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Morning Devotional...

Worship: We See God Too Small

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
--Psalm 34:3

Worship rises or falls in any church altogether depending upon the attitude we take toward God, whether we see God big or whether we see Him little. Most of us see God too small; our God is too little. David said, "O magnify the Lord with me," and "magnify" doesn't mean to make God big. You can't make God big. But you can see Him big.

Worship, I say, rises or falls with our concept of God; that is why I do not believe in these half converted cowboys who call God the Man Upstairs. I do not think they worship at all because their concept of God is unworthy of God and unworthy of them. And if there is one terrible disease in the Church of Christ, it is that we do not see God as great as He is. We're too familiar with God.
Dr. Tozer in Worship: The Missing Jewel, 21.

"Sovereign God, expand my vision of You today. Give me some grasp of Your majesty and declare to me Your glory. Then draw me to my knees in awe and reverential worship. Amen."

What a great verse on our left sidebar today!

I am full of praise to the Lord today!  I came home and slept for two solid hours after work, then went to bed at 9:30 and slept until 6:30 this morning!!  How great is our God!  Believe me, sleep is the sweetest thing, if you haven't been able to sleep for a long period of time.  And....sincere apologies to Pat for not getting the new week started.  Maybe you should just drop me from the rotation?  I feel bad about it, but don't want people depending on me, and then I forget for whatever reason.  Let me know what you think.

Thank you to Larry and the others who made suggestions about sleep.  I really don't think I have been worried about anything (except not sleeping!) nor have I any fears that I'm aware of, so it's a mystery to me why I often can't sleep.  I know I need to get back to my exercise program, that helps a lot.  I really appreciate your concern and your prayers.  You're a great bunch of friends!

I felt (feel) so good after getting sleep that I got up and cleaned the house, did the laundry, got more odds and ends put away or thrown away from the reunion, and even got to watch Living the Life and The 700 Club!  Yahoo!!

I work today from 2 to 8 and then have a few days off.  I'm praying over whether it is wise or God's plan for me to continue to work.  I really like the job, love the residents, but also must consider my health.

Abby is taking a drama class this summer, and their little program will be Thursday evening, so I traded days with my sister so I can go watch that.

I wish you all the blessings of the Lord today.  He is so wonderful!!

Great thoughts in this week's devotional! Brings to mind a message by Andy Stanley on prayer. Stanley was teaching on how to pray using the pattern of the Lord's Prayer, and said, in effect, that the reason Jesus used "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name" as the first line is that we need to remember who God is and His exalted position the first thing as we come to Him.

Yes He is our Father, or even "Daddy" if you will, but first and foremost He is the Most High God.


Please pray for our two youngest daughters, Tori(15) & Fiona(13) as they wrestle with who they are in Christ & and how much God values them.

Good Morning.

Thank you Blind Goofy for a lovely post and your most beautiful site.  I am going to visit it often.  Also thanks for your generous screensavers, I have put the whale on my screen.  Have looked for something beautiful for ages...most sites will not let one use their photo's for screensavers.  Now happy they didn't....the whale is gorgeous.

I will pray for your family.  That is what we do here....

God Bless,

Liz

Magnify God---when you look through a magnifying glass, or binoculars, does that cause the object to become larger?  No, it only makes our vision of it larger!  And that is the important difference.  How big do we see God?

I just read this little story and it touched my heart, so I wanted to share it with you here.

ASKING TO PRAY
By Cindee Bailey

"Men, men..." My 17-month-old son, Christian, held out his tiny
hand toward me, and repeated, "men, men."

I had just put him in his high chair for lunch and served him my
gourmet version (I add peas) of the ubiquitous macaroni and cheese. I
was just sitting down beside him with my plate similarly laden, when
his sweet, anxious voice persisted with his "Men, men, men."

His arm reached toward me, so I offered him a spoonful of my fare;
maybe it just looked better from my china plate than it did from his
plastic "Best Kid Ever" bowl.

But no, he maintained his undifferentiated reaching, his hand held
out. How about some pureed organic carrots and squash? (Really not bad
stuff, if you don't want to chew.) Still, his blue eyes pleaded for
something else, something different. For what?

I got him some juice. No good. Still the "men, men." He didn't want my
food, different food, my dish, or juice.

What did he want? Exasperated, I just gave him my hand. He folded his
little hand into my palm. Finally satisfied.
"Men," he said...

"Ohhhh," I gasped. "I forgot to pray." Our family always holds hands
during prayer. "Men" was Christian's version of "amen," what my husband and I chorus as we finish praying.

He was asking to pray. I felt terrible. How could I forget to pray
with my son? How could I get so busy and distracted that I forgot to
thank God for that which sustains us?

I also felt excited. I was overjoyed that my son, who as a child of
God, in himself an answer to prayer, would be the one to stop me in my
tracks, and point my eyes beyond the worries of world strife, human
suffering, issues at work, socks to sort, telephone calls to make,
papers to grade. He forced me to cease my frenzy, to look beyond.

So I enfolded his hand within mine. And out loud I thanked God for our
food. Christian repeated, "men," pulled his hand away, and dug into
his macaroni and cheese, while I silently finished my prayer.

With that deep tug, only a parent's heart can know, I thanked God for
giving me this child, who would lead me with his simple faith...

--Cindee Bailey, as seen in CCECstorylist

Janet, that is such a sweet and beautiful story of a child's "leading them".

Pat, the devotional was perfect!!  Blind Goofy (are you sure?lol), thank you for your comments.  Everything ties together for this beautiful Monday morning.  Nita

BlindGoofy......I'm thinking that you are neither blind nor goofy!!  I looked at some of your wonderful images of one of my favorite places in this world, beautiful Alaska!  Thank you for sharing, and I will return when I have a little more time to enjoy.

Blind Goofy aka David ~  Unlike Janet, Alaska is the only state I have not been in.  Hopefully I will but no plans yet.  I, too, visited your website and need to return when I have more time. 

Well, I goofed today.  Ivalou and I went to Noblesville to see my Urologist.  I went in and was signing in when Lianne said, Etta Sue...the doctor has you on yearly visits now and your next appointment is in January!  I looked at my battery operated Date Planner and sure enough, I had an appointment with my throat doctor!!!  Thank God, the offices were only a couple of blocks apart.  So we ran to the car and went two blocks east and signed in there right on time. 

My throat is fine other than normal age problems.  He said my larnyx is droopy and not closing tightly.  I told him everything else is droopy.  But I am not to worry if I notice my voice is deeper...that's age...normal.  He said I wouldn't be singing those high notes.  I told him I never could....  I see him again in September. 

Then we ate Mexican and went to see Barb.  Interesting...very interesting.  Time will tell how she gets along.  She wants to come home but is blind to realize that she has to go up three steps to get in her house no matter what. 

After that Ivalou got a heart monitor to monitor her heart for 24 hours.  She still has a racing heart and they want to see if the increased medications have helped. 

Then I mowed the grass, ran the weed eater, water butterfly bushes and pulled weeds out of my river rocks. 

I'm bushed!

It appears that the decision about my work situation may be made for me!  I have been praying about it, and today was told they are only scheduling me for one day per week.  Various reasons, our census is down in the residents; they have hired another cook; etc. etc.  So...I might like all that time off enough to not even work one day per week! 

Etta Sue, that was good that you made the other appointment, and on time, too!  Sounds like you had a busy day.

Pat, did you see what I asked you in my first post today?

ftp://    Hi to all.  It seem's that I have not been on C.P. for a while.  Life seem's to be very busy with people coming to visit at our  place and to stay overnight. So that has kept us going. Well we have finally found out why the answer has not come from the government office with regards to my wifes surgery.  The papers were sent from the family doctors office and these were the one that only the doctor was able to apply for, so when he filled them in he sent them back and never even asked my wife to sign them so when they finally got looked at they noticed that they were not completed so they have wasted all that time.  So please pray that they will get into the right hands when they arrive at the office.

I have looked over the post's and many things going on.

Blindgoofy:  Welcome to C.P. And may the Lord bless you and we hope that you will post many times.

Shutterbug: When I look at your picture on the posting's you look very young and yet you  talk about your kid's. I thikn I must be getting old.

Judy B. Hope all is well Sis. and say hi to John and also Heather.

Etta Sue.  Thanks for your devotional always very encouraging.

Janet:  I hope that you and your husband are doing o.k. and getting your strength back.  Happy Belated Birthday.

Colin:   How are you doing and hope that you are still getting good weather.  GOD BLESS.

Larry:  Hope that your daughter is getting along a bit better she is having a rough time.

Ruthie:  Hi Stranger don't be such a stranger come and talk more often we don't bite.

Paul and Pat:  Thank's for the great devotional and that is one of my many favourite verses.  Hope all is well and may the Lord richly bless you both.

Well I must go and hope that you all have a wonderful and blessed week.  Gord

Hi everyone.  The man just arrived to deliver Pat's new sewing cabinet and chair and is now assembling it in our driveway at 6:40 am.  He has to make a call in Stone Mountain and then get to Mairetta by 10 am so came early.  I guess Pat is excited as she very rarely ever gets up this early. 

It is going to be a hot day here today and the air quality is suppose to be bad.  Last evening my good friend came over and helped me get my old computer hard disk reformatted so I could put Windows XP back on as I am going to take it to my daughter to use.  Her computer seems extremely slow and this one is just sitting in my office and is seldom used.  I had put Linspire (Linus) on it as an operating system to check it out and then it wouldn't allow me to boot to the XP disk as it should have.  We finally found a way around it and so today I will be getting it setup, updating the software and installing anti-virus software and other programs on it.  It will be awhile before I can get it to her but will have it ready.  She needs a new monitor but not sure I can get one of the old type monitors to her.  I have a couple setting in the garage and they are very heavy.

I do have a doctor's appointment this afternoon as the doctor I have had with Kaiser for several years has taken another post within Kaiser and doesn't take regular appointments.  The new doctor wanted me to come in before he would renew a couple of prescriptions I need.

Janet, so happy to read of your good nights sleep and trust that will continue.  I was also happy to see that you are not going to have to work so many days and it sounds like that is an answer to prayer. 

Etta Sue, glad you got to the right appointment.

Gord, nice to see you posting again.  Isn't it amazing how things can be get messed up with the inattention to detail.  Hope the problem is straightened out now.

David, welcome to CP.  I hope to see you posting often.  I will have to visit your site and look at your photos.

Pat, a wonderful devotional today.  Thanks.

Liz and Nita, nice to see you both posting.

Nothing planned today.  Just resting up from yesterday and for tomorrow. 

Tomorrow I am to be at Kitty's at 6am and I am driving her to Shipshewana for her birthday.  Her birthday is in January but the weather isn't reliable to do much of anything like this in January.  So tomorrow is the big day for Kitty.  Shipshewana is an Amish town.
www.shipshewana.com  On Tuesdays and Wednesday they have a big Flea market plus all the other shops in town.  We are taking our cameras and Kitty is hoping to get a picture of laundry hanging on the line.  Of all things!!  I am hoping to find some dried whole sweet corn.  When I was little we would let the old sweet corn dry on the cob.  When it was dry, we shelled it.  Then when we made popcorn in a pan with oil/grease, we dropped a small handful in with the popcorn.  The dry sweet corn puffed up...similar to corn nuts but not near as hard.  We called it Parched Corn.  I have been looking for that for years!!!!

Not much going on today.  I might run the sweeper.  It is nice and sunny.  While reading my devotions outside, the sky was soooo blue with white jet streams criss-crossing.  Just the birds singing, the sod cutter slipping and cars going by.  Nice. 

Etta Sue, Shipshewana sounds like a place I would enjoy visiting.  I never heard of doing sweet corn that way, but it sure does sound good!

Gord, thanks for the birthday wishes.  Yes, our lives can get much too busy at times, can't they?  I keep promising myself and my sweet husband to stop overextending, and what with the recent happenings, I really think this is the time. 

Larry, so glad Pat got her new sewing desk!  I never heard of anything being delivered at that hour!  Wow!  But at least it was cooler for the guys to assemble it, huh?

