~Thankful Thursdays with JC~

Father, God, holy is your name.

I praise you Father for your faithfulness to your children. Thank you for being with me every step of every day: even when I don't feel your presence you are there. Thank you for speaking to my spirit this past week. Thank you for reminding me that I am your temple; you dwell and have you being in me as a vessel for your service. Thank you for reminding me that I don't need to visit ancient ruins or touch a stone to touch you. Your word says you are nigh even as close as a breath; all I have to do is speak you name. Father, thank you for making me mindful of all the people that are seeking you but not seeking you Son. Many asked me to pray for peace for their country this past week none asked me to pray for their salvation. Father teach me how to pray for Israel and for her people because I really don't know how.

In Jesus, holy, precious and powerful name I pray,

Amen.

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

Showing COMPASSION....


This past Sunday our pastor shared with us about showing compassion to those people God brings across our path. Some are discouraged, angry, depressed, sick in body, lonely, or just needing a friend.

Pastor Wren defined compassion this way - "An inward moving in my spirit that causes an outward action to meet the needs of others." I read several definitions of compassion and decided I liked Pastor Wren's the best. I just know I would rather feel compassion than try to define it.

Jesus met needs as He WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION. (my heart gets all warm when I read these words)

"He was moved with COMPASSION toward them and he healed their sick" Matthew 14:14

"So Jesus had COMPASSION on them and touched their eyes" Matthew 20:34

"And when the Lord saw her, he had COMPASSION on her, and said unto her, Weep not" Luke 7:13

How do we show compassion in everyday life? Maybe we just need to sit with someone and help them cry or just listen as they pour out their heart to us. We may need to buy someone a sandwich or put gas in their car. Whatever the need Jesus will direct us to joyfully meet that need. Isn't that exciting!!!!!!

Father, help me to know fully what Godly compassion is and how Your compassion can flow through me to meet the needs of those around me. I pray that everyone reading this blog will be led by you to show compassion to someone today. Help us all grow in Your wisdom and truth today.

In Jesus Compassionate name, I pray.

Amen

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is one of my Dad's Birthdays. He has three. The first one is one July 20th. It is the day that he was actually born. Then today, July 28th, is the day listed on his birth certificate and the day that he actually celebrates. Then he has the day that he was "born again", the day that he accepted Jesus. That day was March 7, 1999.

At this point in my father's life, it is almost impossible to talk about him without talking about the Lord. His day to day life is completely entwined with serving the Lord. I can tell you memories of him that I have as a child, and not speak about God, because I wasn't raised in a Christian home. In fact, I was the first person in our home to get saved. And Daddy was the last one. I spent YEARS praying for him. It seemed like the least likely thing in the world to happen. But God seems to be quite comfortable with miracles.

My Dad called me on March 7, 1999 and said "Are you sitting down?" I was. On the toilet (some things you would rather forget). "Yeeeeees......."

And he said "I got saved today."

I cried. And shouted. And asked him to tell me everything. He did, and I cried some more. And Praised God.

The Bible speaks of becoming a new creation in Christ, and my father did. God fully created in him a new heart. I have witnessed that miracle and can testify to what God can do.

There are so many things that I should tell you about my Dad. I wish that I could make you fully understand how amazing this is, but Grace is just that. AMAZING.

Daddy is a blue collar all American man. He has worked harder all of his life than any person that I know. Honest. Mr. Smitherman, who lived next door to us when I was a little girl, told him that he would never live to see 30. Daddy was working 16 hour days 7 days a week for months at a time. No days off. He slept and worked. And had a meal in between there somewhere.

And now, he works just that hard for the Lord. He knows that he is saved by Grace, but he loves the Lord so much, there is nothing that he would rather do than to work for Him. Dad is now a Baptist preacher, certified to Marry and Bury (preacher humor you know). There is an excitement in his eyes when he talks about church. His joy is sharing the things that God has done. To me, my father is a man after God's own heart.

So, Happy Birthday to my Dad. I am so thankful to have seen prayers answered in his life, beyond what I even had the sense to pray for. God has shown me how abundantly He can give life, through witnessing my father truly begin to live!

Father God,

Thank You for the way that You saw fit to answer my prayers for my father. Thank You for the many people who joined me in praying for Dad. Thank You for allowing me to belong to a Christian Family. Lord, bless Daddy to day. His delight really is in You Lord, so I ask that You reveal Yourself to him in a special way today.

I praise you and thank You Lord for my Dad's salvation.

In Jesus Name.

Amen

I NEED YOU JESUS!

~Thankful Thursdays with JC~

As you are reading this post I am somewhere between Israel and Alabama. We left Jerusalem at 1:30 A.M. headed back to Tel Aviv. We will arrive back to our church around 6:30 P.M. tonight.

In the last week, I’ve taken a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, I’ve sat on the hillside at the Mt of Beatitudes, I’ve walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, I’ve been baptized in the Jordan River, I’ve stood on the Mount of Olives and walked the Palm Sunday Path to the Garden of Gethsemane, I’ve viewed the Eastern Gate where Jesus will come in victory, I’ve walked the Way of the Cross thru the Old City of Jerusalem, I’ve gone to the Upper Room for prayer. There is a lot on our itinerary that I will not mention but you get the idea. My pray today is simple feel free to speak your own or type it a leave a comment.

Father, THANK YOU for the opportunity to see these ancient places and experience a different culture. THANK YOU for safe travel. Most of all THANK YOU for Jesus.
I will praise you my Father because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows very well. In Jesus’ precious, powerful and holy name I pray. Amen.

PRAYER FOR REMEMBERANCE

My Dear friend Kimmie is marking the date today that she lost her mother. It was a few years ago. Time heals but it doesn't make us forget. Kimmie has a beautiful spirit, and she is a woman of God. I ask you to join me today in prayer for her as she remembers, and yes mourns, the loss of her mother. Visit her today, if you can, and offer her your support.

Father God,

Only you know the day or the hour that we will meet You, Lord. I pray that Kimmie and other people who have experienced the loss of loved ones will know your comfort today, and always. That they will have comfort in knowing that they will be reunited with their loved ones again in Glory. I pray that her memories will warm her heart and she will have peace today. God you are so good and I pray that you will meet her every need.

In Jesus Name I Pray,

AMEN

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you about STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD. Today I want us to look at a couple of these promises in light of the pressures surrounding us in these times of uncertainty. Jesus truly reveals Himself to us in these times and His Promises become more than black ink on white paper.

In Matthew's gospel in the 6th chapter we read "take no thought for your life, what ye shall ear, or what you shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on" (vs 25) "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field - shall he not much more clothe you" (vs 30) "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness;and these thing SHALL be added unto you" (vs 33) "therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care of itself." (vs 34)

I choose to STAND ON THESE PROMISES - how about you?

Since our Abba Father - our DADDY FATHER, knows all things concerning us we can take our attention off the prices at the grocery store, the clothes rack and the gas pump and look full in the face of Him who assures us that He cares for us!!! HALLELUJAH!!! How will He take care of me? I do not know - that is His business and I will leave His business with Him!!!!!! (I am typing myself into the Glory Zone again!!!!)

"Thank you, Abba Father, that I do not have to be stressed out in these times of uncertainty. I choose to Stand on Your Promises and trust you to take care of ALL the details of my life as I seek first Your Kingdom and Your Righteousness. Thank you, in Jesus powerful name" Amen

Love Thy Neighbor

I have spoken a lot about our move on my site Dust Bunny Hostage. A LOT! Too much actually. But it's what is going on in my life (and seems to just not ever STOP going on!) so of course, that is what I talk about.

I have realized one of the ways that God is going to bless my family here (and He IS going to bless us, I have no doubt). I had a chance to speak to our next door neighbor. AND SHE IS A CHRISTIAN. I wasn't standing with her for 2 minutes before she started talking about the Lord. And do you know what? Without thinking or realizing what was happening, I was raising my hands in Praise! A completely involuntary action. Or maybe, Spirit led would be a better description.

The kids finally got to meet her and she told them, "If you are ever home and your parents aren't, and you need something, you come to see me." I feel so blessed.

