Keep Going

When you can continue to do

The job that you have been assigned to

Despite the turmoil that's going on inside of you

You have learned to step on, my friend

You have learned perseverance, true.

 

When you can smile and be kind to

People who have belittled and misused you

You are a warrior true, my friend

Who chose to let bygones be bygones

Determined to remain faithful until the end.

 

Everything in life won't come easy and the

Whole cosmos does not revolve around you

Bear that in mind on your journey and

That thought will help you to make it through.

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

********

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

Every Time I See

Be grateful for the things that the Lord provides and tell Him so. I did in the poem that I provided for your enjoyment today.

I wanted to tell you, Lord, that I am

Grateful for every time I see an eagle

Lift its majestic wings and soar toward the sky

Every time I see a butterfly flit on the wings

Of the wind as it passes me by

Every spring when I see the hummingbirds

To my patio doors, once again, find their way

Every time I feel a cooling breeze on a hot summer day

Every time I walk upon the green grass

That You prepared as a cushion for my feet

Every time I see the ocean, hear thunder

Or see and hear a towering waterfall

Every time I see the winter snowflakes

That blanket my world in white

Every time I see a new carpet of leaves that swirl

In the breeze to every child's delight

I am reminded to be grateful

For You, the Creator, Who orchestrated it all.

Grateful that You love me enough to tie

Yourself to me through prayer

Grateful that You are always by my side

When I need You there

So, I am proud to be Your serving child

Winter, summer, spring or fall

For, You, are my God, my All In All!

********

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

Lord, I'm Grateful!

Lord, I'm grateful

For the multitude of blessings

That over the course of my lifetime

You have sent my way

And Lord, though I  think it

"I'm grateful" are not actual words

I often say.

From the time that I was a

Toddler sitting on her knee

My mother taught me to be thankful

For everything given to me.

"Thank you" and "Please" were words we knew to use -

To not do so was not to be tolerated

And was not something that my momma easily excused.

But when I think back on my life

I think that my "Thank you" was meant for

A particular act and time

And though I would hold the glow

Within me for quite a long while

Because of a service done for me

I rarely repeated a "Thank you" for

My philosophy was that new "Thank you's" go

With new acts, you see.

But to show that I was appreciative I

Would do and say kind things

Even to strangers that I would meet

Because I remembered that my momma

Told me that, "You reap what you sow."

And I equated nice things done for me

To things I had done and said a while ago.

I tried to be a Christian in my daily walk

Even if I were mistreated or put down

I tried to respond to others with kind talk.

You see, I remembered that Momma said

That Jesus died for me

And because He did such a loving thing

I try to show my gratitude by loving His people, humanity.

********

Today, I felt the need to express my gratitude to the Lord for all of the things that He has done and continually do for me because of His love. It is a good thing to be grateful, a better thing to say it and an even better thing to show it.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

In the Fish Tank

Life gets pretty interesting at times. Take a fish tank, for instance. You can see everything that goes on in the tank. It is all open for the world to see. As Christians, we are living in a "fish tank," so to speak. Allow me to explain further.

Have you ever sat and observed the goings on in a fish tank or aquarium? It is amazing and so true to life. One thing I discovered about a fish tank is that fish are bullies, too. I was so amazed when I saw a bigger fish chasing a smaller fish and being mean to it. (For our illustrative purposes here today, let's call the smaller fish, "Little Fish" and let's call the bigger fish, "Big Fish.")  You might ask, "How can a fish be mean to another fish? Well, what would you call it when you see a big fish swim up to a smaller fish and the smaller fish take off swimming fast to the other side of the aquarium? But wait, I am not finished, yet. Then Big Fish takes off after him and backs him into a corner of the aquarium. Then Big Fish lunges at Little Fish and in his attempt to get away, Little Fish leaps up with enough force to break the surface of the top aquarium water and falls back in still on the run. Then you see Little Fish hide in an underwater castle that the aquarium owner had put in for decoration. Little Fish can exist peacefully as long as he stays in the underwater castle. But trouble erupts again when it is feeding time. Big Fish gobbles up most of the food, himself, although he does allow the other smaller fish to eat a little, too. But, he tries to keep  Little Fish from eating anything at all. But, apparently driven by hunger, Little Fish makes a swimming dart up to the surface for a piece of food. He gets the food but is rammed into by the Big Fish. Little Fishish hightails it back to the castle to discover that another fish has taken up residence. What is Little Fish going to do now?

