Share the Love

Share the Love
by Heather Collver

How much love do you have? Can we really measure our love? Is there only so much and then we are empty? That may seem the case at times, but God is love and the more of him that you have in your life, the more you will overflow with his love.

I remember when I was pregnant with my second child. I wondered if I could ever love her the same as my first. I was almost worried over the matter. The moment I saw her, I knew there was enough room in my heart for both of them. Isn't it funny how we sometimes fret over things that end up working itself out later on?

Today I am praying that we all find time to extend our heartstrings to those who need it most. Call someone we have put off calling, say something kind to a stranger, smile at someone who needs to feel they are welcome in this world. I don't know what it is you should do today to extend a bit of the love that God desires the world to know. I pray that we will all be a bit more excited today, a little more challenged to give this free gift of love to someone else.

Lord, thank you for being our Father, teach us how to love others and help us to be sensitive to their needs. I pray that we will always be willing to extend your love to others and receive it when it is given. Help us to be the reflection that fits you, that reveals your love and grace. Help us to give hope to the weary.

Please continue to pray for JoAnne A. this week.

Please send in your prayer and praises for this week, I would love to share the praises and pray for your needs.

Psalm 52:8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever

Father- Spiritual

What does a spiritual leader look like to you? Can you think of someone by name? Many times we expect our church to lead us spiritually, but where does it all start? Who is responsible for children's spiritual growth? For their example of Christ's love?

The Bible shows us examples of Fathers who are spiritual leaders. They look after the well-being of the family, as well of the individual members of the family. In Genesis 12:8, the father functioned as the priest of his family, sacrificing on their behalf.

There is a clear example of a fathers love in Job 1:5 When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

Father's today can show the same concern by praying for their children. This means "sacrificing" some time each day to ask God to forgive them, help them grow, protect them and help them to please him.

Father's should be the religious leader in their home, training the children in godliness.

Exodus 12:3 Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household.... 26Then your children will ask, ‘What does this ceremony mean?’ 27 And you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.’” When Moses had finished speaking, all the people bowed down to the ground and worshiped.

Many Father's want to make all the decisions for their children. It hurts them in the long run. When Father's teach children how to make decisions, they don't have to watch every step their children take. Children remain on the right path when they have chosen that path themselves. This is an example of a spiritual leader, one who will lead them into godliness.
Proverbs 22:6
Direct your children onto the right path,
and when they are older, they will not leave it.

The purpose of discipline is to help children grow, not to exasperate or provoke them to anger. It is not easy, it takes patience to raise children in a loving, Christ-honoring manner. Fathers today are pulled in every direction. They must remember that they must act in love, treating children as Jesus treated his disciples, he loved them. This is vital to children's understanding of Christ's character.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

Please continue to pray for Erika M. this week. Also, please continue to pray for Angela as she travels today.

Giving Day 3 - Cheerfully

2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."^a]">[a] ¹⁰Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

When we give, it is a heart issue. We should not DO it for something in return. However, we should EXPECT something in return because God is faithful. The difference between the two thought processes is that when we DO it for something in return we usually are motivated by what we have in mind to receive. We already know what we are getting. When we expect something in return, we understand that we are giving because we are honoring our God, we do it in the name of our Father, for his glory. Believing in his promises and being faithful to His word, we know there is something in return. We just don't limit God by already having in mind what that something is, when we are getting it, or how it will be given. We just know that we can expect it. By not limiting God in our own little imagination, we open up the opportunity for God to teach us, to grow us spiritually and to pour out blessing we would have never imagined. It makes a huge difference when we give cheerfully.

I think of two occasions that provide wonderful examples for this verse:

My daughter, Hayley, loves to bargain. She and most any other pre-teen on the face of this Earth wants to know what they are getting out of doing something. On occasion, she doesn't ask and that is when I want to bless her abundantly. The times she goes right to what I have asked her to do or give, with a happy heart, I am blessed and I pour out that blessing on her in return.

When Dale and I started to go to church, God began working in my heart to tithe. I am a penny pincher, so imagine how hard that was. We own a business and made a good income, but that was our money, not the churches. Until he showed us that he is truly in control. I won't get into it, that is a different story, another time, but at first I was not cheerful when I gave. It showed. But as my heart softened, I realized it wasn't mine to give anyway, it is all his. As we began to prayerfully decide what to tithe, we began to trust God more and now, I know that he does provide and he is blessed when I do it because I am happy to do it, not wanting something in return, just expecting that there will be blessings poured out.

