Sunday, July 17, 2011
CONFLICT...
There’s a difference between conflict and arguing. Even though it’s difficult for most of us, conflict can also lead to growth: you want something, I want something different, what skills can we both use to resolve this? Arguing, on the other hand, is usually about winning.
RUNAWAY BRIDE...
We say that we believe
Yet struggle in our doubt
We declare that we are free
Yet live as though we’re bound
We say that You are good
Yet blame You in our pain
We claim to be victorious
While stumbling in defeat
We say Your joy is our strength
Yet battle with depression
We call ourselves Your followers
While adhering to the whims of culture
We say that You’re the Comforter
Yet find ourselves beyond consolation
We consider ourselves Your army
Despite our inability to deploy the weapons You gave us
We say that we love You
Though our passions are invested in temporal things
We claim that You are with us
Yet struggle with feelings of abandonment
We say that You are truth
Yet also believe that truth is relative
We call ourselves Your Bride
Yet prostitute our souls in the marketplace
You said that people would know us by our love for each other
And by the fruit of our lives
And sadly
That is exactly how they know us
ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD .....
Trials come to everyone, Christians and non-believers alike. The difference is this: In all things, God will weave it together for your highest good--so that life is not a series of experiences with no meaning, but God will have a plan and a purpose for them. And isn't that what we all really want?
Saturday, July 16, 2011
THE POWER OF LOVE...
What a Great STORY....
'How do you account for your remarkable accomplishment in life?' Queen Victoria of England asked Helen Keller. 'How do you explain the fact that even though you were both blind and deaf, ...you were able to accomplish so much?'
Ms. Keller's answer is a tribute to her dedicated teacher. 'If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown.'
Speaker Zig Ziglar tells about 'Little Annie' Sullivan, as she was called when she was young. Little Annie was no stranger to hardship. She was almost sightless herself (due to a childhood fever) and was, at one time, diagnosed as hopelessly "insane" by her caregivers. She was locked in the basement of a mental institution outside of Boston. On occasion, Little Annie would violently attack anyone who came near. Most of the time she generally ignored everyone in her presence.
An elderly nurse believed there was hope, however, and she made it her mission to show love to the child. Every day she visited Little Annie. For the most part, the child did not acknowledge the nurse's presence, but she still continued to visit. The kindly woman left cookies for her and spoke words of love and encouragement. She believed Little Annie could recover, if only she were shown love.
Eventually, doctors noticed a change in the girl. Where they once witnessed anger and hostility, they now noted an emerging gentleness and love. They moved her upstairs where she continued to improve. Then the day finally came when this seemingly 'hopeless' child was released.
Anne Sullivan grew into a young woman with a desire to help others as she, herself, was helped by the loving nurse. It was she who saw the great potential in Helen Keller. She loved her, disciplined her, played with her, pushed her, and worked with her until the flickering candle that was her life became a beacon of light to the world. Anne Sullivan worked wonders in Helen's life, but it was a loving nurse who first believed in Little Annie and lovingly transformed an uncommunicative child into a compassionate teacher.
'If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown.' But if it had not been for a kind and dedicated nurse, the name of Anne Sullivan would have remained unknown. And so it goes. Just how far back does the chain of redemption extend? And how far forward will it lead?
Those you have sought to reach, whether they be in your family or elsewhere, are part of a chain of love that can extend through the generations. Your influence on their lives, whether or not you see results, is immeasurable. Your legacy of dedicated kindness and caring can transform lost and hopeless lives for years to come.
You can never overestimate the power of your love. It is a fire that, once lit, may burn forever.
Written by Steve Goodier
'How do you account for your remarkable accomplishment in life?' Queen Victoria of England asked Helen Keller. 'How do you explain the fact that even though you were both blind and deaf, ...you were able to accomplish so much?'
Ms. Keller's answer is a tribute to her dedicated teacher. 'If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown.'
Speaker Zig Ziglar tells about 'Little Annie' Sullivan, as she was called when she was young. Little Annie was no stranger to hardship. She was almost sightless herself (due to a childhood fever) and was, at one time, diagnosed as hopelessly "insane" by her caregivers. She was locked in the basement of a mental institution outside of Boston. On occasion, Little Annie would violently attack anyone who came near. Most of the time she generally ignored everyone in her presence.
An elderly nurse believed there was hope, however, and she made it her mission to show love to the child. Every day she visited Little Annie. For the most part, the child did not acknowledge the nurse's presence, but she still continued to visit. The kindly woman left cookies for her and spoke words of love and encouragement. She believed Little Annie could recover, if only she were shown love.
Eventually, doctors noticed a change in the girl. Where they once witnessed anger and hostility, they now noted an emerging gentleness and love. They moved her upstairs where she continued to improve. Then the day finally came when this seemingly 'hopeless' child was released.
Anne Sullivan grew into a young woman with a desire to help others as she, herself, was helped by the loving nurse. It was she who saw the great potential in Helen Keller. She loved her, disciplined her, played with her, pushed her, and worked with her until the flickering candle that was her life became a beacon of light to the world. Anne Sullivan worked wonders in Helen's life, but it was a loving nurse who first believed in Little Annie and lovingly transformed an uncommunicative child into a compassionate teacher.
'If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown.' But if it had not been for a kind and dedicated nurse, the name of Anne Sullivan would have remained unknown. And so it goes. Just how far back does the chain of redemption extend? And how far forward will it lead?
Those you have sought to reach, whether they be in your family or elsewhere, are part of a chain of love that can extend through the generations. Your influence on their lives, whether or not you see results, is immeasurable. Your legacy of dedicated kindness and caring can transform lost and hopeless lives for years to come.
You can never overestimate the power of your love. It is a fire that, once lit, may burn forever.
Written by Steve Goodier
Sunday, July 10, 2011
BUILD....ADD ANOTHER BRICK!
One way to grow in your walk with God is to never allow the things you've learned in the Word of God to get away from you. When you are introduced to more truth from the Bible, take it and add it to what you're now walking in. What you already know is a foundation on which to build. Therefore, don't throw away or forget the old. New truth does not negate the old. It is but another brick to add to the strong foundation of your spiritual house.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
BUILDING LOVE
Love is not about finding the right person, but creating a right relationship. It's not about how much love you have in the beginning but how much love you build till the end. ♥
By Melissa Prinn
By Melissa Prinn
Thursday, July 07, 2011
MORE THAN CONQUERORS...
There is…
For every hectic work day there is a quiet rest…
For every painful experience there is a healing touch…
For every negative feeling there is an abiding joy…
For every disappointment there is a certain hope…
For every turbulent storm there is a sure foundation…
For every doubting thought there is a calm assurance…
For every hurtful action there is a forgiving love.
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37
For every hectic work day there is a quiet rest…
For every painful experience there is a healing touch…
For every negative feeling there is an abiding joy…
For every disappointment there is a certain hope…
For every turbulent storm there is a sure foundation…
For every doubting thought there is a calm assurance…
For every hurtful action there is a forgiving love.
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Sunday, July 03, 2011
JUDAS....THE MAN WHO NEVER KNEW....
I’ve wondered at times what kind of man this Judas was. What he looked like, how he acted, who his friends were.
I guess I’ve stereotyped him. I’ve always pictured him as a wiry, beady-eyed, sly, wormy fellow, pointed beard and all. I’ve pictured him as estranged from the other apostles.
Friendless. Distant. Undoubtedly he was a traitor and a quisling. Probably the result of a broken home. A juvenile delinquent in his youth.
Yet I wonder if that is so true. We have no evidence (save Judas’s silence) that would suggest that he was isolated. At the Last Supper, when Jesus said that his betrayer sat at the table, we don’t find the apostles immediately turning to Judas as the logical traitor.
No, I think we’ve got Judas pegged wrong. Perhaps he was just the opposite. Instead of sly and wiry, maybe he was robust and jovial. Rather than quiet and introverted, he could have been outgoing and well-meaning. I don’t know.
But for all the things we don’t know about Judas, there is one thing we know for sure: He had no relationship with the Master. He had seen Jesus, but he did not know him. He had heard Jesus, but he did not understand him. He had a religion but no relationship.
As Satan worked his way around the table in the upper room, he needed a special kind of man to betray our Lord. He needed a man who had seen Jesus but who did not know him. He needed a man who knew the actions of Jesus but had missed out on the mission of Jesus. Judas was this man. He knew the empire but had never known the Man.
Judas bore the cloak of religion, but he never knew the heart of Christ.
We learn this timeless lesson from the betrayer. Satan’s best tools of destruction are not from outside the church; they are within the church. A church will never die from the immorality in Hollywood or the corruption in Washington. But it will die from corrosion within—from those who bear the name of Jesus but have never met him and from those who have religion but no relationship.
Judas bore the cloak of religion, but he never knew the heart of Christ. Let’s make it our goal to know … deeply.
I guess I’ve stereotyped him. I’ve always pictured him as a wiry, beady-eyed, sly, wormy fellow, pointed beard and all. I’ve pictured him as estranged from the other apostles.
Friendless. Distant. Undoubtedly he was a traitor and a quisling. Probably the result of a broken home. A juvenile delinquent in his youth.
Yet I wonder if that is so true. We have no evidence (save Judas’s silence) that would suggest that he was isolated. At the Last Supper, when Jesus said that his betrayer sat at the table, we don’t find the apostles immediately turning to Judas as the logical traitor.
No, I think we’ve got Judas pegged wrong. Perhaps he was just the opposite. Instead of sly and wiry, maybe he was robust and jovial. Rather than quiet and introverted, he could have been outgoing and well-meaning. I don’t know.
But for all the things we don’t know about Judas, there is one thing we know for sure: He had no relationship with the Master. He had seen Jesus, but he did not know him. He had heard Jesus, but he did not understand him. He had a religion but no relationship.
As Satan worked his way around the table in the upper room, he needed a special kind of man to betray our Lord. He needed a man who had seen Jesus but who did not know him. He needed a man who knew the actions of Jesus but had missed out on the mission of Jesus. Judas was this man. He knew the empire but had never known the Man.
Judas bore the cloak of religion, but he never knew the heart of Christ.
We learn this timeless lesson from the betrayer. Satan’s best tools of destruction are not from outside the church; they are within the church. A church will never die from the immorality in Hollywood or the corruption in Washington. But it will die from corrosion within—from those who bear the name of Jesus but have never met him and from those who have religion but no relationship.
Judas bore the cloak of religion, but he never knew the heart of Christ. Let’s make it our goal to know … deeply.
SINCE.....
Since Jesus is the way, shouldn’t He be followed?
Since Jesus is the truth, shouldn’t He be believed?
Since Jesus is the life, shouldn’t He be enjoyed?
Since Jesus is wise, shouldn’t He be consulted?
Since Jesus is God, shouldn’t He be worshiped?
Since Jesus is King, shouldn’t He be obeyed?
Since Jesus is Lord, shouldn’t He have the final say?
When He gets the final say He always works it out for our Good !
My God! : )))
Since Jesus is the truth, shouldn’t He be believed?
Since Jesus is the life, shouldn’t He be enjoyed?
Since Jesus is wise, shouldn’t He be consulted?
Since Jesus is God, shouldn’t He be worshiped?
Since Jesus is King, shouldn’t He be obeyed?
Since Jesus is Lord, shouldn’t He have the final say?
When He gets the final say He always works it out for our Good !
My God! : )))
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