By The Word Of Our Testimony

Putting money back for a rainy day never seems to be something I can do. When the fellow who changed my oil , about 8,000 miles ago , said, "I guess you know you have a rear wheel bearing going out ?" I was just beginning to come out of another rainy day crisis . However Christmas bonuses were good this year ! Now I can get that wheel bearing replaced. Just where and how also posed a problem but after much prayer and council from friends, who should change it was decided and arranged.
Imagine my shock when he said, "I don't think it is your wheel bearing." When he replaced the tire with my spare and I drove around for a while , I heard no roaring like I had before.
A cupped tire was what had been causing the roaring sound and now I do not have to replace my wheel bearing.
Another need will most certainly be met now.
A special prayer request has gone out to all my friends.
My daughter and I have been introduced to a new kind of learning technique. This new style of learning has helped many be able to bring their grades up drastically.
Once again I will be praying and valuing the council of friends.
Praise the Lord, if money is needed for testing, I have it !

For years I have said,"I believe" to God. Sometimes I have said, "Lord, help thou my unbelief, I want to believe."
Today I was so aware of some very obvious character flaws in myself. Still I did not want to pull back from His loving presence, so I said to Him. "I know with all these character flaws I do not look like You. I know that to the world I probably look like I do not even care , that I do not look like You. But You oh God, know my heart , and know that I do long to be like You in every way. I do not want to pull back from You just because the work You have begun in me , is not completed yet."
The Word of my Testimony today is : He Believes !

My friend Peggy shared this with me. I think you will enjoy it.
A Cat Tale
The Return of the Prodigal
All three of my children rescue and usually adopt lost and unwanted animals.
My son Chris takes it to the extreme. He goes looking for them. At least this was the case a couple of years ago. A local animal shelter had an abundance of cats and sent out a plea for homes for them. So off Chris went, fell in love with this huge gray male bruiser, paid the adoption fee and brought him home. How the cat became incarcerated only God knows, but now he was free and that’s all that mattered.
Chris named the cat Nero. (I questioned the wisdom in naming him after a demented king, but as it turned out it was quite prophetic.)
Nero quickly set up his kingdom and positioned himself on the couch above the other cats and dogs that shared his territory. They were merely tolerated. The other animals seemed to sense his authority. Nero would frown and they would give him a wide berth. All Nero’s adoration was saved for his rescuer. He literally worshipped Chris. He would allow other people’s attention, but when Chris was present he bestowed him with his loudest purrs and all others were soon forgotten. And so it was…until the move to Georgia.
All was loaded up and relocated: family, furniture, dogs and cats, including Nero.
Not long after moving to Georgia, Nero came up missing. They searched and searched to no avail. They don’t know whether it was the sudden life change and unfamiliar surroundings or a dislike to some of the newer additions to the household that sent him away. Siamese cats and kittens were brought into the home. Maybe he didn’t like foreigners. Maybe he wandered off to find some peace and got lost. Again, only God knows.
Almost two years went by. Then one day last week, Shanda (Chris’s wife), was on the way to the store and saw a cat that looked just like Nero. She called Chris at home and off Chris went. Sure enough, it was Nero, except now his name was "Bubba." Some cons on work release had been feeding him and had given him his new moniker. The "king" had lost his identity and become a Georgia "home boy." That’s what happens when you wander from home. If you stay out there long enough you will fall in with the wrong crowd, forget who you are and to whom you really belong. But Chris hadn’t forgotten.
He knew his cat. There was the missing tooth and the BB still embedded in Nero’s belly. These were scars of a past life, but now only served to prove his uniqueness. Chris said Nero was walking gingerly around the house, checking things out. Will he stay? Time will tell, but for now, "the Prodigal" is home.
Maybe you’ve wandered from home, lost your way and forgotten that there is someone looking for your return. Someone who paid the price for your freedom because He loved you. He has a place for you with Him where you will receive a new name, a kingship complete with crown and robe, a position of authority where you can rule above the issues of this life, and healing from the scars of your past life.
I used to rock my babies to sleep with a hymn that has these words:
"Jesus is tenderly calling you home. He’s standing at the portals, watching and waiting. All you who are weary, come home." Come Home.
Hear, kitty, kitty.
Peggy P/Dec 06

There are those times when I am keenly aware of the drive or compulsion to do. These desires are not necessarily bad. When I want to escape from life, I work. I can come up with some of the most creative ways to make the work seem necessary. I know the truth. I also know that my flesh may win today and I will find myself compulsively working.
While I was accessing my day, I realized I was expecting that God would put up with me.
This feeling of, that God puts up with me, always seems to make God more distant somehow. Like He is on the other side of a lake and I am trying to shout over to Him , hoping He will hear me.
It occurred to me that this is not what He had said He would do if I give in to my compulsion.
This is where I in my mind had put Him. In fact since the plans of "work" were creeping into my prayer time. I had already put Him there. Before I had even given in, I was ready to punish myself with a distant relationship, rather than the one I could have today.
What woke me up was a knowing that He loves me. Love is not defined as being put up with.
Love is unfailing, all the time.