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I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. - John 15:5

We are always trying to find the quickest and surest way to accomplish things. We read how-to-books or look for "easy steps to succeed". Christians even seek simple formulas to guarantee success in walking with God. We wish someone would come up with a surefire method for avoiding sin and accelerating growth as God's children, but...

IT'S A RELATIONSHIP
Jesus viewed the Christian life as a relationship, not a math problem. He knew we would hope for a few easy steps to follow. But instead of a method, Jesus answered with a beautiful word-picture in John 15.

To explain how to walk as His disciple, Jesus chose the metaphor of a fruit bearing vine. He is the vine; we are the branches; and the Father is the Vinedresser. Like members of one organism, we are connected in an intimate relationship with our Lord. If this connection is severed, our lives will be empty and unfruitful. Jesus is our sole source of life (vs 4-5). Just as a branch finds its home in the vine, we must abide in Jesus Christ, finding our home in Him. The secret to the Christ life is not following a set of rules, but maintaining an essential relationship with the Ruler.

IT'S AN ADVENTURE

Christians who abide in Christ march to the best of God's Spirit. We follow His lead. The Holy Spirit serves as our spiritual compass, guiding and empowering us to overcome any challenge along our journey as we remain in Him.

Abiding means obeying. Jesus explains that His words actually cleanse us. And if Christ's words remain in us, our prayers will be heard and answered by the Father. (Vs. 3,7) God's Word is the Christian's source of life.

Abiding is loving. Jesus urges us to remain in His love and commands us to love each other with the same selfless love He has shown us. (Vs 9-10, 12) Those who are connected to Jesus will love as He did.

Remember: The fruit that we produce by staying connected to Jesus is an effect, not a cause of a healthy relationship with God. So...STAY CONNECTED, for without Him, you can do nothing.

Connie J. Schmoll

Many Gifts Unopened

The Christmas season is coming upon us once again. To be honest, I get a bit frustrated at times during this season because of the many misconceptions of what it's all about. The other night, God spoke to me in a dream and showed me the reason for all the misconceptions...

In the dream I stood afar off watching the busyness of life that occurs during this time of year. So many people hurriedly purchasing numerous items of merchandise, wanting the best and never considering their financial state or consequence of their actions, just as long as they get what THEY want. The scene seemed so chaotic and gloomy.

Suddenly the scene changed. On the other side of the street stood a huge tree decorated with beautiful white lights that totally lit up that side of the street. Underneath this tree were piles of nicely wrapped gifts of all shapes and sizes. Positioned next to the tree was a sign that read FREE GIFTS. There were so very few people on this side of the street.

As I continued to watch activities of both sides, I began to ask God, "Why, Father? Why aren't the people taking freely of the gifts from beneath that beautiful tree? After all, they are all there to freely take; available to everyone." Then He answered me and said, "It is because they cannot see it. Many have been blinded and only see what the world has to offer."

Many people allow the every day affairs of this life to take over their life and can't see "beyond the veil" into the eternal realm. On one side is "the seeing world" where there are things they can touch, feel and see. But on the other side, what many truly desire to have and try to reach for is "the unseen realm" where all the provisions are - all things God has stored up for us. Gifts for us that are freely given. All we have to do is believe they are there and reach out and receive them.

The Lord spoke to me again and said, "My people today have been taught faith correctly. However, they cannot see into the Promised Land clearly enough to see where their treasures are, in order to grasp them by faith."

If there is ever a time to begin speaking God's Word for an individual - it is today! Let us believe that we and others be given a dream, a vision of all that God has for us and that we all become aware of all those UNOPENED GIFTS that lie beneath that tree just waiting to be received and opened by us.

What gifts from God for YOUR life remain UNOPENED, still sitting beneath that tree? Is it healing? Deliverance? Salvation? A circumstance in your life that you continue to tolerate but wouldn't have to?

Many of us are getting pretty good at freely giving to others. When are you going to freely RECEIVE? HE HAS FREELY GIVEN! NOW FREELY RECEIVE!

Let no UNOPENED GIFTS REMAIN.

