A Little Child Shall Lead Them (#2)(Please see A Child shall lead them(no number) for the first part of post)



Note- many apologies, not sure why but the rest of the post was cut off and It won't allow me to fix it so I am continuing it her below and nameing it- A child shall lead them #2


No sooner had that mom's insensitive words left her mouth that the tiny girl began to weep uncontrolably! The precious little girl didn't look like a day over maybe 4 yrs. old. I quickly figured out that not only was that child extremely mature for her age but had a heart that possessed the type of love that should exist in all of us all through the year but especially at Christmas!

That cruddy mom, was extremely angry at the child for crying and pushed her to pick out a "cheaper" gift , and to do it quickly!!! I got to tell you, it took all that I had not to walk over and scoop that child up in my arms, comfort her, and buy the gift "she" wanted. Knowing that wouldn't go over well with anyone, I kept my mouth shut and fought back tears of my own.
It was at this point that the child showed great wisdom for one so young, she held on to the $9.99 gift she had picked out for her friend Trina as though her life depended on it and said to her mother,
"I'm buying this for Trina, please write a letter to Santa and tell him I don't want anything for Christmas this year, Trina told me that Santa never comes to her house, so now he can take her all of my gifts, and I will give her this special one from me!"
That "mother" didn't bat an eye, she took Lexi's hand and headed towards the cash register without saying a word!
I guess my point is obvious, Christmas isn't about presents, or about what they may or may not cost. Instead, it is about Love. Love came down in the form of a baby. He was born in a manger, and not in a palace as a King would be. That is true love, that is what Christmas is about! Jesus commands us to love one another. Gifts are great, they are a symbol of our affection for one another, who doesn't like receiving gifts? Never the less, it's the love behind the gift, and the heart of ther giver that should matter most to us. God sent His son to deliver us from the curse of sin and death, can there be any greater gift?



"A Little Child Shall Lead Them" (Plese see- A child shall lead them #2 for the continuation, sorry about that!)





I love Christmas, I love it as much as the next guy, and the next, and the next, and so on... I love the sights, and the smells, and all that goes with Christmas!
What I don't like about Christmas is the ugliness that it brings out in some people. Case in point... I was looking for a gift for someone at my local Ross store tonight and having a nice time, singing along to the Christmas Carols all the stores pipe into our brains during this time of year to motivate us to buy, buy, buy!
If you just rolled your eyes about singing along with the Christmas songs, don't lie, lie, lie, because you know you do, even if it's just singing softly ok? smiley face!
I diverse...point is,
As I picked out the said gift, I heard a mom saying to her beautiful  little girl with long strawberry blonde hair, " Look Lexi, Trina bought you a gift from the Dollar Store last year, there is no way I'm spending $9.99 on her today!"



Get In The Boat

I will admit it, it's a lot easier and safer to watch the ocean from the shore. I am familiar with everything around the shore. The sights, the sounds, the smells.
   I know I could find great adventures out there in the ocean, but to do this, I would need to get into the boat!
 I think it's time to hop in, what do you think?

YOU GOT IT!

In Hebrew, the word "Shalom" means not only Peace, but nothing missing or broken as well! In a world filled with uncertainty and darkness, it isn't only comforting but important as well to recall that our peace is not given to us by the world or anything in it!
 When Jesus walked upon this earth He told us that we not only had His peace, but that He was leaving it with us as well. So when the days grow dark, and the storms threaten our peace, our very life, it is important to remember that He not only gave us His peace but left it with us.

Regardless of the winds that may be howling in our lives right now, it is enough to know that He is with us and will keep us safe and well with His peace, and love and protection.

Care to Care!

Thought for the day!

COMMUNICATION CAFE!

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Never give up!

Power in your shoes

I find it amazing how fear or past failures can often keep us from trying new things, working to realize our dreams, or even take to steps from the lonely island where the last broken dream or failure marooned us!

  "You always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself," said Glinda the good witch in the movie "The Wizard of Oz. Though it is true that this was only a movie, it is no secret that fiction often imitates life. In this case though, it is the complete truth!

We, as children of God have always had the power.. the power to be happy, the power to be healed, the power to succeed, we have always had whatever type of power we may need in our lives.

It isn't power that we lack, it is instead a strong an unwavering trust in the one who holds all that power!
The Word of God says that "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life."  We need only to tap into that indestructible power by calling on the name of Jesus, and believing that it is indeed ours, we just have to believe!
 The "tap," or "switch" or power source is Jesus Himself!

Survey of the Week

       Survey of the Week:

                  Please pick one question below, and post your answer 
                  under this post.
 
                  1. If someone asked you why you believe in God, 
                      what would your reply be?

                         2.  How would you feel if someone called you a
                      "Jesus Freak," or a "Fanatic"?

                 3.  What is your reply (if any) to someone who
                      says they don't believe in God?

You Are Important!

....That's the absolute truth! so never give up, become your own best friend!

Make the most important call of your life ( and the one to come) today!

WITH GOD THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE! THE WORD OF GOD SAYS THAT WE SHOULD CALL UPON THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND, WHICH IS RIGHT NOW, RIGHT THIS  MINUTE! WE KNOW THAT TOMORROW IS NOT PROMISED TO ANYONE, SO WE SHOULD MAKE SURE WE ARE RIGHT WITH GOD TODAY! IF YOU HAVEN'T ACCEPTED JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR YET JUST CALL ON HIS NAME RIGHT NOW, ASK HIM TO FORGIVE YOUR SINS AND TO COME INTO YOUR HEART, AND HE WILL, IT'S AS SIMPLE AND BEAUTIFUL AS  THAT!

Used Boats wanted!

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the idea of jumping out of the boat, or getting out of my comfort zone! It isn't an easy thing to do when I am safe and snug inside the "boat" to decide it's time to get out and swim! Every time I try, I start thinking about how cold the water might be, or perhaps about what poisonous fish might be lurking in the water, just waiting for me to put just one foot in and then bite my foot off! At the same time, I am wondering what wonderful adventures I am missing, or how many people I might meet in whose life I might be able to make a difference even in some small way! I believe the Lord is telling me it's time to step out, and step into my destiny, the destiny that He has planned for me, not the one that will surely befall me if I stay in this boat! I know it's too late in the book of time to just stick my toes in the water and say, "there, at least i tried," It's too late to just sit here and feel the warmth of the sun on my face, or the cool wind tousle my hair. No it is time for me, for you too if your still sitting in your snug little boat, time for all those of us who call ourselves children of God to get out and swim. There are souls out there in that vast ocean, souls who are drowning while they hang on to a little plastic life preserver that is rotting away from just floating and getting nowhere! I for one am ready to answer the Father's call, "who will go for me?" I know it won't be easy but it will be eternally worth it!

 

MY HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU ALL!

I would like to thank all of you my friends for your prayers and wonderful words of love and strength that you "gave" me at the home-going last week of my wonderful sister Maggie. Words will never be able to express how very comforted and warm you all made me feel! Thank you a thousand times and may you all be greatly blessed!

Guest Author of the Week- John Piper

How to Read the Bible for Yourself

March 17, 2015

• by John Piper
• Topic: The Bible

1. Read for the author’s meaning, not your own.

When we read, we want to know what an author intended us to see and experience in his writing. He had an intention when he wrote. Nothing will ever change that. It is there as a past, objective event in history.
We are not reading simply for subjective experiences. We are reading to discover more about objective reality. I’m not content with what comes to my mind when I read it. The meaning of a sentence, or a word, or a letter is what the author intended for us to understand by it. Therefore, meaning is the first aim of all good reading.

2. Ask questions to unlock the riches of the Bible.

When we read, we do not generally really think until we are faced with a problem to be solved, a mystery to be unraveled, or a puzzle to be deciphered. Until our minds are challenged, and shift from passive reading to active reading, we drift right over lots of insights.
Asking ourselves questions is a way of creating a problem or a mystery to be solved. That means the habit of asking ourselves questions awakens and sustains our thinking. It stimulates our mind while we read, and drives us down deep to the real meaning of a passage.

2.1 Ask about words.
Ask about definitions. What does this word mean in this specific sentence? And remember, we’re asking what the author intended by the word, not what we think it means. This assumes words will have different meanings in different sentences.
2.2 Ask about phrases.
A phrase is a group of words without a verb that describe some action or person or thing. For instance, “Put sin to death by the Spirit.” “By the Spirit” describes the activity. It tells us how we kill sin in our lives. Look closely at phrases like these and ask what specifically they’re explaining.
2.3. Ask about relationships between propositions.
A proposition is a group of words with a subject and a verb. How propositions relate to each other is one of the most important questions we can ask. Often, there will be a small connecting word that holds the answer (e.g. but, if, and, therefore, in order that, because, etc.). Sometimes the major differences between whole theologies hang on these connections.
2.4 Ask how the context helps define the meaning of words and phrases.
You can’t know accurately what a proposition means until you know the meaning of the words, and you can’t know the meaning of words until you know the meaning of the proposition. It is a circle, but it’s not a hopeless circle. Words have a limited range of shared meanings.
Wrong guesses about a word’s meaning are often set right by the end of the sentence or paragraph. Even though words, in and of themselves, can have several meanings, the content and relationships of the propositions around them usually clarify the specific meaning the author intended them to have.
2.5 Ask about connections with other parts in the Bible.
We have to ask how the meaning we’re seeing in a passage fits together with other passages. Are there confirmations elsewhere in the Bible? Are there passages that seem contradictory or inconsistent?
When I feel tension between two verses or passages, I never assume the Bible is inconsistent. I assume I’m not seeing all I need to see. If I have not seen enough to explain the apparent inconsistency, asking more questions will likely help me see more. Few things make us deeper and richer in our knowledge of God and his ways than this habit of asking how texts cohere in reality when at first they don’t look like they do.
2.6 Ask about application.
The aim of biblical writers is not only that we “know,” but that we “be” and “do.” So we need to form the habit of asking questions concerning application. To us. To our church and our relationships. To the world. The task of application is never done. There are millions of ways a text can be applied, and millions of situations and relationships for them to be applied. Our job is not to know every application, but to grow in applying the meaning of Scripture to our lives.
2.7 Ask about affections — appropriate responses of the heart.
The aim of our Bible reading is not just the response of the mind, but of the heart. The whole range of human emotions are possible responses to the meaning of the Bible. God gave us the Bible not just to inform our minds, but also to transform our hearts — our affections. God’s word is honored not just by being understood rightly, but also by being felt rightly.

