EMBRACE THE NEW YEAR

 

EMBRACE:eager acceptance, to encircle, to surround, to embrace an opportunity

whatever the New Year holds we can rest assure as long as Jesus walks beside us, we are sheltered in his arms, whatever the world throws at us he wraps those arms of protection around us like a mother hen spreading her wings to protect her little ones from harm,with less then one day till the new Year begins, embrace the New Year! embrace those new dreams!embrace those new visions! embrace those new doors God’s about to open in your life! embrace his presence! embrace life! embrace victory!

Mary Did You Know -

 

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

ONE SMILE AT A TIME

 

Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

another great ministry!

a few of us came together & made 69 Christmas pillowcases for Oncology Kids, a children's cancer hospital in Australia

LONG SUFFERING

Patiently enduring wrongs or difficulties,endurance

Psalms 86:15 But thou, O Lord, [art] a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance

JOY

 

Psalms 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as [with] marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise [thee] with joyful lips:

JOY, such a little word with such a big impact, how would you describe the word JOY? Webster describes it as a manifestation of happiness, a feeling of happiness, to rejoice

when life throws us a curve as this life so many times can do Psalms reminds us that even when we’re at our weakest the Joy of the Lord is our strength, the Joy of the word is fatness for our bones,When it seems as though darkness is all around with heartaches, Psalms 30 promises that Joy always comes in the morning, we must remind ourselves that nothing shall separate us from the love of God, Psalms 16 reminds us that in his presence there is fullness of Joy

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith

Joy is connected to each of these words which are described as gifts of the spirit,when we feed on the word it feeds our soul,Joy is a gift, let the Lord stir up the gift of Joy within you and watch all the other fruits begin to unfold in your life

 

THANKFULNESS

Grateful,Expressive of thanks, to give thanks

have you thought much about what you’re thankful for? If we started with a list I’m sure it’d be  non ending , Freedom, Family,Hope in tomorrow…

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Psalms 140:13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence

I can think of eight reasons right off the bat to be thankful for, eight grandchildren

yes we say eight, my youngest daughter is adopting from China, they have named him Reece &he will be joining our family around June or July, God is good!

PRAISE YE THE LORD

(1) Praise ye the Lord,Praise God in his sanctuary;praise him in the firmament of his power

(2) Praise him for his mighty acts,praise him according to his excellent greatness

(3) Praise him with the sound of the trumpet, praise him with the psaltery and  harp

(4) praise him with the timbrel and dance;praise him with stringed interments and organs

(5) Praise him upon the loud cymbals;praise him upon the high sounding   cymbals 

( 6)let everything that hath breath praise the Lord, praise ye the Lord

Psalm 150

 

 

 

PRAYER REQUEST

PRAYER REQUEST #1

our sweet keyboardist has an urgent request for her great nephew who needs deliverance from a situation in his life & a touch from God, please lift up Charlie Hall when you pray

PRAYER REQUEST #2

one of our church families received a phone call of the passing of a dear Aunt, they are on their way out of town this morning, please lift up the Lowery family in their time of grief &  for traveling mercies on the road

PRAYER REQUEST #3

my hair dresser of over 30 years has been advised by her doctor to retire due to  health problems, please help me pray that she will not see this as defeat but an opportunity to walk through  new doors God has for her to walk through,please lift up Lisa when you pray

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

And I will give you pastors according to mine heart,which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding

(Jer.3:15)

The Good Shepherd

by Laura Smith (an excerpt from "A City Without Walls")

There once was a flock
That was lost and afraid
It wandered around
Without direction for days

But the Lord looked down
With compassion from above
And sent a good shepherd
To lead them with love

The shepherd was kind
Loving and wise
And he cherished his whole flock
No matter the color or the size

Though the shepherd was quiet
Humble and meek
Every ear listened
Whenever he would speak

He showed them the way
To walk in the light
And he prayed every day
For God to give them true sight

He taught them about
The blood of the Lamb
And about the creator
The great I AM

They flourished and they grew
Through the knowledge they gained
About the Saviour from above
Who lived without blemish or stain

The flock was so thankful
To the Lord up above
For sending a wise leader
Who was so full of love

He lead them with
A strong and gentle good hand
And took the whole flock
Safely into God's Promised Land

DO GOOD WORKS

 

This is scripture makes me think of  Ecclesiastes 9:10 whatsoever thy hand findeth  to do,do it with thy might

 

it is the memory verse for chapter 3 Lysa’s TerKeurst on line Bible study Unglued

visit  Melissa & sign up for for this wonderful  enriching study over at  http://melissataylor.org/

 

some food for thought

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven

 

Titus 3:8 [This is] a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

PASTOR APPRECIATION

 

“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work...” (I Thessalonians 5:12-13)

 

What does pastor Appreciation mean to you?Do you honor him? Do you respect him? The shun Amite woman in 2Kings is a wonderful example of taking care of the man of God & oh what  a blessing she received by being obedient

Gal.6:6 is another example of how we are to take care of our Pastor “one who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches”

 

Our Pastor

This pastor appreciation poem reminds us of the importance of pastors in our lives and of how we should respond.

