Receiving the Gift

Good morning and happy Friday. At my wife's school there is group of students that run a coffee and donut shop for the staff to raise money. I don't get to go by there so I send some money with her to buy someones coffee and donut every Friday. She was telling me about a few of the reactions from the staff members who got there's bought for them. The one the got me the most is the one who couldn't believe it and thought my wife wanted something in return. When it was explained to her why it was being done and that today was the the day she was chosen, it all changed. The point to this is how we are given to by God and still are hesitant to receive His gift. How we think that there are strings attached to it too. We've talked many times about helping others and all, but what about receiving the gift first. Maybe that's our hold up in our own walk. A gift is just that, a gift. No strings attached. I'm amazed at how conditioned we are to not trust when something is being done for us out of pure kindness and love. Receive the gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit and yes be thankful and not leery and untrusting. Be joyful in the gift and pass it on to others. In love always. <><

PS  remember to listen to prodding's of the Holy Spirit this week end. Test on Monday. 

Will You Follow The Spirit?

Good morning and happy Thursday, (Friday eve). How do you feel about Jesus? What do you make of all that you've heard and learned about Him over the years? As you sit there nodding your head in thought and saying how you believe in Him and the things He's done, He's my Lord and Savior and all, get it all sunk in deep. Now how much are you like Him? Where in your life are you the least like Him?  If He came to you now and said "Follow me", would you?  Of course you would you've heard the stories already so now it would be easy to act in faith if asked. But wait for it, He's already asking us to follow Him. Our faith is much more than that of the first ones to follow Him. We all have a calling to do His work. We believe in Him to be just who He is but don't put forth the effort He is asking of us. And if you are, bless you. The rest of us have to find it within us, the place we've put the Holy Spirit, and move on it. My challenge to us all this weekend is to move and act on a prodding from the Spirit. When you feel it, you do it. No thinking about it at all just do it. Let's begin to let our God rule our lives so others see what we have and that they will want it too. In love always <><. 

PS. There will be a quiz on Monday 

Savior On The Water

Good morning and happy Wednesday. I have many favorite Bible stories of Jesus and His disciples, but one of my favorite, for many reasons, is when He walks on the water to them. They gave up everything and left their homes and families to follow Him. He sent them out on the lake into a storm. They were afraid, even with all they had seen, because they are human. Just like them in our storms of life we fail to trust or have the faith to believe it will be ok. In their storm Jesus walks to them and simply says "it is I". The storm calms  and things are easing back to normal. These men are as close to Him as one can be and yet they were in a spot that they feared for their lives. We have storms of all sizes and depths of despair and just like with the disciples, Jesus will be right there with us. What He did then, is what He still does now. We can look at the past to see what He does because He has not changed. He will walk to you in your storm and by your faith in Him He will calm it. In love always. <><

Share Your Faith

Good morning and happy Tuesday.  So we've talked about ourselves being ready to die, but what about others in our lives? Are we ready for them to go home? Have we done our part to show them the "Way" home?  A friend of mine once was grieving pretty hard over a friend of his passing. I asked about how close they were to bring on such sadness. He told me that he was sad because his friend did not know Jesus. He said this was really the last time he would be with him. His grieving was not because his friend died, it was because he did not share his faith in Jesus with him. Grieving here when someone we love passes on is normal because we will miss them. It's our selfishness for them to be with us and us with them that makes us sad. I really doubt that anybody near the presence of God is ever gonna want to leave. Are you sharing your faith with others? Especially our family. Don't take it for granted that they know or are getting it somewhere else. Make sure by sharing it and living it. Love them enough to help get them home. In love always. <>< 

God Chose You

Good morning and happy Monday. The battery on the car is dying. I have to get a new one. It's been a good battery. It's taken us to a lot of places over the years of it's life. Never once left us stranded. Reliable and dependable, doing the job it was meant to do. Well done battery. I hope that my life to Jesus reflects the same to Him as that battery did to me. It's really not asking much is it, to do what you're designed for.  To do the job that has been given for you to do. Jesus has shown us how to love each other and help each other. He didn't come here to make more rules and to make it harder to get to Heaven. He simply showed us what God is like and how we need to be to join Him. I picked that battery to go into my car. I chose it for the job I needed it to do. It may not have been the best one, but it was the one chosen and it did the job needed. We may not be the right one in our mind for the job but for God we're just the one He's chosen. Take joy and comfort that He will be there with you through it all. He chose you. In love always. <><