Have you ever looked up all the different meanings for “friend?”  Do you have friends that you labeled with special titles?  Maybe like many in your category of friends, you include things like ‘my new BFF,’ or maybe ‘friends forever.’  Think a moment about other categories, i.e., acquaintances, or those you claim as ‘someone I know.  Do you have someone that fits the description found in Proverbs?  I used to think it was so great to have a ‘Chum’ in school.  And then  of course several ‘Buddies’ through growing up and even Pals in the Military.  But I have come to cherish those I have found since     getting to know what the Lord has brought into my live.  He gives so many reminders in the Word through Scripture that when we study, discuss, and live by those instructions, we can to learn to increase our ‘Family of Friends’ that will always be with us. 

Think now about your friends.  Have you checked with them lately?

Prayer:

 Dear God, guide us to study scriptures and recognize those people who will become our life-long family of friends. Amen.

Contributed by Ken Smith

When I first gave birth to my daughter, I found the meaning of true love. I felt a type of love that only a parent can understand. Words could never describe the emotions tied to holding that    innocent life. I became solely responsible for something so much bigger than myself. However, with my love for my child came great resentment. I understood the responsibility that was     bestowed upon me to raise this child, and though I was not prepared for it, I was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that she always had everything she needed. Because of this, I couldn’t understand some of the struggles that I experienced in my own childhood. There were periods of neglect, some emotional abuse, and some exposure to things no child should ever be exposed to. I could not understand that, no matter how unprepared I was for the monumental responsibility of being a parent, I would never allow my daughter to experience the things I had as a child. So grew my resentment for my own parents. It was years of bitterness, anger,  and isolating myself from my family. That was, until I made a choice.

I visited my parents on Mother’s Day one year, and I spent the week learning about the struggles my mother went through as a child, as a teenager, and as a (very) young mother and wife. As she explained some of her and my dad’s hardships throughout life, I began to realize that mine was nothing compared to theirs. I began to understand that there was never any intentional hurt in my childhood, it was mostly due to a lack of resources and knowledge. I started to see that    bitterness and anger had clouded my vision, and instead of seeking information and trying to love, I just kept throwing stones. My parents couldn’t change the past, no matter how much they wanted to. What we all needed was simply to understand each other and to be validated. During that visit, I learned that love is not always a pretty, painted picture. It is loving through the trials and mistakes. Sometimes people annoy us, they challenge us, they are unkind, they make huge mistakes, etc. People aren’t perfect. Sometimes it takes a moment of perspective, a moment of looking through a lens other than our own that can shed light on the truth. We were born to love. My relationship with my parents is stronger than it has ever been, mostly because I made the choice of love over anger. There are many stories in the Bible where God loves His children, despite their shortfalls. Love is so important to Him that it is the second commandment that    Jesus shared with His disciples in Matthew 22:39: Love your Neighbor as Yourself.                

So no matter what the circumstances, be lovers.

Prayer:

Lord, be with us throughout this Lenten celebration as we face our own challenges in sacrifice to You. Remind us to spread Your love, even when it is difficult. Teach us to understand our neighbors, to forgive their inadequacies, and to love them as they are. Help us to understand Your love for us, and to know how to love ourselves so that we may understand how to share it with Your world. In Christ’s name, Amen.

            Contributed by Brittany Diaz

It was February 23, 2007. Tug and I had planned a vacation and were anxious to escape from the hectic pace of the Dallas metroplex to the Texas coast.  Our bags were packed, and we were scheduled to leave later that morning. We looked forward to the warm Gulf breeze, the cry of seagulls, and, of course, great seafood. 

At 4:30 a.m. the phone rang.  It was unexpected, and I felt suddenly apprehensive. The following minutes took us from a place we knew to an unknown territory. We were   advised that my youngest son, Shane Ingram, had been in an automobile accident and did not survive.  At the age of 36, “my baby” was gone, leaving two young children of his own. I was devastated, and my emotions were numb. What would I do without him?

The next few weeks were a blur with bad moments and good moments.  Family was called in, funeral arrangements made, and memories of Shane were re-lived by everyone. The family and friends helped me survive this difficult period.

However, when I did begin to regain my sanity, I am ashamed to admit that I did not act in a Christ-like manner.  I spoke harshly against God.  Was Shane’s death an act of God? How would I fully live again when my life was so full of hurt?  But as time passed, I began to realize how truly fragile life is and that I am not in control.  When Shane died, I grieved beyond words.  I was sure no one understood my heartache and pain.  I was so full of self-pity that I could not look beyond the walls of my grief to the comfort of my Heavenly Father, much less to others who had their own griefs. God  remained patient, loving, faithful and merciful.  I had not!  The lesson I learned, and I hope you will remember, is that God is full of mercy and blessings.  Regardless of your heartache or pain, He is with you when you wake up, when you go to sleep, and every moment in between.

Prayer:

Gracious Lord, I am grateful You never run out of the love, compassion, mercy and grace I need.  Thank You that I can begin each new day with You.  Amen.

 Contributed by Bev Tuggle

In this scripture from the Gospel Mark, we see Jesus perform one of his many miracles as he heals the paralyzed man.

We also learn three things from this story:

1. Jesus knows you better than you know yourself.
2. Jesus gives you what you really need.
3. Jesus loves you enough to make you wait.

Take some time today to contemplate these three things and to praise him for all that he has given you and all that he has done for you.

While a dear friend and I were talking about an upcoming Emmaus Walk, I said something about the Triune God. She said she would not have thought to use that particular term. I am not sure why I did, either. That conversation sparked my curiosity.

We as children of God must also work together along our “walk” of faith to help each other reach the goal of eternal life with our Heavenly Father. Each of us has a God-given talent unique to ourselves that must be shared much like the three persons of the Holy Trinity. Had Father God not given His son Jesus to redeem our sins and had Jesus not given His life for all, there would be no Easter. The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity who remains in constant communion with God’s children, guiding our daily lives and helping us to remember how much we are loved and cherished even through the hard times when we could stumble along the bumpy spots in life that we all suffer.

Our journey in faith is also filled with glorious amounts of love, grace beyond measure, and peace that passes all understanding. All we must do to receive these amazing gifts is to believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—no strings attached. In doing this, we continue our journey in faith and take pleasure in sharing that faith with all we meet, demonstrating to them our strength and love, sharing our unique talents in ways only  we as individuals can, and praising the Triune God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

During this Lenten season, let us all reflect on our lives so that our light may shine and glorify our True God who is in Heaven.

Prayer:

Almighty God, we thank You and praise You for giving to us Your Son Jesus to save us from our sins. Please help us to receive Your gift with open hearts that we might live with You in glory forever. Amen.

  Contributed by Alice Schlessiger

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

On an outside marquee at a church in Moody, Texas, on Highway 317, the sign read:

EVERY SAINT HAS A PAST,

 EVERY SINNER A FUTURE

This message, actually an Oscar Wilde quote, sums up why I’m so grateful to be a child of God, and this promise brings me such comfort.  It reminds me that God forgave my many sins when I accepted Jesus as my Savior and was baptized.  God always knew what was in my heart even when I thought I wasn’t good enough to deserve His  salvation.  We all face hardships, and those adversities can cause us to be afraid and lonely and doubt God’s presence in our lives.  But Paul tells us in Romans that it is     impossible to be separated from Christ.  Impossible.  I love the way the Apostle Paul lists all the things he can think of that could drive a wedge in our bond with God, and Paul even ends verse 38 with an all-inclusive encouragement (…’or anything else in all  creation…’) just to ensure he covered everything.  God’s profound love for us never fails us; we are never alone.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for the promise of a future in heaven with You. Amen.

Contributed by Becky Smith

Monday, February 19th, 2018

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

Lent is that period running from Ash Wednesday and leading up to the celebration of Easter.  It is the time where we, as Christians, seek to prepare ourselves for the miracle of the Resurrection.  This preparation, both physical and mental, comes from many    different sources that have evolved over time.  Denying ourselves personal luxuries, fasting, and seeking through prayer and penance to purify our thoughts and body bring us into a stronger relationship with God.  Then and only then are we truly ready for the  celebration, for the rejoicing in the Resurrection of Christ.  But beyond our rejoicing,  this is also a time where we should reflect on the sacrifices and suffering of our Lord, 

seeking a more complete understanding of what that means to us and to the world, what it means to be a disciple of Christ, and what we need to do to truly transform our world and bring about His kingdom on earth.  As Peter notes in his letter, our immediate need this Lenten season is the humbling of ourselves to the will of the Father and, through that humility, be lifted up to become a true Christian, a true disciple of the Lord, an agent truly committed to transformation!

