The Faithful Preacher

Several years ago a preacher moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'you better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it'. Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Besides, the bus company already gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet.'

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change."

The driver with a smile, replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town?

I have been thinking lately about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change."

When my friend stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, and held on, and said, "O God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS

LOVE
The Special Feeling That Makes You Feel All Warm And Wonderful.

RESPECT
Treating Others As Well As You Would Like To Be Treated.

APPRECIATION
To Be Grateful For All The Good Things Life Has To Offer.

HAPPINESS
The Full Enjoyment Of Each Moment. A Smiling Face.

FORGIVENESS
The Ability To Let Things Be Without Anger.

SHARING
The Joy Of Giving Without Thought Of Receiving.

HONESTY
The Quality Of Always Telling The Truth.

INTEGRITY
The Purity Of Doing What's Right, No Matter What.

COMPASSION
The Essence Of Feeling Another's Pain, While Easing Their Hurt.

PEACE
The Reward For Living The 10 Most Important Things.

A story about forgiveness

When someone hurts you, please remember they are made of dust. The enemy would love for you to carry a hurt... yet Jesus wants you to be in His peace. Jesus asks us to forgive. So let's make our sweet Savior happy. Let's put a smile on His face. Forgive others for the pain they cause... pray for them. Watch Jesus help them and you, and watch His smile.

Here is a story to help:

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument,and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis,where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

The Assumption of the Body of the Pure Virgin St. Mary.

On this day, was the assumption of the body of our pure Lady St. Mary, the Mother of God. While she was keeping vigil, praying in the Holy Sepulchre, and waiting for the happy minute of her liberation from the bonds of the flesh, the Holy Spirit informed her of her forthcoming departure from this vain world. When the time drew near, the disciples and the virgins of the Mt. of Olives (Zeiton) came and the Lady was lying on her bed. Our Lord, surrounded by thousands and thousands of angels, came to Her. He consoled her, and announced her with the everlasting joy which was prepared for Her. She was happy, and she stretched out her hands, blessed the Disciples, and the Virgins. Then, she delivered up her pure soul in the hand of her Son and God, Jesus Christ, Who ascended her to the higher habitations. As of the pure body, they shrouded it and carried it to Gethsemane.

On their way, some of the Jews blocked the way in the face of the disciples to prevent the burial. One of them seized the coffin. His hands were separated from his body, and remained hanging until he believed and repented for his mischievous deed. With the prayers of the holy disciples, his hands were reattached to his body as they had been before.

St. Thomas was absent at the time of St. Mary's departure, but he came after the burial. On his way back to Jerusalem, St. Thomas saw angels carrying St. Mary's pure body and ascending with it to heaven, and one of the angels said to him, "Hurry and kiss the pure body of St. Mary." When he arrived to the disciples, they informed him about St. Mary's departure. He told them, "I will not believe, unless I see her body, as you all know how I did doubt the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ before." They took him to the tomb, to uncover the body but they did not find it, and they were perplexed and amazed. St. Thomas told them how he saw the pure body ascending to heaven, carried by angels.

The Holy Spirit then told them, "The Lord did not Will to leave Her Holy body on earth." The Lord had promised his pure apostles that they would see her in flesh another time. They were waiting for the fulfillment of this truthful promise, until the sixteenth day of the month of Misra, when the promise of seeing her was fulfilled. They saw her sitting on the right hand of her Son and her Lord, surrounded by the angelic Host, as David prophesied and said, "At your right hand stands the queen." (Psalm 45:9) St. Mary's life on earth was sixty years. She spent twelve years of them in the temple, thirty years in the house of the righteous St. Joseph, and fourteen years in the care of St. John the Evangelist, as the Lord commanded her saying, "Woman behold your Son," and to St. John, "Behold your Mother."

May Her intercession be with us. Amen.

Happy Virgin Mary Feast

A Letter To You From Satan.

