Fri, Jan 31st - 8:25AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
My husband and I took our two-year-old daughter to the home-improvement store. Madison got tired of walking, so my husband let her ride on his shoulders. As he walked, Madison began pulling his hair. Although he asked her to stop several times, she kept on. Getting annoyed, he scolded, "Madison! Stop that!" "But, Daddy," she replied, "I'm just trying to get my gum back."
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Fri, Jan 31st - 8:13AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"Great people plant trees they'll never sit under."* Alfred North Whitehead *"He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32 (NRSV)
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Thu, Jan 30th - 10:39AM
WHAT DOES TO MEAN TO BE A CHRISTIAN?
The New Testament definition of a Christian is a person 'in
Christ'. It is necessary to insist, therefore, that
according to Jesus and his apostles to be a Christian is
not just to have been baptized, to belong to the church, to
receive holy communion, to believe in the doctrines of the
creed or to try to follow the standards of the Sermon on
the Mount. Baptism and holy communion, church membership,
creed and conduct are all part and parcel of living as a
Christian, but they can form and sometimes have formed an
empty casket from which the jewel has disappeared. The
jewel is Jesus Christ himself. To be a Christian is
primarily to live in union with Jesus Christ, as a result
of which baptism, belief and behaviour slot naturally into
place.. JOHN STOTT
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Thu, Jan 30th - 9:29AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord, but few of us are willing to do little things."* Dwight L. Moody * He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." Mark 12:41-44 (NRSV)
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Thu, Jan 30th - 9:19AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
A pastor and two of his deacons are out on the river fishing in their rowboat. Twelve o'clock rolls around, and one of the deacons notices a nice spot on the bank to have lunch. He turns to the others and says, "That looks like a nice spot for lunch. What do you say we have lunch over there?" The other deacon agrees, and so does the pastor. The deacon stands up in the boat, steps out onto the river and walks over to the bank. The pastor looks on with amazement, and thinks to himself, if his deacon is holy enough to walk on water, surely he can. The other deacon stands up, picks up the picnic basket, steps out of the boat, and walks over to the bank and sits with the first deacon. Again, to his amazement, the pastor thinks again, if his second deacon is holy enough to walk on water, surely he can. The pastor stands up, steps out of the boat, and sinks into the water. The first deacon turns to the second and says, "Think we should have told him where the rocks are?"
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Wed, Jan 29th - 9:06AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
“....all who believe in Christ are beyond the reach of danger.”* R. W. Dale *I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never to draw back from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they may not turn from me. Jeremiah 32:40 (NRSV)
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. John 10:28 - 29 (NRSV)
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Wed, Jan 29th - 8:53AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
When his eyes began to give him trouble, a man went to a ophthalmologist in Prague.
The doctor showed the patient the eye chart, displaying the letters CVKPNWXSCZ.
"Can you read that?" the doctor asked.
"Can I read it?" the Czech replied. "I dated his sister!"
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Tue, Jan 28th - 7:01AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Man's way leads to a hopeless end. God's way leads to an endless hope.* *I know, O LORD, that the way of human beings is not in their control, that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps. Jeremiah 10:23 (NRSV)
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Tue, Jan 28th - 6:54AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
A cowboy, who just moved to Wyoming from Oklahoma , walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud. He sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of eachone in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.
The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy, "You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time."
The cowboy replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Arizona , the other is in Colorado . When we all left our home in Oklahoma , we promised that
we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I'm drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself." The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there. The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way. He orders three mugs and drinks them in turn. One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender
says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss." The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns in his eyes and he laughs. "Oh, no, everybody's just fine," he explains, "It's just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking." "Hasn't affected my brothers though."