A Prayer from the Catholic Church for this Lenten season:

“Almighty and Everlasting God, You have given the human race Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility.  He fulfilled Your will by becoming Man and giving His life on the cross.  Help us to bear witness to You by following His example of suffering and make us worthy to share in His resurrection.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.

Contributed by Dave Hall

Sunday, February 18, 2018    

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Our grandson Jack is 15 months old.  As many of you know, he was born with two very rare eye conditions leaving him blind. One of Jack’s eyes never formed, and the other eye was extremely underdeveloped. Both of his eye conditions were undetected prior to birth. Immediately after he was born, Jack was rushed to the neonatal ICU. Within hours of his birth, doctors told us that he would never see. I’ll never forget the moment the doctors told us those words. Jack will never see.  We were rejoicing over his birth and yet so overwhelmed with the raw emotion of learning about Jack’s conditions.

We called our family and friends. One of our dear friends, a pastor and his wife, told us they were driving immediately in from Dallas to be with us. They wanted to pray over Jack and place their hands on him. Our friend told us, the Lord kept repeating to me Jeremiah 29:11 over and over the whole way here! He placed his hands on Jack and recited this beautiful verse. He declared this verse for Jack. We all cried and praised God! This is the verse we declare for Jack every day.  

It is the most amazing thing! Complete strangers will come up to us, lay their hands on Jack and pray for him. Many times they recite Jeremiah 29:11. God has such wonderful things planned for our sweet Jack! We are so blessed to watch God’s works in his life. Praise be to God!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding us all of your promises for our lives. May we be forever grateful for your love and devotion to each of us. May we always find comfort in the words you give us through scripture.  Amen.

 Contributed by Nancy McCullough

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

It is a tradition in my family that when a child reaches school age, he/she receives his/her own personal Bible.  My first Bible was a King James Bible that I received on    February 17, 1947.

One of my first Bible verses I remember learning was Psalm 119:105 in the King James version.  Mrs. Anderson was her name and she encouraged all the children in her Sunday school classroom to memorize Bible verses.  Today we have many versions of the Bible, but my favorite one is the New International Version (NIV).

I no longer carry a heavy Bible with me.  I use a smartphone.  The site I use is Bible Gateway.  On that site I can pull up 49 versions of the Bible as well as audio, Bible maps, commentaries, devotionals, and Bible dictionaries.  God’s word is there to give us hope and guidance and to help us grow spiritually and to share with others so they may come to know God.

The Bible for me is a life-long journey.  I hope it is for all of us.

Prayer:

Oh God, help us build on our relationship with You through the scriptures. Amen.

   Contributed by Elaine Passman

Friday, February 16, 2018                                                                          

James 5:16

“Pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Several years ago, my best friend Mike Quinn called me one Sunday after church and told me that he was on his was up to Baylor Scott & White in Dallas because his wife Tina was experiencing liver failure, and the hospital here had exhausted all possible avenues for her treatment. I immediately began to pray for her healing and made my way up to Dallas to be with him. The week was long with so many ups and downs. By Friday evening the doctors informed Mike that unless she had a liver donor, she wasn’t going to make it through the weekend, and he needed to gather the family members together so they could say their last goodbyes. Mike had called me when he received the news, and we cried on the phone. I tried to find the right words to say, but was at a loss. What do you say to someone that has just been told that someone they love so dearly is not going to make it through the weekend unless a miracle happens?? I told him I would continue to pray for Tina and lift her up to the Lord for healing. Exhausted, I arrived home late that Friday night but was so restless I could not sleep. I usually sit on the side of our bed and say my daily prayers before I go to sleep, but this night I walked into our den and got down on my knees and prayed for a miracle of some kind to happen. No sooner had I finished my prayer than my phone rang, and it was Mike. A long pause ensued, and in a broken and tearful voice he said, “We have a donor!” Four years have passed this past October, and Tina has fully recovered with no side effects and lives a normal healthy life.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray for Your healing hands to cure the sick and comfort those who are in need. In your holy name I pray, Amen.

Contributed by Dave McCullough