Remember This...

If it's free, it's advice.

If you have to pay for it, it's counseling.

If you can use either one, it's a miracle!
-Barbara Johnson, Author

The Owners Manual...

I borrowed this from a fellow blogger, I hope they don't mind.

Years ago a young man was stopped by the side of the road with the hood of his Model T Ford raised up, trying to figure out how to get it started again. While he was bent over the motor a limousine pulled up behind him, and out stepped a well-dressed man. "Can I help you with that?" the stranger asked. "Nah....I'm just tinkering around 'till I get it fixed. I think I can handle it, thanks."After watching the young man for a few minutes the stranger offered a couple of suggestions: "You know, you might try jigging that thing right there, and then crank up the engine again." Frustrated that he hadn't figured it out for himself the young man snorted, "Fine", and gave it a whirl. To his surprise the motor roared to life again."Wow. How'd you know to finagle that thing?"Reaching his hand out the stranger said, "My name is Henry Ford, son, and I designed and built that thing."You know, friends, life is like a Model T. God has designed and built it for us to use and run at peak perfection, but sometimes things break down, and we can be as stubborn as the young man by the side of the road: "I think I can fix it on my own, thanks."But why not go straight to the Designer and His Owner's Manual for our fix-it advice? He knows better than any of us what needs to be jigged and tweaked.

Ps 139:13-24"For You formed my inward parts;You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;When I awake, I am still with You.Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me..... and lead me in the way everlasting.

Word of Wisdom

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. -Psalm 141:3

The Dangers of Overcontrol...

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os HillmanSaturday, April 04 2009

"For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king." - 1 Samuel 15:23

A friend of mine who is a jet pilot once told me that whenever a jet goes out of control and begins to spin, the only thing to do is totally take your hands off the controls and the plane will right itself. This goes against our natural inclination to control and manipulate in order to bring things back under control. It is scary to be out of control. Or is it?
Saul was a man out of control. He was losing control of his kingdom to David. He was losing the favor of God and the people. It began as compromises. Eventually he was given a final test to obey the voice of God fully. He was instructed to kill the Amalekites completely; but he failed to follow through. The prophet Samuel delivered a hard word to King Saul, "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king" (see 1 Sam. 15:26). Saul obeyed partially, but not fully. It was partial obedience that led to his removal as king of Israel and his calling from God. But why did Saul do such a thing? "I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them" (1 Sam. 15:24b). Saul's fear and insecurity made him more afraid of the people and what they thought than of God. At the core of Saul's disobedience was fear of losing control. That fear of losing control led to partial obedience and the loss of his reign as king.
How many of us are in danger of losing God's blessing due to partial obedience? How many of us have such a need to control people and circumstances that we fail to fully walk in obedience to God's voice in our lives? Saul provides a great lesson for us as workplace believers. The need to overcontrol things around us can prevent us from receiving all that God has for us. Today, take an inventory of your control quotient.
Ask God if you are being fully obedient to what He has called you to do this day, and avoid being put on the shelf for disobedience. "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22b).

Abe's Memorial Service...

I chose the picture of Abe seeing Santa Claus last December 12th because it depicts the wonder of Abe. Santa was standing in the doorway as Abe looks on with amazement. He was very ill and thin at this time but still laughing and smiling and still had his child like wonder even though he was so ill.

My son Abe, whom was born with severe brain damage 30 yrs ago passed away March 11th from complications from pneumonia. He would have been 31 April 27th, 2009. I thought this scripture reading and the words my pastor spoke at Abe's memorial was very appropiate. Abe is not coming back and although I will miss him very much, his contagious laughter, his continous smile, he is not coming back. But I will go to him one day and he will be perfectly whole the next time I see him. That is exciting. Another exciting thing is Abe is going to be someone's miracle. I donated his body to the Alabama Organ Donation Center where they will extract every usable thing from Abe and study his body. His bone marrow may give a child with leukemia a second chance at life. His eyes may give a blind person sight. There are many things Abe may cure for a lot of people.

2 Samuel 12:15-23 (King James Version)
15And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
16David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
17And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
18And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
19But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
20Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
21Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
22And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
23But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this....The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!'Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.Is that important? Absolutely!Is it really significant? Yes!In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'.But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'He is Coming Back!Now everytime I use a cloth napkin after a meal I will think of this one.

That FORM of doctrine..

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
The phrase that form of doctrine is part of a beautiful picture. The word form describes a mold used to shape molten metal. The idea is that God wants to shape us - first He melts us by the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Then He pours us into His mold of truth - that form of doctrine and shapes us into His image. Adam Clarke on that form of doctrine: “Here Christianity is represented under the notion of a mould, or die, into which they were cast, and from which they took the impression of its excellence. The figure upon this die is the image of God, righteousness and true holiness, which was stamped on their souls in believe the Gospel and receiving the Holy Ghost. The words . . . refer to the melting of metal, which, when it is liquefied, is cast into the mould, that it may receive the impression that is sunk or cut in the mould; and therefore the words may be literally translated, into which mould of doctrine ye have been cast. They were melted down under the preaching of the word, and then were capable of receiving the stamp of its purity.” -David Guzik of www.enduringword.com Romans 6 commentary.

God's Word is awesome, there is so much hidden in there to be searched out. What a blessing it brings when you take the time to search it out.