Courage, Faithfulness

Never Give Up ~ -

'Runner's World' (8/91) told the story of Beth Anne DeCiantis's attempt to qualify for the 1992 Olympic Trials marathon. A female runner must complete the 26-mile, 385-yard race in less than two hours, forty-five minutes to compete at the Olympic Trials.

Beth started strong but began having trouble around mile 23. She reached the final straightaway at 2:43, with just two minutes left to qualify. Two hundred yards from the finish, she stumbled and fell. Dazed, she stayed down for twenty seconds. The crowd yelled, "Get up!" The clock was ticking--2:44, less than a minute to go.

Beth Anne staggered to her feet and began walking. Five yards short of the finish, with ten seconds to go, she fell again. She began to crawl, the crowd cheering her on, and crossed the finish line on her hands and knees. Her time? Two hours, forty-four minutes, fifty-seven seconds.

Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to run our race with perseverance and never give up. -
------
By: Terry Fisher
1001 Quotes

-ONLY GOD KNOWS ~
(From: In the Eye of the Storm/ Max Lucado)

An old man walks down a Florida beach. The sun sets like an orange ball on the horizon. The waves slap the horizon. The waves slap the sand. The smell of saltwater stings the air. The beach is vacant. No sun to entice the sunbathers. Not enough light for the fishermen. So, aside from a few joggers and strollers the gentleman is alone.

He carries a bucket in his bony hand. A bucket of shrimp. It's not for him. It's not for the fish. It's for the sea gulls.

He walks to an isolated pier cast in gold by the setting sun. He steps out to the end of the pier. The time has come for the weekly ritual.

He stands and waits.

Soon the sky becomes a mass of dancing dots. The eveing silence gives way to the screeching of birds. They fill the sky and then cover the moorings. They are on a pilgrimage to meet the old man.

For a half hour or so, the bushy-browed, shoulder-bent gentleman will stand on the pier, surrounded by the birds of the sea, until his bucket is empty.

But even after the food is gone, his feathered friends still linger. They linger as if they're attracted to more than just food. They perch on his hat. They walk on the pier. And they all share a moment together...

The old man on the pier couldn't go a week without saying, "Thank you, Thank You, Thank You."

His name was Eddie Rickerbacker. If you were alive in October 1943, you probably remember the day that he was reported missing at sea.

He had been sent on a mission to deliver a message to Gen. Douglas MacArthur. With a handpicked crew in a B-17 known as the "Flying Fortress," he set off across the South Pacific. Somewhere the crew became lost, the fuel ran out, and the plane went down.

All eight crew members escaped into the life rafts. They battled the weather, the water, the sharks, and the sun. But most of all, they battled the hunger. After eight days, their rations were gone. They ran out of options. It would take a miracle for them to survive.
And a miracle occurred.

After an afternoon devotional service, the men said a prayer and tried to rest. As Rickenbacker was dozing with his hat over his eyes, something landed on his head. He would later say that he knew it was a sea gull. He didn't know how he knew; he just knew. That gull meant food...if he could catch it. And he did.

The flesh was eaten. The intestines were used as fish bait. And the crew survived.

What was a sea gull doing hundreds of miles away from land ?
Only God knows.

But whatever the reason, Rickenbacker was thankful. As a result, every Friday evening this old captain walked to the pier, his bucket full of shrimp and his heart full of thanks.

We'd be wise to do the same. We've much in common with Rickenbacker. We,too, were saved by a Sacrifical Visitor.

We, too, were rescued by One who journeyed far from only God knows where.

And we, Christians, like the captain, have every reason to look into the sky...and worship. ~~
--------
"In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." / JESUS IS LORD!

-Today is "Tomorrow" !

-BIBLE MEDITATION:
"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Proverbs 27:1

-DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I read some research by psychologist William Morriston who reported that 94% of the 3,000 persons he surveyed were enduring today in order to get to tomorrow.

Do you know anyone like that? Perhaps you are one of those.

Tomorrow, you're going on vacation. Tomorrow, you're going to get the house cleaned. Tomorrow, you're going to start your diet. Tomorrow, you're going to balance your checkbook. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.

The only problem is...tomorrow never arrives. When it gets here, it is today. And today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

-ACTION POINT:
It is always today. Act accordingly!

