Be a Good Shepherd and Praise God!

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

*********************************************

DAILY DEVOTIONAL     SATURDAY DECEMBER 3, 2005
( Luke 2:20 )

***CHRISTMAS PASSAGE:  "The LORD your God will raise
up for you a prophet like me from among your own
brothers. You must listen to him."
(Deuteronomy 18:15)


Be like the shepherds.  Believe it or not, Christmas
is only 22 days away!  I was taught very early in
life that you can learn much by watching people.
In the day Jesus was born, a shepherd was the
equivalent of a busboy or dishwasher in today's
society.  It was a very lowly position and these
were not the type of people that you would think to
look at as role models.  Let me remind you that you
can never judge a person by the house they live in,
the car they drive, or the job they hold.  It is our
heart God sees and judges.

The shepherds on the night Jesus was born must have
been pretty important men in the eyes of God because
it was to those men, that He revealed the birth of
His son in Bethlehem's manger that night. While there
are many great spiritual lessons that you can learn
from the shepherds, the one I want to focus on today
is their conduct after they had visited the manger
and saw with their own eyes the baby Jesus.

The scripture reference today tells us that they left
praising God for all they had seen and were shown.
Praising God.  I have talked about this many times in
the past, and will continue to talk about it because
it is one element of our faith that we just don't
practice enough.  So much of our prayer time, so much
of our focus is on our problems and circumstances,
that we often forget to spend time each day just
thanking and praising God for all that He does for us
each and every day.

In the past month, a lady in Baltimore, Maryland
emailed a request for God to restore her marriage.
Her husband had left her for another woman. Within 3
weeks the husband had come home, recommitted his life
to Christ, and they were in Christian counseling to
work out their problems.  For those of you today with
marriage problems, God is still in the restoration
business.  A man in Newark, New Jersey requested
prayer the day before open heart surgery.  He emailed
us a week later telling us all had gone well and the
doctors told him he would make a full and complete
recovery.  For those battling health problems today,
God is still in the healing business.  A single
mother of 4 in St. Louis asked us for prayer after
she lost her job.  2 weeks later God had given her a
better job, with more money.  For those of you in
need of a financial blessing today, God is still in
the business of providing for His children.

On the 5th day after we started Liveprayer, our
prayer partner on the live video feed was praying for
a person as they accepted Christ as Savior.  The next
day an email came in from Hong Kong from a man who had
lost his business, was thinking of suicide, and
somehow logged on to our site.  As the prayer partner
was leading the person in the sinner's prayer, this
man in Hong Kong prayed to accept Jesus too.  God is
still in the business of saving souls!  Everyday we
get incredible praise reports of how God has
touched lives and worked miracles in thousands of
people who have visited Liveprayer during a time of
great need in their life.

I want to encourage you today to learn from the
shepherds and never neglect to thank God for all He
does for you each and everyday.  Blessings that you
take for granted.  It is through your praise,
through you telling others all that God has done for
you, that they might increase their faith to allow
God to work in their life.  Your praise report gives
others going through the same situation the hope and
strength to go on, trusting God for their miracle.

***Hope is the greatest gift you can give to another
person, and our hope is in Jesus Christ!!!

I love you and care about you so much.  I pray today
that you will not forget to give God the praise He
deserves each and everyday.  I appreciate more than
you can know the praise reports that we get everyday
because that keeps all of us here at Liveprayer
encouraged.  God not only hears our prayers, but
answers our prayers!  My challenge to you today is to
be like the shepherds.  God blesses you so that you
can share His blessings with others, to encourage
them!  Be like the shepherds and tell those you meet
along the path of your life about this wonderful
friend you have named Jesus Christ!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss
receiving your Daily Devotional again.  LPeMail is
an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your
LPeMail account now at: www.lpemail.com.

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer
Daily Devotional is now available via AUDIO each
day.  Simply go to
http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by
phone by calling  toll-free,1-888-382-4662, or
access it on your wireless device by going to:
http://wapdd.com

(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

************************************************

May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell

Live in Victory!

