Weekly Spiritual Meditations - 4/5

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When your hope is in Christ, you will never be disappointed. ~Malene Mendoza~

God has the power to see us through anything. Knowing this, we can face life with trust.

God looks at us with eternal love.

Jesus came to show us God and to reflect God’s love for us.

Relationship with Christ leads to the greatest love of all.

The more we give to others, the more we experience God’s goodness.

When we are connected to Christ, our light can show others the way to hope.

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God Knows What He’s Talking About! by Felicia
Jonathan Falwell told a cute story about one of his children attempting to ride a zip-line for the first time. The rest of the family had gone on ahead and Jonathan had been busy taking pictures of everyone else pushing out. Everything progressed smoothly until the time when his youngest child reached the point of final departure - 1 … 2 … “STOP!” his young son would yell out. He was afraid. Twice the attendants unharnessed him and Dad hunkered down to tell him what any parent would in a time like this. The third time he was re-harnessed and seemed all
set to go when he again yelled out “Stop!” at the very last minute.
But this time, the zip-line operator whispered something in his child’s ear and his child said, “Okay. GO!” and he was pushed out over the forest canopy hooting and hollering and having a grand ol’ time. So stunned was Jonathan that he didn’t even get any pictures of his youngest taking the ride of a lifetime. He buckled up and rode the line down to reunite with his family.
At the bottom, he went to his son and asked him what the operator had said to him. His son answered plainly, “He said it was gonna be alright.” Shocked, Jonathan said,” Well I had told you that - twice.” His son looked at him squarely and said, “Yeah, but he knew what he was talking about.”
How often, when we begin to experience fear, do we not go to God first? Why do we look at ourselves first and think we can do it alone? Or turn to friends and family?
Why don’t we listen to the One who knows what He’s talking about?

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Challenges In Life
In 1980 Mount Saint Helens erupted, and the Pacific Northwest shuddered under its devastating impact. Forests were destroyed by fire. Rivers were choked with debris. Fish and other wildlife died. Toxic fumes filled the air. Reporters ominously predicted that acid rain would develop from the ash-laden clouds. The future
for the area seemed bleak.
Nevertheless, less than a year after the eruption, scientists discovered that despite the fact that the rivers had been clogged with hot mud, volcanic ash, and floating debris, some of the salmon and steelhead had managed to survive. By using alternate streams and waterways, some of which were less than six inches deep, the fish returned home to spawn.
Within a few short years, the fields, lakes, and rivers surrounded Mount Saint Helens teemed with life. The water and soil seemed to benefit from the nutrients supplied by the exploding volcano. Even the mountain itself began to show signs of new vegetation.
Challenges in life can enrich us and make us stronger. Trouble may be the only means to show you a different way to go, a different way to live. It may be an opportunity to start afresh. All of God’s creation was designed to overcome! --From “God’s Little Lessons on Life for Graduates,” Tulsa, Oklahoma: Honor Books, 1999, p. 37

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Blowing Dust by Melinda Clements
The day had been awful. Wind and dirt filled the air and visibility was low because of the haze. Breathing was hard because of the dirt and it was almost impossible to keep your hair on your head. I had driven around to as many cattle waters as I could get to and each tank was covered in a film of dirt and debris. We desperately needed rain. I just wanted to wind to stop for a little while.
Life tends to blow by us in a hurry. We are constantly on the move, busy, going some place, doing something, in a hurry and trying to get things done. In the nursing home the other day
an elderly man told me, “I always lived my life in a hurry. Wished now I had taken a little more time to make some sense of it all.”
In a haze of blowing dust life slides by. Sometimes we are left with nothing but debris. In the haze are the things that are important and when it is all over the debris remains. God is in the midst of the blowing dirt. Life moves fast with challenges, struggles, difficulties and circumstances. We may handle them and we may not but regardless life goes on.
We cannot always control the blowing dust and we certainly cannot control the wind. We can, however, control how we handle it and what we take from it. In the fog of dirt and haze God beckons to us and waits for us. At some point the wind will lay and we will see his face and hear his voice. The scripture teaches us he is not in the fire or the wind but in the quiet of the moment. God is where we need him to be.
The winds of life blow here and there. There are things we face and
challenges to be met and God walks through the mist, be it fog, dirt or storms. Scripture also says he will never forsake us. No matter how things transpire or unfold he will always be there.
At some point the wind will lay, the rains will come and the air will clear. In the midst of all we face God has been there all along. He will continue to walk with us through this journey called life and he will usher us into to heaven with a resounding trumpet. No matter our fears and what we face God will guide and direct us. We may falter and struggle with the haze but he never leaves us.
No matter what haze you walk through today God is with you. It may be unclear and something you cannot grasp but you are not alone. Have no fear for God is with you. Dirt and debris are nothing compared to how great God is. In due time the wind will lay and things will become clear to you. Give God time to work a miracle in your life.

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What Are You Bringing? by Gail Rodgers
Some people find it really easy to be encouraging. For the rest of us, there’s a great lesson on encouragement here.
“A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.” (Proverbs 15:1, The Message)
What does your presence bring to those you encounter? Some people bring negativity. Some bring joy. Some bring the jarring-edge of unresolved anger or hurt, while others bring calm.
You can’t manage anyone’s responses to life except your own. However, paying attention to your own responses will help you think about what you are bringing to encounters you have with others.
Often those closest to us get the frayed edges after a challenging day. Sometimes our own ragged edges work like a giant spoon, stirring up irritation and anger. Let’s be mindful, especially at home, to help create the atmosphere we desire.
Today, be deliberate in watching your tones, your responses, and your words. Choose words that are kind. Choose words that are true and encouraging.
The old saying still holds true: “People will seldom remember what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.”
“A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.” (Proverbs 15:1, The Message)
Keep God’s wisdom close at hand today. The effect in your home will be well-worth the effort.
Father God, today I ask that the responses of my heart and mouth will be gentle and kind. May I help create an atmosphere where Your love is felt through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions: What responses, tones, and words are you stirring into the atmosphere of your home? How can you help to create an environment where you will be remembered for filling the air with the fragrance of Christ?

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Worn Lightly by Sally I. Kennedy
Tiny, fat puffs of feathery snow, gently, silently floating down from heaven to earth. Coming from a tropical climate, I was mesmerized. It was thrilling to watch the awesome, magnificent sight of a late spring snowfall. I thought, “How intricate and beautiful God made the world….. for us.”
Just outside the window was a large evergreen bough. It was interesting, that as the snow continued to fall and mound up on the branch, it never did cause the branch to dip, or bend. The evergreen was wearing it’s new “burden” lightly, as ‘not of the world’.
There’s a place in the Bible where Jesus talks about this; He says to take His yoke on you, which is light, and easy…..not the heaviness of the world. (Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11)
We don’t have to carry around heavy things, carrying the world on our shoulders. We weren’t meant to have stooped, sagging shoulders from bearing heavy cares and worries.
In 1st Peter 5, it says, “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”. (AMP)
We can wear the world as a garment of light, not as a cloak that suffocates and chokes. How wonderful that Jesus did/does that for us. That is very good news.

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A CHILD OF GOD by Reba Kosz
Recently, my little family and I were blessed to attend a Christian concert in Louisville, KY. It was awesome and the harvest was huge. Many people left there having received Christ and renewed in the Spirit.
Seated next to me in the wheelchair area was a young man unable to communicate. He was suctioned via his Tracheotomy tube every few minutes because he could not swallow on his own. Unless you watched him you would assume that he had no idea what was going on and somehow out of odds with all the preaching on healing and purpose going on. Someone who did not understand the ill and disabled would assume he was merely parked there and unable to participate in the worship. But they would be so wrong.
This young man seated next to me is a Child of God, a righteous being brought into existence for a purpose. His days are numbered as are the hairs of his head and Jesus know his every, single need. He may not be able to verbalize to those around him but he has moment-to-moment conversations with Christ in ways that we could not consider. This man is completely, wholly, dependent on the mercy of the Father with nothing to get in the way. He is blessed and will continue to be blessed when he is given his new, perfect body. I saw his head bob, I saw him react to the lights and the music and though he could not lift his hands in praise, I felt him lift his pure, beautiful heart.
Jesus loves you so much, and that is an understatement, that He even knows the number of hairs on your head. He says that as the sparrows are provided for every day, so will you have your needs met because your worth is greater than them.
People may not understand your illness, your pain and your disability but the Father does. So, don't be afraid. Walk, limp, hobble, wheel, straight into His loving arms and let Him whisper to you that He loves you.

