TAKING CARE OF YOUR FEET By Sally I. Kennedy

The Lord said ..get ready to cross..into the land…I will give you every place where you set your foot Joshua 1:1-3

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Grabbing a quick bite before getting back in the car, I struck up a conversation with a cheery woman in the café. I commented on her nifty silver sneakers. She replied, "They are so comfortable, and I have to be on my feet all day. You know, I used to work with horses, and you know what they always say (I didn't), if you don't take care of their feet then the horse won't be worth anything."

If shoes hurt my feet, it's a miserable feeling. Plus it incapacitates me getting around. How important are good shoes for the well-being of our feet, and for us?

Later that morning I was donning my spiritual clothing for the day, the armor of God. (Eph 6). When I got to the feet part, it grabbed me – put on the sandals, the shoes, of peace.

Jesus Himself is our Peace (Eph. 2:14) when we are walking in His shoes we live a life of forgiveness, kindness, honesty, love, and peace.

Taking care of my feet is absolutely important! Not a problem, with the right kind of, right-fitting, one-size-fits- all shoes of Peace.

KNOWING MY WORTH Author Unknown

"Each one of you is a Son of God because of your faith in Christ Jesus" - Galatians 3:26

Even as a child, this counselee of mine did not receive enough praises or encouragement from her parents and siblings. Only criticisms when she erred. Naturally, her self-esteem was damaged. And it took its toll in her married life.

Now, her husband gone to another woman, she lives as a single mother to two kids and she is struggling to find a way to support them - both materially and emotionally. In our sessions, I focused on her self-esteem because I knew it was her low self-worth that made her repeat harmful behavior patterns, which is her real problem. She has to realize that she was a child of God. And this means she is loved.

The root of all codependency is a love hunger, which can be filled by the Lord mainly.

That is why there is hope for those of us with a broken past. A good grounding in the Lord will see us through.

KEEPERS By Sally I. Kennedy

How blessed the hearers and keepers of...all the words written in this book! Rev. 1:3

With strains of Auld Lang Syne ringing in the air, I was thinking of what things to change, what things to keep, and what things to get rid of in the NewYear. My husband is a keeper. He keeps things a long time. Like coats. And favorite shirts. He's not a pack rat, but he knows what he likes and he holds onto them.

One thing he, my sons and grandsons, all enjoy doing is fishing. Ben has mentioned that fishing rules have become more stringent. He has to sometimes check and see if it's a "keeper". Apparently fines are heavy for keeping a fish that is undersized, or for keeping too many over the quota for the day's catch.

Isn't that just like God with His kids? He not only loves us, He likes us. He knows what He likes, and He holds onto them. Good thing for us, there's no quota, and no limit.

Yup, God.......He' s a keeper. He knows what He likes, and keeps them a long time. Like, forever.

That is good news.

TAKE IT WITH YOU By Sally I. Kennedy

Take it with you and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph 6:17

Most days when I leave home I have my cell phone glued to me. In the unlikely event that I forget to take it with me, I turn around and go back and get it if possible.

For a lot of years I got along fine without a cellular phone. “What’s so important about having it now”, I asked myself just this week, “especially all the time?” There is something more important to have when I leave home – or even at home. Armor, spiritual armor.

When Paul wrote a letter to the people at a church in Ephesus, he closed it with an important wrap-up, instructions on putting on this armor, and what it’s for. You never know what a day will bring. It is a more-than-good idea to not leave home without it, your spiritual armor.

‘A final word... put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared..hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ Ephesians 6: 10-17

ALL WE REALLY NEED TO KNOW, WE LEARNED FROM NOAH'S ARK Author Unknown

1. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

2. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something REALLY big.

3. Don't listen to critics -- do what has to be done.

4. Build on high ground.

5. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

6. Two heads are better than one.

7. Speed isn't always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board, but so were the snails.

8. If you can't fight or flee -- float!

9. Take care of your animals as if they were the last ones on earth.

10. Don't forget that we're all in the same boat.

11. When the doo-doo gets really deep, don't sit there and complain -- shovel!!!

12. Stay below deck during the storm.

13. Remember that the ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was built by professionals.

14. If you have to start over, have a friend by your side.

15. Remember that the woodpeckers INSIDE are often a bigger threat than the storm outside.

16. Don't miss the boat.

17. No matter how bleak it looks, there's always a rainbow on the other side.

18. "Stop what you are doing, and do what God says!"