KWANZAA

(K)ings...our devout men...standing UNITED,

(W)omen...our queens...full of strength...will not be misguided;

(A)mbitious, responsible and respectful

to

ALL sisters and brothers,

(N)ever failing an opportunity to encourage others;

(Z)estfully caring for those whom we may not know...

eager to teach

and watch them grow,

(A)lways striving to keep peace with ALL men

...today, tomorrow, until the end;

(A)nytime we feel we're losing our way...

we look up to consider who made the day...

bow our heads and humbly pray...to Him...

and say,

"thank you Lord for faith, purpose and creativity,

for concern, determination and UNITY."

Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name;make known among the nations what He has done(Psalm 105:1.)

GIVING THANKS

We thank our Lord and Savior,

Jesus Christ;

for us...He paid the ultimate price,

laid down His life;

our perfect sacrifice,

Obeyed His Father... set us free;
suffered the cross for you and for me,

Lord, we thank you for mercy,

longsuffering and grace,

for guardian angels,

who keep us safe;

Giving thanks is what we do,

for we appreciate you.

****************************

DAYDREAMER

Sitting here

gazing through the blinds

covering my window panes,

travelers are moving in opposite directions,

some the same;

As purposely in sync with thoughts

of my mind,

etching sceneries past; fond mem'ries...

some not so kind;

Ummm...

how bitter-sweet this spontaneous flash...

a glimpse of the past,

and what lies ahead..

time to rejoice...time to dread;

Quietly and calmly precious time moves on,

And all my thoughts soon to be gone;

Snap!

My conscious speaks, though I gaze, I hear it say,

"wake up daydreamer, embrace today."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMERICA: BLESSED NATION

By the word of the Lord were the heavens
made, their starry host by the breath of
His mouth. He gathers the waters of the
sea into jars; He puts the deep into store-
houses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let
all the people of the world revere Him. For
He spoke, and it came to be;
He commanded, and it stood firm. The
Lord foils the plans of the nations; He
thwarts(opposes) the purposes of the
peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand
firm forever, the purposes of His heart
through all generations(Psalms 33:6-11.)

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth---He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everthing they do. No king is saved by the size of his army;no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death, and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You( Psalms 33:12-22.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ENCOURAGEMENT: Let us continue to praise the Lord for His holy word that continues to speak to us today as we study and hide it in our hearts. Just as we received Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, we must continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as we are taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PEOPLE

Traveling through life from day to day,

we meet people of ev'ry type on our way;

Some are witty, some are wise,

there're those who may wear disguise;

Some who care,

and desire to share,

then... there're those who live,

who strain and strive to gain... but to never give;
There're those whose concern is always

for others,

who considers all mankind,

as sisters and brothers;

Then there're those who hate

for the sake of hate;

while others love

for the beauty of love;

People of ev'ry type

are stirred within society's mix,

some blindly walk in darkness...

falls for the enemy's tricks,

still...

they're contributors to this existence of life...

gossiping, complaining, criticizing,

and creating strife;

So, when or whatever part each person will play,

it's sufficient at that time...

for that day---

who can be the judge of this"people,"

and not consider self,

it behooves each of us...

to remember,

God has the final say.

*************************************

IGNORE ME NOW--SEEK ME LATER

How convenient for you to ponder,

"later I've not time,

talks too much,

I've things more important to do,

always in wonder of what's on my mind;

talking 'bout my soul and such."

Well... one day maybe,

you'll have time to see,

and then your heart will agree...

no one cares for you like me;

my soul purpose is that you will be,

happy, healthy, blessed and free;

not bound, not limited, and not abused,

sharing "only" what you desire

and what you choose;

able to stand firm and strong,

in the place where you belong;

ignore me now...seek me later,

you'll find me

in the shadows of your mind,

patiently awaiting your attention...

"thanks for sharing,

you're very kind,"

ignore me now...seek me later,

the latter is the greater;

remember, you're not alone

my roots are there...running deep

even when the tree is gone.

Living as Children of Light

As childen of God, we must no longer live as the unbelievers do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality(devotion to or preoccupied with the senses or appitites; deficient in moral, spiritual, or intellectual interests,) so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

We, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely we heard of Him and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. We were taught with regard to our former way of life, to put off our old self, which was being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and to put on the new self , created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, each of us must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to our neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In our anger we must not sin...must not let the sun go down while we're still angry...must not give the devil a foothold. We're not to let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom we were sealed for the day of redemption. Let's get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. We must be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us. We should be imitators of God, as dearly beloved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Let us(Christians) be careful how we live---not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity , because the days are evil. We must not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. We must not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, we must be filled with the Spirit...speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs...singing and making music in our hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Let's submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Supporting Scriptures: Ephesians 4:17-29; 5:1;15;18-21

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TO STAY ENCOURAGED

This we can do in

the Lord,

By His power, His love,

His word;

He gave us Jesus,

Jesus gave His life;

bore the cross,

took the beating;

shed His blood,

He's our Savior;

He made us free,

from fear, doubt and defeat,

while walking in His love,

we're not lost;

we'll occupy 'til His return,

we'll study to show

ourselves approved

living what we learn;

ev'ry day,

we'll obey,

we'll worship,

we'll stand firm,

we'll also watch and pray.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In The Heat of The Day

---I say

"get away from

crawly pest,

flying things;

and at best,

those that sting;"

---I say

"find a cool drink,

a spot to lay;

don't bother to think,

enjoy your day;"

---I say

"drift along,

within your mind;

hum a song,

you're special...one of a kind;"

---So, remember

in the heat of the day,

listen to your heart;

hear it say,

"take a rest

it's good for you,

also, I need it too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PAIN

Webster defines 'pain' as punishment; unpleasant or distressing sensation due to bodily injury or disorder; acute mental or emotional distress or suffering: Grief, the throes of childbirth; care, trouble; to make suffer or cause distress: Hurt. To put (oneself) to trouble or exertion. Syffer.

So when I say, "it pains me to see people troubled or giving in to problems and doubt," what I'm saying is, "I care." For us to experience ' caring' is to share a glimpse of how much we grieve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As a parent, and lover of my children, it's grevious to witness their fears, doubts, and disobedience...knowing how much I care for them. Therefore, my concern is an experince that comes from the Lord and keeps me prayerful and growing in faith. This is truth and comes from the depth of my being...my soul!

You see only God (Who is Love, our Keeper, and our Source) places concern for us on the hearts and minds of His people (born-again, Spirit-filled Christians who are walking in the Spirit and hears and obeys the voice of the Lord) to pray for our safety, our peace, joy and strength; to keep us safe from all danger and destruction; to keep us free from worry; so that we can be happy, content and safe from falling into divers temptations and tricks of our enemy(Satan). We are sure to be blessed when God's obedient people pray. We NEED their prayers.

Our Father knows our needs, and He cares for us so much that He gave us His only Son; Jesus who shed His blood, suffered for us and gave His life. His shed blood is available to wash away our sins. His blood is the 'only' blood with cleansing power. His body carried our sins to the grave where they were buried with Him...and He left them there when He arose. He is the'only' Savior who arose from the dead and is still alive. He appeared before His followers to assure them that He had kept the Words of His Father and the promise that He had made to them. For a while He remained on earth with them; reassuring them of His promise and establishing them in the truth before ascending to His Father. He ascended higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe.

We can refuse to 'grieve' our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He suffered for us and set us free by His death on the cross...only believe, accept and obey His Word. Just like David; I can attest to God's love for me. I had to face threats of my enemies, consequences of my sins, and challenges of deep sorrow. Through it all, I came to recognize God's healing power and unmerited grace. He forgave me, healed me, redeemed me, crowned me with love and compassion; He satisfies my desires and renews me daily. God provides justice and righteousness and is gracious and loving. He never leaves us. His love is unconditional. We NEED to praise Him; praising God puts hope in our troubled hearts. We are responsible for working out our own soul's salvation. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We are God's children and He does not force us to love Him...He allowed us to choose life or death. Whatever the choice; He still loves us. However, we must keep in mind that we will reap what we sow and the consequences of our choices.

We as parents must not exasperate(irritate, make grevious) our children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Our children are to obey us in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother...which is the first commandment with promise...that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

We can live in obedience to God, by putting off the old self which is corrupted by its deceitful desires. We can be made new in the attitude of our mind by putting on the new self; created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Supporting Scriptures: Psalm 103; Matthew 28:1-8; Ephesians 4:9, 17-20; 6:1-4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FREEDOM

Families and friends

as we enjoy this day,

let's remember our source

be thankful and pray;

Freedom and the choice to share

are yours and mine,

So let's reach out to others

and seek to be kind;

There're some who will bask

in their liberty,

And there are others who

don't know they're free;

They're bound by doubt that lingers inside,

while feasting on envy and foolish pride;

So when we gather to enjoy...

let's do our best

to give

so that others who are bound

may also be blessed;

I promise that if this we freely do,

God's blessings will overtake me and you too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.___Galatians 5:13

A Mother's Prayer

To all my precious children in Christ,

I'm blessed to be your mom and have you in my life;

In our commitment to Jesus,

many days we'll fail as pleasers;

Yet, He'll love us nonetheless,

For He gave His life to give us His best;

So, when our days are not so joyous,

Let's keep in mind that He suffered for us;

Our enemy will never stop, slow down, or give in,

though he's defeated and cannot win;

Our Jesus, so sweet, loving and kind,

knows our heart, our thoughts and our mind;

There's none other who loves and nurtures like Him,

And especially when our way seems hopeless and dim;

He gave His life and shed His blood,

and nothing surpasses His unconditional LOVE;

Dear children, my prayer and desire is that you...

study to show yourselves approved,

obey His word,

walk in the Spirit,

keep the faith,

give Him the glory, give Him the praise;

For this is the least you and I can do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FAMILY AND MAN

A family begins by the power given to man,
To bring forth, to establish and to enjoy this land;
Power was granted from God above,
The price to pay... un-selfish love;
A family is crippled without a Christian man,
One that's loving and kind, and with patience
does all he can to provide, to care and understand;
Oh, how sweet it would be,
if all fathers could see
the beauty within a Christian home where true love
and respect flows free;
This power is given to man from God above,
If only man would accept and appreciate
this priceless gift... unconditional love;
It takes a REAL father to agree, accept and to understand,
that his family was begun by his desire and by his plan;
So, when times get hard and all uptight;
He's responsible to stay there,
not to mumble, grumble and gripe,
But keep love flowing... his family knowing
that he'll be there through the storms...till the dark
clouds pass and ev'ry things alright;
This too is power granted to man
from God above,
all because of love;
So, dear fathers of today,
who has a family or one on the way;
Don't let your family become a burden on other
peoples' hands,
Stand up and be counted as a REAL man,
doing the very best that you can.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An exhortation to fathers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE COURAGES WOMAN

There's no hope in life for the future

without the existence of a woman,

There'd never be a boy nor girl,

to enter into this world;

Neither would there be a thing called "birth,"

taking place upon this earth;

There're women of ev'ry type,

some are loved and some disliked;

There's the bold, the beautiful, the young and the old,

each with her place and position to hold;

There's also a courageous few,

who cares for sisters, brothers, friends and others too;

Filled with determination to serve mankind,

hoping that her struggling is soon to find,

her people delivered from the enemy's bind;

The courageous woman does not give up

when her future begins to look dim,

But keeps on believing no matter how grim;

Yes, this fight is that of a courageous woman

whose heart is not bound with fear,

one who is strong, compassionate, loving and dear;

It takes a courageous woman to strive

for the happiness and freedom of others,

Especially, when the highest mountains to climb

are presented by her own

sisters and brothers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two Kinds of Wisdom

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, his deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitterness, envy, and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from Heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Supporting Scripture: James 3:13-18

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frank Murry Hampton Sr., my older brother served in the US Army in the Vietnam war (1963-67). He passed away year 2000 leaving his wife Julia, four children; Frank Murry Hampton Jr., West Helena, Kenneth Hampton, California; DeIvory Estelle Hampton-Scott, Indiana; and Kerry Rudolph Hampton, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Jeremiah Rudolph Hampton, my younger brother, served in the US Navy (1963-68). He currently resides with his wife(Maxine Hampton) in West Helena, Arkansas. They have one son(Tyronza Hampton) who resides in California.

Robert Murray Martin, my oldest son, (not pictured)served in the US Navy 1985-1992. He was deployed at Desert Storm, Desert Shield and the Persian Gulf. He currently resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife Nikki and five sons( DeVarus) a Freshman at Georgia Southern University; ( DeMarcus) member of ROTC; (Christian) elementary school; (Christopher and Chancellor).

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends__John 15:13.

FREEDOM COMMEMORATES

Dear Members of the Military:

Sons, fathers, husbands and brothers,

daughters, wives, sisters and mothers;

It was your bravery and commitment

that sustained this land,

and kept us free from the enemy's hand;

There's 'only' so much a few good soldiers can do,

and we're proud that this group included you;

Time you spent away from your home,

protecting the weak,

inspired the strong,

encouraged the intercessors to pray,

and gave new meaning for every new day;

To those who left and did not return,

your loved ones aren't alone;

we're here...

because you were there,

so our time and love we'll gladly share,

all because we sincerely care;

On this day of celebration,

let's not forget we're a blessed Nation,

we must never fail to honor our God,

our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

He fought the greatest battle ---

and paid the greatest price;

Today America appreciates,

families celebrate,

Freedom commemorates.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

REFLECTION

Reflection

Reflection

Tell me what do you see when you look at me?

When I look at you, I see deep-seated unrest and concerns that surround humanity--I see layers upon layers of compassion, sympathy and desires; I see anxiety to make changes in unfavorable conditions and adverse situations. I see masses of scars that are memoirs of struggles for survival. I see deep imprints beyond your footsteps and bruises lodged around your heart from pressure of carrying heavy burdens and weights; I see watery eyes holding back tears of sorrow, because of the seemingly endless weeping through the night from agonizing internal pains that you suffered alone. I see facial lines from question marks in your forehead because of the many times that you wondered why you felt locked in shackles of poverty and that every key you used to gain freedom seemed to fail you. I see remnants of anger that once flourished because of the inconsideration that you found when you sought help among people who could've helped if they would've only taken time to care. I see disappointments because of hyprocracy and dishonesty practiced in high places. I see fear and doubt--conditions that preyed upon your hope and faith--trying to hinder you from moving forward; but most of all, I see MOUNTAINS of inner strength bursting through with power and force of many mighty armies--fearless as a den of deadly cobras, ready to strike and to capture all opposition--moving forward and upward to higher plateaus!!!

Aaah--At last, I see iron-clad victory and billowy-white clouds of peace overshadowing your entire Being, applauding your persistence as you graciously smile and say, "it is well, thank you Lord."

Now you may ponder, "how can you see all of this when you look at me?" "Well, I can see all this when I look at you, because when I look at you, I see a woman who fears and reverences God, I see a woman who LOVES--I see ME."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Indoctrination

I am born again in the name of Jesus,
not against my will,
but with all that pleases;
Doing what my Lord commands,
is my heart's desire,
and only His love sets my soul afire!
Come all of you,
praise Him with me,
try my Lord's plan,
it'll surely set you free;
Rise up, stand to your feet,
you'll see,
in Him is the best place to be;
Open your heart's door,
receive His unconditional love,
forever more;
NOW is your time, reach out to Him,
refuse sin's darkness, repent,
believe, and He'll walk in;
All who comes He will not turn away,
So, take the first step
while it's still day;
Talk to our Savior,
His arms awaits you,
For all your sins,
He died too;
Only in Him all peace lies,
nothing upon this earth truly satifies;
I know on Him you can surely depend,
His grace is sufficient,
and love never ends;
Today is your time to come,
take your place in JESUS,
God's only begotten SON.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MOTHERS DEAR

Mother's Day is a special day to express love and gratitude for our mothers,
For all the kind deeds you have done for your children, as well as for many others;
Mothers, you are dear, sweet, compassionate, also understanding, and have done your very best,
You have trodded paths of grief, suffered pain,
disappointments and shame,
Yet you passed every test;
Mothers, we're so proud of you today, and all the whole year through,
And our sincere desire is to show our love, and to never fail you;
Mothers dear we'd also like to say,
We're praying for your comfort and happiness in a very special way;
These words written here are very few, but comes from the depths of our heart,
And we realize that this is the most important part;
Gifts, flowers, and cards are very nice to express our thoughtfulness too,
Yet nothing surpasses saying these words,
" mother dear, we truly love you."

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selection from: Complete Bits and Pieces
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every Day

Every day is a good day,
For God has made it so;
Enjoy your time upon the earth,
And let your spirit grow;
Reach out and touch someone whose near,
With the power of your love,
Whatever gifts that you may have,
Came down from up above;
So, keep compassion in your heart,
And readily share His Word,
Give thanks to God, praise His name,
For He alone deserves.
**********************************
Selection from: "Pieces of My Heart"
**********************************

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

Unfortunately, we tend to live in a way that draws attention to ourselves...our cars, our clothes, our careers, our position, our cleverness, our success. And when life is all about us, it's hard for people to see Jesus in us. Jesus saved us to be reflections of His glory (Rom. 8:29), but when we live for ourselves, our shadow gets cast on the canvas of His presence in us. (Our Daily Bread, Joe Stowell)

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish. The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down...those who with a word make a man out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice."

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. It is because of Him that we are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God...that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

Don't get in the way of a great painting in progress. Live to let others see Jesus in you. (Our Daily Bread, Joe Stowell)

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Supporting Source and Scriptures: Our Daily Bread, Joe Stowell; Rom. 8:29; I Cor.1:18-21,27, 30; Is 29:13-14;21.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It Does Not Matter

It does not matter what the skeptics say,

For I'll continue to watch and pray;

I know it was His voice that I heard,

When I read and believed His Holy word;

His Holy Spirit resides in me,

Protecting my soul and keeping me free;

Skepticism is of the mind of the flesh,

A haunting foe determined to crush;

But not this soul of mine,

Will I allow skepticism to bind;

Now I'm free as the roots of a tree,

Running l o n g and growing deep;

I know in whom and what I believe,

The blood of Jesus washed my sins away

And I have the faith of a mustard seed;

Skeptics, be still...hear this...Jesus also loves you,

And He gave His life for your deliverance too;

No, it does not matter what the skeptics say,

For my footsteps are ordered day by day;

I'm determined to keep standing tall,

I may lean, but will not fall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even so let your light so shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. ---Matthew 5:16

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Birth Pains

Paul has warned that false teaching would increase and be embraced by many because false teaching caters to the needs of their flesh. There are many who have a craving to be entertained and desire teaching that leaves them with good feelings about themselves.

According to God's word...this age will end, and we must watch and pray. We will hear of wars and rumors of wars; nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places and famines. Brother will betray brother to death. Father his children and children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate us because of Jesus. He who stands firm will be saved.

God did not give us the spirit of timidity,but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

If we died with Him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, because He cannot disown himself.

As believers we are called to teach and obey the word of God, not to scratch the itches of our culture. (Our Daily Bread, Marvin Williams)

Let's do our best to present ourselves to God as approved workmen who do not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Let's avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene.

God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription:

"The Lord knows those who are His," and "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must

turn away from wickedness."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Supporting Scriptures: Mark 13:5,12; II Timothy 1:7; 2:15,19; 4:34

Other Source: Our Daily Bread

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JAR OF CLAY

Outwardly, wasting away,

Yet inwardly, filled ev'ry day;

The miracle of my two-fold being,

My flesh and spirit disagreeing;

Molded by my Master's hands,

Nothing's done by the will of man;

There're two of us residing in this jar of clay,

The weak must leave...the strong will stay;

The struggles are real and your eyes can see,

Scars of vic'try on the outside of me;

This jar of clay will return to the dust,

My inward self to the place of the Just.

************************************

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."---

Galatians 5:16

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

KEEPING IT REAL

How can you tell me to keep it real,

you've never taken a step in my shoes,

so there's no way you can know how I feel,

You're not even sure if I was careful to choose;

But let me assure you of this today,

nothing that's real disappears,

or ever grows old,

use your mem'ry, turn your life's page,

then open your mind, hear it say,

"realness has no age,

for it's deeply rooted within the soul;"

You've never experienced my pain

nor witnessed my fears,

You weren't there when I cried till my eyes

were swollen and my cheeks

drenched with tears;

Take heed and be aware,

I only encourage you

because I truly do care;

These words I must share with you;

sincere compassion and

true concern

will open the mind of your heart,

sit quietly...(shhh),

listen, believe, accept

and learn;

Only then will you understand that

the seeds you sow

will surely grow;

once the crops are fully grown,

the harvest you reap will be your own;

So with the spirit of a peaceful dove,

glide upon your life's shore,

keep the faith,

walk in LOVE;

you're sure to find God's open door;

Then you can say,

"I'm keeping it real,

I've sown my seeds,

I've reaped my harvest,

and now I know how it feels."

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"The Lord upholds all those who fall and

lifts up all who are bowed down." Psalm 145:14

YOUR TIME

Get off your knees,

stand to your feet,

fear nor stress is yours to keep;

Loose yourself from trivial care,

There're no burdens for you to bear,

Jesus loves you...God answered your prayer;

Imaginary holds you think you feel,

Let 'em go...they're not real,

There's nothing of yours Satan can steal;

Now's the time,

Use your mind,

Peace and joy you're sure to find;

Don't be shy,

Hold your head high,

And reach for the sky,

Tell dead weights and confusion good-bye;

All skeptics will know,

They must go,

No place for them in the final show;

There's no way,

Doubt can stay,

Believe in your heart this is your day;

Doors stand open just for you,

Procrastinate, no longer do,

Get up, stand tall, and walk on through!!

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Words of Encouragement from me to you.

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