Monday, August 23, 2010

A Tribute to Grandma

This is in memory of my Grandma on my mother's side, who passed away on Sunday, August 15, 2010. She was 90 years old. We loved Grandma and are thankful for the difference she has made in all of our lives. So thankful for her kind heart, giving spirit, and the genuine faith she had in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This was her favorite song (below). Her daughters sang it together at the funeral and I wish I knew how to add an MP3 link so you could hear it, but I haven't learned how to do that yet. (Maybe my brother can help me out with that some time?) You can, however, click on the title below to hear the tune.

Grandma will be missed on earth, but it’s a great feeling to know she is no longer in pain and is reunited with her beloved husband. We will one day see them both again - in one of those mansions over the hilltop...

Words & Music By: Ira Stamphill

I'm satisfied with just a cottage below
A little silver and a little gold
But in that city where the ransomed will shine
I want a gold one that's silver lined

CHORUS: I've got a mansion just over the hilltop
In that bright land where we'll never grow old
And some day yonder we will never more wander
But walk on streets that are purest gold

Though often tempted, tormented, and tested
And like the prophet my pillow's a stone
And though I find here no permanent dwelling
I know He'll give me a mansion my own

CHORUS

Don't think me poor or deserted or lonely
I'm not discouraged I'm heaven bound
I'm but a pilgrim in search of the city
I want a mansion, a harp and a crown

CHORUS

 

Sunday, August 1, 2010

GUEST BLOGGER: Judy Woodward Bates

Judy Woodward Bates is a speaker, TV personality, columnist for Examiner and Travelin' Tales, and author of Bargainomics: Money Management by the Book. With her permission, I am sharing this article she wrote, which was previously published in Baptist Press. Schedule her to speak or order her latest book at: Bargainomics.

If I asked the question, "How do you earn your living?" I'd get a lot of different responses. Truth is, there's one simple answer: by exchanging your time for money. Whether you dig ditches or perform heart surgery, your time is given in order to receive payment for services.

How you manage those paychecks and the lifestyle you choose to live determines how much of your time you need to exchange for money. And while working is a healthy part of living, no person should focus so much on acquiring money -- or the stuff you then exchange the money for -- that he neglects time with those he loves. Particularly if the Person you neglect is Jesus. He reminds us in Jeremiah 31:3: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness." God never quits on us, so why would we quit on Him?

Some years ago I was talking to a successful car salesman who told me, "I work Monday through Saturday, so Sunday is my downtime when I can stay home and relax. Business is just too good to slow down right now." Today this guy is singing a different song. Business is slow, but he's now required to work even more hours to maintain his current lifestyle -- and even with the extra work, he's really struggling.

Can't a person work like crazy and still spend time with the Lord? Read Hebrews 10:25: "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near." Believers need not only individual times of prayer and worship, but corporate prayer, worship and fellowship.

And let's consider once again the whole time thing. What does the Bible say about that? In Luke 12 and "the parable of the Rich Fool," Jesus tells about a man who has stacked up so much wealth that he's decided to tear down his old barns and build bigger ones to hold it all. In preparation for a time he'd envisioned when he could kick back, relax and take it easy, this man had spent his entire life focused on nothing but adding to his coffers.

What did Jesus say about this man? "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you" Luke 12:20a.

Not one person on this planet knows how long or short his life will be. Yes, doctors can make educated guesses when it comes to certain illnesses, but still they're only guessing. Only the Lord knows how much time we have and, as believers in Jesus Christ, our time should be spent focused on Him and on those He has placed in our lives -- our family, our friends, our church and those He would have us reach for His Kingdom.
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