EVERLASTING GOD...YOU NEVER LET GO...DO WE????

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

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Do you have an addiction that takes the life right out of you? The everlasting life?

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• Alcohol?
• Drugs?
• Food?
• Gambling?
• Games?
• Nicotine?
• Porn?
• Shopping?
• TV?
• Victim mentality?
• Woe is me mentality?
• Work?
• Worry?

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If you answered "yes" to any of these, then maybe your name is C.W. Halts!

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Maybe you're feeling:

• C ontrolled
• W orthless
• H urt
• A ngry
• L onely
• T ired
• S tressed

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Last night Steve taught I Thessalonians in our Wednesday night Bible Class. It was in someways a continuation of his Sunday sermon, which I shared with you on Monday. I told him later there was enough information in that 35 minute class to go for a whole quarter...a whole semester.

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He asked us: What is the will of God in your life? Specifically, how do I please God? How can I reject God?

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Just read 1 Thessalonians! I learned too much last night to write here. Yet, two words summarize what a person must begin doing to get on the road to being addiction free: SERVICE / GRATITUDE.
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Let's get our eyes off of ourselves and find ways to serve and count our blessings...daily.... Did you hear that? Serve and count daily!!!! Count blessings, NOT records of wrongs done! While your serving and being grateful, read 1 Thessalonians and Romans 12 and Ephesians 4. Also, be sure to add Hebrews 12:1-4 that we continually go back to on this blog. Pray that those scriptures abide deep in your heart. Then, begin to see your life transform away from the name C.W. Halts:

• Controlled to in control
• Worthless to special
• Hurt to comforted
• Angry to content
• Lonely to connected
• Tired to energized
• Stressed to relaxed

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That's what happens when we stay plugged in to the Everlasting Light of the World... it's TRANSFORMING! In order to be the LIGHT OF THE WORLD in a dark world, we must stay plugged in to the everlasting source of power...
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If you're unplugged, who did the unplugging?

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EVERLASTING GOD...YOU NEVER LET GO...YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER...

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• If Jesus is the same today and yesterday and forever


• If Jesus says He is our helper


• If Jesus says we can believe Him with confidence


• If Jesus says that He will never desert us


• Then, why do we worry?


• Then, why do we think He will let go?

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Here are words of encouragement from the EVERLASTING GOD, THE WORD:

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Hebrews 13:4-9

"Let your character be free from the love of money,

being content with what you have;

for He Himself has said,

"I will never desert you,

nor will I ever forsake you,"

6 so that we confidently say,

"The Lord is my helper,

I will not be afraid.

What shall man do to me?"

7 Remember those who led you,

who spoke the word of God to you;

and considering the result of their conduct,

imitate their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same

yesterday

and today,

yes and forever."

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EVERLASTING GOD... YOU NEVER LET GO... WE'RE GRATEFUL...

It's wonderful when you really like the people that you work with! I see Jesus in Dan and Katherine Cooper. Dan and Katherine have been at the Pitman church of Christ for almost a quarter of a century! They are immersed in ministry. More than once I have heard Dan referred to as "The Eveready Bunny" of ministry. He just never seems to wear out! This man of God works circles around most. More than once I've heard Katherine referred to as "the pulse of Pitman". She is an extremely gifted communicator of God's word. When I think of my EVERLASTING GOD, I see that "everlasting" characteristic of Him in these two persevering, enduring, dynamic, transparent, loving individuals who are known by many for their "friendship evangelism." Many people at the Pitman church will tell you that we are a church that is "known for our love." Two great modelers of that love are pictured here.
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Recently, on Good Friday, Bobby Ross, Jr., editor of the Christian Chronicle newspaper, wrote a blog post about "10 remarkable couples". Dan and Katherine were one of those ten. Here's what he wrote:

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"Dan and Katherine Cooper.
Dan is minister of the Pitman Church of Christ in Sewell, N.J., which will be featured in the Chronicle’s Churches That Work series next month (May). When a snowstorm interrupted my peaceful visit to their area to report the CTW story, Dan and Katherine invited me into their home rather than risk me getting snowed in at my hotel. Just an incredible couple with loving Christian hearts and an exceptional ministry."

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Thank you, Bobby for recognizing people who shine! Dan and Katherine Cooper have reflected Christ through tough situations including cancer and even recently Katherine's knee replacement surgery. Go to visit in the hospital and the talk quickly turns to the church and "the LORD'S work". They continually testify to how God has never let go of them.

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These parents of four adult children have hosted families in their home for months at a time as they give God the glory! You aren't around them very long until you know that they are "poster children" for a phrase I've heard a lot since moving here, "We at Pitman love people - warts and all!"

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I am so grateful that God planted Steve and me in South Jersey to work alongside Dan and Katherine. They know how to do ministry Jesus style!

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EVERLASTING GOD...YOU NEVER LET GO...YOUR NAME IS JESUS....

This blog is about the daily transformation that takes place when a mom turns her life over to THE EVERLASTING GOD... JESUS CHRIST!!! I love to look in the mirror and say, "Mirror, mirror on the wall do you see Jesus in me at all?" I also love to pick out the names / characteristics of Jesus to call my family by. So, I'll share a few of those with you.
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Then, each person who leaves a comment about their favorite name of Jesus will have their name put in a drawing for a $20 framed print (8 x 10) of The Names of Jesus (by my friend Cindy Grubb who is a well known calligrapher).
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I did a post about this back in November 11, 2008 on GRATITUESDAY. Here's part of that post:
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• STEVE has many characteristics of his big brother Jesus- including PRINCE OF PEACE and GOOD TEACHER...Steve exemplifies the fruit of the Holy Spirit in his life-two of which are peace and goodness. To know Steve, is to know his multi-faceted love for peace which includes wanting others to be at peace with their Maker. He portrays the goodness of God to all those who sit at his feet...even being known for his oft used phrase: GIGATTAATTGIG..."God is good all the time and all the time God is good!" Thank you, Steve, for wanting to be more like Jesus!
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• CRYSTAL has many characteristics of her big brother Jesus-including VINE and GOOD SHEPHERD…Jesus is called The Vine because He connects his family and weaves in and out of their lives...Crystal does that! A good shepherd is someone who watches out for the needs of others within a "flock"...she's done that over and over again with groups of children, teens, and peers. Thank you, Crystal, for wanting to be more like Jesus!.
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• CALEB has many characteristics of his big brother Jesus- including WORD and CREATOR…one and two word descriptions of Jesus are important to see Who He is and Caleb is very careful to value words and their meanings, pondering over deeper connections. He also has the creativity gene of Jesus to the point that when he is writing songs, poetry, etc. he is at his best. Thank you, Caleb, for wanting to be more like Jesus!.
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• JESSICA has many characteristics of her big brother Jesus-including MEDIATOR and WONDERFUL COUNSELOR…even though she says that she doesn't have the "auditory gift", she is a good listener when people come to her with their problems...wonderful! She has a gift of defusing arguments and has defused several over the years within the Sikes' household and on the job. Thank you, Jessica, for wanting to be more like Jesus!.
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• JORDAN has many characteristics of his big brother Jesus- including LION and LAMB… he is a natural born leader, in the home, church, and workplace, who can be decisive and have a strong opinion while being kind, gentle and compassionate...he is not too proud to be a great follower like a lamb...it's unusual to have those two characteristics in one person. Thank you, Jordan, for wanting to be more like Jesus!.JESUS, thank you for Who You are! We want to become more and more like You!

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Who do you see JESUS in? What name of Jesus is especially close to your heart?

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Find more giveaways here April 27 - May 1, 2009: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/springtime-giveaway-carnival

EVERLASTING GOD, YOU NEVER LET GO - BAMM BAMM!

MEDITATION MONDAY

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I'm teaching a class this quarter, on Sunday mornings at church, called Marking for Meaning. We're going through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation with the speed of light:) One of the themes that we're looking for throughout is BLESSING. My mother-in-love, Robbie Sikes, taught me how to mark my Bible years ago. Now, I try to pass the favor on as often as I can.

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It has been wonderful to mark the scriptures about BLESSING in the Old Testament. I'm still marveling that when we were in the prophets a week ago, we marked all the scriptures on "justice" and when we were through we got a beautiful picture of a MERCIFUL GOD.

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Yesterday, on this blog, the verses read at the end of the first video, from Isaiah 40, are so full of God's grace and mercy.

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Then yesterday, Steve preached on TEMPTATION and used the Flintstones' "Bamm Bamm" for our memory hook. Once again, the Holy Spirit showed me more connections on BLESSINGS and MERCY.

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The deciever, the tempter, Satan, is hard at work to keep the hearts and souls of people away from God. Here are some thoughts for meditation today:

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We are inundated with temptation on every side. Recently, our church showed the movie FIREPROOF to look at things that destroy marriages / relationships. One of the themes of the movie is that pornography destroys.

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Look with me at some numbers:

• 2006 pornography's worldwide revenue: $96 billion



• Average # of visitors per month to adult web sites (worldwide): 72 million



• Percentage of men ages 18-34 who visit a porn site per month: more than 70%



• Divorces in which excessive online pornography is a factor: more that 50%



• Percentage of families that say pornography is a factor: 47%



• Average age of first internet exposure to pornography: 11 years



• Percentage of children ages 8 to 16 who have viewed online porn (even by accident when doing homework): 90%
  

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As I listened to Steve's sermon, I couldn't help thinking about Isaiah 40. We'll talk more about that here on Wednesday. Steve took us to James 1:12-17; 18-20. He shared with us that the word "trials" can also be rendered "temptation". Then, he gave us this outline. Notice the embolded words:

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• B lessing of (persevering) TEMPTATION: 1:12 "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial (temptation); for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life."



• A dmonition of TEMPTATION: 1:13 "Let no one say when he is tempted, " I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." Don't blame God!


• M ath of TEMPTATION: 1:14-15 "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death."
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1. Temptation = Desire + Opportunity



2. Sin = Desire + Opportunity + Action



3. Punishment = Desire + Opportunity + Action + Unforgiven

• M ercy of TEMPTATION: 1:16-17 "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..." Ahhhhhh! The gift of a way out! The gifts of forgiveness and salvation...

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1. God "limits" the power and strength of temptation. (1 Corinthians 10:13) A verse every christian should memorize.



2. God "gives" us a way out of temptation. Victory = Desire + Opportunity + Limited Temptation + Escape



3. God "limits" the opportunities of temptation. Do we? (Matthew 6:9-13)



4. God "gives" us a spirit of self-discipline during temptation (2 Timothy 1:7).



5. God forgives when we fall into temptation (Hebrews 4:14-16).

BAMM - BAMM!

EVERLASTING GOD....................................... YOU NEVER LET GO!

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It was Cristi Schwamb who introduced me to the two songs that are in our new theme. This week, as we end our official study of the first part of Christ's Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:1-14, we see where the power comes from... the power to be THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. We don't need an "eveready battery" because we have everlasting power from our EVERLASTING GOD. No matter the circumstances, His oil burns brightly inside of His willing vessels who can say, YOU NEVER LET GO!

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WELCOME TO

SUNDAY IN THE SON

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As I have listened and re-listened to the videos of these two songs, they end the same each time.

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VIDEO ONE OF EVERLASTING GOD ends as a little girl reads the following scripture and my mind goes to Lauren Schwamb, Jessica Sikes, Tanya McBride, Lisa Prenger, Sue Ward, Katherine Cooper, Carolyn Dargan, Dawn Shuff, Grace Billingham, Jeri Obias, Nan Deal and others who need encuragement as they wait for healing.

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Isaiah 40:28-31

"Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Everlasting God,

the LORD,

the Creator of the ends of the earth

Does not become weary or tired.

His understanding is inscrutable.

He gives strength to the weary,

And to him who lacks might

He increases power.

Though youths grow weary and tired,

And vigorous young men stumble badly,

Yet those who wait for the LORD

Will gain new strength;

They will mount up with wings like eagles,

They will run and not get tired,

They will walk and not become weary."

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VIDEO TWO: YOU NEVER LET GO powerfully reminds me that there is a world full of people who need God's mercy and comfort extended to them. They need the LIGHT OF THE WORLD in their lives. Are we ready to help people believe that God will never let go of them? Please join me in continuing these thoughts through the month of May.

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LYRICS TO YOU NEVER LET GO by Matt Redman

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Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death

Your perfect love is casting out fear

And even when I’m caught

in the middle of the storms of this life

I won’t turn back...I know You are near

And I will fear no evil...For my God is with me

And if my God is with me...Whom then shall I fear?

Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:

Oh no, You never let go

Through the calm and through the storm

Oh no, You never let go

In every high and every low

Oh no, You never let go

Lord, You never let go of me

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And I can see a light that is coming

for the heart that holds on

A glorious light beyond all compare

And there will be an end to these troubles

But until that day comes

We’ll live to know You here on the earth

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Chorus again

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Yes, I can see a light that is coming

for the heart that holds on

And there will be an end to these troubles

But until that day comes

Still I will praise You,

still I will praise You

Chorus: (2x’s)
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GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD FAITHFULLY... GIGATTAATTGIG...

KETCHUP AND MUSTARD SATURDAY

(Catch Up and Must Do)

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When I sit at my computer, on the second floor of our home, I am facing north. Therefore, my left shoulder is close to a window on the west side of our house. To the north of us is NYC by several hours. To the NW of us, by 18 miles, is Philadelphia. Our world is filled with people everywhere and major traffic congestion most of the time. In fact, Wikipedia says that our state of New Jersey has the most dense population of any state per square mile - 1,171.1 people (someone needs to explain the .1 for me).


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Yet, God has also made spectacular greenery on this eastern peninsula state. This week, as I sat at my computer during the day, this is the view that I saw out the window on my left. I praise God for His marvelous creation! I'm looking forward to experiencing more of His wonders in the state known as The Garden State - New Jersey. Maybe you can join me on some Ketchup and Mustard Saturday for a cook-out!


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What has your week been like? Mine's been a little rough. It started out with Steve having the stomach bug. Both our girls have had a rough week healthwise. Plus, I've had lots going on for the end of the semester. I'm trying to get things wrapped up this next week and give my students a take home final so I can go see Chloe:)


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I've had to work hard to focus on living the "Beattitudes" because nothing "felt" quite right. Often times, the change of the seasons makes people feel different and require more sleep. That's been me! I noticed on Facebook that many people had status comments about being tired. Several talked about their feelings (emotions) and their fears. The daily battle is often to keep FEELINGS and FEAR from messing with our FAITH! I thought alot about that this week as it relates to lighting my world. Here are a few musings:


