A Small Miracle?

Here we are... an unlikely group of black, white and brown in a small southern town, known for its hatred and bigotry. But GOD in His infinite grace and mercy knew we all needed love, forgiveness and acceptance.

And we do...

This is our first bus! We are so proud to have it and thanking God for the gift to our congregation! It really is a miracle how He provided all the funds, plus some!

We initially were doing a fund raiser for a sound system and when we were close to our goal we had a visitor one Sunday morning. The visitor said that his church has just built a new bigger building and purchased a new sound system and he wanted to donate the old one. Wow! It was stored away in a storage bin just waiting for us. He delivered it the following week and all we had to do was purchase 2 new microphones. Is that amazing?

So, the vote in the church was to use the initial money raised for the sound system and continue with a fund raiser for a bus. It may be a time of economic hardship, but you would never know it in our church. Money continued to come in and with the help of churches and ministries in the community we had the funds to purchase the bus. Is God good, or what???

But wait, it gets better!

When John and I were sitting down to write the check for the bus we received a call from south Louisiana... he was sending a check for the entire amount of the bus!!! Unbelievable!

So now we have paid cash for the bus, had the money for the registration and insurance with some left over!

And oh, did I mention that all this took place with the sound system and the bus in the last three weeks?

It may seem like a small miracle to some, but God will provide all YOUR needs, be it the size of the miracle we needed, or someone who needs 30 million dollars for a building project. We serve a huge God!

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself also in the LORD,

and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

"The Lord's Delight"

God has His hand on many of the young people in our church these days. He is saving, healing, and baptising them with His Spirit. They are going out to their families, friends, and neighbors and telling of all His wonderful ways and His power to transform lives.

Oh, how the Lord delights in those that come to Him.

This precious child not only was baptised in water Wednesday night, but baptised in the Spirit. Full of the power of God and full of praise to her King!

Psalm 147 :1

Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it its pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

Pray for Christian Attorney

Sometimes being a Christian isn't easy...


DAY 50: Gao Zhisheng Held Hostage
Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng, has now been missing 50 days, and there is increasing concern for his life. He was last seen being hauled away from his home by more than a dozen police officers on February 4. Reports from inside China indicate he is undergoing brutal torture.
The situation is critical, and with each day that passes, Gao Zhisheng's life hangs in the balance.
Because of Gao's work defending house church Christians and others persecuted in China, the Chinese government wants to silence his voice. ChinaAid president, Bob Fu calls Gao's torture "the most severe persecution in China's modern history." Gao's wife and two children, who have also been abused and tormented by the police, escaped to the U.S. less than two weeks ago. His family is afraid that authorities, furious at their escape, are taking revenge on Gao.
ChinaAid and The Voice of the Martyrs, together with Gao Zhisheng's wife and children, call on all Christians and those who value human dignity and justice to speak out on Gao Zhisheng's behalf by signing a petition to free Gao.
» Sign the petition at www.FreeGao.com

Take a minute to pray now and whenever you think of him. Even in the midst of terrible persecution there can be peace...

Thank you,
Paula

John 16: 33

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Spring Is In The Air

"You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For You created all things, and they exist because You created what You pleased." Revelation 4:11 NLT

Spring is in the air...

If you look closely you can get a glimpse of the first leaves of the season appearing on the deciduous trees across the pond.

These are the first blooms of the season on our double azalea.

All the azaleas should be blooming by next week.

The little garden angel has the best seat in the house, or should I say outside the house.

We are rejoicing and praising God for His beautiful creation here at our home in Central Louisiana.

Bless the Lord, O my soul

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits;

Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies...

Psalm 103:1-4

Have a blessed and wonderful week.

Love,

Paula

Take Us To The River

The ground was hard and dry… In some areas it was so hard and rocky that you could hardly pound a stake into the ground. The hearts seemed to be as hard and dry as the soil. There was hatred, prejudice, selfishness, and the only time people came together was in death. On Sunday mornings the parking lots of the churches were bare, but when there was a funeral you couldn’t find a place to park.
What happened? What went wrong in that place and in so many hearts? I wish I could answer that, but I honestly don’t know. The thing I do know is that Jesus can heal, transform and bring life into anyplace the enemy of our soul would seek to bring harm, hatred, wrong attitudes, or anything impure. That place and every place needs the river of God that flows from the throne.

Ezekiel 47: 1 In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side…
6 He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. 7 When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. 8 Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea.[b] The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. 9 There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean.[c] 11 But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”

Do you need the river of God to flow through your life, home, church or city? Do you need the life giving Spirit of God to flow in and through you and bring some good fruit in your life?

Pray with me… Lord, take us to the River. Let the water that flows from Your throne wash over us and wash away residue, anything unclean, anything of an impure attitude, wash it away with the pure, clean water that flows from the throne of grace. Lord, take us to the river… immerse us in Your Holy Spirit and let the blessings of Your love overflow us and all that concerns us, our families, neighbors, churches, cities, and the nations… let it flow! Let it flow.

The ground is softer… hearts are more tender… churches are growing… the people are coming together in life… there are smiles and laughter, and yes, love.

Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord

Prayer, praise, and God’s Word all prepare us to give the Holy Spirit to the world around us.
Esther 2:12
"Each young women’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned; six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women."
Let our praise be like the oil of myrrh, and our prayers be like perfumes, and studying God’s Word be preparation and purification.

When we come into His presence, we prepare ourselves with “beauty treatments”, making us more like Jesus and glorious. We let the light of the Lord and His gospel shine in and through us to a world in need. Showing our families and friends a loving, gentle and kind God who cares about them.
Ephesians 1:4-5
“Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with Him and to be His holy, and innocent and loving people. God was kind and decided that Christ would choose us to be God’s own adopted children.”

WOW! SUNDAY AFTERNOON SOUP

I found this recipe on the lid to our yogurt container; try it for a delicious variation to cooking fresh sweet potatoes.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
2 Tbsp. canola oil (I used olive oil)
1 large sweet onion, sliced
2 tsp. ground cumin
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used 5 small to medium)
1 ½ qt. chicken broth
1 ¾ cup Dannon All Natural Plain Yogurt
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley or cilantro
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

1. In soup pot heat oil. Add onions and cumin and sauté 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup 20-25 minutes. 2. Puree soup with 1 ½ cups Plain Yogurt and parsley or cilantro (I used cilantro and it was really tasty). Serve each portion of soup with a dollop of remaining yogurt and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds (I skipped this step because I didn’t have pumpkin seeds in the house).

This soup is one of my favorite soups. It was easy to prepare and delicious. The soup had an earthy, herby flavor that was smooth and satisfying. Definitely add this to your recipe box.

Thank you to our sweet friends for the fresh sweet potatoes.

Have a blessed Monday,
Paula