THE HEART!

THURSDAY! Waking up is hard to do! Remember that song? Only if you are close to my age! Waking is hard to do, if you go to bed late, or you just love to lay there , awake but not jumping right up, or, just open your eyes , then take another little "cat nap",, then re-open , smile, take a deep breath, raise half-way, ,stretch real big, now go ahead and get on up...saying , "thank you God , for this great morning, and this good nights sleep",,, now that is starting the morning off , & "better than a good cup of hot coffee", and that is "hard to do"! Have a great Thursday , you all!

THE HEART!

CWO: Cardio-Vascular-Workout! I have a new exercise machine, and this is what I call this one! It really gets the ole heart pumping, stretches all the ligaments in the legs, and really all over!... I do 100 of these , 30 minutes on the treadmill, 10 mins. on the "bike", and then , I am ready for the day! The ole heart is really pumping,, on high flow!

Now , back to that "HEART" ! The heart is the one thing that keeps the life flowing through our bodies, and that is why we refer to "love you with all my heart", for in this saying , we are literally giving you , the one we are telling this to, our life! This is a great act ,of, and for anyone to do! If you do it and you really mean it.... yes really mean it, then you have given true love! So, don't toy with this saying , this love, unless you really mean it!

I know someone who gave His heart,, this total love, yes He gave His all, to you, to me, to the world,, died giving it, but then rose , victory over the grave,, rose to show us just how real it is, how great he is and how great His love is, and He was then & still is showing it this very day... giving His heart, His love....and has asked for nothing in return, but your love! Yes your love back, no gimmicks, no tricks, just pure love! He gave His heart, His life flowing blood, for you , and for me! Could you give that much?

CAN YOU GIVE YOUR HEART, TO JESUS?

Lord, I give my heart, my all to You, and I pray that all who reads this, will fall on their knees, and give their all, their heart and soul , to You,,, amen

ohn HIcks
Given my all to Him, proud to shout it, will you join me in the chorus of testimony of Him, and His "forever true love to us all"? Choice is yours!

BEFORE WE START!

WEDNESDAY! Good ole "hump day"! I hope you have climbed to the top, with dignity, and will slide forward & down with even more dignity, and while you are sliding, and planning your W.E., please plan, as you slide, and also into your week-end, to take the Lord God, the "planner" of all things, and "planner" of the best of times,, with you! He can sure make it a great slide, and a great W.E.,, so slide, folks slide, and have a great time!

Prayer Requests From My Good Friend Lori:
Lindie, who is having pain due to a blood clotting issue.

Virgina A. (a sweet older lady) is having serious operation on her ankle, on June 6th, and has asked for prayer for this operation.

Tara, a very precious lady , who has Lyme disease, please pray for her continued improvement..


BEFORE WE START!

Monday, I had an invitation to do something, that I just really am still having heart pumping excitement ,of and that invitation that stirred a memory of mine, of a dear friend and a pastor, that worked for the William Carter Co. until his first retirement.
His name , Clifford, was a hard worker, and being a pastor, was not outspoken, but you heard his opinion!, and you heard it,,, with a clear and distinct voice.
I had been raised to always treat all people with respect, but a pastor, well , He got the extra treatment of respect! Clifford , endured much , much cursing , acts of
un-kindness stated to him and his conviction, but you had to know, Clifford ,for well, yes he did endure, and when he retired, we gave him a real send off, a great party , for I felt like he really deserved it!
Well , I am rambling to a sort, for memories are hard to let go... but after retirement ,Clifford came to see me at work, and told me this, he said "John, I have a job with a cabinet maker, I just could not retire(I know that feeling), and it is the best job I have ever had, and did not know they had jobs like this... believe it or not, before we go to work, the boss gathers us around, and says , "let us start our day thanking our God for these jobs , and for this business, and then we are all invited for a short prayer of our own, and the boss says, that he has always included God in his business." Now , that is a USA business, Right!
Now for the invitation that triggered this memory! While Libby and I was at Gary's Advertisement Business,(To The Max), picking up some crosses, Gary asked me a question, "Hey, we are (he and two of his workers for the day) are about to have our prayer of "start of business day", will you join us?,,, and we did,, well it was something that this country was built on, and and you know it is something that to this day that God smiles on! don't you wish,,, that every business in America would do this also,,

BEFORE THEY START THEIR BUSINESS DAY!

Lord, thank you for Gary's reminder to me , and reminder to you who reads this piece , just who does run the business sector of this country, You, and only You,, amen

John HIcks
Yes, now as I walk in to "Gods' Cross Factory", I too will stop and give Him Thanks for it all , also...Will you as you start your day, enter into where you work, stop, say a prayer of thanks , even if it is low, for He can hear, but let it be done,, for Him, who gives it all!

GOOD MORNING!

TUESDAY! This great morning of His , one of God's days, given by love to us, I take a great breath, and this is what I feel and would like to say to you, my Lord , I thank You for all that I have, for I know it all comes from You, and all of it,,, is as precious as any gold, one could have, and in just knowing this,, is enough for me! Do you feel the same way?



Prayer Request: That God , by our request , will continue to stand with this nation, re-unite the people, the churches, eliminate the turmoils with-in our government, our churches, put satan in his place, and that place is without us, and away form here ,this country, and Israel. If we all pray this ,, then God will hear , if we have just that little , that little piece of faith! How do you feel with this prayer today?



I feel like , that at times we can over talk what "needs we want" , & the feel of what "needs we don't get"! , and that we under use our faith, as it should be , for God already knows what we need,,,, I think He just waits sometimes,,,, to see just how much,,, and IF we deserve it! Especially,,, after all He has already done for us, with not even a whiff of thanks,,, from most !

Think about it today,,, as you walk through His world!



John HIcks

Have a great day, courtesy of our LIVING GOD!

MEMORIAL DAY

MONDAY! Up and atta'em! Most of you all have a holiday, by way of a lot of veterans,
who stood in harms way, gave it all for you, so enjoy it,,, but don't forget,,, who it is all about... have a good day!

MEMORIAL DAY!

Today, I , a veteran of the armed forces ,want to say, "Thanks to all those BURIED HERE IN THE USA, AND ON USA SOIL, IN ALL THOSE OTHER LANDS WHERE THEY FELL,, AND BURIED THERE(Cemeteries given to those who fell in other lands) , some of you buried here, and some there, but all are in the hearts of all of us here in this UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!, AND ARE IN GODS HANDS,,,

THANKS TO ALL VETERANS TODAY, FOR OUR FREEDOM !

Lord, may You continue to bless our troops, and wrap Your protective arms around them and keep them from harms way! amen

John HIcks
USAF A1C

MAKING THE CLIMB!

SATURDAY! As your body awakens, your heart picks up speed,, your breathing exhales, and inhales deeply, to get that start of a new day,, you slowly rise, put your feet on the floor, then you thank God for another day, and how wonderful it was to lay down and rest, sleep, knowing that when you did awaken, either here or there, God would be next to you , no matter where,, giving you a helping hand to stand, and get started! Now, folks , that is a God , beside you at all times! WOW! Agree?

Prayer Request: The "Bike Rally" at Warm Springs, Georgia, will bring many to Christ, lots of crosses will be given out as a testimony of Him, and it will be a success!

MAKING THE CLIMB!

I saw on T.V. news where all these hundreds of people are trying to climb Mt. Everest, because the time of year to climb it ,is about to end. Four have lost their lives already, some have frost bitten limbs, mostly feet... a few have already made it , but more have not,,, that did! At night you could look up , and see them in a line with their head lamps on, moving towards the stars! How exciting, looking from here,,, right?
We , as humans , are never satisfied with what we have, where we are, and always trying to figure out how we can get there, from here, and when we do, what can we bring back with us,(that we really don't need, and could get along with-out).. It is a rush that only we do,, for the animals are always on a quest of survival and doing what they were put here to do, live in harmony,, expect nothing THAT THEY DON'T EARN! NO FREE GIFTS, and if one comes along, they are sure grateful, but tomorrow, they are back to work, while we are looking out the window, or door , waiting again for that free-by.. right.? Just wanting to climb the mountain, that we don't have to climb, but ole buddy did it , so now we must, or we fall behind on our social calender and standings!
I know a climb, that is not easy, for there is a certain "thing" that stands in the way,, will direct you to a cliff , that is far down, and deep cracks in the ground with no end, but a smell of sulfur and gases coming out of them,, this "thing" will stand in your way... unless you have the perfect guide, and that is Jesus Christ, He can knock this "thing" called satan out of your way, and you can climb,,straight from for here to Heaven, without any frost-bite, or falling over a cliff, nor down a cavern. for He, Jesus as your guide, will let you make your climb , yes your climb for salvation, for that is all you need to make it thorough this life, is the salvation of Jesus, and you need to not try

MAKING THE CLIMB, WITHOUT HIM!

Lord, thank You, for my Guide, Jesus, and I pray all will reach out for Him also, and follow Him, all the way to the top, to You.. amen

John HIcks
Have a great day, the three of you! Our maker ,God, His son, and of course , you!

SIN, IS LIKE STOPPING THE RAIN!

FRIDAY! TGIF! TGED! I cut grass yesterday, trimmed, fixed lawn-mowers, and last night I was a wreck! From enough dirt all over, and enough dirt rings under my chin and on my neck to plant a big garden,,have you ever been that dirty? Well after bath, small supper, rest and sleep in the recliner, off to bed, thinking ,,,like the little train, can I make it, can I make it, yes I can, yes I can,, for after a good nights sleep, I will feel so much better and oh! it'll be TGIF! Well, it's morning, I am up , and all the dirt has been washed away, and I turn to get out of bed, I found out what real prayer is,,, first thing as you wake up in the morning,,, and as I sit here drinking my coffee, I know that God is real, for no way could I have gotten from there to here with-out Him this Friday! Ain't God good?

SIN , LIKE STOPPING THE RAIN!

Sin: Websters definition: breaking the law of God!
Now, that is a real definition from Mr. Webster, that I can agree on! How about you?
Sin is running rampage over this Nation, and I do believe that if we ,or them don't change, we will , as a free independent Nation, we will be no more. It is slowly going that way, and the more our elected officials call out cut spending, the more they spend , on trips, and just hog waller!

Just look at the Presidents campaign that you and I are providing, and don't say, oh no, he has contributions of millions, but to just pay 1/4 of the gas bill, the limo cargo, all the follow along that goes with him, no , folks it is us paying the way! and paying all these other crazy things, sinful things that is is 50% of the countries works ... Look at the advanced team of SS.. they are arguing if it was o.k..in the past, then why should they be punished now,,,,,and folks ,the "chiefs" are looking at this! But folks, it is SIN! Our Nation is more full of sin today, less of God, and He will not stand by and let it keep going!

Our work is cut out for us.. Even as we put out our crosses, we seem to have 100 pass by, smile and shake their heads no, why? Most don't want to have it in their yard, for it might not set with what they have planned, or their friends might laugh at them. Folks , we must be able to stand tall against sin, and stand taller for God, and put Him back at the head of this nation!
Am I worried about offending anyone on my stand? NO! NOT AT ALL! ...
OUR JOB IS A BIG ONE, BUT WITH OUR PRAYERS AND FAITH TO GOD, WE CAN DO IT!

IT MAY BY LIKE US TRYING TO STOP THE RAIN,, BUT WITH FAITH ,,OF AND TO,, OUR GOD,,,,,,, YES!! WE CAN EVEN DO THAT!

God, I pray for You to lead this Nation , again, and I put my trust, faith , and love in You, and You alone. amen

John HIcks
Patriot, Yes,, and Christian,,you bet!!! And you can't be a real "one",, without the latter!

TREASURE HUNT!

THURSDAY! WOW , HOW TO START A DAY! To wake up knowing that Jesus is right here , and with all all of you also.. Now , that is a start of a real day! Do you know anyone that can give you a day, I don't , so Thanks God, for the world and the day, and the time!










TREASURE HUNT!




Have you ever been on one? I believe we all have at one time or another. It is just something we all dream about.. a treasure of gold ,, jewels,, or money,, enough to buy the world,, yes ,,when we hunt,,let's do it right... Ha! Some real "hunters" find that treasure,, only to have to share it with the country of origin,, or waters they are in.. Now why is this? The "hunter" goes and digs it up out of the ocean, or land,, when the government is just sitting on it,, and then they get half or more?? Just another one of those questions of what is right or wrong.

Well,, I know of one treasure hunt that you go on,, just for you and the whole world.. it is finding the greatest treasure of ones lifetime. There have been more on this hunt,,more looking for this treasure,, and millions and millions have found their treasure.. What is this treasure? It is the finding of Jesus Christ,, the Son of God.. Not only have they found Him,, but they have accepted Him as their Savior,, and they are sounding off to all they meet. If you have not been on this hunt,, or you are on the hunt,, and cannot find the way,, then grab the best "Treasure Map" ever printed.. the Bible,,, it will show you the way,, or ask a real Christian,, and they will show you the way.. then when you fine Jesus,, which is the easiest person to find,, then you have been,, and you will have found the "gold",,, the "money" ,,, the "jewels",, the "road paved with gold to Heaven",, the most important and most precious of all



TREASURES!!!! JESUS CHRIST!!!



Lord,, I thank You for giving us your Son,, for Your sacrifice of all sacrifices,, one we will never make,, our way to You and Heaven for an eternity.. amen




John HIcks

Looking for that treasure? I have found it,, but I harvest the bounty,,and try to share it with all I come in contact with.. How about you? Want part of it,, or have you already found yours,, and if you have ,, then are you sharing or have you put it up ,, just for you? Better to share,, for that treasure is made to share....

TREASURES

John HIcks

Looking for that treasure? I have found it,, but I harvest the bounty,,and try to share it with all I come in contact with.. How about you? Want part of it,, or have you already found yours,, and if you have ,, then are you sharing or have you put it up ,, just for you? Better to share,, for that treasure is made to share....

The Preacher , and the Bird Cage

There once was a man named George Thomas, preacher in a small Texas town. One Sunday morning he came to the Church building carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, the Preacher began to speak. . . .

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.

I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?"

"Just some old birds," came the reply.

"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.

"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."

"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"

"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."

The preacher was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"

"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister.They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"

"How much?" the preacher asked again.

