In God's Hands

Today is in God's hands and so are you.

His hands are strong and will uphold you;
His hands are great and will enfold you;
His hands are gentle and will embrace you;
His hands are protective and will cover you;
His hands are reassuring and will quiet you;
His hands are powerful and will defend you;
His hands are parental and will train you;
His hands are masterful and will conform you;
His hands are compassionate and will care for you;
His hands are healing and will renew you;
His hands are calming and will comfort you;
His hands are giving and will bless you.

The hands that hold you will never let you down.

-Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer

I came across this really good piece today. It got me thinking, not that I don't do that all the time.

Being forced to go closer to death

than I ever wanted to for the third time, fourth time, fifth time.

My first born son in 1977 at age three, an older sister died by suicide in 1978 at age 29,

second son in 1979 at age 8 months, oldest daughter in 2008 at age 23. My dad at age 70.

Too much death, but we will all die. The death rate remains the same, no matter at what age, but

we were not meant to die. Death came as the result of sin. God has a plan whereby we can be assured that we will live with him, to "dwell in the house of the Lord forever".

Heavy
That time I thought I could not go any closer to grief without dying
I went closer, and I did not die. Surely God had His hand in this,
as well as friends. Still, I was bent, and my laughter,
as the poet said, was nowhere to be found.
Then said my friend Daniel(brave even among lions),
"It's not the weight you carry but how you carry it -
books, bricks, grief - it's all in the way you embrace it,
balance it, carry it when you cannot, and would not,
put it down."
So I went practicing. Have you noticed? Have you heard
the laughter that comes, now and again, out of my
startled mouth? How I linger to admire, admire,
admire the things of this world that are kind, and maybe
also troubled - roses in the wind,the sea geese on the
steep waves, a love to which there is no reply?

- by Mary Oliver

Our Greatest Need

If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness,
so God sent us a Saviour.

-Roy Lessin

Not Finished Yet

We need a new button, t-shirt, bumper sticker, or cap that reads...NFY! It stands for Not Finished Yet!

Regardless of the label people put on you (senior, baby-boomer, retired person), regardless of the number of birthdays you've celebrated, you are still here. And as long as you are here, you are not there, and as long as you are not there, it means God still has a purpose for you here.

When Jesus was on the cross, the last thing He said was, "It is finished." After He made that statement He died. When is God's purpose for you on this earth finished? It is finished when you die... until then, you are not finished yet! NFY!

Does the thought of getting older discourage you or make you fearful? Consider these words the Lord spoke to Isaiah: I will be your God throughout your lifetime--until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. Isaiah 46:4 NLT

By Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer.

Just Think

Just Think,
You’re not here by chance,
but by God’s choosing.
His hand formed you
and made you the person you are.
He compares you to no one else
– you are one of a kind.
You lack nothing that His grace can’t give you.
He has allowed you to be here at this time in history
to fulfill His special purpose for this generation.

By Roy Lessin

Courage

I eagerly expect and hope
that I will in no way be ashamed,
but will have sufficient courage
so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,
whether by life or by death.
Philippians 1:20

Amazing God Indescribable... Amazing God... All Powerful... The awesome God who created the universe also cares about every detail of your life! God's love is meteoric, His loyalty astronomic. Psalm 36:5 The Message

THE BRICK

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighbourhood
street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for
kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he
thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared.
Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed
on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick
had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid
and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all
about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?
That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost
a lot of money. Why did you do it?'

The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister., please, I'm sorry but
I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because
no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off
his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's
my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his
wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please
help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy
for me.'

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly
swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy
back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and
dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him
everything was going to be okay.

'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the
stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his
wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was
very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented
side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:

'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at
you to get your attention!' God whispers in our souls and speaks to
our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to
throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or
not.

_Thought for the Day:_

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning.
Face it, friend – He’s crazy about you!

Send this to every 'beautiful person' you wish to bless.

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow,
sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day,
comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

Read this line very slowly and let it sink in...

The Message of the Rooster

The rooster is dependable.
He is persistent.
He is not protesting the fact
that he has to do the same thing every day
of his life.
He has a good message to proclaim,
"A new day has dawned,
and with it come opportunities and
responsibilities."

