Community Chat

[gloriajean]

There is great joy in forgiving and being forgiven. Lord, help me to move
past any hurts that I have so that I may be freed of their burden.


Scripture for the day:

"Jesus straightened up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no
one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, sir.' And Jesus said,
'Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin
again.'" ~John 8:10-11

Meditation for the day:

We can ask God in daily prayer to give us the strength to change.
When we ask God to change us, we can at the same time fully trust God.
If we do not fully trust God, God cannot help until we are a ready.
A rescuer finds it difficult to help a drowning person who is putting
up too much of a struggle. The person's futile efforts render them
more helpless, until he or she is wholly at the rescuer's mercy. Just
so must we be wholly at God's mercy before we can be rescued.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may be daily willing to be changed. I pray that I may
put myself wholly at the mercy of God.

Hello my friends! Today was windy but a nice, cooler day! We welcome that!
I don't have a lot to say tonight - my blessings were talking to both my
daughters at length, and Darla and Greg are leaving tonight to come back -
will make it to both our family reunions and in the meantime, doing Wedding
preparations. Tomorrow we'll have busy day starting out with vet appts.
for Ollie and Sam, just exams and shots, they are not sick, just a check up.
Then one thing after another getting prepared for the reunion on Saturday
and I'm staying overnight Saturday night so I won't be doing the thread that
night, but hopefully I can get it out Saturday morning before we leave.
One bad, negative thing that is happening here is that the squirrels are
eating our corn all up and there is nothing we can do about it. Guess they
are happy to have found our few small rows. He ordered a device that should
scare them away, but by the time it comes next week, the corn will be gone!
Such is life with squirrels.

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?
Written by Arlene Spanos

Christianity means having faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
It means to trust in the Bible as God’s Holy Infallible Word.

It is realizing sin separates us from God who is righteous and just;
Knowing we can’t be reconciled on our own, so in Christ we trust.

It is understanding we can not earn God’s grace by virtues or good
behavior.
It is acknowledging we’re sinners who need the atonement of our
Savior.

It’s realizing that laws and religion do not have the power to save
us.
It’s knowing and loving Jesus and accepting the gift that He gave us.

It is believing that Jesus took our sins at the cross for our debt to
be paid.
It is assurance we have eternal salvation because of the sacrifice He
made.

It’s asking for God’s forgiveness and to help us make a fresh start;
Asking Him to be with us always, and to fill us in mind and in heart.

It is having faith in God’s sovereignty for He knows what’s best;
Thanking Him for all He has done and for how we’ve been blessed.

This is the message of the Gospel; Good News to those who will hear
it.
And when we accept and follow Jesus we receive the help of the Holy
Spirit.

Being a Christian transforms us within and in every part of life;
It gives us hope and joy along with comfort in sorrow and strife.

We know we’re not perfect but we want to please God and obey.
We continually ask God to mend us and to show us the way.

We understand this is an ongoing process; not just an event.
We strive to reflect Christ’s love for it is Him we represent.

We believe God loves everyone and has a purpose for us all.
We know He does not want any of us to be lost or to fall.

We seek to know, to serve and to love God more and more;
As we find understanding and meaning we did not know before.

If your faith isn’t evident and doesn’t mean this to you,
Carefully reconsider and assess, is your faith really true?

If you have any doubts, seek His wisdom and pray.
Invite Him into your life; ask Him to show you the way.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have Eternal Life. For
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to
save the world through Him." John 3:16-17

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF HOW TO GET ALONG WITH PEOPLE

Keep skid chains on your tongue; always say less than you think. Cultivate
a low, persuasive voice. How you say it often counts more than what you
say.

Make promises sparingly, and keep them faithfully, no matter what it costs.

Never let an opportunity pass to say a kind and encouraging word to or about
somebody. Praise good work, regardless of who did it. If criticism is
needed, criticize helpfully, never spitefully.

Be interested in others, their pursuits, their work, their homes and
families. Make merry with those who rejoice; with those who weep, mourn.
Let everyone you meet, however humble, feel that you regard them as people
of importance.

Be cheerful. Don't burden or depress those around you be dwelling on your
minor aches and pains and small disappointments. Remember, everyone is
carrying some kind of load.

Keep an open mind. Discuss, but don't argue. It is a mark of a superior
mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable.

Let your virtues, if you have any, speak for themselves. Refuse to talk to
or about another's vices. Discourage gossip. It is a waste of valuable
time and can be extremely destructive.

Be careful of another's feelings. Wit and humor at the other person's
expense are rarely worth it and may hurt when least expected.

Pay no attention to ill-natured remarks about you. Remember, the person who
carried the message may not be the most accurate reporter in the world.
Simply live so that nobody will believe them. Disordered nerves and bad
digestion are a common cause of backbiting.

Don't be too anxious about the credit due you. Do your best, and be
patient. Forget about yourself, and let others "remember." success is much
sweeter that way.

The Great Physician

Welcome to the Great Physician
Office hours are as you come,
He's a Specialist in all problems
And His day is never done.
He can heal a heart that's broken
He can mend the spirit, too,
No matter what your ailment
He does have the cure for you.
His fee for service never alters
He serves rich and poor as well,
He's our one chance for Salvation,
He alone saves us from H ell.
There's no fee for services rendered
All He asks is that we believe,
That He bled and died to save us
And all His blessings we will receive.
Do you have a special problem
That is troubling you this hour?
The just simply leave it with Him
You can find no greater power.
Don't delay in seeking treatment
Please, my friend, don't hesitate,
For His office is soon closing
And He'll shut and lock the gate.
I wouldn't want you to suffer
While the Doctor's so close by,
Your whole life will be much better
If my Physician you will try.
Forgive Yourself
There are many people in the world that have a problem with forgiving
themselves of their past mistakes. God is a God of love and compassion who
wishes to forgive and restore all who come to Him. Never feel as if you are
beyond redemption. God is able to turn your mess into a miracle.

I hope the following story will minister to you if you are having trouble
forgiving yourself, or feel as if God will never forgive you of your past
mistakes.

A woman is dying of Aids. A minister is summoned. He attempts to comfort
her, but to no avail.

"I am lost," she said. "I have ruined my life and every life around me. Now
I'm going painfully to h ell. There is no hope for me."

The minister saw a framed picture of a pretty girl on the dresser. "Who is
this?" he asked.

The woman brightened. "She is my daughter, the one beautiful thing in my
life."

"And would you help her if she was in trouble, or made a mistake? Would you
forgive her? Would you still love her?" the minister asked.

"Of course I would!" cried the woman, "I would do anything for her! Why do
you ask such a question?"

"Because I want you to know," said the minister, "that God has a picture of
you on His dresser."
author unknown

THE PERFECT HEART
Author Unknown
July 26, 2012


One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that
he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered
and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a
flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they
had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about
his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said "Why your
heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the young man
looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars,
it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but
they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in
some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.

The people stared - how can he say his heart is more beautiful, they
thought? The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and
laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine
is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."

"Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade
with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my
love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they
give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart,
but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I
cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared. Sometimes I have
given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece
of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges -- giving love is taking a
chance.

Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love
I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the
space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?"

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked
up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and
ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The
old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from
his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart.
It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges. The young man
looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since
love from the old man's heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away
side by side.

How sad it must be to go through life with a whole untouched heart.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO FLY
By Larry Davies


There is a parable about a wild goose shot down by a local hunter.
Only wounded in one wing, he landed safely in a barnyard. Naturally
the local turkeys and chickens were quite startled by this sudden
visitor from the sky. As they became more comfortable with this
stranger, however, it was only natural to ask about what they had seen
but never experienced: "Tell us what it's like to fly?"

"It's wonderful!" said the Goose who told story after story of his
flights. "It's beautiful to soar out in the wild blue yonder! Why this
barn looks only an inch high and all of you look like tiny specks from
such a distance. First you fly high and then you can glide and enjoy
the astonishing scenery."

