SIH Blog Awards Received

First of all, I apologize to all the bloggers who have nominated SIH blog for awards in the past few weeks.  My schedule and responsibilities did not allow me to acknowledge your nominations until now.

Thank you so much for your patience.  Once again I apologize.

In the past few weeks SIH Blog has been nominated for the following awards:

Adurna Blue’s Follower Award – Terry at Terry 1954

Very Inspiring Blogger Award – Jelillie at Reinventing the We’ll

Angela at Meeting In the Clouds

Versatile Blogger Award – Terry at:  Terry 1954

Let me just say a few things about each of those who nominated SIH blog:

Terry at http://terry1954.wordpress.com/ - I have only started following Terry’s blog for a few weeks now, but I can truly say that her blog has touched my heart.  She is an honest, kind lady who is sharing with us the blessings and hardships that she faces as a caregiver for her brother who is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease.

Jelillie at http://jelillie.wordpress.com/ - Jelillie is a Husband, Father of 4 children and a Pastor.  Pastor Jelillie blog contains wonderful teaching of Bible truth.  One of his sections that is most enjoyable for me is his “Chapter Charts” postings that shares three main truths found in any given chapter in the Bible.  Its interesting, and fun, to see what different main topics are found in each chapter by Pastor and his readers.

Angela at  http://meetingintheclouds.wordpress.com/.  Angela has been a follower of my blog for quite sometime.  I count her as a friend.  She has been a tremendous source of encouragement for me as the SIH blog has progressed.  Her blog is a great combination of spiritual truth, illustrations using common everyday events, and fantastic graphics (wish I had her artistic ability).

I can truthfully say that I can recommend all three of these blogs for consistently encouraging and profitable reading.

Now for a few things about myself…

1. Jesus Christ is my Savior, Lord and Friend.  If I am anything at all, it is entirely because of Him.  Every morning I wake up, every breath that I take, every word that I write, every good deed that I might do… is totally by His gracious intervention in my life.  Without Him, I would be nothing.


2. I am married to a wonderful lady, Eva, who is my greatest encourager on the face of the planet.  She is dedicated to serving the Lord and taking care of her husband…. (boy, do I need taking care of!).  I have a few medical issues that pop up from time to time.  It is my beloved wife that watches my diet, prepares my meds and constantly works for my physical welfare.  I honestly, can say, I believe I am alive today because the Lord has seen fit to use her to take care of my  physical needs.  Besides that, she is the best at knowing just the right thing to say when I am struggling spiritually.  She makes a me complete person


3. We are privileged to share our house with our mother.  Marie, Eva’s mother, my mother-in-law, is a tremendous blessing to me.  She is a very sweet, kind lady that has tremendous entertainment value for the entire family.  I’m sure glad she has a great sense of humor or I’d be in trouble right about now!


4. My heart’s desire is to glorify God by helping Christians come to a better understanding of God’s Word.  In our world today, especially in our nation, we have such a need for Biblical truth.  It seems like in each generation that appears a bit more of the truth is lost.

Now for things I love in life (things not “people” so I will not mention the Lord, my wife etc etc )…

1. I love explaining God’s Word to others…. This is when I fill most fulfilled and spiritually useful.


2. I love reading (the Bible and theology books).


3. I love my dog “Zeek”.  What a dog!  I believe he is suffering from some type of mental illness but the vet doesn’t agree.  You know, he seems kinda “dumb” at times.  But I love him anyway!


4. I love helping others.


5. I love to eat. (My wife’s cooking is great!)


6. I love to tell jokes… only problem is I’m not very good at it!


7. I love to watch a good movie or TV show and get lost in the plot.

I would like to nominate the following blogs for the awards (I am trying to nominate those who I have not nominated previously for awards) There are so many wonderful blogs and followers, it is very difficult for me to make final choices:

Versatile Blogger Award –

To Debbie at http://iftodaywehear.wordpress.com/  Debbie’s blog combines a Bible verse with a short explanation and a daily poem related to the Bible verse.  I check it out every day for a source of encouragement during a break from my writing.

Very Inspiring Bloggers Award –

To Jon at http://justificationbygrace.com/    Jon’s blog is a storehouse of Biblical truth from past spiritual men such as Spurgeon, M’Cheyne etc. as well as Jon’s own writings and audio messages.  The Lord has blessed Jon with  the truth of His Word.  This is the most Scripturally sound blog I have found.

Adurna Blue’s Follower Award –

To Tahlitha at http://justmyfaithtalking.wordpress.com/.  Tahlitha’s blog combines Bible verses with everyday illustrations and applications for the Christian.  I’ve found that her postings are an encouragement to anyone who is seeking to live their life in alignment with God’s Word.  Tahlitha chooses subjects that are very applicable for today’s Christian living.

