Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

Day of Year: 60 Date: 3.1.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 15.36 36  Then he took the seven loaves and the fish , and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. Thought for the day:  If you give what you have to God, if you surrender the control of what you have, it can be multiplied by God to provide for much more than you imagined.  It's like the song about love.  Love is something if you give it away, you end up having more.  Love is not in short supply when we understand that God is love.  Life is not a zero sum game.  It comes back to us pressed down and running over.  This is the promise of God to His children. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 15.32-39 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 26.24-32 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 44.8-16 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 10.22 +Rest of Old Testament: Numbers 8,9

Day of Year: 59 Date: 2.28.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 15.30 30  And [ o ] large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. Thought for the day: Do you have a problem being lame like I do.  For the first fifty-nine years of my life I never knew what it was like to be lame.  Then I broke my right ankle. After it was x-rayed, the doctor said it has been broken at least three times.  "You will no longer be able to jog, play basketball or baseball. Those activities are over. You have osteoarthritis in the right ankle. Put an orthodic in your shoes and a brace on your ankle and hopefully you will be able to walk."   I walked out with a broken spirit.  I am lame.  Have you noticed how people relate to handicapped people?  Probably not unless you have been there.  Jesus was a magnate for the lame because He loved them.  Jesus Reading (Ten Min

Day of Year: 58 Date: 2.27.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 15.28 28  Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed [ n ] at once. Thought for the day: There are all kinds of prejudice that exist in our culture. Against women.  Against Jews. (Anti-Semitism).   Followers of Jesus who get things done work through these with persistence and perseverance and faith.  Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 15.21-28 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 25.23-27 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 43 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 10.17 +Rest of Old Testament: Numbers 3,4

Day of Year: 57 Date: 2.26.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 15.8 8  ‘ This people honors Me with their lips , But their heart is far away from Me . Thought for the day:  Jesus' discipleship is different from what is sometimes called the "Christian Religion."  Discipleship is from the heart and affects our lives 24/7/365.  The religion might be a couple of days a year ~ Easter and Christmas rituals.  Disciples don't just wash the coffee cups on the outside.  They clean them inside and out. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 15.1-20 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 25.13-22 +Psalm of the Day:  Psalm 42 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 10.16 +Rest of Old Testament: Numbers 1,2

  Mrs. Judy Kay Adams, 67,of Pecan Gap, passed away Monday, February 24, 2014 in Paris. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, February 27, 2014 in the Oakridge Church of Christ. Leon McManus and Robert Wayne Milton will be officiating. Interment will follow in the Oakridge Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the funeral home in Cooper. Mrs. Adams was born in Ladonia on December 11, 1946, the daughter of Edward Franklin Fink and Johnnie Wishard Fink. She married Richard C. Adams in 1965. She ws a member of the Oakridge Church of Christ. She was retired from the restaurant business which she and her husband owned. Survivors include her husband; Richard C. Adams of Pecan Gap, her mother; Johnnie Fink of Pecan Gap, sons; Daryl Wayne Adams of Dallas and James Galen Adams of Mt. Pleasant, a daughter; Rebecca Kay Gilmer of Pecan Gap, three sisters; Jan Flener of Ladonia, Barbara Roderick and Patricia Sandy both of Josephin

Yesterday I lost one of my beloved cousins, Judy Fink Adams.   She and her husband, Richard, were in the restaurant business.   Bodacious Barbeque, the Fish Place and other good eating places were fun places when Judy was there. Serving people and helping them to have a good time is one of my great memories of Judy.   “Let’s go to The Gap and eat fish.” I loved to hear these words from mom and dad when I was home on vacation. She attended an Alzhiemers' walk to honor another cousin we lost last year, Joe Wishard. Whether it was eating a holiday dinner with the whole Fink clan or having some good fish on Friday night in Pecan Gap, Judy was ready to help you enjoy friends and good food.   Catfish, chicken, shrimp, hush puppies and cole slaw along with catching up with your Fannin and Delta county friends.   Could it be better? I think one of the good things about following Jesus is that He too loved to eat have good times with family and friends, saints and sinners.

Day of Year: 56 Date: 2.25.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 14.27 27  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “ Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Thought for the day:  When you connect with Jesus in the midst of a storm, it is that voice that is saying, "Take courage.  Do not be afraid."  Who is the one who says this to you?  Could it be the voice of Jesus through some loving nurse or doctor who gives you hope in a bad situation? Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 14.22-36 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 25.1-12 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 41 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 10.14,15 +Rest of Old Testament:  Leviticus 26, 27

Day of Year: 55 Date: 2.24.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 14.13 13  Now when Jesus heard about John , He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the [ g ] people heard of this , they followed Him on foot from the cities. Thought for the day: Comfort from God when we grieve takes many forms. Sometimes it is to be alone with God as the only comforter. Later it should be in community with others who are broken and in need.  To be with others in need and receiving comfort with them is a way of enjoying getting back to the basic flow of life. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 14.13-21 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 24.22-27 +Psalm of the Day: Pslam 40.13-17 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 10.12-13 +Rest of Old Testament: Leviticus 23,24

Day of Year: 54 Date: 2.23.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 14.8 8  Having been prompted by her mother, she *said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” Thought for the day:  When you stand with God against powerful people in the government, there are times that they will want some heads to roll and especially yours.  For people to hate you does not mean you have done anything wrong.  It may mean you are willing to be courageous and disliked.  This was the case with John.  He had criticized the King's marriage and was a wanted man.  He was beheaded for standing for the truth about marriage. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 14.1-12 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 24.10-21 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 40.9-12 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 10.10,11 +Rest of Old Testament: Leviticus 21,22