Category Archives: Family, Friends & Fellowship

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August 9, 2013

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, Wisdom & Guidance

Two Are Better Than One

2013-8-9Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. [Ecclesiastes [4:9-12 (NLT)]

Thank you, Lord, for telling me that I don’t have to accomplish every task or deal with every difficulty by myself. Not only are you at my side, but you also have given me family and friends who are here to advise, assist and sustain me. Help me recognize when I need their support and make me willing to seek it. I know I am not perfect; take away my fear of admitting it.

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June 16, 2013

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, Holidays & Holy Days, Thanks & Praise

FATHER’S DAY 2013

2013-6-16

 

The father of a good person is very happy. A wise child brings him joy. [Proverbs 23:24 (ERV)]

Dear Lord, thank you not only for our fathers, but also for those men who taught, ministered, advised, led and supported us. Thank you for the men you brought into our lives who so willingly shared their wisdom and encouraged our efforts. You blessed us with men who served as mentors and coaches, helping us hone our various skills, and men who guided us through difficult times. May we be worthy of the time, love and effort they gave us and, in return, may we always give them joy in the way we conduct our lives.

Be a man of faith, and faith will sustain you.
Sustain a life of love, and love will embrace you.
Embrace God’s grace, and His grace will follow you.
Follow in his footsteps, and His footsteps will lead to life everlasting.
[Christine Lahee]

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May 24, 2013

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works

“SANDPAPER PEOPLE”

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends. [Matthew 5:43-47 (ERV)] 

O Lord, we all have some “sandpaper people” in our lives. They just rub us the wrong way and they certainly don’t seem to be deserving of our love. Yet, you love them as much as you love us. Help us to be as generous with our love as you are with yours and please forgive us when we aren’t.

The more unlovable the person, the greater the statement about how much you love God. [Joe Stowell]

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May 23, 2013

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Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, Family, Friends & Fellowship

GOD’S HOUSE HAS MANY ROOMS

Brothers and sisters, I encourage all of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to agree with each other and not to split into opposing groups. I want you to be united in your understanding and opinions. [1 Corinthians 1:10 (GW)]

Methodist, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, High Church or Low, Saturday worship or Sunday, written liturgy or spontaneous service, saying “trespasses” or “debts” in prayer – what difference does it really make? We’re all worshiping the same God; it’s just that we’re worshiping him in different rooms in the same house. Some rooms are fancy and some quite plain, some are noisy while others are sedate, some are traditional and others are quite modern, but they are all in the House of God. Let’s not allow denominational or minor theological differences keep us from being brothers and sisters in Christ.

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May 12, 2013

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, Holidays & Holy Days, Thanks & Praise

ON THIS MOTHER’S DAY (2013)

2013-5-12


Grace and beauty can fool you, but a woman who respects the Lord should be praised. Give her the reward she deserves. Praise her in public for what she has done. [Proverbs 31: 30-31 (ERV)]

Lord, we offer thanks today, not just for our mothers, but for all the women who have been positive influences in our lives: grandmothers and mothers-in-law; daughters and daughters-in-law; sisters, cousins, aunts and nieces; teachers, doctors and nurses; business associates and mentors; friends and neighbors. Thank you for these women who loved us when we were unlovable, believed in us even when we didn’t believe in ourselves, gave us confidence when we doubted, encouraged us to learn and grow, respected us enough to let us walk our own paths, showed us how to conduct ourselves by their example, kept us accountable for our behavior, and never gave up praying for us and our happiness. Thank you.

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April 6, 2013

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Church & Worship, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Forgiveness, Temptation & Sin

SOMETHING WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON

Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners [Mark 2:17 (NLT)]

Thank you, Jesus, for providing us with a church family. We can gather together, hear your word, offer prayers and praise, and even come together at your table. We are such a diverse group: young and old, wealthy and poor, coming from all walks of life. Some people are secure in their faith while others are filled with doubt. Yet we all share one thing in common: we all are sinners! Thank you for welcoming sinners into your family, and thank you for your healing hand of forgiveness so that we can begin each day anew.