Mardi Gras Miracle...

In what might prove to be the crowning achievement of an illustrious career in ministry, the 87-year-old evangelist, Billy Graham shocked the 16,300 in attendance at the Celebration of Hope crusade in New Orleans Arena on Sunday Night. Touted in advance as possibly his last Evangelistic crusade, Graham invited the packed house of evangelical Christians and the hundreds of new converts to join him on the one mile walk from the arena to New Orleans' infamous Bourbon Street. "While we have seen God do tremendous things here the past couple of evenings. Yes, it is true that a great healing and a great many salvations have occurred within the confines of this auditorium. Still yet, there lies a great mountain in this city which needs to be conquered."


Then taking from the Biblical Book of Joshua Chapter 14 he read, "I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in
that day," his voice suddenly sounding more forceful than during his 22 minute sermon.


"I last preached in the City of New Orleans in 1954 and I felt then that there was some unfinished business. Tonight, in what very well might be my last evangelistic service, I aim to finish that business and lead as many of you that would follow me to the multitude of lost souls that fill Bourbon Street tonight. That is my mountain! That is where we shall see the harvest!" said Graham as the stadium erupted in cheers that lasted the next several minutes.


Utilizing a waiting mobility scooter, the elder Graham joined his son and heir to the ministry, Franklin across the Arena floor and through the opened doors leading towards the French Quarter. In a show of solidarity and determination reminiscent of civil rights marches of the 1960's, nearly the entire capacity crowd joined in
the 20 minute trek while singing, "When the Saints Go Marching In". As the march crossed Canal Street and headed northward towards Bourbon Street, many onlookers stood in stunned silence as the massive crowd of people began singing in unison the Christian hymn, Amazing Grace. Upon entering the west end of Bourbon Street, Billy Graham was soon recognized by partiers.


Soon those joining in the march began to approach those partying on Bourbon Street with the Gospel message that they had heard preached just a half hour before. Graham himself joined with a group of local street evangelist in ministering to a man who had survived Hurricane Katrina in the lower 9th Ward. Within 30 minutes the entirety of Bourbon Street was packed with Christians and the once blaring music of nightclubs and strip joints had been replaced by weeping and worship as people poured out their drinks and sought prayer from the Christians who were now reaching out to them.


"I have never seen anything like this in my life," said 20 years New Orleans Police Department veteran, Tom Phillips. "This is unbelievable! We thought a riot was going to break out, but this looks more like a Revival than a riot!" Two hours later, a glowing Graham sat back down on his scooter and smiled. "Now I know how the Apostle Paul must have felt at the end of his ministry. Do the work of an evangelist; make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."


Hours later hundreds of Christians remained on the street ministering to the many people eagerly waiting to receive prayer and ministry. New Orleans will never be the same. And the press remained mute on this "news item?" Did anyone see it on TV/hear it on radio/read it in the paper? Why are we not surprised? Can't have THAT just prior to a major election, now, can we? Well, just on a whim, spread the news, anyway. It cost our elder brother, Billy Graham, more than any of us know to make that effort.

A Botched Job.....

I once had a young lady working for me that really showed signs of someone that I could promote to a position with more authority and responsibility.
She seemed to take pride in her work and was very good with clients and with her work load. I thought that she could take over as office manager and free me up to do more public relations and bring in more customers. I told her of my decision, increased her salary and she was delighted.

At first she did a great job. She was thorough and accepted her new responsibilities and was a genuine asset to the office and to myself. I in turn was able to do some marketing and our client load increased. It increased to the point that I had to hire another girl to work in the office. She did not have any experience in our industry, but she was very good with people and knew a great number of people in town and I felt that she would be a true asset to the company. She was. I trained her and she caught on very quickly. She was a natural. I praised her because she truly deserved it and I wanted to encourage her growth with us. She was the first one in the office in the morning, and she was the last one to leave. She even came in on Saturdays if she had something that she promised a client she would get done and did not have time to attend to during the week. I was finally able to relax a little bit and cut my stress level down to manageable. What I didn't notice was the jealousy brewing in the heart of my office manager.

