Yes there are Angels!!!!

Morning guys, its truly wonderful to speak to you today. I got this email from my friend Theresca about a woman in Indiana and I would love to share it with you. I hope that this story will be a blessing. I Love You All!!! God Bless.

In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their father was gone. The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two.

Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared.Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds. He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries. Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either.

If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it. I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job.

The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town. No luck.

The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince who ever would listen that I was willing to learn or do anything. I had to have a job. Still no luck.

The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in that had been converted to a truck stop. It was called the Big Wheel. An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids.

She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning.

She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night.

I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people. I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night. She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep. This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.

That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job. And so I started at the Big Wheel. When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money-- fully half of what I averaged every night.

As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my meager wage. The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home.

One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires! There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires. Had angels taken up residence in Indiana ? I wondered. I made a deal with the local service station. In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office. I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.

I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't enough. Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids. I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some old toys. Then I hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning. Clothes were a worry too.

I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. There were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper named Joe. A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine. The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.

When it was time for me to go home at seven o'clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes. I quickly opened the driver's side door, crawled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat. Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box. Inside was whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10! I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans. Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes.

There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes. There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was whole bag of laundry supplies and cleaning items. And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll.

As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude. And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning. Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop.... THE POWER OF PRAYER.

I believe that God only gives three answers to prayer: "Yes!". "Not yet." "I have something better in mind."God still sits on the throne, the devil is a liar. You maybe going through a tough time right now but God is getting ready to bless you

in a way that you cannot imagine.

Be God for Me

”Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”1

In my counselor training and counseling days I participated in quite a few therapy groups of varying kinds. Some I found very helpful and others I could have done without. However on one occasion I was involved in a secular psychodrama (role-play) group with 25-30 participants.

We were sitting in a circle and a 30-something lady (whom I will call Janine) asked me if I would role play God for her. This was a secular group so why she picked on me I will never know (we hadn’t even met each other). I believe it had to be a God-thing. At any rate she placed a chair in the center of the circle and asked me to sit on it. I was rather nervous to put it mildly. I had never heard of anyone ever role-playing God. So I kept praying under my breath, “God help … God help.”

Janine got down on her knees in front of me and openly confessed that she had been a prostitute and asked for forgiveness. Immediately the words of Jesus came to my mind and I spoke them to Janine, “Your sins are forgiven.”

That was a courageous thing for Janine to do. It was the beginning of her healing. Unfortunately I never kept in contact with her but I hope and pray that she has, since then, genuinely sought to follow after God.

The point is whenever we sin, we are always left with guilt. Even if we repress it from conscious memory, it’s still there and it is a very unhealthy way to live, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The only cure is confession … to at least one trusting soul as well as to God. As God’s Word says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”2

Dear reader, if you have any unconfessed sin in your life, I urge you to see an understanding pastor, priest, trusted friend and/or Christian Counselor. Like David the Psalmist, who committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed, when he confessed his sin, found God’s forgiveness and great release. You and I can do the same.*

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for loving me no matter what I have ever done and always forgiving me when I, with genuine sorrow, confess my sins. Help me always to find a trusting person to whom I can confess my sins and weaknesses—as well as confessing them to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

*For help be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. King David in Psalm 32:5 (NLT).
2. James 5:16 ( NIV).

Credit: Daily Encounter

Learning to Pray the Right Prayer

"You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask [pray], you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives."1

Some time ago I took a psychological test that, among other things, measured how much I was in touch with my major emotions of love, wonder, guilt and fear. On a scale of 0 to 100 any score below 30 was considered repressed.

On fear I scored 5!

This concerned me because I knew that repressed fear could cause me to act out blindly by setting myself up to fail at work or in relationships. I didn't want to do that so I prayed earnestly that God would deliver me from my buried fear. However, I realized I was praying the wrong prayer. I was focusing on praying for deliverance from the symptom rather than from the cause, so I changed my prayer to:

"Dear God, my real prayer is that I don't want to face that fear. I'm too afraid. That's why I buried it. Please give me the courage to face and deal with the real cause/s of my fear/s."

The point I'm making is that we need to learn to be honest in our praying. For example, if I can't stand my neighbor and, wanting to impress God, piously ask him to bless my neighbor while in my heart I despise my neighbor, which prayer does God hear? He hears what my heart is saying. Only as I admit this can God help me to love my neighbor and bless him through me.

By the way, it took me two years to resolve the fear mentioned above. It was caused by the death of a sister that I loved dearly when I was a small child. My fear was that if I loved someone I might lose them. In time I discovered that I had a few more hidden fears to deal with as well. Since facing and resolving these fears, my close relationships have improved dramatically.

How can you tell if you have any buried fears? Look at any symptoms in your life. Do you have a pattern of failure at work or in relationships? Any phobias? Any floating anxieties that you have no idea where they are coming from? Any physical ills such as ulcers or any addictions that you may be using to avoid facing something you have buried?

And how do we overcome such fears? I don't know any easy solution but for me it began with a genuine desire to overcome them. Next, I needed to accept full responsibility for resolving my fears and stop blaming anyone else for them. Above all, I needed to ask God to help me to be honest with myself, to give me the courage to face my fears, and to lead me to the help I needed to overcome them.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me the insight and courage to see and deal with any repressed or hidden fears in my life, and lead me to the help I need to overcome the causes of these. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. James 4:2-3 (NIV).

Credit: Daily Encounter

God Moves In Mysterious Ways

"For in the day of trouble he [God] will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock."1

I have read that William Cowper, like many people today, suffered from times of deep melancholy and depression. One night when he was in a particularly dark mood of despair, he decided to take his life by jumping into the Thames River.

That night the city of London was blanketed with an extremely heavy fog and Mr. Cowper, searching to find the river, lost his way. Stumbling blindly through the fog he was dumbfounded when he found himself on the doorstep of his own home. Going to his room he penned the words of the beautiful hymn:

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.

His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me in my times of despair and depression to trust in you. Hide me in the shelter of your love and lead me to the place of help that I need. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. King David (Psalm 27:5, NIV).

Credit: Daily Encounter

Faith Versus Presumption

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."1

Some time ago I read how, when Norman and Melissa "C" stopped making payments on their Hartford, Connecticut house, the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) began foreclosure proceedings.

The Camerons contacted FNMA officials to explain why they had stopped making payments on their $54,000 mortgage: God told them they could. "It was our desire to be free from this mortgage debt," the Camerons told the court overseeing the foreclosure. "Therefore we asked God our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. He heard us and He freed us from this mortgage bondage."

According to this report, the FNMA officials made it clear that they would continue with foreclosure proceedings until they, too, are contacted by God.

This illustration is certainly extreme but I have heard others claim "God" had told them to do such and such, and before long "God" was telling them the opposite. Sometimes some people justify what they want to do by claiming "God" told them this was the right thing to do. This is not faith. It is presumption. Faith only applies to prayer that is in harmony with God's will.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, please give me sense enough to know the difference between faith and presumption, and to always ensure that my prayers are in harmony with your will. Thank you that when I pray this way, you always hear and answer my prayers. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV).

Credit: Daily Encounter

The Thrill of Temptation

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men [and women] of courage; be strong."1

Kent Edwards wrote how the tuna fish "were running for the first time in forty-seven years only thirty miles off Cape Cod."2 They were apparently biting furiously so many would-be tuna fishermen in their excitement to catch a large tuna ignored Coast Guard warnings. What they didn't realize was that the problem didn't lie in hooking a tuna but landing it in the boat.

One boat, the Christi Anne, capsized while battling with a large tuna. The same day another boat, Basic Instinct, met with the same fate. And Official Business was swamped when trying to land its catch. The tuna pulled the boat below the surface of the water.

What these fishermen didn't realize was the power of large tuna fish. That's pretty much like what temptation does to us. At first it can seem very exciting and enticing but once we take the bait, we're the ones that get hooked and it can quickly overpower us and pull us under.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be always on guard so that I will avoid the lure of temptation and not get hooked or entrapped by it. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV).2. Kent Edwards. Cited in Encounter magazine (ACTS Australia), January 2007.

Credit: Daily Encounter

The Why of Materialism

"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."1

Many years ago Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929) said: "While sitting on the bank of a river one day, I picked up a solid round stone from the water and broke it open. It was perfectly dry in spite of the fact that it had been immersed in water for centuries. The same is true of many people in the Western world. For centuries they have been surrounded by Christianity; they live immersed in the waters of its benefits. And yet it has not penetrated their hearts; they do not love it. The fault is not in Christianity, but in men's hearts, which have been hardened by materialism and intellectualism."

Intellectualism (this does not mean being intellectual) can be and often is a defense against facing one's reality, and used as a means to rationalize the belief system we want and choose to believe. If we intellectualize or rationalize away God, then we can deceive ourselves into believing that we are ultimately only responsible to ourselves. In so doing we harden our hearts against truth and reality.

Materialism is often a symptom of buried emotions, especially the emotion of wonder. Instead of finding fulfillment in the wonder and beauty of creation and nature, we get wrapped up in things. As the saying goes, instead of loving people and using things we end up unhappily loving things and using people. Another way to harden our hearts and a dangerous way to live.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be totally honest with myself and with you and learn how to enjoy the beauty of your creation and the simple things of life and therein protect my heart from becoming hardened. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Jesus (Luke 12:15, NIV).

Credit: Daily Encounter

God of the Ordinary

Hey morning guys, I am truly blessed to share this message with you today. When I saw this it brought tears to my eyes and joy in my heart because almost on a daily basis I too fell like I am unworthy of God's mercies and blessings. I am unworthy of his call on my life and because of this thinking I have limited God's work in my life just like the eagle who thought that he was a chicken.

So guys any-time the devil comes around reminding you of where you were, what you have done, and making you feel like you are unworthy, remind him of who your God is and what he has done for you on Calvary and continues to do and how special and precious you are to the Great King of Kings.

I really hope that this will bless you. I love you all and God Bless.

"For many are called, but few are chosen."1

"There are many reasons why God wouldn't want to use many of us, but don't worry. We're in good company! As another has shared:

• Moses stuttered;


• David's armor didn't fit;


• John Mark was rejected by Paul;


• Hosea's wife was a prostitute;


• Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning;


• Jacob was a liar;


• David had an affair;


• Solomon was too rich;


• Abraham was too old;


• David was too young;


• Timothy had ulcers;


• Peter was afraid of death;


• Lazarus was dead;


• John was self-righteous;


• Jesus was too poor;


• Naomi was a widow;


• Paul was a murderer;


• So was Moses;


• Jonah ran from God;


• Miriam was a gossip;


• Gideon and Thomas both doubted;


• Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal;


• Elijah was burned out;


• John the Baptist was a loudmouth;


• Martha was a worrywart;


• Samson had long hair;


• Noah got drunk;


• Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse? So did Peter, Paul—well, lots of folks did.

Satan says, "You're not worthy." Jesus says, "So what? I AM."

Satan looks back and sees our mistakes. God looks back and sees the cross.

He doesn't calculate what you did last year. Sure, there are lots of reasons why God shouldn't have called us. But if we are magically in love with Him, if we hunger for Him more than our next breath, He'll use us in spite of who we are, where we've been, or what we look like."2

Perhaps today's Scripture could be interpreted as follows:

"For many are called, but few prove themselves to be chosen." In fact, God calls every one of us to follow and serve him. If he waited until we were fully mature, whole and complete, he wouldn't get anything done. He will use us exactly as we are as long as we are available and willing to be used. In so doing we will then prove ourselves to be chosen ones.

Suggested prayer: "Heavenly Father God, I'm available—warts and all—please use me to be a part of what you are doing in the world today. Help me to keep growing so I can, with your help, become more usable. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Jesus (Matthew 22:14).

2. Author Unknown.

Credit: Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, Daily Encounter

What You Think—You Are

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."1

There's an old fable that talks about a man who found an eagle's egg and put it in a nest of a barnyard hen. The eagle hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. All his life, the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken.
He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet in the air.

Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings. The old eagle looked up in awe. "Who's that?" he asked. "That's the eagle, the king of the birds," said his neighbor. "He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth—we're chickens."

So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that's what he thought he was.

How sad when we who are children of the King live as chickens when we could fly with the eagles.

As the old saying goes, "You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to wait upon and hope in you and see realized in my life all that you have for me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV).

2. Anthony DeMello from A 4th Course of Chicken Soup for the Soul. Copyright 1997 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Hanoch McCarty and Meladee McCarty.

" Never Too Old "

A blessed good morning to all of you my brothers and sisters in the Lord, this is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

OK as you guys know Sunday was my birthday, I am a year older and a lot wiser too. I went to church service and things were revealed to me in more than one way that I never knew before. People (including myself) were also delivered from sins that easily beset us and deter us from our walk with and the work of the Lord.

So here I am (again) ready and rearing to go, LOL!!! I stumbled upon an article from the Daily Encounter, I hope it will be a blessing to you as it has been to me.

GOD BLESS.

Oh and to all my readers thank you!!!!

So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said."1

We are never too old to serve the Lord. Caleb, forty-five years earlier, was one of the twelve spies Moses sent to spy out the Promised Land and one of the two who came back with a glowing report. At age eighty-five he still wants to serve the Lord.
Admittedly, folks lived much older back then but no matter how old we are (except for extenuating circumstances), we are never too old to serve the Lord—even if all we can do is pray.

According to Today in the Word, "Cervantes completed Don Quixote when he was nearing 70. Clara Barton, at 59, founded the American Red Cross. Goethe finished the dramatic poem 'Faust' at 82. Verdi composed 'Othello' at 73, 'Falstaff' in his late seventies. Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister of England for the second time at 70."
When it comes to achieving anything worthwhile (especially serving God), it is availability—not age-ability—that counts.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I'm available, please make me usable and use me every day in some way to be a part of what you are doing in the world today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Caleb (Joshua 14:10-12, NIV).

Credit: Daily Encounter

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Me, happy birthday to me!!!! YEAH!!!!

OK I know today is the 11th and my birthday is the 14th but hey..... I am in celebration mode and very grateful to the heavenly father for allowing me to live to see another year (thank you Lord).

So I don't know what my family has planned for me BUT I know its going to be FANTASTIC!!!! I hope that it entails me jumping on a plane and going Tobago or Salybia (lol, I hope). Anywayz.... whatever it is I know its going to be special cause I will be sharing my special day with people that I deeply love.

God Bless!!!!

Hey check me out backk in the day when I was like 3 or 4yrs and don't laugh you hear? LOL I have truly come a long way (thank you God).

Passing of a Soul

Hi All Ok so yesterday while we were celebrating my big sister's birthday my grandmother's elder sister passed away. It was no surprise to the family because she was ailing since June. What shook me is that I wondered where her soul has gone to.

You know some people don’t believe that there is a heaven and a hell. I would hear people say that heaven and hell are on this earth but I beg to differ.

No one can truly look me in the eye and say that we were placed here on the earth to just please our own selfish needs and desires. No one can tell me that we evolved from 'Ape'. No one can tell me when you die you are finished or that hell is in the grave, it simply makes no sense.

Do you really believe that life is just about getting a good education, a great job or business, getting married and having a family and gaining as much material wealth you possible can? Is that all we are worth?

Material things that thieves break in and steal and moth destroy? Or when we die someone just comes and takes over from where we left off? Well I beg to differ. I believe that we were put on this earth for a much greater purpose and somewhere along things got distorted. I truly believe that I am better than what material things I possess. I truly believe that I am better than what people's perception of me is. I truly believe that all of us are destined for greatness which far surpasses this present 'world'.

There is life after death and there is something even better waiting for each and every one of us who truly believe.All I have to do now is act on this belief and let God do his work. LOL

God Bless

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG SIS!!!!

Morning all, its such a beautiful day today don't you agree? This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. With a new day comes new beginnings, another chance to start fresh and do it right.

Today is also my beautiful elder sister Rhonda's birthday. You know growing up we were close so close that if anything happened to her I would cry. Then in our teens we grew apart this was a very sad period in my life, even our father's death did not mend our relationship. Not having an elder sister to confide in or guide me was devastating since my other sister, Sherma already left home and I felt all alone (at least so I thought, Jesus was always there).

Rhonda migrated to the US back in January 1998 to pursue her studies and we hashed it out before she left and that move was the beginning of mending our relationship. She visited 'home' two weeks ago and I was so very excited to see her because although she visited on numerous occasions before I actually felt that we reconnected and rekindled that love we once shared long ago.

So when I saw her, her hubby, my niece and my twin nieces (identical) I was so ecstatic it did not matter that the girls 3yrs and 16mths tore my office to bits, LOL all that mattered was that my sister was here and that we were alright.

So Sherma's 2nd son turned 8yrs on September 24th and my brother's (Timothy) daughter was going to be 1yr the day after and his s step daughter's birthday was the 23rd so we had a family day to celebrate. It was so wonderful, its been years since all of us were together like that I was just so very very happy.

Everyone was there except Sherwin, he's the oldest and lives in Maryland he migrated since before I knew myself, LOL. He was sorely missed. So there we were Mummy, Sherma, Rhonda, myself (Tricia), Timothy, Chrystal and Josiah. Siblings reunited after how long? Oh and don't forget our own families. It made me realise how blessed we truly are. September 24th 2007 will be a day forever etched in my memory (I wish Rhonda would hurry up and send the pics already, LOL).

And that is why I am dedicating this day to my beautiful sister Rhonda and to the rest of the family. God Bless

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG SIS, I LOVE YOU!!!!

How to Win in a Lost Argument

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."1

Let's face it, some people can be very difficult to live with and/or get along with. Some are impossible. However, here's an interesting tip giving one way to resolve a quarrel:

According to Ludwig Bemelmans in The Best of Bits & Pieces, "A book issued by the Army years ago gave all manner of advice to noncommissioned officers. It even tells how to make men who have quarreled become friends again. The men are put to washing the same window, one outside, the other inside. Looking at each other, they soon have to laugh and all is forgotten. It works; I have tried it. "

So the next time you have a quarrel with your spouse, try washing the windows! Admittedly, this would be easier said than done. It is extremely rare for Joy and me to argue over anything but when we do have a difference, neither one of us can rest until we get together, talk it over, apologize where we have been wrong, and put things right.

In a quarrel always aim for a "win-win" outcome.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, whenever I am in an argument please help me to know what to say and what not to say. When I am in the wrong, help me to be humble enough to admit it, apologize, and make things right. And if perchance, I am not in the wrong, help me to be humble enough not to rub in 'my rightness,' and gracious enough to forgive the one who has hurt me as you so freely forgive me whenever I sin and do wrong. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Romans 12: 18 (NIV).

Credit: Daily Encounter

On Being Heavenly Minded

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."1

Jesus, of course, was talking about coming back to get his followers to take them to be with him in Heaven.

Jesus' first coming is an indisputable fact of history. His second coming is just as certain. What isn't certain is the date of his coming. Over the years many have tried to predict that date and have fallen flat on their face. Only God knows that day.

Others have accused us Christians of being so heavenly minded we are of no earthly use. True, some people are this way, but that is when they use their religion as an escape from or defense against facing their own reality.

I appreciate what David Shibley wrote: "Remember a 'heavenly minded' Wilberforce whose passion for human dignity helped eradicate the slave trade throughout the British empire. Go to the inner city of Chicago and watch the tireless workers at the Pacific Garden Mission as they tell inquiring street people how to get to heaven while providing them food and shelter on the way. Scan the world and look at the thousands of hospitals, shelters, leprosariums, children's homes and colleges that have been built in heaven's honor. The point is obvious. Those who truly set their sights on another world are often the most active for constructive change in this one.

As C.S. Lewis suggested it is when we cease to think of the other world (Heaven) we become ineffective in this one.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, as Jesus taught us to pray, may your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. And help me, while here on earth, to be a part of your plans and what you are doing in the world today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

NOTE: If you are not sure that you are going to Heaven, be sure to get your "Passort for Heaven" at: http://tinyurl.com/dm472. Whatever you do, don't leave earth without it.
1. Jesus (John 14:1-3, NIV).



Credit: Daily Encounter

On Being Heavenly Minded

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."1

Jesus, of course, was talking about coming back to get his followers to take them to be with him in Heaven.

Jesus' first coming is an indisputable fact of history. His second coming is just as certain. What isn't certain is the date of his coming. Over the years many have tried to predict that date and have fallen flat on their face. Only God knows that day.

Others have accused us Christians of being so heavenly minded we are of no earthly use. True, some people are this way, but that is when they use their religion as an escape from or defense against facing their own reality.

I appreciate what David Shibley wrote: "Remember a 'heavenly minded' Wilberforce whose passion for human dignity helped eradicate the slave trade throughout the British empire. Go to the inner city of Chicago and watch the tireless workers at the Pacific Garden Mission as they tell inquiring street people how to get to heaven while providing them food and shelter on the way. Scan the world and look at the thousands of hospitals, shelters, leprosariums, children's homes and colleges that have been built in heaven's honor. The point is obvious. Those who truly set their sights on another world are often the most active for constructive change in this one.

As C.S. Lewis suggested it is when we cease to think of the other world (Heaven) we become ineffective in this one.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, as Jesus taught us to pray, may your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. And help me, while here on earth, to be a part of your plans and what you are doing in the world today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

NOTE: If you are not sure that you are going to Heaven, be sure to get your "Passort for Heaven" at: http://tinyurl.com/dm472. Whatever you do, don't leave earth without it.
1. Jesus (John 14:1-3, NIV).

Credit: Daily Encounter

Show Me – Don't Tell Me

"And then he [Jesus] told them, 'You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.'"1


I have often felt that much of my education taught me how to make a living and do a lot of good things, but it didn't teach me how to live or make a life. That I have had to learn the hard way—and am still learning how to do that.


Nevertheless, my education did teach me many valuable lessons. One that I have never forgotten was from my journalism professor. Time and again in bright red he would write on my papers, "Show me. Don't tell me!"


I took it to mean that in my writing I needed to illustrate important points with stories, which was the way that Jesus taught in his many parables.2


I like to apply the "show me—don't tell me" principle not only in my writing, but also in my teaching and especially in my witness for Christ. In other words, one of the greatest ways we can teach others and witness for Christ is to model true Christianity. Until we do this, our words won't carry much weight.


Like Mother Theresa wisely said in words to this effect: "Witness at every opportunity. Use words when necessary." And as another wisely said, "The living truth I long to see, I cannot live on what used to be, so close your Bible and show me how the Christ you talk about is living now."


In other words, "To win some we need to be winsome."


Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to so live the Christian life that others, seeing what you have done in my life, will want you in their lives as well. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."


1. Jesus (Mark 16:15, TLB).2. See Matthew 13:35.

Show Me – Don't Tell Me

"And then he [Jesus] told them, 'You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.'"1

I have often felt that much of my education taught me how to make a living and do a lot of good things, but it didn't teach me how to live or make a life. That I have had to learn the hard way—and am still learning how to do that.

Nevertheless, my education did teach me many valuable lessons. One that I have never forgotten was from my journalism professor. Time and again in bright red he would write on my papers, "Show me. Don't tell me!"

I took it to mean that in my writing I needed to illustrate important points with stories, which was the way that Jesus taught in his many parables.2

I like to apply the "show me—don't tell me" principle not only in my writing, but also in my teaching and especially in my witness for Christ. In other words, one of the greatest ways we can teach others and witness for Christ is to model true Christianity. Until we do this, our words won't carry much weight.

Like Mother Theresa wisely said in words to this effect: "Witness at every opportunity. Use words when necessary." And as another wisely said, "The living truth I long to see, I cannot live on what used to be, so close your Bible and show me how the Christ you talk about is living now."

In other words, "To win some we need to be winsome."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to so live the Christian life that others, seeing what you have done in my life, will want you in their lives as well. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Jesus (Mark 16:15, TLB).2. See Matthew 13:35.

Seize the Day

"Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross over the Jordan River, you, and all these people, to the land which I am giving to you.... Every place where you set your foot, that I have given to you."1

When God told Joshua and the ancient Israelites that he had given them the Promised Land, he didn't hand it to them on a silver platter. To claim God's promise, they had to battle every inch of the way. They still had to go, conquer, and possess it.
The reality is, however, that had God not given the Promised Land to them, they never would have been able to conquer and possess it.

God also has a work for you and me to do. He will give us opportunities every day to serve him but it's up to us to take advantage of every one of these as they will come to pass—not to pause!
With God's help, let us "seize the day" and take advantage of every one of these opportunities, and claim every promise he has for us.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be ready to 'seize' every opportunity you give me to serve you and claim every promise you have made to me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."


1. God to Joshua in the Bible (Joshua 1:2-3).

Getting God's Guidance

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."1

A Daily Encounter reader writes, "My husband and I started a business a year ago and it has been a constant struggle. How can we know if what we are doing is God's goal/purpose for us?"
First, as indicated you are doing the right thing by seeking God's direction in prayer.
Second, are you gifted for the work that you are doing? I don't believe God ever calls us to do things that he hasn't already gifted us for.

Third, are you adequately trained for what you are doing? This is a constant challenge in today's competitive world because if we don't keep upgrading our training, we can easily get left behind.
Fourth, is what you are doing in harmony with the will of God based on principles as found in his Word, the Bible? This is very important if we are to get God's blessing.

Fifth, is what you are doing a business or service that people want? It doesn't matter how good a product or service is, if people don't want it, it won't succeed.

Sixth, keep in mind, too, that a big percentage of new businesses never survive. It takes all of the above plus hard work, determination, and stick-ability. Very few successful projects happen without these qualities.

Seventh, above all we need to keep seeking God's direction by every day committing and trusting our life, our loved ones, our work, and all that we are doing to the Lord in prayer. By way of interest, whenever I have a problem, challenge, question or struggle, I always ask God to face me with the truth and reality of the situation I am in. Once I see the truth and reality I pretty much know what I need to do.

I trust these few thoughts will be helpful.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you are interested in every detail of my life. Again this day I commit and trust every aspect of my life to you. Please give me the insight to see the reality in every situation I am in. And then, help me to know what I need to do and give me the courage to do it no matter what it is. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Solomon (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Credit: Daily Encounter

The Ant and the Feather

"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!"1

"One morning," writes Ron Clarke, "I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather across my back terrace. Several times it was confronted by obstacles in its path and after a momentary pause it would make the necessary detour.

"At one point the ant had to negotiate a crack in the concrete about 10mm wide. After brief contemplation the ant laid the feather over the crack, walked across it and picked up the feather on the other side then continued on its way.

"I was fascinated by the ingenuity of this ant—one of God's smallest creatures. Here was a minute insect, lacking in size yet equipped with a brain to reason, explore, discover and overcome."

Can you imagine God telling us to learn from an ant? So what can we learn? Ants are determined, they are not afraid to work to achieve their goals, they work as a team, they think through and work to overcome the challenges thrown in their pathway, and they never give up. But most of all they teach us about the marvels of God's creation.

"Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the miracles of your creation. Help me to learn the lessons I need to learn from the ants. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Proverbs 6:6 (NIV).

Credit: Daily Encounter

Laughter, the Best Medicine

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."1

I read about one lady who, when she turned fifty, wore a button at her work place that said, "Fifty is nifty." All day she got lots of compliments with people saying things like, "Anita, you don't look 50," "Why, Anita, you can't be 50," and "We all know you're not 50."

She knew they were kidding but she loved it. However, the more she heard the lies, the more she believed them. On her way home she got to thinking, I think I need a new husband. At 51 he's much too old for a young looking gal like me.

As she arrived home from work, a young girl from the florist shop was delivering a beautiful floral arrangement with a note that said, "Birthday flowers from a friend."

Seeing the "Fifty is Nifty" button on Anita's dress, the girl said, "Oh, 50, eh?"
"Yes," Anita said as she waited for one more compliment about looking so young when the delivery girl said, "Fifty. That's great! Birthday or anniversary?"
I heard about another lady who, when she was 50, liked to tell people she was 60. "Why do you do this? Someone who knew her real age asked. "Well for 50 I look terrible, but for 60 I look fantastic," she replied.

Kidding and joking in the right spirit when you make yourself the target of the laughter (and not others) is fun and healthy. We probably all remember the axiom that says, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This would probably be better said: "A laugh a day keeps the doctor and the blues away."

Laughter is indeed one of the best medicines. As the Bible taught 3,000 years ago, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."1

"Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the gift of laughter, humor and fun. Help me to take life seriously, serving you seriously, but not myself too seriously. Help me to learn to laugh at myself even when I make mistakes, and to laugh a little with my friends—every day. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Solomon (Proverbs 17:22, NIV).

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People Pleasers

"In the temple courts he [Jesus] found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, 'Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!'"1

Of one thing we can be certain: Jesus was not a "people pleaser." The reality is that "people pleasers" inevitably end up getting frustrated and angry because they are not getting the response they want from trying to please everybody, and ultimately end up pleasing nobody.
It isn't possible to please everybody. When we try to, we do it out of our own need for approval—an empty substitute for love. As one person said, "If you have to stand on your head to make others happy, all you can expect to get is a big headache."

Or as another put it, "If you stand for something you will have some people for you and some against you. But if you stand for nothing, you will have nobody against you—and nobody for you."

As already noted, Jesus was not a "people pleaser." He stood for truth and right regardless of what anybody thought of him. May God help you and me to do the same.

"Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to find inner security both in your love and that of others so I will not be searching for love in trying to please others. Deliver me from this bondage. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Jesus (John 2:14-16, NIV).

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Judgment Day

"It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."1

According to God's Word, the Bible, after death, either at the judgment seat of Christ or at the Great White judgment throne of God, every one of us will be required to give an account to God regarding our life here on earth.

Those who believe in God and have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior have their names written in God's book of life. However, they will still appear before the judgment seat of Christ—not to be judged for their sins because Jesus paid that penalty for them when he died on the cross—but to be judged on the basis of how they served God here on earth and be rewarded accordingly. As God's Words says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."2

On the other hand, those who have not chosen to believe in God or accept Jesus Christ as their Savior—whose names are not written in God's book of life—will appear before God, the Judge of all the earth at the Great White Judgment throne of God. Because they never accepted Jesus' sacrifice for their sins nor asked God for forgiveness, they will have to pay the penalty for their own sins, which is eternal death and separation from God, the author of all love and life, in the place the Bible calls hell or the lake of fire—wherever and whatever that may be.

As God's Word says, "Each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."3

The critical issue is: have you confessed your sinfulness to God and believe that Jesus died on the cross in your place for your sins and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If not, you will be required in the end to pay the penalty for your sins yourself.C. S. Lewis put it succinctly: "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says in the end, 'Thy will be done.'"

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for giving your Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for all my sins. I do believe in you and confess my sinfulness and ask for your forgiveness. Help me always to live for you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

Note: If you prayed this simple prayer and truly meant it, please let us know by going to http://tinyurl.com/pgntm, or for further help be sure to read, "To Find and Know God ... without having to be religious" at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

1. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).
2. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV).
3. Revelation 20:13-15 (NIV).

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