The Living Dead?

     A rich widow had a fine harden, but the birds in the springtime kept eating the fruit and the vegetables. Her gardener told her to have a carpenter make a frame that could be dressed like a person.
     "Dress it in bright-coloured clothes," he said, "and the garments will flap around in the winds and scare the birds away."
     So the widow had a carpenter make her a scarecrow and she dressed it in a bright, loose blouse and a skirt that could sway in the wind.
     The scarecrow seemed to help, but one night there was a bad storm. The scarecrow was knocked over in the gale and washed away in the flood. It came to rest near the edge of a lake some distance away.
     The villagers saw it and hurried to tell the priest.
     "A saint!" everyone exclaimed. "Probably a miraculous saint that can cure our ills."
     The scarecrow was duly installed in a chapel of the church, and miracles began to take place - at least so the people thought.
     Then the rich widow became sick. She went to the medicine men, but they didn't help her. Hearing of a miraculous saint in a nearby town, she decided to visit it. She had her horse hitched to her carriage and went with her daughter to the village. First she visited the priest and asked about the new saint. Yes, he assured her, some cures had been effected. After giving him a generous donation, she and her daughter went with him to the church. He drew aside the curtain in the little chapel, and she knelt before the saint and began to repeat prayers. Presently her daughter nudged her.
     "Mama, doesn't this saint's clothing look like our scarecrow's dress?"
     The mother raised her head and opened her eyes wide.
     "My scarecrow!" she cried and, rising, left the church never to return.
     After the story, Pedro taught the people from the Bible, showing them that the dead do not turn to ghosts after they die, but rather return to the earth.
---Taken from the novel A Man Called Pedro by Barbara Westphal.

A Simple Prayer For My Mom

Now dear Lord as [I] pray, take [my] heart and mind far away from the stress of the world all around to Your throne where grace does abound. May [my] life be transformed by Your light, may [my] soul be refreshed from above. At this moment, let people everywhere join [me] now as [I] come to You in prayer.

My mom and I - It is my fervent prayer
that I will be able to see her give her life to the Lord.
I love her and I don't want to see
her miss out on all the treasures and happiness
God has in store.

Lord, You know my struggles and the hardships I'm facing. You can see the [people] that are making life on earth difficult for me. I pray, Lord God, that You will forgive [their] transgressions. [They] don't realize the pain [they] are afflicting because [they] are blinded with sin. Open [their] eyes to Your peace and never ending love. Soften [their] hearts to feel the gentle pricking of Your tender hand. Reveal to [them] the hurt [they] are bringing to others. I want to see [them] surrender [their] lives to You and I know the divine power of prayer. Thank you God for hearing this prayer by your humble servant.

Your Daughter,
Bailey


When you are discouraged and everything seems to be bringing you down, my good friend gave me great encouragement.

---When you can't stand...kneel

Eternally Burning In Hell?

In order for anyone to study the destiny of the wicked from God's Holy Word and get a correct understanding of it, one must begin with the fact that the law of love is the very foundation of His government. All of God's actions toward the people He has created originate from that premise. Thus it is impossible to believe in the doctrine of eternal torment.
Although the great monarch of the universe is a God of love, at the same time He is a God of justice. While the element of love controls His being, we must never forget that those who reject His love, His infinite sacrifice made in the death of His Son on Calvary, will have condemned themselves. They bear the guilt of rejecting the Spirit of Grace.

So what about the accounts in the Bible such as 'eternal fire', 'everlasting punishment', and 'the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever'?
Many persons misunderstand the meaning of the word punishment. They define it as conscious suffering and believe that when the senses no longer perceive any affliction, it ceases to be punishment...For instance, why is the sentence of death recognized as the greatest punishment? It is not because the pain involved is more intense, for some forms of torture such as whipping produce more pain that decapitation or hanging. But we consider it as the greatest punishment because it is the most lasting. It deprives its victim at once of all the relations and blessings of life, and we estimate its length by the life the person would have enjoyed. So it is, when death from which there is to be no release is administered, that is to say, no resurrection. That punishment is everlasting, or eternal. The second death deprives the sinner of the bright and ceaseless years of eternity. And just as the life of the redeemed is everlasting, so is the loss, or the punishment, or the wicked.

Hebrews 6:2 speaks of eternal judgement. Not a judgement eternally going forward, but one that, having once passed upon all men, is irreversible in its decision and eternal in its effects.
In Jude 1:7 we are told that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha suffer "the punishment of eternal fire". The apostle Peter tells us that God turned 'the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes...making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly' (2 Peter 2:6)

All taken from the book: A Trip Into The Supernatural by: Roger J. Morneau
-The book is an account of his life with spirits and how he came to know and surrender himself to Christ in a matter of one week. An incredible book that I recommend!

What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops!?

Enjoying the rain that
pleasantly downpoured while
I was running (:

Today, God has been so good to me!! (Not that He hasn't been equally good any other time). I have been on a high for God all day. I can't wipe the smile from my face and the joy swelling inside me.
I've been reading many books recently while at work about the struggles and hardships some Christians have to endure. One such book is "I Will Die Free" written by Noble Alexander. It informs of the intense hardships, beatings, and even tortures I can't quite put into words! All the while he kept with his worships with God and brought others to Him! I STRONGLY recommend this book to ANYONE!
As these books have been speaking to my heart..I've desired more in my relationship with God. Today, I read once more the verse 2 Corinthians 5:17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creation; the old has passed away behold the new has come. God wants me to change my attitude when I face trials. Instead of getting upset and be downcast, I need to have peace in my heart. When people ridcule and put me down, I need to put a smile on my face. You never know who's watching and as the quote goes, "you never know who's 'falling in love' with your smile".

GOD IS SO GOOD! It can never be said too often or too frequently!

I have been going to the gym for a few months now and can feel the difference in my stamina and endurance. Before and after work I walk to work and home again; this evening I decided to run! From work I started my journey (this trip home takes about a 40 minute brisk walk). While passing my past checkpoint of my record running distance I looked at the blackening clouds in the sky. Sweat was running down my face and I wished a sprinkle would come down to cool me off. Running up my 2nd and longest hill I stopped at the top to catch my breath and sprinkles came from the sky. Ahh! God blessed me!! I smiled as I ran up my 3rd and steepest hill and as I ran into my backyard it began to pour!! Two things that made me jump off the walls: I ran all the way home! And I was blessed with rain. (:
Let this be a fact that I was barely able to run down a street that was maybe 150ft before without panting and loosing my breath.

God blesses us so many ways during the day. Let us take time to think about all the ways God has blessed us today. (: