The Legend of the Candy Cane

This is a story of the legend of the candy cane. As you watch do not click on anything (except "Start") as it will automatically flip for you. <http://www.angelrays.com/fla/legend.html>

Praying that you and yours will remember the gift that was given to us 2,000 years ago when a baby, The Messiah, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace, was born to give us a future and a hope! Merry Christmas!

AA

True or False?

A friend of mine sent this little "test" on to me and I wanted to share it. It touched my heart and reminded me that this world is not my home and even the election cannot change that I have a hope and a future - not because of who is or who is not President - but because of Who holds the world in His hands!

True or False: In spite of the election results, Jesus will still be King.

True or False: In spite of the election results, our responsibilities as Christians will not have changed one iota.

True or False: In spite of the election results, the greatest agent for social change in America will still be winning the hearts and minds of men and women through the gospel, not legislation.

True or False: In spite of the election results, my primary citizenship will still be in this order - (1) the Kingdom of God, (2) America - NOT vice-versa.

True or False: In spite of the election results, the tomb will still be empty.

True or False: In spite of the election results the cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.

True or False: In spite of the election results, our children will still be more concerned with whether or not we spend time with them than with who is President.

True or False: In spite of the election results, my neighbor will still be my neighbor, and loving him/her will still be the second greatest commandment. (Do you know them first?)

True or False: In spite of the election results, the only way to see abortion ultimately overturned will still be winning men and women to the truth of the sanctity of human life through the gospel of Christ.

True or False: In spite of the election results, the only way to see gay marriage ultimately defeated will still be winning men and women to a biblical view of marriage through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

True or False: In spite of the election results, my retirement will still not match my treasure in Heaven.

True or False: In spite of the election results, "Jesus Is Lord" will still be the greatest truth in the Universe.

True or False: In spite of the election results, we will still know that God is on His throne.

How did you score?

Be encouraged. As the Christmas hymn reminds us - God is not dead, nor does He sleep and His charge to us as His children is that we love Him, first and foremost with all we have and all we are and that we love one another for love covers a multitude of sins. I challenge each of us to be busy about God's business and that we not forget the purpose for which He created each of us.
Loving you with His love - A

7 and 1/2 Years of President Bush

TO ALL MY FRIENDS....LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE........FYI only.

President George Bush has been in office for 7 1/2 years. The first six the economy was fine.

A little over one year ago:
1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3) the unemployment rate was 4.5%.
4) the DOW JONES hit a record high--14,000 +
5) American's were buying new cars, taking cruises, vacations overseas, living large!...

But Americans wanted 'CHANGE' So, in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress and yes--we got 'CHANGE' all right.

In the PAST YEAR:
1) Consumer confidence has plummeted ;
2) Gasoline is now over $3 a gallon !;
3) Unemployment is up to 5.5% (a 10% increase);
4) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 TRILLION DOLLARS and prices still dropping;
5) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.
6) as I write, THE DOW is probing another low~~ more than $2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS HAS EVAPORATED FROM STOCKS, BONDS & MUTUAL FUNDS INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS!

YES, IN 2006 AMERICA VOTED FOR CHANGE...AND WE SURE GOT IT! ...

REMEMBER THE PRESIDENT HAS NO CONTROL OVER ANY OF THESE ISSUES, ONLY CONGRESS AND WHAT HAS CONGRESS DONE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS?
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

NOW THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT CLAIMS HE IS GOING TO REALLY GIVE US "CHANGE" ALONG WITH A DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS!!!!

JUST HOW MUCH MORE 'CHANGE' DO YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND?

Simple Logic

Subject: Simple Logic


I was talking to a friend of mine's little girl, and she said she wanted to be President someday. both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her, 'If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?' She replied, 'I'd give houses to all the homeless people.' 'Wow - what a worthy goal.' I told her, 'You don't have to wait until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs
out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward a new house.' She thought that over for a few seconds 'cause she's only 6. And while her Mom glared at me, the little girl looked me straight in the eye and asked, 'Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?' And I said to her, 'Welcome to the Republican Party.' Her folks
still aren't talking to me.
ROFL!!! :)

For His Glory - Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - Doing the Right Thing, Because It's the Right Thing to Do

