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[NewSong]

Spiritual Growth



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 Peter 2:2-3[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]2 Peter 3:18[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]2 Timothy 2:15[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 Timothy 4:15[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Hebrews 6:1[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1] "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
"For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]2 Peter 1:5-8[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Ephesians 3:14-19[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Colossians 1:9-11[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Colossians 3:16[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]2 Corinthians 3:16[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 92:12[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1] "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Philippians 1:6, 9, 10[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Ephesians 4:14-15[/size][/font]

 

[The Story Teller]

January 15
​

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream
​

“I have a dream that one day … people will be judged more for the content of their character than the color of their skin.”
—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
​

Americans love to dream about peace and prosperity. Some people dream only for themselves. Other people dream for us all. It is not surprising that a dreamer would come to the forefront of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was more than a gifted orator. His message of challenge and hope was fuller, more thought out, and more powerful than that of any other leader in the movement. He had a vision of the future in which all people would be given an equal chance for success and every person would be treated with dignity and respect. He painted a picture of the future based on his belief that God wanted all of His children to live together in peace and with honor for each other. However, not everyone appreciated his message.

Leaders are often loved deeply by some and hated intensely by others. As a result, leaders must pay a price for standing at the forefront of a cause. For his courage to stand against prejudice and hate, Dr. King was assassinated. Fortunately, dreams are more powerful than one person’s life. Dreams based on truth, dignity, and righteousness somehow stand against those who would destroy them. As long as leaders have enough character to stand up against evil and to fight for honor, righteousness, and dignity, America will continue to grow closer to its dream of peace and prosperity for all of its citizens.

Consider This: Open your eyes and determine where people are being treated unfairly. Be quick to respond. Use your influence to bring about equality and integrity among those with whom you deal.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

January 16
​

Maugham Waits for Success
​

“A man will work and slave in obscurity for ten years and then become famous in ten minutes.”
—Bob Ripley
​

W. Somerset Maugham graduated from medical college, but his heart was in writing fiction. Time and again, he tried to get jobs as a writer and failed. He went hungry. For eleven long years editor after editor ignored his writings. However, Maugham kept sending his manuscripts to whomever he could. Like a fisherman with many lines in the water, he held on, hoping for that “bite.” One of Maugham’s plays was on the desk of the manager of a London theater when the venue’s current production failed. The manager needed to come up with something quickly to fill a time slot and fished around on his desk, ultimately finding Maugham’s Lady Fredrick. The manager initially had not thought much of the play, and it had remained on his desk for a year. But since the show must go on, he decided to use Maugham’s play to “fill the time.”

Lady Fredrick was a smash! Instantly, every theater manager in London began clamoring for a Maugham play. Publishers wanted his works, and royalties came pouring in. Within a month, Maugham was the toast of high society and had obtained money, prestige, and fame. The rest is history. To “be in the right place at the right time,” you or your work must be visible in the marketplace. Nothing sitting on the shelf can ever find success. It must be available, waiting for the public to try it, taste it, feel it. Good work will then be discovered and recognized for its quality.

Consider This: Are your ideas being presented to the public? Is your product being tried and tested by those who would use it? Are you sitting on something that could be a success?

Submitted by Richard

 

[NewSong]

Strength

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Then he said to them, 'Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.'" [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Nehemiah 8:10 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 18:2 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?" [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 27:1 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"My soul weeps because of grief; strengthen me according to Your word." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 119:28 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 8:14 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.'" [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 30:15 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 40:29 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 40:31 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 41:10 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"He said, 'O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!' Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, 'May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.'" [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Daniel 10:19 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Ephesians 3:16, 17 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Ephesians 6:10 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Ephesians 6:13 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Philippians 4:13 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Colossians 1:10-12 [/size][/font]

 

[The Story Teller]

January 17
​

Mae Jemison Is First in Space
​

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.”
—Emily Dickinson
​

When Star Trek took to the small screen in the 1960s, it not only introduced concepts of space exploration, it crossed a barrier by involving minorities in major leadership roles on the starship Enterprise. For young Mae Jemison, the role of Lieutenant Uhura was particularly exciting. As an African-American girl interested in science and space, she found no role models in the all-white and all-male astronauts going into space. Yet, in the fictional world of Star Trek, she found a like mind. When Mae graduated from high school, she entered Stanford and received degrees in chemical engineering and African-American history. Following her undergraduate studies, she earned a medical degree from Cornell.

