How Big is Our GOD?

I've been thinking a lot lately about two things.  How BIG is our God and how BIG is our Faith?

Within the church body I currently attend, and all I have been exposed to and involved with since Jesus became my SAVIOR in 1958, I hear a lot of TALK about faith.  But, as I look around I observe and witness a lot more FEAR and DOUBT than I do FAITH.

Why do I say this and what do I mean?  I hear "God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory" (Almost a direct quote of Philippians 4:19 kjv  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.) yet I hear these same people worrying about the cost of this or that; how they are going to afford this or that; making money, or the lack thereof, this or that has broken down or won't work.  One of their primary concerns on all levels seems to be voiced in lack, and doubt coming from their mouths and their actions. 

I hear, "By His stripes I am healed."  (From Isaiah 53:5 kjv But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed)yet I hear how this hurts and that hurts and asking for prayer for the same ache or ailment time and time again, running to this or that Dr. and taking this or that medication or treatment.  We must pray, seek the necessary medical advice and then begin to WALK in healing regardless of how we feel, or what is hurting.  

I believe our problem is multi-fold.  #1 We do not see GOD big enough.  We try and put God into an extension of our image or understanding rather than realizing He is soooo BIG we can never describe or understand him.  The issue is not understanding, it is BELIEVING what His Word says....period.  

#2 is summed up in this quote from Creflo Dollar..."If you're not getting results, the issue is not lack of faith, it's the presence of unbelief".  We "say" we believe but in our hearts and minds we really doubt.  James 1:8(KJV)  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. God is a big God, but sadly our doubt is even bigger. 

#3 is disobedience.  We really want to do what we want to do, when we want to do it, how we want to do it, instead of truly obeying God's commandments and instructions. We want Jesus to be our SAVIOR but not our LORD. 

I don't know about you, but I want to truly learn to walk in the bigness of my God and not in the smallness of myself.

ABOUT THE RAPTURE

This was a devotional I read this morning and was so very good I felt I needed to share it here:

"We tell you this directly from the Lord."

I Thessalonians 4:15 NLT

WHEN A BELIEVER DIES

What Paul wrote about death, he got directly from the Lord: "We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died."  The Lord reserves this high privilege exclusively for those who die in Him: they will be the first to experience the resurrection.  Try to imagine that moment.  Arising from their rest like we do after a good night's sleep, now dressed in Christ-like bodies, they awake to the sight of their Lord returning in glory with His angels.  They meet Him-the first believers to witness His return, the initial wing of His airborne vanguard to escort Him back to earth.  This is no pipe dream or mere fantasy Paul got it "directly from the Lord."  Our source is unimpeachable!  He writes: (1)"Together with them, we which are alive..will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (vs17 NLT).  Living believers will rise to join with resurrected brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, spouses, friends, family of God Never-met-before, in a spectacular mid-air reunion with Christ. We'll be together, inseparable, eternal, one international, multicultural, love-based, Christ-centered family! (2)"Then we will be with the Lord forever" (vs17 NLT).  No speculating or imagining what He's really like, "For we will see him as he really is (1Jn 3:2 NLT).  We will see, touch and talk with Jesus as we do each other.  And He will respond to us in real time! (3) "Encourage each other with these word" (1 Thessolonians 4:18 NLT)

Copied fromThe Word For You Today daily devotional

This brings great delight to my heart as I think of our precious Suzette and all our other relatives and friends who left this earth before us.  What a well deserved blessing they have earned.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

I often quote Francis Frangipane because his words speak to me.  "It is not what we do for the Lord but what we become to Him that matters. It is this inner surrender of the heart, this deliberate turning of our soul Godward, that defines our true progress."

I saw these words this morning and realized I had, just  prior to reading them, commented on a blog: "So important to know who we are in Christ Jesus.  It's always about HIM and not about us".

These two incidences tweaked my mind to ask the question:  Do we really know it's all about who we are in Jesus? Or are we caught up in who we are and what we do?  I'm afraid it's too often the latter.

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable unto his death."  Philippians 3:10

& "Not as though, I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:12  

Just some of my thoughts this early morning.  I want so badly to become ALL He wants me to be; no more and certainly no less. I want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

What about you?  What is your motivation in your Christian walk?  Would love to hear your comments.

Remember, leave a comment to put your name into my Blogiversary drawing on the 21st.

PUT A ZIP ON YOUR LIP!

What does this mean? 


We had a Pastor that used to say this in reference to becoming more aware of and watching what we say and allow to come out of out mouths.  Thankfully due to this teaching, and this catchy little saying, Mickey & I became very aware of some of the things we were speaking.  Things we had said for years without even thinking about what we were saying, like~~~~"I'm freezing to death."  "I don't ever do anything right."  "I'm always making mistakes."  "You're driving me crazy." "I wish I was dead." "She was green with envy." etc., etc. just to name a few.

We knew that Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue:  and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." so we made a conscious effort to not only watch what words we were allowing to come out of our mouths, but also to call each other to remembrance of this fact by saying, "Put a zip on your lip."  Amazing how quickly we were truly watching what we were speaking over ourselves with this simple reminder.  

As we begin yet another new year, and some of us are making various resolutions and setting goals for ourselves, I just thought about this little, powerful saying and thought I'd share it.  Hopefully it might help you as much as it has helped us.        

   "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things.  Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth!"  James 3:5   

ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO PRAY

I am copying a devotional I read yesterday because it is such good advice on the important topic of prayer.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ADVISE!

"He who heeds counsel is wise."  Proverbs 12:15 NKJV.

When someone comes to you with a personal problem, ask them the following questions:

• What do you think caused the problem?
• What have you done about it?
• What Scriptures are you standing on?
• What do you think I might be able to do, that you haven't already done?

These questions will help you weed out those who genuinely want help from those who only want attention.  Some people see prayer as a magic wand; they think you can wave it over them and their problem will just go away, then they can go back to living their lives the way they please. 

Here's another situation.  Someone may say, "The doctor has suggested surgery.  What should I do?"  Unless you're a doctor, be very careful what you advise.  If God has spoken to someone and they have faith that He will heal them, don't throw cold water on them.  So what should you do?  Jesus said, "If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven" Mathew 18:19 NKJV.  The real question is, are they standing on their faith or yours?  You can teach people God's Word, but you can't force them to come up to your level of faith until they're ready.  Sometimes people may be ready and all they're seeking is confirmation.  The Bible says:  "You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things" 1 John 2:20 NKJV.  But unless God has let you "know". be careful what you advise!

(copied from The Word For You Today)

DECK OF CARDS

Deck of Cards

It was quiet that day, the guns and the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn't been heard.

The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week.
As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.

Just then an army sergeant came in and said, 'Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?'
The soldier replied, 'I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord.'
The sergeant said, 'Looks to me like you're going to play cards.'
The soldier said, 'No, sir . You see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country,
I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards.'
The sergeant asked in disbelief, 'How will you do that?'

ACE - You see the Ace, Sergeant? It reminds me that there is only one God.

TWO - The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testaments

THREE - The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

FOUR - The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John ..

FIVE - The Five is for the five virgins there were ten but only five of them were glorified.

SIX - The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth.

SEVEN - The Seven is for the day God rested after making His Creation.

EIGHT - The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives -- the eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the Earth..

NINE - The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him.

TEN - The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.

JACK - The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God's first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell.

QUEEN - The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary.

KING  - The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of all kings.


When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year.
There are a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week - 52 weeks in a year.
The four suits represent the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
Each suit has thirteen cards -- there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter.

So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for.'

Please take a minute right now and say a prayer for all the men and woman who are currently serving in the Military and are sacrificing to protect our nation.

YOU'VE GOT TO PAY FULL PRICE

The following was in one of the daily devotional I read "The Word For You Today" and was so good I wanted to share it here on Penless.

The poet wrote:

"When you get what you want in the struggle for self, and the world makes you king for a day;

Just go to the mirror and look at yourself, and see what that man has to say.

For it isn't your father or mother or wife, whose judgment upon you must pass;

The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life, is the one staring back from the glass.

He's the fellow to please; never mind all the rest, for he's with you clear to the end.

And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test, if the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years, and get pats on the back as you pass.

But your final reward will be heartache and tears, if you've cheated the man in the glass."

Spiritual Sunday 2010 #6 - FRUIT TREE FAITH

I actually posted this on Thursday, April 29th, but wanted to re-post it here for Spiritual Sunday. Hope it blesses someone and strengthens your faith as you wait for your seeds of faith to bring forth fruit in HIS timing.

Go here to view other Spiritual Sunday posts each Sunday. It's a wonderful place for inspiration.

**************************************************************************This is a story about a seed. It is also a story about faith.

Mickey & I were privileged to travel our great United States and Canada after his retirement. I'm not exactly sure of the year, but I know it was in the early 2000's we purchased some fresh fruit - apricots & preaches. After eating them we decided it would be fun to plant one seed of each. We got two coffee cans and planted the two seeds. We carried these coffee cans with us until we returned to our home in Coweta and placed them on the side of the house. Truthfully, we pretty much forgot about them.

About 5 years ago we noticed that one of the seeds had grown into a small plant and Mickey decided to plant it in the center of our backyard. Had I known , ( I wasn't blogging back then!!!) what I know now I would have taken a picture of this wee little tree that was about 10-12 inches tall. Over the next few years it began to grow, with the branches very low to the ground. Two years ago, when it was about 4 feet tall Mickey spoke to one of the professionals at a garden center about it and how to prune it. The lower branches were then pruned. Last year for the very first time the tree actually had blossoms in the spring!!

We got very excited and thought, "Maybe we are going to have fruit!" The blossoms turned into leaves and we enjoyed this pretty little tree in the middle of our back yard but no fruit.

This spring we once again had blossoms and we have been watching it each and every week.

The picture is dark, and not the best, but if you enlarge it you can see it is loaded with little fruits!!!!

Here is a close up of one of the fruits taking shape. Now, all this time, we had no idea whether it was a peach tree or an apricot tree. We really didn't care we were just excited that one of the seeds had made it!!!!! Now that the fruit is taking shape I "think" it is an apricot. I'll let you know when we are sure!!!

These two seeds planted so many years ago have an important lesson to teach.

FIRST, only one of them "made" it. Why? Only God knows. They were planted in the same size containers, in the same dirt and made the identical journal back to our home in Coweta. They both set in their cans by the side of the same house, with the same sun, moon, rain, snow, ice, etc. effecting them. For some reason the one did not grow. Was it the seed itself, since they were from different trees? Or was it that one just didn't want to put forth the effort?

SECOND, Mickey took the time and effort to plant both these seeds, and then to replant the one that showed it was alive and growing. He has nursed this little green shoot along these 5 years as God has brought it forth first into a full grown tree, then into bearing blossoms and now this year to it's original intended use....bearing fruit.

This seed, tree, fruit, also speaks to me on a personal spiritual level. I have seeds that I have planted, some of which have died. Why? Only God knows. But, I also have seeds that I am watering, pruning, tending and most importantly, watching and waiting patiently for God to bring forth those seeds into the full grown tree, blossoms and then His original intended purpose.....bearing fruit.

Two lessons here also: We must tend to the seeds we have planted and we must rely on God for the results which He has known from the beginning.

Seed time and harvest.......it's true in the natural and it's true in the spiritual.

I still have some seeds that are at various stages of death, new growth, growing, blossoming and bearing fruit. I'm not giving up on mine....even the ones that "appear" dead because my God can restore all things.

How about you?

Plant those seeds believing for a harvest and then be faithful in your words, your prayers, your time, your efforts to supply your end of the "works" so that God can bring forth the end He has known from the beginning.

