The Christmas Geese

What a wonderful story of why the Word became flesh!

The Christmas Geese
There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays, like Christmas. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he refused. "The story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to earth as a man? That's ridiculous!" So she and the children left and he stayed home. A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. Then another thump. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumbs trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on. Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?"He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud. Then he had an idea. He went into the barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circle around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn-and one by one the other geese followed it to safety.He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!: Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese-blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us. That was the meaning of Christmas, he realized. As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought.He suddenly understood what Christmas was all about, why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: Thank you, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"

~Author Unknown~

Who You Are in Christ!

Ladies, in our choice to be thankful, we must always choose to believe we are who He says we are! "The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ, the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity!"(From Victory Over the Darkness, by Dr. Neil Anderson)

Who I Am in Christ
by Neil T. Anderson
I am the salt of the earth. Matthew 5:13
I am the light of the world. Matthew 5:14
I am a child of God. John 1:12
I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ's life. John 15:1,5
I am Christ's friend. John 15:15
I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit. John 15:16
I am a slave of righteousness. Romans 6:18
I am enslaved to God. Romans 6:22
I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father. Romans 8:14,15; Galatians 3:26; 4:6
I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him. Romans 8:17
I am a temple--a dwelling place--of God. His Spirit and His life dwell in me. 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19
I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17
I am a member of Christ's Body. 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:30
I am a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17
I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
I am a son of God and one in Christ. Galatians 3:26,28
I am an heir of God since I am a son of God. Galatians 4:6,7
I am a saint. Ephesians 1:1; 1 Corinthians1:2; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2
I am God's workmanship--His handiwork--born anew in Christ to do His work. Ephesians 2:10
I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God's family. Ephesians 2:19
I am a prisoner of Christ. Ephesians 3:1; 4:1
I am righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:24
I am a citizen of heaven, seated in heaven right now. Philippians 3:20; Ephesians 2:6
I am hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3
I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life. Colossians 3:4
I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved. Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4
I am a son of light and not of darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5
I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling. Hebrews 3:1
I am a partaker of Christ; I share in His life. Hebrews 3:14
I am one of God's living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house. 1 Peter 2:5
I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. 1 Peter 2:9-10
I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live. 1 Peter 2:11
I am an enemy of the devil. 1 Peter 5:8
I am a child of God and will resemble Christ when He returns. 1 John 3:1-2
I am born of God, and the evil one--the devil--cannot touch me. 1 John 5:18
I am not the great "I AM" (Exodus 3:14; John 8:24,28,58), but by the grace of God I am what I am. 1 Corinthians 15:10

Let's Be His Sweet Perfume!

Choosing to be thankful - His key to strength, joy, peace, restoration, and victory in our walk!
Copied from K-Love Devotional for Thanksgiving Day.

David in Psalms said, "Praise....God...and magnify Him with thanksgiving." because gratitude has:
Driving Power. Paul says, "Thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory" (II Co 2:14 NCV) Thanksgiving helps you make the hard decisions. It gives you courage to believe against all odds. (NLT14 But thanks be to God, who made us his captives and leads us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume).
Receiving Power. Listen: "Don't ever stop thinking about what is....worthy of praise....and God who gives peace, will be with you" (Phil 4:8-9 CEV) Stopping regularly to recall God's goodness, restores your perspective and strengthens you.
Striving Power. Gratitude gives you the oomph to move ahead. Paul could "press on" because his goals included knowing Christ(see Php 3:14), preaching in Spain (see Romans 15:24), seeing a lost world saved (see Ro 10:1) What goals are you striving for?
Arriving Power. When you reach your destination you'll find you've developed selflessness and humility. That's because gratitude's nothing more than telling God and those around you, "Thanks, I couldn't have done that without you!"

Psalm 69:30 (NLT) Then I will praise God's name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.

May Our Lives Testify of His Love!

