(CS4U) How we are doing

Hello family, wanted to jump in here for a couple of minutes to let you know how the sale is going. We have sold a number of furniture and things are going ok. It is hard for us all like when someone bought the rocker Mom rocked all the grand kids on that made a few of us cry. We all know it's just stuff, but as you all know when you look at certain things it brings back memories good ones for sure. The weather is terrible hoping Sat. That it will be better. The for sale sign went up in the yard as well and that's something you never think you WIll see happen. It's all bittersweet. Dad's brother Carl is coming and we are having a cookout on Sunday. Guess that will be the last big memory we will have in the house. Could us prayer over the family that all goes well and we can GEt rid of it all, that tempers would stay in check and that the house sells quickly.   God bless you all in whatever situation your in at this time. Love you all, Bren

(CS4U) Perfect

RISE AND SHINE CHRISTIAN SERVICES April 14 & 15, 2011 Discover yourself to reclaim your destiny Meditations for your quiet moments In Search of Perfect Conditions Think about this the next time you insist on perfect conditions before you'll get started on God's plan – Gideon, a mighty warrior and judge in the Old Testament, was the least member of the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh. His job was the tedious threshing of wheat, a process where the cereal grain is knocked loose from the chaff. Perhaps he hoped to do great things for God when the conditions were right, but, for now, Gideon saw himself as just a guy cranking wheat through a creaky old winepress. But that didn't matter to God. God saw Gideon as a mighty warrior and judge. He told Gideon: "Go with all your great strength and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I myself am sending you." Judges 6:14 Gideon was still stuck in tunnel vision, believing what he thought and what he saw defined the truth. To paraphrase the ancient Hebrew, Gideon told God, "I just don't have what it takes, Lord. I know you're perfect, but I think you made a mistake." Judges 6:15. God told Gideon, "Get your head out of the wheat dust and pay attention to me. I will be with you and so, yes, you will strike down all the Midianites as if they are no more than one man." Judges 6:16. The strength of the Sender is more important than the strength, or perceived weakness, of the one being sent. It doesn't matter what Gideon says about himself or what others say about Gideon. Only one opinion counts: God's. What God says about Gideon is the truth. What God says about you is the truth. You are his precious child, created in his image; a sweet aroma that is pleasing to the Lord. Trust in God's strength and do what he tells you to do. A Better Tomorrow The Chinese have an interesting symbol for the word 'crisis'; it indicates both danger and opportunity. When the stakes are high and the outcome in doubt, purpose can emerge from pain like beauty from ashes. But real healing can't begin until you face the facts and express your pain. That means doing what David did: taking it to God. 'How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?' Psalm 13:2. Facing the truth is the first step towards becoming whole. Those who grow through a crisis learn which hopes, dreams and expectations were violated by the event. They identify where the repair work is needed, then they develop a road map for the future. At first you will feel as if 'nothing will ever be the same again'. That's normal. You may have to make adjustments in how you work, where you spend your leisure time, and how you relate to your family and friends. It's the nature of a crisis to destabilise your world. But it also forces you to reach deep within yourself and find hidden strength you didn't know existed. You may not feel courageous or hopeful right now, but that doesn't mean those things aren't there waiting to be tapped. Even though you don't feel strong today, you can draw strength from the One who is. 'The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God in Whom I will trust' Psalm 18:2. Face it. Find God in it. Follow Him, and He will give you a better tomorrow. Share this with a friend Send us your Prayer Requests Feel free to unsubscribe risetoshine@hotmail.co.uk

(CS4U) The Centurion

The Centurion at the Foot of the Cross by Max Lucado The day began as had a hundred others—dreadfully. It was bad enough to be in Judea, but it was hell to spend hot afternoons on a rocky hill supervising the death of pickpockets and rabble-rousers. Half the crowd taunted, half cried. The soldiers griped. The priests bossed. It was a thankless job in a strange land. He was ready for the day to be over before it began. He was curious at the attention given to the flatfooted peasant. He smiled as he read the sign that would go on the cross. The condemned looked like anything but a king. His face was lumpy and bruised. His back arched slightly and his eyes faced downward. "Some harmless hick," mused the centurion. "What could he have done?" Then Jesus raised his head. He wasn't angry. He wasn't uneasy. His eyes were strangely calm as they stared from behind the bloody mask. He looked at those who knew him—moving deliberately from face to face as if he had a word for each. For just a moment he looked at the centurion—for a second the Roman looked into the purest eyes he'd ever seen. He didn't know what the look meant. But the look made him swallow and his stomach feel empty. As he watched the soldier grab the Nazarene and yank him to the ground, something told him this was not going to be a normal day. As the hours wore on, the centurion found himself looking more and more at the one on the center cross. He didn't know what to do with the Nazarene's silence. He didn't know what to do with his kindness. But most of all, he was perplexed by the darkness. He didn't know what to do with the black sky in midafternoon. No one could explain it.… No one even tried. One minute the sun, the next the darkness. One minute the heat, the next a chilly breeze. Even the priests were silenced. For a long while the centurion sat on a rock and stared at the three silhouetted figures. Their heads were limp, occasionally rolling from side to side. The jeering was silent … eerily silent. Those who had wept, now waited. Suddenly the center head ceased to bob. It yanked itself erect. Its eyes opened in a flash of white. A roar sliced the silence. "It is finished." (John 19:30 NIV) It wasn't a yell. It wasn't a scream. It was a roar … a lion's roar. From what world that roar came the centurion didn't know, but he knew it wasn't this one. The centurion stood up from the rock and took a few paces toward the Nazarene. As he got closer, he could tell that Jesus was staring into the sky. There was something in his eyes that the soldier had to see. But after only a few steps, he fell. He stood and fell again. The ground was shaking, gently at first and now violently. He tried once more to walk and was able to take a few steps and then fall … at the foot of the cross. He looked up into the face of this one near death. The King looked down at the crusty old centurion. Jesus' hands were fastened; they couldn't reach out. His feet were nailed to timber; they couldn't walk toward him. His head was heavy with pain; he could scarcely move it. But his eyes … they were afire. They were unquenchable. They were the eyes of God. Perhaps that is what made the centurion say what he said. He saw the eyes of God. He saw the same eyes that had been seen by a near-naked adulteress in Jerusalem, a friendless divorcée in Samaria, and a four-day-dead Lazarus in a cemetery. The same eyes that didn't close upon seeing man's futility, didn't turn away at man's failure, and didn't wince upon witnessing man's death. "It's all right," God's eyes said. "I've seen the storms and it's still all right." The centurion's convictions began to flow together like rivers. "This was no carpenter," he spoke under his breath. "This was no peasant. This was no normal man." He stood and looked around at the rocks that had fallen and the sky that had blackened. He turned and stared at the soldiers as they stared at Jesus with frozen faces. He turned and watched as the eyes of Jesus lifted and looked toward home. He listened as the parched lips parted and the swollen tongue spoke for the last time. "Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit" (Luke 23:46 NIV). Had the centurion not said it, the soldiers would have. Had the centurion not said it, the rocks would have—as would have the angels, the stars, even the demons. But he did say it. It fell to a nameless foreigner to state what they all knew. "Surely this man was the Son of God." (Matthew 27:54 NIV) NEW Gift Book! This story from: This is Love - The Extraordinary Story of Jesus Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado Let's give our children what God gives us: clear teaching, appropriate correction, and abundant forgiveness. #maxonlife April 14 Of all the things you must earn in life, God's unending affection is not one of them. You have it. April 12 If you are a child of God & you marry a child of the Devil, you're going to have trouble with your father-in-law. April 12 30 years ago 2day I tweezered a marriage proposal n2 a fortune cookie. Denalyn read it, said yes,but has avoided fortune cookies ever since. April 11 Let's list the ways anxiety will improve ur day. First, well, not that. Hmmm. I'm thinking. Bear with me....I'll get back 2 u April 11                 UpWords®, the Teaching Ministry of Max Lucado is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. You can partner with us to help others take one step closer to Jesus. UpWords | PO Box 692170 | San Antonio, TX 78269 Sent to foxmeadowsue@gmail.com: unsubscribe | update profile | forward to a friend

(CS4U) Who is in the Spotlight?

Who is in the Spotlight? BIBLE MEDITATION "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me." John 15:26 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT The Holy Spirit has one cause: to testify of Jesus Christ. He is very single-minded. He's not interested in doing ten things for God – just one. There are some who get caught up in the Holy Spirit. They focus on what He is doing – through miracles, healings, tongues, and more. Friend, beware of those who focus on making the Holy Spirit the figurehead of their faith. The mark that a man is filled with the Holy Spirit is that he is always talking about Jesus Christ. He can't do any more. He can do no less. ACTION POINT I challenge you to make this pledge to God: I will bring my talents, my business, my time, and my resources – all for the cause of Christ. This one thing I do – sink or swim, live or die – Jesus will be glorified in my life today and every day! Pass This On To a Friend | Discover Jesus | Read the Bible online     Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers. © 2011 Love Worth Finding Ministries | PO Box 38300 - Memphis, TN 38183-0300 In an effort to improve our response at LWF, we will no longer reply from this particular email address. Instead, if you would like to send a comment, challenge, prayer or praise, please visit www.lwf.org and at the bottom of the home page there are email addresses provided for your particular need. And may God continue to strengthen and encourage you by the Love Worth Finding devotions. Unsubscribe from this email | lwf.org/privacy | lwf.org/faq