Quiet in your mind and heart, ask yourself this question. Am I practicing religion, or do I have relationship with God? Sadly in today’s world, there are so many people, Christians included, that don’t know the difference in religion and relationship. As we go along in this lesson, we will see the difference in the two and see the importance of relationship with our Father.

James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.” God Bless You…

Love lifts you up It does not harm or put down Love lifts you up Makes you smile and not frown Love lifts you up It does not condemn Love lifts you up Makes your spirit truly soar

Today’s lesson focuses on the importance of having a pure heart.

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace.

I'm floating! For there is no other way to describe This feeling I now have inside Floating with the Holy Spirit... Floating with boundless joy...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 3, 2008 For more information, please contact: cookcomm@gte.net (3 photos) Bishop Antonio Menegazzo, Apostolic Administrator of El-Obeid diocese, (Kordofan and Darfur) ordained three new priests for his diocese. On Sunday 27th July, the Catholic diocese of El-Obeid celebrated in the high mass, the ordination to the priesthood of Revs. Biong Kuol Deng (Dinka Ngok) Zachariah Osman Andina (Nuba-Lumuon) and Anthony Ernest Laa (Chollo).

Today’s lesson focuses on living a life of praise.

Psalm 150 - Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

Why couldn't I see how things could be? What blinded me from God's miraculous light? How much pain does it take to make you not want to fight? What is your breaking point.. .do you even know?

Today’s lesson focuses on GOD’S plan for each human life.

Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

I can feel a change coming I felt it when I walked outside And felt the cold dew on my feet The daylight is shorter The nighttime comes sooner And soon God's path for me will be open There's a change coming So much is going on We've opened our first church And during last night's services A realization occurred

Today’s lesson focuses on believers placing confidence in Christ Jesus our LORD.

Courage is not the absence of fear; it is action in the presence of fear.

From my heart to my hand I give praise to the man The husband and the Dad On this very special day Making sure I take the time to say Thank you, Jesse.

Today’s lesson focuses on the parallel of the vine and branches, and Christ and believers.

In this lesson, I want to focus on: The vine is to branches, as Christ is to believers. What it means to be graffed or grafted in to the vine.

A man… A woman… A husband… A wife… Two kids on each side… That God made a family When their hearts were right

Today’s lesson focuses on believers being together and lifting one another up in the love of Christ Jesus our Savior and King. Together we are much stronger against the temptations of the enemy.

Today’s lesson focuses on believers being together and lifting one another up in the love of Christ Jesus our Savior and King. Together we are much stronger against the temptations of the enemy.

I've tried so hard to fight this ministry I didn't want it I'd whisper, speak, or scream I ran and ran and ran and ran But they kept coming... Guided by God's own hands

And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit: and they shall prophesy.

We have been given more than what we need to be over comers through Christ. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus that loves us. We have been set up through the Spirit for victory.

Daddy's chair... It's where he rests after a hard day It's where Mom sits when he's away It's the seat the kids fight to claim It's a place where we all feel safe Daddy's chair...

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and gave His son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

We have been given more than what we need to be over comers through Christ. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus that loves us. We have been set up through the Spirit for victory.

“ Confirmation” Thank you Jesus ! I praise you for your faithfulness For I had begun to doubt Your promise spoken to me My own impatience breeding negativity Forgive me, Lord.

HE showed me several more things and scriptures as I further continued. It's always so amazing how GOD knows exactly what our soul needs and day by day if we seek HIM. HE leads us in the direction that will lead us into the life and into the plan that HE has for us.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the importance of trusting God and stepping our of our comfort zones in order to follow the Father’s plan for our lives.

Suitcases on the floor A nostalgic look around the room The familiar sense of "home"... Soaking in the tub... My mind relaxes and my soul catches

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the importance of obeying God because He has a plan for each of our lives.

Today's handout and lesson plan will be coming from Genesis, chapter 29 in the Bible. It is a story about a woman who suffers heartbreak, rejection, and who spends a lot of her years depending on her husband for happiness.

We already had two dogs A bird dog, and a mix-breed Both stay in the back yard The kids rarely play with them

I pray this is a blessing to all those who read and encourages you in knowing we can trust our FATHER.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the importance of keeping our focus on the Lord Jesus.

Bless my husband, Lord... Bless his heart... Give him Love abundant to share Let him know throughout his day That you are there...

