Hello my friends! I do hope my thread won't get all jumbled together again tonight. I was embarrassed but I couldn't do anything to it last night. If it does, I'm sorry, and maybe I should quit and spare you with all that jumbling about. I don't like to read either where everything is all one lined and no paragraphs. I have it done nicely, and it comes out the way it comes out here. Also - I cannot preview, it won't do that. So that's life here at the Q. On a positive note - I got a nice phone call from Darla - she loved the card I sent her for their Anniversary - "To my Daughter and Son-in-law on their First Wedding Anniversary" and a nice saying inside. She wondered if I had sent her a gift card or something, because it was ripped open, and was glad I didn't or it would have been stolen like my gift card from her for Mother's Day. Sad, but true, in Texas, the Mails there steal gift cards, anyway, where she is.
Well, let's see how this thread works now: Believe me, I had it all perfect to put here on plain text.
They are wise who depend on God. Lord, Your perfect law revives my soul.
Keeping Your law makes me rich.
S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y
"No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a
bed, but puts it on a lamp stand, so that those who enter may see the
light." ~Luke 8:16
M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y
"No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a
bed, but puts it on a lamp stand, so that those who enter may see the
light." The glory of the Lord shines in the beauty of our character. It
is risen in us, even though we can realize it only in part. "Now you
see as in a glass darkly, but later we will see face to face." The
glory of the Lord is too dazzling for mortals to see fully on earth.
But some of God's glory is risen in us when we try to reflect that light
in our lives.
P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y
I pray that I may try to be a reflection of God's light. I pray that
some of its rays may shine in my life.
Food for Thought
GOD KNOWS
Author Unknown
Jul 3, 2009
* When you are tired and discouraged from fruitless efforts...
* God knows how hard you have tried.
* When you've cried so long and your heart is in anguish...
* God has counted your tears.
* If you feel that your life is on hold and time has passed you by...
* God is waiting with you.
* When you're lonely and your friends are too busy even for a phone
call...
* God is by your side.
* When you think you've tried everything and don't know where to
turn...
* God has a solution.
* When nothing makes sense and you are confused or frustrated.. .
* God has the answer.
* If suddenly your outlook is brighter and you find traces of hope...
* God has whispered to you.
* When things are going well and you have much to be thankful for...
* God has blessed you.
* When something joyful happens and you are filled with awe...
* God has smiled upon you.
* When you have a purpose to fulfill and a dream to follow...
* God has opened your eyes and called you by name.
* Remember that wherever you are or whatever you are facing...
* GOD KNOWS!!!
Words of Encouragement
The Potter´s Hands!
Isaiah 64:8
Yet, O LORD, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou art our potter;
we are all the work of thy hand.
Jane Studdock, the heroine of C.S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength has a
ghastly moment where she realizes (much as Lewis had once done) that life
wasn’t a case of “finding the spirituality that suits our taste” or “man’s
search for God”. Rather, she discovers with a start that it is a case of
hands thrust down toward us, skillfully sculpting us, and rather heedlessly
interfering with our lives as they please. This does not mean, as so many
people have mistakenly taken it to mean, that God is a Cosmic Puppetmaster,
making and destroying people on a whim. But it does mean that the bottom
line of our lives is that God is God and we are not. This simple fact is
highly distasteful to a society obsessed with consumerism, pride and
autonomy. Nonetheless it is so. And this, despite our protests, is a good
thing since God intends more for us (including our own freedom) than we
could ever intend ourselves. Today, thank God that he loves us and wills
our good.
Just a Word of Encouragement
from Mark Shea and Jeff Cavins.
JONAH AND PAUL
By Marion Smith
Jun 22, 2009
Jonah 1:6
In the Old Testament there is a ship story concerning
Jonah. He was a runaway. He ran from God’s instructions. He didn’t
want to preach to the people of Ninevah because they were so evil. He
felt that they were unworthy of God’s mercy and love, so he disobeyed
God’s instructions. As he ran from God’s plan, he jumped from the
frying pan into the fire, as the ship he was on was rocked terribly by
a terrible storm. The crew discovered Jonah was the cause of the
disturbance, and threw him overboard. The storm stopped! All worked
out well in the end, for Jonah and the crew members. (read the book of
Jonah to discover details!)
In the New Testament, there is a ship story about Paul. As
a prisoner, he was sailing the Mediterranean Sea - destination: Rome.
The ocean became very rough, and the entire crew was very scared.
They tried variety of methods to rescue the ship and themselves, but
the terrible storm raged on unabated for many days. One night an angel
of God came to Paul and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul - for you and
the lives of all those sailing with you will be saved.” The ship will
go down, but the crew and prisoners(276 in all) would be shipwrecked
on an island. This is exactly what transpired. None of them drowned.
Jonah was disobedient to God, and had to leave the
ship.Then
the storm calmed. Because of this, the men on the ship stood in awe
before Jehovah, and vowed to serve Him. (Jonah 1: 16) But in Paul's
case, God sent an angel with a calming message that none on board
would die.
Isn’t it amazing how God used two men, two different
destinations, two ships, many years apart to touch the lives of
others?
It is wonderful to have the opportunity to read both the Old and New
Testament and see how God works. Why don’t you try it today?
THE LETTER
Author Unknown
Apr 28 2009
Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it
up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the
envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and
address.
She read the letter:
Dear Ruth,
I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like
to stop by for a visit.
Love Always,
Jesus
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why
would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have
anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty
kitchen cabinets.
"Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to
run down to the store and buy something for dinner." She reached for
her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents.
"Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her
coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of french bread, a half-pound of
sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total of
twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as
she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her
dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the
alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than
rags.
"Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been
living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and
we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we'd
really appreciate it."
Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and,
frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they
really wanted to.
"Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is
a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for
dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."
"Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway." The man put his
arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the
alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her
heart.
"Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley
after them. "Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out
something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery
bag.
"Thank you lady. Thank you very much!"
"Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that
she was
shivering.
"You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take
this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's
shoulders.
Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her
coat and with nothing to serve her guest. "Thank you lady! Thank you
very much!"
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried
too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to
offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she
did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.
"That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." She
took the envelope out of the box and opened it.
Dear Ruth,
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And
thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always,
Jesus
The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer
noticed.
God Lives Under The Bed
I think this is perhaps one of the BEST email 'forwards' I have ever read. I
hope you will enjoy it half as much as I have!!
Don't start reading this one until you've got more than 3 or 4 minutes. It
deserves some time for reflection..
GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED
I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed. At least
that's what I heard him say one night.
He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are
you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed...'
I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives
are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long
after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world
Kevin lives in.
He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties
during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in
which he is an adult.
He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he
always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed,
that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every
Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.
I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever
dissatisfied with his monotonous life?
Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to
walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for
dinner, and later to bed.
The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly
over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.
He does not seem dissatisfied.
He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple
work.
He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before
dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for
his next day's laundry chores.
And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes
Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and
speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's
goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.
His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.
And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips..
He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.
His life is simple.
He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not
care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs
have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.
His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When
he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in
it.
He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job
until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to
relax.
He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.
He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when
you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.
Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry
when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere.
And he trusts God.
Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as
a child.. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way
that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his
closest companion.
In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the
security Kevin has in his simple faith.
It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge
that rises above my mortal questions.
It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am.
My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become
disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.
Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has
spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and
soaking up the goodness and love of God.
And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed
at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the
simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.
Kevin won't be surprised at all!
When you receive this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do. There is
nothing attached.
Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot
of rewards.
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