Ministry

MAGNOLIAS

I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the Caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away. As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities As I watched my budget dwindle. ..

So many details, so many bills, and so little time. My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of His dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give Her away since she was about three years old!

To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green eaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church. After the rehearsal dinner The night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the Flowers - would be remembered for years.

The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiance Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the Beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.

I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding. Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more Flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.' I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall toput on his cuff links.

Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!' I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.

As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...No dog in sight.. knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good. No shotgun. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!' He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.'

No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what'shappening here.''What?' I asked. 'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday. .. . He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday- yesterday - my children left.'

I nodded.

'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.'

I stood with my mouth open.

He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room....'I assured him I was no angel.He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?'

'No.'

'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'

I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.'

But God found a way. Through dead flowers.

'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.'

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Look around. You never know when or where you will find the ministry that God has planned for you or for someone's life that He touches through you.

This is what happened to the dinosaurs!

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN

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The Very First Senior Moment!!!

5 Finger Prayer

This is beautiful -- and it is surely worth making the 5-Finger Prayer a part of our lives. It is not a new one but surely one to help us direct our prayers. Enjoy!

1. Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis
once said, a "sweet duty."


2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom
in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.


3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape
our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.


4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to
many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any
piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for
those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need
your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much
for them.


5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger
of all, which is where we should place ourselves in relation
to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be
the greatest among you," Your pinkie should remind you
to pray for yourself.

By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively. Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight, just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.

Boiling and Wisdom

The Carrot - The Egg - and The Coffee Bean

This is a story that I read on the Internet. My answer follows.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked. "What's the point, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -boiling water- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter. " When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?" Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, breakup, financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity?

ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?

My answer...

I think that this is a great story. I like the point it illustrates. Here are some of my reflections on this. I would like to say that I am always the coffee bean. Unfortunately that is not always the case.

The adversity can come like a Shakespearean tragedy. When to my dismay the study of Shakespeare was forced on me in high school and later in college I found that tragedy (or adversity) has two different origins. One type is caused by living your life in the free will of others. So, if someone near to you .is having a bad day you are caught up in it through no fault of your own. You become stuck in the enactment of that person's God given free will. When the person is having a good day we bask in the shared sunshine. When the day is not good we are under the same cloud as the other person as well. And our life can be affected by the person in ways that are good and in ways that are not so good. The other kind of tragedy/adversity is caused by our own lack of judgment. What happens in this case is the result of our own exercise or free will and bad choices.

Whatever the cause of our trials and adversity and whatever kind it is we will react and hopefully learn and grow. As I said I would like to think that I am always like the coffee bean. The reality is that - for me anyway - my reactions are usually a combination of all three - the carrot, the egg, and the coffee bean. Adversity stretches us to the limit in many cases, and we end up so many times like a "Push Me-Pull You." However, I do not think it is bad to react in any one of the ways listed. We are a combination of many emotions, hurts, loves, experiences, and desires, and these are molded by what we learn. Unfortunately, it seems as though we do not pay adequate attention unless we are dealing with difficult situations. This is how we learn. The Lord uses these times when our attention is at full strength to show us things that we would otherwise miss. I feel that each reaction can be appropriate depending on the situation. We are each - the carrot - the egg - and the coffee bean - depending on what the boiling is about.

For instance, we can be in a situation because we have been too dense (hard like a carrot - and my hair is red... ..) to see what it is about or to get the lesson. It can be either of the Shakespearean types of adversity. However, because of hardness we have been unable to see the truth we need, and the boiling softens us enough to be able to receive the learning the Lord is trying to teach. As we become softer, we can see and receive the input He is giving us. At other times we are an egg - seeming hard to outward appearances - but inside a mush of emotions and being pulled as strongly as the moon affects the tides. We look as though we have it all together, but inside we are a mess. We are so scattered and affected by our upset or emotions that we cannot even really know what we think or what is right. In this type of boiling the Lord helps us to toughen up and take control of our emotions. In our new less fluid state we can receive the lesson and arrive at a conclusion. The danger for the carrot or the egg is that we can go too far in the opposite direction, and when we do we are as lost as when we started.

