Reminds me of Psalm 91:4
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
THE BIRTH OF THE SONG 'PRECIOUS LORD'
Back in 1932, I was 32 years old and a fairly new husband. My wife, Nettie and I were living in a little apartment on Chicago 's south side. One hot August afternoon I had to go to St. Louis where I was to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting. I didn't want to go. Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with our first child. But a lot of people were expecting me in St. Louis . I kissed Nettie good-bye, clattered downstairs to our Model A and, in a fresh Lake Michigan breeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66. However, outside the city, I discovered that in my anxiety at leaving, I had forgotten my music case. I wheeled around and headed back.
I found Nettie sleeping peacefully. I hesitated by her bed; something was strongly telling me to stay. But eager to get on my way, and not wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off the feeling and quietly slipped out of the room with my music.
The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called on me to sing again and again. When I finally sat down, a messenger boy ran up with a Western Union telegram. I ripped open the envelope. Pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: YOUR WIFE JUST DIED.
People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out. I rushed to a phone and called home. All I could hear on the other end was 'Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead.'
When I got back, I learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. I swung between grief and joy. Yet that same night, the baby died. I buried Nettie and our little boy together, in the same casket. Then I fell apart.
For days I closeted myself. I felt that God had done me an injustice. I didn't want to serve Him anymore or write gospel songs. I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well. But then, as I hunched alone in that dark apartment those first sad days, I thought back to the afternoon I went to St. Louis . Something kept telling me to stay with Nettie. Was that something God? Oh, if I had paid more attention to Him that day, I would have stayed and been with Nettie when she died. From that moment on I vowed to listen more closely to Him. But still I was lost in grief. Everyone was kind to me, especially one friend. The following Saturday evening he took me up to Malone's Poro College , a neighborhood music school. It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows. I sat down at the piano, and my hands began to browse over the keys. Something happened to me then. I felt at peace. I felt as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody, once into my head they just seemed to fall into place: 'Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn, through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light, take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.'
The Lord gave me these words and melody, He also healed my spirit. I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power.
And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when He will take me and gently lead me home.
-Tommy Dorsey-
For those too young to know who he is, Tommy Dorsey was a band leader in the Thirties and Forties. Did you know that Tommy Dorsey wrote this song? I surely didn't. What a wonderful story of how God CAN heal the broken-hearted! Beautiful, isn't it? Worth the reading, wasn't it? Think on the message for awhile. Jesus loves you!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Precious Lord Take My Hand
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I'm tired, Im weak, Im lone
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near
When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
When the darkness appears and the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I'm tired, Im weak, Lord Im worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
Words & music by Thomas A. Dorsey
Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.
Let's concentrate on verses 16-19 where we find a Bible promise(highlighted)of what God will do...
16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
"Our nation is in trouble" to quote Pastor Larry Ihrig's message of August 8, 2011. However, it is
not hopless. Saving it is in prayer.We have moved away from our foundations as a "nation under God" and need to return. We must pray for our country. The good news is that God is watching. He is the God who can produce miracles and theGodwho loves us with an unfailing love.We need to go to Him in great numbers and pray for our country. Then miracles will then happen. Our nation is in trouble, but it does not have to become permanent or final; we can change that with prayer for her; prayers for our leaders that they be righteous; prayer for the people of this country; prayers of rededication to the principles that guided our founding fathers.
Corinne H. Mustafa
8/8/11
Conversation forJuly 4, 2011
God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America,
My home sweet home.
May you all be blessed today
as we celebrate the
Fourth of July!
Shared by Corinne Mustafa Conversation for July 27, 2011
Today my husband and I went out to do some errands. He was going to the hardware store and I was going to Safeway. We detoured via Starbucks for a cuppa, which we purchased took to one of the outdoor tables. I had my new purse which is a Miche bag. Dont feel behind the times if you have no clue about Miche bags. I only heard of them a few months ago when I happened to be at a convention that had amazing vendors. One of them was vending Miche bags, and I think she was making a fortune. She did off me because I bought an insert bag and two skins.
Huh? you are probably asking. Bags with skins? What is she talking about? Well, here is the deal. When you sport a Miche bag you have a fabric insert bag inside and a skin on the outside. The two elements of this handbag are held together by magnets at the top which also close it securely with no help from the wearer. The purpose for the cloth insert is that when you want to change your purse you can just pull out the insert and put it into another skin. Miche Company sells a lot of different shells that are very stylish. I love my purse so much that on the strength of that infatuation I sold all my purses at a recent yard sale. They also offer a variety of accessories such as different straps, matching wallets, a purse hanger, blingy Purse Charms and magnets to attach to your pocketbook. They even sell a diaper bag.
There are three sizes. My collection consists of a big bag insert and four shells, two styles of shoulder straps. One piece de resistance is a little gizmo for hanging your pocketbook so that it does not have to touch the floor. This little item is aptly named, a Purse Hanger, and I recently added this gadget to my Miche assortment. Here is where I get to the becoming my mother part of this write. So here we are sitting outside Starbucks on a beautiful Saturday morning, and I reach into my purse for my purse hanger. My husband is staring at me with that what the heck are you doing? look. I dramatically unfurl the hook from the circle that stays on the table, and hang up my lovely Miche bag. It is now suspended about fifteen inches from the ground. No street dirt or grime will get onto my Miche unless it is airborne.
My husband is sipping his coffee and continuing to stare at me with a certain amount of disbelief written on his face. I smile broadly and say, I am becoming my mother. Becoming? he asks with a smile of satisfaction that shows that he thinks he has won some sort of verbal engagement. I acted as if I had not even heard him and went on to tell him how I used to think that my mother was such a geek back in the fifties when she hung her purse off one of these things. She had explained to me that floors in restaurants and other places where a woman might set down her pocketbook were very dirty, and this kept her purse clean. One of my Miche skins is camel colored fabric, and I did worry about it getting dirty. Then I noticed two of my friends had purse hangers. I immediately decided that I could not live without one. As I type it comes to mind that those friends and I are probably thirty years older than my mother was when she used one.
Now I am wondering how closely I have come to imitating the behaviors of my mother which I have observed over at least eighteen years of my childhood. It does not matter if you had a habit of satirizing or ridiculing the actions you saw it comes up like a monster to bite you when you least expect it. Now be honest, who amongst us have not used the momisms, Because I said so! or Im the Mom; thats why! I must confess I have my own version of this last one. However, on the whimsical side I have to own up to something. I have a license plate type of metal sign hung on the inside of one of my kitchen cabinets. It is black with pink letters that say, I am the Princess, thats why.
I also have to deal with the discomfort of thinking that the my-way-is-the-best-way-ALWAYS attitude which leaves me feeling uncomfortable when someone else does something in a different way than I do. Whether its loading the dishwasher, folding laundry or cooking, I find myself feeling uncomfortable when someone helps me and does it differently than I do. It leaves me actually feeling uncomfortable. It is not that I am a perfectionist because I can be quite messy and lazy at times. So far, I have managed to keep my mouth shut and outwardly be accepting of the help.
Here is another thing I have been thinking of doing. In fact, I have already bought the needed stuff to do this. My mother always did it. If a blouse became dingy or she decided she wanted a different color she would dye it. I am the proud owner of a white renaissance style blouse. The problem is that somehow it has some beige stains that refuse to be washed away. So a couple of weeks ago I bought some navy blue dye. I am still chicken to do it, but I am almost ready to dye it. If I do dye my stained shirt I am one step closer to becoming my mother. One thing in the dye department I probably will draw the line on is using coffee or tea water to get a beige colored blouse like my mother did.
Sometimes when I was at my messiest my mother would say, You know I think I brought the wrong baby home. I was not wounded by this, because I knew she was joking. Still I know that Gods word tells me,
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
So even if she had brought the wrong baby home I could still rely on the fact that God had His plans for me. I believe that from all eternity God placed me in my birth family for His reasons. First and foremost is the fact that I was given to my parents to learn life skills from them. In the end, I feel that they taught me as well as they could. I was a reasonable student.
I have been thinking about why a person would become his or her parent when aging. I believe that in our early years we are ready to prove our independence. Some of this happens when we do things our own way. We develop our own ways of doing things and our own opinions, and we stick to them no matter what. Sometimes this causes a bit of a separation between us and the older generation. When we are in our thirties or forties and have some personal failures under our belts, we start to see that perhaps our parents might have known what they were doing and talking about. We start to mellow out, and we begin to appreciate what we had renounced earlier. Maybe being more like your parent is not so bad if you can keep it reasonable and maintain something of yourself to pass down to your own children.
Corinne Mustafa
June 26, 2011
****************************************************************
How about a couple of funny stories!!!
Conversation for 6/19/11
The Island of Trid
Once upon a time, in the middle of the ocean, there was the Island of Trid.
It seems that most of the Island of Trid was covered by a large mountain. On this mountain lived a Giant. The Giant did not allow Trids on his mountain. If a Trid dared to climb onto the mountain, the Giant would kick him into the ocean. Trids are notoriously bad swimmers, and frequently drowned when kicked into the ocean.
The Trids were a very sexual people, and the population had grown quite large. Every square inch of the island, except the mountain, was crowded with Trids.
The Trids spent their days crowded together, dreaming of the open space available on the ever visible mountain. Every few days, a Trid would decide he couldn't stand the crowds any more. He would start to climb the mountain, and the Giant would kick the Trid into the ocean.The Trids were a very depressed people.
One day a traveling Rabbi visited the Island of Trid. Despite their overcrowded conditions, the Trids were extremely generous to this man of God.
The Rabbi decided to return the favor, and to go plead the Trid's case to the Giant. "Surely the Giant can be convinced to share some of the mountain with you," the Rabbi explained.
The Trids were horrified. "Please don't go, Rabbi", the Trids implored. "The Giant will kick you into the ocean, and you will surely drown."The Rabbi was stubborn, and insisted that he talk to the Giant. The Trids sent out every boat they had. They formed a ring around the island, so that they would be able to rescue the Rabbi.
The Rabbi started walking towards the mountain. No sign of the Giant.
He walked through the foothills, and there was no sign of the Giant.
He started up the slopes of the mountain, further than any Trid had ever been. Still no sign of the Giant.
Finally he reached the summit of the mountain. There the Giant was waiting for him. The Rabbi asked "Tell me Giant, why have you allowed me to climb to the top of the mountain, without kicking me off the moment I started climbing?"
And the Giant replied, "Silly Rabbi, kicks are for Trids!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Top 10 Reasons God Created Eve!!!
10. God worried that Adam would always be lost in the garden because men hate to ask for directions.
9. God knew that Adam would one day need someone to hand him the TV remote.
8. God knew that Adam would never buy a new fig leaf when his seat wore out and would therefore need Eve to get one for him.
7. God knew that Adam would never make a doctor's appointment for himself.
6. God knew that Adam would never remember which night was garbage night.5. God knew that if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle childbearing.
4. As "Keeper of the Garden," Adam would never remember where he put his tools.
3. The scripture account of creation indicates Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden.
2. As the Bible says, "It is not good for man to be alone!"
1. When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched His head and said, "I can do better than that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shared by Corinne Conversation for June 12, 201Recently on a couple of occasions I have been witness to a practice of Evangelism that to my way of thinking is too aggressive and as a result had negative affect on the person who was being evangelized. It is my thought that evangelism should move slowly and take into account the needs of the person. It should be guided by assessing his place on the scale of belief and interest. (However, in some cases, the person may be ready to move rapidly in learning and accepting Jesus. Therefore, the progression can be much faster for this person.) In my opinion how one evangelizes is of utmost importance. Overkill or showing attitude will slow down or even stop the progress of what we are trying to give someone. Too much too soon will cause doors that we are trying to open to be locked up tight.
I went looking for advice on how one effectively practices evangelism and found a wonderful article. I decided that it was silly to reinvent the wheel so I am copying it here for readers to read. It is long and I apologize for that. If you are too busy to read it at one time please return and finish when you can. Here is the link for the article http://www.giveshare.org/BibleStudy/doing/114.evangelism.html ...and here is the article quoted here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Evangelism
Personal evangelism is a natural extension of being a good example. It is going one short step beyond shining as a light; it is simply verbalizing to friends, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers the blessings that come from a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Of course, most of us dont find it very easy to take that one short step so the more we can know about conversion and about evangelism, the more effective we will be in sharing our faith with others.Progressive Nature of Conversion
We often think of conversion, the desired end result of evangelism, as an event that occurs at a single point in time. However, conversion is a process that can take many years. To be sure, accepting Jesus Christ as Savior is the climax, but consider how many steps a person must go through before he gets to that point:1. To begin with, a person may have absolutely no concept of God, of life after death, of sin, or of salvation.
2. A person comes to believe in a Supreme Being.
3. He comes to believe in life after death and learns the basic concept of Gods plan of salvation.
4. He comes to recognize his personal need for salvation.
5 .He is gripped with the conviction that he must do something about the Gospel, often as a result of personal suffering or frustration.
6. He repents and accepts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.
7. He is baptized and receives the Holy Spirit.
8. He begins the process of overcoming and growth as a Christian.
This process can take place very slowly or it can be compressed into a short period. Consider the conversion of the Apostle Paul. He was struck down on the road to Damascus and came to accept Jesus in a matter of moments. However, he already believed in a Supreme Being; he already had a general concept of Gods plan of salvation; he knew about sin. All he needed was to be brought face to face with Jesus as the Messiah. The process was well underway before Paul went to Damascus.
Contrast Pauls situation with that of someone who doesnt even believe in the Bible or in God. It does little good to urge an atheist to "give his heart to the Lord." Hes back on step 1 of the progression outlined earlier in this article, and we're trying to rush him to step 6. Many zealous Christians, oblivious to where a person is, in this progression, have unnecessarily made themselves and the Gospel look ridiculous by their hard sell, prepackaged approach. In fact, many non-Christians are extremely sensitive about being witnessed to. I once said to a salesman, "Can I ask you a question?" He replied, "Lets see, usually when people ask that, they want to know if Ive been saved.
Some Christians have been told to keep their religion to themselves, after opening a Bible in a public place. These people (those doing the telling) have been sensitized by insensitive soul-grabbers with "canned" witnessing presentations.
Because conversion is a process, we need to be very aware of where a person is spiritually before we begin to evangelize. The Apostle Paul set an excellent example for us. He became "all things to all men!"
"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law . . . . To those not having the law I became like one not having the law . . . To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some," I Corinthians 9:20-23.
Part of the challenge of personal evangelism is to really get to know people and to minister to them where they are.
Because conversion is a process, you generally cant unload the whole message of the Gospel at one time. In most situations you will only be able to plant a seed, which will take time to germinate and grow. Others may plant more seeds and water. Still others may reap the harvest, long after you are out of the picture. You may reap the harvest, but it is really Gods. Remember to proclaim Gods word, not yours. It is God who must grant the increase. You must simply have faith that the seeds you plant will germinate. In due season they will bear fruit, for Him.
Personal Needs
Individuals with whom you might want to share the Gospel have various needs, but not all are felt at a given point in time. Their minds will tend to screen out those things that dont pertain to their personal needs.
All people have a need to know Jesus Christ, to be forgiven their sins, to be unburdened from the load of guilt they carry. However, if they dont feel these needs, you will have little success trying to fill them. Your words will go right over their heads!
The challenge in personal evangelism is to love people enough to learn what needs they are feeling, and to show how the Gospel fills those needs.
If they feel lonely, show how Jesus can become a companion.
If they feel hurt, show how God can help them bear the pain
If they struggle with sickness, show them how Jesus provides comfort and balm for suffering.
If they are feeling weakness, show them how God can provide strength.
Its easy for people to feel physical needs and to desire only physical, materialistic solutions; many preachers today proclaim a gospel of physical health and wealth. However, complete obedience to Gods laws does bring blessings; the primary message of the Gospel is a spiritual, eternal one. All people of faith in the Bible eventually died, many in an untimely fashion; many suffered terribly during their lives; but all looked forward to eternal life in Gods kingdom. That promise is the heart of the Gospel.
Pray for Love, Wisdom, Courage
Because we cant possibly know all we should about personal evangelism and the needs of the people we talk to, we need the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Specifically, we need love, wisdom, and courage.
We need love because it must be the overriding motivation for personal evangelism. We must care deeply about others and want to see them translated from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God. Love must shine through to others so that they sense that theyre really being loved, and not that theyre being preached at or recruited.
We need wisdom to know when and how to evangelize. Pray for wisdom to know what needs a person is feeling, where he/she is relative to conversion; pray for the right words to effectively minister to their needs.
We need courage to speak. So often we have opportunities, but were afraid of being embarrassed, of making a fool out of ourselves, or simply of striking up a conversation with a stranger. Its always easier to say nothing. Pray for courage to speak up when you have the opportunity.
After you have shared a part of Gods truth with someone, pray that the Holy Spirit will work with his mind, that the seed youve planted will germinate and that God will send other people to help it grow.
God Must Call
It is certain that God must call a person before he can ever come to repentance. Jesus said plainly, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day," John 6:44. No amount of human wisdom can open the mind of another person. Unfortunately, some Christians have used this fact as an excuse not to evangelize. They reason that God is going to call whom He wants when Hes ready, so theres no need to exert any effort to share the Gospel.
Needless to say, God does use human instruments. Chances are you were led to know Jesus Christ, at least partially, through the ministry of another human being. God can certainly call people in a variety of ways, but the vast majority have been introduced to the Gospel through other people. Witness the thousands converted on the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2:41; witness the Samaritans converted through the preaching of Philip, Acts 8:6; witness the Ethiopian eunuch, Acts 8:26-40. Witness Pauls question in Romans 10:14:
"And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"
There is no doubt that God must open a persons mind before he can be converted. However, God gives us the privilege, He gives us the duty to sow seeds of truth, some of which will germinate and bear fruit. If we neglect to sow those seeds, God will use other persons or other methods, but we lose out on the opportunity to love our neighbor in the greatest possible sense, sharing with them the greatest gift of all, the Gospel.
Radiating Total Security
From time to time I have had conversations with members of groups who think that theirs is the one true Church, that they have the exclusive or primary revelation of Gods truth, that God is dealing only or primarily through their group or their leader. These people exude such a sense of peace and security; they are so sure, so confident. They know and know that they know, and it shows in their conversations.
Such confidence is contagious. Others see it and are drawn to it. They want to be secure. They want to be part of such a body of true believers so as to escape from doubt, anxiety and uncertainty. They will even accept all kinds of far-out doctrines and practices in order to obtain that sense of security.
I remember back during the early years of my ministry when I was part of such a one-true-church. I must have exuded supreme confidence in my work, because many times people said to me, "I wish I could have your faith." Of course, my faith was in the organization as much as in God. I did not distinguish between the two because I firmly believed that the organization was Gods end-time work on earth. Of course, in time God showed me the difference between the two; and when I was forced to reject the organization, I was able to continue my relationship with God.
My point is this: If people can radiate such an aura of confidence in a group or in a human guru, why cant Christians do the same for Jesus Christ? Of all people on earth, we should be confident. We should be true believers. We should radiate security and serenity, so much so, that those around us find themselves drawn to it. Of course, were still human; we do have to fight discouragement. On the whole, our lives should stand as beacons of confidence in an age of uncertainty.
I think its a mistake for Christians to fall into the trap of dwelling on the economic, political, and military uncertainties in our world. Certainly, we should be aware of world problems; but our primary focus should be on the certainty of how its all going to turn out. We should radiate absolute confidence in the future of the world and in our personal future. We know what lies ahead. Weve read the last chapter of the Book. We know that all the kingdoms of men will become the kingdom of Christ!
We need to radiate this confidence and assurance to all. Let us be the ones who draw others to God through the confidence we have in Him and in His plan for us and the world.
The Challenge of Personal Evangelism
In Acts 8:4 is recorded the account of an early persecution against the church in Jerusalem, with many of the brethren being scattered: "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word."
The evangelistic zeal of the early Christians caused the Church to grow very rapidly until it had reached practically every corner of the Roman Empire.
In stark contrast to this record, the modern churches, particularly in North America and in Western Europe, particularly among Sabbath-keepers, experience very little growth - few per cent per year. A hard look at this growth reveals that even these minimal figures are not always what they seem to be. Much of the growth is not really evangelism at all but "brand switching" - the new members of one church are the lost members of another. Real evangelism, turning someone from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, is rare. In our affluent world, we have lost the zeal of the persecuted Christians described in Acts 8:4.
Why So Little Evangelism?
There are many reasons and excuses for the low level of evangelism. Ive heard many and used some myself: "Its easy to get people to come to church on Sunday, but the Sabbath doctrine is too hard for people to accept." "God has to call people." "I dont believe in cheap grace." "All the other churches lead them to Christ, our job is to teach them true doctrines." "Were not called to evangelize but to teach." "We dont want to be like all the other Protestants." "Were interested in growth in quality, not in numbers."
The theology that says this is not the only day of salvation, that there will come a future opportunity for the vast majority of humanity to know the Savior, takes away a lot of the pressure to preach the Gospel now. Compare this with the theology that says that this is the only day of salvation and if your neighbor isnt saved now, he will suffer never-ending torment in hell. A negative motivation to be sure, but motivation, nevertheless.
Another factor has to do with expectations. People tend to do what [they feel] is expected of them. Jehovahs Witnesses expect their members to go knocking on doors. So what do they do? They knock on doors and grow. Mormons expect young men to devote a couple of years to missionary work. So what happens? Young men are out knocking on doors and they grow. Some churches expect and teach their people to pay and pray and thats what happens.
Too many of us have come to expect no evangelism. So guess what? There is no evangelism. Even though there are many of us (all of us, to one degree or another) who have a gift of evangelism, our negative expectations put the lid on that gift. Exactly the opposite of what should be happening! Paul exhorted Timothy, " . . . stir up the gift of god, which is in thee . . . " (II Timothy 1:6). The gift of personal evangelism needs to be stirred up, not quashed!
Uncertainty About What the Gospel Is!
If the bugler blows an indistinct call on the bugle, the troops wont know whether they are supposed to advance, retreat, or chow down! If the Church doesnt know precisely what its mission is, it will stand still and begin going backwards. If it doesnt know precisely what the Gospel is, other gospels will emerge. This is exactly what is happening in our society. To some the Gospel is the truth about the true Jesus of the Bible as opposed to the false Jesus of church traditions. To some it is personal success and happiness through Jesus Christ. To some it is warning the nation of Gods wrath. To some it is restoring the full gospel. To some it is restoring the pure religion God gave to ancient Israel. To some it is a message about health and wealth, blessings that come through obedience to God. Some want to preach a gospel of spiritual experience; some a gospel of obedience to laws; some a gospel that does not offend the rational mind of Western man.
Perhaps the differences among some of these gospels seem subtle; but the differences are real enough to create uncertainty. Many Christians are not sure what to share with their neighbors. Is it the true doctrines, the Sabbath, the impending doom on our nation, or the laws of God? Their uncertainty results in inactivity. They share nothing, or what they do share is diluted by what others share.
The Apostle Paul made it clear that there is one true Gospel. "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified," (I Corinthians 2:2).
This Gospel is too simple for some; too "Protestant" for others. It is the simplicity of the Gospel that turns a child of the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.
There may be some truth in all the gospels mentioned above; and certainly there is something to be said for the pursuit of truth. Apollos is an example of a man quite able to hold his own in theological discussions and disputes about true doctrines. He was an eloquent man. But all his efforts had one focus: "Proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ" (Acts 18:24-28). Today, we can devote tremendous amounts of time and energy to discovering Biblical truth all the while ignoring our neighbor who is floundering in the world of spiritual darkness!
If the Church of Jesus Christ is to effectively carry on the commission given originally to the Apostles to preach the Gospel to all nations, it must focus on the Gospel, the only true Gospel, probably best summarized in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
If we really love the world, if we love our neighbors as God does, we must feel some urge to share with them the greatest truth of all the truth about the Messiah, and the opportunity to be in His kingdom.
Love Must Motivate
There are many forces that can motivate one to preach the Gospel. We can evangelize because of guilt believing that it will be our fault if we dont try to rescue our neighbors from an ever-burning hell fire. We can do it because of desire for reward we want a brighter, bigger crown at the resurrection; or because we want the praise of fellow Christians. We can do it because its expected of us, because its our job, or to get a paycheck (I Timothy 3:3; Philippians 1:15-17). But these are the wrong reasons.
