THE ROAD NOT TAKENby Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler,
long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Saturday, 26 May 2007
My Daily Psalm
It is with gratitude and joy that the Floodgate Ministry team have allowed us to post their psalms...THANK YOU KERRY AND THE TEAM.
Bent, Not Broken
Psalm 3723 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.Click here for other translations
David shows us that even though we may fall, God will lift us up. Even though we may go through a tough time, God will bring us through it. Even though we may be forced to bend, we will not be broken. "We shall not utterly be cast down". Praise God! We have the victory today."Sorrow may bring us to the earth, and death may bring us to the grave, but lower we cannot sink, and out of the lowest of all we shall arise to the highest of all."-- C.H. Spurgeon
May God bless your day with joy,
KerryThe Floodgate Ministry Team
Bent, Not Broken
Psalm 3723 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.Click here for other translations
David shows us that even though we may fall, God will lift us up. Even though we may go through a tough time, God will bring us through it. Even though we may be forced to bend, we will not be broken. "We shall not utterly be cast down". Praise God! We have the victory today."Sorrow may bring us to the earth, and death may bring us to the grave, but lower we cannot sink, and out of the lowest of all we shall arise to the highest of all."-- C.H. Spurgeon
May God bless your day with joy,
KerryThe Floodgate Ministry Team
Monday, 14 May 2007
El Cether - God my hiding place
El Cether-God My Hiding Place By Kevin Pauley
"You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance. Selah." Psalm 32:7
HCSBA young boy ran, ducking and dodging, trying desperately to avoid the hail of rocks that flew through the air. His persecutors yelled instructions to each other in their hunting language as they tried to head him off. He cried as he ran, though he despised himself for the weakness.
A couple of the rocks had landed hard, leaving bleeding gashes on his shoulders and head. He was used to running and hiding, and soon was able to elude his tormentors. He cut down one path that ran by a small ledge overlooking a creek.
Instead of continuing to run on the path, he jumped through a small opening in the vines and landed in the creek. He immediately doubled back and threw himself under the ledge. A small cave had been cut by centuries of water flow and he hid there with his hand clamped over his mouth so that his ragged breaths would not betray him.
Soon enough, his enemies' footsteps could be heard pounding along as they went right by his secret hiding place. That small cave is what I think of whenever I meditate on God's name, El Cether. It's pronounced "say-there" and means "hiding place."
David knew well what it meant to be pursued by enemies. He spent a lot of time in dark caves, eluding those who would do him harm, and it was a natural step to begin thinking of his God as El Cether (God My Hiding Place). But "cether" also means secret.
It is used when someone tries to secretly whisper into your ear or when someone tries to sin in secret. Jonathan advised David to meet him in a secret hiding place to determine King Saul's intent.
Abigail used the covering of a hill to meet David secretly in order to avoid a disastrous slaughter. God does not promise to keep all trouble from us. But He does promise to be our secret hiding place. That hiding place is found in our private devotional encounter with El Cether.
Our faith in His abiding strength and provision is both our hiding place and our shield from the darts of the enemy. Through His Word and His Spirit, He feeds and strengthens us in the midst of our conflict, often right in front of our enemies.
All we have to do is abide in His presence, clinging to His mighty hand as the world rages around us. Someday, we will hear His voice calling, "My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely." The next thing you know we will be home-safe, warm and with no further need to hide.
God Knows
The Legacy By Catrina Bradley
Memories assault Amanda as she sits in the familiar pew listening to the hymns that she helped select. She takes a cleansing breath and tries to pray. Still, the memories invade and interrupt. 'Was it only a year ago?'
Amanda closes her eyes and can almost see her mother, weak and frail to behold, sitting by her side, holding her hand and gently stroking it in comfort as she wept. 'I should be comforting her,' was Amanda's thought that day.
The church had been filled with people of all ages, and all so well known to her. The myriad members of her huge family had been there that day, from all corners of the country. Old friends and long-time neighbors, nearly the whole population of the tiny town she left behind years ago, had filed by, offering stilted sentiments and halted words of reassurance. Anyone who thought her mother weak, merely because she was sickly and needed a walker, plainly didn't know her.
It took a very strong woman to bury her own son and still show evidence of her grace and poise. At the cemetery, after Dean's funeral, Amanda had knelt by her mother's car door, with intentions of offering her at least some consolation. Instead, she found her head buried in the lap she had once sat upon, grieving for her lost brother. "Why, Mom?" she had asked.
Her mother remained silent, instinctively knowing Amanda didn't really need or expect an answer. 'Silly question!' Amanda scolded herself. "I understand that God said it was his time to go, and I do trust Him," she cried. "But I don't like it! Mom, what now? What do we do? How do we go on?" As Amanda trembled and sobbed, her mother silently stroked her windblown hair, knowing that Amanda realized the answer to those questions too.