Then there is the coffee bean. Thank God for the morning that my husband gives me every day. It is my start to the day. The idea in the situation we are discussing is to be like the coffee bean. To be boiled by the adversity in such a way that we quickly grow into an understanding of the lesson. We change so much ourselves that when we do the world is also changed. I think that most people strive for this. When we achieve it we become very wise, and that wisdom affects all around us. However, I do believe that as we grow towards the wisdom and understanding that enables us to be that coffee bean the Lord gives us many carrot and egg experiences along the way. Very few are like Solomon who seems to have arrived at the coffee bean stage without the other type of boilings.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.

1KI 4:29-30

Maybe we see Solomon when all the boiling had already been accomplished - kind of like the overnight star who rose to fame after parking cars for twelve years before being discovered. Maybe Solomon had been parking chariots for his dad, David, and going through the refining boil for a great part of his life too. When we do meet Solomon he has the presence of mind to ask the Lord for wisdom. He does not ask for riches or fame. Maybe he had had his own boiling experiences as a carrot and as an egg. When he pens the book of Proverbs he has arrived at the coffee bean stage. He has wisdom, and he can change the world. And as he does this he also enjoys riches and fame as well. This gives me hope that I will someday be able to reach a stage where adversity turns me into a coffee bean, and that I can then start to change the world. I do think that this ability comes and goes as we grow and I thank God for His unending work in me through the boiling. Hopefully, as I continue to boil I will remember to ask God to give me wisdom - not to just give me a quick fix to the specific cause of my boiling.

Please read Proverbs 2:1-15

Blessings

Corinne

Yes, God was there!

I am adding this link because it shows the presence of God even in the midst of the horror of 9/11/01. On faith we know he is always with us but it is so powerful when we see visible evidence of His loving presence.

http://www.september11news.com/Mysteries1.htm

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL' ...GOD WAS THERE

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001. Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said. 'Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan . I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.

Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all knew Me. Some met Me on the 86th floor. Some sought Me with their last breath. ome couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you will be 'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

God

GOD

More Than A Friend

I am your friend

on a beautiful journey

our friendship like a small vessel

carries us over the waves of our caring

our many roles to each other

reverse as the tides

kindred as

sibling - teacher - helper - parent - friend

but we know we are so very much more

precious pilgrimage of our hearts

Meeting A Friend

Days and weeks and years have passed
And you have become so dear
I wait and wait till we can meet
We do and I’m filled with cheer.

We laugh and play like little children
And do what we desire
It’s so much fun to be with you
That is something I require.

But best of all is what I see
And feel whenever you’re around
Is how blessed I am to have a friend
In whom I see godliness abound

And I know that God has given me
A friend as great as you
To have and love and be free with
A gift of God so true.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Ultimate Friend

Thinking of what friendship is
What I hold to my heart
Qualities that I look for

Truthfulness,
Caring
Dependability
Help
Patience
Steadfastness
Sweetness
Humor
Affability
Goodness
Love
Just
Compassionate
Faithful

Many on the list
are found in my dearest friends

Truthfulness
to say what I need to hear

Caring
enough to do just that

Dependable
knowing I can call them any time

Help
when ever I am needing it

Patience
with my many flaws

Steadfastness
to beliefs of right and wrong

Sweetness
that touches my heart with joy

Humor
which I can count on for a giggle

Affability
that shows me I am a friend

Goodness
seen in how they treat me and others

Love
of others seen in their good works

Just
and fair in thought and word and deed

Compassionate
enough to help those in need

and

Faithfulness
even when I don’t deserve it

I can think of so many friends
Who possess so many of these qualities
I have been blessed in those who I can call
My friend.

But the very best Friend of all
The One who is never far from me
Possesses all of these and more

Omnipresent
Omnipotent
Eternal
Breath of life
Lover of my soul
Keeper of my heart
Protector of my life
Spring of living water
Endless peace of mind
My point of light

Abbah, Father, Daddy
Perfect, ultimate Friend forever.
My God!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friend for Life

Faithful to my every need
Righteous and dependable
Inability to ever cause me harm
Eternal so I never am alone
Naturally for me not against
Dependable beyond my greatest need

GOD

©Corinne H. Mustafa



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WOMB OF GOD

WOMB OF GOD

Beach…Trinidad, California

Corinne Mustafa - December 31, 2000

Walking on the beach in the crystal of a winter sun

Ending 2000 where, for me, it had begun

In Northern California

So quiet and peaceful to enjoy.

