was Friday Evening Post