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• DAVE RAMSEY spoke for a nationwide streaming to 6,000 sites on Thursday night. We hosted people at the Pitman church to see and hear him. I wasn't FEELING my best and toyed with the idea of not going. I was so thankful that I let my FAITH win out over my FEELINGS. Of course, Dave talked alot about financial freedom. He also encouraged us to have hope in this time of great financial unrest. He was speaking to "people of FAITH", yet it was important for him to remind us to let our FAITH conquer our FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real) . He summarized with 3 things to do if struggling with hope: 1. Get up and take action!; 2. Don't participate in loser talk!; 3. Learn to give again! He was very encouraging and I am so thankful that I chose FAITH!
• JORDAN and JACQUELINE have a new baby at home. Baby Chloe is our first grandchild! J & J have been so encouraging to me this week as they have just kept one foot in front of the other and kept going. Jacqueline has kept her blog updated and been so thankful. Jordan has been in his last two weeks of medical school which have been very exhausting. Yesterday, on his very last day, he did his longest surgery yet... 8.5 hours. When it was over, on his way home to Jacqueline and Chloe, he remembered his daddy and mommy and gave us a call. Sweet! I have seen this young couple time and again put their FEARS and FEELINGS aside and choose FAITH (what would Jesus do?). http://jordandjacqueline.blogspot.com/
• As parents, each of us try to train our children to do "the right thing." We want them to master their FEELINGS and FEARS with their FAITH. Our daughter CRYSTAL, who is away at college got stung by a bee a few weeks ago and seems to be battling some repercussions and side effects. She had a speech to give in class yesterday morning, yet was sick all night long. Amazingly, I learned that although she was FEELING horrible and much too weak to give her speech, she walked across campus to her professor's office to let him see how sick she was. She had the FAITH that if he saw her, he would tell her to go back to bed... and he did.
• GIGATTAATTGIG are 13 letters that stand for 13 words. It is the concept of choosing to have FAITH in our FAITHFUL God no matter what our FEELINGS or FEARS. I have started a Facebook group to celebrate what these letters stand for AND another blog that I invite you to go to after finishing this one: http://gigattaattgig.blogspot.com/
• A few of my FACEBOOK FRIENDS had some huge battles with FEAR and FEELINGS this past week. I was encouraged by some of their comments and status posts of FAITH:

1. "So thankful God uses broken people!"
2. "I pray that God's grace chases you down and catches you!"
3. "Found the end of my rope today!"
4. "Just got back from the ER... remembering in sickness that GIGATTAATTGIG!"
5. "Thankful for her sisters in Christ, younger, older, an inbetweeny. They display to me their hope, wisdom, and joy...3 things that I need double doses of... GIGATTAATTGIG....
6. Three broken cars in one day... it was the perfect ending to a bad week! Still remembering that GIGATTAATTGIG...
7. Hope this encourages someone...GIGATTAATTGIG....
   

GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD WITH LOVE

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What if someone gave you a "fail proof plan" for your marriage, your children, your entire extended family, in fact for all of your relationships - even your enemies. I have good news! You have this plan already!

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This week, we've talked about what God's kind of love is. It's called AGAPE! It's the kind of love that makes a difference. It's the kind of love that shines! Years ago, in our early years of marriage, I learned to apply I Corinthians 13 to my relationship with Steve by embedding his name in the chapter. Over the years I have hung reminders around my house, specifically by the bathroom toilet, of this chapter and concept. These reminders have pulled me back to where the rubber meets the road over and over again. Here are a few examples of how it works and some of my wall hangings.

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THE SCRIPTURE AS IS:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails..."

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THE SCRIPTURE WHEN I PUT STEVE'S NAME IN IT:

1 Corinthians 13:1-4 "My love for Steve is patient, my love for Steve is kind, and my love for Steve is not jealous; my love for Steve does not brag and my love for Steve is not arrogant, 5 my love for Steve does not act unbecomingly; my love for Steve does not seek its own, my love for Steve is not provoked, my love for Steve does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 my love for Steve does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 my love for Steve bears all things, my love for Steve believes all things, my love for Steve hopes all things, my love for Steve endures all things. 8 My love for Steve never fails..."

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NOW IT'S YOUR TURN WITH THE SCRIPTURE. Use this template to bless your spouse, children, co-workers, and even your enemies....

1 Corinthians 13:1-4 "My love for _______ is patient, my love for ________ is kind, and my love for __________ is not jealous; my love for _________does not brag and my love for ___________is not arrogant, 5 my love for ____________does not act unbecomingly; my love for ___________does not seek its own, my love for ________ is not provoked, my love for ______________does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 my love for ______________does not rejoice in unrighteousness, my love for ____________ rejoices with the truth; 7 my love for ___________bears all things, my love for ______________believes all things, my love for _____________hopes all things, my love for _____________ endures all things. 8 My love for _____________never fails..."

GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD...NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES

TRANSFORMING
THURSDAY

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My heart is deeply troubled as I write this post. I'm weary, worn, and frazzled. I'm really not trying to run ahead of God or lag behind. At the same time, I'm soooo ready for certain things to be OVER. The problem is that Satan tempts me to feel that God is not there when our family goes through difficult circumstances. The battle between faith and feelings is a life long battle. Each day I make the choice again to "fix my eyes on Jesus" as the writer of Hebrews encourages us to do in 12:1-3:

"Therefore, since we have so great

a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,

let us also lay aside every encumbrance,

and the sin which so easily entangles us,

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus,

the author and perfecter of faith,

who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured..."

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Permit me to share with you two of the several ongoing difficulties, in our family, and let you know that the only way we make it from day to day is the transforming power of Jesus.

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1. OUR MOTOR VEHICLES SAGA: In the picture above, I am with my basket of files sitting at NJ Motor Vehicles Services. Steve snapped the shot with my camera phone. Over the last year and a half we have had ongoing challenges trying to get our vehicles registered and tagged and for me to get a driver's license in our new state. Although we have done our research and understand why New Jersey is one of the most strict states in the nation, here are some words that we have heard when there, "We've never had this happen before!", "Lady, you should have known!", or "Do you always have so much trouble with this kind of thing?" The first couple times it was sooooooo frustrating. Although most of the workers have been kind, on one visit, I was reduced to tears by the rudeness of one. Each time since, I have prayed before going that I would be LIGHT and SALT to the people at Motor Vehicles -- no matter what! They now know us when they see us coming. We laugh! They laugh! Quite a few have asked us why we remain cheerful. One man said that we should have the evening news follow us each time we go back until everything's resolved.

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A few weeks ago, during our Tuesday morning Bible class, I received a phone call from a lady at Motor Vehicles saying, "Mrs. Sikes it looks like everything is now in order for you to come in today to finish up on your husband's truck paperwork." Steve went almost immediately. As he stood across the counter from this supervisor, she input everything into her computer according to law. As Steve was getting ready to write his check, she said, "Oh, no! The last line has a red flag. There's another title out there somewhere on this vehicle. You cannot do this until you surrender this other title!" What other title? We knew nothing of an other title! It would take me way too much time to tell you what has happened in the last few weeks to find out who had this title. In fact, it raises my blood pressure to think too much about it. Just know that we now have one fully licensed and legal New Jersey truck.

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The saga continues with my car and our two girls' cars. We actually also got the license for the Buick and had 14 days to get it any repairs that it needed for inspection. That same day, the odometer went out and "it is one of the hardest odometers to replace". :) The Buick is on it's third week of sitting in the repair shop. Stay tuned!

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I know that God is at work. Jesus experienced being deeply troubled.

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John 12:27-28

"Now My soul has become troubled;

and what shall I say,

'Father, save Me from this hour'?

But for this purpose I came to this hour.

28 "Father, glorify Thy name."

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He knew things were going to get worse before they got better...and they did...

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John 13:19-22

"From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass,

so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.

20 "Truly, truly, I say to you,

he who receives whomever I send receives Me;

and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."

When Jesus had said this,

He became troubled in spirit, and testified, and said,

"Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me."

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2. OUR DAUGHTER'S DISCOURAGING NEWS: Many of you have heard of the horrible excruciating pain that our 25 year old daughter goes through daily. Of the 40 some medicines she has tried, she is either allergic to them or they do not work. Yes, she has daily migraines but she also deals with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue symptoms. She has windows of relief where her pain will be at a level 5 out of 10 instead of a 10, 11, or 12 out of 10.

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She applied for Social Services as a first step to applying for Social Security benefits. Although I do not have a picture of all the times we have had to sit in those offices waiting to be called, no matter what her pain level, I can tell you that the picture would look nothing like the one above of me at Motor Vehicles. A Social Services, there are lines of people applying for unemployment and various types of government assistance. There is crying! There are arguments! One day we sat between a policeman, a man in a wheelchair, and a woman screaming at them both. You would have to be there to see the pain in people's eyes... to hear the stories. I sat next to a man who said he was living out of his car.

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Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be standing in one of these lines. I can't imagine Jessica's pain as she sits and waits. Last week, Jessica got a letter that she needed to come again for an appointment on Tuesday. Steve took her. After waiting and waiting in horrific conditions, they found out that she had been "forgotten" because "the lady who was working on it had gone". Then, when Jessica finally went in for her appointment, she found that the appointment was for her to be assigned to the NJ Workforce... they could not find her paperwork for her medical waiver...so she must work....

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The saga continues... we are weary... our feelings tell us one thing but our faith says that we must believe...we must hope that there is LIGHT at the end of this tunnel...

I read more of Jesus' words and I ask "Why?"... give me mustard seed faith LORD...

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John 14:1-7

"Let not your heart be troubled;

believe in God, believe also in Me.

2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places;

if it were not so, I would have told you;

for I go to prepare a place for you.

3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again, and receive you to Myself;

that where I am, there you may be also.

4 "And you know the way where I am going."

5 Thomas said to Him,

"Lord, we do not know where You are going,

how do we know the way?"

6 Jesus said to him,

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life;

no one comes to the Father, but through Me."

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Sisters, I do know that I must not "fall apart"! I love these TRANSFORMING thoughts for the troubled:

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Colossians 1:17 tells us that IT IS IN JESUS THAT ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER!

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There is a sun, even when I cannot see it!

There is a Son, even when I cannot see Him!

I walk by faith and not by sight...

In Jesus and only Jesus is there hope...life...LIGHT...

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This picture is in one of the offices of Social Services. Many more people than the Sikes' need hope...LIFE...LIGHT...

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Stay plugged in

and

LIGHT YOUR WORLD!!!

GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD...THE WORD TELLS YOU HOW!

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On this blog, in the last few months, we have looked at living the "Be-attitudes". As we flesh them out and stay "plugged in to Him", the Holy Spirit of God grows His fruit within us...such beautiful remarkable life giving fruit!!! SHINY LIFE , LIGHT, and LOVE GIVING FRUIT! Join me today as we get into The WORD OF GOD through 4 different scriptures. Connect the dots and you will have some "AHA! Moments".

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• Matthew 5:1-16 "And when He saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 And opening His mouth He began to teach them, saying,
  3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
  5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
  6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
  7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
  8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
  9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
  10 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. (It's okay...because you know how to AGAPE!) 12 "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
  13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 "Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

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• Mattthew 5:44-45 "But I say to you, love (AGAPE) your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you 45 in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven..."

