Keep on Keeping On

It's been a stressful week Lord and a Glorious one. Along with all the problems and situations comes You and Your answers to prayers. You always save us from ourselves when we are Yours if we but listen.

I keep saying "I'm too old for this Lord!" and You keep laughing at me and saying "Ha-ha! I guess I need to show you again that you are not". Why don't I listen? (LOL)

You are right Lord and I know it. Along with age you blessed me with a better understanding of people (through my own experiences), a kind of wisdom (from my experiences) and a calmness You have given me (because of my experiences). I am now suppose to use those as tools for You and every time I feel like crawling in a hole because of what is in front of me You Lord send me right into the battle and say "I gave You the tools girl, use them" and I find out that You are as always right.

I love You for every reason there is and for continuing to teach me, You have proved to me Lord that You won't quit, if I won't!

Blessed be YOUR Name

Long day

It's been a long day Lord, shouldn't complain about that should I, I should want them to be longer shouldn't I? But, You know what I mean don't You!

You Father have been so open to me today it's been overwhelming. I have heard You all day and been in prayer talking with You, begging and pleading with You and thanking You.

I am absolutely exausted and I know that I will fall asleep in Your arms tonight and be cradled by You with great comfort.

You have shown Yourself to me today with a great strength that only You posses, thank You so much for answering prayer and for loving me. I am praying that others in my family find that love and peace that comes through only You, continue to show yourself to them and lead them each to Your Salvation.

Amen
and

Amen

A Must Read, Please!

I receive "forward" emails all the time and frankly I don't open them, I hit delete. I know a lot of them are a means of passing on "phishing viruses" and "traveling cookies". I hit delete and then add the unopened email to my prayer list "Lord I didn't read that one, You read it for me, if it's ligitimate than I want you add my name to those praying for that need" But this one today that a friend sent me I couldn't help but open, I could feel the Lord telling me "don't hit that delete girl". I'm glad I listened and here it is, if you haven't received it yourself please read this. Love in Christ
Miawa

Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! ! The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.

I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against.. That's what they are, Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to..

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?' In light of recent events...

terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay..

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

My Best Regards,

Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

My Prayer Journal

Uh, I don't have one, oops!

Our Pastor was teaching Sunday about prayer, and faith which brings about the answer to prayer.

He told us that he has kept a prayer journal since he was a young man and that he loves and feels great praise in looking back through the prayers and seeing how they were answered in God's way not his, but answered.

He of course spoke of how long it takes for some to be answered, how different the answer may be from you asked and how not just the words you use but the faith you have behind the prayer is what God's responce is based on.

He spoke about how specifically we should pray, not just "Lord watch out my child today" but, Lord please be with this child as he sleeps and wakes for the morning, as he travels to school returns home. Be with him and the choices he has to make today and lead him in every choice he makes. Guide him in Your way and bring him home safely to me" Stop taking shortcuts.

He challenged each of us to keep a prayer journal for just a month, write down your prayer, the date and the date you saw the answer or the beginning of that answer and how God answered it so, that's what I am going to do starting Sunday Oct 25th and I am challenging each of you to do so and with me and see the joy of it all at the end of that month. Yeah, I'm good with that.

1 John 14-15

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

"And if we know that he hear us" when we pray with a faithful heart, completely trusting Him, He does hear.