CROCODILE HUNTER - Irwin memorial DVD confirmed.

THE special public memorial held last week in honour of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin will be released on DVD, his manager and long-time friend has said.

John Stainton today announced the service titled He Changed Our World, staged at the Crocoseum at the Irwin family's Australia Zoo wildlife park on the Sunshine Coast last Wednesday, would be available by October 14 through EMI Music Australia.

Up to 300 million people around the world watched the service, which featured tributes from international stars Russell Crowe, Cameron Diaz, Hugh Jackman and Justin Timberlake.

All royalties from the special edition DVD would go to Steve's Wildlife Warriors fund to support work with endangered species, habitat protection and running the zoo's wildlife hospital.

"We have been overwhelmed by the reaction to the television broadcast which seems to have captured the love and emotion that filled the 5000-seat Crocoseum," Mr Stainton said.

EMI Music Australia managing director John O'Donnell said the DVD contributed to "the preservation of Steve's memory".

Irwin died after a stingray plunged its barb into his chest in a freak accident off the far north Queensland coast on September 4, prompting shock and disbelief worldwide.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT FRIDAY – A CHEERFUL HEART #38.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. - Pro 17:22.

A Texan died and went to heaven where St. Peter met him at the Pearly Gates.

“Show me what you got, Pete,” said Tex.

St. Peter swung open the gates and revealed a beautiful landscape of mountains, rivers, streams, trees, flowers and all the trimmings.

“We’ve got that in Texas. We call it King Ranch,” said Tex.

St. Pete flashed up a scene of men, women and children frolicking on the countryside, riding coaches, swinging, swimming, riding horses, bicycling, etc.

“We’ve got that, too. We call it Six Flags.”

Whereupon St. Peter threw open a trapdoor of the fires of Hell and out shot a huge ball of fire followed by a solid stream of flame sweeping over the entire area. The blinding light and heat were enormous.

“We don’t have that,” said Tex, “but we’ve got a guy in Houston who can put itout.”
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The Confession Session…

The new priest is nervous about hearing confessions, so he asks an older priest to sit in on his sessions. The new priest hears several confessions, then the old priest asks him to step out of the confessional for a few suggestions.

The old priest suggests, "Cross your arms over your chest and rub your chin with one hand." The new priest tries this.

The old priest suggests, "Try saying things like, 'I see, yes, go on, and I understand, how did you feel about that?" The new priest says those things, trying them out.

The old priest says, "Now, don't you think that's a little better than slapping your knee and saying, 'No way! What happened next?'"
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Seamus & the Genie…

Seamus was walking along the coast of Galway early one morning with a bit of a sore head when he tripped over something in the sand. Reaching down, he picked up a lamp and starting rubbing it. There was a huge crack of thunder, an awesome amount of smoke, and lo and behold, a genie appeared.

"Mornin' boyo," said the genie.

"For releasing me from two thousand years of bondage, I'll be grantin' ya three wishes."

"Isn't this grand," said Seamus. "Can I have a pint of Guinness?"

"Sure of course ye can," said the genie. And poof! a pint appeared in Seamus's hand. Seamus starting sipping away at the pint.

"For the love o' Jaysus, this has to be the best pint I've ever been tasting."

"Of course it is," said the genie. "I'm an Irish genie, after all, and I do know a bit about pints. Now, let's get on with business. You've got two more wishes left, and I haven't got all day!"

"Now just be bidin' yer time," said Seamus. "I want to enjoy me pint."

"Ah," said the genie. "That's a magic pint."

"And what do ye be meanin' by that?" asked Seamus.

"Well," said the genie, "as soon as it's done, it'll fill right back up again just as good as the first."

"Is that so," said Seamus, finishing off the pint. Sure enough, back up it came, and when he tasted it, it really was every bit as good.

"Now," said the genie, "about those other two wishes?"

"Ah," said Seamus, "I'll have two more o' these!"
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SACRIFICE…

People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply acknowledging a great debt we owe to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny? It is emphatically no sacrifice. Rather it is a privilege.

Anxiety, sickness, suffering, danger, foregoing the common conveniences of this life--these may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing compared with the glory which shall later be revealed in and through us.

I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us. - David Livingstone.
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Government Job…

A guy stopped at a local gas station and, after filling his tank, he paid the bill and bought a soft drink. He stood by his car to drink his cola and watched a couple of men working along the roadside. One man would dig a hole two or three feet deep and then move on. The other man came along behind him and filled in the hole. While one was digging a new hole, the other was 25 feet behind filling in the hole. The men worked right past the guy with the soft drink and went on down the road.

"I can't stand this," said the man tossing the can into a trash container and heading down the road toward the men.

"Hold it, hold it," he said to the men. "Can you tell me what's going on here with all this digging and refilling?"

"Well, we work for the government and we're just dong our job," one of the men said.

"But one of you is digging a hole and the other fills it up. You're not accomplishing anything. Aren't you wasting the taxpayers' money?"

"You don't understand, mister," one of the men said, leaning on his shovel and wiping his brow.

"Normally there's three of us: me, Elmer and Leroy. I dig the hole, Elmer sticks in the tree and Leroy, here, puts the dirt back. Now just because Elmer's sick, that don't mean that Leroy and me can't work."
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WE ARE REMINDED THAT BEING CHEERFUL KEEPS US HEALTHY… IT IS SLOW DEATH TO BE GLOOMY ALL THE TIME!

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to remind myself that Jesus died to set me free, help me Lord to live that life, and be determined in Him to have a cheerful heart, in Jesus wonderful Name I pray, amen!

HAVE A GREAT AND GODLY WEEKEND!

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT THURSDAY – NINE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY... The conclusion.

Tenacity is a pretty fair substitute for bravery, and the best form of tenacity I know is expressed in a Danish fur trapper's principle: "The next mile is the only one a person really has to make." - Eric Sevareid.

I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. – Prov 4:2.

We conclude our series today, if you have missed any of them, you can read part 1, here, and part 2, here.

7: BE ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD AND OTHERS FOR YOUR DECISIONS.
The road is lined with broken dreams and disappointments, because people have failed to follow God s guidelines, for making decisions. What protects you from the deceit of your own heart?

Jeremiah 17:9 says… The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Once we believe we have heard God speak through the Holy Spirit or His Word about a given situation, seek confirmation. Our first wave of defence against poor decisions is confirmation through our spouses, or others in whom we are accountable…

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. - Prov 15:22.

God will protect you from poor decisions if you truly want to find God’s will for a decision, however, we must learn to give up our rights to have our own way in the process.

My greatest thought is my accountability to God. - Daniel Webster.

8: SPEND TIME IN PRAYER WITH GOD, AND INVITE OTHERS TO PARTNER WITH YOU, TO PRAY FOR YOU.
God desires to communicate with His children. Intercessory prayer is the method He has provided for us to communicate with Him. We must have a life that includes intercessory prayer for ourselves and from others who will intercede for us. If we are truly in a battle, then we must have those in the body who are front-line scouts who can warn us against impending attacks and minefields.

Intercessors are those people. Intercession is not a spiritual gift, but a calling for each believer. Some are called to greater degrees of intercession and often appropriate the gift of prophecy at times.

Intercessory prayer is:

1. Intense prayer for others.
2. The priestly calling of all believers.
3. The Holy Spirit praying in us.

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. - Colossians 4:12.

God is calling many men and women in the workplace to pull together intercessory prayer teams to support them in their marketplace calling.

I fear John Knox's prayers more than an army of ten thousand men. - Mary, Queen of Scotland.

9: SEEK GOD FOR STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR WORK LIFE
God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives, including our work lives. He wants to provide strategy for accomplishing the purposes of your life. God has given us specific instructions on how to win a battle…

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. – 2 Cor 10:4-6.

God gives us this strategy to fight the battle with prayer. Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of darkness. He wants to guide you in your work life and make you successful. However, it requires total dependence and obedience to Him…

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. - Prov 3:5-6.

For several years a lawyer and a doctor had regularly played golf together. They were evenly matched, and there was a keen sense of rivalry. Then one spring the lawyer's game suddenly improved so much that the doctor was losing regularly. The doctor's efforts to improve his own game were unsuccessful, but finally he came up with an idea. At a bookstore he picked out three how-to-play golf texts, and sent them to the lawyer for a birthday present. It wasn't long before they were evenly matched again. - Bits & Pieces.

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to learn these principles, and apply them to my walk with Jesus, that I may be a better disciplined, and therefore a better child of God, for your glory. I ask this in the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

CROCODILE HUNTER - STEVE IRWIN'S WIFE TERRI ON AUSTRALIAN TV... 'I think he's going to come home'

This is part of a interview that Terri did for an Australian television programme, please continue to pray for her and the family.

Terri Irwin says she cannot shake the idea that her husband will return home from one of his adventures.

In an interview with the Nine Network, Mrs Irwin told of the bond she had with Steve, who died from a stingray barb to the chest while diving off the far-north Queensland coast on September 4.

"There never has been before and never will be again another Steve Irwin," she said. "Every day he was my prince charming."

During the interview with Ray Martin, to be aired tonight, she related how she was told of the accident by the close family friend and manager, John Stainton.

"He said there's been a diving accident with Steve - [I thought] 'Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it' - and he said it. He said those three words. 'And he died'," she said. "I'm still at the stage where I think he's going to come home. And it didn't really happen."

Mrs Irwin said she found it hard to cope, but considered herself lucky for the public's support. "I love Australia, and I'm a lucky woman," she said. "Just thank you so much. Your thoughts and prayers are really felt and they are going to help me get through. And I will."

She said she was also grateful for the response to last week's memorial service and "the feelings of love and support … was just overwhelming". "He (Steve) would have said 'Crikey, mate, I can't believe this'."

Millions of Irwin fans across Australia and New Zealand are expected to tune into the hour-long special at 8.30pm. A separate American ABC special will air in the US 15 hours later.

Barbara Walters, who interviewed Mrs Irwin for the US special, said she spoke of her continuing bond with her husband. In the US interview Mrs Irwin told how she was coping "one minute at a time … with great faith, great determination".

The Irwin children, Bindi, 8, and Bob, 2, did not take part in either interview. Bindi has become the youngest person to feature on the cover of the magazine New Idea in its 104-year history, and a survey in the magazine showed 93 per cent of readers wanted her to become the next "Crocodile Huntress".

Bindi moved many last week with her eulogy at her father's memorial in which she said she would continue his work.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT WEDNESDAY – NINE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY... Part 2.

The value of a principle is the number of things it will explain. - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. – Prov 4:2.

If you missed Part 1, you can read it here. We continue in our 3 part series of biblical principles to apply to our Christian live: here are the next 3...

4: RECEIVE WHAT GOD GIVES YOU THROUGH OBEDIENCE, INSTEAD OF SWEATING FOR OUTCOME

God called Adam and Eve to join Him in His work by working in, and overseeing the Garden. It was a form of worship to Him. Work and worship come from the same meaning in Hebrew. God called the people out of Egypt where they sweated and toiled for food to eat, to a land of milk and honey so they could worship Him. He was their Jehovah Jirah... ‘My Provider,’ regardless of whether there was fertile soil to work...

So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.' - Joshua 24:13. Whenever we begin sweating our finances, we are making a statement about our belief in God.

What is the inheritance God has for you? We are to enter our own personal Promised Land and take the land God has provided for us through obedience, not sweat and toil... Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves. - Ps 127:1-2.

Each of us must come to understand God’s provision for us is through our obedience, not our self-effort. This includes our physical, emotional and spiritual needs... To this John replied, "A person can receive only what is given from heaven. - John 3:27. John knew what his calling before God was. He knew what he was to do and what he was not to do. Each of us must walk in this understanding in order fulfil what God has planned for us.

5: EMBRACE TIMES OF ADVERSITY AS OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW INWISDOM, CHARACTER AND OBEDIENCE.

Adversity and trials are a by-product of a life fully committed to Christ. It is part of our calling as sons... Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate children at all. - Heb 12:7-8.

The question we need to answer is whether our adversity is due to our righteousness in Christ or unrighteousness due to sin. Or, it can simply be a result of a fallen world. God uses adversity to frame our lives for the message He wishes to speak through us. The depth and width of our adversity and/or faith experiences is proportional to the call upon our lives. If youexperience major difficulties for righteous reasons, He will use those to impact more people.

God uses adversity to develop character, wisdom and obedience in our lives. Almost every leader God uses in a significant way is taken through the fire of testing to refine their character and deepen their call. Avoid becoming a victim to your circumstances, instead, see adversity as a place to experience the victory we have in Christ.

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. - C.S. Lewis.

6: IDENTIFY AND RENOUNCE THE INFLUENCE OF ANY GENERATIONAL STRONGHOLD, THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED YOU TO DEVELOP A COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOUR.

Satan wants to prevent every person from experiencing the love of God in their lives. He has made us to have seven basic needs as described in Genesis 1 and 2. These needs are 1) Security, 2) Blessing and Provision, 3) Love and Companionship, 4) Freedom and Boundaries, 5) Dignity, 6) Authority, and 7) Purpose and Meaning.

Satan deceives us in order to meet needs outside God s design by bringing about pressure situations in which people seek to meet their needs in their own way. When this happens a spiritual stronghold is developed. This encourages the person to meet their needs by serving the stronghold, rather than responding to the grace of God. This stronghold often develops throughout a family line and is passed down from one generation to another...

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. - 2 Cor 10:3-5.

In order to fully experience the love of God we must renounce the influence of spiritual strongholds that have kept us from allowing God to meet our needs.

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to learn these principles, and apply them to my walk with Jesus, that I may be a better disciplined, and therefore a better child of God, for your glory. I ask this in the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT TUESDAY – NINE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY... Part 1.

PRINCIPLE…
What are you willing to do for $10,000,000? Two-thirds of Americans polled would agree to at least one, some to several of the following:

Would abandon their entire family (25%)
Would abandon their church (25%)
Would become prostitutes for a week or more (23%)
Would give up their American citizenships (16%)
Would leave their spouses (16%)
Would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free (10%)
Would kill a stranger (7%)
Would put their children up for adoption (3%) - James Patterson and Peter Kim, The Day America Told the Truth, 1991.

I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. – Prov 4:2.

Too often we are subjected to teaching that we like to listen too, but seldom help us when we left Church after the service ended. That’s why as a Pastor of a Church, it’s important for me to preach Biblical principles, that my congregation can get a hold of, and then apply them to their lives during the week, that they may have success in their walk with Jesus, whether it be in our neighbourhood, in the office, shop, factory etc;

This week we will list nine principles that can apply to all of our lives, and here is the first three…

1: SPEND TIME WITH JESUS.
Nothing can be accomplished affectively in the Kingdom of God, unless we are connected to Jesus Christ in an intimate and daily basis. Paul understood this better than anyone when he said...

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. - Phil 3:10-11.

Jesus said we must abide in the vine and that we can do nothing apart from Him... "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:5.

You get to know someone by spending quality time with them. If you do not have a regular and ongoing sense of His presence, you must cultivate this by spending time in His Word, talking to Him daily throughout your day and look for Him to respond to you. Make getting to know Christ your priority and you will begin to experience the power of God in your life.

2: WISDOM AND POWER IS GAINED THROUGH OBEDIENCE IN YOURWEAKNESS, NOT YOUR STRENGTH.
One of the great concepts of the gospel, is the bible’s exhortation for us to depend upon God, but also use our skills for His glory...

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Col. 3:17.

Paul understood that what really changed the world was not his persuasive words or his skills, but it was the power of God that was working through him. He ministered out of weakness, not power.

Sometimes we think we must be in a place of strength to have an impact, this is wrong. It is being weak that makes us strong, and allows Christ to be reflected to others.

The early church learned that wisdom came through obedience, not knowledge or information. The power of God was reflected through their obedience. Our culture often has a Greek-centred focus on knowledge and information, instead of focusing on obedience to the voice of God in our lives...

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. - Ps 111:10.

3: WHEN GOD GIVES A VISION, LET HIM FULFIL IT BY RESPONDING TO HIS PROMPTING, INSTEAD OF HELPING HIM MAKE IT HAPPEN.
God's ways often involve God giving us a vision, i.e. Joseph s dream. Then there is often a long period between the fulfilment of that vision. In between reality and the vision being fulfilled, there is a deep valley of failure and humiliation, i.e. Joseph in prison and slavery.

The vision often dies, but if the vision is from God, He will raise it up if we don’t try to help Him fulfil it. Ishmael was Abraham and Sarah’s attempt, to help God fulfil God’s vision for them. A great deal of Christian enterprise today is Ishmael.

We must learn the difference between allowing God to lead us, instead of helping God fulfil our vision. Maintaining a vertical dimension with God allows us to understand how God wants us to fulfil the vision He has given to us.

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to learn these principles, and apply them to my walk with Jesus, that I may be a better disciplined, and therefore a better child of God, for your glory. I ask this in the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT MONDAY - A HEART STARTER. #11.

In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering. - Howard Hendricks.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. - Mat 5:8.

Mondays can be very difficult, especially after a lovely weekend, where some of us managed to spend some quality time with our families and friends, fixed up all those little tasks that needed our attention, maybe we even a Saturday night out with the wife in a lovely restaurant, and then for most of us, worshipping with God’s family on Sunday, and suddenly, it’s back to the grind.

I thought by way of encouragement, that we could have a ‘Heart Starter’ from God, rather than six cups of coffee!

If to be a Christian is worthwhile, then the most ordinary interest in those with whom we come in contact, would prompt us to speak to them of Christ.

If the New Testament be true, and we know that it is, who has given us the right to place the responsibility for soul-winning on other shoulders than our own?

If they who reject Christ are in danger, is it not strange that we, who are so sympathetic when the difficulties are physical or temporal, should apparently be so devoid of interest as to allow our friends and neighbors and kindred to come into our lives and pass out again without a word of invitation to accept Christ, to say nothing of sounding a note of warning because of their peril?

If today is the day of salvation, if tomorrow may never come and if life is equally uncertain, how can we eat, drink and be merry when those who live with us, work with us, walk with us and love us are unprepared for eternity because they are unprepared for time?

If Jesus called his disciples to be fishers of men, who gave us the right to be satisfied with making fishing tackle or pointing the way to the fishing banks instead of going ourselves to cast out the net until it be filled?

If Jesus himself went seeking the lost, if Paul the Apostle was in agony because his kinsmen, according to the flesh, knew not Christ, why should we not consider it worthwhile to go out after the lost until they are found?

If I am to stand at the judgment seat of Christ to render an account for the deeds done in the Body, what shall I say to him if my children are missing, if my friends are not saved or if my employer or employee should miss the way because I have been faithless?

If I wish to be approved at the last, then let me remember that no intellectual superiority, no eloquence in preaching, no absorption in business, no shrinking temperament or no spirit of timidity can take the place of or be an excuse for my not making an honest, sincere, prayerful effort to win others to Christ. - J. Wilbur Chapman.

