New Year, New Creation

 

Happy New Year to one and all! I sincerely apologize for not typing last weekend.  I was sick and slept a lot but thought of you and I pray you had a blessed Christmas.

 

The Passage I am reading this week = Philemon 1:4-6 "I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

 

That one hits me in the heart dead on!  I thank God every day for each and everyone of you reading this!  I know that by choosing to read this, choosing to want to receive these emails from me weekly you have faith in our Lord Jesus.  I pray that God will inspire me to inspire you all so that we may each grow in our understanding of His Word and may be able to inspire others by sharing this faith.  New Year's is a "holiday" of new beginnings for many people, resolutions are made, and usually we all get optimistic about how we will change for the better in the coming year.  Being a Christian is a little like having New Year's every day because we are all New Creations in Christ {II Corinthians 5:17}.  We strive every day to change for the better and if we mess up today we can be assured that when we fess up to our mistakes and ask Him for His awesome forgiveness then it's done, we're washed clean, new start!!!  Talk about wondrous love!!!  God created us even though He knew it would mean sending Jesus to save us later on.  If you are reading this and thinking that I am not talking to you then you need to re-read partner.  If you are saying to yourself that you aren't strong enough in your faith to actively share it and so I must not mean you then you are horribly mistaken.  I mean you!!  Even if you do not share today, you have faith and in time with prayer you will be able to share it.  You can inspire by actions instead of words and you are still sharing your faith.  You can strive tomorrow for what you didn't have strength or courage for today because every day can be and is a new beginning my friend!  I will tell you this fact, I do not still fully understand every good thing we have in Christ but I am finding more and more each day!  We have each other in Christ, we have food, shelter, clothing, faith, hope, love...the greatest of them all is LOVE! {I Corinthians 13:13} I pray we can all make a "resolution" to slowly but surely become more active in sharing our faith either with words or deeds.  I pray we are able to see each day as a new beginning in Christ who made us, who saves us and who loves us more than we can even dream. I know it sounds repetitious but I truly continue to pray daily that you each are surrounded and protected by God's love favor and blessings, this day, this weekend and always.  Prayers are going up also that you and yours have a safe, happy, healthy and blessed start to the New Year!

Love through Christ,

Niki

 

***If you have special prayer requests please allow me to pray for you by sending me a quick response to this email***

 

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Week Twenty One

Christmas Greetings to one and all,

My personal verse of the week:

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

This verse takes me back to 7th Grade, our teacher Mr. Busse had this on his wall above the white board all year long…every year.  For those of you who do not know me as well, this is a feat for me to remember because I have been blessed with a very poor memory, short and long term.  I say blessed because maybe I don’t always remember the good but that also means I probably do not remember most of the bad either! J  You know, I have been thinking about this verse and when times are good, everyone’s healthy & happy, it is much easier to remember we are God’s children and He is working our lives for good and as in Jeremiah 29:11, “plans to prosper you…”  But, when times get tough, it is far more difficult to envision the good He is working in our lives.    Do not let your thoughts stray too far though because His Word is true and certain and that is why I know He is always working every event in our life to good.  It is hard to hear that when you are going through that tough time right now, it is hard to comprehend how bad things can happen for good reason…but, and I like this idea, we do not have to understand it! J There are so many things we will never understand, nevertheless that should not keep us from placing all of our trust and all of our life into His hands.  Believe me, I am not all the way there myself, yet I know as I pray each day that He is watching me grow towards this goal.  I know that I am trying and that some days I stumble, other days I fall totally flat on my face!  However, He is a forgiving and loving God and Father and He understands us, and He understands what we do not and BEST of all He understands what we face because He came to earth and walked this path.  I want to keep it short but I hope that if you have 5 or ten minutes you will take a moment and read all of Romans Chapter 8.  You can read it online at the below link to Bible.com and it is really an uplifting study! http://bibleresources.bible.com/passagesearchresults.php?passage1=Romans+8&passage2=&passage3=&passage4=&passage5=&version1=31&version2=0&version3=0&version4=0&version5=0&Submit.x=31&Submit.y=9

This week I am praying that no matter where your life is hanging in these days, that you are able to remember that God is working His good in our lives at all times.  I continually and daily pray that you are surrounded and protected by God’s love, favor and blessings always.  I pray you are having a blessed and merry Christmas season thus far!

Have a blessed week ahead!

Love through Christ,

Niki

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Week Twenty

 

God's blessings to one and all this wonderful Sunday afternoon!

I want to share a story you may have read before:

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.  Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. 

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.  Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.  What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.  Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live.  Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us." 

I really like this lesson, because I believe that no matter where we are at in our lives we are never far from needing to hear it.  Life is not about what the world thinks is "living well..."  We need to focus on what really matters in life: God who should be the first and most centered in our life, the blessings God has granted us, family, friends...  I could go on and on but simply put if we choose to place our focus more on the "coffee" and less on the "cup" then I believe we can more readily find peace and happiness in the beautiful life God gives us.  My prayer for you this week is to make great choices about what you measure your happiness and qualities by.  I pray also that God may grant you His blessings and His peace this busy time of year.  I am always praying for each of you that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings, this day, this week and always.

I am sincerely grateful for your continued interest in receiving my messages!

Have an awesome week ahead!

Love through Christ,

Niki

 

Psalm 107:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."

 

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Week Nineteen - Sorry it is so late

 "Tis the season to be jolly!"

Those words from Deck the Halls struck me this morning as I drove to work belting out the lyrics along with George Strait.  I smiled and thought about how this time of year is so beautiful…personally I don’t like the cold, but all of the lights and decorations.  As I was hanging lights on my Uncle's house I thought of it as decorating for the most important birthday party of the year! J  So naturally with all of this around us this should be “the season to be jolly,” or “the most wonderful time of the year.”  However, and I tread lightly because I certainly do not want to discount anything from Christmas, still I think it is important as Christians to remember this joy all the year through.  When the decorations come down in January, we should keep our spirits up and our eyes focused on our Lord.  We have so many things by His grace to be thankful and joyful for!  Besides the obvious physical things such as clothes, shelter, vehicles, food and all other possessions which God has allowed us to have in our lives, we have the joy of knowing we can hope in the Lord…and the joy of knowing His favor is going before us…the joy of His protection, deliverance and most importantly salvation!  I could go on and on but I know that once I have gotten you started you can make your own mental or written list of all of the joys in your life.   Hold them close to your heart and when you feel like crying, screaming or plain ole' having a pity party for yourself instead reach for this list and thank God for every thing on it...I know from personal experience that although difficult to make yourself be thankful when you are down in the dumps it is also one of the BEST ways to get your mind off of your problems and focused on the One who can and will help you back up again!  I pray that you are having a truly joyful start to this awesome Christmas season!  I am always praying for each of you that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings, this day, this week and always.

Due to time constraints during the week I will be moving the weekly thoughts to now come out on Saturday mornings instead of Thursday nights.    You are each inspiring me to push myself farther and continue to grow in my faith!  Thank you for your continued interest in receiving my messages!

Have an awesome weekend and week ahead!!

Love through Christ,

Niki

Psalm 100:2 "Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. "

 

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Thoughts: Week Eighteen

Good evening, good morning or good day to each of you!!

I hope and pray that you all had a special, safe and blessed Thanksgiving!  I do apologize for the delay in this week's message.  I have a topic to discuss which I really feel that God is impressing upon me to share my thoughts and experiences of.  This is very difficult for me on two levels.  The first being that it is hard to open up and share something this personal but I feel this is a part of my growing process and more importantly may encourage someone reading this.  The second reason this topic, which is Self-Image by the way, has me so reluctant to share is because I do not want to come off as if this week is my own personal pity party.  I am praying even as I am typing that this does not come off in a way which causes you to feel pity for me.  You see, I have never really had a good self-image...as far back as I can remember I always wanted to be someone else.  I never thought anything I did was good enough.  I loved to act in the plays the drama group performed and lose myself in the character so for just that little bit I didn't have to think about who I am...or all of the mistakes I make every day...or how I always seem to be not quite good enough.  As I have been growing closer and closer to God I have come to find that this way of thinking is blocking His blessings for my life in many ways.  So the new me...the one who is trying to see the good in me that He must see since He is allowing me the blessing of writing these emails, that new me says, let's find what the Bible tells me.  In Genesis we are told of how God created us in His image...I know we all sin and fall short of His glory but at the base of it all we are in His image!  Forgiveness ties in here on multiple levels too.  When we repent of our sins He forgives us, we know this but if you truly take it to heart then when you repent and He forgives then what is left is His image in which He created us!  I could go on and on but I also want to point out that when we ask Him to forgive us then we need to also forgive ourselves!  I know all of this in my mind but man I am still a major work in progress on all counts!  I wanted to keep this short and sweet so forgive me for not going deeper into the 3 topics that I have really opened up here...my prayer for you this week is that you are able to find time to dwell and pray on your own self-image...prayer of thanks if you have a good one!  Otherwise, join me in praying for the faith in His Word to see ourselves as He sees us, in His image. 

I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always. 

Have an awesome weekend and holiday week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

If you feel inspired to pass along my email, please do!  And/or if you or some one you know would enjoy receiving my weekly thoughts, please send an email to: Banklady79@aol.com

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Niki's Weekly Thoughts ~ Week Seventeen: 11-16-2006

Hello and a superbly happy day to one and all!!!

Philippians 4:6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." 

There is still a small part of me that reads a verse like the above and thinks to myself, 'Easier said than done!'  But more and more lately I have been learning that although it is extremely hard to change you perspective to this thankful mind and non-anxious attitude it is not impossible.  Better yet, the more you work at it the more it becomes habit and habits are a bit easier to hang onto once they have become habits.  It takes practice and a very open mind but the next time you feel like complaining try to stop yourself and search for something to rather be thankful for.  Yesterday I had a great example of a situation to practice this in.  I had a ditsy moment and while at an Imaging Center for x-rays I locked my keys in the van.  Poor, sleep deprived George had to rush to my rescue yet I was still going to be late for work and boy did I know it!  But as I hung up the phone and thought about kicking the tires I told myself be thankful.  So I started to pray, I thanked God for the favorable weather, after all it's mid-November and was not too cold at all.  I thanked Him for a momentary understanding moment from my boss and also I even had something to drink in my purse so I thanked God for that too!  Then, when I was laughing at myself and sharing the laughter with a very close friend whom I love dearly, she pointed out to me that there was something important which I forgot to be thankful for...my husband, I am so extremely blessed to have someone who shares my love and my life and comes to my rescue in all the ways he can!  I know that the Niki from even just 3 years ago would have been stomping mad and freaking out and screaming at God why couldn't He miraculously open the locks.  So now I am thankful that I have come such a far way!  I am even more thankful for an experience/example to share with you!  I am thankful that each and every one of you allows me into your email box each week  because I have grown even more through being able to share my faith with you all!  I thank God for you...and I sincerely send my personal thanks to each of you.  I pray that God helps you guide your thoughts towards the good in all situations and that He send His Spirit to inspire your own thankful prayers.  I am sending prayers for a safe, thankful and God filled holiday next week!  I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always. 

Due to Thanksgiving my plans are to send next weeks message by Saturday morning the 25th at the latest.

Have an awesome weekend and holiday week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

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Niki's Weekly Thoughts ~ Week Sixteen: 11-10-2006

Best wishes for a happy Friday to one and all!!!

Ephesians Chapter 6 tells us to, "put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground."  I once heard an inspirational speaker on American Family Radio talk about praying every day something like this, "Father I ask that you surround and protect me this day as I put on Your armor.  This day I am armed with Your belt of truth, Your breastplate of righteousness, my feet are fitted with the readiness of the Gospel of peace, I hold up the shield of faith, I put on the helmet of salvation and through prayer I carry the sword of the Spirit.  May this armor which Your Word has described for me keep me alert and praying and ever on Your path.  In Jesus Name I ask this.  Amen."  Ok, so I do not remember at all the word by word version she used...but my point is that her suggestion was that we pray on the armor every single day.  I know I have days where I feel so in line with His plans for my life that I am walking strong and must be wearing every piece of His armor.  Still, I have quite a few days where I stumble, fall and sometimes even lay in the dirt having myself a pity party.  God has given us the tools to fight off the evil, to stand strong in Him and to rise above our circumstances.  We need to choose His way.  He is calling each of us to put on His armor and keep our faith in Him because He has great things in store for us when we remember and choose to stand up against the evil and bad times.  We cannot dwell on the down time, we need to fix our eyes on the Lord and keep that focus on Him by faith.  I know I am the first and the worst at making it a daily walk, a daily journey...but I am getting better.  I am seeing more and more how each piece of His armor is an important tool to stay strong in our hope and faith in Him and His plans for us.  I pray that today you have enough time to stop and through prayer put on the armor of God.  I pray He shines His light on your path and guides you through another week. I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always.
Have an awesome weekend and week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki
 
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Niki's Weekly Thoughts ~ Week Fifteen: 11-3-2006

 

Greetings and a happy Friday to one and all!!

Romans 8:24-25 tells us, "For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

There's this cute story I have heard several times that I want to share...

    A man is conversing with God on matters of time and money.  He asks, "Lord, how long is a minute?"  God replies, "My child, a minute to me is the same as a hundred million years to you."  The man also asks, "Lord, how much is a penny?"  God tells the man, "A penny to me is the same as a hundred million dollars to you."  The man quietly ponders the comparisons and then requests, "Lord, may I please have a penny?"  God smiles at him and says, "In a minute."

    It is often said that it comes to him who waits.  My, oh my, have I felt like I have been waiting.  Isn't it funny though, while it seems to take forever for us to wait on something we so earnestly hope for, once we've had it and look back on it then it always feels that time flies by so quickly.  I started thinking about how time to us and to God is on different scales yet He is always with us.  I compared it in my mind to being a parent.  As a child it seems like every step, every event, every milestone is so long coming...but then once you become a parent those moments fly by so fast that you struggle to grab onto them and cherish them in your heart.  We are right beside our children yet it seems we are almost on different time tables.  But hope is a universal gift, isn't it?  When we hope for something in faith we need to patiently wait for it.  I know from personal experience that this is much easier said than done!  But God has been constantly reminding me through so many different aspects that His will for my life will happen and I need to wait patiently, keep my hope in my faith in His capability to run my life much better than I could ever do on my own.  I have not been feeling well since that sinus infection in early September and this new medicine has clouded my judgement and I cried out to God this week for some relief to that cloud over my mood.  He showed me yet again that I needed simply to refocus my hope and gather up my patience.  He is my rock on which I stand and I pray that He is yours as well.  I know He is showing each of us how to stretch our patience limits and how to hope in Him more and more each day...and by this I know He strengthens our faith as well.  I pray that I was not too rushed this morning to really listen to what God would inspire me to type to you.  I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always. 

Have an awesome weekend and week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

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Weekly Thoughts ~ Week Fourteen: 10-26-2006

Psalm 28:7, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” 

Psalm 75:1, "We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds." 

Psalm 107:1, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Hello and a happy day to one and all!!

This time of year, we usually start looking ahead to the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and maybe New Years.  For years, I would only think of these holidays at this time of year.  More and more though, over the past few years, I have been thinking of them often, throughout the whole year…I love to go “window shopping” and think of who would love this or that…I then dream I had the money to be able to afford to bless them with the gift…then I will try to think of a gift that would cost less but mean just as much or maybe more to them.  I also love to give thanks to our Lord.  I have gotten myself into the habit of making Thanksgiving an everyday celebration.  I use my short commute to work in the mornings to talk with God, to thank Him for another day, for the things He blessed me with recently…when something comes across my mind throughout the day that makes me smile, or reminds me of the good things I have been blessed with in my life, I stop and say thanks to God.  Sadly, too many holidays are being short-changed these days.  The media and their fear of being “Politically Correct” and not offending everyone has led to a “Commercialization” if you will.  It saddens me, and angers me at the same time to think that the true meanings and celebrations are getting lost.  I’m sure that you’ve seen the email circulating around, and around, and around stating about a poll taken of this country to see how many people believe in God, and that the results showed a whopping 87% said yes they believe!  Well, if that number is even ballpark, then I say it is about time for the vast majority of us to stand up and say we are the ones being offended.  But, I myself am only one voice, right?  How about if we start smaller then…what if we stand up in our own homes and say that we don’t wish to lose our holidays any longer?  I think we can all do that.  Let’s try together to have a Thanksgiving this year which focuses on prayers of thanks and on God, who supplies our every need.  Let us also then focus our thoughts on being thankful more often than just the end of November.  Stretch with me if you will and picture also a Christmas centered around God and celebrating not only His son’s humble birth but also all of the wonders He gives us, this time of year and the other 364 days too.  I'm not saying that we should walk around and sing Away in a Manger or Joy to the World everyday...what I am suggesting is that we give extra attention, praise and Thanksgiving to God on these upcoming holidays and also try to keep Him at the forefront of our lives the rest of the year too.  My prayer this week is that His Spirit stays with you and guides you to choose thankfulness each day.  I also pray that He continues to allow me the great honor of your time each week as you share in my thoughts and reflections on His Word and His promises and His great power and love in our lives.   I feel truly blessed that you each continue to share your time with me!  I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always. 

Have an awesome weekend and week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

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Week Thirteen ~ October 19, 2006

Hello and a happy day to one and all!

Lamentations 3:40 "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord."

If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.

The moment I read the above quoted scripture verse, it reminded me of the saying I listed below it.  Isn't that so true of us so many times in our lives?  Don't we try it alone only to find we need to return to the Lord for His guidance?  We ask Him to place us back on His path.  I like the laughter saying.  I know some people may read into the wrong way...but what it reminds me of is when I laugh at something Stasi said.  I am not viscously laughing or poking fun at her.  Sometimes her youth and innocence bubbles out in something absurd that just tickles your heart and makes you laugh.  That's how I picture it with God.  We may tell Him what we think we want or where we think we need to go in life and I believe that gives Him that heart tickle and He laughs.  He laughs because He knows we are only saying that because we don't have all the scoop...only He knows the whole picture and only He knows the best path for our lives.  His plan to prosper us takes patience on our part many times...and I think everyone benefits from laughter so I believe it's ok to discuss your plans with God.  He'll get a good laugh and then you will probably realize His plans are the ones you need to focus on.  Which, of course, means you'll need to truly let go and let God.  Easier said than done, I know!  I have been trying to get myself in the habit of doing so...now when my mind wants to let the concerns, impatience, desires, questions, etc to sneak back in and cloud my mind with worry, I literally have to tell myself to let go and let God.  When simply saying to myself is not enough, I add a prayer...if for some reason that still does not satisfy my stresses then I remind myself that the reason I need to let God have the situation is because He's in charge anyways!  It's not going to turn out any way other than how God has planned.  Period.  So, maybe we need to pray the Serenity Prayer, maybe we need to sing a song, count to ten, talk a short walk...you need to find what works for you and then use it.  I'm not saying it will work overnight but if you keep at it, and pray, then anything is possible.  I pray God helps you to let Him handle all of your worries this week. I also pray that He continues to allow me the great honor of your time each week as you share in my thoughts and reflections on His Word and His promises and His great power and love in our lives.   I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always. 

Have an awesome weekend and week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

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Week Twelve ~ 10-12-2006

Hello and a good day to one and all!!!

I have to be honest with ya'll...today snuck up on me and I had no clue what I was going to type about.  I prayed all morning, all afternoon, at lunch I browsed Bible.com, sent home an email to myself to think about reading Ruth {it's my daughter's middle name after all} and then after a mind-clearing shopping trip...inspired by my hubby who seems to know just when I need to get out of the house...so I came back and felt again that I was supposed to read the Book of Ruth.  But when I got done I thought, "very nice story, but what's it's significance?"  I went and got my trusty Self-Study Commentary for further research.   Then it hits me, ok,yeah, Ruth was David's Grandmother, as in "from the house and lineage of David."  Ok, so she's a distant relative of Jesus, but then again we're all Brothers and sisters in Christ.  I dug deeper.  Did you know that in the first Gospel of Matthew, he writes out the lineage of our Lord?  Why is this important you are asking?  I am getting to that, I promise!!!  See, in the first Chapter of Matthew where the family tree is laid out for us, there are only 4 women mentioned in there...yes, you guessed it Ruth is one of those chosen 4.  Why do I think this is significant?  That's what I was asking myself until I stopped thinking, quieted my heart and mind and asked the Holy Spirit for some much needed help.  Here's why I believe it is so inspiring...God inspired Matthew to list 4 women when traditionally speaking only men made up the family tree/records.  Ruth was not an Israelite, she was an outsider so to speak.  I believe God favored her, chose her to be in this important lineage of our Lord to prove once more what is a recurring, loving, gracious, merciful theme throughout His word...  It does not matter who you are...it matters whose you are!  And it does not matter where you come from...it matters where you are going! We all have a purpose in God's plan.  He has chosen each of us to play an important role.  We choose whether to listen to His call, but He calls us no matter our station in life.  In this day and age society tells us to question everything, evenour faith...but we don't need to.  We feel compelled to wonder, worry, blame, pity...  None of it has to make sense though!  You might have no clue as to why God is calling you, still believe you me if He is calling you had better listen up!  Listen up because He has great things ahead for you!  This week I am praying that the Holy Spirit quiets your minds and opens your hearts so you may hear God's call.  I also pray that He continue to allow me the great honor of your time each week as you share in my thoughts and reflections on His Word and His promises and His great power and love in our lives.   I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always.  Have an awesome weekend and week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

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Week Eleven! ~ 10-5-2006

Hello and a Beautiful, Happy Day to one and all!! J

I am sitting at my desk finishing my Nectarine and beginning this email so that when I get home I need only finish up…but I cannot remember what week I am on now!  What a blessing to get this far.  I would love to go on and on but I don’t believe my purpose is to detail my faith high but rather to inspire ya’ll and encourage your own personal growth in our amazing Lord.  I have a prayer list that seems to grow by the day…some mornings I think, Lord if I didn’t know you better I’d worry I am too lengthy in my prayer requests.  Yet I know in my heart He loves to hear from me and from all of us.  Thinking of all the people on my prayer list and the different things for which I am praying for I began to feel inspired just this afternoon to touch on fear.  Fear is something we have to pray away…it is something most all of us experience…nevertheless the Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  God is impressing upon us that fear comes from Satan, that little stinker plants it in our minds and lets us fight internally with it.  Our wonderful Lord is showing us thru His word that we need to ask Him to remove this fear from us and replace it with trust in Him, and with power, love and sound minds!  How awesome is our God indeed!  Then we can be as God wishes for us, as said in Psalm 112:7, “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.” These evil tidings can be the tragedies in the world around us, or sickness of ourselves or a loved one, or losing a job, being separated from loved ones, or countless other things that can raise the fear level as planted in our minds by the evil one.  I read an awesome reflection on Bible.com encouraging us to reach out to our fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ.  We should never feel embarrassed when the evil tidings overwhelm us...instead we should ask the Holy Spirit to impress upon someone's heart to pray for us...better yet, we should speak up and ask of our friends and family to pray with us and for us.  God knows we need the Body of Christ, His church, especially when we are afraid, or hurting, or depressed...He knows and He has given us this awesome and powerful gift of prayer.  We can give this gift to others when we pray for them.  Someone, we'll call them Smoochy, once told me that a close friend of theirs, we'll call them Scruffy...well, Scruffy had been upset that Scruffy was not made aware of Smoochy's particular problem before it was solved.  Scruffy said they were upset that Smoochy had denied Scruffy the right to pray for them!  Don't feel embarassed, or shy about sharing your troubles with your friends and family...if they're anything like Scruffy then they WANT the right to pray for you in your time of need!  In return, pray for them right back!  Pray thankfulness for having caring friends and family.  Praise God for blessing you with the wonderful people who surround you!  I praise God everyday for each and every one of you - without you I would be talking to myself right now!  Seriously though, I truly feel that you are all a blessing to me, whether you are near or far...I am blessed beyond measure just for knowing you!!  Yes, you!!  ALL of you!  Just for the record...it's Week 11.   I am praying this week that God may fill you with love, power, strength and a sound mind, and that He remove any fears and/or doubts clouding your life.  I also pray that He continue to allow me the great honor of your time each week as you share in my thoughts and reflections on His Word and His promises and His great power and love in our lives.   I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always.  Have an awesome weekend and week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

If you feel inspired to pass along my messages, please do!  And/or if you or someone you know would enjoy receiving my weekly thoughts via email, please send an email to: Banklady79@aol.com

Week Ten ~ 9-28-2006

 

Habakkuk 3:2 "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord.  Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."

Hello and a Happy Day to all!

I have to admit, part of the reason I like that verse is because it has an awesome message doubled with praise.  However, part of why I like it is because it is just so much fun to say, "Habakkuk!"  Don't you think?  If kids these days weren't so mean I would love to name a child after Habakkuk, though I honestly need to do some more research on Habakkuk because  know very little about Habakkuk other than it is a 3 Chapter book in my beloved Bible.  I love verses that praise our Lord because when I am high on that hill they give me even more to proclaim to His name...and when I am low in the valley, then the praise verses remind me to lift His name on high no matter what I am going thru.  The more and more I praise God and read His word and pray...well, the more I, like Habakkuk, am in awe of all of His deeds.  I had to pray when I reflected on this verse that again, now in our day and time, we need the Lord to renew His deeds and make His presence known in our world.  I could go on and on all night over how it disturbs me to see how God is being pushed further and further from so many people and places in this world.  It stirs up so many emotions in me, sadness, anger, fear and determination.  I am sad for the people who so vehemently deny His Word, His love and His very existence and I pray that they may be touched by the Holy Spirit and saved.  I am angry at those who are shouting at the top of their lungs that their rights as Americans are being violated by Christians, or the use of Christmas and other "Religious" names for holidays.  I fear where this world is heading and what struggles my daughter will face as a Christian growing up in this age of unfaithfulness, I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide her footsteps and that therefore her steps will not slide.  I am determined that my immediate family and I will continue to go to church each week and surround ourselves daily in His word, His love and reston His promises.  I cannot recall the Book, Chapter or the verse, but I remember there being a passage in the Bible that tells us not to worry.  We need to place 100% trust in the Lord and take Him at His word.  Easier said than done, I know!  I am still personally going thru the roller-coaster of trusting Him entirely.  The more I pray, the closer I feel I am getting to reaching that goal and I KNOW He will help me get there as I continue to ask Him for His help.

Tonight, from chilly Chicago, I pray that you can find time to stand back and awe at the wonders of our Lord...be it a sunset, a cloud that looks so pretty it seems fake, a flower that should not have bloomed this long, or whatever you may find.  I pray that God shows you His deeds and has mercy on us all.  I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always.  Have an awesome weekend and week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

If you feel inspired to pass along my email, please do!  And/or if you know of anyone who would enjoy my thoughts, please send an email to: Banklady79@aol.com

My weekly messages can now also be viewed at:

All messages: http://my.care2.com/ngoofychic79/sharebook

All messages:  http://journals.aol.com/banklady79/weeklythoughts/

This link only has the current week's message: http://my.care2.com/

Week Nine ~ 9-21-2006

 

Happy day to one and all!

I have been tossing around thoughts on forgiveness for quite a few weeks now but always seem to choose another topic for these emails.  I think it is hard for me to "talk" about forgiveness for I am still a major work in progress in this department!  Still, I have started to realize lately that although whatever offense that was done unto me may have hurt me...holding onto that "grudge" for lack of another word...refusing to forgive the other person, well that was truly hurting me far more deeply than whatever the thing needing to be forgiven ever could.  I am fast finding out that the longer you hold onto the hostile feelings, the farther back in your past they go then the harder and harder it gets to forgive and forget.  Forgiveness is such a powerful and incredibly important part of being a Christian!  In Matthew 6:14-15 the Bible tells us, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."  A guest priest at our church several Sundays ago spoke of the Lord's Prayer and broke down how we ask Our Heavenly Father to, "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. "  He elaborated on how if we are asking God to forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us but then we do not forgive how then can we expect God's forgiveness?  I have prayed hard for an uplifting positive side to this because it all feels so serious to me...which is because it is serious business!  It can change our whole outlook when we let go, forgive those who've hurt us...we will feel such a freedom that I cannot even explain in words.  So as I pray for the strength, wisdom, courage and love to be able to forgive those I have not yet been able to fully forgive, I also pray that if there is anyone whom you need to forgive that God will guide you and grant you the strength, wisdom, courage and love to be able to forgive them.  The good news is in I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  I never stop loving the Bible and the positive messages it holds in store for each and everyone of us!!!  I pray He grants you each protection and deliverance from whatever you may need this week.  I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always.  Have an awesome week ahead! 

I will be on vacation next week but expect to have access to a computer so hopefully you will hear from me Thursday as usual.

Love through Christ,
Niki

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Week Eight - 9-14-2006

 So sorry to have not posted this on here sooner...

Hello and Happy day to one and all!

While reading Stasi her bedtime devotion Monday night I was inspired by the verse it was centered around.  Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Whoa!  You think those words are powerful and such an awesome explanation?  Well, if you are like me you will.  When you have a few minutes I would encourage you to read all of Chapter 11 because it is all about what faith has accomplished throughout the Bible.  My grandparents, who are one of the great sources of faith in my life, gave me a Concordia Self-Study Commentary for Christmas.  In its introduction to Hebrews it talks about the purpose of the letter to the Hebrews and how, "they were growing disspirited...the continuous pressure of public content...had ceased to progress their faith."  Ok, I do not know about you, but that sounds a lot like it was being written to us, in this day and time.  Are we not constantly reminded of the "continuous pressure of public content" every time we pick up a newspaper or turn on the news?  No more prayers in school, careful not to offend anyone by speaking freely about God in the workplace and Christmas is no longer Politically Correct!  However I am getting away from the positive, inspiring points I wanted to focus on.  "Being sure of what we hope for," is a hard concept to grasp, let alone to live by.  I now believe I am sure of what I hope for, but it has taken quite a road to get me to this point in my faith.  Now I am sure that God will grant these hopes to me, even if not in the exact form I am thinking of.  He will grant us our hopes when we stay steadfast in our faith thru the hard times.  That last part of the verse seems to me like it can be a lot of fun to toss around different examples of.  For instance, we cannot see the air {except on a below 0 day in Chicago} but still we are quite certain it is there.  You know, I've never seen gravity, but I can bet we've all experienced it's pull at some awkward point or another!  So true is it also for we who believe in God that we cannot see Him yet we are very certain He exists.  God, angels, heaven, air, gravity, they all exist and they are unseen mysteries that we place our faith in.  For lack of a better description, HOW COOL!  I just can't get over how it is so simple and so complex all at the same time.  The simple truth is no matter how hard life gets, we know God is there and when we keep our hope in Him, that's faith...and when we hold onto that faith it makes each day, each hour...no each moment that much more uplifting!  I pray you each have a faith filled weekend and week ahead.  May God smile upon you and inspire you to be certain of what you cannot see.  I pray He grants you each protection and deliverance from whatever you may need this week.  I continue to pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always.  Have an awesome week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

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My weekly messages can now also be viewed at:

All messages: http://my.care2.com/ngoofychic79/sharebook

All messages:  http://journals.aol.com/banklady79/weeklythoughts/

This link only has the current week's message: http://my.care2.com/ngoofychic79 

Week Seven 9-10-2006

 Happy Sunday to all! 

I apologize for the tardiness of my thoughts this week.  I have been not well and was unable to sit here and type until today.  I have been thinking of you all and as always you each remain in my prayers.  My mom told me a few weeks ago about an inspiring sermon given at her church.  She quoted verses from 1 Kings 19:4-8 along with 2 others.  I remember her excitement as she worked to apply what she learned to her everyday life.  She enlightened me about how Elijah was experiencing what we all do, a valley.  We all have hills and valleys we travel through.  When we come down from the hills, the peaks, we are typically tired and feel unable to go on and that is when the devil pounces on us.  That little stinker is exactly how 1 Peter 5:8-9 describes him, “like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” and he wants to push us down and make us feel we cannot pull back out of the valleys, the ditches to get back to the road we are traveling.  I like the way the Bible is constantly reminded us that other Christians are going thru the same thing.  It helps me to say to myself that it may be rough but others have gone thru it and survived by faith and I can too!  We not only need to remember what we are all each experiencing but also that we can turn to each other in our times of weakness, when stumbling through a valley, we can turn to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ for strength, inspiration and love.  We can also always turn to our heavenly Father and He will either deliver us directly from it or guide us and strengthen us to move thru it.  It all comes back to His plan for us, and how He has that plan in place to give us hope and a future.  He knows we need Him and we also need some tangible assistance, friends and family to help us stay strong, to pray for each other.  When we are up on those peaks in our lives we need to draw from those experiences the strength and store them in our hearts to reach for when we are weakened and fall into a valley.  I know I have been fighting a valley of my own with this sinus infection.  I cannot say I stayed 100% strong and positive, I know there were a few complaints on my part, aches and chills, and the like.  However, for the most part, I was thankful for what I could find in the experience...thankful that in the 6 months since I started my allergy shots this is the first sinus infection I have had {I routinely in the past would have been sick at least 3 times in that time-span}, I was equally grateful that I listened to God's wisdom and to my body and took myself to the doctor on Friday before it got so bad that I miss multiple days of work.   Beyond those I was additionally thankful that I got this now as opposed to 2 weeks from now when we will be heading on vacation to IL to visit family and friends.  That's a lot of thankfulness and there were more on top of those but I don't want this to be all about me.  So as we head into this week I pray that each of you may enjoy your peaks and find ways to be thankful even in your valleys.  I pray that you all will remain alert against the enemy's lion ways and remember that your brothers and sisters in Christ are not only here for you but are experiencing their own valleys as well.  I pray that you stay strong spiritually and physically and when you feel tired that you lean upon God, His word and His children - because together we can all hold onto our victory in Him.  I additionally pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always.  Have an awesome week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

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Seniors Version of Jesus Loves Me

An email story shared with me from my grandfather who received from a friend:

Many years ago while watching a little TV on Sunday instead of going to church, I watched a Church in Atlanta honoring one of it's senior pastors who had been retired many years.  He was 92 at the time and I wondered why the Church even bothered to ask the old gentleman to preach at that age.  After a warm welcome, introduction of this speaker, and as the applause quieted down, he rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort and sliding gait to the podium.  Without a note or written paper of any kind, he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak. 

"When I was asked to come here today and talk to you,  your pastor asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50 odd years of preaching.  I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials.  The one thing I could always rely on when tears and heart break and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me, the only thing that could comfort me was this verse:

Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to him belong, we are weak but he is strong.  Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so."  

When he finished the church was quiet.  You could actually hear his foot steps as he shuffled back to his chair.  I don't believe I will ever forget it.

Another pastor once stated, "I once noted that it was the adults who chose the children's hymn "Jesus loves me" for the children of course during a hymn sing and it was the adults who sang the loudest because I could see they knew it best"

 

Here's the Senior's version:

Jesus Loves me, this I know, Though my hair is white as snow,

Though my sight is growing dim, Still he bids me trust in Him .

Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me,

Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

Though my steps are oh, so slow, With my hand in His I go.

On through life, let come what may, He'll be there to lead the way

Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me,

Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

Though I am no longer young, I have much which He's begun.

Let me serve Christ with a smile, Go with others the extra mile 

Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me,

Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

When the nights are dark and long, In my heart he puts a song.

Telling me in words so clear, "Have no fear, for I am near."

Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me,

Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

When my work on earth is done, And life's victories have been won,

He will take me home above, Then I'll understand his love.

Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me,

Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

I love Jesus, does He know? Have I ever told Him so?

Jesus loves to hear me say, That I love him every day.

Week Six - August 31, 2006

 

Hello and Happy Friday to one and all!!!

 So I guess I have gone from long to longer with my weekly messages but thusfar {besides George} no one has complained so I will ask you to bear with me as I am not yet skilled in shorter versions of what I wish to share with you each week.  I want to open with a few Bible verses that I came across while preparing and researching this week.  If the Romans verse is a little long for you to follow please read at least verses 3-5.  Thanks!
Passage James 5:16:
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Romans 4:1-5, & 18-25
(1)What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? (2)If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. (3)What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."  (4)Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. (5)However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. (18)Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (19)Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. (20)Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, (21)being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (22)This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." (23)The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, (24)but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. (25)He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Passage Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Wow, powerful stuff here!  God is so awesome!  I just cannot get over it, nor do I want to!  I found the first verse in James on Bible.com, it was Monday's Verse of the Day.  When I read "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective," it made me remember the other verses.  I am going to say I believe God wants us to share not only our happy and sad times with him and with each other...but He also wants us to confess out shortcomings, our sins, our debts to each other.  Okay, now I know personally my pride makes me say, "How embarrassing, I'm supposed to share all my mistakes with those around me?"  However, really think about this and picture that your experience, sin, whatever, maybe by sharing this with a fellow Christian or better yet, a Non-Christian, maybe by doing so you help that person become closer to God.  We are constantly learning, aren't we?  Isn't also true then that we can learn from each other's mistakes, and we can learn how to overcome our pride by sharing those sins and praying with and for each other?  I know this almost seems crazy but maybe if we share our sins with a non-believer and also share our forgiveness of those sins through the power of the cross with that same Non-believer, isn't it possible that God would use that sharing to open a path into the non-believer's heart?  Of course it is possible!  All things are possible with God!!! It gives me chills and thrills and makes me pray even harder for the courage to witness outside my comfort zone.  But wait, I am only halfway through James 5:16, it gets better still!  So next it tells us to pray for each other so we may be healed, right?  Healed, such a loaded word!  There are so many perspectives on that word.  But let me give you my take on how it relates to this verse...we know that sins causes the pain and suffering in this world and in our homes and even in our bodies, so if we confess those sins to each other and pray for each other then I think God is telling us that is exactly the medicine we need for our healing!  I could really keep expanding on that but I would like to leave it open to your own prayerful considerations.  I see this is getting long but please hang out with me just a bit more because I want to discuss the last part of the verse from James.  This is where the Romans and Genesis passages tie in..."The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."  Alright, so at first this intimidated me and I thought, 'So who's considered righteous, because I have a long list of people I am praying for and maybe my prayers aren't effective enough?"  I did not dwell on that thinking long, instead I remembered the verses in Romans and Genesis where the Bible touches on this very matter!  Ok, I know, wrap it up Niki!  Indulge me if you will and scroll back up and re-read Romans 4 verses 5 and 24.  Go ahead, I will wait.  Ready?  Whoa!  Totally, incredibly, overwhelmingly amazing!!!  God's love and grace towards us blows me away!  He is telling us - have faith and I will credit to you as righteousness!!  So friends we are all righteous through our faith, when we keep that faith in God, and His promises to us we have become righteous!  Therefore each and every one of us has the power to pray powerfully and effectively by our faith!  This to me is...well I am nearly speechless on how cool it really is.  {You are thinking, yeah right, you speechless?} But truthfully, some mornings when I am talking with God I get so overwhelmed by His love and grace and promises that I simply smile and say, "It's a good thing You know what's in my heart Lord because this morning Your love has me speechless."  Something to that effect.  Ok, I make it sound a little too easy...it does explain further that we need to believe in hope, not waiver through unbelief and continually give glory to God...but as Christians isn't that what we are supposed to do?  In all things give God the glory, right?  It may not be an easy road to take, nevertheless it is the most rewarding travel.  With our ultimate reward being victory over death by way of Jesus life saving blood.  I've gotten a little off track here at the end but I hope that you are able to take something from this away and use it to stay strong in our Lord this week. 
I pray this week that you find ways to believe God's promises for your life in hope stay steadfast and strong.  I pray that you each will not waiver through unbelief but instead find ways to give glory to God.  I additionally pray that God surrounds you with His love, favor and blessings this day, this week and always.  Have an awesome weekend and week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki
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Week 5 August 24, 2006

 

Happy Friday to one and all!!!

I had to do something this week that I fear a lot...I had to go to the Dentist.  Now, for a lot of people this may be a normal bi-yearly visit.  For me, on the other hand, it is a confrontation of a phobia!  I freak out, I get sweaty palms and whether I tell them to stop or not my eyes leak {crying tears} a lot.  Long story short, went in for a toothache and they of course took an x-ray.  Then this New Dentist I had never before met in my life tells me I need a Root Canal and I need it today.  I prayed.  I pray everyday, I pray all day but yesterday I prayed with urgency that you can only have when facing your worst fears.  God answered this prayer swiftly and might I even say miraculously.  The dentist got in the tooth and found the cavity had not reached the nerve as she feared and she was able to treat with a mere filling instead.  Hallelujah!

So here I am this morning praying, "Lord, THANK YOU so much!" Then I realized I had spent so much time this week worrying about a silly tooth and I had no idea what I was going to type about this evening.  So I kept praying, "Lord, please inspire me so I may inspire others."  You know I no sooner spoke that prayer then the thought came into my mind...Prayer!  The power of prayer, the answers God uses...what a huge topic.  {And I have heard from hubby that my emails tend to get too long as it is.}  So I just want to share a few of my prayer highlights if you will...though it's really not enough in my mind to do any justice I will try not to undermine it.  My Grampa used to tell me {and I know you're reading this Grampa so please forgive me for not recalling exact phrases and word but I'll try to get as close as I can} about the different ways God answers us.  Of course we tend to think it's just a yes or no deal...but our God is a God of choices and He is so much bigger than a simple yes or a simple no.  He may use those but I would venture to say {and here's where I am paraphrasing if you will} God might tell us "not yet, the time is not right," or He may choose to tell us "that's not what I had in mind."  However, so many times if we ask for something in faith and are patient and continue that faith then He rewards us with something better than what we originally prayed for and it is then that I think God has answered our prayers by saying, "I have a better idea."  How awesome is it to know that the One listening to our prayers knows us better than we know ourselves and has better ideas, truly plans, for our lives!  The power of prayer, especially knowing that God might say, "Hey, I've got a better idea," that power is so great!  It is all encompassing, it tells me that not only does prayer hold the power to heal, comfort, strengthen, lift up, save, and forgive...but it also is being received by a loving, awesome God who knows what is best for us and wants to give it to us if we have faith.  Trust me this is a concept I am very young in.  I am just starting to find the power of prayer and feel strong enough to have faith in God to answer those prayers for the best.  I am still fumbling, I still fall, but I am getting so much better at picking myself back up and reminding myself that the more I pray and have that faith like a mustard seed then softer the fall.  I may have said this before but I love to tell myself all of the time...Life is hard anyway, we have to work at it no mater which way you slice it.  I have had people ask how I can stay cheerful so often and isn't that so hard to do.  But I say to you and to them, if Life is going to be tough work anyway, may as well work at being cheerful along the ride.  Things always look brighter when you carry a smile!

I'm sorry but I'm afraid I have typed a long one anyway.  I pray that each of you feels God's love surrounding you.  I pray you may find the time to explore the power of prayer and see what God answers with.  Time seems so fleeting but ASAP-Always Say A Prayer.

Love through Christ,

Niki

Ephesians 5:1 ~ Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
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Week Four 8-18-2006

 

Hello and a Happy Day to all!!

Week 4 and I am a little less nervous about writing now.  Our weekly subscriber list has grown to 9 people!  There is a quote I love that I do not know the author of but I would like to share it with you.  "God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called."  I love the perspectives that can be taken on this.  One angle I see is that God chooses each of us for His calling no matter what talents we think or others think that we have or do not have.  God is in charge and He doesn't wait around for a "qualified" person He picks us for the job!  But I think an even better perspective of this quote is this... The world views or even our own views of what qualifies someone to minister or share their faith or serve others in a multitude of ways are not the views God uses to call His people.  He knows what each of us is capable of in every scenario.  He made us!  God calls us because He knows what we don't, He knows we have what it takes to get the job done.  Whatever the job may be.  I feel that if God has called us to do a job that seems over our heads or for someone more "qualified" then He is using this experience to strengthen us...spiritually and emotionally!  He also knows that we may be afraid and are trying to point at the more "qualified" as a mere cop-out because we don't realize our own potential.  Here am I, a 27-year-old, married, mother of one and I am weekly addressing not only the 9 of you but also an unknown number of people on my Care2 homepage at http://my.care2.com/ngoofychic79

I had been praying for God to show me how I could make any difference, even just a little.  I have been asking my Savior to please allow me to bless other, that He might use to me for His work.  How awesome to think that my little thoughts/messages might touch someone's heart.  I want to share His love!  There is nothing greater than sharing His love with others, starting with the ones closest to me...family and friends.  Being a part of that - even a small part - is a total faith high!  There is nothing like it!  I would rather have this feeling, this joy of hoping I am lifting even one person's spirit, I would rather have this than a glass of wine or a bowl of ice cream.  My prayer this week is for each of you to feel God's love and favor in your lives.  He has called each of you to His purpose for your life...you may be uncertain or even afraid but He will get you thru!  He will show you how strong He knows you are.  I believe in your strength through God and I pray He shows it to you.

 

Have an extremely blessed weekend and week ahead!

Love through Christ,

Niki

 

Romans 1:6
"And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ."

 

If you feel inspired to pass along my email, please do!  And/or if you know of anyone who would enjoy my thoughts, please send an email