Prayer: Best Christmas Present EVER.

Christmas is upon us and while everyone is running around buying presents, baking, decorating and just in general being busy-its hard to find the time to pray.

Prayer is a simple thing. It's just tapping on God's shoulder and talking to Him about whats going on, or what needs need to be met, etc. However, its often forgotten about in all the craziness. Its really a shame because some people could really use a prayer to get through the holidays.

Not everybody is having a good time or the means to give their families a good Christmas morning. Some people are sick or hurting in the heart and some people are so lonely they can't stand it.

Devotion For The Week of November 26-December 2nd 2012

Good morning friends.  It's foggy this morning in Horry County.  It's quite beautiful as the sun comes up from behind the trees around the pond in our back yard.  I watch Trumpet and Drummer race together across the pond's chilly water.  They are the two mallards of our neighbor, Mr. Jimmy.  He has spent lots of time giving them attention and has trained them quite remarkably.  They are such a delight to watch.  They play with our little black and white toy poodle, Bailey.  Enjoyable to watch them playing together.  Anything can be taught with a little love and patience, I believe and so does Mr. Jimmy.

   
It's 34 degrees now but it's gonna be a beautiful day in Conway, SC.  Every day can be  beautiful if we realize, and remember, how blessed we are.  First of all, we're blessed to have Jesus as our Savior.  We are more than blessed to have life, to have any shelter from the cold, to be dry, to have anything to eat and drink.  We are blessed if we have a coat, clothes, and shoes.  Not to mention good health, or if not so good, to have life.  We are richly blessed if we have two arms, two legs, a decent brain, and can hear, see, and talk.  What does it matter about some things?  We can make adjustments on a lot of things.

   
It's the things that we do have that we need to be thankful for.  Have you ever thought about being thankful for the time God has given you?  When I was sick for such a long while, I lost a few years of my life (or so it seemed).  Now that I'm healed there's so much I want to make up for.  Can I?  No, of course not but I don't want to waste any time that God has given back to me and my husband.  Time is precious.  Make the most of it with the people you love.  Put God first and I believe He will work the rest of the knots in life out.

                                                                                     
DEVOTION - True Joy

Devotion for The Week of November 12th-18th 2012

   

Good morning friends.  This is Wednesday  Nov. 14th, 2012.  It's another beautiful day in Conway, SC and the county of Horry that is.  Right on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.  WOW!  To me, the most beautiful place in the world to live.  We have pretty clean air and the weather, for the most part, is wonderful.  The # 2 vacation spot in the USA.  The Blue Ridge mountains are relatively close to us as well as some large cities.  We now have a wide variety of people living here.  Wow, and as Pastor Dr. Jerry Howell says many times, "I believe I'll say that backwards - Wow".

     When I was a young girl growing up here in Conway, we didn't have to close our windows for security.  We didn't even have locks on them.  There wasn't any need to ever lock the doors during the daytime.  My little brother and I stayed home by ourselves while our Mother went off to work at AVX in Myrtle Beach, SC.  She worked the 2nd and 3rd shifts.  See, my Dad was the town drunk and very abusive to my Mother.  She was strong and worked very hard to provide for her 2 babies that was left at home with her after the other 6 children had left.  Daddy left, also.  Times were hard and Mama was especially hard on me.  She was SO strict.  I now know she wanted only the best things in life for me.

It took years of growing and some whippings for me to realize this.  She was proud of me and loved me very much.  She saw a quality in me that was better than just average or just the run of the mill.  I believe, in the very beginning, she resented me.  Maybe because my Dad named me after one of his girlfriends, Carol.  When I was very young Mama said I was marked by that girlfriend.  Who knows to this day what that meant.  But anyway, we made it just the same.  She would dress me up in the finest attire and she, little brother Michael, and I would walk to church on 4th Ave. in Conway.  My eyes were dark and big, my hair dark and long.  I was short and not very big.  Not too bad on the eyes at that time.

Devotion For The Week of November 5th-11th, 2012

   

 Hello.  Today is Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012 - the day after!!!!  What is to come is is yet to be seen!  It's a beautiful day in Conway, SC.  Still a bit chilly but that's ok.  It's dry and breezy but beautiful.  No where else I'd rather be than in South Carolina.  I want to say thanks to all the voters for getting out and voting their choices.  This election deepens my desire to go into politics because it seems some Christians are losing faith that God is in CONTROL.

He will take care of His people, regardless of the outcome at the voting places.  Praise God!  Remember Jehovah-Jirah, He is our Provider.  God provides-not man.  But we must live, trust and obey our Heavenly Father!  There will be some sacrifices to make in our lives!

   
 It's devotion time.  My devotion today is taken from Psalms 136:1-29 KJV.

Devotion for Week of October 29th -November 4th, 2012

 

 Hi.  Today is Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012.  It's 6 AM and 37 degrees in Conway, SC.  A little chilly and breezy, but it's time for things to cool off.  It's that time of the year.  I like the change of seasons.  When I was younger I only liked summer and winter.  I Believe that was so I could be out of school in the summer and in the winter(the cold season) Santa Claus came to our house.

Now that I've grown up some and my hair is gray, I've learned to love all the seasons:  spring with new life and beginning; summer with the sun's heat and the rain; fall with the change of colors; and winter with the death of old things and bad things, Thanksgiving, Christmas, renewal and new beginning of a new year.  It's a chance to start over again, another chance to get things right with God and family.  A new beginning, a fresh start!  Once again, something to look forward to, a new year, 2013, if the Lord tarries His return.

   
But for today, it is the day the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalms 118:24).  Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."  Praise God for you and the plans He has for us in our lives.  He has ordained it and it will be carried out if we stay in His will doing what He has called us to do, serve Him, worship Him, and obey Him.  Praise His Holy Name - Jesus.  Amen.

   
Our devotion for today is Learning to Stand.  Following are the scriptures for our devotion, taken from Ephesians 6:10-17 KJV: