Who Dat?!!
Super Bowl celebration in New Orleans
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And what will ring in everyone’s ear as they fill the streets of New Orleans: “Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?!”
And why will the cajuns be shoutin’ this? The Saints’ quarterback, Drew Brees, and his wife try to explain it to Katie Couric:
You know, our heavenly père (that’s cajun for father, don’tcha know) calls us saints. ( Click HERE for a list of verses that shows that.)
And we saints have a team of enemy tacklers that surround us every day. Although they don’t wear jerseys and shoulder pads and we can’t see them as easily as the Saints could see the Colts at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, they’re just as menacing and always hovering about trying to “beat dem saints”:
And we would be too faible (cajun for weak) and soon be estropié (crippled) if we tried to face them without our uniforms:
Drew Brees with son after 2010 Super Bowl victory
(We’ll be praying Bible verses, so click on highlighted sentences, if you like, to see which ones we’re praying. If one stands out to you, you can write it down to “hide it in your heart” )
“Oh, Father in heaven, thanks be to you who gives me the victory in Christ.. If you are for me, who can be against me?
“Who shall separate me from your love? ‘Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things I are more than a conqueror through him who loved me.
“So, Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dis saint?! NO BODY!!! Thank you, Jesus! Amen!”
Are you on the team? Click on the confetti to join the victory parade:
confetti photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adoseofshipboy/216516964/in/photostream/
Add comment February 9, 2010
gloriadelia
Tags: "Who dat?", Drew Brees, Ephesians 6:12-17, New Orlean's Saints
Super Duper Bowl!
The Saints were the underdog team going into this year’s Super Bowl. Their running back, Pierre Thomas had “numerous doubters” about his abilities as a player in the past. And noo one wanted their quarterback, Drew Brees after a shoulder injury awhile back.
And, remember, it wasn’t too long ago that Katrina left their home dome in New Orleans filled with cries of pain and despair instead of victorious shouts of “Who Dat?!”
So, the chance to win the Super Bowl this year meant a lot for New Orleans.
And, they won!!!!! Go Saints!!!
You know, we’re on a team, too, Christian; a team full of down-and-outers:
“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.” 1 Corinthians 1:26
God is our coach and he picks His players very carefully:
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” :27-29
So, are you an underdog? You’re on the right team! Have people doubted you’re abilities? You’re on the right team! Have you been put-down, under-rated? You’re on the right team! Go saints!!!
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9
2 comments February 8, 2010
gloriadelia
Tags: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Drew Brees, Pierre Thomas, Saints, Super Bowl XLIV
One ticket to Whatever-You-Want World, please. :)
If I lived in “Whatever-you-want-world”, the place where you can do whatever you want and get away with it, I’d be eating at my favorite pizza place and drinking my favorite beer (Sunset Wheat) at least 3 nights a week. And not just cheese pizza to be good, but Triple Bacon Cheeseburger Supreme with extra pickles. Yum!!! And the fat would pass through my middle-aged body with no consequences at all. sigh. I HATE consequences. 
My pastor said, in a sermon about them, “You pick up one end of a stick, the other comes with it. You get both ends of the stick.”
God calls it “reaping what you sow.” (Job 4:8)
So, here’s to sowing love and joy, peace and patience, kindness, and goodness, faithfulnes and self-control. (the fruits of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22)
The self-control part is the hardest for me, I guess. It’s just that I “need” so much comfort and pleasure.
Oh, help me to learn to be content, like the Apostle Paul wrote about in his letter to the Philippians:
“ I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12)
And what was his “secret”? It’s in the next verse:
”I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (:13 KJV)
The Ticket to Contentmet Prayer: “Oh, Father, thank you for your GREAT patience with me. You know how weak I am and yet you still love me so. Not just a little love but A LOT of love.
“ Father, help me to learn the secret of contentment — I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
“ Help me to learn to rely on Your strength and not my own. To lean not on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), but to acknowledge You in all my ways. Christ in me, the hope of glory! (Colossians 1:27)
Oh, may whatever I want be what You want. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
2 comments February 5, 2010
gloriadelia
Tags: consequences, Philippians 4:12
Treasure!
