I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.



“I will work for food”

We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.

Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: ‘Don’t go back to the office until you’ve at least driven once more around the square…’

Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square’s third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.



“As I turned the (town) square’s third corner, I saw him.”

I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town’s newest visitor.

‘Looking for the pastor?’ I asked…

‘Not really,’ he replied, ‘just resting.’

‘Have you eaten today?’

‘Oh, I ate something early this morning.’

‘Would you like to have lunch with me?’

‘Do you have some work I could do for you?’

‘No work,’ I replied ‘I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch.’

‘Sure,’ he replied with a smile.

As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where you headed?’

‘St. Louis ‘

‘Where you from?’

‘Oh, all over; mostly Florida ….’

‘How long you been walking?’

‘Fourteen years,’ came the reply.

I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, ‘Jesus is The Never Ending Story.’

Then Daniel’s story began to unfold.. He had seen rough times early in life. He’d made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. . Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment.. A concert, he thought.

He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly… He gave his life over to God

‘Nothing’s been the same since,’ he said, ‘I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.’

‘Ever think of stopping?’ I asked.

‘Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles That’s what’s in my sack…. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads…’





I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless.. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: ‘What’s it like?’

‘What?’

‘To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?’

‘Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn’t make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people’s concepts of other folks like me.’

My concept was changing, too.. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused He turned to me and said, ‘Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I’ve prepared for you.. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in.’

I felt as if we were on holy ground. ‘Could you use another Bible?’ I asked.

He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite.. ‘I’ve read through it 14 times,’ he said.

‘I’m not sure we’ve got one of those, but let’s stop by our church and see’ I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.

‘Where are you headed from here?’ I asked.

‘Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon.’

‘Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?’

‘No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that’s where I’m going next.’

He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we’d met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.

‘Would you sign my autograph book?’ he asked.. ‘I like to keep messages from folks I meet.’



“Would you sign my autograph book?”



I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah,


‘I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope.’



‘Thanks, man,’ he said. ‘I know we just met and we’re really just strangers, but I love you.’

‘I know,’ I said, ‘I love you, too.’ ‘The Lord is good!’

‘Yes, He is.. How long has it been since someone hugged you?’ I asked.

A long time,’ he replied

And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed.. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, ‘See you in the New Jerusalem.’



“I’ll be there.”



‘I’ll be there!’ was my reply.

He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, ‘When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?’

‘You bet,’ I shouted back, ‘God bless.’

‘God bless.’ And that was the last I saw of him.

Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong.. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them….. a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.



“If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?”



Then I remembered his words: ‘If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?’

Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office.. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. ‘See you in the New Jerusalem,’ he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will…

‘I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.’



This Bible trivia is pretty amazing.

What is the shortest chapter
in the Bible?
Answer – Psalms 117

What is the longest chapter
in the Bible?
Answer – Psalms 119

Which chapter is in the center
of the Bible?
Answer – Psalms 118



Fact: There are 594 chapters before Psalms 118

Fact: There are 594 chapters after Psalms 118

Add these numbers up and you get 1188

What is the center verse in the Bible?
Answer – Psalms 118:8


Does this verse say something significant about God’s perfect will for our lives?

The next time someone says they would like to find God’s perfect will for their lives and that they want to be in the center of His will, just send them to the center of His Word!

Psalms 118:8 (NIV)
“It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man..”

Now isn’t that odd how this worked out (or was God in the center of it)?





A few minutes goes by and he daughter appears in the room and hands him the picture all correctly fitted together.

The father was surprised and ask her how she was able to fit all those little pieces of the world back together again so quickly.

“Oh..” she said, “On the other side of the paper was a picture of Jesus and once I got Jesus in the right place, then the world came out alright.”

Keep Jesus Christ at the center of your life!

Archaeology again proves that the Bible is historically accurate. Biblical archaeology brings us into touch with the world of Bible peoples and provides us with a background of knowledge against which we can begin to understand the biblical narratives better. Archaeology reveals to us the conditions of life in past centuries, and in some cases recovers for us material objects that people used–from pieces of pottery to elegant gold vessels and jewelry, from clay tablets dealing with the business accounts of a long-dead Babylonian family to papyrus scrolls recording the diseases of ancient Egyptians and the medicines that they took.

Archaeology Not Meant to “Prove” the Truth of the Scriptures

Archaeology is not meant to “prove” the TRUTH of the Scriptures, because this revelation is from God, being basically spiritual and based on faith, has to be experienced personally and evaluated spiritually (I Cor. 2:14). Yet our understanding of that revelation as something from God that is and was experienced by real people helps us see that our faith is not the result of myth, magic, or folklore, but instead is rooted deeply in history.

Great Cities Mentioned in Scripture

When we learn through archaeology about some of the great cities mentioned in Scripture, and the splendid place they occupied in past centuries, we begin to see how time passed as people lived and died, governments rose and fell until the time came when Christ was revealed as the Savior of mankind. We learn also that what the Bible has to say about some of these famous places was in fact the sober truth. While Jerusalem came to be known in history as the “holy city” because God’s temple was there, other places were notorious for their wickedness. The Jews regarded proud Babylon as the home of all wickedness, and it was left in ruins by divine judgment, as prophesied by Isaiah. Archaeology has also shown how Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, struck terror in the minds of people because of the brutality of the Assyrian armies, but even that fell to a stronger power, as prophesied by Nahum. Proud Athens, the intellectual center of ancient Greece, was dedicated to the service of the pagan goddess Athena, and ruins of her temples may still be seen there today. Corinth, a Greek city that had an evil reputation in Paul’s day, contains the earliest known Christian cemetery showing that the gospel light was able to shine through the pagan darkness of that corrupt place. Archaeologists have even uncovered the site where Paul stood in judgment before Gallio (Acts 18:12-17).

Witnesses to God’s Revelation

While archaeology helps us to understand ancient life and times, many of the ruins carry a stern reminder of God’s direct judgment upon human wickedness and disobedience. In this sense, therefore, the stones still cry out as witnesses to God’s revelation through the Law, the Prophets, and His Beloved Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.



Source: Family Homes Network



*Trivia about the video narrator Grant Goodeve:


Grant Goodeve is an actor, television personality and teen idol of the 1970s. He is best known for playing the role of David, the oldest son, on Eight is Enough for five seasons. He dated Laurie Walters, the actress who played his television sister. Goodeve married Debbie Ketchum in 1978. He has lived in the Northwestern United States since 1989 with his wife and three children Katie, Emily and Mac.

Goodeve also appeared for two seasons in the recurring role of Rick Pedersen, the ill-fated bush pilot in the TV drama Northern Exposure, which was produced in the northwestern U.S. Goodeve’s work also includes numerous episodic television appearances, the role of Woody on the daytime soap opera One Life to Live, as well as roles in several made-for-television movies and feature films. Goodeve is also an excellent singer, and has made appearances as lead vocalist in several parody songs by Bob Rivers.

He currently hosts If Walls Could Talk on Home and Garden Television, along with a series of historical home specials titled, Homes of our Heritage for HGTV. Grant has been the host of KING TV’s Northwest Backroads since the show premiered in April 1998. Grant has been a contributor to Evening Magazine since 1990.

He was a serious alcoholic until a car crash finally convinced him to turn his life around. In 2001 Goodeve was born again. Grant enjoys spending time with his family, tennis, snow skiing, reading, and basking in the beauty of the Northwest.

(http://listing-index.ebay.com/actors/Grant_Goodeve.html)

Then Noah erected an altar and offered a sacrifice to the Lord…

…and the lamb that was being sacrificed?
…ever wondered what its last thoughts must have been?











Smile and have a blessed day with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!




Source: Kevin Frank

To: Rev. Saul Paul
First Christian Church
Antioch, Syria



Dear Mr. Paul:

I have your application for missionary appointment before me, and will be as frank as possible concerning your qualifications as a foreign missionary. We have to be very careful in choosing our missionaries, and our Missions Board has reviewed your case thoroughly. We have decided that it would be unwise to send you to the foreign field for the following reasons:

1. It has come to our attention that you are doing secular work on the side. We do not feel that making tents and full time ministry go together very well. [1Th 2:9] It seems that you do not have enough experience in trusting the Lord for your income. You should make up your mind whether you want to preach or continue your profession.
   
2. Your previous actions have been very rash and unseemly for a minister. We learned that in a public meeting you opposed Dr. Simon Peter, an esteemed minister with a high reputation. [Ga 2:11-14] We also hear that you refused to compromise with other ministers such that a special council meeting had to be called in Jerusalem to prevent a serious split in the churches. [Ac 15:1-30] We frown on putting ideology before people. For your own good, I am enclosing a copy of Daius’ Carnegus book on “How to Win Jews and Influence Greeks.” [Ga 1:10, 1Th 2:4-6]
   
3. You have conflicted with mature Jewish brethren in nearly every city you have visited who simply want to encourage the converted Pagans to be properly circumcised. Mr. Paul, you must know that these men are our most learned sages with a deep sense of the roots and history of our faith. As well, and more importantly, these men control the synagogues you could be ministering in if you would simply tone down your dialog into a more friendly and respectful exchange. [Gal 5:2-12]
   
4. In checking back, we discovered your Christian education consisted of a three year course in Arabia. [Ga 1:15-20] We find that the Arabian school has not been approved by our accreditation board.
   
5. Further, you admit to being an unskilled public speaker. [2Co 10:10, 11:6] Paul, surely you must know that people expect fine elocution from men of God, and that as a denomination we stand for the highest levels of excellence in the pulpit. Yet instead of going to much-needed oratory classes you spend your time making tents instead. From your correspondence, you also appear to be spending a considerable amount of time writing letters to insignificant little “churches” that meet in homes. [Ac 28:3-6] Honestly now; do you really think that such misguided activities are what will lead to your success in the world of religion? We strongly suggest that you put down your tools and set aside your pen, and instead practice hand gestures, facial expressions, and voice modulation in front of a mirror for several hours a day until you come up to par.
   
6. It has come to the attention also that you often emphasize “the power of God” and “the gifts of the Spirit.” [1Co 2:3-5, 12:1-7] Also that you speak in tongues a great deal. [1Co 14:18] Surely you realize that such as this only drives off the better class of people, and attracts only the riff-raff. It would be better to tone down those more sensational forms of worship. You sound as though you are “off the deep end.” [1Co 3:18]
   
7. It has been proven to our satisfaction that you had hands laid on you at Antioch with prophecy going forth, [Ac 13:1-3] with none of the Apostles or Headquarters brethren present to conduct this ordination service in the prescribed manner.
   
8. We see here that you have a jail record in several places. [2Co 11:23-27] If this is true, it puts you in a bad light, for our denomination has always stood for a high standard of civic responsibility. I fear it would damage our reputation to have someone representing us that had served time in jails and prisons. Frankly, Mr. Paul, we seriously doubt you could have been innocent and the judge wrong in so many cases. It just doesn’t look right.
   
9. It seems that you are a troublemaker, Mr. Paul. Several business men of Ephesus have written us that you were the cause of severe loss of business to them and even stirred mob violence. You must learn to cultivate the friendship and influence of men such as these. [Ac 16:16-22]
   
10. We also have some details of a shameful “over the wall in a basket” episode at Damascus, [2Co 11:30-33] plus a stoning at Lystra, and several other violent actions taken against your ministry. [2Ti 3:11] Haven’t you ever suspected that conciliatory behavior and gentler words might gain you more friends?
    
11. We have learned through channels that following some trouble with a preacher on the island of Cyprus, you began to allow yourself to be known by the Gentile pronunciation of your name rather than the proper Hebrew. [Ac 13:4-11] Yet another conflict, and then a name change. This does not seem to us to be conduct becoming to the ministry.
    
12. You admitted in your application that in the past you neglected such needy fields as Bithynia, just because “the Spirit didn’t lead that way,” and that you undertook a hazardous journey on the strength of a dream you had at Troas. [Ac 16:6-10] Mr. Paul, surely you don’t expect us to go along with such flimsy and fantastic excuses for your seemingly purposeless wanderings.
    
13. Many times you did not stay long enough, in our opinion, to get a church properly established. You left your converts many times without even a pastor to guide them, and without setting the church in order in some good hierarchical denomination. [Ts 1:5]
    
14. We hear also from Troas that you preach too long, one sermon lasting almost twenty-four hours, even to the extent that a young man fell asleep and was seriously injured. [Ac 20:7-12] We understand that you claim to have restored his life and raised him from the dead by falling on him and embracing him. What nonsense! We need practical men in the ministry, Mr. Paul, not high strung emotional radicals. Our advice is for you to shorten your sermons considerably. We find that about twenty minutes is the longest a minister can hold the attention of his audience these days. Our motto is “Stand up, speak up, and shut up.”
    
15. It is reported from your home church that you could not get along with your fellow ministers; that John Mark–a commendable young man and nephew of one of our highest leaders–had to leave your party in the middle of a journey; and that you had a sharp quarrel with gentle, good natured Barnabas. [Ac 15:36-40] Now these men are well thought of in Jerusalem and we wonder why you are always having trouble with your fellow workers?
    
16. We have notarized affidavits from four very popular and influential preachers: Diotrephes, Demas, Hymenaeus, and Alexander; to the effect that it is impossible for them to cooperate with either you or your program. [1Ti 1:20]
    
17. From what we hear, you seem to think that you have some direct sanction from on-high, boasting about your revelations and that God has chosen you to reveal some “Mystery”. [Ep 3:3-4] Can’t you realize that any truth that is to be revealed would come through Headquarters to the recognized, established brethren, and that after it had been checked by our Procedure and Doctrine Committee that we would distribute it on to the field workers?
    
18. Finally, we hear that you claim to be an Apostle. We know nothing of this being passed upon by the proper authoritative channels and wonder how you could back that claim up, when the last Apostle was voted into office right here in Jerusalem. [Ac 1:26] Now that our denomination is firmly established, why do you imagine there would be any need for God to continue the Apostolic gifting?



As you see, Mr. Paul, we feel definitely after close scrutiny of your case, that you are undoubtedly the most unqualified applicant we have ever seen, and my advice for you is to find a church where you can work in harmony, and use your past education as perhaps a Sunday School teacher.

I hope I have prevented you from making a terrible mistake in your life.


Most sincerely yours,


J. Flavios Fluphehead, SECY





To all the Dads out there who are in snoring denial:
a belated Happy Father’s Day Video.





Just something to make you smile…Have a blessed day with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Jesus’ Birthplace
Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  The word means “house of bread.” The city over looks the main highway to Hebron and Egypt and is still a city today . Another significant thing about the birth place of Jesus is the very interesting fact that King David was also born in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:1) and therefore Bethlehem is known as the “city of David.” Jesus’ earthly mother and her husband were also of the royal lineage of David and so it is to this city that they return to be counted and of course “when the time had fully come” (Galatians 4:4), Jesus was born. Is it not proof of the wonderful sovereignty and the completeness of the plan and purpose of God that the One who was born to occupy the throne of David, the Lord Jesus Christ, was born of the line of David in the very same city as was David himself? Therefore, what we have in Micah’s prophecy about the birth place of Jesus, the Messiah, is a prophecy that can be applied to David who became the king of Israel and then also applied to the birth of Jesus Christ, “David’s Son” (Luke 20:41-44). (AllAboutJesusChrist.org)





Jesus hometown.
In Jesus’ time, Nazareth would have had a population of about 500. and indeed, in the New Testament, Nazareth is depicted as an obscure backwater. In the Gospel of John, people who hear of Jesus of Nazareth ask themselves, “What good could come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46) Nevertheless, the New Testament reports that Nazareth was the home of Mary and Joseph (Luke 1:26), the site of the Annunciation (announcement to Mary that she would give birth to the Savior) and the town in which Jesus grew up (Matthew 2:23, 13:54; Luke 2:4, 2:51, 4:16). Nazareth is mentioned 17 times in the New Testament. Jesus eventually left the village for a wider ministry although he was always known to some as a “prophet from Nazareth in Galilee” (Matt 21:11).

Modern Nazareth is situated among the southern ridges of the Lebanon Mountains, on the steep slope of a hill, about 14 miles from the Sea of Galilee and about 6 west from Mount Tabor. The modern city lies lower down upon the hill than the ancient one. Nazareth has a population of 60,000. The majority of Nazarenes are Israeli Arabs, about 35-40% of which are Christians and the rest are Muslims. (SacredDestinations.com)



Galilee
Jesus came here and helped the poor, he became a very popular man in this area and gave joy to many people. Miracles of Jesus happened here. Jesus walked on the water, Jesus cast out demons, Jesus gathers his disciples.



Jesus’ first ministry
Jesus started his first ministry here when he was 33 years old. After leaving Nazareth, Jesus goes to Capernaum, a sizeable town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, located in the region that Jewish sources considered to be Naphtali, but near the region considered to be Zebulun.

Although the town is mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament, it does feature in all the Gospels, and is likely to have been a new town that arose at some point during Roman control of the region. Matthew is the only source that has Jesus actually living in the town, while the other Gospels only have him preaching and meeting disciples there.





Jesus’ reflection place
The Mt. of Olives was Jesus place of reflection. This was the place where he went to be with God, and reflect upon his surroundings.

The Mt. of Olives is located east of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley. It offers a magnificent view of the Old City and a striking panorama as far as the Dead Sea and the mountains of Moab in the East. The Mt. of Olives is associated with some of the most important events in Jesus’ life. Here, Jesus ascended to Heaven (Chapel of Ascension), foretold the destruction Jerusalem, taught his disciples the Lord’s prayer, and wept over Jerusalem on his way to the Holy City on Palm Sunday (Church of Dominus Flevit).





Jesus first miracle
The first miracle performed by Jesus in his earthly ministry according to the four New Testament Gospel of the Bible was the “Wedding Feast at Cana”. It is described as the first time Jesus showed his glory, turning water into wine. According to the account, Jesus, his mother and his disciples were there. At the feast in the town of Cana in Galilee, all the wine had been used and there were no spare provisions. Mary informed her son that there was no wine left. Jesus asked her what she wanted from him. Mary said to the servants at the celebration, “Do whatever he tells you.” This quote is significant for Christians, it is considered an instruction to carry out the will of God the Father and His Son, Jesus.





Jordan River
This is the place where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.After the baptism the heavens opened above him and he was claimed as God’s son.





Judean Desert
Jesus was was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness (the Judean Desert) where Satan tempted him with evil.

The province of Judea, as distinguished from Galilee and Samaria, included the territories of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Dan, Simeon, and part of Ephraim. Under the Romans it was a part of the province of Syria, and was governed by a procurator.

The wilderness of Judea is situated along the Jordan and the Dead Sea, to the east of Jerusalem. The word translated “wilderness” in the New Testament does not denote a place of boundless forests, entirely destitute of inhabitants; but a mountainous, rough, and thinly settled country, covered to some considerable extent with forests and rocks, and better suited for pasture than for tilling. John the Baptist also preached repentance in the Judean wilderness (Matthew 3).





Garden of Gethsemane
This is where Jesus prayed before he was crucified on Mt.Zion. The Garden of Gethsemane is at the foot of the Mount of Olives, within the walled grounds of the Church of all Nations (also known as the Church of the Agony). It’s a peaceful garden among a grove of ancient olive trees, looking back at the eastern wall of the City of Jerusalem.

The Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus prayed the night of his betrayal and arrest (Mark 14:32-50). According to the record in Luke, Christ’s despair in Gethsemane was so deep that he sweat drops of blood (Luke 22:43-44).

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” (Matthew 26:36)





Jesus’ place of death.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, known as the Church of the Resurrection (Anastasis) to Eastern Orthodox Christians, is a Christian church in the Old City of Jerusalem.

It stands on a site that encompasses both Golgotha, or Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, and the tomb (sepulchre) where he was buried.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been an important pilgrimage destination since the 4th century, and it remains the holiest Christian site in the world. (SacredDestinations.com)



Approximate Timeline

The following represents an approximate timeline of Jesus’ life.

Launch the Flash Timeline

Timeline from: LifeofChristonline.com

SO WHO DO YOU THINK JESUS CHRIST IS?

We have all sinned and deserve God’s judgement.

Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life and and because He loves us so much, He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, taking the punishment we deserve.

Jesus was buried and rose from the dead and now He lives in heaven with God His Father. He offers us the gift of eternal life — of living forever with Him in heaven if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.”

God reaches out in love to you and wants you to be His child. “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name.” You can choose to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and come in to your life as your Lord and Savior.



If you want to accept Christ, you can ask Him to be your Savior and Lord by praying a prayer like this:

“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. Now, Lord guide me to Your ways. Help me grow in being a Christian.”


What is your response?

• Yes, today I am deciding to follow Jesus.

• Yes, I am already a follower of Jesus

• I still have questions










Don’t forget to thank God! And we really should…there are so many things that we should thank God for. But for a lot us we get caught up in the “Please God give me’s….”

Why don’t we start by thanking God for everyday things: breathing, walking, thinking, loving, existing…

How has God blessed your life?



“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord…” Psalm 92:1

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:8-9

“Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise?” Psalm 106:1-2

“I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Some ways to thank and praise God!

• Do it with your mouth, not just your mind – Psalm 51:15, 63:5, 66:8, 66:17, 71:8, 15, 24, 105:2, 109:30, 119:171-172, 145:21

• Seek God, thirst for Him – Psalm 22:26, 42:2, 63:8, 105:4

• Thank God continuously – Psalm 71:6, 8, 14-15, 75:9, 79:13, 92:1-2, 115:18, 145:2

• Tell people about God’s wondrous works – Psalm 26:7, 96:3

• Thank and praise God in front of your brothers and sisters in the congregation, among many people- Psalm 22:22, 25, 26:12, 35:18, 68:26, 111:1, 116:19

• Among the unsaved of all nations, thank and praise God – Psalm 18:49, 57:9, 96:10, 108:3

• Praise God to the next and all generations – 79:13, 102:18, 145:4

• Sing praises to God, sing with understanding, and make it glorious – Psalm 7:17, 47:7, 66:2, 66:4, 9:2, 27:6, 28:7, 57:9, 61:8, 63:7, 68:4, 32, 69:30, 71:22-23, 92:1, 96:2, 101:1, 104:33, 105:2, 135:3, 146:2

• Even sing for joy in your bed -  Psalm 149:5

• Do it with all your heart – Psalm 9:1, 86:12, 111:1, 138:1

• Be glad and rejoice in God – Psalm 9:2

• Fear God, honor Him, glorify Him, revere Him – Psalm 22:23

• Love and respect God’s house – Psalm 26:8, 138:2

• Don’t sin, seek righteousness – Psalm 33:1

• Play musical instruments to praise God, and do it skillfully – Psalm 33:2-3, 43:4, 71:22, 92:3, 149:3, 150:3-5

• Shout for joy, rejoice – Psalm 33:3

• Be creative in your praise (write or sing God a NEW song, not always the same old one) – Psalm 33:3, 149:1

• Stand in awe of Him – Psalm 33:8

• Remember and praise God’s names – Psalm 44:8, 45:17, 54:6

• Lift up your hands to Him – Psalm 63:4

• Think about God at night – Psalm 63:6

• Encourage other to praise and thank God – Psalm 67:3-5

• Praise him with dancing – Psalm 150:3, 30:11, 149:3

(from:  ChristianAnswers.net)



Smile and have a blessed day with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!



• Cartoon from:  KevinFrank.net

Dear Reader,

If you have anything that we can use for “Things that Make You Smile and Think” and “Interesting Stuff”, please give us the link or email us your article at calvarychapel.dgt@gmail.com (this is the CCD email address exclusively for website matters), and we will post it here with the name of the contributor…We however, reserve the right to edit and choose which contributions will finally be published.

We would love to hear from you!

Thank you,

The CCD Bezalel Circle

Waiting can be a bore and being patient certainly seems to be a very passive thing to do…But in the midst of nothing happening, there is always something happening. Subtle change is something we often do not catch on to right away…But always in the stillness, underneath the surface, there is something happening.

In these times when answers don’t seem to be forthcoming from God, the Holy Spirit is actively working…maybe we need inner spiritual growth or it is something else that we just need to be patiently waiting for. It will happen and God will give us His answers…for some things we may have to wait a short time, for other things the wait is much longer… sometimes God’s answer may even be a no… whatever it is we are waiting for we should not be in too much of a hurry. Most often than not we need to wait patiently.    Do you need patience right now?

The Bible says that we are to wait upon the Lord, but the prayer we usually mutter goes more like, “Lord, give me patience—right now!”

How do you wait? When nothing seems to be happening, make your waiting time active… Pray and talk to God.

“Lord, please grant me the patience I lack…and can you give it to me now, please?” (Just kidding…)


Psalm 130:5 (New International Version)

• I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope.



So while you are waiting and being patient…take a look at this music video about waiting. This video is from the movie Fireproof.





Smile and have a blessed day!



Source of picture:  ReverendFun.com





Dear Reader,

If you have anything that we can use for “Things that Make You Smile and Think” and “Interesting Stuff”, please give us the link or email us your article at calvarychapel.dgt@gmail.com (this is the CCD email address exclusively for website matters), and we will post it here with the name of the contributor…We however, reserve the right to edit and choose which contributions will finally be published.

We would love to hear from you!

Thank you,

The CCD Bezalel Circle

Another novel item I bought was on my trip to Cebu. It was from a street vendor hawking his wares. I, the hawker’s captured customer, trapped inside a taxi and stuck in traffic, could not avoid his sales pitch.  I succumbed and bought from him an intricately made tree which from a distance looked like a delicate glass sculpture. Upon closer inspection, however, one pleasantly discovers that it is actually a work of art made from a discarded plastic Sprite bottle! When I asked the vendor if he made it.  He replied, ‘No ma’am, a prisoner made it.’



Later, while waiting for our bus back home to Dumaguete, I could not help but just stare and be mesmerized by the object I was holding.  I was in awe at the skill of the prisoner who crafted the finely detailed tree. The fact that there were 4 or 5 other vendors plying the street selling the same item did not diminish my wonderment.

My thoughts then turned to God. How much more majestic and awesome our Father is whose hands created the world and us! The tree I was holding of course does not merit comparison, but the plastic tree brought to mind the tree of life which is mentioned in Revelation 22:2-3:

• Down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

If I can be excited over a plastic sculpture… picture that which God created… plus the thought of finally being with Him…seeing Him face to face in His Kingdom!!! WOW!!! One can only imagine…



I had to hire a porter to carry the few pieces of luggage we had so that I could take care of my seemingly fragile tree.

The other porters were amused by my precious treasure and one of them jokingly said, ‘Ma’am, ibilin na lang na!’ (Ma’am, just leave that behind!) I smiled back at him and said, ‘Of course not!’ And I went along my merry way lovingly carrying my recyled plastic Sprite bottle back home…



• This article was submitted by Ana Patrice
  

Dear Reader,

If you have anything that we can use for “Things that Make You Smile and Think” and “Interesting Stuff”, please give us the link or email us your article at calvarychapel.dgt@gmail.com (this is the CCD email address exclusively for website matters), and we will post it here with the name of the contributor…We however, reserve the right to edit and choose which contributions will finally be published.

We would love to hear from you!

Thank you,

The CCD Bezalel Circle

But please, please…never overspeed on the highway.  This is not only for your own safety but also for the safety of your fellow commuters…

*Drive safely that you may arrive at your destination in one piece so that you can sing more hymns praising and worshiping our Lord and Savior!

To close this article, Beloved, let us sing the hymn:

• Safe, Safe Home

Smile and have a blessed safe day!