Have you ever walked in our Pastor's shoes,
And gone where his feet have trod?
Have you ever thought of what he means to us,
And on your knees, given thanks to God?

Have you ever told him thank you,
For being there, when times are tough,
For comforting words and fervent prayers
When trials come and the storms of life are rough?

He answers our calls in the middle of the night
And tells us not to worry, for he will be there.
He gives up his comfort of quiet rest
And comes with prayers of comfort to share.

Have you ever thought to say thank you Pastor,
For preaching God's word to help us understand,
For all the times he has asked for things
That will lend us a helping hand?

When you pray, put him at the top of the list
And ask the Lord to surround him with loving care,
To give him strength and walk with him,
To help him with the burdens that he must bear.

Have you ever walked in our Pastor's shoes,
And gone where his feet have trod?
Have you ever thought of what he means to us,
And on your knees, given thanks to God?

A Pastor Appreciation Poem by Judy Crowe

UNGLUED BIBLE STUDY BEGINS

 

 We begin with chapters one and two and a blog hop , share your thoughts of chapters one & two & link up with http://melissataylor.org/

I love this taken from page 23

how true this is, we will always face things that are out of our control but we have the choice whether or not we let it get us out of control,we had no control, over the tornado that came through and even a year later of still repairing from the damage we still praise him for putting that hedge of protection around us, there's still  a lot of ugly all around but when my eyes are on the vision I see beauty God has for my home

I love Lysa’s story about the missing towels in chapter one,it reminds us how easy it is to become unglued, mind you I don’t get  down right mad but I can get irritated lol! my minds goes back to  a particular night when I was having a Christmas open house for family & friends, one tree in the living room decided to fall over, humm no problem I can stand it back up & fluff it out, I proceed to set out my buffet of goodies then  bam! I hear a crash, there it is lying on the floor again this time breaking some of the ornaments,deep breath , pick it up rearrange things,walk through the house to give myself approval of each room lol then bam! now that 3rd time just tore it! it was over! I was not doing it anymore, I told  hubby leave it where it lays! I’m done! I proceed to call everyone to tell them the tour of lights has been canceled & do you know they all came anyway!!! I could of smacked them all with love of course lol! they proceed to ask why’s all the lights off I say because there is no party going on here then they enter the living room & ask why’s the tree in floor, yea at this point I feel myself coming unglued lol they’re all laughing going through the house ohhhing & awwwwing eating their Christmas goodies & all i can think about is that mess in the middle of my living room floor, before it was over with they had me laughing too for you see if you’re plugged into Jesus then when you come unglued you can have peace in your madness

 

 

 

 

BE JOYFUL

 

A  dear friend asked for prayer for  a  64 year old family member who fell which caused a head injury, the Doctors say he may not pull through, but my friend & I shared  what a mighty God we serve & how he has the last word in any situation that we face in this life.This world in which we live in can sometimes throw us a punch harder than we can take at times, tears, heart aches & uncertainty  can make it hard to be joyful but  through prayer, faith & peace, no matter what this life throws at us we can be joyful in our God

Psalms 29:11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

please lift up Brent Huffines in your prayers

ANOTHER GREAT ONLINE BIBLE STUDY

Lysa TerKeurst’s new book is being featured for an online Bible study with Melissa Taylor over at http://melissataylor.org/ beginning Sept 23rd.if you can’t find the book in your local bookstore, you can order your copy here http://www.proverbs31.org/store/product/unglued/ 

read more about the study & sign up here http://melissataylor.org/and-more/ 

I have yet to do an online Bible study with Melissa that i haven't enjoyed, I have read several books by Lysa & have heard her speak at conferences, she lives what she writes & writes what she lives

EARLY WILL I SEEK THEE

 

Acts 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if happily they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

you can see & feel God all around you just by embracing his wonder,when I wake early I love to watch for the sun to rise, with darkness all around, the birds begin to sing, could it be they know that darkness last only for a while & a brighter day is just around the corner?

Proverbs 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me

I encourage you today, not to take the day you've been given lightly, embrace today, soak in God's goodness & in all things give him praise!

GOD’S AMAZING CREATURES

 

Thou art worthy O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Rev.4:11)

when I read that I thought of (Gen:1:23-24) And the evening and the morning,were the fifth day, and God said  let the Earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth after his kind and it  was so

 

have you been to the Zoo lately & really took a close look at God’s amazing creation,here’s a little example of God’s beauty we encountered on a Zoo trip with the grandkids

even the tiny things are breath taking

SOME FANTASTIC CONFERENCES!

  JUDY JACOBS! MARLIYN HICKEY! Karen WHEATON! CATHERINE MULLINS! STACIE REESER !CHOSEN! & More! coming to Hamilton Alabama  Sept.27th-28th-29th

http://www.theramp.org/events-details/2012/09/28/womens-awakening-3/#

all great speakers but gotta say I love Judy!

http://www.youtube.com/user/judyjacobs?feature=results_main

and best of all it’s time for Anointed praise and Worship Conference in Cleveland Tenn! Oct.4th-5th-6th

http://anointedpraisemusic.com/

Special 10 Year Anniversary with Special Guests:

Eddie James, Sheryl Randolph,

David and Nicole Binion, Bob Sorge,

Bradley Knight, Teresa Miley, Larry and Regina Bean,

AP Singers and Premiere Choir!

check out the newest Anointed praise cd

http://anointedpraisemusic.com/index-3.html

KINDNESS

The quality or state of being kind,an instance of kind behavior  is what the dictionary describes kindness ,what does the word say about kindness

Psalms 117:2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

mercy,goodness,faithfulness are Hebrew meanings for the word kindness

how wonderful to know with sweet assurance that his mercy is great towards us, his goodness is great towards, us,his faithfulness is great towards us

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

can you relate to that statement? are you living in such a way that when someone tells falsehoods on you that the one they’re telling it to doesn’t believe it because they know the life you lead

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith

there’s a lot of spiritual food to digest here, let the meaning of this scripture take root in your spirit & feed your soul,to partake of Gods word is good

LOVE: man’s devotion to God, the feeling of kindness towards others

JOY: a feeling of great happiness, to rejoice

PEACE: freedom from quarrels or disagreements, public security,free from strife

LONGSUFFERING: patiently enduring wrongs or difficulties

GENTLENESS: considerate

considerate means having regards for the needs or feelings for others

GOODNESS: the state of being good

FAITH: a confident belief in the truth,value or trust worthiness of a person

when we live our lives in such a way that others see Jesus in us,then we are able to show kindness, mercy and love ,Peter says it best in first Peter 3:16

1 Peter 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO

 

Isn’t it amazing how fast the days seem to go by? thinking of how close the weekend is upon us made me think  of the Seasons in  Ecclesiastes

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

.Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [that which is] planted;

 
Ecclesiastes 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up

;
Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Ecclesiastes 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

Ecclesiastes 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

Ecclesiastes 3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

Ecclesiastes 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

BIBLE STUDIES ARE A GOOD THING

I thought I’d share a few Bible studies I came across on my FB page this morning from kay Author

 

Bible Study | Bible Studies | Bible Study Tools |LIVING LIKE YOU BELONG TO GOD (40 MIN STUDY)

http://store.precept.org/p-1573-cookies-on-the-lower-shelfpart-1-genesis-ruth.aspx?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Kay&utm_campaign=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.precept.org%2Fp-1573-cookies-on-the-lower-shelfpart-1-genesis-ruth

reading is a good thing, God’s word encourages us to read

Ephesians 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

I NEVER SHALL FORGET THE DAY

I Never Shall Forget The day was written by George Thomas Speer, born in a sharecroppers cabin in Fayette country Georgia in 1891, taught at shaped notes singing schools, sang at many rural singing conventions, married in 1921 & organized the Speer Quartet, over the next 15 years he trained each of his four children to sing & play instruments, gradually converting into The Singing Speer Family, he wrote many gospel songs, also including Heavens Jubilee, The Dearest Friend I Ever Had, He Is Mine And I am His

"I Never shall Forget The Day" Have you forgotten when Jesus saved you, when you had no hope within saved you .cleansed you, gave you peace & joy within, have you forgotten all the times he's came through for you, made all the rough roads smooth "when trials comes he comforts me" if you've never heard of this song, I encourage you to read through it & let it minister to you