--The Beauty Remains;
-the Pain Passes
--
Although Henri Matisse was nearly 28 years younger than Auguste Renoir, the two great artists were dear friends and frequent companions. When Renoir was confined to his home during the last decade of his life, Matisse visited him daily. Renoir, almost paralyzed by arthritis, continued to paint in spite of his infirmities. One day as Matisse watched the elder painter working in his studio, fighting torturous pain with each brush stroke, he blurted out: "Auguste, why do you continue to paint when you are in such agony?"

Renoir answered simply: "The beauty remains; the pain passes." And so, almost to his dying day, Renoir put paint to canvas. One of his most famous paintings, The Bathers, was completed just two years before his passing, 14 years after he was stricken by this disabling disease. ~~

-The Best of Bits
& Pieces

--We Are God’s Idea

Why does a mother love her newborn child? Because the baby is hers? Even more so… because the baby is her! Her blood. Her flesh. Her hope. Her legacy. It doesn’t bother her that the baby gives nothing. She knows a newborn is helpless, weak. She knows babies don’t ask to come into this world. And God knows we didn’t either.

We are God’s idea. We are His. His face. His eyes. His hands. Look deeply into the face of every human being on earth, and you will see His likeness. Though some appear to be distant relatives, they are not. We are, incredibly, the body of Christ. And though we may not act like our Father, there is no greater truth than this: We are His. Unalterably. He loves us. Undyingly.

And Scripture says, “not height nor depth, not any other created thing…nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.” (Romans 8:39)

I’d be a fool not to believe Him.

--Max Lucado

---Deliverance
--by: Max Lucado

You’ll get through this! You fear you won’t. We all do. We feel stuck, trapped, locked in. Will we ever exit this pit? Yes! Deliverance is to the Bible what jazz music is to Mardi Gras: bold, brassy, and everywhere. Out of the lion’s den for Daniel, the whale’s belly for Jonah, and the prison for Paul.

Through the Red Sea onto dry ground. Through the wilderness, through the valley of the shadow of death. Through! It’s a favorite word of God’s. Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.”

It won’t be painless. Have you wept your final tear, received your last round of chemotherapy? Not necessarily. Does God guarantee the absence of struggle? Not in this life. We see Satan’s tricks and ploys, but God sees Satan tripped and foiled. You’ll get through this!

--From: You’ll Get Through This/ML

--When God Calls You into Hard Times....

"And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife… When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him…"
--Matthew 1:19-24

I want you to picture this: You’re a man who’s just been engaged to be married. You and your bride-to-be are wholeheartedly devoted to God and are committed to maintaining purity in your relationship with one another.

Then one day, your fiancée breaks the news that she’s pregnant. You know you’ve never had relations with her, so she must’ve slept with another man. Then, she has the audacity to tell you she didn’t cheat on you, but God got her pregnant!

That’s the dilemma Joseph was facing when Mary turned up with a baby. No doubt, he didn’t believe her at first. Who would’ve? But an angel appeared to Joseph and reassured him that Mary was telling the truth. Now, his problems were worse. The honorable thing to do would be to quietly divorce Mary. But now, the world would look on his family with shame.

It’s impossible to really know what life was like for this family. But we do know that because of Joseph’s faithfulness to God, to Mary, and to this new little baby, his family endured the hardship. What an example of faithfulness in the face of hardship!

God will often call us to face difficulties because of our obedience to Him. But it’s in those times that we must remain steadfast in our faithfulness and, like Joseph, trust God to bring us through it. Face any hardship with faith and trust God!

STEP OUT IN FAITH WHEN GOD CALLS YOU INTO HARDSHIP, KNOWING HE’LL BRING YOU THROUGH IT!

--PP/JG

--You're Never Alone~~
By: Helen Steiner Rice

--THERE'S truly nothing we need know
If we have faith wherever we go,

God will be there to help us bear
Our disappointments, pain, and care,

For He is our Shepherd, our Father, our Guide--
You're never alone with the Lord at your side. ~~
~~~~
"Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." ~~ Jesus + + +

---A Prize to Possess

“…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:2

Jesus is our example. He is a champion who, when He ran His race, received a crown of joy. When an athlete runs, he runs to win a trophy. In our verse today, what is “the joy that is set before Him”? It’s winning the race. He “endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

That crown gave Him the ability to endure. If you keep the crown in mind, you can bear the cross. But you cannot have the crown if you despise the cross. We are crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have a few trophies that I won back in high school on a championship football team: a gold football, a letterman’s sweater and a silver cup.. Do you know what happened to all those trophies? Someone broke into the house and got the gold football. The moths had a camp meeting in the sweater.. It’s gone. There are no more letters on that letter sweater. What happened to the silver cup, I haven’t the foggiest.

Friend, athletes run “to obtain a corruptible crown; but we for an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:25). Running the race, Jesus had the joy that was set before Him and He endured the cross. He despised the shame. There is a prize to possess.

--Adrian Rogers
<http://youtu.be/kDVsAAN76rg>
----------

---What Are You Afraid Of?

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” - Psalm 23:4

In Matthew 25, we read the parable of the talents. When the master who had distributed the talents came to see the stewardship of those talents, one man had taken his talent and hidden it in the ground.

You may have a buried talent, but you’ve been covered up by the sinister minister of fear, who keeps you from achieving your dreams. You say, “But what if I fail?” You can be so afraid of making a mistake that your entire life will be a mistake. The fear of failure keeps so many from competing that they never even get in the race. They just lose by default!

Sir Walter Scott was called a “dunce” by his teachers. Napoleon Bonaparte was next to last in his military class. Walt Disney was fired as a cartoonist because the newspaper said he couldn’t draw! It’s not bad to fail. We all will fail. But may God deliver you from the spirit of failure, which is a spirit of fear.
---Adrian Rogers~ / O HOW HE LOVES US / David Crowder~
<http://youtu.be/GzfPHnoT0-0>
-------

--NEVER GIVE UP/ Courage, Faithfulness

--FEAR / Real, and Imaginative~

-'The Lord is my light
and my salvation; who
shall I fear?'
--Psalm 27:1
----
-THE prophet Jeremiah talked about the difference between real and imagined fears. A group of his Jewish countrymen asked him to find out whether the Lord wanted them to stay in Jerusalem or return to Egypt for safety because they feared the King of Babylon (Jer. 42:1-3). Jeremiah told them that if they stayed and trusted God, they didn't need to be afraid (vv.10-12). But if they returned to Egypt, the King of Babylon would find them (vv.15-16).

In a world of real dangers, God had given Israel reason to trust Him in Jerusalem. He had already rescued them from Egypt. Centuries later, the long-awaited Messiah died for us to deliver us from our own sin and fear of death. May our Almighty God show us today how to live in the security of His shadow, rather than in shadowy fears of our own making.
-Recommended Reading: Psalm 23~~
----
-UNDER THE PROTECTING SHADOW OF GOD'S WING,
THE LITTLE SHADOWS OF LIFE LOSE THEIR TERROR.~~
=/ GOD OF WONDERS/ Third Day
<http://youtu.be/0M8XK2w7wmw?list=PLFC7B88956C2A2241>
---------

--Never, Never, Never Give up

'One day I decided to quit....
I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality. ..
I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

'God', I asked, 'Can you give me one good reason not to quit?'
His answer surprised me...
'Look around', He said. 'Do you see the fern and the bamboo?'
'Yes', I replied.
'When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds,
I took very good care of them.
I gave them light.
I gave them water.
The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.
Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit on the bamboo', He said.

'In year three, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I would not quit.

In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed.
I would not quit.' He said.

'Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. ..

But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots.
Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
'I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.'

He asked me.
'Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots'.
---
'I would not quit on the bamboo.
I will never quit on you.'
'Don't compare yourself to others.'

He said.
'The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.
Yet they both make the forest beautiful.'
'Your time will come',

--God said to me.
'You will rise high'
'How high should I rise?' I asked.
'How high will the bamboo rise?' He asked in return.
'As high as it can?' I questioned.
'Yes.'
He said,
'Give me glory by rising as high as you can.'

I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.

--Never, Never, Never Give up.

For Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,
tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Heavens door opened this morning,
God asked me...
'My CHILD... what can I do for you?'
and I said
'Protect and bless the one reading this message.
God smiled and answered ...
'REQUEST GRANTED'

Don't ask God to bless your way if you're unwilling to move your feet.
"You are loved with an everlasting love and underneath are His everlasting arms."

--WAITING IN HOPE~~

---"Simeon...was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the
consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him."-[Luke 2:25] --

--Luke tells the story of a man named Simeon who patiently waited for the coming of his Master (Luke 2:25). The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would not see death until he saw the Messiah (v.26). As a result, Simeon kept waiting for the One who would provide "salvation" for God's people (v.26). When Mary and Joseph entered the temple with Jesus, the Holy Spirit whispered to Simeon that He was the One! The wait was finally over! Simeon held Christ in his arms--the hope, salvation, and comfort for all people (vv. 28-32).

If we find ourselves in a season of waiting, may we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah with fresh ears: "Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31). As we await Jesus' return, He provides the hope and strength we need for each new day. ~~

--"Lord Jesus, I will wait for You. Through pain, tears, and uncertainty, help me to not become weary but to rest in Your provision. Blessed be Your Holy Name." ~amen"

--ODB/MW
--"Hope For the Hopeless"// Sierra / (lyric video) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjQ9cF36EWc&t=47s>
~~~~~~~~~~

