Thought of the Day-May 29th, 2009

CHRISTIAN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS

"Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most.)
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Thought of the Day-May 28th, 2009

In 2007 I received this from a friend and I felt that it is a good reminder for today. I don't know who wrote it, but I do know it is from God to you....

Ten Guidelines From God

Effective Immediately, please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you. Please, follow these 10 guidelines

1. QUIT WORRYING: Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST: Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME: Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster ? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE: Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME: I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH: I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continu e to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE: You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT: I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND: Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all.. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.


10. LOVE YOURSELF: As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don't ever forget......

Thought of the Day-May 27th, 2009

So I am back to the rat race. It has been a great vacation, but things are quite busy getting back to the office. My brother Andre' the last of the Robinson's graduated on May 21st. I was so excited, the anticipation, then sometimes you just have to see it to believe it. So he did graduate....

The journey for him has only just begun and he like many of his classmates don't have a clue as to what lies ahead. In thinking about my brother and other young graduates I think about investing, what is it that I can contribute, input, impart that will help them not to stumble on the same potholes of life.

So todays Blog is dedicated to your words of wisdom... Please leave a comment with your suggestions.

My suggestion to my brother and other graduates is to use credit wisely, that if you can't pay for it, don't get it. Credit is so important to ones future, where one will live and how one will live, so it is vital that it is used wisely.

Comments please....

Thought of the Day-May 26th, 2009

Leave the Way Open-Joel Olsteen Ministries
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God's] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord"(Romans 12:19, AMP).

TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria
We all go through situations where we’re not being treated fairly. Maybe somebody is talking behind your back or trying to make you look bad, maybe you were overlooked for a promotion or cheated in a business deal. When we’re being mistreated, the natural thing is to try to defend ourselves and set the record straight. Human nature wants to get even and get revenge. But the scripture says, “Vengeance is Mine… says the Lord.” That means God wants to make your wrongs right. He wants to pay you back for every unfair thing that has happened. He is a God of justice.

Notice what today’s scripture says: you can either avenge yourself or you can let God be your avenger, but you can’t have it both ways. If you take matters into your own hands, then God is going to step back and say, “Go ahead, do it your way. Looks like you don’t need My help.” But on the other hand, if we choose to stay on the high road and say, “No, I’m going to let God be my avenger and trust God to bring justice into my life”, then you are leaving the way open for God to move mightily on your behalf!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, I humbly come to You asking that You be my vindicator. I choose to release all those who have hurt me and every wrong done to me. Fill me with your peace and love. I trust that You are working on my behalf, and I look for Your goodness in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

Thought of the day-May 22, 2009

Good morning all! I am filling in for Angela this morning while she is away celebrating a graduation.

Today's verse is from Galatians, as I have recently been studying and memorizing from this book and have been encouraged by it in many ways.

Galatians 6: 9-10.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."


This verse has always been difficult to follow because I very easily become weary in doing good. When other don't recognize the good things I do, or when someone hurts me and I want to hurt them back, it is hard to follow the words of Paul in his letter to the Galatians. But God has called me continue doing good and promises that he will recognize my choice to do what is right.

Today, my hope is that the words of Paul will encourage you to continue doing good even when it is difficult. And I pray that you will see the harvest of not giving up.

~Ally L.

Though of the Day-May 21st, 2009

William Shakespeare said:

... Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,

that looks on tempests and is never shaken.

My husband and I live next to an older couple. Quite ironically that I have ties to the neighbor from my home town, I know his younger siblings, I recognized his face, but don't remember him because of our age difference. Anyway we (my husband and I) have been learning things bit by bit from our neighbor. Church, that's what I call him, as his last name is Churchill. Anyway Church has been teaching us landscaping tricks to make our lawn look picture perfect.

Now for weeks we had admired the look, the feel, the beauty of their lawn. My husband and I would talk about it daily of how we too wanted our lawn to look that way. I went over one evening after work and I told Mrs. Church, I have got to know what it is you did to get your lawn to look so picture perfect. Mrs. Church called Church to the room so he could begin to tell me what he did to nuture his lawn. He went into detail about how the lawn companies had just come out weeks before and treated lawns in the area. He said that is how he knew it was time to treat his as well. Church told me what to buy, I bought the item, then I went to tell Church that I had the goods, then he showed me (did not do it for me) how to apply it properly to my yard.

