Tuesday, December 30, 2025

THE GOSPEL ALPHABET

 THE GOSPEL ALPHABET

   Ruth Graham used this fun, easy method to help her children memorize Scripture. Franklin Graham and his wife, Jane Austin, carried on that tradition with their own kids, who in turn have used it to teach God's Word to their families. (Kid's alphabet blocks)

A   ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. [Romans 3:23]

B   BEHOLD! the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! [John 1:29]

COME to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.                     [Matthew 11:28]

D   DRAW near to God and He will draw near to you. [James 4:8]

E   EVEN so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little               ones should perish. [Matthew 18:14]

F   FOR by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is           the gift of God. [Ephesians 2:8]

G  GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever                         believed  in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [John 3:16]

H  HIM that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. [John 6:37, KJV]

  I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.        [John 14:6]

JESUS answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in              Him whom He sent." [John 6:29]

K  KNOCK, and it will be opened to you. [Matthew 7:7]

L   LOOK to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! [Isaiah 45:22]

M  MY grace is sufficient for you. [2 Corinthians 12:9]

NOW is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. [2 Corinthians 6:2]

OPEN my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. [Psalms 119:18]

P    PEACE I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to          you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. [John 14:27]

Q   QUICKEN me according to thy word. [Psalm 119:154, KJV]

R   REST in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. [Psalm 37:7]

S   SEEK, and you will find. [Matthew 7:7]

 THE blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. [1 John 1:7]

U   UNTO you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.            [Luke 2:11, KJV]

VERILY, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. [John             6:47, KJV]

W  WHAT will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?                 [Mark 8:36]

X   EXCEPT a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [John 3:3, KJV]

Y  YOU are not your own . . . For you were bought at a price. [1 Corinthians 6:19-20]

Z   ZEALOUS for good works [Titus 2:14]

Let's pray-


   Father, may these words challenge us to learn the verses available for teaching about the Salvation offered to us through Jesus. Enlighten our hearts to Scriptures that support our faith, and help us share these truths with others, especially those who don't yet know Him. 

   We pray in Jesus' name, that He will use this blog post to teach many how to memorize Your Words and to use them effectively. Amen.



My weekly advice from the book, "We All Married IDIOTS, by Elaine W. Miller:


"Married couples are on the same team. They aren't opposing fighters in a boxing ring, a goal to come out fighting, but to come out loving, realizing that every thoughtless word spoken devastates both marriage partners." (p. 82, 83)



#116 Testimony- Christopher B. Adsit


   Jim Gibson was a fellow-member of the Colorado State Track Team while I was there. After helping this half-miler begin his walk with Christ, I started to disciple him. I couldn't get Jim nailed down to an actual week-by-week meeting, but we spent a lot of time together on track trips, and had occasional bursts of consistent discipling encounters on campus.

   When we went our separate ways after graduation, however, I didn't feel that I had done a very good job with him. He hadn't responded the way I had hoped, and I felt primarily at fault.

   Years later, out of the blue, here comes a letter from Jim! He'd deepened his commitment to Christ and was enrolled in Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville! He eventually graduated, is on fire for Jesus and is now a pastor in Canada. My glum thoughts about Jim were totally unfounded, and they demonstrated my lack of faith in God's ability "to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).

   Don't let Satan drag you into the same useless trap! 

(Taken from p. 340, Personal DISCIPLE-MAKING, By Christopher B. Adsit



1631-1635 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted- 

 

1631- Ps. 25:2a "O my God, I trust in thee; let me not be ashamed."

1632- Prov. 20:13b "Open thine eyes."

1633- Is. 37:16b  "Thou art the God, event Thou alone. . . thou hast made heaven

          and earth."

1634- Job 16:17b "My prayer is pure."

1635- Is. 49:13a "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and breakforth into singing." 



 #116 Hymn-  Abide With Me

 

   Henry Francis Lyte, vicar in the fishing village of Lower Brixham, Devonshire, England, ministered faithfully for twenty-three years to his sea-faring people. His lung condition hanging over the home like a blackening cloud. Lower Brixham suffered damp winters, and while in his early fifties, Henry realized his lung disorder had deteriorated into tuberculosis. On September 4, 1847, age 54, he entered his pulpit with difficulty and preached what was to be his last sermon. He had planned a therapeutic holiday in Italy. 

   That afternoon he walked along the coast in pensive prayer then retired to his room, emerging an hour later with a written copy of "Abide With Me." Shortly afterward, Henry embraced his family a final time and departed for Italy. Stopping in Avignon, France, he again revised "Abide With Me"—it was evidently much on his mind, and posted it to his wife.

   Arriving on the French Riviera, he checked into the Hotel De Angleterre in Nice, and there on November 20, 1847, his phthisic lungs finally gave out. Another English clergyman, a Rev. Manning of Chichester, who happened to be staying in the same hotel, attended him during his final hours. Henry's last words were, "Peace! Joy!"



 Some encouraging words- Words by Amy Carmichael


   "Don't be afraid of silence in your prayer time. It may be that you are meant to listen, not to speak. So wait before the Lord. Wait in stillness. Wait as David waited when he sat before the Lord, and in that stillness, assurance will come to you.

   You will know that you are heard; you will know that your Lord ponders the voice of your humble desires; you will hear quiet words spoken to you, yourself, perhaps to your grateful surprise and refreshment."



Church Notes: 


      PRESSING THROUGH STORMS


We're to lean into Jesus. Something special is waiting after a storm.

God comes to us in a storm. 

We're not to try to go around them, as we'll have an opportunity to see God work!

We're to "get out of the boat" and go to Jesus (like Peter did).

Jesus will give us the courage and boldness we'll need to obey.

He wants to do something in us and for others.

In our storms, may Jesus is glorified!

Let's press in!



Upcoming posts:


 1/3rd-  A TOWER GARDEN- Mary Southerland

10th- JESUS AS A FRIEND- Karen Girl Friday

17th- WHAT JESUS DID FOR US- Karen Hueng



GAURDING YOUR THOUGHTS

 

   Nancy Gavilanes- Lap after lap, Katie Ledecky was in familiar spot during the 1500-meter freestyle race at the 2024 Paris Olympics. For some fifteen minutes, she was far ahead of the rest of the swimmers and alone with her thoughts.

   What was Ledecky thinking about during the long race? In an interview conducted immediately following her gold-medal-winning performance in which she set a new Olympic record, Ledecky said she was thinking about her training partners and saying their names in her head. (Guard Your Thoughts)

   Distance swimmers aren't the only ones who need to focus their minds on the right things. We as believers in Jesus also need to guard our thoughts throughout our faith journey.

   The Apostle Paul encouraged the Philippian church to "rejoice in the Lord," not be "anxious about anything, but pray about everything (Philippians 4:4,6) The result? "The peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (v. 7). Jesus, the Prince of Peace, helps put our worries and troubles in perspective.

   Paul also encouraged believers: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lively, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things" (v 8).

   As we go about our day, let's be aware of our thoughts. When we see God's hand in our life, we can count our blessings and worship Him.

Our Prayer-  Dear God, may my thoughts be pleasing to You." 

In Jesus' name. Amen.


My weekly advice from the book, "We All Married IDIOTS, by Elaine W. Miller:

(p. 64) "Marrital happiness is enhanced when a husband and a wife hold on to the good times and the traits they adore, and let go of things that irritate."


#118 Testimony-  Corrie Ten Boone


   Corrie Ten Boone relates how fear suddenly seized her on a harrowing car ride through the Califonia mountains. She was able to regain inner composure when she began praying for others; people with whom she had traveled, her companions in a German concentration camp and her school friends of years ago.


1641-1645 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted- 
 
1641- Is. 54:10b "My kindness shall not depart from thee."
1642- Ps. 119:67 "Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now I have kept thy word."
1643- Is. 40:9b "Lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid."
1644- Ps. 12:7a "Thou shalt keep them, O LORD."
1645- Is. 46:10b "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."


 #118 Hymn-  Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
 

The information about this song,  is taken from the book by Robert J. MorganTHEN SINGS MY SOUL   (p. 95)

   Henry Francis Lyte's colorful, bittersweet life contributed to the pensive depth of his beautiful hyms. Henry was born in Scotland in1793.His father abandoned them once they were id Ireland, and young Henry was raised by his mohter who taught him the Bible and instructed him about prayer. After he entered Pltora Royal School in Northern Ireland, his mother died, leaving Henry a nine- year-old orphan with no means of support.
   Portora Royal School superintendent, Rev. Robert Burrows, saw something special in Henry. He invited him into his home, accepted him as part of his family, and paid for his educaiton. Henry excelled. At age 16, he was awarded financial assistance to Trinity College in Dublin, and he traveled there intending to enter the medical school. But something was pulling him toward the ministry, and he wound up instead in the Divinity School.
   After college, Henry, 21, was ordained and began preachinig at St. Munn's Church in Taghmon, Ireland, and inland city south of Dubllin. There he made friends with another pastor, Rev. Abraham Swanne. When Swanne became critically ill, Henry cared for him and for his family, spending long hours talking to the dying man.
   The two clergymen realized that thety were both blind guides, lost, without adequate personal relationships with Christ. As they searched the Scripures together, both Henry and his dying friend came to a deeper faith. He later wrote, "I began to study my Bible and preach in another manner than I had done previously." It was this incident that inspired his wonderful hymn, Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken, written in 1824 (revised in 1833).


 Some encouraging words-

   Our prayers matter to God, because we matter to Him. like a parent with pictues of beloved children prominently throughout the home, God keeps our prayers near Him because they are the expressions of our hearts. He longs to draw us close to Him.

Church Notes: 

    We are created in God's Image

Our real problem is a heart problem
Man's anger does not produce God's results
We're to be quick to hear, and slow to anger
Selt-righteousness is sin.
We're to walk in the fear of God, and deal with anger quickly
Give no opportuity for the evil one to enfluence us.


Upcoming posts:

 Jan/13- A TOWER GARDEN- Mary Southerland
10th-      JESUS AS A FRIEND- Karen (girl Friday)
17th-     WHAT JESUS DID FOR US- Karen Hueng


The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,

located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,

broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15

You can view past services too.

Sermon listing:https://www.cfconline.org/sermon-library 

Saturday, December 20, 2025

GOD REALLY LOVES YOU

 

 Kelly Balarie- God doesn't, some days, love you... He doesn't just love you after you brought a home-baked meal to a cancer patient. He doesn't just love you after you carried an old lady's grocery bags to her car. He doesn't just love you when you had a beautiful, candle-lit moment with God and then kept worship songs on during the day.

He loves you.
He loves you on your good days.
He loves you on your bad days.
He loves you when you are at your best.
He loves you at your worst.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

Your mess-ups are never bigger than God's love. Your conception of how bad you are doing is never greater than the price Jesus paid. In fact, the price Jesus paid actually paid for grace, for you. Grace is the highway back on track with God; not only that, but His unmerited favor, like wind behind your back, goes with you.

Don't discount yourself.
  Don't compare yourself to others.
    Don't deny that God still wants you.
      Don't believe that His grace is broken on account of you.
It is not. The devil is a liar.

You are all right with God, thanks to Jesus.

God gave you Jesus' rightness, so that you could always come back on the road of righteousness and obedience, with ease.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21

Oh, isn't the grace of our Lord Jesus so amazing?!

If you feel off track, repent of sin, receive His grace and hop back on the highway of holiness.

If you feel left behind by God, humble yourself, release mistruth and run back into His arms.

If you feel unwanted, ditch the sob story and receive the fact that the Holy Spirit chose to make His dwelling place in you (1 Cor. 6:19)

God wants you, God wants you, God wants you. Period. Exclamation point!

God's grace is enough to make you right in God's sight even when you feel horribly and terribly unlovable.

Glory to God!
Praise to the Lamb!
Jesus died with arms wide open.
Always waiting for your grand return!

Let's pray-

   Father, we know that You love us on our good days, bad days, when we're at our best and at our worst. You love us! Thank You for giving us Your Son, Jesus, to be the One who opens His arms to us in Your stead, welcoming us home through faith in His Salvation, made on Calvary! We're waiting in expectation for His return, to welcome us home with You for eternity! 
We pray in Jesus' name, Amen!
 