Father God,

I pray for each family in our neighborhood. I ask that You allow us to be a witness for You. That if You have a plan for us in this community, that we would be able to accomplish what You send us to do, through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Father, show us what it means to Love our Neighbor as ourself, Let us be a beacon of Christian love toward each of them. Father, I especially pray for the need of the man up the street, that You would send healing to his body and soul and comfort to his heart. Father God, You know his needs and I pray that You would meet each one according to Your will.

Thank You Lord, for the provision of safety and comfort that we have in our home and in our neighborhood.

In Jesus Holy and Precious name I pray,

Amen

~Thankful Thursdays with JC~

My dear reader as you read this post, I will be in Israel. Today will be my first full day there so I decided to share with you what the group will be doing. We will be leaving Tel Aviv this morning and traveling along the coastal road to Mount Carmel. That is where Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal. We will visit Caesarea on the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. Our leader will lead us in prayer for the land of Israel, while in the western region. We will see the Jezreel Valley, Mt. Tabor and the Mountains of Gilboa from Megiddo, and view the Valley of Armageddon, the site of the final great battle. We will conclude our day at Nazareth Village, and view Cana the site of Jesus’ first miracle. Tonight I will hopefully sleep peacefully in a room at the Sheraton Tiberias.

You may be asking why is she sharing? I’m sharing this because at the time I’m writing this post I am in the mist of getting ready to go. I haven’t travel a great distance in almost 5 years and never out of the country. To say that I’m stressing is a huge understatement. I’m looking forward to being in Israel, I’m not at all fearful about being there, but the getting there is another story completely. On my blog I’ve done some post on the subject, if you care to go there.

As I’m waiting for pictures to save on my computer, I’m running through all the last minute stuff I had to buy today and hoping I haven’t forgotten something. I decided to put it behind me for a little while. I picked up a songbook I have because I love the old hymns I grew up on. I opened it to page 56 to a song written by Will M. Ramsey first copyrighted in 1932 titled He Whispers Sweet Peace to Me. The words to the first verse and chorus are:

“Sometime when misgivings darken the day,
and faith’s light I cannot see;
I ask the dear Lord to bright-en the way,
He whispers sweet peace to me.”
Chorus: He whispers sweet peace to me…
He whispers sweet peace to me,
When I am cast down in spirit and soul,
He whispers sweet peace to me."

The song has four verses and each one is sweeter than the one before.

Abba, Father, Daddy, THANK YOU for whispering sweet peace to me today. Father forgive me for getting too busy with getting ready to see ancient places that I haven’t spent time with the Ancient of Days. I am so very sorry. THANK YOU for using the slowness of the computer and this old hymn as a reminder of what is truly important. YOU.

Just being in Your presence.

Father I ask you to tell me what to take and what to leave behind. Father, I know you will be with me each and every step. THANK YOU for the opportunity to go there. To see with my own eyes places my Savior saw. To walk where He walked. There just aren’t enough words in the English language to express my gratitude.

Father bless each and every person that reads this post with a hunger to draw closer to You. In Jesus’ powerful, holy and precious name I pray.

Amen

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

Having a true friend is a rare treasure. I am truly blessed to have several true friends. Some I do not see very often but I know they are there. True friendship is not maintenance free. We must keep the friendship going. Hey, that is what SHOPPING MALLS and TEA ROOMS were created for!!!!!!

We must focus on BEING a friend and not on HAVING a friend. Being a friend is a matter of thinking of the other person. Having a friend is focusing on myself and my own needs.

Proverbs 17 says "A friend loves at all times". A true friend laughs with me and not at me. I must ask myself "How can I help this friend become all God created her to be?"

If you are someone's friend, it means you were chosen. You are not in someone's life by happenstance. You are in someone's life because he or she wants you there.

Jesus said in John 15: 14-15 "Ye are my friends" and "I have called you friends" Jesus chose ME to be His friend. My friends, this is awesome!!! He likes for me to spend time with Him developing this friendship. I am in His life because He wants me there. He calls ME "friend" !!!! Just think about that for a minute.

Father,

Thank you for revealing yourself to me as my friend. Me?, a friend of God!!!! Father, that really warms my heart. I thank you for the precious friends you have blessed me with. Help me to be there for them in the good times and the bad times. Oh, how I want to be a JESUS FRIEND to them!! More than anything, Father, I want to make you proud to call me your friend!!!

I pray this prayer in the powerful Name of Jesus, your Son and my friend.

AMEN

God Can Meet Your Every Need

Please bring a tissue. And a heart ready to be filled with Praise!



Thank you Fran. This was as wonderful as you said.

~Thankful Thursdays with JC~

Father God,

How awesome You are!!! Even when the world around me seems crazy you keep me safe in the eye of the storm. Whatever the storm may be you are in ultimate control. You give me strength to rise above the storm, or faith to get through the storm or power to hang on until the storm passes. How fortunate I am that you consider me. Thank you for your bountiful blessings of this past week including protection while traveling, the love and laughter of family, a place to call home. Father thank you for the freedom found in living in the United States but more importantly thanks you for the freedom of being your child through Jesus the Christ. Your one and only son. Father I pray I never take that freedom for granted.

In Jesus' holy and powerful name I pray.

Amen

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

There is a beautiful old hymn of the Faith that we sang often in church when I was growing up.


"STANDING ON THE PROMISES" - Does anyone else in Blogland know this hymn? The chorus goes like this:

Standing, Standing
Standing on the promises of God my Savior
Standing, Standing
I'm standing on the promises of God

I loved that song and could sing it with a lot of enthusiasm. I cannot remember a time when I did not know this song. The sad fact is for over thirty years I knew the song but I did not know the promises!!! Praise God the day came when the scales fell from my eyes and I saw (and received) Him as Savior and Lord. It was at this time His promises became real to me.

The first promise I stood on is found in Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled". I hungered for His Word and He gave me the best of teachers to feed me.


I daily stand on Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purposes". Now, friends, there is rest in that promise!!!!

"Father, I thank you for making your promises real to me. Do the same for every person reading this blog today. In Jesus blessed name, I pray."

Listen as Alan Jackson sings this hymn .

REJOICE IS A CHOICE!

I was asked by Jennifer to be a guest blogger today. Thank you Jennifer. I am honored. I'm Brenda from It's All Good! I enjoy being a part of this blogging community and have met so many wonderful Godly encouragers.

Since it's Monday, I wanted to share some encouraging words that might change what's commonly referred to as Blue Monday to Beautiful Monday.

One of my favorite scriptures is found in Psalm 118:24 and says, 'This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it'. I'm sure everyone has heard this verse sung in churches the world over at one time or another. (I know I've just dated myself!)

One day, I was reading in the Word when I came across this verse again. The second half, 'I will rejoice and be glad in it', really popped out at me, like large print in a regular print Bible.

I will rejoice. This a choice. I will rejoice, even when my little one has 'lost her cookies' all over me--right after I've showered and we're on our way out the door. I choose to rejoice, when the toilet overflows, I've dropped and broken an heirloom vase, or I get a call from my best friend saying her husband has terminal cancer. What? You say. Rejoice when you hear such devastating news?

What the Lord showed me was that the word 'rejoice' is not a feeling. It's not based on our emotions. It's a state of being. When all hell seems to be breaking loose in my life, because of my Father, I can still rejoice. I can rejoice in Him.

The other part of the 'large-print' scripture states: 'I will be glad in it'. I choose to be glad in this day the Lord has made. I make a conscious effort to REJOICE and BE GLAD because, let's face it, some days its easy to wake up shouting THIS IS THE DAY! and other days, not so.

I hope that maybe today you will make it a Beautiful Monday instead of a Blue Monday by choosing to rejoice in Him.

Father,


I thank You that You have made a way for us to 'rejoice and be glad' in every day. No matter what the circumstances--whether we're at the top of the mountain or in the lowest parts of the valley--we can choose to rejoice and be glad. Not because of us, but because of You! Bless your people this Beautiful Monday.


In Jesus Name,



Amen


It's All BEAUTIFUL MONDAY Good!

Brenda

Words from the King's Princess....

By JC.


Today I have been very contemplative with a lot on my mind. A friend who is terminally ill, a staff member with a very ill uncle, family members going through a periods of transition/change, folks that can’t let go of perceived wrongs and I’m wondering why I’m not more affected by their issues. It isn’t that I don’t care. I care very deeply but it is that I have learned by going through the fire to trust totally and completely on the one who sticks closer than a brother.

I remembered the words of a song “Give Me Jesus” sung by Fernando Ortega.


“In the morning when I rise,
In the morning when I rise,
In the morning when I rise
Give me Jesus.
And when I am Alone,
And when I am Alone,
And when I am Alone,
Give me Jesus.
And when I come to Die, And when I come to Die,
And when I come to Die,
Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus, Give Me Jesus, You can have all this world, just give me Jesus."

Later as I was thinking of the prayer requests I have received in the last few days for people very close to going home. I picked up a book titled, “His Princess, Love Letters from Your King” by Sheri Rose Shephard. I opened it to pages 182-183 they read,
“My Princess…YOU BEGIN AND END WITH ME.
‘I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA. THE BEGINNING AND THE END. TO HIM WHO IS THIRSTY I WILL GIVE TO DRINK WITHOUT COST FROM THE SPRING OF THE WATER OF LIFE.’ Revelation 21:6 NIV
You need not worry when your life will end, My precious child. All you need to know is that your first breath began with Me, and your last breath will lead you to My presence. Don’t ever let fear of death or eternity frighten you. Your todays and tomorrows are secure with me- I have held them in My hand since the beginning of time. When you finish your brief time on earth and I call you into My presence, your forever life in heaven will begin. But for now, My chosen one, you must live free from fear. Instead, trust Me to take you through every trial that comes your way. Remember that nothing in the universe can separate us. I am with you always…even until the end of time. So live well and finish strong- fixing your hope on the day that we will meet face-to-face on the other side of eternity. Love, Your Eternal King”

Father, God,

You are my all in all. I give you praise and honor. Thank your for reminding me that it all begins and ends with You through Your Son. I am so humbled that you care enough for me to speak to my spirit. In Jesus, precious and powerful name I pray.

Amen.

~Thankful Thursdays with JC~

Father you are so awesome, your ways who can fathom. Thank you for being near when I call on you (Psalm 145:18). Thank you for restoring my health with regard to my left knee. Thank you for answering the prayer I prayed to let me find a blogger in Israel. Wow, You are so cool for working that one out. I just cannot praise you enough. I don’t even know the words to express how I feel inside when I think of your goodness and your tenderness toward me. My spirit leaps, twirls, and dances for You and only You. Thank you for every person that visits this site and my site, their comments are like jewels to me directly from you. Thank you for calming my spirit then the enemy comes with his craftiness. Thank you for the way you are working all things out for my good and for Your glory. Oh how marvelous, Oh how wonderful is Your love for me.

In Jesus precious and powerful name I pray.

Amen

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

Let Freedom Ring!

July 4th is my favorite holiday of the year. When I go to Hobby Lobby or Wal-Mart and see the Red, White and Blue displays I get all happy inside!!!! The American Flag is one of the most beautiful sights my eyes have ever beheld. July 4th is a time for family and friends to gather, celebrate, pray and remember.

We celebrate FREEDOM!!! We celebrate our freedom as Americans and we celebrate our Freedom in Jesus Christ. Neither of these freedoms are free. A great price has been paid for both.

"if the Son therefore shall made you free, you shall be free indeed" John 8:36. We are free from the penalty of sin and the power of sin and one day we will be free from the presence of sin. We are free to refuse the spirit of fear that tries to attach itself to us as a result of the unrest in our great country - our upcoming presidential election, the soaring gas prices and the rising cost of food!!!!

A lump wells up in my throat when I think of our sons and daughters who are fighting for our freedom. My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who will not come home again. - OUR FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

Father, how do I express my thanks to you for my freedom? Words seem so empty so please listen to my heart. Be very near to our soldiers who are fighting for our freedom today. I am thankful to be a Believer in Jesus Christ living in America. In Jesus name I pray.

Tiz

LET FREEDOM RING!!!!!!