I look at the masterpiece before me and

An interesting thought occurs ---

My God must have a million point IQ!

A novel thought - I think, and so will you.

But contemplate on it a bit with me.

As I tour you through

The womb of God.

For who can know the mind of God -

Yhe how and why of things we see each day

And take for granted without even asking why?

How could any mind conceive

The wonders that I’m so enjoying here.

How can it all work together following rules

What no man could formulate or orchestrate

The Genius of the universe devised.

(Eat your heart out you Einsteins of the past)

Not even a million IQ - more like infinite.

But today for some reason the cold, sparkling beauty of this beach

Gives me pause and takes my breath away.

Could it be the unaccustomed chill of a winter day

Not usually associated with a beach?

Where I am usually found in summer’s warmth

Not knowing winter warmth in cold coexists.

Crashing waves.

A faint echo of the roar heard

When the creation of the Universe occurred.

The splendor of God’s boutique shown in full array

Watercolors could be painted on a paper bright-

Blue, turquoise, white, charcoal, and dark olive

moving and catching the light.

Haze hanging low over the cool, unconcerned ocean horizon

Turning azure sky to powder blue out there.

Forming an enclosure to hold it all and me.

The womb of God.

Delicate wind.

Is that the wind gently blowing on my face

Hardly a curl disturbed and still I feel

The coolness blow across my brow -

Could it be the breath of God?

Gritty sand.

Wet from the receding foamy tide.

Some polished and puddled with naught to mar its face.

Some with loss of its pristine plane

Where I spy footprints in the sands of time

Reflecting visitors in this holy place.

Shoe soles plain or boasting of their swirling treads

One set of prints calls to mind the British flag

Have carved a path and some,

In spite of winter chill

Have passed with bare feet to taste the salt and sand.

And paw prints running side by side to shoes

Show others who have come.

I see two of “man’s best friends”

Cavorting, jumping, barking in play

Another braving the freezing waves to get her master’s stick

All part of the ongoing creation

In the womb of God.

Resplendent rocks.

How did you arrive to delight me here?

Silent sentinels

Ancient slides of the land to the sea

Or picked up by mighty waves and dragged to dot the shore.

Or in the ball game of creation I imagine....

Father, did you toss them here?

To add a myriad of colors and shapes

Breathtaking and pleasing to the eye

One particular striated with mottled jade

Fading into a charcoal base

As if two separate pieces conjoined

With its small companion at one side

Contrasting with shades of plumy grays.

Shapeless elephantine hulks

It giving hint of ancient objects long gone

Petrified shapes.

One a Christmas tree with flocked and drooping branches

One huge boulder with two smaller sidekicks

Could be an ancient giant toad

Frozen there before it could ever leap.

And in the tide

Come in little sister stones - tangerine size

Swimming relentlessly towards the beach

Three steps forward two steps back

Pushed in - pulled out by the endless tide.

One by one they finally arrive to shore.

Players in the drama unfolding

In the womb of God.

Aloof island.

Detached about a hundred yards from shore

Do you think yourself better than your land bound cousins

Rock root pounded by the perpetual surf

Keeping guard over your beach

A crew cut crown of evergreens

Reach to heaven and give nest to gulls

Has human foot trod on your granite crag

Or just spied you from the beach

Another puzzle piece of this coastal room

In the womb of God.

And as I stop here looking out to sea

Telling myself that to me

The ocean is the MOST beautiful

Of God’s created beauty.

When other remembered sights

Come to flood my mind

As surely as the waves of this tide coming in.

My mind’s eye sees places, people, and times

Whose memories delight me as they pass:

A spring poppy blazing orange against grass and rocks,

First sight of Yosemite at that vista point,

Cades Cove, the Smokies’ lap of green,

The White Mountains home of New Hampshire’s Old Man,

A dessert garden as spring flower explosions appear,

My husband waiting at the altar - two becoming one

Later years enjoying memories shared,

The sight of my newborn babies - later a grandson,

The smile of a friend when first we meet,

And looking to

Many more untasted treats to come.

How do you choose what is most beautiful

In the womb of God.

And so I stand on my personal, chosen bastion

Cold and hard beneath my feet.

Gazing out on today’s particular view

Thankful for the gift it gives to me

I cannot do much but sing my song

Calling IT the most beautiful

But knowing that there are many sights yet to see

So many experiences left which will delight

As life goes on its daily trek

Just standing in awe and thankfulness

For all that comes from His unbounded IQ

The miracles that continue to unfold

In the womb of God.

Under the cover of wings

Reminds me of Psalm 91:4

He will cover you with his feathers.

He will shelter you with his wings.

His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Who Wrote 'Precious Lord'?

 THE BIRTH OF THE SONG 'PRECIOUS LORD'

Back in 1932, I was 32 years old and a fairly new husband. My wife, Nettie and I were living in a little apartment on Chicago 's south side. One hot August afternoon I had to go to St. Louis where I was to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting. I didn't want to go. Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with our first child. But a lot of people were expecting me in St. Louis . I kissed Nettie good-bye, clattered downstairs to our Model A and, in a fresh Lake Michigan breeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66. However, outside the city, I discovered that in my anxiety at leaving, I had forgotten my music case. I wheeled around and headed back.

I found Nettie sleeping peacefully. I hesitated by her bed; something was strongly telling me to stay. But eager to get on my way, and not wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off the feeling and quietly slipped out of the room with my music.


The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called on me to sing again and again. When I finally sat down, a messenger boy ran up with a Western Union telegram. I ripped open the envelope. Pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: YOUR WIFE JUST DIED.


People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out. I rushed to a phone and called home. All I could hear on the other end was 'Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead.'


When I got back, I learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. I swung between grief and joy. Yet that same night, the baby died. I buried Nettie and our little boy together, in the same casket. Then I fell apart.


For days I closeted myself. I felt that God had done me an injustice. I didn't want to serve Him anymore or write gospel songs. I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well. But then, as I hunched alone in that dark apartment those first sad days, I thought back to the afternoon I went to St. Louis . Something kept telling me to stay with Nettie. Was that something God? Oh, if I had paid more attention to Him that day, I would have stayed and been with Nettie when she died.
From that moment on I vowed to listen more closely to Him. But still I was lost in grief. Everyone was kind to me, especially one friend. The following Saturday evening he took me up to Malone's Poro College , a neighborhood music school. It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows. I sat down at the piano, and my hands began to browse over the keys. Something happened to me then. I felt at peace. I felt as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody, once into my head they just seemed to fall into place: 'Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn, through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light, take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.'


The Lord gave me these words and melody, He also healed my spirit. I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power.

And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when He will take me and gently lead me home.

-Tommy Dorsey-

For those too young to know who he is, Tommy Dorsey was a band leader in the Thirties and Forties. Did you know that Tommy Dorsey wrote this song? I surely didn't. What a wonderful story of how God CAN heal the broken-hearted! Beautiful, isn't it? Worth the reading, wasn't it? Think on the message for awhile.
Jesus loves you!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Precious Lord Take My Hand

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I'm tired, I’m weak, I’m lone

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on to the light

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near

When my life is almost gone

Hear my cry, hear my call

Hold my hand lest I fall

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When the darkness appears and the night draws near

And the day is past and gone

At the river I stand

Guide my feet, hold my hand

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I'm tired, I’m weak, Lord I’m worn

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on to the light

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Words & music by Thomas A. Dorsey

We MUST Pray for our country!!!

Psalm 33

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;

it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

2 Praise the LORD with the harp;

make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

3 Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;

he is faithful in all he does.

5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of his unfailing love.

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;

he puts the deep into storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;

let all the people of the world revere him.

9 For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;

he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,

the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he chose for his inheritance.

13 From heaven the LORD looks down

and sees all mankind;

14 from his dwelling place he watches

all who live on earth—

15 he who forms the hearts of all,

who considers everything they do.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;

no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19 to deliver them from death

and keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait in hope for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

21 In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

22 May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,

even as we put our hope in you.

Let's concentrate on verses 16-19 where we find a Bible promise (highlighted) of what God will do...

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;

no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death

and keep them alive in famine.
"Our nation is in trouble" to quote Pastor Larry Ihrig's message of August 8, 2011. However, it is

not hopless. Saving it is in prayer.

We have moved away from our foundations as a "nation under God" and need to return. We must pray for our country. The good news is that God is watching. He is the God who can produce miracles and the God who loves us with an unfailing love.  We need to go to Him in great numbers and pray for our country. Then miracles will then happen.

Our nation is in trouble, but it does not have to become permanent or final; we can change that with prayer for her; prayers for our leaders that they be righteous; prayer for the people of this country;  prayers of rededication to the principles that guided our  founding fathers.

Corinne H. Mustafa

8/8/11

 

God Bless the USA!

Monday, July 4, 2011

God Bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Thru the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America,

My home sweet home.

May you all be blessed today

as we celebrate the

Fourth of July!

Shared by Corinne Mustafa

Becoming My Mother

Conversation for July 27, 2011

 

Today my husband and I went out to do some errands. He was going to the hardware store and I was going to Safeway. We detoured via Starbucks for a cuppa, which we purchased took to one of the outdoor tables. I had my new purse which is a Miche bag. Don’t feel behind the times if you have no clue about Miche bags. I only heard of them a few months ago when I happened to be at a convention that had amazing vendors. One of them was vending Miche bags, and I think she was making a fortune. She did off me because I bought an insert bag and two skins.

“Huh?” you are probably asking. Bags with skins? What is she talking about? Well, here is the deal. When you sport a Miche bag you have a fabric insert bag inside and a “skin” on the outside. The two elements of this handbag are held together by magnets at the top which also close it securely with no help from the wearer. The purpose for the cloth insert is that when you want to change your purse you can just pull out the insert and put it into another skin. Miche Company sells a lot of different shells that are very stylish. I love my purse so much that on the strength of that infatuation I sold all my purses at a recent yard sale. They also offer a variety of accessories such as different straps, matching wallets, a purse hanger, blingy Purse Charms and magnets to attach to your pocketbook. They even sell a diaper bag.

There are three sizes. My collection consists of a big bag insert and four shells, two styles of shoulder straps. One piece de resistance is a little gizmo for hanging your pocketbook so that it does not have to touch the floor. This little item is aptly named, a Purse Hanger, and I recently added this gadget to my Miche assortment. Here is where I get to the becoming my mother part of this write. So here we are sitting outside Starbucks on a beautiful Saturday morning, and I reach into my purse for my purse hanger. My husband is staring at me with that “what the heck are you doing?” look. I dramatically unfurl the hook from the circle that stays on the table, and hang up my lovely Miche bag. It is now suspended about fifteen inches from the ground. No street dirt or grime will get onto my Miche unless it is airborne.

My husband is sipping his coffee and continuing to stare at me with a certain amount of disbelief written on his face. I smile broadly and say, “I am becoming my mother.” “Becoming?” he asks with a smile of satisfaction that shows that he thinks he has won some sort of verbal engagement. I acted as if I had not even heard him and went on to tell him how I used to think that my mother was such a geek back in the fifties when she hung her purse off one of these things. She had explained to me that floors in restaurants and other places where a woman might set down her pocketbook were very dirty, and this kept her purse clean. One of my Miche skins is camel colored fabric, and I did worry about it getting dirty. Then I noticed two of my friends had purse hangers. I immediately decided that I could not live without one. As I type it comes to mind that those friends and I are probably thirty years older than my mother was when she used one.

Now I am wondering how closely I have come to imitating the behaviors of my mother which I have observed over at least eighteen years of my childhood. It does not matter if you had a habit of satirizing or ridiculing the actions you saw it comes up like a monster to bite you when you least expect it. Now be honest, who amongst us have not used the momisms, “Because I said so!” or “I’m the Mom; that’s why!” I must confess I have my own version of this last one. However, on the whimsical side I have to own up to something. I have a license plate type of metal sign hung on the inside of one of my kitchen cabinets. It is black with pink letters that say, “I am the Princess, that’s why.”

I also have to deal with the discomfort of thinking that the “my-way-is-the-best-way-ALWAYS attitude” which leaves me feeling uncomfortable when someone else does something in a different way than I do. Whether it’s loading the dishwasher, folding laundry or cooking, I find myself feeling uncomfortable when someone helps me and does it differently than I do. It leaves me actually feeling uncomfortable. It is not that I am a perfectionist because I can be quite messy and lazy at times. So far, I have managed to keep my mouth shut and outwardly be accepting of the help.

Here is another thing I have been thinking of doing. In fact, I have already bought the needed “stuff” to do this. My mother always did it. If a blouse became dingy or she decided she wanted a different color she would dye it. I am the proud owner of a white renaissance style blouse. The problem is that somehow it has some beige stains that refuse to be washed away. So a couple of weeks ago I bought some navy blue dye. I am still chicken to do it, but I am almost ready to dye it. If I do dye my stained shirt I am one step closer to becoming my mother. One thing in the dye department I probably will draw the line on is using coffee or tea water to get a beige colored blouse like my mother did.

Sometimes when I was at my messiest my mother would say, “You know I think I brought the wrong baby home. I was not wounded by this, because I knew she was joking. Still I know that God’s word tells me,

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

So even if she had brought the wrong baby home I could still rely on the fact that God had His plans for me. I believe that from all eternity God placed me in my birth family for His reasons. First and foremost is the fact that I was given to my parents to learn life skills from them. In the end, I feel that they taught me as well as they could. I was a reasonable student.

I have been thinking about why a person would become his or her parent when aging. I believe that in our early years we are ready to prove our independence. Some of this happens when we do things our own way. We develop our own ways of doing things and our own opinions, and we stick to them no matter what. Sometimes this causes a bit of a separation between us and the older generation. When we are in our thirties or forties and have some personal failures under our belts, we start to see that perhaps our parents might have known what they were doing and talking about. We start to mellow out, and we begin to appreciate what we had renounced earlier. Maybe being more like your parent is not so bad if you can keep it reasonable and maintain something of yourself to pass down to your own children.

Corinne Mustafa

June 26, 2011

How about a couple of funny stories"""

Conversation for 6/19/11



The Island of Trid

Once upon a time, in the middle of the ocean, there was the Island of Trid.

It seems that most of the Island of Trid was covered by a large mountain. On this mountain lived a Giant. The Giant did not allow Trids on his mountain. If a Trid dared to climb onto the mountain, the Giant would kick him into the ocean. Trids are notoriously bad swimmers, and frequently drowned when kicked into the ocean.

The Trids were a very sexual people, and the population had grown quite large. Every square inch of the island, except the mountain, was crowded with Trids.

The Trids spent their days crowded together, dreaming of the open space available on the ever visible mountain. Every few days, a Trid would decide he couldn't stand the crowds any more. He would start to climb the mountain, and the Giant would kick the Trid into the ocean.The Trids were a very depressed people.

One day a traveling Rabbi visited the Island of Trid. Despite their overcrowded conditions, the Trids were extremely generous to this man of God.



The Rabbi decided to return the favor, and to go plead the Trid's case to the Giant. "Surely the Giant can be convinced to share some of the mountain with you," the Rabbi explained.


The Trids were horrified. "Please don't go, Rabbi", the Trids implored. "The Giant will kick you into the ocean, and you will surely drown."

The Rabbi was stubborn, and insisted that he talk to the Giant. The Trids sent out every boat they had. They formed a ring around the island, so that they would be able to rescue the Rabbi.



The Rabbi started walking towards the mountain. No sign of the Giant.


He walked through the foothills, and there was no sign of the Giant.



He started up the slopes of the mountain, further than any Trid had ever been. Still no sign of the Giant.

Finally he reached the summit of the mountain. There the Giant was waiting for him. The Rabbi asked "Tell me Giant, why have you allowed me to climb to the top of the mountain, without kicking me off the moment I started climbing?"

And the Giant replied, "Silly Rabbi, kicks are for Trids!"


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Top 10 Reasons God Created Eve!!!


10. God worried that Adam would always be lost in the garden because men hate to ask for directions.


9. God knew that Adam would one day need someone to hand him the TV remote.



8. God knew that Adam would never buy a new fig leaf when his seat wore out and would therefore need Eve to get one for him.


7. God knew that Adam would never make a doctor's appointment for himself.



6. God knew that Adam would never remember which night was garbage night.5. God knew that if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle childbearing.



4. As "Keeper of the Garden," Adam would never remember where he put his tools.

3. The scripture account of creation indicates Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden.

2. As the Bible says, "It is not good for man to be alone!"



1. When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched His head and said, "I can do better than that."


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Shared by Corinne