Category Archives: Joy

“Christianity” by Reinhard Bonnke

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By Reinhard Bonnke

“Christianity…

Has an unconditional…

‘WELCOME’

Above its doors…

For the storm tossed…

The broken in spirit…

And the inadequate….

It is the arm of God’s love…

Thrown around those…

 Who have given up on themselves…

Or been given up by the world…

And don’t have what it takes….

If you would believe…

You would see the glory of God…

 John 11:40

Christ causes us to make it…

We, who otherwise would never make it on our own…

In the Gospels…

We see Him coming open-faced and with open‑arms…

To Him…

There were no nobodies…

Nor riffraff…

No social rejects…

He came for lost sheep…

Plus, to women…

Who were treated as sub-species in some eastern countries…

Even as they are now…

Christ gave honor…

Jesus said,

‘I always do those things that please Him [the Father].’

John 8:29

What had He seen the Father do?

He had seen Him stoop over the wretched tribes in Egypt…

Those Israelite‑nobodies…

Expendables…

God picked them up…

And made them great!

Jesus did the same…

He chose fishermen…

Not princes…

To be His ambassadors…

The Gospels again and again…

Show Him meeting the unwanted…

And giving them a place…

His outreach to the discarded…

Is a moving part of the Gospel story!

Jesus is with the ‘lost’ and the ‘last’…

The lost He finds…

And to the last He says…

‘The last will be first.’

Matthew 20:16″

Amen!

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Something In The Water???

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Our symbol of faith in Jesus…

And obedience to Christ our Lord!!!

He said, “I’ve been where you’ve been before.
Down every hallway’s a slamming door.”
No way out, no one to come and save me
Wasting a life that the Good Lord gave me

Then somebody said what I’m saying to you
Opened my eyes and told me the truth.”
They said, “Just a little faith, it’ll all get better.”
So I followed that preacher man down to the river and now I’m changed
And now I’m stronger

There must’ve been something in the water
Oh, there must’ve been something in the water

Well, I heard what he said and I went on my way
Didn’t think about it for a couple of days
Then it hit me like a lightning late one night
I was all out of hope and all out of fight

Couldn’t fight back the tears so I fell on my knees
Saying, “God, if you’re there come and rescue me.”
Felt love pouring down from above
Got washed in the water, washed in the blood and now I’m changed

And now I’m stronger

There must be something in the water
Oh, there must be something in the water

And now I’m singing along to amazing grace
Can’t nobody wipe this smile off my face
Got joy in my heart, angels on my side
Thank God almighty, I saw the light
Gonna look ahead, no turning back
Live everyday, give it all that I have
Trust in someone bigger than me
Ever since the day that I believed I am changed
And now I’m stronger

There must be something in the water
Oh, there must be something in the water
Oh, there must be something in the water
Oh, there must be something in the water
Oh, yeah

I am changed
Stronger

I’m free.

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Matthew 3:11
“I baptize you with water for repentance,
but He who is coming after me is mightier than I,
whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Acts 22:16
“And now why do you wait?
Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins,
calling on His Name.”
Matthew 28:19
“Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
Amen!!
I’m changed…
I’m stronger…
I’m free!
Thank you, Jesus!!
 

Every Praise Is To Our God!!! Oh, Yeah!

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What else needs to be said???

Our God deserves it…

So…

Get to Praisin’

Amen!!!!!

1 Chronicles 16:8

“Give praise to the LORD,

proclaim His name;

make known among the  nations

what He has done.”

Revelation 7:12

“Amen!

Praise and glory

and 

wisdom and thanks

and

honor and power

and

strength

be to our God

for ever and ever.

Amen!”

Just Surviving??? We Were Made To Thrive!!!

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My friend, Stephanie wrote this on Facebook…

“As a kid, I read The Swiss Family Robinson,

a book about a family that was shipwrecked

and stranded on a desert island.

As their ship sank in a violent storm, all of the lifeboats were taken

and the Robinson family was left to go down with the ship.

Thinking quickly, the resourceful and determined Daddy Robinson

strapped them all tightly to makeshift rafts of loose wood

or whatever would float.

He then sent his family,

one by one,

out on the water,

bound tightly to their only hope

and the next morning the family

was reunited on an island where they lived until rescued.

When God’s promises take longer to happen than we hoped,

frustration and discouragement easily wear us down

and batter us loose of our hope.

Simply, ‘holding on’

may not be enough after a while.

If Daddy Robinson had sent the children into the angry waves

merely grasping their rafts,

they would all have surely perished.

No!

He TIED the children to what would save them.

Then it didn’t matter if they grew weak or tired.

They could even have passed out

and stayed afloat because,

for all practical purposes,

they were a part of that raft.

God’s promises fulfill themselves.

Attach yourself to the promise.

Bind yourself to it.

Travel with the promise

instead of simply trying to remember it.

Intentionally, stubbornly, defiantly even,

make it part of you.

You’ll do so much better than just survive.”

You’ll Thrive!!!!

“…the idea of ‘Thrive’ came out of our student ministry.

For years I’ve been using the idea of Psalm One

in showing them what a believer looks like…

If you’re not getting into the Word for God to define Himself to you,

you will define God with what makes sense to you

and what makes sense to us is,

‘I better do good or I’m in big trouble’

and ‘He’s going to stick with me for so long,

but I’m going to blow it.’

That’s not the picture that the Bible has.

God didn’t put you here just so you could survive through hard times.

He put you here to thrive,

to dig in

and to reach out

and this record is an effort to draw a picture of what a believer,

a follower of Jesus, would look like

if they dug into their roots

and understood God and themselves more.”

-Mark Hall-

https://www.castingcrowns.com/music/lyrics/thrive

Dig Deep…and Thrive!!

Here in this worn and weary land
Where many a dream has died
Like a tree planted by the water
We never will run dry

So living water flowing through
God, we thirst for more of You
Fill our hearts and flood our souls with one desire

Just to know You and to make You known
We lift Your name on high
Shine like the sun, make darkness run and hide
We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives
Its time for us to more than just survive
We were made to thrive

Into Your word, were digging deep
To know our Fathers heart
Into the world, were reaching out
To show them who You are

Joy unspeakable, faith unsinkable
Love unstoppable, anything is possible

Oh, Yeah…Amen!!

Photo Album From Our “Cousins Family Reunion” in NJ

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We haven’t been back up to NJ in a number of years…

So a cousins reunion was planned…

Somehow, we’re the old folks in the family now…

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Flying to NJ!!

Spirit Airlines to Atlantic City!!

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Pretty hassle-free, I must say…

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Cousin Phyllis’ house in Lavallette!

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Out for dinner…

For some good NJ Italian Sicilian Pizza!!

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Sea Side Beach and Boardwalk…

Still under construction after Hurricane Sandy!!

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Great memories of the Jersey Shore!!!

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All new rides!

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They still have Casey’s favorite Boardwalk games!!

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Time to sit and chat on Phyllis’ front porch!!

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And to walk and take photos on the Lavallette Beach!

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Floridians, feel blessed…

New Jerseyans have to pay to get on their beaches!

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Walked to Ortley Beach…

The beach was packed…

High Season…

Weather: cloudy 72 to 82 degrees…

NO  HUMIDITY!!!!

The beautiful weather in NJ spoiled me…

When I came back to FL…

I couldn’t breathe!!!

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Beautiful sand dunes!!

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Phyllis and I at Bayside Cafe for lunch!!

Yum!

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Later, watched the sunset over Barnegat Bay!!

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On Friday, July 18th…

I conducted a grave site Memorial Service for  my Mom…

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I read beautiful letters from my brothers, Joe & John…

George & Phyllis spoke lovingly of Mom…

Casey prayed at the end…

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I read Mom’s favorite Bible passage…

Psalm 118:24

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

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We can be glad and rejoice…

Because of the blessings of grace, peace, pardon…

Righteousness, and salvation…

That we have through Christ…

And the everlasting Gospel. 

