Preparing for Easter ~ Worship

It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship. God is sheer being itself - Spirit. Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."

John 4:23-24 The Message

God created each of us; in our own individual and unique ways, we are to worship Him. 

Our sacrifice of praise ~

Worship God - in your own ways - with your very being - simply and honestly. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Compels

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:12 NASB

God chooses to love us, and when we choose to love Him, He gives each of us a new wardrobe to wear ~ heart of compassion, gestures of kindness, attitudes of gentleness, and efforts of patience. God wraps us in a robe of righteousness; such love compels a response.

"Such love constrains me to answer His call,

Follow His leading and give Him my all."

hymn Living For Jesus by Thomas Obediah Chisholm

Our sacrifice of praise ~
God's Perfect Love overwhelms the soul; respond to the Spirit's calling, as His holy and beloved. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Endures

In 2 Chronicles Chapter 6, read Solomon's praises and prayers for the dedication of the Temple. The beginning of Chapter 7 gives us the account of God's power after these prayers as the Temple was filled with God's presence.

When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple. The priest could not enter the Temple of the LORD because the glorious presence of the LORD filled it. When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the LORD filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the LORD saying, "He is good! His faithful love endures forever!" 

2 Chronicles 7:1-3 NLT

When have you known the presence of the LORD, felt His Glory fill the air around you, surround you with His goodness? Probably, you didn't see fire flash from heaven, but God's Glory is undeniable. God endures ~ through all times, and His faithful love endures forever!

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Let your offering of praise be "He is good!" and meditate on His faithful love ~ it is eternal; it endures! ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Walking

We cannot talk to God unless we walk with Him when we are not talking.

Oswald Chambers ~ from He Shall Glorify Me

So often we spend our time with God telling Him what burdens us, what we want to happen and what He can do to help us. First, we must admit that when we spend time with God, talking to Him is not always required. Listening is very important.

Also, if we do not have Jesus walking beside us, being the example we are to follow, then we do not know how to "walk" in the world. Jesus set the standard when it comes to everything ~ love, compassion, generosity, honesty, work, faith. We only love because He first loved us. We can only receive His Grace because He gives us faith.

Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:2 NASB

The Message uses these words: Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. . . Love like that.

In our "walking" with God, we will learn to love like Jesus. Our deeds will reflect Christ's love. Then, our "walking" becomes prayers of praises, offerings for others in the name of the Love Most High.

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Be the fragrance of Christ to others, a fragrant aroma. Give of yourself in love to others. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter - Vision

Second Sunday of Lent ~

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart . . . 

Thou my best thought by day or by night

 Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light

 Be thou my wisdom and Thou my true word

 I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord . . .

 Heart of my own heart whatever befall

 Still be my vision O Ruler of all

"Be Thou My Vision" is a hymn but has its roots in Ireland. Written in the 8th century as an Irish poem, it was translated in the early 1900's and later put to music. In Hosea, God is reminding Israel who He is:
It is I who answer and look after you. I am like a luxuriant cypress; from Me comes your fruit. Hosea 14:8 NASB

God is where we are to look for our best thoughts, our wisdom; His presence is with us. What comfort to know that whatever happens we can find God's Vision. Heart of my own heart whatever befall, still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

The Message translates the Hosea verse: Everything you need is to be found in Me.

Our sacrifice of praise ~
My "best thoughts" will reflect God's wisdom if He is the "Lord of my heart". Let God be our Vision in this world of darkness. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Eyewitness

For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased" and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 2 Peter 1:16-18 NASB

Peter is explaining that he and other disciples were actually present - were eyewitnesses - of the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-13). They saw Jesus transformed. They saw Moses and Elijah appear and talk to Jesus. Now, these witnesses are sharing with others the power and majesty of Christ,  testifying how they heard the voice of God express His love and approval of Jesus.

Have you been an eyewitness God's power? It may have been through answered prayers, spiritual or physical healings, or a Divine intervention. Perhaps you have known great peace in a difficult circumstance or full assurance in uncertain times. Maybe God has provided for your needs or opened a door of opportunity at just the right time. God's power is miraculous and evident every day in uncounted ways. God's power transforms lives!

