Till He Returns or Calls Us Home One By One

02/14/2026

Happy Valentine’s Day Baby 💘
You will forever be in my heart!!!

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN . . .
https://youtu.be/GzXkwxVG8e8?si=eqXQ3TKJ4SWZbSrc

11/08/2022

05/12/2017

This post is in honor/memory of a dear and precious friend, Cindy Farris.

This post is kind of long, so I will understand if you don't have the time to read & listen to all that is written. I had been praying so hard for my dear friend, Cindy Farris, to be healed so that she could return to us with a mighty powerful testimony revealing all that she had been through since beginning the battle she was in but God had other intentions. He gave her complete healing!!! See you have to be careful when you pray because the only way for anyone to have "COMPLETE" healing is for Him to take that person to their Eternal Home to be with Him. Cindy was a friend to many people. Cindy had the gift of making each and every person that she met feel as if they were her very best friend, like a part of her family. Whether in person or online... when you met Cindy Farris, you were a friend for life & I am so glad & grateful for the day she entered my life. I have been mostly quiet since I heard of her passing, making only a comment here and there but I now want to share some things that I have been thinking about this week. I love reading and I love poetry and I have found some poems that have spoken to me through the years and I now would love to share them with you. If you have heard them before, I pray that they will speak to you in a new way in regards to our precious Cindy. If you have never heard them before, I pray that they will speak to you and minister to you in regards to your grief that you are experiencing from our loss of our dear friend.

"COME TO ME"
God saw you were getting tired,
And a cure was not to be,
So he put his arms around you,
And whispered, "Come to Me."
With tearful eyes we watched
And saw you pass away.
Although we loved you dearly,
We could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us,
He only takes the best.
~~Author Unknown

We each will grieve for her in our own way. Each of us is different so each of our griefs will be shown in different ways also but, the next poem is telling us when we think of her, do it in the beauty of nature around us & in our memories we hold.

"REMEMBER ME"
Remember me when flowers bloom early in the spring
Remember me on sunny days in the fun that summer brings
Remember me in the fall as you walk through leaves of gold
And remember me in the wintertime in the stories that are told
But most of all remember each day, right from the start
I will be forever near for I live within your heart.

Cindy was the best friend anyone could ask for in their entire lifetime. She was a great mentor, spirit-lifter, etc... The next poem speaks of when someone who is all that she was to everyone, who is in the midst of their own battle, a hill that is hard to climb and THAT she did in her final days but she faced each day like the champ she is & that is with Jesus in her heart. Cindy was the best and God certainly took the best when He took her home to be with Him.

"GOD'S GARDEN"
God looked around His garden
And found an empty place,
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering
He knew you were in pain.
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.
So He closed your weary eyelids
And whispered, ‘Peace be thine’.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you didn’t go alone,
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.
~~Anonymous

The next 2 poems makes me feel like Cindy is talking directly to us & giving us words of wisdom to live by as we face the days ahead of us without her till we meet again in that beautiful Heaven... our Eternal Home!!!

"DO NOT STAND AT MY GRAVE AND WEEP"
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
~~Mary Elizabeth Frye
1905-2004

"I AM FREE"
Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free;
I'm following the path God laid for me.
I took His hand when I heard Him call;
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day,
to laugh, to love, to work, or play.
Tasks undone must stay that way.
I've found that peace at the close of the day.
If parting has left a void,
then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,
Ah, yes, these things I too will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow;
I wish for you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life's been full, I savored much;
Good friends, good times, a loved one's touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief;
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me --
God wanted me now, God set me free.
~~By Linda Jo Jackson, Ottawa, Canada

I close with a beautiful song called "Finally Home"... lyrics were written by L. E. Singer and the music by Don Wyrtzen.

https://youtu.be/9lt8QZpU344

Here's another awesome performance from "The Hour of Power" this song is called "Finally Home" & is sung by Natalie Grant. Song lyrics: I am here alone, in t...

01/24/2017

1 John 4 says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judg- ment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this command- ment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."

Many false prophets are in the world now so we should not believe every spirit but we should rather test the spirits to see if they are from God. This is how we can recognize God's Spirit...one spirit says, "I believe that Jesus is the Messiah who came to earth & became a man." That Spirit IS from God. Another spirit refuses to say this about Jesus. That spirit is NOT from God. This is the spirit of the enemy of Christ. We have heard that the enemy of Christ is coming...he has come & he is already in the world.

We, God's children, have already defeated the false prophets because the One who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world. Those who are not God's children belong to the world so what they say is from the world & the world listens to what they say. But we who are from God is known by others who are from God & they listen to us...but the people who are not from God will not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit that is true & the spirit that is false.

We should LOVE each other because LOVE comes from GOD!!! Everyone who loves has become God's child. And so everyone who loves knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is LOVE!!! God showed His love to us by sending His only Son into the world to give us life through Him. TRUE LOVE is GOD'S LOVE for us, NOT our love for God. He sent His Son as the way to take away our sins. That shows how much God loved us, so we also must love EACH OTHER. No One has EVER seen GOD, but, if we love each other, God lives in us & IF WE LOVE each OTHER, GOD'S LOVE has reached its goal...IT HAS BEEN MADE PERFECT IN US!!!

We know that we LIVE IN GOD & GOD LIVES IN US because HE gave us His SPIRIT!!! Our Heavenly Father sent His Son to be our Savior of the world, so we should be sharing this message with the world. Anyone who says, "I believe that Jesus IS the Son of God," is a person who lives in God, and God lives in that person. So, we the child of God, know the love that God has for us, & we should always trust that love!!!

Soooooooo, GOD is LOVE!!! All of us who lives in LOVE lives IN GOD & GOD lives IN all who lives in love!!! IF God's LOVE is made PERFECT in us, we can be w/o fear on the day when God judges the world. We will be w/o fear because we have lived in this world striving to be like Jesus. Where God's love shines, there is no fear. God's perfect loves takes away fear. It is His punishment that makes a person fear. So His loves is NOT made perfect in the one who has FEAR!!!

We love because God first loved us. If we SAY that we LOVE GOD but we HATE any of our brothers or sisters in His family, we are LIARS. If we don't love someone we have seen, how can we then love God? WE have NEVER seen Him. God gave us this command: If we love God, we must also love each other as brothers and sisters.

Matthew 22:36-40 says, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Jesus was asked which command in the law is the most important and He replied, "love the Lord your God with ALL of your heart, ALL of your soul, and ALL of your mind. This is the FIRST and MOST important command. And the second command is like the first: Love YOUR neighbor the same as you love your own self. All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands."

Matthew 5:43-44 says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

It is easy to love our family, our friends, our church family, acquaintances that we work with & ones we know in clubs, etc., but it is harder to love our enemies, or for us to love anyone who persecutes us but that is EXACTLY what we are told to do...we are told to LOVE OUR ENEMIES & to pray for those who treat us badly.

John 14:21 says, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."

Here we are told that we who really love Him are the ones who not only know His commands but that we also obey them. Jesus says that "My Father will love such people & He will love them too & He will make Himself known to anyone who knows & obeys His commands."

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

In this world that we are living in today, there is so much strife going on & there is so much hatred being spewed from people that you would never believe would speak to others in such manner because they profess to be Christians, children of our Heavenly Father. The unknown of the future is scary, but the future is always a little unsettling because precisely, it is the future & we none know what lies ahead for us but we know that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him. We must trust that everything that is happening today will work for the best because everything is going according to His plan!!!

Romans 12:9-10 says, "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;"

Scripture is telling us that our love must be real. We must hate what is evil & do only what is good. We must love each other in a way that makes us feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than we give ourself."

Can anyone on the left side OR right side of the governmental tribulation we have been experiencing for months now say that more honor is being given than we give to our own self? Our love must be real, it must be scriptural!!! We must hate what is evil & do only what is good but we have to do it with brotherly & sisterly love. We must strive to honor Christ by portraying Him in our actions & our speech. We need to stop & think about what we are about to do or say...is it something we would want done or said to us & if not, we need to change our action or our speech so that it is something we WOULD want done or said to us & most importantly, we need to make sure that our actions & speech reflects Christ. They who are IN the world may not react with brotherly or sisterly love but we who are NOT IN the world should NOT let THEIR actions dictate OUR own reactions!!!

When the world looks upon us, can they see Jesus or do they see the world?

I close this writing with... 2 Corinthians 13:11 because it says, "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; & the God of love & peace shall be with you." So, brothers and sisters, be filled with joy. Try to make everything right, and do what has been asked of us to do. We need to learn to live with each other, even if we simply decide that we have to agree to disagree but most importantly, WE MUST LIVE IN PEACE!!! When we choose to live in peace, then the God of love and peace will be with us.

Let's decide that each day that we wake up that "THIS is the day that the LORD has made; AND rejoice and be glad in it." Then get up & live each day so that others see JESUS in us!!!

11/24/2016

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY, EVERYONE

Thanksgiving In The USA
by Margaret Cagle

Near the end of November in the USA
Is our national Thanksgiving Day.
We close stores, schools, and banks
And give to God our special thanks.

It is a time for us to celebrate
From coast to coast and state to state.
We think of when the Pilgrims came
To these shores in freedom's name.

The first Thanksgiving was long ago.
This bit of history we all know.
A time for thanking their God above
Was set aside to show their love.

When blessings came, they had a feast.
They were not sorry in the least
For coming to this vast, barren land.
For freedom to worship, they did stand.

From that first Thanksgiving Day
Until the present one we can say,
"Thank you, God, for blessings great!
You are the reason we celebrate!"

Thanksgiving...HE, our God, is the reason that we celebrate today!!!
Psalm 26:7 reads, "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works." The psalmist is saying...I sing a song to give you thanks, and I tell about all the wonderful things you have done.

Psalm 50:14 reads, "Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:" The psalmist is saying... You made promises to God Most High, so give him what you promised. Bring your sacrifices and thank offerings.

Psalm 69:30 (KJV) reads, "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving." The psalmist is saying... I will praise God’s name in song. I will honor him by giving him thanks.

Psalm 95:2 reads, "Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms." The psalmist is saying... Come and worship him with songs of thanks. Let us sing happy songs of praise to him.

Psalm 107:22 reads, "And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing." The psalmist is saying... Offer sacrifices of thanks to him. Sing with joy about all that he has done.

Psalm 116:17 reads, "I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord." The psalmist is saying... I will give you a thank offering. I will call on the Lord’s name.

Psalm 147:7 reads, "Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:" The psalmist is saying... Give thanks to the Lord. Praise our God with harps.

2 Corinthians 4:15 reads, "For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God." The psalmist is saying... All these things are for you. And so the grace of God is being given to more and more people. This will bring more and more thanks to God for his glory.

Corinthians 9:11-12 reads, "Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;" The psalmist is saying... God will make you rich in every way so that you can always give freely. And your giving through us will make people give thanks to God. The service you are offering helps God’s people with their needs, but that is not all it does. It is also bringing more and more thanks to God.

Philippians 4:6 reads, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Here we are being told to not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything we need, always giving thanks for what He has done!

Colossians 2:7 reads, "Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." Here we are told that we must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from him. Just as we were taught the truth, we should continue to grow stronger in our understanding of it. And we should never stop giving thanks to God.

Colossians 4:2 reads, "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" Here we are told to never stop praying and we should be ready for anything by praying and being thankful.

1 Timothy 4:3-4 reads, "Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:" Here we're told that they say that it is wrong to marry and they say that there are some foods that people must not eat, but God made these foods, and those who believe and who understand the truth can eat them with thanks. Everything that God made is good & nothing he made should be refused if it is accepted with thanks to him.

2 Timothy 1:3 reads, "I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;" As this scripture says, I always remember all of you, (my friends and family both far & near, online & offline) in my prayers day and night. And in these prayers I thank God for everyone of you. Thanksgiving is a time to spend with our family & friends. It is a time for great food, lots of fun and beautiful fellowship with one another but we should also remember what this day was set aside for... to give thanks for all God has blessed us with in the past year. A thankful attitude should be an every day thing; it should REALLY be a 24/7/365 thing & to put it plainly, it should be with every breath we take!!! God is good to us ALL THE TIME & all the time, GOD IS GOOD!!! Spend time today doing what you had planned to do but as you look around the room, reflect on all you have & praise God with your Thanksgiving for all He has blessed you with!!!

These are just a few of the scriptures in the Bible regarding the word THANKSGIVING so if so many scriptures are written about THANKSGIVING shouldn't we be a very thankful nation? REMEMBER: Revelation 7:12 reads... "Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." Our past ancestors said AMEN and they praised the Lord for all things! They knew that praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength belong to our God forever & ever. AMEN!!! Let's not forsake to give our praise to Him also & praise Him for His glory He has bestowed upon us & for the wisdom & honor & power & strength that we have been blessed with every day & recognize Him from whom it all has flowed from forever & ever.

ENJOY YOUR DAY OF THANKSGIVING and REMEMBER...YOU ARE SPECIAL TO ME & I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

LDE

11/16/2016

PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES
This is an old proverb which simply means..."You should not criticize other people for having the same faults that you yourself have." For an example... Jill: Richard sure was drinking a lot at the office party. Jane: I noticed you had quite a few cocktails yourself. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Recently this old proverb came to mind when I heard of someone accusing someone else of something they had done in their past. It has made me stop & think a LOT since then. Here is where my pondering took me...

1 Timothy 1:15-16 says, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." What is this verse saying? It is saying, here is a true statement that should be accepted without question: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst of them. But I was given mercy so that in me Christ Jesus could show that he has patience without limit. Christ showed his patience with me, the worst of all sinners. He wanted me to be an example for those who would believe in him and have eternal life.

Through Christ's death on the cross, he paid our sin-debt in full. And we, who receive & believe in Him as our personal Lord & Savior WILL be F-O-R-G-I-V-E-N forgiven!!! When we have received this forgiveness, our lives are transformed from the old creature to a new creature. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." That means we are forgiven of ALL that we have done in our past. No One can hold anything we did against us ever again. We are new creatures living from our day of salvation striving to sin no more.

John 8:3-11 says, "And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

When reading this passage of scripture, we have to realize that the scribes & Pharisees were saying this to trick Jesus. They wanted to catch him saying something wrong so that they could have a charge against him. But I can just picture when Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger as the Jewish leaders continued to ask him their question & then I can see Him as he stood up and said, “anyone here who has never sinned should throw the first stone at her” & then I see Jesus stooping down again and writing on the ground. Can't you just see them as they begin to leave one by one. The older men left first, (I imagine because they had the most to recall in their lives) and then the others left & Jesus was left alone with the woman standing there in front of him. I can see Him compassionately looking up & saying to her, “Where did they all go? Did no one judge you guilty?” and she answering, “No one, sir.” And then, He simply saying, “I don’t judge you either. You can go now, but don’t sin again.”

We should never judge others for their sins unless we are without sin in our own lives. Luke 6:37 says, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." What is this passage telling us...Be Careful About Criticizing Others!!! Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you. Meditate on those words...we should not be judging others, we should not be condemning others, we should be forgiving others and giving to others because the way we judge others, God will judge us & the way we give to others is the way God will give to us.

Before the world began, the Word was there. John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." If we are having trouble letting go of the past, whether it be forgiving our-self or someone else, we need to meditate on the Word & He will guide, guard & direct our thoughts. But, we need to get very still & listen, & if we do, we will hear Him speaking to us!!! He has the answers to our EVERY questions but we must take the time to meditate on His Word & listen to His still small voice in our ear for Him to share it with us.

Seek His counsel & He is faithful to answer each & every question or problem we are facing because we can trust that He will not turn a deaf ear to us!!! 1 John 5:14-15 says, "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." We can come to God having no doubts whatsoever. This means that when we ask God for things we must be assured that those things agree with what God wants for us. God cares about our petitions that we come before Him with BUT, what we ask of Him MUST agree with what He wants for us!!! He listens to us every time we talk to Him.

Having problems forgiving yourself or someone else, seek the Heavenly Father & have a LONG talk with Him & be assured that if you have repented of your sin, you are forgiven of your sin & do as Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, GO & SIN NO MORE because he no longer judges you of that sin so you can be free to live a life where you strive to not sin again!!!

Till He returns or calls us home one by one, may we ALL strive to live a life where we don't cast the first stone @ ANYONE.

Remember, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!!! OR, anyone here who has never sinned, you may throw the first stone but I would advise you to recall that there is no one perfect but one who has EVER walked this earth & they crucified Him!!!

10/17/2016

HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN. . .

I love that old song that simply says, "How long has it been since you called on the Lord and told Him your heart's hidden secrets". We tend to put a false smile on our faces and lie to the world but we can NOT hide anything from our Lord and Savior. We really have no hidden secrets. He just needs us to come before Him in His throne room and tell Him, confess to Him what our hidden secrets are and then the healing can begin, the restoration can start and He can make things right for us. We must confess to Him and then surrender it to Him and allow Him to work them to our good in His time! ! !

Jim - How long has it been Lyrics. This is an upcoming song.