Our primary motivation should be love! We should care so much about other people, as potential sons of God, that we want to see them there with us, standing before Jesus Christ on that great day!
Personal Evangelism
There are many ways to evangelize. Very popular today are the impersonal media of radio, TV and print. But, time and time again, surveys show that the most effective evangelism is personal. People talking to people!
Personal evangelism, as Im presenting it, is not about knocking on doors (though thats great for those who are so motivated); its not about passing out tracts on street corners (which is also fine). What it is about is you, as an individual, in your daily contact with family, friends, co-workers, in a very natural, and sincere way, sharing the truth about what Jesus Christ can do in individual lives.
Vitally important to personal evangelism is the example of your life. All that you say and do, or dont say and dont do, reflects on Jesus Christ. Without saying a word, you are a witness. Unfortunately, all too many Christians, by their impatience, unkindness, intolerance, and selfishness are poor witnesses! My prayer is that your life will shine as a light on a hill!
But personal evangelism involves going a step beyond the example you set. It involves speaking about the hope that lies within you, about Jesus Christ, about the Gospel; it involves planting seeds of good news in the minds of those around you seeds that will germinate in the minds of those whom God is calling. Evangelism is greatly affected by your personal witness. If you are a poor example, your evangelism will be ineffective at best. At worst, it can make the Savior you proclaim a stench in the nostrils of those who see that your actions are different from your words. This doesnt mean you have to be perfect before you can evangelize. It simply means you must be doing your best, while admitting your failures, to live according to Gods ways.
A Practical Program
Here is a practical program to help you begin, very naturally and gradually, to practice personal evangelism. You can use it as an individual. But it will be much more effective if you employ it in conjunction with others with your Sabbath School class, Bible study group, or Sabbath fellowship. You can use it in cooperation with people of different churches, because it focuses on sharing Jesus Christ, not on doctrines, church organizations, or traditions.
1. Create a climate for personal evangelism. Create an atmosphere that encourages those with the gift of evangelism to understand and use it. This can be accomplished by preaching on the subject (if youre a preacher), by reading books and articles about it, praying about it and discussing it with others of like mind. The vast majority of Christians can/should be evangelizing to a much greater degree than they are. With encouragement and training they can do it very effectively.
2. Learn to recognize opportunities for personal evangelism. Far too many of us realize opportunities for evangelizing only after they are past. For example, my wife had a conversation with a Roman Catholic neighbor who was talking about the challenges she faced in teaching Sunday School. It was a perfect opportunity to ask a question like, "What do you teach in Sunday School about repentance from sins and accepting Jesus as Savior?" Once I was talking to a former member of a Church I used to pastor. She had drifted away from God altogether and commented that if her son went to Vacation Bible School and heard about Jesus, he would likely ask, "Jesus who?" It was a perfect opportunity for me to have asked, "Well, what do you believe about Jesus?"
Of course, these openings for sowing seeds of the Gospel were gone before we recognized them as such. But now, with patience and effort, were beginning to see opportunities as they present themselves and to take advantage of them before they are gone.
Learn to identify opportunities whether during or afterwards. Eventually, with prayer, with increased awareness and expectation, and with Gods help, youll be able to recognize them as they occur.
3. Talk regularly with others about opportunities for evangelism. Talk about opportunities missed; and opportunities taken. Share your experiences so that others may learn from them. Listen to others experiences and learn from them. Ask others for suggestions about how to handle given situations. If possible, do some role playing to practice talking about your faith and about the basic message of salvation.
In our local Bible studies, we have begun devoting a small portion of time at every meeting to talking about evangelism. It helps us look outward! It reminds us of one of our primary missions as a body! It raises our consciousness about opportunities and helps prepare us to meet them.
4. Pray daily about personal evangelism. Pray for love, wisdom, courage! Pray for God to give you deep love for those who dont have a personal relationship with Him. Pray for wisdom in knowing how to plant seeds in their minds. Pray for the courage to plant those seeds when the opportunities arise.
5. Find tools that can be used in personal evangelism. Build up a supply of tracts, booklets, leaflets, books and cassette tapes that can be used as appropriate in your personal evangelism.
6. Begin to evangelize.
7. Share your experiences with others to encourage them.
Theres no magic in this. Its something virtually all of us can do, but most of us dont. Yet, if we did, the growth of the Church would be so much greater than it is. Some churches spend millions of dollars on mass media evangelism for growth rates of a few per cent. A small group of people evangelizing on a personal basis can do so much more with virtually no money. If only one of out of five members of your fellowship evangelizes and is instrumental in bringing one person to Christ in a year; and if only one out of five of those new Christians seeks to fellowship with you, your group will be growing at 4% a year which is almost as fast as the fastest growing major denominations in the U.S., which are spending millions of dollars.
To be sure, our concern is not numbers for the sake of numbers, growth for the sake of growth. Rather, our concern is love for individuals who dont know their Lord and Savior. The challenge for us, as individuals, is to zealously share with those around us the blessing of salvation through Jesus Christ. Just like the early Christians scattered by persecution, let us go everywhere sharing the good news with others.
written by Richard A. Wiedenheft, Bible quotations in this article are from NIV. W
This article was previously published by Giving & Sharing as Bible Study No. 114.
Why Asking Questions and Embracing Uncertainty Is Good for You
This is taken from an interview with Todd Kashdan, author of "Curious?
Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life"by: Jennifer S. Holland from: AARP Bulletin June 3, 2010______________________________________________________________________
Why Asking Questions and Embracing Uncertainty
Is Good for You
Here is a guide to breathing new oxygen into life with a strategy that seems impossibly simple. Be curious. Embrace uncertainty. And be mindful in your day-to-day life. Instead of seeking that singular, fleeting thing called happiness, open yourself up to novelty. By doing so, youll catch happiness, and a lot of other good things, along the way, says author Todd Kashdan, clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at George Mason University.
He relates an example of an artist who stuck his finger into a swollen spot in his yard and out came a big stink from the groundan apt analogy for what Kashdan advocates. Stick a finger into new places, regardless of what might come out. Of course, such curiosity isnt always a doorway to pleasurable outcome. As Kashdan points out, theres no warm, fuzzy feeling as you wonder about the rattling noise in your car or the new mole growing on your face. But being open to ambiguity builds knowledge, assists us in resolving conflicts and helps keep the brain in tiptop shape.
Kashdan practices what he preaches, fighting passivity and seeking novelty in the everyday. He spoke to the AARP Bulletin about how big an impact this little-studied desire can have in our lives.
Q. How do you push yourself to find the fresh and new?
A. Like dieting or exercise, its a lifetime endeavor. Except in cases where survival or the possibility of passing on genes is at stake, your brain wants to put forth as little effort as possible. Were saving up for that life-threatening situation. Just like we have to make time to exercise to build up our bodies, we need to make the effort to retrain our brains to be curious and thoughtful.
Q. But its hard work, agreed?
A. Its hard in the beginning because you are changing your mindset. Instead of relying on what we already know, we are looking for the new, and were trying to grow by focusing on what we dont know. Ask yourself: What in this situation can add something new to my thinking? But after the initial work of training yourself to think differently, you start to get more dividends and rewards than the effort you have to put in.
Q. So it becomes natural?
A. Itll seem so. It feels effortless because its energizing. It makes us feel creative, more committed. A challenge may provoke anxiety, but research shows clearly that the positive effects are more intense and last longer than the negative ones.
Q. Whats a good example?
A. Heres a great one. When people are asked if they would want to meet the person who is donating a kidney to them, they invariably say yes. They would want to go on the news and shake the persons hand, marvel together that part of one is inside the other and hug for the photo. But if the recipients never know who the donor is, they cant habituate to the kindness of the act. And how do you get a handle on this newly benevolent, compassionate world where someone donated part of his or her bodyand could care less about being appreciated for it? You never get over the positivity that comes from that; your thought process about humanity changes. And thats a good thing.
Q. Not knowing the donor is better?
A. In the big picture, yes. Yet amazingly, we think and act exactly the opposite. We want to know who it is, get all the information, eliminating all the surprises and novelty of the experienceeven though the research says anonymous donors have a more positive, bigger, longer-lasting impact on recipients.
Q. Some uncertainty keeps things fresh.
A. Right. Experiences that leave you wondering are dog-eared in your brain, bolded and italicized.
Shared by Corinne...Part 2 Next week!
**************************************************************
Conversation for May 30, 2011
Written by Lynda Kinnard
There are certain moments in our lives that become imbedded into our minds, hearts and souls. Childhood events, meeting someone who allows us to improve ourselves, or just hearing and seeing things that alter our view of this world and our place in it forever. The moment we invite The Lord into our hearts. And, the instant that we realize that the still, small voice truly is God, speaking directly into us.
Knowing Gods will and faithfully submitting every day, is challenging at best and feels impossible at times. Thankfully, He allows us to see and experience things that prove His power and love for us.
May 15, 2011 -- Twain Harte CA
Waking to a hush that let me know that the world outside the cabin windows had been transformed overnight. Speechless, still and awestruck by the power that has taken us from Fridays warm and easy sunshine that carried the promise of summer to this delicate purity of new-fallen snow that is a beginning and an end unto itself.Slipping momentarily back into my childhood, I wanted to tuck my yarn-tied pigtails into the hood of the jacket that Id loved when I was twelve years old, so I could go out to play. But this is forty years and 3,000 miles away from then. This here and now is the Sunday morning of our retreat and time for us to gather for worship.
Window blinds raised and candles lit to allow us to maneuver in the sudden loss of power, we prepared to do what we needed, in spite of the darkness. We could see what mattered, and would not be dismayed.
So we worshipped as our mothers grandmothers must have done. In rooms that were made sacred because God was known to be there. Sharing the symbols of sacrifice through communion; we were carried back to the time that changed humankind through many generations to each of us.
We sang the worship songs that we all knew, and then moved as one outside to the porch. We stood under the eaves and sang to The One Who Loves Us Best. Our voices are all different, like the snowflakes that continued to fall. It was as if the angels from heaven were whispering in harmony with us.
Then, we stopped, silently caught in the powerful vision of the glory that awaits us all. Knowing that one day we would share a place far beyond the beauty that we felt in this moment. One by one, our worship began again. But this time, no one led and no one followed. One by one, we spoke or sang to the Lord according to our hearts. Our individual praise was as unique as the snowflakes, but our voices intertwined into the language of the angels.
We stood side by side in our faith, each alone in our time with The Lord. And in the silence that followed; the Small Voice of the melting snow began a change of season once again.
Added to by Corinne Mustafa
We could have had a sunny day that Sunday or even a rainy day. Either of those would have been ordinary. This special Sunday in the middle of May it was snowing, and that made the day extraordinary. It was as described by Lynda. As I stood out on the front deck worshiping with my friends I believed that I got a message from the Lord. As I looked at the white blanket of snow on the trees I realized something. I know by faith that God is always near. He may be as near as a face to face encounter but we do not actually see him. On that spectacular Sunday I felt that the snow on the trees was a physical manefestation that God was nearby in a visible way. I was totally touched by His graciousness!*********************************************************
Conversation for week of 5/1/11
The wind became silent and the tall pine trees stood in respect, as the two spirits stood face to face. Both spirits were sure that what they held in their minds to be of truth. One dressed in a white robe that glowed as if made of star light, revealing all that is pure. The other dressed in black. No light came from this spirit, only darkness that cast an eerie feeling of despair.
The battle had begun.
As the golden sun made its appearance over the Eastern sky,
the spirit of light cried, Holy is the Creator most high.
With a tongue as if it were a flaming sword, the spirit dressed in black made his challenge known. For the one that could prove how all creation sprung forth into existence would be declared the winner.
The battle had begun.
Everything that had breath seemed to become frozen, not making a sound, not wanting to miss what was about to take place. Both spirits took their turn, first the one of darkness and then the one of light.
Each spirit proclaimed its own belief to be truth.
The battle had begun.
The dark spirit stood with an evil grin upon its face.
As the spirit of light stepped aside and waited patiently for his turn to speak.
He said,
Millions of years ago, as matter turned faster and faster
A tiny speck exploded creating this disaster.
From underneath a rock did climb,
Our ancestors once made of slime.
Upon the land they did slither and crawl,
These slippery creatures were related to us alll.
From belly to upright without missing a beat,
Underneath the creature limbs sprung forth feet.
High into the trees they swung from branch to branch,
From a creator you say? Heck, it was all by chance!
Down from the tree and into the cave.
There is no eternal life; you just go to the grave.
Believe in Neanderthal man, that is the way.
This is how humans became what they are today.
Keep living a life that is pleasing to you,
It really doesn't matter what you say or do.
Building up chromosomes one by one,
This is how becoming a god is done.
With head held high the dark spirit stepped aside,
sure that he had won.
Without hesitation the spirit of light stood tall and firm, speaking words of truth that rang across the land
like a sweet melody.
He said,
Not long ago, the one true God from above.
Spoke this world into existence with much love.
The trees and the sea were all part of His plan,
Right down to every detail which also included man.
A garden of paradise was a place He called home,
With all of Gods creation this man was to roam.
To finish the plan asleep man did lay,
A rib from his side God did take away.
With a command from the Creator woman appeared,
Protected by God there was nothing they feared.
All was theirs to enjoy except the forbidding tree,
But they broke Gods one rule and sin entered thee.
The world which was once filled with peace and joy,
The enemy began to tarnish and destroy.
It was easy you see, for Satan to do
With mans lustful desires and prideful heart too.
God should have destroyed us all with His mighty right hand;
But He gave us another chance when Noah took a stand.
A great flood came that covered the land,
Noah and his family was spared
because they followed God's plan.
A rainbow was placed in the sky up above,
A promise from God that was sealed with great love.
Man was forgiven and the Earth began to heal,
But evidence that sin remained became very real.
Once again our Creator caught us when we started to fall,
By sending His only Son to die on the cross for us all.
Now we must live according to His plan,
Then and only then will He heal this Great land.
Accept what He did on the cross and you shall be set free,
Once again man will live in paradise for eternity.
The spirit of light stretched forth his hands toward the Heavens, giving thanks to the Creator above. As the spirit of darkness hung his head down low, knowing he had been defeated. All of creation broke the silence with a song that echoed across the land. The trees began to dance with the wind as if celebrating. Good had overcome evil, light had conquered darkness, and victory had been won.
The battle has been won.
shared writing from
Storm HendricksonwrittenOctober, 2002************************************************************************
Matthew 28...He has Risen from the Dead
Conversation for the week of April 24, 2011
After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.
The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.
"Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."
The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."
Meanwhile, the guards had scattered, but a few of them went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened. They called a meeting of the religious leaders and came up with a plan: They took a large sum of money and gave it to the soldiers, bribing them to say, "His disciples came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping." They assured them, "If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we will make sure you don't get blamed." The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around.
Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
Yes...HE IS RISEN INDEED!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Z3najg_eY&feature=related**************************************************************
Passion Week...Palm Sunday
Till the Friday Jesus Died For Us
Conversation for week of 4/17 - 4/23/11
Jesus Rides into Jerusalem as a King
And, a Week Later, Walks to a Humiliating Death
The last week of Jesus' life was crammed with events, as we follow him from his glorious entry into Jerusalem on Sunday until his death on Friday. In the days in between, he preached, taught, presided over the Passover supper, stood trial, and was condemned to death. This week we call Holy Week.
Palm Sunday
Luke 19: 28 - 46
Matthew 21: 1 - 17
Mark 11: 1 - 11
John 12: 12 - 50
John 2: 13 - 15
On Palm Sunday we study two sets of lessons.
The first set is about Jesus' ride into Jerusalem on a colt, fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9: 9. The people greeted him as though he were an earthly king; they were sure he would end the Roman occupation and Jerusalem would again be a Jewish city. They shouted, "Hosanna," which means "save us," and comes from Psalm 118: 26. And the second set are a detailed look at what happened in the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. We also read the Psalms which form a foundation for the events of Holy Week.
The color of Palm Sunday is red.The time in the Gospel writers' accounts may be compressed. Their story is about being overwhelmed by the presence of Jesus, not an historical account of places or dates.
Jesus Teaches and Preaches
Luke 21: 31 - 38
After his warm welcome into Jerusalem, Jesus taught in the Temple for a few days. Luke places many of Jesus' stories or parables during this time. We study many of these stories during Lent.
Jesus' Enemies Conspire Against Him
Luke 22: 1 - 2
Matthew 26: 1 - 5
Mark 14: 1 - 2
John 11: 47 - 53
Pontius Pilate and his soldiers went from Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast inland to Jerusalem every year for the Feast of the Passover. They were afraid that so many Jews gathered together from all of Palestine would start riots against the Roman government.
The Jewish Sanhedrin, the council of elders, played on Pilate's fears, because they were afraid that Jesus would start a religious revolution against them. They thought that if the people would follow his new ways of teaching and healing, they would no longer be in charge of the Temple.
A Woman Washes Jesus' Feet and Dries Them with her Hair
Luke 7: 36 - 50
Matthew 26: 6 - 13
Mark 14: 3 - 9
John 12: 1 - 22
This story is told several times, taking place in different locations. John places it firmly in Holy Week, with Mary, the sister of Martha and of Lazarus, as the woman. Mark includes the story in Holy Week, two days before the Feast of the Passover, but Mark says it took place at the home of Simon, the leper, and he does not name the woman. Lazarus and his sisters were very close to Jesus. He and his disciples stayed with them often in Bethany, and because raising Lazarus from the dead was the great miracle of Jesus that the people of Jerusalem knew about, the high priests and elders wanted to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus.
Judas Betrays Jesus
Luke 22: 3 - 6
Matthew 26: 14 - 16
Mark 14: 10 - 11
John 18: 2 - 5
Judas told the Temple guards how to find and arrest Jesus in a quiet place at night; they were afraid there would be riots if they arrested him in the daytime in the city. Because the Gospel writers were so angry at Judas for his participation in Jesus' death, we do not have a clear picture of who Judas was. He was called Judas Iscariot, or Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, which may mean that his whole family belonged to a radical political group. He was chosen by Jesus to be one of the original twelve disciples. Judas was the treasurer for the disciples, even though Matthew the tax collector also knew about money and finances. And we know that he was so devastated by the part he played in Jesus' death that he killed himself, either by hanging or by disembowelment in the Roman fashion (somewhat like Japanese hara-kiri).
Jesus Prepares for the Last Supper and Washes the Feet of His Disciples
Luke 22: 7 - 13
Matthew 26: 17 - 19
Mark 14: 12 - 16
John 13: 1 - 20
Passover lasts for eight days, and the preparation for it is like the preparation for Christmas - it isn't all done in one day. All leaven (yeast, baking powder, baking soda) must be removed from the house, and the house must be cleaned thoroughly to make sure no bread or cookie crumbs remain. Special foods are eaten for the entire eight days (no leaven is allowed back into the house), beginning with the Seder supper on the first night of Passover. In Jesus' day, each family would sacrifice a lamb at the Temple, bringing part of the lamb home for their Seder supper.
Jesus Identifies His Betrayer
Luke 22: 14, 21 - 23
Matthew 26: 2 - 25
Mark 14: 17 - 21
John 13: 21 - 30
Jesus knew who would betray him to the Temple guards, but he also knew that the prophecies must come true, and he must accept what would be done to him. With no death, there could be no resurrection.
Jesus Presides over the Passover Supper
Luke 22: 14 - 20
Matthew 26: 26 - 29
Mark 14: 22 - 25
There is some disagreement between the Gospel writers on when this meal took place. For Luke, it is a true Passover meal, with the blessing of the wine before the bread. For the others it may be a pre-Passover meal with the two Jewish blessings, one for the bread and one for the wine. John's imagery encourages us to see Jesus as the true Lamb of God, sacrificed at exactly the same time the lambs were slaughtered in the Temple for the Passover meals. Whichever meal this was, it took place during the time of the Passover, when Jews remember that God freed them from slavery in Egypt, and it is the meal where Jesus asked us to remember that he freed us from our slavery to sin. Christians participate in this meal in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
Jesus Knows Peter Will Pretend He Doesn't Know Him
Luke 22: 21 - 38
Matthew 26: 31 - 35
Mark 14: 27 - 31
John 13: 36 - 38
Peter of the changing enthusiasms was so sure that if Jesus died, he would die too. But Jesus knew otherwise, telling Peter that he would deny knowing him three times before the rooster crowed at sunrise the next morning. Jesus Prays while His Disciples Sleep
Luke 22: 31 - 33
Matthew 26: 36 - 46
Mark 14: 32 - 42
John 18: 1
Jesus knew what was in store for him that night (Thursday) and on Friday as well. So he took his disciples to a quiet place to pray, the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. The disciples fell asleep while he prayed, Luke says, "because of grief". In their own way, they, too, were preparing for the terrible times to come.
The Temple Police Arrest Jesus
Luke 22: 47 - 53
Matthew 26: 47 - 56
Mark 14: 43 - 52
John 18: 2 - 12, 20
Three distinct groups of guards or soldiers play a part in this story. Both Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas had their own troops, and troops (probably Pilate's) were garrisoned in Jerusalem, even though Pilate's official residence was in Caesarea, on the Mediterranean coast (Jerusalem is inland.) The first troops to appear, however, are called guards or temple police. They took direction from Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest, and the Jewish council of elders. They were the guards who arrested Jesus. The Roman soldiers appeared later.
Peter Doesn't Know Who Jesus Is
Luke 22: 54 - 62
Matthew 25: 69 - 75
Mark 14: 66 - 72
John 18: 15 - 18, 25 - 27
Even though Peter said he would follow Jesus to his death, before the rooster crowed at sunrise on Friday morning, Peter said three times that he did not know Jesus or any of his friends. And even though it was obvious from his accent that he was a Galilleean, he said he did not come from Galilee. Jesus Is Teased, Slapped, and Beaten
Luke 22: 63 - 65
Matthew 26: 67 - 68
Mark 14: 65
The temple guards, the followers of the Jewish council of elders, and perhaps even the elders themselves taunted and slapped Jesus after they arrested him. They finished their torment with a beating, and then took him to the house of Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest.
Jesus Stands before the Council
Luke 22: 66 - 71
Matthew 26: 57 - 68
Mark 14: 61 - 64
John 18: 12 - 14, 19 -24
The Sanhedrin, or council of elders, charged Jesus with blasphemy, which means to talk to or about God with disrespect. Considering the Jewish belief in the One God, it was disrespectful of Jesus to say that he was God's son, or to call him "Abba," which means Daddy. The Romans believed their Emperor was a god living on earth, so they understood the Jewish belief, and in Palestine, respected it some of the time. Christians, of course, believe that Jesus was exactly right, that he was the Son of the Living God, and that he was resurrected as the second person of the Triune God as they state in the Apostles' Creed.
Jesus Answers Pilate
Luke 23: 1 - 5
Matthew 27: 1 - 2, 11 - 14
Mark 15: 1 - 5
John 18: 28 - 38
Pontius Pilate was a Roman citizen, sent by the emperor of Rome to be the procurator or governor of Palestine. He had his own army and presided over his own courts of law. Pilate was the man who called Jesus, King of the Jews.Jesus Stands Silent before Herod
Luke 23: 6 - 12 Herod Antipas was the son of King Herod the Great whom the three Wise Men visited when they were searching for the Baby Jesus. Herod Antipas had previously told his soldiers to cut off John the Baptist's head. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod because Herod was the tetrarch (or ruler of one-fourth of Palestine) of Galilee, the area in the north of Palestine where Nazareth is, where Jesus grew up. Herod held less power and territory than Pilate, so it would be easy for Pilate to blame him if things went badly.
Pilate Releases an Innocent Man
Luke 23: 17 - 25
Matthew 27: 15 - 26
Mark 15: 6 - 15
John 18: 38 - 40
John 19: 4 - 16
Pilate believed Jesus was innocent, but because he was afraid that the crowds might riot, he allowed the Jewish court of elders to make the decision to execute Jesus. The crucifixion, however, was done by Pilate's soldiers, because the Temple guards who reported to Caiaphas did not have the power to put anyone to death by crucifixion. The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
Matthew 27: 27 - 31
Mark 15: 16 - 20
John 19: 1 - 3
The Roman soldiers took Jesus to their quarters and made fun of him in a "king for a day" ritual that they may have performed on Roman holidays. The soldiers crowned him with thorns and put a purple cloak on him. Choosing a make-believe king and tormenting him may have been a way of letting go of their anger at cruel rulers.
