12 Ways to Reduce Your Counseling Load

Not every pastor enjoys counseling. But other than by skipping town, how can you decrease the demand? Here, based on specious clinical research, are a dozen methods guaranteed to keep counseling off your to-do list. 

1. Don't put a door on your office. 
   
   
2. Sing songs such as "Put On a Happy Face" and "Don't Worry; Be Happy" to counselees. 
   
   
3. Step out of the office and start laughing uproariously. 
   
   
4. Tell the counselee that although you can't figure out a solution to the problem, you'll bring it up in the sermon on Sunday and see if anybody has any ideas. 
   
   
5. Casually catch up on your reading while counselees bare their deepest problems. 
   
   
6. Tell the counselee you are videotaping the session for replay on the local cable program: Candid Clergy. 
   
   
7. Put a bumper sticker on your car: "I'd rather not be counseling." 
   
   
8. Refer them to a helpful article in your favorite professional journal: the National Enquirer. 
   
   
9. Suggest counseling by fax machine. 
   
   
10. In front of the counselee, phone your spouse and ask for his or her opinion on what to do. 
    
    
11. Recite tales of people who are a lot worse off, and call the counselee a crybaby. 
    
    
12. Engage the counselee's mother-in-law as a co-therapist.

Amen!

Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in happy giving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know
Imagine life without God’s love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking God for all the things
Love imparts to thee
Move out of “Self Complaining”
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Prayer can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To “thank” is a command
Until we get blessings
Victorious in the sky
We’ll run the race with gratitude
Xpect from God most high
Yes, there will be some bad times and there will be some good…
Zzzz peacefully at night… you’re in the care of God!

Love

Since a very long time ago, people have searched for the meaning of love. But even the great philosophers, with their profound definitions, could not fully touch its true essence. In a survey of 4-8 year olds, kids share their views on love. But what do little kids know about love? 

Read on and be surprised that despite their young and innocent minds, kids already have a simple but deep grasp of that four-letter word.

1. "Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." 
   
   
2. "Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." 
   
   
3. "Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don't yell at him because you know it would hurt his feelings." 
   
   
4. "Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." 
   
   
5. "Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." 
   
   
6. "Love is if you hold hands and sit beside each other in the cafeteria. That means you're in love. Otherwise, you can sit across from each other and be okay." 
   
   
7. "Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redbird." 
   
   
8. "I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." 
   
   
9. "When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." 
   
   
10. "You can break love, but it won't die."

Packing Parachutes

Charles Plumb, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did, If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

"I couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man," Plumb says. "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, How are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachute. I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute!!! And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours! Have a great day!

You have many opportunities to pack some parachutes today!

A Southerner Knows

Things a true Southerner knows:

1. The difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit.



2. Pretty much how many fish make up a mess.



3. What general direction cattywumpus is.



4. That "gimme sugar" don't mean pass the sugar.



5. When somebody's "fixin" to do something, it won't be long.



6. Ain't nobody's biscuits like Grandma's biscuits!!



7. A good dog is worth its weight in gold.



8. Real gravy don't come from the store.



9. When "by and by" is.



10. Never to assume that the other car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.



11. A belt serves a greater purpose than holding Daddy's pants up.



12. Rocking chairs and swings are guaranteed stress relievers.



13. Rocking chairs and swings with an old person in them are history lessons.

Freedom Isn't Free

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze
A young Marine saluted it, and then
He stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought, how many men like him
Had fallen through the years?
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?

How many Pilots' planes shot down?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, Freedom is not free.

I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen"
When a flag had draped a coffin
of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
at the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, Freedom isn't free!

George Everett "Bud" Day

Most of us know that Senator John McCain spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war at the so-called “Hanoi Hilton” in Vietnam - but are you familiar with his former cell mate? 

If not, you should be: George Everett “Bud” Day is “the toughest man I have ever known,” McCaind once stated. “He had an unwavering and unshakeable sense of honor that made him able to withstand physical and mental pressures of an enormous degree.” Day spent more than seven years in Vietnamese prison camps, most of it in solitary confinement, and, though he was later recaptured, he was the only American POW to escape North Vietnam for South Vietnam - an incredible feat that earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor. 

Despite being tortured and starved throughout his imprisonment, Day refused to give his captors any information that might harm his fellow soldiers. Upon his eventual release, he returned to military service, and still believes in its rewards, despite everything he’s been through. “You have the greatest job given to you as a young man: to serve your country,” Day tells young members of today’s military. “It’s the single best calling for a young person.”

In God We Trust

• "In God We Trust" is our national motto. (36 United States Code USC), Section 186) 
  
  
• "In God We Trust" has been on our coins since 1863, even before it was our national motto. (31 USC, Section 5112(D)(1)) 
  
  
• Our Pledge of Allegiance cites "one nation under God." 
  