Ladies,
I just want you to know how blessed I am to be a part of such a special group of ladies. As I sit here with a heart filled with thankfulness, I rejoice in the stories I have heard from you over the past weeks and I thank you for sharing them. Today once again we had such sweet testimonies.... God is truly doing a new thing! After Bethani shared today, she asked me had I heard Testify to Love by Wynona Judd. I hadn't....she e-mailed it to me and I just loved it....I want all of you to hear it. It is beautiful....click on the link below...

http://www.angelfire.com/bc3/gabriel/TBAA.html

Then I will share a snipet from today's lesson...
Idea from K-Love Devotional for Nov. 11
Solomon says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.(Pro 19:21NIV)
1. Ideas go away but God‘s direction stays.
2. God’s direction is usually impossible to follow without Him.
3. God’s direction usually brings discomfort.
God is doing a new thing in Blended Blessings and in our hearts. He is doing a new thing at Henderson. It is exciting to see His Spirit moving. Let's keep seeking Him. I love you,
Pam

The Holy Ghost Emergency Room!

Ladies, what if our class could become the Holy Ghost Emergency room for hurting women? Wouldn't that be wonderful? I certainly would like to be a part of that "medical team" that helps people to heal and at times even saves lives? In my heart, I know we can be that team for Him. As we pray over this next week, lets pray for Him to direct our thoughts and our prayers in how we can reach those hurting women that come through our doors. Lets pray that He equips us to minister mightily to them and love them with His love. The power to do that is in Him. Let us seek Him with our whole hearts and then step back and watch Him move in our hearts as well as the hearts of those whom He brings. Jennifer K. Dean says: I can not know the desire of my heart until I know the heart of my desire. Lord, may the desire of our hearts be YOU. Come precious Holy Spirit. Minister to our hearts that we may be the women of faith that You have called us to be.

John 15:5,7 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If any remain in Me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing....If you remain in Me and follow My teachings, you can ask anything you want, and it will be given you.

Mike and Jan

Ladies, you hear me mention Jan or Mike so often that I thought you might like to see a picture of them. This was made in 1999 at the Children's Center. As you can see, Jan loved her daddy and he almost always was able to get a smile from her. Her daddy was pretty crazy about her too. On days that he could not get up to visit her, often we would put the phone to her ear and let her hear his voice. She would smile from ear to ear.

Mrs. Buchanan - A Contagious Christian

During our study of the book"Becoming a Contagious Christian", I started to ask myself "how many people had I personally known that were really Contagious Christians?" I could think of a few, but the one that stood out the most was a little white haired lady named Mrs. Buchanan.
I taught a Bible Study in the early nineties to a group of elderly ladies. It was such a blessing to hear the wisdom that they shared each week. But there was one little lady that I would strain to catch every word she uttered because each tidbit she shared glorified the Lord and stirred my spirit. Desiring to know what made her so different, I asked her could I come to her retirement center and visit with her. She said, "Oh honey, I would just love that.
A few days later, I entered her tiny apartment with an eagerness to know the secrets of her journey. She said, "Honey, I have been through many things, and I want to tell you that the Lord has never failed me once. And she began to tell her story..."On a hill in Texas stand five little crosses, four mark the graves of four of my six children, and one marks the grave of my husband."
Then the story unfolded and since I was the mother of a handicapped child, she first began by telling of her own experience with a handicapped child, a precious little girl who lived to be only two and died in her arms. She told of the heart break of that day.... then she shared of the full term baby who had died when the placenta ruptured and how near death she herself had been on that day. Her life blood was almost drained from her body when her husband found her and rushed her to the hospital. There the staff of the hospital lay her husband on a bed beside her and since he had the same blood type, they quickly transfused blood directly from his arm into hers. She told me that was the day she learned that life is in the blood because it was then that she felt life literally flowing back into her dying body. Then she shared of a vacation time when their family was visiting with friends and another of their children was playing on a hammock and was bounced off the hammock falling head first into a concrete sidewalk. He suffered brain damage and only lived a few days.
She continued, "With three of my precious children already buried on that hill, I thought I was clinging to God as close as anyone could." But she said, "that was before!" Before what, "I wondered?" Then the rest of her story poured forth. She and her husband lived on a farm and as they entered their early fifties, her husband decided to turn their acreage into a dairy farm. He went heavily into debt and purchased all of the necessary cattle and equipment. She said she remembered saying to him one day, "Honey, if something happened to you, what in the world would I do?" He told her, "Sweetie, don't you worry, if something happened to me, Charles (their 30 year old married son) would know how to handle everything."A few weeks after that discussion her husband and son flew a small engined plane to a cattle show a few hours away. In flight, the plane crashed and both her husband and son were killed. The pain of that call was still evident on her face as she talked about it and recalled, "there were all those cattle that had to be milked that night, and I had no idea which way to turn." She said that neighbors and church friends kept things up and running through the funerals...then the reality of her situation slowly sank in. She had no education, no money, much debt, a dairy farm to run, and two children to still raise. She said it was then that she really learned how to cling to God. Literally she would write her many needs on paper and shut herself into the bathroom because there she could be alone with God, and she would kneel with those requests tucked inside her bible and pour out her heart to Him, saying, "God either you are Who you say You are, are you are not! Here are my needs and You know I have no way to meet them." AND she said over and over He showed Himself mighty and strong on her behalf making a way where there seemed to be no way.
As she continued her story, I learned that in the years that had followed that last tragic event, Mrs, Buchanan had sent her two remaining children to college, had fought and won a battle with breast cancer, and I could certainly see that she had come forth through that fire with a contagious love for her Lord. He had more than proven that He was Who He said He was....and it was evident that He continued to do so as she approached the age of 90. She radiated His love and His presence as she sat there sharing about her journey. What a beautiful lady she was. She truly was a contagious Christian.
Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of Mrs. Buchanan's testimony. Thank you that You have not changed....You still meet us right in the middle of our needs and You still are our Provider. May we all seek you with our whole beings just as Mrs. Buchanan did and may we also become contagious with our love for You and mirror You to others.

FOR FUN!!!

Okay, ladies, you know I am a proud grandma!! I have a picture that I just had to share with you. My daughter-in-law took this last week. Some have asked "How did she get Sam to sleep in that tub?" He went to sleep in his swing and was transported unsuspectingly to the tub while he slept! Some have said, "He surely looks big!" Well, at his check up last week, he weighed in at a whopping fifteen and a half pounds and is in the 100 precentile for his age group....so he is big boy! Hope this brought a smile to your face!

I wonder, do you know Him? - by Dr. S.M. Lockridge

Ladies, during our study of John, I often read from Anne Graham Lotz's book, "Just Give Me Jesus." In her book, Anne gave Dr. S.M. Lockridge credit for the writing that follows and then this past Sunday our church had a video of this very thing, "My King Is". I wanted to post it for you so that it will be here for you to come to any time you need encouragement. I think it is wonderful and truly this is Who our King is! Delight in Him! Rest in Him! Trust in Him...He is your King!

MY KING IS
“..Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..” Hebrews 12:2
by Dr. S. M. Lockridge
The bible says my King is a seven way King. He is the King of the Jews; He is the King of Israel. He's the King of righteousness; He's the King of the ages. He's the King of heaven; He's the King of glory. He's the King of Kings. Besides being a seven way King, He is the Lord of Lords.
I wonder, do you know Him?
My King is a sovereign King. No means or measure can define His limitless love. No far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply. No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings. He is enduringly strong. He is entirely sincere. He is eternally steadfast. He is immortally graceful. He is infinitely powerful. He is impartially merciful.
Do you know Him?
He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He is God’s Son. He is the sinners’ Savior. He is the centerpiece of civilization. He stands in the solitude of Himself. He is honest and He is unique. He is unparalleled. He is unprecedented. He is the loftiest idea in literature. He is the highest personality in Philosophy. He is the supreme problem in higher criticism. He is the fundamental doctrine of true theology. He is the core, the necessity for spiritual religion. He’s the miracle of the ages. He is the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. He is the only one qualified to be our all-sufficiency.
I wonder if you know Him…
He supplies strength for the weak. He is available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleanses the leper. He forgives the sinner. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captive. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent. And He beautifies the meek.
Well, this is my King. He is the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He is the doorway of deliverance. He is the pathway of peace. He is the roadway of righteousness. He is the highway of holiness. He is the gateway of glory.
Do you know Him?”
He's the Master of the mighty, He's the Captain of the conquerors, He's the Head of the heroes and He's the Leader of the legislators! He's the Overseer of the overcomers. He's the Governor of the governors. He's the Prince of princes, He's the King of kings, and He's the Lord of lords.
His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you.
He is indescribable. He’s incomprehensible. He is invincible. He is irresistible. Well, you can’t get Him out of your mind. He won't let go of your hand. You can’t outlive Him and you can’t live without Him. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him. That’s my King.
He always has been and He always will be. He had no predecessor and He'll have no successor. There was nobody before Him and there will be no one after Him. You can't impeach Him and He's not going to resign.
And Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever and ever and ever. How long is that? And ever and ever? And when you get through with all the forevers, then AMEN!
“Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”. - Acts 28:20