Long years ago when out in sin I had no hope no peace within
Down on my knees in agony I prayed to Jesus & he gladly set me free
(chorus)
I NEVER SHALL FORGET THE DAY WHEN ALL THE BURDENS OF MY SOUL WERE ROLLED AWAY IT MADE ME HAPPY GLAD & FREE, ILL SING & SHOUT IT FOR HE'S EVERYTHING TO ME
Now I can feel him by my side, my feeble steps he comes to guide
When trials comes he comforts me thru faith in him over sin I have the victory
(chorus)
O sinner come to Jesus now,at his dear feet just humbly bow
Confess to him your every sin, he will save & cleanse you
Give you you peace & joy within
(chorus)

MY HEART IS HEAVY

 

we lost our  sweet little Shilo early this morning, he was one of five sweet little Chihuahuas to our sweet peaches  whom we lost  back last Fall

our pets are here for just a short time to give us joy & comfort but when death comes un expectantly, the pain can seem unbearable, he was fine as can be then all of a sudden he had no appetite, early yesterday evening he began to have pains & shortness of breath , Gus & Joe still cry for him as they go all over the house looking for him, they don’t want me out of their sight & even though they are here in my lap the house seems empty

 

 

 

  everywhere I was ,Shilo was ,in the recliner everyday at 2:00 watching our Walton's,which I couldn’t bare to sit in today, if I was sewing he’s be right there under the window soaking up sunshine,sometimes in my lap,he would be in my lap now watching me work on the computer yes this is their heater & they know it! Terry is getting ready to go out of town this weekend, he hasn't even left yet & already I can’t wait for him to get home , it will be  a long week & I’ll just have to keep myself busy

KNOW THAT THE LORD IS GOOD

PSALMS 95 1-7

(1)Oh come, let us sing unto the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation

(2)Let us come before his presence with Thanksgiving and make joyful noise unto him with Psalms

(3)For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all Gods

(4)In his hand are the deep places of the earth,the strength of the hills is his also

(5)The sea is his and he made it and his hands formed the dry land

(6)O come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our maker

(7)For he is our God and we the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand, Today if you will hear his voice

PSALMS 100

(1)Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands

(2)Serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with signing

(3)Know ye that the Lord he is God, it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves,we are his people and the sheep of his pasture

(4)Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise, be thankful unto him and bless his name

(5)For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations

ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY DRESSES

David & Sandra Mills Missionaries to Africa were in service with us Sunday morning, sharing the word & a slide show of what God has done & is doing in Africa, we prayed over 180 dresses that was sent back with him , we will continue to make more to take to him in Tenn. in the following weeks to come God is really blessing this Ministry & we give him all the praise

 

(L-R) David & Sandra Mills,Missionaries to Africa, Pastor Bill & Teresa Lollar,A.Pastor's Helen & Terry Chaffin 

FACEBOOK COMMENTS

( Pauline Baker) : Helen am so amazed at the labor for Missions that Fleetwood has accomplished. It is such a
Joy to see your posts. I know that it has been done by a heart for this ministry and some diligent work by the ladies. Congrats to Fleetwood on your work for the Master.

(Carolyn Herren) :Would like to see the look on those little girls faces when they get the dresses, and we know this is just the beginning. Praise GOD!!!!

(Sheri  Colburn) :Love the service yesterday and message!

 

UNGLUED BIBLE STUDY

Lysa TerKeurst newest  book is now available there will be an online Bible Study beginning Sept.23rd with Melissa Taylor over at  Melissa’s blog Real Hope For Life

http://melissataylor.org/2012/08/12/lets-go-unglued-time/

you can also sign up to be a part of the conference calls

http://www.proverbs31.org/store/category/conference-call/

you can order your book here as well as your local book store

http://www.proverbs31.org/store/product/unglued/

like it on Face Book

http://www.facebook.com/MelissaTaylorsOnlineBibleStudies

sign up here to the right of the side bar

http://melissataylor.org/and-more/

*from Melissa*

By studying Unglued by New York Times Bestselling Author, Lysa TerKeurst you will:

• Know with confidence how to resolve conflict in your important relationships.
• Identify what type of reactor you are and how to significantly improve your communication.
• Respond with no regrets by managing your tendencies to stuff, explode, or react somewhere in between.
• Gain a deep sense of calm by responding to situations out of your control without acting out of control.

I have done several online Bible studies with Melissa & have found them enjoyable & refreshing

 

I’ve signed up, have you?

"Word of God Speak

In this fast paced world that we live, we must find time to be still & hear God speak 

Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am  God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth