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FaithBook Community Church, Athens, OH (2026)

11/11/2013

VETERAN'S DAY 2013

DIVINE APPOINTMENTS: Off work at 7am today feeling melancholy. I always do on Veteran's Day. My Dad was in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict. He passed in 2005, but I miss him so very much. He was a great Dad, kind, gentle, loving. So as always, I left some tears out. But I had this urge to fix a new kind of soup beans so I went to the grocery store. I started to go to my usual one, but was detoured for some reason to a different one. It was then I saw him.

A real tall man, long blonde hair, with a weathered look about him. He was setting up a little table with veteran things like flags, pens, and various other things which he sells to help support the vets :) As soon as I saw him, the tears came to my eyes and I couldn't stop them as I approached him. I went on in the store, but couldn't stay there. I had to offer him my thanks for serving as he was clearly a veteran.

I must have looked quite silly for I walked in the store, made a half-circle and walked right back out to get a cart...but it wasn't the cart that I was supposed to get. I went to him and said, "You're a veteran, aren't you?" He had big tears in his eyes. His face was weathered, but he was clearly a kindly man who had experienced more than most people will ever experience. We talked briefly, and I said, "Can I give you a hug?" His tears gave way when I asked that. Through those tears and the hug, I felt his pain of the experiences he had in several tours of duty during Veit Nam.

So I walked over and hugged him, and thanked him for all he did to keep us safe. We talked briefly and I went into the grocery store. When I came back out, I couldn't help but stop to talk to him some more...I sensed he was glad. I told him Dad had served and I watched the tears slither down his cheeks again. He was grateful for all his fellow veterans, but angry at how his government had abandoned him and his fellow vets when they returned home. I let him talk. I wanted to honor his grief so I was silent, and simply listened.

When he stopped talking, I asked him if I could pray for him. More tears. He said he hadn't been in church for many years and wasn't sure it would or could help him because he "wasn't a believer anymore." Cue! I said that was ok, but I would like your permission to pray for you. He grabbed my hand and right there outside the grocery store, I prayed. I thanked him for his dedicated service, and then I prayed for his soul. It was a short prayer, but in looking at his eyes, he was grateful, as a matter of fact, he was all over, a grateful man in spite of his sadness. We talked just a little more, and then we parted. I told him I was glad we got to talk, then I left for home.

I'm not convinced that the bean soup was the purpose for the day. I am convinced this was a DIVINE APPOINTMENT. A MOMENT WHEN I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THERE FOR SOMEONE SUFFERING. SOMEONE WHO NEEDED A KIND WORD...SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTOOD HIS PAIN DESPITE NOT HAVING LIVED THE HORRORS HE HAD SEEN. HE SIMPLY NEEDED A FRIEND, A SAVIOR. MY PRAYER IS THAT HE CONNECTS WITH THE ONE WHO ALSO UNDERSTANDS THE PAIN OF SUFFERING SO THAT OTHERS COULD LIVE WHILE HE PUT HIS LIFE ON THE LINE FOR US...JUST LIKE JESUS CHRIST DID FOR ALL OF MANKIND. PLEASE KEEP MIKE IN YOUR PRAYERS. MATTER OF FACT, KEEP ALL OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN IN YOUR PRAYERS DAILY.

I WAS, AND CONTINUE TO BE BLESSED WITH THIS BRIEF ENCOUNTER IN, OF ALL PLACES, THE GROCERY STORE. :)

10/10/2013

CWiM (Christian Women in Ministry) is now 5 years old! I started this with the hope that I could encourage women to learn more about their faith, and to share it with other people. Another goal was to teach people how to share their faith. That was and is still the main focus and reason for holding retreats. My aim was to keep it small in order to allow intimate conversation to occur in situations where people need anonymity and complete trust that her information will not be shared outside the confines of the group.

This year is different, however. Several people from another county, and still more from where I work have wanted to participate in this retreat in order to learn more. Some are saved, some are not, but they are seeking the God that can offer eternal life. That is all I need to know in order to begin with them.

I am considering doing some more events throughout the year, maybe quarterly to start with and see if people will participate. So, I covet your prayers for guidance.

If you are interested, you can Facebook me on this site.

05/13/2013

Question: Who took away our dance? The dance of the Psalms. Who decided we must sit and be quiet in order to worship? Reverence, yes. Quietness at times, yes. But the Psalms talks of loud instruments and dancing and singing...where did our dance go? We bow before God in reverent fear. We stand before God as heirs of our King! Someone, please tell me...

05/13/2013

What has been, will be again.
God's way is to pursue you regardless of your sin because he didn't create you to be a defeated being. In HIM we have our being. In HIM we have the great HOPE of eternal life. He will bring you out into the light....until he pleads your case and establishes your right! (paraphrased from verses below). Stop sitting in the "dirt" , STAND UP! TAKE YOUR INHERITANCE FOR YOU ARE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD! NOW ACT LIKE IT!
Micah 7
(Desperate times) v.2 The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. v4...The day of your watch now has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion...v7 BUT AS FOR ME I WILL WATCH IN HOPE FOR THE LORD, I will wait for God my Savior; MY GOD WILL HEAR ME...v8 Though I sit in darkness the LORD will be my light. v.9 Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord's wrath, UNTIL HE PLEADS MY CASE AND ESTABLISHES MY RIGHT. (He never leaves you "wanting" or "needing." He establishes your rights/needs) He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness. v18 Who is a God like you who pardons and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance. You do not stay angry forever, but DELIGHT TO SHOW MERCY. (!)

05/08/2013

I had an interesting morning with my best friend. We planned out some ministry details on some events which will be in her area. Another lady came in and we had such a wonderful time praying, talking, sharing, teaching and enjoying one another. One of the ladies is really new to being a Christian, and I have to say, I have NEVER seen an individual make such a turnaround in her life. Her whole demeanor has changed in such a short time. Her attitude, the way she carries herself, is so different and I will tell you, I see myself in her. You see, I once was lost. But NOW I'm FOUND! I once was blind. But, now I see. It was grace that taught my heart to sing and GRACE will lead me home! BE BLESSED! NEVER GIVE UP the HOPE THAT WE HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS WILL SEE US THROUGH INTO ETERNITY. LIVE LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW. LOVE LIKE JESUS! YOU ARE AN HEIR...ACT LIKE ONE!

03/02/2013

I asked God to inspire me to be the best he made me to be. I don't feel the need to be anything more or less than you intended. Being close to you warms my heart and heals my hurts and disappointments. Jesus, can I sing a song for you that might bless your heart? Can I sit with you a while and know your peace? Take me to a place where the lion and the lamb are no longer enemies. Place within me the kingdom of heaven. Find a place for me to make a difference in the lives of others. Give me direction and purpose. How do I fit in it? where humans tend to be kind instead of making assumptions, or judgments...now that is where I want to be. but I know only works in some places with some people because our world has displaced you from our personal lives. BUT your are THE sovereign God who rules and reignes the earth and skies in their entirety. Regardless of OUR ambitions to be what we are not meant to be, God still loves us. Share your life with others because there are a lot of lonely people out there without support, without a sense of how much Jesus loves us. Let us be the salt and light everywhere you go in the world where people are attracted to you, not because of who you are, but because of his beauty that shines forth in a sometimes dark and dreary world. So here is one of my favorite passages of Scripture from the Psalms: You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them.....You know thoroughly everything I do. PS 139:2-3 NCV. NICE. He is ever above me, before me, beside me and I am NOT in danger of being lost as long as I travel the same road with him. Be blessed today and every day because we have been given such wonderful grace and mercy and lavished with his unconditional love.

02/26/2013

The Struggle of Prayer: Finding God’s Heart.

by MaryAnn Hastings Rosser on Monday, August 31, 2009 at 1:54pm ·
..

Building a Personal Relationship With God Through Prayer

God has many different ways of connecting on a personal level: creation, relationships, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, worship, peace, and prayer. This is certainly not an exhaustive list as anyone can add to it, personal experiences which are unique to their relationship with God. But one of the most important is prayer. It is not unusual for a new Christian or even a seasoned saint to have questions, even doubts, about the effectiveness of their prayers. Philip Yancy, in his book, Prayer, Does it Make Any Difference says his Christian life circles around two themes: “why God doesn’t act the way we want God to, and why I don’t act the way God wants me to. Prayer is the precise point where those themes converge.” (p. 17) Matthew 6:8 says in part, “…your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So, if this is true, and we know it is because it is in His Word, then…
Why do we Pray?

Prayer is a discipline, a daily routine necessary in order to maintain a right relationship with God. It is important to view this time spent alone with God as necessary. God wants a REAL relationship with us in the everyday!

Looking at the Lord’s Prayer helps us to answer the question of why we pray despite God knowing what we need before we ask by examining the circumstances.

He said they were not to be as hypocrites who pray in public in order to be seen. This doesn’t mean a person can’t pray aloud in public, rather, He is addressing wrong motives for public prayer.

He tells them to pray where they will not be seen by people, but by the Father.

Third, Jesus says they are not to repeatedly ask over and over again for what they want because as Jesus said, this is “babbling…many words.” The problem with “many words” is that the pagans of the day (and today as well) think that by saying long prayers, God will finally hear them and give them what they want. This is nothing less than manipulation to which God is not subject.

Fourth, He tells them in verses 32-34 to seek the kingdom and righteousness all these things will be given to you as well.

Fifth, He tells them not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Sixth, in 6:9, Jesus shows them how they should pray.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. (KJV)

This sample prayer gives us some reasons why we should pray. Furthermore, we are to give God praise. Revelation 4:11 says "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
Psalms 145:3 says, Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. We close prayers with Amen because it means “so be it.”

Jesus, in talking to His disciples in John 16 about His death and resurrection into heaven
I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

We pray in Jesus’ name because He is our intercessor or go-between to the Father. Romans 8:34 says Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. This verse is not an open-ended promise to give everything we ever wanted, but instead, what we need, so that our “joy will be complete.”

Here is one final point to address the issue of why we pray. God wants to talk to us, and He wants us to talk to Him. We don’t hear God’s audible voice, but as pointed out earlier, we find His communication in various ways and means which “speak” to us. But, in our communication with God, He really does want us to talk to Him, to pour out our heart’s desires; express our doubts, fears, concerns and emotions; and even admit when we are angry or disappointed with what God Himself has done or not done. It is only on this level of pure honesty with the Father that we will ever truly find an intimate relationship as we discover the heart of God. This is where we will find the answers to our questions and what He wants from us. And when we discover what He wants, put personal desires aside, and consistently do it out of love and devotion, this is called “surrender.”

We may never get to know all the answers to our questions, but in prayerful surrender, we often find that we do not always need to know. As an example, we look again to Jesus, who in the Garden of Gethsemane, prayed out in total honesty to the Father: He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:39).

Even though He willingly went to the cross for our sins, He still asked if it was possible that He not have to die. But in prayer, He expressed obedience to the Father’s will. Notice that even after the angel “strengthened Him,” he went on to pray even “more earnestly.” No one could ever deny the difficulty in being completely surrendered to God for any reason. Jesus didn’t.

02/26/2013

You say you don’t believe hell’s a place
Cause “the torment exists as hell on earth”
You don’t even believe heaven exists
“Reality is, it doesn’t get any better than this”

Why would you want to take the chance
That you are wrong and I am right?
I’m sure you know, I hope you’ve been told
Can’t change your reality from hell you know

Jus’ sayin’…

Jus’ sayin’ ya might wanna reconsider
Your position seriously brings up a point
The horror of hell is that God IS NOT THERE!
Changing your heart isn’t an option in eternity

Jus’ sayin’

The rich man saw Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom
Can’t say I have any idea where that is
But I’d rather be wrong about this Jesus
Than have you look up from hell to say…

“You were right…God is not here!”
Jus’ sayin’

02/26/2013

in light of eternity

I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you beside me
what would I say if I didn’t have you to guide me
you are the maker of love found inside of me
the author of all that exists in all of my reality

we are the ones who find grace…undeserving
we are a people who fail in all of your consistency
why are you so interested in seeing me make it
why am I so special that you would keep pursuing me

you made me in your image, your imprint, it molds me
you placed eternity in the very heart of my being
none of this is new but it means so very much to me
to know you consider me in light of all eternity

complete me and anoint me with your Spirit
fill me to beyond my own heart’s capacity
then others can see your shower of abundance
speak to me, in me, in light of your eternity

and never let me go…never let me fall
cause I was created for eternity

02/13/2013

When I was young, I never wore shoes except when we went to church or town unless it was the dead of winter. When I was 10, I rode my bike three or four miles out of town without fear. My feet were always the color of whatever mud I had been in, and I walked on stilts that my grandfather made for me, all over town.

I made mud pies and threw them at my brother/friends because it was fun and it was funny and they threw them back at me. I roller skated in the streets and the cars just simply slowed down and no one yelled at me for being in the middle of the road.

We always had a dog and/or a cat that slept in our beds with us. We never had expensive toys, or bikes, but we didn't know that other people counted their money instead of their blessings.

It was common for me to take a flashlight under the covers so I could read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books. I read the dictionary because words fascinated me and they still do. I read the encyclopedias, and studied the pictures and imagined myself to be part of the pictures.

We ate hardy breakfasts, soups and sandwiches for lunch, and Sunday dinner was the big meat meal of the week. None of the meat was wasted and when the meal was done it was my brother and my responsibility to wash the dishes (gasp, they made their kids was the dishes??? YEP and if they weren't clean we had the PRIVILEGE of washing them over again until they were clean.

Yep. I'd say I had a wonderful childhood. My one regret is that the safeguards of a strict mother, father and grandparents have slipped out of the hands of the caregivers, the parents, the grandparents because PEOPLE DON'T SEEM TO KNOW WHAT THEIR KIDS ARE DOING OR WHERE THEY ARE DOING IT! The adage that it takes a village to raise a child is oh so true. If my grandmother saw me doing something I shouldn't be doing, she spanked me and I never had any psychological break-down because of it! My mother had the fastest left had in the west...or the east depending on which way the pews in the church faced.

As a "village" we ought to be recognizing that while technology is great, and I partake of it too, our children are growing up knowing more about an iPhone than they know about their family. ~~MaryAnn (Hastings)Rosser

02/13/2013

No one can make anyone "feel" anything without your permission!

02/12/2013

By MaryAnn Hastings Rosser

THE PROBLEM:
WICKEDNESS AND ARROGANCE!
2 Chronicles 7:13-15
13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. NIV

THE ANTIDOTE:
PRAYER AND CONFESSION!
3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

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