We could go on and on with the skirmishes between Big Fish and Little Fish, but there is no need as I have made my point about bullies.

The Aquarium Owner

The aquarium owner has seen this little scene play out and decides to intervene. He goes to the pet supply place and picks up an aquarium divider or a separate compartment made to fit down in the aquarium to keep smaller fish from being eater by bigger ones. You have seen the dividers like that, I'm sure.

So what does the owner do? He scoops up Little Fish and allows him to swim, eat,  and frolic in safety without fear of aggression from Big Fish.

I have also seen water plants placed in aquariums for the two-fold purpose of an added source of nourishment and as a place where smaller fish could take refuge from bigger fish.

In Conclusion

When you feel like Little Fish felt in the aquarium, don't despair. The Aquarium Owner is watching your every move. He will place hedges around you for your protection just like Little Fish's owner did for him. And you keep doing and saying the things that a faithful, "fish" should say and do as you remember that God is watching and He sees you remembering that you are an epistle read of men.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

Living My Life

I want to live my life so that this world will know that I am proud to be the Lord's child and as such, He is my friend.

Vessell of Clay

I commune with the Father as a vessel

Of clay to its Father

And I know that He listens and that

It is no bother.

When I talk to Him, I tell Him about how

Much I love, adore and thank Him

For loving me in spite of my faults

When my Christian light grows dim.

"From a vessel of clay to the

Omnipotent Artisan as the wheel

Just another one of my rhymes

To tell you how I feel.

You ar4e worthy to be praised

Awesome and all wise

And I thank You for watching over

Me with Your all-seeing eyes."

                                                                                                    - (excerpt from the poetry book, DEI Sub Numine Viget by Alma L. Jones)

 

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

 

We Need You

Yes, we do! Look around you... There should be no doubt that we do.

Who

If you try to live a 1. righteous life, 2. choose godly friends, have a 3. strong prayer life and have a 4. steadfast faith in our faithful God; then I am talking to you. Allow me to briefly explain each of the four characteristics mentioned in the previous sentence.

1. A righteous life - Living to please the Lord no matter how you are ostracized.


2. Godly friends - Friends who hold the same views that you do about living for and pleasing the Lord.


3. Strong prayer life - A strong believer in and practitioner or prayer daily and in all types of life situations.


4. Steadfast faith - You have a faith that is so strong that you hope and trust in the Lord no matter how dire a given situation might seem. You are a firm believer in the statement, "I know the Lord will make a way!"

Now What

Now that you know who I am talking to, I want to remind you of a little story in the book of Genesis, chapter 18.

And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. (Genesis 18:26, KJV)

This is the instance where the Lord had determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. But when He talked with Abraham because of Abraham's request, He decided not to destroy the city if fifty righteous could be found within it, then 40 and so on, down to ten.

The point that I am trying to make is this: If you have been doing the four things that were mentioned in the first paragraph, then continue to do so. In fact, you might need to step your game up a bit. Whatever you do, don't become so disheartened by wickedness that you feel like, "What's the use?" No, no no, that is just how you must not feel! If anything, when you begin to feel disheartened, pray more and always remember, the "50 righteous."  And, too, that only a mustard seed amount of that faith that was mentioned in number four above is required.

