"Brothers and sisters, fill your minds with whatever is good and true, whatever is pure, whatever is noble and right, whatever is lovely, whatever is honorable and admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Put them into practice, and God -who gives us peace- will be with you." (Philippians 4:8)

"Thanks for the Gift: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

We must train our minds to think upon these positive and peaceful things. We must keep our minds protected, because the devil could take advantage of those vulnerable ones.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

"A Different Kind of Christmas." (Poem)










"A Different Kind of Christmas. " (Poem by an unknown author.)

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling ligths in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn´t loud, and it wasn´t too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn´t quite know, then the
Sure sound of footspteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it´s freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts...

To the window that danced with a warm fire´s light
Then he sighed and he said, "It´s really all right,
I´m out here by choice. I´m here every night.
"It´s my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separated you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I´m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at "Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That´s a Christmas Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of "Nam",
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I´ve not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he´s sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white and blue... an American flag.
"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother...
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I´ll be all right."
"But isn´t there something I can do, at least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you´ve done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eyes welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we´re gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

AUTHOR UNKNOW.
Please, would you do me the kind of favor of sending this profound amazing poem to as many people as you can?
Christmas will be coming soon, and some credit is due to our U.S. Service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities in freedom. Let´s try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe.
Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrified themselves for us.
I wanted to share this poem with you all.
Thank you in advance for reading it!!
I shall take a break for the Holidays Season and for some health issues going on.
MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
STARRY DAWN.
If you wish to view all my blogs, the links are:







Monday, December 21, 2009

"The Judgment Day Story."




"The Judgment Day Story."

After living what I felt was a "decent" life, my time on Earth came to an end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a courthouse. The doors opened, and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table.
Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, "However, I died on the cross so this person might have eternal life, and he accepted Me as his Savior, so he is Mine."
My Lord continued with, "His name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch him from Me. Satan still does not understand yet. 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 door... Moments later, 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 about lies I told, things I stole, and -in the past- when I cheated others. Satan told about other horrible perversions I did once in my life, and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed, I couldn´t look at anyone, neither at my own Attorney, as the devil told of sins that 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 was guilty of those things, but I did some good deeds 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 I have charged, and there is not a person who can prove otherwise."
When it was His turn, My Defense Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed it 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 realized why He seemed so familiar; this One was Jesus representing me, my Lord and Savior.
He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, "Hi, Dad." Then, He turned to address the court. "Satan was correct in saying this man sinned, I won´t deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this man deserves to be punished."...
This man had done good deeds in his life too, and he truly believed in Jesus. This man had confessed and repented from his sins -from which he had suffered during his lifetime, and allowed his Lord and Savior to show him the way and take control of his life.
A moment of silence arose in the courtroom. Then, the following words bellowed from His lips, as God spoke the final verdict...
"This man is free. The penalty for him was already 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, the next case."
I asked Jesus as He gave me instructions where to go next, "Have you ever lost a case?" Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that had come to Me and asked Me to represent them, received the same verdict as you, "PAID IN FULL."


Author: Unknown.
I thought it would be an interesting story to share with you all.
Starry Dawn.
If you would like to visit all MY BLOGS, the LINKS are:












Friday, December 4, 2009

PRAYERS for the WORLD, PEACE and JUSTICE.







PRAYERS for the WORLD, PEACE and JUSTICE.

We come here this day to pray for the world, peace and justice. My prayers have nothing to do with me or with my personal needs. My prayers are for the world, peace and justice. My heart bleeds to see the unfairness, a world with no justice in equal manner. Please, open your eyes and hearts!! God, opened my eyes...There are so many people and children dying, because of wars, because of evil doers deeds, because of hunger, because of lack of shelter, because of disease and lack of health assistance. There are so many poors and homeless worldwide.
The most powerful ones seem to ignore selfishly the ones in need. The ones holding power in the world keep spending money in wars worldwide, instead of donating some of their wealth to the needy folks worldwide.
Do you have a heart for those in need?? I wonder...
Today, I would like to share our prayers for those needy ones to meet their daily needs, for the world, peace and justice for all.
Dear Lord,
Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth. Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust. Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe. Let us dream together for a Brotherhood in Christ, pray together as a whole one solid body, work together for a better world for all of us, to build one world of peace and justice for all. Please, listen to our prayers, Lord.
In Jesus´most Holy Name, I pray. AMEN.
I´ll include the words of the Scriptures in Psalms 82.
"God, the Supreme Ruler."
God presides in the Heavenly Council; in the assembly He gives His decision and say:
"You must stop judging unjustly; you must no longer be partial to the wicked!! Defend the rights of the poor and the orphans; be fair to the needy and the helpless.
Rescue them from the power of the wicked. How ignorant you are!! How stupid!! You are completely corrupt, and justice has disappeared from the world. All of you are children of the Most High. But you will die like mortals; your life will end like that of any prince."
Come, Oh God, and rule the world; all the Nations are yours.
These are God´s words from the Scriptures. AMEN.

If you wish, you may visit all MY BLOGS at the following LINKS:

www.thanksforthegiftoflife.blogspot.com

www.findthewayinyourlife.blogspot.com

www.theexistenceofournaturalenvironment.blogspot.com