Finding Philemon: The Foundation

Greetings, 

One of the Questions I've been asked about Finding Philemon is "How did you even come up with this story?" Let me tell you, that is two long stories in itself to write in a blog post like this, but I did want to hit the highlights for those who are interested in my process. There were several contributing factors in how this all came to be, but it all started back in 2015. 

Book Review: Work and Rest God's Way by Scott LaPierre

Greetings, 

Rating: ★★★★★

Description:

Do you want to find joy and purpose in all you do?

“Work and Rest God’s Way is a welcome contribution as Christians rediscover the doctrine of vocation in all of its practicality and spiritual richness.”

Dr. Gene Edward Veith—Provost at Patrick Henry College, director of the Cranach Institute, and author of God at Work

We spend an average of 90,000 hours, or about ten years, working. Hopefully, we find such a large investment of time and energy enjoyable and fulfilling, but for many people, work is the worst part of their day and of their life. In Work and Rest God’s Way, you will:

• Find the blessings God has for you in your labor
• Learn how to put off laziness and put on diligence (both physically and spiritually)
• Discover the quiet, restful life that’s pleasing in God’s sight
• Determine the balance between work and rest for your busy life
• Read together as a family to help your children value work and responsibility

Whether you’re a man or woman, young or old, this book will help you enjoy both work and rest as God intended. Families will also benefit from reading together. As a father of eight, Pastor Scott knows how hard it is to motivate children to work. He shares what has been successful for him and his wife, Katie

My Review:

Scott has always been a fantastic writer. I am always intrigued by the biblical connections he weaves throughout the pages of his books.

The lessons I am reminded of are always good ones that I need to be reminded of. This book continues that tradition and I am proud to say I learned a few good lessons from reading the pages of this book.

Sometimes we forget the importance of balance in our lives. Scott's newest book helped me remember that. I plan to add more details to this later but, I was certainly impressed yet again.

Thanks, Scott for always following God's direction in what you bring to us, as your readers.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Purpose of Pain- An Emotional Reality

Greetings,

I started this little series a while back, the first post is entitled, Thoughts on the purpose of pain. I've been thinking about it a lot more lately and thought I'd share a bit more.

A Journey with ACTS 2:29

“Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.” - Acts 2:29-31 NLT

It is simply amazing that David was able to foretell some of the things that he foretold while he was living on this earth. It is a good reminder that God can use and speak through anyone at any time in history. That in itself, is more wonderful that we can ever imagine.

Because David was faithful until the end, and even in the moments of his sinful life, God blessed him with knowledge beyond his years, literally. It’s encouraging to know that God does this even today with many who are faithful to him.

The blessings that were given to David are the same blessings that God offers many of us today.  What it comes down to is simply that God promised he’d be faithful to David’s descendants, honoring them with the many blessings of heavenly provisions.

David knew that God would take care of what he believed was most important, his legacy. God would take care of his descendants until the end of time and this passage can remind us that as long as we are faithful, he will take care of the important things to us as well.

Let us not be afraid to reach out to our Lord God and ask him to show us the life that we were meant to have, a life woven together by the blessings He provides. Remember that just as God never turn away from David in his time of need, that he will never turn on you either.

Blessings in Christ and Thanks again for visiting us at "The Gathering Room."

"Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." 45.3.20 M.J. Elliott

A Journey with ACTS 2:25-28

“‘King David said this about him: I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.” - Acts 2:25-28 NLT

There are so many people in this world that are shaken by the struggles that they face each day and often we forget that we aren’t really ever facing these struggles on our own. King David was a very spiritual person.

Even in the midst of all of the horrendous things he did he found himself on his knees seeking God's guidance and placing is heart in the saviors arms. He knew that it was only through God that anyone would find hope. We need to remember this in our struggles today.

When we focus our energy on giving our praises to God in the midst of our struggles, they often seem to resolve themselves. It may not be in the way that we want it to take place but the do tend to work themselves out.