A good friend of ours who is a pretty new Christ follower said that he wants to give everything he can because he wants to see where God is going to bless him, he wants to see if he can out give God!!!! How awesome is that. He realizes of course that Christ gave the ultimate gift to us, but just the very thought that God is our friend, we are in a relationship with him, just like our other relationships, it is always nice to try to out give a friend.

Dear Lord,
I love that you can be blessed when I give cheerfully. I love the thought of blessing you. Especially because I know you have already blessed me so much. Help me to be able to teach this to my children, the act of cheerful giving. How blessed we are when we realize it is not ours in the first place, frees us up from wanting to hoard it all. Especially when You teach us a lesson on what is yours, not ours. Thank you, Lord for loving me and giving me the opportunity to bless you. Amen.

Strife

Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all transgressions.

Hatred is a powerful thing. There isn't really anything you can say that could argue the opposite in this verse.

Do you hate anyone, any situation? I don't have hatred towards any one person but I do have some sensitive areas in my life that can get worked up in a hurry. Do you have something you don't let go of?

Me, it is when people make excuses. I don't want your excuses. Seriously...I don't know why it bothers me so bad, it is seemingly a harmless matter and most of the time people make excuses in order to not hurt someones feelings. When people I love start to make excuses for the places they are in life...why they can't do this, why they can only do that....I almost crawl out of my skin. I suppose this is where I need to learn to be more compassionate. You see, once someone says their excuse I have a tendency to call people on it. It is me stirring the strife, honestly. I haven't ever thought of it that way until now but that is what it is. I really make no attempt to be loving or kind or helpful, I just want them to know they are giving me a line and I am not going to fall for it.

So, in the words of wise Solomon I should learn to love. Yes, the love that forgives people there transgressions. The kind of love people need in their lives. The love I have abundantly been given in my time of need. Because in the end, the excuses don't matter. And whatever it is that hated stirs in your life, that two has little consequence on the grand scheme of life. Forgiveness and love are so much bigger and have the eternal consequence we all hope for.

Heavenly Father~You amaze and delight me in your Word today. Your Word, so relevant and true, even to me and where I am at in my life. Give me a heart to love, a love that covers transgression. Remind me what I have been forgiven so that I too can give that forgiveness away to others. Soften my heart to the things that tempt me with feelings of hatred, show me your way in those situations. May the next time I begin to stir up strife, I turn and focus on you. ~In Your Precious Holy Name

Please Pray for Sam Y this week......

Angela, Day 2

If I had a mission statement it would probably say:

Love without Expectation.

I believe loving someone involves action. I believe to love someone as God loves us we have to do it without being loved back or at least without expecting anything in return.

There are days I struggle with this in a huge way and there are days it seems effortless to pour into lives around me.

1 Corinthians 4:4-8a Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

A few years ago I was watching a movie or some type of show, I don't remember anymore what it was. They talked about how people say I love you only to hear it back. Do you think that is true? I do. I did a little experiment and for a time I wouldn't respond back when people told me they loved me. I just appreciated the words, but even my husband would wait for the typical response. I asked him once if it was okay if I didn't say it back, he said "NO, I want to hear you tell me you love me too". He knows though, after much discussion, that when I tell him I love him I am sincere and am honoring him without expecting that love returned.

I take the verses about loves characteristics seriously. Love is not self-seeking. Wow, that is a hard one. It is hard to step out and love people without the return of gratitude. My hope is that even my kids will feel loved when their chores aren't done and when they have had a bad day and didn't speak to me. I don't need them to show me a thing in order for me to put my arms around them and love them.

Love keeps no records of wrong. Hmmm. This one makes me think of when I do things and I want someone to notice. I want to be appreciated. Didn't anyone see how selfless I am and how I serve without even being asked? Love me, I serve you!! Okay that is a little drama, but the truth is, this is the hardest part of love. Giving beyond ourselves, loving without the response. More often then not when we don't get the reaction we think we deserve, or expect, we will keep record and next time we won't serve.

Everyday that I wake up I am given the opportunity to respond to God's amazing grace. When I go about my life and my day, I want to love God's creation. All of it. Without expectation. Isn't that what He does for me everyday?

Please continue to pray for Kelly H (WA) this week.

