Category Archives: Gratitude

You’ve Got Mail!! Let’s Read God’s Love Letters!!

Standard

Most of the books of the New Testament are actually letters…

These Epistles contain general Christian teaching…

 And specific instructions for the congregation to which they were addressed…

Paul’s Letters to the Churches:  

 Mail…Florida Style!!

3-15-14 Billy & Cheryl 327

Romans 1:1-7

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,

called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 

the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures 

regarding His Son,

who as to His earthly life

was a descendant of David,

and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power

by His resurrection from the dead: 

Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 Through Him we received grace and apostleship

to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from

faith for His Name’s sake. 

And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be His holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

3-15-14 Billy & Cheryl 288

Galatians 1:1-5

“Paul, an apostle—

sent not from men nor by a man, 

but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, 

who raised Him from the dead…

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 

who gave Himself for our sins 

to rescue us from the present evil age, 

according to the will of our God and Father, 

to whom be glory for ever and ever.

Amen.”

3-15-14 Billy & Cheryl 100

Colossians 1:3-6

“We always thank God, 

the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

when we pray for you,

because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus

and of the love you have for all God’s people—

the faith and love that spring from the Hope stored up for you in Heaven 

and about which you have already heard

in the true message of the Gospel that has come to you.

In the same way,

the Gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—

just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it

and truly understood God’s Grace.”

3-15-14 Billy & Cheryl 304

1 Timothy 1:1-2

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our Hope,

To Timothy my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

3-15-14 Billy & Cheryl 302

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

“I always thank my God for you 

because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus. 

For in Him you have been enriched in every way—

with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 

God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift 

as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 

He will also keep you firm to the end,

so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

God is faithful, 

who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

3-15-14 Billy & Cheryl 289

Ephesians 1:3-10

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world 

to be holy and blameless in His sight.

In love He predestined us for adoption to Sonship

through Jesus Christ,

in accordance with His pleasure and will—

to the praise of His glorious grace, 

which He has freely given us in the One He loves. 

In Him we have redemption through His blood, 

the forgiveness of sins,

in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 

that He lavished on us.

With all wisdom and understanding, 

He made known to us the mystery of His will

according to His good pleasure,

which He purposed in Christ, 

to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—

to bring unity to all things in Heaven and on earth under Christ.”

3-15-14 Billy & Cheryl 098

1 Thessalonians 1:2-6

“We always thank God for all of you 

and continually mention you in our prayers. 

We remember before our God and Father 

your work produced by faith, 

your labor prompted by love, 

and your endurance inspired by hope 

in our Lord Jesus Christ.

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, 

that He has chosen you, 

because our Gospel came to you not simply with words

but also with power, 

with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.

You know how we lived among you for your sake. 

You became imitators of us and of the Lord,

for you welcomed the message

in the midst of severe suffering 

with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”

3-15-14 Billy & Cheryl 335

Philemon 1:4-7

“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 

because I hear about your love for all His holy people 

and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 

I pray that your partnership with us in the faith

may be effective in deepening your understanding

of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, 

because you, brother,

have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.”

3-15-14 Billy & Cheryl 293

Philippians 1:3-6

“I thank my God every time I remember you. 

In all my prayers for all of you,

I always pray with joy 

because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day 

until now,

being confident of this,

that He who began a good work in you

will carry it on to completion 

until the day of Christ Jesus.”

3-15-14 Billy & Cheryl 292

Titus 1:1-4

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ

to further the faith of God’s elect

and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 

in the hope of eternal life, 

which God,

who does not lie, 

promised before the beginning of time, 

and which now at His appointed season 

He has brought to light 

through the preaching entrusted to me 

by the command of God our Savior,

To Titus, my true son in our common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.”

Read your mail!!!

What Hoops Are You Jumpin’ Through???

Standard

Words From a Father to His Daughter

(From the Makeup Aisle)

self-image

Reblogged from:  http://drkellyflanagan.com/?s=makeup+aisle&submit=Search

Dear Little One,

As I write this, I’m sitting in the makeup aisle of our local Target store. A friend recently texted me from a different makeup aisle and told me it felt like one of the most oppressive places in the world. I wanted to find out what he meant. And now that I’m sitting here, I’m beginning to agree with him. Words have power, and the words on display in this aisle have a deep power. Words and phrases like:

Affordably gorgeous,

Infallible,

Flawless finish,

Brilliant strength,

Liquid power,

Go nude,

Age defying,

Instant age rewind,

Choose your dream,

Nearly naked, and

Natural beauty.

When you have a daughter you start to realize she’s just as strong as everyone else in the house—a force to be reckoned with, a soul on fire with the same life and gifts and passions as any man. But sitting in this store aisle, you also begin to realize most people won’t see her that way. They’ll see her as a pretty face and a body to enjoy. And they’ll tell her she has to look a certain way to have any worth or influence.

But words do have power and maybe, just maybe, the words of a father can begin to compete with the words of the world. Maybe a father’s words can deliver his daughter through this gauntlet of institutionalized shame and into a deep, unshakeable sense of her own worthiness and beauty.

A father’s words aren’t different words, but they are words with a radically different meaning:

Brilliant strength. May your strength be not in your fingernails but in your heart. May you discern in your center who you are, and then may you fearfully but tenaciously live it out in the world.

Choose your dream. But not from a department store shelf. Find the still-quiet place within you. A real dream has been planted there. Discover what you want to do in the world. And when you have chosen, may you faithfully pursue it, with integrity and with hope.

Naked. The world wants you to take your clothes off. Please keep them on. But take your gloves off. Pull no punches. Say what is in your heart. Be vulnerable. Embrace risk. Love a world that barely knows what it means to love itself. Do so nakedly. Openly. With abandon.

Infallible. May you be constantly, infallibly aware that infallibility doesn’t exist. It’s an illusion created by people interested in your wallet. If you choose to seek perfection, may it be in an infallible grace—for yourself, and for everyone around you.

Age defying. Your skin will wrinkle and your youth will fade, but your soul is ageless. It will always know how to play and how to enjoy and how to revel in this one-chance life. May you always defiantly resist the aging of your spirit.

Flawless finish. Your finish has nothing to do with how your face looks today and everything to do with how your life looks on your last day. May your years be a preparation for that day. May you be aged by grace, may you grow in wisdom, and may your love become big enough to embrace all people. May your flawless finish be a peaceful embrace of the end and the unknown that follows, and may it thus be a gift to everyone who cherishes you.

Little One, you love everything pink and frilly and I will surely understand if someday makeup is important to you. But I pray three words will remain more important to you—the last three words you say every night, when I ask the question: “Where are you the most beautiful?” Three words so bright no concealer can cover them.

Where are you the most beautiful?

On the inside.

From my heart to yours,

Daddy

Like the last letter I wrote to my daughter, I wrote this first for her and the day I’ll eventually read it to her. But I also wrote it for every woman who needs to hear the words of a father. Women, no one else can define your beauty for you. But they’ll try.

My daughter is four years-old now. If her awakening to the makeup aisle comes at the typical age, I figure we have about five years to radically alter the arc of history and the subjugation-by-image of the female gender. We’ve got a lot of work to do. And it begins in the heart of each and every woman.

You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Audio: Click here to hear an audio version of this post

Next Post: “The Key to a Man’s Heart (and Why He Gets Road Rage)”

Free eBook: My eBook, The Marriage Manifesto: Turning Your World Upside Down, is available free to new blog subscribers. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can click here to subscribe, and your confirmation e-mail will include a link to download the eBook. Or, the book is also now available for Kindle and Nook

Disclaimer: My writings represent a combination of my own personal opinions and my professional experiences, but they do not reflect professional advice. Interaction with me via the blog does not constitute a professional therapeutic relationship. For professional and customized advice, you should seek the services of a counselor who can dedicate the hours necessary to become more intimately familiar with your specific situation. I do not assume liability for any portion or content of material on the blog and accept no liability for damage or injury resulting from your decision to interact with the website.

Kelly is a licensed clinical psychologist, practicing at Alliance Clinical Associates in Wheaton, IL. He is also a writer and blogs regularly about the redemption of our personal, relational, and communal lives. Kelly is married, has three children, and enjoys learning from them how to be a kid again. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

I agree…

So does God!!

Happy Birthday…Ya Little Rascal!

Standard

“Happy Birthday, Mr. Hood!

Happy Birthday to you!

To make your Birthday turn out good!

I give this present to you!!

-Little Rascals-

10-4-13 Sunrise 091

Hon,

I appreciate you because…

You pray to God for us!

You’re true-blue!

You gave me a beautiful son!

You love us!

You do all the yard work!

You take care of all the cars!

You call to complain to everyone who tries to rip us off!

You do all the grocery shopping!

You do all the cooking!

You take care of all the garbage/recycling!

You play golf with our son!

You take him to the shooting range!

You care about our safety!

You handle our cash outflow!

You lost weight for your health!

You love Siberian Huskies, even crazy ones like ours!

You’re independent enough to pack your own luggage!

You take charge in a crisis!