Our sacrifice of praise ~
As an eyewitness of God's transforming power, share your God-story! ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Stillness

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
Psalm 37:7 NIV

The world is full of noise; it delights in its fullness of distractions. Time for stillness eludes us; it escapes our attempts at quiet. In fact, we have become so programed to noise and multi-tasking several technologies at the same time, we rarely recognize these as distractions. Rather, we question the moments of quiet and stillness, "What, no Wi-Fi? Is the Internet down? How long will the cable be off? Why is this download so slow? Wonder why no one is texting me? Did my cell phone die? Where is my Ipod?"

We value busyness; we do not respect stillness! We are afraid of the stillness; we are missing God in the hurry. We have grown accustomed to fast; we are drowning in distractions.

Nothing in all creation is so like God as stillness.
Meister Eckhart

Our sacrifice of praise ~
As our sacrifice of praise, we should slow down and seek stillness. We would discover we are not alone; rather, God is patiently waiting for us. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter - Powerless

I want to share a familiar Scripture with you, Jeremiah 29:11, one that many claim as comfort and strength, but let's also read the next few verses as well.

(11) I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

(12) When you call on Me, when you come and pray to Me, I'll listen.

(13) When you come looking for Me, you'll find Me.

(14) Yes, when you get serious about finding Me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed. GOD'S Decree

Jeremiah 29:11-14 The Message

Oswald Chambers wrote: "As long as we are self-sufficient and complacent, we don't need to ask God for anything, we don't want Him; it is only when we know we are powerless that we are prepared to listen to Jesus Christ and to what He says." from If You Will Ask
So often we go along sort of trusting that God will take care of us; after all, He has a plan! While this is true, the Scripture reminds us that we, too, have a part in God's plan. We are to seek Him, pray to Him, serioulsy desire Him to be an active part of our every day life.
Our sacrifice of praise ~
We must lay down the arrogance that lies to us, telling us we have control. We are powerless. Seriously seek God and find the mighty power of His Promises. ~ dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Refresh

While having coffee and a bagel at Panera Bread, I noticed a slogan on a banner: REFRESH RESTART RENEW! That was just what I was doing! Later I went to their web site and found this statement "About Us":

"We are Panera. We are bakers of bread. We are fresh from the oven. We are a symbol of warmth and welcome. We are a simple pleasure, honest and genuine. We are a life story told over dinner. We are a long lunch with an old friend. We are your weekday morning ritual. We are the kindest gesture of neighbors. We are home. We are family. We are friends."

I like the way Panera describes itself. This sounds a lot like the way Christians describe their fellowship with other Christians. This reminds me of Believers partaking of The Bread of Life. This reflects the warmth and genuine compassion that Christ offers His disciples. This should be the way followers of Christ spend time with the Savior and with each other.

Jesus is home and family to us! Jesus calls us friend! Jesus will always REFRESH - RESTART - RENEW us when we meet Him at the altar ~ or ~ when we meet Jesus for coffee and a bagel and some soul-time!

But I am in the very presence of God -
oh, how refreshing it is!
I've made Lord GOD my home.
God, I'm telling the world what you do!
Psalm 73:28 The Message

Our sacrifice of praise ~
REFRESH - RESTART- RENEW with Jesus - then tell someone! ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Always

Building 429's song Always is a reminder of how faithful God is to us - ALWAYS. Even when circumstances question our faith and our hope, Jesus is ALWAYS our Savior, ALWAYS knows our pain. God's everlasting promises are the anchor that holds us in the storms of life - ALWAYS! He is with us ALWAYS! I encourage you to listen to their song and be reminded of the everlasting faithfulness of God's love. [Building 429 - Always] [Jason Roy's story behind the song]

The LORD appeared to him from afar saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love."
Jeremiah 31:3 NASB

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Do you believe that God loves you with an everlasting love? If yes, then offer thanksgiving praises to Him - ALWAYS - even when circumstances prove difficult! ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Presence

I look behind me and You're there, then up ahead and You're there, too - Your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful - I can't take it all in!
Psalm 139:5-6 The Message

There is great comfort and security in knowing that God's Presence is with us ~ at all times! We call Jesus Emmanuel, God with us. The Holy Spirit is sent by Jesus to dwell among us, revealing God to each one. It is, as the psalmist wrote - too wonderful.

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Do you know the Presence of God? Tell someone how you know!

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”