Tuesday, March 31, 2015

"Cries to God on My Behalf..."

I am always deeply touched when people pray for me. This past week a dear brother prayed specifically for me and let me know (by copying me in on email) about his cries to God on my behalf:

"Dear Father God, This morning the Holy Spirit brought to mind my pastor. He faces so many burdens that I know nothing about. He has such great responsibilities and weighty decisions. He has personal family to care for as well as church family to shepherd. I pray that as he comes to you today... and every day... that you will refresh his spirit, enlighten his mind, and strengthen his body. I pray that you will grant him wisdom, anointing, and openness to receive the message you want to deliver through him and to deliver that message when and to whom you want it delivered. I pray for protection and blessing for my pastor's entire family and all the leaders of the church. Please keep them safe from all harm and evil... and lead them on to accomplish your plan for their lives, the church's future, and the Great Commission. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen." -- A Loving Brother

Give away your life... In prayer for others.

Grateful  
 
 

Monday, March 30, 2015

"One of the Greatest Proofs.."

"One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be humiliated without manifesting the slightest trace of anything but His grace in you." -- Oswald Chambers 

Give away your life... To The God is Grace. 

Grateful 

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Isaiah 61:1-3 "Beauty for Ashes..."

This link will lead you to a lovely passage from God's Holy Word. It is the passage Jesus read aloud in the synagogue at Nazareth. Yes, He proclaimed Truth from the Scroll of Isaiah to describe Himself. 

Now, simply click the link and profoundly saturate in Isaiah 61:1-3 from The Amplified Bible: 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+61:1-3&version=AMP

Give away your life... To The Beautiful Savior Who came to give us His Beauty for our ashes. Jesus is His Name.

Grateful 

Saturday, March 28, 2015

"Jesus Christ Came to..."

"Jesus Christ came to make us holy, not to tell us to be holy: He came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves."
-- Oswald Chambers 

(Click-on image for full-frame.) 


Give away your life... To God and let Him produce in you the (holy) desires and actions that please Him.

Grateful 

Friday, March 27, 2015

Don't Allow Sin to Reign

"If the believer holds fast what his/her participation with Christ's death signifies, he/she has the power to overcome sin. It is said 'sin is dead'; but he/himself or she/herself is dead to sin and alive to God, so sin cannot for a single moment, without his/her consent, have dominion over him/her. If he/she does sin, it is because he/she allows sin to reign, and he/she submits himself/herself to it."
-- Andrew Murray

Don't give away yourself... To sin.

Grateful 

Thursday, March 26, 2015

"Difficult But Worth It"

"It has been said anything worth doing is difficult. Jesus never said it would be easy, but he did say it would be worth it. My encouragement to you is simply this: remain committed to the call God has placed in your heart, invest in others along the way, and be a voice that helps bring change when systems are broken."
(My encouraging, friend, Keith Wiseman)

Give away your life... To make the world different!

Grateful 

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Journey With Jesus...

Psalm 23:3a -- "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness..."

Better to journey with Jesus on the difficult, right paths that lead to Somewhere, than to travel on easy, wrong roads with satan that lead to no where.

Give away your life... To The Good Shepherd. 

Grateful

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

How to Die...

During World War 1, it is said that a young British soldier stood troubled in the midst of his company on the eve preceding a fierce battle and asked: "Can anyone tell me how to die?" After a long silence a voice arose in the crowd singing these words: "O Rest in The Lord!" There wasn't a dry eye in the company. 

Help us to surrender our all to You, Jesus. Help us to be found with these words on our lips: "O Rest in The Lord!" In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Give away your life... In complete surrender to Jesus.

Grateful

Monday, March 23, 2015

The Way, Today.

Jesus is The Way.
Jesus is The Way in.
Jesus is The Way out.
Jesus is The Way onward. 
Jesus is The Way upward. 

"Jesus is The Answer
For the world today.
Above Him there's no other
Jesus is The Way."
-- Christian Song

Give away your life... To The Way, Today.

Grateful 

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Wisdom from The Basketball Coach

These words by The Basketball coach of all basketball coaches are so powerful:


(Click on text above if full-frame not visible.) 

Give away your life...

Grateful 

Saturday, March 21, 2015

The Kind of Math I Love

   1 Man 
+ 2 Wooden Beams 
+ 3 Nails 
= LOVE (TO ME).
-- Gospel Song


Give away your life... To Love. God is Love.

Grateful 


Friday, March 20, 2015

"Brevity & Beauty"

Blessed to spend a few fleeting moments with my Mama, Lady Melba. Today, we picked out my Daddy's, Capt. Billy's, headstone to be set in place at Virgie Mae Cemetery on Harkers Island, North Carolina, by Father's Day 2015. 

Mama has recently framed this old photo in her bedroom -- proof of the brevity of earthly life and an accent of the beauty of Eternal Life. 

 
Lady Melba and Capt. Billy, April 1958.
(Click on photo if full-frame not in view.)

Give away your life... To Life Himself, The Resurrected Jesus.

Grateful 

Thursday, March 19, 2015

"Small... Big..."

"As long as you stay small in your own eyes, God can get glory out of your life. But if you get big in your own eyes, God cannot use you." 
-- Lady Melba Willis

Give away your life... Humbly to God.

Grateful 

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Weariness...

To be human is to experience weariness. I've learned that when I am weary, it is imperative to reduce busyness. Unless we back down the throttle when we are tired, our desperation can turn quickly to devastation. 

Jesus was such a Loving Leader to His disciples. I love a compassionate command given by Jesus in The Gospel of Mark. Yes, In Mark 6:31, Jesus told His weary disciples: "Come ye yourselves apart... And rest a while..."

Surely, if we do not "come apart and rest a while, we will sadly come apart."

Give away your life... To the One Who Gives you Rest -- Jesus.

Grateful 

(If slide doesn't show fully, click on slide.) 


Tuesday, March 17, 2015

"Broken Things of Earth..."

"God is building His Kingdom with the broken things of earth. God is the God of those who have failed. Heaven is being filled with earth's broken lives. God can take a life crushed by pain or sorrow and make a harp whose music will be total praise. He can lift earth's saddest failure up to Heaven's glory."  -- J.R.Miller (Cowman, Streams)

Give away your broken life to God.

Grateful 


Monday, March 16, 2015

The Inheritance That Is Ours...

The inheritance that is ours in King Jesus is indescribable yet undeniable. 

Let us consider "the exceeding riches of His grace", yes, "the unsearchable riches of Christ". (Eph. 2:7, 3:8)

Give away your life... To the One Who gave away His Life for you.

Grateful 

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Our Testimonies Matters

If you know Revelation 12:11, you know how much your testimony and mine really matters.

Truly, we overcome that ancient accuser by The Blood of The Lamb, Jesus, and by the Word of our own testimonies about how the Blood of the Lamb makes us more than conquerers through Christ Who loved us.

I've heard it said that "the Blood of Jesus is never in question, only our testimonies." Let us pray to the Lord Who loved us and Who loves us still, that The Holy Spirit will strengthen our belief in Almighty Father God so that the Overcoming Life of Jesus can live through us with His power, purity, and presence.

Give away your life... as you give others Your testimony.

Grateful

Saturday, March 14, 2015

"The Great Marvel"

"I still think the great marvel of the experience of salvation is not the alteration others see in you, but in the alternation you find in yourself. When you come across certain people and things and remember what you used to be like in connection with them, and realize what you are now by the grace of God, you are filled with astonishment and joy; where there used to be a well of resentment and bitterness, there is now a well of sweetness." 
-- Oswald Chambers

Give away your life... To The Sweetest Name You Know -- Jesus.

Grateful 

Friday, March 13, 2015

"The Great Object of Redemption..."

"The great object of redemption was to make us and our will free from the power of sin, and to lead us again to live and do the will of God." 
-- Andrew Murray

Give away your life... To The Redeemer.

Grateful 

Thursday, March 12, 2015

The Exclusive Relationship...

"The exclusive relationship Jesus has with His Father has been extended to us. Jesus died, was resurrected, and ascended to bring us into this same intimacy with His Spirit." 
-- Stephen Manley

Give away your life... To Intimacy with The Triune God.

Grateful 

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Spirit of...

(If Scripture doesn't appear in full-frame, click image.)


Give away your life... 

Grateful

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

"God Fights For Us!"

“God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.
   We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
      courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
   Before the rush and roar of oceans,
      the tremors that shift mountains.
   Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
      God-of-Angel-Armies protects us."
(Psalm 46:1-3, The Message)

Give away your life... To the God Who fights for us!

Grateful 

Monday, March 9, 2015

"The Secret of My Life" (George Mueller)

I may have posted this before, but it's powerful enough for a do-over :-)

"The secret of my life is 'there was a day when I utterly died to George Mueller -- to his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will; I died also to the world, it's approval or censure; died to the approval or blame of even my family and friends. Since then I have studied to show myself approved only unto God.'" -- George Mueller

Give away your life... Totally to Holy God!