We can find joy in knowing that God will never leave or forsake us and we can embrace a heart that is glad, not broken.  Let us take a few moments this week to ponder the majesty and the glory that resides within His presence.

Embrace Joy, Echo Praise and Embody God’s Peaceful Rest in your lives today, don’t be afraid to honor him in the midst of every situation that comes your way today.

Thoughts On The Purpose of Pain

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if there were no pain? How different would life actually be? Would we really be all that different?

I have often thought of this, and even more as of late with some news I heard recently. Sometimes I've wondered why pain even exists, what its true purpose is. To be honest, it hasn't always made any real since to me. Life is full of so many different hurts and all types of suffering and I just don't really understand why sometimes. If it were up to me I don't really know if I even would have brought the concept of pain and suffering into this world.

It's really hard sometimes for me to see what goes on in the world and then to think any other way. However, I've always known that pain is a part of what God can, and does, use to make miracles happen, but there is just so much of it.

Our world is broken and while I have never really thought that the purpose of pain was about Judgement or His wrath, it can be difficult to see it in any other light. I realize that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, but would He really take the concept of pain and use it to pass judgement on His beloved children.

If you think about the way a parent disciplines a child, we often do bring some type of pain to our children, whether we ground them from TV, put them in time out, or when we start embracing more of a tough love approach. Each of these causes some type of pain.

One of the things that I learned a long time ago was that there is more than just one type of pain. There is Emotional Pain, there is Physical Pain, there are even Mental attributes to pain, but most importantly there is Spiritual Pain. All of these types of pain have a purpose I'm sure, but why?

I've come to believe that maybe the purpose of pain changes with circumstance, situation and experience. So, there is not really one purpose but many. You could say that pain is the result of sin, which some would argue, or you could say that pain is only in this world so that the light of God can use it to break through the darkness that has taken hold of each of us in some way or another.

None of us are perfect are we? We all have something we struggle with and to me, that's where the darkness has the higher ground. You could even say that we experience pain so we can learn from it, I'm not sure how that would work but, there it is.

Maybe there is an answer that I just haven't been able to comprehend yet or maybe there really is no purpose behind it. I think that it's worth some research though. So, I guess I'm going to commit to doing some research about it and go from there. For now, Let's just leave it open and see where God leads.

Blessings in Christ and Thanks again for visiting us at "The Gathering Room."

"Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." 45.3.20

M.J. Elliott

A Journey with ACTS 2:22-24

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene[d] by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. - Acts 2:22-24 NLT

The idea the God has publicly endorsed any one is a special one to think about in times like the ones we share in today’s world. There is so much hurt and brokenness thought, that sometimes we just can’t see where God is doing this.

The miracles that we see today are so much different than they were back then and yet we do not see them, or even care to look for them. In many ways we have tied God’s hands behind his back, so to speak, by not taking more time to look for those places that he has done great and mighty things for us today.

We can find our way back from this untimely ‘death of a miracle’.  As we go about our day we can take the time to look for God in the things around us. We can find those places that God is publicly working through in this day and age, just as the believers did back then.

Life, as I’ve always said, is full of God's wonders and it is up to us to identify where they are at and whom He is working through. The People of Israel saw what God was doing and in many ways, denied some of the possibilities that could have come out of Jesus’ Ministry.

Instead of focusing on ourselves today, let's take a few moments to focus on what's going on around us. When we do this, wholeheartedly, God still protects us from the dangers around us, but He will also bless us in immeasurable ways when we realize just whats He’s doing in the midst of the world around us.

Blessings in Christ and Thanks again for visiting us at "The Gathering Room."

"Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." 45.3.20 M.J. Elliott

Welcoming Hannah Joy

Hello Everyone, 

I know it's been quite a while since my last blogpost and I've got some I will be posting this week before I head back to work. For today, I wanted to share my account of we welcomed a beautiful little girl, Hannah Joy Elliott, into our family this past week and it was a miracle to say the least.

