Grac*e-mail for 11/08/10 got grace?
I have a favor to ask of all my subscribers, please forward this mailing to five folks you believe it will bless… thanks!
John()_:-) Every time you see this angel, remember that God loves you!
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Eph 1:13-14
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
NKJV
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Got this link from Don Collins…. It is a beautiful video!
www.andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html
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Grac*e-mail now has a page on Facebook… so send your friends an invitation to enjoy!
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Got this funny from my Dad…
I thought about the 30 year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a Blackberry that played music, took videos, pictures and communicated with Facebook and Twitter.
I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grandkids and 2 great grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter with only 140 characters of space.
That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world.
My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.
The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Blue tooth [it's red] phone I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble talking to my wife as everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. Seems I have to take my hearing aid out to use it, and I got a little loud.
I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-ul-ating". You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light. Then when I would make a right turn instead, it was not good.
When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she loves me.
To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven't figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have run around digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings.
The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves but this sudden "Paper or Plastic?" every time I check out just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me.
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This link has some good info for partents…
Here is a listing of the slang words for different drugs. Click on the slang name and it then describes the drug. It is important that parents be aware of these slang terms, they may hear children (and/or adults) use the slang term.
http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/drug_guide/BySlang/
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Got this link from Dan Griffiths… He subscribes to the e-mails from this site –
http://www.griefshare.org/dailyemails/
Here is a sample –
Understanding Your Grief
Grief is not an enemy or a sign of weakness. It is a sign of being human. Grief is the cost of loving someone.
Since grief comes to everyone, why do some people seem to work through it better than others?
“Some people think that going through the losses or crises of life are the exceptional times,” says Dr. H. Norman Wright.
“I see it differently. I see the times of calm as the exceptions. Life really is going through one loss after another, one crisis after another.
“Instead of avoiding talking about these times, let’s do our homework. When you know what to expect, you’re not thrown by them as much, and you’re going to be better able to recover.”
Join us each day for the next year as we walk with you on your journey through grief, strengthened and enabled through the Lord Jesus Christ.
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
Lord God, teach me to embrace my grief and not fight it, so that I may experience the true healing that comes from You. Amen.
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Got these from “Pun of the Day”. You can subscribe at
http://www.punoftheday.com/
Stir-fry cooks come from all woks of life.
With only one piece of wood, I tried to convince the fire to light by use of a monologue.
The man who worked at the watch factory was very funny. He stood about all day making faces.
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Check out the end of this e-mail for my latest sermon – “What Color Is God?”
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If you received this from a friend and would like to join…
To subscribe to this group, send email to
grace-mail+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Or you can visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/grace-mail?hl=en?hl=en
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Got this from the “Pearls” mailing list. To receive, just sent Larry Burrows a request at larryb1939@sbcglobal.net
Christ, the Son of God, the complete embodiment of God's Word, came among us. He looked on humanity's losing battle with sin and pitched His divine tent in the middle of the camp so that He could dwell among us. --Beth Moore
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Here are a couple of church funnies I got from Pastor Jo Ellen Hetherington…
Holy Communion
Being a new pastor to an aging congregation, I told them I would be serving them prune juice in Holy Communion. When asked why I would dare entertain such a thought, I said, "If the Holy Spirit won't move you... the prune juice will!"
Hot Air Hand Dryers
My pastor friend put sanitary hot air hand dryers in the rest rooms at his church. After two weeks, he had them taken out. I asked him why and he confessed that they worked fine, but when he went in there he saw a sign that read, "For a sample of this week's sermon, push the button."
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Send good stories and clean funnies to: johnlynnbright@gmail.com
NOTE - All material contained in this mailing is shared as received and is believed, by me, to be anonymous... unless credit is given. Please contact me at the address above if you know the author of any material so that I may give credit where credit is due. Thanks!
Grace & peace –
John A. Bright
Pastor, Walmsley Boulevard UMC in Richmond, Virginia
johnlynnbright@gmail.com
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..."
"What Color Is God?"
A sermon by Pastor John Bright
11/7/10
Acts 10:34-35
Then Peter opened his mouth and said:"In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality." NKJV
Back in 2004, the city of Monza in Northern Italy passed laws to protect small pets. One of those laws banned the use of goldfish bowls. Their reason - the curve of the glass distorts the goldfish's view of reality.
Makes you wonder… did the goldfish tell them? Did it complain?
Our view of the world is shaped by who we are.
I remember the shock I felt the first time I saw a Christmas card with a Native American nativity - there was a Native American Joseph, a Native American Mary and a little Native American baby Jesus. I have seen the same kind of cards for Blacks and Asians.
Why do you look surprised? Did you really think they look like they do on our Anglo Christmas cards? If you want a real dose of reality, consider this… Jesus probably looked like the men on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists List!
That's hard to hear, but remember our reality of God is not based on us looking out at Him. Rather, our view of God comes from how He looks at us.
That is how I determined to answer the question, "What color is God?"
When God looks at us, what does He see?
- Sons (and daughters) of God (Romans 8:14, Galatians 3:26)
- A temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)
- In 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 we are called Ambassadors for Christ and the Righteousness of God
Let me tell you what He does not see - God does not see trash!
(Say - "I'm not trash.")
Then it was clear to me… God is green! He is the Great Recycler!
I have had many conversations with folks this week since I put the sermon title on the sign by the road. Some folks thought I was actually going to talk about skin color. Some folks told me God is clear or crystal. Hey, God is a spirit - no color to deal with. But if what I see in the Bible is still true, God's actions make Him green.
I remember a time before the "Green Movement" of today. I remember when we first learned about the three Rs - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
When we apply these to God, we see:
1. God helps you REDUCE the junk in your trunk.
2. God REUSES people… sometimes over and over again.
3. God RECYCLES people - He can use anyone!
First R - REDUCE - God helps you REDUCE the junk in your trunk.
What is the "junk in your trunk"?
Bad memories /secrets from the past
Anger towards others (especially the kind you can't let out - your boss, your in-laws)
Guilt/shame
This is in no way a complete list. The junk in YOUR trunk is what you think of when you are all alone… when you wake up in the middle of the night… when your "happy pill" wears off. For some it is skeletons in the closet. For others it is a sense of impending doom that you just can't shake… always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
No matter what it is, the junk in your trunk is a heavy load.
Jesus had something to say about our heavy loads… Matt 11:28-30
" Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." NKJV
When I think of how God wants to help reduce the junk in our trunks, makes me think of that e-mail that goes around this time of year:
A woman was asked by a co-worker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"
The co-worker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."
When it comes to junk in the trunk, God doesn't just do it once, He has to keep on doing it because we keep putting more junk in. My opinion - that junk is 10% what folks do to us and 90% our thoughts, feelings and attitudes. What we need to put in there is God's Word!
Here are a couple of good ones:
Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. NKJV
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. NKJV
Never doubt that God want to help you reduce the junk in your trunk!
The second R - REUSE - God reuses people (even the ones with junk in the trunk!).
I love the story of King David. Things are going great for him until he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Look at 2 Samuel 11:1 - It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. NKJV
What follows is a story of adultery, betrayal and murder coming from someone described as " a man after God's own heart." This is a man who wrote in the Psalms of his love for God's law… his love for prayer and worship.
After he is confronted by the prophet, Nathan , we read his words of repentance in verse 12:13 - So David said to Nathan,"I have sinned against the LORD." NKJV
Now King David is restored and used again by God!
Some of you may be asking, "What does a story of an ancient king have to do with me?
Did any of you watch the 2010 World Series last week? One of the stories that came out was the story of Josh Hamilton. At 19 years old he was a top pick in the 1999 Amateur Draft. That first year he batted .347. The next year he was playing Single A ball and batted .302. The year 2001 began a downward spiral for Josh Hamilton. There was a car wreck, drugs, alcohol, rehab, injuries on the field, more drugs and more alcohol. Finally, in 2004 he failed several MLB drug tests and was released.
It was then that Josh Hamilton spent two years out of baseball - he got serious about rehab and about his relationship with his Savior - Jesus Christ.
In 2007 he went to the Cincinnati Reds and batted .292 and had 19 homers. The next year he was traded to the Texas Rangers. When they won the playoffs, the whole team used ginger ale, instead of champagne to celebrate in the locker room to help Josh Hamilton stay clean and sober. This season he was one of the best players in MLB and he speaks at churches all around Texas. That is a picture of grace!