Our church has started a new series entitled "Bankrupt." It is the heart's desire of our Pastor that we, as the body, learn to do what's right as it pertains to all things financial. We are privileged to lead a neighborhood small group and our Bible study and discussions center around the Pastor's current message. This week, our message and our study are about having the right attitude as it deals with God's provision, "stuff" and our management of God's affairs. One of the questions we were compelled to answer is what can we, as believers, do differently than the world does to show that we understand that we are merely stewards of all that is "loaned" to us by the Almighty God?
In the first Chapter of Job, Job has just lost all of his earthly goods and all of his sons and daughters. He was DISTRAUGHT!! But Job, being the righteous man he was said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. (Job 1:21-22). Do we have the courage to say that? Do we really trust God enough to do what is right because it is the right thing to do? I have had a hard time with wanting "stuff" or believing that "stuff" (in my case NEW SHOES) can make me feel better about my circumstances but, my dear friends, it doesn't. And when we go into debt to have stuff - what happens when the stuff is gone? What's left? My sweet husband, with discernment and wisdom simply said it best: "When it comes to handling God's money, we have to do what is right, because it is the right thing to do." My friends, it is the desire of our hearts to be "righteous" not because we have a righteous bone in our bodies but because we are called to be Holy and we are told that as Children of the Living God we are righteous - that we are set apart. Brendan and I are committed to making the changes that need to be made in our lives so that in every area of our lives, God is glorified. It is my earnest prayer that each of us, in these difficult economic times, would examine our attitudes, "check ourselves before we wreck ourselves" and if we come up wanting, ordain, as it pertains to the stewardship of what God has entrusted to us, to do what is right, because it is the right, righteous and holy thing to do. Loving you and committing to you to lead by example - For His Glory, For OUR Good. Happy Tuesday! Andrea

"Not Wrong, Just Different"- For His Glory, Friday, October 3, 2008

In a couple of weeks Brendan and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage. Despite the difficulties in the journey, the one thing that has kept us together is the reminder that our marriage is not based on a contract, but on a covenant. A promise to God, to our friends and to our families that we would be married until death do us part. While there have been days when either one or both of us could have become an instant murder suspect - time apart until the feelings have passed has usually been sufficient to allow to come back together to talk it out. Most of the time our disputes are over the different perspective each of us brings to the relationship. We laugh at times about the dichotomy in our upbringing. Bear is from a socially liberal family and I am from a family of evangelical conservatives. It was late in 1995 and thankfully I was nearing the end of my journey through the spiritual desert when Brendan and I met. In the months and years that followed, we found common ground in learning to love and serve Almighty God who brought us together. Being a blended family, we vowed that we would seek wisdom from other couples who had been in the trenches a long time and one of those couples is my parents - married almost 50 years. They, too, come from very different backgrounds but each of them has a heart of love for God and each other. What rings true for couples like my folks, and us, and many of you I'm sure is that while you're very different you realize those differences don't have to cause division when the commonality of your relationship is the foundation you have in the Almighty God and His son, Jesus Christ. I have single friends who have been hurt by former spouses, during and after marriage, and conclude - not without foundation that men can't help it - they're men. According to Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, in his book "Love and Respect"- we're not "wrong" for being male and female, we're just "different" and while man looks at the outward appearance, God sees the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) What gives us marriages that endure is when we, with the eyes of God, can see to the heart of our spouses, be forgiving and, some days, be so much in love with God that would could not fathom breaking our covenant relationship with Him. During a very difficult time, I was in tears as I spoke to my Daddy about the difficulties Bear and I were having. He asked me, if I was so unhappy, why couldn't I just leave. And I told him, "Daddy, I asked God to give me the patience to stay and Daddy, I'm not out of patience yet." Fortunately, our Heavenly Father is never out of patience! We're not wrong for being the people we are and while in many ways we're different the commonality we find in our love for God and our love and respect for one another MAKES the difference. As we approach the celebration of the first 10 years of our married life, we see the laughter and the tears, the struggles and the triumphs, the pain and the joy. Has it been easy? Nope. Does it get easier? Yeah. Not wrong, just different. not a contract, but a covenant - to God first and to each other - until death to us part.