All the birds were quite impressed by the goose's stories. Later they
asked him to tell more stories about flying. Soon, it became a weekly
event for the goose to entertain all the barnyard birds with his
stories. They even provided a little box for him to stand so everyone
could see him better.

But the strangest thing happened or maybe I should say… never
happened. While the domestic birds very much enjoyed hearing about the
glories of flight, they never tried to fly themselves. And the wild
goose, even though his wing healed, continued to talk about flying but
never actually flew again.

As pastor of a church, I find this parable frightening. Why? Because
it hits too close to home. How easy it is to talk about being a
Christian without acting like one. How easy it is to stand in church
and say, "Jesus is Lord," without actually turning our lives over to
His direction. How easy it is to sit in our comfortable seats and
ignore a world in desperate need of our witness. How easy it is as a
minister to talk about ministry without actually doing it. It's easy
to talk but you must really flap those wings to fly.

Jesus spoke to his disciples about what it takes to actually fly and
follow Him: "`If any of you wants to be my follower,' he told them,
`you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and
follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose
it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the
Good News, you will find true life.'" (Mark 8:34-35)

"Shoulder your cross and follow me." Other versions of the Bible
quote: "Take up your cross and follow me." I used to think the cross
stood for the pain of being a Christian. In other words: "If you
really want to follow me, you must be willing to endure pain and
suffering." This is not an exciting thought and also not completely
true. Although pain strikes all of us, it's not what Jesus had in
mind. If this were about pain we would be keeping `pain' diaries to
see which one suffered most: `pain' winners go to heaven.

So, what does it truly mean to `shoulder your cross and follow
Christ?'

Well, you're not going to believe this but I think Jesus is talking
about flying.

"What? Larry, have you lost your mind? Where is flying mentioned in
the Bible?"

Jesus is talking about being committed to your mission. Jesus accepted
the suffering because that was his mission. The cross was Jesus
Christ's ultimate mission and he was committed to seeing it through to
the end. A bird's mission is to fly but you must first be committed to
the work and effort of flapping your wings over and over
until you learn to fly. Our decision to take up the cross and follow
God regardless of the cost is our cross and our commitment to flap our
wings until we finally fly.

But flying is the best part. It may be safer to stay in the barnyard
but look at what you will miss. What would it be like to truly soar
and ride the air currents? If we live always so carefully protecting
and watching our own self-interests, making no effort for anyone but
ourselves we'll miss the best part of life: Knowing our mission and
having the inner satisfaction of carrying it out to the best of our
ability.

A song in the musical "Godspell" said it best: "Day by day, day by
day: Oh, dear Lord, three things I pray: to see thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day. If we
learn from God to see more clearly, love more dearly and follow more
nearly we will take our cross and fly.

HOUSE FOR SALE
Author Unknown


ADDRESS: Heaven

FEATURES:
Many rooms with a master suite
Spacious love
Open floor plan for peace
Large eat-in grace
Fenced in mercy with room for expansion
Son room with a marvelous view of salvation
Pool of milk and honey in the back
Pearly gates in front

DIRECTIONS:
The only way to the Father is through the Son

PRICE:
$0.00 - Calvary - Owner financing

COMMUNITY:
Friendly angelic neighbors.
Great family and friends.
Praise the Lord all day and night.

BONUS:
Crown of stars, new luxurious robe and golden slippers with matching
wings.
Bring a friend and get a reward.

For more information, call your local agent or representative -
Name, address and phone number listed below.

NAME: Jesus Christ
ADDRESS: Repent Highway and Streets of Gold
PHONE: Dial John 3:16

Prayer For Strength and Wisdom

Lord,
Give me strength and wisdom
to live this day as I ought.

Give me strength...
to overcome every temptation which may come to me,
to do well every task which is assigned to me,
to shoulder every responsibility which is laid upon my shoulders.

Give me wisdom...
to know when to speak and when to keep silent,
to know when to act and when to refrain from action,
to know when to speak my mind and when to hold my peace.

So bring me to the end of this day
in goodness,
in happiness
and in peace. Amen.