“…and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.“ (Proverbs 2:3-5)
It’s a treasure to know God. Problem is I get so busy searching for other things, I forget all about Him.
to treasure: “to cherish, prize, to collect or store up something of value for future use, to hold or keep as precious.”
precious…that reminds me of someone…
"My Preciousss!"
That’s right, Gollum! And how did he treat his “precious”? Did he just toss it on the cave floor and forget about it? No! He did what that dictionary definition says, he prized it, held onto it, guarded it as something of great value.
And when he didn’t have it anymore, he did what that Bible verse at top says, he cried aloud for it, and searched for it as for silver.
The Titanic, a treasure for history lovers worldwide, lay hidden on the ocean floor until 1985 when Robert Ballard discovered it. It took a lot of effort, team work and time, but, most importantly, it took a plan.
Ballard, climbing into "Alvin", the deepsea sub used to explore the Titanic
“If you plan it out, and it seems logical to you, then you can do it [whatever it is]. I discovered the power of a plan.“ ~Dr. Robert Ballard
You got the power?!
A plan, that is, for treasure hunting. ‘Cause that’s what Bible study is, treasure hunting. And without a plan, we plan to always find an excuse to be doing something other than….and we’ll regret it later.
So, click the pic below for a Bible study plan from Biblegateway.com.
Then set aside a time to read your Bible every day. Put it on your schedule. You can call it, “Treasure Hunting”, ’cause that’s what it is. Why? Because He’s your Precioussssss.
“Blessed is the man who finds wisdom…she is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.” Proverbs 3:13, 15
ring photo credit: http://www.freewebs.com/lordoftrings/the%20ring.jpg
Add comment February 3, 2010
gloriadelia
Tags: Dr. Robert Ballard, Gollum, Proverbs 2, Proverbs 3, The Lord of the Rings, Titanic
Moonshine!
Theresa's moon; Theresa Rogers, photagrapher
Wow! Did you see the moon this weekend?! On Saturday, January 30th, it was the biggest and the brightest full moon of 2010. Even the wildlife seemed to be impressed.
The woods behind our house were full of turkeys for most of that day (see them in the picture below?) and that night, I could hear owls whooping it up in the trees, making strange sounds, not just your typical ”hoo, hoo’s”.
And in the wee hours of the morning, a lone coyote yipped and howled his furry little heart out as the moon set in the west. I’ve never heard that before in all my years living here, which inspired me to draw it in my journal (below, sorry it’s a fuzzy cell phone pic ).
So, overall, the moon created quite a stir around my house this weekend.
I was pretty excited about it.
Why was the moon so big and bright? Because it was so close –a mere 221, 560 miles away!
According to Jack Horkheimer ( “Jack Stargazer” on PBS) that’s 31,000 miles closer than it will be in August when it’ll be the furthest away from the earth in 2010.
That means it was closer to the sun as well, which reminds me of another face that glowed after being close to “The Son” ~~
” When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.” ~ Exodus 34:29-30
That’s what I want, a radiant face. Not just the kind promised in cosmetic ads, but radiance from the inside out, that we get from being close to the Lord, like Moses and like the psalmist promises here:
“Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” Psalm 34:5
What will not be covering our faces when we look to Him? Shame.
And read the verse above that one: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (:4)
What will we be delivered from when we look to Him? our fears…
Nothing uglies up a face more, or robs it of its glow quicker than fear and shame.
So, what might be scrunching up your face into a fearful frown these days? Let’s do what Psalm 34:4 says above and seek the Lord about it, the maker of the moon:
The Full Moon Prayer:
“Oh, Father, the heavens declare your glory, the skies proclaim the work of Your hands.(Psalm 19:1). I want to believe that when I seek you about my fears, You will listen and deliver me from them all. (Psalm 34:4)
“S0, here they are. I’m afraid of (fill in the blank. Take your time. Really think about it. What are you afraid of?) _______________.
“Looking forward to a radiant face, Father. (Psalm 34:5), a face free of fear and shame. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!”
