Wednesday Word for June 22nd

7:16 AM by WBFJ
Making memories for a lifetime…
This past weekend Paula and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary…at Carowinds with our daughters. 
No romantic dinner for two.  No couple’s getaway to a bed and breakfast.  We both decided to put aside our anniversary to capture a few more memories with our girls.  Just the four of us.

I still want to believe that WE are not getting older. They are! 
Bailey, our teenager, just started the driving part of Driver’s Ed.  And, Mariah just entered middle school youth group at church!  Seriously, the years have absolutely flown by.  Reality check, the girls are doing what God intended; they are just growing up and getting older.  So, Paula and I are capturing every moment ‘together’ with our girls as much as we can. 

James 4:14 says that we “do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

As a parent or a grandparent, as a mentor or as a friend, take every opportunity to spend time with the ones you love.  Compared with eternity, our lives on earth are just a ‘vapor’. Seize those special moments each and everyday.  And enjoy!

~Verne
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Wednesday Word for June 15th

7:14 AM by WBFJ
Do you want to make a difference in God’s kingdom? Do you desire to be used in a mighty way to the glory of Jesus? Do you have high ambitions for yourself in Christ’s body? Then don’t settle for holding a significant position or for being especially prominent. I want to encourage you to raise your sights even higher—make it your goal to be the chief person in the kingdom of God.. And start serving everyone around you.

Jesus told His disciples on several occasions the only way to be great in His kingdom was by serving others. The person that wishes to be great must take on the lowest, others-oriented position in the church and must become a servant to all.

So, here’s a tough, ’you & God’ question … Is there anyone in the church that you would seriously ‘dislike’ serving? Do you still see yourself above certain individuals because of their background, or social status, or financial situation? Then, you are not yet the ‘chief’ in God’s kingdom. Because you’re not serving to ALL.

Here’s the good news, God gives us opportunities every day to serve. Opportunities to seek out the ‘lowliest of these’ and become lower still by serving them. There is no person to small, or sick, or handicapped for you to serve in Jesus’ kingdom .. IF you are spiritually ambitious enough!

~Jeff
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Wednesday Word for June 8th

5:28 AM by WBFJ
2 weeks ago tomorrow my mother in love (law) went to be with Jesus.  It was a bittersweet time as we watched her breathe her last breath.  The sweet was we were so glad that she would no longer be suffering.  She would finally be home in heaven.  The bitter is that there is a great hole, she is no longer is with us, taking part in our kids lives and ours.

 The Lord has such a beautiful way of ministering to us through His word, friends and family. It is especially sweet when he gives you a lesson that you were not expecting.

This past Friday night I dropped my son off at a Going Away Party for an exchange student who had spent her junior year at my son's school.  He and I both had the privilege of getting to know Anna from January to now because of a play they were both in.  Anna is a delightful young lady from Germany who has brought much to our lives and hopefully we spoke blessings in to her life.  I do know that she has been forever changed by her choice to make Jesus Lord of her life.  But back to the party, I went in to tell Anna goodbye as well, which was harder than I expected because I began to feel that sense of loss again.  I realized that her host family (the Nuttall’s) would be grieving, too, a little different grief than my family and I were doing, but still grieving.  This precious girl who had slept in their home, broke bread with them, attended school with their daughters and just lived life with them was leaving.  She was leaving what she has known for 9 months, as her life.  It was one of those bittersweet moments.  Leaving the Nuttall's with a sad heart, but Anna was going home, and everyone was excited for her, too.  She had family waiting on the other side and as sad as it was to let her leave, the Nutall’s and Anna knew she would soon be home in Germany, rejoicing with her family, where she belongs.

 What a sweet analogy that was for me.  My mother in love, Nellie Grey Hilton is on the other side.  She was greeted by her Saviour, her mother, father and all those who have gone before her.  She is home, her eternal home where she belongs.  I know she is dancing with the angels.  We will have her memories that will keep her alive in our hearts until we see her again, when we all get home.

Thank you for your love and prayers during this time in our family’s life.

~Bonnie
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Wednesday Word for June 1st

5:26 AM by WBFJ
Love Encourages...

  “Marriage is not what I expected.” Have you ever thought that? What is it that you want married life to be? Do you want to feel secure, free to be yourself even if/when you fail? Your spouse wants that, too. The bottom line is that it is a choice to live by encouragement rather than by expectations. Towards your spouse you are to be encouraging, pouring in to them words and actions which allow them the freedom to be themselves, feeling loved. Towards yourself, you are to take responsibility for your own words and actions in order to improve yourself, rather than demanding more from others.
Maybe when you were dating, and when you first got married, you thought your spouse was “perfect.” Your expectations were high that you would “live happily ever after.” The fairy tale ended when you discovered that's not realistic.
   Love would have us take a different path; one of encouragement, not discouragement. We all tend to respond better to kindness than criticism, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that your spouse is motivated in the same way. 
   This Saturday, June 4th, Nancy and I will celebrate 23 years of marriage!! And although their have been many more highs than lows, it's during the low times or difficult times that God has really developed the character of our marriage. Nancy is my wife, mother of our two children and best friend. Make a commitment to daily let go of unrealistic expectations and become your spouse’s greatest encourager. And the person they’re created by God to be will begin to emerge with new confidence and love for you.

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another — 1 Thessalonians 5:11

~Kurt
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Wednesday Word for May 25th

5:22 AM by WBFJ
 On a bright and sunny day, like today, I will likely be flying a flag at my home.  In fact, I have two separate flags which I love to display.
An American flag and a Christian flag. 
Yes, admittedly, I love to show my ‘patriotism’ by displaying ‘Old Glory’ whenever possible.  Selfishly, I LOVE this country.  But the Apostle Peter reminds me that my citizenship is really in Heaven.

Did you know that as believers, we are considered ‘ambassadors’ to this world? (1 Peter 2:11)   As an ambassador, Peter urges us to show proper respect to everyone, live peacefully and submit to authority that God himself has allowed.

Going back to the flags, both have deep meaning.  Both flags have red, white and blue as their colors. Yet, each represents a separate allegiance.  Honestly, an allegiance that I struggle to balance out at times.  A temporary ‘home of the brave’ compared to an eternal existence in a ‘city of gold’ with my Savior.  

This weekend as we celebrate Memorial Day, I will likely put out my ‘stars and stripes’ and remember those men and women who ‘paid the ultimate sacrifice' for our freedom in America. 
The freedom to do many things: the freedom to fly an American flag, or even a Christian flag, outside of my home. 

~Verne
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