Wonders, Day 2

There are days that I speak of grace and the perfect love that comes from a personal relationship with our Father.

There are days when I look around and see His majesty, His creation and I can't breath because He is so Big.

There are days I give testimony to his healing and miracles and I am confident in my adoption into His family.

There are days, like today, that I remember our King humbled himself, sacrificed, so that we all may be saved.

Zechariah
9:9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!Shout in triumph, O daughter of
Jerusalem!Behold, your king is coming to you;He is just and endowed with
salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey,Even on a colt, the foal of a
donkey.

Matthew 21
The Triumphal Entry
1When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of
Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.
3"If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."
4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5"SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, 'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'"
6The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them,
7and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. 8Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.
9The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, "Hosanna to the son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!"
10When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?"
11And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."

Please continue to pray for Bonita E this week.

Vocation, Day 3

Vocation, Day 3

Looking Back

I remember the day he started at the church. I went in to meet him. He was different than I had pictured, much taller. His name is Matt Smith. He was starting his position as the College Ministry Pastor. The short time he served at our church, he taught me and no doubt hundreds of others, what it meant to be "in love" with God. He served along side my husband and Pastor Jim, the Student Ministries Pastor. The three of them formed a tight bond and we joked many times that Jim was the Father, Dale, the son and Matt the Holy Spirit. Of course we were not trying to put them in the position of the true trinity, but they complemented each other by their ministry abilities. Knowing Matt meant that you were going to learn something from him. It also meant that you could tell right off that he was family, but that he was not going to remain at the church forever, he was called to bigger, greater things and eventually God caught his attention. After convincing half the church that we should give up the worldly view of Christmas and buy livestock for families across the country we will probably never meet, Matt announced he was going to Africa. This last year we had the privilege to pray for Matt as he went on his journey to respond to the call in his life. Matt is back and wrote a great letter for us all, I wanted to share it with you. Hopefully you will be as blessed as I was reading it. Maybe you will even visit his blog site to read more about his calling. Please take a moment to read the letter he wrote:

Dana Da ru, (Amharic for: How are you?)
It is Saturday afternoon in Sisters, Oregon and I'm behind a big bay window that opens up to a view of roaming horses, rippling water, and floating leaves. The last whisper of falls warmth has said good-bye and winters chilly dry breath has settled in over this small town. Tiny trout are splashing around with freedom before the freeze sets in and the sky is sparkling with a never-ending misty blue. It's scenic and it's peaceful and it's perfect.
It has been eight weeks to the day since I set foot back on American soil. I have sequestered myself in the woods of central Oregon desperate to be alone and quiet and thoughtful. The chaos and misery and overwhelming reality of life in Addis Ababa created a deep reverent desire for stillness and rest. I learned that my life has always been a chorus of voices clamoring for my attention. This summer voices of the past came back and collided with hopeful whispers from the future. And in the middle they met the voice of the present standing stubbornly on patrol. In the ringing calamity of it all was the soft glow of eternal truth and it is that voice for which I long. It is for that voice that I wait and pray and rest and listen.
I have discovered during the last eight weeks that the previous twelve weeks in Ethiopia were a contradiction in terms. It was draining and fulfilling. It was exhausting and energizing. It was heart breaking and life giving. It was tragic and beautiful. It was everything I expected and nothing I assumed.
This journey began with a yearning for transformation. I had numbers and statistics about poverty piling up in my head and I felt like they were driving me towards a theoretical meltdown. So I stepped off of a plane in Addis Ababa and spent twelve weeks walking the streets of Africa. Our time on the ground with homeless orphans helped me to find the names behind the numbers. Every statistic I had committed to memory is now a story with a heartbeat.
I came to understand that poverty is both tangible and intangible. There are physical things, like using a street for a toilet, sharing a cramped concrete slap for a bed, and not having money for toothpaste. There are also invisible obstacles such as mental exhaustion, psychological warfare, and a condemning spirit of rejection. But, my greatest revelation from my time in the trenches is: hope. Numbers no longer scare me. I am not overwhelmed by this black hole we call poverty. Scraggly teeth and filthy hands no longer intimidate me. There is beauty in the deepest mire.
We found life in the most unpredictable places. Beneath bridges, shinning shoes, begging for change, walking for water, waiting for taxis, serving meals, sipping coffee; life was all around us. We found life in people with needs, like Samson, a homeless man with a wounded hand. And we found it in need-meeters, like Dr. Ferdo, an Ethiopian surgeon with a heart to heal. We found life in a little girl named Mekelete, an eight-year- old orphan who roams the streets. And we found it in different ministries like Hope For Children, an organization that rescues children from the streets.
In the middle of all the life-needing/life-giving stories I found something invaluable. It poured from the lips of every smiling stranger and filled my soul. It rung out crystal clear in innocent voices of street children shouting my name. It wrapped me up in hugs. It found me over meals and in church. It laid me down at night and woke me in the morning.
In Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia, the most common greeting is, "seulam no?" They borrow the word 'seulam' from the Hebrew word 'shalom.' Literally translated the greeting means, "do you have peace?" I love that question because peace doesn't mean absence of conflict. It doesn't mean two fingers in the sky or a charm on a necklace. Shalom means, 'complete.' Put together. And that's the strange something stirring inside me. A sense of completeness whispering with a soft voice, "Matt, this is worth your energy. This is worth your time. This is worth your life."
Thank you. It needs to be said a million times. Thank you. Ethiopia was simply too far for me to reach on my own. You got me there and you brought me back. Your prayers lifted my spirits and kept me safe. Your questions challenged me and made me think. And now your encouragement is moving me on.
I've been accepted to Fuller Theological Seminary's school of Intercultural Studies and am planning on beginning my studies within the next year. For the time being I am in Sisters working on some writing projects. I posted lots of pictures and thoughts during my time in Africa to my website. If you would like to know/see/read more you're invited to visit at web.mac.com/mawordsmith. As always I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, and stories so please call. Even if it just to say hi, call.
Thank you for journeying with me and sharing my dreams. You have my eternal gratitude and prayers. I hope during this advent season you find the complete peace of Christ. There is so much hope and beauty in the story of Immanuel. It is life-giving and profound and we can't hear it enough. Blessings on you and your family.

"May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace."
- Numbers 6:24

Love and Peace,

Matthew A. Smith
__________________________
call: 720-635-2650
write: mawordsmith@gmail.com
visit: web.mac.com/mawordsmith


I think that was enough for today. May his prayer be fulfilled today.

Please join me in praying for Kathy L. this week.

Power, Day 3

I have recently found in my life that the greatest place I find Power is in my fellow Christians coming to my side. There are so many ways that they enrich this life of mine. Many celebrate with me in my triumphs. Even more have lifted me up in encouragement. A few friends that I hold even closer, hold me accountable to the things that I value in my life.

There is so much that God has given us, including friendship. I truly believe we were created to be in relationship with each other. Through family, through marriage and friendship we all have bonds with those around us.

For those of you that are discouraged by people and find you are in a constant state of disappointment when it comes to relationships, please find the silver lining. We are all a work in progress, sometimes with a stumble and a trip we make mistakes big and small. Hypocrisy comes with the territory when you are finding your way and struggling with your flesh. Finding strength in a new identity is hard work and sometimes discouraging.

We need each other. We need to have a hand to pick us up off the ground. We need a shoulder to cry on when we are weak. We need fellow believers that call on the Power in our Savior. The real Power shines through when we come together in fellowship and strength. We are all connected to the same vine, in need of the same spiritual food and encouragement. By working together the fruit of God's craftsmanship is sure to be seen.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.
For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.

Need, Day 3

How do we know if we are using our needs for God or for ourselves? I think we should ask ourselves what our motivation is. If we have God's heart in mind we are probably on the right track..

When we are connected to the Vine (our Savior) and His fruit is alive in our lives it is easier to see that your needs are serving a great God. Okay, so let me give you an example. I have a need to be loved by my husband. Pretty simple need in my life, right? Maybe not, because a lot of marriages I know of are struggling with being loved inside their marriage relationships. What if, I take my need (desire) to be loved and I mix in God's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness......?

Now, are you wondering how this works. In the simplest form, I have chosen to serve God first and pour His love into my marriage. When I do that, my husbands natural reaction will be to respond to my behavior. If he feels me being more patient and notices that I have more self-control in my mouth, maybe in God's faithfulness I have become a bigger believer in my husbands abilities and not such a critic of his failures. Do you think my husband will respond with the love that I need? My need for love is now being fulfilled by my husband because of our service to Christ. Does my desire now serve our God? Does a marriage with Christ as its head set an example for the world around us?

