Buddy is 14 years-old. 

Depending on how you count dog years, he could be in his 80’s, or even in his 90’s.

He’s a poodle, my first dog ever, and every mistake one can make as a dog owner, I made, or we made.   We gave him lots of treats. He was a member of our family, we enjoyed treats ourselves, so we believed it was okay to give him the not-quite-empty containers which kept the ice cream, the peanut butter or the cheese. (We even gave him a slice of cheese now and then.)  We enjoyed all of these - and so did he!

Before long, Buddy became what most people called, “a fat dog.” Now, if you know anything about me, or my son, or even my husband, “being fat” is not part of our self- descriptions. And “fat” was not what we wanted to hear about our dog!

Four years ago, my vet said:  “Terri, put him on a diet, he must lose weight.”  He also said, “The reason he is so fat is because of the carbohydrates in the dog food he is eating. That’s why dogs gain weight.”  Of course in his life with us, Buddy had table foods AND the dog food; a pretty bad combination if you want your animal to maintain a normal weight.

And so; we cut out all table food and all treats, just gave him reduced-calorie dog food, or dog food for seniors.  I fed him those dry, unappealing rations for three solid years, and changed brands repeatedly when I saw he was losing nothing. Can you imagine giving your beloved pet restricted meals that were obviously tasteless to him, hearing him whine, or looking into those longing eyes that said, “Give me something else, please! I am so hungry?”  I would not budge. I was determined that he would lose weight, and as I saw him walking less and less, I became more committed to trying.  I knew the weight on his body was the reason he could not walk, but I was simply a frustrated dog owner.  I had tried everything my vet had suggested and still he could not lose a kilo.

Buddy’s problem eventually resulted his walking only for short stretches, and in my husband needing to carry him for most of the way on outings.  People actually laughed when they saw us “carrying” our dog, when he was supposed to be out for a walk.  Some even stopped and commented that “we were cruel to force our dog on a walk, when it was obvious he did not want to go.”  I heard it all: “he is an old dog, he has arthritis; he should not be forced to walk.”  On certain occasions, Buddy would just simply lie down flat out on the sidewalk and refuse to budge. My husband would then pick him up, and we would continue, with Buddy in his arms, until we rounded the last corner to home, and then he walked…

We made a trip to the States in December, 2014 to see our beloved family, and we left Buddy with one of our dear friends for three weeks. When we came home from our wonderful trip our dog had gained even MORE weight! He looked like a roly-poly, a cute little fat dog.   When I brought him to our new vet, she took one look at him and said:  “Terri get him off the dog food, feed him vegetables and fish or chicken, he needs to lose weight!”

It was as though she instinctively knew that unless Buddy’s eating habits were changed, he would remain a fat dog, and his life would be shortened due to the excess weight he carried.

The happy ending to our story is that Buddy is now at his normal weight. He walks every day; hills and distances. My husband no longer needs to carry him, and Buddy gets up and down the steps to our home without assistance.

When we visit our friends he gets for a treat a cucumber, and loves it!

Last night, I knew he was hungry.  He has his ways of showing us - usually with whining - so I gave him a sprig of cooked cauliflower. And that satisfied him.

If you are concerned about seeing your beloved pet gain weight, and not being able to lose it, I suggest you do what my vet recommended to us; get the dog off the food which is packaged for dogs and give them regular food - such as I have described. Do not even buy bones in the pet stores. Find a butcher who will give you bones from meat, then cook them yourself and give them to your dog.

I wrote this story about Buddy, and described it as learning a life skill lesson from our dog. The point is; I hear of many people who have problems losing weight, so I have a suggestion to make to them: Consider the Buddy plan of eating, which has been his new way of eating vegetables and fish or chicken, instead of treats and carbs or rich foods.   

In the first chapter of the biblical book of Daniel, there is a wonderful story. It’s about Daniel and his three companions who did not want to pollute their bodies with the delicacies the king was providing.  They asked, and were granted their request, to eat vegetables only for ten days. At the end of those ten days Daniel and his group were fitter and stronger and looked better than the rest of the king’s staff - even though their diet consisted only of vegetables. 

In His love,

Terri Morey

As I look at our dog now, I am filled with awe.  He looks so good. He is even running a bit.  Buddy has been totally renewed by the change in his diet, years have been added to his life, and my heart is filled with gratitude to my vet who God used to help us.

Romans 8:28  “All things work together for the good to them that love God and are called according to His purposes.”

2 May, 2015

Fruit of the Spirit, JOY

If you are a believer you have fruits of the Spirit.

A believer is not a person who is free from sorrow.  On the contrary, God softens a person's heart so that he or she may become more vulnerable to the world's pain, yet a believer has deep joy that can never be taken away.

SORROW IS TEMPORARY IN A BELIEVER'S LIFE. JOY IS PERMANENT.

Fruit means to be fertile.

One of the first mentions of the word "fruit" was in Genesis 1:28 to Adam and Eve:  "Be fruitful and multiply."

Is there fruit in your life? Is it present and multiplying?

We are to be fruit bearers in the Kingdom of God. Matthew l2:33:  "You will know them by their fruit."

You will not operate in the gifts of the Spirit until you operate in the fruits of the Spirit.

Example: I recently walked nine unbelieving Holocaust survivors to see a life-changing film. On that very same day, 40 years earlier, I learned that my business partner stole $40,000 from my company. I forgave her and released her from all obligations and went on to build up the business with God.  We succeeded and prospered, and I renamed the business, "The Kings Office." That incident and my total forgiveness of my business partner had been done then.  The reminder came exactly 40 years later to the day, as I walked those Holocaust survivors to see this film that my husband wrote many years ago , that my actions were still bearing fruit.

BUT fruit bearing is ongoing:  In 2015, a new situation had arisen in my life, and in this new time and place, I needed to face and to be set free from un-forgiveness, bitterness, feeling sorry for myself and judgment of someone who has hurt me deeply.  It became obvious that until this happened in my life, the very fruit that I wanted to see multiplied would rot on the tree. God is not mocked, we reap what we sow. Galatians 6:7

God in His mercy showed me my heart, and I wanted to see it.  I did not want to hide from it or Him. God knew I was ready: My cousin, in the USA has harbored resentment and bitterness against me for over 35 years.  I've tried in every way to reconcile with her until, finally, both my husband and my son said, "Stop pursuing this! Her heart is hard." I had peace. I let the matter go, and with God's help, also my own bitterness and frustration in the situation.

The story continues: There is a women who the Lord allowed me to lead to Himself 38 years ago. This woman, directly  reappeared in my life recently, and I learned that she is a friend of my alienated cousin.  She   wrote an outstanding letter of love filled with  prayers for my cousin as she faced a dangerous operation  and I know those words have and will further reach and soften her heart - my  cousin will open her heart again to Him.   That is what I have wanted all these 34 years; for her to come back to Him.  In forgiving me for things long passed, she will find the peace that has avoided her all these years.

I believe like Joyce Myers that if we can begin to seek the development of the fruits of the Spirit, we will become powerful with our lives. And the power of God shows up best in our weakness.

FURTHR FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Becoming fruitful has become more important to us than any of the other gifts.

Until we are treating people the way God treats us, joy will not really happen in our lives.

We develop what we focus on.

If I focus on love, everything else in my life will be taken care of.

"Love one another as I have loved you."  John 13: 34

God wants to use you to make others happy. What a statement that is. Think about it.

We reap what we sow. Galatians 6:9.

Anything you really want in your life, start to give it away. If you want love, give love. If you want peace, give peace. If you want material goods, give material goods. Better yet, don't do it for those reasons, do it because you want to see others become happy through your gifts to them.

"Let the words of my mouth be acceptable unto You"  Ps 19:14  Put a watch over your mouth and keep your tongue from speaking evil.

You don't always have to feel good to bless people.  You can argue with words.  You cannot deny actions.

Change your words, change your life.

GETTING HURT IN LIFE IS INEVITABLE; STAYING HURT IS A CHOICE[TM1] .

A sister told us of story of a large group of people waiting to hear a certain speaker.  When that speaker arrived, she asked this question of the group.  "Has anyone hurt  you in the past in ways that have affected you in your present life?"  She then said, "I have a word for you:  'Get over it.'"

IN YOUR PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY: Ps 16:11

What do we want in this life?   Truly, I believe everyone wants joy.

I wanted a consistent, constant life filled with joy, not a roller coaster experience.

If you look at your lives as a service to God and have definite objections in life outside of yourselves and your personal happiness, you can obtain joy.

"Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship for they will walk in the light of Your presence oh Lord" Psalm 89:15

"In Your presence is fullness of joy." Psalm 16:11

Some of the things that can steal our joy are sin and fear. These will suck the life out of you and sap your joy.

Here are some additional scriptures concerning joy.  Meditate on them, let them speak to your hearts and change your thinking:

"Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning."  Psalm 30:5

"Count it all joy my friends when you fall into various trials." James 1: 2

"May the God of all hope fill you with joy."  Romans l5:13

"Until now you've asked for nothing in My name, ask that your joy may be full" John l6:24

"A joyful heart is good like a medicine" Proverbs l7:22

"The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans l4:17

"Likewise I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner repents."  Luke l5:10

"I say to you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine persons who need no repentance."  Luke l5:7

"Go out with joy" Isaiah 55:12

In His love,

Terri Morey

10 April, 2015

Love, by Terri Morey

Before I spoke today, I was with my prayer partners half an hour  before the  congregation begins and two thoughts came to me….One was of my wedding day….and the picture I have of my daughter law Shelly and I standing in front of a banner with the fruits of the Spirit.

The other thought was of a  picture in our living room of a vine with grapes and the words  the fruit is love, joy and peace.

Basics, I am back to them, seems as though they have escaped me….I’ve taken hold of myself and asked myself…what do  really want to accomplish in this life I’m living.

I’ve also considered the greatest prayer ever made…and the example for me to think about..for you to think about:  “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”  Yeshua, as he died on the tree. Luke 23:24

Second greatest prayer ever made,  “Lord do not hold this charge against them.”  Stephen as he was being stoned to death for proclaiming the truth of what he believed. ACTS 7:30

This is love….pure love…when asked what the greatest commandment was Yeshua answered and said:

“Love the Lord with all your heart, SOUL AND STRENGTH  and love your neighbor as yourself.”  Matthew 22:37

The last verse in the love chapter of lst ‘Corinthians l3”faith, hope and love  the greatest of these is love”

1 Corinthians l3: 5 in part :”keeps no record of wrongs.”

Do we honestly before God say this and know this is true in our lives?  We keep no record of wrongs?

If we chose to walk in love and imitate our Lord, we make the decision to do this and we then must be able to  handle rejection, being used, accused and returning love for evil.

To those who know me, they have heard this story, but it well worth repeating now, it is the classic example for me to explain what I am saying here today.

In my search for truth, meaning of life, purpose for my own life….I gave a woman a partnership in my very successful temporary help agency in San Francisco.  She was made a 50% owner, had given no money to me but in exchange for this business ownership, she gave me two years of time off from the business so I could pursue the truth I was looking for.

I did find God, after I began to keep the l0 commandments, my life on earth became so meaningful, I was truly at peace ….and began to hear from God….every single day, so after 7 months of bliss… decided to go back to my agency and tell my workers of my new found life.  Surely, these workers needed to hear the truth  I thought. 

When I returned to the business and  saw the shock on the face of my partner, at my showing up …she immediately told me, come back in the morning,  and I did and this is what happened.

She and her husband were waiting for me to  arrive, and this is what I was told by her husband.  “I do not want my wife to be partner in this business any more, you are off finding God and are not capable of running this business…besides you are in debt for $40,000 and I want you to release my wife from the contract she signed.

You may wonder what you would have done at this moment, I look back to 22 nd of March, l974 and I  find an inner peace and joy that I immediately  ripped up the contract and asked them to leave my office, and then I sat down and wept for the remainder of the day.

God wanted me to seek Him, to rely on Him, I had never ever knew God as my Provider, I was faced with impossible odds of surviving the debts owed, I had no bank account rely on…..plus the $40,000 was owed to the Internal Revenue Service, and the State of California.   This $40,000,was money collected from the salaries of my workers, it was taken out of their pay checks and was owed to these two agencies of the government.  I envisioned myself going to jail.  I have never known fear as I knew it that day.

I did the usual things one does when you need money, went to my parents, friends, and all said the same thing¨ “no”.  

All of  our customers heard that we were going bankrupt and stopped calling in orders to my company, so at this point in life, I had only the women who worked for me, they were willing to wait till I could find work for them and they wanted to stay with me, and  believed I would find them work.

God showed me that He would bring new clients to my company and He provided a man, who came to my office looking for work, and agreed to work for free as I went out to find new clients.  His name was Michael. 

When the official man came from the Internal Revenue Service, to get the money owed to them,  this agent, whose name was Michael, heard my story, arranged for me to pay the government back their money in a period of time that was lengthened to suit my circumstances. All debts were paid by me.

The story of how God helped me is so beautiful, my purpose in repeating the details of that situation is the following:  God showed me that He would be pleased if I wrote a letter to my ex-partner and tell her, thank you fr what she did, because of her, I found God as my true Friend and my Provider.

   I was not that willing to write my ex-partner a thank you letter, it was not part of my thinking at all, but I knew God wanted me to do this….so I did….I sent the letter, but it came back, no such person at this address.     I was free, the letter had been written, I entered into a new life with God.

Even  though  I did not know Romans: 12:14, God was showing me that I must bless those who persecute me bless…and do not curse.

In l975, I found  Yeshua as my Messiah.  I realized my business name TKO Temps needed to be changed to The Kings Office.

My question to you today is have you been taken advantage of, abused,  rejected….do you bless those that did this to you?

The Bible says in Romans l2:20 “If your enemy is hungry give him food, if he is thirsty give him drink.”  Verse 21:  “Do not overcome evil  with evil, but overcome evil with good,”

What is Love…let others answer this…  My answer to this is….Love is how we treat others.  John l3:34-35  “:Love one and other  as I have loved you,

Love and  acting in it is the answer to our problems  If we focus on love everything else will be taken care of.

The body is not having an effect on the world, because it is not walking in love.

Love and walking it …this is a decision you make…love is not a feeling it is an act of your will…

Why do you think we should walk in love….give people a  chance to say what they think and then give them your answer to this question.

1.  Winning the lost to God, requires us, the Bible they are reading …2 Corinthians  3:2 we must be different, we must represent something they want but do not have….

What is God’s will for you to live life to the fullest?”    God tells us in Mathew 7:7 “ask and you shall receive…seek and you shall find”

God answers this question by telling us in Matthew 22:37..:You shall love the Lord with  all your heart,soul and strength and love your neighbors as yourself”.

In recent times in my life, I have faced situations in business and in my family. In which both cases, I was taken advantage of….and rejected and how did I manage to find the peace that God offers if I walk in His ways….One of the situations was so painful, lodged deep in my heart was such a hurt…only by allowing the Lord to change my heart, and give me His heart could I possibly find the peace I sought and the forgiveness I wanted to walk in…  God showed me the following verse….it completely changed my heart. Matthew 6:19-21  “Do not lay up for yourselves  treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves can come and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust can destroy   For where your treasure is there will be your heart.”

We must leave all judgement unto the Lord,  He tells us plainly In Matthew  7:1 Judge not lest you be judged but did you realize that as you judge another you condemn your self…Romans 2: l-5..dangerous actions….we must make the decision to walk in love.,…God will empower us to do this….it is His will…He loved the world so much He gave His only Son….think about that love.

Yeshua was very specific when He told us…”Do not look at the speck in your brothers’; eye’s, but look at the log in your own.”Matthew 7:3

We must ask God for His heart towards any situations we face….He longs to change us into His image…

He tells us John l4:l4  ‘if you ask anything in My name I will do it”   this is exactly the kind of prayer He would want us to ask….

As I began this message I started off by saying I am back to the  basics…what I really want to accomplish in this life I am living….For me, to see another person find God is the deepest joy I have ever known except my own salvation.

The other is to love those who have hurt me, to pray for them with all my heart and to bless them.

A song was made popular many years ago….it is Change my heart oh God , make it ever  true…change my heart oh God, may I be like You.   Can we ask God to change our hearts and make them more like His?

In his love,

Terri

Message given by Terri Morey at Poriya Congregation, Poriya Illit, Israel, on 28 December 2013
GIVING

“Be not deceived; for whatever a man soweth, that shall he reap” Gal: 6:7

“For the one who sows to his own flesh from the flesh reap corruption-but the one who sows to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” Gal: 6:8

“Let us not lose heart in doing good,for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary” GAL: 6:9

“SO THEN,WHILE WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY , LET US DO GOOD, TO ALL MEN,ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH.” Gal: 6:10

Examples---
Randy, our adopted grandson, and his new flatmates had a need for a table and chairs----we had a set which we used when large groups came and our need was only on occasion ---his need was right now....We gave willingly our ensemble and it was greatly appreciated.

In the next days-we were “loaned” a set of table and chairs for an indefinite period of time...what we received was 100 times nicer than what we gave. We will have time to shop for a new table and chairs, ample time...the law of sowing and reaping was in effect. I couldn't have asked for a nicer set of lawn furniture.

'”Give and it shall be given unto you.” Luke 6:38

Ask the Father to give you a giving heart...“God so loved the world that He gave His only son:” John 3:l6

We cannot out give God, who is the Giver of all. Remember that giving is not only money; give time, give love, give mercy, give help to neighbors,give cooking. What goes around comes around.

What you plant ..you reap.....give a teaspoon ...get a basket.

Proverbs :11:25 tell us: "A generous  person will be enriched" The woman with the story of oil...found in 1st Kings l7:9-16 read like this....she gave her last bit of flour and oil to the prophet who asked for it, and God gave her and her household all she needed. She was not from Israel, she was a gentile, she was commanded by God to give to Elijah , yet the God of Israel was not her god. She had no social security or a 40l-C she was a widow about to die with her son. And she gave all she had, not her leftovers.

The widow in Luke 21 gave all she had to God. Her giving is included in the stories found in the Bible. She is spoken about in such loving terms....her two mites meant a lot to God, who sees the hearts and knows the motives of why we give.

Personally, my story of giving is a great one, as some of you know my husband and will appreciate how my story became what it is...my love story.

When I lived in San Francisco, and owned my temporary help service, an idea came to me and to some of my friends; we wanted to open a restaurant between two synagogues. In doing so we thought we would attract those Jews who went to the services, that they would stop into the restaurant and we would be able to share our love of our Messiah with them, hoping they could see that this is their Messiah as well.

It took all of my money I had saved since owning the temporary help service for the equipment, furnishings, etc. When all that was done it came down to buying the food to open. $1,000 was needed and no one else was able to provide those funds. I had only $500 left, and I did not want to give it. It was all I had, and I needed some reserve to make the weekly payroll for the business. I felt God say to me.”Give it all” and furthermore: “call your son Michael and ask for the $500 you have saved for him..” Michael willingly gave his $500 and I gave mine, wondering what would happen if I needed the money to cover payroll costs...which I had do every week. I had ZERO in the bank after giving my last $500.

My temporary help florished after I did that, I neved did need that reserve. This restaurant is the place that Eric Morey came in every Sunday to have brunch, after church. As you know, he is NOW my husband. What woman cannot relate to this story, he was the dream I had in my heart for the kind of man I would want to marry. This came to me after I gave all I had to be in a place to win souls to the Lord.!

“He who win souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30

“Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all things shall be added unto you.”

“WITH GOOD WILL RENDER SERVICE, AS TO THE LORD, NOT MEN” Ephesians 6:7

“Whatever you do ...do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” Col.:2:3

Nessa, the little kitten we found that was half dead, and we helped bring her back to life...Our vet saw who we were through the act of giving to an unlovely and sick kitten. She commented to me:”I see now who you are.” (Nessa looked sick, eyes full of junk, scrawny,wobbly, ugly, wandering around in a gas station)

“THE LORD GIVES RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE TO ALL WHO ARE TREATED UNFAIRLY.” Psalm l06:3

My friend Brookie's will is being contested, and as I am the the executrix, we are having to give our a lot of time to fight for her inheritance to be given to those she wanted it given to, not to the relative of hers that she saw three times in her life who is demanding it for himself. For us personally, we get zero, we are not beneficiaries, but others will benefit from our giving of our time.

God has shown us many hidden things about the will. He will provide for those He guides.

“Man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b

A neighbor of ours, who lives on a nearby kibbutz has been left to raise his two sons alone, as his wife has left them. Every time I reach out to bring some cheer to these boys, I feel the pleasure of the Lord upon me, it is my time that I willingly am giving...

This is a burden from God for I earnestly desire to be of use to God....that is my heart. He gets the glory. Before I met Eric, I had a cat who I named Henani...which means “here I am.” God, use me.

Jacob deceived Esau; regardless of who prompted him (his mother), he did it. He sowed deception ...He reaped deception (l4 years he waited for Rachel, the woman he loved, to be his wife).

Rachel sowed deceit when she stole her father's idols as she prepared to leave their home and go with Jacob to the land of Canaan. She died en route to her new home. We reap what we sow. God is Sovereign...He will have mercy on whom ever He chooses, Romans 9:15

“The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” Psalm 11:10

Walk in the blessings of God. Look for them; however, they are conditional. But as far as choices go it is the best choice we could ever make.

“The one who blesses others is absolutely blessed; those who help others are helped.” Proverbs ll:25 the Message Bible

Looking at it this way....my mind is a garden.
My thoughts are the seeds.
My harvest will either be flowers or weeds.

Years ago (about 40) I began to keep the l0 Commandments and I felt the Presence of God..
My joy was so complete, I thought I could reach all the people in my world...the world I lived in at that time. Every encounter I had with people was my opportunity to reach them to tell them about my new found faith. To my utter surprise people showed me that they did not care to know. I still wonder about that, because I firmly believe if they knew Him they would love Him, this is why I always look for more opportunities to share my faith.

I actually wanted to give all of my savings at that time to build a new church for God. He showed me He did not need another church, so many are empty. But He encouraged me to share my faith; in fact, I always smile when I think of the time when I learned about the verses in the Bible that I could call God's promises to me. One of them was: “Cast your burdens on the Lord and He shall sustain you.” Psalm 55;22...I said to God: “If I cast my burdens on you what will I do with my life, with nothing to worry about?” He said: “Tell them that I love them”

What point I am making by telling you the story of the church I wanted to build, and to use all of my savings to do that....is that God blessed the idea...the thought....He knew I wanted to bless Him. He blessed me.

IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT YOU CANNOT OUTGIVE GOD.

“Give and it shall be given unto you” this is one of my life's Scriptures....I learned that years ago...the hard way for sure...but I did learn it. “God loves a cheerful giver.”

God says:”I will supply all of your needs according to My riches in glory...”

From the book Come Away My Beloved by Francis Roberts is a section called The economy of the Kingdom. She quotes Luke 6:18 ”For with the same measure that you use it will measured back to you.”

In His book, Experiencing GOD'S Extravagance, Frank Eiklor presents a story which reflects what happens when the Messiah rules your life,,,,Nov 25 Frank quotes Dave Gilbert writing in “Foresee” (Conservative Congregational Christian Conference”-Vol.33, No 5):

“God won't ask the square footage of your house; He will ask how many people you helped who did not have a house. God won't ask how many material possessions you had; He will ask whether those material possessions dictated your life. God won't ask how many promotions you received; He will ask what you did to promote others. The picture was drawn and many illustrations such as this appeared in this segment of the book.

My question to God when I first believed was....”God You have given me so much; what can I give You?”

I believe He answered it when He said: “Tell them that I love them.”

Give God what's right, not what's left. God doesn't want parts of your life He wants controlling interest.

Giving up all my material worth to move to Israel was a God-inspired idea. As I reflect on what I left and what I have gained in the Land of my inheritance...it is staggering.

May the Lord confirm to your heart the essence of this message and what it means for you.

In Him,

Terri Morey