I Fried My Hard Drive

Well folks, I will be out of commission for about a week. I fried my hard drive this afternoon. I am at my son's to post this sad news. I was on the phone with tech support for about three hours and there is nothing that can be done to save my poor precious computer. Oh the tears of sorrow!!! I will miss reading your posting until I can get back online.

The good news is that it is still under warranty so they are sending me a new hard drive and will also send out a technician to install everything so I should be up and running in about a week and it's not costing me a dime. JOY! JOY! JOY! So until I am up and running again all of you have a wonderful weekend in the Lord. If I am not back by the 4th of July, have a great 4th. It is my anniversary so I will be celebrating for sure ;D

Don't Be An Abram or Sarai

The Lord spoke to Abram and told him to lift his eyes and look to the north, south, east and west and then God made a promise to Abram. He promised him that 1) All the land which he saw would be his, 2) He would have children, for at this time Abram and Sarai had no children. 3) His seed would be as the dust of the earth so that no man could number it. Genesis 13:14-16 Then in the following scripture we find God again confirms His promise to Abram.

Genesis 15: 4-5; "And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be."

God is not just promising one child but that a great nation is going to come forth from Abram and Sarai. God has given us many promises as well in His word. We need to learn to take them at face value. We have no room for doubt in our life. Doubt will lead us to fear and confusion. It will cause us to have distrust, disbelief, suspicion, hesitation, and uncertainty in our walk with the Lord. When God makes us a promise cling to that promise with everything you have. Believe it with all of your heart.

Genesis 16:1-12 is paraphrased like this; Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children so she gave her handmaid, Hagar, to Abram to wife. She told Abram since the LORD hath restrained her from bearing children to go in unto her handmaid; it may be that she may obtain children by her. So Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. He went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

*NOTE* When we try to bring things to pass in our own way, all it does is cause problems. God made a promise to Abram and Sarai. God's promises are true. He will bring it to pass IN HIS OWN TIME. Our time is not God's time. We must remember this and not grow impatient. When Sarai took things into her own hands and Abram listened to her, all they did was conceive havoc.

And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

*NOTE* Now we have jealousy between Sarai and the maid. This was brought on because instead of waiting for God to fulfill HIS promise in HIS time, they tried to bring it about in their own way. They did not trust God to fulfill His own promise. Go figure! Is not God - GOD?

So now we have Hagar, the maid, sitting by a fountain of water in the wilderness. An Angel of the Lord finds her and says to her, "whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands." Then he goes on to tell her that He will multiply her seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."

There is conflict between these two nations today. When we do not wait upon the Lord we can take what is meant for a great blessing and sometimes turn it into a great conflict. Let me learn to trust you and know that you have all things under control and that You know just when to fulfill your promises in my life. Teach me Lord, To Wait.

After all that went awry in Abram and Sarai's life, God did not abandon them. He knew their hearts and kept His promise to them. We find God coming to Abram once again in Genesis 17: 5 "Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee."

"And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Genesis 17:15-16

Then we find in Genesis 18: 9-14 that the Angel of the Lord pays Abraham and Sarah a visit one more time.

"And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."

By now Abraham and Sarah are both old. Way past the age of child bearing, yet the Lord says that He is going to bring forth that promise AT THE APPOINTED TIME. (Genesis 18: 14) and He does:

Genesis 21: 1-3 "And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac."

If you took on His Name when you were baptized then you went through a name change just like Abraham and Sarah did. God has made you many promises just like He made them. When God makes you a promise and you begin to have doubts, remember what He said to Abraham in Genesis 18: 14: "Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will..." Don't take things into your own hands and try to bring them to pass. Let God Unfold The Rose. When the Lord does it, he does it right and He is always on time. We must remember that God keeps His promises.

Stay Focused

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."— Henry Ford

"But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Matthew 14: 24-31

Peter stepped out of that boat that day by faith, into that raging sea to get to the Lord. As long as his eyes were on his goal, the Lord, he stayed on top of the waters. But as soon as his eyes strayed from his goal he lost his focus and that is when the fear of his obstacles began to drag him under.

We cannot let the pressures of life cause us to lose our focus. When the storms of life bring adversity, troubles, and trials and their waves begin to crash down upon us, that is not the time to take our eyes off of the Lord. If we do, we will begin to sink into despair, hopelessness, misery, desolation, anguish, gloom, depression, and despondency.

We cannot be overcome with fear of the obstacles life brings our way. When troubles and trials come, don't let that be your focus. When the storms of life come crashing down upon you don't let it cloud your mind's eye. We have to stay focused upon the Lord at all times. Matthew 8: 23-27 reads; "And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!"

You see, the Lord is on ship with us at all times. So no matter what the storm, it doesn't matter how high the waves crash, or how many obstacles the devil throws in our path, DON'T BE FEARFUL AND OF LITTLE FAITH. HE WILL ARISE AND REBUKE THE WINDS AND THE SEA. We cannot lose focus and let our obstacles become stumbling blocks that will cause us to fall away from the Lord. But rather we must use those obstacles as stepping stones to climb higher to reach our goal. We have to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and on reaching our goal - HEAVEN. We must learn to call out to Him and He will give us Peace in the midst of our storm.

Happy Father's Day

Today I want to give honor to two men in my life on Father's day. First I want to honor my dad, Alfred Jefferson Harris, who has gone on to be with the Lord.

I was born in Fresno Ca. I attended Bro Lane's church until I was 5 years old. We then moved to Missoula Montana and attended Bro Kelley's church. That is where I was baptized in Jesus Name at the age of 8 in the dead middle of winter and was it ever cold.

I remember my dad cooking some of the best breakfasts before we were sent off to school. Things like pancakes, sausage, eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, cream of wheat, oatmeal, toast, sliced fruit, and hot chocolate. Never did he just set a bowl of cereal in front of us. It was a spread, a wonderful feast. Momma made fantastic lunches and dinners but Breakfast was daddy's delight. Then he would help mom bundle us up in our snow gear and off we would trek through the snow to school.

Then a year later, when I was nine, we moved back to California and my mother left the church and my parents divorced. Being just a young child I never understood what happened. My dad then started attending Bro I. H. Terry's church in Bakersfield CA. That is where I went when I got to visit with my father on weekends.

When I was eleven my mom re-married. That is where my second dedication of honor comes in. I give honor to my step dad, Jackson Scott Rogers, who also has passed on from this life.

My stepfather was a good man. He had no children of his own and he married my mom and raised my youngest brother, my baby sister, and myself as if we were is own. He provided for us and made sure we had what we needed. When we were sick, he was the one who made sure we got to a doctor. He fed us, clothed us, took us on vacations, gave us allowances and etc. He was also one who loved to cook and a hard working man.

Although my step father was not a church going man he did have some principals. I remember one time my brother was going from one church to another with different friends and my step father told him he was not going to be a church hopper. That he needed to find a church and get grounded in it. He told us that if we were going to go to church then we needed to seek out what we felt was the truth and stick to it.

My dad and step dad got along well. On Saturdays while my mom was working, (she was the manager of Cornet store in Lamont) my dad would come out to Lamont and he and my step dad would load up all the stuff for a barbecue and we 3 kids would hop in the back of dad's truck while dad and step dad climbed in the front of the cab and we would all go to Hart Park and spend the day. I will always admire both men who could set everything aside and get along for the sake of the children. We sure did have some good times. I will always treasure these memories.

I want to thank my dad for standing firm in his faith and living an example of what is truth. For taking me to church when I visited with him. I appreciate the truth that was instilled in my heart and a love for God. I thank him for teaching me to never let bitterness get a hold of your heart and to learn to forgive.

I want to thank my step dad for all that he did for me. For stepping up to the plate and raising me as if I was his own child. He held nothing back and gave it his all to being a father. I am also thankful that after much fasting and prayer, my mother, who being away from the Lord for 22 years, on a Mother's Day, she came back to God. Oh what a day of rejoicing that was. I am also thankful that one day, my stepfather saw the truth and he too, was baptized in Jesus Name and filled with the Holy Ghost.

They are all resting in peace now and one day they shall rise to meet Him in the air and I shall see them all once again. Oh what day that will be!

Laughter, The Best Medicine

It is said that children laugh 300-400 times a day during their important formative years, but adult laughter has reduced to just 5-10 times a day. It is also proven that laughter is one of our best defences against stress, and it is important that we find ways to laugh more to cope with stress and remain healthy in the modern world. Laughter is nature's antidote to stress. Stress kills, laughter heals.

One of the fruits of God's spirit is joy. Prov 29:18 (NKJV) says: "But happy is he who keeps the law." God wants us to be happy and joyful. Let's not miss out on the enjoyment in life that God wants us to have. Remember a little humor and a little laughter can make our lives much more enjoyable. LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE you could ever take for some of your troubles. Take a dose, laugh a little, live a little and thank God for all the blessings he has bestowed upon you.

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Proverbs 17:22

A friend of mine shared the following clip with me and I enjoyed it so much that I thought I would share it with all of you. Click on the link below and then click open for a good laugh. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

http://us.f567.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?clean=0&fid=Inbox&mid=1_11031_AEZhxEIAAAR1SD3bwgSA2xbRZ7E&pid=2&tnef=&prefFilename=WATER.wmv

Water On Mars

Below you will find the first picture from NASA of water on Mars. This is truly amazing and outstanding!! My grandson was really captivated by this picture. I guarantee you have not seen anything like this before. It is definitely one of a kind. :-D

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Have a great day now, ya hear!