tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39262240917919068352024-02-21T04:10:05.026-08:00Prayer Therapy - Online Prayer GroupA positive blog of prayer, prayer requests, and prayer intercession. Pray specifically. Pray scripturally.
Copyright 2007/2008/2009/2010/2011/2012/ 2013/2014/2015/2016/2017/2018
Doris Gaines Rapp,Ph.D.Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.comBlogger517125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-44569558495173502172018-01-07T07:16:00.003-08:002018-01-07T07:18:28.242-08:00Thank You, Sally Walker<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-size: 11.5pt;">Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the
sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to
you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to
them?" </span><span class="reftext"><span style="background: #FDFEFF; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I
AM”, and he said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me
to you…</span><span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-size: 11.5pt;"> This is my name forever, and this is my
memorial-name to all generations.…</span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
<b>I AM</b>.” Exodus 3:14 </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">(New American Standard Bible)</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I heard it said … Yahweh (God’s name) is
actually the sound of air, or the breath of God. He who is the very air we
breathe identified himself to Moses as “I AM” … Life itself … and we, inheritors
of all Jesus, the Son of God, had and has, should not let anyone or any
circumstance identify us by any other
name — I am a child of I AM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Tomorrow I go into the hospital for a
second round of surgeries on my back. One necessity for now, and at least six
weeks following, will be the use of a walker I named Sally. My physician called
Sally “my BFF.” Maybe so, but I refused to be identified as the
little-old-lady-with-the-walker. I have hired Sally to be my professional/personal
assistant: the one who steadies my walk, provides a seat when I’m tired, and
acts as a truck for hauling stuff from room to room. It does not define me at
the very essence of my identity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I am a child of the Living God. I breathe
in the breath of God. I’m not rich in monetary things. … God isn’t about the
things of this world. He’s about the richness of life with Him. Sally Walker is
my employee, my tool for service and I refuse to let anyone identify me
otherwise. Their misperception is not a label for me. It is an indication of
who they are and who they serve or don’t serve. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Who or what events do you let identify
you? Know who you are and whose you are, and serve Him alone. Let’s pray:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“Heavenly father, God of all who breathe
in your sweet air, Holy is your name. May your kingdom of Love come to all of
us, filling the entire world with your grace. For today, I ask you to so fill
me with your sweetness that both this body you have given me to live in and
this life you have created me to be may overflow with who you are: the creator,
the healer, the forgiver, and the living God … always alive, always in the
present, always I AM. Forgive me when I confuse wishes for myself with
blessings from you. Help me to never identify others beyond another breath of
life … of God. You are LIFE and BREATH, FORGIVENESS and GLORY forever. Amen”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Doris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Copyright 2018 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.prayertherapyrapp.blogspot.com/">www.prayertherapyrapp.blogspot.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com/">www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Author of nine novels and several
non-fiction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Website: <a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.com/">www.dorisgainesrapp.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/">www.amazon.com</a>
or <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/">www.barnesandnoble.com</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-59242264080154752662017-10-22T09:16:00.003-07:002017-10-22T09:16:50.367-07:00WORDS OF LIFE<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Train up a child in the way he
should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22: 6 (NKJV)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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What
language does your children or grandchildren hearing when you speak? Are you
burying words in their mind and heart — that can never be un-heard — that are
not worthy of treasuring? At this time of year, we have chosen to emphasize ghouls
and goblins and things that go bump in the night, rather than beauty and color
and things that lift us to realms of light. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With
Halloween coming up in a week, how are you preparing your children? We live in
a culture that glorifies death with skulls a common decoration around us. How
can we lift up the living God and the resurrected Jesus, rather than death and
evil?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I would like
to suggest a phrase you could say when you hand out autumn candy on October 31.
We could say, “Blessings to you at Harvest time!” Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Holy
Father, love divine, sacred is your name. May your kingdom of love and mercy
fall down on everyone this fall, that we may harvest your love and grace. For
today, we ask you to give us the courage to stand up for life and songs of love,
rather than death and dirges. Forgive me when I have joined the world that worshiped
death in previous years and direct me to use words that lift up love and
praise. In the precious name of Jesus, the Christ, I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
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Copyright
2017 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
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Other Blog: <a href="mailto:dorisgainesrapp@blogspot.com">dorisgainesrapp@blogspot.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Website: dorisgainesrapp.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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All books
available at amazon.com, b&n.com, and cokesbury.com <o:p></o:p></div>
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Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-41321376974755014942017-03-27T08:51:00.004-07:002017-03-27T08:51:50.094-07:00Women of Honor<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">“But
Ruth replied (to her mother-in-law), "Don't urge me to leave you or to
turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.
Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Ruth 1:16</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">NIV</span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">March
is National Women’s History Month. I would like to honor parsonage women,
spouses of pastors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">As
the wife of a minister, I remember my first women’s meeting at a new church we
began serving. A woman asked an innocent question. “What do you believe is the
role of the pastor’s wife and their children?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My
answer was simple, “My children are on display for no one.” As to the roll of
the pastor’s wife, I said, “God has given me some talents and training, one is
vocal music. I would like to sing in the choir. Another is my degree in
Education so I’d like to teach a Sunday school class if needed.” Then, I
thought of the hundreds of women who have moved to join congregations and are
completely misunderstood. I smiled and added, “Sorry, even with a minor in
music, I do not play the piano; and, I have no particular talent in the
kitchen. With my husband gone nearly every evening, I will be home with our
children. I’ll not be at the church every time the lights are on.” Sounds
harsh? No, it’s honest—no surprises, no disappointments, no failed
expectations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I
honor all those wives and parsonage families who have to find a new physician every
few years in a completely strange community. They must search out the most
economic local grocery; which vet is best for their pets; organize play-dates
for their lonely children; seek which merchants to trade with in order to not
offend members of the church; . . . those who wait at home night after night
for their minister husband to come home from meetings. I honor all those women
who rear their children to walk in the footprints of Christ, who show up for
recitals, track meets, and gather around the kitchen table every night to
complete homework. I honor the love and loyalty they give to their husbands whom
God called into ministry. The Lord God also called their spouse into the
blessed unit called “family.” I honor parsonage women who create “family” for
their children and respect their husband, even when absent. Let us pray”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Father
God, creator of all there is, you have called some into a walk with you that
requires uprooting young plants from their bed of security. Holy is your name
and blessed are those who walk in your paths. I ask that you bless all those
women who honor you by keeping their children safe so that the world may not
touch them, even though they are dug-up and replanted in new soil. May that
newness be a blessing and fresh nourishment, not a curse on those who love and
follow you. We give up all sense of “home-town” and claim Heaven as our home.
In the name of Jesus Christ whom we follow, I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Doris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His
love. Let me tell you mine.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Copyright 2017 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another blog: <a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com/">www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com</a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Website: <a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.com/">www.dorisgainesrapp.com</a>
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Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-12537946135156520282016-12-25T14:50:00.001-08:002016-12-25T14:50:34.060-08:00Unto Us<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;">"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;">What did you get for Christmas? I received God's son: His love, His forgiveness, His grace, His peace and His song. Why have we not learned --- the one who gave the most, the biggest, the most precious ... was God?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;">The true meaning of Christmas is giving, not receiving. The real joy of Christmas is seeing the light in another's eyes when you give them a gift. The real "magic" of Christmas is in finding the miracle of love. The only gift of Christmas is Christ the child, the son of God. And, yes, the King of Kings was given for you, for me, and for all of us. Let us pray:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;">"Father God, Abba - Daddy, I crawl upon your lap as a tiny child, and breathe in the essence of your sweetness. You are pure Love. With your love you created all there is, and nothing that is was not yours first. I was yours before I was born. When you gave me life, you gave me the freedom to choose life or death. Your precious son, Jesus, taught me how to live in you and you in me. There is no gift more perfect than Jesus. For His love and life, I give you thanks. Forgive me for the times when I forget how to live my life in you. May this Christmas day, when we celebrate the birth of Love, be the day I live a life of your peace. In the name of Jesus, the babe of the manger I pray. Amen"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;">Doris</span></div>
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<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His
love. Let me tell you mine.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also, read www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com</div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-32907483840887167382016-12-09T09:31:00.000-08:002016-12-09T09:31:05.569-08:00In Those Days<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;">“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a
census should be taken of the entire Roman world.</span>”... <span class="reftext"><b><span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #aa4400; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“</span></b></span><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;">And everyone went to his own town to
register. So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the City
of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David. He
went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in marriage ad was
expecting a child.” Luke 2:1 and 3-5 (</span><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">NIV</span><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;">)</span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The story of Christmas, the birthday celebration of our
Lord Jesus Christ, starts with a statement of fact, a link to actual history—“In
those days…” not, “Once upon a time.” The addition of a jolly elf whose purpose
is to bring joy and happiness to all the children of the world, and his flying
reindeer, a species of Rangifer tarandus, known in North America as Caribou, is
a fun story that allows the shifting of generosity from the child’s parents to
Santa Claus. One story is anchored in history and the other is a once upon a
time story floating in fantasy. Always remember, there is only one reason for
Santa Claus to have a motive for sharing joy—because joy, peace, love, and song
came to earth in the form of a tiny baby over two thousand years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This year, help your children to be “givers’ rather than “takers.”
They can give gifts of service, helping family and neighbors by doing jobs within
their age ability, and gifts of love, visiting aged grandparents and friends.
They can let the Baby Jesus shine through them, bringing others to the manger
of love. Love and joy are what the season is all about. Children of all ages
can understand that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The miracle of Christmas is not an elf. It’s the presence
of angels who announced to the world that we no longer need to be afraid. Jesus
has entered the world, and specifically has entered our own lives. He will
always bring to our hearts the song heard on a silent hillside—Hallelujah, the
son of God is born to you…and to even me. Rather than a list of I-wants, help
your children write a list of I-gives. Every time they hear a bell ring, they
can know that another angel has announced in song that the Christ child is in
their heart, ringing out a song of peace and love. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Holy Father,
love divine, you shine your star-light above my home every Christmas and miraculously,
on the homes of everyone who believe in you. Every time I hear a bell ring, may
I remember that your son, Jesus, came into the world to bring joy and
forgiveness, and to remind me to love and serve you. Forgive me when I have
been an I-want child of Santa’s rather than an I-will child of the Child of
Christmas. Let me be a part of bringing your joy and love to earth this
Christmas. In the name of your son, Jesus, our savior, and the true reason for
Christmas, I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Doris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His
love. Let me tell you mine.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Another blog: </b><a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com/"><b>www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com</b></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Website: </b><a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.com/"><b>www.dorisgainesrapp.com</b></a><b> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-70383391286944983222016-11-30T13:49:00.002-08:002016-11-30T13:51:40.885-08:00The Christmas List<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;">For, “All people are like
grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers
and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever” 1 Peter 1:24-25 (NIV)</span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;"> </span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;">No matter how important and
busy we think we are, only those we love are of true value. I’ve thought a lot about
how quickly time slips away and withers like grass. If your dad is eighty-five
years old, you may have only two to five Christmases left with him. When did you
call him last? When were you last there for the Christmas ham?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;"> </span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;">If your sister has health
problems, you may have only two or three New Year’s Eve celebrations with her.
If your brother is going back to the middle-east in mid-December, there may not
be another Christmas to say, “I’m glad you’re here.”<o:p></o:p></span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;"> </span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;">If your son or daughter has
a Christmas pageant on December 21, the last day of school before Christmas
break, but you have a business meeting the same evening, there may not be
another Christmas between you to say, “I’m here for you because I love you.”<o:p></o:p></span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;"> </span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;">Don’t let time wither like
grass or fall to the ground like the browned peddles of dead flowers. Time is a
gift. Once the present has been rejected, ignored or squandered, that moment will
never be given back—no do-overs—no maybe-next-year. Today is the only <i>real </i>there is. It won’t wait for you,
and you can never catch up. You can only write that letter to a dying friend
while they are still here to read and enjoy it. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;"> </span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;">Who is on your Christmas
list? Let this be the Christmas that joy and love return to your heart, when time
with those you love, top what you want. How many Christmases remain in your
relationship with someone? Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;"> </span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;">“Holy Father, Abba of
Christ, I bow before your holy name. May your kingdom come into the world
during this blessed time so that all may find your peace at the side of the
manger. For this Christmas, I want nothing for myself. I only ask that those who
are sick are free from pain; those who are lonely may find a friend; those I
have forgotten may be first in my thoughts. Forgive me for when I have been
selfish; for when I have crossed your son’s name out of his own birthday and
chose to celebrate things; and for when I have wasted the precious time you
have given me. In the name of the Christ in Christmas I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;">Doris<o:p></o:p></span></strong></h1>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;"> </span></strong></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His
love. Let me tell you mine.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Length of Days trilogy, by Doris
Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and
Barnes and Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Length of Days – The Age of
Silence (© 2014)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Length of Days – Beyond the
Valley of the Keepers (© 2015)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Length of Days – Search for
Freedom (© 2016)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>News at Eleven - A Novel<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Hiawassee – Child of the Meadow<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Smoke from Distant Fires<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Escape from the Belfry<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Escape from the Shadows – sequel
will be out in late 2016 or early 2017<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Another blog: </b><a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com/"><b>www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com</b></a><b> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Website: </b><a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.com/"><b>www.dorisgainesrapp.com</b></a><b> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p> </o:p></h1>
<br />
<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p> </o:p></h1>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-48464087371830529682016-10-10T11:00:00.003-07:002016-10-10T11:01:59.668-07:00What Happened to Respect?<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">“However,
let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she
respects her husband.” </span><span style="color: #625529; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5%3A33&version=ESV">Ephesians
5:33</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="note"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">ESV</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
My friends,
do we really want to contribute to the demise of the American male? Sit-coms consistently
present the bright and capable wife and mother, and the dumb and bumbling husband
and father. In politics, we have one candidate who has talked about helping
women and children for her entire career. Where are the words of encouragement
for the husbands and fathers who respect their wife and are loyal and hard-working
for their family? The other candidate made inappropriate, swaggering comments
about women ten years ago, insulting his wife and family. How can I help them
to understand?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
I won’t try
to be politically correct since PC is a made-up phenomenon to silence those who
are different than we are. I only lift up these ideas as food for thought. In
the greater human race, there should be no race to superiority between males
and females. We are in desperate times and desperately need the wisdom and strength
of both men and women. It is NOT a male/female contest. It is a challenge of
ideas and policies.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
One example
to ponder as bits and pieces of possible accuracy: <u>Forbes</u> reported in
2012 that the ratio of male-female college students has shifted toward a greater
female college population since the 1970’s and has gradually increased since
that time. Little boys are taught to respect girls. As teens, they are told
that they must not “out-shine” women; they must not argue with women; they can’t
even open the door for a woman but must just get out of their way. There is no
way for young men to succeed in an academic setting when they are told not to
succeed – that’s bragging; not to excel in sports of strength – that’s hostile;
not to admire a beautiful girl because she will interpret his appreciation of
her as demeaning. So … he does not enter the closed system of academia as it is
a hostile environment for males.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
Dear friends,
if our nation, under God, is going to survive, we must enlist the strengths of
both men and women, respect the differences in perspective and come to
agreements about how to handle our serious problems, with prayer and devotion
to God who inspired our nation. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
“Dear Lord
and Father of our great country, I bow my head in respect for your sovereignty.
You are holy and long to spread your love and strength over our nation once
again. Sometimes, we will not allow you in. For my part, if I have left you out
of our national debate, I am sorry. For today, I give you my worry and my fears
about our future and know you will make our nation yours again if we will just
let go and let you. Fill my heart with wisdom to say what needs to be said when
it’s time to say it, and the control to hold my tongue when I have nothing to
add that will advance your plan for us. Forgive me if I have let others tell me
to silence my belief in you. I will try to see neither male nor female in the
faces all around me, only your beloved children. In the name of your precious
son, Jesus, I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His
love. Let me tell you mine.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Another blog: <a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com/">www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com</a></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Website: <a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.com/">www.dorisgainesrapp.com</a> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-60722177343112671672016-09-12T08:55:00.002-07:002016-09-12T08:55:13.937-07:00Wait Upon the Lord<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
“But they
that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
“Do you have
many readers for your blog?” a friend, Matthew, asked one day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
“Not really.
In a week’s time, I have between fifty-five and eight-five readers who log-on,”
I said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
“Wow,”
another blogger-friend added. “Only my mother and sister read my blog.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
Matthew
thought for a moment and said, “I’ve wondered if blogging is worth my time.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
Some believe
that Isaiah 40:31 (above) refers to the physical coming of the Lord. Others
believe this verse means to wait upon the Lord as a servant would wait, or take
care of, their boss. In Isaiah’s time he would be talking about the coming of
the messiah. In the New Testament, it would mean the second coming of the Christ.
I like to think of Isaiah 40:31 as waiting on him as a good and faithful
servant of the Lord God. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
When we live life
in the here-and-now, we do the immediate thing in front of us. In the Lord’s Prayer,
Jesus said to pray for our “daily bread,” not the whole loaf.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
“I look at
blogging as an act of obedience,” I continued with Matthew as I thought of the nine
years I’ve been posting on this Prayer Therapy blog. “The Lord whispers words
in my ear. I write them down and post them on my blog. The blog stats tell me
that people in various countries around the world read the posts. I get
feedback from readers who say that the few paragraphs I sent out where just
what they needed to hear that week. So, it doesn’t matter to me how many people
read it. If one person is blessed, then it has been a blessing to me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been hard to keep up with the weekly blog since my
back surgery last year. But, once in a while, the Lord hands me a new topic. After
spotting a quote from John Wesley, I posted—Be a Uniter, Not a Divider—on July
29. I usually check a few days later to see what countries have viewed the
post. On that July 29<sup>th</sup>, after nine years of blogging, there were the
following readers: twenty-one from Russia; six from France; five from China; four from Japan; two from Germany; two
from Romania; one from Latvia and … from
the United States there were 25,897. I don’t know who. I don’t know why. To my
small thinking, I think God was letting me enjoy a few days as the numbers
crept up. Now, what fun was that?! I was obedient and God let me enjoy the day.
I said, “The day.” He didn’t open the door to a flamboyant writing career. He
let me enjoy the day, and that was more than enough for me. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Father God, I wait on you, for
the second coming of your son, Jesus, and I gladly wait on you as a servant
takes care of their master. If I do nothing but wait all of my days, it will be
the privilege of my life to serve you. For this day, show me someone to
encourage, to bless with your love, to touch with your healing power, to listen
to as they speak. Forgive me when I have dwelled on the hurts of the past and
have failed to see you in the face of someone around me. Forgive me when I have
pleaded for a future gift and have missed the blessed ministry of today. Let me
see you all round me and serve you there. In the name of your son, my savior
Jesus the Christ, I pray. Amen.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His
love. Let me tell you mine.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days trilogy, by Doris
Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and
Barnes and Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – The Age of
Silence (© 2014)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – Beyond the
Valley of the Keepers (© 2015)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – Search for
Freedom (© 2016)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Also on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Cokesbury:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Escape from the Belfry<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Hiawassee – Child of the Meadow<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Smoke from Distant Fires<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
News at Eleven – A Novel – Serialized on <a href="http://www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com/">www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Escape from the Shadows – release date late 2016<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The Garden of Aden – release date 2017<o:p></o:p></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-26908572941459811192016-08-03T08:33:00.002-07:002016-08-03T08:33:15.528-07:00A Snake in the Garden<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD
God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from
any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Today we hear, “Did the Lord God really say, ‘Thou shall not bear false
witness?’” (Exodus 20:16) Surely, he didn’t mean ALL of the time. What about
during political elections? The other political party slanders and lies, that’s
what politicians do – right? In order to win, aren’t we required to take down
the opponent at all costs? The crafty serpent still tries to get us to doubt
what the Lord God has told us to do, and not to do. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The first novel in my Length of Days trilogy, <i>The Age of Silence</i>, warns us what can happen if we say nothing in
order to maintain political correctness. You and I both know a lot of what we
hear today about candidates is false, even deliberate lies in order to lead a
voter away from the truth. Must we remain silent? Of course not—we would sink
deeper into the Age of Silence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
If we are in mourning or are depressed, the best therapy is to help
others. The way to fight false statements is to spread the truth. That doesn’t
mean we’ll hear the truth from the news of the day. Lifted out of context by a
newscaster or a political campaign, they often twist a word or a phrase from a
speech or writing into something it never intended to mean. We need to do our
own research and spread only truth. Work hard for your candidate. Speak only
what you know to be true. Pray for the opponent, that all good things may come
to them through truth. When we heal others with the salve of Truth, God will
honor our efforts. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Oh Lord God, author of truth and love, I bow before your holy name.
May your kingdom come to earth this day and dwell within me and me in your
kingdom. For this day, I pray for the ability to speak only truth to lies, that
the serpent may not deceive me. Forgive me when I have foolishly passed on falsehoods
for the sake of winning. When I trample truth with lies, no one wins. I cannot discern
truth on my own; deliver me from the lies of the serpent. In the name of your
son, Jesus my redeemer I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines
Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His
love. Let me tell you mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days trilogy, by Doris
Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and
Barnes and Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – The Age of
Silence (© 2014)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – Beyond the
Valley of the Keepers (© 2015)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – Search for Freedom
(© 2016)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Prayer Therapy of Jesus (©
2014)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-2461629620611644742016-07-29T17:01:00.000-07:002016-07-29T17:01:01.757-07:00Be a Uniter, Not a Divider<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">“I appeal to you, brothers and
sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one
another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you
be perfectly united in mind and thought.” </span><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">1
Corinthians 1:10</span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">This is most definitely an election year in the
United States. I know I’ve already eaten my fill of not so tasty political
speeches. I have witnessed: division
along party lines; division in race; division in every demographic possible.
Paul told the Corinthians to agree with one another so there would be no
divisions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">If you’re married, you know that loving people do
not agree all of the time. If they do, one of them is not thinking. Disagreement,
however, is not mean or angry; it’s not loud or rude; it does not slander or
defame. Actually, disagreement is a wonderful sharing of ideas and points of
view. Only the weak fear to hear another’s side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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In my Length of Days trilogy that takes place from
2112-2114, when political correctness has controlled the country, four distinct
zones divide the nation, with no travel or contact between them.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJvnEOjDSjuFCN_7TybjpkthGt1a4k-R2maz2CA_RkUOQ2dqDcOQgzg4sq_dDh4NI_Cgc7yttm_lYziR2rKq9r0RrXM8Xg4cF7VI5NZJXH4xj4iyluvexgovyr5pp2XCJ85tIghRxzcs/s1600/ZONE+MAP+%25282YES%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJvnEOjDSjuFCN_7TybjpkthGt1a4k-R2maz2CA_RkUOQ2dqDcOQgzg4sq_dDh4NI_Cgc7yttm_lYziR2rKq9r0RrXM8Xg4cF7VI5NZJXH4xj4iyluvexgovyr5pp2XCJ85tIghRxzcs/s320/ZONE+MAP+%25282YES%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Will our divisiveness today cut our nation in half, or even in little
pieces? Or, can we be strong </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
enough and mature enough to realize that it is up
to us to bind our country together with your love. John Wesley addressed how to
unite, to mend and not divide, on October 6, 1774. He said:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing
election, and advised them: 1. to vote, without fee or reward, for the person
they judged most worthy; 2. to speak no evil of the person they voted against; and,
3. to take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on
the other side.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Can
we put on our prayer shawls and humbly submit our words and spirits to God who
will speak through us the loving and binding words that are needed right now? I
know we can. We don’t even have to want to. We just have to <i>want to want to</i>, and to be obedient to
the God of love. God will do the rest. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Holy
Father, Love divine, shine your light of peace on all of us. Not peace as some
might see it, as weakness, but peace as strength through Jesus Christ, who was
so determined to be obedient to you, ‘…he steadfastly set his face to go to
Jerusalem…’ when you were ready to call him home. May your kingdom come today,
a kingdom of quietness and joy, so that we may take this election season and
place it in your hands. For this day, may I want to want to choose your path
where division is not the way to love. Forgive me when I have joined in the
gossip and slander that defames your civil servants. I am not perfect and I
must not demand perfection of them. I turn our blessed country over to you,
Father God and pray through your son Jesus Christ that your will may be done in
our beautiful and free land. Amen”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Doris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His
love. Let me tell you mine.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days trilogy, by Doris
Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and
Barnes and Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – The Age of
Silence (© 2014)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – Beyond the
Valley of the Keepers (© 2015)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – Search for
Freedom (© 2016)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-79698204786433600982016-06-20T08:20:00.000-07:002016-06-20T08:20:21.604-07:00Thank You Father God"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have made your glory higher than the heavens." Psalm 8:1 (NIV)<br />
<br />
Yesterday was Fathers Day. I wonder how many of us remembered to thank the father of us all, the Lord God. Some may say, "But this whole world is out of control, with killings and God-less living. God has done nothing to stop it."<br />
<br />
If we, you and I, don't stop the sinfulness of His people, by acknowledge God's grace and give Him thanks, then we are part of what makes the Lord weep. When I go on the social media of today, I see post after post from those who soil the name of the Lord rather than lift Him up.<br />
<br />
It has become politically incorrect to speak of the Most High in loving and respectful tones. In my Length of Days trilogy, which takes place in 2112-2114, the name of Jesus is banned, Christmas is turned into Gift Giving Season, music of all kinds is forbidden because music stirs emotions in the people, and freedom is lost to a ruling class who believe freedom is too dangerous for normal citizens to embrace. And, it all begins when they forbid the name of Jesus and His father, God, to be spoken. For this day, I lift up praise and thanksgiving to our Lord God for His grace and love and to His son Jesus, for His sacrifice that saved a soul like even me. Let us pray:<br />
<br />
"Father, God of all that lives, holy, holy, holy is your name. May your kingdom of love come into my life and the lives of those around me, that we may behold your glory and majesty, just as the angels in Heaven now enjoy. For today, I bow low before your throne and worship you, lifting up your name in praise and love. Forgive me when I do not acknowledge you and speak your name freely in the corner of the world in which I live. I love you Lord and I lift up your name this very day. I ask for your strength and awareness, in the name of your son Jesus, my savior and redeemer I pray. Amen"<br />
Doris<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”</i><span class="text"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days trilogy, by Doris
Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and
Barnes&Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – The Age of
Silence (© 2014)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – Beyond the
Valley of the Keepers (© 2015)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Length of Days – Search for
Freedom (© 2016)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-40395903720495577702016-05-05T10:50:00.000-07:002016-05-05T10:50:55.765-07:00National Day of Prayer<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6 </span><br />
<br />
Today is the National Day of Prayer. Let us all take pause to invite the Lord God into our nation that desperately needs His guidance. We are to pray with thanksgiving. Why would anyone pray with thanksgiving if they didn't believe He would answer their prayer? Pray, knowing He hears you and knowing He will answer your prayers. Remember, God is not a genie. You can not put on your prayer shawl as if you were rubbing His bottle. He will answer your prayers in keeping with His plan. The saddest people I know are those who believe He answered there prayer, gave them what they thought they wanted, only to discover that they wanted was not good for them. Let us pray:<br />
<br />
"Oh loving father of us all, I bow before you on this day when our nation is at prayer. I ask that your glorious plan may come to our nation, our families, our friends and ourselves. Sometimes I do not pray for those who have injured me. But, on this day, I pray that my former enemy may be lifted up and blessed with your abounding love, that only your love can flow from them. Our nation is involved in a great decision this year, a decision that will mold and direct our national security, our prosperity, and our standing with you who created this great nation. I ask that your kingdom may come in spirit and in truth and direct my actions that I may help to bring it about in your name. In the name of your son, my savior Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen"<br />
Doris<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”</i><span class="text"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">www.dorisgainesrapp.com</span></span></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-21882565334041461232016-04-06T14:43:00.004-07:002016-04-06T14:43:39.828-07:00Put on Love<div class="MsoNormal">
“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect
bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you
were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell
within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:14-16 (NIV)</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are a news-junkie you have been watching the current political
events with great interest and amazement. If you don’t automatically turn to
CNN or FOX NEWS when you sit down in the evening, you still have overheard
about the strange rantings and messages of people you have little interest in.
How could you help but hear their names in this electrically charged political
season?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of us worry and become stressed. What will become of
our great nation if so-and-so wins the nomination? My question is—what are you
willing to do to help elect your favorite candidate? Or, do you just complain
and become angrier? And then, there’s that LOVE word.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Put on the strongest, most courageous love that God can place
on you. KNOW that Christ dwells within you. With the word of Christ within you,
wisdom will come, with thanksgiving in your heart and songs of praise and love
on your lips. Trust that He will bring about the change our country needs when
you follow His lead. Vote like our country depends on your vote—because it
does. Love those who think like you do and those who do not, so a perfect unity
may bless us all. Only love can heal our country. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Our father God, you who dwell within my heart when my heart
is tuned to you, holy is your name. For this day, I ask for your wisdom to burst
forth and guide my life and my decisions. Forgive me when I have been unkind to
those who think differently than I do. I am not wise enough to know your heart
but I trust that you know mine. Guide me from within by the indwelling of your
spirit, that I may hear your direction for my steps. I love you Lord, and I
give over my decisions and my will to you. In the name of, and by the power of
your precious risen son, Jesus Christ I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”</i><span class="text"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span class="text"><i><u>Length of Days – Search for Freedom</u>, </i>the third in my
Length of Days trilogy, is now available in paperback and eBook on Amazon. “Christiana
Applewait’s </span>dear grandfather, Oliver Richly, the presidential
candidate in the newly formed <i>1787-Constitutionalists
Party, </i>has been kidnapped. Her friend, Dr. Jason O’Reilly, helps her in the
desperate search to find him. Is he alive? If he is, will they find him before
the presidential election?” Read <i>Length of
Days – Search for Freedom</i> today.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-66410316228949325182016-02-22T11:33:00.000-08:002016-02-22T11:33:01.874-08:00Believe and You Are Forgiven<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span class="text"><b><sup><span style="font-size: 11pt;">8 </span></sup></b></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“Before the spies lay down for the night,
she went up on the roof</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span id="en-NIV-5879" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">9 </span></sup></b></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">and said to them, “I know
that the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span><span class="small-caps"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">has given you this land and that a great
fear</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">of you has fallen on us, so that all who
live in this country are melting in fear because of you.</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span id="en-NIV-5880" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">10 </span></sup></b></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We have heard how the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span><span class="small-caps"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">dried up the water of the Red Sea<sup data-fn="#fen-NIV-5880a" data-link="[<a href="#fen-NIV-5880a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box;">[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua%202#fen-NIV-5880a" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;" title="See footnote a"><span style="color: #b34b2c; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">a</span></a>]</sup></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">for you when you came out of Egypt,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">and what you did to Sihon
and Og,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">the two kings of the Amorites</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">east of the Jordan,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">whom you completely
destroyed.<sup data-fn="#fen-NIV-5880b" data-link="[<a href="#fen-NIV-5880b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box;">[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua%202#fen-NIV-5880b" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;" title="See footnote b"><span style="color: #b34b2c; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">b</span></a>]</sup></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span id="en-NIV-5881" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">11 </span></sup></b></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When we heard of it, our
hearts melted in fear</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">and everyone’s courage failed</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">because of you,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">for the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span><span class="small-caps"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">your God</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">is God in heaven above
and on the earth</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">below.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt;">
<span id="en-NIV-5882" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">12 </span></sup></b></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“Now then, please swear
to me</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">by the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span><span class="small-caps"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">that you will show kindness</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">to my family, because I
have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span id="en-NIV-5883" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">13 </span></sup></b></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">that you will spare the
lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to
them—and that you will save us from death.”</span> Joshua 2: 8-13<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Blessed to attend a Christian Women’s retreat on
Saturday that included these verses, I pass them on to you. In the Old Testament,
we learn how Joshua sent spies to Rahab the prostitute in Jericho before he and
his army marched around and attacked the city. Notice in vs 10 Rahab acknowledged
the God of the Israelites in whom she had not believed and chose to put her trust
in Him. Though she was a sinner, a prostitute, she went down in history, not as
a prostitute, but as a person of faith. Honored for her belief in God, she became
the mother of Boaz (the husband of Ruth), the g-grandmother of King David, and the
25<sup>th</sup> g-grandmother of Jesus Christ – if I counted correctly. You can
read Matthew 1 and count the generations back to Rahab yourself. It was for
Rahab’s FAITH – not her sins – that the Lord blessed her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">We too can be forgiven of our past sins if we have
faith in the Lord God who forgives. Dear ones do not carry the burdens of the past
on your shoulders for an eternity. Eternity belongs to God and the beginning steps
we take here on earth are His as well. Hand your past to the Lord God and He
will bless you with a life of Love and forgiveness because of your faith. Let
us pray:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">“Dear Lord God, you are the Lord of all, the one who
gives Life and saves our lives from our past mistakes. Holy, holy, holy are
you, dear Lord. May your kingdom of Love come and make its home in my life as
the angels in Heaven now enjoy. For today, I ask that you forgive the mistakes
in my past. I speak their names now so that you may hear the desire of my heart
and set me free from their clutches. <u>(List them by name)</u> Forgive me for
these mistakes and for having carried them so long without asking you for their
release. I pray to have your love within me that I might forgive those who have
sinned against me. May I not be tempted to blame them for their misdeeds while
I ignore my own sins. Let me shower the world around me with your love, so that
others may feel free to seek your forgiveness as well. In the name of your son,
my redeemer and Lord I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="text">Doris <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”</i><span class="text"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Watch for the 3</span><sup style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">rd</sup><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> in my Length of Days
trilogy - available in April. </span><u style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Length of Days – Search for Freedom</u></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-30731358730114375962015-12-21T17:55:00.005-08:002015-12-21T17:55:58.884-08:00Do You Hear What I Hear?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;">“I thank my
God every time I remember you.</span>” <span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">Philippians 1:3</span>
(NIV)</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Sunday, as Carolyn played
a beautiful piano solo, combining many Christmas hymns and carols, my father’s one-note
melody drifted into my mind and I smiled. Daddy was a fine Christian but with a
blue-collar vocabulary who sang praises to the Lord on the flat lilt of a
tone-deaf monotone. It was hard to hold back tears of joy when I heard his familiar
voice singing again in my memory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Momma played the piano for
the primary-grade Sunday school classes as they gathered before</span> their Bible
lesson. She pounded on those ivory keys until the melodies of Christmas flooded
the low ceiling-room in the little Beavertown EUB church of my childhood. As we
all listened to Carolyn yesterday, in my mind I saw Momma in her brown felt hat
with the attached Christmas tree pin with bright rhinestones for tiny ornaments
and my heart filled with love and joy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For myself, I
have/had a trained singing voice with a three-octave range … before three or
four winters with chronic bronchitis and several surgeries in which oxygen burned
my vocal chords. I have lost the top two octaves and sing in a female-tenor range.
But Sunday, it was different. As the pianist drew beautiful tones out of the
piano, I could hear my own voice of a decade ago, floating above the words of
praise. I could not control my emotions. While I cannot now sing to praise the
Lord as I used to, I know I heard my own voice singing, just like I’ll sound in
Heaven when I’m invited to sing with the angel choir.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Christmas is
a wonderful time of past and present, celebrating with birthday songs to our
Lord Jesus and the trill of giggles from our children and grandchildren as they
experience the season with new eyes and ears. What do you hear this Christmas —
family arguments from the past or the sweet voices and sounds of your own childhood?
Even a flat or melody-free rendition, when sung by the familiar voice of a loving
father, is a blessing for which to thank God. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What sounds
do you hear at Christmas? What memories do you cling to? Are they ones for
which you cannot help but thank God? If not, let them go and choose to remember
joy. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Oh Father
God, creator of all there is and father of the Christmas-child, holy is your name
and the name of Jesus. At this sacred time of the year, I ask that your will
may come to earth and into my life, just as it is in Heaven. For today, I ask
that the good sounds of Christmas-past and Christmas-present may fill my mind
and memory. Forgive me when I have contributed to the jangle and noise at the
foot of the manger. May I not disturb the Christ child or any of your children around
me. I thank you for all the good voices of my past and all the many, many
blessings of the present. May I be part of the joy and song of Christmas and not
a clanging racket. In the name of Jesus, the Christ-child and my savior, I
pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Doris <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Brush Script MT"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A very Merry and Blessed Christmas to all of
you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-62343366520897987972015-10-31T10:33:00.003-07:002015-10-31T10:33:37.377-07:0018 Jars of Marmalade<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white;">“A new commandment I give
to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to
love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if
you have love for one another.”</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">John 13:
34-35 (ESV)</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
It’s the very last day of October. The gold and crimson leaves are
falling in the autumn wind creating a warm, multi-colored blanket on the lawn. October
has also been pastor-appreciation month. How does one show appreciation to
their pastor — or their spouse, friends and other family members? - By using
the 3-L’s in their interactions: Listen, Laugh and Love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“I’d like orange marmalade with that,” my husband Bill said to the
waitress one Saturday morning as she put a plate of toast in front of him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“We don’t have any,” she apologized.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Bill meets twice a month for an early Saturday morning breakfast with a
few men from our church. As he went to the counter to pay that jam-less
morning, he noticed some marmalade on a shelf. “There’s some right there,” he
pointed out. The men laughed at his insistent reaction and remembered his disappointed
but fun attitude.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As the people planned ways to show their appreciation during October the
congregation showed their thanks by using those 3-L’s. They had heard and
remembered Bill’s lament over the lack of orange marmalade on a previous
Saturday morning. They all enjoyed the fun of the allusive sweet orange rind
and they showed their love on the first Sunday of October. Families in our
small country church brought in jars of orange marmalade, eighteen in total, and
blessed him with a … citric jelly jar shower!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Use the 3-L’s to develop other solid relationships. (1) Listen – Many
people believe that no one hears them. Be the very best listener you can be.
(2) Laugh until all the lines in your face go up. There are very few things in
this life that merit an argument. Laugh <i>with,
</i>not <i>at</i> others. Buddy, don’t
bully. Then, (3) love freely, asking for nothing in return. Love one another as
Jesus loved His disciples. Those who don’t know Him will see His light
reflected in our love. Love enough to fill eighteen jars to the brim … and running
over until it sweetens all those around us. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Our father God, you sent love to earth in the embodiment of your son,
Jesus. He asked us to love one another and to share that love with others
beyond our group. As the wind chills, we will be coming into the blessed season
of Jesus’ birth, when we share love freely. Let today be the day that I decide
to listen, laugh and love with others every day, not just during selected months
of the year, whether that be October or December. I admit I want my own needs
met. Forgive me when I’m too busy to see the needs of those around me. May I
spread enough love to fill eighteen jars to over-flowing. In the name of your
son, my savior and redeemer, Jesus I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
A big thank you to the 631 readers who signed up to try to win one of ten
copies of my newest book, News at Eleven – A Novel, at Goodreads. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Another big thanks to those who came to Mt Etna’s Bazaar last Saturday.
