Spiritual

The least

by ladypbwiggins

Gideon judges 6:14-15 7:9-11

I was sitting thinking about a sermon presented a few weeks ago. It was from the book of Judges about a guy named Gideon. Gideon was chosen by God to fight the enemy of His people. When Gideon was informed by the prophet, his response was, “My family is the least of families, and I am the least in my family.” There is much more to the story, but the thought of “the least” is what has captured my thoughts.

Have you ever thought of yourself as “the least?” Have you ever compared yourself to others? Did you decide you weren’t good enough based on that comparison? Well, listen to this. God loves choosing “the least” to do great things. David was the youngest son, a sherpard boy. Esther was a Hebrew girl in captivity who became Queen of Persia. Matthew was a tax collector hated by all, yet Jesus chose him. Mary Magneline was a prostitute but Jesus chose her. Peter was an uneducated fisherman. Jesus chose him, and he became a leader of the apostles. I am not great by man’s standards but He chose me. I could go on but I won’t. This is my point. God has a plan for you that will make you great for His purposes. It might not be on a grand scale. You might not even be recognized by those around you. But if you follow His plan, you will be great on His grand scale. Go in the strength you have and trust Him to give you what you need to do the job. You are not “the least” in His eyes.

Trust God to make you Great.

Never Ending Love!

by ladypbwiggins

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MY LOVE.

Forty-five years ago on April 14th we vowed to love and cherish each other for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, through good and the bad till death separates us. We kept that vow until April 10th death physically separated us. I will always love you. You are alive in my heart and in my spirit. Not even death can break that bond. Our spirits are forever joined. I celebrate us today. I celebrated with thoughts of you in heaven free of pain and at peace. I celebrate your freedom and continued praising and rejoicing. I’m a little jealous.

For me, this is the beginning of many “first” without you physically by my side. I miss you so much. I miss your smile, your laugh even your difficult days. Yet, I am happy for you.

I am closing this day affirming

You are the best earthly thing that’s ever happened to me. 😍

Good night my Love.

The Base

by ladypbwiggins

noun – the lowest part or edge of something, especially the part on which it rests or is supported.”she sat down at the base of a tree”

verb -have as the foundation for (something); use as a point from which (something) can develop.”the film is based on a novel by Pat Conroy”

Whether noun or verb the word base describes something that something else is built on. It always seems to imply a foundation of sorts. If the base is damaged that which is built upon it is unstable. If a work is based on another work which is weak then that which is developed has less of a chance for success or credibilty. It is of great concern and attention that the base in building or developing something is strong and stable. No corners are cut. No second rate materials are used. Just watch advertisements for products. Much attention is given to assuring us that the best materials were used and the quality is unsurpassed.

Now some have said that we are a base people; my people, black people; people of African descent. Does this mean we are the lowest part or edge of something, especially the part on which it rests or is supported. Are other people in this country resting on us? Are we supporting them. Are things being developed with us as the foundation? I can empahtically answer yes. I can with a resounding voice say YES! There are other people groups in this country that were considered a part of this base but have been allowed to advance or build upon themselves to no longer be the base. So I am not ignoring their contributions. I am speaking about my people because they are my people. It is my experience. (Indigenous people may be included with the black experience for the sake of being held to the base. There has been some progress made in my lifetime but this country is digressing. Much of what was fought for in the 50’s and 60’s is being reversed. Attitudes toward us as base are returning to those decades and our fight continues. The difference is as a people we understand our importance. Atttending to the health of the BASE is necessary . If the base is neglected that which is built upon it is unstable. If Black people are in bad, mental and emotional health every institution developed in this country is unstable. The White people who hate us and are trying to subjugate us as they make America great again don’t realize that as they hurt us, they hurt themselves. The attempt to destroy us, they destroy the America that they want to make great.

Now I know someone is saying Black people are not the foundation or base that this country is built upon. It is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Until the tenets of those documents are applied to the Black community as they are for the white community, the strength of those documents will be weak. Hence, that which is developed upon them, that which they support is unstable. America shore up your base by living up to the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Treat us as what we are..citizens of this country with the same birthright as yours.

And if you call yourself a Chrisitan, read the Book. Read the teachings of Yeshua. Read his geneology and research the ethnicity of each member. You may be quite surprised. At the very least it is clear he was born of a Hebrew woman which rules out a European appearance. He worked as a carpenter with no electrical tools in the heat of Nazareth. He was likely muscular and tan, not frail and fair complexioned. But most important is how he treated people and how he instructed us to treat each other. Love the Lord your God and Love your neighbor as yourself. On these two hang the law and prophets. These two embody all that God has declared and require of His people. So where do you stand? Do you destroy your Black neighbor or do you Love them? Do you help make the Base healthy or do you injure it?