My weekly advice from the book, "We All Married IDIOTS, by Elaine W. Miller:

(p. 69) "Marriage is not a short journey. It takes sustained energy and effort. What do you do when drained of all strength and you feel your grasp slipping? How do you continue when all desire to hold on is gone, and giving up seems like a more pleasant option? You keep going day by day." Heb. 12:1b . . . let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
 

#117 Testimony- Andrew Murry

   "The believing disciple learns to look upon Christ on the throne, Christ the Omnipotent, as his life. He studies that life in its infinite perfection and purity, in its strength and glory; it is the eternal life dwelling in a glorified man.
   And when he thinks of his own inner life, and longs for holiness, to live well-pleasing unto God, or for power to do the Father's work, he looks up, and, rejoicing that Christ is his life, he confidently reckons that that life will work mightily in him all he needs.
     In things little and things great, in the being kept from sin from moment to moment for which he has learned to look, or in the struggle with some special difficulty or temptation, the power of Christ is the measure of his expectation. He lives a most joyous and blessed life, not because he is no longer feeble, but because, being utterly helpless, he consents and expects to have the mighty Savior work in him." (From Herald of His Calling paper, p.10, 9/10)


1636-1640 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted- 
 
1636- Ps. 10:16a "The LORD is King for ever and ever."
1637- Ps. 58:11b "Verily there is a reward for the righteous."
1638- Jer. 36:7a "It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD."
1639- Is. 45:21b "There is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; 
          there is none beside me."
1640- Ps. 72:7a "In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance 
          of peace."     


 #117 Hymn-  Be Thou My Vision 
The information about this song,  is taken from the book by Robert J. MorganTHEN SINGS MY SOUL   (p. 4)

    Patrick [later dubbed as Saint Patrick]was about 16, when raiders descended on his little town and torched his home. When one of the pirates spotted him in the bushes, he was seized, hauled aboard ship, and taken to Ireland as a slave. There he gave his life to the Lord Jesus.
   Patrick eventually escaped and returned home. His overjoyed family begged him to never leave again. But one night, in a dream reminiscent of Paul's vision of the Macedonian Man in Acts 16, Patrick saw an Irishman pleading with him to come to evangelize Ireland. 
  It wasn't an easy decision, but Patrick, about 30, returned to his former captors with only one book, the Latin Bible, in his hand. As he evangelized the countryside, multitudes came to listen. . . Patrick became one of the most fruitful evangelists of all time, planting about 200 churches and baptizing 100,000 converts.
   His work endured, and ceveral centuries later, the Irish church was still producing hymns, prayers, sermons, and songs of worship. In the eighth century, an unknown poet wrote a prayer asking God to be his Wisdom, and his Best Thought by day or night.
   In 1905, Mary Elizabeth Byrne, a scholar in Dublin, Ireland, translated this ancient Irish poem into English. Another scholar, Elenor Hull of Manchester, England, took Byrne's translation and crafted it into verses with rhyme and meter. Shortly thereafter it was set to a traditional Irish folk song, "Be Thou My Vision."
It is one of our oldest and most moving hymns.


 Some encouraging words-

"Let God guide you daily among the many ways in which He will bring Wisdom to you. He wants to use impressions and other gentle forms of guidance to lead you joyfully and in perfect rest of heart, as you realize more and more the wonder of His intimate and personal love for you." 
(Taken from a testimony of Wesley L. Duewel)

Church Notes: 
      Psalm 51             

King David admitted his sin was against a Holy God, and asked for mercy.
Everything in life gets dirty and needs cleansing. 
We're by nature children of wrath.
Christians still have flesh to deal with. Sin does get the upper hand at times.
God delights in truth.
King David asks to be washed from his sin.
He wanted to have joy again, and to have his sin blotted out!
He asked to not be a castaway.

Jesus' blood cleanses us!
The Holy Spirit will not leave us but will teach us how to please God.
Our sacrifice is a broken and contrite heart for our daily cleansing.
Jesus can create a clean life of living.

Upcoming posts:

12/27th-  GUARDING OUR THOUGHTS- Nancy Gavilanes
1/3rd-     A TOWER GARDEN- Mary Southerland
10th-      JESUS AS A FRIEND- Karen Girl Friday


The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,

located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,

broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15

You can view past services too.

Sermon listing:https://www.cfconline.org/sermon-library