Page 35 of 40

Bad Things Happen When you Least expect it.

September 19, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

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Had a very intersting weekend. Went and stayed in Portland for my niece’s wedding. Yes, that is the Portland that has had 101 straight days of rioting. Well, we hit it lucky. The smoke from the wild fires in Oregon was so thick, the rioters were too much of cowards to come out and play. Of course they were back in full force today.

Ted Wheeler, (Weak Man) told the Portland Police they couldn’t use tear gas anymore because it was too harmful. So the Federal Agents protecting the Federal buildings used it instead. I love it!!

I know this all sounds harsh, but people have died; businesses have been destroyed, and many police were hurt.

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Let’s move on to happier moments.

Like I said, we were there for my niece’s wedding. It was a very beautiful wedding held in a very small church that is a histroical meusum. It had the old wooden pews with carvings on them. The walls were wooden, The platform was very small, but fit for this small wedding.

My grand Nephew carried the rings. He released the tension a little by dropping the rings not once but twice. His mom just laughed and kept doing her vows.

My wife lost one of her diamond ear rings, so there was some panic for a while. As I was out to the car checking there, I asked the lord to guide us to the ring.

When I got back one of the attendies found it outside in the rain. My wife was overwhelmed with joy. Thank you Lord.

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Then we went to the reception

It was held at the top steak place in town called, The Morton’s. There was much relaxing, and laughing during this time. People who didn’t know each other mingled, and we all were one by the time it was over.

There were some interesting things that happened during the gathering. I was the center of two of them. About half way through the toasting I knocked over my champaigne glass, and it went all over my shirt and suit pants. That was extremenly imbrassing, but my wife was very kind and consoled me.

Then a few mintues later, I knocked over my water glass. It spilled all over where the wine had spilled. I joked, ” I did that on purpose to wash out the chanpaigne!” I was very silent much of the rest of the time, because I felt so badly about what I had done.

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We eat the wedding cake, said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel.

I was beyond exhausted at that time, and got ready for bed immediatley. My wife was busy getting cloths back to her sister we had stored for them.

Finally got into bed and concked out fast. Half way through the night I fell out of bed and hit my head on the end table by the bad. Got a bump on my head, but I am OK now, because I am back in my lovely home resting up.

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Have you been through sudden stress like I went through heavy stress three times in one day?

Have you wondered why me? I did. I kept asking the Lord to help me through everything, and he did. Everytime I had a crises someone came to me to give me encouragement. When I fell out of my bed, Charlotte was right there helping me.

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We all face stress.

There will be stormy days where it seems nothing is going right. You may even feel like you should have stayed in bed on those days.

God is always there for you.

He never leaves you. He is just a prayer away. Don’t be discouraged. God will not let you go through anything He feels you can not handle.

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Be strong. Do not let the dark side overcome you. Seek the light at all times.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

There Needs to be a Change in what we Think About

September 16, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

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I am very tired of reporting post after post, about rioting, looting, the Pandemic, shootings, wild fires, etc. It is hard, at best, to dicuss them.

What I want to do today is just give each of us hope and contentment. So if all of this is going on, how am I going to be able to do that??

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I have a huge amount of notes from church and books I have read. I am going to share some of them and let you decipher what they mean to you:

If you still struggle with sin after you are saved, you are still saved. No one can take that away from you.
C.S. Lewis once said, “We have to be against the world FOR the world.”
We must rejoice no matter what we face.
God rules! He is control of your destiny.
Pray for the well being of those who have no thought of following the Lord.
We are wine to God, and God breaking new ground in us. He is making new wine.
Am I really comitted to God? Am I a true light that shines so others can see it?
Our fear doesn’t stand a chance when we stand in God’s love.
Wise in your own eyes, is worse than a fool. (proverbs)
You come to a crossroad, one way is wisdom and the other is folly, which way would you choose?
Like a river wash me over, and fill me to overflow with your love.
Do not judge others. That is God’s job to do.
During this awful time, think of those who have what they need.
Break the walls around your heart.
Jesus said, “Fear not!“
I will trust only you God.
Am I just living, or am I living well?
Am I trusting the Lord to lead me, or am I wanting to do it my way?
Are you desparete to read Gods word? If not, why Not?
Anger comes from envy.
If I fall I am going to need all of you around me.
In this world, some are rich, some are poor, some struggle with health, others are healthy. Some are sad, some are happy.
We need to come together as one to reach out to others.
If one of us suffers, we all suffer. If one is honored, we are all glad.
The weight is not on you to prove you are worthy.

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I hope these notes and thoughts helped you in some way. Think about each statement and how it pertains to you.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Stress is a Huge Part of Life These Days

September 15, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

It has been very stressful the last six months. Where I live we add the wild fires to our stress. Hundreds of homes are gone. Millions of acres burnt. People have died.

We just got some news that arsonists started two of the deadly fires. Two people have been arrtested, and will face a long time in prison if anyone is killed.

The question is how will we be able to handle all of this. Besides the wild fires, there is the Pademic, rioting, looting, shootings, beatings, etc. Pretty overwhelming for a every day Joe like me.

I was watching my church online yesterday, and our Pastor spoke to this very concern.

When a virus hits that attacks the vulnerable, isolates individuals, and shuts down the economy and schools. We can say, the harder it gets the better I live.

When protests stop being peaceful, when elections become polarizing, when families, friends, communities, and churches become divided. We say the harder it gets the better I live.

When everything you own is burned to ash, when families flee for their lives, when the smoke makes the day night. We can say “the harder it gets the better I live.

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Let me explain what he means.

His theme was God knows what to give us.

He is saying that God knows what is going on. He knows the dangers we are all facing. He knows what to give each of us ACCORDING TO OUR NEEDS.

Every person has different fears. Each person faces storms every day.

God doesn’t want us to compromise so He knows what to give us to help us face those who try to sway us.

What the thoughts are from the pastor is, we should know that the harder it gets the better we live. We are sons and daughters of God. He will not gives us more than we can handle.

He may give some peace. He may give others courage. He may give some knowedge to help others.

When it comes to your daily life; choose your battles carefully. Choose your friends wisely. Choose your solutions intentionally. Do not waver God has given you a path to take. Stay the course.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

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There is Fear Because of Wild Fires, Riots, and the Pandemic

September 11, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

The wild fires are out of control. Two big fires are about to merge here, and then that area will be an inferno. I pray that you are not affected by the fires. We are on a stage one here right now. The fires are about 15-20 miles away. That is pretty close.

So may people are under tremendous stress right now. There are the wild fires, rioting in the big cities, looting and arson, plus the pandemic. It is pretty overwhelming for the average Joe like me.

This is suicide prevention month. I fear that many people are thinking there is no more hope and are considering this. Do not let the dark side overcome you! Go to the light of Jesus. He is your fortress, your comfort, and your savior. Pray to him for your families and your safety.

If you are at the end of your rope and can’t go on, there is a toll free number to call for help. There are highly qualified counsleors there to help you. They will not hang up until the know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255

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When I think of all of this turmoil, I think of Paul, who was shipwrecked, beaten, put in jail, bitten by a snake, and disliked by many people.

Yet, this man fought hard for the Lord. He loved the people. He reached out to them, and gave them comfort.

This was a man that was killing Jews, and dispised by his fellow people. He had his awaking on the road to Damascus. Jesus wondered why he was so against Him. Paul fell down and was blinded for a while. That woke him up big time.

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Where are you at today? Do you dispise the way God is running the show? Do you wish He would end all of the tragic happens? I am with you there. I so would like all this pain to go away, but we have to always remember, GOD IS IN CHARGE!

He knows what is happening, and there is a reason for His approach.

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We, as Christians have to be strong to show those who do not believe how we react, and then they will say, “I want to be like them.”

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If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Wild Fires Are Out of Control in Oregon

September 10, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

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It has been very scary here in Oregon right now. Wild fires are all around us. Several towns are completely gone along the Santiam river. The following towns have burnt down:

Detroit-huge tourist spot for boating and fishing. Also, Idhana, Lyons, Gates, Mill city, Mehama, and they have evacuated Silverton, which has over 20,000 people. That is east of us. Silverton is only 20 miles from us.

To the west of us on the Lincoln City is on fire on the Oregon coast. The Safeway store there is ablaze at the last report.

So we are surrounded at the moment. We are packed and ready to go when ordered.

All three of my children are in harm’s way.

That seems enough to handle, but we still have the Pandemic, and rioting in Portland.

That would seem enough to cry, “Enough,” Lord.

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The bottom line is that God is in charge and I am not. I rest in his love and protection. We will get through this. We won’t be the same, but we will get through this.

My family is constantly texting back and forth to see how we are doing. It give us comfort to lean on each other.

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How are you doing? Are things in your life on fire? Are the flames nipping at you heels? Too many burdens to handle? I certainly hear you right now. We all have to trust God to see us through the storms in our lives.

We have an awesome God. He knows each and every one of us. He loves each and every one of us. He is here to protect and give you hope. I am sure leaning on him right now. I am glad he has big shoulders to lean on. I am the one who needs to be strong for the whole family. I pray for strength from God.

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We all need to pray not only for our safety, but for our country. President Trump is being attacked from all sides. The democrats are doing everything they can to make him look bad. Please do not believe the news you see. Do a fact check every time. Trump loves the military, and the deomcrats are trying to get you to believe that he does not.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never ever, give up!

