No Longer Embarrassed

"God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." - John 4:9-10 (NLT). 

A young boy asked his mother if she would go with him to his elementary school's first teacher-parent conference. To his surprise she said she would go. This embarrassed the boy because, though his mother was beautiful, she had a terrible scar right across one side of her face.


This was the first time his teacher and classmates saw his mother and because of his embarrassment, he withdrew from them and tried to hide himself. However, he did overhear his teacher ask how his mother's face was scarred.


"When my son was a baby," the mother replied, "he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, so I went in. As I was running toward his crib, I saw a beam coming down and I placed myself over him to shield him. I was knocked unconscious but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us...the scar is permanent but to this day, I have never regretted doing what I did."


Hearing what his mother did for him, the boy ran towards her with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt an overwhelming sense of thanks for the sacrifice she made to save his life.


May we, too, feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us in giving his life to save us from our sins and a lost eternity.

God Bless the U.S.A.

.

If we've learned anything from Sept. 11, 2001, it's that you can wake up one morning, ready to start your day with enthusiasm and zest and then, in an instant, everything about your world, everything you know to be good, and true and honest, can be torn apart in the snap of your fingers, forever.

As I reflect on what happened 10 years ago tomorrow, I have a range of emotions: intense sorrow, horror, and pain for all the lives lost, but also immense pride for the tremendous bravery that was displayed that awful day.

My memory of that day is that it was a beautiful day in Sarasota, Florida where I live. I remember the President was coming to town to speak to children at Emma E Booker Elementary School. Shortly after 9 am I got a call from my husband telling me to turn on the TV. I watched in horror at what was happening in New York, and then in Washington. I was scared and nervous for all Americans. I was worried about my own children and husband because I knew the President was in our town. Would the terrorists be sending a plane to Sarasota to try and kill the President? There were so many, many emotions that day and in the days after as we all sat riveted to our TV screens watching everything unfold before our eyes. History in the making. Unbelievable and unthinkable history.

                                    President Bush reading with a child in Sarasota before he heard about attacks~

But as I look back now, ten years later, I want to focus and remember the heroics of that day. I want to remember how we, as Americans, came together as a nation in the days and months after those horrific attacks by those cowardly terrorists. There will be many memorials this weekend to those who lost their lives and those are very important.

It's essential to pay tribute to all the innocent victims, the brave heroes of flight 93, and all of the firefighters and police who charged into the chaos to help save lives in NYC and Washington, many losing their lives. Even many regular citizens who, in the midst of all the destruction, found it within themselves to reach out to others, often forgetting their own safety and risking their own lives to help their fellow citizens.

                          Brave firefighter headed UP the Towers to rescue people trapped, he tragically lost his life.

We need to honor them and thank them for their sacrifices, but we also need to remember the blessings that came, even in the midst of all that evil. Blessings you say? Are you crazy? What good could have possibly come out of all that? What blessings could have come through all that loss and destruction? Where was God anyway on that terrible day? I believe that God was crying that day, just like all of us were.

But, in the midst of the horror of that day, I can think of some blessings that I want to share. One blessing I can think of immediately is that the attacks happened in the early morning, not in the middle of the afternoon, when the Twin Towers would have most likely been completely full of workers. As terrible as the losses were, the loss of life could have been much greater if the offices had been completely full, and for that we should all be thankful. I read that when completely full, those Twin Towers held over 50,000 workers. I am thankful that those Towers weren't full. What a tragedy that would have been if we loss all those lives.

                                               WTC Towers burning after the planes hit on 9/11/2001          

Another blessing from the day is the brave passengers of flight 93. They learned from phone calls to family members on the ground about the chaos that was happening in Washington and NYC. Having an idea that their hijacked plane was headed for another Capitol Landmark, they overtook the plane, drove it into the ground in Shankesville, Pa. and averted what could have been another catastrophe in Washington with the loss of many more lives. If the terrorists had attacked the Capitol or the White House, our government might have been abolished for many months or even years and our country might have gone into complete anarchy. That was an immense blessing in my book. A tragic loss of life, yes, but also a blessing.

                                          Temporary Memorial set up after flight 93 went down in Pa.


Remember when the members of Congress stood on the steps of the capital and sang "God Bless America" in the days following the attacks? We need to remember that awesome show of unity in our country, when we stopped to thank God for this awesome country that we have the privilege to live in. You may not think that is a big deal, but have you ever before or after seen such a strong showing of love of God and country by our members of Congress? We were all coming together as a country and that was a blessing.

                                        Members of Congress break into singing "God Bless America"


I want to remember people reaching out to help others grieving along with them. I want to remember the pictures of the firefighters covered with debris, doing what they could to help their own or others in need.

                                  Two women comfort each other in NYC when the Towers are attacked.

                                             Firefighters helping the injured amidst all the rubble after the first Tower fell

We came together as a nation during and after the attacks. We would not let the terrorists break us then and we should not they them break us now. We are a proud God-fearing Nation, one that was built on Christian principles. That was a blessing. We were reaching out to each other with God's love.

                                                                            

  St. Pauls Church in Manhattan offered refuge, rest and food

for the body and souls of the rescue workers

We saw that wonderful, caring side of us after 9/11/01. It came shining through in the days after the attacks. Many people who never prayed or went to church returned to seek solace and called out to the Lord to help find their loved ones, called for protection for the workers and everyone suffering the tremendous losses after the attack. We came together as a nation. There were blood bank opened up all over the country and citizens were giving blood to help in anyway they could. We were donating money, and sending food to help the workers. People from all over the country were leaving their jobs and volunteering to help in the cleanup at the Pentagon and at the WTC site. There were concerts held with big name musicians from all over the world coming to NYC and help to raise money and bring the hurting together. We are a caring nation and in the worst of times, you often see us at our very best. In bad times, us Americans pull together. That's a fact.

So, to the question...Where was God on the day of the 9/11 attacks? I believe He was watching, as He always is. And his was crying right along with us.

                                         Rescue workers stop to pray during the cleanup at the WTC.


But,'s here's the thing to remember. God gives us free will. It is our choice to live with Him in our life, or not. He is a gentlemen. He does not overtake our lives. Unfortunately, we live in an evil world, that is ruled by Satan. This world is not God's Kingdom. That will come in time when Jesus returns to earth. Many people in this world are ruled by evil and by Satan and they let that take over their lives. That was very evident on Sept. 11, 2001. God doesn't want that for any of us. He want us to turn from evil and come home to Him. Ephesians 6 says:

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

The Bible tell us in this powerful verse. It's clear and simple. The day of evil is now, friends. The evil is all around us in this world right now and there are spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Help Lord, what can we do?


What CAN we do, you ask? We can PRAY. We can pray for God's protection for our country, our leaders, those military men and women protecting us all over the world, and our family and friends. We can fall down on our knees and pray with softened hearts to your will.


We can turn from evil and embrace love. We can repent of our own sins and turn back to God Almighty before it is too late. I will be spending an hour praying tomorrow for just that. Please join me in praying for renewal for our country and for peace to be with the family members of all those lost on 9/11/01. May God
Bless you all.

                                  New Cross erected in downtown Manhattan, commemorating 9/11/01
                                                                          

My verse for today is in Red.

Commit Yourself

"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. - Luke 12:48b (KJV) 

There is something that we all struggle with or we have a reputation for avoiding. It is something that we are called to, and something that we must all do at some point in our lives. It is commitment.


According to Merriam-Webster, "to commit" means "to put into charge or trust or to obligate". While we all like to be in charge and trusted, few of us like to be obligated to anything, because obligation generally means sacrifice. We want all of the benefits that come along with commitment, without the work that is required. 


So often, we fail so miserably in our commitments to God, to our churches, to our families, and to our jobs. Perhaps the lengthy list of commitments is part of the reason we have such a tough time carrying them out. But the truth is, we are the ones who make the commitments, so we are responsible for keeping them, no matter how difficult it may be at times. If we fail to keep a commitment, it would have been better had we never made the commitment in the first place.


Jesus tells us in the Scriptures that, of those who are given much, much will be expected in return. We cannot be committed to anything without giving of ourselves on a regular basis. 


If we commit ourselves to do something for God, church, spouse, or employer, we should make sure that we can carry out that commitment. Perhaps that may require us to sacrifice something else that we would have liked to have done. We leave for vacation a day later, or come back a day earlier, in order to fulfill our  commitment to our church. We get up an hour earlier to have a quiet time, to fulfill our commitment to God. We work an extra hour here and there to fulfill our commitment to our jobs. We give up that round of golf or a day at the mall to fulfill our commitment to our families.


Commitment takes sacrifice, but the results are well worth the effort. As Christians, we should follow the example of Christ, who made the supreme sacrifice to fulfill His commitment to God and to us.

Directional Signs

"I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." - Isaiah 48:17b (NIV). 

While travelling home on the highway, I looked at the directional signs saying to go this way for that place, that way for over there, and straight ahead for a long trip. It made me think of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

I thought, if I follow that arrow, it will lead me astray, only a short distance, but nevertheless astray. If I followed the arrow that pointed straight ahead, I would go a long way out of my way before I could turn around and head home again. To get home, I would have to take the "that way for over there" road to go there directly, without having to turn around or look for new directions.

It struck me at that moment that God's directions for us are all written plainly in his Book of Directions, the Holy Bible. As surely as the Department of Highways gives us road signs to follow, God gives us guidelines to follow.

It is true that most of us have taken the wrong road and gone "astray" at times, but if we go to God's Book of Directions, the Holy Bible, we will always find the right "directions" to get to the place we need most at that time. Invariably we will find ourselves "home", safe in the knowledge that Jesus Christ is with us, even though we have strayed. We will also find our way "home" when our Saviour returns on Judgement Day.

It May Be Today

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. " - (Jesus in John 14:2-3, KJV). 


I remember reading a few years ago about a strange occurrence which I was informed took place in Haiti. A man reported to a gas (petrol/fuel) station owner that he had picked up a hitchhiker who was sitting in the back seat when, as they were driving along, suddenly blurted out, "Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming!" Whereupon the man looked around and his passenger had disappeared.


Even more strange was the response from the gas station owner who said, "You're the third person who has told me the exact same story."


Whether this incident was a strange coincidence, the figment of someone's imagination, or something supernatural I cannot be certain. But of one thing we can be sure, Jesus is coming again. He himself promised he would.


Christ's first coming is an indisputable fact of history. His second coming is just as certain. He said he would come when we least expect it. The important thing is to be ready by receiving him as our personal Lord and Savior. He is coming again. It may be today. If so, are you ready? 


Remember, too, "Only one life, it will soon be past. Only what's done for Jesus will last."

Go Do Your Best

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." - Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV). 


"When Leonardo da Vinci was still a pupil, his elderly, well-known teacher asked him to finish a painting he, the teacher, had begun. 

"Young da Vinci stood in such awe of his master's skill that at first he respectfully declined. But his teacher would accept no excuse. He simply said, 'Do your best.' Trembling, da Vinci took his brush and began. With each stroke, his hand grew more steady as the genius within him awoke. Soon he was so caught up in his work that he forgot his timidity. When the painting was finished, the frail and weak master was carried into the studio to see it. Embracing his student, he exclaimed, 'My son, I paint no more!'"


Not everyone has the kind of talent and genius that Leonardo da Vinci had, but every one of us has God-given talents that he wants us to develop and use for his glory. He never expects from us what he hasn't gifted us to do. And he has already equipped us to do what he wants us to do. So use what talents you possess. Do your best and leave the rest to God. As Henry van Dyke said, "The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."

Learning to Love

"We love Him because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19 (NKJV).

While we are encouraged and even commanded by God to love one another, it isn't always easy to do. Loving actually needs to be learned.


As the Bible teaches, we love God because He loved us first. He modeled it for us. The same principle is true with human love. We love people because someone first loved us and modeled love for us.


We didn't come into the world knowing how to love, only with the ability to learn how to love. If we didn't receive healthy loving or if we didn't feel adequately loved when we were growing up, chances are as adults we will suffer from love deprivation and not know how to love properly—only how "to make" love which may or may not have anything at all to do with love!


In other words, to learn to love we need to be loved first—for what we didn't receive in our early developmental years, we need to receive now.


We do this by having at least one or two safe, loving, non- judgmental, and accepting people to love us as we really are—by allowing them see our total dark side—secrets, failures, sins, weaknesses, faults ... warts and all. As these people love and accept us for whom we are (not for what we have or haven't done), we learn little by little to love and accept ourselves. Remember, too, that we can only be loved to the degree that we are known, and we can only love and accept others to the degree that we have learned to love and accept ourselves. Admittedly this can be very scary but it is profoundly healing.


This is another reason why the Bible teaches us the importance of confessing our sins and faults to one another. - James 5:16. Doing this is crucial for the healing of our human hurts and damaged emotions.