A great story

My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.)

"Are they military?" I asked.

'Yes', she said.

'Is there an escort?' I asked.

'Yes, I've already assigned him a seat'.

'Would you please tell him to come to the Flight Deck. You can board him early," I said...

A short while later a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier.

The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us. 'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia ,' he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military, and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the Flight Deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight, I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin.

'I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is also on board', she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left.

We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia . The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.

I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do. 'I'm on it', I said. I told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now, and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family.

The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal, where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home.

Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.

I sent a message back, telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.

'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller, we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said: 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking: I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later, more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA.

Foot note:

I know everyone who reads this will have tears in their eyes, including me. Prayer chain for our Military... PLEASE SHARE THIS! Please send this on after a short prayer for our service men and women.

They die for me and mine and you and yours and deserve our honor and respect.

Prayer Request:

When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world... There is nothing attached. Just send this to people in your address book. Do not let it stop with you. Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and others deployed in harm's way, prayer is the very best one.

GOD BLESS YOU!!!

Thank you all who have served, or are serving. We Will not forget!!!!
By Ken Koenen

Been thinking....

Thinking could be a good thing and it could be a bad thing.

With the death of the long time childhood tv friend Robin Williams. 
Hearing about all the ways his life and death has touched the world.... 
What would someone say about you should your time on this Earth be done?

So my question for all of you that decide you would like to partake in this little experiment with me.


What thoughts of me would you say?
How have I touched your life?
Did I make a difference?

Now it is your turn..... Post the same and see what others say.

It's now 67 years later.

In MEMORIAM - 67 YEARS LATER

Please read the little cartoon carefully, it's powerful. Then read the comments at the end.

I'm doing my small part by forwarding this message. I hope you'll consider doing the same.

In Memoriam

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russian Peoples looking the other way!

Now, more than ever, with Iraq, Iran, and others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it's imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again.

This is intended to reach 40 million people worldwide!

HOPE AGAINST HOPE!

I so needed this right now. Satan has the flood gates of chaos wide open and is not letting up.
He will not shake my faith.... GOD IS IN CONTROL NOT SATAN!
Faith is all I have and it is the one thing I cannot live without!



HOPE AGAINST HOPE
"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him…"(Romans 4:18, NIV).

Do you feel like you are in a hopeless situation today? Is there no sign of change in the natural? Remember, we serve a supernatural God. What looks impossible with man is possible with God.

In the Bible, God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations. But in the natural, this looked impossible. Both he and his wife were beyond child-bearing years. They had no reason to hope or believe it would happen. They had nothing to go on in the natural. But one translation of this verse says, "Hoping in spite of hopeless circumstances, he believed." And you probably know the story. Abraham finally had a son, Isaac and his son, Jacob had 12 sons—the twelve original tribes of Israel with descendants outnumbering the grains of sand on the shore!

I encourage you to do what Abraham did and go against all the odds; hope on in faith anyway. Keep believing. Keep praying. Keep moving forward. Don’t focus on the impossible circumstances, focus on the God who makes the impossible possible! Keep looking through your eyes of faith because He has blessing and victory in store for you!

Blackaby Ministries

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Good morning said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on the ground. 

The man slowly looked up.

This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new.. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.

His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.. "Leave me alone," he growled....

To his amazement, the woman continued standing.

She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away."

The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.

"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone.

Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked..

"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"

The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"

"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."

"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."

"This is a good deal for you, Jack" the officer answered. "Don't blow it.."

Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived...

The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this, is this man in trouble?"

"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.

"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business.."

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled....... "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"

"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."

"And do you make a godly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"

"What business is that of yours?"

I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."

"Oh."

The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"

"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."

"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"

"Yes, ma’am. That would be very nice."

The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."

The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.

"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.. "Jack, do you remember me?"

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."

"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."

"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.

"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."

Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said.. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."

"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble... Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right."

"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.

"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card.. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons...He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet... If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."

There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he said.

"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus...... He led me to you."

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways....

"Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.

"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And.. And thank you for the coffee."

God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor.

If you believe, send it.

If you don't believe, delete it.

God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close..

If you need God to open some doors for you...send this on.

I really needed this

I really needed this and I hope you find it as comforting as I do.

