THE POTTER'S HANDS

Then I went down to the potter's house, 

and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: 

so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 

  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 

  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. 

Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, 

so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel

Jeremiah 18:3-6  

Isn't it wonderful that when the Lord sees flaws in our life,

He does what He needs to do to remold us 

into a vessel that is useful for Him.

I'LL TRUST THE POTTER'S HANDS

Here on the potter's wheel, I find myself once more,

My faults and frailties bring me here just like before,

With strong and loving hands the pressure is applied,

Oft times I tremble as He puts me thru the fire

Chorus:

I'll trust the potter's hands, He knows what's best for me,

He has a perfect plan these human eyes can't see,

He's the potter I'm the clay,

He knows just how much I can take,

When I face the fire again I'll trust the potter's hands

His hands work deep inside and He makes no mistakes,

Though it seems I'll crumble down and I can hardly stand the pain,

But into His own design, He is molding me I know,

Though my world spins all around, the potter's in control

He's the potter I'm the clay, He knows just how much I can take,

When I face the fire again I'll trust the potter's hands,

When I face the fire again I'll trust the potter's hands

Sandy Blythe / Jeff Whisnant Music / BMI

 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; 

we are the clay, and thou our potter; 

and we all are the work of thy hand. 

Isaiah 64:8 

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay:

 for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? 

or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, 

He had no understanding? 

Isaiah 29:16  

We can truly trust the  Potter's hands to do what is best for us every day.

May the Lord bless each of you as you trust Him to mold you according to His pattern.

On July 19, 1910, 

the governor of the U.S. state 

of Washington proclaimed 

the nation’s first “Father’s Day.”

It is not flesh and blood,

but the heart 

which makes fathers 

and sons.

It's only when you grow up 

and step back from him,

or leave him to go on your own,

that you can measure his greatness

and fully appreciate your Father.

                                                                                 

Children's children are the crown of old men;

and the glory of children are their fathers.

Proverbs 17:6

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad's out there!

1. STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS

Reverend Dudley A. Tyng (1825-1858) was a dynamic preacher

known for taking strong stands against evil, no matter what the cost.

On Tuesday, March 30, 1858, Tyng preached a sermon on

Exodus 10:11, “Go now ye that are men and serve the Lord”.

Tyng delivered his message to 5,000 men that day.

More than 1,000 of those men responded to the altar call,

to receive Jesus as their Savior. 

Just over a week later,

Tyng lay dying as a result of a tragic accident.

His final statement, whispered to friends and family, was

“Let us all stand up for Jesus.”

The Sunday following Tyng's death,

Pastor George Duffield (1818-1888) preached a sermon

on Ephesians 6:14, 

as a tribute to the final words of his friend Tyng.

He concluded his sermon with a six-stanza poem.

The Sunday School superintendent printed copies of the poem

and distributed them to all the congregation.

The poem "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus", has since become

one of the most recognized hymns in all English-speaking Christendom.

The melody used in most hymnals today was written by

George J. Webb (1803-1907), founder of the Boston Academy of Music.

Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross;

Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss.

From victory unto victory His army shall He lead,

Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the solemn watchword hear;

If while ye sleep He suffers, away with shame and fear;

Where'er ye meet with evil, within you or without,

Charge for the God of battles, and put the foe to rout.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey;

Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day.

Ye that are brave now serve Him against unnumbered foes;

Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone;

The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own.

Put on the Gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer;

Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, each soldier to his post,

Close up the broken column, and shout through all the host:

Make good the loss so heavy, in those that still remain,

And prove to all around you that death itself is gain.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long;

This day the noise of battle, the next the victor's song.

To him who overcometh a crown of life shall be;

They with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.

 

The message in the words of this song are very relevant today.

There is coming a time before long when we may have

 to make choices that require sacrifice.  

The only option for those who are true Christians is to 

"Stand Up For Jesus". 

My favorite verse is verse four.  

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone;

The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own.

Put on the Gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer;

Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.

We cannot stand in our own strength and 

we cannot rely on others to help us. 

We must be fully prepared for battle by 

prayerfully putting

on the Armor of God.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, 

that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on 

the breastplate of righteousness; 

  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench 

all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

And take the helmet of salvation, 

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

Ephesians 6:13-18  

1. 
   

Memorial Day 

is a day of remembrance of

all who have sacrificed their lives

to give us the freedom we enjoy today.

As we celebrate this holiday, 

let us never forget to show our love to 

the families of those men and women 

who died for our freedom.

Freedom Is Not Free

- Kelly Strong

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,

When everything was still

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That TAPS had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin

Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free.

Greater love hath no man than this, 

that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

  Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: 

but a woman that feareth the LORD, 

she shall be praised. 

Proverbs 31:30

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, 

but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

"Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have 

to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. 

And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to 

understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words 

you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, 

your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together 

and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking it's life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and 

will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though 

I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth 

could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 

"God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

"You will simply call her, 'Mom.'"

- Unknown

Hope you have a wonderful, love-filled Mother's Day!