I am so hurt.  RE Matt and Mark

One year ago Sunday mum died and went to see her beloved Lord and husband.

Tuesday is the actual date.

I will go from here to the cemetary to see if the flowers remain.

I will go home and cry today.... knowing Matt and Mark might never be a part of my life

Forgiveness

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:18, NKJV

In the Old Testament, when a person sinned, he was required to take the very best, blue-ribbon lamb he could find, one without any spots or blemishes, to the priest at the temple. There, in front of the priest, the sinner would grasp the lamb with both hands and confess his sin. His guilt was transferred to the lamb. The priest would then hand the sinner a knife, and the sinner would kill the lamb so that it was obvious the lamb had died as a result of the sinner's action.

The pervasive misconception today is that since Jesus died as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, then we are all automatically forgiven. But we overlook the vital truth that we must grasp the Lamb with our hands of faith and confess our sins. We then must acknowledge that He was slain for our sins as surely as if we had plunged the knife into His heart. At that moment, the Lamb becomes our High Priest and offers His own blood on the altar of the Cross on our behalf. And, wonder of wonders! God accepts the sacrifice and we are forgiven!

I just read this, from Anne graham Lotz.

I first heard her in South Africa and I get her devotional everyday.   Interesting enough, the irritation of ones lose of job is major in our lives.  I cannot know what type of pearl God made of my irritation, but I hope, I have learned how to pray and trust  Him as Sovereign and He can take care of all our needs, small or large, if we only lay them on the alter and allow Him to work His way.

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.

Revelation 21:21, NIV

Pearls are formed when a small grain of sand becomes embedded in an oyster, irritating it. To soften the irritation, the oyster coats the grain of sand with a smooth layer of what is called mother of pearl. As long as the oyster can feel the irritation, it continues to coat the sand with layers of pearl. What kind of irritation would have been necessary to form the pearls that make up the gates to our heavenly city when they are so large they can fit into a wall that is two hundred feet thick?! It must have been more than just irritation. It must have been horrendous, severe suffering!

I wonder . . . are the pearls a reminder, every time you and I enter My Father's House, that we enter only because of the intense suffering and death of God's Son? Do those pearly gates reflect the Cross of Jesus Christ?

hbalogrn@comcast.net	8:28 AM (8 minutes ago)
to me

Thank you ElLois, I know you are missing your mom as am I.  Hope all is well with you, I had a recent relapse, needed those awful steroids, but am bouncing back.....each time a little slower...God is so good.  I love this Laura Story song..it's in my I tunes.  We are kindred spirits.  INDEED WE ARE !!  Who would have believed in while we were in school together!
Love you!  Helen

----- Original Message -----
From: ElLois Betts <ellois.b@gmail.com>
To: Mary Papke <mbpapke6@comcast.net>
Sent: Sun, 13 May 2012 14:25:00 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Happy Mother's Day

I am praying for you

special woman of God

that God fills you with His love

His blessings

His mercies in disguise

and that your families show you 

extra love

on this

your most special day of the year.

You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His

You're beautiful

The sufficiency of my Shepherd

The Sufficiency of God's Power

To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, . . . be glory.

Ephesians 3:20-21, NKJV

If you are questioning the sufficiency of God's power to resolve your problems and pressures, your suffering and stress, your crisis and change, His answer is the same. The infinite power of the Living Logos of God is adequate for any need you or I will ever have.

We may intellectually grasp the truth that God's power is adequate, but we can never know that by experience if we stay in our comfort zone. If all you ever attempt is what you know you can do yourself, if all your needs seem to be met through someone or something other than God, if you never have any difficulties that are greater than you can bear-how will you know the awesome greatness and personal availability of His infinite power? It's when the Red Sea is before you, the mountains are on one side of you, the desert is on the other side, and you feel the Egyptian army closing in from behind that you experience His power to open up an escape route. He has power to do the supernatural, the unthinkable, the impossible.

I have 2 jobs.

Never did I think this could happen.

They are both PT.

The bills mount and the insurances remain unpaid.

I know this is an issue, let I loose the policies.

Vehicle

House

Stonebridge Life

~Life

~Hospital

~Accident

Globe Life

Physicians Mutual

I need mom's car taken care  . . . . 

~oil (bad)

~tune-up

~tires rotated

Lord, my Shepherd, I do not worry like I did before

because

I know you will provide in your TIME

which is never my time

but I am asking you know to provide

Chris Stepanovich with a job

so they can continue to need me

and thus I get $10/hr with hours.

You are also sufficient to help me get my head and WILL

around my tax situation.

I procrastinate.

You know full well.

Then I need to ready myself for the rummage sale

and get things done for that.

Sometimes I feel like I am drowning

in rummage and paperwork for taxes.

Just like you helped me with smoking

please do the same with

MY WILL

to do tax stuff

rummage stuff

keep Chris employed.

Did I officially ever thank you for the job at dressbarn?

You did a miracle for me by providing in such a short time and 

I so thank you.

 What do you think is so small that it's too small for God to notice?

A small tear?

A small hurt feeling?

A small insult?

A small sin?

A small worry?

Nothing is too small for the Creator's attention and activity!

Authentic Shepherds

The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.

John 10:2-3 NIV

The winter sheepfolds were located in the barren, rocky Judean hills. Each one was used by several shepherds who kept their flocks in the fold during the night for safety. The fold would have had high stone walls accessed by one strong, wooden door. It had no roof. One of the shepherds would act as the watchman at the door, staying inside the fold with the sheep all night, guarding against thieves, wild animals, and anything else that might harm the sheep. In the morning, the authentic shepherds of the sheep would come to the door and identify themselves. The watchman would open the door, then each shepherd would call out his own sheep by name. One by one, his particular sheep would separate from all the others in the fold and follow him out to graze the Judean hills for the day.

You and I, as God's "sheep," can determine the authenticity of the shepherds by their approach to us. The criterion for the authentic shepherd is that he or she always approaches through the door of God's Word.