Reliable  Resources

Area Needing Encouragement	Pastor, Author or Teacher	TV or Web-Program, Website or Book		Supporting Scripture or Theme
From God?	The Bible is God's spoken Word written for instruction and application. It is alive and active in the heart of every believer as a Road-Map for life.		Read the Bible Online www.biblegateway.com	God has stooped down to our level to communicate His message to us in written form. He does not reveal His will to us through our emotions, but through His spoken Word. 2 Timothy 3 16-17;  John 17:17 Jesus prays to God, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."  To sanctify is to make holy. To set apart as sacred. To purify-free from sin.
Truth, direction and hope		Moody Radio - Where You Turn. For Life MBI--Moody RadioWMBIHome		Compelling programs filled with solid biblical insight and creative expressions of faith that helps you take the next step in your relationship with Christ.  Through the power of the Word, you will hear and experience more of the life God intends for you in every moment, in every situation.
Hope and encouragement  for every day life issues	Several programs to choose from.	Total Living Network		To direct people to Christ and provide resources for a vibrant relationship with Him through the electronic communications media.
Answers to difficult questions	Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort	Living Waters  and Way of the Master.com		Seek and save the lost the way Jesus did. Learn how to share your faith by asking questions like: "Are you a good person?"
"Experiencing God" teaches you how to have a relationship with God: There are five ways to experience God; in prayer, through the Bible, through circumstances, through the church, and through other people.	Henry Blackaby		This was the first Bible-Study Workbook that taught me who God really is and how to experience Him on a personal level.  Welcome to Blackaby Ministries. Thanks to Henry Blackaby's willingness to share his wisdom to help others, I will never be the same!	Knowing God does not come through a program, a study, or a method. Knowing God comes through a relationship with a Person. This is an intimate love relationship with God. Through this relationship, God reveals Himself, His purposes, and His ways; and He invites you to join Him where He is already at work.
Women's Issues	Beth Moore	Living Proof Ministries		"For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two edged sword."  Hebrew 4:12
Practical Biblical Truths  for Everyday Life	Dr. Charles Stanley	3 Years of Videos From This Beloved Pastor's Sermons Home - In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanley 2009		Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus–the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love (Acts 20:24 ).
Hope and Prayer If you're not sure where you'll spend eternity	Spiritual Coach   Call 1(888) NEED-HIM for prayer	Visit www.groundwire.net for answers  or http://www.needhim.org		There is HOPE!
What is My Purpose?  What in the world am I here for?	Pastor Rick Warren		The Purpose Driven Life  is the bestselling hardback in American history, with over 30 million copies sold worldwide.founded Saddleback Church in Lake Forest , CA in 1980 with one other family. Today, it is one of America ’s most influential churches, with approximately 20,000 people attending the weekend services. Saddleback offers more than 200 community ministries and support groups.	"It's not about me!" This 40-day personal spiritual journey presents what Warren says are God's five purposes for human life on earth and describes itself as "a blueprint for Christian living in the 21st Century ... using over 1200 Biblical verses and quotes
How to Know God	Pastor Greg Laurie	Daily Devotional Provided at Harvest Crusades Harvest Online		What do you live for? Greg’s Blog » Parables from the Beach, Part 3
How to walk in the Word		Walk in the Word with Dr. James MacDonald		Igniting passion in the people of God  through the proclamation of truth
Training for Biblical Wisdom	Nancy Leigh DeMoss	Moody Radio 9 Years of Audio Programs www.reviveourhearts.com		Calling Women to Freedom,  Fullness, and Fruitfulness in Christ

A  Message  of  HOPE  for  the  World

Psalms 33: 12-22

Think about what kind of message your life is telling the world. What will people remember about you when you're gone? What will be the most important thing chiseled into your tombstone? It won't be your name, your birth date, your deceased date, or the art work. The most important thing on your tombstone with be the dash (the hyphen) between your birth and your death. What will you do with the dash from this day forward? Your legacy will be influenced by your character and your choices. God’s Word tells us that this life is but a vapor – a brief dash between now and eternity. James 4 14-17. Whether you are a Believer "In Christ" or not, you will leave a legacy with those you spend time with. Be intentional about your life and your decisions while you still can. 

Find encouragement from Moses, a faithful servant of the LORD, and Joshua, whom God gave the mantle of responsibility after Moses died. Teaching from Joshua 24: 29-30 Nancy Leigh DeMoss said, "If your whole life were summarized in one phrase after you were gone, what would you want that phrase to be?" Imagining what she'll do when she gets to Heaven, Nancy added, "I want to tell Joshua how God used his story and his life to meet me, thousands of years later, at a great point of need in my own life. God used his story to transform my heart, to bring me to new points of repentance, to instill faith in my heart, and to give me courage to press on in the battle when I thought I could not go any further. For Joshua, I believe that title represents the pinnacle, the crowning achievement of his life." When Joshua's obituary was written in verse 30, he also received the title as a servant of the LORD, “...Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being 110 years old.” No title on earth could be more honorable! There is no higher designation and no higher description than to a be bond servant of the Lord (Romans 1:1). Nothing can be more meaningful than to have served the Lord and moved His Kingdom forward!

More Encouragement

Followers of Christ: "You are the light of the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden" Matthew 5: 14-16. Jesus told His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9: 37-38). Are you working? Are you being driven by your active faith? (James 2:26). If you are a believer "In Christ" then you, also, are called to follow. You are a modern-day disciple called to share the gospel of Christ right where you are. If you are not dedicating your work to the Lord, ask Him to give you spiritual wisdom and knowledge about your purpose Colossians 1: 9-18. Ask God how He is waiting to meet a need through you Titus 3: 14. You don't have to be a pastor to share the gospel and plant a seed. If you know Jesus as your personal Savior, you have been immediately equipped with the indwelt Holy Spirit to guide you and to make a difference through you. Your platform is made up of your surroundings and you have everything you need to reach out to others. Think about how you are making an impact on your loved ones, co-workers, and everyone watching you. Are you making a difference for Jesus? Live with eternity in mind. 

Forgiveness and Confession: What is kept in the dark will only fester and continually cause more problems. Unresolved sin is a tool of the Enemy, diluting the power of the Christian when doing God’s work. Confessing sin is like taking out the garbage. You would never keep piling up stinking, smelly garbage in your home to pollute the air you breathe and live in the presence of disease. Neither should you leave unconfessed sin in your heart polluting your relationship with God and your loved ones. Unconfessed sin and unresolved brokenness can eventually cause physical, spiritual, and emotional problems. Sin, disappointments, or unforgiveness will never go away by trying to ignore or deny it. More than 80% of disease has a spiritual foundation.

Repentance and forgiveness is an ongoing practice. It's not a one time event that keeps us from sinning. David indicated in Psalm 37:18 that he is always on the verge of sin. When we sin we need to be purified through repentant hearts. God forgives us when we repent, and when He forgives, He forgets forever. So we, also, are to forgive each other and ourselves in the same way we are forgiven just as David wrote in Psalm 103: 8-13. If you choose not to forgive, your Father will not forgive you Matthew 6: 14-15. The next time someone offends you and you think it's too difficult to forgive, ask yourself, "How much do I want to be forgiven?". Forgiveness is one of the most difficult spiritual practices but it's also one of the most important concepts to live out as a Follower of Christ. What is impossible with strength and knowledge of a human being is possible with God Luke 18:27. Followers of Christ need to be channels of divine forgiveness.

Husbands and Wives: Do you feel at times your joy has been robbed from you? Are you feeling neglected? You may feel you were deceived when you said, "I do". Your partner is nothing like the man (or woman) you exchanged vows with. We might laugh about these things but when we don't understand why we feel this way, and I'll be the first in line for a good laugh, but this is not a laughing matter. It's quite the opposite. It's "feelings" like this that I wish a storm warning siren could warn us that danger is on the way if we don't take shelter.

Do you think for a moment that God doesn't know, or care about every situation and challenge you encounter. He is closer to you than your own thoughts and even knows you thoughts (Romans 8:29). Maybe He has you where you presently are to get your attention back on Him. He only allows challenges in your life to bring you closer to Him (James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5). If you're having problems in your relationship, pray and ask the Lord to search your heart. Ask Him to reveal if He is possibly being neglected. If there is unconfessed sin in your life that is quenching the power of the Holy Spirit (I Thessalonians 5:19; Isaiah 59:1-3), you must be repent and confess that sin. Sin separates us from our Holy God and grieves the Holy Spirit. This doesn't mean He takes back the gift of eternal salvation, which is yours for eternity (Romans 8:35-39). You can break your communion with Christ, but you cannot break your communion. Confess your sins and break down the wall you have built between you and God, or you and your mate  James 5: 16. 

My husband and I struggled for several years wondering if God really cared about our marriage. We were not each others’ enemy although we foolishly acted as though we were. We were given to each other 31 years ago as a precious gift from God. Our enemy was, and still is, Satan. He knew our weaknesses and lack of "spiritual" knowledge better than we did. We found ourselves being rebellious toward each other and to God, knowing what's right but doing what was wrong. We made the mistake of focusing on our battle (our problems) rather than focusing on God, the One who fights our battles for us. Our responses to one another were driven by: 1) Our problems; 2) Our selfish desires; and, 3) Our lack of knowledge. We were clueless to the fact that war is not only happening in Iraq and Afghanistan . 

Even though you can't see it, there is a spiritual war, a battle of cosmic proportions, taking place right where you are. You can't hide from it, beloved. No matter where you live or where you spend your time, you are living in a Spiritual Battle. Many make the mistake of thinking, "What you don't know won't hurt you." This is so wrong. Satan, like a roaring lion, will use your lack of knowledge against you. Lack of "spiritual" knowledge keeps you in bondage, poisons your legacy, and robs you and your loved ones of the blessings that God wants you to experience; such as complete freedom, joy and peace (see Galatians 5:1-15).  If you are a believer, the Fruit of the Spirit is still in you, but you bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit when you sin Ephesians 4: 30-32. The supernatural power of God is quenched (I Thessalonians 5:19) and your testimony is tarnished when there is unconfessed sin in your life. It is sin when you forbid God to have complete control over every area of your life. Until you are willing to surrender your life completely to Jesus Christ, you will never find true happiness, complete joy, a peace that passes all understanding, abundant living, and true freedom from Satan’s bondages.

It took us decades to learn this lesson, but God in His mercy finally opened our eyes to see the only time we should bring up our past (disappointments or failures) is when we look back to thank Him for what He brought us out of. We wanted to break free of the pain and misery, but had no idea we were our own worst enemy, being driven by the wrong force. Satan's goal was to kill, steal, and destroy John 10: 10. Satan's mission is to destroy two of the things he hates the most, Christians and Marriage. God began opening our eyes to the truth that Before Revival There Must Be Repentance! We had to repent of our sins and the pitiful way we were living, before God would restore our joy and peace. Jesus pours His love and light into our broken vessels to reveal Himself. When we are sincerely repentant (I John 1:9), our merciful God takes out our garbage. He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west Psalm 103: 10-13. He take our ashes (our past, our brokenness) and makes something beautiful out of it (Isaiah 61:3). This is one of His great mysteries and reflects just a mere modicum of His infinite supernatural power!

Another great mystery, God will use you to transform your mate, but He does this by what your mate sees transformed in you. Believers, remember that marriage is like a triangle, with Christ at the top and the husband and wife at the bottom two vertices of the triangle. The closer each individual draws themselves to Christ, the closer they draw to one another. If either or both begin moving away from Christ (i.e., doing their own thing) the distance between them grows. It is my prayer you find the same joy and peace that my husband and I are finding. Don't play the "Blame Game" blaming someone else, blaming God, or blaming the devil for your past disappointments. Look within your own heart and take full responsibility for the corruption that is there. Don't play the "Victim Game". You are a "Victor". The Lord is waiting to say, "Well done!" when you finish your life's race. Finish well, beloved. You may not have started well, but you can start today motivated and determined to finish well. Even if you've been offended or deeply hurt recently or years ago, you have the "mind of Christ" inside of you to direct your attitude and your response (2 Corinthians: 10-16) no matter what trials or hardships you've endured. Change has to start with you.  

So the next time the enemy strikes by trying to use your mate to break you down, what are you going to do? Remind yourself, this battle belongs to the Lord. Speak it in your thoughts. Speak it out loud. You are just God's instrument - His vessel - His temple. Keep your focus (i.e., your thoughts/your spiritual eyes) on God. Focus on Jesus, who willingly laid down His life to pay the penalty for the sins of every believer. Let go and let God have complete control of every area of your life. Trust God and have FAITH (Hebrews 11:6) that He works ALL things together for good to those who know Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8: 28). Surrender is possible when FAITH is put into action. MarriageToday Television » Watch Now  

Artists: Paintings are permanent records of an artist's heart, so we must be careful about the messages we create. The highest calling an artist has is to create works of art with biblical principals. God is most interested in your motive. Your paintings reveal a bit of what God sees. They unveil the ATTITUDE of your heart. Think about where your "special skills" originate. Once God reveals that HE is the source of your skill, I challenge you to honor Him with it. It's your choice, my friend. Will you let God use you, your talent and your workplace to be a light in these difficult days? No matter what kind of work you do, you have free will to acknowledge Jesus Christ in your work.

A word of deep appreciation to those who've lovingly and selflessly influenced my legacy for the glory of GOD: Some were intentional about your service to the LORD while teaching and mentoring me. God placed others before me that had no idea I was watching and listening like a child learning from her parent. Carl Mazzola is one who modeled Christ as a modern day disciple. Carl's unconditional love is extended through his authentic teaching, writings and service as a perfect example of what it means to be a "Servant of the LORD". Carl, your generous words of encouragement when I recently sought counsel, and now your suggestions offered for this web-site have meant more than words can express. I thank God for every remembrance of you and your devoted and beautiful wife, Claudia. Because of what the Holy Spirit has taught me through your obedience and friendship, I will never be the same! 

THANKS to ALL our supporters: Your prayerful and financial contributions make this ministry possible. Some of my viewers confess they are not interested in entering the doors of a church or getting involved in any kind of "organized" religion, but God changes their hearts to see the truth of who He is. Together we are pointing the lost to Christ, and encouraging believers to grow in their knowledge and relationship with Him.

Several organizations and individuals are beneficiaries of my paintings. I wish I could give them all away without any concern about the finances. But thanks to my precious husband who keeps me grounded in ALL aspects of being obedient, that is not possible or wise. I'd rather not mention it because it's something most of us would rather not discuss, but our greatest struggle (like most ministries today) is the financial support. We give God the praise for making it possible and trust you'll do what you can to keep this ministry alive by praying; by your support; and by telling others. And lastly, the awesome thing is you have a beautiful painting in exchange for your support!  ^"God is always fair. He will remember how you helped his people in the past and how you are still helping them. You belong to God, and he won't forget the love you have shown his people" (Hebrews 6:10).

Joyce Girgenti and Family

Joyce Girgenti (219) 841-9743
2277 Lake Street, Portage, Indiana  46368

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