Adversity causes growth...Patience pays.

It is hard for us to accept in our humanness that anything good can come from the trials and tribulations that we are experiencing at any one time.  Bad times at work, at relationships, love, children, finances, sometimes we are overwhelmed by all of the "things" that trouble us.  However, God sees beyond the day and plans accordingly for your life.  The key is developing Patience.

James 1:2  "Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems.  For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete."  (quoted from "THE BOOK" a very comprehensive study of the bible printed by Tyndale House Publishers)

I was not patient when my husband was suffering with cancer and I wanted relief for him immediately and questioned through my tears why God was letting him suffer!  I believed in a miracle that never came.  But as in all things God is in control and his timing is not our timing no matter how hard we try to make it so.

I have always likened Adversity causing Growth with a "Kerrie-ism":  The tiny flower seed will push up through the blacktop and grow into a beautiful flower despite its surrounding hardness.  I find the more I grow in patience, the more God gives blessings and I count them every day.

James, the brother of Jesus wrote his gospel with many short, proverbial sayings and reflects in a remarkable way the teachings of Jesus and the Sermon on the mount. 

Are you trying to be patient or is life trying your patience?  Seek God and His Son in all instances and pray to be patient so that you will grow and bloom.

A tiny new life, Canadian Goose baby.

My Christian heart to yours...

  

A Tiered flower pot I made 

Having recently lost my Sweet Husband Bill in January, it was so comforting to read this devotional by Charles Stanley. I do not  not like to use someone else's devotional unless it strikes my heart because it is such a good message.  I hope you will feel this way, too. April 10 The First Empty Tomb 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 Jesus is the only person who has an empty tomb. Everyone else who's died has returned  to the dust, but Christ is alive and seated at the Father's right hand. Because He overcame death,  His followers are also guaranteed empty tombs someday. When Jesus returns for His church,  those who have died in Him will be resurrected into glorious bodies. And believers who are  alive at that time will instantaneously be changed. Knowing this, we naturally wonder, What kind of body will I have? The best way to answer that  is to see what Scripture reveals about Christ's body after He rose from the dead. He didn't come  invisibly in the form of a ghost but rather had a literal, physical body. He talked, walked, and ate with His disciples. Yet although He was recognizable, He was somehow different, and at times  it took His words or actions to jog their recognition. Here's one thing I can tell you about the resurrection: you will look better than you do today! God  is going to give you a strong, glorious, eternal body which is perfectly fitted for your life in heaven.  Believe me, you will not be disappointed, because God has far more in store for us on the other  side than we can ever imagine. You will be more alive there than you could ever be here. A more important issue we must face is how to get ready for that day. This life is just a puff of wind  compared to our eternity. It's my personal opinion that the way we live here on earth will determine  our capacity to enjoy heaven. The time to begin living for God is now. For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please  visit www.intouch.org. Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2009 All Rights Reserved. Come again soon and thank you for visiting as always.  You are all wonderful and cherished  by God and by me. My Christian heart to yours...

GOOD FRIDAY

Once you have Jesus in your life, you would be hard-pressed to ever have him out of your life!  Inviting Jesus into your heart will cause a spiritual change in your life, 2 Cor 5:17  17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.  What a blessing!  


Why would anyone celebrate the death of our Lord on the cross??  Because in dying for our sins, Jesus made it possible for us to live forever with Him in eternity. God sacrificed His only begotten son --for us!  We can never imagine ourselves giving up a child.  And yet our God did this for us because he loves every single creation that he made.  If you have not given yourself over to the Lord, today is the perfect day.  Because He Lives ♫ I can face tomorrow,♫♫ 

(Verse 1)

God sent his son

They called him Jesus

He came to love

Heal and forgive

He lived and died

To buy my pardon

An empty grave

Is there to prove

My Savior lives

(Chorus)

Because he lives

I can face tomorrow

Because he lives

All fear is gone

Because I know

He holds the future

And life and is worth the living

Just because he lives

(Verse 2)

How sweet to hold

A newborn baby

And feel the pride

And joy he gives

But greater still

The calm assurance

This child can face

Uncertain days

Because he lives

(Chorus)

(Verse 3)

And then one day

I'll cross the river

I'll fight life's fi-

Nal war with pain

And then as death

Gives way to victory

I'll see the lights

Of glory and

I'll know he lives

(Chorus 2xs)

Jesus died on the cross but that was not the end of it by any means, He Rose from the dead after 3 days, Easter Sunday and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.  I cry to imagine my Savior's suffering and death on the cross but there is joy in my heart because he lives, I can face tomorrow.

  Pause at 3pm today and bow your head thanking Jesus for dying for us on the cross.  I am so thankful for Good Friday.  Blessings to each and everyone of you who read this today.  And I hope the hymn touches your heart...

My Christian heart to yours....

Palm Sunday and Miracles....

PALM SUNDAY


We learned that Jesus came into the city on a donkey and the people greeted him placing palm fronds before His path so the donkey's feet did not touch the ground.  And they shouted Hallelujah! And waved palms in praise.
I love finding out more and more of the meaning of things in the Bible!  Some of you prefer not to know the mysteries but the reason I do is that it strengthens my faith, it proves that things happened the way it was written in the Bible and is not myth.  A friend sent a message to me this morning with a link attached on The Parting of the **Red Sea and it was so profound, I have to share with you.


  There is so much archaeological evidence to prove the words of the Bible that it is staggering!  
   And the Bible tells of God speaking to Moses from a Burning bush.  I read about bushes that grow in the area that have so much oil in their leaves they spontaneously combust in the hot desert sun!  I am fortified, I know this is true and can happen.  The Bible is true.

Believe the miracles, they do happen.  We cannot command them to happen, however.  Only God and His Son have that power.  And our timing as you have been told before is not God's timing.


Thank you for visiting on this blessed Palm Sunday and I hope you took away some inspiration and enlightenment with you.

My Christian heart to yours...

Palm Sunday and Easter Bonnets

PALM SUNDAY, April 1st, already!

Palm Sunday is a Christian feast that marks the beginning of Holy Week and commemorates Jesus' triumphant entry to the city of Jerusalem. In 2012, Palm Sunday will be celebrated on April 1, 2012.

To celebrate the occasion, many Christian churches -- both Catholic and Protestant as well as the Eastern churches -- distribute palm leaves to congregation members who then carry them in a procession either inside or outside of the church. Often the palm fronds are knotted or woven into small crosses that can be kept by individuals in their homes. The palm leaves are often returned to the church to be burned in the next year's Ash Wednesday rituals. In parts of the world where palm leaves are not easily available, these are substituted by leaves of native plants.

When I was a little girl, the neighbors always put their Easter palms that were handed out at church, behind a holy picture hanging in their homes either of Jesus or the Blessed Mother Mary.  I have always loved the tradition of all christian churches giving out palm leaves on this Sunday.

What did Matthew contribute to the Palm Sunday story? (Matthew 21:1-11)

• Matthew's gospel is the only gospel that included children.
• Matthew and John are the only two who mention the prophecy from Zechariah.
• Matthew refers to two animals.
• Matthew has the crowd singing "Hosanna!"
• There is praise at the end of Matthew's story.

THE PARADE (Matthew 21:6-11)

The parade consisted of a very great multitude of several hundred pilgrims and residents. Many people were in Jerusalem for the Passover, the most memorable feast in the history of Jewish people. They sang:

"Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest."

THE PALMS (Matthew 21:6-8)

The people placed their cloaks and palms on the road for Jesus to ride on to honor Him. The branches of the palm trees symbolized Christ's victory over the devil and death.

THE PRAISE (Matthew 21:9-11)

When Jesus had come into Jerusalem, the entire city was moved. In other words, there was praise. 

Palm Sunday, the first Sunday in Holy Week commemorates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem shortly before his arrest and crucifixion. As he rode into the city on a donkey, people cheered his arrival and laid palm fronds on the ground to avoid having his donkey's feet touch the ground.

 Here is my original cartoon of my character, Pooky's Grandma wearing her finest Easter Bonnet

My Christian Heart to yours...

Thinking like God....Giving and EASTER

 In Isaiah 55:9, He tells us, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."

  The more we learn about God's ways, the happier we are when we have to wait upon the Lord for things to happen, for blessings to come, for prayers to be answered.  As humans, we are always wanting things to happen in a hurry, especially in today's harried world!  But God has no time lines, no deadlines to meet.  Genesis tells us that He created the world in 7 days.  He did not say, I will create a world in seven days, he made the world one day at a time, each day seeing his work and contemplating what to add the next until he was satisfied and rested on the 7th day.


Many times we do not wait and contemplate the result of our actions or take the time to see if we are pleased with results before we move on.  Dr. Charles Stanley had a very interesting devotion on DEBT yesterday (www.intouch.org) And I was inspired to write about having patience and not acting out of impulse in all things but especially regarding debt.  The Lord's prayer says, "and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors".  Accumulating too much debt creates more and more problems so that in the end, you are a slave to what you owe.  All because you did not wait for God's timing for you to have things that you want NOW, instead of praying to God for his will and timing in these matters.


And do you really need the things that you desire and go in debt for?  Always sleep on it before purchasing a new item, especially if it is a big decision, such as a new car, new house, new appliance.  First, really think about the need.  Do you just feel like you want "new" or do you really need to replace the old item?  Are you trying to keep up with the friends and neighbors?  Do you justify random purchases with the thinking that you work hard and deserve it?  Sometimes you spend so much on material things but when giving back to God on Sundays, your gift is as little as you have left and want to part with and is by far much, much less than a tithe.  Give where you are nurtured and what you truly can afford.  Would you give God the dollars you would have spent on a new dress, a new golf club, a restaurant dinner?  Just compare what you spend on yourself to what you are willing to part with for the Lord.  


The Bible teaches us that what you give to the Lord will be rewarded ten-fold. Giving to the Lord is like an investment.  You make it possible for the Lord to work through churches, missionaries and all good works that the churches do for others.  Churches have mortgages, overhead, payrolls and taxes just like you do.  They rely on your generosity to keep going and spreading the Word of God.  And Yes, like I have told you before, God CAN hear you in your closet when you pray and talk with him if you are unable to go to church but we all need the fellowship and support of other believers when in church.  I liken it to the burning coals in a fireplace.  They will glow for hours and give off warmth TOGETHER.  But take a coal out of the fire and set it aside and soon it will cool and the glow will fade and go out without the support of all the others.

This is the best time of year to get back into church and giving.  EASTER, the Lord gave his only begotten Son for YOU, won't you give of your time, your support and your love back to Him?? May God bless each and every one of you with showers of blessings in this holy time of year.  I love you my friends!

My Christian heart to yours...

Impact of one---Paul

Your faithfulness to God never goes to waste--it's making an eternal difference in someone's life, whether you know it or not.  This was very true of the Apostle Paul.

The Apostle Paul's Strengths:

Paul had a brilliant mind, a commanding knowledge of philosophy and religion, and could debate with the most educated scholars of his day. At the same time, his clear, understandable explanation of the gospel made his letters to early churches the foundation of Christian theology. Tradition portrays Paul as a physically small man, but he endured enormous physical hardships on his missionary journeys. His perseverance in the face of danger and persecution has inspired countless missionaries since.

Life Lessons:

God can change anyone. God gave Paul the strength, wisdom, and endurance to carry out the mission Jesus entrusted Paul with. One of Paul's most famous statements is: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," (Philippians 4:13, NKJV), reminding us that our power to live the Christian life comes from God, not ourselves.

Paul also recounted a "thorn in his flesh" that kept him from becoming conceited over the priceless privilege God had entrusted to him. In saying, "For when I am weak, then I am strong," (2 Corinthians 12:2, NIV), Paul was sharing one of the greatest secrets of staying faithful: absolute dependence on God.

Paul's teaching that people are saved bygrace, not works: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-" (Ephesians 2:8, NIV) This truth frees us to stop striving to be good enough and to instead rejoice in our salvation, gained by the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Source: http://christianity.about.com/od/newtestamentpeople/a/Apostle-Paul.htm

Paul did not know at the time how far reaching his writings to the early church would impact the world of Christianity.  But he was second only to Jesus himself for spreading the Gospel and although he had infirmities that the Bible does not share with us, he was able to do this.  Never underestimate your influence and power in spreading the word of the gospel to others.  If you reach even one other human being and save them from sin because you shared the gospel with them, you have completed the Great Commission given by Jesus to his followers.  The more you study the word, the greater your ability to share will be.  Go, share the good news as it is written!

Faithfully in Christ

My Christian heart to yours...