tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57049686935563475902024-03-13T07:00:20.752-04:00He IS AbleSharing His Word, His Love, His Gift of Salvation through Card Give-Aways!Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.comBlogger272125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-6348804762428085622014-04-11T14:26:00.000-04:002014-04-11T14:26:43.947-04:00My Name is God.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong>Hi Friends,</strong></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times New Roman;">This week I received a beautiful email from a very good friend. It touched my heart, and I think it will touch yours also. So, I asked if I could post it here, and she said it was okay. Now, I don't believe in chain mails. I don't believe they will cure someone or make someone a millionaire or billionaire. However, if this gets one person to rethink their experience with Him, it will be well worth re-sharing it!</span></strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong> The email is presented as it was received. I suggest you think about each sentence before going to another one for the deepest benefit.</strong></span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">My Name is God</span></u></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">God Bless
a Great Day to be alive; My Name Is God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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My name is God. You hardly have time for me. I love you and will
always bless you. I am always with you. I need
you to spend 30 mins. of your time with Me today.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Don't pray,
just praise. Today I want this message to go across the world
before midnight. Will you help? Please do not cut it
and I'll help you with something that you are in need
of. Just dare Me! A blessing is coming your way. Please
drop everything & pass it on.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tomorrow will
be the best day of your life. Why do we feel sleepy in
prayer, but stay awake through a 3 hour movie? Why are we
so bored when we look at the HOLY BOOK but find it easy to read other
books?</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why is
it so easy to ignore a message about God, yet we forward the nasty ones?</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why are
prayers getting smaller, but bars and clubs are expanding? </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why is
it so easy to worship a celebrity, but very difficult to engage with God?</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Think about
it, are you going to forward this or are you going to ignore it because
you think you will get laughed at?</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Forward this
to all your friends. 80% of you won't. God said if you deny me
in front of your friends, I will deny you on the day of judgment. </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When one
door closes, God opens two. If God has opened doors for you,
send this message to everyone including me.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">God has
no BLACKBERRY but He's my favorite contact.<br />
He is not on FACEBOOK but He is my best friend. </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He is
not on TWITTER but I still follow Him, and even without
the INTERNET, I am always connected to him. </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He is
not on gmail, but he's always online. </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">He is not on all of the above but He is
in my heart and life ..... Thank You God!</span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Do you believe in the power of prayer? I do! That you can share ANYTHING with the Lord God, and He will hear you? More than hear your prayers, He will answer them! It's not always the answer we want...but it will be a better answer, if we walk the righteous path.</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">As you noticed in the email, I'm sure, time with God is not just about asking for things. It's about building a relationship. A friendship. Loyalty. Gratitude.</span></strong><br />
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<strong><em><span style="color: red; font-family: Times;">"Everything comes from Him; everything happens through Him; </span></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: red; font-family: Times;">everything ends up in Him. </span></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: red; font-family: Times;"> Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes."</span></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: red; font-family: Times;"> (Romans 11:36)</span></em></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times New Roman;">So, will you pass this message along to all of your friends? It says 80 percent of us won't. How about we make that the new poll? It's anonymous. So, please be honest. Let's see if we can exceed the expectations! Let's tell so many others, in so many countries that we love God and why!</span></strong><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">"<strong><em>The Lord is good. When trouble comes, He is a strong refuge.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em> And He knows everyone who trusts in Him." </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em> (Nahum 1:7)</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">I pray you all have a blessed week! And that you share about your relationship with our Creator with others...and of course you can share in our comment section. Please know we all have different relationships with Him. Some times they are all high points, and some times we get so busy with daily things, that</span></strong> <span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>sometimes we forget to say "thank you" to Him. We may forget to praise Him. Let's concentrate on these things this week--especially. God bless!</strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">He IS Able!</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">Traci Starkweather</span></strong></div>
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-63781089846810100862014-03-27T14:26:00.001-04:002014-03-27T14:41:57.994-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Hi Friends,</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;"><strong>I hope everyone has had an exciting and creative week! I love to make cards and do scrapbooks, but I am in the middle of slowly rearranging and cleaning my art room. And, honestly, there isn't a surface to work right now. I do have a question for those of you who are fellow stampers. I am wondering how you store your wood stamps? Can you put them in baskets by theme? Or do they all need to be facing the same way...like I have been storing them in rows in boxes. All facing the same direction. I'm considering just "gently tossing" each theme in one basket...but I don't know if it will damage them. Anyone have an idea? How do you store yours? PLEASE let me know either by leaving a comment or email. I need to find a few ideas, space is at a minimum, if you know what I mean. (If you are a Crafter--you'll know what I mean! lol )</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;"><strong>My post was late this week, because my computer picked up a virus, and I needed to wait for my husband, Dave to fix to make sure I couldn't pass it on to anyone. We are sure I did not, and it is fixed. No need to worry. Otherwise, I have been healing and taking things slowly, since I am so tired. Things are looking up however.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;"><strong>I am posting a survey on the right side of this post. I would simply like to know, what day you prefer to receive a post from the <u>He IS Able Blog</u>. So, please choose one of the days in the poll area. I want to make things as convenient for you as possible.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="color: purple;"><strong>I love this book I have shared from previously. It is called</strong></span><u> "Quiet Moments in the Presence of God."</u> <span style="color: purple;"><strong>The book is published by Bethany House. There is a short section I would like to share with you. It is called, </strong><span style="color: black;">"Be Quiet."</span><strong> I hope you enjoy it. Here it is:</strong></span></span><br />
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<em><span style="color: red; font-family: Times;"><strong>"They were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven."</strong></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: red; font-family: Times;"><strong>(Psalm 107:30)</strong></span></em></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Times;">"The less busyness around you, the more you can feel the presence of God. The less you are aware of the noise of the world, the more you will understand the love of God. The less you listen to the unimportant and the non-essential, the more you will sense intimations and indications of God's presence."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">"Fill up the space between you and God with a silence that waits for God, acknowledges His great love for you, and anticipates that He is with you. If anything can go without saying, let it go. An absence of spoken words brings the quiet that makes possible the awed awareness of God."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">"Create in your environment and within your heart a chapel-hush that makes of your soul a sanctuary for the presence of God."</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;"><strong>How do you spend quality time with God? Do you go to church on Sunday and call it done? Do you make time to be with Him? Quiet time? TV off? Kids busy, on their own? Time where you can praise Him, and share your deepest concerns? What about telling Him about your sins, and asking Him for His amazing gift of forgiveness? Can you tell Him about how you are doing, where you are struggling, but also the needs of your friends and family members? Most of all, do you have quiet time, to listen for Him to answer? For guidance? </strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">I don't think a relationship with people or with God works if we are the only ones talking. For a successful relationship, we need to also listen. Sometimes for a while, before we hear what it is we are needing to hear.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><strong><em>"Paul stood on the stairs and motioned to the people to be quiet. Soon a deep silence enveloped the crowd, and He addressed them in their own language." </em></strong><strong><em>(Acts 21:40)</em></strong><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;"><u><strong>The Winner of the He IS Able Blog's Card of the Week is...</strong></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;"><strong><u>jcb!</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"> Congratulations, again! You were the only comment this week, and you can win as many times as you can! Thank you for your comment. Normally, I would need you to email your mailing address to me, but I have it from last week. Your beautiful card is on the way! Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Here is jcb's comment:</span><br />
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<div class="comment-header" id="bc_0_0M" kind="m">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><cite class="user"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12267075314555757620" rel="nofollow"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #d00034;">jcb</span></a></cite><span class="icon user"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"> <span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #d00034;">March 21, 2014</span></span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">I enjoy reading the posts. It gives me new perspectives and some things to ponder.</span> </span><span style="font-family: Times;"></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">I hope you will make some quiet time this week. Listen. He may have something important to share with you, through your thoughts and dreams, through other people...be open to hearing from Him. Remember, He loves you and is faithful to you. He wants your path to be the path He wants you on...for He wants much more for each of us, than we can even imagine. God Bless!</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">He IS Able!</span></strong><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">Traci Starkweather</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">p.s. Please let me know how you store your wood stamps in the comment section or via email. If it is by email, please put "He IS Able" in the subject section. I really look forward to hearing your ideas. Thank you being here today.</span></div>
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-34327375870408215442014-03-21T14:56:00.000-04:002014-03-21T14:56:15.353-04:00Sharing Jesus with Others, Part II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Hi Friends-</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Thank you for your patience. My back is still not back to how it was feeling a month ago, but I feel I am on the road to recovery. Thank you for the your many prayers and thoughts. You are appreciated much more than you know. Please remember that I am here to lift up your prayer needs should you choose to let me know.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;"><strong>You may recall, I was sharing from the book titled, <u>The Case for Christ</u> authored by Lee Strobel. If you didn't see this post...it is right after the one that it called, <u>Not This Week.</u> It would be beneficial to take a look at it first. It's really a great book. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;"><strong>In the book Lee Strobel, "</strong><span style="color: black;">retraced his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examined a dozen experts with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton and Brandeis who are recognized authorities in their own fields."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;"><strong>On November 8, 1981, Mr. Strobel</strong><span style="color: black;"> "</span><span style="color: black;">talked with God in a heartfelt and unedited prayer, admitting and turning from wrongdoing, and receiving the gift of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus. He told him that with his help he wanted to follow Him and His ways from here on out."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="color: purple;"><strong>He went on to say,</strong></span><span style="color: black;"> "There were no lightning bolts, no audible replies, no tingly sensations. I know that some people feel a rush of emotion at such a moment; as for me, however, there was something else that was equally exhilarating; there was the rush of reason."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="color: black;"> <span style="color: purple;"><strong>He believed,</strong></span> </span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: Times;"><em><strong>2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." </strong></em><span style="color: purple;"><strong>Mr. Strobel went on to say that, </strong></span><span style="color: black;">"over time as he endeavored to follow Jesus' teachings and open himself to his transforming power, his priorities, his values, and his character <span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">were (and continue to be) gradually changed. Increasingly, he wants Jesus' motives and perspective to be his own. To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr., "he may not yet be the man I should be or the man, with Christ's help, I someday will be--but thank God I'm not the man I used to be!"</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>He stated, </strong><span style="color: black;">"Looking back nearly two decades, I can see with clarity that the day I personally made a decision in the case for Christ was nothing less than the pivotal event of my entire life. </span><span style="color: red;"><em><strong>"If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:24)</strong> </em></span><span style="color: black;">Those are sober words, offered out of authentic and loving concern. I cite them to underline the magnitude of this matter and in the hope that they will spur you to actively and thoroughly examine the case for Christ.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: purple;">He sounds determined, </span><span style="color: black;">"I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God." That is one of thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic...or else he would be the Devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."</span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;"> <span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">What was your spiritual journey like? Were you born into a Christian family and never came to question your beliefs? Fortunate I say. Did you have friends invite you to church where you heard something that made your heart leap and give you hope? Maybe you read a Bible hoping to prove it wrong...like I tried. lol Only to be shocked that it all made sense...more sense than I ever imagined!</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Times;"><em><strong>2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."</strong></em></span> <strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Was very clear to me. My former friends did not want anything to do with the new "goody-goody" version of me. Some family did not want to believe that my conversion to living for Christ would last. Eventually my family came around. And, looking back, I am so much better off without certain "friends" in my life, because they often tried to pull my from my new life, with a daily relationship with Jesus the Christ, in exchange for a time of supposed fun, which was sinful and caused distance in my relationship with Jesus. Some of you may be in this part of your walk with Christ Jesus, and you have some decisions to make. Who is your better friend, the one who takes you to places in your past and tries to keep you there--sinning? Or is Jesus your better friend? Always there, always forgiving, always loving...with a gift of eternal life in Heaven. Easy choice, if you ask me. I made the decision for Christ when I was 29, I'm 48 now. I am so glad I did. </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Have you made that decision? How about sharing in the comment section?</span> If you are still making that decision, perhaps you have questions that we can answer together.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><u><span style="color: purple;">Winners of the He IS Able Blog's Cards of the Week are...</span></u></strong></div>
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<u><strong><span style="color: purple;"> Caterina and Becky!</span></strong></u></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Since I was unable to share a post last week, I promised to send a card to a person from the <u>Sharing Jesus with Others, Part I</u>, and another comment from the post called, <u>Not This Week...</u></span><span style="color: purple;"> That's why we have 2 winners this week! Congratulations <u>Caterina and Becky! T</u>hank you for sharing your comments. Please send me your current address via email, or an address to someone who lives in the US, and I will send it to them on your behalf. Or, I can send them to a charity where I send cards. Your choice, please, just email me before Tuesday. All of my former addresses are under a room full of scrapbook and card materials since I am trying to slowly empty my art room, so I can rearrange it...and, I don't know if you have moved, so an update would be fabulous. And, sadly, if I don't receive your email by Tuesday, I will need to put your card back in the He IS Able Blog's stash, to be used again.</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><strong><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Caterina's comment was randomly chosen from the post titled,</span> <u>Sharing Jesus with Others, Part I.</u> Here is her comment:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><cite class="user">Anonymous </cite><span class="icon user"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="http://he-is-able.blogspot.com/2014/03/sharing-jesus-with-others.html?showComment=1394166818150#c7046055907414799938" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #d00034;">March 6, 2014 </span></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thank you for such a beautiful uplifting post. Have heard of Lee Strobel's book yet have not read it. Sounds like a good one.<br /><br />May God continue to bless you and enlarge your territory within your ministry.<br /><br />Love, Caterina</span> <br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">And, here is Becky's comment from the <u>Not This Week</u>...post: </span></strong><br />
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<cite class="user"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13084312435207377291" rel="nofollow"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #d00034;">Becky</span></a></cite><span class="icon user"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> </span><a href="http://he-is-able.blogspot.com/2014/03/not-this-week.html?showComment=1394771038365#c3473031896759627683" rel="nofollow"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #d00034;">March 14, 2014 </span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">So sorry to hear about your back. I do pray you get well soon. hugs.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, did any of you take the challenge and share about Jesus with strangers? I called it</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G the muscles that it takes to share with strangers. As with any muscle, it is best to keep using it to keep things going well, like a greased wheel. If you work out and stop for 6 months, it is like starting over when you get exercising again. So, it is best to start sharing about Jesus and keep sharing...and never stop! If you tried sharing recently...how did it go? Even if the person didn't accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior this time...don't give up on them. You have helped to plant a seed...put the thought in their mind. You may get to help water this seed by sharing again, or perhaps someone else will take over from there! We never know when that person will accept Jesus...we just need to do our part. It's exciting!</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">He IS Able!</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times;">Traci<strong> </strong>Starkweather</span></div>
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-62017789937233424872014-03-13T20:17:00.002-04:002014-03-13T20:25:27.840-04:00Not This Week...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="color: purple;">Dear Friends,</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">I hope everyone is having a blessed week! I apologize. I will not be able to share the blog for this week. I will have <u>Sharing Jesus with Others, Part II</u> next week. As some of you may know, I have had an injured back for many years. I have re-injured myself and it hurts too much to sit up and type, I am so sorry. </span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">A person who left a comment was randomly chosen and I will announce that name as well as a winner for this week's <u>He IS Able Blog's Card of the Week</u> next Wednesday. So please leave a comment about how you like to share about Jesus with others: through cards, inviting them to church, through a ministry or some other way. There are no right or wrong answers, actually you can leave any comment and you may be randomly chosen to receive a beautiful card made by one of our readers, and you don't have to accept it if you don't want it...I can send it to anyone in the U.S. from you or anonymously. Or, I can donate it to one of the charities that I send cards...so share prayer requests, comments, questions, favorite Scriptures...anything!</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">Please reach out to others in Jesus' name this week. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: purple;"> S-T-R-E-T-C-H those muscles of talking about Him in public, and let us know how it goes.</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">He IS Able!</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: purple;">Traci Starkweather</span></strong><br />
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-63094510153914597502014-03-13T19:26:00.000-04:002014-03-13T19:27:33.380-04:00Sharing Jesus With Others, Part I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hi Friends,</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">I have been enjoying the book <u>The Case for Christ</u> by Lee Strobel. One of my husband's co-workers thought I would enjoy it, and she was right! The author an atheist, went and visited several of the world's most educated, or the best trained theologist, or best historians around the world, and asked for PROOF that Jesus existed. Not just as a person who taught others, but PROOF that He was the Son of God, The Messiah, the Lord of Lords. PROOF that Jesus is our Savior and Lord. PROOF about what is really true about Jesus in the Bible.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">I remember him looking at <span style="color: red;"><em>John 1:12: "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." <span style="color: purple;">He turned it into a mathematical equation of verbs from the Scripture. This is what he came up with:</span></em></span></span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">God' s family: believe + receive = become</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Mr. Strobel read in the Bible that sin separated him from God, who is holy and morally pure. He made a moral inventory and realized he lived a life of many different sins. He states in his book, <span style="color: black;">"Certainly God, whose existence I had denied for years, seemed extremely distant, and it became obvious to me that I needed the cross of Jesus to bridge that gulf. All of this I now believed. The evidence of history and of my own personal experience was too strong to ignore."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">As far as "receiving" this is what Mr. Strobel had to say:</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">"Every other faith system I studied during my investigation was based on the "do" plan. In other words, it was necessary for people to do something---for example, use a Tibetan prayer wheel, pay alms, go on pilgrimages, undergo reincarnations, work off karma from past misdeeds, reform their character--to try to somehow earn their way back to God. Despite their best efforts, lots of sincere people just wouldn't make it."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">"Christianity is unique. It's based on the "done" plan-- Jesus has done for us on the cross what we can not do for ourselves; He has paid the death penalty that we deserve for our rebellion and wrongdoing, so we can become reconciled with God."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">"I didn't have to struggle and strive to try to do the impossible of making myself worthy. It's called grace--<em>amazing</em> grace, unmerited favor. It's available to anyone who receives it in a sincere prayer of repentance. Even someone like me."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">"So on November 8, 1981, I talked with God in a heartfelt and unedited prayer, admitting and turning from my wrongdoing, and receiving the gift of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus. I told Him that with His help I wanted to follow Him and His ways from here on out."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"> So, this is how Mr. Strobel came to believe and receive (from his verbal equation listed above.)</span><span style="color: purple;"> Just wait until you learn how he came to become the man he is today...a Child of God! That will be the focus of the next post.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">The book <u>The Case for Christ</u> is a wonderful book for anyone who is struggling to make the decision for Christ. It's great for the people who think this decision can be made in "their head." It is a treasure hunt of facts that lead to the very best gift any of us can receive! I strongly recommend it if you have a non-Believer in your life. It is also a great tool to read and share if you often find yourself in "strong conversations" trying to persuade others to live for Him, and they don't want to read the Bible. I believe that prayer and being as good of a Christian example as you can be is the most persuasive way to share Him.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;"><u>The Winner of The He IS Able Blog's Card of the Week is jcb!</u></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">Congratulations, jcb! </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;"> jcb</span></strong> please email me your current mailing address by Tuesday, and I will send you a wonderful card made by one of our readers. If I don't get that email with your current address, I will put the card back in the stash of cards. And trust me, you will want this card!</div>
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I haven't learned how to download photos to this laptop yet, so I will describe it: It is absolutely amazing. It has a floral background, with <span style="color: red;">Psalm 47:2</span> on it,<span style="color: red;"><em> "How awesome is the Lord most high, The great king over all the earth!"</em></span> The Scripture is hanging off of a railing, and there is a butterfly on the card. It is really perfect to share with a friend.</div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">Here is her comment that was randomly chosen:</span></strong></div>
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<cite class="user"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12267075314555757620" rel="nofollow"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #d00034;">jcb</span></a></cite><span class="icon user"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> </span><a href="http://he-is-able.blogspot.com/2014/02/precious-women-of-god-this-includes-you.html?showComment=1393557989514#c5843819625051926198" rel="nofollow"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #d00034;">February 27, 2014 </span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Thanks for the reminder of Abigail's life. I enjoy reading my Bible!</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">I'm so glad that you visited this week! I would love to read different ways you share Jesus to people in the comment section. Also, please feel free to share any prayer needs you may have. If you want to keep it confidential, please feel free to email me. If you do this, please put "He IS Able" in the subject area. I will pray for you...happily. Have a blessed week!</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Remember...He IS Able!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span><br />
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-91769411730374011142014-02-26T16:59:00.000-05:002014-02-26T16:59:26.433-05:00Precious Women of God--This Includes You! (Abigail)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: purple;">Dear Friends~</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">I am so grateful to be able to share a post about one of the women of the Bible-- Abigail. When we have shared the posts titled, "Precious Women of God--This Includes You!!" We have two goals in mind, to share God's Word about this individual, and for you to realize that in some way, YOU have things in common with this woman that He wanted all of the world to know about. And, that YOU are just as important today, as the women of the Bible. So, please keep this in mind as you read about Abigail.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">abaI am using my <u>Life Application Bible (NIV) for information today. </u> Abigail was a sensible and capable woman who was a persuasive speaker who could see the big picture beyond just her part in life.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">She was a homemaker in Carmel. Her first husband was a man named Nabal which actually means "fool." (Do you see any foreshadowing here?) Nabal was mean, unfair, and very, very wealthy. David and his men offered Nabal and his servant's protection, and land to let his sheep and goats feed. When Nabal had taken his property back to his home and the season to shear the animals was upon them, David sent messengers to speak with Nabal. The messengers were told to greet Nabal with this greeting, </span><span style="color: red;"><em>"Say to him: Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours! Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them." (1 Samuel 25:4-8)</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Well, let me tell you, Nabal was mean as could be. Unfair. A fool. And, when David's messengers returned, and told David about Nabal's reply. David told them to get their swords, with many of his other men, and he took up his sword and they headed off to Nabal's home. </span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Fortunately, one of Nabal's men went to Abigail and told him about how his master hurled insults at David's men. He also told her that ruin was coming to Nabal and his household.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Abigail saved the day! If you want to know how this quick thinking woman did this, read </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">1 Samuel: Chapter 25! It is very exciting! And, find out what happens to Nabal...and Abigail.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">I will give you one key Scripture: </span><span style="color: red;"><em> "David said to Abigail, 'Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands." (1 Samuel 25: 32, 33)</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">So, are you like Abigail? Do you look at the big picture in life? Are you loyal without being blind?</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Do you use your skills to promote peace? What challenge or responsibility do you face today that needs a person under God's control? </span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><strong><u>This week's Winner of the He IS Able Blog's Card of the Week is Catherine Kraft!</u></strong></span><br />
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<cite class="user"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/15518843378778560519" rel="nofollow"><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd; color: #d00034;">Catherine Kraft</span></a></cite><span class="icon user"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"> </span><a href="http://he-is-able.blogspot.com/2014/02/something-on-way.html?showComment=1393293545424#c3630173878637708686" rel="nofollow"><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd; color: #d00034;">February 24, 2014</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;">Our Father's grace and mercy always amazes me. That when we step away from Him, He is always waiting with His arms open for us to come running to Him. Glad to see you back Traci!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Catherine, thank you for your comment! It is exactly how I feel when I stop and think of His faithfulness! Please send me your current mailing address by email before Tuesday. Please put <strong>He IS Able</strong> in the subject area...and I will happily get your card out to you! And, thank you for your prayers and notes during the time I was away from the blog. I appreciate you!</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><strong>Anyone can win the Card of the Week!</strong> Just leave your comment or prayer request before Tuesday! If your comment is randomly chosen...you will win the next <strong>He IS Able Card of the Week! (Of course, if for some reason you do not wish to receive a card to share, all you need to do is let me know, or don't send your mailing address!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">I pray you all have a blessed week!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">He IS Able!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Traci Starkweather</span></div>
Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-12155001843484047972014-02-18T18:42:00.000-05:002014-02-18T18:42:56.150-05:00Something on the Way!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Dear Friends~</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">You have each made feel so happy to be back! Thank you for your comments and prayers. I'm sorry about not posting last week. It's really a rather humorous story. My amazing husband, Dave, bought me a new lap top with all the bells and whistles! Well, between not having blogged in a long time and not knowing how to use this Windows program, or how to even find my Blog Dashboard, it made it impossible for me to write a blog. I still haven't figured out how to note favorites yet. Do you know that new laptops don't come with a paper and ink set of directions? I still can't change the image of the card for the give-away...give me another week on that! So, I have been working my way through all of these little buttons, and touch screen keys...and my husband found my Dashboard so I <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">could actually write this! </span></span><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And I would really like to know what to use to clean all of the finger prints off the touch screen, and off of the black keyboard? Anyone know? I am very grateful to have this as my other laptop is completely out of storage. Thank you all for your patience.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><em><strong><u>Gemiel</u></strong> </em>sent me an email with her mailing address, so her package of stamps and other assorted goodies will be sent to her on Wednesday. I have an appointment so I can stop at the post office and get them on their way! </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">**************</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Speaking of Give-Aways, every week someone who leaves a comment will be randomly chosen to receive the<strong> Card of the Week from the He IS Able Blog</strong>. The only requirement is that you live, or the person you want to receive the card lives in the Continental United States. I can send it to the person for you! (Over-seas postage is just SO VERY expensive!) Remember, all you need to do to win, is to leave a comment each week and be randomly chosen, and...you can win as many times as possible!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">The person whose name was randomly chosen from the comments is <em><strong>pom4me.</strong></em> She writes the "Peace of Mind for Me!" blog. If you know this person, let her know to stop by this blog! <strong><em> pom4me</em></strong>, I need you to please email me your mailing address by next Tuesday at 6pm to receive your beautiful <strong>He IS Able</strong> card to keep or share with someone! My email is always located on the right of the screen, it is:</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><a href="mailto:tracistarkweather@gmail.com">tracistarkweather@gmail.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">**************</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: red;"><strong>"Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold! But I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, get up and start walking." (Acts 3:6)</strong></span></em><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: red;"></span></em></strong><br />
<span style="color: purple;">I would like to share from the book, "Quiet Moments in the Presence of God." This book is a treasure and is published by Bethany House.</span><br />
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<strong><u><span style="color: black;">Something on the Way</span></u></strong></div>
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<strong><u></u></strong><span style="color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">"As you draw close to God, you sense something new in the air. You feel the breath of God's Spirit coming toward where you are."</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">"In a painting of the blind man at Jericho by the French master Nicolas Poussin, you can sense the expectancy of the one kneeling before Jesus for healing. His left hand is outstretched, palm open toward Jesus. His right hand is raised and extended in anticipation. The right leg of the blind man is posed to take the first step into a new day of light and wholeness. He has come to Jesus, fully expecting to see."</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">"Dawn arrives and you are standing on the edge of new possibilities. You have absolute assurance that something special is on the way."</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">The book also has this little prayer in it:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">"When I realize who You are and what You can do,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">dear God, my expectations are always high. Amen."</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Just a thought. This prayer starts out with "When I realize..." Personally, I believe that if we are spending quality time with Him daily--praying, praising, reading and studying His Word, and whatever else brings you to Him, we will have the awareness all of the time of how great He IS! That He is limitless in His power and love. And, this prayer also reminded me that He is always, always--with us! We are the ones who may put our relationship with our Creator on the back burner. He lets us have an amazing relationship--what a gift that is!</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: red;">"Hallelujah! It's a good thing to sing praise to our God; praise is beautiful, praise is fitting."</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: red;"> (Psalm 147:1)</span></em> </div>
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<span style="color: black;">**************</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Please take the time to leave a comment...you may receive a beautiful <u>He IS Able Blog Card!</u> This blog is about remembering who He is...and that He IS Able! Have a blessed week!</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">His,</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span></div>
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-7185676908440363282014-02-07T21:52:00.000-05:002014-02-07T21:52:09.752-05:00Give-Away Winner Announced!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: purple;">Hi Friends~</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Welcome, Welcome! I hope that you are visiting this blog again, or perhaps someone told you about it. I had to take time off from writing this blog for personal reasons. Today I would like to finish up some old blog business. When I stopped, we were having our <strong><u>"Days of Praise Blog Give-Away." </u></strong> One person's name was chosen from the people who left a comment during the Give-Away...that person will win everything seen below. (Because time has made the calendar useless, I have taken that out and added more stamps.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPYnf8-4BJ8/UK_IQ1XVyaI/AAAAAAAAAhc/cyqmQ2jA3-k/s1600/Grateful-Give-Away+HIA+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; height: 300px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 613px;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPYnf8-4BJ8/UK_IQ1XVyaI/AAAAAAAAAhc/cyqmQ2jA3-k/s400/Grateful-Give-Away+HIA+Blog.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="color: purple;">This is a list of the items being given to our "Days of Praise" winner:</span></u><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><em>A frame with strawberries on it/a slightly used
"unicorn stamp" by Commotion Rubber Stamps/a "pine fan stamp" by just for
fun/(holiday lights stamp" by G/a used inchie stamp that says "SUPER"/a new
Judith's "sprig stamp"/ 4 acrylic stamps by Provo Crafts Clear Impressions- (3
snowman on one stamp-a snowman with all of his gear to put on on one stamp- a
snow stamp on one- a mitten on one-all new)/a used All Night Media, Winnie the
Pooh and Friends stamp/a Hero Arts, Art Prints slightly used rose with French
words that I have no idea what they mean/a Large lightly used heart wreath with
roses by Me & Carrie Lou/5 pre-cut purses in 5 sizes and different colors by
Paper Cellar (envelopes included)/a set of 12 blue glitter transfer iron-ons/an
acrylic slightly used frame style acrylic stamp that reads "Seasons Greetings"/a
2013 calendar/2 sheets of Paper Cellar beautiful Christmas Theme
stick-ons/A unused Stampin-Up flower and pod from 2002/New stamp from Anitas
that reads "Jesus is the Reason for the Season"/18 pieces of Pretty Ware
rhinestones/ and other wonderful surprises! </em></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">The Winner of the He IS Able Blog's "Days of Praise" Winner is...</span></h3>
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<span style="color: purple;"><u>GEMIEL!!!!</u> <u>CONGRATULATIONS, GEMIEL!</u></span></h3>
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<span style="color: purple;"><u></u></span> </h3>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">This is Gemiel's comment that was randomly chosen:</span></span></h3>
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<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AOxOYKk9Da8/TOVx5SPkNeI/AAAAAAAAAAo/-NbBz70dJ-0/S45/Gemiel.JPG" /><cite class="user"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/05825378349898727477" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #d00034;">Gemiel</span></a> </cite><span class="icon user"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="http://he-is-able.blogspot.com/2012/11/be-of-good-couragepraise-daysmajor-give.html?showComment=1351984954173#c125599709748117620" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #d00034;">November 3, 2012 at 7:22 PM</span></a></span></h4>
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<span style="color: black;">I am thankful for you Traci and this blog.
Most of my friends consider me to be pretty crafty but I am really a scrap-booker
at heart. I needed a card quickly to send to someone, but I really stress when
I'm making cards because that's not where my passion lies. I was so thankful
that I had a packet of lovely cards that I won here that I could just grab one,
write my message and mail it. It was such a blessing and the recipient was so
grateful to receive a handmade card.<br /><br />I am also thankful that the Lord
kept us safe here in VA. Sandy arrived with lots of wind and rain and cold but
praise God we never lost power and all our trees are still standing.</span></h3>
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Gemiel please email me your current mailing address. My email is: <a href="mailto:tracistarkweather@gmail.com">tracistarkweather@gmail.com</a> Please write "He IS Able"in the subject area.</h3>
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<span style="color: black;"> __________________</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">If you would like to receive a card from the He IS Able blog to share with someone else, please leave a comment before Tuesday 6am, Eastern, US Time. If your name is randomly chosen, and you live in the US, you will receive the beautiful card made from one of our blog readers and an envelope. (Sorry, over-seas postage is so expensive!)</span></h3>
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<span style="color: purple;"></span> </h3>
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<span style="color: purple;"></span><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> __________________</span></span></h4>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span> </h4>
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<span style="color: purple;">I will be sharing a beautiful piece that is about Acts 3:6 on Wednesday. I hope you will leave a comment by Tuesday before 6am to be eligible to win a fabulous card to share with someone else. Winner will be announced on Wednesday!</span></h3>
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<span style="color: purple;">He IS Able!</span><span style="color: purple;"> </span><span style="color: purple;">Traci Starkweather</span></h3>
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<span style="color: purple;"></span> </h3>
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<span style="color: purple;"><em><span style="color: red;">"Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold! But I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, get up and start walking." Acts 3:6</span></em></span></h4>
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com6Orlando, FL, USA28.5383355 -81.3792364999999928.0917165 -82.0246835 28.984954499999997 -80.733789499999986tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-15474792681716269982014-01-21T03:01:00.000-05:002014-01-21T03:01:40.750-05:00Starting Over...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: purple;">Dearest Friends,</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">I hope that some of you still stop by here, or receive a message when a new post is posted to this blog. I sincerely apologize for the amount of time I have been absent from sharing with you. I may have been absent from here...but I have been earnestly praying for you. (Especially if you have told me of a certain struggle or items of Praise.) I have missed you.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">I am here to tell you that I will be starting the He-IS-Able blog back in earnest in February. The blog will still be mostly based on how wonderful our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ is, and how faithful our Heavenly Father is every moment of every day.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">There will also be some art tips, cards shared, prayer requests prayed for, weekly give-aways, columns shared by other authors/Pastors, the names of Jesus and what they mean to us, and we will continue learning about the women of the Bible, and how you or I may be like them in some ways, as well as many other areas of interest. If February sounds like a long way off...enjoy the past posts. (located in red on the right side of this screen) You may also enjoy the posts some of my friends have shared...they are fabulous!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">I hope you will be here in February, when I finally announce the winner of the give-away from our last post! There are so many fabulous items to win in there...but you have to respond within a week of the announcement to receive it...so keep an eye out for the announcement here!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">I can't wait to share with you, and hopefully hear from you in February!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">He IS Able!</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Traci </span></div>
Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-34613184775640992832012-11-23T15:06:00.001-05:002012-11-23T15:06:43.828-05:00We Are Grateful-Give-Away! Look and See What is Included!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends~<br />
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I hope you are all having a wonderful autumn...winter in some parts. I hope the air is just cool enough to breathe easily, and that the leaves are beautiful proof of God's greatness. It is now the day after Thanksgiving. I pray that everyone had a blessed day, and that you were able to really concentrate on the many ways that He blesses us every day.<br />
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I hope you will forgive my absence for the last few weeks. Our Internet service has worked on for a few minutes, off for a long time. This post has taken about 3 weeks. I have the capabilities to post on my cell phone...but it is so difficult for me to use the keyboard on the phone. A sentence here and there maybe, but a whole post...I am so sorry. At least it is working right now! (As I wait for the service man to get here and fix it for good!)<br />
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I want to share a photo of what is being given away in our "We Are Grateful--Give-Away!" We are so grateful that the Lord is in our lives, in our hearts, in our actions. Not just on Thanksgiving, but every day.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Here is a list of items starting on the left side of the phot<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPYnf8-4BJ8/UK_IQ1XVyaI/AAAAAAAAAhc/cyqmQ2jA3-k/s1600/Grateful-Give-Away+HIA+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; height: 426px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 639px;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPYnf8-4BJ8/UK_IQ1XVyaI/AAAAAAAAAhc/cyqmQ2jA3-k/s640/Grateful-Give-Away+HIA+Blog.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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</a>o:</span><br />
Join us: <a href="http://he-is-able.blogspot.com/">http://He-IS-Able.blogspot.com</a> for our <span style="color: purple;">We Are Grateful-Give-Away!</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><em>A frame with strawberries on it/a slightly used "unicorn stamp" by Commotion Rubber Stamps/a "pine fan stamp" by just for fun/(holiday lights stamp" by G/a used inchie stamp that says "SUPER"/a new Judith's "sprig stamp"/ 4 acrylic stamps by Provo Crafts Clear Impressions- (3 snowman on one stamp-a snowman with all of his gear to put on on one stamp- a snow stamp on one- a mitten on one-all new)/a used All Night Media, Winnie the Pooh and Friends stamp/a Hero Arts, Art Prints slightly used rose with French words that I have no idea what they mean/a Large lightly used heart wreath with roses by Me & Carrie Lou/5 pre-cut purses in 5 sizes and different colors by Paper Cellar (envelopes included)/a set of 12 blue glitter transfer iron-ons/an acrylic slightly used frame style acrylic stamp that reads "Seasons Greetings"/a 2013 calendar/2 sheets of Paper Cellar beautiful Christmas Theme stick-ons/A unused Stampin-Up flower and pod from 2002/New stamp from Anitas that reads "Jesus is the Reason for the Season"/18 pieces of Pretty Ware rhinestones/ and other wonderful surprises! </em></span> So, please post the photo on your blog and let us know, that will count for an extra entry.<br />
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It is my hope that when you visit this blog and post a reason telling what you are grateful for...it will make your hearts ready to thank Him every day enter our We Are Grateful-Give-Away. And, remember, every time you go to our Comment Section and post a reason why you are Grateful or Thankful, it is one entry for this amazing drawing of stamps, paper and embellishments! You can enter once a day...any day!<br />
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You may continue to post reasons for being Grateful until Midnight on the 30th of November. The next day, I will take every entry, from every person, even if you have 31 entries, and have one entry chosen randomly. The Recipient of the <span style="color: purple;">"We Are Grateful--Give-Away!"</span> will be announced in a special post. You must have an address in America. Perhaps a friend or relative who will send it to you if you don't? Because the postage is going to be too much for me to purchase. Also, usually <span style="color: #38761d;">Joan and Karen</span>, members of our <span style="color: #38761d;">Prayer Team</span> aren't eligible for prizes...this is for everyone! (Except me...these are my things.)<br />
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So, feel free to continue making a Gratitude List in out comment section. It is easy to do...once a visit, or once a day...just include the day or date if it is in the same comment section. Also, please feel free to ask for us to pray for any prayer requests. We are so grateful that you are visiting this blog, and hopefully sharing the love of Jesus in your actions with others!<br />
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span></div>
Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-55327837324587965812012-11-01T17:40:00.000-04:002012-11-01T17:40:25.894-04:00Be of Good Courage/Praise Days/Major Give-Away Begins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</strong>Hi Friends, </div>
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<em><span style="color: red;"> </span></em></div>
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We are continuing to pray for everyone who was caught in the path of "Sandy." I don't think I could fathom what some of you are going through right now, try as I might. However, I know that He understands every tear that is falling. And, I am praying that He will comfort you, that you will rest in His arms knowing that tomorrow will be a little bit better...maybe a lot better. I offer this Scripture for meditation:<br />
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<em><span style="color: red;">"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord." (Psalm 31:24)</span></em><br />
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I think this is the perfect time to really concentrate on something in your life to be thankful for. One thing I learned a long time ago in AA, is that no matter how bad it seems...there is always something in your life to be grateful for. I hope to challenge everyone to do that now, while most of us can't take our minds and hearts away from what has happened to so many.<br />
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<u><em><span style="color: orange;">Challenge:</span></em></u></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Knowing God, we can give thanks any day, several times a day, even! But, I would like to ask everyone, from every country that visits this blog...to write one thing you are thankful for- for each day you visit the blog in November! Let's really praise the Lord, and realize all of the many things we are thankful for...our hearts will truly be ready for Thanksgiving! They can be big things or little things. This will start on November 1st! Please join us, just think how uplifting it will be to read each other's reasons to be </span><span style="color: orange;">grateful!</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: red;">"I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34:1)</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Yes, we will be doing this to praise the Lord. Yes, we will be doing this to fill our hearts with thanks-giving. And, you will be doing this to be eligible to win the <span style="color: purple;">EXTRA SPECIAL HE IS ABLE THANKS-GIVING GIVE-AWAY!</span> You will have one entry for every day that you write something that you are thankful for in our comment section. The winner will be chosen at midnight on November 30th! And will be announced the next day in a special post! It starts today...so please list one thing that you are grateful for in the comment section...and perhaps you'd like to thank Him for that which you are thankful! I hope I am coming across clearly? If not, please email me at </span><a href="mailto:tracistarkweather@gmail.com">tracistarkweather@gmail.com</a> There will be a photo on Tuesday's post of the items being given away...many wonderful things! The winner must have an address here in the United States. This will be a rather large package and I can't afford the cost to mail it overseas. </div>
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<span style="color: red;"><em>"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)</em></span></div>
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I found this post I have been saving from Dr. Jack Graham. We were given permission to share it with you. It is very uplifting...it is a wonderful reminder for everyone. It is called:</div>
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<u>Need a New Life?</u> </div>
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June 4, 2010</div>
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<em><span style="color: red;">"But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He
gave the right to become children of God," </span></em><em><span style="color: red;">(John 1:12)</span></em></div>
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There is power in the name of Jesus! </div>
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You know, we hear that phrase so much that we might become immune to what
those words really mean. Miraculous things happen when we pray in His name and
in His power. </div>
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What happened to the lame man at the temple when Peter told him to arise in
the name of Jesus? The man stood up! And not only that, the Scripture says he
began to leap and dance and praise God. I love that! </div>
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Later in the temple, Peter testified about the man this way, saying, "Look at
this man, he stands before you whole and strong in the power of the name of
Jesus." </div>
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And that's exactly what Jesus does for us, too. In the name of Jesus, our
bondage is broken and we are set free. In the name of Jesus, those who were once
broken and downtrodden are able to stand up and testify to the grace of Christ
Jesus in their lives! </div>
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Is the power of Jesus at work in your life today? It can be. Just reach out
and touch Jesus. Take a leap of faith and live for Him! </div>
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Repent of your sin and He'll give you a new life to live in the
power of His name.</div>
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<strong>TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH AND LIVE FOR HIM!</strong> </div>
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<strong>For more from PowerPoint Ministries and Dr. Jack Graham, please visit </strong><a href="wlmailhtml:{21A0F22E-BC2E-4964-91D9-FD6B48BE28F8}mid://00000088/!x-usc:http://www.crosswalkmail.com/pvfcqdhlcfcbhvlsbytkrbwrhdbvjttvfmhrqqshlqqfddj_wjsgldlggvzv.html" target="_blank"><strong>www.jackgraham.org</strong></a></div>
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Winn<br /></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><u><em>Winner of the He IS Able Blog's Card Set Give-Away of the Week!</em></u></span></div>
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<strong>Congratulations, Caterina!</strong></div>
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Here is the comment you left:<br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"Hello dear friend, hope you are doing well and safe from the hurricane. Thank
you so much for your uplifting words of encouragement. <br />Love, Caterina"</span><br />
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Your name was randomly chosen from the comments...and you will soon be receiving 4 beautiful cards. These cards were donated by other guests of the blog and they are stunning! And, thank you for your comment. We did not suffer from the hurricane at all. Actually, we were in South Florida, on the beach (very windy!) celebrating my birthday. Florida was safe this time. Thank you for thinking of me. I hope you did as well. I heard about power outages there.<br />
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May God Bless Everyone!<br />
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">p.s. If you don't mind, how about letting us know if you are doing ok in the comment section. We care</span>. </div>
Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-85637542547936128992012-10-28T17:37:00.002-04:002012-10-28T17:37:58.819-04:00Therefore, Do Not Worry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends~<br />
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A post will be shared on Tuesday now that our computer router is working. I will announce the winner of last week's <span style="color: purple;"><u>He IS Able blog's Card Set Give-Away.</u></span> Please remember to leave a comment before Midnight on Wednesday to be eligible for this Thursday's announcement of a new winner!<br />
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And, a quick reminder that there will be a <span style="color: purple;"><em><u>BIG HE IS ABLE GIVE AWAY</u></em></span> very soon...and you never know when the details will be announced. I'm talking stamp sets, papers, embellishments...you name it!<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><em>"So we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6)</em></span><br />
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I would ask everyone to <em><span style="color: red;">please pray</span></em> for everyone to have His protection and safety from Hurricane Sandy. May His arms reach around those who are frightened and comfort them. May there be no homes lost, or worst of all...may people not lose their faith in the storm. This is a time to gather in person (if safe to travel), on the net, by phone, skype, however you can to read Scripture and pray together. He hears every prayer, and sometimes He answers them the way we want, and sometimes He has a different plan for us, but He always hears, because He never leaves us nor forsakes us. If you have a prayer need, or are in the path of any storm in life...please leave a comment and our Prayer Team will pray for you. Please read comments and lift up others to the Lord. You don't have to leave your real name.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><em>"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek, For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, an all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:31-33)</em></span><br />
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I will be praying for you. May God bless you!<br />
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span></div>
Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-78297467914450678822012-10-17T13:15:00.001-04:002012-10-17T13:15:44.493-04:00The Power of Prayer and a Surprise Announcement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends~<br />
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I hope you are all well and seeing God's glory all around you. I think that is one of the special blessings He has given us. We can look at a flower and see that it is the work of His hands. That the smell of the flower was created in just a special way to represent this one type of flower. I am feeling overwhelmed with all of the beauty He has created, I can't even imagine what Eden must have been like...can you?<br />
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Thank you for leaving such warm comments these past few weeks. I am feeling relieved from my cold. I am humbled how you took your personal time to remind me (and others) that we do not grieve like others. That my dear Father-in-Law is in a much more magnificent place with the One we praise. You told me again and again, which I needed to hear again and again, that my son would be safe and healthy and living an adventure at his Air Force base in England. (His 23rd birthday was yesterday.) That you told me to hang in there. You are such great friends. Thank you for being in my life through this blog and emails in some cases.<br />
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Today I have a beautiful piece to share from the book <u>Quiet Moments in the Presence of God</u> which is published by Bethany House. This is taken exactly from this wonderful book:<br />
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<u><span style="color: purple;">Prayer Power</span></u></div>
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<em><span style="color: red;">"The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous." (Proverbs 15:29)</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Prayer changes things. Prayer has power. When John Knox got on his knees to pray, the queen feared his prayers more than she did all the armies of Scotland. When John Wesley prayed, life-changing renewal came to England. When Jonathan Edwards said his fervent prayers, a great revival spread through-out the American colonies. Over and over, history records the power of prayer.</span></div>
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Your prayers have power. God works through praying people. He makes His way known to those who submit themselves prayerfully to Him. He accomplished His purposes through those who offer their urgent and sincere prayers to Him. God sends your prayers out with power to affect, change, and bless.</div>
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<em><span style="color: red;">"Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you will be healed. The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect." </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: red;">(James 5:16)</span></em></div>
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I would like to once again invite you to join our Prayer Team. I feel so blessed to be a part of something bigger than myself. Praying for others needs and requests, praying that the government will bend to God's will, praying for others that live where they could be imprisoned or killed for praying or having a Bible. All that we ask is that you tell us how much time you would be willing to pray for people per week or day. It could be 10 minutes. And, we will match you up with a prayer need or needs to fit your time. Just leave a comment or email Traci and I or <span style="color: #38761d;">Joan, our Prayer Team Leader,</span> will send you some info to consider. </div>
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Also, on the top of the right hand column there is a place where you can subscribe to the blog. All you need to do is put your email in the place provided, and whenever I write a blog post, you will receive an email about it. That way you don't miss out no matter what day it is posted. Just so you know, I do not ever see the email this way either. And, you won't want to miss out on any posts because a <span style="color: purple;"><u><em>SPECIAL HE IS ABLE GIVE-AWAY</em></u></span> is coming on an unannounced day!</div>
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One last thing to share with you...Thanksgiving is a holiday here in the United States. It is celebrated during November, and has many reasons for different people. Gladly we can give thanks any day, several times a day, even! But, I would like to ask everyone, from every country that visits this blog...to leave 1 thing that they are thankful for- for each day in November. Let's really praise the Lord! Let's think of every thing in our life for which we are thankful. This will start on November 1st! Please join us! </div>
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span></div>
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-21031843361044661872012-10-11T16:19:00.000-04:002012-10-11T16:23:32.645-04:00Three Winners and Lessons Learned by You<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends~<br />
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It's odd that they call Florida the "Sunshine State." It has been pouring here every day! That means no computer. Whenever it rains here, it means we have lightning. And, when we have lightning, our computers go "BOOM!" if they are on! Fortunately, I have chose the perfect time to be ill...I don't want to have a cold when it is perfect weather, and I could be searching all of the awesome websites! I'm starting to get better. It was some congestion in my chest. Scary! But, I can breathe without pain...and life is getting more back to usual for myself and Dave.<br />
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We have skyped with Joshua a couple of times. It is a life-saver. Getting to see that he is well...still himself...healthy...laughing...means everything! I miss him so much! I am working on making him a Scripture book for Christmas. He told me that the Chaplain during Basic Military Training showed Josh the Psalms and Proverbs, and told him that they are part of his heritage. He told me he found courage and strength in the Psalms and Proverbs...so a little decorated, masculine book will be one of his gifts for Christmas/Chanukah.<br />
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I keep reading your comments. They are so uplifting and comforting, and I thank you with all of my heart for your reminding me of God's place in my life. And, what I should be doing while grieving. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"> ________________________</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><strong><u>Winners of the He IS Able Blogs Card Sets of the Week!</u></strong></span></div>
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(By the way, "Winners" means more than one!) </div>
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Please email me (on the right side of the blog) before next Wednesday at midnight and let me know if you would like to receive your 2 beautiful cards. If I don't receive that email, the cards will be put back in the <span style="color: purple;">He IS Able</span> card stash! To be entered into the next drawing please leave a comment about anything: a prayer request, a request for something to write about, what you do to have time alone with the Lord, how you serve the Lord...anything! Just have it in by Midnight on Wednesday, Eastern time.</div>
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<u><strong>Congratulations:</strong></u></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><u><strong>Leanne:</strong></u></span> <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"Traci, My sincerest condolences to you and your family for your DFL. I pray that your son will remain safe and the good Lord will continue to bless you all. Hugs."</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><u><strong>Grace:</strong></u></span> <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"Dear Traci...I'm sorry for your loss...but so thankful that he knew and loved the Savior and is now basking in His glory...celebrating and singing like he's never sung before! You will miss him, but as Christians...we don't grieve as those who have no hope! May God comfort you and Dave, and I'll be praying for you all as you travel...and as you come back to send off Josh! So much to deal with in such a short time...praying for your health as well...I know this will tax you to your limits, but may He give you the strength you need!! hugs, Grace"</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;"><u>Jan Marie:</u></span></strong> <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Oh Traci, Lifting you in prayer that the Lord would continue to bring comfort to you through His promises...all of which are yes and amen! in the Lord Jesus Christ! Praying that you feel the closeness of His Spirit as He ministers through His Word and by His people! Thinking of you during this difficult time as you mourn the loss of one so dear, all while celebrating, knowing that he has is now home!! Hugs!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Yes, you have been randomly chosen to receive 2 cards. Please send your complete address, even if you think I have it, and please keep in mind that I can only mail them to US addresses. I just can't afford overseas rates. I am looking for someone (still) who would be willing to serve the Lord, by making a digital card that we could share with people that are randomly chosen that live out of the United States. If you have this special talent and can help out, PLEASE contact me. This is something that I have felt led to add to the blog for over a year. </span></div>
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God Bless each of you! Have a wonderful week! Do a random act of kindness to someone!</div>
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong></div>
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<em><span style="color: purple;">Traci Starkweather</span></em> </div>
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-23741978424667021082012-10-02T16:00:00.003-04:002012-10-02T16:00:39.775-04:00In Times of Comfort<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My Dear Friends~<br />
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I thank you for hanging in here, when I was away, when I came home and asked "why?", and you left comforting messages for us while we went through the motions...and Kleenex. Thank you so much for sharing so much love--your love and His love in your comments. And, thank you for continuing to visit the blog to see if it was started again.<br />
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I wanted to share some beautiful reminders that I received from a gift I was given years ago. It is called <u>Precious Bible Promises</u>. If you are going through times of loneliness, sadness or grieving, I would love for you to read the following Scriptures to lighten your days:<br />
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<em><span style="color: red;">"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><em>"Casting all your care upon Him. for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><em>"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You: for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You." (Psalm 9:9-10)</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><em>"Fear not, for I am with you: be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous hand." (Isaiah 41:10)</em></span><br />
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<em><span style="color: red;">"Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all." 2 Thessalonians 3:16</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">The Scripture that helped me the most when dealing with my dear Father-in-Law's passing is this: </span><br />
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<em><span style="color: red;">"And, God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4)</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">That Scripture especially brought peace to my heart--though my eyes still cry for the times we will miss in the future. I know I will see him again one day...I pray that my Atheist husband will know the Lord and Savior soon, too. But, to know that my Father-in-Law is not in pain, not sad, not missing his wife. Instead he is with the Lord, and his wife, and so many others who have passed before him. Praise the Lord!</span><br />
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I am feeling depressed, even though I know the Truth is in those Scriptures. I know that our Lord, Christ Jesus is faithful and loves us. I am really missing my son. He is stationed at an Air Force Base in England for another 100 weeks. We are texting. But, I just miss him so. His birthday is in two weeks, and we usually celebrate both of ours together with a family dinner out.. It will be odd not celebrating this year. I am glad Josh is in a safe area. I just feel like it is two (different types) of loss in our lives within a week. Trying to write this blog post today is my first step into putting some norm back in my life.<br />
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I will announce 2 winners of the <span style="color: purple;"><u>He IS Able Blog's Card Set Give Away!</u></span> They will each receive 1-5 cards. The number will be randomly drawn....just like the people's names! It will be announced on Thursday. You can win next week...just leave any type of comment or prayer request in the comment section or email me...do this before Midnight on Wednesday of next week. That will make you eligible for NEXT week's drawing! If your name is chosen, please email me your mailing address, within a week, and I will get your cards out to you!<br />
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By the way, I don't make all of these cards. Most of them have been made by people who want to serve the Lord in this way. If you can put a Scripture on the front of the card, and leave the inside of your A2 (only)card/envelope, it will be perfect for our recipients to share with their friends. It is a way to easily share His Word, His Love and His Gift of Free Salvation with others. I am always praying for more cards. If you don't put a Scripture on the outside of the card, I will put one on the back, or on an empty spot inside. But, we want to leave room for people to share the card, and be able to write in it. Just email me, and I will send you may address if you would like to share some cards. Please think of serving in this way.<br />
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Thank you again, My Dear Friends, for helping my heart to heal. May God bless each of you with such loving people in your life.<br />
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span></div>
Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-15352909773758546432012-09-08T16:53:00.000-04:002012-09-08T16:55:23.804-04:00From the Heart--Dad S <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dear Friends~<br />
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I know God loves me. I know He won't give me more than I can handle with Him. I know God is faithful. I know that storms in life strengthen us.I know every prayer is heard, and that He answers every prayer. He may not answer how we want...but how He wants. I know God loves me.<br />
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I found out late yesterday afternoon that my amazing, very loving Father-in-Law passed away. He had Alzheimer's and some physical difficulty, but it was a shock. This man is with Jesus and with my dear Mother-in-Law now, I have no doubt about that. When we would visit, we would have church in his apartment just before bed time. I'd read a section of the Bible, and we'd sing, and we'd talk about what we learned from the Bible. It was incredible times. The three of us, Dad, Jesus and myself. Now, he is no longer here for us to go see, to hug, to share with, to watch the Cardinals. I know he is in a much better place. I know that we are all very sad that this veteran, this Dad, Grand-Dad, and Great-Grand-Dad will not be able to laugh his contagious laugh, or share that sparkly white smile of his again. We are sad. I am sad.<br />
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I am sharing this because I do not know if I will be able to blog this week.<br />
I will bring my computer with me, but I don't know how much time alone I will have to blog. If you want a blog...reread the first paragraph of this letter again. It tells you so much about our Lord, Christ Jesus. And, even though I know Dad is so much happier, it is OK for us to be sad. <br />
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My son, Joshua, leaves next Sunday. I will miss out on spending time with him most of this week. He needs to report in England at the USAF base on Sunday...hopefully, we will have Saturday with him. I will miss him so much...my heart feels like it is grieving for him. I will sure need some support when he leaves. 2 years is a long time...even if we can fit in a visit or two. This is the hardest thing I have gone through. Fortunately, I pray for him every day and thank the Father for keeping him safe, healthy, happy, and to bring him closer to knowing Him every day. <br />
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If you have a family member who is not yet Saved...don't give up. I urge you to continue praying. Have others pray. Lead by example...not by shoving it down their throat. Be patient. As patient as you can. Never give up.<br />
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Praying you have a wonderful, God-filled week! Please leave a comment before Wednesday at midnight to be eligible in the <span style="color: purple;">He IS Able Card Set Give Away!</span> Your name may be randomly drawn. And, if you sign up to receive the reminder that this blog has a new post...on the top right corner of the blog...it is confidential...I don't know who is signed up, any of the emails, anything...but, you will know when a post is written no matter what day. It's free of course, just like God's gift of Salvation--you can't earn your way to Heaven! Think about both of these things...if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior and want to, leave a comment...someone will pray with you...or go to a church and tell them you want to pray to receive Christ. They will guide you. God bless all of you!<br />
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong><br />
<em><span style="color: purple;">Traci Starkweather</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: purple;">p.s.If <u>Gemiel</u> is reading, or if you know her. Please let her know I need her to email her mailing address to me, so I can send the cards she claimed. My email is on the side bar.</span></em></div>
Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-63245742815233883922012-09-02T20:57:00.001-04:002012-09-02T20:57:28.931-04:00 He IS Able Blog Card Set of the Week Recipient!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends~<br />
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I have been so busy with life that I have not announced the <span style="color: purple;"><u>Winner of the He IS Able Blog's Card Set of the Week!</u></span> Did you leave a comment during the week of Tuesday, August 21 and before the following Wednesday the 29th at Midnight? That is how you become eligible to receive a <span style="color: purple;"><u>He IS Able Blog Card Set</u></span> if you live in the United States. (I am sorry, I can't afford postage out of the country, and I don't make digital images. I have tried to find someone to make a digital card with 1 of 2 Scriptures on it, so I could have everyone from every country participate for a a beautiful give-away...no one has stepped up. If you have the time and the talent...PLEASE let me know. God laid this on my heart over a year ago, and I haven't found anyone yet.) About the give away your comment can be about anything. And, the deadline for the next give-away is August 31-September 8th at Midnight...just leave a comment and you are entered in a random drawing. Check back Thursday to win...or sign up for an email copy of the blog...in case I run late....and email me your mailing address if you are the winner! <br />
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The person who won the <span style="color: purple;"><u>He IS Able Blog's Card Set</u></span> this week wrote this comment:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Asking, trusting and believing the Lord to surround this sweet precious child with His powerful protective haling care as He abundantly showers down His love, grace, mercy, goodness, kindness, encouragement and peace on the family. Love, <span style="color: purple;">Caterina</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Caterina,</span> Congratulations, and thank you for this beautiful prayer for the child I wrote about who was born with Down Syndrome. It was a post before the latest Beatitude sharing. Please, read it, and take it to heart. Someone emailed that exact request to me. It brought tears to my eyes, and prayers to my lips. There are people hurting and worried, and we should, I believe, carry each other's burdens. Praying is the most effective thing we can do. He hears EVERY prayer. Please join us with a prayerful heart. If someone takes the time to email me with a prayer request...you'd better believe they need it. It's not something to be tossed away. It takes an effort to write and some courage, too. Right? Right!<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Caterina,</span> I have your address, and will send you your cards! Thank you again for such a beautiful comment. You have an amazing heart...full of so much love! I pray for you daily, My Friend.<br />
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Did any of you read the post about the Beatitude: <span style="color: red;"><em>"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven?" (Matthew 5:10) </em></span><span style="color: black;">It is the post right below this one. It answered so many questions for me! This seemed as if it was the scariest Beatitude for me...that it was all about being persecuted...well, there is a lot more to it. I encourage you to read it. On Tuesday, hopefully, I will have a worksheet for your use about the Beatitudes. If I can figure out how to put it on the limited width of space the blog allows us.</span><br />
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As for me? Life has been so exciting for me lately. My pain is very painful because I have been very active...but worth it. It is so nice trying to give Joshua an alternative memory of me. He hasn't stayed in this house for 4 years!When he was young and I was newly disabled, I couldn't attend many of his event. I slept a LOT! I was awkward and at that time, I was on medicine that made me groggy and miserable. I was a good Mom...I just didn't live up to my expectations. Well, I have made sure that I was up before him in the morning, and made his breakfast if he wanted, we went to Sea World today...it was a scorcher out. But, what a wonderful time Dave, Josh and I had. I am not perfect...but I am just doing my best. We have enjoyed fun and interesting conversation over meals...and he has spent a lot of time out with friends. Luckily, it was late in the night, and I was sound asleep anyway. Thank you for your blessings over him. I appreciate it with all of my heart. He leaves on the 16th for 2 years...I am asking for strength and support for then now. I never realized how big a part of my life he is. I know, but this brings it all to my ming. I will miss him as he starts his new adventure...but 5 years and 2 months...and he will be done with his contract with the Air Force. I asked him to please speak with me before considering signing another. They are already wagging the proverbial carrot in front of him. <br />
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May you have a lovely and very safe Labor Day! (Do all countries celebrate a type of Labor Day?) I would love to know, and it would be an entry for the<span style="color: purple;"> He IS Able Blog's Card Set of the Week!</span> God Bless!<br />
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong><br />
<em><span style="color: purple;">Traci Starkweather</span></em><br />
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-73894627278440237052012-08-29T17:25:00.000-04:002012-08-29T17:45:37.542-04:00Blessed are Those who are Persecuted Because of Righteousness, for Theirs Is the Kingdom of Heaven<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends~<br />
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Well, the hurricane has passed over Florida. At our home we had minimal damage...but we are fine. The ability to use my computer during the storm has been cut down to nothing the last few days, and it isn't exactly sunny out right now. I'll see if I can get this posted before today's storm hits.<br />
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Please join us as we pray for the people and property that are in, and will be in the path of Hurricane Isaac. Even when they turn to Tropical Storms PLEASE take them seriously. About 1/4 of our garage ceiling was put in a vacuum with the roof, and then the ceiling was smashed through to the ground. No one was hurt. And, we can get it taken care of...so we are very fortunate. Others may not be as fortunate. Thank you for praying with us for others.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><em>"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Today I am sharing from the writing of Pastor Janey L. Demeo. She wrote an article on this Beatitude that was published in 2003 in the November/December edition of Discipleship Journal. Here are some of her thoughts:</span></div>
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<em>"How can persecution equal blessing? I remember wondering. How can someone anticipate future rewards when experiencing unjust pain now?"</em> I was too young in my Christian walk to know how to grapple with these Verses, <em>so I simply tucked them away in a corner of my mind</em>.</div>
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I moved to France with my husband, where we founded the Nimes Theological Institute. In recent years <span style="color: purple;"><em>(remember this was written in 2003),</em></span> the French culture has grown increasingly hostile to the Gospel, and we have suffered persecution.</div>
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One of the most dramatic attacks resulted in four cars on our campus being fire bombed. Other forms of persecution have been more subtle, but no less demoralizing. In spite of our affiliation with many well-known, mainstream theologians, our school was erroneously cited as a cult by the French government. Consequently, students and church members have been ostracized, maligned, and denied jobs. In this context I've had the unlooked-for opportunity to revisit Jesus' teaching and to ponder more deeply the connection between persecution and blessing.</div>
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Sometimes I still wonder: Where's the blessing in this? Other times, I remember that my friend's love for Christ Jesus had been tested and purified through torture. He was blessed by a deep awareness of his Savior's victorious, indwelling presence--a foretaste of the kingdom to come. <u>There- in, I believe, lies the secret of the blessing Jesus promised.</u></div>
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The word <em>blessing</em> signifies an inner well-being that's independent of our circumstances. We may not feel blessed when we're under attack. <em><span style="color: red;">But, if we can focus on the joy set before us--as Jesus did--remembering that unmerited suffering reaps an eternal weight of glory, we'll be empowered to persevere. (Heb. 12:12)</span></em></div>
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As I have found myself thrust into fierce Spiritual opposition, I have begun to experience the unlikely blessing that accompanies persecution. Slowly my eyes have been opened to see how this Beatitude embodies our hope.</div>
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If we are growing in Christ, unjust affliction will eventually come our way: <span style="color: red;"><em>"If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (Jn. 15:20)</em> </span><span style="color: black;">The more we manifest Christ, the more we become candidates for persecution </span><span style="color: red;"><em>"because of righteousness." </em></span><span style="color: black;">If is, after all, the righteousness of Christ in us that is being attacked.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><em>When Pastor Demeo shared about not understanding how persecution could equal a blessing at the beginning of this excerpt, I was reminded of something I would like to share with you: </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><em>That is that the more I read the Bible...over and over each year...the more He reveals to me. Sometimes He shows me an example that makes it more clear to me. Sometimes it is as if I never read that section at all. The biggest occasion was when I was Jewish and He unsealed my eyes, and made everything so true...THE TRUTH. No doubt about it. (I was dared to read the Bible, so I was...to prove him wrong. Boy, was I surprised!) I had never thought of Jesus as anymore than a teacher, a wise man who existed. That is what most, if not all Jews believe. Well, when I was Saved...I believed everything He said, everything He told about! It was as if He had taken the cement off my eyes. Or like in the Bible where He gives the man sight again. My eyes were opened THAT much! </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><em>So, the more you read, the more you pray and listen for a response...the more He will make clear to you. And, yes, you can even pray to have a better understanding of a part of the Bible or a closer relationship with Him. You can talk with Jesus about anything! I almost always start my reading time with a quick prayer asking for clear understanding of what He wants me to get out of what I will be reading that day. Try it. And, we will be happy to pray for you also, if you put your request in the comment section. If you would like to be a part of the He IS Able Prayer Team, please leave a comment or email Traci. My email is on the side bar.</em></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: purple;">Please also, pray for those who are severely punished for reading the Bible, having one, gathering with Christians, or praying. For the persecution we read about is still in existence in a horrible way around the world. We have readers from all over the world...many from countries where they would be thrown in jail for reading Scriptures. Please pray for their safety, and for their desire to take in His Word to grow and grow.</span></em></div>
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I am so glad you are here...and I hope you learned as much about the Beatitudes in the past weeks, as I have in the past few months studying them. May God bless you.</div>
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong></div>
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<em><span style="color: purple;">Traci Starkweather</span></em></div>
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-87221038681502591892012-08-26T21:54:00.000-04:002012-08-26T21:54:30.186-04:00Prayer Request....please join us<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends!<br />
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I received an email from a guest asking me to please post a prayer request. I am happy to have you post your requests in the comment section, or I will post it here...where everyone who is willing, can lift up this situation.<br />
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We will still have Tuesday's post on the Beatitude, <span style="color: red;">"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:10) </span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">And, anyone who leaves a comment before Wednesday at midnight will be eligible to win our</span> <span style="color: purple;">He IS Able Card Set of the Week!</span> </span><span style="color: black;">Sadly, I can only afford to mail packages to addresses in the United States. Please don't let that keep you from leaving a message...<u>we want to know you were here!</u></span><br />
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Here is the prayer request I received, please let your heart guide you:<br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Please add my Dear Husband's niece to your prayer list. Her newborn baby was born
with Down Syndrome and will need numerous surgeries over the next few weeks.
She and her DH are very worried. They have a 4 yr with Asperger Syndrome. Anonymous.
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I am also praying for the parents to lean to the Lord for comfort and strength, and for the whole family to have patience, and to keep praying for that miracle. They happen.
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Thank you for adding this person's request to your prayer time. It is so obvious to us that you have beautiful, God loving or searching, hearts.</div>
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<strong>He <u><em>IS</em></u> Able! </strong>(This is the perfect example of why this phrase was chosen as the title of this blog. To remind us that nothing is impossible. To remember how big He is...much bigger than our trials. <strong>He <u>IS</u> Able!</strong></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span></div>
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-45914093650353350062012-08-23T16:24:00.001-04:002012-08-23T16:24:58.564-04:00Winner of the Card Set of the Week Announced<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends~ <br />
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I hope you have been enjoying your week. Mine has been fabulous! We received a call from my son Josh on Friday telling us he would be home Monday night! We are so excited and so proud of him. He will be here for 3 weeks. He will be working with recruiters for 2 weeks, doing filing and things like that. Thank you to those of you who left comments sharing in my happiness and joy of seeing my son.<br />
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I am happy to announce the recipient of the <span style="color: purple;"><em>He IS Able blog's Card Set of the Week!</em></span> <u><span style="color: purple;">Congratulations,</span> </u><span style="color: purple;"><u>Gemiel</u>!</span> Your name was randomly chosen, and you will receive 3 cards! All you need to do is email me before next Wednesday and give me your mailing address! If you live in the United States, I will be very happy to mail them to you. Here is my email address: <a href="mailto:tracistarkweather@gmail.com">tracistarkweather@gmail.com</a><br />
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All you need to do to be entered for next week is leave a comment in the comment section about anything. Any prayer request, question, comment about your relationship with our Lord, Christ Jesus...anything! Just be sure to do it each week before Wednesday at Midnight! And, to check back on Thursday to see if your name was randomly chosen.<br />
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There will be another post on Tuesday, it is the last in our Series of the Beatitudes. We will read and share about the Scripture that reads, <span style="color: red;"><em>"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:10)</em></span> I hope you will be here to read and contemplate and share your thoughts in the comment section. Thanks so much for being here today!<br />
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span></div>
Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-68239391124728231902012-08-21T21:56:00.000-04:002012-08-21T21:56:00.108-04:00More About Being Pure in Heart and Seeing God<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Everyone~<br />
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We were sharing about the Beatitude back on July 24th. Somehow, when I automatically set it to post, it didn't. This was one of the sections to do with this Scripture: <span style="color: red;"><em>"Blessed are the PURE in HEART, for THEY will SEE GOD." (Matthew 5:8)</em> </span><span style="color: black;">Please feel free to scroll and find the post from the 24th to refresh your mind with where we left off. Sorry about the confusion! Computers! Can't live with them...Can't live without them! I don't want to do that again! </span><br />
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God longs for our view of Him to grow wider and clearer and brighter, so that the "glass" through which we see "darkly" at last gives way to our encounter with Him "face to face." <span style="color: red;"><em>(1 Corinthians 13:12) </em><span style="color: black;">To see Him is to know Him, and to know Him is to love Him, shares Paul Thigpen as we continue to share his insights in this second part of this Beatitude from the Discipleship Journal of Nov./Dec. 2003.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">Unfortunately, sin has blinded us, leaving our spiritual eyes swollen shut. Only the healing light of divine grace can restore our sight, can begin to open our eyes to the glory of the one who calls us to Himself.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">Most often, God is not in view simply because we aren't paying attention to Him. We are otherwise occupied. Recall how the 10 lepers were miraculously healed by our Lord, yet 9 of them dashed off to celebrate without even a backward glance or a word of thanks. </span><span style="color: red;"><em>(Luke 17:11-19) </em></span><span style="color: black;">In much the same way, we receive "grace upon grace" </span><span style="color: red;"><em>(John 1:16), </em></span><span style="color: black;">only to desert our Redeemer again and again in our pursuit of lesser things. Our distractions blind us to God. All the while the Father stands close by, waiting for us to turn around and run into His arms.</span></span><br />
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<em><span style="color: red;">"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." (Matthew 5:8)</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">In this context, we must understand <u><em>pure </em></u>to mean what is intended when we say, for example, "pure gold"--that is, unmixed, unadulterated, unalloyed. If our vision of God is to grow wider, clearer, and brighter, our will must be united in a single focus on Him and on an overriding desire to know and love Him.</span></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: red;">"We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: red;">are being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory to another." </span></em></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><em><span style="color: red;">(2 Corinthians 3:18)</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">That is why the pure in heart are blessed. If we desire the holiness, the goodness, and the beauty of God above all things, then we will in the end see face to face to what we have desired. We will become holy and good and beautiful--like Him--and we will experience utter blessedness.</span></span><br />
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I thank those of you who have been praying for my healing. My mother has asked for me not to go into details, but to ask for your prayers for healing. God knows what she means. Please lift both of my Jewish parents up, as you have me and our other guests as they leave requests. I thank you for doing this with all of my heart. <br />
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span></div>
Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-44325077568415111332012-08-16T14:39:00.001-04:002012-08-16T14:56:06.992-04:00Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS, for THEY will be called SONS OF GOD<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends~<br />
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I have so much to share today. First off, I would like to congratulate my son, <span style="color: #073763;">Airmen 1st Class Josh Simring</span>, for graduating his training class on Friday! I wish we could have been there, but no outsiders allowed. He had a few of his friends take photos. Joshua is trained to work on all of the electronics of an aircraft. Ever look into a cockpit? Ever see all of those dials? Electronic gadgets! He will be home some time before November to work at the enlistment center for two weeks...we can see him at night and week-ends! And, then he will be taking a week of leave to spend with all of the family before he heads off to his base for the next <em><span style="color: red;">2 YEARS</span></em>...in England...not Florida. We could not be more proud of who he has become...is becoming...we just wish it was in our neighborhood! Congratulations, Josh, we love you! "I am trusting God for everything." "I am trusting God for everything." "I am..."<br />
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Secondly, I would like to announce the two people whose names were eligible for the <span style="color: purple;"><u>He IS Able Blog's Card Set Give-Away!</u></span> These people left comments during the past two weeks, when I didn't pull names for this give-away. They left comments in the comment section about anything that was on their mind. It may have been about the writing of that day, a prayer need, praying for some one else, or sharing their favorite Bible person, Scripture or story. It could have been about anything! Please send me your snail mail address, if you live in the US...since that is the only place I can afford to mail things to. My email is on the side bar...please send it by NEXT Wednesday at Midnight, to receive your beautiful cards. It is our hope that you will share the cards in concert with our Mission Statement:</div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><u> "Sharing His Love, His Word, His Gift of Salvation through Cards!"</u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d5a6bd; color: black;">1. "Hi Traci and may He be your peace and strength, comforter. Yes, He is able! And thank you for sharing your lovely work!" on</span> <a href="http://he-is-able.blogspot.com/2012/08/for-they-will-see-god.html?showComment=1344290317682#c8306636270883955183" target="_blank">For They Will See God...</a><span style="color: purple;">lugarandcompany</span></div>
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2. <span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;">We also received a comment from <span style="color: #38761d;">Karen Conner</span>, a member of our <span style="color: #38761d;">Prayer Team</span> here at the <span style="color: purple;">He IS Able bl</span><span style="color: purple;">og</span>. She asked to pass on this message to each of you: (given with permission) Paula Pike, a friend dealing with cancer, is having a birthday the end of this week. We'd love to shower her with birthday cards! Please contact <span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"><span style="color: purple;">Traci</span> through</span> her email (on the side bar) for her mailing address! Karen, the He IS Able blog will be happy to send Paula a card full of prayer for her.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">"Blessed are the Peacemakers, for They will be Called Sons of God." (Matthew 5:9)</span></div>
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And now, I will share some of what Mark Buchanan wrote about the above Beatitude in the Nov./Dec. 2003, issue of Discipleship Journal.<br />
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"In the Beatitudes, Jesus pronounces the most unlikely people blessed; the meek, the mournful, the poor and hungry; those persecuted, assaulted, insulted. Blessed are the paupers, the vagabonds, the bruised, the losers. It's in this list that Jesus places the peacemaker, a close cousin to the famished and the bankrupt. We despise peacemakers at the very moment we need them most. <br />
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Recently my wife and I had lunch with a missionary couple, Gordon and Regine King. They are extraordinary in many ways, but this stands out: They have become peacemakers in a blood-soaked land, Rwanda. Regine is from Rwanda, and she lived barely--through that country's genocide in 1994. She lost many members of her family. For several months, she lived a scavenging, scrabbling existence, hiding in the shadows, running. Always running. During the genocide, when all she had was her sister's Bible, Regine met Jesus in a way she had never met Him before. That Bible became her bread, water, air. She met the Prince of Peace, the one who became her peace and ours, who made peace through His blood, who broke down dividing walls and brought those far away near. <span style="color: red;"><em>(Eph. 2:13-18*)</em> </span><span style="color: black;">Jesus gave her His peace. Then He gave her (and her husband, Gordon) a commission: Freely give what you've freely received. </span><br />
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Be peacemakers.<br />
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In a recent letter, her brother, Innocent, summed up just how costly that work is. Innocent is now a schoolteacher in Rwanda. Ten years ago, the parents of the children he teaches were wielding clubs and machetes, slaughtering without mercy. "It's hard," Innocent writes, "to love the children of those who tried to kill you." Yet, he does. And, Regine does. They have discovered a peace in Christ that is not from this world and that overcomes this world.<br />
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Peacemakers do what God Himself has done, making sons and daughters out of bitter enemies, feeding and clothing them, blazing a trail to Heaven straight through their houses.<br />
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No wonder they will be called sons of God."<br />
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<em><span style="color: red;"> *"At one time you were far away from God. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. He spilled his blood for you. That has brought you near to God. </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: red;"> Christ Himself is our peace. He has made Jews and non-Jews into one group of people. He has destroyed the hatred that was like a wall between us. Through His body on the cross, Christ put an end to the law with all its commands and rules. He wanted to create one new group of people out of the two. He wanted to make peace between them. </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: red;"> He planned to bring both of them as one body back to God because of the cross. Christ put their hatred to death on that cross. </span></em><em><span style="color: red;"> He came and preached peace to you who were far away. He also preached peace to those who were near. Through Christ we both come to the Father by the power of one Holy Spirit." (Ephesians 2:13-18)</span></em><br />
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What a "jaw-dropping" story. To be able to put all of that hatred away, and serve the children of the people who killed her family and friends! How faithful! I pray that I would be so forgiving, so faithful. I know we are supposed to be. But, I pray, if it ever came down to it, that He would work through me...and let me be a good example of a Christian. Do you know what I mean? Do you ever feel like that?<br />
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<span style="color: black;">I was just doing some cleaning up behind the scenes of the blog...and I see that a post that I had "automatically" scheduled never showed up. It was part of the Beatitude that reads: </span><span style="color: red;"><em> "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." </em></span><span style="color: black;">The first part of this Scripture was posted on Tuesday, July 24th. If you would like to arrow down to that post and re-acquaint yourself with it, I will re-post it on Tuesday. The week after that we will finish up our series on the Beatitudes and actually share some cards I have made.</span><br />
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Thank you so much for being here! Please check out the comments there may be prayer requests listed that you could help lift up. God bless!<br />
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<strong>He IS Able!</strong><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span><br />
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<br /><em><span style="color: purple;">p.s. (Let's show Paula some real He IS Able blog love, by each sending her a card! If you email me, please put He IS Able in the subject section. I read and answer those emails sometimes hours, sometimes days before the others.)</span></em></div>
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Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-67441143648159755612012-08-02T16:17:00.000-04:002012-08-02T16:18:55.030-04:00For They Will See God...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends~ <br />
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I am sorry that I did not post on Tuesday. I went away with Dave this past weekend, and have had a terrible migraine, along with terrible pain through-out my body since. I went on a ride that I shouldn't have gone on. It bumped and swerved and my spine just can't take that. I knew about it, but wanted to go on it for about 20 years! It was the child in me vs. the adult in me. The child won...the adult pays.<br />
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I will do my best to post the winner of <span style="color: purple;">The He IS Able Blog Card Set Winner</span> and the second part of the <em><span style="color: red;">"Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for They will See God" </span></em>on Friday. Please forgive me for being late again.<br />
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Also, it is taking three times as long to type...every few letters that I type, they pop in anywhere I have already typed! For example: The "h" in "anywhere" kept popping in to the word "Tuesday" on the first sentence. I hope this somehow gets fixed. Please let it be a blogger problem, and not my computer!<br />
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God bless, and I hope to see you here on Friday or Saturday! (Depending how fast I can get the letters to type properly.) It is a great post!<br />
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He IS Able!<br />
Traci S. </div>Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-67300463431303620372012-07-26T15:10:00.002-04:002012-07-26T15:19:49.559-04:00Welcome Karen and This Week's Winner!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<cite class="user">Hi Friends~ (For some reason, the blog is not allowing proper spacing between paragraphs. I apologize. I have tried to fix it for over an hour.)</cite></div>
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<cite class="user">Today we will announce the <span style="color: purple;">Winner of the He IS Able blog's Card Set Give-Away. </span> And, I would like to introduce our newest member to the <span style="color: #38761d;">He IS Able Prayer Team.</span></cite></div>
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<cite class="user">Welcome to the team <span style="color: #38761d;">Karen Conner! Karen</span> loves to spend time with our Lord, loves to pray, and is a naturally encouraging person. She has been praying for the guests of this blog, for people around the world who have not known Christ Jesus as their Lord to come to the blog and learn about Him, and become to love Him, until they ask Him to be their Savior and Lord, and for any particular needs someone has mentioned. </cite><span style="color: #38761d;"><em>Karen</em></span> <em>is someone who you just know will be a loyal friend when you meet her. </em></div>
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<em>(Even on-line!)</em></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Karen</span> is a Southern girl who was born and raised in South Carolina and
Virginia. She has allowed God to be the major influence in her life, and her
overall goal is to use the talents He has blessed her with, to be a blessing to
others. <span style="color: #38761d;">Karen</span> is a cancer survivor who strives to make the most of every day to
bring glory to God. </div>
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She would love to someday teach her craft to others, and
she hopes that faithfully maintaining her blog will enable her to share her love
for God & art. <span style="color: #38761d;">Karen</span> enjoys using ink and paint to design her cards and
layouts. She also loves embellishments of all kinds: ribbon, buttons, charms,
lace, etc. She enjoys making cards, as well as mini albums and layouts to house
the many memories of her family and friends. She considers her style "shabby
chic", and loves giving her art a vintage and distressed look. She also uses
acrylic paints occasionally when the urge hits. She is adventurous in her art,
and hopes her creations are a blessing to others. She would love to have you
visit her blog <a href="http://www.krcmasterpiece.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">KRC Masterpiece</span></a> and
introduce yourself so that she can stop by and get inspiration from all of
you. Personally, I just love her unique art, and her blog is always a pleasure to visit. There is a link to her blog on the right side of this blog. Just click on it...and you will be there!</div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Karen</span> is on two Design Teams right now-- <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://perfectsentimentschallenge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Perfect Sentiment</a></span> & <span style="color: cyan;"><a href="http://www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/">Word Art Wednesday</a></span>. WAW is Christian based. We share God's Word
each week. The Word Art is FREE. Karen Letchworth is head of that blog &
goes from blog to blog encouraging people to add their art. That seems to get
our blog to grow.</div>
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<cite class="user"></cite> <cite class="user"><span style="color: #38761d;">Karen,</span> we are so glad that you will be joining us. We look forward to praying with and for you! Welcome!</cite></div>
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<cite class="user"><span style="color: purple;"><u>Our Winner of This Week's He IS Able Blog's Card Set Give-Away!*</u></span></cite></div>
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<cite class="user">To be eligible to win you need to leave some sort of comment before Wednesday evening at Midnight. (East Coast) It starts when the prior Tuesday blog is posted. The recipient will be randomly chosen from the comments left during that time. Then a number will be randomly chosen between 1 and 5. The Recipient will receive that number of cards and envelopes mailed to them. </cite></div>
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<cite class="user">Sadly, I can only mail items within the United States. It is just too expensive for me to mail overseas. I am trying to find someone who can make a digital card that I can share with guests who are chosen that live over seas. After all, we have more people from outside the US visiting that in the US.</cite></div>
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<cite class="user"><span style="color: purple;">This Week's Recipient will Receive 3 Beautiful Cards Made and Donated by Fellow He IS Able Blog Guests...That Person Is...</span></cite></div>
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<cite class="user"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13084312435207377291" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: purple;">Becky</span></a><span style="color: purple;"> </span></cite><span class="icon user"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="http://he-is-able.blogspot.com/2012/07/blessed-are-merciful-for-they-will-be.html?showComment=1342620647903#c5901686168609981752" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: purple;">July 18, 2012 10:10 AM</span></a> <em>Here is her comment:</em></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><em>Blessings. That is why I had to get a new
computer, my old one just could not take on another thing.</em></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><em>This is one of my
most favorite verses. Mercy..and if we are truly born again we can not help but
to show mercy to all. For my sins are great and if a heavenly Father is willing
to forgive and cleanse me, the lest I can do is to forgive others. Have a
blessed day hugs :)</em></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><em>Congratulations, <span style="color: purple;">Becky!</span> Please email me with your snail mail address, and I will get your cards out to you! My email is </em><a href="mailto:tracistarkweather@gmail.com"><em>tracistarkweather@gmail.com</em></a></span></div>
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<em>I need to hear from you by next Wednesday at Midnight. Please do not send your address in the comment section....Leave us any other comment, though! :)</em></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span><span style="color: purple;"><em> </em></span></div>
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<em>I hope that you will all join us on Tuesday when we complete our sharing on the second half of the Beatitude, <span style="color: red;">"Blessed are the PURE in HEART, for They will SEE GOD." (Matthew 5:8)</span> Please take the time to leave a welcoming comment for Karen...and please remember from now until Tuesday we are having <span style="color: #38761d;">PRAISE DAYS!</span> Let us know what you are grateful for...what you praise Him for. God Bless!</em></div>
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<em>He IS Able!</em></div>
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<em><span style="color: purple;">Traci Starkweather</span></em><br />
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<em>p.s. We are accepting hand-made and donated cards and envelopes to give away on this blog. Please email me for details if you are interested in serving in this way...or leave a comment for me.</em></div>
</div>Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704968693556347590.post-89637495352690233922012-07-24T15:18:00.000-04:002012-07-24T15:18:00.793-04:00Blessed are the PURE in HEART, For THEY will SEE GOD<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Friends~<br />
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Today's post is from Paul Thigpen. It appeared in the Nov./Dec. 2003, Discipleship Journal. It is such a wonderful piece of writing. I will be sharing parts and pieces of this article with you today...and part next Tuesday. <span style="color: purple;"><em>(You may want to sign up to receive an email notice when there is a blog post. It is on the top of the right hand side of the blog. No one can see your address...not even me.)</em></span><br />
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Please remember that we will be choosing the winner of the <span style="color: purple;">He IS Able blog's Card Set Give Away on Thursday</span>...and you have until Midnight on Wednesday to leave a comment. We will also be introducing our newest member to our <span style="color: #38761d;">Prayer Team!</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">"My 5 year-old, Lydia, had been in bed an hour when I passed by the half-open door of her darkened room. She was weeping uncontrollably. </span>Honey, what's wrong?" I asked, sitting on the edge of her bed and gently taking her hand. "Did you have a bad dream?" Lydia tried to respond, but tears choked her words. I stroked her hair to soothe her.</div>
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After a moment, she cried in little-girl anguish, "Oh, Daddy! I--<em>I just want to see God!"</em></div>
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Her words startled me. Now it was my turn to weep. I drew her close and said, "Darling, do you know why you want to see God so much? <u>Because that's the reason He made you. You were created to see God. And if you love Him with all your heart, one day <em>you will</em> see God face to face. That's His promise."</u></div>
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Theologians over the centuries have carefully reasoned out that <em>in our heart of hearts, we long above all things to see God face to face.</em></div>
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<em><span style="color: red;">"Beloved, we are God's children now; </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: red;">it does not yet appear what we shall be,</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: red;"> but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: red;">for we shall see Him as He is." </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: red;">(1 Jn. 3:2)</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: black;">God longs for our view of him to grow wider and clearer and brighter, so that the "glass" through which we see "darkly" at last gives way to our encounter with Him </span><span style="color: red;"><em>"face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12) </em></span>To see Him is to know Him, and to know Him is to love Him."</div>
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I am going to stop sharing the article now. There is a huge storm moving in and I don't want my computer to get zapped. There is a lot to think about here, and the rest will be shared on Tuesday...so please join us then.</div>
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How do you spend time with Him to get to know Him better? How about telling us in the comment section? It could be one word, a Scripture, or a whole paragraph or more. It is a great way to share with fellow Believers and explain things to those who do not know the Lord as of now. And, your comment, if left before Midnight on Wednesday, will put you in the running to win the <span style="color: purple;">He IS Able Card Sets</span>. All good reasons to leave a comment...besides we love to read your thoughts. </div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Praise Days...for a Week!</u></span></div>
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I am learning so much from the Beatitudes and hope you are also. I hope that it is making your heart swell with love for the Lord. I have such gratitude to Him for providing us with His Word, and His teachings. Let's make this next week full of...<span style="color: #38761d;">Praise Days!</span> If you have something to thank Him for...share it in the comment section...offer your Praise to Him...through the blog. Make sense? Email me if you have any questions or if you have anything you would like to share about this blog.</div>
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He IS Able!</div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><em>Traci Starkweather</em></span></div>
</div>Traci S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10163140027077490076noreply@blogger.com5