Praying For Loved Ones

Many evenings Laura and I go to my room and have a time of Bible reading and prayer. We each take turns reading the Word until we have finished two or three chapters. This has been a satisfying way to go through the Bible. It holds me accountable to being faithful in reading scripture. We also enjoy our time of prayer together. We have many people that we know who need prayer and this is a good way to pray for them.

There are many loved ones that we are concerned about and they are on our prayer lists. We have friends who we pray for each day too. We have prayer lists from two churches and we are in a prayer group on Facebook. Many are in need of God's healing hand upon them. Some are hurting, and some don't even know they can go to the Lord for comfort and His saving grace in their lives. We know some with cancer. There are so many things that cause people emotional pain as well as physical pain. We have children to pray for as well as the older people in our lives.

When our loved ones are traveling we pray for a safe journey. When there is a task that is almost too much to handle it is good to go to the Lord for courage and strength. When someone has been injured we pray for healing, and comfort along the way. We go to the Lord for shelter in time of storm. We have emotions to deal with and the first thing we need to remember is to go to the Lord for comfort and peace. We should not worry, but we are prone to worry. Take this to the Lord. Some still need to go to the Lord to accept His gift of salvation. He is waiting for us to come and He will give us rest.

I have real concerns about each of my children. They are on my heart daily. The Lord knows my concern for each one. I pray for the parents of the little ones that they raise them in the way they should go. We are to teach them what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord. We can pray with them. And we can sing this sweet song with them.

Jesus loves me! This I know, 

For the Bible tells me so;

Little ones to Him belong,

They are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died,
Heaven's gate to open wide;

He will wash away my sin,

Let His little child come in.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! loves me still,

When I'm very weak and ill;

From His shining throne on high,

Comes to watch me where I lie.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He will stay,

Close beside me all the way;

He's prepared a home for me,

And some day His face I'll see.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

This old favorite is sung by many children at their mother's knee and in Sunday School. We are never too old to enjoy this tune. Most of us only know the first verse, but the words to the other verses are precious too. Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so. We can be glad that some day we will see His face when we get to our home in heaven. In the meantime He is with us when we are weak and when we are ill. We have Jesus beside us every day and He hears us when we pray.

Hugs to each one I love.




Jesus picture by drstevesgal

Challenges

We are challenged daily and maybe that is good as we at least know we are among the living. Our kitties are a real challenge. This morning as we were heading out the door to go to church two of the cats wanted out and we were determined to keep them in. Paul was struggling with Midnight while Laura and I were trying to go out the door without any cats. Spotty flew past me across my sandals and snagged my stockings on the way. So much for those stockings, but I had no choice except to wear them one last time. I sealed the runs with clear polish and headed out again. By then two cats had gotten outside. That is the way it is at our house.

We want to be good neighbors and not have our cats bother other people. Some of the kitties used to be able to go in and out as they please, but we have tried to change that. After Cassandra got hit and died on Palm Avenue we pretty much made our cats indoor cats, though not always successful. This wasn't the first tragedy with our kitties, but we hope it is the last. This was at least five years ago. Actually Cassandra really belonged to our neighbor. We loved her and took part ownership of her. Laura took beautiful pictures of her.

When we got Spotty he was an indoor kitty. It didn't take long for him to discover our yard. I don't think he wanders though. I certainly hope not.

I spend more time cleaning up after pets than I ever remember doing for our children. It is like having more than one two year old at a time. I won't go into details about the cleaning challenges as they are many. Thankfully Paul cleans the litter boxes. And now we have the flea season upon us and need to get rid of them. I will be visiting Pet Smart soon.

I could talk about repairs we need to do around here as they are another challenge. But I won't bother with that subject for now. At least we have a home and are comfortable enough. We have food in our cupboards and refrigerator. We are blessed.

This morning we had a very nice worship service at Westview Bible Church. Pastor Carey gave a good gospel message. No one in attendance can give the excuse that they did not know they needed the Lord to cover their sin. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."Romans 3:23. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. Our Savior conquered the grave. We set our hope on Jesus rising from the grave- the greatest truth the world has ever known. Death is a certain reality- we need the hope of knowing Jesus. The free gift of life is in Jesus Christ. He paid the full penalty and we need to believe in Jesus There is only ONE WAY. Beware of false prophets. He is our only hope.

Pastor Carey gave good illustrations to get his point across. I always take notes but not every word. The sermon was good as Paul just said to me. I would like to be able to share the message as clearly as he says it. I'm sure lives are touched by the message each week.

After church we had an Easter brunch in the fellowship hall. Many went outside and found seats there to eat their meal. We sat with our friend Adria during the meal. She had her husband Al with her today. He lives in a nursing home in El Cajon. She wants to get him in a place in Chula Vista so she doesn't have so far to go to spend time with him. She is challenged daily and she stays so positive. She has M.S. and has a lot going on in her life. She is such a dear person.

We had a ride home with our friends Ellen and Dave. We have been blessed to get to know them. I first met Ellen on the bus. Paul and I were heading to Coronado to church every week and she was going to Westview. We are now going with her to church. We already knew Adria and have made new friends there. I am challenged as I still want to be part of my Coronado church family too. We go there sometimes. There will always be challenges in life and many decisions to make as long as we breathe.

The most important decision is to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior while we still have breath in us. We know some who have made that decision on their deathbeds. They will receive eternal life just as the ones who have always lived for Christ. But I think the bigger blessing is to know Him and live for Him now. We can spend time serving Him and sharing His love with others. Do not wait till it is too late. After we take our final breath it is too late to make this decision. God loves us and wants what is best for us. But He does not force us to make this decision. God Bless.

This World Is Not My Home

Sometimes I feel like Job with so many trials to contend with. I know that I haven't really faced the tribulations that Job faced, but I do have my struggles. This old house which shelters us, and this not so young body, are feeling the effects of age. There is always something that needs fixing in this house and we can't seem to keep up with it. Paul and I have both experienced slowing down and needing to visit doctors more than we used to. We feel as if we keep the Wal Mart pharmacy in business.

We get something repaired and something takes its place on the to do list. I can get discouraged with always seeming to be behind in doing what needs to be done. But I am reminded that this world is not my home, I"m just passing through. Then I break out in song and enjoy the words of the favorite chorus which contains these words.

We might be disappointed in how some things turn out in our lives. We may try to find our happiness in other people, but the only way to peace and joy is through a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Our hope needs to be in God. Not depending on man to make us happy is a hard lesson to learn, but it is possible.

We do need relationships in our lives and we are to love people, not things. Our loved ones are all that we can take to heaven with us when we do finally go. There will be a big reunion in heaven someday and I hope I have a lot of dear ones to share this with. I am blessed with friends and family that I love dearly. My prayer is for each one to know the Lord and to share this joy with me. Not the kind of happiness that the world gives, but the joy of the Lord.