I LOVE GOD: Father, Son & Holy Ghost!!!!

Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

WORDS - Ours & HIS

How important are His words?

Psalm 138:2 ""You have magnified Your word above all Your name."

It's through the words of Jesus that we truly get to know Him and what He is like. It's the same with people. If we saw the person's face but they were wordless, we could never get to know who they really are. If you listen closely, you can tell who a person is through their words. Unless we truly spend time with Jesus, in His word and in prayer with Him & God we cannot possibly know them.

How important are our words?

Very important. Not only in person, but even through what seems to be frivolous, at times, internet communication on blogs, FB or e-mails we get a sense of that person from their words. Both what we write and how, and what comments we make or don't make. Are we uplifting or are we constantly complaining? Are our words based on the truth of His words, or are they actually contradicting the truth of His words? Because our words are so important....

Matthew 12:35 - "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."

Let His words become our words.

We can only truly do this by staying in His words on a daily basis. By knowing God & His Son, not only as our Savior but as our Lord. By being lead, taught and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Then, being obedient to speak our His words as our very own.

Psalm 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

The Best Words Ever Spoken

John 19:30 "It is finished."

ARE WE BECOMING?

It's not what we have Accomplished, but what we have BECOME!!!!

I just read this statement this morning. How profound!!!! This truly is what we, The Body of Christ, need to hear and realize. Sadly, so very much of The Body is all caught up in WORKS, and what they are accomplishing, and never BECOMING what God intends each and every one of us to become.

God will mold and make us exactly into what He has in mind for us individually if we will but yield to Him. His word is FULL of "being conformed" - "a new creation in Christ Jesus", etc. Oh, but there is that pesty bit about "dying to self"!!! That's so hard, that hurts so much, and oh, how our flesh rebels against that discomfort.

It is so much easier to just be "doing things" that look good, and get attention and acclaim, rather than truly listening to God, hearing HIS voice, and doing what HE is leading and telling us to do.

The really hard thing is we never "get there" and we keep having to fight that "good fight of faith" day in and day out. BUT, His word is true and sure and if we keep pressing on, sometimes even "having done all, stand", we will BECOME as He is "for we will see Him as He is" .

Oh, that's what I want for 2010.........How about you?

Footnote: If any of you, who belong to the Hearts in 1 Accord prayer blog, are reading this blog please check in on the prayer blog and let me know you are still reading it. Thanks!

Beautiful Words of Truth For TODAY

I read these words this morning. Even though these were written many years ago they speak truth to my heart & soul and are so apt for the world we deal with daily.
I wanted to share them with you. I hope they speak truth to you.



They are by Edith Stein, who voluntarily revealed her Jewish identity in order to share the love of Christ in the midst of the horrors of the Holocaust concentration camps, writes in her meditation, "The Love of the Cross":



"The sight of the world in which we live, the need and misery, and an abyss of human malice, again and again dampens jubilation over the victory of light. The world is still deluged by mire, and still but a small flock has escaped from it to the highest mountain peaks. The battle between Christ and the Antichrist is not yet over. The followers of Christ have their place in this battle, and their chief weapon is the Cross.



....The lovers of the Cross, whom He has awakened and will always continue to awaken anew in the changeable history of the struggling church, these are His allies at the end of time. We, too, are called for that purpose....to have one's feet on the earth, to walk on the dirty and rough paths of this earth and yet to be enthroned with Christ at the Father's right hand, to laugh and cry with the children of this world and ceaselessly to sing the praises of God with the choirs of angels this is the life of the Christian until the morning of eternity breaks forth."

