Community Chat

[gloriajean]

If everyone thought alike, no one would have to do much thinking.
Lord, bless me with the strength of my convictions and the ability
to disagree when necessary without being disagreeable.

Scripture for the day:

"Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and
say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of
mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' And he
answers from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been
locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give
you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give
him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his
persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. 'So I say
to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find;
knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks
receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who
knocks, the door will be opened.'"

Meditation for the day:

We can pray--and keep praying until it brings peace and serenity and a
feeling of communication with God who is near and ready to help. The
thought of God can be a balm for our hates and fears. In praying to
God, we can find healing for hurt feelings and resentments. In
thinking of God, doubts and fears can leave us. Instead of those
doubts and fears, there can flow into our hearts such faith and love
as is beyond the power of material things to give, and such peace as
the world can neither give nor take away. And with God, we can have
the tolerance to live and let live." ~Luke 11:5-10

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may have true tolerance and understanding. I pray that
I may keep striving for these difficult things.

Greetings my friends! Beautiful day again - and today we are blessed by
getting fresh chickens from the farm - all cut up, with lots of soup bones,
got six around 5 and 6 pounds each. We'll get another 6 in July and and
another 6 in September. Can't get any fresher than this, they were
butchered today! Had a good supper with one on the grill. The farm is about
10 miles away. We both sort and bag them together as team work. I am
enjoying the warmer days now. I see Mickey (our cardinal) pretty often now,
but not Myrtle, do you think she's in the nest? Maybe later I'll see her
around too. Always only one red cardinal which I named Mickey. I remember
last year seeing the baby one come to the feeder too. I called that one
Billy the Kid. I know you must think I'm nuts, but it's fun anyway. I
praise and thank our God for all the blessings He sends our ways, our
everyday blessings not to be taken granted of.
I've said this before, and I'll say it again - you all are my blessings too
besides my dear family!

JELLY BEAN PRAYER
Author Unknown
June 5, 2012


Have you heard the story of the jelly beans?


The black ones are a symbol of our sinful heart, cold and hard not a
good start.


The red ones would be, the blood shed for you and me.


The white ones would mean washed white as snow, by the blood of Jesus
do you know?


The green ones mean growth for our clean heart, so we can tell others
of Jesus, now that's a good start.


The yellow ones would mean streets of gold, like the ones in Heaven,
as in the book of Revelation are told.


The purple ones are to mean like the robe He wore, when our sins on
the cross He bore.


So the next time you see a bag of jelly beans, you will know what the
colors mean.


- Another Version -


* RED * is for the blood He gave.
* GREEN * is for the grass He made.
* YELLOW * is for the sun so bright.
* ORANGE * is for the edge of night.
* BLACK * is for the sins we made.
* WHITE * is for the grace He gave.
* PURPLE * is for His hour of sorrow.
* PINK * is for our new tomorrow.

A bag full of jelly beans colorful and sweet,
Is a prayer,
is a promise,
is a very special treat.

YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO KNOW
Author Unknown

My receptionist told me a story, Monday, about her 4 year old
grandson, Bryan.


Bryan was returning from Sunday School/Nursery with a rather grim
countenance.


"What's the problem, sport?" his mother asked.


"Well", Bryan responded, "We just found out what they did to Jesus
before Easter".


In her most tender tone, mom asked," And what was that, Sport?"


Bryan shook his head, looked down, and protectively retorted, "You
don't wanna know, mom, you just don't wanna know."

GOD ANSWERS PRAYER

I know not by what methods rare,
But this I know - God answers prayer,
I know not when He sends the word
That tells us fervent prayer is heard.
I know it cometh -- soon or late:
Therefore we need to pray and wait.
I know not if the blessing sought
Will come in just the way I thought.
I leave my prayers with Him alone,
Whose will is wiser than my own.


Lord let me capture the pure spirit of a loving child when I speak
Your name.
Let me pray as a child prays, asking little for myself, much for
other souls
and for Your beautiful world.
Protect me, sleeping and waking, from evil.
Lead me by the hand to good works.
Let me praise You in simple words and in glorious silence through all
the days and the nights of my life.

Amen.

If you can look at the sunset and smile, then you still have hope.

If you can find beauty in the colors of a small flower, then you still have
hope.

