EXPECTANT JOY!

Photography by Richard D. Meadows, Jr.

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
Psalm 37:5

This was a real joy, seeing first hand this beautiful bird's nest with turquoise colored eggs in our backyard. My husband announced with joy, "We have a bird's nest in our yard that you need to see!" I said,"Ok show me, let's get the camera!"

He said in jest, "Ok at your own risk, don't be surprised if you get your eyes pecked out!" He reminded me that after we take the picture to be sure to cover the nest with the branch, he's orginally cut down, not knowing what lay underneathe. My husband pointed out that the bird is guarding the nest from predators.

Earlier that afternoon, Ricky had been busily working in our yard, mowing the lawn, cutting down bushes and clearing debris of leaves and branches. My husband said initally he ignored the bird's loud chirpping. But then wondered why a bird suddenly began acting erratic with his flight pattern.

Ricky then discerned that there was something that he stumbled upon that the bird obviously wanted him to leave alone. There it was an amazing creation, the bird's nest woven intricatley together with pieces of blue plastic strips, branches, sticks and whatever else the bird had selected from nature to create this sturdy nest. Not only did it appear sturdy, but it was a masterpiece, it's beautiful! I am so glad I could share the phot0 with you. Imagine the time and energy this small bird devoted to creating the nest? He or she conceived in it's mind the nest and then got to work making this idea a reality! The bird or maybe several birds collectively were devoted to creating a sturdy nest to lay these eggs. They are anticipating the arrival of their creation.

Friends this is really another gift from God, encouraging us to do the same, to use the birds as a model to conceive in our minds what we endeavor to accomplish:

What are dreaming of?
What is your heart's desire?
What has God commissioned you to birth?

Well, breathe deeply and take heart! I am confident that God desires that you to get busy not only dreaming, but creating an action plan to realize it! Pray about the direction, ask Him to guide your steps and when the doors open and opportunities present themselves, trust that you are on your way to the realization of your heart's desire. It's on the way! Tell your self, " it's on the way!! " Your dream(s) can come to pass. Guard it, believe in it and see it done-it's sacred.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Thank you precious Holy Ghost for encouraging our hearts not to be timid about executing the plan that God has given us. We are active and alive and grateful that when we follow your lead and trust You, the plans, and the dreams you placed in our hearts will wonderfully unfold right before your eyes. So we will believe and choose to celebrate now with expectant joy the gift of a dream come true!! Amen!

Friends, I pray you'll be encouraged as you marvel at the beauty of nature and carry the gift of an expectant joy in your hearts.

Joyfully Submitted by:
Linda Mose Meadows, author
The Blessedness of Believing A Devotional Journey of Life's Lessons and God's Promises
http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/

The Democratic Party Can't Wait Until May 31, 2008

The Democratic Party is bigger than Bill and Hillary Clinton. The Democratic Party has given Hillary more than enough time to gracefully bow out of this race. She not only refuses to leave the race but she is dividing and not “unifying” our party.

Months ago on FOX news Hillary announced her intentions to take her impossible fight for the Democratic nomination all the way to the convention. After Hillary followed Obama to Florida she stated again that she is willing to take her fight for the Florida and Michigan delegates to the floor of "our" convention.

Senator Clinton is demanding that she receive all of the delegates from the Michigan primary election. This fact is evident that she doesn’t have any intentions of achieving a fair settlement of Florida and Michigan primaries or ending her fight for the nomination.

There is no doubt in my mind that Hillary will reject any resolution proposed by the DNC on May 31, 2008. Bill and Hillary will not only reject the resolution but also seek court intervention. Therefore, the only way to prevent the total destruction of our party is for the undeclared superdelegates to end Hillary's blind ambition for to become President.

Senator Obama played by the rules and won this race fair and square. He won more state elections and most importantly more pledged delegates than Hillary. Obama needs to reach the current 2025 or 2026 number of delegates needed to secure the nomination before Bill and Hillary Clinton file their legal challenges in court and/or Hillary executes her planned nuclear option.

You can't wait. Democratic Party leader and undeclared superdelegates must pledge their support for Senator Obama before May 31, 2008. Senator Reid, Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and Shelia Jackson-Lee, Governor Edward G. Rendell, Donna Brazile, President Carter, and Al Gore PLEASE endorse Senator Obama today and unite this party. The urgency is now.

Again, I say you can’t wait until May 31, 2008. Democratic Party leaders please don't wait until May 31, 2008, or for the primaries to end on June 3, 2008, to declare that Senator Barack Obama is the Democratic Presidential nominee. The urgency is right now!!!!!!!

Vera Richardson is the author of “A Case of Racial Discrimination and Retaliation Real or Imagined.”http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ISBN=9780615177014

Prayer Is Not The Answer?

I know that this may not sound right to you, but prayer is not the answer.

Jesus never said that it would be done unto you according to your prayer. What he did say was that it would be done unto you according to your faith. (Mt. 8:13, 9:29, Mk. 11:22-24)

What he said was, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mk. 11:24 NIV)

Without faith, (believing that you have received the answer to your prayer) prayer just won’t work. In fact, faith is the part of the process that makes prayer work. Without faith, you can pray and pray and pray, even for years upon years and get little or no results at all. It will be like trying to turn on a light without flipping the switch. You will not connect to the power and it just won’t work.

You may say, well, if God wants to answer your prayer he will. But Jesus never said that it would be done unto you according to God’s will. He said that it would be done unto you according to your faith. You will ultimately get what you believe for.

With all due respect, most people seem to pray and hope that they get an answer. Unfortunately, that is not what Jesus said must done for prayer to be answered and it will not work. A bit strong here, but when you think that you might receive an answer to your prayer or might not; or thinking maybe it’s God’s will, or maybe its not is called in the bible to be wavering and being double minded, and the book of James says that a double minded man will not receive anything of the Lord. (Jas. 1:5-8)

(Another thing that the bible does not say anywhere is that God has three answers to prayer; yes, no, or wait)… So let’s take a look again at what Jesus said about prayer answers.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mk. 11:24 NIV) Period. If we do what Jesus said, we will have the answers to our prayers, if we don’t we won’t.

It is vital to notice however, that when Jesus talks about believing here, he is talking in the past tense. He said “believe that you have received it (already) and then it will be yours.” Bible faith dictates that you believe that you have what you asked for before it actually comes to pass. And according to the Lord, that is the kind of faith that will bring answered prayer. And though this process may seem odd to the natural mind; that is how prayer works.

Let’s take for an example, Abraham, (who is the “father of faith”) and see how he received the miracle of a child when he and his wife were beyond child bearing years.

When God changed his name from Abram, (exalted father) to Abraham, (father of many nations) he was about one hundred years old, childless, and his body and the womb of his wife were “dead” and past being able to have children. Yet Abram accepted the name change and the promise of a child as if it were already so in his life. He simply understood “God’s” kind of faith and believed that he received the child long before the child was born… Like God, he “called things that were not as though they were.” (Rom. 4:17-21)

This is the kind of faith that Jesus taught about and the kind of faith that brings results. And we all know what this kind of faith did for Abraham. He received the miracle he believed he had.

Let’s look at why this works.

Everything in God’s kingdom is governed by laws. Consider first the natural world. Electricity, flight, physics, biology, mechanics, mathematics etc. etc. are all governed by laws. And since the bible says that we can see the spiritual in the natural, we can know that the spiritual world is governed by God’s laws as well. (Rom. 1:20) And this is exactly how Jesus taught. Again and again he used earthly illustrations to describe spiritual things and always compared spiritual law to natural law. And as we have read from his words, he taught how prayer is governed by God’s law; faith being the law that must be applied in order to get results.

The bible says that faith is a law. And because faith is a law we can be sure it will work if we apply it properly. (Rom. 3:27) Jesus confirmed that because he always got results when he prayed. And he always got them immediately. You may say that that is because he was Jesus, but if we have accepted the Lord as our savior, we are created in his image and have available to us exactly what he had. Jesus said, "he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it."(Jn. 14:12-14) Wow!

Now, if we compare the power of prayer to the power of electricity, we know that the power of electricity was always available to man, yet mankind was not able to take advantage of its vast potential until he learned about the laws that governed it. Likewise, the power and potential of prayer has always been available, (Jesus proved that) yet without the knowledge of the laws that govern prayer and the proper application of those laws, results will not be seen.

The Old Testament prophet Hosea said that “my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” (Hos. 4:6) And so it is with unanswered prayer. Lack of knowledge of how prayer works will always result in a lack of prayer answers. And the thing is; Jesus never had the problem of unanswered prayer, and neither should we.

The only problem I think we have with all of this is that we begin to realize that answers to prayer are “our” responsibility (as much as they are God’s). But our responsibility they are. It is our responsibility to believe, and then it is the Lord’s responsibility to perform, and as we can see in the bible, he wants to answer our prayers and he will… if we believe.

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Mt.21:21)

My first book, “Suffering (God’s Will?) biblically establishes God’s willingness to answer prayer, to deliver us from evil and to protect us from harm.

My upcoming book, “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (and How to Fix the Whole Thing)” is the follow up book, and is a practical guide to the laws of prayer and explains how to apply them in order to get the results promised by the bible.

For those of you who are hungry to know or who are desperate for answered prayer or seeking the reality, truth, and results that the bible promises, these books will be a great help to you. Look for the first book and the upcoming second on my website.

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering, (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Senator Obama Just Say No To Hillary Clinton

Senator Obama should not offer the Vice President position on the Democratic ticket to Senator Clinton.

One of my daughters mentioned that she recently viewed a film depicting the pain, violence, and outraged expressed by many African-Americans when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered. She stated that watching that footage made her grieve in her heart at the thought of what would happen to this country if something happened to Senator Obama.

Terry McAuliffe, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign manager appeared on “Meet the Press” today. During his appearance he stated in part that Hillary is staying in the race in case "a natural disaster" happens to Obama. I hope and pray that this is not a coded message.

I also hope and pray that Senator Obama does not offer Hillary Clinton the VP spot on the Democratic ticket. The contributor of another political blog wrote,” If Hillary is Obama's VP he should get a food taster." I share the above-mentioned sentiment based on Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto assassination and the poisoning of Alexander Litvinoenko, a former Russian KGB operative in 2007.

On a more positive note quoting another blogger "Obama has won more declared delegates and Clinton cannot overtake his lead. The Democratic Party has their nominee Obama, they should be dancing in the streets...."

Undeclared superdelegates Senator Obama has won. Please endorse Obama now and give him the 2025 delegates needed to end this process. It is time that all of his supporters (Whites, the hard working class, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, young and older Americans) indeed dance in the street and not worry about Obama and this nation suffering "a natural disaster."

Vera Richardson is the author of “A Case of Racial Discrimination and Retaliation Real or Imagined." http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ISBN=9780615177014

Time In God's Word

I love those fist-pumping; emotion charged, faith building, pep-rallying, evangelistic messages. And I need them. We all do… to encourage us and prompt us to do those things God has called us to do. But what I like better is the day to day sitting at Jesus feet reality of it all; first of all because I love the Lord, but also because I know that this is where we become equipped for the battle. It is at Jesus feet where we learn to hear from God, where plans are birthed, where direction, timing and provision is given for the reaching of our goals.

The emotion charged corporate messages we hear are like the rallying, high powered motivational speeches a good coach gives their team at half-time. But these action producing talks can only be as effective as that which has been built into the players during the day to day grind of practice. When the coach urges his team to “dig down deep,” there has to be something deep down to dig into.

Remember the story of Martha and Mary, the two sisters who had received Jesus into their home? The bible says that while Jesus was in their home that, “Martha was “cumbered” about with much serving, but Mary sat at Jesus feet and heard his word.” This troubled Martha who said to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things; But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Lk. 10:38-42) Imagine that… Jesus said that “One thing is needful.” Wow! That should give us pause to think.

Jesus said this because it is his word that is the one thing needed to prepare us to accomplish all that he calls us to do. It is at Jesus feet, and in his word, that we hear from God, are directed by him, filled up and built up and developed into all we need to be. After all, where does life come from, where does wisdom come from, where does encouragement and ability and insight come from but from God himself. And it is a daily, consistent feeding in his word that will do the trick, like a garden that grows from regular watering and care… once in a while will just not work.

Paul commanded that we “study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2Tim. 2:15)

It is not that our study is needed for God to approve of us. We are already approved of God because we have accepted his Son and become his children. What this is saying is that our study will show to the world that we are approved of God because it will produce understanding, wisdom, character, blessings, and successful ways of doing things. This will be like a stamp of “approval,” a validation to the world that we are of God and that we indeed know the “truth.”

Going back to Martha; it is not that her serving was wrong. It’s just that she had not put first things first. Instead of putting God’s word first, she put her serving first, not realizing that Jesus had taught, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Mt. 6:33) It is simply a matter of practicality. Putting God and his word first is what is necessary to make things work.

It is amazing how much easier things are accomplished when we are filled with God and his word, and how much more time we have to do it. And it is amazing how some things just happen supernaturally… Did Martha not realize that it was Jesus who was in her home, and that he just fed 5000 people on his own, without her help?

Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn. 8:32-33) This is true discipleship, and it is the lifestyle where we will come to know the truth and the truth will free us to do what we need to do. Without it, we will be limited to our own understanding, and our own power. We may know God and even know what his will is for us, but we won’t have what we need to fulfill it.

Even Jesus lived like this. He used to get up early in the morning and go hide in the hills in order to spend time with God. He knew that he too must be filled with God in order to successfully triumph over every situation that faced him. And you may also remember that he spent the whole night in prayer preparing to choose the twelve apostles the next day. He knew what task he was to perform and he knew where to get what he needed to perform it.

I am not suggesting that we spend full nights in prayer, but that we simply put God and his word first in our lives; to sensibly and consistently prioritize; spending regular time in his word, growing and learning to recognize truth, and obtaining all that we need from the source of all things.

One of my favorite scriptures says this,

“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. (Pr. 4:20-23)

That is Hugh! The word of God is life and health to “those that find it!”

The word of God is one of the few tangible things we have of God’s existence and is the key to all life, knowledge, wisdom, health and growth. It is time in God’s word where we can absorb the substance and building blocks of life itself.

The bible says, “The worlds were framed by the word of God,” “all things are upheld by the word of God,” and “we are born again by the word of God.” God has even magnified his word above his name and of course, Jesus name is the Word of God. (Heb. 11:3; 1:3, 1Pet. 1:23, Ps. 138:2, Jn. 1:1)

And just as a consistently good diet will produce a healthy body, it will be consistent time spent in God’s word that the rest of our lives will increase and flourish and produce all kinds of excellent fruit. This is what the psalmist meant when he said, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Ps. 1:3 NIV)

It is time in God’s word that will cause us to prosper in all that we do, and it will make us “a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2Tim. 2:15 NIV)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering, (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

My Open Letter To Congresswoman Shelia Jackson-Lee

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee on May 14, 2007, the Clinton Campaign announced your endorsement of Senator Clinton for President. Staff of her campaign named you National Campaign Co-Chair and Gulf States Regional Co-Chair.


In your endorsement of Senator Clinton you stated, ”I am pleased today to endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton for President. Senator Clinton has a great love for America and has a deep understanding of the issues that face our nation. I look forward to having a strategic role in the campaign and helping this dedicated public servant become the next President of the United States”

I truly admire you Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee and your determination to keep your promise to Hillary. But we can’t afford to wait for two more weeks and/or six more primary contests to unite our Party. The urgency is now. Please counsel your dear friend and tell her to end her valiant quest for the Oval Office now.

If Hillary refuses to end her candidacy please endorse Senator Obama today and help unite this party and this country. It’s time to embrace and endorse Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee of our great party. It is his time to run for the Presidency. He has won more states, more popular votes, and more delegates.

I am very passionate in my support for Senator Obama. I believe in my heart that this is a divine time for Obama and this country. We all know that our God works in mysterious ways. God has given all of us free will. I hope and pray that the people in power will not let greed and the need for more power cause us to self-destruct as a democracy and as a nation.

As a nation we united after we were attacked by al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden on September 11, 2001. Therefore, we know that it is possible for this country to unite again.

Congresswoman Lee you know that the American people voted for change during the 2007 election. Unfortunately Congress has been unable to deliver that change.

Senator Obama is the change agent that we need to make positive changes for all Americans. Under the leadership of President Barack Obama this country will once again stand united as one nation under God.

Respectfully,

Vera Richardson author of “A Case of Racial Discrimination and Retaliation Real or Imagined.” http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&EAN=9780615177014http://www.lulu.com/content/1362173

Message of Encouragement From My Daughter

Today I received the following e-mail from my twenty-nine year old daughter Erica. The e-mail was addressed to a total of twenty people. I hope that everyone reading this will enjoy it as much as I did.

All,
I was in Barnes & Noble this weekend picking up a book for my book club. Anyway I brought this magnet while I was there and I wanted to share what is says with all of you:

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over it became a butterfly”

I really want to encourage you all if you are going through hard times right now, know that it is not over. Know that you serve an awesome God who may just have you in a cocoon right now as He is preparing to change you into a butterfly. Remember to speak scriptures over your life and your circumstances. His word says that when the enemy comes to surround you like a flood God will raise up a standard! During your hard times stop focusing on you and the problem. Focus on God and serving others. I listen to gospel music every morning when I work out and normally God deals with me through song. A song that has really ministered to my spirit lately is a song by Kirk Franklin from his new album. The chorus goes like this: “If I say I love Jesus but you can’t see my Jesus my words are empty if they can’t see Jesus in me. No more excuses I give myself away, because I may be the only Jesus they see” - That is so powerful to me. So step outside of yourself and your circumstances what are you doing so that others can see Jesus in you.

When someone is going through are you there for them or do you just tell them to pray. Or do you go to them and pray with them, do you take them out for a cup of coffee so that they can see the love that God has for them through you. You hear let go and let God all the time but a lot of us may not know how to do that. Well you do that by focusing on others by serving others as you serve others you will not focus on your problem you will let it go without even realizing it.

There are so many opportunities for you to serve others outside of church – yes I said you can serve outside of church. Actually that is where God wants us to serve…the world, the world that doesn’t know Him, that may only come to know Him through you. And I am not just talking about strangers, but your friends and family. How many of us know of a friend who is having a hard time right now, do we go and spend time with that person or do we avoid them because the situation is uncomfortable. There may be a new coworker on your job, have you tried to make that person feel welcomed? What are you doing for your children, are you really concerned with their day to day life and what happened at school? Do you take the time to really listen to how their day went? Do you spend the time you should with them just playing with them and allowing them to be kids and feel secure and safe? Do share too much of your problems with your kids…remember this is their childhood they should be able to be carefree children they shouldn’t know everything that mommy and daddy are going through, and they also shouldn’t have to take sides….

Everything I said above is what God has spoken to me about me and my life and so I am sharing with you all as it may also pertain to you and your life.

Father God we come before you today grateful to have another day on this earth to serve you. We ask that you forgive us of our sins and help us to repent. Father please be with us on this week as we look for opportunities to serve others. We thank you because your word says that you will never forsake us or leave us! So no matter how bad things look right now we know that you are with us. We thank you because no weapon formed against us shall prosper and ALL things are working for our good because we love you and you know that we love you because we keep your commandments! In Jesus name we pray – Amen.

I love you all have a great week and know if you ever need me to pray for you or with you please just call me. I would love you too!

Vera Richardson Author of "A Case of Racial Discrimination and Retaliation Real or Imagined."