The World is a Stage

As we have been working through our stories and focusing on the pieces of which it is comprised. I thought it might be rather apropos to look at someone that lived his life collectively organizing “movements” in order to share of the beauty, passion and joy he saw in the collective arrangements.  Today I am speaking of Beethoven; we will be utilizing a medoly of parallels through out these group meetings. If it takes you a bit to get in find the key it's okay...we've got time. 


Symphony No. 9 in D minor, op. 125 represents the apotheosis of Beethoven’s symphonies. The idea for this symphony tormented Beethoven for many years. Dating as far back as 1809, we find notes of musical ideas which will be later used for this symphony. The material he gathered was ultimately used between 1822-1824 when the great symphony was elaborated with chorus and soloists. Its general tone is happiness captured in multiple instances. Perhaps that is why it was also titled "The Symphony of Joy". An excerpt from Translation of Beethoven im eigenen Wort

God is conducting, it is His composition. He resonates within each one of us to bring our unique tonality and quality to His masterpiece. He gave us all free will and promises that the spirit is willing. He warned us that it is the flesh that is weak.

I pray for us all to uncompromisingly desire to give Him his rightful “Center Stage” and serve within His “Symphony of Joy”
I look forward to hearing more of your stories; your works of art from the pieces of your lives…our lives…His life.

To Him all the praise and glory forever and ever; amen.
With Love to each of you.

Candace

The world is a Stage

The air under my wings; with no weight to pull me down
Gliding with immense freedom and joy;
I relax, drifting below cotton candy stretched clouds
The illumination is colorfully sheer,
As it veils the bluest of skies
The tree tops are waving “Good morning Lord”,
The buttercups turning up their precious face,
Blowing a tender kiss toward the heavens,
Their sweet breath is carried amidst the breeze
I see blankets of yellow and green beneath me,
Glistening from fresh morning dew
Like a carpet scattered with sparkling diamond;
Oh how God must love this view!
I pause my flight, perching above this symphony
No note seems to be misplaced
I hear the piccolo’s and flutes of His winged wood winds,
All perfect orchestrated by the composers’ right hand
No platform for Him is needed;
In this world He is center stage
The Maestro is Omnipotent,
Grandeur the scale to which musicians are tuned
My box seat here is panoramic; I bow my head thank him for this gift
Seeking His image through the lenses before me,
I catch a glimpse and focus till He is magnified;
Gazing with awe, throughout each movement; almost holding my breath
I acclaim Him through standing ovation…. hands waving,
Inspired, overwhelmed to the point of tears
I feel the breeze again lifting me, propelling me beyond my safe perch
My heart now filled with His melody;
I will share of His composition within me.

By Candace Huffmaster ©

"Creation is Groaning" isn't the same as "Murmuring and Complaining".

We have been talking about hope. Last night in Romans 8 we were reading these verses from God's Word Translation (20,21) Creation was subjected to frustration but not by its own choice. The one who subjected it to frustration did so in the hope that it would also be set free from slavery to decay in order to share the glorious freedom that the children of God will have.


We continued speaking about how we could not have hope unless God, who's image we were created in, had hope. This verses states that he does. In addition to this Philippians 1:6 states "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (NAS)" This assures us that God does have a plan, so our hope is to be established not in what we see happening around us but in the fact that God knows the struggles we must come through in order to form our personality, character, integrity and endurance to be transformed into His image.

I pray that we not be weak willed, that we percevere in His strength, through His spirit and demand that our spirit prosper even as our soul prospers. We do not have to sit back and wish....we can plow through with hope of reaching the finish line. I pray that we keep our eye on the road leading forward which is for our good, always asking for the correct path and following it.

With love,
Candace

Visions Become Reality

The parched ground shall become a pool . . . —Isaiah 35:7

We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.

Life is not as idle ore,

But iron dug from central gloom,

And battered by the shocks of doom

To shape and use.

God gives us a vision, and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. It is in the valley that so many of us give up and faint. Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience. Just think of the enormous amount of free time God has! He is never in a hurry. Yet we are always in such a frantic hurry. While still in the light of the glory of the vision, we go right out to do things, but the vision is not yet real in us. God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision. Ever since God gave us the vision, He has been at work. He is getting us into the shape of the goal He has for us, and yet over and over again we try to escape from the Sculptor’s hand in an effort to batter ourselves into the shape of our own goal.

The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down here. Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it. - By Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

In the Clouds

There is a destiny that makes us brothers:
None goes his way alone;
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.
—Markham

(verses from Hebrew 11, 12 and 1 Corinthians 10)

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that all our ancestors who left Egypt were under the cloud, and they all went through the sea. They were all united with Moses by baptism in the cloud and in the sea. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet, God was not pleased with most of them, so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert. These things have become examples for us so that we won’t desire what is evil, as they did.
These things happened to make them an example for others. These things were written down as a warning for us who are living in the closing days of history. So, people who think they are standing firmly should be careful that they don’t fall. There isn’t any temptation that you have experienced which is unusual for humans. God, who faithfully keeps his promises, will not allow you to be tempted beyond your power to resist. But when you are tempted, he will also give you the ability to endure the temptation as your way of escape.
Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see. God accepted our ancestors because of their faith .Faith convinces us that God created the world through his word. This means what can be seen was made by something that could not be seen. We don’t belong with those who turn back and are destroyed. Instead, we belong with those who have faith and are saved.
What more should I say? I don’t have enough time to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtha, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Through faith they conquered kingdoms, did what God approved, and received what God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, and escaped death. They found strength when they were weak. They were powerful in battle and defeated other armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. Other believers were brutally tortured but refused to be released so that they might gain eternal life. Some were made fun of and whipped, and some were chained and put in prison. Some were stoned to death, sawed in half, and killed with swords. Some wore the skins of sheep and goats. Some were poor, abused, and mistreated. The world didn’t deserve these good people. Some wandered around in deserts and mountains and lived in caves and holes in the ground. All these people were known for their faith, but none of them received what God had promised. God planned to give us something very special so that we would gain eternal life with them. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up. We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Then he received the highest position in heaven, the one next to the throne of God. Think about Jesus, who endured opposition from sinners, so that you don’t become tired and give up.
You struggle against sin, but your struggles haven’t killed you. You have forgotten the encouraging words that God speaks to you as his children:
“My child, pay attention when the Lord disciplines you.
Don’t give up when he corrects you.
The Lord disciplines everyone he loves.
He severely disciplines everyone he accepts as his child.”
Strengthen your tired arms and weak knees. Keep walking along straight paths so that your injured leg won’t get worse. Instead, let it heal. Try to live peacefully with everyone, and try to live holy lives, because if you don’t, you will not see the Lord. Make sure that everyone has kindness from God so that bitterness doesn’t take root and grow up to cause trouble that corrupts many of you. Make sure that no one commits sexual sin or is as concerned about earthly things as Esau was. He sold his rights as the firstborn son for a single meal You have not come to something that you can feel, to a blazing fire, to darkness, to gloom, to a storm, to a trumpet’s blast, and to a voice. You have come to Jesus, who brings the new promise from God, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better message than Abel’s. Be careful that you do not refuse to listen when God speaks. Your ancestors didn’t escape when they refused to listen to God, who warned them on earth.
Continue to love each other. Don’t forget to show hospitality to believers you don’t know. By doing this some believers have shown hospitality to angels without being aware of it. Remember those in prison as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are mistreated as if you were being mistreated.

Just think...we are part of that cloud now, and we have an opportunity everyday to be a person lifting up another to look from our shoulders...and see higher than we did. Isn't that awesome?
Much love,
Candace