  
• Both state legislatures and United States Congress employ paid chaplains to pray at the opening of all sessions. 
  
  
• All military branches of the United States government have paid chaplains. 
  
  
• The inscription on the Liberty Bell cites Leviticus 25:10. 
  "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family." 
  
  
• A portrait of Moses with the Ten Commandments hangs above the Speaker's chair in the United States Congress. (But this is illegal in our public schools and municipal government buildings.) It is shameful that the very institution which governs us and makes the laws are able to display the Ten Commandments but the citizens cannot. Does this form of government sound familiar? 
  
  
• The Library of Congress (another government institution) has statues of the apostle Paul and Moses, and it has large inscriptions of Micah 6:8 and Psalms 19:1 prominently displayed. (Try pulling that off at the next high school football game.) 
  
  
• "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:8 
  
  
• "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork." Psalms 19:1 
  
  
• The Lincoln Memorial (Government property) has chiseled on it, "Judgments of the Lord are righteous." 
  
  
• The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is dedicated to a soldier "Known but to God." 
  
  
• There is a prayer room in Congress. (Go tell your local school board you want the same thing that "our" Government has....a prayer room. Better yet, ask the ACLU if they will either allow prayer rooms in our schools or fight to have the one in our Government removed... just for grins of course.) 
  
  
• This has to be the best one yet. 
  The very branch of our US Government which ruled against prayers at a high school football game opens the Supreme Court Session with the words, "God save the United States and this honorable court." They do this publicly, not privately. 
  
  
• The United States Constitution refers to Jesus, stating the Constitution was signed in 1787 "in the year of our Lord." (Could the US Government explain which "Lord" they were referring to on this document, if not Jesus?) 
  
  
• The United States Government has mandated "National Day of Prayer." (36 USC, Section 169(h)). (Think about that.... The very government which has ruled against public prayer at schools because of the misguided "Separation of Church and State" doctrine has mandated a "National Day of Prayer" -- by US Government Law!!) 
  
  
• Separation of Church and State. Maybe it is the believers in the US who have been separated from the State. Has that ever happened in recent world history? Think about it. 
  
  God Bless America!

Unlikely Friends

They were quite the pair — she, a beautiful young girl with a bright, white smile; he, a homeless veteran with a scraggly beard and weathered face. Their friendship started out slow. The girl — who remains unidentified — began saying "hi" to Tony as she traveled to and from her workplace. Soon enough they were having small conversations and then regular talks and periodic lunches. "Tony tells me about his war stories, loved ones, and who should win the Super Bowl," she wrote in a Dec. 5, 2012, post on Reddit. "I tell Tony about my problems, loved ones, and how I don't really care who should win the Super Bowl."

From an outsider's point of view, it seemed the young girl was offering the old, lonely man an ear. But the friendship was reciprocal. Recently, the girl went through a difficult period emotionally, and Tony reportedly helped her navigate those tough personal choices. One day she was walking around feeling sorry for herself when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Tony giving her a concerned look. He had something for her, he said. "From his army jacket, he pulls out a watch head. Tony takes my hand and gently places the broken antique in my palm." He went on to say: "I don't have much but I wanted you to know that you have done what many others would not simply by being my friend." The girl said she realized that when you extend yourself to those in need: "You get back not only what you gave, but infinitely more," she wrote.

Angels

I really believe in angels.  

I believe that God is a god of love and that God wishes for us to be full of love, joy, peace, and happiness.  I believe that God sends his angels to help us constantly whenever we need them whether we believe in them or not. We are all put here to love each other, to help each other, and to do good for each other. Sometimes, though, we need some help. Sometimes are own efforts fall short of what we need.  That is when angels appear.  Most of the time we don't even see them or realize their presense, but I know that they are there helping us, protecting us, and loving us.

There are other angels in this world too.  These are angels that we can see everyday.  They are what I call angels in disguise. They are the people around us whose love, joy, goodness, and light brighten our lives. They are the people whose very presense makes our lives better, more enjoyable, and happier than we could ever hope.  They are the people who live in the Kingdom of God even while they are here on earth.  

Yes, I do believe in angels.  I believe angels are all around us.  I believe some of them fly down from heaven and some of them are people you know.

Some Words To Live By

1. Passion for Jesus Christ is the key to miracles by the Holy Spirit.
   
2. Some men think they have made a success of life when all they've really made is money!
   
3. The Lord gave you two ends... one for sitting, one for thinking. Your success depends on which one you use... Heads you win, tails you lose!
   
