"The only limits to prayer are the promises of God and His ability to fulfill those promises" E. M. Bounds

I ask that you pray for the wife of a dear brother in Christ who went to his reward early last evening. Brother Herman and I used to exchange emails each week on any number of subjects. He was strong in his appreciation for the truth as taught in the Bible. He and I shared in our common struggles in having to deal with diabetes. We also were both NASCAR fans and that was a subject that came up quite often. He's the fellow that ordered me up some of  those great Hawaiian coffees and I thank God for his life and the privilege of our association. Our hearts go out to his sweet wife Betty and I know she would appreciate your prayers. May God comfort each heart. Amen.

Hello out there in Bloggerworld. Welcome once again to that place where I come each day to be surprised by what ends up on the page. You noticed? Good. You can see what I put up with each day. It is Wednesday, August 8, 2012 and I'm at it again. Sometimes one of my faithful readers will mention something I wrote and I have to do some quick mental gymnastics just to recall the subject. (Notice the Olympics theme, gymnastics. I understand that because of the non stop coverage of the games, gym memberships are increasing along with other paid sporting venues. Mine, however, is of the cerebral variety, that is, mental.) The good news. At times I'm pretty impressed with what they understood from what I wrote. Especially if it was of a particular encouragement or blessing to them. If that happens then God gets the glory for He provides for His own even through the thoughts and comments of someone like me. That doesn't mean that I claim some special spiritual insight, but anytime we inform others using God's truth, well, He has promised that His Word will work, it will accomplish what He intends, and it will not be wasted. I didn't make that up. You can check it out for yourself by reading Isaiah 55.

You may have seen this one but it's from an anonymous author and it spoke to me, therefore I thought it might do the same for you. Life is Like Coffee: A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general…Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee… When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering…”You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems.” He continued…”Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups… Then you began eying each other’s cups….” ”Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us… God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!” The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have… So please remember: Live simply. Love generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the Rest to God.  And remember - the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

I know that's a long reading but it is chocked full of valuable thoughts. And, the bottom line is very much in keeping with what we read in our Bibles. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36) "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;" (Romans 12:10) "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ." (Galations 6:2) "But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either." (1st Timothy 6:6-7) Okay. That's my sermon for today. You do not have to send me an offering. I do remember this one from a comedian, Brother Dave Gardner, that I grew up listening to. He used to mock some radio preachers. This was one of his classic appeals: "Don't send me any money, not one thin dime, just one dollar to cover the weight of the postal money order." May God bless us all as we seek to encourage each other in this life He has given to us. Amen.   .....More later.