Oh to taste you once again.
Category: Food and Restaurants

It has been two weeks.  Two weeks without the first cube of ice. 

You never know how much you need/enjoy something until it is gone.  That has been our situation for the past two weeks.  Our ice maker all of a sudden quit producing ice.  We didn't know what to do, we unhooked the water lines, we checked the solinoid, the motor everything that we knew to check, but still no ice, and of course all this happens 3 months after the warranty runs out.

In desperation I called the maker of my refrigerator, who gives me the number of some companies who will work on my refrigerator.  So I call... no answer... I leave a message and thankfully late that evening the owner calls me back.

He tells me he no longer works on my brand of refrigerator..... so in total desperation I beg him for some advice and thankfully he was willing to help.

He told me that most likely ice was frozen in the tube that leads to the holding tray which is preventing water to come into the ice maker.  He told me to go home and get out my Hair Dryer and try to thaw it out.

I did that and did get a large piece of ice to break loose.  Thinking this was it and put everything back together again... still no ice......

I manually poured water into the holding tray and it would make ice.  So I'm thinking it has something to do with the water coming in to the ice maker. 

Maybe we don't have enough water pressure!  So we take everything back loose again (this makes about 4 times now) and we install a shut off valve to the hose so that we can increase water pressure..... and the water pressure does increase, but still no ice.

We are at the end of our ice tray by now... no pun intended....

When I got home last night, Michael once again had everthing taken loos again and he tells me to go blow into the hose that goes into the ice maker.... So I do... and no air will pass through...so we know something is blocking it off... but what, we tried everything, even a hair dryer.

So we make the decision to take out the tube that goes from the hose into the back of the refrigerator and into the ice make... so that we can try and see what is blocking off the water supply.

Lo and Behold.... as the angels would say... that tube was completely blocked by Ice....  The hair dryer worked, but it couldn't melt the ice that was in the back of the hose, because I couldn't get to it.

I ran hot water through the tube in order to quickly melt the ice that was blocking the water flow.  We dried it off and hooked everything back up.  Patiently waiting for the motor to kick on to pump the water through.

Then it happend, the motor kicked on... no water leaks and the water is flowing smoothly into the holding tray.  But still we must wait.  Waiting which seemed like hours but only took 20 minutes at the most, until that first tray of ice had formed and was ejected.  The sound of the ice banging against the hard plastic tray was music to our ears.

We could hardly sleep for listening to each cube of ice falling into the tray, one by one, until this morning.... We awoke to find our ice bin completely full of ice cubes... Oh how I can hardly wait to have a large glass of Iced Tea when I get home.

Ice makers are a blessing, not to be taken for granted.

If any of you are having problems with your ice maker, we can now say that we are professionals when it comes to fixing problems with ice makers.  Just give us a call and we will give all the advice we can.  and Remember the Hair Dryer is your friend.  Just don't be impatient and stop before you have melted all the problem ice areas.

10:39 AM - 5 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Reflections of the Past Year
Category: Life

Today has been a day of reflection for me.  Reflecting on old friends that have come and gone, yet thankful for the ones who have found their way back into my life.  As well as reflecting on new friends made and bonds that have been formed.

I think of the quote that we are all made up of the people that have come into our lives over the years.  Some come and stay and other's leave for what ever reason. 

Other than my relationship with my Lord and Savior, there is one thing that remains constant in my life and that is my family and friends.  I love each of them more than they will ever know.  I would give my life for them and suffer in their stead if that is what is needed.

I don't consider myself perfect, or sinless,  just forgiven and loved more than I could ever imagine by my Savior.

In this past year there has been pain, heartache, sickness, doubt and fear, but I don't reflect on those things and let them bring me down... they only make me stronger.

I try to be a wonderful, wife, daughter, sister and mother to those who are motherless.  I try to be an example to them of what life can be.  Yes it has its ups and downs, but the joy that is found in my relationship with Jesus fills me to the point that I cannot contain it.  I have to share it with other's.  I want them to know the joy, the hope and peace that I have found.

Some of my family and friends have let me down in the past, but God has never failed me, nor let me down.  He walks with me every step of the way and as long as my hand is held firmly in his, I will not go astray.   It's only when I let go of his hand that troubles come.

There are so many people out there looking, searching, for something to fill the void and the emptiness in their hearts.  They are lost, they know something is out there, they can feel it, but they don't know how to reach it.  So many of us Christian's have been hiding in the bushes afraid to let our light shine, for fear of being made fun of or tripping up in public.  Because we have been labled by the world in such away that they think we are perfect, or should be perfect.. and that we shouldn't make mistakes.  But we do make mistakes, that is why we needed a savior.  Jesus Christ came not only to save the world, but to welcome us into the family of God.  To be adopted as son's and daughter's.  We can either choose to follow him and allow him to fill us and live in us, or we can choose to walk away.  Either choice you make one thing stands firm and that is he died for YOU.  He paid the price for your sins.  We as Christians need to rise above the crowd and let our light shine.  We need to be genuine, open and honest, so that the world can see the truth and not be blinded by what other's think a Christian should be.  So many people say they won't go to church because there are too many people who hang their religion on the door post when they leave church on Sunday and don't pick it up again until they go back through that door the next Sunday.  We need to be real, both in church and out.  The church is for sinner's that is why I go.  I'm not perfect, but I am working toward's becoming perfect and that only comes through my relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you are looking for love, joy, peace, hope all these things can be found in Jesus.  You don't have to be perfect to come to him.  He loves you anyway.

There is someone in my family who is very special to me.  She is looking for love, joy and peace and can't find it.  She is looking to the world for her fullfilment and not to Jesus.  She knows Jesus, but she has turned loose of his hand and she is drifting away.  I pray that in this coming year she will grab hold of his hand and come back home.

There has also been a lot of joy in my life this past year.  I have a new Niece and Nephew (well I guess I should say Great Niece and Great Nephew)  My parents are still with me and they are both healthy.  My dad is 79 and my mom is 73.  They are both strong individuals and are very hard working, even to this day.  My mom would give the shirt off her back to anyone, I guess that is where I take that from.

I have a wonderful husband who has been there with me through thick and thin for the past 27 years.  Sometimes I wonder why he has put up with me all these years, but I know it is because of his relationship with the Lord.  If we are filled with the love of Jesus then that is what spills out around us.

I work fulltime and have since I was a teenager, but that is not what makes me happy.  What makes me happy is serving the Lord and doing his will.  I love volunteering in the community, I love it when we feed the homeless and shut ends at Christmas and Easter, I love listening to a little 3 year old at our church get up and sing Jesus Loves Me (Oh the innocence of a child)  I love getting up in the morning and looking at God's beautiful creation, I love to feel the sand between my toes and the sun on my cheek, I love life.... but it wouldn't be the same if I didn't share it.

My favorite thing to do at Christmas is to pick a name of a Foster child off of the tree at Walmart and give them a gift that they want.  God says he wants us to have the desires of our heart.

I love going to Christian Concerts and praising and worshiping our Lord.  I love the freedom that I have in Jesus Christ.

This coming year it is my resolution to share the love of Jesus, in a mighty way.
To love other's as He loves me.

I can't wait, I think I will start now.

Christine

1:32 PM - 1 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Universalist V. Universalism
Current mood: thankful
Category: Religion and Philosophy

Hello everyone. I received this Newsletter from a Pastor friend of mine and wanted to share it with all of you. I found it very interesting and encouraging.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Love,
Christine


Dear Brothers and Sisters at New Beginnings,

I ask all of you to take 5 minutes to read this. It isn't something I received and then forwarded to everyone in my address book. What I have to say comes from deep within my soul and out of love for all of you. I've gotten some very good comments about sermons I've given recently and I appreciate that. As my dad says "God gives the good ones and I give the bad ones."

I've had several questions too and that's good. Some may confuse what I've said at times with Universalism (also called Universal Salvation). This doctrine has long been considered heresy in the body of Christ and so let me be very clear - WE DO NOT TEACH IT.

Universalism says that in the end all (even Satan and the demons) will choose/accept/embrace God's love and Jesus Christ as Savior. However, the Bible seems to indicate that there will be some who choose to exist eternally in their denial/unbelief/rejection. Universalism therefore is not true because it denies our distinction, or our freedom to choose.

Jesus has saved the whole creation, all people included, but for that to be effectuated in an individual's life and that person experience the abundant life in Jesus now and forever they must BELIEVE what Jesus has done for them and to them. After all, one can not enjoy something they don't believe they have.

If one refuses to believe what Jesus has done for them then they remain in a state of "hell" or what scripture calls perishing. Some may choose to remain in this state forever. They don't have to, but they may choose to. So, scripture makes a "place" or a "state" available for those who choose that unhappy and miserable condition for themselves.

Having said all of this I do believe we should be Universalists in hope. In other words, it should be our heart's desire, as it is God's, so see all people embrace God's love and their real identity in Christ (see II Peter 3:9). Sometimes I wonder if Christians oppose Universalism because they are so passionate about the gospel message or because they lack genuine love and concern for the sinners in this world - murderers, prostitutes, child abusers, terrorists, drug dealers, homosexuals, aetheists, etc. Perhaps it turns the stomachs of some to think that people in these categories might be in heaven with them. I'm reminded of the story Jesus told about the rich man who refused to be in heaven because he didn't want to be with the one (Lazarus) he despised.

It is very important for us all to understand that mankind's identity is not up for grabs. All have been, are, and always will be adopted children of God. You and I didn't have a choice in our spiritual birth just as we didn't have a choice in being born physically. However, we do have a choice as it relates to our experience. The slaves in Galveston, TX during the Civil War didn't find out they were free until about two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Their identity had been radically altered but they couldn't experience it because they didn't know and believe what had happened to them.

It is much the same as it relates to mankind's salvation. Our part is either to believe or not believe. Believe what? Believe that we already belong. Believe that we have been set free in Christ. The Biblical order of things is that first we BELONG, then we BELIEVE, and then we BEHAVE. It can not happen any other way. Think about it. An infant doesn't behave first and then belong to the family. He doesn't behave first and then believe that he's part of the family. He doesn't believe first and then belong to the family. No, he belongs first. Later the child grows to know and understand the family he was born into (belief). Then he begins to understand the role he plays and how he can contribute to the welfare of the family (behave). By the way, when the child misbehaves he is not thrown out of the family!!!

I have at times referred to the "Theology of Inclusion." I recognize that I have to be careful with the terminology I use because the same terms are being used by some to mean something entirely different. For example, Carlton Pearson (who was a student at Oral Roberts University) is a pastor who teaches a "theology of inclusion" but it is not what we are teaching as it denies those scriptural passages that refer to unbelief, denial, etc. He teaches Universalism. We do not.

I welcome and appreciate questions, comments, and dialogue about these things. I don't have all the answers as I am still learning and growing alongside all of you. I want to challenge each of us to never stop desiring to grow in the grace and knowlege of our Lord Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18). Never stop hungering and thirsting for more of Jesus. And finally, let's not be like the Pharisees who refused to believe anything other than what they had been taught their entire life.

There have been times in my life when I've been afraid of making Jesus out to be bigger than He is. This is an unfounded fear because the reality is that I have not made Him out to be nearly big enough! My ongoing desire is to proclaim the Word - Jesus - for He is the only way and the truth and life for all people!

In His Big Grace,
Paul David

11:20 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

God is on Your Side
Current mood: thankful
Category: Religion and Philosophy

We know that for those who love God
all things work together for good,
for those who are called
according to his purpose.
~Romans 8:28

In the midst of any storm, it's easy to forget that God's in control. Now, I know it may not feel like it, but as a child of God...He's always in control...taking care of you.

As a follower of Christ, you are the object of God's persevering grace in your life. I'm talking about every step you take! All your hopes...all your hurts...and all your hallelujahs are being worked out together according to God's perfect plan for your life.

As Paul promises us in Romans 8:28, "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." What a glorious promise from the Scripture!

So today...if your dreams have been shattered... if your hopes have been dashed...or even if something you prayed for has been taken away...I want to remind you of two things.

First, don't demand to understand. You can't always understand. And just because it doesn't make sense now, doesn't mean that it doesn't make sense. God has a plan and God has a purpose...so don't demand to understand.

Second, don't bow to bitterness. Some people...when their dreams are dashed...become broken people. Then bitterness sets in and they spend the rest of their days in the sorrow of a long distant past. So don't bow to bitterness!

Romans 8:31 says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Remember...no matter what you're going through in your life...no matter how much turmoil you're in today or tomorrow...no matter how deep the pit is you may living in...God is for you. And He's constantly working in your life--constructivel y and creatively-- to bring about His purpose and the divine destiny of your life.

Stand on this promise today!

NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH TODAY,
REMEMBER GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE AND IN CONTROL

~source: Daily Word from Pastor Graham; www.jackgraham. org

1:21 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Defeat Your Giant
Current mood: grateful
Category: Religion and Philosophy

Who is this uncircumcised Philistine,
that he should defy the armies of the living God?
~1 Samuel 17:26

You may be facing a giant today. He may be a giant of sickness or failure, of financial shortage, or another kind of trouble. But don't let him scare you. You have a secret weapon. A weapon that once turned a shepherd boy into a bear-busting, lion-killing, giant-slaying champion. That weapon was a blood covenant with Almighty God.

Back in David's day, circumcision was the sign of that covenant. So, when he called Goliath uncircumcised, David was saying: This guy may be a giant; he may be strong; but he has no covenant with God and that's why I can kill him.

Just like David, you, too, have a covenant. But yours is better. You see, the covenant David had offered a wealth of blessings to those who kept it, but it also included curses for those who broke it. Yours doesn't.

Yours is a New Covenant that Jesus bought with His own blood. It doesn't depend on your ability. It depends on Him and what He has already done. He has done it all! All you have to do is believe it and receive it.

Right now, read Deuteronomy 28:16-68. That's a list of the curses Christ has freed you from. You might even call it a list of the giants Jesus has already slain for you. It contains every diabolical thing the devil could ever use to destroy you.

Read them and rejoice. Those are the things God has healed you of and delivered you from! Don't let any giant intimidate you. You have a blood covenant with Almighty God. There's no uncircumcised circumstance on the face of this earth that can take your victory away from you.

Scripture Reading: Galatians 3:13-29

-- Kenneth Copeland; From Faith to Faith Devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland; source: CFaith Daily Devotional; www.CFaith.com

1:20 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Street Noise
Category: Religion and Philosophy

The Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth
come knowledge and understanding.
~Proverbs 2:6

Recommended Reading
Proverbs 2:6-9
Some years ago, a retired missionary built a small garden with a trickling fountain in his backyard. When guests came by and sat with him in his garden, he would say to them, "You hear the traffic from the street, don't you? I hear the trickling of the fountain." He had trained his ears to tune out the noises from the street and to enjoy the tranquil splatter of the water.

Wisdom comes as we train our ears to tune out the world's noise and to hear the voice of God as He speaks to us with the wisdom of His Word in our hearts.

In his classic volume, Studies in Proverbs, the nineteenth-century expositor, William Arnot, wrote: "Those who hide the Word within them, feeding on it as daily bread, acquire a habitual bent of mind towards things spiritual."

By meditating on Scripture, it's possible to become a wiser person, making better decisions, offering helpful counsel to others, and handling our emotions and reactions with maturity. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

The Word of God is a vital seed, but it will not germinate
unless it be hidden in a softened receptive heart.
William Arnot

~source: Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah; www.turningpointonl ine.org

1:18 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

The Perfect Storm
Current mood: chipper
Category: Religion and Philosophy

READ: Mark 4:35-41

They feared exceedingly, and said to one another,
"Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"
~Mark 4:41

In his book The Perfect Storm, author Sebastian Junger reports astonishing facts about the power of a hurricane: "A mature hurricane is by far the most powerful event on earth; the combined nuclear arsenals of the United States and the former Soviet Union don't contain enough energy to keep a hurricane going for one day. A typical hurricane ... could provide all the electric power needed by the United States for three or four years."

Seafarers encounter diverse weather conditions. But those who experience a severe storm have one emotion in common — fear. Mark 4:35-41 records a gale that threatened the boat carrying Jesus and His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. In a panic, the disciples awakened Jesus. He calmly rebuked the wind and sea by saying, "Peace, be still!" (literally "hush") as if He were quieting an agitated child (v.39). Immediately, the gale stopped and the water became inexplicably placid. The disciples asked, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" (v.41).

Do you feel as if your life's circumstances are a mighty storm? Look to the God-man Jesus Christ, who has authority over heaven and earth. He will give you the strength to survive the storm until He ultimately calms it. —Dennis Fisher

Our loving God is always near,
Forever by our side;
He'll bring us comfort in our fear
And peace that will abide. —Sper

When we trust the power of God, His peace keeps us from panic.

