Hello my friends! Slow day here today - tonight though, Lori is coming for supper and we will try to bottle our wine. Wish us luck! This will be the first time to bottle it. A friend gave us some bottles, maybe it's enough. Not really much to talk about tonight, just that our blessings are many, sometimes we make the mistake of overlooking them, which is why I started this thread in the first place to give God the credit for all the Blessings we receive from Him. Our very breath we breathe is a gift from Him, our foods, our pets, He gives us knowledge, talents, it's endless!!! And He gives us Peace! Peace in Him.
We are the only ones who can change how we think or how we act.
Lord, help me make positive decisions so that life doesn't just happen
to me.
S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light." ~Matthew 11:29-30
M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y
I can try to be unruffled, no matter what happens. I can keep my
emotions in check, although others around me are letting theirs go. I
can keep calm in the face of disturbance, keep that deep, inner calm
through all the experiences of the day. In the rush of work and
worry, the deep, inner silence is necessary to keep me on an even
keel. I can learn to take the calm with me into the most hurried of
days.
P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y
I pray that I may be still and commune with God. I pray that I may
learn patience, humility and peace.
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UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
-- Author Unknown
A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after
having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.
"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a
friend I'd like to bring home with me."
"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."
"There's something you should know the son continued, he was hurt
pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an
arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live
with us."
"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to
live."
"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."
"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone
with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own
lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our
lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy.
He'll find a way to live on his own."
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing
more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from
the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a
building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The
grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the
city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him,
but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know,
their son had only one arm and one leg.
The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love
those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like
people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would
rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or
smart as we are. Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that
way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us
into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.
Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little
prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people
as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are
different from us!!
Golden Rules for Living
by Miriam Hamilton Keare
1. If you open it, close it.
2. If you turn it on, turn it off.
3. If you unlock it, lock it up.
4. If you break it, admit it.
5. If you can't fix it, call in someone who can.
6. If you borrow it, return it.
7. If you value it, take care of it.
8. If you make a mess, clean it up.
9. If you move it, put it back.
10. If it belongs to someone else, get permission to use it.
11. If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.
12. If it's none of your business, don't ask questions.
Here's a Franciscan Morning Prayer:
Jesus Lord, I offer you this new day because I believe in you,
love you, hope all things in you and thank you for your blessings.
I am sorry for having offended you and forgive everyone who has offended me.
Lord, look on me and leave in me peace and courage
and your humble wisdom that I may serve others with joy,
and be pleasing to you all day. Amen.
ACCEPTANCE OF GOD'S WILL
In all things may the most holy, the most just, and
the most lovable will of God be done, praised and
exalted above all for ever. Your will be done, O Lord,
your will be done.The Lord has given, the Lord has
taken away,, blessed be the name of the Lord.
SOMETIMES GOD WHISPERS
by Jeanette Hays
An old preacher spoke something in reply to a question from a young man,
something so hushed it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped across
the room. "What did you say?" he asked. The preacher repeated himself, but
again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man moved closer until he
was leaning on the preacher's chair.
"Sorry," he said. "I still didn't hear you." With their heads bent together,
the old preacher spoke once more. "God sometimes whispers," he said, "so we
will move closer to hear him."
We all want God's voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our
problem. But God's is the still, small voice ... the gentle whisper.
Perhaps there's a reason.
Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper.
God's whisper means I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my
head is bent together with His. And then, as I listen, I will find my
answer.
Better still, I find myself closer to God.
And there is no better place to be
January 15
My Face is shining upon you, beaming out Peace that transcends understanding. You are surrounded by a sea of problems, but you are face to Face with Me, your Peace. As long as you focus on Me, you are safe. If you gaze too long at the myriad problems around you, you will sink under the weight of your burdens. When you start to sink, simply call out “Help me, Jesus!” and I will lift you up.
The closer you live to Me, the safer you are. Circumstances around you are undulating, and there are treacherous-looking waves in the distance. Fix your eyes on Me, the One who never changes. By the time those waves reach you, they will have shrunk to proportions of My design. I am always beside you, helping you face today’s waves. The future is a phantom, seeking to spook you. Laugh at the future! Stay close to Me.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
—Philippians 4:7
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
—Matthew 14:30
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
—Hebrews 12:2 - From Jesus Calling
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I am new to Among Friends. I will, in short mesages, extend how I believe.
