For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity. 
William Penn

Memorial Day Tribute

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOcl17HIa7c

History of Memorial Day

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRXrfs0f1Fo

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Why Forgive?

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We often feel alone when:

• The pain in the night is unbearable
• The silence is deafening
• Friends should rejoice with us but are envious
• Family squabbles become bitter feuds
• The darkness engulfs us
• The well deserved promotion is shot down by assumptions
• No one understands
• Everyone says they understand but act as if they could care less
• We’ve tried a million times but continue to feel like a failure
• We’ve asked for forgiveness but there is no hope of receiving it
• Good news is overshadowed by great hurt

You’ve probably been there and felt as if your prayers were going no further than the ceiling.  Let me remind you that not only does your Heavenly Father hear those cries, they matter to Him.  He hears you and cares about what your heart is feeling.

The time you feel completely alone is when you typically withdraw and close your heart off to the world.  Worse than that, you close your Bible and think; I don’t even know what to pray, so why bother and you let isolation MOVE YOU from your Father’s side.

God never moves from us.  We move from Him.  But, even when we stray, move or completely ignore Him…we are never alone.

What verses do you wrap yourself in when you feel completely alone?

Please leave them below and encourage those that are feeling completely alone.

I Know You’re There

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98nG3xH02wo&feature=related

2 Chronicles 13:12
And, behold, God himself is with us 

2 Chronicles 32:8
With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles.

You’re Not alone

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKj4Fcp5S1o

Deut 31:6  Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

God With Us

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N_s6nfdxew

Lamentations 3:24-25 

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

The post Never Alone first appeared on CHRISTIAN REP.

Guys are huge! Huge! Especially if you are a little girl, you look up and see a mighty man towering over you, your heart trembles a little. Men are giants in the eyes of children

I remember as a little, tiny girl being afraid of those towering giants in my life. There were only two giant men that I took to early on without fear and they were my Father and Grandfather.

While I understand that not every man is full of care, compassion and concern for the women and children in his world and those that are quietly observing, (make no mistake, they are observing and retaining what they observe) I also understand that there are men that want to be a force for good in this world.

I applaud you and want to encourage you to continue to be a Giant!

Here are some ways we can all be Giants, but Men, please…. Continue to stand up and be HUGE!

Giant of Compassion – Men in particular usually have a hard time comfortably displaying their emotions and showing compassion isn’t always the easiest. I know that kindness is there, filling your heart…let it flow freely.

Giant of Love – Continue to love and allow yourself to be loved – even when love hurts.

Giant of Giving – Giving of what you have doesn’t always come naturally, but we can condition our hearts to be a giant in this area. Don’t focus on what you are giving, or to whom. Just give what you can and show others that there is nothing like it.

Giant of Laughter – With the weight of the responsibilities that you bare, sometimes it is just good to sit back and do fun things. Laugh daily and share freely.

Giant of Family – YOU head up the family, you are responsible, you direct, guide and shelter. Be there, be part of what goes on, share your heart with those in your family freely. Be authentic and in doing so, you will raise up giants of your own.

Giant of a Husband – Men if you are married, the best thing you can do is to continue to date and spoil your wife. Find out, if you’ve forgotten, what little things she adores and spoil her with them. Yes, we ladies need to do the same thing, but we gals are creatures of response and she will react. But, honestly…don’t do this just to “get” something in return….do this because you are a giant and are willing to do it because it is the right thing to do.

Giant of a Friend – Men, go and do some men stuff. Encourage each other and have fun. Take time to be a friend.

Giant of an Example – There are little eyes watching you and you won’t even realize it. You will cause someone, somewhere to remember something that you did…something you considered insignificant and yet, in that moment it was larger than life to the onlooker. You are always inspiring someone and being an influence. The question is, are you inspiring great things or are you inspiring a lackadaisical attitude?

Giant of Wisdom – You have experiences that no one else around you has. You can share what you’ve learned and those around you that are truly wise will learn from you. Share freely.

Lastly guys, remember, you are completely loved and adored by someone.

YOU ARE a giant in their eyes. Treasure that, protect that and use it.

Gals – you can be a giant to! I hope you will be.

Your turn! How can we be giants to those little eyes that are watching everything we say and do? Don’t miss your opportunity to be heard here.

Dear Dad, you are already a HERO, just because you are a dad… be the best influence you can be without guilt

Dear Dad, I know you are busy with work &providing for the family, but provide memories too

Dear Dad, I know we are all special BUT never, ever forget that you are loved & adored

Dear Dad, even when I think I know it ALL, YOU still be the parent. I’m too young to make big decisions.

Dear Dad, laughter is the best medicine, but never forget tears are healing

Dear Dad, Even though guys are macho, we still need to hear “i love you”

Dear Dad, I know you want to give me the best of everything, but make me be responsible for what you give me

Dear Dad, we love big squishy bear hugs

Dear Dad, help me to own my mistakes, don’t enable me or excuse my actions

Dear Dad, I love you

Dear Dad, help me to own my mistakes, don’t enable me or excuse my actions #FathersDay

— Marie Wikle (@spreadingJOY) June 17, 2012

Visit Marie at SpreadingJoy.

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I hope you will spend some time just thanking the Lord.  Thanksgiving needs to be a daily thing for us.

I’m thankful for:

Spend some time thinking about all that you are grateful for.  Dwell on it, wrap your heart in it and praise HIM for it.

{hugs} yall

@spreadingJOY

Marie is the Founder/President of Spreading Joy Corporation, a Non-Profit dedicated to reminding others of the simple joy of giving.  For more encouragement and a look at the little things that make life big, please visit her website http://www.spreading-joy.org

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It happened more than 40 years ago.  I was at university, sitting on a bench on campus talking to God.  I wanted more, wanted to understand God’s love.  I prayed, “Lord, let me see people the way you do.”  In a moment a friend, Evelyn, walked by.  We didn’t exchange a word, but my heart began to break as I saw how much God loved her.  I began to weep with the weight of God’s love for her.  It was more than I could bear, more than I could imagine.  It was too much and I prayed, “Lord, stop, I can’t take any more.”

I think of that moment often.  It was a life changing moment for me to see others the way God sees them.  His love for us is more than we can understand, more than we can bear, it’s wonderfully overwhelming.  I could only see a small glimpse into his love and it broke me, it changed me.  I think of that park bench and Evelyn often and remember the sense of God’s love for her and for others as they walked by.

But only recently did I get the full meaning of that moment more than 40 years ago (yes, I’m slow). During this time of sabbatical it suddenly struck me that God loves me the same way he loves Evelyn!  I don’t know why I never put those pieces together, but I didn’t.  I suddenly realized a message meant for me more than 40 years ago finally got through- God loves me!

Yes, yes…I know all about that from the bible.  I know God loves me, but to really know it, to really understand how he feels about me, the emotion of it…even if it’s just a glimpse….has changed my walk with him.  It’s a shame that it took 40 years for me to “get it”.

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The post The Normal Christian Life first appeared on CHRISTIAN REP.

A new movement has begun for those who live…

Psalm 119:9

How can a young person stay on the path of purity?

By living according to your word

The post We Will Wait Movement first appeared on CHRISTIAN REP.

Faith + 0 = Salvation

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