Money Buys a House

Money buys clothes, but not character,
Money buys a house, but not a home,
Money buys medicine, but not health and life.
Money buys company, but not friends,
Money buys beauty aids, but not beauty,
Money buys entertainment, but not happiness.
Money buys respect, but not an entrance to heaven.

Is God Enough?

Is God Enough?

Melissa Taylor

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

Is God enough? It's a question that my life circumstances force me to keep going back to. What I've concluded is that not only is God enough, but He has to be enough. I've also concluded that it takes effort on my part to keep myself aware of this.

As a young child, I didn't realize my need for God, but I did realize that I had a need that was not fulfilled. I was sexually abused when I was seven years old. My dad left our family when I was eleven. Both circumstances left me devastated, and I didn't understand how God could bring healing at that time. I spent many years trying to heal myself and make myself feel better. Nothing worked.

As I grew older and began to move from being a Christian who simply believed to a Christian who was actively involved with Jesus, my life began to change. Because I was having conversations with Him directly and reading His Word consistently, my life was challenged. I learned that when the hard knocks came, and they would, I needed to ask myself one question in order to move on. "Is God enough?"

When a friend betrays me, is God enough? When I need to forgive someone for something that seems unforgivable, is God enough?

When my child is having issues that are out of my control, is God enough? When my marriage is on the brink of destruction, is God enough?

When I am not forgiven by another person, is God enough?

When my mother is dying of cancer, is God enough?

When others don't recognize my value, is God enough?

When I am struggling professionally, is God enough?

When someone I love uses words to hurt me, is God enough?

When I am in debt and don't know how I'll pay my bills, is God enough?

When I am reminded of something I did in the past, is God enough?

When the world is in turmoil, is God enough?

When my health is declining, is God enough?

When I am let down and disappointed in my life, is God enough?

Just last night, I sat in my room crying. Here I was again asking, "Is God enough?" I opened a box full of personalized Bible verses that someone very special gave to me. I began reading them out loud to myself. Verse by verse, I began combating the thoughts that were paralyzing me with self doubt. What I discovered is the conclusion I always come to when I ask myself "Is God enough?" Yes He is.

I could lose everything in life. There's not anything I have here on earth that is guaranteed. If I lost it all though, I'd be okay because no one can take away my identity in Christ. Whether I live in a mansion on a hill or a shack in the swamp, I have my Jesus. Whether the world is for me or against me, I have my Jesus. When I am knocked down, I get on my knees and there I find my Jesus. His Word is planted deep in my heart and I believe it all.

When life becomes more than you think you can handle, don't quit. And certainly don't believe the lies you may be entertaining in your head. Instead, ask yourself, "Is God enough for me?" The answer could change everything.

Dear Lord, help me to realize that the secret to being content in all circumstances is You. Help me to be aware of Your presence in my life at all times. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Jesus Is the Treasure
Day 362

"When it comes to heaven itself," says Dr. Richard Bewes, "all eyes will be on the throne."

All the benefits of heaven that you have read about so far are awesome, but they pale in insignificance to the real treasure in heaven, which is Jesus Christ himself.

Joni Eareckson Tada says, "So many people think of heaven as a place, but really it's a Person. Jesus, who is at the very center of heaven, is what makes it exciting to me. We have something like a homing detector in our hearts, and it's just not ringing for earth. It's ringing for Him in whom our deepest longings will be answered.

"So heaven is not just a place; it is a Person, that Individual for whom we were made. What makes heaven exciting to me is being with the Lord Jesus where I will be perfectly and utterly at home."

You will marvel at Jesus someday, and His very name will cause you to bow down on your knees in reverence and honor.

"On the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you" (2 Thessalonians 1:10).

"At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth" (Philippians 2:10).

Teach me to love You, Lord. Show me how to place You at the forefront of my life and my thoughts so that I may experience a touch of heaven. Amen

The Lord's Good Plan

Some favorite verses from Isaiah 53:
¹⁰ But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
¹¹ When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.

So thankful that God made it possible for us to be counted righteous
by coming to earth as a human to be made an offering for our sin.

A Promise Kept

"Ours is a day of passionate pursuit of self-fulfillment and the folk wisdom of 20th century America holds that fulfillment can only be found in freedom. So if some responsibility or commitment, some relationship or value shackle, you have a moral obligation to yourself to break free.

But it is a fantasy. That doorway to freedom and fulfillment may turn out to be the doorway to a stronger imprisonment. Only the one who says no to self-interest for Christ and the gospel cause can ever find the treasure of true life - freedom and fulfillment in Christ. but we don't get it."

This is from a book: "A Promise Kept" by Robert McQuilkin.

The Whisper of God Thought for the Day: "Sometimes we need to be broken down so we can be built back up again. It is during the times we feel we are being broken down that we need to trust that God will rebuild us into something more glorious than we could have ever imagined." Have a fantastic day today my friends!- Elmer Laydon

Memory and Pain

We arrived home yesterday from our family trip to Europe, minus three out of five pieces of our checked luggage. One night we stayed at a castle near Salzburg that used to be run by a Bible college. They still had quite a few books that they were selling at a reduced price. Two of them that I have started reading are "The Pursuit of God" by A. W. Tozer and "Prayers Plainly Spoken" by Stanley Hauerwas.

His prayers have a profound simplicity. He would agree with what Timothy Keller said that God understands the language of our pain. Hauerwas in the introduction to his book says, "I figured God could take it, because God did not need to be protected."

I'd like to share one of the prayers, "Memory and Pain".

Crucified Lord, your creation is full of pain. Our lives are filled with pain. We must appear happy, to be OK, to others and ourselves. After all, we know no likes to be around people in pain. So we cannot even be around ourselves. We refuse to remember because memory is just another name for pain - dull, meaningless pain that makes us numb. but you would have us be a passionate people, filled with the Spirit, possessed by memory. We fear that if we remember, the pain will return and kill our present. Give us courage, which is just another name for friends, to stare down the terror in our own and our neighbour's lives, that we may be your joyous people. Amen.

I also wanted to share some things from the message I listened to this morning.
The problem is not with the God of the universe, but with us.
If it was not for the grace and forgiveness of God, we could not survive.
He inflicts wounds that heal, wounds that are for our good and for his glory.
God can give us joy in our suffering.
This was from the series on the book of Habakkuk from www.redeemer.com.

The Whisper of God Thought for the Day: “We all start off like lumps of clay. Just like a potter, God kneads and molds us until we begin to take shape. Sometimes we lose the shape He tries to give us and He needs to start over. Nevertheless, God keeps working until we become one of His beautiful masterpieces.” Have a fantastic day today everyone! – Elmer Laydon

He Gives Himself

The following is from the daily grief/share emails that we have been getting for almost two years. After the first year was up, I signed up again. This one for Day 256 was really good. Yes, it seems like our life has been a nightmarish chaos and sometimes you wonder where the order and stability is, but I want to let God hold me and comfort me with His love, to let go of the shreds that my life is in. I repeat Psalm 23 to myself several times a day to remind me that my Shepherd wants to restore me.

Thanks to everybody for your prayers.


He Gives Himself
Day 256

Healing is not about doing better or being stronger or going to church more. It is about experiencing a love that will never let you go.

Joni Eareckson Tada says, "Your deepest need when you are hurting is to have God, like a Daddy, reach down and pick you up and hold you and reassure you that everything is going to be okay. He lets you know that your life is not in nightmarish chaos, your world is not splitting apart at the seams. Somehow and somewhere there is order and stability to it all. And that's why God never gives advice; He gives Himself."

Let go of the shreds of your life you have been hanging on to and embrace God.

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling" (Psalm 68:5).

"You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more" (Psalm 10:17-18).

Heavenly Father, hold me in Your arms and comfort me. Reassure me that everything is going to be okay. Amen

^{Isaiah 49}

¹³ Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, O mountains!
For the LORD comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

¹⁴ But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten me."

¹⁵ "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!

¹⁶ See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.

Renee, Renee, Renee

Oh, Renee, I love you so.....

It is just not right that I have survived you.

But I have survived two years now without you. Next week Friday, February 26 it will be two years.

How does one do it? This surviving? This going on without that precious daughter?
those precious sons? on top of all the other disasters and failures?

"O Lord, you alone can heal me..... you alone are my hope in the day of disaster."
Jeremiah 17: 14, 18

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me

It is so hard to believe that two years have already gone by since our last Christmas with Renee. The first picture was taken at Rockefeller Center on Christmas Eve 2007. That is me with my three beautiful daughters. (Click on it for a better view.) The next picture was taken on the second floor deck of our vacation rental home in Barbados - Christmas 2oo9.

We were going to do a cruise with the family in 2007. That is something Renee really wanted to do, as well as Alayna who both had not been on a cruise. Renee was going to be in the bridal party of a very dear friend who was getting married in the DR and then join us for the cruise starting the day after the 20th of December. After the cruise to the Bahamas we were planning to stay over in Florida at what used to be our company's condo for Christmas. The cruise and flights were booked in the beginning of October. We were really looking forward to this. We wanted so much to believe that Renee was healed, but we had no guarantee that she would not relapse.

Then at the end of October all those plans crashed. Renee had relapsed. Back to MSKCC and more chemo. Renee did not get out of the hospital till just before Christmas. Renee didn't talk about it very much, because it was too hard for her to take, that she could not be at her friend's wedding and it was such a huge disappointment that we could not go on that family cruise.

Then on the 20th of December, which is Kara's birthday, we had the horribly shocking experience of finding out that the family business partnership was no more. It was absolutely excruciating.

And then Renee died...February 26...that huge tsunami blow to our family, creating this huge hole that will always be there, that we are all trying to cope with, each in our own way. Please continue to pray for our family.

I am so glad that we could all go on this trip to Barbados, not a cruise, I think that would have been too painful. Justin managed to get off from work and I think it was very important for us to spend this time together for healing.

I was feeling so overwhelmed with sorrow about doing this trip without Renee, thinking about that family vacation we had planned two years ago that never happened. Ray, Alayna and Kara still went on the cruise and then we had some dear friends who volunteered to take the extra room for which we could not get a refund. They were sent by God to be a support to Ray after that devastating blow he had received the day before the cruise. I don't know what he would have done if they had not been there.

We did have a very special Christmas with Renee in NYC that year except Justin couldn't come. That was the worst Christmas for him.

So the first night of our trip, God gave me a very special dream of Renee which helped me to not feel quite so overwhelmed with sorrow. I did find places and time to be alone to shred some tears. And on Christmas day as the choir at the church we attended, sang such a beautiful rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus accompanied by a steel orchestra, the tears started flowing as I thought of Renee worshiping in heaven, singing the Hallelujah Chorus with all the angels and all the redeemed. I can't even imagine how beautiful that must be! And the tears came again later when I read an article by Joni E. Tada about Christmas and heaven from the book, Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, after we had eaten our family's traditional Christmas breakfast of cheese blintzes with strawberry topping.

It was important to us to do some of our traditional family Christmas things, and yes, you don't need a white Christmas, to make it feel like Christmas! All we really need for the "Christmas spirit" is to worship the One whose birthday we are celebrating.

I found the following poem and it describes my dream very well.



WHEN TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME

When tomorrow starts without me,
And I'm not there to see,
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me;

I wish so much you wouldn't cry
The way you did today,
While thinking of the many things,
We didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me,
As much as I love you,
And each time that you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too;


But when tomorrow starts without me,
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name,
And took me by the hand,

And said my place was ready,
In heaven far above,
And that I'd have to leave behind
All those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye
For all my life, I'd always thought,
I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for,
So much left yet to do,
It almost seemed impossible
That I was leaving you.

I thought of all the yesterdays,
The good ones and the bad,
I thought of all the love we shared,
And all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday,
Just even for a while,
I'd say good-bye and kiss you
And maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized,
That this could never be,
For emptiness and memories,
Would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things,
I might miss come tomorrow,
I thought of you, and when I did,
My heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through heaven's gates,
I felt so much at home.
When God looked down and smiled at me,
From His great golden throne,

He said, "This is eternity,
And all I've promised you.
Today your life on earth is past,
But here life starts anew.

I promise no tomorrow,
But today will always last,
And since each day's the same way
There's no longing for the past.


You have been so faithful,
So trusting and so true.
Though there were times you did some things
You knew you shouldn't do.

But you have been forgiven
And now at last you're free.
So won't you come and take my hand
And share my life with me?"

So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're far apart,
For every time you think of me,
I'm right here, in your heart.