He Will Carry You!

When death takes a loved-one away from us, it is always terrible. It seems even worse (if that is possible) if they are taken away during the fall months.

The fall is a beautiful season and welcomed by most people at the end of a long hot summer. It is a time of excitement and anticipation as we make plans to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is a time for family and of giving. It is a time to reflect and to give praise to God for His blessings.

When death interferes with your plans, it knocks you in the stomach! It may knock you down and you find it is just too hard to get back up again, especially if you have just lost your spouse and you are all alone. You may even wonder if God has left you too, because you feel so lonely and so empty inside.

I have a friend who is burying her husband this week and I feel so badly for her. We can never know exactly how another person is feeling, even when we have had a similar experience, but I know that she is comforted by the Holy Spirit.

My memory is still vivid of the days when my late husband died 23 years ago on the day following Thanksgiving. But I want to tell you; the memory of the Holy Spirit being my Comforter is much clearer.

In the last hours of his life, the Holy Spirit was so close that it is hard for me to put into words to explain. I was praying in the Spirit and the room filled with such glory that I thought that we would both be raptured and leave this earth!

The Holy Spirit was so close to me in the following months. I could actually feel His arms around me, like a beautiful hug, calming me in my times of loneliness and fear.

He continues to surround me with His presence and love. I depend on His help in everything that I do and He has never failed me.

If you are grieving today for a loved-one who has died, or you feel grief for a son or daughter who has walked away from your family, the Holy Spirit will comfort you. It matters not what is causing your pain, He knows what you need and He wants to carry you out of your despair.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

Happy Thanksgiving!

The frost is on the pumpkins
Mom's in the kitchen baking pies.
We're all sitting close to the fireplace
'Cause it's kind of cold outside.

Then Dad comes in with a great big book
As he opens and starts to read,
We all get quiet, as quiet as we can,
We don't wanna' miss a word, you see.

He's telling us about the Pilgrims
And how they sailed the seas.
They were looking for a better place
Where they could raise their families.

They prayed that God would lead them
They prayed both day and night.
Then all of a sudden God answered their prayers
For there was land in sight.

Yes, God brought them to America,
And it's the greatest Nation of all.
That's why we all have Thanksgiving
To show God how thankful we are.

Written By:
Rev. Betty Byers
© 2001

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, let us do it with thanks in our hearts. Give thanks to our Heavenly Father for His mercies and for His blessings to us.

Remember to thank Him for American where we have the freedom to worship our Savior. Thank Him for our family and friends.

I’m sure that if you sit for a moment and allow your mind to think of things to be thankful for, you will be able to think of many, and it will bring joy to your heart.

"OH, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."Psalm 118:1

My prayer for you is to have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

Make a Joyful Shout to the Lord!

On Sunday evening, my pastor preached on “The Power of Praise”, taking his text from Psalm 100, a Psalm of Thanksgiving. He said, “When you want to feel God’s presence, begin to praise Him.”

“Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”

A friend shared this video with me just the day before, and I want to share it with you. There are hundreds of voices singing, the “Hallelujah Chorus” in a public place. Beautiful!

On Saturday, October 30, 2010, the Opera Company of Philadelphia brought together over 650 choristers from 28 participating organizations to perform one of the Knight Foundation's "Random Acts of Culture" at Macy's in Center City Philadelphia.

Accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ - the world's largest pipe organ - the OCP Chorus and throngs of singers from the community infiltrated the store as shoppers, and burst into a pop-up rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's "Messiah" at 12 noon, to the delight of surprised shoppers

Pause my Playlist at bottom of page first, and then turn up your speakers to enjoy. (It begins at 35 seconds.)



This reminded me of what my young niece, who is a missionary, wrote in her newsletter last month. She was writing about how BIG our God is and this is part of what she wrote.

“I believe God wants to expand our perspective of who He is and what He can do.

What about America?

What if God began to bring a wave of repentance over our small cozy neighborhoods and people began excitedly proclaiming Jesus???

What if God began to give our nation’s leaders visions of Himself, bringing them to their knees in humble submission to His Lordship?

What if whole offices and other workplaces began to have spontaneous prayer meetings, seeking the Lord for revival? WHY NOT?

What if every single unreached people group had a chance to hear the Gospel? What if masses of people accepted Jesus, and many of them went to reach other countries? WHY NOT?

If God is going to increase in these nations, our fleshly ways must decrease. More of Him, and less of us. We plant and we water, but God gives the INCREASE!

Lord, increase Your vision in our hearts! Lord, increase our faith in full expectation to see miracles! Lord, increase Your kingdom on this earth! Lord, increase our humility. Lord, increase your Holy Spirit’s power in our lives!”

My prayer is… O God bring revival to America and let us be witness to thousands of people singing your praises of thanksgiving and worshiping You!

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn