Can anything good come from death?

Question for the day: Can anything good come from death?

WE’RE PRAYING FOR YOU TODAY…
Good morning,

This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.

God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger


CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:

Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead him to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage from Houston.

PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR BOB ALLMANN
Treatment Location:CARE-TEL
6700 WESTSIDE SAGINAW ROAD
ROOM 108
BAY CITY, MICHIGAN
Phone:
989-667-9800 x610

Bob was in a car accident Thurs. 4-9-09 at about 6pm in Midland. Someone ran a stop light at about 50 mph and hit him in the driver side door and flipped his Cutlass on its roof. He was hanging upside down by his seatbelt. The jaws of life had to be used to remove him. He was taken to Midland Hospital and then transported to St. Mary's. He has about 6 broken ribs on his right side, collapsed lung, broken pelvis and broken wings on his vertebrae.

Since that time, God has done wondrous things in Bob’s life, and has him known as the Miracle Man because of the way he has mended. Bob was transported to Covenant Select Hospital, and most recently to CARE-TEL. Something tells me that Bob won’t be there long… He may just get on his motorcycle and scoot out to his daughter’s wedding in Colorado. God is AWESOME!

Update:
Friday, July 03, 2:30 PM - Wendi:
Well, Pop is all settled in at Caretel and I went to see him and the facility yesterday. WOW, the ambulance drivers were right, they told him he is going to the "Mack-Daddy of all Rehabs!" It is a beautiful place from what I saw and the staff seems to be very helpful! He got the day "off" yesterday from therapy, but they made up for it today. He said he had PT for about 1 1/2 hours and when he got back to his room he layed down and took a nap! He was TIRED!!!

His goal is still to get to Debi's wedding, which is August 1. He does have quite a bit of work to do, but he is determined and has the Lord backing him up! We had such a nice talk yesterday afternoon, about what has happened, what is happening now and what the Lord has in store for him in the future! We ARE very blessed! If you would like to visit him, please do, he is very much up to visiting (you may even get to accompany him to therapy and see his progress!). Therapists get the weekend off, so Pop will be doing exercises that he can do in his room. There are courtyards there and he can go out and enjoy the weather too. GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!

Wendi


Please continue to pray for Billy Hamburg, whose doctors found 5 tumors in his bladder. He had surgery June 29th and the biopsy results showed a cancerous condition. He will be undergoing chemo & radiation treatments and will need the Lord’s Hand to overcome his anxiety as well as the cancer.

FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)

Today in God’s Word

MONDAY, JULY 6, 2009
Please join your brothers and sisters
studying and praying with us today…

Good Morning Church!
Pastor Greg Finke

I don't know about you, but I really like some of the country western music that's out there these days. Some of it is predictable. and some of it is downright ungodly. But then there are the songs that hold up grace, redemption and honor. I like those.
And then there are the songs like the group, Alabama, sang. They had a specific song that is a few years old now, but the refrain goes like this: "I'm in a hurry to get things done. Rush and rush until life's no fun. All I really need to do is live and die. I'm in a hurry and don't know why." The tune is fun and catchy. And the words are just plain insightful.
Many of us can relate to their message. Hurrying through our days and through our lives and for what? We hurry to get things done, we hurry to get our children where they need to be, we hurry through meals, we hurry through to-do lists, and we hurry through life.

Several years ago, I once counted the number of times I told my little girls to hurry during the course of our week. I don't remember the final number, but I do remember I was embarrassed. Most of the time their daddy was with them, he was telling them, in one way or another, to hurry.
It took a few tries, but I've learned my lesson. God has once again taught me the unforced rhythms of His grace. I am a slow learner, but He is persistent.
"I'm in a hurry to get things done. Rush and rush until life's no fun." So, what's the antidote? What's the solution to "hurrying until life's no fun?"

David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, tells us: Psalm 23:2, "The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul."
Those words are so familiar they can lose their impact. But they reveal the unforced rhythms of the Lord's grace. Having worked hard, it is the Lord's will to have us lie down in green pastures on a regular basis. He regularly leads us (literally translated) to "waters of resting places." And then the clincher: The Lord Himself refreshes my spirit (another way to translate "restores my soul").
So, where's my refreshment? Where are my waters of resting places? We talked about this yesterday in worship. If you would like to hear the entire message, click here.
However, the answer is simple. As we give time and space for the Lord to minister to us, He refreshes our spirits, He restores our souls. In our hurry, we forget to go to Him, or at least, we are distracted from going into the places where we allow Him to refresh us.
Jesus says it this way in Matthew 11, ""Are you tired? Worn out? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you'll recover your life. Walk with Me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (from The Message)
So work hard today, but then stop. Rest. Enjoy Jesus and people. Plan and enjoy preparing a good meal to be eaten with others. Go to bed early. And when you awaken, receive the Shepherd who will guide you to the refreshing waters of Himself and His Son. And you too will begin to discover the unforced rhythms of His grace.
Remember, the Shepherd loves you and so do I!
Be wise and be Church,
Pastor Greg


ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
July 6, 2009

A Graceful Pillar
Lynn Cowell

“May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants.
May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.” Psalm 144:12 (NLT)

Devotion:
Where did the time go? I remember like it was only yesterday…the dark-haired little princess dancing on top of the coffee table, star-studded sunglasses gracing her face, singing as though she was the next “American Idol.”

Now, she’s a beautiful young lady in the making, grinning at me from the dressing room. Her smile still says, Look at me, Mommy, don’t I look pretty? And she does, in so many ways. Her beauty is more than just physical. I see a tender heart that is learning who she is and becoming who the Lord made her to be.

Vickey Courtney says, “Girls who are ’sugar and spice and everything nice‘ are made, not born.” This is so true. Girls today have so much pressure on them to be this and do that; attempting to please the ever-changing culture around them. They often find themselves caught between the daytime world of school and evening world of family. Their desire to be accepted is deep and very real. They want to know that they are valuable; that they have worth.

Maybe that is why God created mothers - to be the conduit for the power of God’s truth to be given to the next generation. It is our place to teach our daughters exactly how He sees them. To be the voice that says, “All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” (Song of Solomon 4:7, NIV). When they are looking in the mirror picking themselves apart, we can pour into them God’s Word. Psalm 45:11 “The King is enthralled by your beauty…” (NIV). “Enthralled” means captivated. They are desperate to have someone say, “You make my head spin” and who better to say it than their Creator who is flipped-out over them!

As I think about today’s key verse, “May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace,” I am reminded that pillars are not found in the wild. Pillars are not born. Pillars are formed. Carefully, an artesian chisels away at the stone little by little, creating a masterpiece. You can be the artesian in the life of your daughter. Don’t be afraid. The Master Artesian is your teacher. You can be the one that the Lord has appointed to take the rough piece of stone and carve it into the graceful pillar, fit for a palace.

Dear Lord, this task seems too big for me. Raising a daughter that glorifies You could not possibly be more contrary to our culture. I do want my daughter to be like a graceful pillar; a graceful pillar that brings You honor. Show me opportunities today where I can lovingly speak that Truth into her life, in Jesus’ Name, Amen

Application Steps:
One way that I pour into my daughters is to have special days with them. On these dates, we do fun things: at-home facials, day at a tea room, a special shopping trip. During these dates, I incorporate a lesson that teaches them one of God’s truths. Secret Keeper Girl is filled with these types of dates. It is a perfect way to build memories and relationships too!

Learn who you are in Christ. Study scriptures that teach these truths. As you learn them for yourself, it will give you a fresh revelation to share with your daughter.

Begin a Gather & Grow group with Proverbs 31 Ministries for teen girls. Be a part of forming not only your own daughter, but the many girls today who do not have a godly woman in their life.


Reflections:
Do you feel comfortable having conversations with your daughter about the Lord, or do you need a little help with some conversation starters?

Find another woman who has a raised a godly daughter and ask her for wisdom on this.


Power Verses:
Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (NIV)

Song of Solomon 4:7, “All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” (NIV)

Song of Solomon 2:16a, “My lover is mine and I am His.” (NIV)

…and…


Can Anything Good Come from Death?
Monday, July 06, 2009
Death is a tragedy, an ending, an enemy we all face. Can anything good come out of it? Woodrow Kroll answers with a return to John's Gospel...
Series: John: Answers to Life's Questions (Week 5 of 8)

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