There were several steps, we had to treat the lawn, then we had to either water it, or pray for rain, we watered a little here and there, but mostly prayed for rain. Being that it was April we were guaranteed April showers. As I was a doubter I must mention that we only treated the front yard to see what would happen. Not even a week later we were treating the back yard because we wanted it to look as nice as the front yard.

So I was saying all this to comment on the landscaping took hard work, it took nurturing, it took time and it took both of us working together. It took my talking to Church to find out what he did, then I applied the substance to the yard, my husband applied the landscaping bricks and watered, then cut the yard in the right timing.

Marriage is much like the process that we went through with our yard. We researched what information we needed to be successful. We then applied that information, along with hard work, and continue to nuture the area, there is upkeep that must be done. Living and sharing your life with another individual brings about change, change in you, change in the environment and change in the other person. In order for you to have that internal strength that shows on the outside as a picture perfect reflection of Christ in you, you must nuture your marriage. It takes work, it requires upkeep, you both have to bring to the table your best.

I encourage you this day to research, to apply what you learn, to then nuture that area, finally maintain your marriage with daily upkeep.

Thought of the Day-May 20th, 2009

Today we will walk in Love...

If we love one another; God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:12

As I look back over my life of 37 years, I think about love. Love has followed me and love has carried me in many ways. The childhood love that I had for Father figures that betrayed me, to the awesome love of a Heavenly Father that provided provision and protection. If it weren't for God loving me so, I don't even want to think where I might be. I thank him for his protection and direction, because so many people that I grew up with had to endure storms without knowing their purpose. I have had my storms as well, but I have always pressed forward, I was always able to see the sun (son).

When you grow up in a community where you are in the group that does not have much money, but always had what you needed, people poked fun at you. People would point out any imperfections that they could see, your hair is not long enough, your clothes aren't from the finest stores and you are awkwardly tall and skinny. My name is not olive oil, nor the jolly green giant, but they called me that anyway. When the streets treat you so mean, you retreat into yourself, you feel self-conscience. Where do you turn? Do you try to fit in? You're already on the outside. So you turn to church to positive moments in your life and you find your freedom, you find love...

In my life because of my childhood I have had difficulty fitting in, showing love, sometimes looking for love in all the wrong places. What saved me? The love of Christ. No... Yes really... Reading in his word how relationships are suppose to be, fitting in with him and being told that you are somebody special because God loves you. Finding forgiveness and peace with my past. And not for one moment would I trade any experience, be it bad, be it good. Why? Because that changes Angela, my nature, my personality, my character and I am not willing to risk losing Angela.

Not all people are easy to love. But if god lives in us, we must show love. I think about my daughter, she makes it very difficult to love her. When we focus on loving the person, and hating the sin/behavior then it changes things. We are able to love without enabling the behavior. Loving her is going to make me into the Mature Woman that I am called to be, an example to her, myself and other women.

A closing prayer by Frederick Meyer seems to sum up today's thought.

Thank you for allowing me to share a piece of my-story with you.

Forgive us if this day if we have done or said anything

to increase the pain of the world.

Pardon the judgemental attitude, the unkind word,

the impatient gesture, the hard and selfish deed,

the failure to show sympathy

and kindly help where we had the opportunity,

but missed it.

Amen

Thought of the Day-May 19th, 2009

My message for today is in the form of a poem from a book I have titled "Showers of Blessing".

My husband and I are in our second year of marriage and will celebrate 3 years on December 2nd, 2009. This month we have chosen to spend more time resting in the Lord. In that we have found such peace, playfulness, and contentment. We are settled in our spirits and souled out. In saying that I would like to share that we are in Love with one another. We have always loved one another, but I do believe this is one of many points in our life where we are in love with one another. The reason for the new found love, is our new appreciation and love for Christ. The alpha and omega of our lives.

" Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God"

Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain,

Good things and bad things, pleasure and pain

We can't have all sunshine, but it's certainly true

There is never a cloud, the sun doesn't shine through...

So always remember, that whatever betide you

The power of God, is always beside you,

And if friends disappoint you, and plans go astray

And nothing works out, in just the right way,

And you feel you have failed, in achieving your goal,

And that life wrongly placed you, in an unfitting role...

Take heart and "stand tall", and think who you are,

For God is your Father, and no one can bar

Or keep you from reaching your desired success,

Or withhold the joy, that is yours to possess...

For with God on your side, it matters not who

Is working to keep, life's good things from you,

For you need nothing more, than God's guidance and love

To insure you the things, that you're most worthy of...

So trust in His wisdom,and follow His ways,

And be not concerned, with the world's empty praise,

But seek ye first His kingdom, and you will possess

The world's greatest riches, which is true happiness.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God,

and his righteousness; and all these things

shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

A dedication to my Family: my love Aaron, My Pastor Rev. Kimbro, My First Lady Rev. Rhonda Kimbro, My Bro. Barry Lewis, My Sister Minister Kathy Lewis, My Friend Jacqua Williams, My Sister Rev. Erin Reynold's and My Bro. Rev. Marcus Reynold's, to my friend Rev. Jerry Ellison and his First Lady Donna Ellison, to my big sister and mother Diane Bradshaw....

Seek Ye First the kingdom of God....

Thought of the Day-May 18th, 2009

If anyone thinks he is somebody when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6:3

Todays message is a Word of warning......

I have been several times to a conference

that is held for the Black Christian Churches in our area. The first night we

do something that is quite meaningful to me. There is a roll call of who is

in attendance. We bring a banner from our church, and we line up and parade

around the assembly hall to see who has come to the conference and who has

brought the most people. My husband and maybe some parishioners

from my church here in town, always make a comment or

give me a raised eyebrow because I insist on being counted as half

a person. You see my home church, were I was born and raised

comes to the conference as well and no matter how many people they have

I walk through with them as well. I believe that you have to honor

appreciate and remember from whence you came.

I could get off puffed up with titles and who I am

and where I go to church, our choir is better then their choir

mentality or I can remember that without God

I am NOTHING!

When I get to thinking as Mrs.Chancelor, miss goody two shoes,

I run the Feed the Community, and I, I, I ,I...

It is not about me, because I am nothing. What I put my

hands to serve in, is blessed because of my heart. My heart is not

a heart filled with I, me, me, me, but a heart

of Christ as I serve his children.

We have to remember whose we are and live a life centered and

focused on Christ. We have to speak to one another in love

and treat others how we want to be treated. We have to utilize

the gifts and the people we have in our lives, not forsaking them. We have to respect that

they are children of God as well. We have to get out of self

and into Christ...

My sisters and brothers don't let I, rule and reign in your life.

Don't let a title, wealth, fame or fortune, steal your focus.

Giants fall...

Galatians 6:3

Thought of the Day-May 15th, 2009

A year from now you may wish you had started today. ( Robert Schuller)

What is it that you are wanting to do?

No News Resolution stuff. But the goals that you have put aside

awaiting the right moment in time.

Now that you have that thing in mind. What is one small step you can make

towards making that happen? Just one small step. Now that you have

that in mind, how can you move forward? What do you need?

Who can you enlist to aide you?

I have set a goal that I want there to be less Angela when I

attend my Family Reunion in August. One small step

I can take is to stop drinking soda.

How can I move forward? With assistance with my friends and

family, I must share my goal and they will encourage me to do right.

If we would just start, we would find that through our faith

we can move mountains.

What are you wanting to start? How can I help you

reach your goal or to make one small step?

Leave me a comment and lets see what we

can get done...

Thought of the Day-May 14th, 2009

Yesterdays subject was so real to me, so I hope you don't mind us digging a little deeper into it. Part 2 of Trust in the Lord.

Why does this Proverb use the word “Trust”? The word Faith means as it states in Hebrews (I’m paraphrasing) Faith is the belief in things not seen which are true. We need to have faith in all we do and with every breath we take.

