NRIGirl
Pin It Now! * I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Psalm:122:1

* One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.Psalm 27:4

* Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.Psalm 100:4

I love Sundays! It is one day where we can all come together and rejoice in His presence. It is a privilege. In countries like China where churches are prohibited, people worship in underground churches. Where there are no buildings, people gather under trees and thatched roof to worship the Lord in Srilanka, India and possibly more countries. In Saudi Arabia people gather in homes to worship the Lord. They are glad when they are told, "Let us go into the house of the Lord"

Come, let's go too! By the way, bring some "thanksgiving" & "praise" with you... It's going to be fun!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Glad you could stop by for some time with Jesus this morning. I guess some of you stayed up late to get the first glimpse of today's coffee and some of you woke up early to accommodate it in your schedule; appreciate it much. It is fun to have company for coffee with Jesus!

Today for a change we are going to open our mouth and praise the Lord. You would all agree mostly our prayers are made from the heart - true. But to open our mouths wide and  praise is a liberating experience. In Psalms 81:10 we read,  "Open wide your mouth and I will fill it, says the Lord"

Hosea 14:2 specifically says, "Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips."

As important it is to pray from the bottom of our heart, is to pray with the words from our mouth too. Not sure how your comfort level is with that, but give it a try, you will feel the difference. As it is promised our Lord will fill it - with praise, with scriptures, with Holy Spirit, with tongues, with His words, prophecy and more praise.

For the next few moments, let us forget everything around us, everyone near us and just open our mouths wide and praise the Lord, praise His holy name, offering the calves of our lips to receive the fill for the day! Amen!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "Let the little children come to me; do not hinder them"
Matthew: 19:14

This is a very familiar verse and we also sing it as a childhood favorite song. The question is: Are we really letting our little children come to the Lord? How is our language around the house? What type of books we read & movies we watch? How do we spend our money, time & energy? Are we setting a Godly example to our little children?

As we ponder over this question, let me quickly bring up this week's prayer requests so that we can all pray for it together:

* Let us pray for Melissa's husband's salvation and also for Melissa as she holds sorrow in her heart for him.
* Jolee experiences family turmoil; let us pray that the Prince of Peace reign in their hearts and bring in great calm
* Leslie has a physical health doctor appointment on Monday. Let us pray that everything goes well.
* VanishingActs asks to pray for his/her grandpa who is in need of hip surgery
* Let us praise for Reena & Evelyn's praise report this week.

Let's hold hands, "Loving Father! Thank you Lord for helping us through yet another week! We are grateful for this virtual gathering here at your feet Lord. We have these prayer requests in front of us Lord. There is really nothing we can do to help these individuals Lord. Only you can help Lord; you alone can help. Please intervene in each of these situations Lord, and bring in victory to your name Jesus. Your name alone be glorified Lord. Thank you for the praises we are going to hear from these individuals Lord.

Also Lord, as we discussed today if any of our acts hinder our little children from coming to you, please help us identify it Lord and also help us get rid of anything unwanted or not pleasing in your sight Lord. We want to set a Godly example to our children Lord. We completely submit each one of us under your wings Lord. In Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen!"

Coffee will be served through the weekend also; please stop by if you can. Have a blessed weekend!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! When Israelites were being led out of their bondage, not all were happy all through the journey. They were unhappy, complaining and were going back to Egypt all the time - in their minds! As we read through Exodus we exclaim how they could have been so ungrateful while free, after all that they have been through in Egypt.

Often times we are no better off than them. We complain at the pressures of one job, God gives the next one, and then we start complaining about the commute. We ask for a home and when we are blessed with one, we rant it is not worth the price we paid... We wish to come to America and when we are here we wish to return home... When we are young we wish to grow up and when we are old we wish we were young...

This is the "wilderness syndrome" where we keep looking back at our Egypt(s) that we once left behind; in doing so we forget to appreciate what we have. Instead of praising God for his daily supply of abundant grace and mercy, we start worrying what's in store for tomorrow or how things would have worked out if he could have made different decisions... the list goes on.