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Mon, Jan 27th - 3:24PM
LAW AND LIBERTY
Christian liberty is not inconsistent with law any more than love is. True, Christians are not 'under law' in that our salvation does not depend on obedience to the law. Yet this does not relieve us of the obligation to keep the law. The freedom with which Christ has made us free is not freedom to break the law, but freedom to keep it. 'I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought your precepts' (Ps. 119:45). JOHN STOTT
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Mon, Jan 27th - 9:16AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"God's best and highest will is for us to love (value) Him with all our hearts, and to love (value) others as ourselves. Do you realize you have everything you need to fulfill God's will and experience His best in your life?"* *"He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" Matthew 22:37-39 (NRSV) "And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 (NRSV)
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Mon, Jan 27th - 8:57AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
A fourth-grade teacher was giving her pupils a lesson in logic. "Here is the situation," she said. "A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help. His wife hears the commotion, knows he can't swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank?" A girl raised her hand and asked, "To draw out all his savings?"
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Sun, Jan 26th - 7:58AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to.* -Kahlil Gibran, mystic, poet, and artist (1883-1931) *"Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own." John 7:17 (NRSV)
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Sun, Jan 26th - 7:48AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
A mother took her little boy to church.While in church the little boy said, "Mommy, I have to pee." The mother said to the little boy, "It's not appropriate to say the word 'pee' in church. So, from now on whenever you have to 'pee' just tell me that you have to 'whisper'." The following Sunday, the little boy went to church with his Father and during the service said to his father, "Daddy, I have to whisper." The Father looked at him and said, "Okay, why don't you whisper in my ear."
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Sun, Jan 26th - 2:12AM
Letter and Spirit
Is the law still binding upon the Christian? The answer to that is, No and Yes! 'No' in the sense that our acceptance before God does not depend on it. Christ in his death fully met the demands of the law, so that we are delivered from it. It no longer has any claims on us. It is no longer our lord. 'Yes' in the sense that our new life is still a bondage. We still 'serve'. We are still slaves, although discharged from the law. But the motive and the means of our service have altered. Why do we serve? Not because the law is our master and we have to, but because Christ is our husband and we want to. Not because obedience to the law leads to salvation, but because salvation leads to obedience to the law. The law says, Do this and you will live. The gospel says, You live, so do this. The motive has changed. How do we serve? Not in oldness of letter, but in newness of spirit. That is, not by obedience to an external code, but by surrender to an indwelling Spirit.
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Sat, Jan 25th - 9:50AM
LAW-DODGING
What is the righteousness to which Christians are summoned? It is a deep inward righteousness of the heart where the Holy Spirit has written God's law. It is new fruit exhibiting the newness of the tree, new life burgeoning from a new nature. So we have no liberty to try to dodge or duck the lofty demands of the law. Law-dodging is a pharisaic hobby; what is characteristic of Christians is a keen appetite for righteousness, hungering and thirsting after it continuously. And this righteousness, whether expressed in purity, honesty or charity, will show to whom we belong. Our Christian calling is to imitate not the world, but the Father. And it is by this imitation of him that the Christian counter-culture becomes visible. JOHN STOTT
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Sat, Jan 25th - 9:04AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living and the other helps you make life.* - Sandra Carey* *"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches." Proverbs 24:3-4
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Sat, Jan 25th - 8:57AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
These bear hunters were sitting around the cabin the night before the hunt bragging about their passt hunts.
The cabin boy was listening and went over and said "you guys make it seem pretty hard on capturing a bear".
They all laughed and said "it is hard; do you think you could bag one"?
"I can go out and bag you 2 if you will skin them, and I will bet each of you $100.00.
They agreed and off he went out into the night.
Soon he spotted a big grizzly; he waved his arm and started hollering the big bear started after him and he started running for the shack. When he got close to the shack he started yelling. "Open the door he yelled".
They looked out and saw the bear chasing the boy. Just as he got to the door they opened it and he stepped aside and the bear went in. He slammed the door and locked it and shouted. "OK skin him I'll go and get the other one".
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Fri, Jan 24th - 11:05AM
Paul's Attitude To the Law!
From Romans 7 we may summarize three possible attitudes to the law, the first two of which Paul rejects, and the third of which he commends. We might call them 'legalism', 'antinomianism' and 'law-fulfilling freedom'. *Legalists* are 'under the law' and in bondage to it. They imagine that their relationship to God depends on their obedience to the law, and they are seeking to be both justified and sanctified by it. But they are crushed by the la...w's inability to save them. *Antimonians* (or libertines) go to the opposite extreme. Blaming the law for their problems, they reject it altogether, and claim to be rid of all obligation to its demands. They have turned liberty into licence. *Law-fulfilling free people* preserve the balance. They rejoice both in their freedom from the law for justification and sanctification, and in their freedom to fulfil it. They delight in the law as the revelation of God's will (verse 22), but recognize that the power to fulfil it in not in the law but in the Spirit. Thus legalists fear the law and are in bondage to it. Antimonians hate the law and repudiate it. Law-abiding free people love the law and fulfil it. JOHN STOTT
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Fri, Jan 24th - 9:12AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
PRAISE GOD! He woke me up this morning thinking about the Kingdom of God He is building. To enter His Kingdom we first submit to the King. Second, when we submit to the King by faith and repentance He begins a process in us called Salvation. We are born again. He begins a new creation in us which He faithfully and continually constructs until we become like Jesus.* *46 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you?
Luke 6:46 (NRSV) 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
John 3:3 (NRSV) 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NRSV) 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. Romans 10:8-10 (NRSV) 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6 (NRSV)
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Fri, Jan 24th - 8:45AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
A husband and wife were at a party chatting with some friends when the subject of marriage counselling came up. "Oh, we'll never need that. My husband and I have a great relationship," the wife explained. "He was a communications major in college and I majored in theater arts." "He communicates real well and I just act like I'm listening."
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Thu, Jan 23rd - 10:46AM
SANCTITY OF LIFE FROM THE WOMB TO THE TOMB
On Jan 21, I read in Janet's Blog (Denison Forum) the following quote of Pope Francis:
“Last week, in his annual address to the Vatican diplomatic corps, the pope used a phrase that resonated with truth. Pope Francis said that abortion was "horrific" and part of a new 'throwaway culture.' He said that this culture wastes life as easily as it wastes food. He then said, "It is frightful even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day." Quoted from Jan's Blog on Denison's Forum.
I responded in the comments section: Doyle Purifoy
“I, too, welcome the Pope's words. Every life is precious. But our society promptly forgets the value of life, the sanctity of life, after the baby is born and denies that health care is a right to life, also.”
I suspect that there much hypocrisy in the abortion – health care issues. Many oppose abortion, not that they hold life so sacred but because they don't want their money in taxes to go to abortion. Many of these same people oppose universal health care, the Affordable Care Act, and the expansion of Medicaid and Medicare because they don't want to spend their taxes on the sanctity of life for adults, young or old. Money drives many people to oppose abortion and universal health care. There are many people who do not oppose universal health care because of the sanctity of life but because of the 'sanctity of money'.
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Thu, Jan 23rd - 8:44AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: God doesn’t just work along side us. He works in us. Christianity in an inside job. Christians are all wrapped up in Christ.*
*27To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 (NRSV)
20and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NRSV)
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Thu, Jan 23rd - 8:30AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
Each evening bird lover Tom stood in his backyard, hooting like an owl - and one night, an owl finally called back to him. For a year, the man and his feathered friend hooted back and forth. He even kept a log of the "conversation." Just as he thought he was on the verge of a breakthrough in interspecies communication, his wife had a chat with her next door neighbor. "My husband spends his nights ... calling out to owls," she said. "That's odd," the neighbor replied. "So does my husband."
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Wed, Jan 22nd - 6:47AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
God has given us the ministry of reconciliation, not condemnation.* *"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:19).
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Wed, Jan 22nd - 6:41AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
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Tue, Jan 21st - 8:19AM
WHAT BY GRACE WE ARE...
'The overwhelming emphasis of the New Testament letters is not to urge upon Christian readers some entirely new and distinct blessing, but to remind us of what by grace we are, to recall us to it, and to urge us to live by it. JOHN STOTT
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Tue, Jan 21st - 8:07AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
It is easy to do right when you consider the alternative. *"The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin." Psalm 146:9 (NRSV)
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Tue, Jan 21st - 7:59AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
Aboard a flight from L.A. to New York, Grandma Esther was taking her very first flight.They had only been aloft a few minutes when the elderly lady complained to the stewardess that her ears were popping. The girl smiled and gave the older woman some chewing gum, assuring her that many people experienced the same discomfort. When they landed in New York, Grandma thanked the stewardess. "The chewing gum worked fine," she said, "but tell me, how do I get it out of my ears?"
