NUGGETS

• CRISES- A God designed chance to grow.

• WORRY- Is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but doesn't get you anywhere.
  

• HAPPINESS- Comes by learning contentment.

• CONFIDENCE in God equals Courage.

• REALITY is never what we expect.

• PATIENCE- The capacity to be wronged and not retaliate.

• FAITH makes the "not yet" as real as the "already".

Don't get stuck on "why"........... it leads to worry
Lean on "Who".............................it encourages us to trust
Ask "What"...................................it gives purpose

Friend Therapy

Psychotherapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, humor therapy, hypnotherapy......

We are living in an age where you can find therapeutic help for just about any problem.
There is something in all of us that cries out not to be passed over, and yet it happens every day.

Life is busy, we have our own lives, pursuits, responsibilities and concerns. We can sit next to a person every day and hardly know them or even notice that they are there.

In Psalm 142:4 David cries out in a moment of extreme loneliness "no one cares for my soul".

I would venture to say that each one of us has felt like that at some point in our lives.

We were not created to do life alone. God made us in such a way that we need one another in this journey called life. I like to call it "Friend therapy" or
"one anotherness"

God has given us the wonderful privilege of expressing HIS love, concern and care to those who our lives touch.

So today I want to say "thank you" to all the wonderful women who have lovingly ministered to me through friend therapy, there are too many to mention by name.

I encourage anyone who reads this to be a friend today to anyone and everyone you come in contact with . Your smile or kind word could be a powerful tool that God uses in the life of someone who really needs encouragement.

You are never too busy to smile !

The Fear Factor

• This morning I was reading in the book of Mark about the betrayal of Jesus and the scattering of the disciples. It struck me...Satan has been using the fear factor for a long time. He uses fear to cause well meaning, dedicated followers of Jesus to change course, and at times, hide.

• The "unknown future" cripples us at times. We know in our heads that God is Sovereign and that he is all powerful, yet there are still those times when we doubt....Why?....we are afraid.
  

• As humans it is impossible to wrap our minds around the truth that "God is Able". There are no limitations to this. He is God, and He is exactly who and what the scriptures declare Him to be.

• This is where faith comes in. It takes faith to put your trust in something that you can't fully understand- even when you are afraid.

• Another thing that this passage of scripture reminded me of is that even though Jesus knew the betrayal and abandonment were coming, he still loved the disciples and accepted them back with open arms. He not only accepted them back but went on to do incredible things with and through them.

• What happened between the day of Jesus arrest and the eventual martyrs deaths that many of the disciples were victim to? Somewhere along the line they chose not to give in to the Fear Factor.

Sunrise, Sunset

I can't think of many things that surpass the brilliant beauty of a sunrise or a sunset. 

I've always loved watching the sunset after a long day, however, during the "great sadness" of my life, the sunrise took on a whole new meaning for me.

Lamentations 3:22-24 says: "The Unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His Faithfulness; HIS MERCIES BEGIN AFRESH EVERY MORNING.

I was awake to see many sunrises over that period of time and it became God's way of reminding me that He was there with me each new day,  Whatever the day held, He would take me through it.

Each day is a new beginning. There is nothing about the day that God is not already aware of. 

 I LOVE THAT !  I love knowing that the same God that causes the sun to rise and set also exerts the same power in my life.

Remember... at times you may feel lonely but you are never alone. 

Get Out of That Pit - Beth Moore

"Beloved, let this one sink in deeply; if God allowed you to be thrown into a pit, you weren't picked on; you were picked out. God entrusted that suffering to you because He has faith in you."

"When we are thrown into the pit by someone-- it can be most complicated to deal with emotionally and spiritually. We have someone to blame. The scenario has the capacity to eat us alive, but we know in the depths of our heart that it wasn't his/her intention. Pain can skew our thinking, but motives and intention mean a great deal to us. Knowing that he/she never meant to hurt us can lift us considerably in our ascent from the pit.

"When Satan bartends, he prefers to serve mixed drinks...cocktails of troubles. Take them one at a time, and you can keep walking straight. Mixed all together, they can send you reeling."

"Forgiveness is not passivity, dear one. It is power. It is not a covenant of weakness. The Christian experience is full of paradoxes. It takes far more strength and personal fortitude to fall on our knees and submit to God than stand and fight our endless battles for significance. Nothing demands more elbow grease than thrusting our arms forward and giving God the solitary right to vengeance."

Put your head on the chest of God and weep

God is near to the brokenhearted,
He helps those whose spirit is crushed.
Proverbs 14:10

Save me, O God: For the waters have risen up to my neck.
I sink in muddy depths and have no foothold;
I am swept into deep water, and the flood carries me away.
I am wearied with crying out, my throat is sore,
my eyes grow dim as I wait for God to help me.
Psalm 69:1-3

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4