"Am I that easy to forget ?" NO you aren't - TRIBUTE TO JIM REEVES

Hi friends,

I was just listening to some songs by one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time Jim Reeves (1923-1964).The lyrics of his songs are so full of beauty & truth and his voice is soothing and smooth. More than anything we can sense his homesickness for heaven and a deep longing to be with the Lord.He finally was taken home at the young age of 40 in a private plane crash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Reeves

Do enjoy these lovely songs:

1) THE FLOWERS,THE SUNSET,THE TREES:  This lovely song is about how he tells us his certainty that there is a God when he looks at the Perfection in Creation. http://youtu.be/iWwssySbMJ0

2) WE THANK THEE:  This has been my most favourite one right from my childhood. I love the tune and also how beautifully Jim Reeves draws pictures from Nature of things for us to be grateful to God.http://youtu.be/3pXzge4uhVs

3) I'D RATHER HAVE JESUS : This song is about how Jim confesses that he would rather choose JESUS than wealth,possessions,fame,applause or anything else that the world had to offer. http://youtu.be/cgwGiF0-mlE

4) MY CATHEDRAL - The lyrics of this song leaves me spell bound . A must hear - it starts like this : "My cathedral has a ceiling of blue neath the sky "and goes on to tell us how he worships the Lord in the Cathedral of Nature.http://youtu.be/_98fZeShow0

5) A BEAUTIFUL LIFE : Through this song ,Jim gives us the message about how we should fill our short life here on earth with deeds of kindness and bring joy to those around. He has surely lived this song- PRAISE GOD FOR HIS BEAUTIFUL LIFE!http://youtu.be/FbBja_ZPRqo

 6) BUT YOU LOVE ME DADDY : A heart touching song of a Father's Unconditional Love for his 5 year old Son. It is so cute how it is so ingrained in the little child that HIS DADDY LOVES HIM NO MATTER WHAT! God's love for us is just like this!http://youtu.be/cuqQ_wI1RBQ

7) ACROSS THE BRIDGE : This song is a reminder to us that the pains and sorrows of this life are momentary and that there is a greater Glory coming - a land "across the river"where there will be no sorrow,no pain and we will never be unhappy again. 

http://youtu.be/L-FYGjhwo40

8) HAVE THINE OWN WAY LORD : This is a song that talks about a Full Surrender to the Lord and how we are the Clay and He is the Potter shaping us into a useful vessel for Him. http://youtu.be/U9R5bQhxnTM

9) WHISPERING HOPE : This song is above the soft gentle comforting voice of HOPE that asks us to Wait till the midnight is over and watch for the breaking of day.http://youtu.be/eqwomT5YSiw

10) I'LL FLY AWAY :  This song is an upbeat song that fills us with the joyful hope of RAPTURE and being with the Lord one day. http://youtu.be/TNXq5p5Voxw

Hope you enjoyed this post which is my TRIBUTE to this Legend of a Man who has blessed the lives of so many of us and continues to do so!

Have a great day!

Take care, God bless,

Sparky Laurie

Aug 29th 2011 METAMORPHOSIS - Butterfly Analogy

Hi friends,

Today I’d like to share a butterfly analogy that came to mind when thinking about the different phases in our Christian Spiritual Walk with the Lord. This is similar to the life stages of a Butterfly.*

1)    Egg stage -

       The egg on the leaf deposited by another butterfly can be likened to a person who has just accepted the Lord when Holy Spirit convicts him.

2)    First Instar Caterpillar -
      The next stage is when the Egg hatches and a young caterpillar now emerges. It is called the First Instar Caterpillar. It has only one job and that is to eat – very much like the baby Christian who is now thirsty for the living waters of God and hungry for the Bread of Life, he satisfies himself by voraciously feeding on the Word of God.

3)    Second Instar Caterpillar-
       At this stage, some changes have already started to occur to the caterpillar and he may look a little funny also. His head capsule is already separated from the rest of the body- This is when we have filled ourselves with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit begins to deal with us and reveal to us areas that we need to change. The quicker we obey what He says, the quicker we can change.

4)    Molting-

       This stage is when the caterpillar has grown larger for its skin to contain (as a result of continuous feeding) and so now begins to grow a new skin underneath the old skin- This refers to the stage when the sanctification process begins and we now begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit. There will be an automatic visible change in our character, as we are now new creations and during this time the new skin is exposed and slowly pushes away the old skin and this is called Molting.

5)    Third & Fourth Instar Caterpillars-

      The caterpillar continues eating, growing and shedding its skin once again. With every passing day, there are now visible changes in its appearance. It is no longer like the baby caterpillar nor is it a fully grown butterfly-This refers to the years in our Spiritual life when we discipline ourselves to feeding on the word and obeying whatever the Holy Spirit tells us to do including change in some areas of our lives that we were not previously aware was wrong. This revelation comes when we are willing to obey God even when it hurts us.

6)    Fifth Instar Caterpillar (PUPA)-
       Now the caterpillar has become too big for its skin. This time when the caterpillar molts, a new skin forms the outer shell of the Chrysalis / Pupa. Though it may appear that nothing is happening, inside the pupa a lot of changes are now taking place. The body of the caterpillar is now being transformed to butterfly- Wings & antennae are formed, mouth parts are changed- This refers to the stage in our Christian life when nothing seems to be happening but we continue to stand on God’s promises and trust His faithfulness. We may wonder what has happened and feel lonely and forgotten but this is the time when God draws closest to us. We will now start seeing Him with new eyes and hearing Him with new ears. We have the promise to encourage us but He asks us to WAIT patiently till the right time.

7)    Emerging Butterfly –

      This is the stage when the outer shell Pupa breaks and the butterfly emerges. Even though it has wings, they are small & wet and so it cannot fly as yet. It must pump fluids from within and cause the wings to expand to their full size, dry and then exercise its flight muscles before it can fly- This refers to the stage when God reveals to us that we are ready and that He has fully equipped us with what we need to fly. But just like the butterfly, we need to exercise our faith and spread our wings, shake off our fears and insecurities in ourselves and trust God to help us fulfill His call on our lives.

8)    Ready butterfly-
      This is the flying butterfly in our gardens – so pretty to look at and it brings us so much of joy. When we are ready, we will be able to fly free like this butterfly and bring joy to the lives of others too.

{*Source Reference: http://www.butterflyschool.org/new/meta.html}

Friend, I want to encourage you today that no matter which stage of Metamorphosis you are in today, rest assured in this promise Phil 1:6 : “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” 

Enjoy this beautiful song that confirms it. http://youtu.be/eNjZlHARnEk

Have a blessed week,

Take care, God bless,

Sparky Laurie

All Rights Reserved ©Copyright Protected

Aug 25th 3 WAYS TO LOOK UP WHEN LIFE LOOKS DOWN

LOOKING UP WHEN LIFE IS LOOKING DOWN

Hi friends,

Sometimes in life we go through moments when we just cannot discipline ourselves to focus on anything ; let alone prayer. Through 3 musical videos this post shares how I survive those dry days and tackle those tough moments when the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. I truly believe this may encourage someone today.

1) Be Honest with God-

Talk to Him like a little child and just tell Him how you feel in simple words- Something like this, "Abba I don't feel like praying today. I am tired Lord and though I trust and love you with all of my being I just feel so far away from you. Draw me close to you. I surrender into your hands this dark moment. Turn it around into something good and use it for Your glory. I cling on to your promises in blind faith and obedience believing that you will see me through like you always have. Thank you Lord." In Jesus name - Amen.

Enjoy this lovely song which gives the same message: 

http://youtu.be/lw9CcLGjouM

2) Write a Letter to God (Journal) - 

Journaling into a personal diary always helps us to get things out from deep inside of us. Writing out what we are feeling inside helps us to clear our mind and really understand what is bothering us. We may also be able to express ourselves in songs or poems. The much loved Book of Psalms in the Bible is actually such a journal account of the outpourings from the heart of King David. God loves it when we are so vulnerably honest with Him and that is why David was called a Man after God’s own Heart.

Here's a similar account in which 9 year old Tyler who is battling with cancer writes out his heart to God. A really touching Video from the movie "Letters to God". 

 http://youtu.be/r3l3GPmCrbI

 

3) Thank God -

When we choose to Praise and Worship God even when we don’t feel like, it means we are now looking at God's face and not His hand. This always pleases God. When we count our blessings, we will realize that we already have more than enough to be grateful to God and that will lift our Spirits up. A Gratitude Journal may help in doing this * (Refer AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE).

Enjoy this beautiful song by Don Moen which never fails to uplift our spirits!

http://youtu.be/v8uivSAbrxI

 I started writing this post feeling a little low myself but now feel great and am sure you too do.Trust me, these 3 ways always work! ;)

Have a blessed week,

Take care, God bless,

Sparky Laurie

All Rights Reserved ©Copyright Protected

Aug 23rd WHAT WOULD BE YOUR LAST WISH?

Hi friends,

These have been days of quiet meditation and reflection for me and that may come across in what I share with you today .This post is a little different and may even be a little deep but I believe that as I honestly share what I learn with you,it may help someone as it is always good to be prepared in life. So, just go ahead and enjoy this Special post ....

Friend, if you could make ONE LAST WISH  before your life was over? What would you wish for ? WHAT WOULD YOUR ONE DESIRE BE?

What could we wish for in this world so filled with insecurity, loneliness, darkness, turmoil, confusion, pain, sickness and sorrow? I have no  clue as to what you could safely wish for and die ......  However, I certainly do know what I would wish for : My One Desire would definitely be the Presence of  the Lord Jesus ;The ANSWER to all  the above given problems in life - He is our ROCK in insecurity, Our BEST FRIEND in loneliness, Our LIGHT in the darkness, Our PEACE in the unrest, Our GUIDANCE through the chaos, Our COMFORT in Pain and our HEALTH in Sickness, Our JOY in Sorrow. 

 JESUS is undoubtedly the ONE THING TO DESIRE in LIFE.

Sharing the heart stirring lyrics of this beautiful song ‘ONE DESIRE’ by Lenny Le blanc. Hope you enjoy it! 

Chorus:
If I could have One Desire
Before my life is through
Even in my darkest night
My life would shine for You
If I could stop the hands of time
Or make a wish come true
I would tell my heart to burn with fire
For no one else but You
This is my One Desire

Verse:1
You are my Saving Grace
Anchor of my soul
In a world that's turned upside down
I want you to know….. Chorus:

Verse:2
You are my Faithful Friend
The One that I lean on
You always understand
With all that I am
I'll give you the deepest devotion I know
With all of my strength
I won't let You go
As I look to You above
I will give You all my love….. Chorus:

http://youtu.be/UBurjeIcbdE

Take care, God bless,

Sparky Laurie

Aug 22 I AM A SOLDIER IN THE ARMY OF GOD

I am a soldier in the Army of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct. Faith, prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare.

I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity and tested by Fire.

 I am a volunteer in this Army and I am enlisted for Eternity. I will not get out, sell out, be talked out or pushed out.

I am faithful, Reliable, Capable and dependable. If my God needs me, I am there.

I am a soldier, not a wimp. I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His Name and building His kingdom.

 I am Committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around. I cannot be discouraged enough to turn myself aside. I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into His army, I had nothing. If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead. I will win. My God has and will continue to supply all my needs. I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph.

 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Devil cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Governments cannot silence me. And Hell cannot handle me. I am a soldier. Even death cannot destroy me. For when my Commander Calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to Captain and then allow me to rule with Him.

I claim the victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around. I am a soldier marching heaven bound. My desire is to know Christ more each day and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.

Not that I have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brethren, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do; forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

-Author Unknown

Enjoy this lovely WARRIOR CALL SONG:   https://vimeo.com/58783863

 Would you like to join this great army today? The invitation is for one and all -Accept the Lord Jesus into your life and join today!

Take care, God bless,

Sparky Laurie

Aug 21st: ANALOGY: Spiritual Life of MAN with Modern Day COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY!

Hi friends,

Just sharing this beautiful thought I came across from the website turnbacktogod.com

It’s about how we can compare our Spiritual Life with Modern Day ComputerTechnology!

This one is especially dedicated to all you techies out there! Hope you enjoy it as much as I- (a total non- techie) did!

MAN THE COMPUTER

SPIRIT is our PROCESSOR,

SOUL - MONITOR,

BODY – KEYBOARD.

Satan created & spread the VIRUS (SIN).

JESUS SACRIFICIAL BLOOD is the ANTI-VIRUS (forgiveness of sins).

ACCEPTING JESUS IN THE HEART is REINSTALLING (born again).

MAKING JESUS LORD OF OUR LIFE is the OPERATING SYSTEM.

OUR DAILY WALK WITH JESUS is the FIREWALL PROTECTION (protection from evil).

PRAISE AND WORSHIP is the SPIDER WEB SOFTWARE (which protects us from attacks).

RENEWING OUR MIND is the SCREEN SAVER.

HOLY SPIRIT is the POWER CORD.

OBEYING GOD’S WORD is the CONTROL PANEL.

PRAYER is the INTERNET CONNECTION (connecting us to God).

HEAVEN is the MAIN SERVER.

BELIEVERS AROUND THE WORLD is the NETWORK.

TRANSFORMED LIFE is the WEBSITE.

FELLOWSHIP WITH BELIEVERS is CHATTING.

SHARING CHRIST & WITNESSING is SENDING EMAIL.

WE ARE SINNERS is the USER NAME.

SALVATION is the PASSWORD.

-      From TURNBACKTOGOD.com

Enjoy this lovely VIDEO : IN CHRIST ALONE 

Have a great week !

Take Care, God bless,

Sparky Laurie

Aug 17th 2011 RUNNING THE RACE OF FAITH

Hi there,

While prayerfully pondering over what to share with you this week, the Lord brought to my mind a dream I had many years back while I was in college. I share it in obedience believing that it will encourage someone in their spiritual walk with the Lord.

“I was running a race on a straight path ahead of me with lovely green trees on both sides. I  had a good head start and was actually enjoying the running.After some time, I  could see the finish line ahead. When I saw how little more there was to go- almost only an arms length, I looked back for the others and then suddenly as I lost my focus, I heard a loud alarm bell ring and suddenly a glass door closed which prevented me from being able to finish the race and cross to the other side. I was shocked, more so because it was by such a short distance that I had missed winning and entering to the other side !”

This dream really shook me but I also felt an inner peace as it was a warning in love by our Loving Father who warns His beloved Children of dangers so that we may avoid them. Though not immediately applicable at that time, I have treasured this dream in my heart since that day. It reminds me of  Gal 5:7 “ You were running a good race, what hindered you that you should not obey the truth?”

 Many of us start off our race of Faith with a good head start. However due to different reasons we unknowingly/unintentionally lose our focus. One of the main reasons for this may be the trials of life that make us weary or discouraged . I’d like to share with you some points by  Erwin W Lutzer  that can help us in understanding what a Temptation/Trial really is:

1)It is God’s method of testing our Loyalty to Him –

We actually prove our Love for God when we obey Him no matter what happens.

2)It is God’s Character Development Curriculum for us-

3)It is God’s magnifying glass showing how much work He has left to do in us.

4)To bring out our latent sinfulness, just like heating metals like gold brings impurities to the surface.

5)To confirm us to the Image of His Son- the actual finished product!

6)To bring out the best and worst in us- It often reveals hidden potential we never knew we had.

7)My fav one of all : God strikes at the core of our Motivation-He is not interested in applying a fresh coat of paint with new rules but wants to rebuild us with new values. He is intrested in our heart- our most important part - which nobody else sees except GOD and the person.

Lord enable us to say at the end of it all : 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” Run in order to win the prize!

Enjoy this lovely song as we run the race to win the prize!  HOMEWARD BOUND! https://youtu.be/2lYwaN5KdgM

Have a blessed week,

Take Care, God bless,

Sparky Laurie

PS: Post your prayer requests,if any on our Prayer Wall.

All Rights Reserved ©Copyright Protected

Aug 11th 2011 Poem: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF ALL

Hi, just sharing a poem I penned today.It's about Beauty everywhere around but most of all Beauty in the SON! This is also my first collage made with the pictures of the beautiful things I've mentioned in the poem! Hope you enjoy it!

MY BEAUTIFUL THINGS COLLAGE - Made by Sparky Laurie

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF ALL:

Beauty is everywhere -

In the eye of the beholder ; it’s there.

Beauty in the slowly rising sun,

In the laughter of children having fun.

In pretty butterflies fluttering around,

In colored autumn leaves falling to the ground.

In lovely fragrant flowers,

In cool rainy showers.

In a doggie wagging his tail,

In a loved one’s email.

In the gentle breeze,

In heavily- laden sweet smelling fruit trees.

In the smooth shells on the seashore,

In a youngster helping an aged person through the door.

In the joy of sharing a home-cooked meal,

In a lovely orange peel.

In the sweet kiss of a baby,

In the shy blush of a lady.

In the crisp fresh laundry just dry,

In the shining stars twinkling in the black sky.

In a multi-colored rainbow,

In the softly falling white snow.

In the aroma of freshly baked bread,

In watching a sunset turn the sky turn red.

In the warm embrace of a loved one,

But most of all, BEAUTY is in JESUS, God’s only begotten SON!

-         Laura Ann Jacob

(10/08/2011)

Click to enjoy this Week’s Musical Treat! https://youtu.be/DAPHq-q1vgQ

Have a blessed week,

Take care & God Bless,

Sparky Laurie

All Rights Reserved ©Copyright Protected