Praying for our Nation

Ocean Sky from Alex Cherney on Vimeo.

gossip

Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed monitor of the church's morals, kept sticking her nose into other people's business... Several members did not approve of her extra curricular activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence.

She made a mistake, however, when she accused Frank, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his old pickup parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon.

She emphatically told Frank (and several others) that every one seeing it there WOULD KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING!

Frank, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just turned and walked away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny. He said nothing...

Later that evening, Frank quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred's house... walked home... and left it there all night!

(You gotta love Frank!)

-Author Unknown

Children are a blessing

To the one who understands,

I heard a comment made today, just one done in passing,
I know I should just laugh it off,
but my face, a smile was lacking.

My heart sank deep, my eyes they swelled,
Hands were clenched,
I wanted to yell

Complain about a blessing?
I just can't comprehend,
All my thoughts where quite depressing
My heart may never mend.

I take a moment for myself,
to calm,
Reflect and ask for help

As I pray to God above,
My smile returns,
And I feel his love

God is Faithful, God is True,
It's him I must trust,
Pray and look up to.

Words can't describe the comfort I feel,
The softening of my heart,
Knowing my God's love is real.

-Toni Fleischer

Lost children

John 3:16

www.therebelution.com

Life helpful's...

Do what you dont want to do first.

Dove commercial

For Dad

Знаю папа всё простишь забудешь
Помолчишь и глубоко вздохнёшь
Потому что по отцовски любишь
По отцовски терпишь и несёшь
Голова с годами всё белее
А душа по прежнему всё та
Ведь она с годами не стареет
Добрая отцовская душа

Спето песнь о тебе не много
Часто труд твой нами позабыт
У отцов не лёгкая дорога
На плечах ответственость лежит
Твоё сердце тоже знает раны
И на нём не сощетать рубцов
Сколько раз разбиты были планы
Ты не понят был в конце концов

Знаешь папа всё что было не прошло совсем
Вслед за нами наша память движется как тень
За твоё большое сердце за труды твои
Я хочу сказать спасибо, что мы выросли.

Ты трудился думая о детях
Чтобы без нужды они росли
За семью всегда стоял в ответе
Так и годы старости пришли
И как больно иногда бывает
От насмешек злых и грубых слов
Когда дети вдруг не понимаю
Добрую отцовскую любовь

Author Unknown

I'm Free

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free

I'm following the path God has chosen for me.

I took His hand when I heard him call;

I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day,

To laugh, to love, to work or play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way;

I've now found peace at the end of day.

If my parting has left a void,

Then fill it with remembered joys.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss;

Oh yes, these things, I too will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow

Look for the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life's been full, I savored much;

Good friends, good times, a loved ones touch.

Perhaps my time seems all to brief;

Don't lengthen your pain with undue grief.

Lift up your heart and peace to thee,

God wanted me now-He set me free

Author: Shannon Lee Moseley.

Litte Eyes Upon You

Little Eyes Upon You

There are little eyes upon you
and they're watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly
take in every word you say.
There are little hands all eager
to do anything you do;
And a little girl who's dreaming
of the day she'll be like you.

You're the little angel's idol,
you're the wisest of the wise.
In her little mind about you
no suspicions ever rise.
She believes in you devoutly,
holds all you say and do;
She will say and do, in your way
when she's grown up just like you.

There's a wide-eyed little girl
who believes you're always right;
and her eyes are always opened,
and she watches day and night.
You are setting an example
every day in all you do;
For the little girl who's waiting
to grow up to be like you.

(c) 1997 Kimberly Sedlacek All Rights Reserved

Obeying the Gospel

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

What is our job as Christians?

Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Mathew 28:18-20

What will happen on the day of judgment to those who have never heard of Jesus and died?

"For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." Romans 2: 12-16

Is it better than not to read the word of God and be judged by our conscience?

God says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Hosea 4:6

Therefore we must make sure that we first accept the gift that Jesus gave us (the death for our sins) and than obey God's word. We must also tell others about the gospel.

EXCITEMENT AND THE ADDICTIVE PROCESS

Archibald D. Hart, Ph.D. FPPR.

Let's face it. Most of us are hooked on the pursuit of excitement! It seems that whatever direction you turn to these days people are obsessed with it. Music is getting louder, the beat stronger and action sequences in movies more frequent and faster. Go to church and you will probably also be bombarded with more stimulating excitement than you've had all week!

Just this past week my wife and I spoke at a pastor's conference and were sitting with a couple of youth pastors from different churches. Their sole conversation was about how they had recently taken their young peoples groups to Magic Mountain where the hit is "Goliath", the new and death defying roller coaster ride. I asked them why they thought their young people enjoyed the experience so much and they replied, without batting an eyelid, that it was the greatest "adrenaline rush" they had ever experienced! I can believe them. When any experience fools your mind into believing that it is about to be destroyed, your adrenaline screams out at you – and gives you the greatest pleasure of your life. One pastor said that it made his contact lenses "pop out"!

What bothers me is that thrills like this are not confined to amusement parks. We seem to all be on some phenomenal roller coaster ride through life. We use excitement to give us pleasure. We have come to depend on the perpetual flow of adrenaline to make life interesting. When there is no excitement we feel down and bored.

The experience of pleasure is one of the fundamental gifts God has given us. It is so important that God created a center in the brain, called the "locus acumbans" or pleasure center, that is dedicated to it. A lack of ability to experience pleasure is considered pathological – we call it "anhedonia" and see it, for example, in the depressive disorders. Ultimately, I believe, this pleasure center helps us to "enjoy" God. Today, however, we abuse this pleasure center by becoming too dependent on excitement to stimulate this pleasure center and this inevitably leads us to become addicted to such pleasure. I call this "adrenaline addiction" and have written about it in several of my books because I really am concerned that Christians can just as easily become addicted as anyone.

How far, then, should we go in our quest for excitement as the basis for pleasure? I think we have gone too far already. Slowly we are losing our capacity to experience the pleasure of "little"
things. Sunsets don't do it for us anymore, neither do quiet moments of worship. We need "Goliaths" of all sorts to give us pleasure.

Too much excitement has its price

Why should we be concerned about the modern-day pursuit of excitement? For the simple reason that our brain's pleasure center is becoming more and more "flooded". This flooding raises the threshold of excitement that must be exceeded the next time we experience pleasure. So the more we ride our Goliaths, the greater must be the next thrill before we can find any pleasure. This is the phenomenon that underlies all addictions.

The most potent of the illegal addicting drugs operates on the same pleasure center as thrill seeking behavior. That's why cocaine is so addicting – it stimulates the pleasure/excitement centers of the brain par excellence. But drugs are not the only triggers of the pleasure center. Many hidden addictions do the same. The compulsive shopper, the engrossed scientist, the cliff climber, the long distance jogger, the sexual voyeur and the power-wielding boss all have one thing in common: their quest for stimulating excitement can become forms of hidden addiction. Our marvelous brain, given by God so that we can experience the simple pleasures of life, is slowly being conditioned to only accept ever increasing levels of excitement – a classic addiction bind.

Obviously, this doesn't mean there is no place for pleasure in our lives. Of course there is. But we were not designed for constant, exciting stimulation. Our pleasure center needs time to rest otherwise the small things of life – watching a sunset, holding a baby, a walk in the countryside, or a moment of quiet meditation - can no longer provide satisfying pleasure.

Avoiding the pitfalls of excitement

How, then, can we avoid excitement's pitfalls, and how can we break the addiction process that our search for stimulation maintains? Here are some suggestions:

1. Begin by reordering your spiritual values and beliefs about the root of pleasure. Proverbs 21:17 tells us that "he that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man." Jesus also warned us that the "riches and pleasure of this life" are thorns that choke the Word (Luke 8:14). These are not idle warnings. They come to us from the God who created us for His own pleasure and therefore knows us better than we will ever know ourselves. He is to be the greatest source of our pleasure, not activities, even if they are church based!

2. Accept that a "deficit in excitement" is necessary for healthy functioning. Believe it or not, boredom is actually good for us. It helps to provide the time our mind and body needs for
rejuvenation. Work and play, excitement and relaxation, euphoria and tranquility - these are points and counterpoints of a healthy life. They are like valleys and hills - the one is necessary for the other to be seen.

3. Watch where you get your excitement. Don't avoid pleasure. Pleasure and stimulation have their place. But beware persistent thrill seeking, sex, pornography - the list of the harmful sources of stimulation is long. We have to guard against our deeper needs - low self-esteem, a search for love or respect, or a need to be powerful - from driving our quest for pleasure.

4. Come to appreciate "satisfaction" over "excitement." Unlike excitement, there is no limit to the amount of satisfaction you can pursue. You can never become addicted to real peace! Substituting the pursuit of "satisfaction" for the pursuit of excitement can revolutionize your life. Excitement is a feeling of enjoyment, delight that comes from gratifying the senses. Satisfaction is more basic. It has a strong element of contentment. The whole theme of contentment is a fascinating one to me as a Christian psychologist. It surprises me how seldom it figures in most systems of psychotherapy – even Christian counseling. Paul tells us that "godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:8). So choose it over discontentment. It will protect you from the pursuit of too much excitement – and a hidden addiction.

