Prayer Requests

Please pray for my daughter.  She has not been feeling well, and went to bed this evening with a fever over 100.

Please pray for the victims and their families of the shooting spree and car bombing in Norway.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after youu have done everything, to stand."  (Ephesians 6:10-13, NIV)

One More Shower

(07/24/11)

Every night after my daughter finishes her shower; I help her out of the tub, get her dry and send her into her room to get her pajamas on.  One night a few weeks ago, however, Zoe thought it would be more fun to decorate her body with sidewalk chalk rather than get dressed.  The good thing is that I caught her early and she had only gotten as far as her arm… making it so that I didn’t have to give her ‘one more shower’.  As usual, this adventure in parenting made me think about God, his forgiveness, and how often we tend to need it.  Think about it… when the Holy Spirit convicts us, we pray and ask God to forgive our sins and He does.  At that point we can walk around feeling clean and free, knowing that we have been washed in the blood of Jesus.  An hour later guess what comes back?  Sin… may or may not be the same sin; but regardless, it’s still there, polluting our hearts and minds. Once again, we need that shower of righteousness.  Please don’t misunderstand me.  I am not saying that we are slaves to sin.  Romans 6:18 tells us that we “have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (NIV)  But we are also told that “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41, NIV)  This lets us know that the battle is between our natural and our spiritual selves.  We want the spirit to win, but all too often we put the natural first; and when we do, that usually requires forgiveness.  The good thing is that unlike myself, who gets weary at the thought of having to give my daughter ‘one more shower’, God never tires of the cleansing process.     

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  (1 John 1:9, NIV)

Prayers and Praises

Please pray for Susan.  She has continued to deal with some pain and discomfort after her surgery.

Please pray for Caroline for healing from shingles.

Please pray for Nora for wisdom, peace, and God's hand to be on a custody situation she's dealing with.

Please pray for Jerry.  He's not been feeling well.

Please pray for Len and Maria as they are traveling this weekend.

Praise!  Julia's stomach was feeling bad earlier.  She is feeling better now.  Pray that she continues to get better.

Please pray for the Kindt family.  Allen Kindt died earlier this week.

Please pray for the Earp family.  Cecil Earp died earlier this week.

"I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."

(Psalm 34:4, NIV) 

The Interview With God...

A friend of mine sent the following link to me and I wanted to share it with each of you.  It is beautiful not only in its music and images, but most importantly in its message.  I hope you all enjoy it.

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

(Matthew 28:20, NIV)

http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/

Prayers and Praises

Praise God!  The results of my CT scan came back clear.

Please pray for Nora as she will be having some testing done soon.

Please pray for my daughter and I as we will be traveling today.

Please pray for Cleve as he is still looking for a new job.  Also pray for him and his family as they are moving into a new house this week.

Please pray for healing for Kelly.

Please pray for Pleasant Grove Baptist Church as they have their Vacation Bible School this week.

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.  He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.  For who is God besides the Lord?  And who is the Rock except our God?"

(Psalm 18:30-31, NIV)

Happy Face

(03/19/09)

Proverbs 15:13 tells us that “A happy heart makes the face cheerful…” (NIV).  Think about how busy we are these days.  We do our best to make time for all that’s important; but the little things, like giving someone a simple smile, tend to get lost along the way.  Smiling at people may not seem like such a big deal, but let’s consider those who never seem to smile.  Even if they have the joy of the Lord, their heart hasn’t notified their face yet.  And due to that one “little thing”, that missing smile, we may not like being around them.  He or she may have a great deal to give in God’s Kingdom, but because their smile went AWOL, nobody cares.  We are God’s ambassadors on this earth.  That means we represent Him everywhere we go.  “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.“ (2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV)  God does not walk around all day looking like He just sucked about 50 lemons, and neither should we.  Don’t be afraid to smile!  Sometimes it’s the best gift we can give someone in this hectic society.  It’s quick, and for most people, painless.   The next time your day gets to be too much, and you start to forget those “little things”, sing this song:

If you’re happy and you know it, tell your face!
If you’re happy and you know it, tell your face!
If you’re happy and you know it, then your smile will surely show it.
If you’re happy and you know it, tell your face!

And for those of you, like myself, who love the movie “Steel Magnolias”, this one is for you.  In the words of Dolly Parton (Truvy):

“Smile!  It increases your face value!”

Nothing to Fear

Yesterday I was watching the movie, Facing the Giants, and in one scene it was mentioned that God told us not to fear 365 times (paraphrased by me).  Now, I have not personally taken the time to verify this information, but I thought just how cool that idea was… a bible verse of courage for each day of the year.  It would be just like God to do that for His children.  So here it is, children, a challenge for each of us.  Every time we are afraid, let’s take the time to look up a new verse reminding us that God is still in control and we have nothing to fear.  Here are a few to start with…

Genesis 26:24

Deuteronomy 31:6

Joshua 1:6-9

Psalm 23:4

Psalm 91:5

Proverbs 3:23-26

Isaiah 41:10

Jeremiah 1:8

Matthew 10:29-31

Mark 5:36

John 14:27

Hebrews 13:6

Acts 23:11

1 Corinthians 16:13

Prayers and Praises

Please pray for Nora as she is having some dental work done today.

Please pray for me as I may be undergoing some medical testing soon.

Praise!! My parent's house is almost done... hopefully within a month!

"The Lord lives!  Praise be to my Rock!  Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!"

(2 Samuel 22:47, NIV)

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.  What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly."

Thomas Paine

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind, and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:13-14, NIV

Prayers and Praises

Please pray for all those who are traveling this week after the holiday.

Please pray for Nora for wisdom in decision making.

Praise God!  My daughter's dental work went extremely well.  There were no complications.

Please pray for me as I have been struggling with pain in my neck and shoulders.

Praise!... Susan is now up and around after her surgery. 

Please continue to pray for my parents as they are still waiting for the construction on their house to be finished.

Please pray for Frankie and his new wife for blessings in their marriage.

Please pray for a friend of mine who is struggling with addictions in his life.

"...worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.  Tremble before him, all the earth!..."  

(1 Chronicles 16:29-30, NIV)

In His Army

07/04/11

This past weekend as I was taking a time of rest (thank you, Lord); God presented me with a message by a pastor in Fort Mill, SC by the name of Joseph Prince.  Though I didn’t get to hear the entire program, one major point stuck with me… “Soldiers are not made in times of ease… they are made in the furnace of affliction.”  This July 4^th as we celebrate not only our freedom, but those who pay for that freedom every day, let’s keep one thing in mind… just as the United States has an army, so does God.  And just as United States soldiers have to go through intense training in order to be ready for the missions they are assigned, so do God’s soldiers.  We are God’s army; and the tests and trials that we go through every day have a purpose.  They prepare us for the missions that God assigns each of us, and knowing that makes the fight worth the effort.  It turns struggles into challenges... challenges to succeed when the world says we’re going to fail… challenges to make it out of the desert and into the land of milk and honey.  The next time that challenge looks too hard, let’s remember its purpose.  We’re in His army now.

James 1:2-4

Ephesians 4:11-16

Romans 5:3-5