Once again, thank you so much to all who have nominated SIH, those who have been nominated and all the other bloggers who are such an inspiration to me.  Lord bless you all!

Reader Appreciation Award - I Thank the Lord for You!

This lovely award was created by Jennifer Avventura and I quote her reason for the award: “I’m giving an award to those who have made this past year of blogging worthwhile. You have kept me on my toes, left comments, advice and tons of encouragement. For this I am grateful. Thank you.”

I was nominated for this award by Angela at http://meetingintheclouds.wordpress.com/.  Angela's blog has been a constant source of encouragement to me.  Angela is a wonderful lady whose blog glorifies and honors her Lord.  She consistantly honors the Lord by presenting both doctrinal and practical truths for us to live by.

I thank the Lord for her faithfulness and His workings in her life.

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Award your top 6 bloggers who have commented the most.

2. Be thankful.

3. You cannot award someone who has already been awarded. You cannot give the award back to me.

4. Don’t forget to tell the bloggers you’ve awarded.

5. If you don’t want to pass on this award, that’s okay too. Just admire it.

I thank the Lord for the following bloggers who have so faithfully commented on Settled In Heaven Blog.... they are my recipients for this award.  

1.  PJ at pjsprayerline.blogspot.com

2. Paul at http://certaintyofdrawings.blogspot.com/2010/10/caught-up-in-clouds.html

3. Joy  at http://www.2livewithjoy.com/

Let me mention Angela at  http://meetingintheclouds.wordpress.com/ , who has already recieved this award and was the blogger with the greatest number of comments on my blog..

To each of the above... let me say "thank you"!  Your comments and suggestions have been a tremendous asset to Settled In Heaven... May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of you!

Genuine Blogger Award - May Jesus Christ Be Praised

Thank you Angela at http://meetingintheclouds.wordpress.com for giving “Settled In Heaven Blog” this award.  Angela has a very unique way of presenting practical Bible truths through the use of the Scriptures, pictures, and both historical and current day events.  I so appreciate her faithfulness to her Lord which is clearly seen in her blogging ministry.  May the Lord continue to bless her efforts for Him.

As for the “Settled In Heaven Blog”… this blog was created to bring honor and glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  It is through my Lord’s grace and enabling power that this blog exists.  I give Him all the praise for the blog and it’s results in people’s lives. 

I would like to pass this award to a ‘genuine’ blogger, Calvin Gardner, who has proven himself faithful to the Lord over His lifetime of service to the Lord.

Calvin Gardner, along with his wife, Peggy (my sister), and their 5 children (Ben, Charity, Joy, Daniel, and David) have exemplified what it means to be a family dedicated to the Lord’s service, for His glory.  They have ministered in Brazil as missionaries out of Wooster Baptist Temple for the past 34 years.  You can read more about Calvin and his family at his two blog sites…   http://calvingardner.com/blog/ and http://missionarycalvingardnerbrazil.blogspot.com/

The Lord has graced Calvin and Peggy with a faith that has stood up under many difficult and trying circumstances throughout their lives. Through His intervention, they have proven themselves to be sincere, faithful servants of the Christ.  They desire to make His glory and honor the prime goal of their ministry and their personal lives.   I thank the Lord for the Gardner family, sincere and genuine, servants of Christ.

If I had to choose a section of Scripture that best describes the Gardner family, I believe it would be 2 Corinthians 5:11-15.  To God be the glory.

There are no rules attached to this award.
Recipients are encouraged to add the Genuine Blogger Award logo to their page.

The Candle Lighter Award - Dedicated To My Lord Jesus Christ... The Light Of The World

Thank you to Angela at http://meetingintheclouds.wordpress.com for nominating me for the Candle Lighter Award.  It is such a blessing to see how the Lord is using Angela to reach others. Both of us are like minded in realizing that without the Lord “(we) can do nothing”.  The Lord has used Angela as a vessel to deliver to me wonderful, God-glorifying, thoughts for my day and encouragement thru her example of faithfulness to her blogging ministry.

Once, again I would like to emphasize that this award is dedicated to my Lord, for it is only through Him that this blog can exist.  You see, I owe Him my everything: my physical life, my spiritual life, my ability to think and write,  any talents I may possess .... John 9:33 describes me to a tee... "If this man were not of God, he could do nothing."

Oh how true that is... that is why I want to clearly state that this award is my Lord's.  He is the poet... my life is simply the poem that He has written ... Eph 2:10 ...For we are his workmanship (or poem), created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

This award was created by Believe Anyway who says "I call my award The Candle Lighter Award. It is for blogs and bloggers that light a candle in the darkness with their blog. What does it mean? Whenever I see a post or blog that I think brings light to the world, I will put a copy of this post and give them The Candle Lighter Award."

You can read more about the award at

http://believeanyway.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/creation-of-new-blog-award-the-candle-lighter-award/

Believe anyway writes: “What does the recipient have to do to accept it? Just accept it and put the Candle Lighter Award badge from my blog onto their blog. Please put the link from this post about my creation of the award in a post on your blog so people can read about it. What else do recipients have to do? Nothing. If they think someone else is a Candle Lighter, they can give them the award anytime they want and as often as they want. There is no limit to how many blogs you award The Candle Lighter Award to and no limit to how many times someone can receive it.”

If you are looking for good blogs to read, Believe Anyway has a list of recipients on her blog. She would like to be sent the links for anyone to whom you pass the award, so they can be added to the list.

Keeping with the spirit of the Lamp Lighters Award... I would like to nominate:

Tom and Charlie at http://photobotos.com/ for their unique photography blog.  It displays the beauty of our Lord's creation along with adding some humor to my day as well. 

I would also like to nominate http://groveonline.wordpress.com .  This blog is written by a Bible College student who shares Bible teaching on various areas of doctrine.  Although, I do not agree with everything that is said (so what else is new).  Grove shares ALOT of good Scriptural information.

And finally I would like to nominate my wife's blog  http://alivewithchristart.blogspot.com/   Here, she uses her photographs and artwork  to present truths about our Lord.

Versatile Blogger Award - Presented To My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ For His Glory

Thank you Angela, (a blogger who loves our Lord and glorifies Him in her writings), at ( https://meetingintheclouds.wordpress.com/ )  for nominating Settled In Heaven, for the Versatile Blogger Award.

Angela's blog features a unique presentation of the principles of God's Word that can be understood and beneficial to the young and old alike.  Personally, her blog has been a wonderful blessing to me and an inspiration for my ministry.



THE RULES TO FOLLOW FOR THE VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD:

1. Add a picture of the award to your blog post.                                                                            2. Thank the blogger who nominated you and include a link to their blog.                               3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.                                                                                         4. Nominate other Bloggers and inform those they have been nominated.                       

Here are seven random facts about the role of my Lord in my life (in chronological order): 

1. My Lord has graciously allowed me to live (and walk) on this earth for 53 years.  After being born with multiple birth defects (congenital neuro-sacral defect) that normally cause early death or, at the least, paralysis of the lower limbs. 

2. My Lord blessed me with a wonderful, supportive family (parents and 2 sisters) that sacrificed so much for me during my early years at home.  I truly believe it was the Lord;'s use of  their love and care for me that I am alive today.  As I grow older, I am coming to a greater realization of all they have done on my behalf.

3. The Lord opened my sin-blinded eyes, broke my sinful heart, turned me to Himself, and granted me faith in Him and made my future secure in Him.  I did not deserve His forgiveness, patience and love.  I owe Him my everything. 

4.  My Lord is blessing me everyday with a wonderful, Godly wife that is supportive of my ministries and loves me with an unconditional love. (Trust me, her love HAS to be unconditional to put up with me!)  After being married for 12+ years to Eva,  I still wake up every morning thanking the Lord for bringing us together.  Apart from the Lord Himself, she is my greatest source of encouragment, strength and care.

5. My Lord has also blessed me with a loving Mother-in-law that graciously puts up with me as well.  To be honest, she breaks the typical "mother-in-law" stereotype.  I actually enjoy spending time with her! 

6. The Lord mercifully continues to work in my life, in spite of myself.  He forgives my daily sins and He continues to show me truths from His Word.  He graciously allows me to continue to preach, to write, and to study His Word. It is in His Word that I receive daily instructions for living my life on earth.  I praise and honor Him for His Word.  I truly do not know how I could live without it.  

7. My Lord has blessed me with His peace. Although I do not know what tomorrow may hold, I know that He has me in His hands and He will never let me go... I am eternally secure in Him.

Here are the nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award in no particular order:

1. PJ at PJ's Prayerline - http://pjsprayerline.blogspot.com/

2. LoopyLoo at My Blog - http://loopyloo305.com/

3. Anthony at You Decide - http://wdednh.wordpress.com/

4.  Paul Cheng at Certainty Of Drawings - http://certaintyofdrawings.blogspot.com

5.  Joy at Live With Joy - http://www.2livewithjoy.com/

6. Eva at Alive With Christ Art -  http://alivewithchristart.blogspot.com/

Congratulations to all the bloggers! Enjoy the honor.