Just P.U.S.H..

Good morning and happy Friday! I can hardly believe that in just 2 days it will be 2012. This year has blown by, I pray it has been a good one for you and now that you are ready to venture into whatever it is that God has waiting for you on your next phase! 

In prayer this morning I ask you to pray for a very special friend who has just called and is headed to the ER, asking God to allow the doctors knowledge to finally find out what is going on with her and for her to be healed. I asked God to continue blessing each of you, to answer prayers that you have been praying and to allow us all to feel His strength when we feel weak, and His overwhelming love when we feel alone. Lead us Father, guide us, and always walk beside us. I asked special prayer for all who are battling illness and disease that the pain in your bodies will cease and that a miraculous healing take place. I thanked our Father for allowing us love of family and friends, for allowing me the blessing of word that I might be able to continue to lift prayer when there is need, that I might be the light that someone in the darkness needs today. I asked him to use me wherever I am needed with faith in me that I will not tire. I love you Heavenly Father and I thank you for the love you give to me, I saw it in the sunrise this morning, what a beautiful confirmation. I ask these mercies and graces in the name of my brother and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Just P.U.S.H!

When everything seems to go wrong,

just P.U.S.H.!

When the job gets you down,

just P.U.S.H.!

When people don't react the way you think they should,

just P.U.S.H.!

When your money looks funny and the bills are due,

just P.U.S.H.!

When you want to curse them out for whatever the reason,

just P.U.S.H.!

When you ask the question, when is my ship coming in?

(as I often do),

just P.U.S.H.!

When people just don't understand you,

just P.U.S.H.!

Not to continue on and on…

let me tell you what P.U.S.H. stands for.

     P–ray

     U–ntil

     S–omething

     H–appens!

I'm just a simple sinner, who received God's grace somehow.

Good morning and happy Wednesday to you! I pray this finds each of you filled with joy and laughter! I sit writing from behind the glass this morning as there is a bit of snow beginning to fall an although we are warmer this morning than the whole of the day yesterday...it is still damp, breezy and COLD! 

In prayer this morning, I sat in the warm, quiet, still, of my home chatting with our Father in heaven, I prayed my usual prayers for peace, calm, comfort and understanding, I prayed special prayer for the requests that came in for health, healing, compassion, grace and mercy and I gave thanks to Him for being a part of my life each day. I thanked him for loving a miserable broken me, for never giving up on a sinful me, for loving me without condition and for showing to me each day answers to prayers. I thanked him for each of you in my life, for coming and sharing with me my passion, for believing in Him and praying with me for miracles, I thanked him for my family and for my sweet daughter, Derek, and my unborn grandchild, I thanked him for Wayde and for John and James. I asked him to bless each of us with our needs today that he give each of us a mental rest , time that we can spend talking with him, time that we can spend sitting in his lap and gaining strength and will from him. I asked each of these things in the name of Jesus Christ our savior. Amen. 

I Am A CHRISTian

‘A woman’s heart should be so hidden in Christ

that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.’

When I say… ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not shouting ‘I’m clean livin”

I’m whispering ‘I was lost, Now I’m found and forgiven.’

When I say… ‘I am a Christian’ I don’t speak of this with pride.

I’m confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say… ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not trying to be strong.

I’m professing that I’m weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say… ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not bragging of success.

I’m admitting I have failed; and need God to clean my mess.

When I say… ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say… ‘I am a Christian’ I still feel the sting of pain..

I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say… ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not holier than thou,

I’m just a simple sinner Who received God’s good grace, somehow!

Pretty is as Pretty does… but beautiful is just plain beautiful!

by Maya Angelou

Jesus comes to our rescue...WHY????

Today's Verse

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age...

— Galatians 1:3-4 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Jesus comes to our rescue! Why? Because he knows the times in which we live aren't easy. He knows that the world in which we live is caught up in wickedness. That, however, is not the only reality. He gives us great victory through his Cross. No wonder we can greet each other with grace and peace. He purchased them for us.

My Prayer...

