Quote Of The Day

January 2008 

 Story of the day:  The PLANE RIDE   

So, I have always been fearful of flying ever since I was a teenager and the flight from Dallas, Texas to Spokane, Washington was a little more turbulent than normal.  I think had I not had the window seat and my brother (who loves flying) making comments about the plane, I might have enjoyed the flight a little more.  So needless to say, I hadn’t flown since and really didn’t have the desire to get into anything that would take me more than 100 feet off the ground.   

    Many years passed by and as this ministry got underway, God began to show me things that Jeff and I would be doing in the future that would require flying.  I kind of struggled with the thought of having to get into a plane again, but I kept praying to God about it and one day, while I was alone and driving in my car, a peace came over me about flying and so I gave total release and control over to God and He planted this in my heart, “Christy, if you are working for me and I need you somewhere, I need you to have the faith and trust in Me, you know the faith and trust that you write to others about, and know that I will take care of you.”  I agreed with God and said “Okay, I can do this.  If you ask this of me, I will do it.”  I really thought to myself, okay, I have a few years before this happens, so this gives me more time to prepare for whenever Jeff and I both have to get on a plane. 

    Little could prepare me for what God had in mind.  The situation with my grandmother, and the doctors telling us that we all needed to be home meant that I either A needed to drive 16-17 hours one way or B get onto a plane which would only take 2 hours.  I had remembered the conversation that I had just had with God about 3 months before this situation occurred and I tried reasoning with God and saying, ”Can’t I start flying once we start going places for the ministry?”  Boy, if I could hear crickets chirping that would have been awesome, but instead, I heart God say, “Christy, you need to do this.” “You need to get on a plane and go and see her.”

    So as Jeff drove me to Columbus, OH, so that I could depart from there, everything that I so desired to take with me on this plane trip, was left at home.  No family to fly with, no Christian music, no laptop, and no portable movie player.  It was just me, my Bible, and God.  Remember it has been nearly 20 years since I have been on a plane.  Not only was I going to fly 35,000 feet in the air without things that could distract me, I was flying Hon Solo with total and complete trust and faith in my God.  I prayed for the pilot, where in actuality God was piloting this plane.  I prayed for the person that sat next to me, poor thing she was going to need it because of me, and for the flight attendants for they may have to bring me back to consciousness once I passed out.

    All kidding aside, I can’t say that I wasn’t nervous, because I was.  My palms have never sweated as much. Having a husband that works with planes and knowing all the stories that are associated with them, every now and then thoughts about situations that could occur while I was flying, which are almost slim to none, would pop into my head. But just as quickly as those thoughts popped into my head about the plane, I was able to quickly find peace and comfort in God, because of what He has planned for this ministry.  With the peace and comfort that God provided, my spirit was calmed and I was able to find rest in Him. 

    I didn’t even realize it at the time, but this first trip was all part of God’s plan for this ministry.  It was the beginning of things that are yet to come and because of God’s Grace, Mercy, and Love for us all, I was able to fulfill the plan that He prepared for me while I was in Texas.

    Whatever you are fearful about, pray to God about it, allow Him to pull you through it, and have total faith and trust in Him to get you past it.  Once you give it over to God, the control,  there are many blessings awaiting, and a freedom from the fear to allow God to use you where He needs you to be. 

Quote of the day:  Rubem Alves

 “Hope is hearing the melody of the future.  Faith is to dance to it.”

Bible verse of the day:  Romans 1:17

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are such an Orderly God.  You have planned out my every step, just as You have numbered ever hair on my head.  God, I have overcome my biggest fear of flying because of You and Your promise for my life.  I am so saddened by even allowing this fear to set in for as long as it had.  God thank You for the opportunity to begin a different phase of this ministry.  I didn’t even know that going home was going to be a part of it, but it was and I was blessed by it.  My prayer today is for those that have some sort of fear in their life that they have yet to overcome.  I pray that they release this to You and have total faith and trust in You to get them past whatever it is that is keeping them in bondage.  God, only You know what is in store for our lives, and as the days pass, if we aren’t following the path that You have so designed for us, I pray that it is revealed to us so that we can walk in freedom for whatever it is that You do have planned for us. I continue to ask for prayer for Jeff as he is still not doing well.  I pray for complete healing of his body so that he can move forward with the other part of this ministry. I thank You for this day.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

January 2008 

 Story of the day:  V-Formation of Life   

    I find myself wanting to stare outside of my window this morning.  Something has caught my eye and all I want to do is observe what is going on in the pond right behind my house.  It’s been beautiful the last few days and since the pond has thawed out, many ducks and one goose have made their home here once again.  I find it very unusual that there is only one goose swimming alone. Geese are very close to their flock and are always seen in groups.  Here is a little information about geese and their V Flying formation that I found in a story entitled Lessons Learned from Geese: 

FACT: As each bird flaps its wings it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.
TRUTH: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the trust of one another.