To me “trust” comes after faith. We have faith that God the Father and His resurrected Son Jesus Christ exist. We have trust that They will do what they say They will do. We trust that Their words, teachings, blessings, mercy, grace etc will happen to us.

So for this Proverb to have influence it is supposed that we already have faith and not just faith but strong faith so that we can trust God.

Now that we have addressed the word “Trust” let’s look at the full beginning phrase: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart”.

Have you ever known someone where you know them well enough to understand that you can trust them without question on some things but not on other things? With The Lord we can and we must trust Him on ALL things with ALL our hearts. With no reservations. The Lord loves us and has nothing but pure desires to have us come and live with Him again after the resurrection. With that in mind can we trust Him with nothing less than all our hearts?

“Lean not to thine own understanding”. When we are dealing with our Creator and our Redeemer we need to remember that scripture that says approximately “my way are not your ways”. if we base our trust on our own understanding we may miss the blessings coming to us.

If we trust that Heavenly Father will help us with enough money to pay our bills and expect money to show up in the mail box we may miss the opportunity of a side job that was just offered to us to earn the money for our bills. Not the best example but hopefully you get my drift.

“In all thy ways acknowledge Him”. What does “acknowledge” mean?

“To recognize the rights, authority, or status of, to disclose knowledge of or agreement with, to express gratitude or obligation for, to take notice of, to make known the receipt of, to recognize as genuine or valid.”(Meririam-Webster)

Back 1000’s of years ago when the Proverb was written it probably meant “gratitude” but maybe not. Maybe it meant more than gratitude. That long definition surely fits with the proverb very nicely.

“He shall direct thy paths”. This is especially true if we don’t lean to our own understanding. We may pray for something and find ourselves so far away from where we normally would be, on a path not normally taken by us in our daily routine that we wonder where we are?

That’s the beauty of it. He knows where we need to go and what we need to do to place us in a position for the much needed blessings we seek.

Thought of the Day- May 13th, 2009

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and

lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

To trust means:
reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc.,

of a person or thing; confidence.

To rely upon or place confidence in someone or something.

To acknowledge means:

to admit to be real or true;

recognize the existence, truth, or fact of,

to recognize the authority, validity, or claims of.

Our Father does not provide a neon sign along the path
to tell and direct us which way to go. Why not?

Because his word says that if we rely on him with all our heart
and to not rely on our own personal interpretations, but

in everything we do recognize the existence of God in our lives

and he will make our paths straight.

Let me be the first to raise my hand in testimony.

How many times have I strayed off the path

only for God to give me a window out of my

situation. Too many...

It is when I have focused my eyes, placed my confidence
in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; that I have found great peace,

must contentment with the journey with which I have

been blessed.

For many years I was ill, lying on my back
looking up to my Father. The struggle went on for

what seemed like a lifetime. But that final day, a decision was

made to Trust in the Lord for my future. To trust the Father

to feel my barreness with the children I so desired to birth.

Though I am physically barren, God has provided. I have my

babies at church that love me. I have my grandchildren by marriage

that I might spoil and return home. This spiritual blessing

has contained my sorrow, my barreness for so long.

I think of Abraham and Sarah. I know, trust and acknowledge
that God is directing my path, if I but rely and trust in his

Word, in His interpretation of who I am.

Thought of the Day-May 12th, 2009

Todays thought is centered on a word:

INVESTMENT

In the business world in Finance an investment means the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectatation of favorable future returns.

In business, the purchase by a producer of a physical good, such as durable equipment or inventory, in the hope of improving future business.

So with the word INVESTMENT leading to such positive potential, why are we not invested in the future. For several months in 2008 things became rather tight and I chose not to put money into my 401K. I stopped at that point investing my portion into my future. Did I lose sight that there was hope of improving my life, my wellbeing in the future? Yes, I did. I have recently started putting funds back into, investing in my future with hopes that there will be favorable returns. I have been more cautious in the portion that I put in, but I am no longer not investing in my future potential.

