All Are Welcome By Gerald Sr.

So many people drive by a church only to talk themselves out of stopping and coming inside. Even though deeply inside they have a great need for Gods word. They are afraid there clothes are not good enough, they cannot give enough, they are not in good standing in the community, there looks are not pleasing, there car is not new enough, there house is not nice enough, the people inside are high and mighty. You name it and the excuse has been used to shy away from attending a church, any church. Not one of us who has entered the house of the Lord has been perfect. We all have had things going on in our lives that may have made us feel the very same way at one time or another. Gods house is for all, there is no sign on the door with requirements to enter. Bring me your poor, your rich, your clean, your dirty, your sick, your healthy, your helpless, your broken down. All are welcome!!

The following is a true story that happened a long time ago about a poor young boy and an evangelist.

In the mid 1800’s a very poor young boy heard someone speaking the words of God and his hunger for the word continued to grow. He heard of a famous evangelist that was coming to the town that he lived near. As the day grew closer for the big event, the young boy started walking finding whatever he could to eat as the journey took a couple of days. He was determined to see the man speak. When he finally made it to the place where the event was to take place, it was crowded. As the young boy made his way to the front door a man grabbed him by the arm and asked him where he thought he was going. He replied; I have been walking for two days to get here and see this man speak the word of God. The man told the boy that he was too dirty to come inside and made him leave. But he was determined to get inside, he went all around the building and was unable to find any way in. He went back to the front of the building and sat on the steps with tears in his eyes. The crowd was now all inside. Sad and broken down, he felt helpless. All of a sudden a carriage pulled up and a big man got out and asked him what he was crying about. The young boy explained that he was told that he was too dirty to come and listen and that he should leave. The big man reached out his hand and told the young boy to grab a hold. The little boy in his worn dirty old clothes and the big man with a top hat marched straight in to the front row. The big man told the little boy to take a seat on the very front row, right in the middle of the very people who turned him away. Then the big man went on stage and began his sermon. The rest is history. That man was D.L.Moody……………. Dwight Lyman Moody February-5-1837 – December-22-1899

Sometimes the deepest blessing comes from the hardest times in our lives.

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G.Z.@

Rope Of Life By Gerald Sr.

In a sense, life can be like a dangling rope. We start off at the top of the rope, holding on tight and everything is going good. There are no concerns, problems or issues of any kind. We hold God near and dear to our heart. God is near and watching as we hold on to The Rope of Life. There may come a time in our life when we slip down to the middle of the rope, still holding on tight. Then something comes along in our life to create worry and stress. If we carry worry , stress and daily struggles around by ourselves shows that we have not trusted God fully with our life. Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not Gods concern, but when we turn to God he will bear the weight even in those struggles. We are at the middle of the rope, is our faith beginning to slip? Then we wake up one morning and we feel as if our whole world is falling apart. Nothing is working out as we planned it would, but then again, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. We have now slipped down to the very bottom of the rope. Barely holding on, struggling to keep our grip. Any second we feel as if we will lose what little control we have. Sometimes our prosperity, popularity, or physical strength blind us to our spiritual helplessness. We accomplish great things when God is in control of our will. The first thing we need to do is admit that we need his help. We are at the end of our rope. We cannot manage anything without it going horribly wrong. Where do we go from here, we are about to lose our grip on The Rope Of Life. What’s next, where can we turn? There is a time in life when we are closest to God!!!


We are closet to God in life when we are at the very end of our rope,
Because when we reach the end our rope, there is less of us and more of God.



G.Z. @

DOUBT By Gerald Sr.

Somehow it always seem to slip into our mind, and where does it come from? Things can be going perfect in our lives, family and work are going great and everything else is clicking along in perfect motion. Then some meaningless event happens that stirs up the evil emotion of doubt. Once it digs its heals in it seems so hard to remove it from our mind. Sometimes we can feel as if we get cornered without any answers. Doubt can be triggered by so many things. The risk of failing in life and not always playing it safe, by losing things in life that are near and dear to us. Satan is strong, he tempts us to give in to his kind of life and give up on Gods kind of life. Being totally dependant on God is essential, regardless of our level of spiritual maturity. When we begin to rely on our own understanding, we are in danger of ignoring God’s assessment of the situation. If you are facing a problem that seems as big and immovable as a mountain, turn your eyes from the mountain and look to Christ for more faith. Doubt leaves a person as unsettled as the restless waves. If you want to stop being tossed around, rely on God to show you what is best for you. Ask him for wisdom, and trust that he will give it to you. Then your decisions will be sure and solid. Don’t let doubt get your faith candle flickering.


A candle without a flame does no good to those who are in the dark.

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G.Z.@

OUR PRAYERS/OUR NEEDS By Gerald Sr.