Connie J. Schmoll

Abide In The One Who Has Overcome

So many times we find ourselves bombarded with challenges in life that hit us all at once and we begin to feel overwhelmed with it all. If we are not careful, we can become burdened down with it and lose our focus that we should have each day: to keep our eyes on the Lord and our nose in the Book and our mouth speaking the Word of God over every situation.

This is where I have found myself these past couple months, burdened down, and starting to lose focus on the things that I had set out to do. But thank God for His Word that continually tugs at my heart because it abides in me. And thank God for the people that He sends my way to push me and to encourage me to keep pressing on.

He loves us that much to not just sit by and let us wander too far without His intervening. He is there the minute our eyes begin to leave His. He knows our heart better than we do and He knows what we need and what will help bring us back into focus.

We all know that we WILL have trials come our way. Jesus speaks of this in John 16:33, "In this world you will have troubles", but He also leaves us a message of hope, telling us to "Take heart for I have overcome the world."

The trials that come our way, draw us to the Lord where He can help teach us lessons in life and make us stronger, but there are some who let these challenges draw them away from God and things just get more difficult for them. So what I would like to just leave with you today is....

When the challenges of life do seem to be bombarding you all at once and it's causing you to start to lose focus, CONTINUE TO ABIDE IN THE ONE WHO HAS OVERCOME, and He will help you through all of it. As a friend just reminded me recently, without challenges in our life, we would not have a testimony. Well, I'm about to have a great one.

So my friends, STAY IN THE WORD, keep peering through that Window of Hope, Listen to His Voice daily, and you will always be prepared for what is to come and come out victorious!

Remember: "Apart from me, you can do nothing". (John 15:5)

Love you all,
Connie

Behind Closed Doors

I found myself behind a door once, almost tempted to keep it locked and never letting anyone in ever again, but instead I used that time behind the door to seek God for help and comfort so that I could be healed and willing to open the door for others who may need my help someday.

Behind Closed Doors

John 20:19 ~~ Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, peace be unto you.

Acts 1:4 ~~ And, being assembled together with them, Jesus commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

Acts 1:12,14 ~~ Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath days journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room where abode both Peter, and James, and John and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, with his brethren.

Closed doors. They can do one of two things: They can imprison us or they can deliver us. In John 20, the disciples imprisoned themselves behind closed doors. It was their fear that hid them behind their locked doors: Fear of the Jews. They had just suffered heartbreaking disappointment. Their hope had just been crucified. Their hope had just suffered what seemed like severe defeat. They shut themselves away behind closed and locked doors to grieve. They were grieving because their hope had died. Yet, the risen, resurrected Savior slipped behind their closed and locked doors to bring them fresh hope.

Thomas refused to believe in or accept this hope for he had not seen it for him self. He refused to believe the words of hope the others tried to instill within him. Maybe he feared getting his hopes up only to have them dashed again.

Fear is the greatest chain that binds us. It imprisons us and locks us behind doors that only the Master himself can slip through. Thomas was focused upon his own grief; upon his own hurts and wounds and disappointments. When the risen, resurrected Savior slipped through the closed, locked doors of Thomas heart, Jesus said to him, ...behold my hands.... Jesus sought to have Thomas remove his eyes from his own wounds, and to focus upon the wounds inflicted upon the body of the Lord; wounds that were inflicted upon Jesus for our own healing and restoration. Thomas responded with the words, My Lord, and my God!

When we take our hurts and wounds, and our grief and disappointments, to the Lord, and place them in his wounded hands, we remove the focus from ourselves, and place our focus upon Him who is able to restore hope to us.

In Acts 1:4 Jesus commands the disciples to return to Jerusalem, and wait for the promise from him to be fulfilled. The disciples once again shut themselves behind closed doors. But it was different this time. The Lord had commanded them to do so. There is a big difference between locking ourselves behind closed and locked doors to focus upon ourselves, and locking ourselves behind closed doors to shut ourselves in with the Master. The disciples and many others remained behind those closed doors until they had an experience with the Master that would literally erupt them from that upper room, and turn the world upside down.

