TIME TO TAKE A STAND

My mother used to tell me "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." And folks, it's time to take a stand! So forgive me, but I'm going to get on my soapbox today.



McDonald's Corporation...yes, home of the golden arches, the Big Mac and the Happy Meal....has thrown its support behind the Gay and Lesbian movement. "To help promote the gay agenda, McDonald's paid $20,000 to become an official "organization ally and corporate partner" of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and secure a seat on the group's board of directors". (American Family Associaton) In addition, McDonald's says they "stand by and support our people to live and work in a society free of discrimination and harassment". However they won't tell you that they helped to sponsor the San Franciso Gay Pride Parade.



After viewing photos of this parade, I was horrified and sickened. Men and women completely nude marched down the streets of San Francisco!! What has happened to our country? !! I will tell you. Adrian Rogers once said "What used to slink down back alleys, now parades down main street"! Enough said.



So what can we do? We can take a stand. We can refuse to patronize and subsidize the company that is backing such perversion. We can take our business to Christian establishments such as Chick-Fil-A or other places. We can sign petitions, we can call our local McDonald's and tell them we won't be back and why. I called mine and the manager was totally shocked. Had no idea that McDonald's was involved in such as this. So I took the time to inform him. We can take the information to church and email it to our friends so that everyone we know will knowo just what McDonald's is up to.



McDonald's corporation spokesman, Bill Whitman, told the Washington Post that those (even Christians) who oppose same sex marriage are motivated by hate, saying "that hatred has no place in our culture." This boycott is not about hiring homosexuals or about how homosexual employees are treated. It is rather about McDonald's choosing to put the full resources of their corporation behind promoting the homosexual agenda, including same sex marriage.

If you believe in God ordained marriage between a man and a woman, then it's time to take a stand.

If you are tired of the homosexual agenda being crammed down your throat, then it's time to take a stand.

If you are opposed to your hard earned money going to support the destruction of the American family and traditional family values, it's time to take a stand!

What can you do?

1. You can go the American Family Association website and sign the petition against McDonald's. www.afa.net
2. You can call you local McDonald's and politely tell them you will not be back and why.
3. You can pass this information along by every means possible to everyone you know.
4. You can visit the AFA website to learn more and subscribe to their AFA Alerts to stay abreast of this and other issues critical to the family.
5. You can vote for the candidates that support and defend these values.

Yes, you can make a difference, but you must TAKE A STAND!!!!!!!!!!

TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, concerning you." I Thes. 5:18 KJV

I HATE TO EXERCISE!

There are so many other things I'd rather be doing than exercising. Yet, I know that I NEED to do it. My body looks better when I do and I feel better when I do. Especially as I get older, I know that I need to keep those joints exercised and moving. But still, I don't like to do it one bit!

However, this morning, my attitude was changed a bit. You see there is a young man in our area who recently suffered a traumatic accident. He is 17 years old, about to be a senior in high school and up to now was a star football player. Yet a few weeks ago, while bushhogging for his grandfather, he was thrown from the tractor and then run over by the bushhog. He lost both of his legs and suffered other serious injuries as well. He has been fighting for his life in ICU.

He is improving and had his first skin graft this week. After fighting a serious infection and high fever for several days, he was able to post to his Caring Bridge site today.

I had just finished reading his page and sent a note to him when I drug myself into the den to do my exercises to the DVD I use for that purpose. As I was putting on my tennis shoes, it hit me that Drew no longer has feet to put tennis shoes on and cannot exercise to a DVD as I was about to do.

Suddenly I was so ashamed of my grumbling. I realized how truly blessed I was to be ABLE to exercise! God has given me two good legs to exercise with and I need to be using them instead of whining about the 30 minutes or so I spend working out.

How often we complain about silly stuff like that instead of realizing how blessed we are. In addition to Drew, we have also been praying for another young man, 20 years old, who was in a boating accident last week. This young man lost both of his arms. Can you imagine?! He can't scratch his ear, feed himself, pick up a telephone, tie his shoes....NONE of that!!!!!!!

How often do we stop to thank the Lord for the little things in our life like our arms and our legs? Yet how devastated we would be without them. Unfortunately, we do not often stop to count our blessings until we are close to losing them.

