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.
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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.
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An exhortation to fathers.
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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.

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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.

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Supporting Scripture: James 3:13-18

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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.

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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.
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