4. The strength of a country is the strength of its religious convictions! -- Calvin Coolidge
   
5. A hungry man sits a long time with open mouth waiting for roast duck to fly in!
   
6. A diamond is a chunk of coal that made good under pressure
   
7. No matter how difficult the challenge or how hopeless the task, if you are on course, just keep going!
   
8. Maturity is the ability to do a job whether or not you are supervised, to carry money without spending it, and to bear injustice without wanting to get even!-- Ann Landers
   
9. There is no fear of judgment for the man who judges himself according to the Word of God!-- Howard Hendricks
   
10. The Lord gives us friends to push us to our potential... And enemies to push us beyond it! -- Jim Vorsas
    
11. A laugh is worth a hundred groans in any market.
    
12. The door of opportunity is so wide open that it's off its hinges. -- Ernie Reb
    
13. Stormy weather is what man needs from time to time to remind him he's not really in charge of anything -- Bill Vaughn
    
14. A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.
    
15. It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom. -- Horace Greeley
    
16. God's love for us is not a love that always exempts us from trials, but rather, a love that always sees us through trials.
    
17. To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
    
18. Don't complain about thorns among roses; be grateful for roses among thorns.
    
19. It has been estimated that in one's lifetime the average person will consume 150 head of cattle, 2,400 chickens, 225 lambs, 26 sheep, 310 pigs, 26 acres of grain, 50 acres of fruit and vegetables. "Man shall not live by bread alone..." That is a lot of food, how much of the Word of God are you consuming? The Word of God is the Bible, the Bread of Life.
    
20. A Bible that is falling apart, usually belongs to someone who isn't.

Beyond Death

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was leaving the room after paying a visit, and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die.  Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly the doctor said, "I don't know."

"You don't know?  You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door, on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice that dog?  He had never been in this room before.  He did not know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened he sprang in without fear.

I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing:  I know my Master is there, and that is enough.  And when the door opens, I shall pass through with no fear, but with gladness.

Ode to Gary Freeman

Gary Freeman was many things to many people, but to me he was a champion.

Why would I call my friend a champion?

A champion is someone who wins the battle, the war, the conflict, or the contest. He or she is someone who perseveres in the face of difficulty, fights on in spite of the weariness of the trial, and never looses faith in their final goal. That's why I call Gary Freeman a champion.

He endured when many would have given up, he held on when it would have been much easier to let go, and he never lost sight of his goal. He told everyone that knew him he was going to be healed either in this life or in the life to come. As long as he was able he never failed to witness and tell others about the hope he had in eternity through Jesus Christ his Lord. In spite of the pain and nausea, in spite of all the radiation and chemo, he never lost sight of God's promise to him-"I will never leave you nor forsake you."

A dear friend told me yesterday that he was beginning to face his own mortality because so many of his friends his age were passing away. He half-joked when he told me he was getting older, but he never realized how close to eternity he was until recently.

The Bible tells us it's appointed unto men once to die and then to face the judgment. Our preparation on earth provides hope for our eternal future and that is a hope many that we love are facing today. None of us know what our future holds, but we do know who holds our future.

From the beginning of Brother Gary's sickness he trusted the Lord. Regardless of the challenges he had to face he stayed secure in his faith, trusting and believing that whatever God's Will was would come to pass in his life. Today God chose to take him home. Another solider of the cross has received his reward and another champion has retired undefeated.

He was honored by his family as a patriarch. He was honored by his community for his service as a servant of good. Yet his most important honor was received when he heard Jesus say, "Welcome home."

I'm blessed to have served as pastor to a champion of the faith. Gary, thank you for being my friend and a faithful church member. Our loss is truly heaven's gain. You fought the fight of faith, and now my friend you have won the final victory.

The Unused Credit Card

1. In March 1992 a man living in Newton near Boston, Massachusetts received a bill for his as yet unused credit card stating that he owed $0.00. He ignored it and threw it away. 
   
   
2. In April he received another and threw that one away too. The following month the credit card company sent him a very nasty note stating they were going to cancel his card if he didn't send them $0.00. 
   
   
3. He called them, talked to them, they said it was a computer error and told him they'd take care of it. 
   
   
4. The following month he decided that it was about time that he tried out the troublesome credit card figuring that if there were purchases on his account it would put an end to his ridiculous predicament. 
   
   
5. However, in the first store that he produced his credit card in payment for his purchases he found that his card had been canceled. 
   
   
6. He called the credit card company who apologized for the computer error once again and said that they would take care of it. The next day he got a bill for $0.00 stating that payment was now overdue. 
   
   
7. Assuming that having spoken to the credit card company only the previous day the latest bill was yet another mistake he ignored it, trusting that the company would be as good as their word and sort the problem out. 
   
   
8. The next month he got a bill for $0.00 stating that he had 10 days to pay his account or the company would have to take steps to recover the debt. 
   
   
9. Finally giving in, he thought he would play the company at their own game and mailed them a check for $0.00. The computer duly processed his account and returned a statement to the effect that he now owed the credit card company nothing at all. 
   
   
10. A week later, the man's bank called him asking him what he was doing writing a check for $0.00. After a lengthy explanation the bank replied that the $0.00 check had caused their check processing software to fail. 
    
    
11. The following month the man received a letter from the credit card company claiming that his check had bounced and that he now owed them $0.00 and unless he sent a check they would be taking steps to recover the debt. 
    
    
12. The man, who had been considering buying his wife a computer for her birthday, bought her an 'old fashion' typewriter instead.

Trust

A veterinarian prescribed three huge pills to be given to a sick mule. “How do I get him to take the pills?” the farmer asked. 

“It’s quite simple,” replied the vet. “Just insert the pill into a pipe. Put the pipe in the mule’s mouth and blow on the other end. He will swallow the pill without realizing it.” 

The next day the farmer returned, looking sickly. “You look awful!” said the doctor. “What happened?” 

The farmer explained, “He blew first.” 

And if, like the pill, you find that story hard to swallow, then you’re in good company. A healthy skepticism is probably needed to get by these days. My email spam folder is filled with offers from folks who want nothing more than to help me get rich – even total strangers who want to send me tons of money and all I have to do is to give them enough personal banking information to make the deposit. It’s probably a good thing that I’m not willing to swallow every fantastic claim that comes my way. 
But what about trust? I don’t want to become too cynical, either. I don’t want to go through life believing that behind every act of kindness there is a hidden motive, that inside every silver lining there is a dark cloud ready to disgorge bucketfuls of water on my little parade. I don’t want be wary of every stranger I meet and turn a suspicious eye to any good thing that comes my way. 

Why not? Because I want to trust people. It is not nearly so important for me hone a sharp edge of skepticism as to be somebody with a keen ability to trust. 

Relationships that work, after all, are built on trust. Trust in families is essential if want to raise healthy, happy children. As adults, we want to be trusted by others and our closest friends are usually people we can depend on. And what’s left in marriage when trust is shattered? 
I am discovering that I can live far better without cynicism than I can without trust. And so I worry less these days about naively swallowing everything I hear and more about fine tuning an ability to catch glimpses of whatever good there may be around me. 

The Church Chain Of Command-A Little Medicine for the Heart's Sake

The Senior Pastor
He is faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, can walk on water and talks to God.

The Associate Pastor
He is almost as fast as a speeding bullet, is stronger than a switch engine, able to leap short buildings in a single bound, can walk on water, though his ankles get wet and sometimes talks to God.

The Music Minister
He is faster than a speeding BB, is stronger than a Lionel (model) train, able to leap short buildings with a long running start, can walk on water, as long as it is frozen and talks to God but often wonders if He hears.

The Youth Pastor
He is slower than a snail, trips over railroad tracks, walks into buildings, almost drowns in the bathtub and mumbles to himself.

The Church Secretary
Catches speeding bullets in her teeth, chews them up and uses them for staples, could stare a locomotive off its tracks, if a building gets in her way, she just knocks it off its foundation, parts the water to walk through on dry ground and when God calls she asks who is calling and puts him on hold.

The Harvest

There was once a spider who lived in a cornfield. He was a big spider and he had spun a beautiful web between the corn stalks. He got fat eating all the bugs that would get caught in his web. He liked his home and planned to stay there for the rest of his life.

One day the spider caught a little bug in his web, and just as the spider was about to eat him, the bug said, "If you let me go I will tell you something important that will save your life." The spider paused for a moment and listened because he was amused. "You better get out of this cornfield," the little bug said, "The harvest is coming!"

The spider smiled and said, "What is this harvest you are talking about? I think you are just telling me a story." But the little bug said, "Oh no, it is true. The owner of this field is coming to harvest it soon. All the stalks will be knocked down and the corn will be gathered up. You will be killed by the giant machines if you stay here."

The spider said, "I don't believe in harvests and giant machines that knock down corn stalks. How can you prove this?" The little bug continued, "Just look at the corn. See how it is planted in rows? It proves this field was created by an intelligent designer." The spider laughed and mockingly said, "This field has evolved and has nothing to do with a creator. Corn always grows that way." The bug went on to explain, "Oh no. This field belongs to the owner who planted it, and the harvest is coming soon." The spider grinned and said to the little bug, "I don't believe you," and then the spider ate the little bug for lunch.

A few days later, the spider was laughing about the story the little bug had told him. He thought to himself, "A harvest! What a silly idea. I have lived here all of my life and nothing has ever disturbed me. I have been here since these stalks were just a foot off the ground, and I'll be here for the rest of my life, because nothing is ever going to change in this field. Life is good, and I have it made."

