Nothing is Insignificant

Do you have a hero?

Moses was certainly a Biblical hero, but think about this ...

Four women in his life made it possible. Jocabed, his mother, Miriam, his big sister (thank God for big sisters), and two unnamed midwives.

Together, these four seemingly insignificant women thwarted the intention of the most powerful man in the world and facilitated the purpose of God!

They were unafraid to do what was right, because they were on the side of God. Wonder what you and I could do today? #Moses

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~Love of Vintage::Love of Fashion♥♥~: Dreamer

~Love of Vintage::Love of Fashion♥♥~: Dreamer: "So I am bigg into having my mind set on something and trying to follow through with it no matter what I may go through or what may try to co..."

What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do

Some people seem to have all of the answers... or so it seems. Sometimes I feel like I have had a lot of experience in life and can pretty well figure out the best course of action in most situations. But, you know what? There are and have been a lot of times when I just simply did not know what to do.

I served as a Pastor for over 34 years and I have to admit that there have been times couples have set in my office with problems so complex that I simply had to tell them... "I don't know what to do." Hey, if you empathize with me, we are not the first to not know what to do. Listen to the Word of God...

2Chronicles 20:12 "O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee."

Here are three things to do when you don't know what to do.

1. Just go tell Jesus and leave it with Him right there on the altar and don't do anything else. In Hezekiah 37, when the great empire of Babylon was threatening King Hezekiah and sent him a devastating sounding letter, with his superior armies surrounding the city... Hezekiah had no answer but to take the letter and spread it out before the Lord and leave it there! 

Then God said, "I have heard his threats and his big talk, but rest assured its no longer your problem, but my problem. I will put a hook in his jaw and he will go back where he came from and not enter this city and you will not have to do ONE THING!" Now, I am paraphrasing a bit, but that night Hezekiah slept like a baby because he had placed it on the altar and left it.  Watch what happened while he slept ...

One...get this... just one angel of the Lord slipped down into the camp of the Assyrians that night and all by himself slew 185,000 Assyrians. When the survivors awoke the next morning and saw the slaughter, they packed their duds and headed back where they came from as fast as they could.

2. Here's another one that I like. It was the occasion of the scripture I put first... numerous armies had come up against Jehoshaphat and he did not know what to do. But, he did know to call a fast and prayer and God heard him and said this to him.

2Chronicles 20:17 "Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you."

The next day, Jehoshaphat appointed himself some musicians and singers. They just went out like God said; praised and worshiped. The Word says that the Lord set ambushments against the enemy and they destroyed each other so that all Judah had to do was gather up the spoils that had been left behind.

3. Finally, in my last example it will be a bit different. In both previous examples they had to do nothing and God did it all. King David had smitten the Philistines once, but they were a resilient bunch and spread themselves before David for battle again. This time God said, "Don't go out and fight them as before, but slip over to the grove of Mulberry trees and just hide out and wait there. But when you hear the sound of a going in the tops of the Mulberry trees, you go out to battle and the Lord will fight for you and give you the victory." 

This time they were going to have to engage in the battle, but they were not going to just do it half-cocked when they got ready... there was going to have to be a sign from the Lord in the tops of the Mulberry trees before they took any action at all. (God's timing) When God gave the sign... they went forth and won the victory.

So when you don't know what to do... don't do anything until you have taken it to the Lord. 

In each case, after those involved in their dilemmas took it before the Lord, there was a Word from the Lord that told them what to do. 

• Sometimes they did nothing but stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, 
• Sometimes they sang and praised their way to victory and ... 
• When they did have to take physical action themselves... it was only after God gave them a very sure and definite sign that He had told them to look for.

What to do when you don't know what to do? Put it before the King of Kings and don't do a thing until you hear a Word from Him. Lately, my favorite song has been the song by Mercy Me... "Word of God Speak."

Choose To Be Happy and Grateful Daily

I am happy and grateful today because...

Can you fill in the blanks?

Being happy and thankful are keys to finding true success in any endeavor and life in particular.

We can be "happy and grateful" when we understand three things:

1. God loves Me 
2. God has a great plan and purpose for Me 
3. Everything that happens works toward God's wonderful plan for My life

The Eternal Creator (Jesus Christ) made You with loving care and has Your very best interests at heart in his plan for You. No matter the circumstances You may currently be in ... He is not finished with You yet and You will one day, perhaps look back and see what He was perfecting in You.

Donna and I Wish You a Merry Christmas

Happiness is not a by-product of your circumstances or of what you possess. Happiness is a by-product of our thought processes and believe it or not, you and only you have control over your thought processes. You get to choose everyday what you are going to "think about."

Now, we live in a media and communication age where we are bombarded minute by minute with input that can certainly affect our thinking. Therefore we must make more of a conscious effort to train our minds to think properly. Nothing is so important as "being thankful."

I challenge You to find 5 things that You are thankful for on a daily basis. Perhaps You could start a "Grateful Journal" and write five things in it each day that You are thankful for.

It would change your life!

"In everything ... Give Thanks!"

Have a blessed day. 

Gary

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I had to Re-Post This Today ... First Anniversary of His Passing From This Life

There he sits in his favorite chair ... one arm cocked behind his head that sports a full shock of gray hair. The other hand holds a cup of coffee and by his side is his loyal friend, Frosty. His legs covered in a pair of western-style pants are crossed and one can see his ever-present cowboy boots. He's wearing his broad suspenders that keep his pants just below his famous bulging belly and there is that gregarious smile of satisfaction on his handsome, weathered face. What is he doing ...
The man in the picture is my father and he is sitting back watching as his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren gather in and busy themselves visiting and preparing food for another special family gathering. There may be as many as 50 or more depending on who was able to make it from out of town. The number always included a few others that were not off-spring but were a part just the same. 

This was his glory ... his family. Six children evenly split with three sons and three daughters, 18 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and all of the in-laws who were never viewed as anything but more of the children. This was his glory ... this was his SUCCESS!

Staying Connected in Today's Super Connected Communication Age

We are living in a time when communication is at an all-time high. There was a time when one would take pen, ink and parchment; carefully script out a letter; roll it, bind it and deliver it to the post. After sorting, it would be given to a person with a fast horse who would then mount and ride as fast as they could to the ultimate destination of the letter. As you might imagine, many days would go by before that letter was read by its recipient -- if they got it at all.

Email and cell phones make it easy to stay in contact with others. One can bang out an instant message on the computer and bingo, two are chatting back and forth. Global businesses use video and web conferencing to conduct business around the world, spanning every time zone.  Then, there is my teenage daughter who will sit in her room and send me text after text (it takes me forever to respond) until finally I'll just call her and get the conversation completed. 

Facebook, in my opinion, has been an excellent means of connecting with friends around the world and yet, it seems to me that people are more "dis-connected" than ever before. How much real communication gets done?

When I first struggled with MS, it become extremely difficult for me to walk. I would get around with the use of a cane (I was stubborn about the wheelchair or scooter idea). It was a long and laborious project for me to get out of the car and all the way inside of a restaurant or other place of business. The result was that I tended to stay in and work on the computer rather than getting out as much as before. My connections and relationships suffered as a result. I found it important however, to force my self to stay in touch. To keep up relationships with old friends and business associates.

It is now the final dregs of summer and not yet a good time to be talking about campfires and fireplaces, but here I go anyway. Have you ever noticed how quickly a burning log dies out when it gets separated from the pile? Take a poker and move it over closer to the others and it rekindles into flame again.

You get the message. Don't go it alone. On the job, in family situations, times when you find yourself struggling; there are more people than you think willing to reach out and help. It is good to belong to some kind of network just for the connections, and feedback, and relationships you will develop.

In the Bible it says, "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17. Finally, don't forget the spiritual side of it. You are essentially a spiritual being that needs that spiritual connection with your creator. Take the time daily to connect with God and you will be a far more productive person the rest of the day.