part two

In the last Blog on Collateral Grace, the scribes were still trying to mess with Jesus. Sometime later, and still trying to trip up the Savior, one of those pesky scribes came along and asked the Lord, “Which is the first commandment of all?” And Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like the first, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31 KJV)

All too often, we miss the words of the second to the last sentence, “And the second is like the first,” Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Love. Thy. Neighbor. As. Thyself. Think about those 5 words. Do YOU do this? Do you love yourself?

How often do you say to yourself, “I’m so dumb?” or “I’ll never be able to play tennis?” or “I’ll never read the whole Bible?” or “There’s no way I’ll pass the final?” or “Me?, get an A in math?” or I’m just stupid?”

Please, LISTEN to yourself and then go back and read those five words,

If you say those ‘bad/negative’ things to your best friend or husband or wife, how does that make them feel? And how long will that friend be your friend? If you love your friend as you love yourself, you’re doing a LOUSY job of loving YOU and your FRIEND.

So, let’s go back to loving yourself. No, I’m not suggesting selfishness, egotism, or even narcissism. Be kind to yourself, and then you will be kind to your friend.

If God made us in His image, and He did, then He gave us all we need to love Him, and ourselves, thereby loving those friends. Try it!

I ran a few errands that evening before Thanksgiving Day. I shopped at the grocery store, my favorite dollar store, and the hardware store.

No, I wasn’t shopping for Thanksgiving fodder. I just needed a couple of items. Then, off to the hardware store. I looked for some ‘plain-old-everyday white wall-paint.’ That’s what the instructor called it in a how-to video I watched Tuesday night, wall paint. Mercy! A quart of the stuff starts at $17, so I got the sample size. Yes, ounce for ounce it’s a bit more costly, but since I’m not sure this project will proceed beyond one use, I thought the smaller quantity to be the best choice. I plan on making chalk paint. Yes, I know I can buy ready-made chalk paint, but I didn’t want a quart of the stuff. Besides, I might want to make other colors. I searched online about how to make chalk paint and found several sites and recipes. 

Finally, I ended up at my dollar store. I chatted with several strangers, one of whom makes and designs cakes. I was sad that he didn’t have a business card. I love to support small businesses (Don’t forget to shop and support your favorite small business this Saturday – the Saturday after Thanksgiving is the designated, nationwide day to honor and support them). Then, I chatted with another lady who was beyond beautiful. I told her so! Then there was a little guy, maybe two years old, wearing a lil red Santa or Gnome hat. Cute to the enth degree. I picked up some odds and ends and headed for checkout. The cashier was gorgeous, and I told her so. She was a bit sad as this was her first Christmas without her mom. Those firsts are always hard, aren’t they? We chatted, and she was so kind. I told her that I appreciated her. She said that she ran across so many people who were bent on not only being miserable but were determined to spread it everywhere they went.

I finished up my shopping and went home. I made myself a waffle for supper.

I savored every bite of my little butter-laden, maple syrup-drowned waffle. Yummy! While I enjoyed my breakfast for supper and scrolled through Social Media, I thought back to the evening of errands. It seemed to me that “this year” people were in better holiday moods than I’ve seen in years past. I wondered why. We’ve all seen and heard those people gripe about the commercialization of Christmas and other such excuses. I suppose this might be true. But I chose to think about the real meaning of Christmas. The coming to earth of the Christ Child. The One who would be our Savior. And commercial or not, I am choosing to be happy. To be content in my life. To see the good in people. Yes, we all need Christ, and I guess that many people I encountered don’t know my Lord. But what I do know is that NO ONE wants to hear about Jesus from a grumbling, complaining, ill-mannered, grumpy person.

All of the people I encountered that evening were kind and friendly. Even the people in the busy, overcrowded grocery store were pleasant. I don’t know if I made a difference or not. Maybe I was looking through rose-colored glasses? Perhaps kindness begets kindness.

Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

If you encounter someone who seems sad or appears to have a broken spirit or maybe a broken heart, treat them with kindness. You just might be the first kind person they’ve met today or all week.

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:13-17 KJV)

Why didn’t God stop that?

How could God let that happen?

Why didn’t He intervene?

Well, I don’t think that a loving God would . . .

Sound familiar?

Tell me this. When something heinous, horrible, and terrible happens, why is God the first one to be blamed?

The current dictum disavows personal responsibility. So many of our current laws and even our traditions negate self-discipline.

Why is it God’s fault that the man beat wife to death?

Why is God blamed when the child was run over by a car.

Why do we yell at God when He doesn’t intervene in a robbery gone bad?

Why are we blaming God for this Virus?

Think about all of these things, please.

When a guy goes crazy at a school and kills a bunch of kids, why is the lack of security, the poor communication and the weapon of choice zeroed in on first? Why do we look for all the reasons why the evil deed was committed? Analysis paralysis! There are always reasons but none of these reasons (so called) will make right the misdeeds. None on the psych-speak will bring back those lives and heal the hearts of the affected families.

God gave man dominion over the earth and all things in it.  He also gave us free choice.

The man chose to beat that wife. He made a lousy choice. There is no reasoning and there is no understanding. The man broke the law and the man should be punished. His wife should be protected.

The child was run over because she raced out into the street to get her ball. It was NOT God’s fault and it wasn’t even the car’s fault.

A robbery gone bad? How could a robbery possibly go good? Duh!!  It’s not God’s fault and you certainly can’t blame the gun. The perpetrator, in this case, chose not to trust God for His provision and decided to steal that which was not his and threatened someone with a gun, perhaps even shot him.

Some scientists in China played with the wrong (unclean) dead animals in a lab and unleashed a hellacious viral plague on the world. Where are those scientists now?

None of these are God’s fault.

Do you really want an on-command, bell-hop god? Do you really want a god who will do your bidding? If so, then by example, he must also do the bidding of the robber or the wife beater, and so it goes.

God told us He would never leave us of forsake us.

He told us to Knock and the door will open, Seek and you will find.

God said that even though we walk through the deep valley, He is always there.

May I suggest we rethink this thing, this no-fault everything?

Put the robber in prison, as well as the wife beater.  Take better care of our little ones and protect our women.

Before you judge God at fault, get to know Him. He’s a loving gracious God, just waiting for you with open arms.

If you don’t like the god you were taught about as a child, come and meet the one true God.

If you’re afraid of some god that is described as the boogeyman, or the big bad guy-in-the-sky sending everyone to hell, please release that.  The one true God is a loving God who only wants fellowship with you.

Come unto me, all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

If you’ve done all you can do to stand, then stand.

© 2020 Cat Brennan

I saw a cartoon recently depicting a horse tied to a plastic lawn chair with the caption, “Sometimes the thing that’s holding you back is all in your head.”   Surely that light-weight chair was no match for the horse’s strength (think horse power), but the horse had been trained to stay where he was tied.

What unreasonable thing has your mind been trained to believe? Perhaps you believe that a sneeze is the beginning of a cold? Or tripping over “nothing” makes you clumsy? Maybe you believe that because you have made a simple mistake you are either really dumb, stupid, or an idiot?

Think about your words and your beliefs.  Are they holding you back? Scripture teaches that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) What kind of faith are you hearing and therefore believing?

God’s Word says we are to think on that which is good and pure and … (Philippians 4:8)

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7 KJV (We are not given a spirit of stupid, dumb or idiocy.)

The Word tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:30, “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”

Say the Word out loud – try it!  When you sneeze (or cough or or or). Instead of saying, “I am coming down with a cold”, say this, out loud: “It is written, by His stripes I am healed.” In the New Testament, Peter refers to Isaiah 53:5, which reads, “But He was wounded for out transgressions, He was  bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 reads thus: “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed.”

Or – how about this? When someone else sneezes, do you say, “Bless you?” Well then – try it on yourself. When YOU sneeze, say, “Bless me.” Why not? You DO want God’s blessings on your life, don’t you?

Studies show that it takes 30 days to 6 weeks to form a new habit so don’t give up. Ask God help you do and say these things!

Father in heaven, thank you for Your perfect love and for your perfect Words.  Bless all who read this devo that they will Know the truth and that Your truth will set us all free.

What is your truth? Are you tied to a plastic lawn chair, or are you free in Christ?

© 2020 Cat Brennan

with the caption, “Sometimes the thing that’s holding you back is all in your head.”   Surely that light-weight chair was no match for the horse’s strength (think horse power), but the horse had been trained to stay where he was tied.

What unreasonable thing has your mind been trained to believe? Perhaps you believe that a sneeze is the beginning of a cold? Or tripping over “nothing” makes you clumsy? Maybe you believe that because you have made a simple mistake you are either really dumb, stupid, or an idiot?

