Happy Wednesday

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your god. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Snowflakes are fascinating. Most scientists call them crystals, and they often look just like their name sounds. They come in all different shapes and sizes (glitter tiaras, delicate lace doilies, shining stars) but they still remain very similar to each other. Each snowflake has six points, is made up of molecules of hydrogen and oxygen, and is symmetrical.

More simply, they provide hours of entertainment for children, and offer a sense of serenity and peace to onlookers. But they come into existence because the center of each one is filled with a small amount of foreign matter. The water vapor that makes a snowflake collects around a particle of dust floating in the atmosphere. The tiny particle may be as small as 1/100,000 of a millimeter in size, but it has to exist for a snowflake to form.

Snowflakes can be likened to situations in life. Many times, obstacles that come across our paths can actually be the catalysts that cause something wonderful and beautiful to happen as a result. A "foreign invader" that crashes into our lives - such as a terminal illness, an accident, or heartbreak - can actually be turned into a source of blessing.

When these obstacles become the center of that beautiful blessing, its presence gives the believer the chance to let God make something wonderful happen. And it goes to show that God can turn all things bad into things of great opportunity and promise. If you are struggling with a ?foreign object? in your life that has made all things difficult, seek the Lord and wait for Him to create out of it a beautiful blessing.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God that when afflictions test you and hardships come to destroy you, He keeps you solid and firm. Pray that He would continue to transform your trials into blessings by surrounding them with his love, grace, and mercy.

Whispering Hope

1. Soft as the voice of an angel,
   Breathing a lesson unheard,
   Hope with a gentle persuasion
   Whispers her comforting word:
   Wait till the darkness is over,
   Wait till the tempest is done,
   Hope for the sunshine tomorrow,
   After the shower is gone.
   • Refrain:
     Whispering hope, oh, how welcome thy voice,
     Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.
2. If, in the dusk of the twilight,
   Dim be the region afar,
   Will not the deepening darkness
   Brighten the glimmering star?
   Then when the night is upon us,
   Why should the heart sink away?
   When the dark midnight is over,
   Watch for the breaking of day.
3. Hope, as an anchor so steadfast,
   Rends the dark veil for the soul,
   Whither the Master has entered,
   Robbing the grave of its goal;
   Come then, oh, come, glad fruition,
   Come to my sad weary heart;
   Come, O Thou blest hope of glory,
   Never, oh, never depart.

Daily Smile:

Tom and Mat were best of friends, they played football once a week for 50 years. When they were getting older they had an argument if people play football in heaven. So they made up that whoever dies first will let the other one know what happens in heaven. 

After Mat dies he comes to Tom in a dream and tells him,"You were right! They play up here and not only that, they have your name for starting quarterback!" 

"Oh wow!!! That's great!!!" Tom replies. 

"Well," replies Mat. "Not that great, they have you playing tomorrow night!"

In The News:

Police Break Up Plot to Assassinate Turkish Pastor
Police in Turkey say they thwarted an assassination plot against a Christian pastor Tuesday when they arrested 14 suspects, two of whom had been part of his congregation for more than a year, the World Watch Monitor reports. Emre Karaali, pastor of Izmit Protestant Church and the target of the alleged plot, said two of the arrested suspects were regular members, feigning interest in Christianity. One of them, he said, participated in a baptism in July. Some of the other suspects also had visited the church, Karaali said. He said three of the suspects are women. "These people had infiltrated our church and collected information about me, my family and the church and were preparing an attack against us," said Karaali, 33, a native Turk and a convert to Christianity. "Two of them attended our church for over a year and they were like family."

Muslims Demolish Church-Owned Building in Egypt
Hundreds of Muslims came out of mosques last week armed with hammers, and destroyed a social services building belonging to the Coptic Church while chanting Islamic slogans, ASSIST News Service reports. Security forces arrived after the building was completely destroyed. According to the Assyrian International News Agency, the 100-square-meter building in the village of Fanous -- which had a reception hall on the first floor and a kindergarten on the second -- had all the necessary government permits, but Muslims insisted the Christians were "building a church" and broadcast a message on loudspeakers to Muslims in surrounding villages to assist in destroying it. A number of local Copts filed a police report, but no Muslim has been arrested.