So much to be thankful for!  We see the beautiful spirit of compassion all around us. Monetary gifts pour forth for families in need. The bounty of thanksgiving baskets for the poor among us is always inspirational. On Friday our grandchildren and Wayne and I will pack hundreds of packets of food for children in areas of the world where food is not plentiful. What a privilege to meet the needs of others. We’ve survived several medical crises these past years and are extremely grateful for the gift of health we experience this day and pray fervently for those who are ill. We’re thankful to have experienced being an American all our lives. America is a very young country and one that we treasure. The freedoms we have are precious. Expressing opinion and sharing ideas without fear of being snatched from home and family– it’s incomprehensible for me to imagine otherwise. Yet, in other places on earth this is a very real concern. We’re thankful God has gifted each of us with special abilities that make us capable of earning our living. What a great sense of independence and sufficiency this gives us personally as well as a mission to care for others less able. The God of the eternal is also the God of our present and with joy we offer Him thanks and praise. We join with you in worship and gratitude. God knows what the future holds, and only Him. Thankfully, we have learned we can totally trust Him. Thank You God for the gift of life, of family and love. May love and kindness prevail not just at this holiday season, but every day throughout our culture and across the world.   Blessed Thanksgiving!!!! Judith and Wayne Rolfs

Love Never Fails

Ramblings About Love

Interacting with others through love is the key. Jesus was not a man for others, He was one with them and there is a huge difference in that. The unfathomable work of God is accomplished if we are loving and obedient in the smallest aspects of the doings He allows us to participate in.

I have counseled divorced, broken men and women and seen divorced men and women who became whole. I have worked with alcohol and drug addicts, individuals experimenting with homosexual behavior, suicidal clients, every form of emotional pain and relational dysfunction. In fact, I don’t think there’s anything I have not experienced in my years of counseling. One conclusion I have come to is that everyone, every day, is looking for a fix and that fix is love.

Each of us wants to know that God made us lovable just as we are and that we are good, yes good enough. My message is to seek His truth and reason and never abandon hope. 

As a counselor I’m privileged to be a hope-giver. This requires connection without judgment. I do not judge others no matter what they tell me, and the wonder of this is that then the walls between us crumble and we can have honest conversations and work through them. We actually enrich one another which is the ultimate goal of all words that are shared.

I’m willing to express my deeply felt words that I know to be true with others (yes even my grandchildren and nephew in this picture), even if it means making myself vulnerable. I’m hopeful, but I’m not looking for results only giving honest words spoken with a tender heart. This is how I have counseled men and women and children, sharing what I’ve found in God’s Word about living that works.

Family is also important - I initially called my work Fantastic Family Ministry. Family makes you strong in the sense that you know you have a foothold somewhere. You belong someplace and the people in that place care not just whether you live or die but care about the details of your life. This is why it’s so sad for children and adults who never experienced the sense of family. Family can give you confidence and hope.  Another thing that makes you very strong is hope.

Don't you like this quote by Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, that sings the song without the words and never steps at all.” Say that out loud a couple of times. These very special words sound like music when spoken aloud and the words themselves uplift my soul. 

The words of Psalm 23 scream out for our full attention. “Truly the Lord is my shepherd. There is nothing I shall want.” Is this really true - can He be enough? Having lived a lifetime with Him, I know it’s rock solid truth. Jesus is enough for my soul and every soul He has created. Should all material things cease, our souls shall live on forever. Because He is my shepherd I truly feel my worth and it is forever well with my soul. May it be well with your soul today and every day.

Belden Lane the theologian said, “Divine Love is incessantly restless until it turns all woundedness into health, all deformity into beauty and all embarrassment into laughter!”

Don't Miss my Nov. 30th Angelus Gift Shop Walworth, WI Book Signing during their fun Christmas Event, Horse drawn carriage rides and refreshments. 1 pm.

It's not too late to make reservations for Milwaukee SuburbanChristian Women's Connection Events at Davian's in Menominee Falls and two other locations in Sheboygan. Dec. 16th and Dec. 17th. Call Lois 262-251-3841 The title of my talk is Stages From the Heart To the Page.

Family Legacy

Omigosh, another birthday this past week! The years roll by so quickly. On my birthday I like to do something special to honor my mother. After all, my birthday would not have been possible without her! 

To honor Mom while she was still alive I once sent her a bouquet of a dozen roses. She was surprised and shocked. Why had I done this?  In my card I expressed my gratitude to her for giving me the gift of life. Not all moms-to-be are willing to make this sacrifice.

Not all my memories of my mom were happy, she was an alcoholic for many of my growing up and early adulthood years, but I can always dig deep for some good moments. I believe that the Fourth Commandment doesn’t say only honor your father and mother if they were always good to you and sterling role models. Honor is always deserved for the giving and nurturing of our lives.

Of course I don’t discount the part dads have in the creation of a baby, but not like moms who go through bodily distortion and discomfort. Also, they usually bear the brunt of midnight feedings and non-stop care for infants and toddlers.

This year when the family came to celebrate with me after our meal and singing Happy Birthday I suggested we play Bingo in honor of Grandma, one of my mom’s favorite games. I had purchased a nice black metal set at Good Will and grandson Joshua, then my son Dan read off the numbers. Prizes were candy bars. We had lots of laughter and fun playing for about an hour.

Who else should I honor on my birthday? My Creator, of course. How extraordinary that I and none other should be designed to be me! How to express my gratitude?  

To thank God I wrote this note to Him on my birthday. Heavenly Father, how awesome that I am your daughter. I’m in awe of this gift of a lifetime You extend goodness and love to me. Thank you for the family you chose for me. I’m grateful You’ve always been available to me through the challenges of my growing years. I’m forever grateful for Your wisdom and grace. May I please you immensely with the way I move through my days honoring You in every choice I make. I can say Happy Birthday to me today, only because of You.

How about you? What thoughts do birthdays stir in you?

Speaking/Writing Events

Book Signing at Angelus Gift Shop in Walworth the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It’s a great time to purchase your autographed Christmas gift books. Nov. 30^th 1-2 p.m.

Your prayers are appreciated for Christian Women’s Connection three events at Menominee Falls and Sheboygan Dec.16-18^th.

I'm in intense writing mode completing my Tommy Smurlee mystery fantasy series Books 3 and 4  for children ages nine and up. I’m become very fond of these characters Tommy, Grella, Piney, Blake and Quid. It’s fun spending my days “with them.”

My Featured Books This Month: Man in Command (How To Be A Great Husband and Dad)http://amzn.to/1zMzrSK and Loving Every Minute (How to Live, Laugh and Love as a Wife and Mom). http://amzn.to/1mhOCgB http://amzn.to/1mhOCgB

These are must-own books packed with great ideas for doing life in a grand way, emotionally, physically and spiritually for men and women.

Happy Everyday!

May every child and adult know the supernatural reality of God, 

the ever present source of love and power in their lives.

Psalm 139: 13-16

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.