"THE BRIDGE IS OUT! THE BRIDGE IS OUT!"

"THE BRIDGE IS OUT! THE BRIDGE IS OUT!" A preacher was driving home one night with his wife and two daughters in the car. It was raining and dark and because of the intensity of the rain he could hardly see past his headlights. On the way he had to drive over a huge bridge. There were signs posted all along the bridge that said "DO NOT PICK HITCH-HIKERS." There was an institute for the criminally insane near the base of the bridge and sometimes people would escape from it and try to hitch a ride.

On this particular night, as he turned his car on to the bridge, he had to drive exceptionally slow because he could hardly see the road. Somewhere near the top of the bridge a man suddenly appeared in the headlights. He was soaked, standing in the middle of the road with his shirt off frantically waving it over his head and screaming.
This preacher's wife began to say, "Oh please don't stop, try to drive around him!" But the man was unavoidable and there was nowhere for the car to go to miss him. So he had to stop the car and as soon as he did, the man slapped his hand down on the hood of the car and was screaming at the top of his lungs.
The preacher looked over at his wife and said to lock the door after him and not to unlock it until he returned. His family was now crying and pleading with him not to get out of the car. He opened the door and stepped outside...He was immediately soaked from the rain. As he approached the front of the car to grab the man, all of a sudden he could make out what the man was screaming, "THE BRIDGE IS OUT! THE BRIDGE IS OUT! A BUS LOAD OF KIDS JUST WENT OVER!" As these words registered in the pastor's mind, he looked back in the car at his wife and two daughters. He wrapped his arm around the man and wept in gratitude. The preacher stood there with the man for the next half-hour in the middle of the road, waving his jacket above his head screaming."THE BRIDGE IS OUT! THE BRIDGE IS OUT!"
For a lost and a dying world, "THE BRIDGE IS OUT!"
For a people heading to a Christless Eternity. "THE BRIDGE IS OUT!"
where are the men and the women who will stand in the middle of the road and forbid people to perish ?
HELL HAS OPENED IT'S MOUTH WIDE AND MANY ARE SPEEDING INTO IT
Where are those who will stand in the gap,
on the streets,
the highways and the byways
to forbid multitudes with the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST from going to such a horrible place ?
SPREAD THE GOSPEL
Lovely Thoughts For Lovely
People Just Like You.
Always Remember
JESUS Loves You . .....
Share this message to all your friends, both Saved and unsaved !
GOD BLESS YOU !

By Utomwen Isaac.

This Is What Happens In Your Body When You Drink a Coke

Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? Because it gets you high. They removed the cocaine almost 100 years ago. Why? It was redundant.

In the first 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor, allowing you to keep it down.
20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (And there’s plenty of that at this particular moment.)
40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate; your blood pressure rises; as a response, your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked, preventing drowsiness.
45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production, stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium, and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
60 minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium, and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolytes, and water.
60 minutes: As the rave inside you dies down, you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, evacuated all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like hydrating your system, or building strong bones and teeth.

If you can’t completely remove soft drinks from your diet then make sure you drink it in moderation. And if you’re trying to get your kids off this stuff, have them try this cool experiment.
Source: dailyhealthpost.com

HIS JOY IS YOUR STRENGTH

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. Psalm 63:5

When your alarm clock goes off in the morning, do you wish you could just stay in bed? Do your struggles and responsibilities weigh you down with frustration, boredom or hopelessness?

If these sentiments describe the way you feel about life, then you are not enjoying the fullness of life that Christ offers.

He is not only our Saviour but also our burden-bearer. God wants you to have a much better life - one that you enjoy!

Here's how you can put some joy into your life: Notice God's gifts, and thank Him for them. Make it a daily practice to thank God for each new day when you wake up from bed.

Throughout the day, keep your mind on the good things in your life for which you're grateful.

Don't forget to acknowledge basic blessings, such as your ability to breathe, eat or smile. Turn your worries into prayers.

Whenever a worry enters your mind, find a promise of God that responds to it and turn it into a pray point.

Know that worry can't accomplish anything good, but faith in the Lord has great power, since nothing is impossible with God.

Be specific as you share your concerns with God, and trust Him to answer your prayers in the right way at the right time.

Look for fulfilment in the right place. Stop looking for true and lasting satisfaction in the wrong places, such as through your work, personal pleasure, or accumulation of knowledge or material possessions.

Realize that only God can provide the fulfilment you seek. Make a strong relationship with Him your top priority. Look forward with great anticipation toward the coming of the Lord.

The greatest source of joy for the believer is the hope of the glory of God.

Prayer: Lord, I celebrate Your goodness in my life and thank You for Your mercies.

Scriptural Reading: Psalm 63:1-11

HOMEMADE NUTTY CRUNCH COOKES

The recipe calls for only six ingredients: brown sugar, salt, flour, butter, vanilla extract, and nuts—either a combination of almonds and hazelnuts, or any kind of nut that happens to be hanging out in your pantry! Walnuts? Sure! Pecans? Why not? Peanuts? Yep! In a food processor, grind the sugar, salt, and some of the nuts to a fine powder, add the flour, throw in the butter, and you’ve just made the fastest cookie dough ever. Before baking, sprinkle each cookie with a few chopped nuts to add crunch and texture. Fifteen minutes later, you’ve got yourself a plate of warm cookies and kitchen that smells like heaven.

Ingredients:

•  cup blanched hazelnuts
• ½ cup unsalted, roasted almonds
• ½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool.

Combine almonds, brown sugar, salt, and ½ cup hazelnuts in a food processor. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; reserve pod for another use. Pulse until finely ground, then pulse in flour just to combine. Add butter; process until dough just comes together.

Roll dough into 1” balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2” apart. Flatten cookies to a little less than ½” thick. Coarsely chop remaining ½ cup hazelnuts and press gently into cookies.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are golden brown, 15–18 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cookies cool completely.

Source: yahoo.com

GOD REMEMBERS THEM NO MORE

He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19

Have you ever done anything that you are ashamed of? Have you ever done things you wished you had not done? If you have repented of those sins and have turned your back on them, the Bible clearly teaches that you are forgiven.

There is something in us that wants to keep dredging up our sins. Maybe we feel that by doing so, we are somehow making amends for the wrong that we have done.

Maybe by punishing ourselves, we think we are somehow appeasing God. But this is wrong and thoroughly unscriptural.

Speaking of our sins, God said, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." (Hebrews 8:12).

And Micah 7:18-19 says, "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?

He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea!"

Have you ever lost anything in a lake or in the ocean? It is pretty much a lost cause. Once it goes down, it goes way down.

God has taken your sin and has thrown it into the deepest part of the ocean. Simply put, it is gone. Therefore, don't allow your best sins to cripple you. Don't choose to remember what God has chosen to forget.

Prayer: I bless You, Father, for You have forgiven and forgotten all my sins.

Scriptural Reading: Micah 7:16-20

It's about TIME!

Lately, my mum adjusted her diet 'cos of medical reasons. Now, if you visit my mum and she offers you a plate of rice, be certain that you're being served local rice (the type we famously call 'Ofada rice'- although there are many variations). According to her, from the medical point of view, local rice is far better than polished rice (the popular 'Aroso' and co).

So, last Sunday, I was with her and another family friend, and while munching local rice, we reminisced the good old days when local rice was the poor/average man's kinda rice and polished rice was the rich man's choice----and how all of a sudden, local rice has become quite expensive and not so affordable for the poor/average man while polished rice has become quite easily affordable. These days, even the rich are gunning for local rice 'cos apart from the tasty appeal, it seems medically advantageous than polished rice. In short, what used to be the poor man's food has become the rich man's food - now, that's what I call a massive change of level!

"Everything on earth has its own time and its own season." Ecclesiastes 3:1(CEV)

Friends, it's all about time and season. God is the God of moments, times, seasons, and I can assure you that He will not allow you remain on the same spot, you will experience and enjoy a change of level in due time and season.

What are you going through?
What unpleasant position are you in? 
What situation assails you?
What challenge are you facing?
I have news for you! Time will change in your favour and a new season will set in for you.

2Kings 7 tells the story of a timely change in Samaria. This moment, there was a serious famine, which was just about to result into identity crisis - they were on the verge of turning into a community of cannibals, eating one another for breakfast - but the next moment, in a twinkle of an eye, there was a tremendous change of level. The previous day, they were boiling humans for food 'cos there was nothing else to eat, but the next day, they had more than enough to eat! God is the same God of yesteryears and He is about to turn the tide in your favour. It's about TIME He did that for you!

Confess Psalm 102:13 (HCSB-emphasis mine): "You will rise up and have compassion on Zion(Ayotunde), for it is TIME to show favor to her- the APPOINTED TIME HAS COME." Amen.

BY sis ayotunde

Facing The Right Way.

TEXT: MATTHEW 9:14-26

Key verse: “Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?” (Matthew 9:14).

Christianity does not equate with legalistic rituals. Instead, it reasonably allows for much simplicity, varieties, flexibility and faith in such a degree that grace provides all things for believers in Christ Jesus. Like other teachings in the scriptures, the doctrine of fasting and its appropriateness in our day-to-day living must be well understood lest we fall into the extremities and fanaticism of man’s religion.

The disciples of John the Baptist came asking Jesus “why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?” In answer to their question, the Lord gave a number of illustrations to show the superiority of “grace” over the “law”.

Like the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees, many religious people today subject their followers to the rigorous practice of abstinence from food and water as a mark of piety, choosing particular dates, seasons, or times, irrespective of the people’s physical, spiritual and emotional disposition. But in Christ, there is no basis for such observances. Instead, fasting accompanied always with prayer, is part of a Christian’s normal spiritual exercise. It should then be conducted in such a manner that reflects sobriety, seriousness and sanctity.

When we fast, our souls are afflicted in expression of our helplessness, so that we are able to pray earnestly to God. Great problems and difficulties are solved through fasting and prayer. Such are some of the benefits of fasting that we take delight in, while engaging in it as the need arises.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Man shall not live by bread alone.