Merry Christmas

I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and enjoy making memories with family and friends. May God bless each and everyone.

A Very Smart Judge

I received this email, and I agree 100 percent. This actually happened. We need more people that will stand up for God.

A VERY SMART JUDGE


FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY: In Florida, an atheist created a case against the Easter & Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews & observances of their holy days. The argument was it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized day.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed."

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter & others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur & Hanukkah. Yet my client & all other atheists have no such holidays."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Counsel, your client is woefully ignorant." The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is 'April Fools Day.' Psalm 14:1 states 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Storms of Life

Storm-Any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather. It may be strong winds, thunder, lightening, ice storms, dust storms, or snowstorms. Storms are not unique to planet earth, neither are they to the soul of a human body.

How can you dress for the storm in your life? Can you sleep through the storm? When you go through the storm you can still serve the Lord. When you are in the midst of the storm, how are you dressed? Are you able to lay the storms at the feet of Jesus and leave them there, or do you pick up the backpack of your storm when you walk out the door? Storms are a fact of life. Serious illness, diseases, accidents, catastrophes, unemployment, death, hardships, and personal problems are only a few to mention. Sometimes in the midst of our storm God seems to silent, waiting on us to turn it over to Him.

Mat 8:23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him,
Mat 8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
Mat 8:25 And his disciples came to him and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
Mat 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Mat 8:27 But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!


We need to do what the Disciples did--turn to Jesus. Pray: "Lord, save me from drowning. I am about to perish!" Just as Jesus was present with his disciples in their storms of life, He is with us in our storms of life. He does not forsake us, or leave us to struggle alone and drown. He is with us to hear our plea for help. He is our answer in the midst of all our troubles.

There is an old saying, "You never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." Which mean that you can't understand a person until you attempt to see things from his/her perspective. Some peoples storm may seem like a petty thing to you, but to them it is hugh, No one is exempt from the storms of life, but God is faithful, and will get you through the storms.

Psa 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

He is a short story of someone sleeping in the storm and knowing that all is well.

Sleeping Through the Storm
By: Author Unknown
A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows."
This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him.
A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace.
The young man slept soundly.
The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements.
The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.
The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, "I can sleep when the wind blows."
Because the farmhand did his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke. So when the wind blew, he was not afraid. He could sleep in peace.

No Admittance
==============

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano,
a mother took the small boy to a Paderewski concert. After they
were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and
walked down the aisle to greet her.

Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert
hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way
through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE."

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin,
the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was
missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and the spotlights focused on the
impressive Steinway on stage.

In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the piano,
innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that
moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved
to the piano and whispered in the boy's ear,

"Don't quit. Keep playing."

Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand
and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right hand reached
around the other side of the child and he added a running
obbligato.

Together, the old master and the young novice transferred a
frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience.
The audience was mesmerized.

That's the way it is with God.

What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try
our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music.

With the hand of God, our life's work truly can be beautiful.
So the next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen
carefully and you can hear the voice of God whispering in your
ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."

Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are
playing the concerto of your life.

Remember, God doesn't call the equipped; he equips the called.

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach
of God's grace.

And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the
reach of God's grace.

Don't Quit – Keep Playing


~Author Unknown

Life Is A Theatre

Life is a theatre. Invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is spiritual or emotionally healthly enough to have a Front row seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that are best loved from a Distance.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize, your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships.

Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention. Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which one encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill? When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama, or don't really understand, know or appreciate you?

The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the Front Row and who should be moved to the balcony of Your Life. You cannot change the people around you, but you can Change the people you are around.

--Author Unknown

The people we hang with will have an impact on our lives, so we must be careful to choose the right people we hang out with; as well as the information with which we feed our minds. We should not share our dreams or thoughts with negative people.

It's your choice and your life; but it is up to you who and what you let in it!

Ask God for wisdom, and seek His Face to help you choose the right people who sit in the front row of your life. Let your Haters be your motivators (but let them do it from afar).

LIFE IS A THEATRE, INVITE YOUR AUDIENCE CAREFULLY!!!

Curve Balls

Life ever throw you a curve ball?
The curveball is a breaking pitch in baseball thrown with a grip and hand movement that imparts down and/or sideways spin to the ball. The movement of a curveball is to deceive the batter. Ideally, a curveball will have its greatest break just as it reaches the plate and cause the batter to swing above it.

Curveball is a manual for people who face life-altering challenges,and is also proof that one need not fight such battles alone. Life throws curve balls at you all the time, which seem to be coming from all angles. When life throws you a curveball hold your ground and keep your eye on the ball!

When life throws you a curve ball something happens that you would never have expected. It may be that it is not the curveball itself that surprises us,but it is the disappointment from our expectations not being fulfilled. I guess that is the whole point of calling the "unexpected" a curve ball.

There are countless moments in everyday life when our thoughts are infused with the energy of fear or failure, shame, catastrophe, which makes it hard for us to be our selves. We face the possibility of our own personal "hanging curveball."

Our bodies respond to fearful thoughts the same way as if the events were actually taking place in the moment. The stress response further muddles our actions. We want to be prepared for any of those curveballs life might throw.