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Why Church Services Are Important

Why Church Services Are Important

Social Time With Like-Minded People

All of us get and remember different parts of our minister’s sermon. By visiting with people in church and attending Christian study groups, we can learn more about the sermon and many other aspects of worshipping and carrying out God’s plans for us. I like to attend church breakfasts, luncheons, and evening meals. I enjoy visiting with the people. I am watching online now because of COVID-19. I still learn much by listening to and applying the sermons to my week. All of us need to have a refresher course on what the Bible is trying to tell us about our daily lives and how we can apply it to the world that we live in today.

Supporting Worthwhile Missions

I like donating food, clothing, cleaning supplies, and money to missions my church supports. The people in the countries we help may be homeless and have no shelter for themselves and their families if missions do not help them. Some do not have running or safe water to drink, and with missions helping them, they can dig new wells and have decent water to drink. God wants us to help the less fortunate. One day, you may need to help yourself. Put yourself in the other person’s place and then say what would I want someone to do for me under these circumstances?

Helping Families In Your Community

By distributing food to needy people, they can have a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner that everyone deserves on these special days. Remember to give hats, mittens, coats, socks, and boots to less fortunate people so they can be nice and cozy in winter’s long, cold days. Churches have paid people’s first month’s rent to afford to pay the deposit required when they move in.

God Blesses Us Every Single Day Of Our Life

God has blessed me with relatively good health over the years. God blessed me with excellent, kind, caring, and loving parents. I am blessed to have good friends in my life. My pets have been a blessing in my life. I have gone to the same church and have deep ties to my church. Some of my classmates still attend our church. I have many friends in my church family that I visit with quite regularly.

God Is Your Compass And Your Lighthouse In Life

If you think you are heading off course in your life, ask God to be your compass and lighthouse that will guide you back home to him again. Sometimes, if we are driving in unfamiliar territory, we must look at our compass to ensure we are heading in the right direction. If we go in the wrong direction for too long, we will be lost, and it takes a long time to get back on the right road. God is like a lighthouse in the night; he shines his beacon of light to lead us back home where we are safe from the storms in life. Let God be your compass and lighthouse forever.

Copyright 2023.   Not to be reproduced in any form.

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Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost In Travel

One woman was on vacation in Europe, riding in a self-driving taxi that would not let her out of the car until it ran out of gas. The car kept driving her around the area she wanted to see for 6 hours. She was livid once she finally got out of the taxi from Hell. She had a limited number of days while traveling abroad, and she lost almost a whole day in the cab that would not stop until it had no gas in its tank. If you are enjoying yourself on vacation and get robbed, it ruins the whole vacation forever for you in that area. We almost got stuck in a Motel from the famous movie years ago. We asked for a different room, and then everything was beautiful, how a vacation should and can be. Be always careful and alert while traveling, and learn to expect the unexpected, which can be fantastic or a complete disaster.

Paradise Lost Because You Did Not Follow The Rules

God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the fruit tree. They disobeyed and ate from the tree anyway. They then became knowledgeable about the ways of the World. They could have lived in Eden, the land of Paradise, forever if they had not eaten the forbidden fruit. Humans always have to try to go after the forbidden fruit now and then, and it can lead to financial ruin, the end of relationships, friendships, and God’s trust, which is the worst. Some people try to make money illegally, which will get the best of them when it is all said and done. They may have to spend their entire lives in prison for their crimes. Work hard and earn your money, and you will have a great sense of accomplishment that you can support and make a living for yourself and your family. “Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be Happy with Jesus but to trust and obey.” God will always lead you on the right path to a happy, blessed, and fulfilled life if you let him into your life and follow his teachings.

If You Do Not Have Your Health, You Do Not Have Your Wealth

When you are young and strong and healthy, you have the World and all it has to offer in your hands. A young person can accomplish many things in one day quickly and successfully. You can run and not run out of breath and efficiently lift heavy objects. As we age, we cannot accomplish what we used to be able to do in one day. We must write a smaller to-do list of what we must do today. Good health never comes to some people in their entire lifetime. Some people are born with heart defects, cancer, congenital disabilities, etc. They do not complain, and they make the best of their situation. God will help us with all kinds of health battles, and some of us can serve God and others better after health problems have awakened us. Paradise is different for all of us. Paradise is all around us if we look for it, and some people never see Paradise in anything as they only see negativity.

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Your Reputation Is On The Line

Your Reputation Is On The Line

Has Someone Tried To Impersonate You On The Internet?

Maybe they said negative things about you that were not true. They may have displayed nasty stuff to your friends or followers online. Trying to prove who you are can be frustrating and tiring. Restoring your reputation as someone tried to ruin or destroy your good name takes a lot of effort. The party that does this does not care about anyone or anything except themselves. All of us should do constructive things with our time and not hurt others. Lift people up and praise them, and do not be jealous, for you have no idea what they have had to endure to get to where they are today. Honest work and effort make for a person that people will respect and look up to. If you open a wrong message or link, your life can be turned upside down on the internet. Facebook has impostures that can ruin your business account and more.

God And Your Reputation

If you make a promise to God, you better go through with it, as I would never want to lose God’s trust in me. The saying in the bible is: “Trust And Obey, For There is No Other Way To Be Happy in Jesus But To Trust And Obey.” Being in good standing with God is a beautiful feeling that fills you with joy, happiness, and love. God relies on us to keep our promises to him as we can help spread his good works to the masses. God watches you, and he remembers what you do. Go in his name and act as he does; you cannot go wrong, and your reputation with God will blossom and grow.

Restoring Your Reputation, Once It Has Been Lost Is Very Hard Indeed

If you take advantage of someone or something, it will haunt you for many years. Gaining back the trust of a Dear friend can rip you to shreds even if you did not do anything at all. If your friend thinks you are guilty of something but can not prove that you did not have anything to do with it, they have presumed you guilty as charged. My friend finally found her money in her billfold, and I was in good standing with her again, which was a wonderful feeling.

Nasty Rumors

Unfortunately, if someone spreads rumors about you, someone will want to believe it and run with it. People ask their friends if they heard such and such about you know who. They have turned a tiny little thing into an avalanche that keeps piling up with more and more tidbits of untrue stories. The truth is too dull for people, so they have to make a mountain out of a molehill. They never once think about what they would do if someone told falsehoods about them and spread it around like a raging forest fire. Loose lips sink ships with speculation and lies. If you cannot say anything good about someone, do not say anything at all, and remember to lift people and inspire them to do great things with their lives that will help others for many years to come.

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Never Give Up Hope

Never Give Up Hope

You Will Get Back On Solid Ground

Years ago, I rode my motorcycle on a gravel road by my house. A large truck came along and forced me to the side of the gravel road, where the gravel was loose and moist. My motorcycle started to slip and almost went down in the ditch. I used all my strength, and I managed to pull the motorcycle back up on solid ground. I thought my motorcycle would be ruined if it fell into the ditch, and that gave me the extra power that I needed at that moment in time. God will provide you with extra power when you need it the most. Pray for God to help you return to solid ground when all seems lost. God will help you when you truly need him to.

Hope Springs Eternal

We always hope for the best, even in the face of adversity. If we did not have hope, all would be lost. We hope our children will have a better life than we have. Hope makes one want to get up in the morning. We expect a new day will be on the horizon, giving us great joy and comfort. God gives us hope for a bright future after our life is over. We hope we will be in heaven with God and our loved ones. The springtime gives us hope as many new baby animals are born, young plants start to flourish, and flowers bloom. Springtime offers new beginnings and many blessings.

Lost And Found

When we lose something valuable, we worry and fret that we will never see it again. One time I lost a set of keys and found them stuck on the side of my recliner. I am always happy when I find a long-lost tool. I thought I had lost a bracelet years ago, and I looked high and low for it to see it stuck on a piece of thread in my pocket. I was extra happy that evening. I had a lost pet for one week, and she finally came home, and I was elated. Most of the time, your lost item will be found. Most people will be honest and return a billfold to its rightful owner. If a child of God is Lost and Found, God is overjoyed that one of his flock returned to him.

Down On Your Luck

If you are down and out, pray to God for guidance and help. Do not be afraid to go to a church and ask for help. If you are truly hungry and need food, go to your local food bank. If you see someone down and out, offer to buy a meal for them or a coat. If they are homeless, try to find a shelter for them to stay at. You never know in life; you may be a homeless person on the street someday and how you would want to be treated. Never take your position in life for granted, as it could change in a heartbeat. Be kind, helpful, compassionate, and caring, and give people hope for a better tomorrow.

Copyright 2023.   Not to be reproduced in any form.

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Take Pride In What You Do

Take Pride In What You Do

Pride In Your Work

If your work does not represent your best effort, you do not take pride in your work. If you paint a house, scrape off all the old paint, put on a primer, and then paint it with a brush for better adhesion. A carpenter’s work should show that he takes pride in his work as it will be here for many years to look at, and people will ask who did the excellent or bad carpentry project for you. If you bake wedding cakes, they better look fantastic if you want repeat customers and good reviews about your nicely decorated and great-tasting wedding cakes. Famous painters capture the accurate and exact image of the person they are doing the portrait. A person that takes pride in their work is thoughtful, trustworthy, and takes time to spot the little details that add that extra flare to the finished work.

Treat People With The Utmost Respect

People want to be treated like they want to be treated. Do not give one friend an extra expensive gift and the others a gift that would not even add up to your standards of what a gift should be. One time I received what would have been a gag gift for someone. I did not appreciate receiving it, so I burned it in a burning container. I thanked them for the gift, and later on, it got to the burning container. Pride stands for what kind of gift you give to someone. If you do not like a gift that you receive, do not re-gift it, as the next person will not like it either. Take pride in all things, great and small.

Don’t Forget The Important Details

If you give someone flowers, ensure they are in a nice container or vase. If you mow someone’s lawn, try to cut the grass the way you would if you lived there. Take pride in how you trim bushes. Walk around the bush trimming the areas that do not match up until your bush looks perfect from all directions. If you have a candlelight dinner and forget to light the candles, you have ruined the atmosphere for a romantic evening. Small details forgotten can ruin the sale of a home or sealing a business deal and much more.

God Watches How You Take Pride In The Many Areas Of Your Life

God sees how you treat and act around others. God sees you when you are helpful or if you are rude. God watches us at work, and he can see if you are doing a job to the best of your ability or if you are trying to get by with a bad work ethic or an, I don’t care attitude. Think how bad your life would be if God felt I didn’t want to listen to you today as I have better things to do with my time. God takes pride in us, and we should take pride in how we represent ourselves to God and man in all areas of our life. Thank you, God, for the many blessing you have bestowed on me.

Copyright 2023.   Not to be reproduced in any form.

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Knowledge

Knowledge

How Do You Use Your Knowledge?

I hope you use your knowledge to help others. If you are knowledgeable in a particular area and do not share your knowledge with others, that wastes your time and their time. You cannot take your knowledge to the grave, which wastes your life on Earth. God shared his expertise with us; we must share our knowledge with future generations. If our parents did not teach us, we would never grow and learn new things. Never use your knowledge to hurt someone or to put them down. No one knows everything except for God, our creator. Share your knowledge with others freely, and remember that you will not live forever. One older gentleman I knew took his knowledge to the grave, where it remains buried and does not help anyone.

General Knowledge

Most of us have graduated from High School. We have a general knowledge of what we must know to survive in today’s World. A college education will make life much better and more accessible than just a High School education. College graduates are paid more than those that have not furthered their education. A master’s degree is almost a must anymore if you want a high-paying job that has room for advancement. The more years of college you have, the higher your pay will be, and you can do more for humanity’s progress in this modern world of electronics.

Never Hide Your Light Under A Buschel Basket

If you know something, speak up and let others know. Never keep quiet when you know someone is doing something wrong and are right there to see it go down. Tell them that is not how someone should act. I used to appt. myself as classroom monitor when the teacher stepped out of the room. I wouldn’t say I like it when anyone wastes time when they could be learning something valuable. I would tell my classmates they would be in big trouble if they kept on with their shenanigans. The teacher would punish them when she came back in the room, and I got to leave school early that day as my teacher heard me tell them to behave. Let your light or knowledge shine through every day that you are here on Earth. Help others joyfully and willingly.

Gods Knowledge

God knows how we spend every single second of our days on Earth. I want to make God proud and be productive and helpful. God’s knowledge is so vast that we cannot vast his incredible knowledge. God is our guide and compass in this World. If we follow God’s lead, we are destined to do great things with our life that will help humankind for many years to come. God knows what we need daily and tries to put the right people or connections in our lives to make it happen. God knows my every thought and prayer, and his constant care and love surround me.

Copyright 2023. Not to be reproduced in any form.

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Be Grateful For What You Have

Be Grateful For What You Have

Accomplish Your Goals

Be grateful for what you have in life. If you want something, step up to the plate and work hard to accomplish your goals in life. Do not be jealous of other people’s accomplishments. All of us are in different places in our lives, and therefore our needs and wants may differ from yours.

Your Health Is Your Wealth

Be grateful for your health, as it can change in a heartbeat. If you are going through rough times, remember it may not be anything compared to what someone else may be going through. We sometimes think, why me? But remember, it can happen to anyone at any time or place.

Helpful People

Be grateful for people who help you overcome the hurdles in your life. Without those people, you would not be where you are today. Please do not concentrate on yourself; always reach out to others and lift them to new heights.

You Are Fortunate

Be grateful that you have a roof over your head, for many people do not. Be thankful for wonderful friends and family in your life. Be thankful you have food today because many people are starving. Be glad you have a warm winter coat, as many people do not. Give to charities that help homeless people and people that need a hand to uplift them.

Do Not Live Someone Else’s Dream

Never chase someone else’s goals; they are not your goals, and you will never find happiness. Create your plans, and then you can excel in life. Be true to yourself, and don’t pretend to be someone you are not. You will be grateful that you are your person, and your hard work will reflect on you and others.

God’s Blessings In Life

I am grateful for my friends and family in my life. My friends have stood by my side through thick and thin, and I have become better for having them bless my life. Be grateful every day that you have God by your side. God is your compass in life, and he knows all of your needs and wants. God leads you on the road to eternal life, and you shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Be grateful for God’s blessings in your life every day.

Copyright 2023.   Not to be reproduced in any form.

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A Grand Old Home Once Again

A Grand Old Home Once Again

I Imagine The People That Once Lived There

When I see an old house, I imagine the people that used to occupy the place and the laughter and joy that the people once had in the area. I have a picture in my mind of what the house used to look like in its glory days. I  imagine children playing on a swing on the front porch. I can picture the place lit up and filled with family and friends relaxing and drinking lemonade in a warm summer.

Returning The Home To its Former Glory

When you buy a fixer-upper, you want to return it to its charm of days gone by. I try to purchase items for the house that suits its particular historical time frame. I like old homes with open floor plans, large bedrooms, open stairways, and storage space. I like oak floors, trim, and doors in an older home.

Make It As Orginal As Possible

When Putting up a new ceiling, save the old trim and put it back up. Re-stain the woodwork if necessary. Remove an old piece of the original wallpaper to match it as closely as possible. By taking conservative steps in your repairs on the house, you will preserve the original grandeur of the old house. You can also buy old fixtures from resale stores and aged oak flooring.

A Grand Old Home Again

The fixer-upper, I see hope where others see none, I hear laughter and footsteps once again, I see new hopes for the home you once were. I draw up floor plans to make you look like the magnificent home you once were; your open stairway redid, your doors re-stained, new countertops and fixtures throughout; I repaint your walls, I strengthen your timbers, you receive a new roof, your foundation is redone. I have redeemed your rooms to their ordinal grandeur. People now re-enter your stately elegance takes you aback.

God And Humans In The House Of God

I want to see the church full of churchgoers again. I remember when I was a little girl, the balcony was full of people. At Easter time, everyone had on new easter outfits. We had a lovely church breakfast before the Easter Sunday services started. On Christmas Eve, our church was full of people sitting in folding chairs along the edges of the pews. The people singing in the church were singing praises to God. I want to see the house of God bought back to its glory days again. Listening to a minister give a sermon brings God good news to his listeners, and they can reflect on his message all week long. People miss out when they do not attend church services as everyone has a different way of presenting God’s good news. I listen to three various church services on Sunday, and I learn something from every one of them. Read a devotion and think about how the request affects your life in today’s World. Read Bible passages and reflect on how you may use that message to improve your life. Let’s help bring new life into the Lord’s house.

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Nature

Nature

Psalms 36: 5 – 6

Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulness reacheth onto the clouds.

Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.

Nature and its great majesty are a gift from God for all of us to enjoy every day of our lives. We are God’ss stewards,s, and it is our job to preserve and protect nature in all ways we can. Try to recycle everything that you can and always put garbage in its proper place. I do not like to see trash in the ditches, sidewalks, or nature trails anyplace it is not supposed to be.

Enjoy the soft singing of the birds, the gentle waves of water splashing in the ocean, and the crops as they ripen in the fields. Enjoy the grandeur of the vast mountain ranges and the beautiful flowers and mountain goats, prairie dogs, bears, and the sounds of nature.

Take in the incredible views of nature every day. As the old saying goes: “Stop and smell the roses.” I watch the birds eating at my bird feeders daily, and I am amazed at the variety of birds that show up to eat at my feeders. One day I saw three Bald Eagles and one Golden Eagle in my field.

I like to work in my garden, tend to my plants, and reap the rewards of my hard work. I want to feel the rich soil on my hands. Weeding, watering, and using organic fertilizer and weed killer, I can eat healthy and fresh vegetables from my garden. I freeze a lot of vegetables for the winter months, and do they ever taste wonderful in the middle of the winter?

Enjoy the gift of nature every day in your life. Heart and all it offers will lift your spirit and bring you closer to God.

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God Will Lift You Up

God Will Lift You Up

Troubled Times

All of us have times when we feel uneasy or on edge. We may be sick or have lost a loved one. There are no continuous good times for any of us. Sometimes we will doubt ourselves or others. God will help you return to a time when you felt better and more at ease. Pray to God when you feel down and out; he will help you return to a better place in your heart and soul. Grieving for a loved one never goes away completely, but it is more bearable with God in your life. God knows all of your thoughts and is there for you 24/7.

Times When People Fail You

If you put too high demands on people for happiness, they will fail you. People are only human and can only help you to the best of their ability. If you want total perfection, you ask for what no one can deliver. People have their own life to live, and they cannot constantly dance to the beat of their drums. It is sad when you have an appointment with someone, and they do not show up. Before you get mad at them, see why they did not attend their appt.

Sickness

Sickness will strike when you least expect it. Sometimes we come out of illnesses appreciating God much more than before we were sick. We tend to move along with our lives, and when sickness strikes at home, we wonder why me. I say, why not me? As it happens to every one of us eventually. We appreciate God when he answers our prayers and helps us recover. God loves us dearly; sometimes, it takes an illness to thank God for everything he has given us. God wants all of his followers to be well and happy. Sometimes nature has other ideas for us. Pray to God, for he answers all prayers in his timeframe.

If We Fall, We Must Get Up Again

If we stumble and fall, we must get up again. All of us will have stumbling blocks in our lives. We may lose our job and have to start from scratch again. With modern technology, job skills change very quickly. We may half to go back to college and learn a new job skill. Keep a positive attitude and never think you are beaten because you will be destroyed if you do.

People May Make Fun Of You

Consider the source, and do not let them get the best of you. If someone thinks I cannot do something, I always prove them wrong by completing the task. Bullies will always be bullies, and they will be the ones that cannot get things done. Bullies are generally chickens that could not win a good fight if they tried. God will protect you from people who want to put you down, for he knows the genuine inner you and what you can do to benefit people while you are on earth. God, thank you for our many blessings in life.

Copyright 2023. Not to be reproduced in any form.

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