Award Day

Drumroll please.............and the award goes to---

I'm passing my Nice Matters award on to Laurel Wreath,Lisa and Kisses of Sunshine. If you have already received this award, then consider yourself doubly blessed and pass it on. Thanks for the great reads girls!

Through Every Storm

Click here to listen to the song that goes with this.

Flies in the Ointment

Worship Wednesday provided by Sista Cala.
Dead flies in perfume make it stink, And a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 10:1 The Message

King Solomon has been called the wisest man that ever lived. Even before he asked the Lord for wisdom, he was a man with some sense. A foolish man would have asked for gold, silver, land, and many women to satisfy his carnal appetites. The unwise would have no restraint in his use of these acquisitions. His contentment would be short lived.

Solomon wound up with wisdom and all the trimmings. He was also known as the wealthiest man of his time. There was no shortage of women in his life either. Scripture records that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Just how could one man handle 1000 women in his household????? Men today would like to know. lol.

He may have married some for love, but many were little more than political pawns to advance his objectives. Others he acquired as booty (no pun intended) from his conquests.
Still others were gifts from neighboring kings and magistrates. These women became the beginning of the end for him. In the following verses we see that God gave Solomon some strict commands concerning women. Verse 4 is the sad outcome of his poor choices.

2Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. I Kings 11:2 - 4 KJV

You see my friends, even the gifts of God can be marred by their misuse or neglect. Solomon had every advantage as long as he was using the wisdom God gave him. As long as he was obedient to the Lord, he acted responsibly. No doubt he began to worship idol gods to appease the foreign wives. He probably funded many pagan feasts and activities. Perhaps he helped many with solid advice. Certainly he left a cache of help for future generations.

Look at the books of Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes. They are insightful, educational, powerful, and proven. But they are of little value to us if we do not take heed to them. If we are disobedient we will miss out on all the God has for us. Even our offspring can suffer from our lack of commitment.

11Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
12Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. I Kings 11:11, 12 KJV

"There’s no use offering me sweet frankincense from Sheba. Keep your fragrant calamus imported from distant lands! I will not accept your burnt offerings. Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me." Jeremiah 6:20 NLT

Don't let anything dilute your fragrance!

A Carrot, an Egg, and a Cup of Coffee

Worship Wednesday is submitted by Sista Cala. The following is not an original posting of hers. I believe it has been circulating the internet for a while, but it is great nevertheless. We do not know who to attribute it to.

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what you see?" “Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity...boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter.

"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

The Special Book

**Not about Valentines,but it IS about LOVE.

A week ago today, a certain Golden Child wanted to take a special book with him to AWANA. His mother tried to dissuade him she feared he would lose it. The book in question is a rather large children’s Bible story book that I had given him a few years ago. Notice I said she tried to dissuade him; he can be very persistent when he really wants something. I’m sure he insisted pleeeeeze a dozen times or more, and probably promised a few things too. You guessed it. He took the book to church that night.

The way I understand it, he got home before he remembered the book. At that point, his Mom was supposed to get back in the car, go back across town, find someone to open the church, and get his Bible. Since this was not a practical solution, she suggested that he could get his Bible on Sunday.

Apparently he was not satisfied with her reply. He promptly sat down and wrote a note. He asked for an envelope, stamp, and some help with the address. Neither of his parents read the note, but one of them helped with the street name, city, and zip. He must have folded that note a half-dozen times before stuffing it in the envelope and sealing it up.

I wish you could have seen my face light up when my husband brought in the mail. He said, “Looks like your nephew has sent you a letter.” Aunt Carla was scrawled almost all the way across the top of the envelope. The house number was in a large font also. To one side was written: FEB. 7 and near the bottom 8:57. For the first time in a long time I was impressed with the postal service. They actually took the extra time to hand sort it and deliver it. Golden’s charm must have caught them as they handled his request. The note read: Aunt Carla, I left my Bible you gave me at church.

Long story short, Sunday morning he found his treasured book, the Bible Aunt Carla gave him. With his description of it, you can see part of the book’s value comes from its giver. If you could hear him talk about the stories in the book, you would see that the contents are also important to him. I’m proud that he has two reasons to read and share his great big Children’s Bible story book.

The Bible is a special book. Certainly its contents are without rival. We must have the scriptures to teach us righteous living. But more importantly, we must know the Giver of the Book, the One who enables us to live by its words.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. Psalms 119: 105, 130 KJV

By the way, my Papaw, Golden’s great-grandfather calls Golden, his little preacher man. I never knew my Papaw to be a prophet, but maybe he is on to something. :)--PT2006 from Timeless Text Messages.

Fit 4 Life

Physical fitness is a perennial resolution for many. One reason it tops the list again and again is a failure to make exercise a permanent addition to one's lifestyle. Exercise has many documented benefits. It improves circulation, increases muscle tone and strength, invigorates the body, feeds more oxygen to the brain, and increases overall feeling of well-being. Yet these advantages will not manifest until the mind and body are trained to exercise automatically.

Becoming a better Christian tops Sister Spiritual's resolution list. She says she wants to pray more, read the Bible more and spend more time working for the Lord. The clock alarms at 5am, she slides sleepily from her bed to the floor near by. "Dear Lord', she mutters. There is a draft, but she wants to follow through with her New Year's resolutions. Her knees begin to ache, her thighs start to cramp, even her elbows stiffen as she rests them on the bed. "Why don't I just pray lying in the bed?" she says to herself. And so begins the end of the keeping of resolutions.

On to number two on her list. She takes her Bible and stumbles into the dining room. She sits at the table and tries to focus on the words. She thinks, "A cup of coffee would be nice."
She leaves the Bible on the table and goes to the cupboard. Then she remembers,
"We're out of coffee. I guess I'll just have some juice. Maybe a piece of toast and jam......"

Dear reader you know how the rest of the story goes. One distraction after another. Soon it becomes too much trouble to pray and read in the mornings. So Miss Spiritual decides to do these things at night before going to bed. This effort also fails, for many nights she is just too tired to follow through. After a few days of these frustrating efforts, Baby girl just quits. She says to herself, "I'll do better next year." Thus spiritual exercise becomes a perennial resolution.

Spiritual training supplemented with the power of the Holy Spirit and working out in the gym of God's presence is key to transforming into the likeness of Jesus.

"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly, For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." I Timothy 4:7,8 NIV

Verse 16 adds; "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."

Praying for your continued success as you train in His Service, PT2006

Do the FROG thing. (Fully Rely on God)

Question: Three frogs are sitting on a Lilly pad. One frog decides to jump off. How many frogs are left on the Lilly pad?
Answer: Three

Let me explain. One frog "decided “to jump." But there is a big difference between deciding to do something and actually doing it. The difference is COMMITMENT. Commitment can be defined as a promise, pledge, or vow. These words are much stronger than plan, desire, or intention. These words are serious and demand response.

Once the frog is airborne you can say he is committed.

It is that time of year again, when many of us will make resolutions for the coming year. We will start out with gusto only to lose steam as the days pass by. Then enthusiasm will dwindle because we did not make true commitments, we only had good intentions.

Like the frog, we must get airborne to change decisions into commitments. We must depend on our heavenly Father to strengthen us spiritually, physically, and mentally. We can accomplish all that we set out to do as long as He is our strength.

We must take to heart the words of Zechariah 4:6.
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts."
We must echo the Apostle Paul and declare; "I CAN do ALL things through CHRIST who STRENGTHENS me."

Praying for you to have a Happy and Prosperous New Year, PT2006

The Doctor Will See You Now

The doctor will see you now" are words seldom heard today. When they are spoken the "now" hardly indicates the time you will actually be seen by the doctor. I have had enough experience lately to know how the term "patient" came to refer to the one seeking medical attention. It takes a mountain of patience to stay the course beginning with the appointment and ending with a face to face encounter with the doc.

Waiting rooms are merely a tool to compensate for the physician's limitations. He is limited as to how many patients he can see and treat within an interval of time. He is also limited by the unpredictable number of interruptions he will receive in the course of a day. And as is true for all humans, there is a limit to how much he can physically, mentally, and emotionally endure.

I am so glad that I serve a God that can be touched with the feelings of my aches and pains--a God that is never too busy, distracted, or tired to take my call. Jehovah Rapha has no secretaries or waiting rooms. No appointments are necessary to see Him. He will allow no interruptions when He is tending to my needs. I have His full attention when I talk to Him.

There is no case too hard for Him-no mutating strain(viral or bacterial) that He can not eradicate, no emotional or mental anguish He can not cure. He even knows just how to treat those ailments with no name, origin, or apparent cause. Pain is no match for Him! Psalms 103:3 makes it clear that the Lord is the one who forgives all our sins and heals ALL of our diseases.
No wonder He is called "The Great Physician".

If you have a need today, I can testify: "The Doctor will see you now". PT2006

Early Morning Prayer

Dear Lord,
When I have days like today, when I am frustrated with my child, with my own parenting skills -- when I lose my patience and my voice begins to rise to ungodly heights -- Lord, help me. I know this beautiful child you've give me is only testing his limits, trying to see how much he can get away with and me still love him. Lord, he doesn't know that I will love him no matter what. He doesn't appreciate that my discipline is to keep him from harm's way -- to save him some heartache in the future. He hasn't matured enough to realize that mommy wants only the best for him, that mommy cannot bear the thought of him going astray. He wants what he wants because he is a child. He wants what he wants because he is human. He wants what he cannot have, because it seems so wonderfully forbidden.

I know that God. I know that because I am him. I struggle with the same thing. I, too, have seemingly uncontrollable desires. I, too, struggle in my growth to see that the denial of things is for my own good. I still sometimes reach out and touch the fire, knowing full well it is hot. That it will hurt. That it will scar. I still run to You in shame and pain needing Your healing touch. And You, how You must grieve to think that You warned me, and I didn't listen. I cry, because I want to please you. I repent and apologize. And through all of it, I grow.

I don't want a rebellious spirit. I don't want a unteachable spirit. I want more of You. I want to be like You. Work in me, Oh God. Change me. Grant me wisdom for parenting and life.
Make me the mother, wife, and Christian I should be.

I love you God.