By the way, it's not just our past that makes us think God can't/won't reuse us… some folks think they are "too old."
Ever hear of two old folks in the book of Genesis named Abram and Sarai. God reused them, changed their name to Abraham and Sarah. God reused them to bring a man named David to the throne and a Messiah to Bethlehem… and to Golgotha.
The third R - RECYCLE - God RECYCLES people - He can use anyone!
Do you know what you call someone who rides a bike twice? A re-cycler.
God is the Great Recycler and He can use anyone - I'll prove it. Turn to Matthew 1:1. The beginning of the New Testament lays out the lineage of Jesus Christ. Verse one mentions David and Abraham. Who else is on that list?
Verse 3 - Tamar, an adultress
Verse 5 - Ruth, a non-Jew, and Rahab, a prostitute
Not just the women… what about the men?
Verses 7 and 10 mention Abijah and Manassah - these were not great rulers, to say the least!
God recycled these folks into the lineage He would use to bring Christ into this world.
God can use anyone and anything to get folks! What about Balaam's donkey? God will even us a donkey to get a prophet on the right path.
In Acts 10:34, we find Peter at the home of a Gentile. Since there was no great reaction by you to that statement, I realize you don't understand how Jews looked at Gentiles.
Jews looked at Gentile the way I was raised to look at Blacks. Jews looked at Gentile the way many of us look at Latinos today. Not just as different… less… inferior… like trash!
What did Peter say in Acts 10:34 - "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality."
God has no favorites.
God does not look at anyone and see trash!
God's love and mercy is so great… His desire that all should be saved so complete, He can't look at us and see trash.
He is not done with you!
Even if you have junk in your trunk, He is not done with you!
Even if you think you have been too bad or got too old, He is not done with you!
Even if you have never chosen to accept God's gift of grace and be born again… you are not a throw away!
God is the green, He is the Great Recycler!
Amen.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Grac*e-mail for 11/01/10 got grace?
Grac*e-mail for 11/01/10 got grace?
I have a favor to ask of all my subscribers, please forward this mailing to five folks you believe it will bless… thanks!
John()_:-) Every time you see this angel, remember that God loves you!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Matt 5:43-44
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…”
NKJV
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Can we really pray for our enemies? If you want a challenge to pray for those who would see us destroyed, check out this site… Roger Dixon sent this my way….
http://www.atfp.org/
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Grac*e-mail now has a page on Facebook… so send your friends an invitation to enjoy!
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Today is All Saints Day (a much better thing to celebrate than yesterday!)…
Got this at http://stphransus.blogspot.com/2006/11/all-saints-meditation.html
Quirky fact: All Saints was John Wesley's favorite Christian holy-day.
A PRAYER FOR ALL SAINTS DAY
Sing praises to God, O you saints, and give thanks to God's holy name! We exalt you, O God, for you have restored us to life! We may cry through the night, but your joy comes with the morning. You hear us, O God, and you are gracious in our distress. You turn our mourning into dancing!Our souls cannot be silent! O God, our Savior, we give thanks to you forever! - THE UM BOOK OF WORSHIP 1965, ALT
And this at
http://johnwesley1703-1791.blogspot.com/2010/11/all-saints-day.html
This blog contains extracts from the journals of John Wesley which are in the public domain. The extracts are from years which correspond with the day and date of the current year (2010). So when JW says it is Monday 1 March 17.., it is Monday 1 March 2010 . Over the years I have found this to be an interesting way to read John Wesley's journals. I hope you do too.
All Saints’ Day Mon 1 Nov 1756: Was a day of triumphant joy, as All Saints’ Day generally is. How superstitious are they who scruple giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints!
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I am posting this as a good place to start in the ongoing debate over “grieving shows a lack of faith”…
Daily Reflection
by Mark D. Roberts
Laity Lodge Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence
Is There a Place for Sadness in Authentic Christianity?
READ Psalm 6:1-10
I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. [Psalm 6:6]
I grew up in a culture, church, and family that didn't have much room for sadness. If ever people in my life were feeling sad, it was my responsibility to "cheer them up." As Christians, we knew we were supposed to "Rejoice in the Lord, always!" God was the one who wiped away every tear. Thus, sadness was inconsistent, not only with our cultural norms, but also with our understanding of authentic Christianity. Real Christians were happy, not sad. They always had smiles on their faces. And they certainly didn't drench their beds with their tears.
Of course, there was a problem with the cultural assumptions of my early years. People did get sad. And sometimes their sadness seemed unavoidable, if not reasonable. Beloved friends and family members might get sick and die. Our nation watched as tens of thousands of our young men died in Vietnam. Wasn't it appropriate to feel sad sometimes?
The notion that true Christians aren't ever sad also stumbles upon teaching and examples of Scripture. Many of the psalms, for example, express deep sadness to the Lord, without sense of shame. In Psalm 6:6, for example, David prays, "I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears." Now that is serious sadness, even if it does reflect a poetic use of hyperbolic language.
If the Psalms are given to us to teach us how to communicate with God, then there is surely a place for sadness in authentic Christianity. Scripture invites us to be honest with God, to share what's really going on inside of us. The Lord will carry our sorrows as we offer them to him, without hiding or pretending.
Moreover, authentic Christian community includes a place for shared sadness. Remember Paul's instruction in Romans 12:15. We are to "be happy with those who are happy" and "weep with those who weep." If someone we care about is grieving, our job is not to "cheer them up," but rather to join them in their sorrow, and in this way to bear their burdens. As we do this, we come to know more deeply the heart of Jesus, who is "a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief" (Isa 53:3). Moreover, when we deal openly with our sadness, as well as the sadness of others, we open our hearts to a deeper and fuller experience of God's joy.
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Did your culture, family, and church teach you about sadness? Are you free to share your sorrows with the Lord? And with other believers? What helps you express your true feelings to God in prayer?
PRAYER: Thank you, merciful God, for the example of David in Psalm 6. Thank you for the invitation to speak with you honestly, not holding back our sadness or desperation.
Thank you, dear Lord, for hearing our prayers just as they are, for wanting to have an intimate relationship with us in all of our messiness and confusion.
Thank you, gracious God, for entering into our sorrow through Christ, for knowing the inside of sadness.
Thank you, O God, for meeting us in our pain, for offering peace that passes understanding, for turning our mourning into dancing.
Help us to be authentic in our relationship with you, sharing our true thoughts, feelings, fears, and hurts. Help us to weep with those who weep so that we might also rejoice with those who rejoice. May your church be a place of safety and freedom, where broken hearts are mended.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the man of sorrows. Amen.
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It is not the exam season at colleges yet, but you might want to pass this funny prayer along to the students you know…
O Lord, hear my anxious plea
Calculus is killing me
I know not of 'dx' or 'dy'
And probably won't until the day I die.
Please, Lord, help me in this hour
As I take my case to the highest power.
I care not for fame or loot
Just help me find one square root.
And Lord, please let me see
One passing mark in organic chemistry.
Oh such a thing I constantly dread
I'd just as soon join the Marines instead.
Lord, please give me a sign
That you've been listening all the time.
Please lead me out of this constant coma
And give me a shot at my diploma.
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Got these from “Pun of the Day”. You can subscribe at
http://www.punoftheday.com/
Yesterday I rode my bike twice, I guess that makes me a recycler.
Did you see guys that Bob the ventriloquist hangs out with? They're nothing special, just a bunch of dummies.
How do spacemen add more protein to their diet? They make it meteor.
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Here is one that has made the rounds by e-mail… a real “classic”…
Do you need propping up?? I know I do.
FATHER, PROP US UP
Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, FATHER, prop us up on our leanin' side.'
After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.
He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this....I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time, it's withstood a lot of weather, it’s gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years. It's still standing, but one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall.
Then I got to thinking 'bout that and how much I was like that old barn. I been around a long time, I've withstood a lot of life's storms, I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, And I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Father to prop us up on our leaning side, 'cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning, at times.'
Sometime we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't, so we need to pray, 'Father, prop us up on our leaning side,' so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Father.
-- Author Unknown
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Got this video from Reid Broce…
Need a pick-me-up? Watch this –
http://www.stservicemovie.com/
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If you received this from a friend and would like to join…
To subscribe to this group, send email to
grace-mail+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Or you can visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/grace-mail?hl=en?hl=en
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Got this from the “Pearls” mailing list. To receive, just sent Larry Burrows a request at larryb1939@sbcglobal.net
God knows where we are. Sometimes we forget this. Sometimes we even feel that God has forgotten us. He hasn't. God knows exactly where we are. So when you are afflicted with those forsaken feelings, when you’re on the verge of throwing a pity party thanks to those despairing thoughts, go back to the Word of God. --Charles Swindoll
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Reasons to love your enemies….
