'Twas the Day After Thanksgiving

'Twas the day after Thanksgiving and time for a rest,

Certainly each year we say, “This was the best.”

With family nearby and some who drove some miles;

We had time to talk and to exchange our smiles.

The food?  Ah, yes, amazing kinds --  a lot and a lot!

It was yummy, and we asked, “Is this what you brought?”  

We had time to help in the kitchen and time flew along,

Finally, the prayer of thanks and the family song.

Yes, we thank God for His many, many blessings,

Then set the table with turkey, gravy, and dressings.

(Well, there was a lot more food, and some doesn’t rhyme,

But I’ll try to be more specific when I write you next time.) 

Catching up on extended family news, you know,

Then more hugs and kisses when someone had to go.

The time flies by when you have fun with family,

Then reluctant good-byes, some day later YOU we’ll see.

We’ll plan ahead and of course, keep each other in prayer,

This is a family of faith, hope, love, and care!

by Elaine Hardt @ 2015 

"Be present at our table, LORD
be here and everywhere adored.
these mercies bless and grant that we
may strengthened for Thy service be."

Blessings for Believers

Assurance of salvation

Boldness to become the Me that He says I can be

Courage to call myself a Christian 

Discovering life’s purpose 

Enthusiasm for every new day

Forgiveness for every sin

Gratitude for every blessing

Success Comes When - - -

Review the basics.
1. Life is full of choices for me to make.
2. In my own ability I cannot make all the right decisions or do all the right things.
3. God allows this so I will see that I need Him in my life.
4. If success was easy we wouldn’t have opportunity to learn.

Come into agreement with what God says.
1. God wants us to be saved, healed, victorious.
2. Jesus has already done it all. He has provided for salvation, healing, victory.
3. God invites us to boldly come and take what He offers.
4. I must personally accept Jesus as my Savior.
5. His Holy Spirit comes to live within us, enabling us to do what pleases Him.

Review what the Bible says about the devil.
1. The devil will lie and deceive us so he can destroy us.
2. He will make us miserable so our testimony is ineffective.
3. He has a legal right to attack us when we are in disobedience to God.

Pray for wisdom, and be obedient to do what God reveals.
1. He will give us direction when we ask.
2. We must listen and obey.

Several Mistakes to Avoid

          We all know by now that it’s a good thing to avoid mistakes.  While we can learn from them it’s evident that life would be more efficient and less stressful if we’d learn by observing the mistakes of others, with the result of making better choices than they did.

Can most people be wrong?

Jesus said that most people make the wrong decision (Matthew 7:13). Busy-ness and stress seem to occupy most people’s time and energy; they coast along with three assumptions that lead to a major mistake. 

What are the three assumptions?

Overwhelmingly, people of all times and all places in life have accepted three common assumptions that the Bible tells us are not true.  

1. God is tolerant.
2. People are good at heart.
3. We can earn God’s approval in some way. 

These three ideas are universally popular, but lead to devastating consequences — a dreadful mistake.  

Why are these assumptions incorrect?

• If God is tolerant, then He is not holy.
• If people are good, then where does sin and selfishness and evil originate?  It’s not a mere lack of education or absence of spiritual awareness that keeps mankind from goodness.
• If there were some way for us to earn or deserve God’s approval, some way to remove all of our imperfections, then God would not have sent His Son Jesus, the Messiah, to suffer and die to redeem mankind.  God’s Word then would have listed all the merits and demerits, and we would be on our own to work hard to assure our place in Life after death.