Thank You

By Pat

For love and life and joy each day,
And friends to help along the way.
For homes to clean and food to cook,
And guidance from your Holy Book,
Dear God, I thank you.

For blessings we provide for others
Because you said that we are brothers;
For watching over all we do,
For evening dusk and morning dew,
Dear Lord, we thank you.

For patience when I'm too demanding,
Peace that passes understanding,
Eyes and ears that I might see
And hear the things you've made for me,
Dear Father, I thank you.

For showing me when I feel stressed
The many ways in which I'm blessed,
For family, friends and those I love
And countless blessings from above,
My Lord, I thank you.

And for the greatest gift of all,
The One who saves me when I fall-
For Jesus Christ, my Lord and King;
My life, my all, my everything,
Precious Lord, I thank you.

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

God Says... "I will come near to you."

By Kely Braswell (Dangerous Breeze)

Far away, so close...

So, all my preacher friends tell me that God is everywhere. And I pretty much believe that.

But what about when it don't feel like it?!

What about when things ain't exactly goin' swimmingly, and the ends don't meet at the end of the month, and the people you love are sick of you, and it's been four days since I read any Psalms and I haven't even remembered the really weak prayers like "Oh, God, please bless my mashed potatoes, and make 'em really creamy?"

What about then?

What about when I'm standing in a wide expanse of nothingness, and I'm yellin', "God. Where ARE you?"

"Well, God's close. As close as your skin."

That's what people will say, those who know the proper theological, churchy, St. Francis and the Pope type answers to these things.

But does it matter if He's close, even if I don't feel Him? 'Cause sometimes "close" sure seems "far."

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The Chain

By Pat

A few nights ago, the chain on which one of my bird feeders hangs was broken by a raccoon who had climbed up the pole in order to raid the sunflower seeds in the feeder. One of the links in the chain completely opened from the weight of the animal, so I rigged it back up by using a link from an old chain I found in the garage, a smaller one. As I hung the feeder back up, I was reminded that we, the body of Christ, are each links in a chain...an invisible chain, and that without one of us, just one, the chain cannot be complete. Each of us serves a purpose in the chain, and each of us is a special link. Some larger, some smaller, but each just as important as the next.

We can sometimes not see how our work in God's kingdom is making a difference in the world, and it can be discouraging wondering if we are doing enough in our service. But each kind deed, every uttered prayer, each heartfelt hug, is a link in a chain that encircles the world. Perhaps the person you have been praying for or witnessing to, will come to Jesus and become an evangelist who reaches countless souls! And to think that you were the link God used is truly humbling. And awesome!

So never allow yourself to feel insignificant, if you are being the best link in God's chain that you can be. It's not the size, but the strength that counts, and I am happy to be one little link in God's "Chain Gang!"

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

God Says... "It will be worth it."

By Jason S (Connecting to Impact)

We all have situations in our lives that bring up the question of cost vs. worth.  Nearly every day, there are big concerns and little ones; ones we weigh carefully and others we decide in split seconds.  We don't want to be caught spinning our tires or wasting our time.

Sometimes we decide we've paid enough and walk away, but when we are walking away from something God spoke to us or led us into, we are guaranteed to miss out on something wonderful.

I like how the Amplified version puts Romans 8:28:

"We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose."

God gives us a part in all this. We aren't simply waiting around, but He partners with our labor in this work of restoration. That's restoration for ourselves and those around us.

We may be ready to bail, saying, "it's not worth it." Meanwhile, God is trying to get our attention to reassure us and tell us, "Just hold on. I know you can't see it now, but it will be worth it."

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Dialogue or Monologue?

By Pat

One of the ways in which we get to know other people is to listen to them. In fact, being a good listener is crucial in any relationship, and although I am quite the talker, I do try to be a good listener. And yet, the one I fail at the most in that area is in my relationship with God. I find inactivity difficult. And so, I find that what I do is talk AT God, not WITH God. It's no wonder I get frustrated when God's answers are sometimes so unclear to me. I am faithful in prayers, but I am realizing that me time with God should be a dialogue, not a monologue. I have no trouble at all talking TO God, but I rarely sit still long enough to hear FROM God.

Jesus knew that in order to be in a right relationship with God, He had to listen for him. When He prayed, he put all other things away and made listening a part of the process. He got away, found a quiet place, and had a dialogue with the Father. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35). Now, although the scripture doesn't say so, I feel quite confident that Jesus didn't just make these prayers a one-way communication. He needed to hear from God, and He made sure he was in a position to do so.

God, to the best of my knowledge, does not text message, nor does He send emails. He speaks directly to us, in whatever way He chooses, and it's up to us to be alert for whatever God has to say to us. Maybe instead of presenting God with my long, rambling prayers, I should be more like Jesus...stop waiting for a text message that's not going to come, and say, "God, what do you have to tell me?" instead of, "Lord, hear my prayer!" Perhaps I would have a better dialogue if I would shorten my monologue.  

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.