tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92599602024-02-22T08:34:14.246-08:00Faces of Beauty 1 -all for AbbaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-32814578017929152302017-08-07T17:08:00.000-07:002017-08-08T10:16:09.314-07:00and then there was Graham....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">today was a bit rough...trying to get answers...so many phone calls...so little help.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and then there was Graham...a wonderful man who i didn't meet until today...just a few moments ago...and he changed everything.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">just a few kind words when i was in tears...and it made such a difference to me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">so here's my thank you, Graham....may God bless you always :)</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-76823743176608062992017-07-03T15:20:00.001-07:002017-07-04T11:31:56.973-07:00Happy 4th of July!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">i'm so excited for the 4th of July!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">we bbq all day, light our fireworks after sunset and just enjoy being with family and friends! π</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">it's a truly blessed day and </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">i'm so thankful that i'll get to spend it with my children!</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">we still buy sparklers and write our names in the air...<i>(it never fails that my beautiful daughter Bronte' burns herself every single year!)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">my all-time fav firework is the bees!!! they're the best!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and they're sort of scary because you never know where they'll end up!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">last year i lit one of the bees and i accidentally dropped it right in front of me and then i ran and Alexandra, my beautiful daughter, was walking towards me and i grabbed her and dragged her away! even though we were at a safe distance, it whizzed right by my ear!...after i explained why i did that, we laughed and laughed, cuz that's the kind of thing that only ever happens to me, lol!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">i thank our Father that i'm an American and i'm proud to celebrate our Independence Day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">so Happy 4th of July everyone</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and God bless you for stopping by!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">:) </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-400958391182084502017-06-08T14:48:00.001-07:002017-06-09T11:48:42.253-07:00grateful...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i'm grateful for the time i have with my children...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">my daughter Alexandra and i have recently started to travel around locally, with the idea to find good food and make new memories!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">so far Coeur d' Alene is my favorite because of the delicious food at Dockside Restaurant and the beautiful lake they have!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">this weekend, Lord willing of course, we have our sights set on Otis Orchards and Liberty Lake!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it's so much fun to travel, even if it's all basically local :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it's a change of scenery and i'm grateful for it and the chance to be with my children in a different way!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">joining us will be my other beautiful daughter, Bronte' and her love, Courtney, and soon, Alexandra's best friend and my adopted daughter, Kia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i would love to do this with my son, Roman, but he has very little free time as he is a chef in a Spokane restaurant!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">just driving on the freeway, i am often surprised by the gorgeous colors of the sky and the little towns that seem fascinating to me :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and the beauty always reminds me of our precious Father...the creator of every beautiful detail in nature...His vision...and i am grateful to share in all the splendor He has made for us!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it's easy to get bored and to stop appreciating the wonderful moments we have with those we love...to stop looking up and around...to stop being grateful...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">have you stopped looking around, stopped appreciating what and who you have?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you can always start again and it's easy to do!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">just remember the child in you...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">remember the wonder...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">open your heart again and remember who has made it all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">we praise and thank You, our forgiving and tender-hearted Father, for all the wondrous things You have done and all the wondrous things You will do today, tomorrow and forever!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God bless you for stopping by!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">:)</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-2271167112529374292016-10-28T12:48:00.000-07:002016-10-28T12:50:58.876-07:00I am not there...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">last night i was watching one of my favorite shows and i heard this poem...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">it just really touched my heart...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">it's written by Mary Elizabeth Frye.</span><br />
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<div class="KonaBody" style="background-color: none; color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-right: 5px;">
<div style="font-family: Roboto, sans-serif !important; font-size: 17px !important; font-stretch: normal !important; line-height: 23px !important;">
"Do not stand at my grave and weep<br />
I am not there. I do not sleep.<br />
I am a thousand winds that blow.<br />
I am the diamond glints on snow.<br />
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.<br />
I am the gentle autumn rain.<br />
When you awaken in the morning's hush<br />
I am the swift uplifting rush<br />
Of quiet birds in circled flight.<br />
I am the soft stars that shine at night.<br />
Do not stand at my grave and cry;<br />