In My Garden - For His Glory, Thursday, October 2, 2008

Yet another water leak in our almost 12-year-old house forced me indoors yesterday waiting for my sweet brother, our erstwhile plumber, to appear and rescue us from the flood. Whoever said a woman isn't fit for construction work didn't see me hard at work pulling down wet sheet rock from a kitchen island and hauling it to the trash. I pulled nails, swept gypsum, and pulled yet more sheet rock. A screaming, angry blood blister told me I had finally had enough and I retreated outside for some air. The water leak had been fixed so we could turn our water on. Hands now free of wet sheet rock, my eyes turned to my garden. My poor little pitiful garden. Longing for some outside time and the cold feel of the hose water on my feet, I began to clear our little garden patch of some "stuff" that had been parked there that didn't belong. I moved the lawnmower off the dirt, relocated some tomato cages that had long since been vacated by the tomatoes and began to rake. A lot of temporary "plants" had taken up residence in my little garden but over in the corner, where the water gets to, are two of the heartiest basil plants I believe I have ever seen. No, the leaves aren't big, but these plants keep on living. Sometimes they have looked like they were one day away from going completely to seed but we pull the seeds back, give them some water and food and they spring back to life. I feel like those little basil plants. Despite what it would appear is going on around them - the junk, the weeds, the discarded objects who have yet to find their way to a dumpster or curb - they have a will. And when I, the gardener, come along and tend the garden, clear away the weeds, pull the seeds and trim the dead leaves, rake and water suddenly those are not two little forlorn basil plants struggling for life but a precious creation that continues to grow and thrive from loving care. My life is not without weeds, discarded objects that need to find a way to the curb or junk. The garden of my heart is tended by the One who sees the obvious but can look inside to see a precious creation that longs to grow and needs to be tended. I am a neglectful gardener and I am so thankful that our God is not. He knows that life happens and things about me get neglected. But when I allow Him to, He will see to the needs of my life and my heart. He restores my soul. (Psalm 23). Jesus said that He was the Vine and we are the branches and that if we would abide in Him, we would bear much fruit.

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." (John 15:1-8)

I long to be like the basil in my garden. I long to be a creation in God's garden that surrenders to his pruning and that others will see the touch of the Master's hand in the garden that is my life.

"Precious Father - I pray that you would see beyond the junk and the weeds of our existence, that you would pour your living water on us and that you would touch our lives that we would bear the fruit of the sacrifice you made for us, by giving your Son to die for us."

For Our Good - Ask Dr. Sears

Dr. William Sears and his boys are "America's Pediatricians" and if anyone knows kids, it's these folks. Dr. Sears and his wife are the authors of a number of best selling books on babies and children and they are authorities on the nourishing of our children. I encourage you to go to their website www.askdrsears.com and sign up for their newsletter. It is packed FULL of wonderful information For Your Good.
Yours in Love and Great Health - Andrea

From the Harvest Daily Devotional for Saturday, September 20th:

"It has been said, "Sow a thought; reap an act. Sow an act; reap a habit. Sow a habit; reap a character. Sow a character; reap a destiny. Do whatever is necessary and give up what is necessary to keep yourself from falling into sin. Do what you need to do. Take extreme measures, because the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. If we can get our hearts changed, then our actions will change as well."

Among the Weeds, For His Glory, Monday, September 22, 2008

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Matthew 4:7

Brendan and I have the privilege of working with a team of folks from our church who minister to others in the body who have needs for assistance with home repairs, home maintenance, etc.. In short, we are the honeys who do the "honey do's." Oftentimes, the list includes pulling some fairly obstinate and hardy "weeds" and, lemme tell ya, these "weeds" are akin to some small trees I've encountered. They are stubborn and woody and deep and unrelenting. A lot of what we encounter can be handled with a weed whacker and a rake but these weeds? Nope. They have to be dug and coaxed and finally just hauled out with all your might! While embarking on a weed excavation adventure recently, I was reminded that this is what happens when sin takes hold of our lives. At first, there are little "transgressions" - a lie, dishonesty, an overpayment that doesn't get returned. Then, when we don't confess our sins and get right with God, the weeds grow. Someone likened sin to putting your toe in the water - you don't go in if it's too hot or too cold but you put your toe in and "test the water." That's how weeds are. When they're pulled regularly, they don't have a chance to grow and flourish and choke the light of Jesus out of our lives. Left untended, the woody weeds of sin get bigger and thicker and heartier and before we know it, we're in so deep we don't know how to get out of it and we're strangled by things like pornography or adultery or drugs. A little bit hurts, a lot hurts more and we need the Master Gardner, Jesus, to search our hearts and take away that is unclean and not pleasing to him. We need Jesus to create a right spirit within us. A spirit which, like a garden, bears good fruit and no weeds. Where there is the good soil of the love of Christ, where His light shines to help us grow in His image that garden which is our life.

Is there sin in your life that is threatening to choke out the love and light of Jesus? Like David did, ask God to search you and know you and to remove that which is unpleasing to Him. Ask God to renew you and create a right spirit within you . . . then be prepared to grow some awesome fruit!

Precious Father God - search us, bring to light the weeds of sin that threaten to choke out your love and separate us from you. Create a new heart within us Oh, God that the fruit we bear will be beautiful and bear the precious fragrance of your Son Jesus.

If you would like to know more about how to receive Jesus as your Savior and learn how He died to give you life, contact us at austingibson@cox.net. We will be happy to pray with you and share the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

In Him - Andrea and Brendan Austin