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Morning Devotional

Thankfully, we live under a sovereign God!

Gen. 45:5-8 & Gen. 50:19-21: "But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.  And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt."  A little later on, Joseph said, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.  Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.'


I don't give thanks for the works of Satan, but I do give God thanks that He uses even the works of Satan for good.  Consider Joseph and his brothers.  When Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers, he knew how overwhelmed they would be and how they would blame themselves for having sold him into slavery.   

Surely, if he had looked at things the way we all do (and he probably did at first), Joseph would have said, "Satan did this!  My brothers did this!  God surely didn't do this!"  But God did do it - possibly through Satan.  As Samuel Rutherford, the great Scottish Divine said, "Satan is only God's master fencer, to teach us to use our weapons."  He is a frustrated being, is Satan.  But though he hates God and hates us, yet all his actions will be used of God to bless us.  Praise God for His ultimate and wonderful sovereignty!

Al Moak

I missed posting yesterday....    

Kathy ~ You and I must be online at the same time because I sure am not online all the time.  I have dial up also but I do have Catch-a-Call that when someone calls me on the phone, I hear a weird ring, answer the phone and my pc goes on hold.  When I hang up the phone, I reconnect on the pc and if I was typing a sentence, the window is still there and I finish typing.  I really like that.  All you have to have is the Catch-a-Call and Call Forwarding on your phone line. 

Janet ~ Oh, what a scare!  I used to do that quite often when I was married.  He had had a heart attack once and if I made a noise while he was asleep and he didn't move, I would call his name.  I never touched him....too scared to do that.  I am praying for your trip to Amarillo and after that, too.

Soni ~ How does Chandraya like her dance floor?  Does she do tap?  I can hear her now.....tap, tap, tappity, tap.   

Marilyn ~ I am saying this with a smile....but going to church is just like my daily Bible reading....can't do without it!!!  Need it!  Need it!  Need it!  I even went to church the day after Jerry was taken to the hospital.  I NEEDED my church family.  Some days when I get up, my routine isn't the same and the first spare time I have, I am with my Bible.  BUT I like to watch Charles Stanley and Joel Osteen on TV but I have Ultimate TV...like TiVo.  Love to crochet and listen to both of them.  Going to church and reading my Bible doesn't make you a Christian but it sure won't hurt either.  Amen!

Long day.  I got to church early because today I ran the lights in the Adult Santuary.  So I got the Audio Cassette tapes and the master tapes/CDs ready....ran upstairs to the mezzanine and ran the lights...then downstairs to dupe the tapes/CDs.  Then back to the mezzanine for the second service.  Then back to dupe the teen tapes/CDs.  But there was a sign on the wall behind the duping kiosk saying that the tape/CD recorder for the teen service had malfunctioned and no tape/CDs would be available today.  So I got to leave early. 

And that was great because I was going to a Family Reunion.  I should have known that it wouldn't start when they said it would but I was there before it started.  Great to see first, second and distant cousins that I hadn't seen for a long time.  All the Aunts and Uncles are gone.

Then came home and visited with Ivalou.  She has two granddaughters from Ohio this week.  Lydia was eating potato chips.  I took my leftover Chocolate Chip Cookies over there.  She turned her nose up on them.  I told her....They have Chocolate Chips in them.  Hey, Potato Chips and Chocolate Chips have the same last name.  Do you think they are cousins?  She gave me the weirdest look!!!  Hmmmm! 

And now I have been online for about 6 hours but my son did call and talk to me on my cell.

Tired and ready for bed!

Hey there!! I'm here early -- or late, take your pick -- and just wanted to say Good morning to all y'all as I head over to the counter for a cup of coffee and chocolate glazed doughnut ... hmmm or maybe I'll have this maple bar.   

I have new neighbors and they seem like really nice people.  The lady who lived there (for over 30 years) just couldn't keep up with all the work required.  She's 91 years old ... maybe when I get there I'll have the same sort of trouble, y'think?  She made arrangements with the new owners for them to clean out the stuff and get rid of it.  They are having a garage sale on Saturday.  The man told me he found opened food stuff that he couldn't even identify ... and food in the freezer dated in the 80's ... She has moved into a facility where she will be taken care of and won't have to do any gardening, cooking, or anything else she doesn't want to do. 

I'm about to get in the mood to start thinking about getting ready for my two weeks away from home.  I will meet my daughter at the Eugene airport at 1:58 a.m. Thursday and not be back home for two weeks.  I should return on the 28th.

Liz ... get ready for that phone call sometime either Friday or Saturday, okay? We'll be in Victoria for those two nights.

I'll be back, regularly, as time allows and I have access to a computer.  I'm sure I will have many stories to tell of my adventures.  Until then .........  I'll still check in here from home for the next couple days.

Y'all take care, now, y'hear?

Jane

Good morning, friends,

Al, I appreciated the devotional this morning, and also really appreciated clicking on one of the Goodgle ads - it was a few seconds long simple talk with a prayer for salvation at the end. Certainly a good way to begin my day.

I'm very grateful for an understanding boss anda company that has provided both a laptop and the linkup for me to be able to work from home. The remnants of hurricane Dennis are arriving in Nashville right now, and we're expected to have tons of rain throughout the day and then very cool temperatures all week and plenty of rain.

Our ground has been dry and cracked, so the rains will be welcomed, if there's no flooding. However, with a plaster cast on my foot, I reached my boss yesterday and suggested working from home to prevent getting that cast wet.

Pat, I was so sorry to learn you've been hit by the spasms again. I'll be redoubling my prayers for you to once again see relief and, if it's God's will, experience it right away. Janet, y'all will be in my prayers, also.

Well, I must transfer my cable line from this computer to the work one. It takes a few moments to get everything set up, and work begins soon.

Y'all have a blessed day with our Lord.

Ruth Ann

JudyB, Liz and Etta Sue:  Thank you for commenting on my post of yesterday re: Going to church, if I may quote myself here you will see that I did not say the church on TV was a bad thing.

QuoteHowever for the shut-ins and disabled Church on TV is the only church they can got to and I am not saying anything against them. 

For those who are able, I pray that you will rededicate yourself to the Lord and attend church for you do not know what you may miss by not being there.

If I was able to get  TBN or some other cable TV channel that has Joel Osteen, and some of the others I too would watch them on tV, But if I am able I will go to church too. On Sunday Mornings I always watch John Hagee and another local program before I go to church.

I too NEED my church family I don't see them unless I go to church.  I love being in the House of God it is my home away from home, there is no place for me like  God's house. I find comfort there in His presence.  I enjoy just sitting there quietly basking in the glow of his presence, listening for His voice, giving me direction for my life. I especially  like to be there when others are not there or when only very few are there.

TTYL[/b]

Etta Sue, she does tap. I was having her practice and she loves it.  She has auditions all week.  She was recommended for Sparkling and Rising Company.  She is pretty jazzed about it.  We'll see what happens these next couple of weeks.

I have a photo shoot tonight and a bunch of pictures to order for past clients.  Fun day! :-))

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

~soni

QuoteBy Janet~Soni, did you get a video with your exercise ball?  There is one with mine, but I haven't watched it yet.  The only things I know how to do with it so far are stretches and a variety of sit-ups.  Glutes and Abs sound good to me!  But I know you will beat me.  Undecided

Janet, I didn't get a video tape, but I do the ball every Monday, so I pretty much know what to do.  I figured if Troy is going to get a job I better figure out how I am going to get my exersice at home.  He usually babysat Lila Mae.  She is getting old enough to go to a sitter now. I may look into that.   Oh wait!  I did get a poster with instructions.  woohooo.. 

I am praying for you today as you take Beth to the doctor!  ((HUG)) to both of you! 

I was one of the ones who didn't attend church regularly, and this past spring found a church that made me feel very welcome.  Since summer has hit, I have either been working or going to the trailer on the weekends so my attendance has dropped, but I do miss going.  If able, I try to get to the Sunday evening service at least.

I had bought bananas on Friday, and then was gone most of the weekend.  Got up this morning and realized that I had to make a cake or dispose of the fruit.  Boy do those cakes smell good.  (enough smushed bananas for two cakes).

Must get ready for work now, talk to you later.

Jane ~ I am happy for you to get to go for two weeks.  What fun you will have and do share them with us so we can enjoy your trip also.

Ruth Ann ~ I have never has a plaster cast on me.  But I remember Bud, husband, working behind a meat counter with a plaster cast and crutches.  That greasy floor made it almost impossible but he made it without dual casts being necessary.

Pat ~ Does this mean you may not get to go on your trip to the east coast with the spasms returning?  I sure hope not.  You have suffered enough with that pain.

Marilyn ~ I agree with you on church.  I feel God when I enter church.  I feel Him often other places but especially at church. 

Soni ~ Now don't turn into one of those Sports Kids Mom that seem to push their kids to the limit.  There is a TV show on about that now on a cable channel.  It is 'Sports Kids Moms and Dads' on Bravo channel on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. here.  But I also know that Chandraya loves her dancing. 

Sue ~ Ooooo!  Banana bread/cake sounds delish.  You know how to hurt a person when they are trying to lose weight, don't ya? 

Hi everyone.  We have had a lot of rain over the weekend.  We had 2 1/2 inches on Saturday and 2 incches late yesterday afternoon and last night.  There are many areas of the Atlanta area that are experiencing flooding some trees are falling over as the ground is now so soft.  We had a 5 inch rain from the previous storm.  Where I live I am not in any danger of flooding and we really didn't get much wind last night.  I heard a forecast a little while ago that we still have had some significant rain and wind from some of the outer bands of Dennis.  

Ruth Ann, I am sure you will be getting a lot of rain from this storm and Etta Sue you will probably also be getting some of it.  It sounds like it is to slow to a stop over the mid-section of the country.

Al, thanks for the fine devotional.

Jane, sure you are counting the days until your trip.  I well remember how you used to love to travel at the time I first met you here in Atlanta.

Karmat and Sonja, it sounds like your photo businesses are doing well and that is just wonderful as it is obvious that you both enjoy doing it very much.

I certainly hope Janet and Darrell were able to get Beth to the doctor today and that Darrell is doing well with his procedure.

Don't have anything else planned for the day.  The housekeeper is here today so before long everything will be nice and sparking again around here.  Pat isn't feeling at all well today but I am feeling OK again.  The tiredness spell only lasted two days this time.

Pat, hope the spasms have stopped by now and that you were able to sleep last night.

hey ya'll im here not to excited.... i found out that one of my friends has to have a heart cath done... and i can't seem to get ahold of him... and i got to go to work today so i can't keep trying.... also just been a bad day... so anyways i'm off to find something to do ttyl
Sarah

sarah, i'm so sorry.  those days seem to "happen."  I'll remember your friend in prayer.  Hope things start to look better for you.  {{hug}}

i'm at work.  gotta go help some students with math.  laters!!

Hello All:   Great Devotional

Have just finished reading all of the reasons for going or not going to church for some the reasons are real and others an excuse.  As for  TV Church perhaps it is better than nothing as it could just be the instrument needed to introduce someone to Christ.

Pat: I am sorry that your spasms have returned.

To all of you with personal needs go to the Lord for comfort as He is the only one that provides the strength to get through each day.

It seems that we all are experiencing those hot and humid days, but I am sure a break is on its way.

Time to get dinner ready.


Ruth

I feel pretty sure that one of the problems people have with going to church is their one-way approach to the subject.  If our total reason for going is what we can GET out of it, or how nice it FEELS, or what beautiful music WE hear and enjoy, etc. - then we've really missed it altogether.  Church isn't only about "getting" and "feeling" and "having a good time.  It's about doing what God plainly tells us to do.  And it's about ministering to others.  In other words, it's not only about "getting," but it's about giving as well.  And in case someone is saying, "Well, I have nothing to give!" - I'd suggest saying that to God, Who, after all, says, "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as is the manner of some . . ." (Heb. 10:25)

Lat night at prayer meeting  our new worship leader (Worship Pastor) gave me one of his cD's that Ihad asked for, he has written all the songs and done all the instruments, with the exception of the piano on one of them. He used to be a Traveling Evangelist.

Work was slow today  I am doing Laundry for Versal her at my house, sorted through a coouple of crates of yarn, WM's is in need of yarn. Went by and looked at the outside of a small house. To close to the Freeway.Hey I can't help it if I am soemwhat picky about where I live.

TTYL

Marilyn - I've been blessed by TV church many many times, especially after the many surgeries I've needed.  John Hagee is one of my favourites too.  I've seen Joel Osteen interviewed on Larry King recently...did you?  What a dynamite smile he has!  We can't get him here.

Our church is growing so rapidly....I much prefer a smaller church.  I looked  around Sunday morning, and thought to myself:" there are probably 200 people here that I don't know, and I have been attending there since 1975!

Sunday morning I was part of the "Welcome" team.  I really enjoyed that, BUT, my hands and wrists were sore afterwards, from shaking hands, and giving hugs!  I do hope they ask me again!

I feel as though my comments yesterday about watching church on tv were misunderstood.  My only problem with that is people who won't get up and go because they say they are sick or hurting somewhere (disabled?) but then later in the day, go to Walmart or the mall or something.  To me that is a cop out.  And I know a few people like this.

My mother was extremely frail and not in any position to attend church anywhere, yet she watched many preachers on her tv, and not only on Sunday and Wednesday.  Because she was able to hear the gospel in her last days, I know where she is now!  But I also know, if she would have been physically able to go, she would have.  Big difference. 

I love to hear John Hagee, also.  But to me, as long as I'm able, I'll be assembling somewhere, when the doors are open.

Good evening to all,

Samantha

Hi Everyone

Al, that was a wonderful lesson, sermon or devotion this morning.  What ever name we put on it, the fact that God allowed all the things to happen to Joseph for His purpose.  There is a great lesson especially for me, God is so patient and never any panic because He has a master plan.  Thanks Al.

Pat, I am so sorry you are not feeling well.  Please know that I am praying and feeling for you.  Kind of hard to send you some nice flowers through the ciber space, and I definitely am not computer literate enough to send a picture of them.  Just know that I am thinking of you.

Larry we finally got some rain in Tyler last night and some today.  We are still much behind our yearly average as of this date.

Not much else to report on here, so I just wish you all a very good evening.

Oh, yes Marilyn I read Oswald Chambers (My Utmost For His Highest) every day,
and I enjoy every page no matter how many times I have read it before.

boots

Hello everyone,

Really horrible day today.  I can't go into details about it, but I really need your prayers.  I feel sometimes like God's given me way too much to handle, but of course, it's usually because I'm not allowing Him to carry me through.  Right now, I can't see how on earth I'm going to get through this.  I just need some encouragement and more trust on my part.  Thanks.

Jen.

I guess Ineed to remind all y-all that i got saved watching Christian TV. So I am not against Christian TV at all.

Jen

Whatever the problem is Jesus Christ is there with you.  Is there someone you can meet with to have coffee, someone who will listen without judging?  Then have a coffee with this person.

There is a children's singsong that I like.  You are going on a bear hunt and oh-oh there is a swamp.  you can't go over it, under or around it.  You have to go through it.  When you come out the other side. you will be a better person/christian for it.  Ask yourself where is your anchor?  When you get the right answer, then yhu will have the courage  to go on.  

Remember the Ray Boltz song My Anchor Holds?  Get the words and dwell on them and God's word.  You will come out of this season.  I am praying

Pat is it possible to post that soong for Jen?

hey everyone long tme no hear its melaura for an once and only time untill i get a new account.
Ms. Jen, i know how it feels when you say sometimes it feeles like God is putting too much on your plate. Thats how i felt for 15 months and it almost drove me over the edge. but thankfully people do care in this world and the more people you meet the more people care about you. I found out in May once again that God cares and he will be there whenever you need him to be (which is all the time if you're like me) trust me when i say you will get through this in one peice wiser and stronger. You are in my prayers and im going to go get my prayer list right after i post this for you okay? if you can where ever you live find a good friend who won't repete what you say and talk without being judged. even tho i have not met you personaly i care abiout you and do trust me you WILL get through this in one peice stronger and wiser and not to mentian closer to God. if you need to talk to someone who really does understand get my e-mail address from my aunt pat. be strong and ask God to help you
bye for now
Melaura
THE princess

Good devotional, Pastor Al.  God has a wonderful way of turning bad into good and sometimes darkness makes one have a stronger appreciation of light!

Interesting posts today.  Personally, I greatly miss getting to church on a regular basis.  Spent a large part of my life going both morning and evening, singing in choirs, working in Sunday Schools and keeping church libraries on track.  Life changes tho' and I can't walk several miles to get to the closest churches.  No bus service on weekends and Coach Lines will not connect with the time of services....Wendy is in much pain and sitting in the services is not pleasant for her.  We go when she is able and she tries to ignore the way people stare at her slow and painful walk.  So I make do and watch some things on TV, tho' am quite particular.  There is a small Christian Reform Church that has started recently and I think it might be worth trying to go and check them out.  Possibly someone there lives nearby as it is only a few miles down the road.  Will look into it in the fall when people get back to a routine.  If not, will continue to worship at home and hold fast to my faith.  The large church we ( and some of the neighbours) sometimes attend, is a cold and unfriendly church.  They went thro' a split recently and the minister seems to mostly talk about himself and God does not get much time in the message.  Wendy does not like him and her husband and daughter won't attend.  They have a lot of young couples and middle aged folks, plus children attending Sunday School.  So I only hope and pray that they will find a way to grown under that ministry.  

Jane, I see that the weather is supposed to be nice on Friday and Sat., but the weather people have not been too accurate lately.  Will pray for sunshine and dry weather and hope that it will be a delightful visit for you folks.  If I am outside when you call, leave a message & number & time when it would be best to return your call.  I will look forward to hearing from you.....

Nice to see so many Oswald Chambers fan's and 'My Utmost For His Highest' is also a favorite of mine.  Also read Our Daily Bread every morning.  It had a little poem that is so true:

Be aware that someone's  watching
As you go along your way;
Your example is remembered
More than anything you say.
              -Hess
Lesson ended with:  There's no better sermon than a good example.

Pleasant evening all and God Bless.

Liz      

It's so nice to come in here and read all of your messages.  I'm concerned about your message, Jen.  I got your MSN message but by the time I got it, you were offline.  I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Now, it's time to lock the door.

CLICK HERE

Let's all remember to pray for Janet, Darrel and Beth.  Beth is having two MRI's Tuesday and I believe Darrel has his procedure as well.