FACT: Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. 

TRUTH: There is strength and power and safety in numbers when traveling in the same direction with whom we share a common goal.3. 

FACT: When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

TRUTH: It pays to take turns doing hard jobs. 

FACT: The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

TRUTH: We all need to be remembered with active support and praise.5. 

FACT: When a goose gets sick or is wounded and falls out, two geese fall out of formation and follow him down to help and protect him. They stay with him until the crisis resolves, and then they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their group.
TRUTH: We must stand by each other in times of need.   

     I find myself still puzzled because there is only one goose in the pond and the other two that usually fall out of formation to help and protect him are missing.  So, has this one goose fallen victim to wanting to be left alone?  No, you see, this one goose has lost his way and as I stare at his facial expressions and body movements, it’s as though I can see the sadness that streams from around him.  This one goose keeping his distance from the other ducks, appears to be paddling around lost.  Maybe he lost his mate and is waiting for her return or for another migration pattern to fly over.  Whatever the reason, he is swimming around with no sense of direction and a lack of wanting to befriend the other ducks.  Is this truly it for the goose?  I don’t think so, I believe that he eventually will find his flock and as they continue on to their destination, helping each other out, they will be able to move forward with their created purpose.

 Quote of the day:  Jean Vanier

“There are times when together we discover that we make up a single body, that we belong to each other and that God has called us to be together as a source of life for each other.”

Bible verse of the day:  Luke 15:24

“for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.  And they began to be merry.”

 Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today as I write to You, I come with a pleading heart as my grandmother is in the hospital.  I pray that You heal her body and watch over my family during this time.  Be with my grandfather as he has been by her side since yesterday and just give him a peace of knowing that she is in the best hands.  Father, I have total faith in knowing that she is okay because she is in your hands and that Your will for her life is just that, Your will.  Give us strength this day.  Father, I am not able to be there right now, but I pray that she is able to sense my presence.  God, You have blessed us with a wonderful woman.  She has been the glue for our family and as she is sick, may we each take turns being the point in this V-formation while she rests.  Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ that have become lost from the flock or just need a rest. I pray for reassurance that they can rest or will be lovingly welcomed back into the flock if they have lost their way, so that they can move forward with their created purpose.  I thank You for this day and for the hope of tomorrow.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen  

January 2007 

Story of the day:  Not taking Life for Granted

As I continue the quotes of the day, I would like to share a story that some
of you may not know. Over the Christmas holidays, Christen(our daughter)
found out that her best friend’s mom had passed away. Her best friend’s mom
was young and has two children a 12 year old and a 5 year old. Christen was
very close to her and her family. She came up to Jeff and I after a few
hours of letting it process. FYI, Christen has never had the experience of
knowing someone close to her die. This is what she said, “Mom and Dad,I just
realized how precious life is. Life is too short. We should treasure each
other, every day that we have, and not take life for granted!” I am
continually humbled by how an 11 soon to be 12 year old can get that. There
are some adults that don’t get it. About a week later, she had been
listening to one of our Worship Pastor’s song that he had written for his
grandmother that had passed away and some of the words are: “I will praise
you, even when it hurts, when I do not understand. I will praise you even
through the pain, when I do not think I can. I will praise you remembering
you’re near as you catch my every tear”*dbb As she was listening to this
song, She turned to me and said, “Mom I get it! I get what this song means.
No matter what you are going through, if you continually seek and praise
God, even through the pain, He will lift you like nothing or noone else
can!” So my quote for the day is from my daughter.

Quote of the day:  Christen Povolish 

“Mom and Dad, I just realized how precious life is. Life is too short. We
should treasure each other, every day that we have, and not take life for
granted! No matter what you are going through, if you continually seek and
praise God, even through the pain, He will lift you like nothing or noone
else can!”

Bible verse of the day: Matthew 7:13-14

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy
that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is
narrow and the road is hard that leads to life and there are few who find
it.

