What is Your Passion?

Hosea 7:6b, “Their passion smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire” NIV.

Recently, in my travels, I noticed a large transfer truck with peppers of all kinds painted all over it – bell peppers, hot peppers, and red peppers, yellow and orange peppers. The words “Passion for Peppers” was also painted on both sides of the truck. You sure couldn’t miss the message it conveyed.

I began to wonder what it would be like to have our passions printed all over our vehicles or on our person as we traveled through life. What is your passion in life? Has it changed over the years? Probably so, I know mine has.

What does passion mean anyway? Funk and Wagnall’s Dictionary defines it as: “Intense or overpowering emotion; an eager outreaching of mind toward some special object; fervid devotion”. So what is on your mind most of the time or to what do you devote most of your time? Maybe that is what you are most passionate about.

Your passion can come out of your own sense of shame or pain. You might be fervently devoted to anti-abortion issues, or mental illness, or autism, or drug addiction, or a hundred other things by which you have had personal experience. You don’t often have a passion for something unless it has affected you in some way. I know I wouldn’t have a heart for the families of prodigal’s/prisoners unless I had walked through it myself. I wouldn’t have empathy for those afflicted by mental illness had I not experienced it in our family.

Our passion may come out in words or actions, but it usually does come out. If we give ourselves to our work people may see that as our passion. If we think and participate in sports all the time, that may become our passion. If we give of ourselves to a particular cause that likely comes from a passion. Something doesn’t usually become our passion unless we have experienced it or been touched by it.

Examine your heart and pinpoint your passion. How are you living it out on a daily basis? How are you using that passion for God’s plan and purpose to touch and influence others you come in contact with throughout your day?

Ask God to turn the smoldering flame of your passion into a flaming fire as you go out into the world with the intent of bringing God glory through your passion. Allow the passion that God has given you to minister to those you come in contact with. We are to comfort others as He has us!

I think of Paul before his Damascus Road experience. His passion was to kill Christians. He had studied under the best teacher in the world…Gamaliel. He had the head knowledge but it wasn’t until he encountered Jesus on the road that he truly became passionate about the things of the Lord. He became fervently devoted to preaching and teaching about His Lord because of his own personal experience.

I was satisfied for so long with my salvation experience and the knowledge I had obtained over the years about God, but it wasn’t until I experienced God that my longing to know Him in a deeper and more intimate way caused me to be passionate about that relationship with Him. Once I began to hear His voice from the scriptures and my time with Him, it became such a passion that I was no longer satisfied with the ten minute time I had been having, I found myself thirsty for more of Him. It became a joy to know Him more fully and learn to trust His love and acceptance of me no matter what I did or did not do. He loves me regardless and I can trust His love. If I fail in some way He doesn’t love me less. That has changed my whole perspective of what love is. He totally completes me!

My life verses became like Paul’s as taken from Philippians 3:10-14: Verse 10 states: “For my determined purpose is that I may know Him—that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, [perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person] more strongly and more clearly” Amplified. I encourage you to read the other verses and make it your passion to know Him more fully.

Prayer: Abba Father, I pray you will turn our passions into Yours. May we become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You. We worship today on our faces at Your feet. Give us boldness to share with others the difference You have made in our lives, just like a blazing fire. We love and adore You Lord, Amen.

Who is in the Wind?

This question brings to mind John 3:8:

The wind blows wherever it pleases.

You hear its sound, but cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.

So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

The word spirit in both Hebrew and Greek means “breath” or “wind.” Both a breath of air and a breeze are appropriate images for the Holy Spirit.

Consider several properties of the wind.

1. Wind is moving air, and this fresh air is needed continually for life itself. Even seeds often require wind for their dispersal and subsequent growth. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is the presence of God, the source for all life.
2. Maple trees depend on the wind to blow their seeds to new places where they can grow new trees. Hot air balloons go wherever the wind takes them.

Wind has no material shape or form. It is invisible; we cannot see the source or the destination of wind. It is a mysterious, unseen force. Nevertheless, its presence is known by its effects.

Likewise, the unseen Holy Spirit can be experienced in a refreshing way. His presence is displayed in the work he does in human lives by transforming, sanctifying, encouraging, and teaching.

