Romans 5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into
our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 
Thank You Lord for Your Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31
For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

      14For the body is not one member, but many. 15If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20But now there are many members, but one body. 21And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

      27Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. 28And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, variouskinds of tongues. 29All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 30All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 31But earnestly desire the greater gifts.
      And I show you a still more excellent way.

My family is not in unity with one another.  We are each going our own way, away from each other.  

This is not God's plan.  He carefully put this family together. 

He chose chose Bill and I to fall in love in 1974.  

To get married in 1980.

To have our first daughter in 1982 and to name her Jessica Which means "She knows."

Then in 1985 we were blessed with Justine, which means "Just and upright."

Finally in 1998, His time not my time, with many prayers and tears, we held Julianne in our arms.  Her name means, "Grace."  Grace is a gift from God above and beyond what we deserve.

Now according to 1 Corinthians 12:12 - 31, we are to be one body, one family living together in unity.

Jessica can't say, "because I don't have green eyes, I don't belong to this family."

Hebrews 12:14

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Justine can't say "because I don't live in Pennsylvania, I don't belong to this family." 

Colossians 3:13 

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Julianne can't say, "I'm too young to be in this family."

Psalm 40:1

I waited patiently for the Lord;  He inclined to me and heard my cry.

God put us together in this time and place for a reason.  For His purpose, to do His will.  We need unity in this family.  We need to expand the boundaries of this family not break them apart.

Father of all of us,

I pray that our family will get closer to You and to each other. Show me what You would have me do or say, or keep me quiet and continue to pray.   Help me to be a peacemaker in my family, if it be Your will.  Bring us together so we can be an example to others of Your mighty power of forgiveness.  In Jesus name.   Amen

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Psalm 86:7
When I am in distress, I call to You because You answer me.

The post before this one is the YouTube video, "The Call."
Take 10 minutes to listen and hear.

We call out to God when we are in distress but do we answer Him when He calls to us?
Sometimes when I pray I feel guilty for always asking for something, forgiveness, protection, healing, guidance, or help.  I know that God wants us to cry out to Him with our wants and our needs.  I'm so thankful that He is a prayer answering God.  But do I answer Him when He calls me?

Lord keep in in tune with Your voice.  Let me hear You when You call.  Help me to be quick to answer and to do what You would have me to do.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen.

The Call (Spontaneous) - Steffany Gretzinger + Lindy Conant | Bethel Wor...

Revelation 22 

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

John and the Angel

⁶ The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

⁷ “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”

⁸ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. ⁹ But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”

¹⁰ Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. ¹¹ Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

Epilogue: Invitation and Warning

¹² “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

¹⁴ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you^[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

Today the Rev. Billy Graham was welcomed into the arms of his Savior, Jesus
Christ.  I'm sure there was such a "crowd of witnesses" too large to count to celebrate his life.

He was quoted to say, "I have read the last page of the Bible.  It's going to turn out all right."

Lord, Help me live my life knowing that at the end of it You will open Your arms to me and say, "Well done, My good and faithful servant."                Amen.

1 Timothy 1:5
The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.

Pure Heart - Knowing that God loves you

Clear Conscience - Knowing that your sins are forgiven

Genuine Faith - Knowing that God is in control

This is what Paul is writing to his young friend Timothy.
Paul wants to make it clear that all believers need to be filled with love. 
Can we love everyone with a pure heart...actually can we love everyone?
Can we love with a clear conscience...knowing that we are not perfect?
Can we love in genuine faith...that is the big question?  

What does being filled with love feel like?
-Looking at my babies after they were just born, yes.
-Seeing my girls spend time together peacefully, yes.
-Looking at Bill when things are going right, yes.
-Being wrapped in Bill's arms as I fall to sleep, yes.
-Watching my daughters and their husbands enjoying each others company, yes.
-Looking at the beauty of the world in the stars at night, a rainbow, the colors of Fall, the stillness of snow, the sound of the ocean, and the peace of a sunrise, yes.

Lord, give me a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith so I will be filled with love for all believers as You would have me do.    Amen.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14💌💌💌💌💌💘💘💘💘💘
13Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14Let all that you do be done in love.

This morning I prayed that God would lead me to people I could help so I could honor Him.  He is showing me that I help many people everyday. 

-In my Pilates class I helped 4 women to feel more flexible.

-In my SilverSneakers Circuit class I helped 27 men and women by strengthening their hearts, minds and bodies.

-I also scheduled 3 people for orientations to start them on their journey to feeling stronger and healthier.

-I helped Phyllis to not give up or get discouraged by measuring your body fat and showing her that all her hard work is paying off.

-I showed Peggy that she could go at her own pace in the Fitness Center and not be afraid to come back after her long absence.

-I encouraged my ladies (and Tom) in the Knitting class to make chemo caps that will protect people who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.

-I prayed with a coworker and helped her to not be afraid of the future. Letting her know that she is not alone.  

-Then tonight I got to text with Juli and tell her I will pray for her because she has a test tomorrow and has a cold.

Father, I thank You for helping me to see that I don't have to write a book, sing a song, or give a speech to honor You.  Everyday, in small ways You give me people to minister to.  Keep me alert for more ways I can help others and show Your love.  Amen.

1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

So I was on Facebook this afternoon and it is contaminated with opinions about the school shooting in Florida.  From blaming the President, blaming the health system, blaming the NRA to putting more security in the schools, arming and training the teachers on how to fight off an attacker.  It's crazy!
You know what is needed.  You told us thousands of years ago what we need to do!

When our world put itself before You, the trouble began:
Eve put her appetite before You,
Adam put Eve before You,  
Cain put his anger before You,
Joseph's brothers put their jealousy before You,
The Israelites put their fear before You,
then King Herod put his pride before You,
the Jewish people put their hatred before You and killed Your Son, 
even Paul put his fury before You and killed and imprisoned Your new followers.

Today people are putting anything and everything before You:
Churches are putting money and attendance before You,
Families are putting social media and TV before You,
Parents are putting the big house and status before You.
Kids are taught that everyone wins whether we try hard or not,
they are bullying each other and not able to defend themselves 
because they haven't been disciplined correctly.

So what is the answer...LOVE!
Is our world so far removed from You that this is impossible?
I hope not, but it will take alot of people on their knees.
It will take alot of people changing their minds.  
It will take alot of people turning their lives upside down.
But most of all it will take You.

Almighty God, Help us!
Help me!  Show me how to help others.  Open doors for me to show Your love.  Use me to teach Your love to those You put in my life.  Help us to wake up and see what is going on around us before it's too late.  In Jesus name.  Amen.



   

All Sons & Daughters - Wake Up (Live)

1 Corinthians 13:8
Love never fails.....

Since God is love, this statement is correct.  But if we are taking about human love...Love fails all the time!  
I fail at love all the time.  I have failed my mom and dad.  I have failed my brother and sisters.  I have failed my daughters and I have definitely failed my husband. 
Love is hard to do.  Our pride, money, selfishness, and our time gets in the way.  
I should spend more time with my mom and dad.  I should be more compassionate with my brother and sisters but selfishness gets in the way.  I should do more for my daughters but money gets in the way.  And last but not least, I should listen to my husband and follow his directions but my pride gets in the way.

Father of all creation,  You have taught us how to love because You are love. Help us to do better loving all You have put in our lives.  Let us be less selfish, more humble, spending our time and money on what is important.      Amen.

1 Corinthians 13:7
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

To be protected is to feel safe.  Safe from harm, safe from hurt, safe from danger.
Harm could be physical or mental.  It could be tearing down someone's self confidence or reputation.
Hurt could mean, physical abuse or mental anguish. 
And danger could be risky , hazardous, or unsafe behaviors.
Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God.
Psalm 86:2

Trust is important.  If you can't trust someone you will be suspicious of what they say and do.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
         And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
         And He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Hope is vital in life.  If you have no hope what is there to look forward to.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that
you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ...
Roman 15:13

Perseverance doesn't come easy.  It is developed through ups and downs, through successes and failures, and through mountains and valleys.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us
Hebrews 12:1

Father God, thank You for protecting us with Your loving arms.  Help us to trust You more as we learn more about You.  Keep our hope alive as we persevere through the trials and tribulations of this life.  Continue to guide us on our journey to eternity with You.  Amen.