I am not there. I did not die."</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-49011420538357485122016-03-20T12:47:00.001-07:002016-03-20T14:10:07.367-07:00from our beloved Father...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">These words of God mean everything to me...</span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">they're words of comfort and safety, both of which are in scarcity today.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thank You, Father for always knowing when and what</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> to say to Your children...</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">i love and need You more each passing day...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him;</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i>I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i>He will call on me, and I will answer him;</i></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i>I will be with him in trouble,</i></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i>I will deliver him and honor him.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i>With long life I will satisfy him</i></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i>and show him my salvation."</i></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">your lainey</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-425713530329691302015-05-07T14:48:00.000-07:002015-05-07T15:32:50.443-07:00CONVERSION THERAPY...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">the following was an email I received from Amanda Simpson, from the White House and below that my response:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<em><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Across the country, there are doctors working to convince<br /> people to change their sexual orientation or gender<br /> identity. It's known as "conversion therapy,"<br /> but it could also be called brainwashing, or<br /> reprogramming.<br /> <br /> Loving and compassionate parents and ministers who are<br /> trying to do the right thing are doing just the opposite.<br /> They are influenced by bad science, not grounded in fact.<br /> This so-called "conversion therapy" is<br /> harmful.<br /> <br /> A couple of days ago, the White House came out in support<br /> of efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy. And as a<br /> transgender woman, this is especially personal to me.<br /> <br /> No one should be forced to be someone they're not.<br /> Everyone should be valued for their authentic, true self --<br /> who they are -- regardless of the gender with which they<br /> identify, or who they love.<br /> <br /> I recently talked with a few other people in the<br /> Administration about why conversion therapy is so dangerous,<br /> and why it was so important for the White House to take a<br /> strong stance against the practice.<br /> <br /> Here's what we have to<br /> say:<br /> </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This isn't just a transgender issue or an LGBT issue<br />-- itβs an American issue. Our nation was founded on the<br /> ideals of equality and acceptance for everyone, and forcing<br /> an individual to be someone they aren't goes directly<br /> against what this country stands for.<br /> <br /> If we're going to grow as a society, we must move<br /> beyond the way things are, to the way things should be.<br /> <br /> That's why I'm glad our Administration is<br /> standing up and making it clear that conversion therapy is<br /> unacceptable. Our society should allow every child and every<br /> person the freedom to be whoever they aspire to be.<br /> <br /> And we've already seen the tragic effects of this<br /> therapy. Countless people have taken their own lives because<br /> they feel they can't fit into the standards that society<br /> demands. Others, although they haven't lost their lives,<br /> have been forced to live unfulfilled lives and to repress<br /> their feelings in the process -- feelings that come out in<br /> other ways that we can't always anticipate.<br /> <br /> We can be better than this. We are<br /> better than this. We owe it to ourselves, and to all of the<br /> children growing up in this country, to work toward a<br /> society where everyone is accepted and treated equally.<br /> <br /> I hope you'll take the time to<br /> listen to what we said, and learn more about why the White<br /> House came out in support of banning conversion<br /> therapy.<br /> <br /> Thank you,<br /><br /> Amanda Simpson<br />Executive Director<br />U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives"</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">_____________________________________________________</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Amanda Simpson,<br /><br />Homosexuality is against God's natural laws...even if you disagree with that, people are not forced to participate in "conversion therapy".<br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We are America, right?<br />freedom of choice, right?</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you don't want to participate, that's perfectly fine.<br />But it is not you or our governments job to intervene...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Separation of Church and state, right?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If 'everyone is allowed to be who they truly are', then the people you claim are hurtful, have the very same right.<br />You have no place to say go here and stop there!<br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm an American and one of the most beautiful things about being an American is the blanket of incredible freedom over one and all who dwell here.</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Take a moment and think about how you are censoring other Americans...you are attempting and now the White House as well, to trample on the people who believe in what they're doing...</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">America is all about choice and my relationship with our Father is all about choice as well.<br /><br />Feel free to disagree with anything, but you have no right to insist against the opinions and rights of your fellow man...<br /><br />You don't want to be judged?<br />stop judging the people who believe in something different than you and the white house..<br /><br />Unless someone is pointing a weapon and forcing people to participate...you've got no right to trample on the beliefs of others.<br /><br />Don't want to participate?<br />Then just don't.<br /><br /><br />Elaine<br />born-again Christian and a child of God.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-87149314224550557872014-01-18T10:03:00.002-08:002014-01-18T10:10:12.220-08:00edict for the recovering rager...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've been memorizing some beautiful and practical scripture...this is awesome!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, along with every form of malice. </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Be kind and compassionate with one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>God forgave you."</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">*Ephesians 4: 31-32*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> NIV</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-45759607790878834062013-04-14T16:03:00.001-07:002013-04-14T16:06:03.770-07:00what dreams may come...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dearest child of mine,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">may you meet the man destined to become your husband...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man whose greatest wish is make <em>your</em> dreams come true...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man who loves God with all his heart and soul and is then teachable by the Holy Spirit in how to love you and the children you will one day have...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man who is strong without being cruel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">forthright without being domineering.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">the spiritual 'head of the household' and only does this under the lordship of Jesus Christ...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man who would no sooner hurt you than hurt himself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man who understands completely what sacrificial love is, does and costs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man who listens to what you say and what you don't say, are afraid to say, dare not say.