Quotes From The Heart November 2011

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But remember the Lord your God, for he is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth and so confirms his covenant which he swore to your forefathers as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:18

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RED SEA REPORT
YES! There was a parting today!
There will be a parting everyday!
Unceasingly, extravagantly, abundantly and partingly!
GOD IS GOOD!

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Share the change and we will change our share.
Nehemiah received a lot of help to build the wall in 52 days.
If everybody would just lift one stone,
THE CHANGE WOULD HAPPEN IN THE BLINK OF A 52 DAY EYE!

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I AM A CONQUEROR and so are YOU.
It's a Red Sea Day in a Red Sea life.
We were made to walk through storms and climb mountains.
We were made to help each other.
We can sit in our pews and listen to stories about helping each other or.....
We can GO FORTH!!!

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Is your purpose in life to sit in a pew?

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If I always saw clear skies
I would miss the angel clouds.

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THE POWER OF UN
Give hope to the unloved.
Give grace to the unforgiven.
Give esteem to the unvalued.
Give receiving to the unaccepted.
Give faith to the unbelievable.
Give love unconditionally.
The Power of Un unites two into one.

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SELF VICTIMIZATION
As a victim,
do you continue to victimize yourself
by idolizing your victimization?

"They who make idols are like them; so are all who trust in and lean on them."
Psalm 115:8

The Victim became a Savior. There is freedom for victims at the Cross of Jesus Christ. He was tortured, died and was buried. HE ROSE AGAIN! He took all our shame away.
JESUS LEFT WHAT VICTIMIZED YOU IN THE TOMB!
Give Him whatever you are carrying and become a savior to others who need you. No, you cannot become Christ, but you were created to reflect His image and likeness.

"The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you." 2 Corinthians 13:14 MSG

"Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves." Philippians 4:23 MSG

"So, my friends, this is something like what has taken place with you. When Christ died he took that entire rule-dominated way of life down with him and left it in the tomb, leaving you free to "marry" a resurrection life and bear "offspring" of faith for God. For as long as we lived that old way of life, doing whatever we felt we could get away with, sin was calling most of the shots as the old law code hemmed us in. And this made us all the more rebellious. In the end, all we had to show for it was miscarriages and stillbirths. But now that we're no longer shackled to that domineering mate of sin, and out from under all those oppressive regulations and fine print, we're free to live a new life in the freedom of God."
Romans 7:3-5 MSG

 

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GOD's PROMISES:
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let itbe fearful." -John 14:27

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The two trees began separately and became one.
They continued to grow separately as one.
Reaching ever upward into God's spaciousness.
They supported each other in their own uniqueness.
As a man and a woman become one,
they still support each others individuality.

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PUTRID PAIN IS HEALED AND THE HEART IS MADE FRESH
Healing requires movement.
Wounds must cross over the threshold of your heart.
Speak them, write them, shout them let them flow.

Ezekiel 47:8 Amplified Bible (AMP)

"8Then he said to me, These waters pour out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah (the Jordan Valley) and on into the Dead Sea. And when they shall enter into the sea [the sea of putrid waters], the waters shall be healed and made fresh."

A heart that is deadened by wounds can flow into new life.

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Do you seek an explanation
or do you seek understanding?

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Father I pray for loaves from The Breadbox. You have seen the labors and You have heard the cries of Your people. Give them manna of discernment and bread of wisdom. Cause them to become hungrier and thirstier for more of you. We desire to become spiritually insatiable people. Let Your Word go forth as seed into hearts of fertile ground. Let revival burn in their bosoms and fan the flames of contagiousness. Fire! We cry Holy Spirit fire! Burn away the chaff that separates us from Your Glory. Please help us to become a people who will never leave or forsake You or each other.
Selah.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen

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Narrowing of thought
creates
spaciousness in your soul.

In the expanse of your life, there is good and there is bad.
All things work together for good if you allow them.
To grow a muscle, it has to be broken down to grow larger muscle. There will be brokenness in your life, it does not define you. Make the choice to accept brokenness as the emotional fitness plan that will enlarge your heart into a spacious place where love keeps growing. Open the door of your heart to God.

"Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." Revelation 3:20

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Don't give up!
If we could only see what God sees when He looks at us our hearts would rejoice!

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GOD MADE A NEW PROMISE.

"I will forgive their wickedness
and I will no longer hold their sins against them.”

"God made this new promise
and showed that the first promise was outdated.
What is outdated and aging will soon disappear."

Taken from Hebrews 8 - The Message

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RE-PREGNANT
The Holy Spirit wants to re-impregnate you with a new revelation. He wants your life to become a testimony of how He let your old life fall away and caused your new life to blossom. God is giving you a vision that will enlarge His kingdom.
He wants you to start carrying revival in your spirit.

