I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8

This precious treasure—light and power that now shine within us—

is held in fragile clay jars, that is, in our weak bodies.  

Everyone can see our glorious power is from God and not our own.

Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

                                    2 Corinthians 4:7, 16 NLT

Forever light on Christ’s face is My best portrait of Incarnate Truth.

     Light beyond light is your Center of Gravity.

     Here is the Greatest Reality you can ever ponder:

          I Will Always Be Who I Have Always Been—

               I have always loved you, and I always will.

     Get to know My Son better—enjoy the pleasure of His company.

Frail life of clay is a container of boundless power, an interior treasure.

     Your human body is mortal, finite, limited by space and time.

     Yet I choose to make your heart My home.

     I am Light in your darkness—the dark side cannot conquer My love.

     I am Power in your weakness—the evil one cannot vanquish My grace.

     Avoid staggering in dirty places—walk as a child of the Light.

Finish line is the challenge to believing perseverance in intense trial.

     Endurance is underrated—those who finish the race win My smile.

     When perplexed, pray—gaze again at My cross and hang on.

     When tempted by easier roads, refuse to compromise—soldier on.

     Do not let fatigue or criticism force you to resign—re-sign and work on!

     I remember you are weak—remember I am strong, and you will make it.

Forward look is the celebration of beautiful paradise, the infinite triumph.  

     Discouraged? You are headed for a sinless, deathless, painless place.   

     Disappointed by false advertising? Heaven is not too good to be true.

     Disillusioned by fleeting pleasures? Heaven is not too good to last.

     One day, in eternity, you will join saints and angels in celestial hallelujahs.

     Until then—today, in time, praise Me with clay hallelujahs.

 © Pastor Johnny R. Almond         

Day 340, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Book available at www.Amazon.com

                                Sallman Head of Christ

           Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
                                  Colossians 3:11 NLT

Live victoriously—celebrate My greatness.
     I died to defeat sin; I arose to resurrect you to a new life.
     Because I rose from the dead, I can raise you above evil ways.
     Victorious over death and sin, march in heaven’s triumphal procession.
     Keep up your enthusiasm for My work—it is never a waste of time.
     One of My resurrection people, let nothing in the world get you down.

Think vertically—anticipate My glory.
     Searching for a better approach to life than dying with the most toys?
     Set your heart on a place moths, rust, and thieves can never touch.
     Do not be so preoccupied with things you forget your destination.
     Do not wring your hands in worry—fold them in worship.
     Walk steadily toward heaven’s gate—soon we will be face to face.
     One of My redeemed people, count on My dream coming true.

Behave virtuously—manifest My goodness.
     Making the journey from earth to heaven, watch your step.
     Run from sexual sin—look for an exit when temptation corners you.
     Learn to be content—avoid greed by gratitude.
     Get rid of road rage—be considerate of fellow travelers.
     Avoid slander, lies, and dirty language—tell the truth lovingly.
     Change your wardrobe—throw away filthy rags of your old nature.
     Rely on My Presence in your heart, and be changed from inside out.
     Make Me your Center of Gravity, and your actions will be transformed.
     Make a conscious effort to be like Me—one day you will see My smile.
     One of My righteous people, strive to be holy and faultless in My eyes.

Serve valiantly—depend on My grace.
     Rejoice at the privilege of serving Me—whistle while you work.
     Remember I am your Boss—do quality work in My Name.
     You are accountable to Me—do not worry about what others think.
     One of My representative people, always do your best to honor Me.

© Pastor Johnny R. Almond                  

Day 347, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Verse of the Day: Romans 9:11

“for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,”

• God's choice was not meant to exclude, but to include! The Messiah will come from a select seed, but He will come for all (who exercise faith (Rom. 2:28-29; 4:3, 22-25; Romans 10).

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Verse of the Day: 1 John 4:4

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

• Christian's victory over sin and the devil.

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While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church.

Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much.

But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for.

       1 Corinthians 8:1b-3 NLT

Smart alecks feel no need for God.

     Know-it-alls never seek wisdom flowing from above.

     Proud VIPs chasing personal agendas never kneel before Me. 

     Self-sufficient do-it-yourselfers see no need of heaven’s help. 

     Knowledge swells your head . . . love stretches your heart. 

     Don’t kid yourself into thinking you’re really smart. 

     You, like all other human beings, have a lot to learn. 

     There are two lessons you need to learn very well—

          I am totally, eternally, irrevocably responsible for all.

               I am God, with wisdom found nowhere else.

          You are ultimately responsible to Me for the way you live. 

               You are not God, so you need wisdom to live rightly.

Narcissists feel no attraction to God. 

     Self-centered, they miss life’s true Center of Gravity.

     Wrapped up in themselves, they make a very small package.

     Concerned with their business, they have no time for Mine.

     Egomaniacal, they self-destruct in their own little world.

Humble believers feel love for God. 

     Proud minds resist grace . . . tender hearts receive it. 

     Recidivists run from My way . . . repentant souls cling to it. 

     Hard-hearted are ingrates . . . the forgiven sing My praises. 

     Self-reliant love themselves . . . the God-reliant love Me.   

     Humble hearts realize I know everything about them—

          habits, hang-ups, hopes;  roads untaken; unspoken words.

     The meek don’t know it all, but trust the One who does. 

     Reveling in My loving care, believers face the future joyfully.

     Holding My hand, My disciples walk the path of the best life. 

     Nestling near My loving heart, believers know real joy. 

     Following My lead, sheep of My fold find their way home. 

     Loving Me wholeheartedly, saints celebrate My Providence. 

     Giving Me all their cares, My children live carefree.   

     I know the hairs on your head, and the hurts in your heart.

     False gods do not care for you, but I do—trust Me and see. 

© By Pastor Johnny R. Almond             

Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 2:2

There is no one holy like the Lord, indeed, there is no one besides Thee, nor is there any rock like our God.

• The strength, stability, the unchanging nature of the one true God (Ps.18:1-2; 2 Sam. 22:2)
• God as a mighty, impregnable fortress (Ps.78:35; Isa. 44:8)

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I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.
                              Philippians 4:13 NLT

Be cheerful in a sad world—mute negative melancholy with unfailing music.
     Celebrate My pardon—your name is indelibly registered as a citizen of heaven.
     Celebrate My Presence—at My side, there is joy too wonderful for words.
     Celebrate My peace—the world system cannot supply it; neither can it steal it.
     Celebrate My promise, one thing that is for sure—I will never forsake you.

Be calm in a chaotic world—replace negative worry with unquestioning worship.
     The cross is a plus sign in a negative world, changing everything for the better.
     Do less “what-if” supposing, more “leaning-on-everlasting-arms” reposing.
     I am in control—in charge behind chaos scenes, orchestrating the grand finale.
     Climb into My hammock—feel soothing wind of grace, and relax in My arms.

Be careful in a careless world—overcome negative ideas with unvarying truth.
     Want to be a person of integrity? Then reflect on timeless truth.
     Want to live honorably? Then meditate on honorable thoughts.
     Do not fall for Satan’s tiring old line that it does not matter what you think!
 

Be content in a greedy world—cancel negative whining by uncommon contentment.
     Tranquility results from being, not having—contented people are truly rich.
     I am El Shaddai, the Enough God—depend on My infinite resources.
     Learn to be satisfied in all situations by treasuring your relationship to Me.

Be capable in a grueling world—conquer negative despair by unflagging optimism.
     You’re weak, but I am strong—in relationship with Me, you can cope with life.
     The power of positive praying is the source of competence.
     Quiet confidence in Me is the key to strength and the secret of perseverance.

Be confident in an uncertain world—destroy negative anxiety with undying hope.
     Let Me have all your cares, then you can enjoy a carefree existence.
     In My strength, you are ready for anything the world throws at you.
     Trust Me, then you will receive blessings you never imagined possible.

Celebrate the Dynamic Mystery residing within your heart—live positively.

© By Pastor Johnny R. Almond                

Day 346, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

#ReimagineFutureChurch Eblast

The Church is the answer ... But what is the question?

Start here>>>

#Pastors #Church #ChurchLeadership #Prayer #Discipleship #Outreach #Evangelism #Ministry #Missional

-Adam and Eve disregarded God’s warnings

-Cain murdered his brother Abel

-The Babylonians​ erected ​a stairway-to-heaven to glorify their achievements in a way that ignored God.

​"Late in the afternoon, ​a strong wind began to blow​, and the man and woman heard the Lord God walking in the garden​ and God said: "Where are you?"" (Genesis 3:8-9)

The Lord came and called as before, “Samuel!  Samuel!”

        Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

                       1 Samuel 3:10  NLT

  




     You have never heard Me speak audibly, but you have heard My gentle whispers echoing in your conscience, creation and Scripture.  Written and natural revelation prompt you to worship, praise and serve Me. 

  
     The universe sings My praises and displays My breathtaking craftsmanship. A language without syllables is written large across the skies, speeding across the intergalactic network at the speed of thought.  Sun, moon, and stars silently hint at My invariable faithfulness. 

     I open My heart to your heart. My Holy Spirit lives within you, so you are under My control. Life is best when I am in charge. My Spirit leads you and marks you Mine. I inspire your innermost being in the quest for truth. Redoubling your efforts does nothing to strengthen moral muscle.               Do-it-yourself spells defeat—life on My terms spells victory. 

     I guide you by My Book from Heaven. Its track record of accurate prophetic fulfillment should encourage you to believe it. I am the Living God. I have spoken in the Scriptures. I mean every word I say. I will do everything I have promised. 

     My law is perfect, putting a spring in your step. My life map is accurate, making you wise. My commandments are right, bringing enjoyment to relationships. My instructions are billboard clear, keeping you traveling on the right highway. 

     I speak to you clearly through My Son. In Him, Love is plain as day.  Everything about Him exactly represents My nature. His powerful words hold everything in the universe together, including you. He is near to My heart—draw near to Him, and you will be too. 

     Stand in awe that I speak from My heavenly throne to your earthly situation. You cannot fathom the mysteries of how I communicate with your heart,      but you can understand Me. 

     Listen for your Master’s voice—love My life-changing lessons.  Listen for your Master’s voice—learn My eternal truth.  Listen for your Master’s voice—live My servant way.

     You have ears to hear. Are you listening? Can you hear Me now?

© By Pastor Johnny R. Almond                 

Gentle Whispers from Eternity                

Guest Post: #ResetYourChristianity…”Deinstitutionalize”

  Hilkiah the high priest found the Book of Law of the LORD    

    as it had been given through Moses.

When the king heard what was written in the law, he tore his   

     clothes in despair. “Go to the Temple; speak to the Lord   

     for me and the remnant of Israel and Judah.

     Ask him about the words written in this scroll.   

     We have not been doing what this scroll says we must do.”

     2 Chronicles 34:14, 19, 21 NLT

     My Textbook for Living had been lost during reigns of evil kings. Found and read to Josiah, he realized drastic changes were required to bring the nation he governed back into line with My commands.

     The Book from Heaven is My gift to earth, telling you of My care. My never-ending love story is recorded in the pages of Scripture.

     The Book of Holiness is My instruction manual on how to live. My inspired Word teaches you eternal truths, makes you sense what is wrong in your life, gets you back on track, and helps you avoid derailment.

     The Book of Books tells of My greatness and exalts My lordship. It records My creation of the universe out of nothing, My holding it all together with invisible hands, and My supervising galaxies—and you.

     The Book of Life reminds you of My encouraging grace—illuminating your lonely darkness with My Heartwarming Presence. Nothing can extinguish Holy Radiant Light.

     Every time you reopen Scripture, you rediscover the Book that makes all the difference in your life. No other book transforms your attitudes and actions like the Holy Bible. No other book so convicts you of sin and makes you want to respond with true remorse and repentance.

     The world’s greatest literature cannot compare to the treasures of My law. No poetry matches the Psalms. No novel is more charming than the saga of My love. No story is more captivating than Scripture.

     The world’s profoundest wisdom cannot hold a candle to the truth of My Word. The most thoughtful philosophies cannot touch the human heart like Christ’s parables. All the best books ever written, placed side by side, could not rival the divine library of Scripture.

     Do not leave My Word on a bookshelf to collect dust—that is no better than hiding a scroll in the Temple. An unread Bible is as useless as a lost one.       The best Bible study? Read it over, think it through, pray it in, and live it out.  An obedient life is the best translation your world will ever read.

© By Pastor Johnny R. Almond     

Day 176, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

When You #Reimagine...

People Of Focus TargetPoint by Vince D'Acchioli VINCE D'ACCHIOLI DEC 29     READ IN APP   NOTE: A hidden message from our Lord awaits you below When you observe the world through the lens of your soul you will often experience confusion and despair… when you view the world through the lens of your spirit, you will have discernment and hope. Jesus makes it very clear that we must be born again. He tells us that when we are, the Holy Spirit dwells within us and will ultimately bring us the proper perspective on life. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:13 As believers we are called and expected to see life through a lens unfamiliar to us before we received His Spirit. We see everything through the lens of our soul (our mind, emotions and will). It is only as we allow the Holy Spirit the rightful position in our life that we are able to see a whole new perspective… His. Consider the example of looking at something through a microscope. When you turn the dial to move the lens, you are changing the focal point of your view. As you do that everything in you see changes—things that were in focus begin to blur and something you have never seen emerges, often with great wonder. That is the way it is supposed to be in the life of the believer. We are to adjust our focal point from our soulish view to a spiritual one. But this begs the BIG question on the minds and hearts of most of us, how can I do that? I want to help us answer this important question but before I do let’s take a brief look at where we are. As we enter this new year it might be good to look back over the last several years and examine what we have experienced. For me, over the past 3-4 years, I do not believe I have ever encountered so much doubt and confusion. It seems like any semblance of normalcy, if there ever was, is gone. There is not enough room in this article to talk about all the distortion and lies that have been perpetrated upon us as a people. Many have lost all confidence in the media, government, politicians, big business, the medical industry and especially our educational systems. The general level of trust for all of these is at an all-time low, and for good reason. We have been in a matrix of smoke and mirrors that is controlled by forces that are not out for our best interest. I want to suggest that our frustration level here is directly related to how we are viewing what is happening. What is your focal point? For too many of us we are looking at all of this through our soul. When this happens, we are left with a view that simply reflects the condition of our soul. My friend the battle lines are drawn. The forces arrayed against us seem overwhelming, but they are nothing in the sight of our God. The question for you and me is this, do you want to be a casualty in the battles yet to come—or a mighty victorious warrior in God’s army? The answer is not complicated. It lies in our willingness to step up our game going into this new year. It means drawing ever nearer to Him (James 4:8) and being in His word every day (Romans 12:2). It also means praying specifically for His Holy Spirit to give you the proper spiritual view and an understanding of how He wants to use you in His unfolding plan. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 Some tips entering this new year: Pray your problems in life last as long as your new-year’s resolutions do—in other words, don’t make resolutions—make commitments. List all the changes you need to make to get closer to God and sense His Holy Spirit in you. Pick up a one-year Bible and determine to read every day, Prepare a place in your home that is your personal go-to every morning to start your day reading the word, praying, and worshipping Him. The below image has a message for you from Jesus Himself. To see it you need to focus in a very particular way. Whether you see it or not, the fact of the matter is, it is there. This is also true of God’s vision for your life. God is calling us to focus with our spiritual eyes to discover it. If you end up seeing His message, please let us know. You can also help others by sharing how you adjusted your focal point. Please leave your comments below.   If this TargetPoint has inspired you in some way, please forward it to your friends.

Happy Renewed Year!

Watch for:

• Thought-Leaders, Risk-Takers, Paradigm-Shifters
• Their One Life-Changing, Ministry-Transforming Question
• WHAT? - What is the question we need to be prayerfully asking?
• SO WHAT? - What makes this an urgent need for leaders to ponder/pursue/pray into?
• NOW WHAT? - What action do we need to initiate?

I would like to share some advance thoughts about prayer that may actually may encourage or help prayer to grow and develop through relationship with each other and God.

written by Lewis Turner, Wheatland Ministries December 2023

1. What I have when groups have a focus on prayer is that such emphasis or focus does not seem to be drawing on building on the foundation of prayer which may have been in the region for many years. We need to draw on the prayer experience of those who were involved in prayer in the past.

.         I.E. Many times, in the past we developed a prayer team, but never involved the prayer team with the leadership.  Many of those teams were set up independent of the                    leadership.  It would have been better to have the leadership involved with the leader of the prayer team and vise/versa.---Involvement with Leadership.

2. Encourage people involved in prayer to solicit what Christians in Frederick are involved in and to add that to what they pray for.—That is supportive prayer, which is involvement supporting others in their ministry activities.

3. Holiness- I have observed your focus in ministry is on Holiness and relationship with the Lord.   In my study of the Names of God, I am sensing that God is showing himself to us as a nurturing God, and that He wants us to be involved in nurturing encouragement. Many think of prayer as praying for something—I would like to present a challenge –Part of prayer should be on building others—involvement with them—not just teaching someone how to pray—but come into relationship with the Lord. This is an area that we should consider and should spill over into our prayers—that the Lord will help each other to learn to be encouraging to others and to be involved in the lives of others—looking for ways to build up others.

A New Challenge to #ReimagineSCRIPTURE...

A Prophetic Imagination

 

The Bible Is Not Enough: Imagination and Making Peace in the Modern World

SCOT MCKNIGHT

 

From my new book, The Bible Is Not Enough: Imagination and Making Peace in the Modern World (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2023).

What is so clear to me today is that the world leaders and anti-leaders have lost their imagination. War takes no imagination. Peace does.

 

Excerpt:

The prophets of the Bible cast powerful images of the future. Their eschatology is an imagination, and their images require an imagination to understand. The literalist interpreters burble on and on about international events and moments, fashioning each image of the prophets into a timeline of real events, in real history, in a real future. Literalism has no imagination. Not only do literalists fail to catch the vision the prophetic imagination offers, their fixation to fit the prophetic word to some modern event or person or nation has proven wrong every time. One could hope one of their own would stand up and announce they’ve been wrong all along and it’s time to abandon the literalistic reading of the Bible’s prophets. Such interpretations lack the imagination of the prophet, and so they blunt the power of a Spirit-prompted improvisation.

Prophets of the biblical tradition (Isaiah, Daniel, Jesus, John the seer) operate with a theopoetic and theopolitical scenario of what is about to happen, graphic in description, and then cast a foreground with images evoking an imagined future. And they do so as if the next event would be immediately followed by the end of history. The critics’ obsession with proving that the prophets got it wrong, because the end of history didn’t arrive, is hung up on the same literalism as the fundamentalists. Prophetic language is dramatic, fictive, rhetorically shaped imagination meant to provoke a response of repentance, justice, and peace. Imagination stimulating improvisation. Not predictions demanding closer readings of newspapers or websites.

Prophets stimulate a peaceful imagination. To enter their imaginations requires an aesthetic, if not an ecstatic, sensibility as their images turn words into vision as music turns words into sound. The prophet’s peaceful imagination is not a flight of fancy, it is not fantasy or marvel or even fiction as we might know it. The prophet is inspired by the prophetic Spirit to speak a word from God to the people, and so cast a vision for the transformation of society. Yet, a prophetic imagination expresses and appeals to the hope of the oppressed, the exiled, the marginalized. A peaceful imagination is a counterfactual of the present world. Imagination is required for what transcends the mundane, and few can doubt the need for transcendence when it comes to peace. Imagination is faith and, when a person steps in the direction of peace out of the mundane, faith becomes action. As such, the peaceful imagination is an act of resistance and becomes the natural language of dissidents. The words of the prophets are not so much prediction as imagination, but it is the kind of faith-inspired imagination that stimulates humans to live into that imagined, alternative world—or at least enter it. The prophet’s language is like the wardrobe into Narnia.

Among the Bible’s prophets peace is so broad one must contend that peace involves salvation and liberation, justice and material blessing, interpersonal harmony and health and economic justice . . . one could go on. Peace is an imagined reality that inspires a person to improvise, in her specific situation and location, a way of life that counters the way of violence and death. The reason we are stuck in the “humane” war and white Christian nationalism is in part because those who claim most to follow Jesus lack a peaceful imagination that can shake systemic structures of violence and war to the ground.

But for a Christian to form such an imagination, a renewed commitment must be made to Jesus’s kingdom, which in turn gives rise to an improvisation of peace.

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You should look forward to that day and hurry it along—

     the day when God will set the heavens on fire

     and the elements will melt away in the flames.

We are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth

     he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God.

     So, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen,

          make every effort to live a pure and blameless life.  And be at peace with God.

                                             2 Peter 3:12-14 NLT

Scoffing skeptics are destined for an awful hell.

     Captivated by sinful desires, they conveniently deny ultimate reality.

     Assuming everything will stay the same, they ignore inevitable change.

     Living only for the moment, they forget death and judgment.

All the cynics have to anticipate is hell.

     Joking at My Word, they will not have the last laugh.

Believers in My Son can look forward to heaven on earth.

     Finally they will inhabit a tearless, painless, sinless, deathless place.

     Forever they will celebrate My Presence.

In light of the apocalypse of burning fire, pray in humility.

The saved are destined for an awesome home.

     Responding to My window of opportunity, they receive My grace.

     Realizing the urgency of repentance, they turn from sin to Me. 

     Rejoicing in My reign in their heart, they confidently anticipate glory.

All the arrogant can look forward to is punishment.

     Strutting in pride, they will suffer in perdition.

The meek can look forward to paradise. 

     Reverent before Me, they find the holy land beneath their knees. 

     Honoring Me, in My good time I will honor them.

In view of the advent of a bright future, purify your heart.

The sanctified are destined for absolute holiness.

     Believing My vow of a new earth landscaped in holiness, they shape up.

     Conscientiously obeying My orders, they are sculpted into My image.

     Yielding to My Holy Spirit’s work, they reflect My glory more and more.

All the complacent can count on is embarrassing regret.

     Napping in apathy, they will blush when My appearing wakes them up.

The devoted can look forward to reigning with Me and sharing My glory.

     Making a conscious effort, they will receive My eternal reward.

     Giving Me their best, they will bask in the favor of My smile.

In response to the atonement of blessed forgiveness, prepare for heaven.

© By Pastor Johnny R. Almond                             

Gentle Whispers from Eternity