Posted on 12/31/2014 10:18:45 PM PST by JustAmy
Beautiful Kitty graphics.
I keep tabs, but am not doing much posting, seems I spend my time in the recliner or the bathroom these days. This gastroparesis is a nasty digestive issue I did not need with my other health issues.
When the snow flies in Michigan, I like to get my grandkids, grab our plastic sleds, and go slipping and sliding down our backyard. We zoom down the hill for about 10 seconds, and then climb back up for more.
When I travel to Alaska with a bunch of teenagers, we also go sledding. We are hauled by bus nearly to the top of a mountain. We jump on our sleds and, for the next 10 to 20 minutes (depending on levels of bravery), we slide at breakneck speeds down the mountain, holding on for dear life.
Ten seconds in my backyard or 10 minutes down an Alaskan mountain. Theyre both called sledding, but there is clearly a difference.
Ive been thinking about this in regard to prayer. Sometimes we do the 10 seconds in the backyard kind of prayinga quick, spur-of-the-moment prayer or a short thanks before eating. At other times, were drawn to down the mountain prayingextended, intense times that require concentration and passion in our relationship with Him. Both have their place and are vital to our lives.
Jesus prayed often, and sometimes for a long time (Luke 6:12; Mark 14:32-42). Either way, let us bring the desires of our heart to the God of the backyards and the mountains of our lives.
INSIGHT
: Prayer was the essence of Jesus relationship with the Father. He often withdrew to a solitary place to pray (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; 9:18). Sometimes He spent long hours communicating with His Father (Luke 6:12; John 17) and other times He prayed short, quick prayers (Matt. 14:19; Luke 23:34,46; John 12:27).
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BUMP
May you all have a wonderful weekend!
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Holy cow, it’s Friday again!
Thanks to all for the pings and posts!
It doesn’t seem like Friday, does it?
Hope you’re having a wonderful evening!
Pretty MEG! :)
Hope that you're having a wonderful evening!
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Beep, beep, beep, beep. The warning sound and flashing lights alerted commuters that the train door was about to close. Yet a few tardy individuals still made a frenzied scramble across the platform and onto the train. The door closed on one of them. Thankfully, it rebounded and the passenger boarded the train safely. I wondered why people took such risks when the next train would arrive in a mere 4 minutes.
There is a far more important door that we must enter before it closes. It is the door of Gods mercy. The apostle Paul tells us, Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2). Christ has come, died for our sins, and has risen from the grave. He has opened the way for us to be reconciled to God and has proclaimed for us the day of salvation.
Today is that day. But one day the door of mercy will close. To those who received and served Christ, He will say, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you (Matt. 25:34). But those who dont know Him will be turned away (v.46).
Our response to Jesus Christ determines our destiny. Today Jesus invites, I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved (John 10:9).
INSIGHT
: One of the great biblical texts on salvation is 2 Corinthians 5:21. There we see the partnership of the Father and Son producing our rescue. First, all of our sins were placed on Christ, who bore them on the cross on our behalf (1 Peter 2:24). Then, Christs right standing with the Father is given to those who trust Him by faith (John 1:12). Now we are no longer enemies of God, for we have been brought to the Father by the Sons work for us. God demonstrated His love for us when He gave up His one and only Son.
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Awww...So Sweet!
Happy Cat/Dogurday!
Snow Storm
The land was white and freezing cold
the snow had come and taken hold.
A blizzard moved in from the north
and told the flurries to go forth.
A howling sound brings with it chills,
frozen words drift through the hills.
The trees wear coats of fluffy snow,
the lands so bright it seems to glow.
Snowflakes drifted down from the sky
whipped by the wind in swirls they fly.
A light and freezing screen they form,
the blizzard grows into a storm.Robert Patinson
Happy Caterday and Bunnieday!
That is so sweet, Trisham!
Goodnight, and God Bless.
(((((I Love your Sweet Post, Dear Trish)))))
My wife, Janet, bought me a new Dreadnought D-35 guitar for my 65th birthday. Originally developed in the early 1900s, the Dreadnought style is larger than most guitars designed during that time, and its known for its bold and loud tone. It was named after the large World War I British battleship the HMS Dreadnought. The back of the D-35 is unique. Because of the shortage of wide pieces of high quality rosewood, the craftsmen innovatively fit three smaller pieces of wood together, which resulted in a richer tone.
Gods workmanship is a lot like that innovative guitar design. Jesus takes fragments and blends them together to bring Him praise. He recruited tax collectors, Jewish revolutionaries, fishermen, and others to be His followers. And down through the centuries Christ continues to call out people from varied walks of life. The apostle Paul tells us, He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love (Eph. 4:16 nlt).
In the Masters hand many kinds of people are fit together and are being built into something with great potential for praise to God and service for others.
INSIGHT
: The unity of believers is an important topic for Paul. He spends a great deal of time in several different letters talking about the goal and the purpose of unity (1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4; Phil. 2). In Ephesians 4, Paul says the ultimate goal of all believers is to measure up to the full and complete standard of Christ (v.13 nlt).
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