Posts

The Merry Heart

March 14, 2011

PERKS OF REACHING 50

Someone had to remind me, so I’m reminding you too. Don’t laugh…..it is all true…

 

Perks of reaching 50 or being over 60 and heading towards 70!

 

01. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

 

02. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

 

03. No one expects you to run–anywhere.

 

04. People call at 9 PM and ask, “did I wake you?”

 

05. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

 

06. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.

 

07. Things you buy now won’t wear out.

 

08. You can eat supper at 4 PM.

 

09. You can live without sex but not your glasses.

 

10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.

 

11. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

 

12. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.

 

13. You sing along with elevator music.

 

14. Your eyes won’t get much worse.

 

15. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

 

16. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.

 

17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can’t remember them either.

 

18. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.

 

19. You can’t remember who sent you this list.

 

20. And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.

 

And don’t forget..

 

Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

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Posts

UPWORDS Devotional by Max Lucado (Used by permission)

March 14, 2011

   

The Sufferings of
His Broken Heart

by Max Lucado

Go with me for a moment to witness what was perhaps the foggiest night in history. The scene is very simple; you’ll recognize it quickly. A grove of twisted olive trees. Ground cluttered with large rocks. A low stone fence. A dark, dark night.

Now, look into the picture. Look closely through the shadowy foliage. See that person? See that solitary figure? What’s he doing? Flat on the ground. Face stained with dirt and tears. Fists pounding the hard earth. Eyes wide with a stupor of fear. Hair matted with salty sweat. Is that blood on his forehead?

That’s Jesus. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Maybe you’ve seen the classic portrait of Christ in the garden. Kneeling beside a big rock. Snow-white robe. Hands peacefully folded in prayer. A look of serenity on his face. Halo over his head. A spotlight from heaven illuminating his golden-brown hair.

Now, I’m no artist, but I can tell you one thing. The man who painted that picture didn’t use the gospel of Mark as a pattern. Look what Mark wrote about that painful night, he used phrases like these: “Horror and dismay came over him.” “My heart is ready to break with grief.” “He went a little forward and threw himself on the ground.”

Does this look like the picture of a saintly Jesus resting in the palm of God? Hardly. Mark used black paint to describe this scene. We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling Jesus. We see a “man of sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:3 NASB) We see a man struggling with fear, wrestling with commitments, and yearning for relief.

We see Jesus in the fog of a broken heart.

The writer of Hebrews would later pen, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death.” (Hebrews 5:7 NIV)

My, what a portrait! Jesus is in pain. Jesus is on the stage of fear. Jesus is cloaked, not in sainthood, but in humanity.

The next time the fog finds you, you might do well to remember Jesus in the garden. The next time you think that no one understands, reread the fourteenth chapter of Mark. The next time your self-pity convinces you that no one cares, pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this dusty planet, listen to him pleading among the twisted trees.

The next time you are called to suffer, pay attention. It may be the closest you’ll ever get to God. Watch closely. It could very well be that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog is a pierced one.

 

NEW Gift Book! This story from:
This is Love – The Extraordinary Story of Jesus
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado
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Podcast

Seven Trumpets: The Little Scroll and Two Witnesses

March 6, 2011

The bittersweet message of God’s final triumph over evil will continue to be proclaimed with power until the end. In part 8 of Revelation: The End of the Beginning, Pastor Dan Cox reads from Revelation 10-11.

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Or search for Wonder Lake Bible Church in your favorite podcasts app.

(more…)

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Podcast

Seven Trumpets: Devastation and Refusal to Repent

February 27, 2011

Regardless of the great devastation brought by God’s judgment upon the earth, most people will still refuse to repent of their sin. In part 7 of Revelation: The End of the Beginning, Pastor Dan Cox reads from Revelation 8-9.

Subscribe to new episodes:

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts

Or search for Wonder Lake Bible Church in your favorite podcasts app.

(more…)

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Posts

The Merry Heart

February 21, 2011

I’ve seen some of these before, but most are new to me. I hope you get a chuckle out of these – Rick

THE FAMILY FEUD

A classic set of answers…

 

Here are some actual answers from contestants who have appeared on the game show Family Feud (Family Fortunes in the UK):

 

Name something a blind person might use: a sword

 

Name a song with moon in the title: blue suede moon

 

Name a bird with a long neck: a penguin

 

Name an occupation where you need a torch: a burglar

 

Name a famous brother and sister: Bonnie and Clyde

 

Name an item of clothing worn by the Three Musketeers: a horse

 

Name something that floats in the bath: water

 

Name something you wear on the beach: a deck chair

 

Name something red: my cardigan

 

Name a famous cowboy: Buck Rogers

 

Name a famous royal: mail

 

Name a number you have to memorize: 7

 

Name something you do before going to bed: sleep

 

Name something you put on walls: roofs

 

Name something in the garden that’s green: a scarecrow

 

Name something that flies that doesn’t have an engine: dishes

 

Name something you might be allergic to: skiing

 

Name a famous bridge: the bridge over troubled waters

 

Name something a cat does: goes to the toilet

 

Name a continent: Italy

 

Name something you do in the bathroom: decorate

 

Name an animal you might see at the zoo: a dog

 

Name something slippery: a con man

 

Name a kind of ache: a pancake

 

Name a food that can be brown or white: potato

 

Name a potato topping: jam

 

Name a famous Scotsman: Jock

 

Another famous Scotsman: Vinnie Jones

 

Name something with a hole in it: window

 

Name a non-living object with legs: plant

 

Name a domestic animal: leopard

 

Name a part of the body beginning with ‘N’: knee

 

Name a way of cooking fish: cod

 

Name something you clean: your sister

 

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