Friday, November 28, 2014

Eucharisteo: For My Savior



               Continuing on with praises, I want to lift up the name of Jesus. He left heaven’s glory to come to earth in order to teach us about His Father and how we can live for Him.

               Because Jesus died for our sins, we can enjoy freedom from the guilt of sin. A close friend of mine asked me a question about another person’s role in our church. The next morning, I found the answer.
               I called her and said, “You asked me a question last night. I found the answer this this morning.” Her response was, “That’s all right, I don’t need to know. I’m gave that over to God.” I know she could do this because of what Jesus did for her.
               Jesus teaches us each day how we should live. The Shepherd guides us through troublesome times of our lives. The Teacher instructs us when we don’t understand certain situations. The Comforter soothes us when our hearts are broken. The Physician heals us from diseases. The Protector keeps us warm and safe.


               In my lifetime, Jesus has acted in the above roles innumerable times. I thank Him for each of these times. In each of them, Jesus is Supreme!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Eucharisteo: For my Family



               I praise God for my husband and my son. Hubby and I have been married for 46 years. We are of different natures and temperaments but we have weathered several ‘storms’ during those years. I couldn’t have done that without Jesus beside me. As I was entering this and some other future postings I my mouse slid off the top of my desk. I just figured out what had happened and Hubby called me to tell me something I already knew. Trying to fix the screen on my monitor had been frustrating to me and then I had to hear “Mom, you need to do such and such before supper. Oh, by the way, Hubby is computer illiterate.

               Our son, once considered multiply handicapped, has made great advances in his life to be where he is today. I know God watched over him and still does. Because hubby worked nights, our son and I had some great times together in the evenings. I believe he chooses to tell me things that he knows I will listen to with understanding.

               I could tell stories on both of them but those of difficult times are under the blood of Jesus. The sweet stories are too many to mention. I am thankful to God for each of those special stories that make up who we are as a family. The times of hardship have made us stronger. The good times have made great memories for all of us.


Monday, November 24, 2014

Eucharisteo:The Small Things

from  Bing images

               What are some of the small things, those we take for granted, that we should give thanks for?
 
               A few years ago, I had some heavy burdens that seemed to keep me bothered and, at the same time, stirred up. My prayers seemed to be by rote: “Dear God, please be with that person.” I realized I needed to find things to give praise for.

CENTRAL HEAT
               I found myself praising God for our central heat. Now this might seem strange to you but it wasn’t to me. I am cold natured and have a chronic sinus problem. Also, several years ago, I asked a friend if her mother was coming down for Christmas. My friend’s mother lived 200 miles northwest of us. No, her mother couldn’t come during the winter because her apartment didn’t have central heat. I believe she might have had wall-unit space heaters.

A ROOF OVER OUR HEADS          
               At that same time, I found myself giving praise to God for the fact we had a roof over our heads. In fact, at that time, our roof needed some work done to it. (God allowed us to get the roof repaired a couple of years later.) As I realized my need to give praise, we were warm and dry. 

HELPING ORGANIZATIONS
               I give thanks to God for the organizations that help people in times of need. Our city has a Christian Center which ministers to homeless men. We also have an organization that ministers to homeless veterans, men and women. In the event of a fire wiping out a family’s home, our city has an organization that oversees three temporary houses where the families can stay for two weeks free of charge. We don’t know how blessed we are!

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES
               Recently, the prayer group I attend on Tuesday mornings, started meeting at an independent living facility associated with the neighboring healthcare campus. The place lent to us for our prayer times is wonderful. For this opportunity to minister to and with others, we give praise to God.

ELECTRICITY
               Have you given much thought that we should give praise to God for electricity? When I see the old movies where the rooms are lighted with gas lights, I realize how careful the people had to be in that era. Yes, it is an inconvenience when a storm goes through, takes out our power, and we have to put things on hold and wait for the repairs to be made. But, there are teams of workers who work long hours to get our community’s issue fixed.
               In a few weeks, women will be cooking Thanksgiving dinners. Whether you cook on a gas or electric stove, think about how you would manage if you had to cook on a wood burning stove. When my dad got called back into the Marine Corps when I was four years old, we lived for a while in part of a farmhouse. Our side had a ‘modern’ stove. The farmer’s wife cooked on one of those wood burning stoves.    It was almost scary to watch her as she lifted the round black pieces on top with the utensil made for that purpose. What I remember is seeing the flames of the fire come up through the hole.


We who live in the 21st Century have many things to be thankful for; these are but a few.

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...