The boy sized up the preacher as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"

The preacher reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The preacher picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars per suaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the preacher began to tell this story:

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"

"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.

Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"

"And what will you do when you are done with them?"

Jesus asked.. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.

"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.

"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!"

"How much? He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life."

Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.

The preacher picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.

I thank God everyday for my blessed life. I'm not rich, don't live in a mansion and don't have the nicest of material things, but, I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food on my table, a family that loves me and lifelong friends to get me through. I'd say I have a lot to be thankful for.
AMEN......

LISTEN, LISTEN!

TUESDAY! As I a'rose this morning(at 4:00 a.m.from too much recliner sleep, ha! ),, as I was making coffee, I stopped to hear , nothing! Yes , nothing. Complete silence, not even the fridge running, just silence....I then thought, how God works His world, how He made it for us, just humans to live in it and "run" it for Him..over all other creations of life,,,,
Yes this world has come a long way, for I remember my grandmother telling me and my brother, when we would want to go somewhere at night.. that night was made by God for us to rest and sleep! We would say, then why do we have headlights, she would just say , "man made". Well , now we have industry that runs rapid, day and night, even on Sunday, no rest time, no rest day! There is no place, that something is not making sounds,,,
Wow! We sure have made a mess of things here,, to much consideration on that almighty dollar! Maybe we should back up, and if you can find a place like I did this morning, wake up to a "night moment", and live just that precious moment, listening, yes listening to God's silence, not made in China, nor the USA, but made by God, for us. Now , if you do this, and you get to experience it, if just for a few moments, and you can make your mind slow down, thank about God, instead of yourself, (and we all find this very hard to do..stop blowing our own horn,) but listen to...... to nothing, just the quiet of God, just for us, yes , you and I.. how about that, anything else made that is that big, for you? Listen closely, smile and enjoy the moment , for " MAN" will close the "moment" fast..... so listen to the "nothing", enjoy, enjoy, somethng from God to you!

Lord , thank You for this "moment " of You, as I awoke for another day of rush rush, and why? I don't really know, but you gave me a gift of silence , for a "moment", and I thank You for it. May you have mercy on us for,, saht we have done to Your world, while we worked for ourselves , instead of focusing on the job, sent here by You , to do. amen

John HIcks
Just a little different this morning, as you never know what God will put in your fingers to write, until He does it!
That statement is up to you to agree or dis-agree, but I believe, and in Him only!

UP?, or,, DOWN?

MONDAY! Time to wake up to the smell of freedom, and the way to spend your day! By first, stop, bow your head , remember who gave the freedom to you... your God, your Savior , Jesus Christ, and all those who chose to defend this country,, & those are the ones in uniform, oath to defend her to the death,, service from others in uniform,, the state, , the county, the local,, firefighters, emegency rooms, ambulance responsers, all those in uniform, yes all those who serve YOU,, now don't you feel just how important you are? Your most important of all those above ,, to God than all the rest! Now , feel it!

OLD HEADING! UP OR DOWN?

Yes, this is one of my oldest heading,,, it is a choice of yours, and yours alone, this in a choice NO-ONE else can make,,and that is the personal accepting of JESUS CHRIST, AS YOUR PERSOANL SAVIOR! Your route to God, and the nly route that you can take, no detours, no other bridges to cross, just no real road ,but Jesus! Now you can take the other one , the road that leads down, to satan, it is bumpy, full of hole, and false promises , but eventulaly, this road leads to everlasting fire, the burning, ugh,, for an eternity, I think not!

I pick Jesus , and a smoth road to God, and Heaven, who do you pick, and what direction do you pick?

UP, OR DOWN? JESUS, OR satan?

Lord, thank You for giving us a way,, a way to You, and I pray that all will pick the smooth road of Jesus. amen

John HIcks

I picked,, UP, and it was my choice, now , if you have not made a choice of UP, now is the time for you to decide , make a decision , before it is too late, up, or down, Jesus or satan? Your choice!!!,, and yours alone, come join me, and have a blast, of life!

A MIND ,,OF WANDERING, OR WONDERING?

SUNDAY! As you start your day,,, be sure to "Super Charge" your "Out-Flow" of testimony of God, and just let it pour out, like the sands of a timer, slow, but continuously.. for if you talk the talk, walk the walk, as you go down this path of life, when that hour-glass is empty, then you will have no need of it , for you will be there, where time is no worry! Believe, and it will happen, guaranteed!

Destiny, is not a matter of chance. It is a matter of choice: it is not to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved!

A MIND OF WANDERING, OR WONDERING?

All of us have a mind,, (some doubt if that is true with me, and I doubt some myself,Ha!).. but all in all , we do have one, and we do "mind" what we say..or we are suppose too! Some do, some don't, and at times I wish some would, when they don't, but we all feel that way, we are all human! Some of us have what is called a wandering mind, we are in a cloud some of the time, but not all the time! Me , most of the time, not by choice , but by what I am gifted with, and that is only a partial to work with! Some wonder what they will do this day, and down the road, and then wonder , what is the world happened to all those years,, behind us! Now this is a challenge,, to look behind, wish we had done it different, yet , we go on and continue what we were doing then, doing it now! One thought, you are still here to make a choice, thank about it!

Change? Hard to do, yes it is, except for one thing? That is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as your personal Savior... the forgiving of all your sins, from yesterday, to now the present, and the chance to live the future with the same thing, forgiveness, and with Jesus, for He is forever,, if you do choose to do this.. and if you don't , then you will continue to go your merry way, wondering, where you will be wandering, until you reach the end, then you will fall, into , well you know where, for without Him there is no step up , just empty hot space !
Now make the choice , of Jesus at your side to help you

WANDER IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, & TAKE THE WONDERING OUT OF IT!

God, thank You, for giving us our "directional" instrument, Your Son, , that will guide us through this world safely, and to You..amen

ohn HIcks
I use to wander, now I am on His path,,, come join me, it is much more smoother, and much, much more peasant..Your Choice, join or continue to wander!

THE LIGHT!

SATURDAY! For this morning , as I opened my eyes, for once in a long while, I opened to daylight, and then I thought as I looked at my little flashlight on my nightstand, Now who can look at this little light,,, that lights only a small path, and will run out of energy soon..... then look at the sunrise, and see a light as big and as warm as the SUN, and not believe that there is a living God?


THE LIGHT!

For me , this will be short today, but to the point, my light is my God, and His
Son is my path to Him. There is no other way to God, Heaven, and life,, so accept Jesus now, or follow the path to a burning inferno of death.. make the choice, and my prayer is that you make the right one!
Come join me now ,

IN THE LIGHT OF MY GOD, AND MY JESUS!

God, thank You ,,,for You, amen

John HIcks
Mnnm! Yes the "coffee" is just as good at 6:30 a.m. as it is at 4:00 a.m. Ha! Still got have that coffee! Have a great God's day! (for they ae all His, we just borrow them!)

MIRROR, MIRROR

FRIDAY! TGIF! Did you wake up this day free? Or did you wake up , still in bondage with satan? If you did the latter, then , now is the time to change ,, for with a "Yes Jesus, I accept you as my Lord and Savior, and I ask for the forgiveness of my sins,", then your chains are broken, you are a free spirit,, and no matter what any may say, you can feel the difference! Yes , you can! Have a great God's day, for He made it just for you and me!

PRAYER UPDATE: Joshua Hall,, the surgeons put in nuts, and bolts, and rods, then put his arm in a cast that stays out to his side ... un-move-able, and can not return to school this year.. please pray for this young man to now heal , his body and his soul.

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL?

Today, I ask each of you to go to a mirror, in private, look real hard at the reflection you see, think,, search that person you see, deep, deep within, past the looking at just the face , but look past that face, deep into your heart, and don't be hasty,,, as you look , walk around,,, thank about what you see, you make the decision, do you like what you see,, in that reflection of you ,by you? Now , ask one other question.. do you think God will approve , and you will not want to hide the book of life? If you do not approve of what you see,, now is the time to turn from that reflection, and start a new one, and maybe this time, you need to have that reflection , show two faces,,, yours,,, and one other one in the back ground.. that of Jesus, what is your

MIRROR, MIRROR ON YOUR WALL ,,,,SAYING TO YOU?

Lord, please let me clean my mirror with the blood of my Jesus, and have a reflection that is satisfying to You, and may all who reads this do the same, if they have not already. amen

John HIcks
Brushes ,,combs, nor make-up, can change the image of having satan within, only Jesus Christ can change a reflection of satan , and wipe the past, that reflection of your life thus far, clean it up completely! Your choice , just who you want to see, when you look at yourself, and thank about what that will mean , in the end!

HOLDING WITHIN!

THURSDAY! Mnnn! 4:30 a.m. & COFFEE! I feel it all the way down to my toes, and back up to my brain,, gotta have that cup when I awake in the morning, and I thank God that I live in a country that allows me to do so,,, we should be thankful to Him for our freedom, and all the splendor that we DO have, for some in this world, are not so fortunate as we...so this morning , let's be thankful for what we have, even if it is just as small as a cup of coffee, or-and,, as big as writing about Him, without fear of a gun to my head. Praise my God Almighty and for His Son, Jesus Christ for all,,, for from Him all things come!

Prayer Request: For a six year old boy, named Joshua hall, while playing and on top of a slide, was bullied by another, was knocked off the top, hitting pure cement, shattering his elbow,, the doctors could see no way of setting this arm, and he was rushed to Washington Children's Hospital for surgery this morning at 7:00 a.m. They ope to put it back together with nuts, bolts, and rods... Please extend a prayer for this young man, and please pray for his family, as they are not committed to the Father as of yet..please pray for this young boy and family through this ordeal , and pray for the forgiveness of the one who pushed... forgive oh Lord, forgive!

HOLDING WITHIN!

We , as man,, tend to have something bad happen to us, or see something bad happening to someone else, or hear a word of hurt , we keep this within us,, for as long as we are here on this earth. We should not! For no matter how hard, how bad, or how big the hurt, we should first say, "forgive them my Lord, and forgive me my Lord, of all my sins, and forgive all who have sinned against me,, for we cannot expect forgiveness of , until we forgive first !,,, Then let it out,, and let it be gone!
Some of you may say, well , how about this and that , the story of the bully in the story above, how can we do this? REMEMBER JESUS, hanging on a cross, with spikes nailed through His hands and ankles, side pierced with a spear, thorns making a crown,,mashed down into the scalp of His head, vinegar given to drink,, and yet,,as He suffered this horrible death, He took the time to look to His right, forgive a man, and make a promise to Him of eternal life, and also to ask His Father ,our God of all, who could have , with a swipe of his hand, picked Him up , stopped His suffering, and killed all who was their, wiping out mankind, but Jesus asked, "FATHER FORGIVE THEM! Yes, forgive them ! and He did! What a God!
Now I ask all of you, when you are hurt by someone, or you hear a word of hurt from someone, a lie, or see a bully,, first , forgive , as He did , on that Cross,,

FORGIVE, DON'T HOLD IT IN,, FOR SATAN TO INFECT AND MAKE IT GROW!

TALK TO YOUR GOD!

Lord, I ask forgiveness of all who have sinned, and for You ,to forgive me of all my sins, and all who reads this, also.. amen

John HIcks,
Asked this morning, "Aren't you glad that He is on the Throne today?" , and my answer to that is YES! , YES! Thank You God for all my blessing!

NOTE: Bulling is a big thing in our society, and in our schools,even as young and small as above, and on into adulthood. Be not only forgiving, but report bullying to the authorities,don't let it continue..be not afraid,,, for He will be with you, and
remember a "bully" is just that ,,a"bully"!

GLIMMER OF THE EYES!

WEDNESDAY! To wake up with God in your house , by invitation, is such a great feeling, that you have to experience it,, to feel it! If you have not invited Him into your house , or His temple, (which is you,),, then don't go another second,,, without doing so,, THEN, you can feel that special feeling also as you awake on these, HIS morning! Make the move, the choice is yours! Don"t wake up alone!










Prayer Request : For all the liars! Lord ,I ask that you control their tongues, and the voice of the un-true words that echo from their voice box, and escapes their mouth, to hurt those they tell these things to.. not only hurt to the mind, but the hurt and breaking of many hearts also, and Your law!

GLIMMER OF THE EYES!

Have you ever seen the eyes of a young one, a teenager, or almost anyone,, when they receive something that is out of their world,,unexpected, a real surprise, heart warming, heart throbbing? Yes, it puts a glimmer ,,, un-able to exceed, into the eyes, and you can see that sparkle , if you look quickly, and closely!
Hand a newborn baby to a mother, show this baby to a father, give a new car to a teen,, or give a very young person , an I-phone, (yes , it use to be a bike or an air-rifle , doll, but no more).. the glimmer is there ,for a few seconds, so look quickly, receive the feeling of satisfaction of the gift... from you to them,,, that sparkle , you created!
Now , thank of the glimmer in Gods eyes , when one of us , accepts His Son, Jesus Christ, GODS GIFT TO US,,, as their personal Savior, of this life, accepts the fact , that Jesus gave His life , for YOU, for your eternity in Heaven, the escape from hell, to be with Him, and His father, a gift of gifts, one that no-one can duplicate.. not matter the wealth, nor the education, this gift is for an eternity, and even as great as it is, there are no follow-up taxes,,
It is the ultimate of all gifts, and you can get it by just requesting it, from Jesus, the gift Himself, He will come,,, and then you can

ET GOD SEE THE GLIMMER IN YOUR EYES!

God, thank you for giving me Your gift of Life,, Jesus, and Yes , I do accept Him, and I pray that all will come forward and do so,, also. amen

John HIcks
Will you today, tell someone, if just one, about Jesus, and how they can be saved, from this world ,,, in the end? and how about you, if not, make a choice, for it is ultimately, YOURS TO MAKE!

PRAISING GOD!

TUESDAY! Today is the first day of the rest of your life! When have you heard this lately? Not like you use to, but it is true, so now is the time, for reconciliation of your life, do you follow Jesus, or satan? You must make a choice, and there are only two choices, and one soul.. Jesus is there loving patiently wanting for you, satan is hard at work lying, doing everything in his power to get you, anyway he can, Jesus, just wants your love, then ,He will take you on the most unforgettable trip you will ever imagine! So I pick Jesus,, How about you, on this first day,,,, of the rest of your life?