Jesus Walks to His Death on Golgotha
Luke 23: 26 - 43
Matthew 27: 32 - 44
Mark 15: 21 - 32
John 19: 17 - 24
Increasingly aware that he was fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, Jesus walked quietly to his death, after making the firm, strong speech to the crowd we find in the Luke passage. The Romans had several methods of executing criminals. Crucifixion, in which people slowly suffocated from the burden of their own weight on their chests, was both the most painful and the most humiliating. Other Roman methods of execution included garroting (strangling with a special cord or wire) or beheading (cutting off the criminal's head with a sword). Both these methods were considered more dignified than crucifixion, as well as being much quicker and much less painful. The two criminals (or bandits) who were executed with Jesus are nameless. They may have been highway robbers: simple theft may not have been a serious enough crime to demand crucifixion as the means of death. Only in the passage in Luke do the two men enter into conversation with Jesus.
The Sky Turns Black and the Curtain Is Torn
Luke 23: 44 - 56
Matthew 27: 45 - 61
Mark 15: 33 - 47
John 19: 25 - 42
Jesus spoke from the cross to his family and followers. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me," is the first line of Psalm 22, a beautiful hymn of praise to God. His mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene were present, as well as some other women followers.
The Temple Guards Watch Jesus' Tomb
Matthew 27: 62 - 66
The Temple guards took their position late Friday afternoon, because they were afraid that Jesus' friends would steal his body from the grave and pretend that he had risen from the dead.
BUT THE TRIUMPH WILL COME
IN THE MORNING OF NEXT SUNDAY...
ONE WEEK FROM TODAY WHEN WE CELEBRATE
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
AND OUR SALVATION!!!
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CONVERSATION FOR APRIL 11, 2011
I have been doing a Bible Study using John Brevere's book entitled EXTRAORDINARY. I would like to recommend this book to you for starters. One of the concepts in this book is that we get to grace through faith. Not too new! However, another concept in this book is very empowering. If we can pray without doubt for what we need...that means no doubt in our hearts, that we will receive it because we believed we would.
I just wanted to give you a background of where I am coming from in this writing. I have had a hard time with it because I am always plagued with the idea that God will answer my prayer if it is in His will. And this is true as well. Still it is necessary for me to believe with no doubt in my heart that he will grant what I pray for...a kind of conundrum for me because I always wonder how to bar doubt from said heart.
Anyway, that being said, I want to share a story of what happened to me last Friday as I was driving my husband to San Francisco airport to catch a flight to England. My chauffeur part of his trip took place during rush hour on a Friday afternoon in the San Francisco Bay Area. As I was headed for the airport I said a quick prayer with all the built-in, doubt removed, believed that it would be answered. "Heavenly Father, you know that I'm under a lot of stress about tomorrow's yard sale. I still have things to do to be completely ready, and I need to get home quickly. Father, I ask you to let this night be a night of easy traffic and a quick return to Livermore. Father I thank you in advance for what you will do about this, and I love you. Amen."
With this I became a relaxed person, drove to the airport, had nice conversation with my husband, and kissed him goodbye at the door of United Airlines. I headed back to live more fully confident that it would not take 2 hours. After all, I had prayed. I was all set, and I would be home in Livermore by 6 PM.
I was right on track and only 3 exits from Livermore when the unexpected happened. The traffic was not moving at speed limit, and the cars were pretty close to each other, but still traffic was moving in a reasonable speed. I had already thank God several times for his answer to my prayer. Suddenly, the unexpected happened. The traffic in front of me, and the driver right in front of me had slammed on her brakes because the truck in front of her had slammed on his brakes. I slammed on my brakes as well and smacked right into that car, pushing her into the truck in front of her.
I have had a little fender bender a couple of weeks ago in that very same car. It was scheduled to go for repair on the following Monday, to the tune of 600+ dollars. As I sat there in the seconds before I would have to do something. I was wondering how could I possibly tell my husband in England that I have had yet another accident. Then I had to get out of the car. You have to realize that we were in the lane next to the fast Lane and were standing on the freeway trying to figure out what to do. Each of us was saying are you okay; are you hurt? Everyone seemed to be fine, and we all decided that we needed to cross the fast Lane to get into the area near the freeway divider before we all ended up dead. So we signaled and crossed the fast Lane with no further consequences.
In that area we would be protected by our cars...if only no one hit our cars and pushed them into us. As God would have it, nobody got crushed.
However, God had more for the 3 of us. When we get out of our cars the 2nd time there were more questions asking if everyone was okay, and we were! I, of course, was heartsick worrying about having to tell him stuff her about yet another accident. The truck driver, 1st in line, looked at his truck and saw no damage. The middle car, which should have had damage on the front and the back, had no damage. My front end ALSO HAD NOT DAMAGE!!! I am sure that I hit that car going at least 5 to 10 miles an hour.. enough to push her into the truck. All 3 cars had no damage. We all laugh each other once again, are you okay; did you hurt yourself ? Everyone was okay. We did not exchange any information about who we were, or are licenses, or anything. We climbed into our cars and drove away. I will never see this man on this woman again, but I will pray for them whenever they come to my mind.
I had prayed for a quick trip home. I wanted to get there quickly and I had asked God for that. God knew that the traffic of rush hour would not be a problem, so it is my belief that God applied my prayer to the place where the real problem would be. We all should have had terrible damage to our vehicles, but none of them had any damage. That was God's answer to my prayer, He just applied it to win than the really was.
A bona fide miracle of God!!!
What could've been...
and what was!!!!!!!
A TRUE AND BONA FIDE MIRACLE OF GOD
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Inspirational Friendship Story
Who Packs Your Parachute?
Conversation for week of April 3, 2011
This friendship story asks an important question: So who packs your parachute? Who are the ones who are in the backstage, making sure that you are safe and happy? Read this inspirational friendship story about a man who survived the war because of a special someone.
Charles Plumb was a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!
How in the world did you know that? asked Plumb. I packed your parachute, the man replied.
Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, I guess it worked!
Plumb assured him, It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today.
Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor. Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.
Now, Plumb asks his audience, Who's packing your parachute? Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.
Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.
Shared Story
Conversation for 3/28/11
Have you ever considered what a slippery slope the world of adult communication is? You are at a play with your granddaughter and her other grandmother. You look at the time and find out you are already an hour and a half into it. Tapping the arm of your co-Grammy you say, Oh my gosh, Judy, do you know it is 9:30 already? The comment is meant to just show that you are surprised that time has passed so quickly. Five minutes later the intermission comes, and Judy asks our seven year old granddaughter if she wants to leave wondering if she is tired. To your relief the child says that she is enjoying the play and that she wants to stay until the end. Later on, in the car, Judy tells you that when you mentioned the time she had thought that I was saying we should leave because it is late. You have here a minor failure to communicate.
Sometimes the failure to communicate is not quite as minor as the example that I have given above. You say something to someone that you mean in the most loving way and is interpreted entirely differently than what you meant. Feelings are hurt, and misunderstandings start. Pretty soon you're wondering what went wrong, wrong between you and your good friend, or your daughter or your daughter-in-law. You may not even know why, because you can't read a person's mind. You just know that something is wrong and something is different. It is even hard to know how to clean it up or what to do. You are unless field under a black cloud.
If other situations are a slippery slope dealings with your adults children and their spouses are slippery slope lined with banana peels. We've been there, done that, but that doesn't give us the right to think that we know everything or to think that they have to do things the way we did them or want them to do them. Think back to the time when you were a new adult child of your mother and father. I know for me I wanted to be allowed to live my own life and the way I chose. Sometimes I didn't appreciate them putting their two cents worth in. I felt that I had a right to make my own adult choices. Also, when it was about something that I had issues with from my childhood, I wanted to do it differently. Sometimes parents are the role model, and sometimes they're not. I have found that I can save myself a lot of pain by not injecting too much opinion into the lives of my children. To do so is to invite a painful awareness of my own shortcomings when they were children.
I have come to understand that people only know what they know when they finally get to know it. And the best way to come to an understanding or gain experience is to do just that experience it. You can't do that if some older adult is always jumping in with advice and information that is given in such a way that it almost means you have to do it their way. Now I'm not saying here that we cannot sometimes speak into their lives, what I am saying is that we have to do it wisely.
Recently, I heard a very funny statement. Judy, my granddaughter Kieran's other grandmother, was talking to her friend. They were discussing relationships and how to remain on an even keel with relatives and in-laws relatives. Here's what her friend told her
Wear beige and keep your mouth shut!
Well this may not be the best advice at all times, it is pretty good advice for many situations. I know I've had my life, and I learned so much from all the good and bad choices I made. The young adults in my life should be able to do the same. So, I will remember and follow (when appropriate) this advice and Judy's friend. I am currently shopping for more beige outfits to hang in my closet.
In Jesus we have an excellent example of this behavior. Jesus didn't fight back when they were banging the crown of thorns into his head, when they were spitting on him, or when they made him carry the cross. He could've winked an eyelid and destroyed them all in a heartbeat but he held his quietude. Please read the following Scripture
Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus,
Are you not going to answer?
What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?
But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him,
I charge you under oath by the living God:
Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.
You have said so, Jesus replied.
Matthew 26:62-63.
Jesus walked the "road to peace" all through his life. That doesn't mean that He always found peace. People misunderstood Him all the time. Communication IS a slippery slope. I only hope that I can follow His example even if imperfectly. I don't have to be talking and advising constantly.
AND, asI recall, Jesus wore a beige colored robe also.
Written by Corinne Mustafa
3/27/11
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Conversation for March 21, 2011
TEMPUS
FUGIT
.........................................................................
Tempus fugit or so they say
Seasons and years flying away
Hard to keep up.
Three days ago kids played in snow
Crispy days of winter hearts aglow
Cold blue skies above.
Lovely cascading flakes and swirling wind
Watching from my window cozy within
My appreciation rising.
Day before yesterday we started to spy
Green buds and flowers, heard birds cry
From up on high.
Spring with all its beauty increasing
Resplendent growth seems to be unseasing.
My spirits rising.
Yesterday the fields were filled growth
Summer suns and gentle rain both
Gifting plants from the heavens.
Now arrive the rainbow colors of fall
Harvest signaling nature's curtain call
Wind spirals leaves skyward.
Today I relish all the loviness I see
There's beauty in the windblown leaves debris
Autumn's close advancing.
So you can see that time flies
And for us there is no reprise
Season following season
Year following year
As time melts away
New time solidifies and starts to melt again
Trapped in its annual, inevitable chain
It flies leading onward.
Onward takingme closer and closer
To my real home in the wonders of eternity
Tomy indescribable Father
Who waits for me.
WRITTEN BY
CORINNE MUSTAFA
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FROG
The Secret can be found in
FROG
A woman named Vicki once knew a young person at church named Susan. Susan always seemed effervescent and happy, although Vicki knew she had faced struggles in her life. Her long-awaited marriage had quickly ended in divorce. She had struggled to get a grip on her single life. She hadn't chosen it, but she decided she would live it with utmost enjoyment and satisfaction. Susan was active in Sunday school, in the choir, as a leader of the junior high girls' group, and in the church renewal movement. Vicki enjoyed knowing Susan. Susan's whole face seemed to smile.
One day Vicki asked Susan, "How is it that you are always so happy, you have so much energy, and you never seem to get down?" With her eyes smiling, Susan said,"I know the Secret!"
"What secret is that, what are you talking about?" Vicki asked.
Susan replied, "I'll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to share the Secret with others."
Vicki agreed, "Okay, now what is it?"
The Secret is this: "I have learned there is little I can do in my life that will make me truly happy. I must depend on God to make me happy and meet my needs. When a need arises in my life, I have to trust God to supply according to HIS riches. I have learned most of the time I don't need half of what I think I do. HE has never let me down." Since I learned that Secret I am happy.
Vicki's first thought was, That's too simple! But upon reflecting over her own life she recalled how she thought a bigger house would make her happy -but it didn't! She thought a better-paying job would make her happy -but it hadn't.
When did she realize her greatest happiness? Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren, playing games, eating pizza or reading a story, a simple gift from God. Susan knew the secret, Vicki learned the secret, and now you know it too!
We can't depend on people to make us happy. Only GOD in His wisdom can do that. Trust HIM! And now I pass the Secret on to you!