Father, please help me distinguish between good and evil as I confront them daily in my life. Make evil repulsive to me despite the many ways that Satan tries to make it look seductive. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to my rescue when I was a sinner, unable to save myself. Thank you for sharing your grace and giving me peace. Through the blessed Holy Spirit I offer my thanks and praise in Jesus' name. Amen.

www.verseoftheday.com

Biggest loser...did I or did I not? ALSO....What would you do if THIS happend to YOU?

Good evening! I pray this day has been a wonderful one for you and that you are now settled in and getting some rest and relaxation at home. Today has been off and imbalanced for me, I sat with a friend at the ER over night and did not get much sleep today! I will catch up tonight I bet:) It is once again BIGGEST LOSER night and I am so pleased to say I am back on track and have lost 5 pounds this week! I will not give up or give in...Rome was not built in a week nor me being over weight, it has been a lifelong issue and one that I will overcome...

In prayer this evening I sat in silence and asked God for special prayer for each of your needs, asking God to bless you with a solution to your problems, asking Him to bless your children with his truths and the knowledge that they can achieve all of their life's goals with faith and honor to him. I asked God to bless you with calm in your chaos, with peace in your heart and with comfort in your bodies! I come to you asking for favor for a very sweet lady who is down with pneumonia, and in the hospital, she is the only care give to three children and wants desperately to be home with them, Father God lay your hand upon her chest and clear her lungs. allow her to use your strength as her own so that she can get back on her feet and return home to her children. I come to you asking for your love and mercy upon a little baby who is struggling with life, father hold him in your hands and breath health into his little tiny body, his family has waited anxiously to hold and love him Father. Allow them a healthy little boy to raise with knowledge of you and your love in his life. I ask you to bless my friend who was in the ER last night, touch her stomach and heal her Father as she is in so much pain. Take the bad from her body and allow her 100% health. I also come to you asking to lay calm in the body of a friends son who is having issues with classmates at school, touch him with your love father and lay hands upon those who feel the need to torment him, give them lesson in the golden rule of doing unto others as they would have done to themselves. Father we love you and we know that your will be done in all things, we do not pretend to understand all that happens in our lives but we do believe in and have faith in YOU and know that all things have a reason and are part of your plan for us. In the name of Christ our brother and friend we ask these mercies. Amen. 

This story really got me thinking, I put myself in the ladys place and wondered if there is any way I would have done what she did in her position. I would like to think that I would have...but....I am not sure. I will be more mindful in the future for I am sure when He does call upon me, I want to be worthy in every situation! 

The Christmas Letter

Ruth went to her mail box on Christmas Eve, and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:

Dear Ruth:

I’m going to be in your neighborhood this Christmas and I’d like to stop by for a visit.

Love Always,

Jesus

Ruth’s hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. “Why would the Lord want to visit me? I’m nobody special. I don’t have anything to offer.” With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets.

“Oh my goodness, I really don’t have anything to offer. It’s already Christmas Eve and the stores will be closing. I’ll have to run down out and buy something for dinner right away.” She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents.

“Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least.” She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk…leaving Ruth with grand total of twelve cents to last her until next week. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings of a Christmas dinner tucked under her arm.

“Hey lady, can you help us, lady?” Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn’t even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags.

“Look lady, I ain’t got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living here on the street, and, well, now it’s getting cold and we’re getting kinda hungry and, well, it’s Christmas Eve, if you could help us, lady, we’d really appreciate it.”

Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and, frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.

“Sir, I’d like to help you, but I’m a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I’m having an important guest for Christmas and I was planning on serving that to Him.”

“Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway”. The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley as a gentle snow began to fall. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.

“Sir, wait!” The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. Look, why don’t you take this food. I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest.” She handed the man her grocery bag.

“Thank you lady. Thank you very much!” “Yes, thank you!”

Ruth could see now that the woman was shivering.

“You know, I’ve got another coat at home. Here, why don’t you take this one.” Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street …. without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.

“Thank you lady! Thank you very much! …. and Merry Christmas!”

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn’t have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.

“That’s odd. The mailman doesn’t usually deliver on Christmas Eve.”

She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.

Dear Ruth:

It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely Christmas dinner. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.

Love Always,

Jesus

The air was still cold, and the snow was falling even harder, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.

- Author Unknown

Does God have a headache?