We all go through periods in our lives when our needs seem to overwhelm us. We faithfully pray for our needs yet our prayers seem to go unanswered. A need according to Gods plan has to be something that is pleasing to him.
God receives many empty, meaningless prayers. He knows what we have in our hearts, he knows our intentions and our desires. Sincere prayer comes from a compassionate loving heart. God will answer sincere prayers, he knows all of our needs and he knows how we will react once we are blessed with his grace. Are you compassionate toward others ? Do you see someone in need and say [I hope things work out for that person] or do you respond with a helping hand. Faith without action is useless. We pray for our prayers to be met, but do we know the master. If you want to understand who God is, you cannot come to him only in mind, it is that simple leap of faith that gets to know God.

Once we know God better, our heart begins to change, we become more sincere, more compassionate to others. Our prayers have a much deeper connection to the Lord. We must allow God to work in his own way and time frame. He above all knows the best time for our prayers to be answered. When we feel as if our prayers are not being answered, it is only Gods way of saying, its not time yet. Be faithful in prayer and patient with God. He will surprise you by answering your prayers in some unexpected ways. He will use family members, friends, total strangers and even enemies to meet your needs. Even if we feel he will never come through, he always does. It goes back to that leap of faith, and giving all the glory to him. Be watchful and thankful for the blessings God has in store for you. Stress out about nothing, Pray about everything. He is listening and very aware of our needs.


God blesses us with the reservoir of his grace.
His reserves are endless.
My role is to trust him.

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G.Z. @

ENCOURAGEMENT By Gerald Sr.

Sometime the day can go on and on seeming never to end, and on the days that everything seems to be going wrong make it that much longer. It’s easy to get down and discouraged with just about everything on days like these.
If we are fortunate we live in an environment with understanding people, but many times that is simply not the case. Some people can be anything but understanding. There are times when an encouraging word can perform miracles in a persons life. Think of all of the parents in the world who watched there young child almost make that first step only to fall. After that we were all encouraging our young ones continually until they mastered the famous first step that we all remember. In Acts 5-36, the word Barnabas means the son of encouragement. To encourage someone is a simple easy way of giving one hope and a blessing at the same time. Encouragement changes your performance, it keeps you going forward and it helps you bare the load that you are under a lot better. Just like the young child making that first step, sometimes circumstances in life make us wobble and fall down, but with encouragement we can get ourselves up and try again.Hebrews 3-13, But encourage one another daiy, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Each day we have many opportunities to support and inspire family members, fellow workers, and even total strangers. Sometime people need help and affirmation along the way. It’s a simple gift and act of love God has given us to use to help one another. The sad thing is that there is not enough of it being used. One of the simple things I like to do when I stop at a quick stop store and notice a new employee behind the counter struggling with the machine and the supervisor looking over there shoulder is to tell them that they are doing a much better job than I could do, then I always tell them to have a blessed day. I have been told [thank you I needed that] more times than you can imagine. Remember that even in the midst of turmoil, God is in control.


If we only knew the pain and suffering of others that we meet, Our patience would have no bounds.

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G.Z.@

"Drawing Us Near" by Gerald Sr.

Sometimes one can only wonder about all of the things that people go through in a normal day, much less a lifetime. God has a plan, and if we don’t keep our faith and trust in him he will find a way of getting our attention.
Sometimes this will require us to go thru some test, some of these test can be almost to much to bare. We don’t look at them as test, we more than likely look at them as pure bad luck. There are people who go thru an illness and go on and become a helper of the sick, and much closer to God. There are people who have fought addictions of all kinds who now walk the streets and search to help the helpless, who are now much closer to God. There have been people who have had large fortunes and lost them. Now they seek to help the less fortunate, working closer to God because they are now the less fortunate. God has his own way of drawing us near to him when we are not walking according to his plan. Sometime that journey can be very long and hard to travel. We never know if the events that are going on in our lives are Gods way of drawing us nearer to him. Look closely at the things that are going on in your life,is God drawing you near ? If so, he has a reason and I take him at his word.

IF YOUR FIRST CONCERN IS TO LOOK AFTER YOURSELF, YOU WILL NEVER FIND YOURSELF.
BUT IF YOU FORGET ABOUT YOURSELF AND LOOK TO ME, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF

AND ME.

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G.Z.@

"Our Daily Intake" by Gerald Sr.

There are so many things that we are exposed to each day that can affect the way we think, act and feel. If you put a flower in a glass of water with dye in it, the flower soon starts to turn colors. It sucks up the dyed water and begins to change. This is also true for people, we may have a good attitude about things, spiritual strength, strong marriages, wonderful families, an all around great life. We are exposed to such a negative environment that it can change the way we talk, act, feel and treat others. For a lot of people who have addictions just watching television can trigger something to cause them to go off track. It’s easy to commit adultery in the mind. There are two words that can help, don’t look or look away. Then there’s all of the violence, bad language, simply put, garbage that we are exposed to each and every day. We try to live a faith filled life but society is filled with the opposite. The longer we are exposed to bad things, just like the flower, we start to suck up the dye and start to change. We need to make sure that the things we do, say and see are clean and clear. That way our daily intake of life will be free of dye and our thoughts will stay pure.

We make our decisions in life.
Our decisions make us through life.

"Daily Thoughts" by Gerald Sr.

During the course of a single day, thousands of thoughts flow through our minds. Some of them give us life as they build us up, while others tear us down and steal our hope.

We were not created to be ruled by negative thoughts. God's desire for us is to take control of your thoughts and live life to the fullest, experiencing His goodness, favor and blessings no matter what you're facing.

You can't always control which thoughts come…but you can decide which ones you allow to stay around. It's so important to understand that our actions are determined by the way we think.

So many times, we replay the same negative thoughts over and over. When negativity and doubt set in and stay in your mind, it is nearly impossible to set a course toward God's best plans for your life.

We all struggle at one point or another with thoughts that take us down the wrong path. But God wants us to start thinking on positive things – things that give hope and life. When we do this, we'll begin to experience greater victory and see ourselves rising to new levels. Remember, when you take control of your thoughts, you ultimately take control of your life.

IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TOMORROW, EASE YOUR MIND.
GOD IS ALREADY THERE.

"God Can Handle Anything", by Gerald Sr

Life can be difficult and discouraging at times. During our darkest moments, God offers us strength and courage if we turn our hearts and our prayers to him.

As children of God, we have every reason to live courageously. After all, God loves us and has promised to be with us. But sometimes, because we are imperfect human beings who possess imperfect faith, we fall prey to fear and doubt.

The next time you find your courage stretched to the limit, remember that your heavenly Father is as near as your next breath. He is your shield and your strength.

He is your protector and your deliverer. Call upon him in your hour of need, and be comforted. Whatever your challenge, whatever your trouble, God can handle it……..and he will.

God is always at work in this world, even when we can’t see what he’s doing. No matter what kinds of pressures we must endure or how many changes we must face, God is ultimately
in control of our situation. Being confident of God’s sovereignty, we can face the difficult situations in our lives with boldness.


First Thing In The Morning
-Thank god for the day, even if it’s stormy, it’s still a gift and a beautiful one at that.
-Stay positive, negative thoughts have a way of ruining beautiful day.
-Worry only about the things that you can control, put everything else in God’s hands, He can handle things much better than we can.



May we all have a blessed and safe workweek

"Standing Tall" by Gerald Sr.

All of us face difficult days. When times are tough, even the most optimistic men and women can become discouraged, and you’re no exception.

After all, you live in a world where expectations can be high and demands can be even higher. If you become discouraged with the direction of your day or of your life, turn your thoughts and prayers to your Father in Heaven. Focus on His blessings, not on your hardships. Seek His will and follow it.

Ask Him to give you strength and except Him to work miracles. He is a God of possibility, not negativity. He will guide you through your difficulties … and beyond them.

God wants us to come to Him with our struggles and doubts. His answers may not be what we expect, however. God sustains us by revealing Himself to us. Trusting Him leads to quite hope, not bitter resignation.

One single act of forgiveness can change a life forever

"Stand Strong" by Gerald Sr

It takes great wisdom to survive in a nonbelieving world. In a setting which is for the most part hostile to Christianity, we can demonstrate wisdom by giving respect to what is true and good and by humbly standing against what is wrong.

When you face challenges in life, seek to know what God wants you to do, and then do it, confident that He will do his part. You don't know ahead of time how He will accomplish His will. Trust God and prepare to be surprised by the ways he demonstrates his trustworthiness.

Without love for the lost
Without hope for the helpless
Without prayer for the broken down
We are no more than clanging symbols

Hatred and bitterness are like weeds with long roots that grow in the heart and corrupt all of life.

"Wisdom" by Gerald Sr

Wisdom comes in two ways; it is a God-given gift and also the result of an energetic search. Wisdom’s starting point is God and his revealed word, the source of knowledge and understanding.

In that sense, wisdom is God’s gift to us. But He gives it only to those who earnestly seek it. But because God’s wisdom is hidden from the rebellious and foolish, it takes effort to find it and use it.

The pathway to wisdom is strenuous. When we are on the path, we discover that true wisdom is God’s and that He will guide us and reward our sincere and persistent search.

God gives us wisdom and victory but not for drifting through life or acting irresponsibly with His gifts and resources. If we are faithful and keep our purpose in life clearly in mind, he will keep us from pride and greed.

‘’GOD TREAT ME TODAY THE WAY I TREATED EVERYBODY YESTERDAY’’

"Live in Peace" by Gerald Sr

Too often we see peace as merely the absence of conflict, and we think of peacemaking as a passive role. But an effective peacemaker actively pursues peace. He or she builds good relationships, knowing that peace is a by-product of commitment. The peacemaker anticipates problems and deals with them before they occur.
When conflicts arise, he or she brings them into the open and deals with them before they grow unmanageable.

Making peace is hard work , but it results in God’s blessing.

The basis of Salvation is our belief in Jesus, but the basis for Judgment is how we have lived our lives.