Becky and I want to express a huge thanks to those who came out and helped us move. No matter how many times we do it, it seems that it never gets easier and is always a daunting task. Thanks to you guys and the kindness and love you showed by taking the time out of your lives to help us, it made this one very painless.
Again, thank you very much.
I wanted to add more to what I had already sent out.
Today I feel better than ever! Alena is much better
also. I just thought of something that goes with what
im sending out today.
A time to be sick and and time to be well
What need is there in being sick. I believe God can
have many reasons for us getting sick. It could be a
form of reaping, a way to slow us down, a way to show
us our lack of appreciation for being well. Whatever
it may be Ecclesiastes 7:14 says When times are good,
be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has
made the one as well as the other. Therefore, man
cannot discover anything about his future.
I am thankful for the time of being sick( I was able
to get alot of rest with excuse) and I am very
greatful for being well.
We all are in a time that God has planned for us we
need to consider that He made these times for us and
how can we best glorify God in them.
I encourage you guys to figure out what time you are
in now whether you are in a time of greiving or a time
of waiting or a time of true bliss remember God has
made them.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
Waynette,
I believe God allows us (and especially children) to get sick, because the
natural recovery process from a sickness makes a child and their immune
system stronger and more healthy. It seems like this is true with a lot of
trials that we go through that are also intended to make us stronger in our
health, strength, compassion, and faith (like Pastor Turner's sermon last
Sunday).
I'm glad that you are both feeling better.
Sincerely,
-J
-----Original Message-----
From: Waynette Turner
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 2:54 PM
Subject: [Catalyst] a time again
Today I feel better than ever! Alena is much better also. I just thought of
something that goes with what im sending out today.
A time to be sick and and time to be well
What need is there in being sick. I believe God can have many reasons for us
getting sick. [...]
I wanted to add more to what I had already sent out.
Today I feel better than ever! Alena is much better
also. I just thought of something that goes with what
im sending out today.
A time to be sick and and time to be well
What need is there in being sick. I believe God can
have many reasons for us getting sick. It could be a
form of reaping, a way to slow us down, a way to show
us our lack of appreciation for being well. Whatever
it may be Ecclesiastes 7:14 says When times are good,
be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has
made the one as well as the other. Therefore, man
cannot discover anything about his future.
I am thankful for the time of being sick( I was able
to get alot of rest with excuse) and I am very
greatful for being well.
We all are in a time that God has planned for us we
need to consider that He made these times for us and
how can we best glorify God in them.
I encourage you guys to figure out what time you are
in now whether you are in a time of greiving or a time
of waiting or a time of true bliss remember God has
made them.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
"Are our Mouths a Means of Grace or Gossip?"
Ephesians 4:29--"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."
In this verse Paul is talking to Christians, those that have by the mercy of God been forgiven for their sins and saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. He tells them two things, one of which they should not do any more now that they are new creatures in Christ, and one in which they should be doing. 1. Let no corruption proceed out of their mouths. 2. When they speak it needs to be what is good for the necessary edification of others that it may impart grace to everyone who hears it.
Paul tells us in----Ephesians 4:[22-24]--"That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."----that we are to put off our old former conduct which includes our selfish, self-seeking, uncaring, slandering, lying, anger, bitterness, wrath, clamor and evil speaking. We are also exhorted by Paul to put on the new man, which includes putting on kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness.
I see this in Ephesians 4:[25-28]--"Therefore putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with His neighbor for we are members of one another.”Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down upon your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let Him who stole steal no longer, but rather let Him labor, working with His hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need." and then in Ephesians 4:[30-32]--"and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
"Corrupt"--"in the Greek is sap-ros’; which means rotten, that is worthless (literally or morally):-bad, corrupt."--e-Sword
I believe Paul is talking about foul rotten speech that comes out of our mouths. These may include foul language, mean spirited remarks, gossip and anything else that does not edify the person being talked about.