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man who is your humanly "safe place", while you journey together in this life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man who doesn't just see you, but rather, he sees through you, with the loving and uncondemning eyes of Christ.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man who will never leave, give up on or abandon you, regardless of the circumstances.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man who will never attempt to replace you with another.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a man who can't forget you, who will always love you...no matter how much time or distance has come to pass...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">who will fight for you with every breath he has...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">who will 'fight tigers for you'...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">and lastly, please know you <em>can</em> believe, dream of and always reach for true love...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">it exists because God, our beloved Father does.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">and because He <em>is</em> Love.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">this is my prayer for you, dearest child of mine...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">with all I am and ever hope to be,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">your Mama-muu...</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-13523520550989281242013-04-10T11:59:00.003-07:002013-04-10T11:59:24.486-07:00"What Kind of Man?" - Matthew 8:26-27 (ERV)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div id="yiv5696635539verse">
<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Jesus answered, "Why are you afraid? You don't have enough faith." Then Jesus stood and gave a command to the wind and the waves. The wind stopped, and the lake became very calm. The men were amazed. They said, "What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the water obey him!"</span></em></div>
<h3 id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365617330686_2564">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Key Thought:</span></h3>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365617330686_2566">
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365617330686_2565">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is nothing that can stand in the way of Jesus. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No enemy has the power -- he simply casts out the demons. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No teacher or skeptic can stump him with a question. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No disease can withstand his call for healing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not even nature can baffle or threaten him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is not just a man. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is God's Son. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is Immanuel, God with us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But until we can fully understand who he is, we can be secure that he will care for us and bring us to his home! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fear is not just being troubled with circumstances; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it also is the uncertainty about what will ultimately happen to us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus shows his disciples that their safety, their destiny, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is under his command and nothing can withstand his grace offered to bless his disciples.</span></div>
<h3 id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365617330686_2570">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's Prayer:</span></h3>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365617330686_2569">
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365617330686_2568">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My God, Almighty Lord, please act with your strong power to still the storm in the hearts of those I love. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Give them peace and calm and lead them to know that Jesus is not only their source of help, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but that he is so much more than a mere mortal man. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the name of Jesus my Lord I pray. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><em>(this original devotion, by Phil Ware, can be found at </em><a href="http://www.heartlight.org/"><em>www.heartlight.org</em></a><em>)</em></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-56536002777215538252013-04-10T11:51:00.003-07:002013-04-10T11:51:56.560-07:00"Love above Knowledge" β 1 Corinthians 8:1-13<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear Father, the one real and only God,<br /><br />Give me more love and humility than knowledge, for "Knowledge puffs up but love builds up."<br /><br />People know lots of things, but they let it go to their heads. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Help me, Father, never to imagine that I know everything, because I know that I do not yet know as I ought to know. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I want is to love you as I should, for if I love you, then I am loved and known by you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the things that men and women pursue, O God, seem to have no real existence when compared to you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is no God but you, the one God.<br /><br />The world is full of "gods." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But for us Christians there is just one God, you, from whom all things come and for whom they exist, and there is just one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.<br /><br />In the name of Jesus and by his authority I ask these things according to his will. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em><strong>(this original devotion, by Eldon Degge, can be found at </strong></em></span><a href="http://www.heartlight.org/"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em><strong>www.heartlight.org</strong></em></span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">) </span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-58221557687473042532013-04-07T11:46:00.003-07:002013-04-07T11:56:31.607-07:00what His peace does...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div id="yiv830041822verse">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>"...present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."</em> </span></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?query=Philippians+4:6-7&t=niv" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1365359450_1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Philippians 4:6-7</span></span></a></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365359450181_3117">