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   Psalm 118:23 

“This is the LORD’S doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes.” 

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Delight!  Be Full!  Be Glad!  Have Joy!  Rejoice!

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Tina sang, “Worthy Is The Lamb”

Beautiful!!!

Psalm 118:1

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

His love endures forever.”

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Cousins Family Reunion…

Hilton Garden Inn in Lakewood, NJ…

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Cathy, Mary Kate, Connor, & Scott

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Ron, Judi, Deanna, & Nunzio

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Judi, Courtney, & Ellie

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Cathy, Mary Kate, Casey, Scott, Dave, Kyle, Tina, Me, & Celeste

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Casey, Tina, Mary Kate, Phyllis, & Connor

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Courtney, Dave, Scott, & Cathy

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Pt. Pleasant Boardwalk!

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Brings back sooo many memories!

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Wall to wall people on the beach!!

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Lively place!!

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Tina & Denine

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Rick, Alycia, & Kyle 

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Dave, Ellie, Courtney, Celeste, & Patty

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Jennifer, and twins:  Maggie and Cate

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Alice, Denine, George, John, Ron, Carol, Celeste, Phyllis, Casey, Rick, Deanna

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Maggie, Ellie, & Cate…

The three princesses that I just got to meet this weekend!!

Psalm 103:17

“But from everlasting to everlasting

the LORD’s love is with those who fear Him,

and His righteousness with their children’s children–

To those who keep His covenant

And remember His precepts to do them.”

This is something we can hold on to…

We can have life and love in our hearts…

Joy and gladness in our souls…

Because the Lord is our salvation!

Amen!!

Lord, Give Me One More Hour With My Loved One…

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My friend, Amy…

Lost her 10 year-old son, Kaleb recently…

See my post at:

https://godssceneryandpromises.wordpress.com/2014/05/25/grief-are-you-in-the-club/

She posted this question on Facebook…

Amy

I responded…

“Tell me what you would say to Kaleb in that hour…”

Her heartfelt answer…

“I’d mostly hold him…

Tell him how much I love him…

Make sure he knows I always have and will…

I would just listen to all the things he would tell me…

I miss listening to him…

We talked so much more than I realized…

And just listening to the joy that came out of his constant laugh…

I miss him so very much!”

I found a great blog about “Thoughts On Grief And Loss”

“Keep the positive memories alive…”

http://elliesway.org/thoughtsongrief/

 The God Of All Comfort…

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“Praise be to the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion

and the God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our troubles,

so that we can comfort those in any trouble

with the comfort

we ourselves

have received from God.

Amen!

When you receive comfort from God…

Give it to others!!

My Son Gets Funnier Ever Day!!

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Here’s the link to a great News-Press article and interview about Stage 2 Improv!!

http://www.news-press.com/story/entertainment/2014/06/20/stage-improv-brings-funny-downtown-naples/11000603/

Stage 2 Improv brings the funny to downtown Naples

Charles Runnells, crunnells@news-press.com

“Sometimes you just don’t know,”

says Debrowski, 23, of Punta Gorda.

“And that’s the thing about improv.

You can’t be afraid to fail.

That’s where the funny often comes from:

failing and failing big.

You don’t know what’s going to happen

a second from now,

two seconds from now,”

Debrowski says.

“It could be anything.”

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We’re all having great fun with this thing that he does!!

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The Naples Players are awesome!

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I love Old Naples!  The Sugden Theater is beautiful!

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The Stage 2  Improv cast members are characters!!

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Casey, the comedy wizard!

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Great Friends!

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Me with our good neighbors!

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Hubby took  a nap, so he could come out to see the show!!

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Great show, Casey!!

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Crazy buddies!!

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Stage 2 Improv cast members:  Rosie, Steve, and Synthia cutting up after the show!!

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More crazy, fun friends!!

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Beautiful theater!

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With beautiful orchids!!

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It was a great summer run!!

Hilarious fun!!

I loved it…

And look forward to many more shows!!

“Laughter is like an instant vacation.”

-Joyce Meyer-

Amen!

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

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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!!

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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!!!