Tuesday, January 22, 2013

"The Silent Sermon"

  A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent.

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, 'Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I will be back in church next Sunday'.


We live in a world today which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.What silent message would God have you share with someone today?
Author unknown

Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matt.5:16
God has given each of us the "Three T's.": Time, Talent, and Treasure. Don't waste any of these and remember to use them to serve one another. We need each other...

I found this at  http://cindynavarro.blogspot.com/

'Etched..Into My Heart' . Book review

Etched ...Into My Heart by Jill Kelly

Etched ...Into My Heart, What we learn and why we never forget is an unforgettable story of Jill learning about what love really is through the journey of her life. She opens her heart and reveals her innermost feelings and thoughts of events in her life, including tragedies and triumphs which helped form who she has become during her walk in life.
   Jill married Jim Kelly, NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. They had three blessed children, Erin, Hunter James and Camryn. The book focuses on the time in Jill's life when Hunter was diagnosed with Krabbe disease. Krabbe(KRAH-buh), which affects muscle tone and movement, and may cause vision and hearing loss, among other devastating effects.The life expectancy of children diagnosed is about two years. Hunter lived much longer than expected, til age 8, and everyone who met him felt his life had purpose of reaching others. 
  Jill gives an honest and emotional account of how this affected their lives, and reveals how they were able to keep positive in a terrible situation. Jill's brother talked to her about having faith in God. At first she dismissed the idea, but eventually realized he was right and dedicated her life to the Lord. Throughout the ordeal of raising a family and  keeping their marriage strong, they saw Christ's hand in much of their life. 
 Jill and Jim found strength in Christ and saw that the more they leaned on Him, the stronger they got.
They saw that Hunter's life, as much as he struggled,' that his life became much more significant than the disease that was trying to steal it.' and' ..The light of life dispelled the shadow of death and despair.'

  Jill found unexpected hope in a simple form of a butterfly, which seemed to her a way that God was being faithful in comforting her. 
 I like how she says, " These moments in time etched upon our hearts, they hurt down deep, yet in the pain a greater hope and resolve is birthed." Through our deepest joys and hurts, memories are forever etched in our hearts and mind, which we will never forget.
For more information to reach Jill Kelly, please refer to the links below. 

Thank you for reading this review!
Love and blessings,
Lori LC
Jill Kelly's links:
also, the link to Kelly and Bob's organization to support and inform people about Krabbe disease: www.HuntersHope.org


Krabbe disease (KRAH-buh disease) is an inherited, often fatal disorder affecting the central nervous system. Krabbe disease affects about 1 in every 100,000 people in the United States.
The disease affects muscle tone and movement, and may cause vision and hearing loss, among other devastating effects. In most cases, Krabbe disease develops in babies before 6 months of age, although it can occur in older children and in adults.
There's no cure for Krabbe disease and treatment mainly involves approaches designed to ease symptoms. However, early studies using stem cell transplants to treat Krabbe disease before symptoms begin have had some success. 
 *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services
 mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I
 only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
 I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255:
 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."