Her Father’s Zoo

Made it to the end of the week it's FRIDAY! WOW! the end of the month is here as well let's take moment to reflect on the week and the whole month of January as we prepare ourselves to step into the 2nd month of the New Year with these words of wisdom Read: 1 Kings 4:29-34 Bible in a Year: Exodus 21-22; Matthew 19 The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. —Proverbs 12:10 June Williams was only 4 when her father bought 7 acres of land to build a zoo without bars or cages. Growing up she remembers how creative her father was in trying to help wild animals feel free in confinement. Today Chester Zoo is one of England’s most popular wildlife attractions. Home to 11,000 animals on 110 acres of land, the zoo reflects her father’s concern for animal welfare, education, and conservation. Solomon had a similar interest in all creatures great and small. In addition to studying the wildlife of the Middle East, he imported exotic animals like apes and monkeys from far-off lands (1 Kings 10:22). But one of his proverbs shows us that Solomon’s knowledge of nature went beyond intellectual curiosity. When he expressed the spiritual implications of how we treat our animals, he mirrored something of the heart of our Creator: “The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel” (Prov. 12:10). With God-given wisdom, Solomon saw that our relationship to our Creator affects not only how we treat people but also how much thoughtful consideration we give to the creatures in our care. —Mart DeHaan Father in heaven, when we think about the wonder and diversity of Your animal kingdom, please help us not only to worship You, but to care for what You’ve entrusted to us. God is the real Owner of all of us. INSIGHT: There is a subtle but important difference between intelligence and wisdom. Both of them are desirable; both of them important; both require diligence and discipline to acquire and exercise. However, wisdom is often considered the appropriate application of intelligence. Knowing something is one thing; being able to act well on what you know is another. As Solomon shows, intelligence can be demonstrated by speech, but wisdom is demonstrated in both speech and action.

Careless Words

We are in the last week of January as we start this last week let's take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom Read: James 3:1-12 Bible in a Year: Exodus 12-13; Matthew 16 The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. —James 3:5 My daughter has had a lot of ill health recently, and her husband has been wonderfully caring and supportive. “You have a real treasure there!” I said. “You didn’t think that when I first knew him,” she said with a grin. She was quite right. When Icilda and Philip got engaged, I was concerned. They were such different personalities. We have a large and noisy family, and Philip is more reserved. And I had shared my misgivings with my daughter quite bluntly. I was horrified to realize that the critical things I said so casually 15 years ago had stayed in her memory and could possibly have destroyed a relationship that has proved to be so right and happy. It reminded me how much we need to guard what we say to others. So many of us are quick to point out what we consider to be weaknesses in family, friends, or work colleagues, or to focus on their mistakes rather than their successes. “The tongue is a small part of the body,” says James (3:5), yet the words it shapes can either destroy relationships or bring peace and harmony to a situation in the workplace, the church, or the family. Perhaps we should make David’s prayer our own as we start each day: “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Ps. 141:3). —Marion Stroud Father, please curb my careless speech and put a guard on my tongue today and every day. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11 nkjv INSIGHT: Marion Stroud went to be with the Lord on August 8, 2015. Since 2014 she has been writing devotional articles for Our Daily Bread that have touched the lives of readers around the world. Marion worked as a cross-cultural trainer for Media Associates International, helping writers produce books for their own culture. She has been a role model for writers for many years and is missed by hundreds of friends.

A Prisoner No More

The week has come to an end it's FRIDAY! YES! Now lets take a moment to reflect on this week with these words of wisdom Read: Romans 7:15-25 Bible in a Year: Exodus 4-6; Matthew 14:22-36 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. —Romans 7:15 A middle-aged man approached me after I led a workshop at his place of employment and asked this question: “I’ve been a Christian nearly my whole life, but I’m constantly disappointed in myself. Why is it that I always seem to keep doing the things I wish I didn’t do and never seem to do the things I know I should? Isn’t God getting tired of me?” Two men standing next to me also seemed eager to hear the response. That’s a common struggle that even the apostle Paul experienced. “I do not understand what I do,” he said, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Rom. 7:15). But here’s some good news: We don’t have to stay in that trap of discouragement. To paraphrase Paul as he writes in Romans 8, the key is to stop focusing on the law and start focusing on Jesus. We can’t do anything about our sinfulness in our own strength. The answer is not “try harder to be good at keeping the rules.” Instead, we must focus on the One who shows us mercy and cooperate with the Spirit who changes us. When we focus on the law, we are constantly reminded that we’ll never be good enough to deserve God’s grace. But when we focus on Jesus, we become more like Him. —Randy Kilgore I sometimes get caught in the cycle of trying harder to be good, failing, getting discouraged, and giving up. Help me, Lord, to depend on Your grace and to draw near to You so that You can change my heart. Focus on Jesus. INSIGHT: There is an interesting element in this passage from the apostle Paul. We often focus on the difference between law and grace. But Paul highlights two different laws in this passage. It is not that the Mosaic law is bad and grace is good. Instead, Paul says that he delights in God’s law but is held captive by the law of sin. God’s law is something to delight in; the sin that is revealed through that law is something to be set free from.

Big plans for 2016

Here is our CCFA January 2016 Newsletter. So we are KICK Starting our 2016 with ALL the happenings taking place in our CCFA Community with a Letter from our President & CEO First, thank you so much to everyone who helped us meet our holiday match! The funds you contributed will make a huge difference in the year ahead … because we have big plans for 2016. We are committed to expanding our mission activities, and will be introducing a host of innovative programs designed to serve our patients and improve their quality of life. We would also like to thank all of our President Corporate Circle members for their continued support of CCFA's mission: AbbVie, Allergan, Celgene Corporation, Genentech Inc., Gilead Sciences Inc., Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Biotech Inc., Pfizer Inc., Prometheus Laboratories Inc., Receptos, RedHill Biopharma, Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc., Shire, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A. Inc. I am incredibly excited to be starting my first full year as President & CEO with all of you as my partners. I know, together, we will continue to do impactful and crucial things to serve the IBD community. Richard J. Geswell, CCFA President and CEO Thank you again! Michael Osso Michael Osso President & CEO Take Steps with Tyler "I want to be a doctor in San Diego someday so I can help sick kids get better." Tyler, a honored hero Every day, Take Steps and CCFA inspire children like Tyler to overcome the challenges of living with IBD. Will you please join us this year? Invite your friends, family, and co-workers to form a team and raise funds for cures. READ MORE ► What Exactly is Camp Oasis? Camp Oasis is a co-ed residential summer camp program that enriches the lives of children with IBD by providing them with a safe and supportive community. Since all of the kids (and many of the adults) are living with IBD, our camps allow them to see that they are not alone, try all sorts of new sports and activities, and create friendships with people who truly understand them. REGISTER TODAY ► An Iron Will A year ago, Brian's only goal was to be strong enough to get out of bed after his surgery. This year, he completed a half IRONMAN with an ostomy. It was one of the most emotional moments of his life—one that he will never forget. And even though he was faced with constant mental hurdles, he realized that Crohn's actually prepared him for all of it. Today, he encourages other IBD patients to create a goal of their own. READ MORE ► Be There for People with IBD With your help, we can continue to fund groundbreaking IBD research, as well as provide education and support services to hundreds of thousands of patients across the United States. Donate now A New Scholarship for IBD Patients! AbbVie has just launched a brand new scholarship fund to provide financial support to 15 exceptional students living with IBD as they pursue their higher education goals. It's just one of many scholarships available to IBD patients, so please visit our website for more information or call CCFA's IBD Help Center. READ MORE ► A Game-changer for IBD Research For the first time ever, more than 40,000 IBD patients, researchers, and healthcare providers will be brought together by IBD Plexus® to create the world’s largest registry of IBD patients of all ages, which will transform how Crohn's and colitis research is conducted. LEARN MORE ► Miss a Webcast? Not to worry! They are now available 24/7 on various topics, including: nutrition in IBD, complementary and alternative therapies, diagnostics in managing IBD, and updates in research. START WATCHING TODAY ► Search our resources Find your chapter IBD Clinical Trials and Other Studies CCFA provides a comprehensive database of studies, clinical trials and other research on Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Some of the recently added studies include: A long-term registry to assess the safety and effectiveness of Humira in UC patients A study to evaluate Vedolizumab IV compared to Adalimumab SC in UC patients A trial to assess endoscopic improvement and changes in intestinal and serum biomarkers in Crohn’s patients receiving Oral RPC1063 A study looking at bacterial transmission in utero and IBD risk (The MECONIUM Study) Deciding whether to participate in a clinical trial is an important personal decision, best made with a full understanding of the drug development process and a participant's role. Team Challenge CCFA Facebook CCFA Twitter CCFA YouTube CCFA Pinterest Forward Donate to CCFA Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America 7​33 Th​ird Av​en​ue, Sui​te 51​0, Ne​w Y​ork,​ N​Y 10​01​7 www.ccfa.org | 8​00-​93​2-​2​423 Talk with an I​BD Info​rmation Specialist at 88​8.M​y.Gu​t.P​ain | 8​88-​69​4-8​87​2

Celebrating & Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Today we are celebrating and honoring the Late Dr. Martin Luther King who was an Advocate for the Civil Rights Movement and for Change over All. So I just want to wish everyone a HAPPY Martin Luther King Day! Common, John Legend - Glory

Minister of Reconciliation

We are jump start the New Week on the Martin Luther King Holiday with these words of wisdom Read: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Bible in a Year: Genesis 43-45; Matthew 12:24-50 While we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son. —Romans 5:10 As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached on a Sunday morning in 1957, he fought the temptation to retaliate against a society steeped in racism. “How do you go about loving your enemies?” he asked the Dexter Avenue Baptist congregation in Montgomery, Alabama. “Begin with yourself. . . . When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time which you must not do it.” Quoting from the words of Jesus, King said: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you . . . ; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:44-45 kjv). As we consider those who harm us, we are wise to remember our former status as enemies of God (see Rom. 5:10). But “[God] reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,” wrote Paul (2 Cor. 5:18). Now we have a holy obligation. “He has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (v. 19). We are to take that message to the world. Racial and political tensions are nothing new. But the business of the church is never to feed divisiveness. We should not attack those unlike us or those who hold different opinions or even those who seek our destruction. Ours is a “ministry of reconciliation” that imitates the selfless servant-heart of Jesus. —Tim Gustafson In Christ there is no east or west, in Him no south or north, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth. John Oxenham Hate destroys the hater as well as the hated. Martin Luther King Jr. INSIGHT: Our salvation changes everything about us. Paul says that the old has gone and the new has come. This is not a future event but a current state, for those who are in Christ are now a new creation. Paul uses the word reconcile for being made new (vv. 18-20)—we are being reconciled to God. To reconcile is to restore friendly relations, to erase division and distance. The purpose of being made into a new creation is so that we can help others become new creations too.

Wishing Steve Harvey & First Lady Michelle Obama a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

On this day January 17th we have two Birthdays we are Celebrating the first is Comedian and Daytime Talk Show Host Steve Harvey and the 2nd is our First Lady Of The United States Michelle Obama. I just want to take a moment a wish them a Day that is filled with JOY & BLESSINGS On there Special Day. Ask Steve: I don’t want nobody hugging me! || STEVE HARVEY Michelle Obama Reveals What She Won't Miss About Being First Lady