Covenant Of Hope Ministries: A Wish For All ~ Gain Strength in His Love

Good afternoon, welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries. My name is Rev. Laura A. Neff, the Rainbow Minister. The choice for Rainbow has to do with the fact that the rainbow symbolizes a promise made and one that can and will be kept. I made, long ago, a promise to God that I would do all I could to keep that faith within me. We are normally posted on Sundays for sermons and Wednesdays for studies. You can find these posted in the following locations.

Main Site:http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter &Google+ & Blogspot
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder
Facebook & Twitter &Blogster

Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.

- Please pray for a friend Susie Bartholow as she is in hospice. She is in very grave condition with cancer. Hospice care is in her home with her family. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

- Please pray for those who are suffering from the weather conditions.

- Please pray for a friend of ours, Lucy, whose liver is failing. She is going to be on medication but may need a transplant. Pray that the first option works and she returns to health.

- Pray for a friend of my brother’s, who is far from home right now. There have been many problems for her right now. It is our hope that she will return and be here to complete her healing and more.

- Pray for our members Theresa and Wayne who had a very rough year last year. May some of their trials and tribulations end in time for our celebration of the birth of Jesus.

- Pray for those near and far who have been suffering in battles that do not have to be. Pray that peace can be found amidst the fear and anger, frustration and more. May hope blossom and bring that peace once more.

- Pray for our friends and our enemies, may they all find that the gift of God’s Son, Jesus, holds the hope and faith everyone seeks.

- Keep hope alive in your prayers no matter the pain or strife we might suffer.

- May God bless every one of us as we continue on.

Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We thank You for the blessings brought and for those yet to come. We pray that You can remind us always what we should be looking forward to. We bring prayers for those who have been seriously ill. Help those who are working to fight serious illnesses the ability to find solutions. We pray for those lost and those who mourn. We pray for those suffering from the weather conditions and other things. We pray for patience and courage for those we love and care about, and ourselves as well. We pray for peace to reach out from the heart and be heard, felt, and understood. We pray that Your grace and love would fill the hearts of the many in this world. We pray all this in Your Holy Name through the Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.

Opening Song: I Can Only Imagine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xwzItqYmII

Sermon: This was first published on August 19, 2012 What should a true PERSON share? It doesn't matter if you are Christian or not, these are things you should share with each other.

Awe ~ Look in the face of a child as they learn or see something new. Their faces light up with awe and admiration.

Beauty ~ In everything and everyone there is some form of beauty, just because it or they would be.

Courage ~ It takes courage to be born, to live, to love, and to die.

Delight ~ If there were no reason to smile, life would be far longer than any last mile.

Expectation ~ Some would equate this to hope, or to living up to expectation. Yet, in truth, we should have an expectation of something new, whether exciting or not, every hour, of every day.

Faith ~ just a tiny amount goes a very long way.

Gratitude ~ It doesn’t hurt to be thankful for the things you’ve got.

Honesty ~ Don’t pretend things are good when they’re bad, and don’t ask for sympathy when it isn’t warranted.

Humility ~ This is one of the most difficult ideals. It is very hard to be humble, no matter who we are, or where we live.

Hope ~ This is one thing that goes with many of those listed. In fact, there are many here that could be combined. A world without hope is a place we don’t want to be.

Love ~ Let us remember that loving one another doesn’t have guidelines, party lines, divisions of faith, state, county or national lines, it is unconditional, ever present, the building block of all that would be listed here.

Patience ~ Like humility, one of the hardest to hold onto. Even if we’re steaming we can hold on to that ounce of patience in the midst of frustration. Yes, all of us need practice here.

Peace ~ You must share peace to have peace, it isn’t a one sided deal.

Perseverance ~ To achieve anything, you must work hard to get it, and not be discouraged.

Prudence ~ Take care in the things you do, for someone is depending on that, and it might not be just you.

Reach ~ Be willing to reach for the stars, and then find a way to do that.

Seek ~ The truth is, if you seek it, you will find that which you are seeking.

Teach ~ Give this gift, the gift of what you know, how you know it, and why you love it.

Understanding ~ If we strive to understand, perhaps we ourselves shall grow.

Voice ~ Don’t be afraid to open your mouth whether you agree or disagree, and don’t forget to close your mouth when you know it will run away with you.

Will ~ Share good will, because where there is a will, there is a way.

Yesterday ~ Give the gift of memories of yesterday, for those who will be born today and tomorrow, as a lesson learned is knowledge and wisdom earned.

Zeal ~ Be enthusiastic about life and living, the things you are doing, and the ones you love.

Each of these are just bits and pieces of what true humanity should, and could be. These are things every PERSON should work toward. Sure, there are far more we could find. Nothing is written in stone, save the fact that today someone will be born, and someone will die, truth will be spoken and so will a lie. Now, there’s something to think about.

Thank you for your faith, your understanding, your laughter, and your love. I haven’t been online, as in writing letters and such, just tidbits of inspiration have been shared. But know I’ve prayed for each of you and have cared.

Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus brought us.

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)

Closing Song: With All I Am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMrAafe7Mns

Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister

Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot

Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter &Blogster

Covenant of Hope Ministries

Main Site:

http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.

This mission statement speaks of the rainbow in the darkness. Every time I would have a seriously traumatic thing happen in my life I would wake in the middle of the night. When I do I see a rainbow at the end of my bed, or even through the window behind my head. I’ll see that rainbow in a dark room even during the day. It will hover in the shadows and reassure me that God is with me.

Covenant Of Hope Ministries

MESSENGER

Sunday, February 15, 2015

A Wish For All ~ Gain Strength in His Love

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