Merry CHRISTmas!
Posts tagged ‘Christianity’
Grow Through Temptation
Does temptation lift
Its ugly head around you?
Cookies and parties?
Do you look at fun
As life’s diversion from Christ?
That’s not His intent!
Christianity
Is built sure on nothing less
Than Christ’s love and joy
He intends for us
To experience His FUN
In the Spirit’s fruit:
Galatians 5:22-23
“When the Holy Spirit
controls our lives,
he will produce this kind
of fruit in us,
love, JOY, peace.
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, and self-control.
Yesterday I went
To a FUN cookie exchange
Temptation abounds!
In his book,
Daily Inspirations for the Purpose Driven Life,
Rick Warren wrote,
“God uses the opposite situation of each fruit to allow us a choice.
Integrity is built by defeating the temptation…”
When I learn, “No Thanks,”
I grow (through the temptation)
In spirit, not pounds!
Good luck with the fruit of self-control today!
See ya later!
Headed Back
We are headed back
To my niece, Jodie, and Bill’s place
Kutztown was just great!
We attended Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church with Lisa & Allen this morning.
My favorite was the last hymn. I’d never heard or sung it before. Have you?
The congregation really got into it, clapping and singing enthusiastically. We loved it!! 💕
I hope you’ve had a blessed Sunday, too.
Bye for now. I send my love … and I’ll see ya tomorrow.
What is Heaven Like?
If you’ve followed my blog for a week or more,
You know that I attend the Presbyterian Church
in Ennis, Montana each Sunday, and I take sermon notes.
I take them in poetry – that’s just the way my brain
filters the message as I hear it.
It helps me listen, and remember,
and share with Bob when we get home.
Today’s sermon by our pastor, Rev. Steve Hundley, was
titled, “What is Heaven Like?”
Here’s my take-away on it:
If Heaven is as it should be,
Then I’m gonna sit on the bank
Of a beautiful river with my rod
And thank God for every yank.
But I know Heaven is beyond
My wildest imagination.
I know it’ll be flowing with life,
With no death, tears or stagnation.
I’m gonna ask God for help to
Understand what Heaven is like;
And since I have a Harley here,
I’m gonna ask if I’ll have my bike.
I’m gonna ask God for help to
Understand how I’ll recognize
The loved ones who went before me.
Will I know ’em when I look in their eyes?
Our Bible assures us that we
Will experience joy beyond bounds,
So I’m sure I’ll know the angels
Who’ll welcome me with glorious sounds.
I know I’ll be healed and whole
In Eternity with those I love.
So, Heaven will be as it should be
When I join my Lord in Heaven above.
When I get to Heaven, I’m gonna
Run and leap like a frisky deer.
So, when I leave this earth, friends,
Don’t weep, don’t cry; Take joy and cheer!
It’ll be Thanksgiving
with all our loved ones gathered ’round,
and it’ll feel like a Homecoming!
Hah!
See ya tomorrow.
Live to Give
Good Friday Morning to you!
Each morning
I start my day up here
in my sanctuary
at the top of
our circlular staircase.
Come and join me today!
Here we sit
in the presence of the Holy Spirit,
who fills our hearts.
It’s a peaceful place.
I read, pray, meditate, and listen.
God’s amazing grace fills our souls.
.
After reading the scripture
and the reflections on it,
by Michael Morgan of Atlanta, Georgia,
I added a few words boldly to the page.
These three words represent
my “take away” for today.
Yes, I want to “Live to Give.”
I hope that’s your take-away, too.
Thank you, Michael,
for the inspiration and the prayer
at the bottom of the page.
I, too, hope to “Live into [God’s] goodness.”
My heart beats with God’s love as its fuel. .
May you also “Live to Give” today – and always.
Have a Fabulous Friday! .
Come and join me again later
when I go to volunteer
at our Madison Valley Medical Center.
See ya later.
True Friends
True Friends
God has blessed my life
With a circle of true friends.
Some are close enough to hug,
Others are scattered to earth’s ends.
.
Regardless of their physical proximity,
My true friends are always with me.
When we reach out to each other,
Their love stretches out to gift me.
.
Some soul sisters I have known briefly,
Others are friends a decade or more,
And a few treasured true friends
I’ve known since I was young and poor.
Some are older, wise, and vibrant,
Some are family living far away,
Some are neighbors, always near and supportive,
Some are my buddies who join me in play.
Some are families who make life special –
Some are in-laws who keep in touch –
Some are couples who invite us over –
Gerry & Alex w/ Bob & Ott
All are a part of me… and I love them so much!
Kuan Tao-Sheng as quoted in Theodor Reik’s book, Of Love and Lust:
“Take a lump of clay,
Wet it, pat it,
Make a statue of you
and a statue of me.
Then shatter them, clatter them,
Add some water,
And break them and mold them
Into a statue of you and me.
Then in mine, there are bits of you,
And in you there are bits of me.
Nothing shall ever keep us apart.”
God has blest my soul
With true friends who make me whole.
I carry bits of them where e’re I go.
They round me out so I can roll.
I roll with the punches life flings,
I weather the storms life brings;
I reach out to friends, and they to me.
So no matter the trouble, my heart sings.
Thank You, God, for life’s true friends.
Thank You for God’s Holy Spirit, too.
He is the friend who’s with me always.
I pray that He’s a True Friend to you.
God bless you, my dear blogging friend!
Thank you for being a friend who visits and comments.
Your participation in my blog means
the world to me!
Finding Strength
Finding Strength
This morning I received an e-mail from a dear cousin. Her husband has esophageal cancer. The chemo and radiation treatments are making him feel tired, gaunt, and bored with the required liquid diet. Swallowing is painful. He’s lost 30 pounds. .In the midst of life’s struggles, we need strength, courage, and assurance. Where do we find it?
Joshua 1:5-9 “No one will be able stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you. Be strong and courageous… Be strong and very courageous… Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
In my morning devotional today
from In Touch Ministries,
this very scripture and topic were discussed.
Yes, obstacles are faith’s fertilizer!
As the devotional said,
“Obstacles are one way our faith can grow.”
What obstacles are you facing today? They may not be as serious as cancer of the esophagus, but every challenge we face is an opportunity to lean on our faith and allow the obstacle to grow us. Use them as stepping stones. Know that God is with you. Be assured by that cross that hangs in my sanctuary and reminds me daily to remember what our Creator tells me: “Be Still and know that I AM God.” .My cousin’s husband is Jehovah’s Witness. I have sent him a couple of inspirational cards wishing him well and reminding him that I have him in my daily prayers.
.My cousin told me in her e-mail today, “While he may not agree with all your theology… he most certainly believes in God and appreciates your prayers.”
I am reminded that God is soooo much bigger than religion. God is the Creator of us all. God loves and cares for us all. We may not practice our religious beliefs the same way, but our faith in God binds us together as one.
As Christians, we say we are “One in Christ.” We believe in the Trinity – that God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are One. Who am I to say that those who say we are “One in God, our Creator” are wrong? God is Omnipotent. He sees into the heart of us all. When He promises, “I am with you,” he’s talking to you … each of you! .What obtacles are fertilizing YOUR faith today? Be still and know God is with you.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Now, go in peace.
Let your obstacles become stepping stones.
See ya tomorrow.
Written
on December 25, 2019