10-4-13 Sunrise 086

Hey, Yo!

What more can we ask for???

We’re blessed!!

 We couldn’t live without you!!

All God’s Blessings for a Happy Birthday!!

And many, many more!!

10-4-13 Sunrise 103

Love, your Gang!!

10-4-13 Sunrise 109

Lets’ Eat!!!

Thank God, we finally found a good pizza place in Florida!!

10-4-13 Sunrise 040

And mussels with good sauce!!

10-4-13 Sunrise 046

Our prayer for you…

Numbers 6:24-26

“The Lord bless you    

and keep you;

the Lord make His Face shine on you    

and be gracious to you; 

the Lord turn His Face toward you    

and give you peace.”

10-4-13 Sunrise 100

3 John 1:2

“…I pray that you may enjoy good health

and that all may go well with you,

even as your soul is getting along well.”

10-4-13 Sunrise 087

Psalm 21:3

“You came to greet him with rich blessings   

and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.”

10-4-13 Sunrise 077

                         (Hand to Hand training-US Army-Ft Dix, NJ!  Ha!)

Psalm 21:6

“Surely You have granted him unending blessings   

and made him glad with the joy of Your Presence.”

Amen!

Opposites Attract!

Standard

I received this e-mail awhile ago:

 

“Ladies this e-mail will answer all your questions…

 

Men Are Different!

 

They think differently…

Talk differently…

Are interested…

Or not interested…

In different things!

The sooner we realize it the better off we’ll be…

And the easier it will be to get along…

 

Why Men Are Seldom Depressed!

Men are just happier people:

Their last name stays put…

The garage is all theirs…

Wedding plans take care of themselves…

Chocolate is just another snack…

They can be President…

Car mechanics tell them the truth…

Same work, more pay…

Wrinkles add character…

Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100…

New shoes don’t cut, blister, or mangle your feet…

One mood all the time…

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat…

A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase…

They can open all their own jars…

They get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness…

Three pairs of shoes are more than enough…

They are unable to see wrinkles in their clothes..

They don’t need to put on a new face every day…

The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades…

They only have to shave their face and neck…

They can play with toys all their life.

One wallet and one pair of shoes!  One color for all seasons…

They can ‘do’ their nails with a pocket knife…

They have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache…

They can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24th in 25 minutes…

 

No wonder men are happier!!  Ha!

 

Nicknames: 

If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah…

If Mike, Dave, and John go out for lunch, they will affectionately call each other Fat Boy, Bubba and Wildman…

 

Eating Out: 

When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it’s only for $32.50.  None of them will have anything smaller, and none will actually admit they want change back…

When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators…

 

Money

A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs…

A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t need, but it’s on sale…

 

Bathrooms

A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel…

The average number of items in the typical woman’s bathroom is 337…A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items…

 

Arguments:  A woman has the last word in any argument…

Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument…

 

Future:

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband…

A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife…

 

Marriage:

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t…

A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change, but she does…

 

Dressing Up:

A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash,

answer the phone, or go get the mail…

A man will dress up for weddings and funerals…

 

Natural:

Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed…

Women somehow deteriorate during the night…

 

Offspring:

Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments, romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears, hopes, and dreams…

A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house…

 

Though For The Day:

A married man should forget his mistakes. There’s no use in two people remembering the same thing!

 

P.S.  Read about relationships:

 

Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray, Ph.D.

http://www.marsvenus.com/

 

Laughing Your Way To A Happy Marriage by Pastor Mark Gungor

http://markgungor.com/

 

Men and Women

Most can’t agree:

On what a “lazy” Sunday afternoon looks like…

What “straighten up the house” entails…

How long “working on the car” takes…

Or what, “I’ll be ready in five minutes!” really means…

Just the other day…

I was listening as my husband spoke on the phone to his good friend, Dave…

“Oh, No!!!  What did you do, Davie???

Your new puppy?  Big mess?  While you were out playing golf?  And she was at church? 

And the volume in your house is on ‘MUTE!!!?!’

Oh, No! Georgie can’t help you with this one, Buddy!!!

Why???  Because no matter what you say or do…you’re wrong!!!

So, just say you’re sorry and be done with it!!

I’m telling you, Friend…

It’s a grey area!!  With women!”

So, by now I’m laughing, because I can’t hear Davie’s end of the conversation…

But I have an answer, nonetheless!

“Swallow you’re pride…

Say you’re sorry…

Put your ‘puppy tail’ between your legs…

And beg for forgiveness!!”

My husband conveys my message and says…

“Doesn’t matter if she said you could go…

Clean up the mess!!”

See???

Opposites!!!

Thank God they attract!

But both men and women can agree on our love for Jesus!!

And how we need His love for us!

Don’t you find that amazing???

In our household…

I’m not a morning person…He is!

I do the paperwork…He can’t!

He’s super observant…I’m not!

I’m a clean-up-as-you-go cook…He’s messy and doesn’t care!

He’s trained to handle a crisis…I melt down!

But…

It’s okay, because…

Jesus and I are opposites, too!

And Opposites Attract!!!

Yipee!!

I’m weak…He’s strong!

I’m human…He’s divine!

I’m selfish…He’s selfless!

He’s sinless!

He’s love!!

He’s Holy!

God’s the Creator!

God’s perfect!

God never changes!

God never fails!

Lord, I Can’t Get Over You!

Men and women are opposites…

And they disagree on many things…

But somehow in Jesus…

We all find what we need!

We all seem to agree!!

Men and women from all walks of life…

 Every country…

 People who can’t agree on politics…

Or the economy…

 Or even on which of our major world problems to try solve first…

Can agree that we adore the love of our Savior for us!

It’s amazing!

We can meet someone totally different from us…

  And still just know that they possess the love of Jesus…

That They Have His Heart!

Psalm 8:4

“What is mankind that You are mindful of them,
    human beings that You care for them?

You love like no other…
Not anything that I do…
You forgive me…
I choose to stay here with You!

Hold me…
Closer…
Can’t lose this moment…
You’re love has covered me!

And now I can’t get over You!

I just can’t get over You

Arms of my Father…
Grace can be found…
Lay my fears down…
Not the same anymore…
Changed from the inside out..
Heart is beating…

Can’t get over the way…
Your love stays the same…

All the time…
You stay the same…
My song remains…

Oh, Lord…

Nothing I can’t do…
Except get over You!

I’ll never get over You!!

Amen!

9-21-13 Gichrist Park 015

I’m Gonna Love You Through It!

Standard

When I first heard this powerful song…

I heard Jesus saying these words…

“I’m Gonna Love You Through It!”

“It”

Being, anything that life throws at me!

Then, I heard…

“And I will send you angels…

Those in Heaven…

And those dressed in flesh…

To support you…

Help you…

And love you through life’s rough spots!”

Cancer…

Affects us all…

Those who’ve experienced it…

And those of us who have loved those who have…

My prayers are with you and your families!

May God always love us through it…

And bless us with people who will go through it with us!

To those who have survived…

I celebrate your life!!

She dropped the phone and burst into tears
The doctor just confirmed her fears
Her husband held it in and held her tight
Cancer don’t discriminate or care if you’re just 38
With three kids who need you in their lives
He said, “I know that you’re afraid and I am, too
But you’ll never be alone, I promise you

When you’re weak, I’ll be strong
When you let go, I’ll hold on
When you need to cry, I swear that I’ll be there to dry your eyes
When you feel lost and scared to death,
Like you can’t take one more step
Just take my hand, together we can do it
I’m gonna love you through it.

She made it through the surgery fine
They said they caught it just in time
But they had to take more than they planned
Now it’s forced smiles and baggy shirts
To hide what the cancer took from her
But she just wants to feel like a woman again
She said, “I don’t think I can do this anymore”
He took her in his arms and said “That’s what my love is for”

When you’re weak, I’ll be strong
When you let go, I’ll hold on
When you need to cry, I swear that I’ll be there to dry your eyes
When you feel lost and scared to death,
Like you can’t take one more step
Just take my hand, together we can do it
I’m gonna love you through it.

And when this road gets too long
I’ll be the rock you lean on
Just take my hand, together we can do it
I’m gonna love you through it.
I’m gonna love you through it.

Luke 4:10

“For it is written:

‘He will command His angels concerning you

to guard you carefully;”

Amen!

Thank you, Jesus!!

Nicaragua

Standard

Our friends from church,

image

Mike and Janene Harper and their family (Brittany, Bethany, and Nataley)

are in Nicaragua working with

YWAM (Youth With A Mission)

http://www.ywam.org/

for about 10 days.

Many in our church family have helped sponsor and support them

on their last couple of trips.

Our Pastor shared last Sunday

about being the “Salt & Light” of the World…

Now they’re sharing the Light of Christ in Nicaragua.

He asked for prayer for them and the team that is there,

along with the country they’re serving…

Prayer for their safety,

for the people there who do not know Jesus,

and that lives will be forever changed!

Here’s the latest update from the Harper’s

and it’s truly amazing to read.

“Boy, are we beat!