Now that our hearts are beating regularly, let’s consider on what we read over a cup of Java, and ask the Lord to help us make the most of every opportunity, to share the good news in a bad news world.

Loving Father, I thank you for the beautiful weekend that I had. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to share the gospel of the Lord Jesus Chris this week, that I may bring glory to your name. Use me Lord, to introduce someone into your Kingdom. In the wonderful name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – ONLY IN JESUS!

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28.

Wouldn't it be great if we could tear down all the walls that separate us, racial, social, and gender.

The apostle Paul spent his entire life trying to do just that, to tear down the walls that separated people, by bringing them to Jesus and the cross. There are no positions of superiority or inferiority at the foot of the cross, only those who discover God's power displayed in sacrifice, and God's love displayed in the face of human cruelty.

While the forces of culture and human selfishness are always finding ways to separate us, we must remember that in Jesus, and only in Jesus, we can be one.

Loving Father, forgive me, when I have let discrimination and distrust keep me from fully loving those whom you have claimed as your children. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray that my life will be an example of deliverance and harmony, as I seek to love your children as you do. I ask this in the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

CROCODILE HUNTER: STEVE IRWIN - AN ONLINE TRIBUTE BOOK.

The Queensland Courier Mail Newspaper, has published a fantastic online tribute book to Steve, it is an historical document, with wonderful photographs of his life and times, don't miss it! READ IT HERE.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT THURSDAY - PRAYERS FOR CROCODILE HUNTER'S FAMILY.

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the

right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. - Psalm 23.

Loving Father, today we lift Terri, Bindi, Bob, Steve's father, and all their families and friends, and for the millions of people all around the world, who mourn the passing of Steve. Bless them and encourage them in these difficult days, and for the ones that lie ahead. Let your love, presence, and peace surround them all. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray.

Be encouraged!

GBYAY

CROCODILE HUNTERS MEMORIAL SERVICE.

More than 300 million people worldwide watched the Steve Irwin Memorial Service today. Please continue to pray for Terri, Bindi, Bob, and family, they are desperately needed at this time.

BINDI Irwin has taken centre-stage at Steve Irwin's memorial service, calling the Crocodile Hunter "the best daddy in the world".

Thousands of fans cheered the eight-year-old's appearance at the family's Australia Zoo today as Bindi's mother Terri and brother Bob, two, looked on. "My daddy was my hero - he was always there for me when I needed him," she said, reading from a piece of paper."He listened to me and taught me so many things, but most of all he was fun."I know that Daddy had an important job. He was working to change the world so everyone would love wildlife like he did."

She said her father built a hospital and bought land to give animals a safe place to live and she wanted to continue his legacy. "I don't want Daddy's passion to ever end," she said. "I want to help endangered wildlife just like he did." Bindi said she would miss her father. "I have the best Daddy in the whole world and I will miss him every day," she said.
"When I see a crocodile I will always think of him and I know that Daddy made this zoo so everyone could come and learn to love all the animals.

"Daddy made this place his whole life and now it's our turn to help Daddy."... continue reading here.

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT WEDNESDAY - FATHER’S FAMILY... Conclusion.

An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others. - A. W. Tozer.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. - 1 John 3:1.

The world hasn’t a clue about the Father’s family, they do not know of the joy of following Jesus, they don’t know, and haven’t experienced the true happiness that we have. They think because we speak to God, and worship Him, that we are foolish fanatics. Little do they know that we, as followers of Christ, will one day share His presence in heaven. They despise us, they think we have a screw loose, and yet we can look upon them with the great love that the Father has given us, and accept them, warts and all.

One night he (Ky) came home with a bottle of liquor and went to his room. Shay saw him and told his dad and me. George went to his door and asked him to open it and he reluctantly opened the door. I was sitting in the den when he came downstairs crying, and put his head in my lap like a little child; I was crying too. He said, "Mom I need help, I do not know what is wrong with me:"

I asked him if he would go for counseling and he said he would.The next day I got an appointment for him. After testing, the doctor told us he was bipolar (manic-depressive). I didn't know what it was but knew that I had a friend who suffered from this mental illness and I couldn't believe that my baby was facing this same problem. He was so intelligent and artistic, how could he have a mental illness?

Ky ultimately dropped out of college and worked in many jobs. Typical of a person with bipolar disease, he would go into work and quit his job but with his charm and good looks, he would have another job within hours of walking away from the last one. He called me almost every day. We were close and he needed his parents. His brothers continued loving him with all their hearts. As a family we tried very hard to please him and help him in every way possible.

He started back to college after moving back home and was doing great; he even made the President's List. He only had a few hours to go until he would receive his degree. When he came home from college one afternoon, I had his favorite lunch ready for him, a taco salad. He ate and we talked and laughed. He was working on an assignment for school that required the typing of a paper, so he went to his room to work on that. Later that afternoon, he went about a mile from our house and committed suicide.

When the sheriff came to tell George and me, I thought I would die. I have never been so hurt in my life. I had lost my dad, my mother, my nephew and now my son. "God how can I go on?" I blamed myself for not seeing the signs and I felt that I had failed him in some way. He was my baby and I loved him. I knew him so well, why couldn't I see his pain? I questioned myself as a mother. Where did I fail my son?

My heart goes out to loved ones that have to go make funeral arrangements. It is very hard to pick out a casket and do the things that have to be done. I was so numb that I just went through the motions and there are things that I now wish I had done differently. But at that time I could not think and just wanted to get that part of my pain over with.

When Ky was very young he had told me he wanted to be buried by my mother, his wonderful Mama Reid. That rang in my ears as I thought about the funeral arrangements. My mother was buried in Brookhaven, Mississippi but I wanted the funeral to be in Millington, Tennessee where our friends and church family lived. My family and I did what we needed to do.

My extended family was there for us. Christian friends and family reached out in love and concern. In my heart I knew that my Saviour knew my pain. I do not know how anyone can go through the loss of a loved one without knowing our Lord Jesus. He loves us so and he softens the blows. I knew that He loved Ky even more than I did and that's a whole lot of love.

If you don't know my Jesus, stop right here and pray for Christ to come into your life and live in you. Ask forgiveness of your sins and live for him. Go to church next Sunday and find a family of God that will love you through your difficult times. Find your ministry that he will lead you to do for him. He is so near, please don't push him away.

"Fear thou not for I am with thee; be not dismayed for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea; I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." - Isa 41:10.

To all that have lost a loved one, you know what grief is. The rest of you may not know the depths of this pain but there will come a day that you will be required to go through this also. Only through my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ did I get through a day.

The first thing I did when my eyes opened each morning was think of my three sons, desiring to pray for them as I had done every day of their life. All of a sudden there was that realization that one was gone. I would cry and even call out loud to God, "Ky where are you? Why did you do this?"

The heartache and pain in the pit of my stomach were almost unbearable. When I would go out in public, I would see someone that looked like him and I would want to go running to him. I could hear his voice. I could hear his car drive up. I could hear the front door open and know he was walking up the stairs. Oh my precious son, how I hurt!

Shay was living in Orlando, Fl. and Chad and his family were living in Pensacola, Fl. Chad, Brenda, their two month old little boy and Shay stayed with us two weeks following the funeral. When they returned to their homes, their planes left Memphis 5 minutes apart. I had held together pretty well so they wouldn't see me cry but when they turned to go to the plane, I thought I would die. George and I held on to each other as we walked, crying to the car.

Just to have something else to think about, George wanted to stop at a bearing shop to get some bearings for our nephew Phillip's go-cart. As he went in, I looked up to the most beautiful, clear, blue sky I had ever seen. With a stomach-wrenching cry, I said, "God if my baby is in the arms of Jesus, show me a bird". I saw this flicker way up in the sky and I thought it was an airplane.

To my total amazement, here comes a bird, straight at my window and as I gazed at that bird, there came one from the left and one from the right and then all three birds flew up into the beautiful sky. I know this is hard for some of you to believe but it happened and it gave me a tremendous peace.

When George came out of the shop, I shared what had happened. He did not doubt it for one minute. As I have shared this with friends it always brings tears. When I begin to doubt where my child is, I remember that moment when God sent the three birds to comfort this mother. - Sarah Berth Elson, He Guides my Path.

As the children of God we must walk by faith, and live in hope. This allows us to be able to witness to the lost, the great love Father has given us, and it is ours, and His desire, that they share in this great love. What a wonderful privilege it is, to be ambassador’s for Christ, in a dying and depraved world.

Let’s take advantage of the great opportunities that the Holy Spirit presents to us, and tell of the wonderful love, forgiveness, and acceptance of Jesus. Hallelujah, what a mighty God we serve!

Loving Father, I thank you, for the incredible blessing of being your child. I know that I haven't begun to understand all the glorious things this gift means. However, Father, I look forward to what I can learn now about what it means, and I joyously anticipate the day when I can see you face to face, and fully know the meaning of this joy. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to communicate your great love, to those that are lost. In the wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

Sister Leonella Sgorbati... A TRUE SAINT.

This dear Christian servant truly was a Saint...

SHOT NUN'S LAST WORDS: I FORGIVE.

SHOT nun Sister Leonella forgave her assassins with her dying breaths, it was revealed yesterday.

The nun, gunned down at the hospital where she worked in Somalia, whispered: "I forgive, I forgive," in her native Italian. Her dying words were revealed at the memorial Mass for the 66-year-old nun, who devoted her life to helping the sick of Africa.

Mourners gathered to remember her in Nairobi, Kenya, as fears grew that she was the victim of Islamic radicals.

Willy Huber, head of the SOS hospital where she worked, said her killing was not a random attack and could be linked to the Pope's recent remarks about Islam.

In Somalia, radical Muslims believed to have ties to al-Qaeda have almost won control of the war-torn country from a weak government.

Sister Leonella was shot along with her bodyguard as she left the SOS hospital in the capital, Mogadishu, on Sunday. The two had been walking the 30ft from the hospital to the sister's home, where three other nuns were waiting to have lunch with her.

"She had no chance," Huber added. "It was like an execution."

Friends said Sister Leonella, who worked in Africa for almost 40 years, was aware of the dangers in Somalia and used to joke there was a bullet there with her name engraved on it.

Our prayers are with her family and fellow workers, and for her work to continue.

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT TUESDAY - FATHER’S FAMILY... Part 1.

My concern is not whether God is on our side; my great concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right. - A. Lincoln.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. - 1 John 3:1.

Rudyard Kipling once wrote about families, "all of us are we, and everyone else is they." A family shares things like dreams, hopes, possessions, memories, smiles, frowns, and gladness. A family is a clan held together with the glue of love and the cement of mutual respect. A family is shelter from the storm, a friendly port when the waves of life become too wild. No person is ever alone who is a member of a family. - Fingertip Facts.

Some gifts are too precious for words, and too wonderful to fully appreciate. The greatest of these gifts is that we are God's children! We have been adopted into the Father's family! Jesus claims us as his younger siblings! Even though the world may not acknowledge this, that doesn't make it any less true. After all, the world didn't recognize its Creator when he became flesh, and lived among the people he had created. God's Word, however, still proclaims the truth; those of us who accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, ARE the children of God!

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. - Rom 8:16-17.

Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled side by side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

One boat began falling behind. Not enough fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising young sailor took some of the ship's cargo and tossed it into the ovens. When the sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as the coal, they fueled their boat with the material they had been assigned to transport. They ended up winning the race, but burned their cargo.

God has entrusted cargo to us, too: children, spouses, and friends. Our job is to do our part in seeing that this cargo reaches its destination. Yet when the program takes priority over people, people often suffer. How much cargo do we sacrifice in order to achieve the number one slot? How many people never reach the destination because of the aggressiveness of a competitive captain? - Max Lucado… In the Eye of the Storm.

Let’s take advantage of the great opportunities that the Holy Spirit presents to us, and tell of the wonderful love, forgiveness, and acceptance of Jesus. Hallelujah, what a mighty God we serve!

Loving Father, I thank you, for the incredible blessing of being your child. I know that I haven't begun to understand all the glorious things this gift means. However, Father, I look forward to what I can learn now about what it means, and I joyously anticipate the day when I can see you face to face, and fully know the meaning of this joy. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to communicate your great love, to those that are lost. In the wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

Crocodile Hunter: Those conversion accounts, are they true?

I have recieved so many comments and emails asking me if Steve was a Christian, I have waited until I could get a reliable source, before answering. Some of them Ihave answered privately, but for the rest here is the update...

There is a widespread rumour circulating that Steve Irwin, the world-famous Crocodile Hunter, became a Christian a few weeks before he died.

The rumour was given impetus by an email multiplying across the world, bearing the name of a Pastor from an Australian church (initials R.R.), and giving specifics of the church in which Steve Irwin is supposed to have ‘come forward’.

The email itself (at least in its original form; it has since ‘mutated’ by others adding things) was entered onto our website email form in response to our (then front-page) article on Steve Irwin’s death. (Extracts from other correspondents' feedback is presented here.)

BUT IS THE STORY TRUE?
However, there is currently reason to seriously doubt this conversion account, as encouraging as it might be.

Note that the statements in it were made by the pastor (R.R.) in good faith; it was not intended to circulate widely.

As a ministry, especially considering we are located in the same general region (South East Queensland) as the Irwin family, and in view of the contents of our article, we felt an obligation to look into this report of conversion.

We have investigated the claims to the best of our ability, including phoning several of the churches and individuals involved. Though we were able to substantiate our earlier suggestion that Steve’s wife Terri was a churchgoing Christian, the stories of Steve himself ‘coming forward’ can at this stage not be substantiated. In fact, there is serious reason to doubt that this happened, at least not in the way that the stories claim.

Each time, seemingly reliable witnesses are invoked, but they are never the actual eyewitnesses, despite everyone’s (including Pastor R.R.’s) best efforts to confirm. At least one major church in another part of Australia announced it joyfully from the pulpit. But there again it turned out to be on the basis of seemingly reliable, almost impeccable eyewitness testimony—but testimony which could, again, not be confirmed, sadly.

We believe it is important to be sensitive to the hurt that these sorts of things can cause to Steve Irwin’s widow and the family. We would urge Christians not to be involved in circulating the R.R. email or any other unconfirmed reports. It is, ultimately, a matter between Steve Irwin and His Creator—and if the event did occur, then since Terri Irwin is a believer, she will be highly motivated to let the world know. Until and unless that happens (which would be joyful news indeed) we would suggest that any such rumours should not be passed on.

If you received the news from someone by email, feel free to pass on the link to this article so that they might act to help ‘undo the damage’ caused by these unconfirmed reports circulating. Our prayers are with the Irwin family at this time.

Keep praying.
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT MONDAY – ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER.

One morning I opened the door to get the newspaper and was surprised to see a strange little dog with our paper in his mouth. Delighted with this unexpected "delivery service," I fed him some treats. The following morning I was horrified to see the same dog sitting in front of our door, wagging his tail, surrounded by eight newspapers. I spent the rest of that morning returning the papers to their owners. - Marion Gilbert.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. - 1Thess 5:11.

Recently, I heard a touching story which illustrates the power that words have to change a life, a power that lies right in the hands of those reading this article. Mary had grown up knowing that she was different from the other kids, and she hated it. She was born with a cleft palate and had to bear the jokes and stares of cruel children who teased her non-stop about her misshaped lip, crooked nose, and garbled speech. With all the teasing, Mary grew up hating the fact that she was "different". She was convinced that no one, outside her family, could ever love her ... until she entered Mrs. Leonard's class.

Mrs. Leonard had a warm smile, a round face, and shiny brown hair. While everyone in her class liked her, Mary came to love Mrs. Leonard. In the 1950's, it was common for teachers to give their children an annual hearing test. However, in Mary's case, in addition to her cleft palate, she was barely able to hear out of one ear. Determined not to let the other children have another "difference" to point out, she would cheat on the test each year. The "whisper test" was given by having a child walk to the classroom door, turn sideways, close one ear with a finger, and then repeat something which the teacher whispered.

Mary turned her bad ear towards her teacher and pretended to cover her good ear. She knew that teachers would often say things like, "The sky is blue," or "What color are your shoes?" But not on that day. Surely, God put seven words in Mrs. Leonard's mouth that changed Mary's life forever. When the "Whisper test" came, Mary heard the words: "I wish you were my little girl."

Dads, I wish there was some way that I could communicate to you the incredible blessing which affirming words impart to children. I wish, too, that you could sit in my office, when I counsel, and hear the terrible damage that individuals received from not hearing affirming words , particularly affirming words from a father. While words from a godly teacher can melt a heart, words from a father can powerfully set the course of a life.

If affirming words were something rarely spoken in your home growing up, let me give you some tips on words and phrases that can brighten your own child's eyes and life. These words are easy to say to any child who comes into your life…

I'm proud of you, Way to go, Bingo ... you did it, Magnificent, I knew you could do it, What a good helper, You're very special to me, I trust you, What a treasure, Hurray for you, Beautiful work, You're a real trooper, Well done, That's so creative, You make my day, You're a joy, Give me a big hug, You're such a good listener, You figured it out, I love you, You're so responsible, You remembered, You're the best, You sure tried hard, I've got to hand it to you, I couldn't be prouder of you, You light up my day, I'm praying for you, You're wonderful, I'm behind you, You're so kind to your (brother/sister), You're God's special gift, I'm here for you. - John Trent.

Loving Father, thank you for your word that tells us to encourage one another. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to really encourage someone today! In Jesus wonderful name I pray!

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – KNOWN PERSONALLY BY THE LORD!

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. - Luke 12:6-7.

In a cosmos so vast, what is our little planet? In a planet so diverse and so full of life, what are people?

Among all the billions of people alive, and those who have lived and already died, what worth do we have? Well, Jesus reminds us that our worth is great, not because we are so important, but because we are known personally by God.

We don't have to be afraid, we are known personally, and loved by the One who is, and was, and is to come! Praise His wonderful name!

Loving Father, you already know my heart. You know where I struggle with sin, so empower and forgive me. You know my fears, so encourage and strengthen me. You know my immaturity, so nurture and grow me. You know my weakness and disease, so comfort and heal me. But even if these requests take time to be answered, I am still overwhelmed by the fact that you choose to know me, and for that I am eternally grateful, thank you! In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT FRIDAY – A CHEERFUL HEART #37.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. - Pro 17:22.

Blonde Joke of the Day…
Q: Did you hear about the new epidemic among blondes?
A: It's called MAIDS - if they don't get one, they die.

She was soooooooooooooo blonde...

... she spent 20 minutes looking at the orange juice can because it said "concentrate".
... she got stabbed in a shoot-out.
... she told me to meet her at the corner of "WALK" and "DONT WALK".
... they had to burn the school down to get her out of third grade.
... at the bottom of the application where it says "sign here," she put "Sagittarius".
... she asked for a price check at the Dollar Store.
... it takes her two hours to watch "60 Minutes".
... she studied for a blood test-and failed.
... she thought she needed a token to get on "Soul Train".
... she sold the car for gas money.
... when she saw the movie rating "NC-17: under 17 not admitted", she went home and got 16 friends.
... when she heard that 90% of all crimes occur around the home, she moved.
... she thinks Taco Bell is the Mexican phone company.
... when she missed the 44 bus, she took the 22 bus twice instead.
... when she went to the airport and saw a sign that said "Airport Left", she turned around and went home.
... she got locked in a grocery store and starved to death.
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Mexican at the border…

A US Border Patrol Agent catches an illegal alien in the bushes right by the border fence, he pulls him out and says "Sorry, you know the law, you've got to go back across the border right now."
The mexican man pleads with them, "No, noooo Senior, I must stay in de USA! Pleeeze!"
The Border Patrol Agent thinks to himself, I'm going to make it hard for him and says "Ok, I'll let you stay if you can use 3 English words in a sentence".
The Mexican man of course agrees.
The Border Patrol Agent tells him, "The 3 words are: Green, Pink and Yellow. Now use them in 1 sentence."
The Mexican man thinks really hard for about 2 minutes, then says, "Hmmm, Ok. The phone, it went Green, Green, Green, I Pink it up and sez Yellow?"
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Mark 17…

A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17."
The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17.
Every hand went up.
The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only 16 chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying."
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GRACE OF GOD…

When Corrie Ten Boom of “The Hiding Place” fame was a little girl in Holland, her first realization of death came after a visit to the home of a neighbor who had died. It impressed her that some day her parents would also die.

Corrie's father comforted her with words of wisdom. "Corrie, when you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?" "Why, just before we get on the train," she replied.

"Exactly," her father said, "and our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need--just in time." - Today in the Word.
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GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS…

A farmer went into his banker and announced that he had bad news and good news.

"First, the bad news..."

"Well," said the farmer, "I can't make my mortgage payments. And that crop loan I've taken out for the past 10 years -- I can't pay that off, either. Not only that, I won't be able to pay you the couple of hundred thousand I still have outstanding on my tractors and other equipment. So I'm going to have to give up the farm and turn it all over to you for whatever you can salvage out of it. "

Silence prevailed for a minute and then the banker said ,"What's the good news?" "The good news is that I'm going to keep on banking with you," said the farmer.

WE ARE REMINDED THAT BEING CHEERFUL KEEPS US HEALTHY… IT IS SLOW DEATH TO BE GLOOMY ALL THE TIME!

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to remind myself that Jesus died to set me free, help me Lord to live that life, and be determined in Him to have a cheerful heart, in Jesus wonderful Name I pray, amen!

HAVE A GREAT AND GODLY WEEKEND!

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT THURSDAY - BOLDNESS.

"Alas! What stirs ordinary men's blood and turns them into heroes, makes most Christians run like a flock of frightened sheep." - C. T. Studd.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. - Acts 4:31.

There is no doubt, according to Scripture, that the these believers when they prayed, were all filled with the Holy Spirit, or as we would say, Baptised in The Holy Spirit. But the evidence here was not tongues, but witnessing with BOLDNESS!

"One of the special marks of the Holy Ghost in the Apostolic Church was the spirit of boldness.

One of the most essential qualities of faith that is to attempt great things for God and expect great things from God, is Holy boldness.

Where we are dealing with a supernatural Being, and taking from Him things that are humanly impossible, it is easier to take much than little; it is easier to stand in a place of audacious trust than in a place of cautious, timid clinging to the shore.

Likewise, seamen in the life of faith, let us launch out into the deep, and find that all things are possible with God, and all things are possible unto him that believeth." - A. B. Simpson.

There is always controversy when someone writes about Holy Spirit Baptism, but that is not my intention here today. I only want to share about what happened after the believer’s prayed, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and continued to speak the word with BOLDNESS! I believe that this is what’s missing in so many Christians today… BOLDNESS!

"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon Earth." - John Wesley

In all my years as a Pastor, I have never encountered so many timid followers of Christ, as I have in the past few years. We need to reverse that weakness, and one of the ways of doing that, is asking the Lord for BOLDNESS…

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." - Acts 4:29-30.

Let's quit fiddling with religion and do something to bring the world to Christ. If you want to drive the devil out of the world, hit him with a cradle instead of a crutch.I'm against sin. I'll kick it as long as I've got a foot, and I'll fight it as long as I've got a fist. I'll butt it as long as I've got a head. I'll bite it as long as I've got a tooth. And when I'm old and fistless and footless and toothless, I'll gum it till I go home to Glory and it goes home to eternal damnation! – Billy Sunday.

We are easy intimidated, when someone speaks against us for witnessing for Christ. There are always going to be people who will intimidate us, there are always going to be people who are against Jesus, but this needs to be confronted, and we need to apply God’s word to our lives, so that we can pray and ask the Lord for BOLDNESS!

"While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight - I'll fight to the very end!" - William Booth

He is ready to perform the miracles, the healings, and that will be a sign to the unbeliever of a living God! The only way that we are going to speak God’s word with BOLDNESS, is to believe that the Lord will answer our prayer, as He did for other followers of Jesus!

Loving Father, I ask you right now from the bottom of my heart; fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I may speak the word of God, with boldness. I ask this in the wonderful name of Jesus, amen!

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT WEDNESDAY – WHAT HAS JESUS DONE FOR YOU? The Conclusion.

It is not what men eat but what they digest that makes them strong; Not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; not what we preach but what we practice that makes us Christians. - Source Unknown.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. -Gal. 2:20.

Theologians tell a story to illustrate how Christ's triumph presently benefits our lives: Imagine a city under siege. The enemy that surrounds the city will not let anyone or anything leave. Supplies are running low, and the citizens are fearful. But in the dark of the night, a spy sneaks through the enemy lines. He has rushed to the city to tell the people that in another place the main enemy force has been defeated; the leaders have already surrendered. The people do not need to be afraid. It is only a matter of time until the besieging troops receive the news and lay down their weapons.

Similarly, we may seem now to be surrounded by the forces of evil -- disease, injustice, oppression, death. But the enemy has actually been defeated at Calvary. Things are not the way they seem to be. It is only a matter of time until it becomes clear to all that the battle is really over. - Richard J. Mouw.

THIS IS WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR YOU...

JESUS Gave His Life, As A Ransom, For You.
Who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. - 1 Timothy 2:6.

JESUS Brought You Out of Death Into Life.
"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. - John 5:24.

JESUS Delivered You Out of Bondage Into Freedom.
Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. - Rom. 8:2.

JESUS Lifted You Out of Sin Up Into His Righteousness.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Cor. 5:21.

