Loving God, Loving Each Other

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October 1st Devotional

Dear Friends,
Today’s devotional is a brief example of what it means to trust in God and to rest upon His promises.  So, take a break, rest, relax and read this lovely devotional.  Peace in Christ, Scott
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Worship Me Only. I am King of kings and Lord of lords, dwelling in unapproachable Light.  I am taking care of you! I am not only committed to caring for you, but I am also absolutely capable of doing so.  Rest in Me, My weary one, for this is a form of worship.

Though self-flagellation has gone out of style, many of My children drive themselves like racehorses.  They whip themselves into action, ignoring how exhausted they are.  They forget that I am sovereign and that My Ways are higher than theirs. Underneath their driven service, they may secretly resent Me as a harsh taskmaster. Their worship of Me is lukewarm, because I am no longer theirFirst Love.

My invitation never changes: Come to Me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.  Worship Me by resting peacefully in My Presence.

1 Timothy 6:15-16 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares theLord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Revelation 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”

Daily Devotional from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

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September 30 Devotional

Dear Friends,
I am guilty of worrying about the future.  It’s hard not to!  But as Jesus said, time and time again, “fear not”.  If we truly trust in God and His plans for us, then the future is already in the palm of His hand, and those are good hand to be in!  Be blessed friends!  Hugs, Scott
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I Am Perpetually With You, taking care of you.  That is the most important fact of your existence.  I am not limited by time or space; therefore, My Presence with you is a forever-promise.  You need not fear the future, for I am already there.  When you make that quantum leap into eternity, you will find Me awaiting you in heaven.  Your future is in My hands; I release it to you day by day, moment by moment.  Therefore, do not worry abouttomorrow.

I want you to live this day abundantly, seeing all there is to see, doing all there is to do.  Don’t be distracted by future concerns.  Leave them to Me!  Each day of life is a glorious gift, but so few people know how to live within the confines of today.  Much of their energy for abundant living spills over the time line into tomorrow’s worries or past regrets.  Their remaining energy is sufficient only for limping through the day, not for living it to the full.  I am training you to keep your focus on My Presence in the present.  This is how to receive abundant Life, which flows freely from My throne of grace.

Matthew 6:34 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

John 10:10
 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

James 4:13-15 13Now listen, you who say, “Today ortomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Daily Devotional from “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young

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September 29th Devotional

Dear Friends,
What a beautiful devotional this is to kick off our week and to start our day.  I pray you enjoy it as much as I did.  Be Blessed!  Hugs, Scott
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I Am With You and all around you, encircling you in golden rays of Light.  I always behold you Face-to-face.  Not one of your thoughts escapes My notice.  Because I am infinite, I am able to love you as if you and I were the only ones in the universe.

Walk with Me in intimate love-steps, but do not lose sight of My Majesty, I desire to be your closest Friend, yet I am also your sovereign Lord.  I have created your brain with capacity to know Me as Friend and Lord simultaneously.  The human mind is the pinnacle of My creation, but so few use it for its primary purpose-knowing Me.  I communicate continually through My Spirit, My Word, and My creation.  Only humans are capable of receiving Me and responding to My Presence.  You are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made!

Psalm 34:4-7 
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant;  their faces are never covered with shame. 6This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

2 Peter 1:16-17 
16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

John 17:3 
3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Psalm 139:14 
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Daily Devotional from “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young

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September 24th Devotional

Dear Friends,
I came across a quote as I was looking for the floor in my office.  “No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it.  For by its very tossing, it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley.”
Seneca the Young (5 BC- 65 AD)
That made a lot of sense to me and gave me a bit of comfort.  Like you, I have been in many storms throughout my life.  More storms will come, but knowing I’m rooted and trying to live in the Spirit gives me and you, I’m sure, a sense of peace.  I look forward to celebrating life, love and music with you all tonight!  Hugs, Scott
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Live First And Foremost in My Presence.  Gradually you will become more aware of Me than of people and places around you.  This awareness will not detract from your relationships with others.  Instead, it will increase your ability to give love and encouragement to them.  My Peace will permeate your words and demeanor.  You will not be easily shaken, because My enveloping Presence buffers the blow of problems.

This is the path I have set before you.  As you follow it wholeheartedly, you experience abundant Life and Peace.

Psalm 89:15-16 15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. 16 They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.

Psalm 16:8 
8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

2 Peter 1:2 
2Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Daily Devotional from “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young

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September 22 Devotional

Dear Friends,
Just the first sentence of today’s devotional blessed me.  I hope it does the same for you and your loved ones.  Be at peace as you continue to serve and live in the moment today and every day.  Love, Scott
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Trust Me And Refuse To Worry, for I am your Strength and Song.  You are feeling wobbly this morning, looking at difficult times looming ahead, measuring them against your own strength.  However, they are not today’s tasks-or eventomorrow’s.  So leave them in the future and come home to the present, where you will find Me waiting for you.  Since I am your Strength,I am your Song, I can give you Joy as you work alongside Me.

Keep bringing your mind back to the present moment.  Among all My creatures, only humans can anticipate future events.  This ability is a blessing, but it becomes a curse whenever it is misused.  If you use your magnificent mind to worry about tomorrow, you cloak yourself in dark unbelief.  However, when the hope of heaven fills your thoughts, the Light of My Presence envelops you.  Though heaven is future, it is also present tense.  As you walk in the Light with Me, you have one foot on earth and one foot in heaven.

Exodus 15:2 2 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

2 Corinthians 10:5 
5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Hebrews 10:23 
23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Daily Devotional from “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young

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September 18th Devotional

Dear Beloved,
What a joy it is to serve God!  Thank you for your faithfulness in doing the work of the Lord for His glory.  I have Colossians 3:23 pasted on my computer.  It reminds me that no matter what I’m doing (and don’t do anything the God can’t bless) do it for the Lord.  Be at peace and be blessed.  Amen!  Hugs, Scott
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Seek To Please Me above all else.  Let that goal be your focal point as you go through this day.  Such a mind-set will protect you from scattering your energy to the winds.  The free will I bestowed on you comes with awesome responsibility. Each day presents you with choice after choice.  Many of these decisions you ignore and thus make by default. Without a focal point to guide you, you can easily lose your way.  That’s why it is so important to stay in communication with Me, living in thankful awareness of My Presence.  You inhabit a fallen, disjointed world, where things are constantly unraveling around the edges.  Only a vibrant relationship with Me can keep you from coming unraveled too.

Matthew 6:33 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

John 8:29 
29The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

Colossians 3:23-24
 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Daily Devotional “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young

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Orchestra Agenda

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