Pencil

A pencil!!  Another school supply item that makes me so happy.  There is nothing like a fresh, sharp pencil with a good eraser.  I think that kids even write better when they have a great pencil!  But what in the world does a pencil have to do with Jesus?  Well, alot!  You see, everyone is like a new pencil.  I was.  I was dull and had absolutely no point at all.  And then Jesus came into my life.  And when he came into my life, I got sharp - really sharp.  When I excepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I was written in the Book of Life.  My name is written because I am a believer and I am ready to be a follower of Jesus.  I was given lead so that I can leave a mark on other people's lives for Jesus.  So once you are sharp, you are to use the lead that you are given to share the love of Christ with others so that others may get sharpened as well.  But with all pencils, if you don't keep them sharp, they start to go dull, or even break.  That is very easy to do.  Sin can dull you.  Life can dull you.  Time can dull you.  There are alot of things that can dull you as you are trying to be a follower of Jesus.  There are alot of ways you can get off course and stop using yourself as a pencil for Jesus and stop writing on others for Him.  But there is a way to keep yourself sharp!!!  A PENCIL SHARPENER!  What kind of pencil sharpener can you use in your life to keep you sharp?  Prayer and repentance!  We are all sinners.  We all make mistakes.  The Lord knows that and He is so forgiving.  If you use the tools of prayer and repentance, He will keep you sharp and He will use you to reach others.

1 John 1:9 But if we confess our sins, he will forgive us our sins.  We can trust God.  He does what is right.  He will make us clean from all the wrongs we have done.

Cheer Up!

How was your day today? Was it busy? Rainy? Happy? Sad? Well I hope the little gift you found cheered you up!!! What does “cheer” mean to you? According to dictionary.com, cheer means a shout of encouragement, approval, congratulation….something that gives you joy or gladness, comfort, etc. I have read before that thinking in a more cheerful and positive way can actually provide health benefits, including easier breathing for people with emphysema, better coping skills and even a reduced risk of heart disease. It makes sense, if you are thinking in a more positive way, you would be able to handle stress better which would have great health benefits .

Among many things, God teaches us to be cheerful, happy, not to worry, and to leave our life struggles at the feet of Jesus so we can keep our mind, body and soul focused on Him. Random acts of kindness are a great thing. Open a door for someone, ask your co-worker how there day is going, make a phone call to that great friend or family member you haven’t talked to in a while, leave a post-card that says “cheer up” for that certain someone who may need that cheerful encouragement to get them through the day. Just doing these little things will not only make you feel good, but it will pass along that little bit of joy to someone else, hopefully making a chain reaction.

Clearing our mind, staying free from anger, and passing our struggles along to the Lord, will help us worship Him with gladness in our hearts.

Psalm 100:2 says “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.”

God knows you and loves you and is always CHEERING YOU ON!!

Bookmark

Far away lands, a king, a battle and someone's desperate cry to be rescued....sounds like a good book to read!! Every story line introduces a plot and characters, then we discover the conflict, usually good versus evil. I am reading a book that fits this description and every night as I pick up my book I look for one thing - my bookmark. As I feel for those familiar pieces of string that are hanging over the top, I like to pause to see how far I have come but better yet, how much more I have to go!! That reminds me of my life as a follower of Christ. If I had to "bookmark" my relationship, where would it be and most importantly, has my bookmark moved?? Am I learning and growing in Christ?? Read this verse with me-

Colossians 2:6-8 NLT
"And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ."
Wow what a challenge for those who know Jesus.... Keep following, keep growing and let your roots grow down into Him!! For those who don't know, let me introduce you to the King of all Kings, who hears your cries, who rescues all who call upon Him, who has already won the battle and who is the author and finisher of my faith-- Jesus Christ. Today, you can begin to "bookmark" your relationship with Him!!

Cell Phone

"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him" Psalm 145:18.   Did you know that 
over 75% of the adult world population owns a cell phone and here in the US over 
95% of us have them.  Many americans have more than one phone to keep up with 
(don't loose them they are getting more and more expensive to replace.)  I have 
worked in the mobile phone industry over 13 years and watched how we have grown 
attached, obsessed and even addicted to our phones.  A device that can connect 
you to the world in only 10 digits (1 if saved as a favorite) we can reach out 
to anyone: a family member, friend, coworkers, neighbor, how about 75% of the 
world at anytime of the day with a text, email, IM, tweet, FB post, instagram, 
blog and dont forget a regular phone call.  If it's that easy then why are there 
times we feel like there is NO one we can call to help us with the 
situation we are currently going through in our lives?????  I mean with 314 million 
people in the US and 95% have phones isn't there someone who can help?  Yes, 
someone can help and you don't need a phone to call.  His name is Jesus the one 
who can forgive you for every wrong in your past "Truly i tell you, people can 
be forgiven all their sins and slander they utter" Mark 3:28 and help you 
overcome the obstacles in your future  "I can do all this through Him who gives 
me strength" Philippians 4:13.  If you are in a place that you don't have anyone 
to call and no one seems to know what to do, this paper phone you found could be 
God's way of calling out to you that he is ready and waiting for you to call upon 
Him.  

Check out this song, a call for Jesus!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPj_2L-uRpM&feature=related

Pray for Maydarline

Hey Everyone! 

I just wanted to post a prayer request for our sponsor child Maydarline who lives in Haiti.  I received the following email from Compassion International regarding what is going on in Haiti right now! 

Because you sponsor a child in Haiti, I’m writing to share an important update with you and ask for your prayers.

As you may know from recent news reports, Tropical Storm Isaac caused flash floods and landslides in Haiti.

Compassion church partners are working to assess the status of sponsored children in affected areas. There have been no reports of lives lost among Compassion children, and the majority of our children in Haiti are not greatly affected. Still, many of our sponsored children and their families have partially or totally lost their belongings, and hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed. If your child was directly affected by the storm’s damage, we will contact you as soon as possible.

The potential for cholera has also increased because of the flooding. For Compassion church partners and child development centers in affected regions, the situation is critical. Compassion is providing immediate relief to hundreds of registered children and their families by distributing food, clothing, and hygiene and household items to give help and hope in spite of loss and displacement.

Thank you so much for your support of Maydarline. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, already in need, who are struggling even more because of these events.

Sincerely in Him,

Dr. Wess Stafford
President and CEO

P.S. If you feel led to contribute to relief efforts, you may do so by making a donation to Compassion’s Disaster Relief fund.

Free Compliment

So which tab did you get?  That you are loved, beautiful, special?  Well it
doesn't really matter, because you are all of those things!!!!!  Aren't
compliments the best!!!  We should compliment people every day, I mean who
wouldn't appreciate that? 

Jesus said in Luke 6:31, "do to others as you would have them do to you". Even
though Jesus rebuked those who were evil, he always found time to give a
compliment.

In Luke 7:9, Jesus said to the Centurion that believed Jesus could heal his
servant without going into his house  "I tell you, I have not found such great
faith, even in Israel". 

I believe that compliments truly represent the beauty in life and we should
follow Jesus's example and compliment others.