Count Your Blessings

Are You Counting?

I found this on the web and just had to share it...

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This is the Receiving Section.
Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.'

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section..

The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them... 'I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked.

'So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments.'

'How does one acknowledge God's blessings?' I asked.

'Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, Lord.'

'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked...

'If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.'

'And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'

'If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day.'

'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'

'If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world.
'If your parents are still alive and still married ...you are very rare.'

'If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'

Ok, what now? How can I start? If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

ATTN:
Acknowledge Dept.:
'Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it with.'

26th All Ukrainian ECB Convention

Jeff has spent the last three full days listening to and in fellowship with many brothers from the Evangelical Christian Baptist chuches. The Lord has used this time to set seeds for future church planting trainings. Please pray for those seeds for the beginning of new trainings in new places. Jeff has come home each day enthusiastic about what God is doing in the Baptist Union and in Ukraine.

Scrapbooking Class

Last weekend I had the privilege of working with a small group of ladies in doing a scrap booking class. I am so often amazed at the creativity of people when they are let loose with a few materials. I am very grateful for those who have sent scrap booking supplies as it is such a joy for the ladies to discover and use them. Above are a few of their pages they made.

Imprisoned

For those of you who prayed for our imprisoned friends that I wrote about earlier they have been released after 80 days. We haven't been in touch with them, we can't be in touch with them, therefore, we do not know their condition. I do know that the wife had been on a hunger strike for some time. How long I do not know. And during this entire time they were not allowed to see their children. Please continue to pray for them, their children and for the "No Access Country" that imprisons people for their faith. The believers in that country go through testing we hopefully will never know, but the God in heaven who sees all things and knows all things understands their trial and hears our prayers. Continue to pray for people of persecuted faith in closed countries around the world.

Bethany Baptist Church Craft Ladies

Our ladies are preparing crafts for children here and later we did a cards class. I so enjoy working with them and they are ever faithful.

Spring Unfolding

Hyacinths have just finished and tulips are in full bloom. We also have vinca, primroses and pansies (some I planted and some volunteer). Each year at this time I have such a wonderful sensation of God's playfulness and love as all the new variations of His creation show themselves in all their pride and glory. We are so grateful for the home God has given us here and try to share the beauty of this garden with others. It is a little bittersweet at times since we know that one day we will be leaving it behind after so many years of working on it. Nonetheless, we know Who is in control of the timing and plans so we rest in Him and will trust Him for his future plans for our lives.

Don't Quit

Just click on title for a lovely encouragement.