<h3 id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365359450181_3116">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thought</span></h3>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365359450181_3118">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What guards your heart? </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What protects your mind? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you know that the peace of God can stand guard over our hearts and minds? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's the apostle Paul's promise to us in this passage. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If we will present our requests to God, with thanksgiving, then God's peace </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that is greater than any explanation and that transcends our ability to comprehend it, will stand sentry over our hearts and minds. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You want an example of how this is true? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look at the book of Job. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All that befalls him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All that wounds him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet still he doesn't become hard of heart or go insane. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the key to his survival? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His ongoing conversation with the LORD.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He will not relinquish that relationship no matter how badly he hurts, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">how much he is confused, nor how badly he is ridiculed.</span><br />
<h3 id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365359450181_3125">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prayer</span></h3>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1365359450181_3124">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Father, I need your peace. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are wounds that pierce my heart, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but I don't want it to become hardened and callused. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are times my mind is so confused that I fear I may lose my rationality. Dear Father, I trust that as I cling to Jesus, and as I speak openly with you about my life and your grace, that you will bless me with your peace and will protect my heart and my mind from destruction. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you, dear Father, for the reminder that even as I struggle with my troubles, I also need to give you thanks for all the good things that you have blessed me with in my life and my walk with you! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Jesus' name I pray. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(<em>this original devotion is from </em></strong></span><a href="http://www.heartlight.org/"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>http://www.heartlight.org</strong></span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>)</strong></span></em></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-48162104304683967132013-03-10T09:22:00.000-07:002013-04-04T12:02:17.157-07:00Jonah...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
i love Jonah...i really do...<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>(he and peter are my favorite 2 men in the Bible!)</em></span><br />
<br />
i love him because i can relate to him...<br />
at times he's a real chicken, proud, stubborn, self-pitying and completely ridiculous!<br />
<br />
God comes to jonah and gives him a task to do.<br />
He wants jonah to go and warn the ninevites to repent, to turn from their evil ways.<br />
<br />
instead of going to nineveh, he tries to run away from God...<br />
this is so funny to me, i gotta say - trying to run away and hide from God!!<br />
<br />
you see, jonah, the israelite, was sworn enemies with the ninevites and had no wish to warn them to repent...he didn't want them to be saved and he sure as shooting didn't want to be the messenger!<br />
<br />
so this silly man tried to run away from God...<br />
have you ever done that?<br />
knew what our Father wanted of you...knew what the right path was, but you just turned away and did your own thing and went your own way?<br />
<br />
i get Jonah...i totally do...i've been just like him...<br />
<br />
stubborn, self-pitying, arrogant and rebellious...<br />
<br />
so let me save you some time and effort...<br />
you can never truly run away from God...<br />
it can't be done...<br />
ever.<br />
<br />
you can ignore Him...<br />
resist Him...<br />
deliberately do the opposite of what He's asking you to do...<br />
but you can't outrun or hide from Him...<br />
<br />
and when we stop running, when our knees buckle and we're struggling for breath, if we just look up, we can see His hand outstretched towards us and after we put our hand in His, we'll wonder why we were ever running to begin with...<br />
<br />
as always, please feel free to email me with any questions or comments:<br />
<a href="mailto:laineyrose7@yahoo.com">laineyrose7@yahoo.com</a>.<br />
<br />
God bless to all!!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-53489941509320481032013-02-24T11:37:00.003-08:002013-03-05T22:30:27.877-08:00this one's for you, Ernzy...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5r4P0otcyTXxnTqyDb1Qf_yEBPM9yO3SP_xfcm_gBXUErnd-5i-l1i92mnxroW5S1YPaWEnVAlZ2a1bDANzHju-RqV2kTH6odmJHcTXj_4C6DyumlGOMTkAaAqFGWd3SKCKXaw/s1600/ernzy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5r4P0otcyTXxnTqyDb1Qf_yEBPM9yO3SP_xfcm_gBXUErnd-5i-l1i92mnxroW5S1YPaWEnVAlZ2a1bDANzHju-RqV2kTH6odmJHcTXj_4C6DyumlGOMTkAaAqFGWd3SKCKXaw/s1600/ernzy2.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
i don't really know why there are days when it feels as if Nattie just told me you were gone, Ernzy...<br />
<br />
why the pain feels brand new and i'm drowning in it...<br />
<br />
why listening to your favorite song by Neil Diamond makes me feel as if you're in the room with me...<br />
or the last time you sang it to me...<br />
"love on the rocks"...<br />
it's a perfect song for you, my Ernzy...<br />
<br />
there's an actor that starred on SVU once...<br />
he looks just like you, Ernzy...and this year it hurt just to look at him.<br />
<br />
i really need you to come back to me, Ernzy...i know you can't...but there's stuff on this planet that doesn't make sense without you.<br />
<br />
and our good memories are choking my heart today and i want to visit you, but i haven't been back since the memorial/burial.<br />
not once, Ernzy and i need you to know that it isn't because i don't want to...i just can't go there...i can't do it...<br />
<br />
i love you so much, Ernzy, so very very very much...<br />
<br />
i know we'll see each other again when i go Home - but until then, beloved brother of mine, please know this song's for you...for today...for all the yesterdays we had together...and for all the tomorrow's we will have in Heaven.<br />
<br />
your Lainey forever and ever and ever. . .</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-63573761262822441112013-02-14T10:04:00.000-08:002013-02-14T10:06:04.766-08:00ever thine...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESz1ofr6zccgacxofOks6SRToRRYy0cDeIkAzRx8USa96jSGn0hyphenhyphenqxZUBBvr-6W_PrJWpgsCP5O15IDYhyphenhyphenX5SzHaCwe9sZOAjDQWEUOCYbBIRpN2msEof50egOZzJuYgxlh7OUg/s1600-h/ever+thine2.jpg"><span style="color: white;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302445861566049602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESz1ofr6zccgacxofOks6SRToRRYy0cDeIkAzRx8USa96jSGn0hyphenhyphenqxZUBBvr-6W_PrJWpgsCP5O15IDYhyphenhyphenX5SzHaCwe9sZOAjDQWEUOCYbBIRpN2msEof50egOZzJuYgxlh7OUg/s400/ever+thine2.jpg" style="height: 304px; width: 400px;" /></span></a><span style="color: white;">
</span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">for those of us who love someone and are loved in return -
<br />measure for measure,
<br />we can call ourselves blessed...
<br />
<br />for those of us who love someone who does not love us back -
<br />if we've truly given of ourselves,
<br />we can live without regret...
<br />
<br />and for those of us who love only ourselves -
<br />in the end,
<br />we are the lonely ones...
<br />
<br />for myself,
<br />i'd rather love with all my heart and be turned away -
<br />than never take the risk at all...
</span>
<br /><em><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></em></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia;">Happy Valentine's day to us all!</span></em>
</span>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-25875305889521671762013-02-11T10:21:00.000-08:002013-02-11T10:28:07.757-08:00Mercy...how dearly we need this each day!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div id="yiv786079535verse">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>"What great blessings there are for the people that give mercy to other people! Mercy will be given to them."</em> β </span><a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?query=Matthew+5:7&sr=1&t=erv" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1360605575413_4046" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1360605578_1"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Matthew 5:7 (ERV)</span></span></a></div>
<h3 id="yui_3_7_2_1_1360605575413_3041">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Key Thought:</span></h3>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1360605575413_3017">
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1360605575413_3016">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">God has treated us much, much better than we deserve. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That fundamental, undergirding spiritual truth is the reality of grace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He has seen us in our sin and had mercy on us because of his great love for us (see </span><a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?sr=0&t=niv&query=Rom. 5:6-11" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Study Rom. 5:6-11 more..."><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rom. 5:6-11</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Even though we have repeatedly proved unfaithful and undependable, both individually and as a group, God has been gracious and merciful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He has repeatedly offered forgiveness, help, redemption, and salvation when we least deserved it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rather than dealing with us strictly as law would demand, God has dealt with us as a loving father does with his children. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This conditioning reality must show up in us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">How can we claim to be his children and not be merciful? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">How can we call for retribution against our brothers and sisters, when fairness would demand we pay a great penalty for our sin? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the Kingdom Family, mercy rules. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When that mercy is forgotten by us, then God has promised to use our standard of mercilessness when he judges us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yet as long as we are merciful to others, God will show us mercy.</span></div>
</div>
<h3 id="yui_3_7_2_1_1360605575413_3018">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Today's Prayer:</span></h3>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1360605575413_3020">
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1360605575413_3019">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Holy and righteous Father, I confess that I often want justice when I am violated and mercy when I sin. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thank you for not treating me as I deserve, but instead providing Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice that extends your mercy to me and fulfills your justice on my behalf. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Soften my heart that I may reflect your grace and mercy in my dealings with those who have injured me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the precious name of Jesus I pray. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Amen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em><strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(the original devotion can be found at </span></strong></em><a href="http://www.heartlight.org/"><em><strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">www.heartlight.org</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">)</span></strong></em></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-46377474259175949032012-09-09T12:54:00.002-07:002012-09-09T12:54:57.297-07:00"kiss Your feet"...by Delirious<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>(this is the music playing in the background...</strong></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>it breaks my heart for God and lifts me up at the same time...</strong></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>let's listen together...)</strong></span></em><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></em></strong><br />
<u>"kiss <strong>Y</strong>our feet"</u><br />
<br />
all i have in this world<br />is more than a king could ever wish for<br />all these crowns leave me cold<br />for i was born to kiss <strong>Y</strong>our feet<br /><br />all i have in this life<br />is all for a <strong>K</strong>ing, you know i live for<br />and <strong>Y</strong>our crown bears my name<br />for i was born to give <strong>Y</strong>ou praise<br /><br />isn't <strong>H</strong>e beautiful<br />isn't <strong>H</strong>e beautiful<br />isn't <strong>H</strong>e beautiful<br /><br />take this life, take it all<br />i'm breathing the dirt, but i have clean hands<br />so i'll run with my boots on<br />for i was born to give <strong>Y</strong>ou fame<br /><br />isn't <strong>H</strong>e beautiful<br />isn't <strong>H</strong>e beautiful<br />isn't <strong>H</strong>e beautiful<br /><br /><br />yes, <strong>Y</strong>ou are beautiful<br />yes, <strong>Y</strong>ou are beautiful<br />isn't <strong>H</strong>e beautiful<br /><br /><br />yes, <strong>Y</strong>ou are beautiful<br />yes, <strong>Y</strong>ou are beautiful<br />yes, <strong>Y</strong>ou are beautiful<br />isn't <strong>H</strong>e beautiful. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-26471954629404696252012-09-06T16:44:00.001-07:002012-09-06T16:55:24.172-07:00though these are not my words - they are my heart's cry and everything i want to be...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<em>dear Father,</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Help me to have respect for rulers and authorities, to be submissive and obedient.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Help me to be ready for any honest work, and to speak evil of no one.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Help me to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy to every one.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Help me not to be foolish, disobedient, or led astray. </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Help me not to be a slave to various passions and pleasures, </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>or to pass my days in malice or envy, hating others or being hated by them.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>In the name of Jesus, </em><br />
<em>the all-wise and blessed Savior. </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Amen</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>written by Eldon Degge</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>original post can be found at: </strong></span><a href="http://www.heartlight.org/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>www.heartlight.org</strong></span></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-77922256794652169762012-09-05T12:49:00.001-07:002012-09-05T12:49:25.571-07:00what i don't need to know...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div id="yiv1032046906verse2">