3. Wind is a powerful force. It cannot be stopped or controlled by people. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is not subject to human control. The moving of the Holy Spirit is God at work.
4. There is great variety in the wind. It may be a soft whisper gently rustling the leaves on the trees, or it may be a hurricane uprooting trees.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit may gently bring a person to Christ, such as a little child raised in a Christian home, or he may work in some climactic, dramatic way to bring conviction and conversion to the hardened sinner.

In Acts 16, contrast Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened (verse 14), and the jailer, who needed an earthquake to jar him to his spiritual sense (verse 30). In both cases, the Holy Spirit did the regenerating work.

Do Not Fear

"Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand".
Isaiah 41:10

We must always remember that God is with us in our circumstances. He is our Commander in Chief; always fighting our battles for us. Find your rest in Him today. We do not live in our circumstances, we live in Christ. Set your eyes on Christ Who stands above our circumstances. You may just see things in a whole new light. It is an act of the will. We must choose to set our gaze on Him. He is the Victor already; Satan has already been defeated in our circumstances. Hold your heads up high my friends. We are in a battle but we are NOT alone. We take our instructions and directions from our Commander; not from our enemy who wants us to live defeated. Persevere in your faith. We are in the Father's bootcamp and we will be strengthened as we keep our eyes on Him.

Day at the Beach

Jimmy and I were privileged to get away for a few days to the beach. I say privileged because I always consider it just that. To be able to walk the beach taking in the majesty of God's creation as you watch and hear the sound of the waves coming in and out is a privilege. We don't get there near as often as we like but I try to take it all in when we do. We did a lot of walking this trip.
We would get our equipment and march down to sit on the beach for hours at a time. Course I had not only my chair but a bag full of books, my journal, camera, Bible, ipod for music cause you just never know what you might need when God speaks through your time with Him. I don't wanna miss a thing.
Mind you, there was an ominous forecast for the whole week which included lots of clouds and rain. My little friend Debbie must have been praying for our favor cause even though the clouds rolled in and out we never got caught in a down pour. We would walk for quite a distance and always make it back before the rain started.
The last day we were sitting on the beach and contemplating whether to go in when we heard a loud clap of thunder in the distance. I jumped up and started preparing our things for departure. God doesn't have to speak more than once with that message! We left many on the beach and I wondered how they faired when the rain, thundering and lightening began moments later. God gives us warning many times and we have a choice, move or get wet!
We had a great evening together as we watched a movie and cooked shrimp and clams while all snug in our little condo. It was a great time together. I felt so rested by the end of our time there, but interestingly enough ready to return home. No place like home!
I have been able to get a lot done but have lots more things on my to do list for this week. Next weekend I will spend time in the mountains and it will be a different time with the Lord. We have seven mother's coming and it will be my pleasure to make their time a time of rest! Many of them don't get away often so I want to be their willing servant. The Lord has much in store for us. Please pray for all to receive a special Word, just for them during this time. I thank God that He gave me a time of rest in preparation for this time together.
Keep praying for God's favor, Mrs. Hampton, it works!

The Dead Goose

I meant to get back a couple of days after writing about the injured goose and tell you how Jimmy and I came home not long after to a dead goose right in front of our house. The speed limit is 25 in our little subdivision but people do way more than that. Years ago I watched as a young fellow deliberately ran down some geese crossing in front of him. He and his passengers thought it was funny. If I could have gotten hold of him I would have wrung his neck.
We believe that someone deliberately hit this goose and killed him. No one going the speed limit would have hit him with enough force to kill him; these geese are tough birds. The first thought was that the dead goose was the one who was coming around with the injury. We thought he just wasn't able to get out of the way, but then the next day the injured goose appeared in our yard.
The culprits didn't even have enough decency to move the dead goose from the road so Jimmy got his shovel and moved him into the ditch. Too sad! That could have just as well have been a child. I know the geese can be aggravating, but that is no reason to kill them. I think they mate for life. I know they walk over each spring with their new offspring and you better not get close or that long neck sticks way out with the intend of biting you! Our little dog found that out right quick one day. She doesn't get within neck's reach now you can bet your bottom dollar.
The injured goose is now much better but he continues to come over for special treats in our side yard and drinks from the bird bath. He is no longer afraid that we are coming to shoo him off. I am a sucker for the under.....goose! The other geese still don't have much to do with him so guess he thinks we are his family now. It is all interesting.
I have much respect for God's creation which includes the animal world. I try not to kill anything intentionally unless it might be a mosquito, a snake, a spider, a fly, or a roach. And not even those if they are not in my house. I thought a lot of ugly thoughts about the one who killed the goose. I have to forgive though, right? Oh okay, I will.

