Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” (1 Kings 17:9 )

Is your life so messed up, it seems there’s no possible way out?
Are you feeling hopeless about the future?
If so, then participate in one of today’s two webinars.

On June 27, 2008, I wrote a devotional titled “Attention Grabbers” [http://yourdailyblessing.com/attention-grabbers/] talking about times in our lives when God reaches out in an extraordinary way to grab our attention.

Well I had one of those “Attention Grabbing” days on Sunday January 25. I believe that when this happens to me, God wants me to share His message with the world. So here you are. This is a wake up call for many of you too.

In the early morning on Jan 25, I had one of the richest 2-way prayer times of my life. Some of it is too personal to share with all of you, so I’ll just share a few snippets.

My prayer began like this, “Lord Jesus, thank You for the financial wake up call yesterday at the SPC Financial Workshop that Matt led.” When I wrote out … I realized my behavior must change dramatically.”

After several more paragraphs of pouring out my heart to Jesus, He responded, “Randy, you’ve been like Elijah at the Brook Cherith watching the stream dry up. Now the stream is dry and it’s time to move on. I bless you with joy and peace and love that won’t let go. I bless you with deeper knowledge of the Father’s love. I bless you with a steadfast faith. I bless you with the dreams and visions your heart goes after.” That prompted me to find the scripture (1Ki 17:1-9) about Elijah being at the Brook Cherith and being commanded to a poor widow to be provided for.

1Ki 17:1-9 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

After pasting that scripture into my two-way prayer entry, I continued my fruitful dialog with Jesus. Then I go to Soul Purpose Church (SPC) for the 10:30 am worship service and Matt preaches a fantastic sermon titled “Giving ALL The Props Away.” In that, he talks about giving everything we have to God and then shares these “4 P’s of Giving” from Andy Stanley’s book “Fields of Gold:”

1) Priority giving – Giving to God before anything else
2) Percentage giving – 10% is a good start
3) Progressive giving – Keep growing as a giver
4) Prompted giving – Additional spontaneous giving as God leads

Who shows up at SPC for the first time in a long time? Beth Spangler, Ryan (her boyfriend), and Beth’s two kids. Now Beth happened to be one of my first 3 JIREH Marketing (Web 2.0) apprentices who began a 3 month commitment on Sat Jan 11 along with Matt. God is making Beth a trophy of his redemptive and restorative power. She has a phenomenal testimony of deliverance after 10 years of addiction.

During his sermon, Matt told a story of a guy walking in a desert by himself. Everywhere the man looks is sand. It’s impossible to tell distances. He has completely used up his water supply and is quickly becoming dehydrated. All of a sudden he sees what looks like an oasis in the distance. But he’s not sure if it’s real of a mirage. As he gets closer, it becomes apparent the oasis is real. When he enters the oasis with Palm trees, he finds a well with one bottle of water and a note that reads, “Read this and follow the instructions before doing anything else.” The note instructs him to pour the entire bottle of water down the well, which will prime the pump, make the well work, and supply all his water needs and the needs of the next traveler to come this way.

What would you do? You’re dying of thirst. You have a bottle of water which you desperately want. And you have this note from someone you don’t know asking you to trust him. Well, the man pours all the water down the well and sure enough, the pump gets primed, and all his water needs are met.

Around 2 pm I got home from SPC, ate lunch, and then decided to watch TV for 30 minutes. That’s very unusual for me on a Sunday. When I turned on the TV, I was prompted to switch to TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network). I ended up listening to a 30 minute message titled “When The Impossible Meets God” by a pastor I’ve never seen before in my life. That pastor shared the same story about the man and well that Matt had just shared a few hours earlier. The scripture he used was 2 Kings 4:1-7 about Elisha (Elijah’s disciple) and a widow.

2 Kings 4:1 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors-empty vessels; do not gather just a few. “And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, over the past 8 years since committing my life to Jesus, I’ve given everything I have to You. I’ve watched my retirement account dwindle down from $1.6 million to practically nothing while loving You with all my heart, my mind, my soul, and my strength. I’ve followed and obeyed You to the best of my ability, trusting in You completely. I’ve sought Your Kingdom and righteousness first nearly every day for the past 8 years and I’ve shared the love of Jesus in a transparent everywhere I’ve gone. Julia and I have manifested strong faith for tough times. Now we’re desperate for a financial miracle and depend on You to lead us to a widow to provide for us. Jesus, thank You for bringing me to your city of refuge. I love You so much. Amen and hallelujah!

Blessings to surrender all you have to God!

God’s Blessings of the Day

1) When The Impossible Meets God -outstanding video sermon by Pastor Jeff Schreve

2) “SEO Is Simple” FREE webinar at 11 am EST today (Tuesday January 27, 2009)

3) “Experiencing God Through Journaling: Write The Vision Down” FREE webinar at 6 pm EST today (Tuesday January 27, 2009)

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-13)

Do you feel called to be an intercessor for me and this ministry to bless millions of families?

Twelve days ago I experienced the strongest personal spiritual attack since committing my life to Christ 8 years ago. Someone then told me that if I am truly called by God to be a catalyst to save one billion souls, then I am going to need a lot more intercessors.

This was a huge wake up call for me. One of my take home lessons was to increase my time for intercession to at least 1-2 hours per day. Intercession is so much more than prayer. It’s getting the heart of God for people, organizations, and communities. Ephesians 6:10-13 says we are in spiritual battles, not battles against people.

So on October 31, I began assembling a new written prayer list with people and organizations to pray for daily. This week I’m preparing another new prayer list with people and organizations to pray for weekly. As the apostles said in Acts 6:4, “we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

One of the things I wrote down to pray for myself daily was for a large team of intercessors. Then on November 4 (Election Day), when I was at the Transformation Virginia event at City Hill On A Hill Church where Rick Heeren spoke, Butch Mills told me he is “interceding” (not just praying) for me every day. Boy did that bless me. Thank you Butch!

The next day during my peer coaching call with Dr. Jerry Graham, he counseled me to formalize my intercessory team by asking people on my Your Daily Blessing list to volunteer to be intercessors. What’s amazing is that I was thinking the exact same thing shortly before he mentioned that.

My question, for you is, “Are you willing to be an intercessor for me and Your Daily Blessing to bless millions of families?” Before you respond, let me share what’s involved and expected.

I plan to send a separate weekly email just to my intercessory team with personal, ministry, and community things to pray for. This will include what I consider upcoming major community transformational opportunities and events.

For those of you who formally agree to come alongside me as intercessors, I expect you to pray through the list of prayer requests in the weekly email. Ideally, I would like for you to pray daily for these.

So many good and great things are happening and God wants to take this ministry to a much higher level. Therefore we must take our levels of intercession to a much higher level. I need the support from those of you who understand and believe in the power of prayer.

To become part of the Intercessory Team for Your Daily Blessing, please click on “Update Profile/Email Address,” then check the “Intercessory Team” box, and finally “Submit.” If you have trouble figuring this out, then suggest send me a reply email stating “Intercessory Team” in the subject. Thank you in advance for those who choose to join our Intercessory Team.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are leading me and a select group of prayer warriors to a much higher level of intercession and prayer to tear down spiritual strongholds. Thank You for Your favor that will be bestowed on each person who chooses to participate. To You be all glory, honor, and praise. Amen and hallelujah!

Blessings for divine breakthroughs and provision!
 
Dr. Randy Peck
The Connector
“Blessed to be a blessing”

About Your Daily Blessing
The purpose of this e-prayer devotional is to bless millions of families to be a blessing to millions more by connecting people, ideas, and resources.

Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)

How do you “fireproof” your marriage?
When will you fireproof your marriage?

God truly works in mysterious ways. Today’s story is an amazing tangle of circumstances with God reaching out to bless marriages right here in Culpeper, but also in Virginia, America, and beyond.

On Tuesday evening November 4 (Election Day), Julia (my wife) and I went to hear Rick Heeren speak at City On A Hill Church in Culpeper, Virginia. Pastor GW Dameron was the gracious host. This was the first time I had ever been to the new location for City On A Hill Church, now located in the same building as AT&T (formerly Cingular), on Route 522 adjacent to Yowell Meadow Park.

What Rick shared was fantastic to fan the flames for community transformation. As Julia and I were getting ready to leave the building, the Holy Spirit prompted Julia to pick up a gorgeous handout on the table at the back of the sanctuary titled “Fireproof Your Marriage: Never Leave Your Partner Behind.” The back of that handout said:

“Learn the secrets to a lasting marriage. Financial pressures, the stress of parenting, differences between men and women, boredom, temptations – they can all scorch a relationship. The fires will come – will your marriage last? Come to City On A Hill Church this week as we start a series called Fireproof Your Marriage. The God who designed marriage intended for it to be a loving, lifelong partnership. Join us as we discuss His plans for indestructible relationships. You’ll find practical insights for building an enduring red-hot marriage.”

The Fireproof Your Marriage handout opened a discussion with GW and us about the 6 week marriage series he is hosting at City On A Hill Church on Saturdays at 6:00 pm EST, starting November 8. Julia and I learned that “FIREPROOF” (the movie) was playing at our local theaters and we talked about watching that movie on Sat Nov 8.

Early yesterday afternoon, my wife asked if I wanted to go with her a few hours later to watch the matinee showing of “The Secret Life of Bees.” Normally I’m not a big movie buff, especially during the work day. But I agreed. When we got to the theater, I asked how much longer “FIREPROOF” would be playing at the theater and found out that was the last day.

So Julia and I watched 2 movies back-to-back – “The Secret Life of Bees” and “FIREPROOF.” For someone who only goes to a movie once every 2-3 months, and never to back-to-back movies, this was peculiar. Both movies were fantastic – extremely wholesome stories. Fireproof starred Kirk Cameron and was made by the creators of “Facing The Giants,” one of my favorite movies of all time.

As a result of the Nov 4 discussion with GW and the FIREPROOF movie yesterday, Julia and I now plan to participate in the “Fireproof Your Marriage” series that starts Saturday November 8 at City On A Hill Church in Culpeper. If you live nearby and are available, we invite you to join us.

Who is FIREPROOF for? According to a blog post titled “Singles loving FIREPROOF,” “it’s for everybody. Kids, parents, older couples, singles. Everybody. Each viewer learns about forgiveness. The movie speaks to all relationships and has application for us all as we accept and serve each other unconditionally.”

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for these two fantastic movies. Thank You for leading Julia and me to watch them together yesterday. Thank You for the “Fireproof Your Marriage” series that starts in Culpeper on Saturday November 8. May everyone who participates be richly blessed. Bless all those who were involved in the making of these two movies. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
www.fireproofmymarriage.com

Blessings to fireproof your marriage!

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

How can you empower your life story?
Will you commit to meet with Jesus daily?
When and where are you going to start?
How long are you going to meet with Jesus each day?
What resources do you need to meet with Jesus?

I’ve had a Wow! morning. God is so good! I’ll share part of the story this morning and more tomorrow. If you need encouragement today, read on.

Yesterday at Soul Purpose Church, Pastor Matt preached a message titled “My Life Story Empowered.” He shared that you’ll never know you’re soul purpose until you meet Jesus and then meet with Jesus daily. Key scriptures were Psalm 119:105 and Exodus 33:7-17.

Matt first addressed the question “How do I meet with God?” and then laid out these 4 simple steps

1) Opening prayer – preparation (confess sin) and permission (“Whatever You tell me to do, I’ll do.”)

2) Read (or listen to) Bible. According to Hebrews 4:12, the Word of God is living and active (if you let it be). According to Henry Blackaby, “The Bible is not something that leads to a connection with God; It is the connection with God.” Matt pointed out that while the U.S. Constitution is often referred to a living, breathing document, it’s not really. But contrast this with the Bible.

Matt answered the question “Where do I start in reading through the Bible?” by recommending John, 1 John, Luke, Acts, Romans, then Genesis in that order. What a great suggestion.

Matt’s answer to the question “What am I looking for as I read?” was SPACE PETS = Sin to confess, Promise to claim, Attitude to change, Command to obey, Example to follow, Prayer to pray, Error to avoid, Truth to be believed, Something to thank God for.

3) Journal – meditate and record answers to these questions:
a) What did God say to me? (Which of the SPACE PETS really got my attention today)
b) Why did God say that to me today?
c) What am I going to do today because of what God said to me? (What needs to change?)
d) With whom can I share what God said to me today?

4) Record your response prayer. Commit to follow what He has shown you today. Praise Him for who He is. Thank him for what He has done.

Then Matt did something that every preacher would benefit from. He gave each person 10 minutes to actually practice what he taught using Psalm 1. As I read that Psalm, I underlined “meditates on it (the Word of God) day and night” as my one Command to obey. I made the commitment to spend an hour each morning and night in My Secret Place reading the Bible and praying for specific people on a written list starting that evening.

So yesterday evening before I went to bed, I read all of 1 John out loud in our home. That resulted in a rocket launch this morning. Be sure to catch tomorrow’s message and opportunity.

Prayer Power
Jesus, thank You that every day each of us has the opportunity to meet with You by reading your Word with an open mind and an open heart. Thank You for helping me write today’s message. May those who read it be doers of Your Word, not just hearers. We bless You. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Everyone should have a blog. Here’s why

Blessings to empower your life story through a daily meeting with Jesus!

Do not forsake your own friend (Proverbs 27:10)

What does it mean that your very first friend should be God?
What does it mean to be fully engaged with your friends?
How does that change your priorities?

Matt Gregory, my pastor, is currently preaching a series during September titled “Fully Engaged.” His message last Sunday was titled “Fully Engaged With My Friends.” That will be my topic for the remainder of this week. Next week’s topic will be “Fully Engaged With My Community.”

The key verse Matt chose for our September series is 2 Chronicle 16:9 – “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” I don’t know about you, but when God’s eyes are searching for a loyal friend, I want Him to find me.

A lot of people feel lonely. Loneliness is a symptom of a deeper problem, just like a warning light in a car is a symptom. Usually, if you want good friends, you must first be a good friend. Often, whatever you are looking for in your life, you must first give away. That’s the law of sowing and reaping.

Here are 5 action steps to engage my friends:
1) Position myself to have and be a friend
2) Prove to be loyal and encouraging
3) Play together
4) Pray specifically for my friends
5) Pursue opportunities to talk about God

We’ll discuss each of these later this week.

You know, friends help their friends. And yes, sometimes it even costs something. I’ve found that when I pay for something, I usually invest more time and energy to apply whatever I’m learning to my life. Anyhow, I want to make you aware of a special opportunity I’m offering to bless you. Each Thursday evening during the month of October I am personally leading an online course titled “UNCOMMON Social Marketing (Web 2.0).” If you are interested, I’d be grateful for your support.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are always fully engaged with us even if we aren’t fully engaged with You. Guide me to be fully engaged with You so that I may be fully engaged with my friends. Protect me from things that take my focus off of You.  Thank You for the trials in my life. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Link of the Day
UNCOMMON Social Marketing (Web 2.0) – Teaching Profitable Attraction Marketing
[http://empower2000.com/7mountains/education/gcc]

Blessings to be fully engaged with your friends!

But You are He who took me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on my mother’s breasts. (Psalm 22:9)

When is the last time you changed a newborn’s diaper with one hand tied behind your back? How about tying both hands? Can’t be done? Keep reading!

I had plans to share a different message today, but I was so inspired by today’s Daily Gram [www.thecoachingpair.com] from Jerry Graham that I decided to bless you by sharing his message and video link.

As background, Jerry and Sharon send their Daily Gram to about 700 people 5 days a week. On average, about 140 people open these each day and 23% of those click through to their Link of the Day. That’s extremely high engagement for any bulk email, but especially for a daily one. With the ripple effect from email marketing, I suspect the good seeds that Jerry and Sharon sow daily are changing the lives of thousands if not ten of thousands of people. Amazing when you consider how little time is required.

Without further ado, here is Jerry’s message:

As you probably know by now, I’m a sucker for stories of “overcomers.” By overcomers, I mean those among us who refuse to let a little problem stop them from going after their dreams. I’ve featured a number of overcomers since we’ve started writing DGs, e.g., a dancing couple (one with only one arm and the other with only one leg), a motivational speaker without any arms or legs, a totally blind teen who has learned to navigate using clicking sounds he makes with his tongue, and a personal friend of ours who was born blind, but who went on to earn a law degree and become a concert pianist.

Well, Shelley Grieser, a budding coach from Denver, sent me two more incredible stories. I’ll share one today and the other in Friday’s Daily Gram. Today’s is about an incredibly awesome mother of a newborn who is handling all the usual motherhood responsibilities with excellence in spite of a handicap that would take most out of the game completely. You see, this amazing mom has no arms. What she does with her feet, would put many of us to shame.

There’s not much more I can say…the video clip seems to say it all. Heard any good excuses lately?
 
Prayer Power
Lord, we are so incredibly adaptive when we can keep our eyes on You and on our dream instead of feeling sorry for ourselves. Please remind us of some of these amazing stories the next time we complain…about anything.

Link of the Day 
Amazing mom with no arms cares for newborn
 

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Blessings to totally eliminate one excuse from your repertoire this week!

Opportunity
I am hosting another free “UNCOMMON Internet Marketing Seminar” online from 8-9 PM EDT on Tuesday April 1. To learn more and register, CLICK HERE. If you have friends who might benefit, please pass on the word.

“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” (Revelation 2:4-5)

Who is your first love?
How can others tell?

During the worship service at Soul Purpose Church on Sunday morning February 10, Mike Webb shared Jesus’ 3 R’s for Valentine’s Day. Those really hit home for me. Here they are:

1) Remember from where you have fallen
2) Repent of your wrong attitudes
3) Redo the first works

While preparing today’s devotional, I came across this outstanding excerpt from the foreword of Tony Evan’s e-book “Returning to Your First Love”:

If the Lord Jesus Christ were to come to your house or mine and sit down with us, what do you think He would say? I believe one of the first things He would ask is, “Do you love Me?” That’s the question the resurrected Christ asked Simon Peter three times at their seaside breakfast (John 21:15-17). Peter had denied the Lord at His crucifixion, and he needed to be restored.

Jesus undertook that restoration by bringing Simon back to the basic issue: “Do you love Me?” The Savior wasn’t satisfied until He had zeroed in on the issue of Peter’s love for Him and gotten the right answer. Only then did Jesus release Peter for ministry: “Feed My sheep.”

The lesson Jesus taught Peter – and the lesson the Holy Spirit wants to teach us – in this marvelous passage is the fundamental lesson that devotion precedes duty. One reason this is important is that we so often get the order reversed.

If we had been in Jesus? place that day by the seashore, most of us would have asked Simon Peter an entirely different set of questions. We probably would have asked him if he was truly sorry for what he did in denying Christ, and if he had confessed his sin and been forgiven.

Or we might have started off by asking Peter if he was still serious about being a disciple, if he still wanted to be a member of the team. The more devotionally minded among us would have quizzed Peter about his personal life, making sure he was spending time daily in prayer and study of the Scriptures.

And the service minded among us would probably have made sure Peter knew what his spiritual gifts were and was plugged into a ministry in which he was exercising those gifts.

But Jesus did not ask Peter about any of these things. Did Jesus not care about Peter’s spiritual condition and future service? Of course He did. But Jesus knew that unless Peter’s service was motivated by intense love for Him, it would lead to duty without devotion, practice without passion.

That’s also true for you and me, by the way. Our love for Christ is so foundational that Jesus Himself called it our “first love” in Revelation 2:4.

Prayer Power
Jesus, thank You for dying for me and forgiving all my sins. Thank You for delivering me from a messed up life. May I never forget my first love. To You be all glory, honor, and praise, now and forever. Amen.

Link of the Day
Returning To Your First Love – Foreword and Chapter 1

Blessings to remember, repent, and redo for Jesus’ sake!

“He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” (2 Corinthians, 1:3-5, The Message)

Who has God brought into your life at key times to pay it forward to you?
Are you in a major slump in your life? If so, how can you get out?
What things of value do you have to share others?
Who is God asking you to pay it forward to?

At 4:30 AM in the morning on October 15, the same day that Sharon Graham received her two bouquets of flowers, Nick Chaconas sent a daily devotional titled “Pay it Forward” on behalf of Jeff and Jill Williams, co-founders of Grace and Truth Relationship Education.

Apparently, Jeff and Jill asked Nick for help in writing the October 15 devotional because they were away at a weekend retreat for life coaches sponsored by Tony Stolzfus on October 12-14. Incidentally, I learned about this from Jerry and Sharon Graham, who were also at that retreat. I’ve never met Nick and didn’t know anything about him until talking to Jerry.

Diane Peck, my sister-in-law, was the first person to encourage me to watch the movie Pay it Forward. After renting the movie on DVD about 1-2 years after it came out, I ended up buying my own DVD and watching the movie several more times with various friends. The principle of paying it forward – multiplication through uncommon generosity – subsequently became a guiding principle for me in being a catalyst to expand God’s Kingdom.