When we shut ourselves behind closed doors to be alone with the Savior, and tarry behind those doors until we have a life changing, world shattering, experience with Him, we emerge from those shut doors, with the power and the anointing of the Holy Ghost upon our lives. That power is able to minister and transform the lives of all we come in contact with.

There are times we lock ourselves behind closed doors because of fear or hopelessness or despair or grief. These times are not of God, nor are they His will for us. During those times of enforced imprisonment, Jesus softly slips through our locked doors, and asks us to look upon his hands. He then gives us the keys with which to free ourselves from our self-imposed prison. There are other times Jesus commands us to go behind closed doors to meet with Him and to receive a greater anointing upon our lives from Him. When we obey Him, we emerge from behind the closed doors of our prayer closet with joy and with the power of the Holy Ghost resting upon us. And it will be like a burning, consuming fire shut up within us.

Which door are you behind today?

Connie J. Schmoll

A Cross To Bear

Text:Luke 23:1-49
The city of Jerusalem was jammed. I turned to work my way out of the crowd and was suddenly face to face with an angry Roman Soldier. He grabbed me and shouted, "You carry the cross!" I was pushed in front of a man bearing up under a heavy cross of timber. I expected to see the face of a man so hardened and cruel but to my surprise, love shone through saddened eyes that seemed to look deep into my soul.

The soldier shoved me beneath the cross. When we arrived at Golgotha, the soldiers pushed me aside. I watched them nail this man to a cross. As I stood to the side, I heard him say, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Who was this man who could forgive them even through this kind of pain and suffering, knowing the worst was yet to come?

I found myself unable to leave. The sky darkened. Fear and tension gripped the crowd. What was happening? I fell to the ground. I then heard a centurion say, "Truly this was the Son of God." I will never forget the scene that night on the dark hillside! To think that I saw Him die. I had been the one chosen to bear His cross - the cross that brought death to God's own son!

A CROSS TO BEAR

This story of the crucifixion, as Simon of Cyrene may have told it, paints a picture of why Jesus left all the beauty and happiness and love in Heaven to come to earth to hang on the cross and suffer so terribly. He did it out of LOVE FOR US!

Only when His blood is applied to our hearts can we be set free from sin and eternal death. He loves us so much! We have all been chosen to bear the cross of Christ. But some of us are running from it out of fear. We have watched others who have taken up that cross, bearing it for Jesus, for the sake of sharing the Gospel with the world. We have seen suffering they have had to endure, and we want no part of it. But we cannot compare our calling with someone else's calling. Our journey most likely will be much different than theirs. No matter what it brings, trust in the Lord and know that all that we go through is to prepare and strengthen us with the ability to bear the cross for Him.

Allow the work of the cross to change you. Stop running and fighting to escape the "crowd" as Simon of Cyrene did. Don't let it take the brutal hands of an angry soldier to throw you at the feet of Jesus. But LET THE LOVE OF GOD COMPEL YOU TO BEAR THAT CROSS FOR CHRIST. After all...Christ bore the sufferings of the cross for you.

Do YOU remember YOUR day.....or maybe you have yet to TAKE UP THAT CROSS....and FOLLOW HIM????

And when He had called the people to Himself; with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whosoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." Mark 8:34

Connie J. Schmoll

The Ark Was More Than Just A Boat

THE ARK WAS MORE THAN JUST A BOAT
(Dedicated To My Sister, Beth Buker)

Have you ever entered a place or someone's home where you just felt safe? This was how it was and still is at the home of my sister, Beth. I can remember clear back in my wild partying days when my life was not very stable. I knew that I always had a safe place to stay at her home. The door was always open to me and she did this even before she started living for the Lord so I know that God has always had a special plan for her.

Once she started living for God, I began seeing her home like Noah's Ark. She began and continues to build her future on high ground. She knows we are all in the 'same boat' and need salvation. Even though it's been hard at times, and during the times when it seems she was standing alone, she has never allowed the critics to keep her from doing what God wanted her to do. She put action to her faith no matter the persecution she had to endure from family and friends. Noah could have believed God yet still drowned if he had not been obedient and built the ark.

You see, “Noah's Ark” was more than just a boat. It was a place of safety for me and for many others when the storms of life hit and it was my sister, Beth who provided that place for us. This ark was the boat of opportunity that can be easily missed if we do not jump aboard in the time needed. Because we know that opportunity often knocks in times of trouble, as it did for Noah.

When times of trouble came for me, I knew I had an ark of safety that I could run to. To this day, I hold a special memory in my heart always for that place. If I could just leave some encouraging words for Beth and for others, those words would be:

1. Continue to live righteous, even if you are the only one. It will be noticed.

2. Always plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah began building the ark.

3. Don’t miss the boat! Never forget this underlying truth: that ultimately when all is said and done, we’re all in the same boat in need of salvation!

4. Noah's Ark teaches the value of making a plan and sticking to it, even through times of overwhelming odds.

5. Never underestimate the talents and gifts that God has given you. The ark was built by amateurs; the titanic by professionals.

6. When God gives you a plan to do something, He will always provide what is needed for you to complete the task.

7. No matter the persecution, continue the work of God until finished. You WILL be greatly rewarded.

8. Have patience. The ark wasn't built in a year and the flood wasn't finished in forty days and forty nights.

9. When you become stressed, just float awhile, because you are way too blessed to be stressed!

10. Never seek to go it alone. Always travel at least in pairs. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

11. Remain faithful and remember … No matter the storm, when you are with God, there is always sunshine after the rain and there is always a rainbow of peace waiting at the other side of the storm.

Connie J. Schmoll

Born To Win & Walking With A Stranger

Hello friends & family,
Some of you know my dad and his story and what he's been through and what God had done in his life. I wanted to share with you all a poem written by my dad in prison called "I'm Born To Win" and also Dad took a song called "Waltz Across Texas" and changed the words to it and wrote "Walking With A Stranger". It's really good! ENJOY! I LOVE YOU DAD!!











I'M BORN TO WIN!
By Ron Corder

Locked away and left to rot,
I blamed another for the time I got.
Mad at life I’d curse and cry.
“How could you GOD“? Why, oh why?

My days were marked by fits of rage,
As I fought and kicked against my cage.
My nights were marred by fitful dreams,
As I plotted future vengeful schemes.

Then finally one day I let GOD in,
When I found a book called “Born To Win”.
Unsure at first, I had my doubts.
Until I cracked the book to check it out.

I read each chapter one by one.
My walk with JESUS had begun.
He took my hand and lifted me
From the bowels of hell and set me free.

Now, his word I study every day.
And on my knees I kneel and pray.
And like the Bereans before me too,
I search to prove each word is true.

In my cell I sit upon my bed,
And thank the LORD for my daily bread.
For the blood that JESUS shed for me.
And for his work on Calvary.

And now that I’m hip to Satan’s lies,
I will my faith, not compromise.
I’m no longer bound to death or sin.
For now I know, “I’m Born To Win”.

Author, Ronald D. Corder
========================================







WALKING WITH A STRANGER
By Ron Corder

Oh I started my journey down a dark lonely road,

when along came this stranger, asking to come along
I said that I'm looking for a partner that will stay
He said, I'll always be here, keep your eyes upon me

As we continued our journey on down this road
He said, “My name is Jesus and we will make a great team.

I've known you for a long time and saved you just now
I picked you just special for this job I have in mind

Oh I started this journey alone in the dark
And now look who's with me providing the light,

He took me from the darkness and has now changed my life
And I'm walking this journey of life.

Now he said he's been watching and kept me from harm,

saving me for something special, that was planned just for me
I've been looking for something special all of my life.
For what, I wasn't sure
Here it was this stranger I'd been looking for all along

Just walking with Jesus, not worried about time,

We'll be fighting the devil, keeping God's Word alive
Just walking with Jesus, telling all that I see
Jesus is coming, just follow along with me.

Come join my team, I'm sure that you will see
How wonderful our defeat over the devil will be,

By joining the team Jesus left me to lead.

12-30-10 through 1-23-11