New Years wishes directly from: 3 John 1:2 - "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." and also....... Daniel 6:25 - "...this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: "PEACE AND PROSPERITY TO YOU! and also....... me -"May God bless all of you with every desire of your heart!!"
Wow!!! Today is the day of our oldest son's bon voyage party. It was just yesterday that we took him to kindergarten for his first day of school. Eric has really come to know the Lord this year in a whole new way. He has come to appreciate Paul in the Bible. So it is in honor of Eric that I reference Paul today in my blog. This is something Paul said to the Corinthians. This sounds kind of like something Eric might say. "This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. 11Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12Greet one another with a holy kiss.
13All the saints send their greetings.
14May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Finally, Saul sent him away and appointed him commander over 1,000 men, and David faithfully led his troops into battle. David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the LORD was with him. (1 Samuel 18:13-14).
I am married to a veteran and am extremely proud. My father was a veteran and I am proud of that as well. This Christmas and New Year season has been strange for me, but the Lord is always a part of my life in everything I do. I hope the Lord blesses all of the families that have soldiers overseas and also blesses all of the veterans and their families as well. Know that your efforts are appreciated and blessed!!! Thank you for your service!!!
Gossip!!! ARRGGGHHH!! I will not name names as to who was "falsely accused" of dying. Look it up.
This has happened more times than I would like to acknowledge on the Internet. "A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence." (NLT:Prov-11:13)
Every morning I try to read a little Bible and I also try and read what is hot on Google. Think about it.The two are centuries removed but some things never change. I found 16 different references to gossip in the Bible and 248,000 to gossip on Google search. What is wrong with this picture??? I am sure if they had the Internet back in Biblical days, there would be as many references as there are today. Pray that for all that is happening in the world right now, that we stop gossiping. Let's, (including me!!), try to be more understanding of people's rights and quit trying to slander their good names all over the place. Scoop the story? Is that really more important than hurting the loved ones surrounding the person who is being scooped? Think about it the next time someone wants to tell you some juicy GOSSIP!! May God Bless you on your decision.
I saw the story this morning. She will be sorely missed by anyone interested in r&b who has heard her velvety voice. But now she will be singing with a choir of angles. Alia Rose, mom is OK. Always work hard and do your work knowing mom is watching you and make her proud!!! God please watch over Teena's family. We know she is fine but please give them strength to get through their days. "Congo Square" (album released in '09) was a compilation for all those who influenced her life. Coretta King (Dr. Martin Luther King's wife), Marvin Gaye and Curtiss Mayfield just to name a few. Those were some pretty heavy hitters.
WWW used to mean World Wide Wrestling... now obviously it is the World Wide Web. Nowadays we have access to everything around the world right at our fingertips. What does this have to do with Jesus, Santa and Christian statistics? Everything!! We can find out who is googling who in the world about what. I didn't realize that the U.S. is the highest ranked Christian Community and Santa is huge in other parts of the world that I have never even heard of. WOW a real eye opener for me. Anyway I am in that U.S. majority and personally, I love Jesus and we sang happy birthday to Him as we do every year before opening gifts. The best part of our celebration is sharing good wishes with family and friends. To all of you in my family out of state and to everyone I did not get cards out to this year again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
...IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!! A very blessed Christmas to everyone today. I hope Jesus reveals himself to you in a very special way this year and you have a HEALTHY and HAPPY New Year!!!! Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie, Feliz Navidad, Froehliche Weihnachten, Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand, and Kala Christouyenna! to all of my foreign friends and family!!
Can you find him on his route to filling all of those stockings and bringing all of those goodies and presents to the hundreds of millions of kids around the world? Where is Jesus? Can you find him alone in a lowly manger being born on his route to saving all of those hundreds of millions of people around the world? Merry Christmas Eve and may God bless you and yours abundantly with health and prosperity for the New Year!! In Jesus name!!
