We are breaking the news as
gently as possible to Blaze and the cats – they will have a guest for a while;
AND making sure that Teresa’s dog, Wanda, is going to be okay here, for a few
weeks while she is gone.
We are keeping him for a few
hours each day so all can become accustomed.
We will keep Blaze in his area
and block Wanda from coming into it – at least until they get used to each other
– and possibly for the whole time.
Right now they are trying to
determine who is boss anytime they get near each other. Blaze has the Miniature Schnauzer mind-set,
he thinks he is a great dane. Wanda has
a lot of Pit-bull in her and is like a bull.
She has a very sweet nature, but
she is so strong that things move when she bumps into them. Consequently, she just goes where she wants
until she can’t anymore and minor obstacles don’t stop her.
The cats will work around her,
not happily, but they have learned how when other animals are here.
Psalm 19:1-2 The heavens declare
the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth
speech, and night unto night sheweth
knowledge.
Have you ever seen a natural
site that just makes you say WOW! That
you are overcome with joy welling up inside and you want to shout in praise of
God?
We can do that you know. God’s handiwork is all about us, there are so
many things that we can look at and see His hand.
The sunsets or sunrises, the
mountains, the forests, the beauty of a flower or the complexity of a mountain
stream as we watch it cascade over the rocks and sing its song.
Listening to the birds as they
sing in the morning while it is still cool; hearing them sing out in
thanksgiving and just joy of being is a rewarding sound.
Watching a mother as she holds
her child and looks down in wonderment, gives a special tingling in our
hearts. A child, as he explores his
world and is unabashedly pleased with what he finds, gives us pleasure. While we don’t want to interfere with them, we
can hold our praise for a bit and then give into it at a more proper time as we
thank God for these moments.
I came from a very staid and
quiet church where we never raised our voices in praise - to a Pentecostal
church that wasn’t afraid to lift up their voices and praised God.
It was scary at first, but it
was also rewarding as I saw these people in unabashed joy worshipping God.
There are those who do it for
show and not truly as a worship to God, they want to be seen by others and show
them how pious they are – but most have their hearts set only on Him and the
true worship of God is a thing to embrace and behold.
It is exciting as the Holy
Spirit moves among the people and you can feel Him in the depths of your heart
and soul.
There is a time for quiet
reflection, for placing ourselves away from all distractions and just ‘be’ with
God. The peacefulness of that first
denomination comforted me as I came into the sanctuary, but it was a soothing
moment from God, not a rejoicing of who He is and what He has done.
I never knew the pure joy of
praising Him and lifting my voice in that praise. It just wasn’t done.
There is a time of quiet time
with God, as an individual or in the presence of fellow Christians. We must never lose sight of the value of
peaceful deliberations with God.
But there is also a time of
praise and thanksgiving, there is a cleansing of the soul as we worship and
praise God aloud.
We are meant to praise God. We can do it in a manner no other being can –
including the angels – we have been REDEEMED through the blood of Jesus
Christ! That is exciting!
If a person doesn’t feel he can
enter into boisterous praise that is fine, but I think he misses out on
something.
I am not condemning quiet
worship, I am just saying that we CAN worship louder than a murmur. We can clap our hands in joy – there are
dozens of verses that encourage that style of worship.
It is amazing that it is okay to
clap and shout at sports games, to clap at musical events – giving standing
ovations and even shouting at some of them.
Attend a political rally and you
hear people cheering and clapping for their candidate, getting emotionally
involved during the event.
But for some reason, for many
people, praising God, singing His praises, worshipping Him and allowing tears to
come down our cheeks is not to be
done – it is embarrassing for them to do and even watch others openly
praising Him.
Who better than God to
praise? Why are we so timid when it
comes to things of the Lord, but are unafraid to speak out, shout and holler
over other things?
Psalm
32:11 Be glad in the Lord, and
rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in
heart.
Psalm
47:1 O clap your hands, all ye people; shout
unto God with the voice of triumph.
Just two of the many verses that
encourage a robust, enthusiastic praise to God.
Be who you are, you are unique
and your walk with God is your own, but if you have never tried to praise God
aloud, I encourage you to do so; try it, let your emotions free and just praise
and worship Him unabashedly.
The release of pent up emotions
toward God can do wonders for our relationship with Him.
If you want to start where no
one can see or hear you, fine, but try it, you will, and even more so your soul
and heart will, be glad you did; it is an uplifting experience.
Later, Dad :-)
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