Shirley Sherrod ... Please Don't Misunderstand

This is beautiful testimony of how God worked in a woman's life to see that our issues are not about racism (black and white) it's about the have's and the have not's.

Thank You

God's grace alone grants us the blessing of beginning our life together as one. But the blessings have not stopped there. We want to say a very heartfelt "hank you" for the roles each of you have played in our journey's as individuals and in the process of two becoming one. Just as the two of us feel that we are "better together," we have certainly been made "better" by living life with each of you over the years. Thank you!!!

Our parents deserve special thanks not only for putting up with us over the years, but mostly for providing us with a special example of marriage and for passing on a legacy of faithfulness service, and abiding love. May God bless our line by continuing this legacy for generations to come.

This was the marriage sentiments printed on the wedding card for tow friends. It was a beautiful picture of how all the people of their lives impacted them for good. May God be glorified in their marriage.

Amen and amen!

Life Is ...

Life is an opportunity; benefit from it.

Life is beauty; admire it.

Life is bliss; taste it.

Life is a dream; realize it.

Life is a challenge; meet it.

Life is duty; complete it.

Life is a game; play it.

Life is a promise; fulfill it.

Life is sorrow; overcome it.

Life is a song; sing it …

Mother Teresa

Man's Character; Wife's Countenance

Someone recently quoted Coach McCartney, "If you want to know a man's character, look into his wife's face, her countenance will reveal it."

This is true for the most part, but she has to have decent character to begin with! If a wife is a control freak or a fear junkie, nothing a husband does will ever be good enough in her eyes.

Murphy

Cool Rap Video - Check it out!

Now this is awesome in just 1 minute 41 seconds!
View it .. and Pass It On !!

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Hard Times ...

Question:

In these strained economic times, what weighs most heavily on your mind? What helps you best hang in there?

(Photo by M. Toerner; Texas wildflowers)

Isaiah 49: 15-16

"I will not forget you.

Behold I have inscribed you

on the palms of My hands."

Question: When you consider what the

Father's heart is like toward you,

what is your response to Him?

Friendships

What are three qualities you look for in close friendships?

Easter Sunday

He is risen!!!!!

Fear of Man

Deuteronomy 1:17

"You shall not show partiality in judgment;

you shall hear the small and the great alike.

You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God's.

The case that is too hard for you,

you shall bring to me and I will hear it."

The Disciples

Question:

After Jesus gave up His spirit and they actually laid Him in the tomb, what do you think the disciples felt; what did they think about the Man they thought would overthrow the Roman contingent in Jerusalem?

What might you have felt, if you had been one of His disciples?

Good Friday

What does Good Friday mean to you?

Palm Sunday

What is most spiritually significant to you about this day?

My Mom

On February 25th, my mom Betty Geer (from Lake Charles) went to be with the Lord. She died peacefully in the hospital with my sister Karen and my niece Lori at her side.

As only God could orchestrate, my mom prayed to receive Christ on the Saturday before her death on Thursday. (She had prayed before, but the "fruit" of her interactions with family did not reflect her converstion(s).)

One of the greatest ways to honor the death of our parents is to choose to equally and amicably disperse the material things they left behind. I am very thankful for my extended family.

The Real Enemy

Amazingly some Christians do not believe in the existence of evil or the fallen angel, Lucifer, i.e., Satan. Most Christians don't struggle in accepting the existence of Biblical characters like: Adam and Eve; Saul and David; the prophets; Paul, Peter, and the other apostles. We believe in Bible stories including: Creation, Noah's ark and the flood, Jericho, Passover, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, why do we struggle with the concept of evil, fallen angels, and the Devil. Perhaps, it's because such concentrated evil is inconceivable.

There are several names which describe this evil being:

• Satan
• Devil
• Prince of the power of the air
• Ruler of this world
• A disguised angel of light
• The evil one
• The serpent

There are several adjectives which describe him:

• Deceiver
• Seducer
• Liar
• Father of all lies
• Accuser of the brethren
• Enticer

Perhaps we choose not to believe in his existence because we give him too much power in our minds. Perhaps we forget that, "He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world."

Regardless, it is imperative for us to wake up to the schemes of the Evil one. His greatest tactics are: (1) to trick Christians into believing that God is not good; or (2) at the very least, that's God's goodness ebbs and flows depending on His erratic dispositions and our individual performances and short-comings; and (3) that evil does not exist, nor does Satan, himself, exist. All of these are lies!!!!

One of my favorite Murphy-isms is, "God is good, always good, and can never be anything but good." Another one is, "Either God is perfectly good, or He doesn't exist."

It is imperative that we settle who our spiritual enemy is.

How Do You See Him?

Some people see Him as their heavenly Father. He is the One who allowed His Son to leave heaven and dwell among men. He is the One who benevolently devised the plan of salvation. He allowed Jesus Christ to become the Lamb of God in order to take away the sins of the world. God is the beginning and the end; the Alpha and the Omega. He is good; always good; and can never be anything but good. He loves us perfectly and is Himself perfect love. He longs to bring us back into a right relationship with Himself. (Photo by MToerner; July, 2009)

Some people see Him very differently. To them, He is a distant, impotent deity who doesn’t care about the details of their lives. If He did care, wouldn’t He change their circumstances? Wouldn’t He intervene to relieve their pain? Since He does not intervene, these folks assume that He lives way out in space somewhere. He is neither real nor relevant; neither powerful nor present. These folks believe God to be more harsh than loving; more stern than personal.

