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An update on how my Granny is doing. The Lord definitely works through prayer. Granny is talking, sitting up, watching t.v. (Fox News, thank you), and doing much better. She keeps saying she wants to go back to rehab so she can get stronger. Prayers answered. She is scheduled to go back today to rehab (which is outside the hospital). The doctors & nurses are flaberghasted at her recovery & of how much she has recovered. We tell them it is the Lord and prayer that is getting her through this. Imagine, a near death stroke has become a witnessing...

Special Note: In last week’s column, I wrote about the seemingly inexplicable events that are unfolding throughout the world. How do we understand the demonization of Israel, the new escalation of anti-Semitism, and the preponderance of Islamic terrorists throughout the world? Whenever we encounter challenges, be they major or minor, general or personal, it is always best to consult the Torah. But, you might ask, where are we to look? To which page should we turn? It is always best to focus on the first place the subject is mentioned, for the first is always definitive. So if we are...

“The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His Love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Will You Examine Yourself? "Joshua said to the people, ’You cannot serve the Lord . . .’ " —Joshua 24:19 Do you have even the slightest reliance on anything or anyone other than God? Is there a remnant of reliance left on any natural quality within you, or on any particular set of circumstances? Are you relying on yourself in any manner whatsoever regarding this new proposal or plan which God has placed before you? Will you examine yourself by asking these probing questions? It really is true to say, "I cannot live a holy life," but you can...

I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU ALL WHO OFFERED UP PRAYERS & THOUGHTS FOR MY GRANNY. LAST AFTERNOON AFTER WORK I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL AND WE THOUGHT ALL WAS LOST. SHE COULDN'T TALK, SHE COULDN'T MOVE HER LEGS OR ARMS (INCLUDING HER FINGERS). ALL SHE WOULD DO IS MOVE HER EYES TOWARD YOU WHEN YOU TALKED TO HER. THEN, AFTER GRABBING A BITE TO EAT (ABOUT NINE O'CLOCK), WE WERE SHOCKED TO SEE HER MOVE BOTH HER ARMS & LEGS, TRY TO SPEAK NORE CLEARLY, CLAP HER HANDS, LAUGH, AND MOST SHOCKING, WE ASKED HE IF SHE COULD WRITE...

Will To Be Faithful ". . . choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . ." —Joshua 24:15 A person’s will is embodied in the actions of the whole person. I cannot give up my will— I must exercise it, putting it into action. I must will to obey, and I must will to receive God’s Spirit. When God gives me a vision of truth, there is never a question of what He will do, but only of what I will do. The Lord has been placing in front of each of us some big proposals...

Once again I request the prayers of my fellow Freepers. On 7/3/09 my Sister had a seizure.. She had been having intense pain following a fall in April. She had been to the doctors at least twice and many xrays were taken. On 7/4/09 she went to Er.. She has metastatic cancer with her Kidney as her primary source.. It is in her head, her hip and possibly her liver. She is having surgery today in an attempt to relieve her hip pain. She is in God's hands because it appears that what the medico's have to offer her is...

I am struggling with a very selfish grief. I am loosing it really. Everybody seems to be going on. But I am still in the middle of my grief. It is just a month ago. But I miss my mother so much. I know she would want me to be happy . But I am not there yet. I am in this selfish grief of why why why. I cant accept it. I miss her so much. I am sitting on her grave every day. I am crying and I am grieving. I talk to her. I look at her...

I am a new member to FR but have been a lurker for years. I would ask if you could lift up your prayers for my Granny, Daphane Jenkins. A couple of weeks ago she had a pacemaker put in. Then a couple of days later she had a stroke. For the past week she had been in rehab progressing very good & then yesterday she had another stroke. She's 86 years old & so full of life. Please lift up your prayers that God will heal her. Thank you & God bless you all.

Please pray for my Mother, Geralding Musella. The cancer is spreading and she can use our prayers. Thank you and God bless.

All Efforts of Worth and Excellence Are Difficult "Enter by the narrow gate . . . . Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life . . ." —Matthew 7:13-14 If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult.  The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but it difficulty does not make us faint and cave in—it stirs us up to overcome.  Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest—our best...

DEAR LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY, THIS HOUR AND THIS SECOND. LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME YOUR SAINTS CAN GATHER BEFORE YOUR THRONE OF GRACE WITH PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION. LORD, WE PRAY FOR ALL OF YOUR SAINTS NO MATTER WHERE THEY MAY BE OR WHATEVER THEIR NEED. LORD, WE PRAY ESPECIALLY FOR OUR TROOPS AND PATRIOTS WHO FAITHFULLY PLACE THERE PRAYERS FOR OUR HEROES AT THE FOOT OF THE THRONE,AND TO ALL MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT WHO HOLD YOUR TRUTHS CLOSE TO THEIR HEARTS. LORD, WE PRAY FOR YOUR CONTINUED HAND OF GUIDANCE AND PROTECTION IN EACH...

Psalm 98:1 O Sing Unto the LORD a New Song; For He hath Done Marvelous Things: His Right Hand, and His Holy Arm, Hath Gotten Him the Victory.

Visions Become Reality "The parched ground shall become a pool . . ." —Isaiah 35:7 We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.Life is not as idle ore, But iron dug from central gloom, And battered by the shocks...

Psalm 119:47-51 How I Love Your Laws! How I Enjoy Your Commands! "Come, Come to me," I Call to them, For I Love them and will Let them Fill my Life. Never Forget Your Promises to me Your Servant, For they are my Only Hope. They Give me Strength in All my Troubles; How they Refresh and Revive me! Proud men Hold me in Contempt for Obedience to God, But I Stand Unmoved.

Don’t Plan Without God "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" —Psalm 37:5 Don’t plan without God. God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the plans we have made, when we have not taken Him into account. We get ourselves into circumstances that were not chosen by God, and suddenly we realize that we have been making our plans without Him— that we have not even considered Him to be a vital, living factor in the planning of our lives. And yet the only thing that will...

A baby boy, 3 months old, name unknown, was injured in a freak accident today. His grandmother, a fellow employee of my wife's, was carrying the baby in her arms on an outside patio, when she tripped, fell, and dropped the baby on the concrete. Due to the softness of his skull the bones in his skull were injured and he was rushed to the premiere Trauma Hospital in WA state. He is unconscious and there are concerns about possible brain damage. This is the 4th attempt by his parents to have a baby. The first 3 pregnancies ended in...

Prayer request from a Catholic missionary in Honduras Received this morning via e-mail: Dear Friends, I realize that the current political instability in Honduras may not seem like a big deal, and maybe to the rest of the world, it isn't a big deal - but what happens over this weekend will determine the fate of this small country, and more specifically, the fate of the Church in this country, and the fate of our mission here in Comayagua. Over the past ten months, I've put down roots here, which is why when I was faced this week with the...

One of God’s Great "Don’ts" "Do not fret— it only causes harm" —Psalm 37:8 Fretting means getting ourselves "out of joint" mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say, "Do not fret," but something very different to have such a nature that you find yourself unable to fret. It’s easy to say, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" ( Psalm 37:7  ) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it possible to "rest in the Lord" then? If...

A Pennsylvania pastor rejected by the state's House of Representatives will pray in the Senate instead. The pastor is Gerry Stoltzfoos of Freedom Valley Worship Center in Gettysburg. He was asked to pray before the House by his own representative and sent officials a written prayer on their request. "I wrote the prayer and sent it to them and they sent back a very short rejection notice," he recalls. "So I wrote back, 'I'm curious as to why.' And they said it had an offensive word. Can you tell me what the word was?' And they came back and said...

Believing in the Divine destiny of the United States ofAmerica and in the preservation of liberty, security, and self-expression, I offer this, my prayer for my country; I know that Divine Intelligence governs the destiny of the United States of America, directing the thought and the activity of all who guide its affairs. I know that success, prosperity, and happiness are the gifts of freedom, and are the Divine heritage of everyone in this country. I know that success, prosperity, and happiness are now operating in the affairs of every individual in this country. I know that Divine guidance enlightens...

I learned last night that my high school track coach, Mr. Dennis Walker, was hit by a car and is currently in a coma at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne. Right now, the doctors are not expecting him to live and are saying it would take a miracle for him to come out of the coma. Well, I am praying and hoping for that miracle. Please add Coach Walker to your Church Prayer lists. Coach Walker is one of those individuals who help make me the person I am today. He is a great father, husband, teacher, coach and mentor....

The Concentration of Personal Sin "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . ." —Isaiah 6:5 When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, "Oh yes, I know I am a sinner," but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such...

"For the shields of the earth belong to God"(Psalm 47:9)

The Conditions of Discipleship "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also . . . . And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me . . . . So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple" —Luke 14:26-27, 33 If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our...

URGENT PRAYERS NEEDED - DAUGHTER ON RESPIRATOR, NOW HAS MRSA. My daughter, Stephanie, is on a respirator and nasal feeding tube in the ICU at our local hospital. She was admitted to the hospital on 06/07/2009, after having a seizure that lasted over an hour. She had several shorter ones back-to-back after admission. We were told today that she now has MRSA. I have written about her before. She is a severely mentally and physically disabled 24 year old, who does not walk, talk, or feed herself. She wears diapers and has a very rare type of dwarfism, so she...

(Bold emphasis added by poster) The Archdiocese of Baltimore plans to investigate whether an Annapolis woman's cure from cancer was a miracle, a possible step toward sainthood for a 19th-Century priest. Mary Ellen Heibel was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2004 and early 2005 for malignant tumors in her lungs, liver, stomach and chest. After she was diagnosed, Heibel began praying to Blessed Francis X. Seelos, and urging others to pray as well. Heibel, whose cancer was terminal, experienced a recovery her doctors did not expect and can't explain.

The Inevitable Penalty "You will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny" —Matthew 5:26 There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty. Now you have been "thrown into prison, [and]...

Our small group of twelve (some may not consider that quite a “small” group) met back in April for our semi-monthly Bible study. We delved into what honestly struck me at first as a slightly odd question; but as the research and discussion progressed, I felt we all discovered two things. First, it’s easy to get tangled up in specific words and the perception and meaning we each infer/attach to them. Second, we don’t understand prayer as well as we thought.

Do It Now! "Agree with your adversary quickly . . ." —Matthew 5:25 In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, "Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ ( Matthew 5:26  ) in pain, agony, and distress." God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a...

DEAR LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY, THIS HOUR AND THIS SECOND. LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME YOUR SAINTS CAN GATHER BEFORE YOUR THRONE OF GRACE WITH PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION. LORD, WE PRAY FOR ALL OF YOUR SAINTS NO MATTER WHERE THEY MAY BE OR WHATEVER THEIR NEED. LORD, WE PRAY ESPECIALLY FOR OUR TROOPS AND PATRIOTS WHO FAITHFULLY PLACE THERE PRAYERS FOR OUR HEROES AT THE FOOT OF THE THRONE,AND TO ALL MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT WHO HOLD YOUR TRUTHS CLOSE TO THEIR HEARTS. LORD, WE PRAY FOR YOUR CONTINUED HAND OF GUIDANCE AND PROTECTION IN...

I arrived home today after work to find my wife had died. She suffered an apparent heart attack and passed very peacefully while taking her afternoon nap. Cynthia Marie was 52 and we have been together since the 4th grade. Our daughter is 21 and will be home in the morning. Please say a prayer for my Cindy tonight, she's with God in Heaven with our infant Elizabeth, my mom, her dad and all the Angels. Love to you all. G

Psalm 69:30 I will Praise God with my Singing; My Thanks will be His Praise.

The 111th Congress is currently in session in Washington D.C. A joint resolution has been submitted to Congress that would make prayer in public school constitutional again. House Joint Resolution 6 (H.J. Res. 6) is titled “Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to voluntary school prayer.” This joint resolution is sponsored by Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R) of Missouri. It proposes an amendment that would allow prayer back into our public schools and public institutions. The resolution proposes the following amendment to the Constitution of the United States: Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed...

The 111th Congress is currently in session in Washington D.C. A joint resolution has been submitted to Congress that would make prayer in public school constitutional again. House Joint Resolution 6 (H.J. Res. 6) is titled “Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to voluntary school prayer.” This joint resolution is sponsored by Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R) of Missouri. It proposes an amendment that would allow prayer back into our public schools and public institutions. The resolution proposes the following amendment to the Constitution of the United States: Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed...

Honor Him in All That You Do Today's Scripture "Remind people to be submissive to [their] magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be prepared and willing to do any upright and honorable work" (Titus 3:1, AMP) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria In what ways do you honor God? A lot of times, people think “I go to church to honor God. I read my Bible to honor God. I sing and clap to honor God.” And yes, those are ways to honor God, but did you know that you honor God just as much when you get...

The Strictest Discipline "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell" —Matthew 5:30 Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that "if your right hand causes you to sin" in your walk with Him, then it is better to "cut it off." There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do...

Now no one can look at the sun, bright as it is in the skies after the wind has swept them clean. Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty. The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. (Job 37:21-23)

Isaiah 56:1 Be Just and Fair to All, the Lord God Says. Do what's Right and Good, For I Am Coming Soon to Rescue you.

Held by the Grip of God "I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me" —Philippians 3:12 Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you "turn aside to the right hand or to the left" ( Deuteronomy 5:32  ). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has "laid hold of" us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, "Well,...

The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance ". . . I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord" —Jeremiah 1:8 God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— ". . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . ." (Jeremiah 39:18  ). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache,...

Many clear-thinking Americans believe that Marxists are in control of our country — and that there is no reason to believe they will ever give up their power. The question at hand is what can be done to remedy the situation we as a nation find ourselves in? Dare to be a Daniel The answer is clear. The strategy for survival of any society is repeated throughout the Holy Scriptures and must be applied today. We need to enlist this vital strategy to preserve America's freedom and strength. People of faith need to persuade decent, patriotic, God-fearing Americans to turn...

Drawing on the Grace of God— Now "We . . . plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain" —2 Corinthians 6:1 The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. ". . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses"— that is where our patience is tested ( 2 Corinthians 6:4 ). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, "Oh well, I...

Gerry Stoltzfoos is a man of faith - but not the type who preaches constantly with in-your-face theology. Even the Gettysburg church where he serves as lead pastor is designed more as a gathering hall than as a shrine full of religious imagery. But when it comes to prayer, Stoltzfoos is steadfast in his approach of speaking directly to and addressing by name the Christian God he worships. "I think prayer is talking to God, so when I pray, I try to talk to him," said the pastor of Freedom Valley Worship Center. However, that principle clashed recently with a...

"For who is God except the Lord? And who is a rock,except our God? It is God who arms me with strength,and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer,and sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war,so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of Your salvation;Your right hand has held me up,Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me,so my feet did not slip. I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;neither did I turn...

Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow ". . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ " —John 12:27-28 As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire...

The Heroic ActThe Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a hero as "a mythological or legendary figure of great strength or ability; or a man admired for his achievements and qualities." A hero goes above and beyond the call of duty to help others. It is someone who has made a sacrifice for the benefit of those who could not help themselves.There are heroes in the Catholic Church. They are the canonized saints. It is true, that all people who enter Heaven are saints, but the canonized saints have done something that is extraordinary and have been made role models for future generations...

Posting from a FRper who posts the Sound Off Connecticut With Jim Vicevich Show, who now needs prayers for a safe and sucessful minor operation this afternoon.:)=^..^=

Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin "This is your hour, and the power of darkness" —Luke 22:53 Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of...

"Acquainted With Grief" "He is . . . a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" —Isaiah 53:3 We are not "acquainted with grief" in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will...