There has to be hope for the future, there has to be an expectation of a favorable return if I but make my investment.

So now that I have your attention, let us get to the heart of the matter. Are we investing in our children? Our present leaders and future hope for this nation.

Do we attend their functions at school? Do we cheer for them when they do well and hurt with them when they struggle? Do we encourage them to explore other areas of growth, in relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Or do we hold them captive by an old way of thinking, that children should be seen and not heard?

What will happen to our youth, if we don't invest in their future? What will happen to this generation and generations to come if we don't show christlike love?

Let me tell you the result, crack, drug dealers, groups of young people robbing folks.

The streets will invest in our children, the streets will have our children.

When the leader of Christian Education is more worried about what the children will or will not participate in when they get to camp and are not concerned about the immediate need to get them to camp, we have a problem. When will we hear the crys of the children, when will we hear the cries of the parents, when will we hear the cries of the youth leaders? Tell me when!!!

Heavenly Father, I fall on my knees, my gut bent to the ground for your children. I know that you have a promise for them, I know that you are invested in their future. Help us Lord Jesus as leaders, as their parents, as a nation to prepare them for this world. Help us Lord Jesus, in hope of improving our future to invest in our children. Help us Lord Jesus, to invest with the hope in you that there will be favorable returns.

I have made an investment, in the young people that have committed themselves to serving the community each month. Their faithfulness has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the investments that they are making for their own futures.

I have made an investment, I challenge you to do the same....

Thought of the Day-May 11th, 2009

The thought from today is late and I apologize, after being out of the office on Friday, my Monday was quite busy getting caught up.
We thank Minister Kathy Lewis for todays Word, which comes from:

GOD IS SPEAKING…DAILY DEVOTIONAL
MONDAY MAY 11, 2009
BACK TO THE BASICS!

What do you need? Are you trying to make a decision; do you need a financial miracle; a job? Do you need a family member to be saved; a relationship mended; a healing in your body; deliverance from an addiction? What do you need? What have you been seeking? What have you been waiting for? Have you been asking others to help you with? Haveyou been seeking others to pray for you? Have you been trying to work harder at getting a solution to your problem, issue or situation? Get back to the basis.

It’s nice to have people to talk to; it’s a blessing to have someone listen when you’re down; it’s great to have ambition and to be able to work hard. But when it comes down to getting what you need,the way you need it… when it comes down to receiving the answer to your question; the solution to your problem; and joy from your sorrow…when it comes to receiving deliverance from bondage and directions when you feel lost…when it comes down to getting what you need the way you need it,you have to get back to basics.

When Hannah could not have children, and she was in deep sorrow and sadness, she prayed and poured out to God. What was the result of her prayer? She had a son named Samuel, a judge and a prophet. She also had 3 more sons and two daughters. When Moses was fed up and overburdened with the complaining of the people of Israel, he talked to God and God gave him help. Before Jesus chose the twelve disciples, He prayed all night. Before Jesus was arrested in the garden; when His flesh wanted away out and his disciples were sleeping….when He was preparing to face the cross and face the betrayal, Christ prayed! He endured the pain and finished His mission…. But He prayed!

Have we forgotten the basics? Prayer with faith removes worry; prayer with faith removes doubt; prayer with faith causes breakthroughs; prayer with faith causes us to walk in God’s will; prayer with faith make sour work easier and our faith stronger. When you need something, get on your face and pray! When you are seeking direction, open your mouth and pray; when you need a miracle, pour out your soul and pray! When you feel over-burdened and overwhelmed, lift up your hands and pray! When you need a family member blessed or a loved one saved, go into your closet and pray!

It’s so simple, but we make it so hard. The Bible tells us to cast our cares on Him….the Word tells us not to be anxious, but to pray. Whydo we have such a hard time giving our worries to God? Why can’t wejust do what the Bible says… ‘Pray without ceasing.’

NO WORRIES! PRAYER WORKS! NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD AND NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD!“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him beglory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
A Bondservant of Christ Rev Toni-Brooke Brown, Pastor God’s Storehouse

Thought of the Day- May 8th, 2009

My Hand in God's

Each morning when I wake, I say

"I place my hand in God's today."

