Among Friends

[gloriajean]

Hello my friends!  Hope you all are having a good Saturday today!  It was so nice having Darla over last night, and visiting with her this morning before she left to have sister time with Lori going shopping.  Said she has to buy some winter clothes now, not in Texas anymore!  Not going out tonight, good to stay home and relax, and stay positive!!

Never stop praying no matter how hopeless your case may seem. Pray before

you start your day and when you end it. Pray before you begin a task. Lord, I

thank You for all of Your blessings. Together we can do all that I must. 

S C R I P T U R E   F O R   T H E   D A Y  

"If there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any
sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy
complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full
accord and of one mind."  Philippians 2:1-2

M E D I T A T I O N   F O R   T H E   D A Y  

There is great joy in living the spiritual life.  A faith without joy is
not entirely genuine.  If we are not happier as a result of our faith,
there is probably something wrong.  Faith in God can bring us a deep
feeling of happiness and security, no matter what happens on the surface
of our life. Each new day is another opportunity to serve God and
improve our relationships with other people.  This can bring joy.  Life
can be abundant and outreaching.  It can be glowing and outgoing, in
ever widening circles.

P R A Y E R   F O R   T H E   D A Y  

I pray that my horizons may grow ever wider.  I pray that I may keep

reaching out for more service and companionship.

A Prayer Before Meals

Gracious God, Thank you for all the many ways that you nourish me, especially through my family, friends, and friendship with you.  Bless those who have no food this day - those who are hungry, homeless, and helpless.  Bless the whole world, so badly in need of Your healing love.  For all the blessings I have received from You throughout my life, I thank you from my heart.  Bless this food now.  May it strengthen me so that I may serve you by serving others with greater love, generosity, compassion.
Amen.

You Give me Strength

Holy Spirit when I am weak, You give me strength to carry on.

You comfort me each time I seek Your loving arms to lean on.

You are the Father that I need. You have the wisdom that I lack.

You give me courage to succeed, when I alone, would have turned back. 

I may have crosses in my life, but I will never know despair;

for when I seek you in my strife, I know so well you will be there.

TASTE MY JESUS

At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what they called "Baptist Day." On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten out of doors in a grassy picnic area. Every "Baptist Day" the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the Theological Educational Center.

One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. Dr. Tillich spoke for two and one-half hours "proving" that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the resurrection, the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who in fact never rose from the dead in any literal sense.

He then asked if there were any questions. After about 30 seconds, an old dark-skinned preacher with a head of short-cropped wooly white hair stood up in the back. "Doctor, I got one question." All eyes turned toward him. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it.

"Doctor Tillich ... CRUNCH, MUNCH, my question is a simple question, ... CRUNCH MUNCH ... "Now I never read the books you read. CRUNCH MUNCH ... "and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek ... CRUNCH MUNCH ... "And I don't know about Niebuhr and Heidegger ... CRUNCH MUNCH.

He finished his apple "All I want ta know is: This apple I just ate ... was it bitter or sweet?" Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I cannot possibly answer that message, for I haven't tasted your apple."

The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked at Dr. Tillich and calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus".

The 1000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The crowd erupted with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left.

Have you tasted Jesus?

If you have not tasted Jesus yet, do not wait ... He is delicious ...

Praise Him

"I will give praise to Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy wonders.

I will be glad and rejoice in Thee: I will sing to Thy Name, O Thou most high." Psalm 9:1-2

Praise Him in the morning
Ere the sun shows forth it's light,
Praise Him in the noontime,
When the day is at its height,
Praise Him in the evening
As the sun sets in the west,
Praise Him through the night hours,
And in His Presence rest.

~Louise Lee Winchip~

 October 24 - Jesus Calling

Lie down in green pastures of Peace. Learn to unwind whenever possible, resting in the Presence of your Shepherd. This electronic age keeps My children “wired” much of the time, too tense to find Me in the midst of their moments. I built into your very being the need for rest. How twisted the world has become when people feel guilty about meeting this basic need! How much time and energy they waste by being always on the go, rather than taking time to seek My direction for their lives.

I have called you to walk with Me down paths of Peace. I want you to blaze a trail for others who desire to live in My peaceful Presence. I have chosen you less for your strengths than for your weaknesses, which amplify your need for Me. Depend on Me more and more, and I will shower Peace on all your paths.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
—Psalm 23:1–3

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
—Genesis 2:2–3

“To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
—Luke 1:79