by Jeanette Bush

You kiss me with the sunshine, good morning Lord.

You tuck me in with the moonlight, thank you Jesus.

You are my love, my one true love, each and every day.

 I give my heart to you.

I can contemplate my pain and troubles or let my wandering thoughts fix on promises from you.

Fast forward in my imagination and I’m skipping the streets of heaven, jumping from cloud to cloud. Praises on harps and trumpets have never played so proud.

How can I ask for more, when you’re all I’ll ever need?

Jesus is all I need !

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“Financial security seems to ebb and flow in my spiritual life. One moment I can be generous to a fault, willing to invest in the lives around me. The next moment I become fearful that I will not have enough to pay the bills yet alone have enough in the years to come. This fear causes me to “bury” my generous nature and hold tightly to what I have. (Parable of the Talents–Matt. 25:14-30)

Yes, I know about tithing multiplying a hundred-fold, and you can bet I claim God’s promise in the book of Malachi: “’Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’” Mal 3:10 (NIV)

How can anyone question God’s sincerity with such promises? Why is not the victory flag unfurled declaring I have overcome financial dependence?

We’ve all heard the saying that the root of evil is money… then we correct ourselves and say, no, no, it’s the love of money is the root of all evil. Well, what happens when we fear money? The saying would go something like: the fear of all money is evil. Money causes us to fear. If we have it, we fear losing it; and if we don’t have it we fear the future without it.

When it comes to money I am the proverbial “double-minded man” in James 1. When I have money I give it away selflessly, and then I become fearful that I will not have money again. Fear usurps generosity and turns us into impoverished

insecure in what we perceive as not having enough instead of content in what we have.

The currency of this world is investments, stocks & bonds, savings, and paychecks. The currency for we Christians, however, is confidence in God’s promises that He will take care of us like the lily of the fields (Matt. 6:28) and the birds of the air (Matt. 6:26). Fearfully, world currency may collapse at any moment. Confidently, our investment in Christ only continues to pay dividends eternally.”

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

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 by Jonnie Wright

I am tired, yet as God’s child I can rest in His arms and in the truth of His word. I am lost and found, broken yet full, a work in progress. Aren’t we all?My Father has a plan, a purpose, and a will for everything that comes my way. It is easier to know that weariness is part of the process and not merely a dreadful waste of time. I’m comforted to know He is working and He really doesn’t need my help.

Living with Chronic Pain is unique. Pain aside, life in general brings us a plate full of things to fret about. When we reach the end of life’s journey, none of us will wish we had  worried more. God is at work with our best interest in mind. So we must press on and continue to soak up all He wants us to learn from each and every experience. I have no doubt He is teaching us great things in the trivia of each day.

He promises He will never leave us, He will complete His work, He will comfort us, He will guide us, He will provide. I trust His will for my life. What about you?

It may not be good with our body or flesh but let’s be sure it is good with our soul.

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If we do a word search in the Bible for such words as “healing,” “illness,” “disease,” or “sickness,” we find that the Scriptures, and therefore God, talks a lot about physical health. Since our Triune God designed us to have a soul and a spirit, as well as a physical body, we should not be surprised. God cares about our bodies, our sufferings, our diseases. The Word, Jesus Christ, came to live among us in a personal way, to share our physical distresses, and to know our death. God grasps the immensity of our pain.

So when we approach the throne of God with our concerns, our pain, our circumstances, we do not pray to a deaf ear. But when we start our prayers with a litany of our discomfortures and the “stuff” we have to do, sometimes our words sound more like complaining than praying. So let’s turn to the book of prayers, and find our focus:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits…” (Psalm 103:1)

When we pray, let God be our focus first, using such words as bless, sanctify, consecrate, exalt, hallow, extol. Let our prayers begin with praying God’s Words back to Him:

Bless you Lord! May my soul consecrate Your Holy Name. May all that is within me and all that I speak exalt and extol all You have done, are doing, and will do. Oh Holy, Blessed Lord, may my soul not forget Your daily benefits: the love You show through Jesus Christ’s life and death; the hope You’ve given me through Jesus’ resurrection; and the will to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. Amen.

Finding humility first before an awesome, yet intimate God, draws our prayers upwards in praise, and shifts the focus from our pain to His majesty. God knows our needs. How much more do we need His Presence!

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Please go to the "Support our Troops" page in the left column and add any information, prayers, or charitable organizations you know about in which we can participate.

Being a naive college student during the Vietnam war has generated a high level of awareness in me concerning this war. May we never again treat our American youth going off to war and returning from the fighting in such a deplorable manner! Some of us, me for sure, can make up for our misguided attitudes toward our Vietnam heroes by supporting these soldiers who are fighting for our freedom today.

Let us not be afraid to say: "God Bless America! and God Bless our Troops!"

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