Agapomen Allelus

1 John 4:7-8 NIV
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God

Agapomen Allelus, "Let us love one another".....when the least of us is threatened, we are all at risk. Love and care for one another.  It is your problem... it is your concern..to see to the well being of all you can..as you are able.

 

 

.....There will be times as a Christ follower that you'll feel unappreciated, and taken for granted. You'll not feel loved as you should be.  When that happens you should love others anyway. BUT HOW?  Because God is love and because God has loved us, we have God's love to give

 

It doesn't work to love people begrudgingly, to love when we don't have God's love inside us. If we're on empty, we don't feel like we have God's love to give. Instead, I suggest you just get loved up by God! Read the NT just looking for God's great love for you, and memorize some verses that you find. Pray, thanking God for the love He has given you. No measuring up, no pity party-just tell Him, "thank you Lord for loving me." Simply let God love you. Let His love fill you up so that it spills out to other people in your life. Open it up and let it flow. Let it flow and love one another......

"excerpt from a sermon by David Ward"

 

 

  

Family Reunion

Thessalonians 4:15-18

 

¹⁵ According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

 

And what a reunion it will....

 

Our family enjoyed a Cousin Reunion this summer which stirs up so many pleasant memories of my mother and father, sister and one brother who have passed before me.  What joy to know that God's Promise tells us, "we will all be together again".

Think about those who are still alive when the Lord comes (and it could be you and me!).  They’ll get to see it all.  Not only will they witness this event first hand, they’ll be part of the unfolding scene.  It says in today’s verse those “who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air”.   The people of faith who died before the Lord’s return, will be with Him when He comes for the rest of us.  Some family reunions get pretty high, on alcohol, when they’re together.  None have gotten this high before!  This reunion will be flying high in the sky with our Lord, Jesus Christ holding us up!  Talk about a family reunion!

Bon Jovi lyrics
"Who says you can’t go home
theres only one place they call you one of their own

Just a hometown boy born a rolling stone    
who says you cant go home"



The Family of God...by Bill & Gloria Gaither

I'm so glad I'm a part, of the family of God
I've been washing in the fountain
Cleansed by his blood
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod
For I'm part of the Family, The family of God

God Gave Us
by Regina Hill

God gave us the seasons --
each with its own beauty and reason,
each meant to bring us a blessing,
a joy, and a feeling of love   

******

 

And I think "Summer" was meant to bring families together!

 

 

 

My Father's Eyes

Do I live so others see my Father in me? I hope so, that is my wish. My earthly Father, but more importantly, my Heavenly Father.

What Others See In Me

I may not be every mother's dream for her little girl,
And my face may not grace the mind of everyone in the world.
But that's all right, as long as I can have one wish I pray:
When people look inside my life, I want to hear them say,

She's got her Father's eyes,
Her Father's eyes;
Eyes that find the good in things,
When good is not around;
Eyes that find the source of help,
When help just can't be found;
Eyes full of compassion,
Seeing every pain;
Knowing what you're going through
And feeling it the same.
Just like my Father's eyes,
My Father's eyes,
My Father's eyes,
Just like my Father's eyes.

And on that day when we will pay for all the deeds we have done,
Good and bad they'll all be had to see by everyone.
And when you're called to stand and tell just what you saw in me,
More than anything I know, I want your words to be,

She had her Father's eyes,
Her Father's eyes;
Eyes that found the good in things,
When good was not around;
Eyes that found the source of help,
When help would not be found;
Eyes full of compassion,
Seeing every pain;
Knowing what you're going through,
And feeling it the same.
Just like my Father's eyes,
My Father's eyes,
My Father's eyes,
Just like my Father's eyes.
My Father's eyes,
My Father's eyes,
Just like my Father's eyes

Choose What Matters

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Luke 6:35

 

When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7

 

 

WHAT WILL MATTER

                             By Michael Josephson
 

"For each of us, it will one day come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will be passed to someone else.
Your fame, your wealth and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or owed.
Your grudges, frustrations and jealousy will finally disappear.
So to your hopes, ambitions, plans and to do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It will not matter where you came from, or what side of the tracks you lived.
At the end it won't matter if you are beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought but what you built.
Not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is that every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that empowered enriched or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew but how many will feel a lasting loss when you are gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those that learned to love from you.

 

A life lived that matters is not of circumstance, but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters"

 

 

For My Sake, I Need to Encourage

 Ralph Waldo Emerson says, "It is one of the most beautiful
compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help
another without helping himself."

BT Washington says, "Helping
someone else is the secret to happiness."

     We give away a piece of our self when we give love, compassion and
kindness to others; but it always comes back to bless us. Helping others fills the lonely places in us and builds character.read more

Be positive with the people you are around on a daily basis. The more positive you are to people the more motivated you will feel too...read more

 
1 Thessalonians 5:11...Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Proverbs 16:24...Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Colossians 4:8...I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts

a Man's True Measure

We all realize that giving on any level feels really good, but internally all forms of giving are not equal. When we give with the expectation of receiving something in return, we are not really letting go of what we are giving. If we do not let go completely, then we are still clinging to whatever we gave.

When you give freely without expectation, it can come back to you in some very unpredictable ways. But remember, if you are giving simply to get something back, then you put limits on the ways that you can receive..read more

Recently I’ve been asking myself, “What is my expectation?” before I do something for another person. The answer I find most acceptable—cheesy as it may sound—is: to feel good and show love. Strangely, when I release the need to control what I get for giving, I get enough, somehow.......

Let’s face it: none of us is always kind. Human nature dictates we’ll act with one eye on what’s in it for us, at least occasionally. And I think that’s okay, as long as we make an effort whenever possible to do good for the sake of it.
read more

Pay for someone behind you in line at a drive up, leave $20 at the till to pay toward the next person inline at the local discount store..it feels good to be a part of the promise that..good things are out there and happen when you least expect them..their day will change..and they will pass it on to others in retelling the story..or better yet..they will be inclined to do something for someone just because.

Deuteronomy 16:17

 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you. 

 

 

Blaze Your Own Trail

Jeremiah 29:11"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (NIV)






There are three paths in life we can choose to take;
waiting for life to happen TO you,
making things happen, or
turning around and wondering what happened.

The middle path is where the trail blazers head. When you don’t like the path laid out for you, and don’t like any of the other paths you see, make your own.


1 Timothy 4:12
Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. (NLT)

Psalm 119:105Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.


Joshua 1:9...Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (NIV)

 

God Will Make a Way

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength
For each new day
He will make a way
He will make a way

By a roadway in the wilderness
He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain
He will do something new today

Words and music by Don Moen



         Being a graduate is like being a lump of clay. You have become a useful vessel that has been formed by the hands of literaly hundreds or thousands of people.