I saw you yesterday as you began your daily chores. You awoke without kneeling to pray. As a matter of fact, you didn't even bless your meals, or pray before going to bed last night. You are so unthankful. I like that about you. I cannot tell you how glad I am that you have not changed your way of living. Fool! You are mine. Remember, you and I have been going steady for years, and I still don't love you yet. As a matter of fact, I hate you, because I hate God. I am only using you to get even with God. He kicked me out of heaven, and I'm going to use you as long as possible to pay him back.

You see, Fool, GOD LOVES YOU and HE has great plans in store for you. But you have yielded your life to me and I'm going to make your life a living hell. That way we'll be together twice. THIS WILL REALLY HURT GOD! Thanks to you. I'm really showing Him who's boss in your life. With all of the good times we've had..... We have been watching dirty movies, cursing people out, partying, stealing, lying, hypocriting, fornicating, overeating, telling dirty jokes, gossiping, back stabbing people, disrespecting adults and those in leadership position, NO respect for the church, bad attitudes: SURELY you don't want to give all this up!

COME ON, Fool, let's burn together forever. I've got some HOT plans for us. This is just a letter of appreciation from me to you. I'd like to say "THANKS" for letting me use you for most of your foolish life. You are so gullible. I laugh at you. When you are tempted to sin, you give in. HA HA HA You make me sick! Sin is beginning to take its toll on your life. You look 20 years older. I need new blood. So go ahead and teach some children how to sin. All you have to do is smoke, drink alcoholic beverages, cheat, gamble, gossip, fornicate, and listen to and dance to the top 10 jams. Do all of this in the presence of children and they will do it too. Kids are like that.

Well, Fool, I have to let you go for now. I'll be back in a couple of seconds to tempt you again. IF YOU WERE SMART, you would run somewhere, CONFESS YOUR SINS, LIVE FOR GOD with what little bit of life that you have left. It's not my nature to warn anyone, but to be your age and still sinning, it's becoming a bit ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I still hate you......

IT'S JUST THAT YOU'D MAKE A BETTER FOOL FOR CHRIST.

“Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44 “
" And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. 2 Timothy 2 : 26 “

In December 1981, I successfully passed a competition held in Aswan for a job at the Electric Networks Administration. Six months later in June 1982, I asked someone who is well connected to inquire about my job application status and I was told that my turn didn't come and that I have to withdraw my application... But I didn't do so.

On 21 August 1982 (the eve of the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary), I went to pray at St. Mary's Church, El-Salamyia (near my town).

At midnight, I looked at a picture of Pope Kyrillos VI that I had with me, and started to argue with him: "Oh great saint, you lived here in this world and know its sorrows and pains, so why is it that I couldn't get this job to earn my living; I don't have any certificates except that of the preparatory school." I found myself crying.

After awhile I fell asleep and I saw Pope Kyrillos in a dream dressed in church vestments; he said to me: "Rise up son and don't be upset... Count 15 days on your fingers and after they have passed you will be relieved of your trouble."

On 4 September 1982, I received a letter by recorded delivery confirming my employment at Nag Hammadi Networks Administration (where I was supposed to go to withdraw my job application).

The period from the night Pope Kyrillos appeared to me (21/8/1982) till 4/9/1982 (the day I received my offer of employment letter) is 15 days as mentioned by His Holiness in the dream.

I thank God and the great saint whose prophecy was fulfilled

WHY DO WE NEED SALVATION

"This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:11-12)

These verses emphasise that Christ is the only Saviour in the universe. But firstly, we must understand why we need salvation?

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF SIN ?

Sin has resulted in the death and corruption of human nature. This death is in four areas: physical, spiritual, moral and eternal; all which are separation from God, "the wages of sin is death." Initially, all characteristics of man were made in God's image, but these characteristics have become corrupted and spoiled with sin. Thus, the only solution for sin is through 'recreation'.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE REDEEMER ?

If God killed the sinful, there would be no justice, and Satan would be supreme. The scenario would be as follows: God creates, Satan corrupts, God kills, Satan wins. God knew from the beginning that man was going to sin, and He was not only going to forgive them, but He was also going to redeem them. The five qualifications for a redeemer are :

1. he must be man because humans who are sinners are men (men meaning human).
2. he must die, because the wage of sin is death.
3. he must be sinless, because if he was sinful he also will be in need of redemption.
4. he must be unlimited, because our sin is unlimited.
5. he must be a creator, in order to create a new nature.

To fulfil these requirements, God had to be incarnated in the form of man, and dwell among men, and die - thus He was the unification of humanity and divinity. Through humanity He was man and died; and through divinity He is unlimited and the Creator and He is sinless.

SO HOW THEN CAN I BE SAVED ?

I can be saved through baptism, repentance and transfiguration. The Holy Spirit we receive in baptism, makes us question ourselves before we sin, and this leads to repentance and confession. Repentance is the way to renew ourselves and the blessing we received in baptism. Through transfiguration, all those who died will be resurrected; not in this sinful body but in a heavenly, sinless, immortal body, still composed of mind, body, psyche and spirit.

In history, the Cross of Christ is in the middle; all those before it were looking forward to it, and those who came after were believing in it. Both will be saved through the Cross

Bishop Moussa

A Sacrifice

After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church's pastor slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit, and before he gave his sermon for the evening, briefly introduced a guestb minister who was in the service that evening. In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak. "A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast," he began, "when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized."

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service started, began looking somewhat interested in his story. The aged minister continued with his story, "Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life ... to which boy he would throw the other end of the life line. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he also knew that his son's friend was not.

The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!' he threw out the life line to his son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered."

By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister's mouth. "The father," he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend.

How great is the love of God that He should do the same for us. Our heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten Son that we could be saved. I urge you to accept His offer to rescue you and take a hold of the life line He is throwing out to you in this service." With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. The pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon with an invitation at the end. However, no one responded to the appeal.

Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story," politely started one of the boys,"but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian." "Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, and he once again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn't very realistic, is it? But I'm standing here today to tell you that THAT story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me.

You see ...I was that father and your pastor is my son's friend."

“ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ( Romans 5 :8 ) ”

God Wants to Speak to you

How long haven't you spoke with God?
Is life keeping you busy and stopped your partake with God?
Maybe in the past when you had pressure and problems were piling, you would lift your eyes to the sky and ask for God.
Maybe in the past you had lots of chances to talk to God.
You can't forget how God helped you in many occasions.
And you still rememberthe times you were lonely, as everybody dropped you, But Him did not leave you and did not neglect you.
You have enjoyed His care for a long time. And saw His amazing hands pulling you out of definitive death, or save you from serious problems, and put you in the safe place.
What God Did to you before, He is ready to do today and tomorrow, because he loves you. he says to you: Eternal love I loved you, and for that I extended mercy for you.
His love to you never weakend and never changed, although you being and thinking away.
He as a father iIs opening his arms and waiting fo ryou to come back. He misses hearing your voice while talking to Him.
Don't say in your heart my sins stand as a stambling block in the way back to Him. and he will not hear my prayers. He said with His pure mouse: Who comes to me, I will not let him out.
On this promise, come close to God with certitude. He will not push you away.
Don't hesitate to go fast towards God's open heart to find mercy, help and salvation.
Start now, talk to Him because He is listening. Tell Him: My god, as Your promise I am coming and praying to You. O Prayer Listener to You come all humans. So please accept the glorification from my mouth. Hold me with Your hand and Teach me to walk in your commandements so my feet won't slip. Forgive me for being away from You and careless towards You. I know today how much You love me, and waiting from me the sinner. O my God I hear the sound of Your hand on the door of my heart calling me to open my heart to You and talk to You.
Your will to listen to me moves feelings in my heart to call You. Your patience on me drives to call You now. O my God, Savior and supporter

God Bless you all

Wait for Hope

There are times when everything looks very dark to me -- so dark that I have to wait before I have hope. Waiting with hope is very difficult, but true patience is expressed when we must even wait for hope. When we see no hint of success yet refuse to despair, when we see nothing but the darkness of night through our window yet keep the shutters open because stars may appear in the sky, and when we have an empty place in our heart yet will not allow it to be filled with anything less than God's best -- that is the greatest kind of patience in the universe. It is the story of Job in the midst of the storm, Abraham on the road to Moriah, Moses in the desert of Midian, and the Son of Man in the garden of Gethsemane. And there is no patience as strong as that which endures because we see "Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27). It is the kind of patience that waits for hope.

Dear Lord, You have made waiting beautiful and patience divine. You have taught us that Your will should be accepted, simply because it is Your will. You have revealed to us that a person may see nothing but sorrow in his cup yet still be willing to drink it because of a conviction that Your eyes see farther than his own.

Father, give me Your divine power -- the power of Gethsemane. Give me the strength to wait for hope --- to look through the window when there are no stars. Even when my joy is gone, give me the strength to stand victoriously in the darkest night and say, "To my heavenly Father, the sun still shines."

I will have reached the point of greatest strength once I have learned to wait for hope. Strive to be one of the few who walk this earth with the ever present realization -- every morning, noon, and night -- that the unknown that the people call heaven is directly behind those things that are visible.

By faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. (Galatians 5:5)

This is a letter from God to u… read it carefully & always remember what a precious child to God u r… He'll never ever abandon us coz he's OUR FATHER…

My Dear Child:

I just wanted to remind you today of how beautiful you are because there is a father of lies who will try to deceive you. He will try to tell you that you are not good enough, not attractive enough, not thin enough, Not strong enough, not smart enough, not righteous enough, and that you are simply unimportant to Me.

He will try to tell you that you have broken one too many promises, that you have fallen one too many times, that you have lived one too many lies, and that you've been going in the wrong direction so long that it is pointless to turn back now.

But guess what?

YOU DO NOT BELONG TO HIM.

HE IS NOT YOUR father. I AM.

You see, you are My creation. My workmanship. You have been borne of My thought, every part of you placed together by My hands. You have My thumbprint upon you. You are a princess/prince, did you know that?

You are My child, the child of THE King! I look at you and see a precious, priceless pearl. There is no ocean I would not swim, no mountain I would not climb, no price I would not pay to have you and to be with you and call you my own.

I already have. I have done all that I could, given all that there is. I desire to be with you every moment of every day.

How I long for you to talk to Me every day. My love for you never grows cold. My promises are never broken (contrary to what he might lead you to believe). My character never changes. And you, my child have been made in My image.

I love you dearly, unconditionally and completely. I understand every emotion that you have. I've been there. I count every tear that you cry. I know every hair on your head. And do you know what? I even know your weaknesses and your failures and your fears.

I know those hidden parts of you that you wish would go away. Those dark corners of your world that you stuff deep down, praying that no one will ever see. I have already seen them and they will not change my love for you. Nothing will. I love your heart and I desire all of it. I just wanted to remind you today of how beautiful you are and how precious you are to Me.

With Unmeasurable Love,

Your Heavenly Father

A starfish

A young person asked me the other day, How does a person make a difference in this world when its problems are so vast and overwhelming? Hearing his question reminded me of the story of the old man on the beach.

One day a young man saw an older man walking along the beach picking up one stranded starfish after another and throwing them back into the sea. When the young man asked the old man why he was doing this the old man replied that the starfish would die in the morning sun if left on the beach.

The young man told him that millions of starfish die on thousands of beaches everyday and what he was doing made no difference at all. The old man only smiled as he threw another small starfish into the safety of the sea. It makes a difference to this one, he said.

Perhaps that is the only way any of us can make a difference in this world: one starfish at a time. The problems of this world are too vast and
overwhelming for any one person to make a difference alone. If just one person saves just one starfish, however, then this world has become a
better place. If just one person makes just one person smile, laugh, or feel loved then this world has grown in joy. If just one person sponsors a poor
child, visits a nursing home, or cheers up a sick person in a hospital then this world has increased in love.

God doesn't expect us to change the world. God only asks us to brighten a small corner of it by choosing love and joy and sharing it with
everyone we meet. One day this world will be changed, but it will be changed one heart, one soul, and one starfish at a time.

"Love one another..."

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me ." he said to the boy. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, uperiority, and ego.

The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

"The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too"

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed"

God Bless you all

Treasure In The Trash

(Matthew 13:44)

My Mom didn't know it -- but, man, did she make a mistake! I know that now because of my son's long-time interest in baseball card collecting... actually, baseball card investing. He knows what those cards are worth -- especially the rare ones. One card can be worth many hundreds -- even thousands -- of dollars. I think I had some of those valuable cards when I was a kid with players like Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams among them. Cards like that are worth big bucks today! Of course, I don't have them anymore. Sometime when she was moving, my mother threw them away!

My mother had no idea of the value of what she was throwing away. A lot of people make that same mistake -- because they don't know how much they're worth. When you've been put down, left out, mistreated, or abandoned -- you can battle feelings of worthlessness your whole life -- no matter how successful you may become. Maybe it's a feeling you may know all too well. And, tragically, those of us who don't know what we're worth have a tendency to throw ourselves away -- on bad relationships, low goals and self-destructive choices.

But this very day, the person who created you wants to remind you how much you're worth. In Matthew 13:44, our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus is telling one of His parables. He says, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." The parable right before this indicates that the field is this world we live in and the man in the field is Jesus. And the buried treasure? That's you and me.

It's very possible you've been such a buried treasure that you don't even know you're a treasure! But Jesus thinks so! I love one thought George W. Bush expressed in his Inaugural Address. He said, "No insignificant person was ever born". God would agree with that! He says in Ephesians 2:10 that "we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do." So all those people who have treated you like you're worthless didn't know who you really are -- God's workmanship!

And here's the ultimate proof of how much Jesus values you. In the words of His parable, "He went out and sold all He had" so you could belong to Him. The reason we feel like we're worth so little is ultimately because we're away from the One who gave us our worth. The Bible describes us being "without God" (Ephesians 2:12) because we've taken over the running of our own lives. Notice -- the middle letter of sin is "I". All of our sinning has put a wall between us and the God who made us for himself.

But when Jesus died on the cross, He was giving "all He had" to pay the price for all the wrong things you've ever done. In your heart, for just a moment, would you walk up that hill the Bible calls Skull Hill and stand quietly at the foot of that cross where the Son of God is pouring out His life for you. Look at Him dying for you! You are not worthless! But you'll never know how valuable you are until you give yourself to the One who died to buy you back. Which you could do right now, right where you are. Tell Jesus you want to belong to Him, that the rest of your life is His. Find out more about how a relationship with God can be Yours for Life! If you're not sure you belong to Jesus Christ, and you'd like to make sure, check out YOURS FOR LIFE!

Jesus doesn't want to lose you -- that's why He paid for you with His life. This could be the day you finally belong to the One who loves you like you've never been loved before.

MY LIFE IS MEANT TO BE LIVED

Life is to be lived. No excuses. No reservations. No holding back.

An enchanting story about violinist Fritz Kreisler tells how he once came across a beautiful instrument he wanted to acquire. When he finally raised the money for the violin, he returned to buy it and learned that it had already been sold to a collector. He went to the new owner's home in order to try to persuade him to sell the violin. But the collector said it was one of his prized possessions and he could not let it go. The disappointed Kreisler turned to leave, but then asked a favor. "May I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?"

Permission was granted and the great musician began to play. The violin sang out a quality of music so beautiful that the collector himself could only listen in wonderment. "I have no right to keep that to myself," he said after the musician finished. "The violin is yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it."

William Arthur Ward said, "If you believe in prayer, pray; if you believe in serving, serve; if you believe in giving, give." For you and I are exquisite violins -- our music is meant to be heard.

I want to live my life that way -- to take it into the world and live it fully. I'd rather burn out than rust out. I'd rather be used up than die not having done whatever I could...wherever I would.

I'm not talking about wearing ourselves out on over-activity. Happiness is never found in excessive busyness. But it is found in investing our lives in others. Saying YES when asked for a hand. Volunteering some time for a worthwhile organization. Spending an hour with a lonely relative.

In the end, I know that my happiness will not have been about by my ability or my inability. It will have been about my availability. My life is meant to be lived.

God set a goal, yet gave the choice To us how our lives may be spent; Guiding us that our commitment Will value life's accomplishment.

Broken Wings

You came to me with wings that were broken. You said you could not fly,
You said your life had no meaning, no one could answer questions, Why?
You said that you were tired and could no longer go on,
You needed one to hold you, a word to make your spirit strong.
Your eyes were red and drooping, they could not face the light of day,
You wanted me to touch you and take the pains away.
I looked as you slowly walked, dragging wings by your side,
With open arms I welcomed you in, into my love to hide.
I took those wings so tender, bruised and hurt, filled with pain,
I also took your broken spirit, and the aches from memory lane.
Within my hands I held you, as a baby in mother's arms,
Gently, I whispered my promise to you, "I'll protect you from all harm".
My words were strong and loving, I told you, you were mine,
I watched as you grew strong over the course of time.
When your spirit lifted and broken wings became so strong,
No longer could I hold you, you had to fly along.
Remember when I held you close on that dark and lonely day?
When you think of the pains you had, remember how they went away.
On that day when you see one, trying to fly with broken wings,
Use your strength, be their guide, speak of precious things.
Remember the words I taught you, love conquers all, it will never die.
Your wings are strong, your spirit restored, go on, my beautiful eagle, FLY.

God Bless you all

I said a prayer for you today
And know God must have heard.
I felt the answer in my heart
Although I heard no word.

I didn't ask for wealth or fame
(I knew you wouldn't mind.)
I asked to send you treasures
Of a far more lasting kind.

I asked that God be near you
At the start of each new day
To grant you health and blessings
And friends to share your way.

I asked for happiness for you
In all things great and small,
But it was God's loving care for you
That I prayed for most of all.
 

GOD SO LOVED

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NASB).

In a tribe of Indians, or so the story goes, someone was stealing chickens. The Chief declared that, if caught, the offender would receive 10 lashes.

When the stealing continued, he raised it to 20 lashes. Still the chickens methodically disappeared. In anger the Chief raised the sentence to 100 lashes.

The thief was finally caught, but the Chief faced a terrible dilemma. The thief was his OWN mother! When the day of penalty came, the whole tribe gathered. Would the Chief's love override his justice? The crowd gasped when he ordered his mother to be tied to the whipping post.

The Chief removed his shirt, revealing his powerful stature, and took the whip in hand. But instead of raising it to strike the first blow, he handed it to a strong, young brave standing at his side. Slowly the Chief walked over to his mother and wrapped his massive arms around her in an engulfing embrace. Then he ordered the brave to give him the 100 lashes.

That's what JESUS did for you and me. In love he became our substitute and died in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins. He overcame our inability to save ourselves by paying the price for our sins. His death bridged the gulf between God and man and made it possible for us to be reconciled to God and to be restored to fellowship with him through faith in Christ and in his atoning death for us.

Suggested prayer: "Dear Jesus/God, how I thank you for loving me so much that you gave your life to die on the cross at Calvary to pay the penalty for every sin I have ever committed, for your full and free pardon, and for the gift of eternal life for all who accept you as their personal Savior. For this I will be eternally grateful. In Jesus' name, amen."

God Bless you all

PREVIOUS

NEXT