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 In my
reading this morning I came across something that was a great encouragement to
my soul and wanted to share it with you all. It is from the book, Created for
His Glory, by Jim Berg.
Most believers will not
doubt that God is powerful. Nor will they doubt that He is present all the
time, though they may feel distant to Him. What they are not sure of is that
God loves them. In fact, a very powerful God who does not especially care for
you is a source of event greater fears.
There is not cause for
living in constant fear-and anxiety is just a form of fear-when you have been
taught by God Himself from The Word that He is powerful, that He is present,
and that you are secure because He loves you!...God never promises to remove
our fears. Instead, He repeatedly commands us to “fear thou not” His command is
usually followed by a reminder about something that is true of His nature.
I think of
how often I fear things…will I be able to pay the bills, will that person accept me as I am, will meet my bosses expectation, will people like the message I preach…and seemingly endless other fears. When these types of
fears dominate my thinking I always feel crummy. But when I think on God’s
Word, then my thinking is transformed and so my feelings rightly follow. “Fear thou not”
quoted above goes on as you know to say, “I am with you” (Is 41:10). I am
reminded by this that I must focus my thoughts not on my circumstances, no
matter how bleak they may seem, but on the all-powerful, ever-present, always loving, personal
God, who cares for me and promises never to leave me not forsake me.
How to you focus on our wonderful God?
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 Janelle ended the year (her junior year) in the 2 mile with here best time ov 12:34. She is a great runner. This is her with a few friends before her race. She will be spending the summer at the Word of Life campground in the STC program. Brandon is going to be on Word of Life Island, Tyler will be working for the summer and living at home.
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|  The NY WOL staff has been developing a great new Bible Quizzing system. What is awesome is when we take this into a club and get teens using it the energy is incredible. Sometimes leaders who have not seen it allow us to come in but have an attitude that it will be boring but after we are done, every time, they want the system. We are looking forward to how God will use this in the next few years.
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| I'm sitting here today trying to get motivated. I have come off a busy 6 weeks of running and more still lays ahead. One verse I always pray during times like this is Philippians 2:12-13,
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
God is working in me. This is a wonderful truth...I am not alone in my walk with God and it is not me doing it all, God is at work making me like Christ.
God is working in me to will...to give me the will to do what is pleasing to Him. He is not just working randomly but specifically to put a desire in my heart to do what pleases Him.
God is working in me to will and to do...He gives me the power to accomplish His will.
So when I "feel" like I do today, I ask God to put the will and give me the power to live to please Him. Great truth.
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| Update from Pam-
 We had a quiet Thanksgiving this year. There was just the 4 of us. Brandon went to Michigan to be with Megan's family. But we were thankful for the 2 kids that were home to be with us. We originally were going to go to Cuba, New York that is, to be w/ John's family, but Tyler couldn't get off work Wed. night, so we stayed home. Watched the parade, football and then season 5 of 24. We are planning on getting our tree today since we leave for staff conference on Tues. Life changes and with each change we have to accept the fact that it does change and that our children are growing up and moving on. We didn't take a picture so we took this one from 04, when we had all 3 kids and my parents.
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