3. At every page, pray and ask for God’s help.

O Lord, incline our hearts to your word. Give us a desire for it. Open our eyes to see wonders there. Subdue our wills and give us an obedient spirit. Satisfy our hearts with a vision of yourself and your way for our lives.

Light in Darkness

The Word of God says that we are to let our light shine! When life is full of darkness it's easy to feel like an old storm battered ship adrift in the vast ocean with no anchor or compass to guide it's path! It is during these seasons in life that the light of the Lord who dwells in us should shine brighter than ever before, even brighter than in the days of sunshine and light.
 If one spends time with the Lord and trusts in His Word, then there is no way that that bright light  won't shine force and light the path and even that of those who are around it's bright and far reaching beams of everlasting brightness!

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Wheels of Life!

Albert was right on! God never intended for us to spend our lives on our butts, unless it is with two wheels under these butts to keep us moving! Motion is necessary in order for one to get anywhere (pun intended!)motion is what it takes to achive our dreams and succeed! So if you have fallen off your bike, as I have many many times, look up at the son, brush yourself off, and get right back on that bike! Keep pedaling my friend!

She won her race!

Today makes one whole week since my sister went home to be with the Lord, I miss her so much! 

 

Rest in Peace sis until we meet again!!!

DADDY, WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO DIE?

Our guest writer for today...  Dr. Larry Petton

Years ago I heard the compelling story of a young pastor whose son was very sick and not expected to live long. Night after night the pastor and his wife would put their boy to bed and say a prayer hoping for a miracle. One evening, the boy looked at his father and said, "Daddy, what does it feel like to die?"

The father struggled to speak a word. He said a quick prayer for courage, put his hand on the face of his child and said, "Son, it’s something like this. Night after night you go to sleep on the couch watching your favorite tv shows. You don’t know it, but I find you asleep and come and take you in my arms and place you in the room I built for you with my own hands."
The young pastor could barely finish.

"And, son, one of these days........you are going to fall asleep here, but don’t be afraid. Jesus is going to come and pick you up and take you to a special room He has built just for you."

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As most of you know, my sister Maggie passed away a mere six days ago but it seems like an eternity! Even though my sister was not a child, but a grown women, the pain is still horrible! I found the above short story by Dr. Petton very comforting, what a wonderful way to illustrate death to a child, or any one for that matter.

Never alone, never done!

It's really easy to give up when everything is going wrong,and when you just don't feel you are where you think that you should be at this very moment in time, but don't give up, don't give in!
 Instead, trust in the God who has promised to uphold you, and help you, and hear you when you call.
  You may feel alone and lost, but you are neither!
God has promised, and He will do what He has promised, just keep on believing!!!!

RIP!

It's only been three days since you and your great big heart left this earth Sis! hard to believe it's only been mere hours but it seems like an eternity already! I keep wanting to pick up the phone and tell you about my life, my problems, my joys. I know you could never replace mom and dad, but since mom left this earth 7 years ago, running to you in good and bad times sure eased the pain!
   I guess it's because of the many years between my age and yours, you were almost like a second mom to me. Even so I'm so glad to know that you are out of the horrible pain and suffering that you were in those last few days of your life! It was so wonderful to catch you alive and alert and so talkative the day we arrived at your hospital room! I will never forget the great sacrifice you made that day to smile. You smiled through all your pain, just to ease mine!
   Well sis, sleep well, you have certainly earned it, you have run a good race,and touched the hearts and lived of all who knew you, I think it would be safe to say that I am chief among the blessed for having known you, and doubly blessed to have the privilege of being your little sister. Sleep well sis, until we are all together again.
          Love fir ever,
                   your lil sis