God commands us to love. Here are some key Scriptures (Bible verses) on loving your enemies:
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34).
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28).
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse (Romans 12:14).
We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it (1 Corinthians 4:12).
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:17-21).
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble (1 John 2:9-10).
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Send good stories and clean funnies to: johnlynnbright@gmail.com
NOTE - All material contained in this mailing is shared as received and is believed, by me, to be anonymous... unless credit is given. Please contact me at the address above if you know the author of any material so that I may give credit where credit is due. Thanks!
Grace & peace –
John A. Bright
Pastor, Walmsley Boulevard UMC in Richmond, Virginia
johnlynnbright@gmail.com
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..."
I have a favor to ask of all my subscribers, please forward this mailing to five folks you believe it will bless… thanks!
John()_:-) Every time you see this angel, remember that God loves you!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Matt 5:43-44
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…”
NKJV
%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Can we really pray for our enemies? If you want a challenge to pray for those who would see us destroyed, check out this site… Roger Dixon sent this my way….
http://www.atfp.org/
%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Grac*e-mail now has a page on Facebook… so send your friends an invitation to enjoy!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Today is All Saints Day (a much better thing to celebrate than yesterday!)…
Got this at http://stphransus.blogspot.com/2006/11/all-saints-meditation.html
Quirky fact: All Saints was John Wesley's favorite Christian holy-day.
A PRAYER FOR ALL SAINTS DAY
Sing praises to God, O you saints, and give thanks to God's holy name! We exalt you, O God, for you have restored us to life! We may cry through the night, but your joy comes with the morning. You hear us, O God, and you are gracious in our distress. You turn our mourning into dancing!Our souls cannot be silent! O God, our Savior, we give thanks to you forever! - THE UM BOOK OF WORSHIP 1965, ALT
And this at
http://johnwesley1703-1791.blogspot.com/2010/11/all-saints-day.html
This blog contains extracts from the journals of John Wesley which are in the public domain. The extracts are from years which correspond with the day and date of the current year (2010). So when JW says it is Monday 1 March 17.., it is Monday 1 March 2010 . Over the years I have found this to be an interesting way to read John Wesley's journals. I hope you do too.
All Saints’ Day Mon 1 Nov 1756: Was a day of triumphant joy, as All Saints’ Day generally is. How superstitious are they who scruple giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%
I am posting this as a good place to start in the ongoing debate over “grieving shows a lack of faith”…
Daily Reflection
by Mark D. Roberts
Laity Lodge Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence
Is There a Place for Sadness in Authentic Christianity?
READ Psalm 6:1-10
I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. [Psalm 6:6]
I grew up in a culture, church, and family that didn't have much room for sadness. If ever people in my life were feeling sad, it was my responsibility to "cheer them up." As Christians, we knew we were supposed to "Rejoice in the Lord, always!" God was the one who wiped away every tear. Thus, sadness was inconsistent, not only with our cultural norms, but also with our understanding of authentic Christianity. Real Christians were happy, not sad. They always had smiles on their faces. And they certainly didn't drench their beds with their tears.
Of course, there was a problem with the cultural assumptions of my early years. People did get sad. And sometimes their sadness seemed unavoidable, if not reasonable. Beloved friends and family members might get sick and die. Our nation watched as tens of thousands of our young men died in Vietnam. Wasn't it appropriate to feel sad sometimes?
The notion that true Christians aren't ever sad also stumbles upon teaching and examples of Scripture. Many of the psalms, for example, express deep sadness to the Lord, without sense of shame. In Psalm 6:6, for example, David prays, "I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears." Now that is serious sadness, even if it does reflect a poetic use of hyperbolic language.
If the Psalms are given to us to teach us how to communicate with God, then there is surely a place for sadness in authentic Christianity. Scripture invites us to be honest with God, to share what's really going on inside of us. The Lord will carry our sorrows as we offer them to him, without hiding or pretending.
