OK, so it's been 3 weeks since I made a post to my blog.....I apologize to my millions of readers (yeah, right!). Anyway, here's another pearl from Charles Stanley.....

We all spend some time seeking the Lord, but to be truly successful at it, we must learn to adjust our focus. The reason focus is important is that what we behold, we become. If we fix our attention on the sensual and materialistic, it won’t be long before we ourselves start leaning in that direction. I challenge you not to sit in front of a television set and allow rubbish into your mind night after night. While you might think it has no influence, it actually has a subtle but terrible, gripping effect on you.

On the other hand, if you focus your love and attention on Jesus, you will become like Him. It is similar to osmosis—He just pours Himself into us. We can focus on Him when we pray, when we study the Scriptures, and when we meditate on God’s truths. But it involves more than that. We must go deeper, to the point that we are listening and sharing our hearts with Him. If we are open and transparent before Him, He will speak and pour Himself into us.

When we learn to do this, we will find that our hunger and thirst for everything else begins to diminish. It’s not that our desires will disappear; they instead become redirected. You will discover you have a growing hunger for God and a longing to know Him in a warm and personal way. And you will notice your joy bubbling up and overflowing so that it cannot be stopped or stifled. Why? Because once you have begun to seek the Lord, you will recognize Him as your all-in-all.

--Charles Stanley

Thought I would change the pace a bit today.......

I know this is not politically correct, but I can't help myself.....

Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

How to Be an Effective Listener

· Be comfortable with silence

· Practice active listening

· Allow people to express their emotions

· Paraphrase

· Be careful not to over-spiritualize

· Use common sense

· Give an emphatic response

· Formulate an “extended” response

· Be appropriate

· Be affirming

· Be Christlike

I think that too often we just allow life to happen to use and not through us. Sometimes we tend to see life coming at us and we feel like a worn out “dartboard.” Don’t you sometimes find yourself dodging the darts of life’s trials and activities?

Instead of being a dartboard, I would rather be a pipeline or a channel wich God can use to bless others. Life can happen through us and not to us.

This doesn’t mean we won’t sometimes revert to that “dartboard” feeling, but we can quickly get back to the real work of the Kingdom by grabbing onto the power of God.

--Curtis and Carole Clements, South Central Regional Evangelists, Christian Motorcyclists Assn.

We went to Lakeland to visit Fred and Cara yesterday, had a real nice time! Fred cooked burgers on the grill and Alivia entertained us most of the day. Tracy was up most of the night coughing...Saturday she had an allergic reaction to one of the two new medications the doctor put her on and she had to quit taking both because she did not know which one caused the reaction. Since she did not get any sleep, we did not make it to church.

Last week, Tracy got one of her fingers pinched in one of the doors at work, and had to got to the doctor for X-rays. The X-rays turned out negative for a possible fracture, but she had to have blood drained from under the nail to ease some of the pressure. Today, she had to return to the med center for an update, and the doctor said her finger appeared to be healing very well; he is hopeful she will not have to lose the nail.

David was off today; Rick went to the card shop for a while but says he's not going to go back for a while since there are not very many people who play the card game he plays. So, we may be able to do a few things together on the weekends in the future.

Finally.......

Did you hear about the 3-legged dog that walks into an old west saloon, slides up to the bar and announces "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw."

How to Bolster Our Faith

PROVERBS 3:5-6

Once we have made up our minds to obey God, we gather our courage around us like a cloak and proceed . . . that is, until something causes us to hesitate and question the wisdom of our decision. Our faith is wavering. What do we do now?

· Ask yourself questions about God: Has God promised to meet all my needs? Has God given me the Holy Spirit to dwell in me, guide me, and equip me to obey Him? Did God promise to be with me at all times? Is anything too hard for God? Search the Scriptures for answers, and let God's truths fill your mind.

· Meditate on God's Word. Ask the Lord to help you find Bible verses that relate to what you are facing. Then study the passage and apply its lessons to your personal situation.

· Recall the Lord's past faithfulness. God by His very nature is faithful, and He always acts true to His character. The Enemy would have us forget all that God has done for us.

· Assess the situation. Ask, How critical is this decision to myself and others? Is this one of those forks in the road in which my unbelief could cause me or another person a lifetime of regret?

· Choose to trust the Lord. Make the decision to believe God and obey, no matter how you feel.

As you take a step of faith, God will strengthen you through His Spirit and enable you to continue on. Before you know it, your faith will become steady, joy will return, and you will be moving ahead once again.

--Charles Stanley

Joy and happiness are not the same. Happiness depends on outward circumstances, but joy comes from within—it is unrelated to our circumstances. The key that unlocks the door to divine power is surrender.

Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, "The joy of the LORD is your strength." Since it is a permanent gift from God, we cannot lose it, but we can choose to give it up by disobeying His commands. Sin squeezes the power and joy of the Holy Spirit from our life. Repentance will reopen the floodgate.

--Charles Stanley