It was great meeting so many readers!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
I will sign all six novels at the following upcoming book-signings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
11/07/15 Whitley
County Historical Museum Author Fair – Time: 1-4pm. Columbia City, IN<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
11/14/15 Allen County Public Library –
Author Fair – Time: 1-4pm. Main Library – Fort Wayne, IN. I also speak on the
second panel, “Write On! – Steps to Fabulous Fiction”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
All books
are also available on Amazon.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-91826240445260440752015-10-19T10:54:00.001-07:002015-10-19T10:54:24.593-07:00MY WORDS - GOD'S WORDS<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“May these
words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (NIV)</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
How many of
you have read social media that begins like this? “I’ve had a ______ day today.”
Or, maybe you’ve posted it. Fill in the blank with words you’ve read or used.
My friends, if we desire to please the Lord, AT ALL, these words are not
acceptable. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Doris, you’re
just old fashioned,” some might say. Perhaps. Others would say that the Bible
is also old fashioned and doesn’t apply to today. Really? Then, would you deny
the written words of the Bible? Would you deny God? Is that too simple? Perhaps
there are things that really are that simple. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It is
interesting that the “old fashioned” Bible says that we are to let our words be
pleasing in the SIGHT of God. Is it possible that the Lord reads our social
media posts? I know that those who seek God through our example read our words.
Do we honor God by what we say? Glorify God in all that we do and he will help us
bridle our words, both spoken and written. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Father God,
I honor your precious name. May your kingdom come to dwell within me this day,
so that I may live with you. Today, I ask you to fill me with words that please
you. Sometimes it is hard, for those offensive terms are part of the world in
which I live and I walk among them every day. Insulate me from them so that
they may not bury themselves in my heart like a virus that could seek to do me
and others around me harm. Forgive me when I use words in anger or to impress
others. I want only to please you. In the name of your son, Jesus, my savior and
redeemer I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sign up at Goodreads to win one of two copies of my newest book, News
at Eleven – A Novel. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/155480-news-at-eleven---a-novel">https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/155480-news-at-eleven---a-novel</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Or, come to one of my book-signings this fall and I’ll sign one for you
at the special Author Fair price. My other novels will also be available.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
10/24/15 Mt Etna UMW
Holiday Bazaar – 9am-2pm. On Rt 9 South of Huntington, IN <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
11/07/15 Whitley
County Historical Museum Author Fair – 1-4pm. Columbia City, IN<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
11/14/15 Allen County Public Library –
Author Fair – 1-4pm. Main Library – Fort Wayne, IN. I also speak on the second
panel, “Write On! – Steps to Fabulous Fiction”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-48626422604478135682015-10-10T14:29:00.002-07:002015-10-10T14:33:03.900-07:00Songs of My Heart<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real
person.” Proverbs 27:19 <span style="font-size: 10pt;">(NLT)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“… Ruler of my heart today, Jesus Lord to me.”¹ Every morning this
week, as I opened my eyes to greet the blessings of the new day, I was aware
that my heart had been singing a chorus we sang last Sunday in church—“Jesus,
Lord to Me.” Even more miraculous, it sounds like the melodic lines I used to sing
when my voice was young and strong. Over the last ten years, I have had chronic
bronchitis with accompanying laryngitis that has lasted two to four months. As
a result, I lost the top octave off my vocal range. Recently, following my back
surgery, my breath control has also faded. But, when my heart sings, I sound
like “the me” God created. Rather than being angry or sad, I feel blessed, knowing
that one day my invitation will come to sing with the angels in their choir.
Why?—because, I will know the words.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
With what musical lyrics, lines from books, Facebook postings and movies
quotes are you filling your heart? Do the words of your heart reflect you as a
real person? The Psalmist said, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations
of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">(</span>19:14 <span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">ESV)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Fill your heart and soul with the words you will hear in heaven, so
when you get there, you will recognize the language spoken. If not, you’d
better tell a good friend to wait for you just inside the gates to act as your
translator. Saint Peter may stand at Heaven’s Gate and ask if you want in
through the Pearly Gates or cross the River Stix to get into Hades. Which word
will you be more familiar with, Heaven or Hell—and the vocabulary of the
natives there? Fill your heart with songs of His love and grace, so that you
too can sing in the angel choir. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Holy Father, your son, Jesus, is Savior, Lord to me. May your kingdom
come to dwell in my heart so it is so full of you, no other words can crowd you
out. Filled with you, I pray that your will may be done in my Life, just as your
will whispers and sings throughout Heaven. For today, I give over all words,
thoughts and actions that are not acceptable to you. I know I cannot do this on
my own, oh Lord. But, with your spirit buried in my heart and soul, you will
always be there to guide and caution me. I choose only to glorify you. Forgive
me when I boast, for I do not wear glory well. Only you deserve the Light. I
thank you Lord for letting me walk in the safety of the shadow you cast as I
walk near you. May it always be so. In the name of your son, Jesus—ruler of my
heart today, Jesus, Lord to me—I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">¹ Jesus, Lord to Me, by Gary Mcspadden
and Greg Nelson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sign up at Goodreads to win one of two copies of my newest book, News
at Eleven – A Novel. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/155480-news-at-eleven---a-novel">https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/155480-news-at-eleven---a-novel</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Or, come to one of my book-signings this fall and I’ll sign one for you
at the special Author Fair price. My other novels will also be available.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
10/24/15 Mt Etna UMW Holiday
Bazaar – 9am-2pm. On Rt 9 South of Huntington, IN <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
11/07/15 Whitley
County Historical Museum Author Fair – 1-4pm. Columbia City, IN</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 1in; text-indent: -1in;">
11/14/15 Allen County Public Library –
Author Fair – 1-4pm. Main Library – Fort Wayne, IN.<br />
<span style="text-indent: -1in;">I also speak on the second
panel, “Write On! – Steps to Fabulous Fiction.”</span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-30635951702379180162015-08-27T10:34:00.001-07:002015-08-27T10:34:30.603-07:00Let All the World Know<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“You are the
light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people
light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it
gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine
before others, that thy may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in
heaven.” Matthew 5: 14-16</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Each week, I
check the stats from my blogs. This week, on my Prayer Therapy blog, besides
readers from here in the United States, there were also some from Germany,
Romania, China, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Ukraine. Week after week there
are similar readers. I have been blogging for several years so far and have a
total of 12,452 pageviews. That’s not a lot as compared to Laura Ingraham's new
blog, LifeZette.com (Life Explained), which was just placed online a few months
ago and probably has that many readers already. Ingraham, introduced as the
Editor-in-Chief when she appears as a guest on TV shows, is another case of a
successfully self-published author/editor with her online publication. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You may not
want to blog, or write, or speak in public, but what you do and say in your
family and in your community is your opportunity to “let the world know,” to “let
your light shine.” I often wonder how my light shines in the world around me.
Is my glow so dim I fade into the corner? Or, do I blind others with the
wattage I try to push into a space? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Don’t hide
your light by dimming it with modest, low self-esteem. We are not to esteem
ourselves brighter than others. Our Light from the Lord is not about measuring
up, or down, to the luster or dullness of others. We are to shine with the
light of the Father within us and share His love with others. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Father of
Light and Love, I bow before your brilliance. You are the Light that gives Life
to all. Fill me with your brilliance so that your light spills out of my being
and shoots out like life-changing bolts. Let this be the day when I choose to
shine for you, so that others may see your light and therefore - live. Forgive
me for the times when I have hidden your beams from others, for fear the light
would put me in the center. I know I will never be alone in the middle when you
are the one who shines inside me. Take away my fear that others will misunderstand
my motives, when my only purpose is to serve you. In the name of your son, my savior,
Jesus Christ I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp </div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-83589457485391940212015-08-17T13:00:00.001-07:002015-08-17T13:00:02.123-07:00Love Never Fails<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320;">“Love never
fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are
tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.</span>”<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255);">1 Corinthians 13:8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Oh, come on. What do you
mean, ‘Love never fails?’ It has failed me,” a friend protested.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Maybe love didn’t fail
you,” I suggested sympathetically. “Perhaps you failed to love.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Love creates, Love heals,
and Love defines our lives. Love cannot fail us. Failure means we have not
achieved our goal. Love cannot be a goal. It is the purpose of our lives. It is
“doing” not “achieving.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Love everyone every day,
not for what they do or what they say or how much they have or don’t have. If
you fully love, love will fill you. We don’t love for what we will get out of
it. When we are filled with Christ, with Love, we are loving. We are not an imitation of Love; we’re a true
reflection of the original. Love cannot fail us. We can only fail Love. Let us
pray:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
“Father, Holy
God, I bow before you, so when I bend to others, Love will spill out. For
today, I want to so love that Love is all others see. Forgive me when I have
withheld any measure of love, for it is you and your son I am keeping from
those I meet. Love is all I have to give, everything else is false bravado. May
I not be strong, or brave, just open to you. In the name of your son, Jesus,
the embodiment of Love, I pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp</div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-21780107139246024122015-08-10T16:05:00.006-07:002015-08-10T16:05:52.144-07:00Go Then . . .<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span class="reftext"><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span></span><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Go<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i>then,</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> eat
your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has
already approved your works.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your
head.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Enjoy life with the woman [or man] whom you love all the days of your
fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward
in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.” <span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ecclesiastes 9</span>: 7-9</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“It’s time for the World’s
Longest Yard Sale,” I reminded my husband with excitement. I had wanted to go to
this opportunity to buy a lot of what I really didn’t need for a long time. I
would watch the highlights on HGTV later each fall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Truly, it is the world’s
longest yard sale. It’s 690 miles<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>long
and follows Route 127 through six states: Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Georgia, and Alabama.</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Hey, Doris, didn’t
you have back surgery in May? Aren’t you still using a walker and rest
frequently?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yes,” to both
questions. But, I spent the day <i>my way</i>,
with a cheerful heart. I didn’t moan because I couldn’t do it all. I rejoiced
that I could do it at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">What was <i>my style</i>? I didn’t sit at home. Last
Saturday I “went,” following the “go then . . .” instruction in </span><span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ecclesiastes</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. Bill, Katy and I drove over to
Decatur, Indiana and had a wonderful lunch at the Back Forty Junction, a
fantastic buffet of more food than I could even taste. As I looked around the
dining room I saw it was not too much for some who carried two plates of the
main course, plus salad, a cheese and bread saucer, and desserts piled high. I
tried not to stare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Then, we crossed the
Ohio line near Van Wert and stopped at half-a-dozen booths, roughly one-eighth
of a mile long out of the 690 miles in total. Was I disappointed? No - I was
tired! We ate our bread in happiness, drank our coffee and cola with a cheerful
heart, in clean clothes and combed hair. Most important, we enjoyed life with
the ones we loved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">No one can tell
another person what portion of a yard sale is “enough:” enough joy, enough sunshine,
enough food or enough love. For some, there will never be enough. Others find “enough”
in an unfolding rose bud, the warmth of a setting sun, the smiles of those
around them and the loving sacrifice of their Lord. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Dear Lord and God of bounty and plenty, Holy is your
name. You are my all in all - enough of all there is to satisfy the most
restless soul. Fill my life with your magnificent love and beauty. Let this be
the day when I realize that my cup has been running over all the time. I have
been too greedy to notice, always wanting more, never satisfied with what you
have given me. How could I possibly say that your gifts are not good enough or
big enough? Forgive me, Father, for being your ungrateful child. May your light
shine so brightly all around me that I cannot help but see all of your
blessings and be grateful for them. In the name of Jesus, your son of light I
pray. Amen”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Doris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp</div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-37685985012464721502015-08-03T16:00:00.003-07:002015-08-03T16:00:40.000-07:00Never Alone<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“And He who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always
do the things that are pleasing to Him. As he spoke these things, many came to
believe in him.” John 8: 29-30</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
A few days ago we had a “blue moon.” When I was young, I thought that
meant the moon would actually appear as a blue sphere in the night sky. An azure
moon is rare. A moon that appears blue is created when the atmosphere is filled
with dust and/or smoke particles that are slightly larger than 0.7 micron. According
to an article, <u>Blue Moon, July 31, 2015</u>, “the particles scatter the red
light making the moon appear blue in color,” like when there’s a dust storm,
large forest fire or when a volcano erupts. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The lunar event that appeared last Friday, a blue moon, was the
appearance of a second full moon in a single month, July 1 and July 31. As a
singer, however, when I hear the term Blue Moon, my mind always goes back to an
old song by the same name.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In the words of Blue Moon (1934), lyricist Lorenz <span style="background: white; color: #292929; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Hart (music
by Richard Rodgers) describes a lonely, desperate person. “Blue Moon, y</span>ou
saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own.” My
friends, we do not have to be alone and unloved. God is with us. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Jesus said that the one who sent him was with him. Why, or how? “. . . for
I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” If we are feeling that God
isn’t with us, perhaps we are asking Him to honor <u>our</u> plans rather than
seeking to follow His order for us and please Him. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
“Dear Father, God, you are all that is divine. May your dream come and
conquer my heart, so that I may always do the things that please you so that you
may dwell within me. Today, I choose to begin a life of doing the things that honor
and please you. Forgive me when I have done things that attempt to lift me up
and please me. A life lived for myself is a lonely life. I cannot do these things alone. I need the
Holy Spirit to take up residence in my life, to guide me and help me make choices
that please you. I know these things are true and possible because Jesus said they
were. And, like those you heard him speak over two-thousand years ago, I have “come
to believe him.” If the Son of the everlasting God has told us it is true, it
cannot be otherwise. Amen.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Doris<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Blue Moon, July 31, 2015. <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/blue-moon.html">http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/blue-moon.html</a>.
Viewed 8/3/15</div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-26710629782585758372015-07-20T12:07:00.002-07:002015-07-20T12:07:33.189-07:00Missed Miracles<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">"With man this is impossible, but with God all things
are possible." (Matthew 19:26).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">During
my spine surgery in May, something happened. I don’t know exactly what because,
with all the trauma around the operation, I can’t remember the details. I just
know that my kidneys failed at the time of the procedure. I can still hear the
nephrologist who came into my hospital room later that evening as he leaned in
close to my bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> “You do know that God can heal, don’t you?”
He asked. A gold cross hung from his neck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> “Yes,” was all I could say through the fog
of pain and lingering anesthetic. Inside, I not only knew that God can heal the
broken in body, mind and spirt, I had experienced His healing in the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> “Pray, and God will heal your kidney,” he
added before he left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I smiled and agreed, but didn’t know what
he was talking about. The surgery had been on my spine, not my kidneys. The
surgeon had fused my spine along the lumbar area, inserted rods and a metal
plate. When the kidney doctor left, I was too dazed to grasp what he meant by a
problem with my kidney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> My own, nonverbal silent prayers, buried
beneath the blur of anesthetic, pain and total kidney failure were for the
rapid and complete healing of my back. The collapse of my lower spine was why I
walked into the hospital early that morning, not something else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> In spite of the bag after bag of fluid
they dripped into my veins every day for eight days, the creatinine level in my
blood had risen dangerously high. My husband and two daughters didn’t tell me
that my square, swollen face made me look like Sponge Bob. Later, I suggested
Sponge Bobette, square capris was more appropriate. But right then, I only knew
the retained fluid and swelling in my legs was painful. After the ninth day,
the nephrologist made it clear that I would have to undergo a dialysis treatment
the next day if the creatinine level in my blood was not starting down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I realized that family and friends from
Texas, to Colorado, Ohio to Florida, and Michigan to the north were praying for
my speedy post-op recovery. If I could have concentrated, I too would have
prayed. Deep inside, I could feel the presence of a spirit that prayed on my
behalf. I knew I could not find the words, but the words were there
none-the-less.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> On the tenth day, my creatinine number
began to fall. I transferred from the hospital to a wonderful in-patient rehabilitation
unit near our home. That first evening, the treating physician for the rehab facility
stopped in to see me. Dr. Mathew, a Christian man, assured me, in spite of all
I had been through, I would heal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Two weeks after my admittance to rehab I
had a follow-up appointment with the nephrologist. He reported that my kidneys
were fine. I hadn’t had a problem before the surgery and he didn’t expect me to
have another one. He smiled broadly and dismissed me as a patient.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Over
the weeks in in-patient therapy, I received many get-well cards, words of
encouragement, visits from friends and family and reports of prayers going up
all over the country for a complete healing of my back. My physical therapy was
a little slow at first since I had to regain energy from the kidney failure.
Finally, I was able to get to my feet, walk in the halls and sit on the living
room side of my hospital suite!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> While there, I still struggled with words.
Even after I began to regain verbal expression, written words were not there.
It was weeks before I even picked up my laptop again. This, from the woman who
had written six novels in the last three years! I wanted to write this blog
post weeks ago. At first, I’d type a sentence and then lay it all aside. And,
that was okay. It was the same with my own prayers. If I couldn’t express a
prayer for the healing of my spine, I knew there were hundreds of others
praying for me. I had not lost my belief in prayer. I had temporarily lost the
ability to express the words of prayer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Isn’t it wonderful how God provides a
whole company of prayer warriors to intercede for us when we need them? Each
day my therapist could see improvement and it continues in out-patient therapy.
Just weeks ago, I had nearly died and now I can walk, climb three or four steps
and I have started the third and final book in the Length of Days trilogy:
Length of Days – Freedom Re-born. The words are flowing, with an anticipated
completion date by the end of the year, ready for a 2016 launch! The Lord
restored my voice, verbal and written, and is healing my back – Praise His holy
name!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The evening before dismissal from the
Heritage of Huntington, Dr. Mathew came in to see me. His eyes were bright with
joy and praise. “Your kidney has healed!” His voice was full of excitement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> “Yes,” I agreed with enthusiasm. “And, the
nephrologist said he doesn’t expect it to happen again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> “No,” he protested with the Holy energy of
a found blessing, “your kidney has healed!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> It wasn’t until the next day that I grasped
the meaning of what he said and realized the miracle I had nearly missed. I had
been praying that my back would be healed and the all-knowing Lord healed my
kidney first at the request of the prayers of all those who bowed before him on
my behalf. I had put in an order. “One healed spine please” and didn’t even see
the miracle of a healed kidney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> We miss many of the blessings given to us
when we believe we know our needs better than God and look only for evidence of
“wishes fulfilled.” Every time our children awaken in the morning and greet us
with a hug and kiss, we have witnessed a miracle. When we bury our head in our cell phone,
waiting for a specific answer, we fail to notice the blessings of Love. Don’t
miss the awesome miracle of what he has already given us, while hoping to
receive our own dreams and desires. Let us pray:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Dear
Father God, Holy is your name and hallowed are each of your blessings. May your
kingdom come to live in my life that I may dwell with you. For this day, may I
lay my requests aside and rely on you, the wisdom of the ages, to know what is
best for me. I even found a four-leafed clover at my feet as I got in the car
to go for my follow-up appointment with my surgeon, and acknowledged it as “the
Luck of the Irish” and not a promise-sign from you of your presence in my life.
While I waited with impatience for the long healing of my back, I over-looked
the complete healing of my kidney. How very foolish I can be. Forgive me for
failing to see your hand in my life. May I look for you, so that I may see your
miracles. In the name of your son Jesus, the great healer and my savior, I pray.
Amen”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Doris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i>"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you
mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">[PLEASE SHARE]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">CATCH
UP</span> to Christiana and Jason and their adventures in the year 2112. <span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">You'll be ready before the launch of Book 3, <b><i>Length
of Days – Freedom Re-born</i></b> which is at the end of this year.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span>Subscribers
to Kindle e-books can read Book 1, <b><i>Length of Days – The Age of Silence,</i></b>
free. Non-subscribers can read for $0.99. Book 2, <b><i>Length of Days – Beyond the
Valley of the Keepers </i></b>eBook is available on Amazon for $3.99.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
An e-Reader
is not necessary. Download a free app to read the books on your computer or
smart phone. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Paperback
copies of both are also on Amazon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif";">Profits will go to a greatly
needed shower for the first floor of our home, due to my recent spine surgery. </span><span style="font-family: "High Tower Text","serif";">(Doris Gaines Rapp)</span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-56054769807766900052015-06-11T13:45:00.002-07:002015-06-11T13:58:52.875-07:00Too Tired to Pray<div class="MsoNormal">
“<span style="background: rgb(253, 254, 255); color: #001320; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">In the same
way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we
should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for
words;<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="highl"><span style="background: #FFF4EC; color: #001320; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;"> and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the
Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” </span></span>Romans
8:26-28<br />
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Some of you know I had spine
surgery last month. I’m still in rehab. and can now walk a little, with the
walker and a gifted CNA or Physical Therapist at my side. I thank God for each
day of improvement, even though I have a long way to go.<br />
<br /></div>
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Two months before my surgery
date, my middle back slid off alignment. The pain was horrible. I wanted to
pray but the pain medication left me unable to form the words. But, I knew . .
. when the voice cannot form a prayer the spirit prays without ceasing.<br />
<br /></div>
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I knew there were many friends
and family praying for me. Even my Nephrologist (kidney specialist when my
kidneys failed during surgery) looked at me with sincere eyes and said, “You
know that God can heal don’t you? You pray that your kidneys are healed and
they will be.” Praise the Lord for physicians with their gift of healing and
for those who boldly walk with you.<br />
<br /></div>
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Who are you praying for? Do you
believe the prayers you whisper? God does heal. Pray for his touch. Let us
pray:<br />
<br /></div>
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“Oh God, Father of the Great
Physician, Holy is your name. May your kingdom of Love and wholeness come to
live within me, that I may live in health and strength as do those who dwell
with you in heaven. For this day, I ask for continued strength development,
physical and emotional health, and improved mobility. May those around me, who
I sometimes cannot see through my own pain, find your strength, health and healing
as well. All these things I pray in the name of him who needed only to touch me
and I would be made whole again, your son, my savior Jesus Christ, in whom I
believe. Amen”</div>
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Doris</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp</div>
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Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926224091791906835.post-67493317309581942372015-05-11T15:56:00.004-07:002015-05-11T15:56:56.202-07:00Pray Without Ceasing<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">"Rejoice
always; </span><span class="highl"><span style="background: #FFF4EC; color: #001320; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">pray without ceasing;</span></span><span class="reftext"><span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #0092f2; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"> in everything give thanks; for this is God's
will for you in Christ Jesus.…" 1 Thessalonians 5:17</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Even though I have surgery tomorrow morning, I was thinking
about you this evening. My spine surgery is scheduled for 9:30 am so I'll get
up at 4:30 a.m. in order to arrive at the hospital in time. Let us spend this
moment together this evening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Always know
that God heals those who are broken: broken in body, in heart and in soul. My
body is rapidly disintegrating in the lower, thoracic area. But, I know that
the Lord has plans for me far greater than anything I could ever imagine. And,
I know he loves you and the person he intended you to be. Be willing to be shaped
and molded into the Love of his heart, for there is no greater role in life
than to be His. Let us pray:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">"Father God Almighty, holy are you and your son Jesus
Christ. May your kingdom come to my life that I may dwell in the light of your
smile. For this day, I ask that you bring healing to me in every way. Guide the
surgeon's hands tomorrow and may the Great physician guide his every move. Heal
all those read these words around the world, for we all need your masterful
touch. In the name of your son, Jesus, our Lord, I pray. Amen"</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Doris</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: #FDFEFF; color: #001320; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Doris Gaines Rapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17304609712352950653noreply@blogger.com0