Christian Photographers Community

Morning Devotional...

Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee.
Psalm 76:10


It is wonderful to hear those who love the Lord Jesus speak well of Him.

But listen to the remarkable insights that even the Lord's enemies revealed concerning Him.

Caiaphas explained, "It is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people."

Pilate declared, "I find no fault in Him," and exhorted the crowd to "Behold the Man!"

The chief priests reasoned, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save."

The thief on the cross discerned, "This man hath done nothing amiss."

And the Roman centurion concluded, "Truly, this was the Son of God."

On the subject of Christ, even His enemies acknowledged His greatness. May we do the same.
--Rex Trogdon

Marines turn to God ahead of anticipated Fallujah battle

Janet - It is true traditionally that is the way they eat.  However, everywhere you are going they are used to tourists.  And therefore, it doesn't matter how you eat.  I would caution you on two things.  First never touch anyone on their head.  It may seem silly, but I know we sometimes pat kids on their heads if we are talking with them, but never do that.  Secondly, be self-deprecating.  Don't get frustrated by stuff that happens (at least don't show your frustration).  We had an incident where a missionary didn't have something working right in his hotel room.  He got upset after a while, and showed it, and the people did not respond to him, nor did they help him.  They actually outright ignored him.  I had the same problem, but acted like it was my fault as a stupid American, and I got all the help in the world. 

I'll try to go back and see if I can find a couple of my favorite photos from the Thailand Trip.  I thought I still had some up at clubphoto.com, but when I checked, they weren't there.  Chiang Rai is the Golden Triangle, and you will probably have a long-tail boat ride there (it's where we had ours).  BTW, enjoy the shopping (especially the night market in Chiang Mai), just be prepared to haggle with the seller's.  One tip on that, don't be afraid to walk away, as there is always someone a little farther down the road with the same exact things.  It is also a good place to get some tailor made clothing pretty cheap.  I had 2 suits, 2 sport coats, and several pairs of pants made for around $200 (and I'm a fat guy whose clothes require the cloth for 2 people :-) )

Hi all.  I'm just popping in before heading to bed. 

JANET...I never did get to see your pups.  I will NOW!  When I was heading there last, I didn't make it.  I can't remember why, but something distracted me.    I know you'll have many pictures to share when you get home too.  Sooo good to hear the news about Beth!!  I know your mama heart is soaring over her relief.

Skief, your folks will be so happy to see you at Christmas!  What a neat surprise for them.

Hi, Chris.  Did you know you have the sweetest mom?   I'm sure you are too.

I won't even try to address you all, because I wouldn't want to forget even one.

Welcome to the new members!               love, Nita

                                  Matthew 27: 24-26

It is better to be an enemy of Jesus than to be indifferent to Him, for then we are taking Him seriously.  We must either surrender to this man or fight Him to death.  We must respond with passion.

...........Pilate made the inevitable decision; the only decision. Churchill and Poland.  Pilate and Christ.  What other decision was humanly possible?  We would have done the same. And yet we know both decisions were wrong.  Wrong yet unavoidable; wrong yet inevitable. What is this tragic flaw in humanity that forces us to these decisions?  We have turned our backs on the needs of others, on the demands they make on us,. because we have other responsibilities.  We have families, we have jobs, we have unavoidable obligations.  We do have these obligations and we cannot run away from them.  We live in the midst of excruciating dilemmas.  I am Pontius Pilate.  Every day I make the unavoidable decision to hand over to Christ.  He suffered under Pontius Pilate.  I am Pontius Pilate, and He allows Himself to suffer at my hands.

He does not hold back until I make the right decisions, till I purify myself.  he comes to me, recognising my unavoidable sinfulness and accepts me in spite of it......and the cross is the demonstration of this incredible love.  God in Christ does not judge us and condemn us in our dilemmas.  He Himself becomes the victim of our dilemmas.  he bears them in His body on  the tree.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate.  I am Pontius Pilate.  I am in the creed, because our Lord allows Himself to suffer at my hands.  He knows my dilemmas and my weaknesses and He takes them upon Himself.  And as I lay the cross upon His back He gazes at me, with compassion.............

..............Because you see I am Pontius Pilate.

Behold Your King.  (Richard Holloway)

Good morning everyone.

The Lord Bless each and every family represented here. Especially those who have relatives serving in Iraq at this time.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those in Fallujah and all involved in the dreadful train accident over here last night.

Hello Nita and thank-you Pat, your devotional fitted with my own this morning I feel. Thanks also for the Fallujah Link...oh dear it has caused tears to flow...God help these dear boys.

Jesus Lord of all Life....Keep our hearts fixed on Thee, as we see The day approaching. Keep us loving..Amen.

Love in Jesus' Name.
Jenny.

Janet - just wanted to let you know I posted 10 of my favorite Thailand pics from our time there in 2000.  Enjoy them, they brought back some good memories for me as I went back to try to choose out 10. 

Today at church is Celebration Sunday.  So called because it is the last Sunday of our 40 Days of Purpose.  We are having only one service.  The Senior minister and the Teen minister will both be preaching.  We are expecting over 1200 at this one service.  The parking lots are groaning already.   

I am ready to leave.  My sweet Ali is on the desk in front of me.  She does this sometimes and looks up at me like she adores me.  Makes my heart melt.  She is a darling.  So loving in her own way.  She is a touch me not most of the time but when she does this she looks at you like you are something special. 

Have a great day!!!

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"Grief is the healing mechanism God uses, particularly when we allow Him to enter into the process."

hello everyone
just a quick stop i'm heading off to church and am already running a bit late but i can make it.... ttyl
Sarah

Today is all Saint's Day - a day to remember all who have passed.  We went to service last night and this pastor had little votive candles for each person to light while saying a prayer for those we remember.  It was very special and a beautiful service.  He talked about saints in our lives who do good things for years on end without fanfare and expecting any awards - just the people who continue to do good works day after day. 

Pat:  I read the news article about the marines who prayed and even some were baptized before going into this battle - I am sick at heart about our young people out there fighting and now the wicked are coming in droves. 

Enjoy your service today - all who worship on Sunday morning. We prefer the Saturday night service as it is much quieter and Don can actually hear the speaker's words.  Otherwise, we were going and not hearing anything so this is a good alternative for us. 

Skief and Janet:  We were in Thailand for about 5 days several years ago and just loved it - taking many day trips out of Bangkok but the longer stay sounds exotic.  Will look for your Thai pictures and also the puppy pictures. 

Carol

Good Morning Thank you Pat and Jenny for this morning's devotionals.

After suffering with a migraine all day yesterday I am happy to say this this morning all the pain is gone and I am thanking Jesus for waking me up pain free today.

I don't have much time here at the moment have to get ready for church, I just wanted to make sure that I came and read the devotionals and said Good Mornign to all who will come in today.

TTYL

Good morning to all. I have my reservations and will see Danny (and maybe Jenny) in a couple of weeks. How exciting.

I awakened early this morning, was at the computer for awhile, but got so cold I went back to bed. Now, it's hurry-scurry to get to church on time.

Y'all have a good day.

Ruth Ann

Good morning and Happy Sunday!

Mike's mom and dad are down for the weekend.  We are heading to church and than to Perkins.  mmm...

I have 2 appointments today and both are 2 hours long, so I won't be here much.

I best be off.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!

 
Home > Today's Christian > Build Your Faith > Wisdom

Today's Christian, March/April 2001

Back Door
Trusting God is sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the ride.

by Ruth Senter

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about what it means to trust my Heavenly Father. One day recently, life painted me a picture.

I'm sitting on a picnic table in a park, looking up the hill for my husband and my daughter who are participating in a 50-mile bicycle race. The noon sun is merciless. The picnic table is hot, and the traffic is whizzing by on the narrow two-lane road. I am waiting, camera poised, thinking how narrow the gravel shoulder is in all this traffic. I wonder where the bikers will fit in.

I don't have long to wonder. I see the first riders rounding the curve, followed by a colorful procession of the strong and stout-hearted. They all have a look of stoic concentration. And I'm not surprised, what with the hill, the gravel, the narrow shoulders, and the cars and trucks around them. It isn't time for them to smile and wave.

Except for one rider. He is small, dark-haired, and firmly attached to the back of his father's bike. His father is doing the hard work of circumnavigating the traffic. The little tyke hasn't a trace of concern on his face. He smiles at me, waves, and I snap a picture.

