tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57592663177542141532024-03-05T11:30:53.219-05:00Midday JoyComing Soon!Joy 102.5http://www.blogger.com/profile/11997296771850690812noreply@blogger.comBlogger247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-88826711198420883132013-02-04T11:00:00.000-05:002013-02-04T11:00:04.731-05:00Monday, February 4, 2013<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Joke of the Day</b>: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">A guy is driving around Wadsworth, Ohio and he sees a sign in front of a house: "Talking Dog For Sale." He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">The guy goes into the backyard and sees a Labrador retriever sitting there. "You talk?" he asks.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">"Yep," the Lab replies.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">"So, what's your story?"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">The Lab looks up and says, "Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA about my gift, and in no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">"Ten dollars," the guy says.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">"Ten dollars? This dog is amazing. Why on earth are you selling him so cheaply?"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">"Because he's a habitual liar - he never did any of that stuff."</span></span><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><b>Useless Fact:</b> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">Experts say kissing a child's boo boo really does make it better. The child believes the pain will stop and that triggers the release of pain killing endorphins. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><b>Drive Time Devotion</b>: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><em>Read: </em><a href="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?language=english&version=NIV&passage=Matthew+18:15-20"><em>Matthew 18:15-20</em></a></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. —Proverbs 3:3</em><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The police in San Diego received complaints from a woman who said she was getting annoying phone calls. In the middle of the night a person would phone her, bark like a dog, and then hang up. Police eventually discovered that the source of the calls was a neighbor. He said that whenever he was awakened by the barking of her dog, he wanted to make sure she was awake too.<br />The neighbor's approach certainly didn't express the wisdom of God. The Scriptures tell us that it is often necessary to face a problem head-on (Matthew 18:15-20). At the right time and for the sake of all parties involved, an honest discussion is part of the solution.<br />Yet such a loving, open approach is not usually followed among Christians. Rather than trusting God and walking into a tense situation with a clear conscience and a desire for peace, we tend to play games. Hints are dropped. Affection is withheld. Conversation is abbreviated. The air gets chilly, and ice forms around a situation that can only be melted by a wise combination of mercy and truth (Proverbs 3:3).<br />Our complaints against others cannot be smoothed over by burying our anger. If a problem is not small enough to overlook graciously, then let's talk about it. —Mart De Haan</span></div>
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<em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you can't forgive a brother<br />For the wrong he's done to you,<br />Go to him and talk it over—<br />That's the Christian thing to do. —D. De Haan</span></em></div>
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<strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The best way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend.</span></strong></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-59207792185795339192013-02-01T11:00:00.000-05:002013-02-01T11:00:02.718-05:00Friday, February 1, 2013<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Joke of the Day</b>: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">Jack has died. His lawyer is standing before the family and reads Jack's last will and testament: "To my dear wife Esther, I leave the house, 50 acres of land, and one million dollars. To my son Barry, I leave my big Lexus and the Jaguar. To my daughter Suzy, I leave my yacht and $250,000. And to my brother-in-law Jeff, who always insisted that health is better than wealth, I leave my sun lamp."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><b>Useless Fact</b>: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">A study by MSN.com found that having a wife for 50 years costs the average man $590,400 in restaurant dinners, vacations and gifts.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><b>Drive Time Devotion</b>: </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years and were returning to New York to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were defeated, discouraged, and afraid. They discovered they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">No one paid any attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the President's entourage, with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, "Something is wrong."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">"Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes much over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">"Dear, you shouldn't feel that way", his wife said.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">He replied "I can't help it; it doesn't seem right."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The papers were full of the President's arrival. No one noticed this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the East Side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">That night the man's spirit broke. He said to his wife, "I can't take this; God is not treating us fairly".</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">His wife replied, "Why don't you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">"The Lord settled it with me", he said. "I told Him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">"But you're not home yet."</span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-62395988910823778842013-01-31T11:00:00.000-05:002013-01-31T11:00:09.596-05:00Thursday, January 31, 2013<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Joke of the Day</b>: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">During Maria’s brother's wedding, her mother managed to keep from crying until she glanced at her grandparents. Maria’s grandmother had reached over to her grandfather's wheelchair and gently touched his hand. That was all it took to start her mother's tears flowing. After the wedding, her mother went over to her grandmother and told her how that tender gesture triggered her outburst. "Well, I'm sorry to ruin your moment," Grandmother replied, "but I was just checking to see if he was still alive."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><b>Useless Fact</b>: </span>In 1952, Queen Elizabeth was named Time magazine's "Man Of The Year."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Drive Time Devotion</b>: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">When Jacob wrestled with the angel at Peniel, the angel tried to overpower him. He knew that unless he could break Jacob’s stubborn and deceptive will, Jacob would never attain greatness in God.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you,” an obvious statement of learning the “rest” of submission. You will not go very far with God until you allow Him to subdue your drive, energies, ambitions, and passions. When He wins that battle over you, the “rest” of God will follow.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">Later in Jacob’s struggle, he held on to the angel of the Lord, forcefully pressing in for a blessing from the One who had subdued him. Jesus told His disciples that “the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people attack it” (Matthew 11:12).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">God wants you to rest in your flesh and be forceful in your spirit! That balance changed Jacob from a trickster to a prince with God.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><em>--By Larry Stockstill</em></span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-20463120287539092002013-01-30T11:00:00.000-05:002013-01-25T13:27:13.679-05:00Wednesday, January 30, 2013<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Joke of the Day</b>: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">A couple had been married for 45 years and had raised a brood of 11 children and were blessed with 22 grandchildren. When asked the secret for staying together all that time, the wife replies, "Many years ago we made a promise to each other: the first one to pack up and leave has to take all the kids."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><b>Useless Fact</b>: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">Whether you tend to sit or stand may make a difference of up to 350 calories a day, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, report. Overweight people in the study spend about two and a half extra hours daily chair bound than did their lean counterparts. Give up your seat on the bus or rise when you answer the phone; it may mean a more fit you.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><b>Drive Time Devotion</b>: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><em>Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. – Luke 4:1-2</em></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">Part of our human experience involves temptation. Many have said that in order for Jesus to truly be our savior, he had to experience all of our human emotions and feelings. Temptation is one of those human experiences Jesus had to experience.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">The problem is that there are simply too many temptations in life. Here are a few of them: Mae West says that whenever she had to choose between two evils, she picked the one she hadn't tried yet.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">"If you're going to do something tonight that you'll be sorry for tomorrow morning," said one, "sleep late."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">A lawyer and his client are sitting in the law office and the client says to the lawyer, "The question of right and wrong is very clear. I want you to cloud it up for me."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">Yes, there is temptation all around us, but we don't have to give in to it.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><em>Forgiving God, help me to not be led into temptation, but help me to live a holy life for you. Amen.</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><em>--Author Unknown</em></span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-36795465668616061832012-09-18T07:19:00.000-04:002012-09-18T07:19:00.397-04:00Tuesday, September 18, 2012<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">DRIVE-TIME DEVOTION</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong>ON CREAKY KNEES</strong><br /><strong><em>Read: Psalm 116</em></strong></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><strong><em>Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. --Psalm 116:2</em></strong></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Meet Margaret the battler. More than 90 years of memories and faith are
her legacy, but she's not ready to surrender. Her life is full of the
physical pain that often accompanies old age, and even though she's too
weak to walk anymore, Margaret is not done with her ministry.<br />
Despite her increasing feebleness, and despite her near deafness and
inability to move around, Margaret has a ministry that reaches far
beyond the walls of the nursing home where she lives. Every day--often
for hours at a time--she sits in her chair with a stack of prayer cards
and prays diligently for missionaries. And sometimes, when she can push
her frail body to do so, she kneels beside her bed on creaky knees to
talk with God.<br />
Margaret doesn't have much more than prayer to offer her Lord. She is
the essence of the answer to the question in Psalm 116:12, "What shall I
render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?" Verse 13 answers,
"I will . . . call upon the name of the Lord."<br />
A lifetime of being sustained by God's love, grace, and mercy is just
about over for Margaret. In the face of mounting physical weakness, she
is staying spiritually strong to the end. O to have her courage and
dedication--at any age!<br /><em>(From Campus Journal)</em></span>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-2927071735649295552012-09-17T07:13:00.004-04:002012-09-17T07:13:43.983-04:00Monday, September 15, 2012<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong>DRIVE-TIME DEVOTION</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong>NO MORE EXCUSES</strong><br /><strong><em>Read: <a href="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?language=english&version=NIV&passage=Ezekiel+18:1-18">Ezekiel 18:1-18</a></em></strong></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><strong><em>The soul who sins shall die. —Ezekiel 18:4</em></strong></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
When salmon travel hundreds of miles up rivers and streams to spawn,
they are acting on instinct. They are in a sense being driven by an
uncontrollable force. <br />
I read about a young convict who thinks that human conduct is similar to
that of the salmon. Referring to the murders he committed and to his
own fate, he said, "Things just happen." He thinks some kind of force
was responsible for his pulling the trigger and killing two people. But
he is wrong. Man is free and cannot blame his sinful actions on an
uncontrollable force such as instinct. <br />
More than 2,500 years ago, some Israelites were using a similar excuse
for their sin. They quoted a well-known proverb that placed the blame
for their sins on their ancestors (Ezekiel 18:2). But God told them they
were wrong. He said that a good man will not be punished for the sins
of a wicked son. Nor will a godly son be punished for the sins of his
evil father. <br />
Make no mistake. No matter what your situation, you are responsible for
what you do. Stop offering excuses for your sins. Instead, acknowledge
your guilt to God and accept the forgiveness He offers (Psalm 32:5).
That's the first step in exercising your individual responsibility.
—Herb Vander Lugt </span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-70447277423297906772012-08-15T07:01:00.000-04:002012-08-15T07:01:01.963-04:00Wednesday, August 15, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b>Birthday Verse of the Day: </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<strong>Romans 8:15 NIV = </strong>For you did not receive a spirit that
makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b>Today in History:</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<strong>1911:</strong> Procter & Gamble of Cincinnati introduced Crisco hydrogenated shortening.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<strong>1939:</strong> The film Wizard of Oz premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<strong>1999:</strong> Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship, the youngest player to win two majors since Seve Ballesteros.</div>
<strong style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1456:</strong><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The Gutenberg Bible, the first book printed from a
movable type, was dated by hand. Printed by the German Johann
Gutenberg, its exact date of publication is unknown. Gutenberg probably
printed about 180 copies, of which 20 complete copies are extant. The
Gutenberg Bible is the oldest surviving printed book in Europe. </span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-82854740463276588072012-08-15T06:58:00.001-04:002012-08-15T06:58:26.897-04:00Tuesday, August 14, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b>Birthday Verse of the Day:</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<strong>Romans 8:14 NIV = </strong>because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b>Today in History:</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<strong>1935:</strong> U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed the
Social Security Act, creating a system of federal income insurance for
the elderly.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<strong>2003:</strong> The chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court,
Roy Moore, said he would not remove a Ten Commandments monument from the
state judicial building, defying a federal court order to remove the
granite monument.</div>
<strong style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1942:</strong><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Bill Wallace returns to China as a missionary doctor. He had vowed to give his life for this work years earlier. </span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-18529626883154553192012-08-15T06:56:00.001-04:002012-08-15T06:56:12.408-04:00Monday, August 13, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Birthday Verse of the Day:</b> <strong> </strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Isaiah 8:13 NIV = </strong>The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Today in History:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1910:</strong> Nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale died at age 90. She had taken to her bed 34 years earlier, convinced she was dying. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1998</strong>: Iowa honored longtime Governor Terry Branstad by
having his likeness carved in a 150-pound block of Colby cheese. The
bust was displayed in a cooler outside the cattle barn at the Iowa State
Fair.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>1587:</strong> Members of Sir Walter Raleigh's expedition to Roanoke baptizes Manko, the first American Indian convert to Protestantism. </span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-2787690161929336362012-08-10T06:58:00.000-04:002012-08-10T06:58:00.166-04:00Friday, August 10, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Today in History</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1498:</strong> England’s King Henry the 7th paid
John Cabot a 10-pound reward for discovering Canada. In American currency, that
was about $15 worth of beads.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1993:</strong> Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as
the U.S. Supreme Court`s 107th justice, and second female member.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1948:</strong> English apologist C.S. Lewis wrote in
a letter: "We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because
it is good; if bad, because it works in us patience, humility, contempt of this
world and the hope of our eternal country."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Birthday Verse of the Day</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>Nehemiah 8:10 NIV = </strong>Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet
drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to
our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” </span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-35685854800399032012-08-09T07:02:00.000-04:002012-08-09T07:02:00.458-04:00Thursday, August 9, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Today in History:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1944:</strong> The U.S. Forest Service and the
Wartime Advertising Council created the character Smokey the Bear to plead for
Americans to prevent forest fires. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1765:</strong> English founder of Methodism John
Wesley wrote in a letter: "You have but one Pattern; follow Him inwardly
and outwardly. If other believers will go step for step with you, well; but if
not, follow Him!"</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Birthday Verse of the Day:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV = </strong>For you know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-20081838501592072802012-08-08T07:01:00.000-04:002012-08-08T07:01:00.488-04:00Wednesday, August 8, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Today in History:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1923:</strong> Clarinetist Benny Goodman got his
first professional job as a band leader on a Chicago excursion boat. He was 14
years old.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1974:</strong> President Richard Nixon announced he
would resign following new damaging revelations in the Watergate scandal.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1994:</strong> Israel and Jordan opened the first road link between
the two once-warring countries.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Birthday Verse of the Day:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Zechariah 8:8 NIV = </strong>...they will be my
people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”</span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-77308668483044391732012-08-07T06:59:00.003-04:002012-08-07T07:00:08.855-04:00Tuesday, July 7, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Today in History:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>1782:</b> George Washington created the Order
of the Purple Heart, a decoration to recognize merit in military enlisted men
and noncommissioned officers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>1999:</b> Boston's Wade Boggs became the first
player to homer for his 3,000th hit.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>1771:</b> Francis Asbury answers John Wesley's call for
volunteers to go to America as missionaries; he would become the father of
American Methodism.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Birthday Verse of the Day:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Deuteronomy 8:7 NIV = </b>For the LORD your God
is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with
springs flowing in the valleys and hills.</span></div>
<br />
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-60551127068020430782012-08-06T06:32:00.004-04:002012-08-06T06:32:39.942-04:00Monday, August 6, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Today in History:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1806:</strong> The Holy Roman Empire went out of
existence as Emperor Francis I abdicated.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>2003:</strong> Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger used an appearance on
NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to announce his successful bid
to replace California Governor Gray Davis.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Birthday Verse of the Day:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1 Corinthians 8:6 NIV = </strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Y</span></strong>et for us there is but one God, the
Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one
Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-56401637973835251822012-08-02T09:50:00.000-04:002012-08-02T09:50:00.405-04:00Thursday, August 2, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Today in History: </span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><em><span style="font-style: normal;">1776</span></em> <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Delegates sign Declaration of Independence</span></strong>.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1923, the 29th president of the United States,
Warren G. Harding, died in San Francisco. Calvin Coolidge took the oath of
office as President of the United States.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Midday Devotional</b>: A very important guideline for setting priorities is to keep looking forward. Learn from past experiences and mistakes, but don't continue looking backward at them. Look forward to experiences that will help you continue to grow to a deeper level of faith in Christ Jesus. The things you give your time and energy to should help you become a better person and a stronger Christian. Don't beat yourself up over past failures. Forget them and turn to look at what is ahead for you. Face the finish line and do everything you can to be worthy of the prize you will receive when you cross that line. </span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-14865266716711665512012-08-01T09:45:00.000-04:002012-08-01T09:45:00.189-04:00Wednesday, August 1, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Today in History:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1790:</strong> The first U.S. census was completed,
showing a population of just under 4 million people.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1960:</strong> Parkway Records released single #811:
Chubby Checker’s "The Twist."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1779:</strong> Francis Scott Key, author of
"The Star-Spangled Banner" and a devout Episcopalian who helped
establish the American Sunday School Union, is born.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Midday Devotional: </span></b><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Yes, interruptions can be annoying, but they can
also mean you are greatly loved. </strong><b><br />
<em>By Bob Perks</em></b><br />
I had been complaining to a friend about my Sunday. My wife and I went upstairs
to put the television on and watch some old movies. I was determined not to be
interrupted. "I just won't answer the phone," I declared. <br />
About 10 minutes into my "peace and quiet" the phone rang. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I knew it had to be my son, Keith. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He could sense a bit of frustration in my voice, and I toned
it down. I didn't want him to feel like I really didn't want to speak with him.<br />
Afterwards, I crawled back into bed. Our dogs, Ricky and Lucy, often join us
for a quick nap. They normally sleep through anything, but today every little
sound made them bark. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I had just settled down when the phone rang again. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It was my brother. He was trying out his new cell phone and
wanted to give me the number. We talked and I felt bad for not wanting to
answer the call. He makes me laugh. Today I needed to laugh. <br />
Not more than 15 minutes later the phone rang again</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I grabbed the phone and almost yelled "Hello!" I
heard the sweet voice of my neighbor from across the street. This was highly unusual
for her to call at this time. I thought there might be a problem. "Bob,
this is Grace. I just had to call you," she said. <br />
"Yeah, like everyone else today!" I thought to myself. <br />
"I just finished my lunch and I was sitting here looking out my window.
Every time I do I say, ‘You know you should call Bob and tell him.’” <br />
"Tell me what?" <br />
"I have been enjoying the beauty of your labor. Your flowers are
wonderful, Bob. I sit here and enjoy my lunch just looking at those beautiful
flowers you planted. Every time I do I say I should call and tell you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I thought back on that Sunday. My son called twice just to
tell me about his day and to end the call with "I love you." This
November 11th he will celebrate 10 years cancer free. You would think I'd
appreciate his call any time of day.<br />
My dogs barked and moaned while I was trying to sleep. Every day of my life
they give me unconditional love any time I want it and never get angry when I
interrupt their sleep.<br />
My brother called. It was just last week I was so very worried about him.
Hearing his voice should be music to my ears.<br />
My neighbor, who depends on me to watch over her, called to tell me she loved
me and to thank me for the beautiful flowers she sees each day. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Seven interruptions in my day.<br />
Seven blessings. I thank God that I don't have an uninterrupted life. <br />
I'll think I'll give my friend a call. I know he doesn't want to be left alone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-23677012825247312282012-07-31T05:34:00.000-04:002012-07-31T05:34:00.392-04:00Tuesday, July 31, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Today in History: </span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1930:</strong> Orson Welles starred as "The
Shadow" in the show's radio debut. At first, the Shadow was the narrator
for changing stories, but later became a character in his own adventures. He
had the ability to cloud men's minds so they could not see him and he knew what
evil lurked in the hearts of men.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1970:</strong> The complete New American Standard
Version of the Bible is published.<strong></strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Midday Devotional:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please. —Isaiah 55:11 </b></em><br />
They know Tom Dotson pretty well in the prisons of Michigan. They ought to. He
spent more than a decade behind bars. <br />
Tom gave his testimony at the annual banquet for prison chaplains in Muskegon,
Michigan. He said he had grown up in a Christian home but had rebelled and
rejected the gospel. His wife, who sang at the banquet, stayed with him in
spite of his repeated failures. A prison chaplain faithfully worked with him,
Tom genuinely surrendered to Jesus Christ, and his life was changed. <br />
Dotson urged Christian workers,“Continue on in your ministry with people like
me, no matter how frustrating. We may have lots of setbacks. But don’t give up.
There’s power for change in even the most frustrating person through the
sacrifice of Christ, the One who really sets us free.”Then, looking right at
the chaplain who had patiently witnessed to him, Tom said tenderly,“ Thank you
for not giving up on me."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">God will “abundantly pardon”all who come to Him (Isaiah
55:7). His powerful Word can bring change (v.11), freeing men and women from
the prison of sin (John 8:32). <br />
Are you about to give up on someone you think will never change? Don’t! Keep at
it! —Dave Egner</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-18504214958930704392012-07-30T05:32:00.000-04:002012-07-30T05:32:00.111-04:00Monday, July 30, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Today in History:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1954:</strong> Elvis Presley made his first paid
performance opening for singer Slim Whitman at Overton Park in Memphis. The
19-year-old nervously began gyrating his leg and a legend began.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1965:</strong> U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed
legislation creating a health-care program for the elderly called
"Medicare." It became effective the following year.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1956:</strong> <em>In God We Trust</em> becomes the official motto
of the United States by an act of Congress signed by President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Midday Devotional:</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><em><b>She has done what she
could. —Mark 14:8</b></em><br />
As Mary of Bethany gave her best to Jesus (Mk. 14:1-9), so each of us must give
in our own way the best we have to the Lord. Our efforts may not seem
significant, but God can use them for His glory. <br />
D. L. Moody told the story of a man who was crossing the Atlantic by ship. He
was terribly seasick and confined to his cabin. One night he heard the cry
"Man overboard!" But he felt that there was nothing he could do to
help. Then he said to himself, "I can at least put my lantern in the
porthole." He struggled to his feet and hung the light so it would shine
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<span style="font-size: small;">The next day he learned that the person who was rescued
said, "I was going down in the dark night for the last time when someone
put a light in a porthole. As it shone on my hand, a sailor in a lifeboat
grabbed it and pulled me in." <br />
Everyone holding forth his own light, or using his one talent, no matter how
small, will help accomplish God's purpose on this earth, and will thus glorify
the Savior. What a joy it will be when the Master looks into your eyes in that
future day and with a loving smile of approval says, "Well done, good and
faithful servant . . . . Enter into the joy of your Lord" (Mt. 25:21).</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-3539888567102806922012-07-27T07:00:00.000-04:002012-07-27T07:00:12.868-04:00Friday, July 27, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b>Today in History: </b></div>
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<strong>1940:</strong> Bugs Bunny debuted in the movie
cartoon A Wild Hare. Artist Bob Clampett created Bugs after seeing actor Clark
Gable munching a carrot in the movie It Happened One Night.</div>
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<strong>1965:</strong> President Lyndon Johnson signed
legislation requiring cigarette packages and ads to display a health warning
from the U.S. Surgeon General.</div>
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<strong>2003:</strong> Comedian Bob Hope died in Toluca
Lake, California, at age 100.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><em><b><span>By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which
he would receive as an inheritance. —Hebrews 11:8</span></b></em><span><br />
One of life’s most distressing experiences is being separated from the things
and the people we love. It is often difficult to leave a house that holds many
pleasant memories, and it is always hard to say goodbye to loved ones when we
must leave them.<br />
So it wasn’t easy for Abraham to obey God’s demand that he separate himself
from his country and his friends and relatives. Yet, without obedience to God’s
command, there would have been no blessing for him or his descendants.<br />
God called Abraham to this life of special consecration because He had chosen
him to be the channel through which He would work His plan of redemption. The
human race had rebelled and become idolatrous, and Abraham needed to worship
the one true God.<br />
It is still the duty of all believers to sever connections with anything that
hinders our spiritual progress and effectiveness. We must forsake all sin, all
self-will, and every worldly pleasure that draws</span> <span>our heart away from God.<br />
If we do this, when we are tested and tried the spiritual fiber of our lives
will stand the test. We’ll be strengthened in the process, so that we in turn
might be a blessing to those around us. —Herbert Vander Lugt</span></span></div>
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</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-32794782764561677172012-07-26T06:57:00.000-04:002012-07-26T06:57:00.290-04:00Thursday, July 26, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b>Today in History: </b></div>
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<strong>1952:</strong> Argentina's first lady, Eva Peron,
aka Evita, died of cancer at age 33.</div>
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<strong>1979:</strong> A team of nine men set a world record
in Edinburgh, Scotland, by pushing a hospital bed 3,233 miles in 36 days.</div>
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<strong>1603</strong>: James VI of Scotland becomes James I
of England. Among his many acts affecting English religious life (it is he for
whom the King James Version is named) was the issuing of the Book of Sports,
approving sports on Sunday.</div>
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<em><b>“I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart
instructs me.” Psalm 16:7 </b></em><br />
At night, when our hearts are still, God speaks to us. To Solomon, God appeared
with a fantastic question, one that we could only dream about someone asking
us: “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” (2 Chronicles 1:7).
Solomon’s request should forever instruct us in what is truly important.
Instead of asking for riches, long life, or the destruction of his enemies, his
simple request was for more wisdom to care for the people of God. Anyone who
puts the purposes of God and His people ahead of his own personal fortunes and
fame will instantly win the favor of the Lord. “And he will give you all you
need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your
primary concern” (Matthew 6:33). Let us ask God for wisdom—not to make money or
to control others, but to be able to administrate His kingdom with precision.
When our hearts are separated from the world, God will give us the finances,
physical health, and other things we need to help us accomplish our heart’s
desire for Him. <br />
<em>--By Larry Stockstill</em></div>
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</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-4031716014289028142012-07-25T09:54:00.000-04:002012-07-25T09:54:00.576-04:00Wednesday, July 25, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b>Today in History: </b></div>
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<strong>44:</strong> St. James the Greater, the apostle and
brother of St. John, was killed at Jerusalem.</div>
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<strong>1899:</strong> Stuart Hine was born in England.
While serving as a missionary to Ukraine, he wrote English words to a
traditional Swedish hymn, which is sung today as "How Great Thou
Art."</div>
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<br /></div>
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In his book Love Is Now, Peter Gilquist mentioned that he
and several other friends were invited to speak to a group of UCLA students.
After the meeting, a young man expressed a desire to discuss the matter of
salvation. So Gilquist arranged to meet with him the next morning.<br />
The student said that he really wanted what he saw in the lives of believers.
But he hesitated to make a commitment because he thought he would have to tell
others about Jesus. Gilquist, however, assured him that to become a Christian
he was not required to do anything but place his trust in Christ. Realizing
that salvation is by God’s grace through faith, the student gladly received the
Lord Jesus as his Savior. But a strange thing happened as he went back to his
fraternity house. He met a friend and told him of his newfound faith in Christ.
Before the day was over, he had testified to every one of his fraternity
brothers about Jesus.<br />
Our witness for Christ should reflect a grateful heart—a sincere desire to
share salvation’s blessings with others. If we shrink from giving a word of
testimony, let’s ask God to give us the desire to speak out for Him. Then we’ll
witness because we want to. —Richard De Haan</div>
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</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-43275356671181276682012-07-24T09:52:00.000-04:002012-07-24T09:52:00.198-04:00Tuesday, July 24, 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Today in History:</strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1847:</strong> At the Great Salt Lake, Brigham Young founded the
State of Deseret. The U.S. government later changed the name to Utah.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>1941:</strong> WRBL in Columbus, Ohio, hired 17-year-old Chet
Atkins as a staff guitarist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span>1969:</span></strong><span> The Apollo 11 astronauts, including the first men to set foot on the
moon, splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span>1725</span></strong><span>: John Newton, author of "Amazing Grace" and other hymns, is
born in London. Converted to Christianity while working on a slave ship, he
hoped as a Christian to restrain the worst excesses of the slave trade,
"promoting the life of God in the soul" of both his crew and his
African cargo. In 1764 he became an Anglican minister and each week wrote a
hymn to be sung to a familiar tune. In 1787 Newton wrote Thoughts Upon the
African Slave Trade to help William Wilberforce's campaign to end the slave
trade.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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In 2002, I was in Jakarta, Indonesia, to teach a 2-night
Bible conference. The first night, I went early to the host church, and the
pastor asked if he could show me around the building. It was impressive in its
beauty.<br />
Then the pastor took me to the lower assembly hall. At the front of the hall
was a pulpit and a communion table. Behind it was a plain concrete wall on
which hung a wooden cross. Below it were some words in the national language of
Indonesia. I asked him what the inscription said, and he surprised me by
quoting Christ’s words from the cross: <br />
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”<br />
I asked if it was there for a particular reason, and he said that several years
earlier there had been serious rioting in the city, and 21 churches were burned
to the ground in one day. That wall was all that remained of their former
facility—the first of the churches to be torched.<br />
The wall and the verse formed a reminder of the compassion of Christ which He
showed on the cross, and that became the church’s message to their city.
Revenge and bitterness will never be healing responses to the hatred and rage
of a lost world. But the compassion of Christ is, just as it was 2,000 years
ago. — Bill Crowder</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-62087842233770605742012-07-23T09:49:00.000-04:002012-07-23T09:49:00.330-04:00Monday, July 23, 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Today in History</b>: </span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>1982:</b> The Coca-Cola company introduced Diet
Coke.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>1742:</b> Susannah Wesley, mother of John and
Charles, dies. Born the twenty-fifth child in a clergyman's family, she became
one of the most notable mothers in church history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Midday Devotional</b>: </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In 2002, I was in Jakarta, Indonesia, to teach a 2-night
Bible conference. The first night, I went early to the host church, and the
pastor asked if he could show me around the building. It was impressive in its
beauty.<br />
Then the pastor took me to the lower assembly hall. At the front of the hall
was a pulpit and a communion table. Behind it was a plain concrete wall on
which hung a wooden cross. Below it were some words in the national language of
Indonesia. I asked him what the inscription said, and he surprised me by
quoting Christ’s words from the cross: <br />
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”<br />
I asked if it was there for a particular reason, and he said that several years
earlier there had been serious rioting in the city, and 21 churches were burned
to the ground in one day. That wall was all that remained of their former
facility—the first of the churches to be torched.<br />
The wall and the verse formed a reminder of the compassion of Christ which He
showed on the cross, and that became the church’s message to their city.
Revenge and bitterness will never be healing responses to the hatred and rage
of a lost world. But the compassion of Christ is, just as it was 2,000 years
ago. (Bill Crowder)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt;"></span><br />
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</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-29829701172198000302012-07-20T09:56:00.000-04:002012-07-24T06:55:15.531-04:00Friday, July 20, 2012<b>Verse of the day:</b> Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)<br />
<br />
<b>Midday Tidbit:</b> One of the top psychologists has come out with a study that says to have a happy marriage, men should simply do what their wives want. John Gottman says his studies show that the majority of marriages that work are those where the husband has mastered two words, "Yes, dear."<br />
<br />
<b>Midday Devotional:</b> Heavy rain was falling outside as Marcia, the director of the Jamaican Christian School for the Deaf, spoke to our group. Thirty-four teens and several adults were visiting the school. But one of our students was not distracted by the rain or the children running around the room.<br />
That teen heard Marcia say, "My dream for these kids is to have a playground." She took that sentence, and through the prompting of the Lord turned it into an idea. Later that day she told me, "We should come back and build them a playground." An opportunity for service was born.<br />
A little over 4 months later, on another rainy day in Jamaica, we held a celebration in that same room. We had just assembled a wooden playground - complete with slides, a ladder, climbing bars, swings, and a trapeze.<br />
One student seized an opportunity, and a dream was fulfilled.<br />
How often does God prompt us to take action to meet the needs of others and we let the opportunity go?<br />
How many times does that Spirit nudge us to say to do something in Jesus' name and we shake off the nudging? Let's seize each opportunity God gives us to serve others in His name. (Dave Branon)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759266317754214153.post-74423211264357376602012-07-17T09:48:00.004-04:002012-07-17T09:48:30.893-04:00Thursday, July 19, 2012<b>Verse of the day:</b> And now you also have heard the truth, the good news that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. (Ephesians 1:13)<br />
<br />
<b>Midday Tidbit:</b> According to a study by Salary.com, if a full-time stay-at-home mom were paid market wages for all her work, she would earn $134,000 a year. To reach that figure, they calculated the earning power of the 10 jobs moms said most closely described what they do: housekeeper, day care teacher, cook, computer operator, facilities manager, van driver, janitor, chief executive, psychologist, and laundry machine operator.<br />
<br />
<b>Midday Devotional: <i>An Act of Kindness for a Broken Heart </i></b><br />
This story was shared anonymously by a caller to a Chicago radio show.<br />
"Hi Mommy," said Susie. "What are you doing?"<br />
"I'm making a casserole for Mrs. Smith next door," said her mother.<br />
"Why?" asked Susie, who was only six years old.<br />
"Because Mrs. Smith is very sad; she lost her daughter and she has a broken heart. We need to take care of her for a little while."<br />
Susie thought seriously about how she could do her part in caring for Mrs. Smith. A few minutes later, Susie knocked on her door. After a few moment Mrs. Smith answered the knock and greeted Susie.<br />
"My mommy says that you lost your daughter and you're very, very said with a broken heart." Susie held her hand out shyly. In it was a Band-Aid. "This is for your broken heart." Mrs. Smith gasped, choking back her tears. She knelt down and hugged Susie.<br />
Mrs. Smith accepted Susie's act of kindness and took it one step further. She purchased a small key ring with a plexiglass picture frame and placed Susie's Band-Aid in the frame to remind herself to heal a little every time she sees it. She wisely knows that healing takes time and support. It has become her symbol for healing, while not forgetting the joy and love she experienced with her daughter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0