The Injured Goose

We have a lake across the street from us and that means lots of messy geese trump through our yard daily. They make a mess on our driveway and eat up our beautiful green grass. Needless to say we consider them more of a nuisance than anything. But as an animal lover I never want any harm to come to them.
We often see people come speeding down our street and you can tell they are less than patient as the geese waddle across the street in front of them at their own pace. I have even seen cars TRY to hit them. Now that makes me mad! In the spring they have their little ones following right behind. The parents are very protective, as our little dog found out one day. They don't have those long necks for nothing. She doesn't get quite to close now.
Recently we have noticed that we have an injured goose hanging around our yard. I have a bird feeder right outside our kitchen window so that I can observe the different birds comings and goings. The geese often come over to scavenge for seed. The other day I noticed that a goose was hobbling around with what appeared to be an injured leg. I watched him on and off all day and he was always by himself. I called my husband to the window and we decided that he needed some food, so we took some seed out to him and put fresh water in the birdbath. He was hesitant as we came into his space but when he discovered we had food and were not trying to harm him he settled down and ate up. Smart bird, huh?
I got to thinking about what spiritual significance there was to this story. You see his buddies had left him on his own. That is what animals do. When another one is injured they leave them so that they don't get slowed down. I thought how sad! All the other geese were walking around together and there he was injured, left to himself unable to even fly. He kept sitting down, like it was just too hard to keep walking.
Oftentimes that is what we do. A fellow Christian falls down and we leave him to fend for himself. They might need us to walk alongside them for a while with encouragement until they are back on the right path. Instead we go on off with others without a thought to the needs our injured brother or sister has. Is this true of you or do you help to carry your brothers burden? Sometimes it is easier to go about our business believing we won't ever be down ourselves. My heart usually goes out to the underdog or in this case, the undergoose! Think of someone who is down and needs a special touch of love by you. Would you be willing to reach out to that downtrodden person as the Lord leads you? Take a moment to make a call, send a card, or take a meal.
Often our inmates feel deserted. They are left without any support many times from their family or friends. What is the old saying, "Out of sight, out of mind". We tend to forget them as we go about our busy schedules. A letter or a package or a book that would minister to them is often the very thing that will give them hope that someone cares about them. Consider ministering to someone today as God directs you.

Can you believe it?

After the marvelous wedding on Sunday of my son and his fiancee ( whom I can now legally refer to as my daughter-in-law) I headed off to the beach with four grandchildren. Mind you I made sure the video player was in the car and we stopped and picked out movies that would keep them all occupied for the 5 hour trip. We had two in car seats with one in the middle and then one in the front with me, all taking turns, of course!
We got down to my friend, Jean's house and unloaded the car and headed straight to the beach. Our 3 year old couldn't talk about anything but sand castles. Believe me he had sand from stem to stern. But they all had a blast, from driving the golf cart to going up and down the elevator a million times, to playing on the WII, and closing out the night in the pool at 10:00 then home to baths. Whew, Maw Maw was pooped but oh such memories. Worth it all.
We were invited to stay another night and since the kids overheard that there would have been world war three if we hadn't. You know, all the cries, and moans and why not's. Well I had no good reason for why not, so we stayed and went to the Family Kingdom and they rode to their heart's content.
The morning we were packing to leave I got a call from our son, saying, "Bring the kids by and we will spend some time with them and take them home." Was that music to my tired ears! See Mom and Dad had gone to the beach for their honeymoon too and decided a little family time would finish their time off just right.
So I had one lone grandson in tow on the ride home. He watched movies and maybe enjoyed the quiet and one on one time too. It was good for all. And guess what! I wasn't really as tired as I had thought I would be. God's strength enabled me to keep going, and going, and going.
Thanks Jean for a whale of a time! You are a most gracious hostess. So patient and kind. We love you!