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
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
Good morning,
It's been several weeks since I have had access to a laptop to post a devotional. LaVon has had a couple of physical issues that have caused us to be displaced for awhile. We appreciate your continued prayers as she faces shoulder surgery in the near future.
Today's encouragement comes from my archives folder:
Weekly Verse
“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” —1 Thessalonians 5:15
Weekly Quote“Be thankful for the smallest blessing, and you will deserve to receive greater. Value the least gifts no less than the greatest and simple graces as special favors. If you remember the dignity of the Giver, no gift will seem small or mean, for nothing can be valueless that is given by the Most High God.” —Thomas à Kempis
Weekly Thought
In one of Aesop’s Fables, an ant went to the bank of a river to drink, fell into the stream, and found itself on the brink of drowning. A dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to the drowning ant. The ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank. Shortly afterward, a bird catcher came and stood under the tree and began laying a trap for the dove. The ant, seeing his intent, seized the opportunity to sting him in the foot. In pain the bird catcher threw down the trap, and the noise alerted the dove to fly away.
It is wonderful to be blessed by random acts of kindness. It’s even more wonderful when we can return the favor. Who has helped you get by? Is there a way you can show them your gratitude?
Lord, thank You for the people who have helped me in life. Show me how I can be a blessing to others today. Amen.
[From Simple Truths: Your Destination for Inspiration
We thank you for your support through your prayers, calls, e-mails and gifts.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on,
Don
Good Morning,
Thank you for your prayers as we continue to pray for you and this work God has called us to.
LaVon made her doctors appointment but at this post we still don't know much except that she is still in a lot of pain. Please pray for her.
GROWING OLD GOD'S WAY
(author unknown)
Two elderly gentlemen named Frank and Jim were sitting on a park bench under a tree.
Frank: "You know, Jim, I'm 85 years old, and I'm just full of aches and pains. You’re about my age. How do you feel?"
Jim: "I feel just like a newborn baby."
Frank: "Really!? Like a new-born baby!?"
Jim: "Yep. No hair, no teeth … and I think I just wet my pants."
Let’s call a spade a spade: Growing old is not for the faint of heart. It is tough work. Our bodies start to fall apart somewhere along the line of the aging process. Things quit working like they once did. Eyesight and hearing start to wane. Muscles start to atrophy. Tasks as simple as bending over to tie your shoes can become monumental endeavors. It is just hard to get old.
Are you feeling old today? As a Christian, you are one day closer to your great reward. Make every day count until the Lord calls you home. Use the extra time you have on your hands to pray for and encourage others. Push yourself to keep going and keep growing. Embrace technology and use the computer and social media to be a blessing to family and friends. God is not finished with you yet, so don’t quit and don’t stagnate!
"They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him." Psalm 92:14-15
We want to thank you for your support through your prayers, calls, e-mails and gifts.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Good Morning,
Thank you for your prayers as we continue to pray for you and this work God has called us to. As LaVon has a doctors appointment tomorrow to check her shoulder and other issues, please keep her in your prayers, as we keep our eyes firmly on the Lord.
My Eyes Were On You by Adrian Rogers
“Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:2
There once was a king captured by the Roman army. They took the king with his family to stand before the Roman general to receive the sentence of death. The king fell on his face before the general and said, “You may do with me what you will, but spare my wife and children!” The Roman general was so moved by the plea that he released them all.
Later, the king asked his wife about some of the things they had seen while in the Roman general’s chamber. She said, “I didn't see anything. My eyes were only on the man who was willing to die for me.”
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” May we be able to say, "My eyes are on the One who died for me, Jesus Christ. And I have eyes for no one but Him!”
We want to thank you for your support through your prayers, calls, e-mails and gifts.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Good Morning,
Thank you for your prayers as we continue to pray for you and this work God has called us to. Each of you are held to the highest in our hearts. I had a birthday and we celebrated our anniversary and so so many of you sent a special note to us. How special and loved you made us feel. May God Bless You richly.
I read a card on Dayspring and thought of you.
True Friends
- Special in my Heart - are the ones who make you
laugh a little louder than you meant to,
feel better than you did before you walked in the door,
become even more of who God says you really are.
You have a very special place in my heart.
Philippians 1:7
"just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace."
You are appreciated and loved.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
