BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND - SETTING GOALS

     BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND  -       -SETTING GOALS  

                                 BIBLE BUFF JOURNAL - BIBLELADY99CASH

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        Jesus said "I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also."
            John 14.verse 3  

                  

        In the light of that promise, I muse on the coming year, and 

       perhaps, yes, even the next five years.    What would I like to see happening ? and what ? would I like to achieve ?  

           HERE IN THE CLOUDS OF THIS SKY PHOTO TAKEN SOME WHILE AGO I HAD TO FOCUS ON MY CAMERA TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THIS PHOTO.       
          WHAT DO I WISH TO ACHIEVE ?   I  ASK MYSELF.
         
          HAVE YOU FOCUSED ON WHAT YOU WISH TO DO ?
                ON WHAT YOU WISH TO ACHIEVE THIS COMING YEAR?

          FOCUS IS NEEDED TO TAKE A GOOD PHOTO.    MY FOCUS MUST CHANGE SO THAT OTHERS WILL SEE ME AS A PERSON FOCUSING ON MAKING SMALL COMMITMENTS AND KEEPING THEM. 

         QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF ARE :

             AM I ATTRACTING TO MYSELF THOSE WHO LOVE THE LORD?
           
            AM  I  SHINING  MY  LIGHT ? IN THE DARKNESS ?

             THOSE WHO ARE IN DARKNESS WHO MAY BE HUNGRY FOR LIGHT WILL SEE MY LIGHT IF I SHINE AS GOD DIRECTS ME.

                     Here is a photo of a Lighthouse -  the one called
NUBBLE  at  Cape Neddick  MA.     

                               

                          This was me   June Estelle Donato  in 1938 or 1939.
I was just about five years old, and I visited in Martha's Vineyard and was in the Cape Cod for a visit to see my father's Aunt Sally -  his "mother".     Really his Aunt,  she raised him along with her two -  Betty and Bill -  and yet never did he call her Mother.    He never knew his mother - or his father. 

                         Many questions in my childhood as to unresolved relationships.
However, one thing is for sure.   I early KNEW THAT SOMEHOW SOMEWAY THERE WAS A GOD, AND I WANTED TO KNOW HIM, AND TO WALK IN HIS WAYS.

                        In my lifetime I have found many changes and much to learn.  God has given me faith in Him, by my discovery of the BIBLE (KJV) and by my discovery that I can trust Him for all my needs.   

                     PHILIPPIANS 4.19  BUT MY GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEEDS ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY BY CHRIST JESUS.   

                    AS THE BUTTERFLY PLANT
- BUDDLEIA - ATTRACTS THE BUTTERFLIES - WE NEED TO ATTRACT THOSE WHO "ARE NIBBLING" AT THE GOSPEL, OF THE GOOD NEWS.
    I need to think of ways to
    attract others in my LIFE.
             They are nibbling.
                   but they do not know
                  why they are hungry 
                   they just know "they
                   need something or someone
                    more than what they have." 

        JOHN 8.12 
         I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. HE THAT FOLLOWETH ME SHALL NOT WALK IN DARKNESS, BUT SHALL HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
  
         MATTHEW 5.16 
         LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE MEN THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.  

           CONSIDER - 
   1.WE CAN THINK ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN.
   2.  JESUS TALKED ABOUT THINGS THAT THE PEOPLE AMONG WHOM HE LIVED WERE FAMILIAR WITH.
  3.  JESUS WAS ALWAYS AVAILABLE WHEN SOMEONE NEEDED HIM, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO TIME AT ALL...HE MADE TIME FOR PEOPLE. 
 4.  JESUS TOOK TIME TO PRAY WHEN THERE WAS NO TIME AT ALL...HE MADE TIME FOR PRAYER BY USING THE ONLY THING HE HAD WHENEVER HE COULD.   
5. WE OUGHT TO BE SPECIFIC IN ASKING THE LORD TO HELP US BE TRULY INTERESTED IN OTHERS.    WE ARE TO BE REAL.   
6. WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES, AM I WILLING TO LET GOD HELP ME, BY BEING SPECIFIC WITH GOD IN PRAYER. 

THINK   WIN - WIN  

GOD IS SOVEREIGN

GOD IS ABLE. 

GOD IS WILLING FOR ANYONE TO COME TO HIM

AND BE SAVED.

MATTHEW 28.18 - 20  

AND JESUS CAME AND SPAKE TO THEM, 

SAYING, ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME 

IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH.

GO YE THEREFORE,

AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, 

BAPTIZING THEM 

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER,

AND OF THE SON,

AND OF THE HOLY GHOST, 

TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE

ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER

I HAVE COMMANDED YOU...

AND LO, 

I AM WITH YOU ALWAY, 

EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD.

ALL WE NEED TO DO 

IS BE WILLING TO PRESENT HIM CLEARLY

AND PLAINLY TO 

ANYONE

WHOEVER 

WHOMEVER

ENQUIRES 

AND IS SEARCHING 

FOR GOD.

THE RESULTS BELONG TO GOD.

ALL GOD ASKS IS OUR AVAILABILITY.

I CAN DO ALL THINGS

THROUGH

CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENETH ME.

PHILIPPIANS 4.13  

WITH GOD,

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE

LUKE 1.37 

AND ALL THINGS, 

WHATSOEVER YE SHALL ASK

IN PRAYER,

BELIEVING 

YE SHALL RECEIVE.

Matthew 21.22

WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED?

BUT JESUS BEHELD THEM, AND SAID UNTO THEM, 

WITH MEN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT WITH

GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE....

Matthew 19.25,26  

      
           BIBLELADY99CASH-MY LIGHTHOUSE BY THE SEA

LIGHTHOUSE BAPTIST CHURCH - BIRCH BAY WA 98230

COME JOURNEY WITH ME - MY EARLY JOURNEY

    

        COME JOURNEY WITH ME  -

 MY EARLY JOURNEY  

]I CAME TO CHRIST AS A GENTILE,

THEN I DISCOVERED MY JEWISH ROOTS.

IN MESSIAH I HAVE BEEN MADE WHOLE.

Ephesians 2.14

FOR HE IS OUR PEACE,

WHO HATH MADE BOTH ONE,

AND HATH BROKEN DOWN

THE MIDDLE WALL OF 

PARTITION BETWEEN US.

WALKING BY FAITH  - MUCH TO PONDER

BIBLEBUFFJOURNAL-MYBIBLEPROJECT99

Better is the ending of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit better than the proud in spirit.

                                          Ecclesiastes 3: 8 

    

Mother was about to give us 

a fourth sibling.

We happily sat for Grandfather

while he took our picture.

Mother

was standing behind the door

watching us.

And uncertainty was in the air.

Daddy was away to war, in the Philippine Islands.

We did not know how or why but

whispers of uncertainty 

were all around us.

And God kept me blissfully close

to God in all that time.

I passed my 12th birthday when Sandra came 

to be my little sister.   My birthday was in June.

Hers would be in September.

Not sure, but I think this photo was 

taken when it was Easter - and it still

was SNOW on the ground.

Think about what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes of the end is better than the beginning.

So often we do not know why troubles come.

We worry over things that never happen.

Yet, just at the same time my sister was born

I went to School in the 5th grade, 

and a dear man of God who loved his Bible

came 

into our class

and if we wanted one,

we could have a New Testament.

So that day, receiving my first

New Testament in the King James Bible

I read how I could be saved.

It made the difference in my life.

Could that happen for you too?

The only sibling I have now is one sister,

named Diane.   She and I both love the Lord Jesus.

We know that something happened in my life,

because when it did, 

then something happened in her life.

We both found God as a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46.1 

Here I am in September with 

Diane out in front of my Aunt Esther's house.

Daddy was away to war in the Philippines, 

and uncertainty was in the air,

but I remember Grandma and Esther

taking me to see Mother 

in the hospital.

I only could look through a window 

to see my little sister in the baby basinet 

she was in.

Diane and I and Skip (what we called my brother Harry) 

were glad that this baby had come.

The beginning of a child.

But the ending is what matters.

When I first asked Jesus into my life,

no one in my family knew the Lord.

We moved too much, were too poor to get

fine clothes, and were what 

a lot of folk 

called 

"trailer trash"

I was oblivious.

My mother loved me.

She loved us children unconditionally.

And because of that,

my heart knew

that GOD WOULD BE MY BEST FRIEND

FOREVER.

All of my family came to know Jesus,

each in their own way, they turned to Him

because they knew Junie was praying for them.

JOHN 3.16 

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD 

THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. 

JOHN 3.16

Even in death, there is victory 

knowing that Jesus Christ is our Lord

and Savior.    Here my father was photographed

by a dear man who was the Undertaker at the 

place where my Dad was buried.   He sent

me a photo of my Dad and told me that my

father had a military burial, as a Veteran of 

the U.S.Army in W W II.

I am glad I knew my father.   

More important, I am glad he listened to me 

when I told him about Jesus, because even though

he could sing Tenor with a voice as beautiful

as Bing Crosby, and had sung with the New York Episcopal Boys' Choir, he never really believed God would listen to 

him until he saw what God did in my life.

At a time when I really needed his advice,

he reminded me of my commitment to God,

and it saved me from the terrible mistake

of 

marrying the wrong person.

I got to see him before he died, in 1987 on our BIG Trip.

Here I got to sing for him

and to thank him 

for being my Dad.

He said, What did I ever do for you?  You did it 

all yourself."

I told him, "Dad, If it had not been for you,

I would have never been able to marry my dear

Henry, and to have my beautiful children.  You

did something good for me back in Sacramento CA

when you were having a rough time for yourself.

You never complained.  You heard a lot of what

I said about "I was waiting for the right man"

And then I really was astounded, when, 

after I had accepted a ring from someone

I hardly knew, you stood it for 3 days, then

on the occasion of my starting to go to see this

person from whom I had accepted a ring, 

Dad stood by the Garage door and quietly spoke.

June, he said, if you are the Christian girl that you say 

you are, and if you are right in saying that you are waiting for the Christan man God has prepared for you, then you will march over to this fellow and return this ring.   I know his kind.

He looked at me, and his eyes were earnest,

not hard, but concerned.

He was not angry with me.

He just wanted to warn me of what I was doing.

This was my dad and mom in 1933 waiting for me.

This was the last time I saw Dad in 1987

He still sat straight, and had cut his beard and 

shaved, because he knew we were coming.

I believe that I was able to thank my father for

having me.

Someday 

in heaven

we will meet again.

I know that because 

of Jesus who died for our sins,

and became our Passover Lamb 

then he died and 

was buried

and rose again

the third day 

just like He promised.

DADDY is now there.

My husband is now there.

Most of my family are all gone ahead of me,

but thank the dear Lord, I know I will

be with them

most of all

WE WILL GATHER WITH 

ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE 

AT JESUS FEET. 

This was me with Dad in 1982 when I first met him

after many years of not knowing where he was.

He was in a Veteran's Nursing Home in Sacramento CA

and well cared for there.    It amazed me that 

because God brought him back into my life, I

got to share how I understood that it 

was God who loved us, both Jew and Gentile,

and here I am, part Jew and part Gentile,

and because of Jesus

becoming a man

and still was GOD - THE I AM

I am able to claim 

GOD IS MY FATHER

Eternally

His.

Daddy finally understood

real Christians do not hate Jews.

And that Jesus died for ALL 

ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.

Romans 3.23 

FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, BUT THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.

Romans 6.23