~source: "Our Daily Bread" Daily Devotiona

Currently listening : All Gas. No Brake. By Stellar Kart Release date: 15 February, 2005

11:26 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Be a Witness for Jesus
Current mood: cheerful
Category: Religion and Philosophy

Go home to your friends, and tell them
what great things the Lord has done for you.
~Mark 5:19b

Recommended Reading
Mark 12:28-34
A Greek professor told his class: "You have studied Christ himself, the whole Christ, all of Christ. When you study the Bible, you are studying the Lord himself. For all we know of the Lord is encompassed in these sacred pages."

It is true that the pages of the Bible contain everything we desire to know about Jesus, with one limitation: experiencing Him. Head knowledge of Jesus can never replace the experiential knowledge you will have of Him when you let those words penetrate your heart. To be sure, one would be hard-pressed to find a genuine reader of the Bible who was not moved to a Jesus experience by way of those very words, for they are alive and at work. However, knowing all there is to know about Jesus pales in comparison to seeing a prayer answered in your life or experiencing God's grace and Christ's salvation firsthand. It is this intimate knowledge of Him that allows us not only to be a witness for Jesus but a witness of Jesus.

As believers, we must always be asking God to work afresh in our lives through Scripture, prayer, and personal experience so that we may be able to personally share Christ with others.

Knowing the Bible is one thing;
knowing the Author is another!
--Unknown

~source: Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah

Currently listening : A Collision By David Crowder Band Release date: 27 September, 2005

11:25 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Our Role
Current mood: cheerful
Category: Religion and Philosophy

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor
of love which you have shown toward His name,
in that you have ministered ... and do minister.
~Hebrews 6:10

Recommended Reading
1 Corinthians 3:6-9
For thirty-three years, Augustine scorned the Christian teaching and prayers of his mother, yet she never gave up. She preached and she prayed; and she pursued until one day, when Augustine was thirty-three years old, he cried out in agony to God, "Remember not the sins of my youth!" He had at last embraced the Savior.

Having been saved herself, Augustine's mother no doubt knew that salvation was God's job. More importantly, she understood her role as God's agent in her son's life: to teach him about Jesus and then pray that he would open his heart.

This is the role that we as Christians need to take on with confidence and zeal as we fulfill God's assignment to be fishers of men. The Bible asks "And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14). You and I are the answer. God has given us the assignment to tell people about Him, about His love, and about His Son. The rest is up to Him. In other words, while God is responsible for the results, we are responsible for the effort.

Sow your best efforts today,
and reap God's abundant blessings tomorrow.
--Elizabeth George

~source: Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah

Currently listening : Illuminate By David Crowder Band Release date: 16 September, 2003

11:23 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

The Doubter's Prayer
Current mood: cheerful
Category: Religion and Philosophy

Don't be an unbeliever,
but a believer.
~John 20:27 HCSB

If your doubts still persist after facing them, praying about them, and developing the habit of talking to yourself with a Scripture passage that refutes them, then seek the help of a minister or a Christian counselor.

God has given us three resources to help us whenever we get into spiritual difficulties: the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the people of God. The final answer to doubt may come as you share with an experienced Christian the things that are going on in your heart.

If you are not able to get the kind of help I am suggesting, then get in touch with your nearest Christian bookshop and ask them to recommend some helpful reading on the subject.

Whatever you do, don't allow yourself to settle down into a complacent attitude about your doubts. Adopt a positive approach and determine to do something about resolving them. This will ensure that even though your doubts may take a certain amount of time to be cleared away, they will not be able to degenerate into unbelief.

Let me remind you of "The Doubter's Prayer" compiled by Martin Luther:

Dear Lord, although I am sure of my position,
I am unable to sustain it without Thee.
Help me or I am lost.

If the only thing you are able to do is pray, then that by itself will prevent doubt from becoming unbelief. If you also adopt the principle of "talking to yourself" from the Word of God, then you have in your hands the strategy for overcoming doubt.

Daily Prayer
Father, help me, whenever I don't know what to do, to turn naturally to prayer. Then no moment will be empty or fruitless. But help me also to utilize the power of Your Word, the Bible. Let these two things become my central strategy. Amen.

~source: "Every Day With Jesus"

11:22 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment