Archive - July 2014

1) You can’t count your hair.

2) You can’t wash your eyes with soap.

3) You can’t breathe when your tongue is out.

Put your tongue back in your mouth, you silly person.

Ten Things I Know About You:

1) You are reading this.

2) You are human.

3) You can’t say the letter “P” without separating your lips.

4) You just attempted to do it.

6) You are laughing at yourself.

7) You have a smile on your face, and you skipped No. 5.

8) You just checked to see if there is a No. 5.

9) You laugh at this because you are a fun-loving person and everyone does it, too.

10) You are probably going to send this to see who else falls for it.

“Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.”

William Rayborn as seen in GCFL

Greg and Gail enjoyed teaching an adult Spanish class. In the area of the Guatemalan civil war which ended in 1996. Gail enjoyed time visiting with her family and WLBC in early July; nice little vacation. Please keep Greg in prayers as he prepares to teach about twenty new Sixth Grade Bible students starting in August.

An old-time revival preacher announced that Thursday was going to be “Quitter’s Night” at the tent revival. It was public confession time.

A child stood and said she was going to quit telling lies. A teenager rose to his feet and said he was going to quit smoking. Even adults were making these public confessions. They were going to quit drinking or gambling or cussin’, etc.

And then it happened. A saintly silver-haired lady stood up. It was real quiet and folks were wondering what this “model” Christian had possibly done.

“Well now, Mrs. Jones,” said the preacher, “what are you repenting of?”

Mrs. Jones cleared her throat and said, “I ain’t done nothin’ and

I’m gonna quit it.”

Perhaps we should all be reminded that sometimes our most prevalent sin is something we were supposed to do, but didn’t. If we’re doing nothing, it may be time to quit!

 (The Timothy Report, www.timothyreport.com) via Cup O’Cheer

I have experienced His presence in the deepest hell that man can create. I have tested the promises of the Bible, and believe me, you can count on them.  

–Corrie ten Boom

At Peace With Yourself

There is a correlation between the way you feel about yourself and the way you feel about others. If you are at peace with yourself—you’ll get along with others. The converse is also true. If you are ashamed, embarrassed, or angry, other people are going to know it. The tragic thing is we tend to take it out on those we love unless the cycle is interrupted.

Which takes us to the question, “How does a person get relief?” Which takes us to one of the kindest verses in the Bible.  In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, “Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest.”

Be honest with Him. Admit you have soul secrets you’ve never dealt with. He’s just waiting for you to ask Him for help. You’ll be glad you did. Those near to you will be glad as well.

Revelation 15:3

We cannot even begin to understand what God is going to do in the future. The book of Revelation gives us a tiny peek into that time. People who are believers will stand beside a sea that looks like glass mixed with fire. These believers will be singing praises to God

Here is the praise song that they will sing:

Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.

Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.

Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy.

All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.

Revelation 15:3–4

On earth and in heaven we get to trust and praise God for who he is and what he has done for us. During good days or bad, peaceful times or stormy ones, God is always good, always in control, always with us.

Dear Lord, It is wonderful to know that we don’t have to wait for heaven or even for good days to sing songs of praise to you. Thank you for saving us. Amen.

as seen in Streams in the Desert For Kids via Cop O’Cheer

Wayne and Carol ask for prayers for the Israel CEF team. They are training people to effectively teach children to come to know the Lord. Please keep in prayer their friends that are overseeing the construction of the school building in Bethlehem. Also keep in your prayers that the Kings organization in Israel will soon be accepted and recognized as an international aid agency.

Sometimes when I’m faced with an atheist, I am tempted to invite him to the greatest gourmet dinner that one could ever serve, and when we have finished eating that magnificent dinner, to ask him if he believes there’s a cook. 

–Ronald Reagan

If my faith hasn’t changed me, it hasn’t saved me. 

–James MacDonald

1. The only real mistake we can make in prayer is in not praying. If we pray earnestly, almost anything we do is better than not praying. After all, no father rejects the child’s plea because she did not use the right words or form. He welcomes his child into his arms.  Someone has said, “Nothing never happens when we pray.”

2. No matter how much you pray, you will never be completely satisfied with your prayer life. You will always feel the goal is out there beyond you somewhere. We must work against perfectionism, that mental disease that convinces us because we’re not doing something perfectly, that we should stop it altogether. No matter how ineffective you think your prayers are, believe that they matter to God and keep on praying.

3. The Holy Spirit helps us in our prayer. Romans 8:26 assures us “He helps us in our weakness because we do not know how to pray.” The Greek word translated “helps” is a compound Greek verb “synantilambanomai.“  The "syn” means “together, with us."  The "anti” means “opposite to, in front of.” And the “lambanomai” is a form of the verb “to lift."  Together they tell us the Holy Spirit gets on the other end of our task, opposite to us, and together with us lifts the burden.  He does not do this in our place, but works with us.

