Jesus Loves Me!

I received this a few months ago from a friend, and decided it was definitely worth sharing. :) Be blessed, dear one!

While watching a little TV on Sunday instead of going to church, I watched a church in Atlanta honoring one of its senior pastors who had been retired many years. He was 92 at that time and I wondered why the church even bothered to ask the old gentleman to preach at that age.

After a warm welcome, introduction of this speaker, and as the applause quieted down, he rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort and a sliding gait to the podium. Without a note or written paper of any kind he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak....

"When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50-odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials. The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heartbreak and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me... the only thing that would comfort was this verse......... ....


"Jesus loves me this I know.
For the Bible tells me so..
Little ones to Him belong,
we are weak but He is strong.....
Yes, Jesus loves me....
The Bible tells me so."


When he finished, the church was quiet. You actually could hear his foot steps as he shuffled back to his chair. I don't believe I will ever forget it.

A pastor once stated, "I always noticed that it was the adults who chose the children's hymn 'Jesus Loves Me' (for the children of course) during a hymn sing, and it was the adults who sang the loudest because I could see they knew it the best."

"Senior version of Jesus Loves Me"
Here is a new version just for us who have white hair or no hair at all. For us over middle age (or even those almost there) and all you others, check out this newest version of Jesus Loves Me..


JESUS LOVES ME

Jesus loves me, this I know,
Though my hair is white as snow
Though my sight is growing dim,
Still He bids me trust in Him.
(CHORUS)
YES, JESUS LOVES ME... YES, JESUS LOVES ME..
YES, JESUS LOVES ME, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.

Though my steps are oh, so slow,
With my hand in His I'll go
On through life, let come what may,
He'll be there to lead the way.
(CHORUS)

When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song..
Telling me in words so clear,
"Have no fear, for I am near."
(CHORUS)

When my work on earth is done,
And life's victories have been won.
He will take me home above,
Then I'll understand His love.
(CHORUS)

I love Jesus, does He know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus loves to hear me say,
That I love Him every day.
(CHORUS)

Just catching up!

Spring is quickly coming here in middle Tennessee! I know a lot of people don't see it yet, but we've got daffodils that are at least 3-4 inches tall already, crocuses that are poking up, and the anticipation of the COLOR that surrounds me in spring is enticing me to forget the beautiful snow we've had here this winter! :D Kenn and I have seen more snow this winter than ever before in our marriage - that's 14 years this September! Wherever we move, the snow moves FROM. :D I guess we've been here long enough now.... :D

ANYWAY. Life doesn't stand still for us - and I know it doesn't for you, either! So, here's just a peek into what we're doing and facing! Laugh where you want, pray where you feel led - and share with me, too!

Photography business: Lots of seeds have been planted, and it LOOKS like they're going to bear fruit, but it seems to be taking its sweet time. God keeps on giving us our DAILY needs. I'd kinda like to get a new Easter dress. LOL! Kenn's working really hard, taking some FANTASTIC shots, and making lots of connections. We're teaching a photography class at a local Christian school on Friday mornings, and praying hard about if we're supposed to continue after this semester. If you feel led to pray for us in this area, praying for the seeds to ripen and be ready to harvest would be awesome! We've also got our website up for Heavenly Perspective Photography. It's pretty basic, and I need to work on the grammar, etc., of the galleries Kenn's got up, but it will get you to our photos! :D

Stampin' Up!: People have still been purchasing; I think it's because, with the economy, the ability to craft something for someone and reuse the non-consumable supplies time and again is very appealing. Class attendance is down - but that also has a lot to do with the weather lately. :) I LOVE what I do, and love sharing it with other people - I'd just like to be able to afford my habit a bit more. :D If you feel led to pray for us in this area, please pray that God would use my business (both of them, actually!) to bless others in any way He sees fit! I want to be used of Him. I have a blog, Lori's Stamping Spot, which I know several of you follow. Thank you. :D

Health: Sugars are still out of whack. There are lots of little things going on, and I'm sure things I don't even want to know about - but I know Who holds my future. I'm trying to cooperate with Him a little more, and am working hard at keeping those numbers in check. If you feel led to pray for me in this area, please pray that I do what I know I should, that the other little things I'm dealing with will be taken care of in some way. I don't want to be more specific than that - God knows, and He's a lot bigger than what I'm going through!

Everything else: Church is still AWESOME. We are so incredibly blessed with our church family and leadership - it blows me away! Kenn's been sick a lot again this winter; with his asthma, anything that gets into his lungs means it's a struggle just to get enough air to survive. He's doing better right now! He, too, is knocked to his knees with how good God was in leading us to Smyrna Assembly. :D

I'm doing two Bible studies currently - although the weather has cancelled my LOCAL one three weeks in a row! LOL! That one's the one I mentioned with the song, Priscilla Shirer. I can't wait to get back to it! :D The second is the one at church, Beth Moore's A HEART LIKE HIS: A Study of David. It's AWESOME. I'm also attempting to read through the Bible again this year; Amy gave me the WHOLE Message Bible for Christmas, and it's DEFINITELY helped me get through the beginning of the Old Testament. :D

Mom and Dad are doing pretty well. Mom's work is VERY stressful, and she's got a really bad cold right now that's been around for a little too long. Dad's back surgery seems to have been pretty much an incredible success; he's even lugging his heavy suitcase downstairs when no one's watching! :D

The house is 12 years old, and things are starting to need some help. We had the washer leak at the beginning of December, and there's now a hole in the kitchen ceiling where their bathtub leaked through. :D

Overall, we all just keep living the life, walking the path, and trusting God. Kenn and I really don't want to walk where we're not supposed to be; one of the themes at church this year has been that we do NOT want to take one step until the Spirit of God has moved ahead of us. That's DEFINITELY my prayer! If you feel led to pray for us in this area, please pray for unity of thought, discernment, and wisdom!

THANK YOU for walking by me. Thank you for not abandoning my blog, even when it seemed like I had. :D I look forward to hearing what YOU are up to! What can we pray for you? If you want to keep it private, just between you and me, then it's best to email me at pooh0612@aol.com. If it's OK for your fellow readers to know and to pray and praise with you, just leave it in the comments section! :D

YOU ARE LOVED! You are a daughter of the Most High, blessed and favored. You are the apple of His eye. As Priscilla Shirer asks, "Do you think the that God of the Universe cared enough for you to send His Son to die for you, but not enough to want to speak to you?" He LOVES you, dear one. He wants to have an intimate relationship with you! That's what I'm praying for you, right now: may you grow deeper in your knowledge of His Word and His character - and His love for YOU.

BE BLESSED!

My Life's Song

(This is the view from my desk last week!)
Good afternoon, dear ones. I know it's been a long time since I wrote, and I do apologize. There's just SO much churning in my head, and in my LIFE!!! I will try to post more often; I want you to KNOW I'm here, and want to walk alongside you. My heart's cry is to let you know you are LOVED by the Most High God, that you are NOT alone, that you have Someone who hears your heart's tears in the middle of the night.

SO. :D With that said, let's talk a bit about praise today!

I'm pretty sure I've talked to you about praising no matter where I am, no matter what I THINK my circumstances are. But have I told you I have PROOF that that's my life's song, my life lesson in this journey with God?

A few weeks ago, I was moving books from one bookcase to another in our den. (OK, it was a few MONTHS ago. :D) One of the books that I needed to move was a Master's Life workbook I did in college at the Baptist Student Union, and I used to keep a journal in there with it.

The journal pages came out of the binder and fluttered all over the floor. Muttering to myself, I picked them up - and happened to glance at one. Can you imagine my surprise when I saw there words I've been saying again and again in the last two years???

"God, teach me to PRAISE you, no matter what I'm going through."

Dear friend, that was TWENTY years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!! These days, I KNOW I have to praise Him, no matter what. And I've also found that, when I praise Him, and worship Him, and put Him in my full focus, all the other worries, conflicts, confusions, and troubles fall into their true perspective - SO small compared to my God!

When we first started Beth Moore's Bible study at church, I quoted a passage to you from it. We're just over half-way through it now, and last night's video was all about praising Him. And the first point she covered? Praise requires that we FOCUS on Him. That we put all other things aside, and allow Him to be the focus of our minds and hearts.

I've felt pretty scattered lately. There's lots going on, as usual. Lots of possibilities to think about, lots of responsibilities and planning. That word, "focus", hit me pretty hard. I need to focus in so many aspects of my life! And I seriously need to consider: am I too scattered in everything I do? I feel like I've already cut out a lot of things, but do I need to become even less busy?

What about you? Does that word strike a chord in you? How are YOU doing? Are you learning to praise the God of the Universe who loves and cares about YOU?

I'm so glad you're here with me. :) Let's walk this walk together. Tomorrow, I'll post some things that are going on in my life, just so you can come alongside me and lift me up, too. That's what we're here for - to be His hands, His arms and legs!

YOU ARE LOVED!