I got this in my email today; just what I needed!!!

On days when life is difficult and I feel overwhelmed, as I do fairly often, it helps to remember in my prayers that all God requires of me is to trust Him and be His friend.

I find I can do that.

– Bruce Larson

The whole being of any Christian is Faith and Love…
Faith brings the man to God, love brings him to men.

– Martin Luther

Just a little thought borrowed….

It’s been far to long since I last gave you a quote.
This one I could not resist:

I’m writing a book.
I’ve got the page numbers done already.

Sadly I’m not sure who wrote it. If you know, please tell me!

Some Sunday Quotes collected from the second chapter of Acts.
The very first day of Pentecost:

*On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus’ resurrection, the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.*

*Peter’s words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”*

*Peter replied, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles —all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!”*

*Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church—about three thousand in all. They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer.*

The last Sunday in the long, white, Easter celebration. In our text of today we are reminded that being a witness of Jesus not always is easy - sometimes even dangerous. But we are not alone. God is with us through The Holy Spirit; our counselor:

*But I will send you the Counselor - the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me. And you must also tell others about me because you have been with me from the beginning.*

Good Sunday - God bless!

I’m off to a new service with another group of Confirmants. Today the sermon is about prayer, which is a nice thing to talk about; certainly a day like this. Where we shall pray for these youths, remind them of their baptism and help them live a life in prayer themselves.

If you can join in prayer for them and me, I will be thankful

From todays Bible text:

Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

*Have a good Sunday*

Today is Palm Sunday the day where the crowd greeted Jesus at Jerusalems gate when he came riding in on a donkey. They greeted him like a king, laid out branches and clothes on the road and shouted: Hosanna! (= give salvation). They never thought he would do it the way he did!

The day before he was a visitor at his friends house in Bethany. There Mary poured nard over him. The whole house smelled like perfume and the others asked: was this really necessary; couldn’t the money rather be used on the poor??

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Wonder if Mary ever knew how important her act was?
Or that we 2000 year after remember her for what she did that day??

Out surfing sites I found this super quote for the Christmas time at Nadine’s place. Please go visit her!

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree!

Roy L. Smith

It gave me something to think about.
anne berit

This Sunday our text for the sermon was collected from the Revelation 1:4-8.

The first Sunday of Advent are concerned whit Jesus coming to us historically for 2000 years ago - riding on a dunky into the city of Jerusalem.

The second Sunday of Advent we go into the future and focus on Christ’s return in glory. I’ve picked to quotes from the text, both speaks about what Advent really is: To wait for he who comes to us, and he comes in different ways. He came once as a child, he comes to everyone who seeks him right now in our time and one day he’ll return to our world to heal and give new life.

Grace to us that is: grace is a gift and is free of charges!

May God bless you kindly and keep you!
anne berit

This Sunday is the very first in the new church year in Norway and also the 1th Sunday of Advent. I had a lot of children whit me in church today and we had a good time together. The text tells about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and about the people treating him like royalty. As a king.

And he is a king, but not like any other king. He doesn’t ride in there on a shining horse - he used a donkey. He doesn’t surround himself whit lifeguards and important men - he has his friends, 12 pupils, who easily scare. He doesn’t want to rule over us - he serves us instead.

Join in the crowds singing:

Hurray for Jesus - king of kings!

(The full text: Mattew 21:1-9)

—

SO OFTEN OUR COMPLAINTS ARE ETCHED IN STONE
BUT OUR THANKSGIVING IS WRITTEN IN SMOKE!

—

Found it surfing BE at “A cup of Rich” - didn’t get the link to him though.
(That is one of the few complaint I have about BE, I can’t find the URL of the site I visit - it makes it difficult (not impossible I know that) to link to good pages, and make a link in my post when I use something I find interesting as the quote above. )

An update at 22:27, a link to Rich -> go visit!

Tried to post a quote yesterday, but for some reason Blogger didn’t let me in. It is not the first time, and probably not the last - but it is tiering not to be able to post whenever I want to and have time to spend!!!!!
___________

Anyhow; yesterday was the Last Sunday in our Norwegian Church-Year. Often we call the day The Sunday of Jugdment. So you might not wonder when I say it is a day where we talk about the very last day, the jugdment-day. This year we preached over a text from Revelation, in this text (as many others) there is above all word for us living our life not knowing when Christ will return and maybe not even caring that much about it.
It is the words: I AM COMING SOON!!

For sure there have been some days since he walked the earth, but in the great picture, how much time is 2000 years really, compared to the age of the creation?? Just a second it seems.

Many don’t care much for talking about The Jugdment-day because they are not that eager for it to come. I see that, I too want to live my life just like it is for some more years - but do you really think that what Jesus has to give can be any less than we’ve already gotten?? And will I miss my old life - when I walk along whit the Lord?? - I think not!!!

And then the most important note:
We have nothing to fear from Jesus on Jugdement-day - as long as we have him as a friend. Our paycheck my vary from person to person, but Jesus promised that whoever belived in him should have eternal life; no matter what the life looked like(!) That is gathered in one word: GRACE!

God bless you all!

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

(Rev 22:12-17)

A nice quote for the week, something to be glad for:

NO MATTER HOW BLEAK IT LOOKS, IF GOD IS WITH YOU, THERE’S ALWAYS A RAINBOW ON THE OTHER SIDE!

(I don’t know who wrote it, let me know if you know!)

GOD BLESS you!

In no more than an hour I’m driving, looking forward to see my family again (Mother, Father, Brother and his family) - it has been a while since last time!

anne berit  

This Sunday is a day for prayer and silence. The day has it’s own liturgy, whit a long prayer of forgiveness. The text is about a narrow door, that one day shall be closed but for now it is OPEN. You can find the text in Luke 13:23-30. Here is the last part:

People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.

What are your thoughts???

I do still read the books by Alexander McCall Smith about Mma Ramotswe, the first lady detective in Botswana. Now I read book number 4 ” The Full Cupboard of Life”, and here is not only one - but three quotes:

“I want you to find out about these men,” said Mma Holonga. “I want to see wich men are interested in my money and wich are interested in me.”
Mma Ramotswe clapped her hands in delight. “Oh, this is the sort of work I like,” she said. “Judging men! Men are always looking at women and judging them. Now we have the chanche to do some judging back. Oh, this is a very good case to take on.”

… the African way, where people would call out and converse with one another from opposite sides of a road, or across a wide expance of bush, careless of who heard. Such conversations could be carried on by people walking in different directions, until voices grew too faint and too distant to be properly heard and words were swallowed by the sky. That was a good way of parting from a friend, so less abrupt than words of farwell followed by silence.

“The trouble is that men would never be able to do what we do,” she said. “Most men will just not cook. They are too lazy. They would rather go hugry than cook. That is a big problem for us women. If we started to do other things, then the men would fade away and die of hunger. That is the problem.”
“We could train them,” said Mma Ramotswe. “There is much to be said for training men.”
“But you have to find a man to train,” said Mma Seeonyana. “And they just run away from me…..”