Grateful

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Sometimes it Takes a Mountain

Yesterday, my Mom and I shared sacred moments of encouraging each other in The Lord on the phone. Before hanging up, Mom told me to listen to this song that has been strong on her heart. I pray it strengthens you:


Give away your life... To The One Who Made the Mountains and The One Who Stills The Storms... Jesus.

Grateful 

Saturday, March 7, 2015

My First Doctor's Visit Since My Dad's Death

Yesterday, I had my first annual physical at my doctor's office since my Dad went to be with Jesus on November 17, 2014.

It was a sobering event. I reflected all day until I walked in for the appointment scheduled for 3 p.m. I spent much time in 2014 accompanying my Dad to see his doctors. So, yesterday was the first doctor's office I had visited in a while without Dad. Did I say it was a sobering event? Indeed, it was.

The nurse weighed me, checked my height, took my blood pressure and told me the doctor was a little behind in his schedule but would be in soon. More time to reflect. Having a yearly physical must feel something like that final Judgment Day will feel? 

The doctor arrived shortly. He is a kind and caring man. He is wise and mild-mannered. He is very inquisitive and that makes for a good physician in my estimation. 

After asking many questions about my own health and because I had told him about my year, especially about my Dad's death, he then continued asking questions about my Dad's health issues. Obviously, he wants to be able to better help me moving forward. 

As a result of these health questions about my Dad's issues, I now have a lot of new notes in my own medical folder and a bottle of iron supplement tablets to add to my daily regiment of health-related meds. I am glad to comply to my good doctor's desires because I know he always has my best interest in mind. 

With the question-and-answer session over, it was finally time for the actual exam. It was over quick enough and then the doctor shared good news: "You look good. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it. Come back in a few months for your regular blood work again."

I exhaled. I thanked the good doctor telling him he was a gift to our family and how much we truly appreciated his investment in our lives over these past 20 years. With humility, he received my gratitude and went on to the next patient.

As I was getting dressed to leave, I thought how much courage my Dad had placed in me during all the doctor office visits that I had accompanied him in over the 11 months of his cancer battle. I even whispered in the exam room just before exiting: "Dad, thanks for teaching me how to respond in a doctor's office when my own health is the reason for the visit." I was sort of like my Dad during my own exam, in that, I had no fear and I encouraged my own doctor. (My Dad had courage during all of his health challenges that served to encourage the health providers and everyone else.) 

Finally, I am ever so grateful for my Creator God, Who is also my Ultimate Great Physician. While Dad wasn't here to go with me for my doctor's visit, I was surely not alone. The One Who promised, "I will not leave you as orphaned" was very present. Jesus is His Name. (Yeah, Dad taught me that, too.) 

Give away your life... To the Life-Giver!

Grateful 


Friday, March 6, 2015

Crucified

"The crucified Christ and the crucified Christian belong to each other. As Christians, we glorify in the Cross because it makes us partners in His death and victory that has already been accomplished, and in which the deliverance from the powers of the flesh and of the world has been secured (for us) in Him." -- Andrew Murray

Give away your life... To The Crucified Christ.

Grateful  

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Defeating Temptation

Resisting temptation is not the only way to defeat it; if we lose our mind for the mind of Christ, the temptation to sin loses its allure.
-- Manley/Willis remix

Give away your life... To The Mind of Christ!

Grateful 

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

"PRAY THROUGH!"

If our attempts to WORRY THROUGH life's trials and tribulations have left us certainly breathless, even seemingly hopeless, let us take heart and immediately turn to a successful tactic over the spiritual warfare in our lives. Yes, let us PRAY THROUGH!

Give away your life... In prayer to God!

Grateful 

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

"The Land of the Living"

This morning, a dear friend in The Lord helped my soul to awake with assurance by sending me this praiseworthy passage from God's Holy Word:

"Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, Lord,  have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living." -- Psalm 116:7-8

Give away your life... To The Living Lord.

Grateful 

Monday, March 2, 2015

Daily... Diary...

"Whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap..." Galatians 6:7

Lord, help me to live daily as if You will read aloud on THAT DAY, from my diary.

Give away your life... To The One called The Ancient of Days.

Grateful

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Pray for The Peace of Jerusalem and...

Tonight, I pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and for the rest of the world that surrounds The City of God. 

Give away your life... To The Prince of Peace.

Grateful