Thanks for Voting

Yesterday we had our Primaries here in Wisconsin. For those of you who voted, I want to say, "thank you."

Thank You for Voting
By Lydia Chorpening

Thank you for voting
For making your voice known
Thank you for standing up
And letting our liberty be shown

The ones gone before us
Have paid with their lives
To give us this freedom
Sacrificing husbands and wives

When you’ve gone to the poles
You’ve done a duty that’s brave
You’ve stood for our country
That our little ones might be saved

With elections in November
We must vote righteousness in
We need to make intercession
To save our country from within

So thanks again for voting
Each voice counts a score
Your vote is important
For righteousness to be restored

The Tree

THE TREE

There is a tree that really haunts me
This same tree also intrigues me
It’s a tree that marks the land
Standing alone with bare-stripped hands
Where lightening once struck its place
It’s fashioned with enduring grace
Its heart pumps sap up through this tree
Where strength still proclaims its dignity

One knows this tree has stood its place
It’s marked its spot with endless grace
From the gnarly boughs with hands bare-clean
Protruding from its core of luscious green
From deep inside – somewhere out of sight
This tree has drawn unusual might
There is a root that taps a well
From the unseen where resources dwell

Its deepened soul refused wind’s sway
While other trees fell to their decay
Even though this tree shows scars of pain
In its central core true life remains
This is the life that God provides
When roots like these grow deep inside
Why does this tree haunt and intrigue?
It’s because I think - this tree is me.

New Release

This new study guide will be an effective tool to use along with the Text book; The Seven Robes of Jospeh: Steps to Fulfilling Your God-given Dreams.

You may purchase the Text book online or order it together with this study guide by emailing Lydia at rlv-sog@charter.net.

This study guide is a 64 page study developed and illustrated by Lydia. It is produced on glossy 8 1/2x 11 3-ring hole punched for your convenience. The price is $12.00 (price included tax)plus $3.00 shipping and handling. If you order both the second edition of the Text book and the study guide you can save $5.00 and purchase both for just $25.00.

Thanks for bearing with me while I get my website updated. You can order my materials by emailing me at: rlv-sog@charter.net

Peace that Passes Understanding

Persecuted Christians say, “Don’t pray that we will stop being persecuted, but that we will remain faithful through our persecution.”

Is. 45:7 “I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace andcreate evil. I the Lord do all these things.”

John 14:27 I give you peace not as the world gives.
The world tries to give peace that is the absence of evil. Christ’s peace is peace in the middle of life’s crisis. This verse was spoken right before Christ’s crucifixion. He knew what would befall His disciples and yet He told them to be at peace because that was a gift He was giving.

II Tim. 1:7 When Valencia was young she would wake up with nightmares. We taught her this verse and in her childish voice she quoted the Scripture and passed through that harassment.

John 8:44 tells us that Satan is the father of lies. So if God gives peace, and we are attacked by the spirit of fear, and Jesus promises that He has already given us His peace, we can be sure that Satan is lying about the very thing that God says He will prosper. Satan opposes that, and when he does, we know he is lying.

Illustration:
A contest on painting pictures of peace. Many tranquil scenes were entered into the contest. The one with the stormy skies and raging ocean won! It had the little dove in the cleft of the rock. That is the picture of God’s peace.

WE HAVE TO HAVE PEACE WITH GOD BEFORE WE CAN HAVE THE PEACE OF GOD.” Read Eph. 2: 8-15

To stay in God’s presence is to stay in His peace!

To stay in the peace of God, we must hear the voice of God! Ps. 85:8
This verse ends with , “let him not return to his folly.”
Ex 24:3,7 versus 32:1-6 show the children of Israel returning to their folly.

Areas that we need peace in:

Relationships/ offenses: Ps. 119:165
Afflictions Ps. 119: 50, 71
Bad news Ps. 112:7
Turmoil/ storms of life: Mk 4:37-39; Jh.16: 33 (could be marriages, finances, work, etc)
Peace at night Ps. 3:5; 4:8
Peace from fear Is 26:3
Peace at death Acts 7:55, Steven’s death.

The Most Difficult Becomes the Best

By Lydia Chorpening

The hazy skies pressed their relentless heat upon me as I left my familiar world of San Antonio, Texas. Heading into Wisconsin’s northern zone left me less than excited. I was leaving, not only my familiar, my past, my three teen-age daughters, but also what I thought was a call of God.
Needless to say, although I left skid marks from my emotional heels digging into Interstate 35 all the way north, this was the place that God had brought me to—a place of being stripped bare of my identity, my glowing crown of being an overseas missionary. I had no beautiful daughters to push ahead of me as I stepped into a new world and into a new church.
Of all the many moves we had made prior to this one, none seemed as difficult to me. Leaving Iowa, living in Missouri, owning a home in Florida, the on-campus life in Texas and even the moving about in the Philippines had not prepared me for this challenge.
Russell, my husband, saw the job opportunity and the privilege to get out of the big city. I stepped unwittingly into the opportunity of working with developmentally disabled adults. Even though it took me years to respect and embrace this new ministry it proved to be a God-place.
During this time period God begin to pry open my heart to the clutter I held onto. As I was released from the bondages of fear, legalism and a failure mentality, God miraculously showed me new avenues of ministry. One of those is through writing. God has given me many pieces of poetry and so far two books to write.
The first book, The Seven Robes of Joseph, Steps to Fulfilling Your God-given Dreams, helps the reader find himself in the life of Joseph, leading them into Bible study and finally into the reality of their destiny. The book is now translated into Spanish and can be ordered online.
Bigger than Impossible shows the passing vapor of impossible, while establishing the God-possible. It is an incredible read, packed with personal experiences. It helps the reader turn their impossibilities into God-possible! This book can be obtained by contacting the Author: Lydia Chorpening.
Summing This Up: when you’re at the end of your road in God’s Kingdom, you’ll find that you’re at the beginning of God’s brand new opportunity.

America, the Beautiful

This writing has been modified by Lydia Chorpening and adapted from the great works created by Katherine Lee Bates. The music was produced by Samuel A. Ward. As a child I would sit in our shabby front yard in the Missouri countryside and sing the words of this song heavenward. I now sing them modified and through tears. Sing it again with me and turn it into a heart-felt prayer.

Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,
For purple mountains majesty, above the fruited plain.
America! America! God shed his grace on thee...
But you have turned your face from Him-denied your liberty!

Oh beautiful for pilgrim feet. Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness
America! America! Amend your every flaw
and turn thy soul again to God and His eternal law!

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy hearts refine
Till every soul, in righteousness, bow to Christ's cross divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years
Thy alabaster cities dimmed, by sinfulness and fears
America! America! God shed His grace on thee
He calls for us to follow him to Calvary's rugged tree.

Let your voice be heard for liberty and life!

I Am Amazed

God's goodness is limitless.
His mercies are new every morning.
He creates all thing for his glory.
He thoughts are loving, true and righteous
He is everywhere present.
He is always near to help those who call on Him.
He is the first, the One present before creation.
He is eternal. That means:
He will never end.
He will never die.
He will never be outdone or defeated.
His love is fathomless.
His truth is unsearchable.
His righteousness is established
His mercy springs from His heart.
He is authentic, always trustworthy.
He is doubtless and credible.
Let us reverence Him!
Let us respect and fear Him!
Let us bow our heads before Him in praise and submission!
He is Lord, and without Him, we are nothing!