Thanksgiving Day (Yesterday) for me was very pleasant as we met at Aaron's home for a mid-afternoon feast. The meal hi-lite for me was the traditional "Dad's Banana Pudding". Thank you Heather! The others ate various pies for dessert, but for me it was straight for the pudding. My first dip into the bowl brought thoughts of my brother Jerry and the competition for banana pudding back in the days when we were growing up. The two of us could make a huge dent in the delcious dessert! Everyone else just had to satisfy their sweet tooth with the cakes and pies. I never really felt bad about it because there was always a huge amount of the other sweets and no one seemed to care that we were dominating the pudding bowl.

Thanksgiving is about family. I know this because everyone becomes mindful of who they have called and not called. This time I sent a lot of emails and facebook greetings and received them as well, and still missed some important ones. Today I will continue contacting them to wish them a happy holiday.

We set up the croquet set in Aaron's back yard and enjoyed teaching Ethan & Marlee the game. I especially enjoyed watching Aaron patiently teach four year old Marlee how to operate her mallet. He is a good Dad!

In the midst of all our activity, Stephanie got a phone call....from Texas....family. We could tell by the way she lit up and the excitement in her voice. Her family lives so far away, but thanks to cell phones and Skype we can stay in touch. Stephanie's brother Conner, is in Nepal this week, but was still able to talk to his family on Thanksgiving.

Yes, Thanksgiving is a Family event. It is about being with family, thinking of family, touching base with those who are not here, remembering those who have passed, loving and thanking God for the people in our lives.

Then there is the extended family, church family, and friends who are like family to us.
Thank you Lord for each and every one!

Most of all, I thank God that I am part of His family! This ensures an eternity with all the people I love, so long as they join the Heavenly Family by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ. I am most thankful for Him and the difference he made in my life!

Psalm 68:6
God setteth the solitary in families

What Happens When We Pray?

I was reading in Romans Chapter Eight about how we do not always know how to pray as we ought. Boy, is that true! But as I read on, I discovered that my ineptness has not been overlooked by God.  He has (as is His Nature) provided a remedy for my prayer weakness. That remedy is the Holy Spirit! The Spirit of God has come to "help" me pray. That's right, when I pray, the Holy Spirit of God joins me to make my prayers effective.  He actually prays along with me to make my prayer perfect, complete, accurate, so that I can get an answer that is totally in line with God's Will.

Reading on in Romans Chapter Eight, I discover that while I am praying (with the assistance of the Holy Spirit), Jesus Christ is in Heaven at the Right Hand of the Father making intercession on my behalf! That's right, I have THE PERFECT INTERCESSOR working for me right where it counts.....before the Father God.  So now, I am not only praying perfect prayers with the help of The Holy Spirit, but the Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Ruler of Heaven and Earth, is taking up my case before God the Father.  How great is that?

But, as I read on further into Romans Chapter Eight, I am delighted to find out that it is God the Father Himself who justifies me in the Court of Heaven and lets it be known throughout the Universe that no charge can be made against me because I now am covered in the Righteousness of Christ. So any accuser out there that might object to my prayer request being granted has no leg to stand on!!!  The only one who can destroy my confidence before God is me. (1 John 3:19-23)

How happy am I to know that when I pray, the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Heavenly Father all get involved with me to make my prayer a successful one! What do you think my chances are of getting the prayer answered?

Oh, by the way, the same is true when YOU pray!

I Believe!

Some Times I Just Want To Scream It Out So Everyone Can Hear

And Let Them Deal With It! 

The Things That I Believe, For Example:

I Believe That Jesus Christ Is God

I Believe He Existed Before Time Began as a Co-Equal Member of the Divine God-Head

He Was The Word of God That Created All Things Everywhere

I Believe God made a body for Him and He was born to a Virgin girl named Mary.

