Strong Woman vs A Woman Of Strength

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape... but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape...

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything... but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear...

A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her... but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone...

A strong woman walks sure footedly... but a woman of strength knows God will catch her if she falls...

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face... but a woman of strength wears grace...

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey... but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong...

Author Unknown

What Does Jesus Mean To You?

What does Jesus mean to you? What was the purpose of Jesus dying on the cross? It says in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." This means that you are a new creation and the old life is gone. Isn't this something to be excited about? We are citizens in Heaven and no longer citizens of hell. God saved us from the pit of hell. Christians should be excited about this new life and live for Him. We should tell others about this Blessed Hope and free gift that Jesus so freely gives.

In order to develop as Christians, we should belong to a Bible believing church and be planted in the House of the Lord. We also do not need to go from church to church. We need to be spiritually fed in a church so that we do not remain babies in the Lord but develop into mature Christians. I compare the church to food for our family, if we do not eat, we will die but if we eat food daily we can grow. I belong to Shoreline Christian Center and if my family and I did not go to church, we would not know how to be born again Christians. We would not know God and all His promises for our life. We are very active in our church and consider it a joy to serve others. My daughter, Christina, and husband, Robert, are on the Television Ministry, our church is able to broadcast our 11 am service all across the world. Another thing that Robert and I do as a couple is the Shuttle Ministry which means that we are golf cart greeters and take people to their cars in a golf cart. It is all about the Kingdom of God and not about us anymore. We fine it a joy to serve others. What about you? Do you know Jesus? If not, I can lead you to a personal relationship with the King of King and the Lord of Lords.

Let us bow in prayer

Lord, I just would like to prayer for my friend today, that if they do not know you, please come into my friend's heart and make this person a new creation. I thank you for coming into my friend's life. Please help my friend find a Bible believing church so that they can grow in their faith. Thank you for hearing my prayers this day. In Jesus Name...Amen.

If this message has been helpful or you would just love to chat, please drop me a line at barbarabodling@yahoo.com. I am hear for you and would love to hear from you today.

Love, Hugs and Blessings,

Barbara

What Can I Do?

"What must I do to be saved?" asked the Phillippian jailer. "Believe in the Lord Jesus" was the apostle Paul's answer. This single question and answer neatly summarize the teachings of the New Testament.

"What can I do?' ask our ministers and our doctors. "What can I do?" ask men caught in financial straits. Parents ask the question of teachers regarding their children's behavior or academic problems. A survey might show that this one of the most common questions around. It became such a common rainy-day question in our home, I made a list of activities for our son to engage in so that he began looking forward to a storm! I made a list of stories, collected craft ideas, added suggestions for poems and Scripture passages to memorize and ended with "Look for a rainbow." The result was a happy day.

Jesus tells us that he came to earth that we might have life and have it more abundantly. How do we achieve an abundant Christian life? First, we believe with a faith so strong that the storms of life can threaten, but they cannot destroy. The abundant life begins for us here on earth and leads in natural transition into eternity. A wonderful thing, faith; a positive thing.

The positive attitude of Christian living communicates to those around us. "I am convinced," said my retiring principal after having spent over forty years in education (and an equal number of years teaching church school class), "that most folks are just about as happy as they set out to be!" He had the happiest faculty I have ever worked with.

June Masters Bacher

The Gift of Understanding

SOMETIMES, when we love someone, we feel we just can't give them enough. We may even do without thing we need ourselves. I think most parents feel that way about their children. Love makes us generous.

But generosity is more than giving.

If anyone could have showered gifts on those he loved, it was Jesus Christ, But he didn't. He provided for their basic needs; he saw to it that they had shelter and enough to eat. He watched them counting coins when he could have filled their laps with riches.

Jesus gave something more precious and more lasting than gifts. He gave understanding. He knew how hard it is to live in this world. He felt what others felt and couldn't put into words. And out of his understanding he gave what people truly need, such as forgiveness for Zacchaeus's guilt, hope for the cynical woman at the well, recovery for a dying child.

The next time you want to give a gift to someone you love, don't worry about how much you can afford to spend or how big the present ought to be. Consider, instead, what generosity really means: understanding. That's something each of us can afford to give - all the time.

Phyllis Hobe

Do you have a "MASTER'S" Card?

My friend, Beverly Mahone from http://www.talk2bev.com contributed this to my blog. She received this writing from a friend of hers. Thanks Beverly.


MY KIND OF CREDIT CARD

There are some things money can't buy,
for everything else there's a Master card.

I'm sure you've all received their applications in the mail.
However, I'm here to advertise a different card.
You see, my life is a product for others to see.
I'm a card carrying representative for
The Master's Card.

That's right, THE MASTER'S CARD.
Let me tell you about it.
There are no finance charges, no payments due.
My bill has already been covered...its a prepaid deal..
I couldn't afford the price,
so Jesus stepped in and paid it for me.

My name is written on the card for all to see.
It is accessible twenty-four hours a day from anywhere in the world.

The MASTER'S CARD
has so many benefits it's hard to list them all.
Let me share some of them with you...
you might want to apply for a personal card yourself.

Just for starters there's UNLIMITED GRACE.
Thats right, there is no preset limit to the amount of grace you receive from
The MASTER'S CARD

Have you been looking for love in all the wrong places
Then look no farther than The MASTER'S CARD.
It offers the greatest rate on love that has ever been offered.
The MASTER'S CARD
gives you access to many "members only" benefits.
Want real joy despite the difficulties of life?
Apply for The MASTER'S CARD.

Want a lasting peace?
Apply for The MASTER'S CARD

Looking for something you can always rely on in a jam?
The MASTER'S CARD is perfect for you.

Another great thing about
The MASTER'S CARD
is that it never expires and will never be cancelled.
Once you're a member, you're a member for life...eternal life that is
Membership has its priviledges, you know.

So why not apply today?
It's only a prayer away.....

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Author Unknown

With No Apologies

SHOULD I apologize for liking my career, Lord?

I've had inklings that I expected to dislike working. Some women pity me because my house and yard resemble a junk shop and I can't attend the neighborhook coffees and luncheons. They shake their heads at my time-clock schedule. They think I couldn't possibly enjoy such an existence.

Sure, I have days when everything goes wrong and I question whether this is a calling or a sentence in a forced labor camp. However, when the boss is grumpy, customers are unreasonable and auditors are looking over my shoulder, I remember comparable days when I worked solely at home. Those days were not without disasters, interruptions and stresses.

Thank you for showing me the joys of each of the different businesses I've worked in. I especially appreciate the way I'm treated by my peers. (My family would be surprised to know that I'm respected at the office.) Requests for my assistance are made politely and are addressed to my given name. I feel like a member of a team and not a quarterback without anyone to pass to.

No, I won't apologize for liking my careers. I feel my work as a wife, a mother, a homemaker, a writer, and a secretary are all important.

Lord, thank you for giving me the gifts to use in these various capacities. What I have I must use, and no matter what anyone else thinks, I won't apologize. I like who I am and what I do at least ninety percent of the time.

Marlene Obie

Good Morning

When I say good morning I mean:

G-od
O-ffers us His
O-utstanding
D-evotion to

M-ake us
O-bedient &
R-eady for a
N-ew day with Him
I-nspire others please, and
N-ever forget
G-od loves you!

Author Unknown

When It Hurts So Much...

There are times in the lives of all God's children when we are called on to suffer. We read in Romans 5:3-4 that "suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope." For me suffering has also produced times of physical and emotional weekness. After the death of my first child, as I lay near death myself, I tried to pray, but I was in shock and heavily medicated. No words would come into my mind or to my lips, I wish I had known Romans 8:26-27 then. Yet, although I could not speak, I felt in close communication with the Lord. I just didn't understand how this was possible.

While believers are sustained in their suffering by hope, we also are sustained in our weakness in the most special way of all:

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do no know what we
ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intecedes for us with
groans that words that cannot express. And he who searches
our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit; because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
(Romans 8:26-27)

God himself, who dwells within us in the person of the Holy Spirit, intercedes for us in our weakness. Not with flowery or powerful words, but with groans that words cannot express. How empowering in our weaknest moments, when we don't know how to express our own overwhelming needs, to cling to the words of God.

"The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." And all of this intercession on our behalf is done "in accordance with God's will" for us personally. When Christ gave us the Holy Spirit, he left us much more than an inner spiritual discernment. Our triune God lives within and interceded for each of us when we are in our weakest moments.

Abba, Father, your love and concern for me when I am at my vulnerable times in life is beyond my understanding. I thank you for the gracious gift of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sue Richards