Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi – written in 2015

A light house does not blow fog horns but it only shines.  

When I read the above I thought of our walk as Christians.  Does our life reflect the light  of Jesus.  St Mark 4:21: and he said unto them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick?  A candle beams its flickering light so we may find our way in the dark as does the Lighthouse.  As Christians we should let our light shine & walk in the light of Christ.  We need not blow fog horns but just shine & let the Holy Spirit beam through us.  Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord……i grew up in a very legalistic religion & if we did have a little light, it was totally blown out with dos & don’ts & lots of fear. 1 John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God….10: herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us & sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4 is filled with scriptures of love.  The pendulum swings both ways but should be in balance.  I guess my desire is not to be a fog horn but a flickering light for our Lord.

“Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears.” — Rudyard Kipling

I have been stymied by my own fears most of my life.  Fear was a dark cloud looming behind me.  I told myself as long as I hide behind this darkness and not turn around and face the fear of whatever was holding me captive; light was blocked.  Do you know how hard that is when you live under the circumstances of low self-worth and thinking that accomplishments is the way to acceptance.  If you fail in what ever it is that has a grip on you, devastation moves in like a tsunami and if you succeed, the pain that comes from struggling to learn something hard followed by the delight in knowing that I can still surprise myself through learning is satisfying.  It’s a dichotomy.  “The division of two things that are completely different:   The dichotomy between what people think they are and what they do.”  To simplify me, I had to dig up the root that was choking my life.  Face the reason, acknowledge it, work at uprooting it, (I am a believer in Christ) and asking Jesus to help me move on with Him as my guide and director.  I gave up being the ambassador of my life.  I wanted to walk in light – not darkness.

Just a thought by coppi

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

“As the Misfit in Flannery O’Connor’s short story observes of this resurrected one, Jesus went and “thrown everything off balance.” The unlikely prophet reasons, “If He did what He said, then it’s nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him, and if He didn’t, then it’s nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can.”

In 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul addresses those who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead when Christ returns (verse 12). Paul rebukes them, since, if there is no life after death, they may as well live according to “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (verse 32). At its root, the philosophy of “eat, drink, and be merry” is an expression hopelessness.

According to the Christian Acts of the Apostles: The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, whereas the Pharisees did.  The Sadducees also rejected the notion of spirits or angels, whereas the Pharisees acknowledged them.

My comment on the Sadducees belief is they are “Sad-you-see”. Yes, if there is no resurrection eat, drink and be merry.  Do your on thing whatever it is.  But, if there is a resurrection, which I believe, have hope, joy, and peace.  Life is full of choices. And, from my own experience, I have made some bad ones but also good ones.  I have deeply regretted the wrong ones but when I said, “yes” to believe and have faith in Jesus, His grace covered all my wrongs.  The resurrection of Jesus declared a new winner. Thus, his resurrection is not a promise for a later time, another world, another house, but rather this house, God’s house, this life, now.  “The house of God is occupied by one whose death and life and resurrection prepares a place for insiders and outsiders, neighbors and enemies all around us. Whether prodigals or pilgrims, in this house we discover the God who welcomes the multitudes eternally home.”  Jill Carattini

Again, we choose – I chose.

Just a thought by coppi

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

After the crucifixion, the disciples were together “with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders” (John 20:19–20, NIV). They had heard that Jesus had risen from the dead but did not know what to think. Suddenly, Jesus appeared, saying, “Peace” and inviting them to see His scars. The disciples were overjoyed when they knew He was with them

The disciples walked closely with Jesus. They had seen miracles being by His side.  He spoke to them about his death and resurrection.  He spoke in parables and if they did not understand, He knew their confusion, and would clarify the parable. But, yet, when his crucifixion happened their doubts and fear took over.  When He arose from the grave, as He told them He would, they gathered in a room, locked the doors, and huddled in fear.  He appeared saying “peace” and showed them his scars.  They were overjoyed and believed.  I remember years ago sitting in a Sunday school class I attended regularly.  I noted it was different that day.  A young man was  seated at the piano, and the way he was playing it, I thought I saw angels flying around the room singing the song “Hallelujah”.  It was a beautiful feeling. Afterwards he gave his testimony and I found out why he was overwhelmed with joy.  He was part of a successful band in Dallas, Tx, and that being so, he was in the drug scene taking all kinds of drugs.  One day he was locked in his room drugged out, and Jesus appeared – “the door was locked but he appeared he reiterated and He miraculously cured all my desire for drugs, etc. “. Later the above scripture was given to him, and thus cemented his believed in Jesus. 

