Author: Annette Coffey

When I was 45 I had a massive stroke and lost the ability to speak for seven years. Damage from the stroke has made it difficult to understand me and hard to pronounce some words. So I do not speak much, but that is why I started writing books and my blog. I have so much I want to share and tell with people.

Christmas all year long

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I wish Christmas would last all year long. People are so nice and accommodating this time of year. God asks us to be that way all year long. Loving one another as ourselves. It doesn’t have to cost a lot either. People spend thousands of dollars trying to get just that perfect gift. A lot of times the gift is set aside and forgotten anyway.

We can do so much all year long. Take time to appreciate everything in your day. The beautiful world around us. God made it just for us. How he gives us our daily bread each day, he helps us all throughout our day, and always does what is best for us. Pay attention to everything around you. The secretary at work has a new haircut, let her know you noticed. Debbie’s dress is cute, tell her. Appreciate people you meet, talk to them.

Do nice things for people. Hold the elevator, the door. Smile and say hello. Invite someone to coffee, or bring them a coffee. Show hospitality by inviting someone over for dinner tonight. Offer to mow a lawn for an older neighbor. Bake cookies for someone.

Spend time with someone who seems lonely, or visit a relative. Write a letter, write a poem, you never know how much that could mean, especially to loved ones. Going the extra mile to make someone feel special. These things don’t cost a lot of money but can mean so much to people around you. It makes life fuller for us and for others.

Giving is so much better than receiving. If more people tried harder to be friendly to those around them the better our world would be. I saw on tv the other day how a woman who missed her flight and was forced to spend the night at the airport waiting for another flight. She got over being upset. She decided to get people to dance with her. It started out slow but really caught on. She took pictures and posted them. They went viral.

It only takes one person to start a chain reaction of love. So let it begin with you.

Dream City Church

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Welcome one and all to Dream City Church. On the corner of Sweetwater and Cave Creek in Phoenix. Started by Tommy Barnett 38 years ago. This has got to be the best church I have ever been to in my 58 years on this earth. I first came when the nursing home I was living in told me about it. They have wheelchair buses that travel throughout the valley on Sunday’s picking up special needs people that might not get out to church otherwise.

So I went, and I fell in love with the people and the church. I have never felt so much love and acceptance in my life. Being handicapped in a wheelchair from a stroke I had often felt out of place in public. So I stayed in my little care home with people just like me who understood me. That really was not living. Now I have so many friends to fellowship with each week and my life has never been better.

The church has a special needs ministry that reaches out to people like me. The people at the church have so much love to give. They have accepted me and been so wonderful to me. I just want to tell everyone.

This week in our class we had a Christmas party and we all received gift bags full of things we can use. Next week is the Christmas Pageant that they have been putting on for years. It is bigger a better than ever before. Professionally directed, it is fantastic. We make a full day of it. The buses come a little after 8:00 am to pick us up. We have our special needs class from 9:00-10:30 and then go to the sanctuary for the main service at 11:00. Then we gather for a great lunch and some entertainment till time for the Pageant.

The night of the 16th we are having a big Christmas bash and dance. We have so much fun together. We have bar-be-cues during the year and at the end of summer we spend a week together at camp in the pines of Williams. Swimming, zip lining, and doing all kinds of fun things just for us. Boy we in special needs sure are spoiled aren’t we.

The wheelchair buses drive from Union Hills in the north valley to Van Buren in the south valley. From 20th St. to Tatum up north. From I 17 to 7th St in the south. Contact Chip Gilliam at the Phoenix campus of Dream City he is running the buses so you can set up a ride with him.

If you want to know any more about the church or special needs you can email me at. annettecoffey59@gmail.com

A Cheerful Giver

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“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7. NIV

This is the time of year for giving. The reason for this is simple. It all started thousands of years ago. In a small town in Bethlehem. God sent his one and only son as a tiny baby to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. He was a descendent of King David and many other important people. God spent many years building a family line that he could make his very own. This was a very important family. One he would be with forever.

This was the very first gift the gift of eternal life. He loved us so much that he gave up his only son for us….

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him shall have everlasting life.” John 3:16. NIV

So that we all could be with him forever. The gift that gave life. Because of this gift we should also have the heart of our father and choose to be a giver. For it truly is greater to give than receive. Science has proven what God knew all along. Giving produces joy in our hearts. The more we give the happier we feel. All of God’s ways really are for our best.

So give with all your heart and give all year long. It is the best way to keep joy in you life. Make it a way of life. The best thing you can give away is a smile. It is free and reaps the best results. As you give it away you will get o back. It is hard to be mean to someone giving you a smile.

Give to people everywhere you go. Give compliments and caring words. Show interest in others. These are all inexpensive ways to give. There are always reasons to give financially too. The more you give the more you receive. It’s the law of sowing and reaping.

The law often of sowing and reaping says if you sow kindness you will receive kindness, or if you sow discord you will receive discord. The more you give financially the more you will be blessed financially. You cannot outgive God just try.

So be a cheerful giver and your life will be full and overflowing.

What Thanksgiving means

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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV

It is so simple yet so wonderful, the God that made this awesome world and everything in it. All the people in it for generations. He loves every one of us so much the he wants to spend eternity with us. In that perfect place where there is no hate, no evil, no prejudice, no pain, only perfection forevermore.

God is such a loving God that he had to make a way. You see you like me, everyone, has sinned and we deserve nothing but punishment. God is perfect with no sin and can not be around sin. That did not stop him from making a way. He needed a perfect sacrifice, one with no sin. His son. His one and only son would come to this earth, born of a virgin, and live a perfect life. He had all the temptations and difficulty we have.

He was born to a very young family struggling to make it in this world in a difficult time. When he was born they were away from family in a place where there was no room for them. They had to deliver their baby in a stable, with animals, and the smell of manure. They had only a feeding trough to lay their son in. Quite humble beginnings for the King of the world.

He had people trying to kill him from the day he was born and they would eventually succeed. But while on this earth he would be perfect doing all that his father would do. Showing his great love and compassion to everyone he met. Teaching them how to live a full and abundant life.

While he was here he healed many people even bringing people who had died back to life.

“He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows; acquainted with grief: we hid our faces from him, he was despised and we did not esteem him. “. Isaiah 53:3 NIV

When he was condemned he did not open his mouth to complain or protest his innocence. He gladly went to the cross for you and for me. He looked ahead to that day when we would all be together in that perfect place. One big family. That gave him the joy to make it through all that pain and abuse.

It was a gift for every man. Many would reject that free gift but to all who believe it meant life forever . All we need to do is believe. Believe he came and died just for us. That he died on the cross and three days later rose from the grave victorious.

If you believe in your heart and ask God to forgive your sins and make you brand new he will and will take you to heaven when you die. If you do not ask for forgiveness it is the same as rejecting God. You will forever be apart from him. Apart in the lake of fire where you will burn forever with all of those who reject God.

Accept him today and live a life of gratitude for all he did for you. Show him how much his gift meant every day he gives to you.

Being Thankful

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This being the season for thankfulness I thought I would write about what we really should be thankful for.
Think back in time to a formless void world where all there was was God. He had a plan. He wanted to have someone to talk with and love. Someone to relate to and to enjoy life with. Someone to love him back. Not someone who would automatically love him but someone who could decide on their very own to love and want to have a relationship with him.
First he would have to create an environment for that creation to dwell in. Some place perfect. Light and dark, night and day, come around every day without fail, season after season. He set the world in motion and the sun. Everything works perfectly for 365 days and then starts over. We never get too warm or too cold to survive. Clouds come and go and the earth waters itself.  
Plants of millions of different colors and varieties were placed here just for us. Flowers with awesome fragrances. All seed bearing to continually renew themselves over and over again. Some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. Deserts, tundra, snow covered hills, jungles. Such variety.
Now think of all the different creatures in the sea and in the air. How about all life on the earth. Every animal, insect, creatures too many to comprehend. These were all given to Adam to enjoy and rule over. He was given the opportunity of naming them all. Talk about an unbelievable gift.
And he made man in his own image. He was so awesome to create all this just for us. It wasn’t just sufficient but mind blowingly awesome if you really think about it. He made us with everything we would ever need to survive and live awesome lives. Someday he would give us some of the knowledge he had to create things for ourselves.
Everything we would need to create for ourselves was growing around us, deep down in the soil, or in the air over us. He gave us the knowledge to make things happen. He gave us dreams to see fulfilled. He taught us so much about the world we live in.