John 6 - The Bread of Life

Besides the crucifixion, Jesus feeding the five thousand is the only sign recorded in all four of the gospels. As we study John 6, lets attempt to picture it in our minds eye. Verse 1 - 4 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near.
The "sometime after this" is about 6 months later than the events of chapter 5. By now John the Baptist has been beheaded, Jesus and His disciples have ministered non-stop. We see some added information in Mark 6 30-32 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. " So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. That solitary place backs up against Mount Hebron and the fact that it is Passover time tells us it is Spring. This quiet place is green and lush and it has a back drop of mountains on one side and the blueness of the sea on the other. Jesus and his disciples are not only tired, but they are hungry...as they climb up the hill and sit down, they see throngs of people heading up towards them. They see the blind and the lame, the poor and needy, young and old persistently working their way to them. I can't help but think as Jesus looks toward them as they come, how tired his human body must have been yet His compassion pours forth and He prepares to meet their needs and to also spread forth on the hills around him His very own Passover feast for them.

5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip, just as we often do, humanly calculated how impossible this situation was and told Jesus it would take 8 months of wages to even give them a snack. Then Andrew, with a bit more faith, looks around to see what might be available to feed these folks and finds a young boy with five loaves of bread and two fishes.....he mentions this to Jesus.....and Jesus then takes the gift, has the disciples to organize the people into rows and have them sit down, and then turning His face toward His Father, He blesses and breaks the bread and fish and has the disicples then pass on the pieces to the people....and when it is all over, every person has been fed and there are 12 baskets left over!!! Abundantly Jesus has met their needs.

There are so many lessons here for us to learn. We will just skim the surface...but first of all, here we see Jesus as the Bread of life....He knows He Himself will be broken for us that we might have Eternal life. He is the Bread of Life that we can partake of daily as we come into the presence of His word and into the throne room with prayer. He is the one who can also take the broken pieces of our life and bring forth healing. We are the ones who must lift them up to Him with expectant hearts....knowing he is the Great I AM....and there is nothing He can't use when we give it to Him. Are we like Philip and do we calculate how impossible our situation is or like Andrew, do we look at the little we can give Him and with an expectant heart expect Him to multiply "our little"? Today, lets give Him "our little"....Lets expect Him to move and multiply that very thing that we think it too small to use. He is still the Great I AM....and "He AM" whatever you need today.

John 3 - July 3, 2005 Born Again

I remember when Carter was running for President, my husband's grandmother said, "What is Jimmy Carter talking about? He keeps saying he is born against!" I remember trying to explain to her what born again, minus the t, meant. Today as I was reading John 3, it hit me that perhaps the first person to ever hear those words born again was Nicodemus. Nicodemus was very educated and a highly respected leader of the Jewish people. As he heard that this man Jesus was opening blind eyes and healing the sick, Nicodemus, who had spent his life studying the scriptures, had to wonder could this man be the Messiah? He arranged a night meeting with Jesus, probably so that he would not be seen. Jesus certainly was not popular with Nicodemus's circle of friends. How those words born again must have sounded to Nicodemus. He had spent his life adhering strictly to the many codes of Jewish law. He was a good man and by now up in years. He had assumed that was the way to God's Kingdom, and here Jesus was telling him, I asure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God. John 3:3 Nicodemus must have been stunned. I mean, who had ever heard of such a thing...born again? He asked Jesus, "What do you mean? How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again? And again Jesus says to Nicodemus in John 3:7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' I like what the Touch Point Bible's New Living translation says in one of its footnoots.... a physical birth of a baby takes place in blood & pain, and is followed with joy beyond compare. In spiritual rebirth, the blood is the blood of Jesus, the pain is recognizing and confessing our sins, and the joy is the assurance of Eternal life. Jesus goes into much more detail and Nicodemus is the first to hear John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have Eternal life. From scriptures that follow in other chapters we know that Nicodemus does get born again. He finds what he has spent his lifetime searching for....THE WORD OF GOD! We each stand with the choice Nicodemus had, believe what Jesus says and accept His invitation into the Kingdom. Good works won't get us there....bad lives won't keep us out either, just realizing what Jesus did on the cross and believing John 3:16 will give us that ticket into the kingdom and the joy of knowing Eternal life. He paid for it in full with His blood. John 3:16 Amp For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.. This weeks lesson was about a religious person who thought his good works and religious training were what allowed him to enter the kingdom....next weeks lesson, John 4, is about someone who thought they weren't good enough because of the mess they had made of their life. The same Jesus invites all to partake in Eternal life and His way is easy....He already did the hard part....He left His home in Glory, was born of a woman into a body of flesh, dwelt among, and then went to the cross and rose from the grave. Dear one, if you have never accepted His invitation, today is the day. Cry out to Him, accept what He did for you, confess your sins, and invite Him into your life. Only you can make the choice....and He says to you today, CHOOSE LIFE!! CHOOSE ME!