Prayer Request: For Casey Albrittion , son of Pete and Angie, who was in a bad car accident , Saturday night, and is in the Medical Center in Macon. Pray for his recovery, and for Pete who is recovering from a stroke.

For all of our church congregations, that they take God, and Jesus with them as they leave the church and to all they meet, testify of their message of God , and of Jesus, and the importance to show their belief, and testimony.. we need it, for we have multiple churches, with-in our surrounding... and we should be hearing more , like we do on all other things,, than we do!

PRAISING GOD!

Do you praise God each day? Well , you should , and you should start as soon a you awake, for with-out Him, you may open your eyes , until He decides you shouldn't, but you will not be actually awake. You will be working for another, if you do not take God with you from waking until sleeping, and you put your life in His hands as you go to sleep.. As you are awake , you should give Him praises on your receiving of the things of the day.. How many of you set down in a McDonald's, Burger King, or any eating establishment, with friends, or alone, and stop to bless your food before you eat, yes right there in front of all? Very few, but I do see some doing it, and you know what? I see others looking, looking like , I wish I had done that! So, go ahead , no one will jump over and hit you for doing it,,, and stop and think of all else, you could say a small prayer of thanks to God, during your day,, Just think about it and ask yourself this question,

DO I PRAISE MY GOD ,,, ENOUGH?

God, I praise You for all I have, and all who reads this, and puts up with me each day, and all I have , for without You , I would have nothing... for what I do, I do in Your name, and for You, amen

John HIcks
Yes, I do write it for Him, for from Him comes all things , but He gave us the mind to separate the GOOD from EVIL,,, Yes,,, it is , YOUR CHOICE to do so! So do it!

A NATION OF CALLOUSES

MONDAY! As I opened my eyes to the new day, I rise with the feeling of love, goodness in my heart , for I awake with God within my heart! Just how did your awake this morning, to your new day? With? or without?

Prayer Request : For all those who are in need of our God , that are sick within their bodies, and for all those that are sick within their souls.

A NATION OF CALLUSES!

Webster defines a "callus" as a thickening of the skin. So how is it that our nation is a nation of calluses? You might want to think about that question, and then some may jump right in to it, and answer it quickly, but really, first think about it, and then agree or disagree, o.k.?

The majority of our population have calluses overall , on different parts of our bodies, according to our work and our play. This is a fact, for we are a working nation of offices, retail, and very few manufacturing now, or small time farmers. If you drive through the big, medium ,or small cities, what do you see first of all (besides the fast food places), you see office building, more than you see of factories,, office of desk workers, and offices of politician's, government heads of state.. right, so for the calluses on the back side, ther are plenty of palces to recieve them, (now office work is hard, don't get me wrong, for of all I ever had to do, the office work was the hardest on the mind, now for the heads of state, another oppion))

Then, there are the stores, my, my all the ones who work there, are on their feet, so callouses well worn,, for 8 to 12 hours a day, not only working these hours standing, but working with you and I , yes waiting on us, whether, selling, managing, waiting tables, ,but ,yes waiting on us,, what kind of callouses? of the tongue , being polite to us, whether we deserve it or not, but their job, so also callouses of the temper, for they have to hold it more than any of us, for they deal with us!

Now, what I don't see callouses on, are the knees, for I don't see all of the above after work, behind closed doors, their private thoughts, their private times, the company they all keep, the places they sit and talk & visit..so their knees turn out to be their own conviction, so I ask,,, from you, do you think there are callouses enough on the average of knees to keep this Nation free, and on the right track, MORALLY? And that includes our top leader and all the other leaders, and all the followers,,,? Are we the followers of the real top leaders... God, and Jesus Christ,, or of the others?
Now , I again ask you,

WHERE DO YOU THINK THE MAJORITY OF CALLOUSES ARE IN THIS NATION?

God , I pray that more callouses are created now on the knees than anywhere else, and those knees are bent to YOU, and nothing else. Amen

John HIcks
Trying to build my callouses more each day, will you join me in prayer for this Nation and this world, for we need it, and pray thanks for what we do have.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Sunday-Happy Mothers Day! God has given us these , and fall down on your knees and thank Him for giving you something as great as a Mother! Remember ,, a Mother is the one who sees four pieces of apple pie on the table and has five in the family , promptly makes the announcement,, she does not like apple pie! Have you ever had this happen? That is a Mother, God bless them all.

Today , a tribute to all the MOTHERS ,, past, and present!

Today, stop, and think of your life, from the time of remembrance, to now. Who was always there to wipe the scrape, free of dirt, clean and bandage it. Who was there to wash your clothes, cook your meals.. help you with your homework, correct you when you did wrong, or treated someone bad,, or was to your rescue when someone messed with her little darling? Yes , she was there , when as above , only one piece of pie or cake was left,, and I have seen my Moms' mouth watering, and say, you can have it,, I am not hungry,,yes I have seen it. and now I love her all the more for it.. yes she was there,, when I lost something special, didn't win the race, nor the prize, she wiped those tears of hurt away, and then shed her own for me.. yes My Mother was the PRIZE,,, and now I realize it the more...

If your Mother is still here,,give her a big hug, a big kiss, and tell her, you love her, and then shed a tear to show her , you love her.. A mother is a one of a kind, I know, for my children's mother, raised them like her mother and my mother. What more could I have ever done to deserve that, and my children also.. for those two mothers before , were two of the stoutest Christians I knew, and so is the mother of my Children! My wifes name is Libby Sanders Hicks, my mothers name is Lilla Traylor Hicks, and my wife's mothers name is Cleo Carreaker Sanders,( two saints in Heaven,,) and I close with these words on this very special day......


GOD BLESS ALL THE MOTHERS!


John HIcks
So grateful for mine, and so thankful for a giving God,, who gave her to me.

First sent o n 5/11, worth repeating!

THE PATH OF A NATION

SATURDAY! What mystery lies out in this world for you and I, this great day as we awaken from our nights rest? As long I know that my Lord, Jesus Christ is there, with me, and will be walking beside me, and has my heart and soul, I will have a great day, and for the mystery, it will be a testifying day, and there will be no mystery of who I will be testifying about! What is on your agenda today? All I will advise,,, for this day is, "Take Him Along With You,, Where Ever You Go Day,, as all of them are!"


THE ROAD OF A NATION!

The path a nation takes , will decide if that nation is poor, small, non threatening to others, weak... or a nation of wealth, large in threat and strong.... but both are a free nation.. which Nation are we? Both, for we co-exist. We are poor in our faith to our God, but rich in our personal holdings of materials. we hold other nations from hurting smaller nations,,by our might, so we are strong, but weak in morals, we are free, yet we are in bondage by greed. How can this co-exist and remain a sovereign nation? It cannot, it is just a matter of time, before it falls, UNLESS, all in that nation gets on their knees and prays to God to forgive us all of the many sins we commit daily, by the seconds, yes by the seconds... and we all change to a Christian Nation, that walks with our God, accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior.. then this road of this nation, will continue to be free, prosper, protective of others, morally correct , worshiping one living God, and only one, no idols.. then and only then can it be a

CO-EXISTING NATION, AND THAT IS TO CO-EXIST WITH GOD ,, ONLY!

God, I pray to You to spare this nation of ours, and make The United States of America, not only the beautiful, the peaceful, protective, but A NATION UNDER YOU, OUR GOD, AGAIN, AMEN!