From "Focus on the Family": http://listen.family.org/images/Excitement-AddictiveProcess.pdf
Written by: Archibald D. Hart, Ph.D. FPPR.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE RUSSIAN IF…
1. You had to share a room until you were 21.
2. You try and reuse gift wrappers, gift boxes, and of course aluminum foil.
3. You are standing next to the two largest suitcases at the airport.
4. You arrive one or two hours late to a party - and think it s normal.
5. All your children have nicknames, which sound nowhere close to their real names.
6. You know someone with 20 kids
7. You talk for an hour at the front door when leaving someone’s house.
8. You can fit 10 people into a civic
9. Your parents never throw anything away and if you by some chance manage to get something to make it to the garbage can… it mysteriously appears back where it was again.
10. You have lace curtains.
11. You have lace tablecloths.
12. You have or had rugs on your walls.
13. Your mom tells you you’re too skinny even though your 30 pounds overweight.
14. Girls can’t have boyfriends when they are 17 but they have to be married at 18.
15. Your parents tell you not to care what your friends think but they won’t let you do certain things because of what other ‘brat’ya’ and ‘sestri’ will think.
16. You or your relatives have at least five gold teeth in their mouth.
17. Either you or 40 of your relatives drive a civic, eclipse, camry, bmw or accord.
18. Your car windows are tinted twice the legal limit.
19. Going over 100 mph is routine.
20. You’re driving on 2 tickets and don’t remember what your license looks like.
21. You’ve been driving without a license for 2 years.
22. You say “lets meet at 9″, you actually mean “I’ll wake up at 9, take a shower, eat, watch tv and meet you at 12″.
23. You stand around in circles of friends for an hour deciding what to do.
24. After leaving a restaurant, it actually means you’re going outside to the parking lot to talk for another hour.
25. Your uncle/dad fixes cars from the auction.
26. You drive a car bought from an auction (which u will later sell and make a hefty profit off of unsuspecting American buyers).
27. You know your a new Russian immigrant if you wear church shoes with jeans, shorts, or slacks… while playing volleyball.
28. You know you are a new Russian immigrant if you tuck your shirt in your shorts.
29. At least 5 of your relatives are named Volodia, Yura, Olya, Oksana, Nataliya or Tanya
30. All of your CDs are burned, or u bought them at a Bazar for 2 bucks a piece.
31. You can make Perogis in 18 different flavors.
32. You get kicked out of every go kart, theme park, and anything potentially dangerous.
33. You work at construction site.
34. You have five leather jackets and matching gloves.
35. You keep your stash of cash under your mattress instead of a savings account.
36. Twelve of your friends get into a movie with only one ticket.
37. Your house is full of foreign medicine that is probably illegal here.
38. You sing at every party you go to.
39. Your mom recycles plastic cups and plastic plates, and sandwich bags by washing them.
40. You don’t know how to use a dishwasher.
41. You use grocery bags to hold garbage.
42. Your dad has butchered a pig or lamb.
43. You keep leftover food in your fridge in as many numbers of bowls as possible.
44. Your kitchen shelf is full of jam jars, varieties of bowls and plastic utensils.
45. You eat bread with everything.
46. You drink tea after each meal.
47. You are familiar with Yerolash and Nu Pogodi
48. If your a woman, you know how to put a scarf over your head and wear a skirt to church.
49. You don’t consider insects, dogs, cats, monkeys, or guinea pigs to be food; however you might eat some suspicious looking mushrooms that you’ve picked up in the woods.
50. If you want to be understood by a foreigner you just talk more loudly and slowly. TI SHTO NE PO-NI-MA-ESH?

Peace

Peace

If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. ...I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid...

Leviticus 26:3-4,6

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: the LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

All of you stand today before the LORD your God... that you may enter into covenant with the LORD your God,... that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you,... so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God,... and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard could be included with the sober. The LORD would not spare him; for then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy would burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this book would settle on him, and the LORD would blot out his name from under heaven.

Deuteronomy 29:10, 12-13, 18-20

• We cannot give ourselves peace.
• Cannot have peace without God.
• Cannot gain peace on our own.
• We cannot follow the dictates of our heart, we must follow the commandments of God.
• Only God can give us peace.

Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” So he answered, “What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?”

2 King 9:22

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8

The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.

Psalm 29:11

But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Psalm 37:11

Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace.

Psalm 37:37

He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me...

Psalm 55:18

I will hear what God the LORD will speak, For He will speak peace to His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly.

Psalm 85:8

Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Psalm 85:10

Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.

Psalm 119:165

Peace be upon Israel!

Psalm 125:5

Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!

Psalm 128:6

My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

Proverbs 3:1-2

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding;... her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

Proverbs 3:13,17

When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Proverbs 16:7

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.
and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end,...

Isaiah 9:6-7

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.

Isaiah 26:3-4

Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

Isaiah 48:18

“ There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah 48:22

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

Through the Trees - ART

By Marianne Broone

sighing and crying over what you see these days?

...And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple.

And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple. Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.

Ezekiel 9:2-7

Verse of the Week 8-31-08

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

James 1:21-22