Tag: KJV

Selflessness: Where “Less” Is More

Big ego

“What an ego!”

Do you ever feel that way when you’re flipping TV channels, and you see another celebrity bragging about their reality show?

Specifically, I’m talking about reality shows where foul-mouthed, combative people take each other on in a shout fest. There doesn’t seem to be an ounce of humility in these folks.

People can be so awful to each other, and it’s all displayed right there on TV where kids might see it.

This past week, I heard two separate celebrities talk about how funny it is when they let their young kids curse, even though the kids don’t know what the words mean.

Is it funny?

Backwards-thinking is more like it.

*The world’s smallest package is a man wrapped up in himself.
– Chuck Swindoll, Christian pastor, and educator

The Value Of Selflessness

The people who get my respect are the “real” superstars in my opinion. They are genuine heroes from everyday life.

We hear about their stories sometimes on the news. Their stories of heroism are like sweet music to my ears.

It doesn’t matter how old they are.

Here’s a glimpse of a young heroine, that still brings a few years to my eyes.

It’s refreshing to hear that story again, even though it’s an old one from a few years ago.

Little Savannah is a shining star.

Selflessness: Where “Less” Is More

Have you noticed that when many heroes are interviewed, with all humility, they steer the praise away from themselves and give the glory to God?

I love that!

God providentially knows who the heroes and heroines are in our world. Will you be one of them?

Selflessness: Where less is more

No Greater Love

In John 15:13, Jesus said to His disciples,

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:13, KJV, King James Version, public domain.

Agape Love is the highest form of love.

There is no greater example of Agape Love than that of Jesus Christ and His selfless death and Resurrection on the Cross for an undeserving world.

God bless you this week!

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*Chuck Swindoll and A.B. Simpson quotations, as quoted from Christian quotes.info
**Scripture Reference: King James Version, (KJV) Public Domain.

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Touchdown!

Unfortunately, I’m not talking about the football kind of touchdown.

It’s Springtime in Texas.

While that’s a good thing, there’s also a downside.

It’s a time when tornadoes come out to play, wreaking their havoc, destroying property and, in some cases, lives.

storms in our lives

*Photo credit at the end.

Last Sunday night, tornado weather came knocking at our door.

Dangerously Close

We were monitoring the weather throughout the evening. According to the forecasters, the supercell heading our direction was, by all initial appearances, weak. Even the weatherman didn’t seem impressed. In fact, he spent more time on the storms heading north and south of us.

We almost stopped watching the weather, thinking everything was fine.

building tornado

**Photo credit at the end.

The storm cluster heading our direction suddenly exploded into a big tornado. It briefly touched down seven miles from where we live.

Storm chasers shared pictures of the funnel cloud on social media.

Several minutes later, the warnings for our area started to come in, a siren went off, and my phone app announced, “Warning. Tornado is in your area. Seek shelter.”

Uh oh.

The sky turned pitch black dark, and the wind picked up considerably.

We headed to our shelter and hunkered down on the floor.

Huge hailstones (up to softball size) pummeled our house, sounding like dropping bombs with each strike.

Then I heard what sounded like glass smashing.

It went on and on.

Hail continued crashing on top of our house as part of the funnel cloud roared above us.

hailstones

All Clear

We are praising God today that the other families in our neighborhood and we are all safe.

Our roof took a beating, and there’s damage to our outside lighting, but those things are repairable.

Thank you, God, for keeping us safe.

Like that powerful storm, awful circumstances can quickly explode in our lives. An emotional bomb drops, and it can instantly undermine our peace.

This Bible verse is taped to the wall of our storm shelter. It reads:

***20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. – Matthew 28:20, KJV.

He is always with us. That is our assurance.

Nonbelievers don’t understand it, but as Christians, we can hold the words of Scripture in our hearts when the “storms” come in our lives.

There is no better peace than the peace that He can give.

Corrie Ten Boom, Christian heroine

Don’t know where to start with scripture memorization?

Here’s one suggestion, with verses specifically about fear.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/fear-bible-verses/

I hope that is helpful.

God bless you this week!

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*Photo courtesy of Sarah. Shared with permission.
**Photo courtesy of Jessica. Shared with permission.
***Bible Reference: King James Version, (KJV) Public Domain.
****Corrie Ten Boom quotation, as quoted from Christian quotes.info

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A God-Sized Hug

Losing a Best Friend

It’s been a tough few days for us.

If you’ve ever had to put a dog down, one of your best friends, then you know how it feels.

Losing a best friendYou feel like you’ve been hit by a mack truck. The heartbreak lingers for a long, long time.

It happened just recently to my husband and I. Misty, one of our beloved family pets, had an enlarged tumor and wasn’t responding well to a last-ditch treatment. We tried everything to help her over the last few months. At 11 1/2 years old, we agreed with the vet that putting her through a painful surgery and risky recovery wasn’t a safe option. The day before we put her down, I had whispered to her to tell us when it was her time.

We woke up the next morning to find her suffering, and we just knew.

That horrible Saturday of her death, my husband and I were both in tears as we held her and talked to her during those final shots. It was excruciating to be there, but we wouldn’t have been anywhere else.

It Hurts to Lose a Best Friend

Our dogs are cherished family members to us. All it takes is a painful time like this to remind us that life is short and we should cherish our loved ones, whether they be human or a doted-on furry friend.

A God-sized hugMisty was full of personality. From her picture you can see what a beauty she was. Her coat was mostly white, but she had some patches of dark grey fur. After she was groomed, she would look like a big cotton ball.

Even though she’s gone, I see little reminders of our girl every day. A little tumbleweed of white fur comes out from behind a dresser when I’m vacuuming. Her pink collar and leash are still in our garage every time I go outside to get in my car. I see those and sigh. Memories of her stomping her feet demanding her dinner and chasing the other dogs in the backyard come flooding back.

A God-Sized Hug

I must tell you about something incredible that happened when we got home from that tear-jerking trip to the vet. This is one of so many examples of why I delight in God.

Call it coincidence if you want. For me though, it was grace.

My husband and I got home that awful morning and were comforting our other dogs. I heard the familiar notification sound that I had a new text on my phone. I went to check it. It was a sweet text from a friend of mine in Fort Worth saying that she was thinking about me AND that God had put me on her heart.

Wow.  🙂

Less than an hour later, a dear friend from Virginia texted me. Same thing – she said that God had put me on her heart so she texted me right after that.

What an extraordinary God we have.

25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. – Numbers 6:25-26, KJV, Public Domain.

Praising Him all the day long!

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