John HIcks
A patriot of this nation , and I would lay my life down for her,, just as I would lay my life down for my God, who made this nation, and this world. Now , I ask just who do you lay with, or who are you laying with today? If you have not , re-make your bed, for it could cost you your life, literally! Make a choice of Jesus, today, for it is yours, and yours alone, so do it!

FRIDAY!

FRIDAY! TGIF, TGED- As I woke this morning from dreams and of a sound sleep,, I looked around, and realized just how lucky, and blessed I am... for at 70.5, I awoke, in pretty good health, better than a lot,, I had my God, my Jesus as my Savior, family, friends, still able to serve Him,, and still can dream,,, of good things, in the state of this country .... pretty good, huh? Thank You God for all of my blessing, and YOU , be sure to give Him the thanks HE DESERVES, for without Him, there would be NOTHING!



You know , I think on this Friday, the above is plenty said of how you should start your day, and with who,, and who you should thank for this great day.. Now go out there and enjoy it , and let's keep each other with-in our hearts, for we are all His children,, so we are really,, family.. May God be with you , in all you do this Friday!



John HIcks

Servant of God!

THIS COUNTRY!

THURSDAY! Awake at 4:30 a.m., coffee in hand, God in my heart, I am ready and armed for my day! No matter what you hold, where you go, if you have God in your heart, Jesus leading the way,, you, my friends ,, are on the right track! May all of you have a great and happy day!

THIS COUNTRY?

It is the United States of America! Make pictures, videos, tapes of what is happening, and how things are now, .. and then if things don't change in November, you will have proof , that at one time in this nations history, it was right!
Now , you can go into the clothes business,, and just open up a store that sells clothes, and that is all you will have to put up over the door"CLOTHES", AND NOT "MEN'S CLOTHES" OR "WOMEN'S CLOTHES",, open a wedding store, and not have not one bridal window with a gown, for now you will have to put up two ,,,one a wedding dress, and one a wedding suit! Who will wear what, the one that is suppose to be the woman, will he wear a dress? and the one who is supposed to be the man, will she wear a suit. I could put "ha" after all of this, but it is not funny, YOUR commander in chief, YOUR president, NOT MINE!,,, has moved over to the other side, He is out of the closet on his beliefs.. Well as for me, I will follow my book of instruction that I got with my life, THE BIBLE! It is the only book of instructions that will save this

COUNTRY,,, IN NOVEMBER!

I usually do not go political, but we must do something , if you do not agree, do not look at your children , for they are what you stand for , and someday you may be giving away your son to someone else's son, or your daughter to someone else's daughter, and if I loose readers on this, I just loose them , for enough, is enough!

John HIcks
Lord , forgive this Nation, and please keep her free, and Israel also. amen

FREEDOM

WEDNESDAY! THE DAY OF THE SLIDE! Yes, today is the day you have climbed to the top of the hump,, and now is the time to start that slide towards the week-end, yes again! Have you ever thought about everyone being retired, not worrying about the week-end, just living for the day, and only looking forward, toward Heaven, and that is all.. just living and loving it! You know what,, that is the way this world was designed, what happened,, well,,,, woman listened to the serpent, man listened to the woman, now we all have to work for a living, , before all this , there it was,,, utopia!
Have a great day, and remember , take Jesus with you today,,, as you go off to work,, or play,,, or let Him just set next to you, if you are staying at home...

Prayer Thanks! For the Rain! God sure looks after us! Better than we can! Right!
About Frank, he went to the doctor, he has had pneumonia, so the doctor decided against chemo again, and re-x-rayed his pancreas, found the tumor had shrunk a lot, it was a lot smaller,,, so no chemo until maybe June or July,, GLORY BE TO GOD!

FREEDOM

Today, we have the freedom to travel (with out papers) from one county, state to another.. We are very fortunate, for lots of countries still have the borders blocked from even city to city...freedom, it is to be thankful for ,not just accepted,, and it must be worked for, it will not just lay around and be satisfied..like those who don't care, it will not care, and it will go away ,, if we don't protect it.. How do you protect it? One by keeping this country under God, that is number one! also it is backing our armed forces who put their lives in harms way, each day, for this freedom, and give them what they deserve when they come home, not just throw them out with the garbage ,until we need them back , for another day! And know who to put in our leaders places, liars , greedy,, want to be kings,,, unbelievers.. ? Well that is what we have, no matter what their lying tongues say, for you can interpet by what it looks like around you, not what words tell you.. open your eyes, and pray, ,for we are close to losing this ,

GOD GIVEN FREEDOM,

Why not real change?

Lord, I ask that everyone will watch and help in putting this nation back on the right track, by taking YOU WITH THEM TO WORK,, AND THAT MEANS OUR CONGRESS, OUR PRESIDENT, AND HIS APPOINTED ONES... AMEN

John HIcks
For I am not appointed, but a follower ,, by choice to follow Him,, as you are,, if you choose, to follow our God, the only God, and I serve Him, and only Him. and thank Him for my freedom from satan,, and may,, God Bless These United States of America! Will you stand with me, beside her, and protect her ,,with your life? I have, and I will!

BEWARE

TUESDAY- This morning, my eyes opened, because my Lord wanted me to wake, and serve Him by telling all of His greatness, His love , His kindness, and ,yes His wrath , if needed, so here goes... with coffee in-hand,, listen to the following: God is real, He is alive and He is well, He is here with you and with me,, He walks these streets, He lays in all the beds,,He is in charge, no matter what you think , it is He who will rule , not the government,, nor the rich, but He and us,, the ones who have asked for redemption through His Son,, to forgive us of our sins,,, Yes, He is alive and well, and DON'T YOU DARE FORGET IT!

Prayer Requests: Jean and Rufus Whitworth, both are having severe health problems.

Frank and Lori, Frank is going today for chemo, last trip , he was too thin to have it , pray he can today, for without it, His cancer moves real fast. Lori's mass in her throat is better, she can swallow better, and is going for a scan to see just what it is, and what can be done. (Continue to pray for Barbara, the mother, who is still traveling from work, home and hospitals, doctors with them,, pray for her to continue to have the strength, that only God can give) . Pray for these three, and the two above,, Thank you very much, for we know prayer makes a difference .

For rain as You see fit , Lord, we are in Your hands!

BEWARE

Beware of the rabid dog, for bitten, you too can become as he.. and folks, satan is worst than that rabid dog,
You can take shots in the belly for that rabid dog, if you know he is rabid, and if bitten by a sinner,, you can take a shot of Jesus in the heart for satan, and it heals instantly, and it works every time.
All you have to do is call out, for sometimes we can't see satan, but he is everywhere , and if you call , then the worry can stop, for Jesus will be your fence, and will keep the rabid one, and his workers from you,, so smile and walk with the worry free protector,Jesus,and you will not have to look nor worry about wandering upon

A RABID SINNER!

God thank You, for your Son, Jesus , and the fence of protection from satanaround us when we call out and ask for it! amen

John HIcks
Call out before you are engulfed by satan, ask in advance , you buy insurance and believe in that picee of paper, why not a sure thing, Jesus,,,so make a choice.. now!

