No Mires Atras By OS MENINOS DE DEUS

A Senseless Act

The Room

I can only imagine..."THE ROOM" as written by a 17 Year Old Boy.


This is excellent and really gets you thinking about what will happen in Heaven.
17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class. The subject was What Heaven Was Like. "I wowed 'em," he later told his father, Bruce. It's a killer. It's the bomb It's the best thing I ever wrote." It also was the last.
Brian's parents had forgotten about the essay when a cousin found it while cleaning out the teenager's locker at Teays Valley High School in Pickaway County .


Brian had been dead only hours, but his parents desperately wanted every piece of his life near them, notes from classmates and teachers, and his homework. Only two months before, he had handwritten the essay about encountering Jesus in a file room full of cards detailing every moment of the teen's life. But it was only after Brian's death that Beth and Bruce Moore realized that their son had described his view of heaven.
It makes such an impact that people want to share it. "You feel like you are there," Mr. Moore said. Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after Memorial Day. He was driving home from a friend's house when his car went off Bulen-Pierce Road in Pickaway County and struck a utility pole. He emerged from the wreck unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted.


The Moore 's framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung it among the family portraits in the living room. "I think God used him to make a point. I think we were meant to find it and make something out of it," Mrs. Moore said of the essay. She and her husband want to share their son's vision of life after death. "I'm happy for Brian. I know he's in heaven. I know I'll see him.


Here is Brian's essay entitled:


"THE ROOM"
In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either direction, had very different headings.
As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I Have Liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.


A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I Have Betrayed." The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed At."


Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've Yelled at My Brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger", "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived.


Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.


When I pulled out the file marked "TV Shows I Have Watched," I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I knew that file represented.
When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me.


One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards.
But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it. Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.


And then I saw it. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.


And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room.. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.


No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes.


Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room.. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me.


Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files.. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, and so alive.


The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished."


I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.


"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16


If you feel the same way forward it to as many people as you can so the love of Jesus will touch their lives also. My "People I Shared the Gospel With" file just got bigger, how about yours?


IF THERE IS ONE EMAIL THAT I HAVE READ THAT NEEDS TO GO AROUND THE WORLD, IT IS THIS ONE, PLEASE PASS THIS TO EVERY ONE YOU KNOW, CHRISTIAN OR NOT! "LET'S FILL OUR OWN FILE CARD" AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!


You don't have to share this with anybody, no one will know whether you did or not, but you will know and so will He.

Happy Easter

My Dad sent me this for Easter & I wanted to Share it with you.

"This fellow, Allen Levi, is a friend of my sisters and comes form my home town. Some of you may remember me playing a few of his songs, ie: ‘The Harlot” etc, before?

Julienne and I had the pleasure of meeting him, having a long chat about our lives, and listening to him perform for and connect with a group of up and coming high school graduates. He’s a prolific song writer and writes about many life experiences, even about his dog Tyler and gold fish Moses, ha!  

Here’s a sweet song he got in honor of Easter and some precious special needs kids and their caretakers. Maybe you’d want to play it for devotions, with your kids or send to friends if you like. Enjoy!

May we all shine with His faces of love during this special season of His resurrection, and throughout eternity.

Love and prayers,

Faces of Easter

In April, I participated in a fundraising event for Easter Seals in Columbus, Georgia. Though I don’t know a lot about the organization, I do know that its focus is the care and rehabilitation of the physically and mentally disabled. The director in Columbus is Sharon Borger, a Christian who expresses her love for Christ in the work she does at Easter Seals.

On the day I was to sing at the fundraiser, which fell during the week before Easter, I watched a slide show which was to run while I sang. The images there of grins, eyes, and faces of kids inspired this song. I was surrounded by Easter lilies as I sang the song, hence the reference to lilies in the last verse.

This is one of those songs, of which I would imagine I’ve done hundreds or more, which is written for one very specific occasion. They get sung one time and usually forgotten. I recorded this for Mrs. Borger and her staff, and thought you might enjoy hearing it. While it addresses a particular organization, it speaks, in a broader sense, about any exercise of compassion that we might involve ourselves in.

Is it not one of the profound privileges of Christ’s followers to be His face, His hands, His heart to the world? While every attempt to fill those roles, even on our best days, will meet with woeful imperfection, we are still image bearers. And there is even the prospect that He will someday say "well done."

Faces of Easter

This is the playground and these are the kids,

They are different and precious and rare,

This is their laughter and these are their eyes,

Looking up now for someone to care,

These are the faces that make us look down

Faces as tender and deep as the dove,

We are the faces of Easter to them,

We are the faces of Love.

