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| L.I.F.T. - Ladies in Faith Together Fundraiser April 4th, 2012 6-8pm Los Contaritos Restaurant |
Friday, March 30, 2012
What’s the Big Deal About Prayer? by Patsy Clairmont
What’s the big deal about prayer?
We know we should all do it more often, take it more seriously, and give it more time — but we don’t. Does this mean prayer is optional? After all, some of the other spiritual disciplines seem pretty outdated, like fasting and solitude. Who has time for that? That kind of stuff is for monks, nuns, and pastors. We’ve gotten along okay without it.
So, does prayer fit into the non-essentials of the Christian walk? Prayer must be an “in case of emergency” last resort kind of spiritual tool. Right?
No way!
Prayer isn’t some kind of requirement for believers. It is a privilege! You have the ear of the Divine. Prayer is our path to the adventure of building a relationship with our Savior.
God knows what’s going on in your life. The Creator of everything stops to hear the lisping of toddlers. The Sustainer of every living thing hears the groans and sighs of the aging. He is aware of every thought, every choice, every move you make—but He is waiting for you to turn to Him and tell Him about it.
God listens to you. He will answer you
Monday, March 19, 2012
Disaster? Or Just a Pimple-Level Problem? By Max Lucado
If God is our guardian, why do bad things happen to us?
Have they? Have bad things really happened to you? You and God may have different definitions for the word bad. Parents and children do. Look up the word bad in a middle-schooler’s dictionary, and you’ll read definitions such as “pimple on nose,” “Friday night all alone,” or “pop quiz in geometry.” “Dad, this is really bad!” the youngster says. Dad, having been around the block a time or two, thinks differently. Pimples pass. And it won’t be long before you’ll treasure a quiet evening at home. Inconvenience? Yes. Misfortune? Sure. But bad? Save that adjective for emergency rooms and cemeteries.
What’s bad to a child isn’t always bad to a dad.
What you and I might rate as an absolute disaster, God may rate as a pimple-level problem that will pass. He views your life the way you view a movie after you’ve read the book. When something bad happens, you feel the air sucked out of the theater. Everyone else gasps at the crisis on the screen. Not you. Why? You’ve read the book. You know how the good guy gets out of the tight spot. God views your life with the same confidence. He’s not only read your story . . . He wrote it. His perspective is different, and his purpose is clear.
God uses struggles to toughen our spiritual skin.
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2-4 MSG)
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Hey LIFT ladies,
Hope all is well. I woke up this morning knowing that I am blessed. I am alive and breathing the air that God has supplied. I know that some days are difficult. But knowing that I serve a mighty God, gets me through the day.
Hope all is well. I woke up this morning knowing that I am blessed. I am alive and breathing the air that God has supplied. I know that some days are difficult. But knowing that I serve a mighty God, gets me through the day.
I challenge you today to keep your head up and love one another with mutual respect. We sometimes forget that we need to respect all those around us. Let us not loss focus on what is important and what matters most. God is good and he loves you unconditionally. At our last meeting I handed out " A Good Recipe ". So my challenge for you today is to follow #1 on the list. Have a great day and God bless.
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk today. And while you walk, smile !!!!
It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
Serving the Lord with all humility of mind.
Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
If a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man, ... not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Our rejoicing is this, ... that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Acts 20:19. Matt. 20:26-28. Gal. 6:3. Rom. 12:3. Luke 17:10. 2 Cor. 1:12. 2 Cor. 4:7.
Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
If a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man, ... not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Our rejoicing is this, ... that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Acts 20:19. Matt. 20:26-28. Gal. 6:3. Rom. 12:3. Luke 17:10. 2 Cor. 1:12. 2 Cor. 4:7.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
New Every Morning – by Sheila Walsh
In Isaiah 43:18-19 we read, “Remember not the former things, nor consider on the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (ESV)
These words were written to God’s people held captive in Babylon. It was one of the lowest moments in their history. Isaiah prophesies about the coming captivity and exile and yet reminds the people that God is a God of love and he will bring them home. It is one more picture in the Old Testament foreshadowing the coming Christ who will deliver us from our sin and brokenness. In these two verses God is saying, Don’t look back to the time when I delivered your ancestors from Egypt, I am a God who delivers over and over again.
You may find yourself in a place of brokenness at the moment, and even though God has delivered you before, you can’t imagine how he will do it again as your situation is very different. Take your eyes off the past and fix them on Christ whose mercies are new every morning.
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