True friendship

If there were ever a relationship that shows what a godly, authentic relationship should look like, it would be Jonathan and David’s in the story of 1Samuel 18-20.
Their relationship models four essential principles to forming authentic relationships that we can apply to our own lives today:
1. Be Aware. (1 Samuel 18:1-2)
When Jonathan and David met, they had little in common. David was a poor shepherd and Jonathan was a prince, next in line to be the King of Israel. Yet, in spite of their differences, they became fast friends. They didn’t allow their differences to mask their real selves.
Sometimes we may miss the opportunity to connect with someone because we aren’t from the same social status or we don’t have the same color of skin. We need to be aware that God might bring us the very best friend we’ve ever had in someone who is very different.
2. Be Intentional. (1 Samuel 18:3-4)
And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.
Jonathan took the initiative to be David’s special friend. Since he had the power and position, he made a vow and verbalized that he wanted to be David’s friend. Then he sealed the deal by giving David his clothes and even his sword, demonstrating with his actions that he had set aside his power and prestiges that he would be on even terms with David.
Similarly, rarely do we “drift” into authentic community. Deep friendships don’t “just happen.” God often orchestrates our friendships and the chemistry we have with others, but we have to be intentional about pursuing the relationship. To have a friend, you must also be a friend.
3. Be Available. (1 Samuel 20:4)
Do you have a 2 a.m. friend? This is the kind of friend that will be there for you no matter the situation – even a crisis in the middle of the night.
Jonathan and David definitely had this kind of friendship. When Jonathan’s father Saul tried to assassinate David, Jonathan found his friend, who was in the midst of his darkest hours, and said, “Tell me what I can do to help you.”
4. Be Honest.(1 Samuel 20:9)
At this point in the story, David was literally running for his life. So he frantically turned to his friend for help. He pleaded with Jonathan not to betray him to his dad.
“Never!” Jonathan said. “If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you?”
Jonathan loved David enough to deliver him the difficult news. When Jonathan found out that his dad did indeed intend to kill David, he told him.
True friends will speak the hard and uncomfortable truth when we need to hear it the most.
If you long for authentic community, you need at least one friend who will be honest with you when no one else will. This type of friend should have the freedom to speak into all of the significant areas of your life such as your spiritual life, your use of finances, and your relationship with your spouse and kids.
For more on how to experience authentic, godly relationships, check out our True Spirituality series resources.

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Thanksgiving Day 2019

WOW!  Rain! Rain! Rain!   Snow on the Grapevine!!!

We considered going to Bakersfield for the day because Brian and family were camping.  But, the Grapevine was closed with snow.  So, we are snuggled up in our home with Jackson.  The apple pie has been made and is cooling as the aroma fills the house.  We will have Thanksgiving dinner at Brian and Kelsi's tomorrow in the afternoon.  A day of gratitude.  Thank you Abba Father for your MANY blessings.💓💓💓  Charlie and I went to see the movie Ford vs Ferrari   - a car movie.  So fun and the theater was nearly empty and we came out to heavy rain.

More regarding Shiva

Shiva (Judaism)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigation Jump to search Shiva (Hebrew: שִׁבְעָה, literally 'seven') is the week-long mourning period in Judaism for first-degree relatives. The ritual is referred to as "sitting shiva". Traditionally, there are five stages of mourning in Judaism. Shiva is considered the third stage, and lasts for seven days. Following the initial period of despair and lamentation immediately after the death, shiva embraces a time when individuals discuss their loss and accept the comfort of others.^[1] Its observance is a requirement for the parents, spouses, children, and/or siblings of the person who has died. It is not a requirement for an individual who was less than thirty days old at the time of death.^[2] At the funeral, mourners wear an outer garment that is torn before the procession in a ritual known as keriah. In some traditions, mourners wear a black ribbon that is cut in place of an everyday garment.^[3][4] The torn article is worn throughout the entirety of shiva. Typically, the seven days begin immediately after the deceased has been buried. Following burial, mourners^[5] assume the halakhic status of avel (Hebrew: אבל, "mourner"). It is necessary for the burial spot to be entirely covered with earth in order for shiva to commence. This state lasts for the entire duration of shiva. During the period of shiva, mourners remain at home. Friends and family visit those in mourning in order to give their condolences and provide comfort. The process, though dating back to biblical times, mimics the natural way an individual confronts and overcomes grief. Shiva allows for the individual to express their sorrow, discuss the loss of a loved one, and slowly re-enter society.^[6]

Sitting Shivah (seven)

 This seems to me, the way to be present and share with others in their sorrow - illness, etc. 
 
Jewish week-long mourning period when the closet living family members gather in the home of the deceased.  They do not bathe, shave or study Torah.  They simply receive visitors who come bringing food and sharing silence.  Visitors enter silently and wait to be spoken to.  If the grieving family initiates conversation they may reply and share stories of the deceased.  If the family remains silent so will the guests.  The visitors simply offer their presence and nothing else.

HIS gift

I do see extreme efforts to conserve AND destroy the human life that God considers His greatest creation and HE, too, moved in history to conserve us. Jesus gave His life to give us eternal life. He, who created time and lived outside of time, stepped into time to redeem our time.

Corrie Ten Boom's Hanky

There were times when even Corrie Ten Boom felt cut off from the Lord. In such a time of despair, she once said to the Lord, “Have you forgotten your Corrie?”
In the following story Corrie tells about a time when she and her sister Betsie were in the concentration camp in Ravensbrück, and she had this terrible cold. She told her sister Betsie how much she just wished she had a handkerchief. Of course, handkerchiefs were impossible to find in that place. Betsie then suggested that Corrie pray for one, and Corrie just laughed at that ridiculous idea.
So, Betsie prayed. She said, “Lord, you see my sister, Corrie, here, has a very bad cold, and in Jesus’ name, I ask you TODAY for a handkerchief for her. Amen.”
Corrie tells that, shortly after that, she heard someone call out her name. She went to stand near the window of the barracks, where she saw a friend of hers, also a prisoner, and who worked in the hospital in Ravensbrück.
“Here,” her friend said. “Take this! I’m bringing you a little present.” She pressed it into Corrie’s hand.
“I opened the little package,” said Corrie, “and it was a handkerchief!”
“How did you know I needed a handkerchief? Did you KNOW that I have a cold?” Corrie asked.
“No,” said her friend. I was sewing handkerchiefs from an old piece of sheet, and there was a voice in my heart that said, ‘Bring a handkerchief to Corrie ten Boom!’”
“That little hanky, made from an old piece of a sheet, was a message out of the Heavens to me!" tells Corrie. "It told me that there is a Heavenly Father who hears, when on a tiny planet, the Earth, one of his children prays for an impossible, small thing; a handkerchief. And the Heavenly Father says to one of his other children, ‘Bring a handkerchief to Corrie ten Boom!’”
Corrie continued, “That is something the Apostle Paul calls 'The foolishness of God'... that is so much wiser than the wisdom of mankind. You can read it yourself at home. It's found in 1st Corinthians, chapter 1 and 2.”
“Does God answer all our prayers? Well, most of the time He does,” she continued. “Why? you might ask, not every request we make? Well, you see, because He knows what we do not know. He knows everything. Someday, when we are in Heaven, we will thank him for all the answered prayers, (where he gave us what we asked), and maybe even more for the unanswered prayers. Then we will see it from his point of view, and that God never made any mistakes.”

The Name of Jesus

I read this on Living Waters.com  and found it so true and interesting: 

Most Despised
See if you can think of just one famous person in history (good or bad) whose name was despised enough to be adopted as a cuss word: Napoleon, Shakespeare, Hitler, Mother Teresa, or perhaps Gandhi? There's only one Person whose Name is used to express disgust. He is the One who said to love your enemies, to show kindness to those who despitefully use you, and to treat others as you would have them treat you. Why then is He despised? It's because He's also the One who maintained that God requires moral accountability. He warned, "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil" (John 7:7).