Walking in the Spirit with our needs. Yes, all of our needs. Taking time to abide in our Savior, replaces our selfish needs with a servants heart. We need to remember that our first step towards fulfilling any need in our life is to first sit at the feet of Jesus.

Luke 10:38-42
At the Home of Martha and Mary
38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Please continue to pray for Connie W this week.

Mind, Day 4

Mind, Day 4

Don't stop when you know the answer

Our minds play a huge role in our lives. How we relate to others, how we choose to spend our time and whether or not sin will control our lives. We are asked to be like minded with other believers and not to have divisions. In this day and age, there are so many religions it is hard to keep up. I have always separated religion from relationship. What this means to me is that our relationship with Jesus Christ is what makes us Christians and our belief in God unites us with so many other religions in this world. Are we to judge what is right and wrong amongst them, no, but we are to caution what is in their teachings. The Holy spirit will guard our hearts and minds. We can only live by the Spirit if we believe in Christ Jesus. So for me, I know that I must stay like minded with those who also live by the Spirit, because they too, will have the Spirit guarding their hearts and minds. So be cautious in this world, not to fall into the evil schemes of the devil. I know this sounds so religious to so many people, but we cannot live in peace without being guarded by the Spirit. Today, be open to being like minded with others that may not carry the same denomination as you. Seek those that are like minded and live at peace with them. Continue to pray for those that may be blinded. Just like the example of Hayley and the Quiz meet. Some may have part of the answer, but not the whole thing, they may have closed their minds to the Whole answer. I praise our God, Jesus Christ and the Spirit for this revelation.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for this week. For the devotional and for loving us so much. Please help those who read today's devotional to know that I love them and that their salvation is so important. Lord, go ahead of this devotional and prepare those who will read it, open their minds to receive it. I love you Lord.

Luke 10:27 He answered: "`love the Lord your God with all your hear and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, `Love your neighbor as yourself.' "

1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

Please pray for Debi

Please pray for Kathy L., an MRI returned results that are troubling. Please pray for neurosurgen for this matter.

Please pray for Jamison D. His surgery is Friday morning. He is 2 years old and was born with 1 chamber in his heart. He has already had sugery before, this one is to take care of some of the things they did not do before and is very serious. He is also sick this week, but must have the surgery because of his oxygen levels. Please pray for all those involved in his care and for him to be well. Please pray for his parents, Mindy and Darren as well. Thanks.

Please send in any comments, praise or prayer for this week. Thanks.

Love, Day 5

Prayer and Praise.

Take a few minutes to spend time with our Heavenly Father today.

Today's worship song comes from one of my favorite artist. I hope you enjoy.

Jon Foreman: Your Love is Strong







Happy Birthday Shawna L and Madi S. Hope you have a wonderful day!!

Praise: Thank you for all of your prayers for Linda W and her family. Her dad is recovering well from his heart surgery. Please continue to pray for healing in relationships and opportunity for forgiveness.

I have asked for many prayers over the past two weeks, for myself and my husband, and someone is praying. I have felt the power of the prayers the last few days! God has also been speaking to me through this tough time in amazing confirming ways. I am encouraged and looking forward to a future of hope and joy. Please continue to pray for clarity and rest. ~Janell O

Please pray for Donna O's husband, Gil. He had surgery today on his thumb. Healing. Please pray for Jamison D. He was born with only one chamber in his heart, had surgeries to build the other chambers up. Now he is 2 years old (praise God) and needs another surgery this month. Please pray in the following weeks that Mindy and Darren will be comforted, have time to love on their son and that his surgery and recovery go well. The surgery is the 24th of this month. Financially they have capped all insurance and it is a burden for them. Thank you.

Please pray for our family as we work through some financial issues in developing our new and improved budget!! ~Jan J



In Honor of this weeks word Love I would like to say a special praise for Love that comes in marriage. Praise God that everyday in my marriage it is more. There is something about being connected to someone in every way. Even after 15 yrs we are still learning to be intimate and vulnerable with each other. I love the security he brings to our family and the way he loves me without doing a thing. When Ted talks about his faith, I know he has a bigger purpose and is guiding our family in that purpose. I can't explain it....It is beyond attraction, it is relationship that drives me to be better. It makes my everyday worth it.....Love is a funny thing, it is living. I don't think we always see that. It changes and grows. Becomes a part of who we are. It requires the most of us with the greatest consequences but is worth all sacrifice....Praise God for my marriage and the Love that comes from resting in Him and walking in the Spirit. ~Angela


Continued Prayer Requests:

~Sam C., health and less stress

~Diana B., Marriage, more time for herself and for family to be able to take care of themselves so she can spend more time enjoying life.

~Pray for Shannon and Jonathon. Marriage

~Pray for Jay, new contract. For financial peace.

~Pray for Roger, peace, job

~Pray for Kalee and Kimberly, direction and knowledge

~Pray for Matt S. who is at Hume Lake camp for ministry, job opps.

~Pray for Hayley, obedience

~Pray for comfort and guidance for Rachael S.

~Pray for strength for Ashley J.

~Pray for Healing: JoAnne A., Healing of cancer. Heather C., Healing of Thyroid, Iron deficiency, lump Dale G., weight issues Lea N., hip Kathy L., past, addictions, sciatic issues Robert C. Sr., severe back pain Ginny R., healing of cancer Addyson D., Iron deficiency

~Kathy L.,restoration

~McKayla L protection and safety. Pray for a situation to be resolved so that Mckayla's safety is not at risk.

~Janell O and her family, provision in their planning phase of an Africa missions trip. Pray also for peace and strength in their marriage. Pray for understanding and discernment.

~Farah R provision and employment opportunities in their family.

~Canvas Fellowship, location opportunities. The children's ministry has outgrown their space.

~Brittany J and her family are in need of Gods guidance and provision.

~Please pray for revival at Canal Fulton Christian Fellowship

~Pray for Jane M. gaining knowledge through life experiences

Sometimes there are things that just say what we need to here. We have a wonderful praise this week: Because of this video Denise P. gave her life to Christ Wed night. Denise, we celebrate with you and the angels. May we be a source of love and connection to your new family. God Bless. Here is the video she watched, may it touch your hearts as it did hers. Please visit the Nooma website and show your support for a wonderful ministry.

Rob Bell; Nooma; Lump

Love, Day 4

I know that I will ever be able to truly Love anyone as much as God has loved me. I am thankful that I am a work in progress. I am thankful that each day I am given an opportunity to make sacrifices for the people I do love. I am grateful for the example that has been given to me. I pray daily that this Love, the Love of Christ, is poured out into the world. May they know the Love of our God through the Love we give freely to our family and friends.

John 15:12-17

Disciples' Relation to Each Other

"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
"You are My friends if you do what I command you.
"No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
"This I command you, that you love one another.

Please pray for Danielle D this week.

Please send in your Prayer and Praise to share for tomorrow. Also, if you have a testimony of how God's Love changed you please share it with us.....

Love, Day 3

There are so many forms and yet one simple word.

After having my first child, I think I started to understand what it truly meant to love. Up to that point every form of love that I had was not unconditional. From the moment I saw Madi's face, I loved her. Actually, if you want to be technical, it was from the moment I new we were pregnant. The responsibility of loving another was overwhelming. Understanding that she required everything from me. She could not do it on her own.

I think that is a small taste of how God loves us. "Papa." He loves you with all of the responsibility and understanding that comes from parenting.

Madi turns 9 this week. She has grown so fast. She still needs me but sometimes doesn't say it. Even at 9 she is finding her independence separate from me. My heart hurts when she hurts, even though I want to hold her close I now have to wait for her to ask. How many times has God waited for me to ask for His comfort?

There is a part of God's love that is hard for me to give to people I love. The unconditional kind. Even with Madi there are boundaries. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I am human and will trust that I am not the only one that struggles with this. I talk to my children about grace all of the time, but give very little. I can be a very, well, "get your stuff done and then you can have my time and attention" kind of parent. Don't get it done and you will get an earful and a cold shoulder. I do my best to lighten up a bit but I have a very "get it done" attitude. Sometimes I can't see beyond the to-do's to the things that need real nurturing in our lives. Yes, laundry needs to be done but at what sacrifice to relationship?

I am so thankful that our God is more merciful then that. Asking me to abide (rest) in Him so that I may know His love. No to-do's first. Just resting. When I come home (in prayer), I rest, then respond to that Love by serving. His focus is on reward, not punishment.