HE SAID!

TRUE VALUE

Ever have someone look at a project that you are stitching and say,  "Oh, that's so easy, I can do that!" or worse... "I'll give you $5 for it!"?  Frustrating, isn't it?

This is an interesting way to calculate how much your finished piece is worth (in monetary values only -- no one can calculate or put a price on your effort, dedication, and love).

Keep in mind: The *average* stitcher can make 150 stitches per hour (some are faster, some are slower).

**Height in stitches multiplied by width in stitches = total number of stitches.  Divide by 150. Take that total and multiply by minimum wage for total monetary value of your needle art.**

This is a sample calculation -- it will give you an idea of how much time and effort you have put into your project.

PROJECT:
250H by 250 = 62,500 Total Stitches.

At 150 stitches per hour, that's 417 total stitching hours.

At minimum wage per hour ($7.15) that's a total of $2981.55

Now add the cost of your fabric, floss, and needles. If you use specialty fibers... add that, too!

Now -- we all know that we are probably *NEVER* going to have anyone pay us that much money for these works of Needle Art.

But don't sell yourself, your efforts, or abilities short.

Your work has great value -- so do you!

Enjoy!

I so needed this

Things are going haywire.... hope they seem to get better soon.
I hope this speaks to those that may also need to read this.....

Me: God, can I ask You a question?
God: Sure
Me: Promise You won't get mad...
God: I promise
Me: Why did You let so much stuff happen to me today?
... ... ... ... ... God: What do u mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late
God: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start
God: Okay
Me: At lunch they made my sandwich wrong & I had to wait
God: Hmmm
Me: On the way home my phone went DEAD just as I picked up a call
God: All right
Me: And on top of it all off, when I got home I just wanted to soak my feet in my new foot massager & relax, BUT it wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did You do that?

God: Let me see, the death angel was at your bed this morning & I had to send one of My Angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that
Me (humbled): OH
God: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.
Me: (ashamed)
God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick & I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.
Me (embarrassed):Okay
God: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered.
Me (softly): I see, God
God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a shortage that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I'm Sorry God
God: Don't be sorry, just learn to Trust Me...in All things, the Good & the bad.

Me: I will trust You.
God: And don't doubt that My plan for your day is Always Better than your plan.
Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, Thank You for Everything today.
God: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I Love looking after My Children...

THE BUZZARD, THE BAT AND THE BUMBLEBEE

ENDS UP WITH EXCELLENT ADVICE


THE BUZZARD
If you put a buzzard in a pen/coop that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.













THE BAT
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.











THE BUMBLEBEE
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.













PEOPLE
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem... just look up!











Sorrow looks back,
WORRY LOOKS AROUND,
But faith looks up!
Live simply,
love generously,
care deeply,
speak kindly, and
trust in our Creator,
who loves us.








Share this with a friend... I just did.

Wet Pants

Come with me to a third grade classroom.....
There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden,
there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet.
He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly
imagine how this has happened.

It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find
out he will never hear the end of it.
When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.
The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with
a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.
As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate
named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is
filled with water. Susie trips in front of the
teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water
in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is
saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule,
the boy is the object of sympathy.

The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts
to put on while his pants dry out.

All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning
up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful.
But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been
his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.
She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done
enough, you klutz!'

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the
bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers,
'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie
whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'
May God help us see the opportunities that are always around
us to do good..

Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more
than standing in your garage makes you a car.
Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times
right now, but God is getting ready to bless you
in a way that only He can. Keep the faith.
This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards.
Let's continue to pray for one another.

The Prayer:

Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those
that I care deeply for, who are reading this right now.
Show them a new revelation of Your love and power.
Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment.
Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy..
Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace.
Where there is need, I ask you to fulfill their needs.
Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings.
Amen.

This is 'Faith'

This dog was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002.
He was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg
which need to be amputated.

He of course could not walk when he was born.
Even his mother did not want him. His first owner also did not think that he could survive. Therefore, he was thinking of 'putting him to sleep'.

 





By this time, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted
to take care of him. She is determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself. Therefore she named him 'Faith'.