Darrel told me he made a deposit on that 32 day trip he has been talking about.  This one is to Thailand and Viet Nam.  He was stationed in NaTrang while in the Army, and has had no desire to return to that country until about this past year.  I told him that for sure, I get to choose our next adventure!!  I love traveling, so there aren't many places I wouldn't agree to go.    Julie, Darrel's brother's wife, wants to go on the Viet Nam trip with us.  That will be interesting.

I am scheduled for three days in a row again on the July schedule, and I told them this is the LAST time I will work three in a row!  Too hard on my poor feet!  My sister is only scheduled for four days the whole month of July.  Pretty strange.  But the more I think about it, the happier I am to not be working as much.  There are other things I want to do with my time and energy.

Blessings to you all today! 

Good afternoon all,

Sorry I haven't been in much, I have read and do pray for you all. It has been very busy with coming to the hospital everyday. Frank is still not well, and I ask for prayer for him. He is not strong and they have finally taken him down to have a feeding tube placed. He did not look good this last day or so, and in a lot of pain. Please pray the surgeons and docs and nurses are guided in his care, and for healing for him if it is God's will. Thanks, will try to get in later, if not, everyone have a God filled and blessed day!

Still Trusting In Him,
Jeannine

Hi Sister Jeannine,
                        I do not think we have communicated before, but I do want to keep you in prayer.  I believe that it is God's will for his people to be in good health, although I must confess I do not understand why some are healed and some are not.
         I do know that God say's in his word that he sent his sone to heal, and we have the word showing us this throughout the Bible, I will join with the other members here and hold your son up in prayer, I know this is a hard thing to go through, yet God tells us he will never give us more than we can bare.
          My Wife and I send our love and prayers to your family.
                 LarryBoy

BlindGoofy I have pondered your thought most of today and its implications.  You are so right.  Far to many people look at the almighty God as a soft daddy figure and do indeed forget the other attributes of our Father.  He is Holy and Righteous, a Judge and a loving Father, Pure and Understanding.  Yes He is our Abba (Daddy) Father but he is so much more than that.  Thank you for getting me thinking.

This has been a beautiful day.  I was talking to a farmer on Sunday afternoon and he was saying that the farmers haven't been able to get their crops in because of the rain.  I told him we would be praying for drier weather.  He did agree.

I must run, my day is about over at the store. 

Night all and have a good rest tonight.

Praying for all the needs here.

JudyB

I'm back in town and OH so tired! 2 days of nonstop teaching from 8 am til 5 pm yesterday and from 8 til 2:45 today have worn me down.

The people at the office planned a surprise retirement party right after work. It really did surprise me. They were so sweet, and nice comments. Then my current and my former bosses took me to dinner - we lingered and talked and it was such a great time of talking and fellowship with two great men.

I'm going straight to bed - just too tired to go to email or SeniorNet tonight.

Y'all rest well.

Good morning all,

I'm sorry I did not specify, Frank is my husband, he has been in the hospital the last 2 and 1/2 weeks very sick. They placed the feeding tube and he did ok with that, had a fever in recovery, right now he is resting. I will be going up after awhile.
Michael is doing very well, we had an IEP meeting yesterday and they are adding to his home based services for schooling, it will now include music therapy. He is thriving at home with the schooling.
Could you all pray for Colin, he is feeling a bit unwell at the moment. I know he would appreciate the prayers.

I hope everyone has a God filled and blessed day!

Still Trusting in Him,
Jeannine

Hi everyone.  It is going to be another hot and dry day here in Georgia.  It was really hot yesterday afternnon and I had to be out and about most of it.  I was sure glad to get home where it was cool.

May visit with the new doctor went very well and he spent a long time with me going over my medical history and getting my medications organized.  He did change one medication I take for GERD.  The nurse was listing the medications and forgot to list one of the important ones so when I got home I e-mailed him asking to have the prescription called in. 

I went to MicroCenter computer store after seeing the doctor and picked up a free 2 gig memory stick that was offered because they are canceling their present credit card program.  I also took back the SD Card that was defective and they replaced it.  Finally had to buy ink for my printer--that stuff is so expensive as I am sure we all know.

Today is Bible Study and then I think Pat and I will eat at the inexpensive buffet at noon so she won't have to cook today.  I am seriously thinking about joining Weight Watchers to see if I can lose some of the weight I have put on in the last couple of years.  I have a friend who is using the program and doing very well with it.  I will discuss it with him and then make my decision.

Jeannine, thanks for sharing about Colin and also an update on your husband.  Sure was good to read the positive works concerning Michael.

Ruth Ann, sounds like you had a very busy couple of days.  Hope you can have a breather for a day or two. 

Judy, you have it too wet and we have it too dry.  It is serious when the farmers don't get their crops in the ground.

Hi LarryBoy.

Janet, that sounds like a very nice trip.  I remember when you were in Thailand (I think that is right) and how much you both seemed to enjoy it. 

Etta Sue, sounds like you and Kitty have a wonderful week planned.  Hope you have a great time. 

Hi Folks.  I am looking for a verse.  A New Testament verse about waiting on the Lord.  I think John, perhaps around Chapetr 14? 

Al Any help here?

Judy, indeed there are passages in John 14-16 about waiting for the Lord. I guess that's similar. Jesus speaks throughout these three chapters about abiding in Jesus and He in us, the Spirit abiding with us, about waiting for Jesus' return, but I don't think the actual phrase 'waiting on the Lord' is used in there anywhere. I guess a lot depends on what you mean by waiting on the Lord, or if you're looking for that exact phrase.

Romans 8:23 (and following) refers to waiting - in a way.  Of course the classic is in the OT - Psalm 27:14

Thanks Al that is the one. 

Blind Goofy that was where I was looking and couldn't find what i wanted.  Aren't those amazing chapters?

Busy today.  Still have computer order to finish entering.  Please pray for my boss, sounds like she has food poinoning.  She has been off her feet for 2 days now.

Gotta run God Bless
JudyB

I have really enjoyed these past two days at home.  Yesterday afternoon Pat E. came over to play with me!    We made cards together.  Today I did have to attend a food service meeting about safety in food handling, but it was enjoyable and we all got paid for our time.

Jeannine, hope your husband feels better soon, and that Michael continues to do well.  Good you had such a lovely trip to Ireland, and got away from the constant stress for a while.

Colin, do get better quickly!  I'm watching and waiting for another of your beautiful poems.

Ruth Ann, I hope you rest well and "sleep fast" tonight.  I fear you are overdoing it.

Larry, hope you get to stay in where it's cool and rest tomorrow, at least after your morning coffee jaunt.  Weight watchers has a good program.  I need to do something, I have gained some weight and am not at all happy about it!

Hi, Judy!

Hello everyone...

We left yesterday about lunch time for Winchester for some appointments and got home this evening.  It's very warm out.  But...  I played volleyball today!!!!  Paul's grandchildren have a great area at their home to play volleyball so it was the boys against the girls!!!  We lost though!

Good Morning everyone,
                               Hi to you Larry H. Pat I thought your words on the topic of worship of God were right on.  It seems that in the body of Christ today there is a lack of reverance or the fear of the lord.
         We fear man, respect man, even honor man at times more than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.   
         I believe that if we are honest with ourselfs that we can really say we all at times become complaceant and put other things before God, yet it is the Holy Spirit that seems to remind us that God is still bigger than anything in the world.
      The Bible teaches us to honor God with our first fruits, time, money, substance, yet if we examine our total amount of prayer time it is reflective of our worship.
great message....
                          LarryBoy

Thanks Larry!   Good words on the devotional this week.

Pat playing like you are is great!  I'll bet there was lots of laughter, Good for you!

I am constantly shocked at the damage people do to their machines. Today there is a machine that has the complete bobbin area that needs to be replaced because of a broken and bent needles. That happens when going over needles and heavy material.  Why a person would keep using a bent needle is a mystery to me.  And why sew over pins?  I know mistakes happen but this kind of damage doesn't happen with the odd pin.  it is constant abuse.  OK I will get off my "new " soap box.

I need to run, lots to do.

JudyB

Judy, are you home?