Happy is the man ...

is for happy...

Sometimes we just have to remind ourselves

Happy is the man whose soul is anchored in the Lord.

Happy is the man that knows peace.

Happy is the man that says, “I trust in the Lord and lean not to my own understanding”.

Happy is that man that dances a dance of freedom in the midst of a storm.

Happy is the man that can say, “I have more than enough”.

Happy is he that is not swayed by popular opinion.

Happy is he who is foundation sure.

Happy is the man that knows what the saying, “we shall not be moved”, really means.

Happy is he who knows the voice of the Shepard.

Happy is he that knows that they are chosen and set apart.

Happy is the man that understands that we are in this world but not of it.

Happy is he that knows silence and is content.

Happy is he that enjoys his own company and sees that there is indeed a difference between “alone-ness” and loneliness.

Happy is the man that takes a cue from Enoch and makes walking and talking with Lord in the cool of the day a habit.

Happy is he that knows the wonderous working power of the Holy Ghost.

Happy is he who prays like a life depends on it because it does.

         

Happy is he who prays like a life depends on it because it does.

This is happy. This is joy unspeakable.

(c) 2015, USA

#oakager   #soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak

This is what it means to be a dad...

http://www.sproutling.com/parentage/paternal-instinct/

Here, Bertie Wells shares what it looks like to parent through loss.  Click the link above and read the full story.

#oakager   #soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak

Four Women: Simone, Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright, Angélique Kidjo

Knowing He Will ...

A Message To A 'Young' Believer

Faith is a deeply personal thing which revolves around our individual relationship with Christ.

The bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  Just because we pray doesn’t mean that God is going to pull out His magic wand  and “poof” everything is alright, bodies are healed, money is suddenly in our bank accounts and all is right in the land. Au contraire….my God don’t work dat way. 

When I first came to the Lord I wanted everything to work out right immediately in my life. I wanted all my trouble and my mess to just disappear. I cried, I screamed I fell on my face and begged but, baby, God was not moved….or so I thought. He was moved alright but not the way “I” figured He SHOULD be moved. God was in the process of cleaning me up and getting me to look at my stuff - the good and the bad and He was maturing me in a manner that made me stop looking for an easy way through everything. With all the mess that I have been in throughout my life I have been fairly "lucky".  God was letting me know that He was my sheild from so many things that could have happened.  Chil', I shoulda been dead. If it had not been for the Lord on my side....

Think about it and ask yourself, was it easy for Jesus to carry the cross up that hill and be nailed to it and to be spat upon, whipped and bruised for me? The first thing you have to understand that that’s exactly who He did it for …. YOU so that you can live a clean and decent life without worry. A life without the burden and sin of your past. A life full of faith.

At one time I found myself thinking that faith is something that I could put on like a coat or better yet an attitude. But you see, faith is a “substance” – a tangible thing that can be touched and held. It is substance that is also a growing, living thing ever stretching and expanding through every good and bad circumstance of my life.  Faith ebbs and flows, pulses and vibrates. Faith breathes.

There are days when I just know that I am close to God. I am walking in purpose, His anointing is on me, I am blessed and a super saint. Yep, I am full of faith, walking in it and talking about it. Then there are days (many days) when I am like David in a cold, dark cave, hiding from the enemy. 

After being cast out by Achish, David fled to a cave in Adullam [1 Samuel 22:1-3]. He is overwhelmed because of the desperate situation he was in. He was obviously lonely, but he found refuge in the Lord. He felt that this cave was a prison to him. It was in this place, it is said, that he composed Psalm 142:

I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication.  I poured out my complaint before Him; I laid before Him my trouble.  When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then Thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.  I looked on my right hand and beheld, but there was no man that would know me. Refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.  I cried unto Thee, O Lord; I said, “Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.  Attend unto my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I.  Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Thy name; the righteous shall compass me about, for Thou shalt deal bountifully with me.” (21KJV)

By-d-way, anyone that says they never felt like this is lying….don’t trust them.

So my point is this.  Faith is 'the' substance and it is also a process. The more I trust God in his timing the greater and deeper my faith is. The more I believe what He says in His Word that He does indeed hear my cry and He is faithful to me as I am faithful to Him, the deeper my faith is. The more I consult Him on everything in my life including what am I going to eat today because of my diabetes – the deeper my faith is.  The more I am confident that He will heal me - the deeper my faith is. Before I develop a major creative endeavor, I go to God. Through error, time wasted and money lost I have learned over the years that when I don’t go to God first I am generally operating outside of His will and that project is doomed for failure.

Maturity is faith. I am not afraid and I am willing to accept the exact answer I need at any given time. I trust God will never harm me, leave me or lie to me. Many times His answer is not now or just a plain and simple no and I am ok with that.  I have some great and wonderful projects in my heart that I want to accomplish in my life time.  I am a creative spirit and I cannot sit idle for too long. Faith comes in when I realize that my creative and splendid ideas may not be God’s intention for my life THIS day. Every morning I ask God to show me what he wants of me THIS day. Show me who is it that I am to share the gospel with THIS day. Who can I pray for THIS day? What poem, sonnet, blog posting can I write THIS day that is going to encourage somebody and let them know that they are greatly loved and cherished by my God? I stopped telling God what I am going to do and have learned to let God tell me. And if I am not to compose that thing, so be it. It is God's will and not my own. I still want to write the great American novel some day and that is coming because my Daddy said so. I still want to establish the Oby House but I will only do those things when it is God’s will and He has made the time right. God told me one day to not get it twisted. He does not serve me and He is not at my beck and call. All I could say was “Yes, Lord!”  Who am I? Did I create the heavens and the earth and all therein?

No one ever said that a walk of faith was easy. But the rewards are splendid.  I never in a million years thought that my family would come to me for prayers and encouragement or to just sit and talk over life’s difficulties. I never thought in a million years that I would know peace and joy unspeakable in this lifetime. I really never understood or could see my life without turmoil in one form or another. I have peace and I know real love and more now. I am truly blessed.  I may not have a fancy house nor do I drive a fancy car. The miracle is that I have what I need and I am satisfied.

Let me share with you a devotion from Dr. Charles F. Stanley as printed in the In Touch Magazine (July)

The Power of Patience

Picture waiting in a checkout line that hasn’t moved for 10 minutes. Many of us would feel frustrated. We live in a generation that expect instant results.

Everyone struggles with some degree of impatience. We’re born with this trait – think about a 3 month old who wants milk in the middle of the night. The inborn reaction is to fuss at the first hint of discomfort and keep at it until the need is met.  Patterns from our old flesh nature, like impatience, make this a continual battle for most people, but one that is very worthwhile to fight.

Let’s consider the biblical definition of patience.  The word can refer to both longsuffering and perseverance – that is not giving up or yielding under pressure.  It reveals itself when we are willing to wait without frustration while suffering or experiencing some strong desire.  What’s more, patience means accepting whatever the Lord chooses to give (or not give) and willingly receiving it on His timetable.  In the meantime, we should pray, obey, and persist as we seek God’s direction.

The danger of impatience is that we might miss the Lord’s perfect plan and blessing. But when we trust our Father’s will and timing, we’ll know inner peace.

What causes you stress? Carefully examine whether you are taking matters into your own hands or releasing the circumstance to almighty God.  Follow Psalm 37:7, which says, “Rest in the Lords and wait patiently for Him.” Seek His way and His timing. (Chil’) anything else can be destructive.

#oakager   #soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak

Dad

Dad never wanted his picture taken. I am not sure I really understand why.  I don’t own a photograph of my father even though he lived in our household for all of the years of our growing and becoming.

Strange.

Perhaps my father preferred to live in the shadows; incognito. He knew the reason.  All I know is that it translated in my mind when I was a kid that he was  ashamed of us or perhaps he didn’t like us very much.  I don’t know.

Strange.

This is the only visual memory I own. All I have is this caricature drawn by my brother around the time of my father’s demise.  Funny but I have carried this around in one of my bibles for years. As a matter of fact it is in the bible that I use for church every Sunday. It doesn’t matter if the preacher calls for a scripture from the New Testament or the Old, flipping through the pages of this well-worn book, I see this face.

Strange.

But I love this cartoon face of my father. It occurred to me recently that this is a profound statement being made on a once a week bases. This picture is reminding me that I never really knew the true man.  I didn’t know where he came from nor who his people were or are. I didn’t know much about his likes and dislikes, either. I mean I never had a full-fledged conversation with the man. It’s human nature to  think the worst when we are left alone to compose the story out of a few negative  scenes in time. But let me be fair. Sometimes I look at this picture and see a kind old man that was a dying breed.   He was an honest to goodness tailor. That’s something special, isn’t it?

Strange.

So I have this caricature in my bible as though I am holding him captive. I somehow don’t want to forget this bit of my root. There are so many questions that I wish to have answered. This must be what an adopted child feels as they grow with a desire to know their true birthparents.  A made up story about my father just won’t do at this late date of my life. I long to know the real truth with each passing Sunday and the flip of the page of this well-worn bible.

Strange.

Perhaps if I knew the who, what, when, where, how of his story my own who, what, when, where or how would be revealed. Maybe the gaps in my own story would be filled in. Those grey areas full of questions would fade. Maybe.  Maybe not.  Maybe the need to know his story is not the real issue. I mean my life really wouldn’t change drastically if I knew. Would it?

Strange.

It has come to my mind that I still have some forgiveness issues to work through regarding my father, something that I thought I had done many moons ago. I thought that nailing the sin and mess of my past to the cross was truly enough. I thought that all of that work I did with my psychologist back in the day was sufficient.

Strange.

I then had a “ah-ha” moment. I was not holding on to my father’s memory by carrying this cartoon face around in my bible. My father was holding me hostage with every Sunday flip of the page. I might as well have been going around with a huge question mark hovering above my head.  I was refusing to let go of those painful unanswered questions and the longer I am holding on to that space the more I am refusing to let Jesus come in and fill in the blanks.  So I ask myself, do inquiring minds really need to know everything?  No, they don’t.

Strange.

I am pretty positive that someone reading this is saying that this is elementary. Un-huh. But here’s the deal. The difference between me and you, dear saint, is that I am willing to be transparent in hopes that I can help somebody and so that me, myself and I can be healed. So many of our relationship issues with each other, our co-workers or our family members stem from forgiveness issues.  As we spend time in prayer, fasting and honest self-examination, let us remember that forgiveness is the gate by which we must walk through to get to the glory of salvation. We are so good at lying to ourselves about our issues but we cannot lie to the One that sees all and knows all.  It is time to release that heavy burden of unforgiveness and truly get on with it. The bible says:

“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?   Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.”  Matthew 18:21-22 KJV

#oakager   #soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak

You Gotta Have Faith, Child. --- a story

It was Aunt Eunice and my grandmother who taught me how to grow and appreciate green living things.  Along with beautiful roses they both grew beans and squash and even corn. The stalks of corn seemed to reach as high as the sky as though they were reaching up to heaven to thank God for the sun and the rain. 

Aunt Eunice was known to tell her corn stalks that it was their duty to grow tall and sweet. From the time I was itty-bitty to the time I was grown, if it wasn’t my grandmother it was Aunt Eunice telling me, “Take care of God’s green earth and it will take care of you.”  As I grew older I began to appreciate all of the hard work those two strong black women put into coaxing something out of that hard Arizona clay.  They were right, too.  We never were hungry even though we were very poor. 

Aunt Eunice had a whole lot of faith that the seeds she would plant in that dry Arizona desert would grow into tall stalks of sweet corn or beans or squash that would feed her family.  Her labor of faith brought to me a deep understanding of how to maneuver through life’s difficulties. 

She told me that as we are faced with hard Arizona clay kind of problems, we have to turn on the faucet and pour out some of that sweet well water called faith. That Aunt Eunice  deep, abiding kind of faith. Then we have to carry that heavy bucket over to that problem, especially in the heat of the day, and drown it; talk to it like Aunt Eunice talked to that corn. Her advice was to tell that problem that you will not be overcome, overwhelmed or defeated by it because the Lord was on your side. Then she would say with joyous laughter, "Stand back, child, and give God some room to do His work. You just give Him thanks and watch how He will come through each and every time. Amen?" 

That was my Aunt Eunice and this is what she taught me.

#soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak

(c) 2011    Revised 2015

All postings to this blog are the exclusive property of the author and may not be used, copied or transmitted without written permission.

Happy birthday to those turning 15 from somebody turning 65...

(third from left) Carole Mason 1944-2005

I would have loved to pass on some of the funny and wonderful things and thoughts that my sister would probably say to you on your 15th birthday but these are times remembered and times forgotten for me. After thinking about it and praying about it for several days, my heart is telling me to follow my prime directive as a writer which is to write from my own experience and offer to few words of wisdom of my own.

Growing up in the early 1950s and 60s was a peculiar time of wonderment for myself and many a young girl. We were growing up in a time when the world was changing faster than our brains and inner spirits could keep up with. I was 15 years old in 1965 - wow!

In 1965 we were the first to rebel against what we called the establishment. We screamed and loudly protested against the real and percieved wrongs of American life to any and everyone that would listen. We were convinced of what is wrong in our society and were, of course, quick to remind our elders of how they had messed up our environment, the political system that we were beginning to understand could not be trusted, our home lives which was now labled with a new word - dysfunctional and there were far too many things that we were not being educated about. 

Not knowing how we  could change any of this we yelled louder, "hell no, we won't go!"  We became the hip generation; the flower children that set our own style in our music, the way we dressed, the way we created our art and the way we thought. We made some amazing discoveries about our bodies and ourselves, our belief systems and our culture.

By the time I was 15 my two sisters had already graduated to a different level of life's adventures. I was lonely and terribly misunderstood. I thought that mama didn't get it and I was pretty sure daddy didn't care. I was screaming for guidance and I longed for someone to talk to that "gets me".

I believe I am writing this today because I am getting ready to celebrate this marvelous age of 65 where I can say that I have finally reached the age of senior adulthood.  You see I have been feeling much the same way a pre-teen must feel before they cross over to teen-dom. You know, not a kid anymore but not really a full fledged teenager either.

With that said, this seems a good a time as any to reflect on my life thus far. I wonder how different my life may have been if I had parents that really understood the importance of talking to me and not at me? How different would the lives my siblings be if this had been so?

I'm pretty positive that my parents loved me but during that strange and peculiar time they were doing the best they could to clothe and feed us. Communication on the needs, desires and dreams of a silly teenage girl was real low on the priority list. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't have any regrets. I just so happen to be pretty happy about how my life turned out inspite of. I am just wondering that if things had been different, would I have learned the fine art of listening more intently? Perhaps I would have learned to express my true feelings more profoundly - if there is such a thing. Would my dreams and life expectations been more colorful and vivid - perhaps imaginative and I would have come to the the understanding sooner that my dreams are indeed possible and even achievable? 

Would I have come to trust God the way I do now if things had been different for me growing up? Probably not. I doubt seriously if would have come to love life and appreciate all the good and bad of it like I do this day.  Just how many things, that I cry over today, would be things that I take for granted had life dealt me a different hand? By-the-way, I do cry over the smallest and simplest things. Things like a baby laughing. When they are real little and they laugh I wonder if they learned how to do that in heaven. I cry over old movies, fields of flowers and majestic mountain ranges. You know, I have finally learned to settle my spirit and stop and smell the sweetpeas!

If I have any words of wisdom to pass on to you, my precious, it would be these:  Pay attention to life and always be present in mind, body and spirit. In other words, take care of yourself and love yourself . Appreciate the blessing of great parents that care and listen and are there to propel you forward toward the fullfilment of your dreams. Never, ever be afraid of making mistakes because it is through our mistakes that we reach our fullest potential. And, above all else, always keep a grateful heart - love God and trust God.

Remember to stop and smell the sweetpeas...

Happy Birthday, Miss Hannah!

 #soulwriter 

Books by Debi Mason:

What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace

Amazon.com (paperback)

Amazon.com (Kindle edition)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0692236475

Release: June, 2014

Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery

Amazon.com (paperback)

Barnes & Noble (paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781606964880

Release: June, 2009

Follow me on Twitter:  @DebiOak