Terri's Wellspring

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed. I Peter 2:24 NKJV

On this Good Friday, we recognize the tremendous sacrifice Jesus Christ made for our sins. He gave His life in order that we might have salvation. He suffered on Calvary for you and me, a gift of love that allows us to be in relationship with our Heavenly Father. It is hard to think of all the suffering that Jesus, the Son of God suffered on our behalf. Today, we recognize His sacrifice and demonstrate our gratitude for the opportunity for salvation, deliverance and healing for anyone who calls Him Savior. We are so thankful for His life, His sacrifice and His Resurrection.

This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, Not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls. I Peter 2:21-24 MSG 

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

I will be filled with joy because of you.

I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.          Psalm 9:1-2 NLT

The Lord has provided countless blessings to us. We thank God and give praise for life, living and health. He gave us life and a pathway to live in relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ and I am so grateful. Salvation provides new life with peace and joy and provides access to the many promises available to His children. Our Heavenly Father has done so many marvelous things – healing for my mind and body; revival of my spirit; guidance for my steps and the blessing of loving family and friends. He has blessed us in ways we could not have imagined. We are so thankful for each one of these blessings and the promise of things yet to come.

I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart,
I’m writing the book on your wonders.
I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy;
I’m singing your song, High God. Psalm 9:1-2 MSG

O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

For His lovingkindness is everlasting .

I Chronicles 16:34

We are blessed to experience the abundant blessings of our Heavenly Father. We praise Him for food, shelter and provision that help us to thrive. We are so grateful to God for His gifts of peace, love and joy, even when it is so evasive in the world around us. We are so thankful for His precious Holy Spirit that provides guidance and a very present connection with our divine Savior. We thank Him for His healing power that allows us to be healthy and provides restoration when it is needed. Our life journey provides the opportunity to grow, learn and to become closer to the Father and we are thankful. We give praise for the great God that He is: loving, caring and powerful for each of His children. I am thankful and give God praise for His goodness and His loving kindness that will last forever.

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Our experiences in life come one after another. Each is an opportunity to be fully present. An opportunity to use all of your senses – eyes, your ears, your sense of smell, your touch and your heart to absorb, what is happening around us right now. Not what has happened in the past or not even what tomorrow will bring but focus on the blessing of this moment – in this time and in this place. It is easier said than done with the hurried pace of our living. We can rush through the blessing of love and life or slow the pace of our minds down to realize that now is the perfect blessing before us. Even in the most difficult circumstance, we can be glad that we serve a God who is with us. Our Heavenly Father is so faithful, so caring and so loving to shield us and to undergird us even when we believe that our hearts will break during the circumstance of the day. The blessing of now may be disguised by difficulty but we are still here, we have faith in our Heavenly Father, we are still on the path and God is still leading. We can rejoice in that blessing alone.

Sing to the Lord a new song!   Sing to the Lord, all the earth!  Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!

Day after day announce that the Lord saves his people.  Tell people about his glory.

Tell all the nations about his miracles.  Psalm 96:1-3

We can sing about the Great God that we serve with a new song! Sing of His might and power and how it blesses our lives in ways we could not have even imagined. We thank God for His goodness and His mercy toward the things concerning us – our health, our families and even the deepest desires of our hearts. The Lord is Great and is worthy of our praise and our song. We are so thankful for His goodness with His praises on our lips, clapping in our hands and joy in our hearts for He is our God. We are so thankful for revival, renewal and a new song.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us,

to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

 Ephesians 3:20 NLT

So I will give honor to You as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in  Your name. Psalm 63:4

We are so blessed to be able to lift our hands in praise and in prayer to God. Each day, He is worthy of our praise. With lifted hands, we acknowledge that He is our Heavenly Father who supplies all of our needs. Our lifted Hands extend toward Him, who provides peace and joy. We lift our hands in praise with gratitude for his continued love and mercy towards us.

Total Praise

Songwriter: SMALLWOOD, RICHARD

Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills
Knowing my health is coming from You
Your peace You give me in times of the storm

You are the source of my strength, Hallelujah
And You are the strength of my life, yes You are
I lift my hands in total praise to You

Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills
Knowing my health is coming from You
Your peace, You give me in times of the storm

You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to You

You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to you

Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. Philippians 4:8

We are so blessed to have people who benefit us as powerful examples of committed Christians.   The love of Jesus and God’s Word is evident throughout their lives. They are careful and dedicated to doing what the Bible instructs us to do and they emanate a spirit of love and concern for everyone that crosses their path. The fruit of the Holy Spirit flows through their faith, goodness, humbleness, discipline and an atmosphere of peace and love are set with their presence. These are qualities that we can honor and respect and seek to achieve in our daily living.

We were blessed to have the exemplary life of Bishop Walter Jordan (Church of God in Christ, Ohio North), who “transitioned into another expression of life” early Sunday morning (12/30/2012). We thank God for Bishop Jordan’s life that allowed us to see Jesus and His gift of salvation to the world clearly. As we seek to “live the life” we can look to his life (that of Bishop Jordan) and ultimately His life (that of Christ) as powerful example and witness to reach the world.

Faithful Father

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Lamentations 3:22-24

My heart is full of praise and thanksgiving for our Faithful Heavenly Father. He is faithful and just to remember His children. I woke up this morning with a reminder of His goodness and mercy toward me. It is a blessing not earned or even deserved but I am thankful for the relationship that grace has brought into my life. Early in my life as a young person with dreams I could not have imagined the blessings of my life today. I am so thankful to God for the blessings and the journey that has brought me thus far. The best part of our walk with Him is that there is yet more ahead. With our trust fully in Him, we walk in guided steps toward our purpose and victory. Be encouraged! God is so faithful to His children and I am thankful.

There is a special time for everything. There is a time for everything that happens under heaven. There is a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pick what is planted. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

I have a large Maple tree in my backyard. It is more expansive in width than it is tall with limbs and branches that make a beautiful display of God’s creativity throughout the year. It gives me hints of the upcoming season. As we transition from summer to autumn, sometime in late August or September, I can usually spot one leaf that has traded its green color for red or yellow. It is a sure sign to me that we are soon to feel cooler weather and that is a new season is upon us.

New seasons in nature or new seasons in our walk with the Lord are a blessing. As the seasons change, we can anticipate different experiences, different opportunities for growth, maturity and blessings as God’s children. I am thankful that a new season is upon us. It is natural and spiritual time of harvest. We can look to see results from continual planting of seeds of faith, peace and love. We can experience the benefits from approaching our decisions with a yielded spirit to God’s will. We can see how God was moving on our behalf even when His favor and power were not visible with the naked eye throughout the season of planting. But in this new season, we can see his marvelous blessings in its entire splendor and we are thankful.

I will praise the Lord at all times.

I will constantly speak his praises.

I will boast only in the Lord; 

let all who are helpless take heart.

Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;

let us exalt his name together.  

Psalm 34:1-3

The words of our mouth contain great power. We use our mouths all day long to say words to others, ourselves and even to God. What we say with our mouths in each case is critical. Our words often reflect what we believe and the concerns of our heart. The conversation that goes on with me, myself, and God can make or break my day. I experienced this yesterday, where I made a conscious effort to praise God while I was working on each project I completed. It was a busy day full of pressure and demands. But the Lord blessed me where I kept a flow of praises on my lips. “Lord, I thank you.” “Lord, I bless your name.” “You are great and greatly to be praised.” It was peaceful flow that allowed me to finish tasks and assignments with relative ease. I was so thankful for this blessing. This experience showed me the power that we have to choose praise instead of worry or strife. Praises on our lips can bring peace, contentment and joy even in the middle of confusion around us. Our praise is powerful.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us,

to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

 Ephesians 3:20 NLT