4. Keep on praying.

Persistence in prayer is taught so many times in Scripture. My favorite is blind Bartimaeus in Luke 18. Let nothing stop you from praying. Not your own inadequacy (of which there is much), your own needs (which can be overwhelming), not your fears (which never tire of assaulting you), and most definitely not other people (discouragement is all around us). Just keep at it.

5. Our emotions and feelings are irrelevant to effective praying. We need to rescue our prayer life from bondage to our emotions. You know, "I don’t feel like my prayers go beyond the ceiling,” or “I don’t feel like praying today.” When you turn to the Father in prayer, how you feel has nothing to do with anything. Pray anyway.

6. Heaven places the same value on our prayers that we do. If it matters to us, it matters to our Heavenly Father. The widow’s mite did not mean much to anyone else in the Temple that day, but because it mattered a great deal to her, it was precious to the Father. This principle holds true for our prayers, our offerings, and anything else we give to the Lord: when it arrives in Heaven, it carries the same value there we placed on it here.

7. Throw away your clock. Jesus said it’s the heathen who think they will be heard for their much speaking. The goal in our prayer time is to be real, to touch Heaven, and not to log so much time. Think how insulted your sweetheart would be if you brought along a clock on your next visit, and you kept looking at it to see how much time had gone by so you could feel good about the investment you were making in the relationship. How much time you spend in prayer has little to do with anything. This assumes, of course, that you are spending some quality time with Him each day in prayer.

8. It’s not necessary to know the will of God in order to ask for something. Go ahead and ask for healing, for that new job, for this blessing, or that condition to change. What if it’s not the will of God? Then, friend, He won’t do it.   Do not think you are tying God’s hands by your prayers. That’s why Jesus ended His prayer in Gethsemane with “Not my will, but Thy will be done.” He taught us to pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."    My job is to ask. It’s the Father’s place to sort things out and decide what He wishes to answer and grant.

9. There is a mystery involved whenever we come into the presence of God. We are kneeling before the Almighty Sovereign God, Lord of the universe. Be quiet. Be still. Get alone with Him. Humble yourself. Wait on Him. Respect Him as having sense and quit insulting Him with your pet memorized phrases. Tell Him the truth, what you’ve been up to and what you’re thinking now. Tell Him what blesses you about Him, and what areas of your life you need particular help with.

Jesus said He already knows our needs before we ask, but He likes to see if we have figured things out, too. So, go ahead and make your requests to Him. Whatever answer comes, accept that as His will, at least for the time being. And keep on praying.

10. Always keep paper and pen handy when you are praying. My experience is that when you come into the Father’s presence in prayer, He will frequently call your attention to something He wants you to know or do. He may tell you someone to see, something to do, someone to call, something to forgive, a verse to look up, a text to remember, a debt to pay, or a neighbor to help. Write it down. Then, go back to your prayer. Expect to receive from Him every time you turn to Him in prayer.

They ask us to pray for the Lord to work in amazing ways through the training to start new clubs. Pray that they will build Awana clubs that have great outreach into their communities this year. Also pray that this year’s conferences will be a great time for enlarging the vision of reaching more children, teens, and families with the good news. Please keep Bruce and Marti them in prayer as they reach out to areas where there are no Awana Clubs.

It is a spiritual enemy we have to contend with. Now is the time to fight. We’ve got to defeat them on our knees. Pray for our leaders. Pray for our nation. God is alive. God is real. God will answer the prayers of those who humble themselves before Him. No mortal is the enemy. It’s the enemy you can’t see. It’s a war against the forces of darkness. The battle won’t be won with guns. It will be won on our knees. Don’t let go of this country. Stay on your knees and don’t ever give up" (Is 28 28:5-6).

–Chuck Colson

Most Precious Lord Jesus, Gentle and Wonderful God, Truly Awesome and Ever-present Holy Spirit, I love You, Lord Jesus. Please bless this nation in which I live. Please pour out Your Spirit upon this nation’s people and upon its leaders. Our nation has had times of trial and times of blessing. At this moment, we are facing grave dangers and trials we have not seen in generations. Because of this dark hour in our nation’s history, I seek Your Touch upon this nation and its citizens. Touch the heart of every man, woman, and child who lives within our borders. O Lord, open our heart to You and to Your Love. O Lord, open our heart to You and to Your Will for our people. Protect us from the looming darkness that threatens us. Protect us from the evil that lurks about both from within and from without. Protect our people. Protect our leaders. Inspire in all of us, the desire to do Your Will and only Your Will. Keep us on our knees before Your Cross. May Your Touch open the floodgates of our creative spirit, our imagination, our inventiveness, our growth, and our unlimited hope for the future. Inspire in us a heart to turn from every corruption. Inspire in us a heart to turn from every temptation. Inspire in us a heart to do and live only Your Will each day. All these things I humbly pray in the Name of my most Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, my Mighty God, and my ever-present Holy Spirit upon Whom I can rely. Amen.

 –Author Unknown

Father, I pray You prevent the destructive forces of terrorism directed against our nation. Provide protection from evil attacks and stop the aggressors that attempt to bring destruction to our nation and its people. May Your Hand of protection keep us safe.

I stand against the spirit of fear that accompanies the cowardice acts of terrorism. Allow our fear to turn to trust in You. May knowledge of terrorist planned attacks be revealed to those who provide our national and international security. Help those in power to act swiftly to avert all danger, protecting American lives and property.

Lord, provide strength, courage, and wisdom to our protectors. Give wisdom and insight to our government and everyone involved in the elimination of terrorism. Provide instruction in the development of effective and efficient anti-terrorist strategies that will give us an advantage against our aggressors, allowing this country to remain safe and secure.

I also pray that You enter the hearts of the instigators of terrorism, so they recognize the evil of their ways, and repent and denounce their cowardice acts of destruction against humanity. Without repentance, may they reap the consequences of their actions through Your Divine justice. May the fear of our retaliation be greater than their hatred of Democracy. Guide us in efforts to seek out and eradicate these merchants of death. Reveal to us the names of those responsible and in allegiance with terrorist organizations. Enable our military to become swift, powerful, and accurate in any action of retaliation. Help them keep the innocent safe as they stop these evil people.

Lord, help us to understand lifestyle changes that might be necessary to ensure our protection. Grant patience and tolerance to us in adapting to the safety precautions and measure that we might experience. Enable us to realize that the cost of inconvenience is a small price to pay for the safety of our families.

Amen.

–Author Unknown

Please keep Doug and Sherrie in your thoughts and prayers because Doug’s mother (Lorraine) went home to be with the Lord may 1st, and his dad will be moving in with them. They ask us to pray for the youth that will be attending camp throughout the summer. They also covet our prayers as they work with two new couples they are praying and working with concerning their future ministry team placements.

Leatherwood – Update

People from the Ari tribe in southern Ethiopia gathered to learn how to communicate the word of God to other tribes through Story telling. They are in need of more micro SD cards so recordings can be loaded onto cell phones. Please pray for Rick as he is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo training Congolese, Norwegians, and Americans how to make oral bibles, also to teach an oral bible class. Please keep Laura and the whole family in your prayers as her mother Lorraine Anderson passed away.

Two men were stranded on an island. One man just sat down under a tree and did nothing. The other man looked all over the island. When he came back, he said, “There is nothing here – no food, no shelter, no nothing. We’re going to die.”

The first man said, “I make $10,000 a week,” and continued to sit.

The other man again looked all over the island and came back dejected. “We’re going to die,” he said.

The first one again replied, “I make $10,000 per week.” And he sat.

The other man took one more look all over, returned, and said, “There’s no way we will ever get off this island. We’re going to die.”

Once again the first man replied, “I make $10,000 per week, and I tithe. My pastor will find me.”

Timothy Anger, via The Good, Clean Funnies List

We think about grief a lot around here – we write about types of grief, grief theory, personal reflections, creative expression for coping with grief, practical ideas for managing grief, and on and on and on.  But there are some days that all seems like a lot to take in.  We think back to the basics.  Not the theory stuff, not the ideas about how to cope — just the really basic things that people never tell you about grief.  So, with your help, that is what we have today — a quick and dirty list of the things we wish we had known about grief, before we knew anything about grief.  If it’s in quotes, it is something one of our fabulous readers shared with us on Twitter or Facebook.  If you finish this post and you’re annoyed about all the things we forgot, leave a comment to keep the list going.

I wish someone had told me …

1.  No matter how prepared you think you are for a death, you can never be fully prepared for the loss and the grief.

2.  You can plan for death, but death does not always comply with our wishes or plans.

3.  “Stop avoiding and be present”.

4.  “Dying is not like you see on TV or in the movies.  It is not peaceful or prepared.  You may not have a spiritual or meaningful moment … It’s too real”.

5.  A hospital death is not always a bad death.

6.  A home death/hospice death is not always a good death.

7.  “There will be pressure from others to move on, even minutes or hours after a death, and this can lead to regrets”.

8.  “Death is not an emergency – there is always time to step back and take a moment to say goodbye”

9.  Death and grief make people uncomfortable, so be prepared for awkward encounters.

10.  You will plan the funeral while in a haze.  If you aren’t happy with the funeral you had, have another memorial service later.