How do you see God?

Having a personal experience with God reveals Him to be multifaceted, holy, forgiving, gracious, merciful, and righteous. He is the perfect Father. He is a most desirable Father; the kind of Father we all long for. He is real and relevant; powerful and present. He is always close at hand. He is our ABBA (which means “daddy” in Aramaic.) He promises to never leave nor forsake us. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

How have you experienced Him?

He wants us to see Him and know Him personally and authentically. He is all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. He is right here, right now. He is worthy of our worship, praise, love, and service. He is worthy of our awe, respect, obedience, reverence, and more.

How do you see God?

Is He the, “Man upstairs” to you? Is He a spiritual policeman waiting to hit you with His billet club; or is He a spiritual vending machine in the sky? Is He a stern-faced, mean-spirited Being who scares you into compliance? I hope not.

To get an accurate picture of Him, read through the Psalms and write down the various descriptions of Him. Read the Gospels and observe Jesus. He is the visible expression of the invisible God. Therefore, we can know what the Father is like by observing the behavior of the Son. Observe how Jesus treated His friends and His foes. How did He interact with those caught-up in sin? Did His teaching bring freedom or religious slavery?

How do you see Him?

My Mom's Condition ...

Dear Friends,

My mom, Betty, has been in the hospital in Lake Charles for about a week and a half. She is to be released tomorrow (Monday) from St. Patrick's. She is going to a facility called the Cove in an effort to rehab her legs and arms.

My mom fell about three weeks ago and subsequently developed excruciating back pain. She was taken to the emergency room and was told that all they could do was give her pain meds to manage the effects of her injuries. During the fall, she sustained three hairline fractures in her back and a compressed disk. We were incensed because the pain medicine would only increase her likelihood of falling again and my mom has severe osteoporosis.

Prior to this event, she has had 24 hour care at her home (my sister, Karen; niece, Lori; cousin, Leslie; nephew, James; have been taking turns staying with her.) I stayed in the hospital last weekend with her and got about 5 hours of sleep.

Another problem arose when my mom started hallucinating and becoming noticeably more demented than her previous baseline symptoms. We were unsure if she had suffered a stroke or had become dehydrated. That's why she went into the hospital most recently.

She was in so much pain in the hospital that when two different aids on two different occasions came to help her move/roll over or sit up to "potty", she was screaming and moaning so much that the aids started crying because of her pain level.

She is being fitted for a back brace. This should help significantly with her back pain. (Please pray that it does so.)

The pain medicine makes her sleep all day and therefore she has lost her appetite. She is barely eating anything. Also, by sleeping all day, she has not used her arms and legs hardly at all. I think through Medicare, she can stay at the Cove for about 28 days (inpatient) to help her regain her strength.

Betty is almost 84. I had a sweet time with her last weekend. Stroking her hair and telling her I love her. She is so weak that she is pretty soft. It was a very kind thing of God to hear my mom say, "I love you too, Murph." I think she actually meant it.

Please pray for Mom, Karen and her family, and me and my family as we go through this process.

Much, much love to you all, m

Pay It Forward

Have you ever had a friend drive 500 miles to help you convalesce after a medical procedure?

Have you ever had a friend bring an ice chest of food to your house because she knew that after being away for two weeks, there would be no milk, bread, eggs or lunch meat in the refrigerator?

Have you ever had the cashier in a fast-food drive-thru tell you that the driver of the car pulling away donated five dollars toward your meal?

Have you ever had friends give you an intimate birthday dinner party and said you could invite 14-16 special people to share the evening?

Have you ever had folks from church come to your home after hearing about your house fire? Or have you ever had (over a three day period) about 50 people come and help you account for everything in your home that was decimated by a fire; accomplishing in three days what a couple could do in several weeks?

If anyone has ever been sweet or kind or thoughtful to you, try today to "pay it forward."

Intentions

In chapter 2 of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus and his disciples were walking along in a wheat field. The disciples were hungry and thought nothing of picking the heads of grain and eating them. Their perception was (1) we are on a road trip with the Master; (2) we are hungry and need a little snack; (3) God provided this beautiful wheat field with harvest-ready wheat; and so, (4) we can eat some grain now and it will tide us over until we are able to get a proper meal.

Sounds pretty innocuous, doesn't it? Oh, by the way, did I tell you this event took place on the Sabbath.

Some Pharisees, noted for being lovers and keepers of the Law, observed the disciples snacking. The Pharisees were offended and indignant. Picking the heads of wheat and eating the grain was considered work and good, religious people don't work on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was regarded as a holy day and a day of rest.

In your opinion, what were the intentions of the disciples? What were the intentions of the Pharisees?

What is more important: keeping the letter of the Law or the intent of the Law?

Can someone keep almost all of the Law and still be far away from God? Can someone look unworthy and undeserving and be close to God?

I'd love to hear your thoughts ...