And, indeed, she did: 'We keep trusting Him.'Instead of trying to come up with some pat answer, her mother asked, "Has your hair always been this curly? Do you have a perm?" Amanda couldn't help smiling through her tears, and even had to stifle a giggle in spite of her grief. She turned to face her mother, loving her beyond measure, and saw her smiling also.
Today, her memories are all that are left. And an empty spot on the pew beside her. Today she has come to bury her mother. The same preacher. The same pew. The same faces. The same soloist. But her tears were not the same. Her mother had left her with a legacy-her strength. In the year since Amanda's brother had died, she had grown stronger. She had learned to trust God more completely.
She had learned that Jesus does indeed comfort the mourning. She had one more enduring memory from that day a year ago-her mother's reply to one of her brother's many friends. The woman, knowing about the long illness that had eaten away at her mother's body, had commented on how strong she seemed to be and how well she was doing. In reply, it was just like her mother to turn the attention to the One deserving of it. "Well," she had said, "all we can do is take what God gives us and make the best we can out of it." Amanda had learned from where her mother had drawn her strength, and she was learning to draw from the same deep well.
Memories assault Amanda as she sits in the familiar pew listening to the hymns that she helped select. She takes a cleansing breath and tries to pray. Still, the memories invade and interrupt. 'Was it only a year ago?'
Amanda closes her eyes and can almost see her mother, weak and frail to behold, sitting by her side, holding her hand and gently stroking it in comfort as she wept. 'I should be comforting her,' was Amanda's thought that day.
The church had been filled with people of all ages, and all so well known to her. The myriad members of her huge family had been there that day, from all corners of the country. Old friends and long-time neighbors, nearly the whole population of the tiny town she left behind years ago, had filed by, offering stilted sentiments and halted words of reassurance. Anyone who thought her mother weak, merely because she was sickly and needed a walker, plainly didn't know her.
It took a very strong woman to bury her own son and still show evidence of her grace and poise. At the cemetery, after Dean's funeral, Amanda had knelt by her mother's car door, with intentions of offering her at least some consolation. Instead, she found her head buried in the lap she had once sat upon, grieving for her lost brother. "Why, Mom?" she had asked.
Her mother remained silent, instinctively knowing Amanda didn't really need or expect an answer. 'Silly question!' Amanda scolded herself. "I understand that God said it was his time to go, and I do trust Him," she cried. "But I don't like it! Mom, what now? What do we do? How do we go on?" As Amanda trembled and sobbed, her mother silently stroked her windblown hair, knowing that Amanda realized the answer to those questions too.
And, indeed, she did: 'We keep trusting Him.'Instead of trying to come up with some pat answer, her mother asked, "Has your hair always been this curly? Do you have a perm?" Amanda couldn't help smiling through her tears, and even had to stifle a giggle in spite of her grief. She turned to face her mother, loving her beyond measure, and saw her smiling also.
Today, her memories are all that are left. And an empty spot on the pew beside her. Today she has come to bury her mother. The same preacher. The same pew. The same faces. The same soloist. But her tears were not the same. Her mother had left her with a legacy-her strength. In the year since Amanda's brother had died, she had grown stronger. She had learned to trust God more completely.
She had learned that Jesus does indeed comfort the mourning. She had one more enduring memory from that day a year ago-her mother's reply to one of her brother's many friends. The woman, knowing about the long illness that had eaten away at her mother's body, had commented on how strong she seemed to be and how well she was doing. In reply, it was just like her mother to turn the attention to the One deserving of it. "Well," she had said, "all we can do is take what God gives us and make the best we can out of it." Amanda had learned from where her mother had drawn her strength, and she was learning to draw from the same deep well.
Friday, 11 May 2007
This Mothers Day Poem Touched my Heart
MORE THAN A MOTHER
When God set the world in place,when He hung the stars up in space,when He made the land and the sea,then He made you and me.
He sat back and saw all that was good,He saw things to be as they should.Just one more blessing
He had in store;He created a mother, but whatever for?
He knew a mother would have a special placeto shine His reflection on her child's face.A mother will walk the extra milejust to see her children smile.She'll work her fingers to the boneto make a house into a home.
A mother is there to teach and guide,a mother will stay right by your side.She'll be there through your pain and strife,she'll stay constant in your life.
A mother will lend a helping handuntil you have the strength to stand.She'll pick you up when you are down,when you need a friend she'll stick around.A mother is one who listens well,will keep her word; will never tell.A mother never pokes or priesbut stands quietly by your side,giving you the strength you need,encouraging you to succeed.A mother is one who can be strongwhen you need someone to lean on.
You're more than a mother to me;a reflection of Him in your face I see,a love that knows no boundaries.I'm glad that you chose to beall this and more to me.You share a love that knows no end,you're more than my mother,you are my friend.
~By Kari Keshmiry~
When God set the world in place,when He hung the stars up in space,when He made the land and the sea,then He made you and me.
He sat back and saw all that was good,He saw things to be as they should.Just one more blessing
He had in store;He created a mother, but whatever for?
He knew a mother would have a special placeto shine His reflection on her child's face.A mother will walk the extra milejust to see her children smile.She'll work her fingers to the boneto make a house into a home.
A mother is there to teach and guide,a mother will stay right by your side.She'll be there through your pain and strife,she'll stay constant in your life.
A mother will lend a helping handuntil you have the strength to stand.She'll pick you up when you are down,when you need a friend she'll stick around.A mother is one who listens well,will keep her word; will never tell.A mother never pokes or priesbut stands quietly by your side,giving you the strength you need,encouraging you to succeed.A mother is one who can be strongwhen you need someone to lean on.
You're more than a mother to me;a reflection of Him in your face I see,a love that knows no boundaries.I'm glad that you chose to beall this and more to me.You share a love that knows no end,you're more than my mother,you are my friend.
~By Kari Keshmiry~
Tuesday, 8 May 2007
MOTHER submitted by Peggy Peters
MOTHER
The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."
But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years.
So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."
Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children," A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."
And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today, I 've given them strength."
And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light. " And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."
And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.
And mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them." And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: "We cannot see her but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence......."
Your Mother is always with you.... She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street; she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks; she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop. She's the place you came from, your first home; and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space... not even death!
The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."
But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years.
So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."
Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children," A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."
And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today, I 've given them strength."
And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light. " And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."
And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.
And mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them." And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: "We cannot see her but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence......."
Your Mother is always with you.... She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street; she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks; she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop. She's the place you came from, your first home; and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space... not even death!
Monday, 7 May 2007
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY
TO EVERY MOTHER WHO IS AND WAS
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU
MAY HE CAUSE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON YOU
AND MAY ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE BE BLESSED !
BLESSINGS AND HUGS
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU
MAY HE CAUSE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON YOU
AND MAY ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE BE BLESSED !
BLESSINGS AND HUGS
HOW GOD CREATED A MOTHER
God took the fragrance of a flower,
The majesty of a tree,
The gentleness of morning dew,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The beauty of a twilight hour,
The soul of a starry night
The laughter of the rippling brook,
The grace of a bird in flight,
Then God fashioned from these things
A creation like no other,
And when His masterpiece was through,
He called it simply...MOTHER.
The majesty of a tree,
The gentleness of morning dew,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The beauty of a twilight hour,
The soul of a starry night
The laughter of the rippling brook,
The grace of a bird in flight,
Then God fashioned from these things
A creation like no other,
And when His masterpiece was through,
He called it simply...MOTHER.
What the Bible says about Mothers
Gen 3:20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
Exo 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Lev 19:3 "'Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God. z
Deu 5:16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
2 Ki 4:30 But the child's mother said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So he got up and followed her.
Prov 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.
Isa 66:13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."
Ezek 16:44 "'Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: "Like mother, like daughter."
Luke 1:43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Luke 2:51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.
John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Exo 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Lev 19:3 "'Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God. z
Deu 5:16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
2 Ki 4:30 But the child's mother said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So he got up and followed her.
Prov 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.
Isa 66:13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."
Ezek 16:44 "'Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: "Like mother, like daughter."
Luke 1:43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Luke 2:51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.
John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
A friend shared this with me last year
From a bush with thorns comes
The beautiful rose.
From a broken heart comes
Powerful prose
From a cramped cocoon comes
A butterfly new
From a tough mountain climb
Comes a breathtaking view
As I read this again I just wanted to wish you a week of beauty
Hugs and Blessings
The beautiful rose.
From a broken heart comes
Powerful prose
From a cramped cocoon comes
A butterfly new
From a tough mountain climb
Comes a breathtaking view
As I read this again I just wanted to wish you a week of beauty
Hugs and Blessings
Please leave your name
To the dear friend who is leaving comments without a name, I would love to know you if you feel safe enough to sign your name at the end of your comment?
Hugs and Blessings
Sharmaine
Hugs and Blessings
Sharmaine
Wednesday, 2 May 2007
13 Reasons why today is wonderful
A good friend of mine sent me these 13 reasons why every day is awesome!!! Thank you Hazel.
13 reasons why today is wonderful:-
1. Psalm 145:8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy.
2. John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
3. Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
4. Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on The Lord.
5. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
6. Proverbs 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
7. John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
8. Job 36:11 If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.
9. Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 Jeremiah 29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
11 Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
12. Psalm 119:105 Thy word is thy lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
13. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.
13 reasons why today is wonderful:-
1. Psalm 145:8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy.
2. John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
3. Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
4. Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on The Lord.
5. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
6. Proverbs 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
7. John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
8. Job 36:11 If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.
9. Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 Jeremiah 29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
11 Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
12. Psalm 119:105 Thy word is thy lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
13. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.
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