Fellowship of the Believers

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

~ Acts 2:42-47 (ESV)

Persecution...

“Persecution strengthens our leaders,” said Howie Shute. “We teach them to pray and fast, love back, and be patient.”

~ taken from African Dreams: Church Growth in the Horn of Africa by Pat Stockett Johnston

Homeward Bound

‎"The key is realizing - and believing - that this world is not your home. If you and I ever hope to free our lives from worldly desires, worldly thinking, worldly pleasures, worldly dreams, worldly ideals, worldly values, worldly ambitions, and worldly acclaim, then we must focus our lives on another world."

~ David Platt (from his book "Radical")

We Are All Needed...

"God could have made us all Sanguines.
We could have lots of fun but accomplish little.
He could have made us all Melancholies.
We would have been organized and charted but not very cheerful.
He could have made us all Cholerics.
We would have been set to lead, but impatient that no one would follow!
He could have made us all Phlegmatics.
We would have had a peaceful world but not much enthusiasm for life.
We need each temperament for the total function of the body.
Each part should do its work to unify the action and produce harmonious results."

~ Florence Littauer in The Gift of Encouraging Words

I Was Hungry...

I was hungry and you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.

I was naked and in your mind debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless and you preached to me the spiritual love of God.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seem so holy, so close to God, But I am still very hungry—and lonely – and cold.


~ Author Unknown - Found at the Oak Street House Exhibit

See Matthew 25:31-46

Welcome to Holland

A friend just shared this essay with me to explain how she feels as a mom of a newly diagnosed autistic son. What a beautiful description...

"When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Sistine Chapel, Gondolas. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting. After several months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland!” “Holland?” you say. “What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy. I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.” But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine, and disease. It’s just a different place. So, you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It’s just a different place. It’s slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around. You begin to notice that Holland has windmills. Holland has tulips. And Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.” And the pain of that experience will never, ever, ever, go away. The loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland."

~ c 1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

You are Made for the Eternal...

People are made for the eternal and therefore cannot be ultimately satisfied by the temporary. When you are made for another world you cannot be fully happy with this one. Realizing this can help us as we face both difficult times and wonderful times. “God has set eternity in the hearts of men” (Eccles. 3:11). ~ Randy Alcorn

I WILL Trust HIM!

“I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain."

~ John Henry Newman

Boundaries...

"Boundaries aren't restrictive fences meant to keep us from enjoying life, but gifts from a God who cares about our well-being." ~ taken from Lysa TerKeurst's Facebook page.

Prayer and Fasting

"Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God." ~ Andrew Murray

Leftovers?

“By now you’ve probably realized you have a distinct choice to make: just let life happen, which is tantamount to serving God your leftovers, or actively run toward Christ.” ~ Francis Chan

Healing Comes

"Despite our best intentions, which sometimes end up with destructive results, the natural healing effect of beauty ments the wounds we leave behind, covering the rusting reality of past pain. Time and beauty heal a lot of old wounds." ~ Brendan Blowers (Footprints on the Door)

Sojourning Spirit

‎"Living in the United States makes it difficult for me to sustain a sojourning spirit. That is because, in large part, I easily become preoccupied with paraphernalia - stuff, gadgets, and luxuries that quickly become essential." ~ David Blowers (Footprints on the Door)

Sustain Life..

"Every one must study his own nature. Some of you can sustain life with less food than others can, and therefore I desire that he who needs more nourishment shall not be obliged to equal others, but that every one shall give his body what it needs for being an efficient servant of the soul. For as we are obliged to be on our guard against superfluous food which injures body and soul alike, thus we must be on the watch against immoderate fasting, and this the more, because the Lord wants conversion and not victims." ~ Francis of Assisi