A couple of weeks later my new girl asked to talk to me. She informed me that the other girl was snapping at her and correcting her and taking work away from her and had taken to calling her demeaning names like flunky. I was really shocked, but I told her that I would keep my eyes and ears open.
She was right. I called in my newly appointed office manager and asked her what was up. She told me that she was always having to correct the new girl on the way she talked to customers. And she complained that the new girl was promising the customers things that she should consult her about first as the manager. In short, she had nothing good to say about the new girl.
I pointed out that she was the manager. She had an important job but I did not think that it was right to have her train the new girl because she was very busy with her responsibilities. It was my decision as the owner to
train the new girl myself. I told her that whatever the new girl was doing
was at my direction and I needed her to calm down, not worry about the new girl and go back to doing the good job she did for me. Instead of just doing that, her jealousy grew, the tension in the office grew and her attitude, in short, became ugly and disruptive. I was sad, because she had done such a good job for me. But she needed all the praise and all the attention all the time. She could not stand for anyone else to do a great job and get praise for it. It was a terrible personality flaw. Sadly, it got to the point that she was making decisions that only I as the owner could make. It got so bad that I had to let her go. I then give her job to the new girl who took on the added responsibility without complaint and did an excellent job.

The same thing happened with King Saul. His jealousy of David became too much for him to bear. In great battles they fought side by side. David did his best for his king. However, when King Saul heard that the people were saying that he had slain thousands, but David had slain ten thousand, he became jealous. His jealousy consumed him to the point that he turned on David and ordered him slain. His jealousy twisted his personality and his judgment and he was no longer able to function in his God given position as King. 1Samuel 28:17 NIRV says, "The Lord has spoken through me and has done what He said He would do. He has torn the Kingdom out of your hands. He has given it to one of your neighbors. He has given it to David."
Jealousy cost King Saul his job too. Not only his job, but the honor that God Himself had bestowed on him by choosing him to be the king. It separated him from God.

In our daily walk, we must always remember that it is a walk with God. If you are obedient and faithful, God will direct your path to the vocation He has chosen for you. He will work through ordinary men to get you to where He wants you to be to do the work for His Kingdom. Do your very best job and remember that even though man may have hired you, you represent God in all that you do. There will be those under you and above you. Bloom where you are planted and don't let pride and jealousy cause you fail God by doing a botched job....Patti

For The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength....

When I was a child and as a matter of fact quite a way into my adult life,
no one ever heard of depression. As far as we knew, some people were just
in a very bad mood for extended periods of time. And most of the time those
people were just told to quit being self centered and to get over it. No
one built a monument of pity around these people. No one gave them an
excuse for their behavior. "Snap out of it" was the common saying back
then. And most of the people responded to this suggestion.

The enemy loves to build walls around us. He loves to have us build those
monuments to self pity or self loathing. And if you are out there on your
own, that is without Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have or are probably
doing that very thing. I am not completely without sympathy for you and
those who suffer depression. However, the pills that are given by the
medical community are not the answer, but only a quick fix. And the long
term side effects of this medication is unknown. I must say however that
any medication that has a warning that if you suddenly have thoughts of
suicide stop taking it is enough for me to not take it to begin with. There
is an answer. A medicine that is given freely by God. And that medicine is
the knowledge and acceptance of His most precious Son, Jesus Christ.

Your creator knows everything about you. And He knows where you are every
minute of every day. And yes, He knows the trials and tribulations of this
world. The world is in the state it is in because of the choices made by
Adam and Eve. God, even though betrayed, made a way back to Him. It was
the Blood Sacrifice. But He even made that easier by performing the
ultimate blood sacrifice and that was the sacrifice of His only Son to pay
the debt for man once and for all. The medicine you need is found in Jesus
Christ. Accept Him today as your Lord and Savior. And by doing so you
obtain access to all that your Father in heaven has to give you. He wants
you to have a good life. He, in the beginning showed us what he wanted for
us by creating the Garden of Eden. It is the devil that wants your life to
be a living hell. Choose life today. Choose health and well being. Choose
Christ today. The prayer to accept Him is on this web site. Go there and
give yourself to Him now!
I promise you that when you have accepted what Jesus did for you on the
cross, the guidance that you will receive from the Father and the Holy
Spirit will make your path here on this difficult earth straight. Nehemiah
8:10 says, "Then he said to them, 'Go your way, eat the fat, drink the
sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day
is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your
strength." (NKJV) One of my favorite scriptures is, "I can do all things
through Christ Who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)
So remember that once you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you
can go forward free from the bonds that the enemy can then only try and put
around you. But you can go on with your life free because you will then
know the joy of the Lord is your strength...Patti

Attitude is Everything....

Attitude (I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.)
Philippians 4:13

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?"
So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

"H-M-M," she said,
"I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?"
So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

"Well," she said,
"today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her
head.

"YEA!" she exclaimed,
"I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary,

for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,

Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly.......

Leave the rest to God

"The Earth is the Lord's and the Fullness Thereof"...

Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein."(KJV) This verse is self explanatory isn't it? Too bad that a vast majority of mankind is oblivious of this fact.

There is a great controversy over global warming lately. It has been going on for years now but now it is in the headlines again. In fact, all the scientists of the world met to discuss this issue not long ago. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof;" That line was not mentioned at the prestigious meeting. They said that if every nation on earth did not change the way we go about our daily lives we were doomed to perish from the face of the earth because the damage to "Mother Earth" would be so great, that man could no longer glean from her and thus would die as will all forms of flora and fauna. We will become this giant dirt ball in space. Sounds frightening. Sounds ominous. Sounds imminent. And it sounds like dookey to me!!!

What these learned men and women are trying to say is that everyone on earth, with the exception of them and the bands of "Mother Earth" followers are idiots. And if we don't spend billions and billions to conform to their one way of doing things...well we are just in for it. If anyone has actually met this Mother Earth, I would like for you to arrange a meeting with her for me. You see, it amazes me how people will follow and believe in a concept such as "Mother Earth" and totally disregard and toss out God from their lives and their belief system. God is not a man that he should lie! (Numbers 23:19) He created the world to be the world without end (Ephesians 3:21 KJV). We are to respect all that God has provided for us,
but God will not allow "the end of the world" to occur. When God created this home for us, He knew full well all that we would be capable of. He knew that we would have no respect for this planet we call home. And his Word assures us that He is in charge of whether this world ends or not.

The problem with statement's from the EPA, or other world assembly's is that they speak of man and his ability to destroy and of man and his ability to save. Over that last 2000 plus years, we have forgotten how great a price was paid for us. We have become smug with our knowledge and our advancement. We have come to think of ourselves as "God" and have given Him early retirement. What fools we are. If we would stop worshiping "self" and "Mother Earth" and spend more time with our creator, we would have more respect for the home He created and gave to us and to the bodies that we were given. Our time here is short, but our souls and spirits will go on for eternity as will this planet. God is still in charge! Worship God and His Word and it will show you how to enjoy the earth that is the Lord's and realize for your minds, bodies and souls, the fullness thereof....Patti

John 3:16

for God so loVed the world
that He gAve
His onLy
bEgotten
soN
That whosoever
belIeveth in him
should Not perish
But have Everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV

Happy Valentines Day everyone. Above the capital letters spell the word
Valentine. I bet you didn't know that God sent the very first Valentine did
you? God's heart was broken that day as His only Son gave His very best
gift of love to each of us and that was His life to pay for our sins and
reunite us with the Father and give us eternal life with Him. Remember to
thank Him today....Patti

"Don't Be Afraid, I'm Right Here"....

Have you ever heard this from either a parent or teacher or just a "big kid"
when you were young? I think that we all have. We have all had to fight
something we were afraid of and it was always easier if someone we loved and
trusted was there to stand by us.

My father was away from home quite a bit when we kids were younger. My
brother had to depend on our mother for guidance regarding bullies and
sports and any other trials in his life. Not being a guy, she was not much
help in a lot of situations and so my brother retreated into sort of an
introvert and yet someone who would lash out a lot too. He would not
volunteer for many things and never took part in any school sports. This
was fine when he was very young, but once he entered his teens it was
different. Not playing sports tended to get you labeled as a wimp or worse.
So my brother joined track and field of all things. My brother was short
and quite stocky and I could pass him when he was at a full run by just
walking fast. I asked him what he was thinking and he just gave me a dirty
look. My brother was determined to do this and I could see it in his eyes.
He started eating much less and he started lifting weights down in the
basement at night and then he started running after school as well. My
father had been away during this time was due home by the time that the Time
Trials for the Track Team were to start. For some reason my brother had
embraced this idea and was adamant about seeing it through. Although he was
dieting and lifting and eating healthier, he was still a stocky guy. I
asked him why he didn't go out for wrestling or football instead? He just
told me that he was going to do this and to leave him alone. I shrugged my
shoulders and walked away. I just knew that he was in for a big heartbreak.

My father arrived home a couple of days before the trials. That weekend he
worked with my brother and said nothing negative to him about his weight or
his stocky build or anything negative. He just told my brother that he
believed in him and anything he wanted to do. I was amazed. On Monday
after school it seemed like everyone had stayed to watch the trials. I had
been picked up by my parents after school and we drove to my brother's
school to watch him. All the guys were running around and doing exercises
to limber up. My brother was out there touching his knees. Ah, that is as
far as he could bend. I really had my doubts about this day. My poor
brother was in for such a let down. I just knew it. I think some of his
classmates thought the same thing because they kept coming up to him and
slugging him in the arm. My brother would wince and rub his arm and the
guys would laugh and run off. Then I understood. He was trying to make a
point. He was being picked on and taunted. It was worse than I thought.
My brother, head bowed and very dejected came up to where we were sitting
and sat down. He suddenly looked like a balloon that someone had let all
the air out of. My dad asked him what was the matter. My brother said that
he must have been nuts to try this and he was going to tell the coach to
pull his name. My father grabbed hold of him and gave him a shake. "You
are not going to quit. You can do this. You are my son and I am proud of
you. I know that you can do this if you put your all into it. Now get out
there and know that I am right here and I will be sending you all my
strength in my heart. Go son, and remember you CAN do this. Don't be
afraid, I'm right here." Something changed in my brothers face. It filled
with strength and pride and some kind of knowing that I really did not
understand. HE MADE IT!! The chubby little kid made it! I was just
stunned as were the guys that not an hour before were punching him. And
they embraced him as one of them is some kind of slapping, hitting, shoving
guy ritual that followed. My brother looked up into the stands and he and
my dad exchanged a thumbs up sign. What a day that was. All my brother
needed was someone to believe in him.

As adults we still go through trials. At home, at church, at work, we all
meet challenges and hurdles and people that seem too much to overcome. Our
battles go from being physical like when we were children, to more spiritual
in nature. Romans 8 (NKJV) is full of encouragement. Romans 8:5 NKJV says,
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of
the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the
Spirit." And verse 26 says, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our
weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered." Verse 31 says, "What then shall we say to these things? If God
is for us, who can be against us?" Verse 37 says, "Yet in all these things
we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." To put it simply, we
have a Heavenly Father who is up in the stands for us and cheering us on.
He tells us we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us.
(Philippians 4:13). He takes our fear away and replaces it with strength
and then we get that strange look of "knowing" on our faces because our
Heavenly Father just told us, "Don't be afraid, I'm right here.....Patti

Just a Joke today...Smile

Proverbs 17:22 NKJV says, "A merry heart(laughter) does good, like
medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones."

A man and his ever-nagging wife went on vacation to Jerusalem. While they
were there, the wife passed away. The undertaker told the husband, "You can
have her shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury her here, in the Holy
Land, for $150." The man thought about it and told him he would just have
her shipped home.

The undertaker asked, "Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your wife home,
when it would be wonderful to be buried here and you would spend only $150?"

The man replied, "Long ago a man died here, was buried here, and three days
later he rose from the dead. I just can't take that chance."

Father Knows Best....

Our family once owned a nice little place on a small lake in Minnesota. We
called it the Fun House. We would go up there in the Summer and swim and
water ski and have picnics. We were always inviting our friends and always
had a great time. In the winter we would go up there and light a fire in
the fireplace where we would warm ourselves with a cup of hot cocoa after a
day out on the frozen lake. We would snowmobile, and wind sail and ice
skate and ice fish. There was something to do for everyone of all ages all
the time. One winter we were told by my father that we were not to take the
snowmobile out on the lake until we had a couple of more hard freezes.
What? What did he mean "hard freezes"? The lake was clearly frozen and
there were maybe fifty snowmobiles out there already and it was fine. We
all whined and cried but to no avail. My father was adamant. The
snowmobile was off limits. Our friends came over and told us to come on
out. We told them that our father would not let us go on the snowmobile
because it was not cold enough. Our friends taunted us and made fun of us.
One kid went out about 20 yards and started jumping up and down and yelled,
"Oh help, help, I'm drowning. The ice flakes from my jumping on the hard
ice are choking me!" Everyone laughed and went away. Now we had a lot of
other things that we could have done on the lake. But we chose to sit and
pout and try to make my dad feel bad because he would not let us go out.
That was all about to change. The next day was Sunday and we went to church
in the near by town. We got back to the lake at about noon. We all saw the
flashing lights at the same time and we all said a prayer as we always did
when ever we saw and emergency vehicle. As we got closer we noticed the
ambulance attendants were loading someone into the back of it. As we slowly
passed it we noticed that the blanket was pulled up over the persons head.
We all gasped in horror. My father pulled the car over and told us all to
stay in the car. When he returned a few minutes later, he said nothing and
drove the car to our cottage. When inside, he told us that our friend, the
one that had jumped up and down on the ice and taunted us the day before was
dead. We were stunned. My dad told us that he knew that we thought that he
was being awful for not letting us go out on the snowmobile. He knew that
we didn't think that the ice was too thin. But the truth of the matter was
that the young man, that only the day before, had mocked our dad was now
dead. He went out on the lake alone...something you never do...and was
crossing the lake. Once in the middle the ice was way too thin and his
snowmobile broke through the ice and sank like a rock. The young man could
not pull himself out of the icy water and had died. Suddenly our father was
a genius.

How many times have you gone to do something and have gotten the feeling
that we should not do it? Or how many times have we know something was a
sin and gone and done it anyway because of the taunting of man? We came to
find out that this young man's father had told him not to take the
snowmobile out either. How sad for that father. Romans 16:19 says, "For
your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf;
but I want to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil."
Obedience is wisdom. Just like our earthly fathers try to protect us and
keep us from harm, so does our Heavenly Father. Learn to put pleasing and
obeying God first in your life and to put pleasing man aside. Be an example
in your obedience and hold steadfast to the things concerning obedience to
the Father. You will find your life will be much easier and an example to
those around you. People will grow to notice the wisdom that your obedience
has brought. They will turn to you for the answers because where they
disobey and fail, you will prosper and live a good life. They will ask you
why you never seem to have problems or giant pitfalls in your life. You can
then smile with confidence and tell them it is because you seek the counsel
of your Heavenly Father before doing anything and everyone should know that
Father knows best....Patti