Prayer:   

 Dear Heavenly Father 

I come to You right now and ask for You to help me think about how I can use both words and deeds to demonstrate the love that I feel in my heart for others.  Lord, I know that life is short, so I pray that You help me to make the most of everyday, by giving to others and loving them the way that You do.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

January 2007

Quote of the day:  Exercise

     Good morning to all.  As I rolled out of bed today at 5:50 A.M., every part of me wanted to stay in bed because it was cold outside.  I had committed to a workout session with my friend. My friend Wendy and I started our first workout session this morning and boy I am already feeling it.  While we were at the gym, I probably looked like a goofball trying to work these ever so sophisticated machines.  It’s funny that I can actually say that we didn’t have anything like that when I was younger.  I pretty much need to read the instructions to help me out.  Luckily, my friend knew what she was doing.  As we were going through our workout, we used words of encouragement to get us through our vigourous workout.(Or at least to me it was vigourous! I haven’t worked out since the summer and so my body is feeling the pain.) It’s always good to have a friend to share the pain of the gym with you.  It’s that team player stuff.  Same is true with Life.  Life is a team sport, and all of us need occasional pats on the back from our teammates and coaches.  Each day provides countless opportunities to encourage others and to praise their good works. When we do, we not only spread seeds of joy and happiness, but we also follow the commnandments of God’s Holy Word.  Today, I encourage you to look for the good in others and celebrate the good that you find.The quote for the day is: Quote of the day: John Maxwell 

“Encouraging others means helping people, looking for the best in them, and trying to bring out their positive qualities.”  

 Bible verse of the week: Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see Day approaching.   

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray that You teach me how to always see the best in everyone.  Lord, I know that we are not perfect, but continue to soften my heart and love people the way that You do.  I pray to open my heart to others so that through example, they will see You in me.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

January 2007

Story of the day:  Discouraged

 I sometimes wonder why people do what they do.  At one point in my life, I would become discouraged because they didn’t greet me the way that I thought they would, or didn’t hug me the way that they used to.  After having a long talk with God and my husband, I came to the conclusion that you know what, maybe I need to give that person the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe, something is going on in their life that is discouraging to them, and instead of getting the “poor me blues”, maybe I need to step it up a notch and ask if there is anything that they need or anything that I can do for them.  We all know that rumors are so very bad and can discourage people quickly!  Instead of speaking ill of those that aren’t in your presence, how about use words that will lift that person up and not cause animosity towards them.  I want to share this story with you all and for those of you that are discouraged, I hope this helps! 

Quote of the day:  Michael P. Green    

The devil decided to have a garage sale.  On the day of the sale, his tools were placed for public inspection, each being marked with its sale price.  There were a treacherous lot of implements:  hatred, envy, jealousy, deceit, lust, lying, pride, and so on.    ”What is the name of this tool?”  asked one of the customers, pointing to it.    “That is discouagement,”Satan replied.    “Because it is more useful to me than the others.  I can pry open and get inside a man’s heart with that, even when I cannot get near him with the other tools.  It is badly worn because I use it on almost everyone, since so few people know it belongs to me.”    The devil’s price for discouragement was high because it is still his favorite tool, and he is still using it on God’s people. 

Bible Verse of the day:  1 Peter 5:12 

Through Silvanus, whom I consider a faithful brother, I have written this short letter to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God.  Stand fast in it. I have a heavy burden in my heart about this and someone out there is feeling this way, so I want to pray with you about it right now! 

Prayer: 

Dear Heavenly Father, Somewhere out there among my e-mail family and friends is someone who is so very discouraged!  I pray that you remove Satan from their midst and be there to lift their spirits.  I also pray that they will come straight to You when things only seem to get harder! I pray that they don’t give Satan the satisfaction of defeat in this situation. I ask that you give them the peace to understand that the discouragement is not coming from you, but is a “tool” that is being used by Satan to get them to fall.  I pray that whatever it is that they may be going through, that even when things seem dark and gloomy, know that God won’t keep them there that long, and if they lean on You through these times, He will bring them out of it quickly and a much stronger person!  I pray for encouragement today to not let Satan rob them of their joy!  God, I know that people are not perfect and they will only disappoint us if we hold them on a pedastool where we should keep You. Let us not forget that You never move and will stand steadfast where you are. 

 I ask these things in Your Son’s Holy and Precious Name, 

Amen