83 Words to Read

This is what you need — so take heed:

“Strong, courageous —not afraid, not dismayed.

Your way will be prosperous — you will have good success.” 

Read it, speak it — meditate on God’s Word;

Remind yourself:  this is what you heard.

“God’s laws you are to obey,

remember this every day.”

This is what he said, take a look; 

read the first chapter of Joshua’s book. 

“Do not be discouraged; God is with you wherever you go.”

Believe it for His Word tells you so.  

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by Elaine Hardt ©2016

Ten Good Things About Being Sick

1. Your brain gets to exercise, trying to figure it out with the details you already know.
2. You have something to compare with yesterday and last week.
3. You can get determined to get over it.
4. You might gather some facts and information from people.
5. You will hear what happened to others with these symptoms.
6. You will find out who is sympathetic.  
7. Your body switches gears from energetic to tired, so you have to see how to cope.
8. You bravely examine your feelings about possibility of getting sicker.
9. You very bravely think about dying.
10.   What’s missing here?  Write your idea. 

Got your idea written down?  Now, here’s the grand finale, at least for now.  This is a new opportunity for you to pray about your sickness.  

The bigger the problem

The bigger miracle you need;

Start praying boldly now,

See where the LORD will lead.

Yes, life is a challenge! 

In God you must believe,

And grow in faith today

So His blessings you’ll receive.

When your life’s days are over,

Heaven is where you want to go!  

Open up your Bible and

The truth about dying you’ll know. 

So, smile at everyone you see!

You can cheer up today!

Life is worth living because

Jesus shows us the way.

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By Elaine Hardt ©2016

Passover 2016 has great meaning for each of us

       Our Jewish friends are celebrating the remembrance of their deliverance from slavery.  Both solemn and joyous, these days are Passover, called Pesach on our calendar. 

What do we learn from Passover?

1. We are surrounded by sin, unbelief, ungodly dictators.
2. We are slaves to a system that is big, strong, and bad.
3. The only way to freedom is obedience to God. 
4. Our personal belief and our trust in Almighty God gives us the way to demonstrate       our obedience.
5. Our obedience to God brings freedom and empowerment. 
6. Our acceptance of this truth brings a wonderful reality of true love, peace, joy from God that is not found anywhere else.  Eternal life with Him awaits us! 

Here’s a few interesting facts that go with these main points.

•   The Jewish people were living in an area of Egypt.  They were forced into slavery.
•   God called a man named Moses to lead them to freedom, to their own land.
•   God sent 12 plagues on Egypt, but each time Pharaoh rejected the call to free them.
•   Passover was the night to sacrifice a lamb, place a mark of its blood on the doorpost of each of their houses, and the people ready to leave Egypt.
•   On Passover the first child of every family died, unless the blood was on the doorpost.
•   God provided the way out and the protection they needed to cross the Red Sea on dry land, and journey to the Promised Land.

In Deuteronomy 6:20-25  Moses reminded them to obey God. 

Spanish? French? Italian? or . . .

        Maybe you've already found out how to get your computer to switch to your language.  It’s easy here on blogspot.  And it’s amazing to look at the list of languages.  Maybe you’re taking German as a foreign language course in college? 
        Go  to this little area at the top of this blog and try it out.  There are over 100 languages of the world.  How fun to look at them! 
          Want to hear your computer to read it out loud?  Look here for Mac  http://lifehacker.com/5782701/make-your-mac-read-articles-out-loud-with-a-keyboard-shortcut    Or do a Google search to find how to do it on your computer. 

Sleepless? Sing a Silent Song

You haven’t drifted off to sweet slumberland just yet?  Sing a silent song.  As you’re lying there in bed find a line of a song that starts with the next letter in the alphabet.  See how far in the ABCs you can get. Here’s the idea:
            A,  abide with me, fast falls the eventide
            B, because He lives I shall live forever
            C, create in me a clean heart and . . .
            D, do Lord, oh, do Lord, oh do remember me
Well, some of those are old songs and choruses from my early days.  Maybe they don’t fit in your memory lane.  So, substitute a line, not even necessarily the first line of the song or chorus that comes to your mind.  See how far in the alphabet you can go.  
Maybe one of your songs will strike a happy chord in your memory and you can recall singing that in Sunday School or church or that youth group from back then. Whatever.  
Give your busy brain a simple task and see how it relaxes you!
Next time you don’t have to try to recall those same first lines; you’ll probably think of some others.  That just proves how helpful your brain can be.  
     And hopefully, some of the lines you’ve remembered will bring back some of the rest of those song lyrics, too. Sleep in blissful sleep.  
                And . . . 

You Will Remember This

There’s no waiting in line, like at the bank or café;

Your Father in Heaven hears you instantly when you pray.

Of course, He already knows what’s going on with you;

You’re to trust and obey Him — be alert, brave, and calm, too.

And, there’s something you are thankful for today?

Put your gratitude and love for Him into words you say. 

Let this be a reminder when you’re standing in line,

Prayer is not a list of words or reciting a rhyme! 

By Elaine Hardt ©2014

Things Got Worse, Before They Got Better

Things got worse, before they got better,

But God’s blessing made all the difference to this man.

Maybe something of this will speak to you. 

Freeway Frenzy

        Driving somewhere on vacation?  Watch out for freeway frenzy — theirs and yours!  Take a few minutes to read about a vacation several years ago . . . 

We might have prayed for you this summer.

If you were the red-headed lady in the gray mini-van with three kids in the back, driving the long stretch of highway heading north out of Salt Lake City, we prayed for you.

If you were the truck driver in a shiny blue Peterbilt with an Iowa license pulling a big black tarp-covered load up the mountains of Montana, we prayed for you.

In fact, we prayed for hundreds of drivers.  Young, elderly, in-between. People in cars, pickups, motorcycles, tractor-trailer rigs, even one long white limo.  Maybe you were one of them. 

All along the interstate people seemed to be in a hurry and in a bad mood, too.  When we left enough room between our vehicle and the one ahead some joker was quick to pull in the space.  Everyone was following too closely.  The whole scene was freeway frenzy.  

Ordinarily I would have been a basket case.  But this trip was different.