YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! That’s what I want you to know today … right
now! Those words are spoken much too
infrequently, or sometimes out of ulterior motives – but not genuinely spoken
as much as every living person needs to hear them! Let’s see if I can boost the percentages on
this … because I truly want YOU to know how very beautiful YOU are! Those are the words that rolled from our lips
as we first laid eyes on the photos of our very first great-grandchild – the one
we wrote about last week as we were praying for a miracle in the womb. Within just a few days of that writing, and
many praises and prayers later … baby Emma Ryann Knoll was born on August 17th
at 4:33 p.m., weighing 7 lbs. 5 oz. and measuring 21” long! YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, baby Emma! We couldn’t help but say those words! A new creation, hand-designed by the Master
life-giver ~ and here she is on earth and a part of our family! May she be a princess-warrior for Jesus all
the days of her life! I’m sure we will
tell her many times throughout her life just how beautiful she is. And now that brings me to you! YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! How do I know? Well, because I can “see” … and because “God
told me so!” There’s a song that talks
about seeing through God’s eyes – and that has touched me so much. For that’s how I want to see people … I want
to see their full beauty and their full potential, just as God looks at each of
us. You did know, didn’t you, that He
thinks WE ARE BEAUTIFUL?! Well, He
does! And I’m here to tell you just how
beautiful He thinks you are. He only
makes the best … so listen to these words that He inspired David the psalmist
to pen: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s
womb. I praise You because I am
fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full
well.” The psalmist goes on, “My frame was not hidden from You when I was
made in the secret place. When I was
woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in
Your book before one of them came to be.”
(Psalm 39: 13-16) He SAW us,
and He liked what He saw. Had He not
been happy with His creation, He would have done some re-designing and tweaking
while we were still being formed. But
here we are, just as He planned, and He thinks we are beautiful and special and
valuable! And my husband and I
agree! We think you are beautiful! And special!
And valuable! And we want YOU to
agree – with us and with God! These days
we mostly hear how awful and ugly and bad people are. We hear how worthless some people are. Some say that others are “good for nothing!” Wow, that really makes a person feel
beautiful and loved and valued, doesn’t it?
Thinking and praying about what God wanted me to share for this week’s
blog, the statement, “Let people know they are beautiful!”, dropped into my
heart. So I really want you to get this …
and truly believe it! Coming home from
work, I opened an envelope from a mission organization and knew this message
for you was from God when I read the following paragraph: “One
team was ministering to women in a village in Panama. A team member named Stephanie was sharing
with a woman in her fifties. Reading to
her from Psalm 139, Stephanie proceeded to tell this woman of her value, and
that she was beautiful. The woman began
to weep, and explained that no one in her whole life had ever told her she was
beautiful. Sharing God’s love is that simple.” (End of quote from Mark Brock, with Youth
With A Mission) Let’s not let countless
people go to their grave thinking they are not beautiful. Let’s get busy with spreading this life-changing
message, “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!”
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS to David on the birth of his new granddaughter
this past week; may God bless all!
BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Marty on August 30th; may God
bless you with your best year ever!
GOD’S BLESSINGS to Whitney & Matt on becoming parents to
baby Emma, and to Dana & Stacey on becoming grandparents to this precious gift
from God!
SUN, AUG 26: 10:00 A.M. –
PRAISE & WORSHIP/”All Spiritual Gifts Are to be Couched in Love!” I Cor. 11,12,13
SUN, AUG 26: 11:15 A.M. –
KINGDOM CONNECTION CLASSES for all ages – plan to stay and learn!
SUN, SEP 02: 10:00 A.M.
- PRAISE & WORSHIP/”Are You A
Laborer in God’s Harvest Fields?” Luke,
chapter 10
SUN, SEP 02: 11:15 AM. –
KINDOM CONNECTION CLASSES for deepening your walk with God!
SUN, SEP 09: 10:00 A.M. –
PRAISE & WORSHIP/COMMUNION – remembering what Christ did for us!
SUN, SEP 09: POTLUCK
LUNCH with Planning & Visionary Church Meeting to follow; bring favorite foods
to share!
PRAYER OPPORTUNTIES . . . Hazel’s loss of her sister-in-law;
students returning to schools; unspoken needs
REMEMBER . . . “May God give you eyes to see beauty only the
heart can understand!” ~ Unknown
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
