Christian Photographers Community

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Morning Devotional...


When they were come to the place, which is called Calvary....
Luke 23:33

I wonder what Calvary means to you?

To the crowd on that occasion it was a place of crucifixion and the end (or so they thought) of Jesus.

To the believer, however, Calvary is the highest point of love displayed. Calvary was not the end, but rather the starting point in relation to salvation, for it was "at the cross, at the cross, where we first saw the light and the burden of our heart rolled away."

Tell me, what does Calvary mean to you today?
--John M. Clegg





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Good morning everyone!

Pat, I love it when we have hymns and songs on here along with the devotionals!  It's been a really, really hot week here, and it doesn't show any signs of cooling off.  We've even had rain all day yesterday, but it only seemed to increase the humidity.  It's been very uncomfortable.  Poor Mercy has been getting slathered with baby powder to keep the heat rash at bay.

Well, I have had a few days to sit and reflect on current circumstances.  My hubby reminded me that I needed to focus on our gifts from God, and I have a tendency to be rather negative and cynical.  So I have thought about it.  Mercy is sleeping through the night now.  For two weeks, she's been sleeping ten hours a night.  She doesn't nap during the day, but she's slowly beginning to demand less of my time and attention, and becoming more content to play on the floor.  I think I am in a better frame of mind to handle things now.  I have to get going, but I'll be back on later.  God bless.

Jen.

Good morning everyone.  It is a nice day here in Georgia although we will probably have more rain later in the day.  We had a downpour late last night.

We will be leaving for church a little later this morning and then out to eat lunch with our friends.  Yesterday afternoon, one of the couples called and we met them at a Mexican restruarant that we enjoy for the evening meal.  I don't have anything else planned for the day so will probably rest some, read some of the new David McCullough book "1776" and fiddle around with the computer. 

Jen, nice to see that you are feeling better about things.  My granddaughter will soon have her third child and she is way too young. 

Carol, sorry to read that you are going to be searching for a new minister.  We have been through that several times and it is a tough time for a church.  Our last interim was there for only about 8 months before we got our new pastor, who I hope will be with us a long time. 

Pat, thanks for the devotional.

Liz - in re yesterday's newspaper headlines - those are GREAT!

Carol - there was a time in which I would have asked you about the church, with a view to candidating!  But not anymore!  Hope God sends you just the right man.  As Larry says, that's a tough time for a church.

Hi Everyone...

I'm a "stay at home" lady today.  At 6:30 this morning I was still awake.  I tried everything in the night to "get sleepy" but the house was just too hot and sticky.

The rain sure helped the grass though, Jen, didn't it?  Glad that Luke has had a nice chat with you about things. 

Annie, one of the co-owners of Photography Cafe gave birth to her little girl yesterday.  (She's also a member on this site but doesn't come that often but for those of you who know her, I thought I'd tell you).  What an age difference.  Little Isabel Summer--just born and her brother is 14 and an older sister 20!

And today is Annie's birthday so that was a nice birthday present for her--a day early.

I never had the heat bother me as much as this year.  But the humidity has been just so high and that's the big problem.  I can take the heat if it wasn't so humid.

I'm going to try to get out to church this evening though.

It is warm and windy here, but we usually don't have the high humidity that makes things so uncomfortable.  Church was interesting; we had a visiting preacher because our pastors are on a little vacation to celebrate their 10th anniversary.  They hadn't had a vacation in a long time, and they deserve it.

Darrel and I worked together getting a nice big pot of stew on to cook, now to wait until it's done.  This afternoon or evening sometime I will go to Abby's birthday party with her firends.  They are having it at the Pizza Hut, so guess what I will be eating for supper? 

Liz, I haven't read the Harry Potter books, but know there is great controversy over them.  John Hagee says they are full of witchcraft and sorcery; and I have heard that from others as well.  A couple of my girls have read them and say that's baloney, but are they being sensitive to the Spirit while reading them?  I don't know, but I don't think anyone should expose their children to writings that may influence them in the wrong ways.  I haven't seen the movies, either.

Also to Liz---those headlines are cute---and some are really close to the truth, even unintentionally!    Thanks for the grin.

Pat and Jen, sorry the weather is so miserable there.  We don't usually think of Canada as hot and muggy, nor Alaska.  But both can be, at times.  Hope you get a break soon, maybe a dry breeze to clear the air.

Etta Sue, hope you're having a great day today, doing your service to the Lord.

Larry, it is always good to see you posting.  I hope you have a restful day today.  I sure miss Papa John!

Hello to Ruth and Sue!  Hi, Carol!  Hop;e you're all having a great day today too.

Hi, Marilyn.  How you doing today?

Al, thanks for your prayers for Beth, Darrel and me.  We appreciate those so much.

See y'all later!

With respect to the Harry Potter books/movies.  The girls have seen and read them in the past year. They all have taken them as being fantasy and fiction.  I find that children will often take that view, but in doing so leave themselves open to attacks from the enemy.  It is often difficult to know where to draw the line.  My concern is that in saying that the girls are not to read these books, that my action will hace a counterproductive result.  Then I will be facing secracy and rebellion and that is far worse than giving leewayand guiding their thinking about Biblical matters.  After all I do not know what all they do but as I impress oon them it doesn't matter if I know or not, God knows all, sees all, and hears all.  In the long run that is the biggest lesson for anyone to learn.

WOOHOO it is raining out, and has been for most of the day.  I won't need to water the garden and will probably have enough ground water to do up the laundry. 

One of the local NorthBay churches has closed its doors.  There have been many splits, and the attendance has dwindled to nothing.  People are hurting, and as of this week there are no services there.  On top of that they have a heavy debt load.  Our pastor is a multiplier, and has been approached to take over the church services with another branch of the Evangelical Missionary Church.  This morning he asked for prayer for God's direction.  As you think about your CP community couold you also keep this mater in prayer?

Pat I am sorry you didn't get any rest last night.  It is hard when that happens.  Thankyou for your faithfulness here on CP.  I pray you have a better night tonight.

Well that is all for now.

Till later

Hi Janet and Hi to everyone else. I am not spending much time on the coputer oday, just reading no posting except for this one post. God Bless all of you and I hae you have a very blessed day with the Lord.

Hello, I'm back again.  We took my little brother and sister to church this morning, and came home to do a house-cleaning blitz.  There's an 88 year old woman in our apartment building (it's only and 8-plex) who is moving to a retirement home this week, and we're hosting a little good-bye get-together for her.  It's still hot, sticky, and humid.  And according to the forecast, it's supposed to remain so for the week.  I love the fact that we're getting rain, the grass around here is all brown, and even some tree leaves are turning colour.  But it really adds to the humidity rather than break the heat.

As to the Harry Potter books, it's a touchy subject in many communities, as it is here.  I certainly have no interest whatsoever, and personally think that as Christians, we shouldn't be reading them.  However, it is a personal decision between each person and God.  When it comes down to it, I'm sure there are many things I read, or do that others would consider just as bad as I see these books, and perhaps I wouldn't share the same viewpoint, so no matter what, the biggest issue is to not get carried away in controversy.

Pat, have you been feeling any better?  I hope your spasms have subsided.  I have my first midwife appointment on August ninth.  Luke did have a good chat with me, and gently pointed out that I am too quick to find the negative and complain.  God is also faithful in having sermons delivered that I need to hear at just the right time.  Well, I have to get going and get coffee/tea/juice ready for our guests.  God bless you all and have a wonderful Lord's day.

Jen.

Hi, friends, I've slept all afternoon and am yawning again. Must have really needed the rest. lOur pastor is to take a 6 week sabbatical. /the church is really tiny, so I hope it survives. I've been wondering if one of them is to have surgery (possibly he himself) and is "calling" it a sabbatical.

Y'all have a good evening.

G'nite.

Ruth Ann

Jen, they had a big segment on 60 minutes or similar tonight on Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books.  This last one was given the largest initial printing of any book EVER---2 1/2 million copies!  Since so many are reading them, I do hope they are not the bad influence many people think them to be.  As I said, I have not read any of them.

Ruth Ann, you must have needed the rest.  So tke it easy and don't be overdoing things, okay?

I just got home from Abby's Pizza Hut birthday party.  It was fun, and the ice cream cake her mom made was the best cake I've ever eaten!  Yummy!!

Tomorrow is Darrel's and my 24th anniversary.  He has a doctor's appointment in Liberal to get his prescriptions re-written, so I am going with him; then we are going to eat at the Thai-Lo restaurant.  They serve Thai and Laotian food.  I'm looking forward to that.

I think I will go watch the rest of the John Wayne movie he is watching, with him, then it's off to bed for me!

Sorry, but I don't have time to address each and every one of you. 

Pat, I, too, had a sleepless night last night but because I took too long of a nap yesterday.  I went to bed and read my book, shut off the light and tossed and turned...I saw 1 a.m., 2 a.m. on the clock.  I turned the light back on at 3 something and read some more.  The last I saw on the clock was 4:15 a.m. and the alarm went off at 6 a.m.  Then I went to church and afterwards ate lunch.  I stopped at WalMart and a grocery.  The sky got so dark on the way from the grocery to here and then it started raining cats and dogs.  What a downpour.  It is still thundering in the distance.  But when I got home, I changed into comfy clothes and got my book again.  Yep, you guessed it.  I took another nap.    So who knows what time I will get to sleep tonight.  Probably will finish my book!

God Bless You All

Hello again everyone.  We had a wonderful evening.  As I said, the lady upstairs from us is moving to a retirement home.  We had a little goodbye party for her tonight, and we had more than a dozen people come, which was really encouraging for her.  We gave her a card and a Bible, and everyone chatted for two and a half hours.  It was really enjoyable, as there are so many different walks of life and personalities and viewpoints with everyone in here.  I'd like to make it a once or twice a year thing if we can. 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JANET AND DARREL!!!
We have a very, VERY hot and sticky night tonight.  Hopefully by next weekend it'll be cooler.  Well, I'm tired out after an evening of hostessing.  I hope you all have a great week.  God bless you.

Jen.

Time to lock the door once again.  But go here - it isn't locked!

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