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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
In a vision I saw a giraffe with its already long neck stretched up to eat the most delicate and scrumptious new growth at the top of a tree. And, like the giraffe, we are stretching way up to devour the fresh word of truth by the Spirit. And, I heard the Lord say: Don't stop reaching. This is a time of excitement and revelation that will bring new spiritual experience, which will need to be defined and stabilized by My Word, says the Lord. 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Maintain clear perspective, and refuse to allow interim disturbances to dissuade you from strong and abiding faith. Look beyond these short-term difficulties by not giving them more power or significance than they deserve. I tell you truly that this too shall pass, says the Lord. Step back from your focus on trouble to see the larger picture of blessings and victory. 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

You will find yourself in situations that require extraordinary patience. Take a deep breath and let the process have its way and do its work. Otherwise, you will find yourself out of the flow of My Spirit and in the throes of frustration and stress. However, a change in mindset will help you maintain peace in all things, says the Lord. James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Beloved, rest in the assurance that what you are dealing with currently will provide ample opportunities to learn from your mistakes and make the necessary corrections. Know that as you yield to this process it will result in greater strength, wisdom, and victory, says the Lord. Do not be afraid or lose heart. You are not alone; I am with you every step of the way. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Draw close to Me. Let us be one, with no separation or division between us. My desire is that your heart and mind would come into complete unity with Me, says the Lord, for this is the place of absolute righteousness and peace. You can choose to position yourself to be in this perfect union so that you are never in opposition to My will. John 17:21 That they all may be one, as you, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Approach uncertainty with faith that I am with you directing your steps. Nothing is uncertain to Me or in My kingdom. I know the beginning from the end, and you can trust Me to lead you in the way you should go. I am for you and not against you. Maintain peace in all things, says the Lord. Psalms 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
I would have you, My people, to understand that resurrection power is available to you--the power of the kingdom to bear. The power of the authority of Christ has been given to you; use that authority; use that power. Fight the good fight of faith. Overcome all the works of the enemy that are against you. Live in freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of your joy in the kingdom of an Almighty God, who has made the way for you. All you have to do is walk in the way that has been prepared. Walk in truth. Walk in the glory of a great salvation. Walk in My presence day to day remembering the price has been paid. Do not forget the benefits that you have been given. For, the Lord says, what I have acquired and what I have laid hold of, I did for you. Get it spiritually. Press on! Never give up, never sit down, and do not allow yourself to be discouraged. I say, push toward the mark of the high calling in Christ, the Lord of glory.

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A Little Heart by Nancy Burr
My heart is breaking from much pain,
It’s tired, down and stressed.
All my hope has slipped away,
I feel anything but rest.
I turn to God, my faithful friend,
But He feels far away.
But through my tears I see on the floor,
A tiny red heart lay.
A little heart sat on the floor,
Crumpled and torn apart.
Oh how my heart feels like that heart,
A tired broken heart.
I pick it up and hold it close,
Then I heard a voice that day,
“I will heal your broken heart,
And take your pain away.”
“I’ll hold you close all through the day,
I’ll take each step with you.
And when you feel to weak to walk,
I’ll be your strength for you.
I’ll pick you up and carry you,
I’ll never let you down.
I will give you back your hope,
And take away your frown.”
I kept on looking at the heart,
Still wanting to hear more.
The voice I heard was soft and sweet,
Hearing more I so longed for.
But that is not what happened next,
A voice I did not hear.
But right before my eyes that day,
I saw my Jesus near.
The little heart that once looked torn,
Changed right in front of me.
That little heart now looked brand new,
The changes I could see.
And then I felt my sad heart stir,
My pain vanished away.
Then joy and hope just filled me up,
And I knew I’d be okay.
I felt His healing touch that day,
I felt him touch my heart.
I know my Jesus loves me cause,
He fixed my broken heart.
I heard His voice so clearly,
Then I felt him touch my soul.
I know my Jesus loves me cause,
His touch has made me whole.

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Amazing Friend by Nancy Burr
The morning light shone bright in my room,
But something didn’t feel quite right.
I opened my eyes and crawled out of bed,
So weak it took all my might.
As I stood there alone I felt something stir,
Someone was there with me.
I felt such peace and a warmth filled my heart,
My God was comforting me.
I closed my eyes and listened for God,
The sun shining on my face.
I felt so alive so fresh and brand new,
He covered me with His grace.
I wanted to stay in that place forever,
Taking in all He could give.
But He led me from there saying, “Go my child,
I’ll teach you how to live.”
Late that night when my day was all through,
God’s presence still filled the air.
He guided my day, each step and each word,
He went with me everywhere.
He is so amazing; He is my best friend,
No other can compare.
I trusted in Him and He made my path straight,
I know He is everywhere.

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9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. John 10:9-16

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16

21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:21-25

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 91:2

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Rmans 12:17-18

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The Glove Author Unknown
"You're so quiet, Son. What's on your mind?" asked Ben's father as he stopped at Ben's room to tell him good night. Ben put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling above his bed. "Oh, I've just been wondering if I should be a missionary."
"You don't seem very excited about the idea," said Dad.
"It seems like such a hard job," said Ben, propping himself up on one elbow. "I have this feeling that I might not be any good at it. What if God calls me to do something I can't do!"
Ben's father thought for a moment, then reached over to Ben's desk and picked up his baseball glove. "What's this?" he asked. Ben laughed. "Don't be silly, Dad! It's my ball glove."
Dad walked over to the corner of the room. He propped the glove against the wall, found a baseball, and threw it at the glove. Though the ball hit the center of the glove, it rolled to the floor. Dad picked up the glove and looked at it in disgust. "This glove is a total failure," he said, shaking his head.
Ben laughed and laughed. "Oh, Dad, you know it can't catch by itself! It has to have a hand inside."
Dan smiled at Ben. "You're just like this glove," he said. "God has a purpose for your life, Ben, just as there is a purpose for this glove. You put your hand inside the glove to give it guidance and strength----you give it power to catch the ball. In the same way, God will give you power to do whatever He calls you to do. Don't worry, Son, God will never prop you in a corner and leave you alone. It's His mighty hand that does the work when you are willing to be used."
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing." (John 15:4-5)

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Dear Lord, thank you for your love that is beyond understanding. May our love for and devotion to you be obvious to those around us. Help us to see and love others and ourselves as you do. Amen.

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Read Through The Bible
2 Kings 18
Hezekiah Reigns in Judah
1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. 7 The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 He subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city. 9 Now it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10 And at the end of three years they took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11 Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and put them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; and they would neither hear nor do them. 13 And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord
17 Then the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh from Lachish, with a great army against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they went and stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, which was on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 18 And when they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them. 19 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What confidence is this in which you trust? 20 You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 21 Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?”’ 23 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 24 How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 Have I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’” 26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27 But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?” 28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you from his hand; 30 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”’ 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern; 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive groves and honey, that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” 33 Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’” 36 But the people held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

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Dear God, thank you for the resources you have given us. We pray that we will invest them in your work and service and that we will do so generously and joyfully. Amen.

Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. If you do not have Jesus in your life and wish to ask Jesus into your life please go to this link now to do so: http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130 .
Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.