1 John 4:13-19
By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
We love, because He first loved us.

Heavenly Father~ WOW!! Lord, you are so amazing. I am overcome with thoughts of how you love me. Lord, I need to know how to love. I want to Love my children first. Be my guide, Father. Show me the ways to love my family. I desire to be a vessel for your Love. I want to put my requirements and my judgements aside so that I can Love as you Love. ~In Your Precious Name.

Love, Day 2

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

It does not envy.

It does not boast.

Most of us know the verses in 1 Corinthians 13. If you don't know them, I am sure you have heard them at a wedding or two. Maybe even had the words recited at your own nuptials.

It is pretty easy this day and age to get our Love mixed up. Our Bible has taught us one thing, our society another.

Love is right here-right now.

Love is jealous.

Love is competition.

Love is self-serving.

Learning how to Love in a Godly manner is difficult. I grew up with a world example of love. Cycles that I still to this day have trouble breaking. Love to me was how I gaged if I was good enough. I needed to know if I was worth any ones affection. I spent a lot of time filling up my life with artificial Love. Seeking attention that was steeling my value. I didn't know what I was doing but I knew that I needed something I couldn't find in myself. I knew the right here, right now kind of love. I didn't know the kind of love that was intimate and unfailing.

The only real difference between one Love vs the other is Grace. There is good love in our world but it always comes with a to-do list and proof of our value. Only one Love is given freely. Only one Love forgives sin. Only one Love made the ultimate sacrifice for you. Only one Love waits patiently for you to receive it.

May I challenge you to evaluate the type of Love that you show the world around you. Especially your children. We are how they learn to receive love. We are the ones that open the doors to the everlasting Love of Jesus or the Love that steels the things of God from our children. Help your children understand that even though you Love them it is the Creator of the Universe that Loves them above all else. Fill the need in their lives to be loved with the Truth. Don't let them fall into the trap I did, looking for Love in places that are self-serving and temporary.

1 John 4:15-17

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

Please pray for Danielle D this week

Love, Day 1

What is it about LOVE?

I tried to think of a thousand other L words to go with this week. Just can't steer from the Truth. Love has it every time. It is the reason I write this devotional. It is the reason I get out of bed every day. It is the thing that keeps my heart beating and my feet moving.

We are created to need Love. We are created to need God.

In this life, no matter how we try and get it, how we conditionally give it away, it never compares to the perfect Love of God. It can never compare to his Loving sacrifice.

1 John 4:8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Heavenly Father, Praise your name today for all that you are. When I take the time to admire you majesty, I am overcome with how much you Love us. Standing between mountains and valleys, with colors more imaginative then I could even dream, Your beauty is astounding. On my run this morning Lord, my path was lit with the light from a perfect full moon. Your perfect moon that moves the oceans and creates the tides. Thank you Lord for Your perfect sense of timing in all things. Use me this week to express the power of your Love. The power that you breathed into us. Help us acknowledge our need for Your Love. Lord remind us all that through your sacrifice we are freely given your gift of grace. Through our faith Lord we may receive your Divine Love. May my mustard seed of faith be a song to you, my life a response to your amazing grace. ~In His Holy Name

Please pray for Daniell D this week.

We would like to say a special thank you to everyone that takes the time to read our daily devotions. We are in the process of updating our weekly prayer calendar. Would you take the time to respond to this post with your first name and last initial? We would love to take the time to pray for everyone that is a part of our community. We love you all very much. God Bless.

Jealousy, Day 4

Godly Jealousy

Our God is a jealous God. Since the fall of Adam God has been attempting to reconcile us back into covenant and relationship with him. He created us with free will so that He could be chosen by us. When law didn't work he gave us grace. He made the ultimate sacrifice of love. He gave us His son.

He wants you in His family so much that he sacrificed his son for you.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

Grace, a free gift of pure unconditional love. Faith by grace that saves us. Mercy that brings us into relationship with our Creator, Our Father.

Our Lord calls out to us "Come back to me". Are you listening? Are you answering his call? Are you responding to his Love? He wants to be chosen above all else in your life.

Please continue to pray for Connie W this week.

Jealousy, Day 3

On Day 1 we looked at the definitions for jealousy. Today I want to look at number 3.vigilance in maintaining or guarding something.

How do we have jealousy and do it out of Spirit? Vigilance can be good and it can be bad. Many of us have seen what happens when someone has a jealous personality that destroys all of their relationships. It is easy to loose the things we love when our vigilance becomes control and obsession.

We have a couple of wonderful fruit in our lives that allows us to be vigilant and guarding in our relationships without becoming the thing that causes bitterness and resentment.

Let me just put this out there. I am a jealous person, especially when it comes to my husband. I am jealous of his time and his attention. It would be easy for me to control him and make crazy accusations that come from my wild imagination. Don't get me wrong, I haven't always gotten this right. At the beginning of our marriage I was always accusing him of spending too much time with people at work, of having a girl friend. My jealousy came from a place of pure insecurity. I still have my days but I have changed my perspective.

Marriages need a bit of vigilance and guarding. Actually, maybe a lot more then we give them. They are suppose to be our number one human relationships and we give them the least of our attention. Our spouses get our worst. As Christians we proudly show off our beautiful fruit of love and patience and kindness and self-control and we don't realize we don't share those very things with the one we supposedly love the most.

What would happen in your marriage if you vigilantly poured in kindness, gentleness, joy and faithfulness? Do you think things would change? In Galatians 5:25 it tells us that if we live BY the Spirit, then we also WALK by the Spirit. (emphasis mine). Sometimes in our Christian lives it is easier to have and give the gifts of God in the outside world. When we pour into our marriages and allow the vulnerability it takes to be real with someone, our families will reap the benefits. it is hard to put yourself out there and not know how someone with respond or even if any of it will come back to you. Trust me, it is worth all the effort you can gather to put fruit in your marriage. Your spouse may know the worst and last that you have to give, but do they know the first fruits of your life?

What would happen in your marriage if you were guarding it with love, peace, patience and self-control? I don't want to scare you but your marriage needs guarding, they all do. This world isn't a big fan of great marriages. We can't be passive about the one we love the most, the one we once said we wanted to spend our entire lives with.

Galatians 5: 22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Jealousy, Day 2

Jealousy in flesh.

This is one of the things that we learn as part of our society. Isn't jealousy what spurs us to success? It is the thing that creates a desire to do better, work harder, create for yourself the things that others have. Okay, hold on just a second. We have this all wrong. We need to stop agreeing with everyone around us. Jealousy isn't the thing that makes us better, God makes us better. We live our lives in response to His grace, not in response to a desire to have what other people have, Right?!!

Love is not Jealous. (1 Cor 13:4)

James 3:13-18
Wisdom from Above
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Please continue to pray for Connie W this week.

Hope, Day 4

It is time to stop blowing on the dice.

It is time to stop wishing on the stars.

It is time to stop looking for the numbers on the back of your fortune.

It is time to start looking to your Savior.

Refocus your thoughts on things not of this world but on the thing you cannot see. Many people around us and some of us are struggling with the realities of a struggling economy, rising gas prices and a terrible housing market. People are loosing jobs and the cost of everything is going up. How do we keep going? How do you keep going?

Can you show the world around you what it looks like to focus hope on Christ?

Instead of lottery tickets, horoscopes and government put your trust and expectations on the One who loves you.

We all have to go through the struggles that come to us. We have to work through financial struggles. We have to mend broken hearts. We have to keep moving when some days it is easier to pull the covers over your head.

Focus on the One that has promised you hope and love.

Heavenly Father, Your grace and beauty overwhelms me with Thanksgiving. Times are getting hard for many of us and we need your guidance. More then ever Lord I need to turn to you with my expectations. I want to be a light in a world that wants to turn to failing promises. Guide us Lord with your word. In our times of struggle be our focus and strength. Be the hope in the darkness. Even though it is tough and hard to struggle in our relationships and our finances, be our focus. Don't let me look to the things of this world for answers but to you. ~In your precious name.

Please continue to pray for Shawna L this week. Please let us know your praise and prayers for tomorrow. God Bless.

Expectation Day 4

Expectation Day 4

No more expectations!

God does not love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because God loves us. - Fulton J. Sheen

If God takes our lump of clay and remolds it, it will be on the basis of love and not on the basis of power over you. - James Conway

Write a list of human characteristics of love and then compare them to your understanding of God's love.

Now write a list of expectations that you have for yourself. That others have for you. Rip it up! Lift up those arms and praise God that it is not our expectations or those of others that matters to him. Praise him for giving us a simple call in our lives. To love him and others as he loves us.

Now, go on with your day, a bit lighter, knowing that what ever you accomplish today is enough, more than enough.

Dear Lord,

You are amazing. You are love. I love you. Thank you.