11.  When people offer support, take them up on it.

12.  People will bring you food because they don’t know what else to do.  Don’t feel bad throwing it away.

13.  People will say stupid, hurtful things without even realizing it.

14.  People will tell you things that aren’t true about your grief.

15.  Death brings out the best and the worst in families, so be prepared.

16.  There is no such thing as closure.

17.  There is no timeline for grieving.  You can’t rush it.  You will grieve, in some form, forever.

18.  “There will always be regrets.  No matter how much time you had, you’ll always want more”.

19.  Guilt is a normal part of grief.

20.  Anger is normal part of grief.

21.  “The pain of a loss is a reflection of love, but you never regret loving as hard as you can”.

22.  Grief can make you question your faith.

23.  “Grief doesn’t come in 5 neat stages.  Grief is messy and confusing”.

24.  Grief makes you feel like you are going crazy.

25.  Grief can make you question your life, your purpose, and your goals.  And that isn’t always a bad thing.

26.  We all grieve differently, which can create strain and confusion between family members and friends.

27.   “However badly you think it is going to hurt, it is going to be a million times worse”.

28.  You may find comfort in very unexpected places.

29.  “You should go somewhere to debrief after care giving”.

30.  “The last 24 hours of their lives will replay in your mind”.

31.  Trying to protect children from death and the emotions of grief isn’t helpful.

32.  “It’s sometimes necessary to seek out new ways to grieve on your own, find new guidance, if the people who are supposed to be supportive simply haven’t learned how”.

33.   “You grieve your past, present, and future with that person”.

34.  Big life events and milestones will forever be bittersweet.

35.  Grief triggers are everywhere – you will see things that remind you of your loved one all over the place, and it may lead to sudden outbursts of emotion.

36.  “You lose yourself, your identity, meaning, purpose, values, your trust”.

37.  Holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays will be hard forever.

38.  People will tell you what you should and shouldn’t feel and how you should and shouldn’t grieve; ignore them.

39.  “The grief process is about not only mourning the loss, but getting to know yourself as a different person”.

40.  There is no normal when it comes to grieving.

41.  Sometimes it gets worse before it gets better.

42.  “It is normal to feel numb after it happens.  The tears will come. They come in waves”.

43.  Grief can make you feel selfish and entitled, and that’s okay (at least for a while).

44.  Meeting new people, who never knew the person who died, can be hard and sad.  But eventually it can be nice to “introduce” them through stories and photographs.

45.  The practice of sending thank you notes after a funeral is a cruel and unusual tradition.

46.  “People love to judge how you are doing.  Watch out for those people”.

47.  You can’t compare grief or compare losses, though people will try.

48.  Any loss you grieve is a valid loss, though people will sometimes make you feel otherwise.

49.  “Just because you feel pretty good one day it doesn’t mean you are cured of your grief”.

50.  There are many days when you will feel totally and completely alone, whether you are or not.

51.  Grief can make you do stupid, crazy things.  They may be what you need at the time, but you may regret them later.  Cut yourself some slack.

52.  Grief can make you a stronger person than you were before.

53.  Grief counseling doesn’t mean you’re crazy or weak.

54.  It is okay to cry sometimes.

55.  It is okay NOT to cry sometimes.

56.  “Time does NOT heal all wounds”.

57.  “Grief re-writes your address book”. Sometimes the people you think will be there for you are not.  People you never expect become your biggest supporters.

58.  “You don’t get over it, you just get used to it”.

59.  It is okay to tell people when they are not being helpful.

60.  Watch your drinking– alcohol can quickly become an unhealthy friend.

61.  You will have to face your emotions eventually – you can avoid them for a while, but they will catch up with you in the end.

62.  Talking isn’t the only way to express and process emotions.

63.  You will never go back to being your “old self”.  Grief changes you and you are never the same.

64.  Nothing you do in the future will change your love for the person who died.  Eventually you will begin to enjoy life again, date again, have another child, seek new experiences, or whatever.  None of these thing will diminish your love for the person you lost.

as seen at http://whatsyourgrief.com via Cup O’ Cheer

Alton and Ebba Cothron –Update

Since the Cothrons have been writing about the New Testament in the language of the Brazilian Indians it has been spreading throughout the area, with more Christian Indian leaders being trained in the word. Ebba’s illnesses are behind them, although please continue to prayer for their health. They would also like prayers as they reach are reaching out to a family in their area that has one member going through cancer.

Thank you! For as long as I can remember, the highlight of my mother’s week was going to church on Sunday to worship. I can only imagine what is happening today as she worships in His presence. In Heaven she is experiencing so many awesome events and is living true worship. Thank you for your love, support, prayers, cards, phone calls, and gifts in memory of my mom, Gertrude Diederich. Linda Farris – Revelation 21:4