Another picture is also developing in my mind. And the picture is this: Here is a child who, in the midst of all sorts of potential disasters, is safely trusting his father. He can be at peace, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

I don't always have someone to pedal my bike for me. Mostly, I have to do it myself. But I do have someone who rides before me through the traffic. Why should I strain anxiously at potential danger when someone so much bigger and more capable leads the way?

Trust is sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the ride.





What did you think of this story? 
Do we need to always feel that we are in "control?"
Do we know how to TRUST and obey?
When we take our eyes off Jesus do worries and stress come in?
What should we begin to do about it?
regards Chris.

 

Good morning from cloudy, wet, Vancouver Island.  I haven't had time to use the computer for awhile and somewhat out of the loop.  Thanks for the devotional Pat.

Had hoped to get to church this morning.  Wendy is not well enough to sit thro' the service, so will have to make do with TV services.  That can be most helpful and was blessed by much of the message.  Also heard a wonderful young group, Denver and The Mile High Orchestra.  Sort of a Christian Glen Miller Band.  Wonderful and with a great testimony for Jesus.  They have a new album out "Good to Go".  Nice to hear something other than Christian Rock....tho' certainly it has it's place in things!

Read Robert Frost's poem The Road Not Taken, this morning.  Understand that it has inspired many other Christians.  Robert Frost said, "Do not follow where the path may lead...Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."  Something that we need to do, as Christians.  Certainly the path we Christians have chosen is narrow:  Matthew 7:13    "Enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide, and the way is broad to destruction, and many are those who enter it."
The untravelled road can be uncomfortable, dangerous and lonely.  It can also be our salvation.  Here is the little poem if anyone is interested:



                        Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
                            And sorry I could not travel both
                            And be one traveler, long I stood
                         And looked down one as far as I could
                          To where it bent in the undergrowth;

                           Then took the other, as just as fair,
                          And having perhaps the better claim,
                        Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
                          Though as for that the passing there
                         Had worn them really about the same,

                           And both that morning equally lay
                          In leaves no step had trodden black.
                          Oh, I kept the first for another day!
                      Yet knowing how way leads on back to way,
                         I doubted if I should ever come back.

                            I shall be telling this with a sigh
                           Somewhere ages and ages hence:
                         Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
                             I took the one less travelled by,
                          And that has made all the difference.
 

This makes me think about Pat and the 'internet road' that she has been travelling along....blazing a Christian Path for others to follow.

Must go and check on the photo's now and other sites....

Pleaant day all and God Bless.

Liz                           

Hello folks!  We attended services at Bethel Friends in Hugoton today.  Beth is feeling so much better and was able to go with us.  Then we all had lunch at Pigs R Us, went by and got our nuts from Abby (Girl Scouts are selling them) and now we're back home.

Thanks for the additional information on Thailand, Skief---and as soon as I post this I'm off to check out the photos!  Appreciate it, Brother!  Darrel is also hoping to have some clothes made while we are there.  They do it pretty quickly, don't they?

Carol, glad to hear you also enjoyed Thailand.  I'm pretty excited about going!

Liz, I hope you saw my message, that I cannot see Amanda's artwork.  But I know she is very talented, what I have seen is prrof of that.  For some reason, my computer won't let me access photos from Photo Sense.

I need to go help Beth with a couple of things, and make some phone calls.  C U Later! 

Hi everyone.

I was at a concert last night by Bill Medley (he is the surviving member of the Righteous Brothers). I enjoyed the evening but it was a bit of a sad night as it brought back some memories of my late husband and was also the weekend of the 1st year anniversary of the death of the Bobby Hatfield (the other half of the duo).  Bobby passed away Nov 5 2003 and it was obvious that the show was hard on the band, but still they performed.

I'm having a quiet day today and just relaxing before the work week begins again tomorrow.

Hi everyone.  I have had a rather strange day and it was not what I expected when I got up this morning.  We were all ready for Sunday School and church and looking forward to a full day but about 30 minutes prior to when we would have left I got very sweaty and clammy and sort of spacey feeling.  I thought it would pass but finally told Pat that I didn't feel right and wanted to skip Sunday School and lay down for awhile. 

She had me check my blood pressure and it was fine and then asked my daughter to bring her blood sugar machine and when we checked it my blood sugar was over 250.  I rested for an hour and drank a couple of large glasses of water and then we took it again and is had fallen about 20 points.  She then called the advice nurse at Kaiser and she wanted us to go to the After Care Clinic they have on weekends to see a doctor.  So that is what I did. 

By the time I got in, after waiting an hour or so, the test showed the blood sugar was back down to 98.  However, the doctor ordered some blood tests (which were fine) and prescribed a machine to check the blood sugar and wants me to take several readings the rest of today and tomorrow and contact my doctor.  I have never had diabetes and sure hope that isn't what is going on and maybe this was just a one-time event.  I have been extra tired all this past week.  Enough complaining from me and I am fine this evening.

Larry, as you probably know, higher blood sugar levels make a person very sluggish. Good luck!

I had a very long wait for computer to process my flight plans last night, and thoroughly enjoyed exploring areas I've never been to, including some of the cooking areas and especially the puzzles. Worked several and had a grand time.

Thanks to all who make this such a great site - both the moderators and all those wonderful people who are members.

Ruth Ann

Quote from: Sue on November 07, 2004, 04:23:47 PM
I was at a concert last night by Bill Medley (he is the surviving member of the Righteous Brothers).also the weekend of the 1st year anniversary of the death of the Bobby Hatfield (the other half of the duo).  Bobby passed away Nov 5 2003 .

The Righteous Bros were split up for a while.  It happens to a lot of groups.  I'm glad they got back together again.  Wounds are hard to heal when one of the hurt parties has passed on.

YOU'VE GOT THAT LOVIN' FEELIN'

hello everyone,
yesterday was fun but exhausting... i got up at 430 am and home by 11 pm... i didn't get to bed til about 12 though.... we went and toured the campus and talked to an advisor and then came home.... i also went to a play for bonus points in my college english class.... it was interesting... anyways i'm off to work on some homework ttyl
Sarah

Oh, Sarah.....you sure had a full day!  You must be exhausted.  And now homework too.  Wheh.  Hopefully, you'll get a good night's sleep and be all ready to take the world again tomorrow.

Larry....I'm glad you're feeling better.   I know you aren't thinking this way now.....but....aren't we wonderfully made?  Every little part effects all the other parts.  I'm praying it's just a one time event and over with.  My little neice had had an episode like that when she was 5 or so.  She was in the tub and her mom noticed her getting sluggish.  Soon her little head just went under water, and if Pam hadn't been right there.....
They took her into emergency and her blood sugar readings were sky high.  She stayed in for tests and things, but it went back to normal and has never came again.  That was about 3 years ago. 

Ahhhh.....the Righteous Brothers.  How I loved their harmony.  Their music used to make me cry.

My grandson gave me a scare today (and scared himself, I'm sure).  He was skateboarding and his board came up and hit him in the eye.  He'll have a shiner, but praise God, he wasn't cut....only scraped.   I love to watch him on the board, but it always scares me stiill.  I'm amazed at how they can get off the ground, twist, jump, etc.....and land on the ground, board and all.    I would love to see some local Christian skateboarders take interest in these kids.  What a ministry.

Ruth Ann....I'll add my  thank you to yours.  Thanks to all who make this site such a welcoming and comfortable place.  Thanks to all who come to post,  sharing their lives and faith.  It's so encouraging to see we are all the same in our differences.  And we are all His.  Hallelujah!

Have been home just a short time. We showed the Passion Movie at church this evening. Al and Marbeth came and we shared hot chocolate and cookies after inthe fellowship hall. The movie had the same effect on me this time as the last time I saw it., and the aasudience was just a subdued afterwards too.

Tomorrow morning it is Tai Chi class at 8:30 am then one to WM's. Our Russian sister is poreparing lunch and I am taking dessert. I made an Apple Cake but I used Splenda so our Diabetic sister can have some desert too.l

I took the print out on the Blue house to chruchthis morning and we laid it on the altar before the Lord. Now I am just waiting for the Lord to do what he does best, That is taking care of his children. I just want to be in the will of God in this..

Good night all.

Hi everyone:

I'm back from our weekend away in Niagara Falls.  It was a women's retreat.  Over 700 ladies present.  The special speaker was Jennie Dimkoff from the Grand Rapids Michigan area.  She is a sister of Carol Kent, who founded the ministry called "Speak-Up with Confidence".

Have any of you heard of either of these two ladies?

Norm went with me....after all, I needed a roomate...and he may not want to admit it, but he did have a good time too.

Nita:  Love your new photo!

Time to lock the door.  See you in tomorrows New Every Morning