Isaiah - Chapter 43, verses 18 & 19 says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

Shall we?
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "Give thanks to Him... Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever" Psalm: 136:23

I am sure we all have experienced lows in our lives sometime or other. It could have been a health condition or unhappiness or joblessness or something else that we can all relate to.

Those were the days when help wasn't near; we were not sure whom to run to, what to do, how to manage. Faith was being tested to a great extent. Friends were rare and we were at the lowest of our lows.

But God remembered us! Our faith was restored & our joy renewed.

Now, let us go back in time to see how God remembered us in our low estate - just scanning it all in our minds - and thank Him for that. Let's share our testimonies of how God led us through certain hardship with our friends, family and especially our children. Let us also be kind to those who might be in dire situations like we once were and help the best way we can...

For some of us, may be these are the lowly days... Our Lord remembers you as we speak - He has not forgotten you!

Let us remember to thank the Lord who remember(ed) us in our low estate!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall." Psalm 18:29

Mostly when I get ready for a job interview or something very critical this is the verse that comes to my mind. Almost always it calms my anxiety and gives me an immediate peace of mind.

Are you getting ready for an interview today? Are you waiting for a medical report this week? Are your resources running low that you are not sure how you will manage? Please be encouraged that with God's help you can advance against a troop; with our God you can scale a wall.

As I write this, I can sense that it is very similar to yesterday's message: "Go in the strength you have" I believe it only stresses the fact that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Psalm 91 goes hand in hand with this verse as it helps us visualize exactly how God prepares us to run into the enemy's army.  Hope you can stay a little while longer to read the whole psalm posted below:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
       will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
 2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
       my God, in whom I trust."
 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
       and from the deadly pestilence.
 4 He will cover you with his feathers,
       and under his wings you will find refuge;
       his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
 5 You will not fear the terror of night,
       nor the arrow that flies by day,
 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
       nor the plague that destroys at midday.
 7 A thousand may fall at your side,
       ten thousand at your right hand,
       but it will not come near you.
 8 You will only observe with your eyes
       and see the punishment of the wicked.
 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
       even the LORD, who is my refuge-
 10 then no harm will befall you,
       no disaster will come near your tent.
 11 For he will command his angels concerning you
       to guard you in all your ways;
 12 they will lift you up in their hands,
       so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
 13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
       you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
 14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
       I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
       I will be with him in trouble,
       I will deliver him and honor him.
 16 With long life will I satisfy him
       and show him my salvation."

By His grace we can do all things; can we not face an interview?! Go in peace; God be with you!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Of all the conversations mentioned in the Bible, the one I truly enjoy is that between Gideon and the angel of the Lord. Gideon at first does not know that it was an angel he was talking to and is quite candid about his faith. When the angel of the Lord greats him, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior", without skipping a beat Gideon asks, "If the Lord is with us, why has all this happend to us?" To understand Gideon's aloofness and frustrations we need to know little bit of his background.

In Judges 6th chapter we read, "Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it."

It is beyond our comprehension to even imagine how it would be to live in constant fear like that not for one or two days but for seven long years! Even as the angel is talking to him, Gideon is actually  threshing wheat in a winepress. Wheat is normally threshed in the wheat field - right?, but to save it from the Midianites he was threshing it in a winepress. So you get a picture of his plight.

The Angel's response was, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel " Let's stop at that for today's coffee!

Go in the strength you have, against your "Midianites"; the victory is yours...

 (If you would like to read the whole conversation and what happens after, continue to read Book of Judges Chapter 6 & 7 )
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness... " Psalm 96:9

As we are getting ready to worship the Lord this morning, let's remember to worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness! In a different translation we read, "Worship the Lord in holy attire" which reminds me of the guest at a King's wedding banquet who did not have the wedding clothes on and was later thrown out into the darkness. (Mathew 22)

Attire or clothes can be related to our salvation or righteousness as in Isaiah 61:10 we read "I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

Let's make sure to wear our garments of salvation and not to forget our robes of righteousness as we get ready for our King's banquet!

Are you ready?!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? Jeremiah 8:22

I have been thinking of the Balm of Gilead lately and wondering how it applies to our lives. This is open for discussion today. If you have any thoughts please share in the comments section below.

It's going to be a lovely day! Have a Godly weekend!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Hard to believe it is Friday already! If we were to keep a race for all the days of the week, I believe Friday will come first!

Thought it will be a good idea to take some time to go over the prayer requests submitted so far. I believe it is an important aspect of the Christian journey to uphold one another in prayer. Though we may not know them in person, our Lord who is the God of far and near knows them all very well. Let us hold hands together (virtually) and bring each of these needs in front of His throne.

* Let's pray for Jacinth's parents to get the visa to visit USA
* Let's uphold Linda Hoon who was admitted in the ER and also her friend Darla Kidder in our prayers
* Let's pray for peace in Carla's daughter's family and that God binds the couple together in His love
* Let's remember DD in our prayers to find a good job soon and also for Joy who is praying for her.
* Please keep Leslie R in your prayers for good health
* Let's pray for Stephan to get into his desired college in Virginia and for Hity88 who shares the burden with him
* Let's keep Shooting Star Mag's Mom who is suffering from Kidney disease in our prayers and also we will keep Shooting Star Mag in our prayers for strength and wisdom.
* Please pray for AmandaSue who suffers from severe migraines.

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for this time with you Lord. Thank you for the beautiful brothers and sisters who have gathered here to spend some time at your presence Lord. We bring these prayer requests to you Lord. If two or more are gathered in your name and ask for something, you will grant it Lord! Thank you that we are gathered in your name praying for these requests in unison Lord. We are sure you will hear our prayers and answer each one of these needs Lord. Thank you that soon we will be seeing the praise reports and worship your name Lord. Bless each one of us Lord. Thank you so much for everything you have been to us Lord. In your precious name we pray, Amen!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Not so long ago we discussed the Prayer of Jabez during our coffee break. Let's look at the prayer of King Asa today, another powerful prayer that also got answered right away.

In the beginning of II Chronicles:14 we read, "Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God" and it goes on to say, "Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you."  It's well known how God struck down the enemies of King Asa and how his army carried off a great plunder.

I want to bring your attention to the words, "...there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty... " There may be situations where we as believers are so powerless against the world which seems mighty. We may feel so helpless and that our voices are not heard. We may not be able to fit in certain groups, do certain things and may be ridiculed by the world for that. It may be just you against all your friends when it comes to standing up for the faith. Let's not forget King Asa's prayer and how it got answered.

Here's your take away for the day,  "...there is no one like Him to help the powerless against the mighty..." Let's get out there with this power folks, the plunder is ours!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" Psalm: 23

A staff is a strong wooden stick with a curved end and held at hand, a rod is a stump or a thick wooden stick, normally worn in the belt.

I often wonder how can a shepherd's rod and staff comfort the sheep. We can visualize it being used to punish a wayward sheep or goat that goes away from the flock; but how can these comfort?

Thinking a little deeper of how else a shepherd might use his rod and staff, we can come up with the list below:

* The shepherd uses his staff to pull a branch of a tree down so that his animals can feed on the leaves.
* The shepherd uses his rod or staff to kill snakes, chase away dogs or other intruders.
* The shepherd uses his rod to instruct discipline to the flock
*The shepherd uses his rod or staff to untangle the bush a goat/sheep may run into
* The shepherd uses his rod to clear the water of fallen leaves or debris, so the animals can drink from it.
* The shepherd uses his rod or staff to examine a sick animal or even carry very sick animal.
* The staff signifies the shepherd so that people know who is in charge of the flock

We see that the rod and staff comfort more than punish. As the Lord is our Shepherd, His rod and staff they comfort us. Of course He also needs to discipline us from time to time; agree?

In Proverbs we read, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." It is only natural for our Heavenly Father who loves us dearly, to carefully discipline us too. Shall we say Amen?!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." Isaiah 60:1

"...it is light that makes everything visible ...and Christ will shine on you."" Ephesians 5:14

"the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;" Numbers 6:25

"You are the light of the world. ...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Mathew 5:14-16

I guess these verses are pretty straight forward and self explanatory. For today's coffee let's focus on the word "light". Thinking of light in general terms, what are some of the things that come to our minds? Of course the sun, the moon, the stars, light houses, street lights, lamps, flashlights, fire, decorations, what else?!

