Just A Pleasant Place

[Judy Harder]

This is my sermon for the day! Let it minister to you in person, and when it has; endeavor to share with others!
   

You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren,  'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California.
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:   
People ask me, What is the purpose of life?   
And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.   
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.   
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity..   
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.   
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.   
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.   
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.   
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.   
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.   
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life..   
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.   
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:   
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.   
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.   
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.   
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.   
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.   
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.   
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.   
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.   
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.   
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?   
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?   
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.   
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.   

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.   
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.   
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD...   
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.   
Every moment, THANK GOD..   

If you do not pass it on, nothing will happen. But it will just be nice to pass it on to a friend....just like I have done.   
God's Blessings
HE ARRIVED THIS MORNING, WE HAD PRAYER; SPENT SOME TIME JUST TALKING, AND HE HELD ME FOR AWHILE BECAUSE I WAS HAVING A BAD MORNING.. THEN, HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO YOUR PLACE.

When He gets to your PC, escort Him to the next stop. Please don't allow Him to sleep on your PC. The message He is carrying is very important and needs to go round. May God bless you as you do this- AMEN.
`

[Judy Harder]

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
Love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy.
They just promised it would be worth it.


Friends are like balloons.
Once you let them go, you can't get them back..
So I'm gonna tie you to my heart so I never lose you.
`

[Judy Harder]

Our weakness is His Strength

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls.  Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.
But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.
I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.
My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.  Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise.
My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, and false  accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in  prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.
And now, I had to face  the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it  was. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.
Then, I looked upon  the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in  His eyes. He said, 'Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles.
Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.'
May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through!
God determines who walks into  your life ...it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay,  and who you refuse to let go..'

When there is nothing left but God that is when you find out that God is all you need.
Take 60 seconds and give  this a shot! All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the  person who sent you this.
Father, bless all my friends in whatever it is that you know they may need this day! And may their life be full  of your peace, prosperity and power as he/she seeks to have a closer relationship with you. Amen.
Send this on to five other people, including the one who sent it to you.
Within hours you caused a multitude of people to pray for other people.
Then sit back and watch the power of God work in your life. I chose more than five...you can  too
`

[Judy Harder]

Concentrate on this Sentence

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.'  When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.  Concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'   Something good will happen to you today; something that you have been waiting to hear.

There comes a point in your life when you realize:   

Who matters,
Who never did,
Who won't anymore...
And who always will.
So, don't worry about people from your past,
there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.
`

[Judy Harder]

   Stop and Tell God Thank You
   
DEAR GOD:

I want to thank You for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me; I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears; I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves; I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet; I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job; I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief; I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed; I am thanking you right now. I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.

I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.   

I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me.

God is just so good and he's good all the time.
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