 

We spent yesterday in the town of Masatepe learning the town.

 

We began prayer-walks all over the city that we’ll distribute Bibles in.

 

They’re hard covered whole Bibles,

 

and the people are so excited we’re coming.

image(1)

 

The churches were asked to respond, if they wanted to help.

 

Over 35 churches and 180 people responded! 

 

Amazing!

 

Today our 4 teams of 12 will start distribution.

 

My team will be at the construction site

 

and at the YWAM base, building a home,

 

 and working on updating the base.

 

This town is Dirambe. 

 

It’s a very poor area,

 

where the base started its vision in 1996

 

of getting a Bible into the hands of every Nicaraguan family by 2020.

 

This first city reached, has seen dramatic changes in crime and violence.

 

They have become a city with Hope!

 

 They love Jesus!

 

And now reach other cities!

 

I can’t wait to visit this city again.

 

Kelly, the director, should be there today.

 

 He has been a missionary in Nicaragua

 

through YWAM for a long time.

 

We’ve worked with him before,

 

so it’s nice to know a face there.

 

The YWAM school we are considering is his school.

 

It’s a bilingual school.

 

 My husband, Mike, preached last night

 

for about half an hour

 

on the importance of relationship with Christ,

 

and allowing that overflow to pour out to others.

 

The Nicas “Amend-ed” and agreed! 

 

He had a translator, who is our team leader.

 

She’s from Spain.

 

Her name is Gail.

 

They worked great together.

 

The church was an Assembly of God.

 

It was a whopping 1 1/2 hour worship time.

 

Wow! 

 

We sang,

 

‘Open The Eyes Of My Heart, Lord’

 

in English and Spanish

 

Wow! 

 

How it pleases God’s heart to hear our worship!!

 We’re all still well, so far.

We’ve eaten many foods and styles of foods.

It was hard on the tummy at first,

but it’s getting better.

We’ve had an amazing several days.

God’s given the girls great boldness in witnessing.

We’ve been distributing Bibles with churches.

My team has 2 precious Nica ladies.

They helped me lead a family

to Jesus, who

they had never even heard of.

I got to tell them the whole story.

They cried,

and were excited to give their lives to Christ.

When we left,

we saw them reading the Bible already.

Amazing!

Their names were taken down by the local church,

who saw many families already added to their numbers.

The church had new people show up for the Wednesday service to hear more.

The Pastor could not stop thanking us,

and the people in America who sent us.

It put feet to the ministry God started for him.

Some locals and our team ministered at the dump with about 100 children.

I met Eduardo (an 8-year-old boy) there,

and again God allowed my heart to break.

Oh, my heart!

We fed them and played with them.

It was such a day!

I so could have packed him up and kept him.

I could have kept all of them!

Today was distribution and school ministry.

The Principal allowed us to minister to 250-300 kids.

This was a public school!

It was unheard of before.

We went from class to class with the Gospel.

Only God allowed such favor!

We talked to the children about how the world labels us,

and how Jesus cuts those labels off,

and calls us His children!

Each of us spoke.

Brittany gave the Gospel to high schoolers.

What boldness!

Please keep praying.

When I felt very low and overtired,

I prayed,

and God revealed to me

that there are so many lifting us to the Father

right at that moment!

I so needed that.

Thank you for agreeing to do that for us.

We love you

and thank you all for believing in this mission.

Live from Nicaragua (Tuesday PM)

“Today was a very long day for us,

but we saw God do great things.

We had the privilege of teaming up with several local churches

to hand out Bibles door to door.

We told many people the Gospel,

encouraged them to read their shiny, new Bibles,

and laid hands on the sick.

Many gave their lives to God!

In spite of our poor attempts at the Spanish language,

God still used us to do great things!

Later in the day, 

we went to one of the city dumps,

where many families live by digging through the garbage for their food and belongings.

One person said it well, 

‘It was hard for us to take, but it was well received by them.’ 

We fed them,

demonstrated God’s love for them,

and made them feel important.

Here, many consider them ‘garbage.’ 

Yesterday, we helped build a house for a needy family,

did some much needed painting at the YWAM base here in Nicaragua,

and did street ministry.

We are definitely not sitting around wasting time

and, as you can see, neither is God!! 

He is answering your prayers,

working in our hearts

and moving in Nicaragua! 

He is a great God to say the least!!

Love, Janene and familia”

 

Please pray for our friends…

For the children and people of Nicaragua…

That Jesus would become real to them!!

Isaiah 52:7

“How beautiful on the mountains  

are the feet of those who bring good news,

who proclaim peace,   

who bring good tidings,   

who proclaim salvation,

who say to Zion,   

‘Your God reigns!'”

Amen!

 

“On My Knees…” Is An Attitude!

Standard

Humble Yourself!!!

How to survive???
Get on your knees…
Before the Lord…
It changes you…
Don’t know how…
But there’s power…
When I’m on my knees!!
In a crowd…
By myself anywhere…
When there’s a need…
To talk with God…

He is Emmanuel!

Close your eyes…
No darkness there…
Only light!

Power!
Blue skies or at midnight…

When I’m On My Knees!!

Trouble  again???
Breaks down my best defense…
God, I’m looking for You!!

I need rest…
Fear’s is filling my head…

God, I’m longing for You!!

I will find You in the place I’m in!
Find You when I’m at my end!
Find You when there’s nothing left of me to offer You…
Except my brokenness!!

Lift me up…
I’m thirsty…
I’m weak…
I’m lost and searching…
I’m on my knees!!

Sorrow shakes my faith…
Heartache still remains…

My God, I’ll trust you…
‘Cause you are faithful!!

My hope is gone…
Fear is strong…
Pain is real…
Hard to heal!

Faith is shaken…
Heart is broken…
Joy is stolen…
Lift me up!
Never leave me searching…

When I’m on My knees!!

PRAY!!!

In a wide variety of ways:

Sitting, bowing, kneeling, and standing.

1 Chronicles 17:16

“Then King David went in and sat before the LORD,

and he said:

‘Who am I, LORD God,

and what is my family,

that You have brought me this far?'”

Nehemiah 8:6

“Ezra praised the Lord,

the great God;

and all the people lifted their hands and responded,

‘Amen! Amen!’

Then they bowed down

and worshiped the Lord

with their faces to the ground.'”

Daniel 6:10

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published,

he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem.

Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed,

giving thanks to his God,

just as he had done before.”

Mark 11:25

“And when you stand praying,

if you hold anything against anyone,

forgive them,

so that your Father in Heaven

may forgive you your sins.”

Pray with the right heart attitude…

Offer silent prayers wherever you are…

God hears our prayers…

Even though they may go completely unnoticed by those around us!

Amen!

The LOVE Letter!

Standard

(I received this e-mail today…author and photographer unknown)

There’s a beautiful soul…

Working in the dead letter department of the Post Office…

who understands…

LOVE…. 
 

Our 14-year-old dog, Abbey…

Died last month…

The day after she passed away…

My 4-year-old daughter Meredith…

 Was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey…

She asked if we could write a letter to God…

So that when Abbey got to Heaven…

God would recognize her…

I told her that I thought that we could…

So she dictated these words:

Dear God…

 Will you please take care of my dog?

Abbey died yesterday…

And is with You in Heaven…

I miss her very much…

I’m happy that you let me have her as my dog…

Even though she got sick…

I hope you will play with her…

She likes to swim and play with balls…

I’m sending a picture of her…

 So when You see her…

 You will know that she’s my dog…

I really miss her…

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope…

With a picture of Abbey and Meredith…

 Addressed it to God/Heaven…

We put our return address on it…

Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope…

 Because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter…

 All the way to Heaven…

That afternoon, she dropped it into the letter box at the post office…

A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet…

I told her that I thought He had…

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch…

 Addressed, “To Meredith” in an unfamiliar hand…

Meredith opened it…

Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, When a Pet Dies

Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God…

In its opened envelope…

On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey and Meredith…

 And this note:

Dear Meredith…

Abbey arrived safely in Heaven…

Having the picture was a big help…

 And I recognized her right away…

Abbey isn’t sick anymore…

Her spirit is here with me…

 Just like it stays in your heart…

Abbey loved being your dog…

Since we don’t need our bodies in Heaven…

 I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in…

 So I’m sending it back to you…

 In this little book for you to keep…

 And have something to remember Abbey by…

Thank you for the beautiful letter…

 And thank your mother for helping you write it…

 And sending it to me…

What a wonderful mother you have…

 I picked her especially for you…

I send My blessings every day…

 And remember that I love you very much…

By the way, I’m easy to find…

I am wherever there is LOVE!!

Love,

God

I’d love to write a letter myself to God about the loved ones I’m missing!!

Romans 8:37-39

No,

in all these things

we are more than conquerors

through Him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life,

neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future,

nor any powers,

neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us

from the love of God

that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 John 3:1

See what great love the Father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of God!

And that is what we are!

The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.”

Oh, Yeah…This Is Good Training For My Son!!

Standard

“There’s Always Something…”

Last August, our Crazy Siberian had a very scary seizure!

https://godssceneryandpromises.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/crisis-averted/

Thursday evening she had a second seizure!

We  were all right there when it happened…

I was folding clothes..

She was in my son’s room…

I put his folded clothes away, and shut his bedroom door…

In a few moments, I heard her whimpering…

So I thought, “Oh, I shut the door, and now she wants to come out.”

I went back into my son’s room…

And she’s in the middle of floor, whimpering for no reason…

What’s wrong with her???

She gets up, comes towards me, and collapses…

And starts having a seizure!

We shout for my husband who’s watching TV…

He runs for the ice packs…

Barking his “police officer” commands…

I grab the medicine in the syringe we have ready on the kitchen counter…

Praying, “Jesus, Jesus, please help my precious little girl!”

I prayed hard!!

Thanking God we had the medicine on hand…

And knew to use ice packs to cool her down!

But it was so scary!!

Her eyes were unfocused, she was twitching, and so upset…

In about 20 minutes or so, she came out of it!

Praise God!

She wanted to go outside, where her bowels suddenly gave way…

Like last time when it happened on the tile floor in my dining room…

I cleaned it up that time, while my husband and son took her to the emergency vet clinic…

This time my son cleaned it up!

Like I said, “Good training!”

For when he has kids of his own!

We took her to the vet on Friday…

Her thyroid level is a little low, so she’ll be on medicine…

 But, she’s fine, and back to her old crazy self!

Thank God!!

Good training for my son…

To pray and trust God!!

Amen!

And I had just been complaining about her fur all over my house…

Since it’s getting really hot in FL…

She was “blowing her coat” all over my house!!

My husband and son finally shaved her!!

“Little Puffs”

I call those nasty hair balls…

However, after this second seizure…

I certainly changed my tune!

Who cares about the “Puffs!”

I want my precious little girl to be healthy!!

Learn, son…

Learn, what’s important!

Then, two weeks ago…

I was home from work with a bad sinus infection…

My head was so stopped up…

I was breathing through my mouth…

It was about 7 pm…

I had just taken a nice warm shower to try to unclog my nostrils…

I settled down on the couch to watch a little TV with my hubby…

I was so tired…

I thought, “I should just go to bed now…”

When my husband calmly says to me…

“You need to take me to the Emergency Room…”

What?!?!

A retired cop never, never, never says that unless…

It IS an emergency!!

I can’t think, I throw on some clothes…

No time for make-up!!!!

Put a visor on my head…

Don’t want to scare anyone in the ER!

Grab the keys…

And GO!!!

I’m praying all the way!

At this point, I don’t even know what’s wrong with him…

I just know what it could be…

And it makes my stuffy nose seem rather insignificant!

On the way, he tells me his hands are tingling…

That his blood pressure has been way up for several days!!

Men…

Husbands, in particular…

Why?

Why??  Are you so stubborn????

Don’t answer that…

I’m stubborn, too!

Ha!

While I’m racing to the hospital, he’s on phone…

Calling our son…

Who had graduate class 45 minutes away from us…

Telling him how much he loves him…

And what a great kid he is…

And I’m just thinking…

Dear Jesus, what did I complain about today?

Concerning this man???

And what does that matter right now!?

I know I have Jesus on my side, in moments like this…

Who else is there to help me??

So I keep praying…

Holding hands with my husband…

And with Jesus!

Saying, “You’ll be alright!”

Well, we get to the ER, sign in, and WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An hour goes by…I don’t even have my Kindle with me…since we left the house in such a hurry…

I’m NEVER without my Kindle in “waiting” situations!!

I can’t get through “waiting” situations without something to read!

So, hubby tells me to go home, and he’ll call me when it’s time to pick him up…

Since there are seven families ahead of us…

We’ll be there all night, I know…

I’ve been this route with my Mom…

God Bless her, now in Heaven!

And it’s shift changing time at the hospital!

What does he want me to do ?!?!

Is he serious?  How could I do that???

So I say, “No way!

I wouldn’t want you to leave me here!”

We sat there for an hour, only one person was called in…

And my impatient hubby had enough…

He asked the nurse when he was going to be seen…

She said, “Who knows?”

So, he told me he felt better now, and he insisted we leave!

I wanted him to promise to go to the doctor the next day…

But NO!

The next day, he went to WalMart to take his own blood pressure…

Praise God, it was lower by 30 points…

Well, I know there’s no Scripture in the Bible that says,”God takes care of fools…”

But I know God took care of him that night!

Because, I was sitting in that ER…

Silently praying…

And I felt God say, “He’s okay, He’s okay, He’s okay…

You don’t need to worry about this!

I will take care of him!”

Jesus tells me, “I’ll be by your side, whenever you call Me!”

Why are you crying?

Let Me lift up your face!

Why are you still searching?

As if I’m not enough?

To where will you go child?

Tell me where will you run?

To where will you run?

I’ll be by your side wherever you fall…

In the dead of night whenever you call…

Please don’t fight these hands that are holding you…

My hands are holding you…

Look at these hands at My side…

They swallowed the grave on that night…

When I drank the world’s sin…

So I could carry you in…

And give you life…

And I, I love you…

And I want you to know…

That I, I’ll love you…

I’ll never let you go…

Amen!

I believe Jesus has the best for us, so I pray for His best!

I don’t expect the worst to happen…

I expect His Best!

When, “There’s Always Something…”

You Need Someone Who’s Always By Your Side!

Trust!!!!

It’s Good Training for all of us!

Who’s By Your Side?

Illuminating Blogger’s Award!

Standard

Thank you!

I’ve been nominated by http://seasonsgirl.wordpress.com/ for the Illuminating Blogger’s Award!  It’s my first nomination…and I’m so excited and honored!  Seasonsgirl’s blog has been an inspiration to me since I started my blog in July last year.  Her posts are kind, gentle, and lovely…she honors God in all that she does!  I feel warm and fuzzy…welcomed and loved…when I read her posts…you’ll love her blog, too!

So thank you Seasonsgirl for reading, liking, and commenting on my posts…and for the nomination for the Illuminating Blogger’s Award!  I know we’d be great friends…if we ever meet in person…you could teach me all about your awesome life on a ranch!

I love all your photos, your life, your pets, and your animals!!

light bulb concept

So now the rules for the Illuminating Blogger Award…

The Rules:

Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you (see above)

Say a few words of gratitude on your blog and follow the link (see above)

Share a few words about yourself and pass on the award to 5 other bloggers

About Me!

Christian, Wife, Mother, Minister, Teacher, Drama Team Director, owner of a Crazy Siberian and a California King Snake…Italian from NJ living in FL with lots to say…who loves to serve the Lord with JOY, write-write-write, and take beautiful photos of God’s awesome scenery!!

Anything I do is a ministry to Jesus, so I pray you’re blessed by my blog…whether it’s a Scripture, my favorite contemporary Christian music, a kid’s Bible object lesson, teaching a life lesson, my photographs, or something humorous to get the outrageous JOY out of life that God meant for us to have!

I love sharing it all!!

Five Worthy Nominations For The Illuminating Blogger’s Award:

1.  I love author Bella Grace’s blog, http://walkingonwaterwithgrace.org/  Founder of Walking On Water Ministries, Walking On Water, or WOW…a ministry built on faith, hope, trust, and more importantly LOVE.

She loves the Lord, she’s my sister in the Lord…I feel loved when I read her posts, and also when she comments on mine!

2.  I love OverwhelmedByJoy, http://overwhelmedbyjoy.wordpress.com/about/  She’s a wife, mother, friend, and more…also a patient, who makes a conscious decision to choose joy, even though permanently disabled.  She’s a caretaker for her mother.  She chooses joy because this is the best option.  Because the other option. . . is not an option.

She’s so inspirational, wise, and caring…I love her blog!

3.  I love Adam J. Holland’s blog, http://unorthodoxepicure.com/  because he’s so opinionated, and makes me laugh, laugh, laugh every day…by making me think about everyday things in a funny way!

He doesn’t consider himself to be any quirkier than the next guy, but his family, friends and fellow bloggers disagree. He’s a chef, so his recipes are awesome!  Check it out!

4.  I love this new blog I just found…or maybe Kimmy found me! http://kimmyg01.wordpress.com/ Her blog includes spiritual topics that interest me…women’s ministry, Christianity, Christian living, and inspirational poetry…I’m lovin’ it!

5.  I love http://becomingcliche.wordpress.com/about/ because she talks about teaching topics that interest me!  She has a snake…and…ya gotta love her writing!!

She said, “Since my “About Me’ portion is getting more hits than my actual blog, I may as well not waste an opportunity.  I am a snake-keeping, thrift-store loving mother of three. I work as an educator in a zoo and do a bit of free-lance writing. My pet peeves include wet clothing buried in the hamper and little popcorn kernels that get stuck in my teeth. Most days, I have the attention span of a gnat!”  Check out her blog…you’ll have fun!!

I love all my blogging friends!  Thanks so much for making this a joyful journey for me!!  God Bless!!