Proverbs 18:21—“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
“Gossip”—“in its noun form means; a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people.” In its verb form means; to wag one’s tongue; speak about others and reveal secrets or intimacies.”—Word Web
Familiesministries.com puts it this way, “Gossip is to speak in a way which raises questions or doubts about another or their character. Gossip is conversation behind someone’s back, which puts them in bad light.”
We need to be oh so careful of what we say to others and about others for we represent Christ. When corrupt--rotten--things are coming out of our mouths we are shedding bad light on Christ’s character and the character of his people.
When I think of the words foul and rotten, I think of rotten or spoiled fruit. There are several things that can be said of rotten fruit. 1. It doesn’t nourish. 2. It will make you sick if you eat it. 3. It smells bad and makes the whole atmosphere around it unpleasant.
As I think about these characteristics of bad fruit I believe these have application to our lives as Christians. If we are gossiping about others we are not bringing them nourishment. If we have un-confessed sin in our lives (hearts) we cannot minister to those who need it because the fruit we give them will only be rotten. When we use foul language, say mean spirited remarks to others, or gossip about them, we only make others sick. If our words do not bring nourishment they will only make others sick. When we say rotten things to people or about them it makes us smell bad. It also makes people want to distance themselves from us because we are making the atmosphere around us unpleasant to the point of stench.
The word corrupt in the Greek, sap-ros' is used in another place in the New Testament by Jesus in Luke 6:[43-45]—“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasures of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
In verse 45 Christ clearly states that our mouth is not the root of the problem it is our hearts. In other words our mouths have to be cleaned up from the inside out. If the fruit of our mouths are rotten then we need to be evaluating the tree. If the tree (heart) is rotten then the fruit it produces will not be pure, it will be rotten as well. We face a battle of purity in what comes out of our mouths that must be fought in our hearts.
All these things that Paul is pointing out to us as Christians are so important that we must not think lightly about them. And as Christians we should live and speak with grace but Paul is saying all this in chapter four to drive home the real issue at hand which is found in Ephesians 5:1. The key word that gives this away is in the very first word of this verse, “Therefore.”
Ephesians 5:1--“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also loved us and given Himself for us, an offering, and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
The issue is: “Is our intention love?”
We need to be imitators of God by walking in love. Our words need to be pure, edifying, wholesome and righteous so that they reflect Christ’s love and holy character. When our intention is to love one another as Christ has loved us our mouths will be a means of grace and not gossip.
Questions for meditation:
1. When I speak am I speaking to edify others?
2. Is my mouth a means of grace or gossip?
3. Am I meeting a need with the words that are coming out of my mouth?
4. Am I building up the faith of others and imparting grace to those who hear me speaking?
5. Am I glorifying God by walking in love?
6. When I speak is my intention love?
i read in eccl.3:1-8
i like how you can insert your own things that pertain
to your life.
ex. a time to go shopping and a time to look in your
closet at all the clothes you have
so many things on and on this helps evaluate yourself
God showed me alot in these verses.
be creative and dont be afraid to dig deep;)
ps real bad headache reason for shortness
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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i read in eccl.3:1-8
i like how you can insert your own things that pertain
to your life.
ex. a time to go shopping and a time to look in your
closet at all the clothes you have
so many things on and on this helps evaluate yourself
God showed me alot in these verses.
be creative and dont be afraid to dig deep;)
ps real bad headache reason for shortness
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
>From: "Terry Goddard" <tgoddard100@hotmail.com>
>To: bassgirl@alltel.net, mbeverly2003@hotmail.com, debras@suwclerk.org,
>edith_hatch@yahoo.com, shellybellybeans@msn.com, gwenk@suwclerk.org,
>keithland@earthlink.net, mikeguy@alltel.net, jtowens1@hotmail.com,
>phillipsphoto24@earthlink.net, olegoat@alltel.net,
>dixiehunter_2005@hotmail.com
>Subject: Fw: The Brownies
>Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 14:13:05 -0400
>
>
>
>
>>From: "Cagle" <caglebd@alltel.net>
>>To: "Dave Robertson" <drobertson@voyager.net>,"Donald Hawkins"
>><dlhawkky@adelphia.net>,"Cindy Hall" <cindyrhall@satx.rr.com>,"Trish
>>Cagle" <tcagle@peabodyenergy.com>,"papas place"
>><papasplace@hotmail.com>,"Fred Murat" <muratfred@hotmail.com>,"Phyllis
>>Diane King" <ppdknascar@.nc.rr.com>,"Annette Selph"
>><annetteselph@yahoo.com>,"Terry Goddard"
>><tgoddard100@hotmail.com>,"Animalzone" <animalzone@yahoo.com>,"Mauna Lee"
>><mauna@suwanneegraphics.com>
>>Subject: Fw: The Brownies
>>Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:51:37 -0400
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: Marilyn Kuhl
>>To: Mariruth Kuhl
>>Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 10:49 PM
>>Subject: The Brownies
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Story of the Brownies
>> (A good lesson about purity)
>>
>>
>>
>> In this day and age we are all faced with so many challenges to give in
>>a little here, a little there--accepting and "going along" with things
>>that we know in our hearts aren't good. I don't think I'll ever eat
>>another brownie without recalling this story. What a great reminder to
>>stand firm! Some years ago, I walked into my office after a Sunday morning
>>service to find a sandwich bag on my desk containing three chocolate
>>brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous person who knew my love for
>>chocolate had placed them there, along with a piece of paper that had a
>>short story written on it I immediately sat down and began eating the
>>first brownie as I read the following story: Two teenagers asked their
>>father if they could go the theater to watch a movie that all their
>>friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the
>>Internet, he denied their request.
>>
>> "Aw dad, why not?" they complained. "It's rated PG-13, and we're both
>>older than thirteen!"
>>
>> Dad replied: "Because that movie contains nudity and portrays
>>immorality as being normal and acceptable behavior�?�
>>
>> "But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That's what our
>>friends who've seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those
>>scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It's based on a true
>>story and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes
>>like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the movie review websites say that!"
>>
>> "My answer is 'no,' and that is my final answer. You are welcome to
>>stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the
>>good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch
>>that film. End of discussion."
>>
>> The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped
>>down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds
>>of their father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized
>>the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the
>>teenagers said to the other, "Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he's
>>going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can
>>soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade
>>him to let us go to that movie after all."
>>
>> About that time I began eating the second brownie from the sandwich bag
>>and wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating and
>>the brownies in the story. I kept reading...
>>
>> The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a
>>plate of warm brownies which he offered to his kids. They each took one.
>>Then their father said, "Before you eat, I want to tell you something: I
>>love you both so much."
>>
>> The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was
>>softening.
>>
>> "That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients.
>>I've made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic. The
>>best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar.
>>Premium vanilla and chocolate."
>>
>> The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a
>>little impatient with their dad's long speech.
>>
>> "But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I
>>added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from
>>our own back yard. But you needn't worry, because I only added the tiniest
>>bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is
>>practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what
>>you think."
>>
>> "Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before
>>we eat?"
>>
>> "Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't
>>even taste it."
>>
>> "Come on, dad; just tell us what that ingredient is."
>>
>> "Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients."
>>
>> "Dad!"
>>
>> "Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is organic...dog
>>poop."
>>
>> I immediately stopped chewing that second brownie and I spit it out
>>into the waste basket by my desk. I continued reading, now fearful of the
>>paragraphs that still remained.
>>
>> Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began
>>inspecting their fingers with horror.
>>
>> "DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those
>>brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you
>>added dog poop! We can't eat these brownies!"
>>
>> "Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of
>>the ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the
>>other ingredients. You won't even taste it. It has the same consistency as
>>the brownies. Go ahead and eat!"
>>
>> "No, Dad...NEVER!"
>>
>> "And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie.
>>You won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you
>>tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not
>>lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain
>>ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds
>>that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?
>>
>> I discarded what remained of the second brownie as well as the entire
>>untouched third brownie. What had been irresistible a minute ago had
>>become detestable. And only because of the very slim chance that what I
>>was eating was slightly polluted. (Surely it wasn't...but I couldn't
>>convince myself.)
>>
>> What a good lesson about purity! Why do we tolerate any sin? On the day
>>of the Passover, the Israelites were commanded to remove every bit of
>>leaven from their homes. Sin is like leaven - a little bit leavens the
>>whole lump (1 Cor. 5:6). (1 Cor. 5:7),faith and sin, don't mix.
>>
>>
>>
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>Check the weather nationwide with MSN Search: Try it now!
>http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=weather&FORM=WLMTAG
>
Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:39:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: Suzie Wilder <nann ******* hoo.com>
Subject: Prayer
To: Michelle Harrison <mi ******* dio.com>
Lord, i pray that You will wrap Your loving arms around Michelle right now. Help her to remember that You will never leave her. Comfort her during this time of loss as only You can. Be her strong tower- a fortress to run to. Be her shepherd- guide and care for her. Thank You Lord for answer to prayers- for i know You will be all these things for my sister!
I love you. Very sorry to hear of your loss. Let me know if i can do anything.
Your sis in Christ,
Suzie Wilder
Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:39:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: Suzie Wilder <nann*******o.com>
Subject: Prayer
To: Michelle Harrison <mic*******radio.com>
Lord, i pray that You will wrap Your loving arms around Michelle right now. Help her to remember that You will never leave her. Comfort her during this time of loss as only You can. Be her strong tower- a fortress to run to. Be her shepherd- guide and care for her. Thank You Lord for answer to prayers- for i know You will be all these things for my sister!
I love you. Very sorry to hear of your loss. Let me know if i can do anything.
Your sis in Christ,
Suzie Wilder
Suzie Q
Hey everyone,
I came across this article this morning and thought it was pretty interesting and also encouraging. I hope you all will experience the same as you read. To go to the original article page, click here.
.
The Impatient Evangelist
by Suzanne Hadley
Eric Simmons is an evangelist. Although he serves as the singles pastor at
Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Eric's heart beats for the
lost. He insists he would like nothing better than to spend all day every
day in the lives of unbelievers. How does he measure effective evangelism?
"I've led one person to the Lord," Eric says.
The call to "be ready in and out of season" has always been a difficult (and
guilt-inducing) challenge for me. The prospect of presenting the four spiritual laws
to a stranger is enough to break me into a cold sweat. Forgetabout striking up a
spiritual conversation on an airplane or in line at the grocery store.
The command to preach the gospel is a part of Scripture I love to ignore.
The fact that lifestyle evangelism - where you impact the person through
your life more than your words - is in vogue suits me just fine. The concept
is I can be a nice person and those who encounter me will see Jesus and
decide to follow Him.
It's a nice idea - one that a friend challenged me on. "Has anyone ever come
up to you and asked, 'What makes you different?'" she asked. My answer was
no. Not a single person. And yet all my life I've been told that if I am
doing things right, people will inexplicably gravitate to me and demand I
explain myself.
The success of this form of evangelism seems to be something of a Christian
urban legend. 1 Peter does say, "Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." But
how do you get them to ask?
The New Lifestyle Evangelism
I've never considered myself much of an evangelist. My mom has seemingly
divine conversations with hotel maids, plumbers and grocery store clerks.
She seems to constantly be in the right place at the right time. The Lord
has given her a gift to start conversations that lead people to Christ.
Such opportunities rarely come my way. And when they do, I get nervous and
feel like I'm forcing the conversation. So am I doomed to awkwardly share my
faith to obey a biblical mandate? According to Eric, not necessarily. The
first step to evangelism, he says, is simply asking the Lord to open doors.
"If you're praying for opportunities, your mind and your heart and your eyes
are open," Eric says. "When you love people and listen to people, you're
going to see entry points."
I remember hearing the testimony of a young woman who had accepted Christ in
her 20s and left the gay lifestyle. She said her Christian neighbors played
a major role in her coming to Christ. "They loved me even though I was hard
and mean," she said. "They brought me chicken noodle soup when I was sick;
they helped me fix my car." Those neighbors were constantly looking for
opportunities to serve this young woman - and their efforts paid off. When
they shared the gospel, she listened.
At the beginning of the year, I invited a friend to church. Each week after
service, he would hang out with my group of friends. When he had been
attending for a couple of months, I asked him what he thought of church. I
expected him to respond with his thoughts on the pastor's sermons or his
impressions about the worship. Instead he said, "I like going. People like
me there." This spoke worlds to me about the power of active love.
Talk the Talk
As you invest in people's lives, there will come a time where you need to
talk about Jesus. Starting the conversation can be difficult. "Be quick to
listen and slow to speak," Eric suggests. "Christians always want to respond
in statements and sell their worldview. Answer a question with a question."
Asking questions serves two purposes. First, it uncovers weaknesses in the
person's belief system. "It's amazing how many times when you question where
a person learned or read something, they'll say 'I don't know,'" Eric says.
Second, listening reveals "the real question." It's helpful to consider what's
really going on in the person's heart before pounding him with spiritual truth.
"I want to get to know the person so I hear the question he really has, instead
of settling for the smokescreen," Eric says.
Humility and humor are other key ingredients in effective spiritual-speak. Colossians
4:6 says,"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so
that you may know how to answer everyone." Winning the argument isn't the
point. Eric says, "I want people to experience gracious, loving conversation."
Content to Sow
As I've conversed with my unbelieving friends, I find myself at times
desperate to "close the deal." Whether this is a prideful attempt to add a
mark to my evangelistic checklist or a selfish expectation that God work in a
certain way, it leads to feelings of frustration and failure.
Believers need to be content to simply start (or continue) the conversation.
"Very few of us reap," Eric says. "A lot of us sow. If we're satisfied with
that, it opens up a lot more peace, patience and power because we're
entrusting the person to the Lord."
I recently got impatient with the friend who had been attending church with
me for several months. While he seemed attentive at service and had even
taken a Bible, he hadn't made a decision to follow Christ and his lifestyle
remained the same. When I confronted him and asked if he felt ready to test
Christianity, he seemed surprised. "I thought that's what I was doing," he
said. "I mean, I've never talked this much about spiritual things with
anyone."
His response was humbling. I thought I knew what needed to happen, but the
Lord showed me He was at work in my friend's life. I only needed to answer
my friend's questions and trust in the Lord's timing.
It's helpful to view witnessing as laying a foundation. "I guarantee the
person I'm sharing with will meet another believer," Eric says. "And if he's
had a positive experience with me, he'll be more open. Don't ruin it for the
next guy."
The Power of One
Several years ago while Eric worked in a campus ministry, he had an
opportunity to share the gospel with a young woman who worked at the
Starbucks he and his fellow interns frequented.
"She actually started coming to our meetings," he says. "She loved hanging
out with us and giving her opinions. We would ask her all these questions
related to evangelism stuff we were doing on campus."
After a time the woman quit her job at Starbucks, and Eric didn't see her
again. Three years later, she walked into his church. "I was floored," he
says. "This is the type of girl who wouldn't set foot in church."
The woman approached him with tears in her eyes. "Someone has told me it
takes 85 conversations to get saved," she said. "It took 86 for me. Thank
you for sharing the gospel with me."
That experience burned a passion for evangelism in Eric's heart. "I want to
sow the gospel in as many lives as I can," he says. "You'll never know until
heaven how many of those conversations were No. 27... No. 28 ... No. 29. I
want in on that."
Perhaps that is how we should measure effective evangelism - one
conversation at a time. The next guy will thank you.
