Friday, July 20, 2012

Verse of the day: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

Midday Tidbit: 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."

Midday Devotional: 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.
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.
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.
One student seized an opportunity, and a dream was fulfilled.
How often does God prompt us to take action to meet the needs of others and we let the opportunity go?
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)