shadow moving 10 steps back..

2 Kings 20

Hezekiah’s Illness

20 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

² Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ³ “Remember,^(B) Lord, how I have walked^(C) before you faithfully^(D) and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

⁴ Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: ⁵ “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. ⁶ I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend^(G) this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”

⁷ Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.

⁸ Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?”

⁹ Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s sign^(I) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”

¹⁰ “It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”

¹¹ Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

Here are some verses in Jeremiah and one from Isaiah that spoke to me...

Jeremiah 2: 27,29 Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the Lord your God when He led you in the way?..Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realise how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me. declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

Jeremiah 3: 22 Return, faithless people;I will cure you of backsliding. Yes, we will come to You, for You are the Lord our God. 

Jeremiah 4:14 Oh Jerusalem, wash evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?

Jeremiah 10; 23-24 I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. Correct me, Lord, but only with justice-not in your anger,lest you reduce me to nothing.

Jeremiah 14: 7 Although our sins testify against us, O Lord, do something for the sake of Your name. For our backsliding is great;we have sinned against You.

Isaiah 57: 11c Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear Me?

mom to son contract

An interesting agreement between a mom and her son on technology.

Read the original post here: http://www.janellburleyhofmann.com/gregorys-iphone-contract/


Gregory Hofmann is a kid who just got an iPhone from his parents. His mom, Janell Hofmann , wrote these [slightly edited] rules for its use:

1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?
2. I will always know the password.
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mom" or "Dad". Not ever.
4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone's land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It's a life skill.
6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs.
7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
8-9. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
10. No porn.
11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts. Don't laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear -- including a bad reputation.
13. Don't take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO -- fear of missing out.
15. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.
18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.

come back to Me

It's a New Year so Let's Start ANEW.

I felt like maybe this is what people who backslide would feel (Oh no, maybe just me?)...They might feel so distant from God and that they cannot come back even though they know they God can save and accept them back but perhaps they feel it's too late and maybe the fact is they can't bring themselves to forgive themselves? Or maybe they are just Feeling that too tough to drop that sin.."well I'm stuck here and beyond saving, so let me just die here all alone, I know you still LOVE me and you still CARE for me. But I've GIVEN UP on myself"

Did you know, when you think that, this is what you are basically saying?

"King Of Anything" (SARA BAREILLES)

Keep drinkin' coffee

Stare me down across the table

While I look outside

So many things I'd say if only I were able

But I just keep quiet

And count the cars that pass by

You've got opinions, man

We're all entitled to 'em

But I never asked

So let me thank you for time
And try to not waste any more of mine
Get out of here fast

I hate to break it to you babe
But I'm not drowning
There's no one here to save

Who cares if you disagree
You are not me
Who made you king of anything
So you dare tell me who to be
Who died And made you king of anything

You sound so innocent

All full of good intent

You swear you know best

But you expect me to

Jump up on board with you

Ride off into your delusional sunset

I'm not the one who's lost

With no direction oh

But you won't ever see

You're so busy makin' maps

With my name on them in all caps

You got the talkin' down just not the listening

And who cares if you disagree

You are not me

Who made you king of anything

So you dare tell me who to be

Who died And made you king of anything

All my life I've tried To make everybody happy while I Just hurt And hide

Waitin' for someone to tell me it's my turn To decide

Here's what I felt that God has said to me today on this New Year, "COME BACK, I don't want you for the weekend or for a night..."

"I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" (SHANIA TWAIN) 

Let's go!

Don't wantcha for the weekend, don't wantcha for a night
I'm only interested if I can have you for life, yeah
Uh, I know I sound serious and baby I am

You're a fine piece of real estate, and I'm gonna get me some land

Oh, yeah

So, don't try to run honey, love can be fun

There's no need to be alone when you find that someone

(I'm gonna getcha)

I'm gonna getcha while I gotcha in sight

(I'm gonna getcha)

I'm gonna getcha if it takes all night

(Yeah, you can betcha)

You can betcha by the time I say "go," you'll never say "no"

(I'm gonna getcha)

I'm gonna getcha, it's a matter of fact

(I'm gonna getcha)

I'm gonna getcha, don'tcha worry 'bout that

(Yeah, you can betcha)

You can bet your bottom dollar, in time you're gonna be mine

Just like I should - I'll getcha good

Yeah, uh, uh

I've already planned it - here's how it's gonna be
I'm gonna love you and - you're gonna fall in love with me

Yeah, yeah

Ya, so in this is a song reminding us GOD doesn’t give up on us and HIS LOVE IS STUBBORN.

"Stubborn Love" (Kathy Trocolli)

Caught again, Your faithless friend

Don't You ever tired of hearing

What a fool I've been

Guess I should pray what can I say

Oh, it hurts to know the hundred times I've caused You pain

The "forgive me" sounds so empty

When I never change

Yet You stay and say You love me

Still forgiving me time and time again

(Chorus)

It's Your stubborn love

That never let go of me

I don't understand how You can stay

Perfect love, embracing the worst in me

How I long for You, stubborn love

Funny me, just couldn't see,

Even long before I knew You, You were loving me

Sometimes I cry, You must cry too,

When You see the broken promises

I made to You, I keep saying that I'll trust you,

Though I seldom do,

Yet You stay and say You love me

Still knowing someday I'll be like You

It's Your stubborn love

That never let go of me

I don't understand how You can stay

Perfect love, embracing the worst in me

And You'll never let me go

I believe I finally know,

I can't live without Your stubborn love.

Find Us Faithful (STEVE GREEN)

We're pilgrims on the journey

Of the narrow road

And those who've gone before us line the way

Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary

Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses

Let us run the race not only for the prize

But as those who've gone before us

Let us leave to those behind us

The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Chorus:

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone

And our children sift through all we've left behind

May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover

Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

Something like the DAD waiting for the prodigal child.

Right here waiting for you (Richard Marx)

Oceans apart day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice on the line
But it doesn't stop the pain

If I see you next to never
How can we say forever

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you