Faith Noodles

Pray, don't find fault with the man that limps  Or stumbles along the road.  Unless you have worn the shoes he wears  Or struggled beneath his load.  There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt  Though hidden away from view.  Or the burden he bears placed on your back  Might cause you to stumble too.  Don't sneer at the man who's down today  Unless you have felt the blow  That caused his fall or felt the shame  That only the fallen know.  You may be strong but still the blow  That was his if dealt to you  In the selfsame way, at the selfsame time  Might cause you to stagger too.  Don't be too harsh with the man that sins  Or pelt him with word or stone  Unless you are sure - yea, doubly sure -  That you have no sins of your own.  For you know, perhaps,  If the tempter's voice should whisper as soft to you  As it did to him when he went astray  It might cause you to falter to...

Monday mornings are never dreadful when you spend it with God. Just some reflections from my quiet time this morning that really encouraged me. Proverbs 22:4  The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life .   In the original Hebrew, this verse is missing the conjunction "and" between the words "humility" and "fear of the Lord". And so, scholars argue that this verse can be read as "the reward of humility [either 'and' or 'which is'] the fear of the God, which is itself the source of every virtue and blessing". I think that, somehow, they go hand in hand, but humility is necessary in order for us to come to and continue to fear God. Humility is the feeling of dependence on God, the surrender of our wills to Him and conviction of our sins. When this leads us to fear the Lord and continues to accompany it, it will bring life - where our insides will be renewed, revived, and flourish with spirit...

From "The Valley of Vision" This is such a beautiful puritan prayer.. My Savior, help me. I am slow to learn, so prone to forget, so weak to climb; I am in the foothills when I should be on the heights; I am pained by my graceless heart, my prayerless days, my poverty of love, my sloth in the heavenly race, my sullied conscience, my wasted hours, my unspent opportunities. I am blind while light shines around me: take the scales from my eyes, grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief. Make it my chiefest joy to study thee, mediate on thee, gaze on thee, sit like Mary at thy feet, lean like John on thy breast appeal like Peter to thy love, count like Paul all things dung. Give me increase and progress in grace so that there may be more decisions in my character, more vigor in my purposes, more elevation in my life, more fervor in my devotion, more constancy in my zeal. As I have a position in the world, keep me from making the world my position; ...

"I waited and waited and waited for God.  At last he looked; finally he listened." Psalms 40:1-2 (The Message) This verse gives me courage to continue to wait on God in the face of unanswered prayer. I will keep on in prayer and in expectation  no matter how long it takes. -  for I know He hears me and will answer in His perfect time . For I trust with absolute certainty that God even hears the cries of the weakest child. And in this truth, I rest and hope.

Why do you think some girls go "gaga" over songs like "Just the way you are" by Bruno Mars or "Little things" by One Direction? Perhaps, deep inside, we yearn to know that we matter to someone, sometimes - anyone. And perhaps, this is true for the guys too. As a young teenager, I recall going through a stage where I kept questioning my worth. However, when I recommitted my life to Jesus, it's like He answered my question when I looked at what He did for me on the cross. And whenever the questioning resurfaces, this ragged doll analogy has always helped me to better comprehend how *we* are *valuable* and *precious* beyond measure, not because of our inherent traits, but because of the love Someone much bigger than us has for us. (: And so.. I was so excited when I heard this song by Philippa Hanna on the radio! (: That song prompted me to search my humble book shelf for that book that contained the ragged doll analogy, but I couldn't find...

I was crying today, and Tintin came and licked the tears off my face each time it fell. This is why I think my dog rocks. The end.

I just watched such a heartwrenching documentary . Linda Shum, the founder of Eagles Wings Homes, is an Australian who runs 8 homes for severely disabled children in China. With the one-child policy in China, her interviewer noted that it is not uncommon for a disabled child to be abandoned. She once worked as a primary school teacher. Soon after her husband retired from his role as a school principal, Linda told him that she wanted to start a home for orphans in China. Using most of their savings and the funds they raised, they had enough money to build their first home. Tragically, two weeks before the opening of their first home, her husband suffered a stroke and died. When he died, he left an insurance policy worth $50,000 and she used that money to build two more homes for these children. In closing, she said these words that really shook me, making me realise that this is the sort of love Jesus called us to have for the poor: Interviewer: Well, what would you be doing i...