These common expressions, these uncommon kids,

Just look at the way that they grin,

Sensing, i’m sure, they are wanted and loved,

Knowing they’re safe here with friends,

These little hands cannot reach up to us,

But we can reach down from above,

We are the faces of Easter to them,

We are the faces of Love.

These are the ones we could choose to ignore,

But Easter will not let it be,

"whatever you do to the least," He has said,

"this you have done unto Me."

Consider the lilies that grow in the field,

The wind leaves them broken and bruised,

But these we can harbor and hide from the storm,

If we’ll just do the work we should do,

Easter time teaches abundantly clear,

That love means to suffer and give,

We are the faces of Easter to them,

We are the faces of Love.

(Copyright 2000, allen c. levi)

Isn't that Beautiful? May you all have a Happy Easter filled with love.

Here's another song for Easter.

So you think you Can't Dance?.....

No more excuses!!

Miley Cyrus - The Climb

The Climb - Miley Cyrus

I can almost see it

That dream I'm dreaming but

There's a voice inside my head sayin,

You'll never reach it,

Every step I'm taking,

Every move I make feels

Lost with no direction

My faith is shaking but I

Got to keep trying

Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain

I'm always going to want to make it move

Always going to be an uphill battle,

Sometimes you going to have to lose,

Ain't about how fast I get there,

Ain't about what?s waiting on the other side

It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,

The chances I'm taking

Sometimes they knock me down but

No I'm not breaking

I may not know it

But these are the moments that

I'm going to remember most yeah

Just got to keep going

And I,

I got to be strong

Just keep pushing on, cause

There's always going to be another mountain

I'm always going to want to make it move

Always going to be an uphill battle,

Sometimes I'm going to have to lose,

Ain't about how fast I get there,

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb

There's always going to be another mountain

I'm always going to want to make it move

Always going to be an uphill battle,

Sometimes you going to have to lose,

Ain't about how fast I get there,

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb

Keep on moving

Keep climbing

Keep the faith baby

It's all about

It's all about

The climb

Keep the faith

Keep your faith

Never think you're too small to make a difference

Don't take the Swine Flu Jab

People are a little bit like durian

Seeing the good and possibilities in others can be likened to loving some of those odd and oftentimes highly sought-after fruits, like durian*. Durian is an acquired taste, and yet there are people fanatically dedicated to durian. Others find that hard to believe. *(The edible fruit of a tree, Durio zibethinus, in Southeast Asia, which has a hard, prickly rind, a highly flavored, pulpy flesh, and an unpleasant odor.)

     What makes people crave a fruit like durian? What makes them elevate it to a "king of fruits" status? Why do they light up when they see clumps of those prickly, greenish-brown husks hanging liberally from vendor stalls? How do they get past the pungent, even revolting, odor? What makes them fight their way through the thick, prickly outer husk in order to reach the inside? What makes them obsessed with this fruit that smells like—as some people describe it—dirty socks?

    They've fallen in love with what's inside those prickly green husks. They've made it past the prickly outer shell, past the foul smell, and they have tasted the exquisite center. And once they've tasted it, they'll do whatever it takes—clothes-peg their nose and fight with their bare hands if need be—in order to get to that delicious, sweet, creamy center again and again.

     Loving people and seeing the good and possibilities in others is similar to getting to the heart of a durian. People can sometimes be prickly. They can have thick, crusty outer shells. Their presence can sometimes repel rather than attract. People can sometimes be stinky—when they do and say stinky things, or when they sin, as everyone does at times. But to the true people-lover, those barriers and obstacles merely add to the challenge and excitement of reaching that heart of gold—that sweet center of the inner person that you know is there. If it were any easier to get close to people, some of the excitement would be lost, and some of the allure of the adventure would be lost.

     Durian is the king of fruits to some. Likewise, people are My crowning creations on Earth—each one having a heart and soul that is more valuable and precious than all that this world has to offer. Anyone who has reached inside another's heart, and who has seen what lies beneath the often crusty, prickly shell, has seen the soft and often hurting center. Within that center lies great potential. Within that center lies good. Within that center lies possibility that just needs to be believed in and highlighted.

     Once you have touched the center of someone, and then someone else, and then someone else, you start to see that beneath all the layers and tough exterior, everyone has that special place inside that needs to be loved, that needs to be believed in, that needs to be encouraged and appreciated.

    People need passionate and dedicated friends and family who love them, who know that there is good and possibility deep inside of them, and who will do anything to reach that beautiful center.

The Greater Victory

       BELOVED, REMEMBER: YOURS IS A GREATER VICTORY than those even who got the victory which was obvious, victory which was evident, victory over the trial, experiencing the tribulation and affliction and got the victory.
      BUT THERE WERE THOSE OF US WHO WOULD NOT ACCEPT DELIVERANCE, who have been tortured that we "might obtain a better resurrection"--better than what?--Better than our dear beloved brethren who had such great conquests and victories and did so many mighty works and miracles.
     THEY "QUENCHED THE VIOLENCE OF FIRE, ESCAPED THE EDGE OF THE SWORD, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens," and "received their dead even raised to life again."--Oh how they preached that the greatest thing would be to raise the dead, the greatest thing would be to perform many mighty signs and wonders and miracles!
     GOD SOMETIMES GETS HIS GREATEST VICTORIES OUT OF SEEMING DEFEAT. He does His greatest miracles out of the most impossible situations, and He gets His greatest glory from seeming, utter, absolute failure.

M.D.

Jen Chapin - Into The Mystic (Van Morrison)

The Trials of a Teacup

I haven’t always been a teacup. There was a time in my life when I was just a lump of clay. Then my Master took me and began to pat and mold and shape me. It was very painful and I begged Him to stop, but He only smiled and said, “Not yet!”

Then He placed me on a spinning wheel and I went ’round and ’round. I got so sick I thought I wasn’t going to make it, but then He finally let me off. Just as I thought I was going to be all right, my Master put me in an oven. I’ve never understood why He wanted to burn me; I yelled and begged for Him to stop, to let me out. I could see dimly through the glass in the oven door, but He only smiled, shook His head and said, “Not yet!”

Finally He came and took me out. “Oh, that sure feels better,” I said to myself. Then all of the sudden, my Master picked me up and started sanding and brushing me. Then He took a paintbrush and started painting colors all over me. The fumes were so strong I thought I was going to pass out. I pleaded with Him to stop, but He continued to smile and said, “Not yet!”

Then He placed me in another oven. This one was twice as hot as the first. I knew that I would suffocate. I begged, I pleaded, I cried, but He still only smiled and said, “Not yet!”

I began to feel there was no hope. I would never make it. I couldn’t take any more. It was all over for me. I decided to give it all up. Then the door swung open and Master said, “Now!”

He lifted me up and He placed me on a shelf to rest. Later He came to me with a mirror and told me to look. As I looked at myself, I could not believe my eyes. I said, “Oh my, what a beautiful teacup.”

Then the Master explained: “I want you to understand that I knew it hurt when I patted and molded you. I knew the spinning wheel made you sick. But if I had left you alone, you would have dried up and always have been just a lump of clay. You would not have had any personality in your life.

“I knew it was hot when I put you in the first oven, but if I hadn’t, you would just have crumbled.

“I knew it really bothered you to be brushed and painted, but if I hadn’t, you would not have had any color in your life.

“Oh, how I knew the second oven was hard for you! But you see, if I had not put you there, you would not have been able to stand the pressures of life. Your strength would not have lasted, so you would not have survived for very long .

“So you see, when you thought it was all so very hard, I still had you in My care. I knew all along what you would be today. I had the finished product in mind from the day I first touched you!”

Change journey & a piece of clothing

You can think of your personal change journey as being like a piece of clothing. Turn it inside-out. That’s when you see how it’s made. You see all the inner stitching and what holds it together. You see the quality of the seam work. You see the labels, the washing and drying instructions. You see if it’s made to last or if it’s a little flaky. You see if it needs the delicate cycle or if it’s sturdy enough to take the normal or even tough cycle. Inside-out is where you essentially get to see what that piece of clothing is made of.
Every person is a different piece of clothing, each piece requiring customized care and customized washing and drying. Right now you feel like that piece of clothing being turned inside-out. You’re getting to take a hard look at the inside of you and how you operate—your mindsets, the different attitudes and perspectives you’ve adhered to over the years, and how you appear to others.
Real change comes from the inside.

Desperate Prayer

This is one of those special songs that lifts me when I'm down, warms me when I'm cold, wipes my tears & gives me a reason to smile again cause it reminds me that the raging storm will cease.
Click on the post title to hear the song.

What is Love

What is Love? Divine adornment
Of the soul that wears it high.
It's the crystal-golden pathway
Keeping us by Jesus' side!

It's sublime and never ending
Always following God's own chart,
Reaching over lands and oceans
To console a single heart.

Jesus, Jesus, Lord of loving,
Teach me from Thy tender heart
How to serve all those around me,
To fulfill my loving part!

I found love; I found the answer!
Finally I've found out now
That to love and serve another
I just have to ask You how!

Every soul that looks to Heaven,
Every heart that's warm and kind,
Can discover in God's beauty
All that no one else can find!
--Christina Rose

The Secret To You

Gratitude Attitude

Gratitude and trust are closely related. In order to be thankful for everyone and everything in my life‚ I need to trust that the universe makes sense, that everything my soul has chosen to experience in my lifetime has been for my ultimate highest good. I trust that when it appears I'm failing, I'm only learning. I make a great effort to bless my life as it is, both the so-called triumphs and disasters. A line from Kipling's poem If often comes to mind: "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat these two impostors just the same."

When I remind myself that I am a student in Earth School, choosing those lessons that enhance my soul's purpose, it's possible to more readily bless every circumstance of my life. Of course, from a more unenlightened segment of myself, I sometimes wonder, "Why did I choose this particular misery?" Yet, gratitude for, and trust in, ultimate justice is the best antidote for the poisonous emotions of self-pity and resentment. I find it impossible to experience gratitude and negative emotions simultaneously.

When my soul arrived in Earth School, it set up some challenging lessons. Many years went by before I learned to see the blessings in these experiences. When I could honestly begin to understand their purpose and to feel gratitude for them‚ I made an escape from the darkness of a victim's prison into the light of freedom and joy.

Looking back over my life, I can see the beauty that the windstorms have carved. I trust current and future challenges to facilitate additional soul growth. My heart is filled with gratitude for all the people and events in my life because I now understand their higher purpose. My heart overflows with gratitude for the Divine Love that enfolds, guides, protects and sustains us all!

Check the link for Danielle Peck's song "Isn't that Everything"

Trust...

When the times get rough, the storms get high, the night gets darker, the despair and the discouragement get deeper, don't give up, don't surrender! Even if you feel that you can't fight, just look unto Him and trust. Read His Word and trust. For trust in the darkness brings triumph at dawn. The trust through the darkness in my life brought forth the greatness of the dawn and the light that poured forth, and the inspiration that came out. All of this was part of the squeezing, all of this was part of the proving. For He could trust me because He knew I trusted Him. And He wants to be able to trust you. So prove that you can trust Him through it all.

I know He is there with you! He is there in the dark­ness. He is there in the trial. He is there in the test. He is there in the confusion. He is there in the depths. He is there because He loves you. He knows you have to go through these things, even as He had to go through the death and the suffering of the cross. But He is there to help you through. He is there because He loves you, because you are very dear to Him.

No matter what, trust Him! Every man and woman of God goes through it. Your mom and dad have gone through it. I went through it. My mom and dad went through it. Heaven is full of people that went through it! That's why they're Here, and that's why they have such glorious rewards, because they trusted Him!

So trust Him, won't ya? Look to His Word! Look to Him! Praise Him and thank Him through the storms. He'll bring you through and He is right there. Just trust Him, hold on to Him, don't let go. Keep fighting! Keep praising! Keep trusting! He'll bring you through. And believe me, it's worth it! It's well worth it. For the glories that are Here are well worth the trials that are there. The rewards of trusting are far beyond all that you could imagine!

Easter Messiah - Via Dolorosa - Isaiah 53 - Sandi Patty

Happy Easter everyone

This morning I came upon this short but meaningful story about how obstacles can actually be a help to us. If we learn to look at them in the right way sometimes we'll see how they can get us going into the right direction. What ever the obstacle there is always a good side to it even if we don't see it right away.

Making a Beeline

By Curtis Peter Van Gorder

I was waiting for a friend to pick me up and decided to bide my time in the quiet of an empty restaurant. Against a window pane next to where I was sitting, a bee frantically tried to escape his transparent prison. It would fly up the pane until it became so tired that it fell back to the bottom, only to repeat the futile effort over and over. It seemed programmed to do no other. The curious thing was that only a few inches away there was an open door. The bee just didn't see it. Perhaps it never considered a horizontal flight path to freedom, or perhaps the few inches of window frame seemed impossible to circumvent. To the bee, the outside and freedom looked so real, so close, yet inaccessible.

It wasn't until after about 10 minutes of failure after failure that the bee escaped. How did it do it? It was scared into it. A passer-by inadvertently bumped the window pane from the outside and the bee felt threatened. It didn't understand that the glass that separated it from freedom also shielded it from its imagined predator. Trying to avoid danger, it broke out of its routine, darted back a few inches, saw daylight elsewhere, and took off through the open door.

Have you ever felt like that bee? Have you ever felt like a prisoner to a routine from which there was no way to escape? Has the thought of freedom been compelling, but actual freedom seemed unattainable? God does allow obstacles in all of our lives that can seem as insurmountable and impenetrable as that pane of glass, but often it's to get us to go another direction, through an open door and on a beeline to freedom.