From the Inbox

[Tina]

Muscle Building
This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.—James 1:2-4

Did you know that in order for muscles to get stronger, they first have to be weakened? If you have ever experienced sore muscles after a day of exercising or work, you’ve experienced this process. The muscle fibers tear down and then build themselves back up in order to be stronger than they were before. The spiritual life so often works the same way. To get stronger we must first get weaker.

In his letter, James encourages believers to not be discouraged by the setbacks of struggles and trouble. He admits that difficulties will come “whenever you face trials.” Notice he said whenever, not if. Although he does not tell us to smile our way through these struggles, he challenges us to look at them as an opportunity for joy and an opportunity for growth. In this instance, instead of building a physical muscle, James is showing how the Lord uses trials to help us build emotional and spiritual muscles in our lives. Experiences that bring distress and trial so often make us stronger in the long run.

James calls us to turn our struggles into times of reflection and learning, allowing them to teach us. It is through these struggles that we mature in our faith and are able to show our true colors. I had a friend once tell me to be careful of what you ask for when you pray. She said, “I prayed for patience, and suddenly I found myself in a lot of situations requiring me to be patient.” What we see as times of trial and challenge, God uses in our lives, providing opportunities to help us develop character and the fruit of the Spirit.

Building godly character is not often easy. The road will be marked with struggle. It is simply a part of the Christian journey. The great news is, you have the promise and hope that the Lord is walking with you the entire time. He will not leave you on your own to handle things by yourself. He is walking with you, guiding you, strengthening you and helping you build character and perseverance so you can remain strong.

[Cindy]

Great post. I needed that. Thank you Sis. Tina

[Tina]

God uses willing vessels, not overflowing vessels. In order to fulfill His plans for the earth, throughout the Bible God used many people from all kinds of backgrounds:

1. Matthew was a tax collector who became a disciple

2. Gideon was a ordinary manual worker who became a fearless leader of men

3. Jacob was a liar whose name became Israel

4. Deborah was a housewife who became a judge

5. Rahab was a high class prostitute who was grafted into the blood line of Jesus

6. Moses was a stutterer who became a deliverer

7. Jeremiah was a child who fearlessly spoke the Word of the Lord

8. Aaron was a servant who became a spokesman for God

9. Nicodemus was a Pharisee who became a defender of the faith

10. David was a shepherd boy who killed a giant and became a King

11. Hosea, a marital failure who prophesied to save Israel

12. Joseph was a prisoner who became prime minister

13. Esther was an orphan who became a queen

14. Elijah was a plain man who became a mighty prophet

15. Joshua was an associate who became a conqueror

16. James and John were fisherman who became close disciples of Christ and were known as the “Sons of Thunder”

17. Abraham was a nomad who became the father of many nations

18. Peter was a businessman who became one of the greatest evangelist to walk the earth

19. Jacob was a refugee who became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel

20. John the Baptist was a vagabond who became the forerunner of Jesus

21. Mary was an unknown virgin who gave birth to the Son of God

22. Nehemiah was a cup bearer who built the wall of Jerusalem

23. Shadrack, Meshech and Abednego were Hebrew exiles who became great leaders of the nation of Babylon

24. Hezekiah was an idolatrous father’s son who became a king renowned for doing right in the sight of the Lord

25. Isaiah was a man of unclean lips who prophesied the birth of God’s Messiah

26. Paul was a tormenter of Christians who became the greatest missionary in history and wrote two thirds of the New Testament

God is no respecter of persons. What about you? As we enter into 2008, stop praying, “God use me.” Start praying, “God, make me usable.” All God needs is all of you. Remember, the Bible says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Let these words sink deep into your spirit today. Let God strengthen and encourage you to be all that you can be and all that God intends for you to be.

*Received in email from Revival Fire Ministries International

[Tina]

THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I am united with the Lord(1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price(1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt.5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ(1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil.3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31-34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God(2 Cor.5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God(Rom.8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor.1:21-22)
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8: 28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship(Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col. 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child(Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
who you are!?

[Tina]

9 WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm.This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says "Thanks a lot" - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say "you're welcome" ... that will bring on a "whatever").

(8) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying ---- YOU!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to # 3.

[Tina]

Author and lecturer, Leo Buscaglia, once talked about a contest
he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find
the most caring child.

The winner was:

A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly
gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man
cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed
onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the
little boy just said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'

********************************

Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of
a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair
color than the other members. One of her students suggested that
he was adopted. A little girl said, 'I know all about adoption,
I was adopted.' 'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked
another child. 'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your
mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'

********************************

On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Littlle League base
ball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat
down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the
boys what the score was.

'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered with a smile.

'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you don't look very discouraged.'

'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face...

'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet.'

********************************
Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think
about little Jamie Scott.

Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His
mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though
she feared he would not be chosen.

On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect
him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with
pride and excitement. 'Guess what, Mom,' he shouted, and then
said those words that will remain a lesson to me.....'I've been
chosen to clap and cheer.'
********************************

An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in
December, some years ago: A little boy, about 10-years-old, was
standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering
through the window, and shivering with cold.

A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you're in
such deep thought staring in that window!'

'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,'was the boy's reply

The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked
the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She
then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He
quickly brought them to her.

She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and,
removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and
dried them with the towel.

By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a
pair upon the boy's feet, she purcha sed him a pair of shoes.

She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.
She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more
comfortable now.'

As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand,
and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her
.
'Are you God's wife?'

[Tina]

Elderly couple



While on a road trip, an elderly couple
stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After
finishing their meal, they left the restaurant and
resumed their trip.

When leaving, the elderly woman unknowingly left her
glasses on the table and she didn't miss them until
they had been driving about twenty minutes.

By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to
travel quite a distance before they could find a
place to turn around -- in order to return to the
restaurant to retrieve her glasses.

All the way back, the elderly husband became the
classic grouchy old man. He fussed and complained
and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire
return drive. The more he chided her -- the more
agitated he became. He just wouldn't let up one
minute.

To her relief, they finally arrived at the
restaurant. As the woman got out of the car and
hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, the old
geezer yelled to her, "While you're in there, you
might as well get my hat and the credit card."

[Tina]

Tea Time


When I was a baby, someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a gift and
it was one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed
in the evening news when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea,' which
was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such
yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to
watch his little princess bring him a cup of tea, because it was, "just
the cutest thing!" My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the
hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then
says, "Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet???"

[Tina]

Read directions first before you start...

You must hold the left mouse button down to go up..
release to go down...MOST DIFFICULT
Some people have worn their finger out on this. If you are working for a living, do not forward to your co-workers.. The rest of the day will be useless to the company..
Think you can fly a helicopter? Click on the
link below and give it a whirl!

http://www.hurtwood.demon.co.uk/Fun/copter.swf

Now, quit goofing off and get back to work!!!

[Tina]

MAGNOLIAS.......... By Edna Ellison


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.

The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiancé 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.'