In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfing board to let him feel the
movements.  Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him to stand up and jump around.  Even the other dog at home also helped to encourage him to walk. Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward.  After further training in the snow, he now can walk like a human being.

Faith loves to walk around now.  No matter where he goes, he just attracts all the people around him.

He is now becoming famous on the international scene.  He has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows.There is even one book entitled 'With a little faith' being published about him.  He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies. His present owner Jude Stringfellew has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul'.

In life there are always undesirable things. Perhaps one will feel better if one changes the point of view from another direction.

I hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to
everyone and that everyone can appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day that follows.


Faith is the continual demonstration of the Strength of Life. A small request: All you are asked to do is keep this circulating. All you are asked to do is keep this circulating.  Even If it's to one more person. 

So Good!

I saw this on my friend Kim's blog and loved it so much I had to share!!! Thanks Kim!

(Please visit her blog... she has some wonderful posts including her 2 week review of the Chevy Traverse. She has also done a review on the Chevy Malibu. What a lucky lady to be able to drive these vehicles for 2 weeks and be able to give them and us her opinion.)

This talks to all of us!

This was sent to me today in email.

Why Does God Allow Evil? by Rick Warren

This is the crisis we're in: God's light streamed into the world,  but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness ...  because they were not really interested in pleasing God. John 3:19 (Msg) The horrific mass murder of innocent Americans on 9/11 left all rational  people shocked, angry, grief-stricken and numb. Our tears flowed freely  and our hearts carried a deep ache.  With pain is so heartfelt and so personal, it’s only natural to ask,  Why does God allow such evil to happen? If God is so great and so good,  why does he allow human beings to hurt each other? The answer lies in what is both our greatest blessing and our worst curse:  our capacity to make choices. God has given us a free will.  Made in God's image, he has given us the freedom to decide how we will  act and the ability to make moral choices. This is one asset that sets us  apart from animals, but it also is the source of so much pain in our world. Every one of us is capable of making selfish, self-centered or even evil choices.  Whenever that happens, people get hurt. Sin ultimately is selfishness.  I want to do what I want, not what God tells me to do.  Unfortunately, sin always hurts others, not just ourselves. God could have eliminated all evil from our world by simply removing  our ability to choose. He could have made us puppets --  marionettes on strings that he pulls.  By taking away our ability to choose, evil would vanish.  But God doesn't want us to be puppets.  He wants to be loved and obeyed by creatures who freely, voluntarily  choose to love him and each other.  Love is not genuine if there is no other option. Yes, God could have kept the terrorists from completing their suicidal missions.  He could have short-circuited their ability to choose their own will instead of his.  But, to be fair, God also would have to do that to all of us.  While you and I aren't terrorists, we do hurt others with our own selfish  decisions and actions. In a world of free choices, God's will is rarely done!  Doing our own will is much more common -- much easier.  Don't blame God for the tragedy of 9/11.  Blame people who ignored what God says to do:  "Love your neighbor as yourself." In heaven, God's will is done perfectly.  That's why there is no sorrow, pain or evil there.  But this is earth, a fallen, imperfect place.  We must choose to do God's will every day. It isn't automatic.  That is why Jesus told us to pray, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." The Bible explains the root of evil:  "This is the crisis we're in:  God's light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere  ran for the darkness ... because they were not really interested in pleasing God" (John 3:19, Message).  We're far more interested in pleasing ourselves than we are in  pleasing the one who made us. Many other questions race through our minds during dark days,  but the answers will not come from pollsters, pundits or politicians.  We must look to God and his Word for comfort and direction,  for answers to our questions.  We must humble ourselves and admit that each of us often chooses to  ignore what God wants us to do. I suspect houses of worship across America have been packed this  weekend, as they were the weekend after 9/11.  In times of crisis we cry out to connect with our Creator.  The urge is deep-seated and universal.  The first words uttered by millions on Sept. 11, 2001, were, "Oh, God!" We were made for a relationship with God, but he waits for us to choose him.  He is ready to comfort, guide and direct us through our grief.  But the choice is ours. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.,  one of America's largest and most influential churches.  Rick is author of the New York Times Best Seller The Purpose Driven Life.   His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian  books that changed the 20th century. He is also founder of Pastors.com,  a global Internet community for pastors. © Copyright 2011 Rick Warren.

