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

Responding to Closed Doors

PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7

Disappointments can be hard to bear. One minute life seems on track for what we hope and dream. The next moment our way is blocked. How do we respond when faced with closed doors?

If our hearts are set on a certain course of action, we may convince ourselves it is God's will and push ahead anyway. We might send up a quick prayer asking for His help or blessing, but mostly we just move forward. By manipulating people or circumstances, we could get what we want but be outside of God's plan. Another way we respond to a blocked path is to become emotionally upset. Then we face the danger of remaining in our feelings and replacing our Christ-centered perspective with a self-centered one. Strong emotions can lead us to try to blame someone, especially the Lord. Anger toward Him can lead us to rebel against Him and His ways.

Godly responses, on the other hand, start with waiting and trusting. When the Lord blocks our way, we are to have faith in Him, taking time to assess the situation, and praying for guidance. By asking the Spirit to increase our sensitivity to the events around us, we will be able to notice any open doors. Even if we find none, we are to live with hope, anticipating other doors of opportunity in His perfect time. Thanking God for His work on our behalf is essential, even at times when we lack understanding. Finally, remaining faithful to what the Lord has called us to do is an important part of our wait.

Wait. Trust. Pray. Obey. This is God's prescription for handling closed doors.

--Charles Stanley

Well, it's finally here--my first weekend off since February. Don't know what I'll do today, but at least I can start going back to church on Sundays.

Confronting Closed Doors
ACTS 16:6-10

God has the power to open any closed door—no circumstance is too difficult for Him to overcome. And yet He may decide to let things that seem important to us remain blocked. Why does the Lord allow doors to stay shut? Protection. Perhaps He is trying to keep us from making a mistake. On our own, we may not have adequate knowledge to make right choices.

Redirection. God could be sending us on a new path. His plan might include bigger opportunities for us, deeper satisfaction, a wider area of service, greater productivity, a season of suffering, or an opportunity to glorify His name. God closed doors in Asia so that the apostle Paul would minister on the continent of Europe. His obedience led to increased fruitfulness—the churches at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth—and to more knowledge for us through his letters to them. Though Paul experienced much suffering, he also knew the joy of participating in God's work.

Testing. When God says "No," our faith is tested, and we discover what we really believe about Him and His plans.

Perseverance. In these roadblocks, we have opportunity to develop steadfastness, a vital quality for believers. (Romans 5:3-5)

Timing. Our Father places stop signs along our path in order to work out the correct timing for His will.

Disobedience. Past waywardness can affect future experiences and blessings.
When our way is stopped, we must look to God and seek His purpose for the interruption. How do you respond to "no"?

Scripture is God's primary means of communication. It is both complete and comprehensive in its content. Containing principles that address all areas of life, the Bible is the Father's instruction book for godly living. You cannot maintain the Christian life apart from a steady diet of Scripture. More than just a book to read, the Bible is God's primary way of speaking to His followers. Its purpose is to give us guidelines for living, and—through the influence of the Holy Spirit—the wisdom to apply them to our daily decisions. The more familiar we are with Scripture, the easier it will be to see the relevancy of its precepts to our lives. Not adhering to God's plan will result in missing out on the abundant spiritual life that Christ has promised; even more importantly, veering from God's way will mean failure to bring Him the glory that would result from following His plan.

If God's Word does not have a central place in our lives, we'll find it almost impossible to be certain we are in His will.

--Charles Stanley

Randy and Tracy again become become great uncle and aunt, this time to Eric and Becky Matthews' new son, Nathan Wayne. Mom and baby doing fine.


It's better to give others a piece of your heart than a piece of your mind.

--Our Daily Bread

TRACY ADVOCATES VIOLENCE IN NURSING HOME

One of the patients in the nursing home yesterday got miffed at one of the agency nurses used by the nursing home and was telling Tracy about it. This patient's family brings in extra soft toilet tissue for this patient. Tracy said, "Well, the next time he comes in, throw a roll of your toilet paper at him....that'll get his attention!"

If you want to be rich, count all the things you have that money can’t buy.

--Our Daily Bread

Good news! This coming Sunday will be the last Sunday I have to work, then I go on a regular Mon-Fri schedule. I was supposed to work Sundays for the rest of August, but they ended that early. It's going to be nice to have 2 days in a row off, although it will be an adjustment to go back to working Mon-Fri. Ain't life rough!

Today's word for the day:

Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.