Thursday's Thing

The PMS club is this Thursday's Thing!

If you haven't noticed I have had their button on my sidebar for a while now and haven't mentioned to you yet on what it is! It's a group of ladies getting together to Praise their (My) Savior, I think it's totally awesome! Check them out and come PMS with me :o)

On Thursday's (monthly) they have an article called I've got the Joy written by my new bloggy friend Deborah at A Cup of Joy :o) I'd like to share something about my Joy in a second, but I would also like to share the award Deborah honored me with! I love it! Thank you Deborah!

Now on to that wonderful Joy!

I wanted to share this story with you that I read in my Healed and Set Free Bible study a while back. Thank you Tammy for sharing this story in your study I have not be able to forget it since I read it... Here you are ladies...

A man's daughter had asked the local pastor to come and pray with her father. When the pastor arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The pastor assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit."I guess you were expecting me," he said.

"No, who are you?"

"I'm the new associate at your local church," the pastor replied. "When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up."

"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?" Puzzled, the pastor shut the door.

"I've never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head."

"I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, 'Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here's what I suggest. Sit down on a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I'll be with you always. ' Then just speak to him and listen in the same way you're doing with me right now."

"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful, though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."

The pastor was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the pastor that her daddy had died that afternoon. "Did he seem to die in peace?" he asked.

"Yes, when I left the house around two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me one of his corny jokes, and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange, in fact, beyond strange--kinda weird. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside the bed."

Isn't that BEAUTIFUL?! Ever since the night my son ran into the street I have been inviting Jesus to the spot on the couch next to my bed...

I even slept with my Bible that night (which is something I used to do in High School) because the Word is God (John 1:1) and He is my comforter (Jeremiah 8:18) and I desperately needed Him! And as you know now I feel that He is calling me to that spot for my quiet time with Him (I've only made it twice since) but OH THE JOY! - It comes with such peace! God has been so good to me, calling me to obedience in tiny baby steps like...

1. having me buy a book that was only $3.50
2. helping me finish it when it was only 87 pages and day-to-day/devotion style
3. Now having me get up early to go to the couch right next to me!

Is He not WONDERFUL!

The first time I got there early in the morning I feel back asleep (but it was so wonderfully peaceful, like I was sleeping in His lap!)... and in my sleeping moments there was this POWERFUL, yet small and quite voice saying "Ephesians two, one through twenty two". That has never happened to me, praise God! When I got up I read it and it was ALL encouraging on Mercy, Great Love, Kindness, Hope!!! Now that is a reason to be Joyful!!! A-men?