A normal or average persons day is spent in walking, standing and sitting. These are the positions that we normally find ourselves in as we go about our daily lives. The Psalmist of the 1st Psalm uses this truth give us a lesson in Godliness.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on walking in the council of God. Walking in the Spirit.

My precious sisters… Debbie and Shelly? For them there was no deliverance From the world we were thrust in

The Bible tells us of the ultimate bargain. What if I told you that you could have the best clothes (Rev. 19:8) and the best food (Rev. 19:9) imaginable and all for free? How about your own home (John 14:2) for free sitting on unlimited acreage (Rev. 21:16) with gardens, vineyards and orchards galore (Rev. 22:2); all situated next to a crystal clear stream (Rev. 22:1) coming out from under a city of gold.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the ultimate gift of GOD and the benefits that are added to us as believers as well.

I saw her Lord, step forward My vision blurred with my tears In an instant she changed right before my eyes Time changed back to another year

Thumbing through my Bible and looking for "tidbits" that would speak to my heart I read this verse and went on. I went a few verses further and found myself returning to the thought expressed in the verse. "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound". The implication of the verse is that there is a sound which when recognized brings joy and brings the cognizant person into the light of the countenance of the Lord.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on knowing, hearing, obeying and feeling the joy in the sound of God's voice through the Holy Spirit that dwells in all believers.

What are blessings? So many people don’t know Once, I didn’t either The darkness of this world Hid them from my view It was not until I found Jesus That the meaning came to be truth

It doesn't take an Einstein to realize there is a vast difference between the way devout Christians act and the rest of the world acts. The world looks on us as superstitious, self righteous "do-gooders" who don't know how to have a good time and don't want anyone else to have a good time either.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on understanding what it means to fear GOD and how we as Christians differ from the world in our actions and speaking. We focus on what it means to be set apart.

"Finally brethren, whatever things are true..." The only thing absolutely true, is the word of God You can have the "world's" truth, it's for the dogs! " .. .whatever things are noble..."

As I kneel here before You this morning, humbly aware that I fall short and kneel before Sovereignty, I not only kneel my body before You, but my life, every hope, every dream, every vision, every desire, every disappointment, every tear, every loved one, every fear, every smile, every memory. And they all fade away in Your presence.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on Testimony. How we live everyday life, how we conduct ourselves in the world is testimony of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We can have a verbal testimony bringing glory, praise and worship to God, however, living testimony most times speaks volumes more, and has much more of a lasting impact on others who live around us. Even when we don't realize it, we are watched by others, and we are examples, testimonies of God's goodness, and love. We must be very careful of our attitudes toward others and ask God to manifest His love in us, so that when the world looks on us, they instead see Christ and His love.

Times change in some ways and in others they will never change. As I approach the end of my row and I can see the sun getting lower in the west I know there is a supper waiting for me that will put all other tables to shame. My heavenly Father will have a table spread that will be fit for a king. Sitting around that table will be all my family. That means you and you and you if you are part of my Father's household.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the hope that one day we will rest from all our labor and be at home with our Lord. We must do our best to work for the Father here to further His kingdom in telling others of the gospel of Christ. We encourage one another that though we labor for a season, joy comes in the morning, and soon it will be quittin' time, and eternal peace with our Lord.

I know gossip is wrong. I know gossip is damaging. I know that words spoken cannot be retrieved; yet, sometimes, when I am not letting the Holy Spirit take control in my life, I give in to the evil of gossip. It is tempting to sit and have a gabfest with a friend, exchanging juicy bits of information—which may even be true—to the detriment of your target. But, has the shoe ever been on the other foot? Have YOU been the target of someone else's gossip? It hurts doesn't it? Or perhaps the poison you may be spitting out about someone isn't even gossip. Perhaps it is just foolish talking, jesting, joking around and poking fun at someone. That hurts, too. And it is just as damaging.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the importance of realizing that words spoken cannot be retrieved; and sometimes, when we arenot letting the Holy Spirit take control in our life, we give in to the evil of gossip.

I have been blessed by the children Touched so deep the tears have flowed Filling my heart and filling my soul I have not thought this was my gift But you called me, God, so I went

Worship, prayer and obedient service to God may not stop troubles from coming but they will give us a peace in the storm. Worship, prayer and obedience may not keep us from trouble but they will keep us out of the whale's belly.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on how important it is for us to keep praying so God will protect us from troubles.

One of the hardest things for a Christian to attain to is the victorious Christian life. It seems that every time we get to the top of the mountain and glimpse the wondrous view we trip and wind up at the bottom again. We are often left to wonder why we fail so often. It seems the harder we try the less we succeed.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on our need to trust in the Lord and not become discouraged in our walk. God will only do so much for us. As we mature as Christians we should realize that what we can do for self, in the realm of service, God expects us to do.

Noah's undoing was the grape. I am going to show you the possibility that the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was the grape. The grape is the only fruit to my knowledge in the Bible that is forbidden to anyone. A Nazarite was forbidden to partake of the fruit of the vine in any form.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the the Garden of Eden, and the notion that the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was the grape.

One of the hardest things for a Christian to attain to is the victorious Christian life. It seems that every time we get to the top of the mountain and glimpse the wondrous view we trip and wind up at the bottom again. We are often left to wonder why we fail so often. It seems the harder we try the less we succeed.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on our need to trust in the Lord and not become discouraged in our walk. God will only do so much for us. As we mature as Christians we should realize that what we can do for self, in the realm of service, God expects us to do.

After a few minutes the preacher came out with a big grin on his face. He was holding his Bible, from which he preached his sermons. He walked over to me and this is what he told me, “Everything in my house is gone except this Bible.” What he told me next sent chills up my spine. “This Bible was sitting on a little wooden table beside my chair. The table was burned out from under it.”

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on Matthew 24:35, which states that "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

There are three ingredients that are necessary for a healthy spiritual life: (1) Prayer (2) Church attendance (3) Bible Study. To leave out any one of these three is inviting spiritual decline and lack of spiritual growth.

Our Sunday school topic for today introduces three ingredients that are necessary for a healthy spiritual life: (1) Prayer (2) Church attendance (3) Bible Study. To leave out any one of these three is inviting spiritual decline and lack of spiritual growth.

Can you remember the times when you could not contain yourself for the joy in you and you had to break forth into singing? Whether you vocalized the words and melody; simply hummed or whether your soul just got so full of joy your spirit sang out to God in silent praise in a harmonious melding of your spirit with the Spirit of God. Wonderful times weren't they.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on instances where God's creation has "bubbled over" to the extent that spontaneous singing and praising was the result. Each time God and His work was the cause of this singing.

The complaint: “Oh Lord, I speak on behalf of the many righteous people in the nation. We cry out to You: Don’t you see all the violence going on in our land? All the robberies, the looting, the embezzlement, the immorality? Don’t you care that there is constant battling among the people? Don’t you care that the innocent and the little ones are suffering? There is no justice. The law is powerless. The righteous are surrounded by the wicked. Judgment is perverse. Aren’t You going to do anything about it?”

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on Habakkuk, a prophet during the time when the nation of Judah was nearing its end, possibly during the reign of King Jehoiakim, 609–597 B.C. King Jehoiakim was a godless king. He led Judah down a destructive path. Habakkuk called to the people of Judah continually, to repent, but their sins kept piling up. They repeatedly ignored the prophet’s warning.

Fish aren't very high on the intelligence scale. Nobody thinks much about them, except to use for food. There are no groups that I know of that protect them from mistreatment; yet they are usually caught with a hook, which could be considered cruel. To my knowledge there is no "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Fish." In the order of things, they are on the bottom rung of the ladder. Fish know only what they can see. They don't do much worrying.

Matthew 6 teaches us that we should not worry about food or clothes. If we seek Him, He will see to it that we have all these things.

No matter where we are today, whether crawling desperately through the clutches of heartache or deep soul pain, or dancing care-free through a most blessed season of life, one thing remains true; We are, each and every one of us, in need of mercy and grace. The state of being we find ourselves in holds no bearing on that truth. We all need mercy. We all need grace. It is our common bond.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on our common bond - the need we all have for mercy and grace. There is no end to the mercy and grace God is willing to extend freely to us. And yet, we find it easier to go to our loved ones, to those whose advice we consider to be wise, to those we believe hold the keys to our healing and/or happiness.

God did not want people to follow Jesus because they admired His looks and physique. God wanted men to follow Him because of who He was and what He said and did..

The way Jesus lived His life bore witness to the words He spoke. Good looks would have been a hindrance and a temptation to many and God was looking for those who would trust what was on the inside of Him and not what was on the outside.

Whatever stresses you out is personal, and it is very frustrating and discouraging. It is in times like this you really could use some help. Well, there is good news. There is help available, and the help comes from Jesus Christ.

Are you tired and weary today? Have life's burdens and trials weighted you down, and you just need some relief? We all get that way sometimes. It may be that we have taken on too much responsibility or too many jobs.

A time had come in Hezekiah's life that is called "testing time". There is always a danger of a person who gets close to God and lives a virtuous godly life of losing humility and letting pride enter. There is a danger of a person beginning to think of himself as righteous and above sin. When we reach that position we are in a position to be brought back to earth. God will get our heads out of the clouds and bring us back to reality.

Our Sunday school topic for today describes King Hezekiah. He was a holy man, but God gave him great riches just to test him. God put him on his own as a test, just to find out whether Hezekiah, in the midst of success, would still worship his Lord. By doing this, the Lord helped Hezekiah examine his own heart, and make a decision completely on his own.

Sometimes people go through things unspeakable. The husband leaves you for a younger woman, or your closest friend suddenly dies of a heart attack.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on trusting God even when one has experienced difficulty in life. At times life on earth can be cruel. You may have at least once in your life thought " no-one knows or understands, what I am going through." This is wrong.

The terms "a priori" and "a posteriori" refer primarily to how or on what basis a proposition might be known. A proposition is knowable a priori if it is knowable independently of experience. A proposition is knowable a posteriori if it is knowable on the basis of experience.

Once upon a time, there was a man named Bill. It seemed everyone loved Bill, the only trouble was; Bill is an invisible being.

One day, those who have no time for God will have to take the time, for all those things which have kept them too busy will no longer exist, and they will no longer matter. All things pertaining to this earth will have passed away. They will be summoned to appear and stand before God to give an account of their earthly life.

Our Sunday school topic for today talks about the day, at the end of your life on earth, when you will meet God and face his judgment.

A young man spent his teenage years gardening for other people. When he became of age, he decided that he’d become knowledgeable enough to garden for himself and shrewd enough to become a decent businessman. So he saved the money he earned and bought a field.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on trusting God. This sounds so easy, but it is very difficult. Proverbs 3:5-6 guides us here... "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. "

Lord, grant me the eyes of an eagle, But give me the heart of a dove. May my vision be one of great distance. May I reach out to others in love.

Our Sunday school topic for today compares our strengths and skills with our gentleness and our need to make God our master for, even though we sometimes feel exalted, we must have a gentleness in our nature too, and obey the commands of our Lord.

In the above verses we are presented with a brief account of Moses last moments before his death on a peak called Pisgah on the mountain of Nebo. What a sad account it is as God says to this renowned prophet of God; "you can look but you can't touch". The thoughts that must have raced through Moses mind as he looks out across the panoramic landscape.

This nugget will be very different from all the others. In this nugget there will be quite a bit of liberality taken with the scriptures as to literalness. It is my intent to bring out points that may cause you to reflect on what these men suffered for their prize and provoke meditation on these scriptures.

Friendship comes with responsibility. The responsibility to tell the truth even when the truth might bring pain and anguish. The Apostle Paul exhibited this quality when through love he told the truth even when that truth brought adversity to himself. When he had to bring admonition to the Galatian people who did not want to hear the truth he said: "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" (Galatians 4:16)

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on friendship. We are talking about how important our friends are to us, and our mother and father. Then we realize that Jesus is our friend too. Remember the song - "What a Friend we Have in Jesus!"

The fullness of Jesus Christ was that God inhabited the robe of flesh that Jesus wore. Paul wrote: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

Paul not only affirms the full Deity of Christ but also states that we as believers partake of this fulness. Ephesians 3:19 states: "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."

"So loved": The reason for it all is God's love. Not that we loved but that God loved. 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. This love from God manifested itself in the greatest act of love. John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (" So loved": The greatest love)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) There is not a greater verse in scripture. It sums it all and condenses it into a verse that is easily understood, eternal and all inclusive in its scope.

The Time for totally relying upon the lord, to feed, clothe, heal, watch over, always seeing to the true needs of a traveling band of wayfarers,

Lesson Plan Genesis 4:6-7 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the worship, jealousy, and rage . In worship as in your emotions, you are thanking God and praising Him. But Cain worshipped in ways that were disapproved in his time, and he looked at worship as a means to gain rewards from God. As a result, he caused terrible tragedy in his and his brother's life.

From the very beginning of time God has spoken and Satan has tried his best to do away with what God said or to make it of no effect

If man is to live by every word of God then Satan is determined to confound, corrupt or destroy that Word.

Our time-traveler the little (Jenny) wren, is excited about the journey the children of God had to take. Stubborness seemed to be the state of affairs and an easy lack of trust, so round and round the mountain the children of God had to go until they finally got to the Jordan.

To those belonging to Christ ,the result of going through tribulations in this life is patience, experience, and hope.

This Sunday School topic is about understanding the blessings of trusting in the Lord and how we can glory through trials and tribulations .

There is no shame in your salvation so don't be ashamed of it! There is also no shame in praising God for His goodness to you. He has given you your food, water, shelter, clothing, the air you breath your family and many other blessings too numerous to tell. Praise Him for it.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the importance of telling people that you believe in Christ. We cannot be like Peter and deny that we know Christ. Instead, we rejoice and tell others that we do, indeed, believe!

Moses was not permitted to go to the promised land, because of a mistake he had made in following the direction of God back there on the trail, He had not done specifically what the Lord instructed about bringing the water to the people ,like the Lord had instructed, he had done it in anger, now love, so he had disobeyed God, for this, he did get to go into the promised land with his group.

We often think the task is too great. We often think that God is asking of us beyond what we can do. We use the words "I can't" when God asks of us. The lesson here is simply if God has asked of us then He has equipped us; He has empowered us.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the importance of being obedient in what God asks us to do. He is there to provide us the strength to do the work He commands of us. With God’s help we can accomplish the tasks and works that are pleasing to Him .

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."

There's no way of knowing on this earth how many times we have been put under God's special protection or blessed because of the prayers of another.

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the importance of our heartfelt prayers spoken to God. He wants to hear from us and we must lean on Him for help and guidance.Let us therefore pray often and daily for we know this pleases Him and helps us to develop a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father. Not only in times of trouble but in times of praise . May our prayers be lifted up in all matters to the One who watches over us .

Whom God wants to teach him, will hear, and who he does not wish to underdtand a thing, no matter. How simple it is; he or she will never hear until the time to hear. It can not happen, unless it is time.

In the pictures is Bishop Antonio Menegazzo in Darfur where he visited his Christians for the first time in three years. He is a fearless human being and pastor. Sleeping in the grass and eating dirty food and drinking dirty water for the sake of evangelization!

Ever notice how when people get to looking for a new automobile they are taken by the styling and outward appearance of the vehicle sought for?

Our Sunday school topic for today focuses on the importance of what God sees in our hearts and how He uses those for His Kingdom who have humbly turned their hearts to Him .

Who God wants to teach will hear, and who he does not wish to understand a thing, no matter how simple it is, he or she will never hear until the time to hear. It can not happen, unless it is time.

A man sits crying out "Jerusalem Oh Jerusalem, I would have taken you under my wings as an old hen with her biddies. I would have shielded and protected you; you are my own. but you would not." The Children of God, their mind will now be closed until it is time for understanding to come.

It is mandatory to grow older in this life, but it is not mandatory to grow up in this life or our Christian life and some are retarded in their growth because of just being sustained on milk just as in real life.

It is a lesson of never taking God for granted, yet, knowing deep inside of your soul that God can always can be trusted, in any and all of the darkest hour. God always will hear, somehow, he will make a way, where there seems to be none in each and every happening, in yours and my life.

With God’s permission Satan testing Job’s life so bold In the loss of his vast fortune and big Family Job is told Job has had this premonition, one of an impending doom Job feels dreaded disaster shall surely be on Him soon,

Then the colored arch of many pastel colored reflected lights after the rain seems to fall at different intervals now for watering the earth. Noah remembers the words of God when he sometimes sees a rainbow after the rain and sees it as the promise from God to his few people. it is the reminder of what horrible happening had been done all because of sin.

It seems that the whole of creation from God is contaminated, but the rectification is at work using the first and second of choices in the mind of God, just as the first man, which was created by our Father

A little bird just told to me, the meaning of... John1 It was: in ‘the beginning‘. There was the 'Word,' God's Word comes alive, when ever it is heard Words are the ‘Creator of Heavens and Earth’ When spoken by God, His ‘Word’ gives it birth

With words our God Communicates That same"word" He demonstrates His 'word" with the Lord to trod this "word" was begotten of God