tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:13:00 +0000http://www.judimurphy.com/noreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)Blogger208125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-5163437518326987441Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:13:00 +00002011-04-17T14:13:00.236-04:00HezekiahChristian Walkhttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Chronicles%2032:1-23&version=NIV On what are you basing your confidence? I just watched a video of Christine Caine at The Global Leadership Conference 2010.  Throughout her presentation she reminds us we are on the winning side; we operate from a lineage, a platform, a promise of victory.  How often do we think of it that way? Hezekiah knew.  http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/uh-no-thats-with-capital-g.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-8774324916514819889Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:40:00 +00002011-04-15T15:04:34.773-04:00Vin DieselElishaHumorThe shaved head... once an object of derision, a sign of old age.  Now, it is chic, BA, sexy.  But before Bruce Willis, there was Elisha.  2 Kings 2:23-25 (The Message) 23 Another time, Elisha was on his way to Bethel and some little kids came out from the town and taunted him, "What's up, old baldhead! Out of our way, skinhead!" 24 Elisha turned, took one look at them, and cursed them in the http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/vin-i-love-ya-but.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-429702610976386658Thu, 14 Apr 2011 18:26:00 +00002011-04-15T10:44:13.015-04:00SalvationChristian WalkFor most of my childhood, I was in search of a birthday.  Through church after church, vacation Bible school after vacation Bible school, I learned how great it is to have an "amazing conversion experience."  One speaker after another filed through our tiny Christian school -- ex-cons, addicts, former rock stars.  They all had these incredible back-from-the-dead types of stories; how God redeemedhttp://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/party-like-its-yo-birthday.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-3469970080928233865Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:30:00 +00002011-04-13T14:30:00.365-04:00Women's RetreatChristian WalkI stepped out of the women's retreat.  The sun had appeared and the day had warmed to seventy degrees or so.  To me, the owner of a black SUV, that means my salad with Feta and raspberry vinaigrette had warmed to a balmy sixty degrees.  Mmmm.  Glancing around as I crossed the parking lot, I hadn't noticed any other "brown baggers," so I ate in my truck.  Besides, I cranked up my new CD's and had http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/retreat-retreat-part-three.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-9050407035428278847Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:59:00 +00002011-04-13T09:59:51.563-04:00ObedienceWriting and InspirationI want to be able to sit down and write, solely for You, solely because of You, Lord.  If I count myself as worthless, where do I find the courage and confidence to submit my work to a publisher?  I find it in You, Lord.  "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."  I do it out of obedience and stewardship.  I do it simply because I want to please Jesus, whatever the world accepts orhttp://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/road-to-committment.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-6957843327292842677Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:50:00 +00002011-04-13T09:52:32.264-04:00Women's RetreatChristian WalkHaving fared somewhat less fabulously than I'd hoped on Friday night, I decided to find some purpose in all of this.  I began a journal.  It might help me get to the bottom of my "disconnect."  If not, at least it'll give me a record from which to learn something. 2:50 AM -- Asleep shortly after 10, but for the four and a half hours or so I slept, I must have awakened at least five times.  I am http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/retreat-retreat-part-two.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-1663416611693464009Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:49:00 +00002011-04-11T15:49:10.055-04:00Women's RetreatChristian WalkSo there was this e-mail, see.  Then a notice in the church bulletin.  And, well you know God, He just kept at it, and at it -- nudging me.  I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go.  Not that it was a ton of money, but it was certainly more money than I was willing to lose if I "bugged out" at the last minute.  What kind of freak would get cold feet about, of all things, a Christian women's retreat?http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/retreat-retreat-part-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-3396255384962626586Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:45:00 +00002011-04-10T14:45:00.053-04:00Christian WitnessPeaceWhat a tremendous comfort and challenge to us!  Spurgeon said this better than I could ever hope, so I'll let you read it straight from him: Preserved to Work's End The Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. (Acts 23:11) Are you a witness for the Lord, and are you just now in danger? Then http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/word-of-peace.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-7937738298832171682Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:24:00 +00002011-04-09T14:24:00.938-04:00Christian WalkJeremiah 15:1616Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips,” my conscience sung to me as I popped the last of the cheesecake into my mouth.“Why can’t vegetables taste like tiramisu, and hot fudge sundaes have fourteen calories?” I wondered.  http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/meat-and-potatoes-kinda-gal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-1789480868723312484Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:08:00 +00002011-04-08T15:08:00.818-04:00SuccessChristian WalkAs long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success. (2 Chronicles 26:5b) How much more simply can this be said? How is success generally measured in our society today? Riches? Fame? Looks? How intensely do we pursue success? What methods do we use to pursue it? Seeking the Lord brings success. The success that comes from knowing all of your needs, forever, will be supplied. The success that http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/are-you-real-success.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-4733490880130664656Thu, 07 Apr 2011 08:08:00 +00002011-04-07T13:13:58.671-04:00PrayerSunday SchoolElishaI am blessed – beyond measure, beyond anything I could ever have imagined. As I walk the halls of my church, I realize what a privilege it is to be able to kiss my children at the door of the same Sunday School building where my parents kissed me. I utter the same parting words my parents said to me: “Behave yourself,” or “Have fun,” or “Learn as much as you can!” Bittersweet is moving through http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/when-its-little-things-that-make.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-6148451987654534451Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:36:00 +00002011-04-06T15:36:00.421-04:00FamilyMy dad always said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  So, "The food was great."  Having said that... Went to a family function about a week ago.  Having previously worked in the restaurant business, I know dim lights hide a multitude of sins -- food splattered on walls, dusty light fixtures, the reaction on people's faces when they have to do that fake air kiss thinghttp://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/aaah-family-gatherings-this-is-not.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-8972974266289372054Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:52:00 +00002011-04-05T15:37:56.733-04:00FamilyMeWriting and InspirationIn all seriousness, I have a question:  "Am I as bad as people say I am?" I don't like hanging out with the girls. I don't like sitting around kibitzing about what someone else wore to last week's PTA meeting (Homeschoolers don't have a PTA, and if they did, I wouldn't go!) or discussing where to get the best eyebrow wax (I don't have eyebrows either; I'm 45, they were one of the first things tohttp://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/somebody-wanna-help-me-out-here.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-2843367574593398704Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:41:00 +00002011-04-04T15:41:00.155-04:00Charity and StewardshipMy new favorite show is "Hard Time" on NatGeo.  I've occasionally wondered whether God has a purpose for piquing my interest in prisons.  Maybe prison ministry.  Hopefully not prison in general.  But I guess one is His choice, and the other would be left entirely up to me.  Anyway.  I hear so many of these guys talking tough, posturing, trying to maintain an illusion of control.  My favorite is http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/not-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-5475225130342712196Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:40:00 +00002011-04-04T08:30:39.491-04:00ScottI was just admiring how my husband's brain works.  Just a little background here -- when I first met Scott he was, let's say, a little rough around the edges.  (Some say "scary")  His lifestyle was more conducive to murder-suicide than growth and development.  He still remains high-strung, but it is tempered with much happier, healthier choices; I choose to believe he is using his powers for goodhttp://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/its-not-always-thought-that-counts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-6121575619158103744Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:15:00 +00002011-04-01T15:15:00.496-04:00SalvationChristian WalkI haven't been feeling well lately.  So, in my PJ's on the sofa, going stir crazy, I discovered the mind-numbing entertainment of television -- specifically, Stories of the ER, or some such dramatic nonsense.  In today's episode: even after numerous panicked trips to the ER (hence the name, I suppose) a pastor was having serious heart problems, for no apparent reason.  A member of his http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/re-re-re-redemption-thats-how-jesus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-1763000877356044489Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:57:00 +00002011-04-01T09:58:34.438-04:00HumorI don't want to be that girl that rubs it in when others are having a tough go of it, but... A couple of years ago, we had over twenty inches of snow.  Where were Steven, Christine and I?  Standing on the sunny, seventy degree sidewalks of Fort Worth, TX! So now, here it is, April and it is snowing in Delaware County, PA.  Where am I?  Oklahoma City -- where the high today is supposed to be http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/04/april-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-6289923929681976073Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:45:00 +00002011-03-31T14:45:07.092-04:00SamuelScripturesI'm having an issue with Eli and Samuel.  I've heard this account since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.  However, for as long as I remember, I have been taught that when Samuel responded to the final summons, that which Eli had advised was the voice of Yaweh, he responded "exactly as Eli had instructed."  Read it: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 Exactly?  I don't think so.  Even commentaries state his http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/03/chasing-down-some-answers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-5546348121000688661Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:55:00 +00002011-03-29T16:15:17.199-04:00RuthChristian WalkNaomi“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.  I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”(Ruth 1:20,21) Are you serious?  Mara?  Who does that?  Who goes around changing their name because they’ve hit a rough patch?  Who wants to be http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/03/call-me-anything-you-like-but-dont-call.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-8405525458191751311Sun, 27 Mar 2011 18:13:00 +00002011-03-27T14:13:00.426-04:00God's PromisesChristian WalkThem that honor me I will honor. (I Samuel 2:30) If I do not honor God, He will not honor me -- I get it.  But try this one on for size: If I seek to honor others, God will not honor me. When life is uncertain, or I become fearful of new undertakings, I turn to Jesus.  But what about when I'm on the other side of it?  When things begin to really take off?  Do I trust in Whom my victory lies, http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/03/secret-of-success.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-8071260548540282301Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:27:00 +00002011-03-26T03:07:09.870-04:00MidianitesChristian WalkIsraelitesJudges 6:1-10 The Israelites had finally made it, received their inheritance – a land flowing with milk and honey. Just a few simple instructions: Do not allow people of foreign gods to live amongst you. When you enter in, I will give you the victory, but you must wipe them out! Do I need to say it?  They disobeyed, allowing heathen tribes and people to live among them.  Eventually, their http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/03/what-might-have-been.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-6825231720072259789Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:24:00 +00002011-03-23T11:24:00.386-04:00Christian WalkSo I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey..."  (Exodus 3:8a) Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness?  (Numbers 16:13a) The Israelites were miserable in Egypt; they were slaves.  No incomes, nohttp://www.judimurphy.com/2011/03/unshackled-and-prosperous.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-6285724929557038324Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:03:00 +00002011-03-21T16:03:00.211-04:00MeWriting and InspirationI love getting up with the fishes uh, make that -- birds.  It's dark; only the yellow glow of tiny nightlights to point the way.  The house is still but for the beating heart of the clock in the living room.  Bishop wriggles and snorts, begging for my undivided attention.  The coffee pot grinds and growls to life, and suddenly -- it hits!  A thought so immediate, so intrusive it bursts through http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/03/break-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-5067020822891355837Sat, 19 Mar 2011 18:50:00 +00002011-03-19T14:50:00.539-04:00My FatherChristian WalkBut to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.  (Joshua 13:33) My father died, some would say, penniless -- yeah, penniless.  No "reading of the will," no "I bequeath," just "how are we supposed to pay for this?"  Ironically, my father sold life insurance for most of his life.  My father prepared for nothing but http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/03/how-to-get-rich-quick.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925312077520383682.post-3775740014517435798Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:41:00 +00002011-03-17T09:41:33.265-04:00LancasterApple FrittersHumorThe day dawned quietly – well, it really hadn’t “dawned” at all; we were up at 5 AM to make an apple fritter run. Scott thought I was nuts. “You have to get them when they’re still warm, and before they’re all sold out! Believe you me, later, when you’re biting into warm, doughy but slightly gooey, apple-y goodness... I will be yo daddy!” It’d been twenty years since I’d been there – multiple http://www.judimurphy.com/2011/03/frittering-away-our-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Judi Murphy)0