We can hide behind lock doors, etc, but if we need Him in our life……locked doors will not keep Him from coming to us. 

Just a thought by coppi

“On the same day, when evening had come, He [Jesus] said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’” (Mark 4:35-41)

what got my attention was the words “Who could this be”!

The disciples saw the many miracles Jesus did and yet when he stopped the wind from sinking their ship, they questioned the miracle performed right before their eyes. “Who is this that even the wind and sea obey him”.  In my many years of walking on this earth, I too have seen the miraculous happen, but I too questioned some of them.  Why?  I guess I thought this could not happen in our world today – could it?  Yes, it could because the scripture says in “Both Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8 declare that God is the same always and never ever changes. He is always good, always loving, always all-powerful. No matter how this world changes around us, we can trust that God is consistent. “He is the same yesterday, today, and Forever!”  However, the fact is we have to believe.  If we doubt His existence or what is written in the Word, we are left with only what the world of unbelief feed us.  It’s a choice, I made many years ago when the God of my childhood entered my heart and I choose to follow Him.  All I can offer is that I know I made the right choice as the many times I needed Him, He was by my side.  He never left me, He carried me through the storms of my life and brought me through them to the other side.

Just a thought by coppi

closed doors

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

After the crucifixion, the disciples were together “with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders” (John 20:19–20, NIV). They had heard that Jesus had risen from the dead but did not know what to think. Suddenly, Jesus appeared, saying, “Peace” and inviting them to see His scars. The disciples were overjoyed when they knew He was with them

The disciples walked closely with Jesus. They had seen miracles being by His side.  He spoke to them about his death and resurrection.  He spoke in parables and if they did not understand, He knew their confusion, and would clarify the parable. But, yet, when his crucifixion happened their doubts and fear took over.  When He arose from the grave, as He told them He would, they gathered in a room, locked the doors, and huddled in fear.  He appeared saying “peace” and showed them his scars.  They were overjoyed and believed.  I remember years ago sitting in a Sunday school class I attended regularly.  I noted it was different that day.  A young man was  seated at the piano, and the way he was playing it, I thought I saw angels flying around the room singing the song “Hallelujah”.  It was a beautiful feeling. Afterwards he gave his testimony and I found out why he was overwhelmed with joy.  He was part of a successful band in Dallas, Tx, and that being so, he was in the drug scene taking all kinds of drugs.  One day he was locked in his room drugged out, and Jesus appeared – “the door was locked but he appeared he reiterated and He miraculously cured all my desire for drugs, etc. “. Later the above scripture was given to him, and thus cemented his believed in Jesus. 

We can hide behind lock doors, etc, but if we need Him in our life……locked doors will not keep Him from coming to us. 

Just a thought by coppi

Proverbs 17:3 -The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts. Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the LORD tests the heart. As silver in a crucible and gold in a pan, so our lives are assayed by God.

Because God loves you, you can show your trust in Him by talking about all your feelings and circumstances with Him — the good and hard — through prayer. Don’t let your emotions rule your life; bring them to God so He can help you address them. He is not disappointed or frustrated by your struggles, doubts or pain.

People have always interested me. When studying art in Dallas, Tx, one of our assignments was to go to a place where people were moving around. I spent time at the zoo in Ft Worth, Tx,  and the Galleria in Dallas, Tx. I enjoyed drawing people wandering around looking at animals at the Zoo and shoppers at the Galleria.  I wanted to capture their mood and actions at that moment in time. I also spent time going to homeless shelters and the “not so swell” places in Dallas, Tx. When I was going through treatments for cancer and driving to Gainesville, Fl every month and sometimes days we, ( my bestest friend, Diana Stinson would go with me, I can’t say enough about Diana.  She was someone that encouraged me and kept prayers flying my way), would encounter different ones in the hospital and listen to their reasons for being there.  We learned a lot about the trials of life. We would try to bring hope and laughter in their sad lives.   When we were in the infusion room, we would (if it was around a Holiday) dress for the occasion. Christmas time we wore caps with rain deer horns with lights beaming brightly, etc. if anyone received a good report, we would ring a bell and all in the “drip” room would clap.  I made note of their body language and faces. It was a remembered part of my art assignment given to me years ago.

One of the most radical demands for you and me is the discovery of our lives as a series of movements or passages.  It seems as though we are always passing from one phase to the next, gaining and losing someone, some place, something.  Life is a cycle of happenings good and bad. We can either buckle under them, or move forward with hope pulling us forward on this journey in life.   And, who is our Hope?  Mine is Jesus and His promises in the Bible.  Life is full of choices.  We are free to make our own choices.

Just a thought by coppi

An elderly professor once said to me, “Son, be kind to everyone, because everyone’s having a hard time.” Everyone you know has reasons to wonder if God loves them.  (Jim Denison quote in First 15)

Interesting quote by Jim Denison’s professor.  We never know what is inside someone’s being, and what they are going through.  I know some people push the belief of what happened in your childhood should not affect you as an adult,  if you do not dwell on it and become effective in this life.  I disagree.  I was in a program years ago where different ones of all ethnicities and levels of plentitude were in a room together where what they said stayed in that room.  We were honest and spoke of our inner child and hurts growing up.  Very well-to-do and impoverished spoke of inner pain.  No one was allowed to give advice or condemn.  You were there to confess what was going on in your inner self to people that cared and understood, because they too were there for the same reason. Acceptance, kindness, and love were keys to healing the pain.  

“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

“Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.” The Good News: Love goes hand-in-hand with things like patience and kindness and being humble”.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  Mt 7…..NIV

Just a thought by coppi

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬

Highly sensitive people (HSP)  are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14 NIV). They do not need to be treated for HSP, because it is not a disorder. 

“No one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you as much as you talk to yourself.” – Paul 

David Tripp

Sensitivity has many shades of meaning but most relate to your response to your environment — either physical or emotional. Sensitivity to cold means you’re quick to notice the slightest chill — in the air or in another person’s actions.

Because HSP are so in touch with their own emotions, they can sense emotions in others. They often sense the deeper emotions in someone else that the average person may overlook.

For example, an HSP may look at body language, tone of voice, and mannerisms to sense that someone else is hurting. Though the other person may be trying to hide their hurt, an HSP has an uncanny ability to notice the details and identify with their feelings.

Since HSPs place such a high value on relationships, they are at risk of disappointment when others don’t reciprocate or worse, criticize the HSP for being too sensitive. They need to keep striving to connect with people who accept them for who they are.

I am one of those categorized  as HSP.   I prefer not to be – I would prefer to have skin as as tough as pigskin.  I know the scripture Romans 12:2 says and means – interpreting life through the lens of God’s Word and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, rather than through the lens of your experience, woundedness, trauma, preferences, or the opinions of others.  And, I also know that scripture was recorded in the Bible for our good –  “interpreting life through the lens of God’s word, rather than my experience and woundedness, etc”, and that is where I need to focus on the lens of God through His word in lieu of my past hurts.  Focus- focus.  Lol

Just a thought

Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. Psalm 139:10 Even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 73:23 Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.

The main verse of scripture that is powerfully encouraging is in Psalm 31:15 (NKJV) “My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.” The “times” being spoken of refer to the various events that come into our lives, whether we see them as good or bad.

Following is a song my twin sister, Joan, requested to be played at her Memorial when she died.  Her daughter, did a magnificent Internet memorial of her death;  This song was played in the background of the Memorial.

One pair of hands

One pair of hands formed the mountains

One pair of hands formed the sea

One pair of hands made the sun and the moon

Every bird, every flower, every tree

One pair of hands formed the valleys

The ocean, the rivers and the sand

Those hands are so strong, so when life goes wrong

Put your faith in the one pair of hands

One pair of hands, healed the sick

One pair of hands raised the dead

One pair of hands calmed the ragging storm

And thousands of people were fed

One pair of hands said I love you

And those hands were nailed to a tree

Those hands are so strong, so when life goes wrong

Put your faith into one pair of hands.

Of course I shed tears whenever I read the words.  Reminds me of the time I did a painting – entitled “In His Hands”.  I was in a lot of pain and grief.  I knew that my resting place would be in prayer and thinking of being in His hands.  Now my twin is in the heavenly in His Hands.  Joan suffered a long time with pain in her body,  and now she can rest in the beauty of His love and being in His hands. 

Just a thought coppi

It is such a secret place, the land of tears – Antoine De Saint

Ps 56:8 – Hold you…..weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning..

Ps 56:8 you have kept count of my tossing, put my tears in your bottle

My flesh & my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my portion forever…. 

As I read the above scriptures & sayings, I thought why does everything seem to magnify during the night?  I speak for myself, if I am overly concerned about something, you better believe it, when I turn the light off at night, my concerns become bigger than life.  Tears & fears overwhelm me until I get a grip and pray “Jesus, I have laid this problem at the foot of the cross…I keep picking it up again…I ask your forgiveness…please know I believe in you and your mighty power.  Take this concern.  Give me your peace, love, & guidance….I am your child & I take refuge in you.

Morning comes & joy does comes in the morning….so hold on…..weep no more.

just a thought by coppi