Don't Forget So Quickly

Remember just a few days ago when we "put our pots on to boil," so to speak, in prayer? Remember the result? Yes, well that proves once again that the "Prayers of the righteous availeth much." (James 5:16)

So, keep beginning your day with prayer and keeping living out 1-4. God will because He said He would. We are counting on you; are you part of "The Fifty?"

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

When All of the Fluff Is Gone

Sometimes in life, you are reduced to the bare bones. Time like these make us feel our worst, don't they? Yes, well let's discuss that feeling a moment, shall we? Let's take a look at an earlier blog post of mine.

 

Poem 1

 

You don't count on

Being left alone so that

It can be seen

What's in your heart

Yet, GOD did Hezekiah that way

Like things may be done today.

(This poem says to me that, sometimes in life, you go through some things to have your mettle tested. This means how you measure up in critical moments; when situations get rough; when your resources are seemingly dried up. What do you do then?)   

 

Poem 2

 

No one likes the twisting and turning

That comes along with the scrubbing

But it's thru the washing

That your true colors show

A fact that I know.

(This poem says to me that as a result of what has happened to you in the first poem, you have been reduced to the bare bones; all of the fluff is gone, you have bare bone rubbing against bare bone. If you suffer from arthritis, then you know what I am talking about and if you don’t, ask somebody. They will gladly tell you what it is like. If you are a bit younger and don’t know anything about such things, then allow me to explain it another way.  If you have ever played sports and have ever torn cartilage in your knee, then that resulting pain can sometimes be because of bone rubbing against bone because the cartilage has been displaced. At any rate, you know that it is a very painful situation.)

 

 

“Yes, well get on with it; make me feel better, (if you can),” you might say. Alright, here we go, a few home truths:

 

• 
  

  If you are a person of faith, then you are a person who prays regularly, right? If you pray regularly, then rest assured that Jesus knows about you and knows your name and hears every prayer that you pray.

  
  

1. 
   

   That means that you have His attention.

   
   


2. 
   

   That is a big plus for you!

   
   

• 
  

  People with great faith are tested just like Hezekiah was.

  
  

  You don't believe me? Well, look at these scriptures:  Elijah, 1 Kings 19;  Nehemiah 4 - 6; and Abraham, Genesis 22:12.  There are many more, but I just gave you a few of them. During the testing of your faith, you pray more fervently than ever. The trials teach you to lean on Jesus more and less on self because he will take some of the trappings out of the way so that you can realize and fully learn to trust Him. When there is no money in the bank anymore and the proud savings that you used to have and the 401k are all gone when you have been reduced to bare bones and things begin to rub. Bone upon bone… a blessing for you because when sinew begins to form on those old bones, relief from pain is so piercingly sweet that you will tell anybody who will listen just like I am doing right now. Your faith is strengthened because you can now say with conviction like the saints of old, “He made a way out of no way. No, no That's not right! He took what you thought you knew to be an impossible situation and did some Godstuff and now you are stronger because of it and your faith is on its way to being rock solidly built! Another blessing for you, blessed before, during and after the storm!

  
  

 

1. 
   

   Blessed before the storm because you got His attention

   
   


2. 
   

   Blessed during the storm because your prayer life was strengthed in that you developed a closer relationship with Him

   
   


3. 
   

   Blessed after the storm because your faith is now unshakable and your resolve to tell your fellowman is tantamount

   
   


4. 
   

   Your telling of your story causes you to Brag on God, like me! Either way, you count it, you win!

   
   

So, when your troubles come, and storms begin to rise, just know that this is an opportunity for the strengthening of your faith and for blessing building for yourself and your fellowman.

(This topic is covered in much more detail in the book, Chopping My Row.)

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

Don't Worry About It

I can still hear my Momma's voice uttering these words, "Don't worry about it; it all comes out in the wash." Then she went on to tell me that if Jesus wanted a thing a certain way, then that was the way it was going to work out, no matter what man thought or did. That was her way of telling me that "If the LORD is for you, no matter what adverse situation you may find yourself in, you will always do like cream and rise to the top." 