The Message
Hebrews 8:6-13
6Jesus has been given a priestly work that is superior to the Levitical priests’ work. He also brings a better promise[a] from God that is based on better guarantees. 7If nothing had been wrong with the first promise, no one would look for another one. 8But God found something wrong with his people and said to them,

“The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new promise to Israel and Judah. 9It will not be like the promise that I made to their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They rejected that promise, so I ignored them, says the Lord. 10But this is the promise that I will make to Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my teachings inside them, and I will write those teachings on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11No longer will each person teach his neighbors or his relatives by saying, ‘Know the Lord.’ All of them from the least important to the most important will all know me 12because I will forgive their wickedness and I will no longer hold their sins against them.”

13God made this new promise and showed that the first promise was outdated. What is outdated and aging will soon disappear.

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WHAT IS THE CROSS?

The Cross is a place where somebody died.
The Cross is a place for what you need to let die.
The Cross is a place of selflessness.
The Cross is a model for all relationships.
The Cross is a fountain of cleansing energy.
The Cross is a place to clear your conscience.
The Cross is a place of renewing innocence.
The Cross is a place of forgiveness.
The Cross is a place to nail your bad habits.
The Cross is a place to leave your scars.
The Cross is a place to close open wounds.
The Cross is a place unconditional acceptance.
The Cross is a place of surrender.
The Cross is a place that lacked physical beauty.
The Cross is a place that reveals spiritual beauty.
The Cross is a place of physical defeat.
The Cross is a place of spiritual victory.
The Cross is a place of heartache and tears.
The Cross is a place where love removes fears.
The Cross is a place to reflect what you see.
The Cross is a place in your heart for eternity.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

 

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TOMB TALK

Your heart was not created to be a tomb of bad memories.
Your heart was created to be a place of new life.

The following sequence of events (in quotation marks) is taken from Luke, Chapters 23-24, The Message. The comments in parenthesis are mine.

(Death takes place.)
"Taking him down, he wrapped him in a linen shroud
and placed him in a tomb chiseled into the rock,
a tomb never yet used."

(Others see your death.)
"They saw the tomb where Jesus' body was placed."

(Instead of encouragement, some folks will commiserate in your death.)
"women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared."

(You are meant to be liberated from death into new life.)
"They left the tomb and broke the news"

(Some will doubt your new life.)
"Peter jumped to his feet and ran to the tomb."

(Perseverance will spread the news of your new life."
"Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn't find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn't see Jesus."

(God will roll away the stone from your heart as you turn to Him.)

 

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When I cant wrap arms of understanding around You, I will rest my heart on Your unconditional acceptance of who You created me to be.

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SHROUD
If the shroud over you heart is dirt,
A seed can still grow.
If the shroud over your heart is stone,
God can roll away the stone.

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Desolation is preparation for new creation.

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Let the Son rise with a burning heat that will heal the heart.

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WATER INTO WINE, CRITICISM INTO INTERCESSION

"When we discern that people are not going on spiritually and allow the discernment to turn to criticism, we block our way to God. God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede."
Oswald Chambers

My Father in heaven, I am thankful that at least for this moment, You have turned my criticisms into intercessions. Help me in my misjudgment, teach me discernment Your way. Help me to accept others as they are and pray for what they can be. I ask You right now to take the critical spirit away from families today Lord. Help us to focus on gratitude, acceptance and intercession for each other. Plant hunger and thirst in our souls as You draw us nearer to You. Show us Your glory by helping us to love each other in greater ways. Amen.
Happy Thanksgiving

 

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Leaves into buds Trees into soil. Death and decay into new life. Water into wine. Vengeance into forgiveness. Fear into love. The present into forever.Just believe!

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Set personal boundaries. Discipline is meant to teach. Perseverance - ONE INCH AT A TIME! Accept people for who they are and change yourself.

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Yeah, though I stand in front of the Red Sea with the enemy behind me and nowhere to turn but You, I do turn to You. I know that Your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. You speak new life in the face of death. You speak mercy into the face of tragedy. You speak grace in the face of guilt. You speak esteem in the face of shame. You speak perfect love in the face of fear. Remove the face of fear that we see reflected by past experiences. We need You to renew a right spirit within us. We want to see you face to face, we want to know you more.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (Amplified Bible)
12For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as [a]in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand [b]fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been [c]fully and clearly known and understood [[d]by God].

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But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:16

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SURRENDERFUL
Pursuing God is surrendering self.
It's a wonderful day in the Surrenderhood!

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WHEN I CAN'T SLEEP
I think I've been up for over an hour now, but who keeps track of sleepless hours. I usually end up in my Bible and I use the time on the clock to point me to a particular Scripture verse. It was around 4:30am when I looked up these verses from Acts 4:29-35 The Message
"29-30And now they're at it again! Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message, as you stretch out your hand to us in healings and miracles and wonders done in the name of your holy servant Jesus."

31While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God's Word with fearless confidence.

32-33The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it." They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.

34-35And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person's need."

I am going to go back to bed and think about healings, miracles, wonders, fearless confidence..... "They shared everything"....."not a person among them was needy." Yeah, Jesus loves me.....Jesus loves you and so do I.

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"Families are given the opportunity to share with other families. Children carry the seeds of giving in the rushing river of their souls. As they grow, the seeds of giving germinate and are dispersed through their actions."

