Balls of Clay

A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a
canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had
rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look
like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave
with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one
at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it,
until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock ..
Inside was a beautiful, precious stone. Excited, the man started breaking
open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found
thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.
Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown
maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean
waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken
home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!

It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and
we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the
outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see
that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well
known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure
hidden inside that person. There is a treasure in each and every one of us.
If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us
that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the
brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our
lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because
the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as
God sees them. Author unknown

Many "threw away" Jesus in His time too. They were expecting a King and
they got a Carpenter. Don't throw away the pot of clay before you for we
all are in the Potter's hands. We are all being shaped and trimmed by the
Master Potter.(Jeremiah 18:6) Learn to love with the love of Christ and
just see what riches you will find!

Only God can open a rosebud without tearing it.....

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,
Then, in my hands, they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

So I'll trust in Him for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to Him for His guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.

The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I'll trust Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.

Author Unknown

Don't make it so complicated!

We get prayer requests all the time. And we are so very happy to pray for
anyone who contacts our web site. But sometimes I get the feeling, not only
from those whose walk is new with Christ, but from those who are simply
unaware of the total desire that your Heavenly Father has for solving your
problems. Some problems are speed bumps to some and mountains to others.
But the bottom line is, God is with you everyday of your life and He wants
to help you. Hebrews 13:5 (KJV) "Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said,
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." But as is with everything in
life, there is a method to obtain help from God.

First you must seek Him with praise and worship. You all know that when you
approach your parent here on earth and you want something, you always seem
to start the conversation with praise of some sort. Actually it is more
"schmoozing" than anything. So it is a must with your Heavenly Father as He
deserves more than just your mortal parents deserve. And I don't mean
schmoozing Him. He can see right through that and will simply dismiss you.
He is entitled to your best praise and worship. Then submit to the Father.
Let's face it...he already knows what you want...but He also knows, and so
do you, that 99 percent of our problems are self inflicted. You need to
search your soul and confess your true responsibility for your dilemma. We
all know that if we would stick to the very sound teachings of the Bible, we
would not find ourselves in half of the problems we get in. But the flesh
is subject to the enemy and we all succumb to his leadings, which are
purposed to lead us away from peace, well being, and financial success. So
once you have confessed your involvement in your dilemma you make your
petition know to the Father. Matthew 11:29-30 (KJV) "Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." He is
telling us to do this in this chapter of Matthew. If God cannot solve your
problems, who can? Then give thanksgiving Psalm 100:4 (KJV) "Enter into his
gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto
him, and bless his name."

Then what you ask? Here is the best info I could ever give you. Once you
have turned your problem over to God....BUTT OUT!! Does this shock you?
Listen, the biggest problems that we have are nothing to God. Don't
forget...He is God! He doesn't need your help in solving your problem. If
you could have done anything about it you would not be asking for prayer nor
seeking God to begin with right? And God tells us in His Word in Isaiah 55:
8-9 (KJV)"For My thoughts are not your thoughts and neither are your ways My
ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
my ways higher then your ways." Give it time. You did not get into this
situation over night and God will do things in His time. Do not be
impatient with God. And remember that every time you decide to help God to
move things along a little faster to suit your time frame, and start
something on your own, you are interfering with if not totally destroying
what God is doing and already has done. God is not like us. If he tells
you that you can come to Him, then know that when you do, He is on the job.
Once you master this urge to be God's coach, you can sit back and relax and
watch your solution unfold. So please, don't make it so
complicated!....Patti

Texas Coach speaks out

Jim Neugent is a coach in Childress , Texas .

Jim writes:
My name is Jim Neugent. I wrote to ABC (on-line) concerning a program called
'THE PRACTICE.' In last nights episode, one of the lawyer's mothers decided
she is gay and wanted her son to go to court and help her get a marriage
license so she could marry her 'partner.' I sent the following letter to
ABC yesterday and really did not expect a reply, but I did get one.