MONDAY! Open those eyelids to a whole new day, and new week! The way to start off this day, and insure it is a good one, is to start with an invitation to put a smile on all you meet, and just how do you do this? By giving one first! Have a great God's day!

COMING BACK HOME!

I have always heard , "Once you leave home, you can never "really" come home again. " I left the old farm in 1960 to go live with my Uncle Sam...and if I could have gotten out of that basic training , and away from my "best friend " , the drill Sergeant ,, I would have come home, and been thankful, I was there, and I would never felt like I had left! But , after a few months, yes , things did change... "home" was never quite the same! Oh yes, how was it that I got a Sergeant that was my "best friend"? If you were ever in the service, or saw some real basic training, you would know, so how? He told me so! and also taught me a lot of new words , I just thought I knew them all...ha, but that is a whole "nother" story!
Now after I had lived away from home for a year, then 10 , then more, I would go home, but it never, ever felt like it did before I got on that bus on that day of August 30th ,1960... It was home, and although there was my Mother, and my Father ,, waiting for me, then for me and my family, arms open wide, love abounding, and home with my parents, but not home,,as it was.. it is just a fact!
We had Homecoming at our church yesterday, and I got to see some old friends from a while back. We had a great "re-union" of about an hour or two,, then off to our home, and I thought,, we all had tried to come back home together,, and it just was not quite the same there either,,,for there,, even things had changed since we were all together. back then, , but I wondered , why did he or she ever leave,, and had all kinds of reasons..none that made a difference, for just like on that Alabama farm.. home , almost, but not quite there! We all leave our parents ,, at some time, we are so happy to get away, our parents are so sad to see us go,, and then , reverse, they are so happy to see us return, and we are so sad,, that all is not exactly like it was when we left.....We all have made new homes, ours , somewhere, just not there.... sad, but true!
Now,, for where is this leading, ? There is one HOME, that we can go to , once we have made the call, that will never ever change, and that is Heaven! Our Heavenly father will be happy to see us, our Savior Jesus will be happy to see us, and all who have gone before us will be happy to see us, and we will finally be happy, that we are truly, truly, at home ...No tears, but those of joy, hugs of all for we will have the time, and this home, we will never have to leave.. it will be permanent,, and I pray that all have made that "call" , mentioned above, so that you all go to this HOME , that I am talking about,, so , yes

THERE IS ONE HOME, THAT WE ALL CAN GO TO, AND FEEL ,,FEEL REALLY AT HOME!

God, thank you for our home with you,, amen

John HIcks
Made my reservations on that gospel train,, have you? Make them now. for it is a choice, that only YOU can make,,, no one else can do it for you. so do it now, don't wait!

ROTTEN OR DAMAGED FOUNDATIN

SUNDAY! Yes, the day we set aside to honor Him! But do we? You have to answer this one ,, yes you, and you alone!


REMEMBER , TODAY IS THE TOMORROW WE WORRIED ABOUT YESTERDAY!

ROTTEN OR DAMAGE FOUNDATION?

When we build our houses,, we usually dig down to the clay level, pour our concrete pillars, or dig a ditch and pour our foundation.. to lay our concrete blocks on them.. then build our dwelling. Now we have a good foundation that will stand the time, if we protect ourselves from termites, water leakage, and storms(which we have very, very little control). We have build on a rise(except New Orleans, ?) so we are doing all that is right.. we have built our house on firm ground, with a good foundation. for without this, our house would sway, crack, leak, and finally ,,just fall down, or get eat up with termites, or leak and rot! You have done a good job? congratulations?
NOW! The building of yourself ? Your children? Have you built, planning on building, and are you teaching your children(by example) , to build not on the sand, but on the SOLID ROCK , for a good foundation. One that will not wash away with the slightest rain or blow down with a slightest wind? One that will withstand floods, tornadoes of life, satan, (who will destroy all) .. unless you have built your life with the blood of Jesus Christ.. whom nothing can destroy, nor tear down,, and will stand for an eternity! This is your responsibility! Build as commanded by Him,, teach your children from birth to build in Him, not this world, not in money , for it will rot, and burn, & let greed over-come, it will shatter it , how about sin? It will get you burning in hell for an eternity!
So , build, if you have not already laid your foundation,, on solid rock , teach your children, to build so your,, and their foundation will never rot, or find damage,,, yes

BUILD ON THE FOUNDATION,, OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST!

God, thank you for giving me the rock of Jesus , to give my life to, my foundation of this life.. amen

John HIcks
Not only building as I live, but testifying as I go, will y0u join me? If you have not , now is the time, not in a second , a minute , a day, or tomorrow, now is the second ,,, for what is that saying above, "Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday",, well folks , today is here, and tomorrow is over by the one who can save you not destroy you, so make a choice and choose Jesus Christ, throw satan to the wind, and do it now! YOUR CHOICE!

NO CHARGES, YOU ARE FREE!

SATURDAY! Smell the coffee as you awake on this "off" day, the start of your, and His week-end , I just pray that this week-end , you have invited Him, and you go and do only things that will be pleasing to Him,, will you need to change any of your plans? ? Have a great week-end , the both of you!

Prayer Request: Linda Davidson, who is in grave condition and needs your prayers this day!

NO CHARGES! YOUR ARE FREE!

Last night I heard this story,, on a T.V. program and felt compelled to share it with you all. This man as a young teen, was mixed up with the wrong crowd, as most young people raised in large towns in low-income are preyed upon... some escape, some stay and sub-come to these gangs... and live a very short life of hell..even thought they think they are on top of the world... and this is the story of one that God chose to help escape this tradegy of drugs, breaking hearts ,,as he lived.
One morning, this young man, of 20+ years, was arrested for drug possession, and trafficking of said drugs. This being his third arrest on the same charges, and now an adult,, he was facing charges of 25 years in prison, and he had no defense , for they had the evidence,, he was going to prison.. he had no hope.. his mother was in tears, and almost ready to collapse, for she could not help, only pray.. and he, this young man, knelt down in that cell, and prayed ,, He said" Jesus, You are my only hope, I am sorry for what I have done, there is no way out, except through You, I believe in You, and I pray for a way out, and I will serve You and try to keep others from following in my foot-steps. Jesus , I ask for another chance." Yes that was His prayer..
Now the day of his appearance in court, and no one could explain this , and he new , Jesus had been there, Jesus had heard, Jesus had answered,, for the judge said, "Will the defendant stand, ", and as this young man stood, the judge said, " We have found no evidence on your charges of this crime, young man, YOU ARE FREE TO GO!"..
THIS YOUNG MAN KNEW WHO HAD SET HIM FREE.. NOT THE JUDGE, BUT JESUS CHRIST!
Now , this young man has a family, and helps his fellow-man,, he was given by his employer, money for the church, the church at the time of this given money, could not pay its bills, It had no money, this was enough to carry this church for a very long time.. also he was given an amount of money to buy a new car , which he needed so bad to get to work, he bought a good used car, took the rest and bought another car, and gave it to another person who was having trouble getting to work... now this is a true story of Jesus at work, and the faithful following Him,, for it is a hard task to follow Him in the times of this world, so have faith as this man did, and follow through with your promises to God and Son... for with Jesus, you too can make this statement,

I AM FREE,, I AM FREE.. FROM THE BONDAGE'S OF SATAN, I TOO,, AM FREE!

God, thank You for this testimony of this young man.. amen

John HIcks

FIRE ANTS

FRIDAY! TGIF,,, We all are looking for the week-end, maybe some to get off for a few days, some looking for friends to come, or relatives, grandparents, or grand-children,,,even some to get to work in their yards,,, or just sit back and enjoy Gods bounty, which it all is...while we can, for we need to let Him know that we do thank Him for it all! Don't we?

FIRE ANTS!

I was looking at the fire ant mounds across the country, ,and I am amazed at how many there is. They are like other ants, except they are aggressive if their mound is touched... they come alive. Have you ever touch one ? Seen how they just pour out of the mound?
Well, call me nuts, need mental help,, but as I watched T.V. and they put the cameras up of the roads leading out, in, around , and yes up(airport).. Atlanta looked like a mound of fire ants, at 5:00 p.m., cars, airplanes, and people on the streets walking.. to and fro,,, so many people in this one city,, then my imagination took hold! Yes, I could imagine all those towns, as big or bigger than Atlanta. then the medium ones, and don't forget the little ones, then the little (here)the Yatesvilles.. Pop 250 to 300,,people passing each other , not knowing who the other is, but passing each other within a foot of one car to the other car,, elbow to elbow,, passing your yard, pouring out of the hole , the cities, headed home, somewhere... AND I thought , we are just like large ants. boiling out of a common place.. BUT , we are not at all like the ants ,for we think we are organized, but we are not, for we have traffic jams, we have wrecks, we are going not to feed others , but ourselves.. taking care of just us, not the ones around us, we have no "use" for them, they are just in our way, they just are there! With ants, it is all about the "whole"... a common goal,, look out for each other!
We have only one common goal, with all of us,, and I ask that question,, do we all have it...and that is the Lord Jesus within our heart, have we all given Him our souls.. have we put all our trust , our live in His hands? Have we? I know this sounds crazy this morning, but , just think outside of the box, and ask this question, have you ever looked as you drive down the road and wonder, is that person saved, driving next to you, or do you look and don't really think about it nor care? We must always think of spreading the word, and no it does not get boring, but rewarding, if you try it.. you would be surprised..

AND AS THE ANT MOUNDS GROW, SO DOES OUR HARVEST OPPORTUNITIES!

Lord, I ask that you give us the drive that the ants have in working your field of lost souls, and that we can bring in a great harvest for you..amen

John HIcks
Never pass up a chance to testify,, is my motto, will you join me ,and then do it? Please, lets not only cultivate , but lets' harvest the crops...

EVERYONE TO HIS/HER OWN!

WEDNESDAY! Hey, it is slide day,, to that all anticipated week-end! If you will slide down the slide of God, with Jesus at your side, then you will not have to walk kinda funny ,, with that splinter call satan stuck on you ... for with them, it will be a clean smooth slide , splinter free, with a plan for all your days, not just the week-end, and you will be able to walk , head high and straight,, how about it? Your choice!

EVERYONE TO HIS OR HER OWN!

As I ride down, and around the country here, and remembering all the roads I have traveled.. I see all these churches,, and I turn on all these programs on T.V., see preachers telling millions of people about God ,and how to testify.. Pulling millions of people to Jesus, and all these churches , teaching ,and wining millions to Jesus also, then I ask this question, where are all those people that profess , and are saved, ,where are they and what are they talking about after they accept, and after church, and after truning the t.v. off?

I am just asking, and why do I hear people say,, no I have not heard from anyone from our churches or any of the members at these churches? Are we turning into hermits, that only go out to work, talk "work" only, stay as close to our yards as possible , or even in the house and Lord help us if we had to inter-act with anyone else, except on the appointed day... Yes I have talked to many with this handing out of crosses.. and I am amazed of the comments..

Folks , we all need to be more vocal.. on our conversations, by including God, and we need to do more visitation, or campaign for God.. look at the money spent on just the president race... then look at the collection plate, and the amount spent on giving out the word of God.... is God not more important to you.. is HE not the Supreme President of the Universe ,of all Creation? If this is so , to you, then lets' do more on our testifying, our visitations, ....Let's get out, and do what I say, Never pass up a chance to say something about God and Jesus,, Let's be more vocal, more showing, let's see more ACTIVE CHRISTIANS , on those other six days of the week!

WELL, EVERYONE TO HIS OR HER OWN, FOR NOW, BUT LATER,, EVERYONE TO HIM!

Lord, please help others to be bold , and not embarrassed by talking about You, & let all start back to telling the story of You, and of Your Son, I pray for this , this day..amen

John HIcks
Too vocal, maybe,, on well, that is debate-able! But ,seriously, call out for Jesus if you have not, and if you have , re-call, He still wants to,, and likes to,, hear His name on your lips, so go ahead, it 's o.k. ,,, really!

FOR WHOM DO I WORK FOR, NOW?

TUESDAY! WOW-ALREADY FIRST OF MAY, What Happened to all those other months, I thought we had just set off the fireworks for the new year! Ha! God gave all these months, and years to us, to enjoy, laugh, and laugh out loud, cry, and cry out loud, complain, and yes, out loud, and all of it is a God given privilege.. from birth until.... Just remember , that God is always with you , through the good, the bad, the sin, and the forgiving(if you ask), so get up and go do what ever it is you do, and smile ,, for yes that is HE , right there beside you!

Prayer Request: For the family of Mary Dudley Poole, Mary just passed away. Mary was a good friend of mine, whom I went to school with, over in Cullman , Ala. God rest you Mary Dudley,,as I bring up the memories of us all,, in our young lives there, I know that you will be missed in this world.

FOR WHOM DO I WORK FOR NOW?

I am retired, and I am working harder than I have since the farm! Ha! How about you all, that is retired? Really, I am enjoying it so much! I am blessed!
No hard feeling of my former employers, and my old bosses,,for most of them I have fond memories of , and do cherish them, and miss them,, not the work, nor the mind benders of management, but them and the people!
Work was basically good.. but now I have a full time , new boss, whom was there with me at the time of these other jobs, but I guess, I thought , that there I was the boss ,but no I was not, but now, well, He has given me a good one... and put it up front of all other things... and here it is, you probably have guessed already.. yes I work for God,,, He is my Boss, He is my leader, He is me, and He is you, maybe you , like me , it has not dawned on you, but yes He is the Boss.. and He is the leader.. if you decide to let Him, join Him, and accept His Son , Jesus, then you will be lead down a path of rewards,, if you choose not to accept, then you choose to let satan lead you,, and remember , God is still there watching, but not interfering, unless you call out to Him.. understand how this works?
Anyway, God has kept me busy, with these "Thoughts" each day, (and I hope you have enjoyed them) and in "The Cross" Ministry, and I give Him all the credit and glory for all of its' success... and pray that He will continue to let me serve Him...
So, to all of you who are reading this, this God's Day,, have you figured out who it is that I am employed by? Oh , yes , one more thing, there are plenty of openings with Him,, come join our work force... for

YES , IT IS GOD THAT I WORK FOR!

God, thank you for having me , a sinner forgiven, in your works.. and I pray that more, and more will continue to join, amen

John HIcks
Oh,yes , in real good with the boss. how about you? Joined yet? Your choice!