JESUS Took You Out of Poverty And Into His Riches.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. - 2 Cor. 8:9.

JESUS Brought You Out of Darkness Into Light.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. - 1 Peter 2:9.

JESUS Brought You Out of Satan's Family Into God's Own.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. - 1 John 3:1-2.

WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR HIM?

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to realise what Jesus has done for me, and to remind myself that whatever I do, I do in His name, that I may bring Him glory. I ask this in the wonderful Name of Jesus. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT TUESDAY – WHAT HAS JESUS DONE FOR YOU? Part 2.

When the wife of missionary Adoniram Judson told him that a newspaper article likened him to some of the apostles, Judson replied, "I do not want to be like a Paul... or any mere man. I want to be like Christ... I want to follow Him only, copy His teachings, drink in His Spirit, and place my feet in His footprints... Oh, to be more like Christ!" - Source Unknown.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. -Gal. 2:20.

Meaning no disrespect to the religious convictions of others, I still can't help wondering how we can explain away what to me is the greatest miracle of all and which is recorded in history. No one denies there was such a man, that he lived and that he was put to death by crucifixion.

Where...is the miracle I spoke of? Well consider this and let your imagination translate the story into our own time -- possibly to your own home town.

A young man whose father is a carpenter grows up working in his father's shop. One day he puts down his tools and walks out of his father's shop. He starts preaching on street corners and in the nearby countryside, walking from place to place, preaching all the while, even though he is not an ordained minister. He does this for three years.

Then he is arrested, tried and convicted. There is no court of appeal, so he is executed at age 33 along with two common thieves. Those in charge of his execution roll dice to see who gets his clothing -- the only possessions he has. His family cannot afford a burial place for him so he is interred in a borrowed tomb.

End of story? No, this uneducated, propertyless young man who...left no written word has, for 2000 years, had a greater effect on the world than all the rulers, kings, emperors; all the conquerors, generals and admirals, all the scholars, scientists and philosophers who have ever lived -- all of them put together. How do we explain that? Unless he really was who he said he was." - Ronald Reagan.

THIS IS WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR YOU...

JESUS Gave His Back, To Be Ploughed, For You.
Ploughmen have ploughed my back and made their furrows long. - Psalm 129:3.

JESUS Gave His Hands And His Feet, To Be Pierced, For You.
Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. - Psalm 22:16.

JESUS Gave His Side, To Pour Out His Blood, For You.
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. - John 19:34.

JESUS Gave His Blood, For The Cleansing, Of You.
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. - Heb 9:22; But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. - 1 John 1:7.

JESUS Gave His Heart, To Be Broken, For You.
Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. - Psalm 69:20.

JESUS Gave His Soul, As An Offering For You.
Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. - Isaiah 53:10-11.

WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR HIM?

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to realise what Jesus has done for me, and to remind myself that whatever I do, I do in His name, that I may bring Him glory. I ask this in the wonderful Name of Jesus. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

PRAYING AND REMEMBERING THE VICTIM'S AND THEIR FAMILIES.

CROCDILE HUNTER - UPDATE AND TRIBUTE.

Steve Irwin's family has released the news that there will be a Public Memorial Service sometime next week, at the largest venue in Brisbane.

Meanwhile, here is a remembrance tribute penned by my friend V, from California...

Steve Irwin, we're going to miss ya!

The Crocodile Hunter sort of crept into our lives. That is if you can say that Steve Irwin did anything unobtrusively. While flipping through channels, my husband John would sometimes land on his entertaining and highly unusual show. I would usually be wandering around doing different household chores, and I could hear this exuberant man singing the praises of whatever animal, reptile, fish, he was confronting at the time.

Gradually "Steveisms" crept into our vocabulary "there's a beauty, Crikey," and needing to be said with the definite Australian inflection "Danger, Danger Danger!"

His ability to confront any creature, keep up a constant patter of information while doing so and his boundless enthusiasm really did set him apart. As the shows evolved and Terri, his wife, became more and more a part, all the better. She was beautiful, she was the perfect foil and it obvious she was devoted to animals and her husband. Together they made the perfect combo.

So I went from just casually watching to really watching with intention. The fact that Steve "dodged the bullet" so many times and survived every type of animal attack, probably minimized the danger he was facing in the minds of his viewers. I like many viewers began to feel that he was invulnerable. The guy had crocs chasing him, venomous snakes whizzing by his head and grumpy animals of all types take their best shot without success.We all know what happened this last week. A very freak hit from a sting ray, was the last animal encounter (or should I say fish) Steve will ever be experiencing. Suddenly and without warning the man that had faced down every type of creature was gone.

As I sat at the computer late Sunday night checking latest news, suddenly it flashed across my screen, "Steve Irwin, Croc Hunter is killed". Steve, killed I thought, that can't be right, surely there?s been a mistake. But as the news filtered in, there was no mistake. Doing something that most people would have given a far lower risk factor than many of the amazing things he had done in the past, Steve had died. This likeable, entertaining, winsome guy was dead.I found myself trying to find out details and as most people felt, was horrified at the idea that not only had he died, but died while they were filming.

This too seemed predictable, but to me, but that did not lesson the sadness I felt. I saw the pictures of the flowers piling up at the Australia Zoo, and read about the reactions in Australia and around the world.

Australians were going to honor him by wearing khaki on Friday. The Prime Minister of Australia offered a state funeral. Articles appeared on the web about the loss and depression kids felt who had grown up watching Steve?s shows. It seems that a guy in khaki, with a gift for communication and a love of animals had made a big impact around the globe. Realizing this made me feel better and worse. I was just like everyone else, and there was really nothing to be done feeling bad that this had happened to the Croc Hunter. He is gone.That's just it, he's gone. Oh they'll play his reruns ad infinitum and he will continually be eulogized, but no where in the world, is that crazy, amazing, enthusiastic guy chasing some wild beast and turning to the camera and saying "Crikey, this is amazing!"

Our world doesn't have very many Steve types. People who unabashedly follow their enthusiasms and make a huge difference in the lives of not just people, but animals, and do it in a way that doesn't seem heavy handed or repressive. Nope there just aren't those kinds of people around. Steve will not be running across our TV screens, and he will be missed. I would rather not draw any lessons about the manner of his death, or ponder whether it was unavoidable, it just was.

So I guess it's thanks to Steve, and to his family who shared him with the world. It was a great run Mate, we'll miss ya!

Thank you V, for this beautiful tribute, it will remain in our hearts for a long time.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY