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(Stanley) We are either in the process of resisting God's truth or in the process of being shaped by His truth

(Stanley)  The Bible never minimizes our difficulties or suffering; instead it magnifies the rewards that accompany our faith

(Stanley) On this side of heaven we will never understand how all things can work together for good for God's children. Certainly not all things in themselves are good but God knows how He'll do it, and in Him we trust

The humorous story is told of  a  young man taking a walk in a park and seeing an old gentleman in the park. The young man asked the older man how he was doing. The older man thought for a moment and then replied, " Pretty good , I guess, I still looking down at the grass "

( Roper) We cannot know any truth until we have begun to obey it. As someone has said, " To know and not to do is not to know at all "

( Ray Stedman) You and I can never be complete without God, nor can we ever discover or fulfill the true meaning of life without a personal relationship with the indwelling God

( Keith Miller) Sin is the ultimate addiction

(Roper) A pure heart is an individual heart in which there is but one desire- to be loved by our  Lord Jesus and to love Him in return

(Roper) How do we view our troubles? Are they driving us toward bitterness and despair or are they drawing us into deeper intimacy with God?

(Stanley) Don't leave this world as dark as you found it

( Bill Crowder) What would a documentary on your life  reveal? Selfishness or selflessness?

(Roper) I want to listen so that when I finish a conversation, others will walk away knowing there is at least one person in this care-less world who has some inkling of what they are doing or thinking or feeling or going through. I want to hear the hushed undertones of their hearts. I want them to know that I care. Listening is a lost art these days. We don't listen well and we aren't used to being listened to. Listening is hard work and most of us aren't willing to put in the necessary time

(Roper)  Without prayer, I will accomplish absolutely nothing

(Roper) It is never too late to get started; we are never to old to begin

( Roper)   Most of us, at one time or another, have been fooled by those  who glimmer and shine, but whose hearts are dark and deceitful.  Beware of those who look to good to be true-often they are

( Amy Carmichael) In acceptance lies peace

( Isaac Walton) Good company on a journey makes the way seem shorter

(Roper) There is something delightful about old folks who keep their sense of humor. They are a joy to be around

( Roper) If you let the mind grow old, the body will grow old also

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(Roper)  The hope of going Home keeps me going. I can hardly wait to get there

(Roper)   In general, as we age, there is a vast disparity between the sight that confronts us in the mirror each morning and the young person that resides within

An 80 year old gardener, when asked his age, replied, " I am an octogeranium "

A little girl described her grandfather as a  " grumppa "

(Roper) The most important thing is to cultivate a cheerful spirit, never allowing pessimism to gain the upper hand. Hold onto your sense of humor with both hands- the older you grow, the more you will  need it. It is losing the thrill and zest of life that makes a person old. They don't lose the thrill because they are old.They ae old because they lose the thrill

( G K Chesterton ) Joy is the gigantic  secret of the Christian- the dominant theme of the Christian faith

( Roper)  Regardless of the roots of my behavior, I am morally responsible for the wrong that I do

(Roper) God does not despair of us even when we despair of ourselves

(Roper)  God can take the most difficult and damaged life and gradually turn it into good. He does  not leave us in ruins

(Roper)  For most of us, in our spiritual lives, we don't make quantum leaps, only tentative steps mingled with many hard falls. It has been a gradual thing, better seen in retrospect than in prospect

(Hollie Miller)  God's will is  more important than your will
                         Your heart is more important than your appearance
                         The Holy Spirit is more powerful than human resources
                          Waiting on God is always better than rushing ahead

( Ravi Z )  Without God, how do you tell right from wrong, what is the purpose of your esistence, and where is your hope?

( Augustine) You have made us for Yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You

( Hollie Miller)  Using  I Sam 18-19 as text for message: If my relationship with God is not right, my relationship with others cannot be right due to walls  we buld, walls of jealousy, anger, deception, and instability

( Hollie Miller) Sometimes people get so upset they don't know whether to cuss or wind their watches

( Hollie Miller) God calls us to prove our faith, guard our mind, and take our stand

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(William Law)  If you have not chosen God, it will make no difference in the end what you have chosen for you will have missed the purpose for which you were formed and you will have forsaken the only thing that satisfies

(Roper) Isn't it good to know that it isn't too late to begin again, to put God back into your life?