Do you know the Moon-maker? Click the pic below to be introduced:
David Vernon photagrapher, http://www.escapesphoto.com/, used with permission
credits: jackstargazer, escapesphoto.com,
2 comments February 1, 2010
gloriadelia
Tags: David Vernon, escapesphoto, Exodus 34:29-30, full moon 2010, Jack Horkheimer, Psalm 34:5
Jump!!!
What trust feels like sometimes!
Trust is not a four-letter word, but you’d think it was, I avoid saying it so often, as in, “I trust you, Lord.” In God I definitely do NOT put my trust, my whole trust and nothing but my trust as often as I should.
When I was little, my oldest sister and her boyfriend (now her husband) pulled a trick on me. I was years younger than they and so when they asked me to step up on a board they were holding between them and let someone blindfold me, I did.
I trusted them. Afterall, the board wasn’t very far off the ground. So, I stood there on the board, with my little right hand up on my sister’s shoulder and my left up on her boyfriend’s for balance while one of their friends knotted a handkerchief behind my head.
Then my heart skipped a beat as I felt them lifting me high up into the air. I must have been pretty high, too, I thought, because I had to bend my knees to keep my grip on their shoulders. My legs were shaking and I was holding on for dear life when they said, “Jump.”
What?! They and the other teens in on the joke coaxed and coaxed assuring me I’d be fine. “Come on! You can do it!”
Finally, I let go and leaped into the air expecting to be falling to my death but was shocked and confused when I landed abruptly on the ground just a few inches beneath me where it’d been all along! They had just bent down beneath me, making think they’d lifted me up!
I‘m sure they all had a good laugh at my expense and it probably took awhile before I’d trust them again.
Sometimes God’s like that.
Sometimes he asks us to try something a little scary, like lead a Bible study (I’m not equipped for that!), or help at an orphanage (I’ve never really liked kids…), or fly half-way around the world to love on a people that are COMPLETELY different than us (I can’t! I just can’t, Lord!). Or it can be something as simple as speaking kindly to our family (Now, you know they won’t listen to me unless I yell!), or trusting Him enough to stay pure till the wedding day (I’ll die!). It can feel a little like balancing on the edge of a cliff, ’till you take that first step…
When I look back on my life, I can clearly see that when I’ve taken that leap of faith I’ve landed safely every time.
But when I’ve followed other voices, my own or the devil’s or people’s I thought I could trust, BAM! I’ve come up dazed and confused and wondering what would have happened if I’d just trusted and obeyed in the first place, like that old hymn ,
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, then to trust and obey.”
I recently read this status about trust on Facebook. It’s a heart’s cry from my friend’s son, a young soldier in Iraq:
He wrote, “Sometimes I’m so scared of what will happen if I put all my trust in You, but I am terrified of what will happen if I don’t! What will happen if I keep on living in this rut that I’m in? What will happen if I never put my trust completely in You? How many blessings will I miss? How many chances will I miss to give your name glory? How many chances will I miss to show your love to those who need it?” Steve “Blu” Mack.
How ’bout you? Has God asked you to step up on the board and you’re afraid if you do you’ll end up like that guy in the picture at the top of the page?
I bet, though, if you looked up, you’d see that instead of a jagged cliff, you were holding onto a warm hand all along; the hand of Someone you could trust.
The cliffhanger’s prayer: “Oh, Father in heaven. I want to trust you. I want to agree with the psalmist who wrote, “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ ” (Psalms 31:14) Help me to trust in You at all times, and pour my heart out to You, for You are my refuge. (Psalm 62:8). And David wrote some of those words when he was besieged in a city with enemies all around. So, help me to trust you right in the heat of battle when all looks hopeless. Help me to be still and know You are my God. (Psalm 46:10) In Jesus’ name, AMEN!”
Read the following verses slowly. Let them speak to your soul: “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah” (Psalm 62:5-8)
Do you know the Lord? Click on the pic below to be introduced. Come on! Trust Him! Jump!! :)
3 comments January 27, 2010
gloriadelia
Tags: cliffhanger, Facebook, prayer, Psalm 62, soldiers in Iraq, standing on edge of cliff, Trust
Snowflake Faith
Looking out the window at the occasional snowflake making its way haphazardly to the ground, my son pooh-poohed the morning’s forecast for snow accumulation.
But, by afternoon, the weatherman was proved right. Our lawn and surrounding woods were blanketed in white, and the air was filled with beautiful snowflakes, whirling about and smacking against our window panes.
I can understand my son doubting the power of the flake, though. It’s such a tiny little thing. But, what are avalanches made of, after all? Tiny little snowflakes.
Sometime, my prayers seem awfully small, too, compared to the avalanche-sized problem I’m praying about, and my doubts forecast dismal results, but, I’m reminded of another little thing that grows into something big. Jesus mentioned it centuries ago to his disciples….the mustard seed.
It’s such a tiny little thing:
But look how big it grows:
“He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” ~~ Matthew 13:31-32
That’s the kind of faith I want to have — snowflake faith, mustard seed faith. I want to believe that my little prayers can have HUGE results!
The Snowflake Prayer: ”Oh, Father in heaven, You are and You are a rewarder of those who earnestly seek You. (Hebrews 11:6) I want to believe that my snowflake prayers can produce avalanches in the spiritual realm! So, I cry out like that father in the Bible who wanted you to heal his son, “I DO believe! Help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Do you have faith in the One who created the snowflake? Click on the pic below to begin a relationship with Him that can quickly snowball into an AWESOME life:
2 comments January 25, 2010
gloriadelia
Tags: avalanche, doubt, Faith, forecast, Hebrews 11:6, Mark 9:24, Matthew 13:31-32, mustard seed, prayer, snow, snowflake
Haiti, Then and Now…
Haiti…. 
Well, instead of being known for this:
a "muha" photo
Haiti has been known for this…
"Hunger and Rage!", Jan Sochor, www.jansochor.com, used with permission
I googled “Port au Prince” images today to show you what it was like in Haiti’s capitol city before the devastating January 12th earthquake. I was thinking there’d be a BIG difference between Haiti then and now, but I was completely surprised, in my cushioned Midwest American existence, to see that things have been HORRIBLE with a capital H in Haiti for a LOOOONG time. Ever since Columbus discovered it in 1492, in fact.
The original population of Haiti was virtually wiped out by their discoverers and replaced by slaves from Africa. Though the poor souls were set free long ago, they have suffered under corrupt leadership and neglect for centuries. Abject poverty, street orphans, and violent food lines are the norm, earthquake or no.
Street Orphan. Photo credit: Jan Sochor, www.jansochor.com, used with permission
Conclusion?! Haitians needs our prayers and whatever aid we can send their way…Tomorrow, I’ll discuss the aid part, but first things first–our prayers…
Jesus said in Matthew 25: 45, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.” So, pray with me on behalf of the “least of these”…
“Oh, Maker of Haiti and all her people, You are and You are a rewarder of them that earnestly seek You. (Hebrews 11:6) We’re earnestly seeking you on behalf of Haiti.
“Send forth Thy light and Thy truth and let them guide the leaders and people of Haiti. (Psalm 43:3)
“Please strengthen the Christians, and others who are really helping, with power through Your Spirit in their inner man/woman. (Ephesians 3:16)
”Your will be done with Haiti, not the governments, nor foreign powers, nor the voodo high priest’s, but YOURS and YOURS alone!!! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!”
“For their Redeemer is strong…” (Proverbs 3:11)
Do you know the One who made the beautiful Haitian, the talented photographer, and both you and me? Click on the pic below for a quick introduction…
www.haitifundinc.org
3 comments January 24, 2010
gloriadelia
Tags: Haiti, Haitifundinc.org, Jan Sochor, map of Haiti/Carribean, www.rescuechildren.org
Prayers for Haiti
map from www.rescuechildren.org
I was lying in my cozy bed in my cozy home when the radio woke me with the tragic news that other people, 1,000’s of other people, were trapped under tons of rubble in Haiti. They had been caught unawares shopping, playing, working, sleeping. And now they were trapped in the dark and dust, suffering excruciating pain. The report ended with another shocking fact: the royal palace had also collapsed. The earthquake was an equal-opportunity destroyer. No one was spared.
