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Instead of Giving Up:
dig deeper rest give more stop a bad habit say “no” sometimes notice daily provisions be honest fast pray no matter what declare the truth remain let Christ own you push harder ask boldly give answers decide to love accomplish determine peace don’t be a prisoner of sin be Life Change apply God’s principles try harder to understand others let forgiveness be automatic live louder without louder words don’t set aside grace care for yourself better cry but don’t quit walk by faith respond to revelation expect blessings believe you can be redeemed attain goals by more than human efforts include humility pour something into your spirit finish well
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Security Blanket
As a little kid, I carried Grover through the house, through the city while making errand runs with Mom, and through the muddy back yard after it rained. I remember holding on to him so tight once, I lost my kite because of not wanting to release Grover. My brothers would tie him to the ceiling fan and play games to upset me. I sit and laugh at the way “things” can make us feel secure or insecure cause when we reach adulthood, those same things just don’t do it for us anymore. We face the calm or daunting nighttime silence. We open our eyes in the dark, and we…
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If you don't have anything "good" to say…
Good things, Good times Each time God made something in the beginning, He followed it by saying in the Word: “And God saw that it was good.” It only took God two chapters to say: “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” And so Eve is made. However, things seem to get increasingly frustrating for God and through His own choice words (Gen. 3:14-19), He banishes them from the Garden of Eden. Cain and Able come along and do not seem to get too far either, without God saying some more “good” things! (Gen. 4:9-16) The wipe out My family…
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"Out of the blue"
The guy is at least six feet under and still alive! Jonah was like a kid having to travel with parent God. What a ride…in the back seat…three days…trapped inside of possibly a big mammal! We get the idea from children’s books that Jonah is sitting silly with bright green leaves accessorizing his cute little head. The fish in the story looks as if he is having a playful time with his good buddy Jonah. But let’s allow God to take our hearts and minds through the real deal of raw material, water coasting travel: We are at the bottom of the ocean, the bottom-line, the bottom of our plans;…
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Beauty- a fifth grade poem
Beauty is the clouds flowing through the sky. Beauty is the sun rising up high. Beauty is the birds flying off the trees and Beauty is the Lord watching over me!
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Familiar Voice
There’s that voice. She is calling me again and I hear her loud and clear. She means what she says; she is not kidding and I had better obey! Remembering as a child, this voice gave me security. Even now as an adult, there is the feeling of comfort and total freedom to be myself when this voice is present. It is the voice of my mother. It became so common at times I disregarded it unintentionally. The important lessons were mixed with comments and demands I seemed to hear often. There was a distinction though, in the middle of my hurt or desperation, between my mother’s voice and any…
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Holding Forgiveness
At fifteen months old, our son Braxton kept pushing on a column in our house. It was the short, heavy plaster column I had wanted for a long time. (Finally after seeing it in a magazine on sale, I drove forty-five minutes to get it, packing it carefully in the car with lots of towels.) It was fairly new and very pretty with black and white speckled paint, now holding a beautiful candle on top…Thinking of all this, I stopped Brax and told him “no”! A few seconds later, I turned around after hearing a dreaded break. Yes, he had pushed the column over and broke it despite me telling…
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A God Idea
God ideas are not just carried out by church goers. I’ve witnessed people who do not know God personally (who’ve never professed any kind of belief system) to be used in a God idea. Giving is straight from an intellegent God! I once had a friend in Fairhope that I met at a park where she was spending a few hours with her grandson. From that encounter, I learned that Scott Whitney Salon recently cut her hair and that she lived right down the street from the park and the school where I took Braxton for daycare. She learned about Celebration Church which we pastored at the time, and we…
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Dream Pushing
“Push” they said. I didn’t feel like pushing but I’m thinking: “I don’t want to stay pregnant either! Nine months has been long enough…I want to have this thing.” Life takes on a whole new inevitable role now. This is more than me, higher than my ways, higher than my thoughts. The creation of a dream is incredible. Today is a due date for us to deliver. Put yourself into the hands of the Almighty. “Push, he’s coming.” There is a dream inside and we don’t even know what it looks like yet! We have only an idea of what it can be; it’s just beginning. Are you going to…
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Doodling
We’re about to be all grown up…and move on from scribbling and doodling with much misunderstanding, to drawing in the dynamic of God!