She was telling me that since God wanted me blessed, then blessed I would be. She told me to keep praying, hoping, believing, and trusting in Jesus and everything would be alright. Then she explained to me about how a butter churn worked. She said all of that hard work paid off in cream, the best of the best!

And

What makes the cream rise to the top, the churning. This can be likened to events in life.  Let me explain. Those situations in life that turn your world upside down and turn you all about, may be your ticket to the top.  Think about it. Here's an example, and I go to that good old history book, the Bible. Don't you know that when Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers because of pure jealousy, that it didn't feel good down in that pit? His world had been turned upside down and never would be the same again. I tell you one thing, if his brothers had known that their very actions were going to help to bring more of what they were jealous of Joseph about in the first place to come to pass, they would never have laid a hand on him. They would have put up with their petty jealousies and been glad to do so. Just think about it, their jealousy helped to make him second to the king of Egypt! How sweet! (Jealousy, by the way, will make folk want to kill you, even today, but that is a topic for, perhaps, another day.) 

 Churning

Did Joseph go through any churning? And how! Don't you know that when he was snatched from the bosom of his daddy to be sold down in Egypt, that it didn't feel good? He landed in a noble's house down there, but trouble was not finished with him yet. He was sent to prison because of an untruth because he would not "play ball" with his master's wife.  Here again, this did not make Joseph feel good. But even in prison, Joseph still had that cream quality. He rose to the top.  You know the rest of the story so I will not trouble you with the details.  The point that I am trying to make is, "Be thankful for your enemies for they bring you more blessings than they know."

So
"Keep your chin up for it all comes out in the wash." To use my Momma's words, "If the LORD is for you, no matter what adverse situation you may find yourself in, you will always do like cream and rise to the top." 

 

Now you know one of the reasons that Romans 8:28 is one of my favorite scriptures.

Be blessed and keep the faith.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

He Is Not Looking

Justification

Sometimes you do things that you know are wrong

To unsuspecting people who give you their trust

All in the hopes of getting ahead of the throng

Of humanity and it matters not the right or wrongness

Of what you do, because after all, you can always confess

But for right now you are going to do what you feel you must do

And if that something happens to affect another, you

Say, "Don't take it personally; it's business you see

A body has to do what a body has to do even if

That doing creates chaos and heartache

Because of my being on the take."

Rebuttal

Know that you do not believe that He is watching

You create the havoc that your greed has caused you to

Know that you feel like confessing will erase all of the

Dirt that you have been up to

But a wise man once said that "you will reap what you sow."

And you "have sown seeds in the wind" and they

Have scattered far and wide

And because of your egotistical greed

Many a soul has cried.

Which straw is going to be the one that breaks

The camel's back And ushers in retribution

For the deeds for which you refuse to make restitution?

[Sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind  (Hosea 8:7) and He laughs. (Psalm 37:13)]

"When saw we You and took advantage of you? If you did it unto the least of them, you have done it unto Me."  (Matthew 25:44-45)

So

We need to be mindful of our treatment of our fellowman. If you have committed a wrong, right it. It is as simple as that.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

 

Using Words for Good

Those of you that have been reading my blog for any period of time know that I am a strong proponent of using encouraging words to help another along this path of life that we all walk, so much so that I have quoted Isaiah 50:4 many time to you. As I was reading my morning meditation book, Power for Today's devotional for the day, I was thunderstruck that the author's viewpoint was the same as mine on this subject! Therefore, I am going to reprint a good portion of it for you, today.

Apparently, Job had cultivated the habit of speaking kind and encouraging words to others and this helped them to rally their faith, hope, and courage to face the variations of daily living. Cultivating the habit of speaking words of encouragement, words of love and words of faith could equip us to face whatever the future may hold for us and help to silence the negative-talking Nellies all around us. (Edward L. Kirk, Power for Today, 2001) 

Having said that here is a prayer for you today.

Heavenly Father, help me to speak words of encouragement, love, and faith to those around me that they may a sustaining force both to me and to those who hear them. In Jesus' name, Amen. (Edward L. Kirk, Power for Today, 2001) 

Keep seeing the bright side of things and keep trying to encourage your fellowman. God sees and knows your work and applauds it, according to Isaiah 50:4.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

"I Will Hear from Heaven"

If you have been living as a Christian for some years, then you are familiar with passages of scripture such as 2 Chronicles 7:14, Hebrews 4:16, etc. All I need to say today is, "GOD will!"

Let us rise and give thanks. And I thank all of you who were willing to "boil water" yesterday.

Prayer works, folks.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

Who Am I?

I am just a nobody, who

Doesn't amount to much

But I am a nobody, who

Has experienced the Master's touch.

There is placed within me

This seed of encouragement and creativity

To be used for the good of mankind

By writing inspiring thoughts

That He places upon my mind.

So, no matter what happens

In this world in which we live

Where things often go awry

And sometimes make us cry

Just remember Whose you are

And step on mighty warrior

And your best to Jesus give.

He has everything in control

And sees every slight of hand

So, let's all remember to begin

Our days with prayer and

Ask Him to please heal our land.

If every household in existence

Would put a pot of water on to boil

At precisely nine o'clock

And as the steam rises into the air

Pray to the Lord as fervently as the water

Boils in the pot sending wisps of steam into the air

Blessings would float down across our land

From the God Who resides up there.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

Who am I, just a nobody, who uses words to remind folk of the love that the Lord has for us all and that He is as near as our prayer call.  Hmm-m... Like water boiling in a pot. Hmm-m, that would be a lot of pots!

"That Book" Did It Again!

People came back from a recent retreat with renewed enthusiasm! That is the purpose of a retreat and ladies from all walks of life took advantage of it. It is always good to hear of women having a good time in the celebration of their Christianity. And though I did not get to attend this retreat, I benefited from it, as well.

How?

Well, let me make a long story short. At one of the women's conferences that I had attended earlier in the year several people bought copies of my book, Chopping My Row. Well, according to a person who attended the conference that I mentioned in the paragraph above, there were displayed several gifts for people to come up and receive as prizes, etc. One of the prizes that was being given was, you got it, "That Book!" Someone asked if they had ever heard of Alma Jones and several ladies spoke up and said, "Yes." Then one went on to say that I was an excellent speaker. And another piped up and said, "And girl, you ought to read her book!" Somebody else said, "I have read it, and I personally know Alma Jones, and I just love her and that book of hers!"

My Point?

When you give your all to the Lord, He will have folk speak for you, even when you are not around. He had women speaking for me on behalf of my book. Now you know why I said, "That Book" did it again. It was not the book really, but the glory of the Lord shining through me via the writing of the book. You see, when I started on the book all I had was the "want to" that the Lord had placed there. He took my, "want to" and made it work for me so that I could work for Him. Halleluia! What a wonderful God we serve.

That sort of reminds me of Joseph. The Lord had something that Joseph had done (which the Lord had given him the ability to do)  to cause a man to speak for Joseph when Joseph was not even present. The result was that the king sent for Joseph. Y'all know the story:

• Two men had dreams and Joseph interpreted the dreams.


• King had a dream and man remembered Joseph and told the king about him.

Huh?

What I am saying is that if you are working for the Lord, He never ceases in His efforts on your behalf. He is working when we are sleeping. We do not have to be present to have the hand of the Lord working through other folks for us. I just gave you a good case in point if what happened with my book, Chopping My Row.

And I will tell you something else, I am humbled and awed by the touch of the hand of the Lord upon the success of "That Book."

To God be the glory!

Humbled, awed and serving by Chopping My Row in the Lord's vineyard,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones