Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Waiting on God for the Promise of the Father Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Waiting on God for the Promise of the Father Daily Devotional CBN.com
Another great devotional from Andrew Murray.
Many of us are waiting on the promises of God, for ourselves and our families. Lord, have mercy and come quickly!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Tug of War Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Tug of War Daily Devotional CBN.com

I have about 20 minutes to myself before we get back into the normal Monday groove of Aryel coming over. Isaiah was not a happy camper to get up for school. Read a great devo story by Sandy Cathcart this morning and here's another one to start the day with:)

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Is your family sometimes described as a dysfunctional, motley crew?

Think about this:

I decided for the New Year I would reread my New Testament, The Message version. Yesterday I noticed for the first time, that in the linage of Jesus they always named the father but only named a few mothers. It was interesting that the only mothers mentioned other than Mary, were women of questionable reputation.


Tamar had to use deceit to get her rightful heir, Rahab was a lady of the night, Ruth an outcast who was so faithful to her mother-in-law that she obtained blessings, and Bathsheba was noted as Uriah's wife (since she was married to him, when King David called for her.) And little, pure Mary had rumors about her as she and Joseph were not married at the time she conceived our King. What sacrifices have been made for us to have salvation!
So, don't feel bad if your family line is somewhat a dysfunctional, motley crew. You are in good company.

Live Your Life's Story Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Live Your Life's Story Daily Devotional CBN.com

Friday, December 31, 2010

About Corrie quotes, the New Year, and CBN devo

I am so grateful to the Lord for getting us through this year. I pray a special blessing on my friends and family.
Remember as Corrie ten Boom said, "There is no pit so deep that He (Jesus) is not deeper still."
I'm posting a link to a Corrie quote site, but some of these are just too good not to post myself. I love that woman!

Read and enjoy!
"Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart."
— Corrie ten Boom
"Even as the angry vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him....Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness....And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives along with the command, the love itself." — Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place)

"Do you know what hurts so very much? It's love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill that love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel."
— Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place)
"This is what the past is for! Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see."
— Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place)
"Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open." — Corrie ten Boom
"If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest." — Corrie ten Boom
"Happiness isn't something that depends on our surroundings...It's something we make inside ourselves."
— Corrie ten Boom
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/102203.Corrie_ten_Boom
Also I am posting a daily devotional link. It is CBN writers, and I'm hoping one day to be included in their site.

One of my favorite devotion writers on their site is Kathy Thomas; you should check her out:)
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/index.aspx?cpid=EU_SPL_2010_365

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Linking to great devotionals

I'll be posting these devotions on the main blog until I figure out how to put them on the side as a link. If any of my friends know how to do this and want to give me some pointers, I would appreciate it. Have a great day!http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/index.aspx

Sunday, December 26, 2010

The Best Celebration of Christmas this Year

My favorite part of the Holiday Season was helping to feed the needy at Hollyland Park with Jane and DOC. Makes me think of this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN7Xl6uh9Ww
"Mercy in Me" by Todd Agnew; awesome! What great lyrics!

Christmas Gladness for the Dysfunctional Family

I’m a little late posting my Christmas message but most people are too busy to get online and read on Christmas anyway:)
At our house, I have a saying, “We’re Not the Cleavers, But That Never Stopped us from Wishing We Were.” The Cleavers, the Walton’s, the Ingall’s, we would be happy to have any resemblance to those families. You might find us listed at “Dysfunctional R Us” or on Facebook with the tags: painful childhood, loss of loved ones, overcoming addictions and trauma, or we might remind you of the old Hee-Haw song, “Gloom despair and agony on me,” If it were’t for bad luck we’d have no luck at all". Did I make you smile yet? This is not my normal Christmas message! But for Jesus, the real reason of the Season and His Word that is ever living in my heart, soul and life we would go under! And perhaps your family would also, as you wonder what has happened to your "normal" life with the economy spiraling downward, sicknesses, and natural disasters abounding?

Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,
The years in which we have seen evil.
Psalm 90:14-15 (New King James Version)
I love these verses in Psalm 90, I was so astounded that the Lord would actually take the days of pain and affliction that we have gone through and make us happy according to them.

Is it possible that He would give joy as He allowed sorrow? Isn't that the premise of Romans 8:28 when it is said that He will work all things to our good?
What encouraging words and what a wonderful prayer to pray this Christmas season. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. ASV

Oh that the Lord would fill us with love and joy as we seek Him in the morning. It truly would give us a song to sing and a story to tell to our families and friends. How many of us want to proclaim His greatness to our children and grandchildren? Most of us do and we can by reminding them of these precious words from the Psalms.

It is okay to ask the Lord to treat us well and give us success. In my life I have felt afflicted with abuses, hurt and losses but I can prevail by focusing on the good that will come eventually. If I had not endured these things I would not be the person I am today. I was on the road to being a spoiled brat as a young girl and then my world was rocked by pain and I learned to look outside of myself. I learned that others are more important than myself. I learned about self-sacrifice from a mother who worked so many hours a week at forty-five cents an hour for years just to feed her children as my sweet Mama did. I learned that my brothers and sister were overcomers in life as they just did what they could to enjoy what little we had. We all learned that we had a lot more than many others. We learned to share what we had and that it is not material things that count but strength, maturity and kindness that will prevail all the days the Lord gives us. We learned that Christmas doesn’t mean getting gifts but it is about family and friends remembering the birth of an awesome Saviour. One whose life was not perfect, either.
My Christmas message may be different than most people's, but I guess the slant He gives me fits some families. You know: the dysfunctional, but trying ones, the funny, but forgiven ones, and the once hopeless but now Hope-filled ones! To God be the Glory! Affliction to gladness; it's the way of the Cross and the way our own Saviour took. I believe it is the way to hope for this Christmas Season.

Merry Christmas from Donna and family 2010
Thornrose7@aol.com http://thornrose7.blogspot.com/