THE SPIRIT FILLED LIFE

"Be filled with the Spirit."
Ephesians 5:18 NKJV

The new birth doesn't automatically eliminate the old nature. We live in bodies that are susceptible to sin, so we must stay filled with God's spirit. Paul says: "Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." Galatians 5:16 NAS Then he gives us a familiar illustration: "Do not be drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit." Notice:

First, Paul's talking about yielding control of our life to God's Spirit. When some one's drunk we say they're "Under the influence." Second, Paul's statement is a command. "Be filled." He didn't say, "If you'd like to," or "It would be nice." No, if you are going to please God then you must be constantly filled with His Spirit. Third, this implies to every believer. Sometimes we look at someone and say, "They love Jesus so much; why can't I be like that? You can. The difference is the filling of the Spirit, not the fact that they have something you don't. Fourth, you can't fill yourself. Like filling your car, you must regularly pull up to the pump. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 NIV. Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Fifth, it's a continuous action. You can't run your car on a single tank of gas; you've got to keep going back to the source. The Spirit's filling is a dynamic, moment-by-moment experience. Why is it that way? Because we live in a world that depletes us spiritually and contend with a core of carnality that seeks to defeat us. So, "Be filled with the Spirit."

Taken from The WORD For You TODAY

TO LOVE IS TO LISTEN

"The Greatest Of These Is Love" 1 Corinthians 13:13

Stephen Sample says, "The average person suffers from three delusions: that he's a good driver, that he has a good sense of humor, and that he's a good listener. You may succeed in life without the first two, but you won't without the third." Are you a good listener? Do you think what you have to say is more important than what's being said to you? When people talk, do they get the impression you're not listening? If so, write, "LL" on a card, carry it with you and look at it regularly. It means, Listen, and Look at people while you're listening. One study says we hear 1/2 of what's being said, listen to 1/2 of what we hear, understand 1/2 of that, believe 1/2 of that, and remember only 1/2 of that. Translate that into an eight hour work day and it means you spend about four hours listening, hear two hours worth of what's said, listen to an hour of it, understand thirty minutes of it, believe only fifteen minutes worth, and remember less than eight minutes - of all that was said in eight hours. Wow, it sounds like we all need to work at listening!

You cannot "connect" with someone if they don't feel heard and understood. A deaf ear is the first symptom of a closed mind, if you haven't formed the habit of listening - you aren't going to get the facts you need. And when you don't have all the facts, you're in the dark. Paul writes: "The greatest of these is love." One of the greatest expressions of love - is a commitment to listen?

Taken from The WORD For You TODAY

Do you think you are a good listener? How does this apply to us here in blog land? I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on this.

RAINING STILL

Six days ago I wrote about the abundance of rain we are getting in our area and about connecting that with the Spiritual Rain that is beginning to fall and is so very needed.

Well, we've had more rain the past few days and this morning it was raining really hard on us as we took Aric to school

After lunch Mickey & I went out to our back yard to pull weeds, and dying flowers and plants from the beds. It is so easy to pull them up after a rain because the soil is loose and they pull up easily. We managed to clean up not only the one area we went out to do, but another!!

I always equate weeds and dying plant life to sin in our lives. As we were cleaning these beds I was impressed by the Lord that it is the same as with sin in our lives. When we have been soaked and saturated by the Rains of the Spirit and the Rains of Prayer the sins of our lives are so much easier to uproot. Not just to yank at and pull the tops off, but to dig deep and remove the very root and cause of our sin.

Since I also deal with some lower back issues and a left knee that can act up when I do a lot of bending I was made very mindful of that price, too. Just as sometimes it is painful to get to the root of sin it is a necessary and small price to pay for the removal and extraction.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though yours sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18

Continue to rain on me Lord!

9-9-09

At such a trying stage in our nation, in our world, and in God's time frame, I thought it fitting to share some words by Charles Spurgeon

"The Lord trieth the righteous." Psalm 11:5

"All events are under the control of Providence; consequently all the trials of our outward life are traceable at once to the great First Cause.

Out of the golden gate of God's ordinance the armies of trial march forth in array, clad in their iron armour, and armed with weapons of war.

All Providences are doors to trial. Even our mercies, like roses, have their thorns. Men may be drowned in seas of prosperity as well as in rivers of affliction. Our mountains are not too high, and our valleys are not too low for temptations: trials lurk on all roads. Everywhere, above and beneath, we are beset and surrounded with dangers. YET no shower falls unpermitted from the threatening cloud; every drop has its order ere it hastens to the earth.

The trials which come from God are sent to prove and strengthen our graces, and so at once to illustrate the power of divine grace, to test the genuineness of our virtues, and to add to their energy.

Our Lord in His infinite wisdom and superabundant love, sets so high a value upon His people's faith that He will not screen them from those trials by which faith is strengthened. You would never have possessed the precious faith which now supports you if the trial of your faith had not been like unto fire.

You are a tree that never would have rooted so well if the wind had not rocked you to and fro, and made you take firm hold upon the precious truths of the covenant grace.

Worldly ease is a great foe to faith; it loosens the joints of holy valour, and snaps the sinews of sacred courage. The balloon never rises until the cords are cut; affliction doth this sharp service for believing souls.

While the wheat sleeps comfortably in the husk it is useless to man, it must be threshed out of its resting place before its value can be known. Thus it is well that Jehovah trieth the righteous for it causeth them to grow rich towards God."

"I tell you that he will avenge them speedily, Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8

My constant prayer is that my faith in My Lord stand firm.

DON'T DISCARD YOUR TOMORROWS!

"Tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."

Joshua 3:5

"Your yesterdays have made you what you are today, but your tomorrows can make you what God always intended you to become. Joshua was talking to a nation whose yesterdays were a long list of repeated failures and rebellion against God. They had been convicted, judged, punished and reinstated frequently by the God they'd flagrantly sinned against. Surely, they ought to have been cut off from Him, stripped of any future blessing. But "Joshua said to the people, 'consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you." Concentrate yourself, realign yourself with God's plans and watch Him begin to work in your life. Just when the enemy has you convinced that with your past God couldn't possibly have a future for you, He calls you to prepare yourself so He can bless you. God is fully award of your yesterdays, but He's much more focused on your tomorrows. Why do we discard our tomorrows when we so desperately need them? When Jesus cried, "It is finished!" John 19:30 His disciples misunderstood and concluded it was all over. So they slipped away to contemplate the tomorrow they thought would never be. But with God, every ending is a new beginning, and three mornings later the angel announced the resurrection and the new tomorrow that would guarantee the future for all believers. "It (your yesterday) is finished!" Don't give up your tomorrows by building monuments to your past failures. Acknowledge, confess and release your yesterdays to the crucified Christ, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders amount you."

Taken from The WORD For You TODAY

THE SABBATH

I love Sunday AND I love my life!!!

I am so thankful that God, in His wisdom, gave us the Sabbath. It truly is such a wonderful day in the life of a Christian as we "forsake not the assembling of ourselves together".

Our Pastor has been preaching the past several Sunday's about our Church being a Healing Place. Yesterday his message was HEALING FOR THOSE TRAVELING TOGETHER. He pointed out that our Christian walk is not a destination, we never "arrive" in this life, but a journey.....and a journey that we take together with others.

He pointed out that we are God's sheep, children, soldiers, body, citizens, ambassadors and bride. Then he pointed out that each of these belong to a larger group: sheep to flocks - children to a family - soldiers to an army - body having many different members - citizens of a country - ambassador to a kingdom - bride to a groom.

Then he pointed out that sometimes People Get Off Course - sheep get lost - children need to mature - soldiers receive wounds - our body becomes weak - citizens travel to a foreign land - ambassador misrepresents his country - bride is unfaithful.

The job of the church (that is EACH of us) is to Rescue - Recover - Restore. Rescue is to get to safety. Recover is accepting as part of the family of God. Restore is to make like new, as if no damage occurred.

Oh may we each endeavor to Rescue - Recover & Restore.

++++++++++++++++

We had been invited over to some new friends for a cook-out at 5 to celebrate her birthday which is actually today. They knew we attended the evening services and so we joined the other 4 couples, ate and ran.......and they invited us to come back after service for ice cream!!!
We had a guest speaker for the 6 o'clock evening service. Reza Safa, who was born and raised in Iran as a Muslim. He is a converted Christian who has a huge ministry preaching and reaching Muslim's for Christ. What a wonderful service that stirred our hearts.

We had invited our good friends of 31+ years, Don & Barbara, to come and hear Rev. Safa but hadn't heard back from them. When we got to church we were so happy to see their smiling faces waiting for us and getting to sit together through this informative service.

At 8:30 we were back at Don & Doris for ice cream and a wonderful visit. Don is a retired Assembly of God minister from California who recently moved to Coweta and are members of our church.

Meet our newest friends, Don & Doris.

Doris enjoying her birthday cone.

You can tell they are nutty and fun....just the kind of people we enjoy so much :o)

We are so grateful for this new relationship the Lord is developing with this wonderful couple. It all began months ago when we were sitting on a bench in Walmart prior to Mickey's heart surgery. They saw us sitting there and came up and said they recognized us from church. The 4 of us ended up doing our walk around Walmart together and then went into the coffee shop and sat and visited for a long time. Some people you just "hit it off with" right away and that is the way the 4 of us were.

I trust your Sabbath was as blessed as ours with a wonderful church body, wonderful services and surrounded with friendships. Most of all I pray you know JESUS as your personal Lord and Savior who makes all this possible. I cannot imagine life without HIM.

A Fun Luncheon - Bee Club - Devotional

Our Monday morning in-home Bible Study group took yesterday off from Bible study and 10 of us went to Muskogee for lunch. Muskogee is a town south of Tulsa. You might recognize the name from the song Merle Haggard made famous in 1969 titles "Okie from Muskogee"!!!!

We ate at Harmony House which is a restaurant is in old 2 story home, full of antiques. Their food is wonderful. It was my first time there.....it won't be my last.

A picture of 8 of the 10 of us. Starting at the back left, in the white is Judy. Judy is the one who started this Bible Study in her home. Then continuing on the left: Betty, Barbara, Martha & Linda. On the right from the back: Pat, Shirley & Wantha Ann. Thelma had already left by the time I remembered to take the picture :o( and of course I am the photographer. What a fun time we all had. Wantha Ann picked me & Shirley up and did the driving. The ride to and from was also a great time of sharing. It is such a blessing to be a part of this group that God has put together.

Last night was our Bee Club meeting so we made the trip into Tulsa for that. As always the camaraderie is fun and we always learn a great deal. We've had so much going on that we've missed the last couple of months so it was great to attend.

The following is today's devotion from "The Word For Today". It was so good I wanted to share it with you:

"The Glory of the Lord appeared...before all the children of Israel"

Numbers 14:10 NKJV

MOVE FORWARD

"People once thought the world was flat and that you would sail off the edge. They thought man would never walk on the moon. In 1899 the U.S. patent office almost closed because the CEO said, "Everything that can be invented already has been." In retrospect his statement is ridiculous. But some of us have bought into the same philosophy about our lives. We stop learning because we're "too old". We're afraid to change careers in case we "jeopardize our pension." We don't pursue our dreams in case we fail or get ridiculed. We're so accustomed to self-imposed limitations that we tell ourselves, "I can't do that, so I can't do anything." In essence we're building a box, crawling inside, then looking for something to blame for our lack of faith. God didn't box you in you did, and you need to take the initiative for breaking out!

"When you get down to it there's very little difference in people. But the little difference amounts to a big difference, and the little difference is attitude; it determines whether you see life through the eyes of faith or the lens of fear. When others around him saw only giants and wanted to turn back, Kaleb said, "If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us." (Numbers 14:8 NKJV At that point two things happened. First, "All the congregation said to stone them" (verse 10). Second, "The glory of the Lord appeared in the Tabernacle".Caleb's critics said "no" but God said "yes." All you need is God's approval. When you have it, disregard the naysayers and move forward."

SHIRLEY & MARCY

Mom was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school.

He didn't want his mother to walk with him.

She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet

know that he was safe.

So she had an idea of how to handle it.

She asked a neighbor if she would

please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance,

so he probably wouldn't notice her.

She said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway,

it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed.

The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out

following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew.

She did this for the whole week.

As the two walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs,

Timmy's little friend noticed the same lady was following them

as she seemed to do every day all week.

Finally she said to Timmy,

'Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week ?

'Do you know her?'

Timmy nonchalantly replied, 'Yeah, I know who she is.'

The little girl said, 'Well, who is she?'

'That's just Shirley Goodnest,' Timmy replied, 'and her daughter Marcy.'

'Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us? '

'Well,' Timmy explained, 'every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm

with my prayers, 'cuz she worries about me so much.

And in the Psalm, it says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me

all the days of my life', so I guess I'll just have to get used to it!'

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face to shine upon you,

and be gracious unto you;

the Lord lift His countenance upon you,and give you peace.

&

May Shirley Goodnest and Marcy be with you today and always.

I know you smiled!

I sure did.

ARE YOU HEEDING THE WARNINGS?

The following is a devotion that our Pastor, Gary Rogers, sent to us yesterday. As I posted a few days ago, about having eyes to see and ears to hear, and paying attention to what is going on around us in our world today I wanted to share his timely words with you.

I found it timely because the ice storm that I spoke of yesterday, and he refers to did, arrive. All the schools in our area are closed and they are telling everyone who can stay home to do so and only go out if you absolutely must.

"The weather reporters are warning of ice, sleet, and snow. Every news cast and radio weather anchor is giving details of bad weather on its way. Warnings are being issued of how the ground temperature is cold and the roads will be slick and hazardous. It would be hard for anyone with any type of electronic communication devise to not be aware of the pending storm. We must all agree that we have been warned, and we have no excuse for not being prepared. For me personally I traded my light weight, rear wheel drive, sports car for Paula’s big, heavy, four wheel drive SUV. I’m ready for the storm.

It is easy to see that the news announcers don’t want anyone to be able to say, “You didn’t warn us!” If they happen to be wrong, people will forgive them for warning of potential problems that didn’t happen. But if a terrible ice storm was to hit with no warning, everyone would be trying to find out who wasn’t doing their job. No warning being issued would let people down. No warning being issued would result in people being caught unaware and then suffering the consequences of being vulnerable and unprepared in facing the elements of the storm. The warning gives opportunity for preparation. The warning is due diligence in the person issuing the alert.
Jesus is coming back! I know this sounds like a weather report you’ve heard before, but He really is coming back. John 14:3 Jesus said, “I will come again…” His integrity tells us that He is not a liar, so He will come again. Matthew 24 Jesus told us to watch for signs pointing to His return. These signs are like weather patterns pointing to an approaching weather event. Jesus said for us watch man in relationship to man in that there will be wars and rumors of wars, nations fighting with nations. Jesus said to watch man in relationship to the environment in that there will be famine, diseases, and earthquakes. Jesus also told us to watch man in relationship with God in that the gospel will be preached worldwide, but the hearts of many will grow cold. Jesus told us in Luke 21:28, “Now when these things being to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” There is no question that people need to act upon the evidence found in God’s word that Jesus is coming.

Jesus’ return is far more important than an approaching ice storm. If Jesus returns tonight and I didn’t issue the alert then you would have every right to condemn me for not having due diligence in ministry. But if I tell you and warn you to be ready, and Jesus comes and finds you not prepared then that is you not heeding the warning that was issued. Facing an ice storm is no big deal when you’ve been warned and have time to prepare. Anticipating Jesus return and knowing you are completely prepared gives a wonderful assurance for both today and tomorrow."

This is a picture I took of our front yard this morning. You can see the ice covered tree branches and it is solid ice under the little snow on the streets and walks. The pine tree lost it's top 1/2 in the last ice storm.


Please, I pray, that you prepare yourselves for the storms that we are being warmed about as we read The Word with open ears and open eyes.