................you're having a wonderful childhood!!! My husband and I used to tell our kids that even in the worst possible times. And God knows we have gone through a few doosies!!! I've always loved that saying because it got us through some rough times. We felt the kids shouldn't have to suffer even if we were going through some real hardships. Parents, tell your kids they are having a wonderful childhood and maybe even you will start to believe it. Eventually, if you say it long enough and hard enough, it will come true and life will be better than you could ever hope for.
Lend me your ear. I cannot believe the older I get the more confused I get about technology and digital life. It was so much easier in Jesus time. In fact, it was so much easier even more recently when I was a kid. What the heck is a scheduled play date? I remember Mom and Dad telling me to go out and play and don't be late for lunch. That was it. No cell phones to check up or check in with. Just be home for lunch and dinner. I have spent more time holding meals for kids and waiting for them to finish that next level, or "Ill be there, in a minute, I have to say goodbye to my 102 best friends on Facebook". Mom and Dad never held up a meal for us. If you got home for lunch in time, you ate, if not oh well, dinner will be in 5 more hours. Yes back in the day there were wars, and famines, and murder, and injustice. There still is. Only now there are immediate fixes. We can clean up after major disasters, and rebuild in a matter of a year or two. We can travel across the globe in a matter of hours to get to work on fixing these problems. Could you imagine how long it would have taken back in Jesus' day to get from Chicago to New York, or from Los Angeles to Hawaii? Could you imagine how many disciples the apostles could have made if they had Skype? Immediate conversation with someone overseas. How cool is that? Don't forget in the hustle and bustle of our daily digital lives, to make disciples of all nations, (we can literally do that now), and love one another as God loves us!!!
What to write about today?? I didn't realize that writing would be so difficult. I thought that news reporters and journalists just get up in the morning and start writing. POOF! Column done! Guess what? Now I know what writers block is. I wanted my Christian blog to be a way to get my thoughts out there. I wanted to stay on the Bible or the God subject, and keep readers interested and coming back for more. I wanted to share my ideas and maybe help someone, or teach someone something new along the way. I thought I would name today's blog, "sex, drugs, and violence" to attract some attention. NOW WHAT???? There are over 100 references to sex in the Bible, there are over 100 references to violence. I found 8 references to drugs. Read the Bible if you want some informative reading on any of those subjects, and MUCH more!!. "The Bible", it does a brain good.
even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! (Ecc 9:4) We can look at ALL things two ways: Be joyful or be miserable; Your choice. Be excited or be depressed; Your choice. Be happy or be sad; Your choice. Live or die; Your choice. During this holiday season, I keep hearing conversations about depression and sadness. Why is it that this time of the year seems to bring that out in people? This should be a most joyous time for everyone. Believers and non believers alike have the hope of salvation, the love of God surrounding them, and life. Where there is life, there is hope. Even if you do not have many people in your life, there are people surrounding you that might like to help. But how do they know this unless you ask. Nobody is a mind reader and we truly do not know your mind, needs or anything else. Ask for friendship. Ask for assistance. Don't impose, just ask. And the more you get out and start talking to people, you might be surprised at how good it feels to reconnect with the world. Don't worry God is right there helping the whole way. God Bless YOU!!!
Every year I look forward to Christmas and Easter with a childlike anticipation. This year is different though, not in my anticipation, but in the commercialism that surrounds the season. Actually it is not as bad this year as it has been in past years, but I still feel it nonetheless. Standing in line at the grocery store I heard a conversation like, "Are you ready for Christmas?" Ready for what I wonder? My prayer today is that people from around the globe do not celebrate "Santa" Christmas but celebrate "Jesus" Christmas. Hopefully they will join Santa in having a birthday cake (or cookies and milk) and celebrating our Saviour's birth!!
Stan Freberg was a popular comedian back in the 50's. This played on the Christian radio station I was listening to yesterday and I busted a gut. It was a little crude for back in the day. Nowadays it is probably not considered too crude but the content and message still pertain to today and it is still very funny. I hope you take 6 minutes and 57 seconds out of your day today and listen and watch. Here it is and enjoy. Most importantly don't forget the reason for the season!! Love to all!!