The next day was a beautiful sunny day in the cornfield. The sky above was clear and there was no wind at all. That afternoon as the spider was about to take a nap, he noticed some thick dusty clouds moving toward him. He could hear the roar of a great engine and he said to himself, "I wonder what that could be?"


"In the last days mockers will come, following their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming?'"
2 Peter 3:3-4


"The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but He is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9

An Unlikely Pair

I want to share a story from Terri McPherson that really touched my heart. Hopefully it will do the same for you.

On a recent trip to the grocery store, I stopped at the Customer Service counter to pick up pictures I'd left for developing. As I held out my pickup ticket for the clerk, an elderly gentleman placed an empty water container on the counter beside me. The clerk told him he had to go to the back of the line and wait if he wanted his deposit back for the large and cumbersome container.

The gentleman asked if he could leave the container with the clerk and pick up his deposit after he'd done his shopping. She said no, he had to go to the back of the line and wait.

The gentleman was very polite. The clerk was not.

I stepped back from the counter and told the gentleman he could go ahead of me. Miffed at the clerk's rudeness and full of bravado, I turned to ask the people in line behind me if they would mind. I was sure they wouldn't.

The strong tone of voice I intended to use came out very weak when I turned and faced the person directly in line behind me. He was a large structure of a man. A good six feet tall, he sported a bandanna on his head, a big bushy beard, tattooed arms the size of rain barrels and a leather vest adorned with large silver chains.

"You don't mind if I let this gentleman go ahead of us - do you?" I asked rather meekly.

"Not at all. Not at all," he bellowed. "You go right on ahead young fella." His tone was so sincere I immediately felt foolish for letting his appearance intimidate me.

In the course of ten whole seconds, the elderly gentleman received his deposit from the clerk and was on his way. Once again, I stepped up to the counter and handed the clerk my pickup ticket.

While she was ringing up my purchase she said, "I don't know what's with these old people. They think they can just walk right up to the counter and get served ahead of everybody else."

I placed both my hands on the counter and looked her straight in the eyes, "You know what's 'with' this particular gentleman? He looks close to eighty, we could all see he had difficulty walking, and you know what? He's stood in enough lines for one lifetime. He's put in his time, and as long as there are people who respect his age, he doesn't have to stand in line anymore."

"That's right!" boomed the voice behind me, which sent me two feet off the floor and halfway out of my skin. "That's right!" he repeated.

I turned around and faced the big man once again. He wasn't finished speaking. "That young fella's stood in his fair share of lines. He's done his time, he has. He's done his time."

I laughed and stuck out my hand, "I like your attitude sir."

The big man gripped my hand, "I like yours too, little lady."

The clerk's mind was unreadable, but her face looked pale and pinched as I picked up my pictures and got out of the way for her next customer.

The big man and I were an unlikely pair, appearance wise, but when your heart's in the right place, the likeliest things are bound to happen.

Never Too Broken

May I share something with you? Something powerful. Something transforming.

You are NEVER too broken to be made whole. You are invited to join in a partnership with God in healing, and He’s bigger.

Sure, you’ve tried to do this on your own, but as you partner with Him, a shift in the way you view yourself begins to take place, as you.

-Exchange the burden of what people have done or said, with confidence of the changes and growth taking place on the inside of you

-Strip ordinary people of their power as you realize that people, whether through evil, or selfishness or simply their own brokenness, can shape you, but it doesn’t define you

Write these scriptures on the mirror in lipstick. Or put a sticky note on your steering wheel. Say them daily until they soak into your heart.

-No person is greater than your God! (1 John 4:4)

-Your heavenly Father loves you unconditionally, right where you are (1 John 3:1)

-Nothing can ever separate you from His love (Romans 8:38-39)

-Regardless of another person’s brokenness or sin, you are marked with destiny (Isaiah 49:16; 1 Corinthians 2:9)

As we release the people factor to hold close the Jesus factor, something powerful takes place. We no longer look to mere humans to make us feel valued or worthwhile. We stop waiting for another person to be fixed before we run after all that God holds out for us. We begin to see ourselves the way God does.

And one day, my prayer is that you’ll look back and be in awe of all that God has done inside of you and then come alongside others and help them find healing, too.

Remembered

So, now I must ask you how do you want to be remembered?

-To be remembered kindly...do something for someone who needs a gentle touch.

-To be remembered as honest...live with such integrity that no one would ever question your intentions.

-To be remembered as generous...be giving to all.

-To be remembered as compassionate...don't just say you care, show it.

-To be remembered as giving...give before you know there is a need.

-To be remembered as a "person of faith"...be faithful in all your actions.

