EASTER CARD COLLECTION 2011

CARDS THAT KEEP ON BLESSING!!

VIEW SLIDESHOW

VIEW CARDS

READ BLOG

Hi all!!

“Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!”
(Psalm 68:19)

I’ve just finished putting a collection of Easter Cards together. Now the beauty of these cards is that you can keep on giving them.

WHY?

Because they can be yours in digital PDF format that, after you download, you can print and send over and over again… and keep on blessing over and over again… and in the process you get blessed over and over again. Also, you can be sharing the TRUE MESSAGE of Easter with those who don’t know Christ.

But hey, it doesn’t stop there. The proceeds raised from this card making venture goes toward mission work in Uganda and Kenya. So even by just ordering the cards you are blessing someone on the other side of the world.

So I invite you to join in this PERPETUAL BLESSING by VIEWING AND ORDERING the cards.

God bless you!! Hope you like this.

And, btw, if you like this collection, you can share this with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. Just click on the SHARE BUTTONS at the bottom of this post. That would be super awesome.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
(Psalm 103:1-5)

Walk This Way!

When should we opt in and opt out?

Sometimes we feel we must abandon our own efforts and let God do it. As Jesus said: “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” But that can be a cop-out. We think because we can’t do it, we sit back and wait for God to do it.

And then we read in Philippians, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” God tells us to take what is in our hand and go and DO! But then we can fall in the trap of thinking we can take on the world. We go out with enthusiasm and determination, only to fall flat on our face. But God says, “It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit… this mountain shall be removed.”

So should we STAY and WAIT on God, or should we GO??

I am reminded of the Israelites in the wilderness. The Lord led them by the pillar of cloud and fire. When the cloud stayed, they stayed… when the cloud moved, they moved. Is that not what it means to walk in the Spirit?

In Galatians 5 we have that phrase twice… walk in the spirit…

“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (16)
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (25)

But it is interesting to note that there are two different Greek words used for the word “walk”. The first being “peripateo”, which means the whole round of activities of our life, and the second is “stiocheo”, meaning IN A ROW or IN LINE. In other words walking in an orderly fashion. Or as the NIV says, to “keep in step with the Spirit.”… like a marching soldier, or you make like to picture a dancer. And keeping in step all has to do with timing.

So whether we STAY or we GO, it is all a matter of God’s timing. Let us keep in step with Him, and then we will succeed.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
(Psalm 37:23-24)

Open the Gate for Me!

NOTE: This is a pic of my cat, Sir Bassy, on top of the garden gate, okay? (This is to prove my point with this story.)

Well, I was near the garden gate. On the other side was Sir Bassy. He had spotted me and came up and meowed… “Seeing you are there, you can open the gate for me.” But I said, “You have legs to jump and claws to climb… you can get over the gate yourself.”

I think he plays on my sympathy from some months ago, when he was bashed up in a fight and his leg had become infected. He couldn’t put much pressure on it and seemed to take ages to heal. He could jump up on things but couldn’t jump down, so he would sit there and cry for someone to get him down. So he has formed this habit.

However, I am telling this story so I can share something about life. I see there are many people like my cat. They get stuck in a cycle of poverty or “helplessness”. They believe they need someone to rescue them. They expect that kind-hearted people will “open the gate” for them.

Even as parents, our own kids can trick us. We hear a cry… “Mummy, help me, I am stuck.”… (age does not matter…they can be 2 or 22.) I think we can all relate, and we did the same with our parents.

So whether it is our own kids (or pets), or someone who comes to us destitute, sometimes our desire to help can be more of a hindrance than a help…. hmmmm…..

(says me as the cat comes and jumps on the computer and tries to wipe out what I’ve just typed… hahaha!! Now time for a cuppa….)

Now, I’ve been thinking some more. I have been thinking to myself about this little story, and I can see myself doing the same things with God. I cry out to God, “Please open the gate!!”

But God says. “You climb over!!” But I say, “It is too hard!!” and God says, “I gave you strong legs and you can do it!!”… and the argument goes on… “No I can’t!!” …. “Oh, YES YOU CAN!!!”

Hmmmmm….. I think I remember Moses and Gideon having similar arguments with God….

And this reminds me of a dream I had last week…. but I will share it in another post…

Mercy Wins!!

Do you like the picture? ORDER AS A GREETING CARD. Just CLICK ON THE PICTURE

“Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.”
(Matthew 5:7)

“Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13)

Love that Lasts!

When I was thinking about a flower for love, I thought of the rose, of course. (Though I am not a rose person.) But still I had this photo of frangipanis that I needed a word for. Then I realized that LOVE was perfect.

The frangipani is connected with love and relationships in many cultures. And you would think I should have two flowers, but a true lasting relationship involves THREE.

Today is our wedding anniversary, and the text the Lord gave us 27 years ago was Ecc. 4:12… “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Of course, Christ is the third strand.

Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable, and
it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice
but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up,
never loses faith,
is always hopeful,
and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages
and special knowledge will become useless.
But love will last forever!

Three things will last forever—
faith, hope, and love—
and the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13, NLT)

 

O MAGNIFY THE LORD WITH ME!

LET US EXALT HIS NAME TOGETHER!!

The Lord will often interrupt our mundaness with glimpses of His glory.

On the way down to catch some post Christmas sales at Rivers this arvo, I passed by some majestic magnolia trees, loaded with huge blossoms….

It is like they want to magnify and boast about God’s glory!!!  And we say with the Psalmist:

I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.
I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are helpless take heart.
Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
let us exalt his name together.

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.
For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

(Psalm 34:1-10, NLT)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YOURS TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT AND SHARE (over and over)…

~~ as a Greeting Card (double-fold),
~~ as Small Hand-out cards (16 to page).

• Just fill in your name, email address and country (needed for paper size),
• then tick your selection (prices are included), and SUBMIT.
• After we receive your order, we will email you the download link with payment details.
  
• The proceeds support MISSIONS IN UGANDA AND KENYA.

Name(required)

Email(required)

Country(required)

Magnify CARD ORDER(required) Greeting Card only - $5

Hand-out Cards only - $5

Greeting + Hand-out Cards - $8

HE IS OUR PEACE!

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will beno end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
(Isaiah 9:6-7, NKJ)

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
(Luke 2:13-14, NKJ)

“Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]” (John 14:27, Amp.)

Yes, the Lord Jesus truly is OUR PEACE!!  He has come to bring peace on earth, and that peace takes many forms:

• Peace with God… which results in:
• Peace with Ourselves;
• Peace with Others;
• Peace among Nations;
• Peace with our Enemies.

The word for peace in the Old Testament is SHALOM.  This is the Hebrew greeting, just like we say, “Hello!”, “Hi” or in Oz, “G’day!”  But it is much more than that.

When someone greets you with “Shalom”, he is actually pronouncing a blessing on you, a blessing of completeness, of wholeness, of peace, of health, of welfare, of safety, of soundness, of tranquility, of prosperity, of perfectness, of fullness, of rest, of harmony, of the absence of agitation or discord.

And this very peace, this SHALOM, is what Jesus has given and bequeathed to us.

Add to this the Greek word which is EIRENE.  It is a state of rest, quietness, and calmness; an absence of strife; tranquility.  In other words it is a perfect well-being.  This peace can only start with the Prince of Peace for those who call upon Him for personal salvation.

When the heart is at peace with God, then all other things fall into place.  Then we become complete and whole, and in harmony with ourselves and the rest of the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For more reading, check out these previous blog posts based on this text in Isalah about peace of mind:

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isa 26:3, ESV)

1. The Creative Imagination;
2. Perfect Peace;
3. Balancing Act.

LATEST POSTS IN SPECIAL TREASURE:

• Peace in Bad Situations