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A MORE EXCELLENT WAY
Selfless

The Way of Love
If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

The Message

1 Corinthians 13

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IT'S NOT TIME TO GIVE UP.

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Did not our heart burn within us on the road and while He opened the Scriptures to us? Luke 24:32

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"Through brokenness you are given a greater capacity to love."

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The love you give is louder than the love you hide.

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I will surely bless you.......... Gen 22:17

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"We desire to produce Thanksgivings by sharing
the gratitude that we have been graced with."

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NEVER MIND "WHERE'S THE BEEF?" WHERE ARE THE GAP STANDERS?
"I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn't have to destroy it.
I couldn't find anyone. Not one.
So I'll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they've done. Decree of God, the Master."
Ezekiel 22:30-31 The Message

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BUFFALO, NEW YORK
Runnin' down the street on the soles of my feet,
Smilin' and wavin' to all the souls that I meet.
I'm lookin' for Jesus in every pair of eyes I greet.

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"Brokenness is the womb of fertile ground
where forgiveness is conceived and
a greater capacity to love is created."

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LABOR PAINS
Labor pains begin with conception
and end at the final redemption
with a heavenly reception.
A Parent's love of a child occupies the space between "the Alpha and Omega. The the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” (Rev 22:13) A child needs to know that a parent will never leave them or forsake them. You may be a parent who has bad memories of the person who helped you create that child. It doesn't matter whether the conception and creation of that child was done in love or lack of love. If you harbor bad memories and resentment, consider them labor pains. If I asked you if you would do it all over again and go through the pain of a broken relationship to give birth to that child, you would probably say YES! Change your perspective of resentment. Let the waters of resentment break and let the labor pains of acceptance burst forth.
Brokenness is the womb of fertile ground
where forgiveness is conceived and
a greater capacity to love is created.

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Pursue peace with all people.......Heb 12:14

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"The most powerful gift that you can give anybody is the gift of prayer. Asking God to bless somebody is one of the most beautiful expressions of love that you can give or receive. I am going to pray right now for all of you who have found their way to this study on giving and receiving."

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"In the process, your heart will grow and a larger heart has a greater capacity to share love."

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This is an opportunity to give something of yourself
that will help a young person feel valued and esteemed.
You have the power to give a young person the
swagger of confidence that comes from the peace of inner healing.

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The difference between destructive and creative is found in your perspective.

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PRAYER PAINT
Prayer paints a new perspective.
Faith is your paint brush, prayer is your paint.
Perseverance is the pattern with which you paint.
The leaves of fall represent the never ending colors of God's love. He desires that none of us should perish. That's why He created the buds of Spring. You are budding now. Pray for commitment to growth in whatever areas of your life that are starting to bud. God loves buds. God loves you. Go bud!

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It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

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REPAINTENANCE
An act of love that paints a stony heart with a new coat of flesh.
The color of an unrepentant heart is dark and stony.
God loves you even as your heart is dark and stony.

He gave His Son so that He could give you a heart of flesh.
Repent and use truth to paint the Way that leads to Life.

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Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.........

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THE WRITERS INK HORN
I walked with Jesus this morning.
He dipped into His Writers Ink Horn and wrote on the walls of my heart.
He spoke to me as He wrote: "Embrace brokenness." He said. "A broken heart is the only way for me to create a larger surface to write upon your heart. Your heart is a muscle that can become larger by breaking it down."
His Ink Horn was filled with His own shed blood poured out
from His own broken heart.
Here are some of the words He wrote:
"I will love you always and I will never, ever leave you or forsake you."
"I have forgiven you and now you must forgive yourself."
"I have forgiven others and now you must do the same."
"Look for love in everyone you meet. If you don't find it, give it."
"I have placed seeds of love within your soul, be sensitive and let them grow."
"I am your Friend, I will carry your backpack as you climb the mountains of life."
"Through brokenness, you will be given a greater capacity to love."
He stopped writing and He stopped speaking and just smiled.
His smile created a mist in my soul that watered the seeds of His words.
Selah

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SUDDENLYISTIC
The state of living in constant expectation of suddenlies.

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MEMORIES of ACCEPTANCE
Have you ever felt anxiety well up within your soul when you recall a bad memory? Do you still blame somebody for stealing what should have been a happy memory? Part of forgiveness is accepting someone for who they are. If you accept them for who they are now (you cannot change them,) then you should accept them for who they were then. Accept the memory as something that was destined to help you grow. Accept the bad memory as a good beginning of a new acceptance of total forgiveness.
Philippians 3:13 (CEB)
" Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me."

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PAINTIENCE
Developing patience can be painful.
Waiting for growth. Waiting for healing. Waiting for restoration.
Waiting for provision. Waiting for revelation. Waiting for wisdom.
Kneel on your spiritual weight bench and lift your prayers to
Jehovah Jireh, The Lord Who Provides. You are growing stronger day by day.
Your words can lift weights:
"I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME."

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"The truth is; we've given young people a message in a way that provides a life in prison, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
It's time for a message of the Way, the Truth and the Life."

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Aren't shepherds supposed to feed sheep? You drink the milk, you make clothes from the wool, you roast the lambs, but you don't feed the sheep. You don't build up the weak ones, don't heal the sick, don't doctor the injured, don't go after the strays, don't look for the lost. You bully and badger them. And now they're scattered every which way because there was no shepherd—scattered and easy pickings for wolves and coyotes. Scattered—my sheep!—exposed and vulnerable across mountains and hills. My sheep scattered all over the world, and no one out looking for them! Taken from Ez 34 (MSG)

 First we kill children before they come out of the womb (Abortion.) Next we kill children when they come out of the womb alive (partial birth abortion.) Then we destroy their spirits with our negative words and abuse. Now, when they react in fear to our negativity and kill someone, we will sentence them to life. Who started the chain that causes young people to be linked with evil? Did young people invent, guns, pornography and a violence glorifying media? I just heard a former gang member tell another young boy how Jesus lead him away from the violence of the gang. It's time for a message of Life instead of a message of life imprisonment.

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. I expect to climb higher mountains.
I expect to see brighter sunrises.
I expect to to do greater things.
Why?
Because the Son has risen and gone to His Father
and He said we will do greater things.
Today is the day for you to cross the believing line
etched in the middle of your heart.
Just believe

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The line has been drawn, will you cross it?

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"An emotionally stable student is more likely to be able to
concentrate and achieve academic proficiency.
A student who believes in their own ability to achieve
positive results is less likely to engage in disruptive behavior."

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Where there is no wood, the fire goes out and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. Proverbs 26:20

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The trail to spiritual destiny travels over
the mountain peak of unlimited opportunity.
Yield. Let go. Surrender.

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Quotes From The Heart October 2011

*YOU HAVE VALUE
A leaf has value at every stage of life and death.
From bud to beauty and decay to dirt, the cycle of life continues.
You are esteemed by the God who made you.
He has designed you to have value at every stage of your life.
Yesterday you were dirt.
Today you are a bud.

*COMPLETE
Another human being cannot complete you.
They can help you to become complete by
encouraging you to grow closer to God
who made you and will complete you.

*A tree must let it's leaves fall to grow into spring.
Will you let go to grow into new life?

*Fight the good fight. Don't give up. Don't give in. You don't quit.

*I pray that my unbelief today will be my faith tomorrow.

*A baby barely conceived is a human life full of potential.

*RELATIONSHIP > Religion, rules, rituals

*Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong.
Romans 14:22

 *LIVE LIFE IN THE MOMENT

 *A QUESTION from GOD
{Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Job 38:3}
Are you willing to seek a question from God or are you afraid of what he will ask you about your life? Are you afraid that his questioning will expose your weaknesses? GO FOR IT! Ask God to question you. The result will be:
1. More of you yielded to him.
2. More of the strength of his wisdom living within you.

*IS IT TIME TO LEAVE THE 99?
Even in the murkiest of waters, the surface can reflect our image.
Are the things we don't like about others a reflection of our own weaknesses?
Take empathy to another level. Step into the heart of the person whom you are viewing through disapproving eyes. The person you disapprove of may be the one amongst 99 that you are called to reveal a greater love. It's easy to stay in the comfort of the 99. There's safety and comfort in numbers. The best relationships are not built through comfort. Struggle, brokenness, yieldedness and forgiveness are the hallmarks of relationships that endure and reach the point of: " Till death do us part unto eternal life."

 *A CITY of FATHERLY LOVE
Heavenly Father, I pray for men who have had children to become the fathers that children need. I pray for fathers to show their daughters how a man should treat a woman. I pray for father's to teach their sons how to become young men of godly character. I pray for the hearts of the fathers to return to their children.
I pray for Buffalo to become a City of Fatherly love. Amen.

*Its time to turn the den of thieves into a house of prayer.

*CONFIDENCE
One moment I have it and one moment I don't.
Sometimes I hide behind something to make people think I have confidence.
Sometimes I hang out in the confidence of a crowd.
Then comes the moment in which I realize that:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
It's not about me.

{Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. Phil 4:13 MSG}

* THE SAD SEED
The sad seed was mad at her mother.
"She dropped me and left me all alone." Said the Sad Seed.
The Sad Seed was mad about where she lived:
"I'm covered in dirt and lonely darkness."
Said the Sad Seed.
Once upon a minute, Sonlight seeped into the soil and the Sad Seed stretched and grew. As the Sad Seed stood on her roots and poked her bud above ground, she noticed her Mom standing tall beside her. She hadn't left her alone after all. The Sad Seed grew into a Glad Seed and she began to teach all the other Young Seeds about GRATITUDE.

* "He loved them to the last and to the highest degree." John 13:1 Amp
"and he will do even greater things than these" John 14:12 Amp
If we have been called to do greater things
then we are called to love to a higher degree.

* The isolation of a mountain can be like the withdrawal of Gods blessings. He tests our faith like a mountain tests our perseverance and endurance.

*Is there a burning bush in your soul that needs some flame fanning?
Don't be afraid to ask for help in pursuing
the vision that God has placed in your bosom.

 *WHO NEEDS TO BE HEALED
A few years ago I was at a Sunday night service at The Tabernacle. A group called The Shepherd's Troupe was leading worship. They are a group of people that some of us might refer to as developmentally disabled. I watched with tears in my eyes as a young girl smiled and swayed to the music. That's all she could do was smile and sway. I cried out to God: "Why can't you reach out through me and touch her and heal her?" This was God's reply: "What makes you think she needs to be healed? How do you know she's not perfect just the way she is? She has you crying your eyes out. Who needs to be healed, you or her?"
I cried even harder as I realized that the healing needed to happen in me.

* NIGHTMARES
In the middle of the night
When you are experiencing nightmares,
You are not alone.
Stop and just believe that
God has someone interceding for you.

*The bottom of the pit may actually
be the tip of the Promised Land.

*You are on the verge of a launch into the glory of God's purpose for your life.
DRIVE SLOW, LET JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL!

*THE FATHER SCREAMED The Father screamed at his son: "When will you grow up? You are lazy and don't try hard enough. I don't know why I waste my breath on you!" The boy fought back tears and went to his room. He sat on his bed and cried. He felt alone, ashamed and afraid that he would never amount to anything in his Dad's eyes. Then he looked out the window and saw his Dad in the garden. He whistled while he worked. Digging in the soil, Dad pulled weeds and rocks in preparation for planting. He watched as his Dad dropped the seeds into the ground and covered them with soil and he heard his Dad say: "There little seed, I've given you my love and now I will be patient and wait for you to grow." The boy cried harder as he longed to be a seed in his Father's garden.

*I might see a sunrise while you're in the eye of a hurricane.
You might see new buds growing while I'm falling like a leaf from a tree.
I might be blinded by a blizzard while you're on a sun soaked beach.
You once were blind but now I help you see.
I once was blind but now you help me see.

*BELIEVING CAUSES SEEING
"Oh Daddy" Cried the Heart Farmer's daughter.
"How can I believe in something that I can't see?"
The Heart Farmer smiled and looked into the eyes of his precious Beauty and said:
"When I lie awake at night in the darkness, I can see the sunrise before it does. When I plant seeds in the ground, I can see them fully grown before they do.
And you my darling Beauty, I can see the smile in the eyes of your heart when you are not with me. God gives us nature as a metaphor of His love. We don't always see it but we know it's there. We know that He will never leave us or forsake us."
The Heart Farmer's daughter looked up at her Dad and smiled and said:
"I love you Daddy!"

* A SALTSHAKER Last week in a 7th Grade Class in a Buffalo Public School, I asked the students how many of them knew a friend or relative who died from violence. Over 3/4 of the students raised their hands. I then told them several stories about young people who were close to me who had been killed. I told them that I would give them the details surrounding the deaths and that I may cry at any point during the story. We also talked about open wounds in our hearts. When we don't develop empathy and we disregard someone else s pain, it's like shaking a saltshaker on an open wound. The class ended on a high note with smiles and handshakes instead of saltshakes. Our City has been shaking salt on the wounds of our children for many years. They see a City that builds courthouses yet let's youth programs and community centers close. They see a City with lights on a Peace Bridge and yet too few textbooks in their schools. They see a City with millions of dollars worth of street corner surveillance cameras and yet they can't find a job so they can make a couple of bucks. They see a City where politicians and preachers tell them how to behave and yet they continue to oversee a City of poverty - as in spiritual, moral and physical poverty. A long as the young people in Buffalo continue to feel devalued by the people around them, they will continue to exist in a state of woundedness. Do you perform at at your best when you have a wounded heart? How do you feel when somebody shakes salt of indifference on your wound. We teach empathy and respect. Grades go up when children feel valued. Respect flourishes when children feel empathy.

*MORTAL SPERM
"Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth,
love one another as if your lives depended on it.
Your new life is not like your old life.
Your old birth came from mortal sperm;
your new birth comes from God's living Word.
Just think: a life conceived by God himself!"
1 Peter 1:22-25 MSG

 *HOW TO GET STRONGER
The physical act of lifting weights causes your muscle to experience brokenness. You release your current strength to become stronger. Filling your body with solid food causes your muscle to be rebuilt with more strength.

The spiritual act of lifting weights requires releasing burdens to become stronger. You were not made to carry the world on your shoulders. The God who created the world will put you and your weight on His shoulders if you will just let go.

If you are having trouble even supporting your own weight just to start your day, picture Jesus extending a hand to pull you up. He will walk with you and carry your weight if you will just lay your burdens down.

If your heart is broken and you can't stop the tears, picture Jesus kneeling in front of you. He's holding your heart in his hands and tells you "I won't let you sink any deeper, I have your heart in my hands." Feel his fingertips gently holding your heart.

Lord I pray right now that anyone who is feeling broken and wounded will release their brokenness to you. I ask you to let them know how much that they are loved and valued in your eyes. Please let them know that you will never leave them or forsake them. I ask for your peace and grace to reign down on the brokenhearted in extravagantly abundant measures of mercy even as they read this. In Jesus name, Amen.

* A QUESTION PRAYER
The answer was created before your question.
The question is: "Why were you created?"
If you have a desire to know then ask a Question Prayer.

Dear God, you knew me before I was formed in the womb, why did you form me? You said that you would teach me and guide me in the way that I should go, Please tell me which way. You said that you would establish the work of my hands. What is the work of my hands? Please tell me. Let me be employed for thee O God. Whomsoever you want me to be, please reveal yourself within me so I understand why you created me. Amen

 The guys walked into the Youth Center. They sat with their food and talked about their friend who was killed yesterday. Another young man said he was glad to be alive after somebody put a shotgun to his head. I don't think it would take much to help them start businesses. That would help eliminate poverty and stop the shooting.

 

Quotes from the Heart September 2011

Its time to turn the den of thieves into a house of prayer.

THRESHING THROUGH THE CITY
Did you ever open a window and you couldn't feel any breeze at all? Yet later in the day you could feel the wind blowing throughout your house. God has opened up the windows of heaven over Buffalo. It's only a matter of time before the wind of His Spirit begins threshing through our City.

WILL YOU PONDER AWHILE WITH ME?

I'm pondering a man who.....
Went fishing without a net and caught fish who never swam.
I'm pondering a man who.....
Made loaves from bread that had never been baked.
I'm pondering a man who.....
Made wine from grapes that had never been crushed.
I'm pondering a man who.....
Forgave his tormentors who never felt sorrow.
I'm pondering a man who.....
Who drank from the cup of death and became the river of life.
I'm pondering a man who.....
Knows my flaws and loves me as complete.
Yea.....I'm pondering.....A Friend.

BUTTERFLIES, DIAMONDS & PEARLS

Dear God, please surround me with Butterfly People who will help me struggle out of my cocoon of selfishness. Please surround me with Diamond People who will take the stress that I cause them and turn it into a jewel for you. Please surround me with Pearl People who will love me when I irritate them. Amen

 Just believe

 God loves you as you are. Give him your love now right where you are. Have church right now.

 LETTING GO
Might be good.

A tree let's go of leaves.
New life in Spring.

A farmer let's go of seeds.
New life in earth.

A cloud let's go of rain.
New life grows.

God let go of his Son.
New life eternal.

Im not starting a church so I wont ask you to join a church. I would rather ask you to be a church. A temple where love is evident by your actions.

 HOLY SPIRIT FRUITCAKE

"Mommy"
Asked the Heart farmer's daughter.
"When you make your Fruitcake, what do you cook it with?"
"Oh my sweet daughter, I use a special kind of fruit. I use the kind of fruit that has love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All of that fruit doesn't grow on trees sweetheart, it comes from God."
"Is that why Daddy says he's a Holy Spirit Fruitcake?"

 

BLIND SEER
A friend who is blind to your former way of life,
And sees the new things that God will do through you.

NEW THINGS
God can build roads in the ocean and pour rivers in the desert.
He can make a masterpiece out of your mess.

{18Forget what happened in the past,
and do not dwell on events from long ago.
19I am going to do something new.
It is already happening. Don’t you recognize it?
I will clear a way in the desert.
I will make rivers on dry land.} Isaiah 43:18-19

 The movement of God is in the soil.

We don't wear robes with rope belts but we are trying
to do the work of St. Francis on the West Side of Buffalo.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

While I was running I passed Roswell Park. I prayed for those have a disease. I also prayed for those who have been healed and those who will be afflicted. Nobody knows who the afflicted will be. Forgive somebody today before they are gone.
Read the book "Unwritten" by Harlan Hobson

Grain is crushed to make bread.
Grapes are crushed to make wine.
The sun always sets before it rises.
You are being crushed just the right way.
You will become food and drink for a new day.
Your life will be used to feed others.
Embrace meekness.

A caterpillar in a cocoon is like a thought in captivity.

It's time for your thought to emerge and fly.

A new part of your life starts this very minute.

 GRACE
Expected rejection that becomes unconditional acceptance.

You are loved just as you are, JUST BELIEVE.

"NEVER DROPPING A LEAF....."

{Instead you thrill to God's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. You're a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom. Psalm 1:2}

How often do you see a fruit tree inside a church?
Go spread some fruit.
Just do something nice for somebody.

 Today you will be given an opportunity to give grace.

YOUR FRIEND
May not be giving you good advice.
Be patient,
Make decisions slowly.
A TRUE FRIEND will pour everything out for you.

Proverbs 11:11-12
Upright citizens bless a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart. It is foolish to belittle a neighbor; a person with good sense remains silent.

 HURRICANE
A force of destruction
that creates a path for an
overflowing river of mercy and grace.

 YES,
I'm walking in a valley of death but I have no fear.
I have a Partner guiding me up the Mountain of Life.
We will share a meal on the summit,
He will fill my soul until it overflows.
Your overflowing will always follow me.

 DEAR MR. ATHEIST
I love you as you are. I believe in your potential for greatness.
DEAR MRS. WITCH
I love you as you are. I believe in your potential for greatness.

Since I chose to follow God with my whole soul, I've left some of my hypocritical habits behind. I still need to make many changes in my heart. I'm not trying to convert you. I urge you to write uplifting words that help people. Write words of encouragement instead of attacking my faith.
Do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDI

IT'S
GOOD
TO
SEE
YOU
TODAY!

 TEARS
The tears you cry today are only rain,
Upon the broken ground of your heart,
That will hasten new growth tomorrow.

 A TREE
I was a tree in the beginning at the very first Fall.
The Fall of you mankind because you wanted it all.
I held the fruit you picked that caused you guilt and shame.
You wear it now like a mantle, it's become a part of your name.
Unable to take it off you react in fear, pointing fingers of blame.

"There is such a thing as a fatal sin, and I'm not urging you to pray about that. Everything we do wrong is sin, but not all sin is fatal." 1 John 5:17 MSG

 A VISION
God was standing in the heavens with a lightning bolt in His hand.
He used it to smash a dome in the sky over the Buffalo area.
On the ground were grapes and butterflies.

DON'T HOLD BACK
Don't hold back, ya' all don't know when Jesus is comin' back.
Don't hold back, ya' all don't know when you'll hear the sound of brrraack
As a bullet pierces the back and more young blood fills a sidewalk crack
And a Mother's tears - she can't hold back.
So don't hold back
Because you just don't know when Jesus is comin' back.

GAP STANDER
Once upon a minute a soul stood in the gap (maybe it's you.)
What's holding you back from becoming a GAP STANDER?
Maybe.....In a few days the Holy Spirit will come upon you. (or today!)
Then.....You will receive power to be a GAP STANDER.

"Fed up, God decided to get rid of them— and except for Moses, his chosen, he would have. But Moses stood in the gap and deflected God's anger, prevented it from destroying them utterly." Ps 106:23 MSG

Did life just hit you with an earthquake?
Maybe it was meant to shake the foundation of your prison and set you free.
It's your choice, an earthquake can carry the aroma of life.

I thank God for ignorant people.
they help to reveal my own ignorance.

 WHAT IF JESUS DIDN'T COME OUT OF THE TOMB?

I'm glad Jesus didn't have an attitude that said: "I'm so mad about that Cross that I'm not coming out of this grave." His attitude was forgiveness and it paved the way for a new life. Whatever you are holding onto, get over it, forgive somebody including yourself. A new life is waiting.

{Don't say to anyone, "I'll get back at you for what you did to me.
I'll make you pay for what you did!" PR 24:29 MSG}

 CONFUSED & AIMLESS
Who will give our children direction?
{So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. "What a huge harvest!" he said to his disciples. "How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!" Matt 9:37 MSG}
Teachers are workers and harvest hands, pray for them.
The harvest is plenty yet the workers are few.

 DOOM

I think the following statement is a prophetic statement regarding the youth of Buffalo (and the world.)
{Doom to you shepherds of Israel, feeding your own mouths! Aren't shepherds supposed to feed sheep? Ez 34 MSG}
We keep feeding our children self destructing garbage and expect them to respect others. America pours billions into the coffers of election campaigns while Teachers are laid off and Youth Programs shut down.

 I pray for a new mountain everyday.

ONCE UPON A MINUTE
There was a guy whose friends walked out on him in his time of trouble.
They feel asleep when he cried, they ran away before he died.
When the guy experienced a miracle and came back to life, he went back to his friends. He didn't hold a grudge against his friends who betrayed him in their weakness. He acted out forgiveness. That's the Way.

INNOCENCE IN THE DISTANCE
Maybe you have lost your innocence because of something you did or something somebody did to you. Your innocence can be restored like new growth on trees in the spring. Study the Cross of Christ, it's a model of the restoration of innocence.
Psalm 30:11 (The Message)
You ripped off my black mourning band
and decked me with wildflowers.
I'm about to burst with song;
I can't keep quiet about you.
God, my God,
I can't thank you enough

"DADDY" asked the HEART FARMER'S DAUGHTER, "Why do people get divorced when they say they will stay together forever." "Well, my little Beauty, it's because some folks get into the habit of always reaping when they should be doing their fair share of sowing." Daddy, do you mean they are always taking and not giving?" "You are such a smart little girl."
"I love you Daddy."

WHY DIDN'T ADAM COMMUNICATE CLEARLY WITH EVE?

Man wants to think that his love for a woman is his strength. Maybe Adam's supposed strength was vanity. Maybe he didn't love her enough to discuss and share their weaknesses and vulnerabilities. His perceived strength of love was a surface love that should have been "Deep unto Deep."

 THE DEVILS FIRST QUESTION:
"Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"
Gen 3:1
Eve was hanging around in an area where she could be tempted. She saw the tempting fruit and she was overcome.
Ask God for the wisdom to recognize temptation and stay away from it. Don't go looking for forbidden fruit, you might find it and be overcome by temptation.

Stop arguing.....Love is a more excellent way.

If we feed the spiritual famine in America
we will relieve the hunger in Africa.

 IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU TODAY!
Smile and repeat that phrase to everyone you meet.
I's amazing how you can plant a smile with a good word.

 Some folks go looking for love.
Some folks become love and they find it.

 

 

 

 

 

IS IT TIME TO LEAVE THE 99?

IS IT TIME TO LEAVE THE 99?



Even in the murkiest of waters, the surface can reflect our image.
Are the things we don't like about others a reflection of our own weaknesses?

Take empathy to another level. Step into the heart of the person whom you are viewing through disapproving eyes. The person you disapprove of may be the one amongst 99 that you are called to reveal a greater love. It's easy to stay in the comfort of the 99. There's safety and comfort in numbers.

The best relationships are not built through comfort. Struggle, brokenness, yieldedness and forgiveness are the hallmarks of relationships that endure and reach the point of: " Till death do us part unto eternal life."

Matthew 18:12
The Message (MSG)
Work It Out Between You
 12-14"Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers.

Will You Ponder Awhile With Me?

WILL YOU PONDER AWHILE WITH ME?

I'm pondering a man who.....
Went fishing without a net and caught fish who never swam.
I'm pondering a man who.....
Made loaves from bread that had never been baked.
I'm pondering a man who.....
Made wine from grapes that had never been crushed.
I'm pondering a man who.....
Forgave his tormentors who never felt sorrow.
I'm pondering a man who.....
Who drank from the cup of death and became the river of life.
I'm pondering a man who.....
Knows my flaws and loves me as complete.
Yea.....I'm pondering.....A Friend.

9-30-11

 

Quotes From The Heart May 2011

The resurrection of a city
starts with the rebirth
of the individual citizen.
*************************************************
Like a sponge, I'm soaking up all of God's goodness.
Like a sponge, sometimes I need to be squeezed,
So that I share some of that soaked up goodness.
*************************************************
Watching a butterfly,
it's hard to imagine that it could possibly reach a destination.
Watching a child grow,
it's hard to imagine them shaping the destiny of a nation.
Spend some quality time with a child today
and you will shape 100% of the future.
*************************************************
Dear God,
as Your Spirit envelops Buffalo
and heaven meets earth in Western New York,
help me to stay in the realization of Your Glory
and not get lost in my giddiness.
*************************************************
There is a flow of the Holy Spirit starting to flood Buffalo, NY.
It's like a river of like minded compassionate people
who desire to experience the exceedingly extravagant abundance
of living life in the purpose for which God created them.
Be alert for coincidental meetings. "It just so happened....."
*************************************************
Good morning Holy Spirit,
You saw me yesterday as I sat on a pew in a gym and thought about repentance. You heard me repent.
I have not lived up to the potential that You have given me..
It's almost like I had to remove a speck in the eye of my heart to move to a new level in my relationship with you God. Thank you for Your patience.
*************************************************
Dear God,
I'm grateful for who you are and who you made me to be. Help me to see the opportunities that are in my path today. Help me to run in perseverance and walk in patience. I pray that the shooter who took a life turns himself in and I pray that the tumor on Julians brain disappears. I want more of you God and I know you want more of my effort.
Amen
*************************************************
 DID YOU EVER HEAR A TREE SAY:
"I got pruned once, I'm not going to bud again."
DID YOU EVER HEAR A STAR SAY"
"I fell once Im not going to fall again."
DID YOU EVER HEAR THE SUN SAY:
"I'm tired of going down, I'm not going to rise anymore."
*************************************************
They put a blindfold on him
and taunted,
"Who hit you that time?"
They were having a grand time with him. (Mess Luke 22:63)
If you feel like you are being slammed from all sides, just believe that this too shall pass. You will be like a palm tree standing after a hurricane. Slapped by gusts of natures fury, just believe that you will stand glistening in supernatural glory.
Selah
************************************************
 FEELING ALONE?
Start FEELING what's happening.
There's new buds on the branches of your life.
There's new growth in the garden of your desires.
There's new healing as He holds your heart in His Hands.
...Listen to His voice as He says: "I won't let you sink any deeper."
Call to Him and He will answer you and show you wonderful things.
************************************************
 Are you tired from gleaning?
Go get washed in His Word
Anointed in His Spirit and
Clothed in His Righteousness.
Go lay down at His Feet.
...The story of Ruth.
************************************************
Any hope that is given to a child
is a blanket of security that helps them
become comfortable in their own skin.
************************************************
GLORY
Where will I see Your Glory today O God?
I pray that I will see Your Glory in someone's eyes in that
"Ah Ha " moment when they understand how much You love them.
************************************************
CAUSE and EFFECT
God is the cause we are the effect.
We love because He first loved us.
************************************************
Take a moment.
Step back from your current moment.
Focus on a past moment of joy.
Let the moment grow.
It will become a seed moment.
A seed moment of joy.
Go...sow some seed moments of joy and spread some joy in the current moment.
************************************************