FROG.....Fully Rely On God!
shared by Corinne
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Sunday, February 20, 2011
Do you have something in your life, an "It" that controls you and keeps you from being the best you can be...something that keeps you from being who God made you to be? You may find yourself not only riding on a runaway train but also running faster to get to "it" quicker. You are loosing your balance and in danger of falling. You cannot get yourself to sit down and stop running to get to "it."
This is a slippery slope. It is called addiction, and it wears many costumes. All of them are dangerous. Some are not considered as bad as others. Addiction to alcohol or narcotics are thought to be worst. The truth is that any kind of addiction is still addiction. The sad part about it is that addiction changes who you are. For someone with an addictive personality the call is very strong. The sad thing is that once an addiction is overcome it is often replaced by a new one.
Here is a for instance. A woman I know had gotton control of her addiction of over eating. She had lost a lot of weight, and for the first time in her adult life she was pretty close to a normal size. Some nights she would be like a cat on a hot tin roof just needing something to make herself feel better. She was so uncomfortable that being thin was not enough. One day she had an idea that she liked. She reasoned that if she used diet ginger ale and whiskey she might be able to fill the need with a drink every night. You can guess what it worked out to be. Yes, after awhileone drink no longer enought. Soon she was drinking more and more alcohol. The surprising thing was that she had never been a person who drank to excess in the past. The addiction to alcohol had replaced the eating addiction that she had.
Another woman with a spending addiction found herself in a position where she did not have money to spend. The need for her addiction for satisfaction that had been filled by shopping was replaced with an addictionfor relationships. There was never enough for each of these women. They were on a runaway train, and could never get enough of their personal "it." The women are trapped on a Runaway Train.
Consider the following...
IT
It takes you farther
than you want to go
Keeps you longer
than you want to stay
And costs you more
than you ever
wanted to pay.
Why do people turn to addictions? We are created with an emptiness that is a God shaped hole that only God can fill. Unfortunately for addicted people they seem toneed a warm fuzzy that they can see and feel.Even more unfortunate is the reality that they do not have a close enough relationship with the God whocouldbe a warm fuzzy for them. So they turn to their personal "it" which does not satisfy them as they fall into IT deeper and deeper. It is even more devious and lamentable when an addicted person does have a relationship with God. The only hope is to give IT to God.
If you have an IT that you are hoping you can be able to give to God and you would like a partner who has her own IT, let's partner up in the effort.
God bless
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Sunday...Feb 13,2011
I want to share this....
Someone has written these beautiful words. Must read and try to understand the deep meaning of it. They are like the ten commandments to follow in life all the time...
1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.
2] Why is a car's WINDSHIELD is so large and the Rear view MIRROR is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.
3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.
5] Old Friends are GOLD! New Friends are DIAMOND! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because, to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!
6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!
7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.
8] A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"
9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.
10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES, it takes away todays PEACE.
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Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:
for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Hebrews 13:2 (NIV)
Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love.
Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some
have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it!
Hebrews 13:1-2 (MSG)
I am in the middle of an incredible blessing from God. It is a longish story, so please bear with me.
A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail from a college friend who lives in San Francisco. Her brother, who now lives in Florida, wrote about his former next-door neighbor when he lived in New Jersey. Her name is Pat. He wrote to ask my friend if she knew anyone who lived near the town that I live in. My friend passed the e-mail along to me and one other person. It spoke of of Pat who has a daughter who lives about two hours away from me who was coming to have backsurgery in a hospital about 10 min. away from me So Jane passed the e-mail along to me. I spoke to my husband, and surprisingly, he agreed that pack could come and stay with us. It has to be a God thing because normally he would have agreed to this.
Pats daughter is paraplegic. She was injured in 2000 in a snowboarding accident. At the time she broke her back and severed her spinal cord. She lives independently and does very well, but during the last three or four years she started needing more adjusting of her back. So Pat was coming to California to be with her daughter during her time in rehab which miraculously it seems is located in my town. A very convenient situation for Pat.
As I waited for Pat's arrival a week ago I was a bit nervous. I was also a bit for out frazzled because the Sunday after she came began a two-day three-hour class. In addition we had to babysit for our granddaughter because her daddy was away and her mother works evenings. That was a three-day commitment. In addition I take a writing class on Tuesday afternoons and the Bible study on Thursdays. So basically I was wondering how I was going to deal with all that was on my plate as I live my life. I also wondered what she would be like and if everything would work out well.
From the moment that Pat walked through the door I felt comfortable. We sat in the living room and talked for an hour until her Eastern standard Time biological clock told her that she needed to get to bed. The next day Pat was off to the rehab after sharing a breakfast that was full of conversation. The second day she came to church with us, and took us out to lunch. Pat is Episcopalian, and our church is non-denominational. I quickly found out that that didn't matter. We are both daughters of of the King, and we are sisters in the Lord.
In the days that followed, which now number seven, we have shared so much about our lives and our beliefs. It has been amazing. She has come to a prayer group that I go to every Thursday. Pat is on the same page as we are.This is been eye-opening to me to find like thought. I don't know what I thought it would be like, but I certainly didn't expect our conversations for the most part to be God centered and spiritual. In addition to this I have found a friend for life.
I have a little book that professes to have wise words from witty women, and Pat had been looking at it. With tears in her eyes she read me one of the sayings. It's said...
"God, who is love,
simply cannot help but shed blessing on blessing upon us.
We do not need to beg, for He simply cannot help it!"
Hannah Whiteall Smith
Pat pointed out to me that this is what has happened to us in our friendship that came unannounced and very powerfully. We both feel blessed to have been able to add each other into our lives. Today she showed me a magnet on my fridge that talks about Kindred Spirits. From across the nation through several emails God gave us to each other. We are blessed by the Lord. He simply could not help it. I dont know if Pat is an angel, but she is an angel to me.
Written by Corinne Mustafa
PS...6 hours later...Tonight my husband, Pat, and I went to a Mediterranean restaurant. The special draw for tonight was that there would be a belly dancer. At one point the dancer came over and invited Pat to dance. Pat got up and danced with her in rhythm...minus the belly wiggles. We were all clapping and laughing. She was great. Earlier she had told me that her Dad would have been out there dancing with the dancer. When Pat came back to the table she told me that she had danced for her father.
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The Workings of God In Us Through Love and Grace
Grace means God accepts me just as I am. He does
not require or insist that I measure up to someone else's
standard of performance. He loves me completely,
thoroughly, and perfectly. There's nothing I can
do to add or detract from that love.
Mary Graham
What a wonderful concept! It means that his estimation of me is pure. Is not bogged down with the what ifs and should ofs that seem to torment me on a regular basis. He gives grace purely and freely. He is not like the lion tamer in the circus who holds up a fiery ring for the lion to jump through. He is not waiting for me to do something beyond my own ability something so incredibly amazing that would lead Him to think, Well I think I'll give her a little bit of grace." She finally has proved herself worthy of my gifts. Then netted knowledge meant on his part would lead Him to untie his silken satchelofgrace flakes to let them fall down on me like snow.
I grew up in a belief system that said you had to earn grace. This was so daunting; because in spite of all good efforts a person has they invariably fall on their face from time to time. Then what do you do? Do you start at square one with nothing in your treasure box or do you give back some of your flakes as if God were a so-called Indian Giver. I know I preached decried here, but, but ever since I began to understand the concept of free gift of grace, I have been bowled over by the beauty of it. I don't have to do anything indaba love me just same. Amazing! God loves me this much!
I was at my Thursday night prayer group meeting, and one of the wise women there, I can't remember who or I would give her credit, said, "God loves you just the way you are, but too much to leave you there." There you have it in a nutshell. God gives freely with no strings attached, not the usual sense of the word, that is Yes, he sees is the way we are, and loves and gives us grace freely anyway. Still, in His loving parenthood, He claims certain parental rights. This means that he becomes the Potter to his child, and steps in to lead us in the right direction. In the process we may feel as though were being led into the valley of the shadow of death. But as we all know it is in the Valley and the deep places that we learn. We stumble around and what we think is the darkness of our bad circumstances when all the while God is molding us and creating in us the person that he intended in the first place. I love the metaphor of the Potter. He is the Potter, and we are the clay. I really do love this. After all, what is clay? Here is the definition of clay.....
noun:
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist
but hard when fired
noun:
water soaked soil; soft wet earth
Clay is the raw material that can be molded into the most beautiful vase, or pot, or even ovenware in which the gourmet creation is cooked, but in which it can also be presented in a beautiful way on the table. People, who are at the table, are not only blessed by the nourishment but also by the loveliness of the presentation. This is what God does for us. He molds us and shapes us into something lovely to look at. It applies great heat to us so that inside we will be beautiful and strong as well.
Sometimes the things he does lovingly can be very painful. It can be like having to go to the doctor in order to get something detrimental to our body removed. There is a slight difference because usually you can have an anesthetic to alleviate the pain. The kind of pain that God deals with in us very often is spiritual and emotional and must be felt and endured to get to the healthy place. It is hard when you're in the middle of such an experience to deal with it. Sometimes we lose our sense of faithful and safe reliance on God during these times. We forget our past history of such times when we found out that in the end things do turn out and that God has a reason for what He does. We lose hope, and we fear that nothing will ever be right again.
God is the ultimate, perfect parent. He has no flaws whatsoever in his love or treatment of his children. His purposes are always to our best interests. When we are suffering is hard to remember all of this. Still, it is true. He will never leave us or forsake us; He always has our best interest in mind; He has a plan for us it is the ultimate best for our life and our eternity. How blest we are! In the end, we can always keep in mind how well He knows us. The Bible says that he needed us in the darkness of our mothers womb and that he had planned for us for all eternity. He knows what we will do in every word before we speak it. Even knows numbers of the hairs on our heads.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mothers womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Psalm 139:13-15
We can also keep in mind on how much He loves us. We can rely on this fact for all our days and be aware of where He is bringing us. Eternity with Him.
But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory,
the One who lifts my head high.
Psalm 3:3
Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 36:5-7
Corinne Mustafa
January 30, 2011
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I was at a meeting a couple of Thursdays ago. It is a group that gathers to pray together. We talk for a while, kind of a check in, to share where we are and what is on our minds. I am a new member, and that night I did not have anything to write on. I have since learned to bring a designated journal with me. As the conversation continues each Thursday there are tidbits of food for thought that I have jotted down to remember so that I can think on them or even write about them as I am doing now. It is not that I plan to write about what people have said for the most part. Rather I just want to share my thoughts about the topic.
My friend mentioned that some people are like sandpaper. Huh? Well, she said, you know they just rub you the wrong way. She went on to say that she has sandpaper people in her lifepeople who just drive her over the edge a lot of the time. I could tell by the facial expressions of the other women there that they could relate, as could I. Our friend shared that she has tried to develop a habit of sitting back and watchinglooking into the behavior of some of her S.P. people. She said that when she did this she could see that someone who might bug her would have a good effect or influence on another person. She could see that when the person who literally drives her nuts interacts with others they might appreciate her and not be rubbed raw by her personality.
She began to understand the idea that how we perceive people is dependent on our unique personalities and backgrounds. She found that being unbiased as she looked, and leaving out idiosyncrasies, enabled her to see the good in that person. She came to understand that certain personality types just cannot be close. She allowed that she may never be a best friend of her sandpaper person, but she could appreciate what she saw when she watched.
When I came home and in the days that followed I began thinking about this concept. Oh, yes, I also have my S.P. people. The names are changed here to protect the innocent. LOL! There is Mary Lulu who comes to a meeting and takes over the conversation, telling her story and repeating herself over and over causing others to have a hard time to get a word in edgewise. Another non-favorite of mine is Angelgirl who tells her story as if she's all that and apiece of cake. She never has made a mistake, she is always willing to blow her own horn, and she has her own best friend. Then there is Counselor Courtney. She is the one who listens for maybe a half minute when someone is telling their story and then jumps in with advice and what to dos for the speaker who is downtrodden and sad. Granted the speaker may not know what to do, but good ole Courtney doesn't really worry if her advice is something that's appropriate and useful or something that is not even appropriate to the situation. These are just a few of the kinds of people that drive me up a wall. I sit and listen to them gritting my teeth and wishing that someone would get the hook, as an old vaudeville days, and pull them off their soapboxes. And then I sit there feeling guilty for all my negative thoughts.Saidnegativethought about it is not very conducive to a positive self image. So what's a girl to do?
So here I am at the prayer meeting half wondering what I'm doing here with all these prayer warriors that I cannot hold a candle to, and my friend, Vicki is her name, comes up with this concept about putting your judgments aside and taking anunbiased look at the person who's driving you nuts. You might find out that there's a lot to like about her even if it has to be from afar. I like that. I don't have to be so witchy or negative. So after a little check-in we were all praying, andI ask God to help me to be more acceptingabout the way I look at people. Well God, who never misses an opportunity to educate, points out to me the uses of sandpaper. I asked him, "What's that, Lord? The Lord whispers ever so quietly in my ear that I should look up the definition of sandpaper. Really? Sometimes it's really hard to understand the Lord; have you ever noticed that?Definition:
strong paper coated with abrasive material:
strong paper coated on one side with sand or another abrasive.
Use:
smoothing surfaces.
smooth something using sandpaper:
to rub a surface such as a piece of wood or a wallwith sandpaper
which takes away the roughness and makes it smooth.
Oh my gosh, Lord! So this is why you allow me to run up against sandpaper people in my life. It is so I can be smoothed out on some of my own rough edges. You are so clever, Father! Thank you. This is why You are God, and I am not. I promise to try to look at people who are able to rub me raw with new eyes Eyes that can see their good in spite of the fact that they still get on my nerves.
You know that even Moses had to contend with sandpaper people.
Here is part of the story from Exodus 17: 1-5
The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, Give us water to drink. Moses replied, Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test? But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst? Then Moses cried out to the LORD, What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me. The LORD answered Moses, Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink. So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, Is the LORD among us or not?
And these were Gods chosen people.Mosesdealt withtheir abrasiveness and their obnoxiousness and still led them to the promised land. If he can do this, why can't I findsomething good in my sandpaper people?
Heavenly father, let me look upon people with unbiased eyes and see the good in them, even when they are people I would not choose as my best friends. Help me to know that you love them more than anyone else can love them, and hold them as your own children. Let me see that they are precious in your sight, and let them become precious in my sight as well. Amen.
Corinne Mustafa
January, 2011
This is an excerpt taken from a poem that I wrote for children in December
Because Jesus did love children
A fact none could ever deny
He praised their purity saying
All should become as small fry.
Jesus told the grownups there
Let the children come to Me.
They are the sweet and innocent ones
Of this world, you see.
Gather Round Me Children
Corinne Mustafa
12/10
I recently heard three stories about some grandchildren of a couple of my friends. Kathy had gone to the snow and rented a cabin for her sons and their family. The children are Jackson who is five, Lila who is two, and baby Allie who's not quite a year old. The little one, Lila, was to say a prayer of grace, and she squinted her little eyes up kind of like she was trying to think, and said the squeaky little voice Oh God, and she proceeded to say her prayer was such a little scrunchy look on her face as she tried to make the best prayer she could get. I wasn't there, but sounded beautiful to me. At another meal, when it was Jackson's turn, he also scrunched his face up and spoke in his little squeaky voice. He told everyone around the table that he believed that he was supposed to sing his grace prayer. And so he did. When he was done he asked his father, What did you like best about my prayer? His daddy told him," Well, Jackson, I think I liked it best when you told us that you wanted to sing your prayer. But I'm wondering why you thought you should sing the prayer." Jackson answered, "Daddy, Jesus just put it in my heart." Isn't a great when you know that the Holy Spirit is speaking into the heart of a child? No wonder Jesus loved the children so much.
Last night we had a party at our house. Len was telling about his grandson, Vincent. Vincent is 11 now, but at the time this happened he was three years old. Everyone bowed their heads say a prayer before the meal, and they were all looking down. Len took a little peek at what Vincent was doing, and this is what he saw. Little Vincent was searching the faces of all of his relatives who were praying. He looked up, and he looked down. When the prayer was over, he asked his grandpa, "Is Jesus in the floor?" When Len said no, he then asked why everybody was looking down, and why were they not looking up? How adorable is that? And, what a clever question! Yes, out of the mouths of babes
Here are a couple of items that I found online of the words of children that I think you will enjoy
Drawing God
A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "but no one knows what God looks like." Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing the girl replied, "They will in a minute."
Pastor's Kids
A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon." How do you know what to say?" he asked. "Why, God tells me", the father replied. "Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?"
I am thinking that God delights in our mistaken conclusions as we try to figure out our lives and why things are as they are. He sees our search just as we see the search of our own little ones.There are thousands of stories about the innocence of children as they look at life. I have to admit that at one timewhen I was about three or fourI thought that fog actually had a horn. I had always heard the sound of the fog horn because I was growing up in Rhode Island. Trust me, there is a lot of fog in Rhode Island! I knew that there was a crash in thunder and a whoosh in wind. Lots of things in nature made sounds. Why shouldnt fog have its own built in horn? It was an imperfect conclusion birthed in error based on some clues that seemed to me to point to fog actually having its own horn. My parents were surprised when they figured out what I believed about a fog horn. It is one of the stories of our family that are passed on.
God is collecting our stories and keeping them in a treasury of stories about His children. We are His precious creations, and like earthly parents He pays attention to the precious little things that we do. The words of our mouth must be blameless and pure. It is our job to be sure that the things we do are precious in His sight.
This brings to mind the song that the children sing
Jesus loves the little children
All the children of this world
Red and yellow black and white
We are precious in his sight
Jesus loves the little children of this world.
The Bible says
He called a little child to him,
and placed the child among them.
And he said:
Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position
of this childis the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:2-4 (NIV)
SO HOW ARE YOU DOING?
Written by Corinne Mustafa
Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if someone stops the car, or is walking by,she will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.
Listening, one will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, one will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her bridle is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.
As one stands and watches these two friends, one sees how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is trusting that she will not lead him astray.
Like the owner of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by God and those whom he places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see God.
Which one will you be this week?
"I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame."
Job 29:15
Shared by Corinne Mustafa
This morning, snow wrapped every tree and rock in soft white, and promised to keep the outline of distant hills hidden against a gray sky. But it could not keep its promise. After a few hours the sun came out and turned it all into nature's jewelry, beautiful dew gems sparkling on the grass. We can be so busy that we miss the little things that sweeten life, the way a pet waits to be noticed, the way an owl, hoots in the woods, and a blue jay chortles in the middle of winter. It is a lovely thing to turn away from busy work to pay attention to our loved things and loved ones. We know how we wait to be told we are important. We should never wait to say or think something beautiful that will make someone's day easier and more secure
Joyce Sequichie Hifler
I found this writing from the Cherokee Feast of Days for January 2, 2011. I know that many of you find the snowy days hard to love because of the difficulties of life that snow brings. It slows us down. It is a challenge to even get out your door to get to the car and even harder to get out your driveway after the plows have passed. Walking is perilous with danger to limb and life.
Could we be too busy to notice the sunny side of the snow storm and the warmth of understanding that comes from one? Poets have written about the eye candy that a big snow provides to those who can dedicate some time to see it. Here is a darling poem written by Sam, a twelve year old boy, in hopes of a Snow Day from school.
Snow Day
Snow is falling to the ground
Piling up in enormous mounds
School is cancelled for the day Children run outside to play
Snowballs are thrown in the air
No one has any care
About school-only fun
Because the day is a snowy one
Snowmen are stacked very high
Their top hats almost skim the sky
To make them round they must pat
Then finish off with mittens and hat
As the weather gets cold
The children are told
To come inside and eat
Hot chocolate with a couple treats
Once the kids are done
They put on their gear for some more fun
Some of them play around
While other kids just lay on the ground
Another kid makes snow angels
Until the dog named Bojangles
Ran through his masterpiece
But then the owner yelled cease
After Bojangles
Ruined all the snow angels
Kids slid down the hill
Til they were bitten by a chill
Almost over is the day
The children start to walk away
As snow falls, so does the sun
Time to go in, the day is done
Sam D
This brings to mind the words of Jesus about little children from the poem that I wrote for children during December. I called it Gather Round Me Children, and it told about the birth and purpose of Jesus and how important children were to Him.
Because Jesus did love children
A fact none could ever deny
He praised their purity saying
All should become as small fry.
Jesus told the grownups there
Let the children come to Me.
They are the sweet and innocent ones
Of this world, you see.
These words find basis in the Bible in the following verse...
Jesus said, Let the little children come to me,
and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Matthew 19:14
So Jesus has given us our walking papers. The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are innocent like little children. Does that mean that when we turn twenty-one that we are forced by our new adulthood to get out of the line into heaven? This is hardly so. All we have to do is to maintain a maturity filled with innocence and sweetness. Then the kingdom of heaven will be possessed and shared by people of all ages from children to the elderly.
This brings me back to where I began. Discussing the ability to see beauty and wisdom in things that could be construed as a total botheration. Children play and laugh in the snow. They take time to fall backward onto the snow and make snow angels. They find joy where adults lament the inconvenience. We need to remember to think the following thoughtsFinally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy
think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
This thinking will lead us to be powerhouses in the fight to maintain innocence and will also lead us to fulfill the following from Joyce Sequichie Hifler
We should never wait to say or think something beautiful
that will make someone's day easier and more secure
May you enjoy 2011 as a year of innocence and coming alongside for all who have the wonderful blessing of being present on your path.
Written by Corinne Mustafa
THIS IS WHAT I WROTE AT THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER...
"Thanksgiving has passed...the holiday that is less stressful. Why should we end up being stressed during the Christmas holiday season? To even make a list of reasons for stress would actually cause us stress. We are determined to make this Christmas one of remembrance and celebration of the Reason for the season in spite of the busyness. One plan is to prayerfully wrap prezzies and prayerfully cook, arrange, and clean the house for each happening. Most important will be to start the day with some quiet time with the Lord. This will center us for the day. Read His word and meditate on it. The Women's Focus Ministry devotionals and other writings will be there for you to use as a part of your quiet time. Have music of the season playing in the background. Take a breather once in a while and send up "feather" prayers whenever He comes into your mind. Remember IT always gets done. Make lists so you don't have to hold it in your mind. It is so wonderful to cross off what you have done. Most of all have a wonderful month of love for God, your family, and your friends. Make it joyful."
I thought it would be interesting to review myChristmas timeendeavers.
11/28 - 12/1 Spent four days decorating my house. It looks beautiful. I have loved it, and everyone who came here loved it. Every room has a manger and some have more than one as I have some really beautiful small ones and two big ones. One is the manger that my parents bought their first Christmas in 1941.
12/3 - Our neighb0rhood had a progressive dinner that was held in three homes. We hosted the entre part of the dinner. The fellowship in this neighborhood is up 200% thanks to this event. We all got to know each other better, and we are planning further get togethers in 2011.
12/10 - I lead a writers' group. We had our celebration of Christmas at my house. It was a pot luck. During the evenining we also exchanged gifts. We all knew that God was there during the gift exchange. We each picked a name out of a Santa hat and gave our gift to the person whose name we pulled. We each talked about why we had picked the gift we had brought. Without exception we each received a gift that seemed to be meant for us...surely a God thing. We finished up our evening with reading our writes that were based on a theme of Christmas. A good night!
12/11 This was the day for our Church Womens' Ministries Christmas luncheon. This traditionally includes women who wish to host a table and decorate it to do so. I did host a table with a theme of mangers and poinsettas. It was beautiful as were ALL the other tables. The event included a trunk sale with gently used clothes donated by many women of the church. It was so much fun, and I spent some money getting some awesome "new" duds. I invited three neighbors who do not attend my church. The four of us and the other friends at the table had a great time.
12/15 - This was the biggest blessing of all. I have a cousin who was like a sister to me growing up. Life and distance of homes kept us from continuing our close relationship for years and years. Sally came to visit me and will be here until the 31st. Her daughter, Patty, and granddaughter, Brittany, also came on12/18 to spend a few days. They all fell right in with the program, and it has been easy to have them around. Lots of laughter. Help with wrapping prezzies. A family face with its blessed familiarity.
12/16 - Sally, my 7 year old granddaughter, Kieran, and I drove up to Stockton to visit Sally's grandson, Brandon. We took him and a friend out to what we called "Lupper"...a late lunch or early supper...you pick. I gave the boys each a tiethat had a Christmas picture andeach played a different Christmas Carol. Too cute/funny.
12/18 - This was the evening of our Gourmet Christmas party and gift exchage. This group has become like family and we love our monthly gourmet potlucks that always have a theme. This was held at our friend's house, Craig and Jody. It was lovely and we all brough finger appetizers or desserts. The house was beautiful and we exchanged and fought to steal white elephant gifts.
12/21 - I take a writing class at which we lovingly call "Tuesdays with Helen." Our last class of this session was a potluck at my house, whereI and my fellow students readwhat we had written. I love this class and hearing the wide variety of readings from the very talented class members.
THEN WE WERE TO THE ACTUAL TIME OF CHRISTMAS
12/24 - Christmas Eve with friends and a neighbor over to join dinner with my hubby, cousin, son and me.
12/25 - Christmas Blessed Christmas was here once more. Kieran was supposed to come with her dad...our son, Faruk and mom, Janet, and brother,Michael. SadlyFaruk came down with shingles and they could not come. Our niece Tanya came with her boyfriend and his step mom and step grandmom. We had anice time, some appetizers and some soup. Later on the four of us had dinner...asmall group considering our other celebratios forDecember.
12/26 - The last hurrah! Friends Jody and Craig came to lunch after church. I used leftovers to make open faced sandwiches with gravy and left over pies. Just got a text from Jody who said that it is a good thing we will be together in eternity where we can talk as much as we want to and not have to leave.
AND LIFE WENT ON AS USUAL...
Bible study ever Thursday with about five hours prep for each meeting where we were studying Job.
Writers class every Tuesday that meant that I had to write something.
Cooking, cleaning and laundry.
Doc appointment and hair cut
Adnistrating Gourmet Group, WritersGroup, my online Native American Friends Website, and participating in BBC Poetry Corner...which means writing and commenting on the writings of other members
SO HOW DID I DO???
Well I wrote...
- "Remember IT always gets done. Make lists so you don't have to hold it in your mind. It is so wonderful to cross off what you have done. Most of all have a wonderful month of love for God, your family, and your friends. Make it joyful."
I cannot claim to have been stress free. You can not do all that I did and not have some degree of stress. However, in the overall picture I passed with at least a B+.
Filled with God's Blessings
Corinne
12/6/10
A Little Christmas Story
This has a rough ending but I think it perfectly illustrates that ANYONE can become stressed and overwhelmed.
And it all happens in a season when JESUS IS TO BE THE REASON!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.
Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.
When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.
Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.
Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.
Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'
And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.
Not a lot of people know this.
This is a funny illustration of the REASON gone bad.
Let's refocus!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Take time out to read and think on this...
THE REASON FOR THE SEASON
The Birth of Jesus
|
Luke 2
(The Message)
About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiance, who was pregnant.
While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.
An Event for Everyone
There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."
At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:
Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!
Yes this is what we need to focus on during the stress of many things to do...
Yes, this is what we need to focus on
during the stress of many things to do
Jesus is the REAL REASON FOR THE SEASON
Presented and shared by
Corinne Mustafa
November29, 2010
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said..... "Then I thank you from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Year's later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the nameof the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval.
He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.
She read these words.....
"Paid in full with one glass of milk"
(Signed)
Dr. Howard Kelly
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands."
Author Unknown
Shared by Corinne Mustafa
NOVEMBER 21, 2010
Cream Cheese
No this is not an advertisement for Philadelphia Cream Cheese in spite of the wonder food that it is. It is good on bagels. It is good in a salsa dip. It is good as a dollop in soup. Let us not forget the wonder of cheesecake be it plain, topped with strawberries or another fruit, chocolate or marbleit is the ultimate elegant dessert. It is cool and smooth and slides down easily with a sure sense of gourmet enjoyment.
What I am talking about here is the word Philadelphia. You know, the same as the famous Pennsylvania cityalso known as the City of Brotherly Love. However, because this is a website for women perhaps we should discuss Sisterly Love instead.
What would cream cheese and sisterly love have in common? Well that is a stretch at best. It only came to my mind because of the name of the Philadelphia brand and the meaning of the word. And since we are women at the least we could call it siblingly loveto love as a sibling would whether that sibling be a male or a female. So lets follow the idea of the blessings of cream cheese.
It is a smooth ingredient that enhances enjoyment of so many different foods. Just as love in our interactions helps the medicine go down so to speak. When we love we act differently and medicine is more palatable. Though it may be necessary the brunt of it is dulled by the creamy ingredient of love.
The Bible gives a lovely description of love and what it could be in 1Corinthians 13the love chapter.
If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
11When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (The Message)
So here we have it on sisterly lovePhiladelphia
Love cares more for others than for self.
When a sister is in need share some cream cheese and jelly on a bageland some coming alongside
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Your sister only needs what you are able to give
Love doesn't strut,
Your sister needs a shoulder not someone who boasts about their own accomplishments.
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others
Again there is no need to hold yourself up as a role model when all she needs is a sympathetic ear.
Isn't always "me first,"
A true practitioner of love will never try to put herself before her sister at a time of need.
Doesn't fly off the handle,
There will be no loss of patience no matter how unreasonable a needy sister is when she is going through a difficult time.
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
There will be no reminders to your sister of past failures.
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Obvious!
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
As your love manifests to your hurting sister you will be glad when she sees the truth about her situation and starts to improve.
Puts up with anything,
In coming alongside there may be annoyances but a true sister is willing to put up with any inconvenience
Trusts God always,
Who else can we really, truly trust?
Always looks for the best,
This is totally needed so that love can triumph>
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Once the course is set it is forward to the end.
Sisterly love is the cheese cake of relationships. It is the thing that enhances the interaction of our relationships with everyone but especially with other women. As we come alongside we should be the ingredient in the troubled heat of a hot salsa dip that blends and dims the fire of a problem time to something that is tasty and easily handled.
Written by Corinne Mustafa
November 15, 2010
More Than A Friend
I am your friend
on a beautiful journey
our friendship like a small vessel
carries us over the waves of our caring
our many roles to each other
reverse as the tides
kindred as
sibling - teacher - helper - parent - friend
but we know we are so very much more
precious pilgrimage of our hearts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meeting A Friend
Days and weeks and years have passed
And you have become so dear
I wait and wait till we can meet
We do and Im filled with cheer.
We laugh and play like little girls
And do what we desire
Its so much fun to be with you
That is something I require.
But best of all is what I see
And feel whenever youre around
Is how blessed I am to have a friend
In whom I see godliness abound
And I know that God has given me
A friend as great as you
To have and love and be free with
A gift of God so true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meeting A Friend
Days and weeks and years have passed
And you have become so dear
I wait and wait till we can meet
We do and Im filled with cheer.
We laugh and play like little girls
And do what we desire
Its so much fun to be with you
That is something I require.
But best of all is what I see
And feel whenever youre around
Is how blessed I am to have a friend
In whom I see godliness abound
And I know that God has given me
A friend as great as you
To have and love and be free with
A gift of God so true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ultimate Friend
Thinking of what friendship is
What I hold to my heart
Qualities that I look for
Truthfulness,
Caring
Dependability
Help
Patience
Steadfastness
Sweetness
Humor
Affability
Goodness
Love
Just
Compassionate
Faithful
Many on the list
are found in my dearest friends
Truthfulness
to say what I need to hear
Caring
enough to do just that
Dependable
knowing I can call them any time
Help
when ever I am needing it
Patience
with my many flaws
Steadfastness
to beliefs of right and wrong
Sweetness
that touches my heart with joy
Humor
which I can count on for a giggle
Affability
that shows me I am a friend
Goodness
seen in how they treat me and others
Love
of others seen in their good works
Just
and fair in thought and word and deed
Compassionate
enough to help those in need
and
Faithfulness
even when I dont deserve it
I can think of so many friends
Who possess so many of these qualities
I have been blessed in those who I can call
My friend.
But the very best Friend of all
The One who is never far from me
Possesses all of these and more
Omnipresent
Omnipotent
Eternal
Breath of life
Lover of my soul
Keeper of my heart
Protector of my life
Spring of living water
Endless peace of mind
My point of light
Abbah, Father, Daddy
Perfect, ultimate Friend forever.
My God!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friend for Life
Faithful to my every need
Righteous and dependable
Inability to ever cause me harm
Eternal so I never am alone
Naturally for me not against
Dependable beyond my greatest need
GOD
Corinne H. Mustafa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who has not been in the woods and become aware of the babbling music coming from a brook as it bubbles over the rocks making little currents. Added to the song of birds, the buzzing of bees, and the wind blowing through the trees you have a beautifulmelody to listen to.Sometimes the harmony is broken by a torrential rain storm that is punctuated by thuder, lightening, and winds that are no longer friendly. We run for cover thinking that this is an abuse to our right to a peaceful day in the woods. Life is like this. When our stream of living seems to be without any impediments such as boulders to scale or rocks to climb we feel happy. We think that no challenge is a good thing. Then we tend to forget that it is in the valleys and in the storms that God blesses us with new understandings and personal growth.
The result is that we emerge and our life song is closer to the harmony that God planned for us from all eternity. If our personal rocks are removed the strean of our lives would not haveamelody that is as sweet as it could be.
Think of this when your life seems fraught with pebbles. Remember to listen for the song of your brook as it flows over what you think to be stumblingstones.They just might bethe building blocks of your life.
NOVEMBER 1, 2010
Corinne H. Mustafa
10/8/09
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then, we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - REAL LIFE. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then, life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.
So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with... and remember that time waits for no one. Stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die -- to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.A Shared Story
This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-Grandmothers who lived only 90 years ago. Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.
The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.
And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.
Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms
When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because - why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?
Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.
My friend who sent me this email is my age and studied women's history. She told me about the HBO movie, too. She said she was angry...angry withherself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn. The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.
HBO released the movie on video and DVD . It would be good to acquire it and watch it. It would be good to show it to your friends. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be. Perhaps a little shock therapy is in order.
It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy. The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'
Please, if you are so inclined,share thiswith to all the women you know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.
History is being made.
And remember God's promise to His people...
"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,
or command locusts to devour the land
or send a plague among my people,
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and
pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin
and will heal their land.
Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive
to the prayers offered in this place.
2 Chronicles 7:13-15
MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2010
Steven Curtis Chapman's Wife, Mary Beth, was just named one of Nashville's 25 Most Beautiful People because of how she has encouraged people going through tough times. The Chapmans lost a little daughter,Maria,when she wasrun overin the driveway by their teen age son who did not see her. She has just written a book about this experience and dealing with the trials of life. One of the quotes from the book says it all... "Love of God is pure when joy and suffering inspire an equal degree of graditude." It is amazing howa person'sstory can encourage someone else.
We all have stories that would encourage others if we shared them. In the Recovery Program at our church, which was aministry I participated in,I learned the value of this. We had small groups with two facilitators. They were called Healing for Damaged Emotions. On the first meeting of the class each of the leaders would tell their story to the group. This showed the members of the group that they were not the only ones to whom damaging things had happened. It also gave them courage and encouragement to tell their story. And one amazing side benefit was that we also benefited by our own sharing. It was a blessing that someone else knew our stuff and we were not alone either.
They often did not immediately share their stories, but as they got more comfortable with the group they did tell their stories. In the process they were often unknowingly speaking into another group member's life as well. Isn't it wonderful how God uses us to reach others for Him?
In the end many of the members of our groups came to realize that inspite of the pain they experienced during their challenges they learned and grew. They found out that many of the things that they value in themselves in the present were due to understandings gained during their valley experience. As John Bevere wrote about in Bait of Satan, God allows the fire of hurtful, difficult experiences to burn off our dross and purify our gold.Whilenot many cansay, "I like the hurtful experiences."However theydo like it that He uses these experiences to makethem better.
Which brings me to my title taken from the book written by Mary Beth Chapman. "Love of God is pure when joy and suffering inspire an equal degree of graditude." That is the next step, my friends. To learn to have gratitude not only in times of joy but also in times of suffering. This reminds me of the song, "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord."
Please click on this link to gp to You Tube to hear this song and see the wonderful video on You Tube. When you are done click on your back button in your browser to return to this blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRbxEPn6khwHave a wonderful week
Love and God bless
Women's Focus Ministries 
We have moved away from our foundations as a "nation under God" and need to return. We must pray for our country. The good news is that God is watching. He is the God who can produce miracles and theGodwho loves us with an unfailing love.We need to go to Him in great numbers and pray for our country. Then miracles will then happen.