--THE TICKING WATCH~~

---"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him."
---[Psalm 37:7] --

--(READ PSALM 37:1–7)

---A group of workers were cutting ice out of a frozen lake and storing it in an icehouse when one of them realized he’d lost his watch in the windowless building. He and his friends searched for it in vain.

After they gave up, a young boy who’d seen them exit went into the building. Soon, he emerged with the watch. Asked how he’d found it, he replied: “I just sat down and kept quiet, and soon I could hear it ticking.”

The Bible talks much about the value of being still. And no wonder, for God sometimes speaks in a whisper (1 Kings 19:12). In the busyness of life, it can be hard to hear Him. But if we stop rushing about and spend some quiet time with Him and the Scriptures, we may hear His gentle voice in our thoughts.

Psalm 37:1-7 assures us that we can trust God to rescue us from the “wicked schemes” of evil people, give us refuge, and help us stay faithful. But how can we do this when turmoil is all around us?

Verse 7 suggests: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” We could start by learning to keep silent for a few minutes after prayer. Or by quietly reading the Bible and letting the words soak into our hearts. And then, perhaps, we’ll hear His wisdom speaking to us, quiet and steady as a ticking watch.

--"Lord Jesus, grant me the patience and discipline to stay still for a while each day, that I might hear Your gentle whisper in my life. I praise and worship You, my Rock, Redeemer and King above all kings.~ amen"

--ODB/LK~
~~~~~~~

--No Regrets ~~

--"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
--[Philippians 1:6/ NIV] --

--Leslie often talked about one of her greatest regrets: she was too much of a people-pleaser, which made her feel self-conscious and confined one of her greatest joys, her writing.

"In school, I wrote stories and my teachers told me I was a good writer. I didn't have great confidence but I knew I could write." she told me. "Yet my people-pleasing began to hold me back because I feared others might not like the stories. So I never shared my most creative writing and now I regret hiding so much of myself from others."

Her description reminded me of something I've heard; the number one regret of dying people is about living a life others expected rather than living true to themselves. That was reason enough for me to try to talk Leslie out of her regrets. But the more we talked, the more I realized that I'm something of a people-pleaser, too, and my talking was partly in my own defense.

During Holy Week, I think about Jesus's last days in Jerusalem. He was not Who everyone wanted Him to be, but He had the courage to always be Who God created Him to be. He was a God-Pleaser Who didn't fear what others might think. And in heaven He redeems our regrets and unfinished business. That's a blessing for Leslie now.

As for me, its a wake-up call. ~~

--"Lord I pray for the courage to know and to be who You made me to be, on this side of heaven, and that You will redeem the regrets I might still be carrying when I reach the Resurrection. Help me, Lord to never be ashamed of You and Your Word. In Jesus Name I pray. ~ amen"

---Guideposts/CK~

----CONSIDER THIS / DON'T QUIT !

--Consider This:

**After Fred Astaire's first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, said," Can't act! Slightly bald! Can dance a little!"
Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.

**An expert said of Vince Lombardi: "He possess minimal football knowledge. Lacks motivation."

**Socrates was called, "An immoral corrupter of youth."

**When Peter J. Daniel was in the fourth grade, his teacher, Mrs. Phillips, constantly said, "Peter J. Daniel,, you're not good, you're a bad apple and you're never going to amount to anything>
Peter was totally illiterate until he was 26. A friend stayed up with him all night and read him a copy of Think and Grow Rich. Now he owns the street corners he used to fight on and just published his latest book, Mrs,.Phillips, You Were Wrong!

**Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women was encourage to find work as a servant or seamstress by her family.

**Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer.

**The parents of the famous opera singer Enrico said he had no voice at all and could not sing.

**Charles Darwin, father of the Theory of Evolution, gave up a medical career and was told by his father, "You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat catching." In his autobiography, Darwin wrote, "I was considered by all my masters and the by my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect."

**Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. Walt Disney also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.

**Thomas Edison's teacher said he was too stupid to learn anything.

**Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn't read until he was seven. His teacher described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams." He was expelled and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School.

**Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil undergraduate studies and ranked 15th out of 22 in chemistry.

**Isaac Newton did very poorly in grade school.

**The sculptor Rodin's father said, "I have an idiot for a son." Described as the worst pupil in the school, Rodin failed three times to secure admittance to the school of art. His uncle called him uneducable.

**Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace, flunked out of college. He was described as both unable and unwilling to learn."

**Playwright Tennessee Williams was enraged when his play Me, Vasha was not chosen in a class competition at Washington University where he was enrolled in English XVI. The teacher recalled that Williams denounced the judges' choices and intelligence.

**F. W. Woolworth's employers at the dry goods store said he had not enough sense to wait upon customers.

**Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded.

**Babe Ruth, considered by sports historians to be the greatest athlete of all time and famous for setting the home run record, also holds the record for strikeouts. [Strike Outs= 1330 / +Home Runs 714]

**Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He did not become Prime Minister of England until he as 62, and then only after a lifetime of defeats and setbacks. His greatest contributions came when he was a "senior citizen."

**Eighteen publishers turned down Richard Bach's 10,000-word story about a "soaring" seagull, Jonathan Livington Seagull, before Macmillan finally published it in 1970. By 1975 it had sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone.

**Richard Hooker worked for seven years on his humorous war novel, M*A*S*H, only to have it rejected by 21 publishers before Morrow decided to publish it. It became a runaway bestseller, spawning a blockbusting movie and a highly successful television series. ~~

--Chicken Soup For the Soul/JC and MVH~

----Make It Come True ~~ Set A Goal ! ~~

---In 1957 a ten-year-old boy in California set a goal. At the time Jim Brown was the greatest running back ever to play pro football and this tall, skinny boy wanted his autograph. In order to accomplish his goal, the young boy had to overcome some obstacles.

He grew up in the ghetto, where he never got enough to eat. Malnutrition took its toll, and a disease called rickets forced him to wear steel splints to support his skinny , bowed-out legs. He had no money to buy a ticket to get into the game, so he waited patiently near the locker room until the game ended and Jim Brown left the field. He politely asked Brown for his autograph. As Brown signed, the boy explained, "Mr Brown, I have your picture on my wall. I know you hold all records. You're my idol."

Brown smiled and began to leave, but the young boy wasn't finished. He proclaimed, "Mr. Brown one day I'm going to break every record you hold!" Brown was impressed and asked, "What is your name, son?"

The boy replied, "Orenthal James. My friends all me O.J." -

O. J. Simpson went on to break all but three of the rushing records held by Jim Brown, before injuries shortened his football career. Goal setting is the strongest force for human motivation. Set a goal and make it come true. ~~

--Chicken Soup For the Soul/DC

--There is NO SUCH thing as OLD AGE ~

--"Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you."
---[Isaiah 46:4] --

---With a brush and a blow dryer as my weapons, I've been waging a yearlong war against middle age. So far middle age is winning, as hormones have their way with my head, both inside and out. A cowlick has suddenly developed a mind of its own, a couple of spots are thinning, and what little body my hair once had has lain down and died. Every morning as I stand in front of the mirror, I get so frustrated that I don't know whether to throw something or cry.

"It's just hair, for crying out loud. It doesn't really matter," I tell myself. So what is the matter: One day it comes to me: This isn't about a head of willful hair, it's about a life I can't control. It's feeling that things that seem to come so easily for others--friendships, nicer homes, professional success -- don't seem to come to me at all. It's silly, because they do, of course, and they will, but try to tell that to someone in mid-life crisis.

Finally, even though this isn't really a hair issue, God sent me one little thought about my hair that helped me win the skirmish : just let it do what it wants to do. So I suddenly found the courage to do something I've to for a long time-- have my hair cut really, really short. Now I wash it, gel it, and ....let it do what it wants to do. No more frustration, In fact, my carefree hair reminds me every day to quit trying to control my life, and to let God do with it what He wants. ~~

----"Father, help me to be satisfied with You and what You bring my way. Thank You, Lord."
--Guideposts/LA~

---DO NOT FEAR ~~

--"When I am afraid, I put my trust in You." --[Psalm 56:3] -

---MY daughter got a kitten. His name is Jimmy. He's absolutely adorable--- white and fluffy with big green eyes and a tiny pink nose. He's so tiny --he weighed in at 1.8 pounds at his first appointment Picture a white fuzzy fluff ball about the size of a can of soda.

Keep that picture in your mind as I describe to you my dog. His name is Zeke. He's a great big golden retriever who clocks in at just under a hundred pounds. He's also adorable, in a big, floppy giant dog sort of way.

Now that you have those pictures in your mind, you'll laugh when you hear that Zeke is absolutely terrified of Jimmy. If Jimmy walks into the room, Zeke cowers in the corner. He hides behind me, whimpers, and will only come out when Jimmy is safely removed from his view. The mere sound of Jimmy's tiny meow causes Zeke to tremble.

It's so funny.
Poor Zeke doesn't seem to realize that Jimmy is absolutely no threat to him. Even if Jimmy came at Zeke with claws out, Jimmy wouldn't even be able to reach Zeke's nose to bat at him. Zeke doesn't realize his own size and strength (not to mention the fact that I wouldn't bring into our house that would harm him), so he spends his days hiding from the scary monster kitten.
than anything that causes us to lose courage?

Aren't we the same way? Hiding from the "terrifying" kittens in our lives when when we have a God who is so much bigger, stronger, and more trustworthy than anything that causes us to lose courage? ~~

--"Lord Jesus, help me to trust You when I am afraid. Help me to know that there is nothing that can keep me from the safety of Your everlasting arms.

--Guideposts/EM

--KEEP THE FAITH !!

--NO SUCH THING AS ORDINARY ~~

--"These were all commended for their faith,
yet none of them received what had been promised."
---[Hebrews 11:39] --

---WHEN Anita passed away in her sleep on her ninetieth birthday, the quietness of her departure reflected the quietness of her life. A widow, she had been devoted to her children and grandchildren and to being a friend to younger women in the church.

Anita wasn't particularly remarkable in talent or achievement. But her deep faith in God inspired those who knew her. "When I don't know what to do about a problem, I don't think about the words of a famous preacher or author. I think about what Anita would say."

Many of us are like Anita--ordinary people living ordinary lives. Our names will never be n the news, and we won't have monuments built in our honor. But a life lived with faith in Jesus is never ordinary. Some of the people listed in Hebrews 11 were not named (vv. 35-38); they walked the path of obscurity and did not receive the reward promised to them in this life (v.39). Yet, because they obeyed God, their faith wasn't in vain. God used their lives in ways that went beyond their lack of notoriety (v.40).

If you feel discouraged about the seeming ordinary state of your life, remember that a life lived by faith in God has an impact throughout eternity. Even if we're ordinary, we can have an extraordinary faith.~~

--"Faithful God, please help me to trust and obey You always. Use me, Lord for your glory and good. In Jesus Name."

--ODB/KH~[b][/b]

--ILLUSTRATIONS // FAITHFULNESS ~~

--While Eric Hulstrand of Binford, North Dakota, was preaching one Sunday, an elderly woman, Mary, fainted and struck her head on the end of the pew. Immediately, an EMT in the congregation called an ambulance.

AS they strapped her to a stretcher and got her ready to head out the door, Mary regained consciousness. She motioned for her daughter to me come near. Everyone thought she was summoning her strength to convey what could be her final words. The daughter leaned over until her ear was at her mother's mouth.

"My offering is in my purse," she whispered.

We must be faithful in our little and much. ~~
--1001 QUOTES

--MIRACULOUSLY SAVED ~~

--Christian Professor Oleg Korotkyi and his wife live in an apartment near the Gaza boarder in Ashkelon, Israel, He teaches at the 'One For Israel Hebrew Bible School;.

Rocket warnings are not new to them, and he says that during previous attacks he would just continue working. He recounts that this time he was working on a research paper, and then, unexplainably, he and his wife stood up and walked out of the room and stood behind a protective wall Two seconds later, a rocket fired from Gaza hit their apartment building and destroyed most of their apartment, except where they were standing . They reported they had no injuries from the attack. They gave glory to God for protecting them from certain death. ~~

--source:godreports.com
--AWM/ The Vine and Branches ~
~~