The "Glue" that Binds Us Together

A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned.... But I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.

He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is... How He spoke the universe into being... How He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire.. . Etc. Etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.)... And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking... 'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???'

Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart..how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!

It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin. Here is how Wikipedia describes them: 'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.' You see... Laminins are what hold us together.. LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what they LOOKED LIKE.

But now I do. And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)... Here is what the structure of laminin looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it... If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...




Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing. The glue that holds us together..... ALL of us.... Is in the shape of the cross. Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.

'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible And invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in Him all things HOLD TOGETHER. ' (Colossians 1:15-17)

Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool. Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together... One cell to another... By the cross. You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything Other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!!

An Eccelsiastes for Sam

Originally written a month before moving into the new church building......



“For every season there is a time for every purpose under heaven.” Ecc. 3:1

With wisdom did the Lord design
Our calendar as planned:
Each day as in an hourglass-
A tiny grain of sand.

In December starts a pattern
As we share the Savior’s birth,
And we realize He can satisfy
Our short time here on Earth.

The New Year’s opportunities
To start anew confront us,
To bury hatchets, heal wounds,
And flee the wrongs that hunt us.

For every soul not based on love
Instead is based on fear.
One is peace and happiness.
The other, turmoil and tears.

We resolve to love all ways we can
But soon we see—we blew it.
With our might, all by ourselves,
We’d fall. Oh, yes, we knew it.

Easter dawns; we sigh, relieved.
And hope is ours once more.
For Christ has died to give us life
In the Spirit, with blessings galore!

So awaken each morning and celebrate life;
Warm your soul with heavenly “son”-ing.
Our time is divine and love is our goal.
Let’s go! God’s time clock is running.

-Diane Olson Schroeder, 3/27/1994; revised 6/13/2009

Hi Dad!

Hi, Dad !!



After living what I felt was a 'decent' life, my time on earth came to the end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house.



The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around I saw the 'prosecutor.'He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen.



I sat down and looked to my left and there sat My Attorney, a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him. The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room. I couldn't take my eyes off of Him.



As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, "Let us begin." The prosecutor rose and said, "My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this man belongs in hell." He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and in the past when I cheated others.



Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about.



As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all. I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I'd done? Satan finished with a fury and said, "This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise."



When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward. As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty. I now realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior.


He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, 'Hi, Dad,' and then He turned to address the court. 'Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wages of sin is death, and this man deserves to be punished.'Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed,



'However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has accepted Me as his Savior, so he is Mine.' My Lord continued, saying , 'His name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch him from Me. Satan still does not understand. This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy."



As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, "There is nothing else that needs to be done. I've done it all." The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from His lips.. "This man is free. The penalty for him has already been paid in full. Case dismissed." As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, "I won't give up, I will win the next one."


As Jesus gave me my instructions where to go next, I asked Him, "Have you ever lost a case?" Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you, ~Paid In Full~"

Grandparenting

Grandparenting..... Some old, some even older! ! !

1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye...

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 62.My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmotherchanged into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded towash her hair.. As she heard the children getting more and
more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, shethrew a towel around her head and stormed into their room,putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left theroom, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice,"Who was THAT?"

4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter whather own childhood was like: "We used to skate outsideon a pond I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from atree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wildraspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed,taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten toknow you sooner!"

5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked,"Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?
"Imentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are wealike?'' "You're both old," he replied.

6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on hergrandfather's word processor. She told him she waswriting a story. "What's it about?" he asked."I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned hercolors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point outsomething and ask what color it was. She would tell me andwas always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. Atlast, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I thinkyou should try to figure out some of these, yourself!"

8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin,we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep fromattracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in..Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa.Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasinglyreplied, "I'm not sure.""Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised, "mine saysI'm 4 to 6."

10. A second grader came home from school and said to hergrandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how tomake babies today." The grandmother, more than a littlesurprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting," she said,"how do you make babies?""It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' andadd 'es'."

11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about apublic servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote:"The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." Theteacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don'tyou know what pregnant means?" she asked."Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It meanscarrying a child."

12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren totheir home one day when a fire truck zoomed past.Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog.The children started discussing the dog's duties."They use him to keep crowds back," said one child."No," said another. "He's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a close. "They usethe dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."

13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived."Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and when we wanther, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having hervisit, we take her back to the airport."

14. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me goodgood things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smartas him!

Beautiful Photo

This is a beautiful photo of a giant American flag in Arizona The photo is authentic, UN-Touched and was taken on regular Kodak 35mm film. The person who took the picture couldn't believe the image created by the suns rays. Nice of them to share it with the world! Read what it says under the picture...

For those that prefer to think that God is not watching over us, delete this.
For the rest of us...pass this on

Children In Church

A little boy was in a relative's wedding.
As he was coming down the aisle, he would take two steps,
stop, and turn to the crowd.
While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar.
So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR, all the way down the aisle.
As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard
by the time he reached the pulpit.
When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said,
"I was being the Ring Bear."


One Sunday in a Midwest City ,
a young child was "acting up" during the morning worship hour.
The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew
but were losing the battle.
Finally, the father picked the little fellow up
and walked sternly up the aisle on his way out.
Just before reaching the safety of the foyer,
the little one called loudly to the congregation,
"Pray for me! Pray for me!"


One particular four-year old prayed,
"And forgive us our trash baskets
as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."

A little boy was overheard praying:
"Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it.
I'm having a real good time like I am."


A Sunday School teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service,
"And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."

A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination,
looking at the old pages as he turned them.
Then something fell out of the Bible.
He picked it up and looked at it closely.
It was an old leaf from a tree that has been pressed in between the pages.
"Mama, look what I found," the boy called out.
"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked.
With astonishment in the young boy's voice he answered,

"I think it's Adam 's suit".


The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike,
and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform,
jerking the mike cord as he went.
Then he moved to one side,
getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again.
After several circles and jerks,
a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered,
"If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"


Six-year old Angie , and her four-year old brother, Joel , were sitting together in church.
Joel giggled, sang and talked out loud.
Finally, his big sister had had enough.
"You're not supposed to talk out loud in church."
"Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked.
Angie pointed to the back of the church and said,
"See those two men standing by the door?
They're hushers."

My grandson was visiting one day when he asked ,
"Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?"
I mentally polished my halo, while I asked,
"No, how are we alike?"
"You're both old," he replied.


A ten-year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother,
was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible.
Then, one day, she floored her grandmother by asking,
"Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus ? The virgin Mary or the King James Virgin ?"

A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments.
They were ready to discuss the last one.
The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was.
Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted,
"Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbor's wife."

The Room

17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class. The subject was what Heaven was like. "I wowed 'em," he later told his father, Bruce. "It's a killer. It's the bomb. It's the best thing I ever wrote.." It also was the last. Brian's parents had forgotten about the essay when a cousin found it while cleaning out the teenager's locker at Teary Valley High School . Brian had been dead only hours , but his parents desperately wanted every piece of his life near them-notes from classmates and teachers, his homework. Only two months before, he had handwritten the essay about encountering Jesus in a file room full of cards detailing every moment of the teen's life.. But it was only after Brian's death that Beth and Bruce Moore realized that their son had described his view of heaven. "It makes such an impact that people want to share it. You feel like you are there." Mr. Moore said. Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after Memorial Day. He was driving home from a friend's house when his car went off Bulen-Pierce Road in Pickaway County and struck a utility pole. He emerged from the wreck unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted. The Moores framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung it among the family portraits in the living room. "I think God used him to make a point. I think we were meant to find it and make something out of it," Mrs. Moore said of the essay. She and her husband want to share their son's vision of life after death. "I'm happy for Brian. I know he's in heaven. I know I'll see him."

Brian's Essay: The Room...

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either direction, had very different headings.

As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I have liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.

A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I have betrayed." The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed at." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've yelled at my brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger", "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature. When I pulled out the file marked "TV Shows I have watched", I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long , self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it.. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands I could count the cards it contained on one hand. And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room.

I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own.He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me. Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files.

Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished." I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written..

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."-Phil. 4:13 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

Cleaning House God's Way

This week I threw out Worrying,
it was getting old and in the way.
It kept me from being me
and doing things God's way.

I threw out a book on MY PAST,
(no time to read it anyway).

Replaced it with NEW GOALS,
started reading it today.
Threw out hate and bad memories,
(you know I treasured them so!)

Got me a NEW PHILOSOPHY, too;
dumped the one from long ago.
Brought in some new books, also,
called I CAN, I WILL, and I MUST.

Threw out I MIGHT, I THINK, and I OUGHT.
WOW, you should've seen the dust!

Ran across an OLD FRIEND,
Haven't seen him in a while.

I believe his name is GOD,
Yes, I really like His style.

He helped me to do some cleaning
and added some things Himself.

Like PRAYER, HOPE, AND FAITH,
Yes, I placed them right on the shelf.

I picked up this special thing
and placed it at the front door.

I FOUND IT- it's called PEACE.
Nothing gets me down anymore.
Yes, I've got my house looking nice.
Looks good around the place.

For things like Worry and Trouble,
there just isn't any space.

It's good to do some housecleaning,
get rid of the things on the shelf.

It sure makes things brighter;
maybe you should TRY IT YOURSELF.

BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE ELSE!!!!
A Financial Prayer. May the Lord bless you with a
financial blessing today.

May the Lord open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you will not have room enough to receive it all.
Malachi 3:10.

May the Lord bless you exceedingly abundantly
above all you could ever hope for.
Philippians 4:19.

May the Lord bless you that you may walk in a financial overflow for the
rest of your days.
Deut. 28:2

Amen

Different Drug Problem

The Sneeze

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowingand the traditional caps, they looked almost .. as grown up as they felt.

Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, andMoms freely brushed away tears.

This class would NOT pray during the commencements -- not by choice,but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it.

The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked forblessings on the graduates or their families.

The speeches were nice, but they were routine.....until the final speechreceived a standing ovation.

A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then, it happened.

All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED!!!!

The student on stage.. simply looked at the audience and said,'GOD BLESS YOU', each and every one of you!'

And he walked offstage... The audience exploded into applause.

This graduating class had found aunique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval.

This is a true story; it happened at the University of Maryland.

God's handiwork, such a beautiful sight!