From our family to yours, we want to wish you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

Jeff, Christy, Christen, Jeffrey, and Joshua!!

Funny Friday Quote: Surgery

A man was still a little groggy from the anesthesia after surgery.  His wife was sitting at his bedside.  As his eyes fluttered open, he murmured, “You’re beautiful.”  Then he fell asleep.

A few hours later, he woke up, looked at his wife and said, “You’re cute.”

“What happened to ‘beautiful’?” she asked.

“I guess the drugs must be wearing off,” he replied. [Jim Kraus]

Bible verse of the day:  Psalm 119:129 (NKJV)

“Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today is such a beautiful day!  I awoke to Your beauty that fills the sky and the earth.  Thank You for sharing it all with me this day.  Fill me with Your Living Water that I may do Your Will this day!  I love You and thank You for this day!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

Story of the day:  Propelled by a gentle breeze

Perhaps you have spent some time in a sailboat.  Relying on the boat to stay afloat, you slide across the water propelled by a gentle breeze.  Yet within the confines of the shores, you have the opportunity and responsibility of guiding the rudder to determine the direction of travel.

Is that not similar to living within the will of God?  As Christians we must rest upon God to sustain us, and upon the breath of his Spirit to empower us.  Yet within his moral boundaries, we each have the opportunity and responsibility to determine our course. [Larson, Brian.  750 Engaging Illustrations for preachers, teachers, and writers. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group.  pg. 222-223.]

Quote of the day:  Chuck Swindoll

“He carries you from the unknown to the known and then backs off and says, “Now its your turn.”

Bible verse of the day:  Romans 12:2 (The Message Bible)

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God.  You’ll be changed from the inside out.  Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today I rest upon  You to sustain me in every way, and the breath of Your Spirit to empower me as I head into my day.  Let me open my ears and heart to Your Gentle words that speak to me, guiding me in my life.  Father, You have my attention.  May I recognize the things that You are asking of me this day, and quickly respond to it. Thank You for this blessed day!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

Funny Friday Quote:  How serious is it doc?

A distraught patient phoned her doctor’s office.

“Is it true,” the woman asked the nurse, “that the medication the doctor prescribed is to be taken for the rest of my life?”

“Yes.”

There was a moment of silence before the woman said, “I’m wondering, then, just how serious my condition is.  This prescription is marked, “No Refills.”

Bible verse of the day:  Psalm 91:16 (NKJV)

“With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I give You thanks this day.  I am thankful for Your loving kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness through every night.  I pray that You guard my heart and mind with Your ways and pierce my soul with Your Word that it may seep into the depths and dwell within me.  I love You Father and I am so grateful for all that You do.  I pray for the sick, that their bodies are healed.  I pray for the weak , that they become strong.  I pray for lonely, that they find comfort and peace knowing You.  I pray for those that don’t know You as their personal Lord and Savior, that today is the day that they heed Your call. 

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

Story of the day:  I give you my world

Bruce Larson, in Believe and Belong, tells how he helped people struggling to surrender their lives to Christ:

For many years, I worked in New York City and counseled at my office any number of people who were wrestling with this yes-or-no decision.  Often I would suggest they walk with me from my office down to the RCA Building on Fifth Avenue.  In the entrance of that building is a gigantic statue of Atlas, a beautifully proportioned man who, with all his muscles straining, is holding the world upon his shoulders.  There he is, the most powerfully built man in the world, and he can barely stand up under this burden.  “Now that’s one way to live,” I would point out to my companion, “trying to carry the world on your shoulders.  But now come across the street with me.”

On the other side of Fifth Avenue is Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and there behind the high altar is a little shrine of the boy Jesus, perhaps eight or nine years old, and with no effort he is holding the world in one hand.  My point was illustrated graphically.

We have a choice.  We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, “I give up, Lord; here’s my life.  I give You my world, the whole world.

Quote of the day:  C. S. Lewis

“I became my own only when I gave myself to Another.”

Bible verse of the day:  Matthew 11:28 (Oxford Annotated)

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

My heart is burdened for people who are carrying the world on their shoulder.  Father, my prayer today is that they hand over their world to You and as You have shared in Matthew to come to You so that they may find rest.  May the burdens of their day be gone as they hand over their world.  I also want to pray for people who don’t know You as their Lord and Savior, that today they accept this free gift and come into a relationship with You.  I love You and thank You for this blessed day!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

**For those of you that don’t know if You know Jesus as your Lord and Savior and would like to know Him, please visit the website at www.christypovolish.wordpress.com and click on the Salvation through Christ link.  Jeff and I would love to know of your decision to follow Christ, or if you need to speak to Pastor Jeff for any other reason, please feel free to email him at Pastor_Povo@live.com.  All information will be kept confidential.  Have a blessed day! 

Quote of the Day will resume on Monday, 13 July 2009.  Sorry for the Inconvenience.

Story of the day:  Finding Something Familiar from Something Unfamiliar

Jeff and I just got back from New Mexico after looking for a place to live.  I think I was a little shocked in the beginning, not knowing what to expect from this new area.  It’s not like I haven’t been in the same situation before, the moving around, but I think this just seemed to have hit me a little harder than any other time. 

We drove for 14+ hours one way and arrived in Rio Rancho, our new location for the next 4 years, or until God sends us elsewhere.  The next day would consist of searching for a place to live, getting kids enrolled in school, and trying to get the water, electricity, and gas all turned on before we left back to Texas.  Our time was limited there, so we had to make sure all this was done and done quick.  The shock of the desert seemed to throw me for a loop.  Everywhere I turned, there was sand from the desert and it seemed to be highlighted by pebbles and tumbleweeds, literally blowing in the wind.  There was and is hardly a lick of grass anywhere.

One thing that I could always count on to be there in the same spot, were the beautiful mountains.  They stood the same each and every day, not moving, always giving me a sense of direction.  God began to show me through the beauty of that mountain, how the mountain, like my Wonderful God, is always consistently there, the Familiar in the unfamiliar, shielding me from the harsh elements of the desert.  God woke my soul to the beauty of the mountain’s consistency of always being there in the same spot, no matter which way I went, and it is a constant reminder of the Love that that God has for me no matter where I go. 

Quote of the day:  Gail Sheehy 

“If we don’t change, we don’t grow.  If we don’t grow, we are not really living.  Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.”

Bible verse of the day:  Psalm 33:11

“The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I am so grateful that You are always there, a constant in my life.  The times when I feel so vulnerable, You are there to help me, guide me, and give me the direction that I need.  Father, I am so excited about our move to New Mexico.  I look forward, as I do each and every day, of sharing Your Word with others and living my life to serve You.  I thank You for this day!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

I began to pray and ask God to help me find something familiar in this new town.  As I began to search my heart, God began to show me so many different needs that are in this area.  My heart began to be filled with the overwhelming love to share with others in this area.

Funny Friday Quote:   Work (Author Unknown)

“I like work.  It fascinates me.  I can sit and look at it for hours.”

Bible verse of the day:  Psalm 104:23

“Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for such a blessed week!  Father, I give You praise and glory this day for You are so worthy to be praised.  I lift my eyes to Your beautiful skies and am thankful to be alive.  I love You and thank You for this beautiful day!

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

Funny Friday Quote:  The oldest Bible

A little boy found a bible so old it was covered in 12 inches of dust. The little boy scooped away the dust and then slowly opened the ancient bible.

As he opened the bible he noticed a leaf. He quickly ran to his mom and said, “Look what I found mom!”

The mom asked, “What is it”?

“I think it’s Adams underwear”, replied the boy.

Bible verse of the day:  Genesis 3:7 (NKJV)

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I love You and thank You with my whole heart.  I come to You today with praise on my lips and so much gratitude in my life.  Words can’t describe how much I appreciate all that You do and for what Your Son did on the Cross. I give You honor and glory this day!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen 

Funny Friday Quote:  That first kiss

At the end of their first date, a young man takes his favorite girl home. Emboldened by the night, he decides to try for that important first kiss.

With an air of confidence, he leans with his hand against the wall and, smiling, he says to her, “Darling, how ’bout a goodnight kiss?”

Horrified, she replies, “Are you mad? My parents will see us!”

“Oh come on! Who’s gonna see us at this hour?”

“No, please. Can you imagine if we get caught?”

“Oh come on, there’s nobody around, they’re all sleeping!”

“No way. It’s just too risky!”

“Oh please, please, I like you so much!!”

“No, no, and no. I like you too, but I just can’t!”

“Oh yes you can. Please?”

“NO, no. I just can’t.”

“Pleeeeease?…”

Out of the blue, the porch light goes on, and the girl’s sister shows up in her pajamas, hair disheveled. In a sleepy voice the sister says: “Dad says to go ahead and give him a kiss. Or I can do it. Or if need be, he’ll come down himself and do it. But for crying out loud tell him to take his hand off the intercom button!”

Bible verse of the day:  Psalm 67:5

“Let the people praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for such a beautiful morning.  I am blessed to be filled with Your Presence and I delight in Your Ways O Lord.  Father, I ask for rest  in You this day, as I am in such a busy season of my life.   I pray the plans that fill my day are not plans to keep me busy, but plans that help me to keep You in the Center of my life so that I don’t lose focus of Your Purpose. I thank You for this blessed day!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen