Searching for Significance

Two friends - sisters in Christ (Carla & Laura)- and I are reading/discussing Robert S. McGee's book The Search for Significance "Seeing Your TRUE WORTH through GOD'S EYES". We are reminded - of His promises - of His Word. We need to know who we are - who He has created us to be.

When we started this study Carla blessed us with some handouts to encourage and remind us of just that. I keep these two reminders taped on my mirror so I can read them every day - they are embedded in my spirit and are being embedded in my mind.

"I have great worth apart from my performance because Christ gave His life for me, and therefore, imparted great value to me. I am deeply loved, fully pleasing, totally forgiven, accepted, and complete in Christ!!!"

"Because of Christ and His redemption, I am completely forgiven and fully pleasing to God. I am totally accepted by God."
Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...
Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight --

As I type this I can almost hear people saying, "Oh, that's nice, but not me. I have done so many wrong things in my life". Jesus' blood is more than enough! His blood covers all sin! Does that mean it's okay to sin - of course not. But that also means we don't beat ourselves up and live under condemnation for our short comings. We turn to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son.

We read John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." That and all of God's Word has to become real to us. We must truly understand God's love and heart towards us.

Parents, we desire our children to grow up healthy, happy and to go on to live a productive and full life. That is God Our Father's desire for us, His children. The love that He has for each of His children is even greater than the great love we have for our children.

Here are some reminders of who we are:
You are the Salt of the Earth - Matthew 5:13
You are the Light of the world - Matthew 5:14
You are loved by God & called to be saints - Romans 1:7
You are justified through Christ - Romans 5:17-18
You are free from condemnation - Romans 8:1
You are a Child of God (an Heir) - Romans 8:16-17
You are more than a Conqueror - Romans 8:37
You are a New Creation - 2 Corinthians 5:17
You are Righteous - 2 Corinthians 5:21
I live by the Faith of the Son of God - Galatians 2:20
I am an Adopted Child of God - Ephesians 1:5
I am Redeemed and Forgiven - Ephesians 1:7
I am seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus - Ephesians 2:4-6
I am created for good works - Ephesians 2:10
I can be strong in the Lord's power - Ephesians 6:10
I am complete in Christ - Colossians 2:10
I am holy and beloved (God's elect) - Colossians 3:12
I can be holy - 1 Peter 1:16
I can be as Jesus was in the world - 1 John 4:17

Be encouraged - you are blessed!

A Must Hear

There are some things that we know for sure. We know because we know that we know. Even though we know sometimes we need to be reminded - we need to hear - again. There is something to hearing and having that confirmation that makes our spirits leap, our hearts smile, and our eyes well up with tears. Our arms may be covered in "glory" bumps as the affirmation seeps into the depths of our being. We know, but oh, how glorious to be reminded of the love that Our Father has for us.

This is a must hear - it may be a confirmation of what you know or it may be a revelation - either way you will be blessed!

You are Needed

I received this story in an e-mail. It IS too beautiful not to share!

MAGNOLIAS.......... By Edna Ellison (more about Edna Ellison and her books)

I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away. As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle . . So many details, so many bills, and so little time.

My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give her away since she was about three years old!

To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green leaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church. After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.

The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiance Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died. I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding. Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.' I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.

Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me.. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!' I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.

As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...No dog in sight.... I knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good . ..No shotgun. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!' He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me.

Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.' 'No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.' 'What?' I asked. 'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday . . . He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.' I nodded. 'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud.. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.' I stood with my mouth open.

He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...' I assured him I was no angel. He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?' 'No.' 'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'

I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.' But God found a way. Through dead flowers.

'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.' If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing. If you have missed some of my emails, you may have missed a laugh. But, if you have missed knowing my LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, you have missed everything in the world. May God's blessings be upon you. THIS IS SO TRUE, BEING NEEDED IS SO UPLIFTING TO EACH OF US. This story is too beautiful not to share.

God is in Control - ALWAYS!!!!

I received the following in an e-mail and was blessed. I needed to be reminded of Who is in control and Who can handle everything!!! May you also be blessed!!

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you.

P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk..

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to send this to a friend; thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!
Now, you have a nice day...God

God has seen you struggling,
God says it's over.
A blessing is coming your way.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS THAT YOU LOVE THEM...I LOVE YOU!
In this new year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, never in want.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

and Happy Birthday to Rob Lowe! (Amazing how some trival facts remain with you!)

In honor of St. Patrick's Day here is a little history:
St. Patrick was born in Britain. He was kidnapped at the age of 16 and sold into salavery in Ireland. After 6 years he escaped and returned home to Britain. While he was home he had a dream or vision of the Irish people calling him to convert them to Christianity. After years of studying and preparation, he returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. St. Patrick is credited with bringing written word to Ireland. He encouraged the study of the Bible and legal texts. Previously, the Irish relied on the telling of stories to pass on their history.

From www.stpatricksday.com :
This beautiful prayer is supposed to have been composed by Saint Patrick in anticipation of the victory over Paganism. It is also known as "The Lorica of Patrick", and "The Deer's Cry".

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.
I bind to myself today God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.
I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.
Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, Christ in the chariot seat,
Christ in the poop (the stern of a ship),
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me, Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

Happy Days are here again!!

Saturday night was the Annual Volunteer's Banquet at church. Each year Ms. Carla comes up with a fun theme for the evening. This year we all took a trip back in time to the Happy Days of the 50's! For some of us -this was our first time visiting this decade. For others it was like rewinding the clock - you know the clock - the one we rock around. We played games, we laughed, we danced, we laughed, we ate, we did silly skits, we had keen door prizes and did I mention that we laughed?

Here are Tom and me as Potsie & Joanie (don't tell Chachi). I love the episode where Joanie had a crush on Potsie. She called him "Dren" - nerd spelled backwards (check it out on youtube). Check out these chicks ready for the sock hop in their poodle skirts!

(L to R: Mrs. Elizabeth, Mrs. Linda, Mrs. Laura, Ms. Pamela, Mrs. Paula, Mrs. Amy & Ms. Carla)

Mr. Linwood so looked his part as Al. Here he is with Mr. Ralph who appropriately was Ralph Malph.

We all had a blast playing "Name that Tune".

Mrs. Laura and Mrs. Cameron did an awesome job creating the working wheel with lights and all!


No trip to the 50's would be complete without a visit from the king himself - ELVIS!! He was "All Shook Up"!

It was a fun filled evening! Wonder what the theme will be next year..........

Spring just around the corner

According to the calendar - spring is in a few weeks. According to North Carolina weather it will start feeling like spring tomorrow. You gotta love good 'ol NC weather. Snow Sunday night, Monday and Monday night - public schools closed because of very icy roads on Tuesday. Temperatures in the teens at night.
Wednesday 45; 27 overnight.
Thursday 59; 38 overnight.
Friday 68; 51 overnight.
Saturday 74; 53 overnight.
Sunday 79.
What a crazy weather week 15 degrees to 79 degrees! Snow boots to flip flops. Turtle necks to tank tops. Long johns to shorts. I kid you not - there will be people sporting spring even summer-like clothes this weekend. I prefer to gradually get there.

Reminder: spring those clocks forward Saturday night. Another sign that spring is just around the corner.