Just Us: Manna for July 16, 2009

Question for the day: If finances were unlimited and failure was unlikely, what would be your dream?

What can we pray for YOU about 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

Tillamook, OR to Somerton, AZ to Hanover, PA

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR PASTOR BOB ALLMANN

http://stmarysofmichigan.org/

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!

Wednesday, July 15, 1:16 PM - Wendi:

Blessings to all, as Pop is still receiving Gods' blessings daily! He continues to get stronger each and every day! As God is allowing all this to happen, Pop is following HIS commands! He continues to walk where he needs to go, without a walker, just hand in hand with our Maker! INCREDIBLE! All of his therapists, nurses, doctors are very happy with his progress. We will have a care meeting next Tuesday to see exactly where he stands in regards to outpatient rehab, possibly! We will have to wait and see what the Lord has in store for him through this meeting.

Pop is all set to fly out to Colorado on July 28, with a return of August 14. He and Debi will fly back together on Friday (8-14) and we all plan to go visit St. Mary's and Covenant Saturday. I cannot wait to see the look on the faces of those who cared for him while in Trauma-ICU, as he walks through the doors! We also plan on attending church at Messiah on August 16. He said he can't wait to walk up to the communion rail and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ! We thank and PRAISE GOD for all of you, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!!!! --Wendi

Please continue to pray for Billy Hamburg, whose doctors found 5 tumors in his bladder. He had surgery June 29^th 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.

I have a grand-daughter, Aly, who just had open heart surgery and did ok at first but wasn't improving like they would like. Today they ran some tests and she has to have surgery again to put in another stint, because the one they just put in is too small. She has only been on this earth for 2 weeks now and gone through so much. She is going to need a lot of prayers to God to make her healthy. Also please pray for my son Jeremy and his wife Jenny for it is so stressful for them. I really appreciate all the prayers and I will keep you updated. God Bless, --Jeff and Becky Minnis

Roxanne Emeott has a serious bone infection and was being treated by an IV antibiotic. She has had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic and her doctor is trying to figure out what the next step is. Please pray for Roxanne’s comfort and knowledge for her doctor. -- Susan Boothe

Please lift Melanie Zimmer in your prayers; she is in emergency with a possible blood clot. Please also lift Gabrielle and the rest of their family for peace and strength. --Carolyn J Young

FREE FOOD

(Isa 55:1)

Today in God’s Word

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

Please join your brothers and sisters

studying and praying with us today…

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY

July 16, 2009

The Real Me

By Renee Swope

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together
in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13 (NIV)

Devotion:

I sat in the circle dreading my turn to talk. The facilitator of our team-building activity had asked our group of eight to answer these questions: What do you love to do? If finances were unlimited and failure was unlikely, what would be your dream?

I started praying we'd run out of time before it got to me. But just in case I had to answer, I listened to everyone else describe their dreams, hoping to get ideas. One wanted to be the first female president of the United States. Another friend said she'd always wanted to sing in a Christian rock band. I knew I was in trouble.

Here I was 32-years-old at the time, and I didn't know who I was or what my dreams were. Eventually everyone looked at me for a response. I stumbled over my words but finally admitted that I didn't really know what I loved to do. I didn't have a dream. I felt like a third-grader living in a grown woman's body. Did I want to be a nurse, a schoolteacher or a movie star?

Who was I and what did I like to do?

Unfortunately, I'd never taken time to think about or answer that question. Instead, I had tried to be who others wanted or needed me to be. But honestly, I wasn't very good at it. I often had this uneasy feeling in my heart and a sense of just not being happy. I was also a constant candidate for burn out.

Later the group facilitator encouraged me to ask God what His dreams were for my life and to spend time getting to know myself better. She also suggested I read some books on personalities. I took her advice and began a process of getting to know the "real me" who had gotten buried in the busyness of life and people pleasing.

As I read books about different temperaments and personality traits, I started to recognize what I liked, strengths that came natural for me, and what I needed emotionally to encourage my heart. Instead of wanting to be like women I knew and admired, I realized there was a reason I was who I was -- with my passionate preferences and mixed bag of emotions. For the first time I felt like someone (the author of those books) understood me. I also sensed that God wanted to use the unique way He made me to shape my heart for ministry.

Isn't it easy to completely neglect ourselves to meet the needs of everyone around us, and call it self-sacrifice? It sounds godly, but in doing so we risk shutting down a place in our soul where God's dreams and gifts are waiting to be revealed. It's not self-seeking but God-seeking to intentionally get to know and become the woman He created you to be.

So, how well do you know the real you? Have you ever taken time to think about what you like to do? How would you fill your free time if you had no fears, no insecurities and no doubts? (You probably have no free time, but what if you did?) What are your dreams?

I hope you'll take time to get to know the woman God created you to be. In doing so, I discovered the life I was meant to live, the dreams I was meant to dream.

Remember, God made you. He knows you and He loves you just the way you are. The only change He desires is that you become more like Him, as you become more like you!

Lord, I want to know the woman You had in mind when You created me. I don't want to grow old and never know Your purpose for my life. Show me your dreams for my life so I can offer what You want to give to those around me through my unique desires, personality strengths, spiritual gifts, abilities and experiences, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Application Steps:

In her book, Personality Plus, Florence Littauer describesfour personality types. See if you can relate to the desires and emotional needs of one or two of these:

Phlegmatic: Desires PEACE
Needs times of quiet, reduced stress, feeling of worth, relaxation

Choleric: Desires CONTROL
Needs appreciation for achievements, opportunity for leadership, and participation in decisions

Sanguine: Desires FUN

Needs attention, affection, approval, activity with people

Melancholy: Desires PERFECTION

Needs sensitivity, stability, support, space, silence

Reflections:
Reflect on today's verse, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.” Psalm 139:13 (NIV)

· Do I believe God created me with unique traits and dreams? Do I know what they are?

· Do I like who God created me to be? Why or why not?

Power Verses:

Psalm 139:13, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth," (NIV)