Good / Bad

I have my computer back!!  After weeks of it being down...and withdrawals on my part... we're back! Ready to Blog again!

I get emails from beliefnet,com.. and they send some pretty deep and interesting things at times.  Today the email was about being grateful.  Here is a quote:

"Gratitude feels so good because it is the state of mind closest to your natural state in which you were born to live."
-Abraham-Hicks

Now, my question for everyone is.... I hear so often that we are born with sin on our souls... "Born into sin"
How can we be born with gratitude on our hearts and also be born into sin?"

I think this is a really good question for Wednesday night "Conversations" at church!

Quotes on gratitude for your day!

"Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty."

--Doris Day

"Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving."

--Kahlil Gibran

"Giving thanks for abundance is sweeter than the abundance itself...
-–Rumi

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart.""

–-French proverb

"The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it."

--Richard Bach

"I thank God for my handicaps for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God."

--Helen Keller

"Real life isn't always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties."
--Sara Ban Breathnach

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

--Albert Einstein

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice."

--Meister Eckhart

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."

-–Melody Beattie

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

--John F. Kennedy

"Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality."

--Alfred Painte

"When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them."

--Chinese Proverb

"Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life."

--Christiane Northrup

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."

--Thornton Wilder

"If you can't be thankful for what you receive, be thankful for what you escape."

--Unknown

"Here are the two best prayers I know: 'Help me, help me, help me' and 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.'"

--Anne Lamott

I am sorry I have not been blogging regularly. Computer issues. That's what happens when the computer you use comes from another decade :o) ... the bandages are falling off and the info is seeping out :o) ... I love to put pics on the blogs too, but my camera died and I can't afford a new one right now. I'm not complaining... I'm just sharing :o)

But the good news is that I am getting a hang of the Mac that the kids use here at home. I use to work on Macs all of the time and thought they were much easier than PC's, but when you've been using a PC for over 10 years and the Macs are not the little boxes you used to work on, it takes some getting used to.

Soooo, I can type you little notes.. reminders and such until my computer comes back from the doctor's office (Ehren Beckwith :o) ).

I wanted to share a website that I found through facebook months ago. Recipes! And they are really good. Some easy, some hard, but something for everyone. So here it is. I hope you enjoy it!

God Bless you!!!

Laura's Recipes

If a brother of sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them,

"Go in peace, be warmed and filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

James 2:15-16

Bible Study -

Women's Bible study resumes this Friday... Bring your slippers and comfy clothes and be comfy while we watch Beth Moore share her message with us!

Slippers are optional :o)

Let's make time to share a little too. It's been so long since we have sat together. I hope your holidays were a wonderful blessing for you and yours!

Vision Boarding

Women,

Don't forget about Friday night, 7 pm. Vision Boarding. Bring scissors and magazines. If you can make it, please email Ingrid Paulicivich at ohmystarrs@cox.net.

What is Vision Boarding? We take pics out of magazines of things we aspire for or to be, to accomplish...in all areas of our lives... spiritual, family, personal, and we affix these to boards that we will take home. These boards are kept so that we can be reminded of how we want to see our lives progress. It helps us to not be stagnant and to not take life for granted.

Please join us. It should be a lot of fun.

One Flaw in Women

One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men...

They bear hardships and they carry burdens,

but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.

They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy

and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in.

They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer

when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.

They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally.

They cry when their children excel

and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about

a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.

They grieve at the loss of a family member,

yet they are strong when they

think there is no strength left.

They know that a hug and a kiss

can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you

to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what

makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love.

They have compassion and ideas.

They give moral support to their

family and friends.

Women have vital things to say

and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS

ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,

IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

God Uses His People

God uses people to refresh other people. He so loves this kind of ministry that he moved the prophet Malachi to speak of it as a most-needed work in the last days. Malachi described how, in his day, God’s people built each other up through one-on-one edification: “They that feared the Lord spoke often one to another” (Malachi 3:16).

When did this happen, exactly? Malachi’s words came during a time of rampant ungodliness, when the “devourer” had destroyed much fruit in the land. God’s people had grown weary and started to doubt that walking with the Lord was worth it. They thought, “We’re told it pays to serve the Lord, obey his Word and carry his burdens. But as we look around at the proud and the compromisers, they’re the ones who seem happy. They’re pursuing prosperity, living carelessly, enjoying life to the fullest.”

The Holy Spirit began to move in Israel, and soon the fear of the Lord came upon a God-hungry people. Suddenly everyone in Israel, young and old, became one-on-one missionaries. By the Spirit’s prompting, people opened up to one another, edifying each other and building up and comforting those around them.

I’m convinced Malachi’s word about this ministry is a mirror image of the present day. He has given us a picture of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days, as God’s people stop gossiping and complaining and instead minister refreshing. It’s happening by phone, by letter, by e-mail, and face to face. And God is so pleased with this ministry, we’re told he writes everything down. Every kind word spoken, every call made, every letter written, every effort to comfort the downcast is recorded in a “book of remembrance.” And the Bible says each of us whose deeds are written down will be precious to him: “They shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels” (Malachi 3:17).

Be a Titus to someone who’s downcast in spirit. Pray to have the spirit of Onesiphorus, who sought out the hurting to bring them to healing. Think of it: You’ve been given all the power of heaven to refresh a hurting believer, someone who needs the consolation that God has given uniquely to you. Yes, there are people who need you and the Lord intends your past consolations to bring refreshing to them. Call that someone today and say, “Brother, sister, I want to pray for and encourage you. I’ve got a good word for you.”

David Wilkerson

Psalm 111 - A Thanksgiving Prayer

Psalm 111

^1-10 Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got—
Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation.
God's works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
Splendor and beauty mark his craft;
His generosity never gives out.
His miracles are his memorial—
This God of Grace, this God of Love.
He gave food to those who fear him,
He remembered to keep his ancient promise.
He proved to his people that he could do what he said:
Hand them the nations on a platter—a gift!
He manufactures truth and justice;
All his products are guaranteed to last—
Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof.
All that he makes and does is honest and true:
He paid the ransom for his people,
He ordered his Covenant kept forever.
He's so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.
The good life begins in the fear of God—
Do that and you'll know the blessing of God.
His Hallelujah lasts forever!



For Your Kids : http://www.just4kidsmagazine.com/nov.html

WISHING YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING DAY!

Please keep your mind and eyes on the Lord this week, and please keep in mind all that He has given you. Let us all be so thankful for His love and His constant embrace. Children of God... He loves you so. He has risen and has left a helper, His Spirit to be with you always!

Love and Blessings, and I pray for an attitude of gratitude for all!!

See you soon!

Beautiful Ladies

Please help me in welcoming Ingrid Paulicivich to the position of Women's Ministry Leader. She has answered a prayer that I have held for as long as our church has been in existance. I know she comes at a time when growth is upon us, and the women are ready and longing to know each other and to find things to do with each other. Ingrid will be so creative! Her love for God, her desire to seek Him so strongly, her enthusiasm and her beautiful spirit is what we have needed for so long. She is truly a gift from God.

I will be her right hand and will be there to help her in all she does. A lot of women signed a "Women's Committee" sheet this last weekend. I am so happy that we are all on board and are ready to make things happen.

See you all very soon!

The Patriarch's

Our Friday Women's Bible Study had brought so much depth and fruit into our lives over this past year. If I could share everything, I would be writing for hours. But, I realized that I should share the most important points that we have learned with you all.

We are studying Joseph right now (do you know he bragged incessantly, tattled on his brothers and was probably very spoiled as a child?). Before him it was his father Jacob (who stole his brother's inheritance and his brother Esau..of course we learned much about Isaac and Abraham (who asked his wife to pose as his sister so that he would not be killed) One thing that has been pointed out over and over is just how human these men (and their women) were!! They were not perfect! They lied, deceived, bragged, stole...and yet they were God's chosen? What this all brings to my mind is how I have placed these Biblical human beings (not just characters in a book) on such high pedestal's over the years. These were God's chosen people. He loved them deeply.

Yes, they had their major flaws, their weaknesses, and yet, God so truly loved them!!! He stood by them, he taught them, he carried them, because they loved him and worshipped him. He turned their bad decisions into good. He pulled them out of the holes that they dug themselves into!

How many times do we make horrible mistakes? Some of us have gone through such hard lessons in life that we try and follow God more closely and try to live our lives in a better way (from our past). Some of us are just now starting to understand and embrace God. Either way, we are still making mistakes. We hurt each other, we don't always make the best decisions for all of those around us... but we love the Lord and we know that He watches over us....even though....we are flawed, we are not perfect.

We sometimes make decisions that don't include God... we go on on a path He has not chosen for us and we feel that something is very wrong. We feel that God has turned His back on us. I beg you, when you are feeling like this, look at your life and analyze where you are. Are you allowing God on the path you have chosen, or do you know He wouldn't want you there? Are you seeking Him? Are you speaking, praying to Him? Because God never turns away, we do. God never stops trying to get our attention, we turn our backs. He is always there waiting, like a father waiting for a long lost child to come home. He longs to hold us and to tell us everything is going to be ok. Will you allow him to do that for you?

I ask you, this week, to read Genesis if you have time. See what I have seen in the heroes our Bible speaks of. You will see that you are just as worthy of God's love as they were. Don't ever feel that you are not. His door is always open.

Dave says that hell's door is locked from the inside, meaning if we feel like we are in the depths of hell here on earth, we have the power to let ourselves out and back into the light of God. All we need to do is turn the handle and walk through and God will be waiting there for you, with arms stretched wide and probably with tears of joy on His face. Waiting for you.

I will leave you with that beautiful picture!

He is waiting, to bring you His Kingdom on Earth today. To fill your days with joy and love...today.. don't wait, run and don't miss another minute of all He has for you!

God bless you and yours on this beautiful day!!

However, as it is written
No age has seen
No ear had heard
No mind has conceived
What God has prepared for
those who love Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9