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

*********************************************

DAILY DEVOTIONAL   THURSDAY DECEMBER 1, 2005
(John 16:33, 1 Corinthians 15:24, Revelation 3:21)

***CHRISTMAS PASSAGE:  "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of
you will come for me one who will be ruler over
Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient
times." (Micah 5:2 NIV)

Living in victory or defeat , it is up to you!!!  I
want you to give you a word of encouragement today
that you don't have to live in defeat, but YOU CAN
LIVE IN VICTORY!  Even more important, you have 100%
control over whether you live in victory or defeat! 
That is right.  YOU, and nobody else holds the key
to whether you live in victory or defeat.  This is a
powerful, life-changing word today so please open
your heart and receive what God is saying to you. 
You don't need to go hear the latest motivational
guru of the day, or buy the latest books and tapes
on being successful, just open your heart and
receive this powerful Truth that living in victory
is up to you and nobody else!

I know that many of you reading these words today
are in a major crisis in your life.  You are facing
what seems to be insurmountable odds in your
finances, in your health, in your marriage, on your
job, with your children, in battling an addiction,
or whatever your situation may be today.  As you
face these very real struggles, you see nothing but
defeat.  Of course,nobody wants to live in defeat,
everyone wants to live in victory.  That is only
common sense.  But you have done and are doing
everything you can to turn things around.  However,
your finances are no better, your marriage is no
better, your health is no better, your job is still
a nightmare, your children are still living in
rebellion to God, you are still in some form of
bondage, you are not seeing any hope in whatever
your battle may be.  So you have every right to
question me when I state that living in defeat or
victory is up to you.

Here is the key to help you.  Living in victory
has nothing to do with the day-to-day circumstances
and challenges we face in our life.  I know most of
you didn't get that one, so let me say it again. 
Listen carefully.  Living in victory has NOTHING to
do with the day-to-day circumstances and challenges
we face in our life.  This is heavy so follow me. 
The fact is, you will ALWAYS have trials and
tribulations, challenges and battles to fight
throughout your entire life.  That is simply part of
living in this sin-filled and evil world we do. 
NOBODY is immune from the trials and tribulations of
life.  NOBODY.  It is part of EVERYONE'S life.  You
can still live in victory regardless what your
circumstances may be.  You can still live in victory
regardless what you are facing in your life today.

YOU CAN LIVE IN VICTORY TODAY BECAUSE OF JESUS!

Choosing to live in victory is the choice you make
when you choose to follow Jesus!  Jesus won the
victory on the cross 2000 years ago, and those who
choose to put their faith and trust in Him, invite
Christ into their heart and life by faith, live in
His victory no matter what may be going on in their
lives.  Remember that great old hymn, "Victory in
Jesus?"  It is true.  You see when you know Jesus,
you understand that in this life you will have
trials and tribulations, that you will have tests
along the way.  But because you know Jesus you have
already won the victory.  This world is not your
home, just a few short years of an eternal existence
with Christ.  No matter what you may have to face
and deal with in this life, it is but for a season
since your eternal home in Heaven is secure and
waiting for you.

The problems of this life are nothing but hurdles. 
You can either let them stop you, paralyze you, rob
you of your peace and joy and abundance, or you can
find a way to get over them.  There is no hurdle in
your life today that the Lord won't help you
overcome.  If your hurdle is finances, Jesus will
help you overcome it.  If your hurdle is a marital
problem, Jesus will help you overcome it.  If your
hurdle is a health issue, Jesus will help you
overcome it.  If your hurdle is a problem at work,
Jesus will help you overcome it.  If your hurdle
is a problem with your children, Jesus will help
you overcome it.  If your hurdle is an addiction of
some sort, Jesus will help you overcome it.  No
matter what your hurdle may be, JESUS WILL HELP YOU
OVERCOME IT!

That does not mean you will never have financial
problems, or health issues, or problems in your
marriage, or an issue with your employment, or
problems with your children, or battle some sort
of addiction, or face a whole host of other
problems.  Just hours before going to the cross,
Jesus told His disciples that in this world they
would have trials and tribulations.  He told them
that so they wouldn't be fooled into thinking that
just because they had chosen to follow Him they
would live without any problems.  That is
impossible since we are living in a fallen world
that for the most part operates in rebellion to God
and His Truth.  But Jesus encouraged them by saying,
"be of good cheer for I have overcome this world!"

That is why today I can say to you, living in
victory or defeat is up to you.  You can choose to
live a life of defeat by rejecting Jesus Christ
and not only deal with the problems of this life,
but live without the hope of tomorrow.  Your defeat
is NOT in the problems of this life but in the fact
that when you die, you will live for all eternity
apart from God your Creator.  By choosing to accept
Christ as your Savior, you have a new strength to
face life's problems, to overcome life's problems,
but most important the hope of tomorrow in knowing
that when your brief journey is complete you will
spend all eternity with God your Creator!!!