I think this is one of the oldest and greatest mysteries of the Bible and God. All my life I pondered that question. Just this year it was revealed to me as to how this is possible. What is steam made of? Answer: Water. What is ice made of? Answer: Water. What is rain made of? Answer: Water. Jesus came down to earth in the flesh. Solid just as ice is. Steam comes up from a pot of water boiling on the stove. When it is near the pot, it is visible. Then it evaporates into the air and is invisible, like the Holy Spirit. It is definitely there but invisible. And finally Water itself is like God. It is everywhere. The dew in the morning, in rain, and even under the desert floor water can be found. God is everywhere but only reveals himself sporadically. Sometimes like in the desert, we have to search for Him. But if you look long enough, you will find Him. The only reference that I found in the Bible that puts these 3 together is Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus told his disciples, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." When was the last time I made a disciple??? Oops I need to get to work on that!! How about you? Lord please bless us all in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, so we remember to go out and make some disciples!!!
What the heck is that? I saw a definition stating, “A person who worries or frets incessantly,”. Do you know someone like that? I DO!!! I even act like that sometimes. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV-Phil 4:6) Calm down. God has it under control. Yesterday I stopped everything for just a few minutes and just sat and listened. It was so peaceful. If you want peace, just listen. God is there, but he speaks very softly so just listen. May God bless your day abundantly and give you peace!!!
Ladies always remember, "A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout".( Proverbs 11:22) Gentlemen think about this, "Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified". (Titus 2:6-7)
I wish someone had the courage when I was growing up to throw some sound doctrine to me and maybe I would have done things differently in my life. I pray that young girls everywhere will sit quietly and listen to their heart. Flaunting your wears will only cause a man to sin. And I pray that men will sit quietly and do what is right. Women love men who do the right thing and are dignified and only for them. God, remind us all it is not too late to come to you. AMEN.
It is Hawaiian for Merry Christmas. Al Jolson was Bing Crosby's inspiration for Hawaiian music. Bing had the right idea back in the day to sing and act in "White Christmas". That movie was such a wholesome movie. I have a lot of admiration for Bing. He is one of the few people who have 3 stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He also did Christmas in Kilarney. He never profiled, and he truly loved Christ. As an actor, and singer, he had quite a busy life. He is remembered by many as a truly gifted individual. He raised alot of money for alot of causes and I try to watch White Christmas every year around this time. May the Lord bless you and keep you during this Christmas season and try and see this great movie sometime!! White Christmas
"Class bespeaks an aristocracy that has nothing to do with ancestors
or money.
"Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down....
"Class can "walk with kings and keep its virtue and talk with crowds
and keep the common touch...
If you have class, you don't need much of anything else. If you don't
have it, no matter what else you have, it doesn't make much
difference."
These are excerpts from an Ann Landers or Dear Abbey column years ago. I loved these little ditties that she or they would come up with. I haven't heard anyone talk about class in years.The Bible oozes class even though they don't use the word "class" in the same context. Class is the humbling of oneself before others and courageousness to hang with any class of people. Lord please give me class, and wisdom.
..................hair loss, migraines, hemorrhaging, brain tumors, aneurysms, and possibly DEATH. BUT, if you take it, you MIGHT possibly get rid of some of your depression. But be sure and call your attorney if you die!!! These crazy TV commercials warn about the side effects of depression medication. Why don't we self medicate with Jesus instead of alcohol or drugs. TODAY is the first day of the rest of your life. Start today!! "Start what?", you ask. SOMETHING!!! ANYTHING!!! I keep hearing about depression. I have been depressed. I believe that the only thing for depression is is do something kind for someone else. When you get your mind off of your own troubles, and focus on someone else, everything changes for the better. I just heard one of my all time favorite Christmas songs last night. It talks about just that. As important as the boy getting the shoes for his mom is, it was just as important for that man to help pay for those shoes. GREAT SONG!! Lord help us to be more like the boy AND the man in the song, "The Christmas Shoes".
In finding this particular website, it has brought me to another understanding of the Bible which has actually made me want to read It more!!! Biblos.com gives you parallel translations back to back so you can see how the NIV, or King James versions stack up back to back. It really helps you to understand about different topics because of the way it is written."So never worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." [Matthew 6:34] “Judge not, that you be not judged.For as you have been judging, so you will be judged, and with your measure will it be measured to you." [Matthew 7:1-2] .These examples are from various translations, but one thing that I noticed, is that I really love Matthew in any translation. It is a great book to start reading. So do like I do hop onto Biblos.com and start not just READING the Bible, start UNDERSTANDING it!!! May God bless your day abundantly!!
Yesterday I heard Dr. Tony Evans talk and he said something quite profound. Wives are the thermometer in the house and husbands are the thermostat. Husbands are to set the temperature for the home and the wives gauge what the temperature is. Husbands if you want a summer wife, don't bring home the winter weather. I am obviously paraphrasing but what a great concept. I have never before defined marriage that way. The warmer husbands are, the warmer wives and children will be. Lord help all husbands set the temperature in their homes to be at a comfortable setting. Lord please help all wives to respond to that temperature with love and commitment toward their husbands. Most of all Lord, please watch over all of the children in these homes to grow up to be good husbands and wives.
Where the heck did that word come from? Wikipedia says: ( a blend of the term web log) I wanted to do a Christian Quote to start your day off right!! I pray every morning before I write. Most of the time kind of cool stuff comes in my brain, and I jot it down. I really just want to share my Christian take on life with others. I guess that is a blog. We all have this inborn desire at some level to connect with others. Why is it easier for some to connect online? Back in Biblical times obviously this was not an option. What would Jesus do in order to connect? He would have gathered his friends together, and in person , sit down with them and converse. The difference between now and then is; in conversation, two or more people are together talking. By conversing, you leave yourself wide open for discussion, and possibly unwanted feedback. Nowadays in blogging you can post a comment, but you don't have to resolve anything. Let's try to bring the old in with the new. Don't forget to gather with your friends. Not just on the Holidays, but OFTEN. Let's also try to keep up with technology. Try blogging!!
Remember that? Not only was it a great way to get your car shiny, but the lesson was FOCUS until your arms fall off. It is really hard to do in this day and age. Last night I went to get my car checked out and in the waiting room this guy was on his laptop and Blackberry while the TV was blaring and conversation was going on. How can you focus on anything when your brain is on overload constantly? He didn't seem happy, just stressed. Or how about at night when you are lying in bed in the "quiet". There is still that faint sound of a TV on in the background, or the neighbor playing his music too loudly. When will it stop?? We need to pray about it IN SILENCE!! The NIV Bible's version of Matthew 6:6, is pretty easy reading. "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Nowhere does it say in that passage go into the loud street or house-filled room or LOUD busy anywhere to pray. Wouldn't it be cool to have a national day of silence? Turn off all of the electronics just for one day!! Maybe, just maybe then, God, in our silence will hear our prayers.
Sometimes I am that friend in need. Other times I am helping that friend in need. Either way that is a true statement. So how do you balance out what the Bible says without becoming a pest? Ask and you shall receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. Maybe moderation is the answer. Maybe we need to be on the giving end more often. Maybe we need to help others look for what they need or help someone else look at how to live. Maybe we need to open more doors for others. If you just keep taking without giving back, then you will become a pest. Remember Give and take. Lord give me the strength and wisdom to know what good balance is, and give me a heart to help people rather than take from them.
Forgiveness is HUGE! I learned that after hearing a true story about a great nanny. This nanny was in charge of two children. They had a terrible spat and one came out crying and badly hurt. As soon as tears had subsided, she said to the one child , "You must apologize. That was a terrible thing to do!". She turned to the other one and asked, "Do you forgive him? This will not be completely over until you forgive him". WOW!! In all of my years of babysitting, I never once asked the other child if they forgave. If all of the nannys and babysitters in the world were to do that how much humbler and forgiving would this world be!! Father forgive us for we know not what we do!!
