Dr. Charles Stanley presents an excellent sermon on “Weathering the Storms of Life” In Touch Ministries. Thanks to my friend Jeanne Wong for sharing this with me.
Take a minute and enjoy his notes. It will bless you.
Proverbs 10:18 (New Living Translation)
18 Hiding hatred makes you a liar;
slandering others makes you a fool.
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I read this verse today in my daily reading and it hit home for me. Pretty much sums up my situation I’m facing from my brothers and sisters in a nutshell. Telling me after the funeral how they’ve resented Dad’s love for me all my life and we never had a true relationship–I feel They’ve hidden hatred against me in their heart’s for so long. Guess I was the only one living a Fantasy that I had brothers & sisters. They’re good–to smile and hug me and pretend they cared when around me, but hidden inside is pure hatred. I feel sorry for them living that way. I believed our love and relationship to be real, so to face this new reality of theirs is Mind-shattering. My sister Robin feels its her obligation to tell the siblings I’m always a problem (slandering me)–heard her myself as she turned to family right in front of my face at the funeral–instead of seeing me as a sister loving mom and honoring her wishes. Just because I wanted to verify mom’s true wishes about an issue that affected my family, I’m now an outsider to the siblings and mother too backing the craziness. Crazy stuff.
*sharing my shattered heart trying to understand in love. now I understand why the Lord will let go of us and allow us to turn to a reprobate heart– if we reject him. times like these you have to let go if all people see is evil from you when its love and can’t see the good that is honestly in you–what choice do you have? Let Go! Lord, I give this issue to you again. Forgive me for anything I’ve done and I forgive them for not realizing what they are doing.
Fireproof the movie is an excellent resource for married couples desiring to improve their marriage; be it from being newlyweds or marriages feeling divorce is the only choice. Well, your marriage can change and work for the better with the Lord in the center. Click here to see the trailer and read a brief summary of what the movie is about.
Try the Love Dare! It challenges you to do specific things each day and journal about it and the affect on yourself and your spouse. You can pickup the movie, love dare journals, and other study resources at your local Family Christian Store for individual couple use or to facilitate a couples study group.
The Love Dare can help you evaluate your motives and intentions in your marriage. It will guide you to and through verses in the Bible about what God says our roles are in marriage. Discusses how Respect to a man is real Love, but to a woman Love means caring, listening, and being kind. Men and Women are different and God made us that way on purpose….learning the differences and honoring those differences as the Lord desires us to is what builds your marriage up.
This is the first couples study that Russ has personally took an interest in, searched out, and pursued for us to do together. I’m excited to see where the Lord leads our marriage. Thanks mom and dad for sharing the movie with us and planting the seeds.
As you may know, our son Luke has made some choices which led him into Juvenile Hall for a few days and now on probation til next year. Here we, Russ and I, are the victims of our sons choices and we are penalized to participate in some Family and Individual counseling and Parenting classes. Luke also has to do counseling and take an Anger/Assault class as well.
I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that the Lord has a plan for good to come from this. So I find myself trying to see where the Lord’s hand is within this crazy up and down situation we’re facing.
Okay, we all know it takes discipline to sit down and read the Bible each day. Of course, all kinds of things happen the moment you sit down to open the Bible and start reading; the phone will ring, the children might start fussing or fighting, or even something simple to distract you like having to go to the restroom or deal with some issue. We have to consciously choose to take the time to read a chapter, read the daily Bible versus from a devotional, something.
If you find that it’s just READING in general that you don’t like doing, at the least download the FREE podcast to listen to the Word each day. Subscribe to the daily audio bible on itunes or even subscribe to in through your favorite pod-cast catcher.
The 1-Year Daily Audio Bible has been a wonderful blessing to me. I’ve downloaded the whole selection on my itunes podcast section to access anytime. I also like keeping the current week’s daily verses available on my iPhones iPod section to take along with me anywhere. Keeping the Lord’s Word in your mind is critical to daily living. Believe it or not, the Lord brings opportunities your way daily that seem to relate to what you read or listened to.
This shouldn’t be drudgery to do. The Lord talks to you through His Word. It reaches your deepest parts in ways you won’t understand until you read the Word. Your faith will increase greatly hearing about what Jesus did for us and how much he Loves us. Your heart will be touched…Let Jesus speak to your heart through hearing the Word and/or Reading the Word. It becomes life changing.
Verse for Today is a great one to remember.
“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?â€- Psalm 56:4
This verse has been one of my personal favorite verses since the Lord changed my life in 1986. It carries a deep Truth that can sustain you in any situation. To me, this truth is that God is the only one I should be afraid of, not man or anything for that matter. So if I keep my heart right with the Lord, spiritually walk with Jesus every day of my life, recognizing his hand and guidance in my life every moment, honoring him and living the life he desires me to live according to his word, then there is nothing to be afraid of that Man can dish out at me. Ultimately, the Lord is the one in control of it all. Boy, Satan sure can torment you so subtly through people, but it’s what you do with the knowledge of knowing that it’s not the people you are accountable to ….it’s God/Jesus/Holy Spirit that you are truly accountable to. Remembering that truth…helps us make better choices than our natural instincts just taking over. None of us are perfect, but the Lord expects us to keep practicing doing what is right. It’s when we stop practicing living for the Lord is when the enemy creeps into our lives and has his manipulated way with us.
Good News for Home Schools!
Pacific Justice Institute has just received word that the court ruling which declared most forms of homeschooling unlawful in California has been vacated. This means the Rachel L. decision, which has sparked a nationwide uproar, will not go into effect as it is currently written. The Second District Court of Appeal has instead decided to re-hear the case, with a new round of briefings due in late April. It would likely take the court several additional months to schedule oral argument and issue another decision.
Today’s announcement by the court that it will re-hear the case reinforces PJI’s position that homeschooling families should continue their current programs without fear of governmental interference. PJI will be actively involved in the upcoming briefs and will continue to post updates and special bulletins on this vital issue.
Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, commented, “We are pleased that the Court of Appeal has decided to re-hear the Rachel L. case, and we are hopeful that the fundamental rights of these parents, our clients Sunland Christian School, and the tens of thousands of homeschooling families in California will be honored. Homeschooling parents should be treated as heroes—not hunted down or harassed by their own government.â€
It amazes me that even after knowing the true statistics of home schooled children succeeding in life and making something of themselves, how someone would try to sabotage the homeschooling option.
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Sunday, March 9, 2008, is Daylight Saving Time.
So for California, set your clocks FORWARD one hour before you go to bed tonight. More sunshine for everyone. My brother in AZ is sure lucky to not have to remember to do this. His clock never adjusts.
How about in your state?
Do you adjust your clocks for daylight saving time?
Leave a comment and let me know.
Don’t be late to church tomorrow! 
Thank you Friends for your Interest in Sunrider Herbal Nutrition and Wellness Products that I’ve talked about in the Nutrition articles and also the Business Opportunity available through Sunrider.
Becoming a Sunrider Independent Business Owner (IBO), is the opportunity that you’re looking for. I can be of assistance to getting you started with Sunrider Products and on your way to becoming an IBO for yourself. By implementing the Sunrider techniques, you’ll be on your way to financial freedom as well as sponsoring others as they discover nutrition and wellness through the products Sunrider offers.
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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.â€- Joshua 1:9
I love this verse. It’s a great verse to have in your memory, especially during times that feel like there is no hope, are no choices, or is defeating or disappointing, etc. “The Lord is with US wherever we go!!!” That comforts me, hopefully you too.