-To be remembered as a good worker...remove from your vocabulary the words, "It's not my job."

-To be remembered as a good parent...teach by example.

-To be remembered as a good spouse...be a good listener, express love, be faithful and forgiving.

-To be remembered as a friend...be trustworthy, honest, open and genuine.

-To be remembered at all...live fully, love all and smile often.

Happy Mother's Day-A Woman Of Strength

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape...
but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape...


A strong woman isn't afraid of anything...
but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear...


A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her...
but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone...


A strong woman walks sure footedly...
but a woman of strength knows God will catch her if she falls...


A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face...
but a woman of strength wears grace...


A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey...
but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong...
Philippians 4:3 (NKJ)   "And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life."

Mother will love you anyway

The hand that rocks the cradle
Also makes the house a home.
It is the prayers of a mother
That makes the family strong.

She rises early in the morning
And bathes her day in prayer.
Asking God to keep her family
Safe in His loving care. 

A mother communicates her love
In a thousand different ways. 
It shows in everything she does
And in everything she says.

A mother will stand by you
Regardless of what you do or say.
She’ll be there to dry your tears
And guide you along the way.

Mothers set a good example
Of love, faith and prayer.
When there is a need of any kind
You’ll always find mother there.

A mother loves you completely
And makes it known each day.
She never gives up on her child
And she will love you anyway.

~ Lenora McWhorter ~

Copyright © 2013

All Rights Reserved

A Mother's Prayer

"Precious Heavenly Father,

Give me patience when little hands
tug at me with their many demands.

Give me gentle hugging arms
to help protect them from rebellions harm.

Give me wisdom from above
to teach these little ones of Your love.

Give me strength, Your love not to spare
that they may obey and live under Your care.

Give me a spirit . . . quiet and meek
let my words show kindness as I speak.

Give me the ability to teach from the heart
to help my children learn Your Word from the start.

Give me the words You'd have me say
to teach my children how to pray.

Give me time, special moments to share
that they may know, "Mommy really does care."

Give me hands that work willingly
a steadfast example that I may be.

Give me courage to stand in Your might
to teach my little ones to always do right.

Give me boldness to do all these and more
that I may not be ashamed when I stand at Your door.

Thank You Father,

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen."

Real Growth In Numbers And In The Spirit

It's sad to say that the majority of churches in America grow by transferring people from one congregation to another. It's not a transfer based on a move or relocation, but simply inspired by somebody getting mad at a pastor or someone else in the church and instead of making things right, leaving where they should be and bringing that baggage to another church with them.

Now let me say right at first if you are an innocent party this doesn't apply to you. Some people find themselves in a place of transition because God is dealing with them about making a specific move to a church to do a ministry or to be a supportive part of a ministry that is already at place in that church. If this is the case, there are no hard feelings left behind, and an explanation of why they have left their former church to come to yours has no baggage with it.

On the other hand, you have people swapping churches just like some people swap companions or automobiles. That may sound harsh, but it's time to speak the truth about church-hopping. It's been going on for years, but I believe that it is getting worse and worse as the coming of the Lord approaches. I have some folks who have gotten mad with me (I could say upset but that would not be politically correct) who have been in at least 5 other churches in the past 3 years. Apparently the church they felt led to go to, led them to another, etc. and etc. They have never transferred their membership because they have not settled down at one place for a long enough period of time. I do have a problem with that and I believe God does as well. It just proves that if they treat one pastor and congregation wrong, they will do so to another unless they get whatever ails them under the blood.

The more pastors I talk to are experiencing this same thing. I have wrestled with God about this in prayer in recent weeks. We used to build churches on repentant sinners, but we can't get sinners to come to church anymore because they feel they live closer to God than some of their friends who profess to know Christ. In fact, in most cases they show more loyalty than those who have preached a funeral for, visited in the hospital ( or a family member), did a wedding for, or spent hours counseling with, who get mad over some trivia thing and leave. To be honest that's why churches in America are facing a crisis of faith and difficulty today because people make up the church and the church represents the people that attend it.

Is there a Biblical solution for this problem? I believe their is, but it takes two parties to make it work.

Matthew 18:15-18 says:
^"Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

If Jesus said it, it's supposed to work. So why don't we try it? Instead of getting upset because you didn't get your way or something offended you, be biblical! Get it under the blood and stay and help your church grow. Don't get caught up in every rumor, story, or junk that you hear. If you can't say something good then don't say anything at all. Restore, heal, and recover. Don't jump ship in the middle of the water because you might drown.

Two of the easiest words to say but hard to mean are, "Forgive me." Yet, if you say them and mean them your church can be healed, your relationships restored, and sinners just might come back to the church.

Shhhhhhhh!

In our walk as born-again believers, it may seem that God is silent, but God is never silent. What looks like silence and inactivity to us is God allowing us the opportunity to listen to "the still small voice" and to see the provisions that He has made for us by faith. God is involved in every area of a believer's life--the very hairs on our heads are numbered. However, there are times when we have to walk in obedience to the light that God has given us before He sheds more light on our path, because in this age of grace God speaks to us through His Word.

Isaiah 55:8-11 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." 

Therefore, when God seems silent to us as born-again believers, it may mean that we have stopped listening to His voice, we have allowed the cares of this world to plug our spiritual ears, or we have neglected His Word. God does not speak to us today in signs, wonders, fire or wind, His Spirit speaks to us through the Word, and in that Word we have the "words of life."

6 Words of Destiny

There are 6 words that can have a tremendous influence over your life. These 6 words will affect us all before we leave this world.

To begin with-faith.
You cannot say that you have faith if when you fall you give up. Faith means you will be given the strength to rise, or the hand to be lifted up. But don't lie there waiting. God provides for the smallest bird, but He doesn't throw the seed into the nest. They were created to fly.

Then there's hope.
Trust that in all things there is hope. Even when we cannot see the opportunity, there it is in the out stretched hand, the listening ear, the smiling face, the sunrise.

Love.
If you cannot see love in your life perhaps you need to put life in your love. Begin by accepting who you are and all you can be. This confidence will give you the power to love outside yourself. Love is not love until it is given away. To love is to honor God.

Friendship
If you want to have friends, be one. Sometimes friendship, like love, appears one sided. Sometimes people need more than they give. Trust that in doing for another the act is the gift you give yourself.

The present.
Where you are at the moment is a result of where you have been. We only have the past and the present. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Learn from yesterday and begin anew with the Present.

Loss.
Succumb to the feelings of loss. The heart cannot heal until pain is acknowledged. Tears are not a sign of weakness but an acceptance of the reality, a release for the bereaved. Faith, Hope, Love and Friendship will be your strength in the Present. Even in loss there is much to be gained. 
How these 6 words shape your destiny is up to you. Read Proverbs 3 and you will see the results they can bring to God's promises to you.
 

Have A Good Monday

Think about them one at a time BEFORE going on to the next one... hopefully it'll make you feel good.

1. Falling in love.
   
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
   
3. A hot shower.
   
4. No lines at the supermarket
   
5. A special glance.
   
6. Getting mail
   
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
   
8. Hearing your favourite song on the radio.
   
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
   
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
    
11. Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla or strawberry!)
    
12. A bubble bath.
    
13. Giggling.
    
14. A good conversation.
    
15. The beach
    
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
    
17. Laughing at yourself.
    
18. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
    
19. Running through sprinklers.
    
20. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
    
21. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
    
22. Laughing at an inside joke.
    
23. Friends.
    
24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
    
25. Waking up and realising you still have a few hours left to sleep.
    
26. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
    
27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
    
28. Playing with a new puppy.
    
29. Having someone play with your hair.
    
30. Sweet dreams.
    
31. Hot chocolate.
    
32. Road trips with friends.
    
33. Swinging on swings.
    
34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
    
35. Making chocolate chip cookies.
    
36. Having your friends send you home-made cookies.
    
37. Holding hands with someone you care about.
    
38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
    
39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
    
40. Watching the sunrise.
    
41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
    
42. Knowing that somebody misses you.
    
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
    
44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.
    
45. Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.

Excuses

Your excuse for making an excuse may be that you don't want something bad enough. 

In all likelihood, you may not achieve everything in life that you want. On the other hand, if you've achieved everything in life you've ever wanted, chances are that your goals haven't forced you to struggle enough to experience failure. Does this statement surprise you? It shouldn't. Why? If you've never set a target to achieve something difficult, you probably haven't stretched your abilities far enough. 

Failure to achieve a goal is alright - that is a fact of life. But, what is not a fact of life is to expect success without doing anything to attain it. Lotteries count on that kind of thinking. 

Wouldn't it be nice to win millions of dollars by only spending a dollar? Sure it would. But, what are the chances of that happening? 

Generally speaking, some of the odds are around 14 million to one. Having said that, if you really want to be a millionaire, I mean really want, what are you going to do to achieve it? Are you willing to risk, willing to work very hard, to sacrifice free time, to develop a service or product that almost everyone wants? 

They are as many excuses NOT to realize a dream. In fact, it is very easy to find an excuse for every excuse you can invent as to why you haven't or can't achieve that greatest dream. 

Excuses come in many forms including lack of money, too many demands on your time, a terrible boss, not enough education, and so on. It always amazes me that people who have the greatest excuses for underachievement are the biggest complainers. 

On the other hand, the greatest achievers are the ones who are getting it done because they know that they are the ones who are responsible to make it happen. 

Excuses are only for those people who are unwilling to find the solution, who find greater solace in the loudness of their complaints rather than in the action they are taking to implement the actions that carry them steadily forward to their achievement. 

Beware, that you will find a lot of friends and acquaintances that will NOT support you through all of your efforts. Some of these acquaintances will say that they are just telling you that you can't do it for your own good; some will tell you that you do not have the smarts; others will tell you that you are certain to fail so why bother taking all the time and effort. 

Those who would attempt to dissuade you, or do not in any way encourage you are not the types of people who will ever be there for you when you need a little help, or encouragement - just the opposite unfortunately. As I said, do not depend on anyone who is not able and willing to aid your intentions because it is a probable truth that you will hit a snag or two along the way. 

Those that can help and are really able to support you through these difficult times are the ones you need to be able to turn to on short notice. You need to be able to count on them on short notice because you do not want to turn to anyone who may take you down the slippery slope of non-recovery, or those that will just criticize you for even attempting something so stupid. 

Here's the plain and simple solution to not having or acquiring what you want. Find a solution to your excuses and you will eliminate any reason not to get more, have more, or be more. You don't have to dream about a dream any longer - do it now with a vengeance burying any excuses once and for all. 

Adversity

One of the sure things in life is that there will be adversity that visits time and time again. For those people who do not believe this fact, maybe it is only because you have not yet reached that point in life. Those who had had to face adversity, there are several things that we all have in common. 

One of these commonalities is that each adversity can be viewed as a total setback, or as an opportunity to overcome the problem. There really is no other way to look at the issue. You either take the adversity square on the chin and fold, or you take the hit, keep standing, and find a way to move around the adversity. 

If you try and overcome adversity alone, you can have a bad time of it but if you turn to God as your first option, an option that gives you peace and strength to help you see the situation as different, you have a hope of getting through this problem. 

Adversity in and of itself is not to be feared - it is only the lack of knowing what to do, how to approach it, and what view for the future you hold that presents a concern. Adversity is nameless, blameless, and devoid of any emotion unless you give it. 

When you decide that adversity has no power over your choices, and when you put your faith in God, all adversities are no more than inconveniences that can be overcome. 

Not everyone, unfortunately, has the natural ability to overcome issues of concern but with the power of God, there is hope in the form of friends or family to help you on your way. God did not plan for you to go into any situation alone and armed with his love and with your faith you will be able to find those that will stand with you on this earth in the presence of God. 

The other aspect of adversity that is known to those who have the ability to know they have choices is that each occurrence of adversity is one, if not, the best teacher about life there is. There is no life that sees only good times where there are no valleys of despair or hurt. Life is not a bed of roses without the thorns being active. 

Take heed in knowing that adversity need not rule you for it is you that rule adversity armed with God and your given talents and abilities to overcome. 

First Time Prayer

A man came to church for the very first time in his life. He heard a sermon that really tugged at his heart strings and felt the need to answer the invitation to become a Christian. When he shared his story about never having attended church the preacher thought surely the new convert was someone special. The preacher urged the man to come back that night to take part in the evening service.

When the man arrived the preacher told the man he needed him to perform a special task. The pastor wanted him to say the benediction at the end of the service. The new convert protested and said, "Pastor, I've never been to church in my life. How am I supposed to know how to pray in public in only the second church service I've ever attended.

The preacher said, "That's OK. I have a plan. I've written you a prayer you can read. Just sit back here on the back row next to the coat rack. Place this prayer I've written in your hat. As the service is closing out, just reach back here behind you, pick up your hat and read the prayer."

The new Christian reluctantly agreed to the plan. At the end of the service the preached called the man by name and asked him to offer the closing prayer. On cue, the man reached to the hat rack behind him, and picked up a hat. As planned he started the prayer. In a loud voice he said, "DEAR GOD... this is NOT my hat...."

Salt

Matthew 5-13

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. “

If we are to be brothers and sisters in Christ with good spirits, we all need to have a little “salt” in our lives to provide us with the savour we need for being his instruments on earth. There are many little things that add a sudden burst of pleasure to your day. These are the “salt” of your life. Here are ten, but I bet you can think of a lot more.

1. Finding a coin—even a penny-on the sidewalk.
2. Receiving a compliment on your outfit
3. Receiving a smile from a child.
4. Seeing an old friend unexpectedly
5. Finding just what you planned to buy at a lower price than you expected.
6. Receiving a picture hand drawn by a youngster.
7. Meeting an old person who still has a zest for life
8. Overhearing some long-married person speak of their spouse with love and respect.
9. Realizing a dream after a long, long wait.
10. Realizing once again that God does love you and has NOT forgotten you.