Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Greetings and peace of the Lord be with you all! Hope you all had a good day today, and remembering to count your blessings which are many that we just take for granted, right? It's so easy to do, to take for granted, but it is Our Lord Who gives them to us and we need to give Him thanks and praise so for today I thank Him for all He's done for us - for all the work we got done today - He's given us the grace, For all the kind words we speak, He gives to us first. For the food on the table, all comes from His bountiful harvest. Can you name things He's given to you too?

Be a patient person but, most of all, be patient with yourself. Lord, may
I be blessed with a calm spirit and diligence as I do my work today.


Scripture for the day:

"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always
excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord
your labor is not in vain." ~1 Corinthians 15:57-58

Meditation for the day:

Without God, no real victory is ever won. All the military victories
of great conquerors have passed into history. The world might be
better off without military conquerors. The real victories are won in
the spiritual realm. "He that conquers himself is greater than he who
conquers a city." The real victories are victories over sin and
temptation, leading to a victorious and abundant life. Therefore, we
can keep a brave and trusting heart. We can face all our difficulties
in the spirit of conquest. We can remember that where God is, there
is the true victory.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that the forces of evil in my life will flee before God's
presence. I pray that with God I will win the real victory over
myself.

THANK YOU LORD
Author Unknown

Lord, thank you for this sink of dirty dishes; we have plenty of food
to eat.

Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry; we have plenty of
nice clothes to wear.

And I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds; they were
so warm and comfortable last night. I know that many have no bed.

My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom, complete with all the
splattered mirrors, soggy, grimy towels and dirty lavatory; they are
so convenient.

Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting
so badly; It has served us faithfully for many years. It is full of
cold drinks and enough leftovers for two or three meals.

Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today.
It has baked so many things over the years.

The whole family is grateful for that tall grass that needs mowing,
the lawn that needs raking; we all enjoy the yard.

Thank you, Lord, even for that slamming screen door. My kids are
healthy and able to run and play.

Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says You have
richly blessed my family. I shall do them cheerfully and I shall do
them gratefully.

Being Content

The Lord got so tired of a certain man's prayers that He appeared to him one
day and said: "I have decided to give you any three things you ask for.
After that I won't give you anything else."

Happily the man made his first petition at once. He asked that his wife
should die so that he could marry a younger woman. His petition was granted.
But when his friends gathered for the funeral, they began to recall all the
good qualities of his wife, and the man realized that he had made a terrible
mistake. So he asked the Lord to bring her back to life. He did

That left the man with only one petition left. He was determined not to make
a mistake this time, because he would have not chance to correct it. He
consulted wisely. Some of his friends told him to ask for immortality. But
others said: "What good is immortality if you don't have good health? And
of what use is good health, if you have no money? And of what use is money,
if you have no friends?"

Years passed, and he could not make up his mind what he should ask for: life
or health or power or love. Finally, he said to the Lord: "Please advise me
what to ask for."

The Lord laughed and said: "Ask to be contented no matter what life brings
you."

20 Truths
1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be
still, so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day; it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the People.

12. Growing old is inevitable; growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your
precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise its just
hearsay.

18. It is all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be
sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully require courage.The goals
and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the
turtle; it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.Your
character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what
others think you are.

Food for Thought:

EYE OPENER
Author Unknown

I saw him in the church building for the first time on Wednesday. He
was in his mid-70's, with thinning silver hair and a neat brown suit.
Many times in the past I had invited him to come. Several other
Christian friends had talked to him about the Lord and had tried to
share the good news with him.

He was a well-respected, honest man with so many characteristics a
Christian should have, but he had never put on Christ, nor entered the
doors of the church.

"Have you ever been to a church service in your life?" I had asked him
a few years ago. We had just finished a pleasant day of visiting and
talking.

He hesitated. Then with a bitter smile he told me of his childhood
experience some fifty years ago. He was one of many children in a
large impoverished family. His parents had struggled to provide food,
with little left for housing and clothing. When he was about ten, some
neighbors invited him to worship with them.

The Sunday School class had been very exciting! He had never heard
such songs and stories before!

He had never heard anyone read from the Bible! After class was over,
the teacher took him aside and said, "Son, please don't come again
dressed as you are now. We want to look our best when we come into
God's house."

He stood in his ragged, unpatched overalls. Then looking at his dirty
bare feet, he answered softly, "No, ma'am, I won't ever."

"And I never did," he said, abruptly ending our conversation. There
must have been other factors to have hardened him so, but this
experience formed a significant part of the bitterness in his heart.

I'm sure that Sunday School teacher meant well. But did she really
understand the love of Christ? Had she studied and accepted the
teachings found in the second chapter of James?

What if she had put her arms around the dirty, ragged little boy and
said, "Son, I am so glad you are here, and I hope you will come every
chance you get to hear more about Jesus."

I reflected on the awesome responsibility a teacher or pastor or a
parent has to welcome little ones in His name. How far reaching her
influence was!

I prayed that I might be ever open to the tenderness of a child's
heart,and that I might never fail to see beyond the appearance and
behavior of a child to the eternal possibilities within.

Yes, I saw him in the church house for the first time on Wednesday. As
I looked at that immaculately dressed old gentleman lying in his
casket,I thought of the little boy of long ago. I could almost hear
him say,"No, ma'am, I won't ever."

And I wept.