Now let's try to imagine ourselves as one of these sources of light. Can we be a sun to the world? How about a moon - reflecting the light from the Son? Could we be the stars brightening the night? A light house directing a boat or ship of life? Street lights illuminating someone's path? A lamp chasing away a child's fear? Flashlights used in a search, how about a bonfire to someone cold and tiered, or pretty decorations in the busy downtown? Do we shine for His glory?

Can we play light for today and practice it for the days to come?! When we attempt it the Lord makes His face shine upon us! It's a promise!

If you recall any such lights in your life please share so it may benefit fellow readers.
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." Proverbs 14:1

Welcome back those who skipped the weekend "coffee" and others who stayed on thru' the weekend too. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. Here on the East coast we are running out of warm weekends and so squeezing to get most things done has become our priority.

For today's coffee, let's focus on the verse, The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Let's consider a puzzle board, what is easy to do, building up or tearing down? I am sure you will all agree tearing down is easy to do than building up as in tearing down we don't really care how each piece falls, the mess it creates etc. However when we build up something, more care is needed to put the pieces in order.

We as women have greater responsibility in building up our homes, one heart at a time. It is a tedious process I agree. It gets difficult at times and we feel like tearing it all down... trust me it will be more hard to put things back together than fixing the single area that needs attention.

Keeping peace in the family should be every home maker's primary focus - of course peace in alignment with God's Word. Agree, men too have the same responsibility, but it falls on the mothers and wives more. Thrashing seems easy to do but always results in pain, building results in joy through hard labor. If we set a role model as thrashers, it is hard to expect our children to be builders.

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. What is your call?
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 1 Corinthians 5:17

Dear brothers and sisters, let your hearts not be disturbed. Trust in GOD. No situation of yours is too hard for HIM to change. Our Lord Jesus is ready to accept you as you are and give you a new life.

Yes, HIS words encourage us to come to HIM and receive the new life, a changed life. When we come to HIM and HIS fellowship, our Lord grants us the immeasurable joy of new being. Are you worried about a messed up past, present or even the future? Are you desperate for a change, a fresh start? It will all be added unto you when you come to the cross.

Let us unite our hearts with this word of prayer, "Dear Lord, thank you for your love. Thanks for this time with you. Lord you know how much I am desperate for your touch and help. Touch me and grant me a new start. Make my life whole again. In Jesus - our loving Lord's name we pray, Amen"

Now, let us not skip the fellowship of believers folks. Let's get ready in mind, body and soul for church! It is FUN!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring" Isaiah 44:3

What a beautiful promise! I love water; just hearing this verse makes me thirsty! Have you been very thirsty where it was difficult to find drinking water around and finally when you get to the fountain, what a relief! We just gulp it down non-stop as if we may never find water again...

What if there is no water fountain to be seen; you are walking around tiered and thirsty and no vending machines in the vicinity, and you are panting when out of nowhere someone offers you some fresh cold water... would you take it?! I would of course, and will be very grateful to the person who gave me the water.

But how about the spiritual water? Are we thirsty for it the same way? King David says, in Psalm 42:1, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God" and he continues to sing, "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?"

Are we that thirsty for the living God? Let us drink as much as possible from His living water - the word of God! Jesus, the Source of Living Water, extends an invitation to all who thirst. Are you thirsty?!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Fun Friday folks! Just to keep it light, here's a poem I had written a while ago. Remember the parting of the red sea when you feel cornered by a sea in the front and an army behind... Have a godly weekend!

