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Hours of Operation
The
Child Care Center
is designed for children between the ages of
2 to 5.
We are
open
Monday - Friday from
7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For more information about our facility,
please call us at
(941) 484-4415.
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One day, a man went to visit a church. He
arrived early, parked his car, and got out.
Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, “I
always park there. You
took my place!” |
The visitor went inside for
Sunday School,
found an empty seat, and sat down. A young
lady from the church approached him and
stated, “That’s my seat! You took my place!”
The visitor was somewhat distressed by this
rude welcome, but said nothing.
After Sunday School, the visitor went into the
Church sanctuary and sat down. Another
member walked up to him and said, “That’s
where I always sit. You took my place!” The
visitor was even more troubled by this
treatment, but still said nothing. |
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Later, as the congregation was praying
for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor
stood, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became
visible on
his
hands and on his sandal feet. Someone from the congregation
noticed him
and
called out, “What happened to you?” The visitor replied, “I took
your place.”
~ Author Unknown ~
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Things Aren’t Always What They
Seem
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a
wealthy family.
The family
was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s
guest room.
Instead the angels were given a small space in the
cold basement. As they made
their bed on the hard floor,
the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.
When the
younger angel asked why,
the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always
what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very
poor, but very hospitable
farmer
and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple
let the angels
sleep in their
bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came
up the next morning
the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only
cow, whose milk had been
their sole income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how
could you have
let this happen? The first man had everything,
yet you helped him, she accused.
The second
family had little but was willing to share everything, and you
let the
cow die. “Things aren’t always what they seem,” the
older angel replied.
“When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there
was gold stored
in that
hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and
unwilling
to share his
good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it.” “Then
last night
as we slept in the
farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him
the cow instead.”
~ Author Unknown ~
Things aren’t always what
they seem. Sometimes that is exactly
what happens when things
don’t turn out the way they should.
If you have
faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is
always to
your
advantage. You might not know it until some
time later. |
Tools for Sale
It was advertised that the devil was going to put his tools up
for sale. On the date
of
the sale, the tools were placed for public inspection; each tool
being marked
with
its sale price. They were a treacherous lot of implements:
Hatred, Envy,
Jealousy,
Deceit, Lying, Pride, and so on.
Laid apart from the rest was a harmless looking tool, well worn
and priced very
high.
“What is the name of this tool?” asked one of the purchasers,
pointing to it.
“That is Discouragement”, replied the devil.
“Why have you priced it so high?”
“Because it is more useful to me than the others. I can pry open
and get inside
a
man’s heart with that when I cannot get near him with my other
tools. Once I
get
inside, I can make him do what I choose. It is badly worn
because I use it
on
almost everyone, since very few people know that it belongs to
me.”
Don’t let Satan discourage you in anyway. You are God’s child
and have the
victory
already won. All you have to do is keep your faith on the King
of Kings
and Lord of
Lords, Jesus Christ. The devil will not have a chance to
discourage
you, even with
his best tools.
~ Author Unknown ~
Use every piece of God’s
armor to resist the enemy. Stand your
ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor
of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes
from
the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every
battle
you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows
aimed
at you by the Devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and
take
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” |
God's Armor
Ephesians 6:10-18
The Whole Armor of God
A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all
of God's armor
so that
you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks
of the Devil.
For we are
not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against
the
evil rulers and
authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of
darkness who rule
this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time
of evil, so that after
the
battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground,
putting on the sturdy belt
of truth
and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the
peace
that comes
from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every
battle
you will need faith
as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.
Put on salvation as your
helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of
God. Pray at all times and
on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Stay alert
and be persistent in your
prayers for all Christians everywhere.
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Belt
Truth
Body Armor
Righteousness
Shoes
Spread the Gospel
Shield
Faith
Helmet
Salvation
Sword
Word of God |
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Want A Blessing?
Just Ask!
Praises go up
Blessings come down
There is a story about a man who arrives in heaven and as St.
Peter is giving him
the
grand tour they pass a door that is closed and locked. The man
asks what is in
the room.
St. Peter replies you don’t want to know. The man feels he has
waited a
long time to get
to heaven and he wants to see everything so St. Peter finally
gives
in and opens the door.
The room is filled with boxes each one wrapped with a
ribbon.
St. Peter explains to the
man that each box contained a blessing that God wanted to
give
to different people but
the individuals never asked God for them.
~ Author Unknown ~
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What Is God Telling Us?
What is God telling you with the problems He blesses you with?
The problems you
face will either defeat you or develop you - depending on how
you respond to them.
Unfortunately most people fail to see how
God wants to use problems for good in
their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems
rather than pausing to
consider what benefit they might bring.
Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life:
God uses problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light
a fire under you
to
get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and
motivate us to
change.
Is God trying to get your attention? Sometimes it takes a
painful situation
to make us
change our ways.
Physical punishment
cleanses away evil; such discipline purifies the heart.
Proverbs 20:30 (NLT)
God uses problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea
bags. If you want to
know
what's inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God ever
tested
your faith with
a problem? What do problems reveal about you?
Whenever trouble
comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when
your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James
1:2-3 (NLT)
God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn
only through
pain
and failure. It's likely that as a child your parents told you
not to touch a hot
stove.
But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only
learn the
value of
something -- health, money, a relationship by losing it.
The suffering you sent was
good for me, for it taught me to pay attention
to your principles. Psalm 119:71 (NLT)
God uses problems to PROTECT you. A
problem can be a blessing in disguise
if
it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious.
Last year a
friend
was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss
had asked
him to do.
His unemployment was a problem - but it saved him from being
convicted and sent
to prison a year later when management's actions were
eventually
discovered.
As far as I am concerned, God turned into
good what you meant for evil.
He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save
the lives
of many people. Genesis 50:20 (NLT)
God uses problems to PERFECT you. Problems, when
responded to correctly,
are
character builders. God is far more interested in your character
than your
comfort. Your relationship to God and your character
are the only two things
you're going to take with
you into eternity. We can rejoice when we run into
problems. --
they help us learn to be
patient.
We can rejoice, too,
when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they
are good for us--they help us learn to endure. 4And endurance
develops strength
of character in us, and character strengthens our confident
expectation of salvation.
Romans 5:3-4 (NLT)
Here's the point:
God is at work in your life - even when you do not recognize it
or understand it.
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