Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Burning Bushes, Writing on the Wall or Fire from Heaven...



Ended a 7-day fast yesterday. Did I see a burning bush like Moses during this time? Or maybe writing on the wall such as in Daniel 5, any amazing sign or wonders? Nope! Disappointed? Yes, at first, but then as I spent time pondering yesterday God revealed the following. Sometimes, obedience is the reward.

The fast had been done as an act of obedience. The church, my family is currently attending called for a week of fasting and prayer. We were not required to participate, but asked to pray and see if God wanted us to partake. After praying, God led me to fast from my Kindle and other books (as I mentioned on my social sites…you can check them out: dawnwhitmore67 or @dawnwhitmore).


This would not be an easy thing…I am a reader. Books, doesn’t matter whether it is eBooks or traditional along with blogs. One day at a time became my mantra. Day one came and went. Truthfully, it was not difficult. Still, my mantra was one day at a time. However, to be truthful, pride had started to creep in a little bit. It wouldn’t stay long though. Day Two & Three were not so easy. I found myself realizing the multiple times throughout my day that I would normally be picking up my Kindle.  God’s grace brought me through those two days. The victory is His…not mine. The ending result became 7-days of fasting. Spending time with my Savior in His Word. This was not my success. On the contrary, it was God’s success. My obedience was not possible without Him.

My lesson, obedience is the reward.

Are you looking for signs & wonders? Burning bushes? Writing on the wall? Fire from heaven? Yes, my God can do all of these things and more. Still at times, we spend so much time and energy running after the next experience we miss the true gift…spending time with OUR LOVING ABBA FATHER.

Are you busy ‘chasing the experience’ or will you play a part in my lesson this week and enjoy time with ABBA DADDY today? 

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Linen Clothes & Naked Men...(originally posted on Biotikos Blog by Dawn Whitmore)....

“And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.” Mark 14:51-52 ESV

The past week, I have been reading through the Gospel accounts leading up to Jesus’ betrayal, death & resurrection. While reading Mark 14, the above verse jumped off the page at me. Yet, it wasn’t the man running away naked that got my attention. No, it was the “linen cloth” part of the verse, which caught my eye.



Upon reading it, my  mind instantly thought of the linen cloths that Peter found when he went to the empty tomb. Upon reading Mark 15:46, we see Joseph of Arimathea buying fine linen (cloth) to wrap Jesus’ body in before placing Him in the tomb.
 Further in Mark, it is interesting that Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James) & Salome encounter a young man dressed in a white robe at the empty tomb.



What does all this mean? Possibly, no more than I am an eccentric person. One whose mind wanders while reading the scriptures or could it be God revealing more? At times it seems, I always end up with so many questions while reading Scripture.

Does this happen when you read the Scripture or is just me?
Stop by one of my social sites and let me know:



Twitter: @DawnWhitmore

Look forward to hearing from you!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Serving or Seeking...

Have you ever had one of those weeks? Not bad, just one were you did a lot of pondering and thinking. That is what my week has been. It started on Monday when my part-time job ended, my Mom went to the ER on Thursday night, and my doctor told me on Friday surgery is a definite on my horizon.

Remember the part-time job ending part…that also means a possible end to my insurance. On a bright beautiful Saturday, I am thanking God for who He is and enjoying a John Hopkins (JHU) Men’s Lacrosse game provided by ESPNU. (Thanks to my Sweetie & the company he works for…)

My online bible study (A Confident Heart) gave me a “Pondering & Thinking “ list:
  1. Am I spending all my time serving God or seeking God?
  2. Am I bossing people around when I worry or bossing my heart to submit to God and His Plan for me?
  3. The most poignant one to me: God not only wants to give me peace that surpasses understanding; He wants to surpass my need for understanding with promises that are bigger than any of my concerns.

Lets be honest, at times life is overwhelming. I have walked through a tough time and Jesus was with me each and every step. Even when I didn’t realize it He was there. There are days that I am still dealing with how my disobedience forced God to drastic measures, which hurt others. Yet, there is relief knowing that being where He wants me to be will be a blessing as we continue to walk this journey ahead of us. Will the journey be easy? Probably not, surgery is never fun…if you think it is fun you are either an aspiring medical professional or “a fry short of a happy meal”. 

However, currently I am at peace with whatever happens. I am sure there will be days that will “stink” but hopefully, they will be in the minority. This is possible if I can remember #3 in my list of “pondering & thinking” from this week.

Where are you this week? Are you busy serving God or seeking Him? Bossing people or bossing your heart? Or maybe forgetting that God is bigger than all our problems? It is okay, we are all there sometimes…but the real question is will you stay there?




"My heart is confident in you, O God;" Psalm 57:7a


Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Lessons in Enoch....Part Two (Shared on Biotikos Blog on 3.5.12)...

Cosner Corner Sunset Fredericksburg, VA
Photo Credit: Dawn Whitmore

Upon researching Enoch, for my last blog, I learned the following things about Enoch. There are two referred to in Genesis. One was born to Cain in Genesis 4 (yep the one that killed his brother, Abel), he even named a city after his Enoch. However, he is not the one referred to in Hebrews. 

We find 'our' Enoch referred to in Hebrews in Genesis 5:18-24. 'Our' Enoch is also in the lineage of Adam but is a descendant of Adam’s son, Seth.

There are some things to note in Enoch’s life:

  •     Enoch was born when his father was 162 years old and we thought Abraham was old when Isaac was born.
  •       Enoch’s father lived another 800 years after Enoch was born. He died at the ripe age of 962.
  •      Enoch had his first child Methuselah at the early biblical age (at least for this time period) of 65 years old.
  •  Enoch walked with God for 300 years after fathering Methuselah.
  •    At the age of 365, Enoch went for a walk with God and was no more.

 When 'our' Enoch was "taken away", as Hebrews describes, Enoch’s father was 527 years old. He didn’t die until he was 962 years old. Therefore, he lived another 435 years knowing that his son had been "taken away’". We aren’t told anything else…at least not that I can find. Can you imagine living another 435 years after such an event? Enoch’s son, Methuselah took after his granddad and lived to the ripe old age of 969. Methuselah had his Dad for 300 years and then lived another 669 years after his Dad was "taken away".  


All of this is intriguing to me; we consistently see the devastation that people live through each day in the news after a loved one disappears. Which is what happened to Enoch, he basically disappeared. 

It makes me wonder how did his family cope? The Scripture doesn’t reveal in Genesis 5 how they coped. Genesis 5 only shows that life went on by revealing more lineages. Don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying that people should forget their loved ones. I am only stating what is seen in Chapter 5 of Genesis. Furthermore, I firmly believe that Enoch’s family did not forget him. Enoch’s appearance in Hebrew’s Hall of Fame of Faith is definite proof that God did not forget Enoch.

Do you feel like God has forgotten you today? 

This blog is also posted on Biotikos Blog by the same author (Dawn Whitmore)