Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tatami Gallery - 45
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Gallery notes:
July 2009
There's a real contrast in this gallery with dark and light pictures, with things from His heart that show His love and also show darkness in the world which doesn't want us to know His love, that does not want us to find His light and rest in His embrace. But that is our ONLY way to go, to rest in His embrace and walk close to His heart! And there we are carried, we are made new, we are covered, we are unveiled, and God brings forth new light out of what was once darkness. Thank You for overcoming for us, Jesus!
Gallery notes:
July 2009
There's a real contrast in this gallery with dark and light pictures, with things from His heart that show His love and also show darkness in the world which doesn't want us to know His love, that does not want us to find His light and rest in His embrace. But that is our ONLY way to go, to rest in His embrace and walk close to His heart! And there we are carried, we are made new, we are covered, we are unveiled, and God brings forth new light out of what was once darkness. Thank You for overcoming for us, Jesus!
Tatami Gallery - 44
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Gallery notes:
June - July 2009
Thank You for drawing us (even me!) close to Your heart and to people on Your heart. Thank You that it's all about You, and I'm nothing without You, we're nothing without You and Your love. Your love is everything, thank You! I lean close to hear Your heart, because there's nothing better to do, and nothing else to do, and Your heart is so precious and so infinitely worth everything and all I have! I bless Your name, I bless Your heart, hallelu Yah!
Gallery notes:
June - July 2009
Thank You for drawing us (even me!) close to Your heart and to people on Your heart. Thank You that it's all about You, and I'm nothing without You, we're nothing without You and Your love. Your love is everything, thank You! I lean close to hear Your heart, because there's nothing better to do, and nothing else to do, and Your heart is so precious and so infinitely worth everything and all I have! I bless Your name, I bless Your heart, hallelu Yah!
Delighted!
By Ramone - July 21, 2009
This is just how I felt as I came into a friend's cafe a few minutes before teaching some English lessons there. I was just full of Your love, Lord, just full of You. I looked at Your words in Psalm 37 and that only confirmed and increased my overflow of You at the moment. Thank You!
"The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."- Zephaniah 3:17
Shelter
Learning to Walk
Our Moons Made New
Run Free In Him Alone!
Wrapped!
New Creation!
Almost There
My Place of Rest
Affection
By Ramone - June 13, 2009
Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a darling child and beloved?
... My affection is stirred and My heart yearns for him;
I will surely have mercy, pity,
and loving-kindness for him, says the Lord.
- Jeremiah 30:20 AMP
Love one another with brotherly affection
[as members of one family],
giving precedence
and showing honor to one another.
- Romans 12:10 AMP
Above all things have intense
and unfailing love for one another,
for love covers a multitude of sins
[forgives and disregards the offenses of others].
- 1 Peter 4:8 AMP
Be hospitable, be a lover of strangers,
with brotherly affection for the unknown guests,
the foreigners, the poor,
and all others who come your way
who are of Christ's body.
- 1 Peter 4:9 AMP (margin)
In the House of God
Emmaus
By Ramone - July 5, 2009
One day as I was eating lunch on a break from work, I remember staring at a painting and the soft colors in it, and I didn't want to take my eyes off of it, but to just look and appreciate it more and more. As I sat there I felt drawn to read Luke 24, and I read the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus opened their minds to see what was written in the Scriptures, to see that they pointed to Him and were fulfilled in Him. He opened their eyes to see Himself! I just sat there soaking in the beauty of that, and asked Him to open my mind to see Him more and more.
Missionary (I Am Nothing Without You!)
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You Follow Me!
Reaching Across
By Ramone - June 26, 2009
Originally I was going to call this picture, "The Mixed Aroma", which is the title of one of the chapters in the book What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey. The chapter honestly describes the different "scents" that Christians often give off, particularly in the United States, where we often pride ourselves on being the most 'moral' people in society, and in turn look down at anyone who disagrees with us as being against morality and against God.
As I thought of that situation in America (how I wish it were not common, but it is!), it seemed so large, so unique, and thus so difficult. I couldn't think of anything like this in the Bible, so I began asking God if there were any Biblical example of this (so I could understand the situation better, and better yet, so I could see how God Himself reacted to such a big problem).
He then hit me with the obvious! He took me to John chapter 4, when Jesus went to Samaria and talked to a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.
In first century Jewish eyes, Samaritans were treated as unclean, as people not to be spoken with and definitely not dined with. They were treated like Gentiles and looked at in almost the same way, if not worse at times (Gentiles were "those who did not have the law" -- see Acts.2:23). Jews "had the law", they had the correct place of worship, the correct customs, and in short they knew the right way to obey "God's law".
The Samaritan woman Jesus talked with at the well probably had a lot of reasons not to talk to Jesus in the first place. They put up with a lot of judgment and discrimination. They were called unclean. They were not worthy of dining with. Although the Jews had "the truth" and salvation (Christ) would come from among them, that's not the aroma that most Samaritans initially got. They got the stench of discrimination and judgment instead.
She could have instantly turned away when Jesus asked her for a drink. But that He talked to her at all probably shocked her most. When she saw He was a prophet, she basically asked Him the question, "Who's right---us or them?", and He said the Jews were right, BUT... but He didn't leave it there. That "but" is important.
You see, if there were no "but", then she would have to accept that the Jews were right about everything they said -- and did. The discrimination and judgment hurt. And it was not God's love. So Jesus put in the caveat. "But..."
Jesus said that yes, the Jews knew God the "right way", but things were changing. He shifted things onto Himself by saying a time was coming and had now come when people would worship God by Spirit, and that He was the Messiah. The truth was not that the Jews had it all right, because in fact they had a lot of stuff just plain wrong.
Something was definitely missing from the package of "truth" given out by the Jewish religious institution of the day: God's love, God's Spirit! The two great commands were being thrown down -- the first by pride and serving idols in their hearts, and the second by judging one another, their neighbors, and the aliens and foreigners among them.
So on purpose Jesus once noted to His Jewish follwers that among ten people He'd healed, the only one who expressed thanks to Him happened to be a Samaritan. Another time Jesus used a Samaritan in a story to show what "love your neighbor" meant (the "lawful" priest and "clean" Levite got a failing grade in His story).
The package of "truth" is nothing without God's love. And without God's love, we don't know what God is actually doing. We start to miss what He's doing. And like many Jews did in the gospel story, we may eventually disown Him. In fact, it wasn't that the Jews had things "right", but rather that salvation was coming from them, and that salvation was Jesus. And He came not because of them, but in spite of them.
How often do we pride ourselves in our "group" -- that we know God and "they" don't? How often do we pride ourselves that we are moral people because we have "the law", and that "they" do not? How many people have been wounded by our judgment? How many people have not gotten the aroma of Christ because we gave them an aroma of judgment instead? We have God's word, and His word will be spoken. But is His salvation going to come to non-Christians because of us or in spite of us?
Look, He's reaching out from the crowd, from our crowd! Many of us are judging, and although He is among us, He is reaching out. He sees there are some people hurting on "the other side." Some are rejecting Him, but some are hurting. Others are confused and just don't know. Many of us don't care. Some of us "in His crowd" see what He's doing. Some of us are angry. Some of us are being moved and having our eyes opened. But without waiting for us, He is stepping across the border. He is standing in the gap. He is reaching across.
What are we doing?
*****
See also: "Give Freely!" (at Weeping Jeremiahs)
With What? （なにで？）
By Ramone - June 26, 2009
One day before setting out on a prayer walk, I felt like I couldn't feel God, like I couldn't reach Him. So I tried everything I knew. I tried to sing, to worship, to pray in tongues, to remember a verse, bind the enemy, declare whatever, anything! Finally He somehow made me still and quiet inside, and He let me know He just wanted my heart! And I turned my heart to Him. Thank You, Lord!
See also: "All I Want is You (No Magical Spiritual Words Necessary)"
*****
ある日、僕は神様に届く事が出来ないような、神様を感じる事ができないような感じがしました。 なので僕の知ってる限りの事を試しました。歌を歌ったり、賛美したり、異言で祈ったり、御言葉を思い出したり、敵を縛ったり、宣言したりと何でもしてみました！ 最終的に神様は僕の内を静め、神様がただ、僕の心を望んでおられる事を教えて下さいました！ そして僕は心を神様へと向けました。 主よ、ありがとう！
Forgotten （忘れられた）
By Ramone - June 26, 2009
Not long ago I was watching TV and came upon a show (some kind of drama) in which a group of homeless men were having a party together, singing songs in what would otherwise be depressing circumstances. The drama seemed to be about a man doing a video documentary, who had bought drinks and food for the homeless men so that they could have the party. As I watched, I was suddenly moved deep in my heart and spirit by the sight of the homeless men enjoying the meal and singing songs.
I began to see a picture of a man sleeping on the street, forgotten. As I looked at it, wondered and focused on the picture more in my spirit (and as I began to draw it), I knew that it was Jesus.
"I was hungry... I was thirsty... I was a stranger...Have we forgotten You, Lord? Have we rejoiced in Your salvation, Your anointing, in prosperity, in song and feast, in health and wholeness, and left You outside?
I needed clothes... I was sick... I was in prison..."
*****
See also: "Among Us" (at Weeping Jeremiahs)
In the Valley of Decision
Finis
Heart Healing
By Ramone - June 20, 2009
My healing is in Your hands!
In Your hands I can be healed!
In Your hands I find and receive my heart back!
And it's a new heart, a new heart from You!
You heal our hearts, restore our hearts, and give us our hearts back (from wounds and the enemy's stealings). But You give us a new heart, too! The heart we receive "back" is our heart as it was meant to be! It was meant to be made new! In Your hands we find rest, and can reach up, supported by You, and receive what You died to give us: we receive our hearts healed and made new, and we receive Your heart!
*****
On June 20, '09, when I praying for something to put on the sign-up sheet for the first "Heart Healing Art Class", this picture came! (Thank You, Lord!) Like the "Jujika Kara" picture, this picture just seemed to be 'already there' somehow, like it existed before or was terribly obvious, and I didn't think of it at all. (Like it's not mine!)
Much later in the year (Nov.13), I suddenly realized that I had never asked God about the meaning of this picture! It seemed cozy, felt good, and felt obvious, so I just drew it. I thought it came from ME! And as I asked Him about it that night, He said NO, it came from HIM!! Thank You, God! (And so He explained it as I've shared above.)
(^_^)
Beloved (2)
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Wednesday, July 08, 2009
預言とは (Prophecy Is...)
By Ramone - September 12, 2007
神さまは私たちを預言をする心へと召されていると信じます。預言する事とはとりなしする事の一種です。神さまが愛される、ある人達への神さまの心を受け取りそれをその人たちへと伝えます。神さまは過激な、とりなしの愛へと召されています。神さまが人々を強烈に愛しているにもかかわらず、様々な理由から、時に彼らは神さまの彼らへの心を感じたり聞く事ができません。神さまは私達が神さまの人々への心を求め、受け取り、そして神さまの愛と共に（行動と共にある愛、言葉と共にある愛）彼らが、彼ら自身が神さまを知り、神さまの彼らへの心を聞き、感じる事ができるまで彼らを愛するように「破れ口に立つように」と私たちを召されています。
"Prophecy is..."
I believe God is calling us to the heart of prophesying: To prophesy is a type of intercession— to receive His heart for someone He loves and give it to them. He’s calling us to radical intercessory love! For many reasons people at times cannot hear or feel God’s heart for them, even though He loves them intensely. He’s calling us to “stand in the gap,” to ask for & receive His heart for them, and then love them with His love—in action and in word—until they themselves can know, hear and feel His heart for them.
Link to Background Story (in English)