<em>"Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?"</em> β <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?query=Job+38:16&sr=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1346872575_2">Job 38:16</span></a></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Some things in nature must remain a mystery to the most intelligent and enterprising investigators. <br />
<br />
Human knowledge has bounds beyond which it cannot pass. <br />
<br />
Universal knowledge is for God alone. <br />
<br />
If this be so in the things which are seen and temporal, I may rest assured<br />
that it is even more so in matters spiritual and eternal. <br />
<br />
Why, then, have I been torturing my brain with speculations as to destiny and will, fixed fate, and human responsibility? <br />
<br />
These deep and dark truths I am no more able to comprehend <br />
than to find out the depth which coucheth beneath, from which old ocean draws her watery stores. <br />
<br />
Why am I so curious to know the reason of my Lord's providences, the motive of his actions, the design of his visitations? <br />
<br />
Shall I ever be able to clasp the sun in my fist, and hold the universe in my palm? <br />
yet these are as a drop of a bucket compared with the Lord my God. <br />
<br />
Let me not strive to understand the infinite, but spend my strength in love. <br />
<br />
What I cannot gain by intellect I can possess by affection, and let that suffice me. <br />
<br />
I cannot penetrate the heart of the sea, but I can enjoy the healthful breezes which sweep over its bosom, and I can sail over its blue waves with propitious winds. <br />
<br />
If I could enter the springs of the sea, the feat would serve no useful purpose either to myself or to others, it would not save the sinking bark, or give back the drowned mariner to his weeping wife and children; <br />
<br />
neither would my solving deep mysteries avail me a single whit, for the least love to God, and the simplest act of obedience to him, are better than the profoundest knowledge. <br />
<br />
My Lord, I leave the infinite to thee, and pray thee to put far from me such a love for the tree of knowledge as might keep me from the tree of life.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>written by Charles Spurgeon</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>original post can be found at: </strong></span><a href="http://www.heartlight.org/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>www.heartlight.org</strong></span></a></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-51380030735521482632012-09-04T15:14:00.004-07:002012-09-04T15:19:48.062-07:00oh, to know and love the One who loves us best, first and always...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div id="yiv1177842230verse">
"I will; be thou clean." β <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?query=Mark+1:41&sr=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1346795868_1">Mark 1:41</span></a></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Primeval darkness heard the Almighty fiat, "<em>light be</em>," and straightway light was, <br />
and the word of the Lord Jesus is equal in majesty to that ancient word of power. Redemption like Creation has its word of might. <br />
Jesus speaks and it is done. <br />
Leprosy yielded to no human remedies, <br />
but it fled at once at the Lord's "<em>I will</em>." <br />
The disease exhibited no hopeful signs or tokens of recovery, nature contributed nothing to its own healing, but the unaided word effected the entire work on the spot and for ever. <br />
The sinner is in a plight more miserable than the leper; <br />
let him imitate his example and go to Jesus, <br />
"<em>beseeching him and kneeling down to him</em>." <br />
Let him exercise what little faith he has, even though it should go no further than "<em>Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean</em>"; <br />
and there need be no doubt as to the result of the application. <br />
Jesus heals all who come, and casts out none. <br />
In reading the narrative in which our morning's text occurs, it is worthy of <br />
devout notice that Jesus touched the leper. <br />
This unclean person had broken through the regulations of the ceremonial law<br />
and pressed into the house, but Jesus so far from chiding him broke through the law himself in order to meet him. <br />
He made an interchange with the leper, for while he cleansed him, he contracted by that touch a Levitical defilement. <br />
Even so Jesus Christ was made sin for us, although in himself he knew no sin,<br />
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. <br />
O that poor sinners would go to Jesus, believing in the power of his blessed substitutionary work, and they would soon learn the power of his gracious touch. <br />
That hand which multiplied the loaves, which saved sinking Peter, which upholds afflicted saints, which crowns believers, that same hand will touch every seeking sinner, and in a moment make him clean. <br />
<br />
The love of Jesus is the source of salvation. <br />
He loves, <br />
he looks,<br />
he touches us, <br />
WE LIVE. <br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">by Charles Spurgeon</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">from the original post at </span></strong><a href="http://www.heartlight.org/"><strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">www.heartlight.org</span></strong></a></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-1158439747208200232012-07-22T13:25:00.000-07:002012-07-22T16:53:49.214-07:00i surrender all...<i>(i woke up with this song in my heart...)</i>
<br>
<br>
it is a very old song that was played almost every sunday in church.<br>
at the end of the church service, there would be an altar call,<br>
where the pastor asks everyone to close their eyes and raise their hand<br>
if they'd like to ask Jesus into their heart,<br>
and then asks all those who raised their hand to come forward, down to the altar,<br> where there would be someone who would lead them in prayer.<br>
sometimes the altar call was for those of us who had<br>
'forgotten their first Love'<br>
and wanted to renew their intimate relationship with Jesus.
<br>
<br>
but, regardless of why we raised our hands,<br>
regardless of how nerve-wracking it was to walk down the aisle<br>
in front of everyone else,<br>
regardless of how much easier it would be to just stay in your seat...<br>
once you get there, once you reach the altar,<br>
you never want to get back up again.<br>
and you just can't believe how you lasted this long<br>
without that precious relationship with our divine Brother, Jesus.<br>
does this sound familiar?
<br>
<br>
did you walk away from Jesus to pursue another path?<br>
when you're the only one still awake at night and you feel<br>
a familiar ache in your heart of hearts, but you just can't place it,<br>
do you feel regret for the choices you've made?<br>
<br>
the thing is, if we've just met Jesus or if we desire to renew<br>
our relationship with Him all over again,<br>
He is right there at the door to your heart,<br>
waiting for you to just open up.
<br>
<br>
no human being can ever fill that demanding void within us...<br>
it belongs to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.<br>
and if you've just met Him and asked Him into your heart to be<br>
your Lord, Savior, Brother and closest Friend,<br>
or you really want to but don't know how,<br>
please feel free to email me at: laineyrose7@yahoo.com -<br>
i would love to pray with you...
<br>
<br>
and if you already know Jesus but have walked away from Him,<br>
please remember it is not too late to turn around...<br>
He's right there, He's still right there,<br>
He's <i>always</i> there...
<br>
<br>
<br>
<b><u>I SURRENDER ALL</u></b>
<br>
<i>"All to Jesus I surrender<br>
All to Him I freely give;<br>
I will ever love and trust Him,<br>
In his presence daily live.<br>
<br>
I surrender all,<br>
I surrender all;<br>
All to thee,<br>
my blessed Savior,<br>
I surrender all.<br>
<br>
All to Jesus I surrender,<br>
Humbly at His feet I bow,<br>
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,<br>
Take me Jesus,<br>
take me now.<br>
<br>
I surrender all,<br>
I surrender all;<br>
All to thee,<br>
my blessed Savior,<br>
I surrender all.<br>
<br>
Lord I give to You<br>
All I ever had<br>
And everything I was<br>
And everything I am<br>
And now I lay it down<br>
I lay it at Your feet<br>
To Your grace<br>
To Your power<br>
I surrender all...<br>
God i give myself to thee...<br>
fill me with thy love and power...<br>
let thy blessings fall on me...<br>
<br>
I surrender all,<br>
I surrender all;<br>
All to thee,<br>
my blessed Savior,<br>
I surrender all...<br>
<br>
All to thee,<br>
my blessed Savior,<br>
I surrender all..."</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-29519401114280607892012-07-11T11:12:00.000-07:002012-07-11T11:12:04.913-07:00on bended knees...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Please, dear Father,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">heal Your children...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">heal the hurting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">heal the broken</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">restore us unto You</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">re-build</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">renew</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">and refresh </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">we need You so desperately, dearest Father...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">unite us</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">heal us</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">gather us together once again</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">'once for all'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">wash our hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">til they are white as snow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mend our broken bones</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">and broken spirits</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">help us see Your hand outstretched</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">help us drink from Your cup of cool water</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">and like this song - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">help us surrender all</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">on bended knees</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">with humbled hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">and listening ears</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You, who is the only One who truly knows and loves us...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">we freely admit that we can't live without You...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">help us remember:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">just as i am</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">refiners fire</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">upstairs prayers and Bible studies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">sharing tears and triumphs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">coffee and silly philosophy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">kneeling before the Great I Am</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">keith green</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">worship-team</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">praising You, our One and greatest First Love</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">united, not divided</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">found not lost</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">hopeful not hopeless...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">we love You, precious Father of us all...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">we love You, dearest Brother Divine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">we love You, blessed Holy Spirit</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">and in the end,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">we belong to You all</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">we are Your children and we need You Father </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">today, tomorrow and for always...</span><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-89114742926254871552012-07-09T09:58:00.001-07:002012-07-10T12:54:36.220-07:00where He is...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Today, my morning devotional reminded me to do a lil self-inventory </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and remember all the wonderful things God has done and been in my life...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">to look back and remember all the prayer requests He has answered.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">and I am thankful...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">there have been many times that my prayer requests have been answered.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">all sorts of requests as minute as helping me with my yard work all the way to </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">keeping my children safe and sound in His arms.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">sometimes when we pray and pray over a particular request, and we don't see </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">any results, we can start to become embittered towards our Father.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">we ask Him:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>why won't You help me???</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>You can see what this means to me - </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>You can see my absolute heartache - </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>you can see my overwhelming weariness!</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">we want to yell into the vast silence:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em><strong>WHERE ARE YOU, GOD ???</strong></em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">so, I write this for us all...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He is there...He is alive...and He loves you so very much!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">our Father is honestly doing so many things </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">"behind the scenes" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">that we simply cannot see or comprehend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He is not sleeping, on a coffee-break or vacation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He is not indifferent to your cries, pleas or heartache.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He feels everything you feel...your joys and sorrows both.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He has not forgotten you or any of your petitions before Him.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He is our Father...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>O</strong>mnipotent, <strong>O</strong>mnipresent, and <strong>O</strong>mniscient.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>(All-powerful), (All-present - yesterday, today and tomorrow) & (All-knowing).</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He loves you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">you can trust Him, with your dreams, fears and your very life,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">because </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">all you are and ever will be,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">lies within His all-capable hands.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He'll never turn His back on you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He will always forgive you when you are repentant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">He will always protect you when you need protecting,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">save you when you need saving</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">carry you when you need carrying</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">and encourage you when you need encouraging.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Whatever trial or circumstance you're going through right now, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">please know your Father is right beside you every moment of every day...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">because that's just who He is.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-26475892331019064822012-07-08T10:41:00.001-07:002012-07-10T12:47:29.226-07:00if you've given up...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I know there are children of God who have given up...<br />
who've lost their way and lost their faith.<br />
and who somehow have come to believe that God has lost his faith and given up on <em>them</em>.<br />
<br />
i just want you to know that it's not true.<br />
no matter where you are today or where you'll be tomorrow, He is still there with you...<br />
wherever you may go.<br />
<br />
please don't give up...<br />
<br />
if you've come to Him and prayed and prayed over something or someone who's broken your heart - <br />
and you've yet to see any results,<br />
please know that any delay in answered prayer is only because His timing has to be extraordinarily precise.<br />
He hasn't forgotten you, your prayers, your sorrows or your pain...<br />
<br />
Let me say it again...<br />
He hasn't forgotten you.<br />
<br />
He loves you and will never leave or forsake you...<br />
so, if you've 'had enough', walked away and are too weary to pray anymore...<br />
that's okay, because <em>He</em> hasn't.<br />
<br />
He's got strength enough for the both of you.<br />
lean on Him, today and remember,<br />
if you feel forsaken, forgotten and unseen<br />
the proof of His enduring and everlasting love is right there for all to see and remember...<br />
<br />
He watched His blameless, spotless, only begotten Son, die - <br />
so that <em><strong>we</strong></em> might live in eternity with Him...<br />
<br />
and He did that <br />
<em><strong> just</strong></em><br />
<em><strong> for</strong></em> <br />
<em> <strong> you...</strong></em><br />
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-36359007324400878392012-03-07T12:02:00.007-08:002012-07-22T13:02:06.465-07:00When God Doesn't Make Sense...by Tim Archer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtyVm-gXqhVmAThFg86gYwOu0BY7Bd1DF2i2ySKSEjXMCmrEQkul_Y7aUp6N9AMyrH8ek49GQwmxwQvYKNEYM_G03yLG5I-mGHZeA8lTWSMFznMLdwZwZaPTgPgRoJHxqmZuh7A/s1600/tumblr_ll2l0dwFYr1qckwzfo1_500.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717249468805600082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtyVm-gXqhVmAThFg86gYwOu0BY7Bd1DF2i2ySKSEjXMCmrEQkul_Y7aUp6N9AMyrH8ek49GQwmxwQvYKNEYM_G03yLG5I-mGHZeA8lTWSMFznMLdwZwZaPTgPgRoJHxqmZuh7A/s320/tumblr_ll2l0dwFYr1qckwzfo1_500.jpg" style="height: 239px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Naaman was an important man. <br />
He was head of the army of one of the major world powers. <br />
The Bible tells us that God had used him to win great victories for his king, <br />
the king of Syria.<br />
<br />Naaman was brave. <br />
Naaman was influential. <br />
Naaman was very, very sick.<br />
<br />He had what the Bible calls leprosy. <br />
This can mean any of a number of<br />
skin conditions, not just Hansen's disease <br />
(the scientific name for modern leprosy).<br />
<br />Leprosy was taken very seriously. <br />
It was thought to be extremely contagious. <br />
Because of this, people with leprosy lived isolated lives,<br />
cut off from the rest of society. <br />
For a public figure, this was especially tragic.<br />
<br />Then someone told Naaman that there was a prophet named Elisha <br />
who could cure him of his illness. <br />
Naaman traveled to the land of Israel to find this prophet and seek to be healed.<br />
<br />When Naaman arrived at Elisha's house, the prophet didn't come out to<br />
greet his visitor. <br />
Instead, he sent a servant to inform Naaman that he<br />
was to submerge himself seven times in the Jordan River in order to be<br />
healed.<br />
<br />Naaman was outraged! <br />
Not only had the prophet not received him personally, <br />
but the holy man had the gall to suggest that Naaman dirty<br />
himself in the filthy waters of Israel. <br />
If Naaman needed a bath, he could use one of Syria's mighty rivers.<br />
<br />Servants convinced the military man that he had nothing to lose by<br />
trying what the prophet had told him. <br />
Naaman swallowed his pride and went to the Jordan. <br />
He went down one time, two times, three times...<br />
and when he came up the seventh time, his skin was clear. <br />
He was healed! <br />
(You can read the whole story in the fifth chapter of 2 Kings)<br />
<br />I'm like Naaman at times. <br />
God wants me to do what? <br />
He wants me to go where? <br />
That doesn't even make sense!<br />
<br />God's instructions don't always make sense. <br />
Love my enemies? <br />
Don't worry about tomorrow? <br />
Eat bread and drink wine to remember His Son?<br />
Submerge myself in water in order to be cleansed?<br />
<br />At some point, we have to decide who is going to rule our lives. <br />
Will it be God? <br />
Or will it be common sense? <br />
Will God tell me what's right and wrong? <br />
Or will logic be my guide?<br />
<br />Am I willing to have faith that God is good enough, wise enough and<br />
powerful enough to do what's best for me?<br />
<br />Today I want to encourage you to trust God, to build your life around<br />
Him, even when you can't understand every detail of what is going on.<br />
<br />
Follow God, even when He doesn't make sense.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><strong>(Original post found at </strong></span><a href="http://www.heartlight.org/"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><strong>www.heartlight.org</strong></span></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"><strong>)</strong></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9259960.post-38562697466373143512012-01-19T06:07:00.000-08:002012-01-19T06:21:09.904-08:00When you love someone...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When you love someone you'll do anything<br />You'll do all the crazy things that you can't explain<br />You'll shoot the moon, put out the sun<br />When you love someone...<br /><br />You'll deny the truth, believe a lie<br />There'll be times that you'll believe<br />That you can really fly<br />But your lonely nights have just begun<br />When you love someone...<br /><br />When you love someone you'll feel it deep inside<br />And nothin' else can ever change your mind<br />When you want someone, when you need someone<br />When you love someone...<br /><br />When you love someone, you'll sacrifice<br />You'd give it everything you got and<br />You won't think twice<br />You'd risk it all, no matter what may come<br />When you love someone<br /><br />You'll shoot the moon, put out the sun<br />When you love someone...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:78%;"><strong>*originally recorded by bryan adams for the motion picture ~ "Hope Floats"*</strong></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com