Mae’s interests extend beyond the scientific. She served with the Peace Corps in Africa, has learned three foreign languages (Russian, Swahili, and Japanese), and is an accomplished amateur dancer. In 1985, Dr. Jemison interviewed at NASA and received encouragement from Robert McNair, one of the first African-American astronauts. Mae was accepted as an astronaut candidate in 1987 and in September 1992 became the first African-American woman in space. Each day she began her work shift quoting Lieutenant Uhura’s words, “Hailing frequencies open!” Since her stint aboard the space shuttle, Dr. Jemison has often taken time from her busy work schedule to speak to children and encourage them to follow their dreams.

Consider This: America is a land of many opportunities, but they are not given to you without cost. You often must struggle, study hard, and overcome substantial obstacles to realize your own American Dream.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

January 18
​

If I Only Had a Brain
​

“There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”
—Dorothy
​

When The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1899, it quickly became an American classic. One of the reasons for its success is that so many people can relate to Dorothy’s search for her own American Dream. As depicted in the movie version, Dorothy sees her home in Kansas as a black and white place—not offering her much of an exciting future. She looks over the rainbow, wishing she could fly away to a land of wonder and opportunity. When a tornado sweeps her away to the land of Oz, Dorothy meets three other friends who also have their own problems. The lion is cowardly, the scarecrow thinks he needs a brain, and the tin man desires a heart. Then they hear that the mighty Wizard of Oz can provide a solution to their problems.

During their journey to meet the Wizard, the lion overcomes his fears, the scarecrow has ideas on how the travelers can overcome roadblocks, and the tin man shows compassion. Dorothy discovers that, for all the excitement in Oz, what she really wants can be found at home. In many ways the story shows us that we do not have to be transported to a wonderful land by winning a lottery, being discovered as a movie star, or suddenly inventing the equivalent of the light bulb. More often, we find our dream by realizing that we have opportunities and riches where we are—with our families, friends, and business associates.

Consider This: Before seeking your dream in greener pastures, look for the opportunities, talents, and wealth that may already be yours in your own backyard.

Submitted by Richard

 

[NewSong]

Prayer[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 7:7-8[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 21:22[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 John 5:14-15[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Jeremiah 29:12[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 65:24[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"You will pray to Him, and He will hear you; and you will pay your vows."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Job 22:27[/size][/font]



[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 16:23-24[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]James 5:16[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 14:13-14[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 15:7[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 6:6[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 50:15[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'"[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 58:9[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 15:29[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 91:15[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 7:11[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 34:17[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 55:17[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 145:18-19[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 6:8[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 John 3:22[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Jeremiah 33:3[/size][/font]



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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Mark 11:24[/size][/font]



[size=+1][/size]

 

[The Story Teller]

January 1
​

Sonny Bono
​

“Some people were under the misconception that Son was a short man, but he was heads and tails taller than anyone else.”
—Cher
​

Following his untimely death on the ski slopes in January 1998, Sonny Bono was remembered by four-term congressman and fellow actor Fred Grandy. “One thing you can say about him: He succeeded in two of the hardest industries in this country, show business and politics, two industries that tolerate almost anything but failure.” Most people agree that Sonny Bono did not have the appearance of success. His former wife, Cher, once called him the strangest-looking man she’d ever seen. But what Sonny lacked in appearance, he made up for with determination and savvy.

Early in his singing career, Sonny had to borrow $175 to have his first hit song, “Baby Don’t Go” recorded. The investment proved a wise move, and that initial success allowed him to write and record a number of other hits, including “I Got You Babe,” which reached No. 1 status. In total, Sonny and Cher sold more than 40 million records. Sonny claims that his stand against drugs ended his career as a rock star, so he moved on to variety television. The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour consistently ranked among the top ten television shows of the day, but the couple’s break-up ended the series’ popularity. When Sonny was unable to establish a new career as an actor, he reinvented himself as a restaurateur. Following a fight with city bureaucracy over restaurant sign, he decided to enter politics and became mayor of Palm Springs. He then ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1992 and then won a seat in the House of Representatives in 1994.

Consider This: The road of life has many turns. Don’t give up. When one road becomes blocked, look for another that may lead to a new, even more exciting adventure.

Submitted by Richard

 

[NewSong]

Stress[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 Peter 5:7[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 Corinthians 10:13[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 12:25[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 5:16[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1] "I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
"The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 121:1-8[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 Thessalonians 5:18[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Philippians 4:6-7[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 14:27[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 46:1-3[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble; and those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 9:9-10[/size][/font]

 

[The Story Teller]

January 2
​

George Lucas
​

“I set out to make a film for a generation growing up without fairy tales.”
—George Lucas
​

Growing up in Modesto, California, George Lucas watched every adventure serial he could find. These short action films were stories of good versus evil, full of fights, chase scenes, and suspenseful cliff-hangers. When George needed inspiration for his own films, he returned in his mind to the films that excited him during his youth. Lucas graduated from the University of Southern California and, with his friend Francis Ford Coppola, formed a production company called American Zoetrope. His first feature, a science-fiction story called THX-1138, was the origin of the now famous THX “The audience is listening” advanced theater sound logo. In 1973, Lucas’s film American Graffiti was successful enough to give boosts to the careers of Ron Howard and Richard Dreyfus.

His third film catapulted Lucas to instant fame. Working with a brilliant team of up-and-coming special-effects wizards, Lucas’s new company, Industrial Light and Magic, created the dazzling effects for Star Wars. The sci-fi fairy tale, which merged cutting-edge effects with a strong story of good versus evil inspired by the early serials, took the world by storm. Lucas followed with The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and again used the serial formula successfully in the Indiana Jones trilogy. In 1992, with six mega-blockbusters under his belt, he received an Academy Award, the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Life Achievement Award. Although he stumbled with a few of his later productions, Lucas continued to do his best work when he told stories using the technique that first inspired his love of film.

Consider This: What makes you excited and passionate about your work? Use the energy you feel in your own life to get your message across to others.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

January 3
​

Ray Kroc Found a Winner and Multiplied It
​

“Common sense is instinct, and enough of it is genius.”
—George Bernard Shaw
​

Ray Kroc wanted to be a winner. For fifty-seven of his years he made a good living but never hit the jackpot. However, he kept his eyes open for an opportunity. As a salesman for a milk shake company, he was impressed by an order from a small hamburger stand in California that needed to make forty-eight shakes at a time. When he investigated, he found two brothers, Maurice and Richard McDonald, turning out hamburgers as quickly as they could be made. They had simplified the standard restaurant operation. As one of the brothers recalled: “Out went dishes, glasses, and silverware. Out went service, the dishwashers, and the long menu. We decided to serve just hamburgers, drinks, and french fries on paper plates. Everything prepared in advance, everything uniform.”

Kroc wanted a taste of the McDonalds’ success and hounded the brothers until they agreed to allow him to sell franchises. During the next six years, Kroc sold 200 McDonald franchises. In only twenty-two years, McDonald’s became a billion-dollar company. The ingredients that led to the success of McDonald’s over all others are simple. The menu is brief, containing only items whose consistent quality can be maintained in thousands of stores. There are strict standards for service, cleanliness, and store operations—and the standards are enforced. The company constantly researches its market (mostly families with children) to determine what customers want, and utilizes prolific and efficient advertising to carry its message to consumers.

Consider This: The plan is simple: quality, consistency, cleanliness, and good value. Most people will agree with the plan, but only the winner will implement it with passion.

Submitted by Richard

 

[NewSong]

Obedience


[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it." [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Deuteronomy 30:15-16 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you and that you may go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore to give your fathers." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Deuteronomy 6:18 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Deuteronomy 6:3 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Deuteronomy 7:12 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!" [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Deuteronomy 5:29 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"So keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper in all that you do." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Deuteronomy 29:9 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Philippians 4:9 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 5:19 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 7:24-25 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"If they hear and serve Him, they will end their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Job 36:11 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 8:28 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 15:10 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 13:17 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]James 1:25 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 John 3:22 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 2:13 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 5:24 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 12:50 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 John 2:17 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 7:21 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!" [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 106:3 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Hebrews 5:9 [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death." [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 8:51 [/size][/font]

 

[The Story Teller]

January 4
​

Parker Pens
​

“Our pens will write in any language.”
—George S. Parker
​

George Parker kept his eyes open for new opportunities. Of course, he had to make a living in the meantime, so he taught telegraphy. One day in 1892, George finally found an idea worth pursuing. He had come up with a concept for a fountain pen design that would eliminate a bothersome leakage problem that had plagued pens for over fifty years. George knew that the market for his pen would be huge. Virtually every person in the entire world who wrote anything was a potential customer. As he began to have success distributing his pens in the United States, George encouraged his associates to expand into new markets with the message, “Our pens will write in any language!” To that end, George began exporting his pens in 1903.

George was a meticulous manufacturer. Even though he had a fine design, he insisted on spending plenty of time and money to make sure that the pen would write in all conditions. It had to write equally well when used left-handed, slanted forward, slanted backward, etc. George insisted on innovation but was never too eager to bring a product to market until he was sure it was the best. When ballpoint pens were introduced, George continued to research for another nine years before introducing the “T-Ball Jotter.” Always keeping Parker pens at the top of the price lists, George acquired Eversharp in 1957 to address the lower price market. Today, Parker is one of the best-known American brands around the world.

Consider This: Someone will be at the top of the heap, and it will probably be the company that pays the most attention to quality.

Submitted by Richard

 

[NewSong]

Fear

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." [/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
2 Timothy 1:7 [/size][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
"For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'" [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
Romans 8:15 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
1 John 4:18 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 91:1 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
"He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
Psalm 91:4-7 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
"No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways."
[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 91:10-11 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
"Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught."
[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 3:25-26 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
"In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 54:14 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
"In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?" [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 56:11 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows." [/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 23:4-5 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.'
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 8:29,31,35-39[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD." [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalm 31:24 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 14:27[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1][/size][/font]

​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?
Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident."[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
Psalm 27:1, 3 [/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"So that we confidently say, 'THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?'"[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Hebrews 13:6[/size][/font]
​

 

[The Story Teller]

January 5
​

Famous Amos Cookies
​

“It’s important to start … start from right where you are.”
—Wally Amos
​

Wally Amos is one of the most renowned black entrepreneurs in America. He calls himself the “Jackie Robinson of the theatrical business.” It was Amos who “discovered” Simon and Garfunkel in a Manhattan club. Amos promoted talent at the William Morris Agency until he discovered something better. A friend dropped by one night with a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and they were so tasty that Amos wanted to know how to make them himself. Simple—the recipe was on a bag of Nestle’s chocolate chips. Amos’s promoter mind went crazy. He had “discovered” something big. After months of making cookies for all his friends, and perfecting the recipe to make it his own, Amos was ready to let the world in on his new discovery.

It was opening day in Hollywood, California. Two thousand people had been sent special invitations. A red carpet decorated the sidewalk. Celebrities arrived in limousines. Music was playing and champagne was flowing. It was the grand debut of “Famous” Amos’s first chocolate chip cookie store. Amos promoted his cookies nationwide, marketing them to exclusive department stores and specialty shops. Within five years, annual sales of Famous Amos cookies reached $5 million. Not everyone can afford a car phone, a Rolls Royce, a penthouse, diamonds, or jewelry. But almost everyone can afford a chocolate chip cookie.

Consider This: What’s out there waiting to be “discovered”? Look around. It may be the simplest, everyday thing that you can make the “best in the world.”

Submitted by Richard

 

[NewSong]

Faith[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!' And the Lord said, 'If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and be planted in the sea"; and it would obey you.'"[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Luke 17:5-6[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'but the righteous man shall live by faith.'"[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 1:17[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 3:22[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 5:1-2[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 10:17[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For we walk by faith, not by sight."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]2 Corinthians 5:7[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Hebrews 11:1[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 12:3[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Hebrews 12:2[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Hebrews 11:6[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"So that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 Peter 1:7-9[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 John 5:4[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"And Jesus said to him, 'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Mark 9:23[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]James 2:14-17[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"But someone may say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’ You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?"[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]James 2:18-20[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘and Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]James 2:21-26[/size][/font]
​

 

[NewSong]

Purpose[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 4:25-27[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 29:18[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling
with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Ephesians 4:1-3[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Philippians 3:13-14[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The naive believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 14:15[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Prepare plans by consultation, and make war by wise guidance."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 20:18[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Joshua 1:7[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 15:16[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 28:18-20[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 16:9[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Jeremiah 10:23[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 3:5-6[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Acts 1:8[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"There is an appointed time for everything. There is a time for every event under heaven."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Ecclesiastes 3:1[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Acts 26:16[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 8:28[/size][/font]

 

[The Story Teller]

January 6
​

Edison’s Bright Idea
​

“Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.”
—Thomas Edison
​

In 1878, when Thomas Edison announced that he would have a working small electric light “in a matter of weeks,” gas stocks plummeted. Riding on his already legendary reputation, Edison raised money, organized the Edison Electric Light Company, and set out to invent the electric light. The trick was simply to find the correct element for the light filament. Thousands of materials were tested, but none lasted beyond a few seconds. After months of failure, Edison hired a physics expert named Francis Upton. With Upton’s help, experimentation focused on a platinum filament, which showed some promise. It was now 1879. Work began early each morning, and Edison spent most of the day flitting from workbench to workbench observing the trials. At night he played songs at his pipe organ while he mulled over the day’s findings in his mind. By mid-1879 it was clear that the platinum lamp would not work.

In October 1879, Upton and Edison’s assistant Charles Bachelor began researching carbon. They devised a lamp with a short carbonized thread in a vacuum. Beginning on October 21, 1879, the carbonized lamp remained lit for 40 hours. The process had been messy, discouraging, and very non-romantic, but success was finally achieved. Edison believed the electric light could be produced. He placed his reputation on the line and endured more than a thousand failures before seeing that first successful lamp.

Consider This: If you have a good idea, work toward its completion. The road may be difficult and discouraging, but the success will be sweet.

Submitted by Richard

 

[NewSong]

Mercy[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 30:18[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 103:13[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 11:32[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Hebrews 4:16[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]James 2:13[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Jude 1:21[/size][/font]
​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]
[/size][/font]



[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 103:17[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"And He said, 'I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.'"[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Exodus 33:19[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they will say, 'You are my God!'"[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Hosea 2:23[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The merciful man does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 11:17[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"He who despises his neighbor sins, but happy is he who is gracious to the poor."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 14:21[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1] "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 12:20-21[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Luke 6:36[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Micah 6:8[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 14:31[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Proverbs 3:3[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Great are Your mercies, O LORD; revive me according to Your ordinances."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 119:156[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 63:9[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Daniel 4:27[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Matthew 5:7[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.'"[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 9:15[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Romans 12:1[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Ephesians 2:4[/size][/font]
​

[size=+1][/size]

 

[NewSong]

Joy

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 89:15-16[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and new wine abound."
[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 4:7​

[/size][/font]





[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."
[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 55:12[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 118:15[/size][/font]​

​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 126:5-6[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Light is sown like seed for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart. Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones, and give thanks to His holy name."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 97:11-12[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Job 22:26[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 15:11[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Habakkuk 3:18[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"So the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 51:11[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 33:21[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]1 Peter 1:8[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Then he said to them, 'Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.'"[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Nehemiah 8:10[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Isaiah 61:10[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"The righteous man will be glad in the LORD and will take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart will glory."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 64:10[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 63:5[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; yes, let them rejoice with gladness."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]Psalms 68:3[/size][/font]​

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]"Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you."[/size][/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=-1]John 16:22[/size][/font]​

​