In his outstanding and transparent message, Nick shares the history of the phrase and principle “pay it forward.” He also shares a transparent message about a major personal slump he was in last year and how God delivered him from that. Visit today’s Link of the Day to read Nick’s message.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for Nick Chaconas and his wonderful message. Bless him, his family, and his marketplace ministry. Thank You all the people You have brought into my life to help me through difficult challenges or slumps. Thank You for each and every person who has payed in forward to me. Forgive me for the times I have sorry for myself or have been focused on my own advancement instead of Yours. Bless my readers to be people who pay it forward. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
Pay it Forward – outstanding message by Nick Chaconas  [http://www.yourdailyblessing.com/content.cfm?id=2443]

Blessing to live a life paying if forward and enjoying the fruit form that!
 
From: Jeff Williams [mailto:jeff@graceandtruthrelationship.com]
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 4:30 AM
To: randypeck@gmail.com
Subject: Pay It Forward [Daily Grace & Truth]

Purpose
The purpose of this devotional is to catalyze reflection and action to strengthen and heal marriage, family, social, ministry and work relationships.

Highlighted Resource
The New Rebellion Handbook, by Jerome Daley, is a wealth of resources to awake a generation to its heavenly destiny. It addresses 24 real world, cutting-edge themes of life with fresh ideas, biblical insights, and life applications.

Devotional Author’s Bio
Nick Chaconas – married with 3 boys, serves vocationally as a realtor in greater Washington, D.C. His avocation is to sharing his faith and relationship/business principles and skills that are helping him to enjoy meaning, pleasure and success in all endeavors.
 
Pay It Forward

A recent TV commercial for a national insurance company portrays a series of good deeds witnessed by different men and women, who in turn are prompted to perform good deeds for others. This ongoing series of doing for others as it has been done for them has been described as, “Paying it Forward.”
 
“Many people mistakenly believe the phrase “pay it forward” as a moral philosophy first appeared in Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novel Pay It Forward, which in 2000 was adapted into the film, Pay It Forward. Science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, however, used the phrase in Between Planets, a book published in 1951, almost 50 years before Ryan Hyde’s novel.”*
 
Paying it Forward was recommended much earlier than 1951. The Apostle Paul wrote about it in his second letter to the Corinthians: 
 
“He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” (2 Corinthians, 1:3-5, The Message)
 
There was a time last year that I was going through some difficult times both personally and professionally. I often struggled to just make it through the day. Helping others wasn’t on my mind. It took every ounce of energy to focus on myself, I wasn’t interested in helping anyone else, and even if I did want to help – I resigned myself to the belief that I could not be helpful to anyone else. 
 
Have similar thoughts or questions gone through your mind?
• I don’t have anything of value to share with anyone else.
• I’ve got my own issues – who would want my input/support?
• I’ve done too much harm to too many people to warrant helping someone else.
• I don’t have it figured all out – who can I help?

As I continue to recover from my struggles, I have been stunned by the number of opportunities to support and encourage friends going through hard times. Once it meant being available to listen and act as a sounding board. Recently I’ve been investing time to disciple a friend to develop and strengthen his love for Christ.
 
It is humbling, surprising, rewarding and right to give to others. Sometimes I don’t feel qualified, but I now believe that this is God’s plan for me; that I should live a life of continually “paying it forward”, and that I am to selflessly give to others out of what I have received from Him.
 
How have others come alongside you? What have you learned in difficulties that you might not have learned otherwise? How are you “paying it forward”?
 
Zig Ziglar, a well known contemporary motivational speaker says, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.”
 
Can you start simply by holding a door open for someone at the office? How about doing the dishes or folding the laundry for your spouse?
 
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for your Son. Thank you for the trials and tribulations of our lives. I recently heard someone say “if the mountain were smooth, you couldn’t climb it”. Father, I pray that you would open my eyes and my heart to be increasingly more aware of opportunities to pay it forward, to give back a portion of what I have received. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
 
*Website Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward
 

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is worth more than precious rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She will not hinder him but help him all her life….When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions. She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. (Prov. 31:10-42, 26-30, NLT)

What part do you play in creating an environment of perfect love?

On Monday October 15, Jerry and Sharon Graham officially celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. As mentioned in my devotional on August 20, they are two of the nicest, neatest, and influential people I have met in 2007. From the privacy of their home, they are coaching hundreds of leaders to grow and be all they can be. In addition, they are helping thousands of people learn about and apply principles of “wellness” – staying healthy.

Here’s a  touching story about the sovereignty of God. Early in the morning on October 15, Jerry mustered the courage to send a daily email reflection titled “A Very Special Tribute” to publically acknowledge and honor Sharon after 25 years of marriage. To read Jerry’s message, visit today’s Link of the Day. It’s a great lesson about honor and marriage for all of us.

Around 5:30 PM, Jerry and Sharon left home to have their anniversary dinner at a restaurant. However, after driving about 11 miles, they realized they forgot their coupon for the restaurant, so they turned around to come back home and get that. In the brief while they were home, two different floral trucks drove up at separate times to drop off two huge bouquets of flowers from friends in Pennsylvania. Those acts of kindness really touched Sharon’s heart.

Jerry told me that he’s quite sure the two different couples who sent those bouquets did so in response to his devotional sent earlier in the day. How’s that for an anniversary gift from God?

This is yet another confirmation of God’s uncommon revelation that a daily email with short stories and a prayer in the #1 way to grow your network and build strong relationships. It’s also a great example of the Pay It Forward principle which I’ll discuss tomorrow.

Prayer Power
Lord, I thank you for the most magnificent gift of my wife. You have touched so many lives through her…including mine. Grant her great favor as she so unselfishly serves others as a friend, mentor, or even just as an acquaintance. Bless her in all that she says and does. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
A Very Special Tribute – devotional by Jerry Graham honoring his wife
www.thecoachingpair.com/october/a-very-special-tribute-10-15-07.html

Blessings to honor your spouse!
 

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8)

How will you respond to God’s call?

On June 2, I went to bed at 9 p.m. Around 1 a.m., the Holy Spirit woke me up. I strongly sensed that God wanted to meet with me. So I immediately went to My Secret Place, bowed down on my face, and asked God to forgive me for some recent mistakes. After humbling myself, I sang to God with all my heart.

Then I went to our family room intending to watch a few episodes of “Managing Our Finances God’s Way” on DVD. However, God had other plans. When I turned on the TV, the channel was set to a station showing the wild world of wrestling. When I switched the station to TBN, I was immediately captivated by the true surfing story of Daniel Rice, an actor in the movie “Refined.” He was being interviewed by Ivan Van Vuuren with Xtreme Life TV.

I learned that Daniel grew up in Hawaii and loved to surf. He confessed that when he was 17 years old, he started meddling with alcohol and drugs. As Daniel did so, his life began spiraling out of control. As he was getting psyched for a major surfing competition, a young lady stopped by his home to give him two things – a flier about a Christian concert and a Jesus video. After she left, Daniel tossed the video on the sofa, intending not to watch it. However, when his roommate came home and began watching the video, Daniel chose to join him. For the first time, this Jesus guy began making sense.

Soon after this, Daniel was involved in a near fatal drowning accident during the major surfing competition. As he was being revived, Daniel knew God had given him a second chance and he surrendered his life to Jesus. The rest is history and Daniel is now a member of “Eternal Riders.”

A new and young generation is arising that is tired of religion, tired of hypocrisy, tired of the boring lives their parents are living. They want the real deal. They want to live an Xtreme life. In the process, they’re finding Jesus and becoming radically on fire for Him. As they do, they’re igniting other young people for Jesus. Soon this blaze of young people will be unstoppable. Jesus is coming back very soon.

As the song “Me and Jesus” states “Someone loves you, even when you don’t think so. Don’t you know, you’ve got me and Jesus by your side through the fight.”

Jesus is calling you today. No matter what You are doing or even if you’ve turned your back on Him. God is calling you to Him just as you are.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, I sense that some of the people reading this message feel very lonely and that You’re far away. Let them know clearly that You love them. For those who have turned their backs on You, bless them to come running back to Your open arms as did the prodigal son. Thank You Jesus for loving us the way we are. Thank You for second and third chances. Thank You that Your tender mercies are new each and every day. Refine us in Your holy fire. May we bless You Jesus and praise Your holy name all the days of our lives. Amen.

Link of the Day
Xtreme Life Television [www.xtremelife.tv] – “Sports with a message” – Be sure to watch some of the outstanding short videos.

Blessing to allow yourself be refined in God’s holy fire!