My original message was:

ABC is obsessed with the subject of homosexuality. I will no longer watch
any of your attempts to convince the world that homosexuality is OK. ' THE
PRACTICE' can be a fairly good show, but last night's program was so typical
of your agenda. You picked the 'dufus' of the office to be the one who was
against the idea of his mother being gay, and made him look like a whiner
because he had convictions. This type of mentality calls people like me a
'gay basher.' Read the first chapter of Romans (that's in the Bible) and
see what the apostle Paul had to say about it.... He, God and Jesus were all
'gay bashers'. What if she'd fallen in love with her cocker spaniel? Is
that an alternative life style? (By the way, the Bible speaks against that,
too.)
--Jim Neugent

Here is ABC's reply from the ABC on-line webmaster:

How about getting your nose out of the Bible (which is ONLY a book of
stories compiled by MANY different writers hundreds of years ago) and read
the declaration of independence (what our nation is built on), where it says
'All Men are Created equal,' and try treating them that way for a change!
Or better yet, try thinking for yourself and stop using an archaic book of
stories as your lame crutch for your existence. You are in the minority in
this country, and your boycott will not affect us at ABC or our freedom of
statement.

Jim Neugent's second
response ! to ABC:
Thanks for your reply. From your harsh reply, evidently I hit a nerve. I
will share it with all with whom I come in contact. Hopefully, the
Arkansas Democrat Newspaper will include it in one of their columns and I
will be praying for you. Jim Neugent

Note: Wouldn't Satan just love it if people stopped using the Bible for a
crutch? Please resend this to everyone in your mailbox. Thanks , Jim Neugent

Father, Never let me go

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided
to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to
dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes,
socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as
he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the
shore. His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and
closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son
as loudly as he could. Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and
made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his
father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his
little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began
an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger
than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go..
A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took
aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived
His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on
his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his
flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he
would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with
obvious pride, he said to the reporter, 'But look at my arms. I have great
scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go.'

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not
from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are
unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But some wounds, my friend, are
because God has refused to let you go. In the midst of your struggle, He's
been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You
are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every
way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing
what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we
forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's w hen the tug-of-war
begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very
grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go. (KJV) Hebrews 13:5, "Let
your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things
as ye have: for he hath said, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee'."

Facts for Today

1. Satan should not scare you. You are washed in the Blood of Jesus. And
greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
If you are not washed in the Blood, you can go ahead and be scared. Be
very scared indeed.

2. Satan was an Angel of God, created by God. Even though Satan still
believes that he is greater than God, common sense tells us that is not even
possible! The creator of anything is always greater than that which he
creates.

3. God created you. He loves you and gave you a way back to Him. It is
His Son Jesus Christ. Get back in touch with your Heavenly Father by
by accepting His Son Jesus as your Lord and Savior. To love God and
Jesus is joy that surpasses all understanding and it is eternal as well. To
stay
in the world and serve Satan is misery and eternal misery in the end.

4. Think you are too dirty to approach God. Take a bath in the Blood of
Jesus. It washes white as snow!

5. Look around your house. Bet you it isn't a mansion. And even if it is,
it will never compare with the mansion that Jesus has gone to prepare
for you in Heaven if you have accepted Him as your Savior. Your
choice. You are going to live somewhere forever. Will it be the horrifying

slums of hell, or will you choose a mansion in Heaven? Seems like it
should be an easy choice.

Don't Ever Look Back

When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, there is no need to ever look
back. Accept what the Cross has done for you. Before you accepted Christ
you were separate from the Father. But now, you have access to your
Heavenly Father and are joint heir's with Christ. Our God is an awesome
God. Always remember that, (KJV) Psalms 40:2, "He brought me up also out of
a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and
established my goings." You will never walk alone again. Live for Christ,
repent of your sins and lay them at the foot of the Cross of your salvation
daily. Because you are a new creature in Christ, you can start each and
every day with a clean slate before God. Stay your path. You have chosen
well. For this path that you have chosen leads to the gates of Heaven.
Rejoice!

A Timely Reminder From God

All of us every once in awhile, especially when we are going through a
desert place, feel that God has just forgotten that we exist. Let the
following scripture reassure you:

(Isaiah 49:16)
But for those of us who are already His, He not
only holds us in the palm of His hand, but has
engraved our names there, and we are continually
in His sight

Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness;
and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said,
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Selah!