I love you and care about you so much.  Living in
victory has nothing to do with the circumstances
you are facing in your life today.  There will
always be problems to deal with, always be hurdles. 
If you think back 10 years ago, you had problems in
your life.  It was God who saw you through those
problems.  If you think back 5 years ago, you had
problems in your life.  It was God who saw you
through those problems.  If you think back 6 months
ago, you had problems in your life.  It was God who
saw you through those problems.  The fact is, there
will always be problems living in this sin-filled
world that we do, but God is there to help you and
see you through whatever those problems may be!

Living a life of defeat or victory has nothing to
do with the day-to-day trials of life, but it has to
do with your relationship with Jesus Christ! You can
choose to live a life of defeat by rejecting Him, or
live a life of victory by accepting Him into your
heart and life by faith.  I will be praying for you
today as you make the choice to live a life of VICTORY!


In his love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss
receiving your Daily Devotional again.  LPeMail is
an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your
LPeMail account now at: www.lpemail.com.

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer
Daily Devotional is now available via AUDIO each
day.  Simply go to
http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by
phone by calling  toll-free,1-888-382-4662, or
access it on your wireless device by going to:
http://wapdd.com

(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

************************************************

May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Merry Christmas!!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell

Forgive Your Enemies to Live a More Beautiful Spiritual Life

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so. I know that I am!

How do you know who your enemies are? Usually by the fact that they accept that label for themselves. In other cases, other people physically or verbally attack you.

Does it make you feel good to have enemies? Even reading the word "enemies" makes me feel like I want to be a turtle withdrawing into my shell. All of my defensive and passive instincts are aroused.

But that's not good for me. I'd rather live thinking about beauty, love, spiritual joy and accomplishment.

What choice do I have if I have enemies? I can choose to see the "enemies" as people I forgive and love. Then, I can go back to thinking about beauty, love, spiritual joy and accomplishment.

When I go to the Bible, the instructions are even clearer. Whether it's the Lord's Prayer or Jesus's explanation of how to live the good life, we are told to love and forgive one another.

Psychologists also tell us that you will notice and help attract that which we don't want if we focus on it. If we think about having enemies who make us fearful, chances are we will notice more people to make us feel fearful. If we think about forgiving and loving everyone, we find easier and better ways to forgive and love.

Forgive your enemies . . . to help yourself.

Could a billionaire do better? I doubt it.

Money doesn't influence our ability to forgive. If we highly value money and have lots of money, we may even find it harder to forgive those who trespass in regard to our money.

************************************

N.B. As you can tell, I'm experimenting with color. Let me know what you like and what I should change about my use of color. Many thanks to Linda Grace for her suggestions which I am following!

Please let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

Thanks so much for your support of this blog. I'm delighted that so many tens of thousands of people have made this blog part of their regular reading habit!

If you like this blog, please let others know who might also enjoy it. E-mailing your favorite post to them is a great idea.

Thank you to my many friends, students, clients and blog readers who are spreading the good word about this blog.

If you are visiting today because someone invited you, I'm delighted to meet you! Let's stay in touch.

Remember to also visit

Be More Successful than a Billionaire at http://bemoresuccessfulthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Create Your Own 2,000 Percent Solutions at
http://2000percentsolutions.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Mansions Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoymansionsbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Football Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoyfootballbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/ and

Be a World Hero Better than a Billionaire at http://beaworldherobetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/.

I am available to you as a speaker on these subjects. You can find my background at http://livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars.blogspot.com/2005_08_30_livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars_archive.html/.

May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell

Merry Christmas to You!

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

*********************************************

DAILY DEVOTIONAL TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2005
(Isaiah 43:10, John 15:27)

Why are people so upset a department store won't say
"Merry Christmas?" Please forgive me if I don't share
the outrage of many Christians that department stores
like Wal-mart, Target, and I'm sure others have quit
saying "Merry Christmas." To be frank with you, I don't
know why we expect a secular business to promote Christ
when they have turned the celebration of his birth into a
celebration of mammon! They don't exist to please the
heart of God but the insatiable appetite of man. They
aren't in business to bless people, only take their money.
So their decision to not say "Merry Christmas" is much
ado about nothing.

The fact is, WE are the ones who are supposed to say
"Merry Christmas" to them!!! Why do we expect the
world to do what WE are supposed to be doing? If you
know Jesus as your Savior, it is YOU who is supposed to
say "Merry Christmas" to those you meet along your
journey through life each day. The Bible says the WE
are His ambassadors, WE are His witnesses, WE are to
be salt and light, not some secular department store!
This is one of the best times of the year to be a Christian
and remind people that Christmas is NOT about
merchandise, but the birth of Jesus. WE are the ones to
remind the world that Christmas is not about the presents
we give to each other, but the present God gave to this
world in the form of His Son Jesus Christ!

This is also the time of year when so many people get
outraged because their town hall won't put up a manger
scene. I wonder how many of those who are outraged
have manger scenes in THEIR yards? Why do you expect
the city hall to put up a display like that when you won't
even do it in your own yard where it is 100% legal? We
expect the government to publicly symbolize the birth
of Jesus but we aren't willing to do it ourselves! Again, God
called US, not the government to be His witness to this
lost world!

Listen my friend, I would LOVE to see manger scenes in
the town square, love to see "Christmas" not Holiday
parades, love to hear Christmas carols in public, not songs
about reindeers, snowmen and Santa Claus, and I would
love to hear "Merry Christmas" at the store instead of
"Happy Holidays," but what do you expect from a world
that has rejected God's Son and the Truth of His Word?
I've been trying to tell you for over 6 years now that this
is no longer a Christian nation, that we live in a world that
operates in rebellion to God, so how come we expect the
world to promote the birth of Jesus?

PROMOTING THE BIRTH OF JESUS IS OUR JOB!

God has called us to share our faith in Christ and the
hope we have in Him with this lost and dying world. As
this Christmas season is upon us, NOW is the time for
each one of us who knows Christ as our Savior to be
faithful in sharing Him with a world that needs His love
so desperately. Even though the world has perverted this
wonderful time of the year by cashing in on the birth of
Jesus, now even trying to act like that is not what this time
of the year is about, it is our opportunity to make sure
everyone we meet knows that this blessed time is about
one thing and one thing only...the birth of Jesus!

My challenge to you is to not get caught up in these
mindless debates about department stores not saying
"Merry Christmas," but for YOU to say "Merry Christmas"
to those you encounter during your day. Let those God has
called to the legal arena fight for the public displays and
symbols of our faith, while those of us who know Christ
exercise OUR FREEDOM to publicly display the symbols
of our faith. Rather than being upset that the great
Christmas carols are not being sung, get a group from
your church and spend a night caroling throughout your
neighborhood.

I love you and care about you so much. I know it is
frustrating to see the world we live in reject Christ. If it
hurts us, imagine how it hurts God who so loves this
world! We often get so caught up in the world's rejection
of God and His Truth that we forget that WE are the ones
God has called to bring His hope and Truth to the lost and
hurting. We expect the world to do what we have been
called to do! It is our job as followers of Christ to declare
His love and mercy and grace, not the job of a fallen world
that rejects the Lord. Rather than lamenting how the world
is trying to eliminate God, we have got to get busy doing
our job which is to declare God's existence and presence.
We can't blame a world that has rejected God for not doing
the job WE have been called by God to do!

I pray today that each of us who knows Jesus will exercise
OUR freedoms this Christmas season and make sure every
person we come in contact with knows that the joy we have
in our heart comes from this precious time of year when we
celebrate the birth of our Savior. It is a great opportunity
for each of us to share our faith in Christ, to help someone
we know find the true meaning of Christmas. The fact the
departments stores, the town halls, and other public
entities are not promoting Christ's birth is a wake-up
call to the churches and each Believer that WE are the ones
God has entrusted with this mission. That first Christmas,
God didn't entrust that great message with the men of the
world, but men of God who were tending their flocks.

May each of us be faithful this Christmas season in being
like the shepherds and sharing with the world that 2000
years ago in a manger in Bethlehem, a baby was born.
This was not just any baby, but the Savior of the world.
God's gift to a fallen world that through this baby they
would find the forgiveness of their sins and everlasting life.
This baby's name was JESUS, the only name by which men
are saved. Let each of us who have accepted Him into our
hearts and lives by faith declare HIS birth and hope to this
lost world this Christmas

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss
receiving your Daily Devotional again.  LPeMail is
an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your
LPeMail account now at: www.lpemail.com.

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer
Daily Devotional is now available via AUDIO each
day.  Simply go to
http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by
phone by calling  toll-free,1-888-382-4662, or
access it on your wireless device by going to:
http://wapdd.com

(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

************************************************

May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Merry Christmas!!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell

Love and Be Good to Your Children and Spouse

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

*********************************************

DAILY DEVOTIONAL    SUNDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2005
(Genesis 1:28, 2:24, Deuteronomy 6:7, Proverbs 22:6,
Malachi 2:16, 2 Corinthians 12:14, Ephesians 6:4,
Psalms 127:3)  PLEASE READ EACH ONE!!!

OVER THESE PAST FEW YEARS, it seems every time you
turn on the news there is another story of children
being abused and often murdered.  The Devotional
today deals with this issue and is one that every
mom, dad, and child needs to read.  I pray that God
will use it to bring people under conviction in
regard to His plan for the family, as well as
healing in those lives that have been damaged and
destroyed.

The damaged and destroyed lives of our children. 
Without question, the number one problem in our
society today is the breakdown of marriage and the
family.  God's Holy Institution of Marriage between
a man and a woman for life is His perfect plan for
a man and woman to become one and share this
journey through life.  A husband and wife having
children and raising them in the admonition of the
Lord is God's plan for the family.  This plan was
instituted in the Garden of Eden and has NEVER
CHANGED throughout the generations.  Regardless of
how man has tried to redefine marriage, redefine
what a family is, GOD'S DEFINITION HAS NEVER OR
EVER WILL CHANGE!

Everyday the vast percentage of prayer requests we
get are from people whose problems can be directly
tied to issues in their marriage or family.  For
those who are single today, please hear my heart. 
I can never emphasize enough what a critical
decision it is to get married and to whom you
marry.  This is a life changing event and will not
only involve you but your future children as well. 
Please, don't ever underestimate the importance of
marriage and how it will affect the rest of your
life and the lives of your future children.

That is why you cannot ignore God's warning in
2 Corinthians 6:14 to "not be unequally yoked with
a non-believer." Just saying they are saved is not
enough.  Do you actually see the fruit of their
relationship with Christ in their daily life? 
Lastly, even if the person you are praying about
marrying is a Christian and living their life for
the Lord, you still need to take the time to build
a spiritual foundation together and openly and
honestly talk through all of the various issues of
life.  Through this process God will confirm to you
both that this is part of His plan for your lives.

Also, this is a big reason why God designed sex FOR
MARRIAGE ONLY!  A natural byproduct of sexual
relations is a child.  God never intended children
to be raised by a mother alone.  That is why sex
outside of marriage is a sin and not part of His
plan since it may result in having a child.  It is
God's plan for children to be raised by a mother and
father who are committed to each other for life
through marriage.  There can never be a better
environment for raising a child than by a mother
and father who are surrendered to the Lord and to
each other.

As devastating and life changing as divorce is on
the parties involved, as devastating and life
changing as having a child outside of marriage is
on the woman, it is impossible to ever comprehend
the damage done to the children involved in a
divorce or those born outside of marriage.  In
the past 40 years as more and more marriages have
ended in divorce, as more women are having children
outside of marriage, the negative effect on
society is impossible to ignore.  I would be
willing, based on the 40,000+ prayer requests we
receive everyday here at Liveprayer, to boldly say
without hesitation that the current breakdown of
our society can be directly linked to the breakdown
of marriage and the family.

An incredible number of children are growing up
today in single parent homes, or homes where their
natural parent is on their second, third, even
fourth spouse.  Many children are growing up in
blended homes where they have brothers and sisters
by numerous mothers and fathers.  It is common for
many children to grow up today in several different
homes, during the week in one home and the weekends
in another.  Many children become pawns in hostile
divorce cases where they are forced to choose one
parent over another, in some cases being manipulated
to lie about one parent, often being moved overnight
from one home to another as different rulings come
down from the courts.  Physical, emotional, and
sexual abuse are experienced by a growing number of
children due to the fact they are living with
adults who are not their natural mothers or fathers
and the God-given natural love a mother and father
have for their child simply doesn't exist.

You can only imagine the damage done to children who
grow up in these types of environments.  Sadly, we
deal daily with children as young as 12, all the
way thru adults who have never been able to get
beyond their tragic childhoods.  The results are an
alarming number of children who need professional
help and are on some sort of daily medication for
emotional and behavioral problems.  You have
children and adults who have never known real love
in their life, falling instead for the love this
world promotes through sex.

You have so many children and young adults who have
never matured socially and end up with self-esteem
problems, never fitting in with others their own
age.  You have so many children and young adults
who have so much pain in their life they look to the
world's solution of escaping through drugs, alcohol,
and food.  The suicide rate of children and young
adults is at an all time high.  I could go on and on
but I wish you could sit here in my office each day
and read the stories of these children and young
adults who live in great pain each day and have
never known how wonderful this life can really be.

***THE LARGER PROBLEM is that these children and
young adults who have had their lives damaged are
growing up and they are having children of their
own.  Since they have no idea what God's plan for
marriage and family is, they will now be bringing
another generation of children into this world
living in ungodly environments who are damaged like
they are, and this cycle will simply continue with
more and more people living their lives totally
void of God and without any understanding of Christ,
His love, or God's Word.  These people are also the
prime targets for the cults and false religions of
the world who aggressively market themselves as the
answer to these people who are desperately looking
for hope in their life, when the only true hope
there is, is in a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ.

I love you and care about you so much.  The purpose
of this message today is three fold.  First as a
warning to those who are not married how serious
and life changing that decision will be and how it
will not only affect the rest of your life, but the
life of those children you will bring into this
world.  The second is to hopefully open the eyes of
those adults who may be thinking about getting a
divorce and ask that you pray about humbling
yourself before the Lord and asking Him to bring
healing and restoration to your marriage. Not just
for your sake, but for the sake of your children. 
Lastly, as a word of encouragement to you moms and
dads who have gone through the pain of being
divorced, to you moms who have had children outside
of marriage, and to the children and young adults
who are currently growing up in homes without their
natural mother and/or father.

For those who have been through the pain of being
divorced, let me assure you that the Lord loves you
and wants to help you heal.  For those women who
have had a child or children outside of marriage,
I pray that you will find the Lord's forgiveness in
His promise to you in 1 John 1:9.  God still has
much for you to do with the rest of your life as
well as many blessings for you to enjoy.   If you
are now married, God has given you a second chance
to do it His way.  Realize that you have made a
lifetime commitment to your spouse and that if you
will honor your vows to each other and to God, He
will richly bless you both for many years to come. 
For those who are still single, I will pray today
that in His perfect timing, He will bring into
your life a Godly man or woman to share the rest
of your journey with in His Holy Institution of
Marriage.

If you have children, please don't underestimate
what they have lived through.  They need your love
and attention and nurturing now more than ever. 
The number one ministry you will ever have in your
life is to your children.  Raise them in the
admonition of the Lord, pray with them every night
before they go to bed, make sure they are in church. 
Laying a foundation of faith in their life will not
only sustain them for the rest of their days on this
earth, but will help them to find the hope and
strength to overcome whatever they have had to
experience already in their young lives.  God is a
God of healing and He can bring healing to your
children.

Also, know that God will make you adequate.  If for
this season you are not in God's plan for the family,
know that He will help you and meet your every need. 
I realize that it is not easy, but the Lord will give
you wisdom, favor, encouragement, as you raise your
child or children.  Find your hope in the Lord each
day and look to Him for direction and provision, He
will not let you down.  Know that I am praying for
you and will stand with you as you raise your
children for the glory of God!

Let me close with a word of hope and encouragement
for you children and young adults that may be
growing up with only one parent or in some sort of
blended home.  First of all, God loves you very
much.  YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CHOICES
YOUR PARENTS HAVE MADE.  IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT.

Life can be very difficult at times, and sadly, you
have found that out at a very young age.  But never
doubt that Christ loves you so much and has a plan
and purpose for your life.  If you will take time
each day to pray to Jesus, read the Bible, get to
church each Sunday, follow Christ, He will give you
the strength to get through whatever you are facing
in your life. I pray today that you will turn to
Him and find His peace and joy in your life.  Jesus
is your hope and your answer, HE LOVES YOU....YOU
ARE SPECIAL!!!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss
receiving your Daily Devotional again.  LPeMail is
an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your
LPeMail account now at: www.lpemail.com.

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer
Daily Devotional is now available via AUDIO each
day.  Simply go to
http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by
phone by calling  toll-free,1-888-382-4662, or
access it on your wireless device by going to:
http://wapdd.com

(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

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May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell

Fill Your Day with Spiritual Delights!

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so. I know that I am!

Everyone responds differently to spiritual stimulation. I thought though that you might find it helpful to find out how someone else fills his day with spiritual delights, so I am sharing my own experiences in today's post.

I like to start my spiritual day with meditation. That clears my mind of any negative thoughts that might be left over from dreams or anxieties as I begin the day. The experience leaves me feeling cleansed and light.

After meditation, I pray and finish with prayers of gratitude for all that God has done for me. This experience leaves me feeling energetic and optimistic.

On Sundays, I like to turn next to the Bible for some selected readings. I'm sure you have your favorite parts but the one that always speaks to me most eloquently is the 23rd Psalm which I quote below in the Authorized King James Version:

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

That section leaves me feeling peaceful.

These days I next go to write my blog post for you. I normally look at what the subject is before I go to sleep, and usually awake with ideas of what I want to write. The writing process allows me to go deeply into my own spiritual experiences and practices to come in touch with goodness in many delightful ways. This experience reminds me of my potential to serve and to seek the best in life.

While I write, I like to play deeply spiritual music on my Bose music system. I also refresh myself with Hado water that I prepare with writings and music daily. The music and the water combine to give me a clean energy that is spiritually enlightening.

After finishing my blog post, I'll check my e-mails for the day's Daily Devotional to see if it's one that I should share with all of you. Whether the devotional fits or not, I find it inspiring to read these short sermons.

Some Sundays, I seek out the live broadcast of my favorite pastor's service.

My Sunday routine then prevents me from doing any work except to share spiritual thoughts and ideas. Much of the rest of the day is spent in reading, admiring nature, listening to uplifting music and conversing with my family.

In selecting which activities to pursue, I focus on what ever seems out-of-balance in my life. If I'm tired and grouchy, I take a nap and read something funny that will make me laugh. If I feel overwhelmed, I spend time thinking about how much I've accomplished in the past . . . and then the pile of waiting work doesn't seem so large. If I haven't been spending much time out-of-doors, I'll take a walk. If I haven't been seeing many people, I'll plan to go to a bookstore to do some of my reading. You get the idea, I'm sure.

Before the day ends, I tell those I love how much I love and appreciate them. If they are near-by, I offer a hug at every opportunity.

If family plans don't intervene (my wife's family has lots of weekend events), I also plan an activity with my family that we will all enjoy. One of my favorites is to visit a museum that features a show with a spiritual theme (like the Ansel Adams show at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts that I wrote about earlier in the fall) or attend a concert. Our town library often has wonderful free concerts on Sundays and I look forward to attending them.

As the day draws to a close, I meditate again, do more Bible reading and settle in for one last stretch of reading. When my attention starts to fog due to fatigue, I head for bed feel fulfilled.

Please add your comments with suggestions for how you add spiritual delights. I'm sure readers will be interested.

Could a billionaire do better? I doubt it.

Can a billionaire seal out the world's cares and woes in the same way? I don't know. I've never been a billionaire. But it would seem to be that being surrounded by so many valuable possessions that it would be harder to focus instead on the spiritual for a whole day. Only God knows the answer for sure.

************************************

N.B. As you can tell, I'm experimenting with color. Let me know what you like and what I should change about my use of color. Many thanks to Linda Grace for her suggestions which I am following!

Please let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

Thanks so much for your support of this blog. I'm delighted that so many tens of thousands of people have made this blog part of their regular reading habit!

If you like this blog, please let others know who might also enjoy it. E-mailing your favorite post to them is a great idea.

Thank you to my many friends, students, clients and blog readers who are spreading the good word about this blog.

If you are visiting today because someone invited you, I'm delighted to meet you! Let's stay in touch.

Remember to also visit

Be More Successful than a Billionaire at http://bemoresuccessfulthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Create Your Own 2,000 Percent Solutions at
http://2000percentsolutions.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Mansions Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoymansionsbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Football Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoyfootballbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/ and

Be a World Hero Better than a Billionaire at http://beaworldherobetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/.

I am available to you as a speaker on these subjects. You can find my background at http://livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars.blogspot.com/2005_08_30_livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars_archive.html/.

May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell