Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.[all their wisdom was dried up]
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Life can be crunchy.
Very oddly crunchy.
When you get to almost middle age, Life. Can. Hand. You. Crunchy. Hair.
Hare today gone tomorrow.
It's an odd thing what two millenniums can do to polite. Winston Churchill knew something of right and wrong.
I like a man who grins when he fights.
If Hitler invaded hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.
I am certainly not one of those who need to be prodded. In fact, if anything, I am the prod.
Winston Churchill
And as I am in recovery for crunchy hair - I'd have to say I have lived down some disapproval.
And some "religious" intolerance for loving Jesus.
{Don't we all vastly prefer the reward of being a child of God over 'religious'?]
Imagine being thrown out of a Facebook Group in Texas. Imagine this is done quietly. Sorta. Don't imagine. Be informed. Be shocked. Ask questions.
“You can't pick and choose which types of freedom you want to defend. You must defend all of it or be against all of it.”
― Scott Howard Phillips
Crunchy Moms
Feel free to ask questions and join discussions with other moms here. Just remember there may be some 'hot' topics and to respect others. Fully live intentionally in a holistic, life honoring manner. The definition is left broad, because many topics are worth exploring. Among these topics would be: local food systems, clean food choices, natural and minimally invasive (true "health") care, life-honoring child care, natural child birth options, chemical-free home living, pure water, fitness... etc...
Lauren goes to my Church. This week, Lauren and her entire family plus another Church child - were in a weather related traffic accident. The car was rolled over and totaled. She posted a picture of the totaled car and a brief thanks to God for His mercy in sparing their lives on her membership status as a Crunchy FB Mom.
Birds without trees can never feel free.”
― Leena Ahmad Almashat, Harmony Letters
Freedom of Information. "A Family Thing"
Aunt T.: If he looks white it's 'cause his daddy's white. I don't know how he look, I can't see him like you can, and don't need to. I don't have the blessing of being able to separate people by lookin' at 'em any more.
The moderator of the site - asked Lauren if she understood the pain she had just inflicted for praising God for their lives. She went on to say did Lauren believe she was more special and blessed for having survived. Did Lauren think that God loves her and her family more than children who suffer and die in other areas of the world??? Why do Christians Impose Their Belief On Others?
Lauren was allowed to face the ridicule for one day. And quietly removed from the membership.
Ma'am. Living life abundantly is being open minded. Have you experienced child death? I have, let's talk.
Lauren was being grateful for what she has - Today. Surely you can open your heart some and rejoice with her. She is expressing joy. I've held my own child in my arms - she was smiling peacefully in departure. Let us be open hands and reason together.
Do you still feel that you are open enough? Gandhi said he found reason to love Jesus, just not the Christians.
Ghandi is regarded as peaceful. So...
let's see why Gandhi might find a way for this to be reasoned out.
Luke 9:50
Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”
You and Lauren support a lot of the same things in life. You were not being threatened.
Gandhi liked Jesus for this one trick - specifically given during the Exodus - and repeated in Scripture - when life throws blessings and throws opportunities for a prayerful solution -
Proverbs 4:27
Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Being centered is Plan.
Isaiah 42:3
A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
Timing. Having said you know car accidents rather well, did you remember that after coming close to losing family - you have a time period of shock and worry.
Life honoring?
Isaiah 35:3,4
Strengthen you the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Perhaps you have both experienced this trauma but at opposite ends of the same spectrum. The spectrum ends up in the Lord's hands, eventually.
Who is Jesus to Lauren?
God is a Mom.
Genesis records Adam was both male and female. God is open minded to open hands and hearts. Jesus only lived to be 33 years old, having walked our lives with vim and vigor. Proclaiming mercy over sacrifice. Daily.
Matthew 23:37 -
How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings
Matthew 9:36 -
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd.
What would Jesus do with this tussle, without complete circle communication, between His child Lauren and you, His child?
Isaiah 40
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40 is about your comment that life is not crunchy but sometimes exceedingly fragile. God assures us in this passage about recovery, healing, passing,
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
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.
Because:
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power
...not one is missing.
For your pain, dear moderator, we grieve with you. For your intolerance we cry - open your hands and your ears. For your judgment - we ask peace.
For your life experience, open your sails.
For greater peace, open your heart. God is not against you. God is For You. God is Love.
Loves has been born of God and knows God.
Judge not, that you be not judged.
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
”It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.” -Albus Dumbledore, Philosopher’s Stone. In case you didn't notice, magical Harry Potter died that goodness might live. It's all His Story, just tweeked a little.
I bet, dear moderator, you might just reconsider. All you need is a tall ship and a Star to sail her by. Gandhi would probably agree.
We just call our star an unspoken testimony and wisdom proclaiming Jesus Christ-
was born -
for all the world.
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