Remember the health and strength of the Base has a direct effect on that which is supported by it or that which is developed on it. The health and the strength of the Base affects you.

Realize the HOPE

by ladypbwiggins

I posted this in 2022. It is even more relevant now. Please give it a read and your consideration.  Allow your better self to prevail.

We are into the second day of 2022. Tell me, what has changed since December 31, 2021. I know some of you will say nothing and in some ways you are correct but there is an element that January 2022 has that December 2021 lost. There was an expectation leading up to midnight January 1, 2022. There were comments made among people everywhere that expressed “better is coming”. It sounded like, “I will be glad when this year is over.” “I can’t wait until January 1.” “I can’t wait until midnight.” There was an expectation. There was hope. Yes, HOPE.

We all HOPE things will be better. However, it just won’t happen. We have to make things better. We have to do what is best for humanity not an institution, not a political party, not a corporation, not a government entity. We have to do what is right and best for mankind. If we once again realize that the things I do to make your life better will actually make my life better, maybe, just maybe we will make things better. For you Christians reading this I would like to remind you that Yeshua (Jesus) instructed us to love our neighbor as ourselves. He used the story of the Good Samaritan to show that everyone is our neighbor and being a good neighbor requires a willingness to do more than take care of ourselves or people ethnically like us or people of the same faith. If you missed it or don’t know the story it is the despised Samaritan who was the compassionate one, the good neighbor. The political and religious leader stepped over the person in need. Which are you?

The Christian behavior in this country,especially in the last few years, is so far from Yeshua’s teachings and examples that a new name should be applied to it. There is no Christ-likeness. Where is the love for those with whom you disagree? Where is the love for those who may not believe as you do?Where is the love for those whose lifestyle does not conform to what you believe is God’s law? Let’s be honest. Our present Christian behavior doesn’t either. We need to get back to the Judaic basics of our beliefs. If nothing else we Christians need to get back to the 10 Commandments. That was what Yeshua taught. and lived. That’s what Paul taught the non-Jewish believers without requiring them to convert to Orthodx Judaism and lived before them. We need to obey them instead of requiring other people that never said they were believers in the first place to obey them. I am sure the other faith belief systems have a comparable tenet. So treat people right even if you disagree with them. or they are not like you. We were not commissioned to be judges but examples.

Only then can we realize the HOPE. Only then will 2022 be better than 2021. I remember when I was a child the admonishment to “do unto others what you would have them do unto you” was a powerful guiding force for decision-making. I’d ask myself before I said something or did something, would you want that done to you? If the answer was No then I likely didn’t do it. Now I did have moments of anger where I ignored myself but typically, I listened. We should start asking ourselves would we want to be treated the way we are treating others. Change our society by caring for each other. Realize the HOPE.

It is now 2025. Unfortunately,  things have not changed much. In fact, in “christiandom” it has gotten worse. Yeshua is being  disgraced. There is very little love being shown to people. It is taking a great deal more effort to have HOPE.

Refined and Polished

by ladypbwiggins

Yesterday I celebrated my 70th birthday. Today is the beginning of my 71st year of life. Leading up to this time I had determined that it was time to re-invent myself. I planned to address my insecurities that are responsible for me living an impactless life. My plans have changed some what. Yesterday as part of my birthday celebration my baby daughter orchestrated a video presentation. She invited my family and people she knows have known me for a long time to express how I had impacted their life and to share a memory. I sat there listening to those who shared and thought I didn’t know they felt like that. I was just being me. Some cited incidents that they felt showed my strength. I felt they just seemed to me in trouble and caused people to dislike me. i really thought I was just tolerated because I was attached to Carl. I thought who are they talking about. They believe that I am strong. One even said I was fierce. I had been shot down and stomped on so often that I felt like there really was no reason that I should be using up the space and air others could have benefited from. To some extent this attitude caused me to deny myself of things I wanted or the quality of things I did get.

My friends and family have a different opinion of me. For that I am grateful and thankful. I awoke this morning realizing I like their view, their perspective. I have purposed to see myself through their eyes, I have decided not to re-invent myself. Apparently the core of who they see is who I wanted to be. Therefore I will leave the essence of who I am unchanged. I an asking for Yaweh’s help to refine that which needs refining and polish that which needs to shine brighter.

I am renewing my thinking about myself . I purpose to give myself the same grace and compassion that I give others. I give my best to others and now I purpose to give it to myself. I am moving myself up on my list . Oh, don’t worry. I am not going to become haughty and self-centered. I’m just going to treat myself better. I know this is not going to be something that happens overnite but I am beginning.

