Happy Birthday Mary Beth

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This is the one about whom it is written: “'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'  Luke 7:27

 

O Happy Birthday to you

O Happy Birthday to you.

Every day of the year may you find Jesus near.

O Happy Birthday to you

and the best one you've ever had.

 

Mary Beth wishing you a day filled with love, joy, peace, laughter and sunshine as you celebrate you.

 

Love you sweet niece,

Uncle Gary & Aunt Shirley

Happy Birthday Connor

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But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  Matthew 7:26

 

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday dear Connor,

Happy Birthday to you.

 

Connor wishing you a day filled with lots of cake and ice cream as you celebrate your "10th" birthday.

 

Love,

Uncle Gary & Aunt Shirley

Happy Birthday Faye

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Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.  Hebrews 7:25

O Happy Birthday to you,

O Happy Birthday to you.

Every day of the year may you find Jesus near.

O Happy Birthday to you

and the best one you've ever had.

 

Faye wishing you a day filled with love, joy, peace, and laughter as you celebrate you.

 

Love,

Uncle Gary & Aunt Shirley

 

Are We There?

Photo by Leanne

I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.  Psalm 77:1

 

God is always there for us when we are in pain.  He is there when emotional hurts have us weighed down and we feel all is lost.  He is there when physical pain feels insurmountable.  He is there to give us comfort and wrap us in His loving protective arms.

 

Are we there when our friends are in pain?  Are we there when emotion hurts have weighed them down and feel they have no where to go?  Are we there when their physical pain is to much to bear?  Are we there to give a hug just when it is needed?  We should be there lifting them up in prayer to our Heavenly Father.  We should be there to give them a hug, an encouraging word, cook a meal when needed or just to sit and listen.

 

Today say a prayer for those you know that are hurting, for God to meet their every need.

 

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10

Difficult Times

 

They shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.  Numbers 11:17

 

Whether we want to admit it or not we all go through difficult times.  We work hard trying to make ends meet to get the bills paid, food on the table, and hopefully have a little left over to maybe take in a movie every now and then.  Just when we think we are getting a little set aside for a rainy day something happens.  Someone gets sick, car breakdowns, home needs repair, etc.and we fret and worry as to how we are going to make it through the latest fiasco.

 

Stop for a moment and take a deep breath.  God has blessed each of us with loving friends and family.  Don't be afraid to share your burdens with them.  Let them come along side you and accept your offer of help.  We also need to be the same type of friend to others.  Don't be afraid to ask how you can help, offer words  of encouragement, prepare meals, visit them, help with expense, etc. 

 

The most important thing we can do is pray.

 

Because you are my helper,

I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

I cling to you;

your strong right hand holds me securely.

Psalm 1:3

When You Are Overwhelmed

 

Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

 

Have you ever felt overwhelmed?  Stop and think about it this way, if you are feeling overwhelmed then your friends are too.  They struggle with every day life just as you do.  My sweetie helps me a lot around the house and I am really thankful for his help but at times I still feel overwhelmed.  Then I stop and think of others who don't have someone to help them out.  How many of us know someone whose helpmate has passed on or single moms?  Do we ever stop and think of how they feel having to do every thing for themselves, their children and their home.  We sometimes let the neediness of others get on our nerves.  They talk about the same things over and over and we forget that they are a loyal friend that also listens to our needs.

 

When God puts a friends name on your mind and in your heart reach out to them, offer to help and be there for them in their time of need.  Put friendship first today!

 

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore...

Romans 14:13

 

 

When You Are Depressed

 

For You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord shall enlighten my darkness.  2 Samuel 22:29

 

At one time or another we all go through  states of depression.  For some of us it will be more serious as we are unable to cope with daily living.  Something happens and it feels as if someone has turned out all the lights and all you see is darkness.  I know because it happened to me.  I felt as if I was unlovable and that no one really cared what happened to me.  My world was crashing in all around me and I didn't know which way to run.  I wasn't thinking clearly because if I was I would have known.  But as I said when we are depressed we feel as if no one loves us, we even feel our Heavenly Father's love is unattainable at that moment. 

 

Well let me tell you it is!  God, our Father will never leave us nor forsake us.  When we don't feel His presence it is because we have moved away from Him.  He is still right there beside us, walking with us and carrying us when we are so overwhelmed with depression and He will make His presence known.  In my instance He gave me not one but two rainbows.  He then put the end of one of those rainbows in my path and I literally drove through the end of the rainbow.  As I was driving through the rainbow my car was filled with all the brilliant and vibrant colors of the rainbow and I felt God saying to me, "It will be okay, I have got this and all you need to do is put your faith and trust in me."

 

So my friends when depression comes I pray that God will help you find your rainbow.  Look for your rainbow in the lyrics of a song, a smile or a kind word from a friend or family member.  Let the brilliant and vibrant colors of your rainbow shine through you by helping someone else find their rainbow.

 

I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.  Genesis 9:13

 

 

When A Friend Disappoints You

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.  Psalm 103:8

We have all been there when disappointment in someone we love hits us right smack in the face.  It could be something they did or said or something they didn't do or say.  The question is how do we deal with this disappointment?  Do we show love, mercy, compassion or are we quick to anger?  What if God treated us the way we treat others when disappointments come?  What if He continued to hold on to those disappointments and held a grudge toward us instead of offering His forgiveness?  I, for one, am so glad He doesn't!  So, if He is willing to show us His love, mercy and forgive us why don't we forgive those that have hurt us?  One word, pride!  We don't like to admit that we just might have the same flaws someone else has.  We don't like to admit that we are wrong when we refuse to forgive someone.  Sometimes we just want to have our own little pity party and go on and on about how we have been wronged.

I don't know about you but I want to be more like God in this area.  When I hold on to grudges and refuse to forgive someone the only person I am hurting is me.  I want to be a kind gentle person that offers love, compassion and forgiveness to those that have hurt me.  Will it be easy?  If I try to do it on my own the answer would be No.  But by placing my faith and trust in God, and walking beside Him, letting Him guide me and lead in the direction He would have me go I know I can.

 For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.  Luke 1:37

When A Door Closes

For the past couple of weeks I have been praying about what I share and what I should share on my blog.  Oh I will still share the family stuff but I have been asking God what He felt I should be sharing.  This morning as I was cleaning I found this book from Guideposts.  I purchased several years ago, read it, put it on the shelf and forgotten about it.

 

As I was reading some of the devotion titles I felt like I needed to read it again and share with all of you.  So here are my thoughts on today's devotion.

 

When a Door Closes

 

There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. 1 Corinthians 16:9

 

Have you ever been going along in a ministry that you just knew God had called you to do?  I know I have.  There have been times when I just knew that the ministry I was doing was exactly what God had called me to do.  I also found that the more I pursued and fought for the ministry that doors were continually closing and things were just not proceeding the way I thought God wanted them too.

 

When this happens we need to take a step back and really commune with God.  We need to get self out of the way, sit a spell and listen, I mean really listen to God.  When God tells us it time to move on, that for now this door is closing.  You will feel disappointment for the lost opportunity to minister, I know I did, but God will open another door for you and me.  Spend time in prayer, have faith and believe.  Ask God to open the door as it is already there waiting for you and me.

 

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.  2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Happy 1st Birthday Silas

 

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday dear Silas

Happy Birthday to you.

 

Silas hope your birthday is as special as you.  Eat lots of cake sweet nephew.

 

Love,

Uncle Gary & Aunt Shirley

Beautiful Sun Shiny Day

 

Whom have I in heaven but You?  And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than You.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:25-26

 

We have a beautiful sun shiny day here in the city with the small town charm and it looks like it is going to be another hot day with a forecast of 109.  So that means gotta get up, get busy and get things done before the temperature soars.  Lots to do over the next couple of days as my sweetie and I are hosting Celebrate Recovery July 4th Barbecue.

 

Stay cool out there and God bless each of you with a beautiful day.

 

Take The World, But Give Me Jesus

by Fanny Crosby, 1879

 

Take the world, but give me Jesus,

All its joys are but a name;

But His love abideth ever,

Through eternal years the same.

 

Oh, the height and depth of mercy!

Oh, the length and breadth of love!

Oh, the fullness of redemption,

Pledge of endless life above!