Are You Driving Between the Lines in Your Life?

September 8, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

I am at the age where is am not sure I should be driving anymore. When I drive my wife keeps telling me that I have crossed the center line, and I also cross the solid line for the other side. Not a good pattern.

I got to thinking about that. Are we as Christians driving between the lines? Do we sometimes go across the line and face danger? As Christians we have to be careful because the road for Christians is narrow.

I hope you are doing well in your driving. It is hard, at best, to maneuver through the storms of live. You have to be very alert all the time.

Remember though that God is in control. He will guide you if you let Him. He knows what roads you should driving on. Use Him as your GPS.

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Still violence in Portland, Oregon. Another shooting, and fires everywhere. it has been over 100 days of rioting and no end in sight.

Here is a hard fact that God is telling us. Pray for even those who have no thought of following the lord. I posted the other day asking if we could pray for those who set businesses on fire; shoot people, and there are tons of beatings going on?

My thoughts on that was, yes we should. All of these people are God’s children, like it or not. We can’t discriminate as to who we pray for and not pray for.

I am sure you have some people in your life that do not like you. I sure do. That’s who you pray for. Pray for understanding and love towards them. It may not always work, but you are free of guilt, and have taken a step in the right direction.

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God didn’t promise us a rose garden, plus there are the thorns. Life will turn against you from time to time. That is when your true character comes out. When you fall, do you get back up or give up?

Never give up!

Stand with courage in the love of God. He is there for you. With Him on your side, who can be against you?

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

It is Pretty Depressing to be in This World Right now

September 4, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

It has been hard times here in Salem, Oregon. I live very close to Portland, Oregon, and it is breaking my heart to see all the violence and looting going on there. Another person has been shot and killed.

We are living in very different times. In Portland, there was a time when they closed the streets to go to church. Now they close the streets to rioting.

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We need to look beyond the struggle. We need to seek what ahead of us.

I was fearing for our country, and yet my fear doesn’t stand a chance when I stand with God’s love. It seems we are all broken at this point. We need healing.

Every night before I go to sleep I pray the following prayers:

I pray for the leaders of our country.

I pray for the local leaders of Oregon.

I pray for my children and their spouses.

I pray for my grandchildren.

I pray for my wife.

I pray for all my relatives.

I fall asleep in the hope of the Lord.

We need to have important people in our lives to also give us hope. This is needed in case we fall. We are better together. We can not take on this world on our own.

There are some who are happy, some are sad. Some are healthy, and some are ill. There are many who are poor and others who are rich. This is the main reason we need to come together as one. Reaching out to each other. Giving support to those who need it.

Does it seem too hard in our world today? We need to get back to when it wasn’t hard.

Do I love the rioters? Am I really concerned about their well being? If I truly follow Jesus, I do love them and are concerned for them. If we don’t have God as our center piece we will fail.

We need to find encouragement in discouraging times. It is hard, I know. We need to seek it, and we can find it in the Bible. It has a complete guide for encouragement.

I thought about all of this and it honestly sounded pretty depressing. Again I remembered that God doesn’t purposely take us down the worst path, He takes us through the best path possible for us.

He knows there are good things coming. He knows that we will be freed from our burdens. We can’t think that God has turned away from us, we will lose all hope. He is there with you each and every day.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

Our Hope is Not Found in a Political Party

September 3, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

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It is getting to that time of the year. I have been hearing so much back and forth attacks from the two political parties saying they are the best people to run our government, and help the people.

Let me make something very clear. Our hope is not found in a political party!

I have seen so much turmoil the last six months that it is hard to think positive. Rioting in the big cities. People killed there. The pandemic is taking many lives. Anarchy is rampant in our country.

How can we depend on a political party to “save us?” We can’t. We need God in our lives to withstand all of this. We need to let people know HE is in charge, not any political party.

I live near Portland, Oregon. The rioting there has gone on for 90+ days. Has the political party there been able to stop it? No, it has actually gotten worse. A young man was shot and killed last night. It used to be that they closed down the streets of Portland so they could go to church. Now they close down the streets to let rioting happen.

My heart is aching for all the people who are being terrorized. They hide in their homes and hope the rioters do not come near them.

People do not seem to be fed enough.

I tell a story about when I went to a restaurant to eat. When they brought out our portions of food, I thought my portion was too small, and it was, because I was still hungry after I was done. Well with God you get a full portion of love. You will not be hungry anymore.

We have to face trials during the pandemic and rioting. We have really learned what trials are. Then, I think of Paul. He had more trials than most people could handle. He was ship wrecked. He was bitten by a snake. He was beaten in prison.

Could you think you could have comfort and peace if all that happened to you? Well Paul did. He rejoiced with his followers when he got out of prison, thanking God for all the afflictions he had received. Why on earth is that?? It is because all of the afflictions were because he loved the Lord and told many people about Him.

So we can’t find hope from a government to help us and protect us.

We have to rely on God to give us hope. We need Him to protect us.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Do You Hate Being Told What to do?

August 28, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

We struggle with criticism. It is hard to be told what to do.

Proverbs says, “Timely advice is like gold and apples in a silver basket.” Another verse from Proverbs says, “The ones who listen to advice is like a gold earring. “

Why is it so hard to accept criticism? I know that we all hope we never receive criticism. It hurts, and make us feel unworthy.

At this time we need to realize that others opinions does not define us.

Now that I have said all of that, let me say that most criticism is good for us. The wise listen to others. We need to receive and assess.

So, why am I harping on criticism and being told what to do.?

If I am truly listening and assessing, it helps me growing. I filter out the negative and thrive on the good ideas.

Proverbs once again tells us, “Iron sharpens iron.” Meaning that to have someone criticise me, means I am getting sharper at what I need to do in life.

Words have power. They can help you, or they can hurt you.

Through all of this we often get down and depressed. It is can be easy to be broken and hurting. We need healing. That’s where God comes in. He is always there to soften the blows of criticism, and anger. He will be there to hold your hand, and help you to face the storm.

Have you been criticised? Were you felt knocked down and find it hard to get back up? I certainly have been there. When it happens to me is when I need to closest to God. I need to lean on Him for His love and compassion. My fear of criticism doesn’t stand a chance when I stand in God’s love.

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I have been battling lately because of the Pandemic. I have been on lock down, because I have several underlying problems. Thankfully I am able to get out and walk, but that is about it. I never thought that going on walks would be so precious to me.

My wife and I often just get in the car and drive to nowhere in particular. We have seen some places we have never been before right in our city. It has been a fresh air feeling.

There are other things that can drag you down. The rioting, shootings, looting, etc. It is very hard for me to watch the news anymore. Most of it is very negative. I have to find other things to do. I came up with a novel idea. READ THE BIBLE! (creative right?)

I make 10:00am my reading time. There are times when I learn something new every time I read. I have the Bible through several times, and yet each time I read again, I find something that I learned that was new.

Stay strong!

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Through Afflictions, We Know That God Will Do Something Better

August 14, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

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The dictionary says:

Affliction: A state of pain, distress, grief, or misery.

That is a sorry state of affairs. Who would want to be afflicted?

Some examples of affliction:

A single mom with one child has to work had to provide for her son, and also pay the bills.
A young college student is taking 18 units of credits. He has a job to help pay for his tuition. Then he goes home on the weekends to care for his ailing mother.

Those afflictions are hard to bear, but in each case the person is doing it out of love.

Do you have overwhelming burdens?

Is life not good to you?

Here is a recipe for a cure for all of this:

Be joyful.
Be prayfull.
Be grateful.

You are saying WHAT? You want me to do all that during my afflictions?

Yes, and I am saying for you to do those three things without ceasing. During these times we need to have a running conversation with God.

He is our fortress, our protector, and He is our loving Father.

He knows what each of us is going through. God is not ignoring us. He is taking the same steps we do, and is walking beside us each step of the way.

I have had my share of physical afflictions, and some wonder how I can be upbeat through all of my pain. It is simple for me, but hard to understand. The more afflictions I have the more help I can give others who are going through the same things.

When I think about my afflictions, I think of Paul who had many more afflictions then anyone can emagine.

He was shipwrecked, bitten by a snake, beaten, thrown in prison, and people wanted to kill him.

His thoughts on that were that he too could use those moments to reach out more to others.

Another person who had way more afflictions than we can grasp was Jesus Christ. He was shunned by his own people. They cursed at him, spit upon him, beat Him, put thorns on His head. They even crucified Him.

He had many afflictions, but He knew that God had something better through all of His torture.

How about you? Do you feel overburdened? Are you thinking the world is out to get you?

You are not alone. Many people are feeling the same way with all the turmoil that is around us. There are the Pandemic, rioting, shootings, killings, threats from our enemies.

We are under daily afflictions.

Stay strong! Be grateful for what God has in mind for you. Pray without ceasing, and, yes even be joyful.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

Daily Signs of Hope

Page 35 of 40

Bad Things Happen When you Least expect it.

There Needs to be a Change in what we Think About

Stress is a Huge Part of Life These Days

There is Fear Because of Wild Fires, Riots, and the Pandemic

Wild Fires Are Out of Control in Oregon

Are You Driving Between the Lines in Your Life?

It is Pretty Depressing to be in This World Right now

Our Hope is Not Found in a Political Party

Do You Hate Being Told What to do?

Through Afflictions, We Know That God Will Do Something Better

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