Nana's first blog (that's Patti Coad to you non-grandchildren people)

Dominican Republic family trip celebrating Dale and Patti's 40th wedding anniversary

As a Nana I think my grandchildren are the most precious.  God has blessed me immensely with 7 girls and 2 boys.

I have learned to enjoy each day of the time God gives me to spend with them.  I love the joy they bring and pray for them often...As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!

ADs October Devotional

Integrity and Discernment in an Age of Spin News channels are ablaze with the pre-debate discussion of the first Presidential debate scheduled in four hours.   According to the pundits each debate will consist of two debates, the actual debate and the spin that each campaign will give to it after the event.   Spin, it’s a major component of politics. In a race for the US Senate in 1950, Floridian George Smathers was one of the most creative spin-makers of all times.   When he wanted to sling mud against the incumbent Claude Peppers, he accused Pepper of being “a known extrovert.”   He even went so far as to say Pepper’s sister was “a thespian” and his brother was “a practicing homo sapiens.”   Then to make it really personal, he charged his opponent of “openly matriculating” when he attended college.   Finally he asserted that prior to his marriage, Pepper had been “engaged in celibacy!”  Only a discerning person could see the comedic humor to his accusations. In this age of spin, truth still matters, now more that ever.   Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)  “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”  This passage (Ephesians 4:14-16) shows how our maturity in Christ keeps us from being tossed about by the winds and waves of our time. This world is spinning out of control.  It needs the stabilizing influence of a church that speaks the truth in love.   Let us be people of great integrity and spiritual discernment as we call upon God for Go His wisdom.   James 1:5-7 exhorts us to ask God for His wisdom and fully expect Him to keep us unwavering in these turbulent times.    The world is waiting for the people of d to demonstrate integrity and spiritual discernment in this age of spin.  With Jesus’ help, we can be those people.

ADs May Devotional 2016

  In this season of political distress, where emotions are    high and opinions so strong, let’s not forget Whose we  are and Who we are in Him.   

  Let’s keep a balanced  perspective of life since our destinies are assured and our  futures are rooted in the King of King.

 Romans 8:18-25J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

 Present distress is temporary and negligible

      In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the    magnificent future God has planned for us. The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of  the sons of God coming into their own. The world of creation cannot as yet see reality, not because it       chooses to be blind, but because in God’s purpose it has been so limited—yet it has been given hope.   
     And the hope is that in the end the whole of created life will be rescued from the tyranny of change   and decay, and have its share in that magnificent liberty which can only belong to the children of God!

     It is plain to anyone with eyes to see that at the present time all created life groans in a sort of universal travail. And it is plain, too, that we who have a foretaste of the Spirit are in a state of painful tension, while we wait for that redemption of our bodies which will mean that at last we have realized our full sonship in him. We were saved by this hope, but in our moments of impatience let us remember that hope always means waiting for something that we haven’t yet got. But if we hope for something we cannot see, then we must settle down to wait for it in patience.

ADs June Devotional 2016

Are you a trusted leader? 

Curtis Swisher, a friend of mine, posted “10 Traits of a Trustworthy Leader” https://t.co/6Ca286ueDA         This is an abbreviated version of that post.  

Trust:   Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people. – Stephen R. Covey  |  People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision. - John Maxwell 

1. Character: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character, which inspires confidence. - General Bernard Montgomery 

2. Competence:   In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better. - Harry S Truman 

3. Credibility:  If you lose your credibility, you might as well leave. – Jack Rhymes 

4. Clarity:  Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.  - General Colin Powel 

5. Candor: A trustworthy leader speaks the truth directly and authentically. 

6. Consideration: The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak—Jim Rohn  | Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel.  If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish. —Sam Walton 

7. Connection:   If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams 

8. Collaborative:   Trustworthy leaders collaborate well with others.   No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it. - Andrew Carnegie 

9. Conviction:  In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. - Thomas Jefferson

10. Courage: All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership. - John Kenneth Galbraith

Summary: A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. – General Douglas MacArthur

1 Samuel 18:5 (MSG) Whatever Saul gave David to do, he did it—and did it well.  So well that Saul put him in charge of his military operations. Everybody, both the people in general and Saul’s servants, approved of and admired David’s leadership.