Mama was a preacher! Well, Daddy was too--and that's how they met! You see, she was a single lady evangelist; he was a bachelor pastor--he arranged for her to speak in his church, and to make a long story short, they spoke their "I do's" shortly after, and for nearly fifty years, Mom became a very effective "speaker" in the Coletti home!! Her words of wisdom, advice, humor, encouragement--AND scolding--will long be remembered!

As will her sermons! Infrequently, she would be a "pulpit fill-in" and I would hear this "ball-of-fire" mom of mine preach up an old-fashioned Pentecostal storm! When Mom preached, people listened! She had a favorite sermon called "The Five Nots" and I recalled it as I prepared for this devotional! And so Mom and I are going to preach this one together (and she's been in heaven for a number of years now!).

What would Mama say if you told her to "tie a knot and hold on?" She'd laugh, and with a twinkle in her eye, she'd say, "Well, you can if you want to--but bless God, I'm NOT knotting myself up in anxiety and fear. I'm going to "TAKE a PROMISE and PRESS ON!" She tied a NOT (see below) and pressed on to the portals of heaven, a faithful servant of the Lord. And now it's up to us--how will we react to circumstances of life? We have two choices--we can tie a knot and hold on, hoping we'll survive--OR we can go to God's Word and turn the trial around into a positive praise for the Lord!

Does this make sense? It did for a friend of mine once. Going through "empty nest syndrome" as his son left for college, he felt sadness and grief. He saw the Boy Scout uniform still hanging in the closet--and that's when he lost it! Now what's he to do? Tie a knot on his rope of hurt, and hang on, hoping it will slowly go away? NO! He emailed his son with words of love, wisdom, encouragement, humor. He's pursuing a new, deeper relationship with that son, and he's going to make it! Way to go, Dad--proud of you, good friend!

Now you may not have a child that's left your nest empty, but there's other "stuff" that's got you not coping very well. You're "down 'n out," and about ready to not just "tie a knot and hold on" - but to let go of the rope, and hang it all! Don't let the devil do it to you! As my pastor so frequently says, "What the devil means for harm, let the Lord turn around for good!" So hang the rope! Come with me to the Well, for the Lord has a word for you today!

-- Read the full devo, find and untie Mama's NOTS here!

--Copyright 2008 by Peggie C. Bohanon, Springfield, MO 65803.

Walk in Worship - A wing 'n a prayer!

Today's hymn: "I Shall Not Be Moved!!" - YouTube video - Johnny Cash

Today's prayer: "Lord, I'm tired of "tying a knot and holding on." By Your grace, I shall NOT be moved from the promises of God. I will TAKE A PROMISE AND PRESS ON..... I WILL claim each one as Your Word for me, this day, In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Walk the Web - Love, laughter 'n life!

Cartoon of the Day: Reverend Fun . . . Today's Humor

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Today's Fun 'n Faith: Animated KNOTS by Grog

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Holding On - - in HEAVEN!!

There once was a rich man who was near death. He was very grieved because he had worked so hard for his money and he wanted to be able to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him.

An angel hears his plea and appears to him, "Sorry, but you can't take your wealth with you."

The man implores the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules.

The man continues to pray that his wealth could follow him. The angel reappears and informs the man that God has decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathers his largest suitcase and fills it with pure gold bars and places it beside his bed.

Soon afterward the man dies and shows up at the Gates of Heaven to greet St. Peter. Seeing the suitcase Peter says, "Hold on, you can't bring that in here!"

But the man explains to him that he has permission and asks him to verify his story with the Lord. Sure enough,. Peter checks and comes back saying, "You're right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I'm supposed to check its contents before letting it through."

Peter opens the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, "You brought pavement?!!!"

--selected from PearlyGates - CyberSalt Ministries

Other devotional areas at Peggie's Place: The Devotional Buffet - archives for all devos!

Bible Bytes 'n Chocolate Chews . . . Words from the Well . . . Daily Bible Booster . . . Dessert for the Soul . . . Tower of Strength

Visit other walk-related devotionals
"Holy Ground!" . . . "The Secret of the Wind--for a Worn-out Saint!" . . . "Walk into the SONshine!"
Walking...or Limping...with the Lord!" . . . "Walking with the King!" . . . "Walking Warrior!"
"Walk-a-thon...March-a-thon...Whatever!?!" . . . "When God Shows Up!" . . . "Walking with Grandpa...Walking with God!"

Related link: "A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Word!"
"Walk in the Word" with Dr. James MacDonald . . . Walk Thru the Bible

Walking - Home Page

"Walking for Fitness - Weight Loss - Exercise" . . . Hiking Tours - Sightseeing Hikes around the World!

Exploring Christianity and the Word!

"Christianity 101": Audio sermon by Dr. Jim Bradford

....or listen to it here:

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Bonus link: Learn more about Dr. Jim Bradford!

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1001 Questions? Find JourneyAnswers.com! . . . Kingdom Castle: A Quest for the Master Key!
"Question Marks on a Roller Coaster Called Life!?!" . . . Run to the Tower of Strength! - devos for troubled times!
"Jesus is the way; most Christians disagree" . . . HUH??? . . . Read "What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?"

The Story of Jesus ... God Speaks ... Lee Strobel . . . AllAboutGod.com ... GodRev.com - "Experience Him!"
Gospel.com . . . Religion Journal . . . ASSIST News Service . . . The Christian Post . . . ChristianityToday.com

Walking the World....USA, World News, and Christian News for Your Day!

Feature: Yahoo1 News - The Week in Photos . . . Reuters World News . . . FOX News

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