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Mon, Jan 20th - 8:16AM
SECURE IN GRACE!
Justified believers enjoy a blessing far greater than a periodic approach to God or an occasional audience with the king. We are privileged to live in the temple and in the palace ... Our relationship with God, into which justification has brought us, is not sporadic but continuous, not precarious but secure. We do not fall in and out of grace like courtiers who may find themselves in and out of favour with their sovereign, or politicians with the public. No, we *stand* in it, for that is the nature of grace. Nothing can separate us from God's love (Rom. 8:38f.). JOHN STOTT
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Mon, Jan 20th - 8:10AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
Make the most of today. Translate your good intentions into actual deeds.* Glenville Kleiser *22But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. James 1:22 (NRSV) 14What good is it, my brothers and sisters if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. James 2:14 - 17 (NRSV)
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Mon, Jan 20th - 8:05AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
Little Johnny was left to fix lunch. When his mother returned with a friend, she noticed that Johnny had already strained the tea. The two women then sipped their tea happily while having lunch. "Was it hard finding the tea strainer in the kitchen?" Johnny's mother asked. "I couldn't find it Ma, so I used the fly swatter," he replied. His mother nearly fainted, so Johnny hastily added: "Don't get excited, Ma, I used the old one!"
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Sun, Jan 19th - 8:16AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
Did you here about the guy who lost his whole left side?
He's alright now!
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Sun, Jan 19th - 8:06AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared.* -- Henri H. M. Nouwen
*4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 (NRSV)
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Sat, Jan 18th - 9:14AM
The source of salvation
Although 'grace' and 'peace' are common monosyllables, they are pregnant with theological substance. In fact, they summarize Paul's gospel of salvation. The nature of salvation is peace, or reconciliation -- peace with God, peace with men, peace within. The source of salvation is grace, God's free favour, irrespective of any human merit or works, his loving-kindness to the undeserving. And this grace and peace flow from the Father and the Son together. JOHN STOTT
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Sat, Jan 18th - 8:59AM
GRUDGE
No matter how long you nurse a grudge, it will not get better. (unknown source)
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Sat, Jan 18th - 8:51AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
There is a hard law…When an injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive.* - Alan Paton *12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. 14For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:12-15 (NRSV)
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Sat, Jan 18th - 8:41AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
Rabbit resuscitation... A man was driving along the highway, and saw a rabbit hopping across the middle of the road. He swerved to avoid hitting the rabbit, but unfortunately the rabbit jumped in front of the car and was hit. The driver, being a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulled over to the side of the road and got out to see what had become of the rabbit. Much to his dismay, the rabbit was dead. The driver felt so awful he began to cry. A woman driving down the highway saw the man crying on the side of the road and pulled over. She stepped out of her car and asked the man what was wrong. "I feel terrible," he explained. "I accidentally hit this rabbit and killed it." The woman told the man not to worry. She knew what to do. She went to he car trunk and pulled out a spray can. She walked over to the limp, dead rabbit, and sprayed the contents of the can onto the rabbit. Miraculously, the rabbit came to life, jumped up, waved its paw at the two humans and hopped down the road. 50 meters away the rabbit stopped, turned around, waved at the two again, hopped down the road another 50 meters, turned, waved, and hopped another 50 meters. The man was astonished. He couldn't figure out what substance could be in the woman's spray can! He ran over to the woman and demanded, " What was in your spray can? What did you spray onto that rabbit?" The woman turned the can around so that the man could read the label. It said: " 'Hare Spray' Restores Life to Dead Hare. Ads Permanent Wave."
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Fri, Jan 17th - 9:18AM
GRACE AND FAITH
Grace is 'the free and unmerited favour of God'. It is Paul's word to describe the loving, undeserved initiative of God in giving Christ to die, raising him from the dead and revealing him to sinners. His whole message became 'the word of his grace' (Acts 14:3) and 'the good news of the grace of God' (Acts 20:24). 'The grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men' (Tit. 2:11). It is supremely manifested in the provision and offer of salvation. B...y 'salvation' Paul is using a word with the broadest possible concept. It includes the past, the present and the future. It describes God's liberation of man from all the ravages of sin in the conscience, the mind, the heart, the will and the body; in his relation to God, the world and himself. To use Paul's own words, it comprises the believer's justification (his acceptance before God), sanctification (his growth in holiness), edification (his life in the church) and glorification (his perfection in the eternal glory). Or more simply, it makes his a son and a saint, a brother and an heir. Such is the grace of Christ received by faith. The only function of faith is to respond to grace. Faith takes what grace offers. JOHN STOTT
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Fri, Jan 17th - 9:06AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to.* -Kahlil Gibran, mystic, poet, and artist (1883-1931) *"Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own." John 7:17 (NRSV)
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Fri, Jan 17th - 8:56AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
I have five siblings, three sisters and two brothers.One night I was chatting with my Mom about how she had changed as a mother from the first child to the last. She told me she had mellowed a lot over the years: "When your oldest sister coughed or sneezed, I called the ambulance. When your youngest brother swallowed a dime, I just told him it was coming out of his allowance."
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Thu, Jan 16th - 9:16AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"Success is never permanent, and failure is never final."* -- Mike Ditka *"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;" 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NRSV) "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 (NRSV)
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Thu, Jan 16th - 9:10AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
It was the toughest experience of my life. First, I got angina pectoris and then arteriosclerosis. Just as I was recovering from these, I got tuberculosis, double pneumonia and phthisis. Appendicitis was followed by tonsillectomy. These gave way to aphasia and hypertrophic cirrhosis. I completely lost my memory for a while. I know I had diabetes and acute ingestion, besides gastritis, rheumatism, lumbago and neuritis. Realizing that perhaps I might do better with another doctor, I made an appointment at new medical office. The receptionist had me fill out forms that included my medical history. I don't know how I pulled through it. It was the hardest spelling test I've ever had.
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Wed, Jan 15th - 7:11AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
THOUGHT FOR TODAY! With him (GOD), where you came from is not nearly as important as where you're going.* Jim Denison
*26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? Matthew 16:26 (NRSV)
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Wed, Jan 15th - 7:03AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
Tom was so excited about his promotion to Vice President of the company he worked for and kept bragging about it to his wife for weeks on end. Finally she couldn't take it any longer, and told him, "Listen, it means nothing, they even have a vice president of peas at the grocery store!" "Really?" he said. Not sure if this was true or not, Tom decided to call the grocery store. A clerk answers and Tom says, "Can I please talk to the Vice President of peas?" The clerk replies, "Canned or frozen?"
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Tue, Jan 14th - 9:05AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
The enabling grace of God not only forgave me of my sin, but Jesus paid the debt and set me free live like Jesus lived. The new birth not only results in forgiveness of sins, but Jesus paid the debt and set me free.* *17So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NRSV) 6 whoever says, "I abide in him," ought to walk just as he walked.
1 John 2:6 (NRSV)
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Tue, Jan 14th - 8:54AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
In the back woods of Gooberland, you don't see too many people hang-gliding.Ol' Zeek, however, decided to save up and bought himself a hang-glider. He took it to the highest mountain and after struggling to the top got ready to take flight. Running to the very edge he jumped off into the wind. Meanwhile, Ma & Pa Hicks were sitting on the porch swing talking bout the good old days when Ma spotted the biggest bird she ever seen! "Look at the size of that bird, Pa!" she exclaimed. Paw rose up,"Git my gun, Ma." Ma ran into the house and brought out his pump action shotgun. He took careful aim and BANG...BANG.....BANG.....BANG! The monster size bird continued to sail silently over the tree tops. "I think ya missed him, Pa." Ma said. "Yeah," he replied, "but at least he let go of ol' Zeek!"
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Mon, Jan 13th - 8:39AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
The poorest man is not one without money! The poorest man is the man without hope!* *Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."
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Mon, Jan 13th - 8:31AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
To tell the weather, go to your back door and look for the dog. If the dog is at the door and he is wet, it's probably raining. But if the dog is standing there really soaking wet, it is probably raining really hard. If the dog's fur looks like it's been rubbed the wrong way, it's probably windy. If the dog has snow on his back, it's probably snowing. Of course, to be able to tell the weather like this, you have to leave the dog outside all the time, especially if you expect bad weather. Sincerely, The CAT
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Sun, Jan 12th - 10:17AM
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON!
The moment you believed on Jesus Christ, you were joined to the Lord, united with God, His Spirit, and His people. You possess in embryo every organ, attribute, sense, sympathy, and affection: that is possessed by God Himself. These qualities are yours in rudimentary, embryonic, state subordinate to Jesus Christ, your Lord. These Characteristics will gradually grow into the very image of Jesus Christ: (I John 3:2) "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
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Sun, Jan 12th - 8:14AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
An engineer, a psychologist, and a theologian were hunting in the wilderness of northern Canada. Suddenly, the temperature dropped and a furious snowstorm was upon them. They came across an isolated cabin, far removed from any town. The hunters had heard that the locals in the area were quite hospitable, so they knocked on the door to ask permission to rest. No one answered their knocks, but they discovered the cabin was unlocked and they entered. It was a simple place ... 2 rooms with a minimum of furniture and household equipment. Nothing was unusual about the cabin except the stove. It was large, pot-bellied, and made of cast-iron. What was strange about it was its location ... it was suspended in midair by wires attached to the ceiling beams. "Fascinating," said the psychologist. "It is obvious that this lonely trapper, isolated from humanity, has elevated this stove so that he can curl up under it and vicariously experience a return to the womb." "Nonsense!" replied the engineer. "The man is practicing the laws of thermodynamics. By elevating his stove, he has discovered a way to distribute heat more evenly throughout the cabin." "With all due respect," interrupted the theologian, "I'm sure that hanging his stove from the ceiling has religious meaning. Fire LIFTED UP has been a religious symbol for centuries." The three debated the point for several hours without resolving the issue. When the trapper finally returned, they immediately asked him why he had hung his heavy pot-bellied stove from the ceiling. His answer was succinct. "Had plenty of wire, not much stove pipe."
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Sun, Jan 12th - 7:55AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"It is not God’s job to make us comfortable, but to make us better."* Tony W. Cartledge *"So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 (NRSV) "And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5 (NRSV)
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Sat, Jan 11th - 8:33AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
A servant girl, who was once asked how she knew she was a converted Christian, replied: 'Well, you see, I used to sweep the dust under the mat, but now I don't.' It is possible to visit somebody else as if Jesus Christ lived there, to type a letter as if Jesus Christ were going to read it, to serve a customer as if Jesus Christ had come shopping that day, and to nurse a patient as if Jesus Christ were in that hospital bed. It is possible to cook a meal as if we were Martha in the kitchen, and Jesus Christ were going to eat it.* JOHN STOTT *28just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matt 20:28 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matt 25:40
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Sat, Jan 11th - 8:23AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
Two small county judges both got arrested for speeding on the same day. Rather than call the state Supreme Court for a visiting judge, each agreed to hear the other's case.
The first judge took the bench while the second stood at the defendant's table, and admitted his guilt. The sentencing judge immediately suspended both the fine and costs.
They switched places. The second judge admitted that he was speeding, too. Thereupon the first judge immediately fined him $250 and ordered him to pay court costs.
The second judge was furious. "I suspended your fine and costs, but you threw the book at me!", he fumed. The first judge looked at him and replied, "This is the second such case we've had in here today. Someone has to get tough about all this speeding!"
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Fri, Jan 10th - 8:40AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others."* -- Audrey Hepburn *Philippians 2:4 "Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others."
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Fri, Jan 10th - 8:33AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
My mother once gave me two sweaters for Christmas. The next time we visited, I made sure to wear one.
As we entered her home, instead of the expected smile, she said,
"What's the matter? You didn't like the other one?"
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Thu, Jan 9th - 8:49AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." -Ralph Waldo Emerson "It is in your own best interests to think of others first."* Doyle Purifoy *"Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31 (NRSV)
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Thu, Jan 9th - 8:43AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
Web Addiction Holiday Sing Along!
(Sung to the tune of "Winter Wonderland") Doorbell rings, I'm not list'nin',
From my mouth, drool is glist'nin',
I'm happy -- although
My boss let me go --
Happily addicted to the Web. All night long, I sit clicking,
Unaware time is ticking,
There's beard on my cheek,
Same clothes for a week,
Happily addicted to the Web! Friends come by; they shake me, Saying, "Yo, man!
Don't you know tonight's the senior prom?"
With a listless shrug, I mutter; I say "No, man;
I just discovered laugh-a-lot-dot-com!" I don't phone, don't send faxes,
Don't go out, don't pay taxes,
Who cares if someday
They drag me away?
I'm happily addicted to the Web! Happ-ilyyyyy, ad-dict-eeeed to the Weeeeeb!!! (Yeah!)
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Wed, Jan 8th - 9:20AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"The lure of power can separate the most resolute of Christians from the true nature of Christian leadership, which is service to others. It is difficult to stand on a pedestal and wash the feet of those below."* Chuck Colson *25But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matt. 20:25-28 12After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. John 13:12 - 16 (NRSV)
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Wed, Jan 8th - 9:14AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
One Sunday after church Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about.
Her daughter answered, "Don't be scared, you'll get your quilts." Needless to say, Mom was perplexed.
Later in the day, the Pastor stopped by for tea. Mom asked him what that morning's Sunday school lesson was about.
He said, "Be not afraid, Thy comforter is coming."
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Tue, Jan 7th - 2:55PM
Prases from my favorite hymns
O! for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise when I survey the wonderous cross! It shall never lose its power to set the prisoner free, to make the vilest sinner clean, to break the power of cancelled sink to leave nothing between my Lord and my Savior. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. I will never cease to praise Him. I'll shout it while eternity rolls! Brother Doyle's collection of phrases from favorite hymns.
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Tue, Jan 7th - 12:05PM
LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST
In saying that saving faith includes obedience, I mean that in true faith there is an element of submission. Faith is directed towards a Person. It is in fact a complete commitment to this Person involving not only an acceptance of what is offered but a humble surrender to what is or may be demanded. The bent knee is as much a part of saving faith as the open hand. JOHN STOTT
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Tue, Jan 7th - 11:54AM
Who Are You?
I believe wholeheartedly that your hope for growth, meaning and fulfillment as a Christian is based on understanding who you are--specifically your identity in Christ as a child of God. Your understanding of who you are in Christ will greatly determine how you live your life. Neil Anderson
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Tue, Jan 7th - 10:13AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
While on maternity leave, a woman from our office brought in her new bundle of joy.She also had her seven-year-old son with her. Everyone gathered around the baby, and the little boy asked, "Mommy, can I have some money to buy a soda?" "What do you say?" she asked. Respectfully, the boy replied, "You're thin and beautiful." The woman reached in her purse and gave her son the money.
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Tue, Jan 7th - 9:59AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
Doing good to our enemies “....has a power to do what laws and bullets and bombs can never do--namely, bring about transformation in an enemy’s heart. When God flexes His omnipotent muscle, it doesn’t look like Rambo or the Terminator--it looks like Calvary.” (Greg Boyd: The Myth of a Christian Nation. p. 32* *44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:44-48 (NRSV)
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Mon, Jan 6th - 9:54AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
Two elderly couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?""Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques: visualization, association, etc. It was great." "That's great! And what was the name of the clinic?" Fred went blank. He thought and thought, but couldn't remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, "What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?" "You mean a rose?" "Yes, that's it!" Fred turned to his wife. "Rose, what was the name of that memory clinic?"
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Mon, Jan 6th - 9:17AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
Perseverance positions us to receive all that divine grace intends to give. ,,, It is always too soon to give up on God.* Denison Forum 08/26/13
*Galatians 6:9 (NRSV) 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.
James 1:3-4 (NRSV)3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
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Sun, Jan 5th - 8:16AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Make the most of today. Translate your good intentions into actual deeds.* Glenville Kleiser *22But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. James 1:22 (NRSV)
14What good is it, my brothers and sisters if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. James 2:14 - 17 (NRSV)
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Sun, Jan 5th - 8:02AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
A pregnant woman gets into a car accident and falls into a deep coma.
Asleep for nearly six months, she wakes up and sees that she is no longer pregnant. Frantically, she asks the doctor about her baby.
The doctor replies, "Ma'am, you had twins! A boy and a girl. The babies are fine. Your brother came in and named them."
The woman thinks to herself, "Oh no, not my brother -- he's an idiot!" Expecting the worst, she asks the doctor, "Well, what's the girl's name?"
"Denise," the doctor says.
The new mother thinks, "Wow, that's not a bad name! Guess I was wrong about my brother. I like Denise!" Then she asks the doctor, "What's the boy's name?"
The doctor replies, DeNephew.
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Sat, Jan 4th - 8:50AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! DOCTOR'S WRITING
Did you hear about the doctor who wrote out a prescription in the usual doctor's fashion? The patient used it for two years as a railroad pass. Twice it got him into Radio City Music Hall, and once into Yankee Stadium. It came in handy as a letter from his employer to the cashier to increase his salary. And to top it off, his daughter played it on the piano and won a scholarship to the Curtis Music Conservatory.
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Sat, Jan 4th - 8:33AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"The reason why many miracles are not now wrought is not so much because faith is established, as that unbelief reigns."* - Bengel. *19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:19-20 (NRSV)
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Fri, Jan 3rd - 9:41AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
American businessman goes to Japan on a business trip, but he hates Japanese food, so he asks the concierge at his hotel if there's any place around where he can get American food.The concierge tells him he's in luck, there's a pizza place that just opened, and they deliver. The concierge gives the businessman the phone number, and he goes back to his room and orders a pizza. Thirty minutes later, the delivery guy shows up to the door with the pizza. The businessman takes the pizza, and starts sneezing uncontrollably. He asks the delivery man, "What on earth did you put on this pizza?" The delivery man bows deeply and says, "We put on the pizza what you ordered, pepper only."
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Fri, Jan 3rd - 9:33AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."* -Ralph Waldo Emerson *"Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going." Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NRSV)
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Thu, Jan 2nd - 6:23AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
A retiree was given a set of golf clubs by his co-workers.Thinking he'd try the game, he asked the local pro for lessons, explaining that he knew nothing whatever of the game. The pro showed him the stance and swing, then said, "Just hit the ball toward the flag on the first green." The novice teed up and smacked the ball straight down the fairway and onto the green, where it stopped inches from the hole. "Now what ?" the fellow asked the speechless pro. "Uh... you're supposed to hit the ball into the cup." the pro finally said, after he was able to speak again. "Oh great! NOW you tell me," said the beginner.
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Thu, Jan 2nd - 6:14AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: "I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward."* -- Charlotte Bronte *Colossians 3:1 - 2 (NRSV) 1So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,
"Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead," "looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 (NRSV)
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Wed, Jan 1st - 9:22AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
One night, Tim was walking home when, all of a sudden, a thief jumped on him.Tim and the thief were began to wrestle. They rolled about on the ground and Tim put up a tremendous fight. However, the thief managed to get the better of him and pinned him to the ground. The thief then went through Tim's pockets and searched him. All the thief could find on Tim was 25 cents. The thief was so surprised at this that he asked Tim why he had bothered to fight so hard for 25 cents. "Was that all you wanted?" Tim replied, "I thought you were after the five hundred dollars I've got in my shoe!"
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Wed, Jan 1st - 9:12AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.*
*"Send out your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will get it back." Ecclesiastes 11:1 (NRSV) "give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." Luke 6:38 (NRSV) |
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Name: Doyle Purifoy