If you can find pleasure in the movement of a butterfly, then you still have
hope.

If the smile of a child can still warm your heart, then you still have hope.

If you can see the good in other people, then you still have hope.

If the rain breaking on a roof top can still lull you to sleep, then you
still have hope.

If the sight of a rainbow still makes you stop and stare in wonder, then you
still have hope.

If the soft fur of a favored pet still feels pleasant under your fingertips,
then you still have hope.

If you meet new people with a trace of excitement and optimism, then you
still have hope.

If you give people the benefit of a doubt, then you still have hope.

If you still offer your hand in friendship to others that have touched your
life, then you still have hope.

If receiving an unexpected card or letter still brings a pleasant surprise,
then you still have hope.

If the suffering of others still fills you with pain and frustration, then
you still have hope.

If you refuse to let a friendship die, or accept that it must end, then you
still have hope.

If you look forward to a time or place of quiet and reflection, then you
still have hope.

If you still buy the ornaments, put up the Christmas tree or cook the
turkey, then you still have hope.

If you still watch love stories or want the endings to be happy, then you
still have hope.

If you can look to the past and smile, then you still have hope.

If, when faced with the bad, when told everything is futile, you can still
look up and end the conversation with the phrase...."yeah....BUT.." then you
still have hope.

Hope is such a marvelous thing. It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides, but
rarely does it break. It sustains us when nothing else can. It gives us
reason to continue and courage to move ahead, when we tell ourselves we'd
rather give in.

Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage.

Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it.

Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction.

Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and nurtured, and
something that will refresh us in return. And it can be found in each of us,
and it can bring light into the darkest of places.


NEVER LOSE HOPE!

Author Unknown

CAST OUT THE NET
Author Unknown

Very early in life (almost from birth) we are trained to be
successful according to the world's definition of success. We are
driven by goals and accomplishments from the day we take our first
steps and ride our first bike. As we grow older, we are pressured to
accumulate knowledge and "things" in order to prove our success.

In our Christian walk, Jesus calls us to a new definition of success -
one determined not by what we accomplish, but by our obedience. The
disciples walked and talked with Jesus, but they still faced many
challenges with faith and obedience. One morning after fishing all
night without a catch, Jesus called from the shore. John 21:6 "He
said, 'Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find
some {fish}.' When they did, they were unable to haul the net in
because of the large number of fish."

The disciples were successful that morning. But we must understand
that the large number of fish did not define their success. They would
have been successful even if the nets remained empty. They were
successful the moment they were obedient and threw out the net. One
thousands years earlier, King Saul was told to "attack the Amalekites
and totally destroy everything that belongs to them," (1 Samuel 15:3).
But Saul allowed the Amalekite king and the best livestock to survive.
He tried to cover His disobedience by saying the calves and lambs were
for a sacrifice to God. "But Samuel replied: 'Does the Lord delight in
burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the
Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the
fat of rams.'" (1 Samuel 15:22).

In any task we undertake for God, it's easy to become discouraged by
our apparent lack of success. We often feel inadequate - and those
feelings increase when our goals seem to be elusive. But we must
remember, the outcome of the task is secondary to our obedience. God
doesn't need our "fish" - He wants our devotion and trust. He desires
that we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let's
take our eyes off the accomplishment of the "catch" and what we can
produce. Rather, let's focus on walking each step according to His
leading. Let's concentrate all our effort on obeying His call to cast
out the net. Amen!

Have a Great Day in the LORD!

The Important Things in Life
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were
meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to
help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be - a roommate, a neighbor, a
professor, a friend, a lover, or even a complete stranger - but when you
lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life
in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair
at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles
you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.

Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity
all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests,
whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road
to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly
pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you
experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad
experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are sometimes the most
important ones.

If someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not
only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to
love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for
they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious
to whom you open your heart.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments
everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it
again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and listen to
what they have to say.

Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your
head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great
individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, it
will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make anything you wish of your life. Create your own life and then
go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

And if you love someone tell them, for you never know what tomorrow may have
in store.


Learn a lesson in life each day that you live! Today is the tomorrow you
were worried about yesterday.
Think About it? Was it worth it?

Wishing you all a very blessed Wednesday! God be with you in all that you
do!