Today’s update is unfathomable: 200,000 dead; 1.5 million homeless. From a midwest perspective, that’s the big city of Peoria, Illinois dead, and the bigger city of Chicago homeless. Wow…wow…
Here’s an eye-opening blog post that melted my heart for Haiti when I read it : To the Woman in the Rubble. Please take a moment to read it yourself, then come back to pray.
Did you come back? Great. Let’s roll up our spiritual sleeves. We’ve got work to do.
Prayer for Haiti: (we’ll start out reminding ourselves of God’s goodness, because, at times like this, it’s easy to forget.)
“Oh, Father in heaven, because of your great love we are not consumed, for your compassions never fail. They are new every morning. They are new every day. Great is Thy faithfulness. ( Lamentations 3:22-23)
“Thank you for all the doctors and nurses, search and rescue teams, soldiers, missionaries, and people off the street that are being heroes right now. Please give them strength, and understanding of what to do.
“I pray for anyone still alive in the rubble to be rescued. I pray for miracle after miracle so the people can see that you are real, that you love them, and that you are helping them.
“Please provide food for the orphans, and medical attention, and loving homes for them in safe places.
“Please protect everyone from looters and rioters. Please may the looters and rioters turn there energy to helping. Please quiet their fears. May your voice be the loudest on the streets.
“Please may the christians in the city and the outlying towns shine like lights in all the darkness; loving, encouraging, blessing, praying.
“You are, and you reward those who earnestly seek you. (Hebrews 11:6) We’re seeking you now on behalf of Haiti. Send forth your light and your truth to guide them. (Psalm 43:3) In Jesus’ name, amen.
Here’s another heart-opening blog post about Haiti. Reflections
3 comments January 19, 2010
gloriadelia
Tags: Haiti, prayer
Get the Lint Out!!
I was rummaging through the fridge the other day, when something caught my eye down below. It was the vent grill. It was loose and it was filthy! I couldn’t help but notice all the lint covering the surface as I gently kicked it back into place.
So, I bent down to give it a quick wipe off, but more and more kept coming out the vent holes from inside. Pretty soon I was on all fours with the handle of a wooden spoon digging out a monster lint ball. That’s him above. I call him Fred. Fred, the lint ball from h-e-double toothpicks. I’m sure my fridge would thank me, if it could, for getting Fred out of the way so it can breathe a little easier.
As I ate what I found in the fridge (I said in, mind you, not under ) I pondered the lessons to be learned from Fred, like, why it’s a good habit to fast periodically.
Fasting unclogs our souls. It gets the lint out so we can breathe a little easier, listen a little better, love a little more.
During a fast is when God pulls out the bad habits, and the faith-clogging sins that we might otherwise ignore. It brings that all out in the open, so He can throw it away, like I happily did with Fred.
“…as far as the EAST is from the WEST, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12
How ’bout you? Clogged up with worries? Need a little de-linting? Well, click on the fasting links to the right, and the word “fasting” in the tag cloud for lots of hints, helps and encouragements to get you started. Come on, learn a lesson from Fred, get the lint out!
THE LINT PRAYER: ”Oh, Father in Heaven, You are and you are a rewarder of them that earnestly seek You. (Hebrews 11:6) Thank you for loving me and being so patient with me.
“The Bible says that when we walk in the light as You are in the light, we have fellowship with one another. (1 John 1:7) That’s what I want. I want to love freely and to freely be loved by others.
So, I confess that I’ve been walking in the dark, lately, by hanging on to these sins and bad habits:__________ (say as many as come to mind. Take your time getting the lint out.) Thank you for being faithful to forgive me when I confess my sins to you, Father. (1 John 1:9) In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Do you know Jesus? Click on the pic below for a quick introduction.
2 comments January 16, 2010
gloriadelia
Tags: 2 Corinthians 10:4, fasting, lint, prayer
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