Merry & Cheer they left
Out of Egypt with their clan

Gold & Silver as gifts
Slaves no more but free

Away they traveled with dance
Much singing & chatting as they fled

Few days & few nights into their trek
Oh lo! Red sea in the front

As they looked back to check
Oh lo! the army behind

Their hearts all ached with fear
Nowhere to flee from both

They looked to their leader with prayer
He begged to the Father in Heaven

As they watched with so much fear
An amazing event occured

The sea parted in half giving way
They hurried by foot all the way

All Grannnies, the young and the sick
All Mommies, the babies and kids

With Daddies, the animals, and all
With fear and trembling and hope

The sea stood as high walls you see
On both sides, it was a great sight

The wind was so harsh to the sea
Yet so gentle to the folks as they walked

Armies behind them to chase
In charriots and fast running horse

As the last person put out his feet
Out of the parted red sea

While the army was still in mid way
The sea came back with such force

Whole army was killed in no time
While People rejoiced with glea

Not one of them lost in the sea
It's a constant reminder to us

No matter how big is our sea
No matter how fast is the foe

God opens a way for us out
For sure as He is true!

NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm" Mathew 8:26 (KJV)

"He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm" Mark 4: 39 (NIV)

"He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm" Luke 8:24 (NIV)

Welcome one and all, let's have Coffee with Jesus. For some of us, there could be something more than a coffee brewing right now. We could be experiencing a great storm in our lives at this very moment. It may look like the storm may never end; the wind might seem to have the upper hand; that we are about to sink into the depth of our sorrows. I encourage you to please meditate on the verses above, where Jesus rebukes the storm and the wind and it was "completely calm" or "a great calm" or "all was calm" as the Gospel authors put it.

Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever! Amen! Is He not powerful enough to calm your storm? Does He not have the authority to rebuke your wind? Why are you afraid? Why do you doubt Him? Repeat these words, "Quiet! Be still!" against all your stormy situations.

Be it peace in the family, joblessness, financial difficulties, health conditions, disobedient children, abusive relationships or bondage to sin - whatever your storm may be, however strong your wind may appear, when you call unto Jesus He will say "Quiet! Be still!" Soon there will be a great calm. He will fill you with the peace from above. You will start rejoicing in the Spirit and before you know it, the storm will subside and the wind will die down! Hallelujah!!

Let us pray, Our Father in Heaven! We come to your presence in one accord, as one family Lord. You see some of us are struggling with huge storms Lord. Please command against our storms Lord so that there will be complete peace and a great calm Lord. Please help us rid of all our doubts Jesus! Please help us overcome our fears Jesus! We trust and believe you are still able to rebuke our storms Lord. Thank you for the complete deliverance you are granting us Lord. Thank you for the peace from above Lord, for the joy of salvation Lord. Thank you that we are soon going to praise your name seeing the calm you have ordered Lord. Bless this day for each one of us Lord. We completely surrender us at your feet Jesus. In Jesus mighty name we pray, Amen!

Remember to share your prayer requests and praise reports, you will be automatically entered for the giveaway
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Sara Grove's song "How is it between us" is one of my favorites. Sure, go ahead click here to turn it on!

Every now and then things get too busy in our lives that we take a little too long to catch up with the Lord. Hours, days, weeks could slip by so fast without a moment of pause.

When was the last time you had a conversation with the Lord? I am not talking about a quick customary "hi and bye" kind of conversation. I mean a true heart-felt conversation; a one-on-one, where you put down your guard and pretense and come to His presence - just the two of you - you and Him?!

How is it between you and the Lord? How is it between you both? How is it? When did you talk to Him last, and what has happened since?

Did you thank him for the autumn leaves? Did you tell Him about your youngest child? Did you laugh out with Him about the comment she made? How about the birds you see, the coffee you smell, the clothes you tried, the new perfume you got, does He know what you feel about it all? Did you complain about the long commute it took only to realize it could have been worse? Did you inquire about the new pimple you spot? Did you share your fears about your aging Dad? Did you plead your case to lose some weight?! Does He know you love the clouds?

You know these catching up could also be counted towards prayer as you are communicating with the Lord?! He is at the table, waiting for you to join; would you? could you? Hope you do...

Oh! I almost forgot; There's a giveaway starting today! Please check it out...
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! My friend had forwarded this poem to me & I thought it could benefit you too...

The Master was searching for a vessel to use;
On the shelf there were many - which one would He choose?