 

  Aww, the wonderful chill of an early fall! 70 degrees with a crisp, cool, breeze. A cloudless sky and the sunshine is amazing! I continue to pray for all of those in need of rain, cooler temperatures, and relief from all of the negative juju that seem to have taken up residence over your home states!
     This morning in prayer as I sat chatting with our Father in Heaven I felt peace, a different peace than I normally feel, I felt that God was telling me that it was going to be okay, that whatever he has been waiting for has be done so now he can begin with the blessings he has in store for us! I felt that their was satisfaction in his "peace" that he had been waiting on something or someone and whatever it was has done what they needed to do to accept him into their hearts, or maybe already had accepted him but had struggled in really "accepting him" I don't know exactly what it was, but I know what passed over  my heart and I know it was "GOOD" I saw a picture posted the other day that asked a question..."I wonder sometimes if we ever give God a headache?" I had to laugh because I know my daughter has given me a headache or twenty:) I am sure God gets frustrated with us, when our children were small and we were trying to teach them right from wrong...we got frustrated and then when they finally "got it" we felt such pleasure and were so relieved! Why would God feel any different, we are his children, he is our teacher and we seem to keep "not getting it" He does not ask for much from us, less than we expect from our own children in fact. God only asks that we follow the commandments, that we love without condition, that we have faith in him and that we seek to follow in Christ's footsteps as our guide! How can we expect our children to be obedient if we are not being proper roll models....why would we expect our children to keep a clean room if we do not clean our homes, why would we expect our children not to use drugs and alcohol if we partake of them? Why do we expect so much when we are not willing to be examples of "right'? God gave us the example of what he wants us to mirror, Jesus Christ, but still we refuse as little children do, to follow the example. Sometimes he has to put us in "time out" not to hurt us, but to give us time to realize that we need to make some changes, that we need to make different choices and that we need to fall upon our knees and pray for forgiveness and strength!
     Today my prayer for you is that you slow down, that you get "on bended knees" and you look into God's eyes and see what he is in need of from you! We all know when we are doing wrong, we know when we are not pleasing him, I think sometimes we get so far off of the footsteps that we are lost and cannot find our way back...today I pray that you look for those footsteps, if you need counsel to find your way back ask for it, if you need special prayer ask for it, if you need someone to talk to, find someone! I pray that you not sit in your glass house any longer, we all make mistakes, we all break the rules and we all need guidance at some point in our lives! It takes more strength to say " Father I need you" than it does to just continue on in the path you are taking! God is love, he is forgiving and he is waiting on each and every one of us to dedicate ourselves to him, he gave his son for us, can't we simply obey his rules? I pray you take some special time with him today, find a quiet place and speak to him as a child to a father,  he wants to hear your heart, not a bunch of words that are meaningless! He has his arms outstretched and waiting for you to call on him, for you to weep and fall into them, for you to feel his love and know that his blessings are many and he has them waiting just for you! I love you all and pray that today you feel the peace I feel in my heart, that you open your eyes to the "son" and know that with him and God in your corner you will never lose! Pray for peace, for calm, for comfort and for strength, believe in his word and refuse to let satan become your tour guide!

Story

“Charlotte had come to a hard time in her life. She was filled with discontent. Everything seemed wrong. … Her friends were commonplace; her home unattractive; her own personality unlovely, as she was well aware. The problem was too much for Charlotte.

To obtain help, Charlotte went to Margaret Ames, a lady who was leading the kind of life that Charlotte wanted to lead. “Charlotte poured out the story of her heartache over her frustrated, unhappy life. … Margaret after a gentle word of sympathy said, ‘You can change all that if you really have the will to do it.’ …

“[To begin the new life, Mrs. Ames suggested to Charlotte]: ‘Live for twenty-four hours as if Christ were right beside you, seeing everything that you do. Then come to me again, and we’ll talk it over. Will you do that?’

“… Somewhat … doubtful, she answered, ‘Yes, Mrs. Ames.’ …

“It was late afternoon when Charlotte went home. She knew that she was expected to help get the supper onto the table. She went to the drawer and took out a wrinkled tablecloth. When she spread it on the table, she noticed several soiled spots. And here she had her first thought of change.

“ ‘If Christ were going to eat with us, I wouldn’t put on a soiled cloth,’ she said to herself.

“She got a fresh cloth. And with the same thought she brought in a small bowl of flowers from the yard. She put the butter on a fresh plate instead of on the soiled one. She cut the bread with care. …

“ ‘Company tonight?’ asked her father. …

“ ‘Just you, Daddy,’ smiled Charlotte. …

“Her mother, worn and hot, … sat down, saying, ‘I don’t know what’s got into her to fix up so just for us. I suppose she’s expecting someone to drop in before we’re done.’ …

“… ‘I don’t know of anyone I’d rather fix things up for than our own folks,’ she said.

“The family simply stared for a minute. That wasn’t like Charlotte. …

“In the living room [after dinner] Charlotte slipped a magazine out from the bottom of the pile and began to read. She had brought the magazine home herself, and she kept it [hidden]. After a few minutes she put it down. … ‘I wouldn’t be reading this if Christ were sitting where he could read with me,’ she thought. And she carried it out, and put it in the wastepaper bag. …

“[The next day Charlotte] went to work again. … She disliked her job very much. …

“ ‘Christ beside me,’ she thought as she walked into the store. … She said good morning smilingly to all she met.

“… She was even able to solve problems with rude customers as she reminded herself of how she would act if Christ were beside her. That evening she returned to Margaret Ames’s home to discuss the experiment.

“… ‘I tried it, Mrs. Ames, just as well as I could, and—well, it made everything different. I think I can see what you mean. Of course, it didn’t change the things that are bothering me. I’m still poor, and can’t go to school, and I live in an ugly house. …’

“ ‘Ah, my dear! But you only started the seed-sowing twenty-four hours ago. … Can you keep on as you’ve begun? … You have the [key] word. It is Christ. Fretting … doesn’t change things very much; but Christ does. Just remember to keep your daily walk very close to him.’

As always, if you have need for special prayer let us know, if you have a special prayer and want to share leave it here, if you would like for us to pray with you or for you we stand in the light of Christ ready to pray, pray, pray. If you cannot leave a comment feel free to email me at dawfor@msn.com,  it is my honor to lift you and yours in prayer! God bless you all:) 

No storm in life is to big for our Heavenly Father!!!

   

 Happy Tuesday and happy second day of school student, educators, and parents! I spoke with my g-babe yesterday afternoon, well in fact she called me as soon as school was out, to let me know she had a wonderful day and that although she got a little turned around between upstair classes and ground floor classes that she managed to find where she needed to be and was never tardy, "not even once". She was filled with electric energy and ready to go back today, my other three g-babes had much the same experience with the exception of my boys who will be missing recess due to talking when they should have been listening! (oops)  So I thank you for the prayers that you lifted yesterday, and in reading facebook posts the day was very positive for many! I pray that the entire school year will be positive for all and that this year the hunger for learning will outweigh all of the cuts, all of the extra work that has to be done, and all of the bigger classrooms...may our Father in Heaven bless each of you abundantly for the job that you are doing and for giving the gift of learning to his children.
     The clouds this morning are amazing, there is a "crazy confusion" in the sky, the clouds dark, light, thin, dense...it is as if there is uncertainty as to what is supposed to be happening and then in the bottom right hand corner is the clear blue that seems to be saying....get ready boys here I come, like a comic strip hero it appears to be forging its way in, shoving the confusion away. Life to me is much like this, we all have bouts with "storms" we all begin to wonder if the storm will ever pass when "BOOM" "POW" "SMACK" the good guy comes in and sends the storm packing!  I pray today that if you are "in the storm" that you will hand it over to our heavenly father, that you will give your storm to him, rest in the knowledge that he will shelter you from it, and that soon it will be nothing but blue skies smiling on you! I ask that  you pray with me this morning for all, I am standing in my faith asking Father God to give us each a day of freedom from the storm, to pull all of us in to his chest and to hold us tight, that he give us this day to relax, to revel in his peace and calm, and feel his nod of approval that we are doing our part. I pray that you feel his love in all that you do, that you share his love with all that you come into contact with today and that you have reason to smile. Remember he is the lighthouse, he is the super hero, he is the beginning and the end...don't tell him how big your strom is....tell the storm how big your GOD is :) I love you all and pray these blessings in the name of Jesus' beautiful name amen!

As always please go to the comment section and feel free to let us know of any specific prayer requests you have, we stand ready to lift those in need in prayer many times this day! God is love, he is merciful and if we go through our savior Jesus Christ all of our prayers will be answered. 

The scene is set, it is the last of days, how do you spend it?

 

 Good morning my friends, another beautiful morning here in Utah, it just keeps getting better and better! They say here when the summer is very mild the winter is very harsh, if that is the case our winter is going to be brutal. I dare not buy trouble and refuse to let that thought get to me, I am going to enjoy the mild days we are having and will cross the "winter" bridge when we get to it.
     In prayer this morning as I lay my head back to enjoy the aroma of the trees, to relish in the song of the birds, to bask in the warmth of the sun on my face and to chat with my favorite person to chat with, our Father in heaven, I pray. As usual I prayed for each of you, asking God to bless you with a new found peace in your hearts, with a pep in your step and with the opportunity to share a smile with someone today. I asked him to afford you a weak heart, that the beauty of you might touch, a down in the dumps person that will benefit from your positive attitude. Keep your eyes open, I know he answers prayers and that person in need is in your path, don't close your eyes, don't look the other way to avoid longing eyes. Face the challenge head on and bring light to a dark soul.
      This morning as I sat there in prayer, a "what if" came over me, it was as if God was asking me, what if today were my last day on earth...how would I spend it? I sat there in still silence and thought about this question. I have had thoughts on this subject many times in my life, after I read The Left Behind series I really thought about it but never seemed to come up with a concrete plan. I guess I have never really delved deep into it because it seems surreal to me, So this morning, I decided that if that was what God wanted to know from me, I would be obedient and oblige him with answers to his question. I would not change my mornings at all, I would wake up, would say the Lord's prayer and ask him to be my strength and my shield against satan, I would get out of bed and prepare for my journey out to the porch to begin my prayer session and to appreciate the beauty that I know will be there! I would then call each and every one of my family members and tell them how much I love them.  then I would prepare a picnic for Wayde and I to  go and lay on a blanket in the park under a big shade tree and, as we have many times, converse about the scriptures, our thoughts on Christ, our belief in the promises that God has made to us and just enjoy one another. I would stop in on all of my g-babes and hug and kiss them, tell  them how much I love them and what joy they have brought into my life. I would make contact with  my friends and tell them what an impact they have made in my life and thank them for being true and honest parts of my heart. I would find a wonderful quiet place that I could make a call and speak with my daughter, I would tell her how very much I love her, how pleased I am in the woman she has become, I would share special memories of her growing up, I would try my best to transmit my intense love for her over the phone. I would ask her to continue in praising our Heavenly Father and would  urge her to continue wearing the light of Christ and to always share her love for him in all that she does. I would tell her about the promise of eternal life once again and would remind her  that we all will be together one day. I  then would do as I always do, write my blog, urging you to come and pray with us, to come and lift prayer to our wonderful savior so that our words would be directly given to our Father in heaven. I would pray for any requests that had been asked of me and then would close my prayer with telling heavenly father how much I love him and that I was ready to join him so that I could begin my next phase of his plan. I would snuggle with Wayde, tell him what a difference he has made in my life, tell him how much I love him and that I look forward to spending all time and eternity with him in the heavens. Finally I would ask for forgiveness of my sins, and say the little prayer that I have said for as long as I can remember...now I lay me down to sleep... I would lay down in the calm and comfort of my Father in Heavens loving arms and thank him for loving me and then I would sleep. I must sound awfully boring, some people say they would try and fulfill all that is on their bucket list. I feel that I have done the most important things on my bucket list. I have loved and been loved, I have shared my love for Christ and our Father in Heaven each and every day, I have listened when others needed an ear, I have hugged when others needed compassion, I have prayed with true intent and I have been a true friend, to me these things have been the most important things and I have achieved them, praise be to God for allowing me to! Now I ask you, if the scene was set and it was your last day....What would you do? I would love to hear from you, please if you feel compelled to share, put your words into the comment section below. I love each of you in Christ. Have a beautiful day and live it as if it will be your last, we are not promised tomorrow. Live the life you have and love the life you are living:) God bless each of you with comfort, peace and calm this day!