As many of you know we usually plan to have home births, both Leyla and Caleb were born in the comfort of our home and we had planned to do the same with Hannah. However, there were some unforeseen complications with her delivery. These complications we completely unexpected, both the good and the bad.

My wife, Traci, went into Labor at home around 10:30pm on September 21st and was doing quite well. We were only 6 hours in and we thought that Hannah was going to be here with in the next hour, but for what ever reason she could not get any further. No matter how hard Traci tried over the next several hours nothing changed.  She was bleeding pretty badly and it seemed to be getting worse. WORRY!!

So, in the blink of an instant we were talking about having to go to the Hospital. As we arrived at the hospital, it was about 10:30am on September 22nd.  The Doctor on duty met with us and checked everything out and said that she wanted to wait for a while before making any major decisions. While we waited nothing changed, what ever was keeping baby Hannah from coming into this world was not letting up. FEAR!!

While we waited, we heard of the arrival of other babies in the maternity ward and discouragement sank in. My mind began to wonder both about the baby and about Traci. Her lips had turned pale blue and her skin as pale as could be. The blood loss continued to control the entire birth. It was not a very easy feeling.  I could do nothing but pray and ask others to do the same. DISCOURAGED!!

Finally, the Doctors were able to get the bleeding to stop but Hannah still had not come down enough.  We sent out mass amounts of texts to those we could get a hold of and asked them to pray. Others called us saying things that were beyond comprehension as they prayed for us. It was as if the Lord God had moved in the hearts of Men and Women all over and that a war was waging, Satan would not take the life of our little Hannah or my beloved wife Traci. PRAYER!!

The prayers of the people spoke louder than all the discouragement around us and we were not about to give up. Some of those that prayed, shared of the promises that God had given them about our daughter and little by little the light began to gain the ground discouragement and worry has taken. Little glimmers of hope surrounded us all and unknowingly, God continued to work HOPE!! 

Our hearts slowly began to sparkle with peace and even in the midst of despair we knew we'd see our little Hannah that day. ENCOURAGED!!

Finally the Doctors had chosen, "We are going to prep you for a C-Section." Preparations began and while our hearts desire was that God would work a miracle WE WERE AT PEACE!! As they came in to take us into surgery, the doctor said to the nurse, "lets check her out one more time." Immediately Every thing changed...  PEACE!!

Close to 8pm on the 22nd the nurse stopped everything that she was doing. "Your going to give birth in the next hour or so." WHAT?? WE THOUGHT?? Well, not any more. At first we doubted but then the doctor confirmed and after just one push, our little Hannah was coming out all on her own. With in the hour, Traci held our beautiful daughter in her pale skinned arms and kissed her with her pale blue lips. REST!! 

IT WAS A MIRACLE!!!

We found out later that the situation was more dangerous that we thought, Traci had a partial placental abruption. This was what they assume had stopped Labor, if it had gotten worse things would have been a lot different. It could have been very serious and it was for a while, but God spoke life into both Traci and little Hannah through the prayers of the people and the knowledge of his peace within our hearts. JOY!!

God's hand was upon us and everyone involved, Satan's hold was vanquished and life truly prevailed. I will always remember that day and that God watches over us and that His glory will always win. LIFE!!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, I hope and pray it will bring encouragement to all who read it. God is always with you and to those who claim God does not exist, you weren't there but HE WAS!!

Blessings in Christ and Thanks again for visiting us at "The Gathering Room."

"Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." 45.3.20

M.J. Elliott

A Journey with ACTS 2:17-21

‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy. And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below—blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

- Acts 2:17-21 NLT

Here we have a passage that many don't look at to deeply. To be honest, to most it would be a bit scary to read through. I know the first time I read it, I was thinking, ‘man this a is pretty rough piece of scripture.’ This was when I was quite young though, I think I’ve learned a few things since that time. :-). This passage still strike a chord with me though. Peter begins his holy spirit filled speak with these words of warning and caution from the old testament prophet, Joel.

Now, the book of Joel is primarily a book that warns about the coming end and this passage is one of those. There are some other passages that have a better tone, but this one in particular speaks of the coming end. Why Peter uses this passage as a starting point in his big debut is something I’ve always wondered about. There is a time to be harsh and a time to be gentle, and I’d like to think this was a time to be gentle, but I guess the spirit lead Peter the other direction.

This passage is a promise from God of his provision, but it is also a promise of his wrath and in these moments, just after the crucifixion, maybe it was a time to be a little of both. That’s what I get out of this passage. Sometimes God has to deal with us in a certain fashion because he knows that is the best way to reach us. Humanity is is a very stubborn creation and we have our strengths and we have our weaknesses. Truthfully, God speaks to us differently in our weakness then he does in our strength.

In this specific scenario, maybe just maybe, the people needed both at the same time and that's why the spirit lead Peter the way he did. In the end, the reminder that ‘everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved.’

Blessings in Christ and Thanks again for visiting us at "The Gathering Room."

"Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." 45.3.20 M.J. Elliott

A Journey with ACTS 2:14-16

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.

- Acts 2:14-16 NLT

This is what we’ve all been waiting for, the explanation; The answers to many of the questions that have been spurring in our thoughts. Peter being the brave man he has now become stands, addresses the crowd with a fire no one had ever seen before. This is where we see him break out of the cocoon, so to speak. As something that becomes a typical thing with Peter, he starts off with what could be called a joke today saying ‘these guys aren’t drunk, it’s only nine in the morning.’ Then once he get their attention, Boom the hammer comes down, ‘NO, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.’

What a sight to see, I imagine with the first statement he got a few laughs or crooked smiles, only to blast those listening to him with a powerful statement that one would not commonly hear from a fisherman. I’m sure that felt like a smack in the face to some of those that were laughing. The metamorphosis has begun, Peter is beginning to spread out his wings and take up the mantle passed on to him by Jesus. Peter would be the rock that would bring everyone together and take Christianity to the next level.

This has always struck a chord with me, because I’ve always wanted to be the person that takes something to the next level, whether it be a ministry I’m serving in, a project I’m working on, what I do for a day job now or something else.  I’ve always had that desire to do this and honestly have not had much of an opportunity, until recently.  This passage reminds me that there are those who build and there are those who prepare. Peter was a builder and Jesus is a preparer. He prepared the way for the church to begin and Peter, among others, were the ones that built it.

6/29/16 10:05pm

Revised 8/10/16

Blessings in Christ and Thanks again for visiting us at "The Gathering Room."

"Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." 45.3.20 M.J. Elliott

A Journey with ACTS 2:5-13

Greetings Readers,

Here is the next Segment of my Journey with Acts. It is interesting to think about the things that come to mind when I read these verses. On the surface it may seem like the word of God is just a book, but these words have true meaning and a true impact. I hope you enjoy this segment, I really got more out of it that I anticipated. As always please feel free to share your thoughts on this post.

Blessings in Christ,

-----

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?  Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” - Acts 2:5-13 NLT

Again we are bombarded with tons of names that really make it hard to figure out what this passage is really trying to get across to the reader. Sometimes it can be rather inconvenient to have to decipher passages like this, there is always something that tends to get lost in the content. Here, I believe there are two things that are usually overlooked in this passage.

First of all, take a moment and block out everything but the first few lines, keys words here are ‘God-fearing Jews from every nation’ and ‘everyone heard their own language being spoken.’ Sounds like something spectacular doesn’t it, all those languages at once being spoken would usually cause mass chaos, but it didn’t every person heard their own language and I imagine is was pretty clear. Think about that, and add in all the names we just blocked out. When you do that there are at least 15 different cities or towns listed and that doesn’t even include the ones Luke left out.  It is simply amazing see that all these different people could hear the same voice speaking and hear it clearly.

Secondly, there are the words ‘we hear them declaring the wonders of God...Amazed and perplexed they was each other what does this mean?’ That is something for the reader to take to heart. The Pentecost was something so amazing that people were left practically speechless; in the midst of speaking. Is that even possible and when has that ever happened? How can you be both speechless and speaking at the same time?

Yes, I realize there were those that were looking on and then there were those that were doing these things, but the spirit of God had come down on everyone there that followed the ways of Jesus. However, from my perspective, in reading these verses everyone was 'amazed and perplexed' at what was going on, everyone.The truth is that you can’t be really speechless and speak at the same time, it's literally impossible. Well, God does the impossible, doesn’t he?

Think about this when something comes along that may seem impossible to you, Trust that God can take that impossible task and give you the tools you will need to accomplish it.

Written 6/29/16

Revised 7/25/16

Blessings in Christ and Thanks again for visiting us at "The Gathering Room."

"Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." 45.3.20

M.J. Elliott

A Call to Return to the Light (Election 2016)

Greetings, 

I have argued with myself over posting this for about a week now (and while I still have my reservations) here it is. Many of you know from social media outlets that there is a very important event planned for tomorrow, Super Tuesday. In the past I have stayed out of politics for the most part but this year the elections have weighed heavily upon my heart.  I am very fearful of what the outcome may be if we do not stand by our convictions as Americans and for those that are devout Believers.

I am by no means planning to endorse any particular candidate for the race this year, (nor do I believe such an endorsement would make a lot of difference) but I do feel compelled to encourage each of you that will be voting tomorrow (and in the coming weeks) to really take a look into who you're voting for.  By the time the votes come our way there may already be a nominee from each party, but this will not keep me from choosing my preferred candidate.

Don't vote with just your heart or with just your mind.  Take some time to think about whom you will be casting your vote for tomorrow. Set a side a few moments to simply google the candidates and truly seek out which candidate you feel is the right choice with both your heart, and your mind together. So often we act with one and not the other and that leaves us with only part of the truth that lies with in our souls. Don't let those around you determine who you will vote for. It is your choice and your choice alone. This election will change the face of our country even more than it has been changed over the past 7 years with the current administration (whether you believe that to be good or bad change).

theheartforabba.com

From my perspective, I will be praying that the heart of God is revealed to this nation and the foundation it was built upon will stand.  Honestly, a part of me is terrified that our great God has turned our country over to its sinful desires. Whether you stand with what I believe or not, we have strayed away from the country we were meant to be and if we continue down this path we will have to face the consequences.  Darkness has covered our land and the lights that shine upon the hill are slowly beginning to hide themselves under that bushel. In the end, I know that there is a plan for everything that will take place in the coming weeks (whether I like the end result or not). But I must encourage you all to decide for yourselves whom you believe is the best choice for the future of America. Scripture tells us in Joshua 24:14-15 ESV...

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

We must choose this day whom we believe will serve our country with the right intentions and with the right motivations.  I truly believe the light that once shined from the mention of our country has begun to diminish. It is our choices in the coming months that will determine whether we continue down that path or if we fade into the darkness. Do not vote out of dependence on the candidates, vote out of dependence on God. Step forward into that light that once shined so brightly and vote for the candidate your heart, your mind and your soul determines is right, for this is our time to break free and to throw those bushels into the wind.

My heart goes out to all of you that will be casting your vote tomorrow and I pray that you will not be mired by the media, by those around you, or by the bushel that hides our light from this world. May you determine with your heart, your mind, and your soul who you will vote for tomorrow.

Blessings in Christ and thanks again for visiting "The Gathering Room"

Stand Strong and continue to believe the teachings given to you... (2 Thes. 2:15b NCV),

M.E.