"Peace On Earth" December Challenge

Are you looking to make this Christmas season more meaningful?

Are you hoping you can find a few moments of peace during the hectic month of December? Then 'link up' with us for the "Peace On Earth" December Challenge!

Courtney over at Women Living Well has created this challenge. I've checked out Courtney's blog and watched her video which explains what this challenge is all about. I've also linked up and am ready for her weekly tips and encouragement to help me focus on God's Word and on ways to bring peace in my life and home this holiday season.

Won't you join us?

This Made Me Feel So Good! Smile and Enjoy!

This made me feel so happy! Sit a couple of minutes and join in the celebration of Christ's Resurrection!

Two Little Boys Singing In Church- PRECIOUS!

This blessed my heart so! I know all of you will enjoy it as well!
Two_Little_Boys_Singing_In_Church.wmv

For All My Northern Friends Craving A Touch of Spring!

Click on the link below!

My_Friend

About Cheerfulness

"Your cheerfulness can only spring up freely and healthily out of your heart when your heart is truly at rest in God; when you are satisfied with His ways, and wishing no change in them."

--Priscilla Maurice (1810-1854)

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Don't you love being around cheerful people? I mean those truly, genuine cheerful people who don't have to work at it! For the most part, I think I'm a cheerful person, but I admit there are times I come up short in that department. I realize my testimony for Christ is impaired if I'm a grump. My number one goal for the month of February is to be more cheerful in the home and to have a merry heart;

for my heart rests in God!

A Christmas Greeting

The lady who designs these electronic cards is a true genius! This is one of the prettiest that I have seen. I especially fell in love with the personality portrayed by the little angel as she flits around! You will enjoy watching this short Christmas Greeting...you might share with others.

Jacquie Lawson Cards

Merry Christmas!

Begging for Your Prayers Today

I'm having a terrible flare up with my RA (rheumatoid arthritis). It has been a year or more since I've experienced this much physical pain. It kept me up all night, in tears off and on. I'm on my way to lie down; hoping sleep will come. I'm at the point where I'm shivering as though I have a high fever. This happens when I'm overtired and inflammation has set in.

Please add a little prayer in there for my Shane too, as he will be on his own today. He's a good boy and will do his school work and check in on me often. I just regret we won't get much accomplished today. It will be a lost day in my life.

I'm wishing my sister were here or I were there(Paraguay) as I am longing for a hug from her and her shoulder to cry on. Oh boy, I hope this doesn't sound like a pity party for that is NOT my intention.

Mom and I are planning a surprise "get together" for dad on Septmenber 26th. I'm producing a video of special moments, photos, people, memories, etc. to be shown on the big day. I added a couple of really short video clips here to give you a small sample of some of the heartwarming testimonies we are gathering for our DVD.

Here is my nephew, Joshua Vernoy and his wife. As Josh tries to share his thanks to my dad (his grandpa) he becomes emotional. I cried while I was filming and I cry each time I watch it. It is a blessing to know that I have such a godly father who has impacted the lives of so many in a positive way!

Take 1

Take 2

Take 4

For some reason, Take 3 wouldn't load. It was the best as it is the one in which Josh is composed and able to share his heart. I will try it as a new post and see what happens.

Mission Aviation History to Hitch a Ride on Space Shuttle

I found the following article to be especially interesting due to the life my sister and her family have lived as jungle missionaries. They understand and relate to the significance of a small aircraft assisting with the important work of missions. I know she (my sister) will find the following very exciting!
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From: Stephen Saint
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2009
18:44:26 -0400

Guys,

Mart Green just sent me this reminder that part of 56 Henry is going into space tonight. I gave the astronaut a small piece of the plane and then forgot about it. On my flight back from PA today I wondered what the big red restricted are on the coast was. It is the space shuttle.Can you imagine what Dad would have thought if he had heard that 54 years later part of 56 Henry would be going up to the international space station. God keeps writing new chapters to this amazing story of His.

Steve Saint

Mission Aviation History to Hitch a Ride on Space Shuttle Astronaut Taking a Piece of Nate Saint’s Piper PA-14 on ‘Discovery’

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Proving that space flight is not the highest calling for a pilot, astronaut Patrick Forrester is taking a bit of missionary history on board space shuttle “Discovery,” which is scheduled for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in the early morning hours of Aug. 25. The aim of the two-week orbital mission is to equip the International Space Station.The item comes from martyred missionary pilot Nate Saint’s Piper PA-14, which is on display at the headquarters of MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) in Nampa, Idaho. Saint and four other missionaries were martyred on a sandbar in Ecuador on Jan. 8, 1956, by a tribe of Waodani Indians.The incident sparked international news coverage and renewed interest in missionary service. Several of the tribesmen that killed Saint and the others were later converted to Christianity by relatives of the slain missionaries.“Bringing attention to and renewing interest in missions would be a great result of this experience,” said Forrester, who was born in El Paso, Texas, the year after the martyrdoms. “My deepest intent is to honor Nate Saint, the Saint family and all missionaries around the world.”The piece is from the Piper’s battery box and has received approval for the flight from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after conforming to strict size and weight restrictions. Forrester, who will be making his third shuttle flight, has logged more than 4,500 hours in more than 50 different aircraft and has been with NASA 16 years. In addition to his time at NASA, he spent over 26 years as an Army aviator. Yet his dream has been to assist with the high calling of missionary aviation. “I’ve always had a heart for missions,” Forrester said. “When I visualize what I might do after I end my career at NASA, always in the back of my mind is going into the mission field in some way. If I could go tomorrow and be a pilot with an organization like MAF, I think that’s what I’d do.” Whether you are an astronaut, a missionary or something else, Forrester has a simple approach to discovering what career journey you should take. “There are so many needs out there,” Forrester said. “People need to figure out where their passion and their talents intersect with God’s plan for the world.” Forrester heard about Saint and the other four missionary martyrs while attending a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. “He told the story of the missionaries who had gone down and had lost their lives,” Forrester recalled. “That story just fascinated me, and through that I heard of the book ‘Through the Gates of Splendor.’ That’s when I really first understood about MAF.” Forrester asked MAF to provide a part of Saint’s plane for the shuttle mission. When the mission is completed, Forrester will return the piece to MAF, providing a certificate confirming its presence on the space flight. MAF plans to display the battery box part and certificate at its headquarters. Forrester noted that Saint “could have never imagined that we would have the opportunity to take it to a space station.” As for himself, Forrester sees missions in his career flight plan. “We are all called to serve God in some manner,” Forrester said. “I have had the opportunity to participate in several short-term mission trips to Uganda, Canada, Puerto Rico and South Africa. Each time I have developed a heart for the people we served. I believe my wife and I will continue to serve in the mission field for the rest of our lives – whether it is at home or overseas, short-term or full-time.” Founded in the U.S. in 1945, MAF (http://www.maf.org/) missionary teams of aviation, communications, technology and education specialists overcome barriers in remote areas, transform lives and build God’s Kingdom by enabling the work of more than 1,000 organizations in isolated areas of the world. With its fleet of 130 bush aircraft, MAF serves in 55 countries, with an average of 242 flights daily across Africa, Asia, Eurasia and Latin America. MAF pilots transport missionaries, medical personnel, medicines and relief supplies, as well as conduct thousands of emergency medical evacuations in remote areas. MAF also provides telecommunications services, such as satellite Internet access, high frequency radios, electronic mail and other wireless systems.
Photo: Astronaut Patrick Forrester


Photo: In this 1955 photo, MAF missionary Nate Saint shows gifts he received from Waodani Indians. Saint was martyred the next year. A piece of his Piper PA-14 airplane will travel to space this week aboard the space shuttle “Discovery.”

Sitting In a Puddle of Tears

You will be too after watching this video! My aunt sent the link to me tonight and I'm so glad I took the 12 minutes to watch it in it's entirety! It was heartwarming to see that many Americans are still patriotic and not so shallow as to think only of celebrities and their status! Please watch!

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Killed in action the week before, the body of Sergeant First Class John C. Beale was returned to Falcon Field in Peachtree City, Georgia, just south of Atlanta, on June 11, 2009. The Henry County Police Department escorted the procession to the funeral home in McDonough, Georgia. A simple notice in local papers indicated the road route to be taken and the approximate time. People lined the route for miles to pay tribute to one of our fallen. Nowadays one can be led to believe that America no longer respects honor and no longer honors sacrifice outside the military. Be it known that there are many places in this land where people still recognize the courage and impact of total self-sacrifice. Georgia remains one of those graceful places. The link below is a short travelogue of that day's remarkable and painful journey. But only watch this if you wish to have some of your faith in people restored. Please share widely.

Funeral procession for SFC John C. Beale - 12 min
http://e.blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip.tv/rss/flash/2257594&showplayerpath=http%3A%2F%2Fblip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf&feedurl=http://repdavis.blip.tv/rss/flash&brandname=blip.tv&brandlink=http://blip.tv/%3Futm_source%3Dbrandlink&enablejs=true

THESE LITTLE GIRLS STOLE MY HEART!

"Farther Along" by the Peasall Sisters

Miss Him Already!

Didn't you love the way he wasn't afraid to use the words "victory" and "freedom"?

Do you remember how you felt that first week after 9-11? This speech was given on January 20, 2001.

"WE NEED EACH OTHER" in this New Year!

Below is a link to a "feel good" song which I posted with intentions to help us get our minds off the terrible things going on in our world these days. The video features one of my all time favorite singers - Ernie Haas. Or better known around our home as NERNIE! That was Shane's way of calling him. We were big fans of Ernie when he sang with a southern gospel group called 'The Cathedrals'. We attended so many concerts, I think Shane thought the quartet was part of our family. I want to post some cute photos of Ernie holding Shane, but I'd need to find them and scan them. It's late now and I must get to bed!

Listen to the little girl's comment at about 6 minutes in, so precious!

My thought for the new year: Let's all just try and get along!

WE NEED EACH OTHER

Heavenly Father,

We pray today that Americans will be energized and infused with power as they see Your provision for our country’s needs. We are a wealthy country; we provide much of the world’s bounty and our resources bless the entire planet. God, as we prepare for the President Elect Obama’s administration to be ushered in, may we pray in unity for our nation to be blessed so we may better meet the needs of our people and remain a beacon of light and prosperity to the world. We ask this according to Your will, in the mighty name of Christ, amen.

Nothing Between

Are you familiar with the words to the beautiful hymn, "Nothing Between"? It says:

Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
Naught of this world's delusive dream;
I have renounced all sinful pleasure—
Jesus is mine! There's nothing between.

Chorus
Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
So that His blessed face may be seen;
Nothing preventing the least of His favor;
Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.

Nothing between, like worldly pleasure;
Habits of life, tho harmless they seem,
Must not my heart from Him ever sever—
He is my all! There's nothing between.

I've been letting a burden come between my soul and my Savior! The words to this beautiful hymn showed up in an email today, being exactly what I needed! Someone was listening to the Holy Spirit. Thank you sweet someone!

CARDBOARD TESTIMONIES!

Are you ready to shed some tears? Just watch this 8 minute message all the way through. You will be blessed and humbled!

I saw the following video at THIS BLOG last night. It was my first time to visit Hadias. It was such a blessing to read some of her older posts. I knew, after watching this video, that I had to post it for my readers. I cried throughout, and praised my Heavenly Father for His forgiveness!




Would any of you like to leave the testimony you would write on your piece of cardboard? If so, simply leave it in your comment.

God's Peace

On a day when things were seemingly falling apart around me and my tumultuous mind needed calming, I FOUND THESE NOTES FROM ONE OF MY PASTOR'S SERMONS back in September of 2007. It was a blatant reminder that God wanted me to stay my mind on HIM and HIS GOODNESS!
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Preaching from Philippians 4:4-7 on the topic of - "HOW TO HAVE THE PEACE OF GOD", Pastor Naill gave the following points in his outline:


1. PRAISE - To have peace, you must first have PRAISE. There can't be discord if you're busy PRAISING!


2. POISE - act in moderation, Phil. 4:5. In the Greek, it means to be patient and gentle. Who would want to be caught away in the rapture during an angry argument? Always MODERATE your speech and relationships.


3. PRAYER - If we aren't spending time with the Lord in PRAYER, we'll have NO POWER in our lives. You can be the most faithful to church, singing in the choir, singing solos, dressed most modestly, but if not spending time in PRAYER, you will have NO POWER on your life.


God knows your requests before you bring them to HIM. He just wants you to talk to HIM about it.


God is interested in all parts of our lives. Pastor said he prayed before his free throw shots when playing high school basketball.


If he hears one of his children asking others for food during a "Dinner on the Grounds" at church, he intervenes and explains to his child, "Don't ask others for your needs. Ask me, I'm your Father. I enjoy taking care of your needs." He then related this to our Father God. God doesn't want to see us going around asking everyone but Him, begging, as it were, for our needs to be met when HIS purpose is to care for us and to meet our needs.


Having kids has confirmed in his mind that God set up the family to give us a real illustration of our relationship with God.


Pastor asked, "Is there any devastating occurrence which can disturb the peace of God? NO - God is the author of PEACE and the PRINCE OF PEACE! Philippians 4:7


One final quote from Pastor Naill: "The greatest secret to living a godly life and walking the proper walk is by knowing certain things about God and His Word."


I hope you enjoyed these little tidbits from a sermon which really encouraged me in my faith. I wish I could have posted the entire sermon for you, but I had only these few notes which I scratched out during the sermon. Feel free to visit my chuch website BY CLICKING HERE.

A Wonderfully, Creative Way to Memorize or Emphasize Scriptures!

One of my dear cousins shared with me the link below. I was so pleased to see what some creative ladies have come up with in the world of scrapbooking! Take a peek for yourself by clicking on the link!

http://scrapbookideas.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/this-weeks-bible-verse-quick-page/

Oh and just a reminder for those who have the time. Please head over to my son's blog to read his report about the Thomas-Ford Winter Estate field trip. Click HERE and leave him a comment which I think will encourage him to write more! He checks each day to see if someone new has read his post!

Our Reasonable Service

Click here for a wonderful devotion about giving God our reasonable service. It's short and to the point, but very convicting. I think you'll enjoy The Flip Flop Queen's humor as she points out a very important duty for we Christians!

I Can't Wait To See This Film!

I saw the trailer of this movie and loved it! Starring beautiful Angela Bassett and handsome Rick Fox ( a pro NBA player).

A single mother living in inner Chicago, Brenda has been struggling for years to make ends meet and keep her three kids off the street. But when she's laid off with no warning, she starts losing hope for the first time, until a letter arrives announcing the death of a father she's never met. Desperate for any kind of help, Brenda takes her family to Georgia for the funeral. Nothing could have prepared her for the Browns, her fathers fun loving, crass, Southern clan. In a small-town world, full of long afternoons and county fairs, Brenda struggles to get to know the family she never knew existed and finds a brand new romance that just might change her life.

Based on the popular stage production of the same name, TYLER PERRY "MEETS THE BROWNS" is a charming story about the joys of family and the possibility of second chances.

Go check it out for yourself here!
Meet the Browns

And in other news, there has been a posting by Battle King Shane. He is hosting his first photo caption contest and just wait until you see the photo!!! To see it and to leave a caption entry in his comment section, just click HERE
Have fun!

Josh Turner singing "Me and God"