All from a Baggie

What a THRILL to teach Children's Sunday school today! I have the miracles of Jesus all in a baggie, and each week a child chooses one out of the bag to be our lesson. So it is a surprise to me also. A fresh word from the Bible for the student/s and also for me! Today the healing of the Crippled Woman was chosen. Luke 13: 10-17. Fun as we walked around the room all humped over trying to imagine how awkward and sad it would be to have had that condition for 18 years, like the Bible says. Then I had cardboard people which we used to act out the miracle. We had a man figure that was JESUS, and a woman figure (which we bent over with our hands) to be the crippled woman. We took turns re-telling the miracle story. Amazing how the woman went to Church crippled and went home HEALED. We talked about how Jesus SAW her and called her forward. Most of the time when a teacher tells you "Come up here"....it is not for something good. But Jesus had something WONDERFUL planned for this woman. I love how Jesus spoke to her his intentions, and then touched her. So glad that JESUS is a touchy kind of God who does not stand back from us, but loves to touch us, love on us, let us know that HE is with us. Her reaction to His touch of healing, was to praise God. [There is a whole sermon in that statement alone!] I said: "Do you think everyone in the church was happy that this woman was healed and could stand up straight?" YES, was the reply. But then we read verse 14. Not everyone was happy! But when Jesus tells the man he should be ashamed of himself. Jesus had healed a person on the Sabbath which the Accuser had considered "work" on the sabbath. Jesus pointed out that he had untied his donkey that morning and led it out to water. Was THAT not work on the sabbath? A Donkey needing water and a woman needing the ability to stand straight were both needed today! AND all the people understood and left REJOICING. Sounds like that was one powerful Church service when Jesus was teaching, stopped and healed someone in need. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> TONIGHT in our Church service, a lady was feeling terribly sick, and made it known to Pastor. He stopped, went back to her, Gentely touched her and prayed for her.........and she begin to feel FINE once again. Thank You Lord, that YOU STILL hear and answer prayer. That You Still minister to the needs of Your people. May we never be too involved in our lesson, our plan, our life.....to miss the needs of people...one precious soul at a time.

Unknown Protection!

On this wonderfully hot day in Florida, I decided to make a lunch of fresh fruit and took it out to my hubby who was putting shelves in our shed. We decided to take our lunch out to the chairs that overlooks a lovely pond behind our "house". Our dog, NOMAD, sat in his chair begging Ken for pieces of cantelope. A lovely Lunch by the water. Then I looked out and asked Ken if he thought THAT was a gator whose eyes were barely visable above the water level. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between gator eyes and the huge turtle noses....but as we continued to look...his head lifted, his back came to the surface and his identity was WELL KNOWN. No more doubting. It was indeed a Gator. Little did our 15 pound, tail wagging dog know that without our presence and protection, he might be the target of a gator's lunch. Nomad had no idea that danger was just alittle way off. I could not help to thank my LORD for the zillion of times HE protects us and yet we have no idea we are even in danger! I am so very thankful for a God who cares about us! Thank you Lord for your care!

Sermon from my Cupboards!

This is not my first house to have the Fruit of the Spirit stenciled on my kitchen cupboards. I find it challenging, empowering and comforting to walk into my kitchen several times a day and to see the REMINDER of how God wants me to think and act on my kitchen cupboards. When we moved here, I thought I could do without it....but before long I found myself stenciling the familiar words to my cupboard doors.

I am a believer in Scripture and desire the Word of God to be around me and in me as much as possible. I need to be renewed in my mind on a regular basis so as not to return to my old pattern of thinking or acting. I am so thankful for the Word of God, that truly is life changing. His Word changed me and I have no desire to go back to where I used to think or act! In the photo you see some of my kitchen cupboards. "Gentleness" is found under the oven. The others are on the other side of the kitchen. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. -- Galatians 5:22-23 You can see the Fruit on my cupboards, but my prayer is that people can see them in my life!