(Roper) Compassion is rare in this world; few seem to know how to respond to other's pain

(Roper) Suffering  is the means by which we grow more compassionate and merciful toward others who are in distress

(Roper) It is always wrong to repay evil for evil. It is always wrong to take pleasure in another person's pain, even when that person has wronged you deeply

(Roper) We can never stop growing toward God. Holiness is a dynamic thing, a matter of motion. There is no static balance in the spiritual life. We are either moving toward God or away from Him

(Roper) We must never  let up, for our adversary does not. We must pursue God and His righteousness with hearty energy to the end of our days

( Wiersbe) Marriages don't cause problems,they reveal them

( Roper) Pain and sorrow  become the means by which God frees us from our preoccupation with earthly things and turns our hearts to unseen, eternal realities

( Roper) One of the greatest gifts we can give others is to talk less and listen more. We can do more with our ears than with our mouth

(Roper) Each morning when you awake, meditate on the thought that " I may go to God today or He may come to me "

( Roper) Without prayer, I will accomplish absolutely nothing

( Roper) No one can see God, but they can see me

(Roper) Your " neighbor" is the next needy person you meet

( Roper) I am nothing. He is everything. To Him be the glory ( not me )

(Roper) Faith is unrestricted, unreserved, and unconditional certainty

( Roper) Our faith pleases God more than anything else we can do

( Churchhill) There is nothing quite as exhillerating as being shot at without results

( Roper) Life is too uncertain and too fragile to treat it carelessly

( Roper)  From time to time it is wise to ask  " At my death, will I have  left anything behind of significance? " " Will there be any enduring evidence that I have been here? "

( George Whitefield) We are immortal until our work on earth is done

( Roper)  When we have done all God had in mind for us to do, then, and only then, will He take us Home

( St. Benedict) While there is still time we must listen and  do what will profit us for eternity

The low esteem support group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use  the back door

(Roper) We must learn to see ourselves as God sees us and know that He highly values us. You are of infinite worth in God's eyes. Imagine! The Creator of the universe thinks you are someone very special

( Roper) We are loved by Infinite Love

( Roper) If we listen to our heart and pay attention, it will murmur its discontent with this world and its desire for a better place. We are mostly homesick, yearning for our Father and our eternal Home Everything else leaves a void. Now that I am getting closer to the end of my journey, I'm thinking more like a transient

( John Bunyan) Once we've caught sight of the Celestial City, we can never be content with anything less

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(Swindoll) 80 % of the pastors in America minister in churches  with attendance of less than 200

Empathy has been defined as your pain in my heart

(Frederick Bruchner) Only  a life given away is worth living

(Roper) The greatest thing in all the world is love. It is our best gift to God and to others. Perhaps you and I can do nothing more  than to love a soul, but that is enough

(Jonathan Edwards) All that are truly godly  have a tender spirit in them

( Hannah More) A small unkindness is a great offense

(Roper) Gentleness is strength under control

(Roper) Calm,unruffled silence is often the most elegant response to another's unkind words

(Roper) The root of a gentle spirit is humility

(Roper) If I would be gentle and meek with those who disappoint me, I must know that I am as flawed and weak as they are

( Pastor Sam Polson) To  not want something is more valuable than possessing it

(Polson) A rich man is poor when his wealth increases his worries

( Stanley) Brokenness is God's requirement for maximum usefulness

(Roper) Materialism is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities. For many, enough is never enough

(Augustine) One who has God has everything and one who has everything but God has nothing

(Roper)  The greatest thing  is to know that God loves us. The second greatest is to know that we need nothing more.

(Roper) The life we live is not our's, but His

(Roper) There is awesome power in silence

(Roper) Jesus always has the last word

(Roper) My behavior, when caught off guard, is the best evidence of the sort of person I am

( G K Chesterton) The angels fly because they take themselves lightly

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)  Every person I meet is in some way my superior in that I can learn from them

(Roper) We must not let our defeats defeat us

(Roper) We find ourselves by giving ourselves away

(Roper) Those who have had the greatest impact on us are not the brightest and the best, but those who have given themselves in love, self-surrender, and sacrifice

( Ugo Bassi) He who suffers most has the most to give

(Roper) We were put here on earth to know God and for no other reason.  If we do not know Him, no matter what else we have done our lives, we  have been a failure

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(Dave Roper) Live life with the calm assurance that grace for the next act of obedience is already there

( Roper) When we acknowledge our sins, God makes us more merciful to others in their weaknesses

( Our Daily Bread)  Teamwork divides the effort and multiplies the effect

(Roper) Appearance is greatly  overrated

(Roper) You are His special creation, designed by birth to manifest God's loveliness in a unique way

(George MacDonald) We are as God made us, but we are not as God will make us

(Roper) As we age, we get less interested in impressing others

(Roper) Love is the best gift I can give to God and others throughout the day

(Roper) Evil days are days of opportunity

(Roper) Putting on the whole armor of God is a great way to dress for success

(Roper) One of the things I'm learning as I grow older is not to expect  too much from people

It has humorously been said that blessed are those who expect nothing for they shall never be disappointed

(Stanley) We learn more in our valley experiences than our mountain top ones

(Roper) Christ's " Well done" may be the only appreciation we receive for  the good we've done on earth but, in the end, it is the only praise that will matter

(Roper) We should be gaining insight to distinguish between the temporary and the timeless, the passing and the permanent

(Roper) How do we view our troubles? Are they driving  us toward bitterness and despair or are they drawing us into deeper intimacy with God

(Roper)  Quoting from a book entitled " Letters to God from children  : " Dear pastor: I know that God loves  everybody, but I don't think He ever met my sister, Yours sincerely, Arnold ( age 8)

(Roper) One of Satan's temptations is to try to get us to dwell on other's vices instead of reflecting on their virtues. Love looks for  goodness and nobility in others

(Roper) Worship is the way we get our minds off our circumstances and ourselves and give our full attention to God

(Roper) God is and will be our companion and friend until our traveling days are over and we reach our heart's true Home

( St. Benedict) We descend by self-exaltation and ascend by humility

(Roper) The important thing is not to live long, but to live well

(Roper) As we grow older, we finally become what we've been becoming all along

(Roper) Every day can be a new beginning

(Henry Durbanville)  Oh, to go back across the years long vanished, to have the words unsaid, the deeds undone

( David Roper) Years ago in my student days, shortly after the earth's crust began to cool

(Roper) While God  may heal our handicaps, more often than not, He takes them as they are and puts them to glorious use

(Roper) Some are poor in possessions and appearance; others are poor in faith, hope, and love

(Roper) Few seem to be aware of the pain  all  around them; they go their way, inattentive and unmoved

( Roper) Perhaps we don't have much to give, but we can pay attention

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(Ray Stedman) There never was a day in which people were bombarded  with so many words, so much literature, so much spouting of words through the media, and yet so much of it is thoroughly empty, unsatisfying, and misleading in the extreme

(David Roper) Enjoy your journey to maturity as you gain perspective on the past and hope for the future. Make the most of every moment of life

(Roper)  There are many things I've forgotten, but right now I can't remember what they are

( John Greenleaf Whittier) Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are those " it might have been "

( Dave Roper) I once asked a friend who had been cruelly abused how he dealt with his grievances. He replied, " I've got a good forgetter"

(Roper) How can we forget the bitterness of our past? By seeing God's providence in every event of our lives, even in our mistakes and in others malice

(Roper) God's eternal goal is to bring us to the place where all that we have  and all that we desire is God

(Roper) Those who are unwilling to do God's will  will have no knowledge of God's ways

( Czeslaw Milosz )  High notions of oneself are annhilated by a glance in the mirror

( Dave Ropers ) Quoting a friend:" A little powder, a little paint, makes a girl seem what she ain't "

(Roper) If we would but see ourselves today as we shall be then, we would be left speechless in awe and wonder

(Roper) What I hold in my mind will, in time, show upon my face

(Roper)  If only I could live my life over again, we say, I would do better. Not likely

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(Ray Stedman) If you try to live your life without recognizing God, ultimately you will find yourself empty,dissatisfied, and restless

(StedmanO God has appointed a time when He will bring to light all the hidden things and straighten them out

(Stedman) People really do not want things. They want to be admired for the things they have. The drive to be admired is the true objective of many lives

(Ray Stedman) God is in charge of life, so let Him be in charge

(Stedman) There is no way we can understand the complexity and depth of struggles many are going through

(Stedman) God see all of life from beginning to end

(Stedman) God is a realist. He never plays games with us. He sees things the way they really are and He tells us the way they are

(Stedman)  For many successful people, having arrived at where they always wanted to be, and having everything they always wanted to have, they do  not want anything they've got and, at last, they must give it all up. A person can have abundance of possessions-- all that money can buy-- and yet lack the power to enjoy them. They are trying desparately to enjoy those things, yet their faces have a hollowness about them. Their eyes betray an emptiness inside. Enjoyment cannot be found by effort, by cleverness, nor by the pursuit of pleasure. It must be taken as a gift from God's hand

Some people live only in the past

( C S Lewis ) To argue with God is to argue with the very Power that makes it possible to argue at all

( Stedman)  There is one person in this world you do not know--- it is you. You do not understand yourself

(Stedman) One of the greatest follies of life is to try to imitate somebody else. If you succeed in that, you'll be nothing but a cheap imitation of another person



( Stedman) Death is wholly with God's hands. No man has the power to recall the spirit when God calls it home. A funeral does not permit us to escape ultimate reality. A funeral is proof that we are not in control of our own lives

( Stedman) Buried in honorable graves and remembered as great leaders are many wretches who were wicked and violent men

(Stedman) We must learn to live with mystery. We are not smart enough, we do not see enough, and we do not understand enough. The full meaning of the present experiences of life will never be known until death intervenes- then will come all the answers abundantly, satisfyingly, and fully

( Stedman) Popular rejection is no sign that something is wrong

(Stedman) Secular wisdom may look good and feel right but neverless it is foolish
                                                                                                                     ( Ray Stedman) Joy is learning how to delight in the moment