Sunday Writings......5/22/16

Good morning...

       Today I went to a birthday party in a park for a friend. It was his thirty third birthday. They had tacos made at the spot and there were side dishes that were brought by the people who came. The "birthday boy" was playing a hard played basketball. It was fun to watch. The great thing was that although the sky was threatening God stayed the rain until the party was over. Thank you God.

Have a simply sweet Sunday!

The Sunday devotional is written by Jan Andersen and is titled "Living Wild."  She writes about how we worry unnecessarily which can cause fears that lead to other problems.  She goes on to describe how God has a better plan for us for living.  

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  Today's Devotional   

"LIVING WILD"

written by

Jan Andersen

Sunday devotional for 5/22/16

There are many worries in this world.  Sometimes those concerns are unfounded, but they can feel very real.  There may be fears of current issues or future possibilities.  We worry about health and wellbeing, for ourselves or our immediate family or friends.  We may worry about our jobs, our material goods, or our relationships.  If we lose our income, how we will afford our home, our car, or even our next meal. What if our family abandons us because they think we aren't trying to make a living?  If we become homeless, then how will we clean up? What will we wear if we have no place to keep our clothes?  And if we can't clean up and dress up, how will we get another source of income?  And all these nightmares, imagined or not, can lead to us wanting to escape into unreality or numbing with substances or activities that absorb our very being and create even more problems and worries. 

But God has a better plan in mind for us, and he gives us an example in the simple wildflowers of the fields:

Luke 12:22-23, 27-28 (NIV)  Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes... Consider how the wild flowers grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you..."

I recently have been photographing wildflowers in Arizona for a photo contest which ends today.  It is so easy to miss all the wonderful varieties growing along the roadside as I rush about my life driving from place to place.  But as I have searched out these beauties, it amazes me how delicate they are, yet strong enough to survive in the desert.  Bird-sowers help them along, as do breezes and a few well-timed showers.  Then after they treat us to their colorful blooms, they pass through their season quickly and go to seed, only to spawn the next generation in the nearby fields.  And they do it with nary a worry - living wild!

And so it can be with our lives also.  Our faithful God has promised to care for us in every need.  Sure, we must do our part.  But when troubles arise, as they will for everyone, we can learn to live wild like the wildflowers of the fields which are content to bloom where they are planted and not wish to be elsewhere or to be some other flower.  May we also be so content and trusting in God!

Almighty creator Father in heaven, we thank you for planting us where we are today.  Help us to bloom to your glory so that others may see your amazing handiwork.  May we be content to be the flower that we are and not to envy the blossoms that we were not meant to be.  Thank you for your forgiveness of our wrongdoings and for your free gift of salvation through faith in Christ.  Keep us from worrying about tomorrow so that we might live in joy in the present and help cultivate the faith of others in your son, Jesus, in whose name we pray.  Amen.

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   Christian Humor for a Laugh Today   

Christian Humor and Jokes

Bill, Jim, and Scott were at a convention together and were sharing a large suite on the top of a 75 story sky scraper.  After a long day of meetings they were shocked to hear that the elevators in their hotel were broken and they would have to climb 75 flights of stairs to get to their room. 

Bill said to Jim and Scott, let's break the monotony of this unpleasant task by concentrating on something interesting. I'll tell jokes for 25 flights, and Jim can sing songs for 25 flights, and Scott can tell sad stories the rest of the way. 

At the 26th floor Bill stopped telling jokes and Jim began to sing. At the 51st floor Jim stopped singing and Scott began to tell sad stories. 

"I will tell my saddest story first," he said. "I left the room key in the car!"

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   Today's Inspiring Graphic   

"I feel so strongly that we MUST change our mindset so we CONCENTRATE on what we are gaining from eating clean and nutrient dense foods. We too often are so emotionally attached to what we are giving up (like sugar) that we lose sight of the lifelong impact our mindset is having on us. CONCENTRATE on the POSITIVES, you are GAINING YOUR HEALTH AND ENERGY, that is MASSIVELY IMPORTANT!"

Written by Kim Maxwell....KMax Fitness Community 

Training and Motivation

This fits right in with the fact that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. We have a big responsibility to take care of our temple and do whatever is necessary to keep it healthy with out bemoaning what is lost. Look at the gain and not what we see as a loss. God will be proud of your achievement, and you will be too.
(Added by Corinne Mustafa)

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   In The News   

Lauren Daigle: Evolution of the Millennial Christian From 'American Idol' Days to Billboard No. 1. 

Lauren Daigle released the deluxe edition of her hit album, How Can It Be on May 6, 2016. She turned being on America Idol to rise up to be a well known and well loved singer of Christian Music.  

Centricity Records' newest female sensation, Lauren Daigle, released the deluxe edition of her hit album How Can It Be on May 6, and the young singer is defending her generation as she quickly becomes one of the hardest working millennials in the Christian music industry.

Daigle recently received her first Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary Christian Music Album" at the 58th Grammy Awards and has been reigning at the top of the charts. Her album has spent more than five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart and debuted in the Top 30 on the Billboard 200. She She earned her first No. 1 single spot on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart with "Trust in You" in March.

Now on the Hillsong UNITED Empires tour, Daigle is the fastest selling new artist in Contemporary Christian music in the last decade. Her unique sound and eclectic taste in music has made her who she is today.

As a child, her father played a game with her and her siblings called "the dollar game," in which they would have to listen to classic rock songs and guess the person singing the song to win a dollar. That served as a training method for Daigle and she soon was able to pick up certain nuances in voices, training her ear to understand music differently than most people.

"I grew up in south Louisiana [where] there's a lot of soul, and blues, and zydeco music that is deeply connected to my heart into my spirit," Daigle told The Christian Post of her other musical influences in addition to the years of listening to classic rock.

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Prayers are lifted up daily for 

you by the Devotional Writers 

and the Monthly Writing Staff

of Women's Focus Ministries.