It's In the Valleys That We Grow

This poem was in my inbox and was given to me by Joyce Schneider from http://www.alifedecision.org Thanks Joyce.

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,

Full of sorrow, trouble and woe

It's then we have to remember

That it's in the valleys we grow.

If we always stayed on the mountain top

And never experienced pain,

We would never appreciate God's love

And would be living in vain.

We have so much to learn

And our growth is very slow,

Sometimes we need the mountain tops,

But it's in the valleys we grow.

We do not always understand

Why things happen as they do,

But I am very sure of one thing.

My Lord will see me through.

The little valleys are nothing

When we picture Christ on the cross

He went through the valley of death;

His victory was Satan's loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining

When I'm feeling so very low.

Just give me a gentle reminder

That it's in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord

And use my life each day

To share your love with others

And help them find their way.

Thank you for the valleys, Lord

For this one thing

I know The mountain tops are glorious

But it's in the valleys I grow!

Author Unknown

Today's Word with Joel & Victoria

This is from Joel Osteen and his website is http://www.joelosteen.com Thanks Joel.

God loves a giver!

Today's Scripture:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, thatwhoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John3:16)

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria:

One of the greatest challenges facing our society today is thetendency to live self-centered and selfish lives. But did you knowthat God created us to be givers?He created us to be vessels of His selfless and compassionate love.John 3:16 tells us that God showed His love to us by giving His Son,and we also show our love to others by our giving. You can experiencea new level of God's joy, blessing, and favor in your life when youstep out and begin giving of yourself to others in a greater capacity.Learn to walk in love and prefer others above yourself. IThessalonians 5:15 says, "See that no one pays back evil for evil, butalways aim to show kindness and seek to do good to everybody." Learnhow to better follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to meet the needsof those around you. When you do, you will experience thesupernatural joy of giving, and God will honor your efforts and pourout his abundant blessing on you.A Prayer for Today:God, You gave me the ultimate example of self-sacrificial giving.There are so many opportunities to show Your love to others. Everyday, I will seek out ways to show kindness and compassion. In Jesus'Name -- Amen.

Love Letter from Abba Father

This was in my inbox and given to me byWanda Winters-Gutierrez and her link is http://peacejourney.blogstream.com Thanks Wanda.

Also this letter was origionally sent to Wanda from a friend of hers. Here is her information:

Abba Father Letter
by Sue Steen Nickel
Copyright 8-29-06
www.victoryonthethirdday.org

Dear Daughter,

My Daughter all is well. You will see more of my Glory in the days ahead. My daughter I will fix all that you have missed. Just know I hear even your moans and I see each tear that falls. I do not miss anything in your life. For what concerns you concerns Me. You are most precious to Me. I will grant to you all the desires of your heart. Trust Me to bring you through on dry ground. Today is a day of grace and much freedom. You may hear of wars and rumors of wars but do not let that alarm you. For the days are not at an end but at the beginning. My daughter be still and know that I Am God and that I Am able to deliver you every time. My daughter be bold for your confidence comes from Me. I Love you deeply My daughter of great grace and mercy. Do not lean on your own understanding. Trust Me this day to bring you through. Remember that you were made in My image and likeness. Walk in My love today.

Love Eternally,

Abba Father

GOOD MORNING

This was sent to me from Wendy of http://www.yakattack.myeweb.net/ and who is also a member of http://www.s2schrist.org/ in which we are both members of. Thanks, Wendy.

GOOD MORNING

I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, DO NOT attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFJTD (something for Jesus to do) box. It will be addressed in MY time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, DO NOT hold on to it or attempt to remove it. Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problems. If it is a situation that you think you are capable of handling, please consult Me in prayer to be sure that it is the proper resolution. Because I do not sleep nor do I slumber, there is no need for you to lose any sleep. Rest my child. If you need to contact Me, I am only a prayer away.

Love,

Jesus

Soul Food

I love the taste of T-bone steak,

Delicious every bite,

But there's nothing like the Word of God,

For my spiritual appetite.

The Word of God has milk and meat,

And even ice cream and cake.

Take a slice of the Bread of Life,

And coffee to keep us awake.

Open your Bible and turn to Psalms,

For David's famous buffet.

You can drink all the wine of the word you want,

And still feel fine the next day.

There's enough of the Word for everyone,

And no one has to cheat.

The Word of God is a smorgasbord,

So take all you are able to eat.

Let's have a little long suffering,

Job gives the recipe.

Patience is the main ingredient,

Self denial is the fee.

Wrap that up in temperance,

It may not make much sense,

Cover that with contentment,

Then add some joy for strength.

Let's have love for dessert,

Jesus made this dish,

Cream of joy and peace together,

Sift out all selfishness.

Add some deeds of righteousness,

Enough to make it sweet.

Humility is the frosting,

That makes the dish complete.

Or are you on a diet,

Cause the race seems hard to run.

For a weight losing menu,

Try Hebrews 12 and 1.

Are you suffering from malnutrition,

And don't know what to do?

Your spiritual growth! seems hindered,

Try I. Peter 2 and 2.

If when every time you battle,

the enemy always wins,

Try some Holy Ghost Protein,

And spiritual vitamins.

God's Word can feed millions,

And still have plenty left.

Because the Word of God is Soul Food,

Sent from the World's Greatest CHEF. Amen.

Author Unknown

Christians, Wake Up and Live!

Rules for Daily Living

1. Wake Up!!!

Decide to have a good day."Today is the day the Lord hath made,let us rejoice and be glad in it."Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up!!!

The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks."The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.Man looks at outward appearance;but the Lord looks at the heart."I Samuel 16:7

3. Listen Up!!

Say nice things and learn to listen.God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meantfor us to do twice as much listening as talking."He who guards his lips guards his soul."Proverbs 13:3

4. Stand Up!!!

For what you believe in.Stand for something or you will fall for anything."Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the propertime, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."Galations 6:9-10

5. Look Up!!!

"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me."Philippians 4:13

6. Reach Up!!!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and lean not unto your own understanding.In all your ways, acknowledge Him,and He will direct your path."Proverbs 3:5-6

7. Lift Up!!!

"Do not worry about anything;instead PRAY ABOUTEVERYTHING."Philippians 4:6

Author Unknown

The Bible is Like a All You Want to Eat Buffet!

The Bible is like a all you want to eat buffet at your local restaurant. You are probably asking "Why?" I would like to present some things that you might not agree with.

The Bible is being picked apart by people. Some of the Bible people like and some of the Bible they disagree with so they pick it apart to their liking. Why is that you may be asking? I do not have all the answers but maybe it makes the Believer feel better about being a Christian. The Bible is written by God and should not be picked apart for our liking. No, it is the Holy Word of God and should be treated as such. It was made over many years ago and should be left alone. Noone needs to pick the Bible apart, just take it for its face value. Christians could be united in the Body of Christ and things could get done in the Kingdom of God. There are alot of souls in this dark world that need to be saved by us. People are searching for answers to life. Lets be the light to their dark world. Let us walk the walk and talk the talk.


Let us bow in prayer.

Lord I thank you that I can take the Bible as face value and not question it. Help me the live the Christian life so people will want what I have. I thank you for the many Blessings in my life. Thank you for saving me with your Grace. I thank you in Jesus Name. Amen.


If this blog has been helpful to you in any way, please write to me at barbarabodling@yahoo.com or leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Love, Hugs, and Blessings,

Barbara

Another Site to Enjoy!

Here is another website that I write inspirational articles for; the link is http://www.msfinancialsavvy.com and the site is very well done. It talks about business, retirement, health, recipes, and all kinds of different topics. There is even a picture of me on the website.

ARE WE GOING TO GIVE OUR LIVES TO HIM?

This is from Noman Vincent Pearle and it is from his book "Positive Thinking for Every Day of the Year." I highly recommend this book. You will never go wrong reading about positive thoughts instead of being beaten up by the world and its negative way of thinking about things.

He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth aboard. Matthew 12:30

The call comes to us individually. Are we going to give our lives to Him, or are we going to give our lives to someone else? That is the issue.

We had better be with Him. We will never be truly happy unless we are. We will never find abiding peace unless we are.

Betray Him and you betray yourself. Betray His call to discipleship and you betray your own future. And if a society continues to reject Him, it brings woe upon itself.

But human beings have goodness; human beings have God in them. When they see the truth, they respond and they respond gloriously. When we identify with Him, we cease to betray ourselves and our society ceases to be betray itself. In new faith, we lay the groundwork for a new and glorifious fulfillment of the greatest ideals and principles ever known. So let's come alive. Lets go forth as redeemed people to redeem the life of our time.

Let us bow in prayer.

Our Heavenly Father, help us to face whatever difficulty comes to us and not be afraid. For you are with us and in Your Strength we are indefinitely strong. And in Your strength we can overcome anything --- anything. For this we give thanks. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

ATTENTION READERS OF "PRETTY IN PINK" WOMAN'S MINISTRY

I am going to be on a internet radio show that is prerecorded on Thursday, September 14, 2006 and this will be in the evening time. I will be talking about Family Emergencies...Are You Prepared For One? Please tune in if you can. The internet radio show is every Thursday evening. The link is http://www.healyourselftalk.com This internet radio station is excellent and the guest speakers talk about a variety of topics that heal your mind, body, and soul.

Love, Hugs, and Blessings,

Barbara

UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE

Thank you Pastor Darryl for this wonderful message about the Bible. Pastor Darryl is on Ryze and has a Christian Discussion and Networking group that people can join. The link to all of this is http://christiannetwork-network.ryze.com


We all want a better understanding of God’s Word, the Bible, and it depends mainly upon two things: (1) the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, and (2) the interpreting work of the reader.

ILLUMINATION

Although the word “illumination” has been used when referring to several areas of doctrine (i.e. the general enlightenment that the coming of Christ brought to all men, John 1:9, and the illumination theory of inspiration), it is generally thought of in connection with the ministry of the Holy Spirit which makes clear the truth of the written revelation in the Bible. In reference to the Bible, revelation relates to its content or material, inspiration to the method of recording that material, and illumination to the meaning of what is said. The unsaved person cannot experience the illuminating ministry of the Spirit since he is blinded to the truth of God (I Cor. 2:14). This doesn’t mean that they can’t learn the facts of the Bible, but they consider what they know from it as foolishness until their heart is open to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit..
On the other hand, the Christian has been promised this illumination of the text (John 16:12-15; I Cor. 2:9-3:2). Taking these two passages together, several things jump out at us:

(1) The most obvious is that the Spirit Himself is the Teacher, and His presence in the life of the believer is the guarantee of the effectiveness of this ministry.

(2) The content of His teaching encompasses “all the truth” (John 16:13). It specifically includes an understanding of prophecy, “things to come.”

(3) The purpose of the Spirit’s illumination is to glorify Christ, never, and I repeat, never to glorify Himself.

(4) The believer can be hindered by sin and not be receptive to this ministry of the Spirit (I Cor. 3:1-2).

INTERPRETATION

Illumination, though promised to the believer, does not always guarantee automatic understanding. As indicated above, the believer must be in fellowship with the Lord in order to experience this ministry. But also he or she must study, using the teachers God has given to the church (Rom. 12:7) and the abilities and means at his or her disposal.
The basic principle of interpretation is to interpret plainly. I’m not using the word “literal” here because it is too often misunderstood. Plain, straight-forward interpretation includes, at least, the following things:

(1) To interpret plainly one must first of all understand what each word means in its normal grammatical historical sense. In other words, what did it mean to the people that it was first spoken to.

(2) Plain interpretation does not exclude the use of figures of speech. Actually, a figure of speech may communicate more clearly, but what it communicates is plain. To put it simply, behind every figure of speech is a plain meaning, and that is what an honest interpreter seeks to find.

(3) Always read, understanding the context in which a verse or passage of Scripture appears, this will shed light on its meaning. Remember: a text out of context is a pretext. Beware of the speaker who says, “Now you don’t need to turn to this verse.” He may be taking it out of context and giving it a meaning that it was not meant to have. Watch out for and don’t be guilty of “proof-texting.” That means taking a verse out of context to prove a point. It is always safe, and prudent, to read what precedes and what follows any verse.

(4) Recognize the progress of revelation. Remember that the Bible was not handed down all at once as a complete book, it came from God through many different writers over a period of about 1,500 years. This may mean that in the progress of revealing His message to man, God may add or even change in one era what He had given in another. i.e. the New Testament adds much that was not revealed in the Old Testament. And what God revealed as binding in one period may be changed in another (as the prohibition of eating pork was lifted, I Tim. 4:3). This is most important; otherwise, the Bible would apparently contradict itself (Matt. 10:5-7 compared with 28:18-20).

(5) Expect the Bible to use what is technically called phenomenal language. This simply means that it often describes things as they appear to be rather than in precise scientific terms. The Bible speaks of the sun rising and setting, neither of which it does, but that is the way we see it and the way in which we speak. (Matt. 5:45; Mark 1:32) This is a plain and normal way to communicate.

(6) Recognize the important divisions of the Bible when interpreting it. The most basic is the difference between the Old and New Testaments. But there are also different kinds of writings – historical, poetic, prophetic – which must be recognized as different if they are to be interpreted correctly. Other significant things that affect proper interpretation are things like the covenant made with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) and the one with David (II Sam. 7), the mystery of the Church as the body of Christ (Eph. 3:6), and the difference between law and grace (John 1:17; Rom. 6:14).

These are just some things that are necessary in understanding the basic concept of plain biblical interpretation. And God intended His Word to be understood this way, plain and simple. In other words, take it as it reads and don’t try to make it say something that it doesn’t. Always interpret a text in light of its context. Understand a passage as just what it plainly says, unless there is indication that it is meant to be taken figuratively, then seek for the plain meaning behind the figure of speech or symbolism. Using a good modern translation is always a help. God wants His Word to be plainly understood. Don’t try to spiritualize its plain truth. There are mysteries in the Bible to be sure, but it is not a mysterious book where we have to find the hidden meaning behind what it says. I find nothing more fulfilling than to dig into the Word and uncover the truths of God in a new and deeper way. God bless you as you study His Word.

in His love,
Darryl

WELCOME HOME

Welcome Home My Child My Son;

Your work on earth has been well done.

You have been a witness to many while on earth;

And you've shared the story about the miracle birth.

You never hid the fact that you loved Me.

You shared the Word no matter what the need be.

You spoke of Me often to family and friends;

And you showed how faith can be strengthen and often mends.

You did your best to always give glory to Me;

And for this; you will live eternally.

And now the time has come for you to rest;

I'm taking you home as My special guest.

Welcome Home my daughter; My child; My son;

Your work on earth has been well done.

Danise Nowak Hablbohm

Slow To Anger

Slow To Anger

My dear brothers, take not of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
for mans's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
James 1:19,20


The subject of anger has been coming up a lot lately. We talked about it Tuesday morning in a study I was attending. How angry King Xerxes got when Queen Vashti refused his command appearance at one of his royal banquets. She was never allowed to enter into his presence again. She lost her position as his wife and his queen. Tonight I read to the boys the story of Cain and Able and what happened when Cain got angry at his brother Able, because God liked Able's sacrifice better. Cain ended up killing Able, he was so upset with him.

Last night, when I was trying to get the boys to bed, they pushed every last one of my buttons and instead of a quiet peaceful bedtime, I ended up tense and angry with them. I apologized to them after Bobby came in and reprimanded everyone, but it still threw the tone of the evening off. I went to bed, tired and discouraged that I'd fussed at the boys. I know better ...

Tonight I made sure that my head and my heart were in the right place before we started the bedtime routine. I didn't want a repeat of last night and the boys must have felt the same way, because all was peaceful and calm as it should be.

But as soon as I read the story on Cain and Abel, I thought, wow, yep, this anger thing is important. God wants us to be quick to listen, to not jump right in with our own thoughts till we hear the story out, and even then, we need to take our time speaking. How many times have I blurted something out, only to wish I could reach out and pull the words back. But once they get out, they are gone. The damage is done. And we must be even slower to anger...because our anger does not bring us anything but trouble. I want to live the righteous life that God desires for me ... I want this lesson to sink into my soul and my spirit and when angry words start to rise up, I want to bite them off, before they are released.

Father, forgive me when I allow my emotions to interfere in a negative way with my actions. Father help me to learn this lesson deep inside my heart, so that all my actions will bring glory to You.
I love you Jesus.
In Your name I pray, Amen.


My Story:
http://www.alifedecision.org

By Joyce Schneider

One Day At A Time

I'm only human, I'm just a man.

Help me believe in what I can be.

And all that I am.

Show me the stair way.

I have to climb, Lord for my sake.

Teach me to take one day at a time.

One day at a time, sweet Jesus.

That's all I'm asking of you.

Just give me the strength to do every day what I have to do.

Yesterdays gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine.

Lord help me today, show me the way one day at a time.

Do you remember when you walked among men well,

Jesus you know if you are looking below it is worse now than then.

Pushing and shoving.

Crowding my mind.

Lord for my sake teach me to take one day at a time.

One day at a time, sweet Jesus.

That's all I'm asking of you.

Just give me the strength to do every day what I have to do.

Yesterdays gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine.

Lord help me today, show me the way one day at a time.

Author Unknown

Christ Is The Cure

There is much that ails this old sinful world. The problems, sickness and destruction of man unto man can be read everyday in the newspapers. Where does it all end? What or who is the cure? The Lord Jesus Christ is our everything. He is our Creator, Commander, Controller - He is our Cure. He is the cure for a doubtful future. Look what is taking place in the world today! He is the cure for a drifting family. A wayward husband a cheating wife a rebellious son or daughter.The safest place you can put your family is in the hands of Jesus. Some parents are dependent on schools or doctors. A man once said, "You can't take anything to Heaven with you." But he was wrong. You can take your family. Is your family in? Christ is the cure for ALL family problems.Christ is the cure for a disturbed friend. Some turn to drugs, liquor, sex, and crime. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" Phil 4:7 He is the cure for a dull existence. We can have a victorious life in Christ. HIS joy is unsurmountable and imeasurable."For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith," I John 5:4 No matter what happens to me in life - heaven is my home and the devil can't take that away from me! JESUS IS The CURE for a doomed soul. What does the world have to offer? Nothing but emptiness and eternal darkness. "COME UNTO ME ALL YOU WHO ARE WEARY AND HEAVY LADEN AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Love, Jesus

Author Unknown

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIN!

How do you wake up in bed with someone.....who is not your spouse? Or, how do you find yourself with a straw in your nose snorting lines of coke? Or, how do you start talking to someone and end up telling horrible stories about someone else? Or, how do you walk into a store and leave with an item you didn't pay for? Or, how do you tell your parents you are going one place and actually go to the exact place they told you not to go? How does a person come to that place where they are actually COMMITTING sin?I can assure you that you didn't wake up and just "end up" in bed with someone who isn't your spouse. I love the great line people use, "I didn't mean this to happen," or, "it just happened." No, actually you DID mean it to happen and NOTHING "just happens." Sin is the ultimate act of selfishness since by its very definition, sin is rebellion against God. Even though satan, the great justifier, will give you lots of reasons you sinned to help you ease the guilt, the fact is sin is literally you saying to God, "not thy will but MY WILL be done!"It would be nice if we sinned in a vacuum and we were the only ones we hurt, but that isn't the case. As we just learned we hurt God when we sin. You should know by now that when you sin you hurt yourself. Sin costs, and it costs you much more than you ever expected to pay. Sadly however, in addition to hurting God and yourself, your sin hurts others. Let's just look at the sin of adultery or fornication for example. In addition to hurting God and yourself, you hurt the person you sinned with, you hurt your family, you hurt the family of the other person, not to mention people in both of your lives that may be affected by your sin. This notion that you only hurt yourself when you sin is just another one of satan's lies!Please be honest enough to admit that when you sin, it was because you WANTED TO! The reality is, you had more than enough opportunities to NOT sin if you really didn't want to. Sin starts in our heart. Jeremiah the prophet proclaimed, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" It was our Lord and Savior Jesus who said in Mark 7, "That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." That is why David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God" in the 51st Psalm. The Bible talks much about having a "new heart," a "clean heart."From the heart, sin then travels to our mind. It is in our mind where we "think" about our sin, whether consciously or not. This notion of running out and sinning is sheer folly. If you think back on your sins, you will clearly remember those times of actually thinking about or dwelling on your sin. The deeper we get into sin, the more time we spend thinking about it. Initially, our thoughts are about the consequences of sinning, about whether we should actually go through with it or not. After we physically commit the sin a few times, our thoughts are more about the sin itself than stopping. Again, this is why the Bible talks to us extensively about the "renewing of our mind."This takes us back to the questions I asked you in the very first paragraph. Once sin is born in our heart, travels to our mind and is not stopped, the physical act is inevitable. If you let sin into your heart, if you let it fester in your mind, the chances of you having the "will power" to not commit the physical act of sinning is very unlikely. The reality is and what you need to understand, is that you have already sinned even before the physical act occurs. What happened in your heart and mind is already sin. That is why Jesus said if you lust in your heart after another woman you have already committed the act of adultery. All the physical act is, is the culmination of the sin you already committed.I love you and care about you so much. Now the good news! YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIN! Let me say this loud enough for the hard of hearing and even satan to hear, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIN!!! God CAN give you a new heart. God WILL help you to renew your mind. God DOES give you many opportunities to escape sin and say no along the way. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIN! Don't let the enemy lie to you that you are too weak, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIN! The fact is, God will give you everything you need to live your life in obedience to Him. Say it with me, I DON'T HAVE TO SIN!!!This is why I share with you often how important your daily relationship with the Lord through prayer and the Word is. The closer you are to the Lord, the further you are from sin. That is why it is so important to "die to self" each day. Again, when it is Christ living and not us, sin has no part of our life. Also, never forget the great promise God gives us in 1 Corinthians 10, "But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." I can guarantee you without any hesitation that if you think back on the sins you have committed in your life, you can point to at least one, maybe dozens of "escape routes" God provided that youignored.I will be praying for you today. Praying that you realize you don't have to sin. However, if you want victory over sin in your life, there are things YOU must do. A football team can't show up an hour before the first game and expect to win. They have to put in hours and hours of hard work and practice before the game to have any chance at victory. The same is true if you want victory over sin, you have to work at it. If you will spend time each day with the Lord in prayer, if you will spend time each day renewing your mind through His Word, if you will make that commitment to die to self each day so that it is Christ in control of your life, if when confronted with sin you will take the escape routes God gives you, you can live your life in obedience to God. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIN!

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY? The fact is you will die one day. At that moment, you will either spend eternity with the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness forever separated from God your creator. To know for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to: bkeller@liveprayer.com , or you can mail your gift to: Liveprayer, 6660 46th Ave. North, St. Petersburg, Fl 33709. All gifts to Liveprayer are 100% tax deductible.

--This message has been sent by the Jesus' Love Online Bible Group network leader. Visit the Jesus' Love Online Bible Group network home page athttp://Jesusloveonlinebible-network.ryze.com/

A GREAT WEBSITE TO SAY THANKS TO OUR MILITARY MEN AND WOMEN!

http://www.letssaythanks.com

It is all About Attitude in the Kingdom of God!

It is all about attitude in the Kingdom of God. Sometimes, our attitude in life determines where we are going in life. It says in the Word of God that "You reap what you sow." This is a very true statement to us Believers in the Kingdom of God. If you have a negative attitude in life, you are going to miss out on God's Blessings in your life. You need to have a positive attitude in life, especially in the Kingdom of God. Here are a few things that you can do to have a positive attitude in life.

1. Listen to only positive things and forget the negative things: How do you do that you might ask? Read your Bible and search the Scriptures and medicate on these concepts. You will have a positive attitude in life, for sure. Also, you might want to eliminate negative shows on television. The world is filled with negative shows. The news is getting very overwhelming with negative news these days. I believe that if you eliminate these shows, you will be a better person for it.

2. Find a good church. You need to be "planted" in a good church so you can be surrounded with good Godly friends and get involved in your church. Don't be a bench warmer and sit on the sidelines. You will end up lonely and forget going to church. You will think "why bother, I have no friends at church." I know some people that think this way and they are now turning toward the world for friends which is the wrong way to think. These worldly friends can lead you down the wrong path of life.

3. Read some positive thinking book as part of your quiet time with God. A good book to read is Norman Pearle's books. He writes positive thinking books in a calendar format. These books are designed for us Christians to start our day right so the enemy does not distract us.

4. Listen to good Christian music. There is so much bad music in our world that is so bad to our ears. Have you listened to some of the words in the bad music? It is too bad that our teenagers are listening to it. No wonder our teenagers are so confused. Garbage in, garbage out is what happens in our brain. We need to reprogram our brains so we can think clearly and get on with this thing called living.

5. We should watch how we surf the internet. There are some bad websites out there that are not healthy at all. We need to fine wholesome websites that God would be proud of and not be embarassed by. WWJD?

I believe that if Christians follow these suggestions that we just might put "Dr. Phil" or "Oprah" out of business. We can do all of these things with God's Help.


Let us bow in prayer:

Lord, I ask you to help me live my life to the fullest and fill my mind with positive things from above. I thank you for changing my attitude in life and help me want more of you. Help me so that I can dig into the Bible for solutions to my problems and not rely on the world's way of doing things. I thank you for my wonderful Blessings in my life. In Your Son's Name, King of Kings and the Lord of Lords...Amen.


If this message has been helpful, please leave a comment or write to me at barbarabodling@yahoo.com. I am here for you and would love to here from you soon. Thanks.

Love, Hugs, and Blessings,

Barbara

Embracing The Mess

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. - Proverbs 14:4

My wife and I run together through a new home subdivision. Often we see the street filled with red clay from the land as bulldozers clear it to lay a foundation. The job site is littered with lumber, all sorts of trash from workers, and is generally a mess. The house looks ugly; it has all its insides exposed as it is being pieced together, yet this process is necessary to get to the finished product. When completed, the home is beautiful. The landscaping looks like it came out of a home-design magazine. Everything is clean and perfect in order for the new homeowner to move in.Our walk with God is much the same process. Often we must go through a messy period of our lives in which all aspects of it are in disarray. It is in these times that God builds a new structure. He might remove some structural timbers in our lives and replace them with new ones. He might even add on another room. And unless this process takes place, we will never see the end product. The goal is more Christlikeness. In order to achieve this in us, He requires a period of removing all that is not of Him. It can be a painful process.It would be impossible to keep oxen in a barn without having to clean up the mess from time to time. It just comes with the territory, but the result of the oxen is an abundant harvest. God may be allowing a mess in order to ensure a fruitful harvest in your life. Learn from Him so that you might experience the fulfillment of His purposes for you in these times.

By Os Hillman

Inspiration

This was found at a website that I visit frequently. It is at http://www.secretofprosperity.com

Inspiration: Author Unknown
During the waning years of the depression in a small southeastern Idaho community, I used to stop by Brother Miller's roadside stand for farm-fresh produce as the season made it available. Food and money were still extremely scarce and bartering was used, extensively.
One particular day Brother Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Brother Miller and the ragged boy next to me.
"Hello Barry, how are you today?"
"Hello, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Just admiring them peas, sure look good."
"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"
"Fine. Getting' stronger all of the time."
"Good. Anything I can help you with?"
"No, Sir. Just admiring them peas."
"Would you like to take some home?"
"No, Sir. Got nothing' to pay for 'em with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
"All I've got is my prize marble here."
"Is that right? Let me see it."
"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."
"I can see that. Hmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?"
"Not exactly .....but, almost."
"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble."
"Sure will. Thanks, Mr. Miller."
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, perhaps."
I left the stand, smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Utah but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys and their bartering. Several years went by each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there I learned that Brother Miller had died. They were having his viewing that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them.
Upon our arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could. Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing smiling and composed, by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary, awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles. Eyes glistening she took my hand and led me to the casket. "Those three young men, that just left, were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size...they came to pay their debt. We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but, right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho."
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three, magnificently shiny, red marbles.

Moral: We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds.

Christian Kids Say The Darnest Things...

STORY OF ELIJAH The Sunday school teacher was carefully explaining the story of Elijah the Prophet and the false prophets of Baal. She explained how Elijah built the altar, put wood upon it, cut the steer in pieces, and laid it upon the altar. And then, Elijah commanded the people of God to fill four barrels of water and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times "Now, said the teacher, "can anyone in the class tell me why the Lord would have Elijah pour water over the steer on the altar?" A little girl in the back of the room started waving her hand, "I know! I know!" she said, "To make the gravy!"

LOT'S WIFE The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My Mummy looked back once, while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"

GOOD SAMARITAN A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then, she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?" A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I'd throw up."

DID NOAH FISH? A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark?" "No," replied David. "How could he, with just two worms?"

HIGHER POWER A Sunday school teacher said to her children, " We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a higher power. Can anybody tell me what it is?" One child blurted out, "Aces!"

MOSES &THE RED SEA Nine-year-old Joey, was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school. "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then, he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved." "Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked. "Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible; Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse. Little Rick was excited about the task -- but, he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Rickey was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."

Church Smiles There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country. "Is there anything breakable in here?" asked the postal clerk. "Only the Ten Commandments," answered the lady. While driving in Pennsylvania , a family caught up to an Amish carriage. The owner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor, because attached to the back of the carriage was a hand printed sign... "Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust.

Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about. The daughter answered, "Don't be scared, you'll get your quilt." Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mom asked him what that morning's Sunday school lesson was about. He said "Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming."

Give me a sense of humor, Lord, Give me the grace to see a joke, To get some humor out of life, And pass it on to other folk.

Author Unknown

Lifes Simple Pleasures

This was forwarded to my inbox by Barbara Hausenfluck, my Give Business Partner. Thank you, Barbara.


My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, and we never got food poisoning.My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in icepack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli.Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the pond instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then.The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.We all took gym, not PE.. and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym)Instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat andeverything.I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.Oh yeah. And where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I gotthat bee sting? I could have been killed!We played 'king of the hill'! on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked. Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then we got butt spanked again when we got home.I recall Donny Taylor from down the road coming over and doing his tricks on the front steps, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that?We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive?LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA, AND TO ALL WHO DIDN'T- SORRY FOR WHAT YOU MISSED. I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING.

Author Unknown

A Couple of Godly Quotes

God's Love

"The Love of God is too great to conceive.

Don't try to explain it - just trust and believe!"

Helen Steiner Rice

"How Great is the love the Father has lavished on us." I John 3:1

**JESUS SAVES**

This was forwarded to me in my inbox by Satomi Ivey-Johnson. Thanks Satomi.


Jesus and Satan were having an ongoing argument about who was
better on the computer. They had been going at it for days, and
frankly God

was tired of hearing all the bickering.

Finally fed up, God said, "THAT'S IT! I have had enough. I am going

to set up a test that will run for two hours, and from those
results, I
will judge who does the better job."

So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away.

They moused. They faxed. They e-mailed. They e-mailed with
attachments.

They downloaded. They did spreadsheets! .

They wrote reports. They created labels and cards.

They created charts and grap hs. They did some genealogy reports.

They did every job known to man.

Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency and Satan was faster than
hell.

Then, ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly
flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured, and, of
course, the power went off. Satan stared at his blank screen and
screamed
every curse word known in the underworld.

Jesus just sighed.

Finally the electricity came back on, and each of them restarted
their computers. Satan started searching frantically, screaming:

"It's gone! It's all GONE!

"I lost everything when the power went out!"

Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from
the past two hours of work.

Satan observed this and became irate.

"Wait!" he screamed.

"That's not fair! He cheated!

How come he has all his work and I don't have any?"

God just shrugged and said,

JESUS SAVES

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?



You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.



Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?


When the day is done !
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?



You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.



Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"



You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.



When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.


Written by a terminally ill girl dying of cancer in New York

Rose

This story was given to me by my Aunt Peg. Thanks Aunt Peg.



The first day of school our professor introduced himself and
challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood
up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me
with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years
old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and
she
gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.


She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married,
and have a couple of kids..."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her
to
be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting
one!", she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a
chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we
would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized
listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and
experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily
made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she
reveled
in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was
living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football
banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced
and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared
speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone
and
simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and
this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order
so
let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop
playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and
achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day.
You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even
know
it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and
don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I
am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do
anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The
idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no
regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather
for
things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with
regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose."

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in
our
daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she
had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to
the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to
be all you can possibly be.


When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of
advice
to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.


REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We
make a Living by what we get; we make a Life by what we give.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you
to
it, He will bring you through it.

Pass this message to 7 people except you and me. You will receive a
miracle tomorrow (if you don't think so...look out your window when
you wake in the morning and think about it).

If you choose not, then you refuse to bless someone else
"Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but
you know they are always there."



Author Unknown