Facts Behind The Gospel of John

I have been so blessed by just studying about John himself. As we take a look at him, we see

• He was the youngest disciple
• He was very ambitious in the beginning of his call - he and his brother, James, were nicknamed the Sons of Thunder by Jesus - It was James and John that argued over who would sit on the right hand of Jesus - It was John who was eager to call down fire from Heaven against the Samaritans
• It is believed that John is the only disciple at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified
• By the time John writes his gospel, he is a humble man, he doesn't even mention his own name in this writing, other than to refer to himself as the one who Christ loved...and he is remembered today as the beloved disciple...time with Jesus had transformed him.
• The Gospel of John is written perhaps 30 years after Matthew, Mark, and Luke are written. By then, all of the disciples have been martyred. Imagine what the eyes of John had seen in this thirty years. I am sure Jesus was not the only death he was present for but the three years spent with Jesus and the indwelling Holy Spirit gave him all the courage in the world to go forth and be who Jesus called him to be and do what he was called to do.

Imagine:

Philip was first tied to a pillar and then stoned to death.
Matthew was nailed to the ground with spikes and then beheaded.
Jude, Jesus half brother, was beaten to death with sticks and clubs.
Simon was tortured and crucified.
James, brother of John, was beheaded and was the 1st disciple to be martyred.
James, half brother of Jesus, was pushed from the top of building and then his broken
body beaten to death.
Peter was crucified upside down
Andrew, Peters brother, hung on a cross for three days before dying.
Bartholomew (referred to as Nathaniel in John 1) was beaten, crucified, and skinned alive before being beheaded.
Thomas was thrown into a fiery furnace and then speared with a javelin.

John had seen much and endured much and when he writes the gospel of John, he wants to make certain that everyone understands: But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31

Signs John Shares;
1. Turning water into wine
2. Healing the officials son
3. Healing the invalid at Bethesda
4. Feeding the 5000 with just a few loaves and fish
5. Walking on the water
6. Restoring sight to the blind man
7. Raising Lazarus from the dead
8. Giving the disciples an overwhelming catch of fish

I have been blessed by thinking about the fact that John lived to be an old man because he yet had a call on his life to do many things...among them to take care of Mary, the mother of Jesus and then to write the book of Revelation. No one could stop him until God's plan and purpose for his life was fulfilled. Ladies, that gives me courage.....may it give us all courage to press forward knowing His plan is for good...Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, they are for good and not for evil to give you a hope and a future.

The Song "Held" & "The Teacup"

Ladies,
A week ago in Flock Judy Bell shared this beautiful song by Natalie Grant...thought it would be nice for you to be able to come here and listen to it...so am going to do a test and see if this works...if it does, enjoy! It played on my Windows Media Player. Hope you are able to listen to it.
http://epk.radioandrecords.com/rrlinkup/EPKSplash.aspx?TRACKID=3056531&PANELTYPEID=23&FLAG=0

Now I am going to attempt to do one more thing...a few Sunday's ago, I shared " The Story of the Teacup"....in case someone wants to enjoy this story again, here is the link to it...
http://www.aspecialplace.net/InspirationCornerII/the_tea_cup.htm You gals know that this is all new to me...so I just learning the possiblities of things that can be put here...let me know what works for you and what you would like... Love, Pam

John 2- June 26, 2005 The New Wine

Oh what joy it brings to my heart even thinking about it...Jesus, the son of God, chose His first 'sign' or miracle to be at the wedding of a young couple who were just starting out their lives together. It came three days after He had called the first five of His disciples. and he chose a quiet miracle...not a flamboyant one! He quietly met a great need for this couple of humble means. In the culture of that day, to have run out of wine would have been a tremendous embarrassment. In fact, it would have started the whole marriage off on the wrong foot. Mary brought the need to Jesus....and then she told the servants to do whatever He said. You see, Mary already knew Who He was! She had lived with Him for 30 years as her son, and she had certainly seen Him take care of many, many needs. She didn' t know how He would meet the need, she just knew He would. Ladies, we need to do likewise...bring our needs to Him and with an expectant heart, do what He says!

Jesus told the servants to take the six stone pots (significant that He used empty clay vessels!)that were used for ceremonial cleansing and to fill them with water...together they would have held about 120 gallons...once filled, the servants were to take the 'contents' to the bridegroom. Can you imagine what those servants must have thought? They were the ones who put the water in the pots...did they dare now take that water to the bridegroom as if it was wine? They had a choice to make, and they chose to obey Jesus....and as they went, some where along the way the water turned into wine...not just any wine either, but the guests commented on the 'best wine' having been saved to the last. WOW!!

Is your vessel empty? Are you in an awful crisis? Pray, and read His Word, and then ask Him to show you where in your life you need to obey His truths. Then follow those instructions. He has has not changed....in fact, He is the NEW WINE and His Provision is abundantly above that which we can even fathom!!! Let Him turn the hurts in your life from water to wine.

In Pieces

Below is a picture of my precious grandsons. They are sitting on a quilt that I made from my husband's favorite shirts. When our son was in college, heavy flannel shirts called "big-shirts" were the style, and our son had several...he would come home for the weekend and a flannel shirt would sometimes disappear from his closet, and my husband would come out wearing it with a twinkle in his eye. We always joked about it and then for Christmas for a few years I bought them identical flannel shirts.

As I was going through my husband's things a few weeks after his death, I drew those shirts close around me and crumpled into the floor crying. Oh what precious memories! I knew I couldn't part with the shirts. Something special had to be done with them. Then the idea for the quilt came and with Christmas approaching, what better gift could I give our son? Dismantling the shirts was very painful because it so closely resembled what had happened to our lives but the joy of the new "gift" brought healing.

For each of us who feel our lives have been dismantled, I believe God wants to take the pieces and do a creative work. We have to be willing to give Him those pieces no matter how painful it is, and then trust His heart with them even when we can't trace His hand. He truly does still has a good plan for our lives. Father, help us to give You the pieces and help us to trust Your heart to weave a beautiful tapestry from the pain. For I know the plans I have for you, that are for good and not for evil to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Pieced Together

The Journey from Wife to Widow

Ladies, most of you are not widows...but perhaps there is something in this writing that will minister to you...number one that God is faithful to equip us for whatever place we are called to walk...

I never wanted to be a widow, not that anyone does, but when I began this journey twenty-two months ago, all I could feel was extreme pain and loss. I knew life as I had known it was over, and it was.

I recalled how eagerly I had approached my wedding day almost thirty-three years before. Marriage was what I had dreamed of all of my life, and even though it came with many adjustments, I loved my role as Mike’s wife. I thought of other dreams that were fulfilled during those precious years of marriage….the title of “Mom” was probably the most awesome, although becoming a grandma ranked up there, too!

Each one of those new assignments had come without instructions but eagerly I had searched for information that would equip me for each role. I had talked with others, read books, and investigated anything that would help me to be a better wife, mother, or grandmother.

Then abruptly, over night, I went from wife to widow – I didn’t recognize it then as a new role. I just saw it as an ending of my dreams. Yet finally, after many months of grieving, I realized that I stood with a choice: I could learn to embrace this as a new assignment and expect God to bring forth glory, or I could remain a broken vessel. Then I prayed, “God, help me to see the hidden treasure in this darkness.”

What treasure have I found so far?
· As I have learned to embrace this path as one chosen for me by God, my “alone” time has become precious time with Him. Isaiah 54:5 says “your Maker is your husband!”
· As I have learned to look to Him, expecting Him to turn this pain into glory, I have seen His hand move in wonderful and unexpected ways. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds me that “His plans for me are for good and not for evil to give me a future and a hope.”
· As I have learned to count my blessings in the midst of the ambushes of grief, my pain has been eased. James 1:2-3 does say to “Count it all joy when you go through trials and tribulations.”
· As I have opened my heart to others who are hurting, I have seen II Corinthians 1:4 fulfilled…”who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.”

Is this an assignment I would have chosen? No! But I am learning that there truly is treasure in the darkness. With His help, I will continue to search for it. Isaiah 45:3 LT And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness--secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name