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preacher31 TAKE A LITTLE TIME AND PRAY - Subscribe

Scripture:

Luke 6:12 (New King James Version)

The Twelve Apostles

12 Now it came to pass in those days
that He went out to the mountain to pray,
and continued all night in prayer to God.

Reflection:

When you have a decision to make how do you approach
making that decision. Do you seek other people's advice, do
you research a lot, do you spend days seeking advice
from experts, maybe you even look at self-help gurus.
Then as an after thought you spend five minutes with
God.
But before Jesus chose His twelve apostles, He spent
the night in conversation with His father. I mean we are
talking about the Son of God and He didn't think it was a
waste of His time and spent the whole night in prayer.
What about you? Do you pray when you have a
decision to make. Do you pray when you are looking
for a job, when you hire or fire someone. When you
change jobs, careers, or locations, do you seek your
father's counsel. Do you have other important decisions
that would benefit from godly wisdom? (are there any
other kind of decisions?)
ARE YOU WILLING TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN
PRAYER!

Prayer:

Oh Lord I want to walk as one of your blessed children.
"Order my steps in thy word"
What is Your Word concerning my life and the decisions
I must make? Oh Lord give me a greater hunger to spend
time with You, to hear Your Word of life, Your Wisdom,
Your Counsel,

preacher31 HIS MIRACLES TO PERFORM 10/15/2009 05:20 - Subscribe

OUR LORD WORKS IN WONDEROUS
WAYS, HIS MIRACLES TO PERFORM!!!

A preacher concluded that his church
was getting into very serious financial
troubles. While checking the church
storeroom, he discovered several cartons
of new Bibles that had never been opened
and distributed. So at his Sunday sermon,
he asked for three volunteers from the
congregation who would be willing to sell
the Bibles door-to-door for $10 each to
raise the desperately needed money for
the church. Jack, Paul and Louie all
raised their hands to volunteer for the task.

The minister knew that Jack and Paul
earned their living as salesmen and were
likely capable of selling some Bibles. But
he had serious doubts about Louie who
was a local farmer, who had always kept
to himself because he was embarrassed
by his speech impediment. Poor Louis
stuttered badly. But, not wanting to
discourage Louis, the minister decided
to let him try anyway.

He sent the three of them away with the
back seat of their cars stacked with Bibles.
He asked them to meet with him and report
the results of their door-to-door selling
efforts the following Sunday.

Anxious to find out how successful they
were, the minister immediately asked Jack,
'Well, Jack, how did you make out selling
our Bibles last week?'

Proudly handing the minister an envelope,
Jack replied, 'Using my sales prowess, I
was able to sell 20 Bibles, and here's the
$200 I collected on behalf of the church.'

'Fine job, Jack!' The minister said, vigorously
shaking his hand. 'You are indeed a fine
salesman and the Church is indebted to you.'

Turning to Paul, 'And Paul, how many
Bibles did you sell for the church last week?'
Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest,
confidently replied, 'I am a professional
salesman. I sold 28 bibles on behalf of the
church, and here's $280 I collected.'

The minister responded, 'That's absolutely
splendid, Paul. You are truly a professional
salesman and the church is indebted to you.'

Apprehensively, the minister turned to
Louie and said, 'And Louie, did you manage
to sell any Bibles last week?'

Louie silently offered the minister a large
envelope.

The minister opened it and counted the contents.
'What is this?' the minister exclaimed. 'Louie,
there's $3200 in here! Are you suggesting that
you sold 320 Bibles for the church, door to door, i
n just one week?'

Louie just nodded.

'That's impossible!' both Jack and Paul said
in unison. 'We are professional salesmen, yet
you claim to have sold 10 times as many Bibles
as we could.'

'Yes, this does seem unlikely,' the minister agreed.
'I think you'd better explain how you managed to
accomplish this, Louie.'

Louie shrugged. 'I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don't
kn-kn-know f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure,' he stammered.

Impatiently, Peter interrupted. 'For crying out
loud, Louie, just tell us what you said to them
when they answered the door!'

'A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was,' Louis replied,
'W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy
th-th-th-this b-b-b-b-bible f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks
---o-o-o-or--- wo-wo-would yo-you j-j-j-just l-like m-m-me
t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here and r-r-r-r-r-read it t-t-to y-y-you??'

preacher31 SHOW MERCY! 10/12/2009 06:15 - Subscribe

Scripture:

But you, dear friends, must continue to build your
lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And
continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy
Spirit. Live in such a way that God's love can bless
you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord
Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you.
Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.
Rescue others by snatching them from the
flames of judgment. There are still others to
whom you need to show mercy, but be careful
that you aren't contaminated by their sins.
Titus 1:20:23 NLT

<…the Lord has already told you what is good,
and this is what he requires: to do what is right,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8 NLT

Reflection:

During my years in the Christian Ministry,
I of course had contact with a wide variety of
Christians. I delighted in my discovery of
the many positive things we shared as
followers of Jesus Christ.There were also negative
characteristics that we as Christians seemed
to share. One of those characteristics was
we as Christians,"often times shoot our own
wounded". We often times become impatient
and judgmental with our brothers, and sisters,
and reject them. Especially when they struggle
with sin and doubt. Instead of rejecting them,
Jude says, we should have mercy on them�"
just as Christ had mercy on us when he forgave
our many sins. While we must not tolerate or
accept sin, we are to love and accept others
with kindness and mercy.

Would you remember this one very important
thing. Please remember this:
If you know someone who has fallen away from
God, your kindness may be just what is needed
to lead them back to God.

evie Honesty Like I'm Leaving 10/10/2009 11:32 - Subscribe

Things can never be the same.
He can never make me feel the same as he had before.
My feelings were based on lies he told.
Simple words such as "I love you" escalated into delusions.
I made my plans around him.
I sacrificed so much to make it work.
He had little interest in me.
I believed there was so much more.
I believed I was the only special one.
How could I believe differently when he never told me differently.
He left me believing I was special.
Touching me shortly after expressing love for another.
I should accept that I have him now.
Instead I dwell on the past.
The past has made the present meaningless.
I will never know my value.

0 Comments
Mood: troubled

preacher31 I HAVE A CONFESSION 10/09/2009 05:20 - Subscribe

I am a recovering alcoholic. I have been
recovering since 1978. I was one of those
happy drunks, this of course only fortified
my conviction to drink. If I was happy, if
I made everyone happy, it was ok to drink.
Of course I was never taking into account
that drinking was taking over my life. I
could do nothing, I could not even function
normally without being drunk. Everybody
loves a happy drunk, but I didn't love myself.
Only when I turned my life over to Jesus, my
supreme being, did I begin to recover. I received
no help, no encouragement, no assistance
at all from the church, only the head of the
church Jesus Christ.
We as a nation spend over 500 billion dollars,
that's right 500 billion dollars on addiction.
The emergency rooms of our hospitals, the
morgue's of our cities, are filled with the
bodies of drunk drivers, and overdose
victims. Close to 25% of all Medicare,
and Medicaid expenses come from
substance abuse.
We are in a war and we are loosing the
battles. Among all of this, Where is the
church? If, as a church, we want to see
God at work in our communities, I think we
need to examine and help these lives that are
being lost to self-destruction.
It is fine for a church to hold pot luck dinners,
present Christmas Pagaents, and have Wednesday
night prayer services. What is not fine, is for a
church, the body of Christ, to be apathetic and
unconcerned about the individual lives of our
community.
If, we as a church, are to serve God, then we are
to serve His people.
We need to see and help those lives that are being
disturbed by the epidemic of addiction. The bottom
line has been reached and our cities and towns are
spinning wildly into self-destruction. It's time to stop
building walls around our individual lives. We must
respond to the call as a faith community. We must
respond as a "church" of God. It's time to launch
"recovery ministries" in our churches. It's time to
open all aspects of our church life to addicts who are
seeking recovery. It's time to make a difference, one
day at
a time, one life at a time, in a whole society
that is caught in the "down fall" of addiction,.
WE NEED TO GET INVOLVED NOW! If we are
are truly the body of Christ, then we are to be
INVOLVED NOW! THERE IS SOMEONE IN
NEED.......DO SOMETHING!

"Help me to perform whatever miracles you want of me today."

Prayer to Overcome Addictions

Dear God,
I come to You as I come to no one else.
I am so sorry. I have tried to throw away my life, my body, my soul�"through addiction.
But recognition of my addiction has never given me power to control it.
You know this. You never blame me. You know the truth.
Addiction is an attractor field in which minds and bodies become mired to escape emotional pain.
But there is another, better way to escape pain.
Pain is transcended through an authentic calling from You.
Therefore, I surrender myself, now, to You.
I demand, now, in this moment, Father, that You call me�"that You call me loudly.
You raise me up out of addiction and into a higher level attractor field.
And as You raise me, so do You raise Humanity out of addiction and into a higher level attractor field.
Together we rise, as one force in You, one at a time and together.
Because the world needs us. We rise or we fall, together.
For You need me. I am Your Thoughts, Your Voice, Your Hands.
I rejoice in awe over my inherent holiness: I am where You reside.
By Your grace, as I read this, my mind is aligned with Yours.
By Your grace, the power of my mind is multiplied exponentially by all who read this.
Aligned with You, we are more powerful than any evil�"
or any substance�"can ever be.
Together WE form a conduit of love that reaches into my need for addiction and I am healed.
By healing myself, I now heal Humanity's need for addiction.
Joy fills my soul. My gratitude is infinite.

Thank You.

preacher31 WHAT ABOUT MY THINGS 10/06/2009 07:03 - Subscribe

Scripture:

All the believers were united in heart
and mind. And they felt that what they
owned was not their own, so they
shared everything they had. The
apostles testified powerfully to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and
God's great blessing was upon them all.
Acts 4:32, NLT

Reflection:
.
What do "things", mean to you.
Are "things", important to you.
Is it important to own what you possess.
I think to most people ownership is very
important. But today's scripture
verse gives us a very different slant.
None of these Christians felt that what
they possessed was their own, and
so they were able to give and share,
actually eliminating poverty among
them. This is important, THEY WOULD
NOT LET A BROTHER OR SISTER SUFFER
WHEN OTHERS HAD PLENTY.
This question begs an answer, "How do
you feel about your possessions? It seems
to me that we, all of us, need to adopt a new
attitude given to us by the scriptures. That
attitude is THAT EVERYTHING, YES
EVERYTHING, WE HAVE COMES FROM
GOD, AND WE ARE ONLY SHARING WHAT
IS ALREADY HIS.
With that attitude I know what "things" are
in my life.

Prayer:

Oh God thank You for sharing with me Your
grace. And especially, Oh God, for sharing
Your Son with me. Oh Lord let it be that
the only "thing" I possess, is the power of
the Holy Spirit!

preacher31 SPECIAL GROCERY LIST 10/03/2009 02:42 - Subscribe

Scripture:

18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Luke 4:18-19 (New International Version)

(Please take time and read this,
and when your finished please,
please say a Prayer of Thanksgiving.)

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady
with a look of defeat on her face, walked
into a grocery store. She approached
the owner of the store in a most humble
manner and asked if he would let her
charge a few groceries.

She softly explained that her husband
was very ill and unable to work, they
had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at
her and requested that she leave his
store at once.

Visualizing the family needs, she said:
'Please, sir! I will bring you the money
just as soon as I can.'

John told her he could not give her
credit, since she did not have a charge
account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a
customer who overheard the conversation
between the two. The customer walked
forward and told the grocer that he would
stand good for whatever she needed for
her family. The grocer said in a very
reluctant voice, 'Do you have a grocery list?'

Louise replied, 'Yes sir.' 'O.K' he said,
'put your grocery list on the scales and
whatever your grocery list weighs, I will
give you that amount in groceries.'

Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed
head, then she reached into her purse
and took out a piece of paper and scribbled
something on it. She then laid the piece
of paper on the scale carefully with her
head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer
showed amazement when the scales went
down and stayed down.

The grocer, staring at the scales, turned
slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly,
'I can't believe it.'

The customer smiled and the grocer
started putting the groceries on the other
side of the scales. The scale did not
balance so he continued to put more and
more groceries on them until the scales
would hold no more.

The grocer stood there in utter disgust.
Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper
from the scales and looked at it with
greater amazement.

It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer,
which said:

'Dear Lord, you know my needs and
I am leaving this in your hands.'

The grocer gave her the groceries that
he had Gathered and stood in stunned
silence.

Louise thanked him and left the store.
The other customer handed a fifty-dollar
bill to the grocer and said; 'It was worth
every penny of it. 'ONLY GOD KNOWS
HOW MUCH A PRAYER WEIGHS'

THE POWER: When you read this,
say a prayer. That's all you have to do.

Just stop right now, and say a prayer
of thanks for your own good fortune. ..

So dear heart, trust God to heal the sick,
provide food for the hungry, clothes and
shelter for those that don't have as we do.

AMEN & AMEN

preacher31 HERE'S THE PLAN 9/28/2009 06:18 - Subscribe

Scripture:

8For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith�"and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God�"
9not by works, so that no one can
boast. 10For we are God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2: 8-9

Reflection:

The Plan of Salvation

Salvation= It is the ultimate reward you
receive for giving your life to Jesus Christ.

The Reward= Eternity spent with Christ
your Savior in heaven.

How do you get this Salvation= You
receive Salvation as a gift through grace,
God's love. You don't get this from anyone
else, or by doing good things. You get
salvation because of your faith, it is a gift
from God.

The cause of Salvation= Salvation causes
our center of focus to change from ourselves
to serving God, (good works).

This is God's Plan for you, you can accept
or reject it, the consequences are totally in
your hands. But please keep this in mind,
God Loves You and that's why this plan
is given to you.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,
I admit that I am a sinner. I have done many
things that don’t please you. I have lived my
life for myself. I am sorry and I repent. I ask
you to forgive me. I believe that you died on
the cross for me, to save me. You did what
I could not do for myself. I come to you now
and ask you to take control of my life, I give
it to you. Help me to live every day in a way
that pleases you. I love you, Lord, and I thank
you that I will spend all eternity with you.
In Jesus Name Amen

evie Babybook 9/24/2009 05:57 - Subscribe

Facebook is a social networking site. It is intended for people who want to stay in contact with their old friends and stalk them accordingly.

Why in the hell would anyone create a facebook account for their child?

I understand if you want your friends to see pictures of your kid. I have no objection to that. Just put in on your own facebook. Create albums for your kid. Make your status about your kid. Hell, put your kid's face as your profile picture if it's so damn imporant.

I wouldn't want my mother creating an account for me. I wouldn't even want my mom to get facebook and add me as a friend, let alone create an account for me, add all of her friends and proceed to put embarassing baby photos all over the goddamn internet.

Why do we use facebook?

It's an easy way of sorting out your address book and contacting people without picking up the phone or sending an awkward email.

Why would a newborn baby need facebook?

So they can immediately be friends with all his/her parent's friends before they can even talk.

It seems like exploitation to me. Putting up pictures of your baby so your friends can see is one thing. Adding all your friends to your child's account is another.

What happens ten years from now when your child actually uses facebook for its intended purpose and decides that he/she no longer wants to be friends with all your old drinking buddies?

Ouch.

This is retarded. Don't create an account for your child and insist that all your friends befriend him or her. It's just stupid. Do it the old fashioned way and make a damn scrapbook.

preacher31 WHERE'S THE PASSION 9/23/2009 02:49 - Subscribe

Bruce Larson, in The One and Only You,
illustrates the ease with which we can lose
that passion in marriage. He uses the common cold
and a married couple as his principal point-makers.

THE FIRST YEAR:
the husband says, "Sugar, I'm worried about
my baby girl. You've got a bad sniffle. I want
to put you in the hospital for a complete
checkup. I know the food is lousy, but I've
arranged for your meals to be sent up from
Rossinis. It's all arranged."

THE SECOND YEAR:
"Listen, honey, I don't like the sound of that
cough. I've called Dr. Miller and He's going to
rush right over. Now will you go to bed like
a good girl just for me, please?"

THE THIRD YEAR:
"Maybe you'd better lie down, honey
Nothing like a little rest if you're
feeling bad. I'll bring you something to
eat. Have we got any soup in the house?"

THE FOURTH YEAR:
"Look, dear. Be sensible. After you've
fed the kids and washed the dishes you'd
better hit the sack."

THE FIFTH YEAR:
"Why don't you take a couple of aspirin?"

THE SIXTH YEAR
"If you'd just gargle or something instead
of sitting around barking like a seal."

THE SEVENTH YEAR:
"For heavens sake, stop sneezing. What
are you trying to do, give me pneumonia?"

"MARRIAGES ARE NOT RUINED BY A BLOW
OUT, BUT BY A SLOW LEAK."

Reflection:

I know a pastor who does the following when he
marries a couple. First he has the bride and groom
face each other and places 3 braided ropes around
the shoulders of the couple one rope at a time.
After the first rope he says: This represents
the bonding of (woman's name) with (man's name).
After that he places the second rope around their
shoulders and says: This represents the
bonding of (man's name) with (woman's name).
After that he places the third rope around their
shoulders and says: This represents the
bonding of GOD, (the woman's name), and
the (the man's name), in the union of Holy
Marriage, God IS love.

ALL OF YOU PLEASE PUT GOD IN YOUR
MARRIAGE AND BOND TOGETHER! NO
MORE SLOW LEAKS!

preacher31 SHOWING OUR TRUE COLORS 9/19/2009 01:55 - Subscribe

In Thailand, the people greatly love
and admire King Bhumibol (Rama IX),
who has led them for over 60 years.
To display their respect for the king,
the Thai people wear bright yellow
shirts every Monday, because yellow
is the official color of the king.

As we seek to live for our King, the
Lord Jesus Christ, we should also
show our colors of allegiance and
appreciation for all He has done for
us. But how? What are the “colors”
that declare to the world that we
serve the King of kings and Lord
of lords? The night before His
crucifixion, King Jesus told us what
our “colors” should be when He said,
"BY THIS ALL WILL KNOW THAT YOU
ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU HAVE
LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER".
(John 13:35). (Bill Crowder; August 26, 200

end-of knowing. 9/16/2009 08:55 - Subscribe

so
small

in the face
of your
past and pain

so helpless
I'd give you
my life

to live again

things I saw
in your eyes
never needed
explained

without
knowing you
I know who
you are

I can't give you a miracle.
I can't keep you alive.
I will not forget this.

You'll stay with me for a long time.

0 Comments
Mood: so sad.

preacher31 HOW DILIGENTLY DO YOU DO YOUR WORK 9/15/2009 06:39 - Subscribe

Scripture:

Never be lazy in your work, but serve
the Lord enthusiastically.
Romans 12:11 NLT

Reflection:

Personal responsibility comes home

The USS Astoria was the first U.S.
cruiser to engage the Japanese during
the Battle of Savo Island, a night action
fought 8-9, August 1942.

About 0200 hours Signalman 3rd Class
Elgin Staples was swept overboard by
the blast when the number one 8-inch
gun turret exploded. He was kept afloat
by a narrow life belt that he managed to
activate.

At around 0600 hours, Staples was
rescued by a passing destroyer and
returned to the Astoria, whose captain
was attempting to save the cruiser by
beaching her. The effort failed, and Staples,
still wearing the same life belt, found
himself back in the water. Picked up
again, he was one of 500 survivors.

On board a transport, he closely examined
the life belt that had served him so well. It
had been manufactured by the Firestone
Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio,
and bore a registration number.

Given home leave, Staples asked his mother,
who worked for Firestone, about the purpose
of the number on the belt. She replied that the
company insisted on personal responsibility
for the war effort, and that the number was
unique and assigned to only one inspector.
Staples remembered everything about the life
belt, and quoted the number. It was his
mother's personal code and affixed to every
item she was responsible for approving.

Commander Eric J. Berryman, quoted by R.
Kent Hughes in 1001 Great Stories and Quotes
(Tyndale House) p 234-35

preacher31 PUTTING THE DEVIL ON THE RUN! 9/13/2009 08:21 - Subscribe

Scripture:

"God opposes the proud, but gives grace
to the humble." James 4:6

Reflection:

I had a friend who had a favorite Bible
quote, he used to quote it to me all the
time. "Resist the devil and he will flee
from you". James 4:7. Everytime I
turned around there was my friend with
that quote. The problem with him quoting
that verse was that he would forget the
first part of the verse. "THEREFORE
SUBMIT TO GOD, resist the devil and
he will flee from you". You see simply
resisting satan is not enough, simply
resisting evil will not make it flee. If
you want to put the devil on the run,
if you want to get rid of evil, SUBMIT
TO GOD, and resist the temptation of
pride. James also wrote, "Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and
He shall lift you up." James 4:10
You see we all have a choice to make,
God allow us to fall flat on our face,
so that we become humble and
submitted, or we can humble ourselves.
I don't know about you but guess what?
I pick the later.
When I was an active preacher I found
myself falling into to a false and very
deceptive sense of pride. After, what
I perceived a great sermon, I found my-
self feeling,"look at me, I'm
sacrificing for the Lord". Believe me
my outward appearance and attitude
reflected my feeling. But I soon discovered
that when I humble myself in places no-
body sees, there is less temptation of
pride. Public humility may bring the
praise of men and woman, but private
humility will bring the public grace and
favor of God. AND THE GRACE OF GOD
PUTS THE DEVIL ON THE RUN!

Prayer:

Oh God, awesome in power and might. I
submit to You, to Your authority, to Your
Lordship, to Your power. There is no God
besides You, I chose humility. Forgive me
for pride and arrogance.

preacher31 SOMEBODY CARES! 9/12/2009 05:02 - Subscribe

(Note: The other day a good friend emailed
the following to me. Whenever things get
rough for you, please remember this letter)

It is not known who replied, but there is a
beautiful soul working in the dead letter office
of the US postal service.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month.
The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter
Meredith was crying and talking about how
much she missed Abbey.. She asked if
we could write a letter to God so that
when Abbey got to heaven, God would
recognize her. I told her that I thought
we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She
died yesterday and is with you in heaven.
I miss her very much. I am happy that you
let me have her as my dog even though
she got sick.
I hope you will play with her.. She likes to
play with balls and to swim. I am sending
a picture of her so when you see her You
will know that she is my dog. I really miss
her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a
picture of Abbey and Meredith and
addressed it to God/Heaven. We put
our return address on it. Then Meredith
pasted several stamps on the front of the
envelope because she said it would take
lots of stamps to get the letter all the
way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped
it into the letter box at the post office. A few
days later, she asked if God had gotten
the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped
in gold paper on our front porch addressed, '
To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith
opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers
called, 'When a Pet Dies...' Taped to the
inside front cover was the letter we had
written to God in its opened envelope.
On the opposite page was the picture
of Abbey &Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help.
I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit
is here with me just like it stays in your
heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since
we don't need our bodies in heaven, I
don't have any pockets to keep your
picture in, so I am sending it back to
you in this little book for you to keep
and have something to remember
Abbey by..
Thank you for the beautiful letter and
thank your mother for helping you write
it and sending it to me. What a wonderful
mother you have. I picked her especially
for you.
I send my blessings every day and
remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am
wherever there is love.

Love,
God

AND THEY ALL SAID AMEN!

end-of what i see: 9/09/2009 10:16 - Subscribe

what i see in you
i see in myself
and it's dark
like a room
where you're not listening
to the lights
telling you where to go
and what not to bang into

what i see in you
i see in myself
and i smash the mirror
because i can't face it
not in myself
and not in you

what i see in you
i see in myself
and want to hurt you
because you're
supposed to be wiser
than i am
so where are you leading me?

what i see in you
i see in myself
the reversal hurts
i can't look at you
disgusted by it
guilty of it

what i see in you
i don't see in myself
nor in my future
i'll learn from you
i won't let this become me.

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Mood: furious.

preacher31 HOW YOU CAN MAKE A FRESH START #13, #14 9/09/2009 01:04 - Subscribe

How You Can Make a Fresh Start
Whitney Hopler

(The last two Reflections in the series)

Do you feel stuck? Maybe you don't
like the way your life has been going
lately, but can't seem to change it.

No matter how stuck you may have
become, you can move forward with
God's help.

#13. Share your story with others. Let people
who don't yet have relationships with Jesus
know about how God has given you a fresh
start in life. Talk with people on common
ground (wherever you all are regularly together,
such as at work, school, or your favorite restaurant).
Accept people as God's creations, even when
you don't agree with their lifestyles or approve
of their choices. Avoid being preachy, pushy,
or phony with them.
Simply share the story of what you life was like
before Jesus and what it has been like since
Jesus changed your life. Then naturally shift
the conversation to them, asking about something
simple like: "What about you? Have you ever had
any interest in God?". As you're faithful in caring
for people, you can expect God to do the rest of
the work to draw them into relationships with Him.
Celebrate how God uses your own fresh start to
inspire other people to pursue fresh starts in their
own lives.

#14. Keep going strong. Stay closely
connected to God so you can live with
passion each day and depend on God's
power to help you live out the right values.
Your fresh start can keep propelling your
life in the right direction.

{Adapted from Fresh Start: God's Invitation to
a Great Life copyright 2009 by Doug Fields.
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.

Article publication date: August 20, 2009

preacher31 HOW YOU CAN MAKE A FRESH START #11, #12 9/08/2009 02:30 - Subscribe

How You Can Make a Fresh Start
Whitney Hopler

Do you feel stuck? Maybe you don't
like the way your life has been going
lately, but can't seem to change it.

No matter how stuck you may have
become, you can move forward with
God's help. Here's how you can make
a fresh start to change your life for the better:

#11. Redeem rejection. Memories of past
rejections can leave you stuck without the
will to take new risks and try to pursue God's
best for your life. But while people in our
fallen world will inevitably let you down, God
will always be there for you when you need
Him. You can have complete confidence that
God loves you unconditionally and will help
you move forward with your life to fulfill good
purposes. Choose to live to please God,
not other people.
Ask God to help you see the potential that
He sees in your life. Pray to have compassion
on the people who reject you, realizing that
they're hurting people in need of God's grace,
just like you. Let your experiences of rejection
make you a more compassionate person toward
other people. Invite God to pour out His love
through your life to help heal the pain that others
feel and draw them to Him.

#12. Attack anger. If you're stuck in anger,
God will give you the peace you need to
overcome it. Delay responding immediately
to people and situations that make you angry.
Step back to ask yourself, "Why am I really
angry?" Realize that anger is a secondary
emotion; try to identify what the primary emotion
is that's causing your anger (frustration,
disappointment, annoyance, fear, etc.).
Defuse your anger by choosing to respond
in a peaceful way, despite your feelings
(such as deleting an offensive e-mail without
reading it or making a joke about a hurtful
comment someone makes). After you've
had enough time to calm down, you can
confront the people who make you angry
through calm conversations that let them
know how they made you feel. Pray for
the wisdom and power you need to choose
peace over anger.

{Adapted from Fresh Start: God's Invitation to
a Great Life copyright 2009 by Doug Fields.
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.

Article publication date: August 20, 2009

preacher31 HOW YOU CAN MAKE A FRESH START #9, #10 9/07/2009 10:00 - Subscribe

How You Can Make a Fresh Start
Whitney Hopler

Do you feel stuck? Maybe you don't
like the way your life has been going
lately, but can't seem to change it.
No matter how stuck you may have
become, you can move forward with
God's help. Here's how you can make
a fresh start to change your life for the better:

#9. Overcome discouragement. If you're
stuck in discouragement, don't despair because
God always offers you real hope. Discouragement
can teach you about your unfulfilled expectations,
and it can also reveal areas of your life that
you need to change with God's help. So pray
about the source of your discouragement and
shift your focus from yourself to God. Ask
God to give you an eternal perspective on
your life so you can pay attention to what
matters most and let the rest go. Schedule
leisure time into your schedule regularly so
you don't get burned out, which can lead to
discouragement. Make a habit of consistently
encouraging the people around you.

#10. Find true friendships. Loneliness
can make you feel stuck without hope
of finding others who will truly care about
you and share life's joys and sorrows with
you. But God will give you the courage
you need to reach out to people and form
true friendships. Realize that you and a
few close friends can be better together
than you can be apart, because you can
grow through your friendships into the
people God wants you all to become.
Ask God to give you abundant opportunities
to connect with people and cultivate close
friendships with them.

{Adapted from Fresh Start: God's Invitation to
a Great Life copyright 2009 by Doug Fields.
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.)

Article publication date: August 20, 2009

preacher31 HOW YOU CAN MAKE A FRESH START #7, #8 9/06/2009 06:59 - Subscribe

How You Can Make a Fresh Start
Whitney Hopler

Do you feel stuck? Maybe you don't
like the way your life has been going
lately, but can't seem to change it.
No matter how stuck you may have
become, you can move forward with
God's help. Here's how you can make
a fresh start to change your life for the better:

#7. Find freedom from hurt. If you don't
forgive the people who hurt you, their offenses
will come back to haunt you over and over
again and you'll be stuck in bitterness. But
if you obey God's call to forgive others since
He has forgiven you, you can break free of
bitterness and move on well with your life.
So write down what you think the person
who hurt you owes you (an apology, an
explanation, a marriage that was destroyed,
money that was stolen, a life that was taken, etc.).
Then cancel the debt, writing "Paid in full"
across your list. Canceling the debt means
that you decide not to: hold the action against
the offending person, raise it back up with the
person, or use it against the person anymore.
Choose to follow God's command to
forgive despite your feelings. If you make
a faithful decision, God will gradually change
your feelings. You'll find that after you make
the decision to forgive, God will start the
healing process until you finally come to
the point where you can remember the
hurtful situation or encounter the person
who hurt you without having the poison
of bitterness rise up within your soul.

#8. Use conflicts to discover adventure.
If you've been struggling with a conflict
that has left you stuck in stress without
a resolution, realize that God can use that
conflict to transform you in ways that will
lead to great adventures in your life. Conflict
can be a powerful catalyst for God to reveal
more about Himself to you and cause new
growth to happen in your life. Choose to do
what's right - not what's easy - when dealing
with conflict. Seek peace by confronting the
people with whom you're in conflict, apologizing
for your part in the conflict, and forgiving those
who have hurt or offended you through the
conflict. As you make every effort to live resolve
conflicts so you can live in peace, you'll grow into
a stronger person and bring glory to God in the
adventurous process.

{Adapted from Fresh Start: God's Invitation to
a Great Life copyright 2009 by Doug Fields.
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.
Article publication date: August 20, 2009