THE BLESSED MONTH OF AUGUST 2019

The blessedness of having 28 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild all together on the same happy day!!!

August of 2019 absolutely stands out as one of the most amazing months of my life! If you click on the button above (A Happy 50th Anniversary Day) you will be able to view about 2 minutes that made this past August such an overwhelming blessing. Mark and I still get teary every time we muse on the rare occasion of having all of our children and their families together for the celebration of the 50 years of marriage the Lord has given to us.

All of these 50 plus years of the close friendship Mark and I have enjoyed have been deeply intertwined with Christ. He is the One who has given us direction, encouragement, inspiration and stability through times of abounding and seasons of difficulty. As we have faithfully read through the years what He has to say in the Bible, we have learned more and more about the way He has intended for us to think, respond, and live. We are so thankful that He rescued our souls when we were teenagers and He has continually been molding us into His likeness since then. To God be all the glory—great things He has done!!

THE BLESSED REACHING OUT TO THE HOPELESS

Thoughtful read these beautifully rich verses concerning God’s abundant blessings upon the lives of those who trust Him and our heartfelt response to His goodness. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” (Psalms 103:2-5) Believers receiving unending blessings from God, but we don’t want to keep them to ourselves. During this coming Christmas season we will come across many people without hope who need to hear about our great God. Today I read an informative article from ABWE about reaching out to our friends and neighbors that I think will be helpful for all of us during the month of December.

You have an opportunity to invite someone to our Ladies Christmas Dinner on Saturday December 15th at 5:30 in the evening. It will be a delightful evening of singing, inspiration, and delicious food; perfect for inviting friends and family.

This Thursday morning we will have a deep look at the verses that I shared at the beginning of this blog. You will find that this Christmas will be more meaningful than ever after thinking long about Psalm 103.

BLESSED AMONG WOMEN

What really blesses the lives of moms and grandmas?  Let's consider the woman who has been called "blessed among women."  One of the things that made Mary the mother of Jesus an extraordinary woman was her humility that caused her to graciously and happily accept God's plan for her to be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah even though this would mean public condemnation.  How dominate is this quality in our lives?  How willing are we to truly follow God's will when it isn't easy or comfortable?  How blessed are we?

Ladies, don't miss this coming Thursday morning as we look at the life of Mary in our study of extraordinary women of the Bible.  Of all of the women we are studying in this series, this is one that I want you to particularly have a part in; what a perfect time to look in detail at the life of one of the most significant characters in the Christmas story.  Please plan to be with us this coming Thursday morning at 9:30 to be encouraged by the life of Mary.  Amanda will be watching our little ones.