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• Galatians 5:22-26 "...the fruit of the Spirit is love (AGAPE), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

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• 1 Corinthins 13:4-8 "Love (AGAPE) is patient, love (AGAPE) is kind, and is not jealous; love (AGAPE) does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love (AGAPE) never fails..."

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GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD...THEY DID!

Today, I honor a family who believe in lighting their world. Greg, one of our elders at the Pitman church of Christ, and his wife Linda are true servant leaders in every sense of the words. Here is a picture of Greg, Linda, and their three children / spouses, and two of their three grandchildren.

Specifically today, I would like to share my gratitude for their son Andrew and his bride, Lindsey, who represent the hearts of many young adults who want to make a difference. I have only lived here for less than two years and Andrew has been away at college and then gotten married. Yet, the stories are many of a young man with the compassionate heart of Jesus. Join me now in gratitude for how Andrew and Lindsey are allowing God to work through them. Praise Him! The story below was taken from a link to David Lipscomb University:

When Lindsey Glenn Krinks (’07) took a walk in the Arcade in downtown Nashville one day during her senior year at Lipscomb University, she certainly wasn’t expecting to stumble upon a life-changing experience.
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When she noticed the startling facts and flyers posted in the windows of the Nashville Homeless Power Project, she was drawn to find out more, and before she knew it, she was booking a speaker from the homeless advocacy group to speak at Lipscomb.
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That led to Lindsey and a friend of hers, Andrew Krinks (’08), organizing a march to the downtown courthouse and a rally to promote awareness of homelessness issues and the need for a change in government policies.
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Andrew says that year when Lindsey and he got involved with homeless advocacy, it felt like something bigger than both of them was pushing them to where they needed to be. The opportunities fell right in their laps, and even in the face of resistance, they moved forward because it just felt right.
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“(Homelessness) was something that was on both of our radar screens in a limited way, but when (Lindsey) saw that sign (in the window of the Homeless Power Project), it seemed like an answer to prayer,” Andrew said. “It felt like something God was making happen through us and we were called to be obedient to that.”

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“The more I started working with (the homeless)… I realized that not many people were genuinely reaching out to the community and offering anything more than hand-outs,” said Lindsey. “I started doing more and more, and it didn’t make sense to do anything else.”
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Their willingness to step up and say, “Here I am, send me,” completely changed their own lives and is working to change the lives of countless homeless Nashvillians:

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Andrew and Lindsey are now newlyweds:

• Lindsey, a former kinesiology major destined for physical therapy, is now working as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at Nashville’s Park Center Homeless Outreach Program, where she works with homeless mentally ill individuals to find housing, learn new job skills and apply for disability benefits
• Andrew serves as editor of The Contributor, Nashville’s street paper that offers diverse perspectives on homelessness
• Thousands of homeless Nashvillians have been helped in some way by the programs the Krinks have worked with or coordinated, such as the Project Homeless Connect, the annual Homeless Count, and the recent Holy Week on the Streets of Nashville, where the couple took a group to downtown Nashville to spend 24 hours living as Nashville’s homeless do every day.

Last Tuesday, Andrew and Lindsey were honored in Nashville, TN for their work which is much more than the list above. May you be inspired by the rest of their story to GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD after you click here to read more:

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http://www.lipscomb.edu/filter.asp?SID=4&fi_key=704&co_key=15528

GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD...WITH NOTHING LESS THAN AGAPE...

MEDITATION MONDAY

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I heard Dan Cooper preach yesterday morning. It was our sixth sermon that we've heard recently in response to viewing the movie FIREPROOF. I loved the way God works! It's called FLEXIBILITY. The rubber band tells part of the story.
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The university classes that I teach are often filled with future teachers. One thing that I want to really sink in over the course of a semester is what I call "Lessons Learned From A Rubber Band". A rubber band is flexible so that it can meet needs of different sizes and shapes. The purpose of a rubber band is to serve to hold things together in a variety of ways. Often, I will put the rubber band on my wrist to remind me to be flexible as a person, as a wife, as a mother, as a friend, as a co-worker, and as a teacher. I can start out with a "plan" for the day but it's not often that what is on my agenda is going to necessarily meet the needs of the moment. So, I am reminded by the rubber band to be flexible.
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As a christian, I pray for Holy Spirit guidance. Not my will, but thine be done! It happens almost everyday that as I pray, God puts something in my mind that I need to do that wasn't on my "list". The past two days both had to do with Dan and Katherine Cooper.
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On Saturday, Dan and Steve, along with others from the Pitman church, went to help Christina's parents clean out their attic as they get ready for their big move. I, in turn, planned to do some other ministry. Yet, as I was out and about the Holy Spirit convicted me to call Katherine and see what she needed (one week out of knee replacement surgery). It ended up that my plans were pleasantly changed. I picked up "Wendy's" for both of us and we sat, ate, and visited. I was able to take Jessica the same! Praise God! Did I finish everything on my list? No! Today is another day!
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On Sunday, the Holy Spirit, through Dan's lesson, convicted me to do a totally different post than I planned to do today:) FLEXIBILITY! Dan passed out rubber bands at the end of his sermon and asked everyone to wear one on his/her wrist this week as we took on his "love dare" of the week. Ah! Although, Dan doesn't know it, his lesson was really entitled: GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD WITH NOTHING LESS THAN AGAPE!!!
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A FEW OF DAN'S POINTS AND HIS CHALLENGE FOR OUR MEDITATION:
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In the Bible, we see the word "love" throughout. In fact, "God is love!" Yet, we must understand that the Bible has been translated from Hebrew and Greek. As Dan explained, there are multiple words in Greek for the word "love", yet in our English Bibles we only read the word "love". Dan talked about three of the Greek words:
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1. ERAO or EROS = a physical attraction kind of "love" that asks the question, "What can I get out of this?"
2. PHILE or PHILEOS = a friendship kind of "love" that asks the question, "What can we get out of this?"
3. AGAPE = a selfless, unconditional love that asks the question, "What can you get out of this?"

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AGAPE LOVE loves in spite of the circumstances! It is the best kind of love! Of course, there are reasons for all three types. A healthy marriage has all three kinds of love! AGAPE LOVE is the best way of loving:

• it thinks about others more than self.
• it makes the first move.
• it takes risks

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Dan took us to Luke 5:1-26 to read about how Jesus modeled AGAPE LOVE in his ministry. He is the Good Teacher who teaches how to truly love. In Luke 5, Jesus:

• thought about others more than Himself
• took the first move
• took risks

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If we follow Jesus' example in Luke 5, we will certainly LIGHT OUR WORLD!

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Dan handed out the rubber bands and then gave us the LOVE DARE of the week:

• For Couples: For the next 7 days your challenge is to love your mate in a way that is not self seeking.
• For Singles: For the next 7 days your challenge is to make every decision in a way that sets aside your needs and puts first the needs of someone else.
• For children and teens: For the next 7 days your challengeis to do a chore to serve without being asked.
• For parents: For the next 7 days tell your child something that you appreciate about them.

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LIGHT YOUR WORLD

WITH NOTHING LESS THAN

AGAPE!

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Enjoy today's video that is different from yesterday's! And, please come back for GRATITUESDAY tomorrow as I continue to blog that YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (are you keeping plugged in?)
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GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD

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What a treat we are in for this week

as we sing the songs, watch videos,

and discuss LIGHTING OUR WORLD for Jesus!
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There is a candle in every soul

Some brightly burning, some dark and cold

There is a Spirit who brings a fire

Ignites a candle and makes His home

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So carry your candle, run to the darkness

Seek out the helpless, confused and torn

Hold out your candle for all to see it

Take your candle, and go light your world

Take your candle, and go light your world

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Frustrated brother, see how he's tried to

Light his own candle some other way

See now your sister, she's been robbed and lied to

Still holds a candle without a flame

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So Carry your candle, run to the darkness

Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn

Hold out your candle for all to see it

Take your candle, and go light your world

Take your candle, and go light your world

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Cause we are a family whose hearts are blazing
So let's raise our candles and light up the sky
Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times
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So Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, deceived and poor
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
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Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world.

HE'S ALIVE IN US!

KETCHUP AND MUSTARD SATURDAY

Catch Up and Must Do!

So, what do you do when you get squeezed? That's a question that has come up alot on this blog lately. This week we've talked about having a power source and making sure that what's on the inside of us is what God wants to be there.


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This week has been extremely busy for many. One of the things that keeps me encouraged through the week is to hear from and stay connected with my christian family. One of the great things about Facebook and email is that encouragement can sometimes happen from someone in another state, country, or continent. This week I saw several Facebook status' that caught my eye and gave me reason to be encouraged. These came from South America, Texas, Illinois, Nebraska, Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. GIGATTAATTGIG! Here are a few:
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"To the weak I become weak, to win the weak."

1 Corinthians 9:22

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"My son made the honor roll again! Congrats lil one,
whoever knew that walking out of the abortion clinic
would be the best decision I've ever made.
Thank you God for your convicting Spirit!!!
I serve and all knowing; all powerful God!!!"
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"Thou and Thou only,

first in my heart,

High King of heaven,

my Treasure Thou art."

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“To be trusted is

a greater compliment

than being loved.”

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Cristi Schwamb from the hospital

in Philadelphia awaiting a heart

transplant for her 3 year old posted:

"God Is Great All The Time

And All The Time God Is Great!"

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Cristi's husband, Tim, posted from home in the DC area:

"Tim, made gravy tonight all by himself!"
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Then there were two status' by ,Vanessa and one comment:
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1. V received an email from her grandmother (Mama Sikes): "You're doing a great job with an eternal purpose. Never fail to DAILY teach them Bible stories with the memorization of scripture with everyday applications so that Jesus lives in their decision making. Always give God the Glory and the reason why you do and say what you do. Love ya' heaps, Mama Sikes""
2. Then, there was Vanessa's Wednesday status: "V is so grateful Reese didn't get hit by a car while in the car pool line at school. Thank you LORD!!!"
3. Later Vanessa explained the rest of the storyabout her little preschooler: "R" was taking a little longer to get out of his seat. He had to put on his jacket and backpack (he wanted it buttoned up) but I told him that people were waiting on us to leave. So I kissed him and got him out of the van. Then "M" comes running out of the building yelling and jumping!! I didn't know what it was about until I saw the car ... getting OUT of line to pass us!! She kept yelling, "You could have killed him!!" I was so scared yet thankful that he stopped. I know a major issue is a language barrier but I think he understood her jumping and waving her hands. Hopefully he won't do it again! Praise God!! And you know the best part of all is this morning Brad prayed for safety for Reese (specifically) as he went to school!! God is good all the time!!! :-D

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If all that isn't enough for "catch up and must do", how about this? The other day I sent a quick email out to Steve and the kids (our adult children) saying,
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Just want to share my top 3 picks of the week and the week isn't over!

1. Chloe's one minute video: http://jordandjacqueline.blogspot.com/



2. Susan Boyle will either rip your heart out OR make you smile from ear to ear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY



3. Julie Marcum's testimony of God's faithfulness when people pray persistently and don't give up: http://jjmarcum22.blogspot.com

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HE'S ALIVE! THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE...

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We are now in the part of Christ's Sermon on the Mount when He tells His disciples that by living the THE BLESSED LIFE via the "Be-attitudes" they will be LIGHT and SALT. In fact, the LIGHT OF THE WORLD tells His disciples that this is the way that they become the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

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Once Cristi Schwamb realized what our topic would be this week, she emailed me. I, in turn, asked her if I could share with you today. As many of you know, Cristi is a dear sister in Christ who is the mother of a 3 year old daughter, Lauren, who is in her third month of awaiting a heart transplant at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I have found that in the 3 months that I have known them, Cristi and her husband, Tim, have been remarkable LIGHT to me!

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There is so much to this story that people don't know. A few things that this family has experienced over the last few years include:

• Lauren's 21 hospital stays
• Tim's job at the Pentagon that includes travel (even overseas)...This week he needed to be in Colorado.
• Tim's parents from Arkansas and Cristi's parents from Georgia who have dropped everything to be there to help raise and homeschool the other two children, supporting Tim and Cristi in a myriad of ways
• Tim's part in the music ministry at their home church in Fairfax, VA
• Their need to find a new home to lease and move out of where they are living and into a different home in May (Tim has had to do all the house hunting).
• There's much more that would send many of us into a tizzy...

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How does a mother who is seperated from her husband and other two children for three months keep her faith? Wouldn't it be easy to give in to the voice that says that this is all God's fault? How does she continue to be a transformed mom? How does she keep her focus? It certainly starts by her knowing what life is about and staying plugged in to that life. Cristi "gets it"! She also understands the concept of learning from the innocent hearts of children. So, as Cristi and Lauren share the tight quarters of a hospital room, Cristi sleeps on a little couch in the room at night. She watches Lauren hooked up to all kinda of tubes by day. Cristi teaches Lauren and Lauren teaches Cristi. Jesus teaches Lauren and Cristi.

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Here is a compilation of some of Cristi's notes from the past week and pics from over the last year:

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"Patti,

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When I saw your blog posts this week about being a light, I couldn’t help but think of Lauren’s favorite song – This Little Light of Mine. It’s actually a great story about how she came to love the song.

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When she broke her arm last summer, a musician came through the CICU the day she had surgery. I don’t think she was awake enough to remember anything he sang, but he left a CD that I played in the car for her on the way back to DC. Over the months that followed, This Little Light of Mine off of that CD became the most-requested song in our van. Now that we’re back at the hospital, Lauren gets to hear Woody sing almost every week and she always requests This Little Light of Mine. We often smile in the playroom because her world stands still if she even hears the song on the CD player. She’ll stop whatever she’s doing and concentrate on holding up her light and letting it shine through the entire song. (It’s a lot like the way children on a military base learn to stop playing and stand at attention every afternoon when they play The Star Spangled Banner over the loudspeakers.)

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Anyway, I thought you’d be interested in hearing (the song and) some of the additional verses in Woody’s version of This Little Light of Mine:

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1. This Little Light of Mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, gonna let this little light shine.

2. Hide it under a bushel, no, I’m gonna let it shine...

3. Shout it from the mountaintops, I’m gonna let it shine...

4. Won’t let the devil put it out, I’m gonna let it shine...

5. On the brightest day and the darkest night, I’m gonna let it shine...

6. Away from home or in my house, I’m gonna let it shine...

7. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine...

8. Now take the light God’s given you, go and let it shine...
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Those are all the verses on the first CD that we got. I think he sings a verse “Wherever life may take me, I’m gonna let it shine.” I just put in one of the other CDs and found the other verses:
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Early in the morning, I’m gonna let it shine
Later in the evening, I’m gonna let it shine
In the nighttime hours, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
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When I’m in the city, I’m gonna let it shine
When I’m in the country, I’m gonna let it shine
Wherever life may take me, I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
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My brothers and my sisters, I’m gonna help them shine
My brothers and my sisters, I’m gonna help them shine
My brothers and my sisters, I’m gonna help them shine
Help ‘em shine, help ‘em shine, help ‘em shine.

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He always ends by singing the last line, “Gonna let my little light shine”, really slowly. I can’t help but think of how Lauren’s letting her little light shine here on the sixth floor and for all of our friends around the world...

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“On the brightest day and the darkest night,

I’m going to let it shine.”

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“Take the light God’s given you,

go and let it shine.”

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And, of course, I couldn’t help but send you a couple of cute pictures of a three-year-old who takes her light-shining duties quite seriously.

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Have a blessed day!
Cristi"

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PATTI'S NOTE: Click on any pic or Tim's name for applicable links! Anyday, you can click on the right sidebar link to get updates on Lauren and her family.

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