He showed us things he made to cure sickness and taught us about the human body.
Our bodies are so amazingly made so precisely that it has taken thousands of years to discover. We still don’t know it all. God does though. He has helped us discover our planet in so many ways. We have been to the moon. Built aircraft that is able to carry so many people and equipment yet can still climb to altitudes and speeds unheard of. Ships as big as football fields that float around the world.
Yet with all knowledge he still wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us. Who am I in the grand scheme of things? Why would he want a relationship with me? He has placed his spirit inside of me. My life can never be full and I will always be searching for something until I have that relationship with him.
He knows me and what is best for me even though I don’t always know it myself. He knows the full picture and knows everything that will happen in my life.
I am so thankful each morning that he has given me a new day to discover and I will never take that for granted. He has done so much for me that I could never show him how much they mean to me even though I try.

Keep Your Eye On Eternity

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Keep thinking of where you will be forever when this brief life is over. If you accepted Christ as your King and serve Him only, he îs preparing a wonderful place for you in His kingdom. There life will be perfect, like you could never imagine. No more pain or sorrow because we will have perfect bodies. Young forever and ever. That’s more than our minds can fathom. Let me give an example of the opposite.

Imagine you are falling in a black hole. So dark it’s like you are wrapped in darkness. You keep falling because there is no bottom to this whole. You are burning up but your body is never consumed. You can hear screams and cries that make your stomach turn. The smell is awful like that of sulfur. It’s so strong that you are overcome and your eyes are burning. Well that’s just a taste of hell and it lasts forever and ever and ever.
You don’t want to go to a place like that. No one does but the road to heaven is very narrow and few persevere till the end. On the other hand the road to hell is wide and many end up there even some who thought they were saved. It is easy to end up there.. There will not be comradery in hell, it is utter isolation.
Be careful little eyes what you see.be careful little ears what you hear, touch, taste, feel. These are all ways you can fall from grace. As Christians there is nothing we can’t do but all things are not good for us. It’s true He will never leave you nor forsake you. But he can not keep you from walking away from Him. He has given us free will because he wants us to want to do all we can for him.
If you truly love Him you will be like Him. Loving and serving others because He loves them more than you do. You will hurt inside for someone you know who is heading for hell. Many may know God but even demons know him and flee. You will know them by their fruit. It’s what comes out of a man’s heart that counts to God. He knows all our thoughts and deeds nothing is secret from Him.
He knows if we have turned bitter by not forgiving others. If you don’t forgive them Jesus cannot forgive you. You must obey his commands, but do you know them? Do you read His word daily. Those who persevere till the end and don’t grow tired of doing good will be rewarded. No one says it will be easy. You need to lay down your life and follow Him, no turning back, no turning back.
Don’t let pride destroy you. The enemy will try to deceive you into believing that you always deserve more than you have. More money no matter how you get it. More love- That man loves you more than your husband and will make you happy. You deserve whatever you want so just charge it. We can get in so much trouble if you listen to the enemy. God knows just what we need and will give it to us.
If Jesus wouldn’t do it, don’t do it. Treasure every minute that you have on this earth. Remember it counts for eternity . The more you give the more you receive here and on the other side. Don’t do it just for what you can get, but because you love God’s people like he does. He wants you to enjoy this lîfe as best you can.

Keeping your Joy

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We all go through times that it seems difficult to have peace. When things happen that rock your world and just moving forward seems to be impossible. But look to God He is here to make the impossible possible.
The first and most important truth is you are in charge of your emotions. No one else and nothing else can decide for you how you feel. So you need to tell yourself the first moment you open your eyes. “This is the day you have made just for me. I Will rejoice and be exceedingly glad in it.
That is before any other emotions set in like how you feel, what the weather is like, or before speaking to others. I like to wake up early enough to spend time in prayer with the Lord going over my day and what I need the spirit’s help with. Or concerns I may have. That way they’re out of the way and I can begin on good footing.
Things you need to remember in advance: This is a day that God has all planned out for you even before you were born. Whatever happens good or bad God will work it out for your best. Just keep smiling and showing that smile to everyone else. As long as we stay in a positive cheerful mood the spirit in us will bring on the peace we need.
As soon as worry or stress try to sneak in go to the Lord in pray and lay down your concerns. If you have a confrontation with someone, pray. Amazingly the very best thing you can do with difficult people is pray for them, I learned this by accident when a client of mine was the most negative, disagreeable and unreasonable person I had ever met. I found myself asking God what can I do to change her opinion. God said “You can’t but I can, just leave it in prayer for me”. Things began to change.
Being angry or arguing is a waste of my breath because only God can change people. Remember he made them too. God has my back and he will always give me the right thing to say if I am listening.
Just keep smiling and do things to bring his presence. Read the word, listen to praise music, read a Christian book, spend time encouraging others. Do these before you lose control if you are getting stressed and rushed say a quick pray and change your focus or just breathe.
Remember God has given you the Holy Spirit to help you to control your emotions. He is way ahead of you as the days moves forward and does have all you need. Tell yourself if you are unsure of what actions to take. “What would Jesus do?”
The more you read the word, the more you will read his commands and awesome promises he has for you. You will also begin to see God’s personality. The Bible is the true word of God, inspired. One thing I settled in my mind long ago was. “This is Gods word. I believe every word and that settles it. As I read I learn what I believe and go from there. I don’t decide if I believe or not. It’s true so I believe.

Enjoy all God has for you. He has gone ought of his way to make this world we live in  everything we would enjoy. Don’t miss just all he has done.  Appreciate what he saw as very good.

In the Eyes of God

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(Due to unforeseen circumstances I was unable to post this Sunday)
We need to start seeing ourselves as God sees us. Not as we see ourselves or as the world around us sees us. We may have been told by a parent that we would never amount to anything. Maybe you were abused as a child and began to think we deserved it somehow. Maybe you were bullied in school by other classmates. Abused mentally or physically by a spouse. This is an imperfect world we live in and there are no perfect people.. But we have a God who is perfect. 
He loves you even more than you will ever know. Before you were born he knew and loved you. A perfect love and unconditionally. He knew your days and all he had planned for you to become. He made you just how he designed you and you were perfect.
God is Lord of Lords and King of kings. That makes you a son or daughter of THE KING. You are highly favored. He loves you so much he had his one and only son come to earth to live and die on a cross,(what pain and humiliation). If we believe in him and ask him to forgive our sins he does. He wipes the slate clean and now we are seen just as Christ through God’s eyes. 
We are spotless, just as if we were perfect, even though we are not. He wants the very best for us, just trust in him. When he was resurrected he sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. We now have him with us night and day. Everything we need for a perfect life lives in us. We can do all things through him. Since he is a loving and giving father we want to do all we can to be just like our dad. So he will smile at us.
Reading his word is important because if we love him we will keep his commands. How will we know them to keep them if we never hear them? You can read and read and always hear something new and valuable. Because we want to be good doesn’t mean that we always will be. That sinner is still deep inside of us. We don’t always do what we want to.
Not to fear. Just come to God and let him know you are sorry for those wrongs and that you don’t want to do them again. The slate gets erased again. You are still his little angel in his eyes. But you have to mean it totally in your heart. When you are tempted to sin there is always a way out if you look the Spirit will help you to resist the temptation. That is what he is there for. He will remind you of God’s word.
Whenever you are in need for Anything call on God. He’s there 24/7. There is no reason to spend your days worrying or fretting. He wants you to have all your needs met. In this world there will be suffering, but God is always with his children. No one and nothing can tear you away from his loving embrace.
‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans’ 8:28. NIV
So remember you were called by our King to be his favored child. He loves and cares for you. What our King wants he gets. So live like his kids. 

In the eyes of God

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We need to start seeing ourselves as God sees us. Not as we see ourselves or as the world around us sees us. We may have been told by a parent that we would never amount to anything. Maybe you were abused as a child and began to think you deserved it somehow. Maybe you were bullied in school by other classmates. Abused mentally or physically by a spouse. This is an imperfect world we live in and there are no perfect people.. But we have a God who is perfect. 
He loves you even more than you will ever know. Before you were born he knew and loved you. A perfect love and unconditionally. He knew your days and all he had planned for you to become. He made you just how he designed you and you were perfect.
God is Lord of Lords and King of kings. That makes you a son or daughter of THE KING. You are highly favored. He loves you so much he had his one and only son come to earth to live and die on a cross, (what pain and humiliation). If we believe in him and ask him to forgive our sins he does. He wipes the slate clean and now we are seen just as Christ through God’s eyes. 
We are spotless, just as if we were perfect, even though we are not. He wants the very best for us, just trust in him. When he was resurrected he sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. We now have him with us night and day. Everything we need for a perfect life lives in us. We can do all things through him. Since he is a loving and giving father we want to do all we can to be just like our dad. So he will smile at us.
Reading his word is important because if we love him we will keep his commands. How will we know them to keep them if we never hear them? You can read and read and always hear something new and valuable. Because we want to be good doesn’t mean that we always will be. That sinner is still deep inside of us. We don’t always do what we want to.
Not to fear. Just come to God and let him know you are sorry for those wrongs and that you don’t want to do them again. The slate gets erased again. You are still his little angel in his eyes. But you have to mean it totally in your heart. When you are tempted to sin there is always a way out if you look the Spirit will help you to resist the temptation. That is what he is there for. He will remind you of God’s word.
Whenever you are in need of anything call on God. He’s there 24/7. There is no reason to spend your days worrying or fretting. He wants you to have all your needs met. In this world there will be suffering, but God is always with his children. No one and nothing can tear you away from his loving embrace.
‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans’ 8:28. NIV
So remember you were called by our King to be his favored child. He loves and cares for you. What our King wants he gets. So live like his kids.

When tragedy strikes

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I had written two different articles for my blog but at the last minute God told me he had something else in mind. In light of the shootings in Las Vegas I need to address death from tragedy or accident. The first thing I need to address is that nobody dies accidentally. Our time to die has been predetermined by our Heavenly Father before we are ever born.
“A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” Job 4:25. NIV
God knows the minute you will die and you will not die early. Even if you die young that was God’s plan. It does not take God by surprise when a gunman takes out a room full of people. Remember God knows everything before it happens. He knew about 9/11, Boston marathon bombing, when an airplane disappears from the sky, and the Oklahoma City bombing.
God knows if you will have cancer or many other diseases, or die in a car accident. Your death is preplanned. God wants us to enjoy our lives here on earth. We are here such a short time compared to our future lives in eternity. We do not need to waste time worrying about something we have no control over anyway. Instead of worry turn to God. Pray for your health and safety wherever you go. Also remember to pray for the families of those that did die. Although it may have been the day God decreed for them it is still difficult.
When 9/11 happened there were many instances where people were not where they were supposed to be. People over slept, got stuck in traffic, missed their plane or were bumped from their flight. They were not in a place they were not supposed to be. Only the people decreed to die that day did.
I heard that 500 people got shot but only 59 died. There were people that were there that jumped to the chance to help. One man started putting as many as he could in his truck as and took them to a hospital. This saved many. Even if someone dies doctors can resuscitate them. The number of deaths could have been a lot higher.
I know when I had my stroke I had always been afraid of dying or the pain of dying. I don’t remember much of anything. I did almost die and after the first night they gave me little hope of living. They even asked me if I wanted to live or not. I guess they did not want to be heroic and spend lots of money if I had given up.
Now I fear nothing because my God is in control and I trust that I will die when I am meant to die and I probably won’t remember pain when I see the face of Jesus in Heaven. Now it doesn’t matter to me how I go, oh I’m sure it would matter to my family but they will know where I went . They would remember me and miss me, but be happy for me in the same breath. 
So don’t spend time worrying that you might be in the wrong place at the wrong time. When your time comes, and no one but God knows that, you will be in the right place at the right time. Just be sure you know where you will be for eternity.