May God bless our Country…..

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you.
P.S. And, remember…
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours…………….for the rest of this blessing please go see Power in Prayer.

Terri from, Passion for Prayer, made the most wonderful post.

Here’s a teaser…..Deuteronomy 31:8

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;……. You gotta go read the rest. It’s a blessing.

Vhiel at Can of Thoughts is having her first giveaway!!! It’s a MOTHER’S DAY CONTEST and she’s giving away the nicest set of kitchen ceramics! Actually I hope I win them.

For the rules and to participate go here and tell her I sent ya.

Easter eggs will be hidden, candy will be eaten and families will sit together at a table full of wonderful food and conversation. But may I interrupt this special family occasion with a quick thought?

The day we’re about to celebrate, is the day that bought each of us eternal life. Oh, I don’t know the exact day, but what matters is that it happened.

I should probably back up a bit and first share the death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, which happened 3 days prior to the Easter or Resurrection Day we celebrate. For if He hadn’t died, He could never have risen again. And die He did; in the most terrible fashion. For you and me.

Because we could never live up to God’s expectations, and yet He loves us so much and wants to be with us so much, that “He gave His only Son, (to die in our place), so that if we just believe in Him, we won’t die (an eternal death) but will live with Him forever, in Heaven”. Which of course is a real place. A beautiful place. Revelation 21.1

So if I may, let’s pray.

Father,
Thank you for loving us so much that you let your Son die a horrible death; so that if we just ask Him to come into our lives and forgive us of our sins, we get to live with You forever. And Lord, we’d like that “forever” to start right now, for without You in our lives, life isn’t worth living.

So I ask You to reveal Yourself to those joining us in this prayer right now. Show them your goodness and your love. May they feel Your presence as never before and except Your gift, Jesus Christ, as their Savior.

Thank you for being a friend that sticks closer than a brother and promising never to leave or desert us. We love You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

My friend from There’s Power in Prayer…… has given us the answer. She did some research and below is what she found.

Why is Easter (March 23) so early this year? Blame it on the moon. Specifically, blame it on the Paschal moon.

Last year, Easter was April 8. Next year, it will be April 12.

Why? Is there really a formula to deciding the date of Easter?

As a matter of fact, there is, but it’s complicated. And it means Easter can come as early as March 22 – which it hasn’t since 1818 – or as late as April 25 – which it won’t again until 2038.

Here’s the simplified formula: Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the spring equinox. This year, the spring equinox falls on March 20, one day before the full moon of March, which falls on Friday. …………for the remainder of the article, give her a visit.

I read one of the most telling posts the other day. I’ve hesitated sharing it, but I feel like maybe I should.

You may have notice the “Beating Brain Cancer” button on my side bar. If you haven’t already, you might want to check it out. Heather is fighting brain cancer as well as raising a beautiful daughter with what may be a terminal disease. Her writing is extremely inspiring.

If you’re like me, you sometimes wonder “why”, when it comes to God. Mr. James Dobson has written a book called When God Doesn’t Make Sense and there’s a story in it by Dr. Jim Conway.

Here’s Dr. Conway’s Story:

“When our daughter was 15 years of age, she began having trouble with one of her knees. For a year and one-half, she saw doctors, had laboratory tests and scans, and tow extensive biopsies on the tumor they found. We waited for weeks for word from the many pathology labs around the United States who were studying her mysterious lump. Finally one evening our physician came to our house and gave us some very distressing news. He said that Becki had a malignancy and that it was necessary to amputate her leg. I refused to believe it. I was determined to prevent this surgery by praying until God promised to heal her.

“You are not going to have your leg amputated,” I told Becki. “I believe God is going to do a miracle. He said we could come to Him in times of trouble. I am absolutely convinced that you are going t be spared this surgery.”

Our church then began a 24 hour vigil of fasting and prayer. Thousands of people around the United States and overseas were praying for Becki’s healing. On the morning when the surgery was scheduled, I said to our physician, “Scott, as you go into the operating room, please verify that the cancer has been healed. God is going to come through. I am sure.”

He left and did not immediately return. Forty five minutes went by, and still, Sally, my other two daughters, and I sat in the waiting room. An hour passed, and then two. I began to realize that a lengthy medical procedure must be in progress. Then the doctor came out and told me that they had amputated Becki’s leg. I was absolutely shattered. I was crushed. I lost God. In anger, I was beating on the walls of the hospital and saying, “Where are You, God? Where are You?”

I was in a state of shock and wandered down to the morgue in the basement of the hospital. That’s where I felt I belonged, surrounded by death. I was dealing with more than Becki’s surgery, as terrible as that was. I struggled to handle the theological implications of what had happened. I could not understand why God permitted this to happen. You see, if I had been a plumber instead of a pastor, I would have gone out to fix pipes the next day, and my spiritual confusion not have affected my work. But my job required me to stand before people and teach them the principles of the Bible.

What could I tell them now?

If I had been a liberal pastor who didn’t believe the Bible to be literally true, I could have survived by doing book reviews and talking about irrelevant stuff. But I pastored a Bible church. My style of teaching was exposition of the Word, reviewing it verse by verse and drawing out it’s meaning. How could I go back and tell my people that God had let my daughter lose her leg? It was a terrible moment in my life.

As I sat outside the morgue that day, a friend found me in the bowels of the hospital and came to my rescue. He was a Godsend to me! I’m not part of the Charismatic movement, but it was Dick Foth, an Assembly of God pastor, who stood by my side and cried with me and prayed for me. He said, “I’m not worried about Becki. I’m worried about you. There are a couple of thousand people in your church and a thousands elsewhere that who are hanging on for you. Your going to get through this.” Then he and two other guys took turns working with me. One would go for a coffee break and the others would take over. They just kept me talking- letting me spill out the frustration and the anger.

They didn’t condemn me even though I was so angry at God. At one point I said, “I think He was so busy finding a parking spot for a little old lady that He didn’t have time to save Becki’s leg.” Dick would listen and say’ “Is there anything else you need to say?” I didn’t have to worry that if I said something disturbing, maybe these guys would doubt God. I didn’t worry about them giving up on me. I didn’t have to hold anything in and say “I’ve got to keep up the professional front because I am a preacher. I’ve got to be good.” They let me deal with the pain.

When a person is going through this kind of terrible depression, some believers don’t know how to respond. They say’ “Ill pray for you.” which may mean, “I’m no longer really listening to you.” That can be a way of ending one’s responsibility to shoulder the load. In fact, when it comes to bearing one another’s burdens, the secular world sometimes does that job better than we do. They know the importance of letting resentment and anger spill out, whereas Christians may feel they have to hold it inside. The Scriptures tell us, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them. He delivers them from all their troubles” (Ps. 34:17)

It also bothered me later when people began offering simplistic explanations and flippant comments to “cheer me up”. It was irritating when they quoted Romans 8:28 “all things work together for good,” when they had not earned the right to brush off my pain. I wanted to say, “Tell me about it, Charlie, when your 16 year old daughter’s leg is amputated. Come back when you’ve gone through something like this, and then we’ll talk again.” Sometimes we get so used to the “cheer up” mode in Christianity that we become unreal. I almost heard people say to me in those days, “Shhhhhhh! Don’t say those things. What if God hears them?”

As if God didn’t know what I was thinking and struggling with! God knew what I was going through and He understood my passion. My love for my daughter originated with Him in the first place. So who would I be trying to fool by covering up the agony of my soul?

I remember a guy I saw in a restaurant a few days after Becki underwent surgery. He was sitting at a table, and as I walked by he reached out and grabbed my coat. He said, “Jim, I think God has allowed this to happen because it has brought about a revival in our church.” I said, “So what is God going to do to bring another revival when this one passes, chop off Becki’s other leg? Then her arm and her other arm? There isn’t enough of Becki to keep any church spiritually alive, if that is what it takes.”

When you start reaching for puny answers like that, it dehumanizes those who suffer and insults our magnificent God who loves and cares for the oppressed. I couldn’t explain why Becki had to lose her leg, but I know the answers being given were not right.

Probably the most important thing I learned in this entire process is this: I became deeply aware that there were only two choices that I could make. One was to continue in my anger at God and follow the path of despair I was on. The other choice was to let God be God, and somehow say, “I don’t know how all of this fits together. I don’t understand the reasons for it. I’m not even going to ask for an explanation. I’ve chosen to accept the fact that you are God and I’m the servant, instead of the other way around.” And there I left it.

It was in that choice that I came to cope with my situation. I frankly admit that after all these years, I still struggle with some things. I still get sick to my stomach when I see my daughter hopping on one leg. But I have come to recognize that God has a higher purpose and I just don’t understand that purpose. I am prepared to wait until eternity to receive answers to my questions, if necessary. Like Job, I am now able to say, “Though he slay me, yet I will trust in Him.” (Job 13:15)

It’s either despair, or it’s the acceptance of His sovereignty. Those are the alternatives.

Let me say it again. It’s either despair, or it’s God. There is nothing in between.

Our family has chosen to hold onto God.” (end quote)
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The reality of it is, that we don’t always understand God. But He is sovereign. And I too, chose Him.

Have you ever had a favorite “thing” that you tried so hard to take care of, only to have it spoiled somehow? Of course you have, and so have I.

As a matter of fact, it just happened to me. You see, I have this wonderful set of mixing bowls. Ya know, the expensive kind that end up a heirloom??

Yep, I went to make a coffee cake and when I took my bowl from the cupboard, the one I use most, I found it had a crack. It started at the bottom of the bowl and went all the way to the top.

Needless to say, I won’t be using that bowl again.

As I continued with my coffee cake, stewing over this bowl, I heard the Lord whisper in my ear. What He said brought things back into perspective.

He said, “What is this really, in the scheme of things?” Wow!

As I began to think about this, I was reminded of the mom fighting brain cancer while her daughter suffers from a fatal disease, the family agonizing over their new born, to sick to come home from the hospital, the family that just lost their income through no fault of their own.

And the list could go on and on. The truth is, I am blessed. Yes, I’ve struggled. Sometimes to the point of not wanting to any more. But God’s Word says, Joy comes in the morning. And it does.

So stewing over a cracked bowl is rather petty, in the scheme of things. Instead of stewing I should be praying for those of you hurting to the point it would be easier to just quit. But please don’t. You’ll be missing some of the best days ahead.

If you’d like prayer, please email me at sherry @ sherswares.com or simply post a comment. No matter what else goes on in your life, no matter how you “feel”, never, never give up on God.

I saw the above button on someones blog, sorry I can’t remember who, but, WOW, am I ever glad I did. I knew I’d love it when I read the name.

Lisa McKay
is teaching this wonderful Bible study. You really should check it out. Once you read the weekly lesson, Lisa gives you some wonderful, thought provoking questions to consider. A way of showing what God is doing in our lives, though the Scriptures she shares. Here are my answers to Lesson Two - Beautiful To God ~ Exodus 2, Acts 7, Isaiah 53.

Discussion Questions:

What is your initial response when anyone suggests you are beautiful?
I guess it depends. If I don’t feel beautiful, dressed up I mean, I kind of chuckle. But maybe they are not seeing me, maybe they’re seeing a bit of Jesus.
When I’m dressed up, looking my best, I simply say “Thank you”. I never really thought that Jesus may not be beautiful in the eyes of the world until I read this lesson.
What an eye opener. I know He was rejected, but the picture you painted for me makes me think of Job. Having just finished reading the book of Job, feeling quite confused to be honest, this picture of Jesus helps me to have a better understanding. Though He was sinless, He was afflicted and suffered. Truly it rains on the just and the unjust.

Do you find you engage in a lot of negative ’self-talk’? How much of your thought life does this form of thinking consume?
Not too much. I guess I figure my days of beauty are over. Being 54, a little over weight and more wrinkles than I care to talk about. But it’s OK. I have a different purpose now. What is important to me is that the beauty of Salvation shines through.

What is the most radical transformation you’ve witnessed in an individual after they were born again? It’s okay to tell about your own!
Hummm, ya know, I’ve seen a friend of mine and her husband experience a touch of God in their lives, and the look on their faces was so soft and kind. Slowly, they have walked away, and again the look of anger and pain has returned.

The imagery of being a City Girl has absolutely changed the way I perceive my worth before God. Does it yours? Will you receive this truth and let it boost your righteous confidence?
Yes, I have very little formal education and sometimes I feel very uncultured. I do receive this truth and plan on seeing myself as, well bred, polite, and eloquent. Hum, I like that!

Ladies, I highly recommend this Bible study to anyone really looking for the “meat” of His Word. Lisa’s studies are awesome! Thanks Lisa.

Please, check out the above Bible study.

I saw the above button on someones blog, sorry I can’t remember who, but, WOW, am I ever glad I did. I knew I’d love it when I read the name.

Lisa McKay
is teaching this wonderful Bible study. You really should check it out. Once you read the weekly lesson, Lisa gives you some wonderful, thought provoking questions to consider. A way of showing what God is doing in our lives, though the Scriptures she shares. Here are my answers to Lesson 1, Just In Time, Acts 7:17-20.

Are there any circumstances or relationships in your life where you can see God has intentionally placed you to be a light for Him?
Yes. I feel God wants me to be a light for Him everywhere I go, but in particular, to my husband. Currently he has a broken leg and I know God wants me to be patient with him. Even when I feel like loosing my temper. I don’t have to work outside the home, so taking care of him is “my job”, even if I’d rather be blogging. *lol*

Can you honestly describe yourself as a woman with a ‘yes’ in her spirit?
I want to be. I’m still healing from an emotional breakdown I had about 3-4 years ago. I’m doing great. Praise Him. But it still scares me to make commitments, because I’m not sure I can keep them. Being an introvert, I’m not the greatest at being a friend, but it’s really neat, because I don’t feel God is pushing me that way. I have plenty on my plate at home right now. And God’s made our priorities real clear. Which is fortunate for me because sometimes I’m pretty dull in the head.

Are you in an emotionally and spiritually healthy place today? If so, what will you do with your series of unrecurring events? Will you commit to ask for spiritual eyes to see opportunities to defend a weaker sister?
I love your “unrecurring events” lesson! I need to remember this. Instead of always worrying I’m not doing the right thing at the right time. I know… God’s already working on me.
I feel I am emotionally and spiritually healthy, but….for some reason I feel very fragile sometimes. If I see a weaker sister struggling, I’d help in whatever way I can. Probably with a word of encouragement, but I’m not quite sure that’s what you mean here.

If no, are you taking steps to seek out wise counsel from a sister you admire or perhaps a Christian counselor if needed? If not, will you resolve to do so?
Fortunately, I’m in a place where it’s just going to take time to heal. I don’t feel like a counselor is needed at this time. One thing I would like to say on that regard, is that it’s not always easy to find someone who you can really trust your heart with, Christian, professional or other wise. One is very lucky if they have a friend like that.

Ladies, I highly recommend this Bible study to anyone really looking for the “meat” of His Word. Lisa’s studies are awesome! Thanks Lisa.

Please, check out the above Bible study.