I challenge you today to stop and count YOUR blessings. Name them one by one. I'll help you out by naming a few that I am thankful for:

• Legs that function, allowing me to walk and get around without assistance, that let me exercise so I can remain healthy.
• Arms and hands that do SO much for me, like typing on this keyboard, answering the phone, picking up my grandbaby, cooking for my family, combing my hair, putting on make up, working in my garden, holding a book to read and a million other things they do every day!
• Eyes to see the beauty God has placed all around me....beautiful flowers, a rainbow, a butterfly sweeping from flower to flower, but most of all to see the faces of those I love...my sweet husband, my children, my precious granddaughter and soon the face of our newest granddaughter! Watching them discover their world is a priceless gift!
• Ears to hear the voices of those I love, to hear laughter that brings such delight to my soul, to hear God's word proclaimed, to hear a siren warning of danger, to hear the music of the birds singing in the trees, to hear the crickets chirping at sundown, to hear the wind blowing through the trees and one of my favorite sounds on earth..the ocean!
• Lungs to breathe. After having a bout with pneumonia, I've a newfound appreciation for being able to breathe! It is a scary thing to NOT be able to breathe right. I am SO thankful for healthy lungs to breathe.
• For organs that function properly, allowing me to eat and to function every day without pain, without tubes or machines.
• A sound mind....to think, to speak, to create, to care for myself, to remember all the wonderful memories I have, to read, to write, to have conversations with friends and loved ones
• To drive...to get myself where I need to go when I want to go, not depending on anyone else. How blessed not to be at the mercy of someone else to go and do.

My list could go on and on...but I challenge you to think of the things YOU are thankful for and to take time today to tell God just how grateful you are for the little things you so often take for granted. Then use those blessings for His glory!!!

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

"Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32

"BE KIND ONE TO ANOTHER" is one of the first verses we teach our children. It is a concept that even a child can understand. However, we do have to TEACH kindness. It doesn't just happen. But it is easily learned and easily taught.

Sadly, in our day and time, kindness is often in short supply. Everyone is out for #1, self-absorbed, and with little time for others. Yet, Jesus has commanded us to "be kind".

We have the opportunity every day to obey that command by offering to others random acts of kindness. Random acts of kindness are those little things you do, often unnoticed, but important nonetheless. Helping someone just because you can, not because you have to. A "spur of the moment" response to a need.

It can be as little as letting someone with only one or two items go ahead of you in line. My mother has often done this and when they thank her she always says "Just repay the favor when you have the opportunity." Sort of like "Pay it forward" . It can be opening the door for someone who has their hands full or making a space for someone who is trying to get out of a parking lot or who needs to change lanes in traffic.

It can be cutting a neighbor's yard who is ill or unable to do so. Maybe it's sharing from your garden with someone you know is laid off from work or has been ill. Just dropping it on their porch with no fanfare, just a kindness from the heart.

A friend of ours suffered a loss this past week of enormous proportions. His son and his wife lost their baby at 23 weeks. This man lost his first grandchild. His heart was aching for his own loss, but doubly hurt for his son. He needed to be there with him, but as we all know, plane fares have gone out the roof. Longing to be with his son, knowing he NEEDED to be with his son, someone made it possible for him. They had the means and they provided for him. A random act of kindness.

What can you do today as a random act of kindness? Ask God to give you an opportunity to show kindness to someone who needs HIS touch today. Ask Him to make YOU His instrument.

MY CUP RUNNETH OVER

Well, this has been quite a week for me! My "BLESSING CUP" i s running over!

I had a birthday this week, and as the numbers continue to climb up there, it can be pretty depressing. Despite all the hype about "you're as young as you feel" or "you get better with age" or all that other advertising lingo, AGING ISN'T FUN AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't like it one bit! The only good thing I can say is that having another birthday means you are still alive! HA!

But, having said that, I must say that this birthday week has been fun. I've been treated to lunch 3 times this week and some of the most luscious chocolate desserts ever! I've gotten to spend time with some special friends and had a lot of great laughs. I also got to go to dinner with my husband to a well known restaurant in our area that we have NEVER been to, even though we've lived here our whole lives! Great ribs! Then we had the fun of going to a music event on the town square where we live (another first) and had a blast just doing the HOMETOWN USA thing! Tomorrow night we will wind up the week long celebration with a cookout with our precious kids! Life is good!

But celebrating my birthday has not been the ONLY blessing of this week! I also have been given the opportunity for ministry through my writing in a totally new and exciting way!! All the details are not in place yet, but suffice it to say, I feel as if God has been preparing me my entire life for such a time as this!

I've been writing since I was a little girl. I didn't realize how much I had written over the years until we went through the Purpose Driven Life. In that book, a chapter was on discovering your passion. I knew what my passion was...writing and speaking/teaching. It went on to discuss how you needed to get involved in that and develop it to use it for the Lord. I began to think back over my life and construct a sort of "time line" of all the things I had done in regard to speaking and writing. I was really amazed. I had forgotten many things, but God began to bring them to mind and as I wrote them down in time line fashion, I began to see His hand at work. Each one had been a stepping stone to the next. God was preparing me for something. I was not sure what, but I knew I was not there yet. I have continued to seek His direction and He has continued to open doors and to direct my path. Starting this blog last year was another stepping stone. And each has led me to where I am today....at the precipice of a new and exciting adventure with Him. Not sure exactly where the road will lead, but I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!!!!!!!!!!!!

And finally.....the icing on the cake for this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER GRANDDAUGHTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our son and his wife found out just today that they are having a little girl!! So we are just tickled PINK!!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!

Now you see why my cup runneth over!!! "Praise be to God who daily loads us with benefits!"

SOWING AND REAPING

You reap what you sow...

You reap more than you sow....

You reap later than you sow....

I don't recall where I first learned the above "Principle of the Harvest", but it has stuck with me through the years. I tried to teach it to my children as they were growing up. I remember one Sunday a few years ago, our pastor was preaching on this subject and giving the Biblical references for it. My daughter was astonished to learn this came from the Bible! She thought Mom had just made it up!

Funny thing is, Mom is still learning about this principle and what's even funnier is that I learned MORE about it yesterday from HER daughter....my precious granddaughter!

We were on the way to church and her music was playing. It is a cd of Christian songs for children. One of them is about the little boy who shared his lunch with Jesus. As the little boy on the cd sang :

One basket, two fishes, five loaves of barley bread....

I began to think of the story from the Bible and try to picture that scene in my head. The little boy singing on the cd continued telling about how Jesus prayed and suddenly there was plenty for everyone and everyone was full. Suddenly, something jumped out at me about that story! A principle that I don't think I had ever really related to THIS particular story before.

The principle of the harvest is definitely portrayed in this gospel account of one of the many miracles Jesus performed on earth. The little boy sowed unselfishness and generosity. He reaped the benefits of that, but so did everyone around him. He definitely reaped MORE than he sowed, too. But, what struck me anew and afresh this time was the fact that Jesus doesn't skimp when he responds to our needs.

He could have allowed each person to have just enough to stop the growling of their stomachs. But he didn't. He made sure each person was FULL and that there was even some left over!!!!!!! Listen from John's gospel:

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples and the disciples to them that were sitting down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were FILLED, he said unto his disciples 'Gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost.' Therefore, they gathered them together and filled twelves baskets with the fragments....which remained OVER and ABOVE what they had eaten! John 6:11-13 KJV

Jesus doesn't skimp when He blesses! He doesn't just give us the 'bare minimum'. He doesn't give us just enough to shut us up or get us off his case. He goes above and beyond! He FILLS us with good things! He blesses us ABUNDANTLY!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with ALL [not just a few] spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ....in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, WHEREIN HE HATH ABOUNDED TOWARD US IN ALL WISDOM AND PRUDENCE..." Ephesians 1: 3, 7-8 KJV

"And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come he might show the EXCEEDING riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus..." Ephesians 2: 6,7

"Now unto Him who is able to do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY above all that we ask or think..." Ephesians 3: 20

"For if, when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, MUCH MORE being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" Romans 5: 10

"I will sing unto the Lord for He has dealt BOUNTIFULLY with me." Psalms 13: 6

"How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings, they shall be ABUNDANTLY SATISFIED........" Psalm 36: 7,8

These are just a few of the verses that proclaim God's generosity to us. We should realize that when we trust Him, put everything in His hands, He will not only just "get us by". Rather, He will lavish His love, His mercy, His grace and His blessings upon us. He is a generous God.

So the next time you sow, remember you will also REAP MORE THAN YOU SOW!!!!!!!! This should entice all of us to do our best, to give our all, as we serve the Lord. What is He asking you to do today? Give Him all you've got and then watch out!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Prove me now, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. " Malachi 3:10

FULL OR EMPTY?

I receive a daily devotion written by the late Adrian Rogers. Today's devotion began with these words:

"The devil wants you to live your life from an empty cup.

He wants you to THINK your cup of grace from

God has dried up for you.

He wants you to be disenchanted with God.

Most especially, he wants you to

feel that God is a cosmic killjoy who is always thinking

of ways to rob you of joy and peace."

Has Satan succeeded in your life? Do you feel like your cup is empty? If so, ask yourself why.

Is it because you are comparing yourselves to your friends or neighbors? Do they have more "stuff" than you do? Are they making more money, driving better vehicles, taking more lavish vacations? Does everything seem to go right for them, while you and your family seem to constantly struggle? If this sounds like you, maybe you need to change your perspective.

Drinking From My Saucer

I've never made a fortune

and it's probably too late now.

But I don't worry about that much,

I'm happy anyhow.

And as I go along life's way,

I'm reaping better than I sowed.

I'm drinking from my saucer,

Cause my cup has overflowed.

I don't have a lot of riches,

and sometimes the going's tough.

But I've got loved ones around me,

and that makes me rich enough.

I thank God for his blessings,

and the mercies He's bestowed.

I'm drinking from my saucer,

cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong,

My faith wore somewhat thin.

But all at once the dark clouds broke,

and the sun peeped through again.

So God, help me not to gripe about

the tough rows that I've hoed.

I'm drinking from my saucer,

Cause my cup has overflowed.

If God gives me strength and courage,

when the way grows steep and rough.

I'll not ask for other blessings,

I'm already blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy,

to help others bear their loads.

Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer,

Cause my cup has overflowed.

~ John Paul Moore ~

Psalm 68: 19 says "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits...." Don't let Satan convince you your cup is dry. Ask Him to give you His perspective today, to help you truly see that if you are His, your cup runneth over!!!!!!!

WHAT WOULD THEY WRITE?

Below is a poem recently written by a young man about a 20 something year old friend of his who died suddenly of a seizure. She was not a believer. This is the sum of her life.

She…

She was created.

Created with purpose.

Created with love.

She lived.

Lived as she was taught.

Lived without hope.

She loved.

Loved what she knew.

Loved not the truth.

She tried.

Tried her best.

Tried for nothing.

She rebelled.

Rebelled from her God.

Rebelled… oh the pity!

She wasted.

Wasted her life.

Wasted forever.

She is suffering.

Suffering without limit.

Suffering unimaginable.

She is lost.

Lost in purpose.

Lost forever.....

--Joey Shaw

What will someone write about YOU when you die?

HOW MUCH ARE YOU WORTH?

The headlines read:

VALUE OF U.S. LIFE

CUT TO $6.9 MILLION

The article went on to explain that a government agency has decided that an American life isn't worth what it used to be. The "value of a statistical life" is $6.9 million in today's dollars---a drop of nearly $1 million from 5 years ago. (wonder what that "study" cost us taxpayers?)

If you are wondering where they come up with that or why it is important, read on. It seems that when the bureacrats are drawing up regulations for us, government agencies put a value on human life and then weigh the costs versus the lifesaving benefits of a proposed rule. (Want to read more, click here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VALUE_OF_LIFE?SITE=WIMAR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT )

Thought that was rather interesting seeing how government is so quick to devalue human life when considering abortion. The liberals don't seem to put much value on the life of the yet born babies at all, certainly NOT $6.9 million!

But wait...you haven't heard anything yet! Read on....

DRIPPING SPRINGS -- Carrie Crain's soul is for sale on eBay and the starting bid is $1,000.

"Whoever bids on my soul, they need to take it seriously," she said. "I hope I transfer all my good, positive energy to them, and they will do great things. That's what I hope … transfer my creativity to them," she said.

That creativity is what got 33-year-old Crain to this point. She's working on a screenplay about a woman who sells her soul on eBay, too.

"I decided to really get into the heroine's mind. I had to do it," Crain said.

Crain calls it research, but her husband, Garry, calls it a little nuts.

"I don't know if she wrote a murder we'd get the gun out and shoot somebody, which of course would never happen," he said.

Garry is used to his wife's originality and he'll help her with the technical stuff.

"Transferring title may be difficult," he said.

Crain has that and plenty of other difficult questions to answer, like will she get a new soul? Is there a warranty? And what's her return policy? Those inquiries sit in her e-mail box.
Soul for saleeBay has officially seen it all. Carrie Crain recently placed her soul up for auction.

Despite the talk, no one has yet put down a bid.

"Maybe they're waiting until the last minute," Crain said.

Bidding for Crain's soul ends Wednesday. The winning bidder will receive Crain's soul inside a Magic 8 Ball she's had since fifth grade. They'll also get a certificate of spiritual authenticity.

Now we've all heard of selling your soul to the Devil. Songs have been written about it, movies, books, etc. But all that was in the fiction world. This is a REAL woman who is auctioning off her soul. Of course, I know and you know that she can't REALLY do that. But who would want to? Does she not know the value of a human soul? It's priceless. And never mind what Washington says, it's more than $6.9 million!!

Our soul is immortal. It is eternal. You can't give it away, sell it or run from it. It is essentially.....YOU.

When Adam was created, God breathed into him and he became a living soul. He possessed God's spirit....the very life of God Himself. But when Adam sinned, he forfeited the life of God. He basically died "spiritually". That is why when God originally told him if he ate of the fruit he would "Surely die"; yet when he ate, he did not die...physically. He died spiritually. And so does everyone born of Adam today. We are born spiritually dead but physically alive.

Our soul possesses our mind, our will and our emotions. But it is void of the life of God. However, the good news is that God sent Jesus Christ to give back to us what Adam lost....the life of God. And when you receive the free gift that Christ purchased on the cross for you, God gives back to you what Adam lost and you become "alive in Christ".

The bottom line is that there are only two kinds of people on this earth. You are either
DEAD or ALIVE! Dead "in Adam" or Alive "in Christ". What your soul needs more than anything else is Jesus Christ because IN HIM is eternal life!

Life is precious. Each one is a special design of God. No two of us are exactly alike. God created us just the way we are, like it or not, and He had a definite purpose in mind for each of us. He loves us and values us way more than the U. S. government and way more than any price that could be placed on our soul on ebay. He loved us SO much that He paid our sin debt with the life of His only Son, Jesus Christ, so that we would not remain spiritually dead, but could obtain LIFE and spend eternity WITH Him rather than separated FROM Him. For those who are dead in Adam and die "in Adam" will spend eternity separated from God, an eternity in Hell.


Jesus paid a high price to give life to your soul. So how is yours today....DEAD or ALIVE????????

I'M BACK!!

If you are a regular reader of Wings of the Morning (and I hope you are!), you've probably wondered where I've been.............

My husband's company shut down for a week for the Fourth of July, so we decided to take a little trip to Branson, Missouri. We had made our plans, booked our reservations, and mapped out our week for the things we wanted to do and see.

BUT.....sometimes your plans get interrupted by the unexpected and the unplanned! Like a trip to the Emergency Room. That was NOT in our plans, yet we found ourselves there waiting for almost 6 hours before being seen!! It seems that my bronchitis had turned into pneumonia. Not fun. Between the frequent bouts of coughing and the indescribable fatigue, it's taken me a little bit to get back to writing.

Thankfully, however, we were able to finish our trip, just at a little slower pace. We saw some great shows and attractions. Among them were THE PROMISE, 50's at the Hop and the Dixie Stampede along with tours of the Titanic museum and a museum of 1957 automobiles.

THE PROMISE was a recreation of the life of Christ. It was a well done production, but the most captivating part of this presentation was the man who played Jesus. He was outstanding. His eyes were just like I would expect Jesus' eyes to be. They drew you in. They smiled. They were kind and gentle. I have never seen anyone who played the part of Jesus whose eyes quite touched me the way his did. I do not believe this man was just playing a role. I believe he genuinely felt and wanted to impart the love of Christ.

One day we will see the REAL Jesus face to face. We will look into His eyes. They will either be filled with love and joy as He welcomes us home, saying "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" or they will be filled with remorse as he says "Depart from me, I never knew you".

What will He say to YOU, when you look into His eyes?