WOW

This was wonderful.

HE SPARED NOT HIS OWN SON
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

If you ever feel that you are so insignificant that God does not care about you or that He does not want to listen to your prayers, you will be encouraged by Romans 8:32. There, you are assured that your heavenly Father loves you unconditionally. There was nothing so precious to Him that He would not give it up in order to provide for your salvation. When the Father gave His precious Son to save you, He proved once for all that His love is boundless.

The apostle Paul concluded that if God would not spare His own Son in order to provide for our salvation, how would He not willingly give anything else at His disposal in order to care for us? He sacrificed so much to give us eternal life that we can rest secure in the knowledge that He also wants to give us abundant life (John 10:10). In light of what God did for us at the cross, should we not approach the throne of grace with confidence? God’s response to our prayers is not based upon our worthiness but upon His love and grace. Our confidence in prayer comes not from who we are but from who He is. Nothing we could ask of Him could ever compare with the price He paid for us at the cross.

How wonderful to know that God loves us so much! We can live with confidence and anticipation knowing that almighty God is willing not only to give us eternal life, but also to help us experience it fully!

Blackaby Ministries Found here.

Some inspirational songs that talked to me today....

I loved this song when I heard it. God is really talking to me these days as each test comes it's way and it just makes my faith stronger and look forward to the day I can give him a big hug. 




This song "strong enough" really talks to me. There have been so many times I wondered how God thinks I can handle everything I go through during this life.

Matthew West - Strong Enough
From the album The Story of Your Life

You must, You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through

Well forgive me
Forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own

(Chorus)
I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not stong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
For the both of us

Well, maybe, maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up
Cause when I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
Well, that's when I start looking up
And reaching out

Chorus

Cause I'm broken
Down to nothing
But I'm still holding on to the one thing
You are God
and You are strong
When I am weak

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

Chorus

Which brings me to one of my favorite sayings... If God brings you to it he will help you through it!

Something we all need to think about!

If you are Not being treated with love and respect, check Your price tag.  Perhaps You have marked Yourself down.  It's YOU who tells people what you are worth by what You accept.  Get off the clearance rack and get behind the glass where the valuables are kept!  Learn to value Yourself more!  If you don't no one else will!

How neat is that...

I was sitting on the bus on my way home... doing my usual reading of The Left Behind series.
A guy came in the back door of the bus and starts saying....
"You need to accept Jesus as savior of your life!"  He kept going with his little sermon.
People on the bus including the driver were kind to him and let him speak.
Then after about 2 or 3 minutes people on the bus and the driver said we need to get moving again.
The guy and the bus driver exchanged their God Bless You's and it was back on the road for us.

That was such a neat thing to witness.
It is not often that you see the love and kindness expressed without all the hate being added in.

I pray that you will have a Blessed day and a wonderful rest to end your day.

OH MAN

There is alot going on in my life right now .... I won't go into detail here but I will answer any email...

Anyway, I get this in my email and it basically was like God immediately trying to call me down and keep me focused....

STAY FOCUSED by Rick Warren

“Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.” Hebrews 12:2 (GNT)

A number of years ago, I made a list of young pastors in America that I thought needed prayer, just like people prayed for me when I was just starting Saddleback Church. Ten years later, as I look back on that list, half of those guys aren’t even in ministry anymore. They flamed out financially, emotionally or morally. They are no longer serving God.

Life is not a 50-yard dash; it is a marathon. I want you to make it to the finish line. The only way to do that is to focus on Jesus, not your circumstances. As Hebrews 12:2 says, “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.” To endure the unendurable you must see the invisible – Jesus.

In dog obedience training, they put a dog at one end of a room and its master at the other end of the room, with a plate of food in the middle. And then the master calls the dog. If the dog eyes the food, he’s a goner; he’ll go straight for it. So they teach the dog to focus his eyes on the master. If the dog keeps his eyes on the master, he won’t be tempted. Instead of heading for the food, he’ll head straight to the master.

You need to keep your eyes on your master or you’ll get distracted. Get your mind off your circumstances and your problems and focus on God’s goodness to you in your past, his closeness to you in your present and his power to help you in your future. Do what Jonah did as he sat in the belly of the great fish: “When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord” (Jonah 2:7 LB).

If you find yourself at a point where you’ve lost hope and you think you’re never going to get a job, or you’re never going to get married, or you’re never going to have a baby, or you’re never going to get over your illness, turn your thoughts to the Lord and focus on him.

Take a look at this new curriculum from Saddleback Resources: Raising Your Kids without Raising Your Blood Pressure

This was wonderful

I had just gotten done talking to one of my son's about how this one person would always agitate and insult him.  I told him that he should just look at her and say God Bless you and walk away.... who knew I was giving him excellent advice?


When You Are Insulted, Choose to Pray

When it comes to being insulted, there is something Jesus said in Matthew 5 that can make us scratch our heads.

"If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also". (Matthew 5:39 NCV).

In order to understand this verse, we need to understand the culture of that day.
In biblical times, a slap was not an act of violence. It was a backhanded slap indicating an insult. When you slapped someone on the cheek, you were insulting that person. Many times the person would slap back with another insult.

People insult you to gain control. If they can get you to insult them back, you've given them the higher ground and it puts them in control.

What Jesus was saying in Matthew 5 is to just let it go. Don't play their game. Give the situation to God.

It takes a lot of strength not to insult someone in return. So how do you do it?

Remember what God says about you. No matter what negative thing that person says, remember that God says he loves you. God made you, and he has a plan and purpose for your life. God's opinion is more important than any other person's opinion.

Instead of retaliating, God wants us to break the cycle in a different way. Don't retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for (1 Peter 3:9 NLT).

How do you return an insult with a blessing? Pray."Pray for those who insult you"(Luke 6:28 GWT).

How do you pray for somebody who has hurt you? King David, a man after God's own heart, prayed for people who insulted and rejected him. You can find many of those prayers in the book of Psalms. What I love about his prayers is that he begins many of them by telling God his honest feelings about the people who hurt him.

That's how our prayers should start. Don't pretend to be pious; God knows what is on your mind anyway. Tell God how you honestly feel. Admit you are struggling to pray for the other person, but then ask God to bless him or her. Honest and humble prayers have the power to make a difference in this world.

Tom Holladay is a teaching pastor at Saddleback Church and author of The Relationship Principles of Jesus.

Another wonderful email...

I got another wonderful and very inspiring email today and would like to share with you.


Problems Force Us to Depend on God     by Rick Warren

I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing: make something of me! You can do it; you've got what it takes God. Psalm 40:17 (Msg)

"I am in deep trouble Lord! Rush to my aid, for only you can help and save me."   Psalm 70:5 (LB)

Jesus warned us that we’d have problems in the world. No one is immune to pain or insulated from suffering, and no one gets to skate through life problem-free. Life is a series of problems. Every time you solve one, another one is waiting to take its place.

Peter assures us that problems are normal, saying “Don't be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you.” (1 Peter 4:12 LB) God uses these problems to draw you closer to himself. The Bible says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18 NLT)

Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days -- when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you’re out of options, when the pain is great, and you turn to God alone. It is during suffering that we learn to pray our most authentic, heart-felt, honest-to-God prayers. When in pain, we don’t have the energy for superficial prayers.

Joni Eareckson Tada notes, “When life is rosy, we may slide by with knowing about Jesus, with imitating him and quoting him and speaking of him. But only in suffering will we know Jesus.” We learn things about God in suffering that we can’t learn any other way.

God could have kept Joseph out of jail, kept Daniel out of the lion’s den, kept Jeremiah from being tossed into a slimy pit, kept Paul from being shipwrecked three times, and kept the three Hebrew young men from being thrown into the blazing furnace, but he didn’t. He let those problems happen, and each of those people were drawn closer to God as a result.

Problems force us to look to God and depend on him instead of ourselves. Paul testified to this benefit: “We felt we were doomed to die and saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us ….” (2 Corinthians 1:9 LB) You’ll never know that God is all you need until God is all you’ve got.

From Saddleback Resources –
Prepare for your Decade of Destiny – Life Management Curriculum includes Making the most of what God gives me; Managing my troubles; Managing my time; Managing my talents; Managing my treasure; Managing my team.

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