Who I am - IN CHRIST ! ! !

Joyce Meyer has been teaching on this all week - "Do you know who you are"? Like the Bell! I think it is so good that I ordered the CD! If you can get her on the TV or radio, or on Google, listen to her. She is so good and so easy to listen to.

Sharon's tip!

Sharon told me to google in You Tube and write in "How Great Thou Art" and "Ave Maria". So I did, and a lot of sights came on that I could click on different versions of the songs and listen to them. It is wonderful. I picked one out of "how Great Thou Art" and used it to meditate with. Beautiful. Try it.

Thanks Sharon!

What I gleaned from "the Bell"

To all who believe in HIM, He gives the right to become cheldren of God! We can know what God is like by learning what Jesus is like. We can learn what Jesus is like, by looking at us! Can people see Jesus in me? People do observe us to see if we act like a christian. Sometimes that's the measure they use to decide to follow Jesus or not. How do I act?

Jesus has made known everything He heard from His father. We can know it, too, by listening to Jesus and reading about Him in the scriptures. We are Jesus' friends, not His servants.

My body is for the Lord. I must be joined with Him, not with sin. I am united with Him! Honor God with your bodies. My body is a temple of God - He lives in me. I must not abuse His temple!

God cherishes us! The more we know Him, the more we will understand His love for us. We have been chosen by God - we belong, we matter, we have been accepted. We are a part of God's family!

He will send His Holy Spirit to give us the power to be a Christian - the power to be His witness, the power to be filled with Him and share Him with all around us. The Holy Spirit is our strength, our boldness, our helper, our teacher, the revealer of truth. He makes the word of God understandable! We cannot do all that is involved with being a Christian without the helper, God's Holy Spirit!

Jesus says we are the salt and the light of the earth. Salt preserves. It was used as a preservative for meats and perishable foods until refrigeration came along. It heals. Salt can heal wounds. It also makes us thirsty. That's why the bars serve pretzels and nuts - to make us thirsty so we'll order more drinks! The light shows the way. A light house on a dark night is a wonderful sight to sailors who are out at sea - it leads the way to safety. A flashlight can be a lifesaver when there is only darkness. It's so wonderful to be able to swith on a light in a dark room. We are the salt - making people thirsty for more of the spiritual, we are agents of God's healing touch, we teach people how to preserve their heritage in Christ. We are like the light house showing the way to God. "Thy word is a light unto my feet." The light leads the way - out of the darkness and into the light. When we are Christians we are observed!

Each of us is a part of the body of Christ. Each part is important, needed, required for the whole to function right.

We are not judged guilty when we are in Christ. We are not ruled by our sinful selves - we are ruled by the Spirit of God - if that spirit of God really lives in us. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and allow Him to direct your life. Study the bible to find what God expects you to do.

Our homeland is heaven. We are waiting for Jesus to come and to rule all things. I am important.

Jesus is our intercessor. He intercedes for us when we pray to His Father. He stands between us and the evils of this earth when we ask Him to. No one condemns us. No one can stand against us and win. We only need to call upon the name of our protector, our intercessor - Jesus Christ.

I am a new creature in Christ - the old me is gone! Sometimes that old me tries to come back, but if I repent and stay close to my Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to fill me anew, I know that old me has gone. I am a new creature.

We have the right to come to the Father through Christ. He raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with Him in the heavens. And nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from God's love. Even when we feel separated, just remember - He hasn't gone anywhere! It is us who have moved away from Him, but He's always there waiting for us to come back. And He welcomes us with open arms.

God is our strength. God made us His chosen people. He sealed us with His spirit to show we are His. He put His spirit in our hearts to be a guarantee for all He has promised. Everything works for the good of those who love Him. He says: "You did not choose me, I chose you. And I give you this command: go and produce fruit, fruit that will last, then the Father will give you anything you ask for in Jesus' name.

I can do all things through Christ who stengthens me. He gives me what I need to accomplish whatever He asks me to do for His Kingdom. Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. Without the vine, the branches die. We can do nothing without Him! With Him we can bear much fruit.

I have been justified (Just as if I'd never sinned) through the blood of Jesus. Jesus paid for our sins and in Him we are forgiven.

We work together with God - do not let the grace you received from God be for nothing. God has made us what we are. He planned in advance what we are to be doing and He has provided the grace to do it. God will perfect what He has begun in me. He ain't finished with me yet!

God has made us His own children. Because of Jesus being sacrificed as the perfect Lamb of God and His precious blood being spilled for me and for you we have been adopted. Adopted into the family of God. We are royalty. We are co-heirs with Jesus to all that the Father has!

Do you know who you are?

The Bell

THE BELL

I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I am united with the Lord(1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price(1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt.5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ(1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil.3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31-34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God(2 Cor.5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God(Rom.8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor.1:21-22)
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8: 28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship(Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col. 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child(Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know

who you are!?

He's Coming!!

Are you making way for the coming of the Lord? As we prepare to celebrate the arrival of the Messiah, let's remember that this whole holdiay in December was created to celebrate the greatest gift mankind ever received. How do you perceive that gift to be?

I perceive that gift to be one that I sometimes simply cannot wrap my mind around. Jesus Christ allowed himself to be beaten and tortured and then murdered on a cross so that I can have eternal salvation. WOW!! I'm sorry, folks, but I am too chicken to ever allow anyone to hurt me, no matter how much I might love you. And in the three short years of His ministry, Christ gave us such a good and peaceful and powerful code of ethics to live by.

Because of the sacrificial Lamb, I will stand before my God one day -- and that day will last for eternity.

What does it mean to you?

John 3:16

Our move to Billings brought out the gifts God gave me.

I've been wanting to tell some more of the story of how God can bring beauty out of the ashes. He had to go to extreme measures to get my attention! If it wouldn't have been for our home and everything we had burning up in our fire, we never would have moved from here, and I never would have had the opportunity to find out that I truly could do whatever I felt God was calling me to do.

Before I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, born again, I would never have had the courage and boldness to step out and do some of the things I found myself doing when we moved to Billings. I immediately found a prayer group there. It seemed as though I had known these people forever, not that they were new friends to me! We had so much to share of the Lord! What a privilege it was to be able to live there for 19 years!

In those 19 years, I felt the Lord calling me into many areas of service in the church. One of those, and the first one, was to lead the music at St. Pius. Our dear friends, Ed and Hazel Havens, had moved to Billings about a year before we did. They were our friends for about 15 years before they moved. They had 3 daughters, who were Linda's and Janet's age, and one in between. Terry, LeeAnne, and Jackie. One night I walked into the church just to pray. When I walked in there was Terry, LeeAnne and Jackie! They were practicing with Terry playing her guitar, and Jackie and LeeAnne were singing. When I walked in they were so happy to see me, and ran up to me with hugs and excitement. Lonnie, can you help us? They said we can't do the music for church unless we have an adult involved with us and no one wants to! I said I'd give it some thought. I went home and prayed and read scripture and talked to my Mom and Dad, who were living there at the time. Every time I opened my bible it was a passage about music and singing. Whatever I was listening to on the radio said Sing to Lord! I overheard conversations about singing. I asked my Mom and Dad and they said "sure you could do that", so I figured all that was the Lord speaking to me. I said Yes! And what came from that Yes was absolutely amazing! Not my doing, for sure, but because I was obedient and said Yes, the Lord worked everything that happened through me! Our group grew and grew. We had about 30 of us. We had guitars, instruments, and drums. I knew nothing about music, but these kids gave it their whole heart and soul! Karen learned to play a guitar, and she joined the group. Janet played the drums, and the rest of our family sang. We had several other guitars. It was amazing! One Christmas Janet played her drums at the offertory of the mass while we sang "Little Drummer Boy", and she marched right up to the altar and the baby Jesus in his Creche. People began coming to our mass from all over town, and we soon had to have the "St. Pius Shuffle" to get everyone in the church. We had lots of empty seats, no music when we first started. That is a "miracle" from God. Now, this is only one area where I said "Yes". I'll share others later.

I just wanted to encourage you all to listen for the Lord's calling on your life. You'll hear it the same way I did. And, even though you don't feel equipped to do what he calls you to do, you can do it - IF it truly is the Lord speaking to you. He seems to say "Listen to the desires of your heart. I place that desire and talents in you so that My Kingdom can grow."

Psalm 66 was one of the passages I received when I was trying to discern His voice. Read it sometime. I especially like verse 1 and 2: "Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing of his glorious name! Tell the world how wonderful he is." and then verse 16: "Come and hear, all of you who reverence the Lord, and I will tell you what he did for me"

Above is a picture of our group. There is another row of kids behind the guitar players on the right.

Read Sharon's post of Nov. 12 again!

I just re-read Sharon's post from Nov 12 - "I Have a Question for you". And as I was reading it again I felt a sense of urgency that these words are so important and need to be listened to AND acted upon. So, I encourage each of you to read that again and ask God how you can do that? I know you would hear an answer to your question because I feel God really wants us to hear this word and that it is truly from HIM. He won't answer in an audible voice that you hear roaring down from heaven, like Moses must have heard, or some of the other old testament prophets, but you hear him through circumstances, people, coincidential things happen all around you. Doors will open for you to bring God to wherever He has placed you and whomever He has placed there with you. He asks only that you respond and obey! And when you do, you aren't in it by yourself. You are merely the instrument, the visual that God uses to speak to people, to minister to them, to love them with the Love of God. You may be the only Bible some of them ever read. You may be the Holy Spirit with skin on for them to be able to see and hear and believe in Him. And the Holy Spirit will reveal to you what you are to say and what you are to do. He will teach you all things, so you can pass that knowledge on. Read Sharon's post, and listen for God's word to you. Share with us here, if you want.

Check it out

This morning in my prayer time, I felt God tell me "TRUST" and then God blessed me with these scriptures:

Psalm 100. Check it out, it is really short. Especially find the last lines reassuring "He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation."

Isaiah 26:3 & 4. "He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord. Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength."

Isaiah 30:15. "...Only in returning to me and waiting for me will you be saved: in quietness and confidence is you strength.."

Isaiah 30:19-21. "And if you leave God's paths and go astray, you will hear a voice behind you say 'No, this is the way: walk here."

Then God asked me to share His word with all of you because His words mean something special to at least one of you at this point in time, just as they do to me.

Our God is a faithful God!

I HAVE A QUESTION

I found this in my Bible. It is dated 5-1-06. I believe I jotted it down during service one Sunday.

"Hear me people.
Hear me.
Time is short.
Bring me to the lost.
Time is short.
Bring me to the lost before it is too late.
Hear me people."

Now, that was about a year and a half ago, and I need to ask myself, have I brought God to anyone, or anyone to God, in that time? This command isn't a new one, Jesus told us to bring the gospel to all the world. How many ways do you suppose there are to do just that?

Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, love.love.love. ???Forgive, hold your tongue, lend your ear, have patience. ??? Support our missions and our missionaries. Pray.Pray.Pray. Engage a stranger in a "God" conversation. ???

How do you act on this command?

The pursuit of happiness

Hi all! Mom had asked me to share some of my insights on her blog, so here I am, finally getting around to it. I was reading the prayer requests and the answered prayers. I just love this family - I love our childlike faith and don't we have such a great sense of humor? We are funny people! And God is good - look at how He listens!

I have been thinking a lot about happiness lately. Let me know what you think of my ideas. I think happiness is like world peace... it's not gonna happen. That doesn't mean we don't pray for it or pursue it, it just isn't possible. We have moments of happiness, maybe even days of it, but something always happens to spoil it. That's the way of the world. Then there's joy. Joy is possible in spite of circumstances. It's one of the Fruits of the Spirit, which means it is only possible with Christ. Have you ever felt happy and you wondered why you were happy? "My life is a mess!" but you were happy anyway? That's joy - that's the Spirit. That's the natural consequence of living in obedience to Christ. The other fruits are - love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. If you have all of these in your life, it's the evidence that you are living in sync with God's will. So whenever I feel anxious, or mean, or depressed (or any one of the opposites of the fruits) I have to ask myself in what area of my life am I not being obedient to Christ? Then (and this is the important part) I go before Him and confess what I've done, and pray for guidance to get right again. This is why I read my Bible everyday - so that I know what I am supposed to do.

OK - I could go on..... and on..... and on...... but that's enough! Thanks for listening. Love you!

CHUCK

I do believe that God has put it on my heart to pray for Chuck's knee. Will you all please join me.

Heavenly Father, Creator of the human body; Brother Jesus, Master Healer; Holy Spirit, who breathes new life into believers,

I hold Chuck up to you this evening. Please lay your hand on his knee, Jesus, and heal every part of it. Remove the cause of the pain and swelling and replace it with total mobility and strength. With pain comes discouragement, so breathe new life into Chuck's spirit and don't allow the discouragement to abide there any more! Speak to Chuck through your Holy Spirit, Lord. If he is to be mobile, nudge him into activity. If he is to rest, nudge him with a reminder that you created his body and you will heal it - but he needs to co-operate by resting. Use this "down" time to draw Chuck even closer to you, Father. Let his relationship with You deepen and grow. Free Chuck of any concerns he might have through this time, take his mind off of any worry and lead him into focusing on you and all that you have for him. Fill Chuck with a peace that surpasses all understanding and bless him again and again. Bless Deedle as she helps Chuck through this time. I pray in Jesus name.

Thank you Jesus for what you are about to do for Chuck.

A little of my history

I am LeLawne Mae Gratton Eve (Lonnie Eve). I am the first born of Chuck and Dorothy Gratton. I was born on June 18th, 1937 in Rock Springs, Wy., where I lived until I was 6 weeks old. Then we moved to Harlem, Mt, and then to Havre, Mt., and finally settling in Chinook, Mt., which is right in the middle between Harlem and Havre. I graduated from high school there in 1955, and then went on to college in Great Falls, where I met and married my husband (of 51 years now). We had seven children - 5 daughters and 2 sons, 2 beautiful daughters-in-law, 4 great sons-in-law, and 9 grandchildren. We lived in Great Falls for 20 years, and then moved to Billings and lived there for 20 years, and now have moved back to Great Falls, where I'm sure we'll be for the duration. We are so blessed! We have a wonderful family. Good jobs. And each other. It's a great life!

When I was in college in Great Falls, Mt.
My mom and Dad and little sister, Patsy and me
This is me

Jesus calms the storm

In Mark Chapter 6, verses 48-50 we read that the disciples were out on the sea and Jesus was alone on the land. He had sent them to go ahead of him in the boat across the sea to Bethsaida. Jesus went up into the hills to pray. That night the boat was in the middle of the lake, and Jesus could see the disciples struggling so hard to row their boat against the waves. It was getting very stormy, and the waves were getting stronger. So Jesus went out to them, early in the morning, walking on the water! When they saw him they couldn't know who he was. They thought he was a ghost. After all, who could walk on the water like that? He frightened them. So Jesus spoke to them and said, "Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid." Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind became calm. They were greatly amazed!

That stormy night on the sea of Galilee, Jesus manifested a power beyond anything we can comprehend. It wasn't a "magic trick" that calmed the elements, but the Creator's control over His own creation. They had just been with him that day as he multiplied the fishes and the loaves and fed 5,000 people with only 5 loaves and 2 fish! (read the previous chapter in Mark 6:35-44) The disciples had seen Him work this miracle, and were filled with faith from being a part of it.

The same is true for us! We have had answers to prayers and our faith is built up. We know by personal experience that God loves us and cares for us. Yet in the middle of the night, when the storm rages most fiercely, we still cry out with fear.

How did Jesus respond to the disciples' fearful cries? Did he tell them to buck up and stop being babies? No, he told them to have courage. Then he climbed into the boat and calmed the wind. And that's the way he treats us, speaking a word of courage, assuring us of his presence, and calming our souls. We may feel that we are alone on a dark night, in the middle of an angry sea, but the truth is that God sees us no matter where we are or what we are going through. Just as Jesus walked on the water to come to the disciples in the experience of the storm, he can use the very problems we experience in order to come to us and calm our fears.

So, when you are in the middle of the storms of life, just know Jesus is there with you - he's in the boat with you - and when you recognize Him, He will calm your storms. Just know that.

WOW! Here is a great resource I found. Thought I'd share. It is helpful to me. Hope it is for you too! Love , Karen...

YOU SAY
GOD SAYS
BIBLE VERSES
You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me"!
God says: I love you
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )
You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)
You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)
You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it
(Romans 8:28 )
You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)
You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)

Lonnie's Surgery

I do believe that Lonnie is scheduled for surgery tomorrow, Wednesday the 31st. I am putting this here rather than in the prayer requewsts, because there is such a long list of requests and I would like your attention directed to praying for a successful surgery.

Heavenly Father,

I hold your servant, Lonnie, up to you and ask that you prepare her for surgery by giving her a heart filled with peace and the knowledge that the Great Physician will be in that operating room with her and will sit with her through recovery.

I ask that you guide the surgeon's hands, Lord, and that the surgery be successful and without incident. Restore Lonnie's energy and remove every trace of depression from her. Grant her a speedy recovery. When she is over-doing it (and she WILL try to over-do it) nudge her with a reminder that she is to take care of herself and not worry about "things getting done" as you are in the process of knitting her body and spirit back together.

I pray in Jesus name.

Amen.

Thank you Jesus for what you are about to do for Lonnie.

Where is our Dear, Beautiful Auntie Sharon!???

Have not heard from you in awhile. Come back... Come back...

Me as Religious Education Director at St. Pius in Billings - this was an award party in my honor - and I was truly honored!

When we lost everything in our fire some amazing blessings came our way. One of those blessings was an opportunity to move to Billings. Phil was offered a job selling pipe for a company out of Salt Lake, Waterworks Equipment Co. It was a big jump in wages, so we packed up all our belongs, which was all the wonderful things people had given us. When we got to Billings, many great opportunities opened up for us. We lived there 20 years before returning to Great Falls. The scripture on the banner above meant a lot to me, and I lived that way. He did direct my paths. And one of those paths led me into Religious Ed director. I loved the job. It was very rewarding. I've been searching for that scripture so I could tell you to read it in your bible and pray with it often. But - I can't seem to find it. Do any of you know where it is? If so, please post it here. Thanks.

But - it is so true. If we truly do seek Him with all our hearts. Really want to know Him. Really listen for his direction. Really trust Him. Really love being in His presence and talking to Him - He will direct our path. He will lead us. We just need to get to know Him so intimately and thoroughly that we can recognize His leading. That is so important in this day and age. There is so much out there that is false, and it is hard to discern the real from the false. If you worked in a bank, you would spend time in your training learning money. You would learn how it feels, the color of it, the print on it - everything about real money. You don't study the counterfeit at all. You just get to know the real so well that you learn to recognize the fake when you come across it. That is the same with God and His leading and His teaching. If you study the word of God, spend time with Him, learn of Him, you will be able to recognize the real from the counterfeit. And you will know when it is He who is leading you. So seek Him with all your heart and He will direct your path.

This is a newspaper article about our fire. I tried to put it as a comment under "Don't you know my Mommy prays, but it wouldn't go there for me"

I'm not sure why the Tribune published this article. But, I always thought it was because the gas company didn't want to be responsible in any way for this fire. The fire cheif told us it was caused by a leak in the gas pipe next to the back door, which was ignited by the fireplace. It was just a miracle that it didn't explode while we were there. The fireman told us we would not have been able to get out of the house - even if we had our hand on the doorknob - that's how hot and how fast it went. This was one of many articles in the paper about our fire. We just thank God for the many blessings that came out of the ashes.

oops!

I should have put the afore said comment under the comments of the "Let's tell funny stories" post! Sorry.

Having fun at M-K campground

These are the pictures that go with the story of me being demoted!
The first picture is Karen, Patsy, Debbie and I (taking the picture) playing scrabble.
The other picture is Debbie sitting on top of the rock that Chad wanted to go up. Please notice the creek running by way down there on the right hand corner of the picture.