I know He'll walk close by my side,

My every wandering step to guide

He leads me with the tenderest care

When paths are dark and I despair.

No need for me to understand

If I but hold fast to His hand.

My hand in His! No surer way

To walk in safety through each day.

By His great bounty I am fed,

Warmed by His love and comforted.

When at day's end I seek my rest

And realize how much I'm blessed,

My thanks pour out to Him, and then

I place my hand in God's again.

By: Florence Scripps Kellogg

So on this rainy Friday morning, Where do you place your hands, your trust?

I place mine in the Lord, knowing that he has given me a promise.

I know that there is joy in the morning, I know that he walks with me every step of my journey.

I know, that I know, that I know.

It is in Him I trust and have my being.

I selected the title of this Blog to be Little Steps-Big Faith. Why?

Because along this journey I have taken many little steps out onto Big Faith.

I am blessed, highly favored and one of the richest people in the world.

I have my Mother and my Father, A Heavenly Father, a Wonderful Husband with great wisdom, siblings to struggle with and Famous Friends that surround me in Love. I am loved by so many, not the conditional type that most talk about, but the unconditional type that weathers the storm.

I am blessed... For no other reason than the fact that I am a Child of the Most High God

Walk in the Light... Take Jesus with you...

Minister Angela Williams

Thought of the Day-May 7th, 2009

Find a need and fill it...find a hurt and heal it...find a problem and solve it. (Robert Schuller)

As Outreach Minister at my church I am challenged to do more, to be more. We have successfully been serving the community once a month through our Feed the Community Program. Feed the Community is every 2nd Saturday of the month from 11-2 and we serve a hot meal to any that come to our program, but we also seek to serve those that are in other areas of the city. As the program has grown we have seen the need for the program in our community.

What need is in your community that you might be able to fill? Is there someone hurting today that you might be able to give a kind word too? Is there anyone you might assist by sharing words of life with?

My pastor has told us many times in the past and in the present to be solution oriented people. If we bend our guts to the ground focused only on the problems, then we remain on the ground. If we look for solutions, tips and tools of what we can do to bring about change, then we look up.

I want to be more of an advocate in the community for those that are needing resources.

Do you have a suggestion of how I might do that?

I have thought about visiting different churches to explain the program, but that could take some time. How do I get more support for programs?

Talk back to me and give me your solutions!

Thought of the Day-May 6th, 2009

1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

The Lord knows what we need, and He brings us through tough times so we might be made better for it. Just as gold is purified when subjected to intense heat, we are purified by our struggles. When we come through a situation, we are able to look back on it stronger than we were before. Trust the wisdom of the Lord, and He will reward you with faith and love.

If we did not know pain, how would we appreciate peace.

May the peace of God be with you today...

Minister Angela Williams

Thought of the Day - May 5, 2009

Good Morning Saints of the Most High God! Today I am filling in for Minister Williams who was summond to jury duty. I apologize for the tardiness of the post today. Today's thought of encouragement will becoming from Rev Toni-Brooke Brown the Pastor of

God’s Storehouse in Detroit, MI.

Theme Scripture:

Mark 16:15

"And He said unto them, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

GO!
Jesus said, "Go…" Is it good to be saved; to know that God is real and Jesus is Lord? Yes, without a doubt it is good; in fact it is great! But do you really know that God is good and Jesus is Lord? Do you really know that the Lord is able to deliver and save? Do you really know that God loved you first and that He chose you? Do you know that God is a healer; that He supplies your needs; can lift your burdens and give you peace? Do you know it? Do you believe it? Do you realize that without Christ there is no everlasting life; there is no hope for a future and that there is no guarantee that you will continue to receive His blessings and mercy? Do you know that without Christ a person is destined for eternal damnation and torment? Do you know?....
If you believe that the Word is true; if you know that God is real; If you believe that Jesus saves; restores and renews, then why don’t you tell somebody! Why don’t you shout it from the rooftops? There are people we see, day after day; hurting people; hopeless people; people in bondage and people in fear…Do you tell them that you know a Healer; a Deliverer and a Savior? If your answer is no, is it because you don’t know, or is it because you are ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Are you ashamed; afraid that someone will talk about you; laugh at you; mock you…..?
Surely you have got to see the trouble in the world; sin is out of control and the wrath of God is coming…we don’t have an economic problem, we have sin problem; we don’t have a disease problem, we have a sin problem; we don’t have a racial problem, we have a sin problem; we don’t have a drug problem, we have a sin problem; we don’t have a crime problem, we have a sin problem……
We are the body of Christ and we are sitting around without sounding the alarm…. The world is shouting and we are whispering! The worldliness is taking over and the holiness is backing down….
Not everything is alright; mediocrity is not alright; compromise is not alright and silence is not alright! Stand up and tell somebody, if you really believe!
Jesus gave us an assignment…the assignment is to ‘go…’ The assignment is to be a witness….being a witness for Christ does not mean that you sit back and watch the world fall apart; it doesn’t mean that you talk about how bad things are and how evil people are acting…it means that you get up and tell somebody that there is a Savior; you tell someone that sin is wrong and leads to death; you tell someone that they don’t have to live in fear and bondage, but they can be free and delivered!
If you’re not telling someone, then either you don’t believe or you are ashamed…because you can’t know the truth and just decide to watch people die and go to hell.
"
Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel; only be ashamed that we are not doing what we can, to let the light of Christ shine!
"Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven." Matthew 10:32-33
Jesus said, "Go…" Whatcha gonna do?

Dear God,

We thank You for loving us so much that You gave your only Son so that we may have everlasting life, we thank you for loving us inspite of our faults. We thank you you for grace and mercy and for waking us up this morning and for supplying our daily bread. Lord we ask right now in the Name of Jesus that you give us Holy Boldness through the Holy Spirit so that we can be on fire for you on daily basis and not just when we want to. Father correct us when we're in error, we ask that You control our thoughts, that You control our tongues, lead us and guide us, renew us, transforms us so that we can be of utmost service to You. Father, we ask that You "Order our Steps" so that we can be Soul Winners for you! We ask this In Jesus Name-Amen!

Summoned for Jury Duty

I have been summoned tomorrow for Jury Duty, so I will having a guest post of the Thought of the Day. Enjoy hearing what the Lord has put on the heart of another saint. We will play it day by day this week. So I will be posting again before you know it.

Minister Angela Williams

Thought of the Day-May 4th, 2009

Say yes to what is right, no to what is wrong.

And you'll find peace in your heart! (Robert Schuller)

For once I allowed myself to just rest in the Lord on Sunday. My husband and I did not go to the church to fellowship with other believers. We are always in the midst of fellowship, we are always caught up in this or that being on the leadership team. We felt a need to not have the weight of the world on Sunday and to just rest in the peace of the Lord.

A judgement call on our part to worship the Lord alone. What a wonderful day we had with one another just relaxing and resting in the peace of the Lord. For the most part no one needed anything from us, we didn't have to listen to drama, witness drama, create drama, or be a party to any drama.

What relaxation it was, it was not a lazy day by any means, but it was a day of peace. A day to reflect on what really matters and how short time is here on earth. We made a decision as a couple and knowing in our hearts it was right. We have peace with God.

It is great to have peace. Do you have peace today? If not, rest in the Lord... seek him for your peace.

Minister Angela

Thought of the Day-May 1st, 2009

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

The promises of the Father are endless. We have a great inheritance in Him! As a child of the Most High God we are provided many treasures, comforts here on earth and riches in heaven.

The comforts are not a guarantee, but if we are in right relationship with him, there are comforts I'd like to say are provided. Comforts such as peace of mind, contentment, rest, joy.

In his word he promises that in this world we will have trouble, but that he will be with us. What comfort that affords us, to know that we are never alone, that though our Father and Mother might forsake us, we have a Heavenly Father that is our Alpha and Omega.

He meets all of our needs-physical, emotional and spiritual in his timing.

Thank you Lord!

Minister Angela