Prepare for the Season, All Year Long

Now is the time to make a commitment and adjust our focus this holiday season. Let's slow down, pare down, and sit down with the Lord each day as we set our thoughts on being thankful. And remind our hearts to be blessed by the birth of our Savior, instead of being stressed over the season........
It's easy to get swept up in many things and forget to stay connected with, and focused on, the one thing that really matters. Make it a tradition to prepare for the season all  year long.

First of all, “Thanksgiving”  is not just a day. It is a way of life. In all things, in all times, in all places, we are to “give thanks and praise without ceasing.” Pray with your families about the many ways that you are thankful. I am not talking about the quick little “thanksgiving” sentence prayer … really explore and give thanks to God for the many riches and blessings given to you and yours.

Now plan for a “trimmed down” Christmas and Thanksgiving meal and perhaps now is the time to think about that "banquet", inviting  others less fortunate that will never be able to offer you the same in return. Set a modest table, not laden in overindulgence with excessive and decadent calories, but the dishes that bring memories of family to share with your guests.

"But the Lord said to her, 'My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her."  Luke 10: 41-42

Prepare for this Holiday season by the "giving of yourself" with encouragement or gifts of companionship, they cost nothing and mean so much. Look for ways to be a blessing to others and in doing so you will renew the love that "came down" on Christmas morn.






Words and Music by Chris Eaton

Close your eyes and share the dream
Let everyone on earth believed
The child was born, the star shone bright
And love came down at Christmas time
And love came down at Christmas time...
 

Don't Lose Hope

One of my favorite places to go when "surfing the net" is The Ranch. This is a young man, Eric Elder, who loves the Lord, his family of six children and has a wonderful talent for playing a soothing piano.  He continues on after losing Lana last November,  the wife that he claims held it all together for him for almost 20 years.

from Eric's message today, a quote from Howard Ivan Smith

“It has taken me many months to get to the point where I can say, ‘All right, the future is not going to be what you thought it was.  It’s gone, and you’re not going to have it.  You just will not have it.  Your future went with him.  Now you’ve got to build a new one.’”

Eric goes on to say:

I didn’t like reading those words at first, but over time I knew they were true for me, too.  I’ve come to realize that the future is not going to be what I thought it would be, either.  It’s gone, and I’m not going to have it.  I just will not have it.  Now I’ve got to build a new one.

“This isn’t the direction I thought my life was going to take.”  And at some point you’ve had to let it go and say, “It’s not going to happen; they’re not coming back,” just as I’ve had to say, “OK, she’s not coming back.”

 

He also included this anonymous quote:

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second best time to plant a tree is today.” 

 

I thought of that quote this spring as I looked at two pine trees in our yard, one of which I planted this past Christmas in honor of Lana, and the other which Lana and I planted 19 Christmases ago, almost 20 years now. .........For some reason, this has been an amazing year for fruit trees, and for all the trees that Lana and I planted with the kids over the years, this is the first time any of them has produced an significant amount of fruit........All these trees started bearing fruit–just this year...............When I saw all these trees bearing fruit, part of me was tempted to be really sad and wonder, “How could Lana have missed all that fruit?”  But the other part of me said, “Lana would be thrilled to know that all her hard work has paid off and is now bearing fruit–fruit that will last.”...........

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Even though Lana is gone this year and can’t enjoy it herself, we’re all enjoying the fruit of all that she’s done.........

......So not everything we plant will bear fruit.  But I want to encourage you to keep planting and planting and planting because at the proper time you will reap a harvest, too, if you do not give up!

 

I encourage you to go to The Ranch and continue to read from Eric's message of Hope while listening to his soothing piano music, it is good for the soul.

 

An interesting note about Eric,

this is another series of excerpts from one of his messages.

......When I was living for my own desires, doing whatever felt good, I was on a path headed towards destruction and didn’t even know it.  I was just following my desires wherever they led me.......For a few years in college, my desires even led me into homosexuality, being sexually intimate with other men........I didn’t realize that the way I was fulfilling that need wasn’t the way God wanted me to fulfill it.  I was just having fun, not realizing the danger that this presented to my life, nor the danger that this presented to God’s plan for my future....... It never occurred to me that I could possibly get AIDS until several years later, just a few days after I had put my faith in Christ. ...... In the following week, as I waited for the results of the test to come back, I was afraid for my life.  I wasn’t afraid for my soul, because I had already put my faith in Christ.  I knew that God had forgiven me and that He would bring me to live with Him in heaven, even if I did die.  But I didn’t want to die.  I wanted to live the fullest possible life that God had created me to live.

****I don’t know why I was spared when others haven’t been, whether they’re Christians or not.  It certainly wasn’t because I deserved it.  But I knew that whatever the reason, I now had another shot at life.  I felt as if God had picked me up off the path of death and had put me on the path of life, and life abundant.

On this new path, God has given me a wife and six kids as a result of our sexual intimacy—life abundant!
What difference can it make to follow God’s plan for your life instead of your own?  For me, for my wife, and for our six kids who might never have been born, it’s made all the difference in the world****

 

They Deserve Our Respect

Romans 13:1-7 teaches that God has placed the government and its leaders in power. We may not know why, but, like David, we are to respect the positions and roles of those to whom God has given authority. There is one exception, however. Because God is our highest authority, we should not allow a leader to pressure us to violate God's law.

2 Corinthians 10:4: "We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments."

 

Listening is one of the greatest manifestations of respect. Even if you think someone else's ideas are way off the mark,  listen carefully to what he or she is saying and then ask questions that truly make you curious. Don't express your feelings, or your own thoughts regarding the supposed stupidity of the suggestion. Instead, start asking questions like "How will the company have enough to pay for the new hires in two months?" or "What do you think about our current marketing strategies? Do you think we should improve those first? You might find that he or she has some great ideas that were being poorly expressed because no one took the time to analyze them more fully. excerpt from Marci Crane.

Teach your children to honor and respect the authorities in their lives, whether it be teachers, government, police or church authorities. This will greatly assist them to understand that the structures that have been set up both in heaven and on earth are given to help them in life.
It is easier for children to show respect to their parents if their parents are loving, fair and compassionate toward them. The parents also need to practice what they preach if they are to have credibility in the children's eyes. Now I did not say that the parents need to be perfect, as that is a physical impossibility while we are still on this earth.
When our children hear us apologize after we make mistakes, it helps them to see that we are all under God's authority.

(Exodus 20 v 12)¹²    "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you

from Mike Huckebee......"So when you hear that American values are gone and will never come back, remember the Judean date palm tree. As long as people carry the seeds of what made America great in their hearts, it’s never too late to make a comeback".

 

Praise God in All Circumstances

"The brook would lose its song if you removed the rocks"

A wise man once said, “Whatever came to me, I looked on as God’s gift for some special purpose.  If it was a difficulty, I knew He gave it to me to struggle with, to strengthen my mind and my faith.”  That idea has sweetened and helped me all of my life. Unknown

When you have a heart for God and you know He loves you, your confidence in His ability to deliver you soars. You know help is on the way and you eagerly anticipate it. First Thessalonians 5:16–18 encourages, "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (NLT). .....When you are in a situation and there seems to be no way out, open your mouth and praise the Lord—and don't stop. Instead of crying and complaining, give God praise because you know He has a plan for you that includes deliverance, restoration and peace.......Thank Him for His goodness because your praise will stop the enemy and move the hand of God......Creflo A. Dollar



Praise is a wonderful method we can use to bring healing and deliverance to our souls and bodies! Many people are depressed today; one of the quickest ways to receive deliverance from depression is to praise God. We must make our souls bless the Lord when we are not feeling well. It will bring liberation and healing.

Singing unto the Lord also can bring quick relief from despondence and oppression. We all feel like we are in the "pits" when that horrible sensation of apathy and depression comes over us. Singing praises can bring us up out of that pit. Music plays an important part in a worship service and we have all experienced how our hearts have been lifted by singing and worshiping in church. We do not have to wait until we go to a service to receive this same benefit. We can worship out of our hearts wherever we are.

 

(based on Psalm 103)


Chorus
Bless the Lord, o my soul and all that is within me.
Bless the Lord, o my soul and all that is within me.
Bless His holy name, it will never change;
bless the Lord, bless the Lord, o my soul.

Bridge 1
I will bless the Lord at all times,
His praises shall continually be in my mouth;
bless Him, I will bless Him.

I will bless the Lord at all times,
His praises shall continually be in my mouth;
bless Him, I will bless Him.

Bless His holy name, it will never change;
bless the Lord, bless the Lord o my soul.

 

 

When we praise and bless God, we find that other people around us respond to that spirit of praise also.... us all bless and praise God and conquer the enemy...Betty Miller

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