Think about your words and your beliefs.  Are they holding you back? Scripture teaches that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) What kind of faith are you hearing and therefore believing?

God’s Word says we are to think on that which is good and pure and … (Philippians 4:8)

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7 KJV (We are not give a spirit of stupid, dumb or idiocy, either).

The Word tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:30, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”

Say the Word out loud – try it!  When you sneeze (or cough or or or). Instead of saying, “I am coming down with a cold”, say this, out loud: “It is written, by His stripes I am healed.” In the New Testament, Peter refers to Isaiah 53:5, which reads, “But e was sounded for out transgressions, he was  bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 reads thus: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

Or – how about this? When someone else sneezes, do you say, Bless you?” Well then – try it on yourself. When YOU sneeze, say, “Bless me.” Why not? You DO want God’s blessings on your life, don’t you?

Studies show that it takes 30 days to 6 weeks to form a new habit so don’t give up. Ask God help you do and say these things!

Father in heaven, thank you for Your perfect love and for your perfect Words.  Bless all who read this devo that they will Know the truth and that Your truth will set us free.

What is your truth? Are you tied to a plastic lawn chair, or are you free in Christ?

© 2020 Cat Brennan

How many times have YOU asked the Lord to help you with something? And, how many times did you then think He didn’t help?

Maybe He did help.

Maybe you weren’t listening.

Recently, I began a project (more on that another time). I  made a list of the “pieces and parts” that would be necessary for the project. First, I put on old clothes, then collected wooden dowels, boards of various thicknesses and lengths, Dremel, jigsaw, palm sander, vise, leather gloves, clear goggles, mask, and …

Where’s my drill? I looked in the place I always kept it – no drill.

Help me, Lord.

I looked in a small cabinet that holds tiny “crafting” tools, glue, and such – no drill.

Help me, Lord.

I looked in the front closet AGAIN, pulled out everything on the floor, tore into the big toolbox, stirred up a bunch of dust, and coughed – no drill.

Help me, Lord.

I looked in my bedroom – a misnomer. That room houses two sewing machines, enough fabric to start my own shop, this laptop, and several files for the novel I’m currently writing, books on the craft of writing, and more books to read. Oh, and a single bed. I moved, opened, looked into nearly every nook and cranny, and stirred up dust – more coughing – no drill.

Help me, Lord.

Out to the little storage space that houses a freezer, Christmas decorations, and other seasonal items – no drill.

Help me find the drill, Lord. Please.

I give up. Yes, I did, I gave up.

Gathered the trash, grumbling I might add, and a few reusable shopping bags – I keep those in the back end of my car, so they are at the ready when I shop. Headed out the door, keys in hand, and touched the clicker to unlock my car. Open the backend and guess what was there – the drill!

Stowed the reusable bags and began to laugh. I laughed all the way to the dumpster and back to my home. “Lord, you think you’re funny, don’t you?” Of course, we know that He has a great sense of humor – just look at tadpoles and puppies. Look in the mirror!

As I went along looking for the drill and asking for help, I “thought” a few times, “Look in the car.” I dismissed that “thought” because I do NOT keep the drill in the car.

EXCEPT – Two weeks ago, I had put the drill in the car to take with me to Lowe’s to get the right thing I needed. I had not yet gone shopping for that ½” bit, so I forgot about it.

You know that “still, small voice”? Yeah, That One. I sometimes wish that my Heavenly Father would YELL at me. I wonder how many times He desires that I would just be quiet and listen? How many times did He say, so gently, “Look in the car?”

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; Matthew

Matthew 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth;

Matthew 7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Matthew 7:10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

None of these scriptures are new to me. Lesson learned, at least for today.

Ask! Listen, then,

Look in the car, Girl!

© Cat Brennan 2020

Ever have one of those days when something just isn’t right? When something seems off or missing? In animal land, a man might say of his horse, ‘He’s off his feed.”

Even seasoned Christians have those kinds of days.

Get up in the morning and fly through your shower and daily ablutions.

Rush through breakfast and a quick cuppa.

Glance at your inbox.

And you’re out the door.

Into the car and half way to your destination, what did I forget?

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Psalm 63:1 KJV

[ A David Psalm, When He Was out in the Judean Wilderness ] God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts.

Psalm 63:1 MSG

It IS a dry and thirsty land out there without God. God created in each one of us a yearning and a longing for Him; for His presence and His indwelling.

Do you fill your God-place with God, or do you fill it with Social Networking, Beer-by-the-case, loud music, or porn?  Maybe your filler-upper isn’t so brassy. Maybe your insert is ‘just-a glass-of-wine-with-dinner’, or your face-in-your-phone, or late-night shows ad nauseum, and mid-morning soaps.  These seem less harmful, right?  Wrong.

Let me be clear; God is NOT “going to get you” and you won’t be thrown out of heaven. God doesn’t send lightening bolts or illness or (you fill in the blank). However, your peace is definitely disturbed when you’re not walking with God. His Holy Spirit will gently guide you through all of life as you let Him.

So, please, don’t be thirsty. Drink. Now. The sweet water of the Living Christ is for one and all.

So, what’s in your empty space?

I just read that headline/story title on Facebook – I don’t know to whom to attribute the quote, but I do know to Whom I give all the credit for conquering and defeating darkness and sin.

John 3:16 says it all: For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, for whoever believed in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life.

The God of the ENTIRE universe loves YOU!! Yes, YOU. Yeah, YOU .. the guy who just drank up his paycheck. Yeah, you. The gal who is dating that married creep.

This is Grace. Some would say it’s a license to sin, but God says .. I love because I created you. YOU!

Sin separates ALL of us from God because He is perfectly perfect. But, He gave us a “second” chance, He gave us Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is all you need – all I need. I would invite you to ask His forgiveness today; ask Him to be your Lord and Savior. Ask Him to walk and talk with you. Ask Him in for Easter breakfast.

Please don’t get caught up in the “I don’t deserve Him” lies. AND, please don’t get caught up in the “I made myself what I am today – I did it – I don’t need any god” .. perhaps you did, but that’s not all there is.

I once heard someone say, “If you do NOT know Christ, then Earth (this life), is as close to heaven as you will ever get. However, if you DO know Christ, then Earth (this life), is as close to hell as you will ever get.”

Light or Darkness?

Love or Hate?

Forgiveness or Condemnation?

It’s YOUR choice.

Y O U R  C H O I C E ..

Your. Choice.

#your

#choice

#YourChoice

I choose God. Will you join me?

© Cat Brennan 2017      

It’s been exactly eleven (11) months since I’ve written a post for Collateral Grace, but I feel, no, I believe, the Lord wanted me to write this.

It started out as a conversation earlier this evening regarding an email that contained a prophetic utterance. As I read, I felt very strongly that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me about this election. No, I will NOT tell you that God told me to tell you for whom to vote.

No, I will NOT tell you that God told me to tell you for whom to vote.

This election is so much bigger than this election. Yes, you read that right.

It is so much greater than the people in the running; so much more important than the issues of name calling and blustering and screeching and accusing. Those are unfortunate sidebars and I think we’re all sick and tired of them. The sidebars or sandbars, if you will, are like quicksand and they’ve sucked the life out of many and tried to bury us all.

This is what I believe God wants me to tell you. Remember in the Old Testament when Israel wanted a king? Well, they got one. It didn’t bode well, but they got what they wanted. That’s where we are tonight. Are you ranting and yelling at God for YOUR candidate. Be careful what you ask for.

Many, many years ago, men and women, probably much like you and I, dedicated this country to God and asked His favor on our nation. That agreement, that covenant, was called the Mayflower Compact. It was signed on November 11, 1620 – it has been in place for 396 years!  Since then, He has favored the United States with wealth and prosperity. We became the Greatest Nation in the World. We have been called the Most Powerful Nation in the World and I believe we still are. NO ONE has canceled that covenant. No one has rendered it null and void. At least, not yet.

And now, our future hangs in the balance, perhaps held in place by a mere web of prayers. Those prayers are strong in that they hold the belief in the Love and Strength of the One True God to be as sacred as the day in which the Compact was entered.

So, what are YOU asking God for? Do you want the liberals defeated? Or perhaps, you want the conservatives squashed. Neither matters. What does matter is what God wants.

Have you asked Him? Have you gone before God as the Israelites did? Have you gone before God as the early Mayflower pilgrims did?

If you want God’s will in our nation, your voice must be the loud one.

May God continue to bless America. May God continue to bless you.

© 2016 Cat Brennan

For more information about the Mayflower Compact, please click here.