I Believe He Was God In The Flesh

I Believe He Lived a Sinless Life 

I Believe He Was The Express Image of The Heavenly Father

I Believe No One Could Have Killed Him, Except He Lay Down His Life

I Believe He Died for Everyone's Sin

I Believe He Was Resurrected Three Days Later By The Power of the Holy Spirit

I Believe He Proved Himself Alive For Forty Days

I Believe He Ascended Into Heaven and Sat Down At The Father's Right Hand

I Believe The Heavenly Father Gave Jesus All Power In Heaven and Earth

I Believe That Jesus Christ Is Lord and God of The Universe

I Believe He Now Reigns Over All Things

I Believe He Is All He Claimed To Be: Healer, Deliverer, Baptizer, Savior

I Believe He Is Coming Again Soon

I Believe His Enemies Will Be Sorry and His Friends Glad

That Is Some of What I Believe.......just saying.

PEOPLE I WISH EVERYONE COULD KNOW (Part Two)

There are a few people I know who lift you up everytime you are with them. RAND MONTGOMERY is one of those people. He has such an infectious joyful spirit and happy attitude steming from a close walk with God. He and his lovely wife NIKKI are Missionaries in Southeast Asia. Based out of Chiang-Mai, Thailand, they work with Pastors, Churches, Bible Schools, and Missions Outreaches into China, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam, Pakistan and beyond. They are powerful in their faith and trust in God and they have a great love for people.

People I Wish You All Knew

As we travel on our way through this world below,
we meet up with some very special and
often unusual people who are like treasures
you want everyone to know:

Luis Sorto, my very special Honduran friend who, because of his special talents and amazing personality, could live anywhere in the world, has been given lucrative offers to move to the United States. Instead, he has chosen to obey God and remain an active citizen in his home country of Honduras.  He reaches out to his own people with the love of Jesus by feeding the hungry and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having known and worked with him over twenty years, I count him as a great person I wish you all could know.

Rev. Kantharoa Meesala is a special man that I met in his home villiage of Vyyru, India. The story of his conversion to Christ and call to the ministry is very compelling. How his eyes twinkle as he speaks of the beatings and imprisonments he has suffered over the years for his testimony! He and his family have an apostolic ministry that is reaching hundreds of Indian communities with the Gospel of Jesus through their personal efforts and those of young men and women they have trained who often pay the ultimate sacrifice to share Jesus with their Hindu neighbors.

Ruth's Birthday!

I think it is so cool that the first celebration of the New Year is Ruth's Birthday! This is her "29th" and she is looking mighty fine! I thank God for bringing her into my life. I enjoy each day with her and feel so blessed to have such a godly woman to love me as she does.

This space could not contain all the good I could say about her, but I just want to say that I love you Ruth and wish you a very very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Heather Fawn's Birthday, April 9th

On April 9th, many many years ago, a little girl was born in Garland, Texas to a young Pastor and his wife. She was their first born. A once quiet and peaceful life became very noisy as this active, talkative, and dramatic person came on the scene. Today, she is the same girl, just older and with an intimidating vocabulary and brilliant mind. She loves Jesus, witnesses to the lost and still sees everything in black and white. She is strong in her faith and has touched the lives of people all over the world. But I was the first. Thank you Heather and thank You God! Happy Birthday #29+++++++!

http://www.facebook.com/heatherfawn

Marlee Turns Three

April 2nd, my grand-daughter, Marlee Eden, turned three. What a special day it was! She continues to light up my life with her presence. She came along at a time when I really needed her, and she has made this grandpa very happy. I look forward to watching her grow up and become the great woman of God she is destined to be. Happy Birthday Marlee!

Aaron's Birthday, March 3rd

My son Aaron turned 33 on March 3rd. Wow! I can still vividly remember the first time I saw him all wrapped up in a blue blanket. He was so tiny and yet had a strong personality from the beginning. He always knew what he liked and did not like and was never afraid to let it be known. I am glad that he decided early on to love the Lord and give Him his life. He is a good son, husband, father and brother. He leads our church in worship on Sundays with the pure heart of a true worshipper. I am proud to be his Dad! Happy Birthday Aaron!

Happy Birthday Stephanie!!

Today we celebrate the birth of a wonderful lady---My Son's wife, Stephanie. We have known her since she was a baby and were delighted when she bacame a part of our family (thanks Aaron!). She is everything I would want in a daughter-in-law and much more. She has given us two near perfect grand-children (Ethan and Marlee) and she has made Aaron a very happy man. She loves the Lord too! I can tell you this much, I am celebrating her life today!! Thank you Jesus!