Sunday's Coming

Good morning,

We want to thank you for your prayers. LaVon's therapy is ongoing but she is still having a lot of pain. We just keep going, knowing God will HELP. (Update from LaVon after getting muscle relanant yesterday. "That stuff is golden!!") Praise the Lord! Muscles are relaxing enough to make the pain manageable as she stretches and exercises to get back to the normal use of her right arm and shoulder.

The Grace Adventure: What Is Grace About?
(from Fulfilled: The NIV Devotional Bible for the Single Woman)

We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. - Romans 8:37
I heard about a man who had just come through major surgery. When he slowly opened his eyes, his wife was there waiting and smiling. He looked around the room to see his children also smiling at him. After he was more awake, his wife handed him a stack of get-well cards from family and friends. Some were Biblical inspiration, some were kind and sweet and some were humorous and brought a smile to his eyes.
The front of one particular card had a collage of the myriad disasters from the life of Paul the apostle - pain, sickness, suffering, shipwreck, insults, being in the sea for three days and nights, beatings, stonings, and more.
The man was shocked and thought, What sick person sent this to me? How is this going to help me get better?
Then he opened the card, and all it said was,
So, how've you been?
The man broke into laughter. He suddenly recognized that the successful surgery he had undergone, even though quite painful, in no way compared to the repeated and life-threatening sufferings Paul had endured.
It is easy to focus on our own issues and indulge in unhealthy doses of self-pity, isn't it? We can fall into the trap of thinking that we are the only ones with such problems. .

Self-pity is our worst enemy, and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world. - Helen Keller

So, how've you been?
~ Mary Hollingsworth

O Lord, please help me not to feel sorry for myself but to recognize that as difficult as my struggles are, others may be facing even more critical problems. Help me to reach out to them.

Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

Thank you for your prayers as LaVon continues to heal from her surgery; rehab may take a while. 

I was reading this morning and read the following from The Sower;

HEARING, ENCOURAGING, LISTENING

Years ago, my son ran to where I was sitting in front of a television trying to find an escape from the cares of the day. It had been a difficult twenty-four hours serving as a Navy chaplain in a large hospital. I was trying to escape from the stress and strain of being with sick and dying patients as the “Chaplain on Duty.”
Whatever he said did not register. So he said it again and then asked, “Dad, did you hear me?”
“Of course, Son, I was listening carefully,” was my reply.
Grabbing my face with his two little hands and looking into my eyes, he said, “Dad, I didn’t ask if you were listening. I asked if you heard me.” Then and there, I was taught the difference between listening and hearing.
The Psalmist recognized this difference, too. “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them and You listen to their cry.”
What a comforting thought! His ear is always open to the cries of His children and He waits attentively to hear their voices in times of need. What a beautiful picture of a loving Father. There is nothing we need to do to get His attention nor is there a magical formula to use when we pray. All we have to do is to cry out to Him.
We cry and He hears. His ear is always open for our particular voice. His eyes are always on us no matter where we may be. And His heart is always sensitive to our personal needs. When we cry, He hears, He listens, He understands and He will respond and meet our needs.

Prayer: Lord, You are above us but not beyond us. You hear us when we cry and respond when the time is right. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 
Psalm 10:17 
You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

We want to thank you, with grateful hearts, for your support through your prayers, calls, e-mails and financial gifts.

Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don