Please Read for Inspiration Part 2

[cmc]

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.

Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

I needed a reminder. Thanks ray!

[cmc]

The Bible in 50 Words

God made, Adam bit, Noah
arked, Abraham split, Joseph
ruled, Jacob fooled, bush talked,
Moses balked, Pharaoh plagued,
people walked, sea divided,
tablets guided, promise landed,
Saul freaked, David peeked,
prophets warned, Jesus born,
God walked, love talked, anger
crucified, hope died, Love rose,
Spirit flamed, Word spread, God
remained.

Author unknown

[best]

A father tells ...


One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets
of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the
roads are wet and slick.

Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen,
spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. "Dad, I'm
thinking of something."

This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some
fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all
that her six-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"The rain!" she began, "is like sin, and the windshield
wipers are like God wiping our sins away."

After the chill bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond.
"That's really good, Aspen."

Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take
this revelation? So I asked... "Do you notice how the rain
keeps on coming? What does that tell you?"

Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer:
"We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us."

I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.



In order to see the Rainbow, you must first endure some Rain.

[stud0134]

Wow I started this thread years ago when I was really struggling with recovery and one day I found this web site and god was a huge part in my recovery. Every time I would start to struggle from day to day in my recovery I would read inspiring story's to lift me and keep me going. Well when I found this place I thought maybe I could share what works for me and I looks as if it did. This really warms my heart to see this thread is still going strong after all these years. Its been awhile since I have been here so I see there are allot of really good stories that I get to Read and I am excited about that. anyways thank you everyone who has kept this thread alive and kicking these stories saved my life and if it saved mine it can save others.

love you all
Chris George/stud0134

[cmc]

Welcome Chris! It's nice to see you back.

[rayofsunshine]

Sometimes we wonder, 'What did I do to deserve this?' or 'Why did God
have to do this to me?' Here is a wonderful explanation!

A daughter is telling her mother how everything is going wrong: she's
failing algebra; her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend
is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she
would like a snack, and the daughter says, 'Absolutely, Mom, I love
your cake.'

'Here, have some cooking oil,' her Mother offers.

'Yuck,' says her daughter.

'How about a couple raw eggs?'

'Gross, Mom!'

'Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?'

'Mom, those are all yucky!'

To which the mother replies: 'Yes, all those things seem bad by
themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make
a wonderfully delicious cake!

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go
through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts
these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have
to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

[rayofsunshine]

Flying Above The Storm
Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long
before it breaks?

The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.

When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it
up and lift it high above the storm.

While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring high above it,
gliding with ease.

The eagle does not escape the storm, it just simply uses the storm to
lift it higher.

It rises on the winds that bring the storm into its world.

When the storms of life come upon us -- and all of us will experience
them -- we can rise above them by setting our minds and faith toward
God!!!

The storms do not have to overcome us.

We can allow God to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the
winds of the storm that brings sickness, pain, tragedy, failure and
disappointments in our lives, and make something good come from it.

We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life which weigh us down, but it is
how we handle them that counts.

In Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) it reads: "But they that wait on the Lord shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

[IO Storm]

The eagle does not escape the storm, it just simply uses the storm to
lift it higher.

Thanks so very much Ray...I may borrow a line sometime if you don't mind for

my profile...

Awesome post!

[OzSandy]

For those who enjoy inspirational stories, here is a true personal story from my neck of the woods (Australia).

Arthur Stace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[rayofsunshine]

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings each morning, thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes tightly closed against the morning light as long as possible, thank you Lord, that I can see. There are many who are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off the effort of rising, thank you, Lord that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks
are lost, toast is burned, and tempers are short, thank you, Lord, for my family. There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced, thank you, Lord for the food we have. There are many who have no job.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest, thank you, Lord, for the gift of life.

Author Unknown

[jsml1234]

Originally Posted by OzSandy

For those who enjoy inspirational stories, here is a true personal story from my neck of the woods (Australia).

Eternity!

[OzSandy]

O thou who art the everlasting Essence of things beyond space and time and yet within them; thou who transcendest yet pervadest all things, manifest thyself unto us, feeling after thee, seeking thee in the shades of ignorance. Stretch forth thy hand to help us, who cannot without thee come to thee; and reveal thyself unto us, who seek nothing beside thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Johannes Scotus Erigena, 810-90


Here, Master, in this quiet place,
Where anyone may kneel,
I also come to ask for grace,
Believing you can heal.

If pain of body, stress of mind,
Destroys my inward peace,
In prayer for others may I find
The secret of release.

If self upon its sickness feeds
And turns my life to gall,
Let me not brood upon my needs,
But simply tell you all.

You never said 'You ask too much'
To any troubled soul.
I long to feel your healing touch-
Will you not make me whole?

But if the thing I most desire
Is not your way for me,
May faith, when tested in the fire
Prove its integrity.

Of all my prayers, may this be chief:
Till faith is fully grown,
Lord, disbelieve my unbelief,
And claim me as your own.

Frederick Pratt Green

[OzSandy]

Prayer of Surrender

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

[jsml1234]

In Genesis, God promised Sarah that she was going to have a child. At first she didn’t believe it. She thought she was too old. She thought her time had passed. But do you know what God said to her? He simply asked, “Sarah, is there anything too hard for the Lord?” I believe God is saying the same thing to us today. “Is there anything too hard for Me?”
Do you think your dreams are too big for God to bring to pass? Do you think that a relationship is too far gone for God to restore it? Do you think you have to just live with sickness the rest of your life? Get a new vision today because there is nothing too hard for God! God is saying today, “I am all-powerful. I can turn any situation around.” It doesn’t matter what things look like in the natural, we serve a supernatural God. The Amplified version puts it this way, “Is there anything too wonderful for the Lord?” The next time you think, “That’s just too good to be true,” remember, God wants to bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Take the limits off and dare to believe that He has wonderful things in store for you!

[IO Storm]

God..anoint my eyes to be able to see beyond my circumstances.

And Thank You for the answer in advance!

In Jesus' Name I ask this.

Amen.


Thanks, for sharing this jsml!

[rayofsunshine]

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.
If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

But
If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.
If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.
If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.
If you plant greed, you will reap loss.
If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.
If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.
If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

So be careful what you plant now, It will determine what you will reap tomorrow, The seeds you now scatter, Will make life worse or better, your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits, or you will pay for the choices you plant today.

[jsml1234]

Positive beginning

Would you spend your hard-earned money buying things you didn't want or need? Of course not.
So why would you spend any of your precious and powerful thoughts on things you don't want? It makes much more sense to focus your thoughts on the positive, desirable things you would like to create and expand upon.
The thoughts with which you choose to fill your mind have a direct influence on the people, things, and events that surround your life. Every moment, with each thought, you have the opportunity to point your life in a specific direction.
The way you think about life plays a major role in the way your life unfolds. Again and again, choose those thoughts that resonate with a life that's rich, joyous and fulfilled.
You think thousands of thoughts each day. Use the opportunity of each thought to push you toward the precise life you wish to create for yourself.
Everything in your world begins with a thought. So use your thoughts to give everything a powerful, positive beginning.

[rayofsunshine]

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.

You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

[IO Storm]

IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD?
From: Tracy

Jeremiah 32:27
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?


Do you have a problem believing that the moment a sinner receives Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour, he is saved? I believe you will say, No.

Let me then ask you which is harder for God (though in reality, we know that nothing is hard for God): To save a soul from hell or heal a sick body? Of course, it is harder to save a soul from hell because God had to send His Son to the cross to do that.

So if God has already given you the greatest miracle that you can ever receive, which is to pluck you out of the clutches of eternal damnation and give you eternal life, what is healing your body, saving your marriage, turning around your rebellious teenage son or giving you that business deal, to Him?

Therefore, don't think that when you come to God with a headache, He says, No problem, but should you come to Him with cancer, He says, a Cancer? Wow! Not that easy. This is more problematic. I will need more power!

No! It may appear more difficult to us, but with God, nothing is too hard for Him because He says, Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

This was indeed the case for a church member who was suffering from ovarian cancer. After I had prayed for her, I told her, this cancer is not a problem for God. Just believe that when God said that nothing is too hard for Him, it is so! In a matter of weeks, she came back with tears in her eyes, testifying that she went back to the doctor and he pronounced her healed after he could find no more traces of cancer in her.

Beloved, if it is a miracle you need, it is a miracle you will get. God has already given you the greatest miracle of eternal life, so why would He not give you all the other lesser miracles?

Amen ... 2jesus
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I liked this article because I too, believe in a "contemporary" God!

He never changes..all may change..but Jesus..never.