This post is my first step. Now you all know and those near and dear will hold me accountable, Second step is to become more consistent with my Bible study. Thirdly, I will wear more of what I like. People have seen glimpses of my style but not on a consistent level or the quality that I really like. I spent the money on my kids and my husband. They were in the public eye more than I. Really, who neede to dress up to clean bathrooms. 😀 The kids are grown and hubby is no longer Pastor Carl and community activist. I am making it my turn now. Not making do any more. I’ve wanted to sew, so sew I will. Before the pandemic I had lost weight and was wearing clothes that I loved. I had replaced the fat clothes. Over this last year of isolation, I have regained the weight. Food was my only physical comfort. I will eliminate the vegan fast food and return to the healthier versions. I will lose the weight again but I will dress the fat body well in the mean time. Not waiting.

Let the refining and polishing begin. 70 is the new 40.

The Universe….?

by ladypbwiggins

When people say the Universe will do it or The Universe caused it or any other action ascribed to the Universe, who or what are they talking about? I checked the definition of the Universe. What I found was what I understood it to be.

The universe (Latin: universus) is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. … At the largest scale, galaxies are distributed uniformly and the same in all directions, meaning that the universe has neither an edge nor a center.

So are the people who attribute these supernatural actions to the Universe saying the planets, stars or galaxies are performing these acts? Do inanimate objects have the capacity to think, plan and act? Or are the planets etc animate? Can they create life?Do the planets have this power? Have space and time and all its contents given us the capacity to think, love or feel? I just dont understand. Can someone help me understand?

As I looked at the different definition sources I saw that someone asked the question “Who created the Universe?” The answer that was given was one word, God. I have observed many of those giving the aforementioned attributions to the Universe do not believe in God or they believe there is a Supreme creator but not any God of any known religion. For those who don’t believe in God, they have given God-like abilities or attributes to the Universe. Is the Universe God to them? I’m confused. It seems some God-like something that is beyond or outside of themselves is needed. Something that satisfies an innate spiritual hole. It seems the creation is acknowledged or accepted but the creator (God) is denied. In my logical mind this is totally illogical. Will someone help me please?

I know someone is asking how do you know there is a God. Who created Him and how do you know He is a He? My answer is how do you know the Universe did it, or said it or gave it? Whether it is Jehovah, Yeshua, Allah or any other named diety, there is some belief system that can be held on to and reasoned. Like many liberal arts college students, I analyzed these belief systems. I asked questions and looked at the documents that described or explained their foundation. I almost converted to Judaism. I liked that their beliefs were lived daily and not just on Sunday or special days. It was a lifestyle. Eventually I remainded with my Judeo-Christian belief system. I realized I could have what I loved in Judaism with the less legalistic stance of 1st Century Christianity. I won’t go into the reasons but I am happy with my decision. It is now my lifetyle. FYI this is not the Western European version of Christianity that we see today.

Back to the Universe. I am seriously asking for understanding not a fight.

Contagious

by ladypbwiggins

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, Matthew 5:44 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.5.44.NKJV

I have come to realize this is what I have been learning for the last 5 years. Inspite of their behavior, I must act like Yeshua. There are people who have told me that I am not a Christian or a real American because I don’t support Trump. I have been called names, basically cursed bcause I am not a Republican. They don’t know if I am a Democrat, Independent or Undeclared but because of how I look they have decided. How do I bless them?

This is one of the hardest things I have had to learn. Just like most other people I don’t partiularly want to show love much less acually love those who hurt me or threathen me. How do I love KKK members knowing what their stance is toward people who look like me? How do I love people who are determined to destroy me psychologically and emotionally? How do I love policemen who are inclined to kill my son and daughter just becasue of their skin color? Then there are my grandsons. Some are old enough to be targets just because they walked out of their house. One is a former marine. He was willing to give his life for a group of people who have decided he is a criminal just because of his skin color. This is one of my realities. Then there are those I have trusted. They said they loved me and as long as I agreed with them or did what they wanted they acted like it. But as soon as I stepped out of my place as they defined it, I was no longer loveable. I was the enemy. I want to follow Yeshua’s teachings to love my enemies but it is so hard.

I thought I had forgiven and gotten over the hurt from the ones I trusted but looking at myself through the lens of loving my enemies, it seems I haven’t. I don’t hate them but I discovered resentment and hurt are still present to some degree. How can I truly love them if those feelings are present. I believe pure love would not be resentful and would have forgiven. Remembrance would not have hurt attached. How can I love those who admit that they hate me when I can’t completely love those who have committd comparably lesser offenses? Lastly, how do I pray for those who spitefully use me?

I have a ways to go. This growing in the image of God is a neverending, involved process. I know I haven’t grown to say Father forgive them as they nail railroad spikes in my hands but maybe I can love them through hateful words and degrading actions. I am trying.

How are you handling this commandment?

Can you pray for them?

Can you do good to them?

Can you forgive them?

Can you LOVE them?

A Quiet Love Celebration

by ladypbwiggins

I was reminded today of the depth of love I have for my husband. Sometimes fatigue and a feeling of helplessness makes you impatient. Consistent rest is not something I get often. But this last week has been especially tiring. The last two nights 4 hours combined. But it was Christmas. This morning the emergency room became my Christmas celebration venue. Once I was there I forgot how tired I was. My husband’s care became my focus. Sitting in his emergency room watching him fluctuate between sleep and sharp pain, pierced my heart. Love overwhelmed me. He said this is the best party. You are together.

Love conquers all.

We usually think of wrongdoing but this time it conquered fatigue. I was ready for battle with the medical system which is sometime unreasonable. I was ready but it was not necessary. I guess that was my Christmas present.

Love was present. Love allowed me to be blessed and to be a blessing to some of the staff. Most of all, love sustained me. Love used the arms of my children and church family to hold me.

Now I am resting in love’s arms completely at peace. I miss my husband though not worried.

Thank you love for your birth, your life, your resurrection.

I had a very blessed Christmas Celebration.

Who Do You SPEAK Like I Am?

by ladypbwiggins

What does our daily behavior say about who we believe Yeshua (Jesus) is? Many believers would say He is their Savior. Many believers would say they believe He is Jehovah Incarnate. He is the Son of the Living God. They would declare His deity and worthiness to be praised. If we believe any of this to be true why do we so easily violate Jehovah’s commandment.

NOTE: Before you get on some spiritual high horse and begin to assign labels, I am not a Jehovah’s Witness. At least not in regards to the religious group. I simply prefer to use the Hebrew names and designations.

Now back to my point. We say Yeshua is precious to us and He is our Jehovah Elohim and King, so why do we use His name as an expletive. You know what I mean. We yell JESUS CHRIST! as easily as some say OH, Damn! We allow it, us believers. If Buddha or Mohammed was used in such a way there would be cries around the world. Question: Why doesn’t our God get the same respect. Answer: Because we don’t respect Him and we don’t demand He be respected.

Many of us who grew up in church or around church people were told, “Do not use the Lord’s name in vain”. We didn’t know or understand all of the ramifications of doing that but being told not to do it was enough. But what are the ramifications. The Amplified Version of the Bible enlightens us on the meaning of the Hebrew words used in the text. It says don’t use His name frivolously or profanely or in false affirmations or He, the LORD will not hold him guiltless. The Message Bible speaks in our every day language, If you use God’s name irreverantly He won’t put up with it. Where there is guilt there is judgment. When God judges there is some kind of sentence exacted. We jokingly say we will be spanked by God but do we really want to be spanked by God? He has the discretion to punish us as He sees fit. He knows what will get our attention. For us hard headed people, it’s more severe. So why do we do it? Why do we allow it?

I have asked some people what would they do if He answered. They all looked at me with this bewildered look like if who answered. The conversation went something like this.

Me: What would you do if He answered?

Them: If who answered?

Me: You called Jesus didn’t you? What would you do if He answered?

Them: I didn’t think about that. It is just a saying.

Me: No, you called God. What would you do if He answered?

Some people apologized, Others just looked at me like I was crazy. Oh, by the way, some of these people said they were Christians.

If we want respect from the world for ourselves and our God, then we have to respect ourselves and our God, our Jehovah Elohim, our crucified and resurrected Yeshua!

Exodus 20:7 (AMP)
7  You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Exodus 20:7 (MSG)
7  No using the name of GOD, your God, in curses or silly banter; GOD won’t put up with the irreverant use of his name.

New Levitical Insight

by ladypbwiggins

Not Just a Sacrifice

All those dead animals over and over again. How many times will that list be repeated? It’s the same no matter which offering. That’s what I thought. I was so wrong. There was a greater significance. I believe it is more than a sacrifice for sin. Recently I completed a study on covenant; Covenant from God’s perspective. It is through this lens I have reread Leviticus.

This began with a study of the minor prophets. It became clear that I wasn’t sure specifically which of God’s laws Israel had violated in each prophets case. I decided to take a deep breath and jump into Leviticus. I was determined to struggle through the descriptions of the animals being sacrificed. My mind began to see through the lens of covenant, that God had given the Israelites a method to renew the covenant with Him that they had broken. When Moses presented the Law to them they agreed to do all that God commanded. God knew that however pure their intent, they would fail. Their merciful God gave them a way to repair the relationship and keep covenant with Him.

So when you read Leviticus, see each animal that is laid on the altar before God, not only as a sacrifice. Don’t see it as a fulfillment of a command only. See God’s mercy. See His love for people. See His desire to keep His promises that are based on their obedience or keeping their end of the covenant.

It amplifies even more the sacrifice Yeshua made for me. I am given a way to remain in covenant relationship with God because He knows my frailties and He extends mercy to me. He has loves me and desires to keep His promises that are based on my obedience.

More than a sacrifice!