Moreover, authentic Christian community includes a place for shared sadness. Remember Paul's instruction in Romans 12:15. We are to "be happy with those who are happy" and "weep with those who weep." If someone we care about is grieving, our job is not to "cheer them up," but rather to join them in their sorrow, and in this way to bear their burdens. As we do this, we come to know more deeply the heart of Jesus, who is "a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief" (Isa 53:3). Moreover, when we deal openly with our sadness, as well as the sadness of others, we open our hearts to a deeper and fuller experience of God's joy.
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Did your culture, family, and church teach you about sadness? Are you free to share your sorrows with the Lord? And with other believers? What helps you express your true feelings to God in prayer?
PRAYER: Thank you, merciful God, for the example of David in Psalm 6. Thank you for the invitation to speak with you honestly, not holding back our sadness or desperation.
Thank you, dear Lord, for hearing our prayers just as they are, for wanting to have an intimate relationship with us in all of our messiness and confusion.
Thank you, gracious God, for entering into our sorrow through Christ, for knowing the inside of sadness.
Thank you, O God, for meeting us in our pain, for offering peace that passes understanding, for turning our mourning into dancing.
Help us to be authentic in our relationship with you, sharing our true thoughts, feelings, fears, and hurts. Help us to weep with those who weep so that we might also rejoice with those who rejoice. May your church be a place of safety and freedom, where broken hearts are mended.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the man of sorrows. Amen.
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It is not the exam season at colleges yet, but you might want to pass this funny prayer along to the students you know…
O Lord, hear my anxious plea
Calculus is killing me
I know not of 'dx' or 'dy'
And probably won't until the day I die.
Please, Lord, help me in this hour
As I take my case to the highest power.
I care not for fame or loot
Just help me find one square root.
And Lord, please let me see
One passing mark in organic chemistry.
Oh such a thing I constantly dread
I'd just as soon join the Marines instead.
Lord, please give me a sign
That you've been listening all the time.
Please lead me out of this constant coma
And give me a shot at my diploma.
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Got these from “Pun of the Day”. You can subscribe at
http://www.punoftheday.com/
Yesterday I rode my bike twice, I guess that makes me a recycler.
Did you see guys that Bob the ventriloquist hangs out with? They're nothing special, just a bunch of dummies.
How do spacemen add more protein to their diet? They make it meteor.
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Here is one that has made the rounds by e-mail… a real “classic”…
Do you need propping up?? I know I do.
FATHER, PROP US UP
Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, FATHER, prop us up on our leanin' side.'
After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.
He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this....I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time, it's withstood a lot of weather, it’s gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years. It's still standing, but one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall.
Then I got to thinking 'bout that and how much I was like that old barn. I been around a long time, I've withstood a lot of life's storms, I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, And I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Father to prop us up on our leaning side, 'cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning, at times.'
Sometime we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't, so we need to pray, 'Father, prop us up on our leaning side,' so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Father.
-- Author Unknown
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Got this video from Reid Broce…
Need a pick-me-up? Watch this –
http://www.stservicemovie.com/
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If you received this from a friend and would like to join…
To subscribe to this group, send email to
grace-mail+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Or you can visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/grace-mail?hl=en?hl=en
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Got this from the “Pearls” mailing list. To receive, just sent Larry Burrows a request at larryb1939@sbcglobal.net
God knows where we are. Sometimes we forget this. Sometimes we even feel that God has forgotten us. He hasn't. God knows exactly where we are. So when you are afflicted with those forsaken feelings, when you’re on the verge of throwing a pity party thanks to those despairing thoughts, go back to the Word of God. --Charles Swindoll
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Reasons to love your enemies….
God commands us to love. Here are some key Scriptures (Bible verses) on loving your enemies:
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34).
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28).
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse (Romans 12:14).
We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it (1 Corinthians 4:12).
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:17-21).
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble (1 John 2:9-10).
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Send good stories and clean funnies to: johnlynnbright@gmail.com
NOTE - All material contained in this mailing is shared as received and is believed, by me, to be anonymous... unless credit is given. Please contact me at the address above if you know the author of any material so that I may give credit where credit is due. Thanks!
Grace & peace –
John A. Bright
Pastor, Walmsley Boulevard UMC in Richmond, Virginia
johnlynnbright@gmail.com
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..."
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