**Truth**

Proverbs 12:18-20 (New Living Translation)

18 Some people make cutting remarks,
but the words of the wise bring healing.

19 Truthful words stand the test of time,
but lies are soon exposed.

20 Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil;
joy fills hearts that are planning peace!


Dear Father, embed in us your Truth. Let every part of our being shine with your Truth. Help us to always be honest and truthful in all we do and say. I pray for your Truth be stirred in the hearts of my enemies. Help them to see that they have been blinded by lies and deceit. The Truth has been lost in their hatred toward others. Please help them see and know what the Truth is and how you can bless those that seek it. Open their hearts; open all our hearts to be able to hear your Truth.

Keep Your Happiness

The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about. (From http://www.indianchild.com/inspiring_stories.htm)

Psalm 119:34-36 (New Living Translation)

34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
35 Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
36 Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money!

Proverbs 10:27-29 (New Century Version)

27 Whoever respects the Lord will have a long life,
but the life of an evil person will be cut short.
28 A good person can look forward to happiness,
but an evil person can expect nothing.
29 The Lord will protect good people
but will ruin those who do evil.

May today there be peace within you.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing that you are a child of God.
Let His presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, and to bask in the sun.
It is there for each and every one of you.

Shared from Angelfire

Quietly waiting...

Lamentations 3:18-26 (New International Version)

18 So I say, "My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the LORD."

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.

20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.

21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

We look to you for our hope. We know that every morning when the sun comes up that your faithfulness is waiting for us..always there to hold us up for the day. No matter what comes against us, we are never alone, never scared, never giving up because You love us. Thank you Father for your comfort, compassion and most of all the hope you give us. We pray that your salvation will come to those that fight against us and try to sway us away from your hope. Those that loudly shout hate against us and tear down our faith, please touch their hearts. Thank you for the quiet ones that pray constantly for the hate to stop knowing that we only seek for truth and peace. Thank you for being so good to us all.

~Friends~

Hebrews 6:10-12 (New International Version)

10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

My friends; diligent, helpful, supportive, accepting, loving, hopeful, faithful, true, honest, patient. The attributes that can only come from a person with a heart from God. Thank you for crossing my path and sharing your goodness.

Romans 15:13-15 (New Living Translation)

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters,[a] that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.

I pray that the friends of my enemies be filled with the goodness of our Heavenly Father and are truly supportive from the heart of God. I lift them up to you tonight that you may bless them, keep them safe from all harm and know your loving touch. Help them understand the difference between good and evil. Show them compassion and reason for living the life they have been given. May everything they do and say be only for your glory and no one else. Amen

Traditions and Family~

My day was filled with emotions and family as I attended a funeral of my Uncle Charlie. He was a good man that enjoyed life fully. His heart was full of happiness and was always giving away laughter. He will be missed dearly. Family is so important to me. When I lived away for 20 years as a military wife, I was constantly homesick. No matter what, we managed to make it back home for 2-4 weeks every year. Never take for granted the people you love. I am so thankful for the family I do have. We are full of traditions that have been passed down that keep us together and united. Traditions are so important because they remind us of who we are and where we came from. That brings me to this evening events. I attended my church tonight for a lesson on Passover. I am not Jewish, but as any follower of Christ, we must know the history of Jesus and His traditions to know where and who we are today as believers. It was very interesting to eat the herbs, fruit, nuts and juice from the vine and to understand their meaning. The Jewish people celebrate Passover to remind them the story of freedom and protection from God.

Exodus 12:20-22 (New Living Translation)

21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel together and said to them, “Go, pick out a lamb or young goat for each of your families, and slaughter the Passover animal. 22 Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning.

26 Then 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.

God protected his people from death. A lamb was sacrificed and the blood protected their homes as they obeyed God's instructions. Just as today, we are protected by Christ's sacrifice as the Holy Lamb. We are free and no longer slaves to sin.
That is what communion is now. A reminder of what Christ did for us so that we may have freedom in Him.

1 Corinthians 11 (New Living Translation)

1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against[g] the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ,[h] you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

Dear Father, thank you for your Son who willingly gave everything for us so that we may have life forever and be free from the sins of this world. Help us to be reminded of these things every time we take the wine and bread and examine our hearts to be more Christlike so that we can be just as willing to give.

Angels~

Daniel 6:21-23 (Darby Translation)

21Then Daniel spoke unto the king, O king, live for ever!
22My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before him innocence was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

Dear God~the hurt is so strong in our heart that it seems like the lions are about to devour our hopes. They come and attack, strike out, tear apart the good and mock the truth. We know that you send angels to protect and shield us from harm. Help us to overcome our wavering faith and trust in you who will shut the lion's mouth and show the true heart of the innocent. We mean no harm to those that come against us. We pray for them so that they may find peace and rest in your goodness.




A man is placed upon the steps, a baby cries
and high above you can hear the church bells start to ring.
And the heaviness, the heaviness all settles in
and somewhere you can hear a mother sing.

Then it's one foot then the other as you step out
on the road of hope ~ you step out on that road.
How much weight, how much?
Then it's how long, how far and
how many times before it's too late?

Calling all Angels ~ Calling all Angels
Walk me through this one; don't leave me alone
Calling all Angels ~ Calling all Angels
We're trying and we're hoping
but we're not sure how....

And every day you gaze upon the sunset with such love and intensity
Why it's almost as if, oh, if you could only crack the code
then you'd finally understand what this all means.

But if you could...do you think you would have
traded in all - all the pain and suffering?
Ah, but then you would have missed the beauty
of the Light upon this earth and the sweetness of believing.

Calling all Angels ~ Calling all Angels
Walk me through this and don't leave me alone
Calling all Angels ~ Calling all Angels
We're trying, we're hoping
But we're not sure how

Calling all Angels ~ Calling all Angels
Walk me through this one; don't leave me alone
Calling all Angels ~ Calling all Angels
We're trying, we're hoping, we're loving and
We're hurting, we're crying, we're calling
'Cause we're not sure how this goes....

~Calling All Angels~

Dear Father - Help us to walk in your light, to speak your words, to share your love and live a life that is true and right. We ask that this life we live is only for your glory and not for our own personal gain. Everything we do, we give you the honor and praise. We are thankful that you have removed the darkness from our hearts and have given the light of your love and truth. Bless those that seek your light and look for your grace in everything they do. We pray for those that have not yet received the gift you graciously gave and that they step out of the darkness for your glory to live a good and right life. Thank you dear Father....

Ephesians 5:8-10 (New Living Translation)

8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!
9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

A prayer from David to those that continue to fight against him. He reaches out to God for surely he was wanting them to turn to God and put their trust in Him.

We pray today for the journalists that strike out with their 'story' against Raye and the family. They know the truth, but for reasons unknown to us, they continue to (verse 21) their talk is smooth as butter,
yet war is in their heart;
their words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.
We don't understand dear Lord, but we do pray that their eyes and hearts may be open to your sweet spirit and that they find peace.

Psalm 55

[b] 1 Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;

2 hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

3 because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me
and assail me in their anger.

4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.

5 Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.

6 I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.

7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert; [c]

8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm."

9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
for I see violence and strife in the city.

10 Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.

11 Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.

12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.

13 But it is you, one like myself,
my companion, my close friend,

14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
at the house of God,
as we walked about
among the worshipers.

15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
for evil finds lodging among them.

16 As for me, I call to God,
and the LORD saves me.

17 Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.

18 He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.

19 God, who is enthroned from of old,
who does not change—
he will hear them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.

20 My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.

21 His talk is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.

22 Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.

23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful
will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you.

Live With A Tenderheart

Ephesians 4:32 (New Living Translation)

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Easy to read those words from God's book, but to act on them is the human hardship. I keep asking myself ...why is it so terribly hard to turn the other cheek? Didn't Christ go through being hated and scorned because those in authority did not want to believe he was just an innocent teacher of the Truth? They felt threatened because they heard he was a King and was changing the world. He was true and honest. He did not ridicule the laws of the land. He worked with them and even taught that all should obey the laws of Caesar. Living with those that constantly despised and was critical of what he did couldn't have been easy. Yet, Christ did what he needed to do and continued with the Truth for his Father.

Jesus, Prince of Peace,
you have asked us to love our enemies
and pray for those who persecute us.
We pray for our enemies and those who oppose us.
With the help of the Holy Spirit,
may all people learn to work together
for that justice which brings true and lasting peace.
To you be glory and honor for ever and ever.