Take me, cried the gold one, I'm shiny and bright,
I'm of great value and I do things just right.
My beauty and luster will outshine the rest
And for someone like You, Master, gold would be the best!
The Master passed on with no word at all;

He looked at a silver urn, narrow and tall;
I'll serve You, dear Master; I'll pour out Your wine
And I'll be at Your table whenever You dine,
My lines are so graceful, my carvings so true,
And my silver will always compliment You.

Unheeding the Master passed on to the brass,
It was wide mouthed and shallow, and polished like glass.
Here! Here! Cried the vessel, I know I will do,
Place me on Your table for all men to view.

Look at me, called the goblet of crystal so clear,
My transparency shows my contents so dear,
Though fragile am I, I will serve You with pride,
And I'm sure I'll be happy in Your house to abide.

The Master came next to a vessel of wood,
Polished and carved, it solidly stood.
You may use me, dear Master, the wooden bowl said,
But I'd rather You used me for fruit, not for bread!

Then the Master looked down and saw a vessel of clay.
Empty and broken it helplessly lay.
No hope had the vessel that the Master might choose,
To cleanse and make whole, to fill and to use.

Ah! This is the vessel I've been hoping to find,
I will mend and use it and make it all Mine.
I need not the vessel with pride of its self;
Nor the one who is narrow to sit on the shelf;
Nor the one who is bigmouthed and shallow and loud;
Nor one who displays his contents so proud;
Not the one who thinks he can do all things just right;

But this plain earthy vessel filled with My power and might.
Then gently He lifted the vessel of clay.
Mended and cleansed it and filled it that day.
Spoke to it kindly. There's work you must do,
Just pour out to others as I pour into you.
(Original source unknown)

Reminder: “We possess this precious treasure, the divine Light of the Gospel in vessels of earth that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves!” II Cor 4:7

The words that truly touched my heart was: "Just pour out to others as I pour into you". The Bible says, "Freely you have received, freely give" Mathew:10:8 Shall we?!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Psalm:23: 5

I would often think I had no enemies only to realize that not everyone I know of think of my well being all the time. There would be jealousy, hatred & grudges against us from very familiar people. They may not be genuinely happy when things go well for us and may secretly rejoice when things go bad for us, thus becoming an "enemy".  Also, not to forget our real enemy - the roaring lion prowling around looking to devour someone.

I am sure all of you have faced such enemies one time or other in your life. But when you sit back and think about how God led you through those circumstances you can boldly say like King David said: "My God prepared a table for me in front of my enemies. He anointed my head with oil; my cup was full". Yes, I can say that & I am sure you can too. Let's pray:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you Lord for this beautiful day. Thank you for this wonderful time with you Lord. Thank you for always preparing a table for me in front of my enemies in the past circumstances Lord. Thank you for always lifting up my head and anointing me with oil Lord. Thank you that you gave me in abundance that my cup ran over Lord. I continue to trust that your glory will be revealed in the coming days too Lord. Thank you for your protection and for your anointing Lord. I praise you again for all your mercies Lord. Bless this day Lord. Bless each and every one of us who gather here to spend few minutes with you Lord. I Love you Jesus! In Jesus' mighty name I pray, Amen!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Happy 10-10-10!!

Glad you could stop by for some Coffee with Jesus. Let's read Psalm 136 together and have some fun doing it. I will read each verse and you say: "For His mercy endureth for ever" Shall we?! Here we go...

Me: O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: O give thanks unto the God of gods:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: O give thanks to the Lord of lords:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him who alone doeth great wonders:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him that by wisdom made the heavens:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him that stretched out the earth above the waters:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him that made great lights:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: The sun to rule by day:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: The moon and stars to rule by night:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And brought out Israel from among them:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him which divided the Red sea into parts:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And made Israel to pass through the midst of it:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him which led his people through the wilderness:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him which smote great kings:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And slew famous kings:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: Sihon king of the Amorites:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And Og the king of Bashan:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And gave their land for an heritage:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: Even an heritage unto Israel his servant:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: Who remembered us in our low estate:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And hath redeemed us from our enemies:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: Who giveth food to all flesh:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

(Let's read the last verse together...)
Us: O give thanks unto the God of heaven:
Us: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Great! We did it!! It was fun doing it together; was it not? Have a great "Son"day folks! Remember: His Mercy endureth for ever...
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Thank you for joining for some Coffee with Jesus this Saturday morning! I love Saturday mornings. I usually wake up before the family does, make myself a cup of coffee, sit in my favorite kitchen chair to watch the birds in the backyard - all the while praising God for His love, mercy, the colorful birds, the bluest skies, the beautiful chair and the cozy pajamas... what not!

But this Saturday morning I invite you for a Cleaning Spree. No, there is no heavy duty lifting or washing or moving involved. Just right where you are, lift up your holy hands and start praising the Lord. Just keep on praising the Lord, keep on, keep on praising the Lord.

Visualize your heart getting cleansed by the Lord, by His blood, by His grace, by His love, all the while praising the Lord. Imagine the hands of Jesus reaching out to the innermost corner, all around, under, over, everywhere, touching, healing and cleaning your heart. Just keep praising, keep praising, lift up your voice and keep on praising the Lord. If you feel like crying out loud, do that, want to clap your hands, go ahead. Just continue to praise His Holy Name. Hallelujah!

Wow! That's a wonderful experience, is it not? You have now received a brand new "sparkling clean" heart and a beautiful renewed spirit overflowing with such love and joy that you can not even fathom.

Go in peace! Enjoy your day & God bless you!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Happy FRIDAY folks! All set for the weekend I suppose. Great!

It won't take long, let's get going. Recently came across this cool video and thought it would be fun to watch it while having Coffee with Jesus today...



Let's remember, "...it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved..." Acts:15:11

Care to share the grace with others? Please invite your friends and family to have some Coffee with Jesus today! Please click here to email this post

"Coffee" will be served through the weekend too so don't miss it for anything! Have a great, Godly weekend! God bless.
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

Recently in a Christian book store this verse "spoke" to me. From time to time I have had experience of a verse "speaking" to me. However, I am very careful to accept anything as "spoken" as I want to make sure it is not my will speaking but the Spirit of God Himself.

As I was browsing through the aisle without a job and losing the hope of finding one, a journal with this verse just stared at me! I made a quick note of it and smiled at the appropriateness of the verse and moved on. Surprisingly few aisles later I saw a coffee cup with the exact verse on it:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

This time I paused and thought something is true about it. It is not something I can just smile and walk away from. I had to stay focused and read it a few times and said a quick, "Thank you Lord". However I had to test myself and see if it was just a random coincidence or is God truly talking to me through that verse to pass on a message. So I told myself, if I come across the same verse anytime again today - before I go to bed, I will be convinced that it is for me.

Thinking that, I was hurrying to get out of the book store as I didn't want to stay along "looking" for it. Believe it or not as I was walking out of the store my eyes caught on an accent boat with the very same verse on it:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

My heart skipped a beat & my eyes welled up. I was convinced it was indeed God speaking to me through that verse reassuring that His plans for me is to prosper me, to give me a hope and a future. Needless to say my hope was renewed right then and there and I kept praising the Lord. I must add I am now blessed with a fine job and truly say it is by His grace.

Please take this away with you today, along with your coffee: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Can't believe it is Wednesday already! Let's start the day fresh with our coffee with Jesus.

Today's "special" is to Count our blessings. Most of you might remember the childhood song which goes like this:

Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done...


And in the last stanza we sing "... and it will surprise you what the Lord has done!"

Are we taking an inventory of our blessings every now and then? Does it surprise us to see what all the Lord has done in our lives?!

Let's do that today and share in the joy by thanking Him more for each and every one of the blessings. Have a Godly day!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

~ Psalm: 121

It is never too late to memorize Bible verses. Here's a great psalm each one of us should know by heart. If you haven't memorized it please take a few minutes to repeat it over and over again till you get it going in your mind. I tell you this psalm comes in handy through lot of circumstances in life. Indeed our help comes from the Maker of heaven and the earth! Have a trouble free Tuesday.

If there are specific prayer requests we can pray for you, please feel free to post it in the Prayer Request page
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles: 4:10

This is a very familiar passage from the scriptures. Short and sweet; yet so crisp and clear covering all aspects of his needs. It says, God granted his request.

Setting this as an example when we pray let our words also be few. You may ask how then we can pray for hours or like the Bible says, "pray without ceasing". We can spend as much as time we want praising the Lord & glorifying His Holy Name. We can use few words to quickly summarize our needs like Jabez did and focus more in praise and worship; also reading the Bible and meditating on it - it all counts towards prayer time.

I truly believe our requests will then be granted - just like Jabez's. Shall we pray?

Our Father in heaven! Thank you for the brand new morning and the brand new week Lord. Thank you for this beautiful one-on-one moment with you Jesus. I love you Lord; I praise you Lord; I glorify you Lord. Thank you for your love too Jesus. You are delighted in our worship Lord. We worship you! We glorify your name alone Jesus. Bless us and enlarge our territory Lord! Let your hand be with us, and keep us from harm so that we will be free from pain Lord!

Thank you Jesus for providing for all our needs Lord. Thank you that you are in charge of all situations Lord. Love you Lord! You take all the glory, honor and power Jesus. In Jesus' powerful name we pray, Amen!

Blessed day folks! Don't just stop your prayer right there... continue it all day long!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "You are all together beautiful,my love;there is no flaw in you." - Song of Solomon 4:7

This is one of my favorite verses from the Bible. It amazes me at all times. I take the verse personally for me and encourage all of you to take it personally for yourself too! It is for every one of us indeed, where God says, "You are all together beautiful, my love;there is no flaw in you."

I am sure it makes us pause & analyze our self, to see if it truly fits us; you would agree it always fails. If we were to take an inventory of our flaws it would go miles long... No matter how hard we try, we would still be full of flaws, but the unfailing, unconditional love of God sees beyond our flaws and lovingly calls us "Beautiful" and "Flawless". I sometime wonder if these are the exact words Jesus uses as He pleads our case with the Father, "... there is no flaw in him/her"

I turn to this verse anytime I need an assurance of the Divine Love which brings instant joy to my heart & music to my soul.. Hope it does to you too. Happy "Son"day folks!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! I am glad some of you could join for an early coffee today while the rest of the family sleeps in; whereas some of you had to skip coffee as you slept in late... Either way, Good Morning! Welcome to Coffee With Jesus! As you know this coffee house is open 24/7 - so no worries.

Before we go about the day's errands, let me quickly encourage you to mirror Christ today in all your endeavours. Our Pastor often says for many people we might be the only "Christ" they know and our homes might be the only "church" they visit. They may not choose to pick up a Bible or visit a church or hear a sermon. But they are living with us, among us, watching our every move, seeing how we handle situations.

The question is, are we reflecting Christ in our actions. 2 Corinthians 3:18 we read: "And we, ...all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord..." Let us seek for this "ever increasing glory" that will transform us more into His likeness.

Dear Father, Thank you for this weekend Lord & thank you that your grace was sufficient for us all through this week Lord. Thank you now for this moment with you Lord. As we were just talking we want to become more into your likeness Lord, we should reflect more of you and less of us Lord. Let the people who see us see you Lord. Please help us to grow more in your likeness Lord. Fill us with this ever increasing glory the Bible talks about Lord. Continue to use each one of us for your glory Lord! In Jesus's wonderful name we pray, Amen!

Now folks, let's go R E F L E C T   C H R I S T!
NRIGirl
Pin It Now! "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephania: 3:17

 Today's reminder for us is "He is Mighty to Save". Whatever is your care and concern for the day, whatever you are worrying about, whatever was going through your mind all night long keeping you wide awake, however bad the situation is, please remember "He is Mighty to Save". Indeed He is.

How powerful these words are! What an assurance we as believers have! Let me repeat the verse once again: "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Now let us all say it together: "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Let us say it all through the day - loud and clear: "He is Mighty to Save!" Amen! Have a blessed day! God be with you!