NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION - BE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST

Since our blogs are designed to have followers, there is an absolutely perfect correlation between having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and his first instruction to us..."Follow me!" Thereafter, the most important reaffirmation of our faith in Him, and our relationships to one another, are the words of the apostle Paul, saying, "Be ye followers of me, as I am also of Christ". My own father used to say to me, "Do as I say, not as I do". Fortunately for me, his actions most often spoke even louder than his words, and made all the difference in my life for the good. Who are you following? How are you following? And, more importantly, who is following after you?

Greetings Beloved, In the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I'm Rev. John McFarland, and I'm excited to welcome you once again to the Wonderful Counselor experience of prophetic outreach ministry and apostolic empowerment for your life, which is in modern terms, your "spiritual life coach".

“I Am Here To Call You Forth Into God’s Kairos Time:

To Confirm And Accelerate Your Heavenly Vision,

To Declare And Reveal Your Windows Of Opportunity;

To Open Doors To Your Future,

Which Can Never Again Be Closed;

And Close Doors To Your Past,

Which Can Never Again Be Opened."

Jesus called disciples to follow him in a great many different ways, always appropriate to their own present circumstances. The most familiar are Peter and Andrew, James and John, two sets of brothers, who were already working the family business as fishermen. "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!" We are further told, "they immediately left their nets and followed Him". Have you heard God's call upon your own life, and what are you doing to follow Christ? You might be surprised to learn the ongoing answer, since the Holy Spirit, who "leads us into all truth", shall also "gently lead those that are with young". Are you pregnant with a thought you have never brought to birth, and yet you have always carried the seed within you? Like a mother knitting booties, and doing a myriad other things to prepare the nursery as she awaits her due date, so our natural lives also reflect the nature of our spiritual calling.

I have a friend, Janne Chambers Etz, who became my BFF, “Best Friend Forever”, before they ever created the term, who is also quite naturally the first follower of my blog, at least to admit by posting it openly. I’m the second follower of my blog, since you really ought to reread what you have written, take it to heart, and put it into practice. The reason Janne became my friend, as she has always explained, “You remembered my name right from the start”. That was a really interesting surprise to me, because I never remember names without asking two or three times. Of course, Janne was immediately my friend, because she made more practical sense than anyone else around me. She is a complete barometer for any humidity of pretension in her presence, and immediately taught me to get over myself, simply with a smile, and some gently lilting and disarming laughter. If you walk away from her, then you are definitely not a candidate for any immediate change in your life: toward becoming more open, honest, and transparent.

Janne is a designer of wire jewelry, and has her own business, Contemporary Concepts, located at the Cocoa Village in Cocoa, Florida, also available to you online. She works with gold and silver, the same way Jesus works with us. Of course, the Holy Spirit does the refining part in our lives, turning up the heat until all the dross is purged, and then draws out the purified substance; but He uses us to twist and turn those wire threads of one another’s issues, as impressions and eventualities, into an intricate adornment helping reveal who we really are; since “a man is known by his friends”, and the affect they have on you. If Janne were to ask me, and now she doesn’t have to, then I’d tell her prophetically, God has called you to be an “artificer” and facilitator of expressions of personal inner beauty: by not only creating, but also bestowing those “ornaments of grace” into the lives of others.

Women often adorn themselves with jewelry to make more than a simple fashion statement. Their choices become icons to reveal themselves to others, and Janne's aesthetic designs can definitely help any woman realize and subtly present her heart. Of course, we are told biblically that less is more; only we need to not only allow for, and not criticize, what we personally might regard as excess; but also celebrate with them, what someone might need to garner for themselves in order to reveal themselves to themselves, and us, as they transition from "glory to glory" in their life experience. "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves."

A worthwhile question to always ask is... "Are you wearing your jewelry, or is your jewelry wearing you?" Otherwise, Janne has not only made some rings for me, but also provided bracelets, necklaces, and earrings for the women I have known during different seasons of my life, all commemorating stories we still share from time to time; when we laugh together, or she helps me commiserate, over my still being single. I said all that to say this. If our New Year's Resolution is to be even more serious Followers of Christ, then we need to have our eyes opened to see how we have already been following Him, even before we realize his full calling upon our lives. The apostle Paul said some interesting things about this process. "When it pleased God to reveal Himself in me." "Know you not how it is that Christ is at work in you?" "I stretch myself beyond myself to apprehend that for which I have been apprehended by God, not as if I had already apprehended, but I press on for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Right now, you might not clearly know how Christ is at work in you, or has been in the past, but there is a specific time when He will completely reveal the fulfillment of the preparations of your heart and perhaps even a redirection in your life, both to you and others around you. So, until then, feel free to get on out there and buy yourself some new "bling" to help commemorate this moment in your life. I'm sure Janne will be really happy to see you! More importantly. Who do you know who also might need an "ornament of grace" bestowed upon them by you to speak a blessing into their lives?

Hey, Mom... "I just called to say I love you. I just called to say how much I care. I just called to say I love you, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart." That's the song I always used to sing to her when I called, and I still sing it whenever my heart stirs me. Somehow, when she passed away, our family decided to give me her jewelry box; and upon opening it, I realized why. The music played, and the tiny ballerina began to dance, spinning gracefully above her treasure trove of memories, and mine. There was every little trinket and token I had given to her during our lives together. I can imagine Mom, and every other mother, pausing every time they open their jewelry box in search of something to wear, also fondly touching upon and renewing those "ornaments of grace" to her heart. That's why she's always late for your night out. So stop all your complaining, and let's make some special memories right from the outset, during New Year 2011. Call your Mom, and your Dad, or just give a "shout out" to your BFF. Hey, Janne!



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