Sunday, July 29, 2012
What I want to do is give you an update on Quint's recuperation from skin
cancer surgery. He is doing well and really healing. We got good news about the frozen section biopsy on a second post-op
appointment on Friday. Good margins and the surgeon believes he got all the cancer. The incision is healing nicely and there
ought not to be any scarring on the 6" incision that goes down the left side of his face in front of his ear. Thank you,
each and every one, for prayers lifted in Quint's behalf. We also learned from our oncologist that the lymphocytic/leukemia
will make him vulnerable for skin cancers, so please continue to keep him in your prayers.
God's richest blessings
to each and every one of you!
-- Jane
7:41 pm
Now I've Done It!
In one swoop of a keystroke, I have somehow deleted all the entries I
had on my home page. All I wanted to do was make a blog posting available for readers to write in. I think I've done that
but it appears that about four years of my own posts were deleted. So here I am, starting over. Would like to hear from you
on this post, or you can still email me at jane@janereinheimer.com. If you email me, though, you're going to have to put a note in the subject that you're coming from this website. If I don't
get some kind of identifier, your email won't be opened. So, better yet, add a post to this page.
You should also
know that this is a Christian, family website. So keep your posts friendly, literate and polite. Otherwise, they won't show
up.
Jane
7:27 pm
Friday, September 26, 2008
John 6:1-15 (adapted from KJV)
This chapter opens with
Jesus crossing to the other shore on the Sea of Galilee. Probably a distance of about four miles. The region around the northern
end of the Sea of Galilee is hilly but even so, we find in verse 2 that a great crowd was following Jesus.
This
passage is silent as to whether Jesus walked around the top of the lake, or if one of his disciples supplied a boat for
the trip. If he were on the water making the crossing, he would still have been in view of a crowd that may have been walking
around the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus then went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.
Then here comes the crowds. They had heard all about Jesus' miraculous healings.
(In case you were wondering
just which of the three feasts were about to take place that would prompt Jesus to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, we get
our answer in verse 4: ...the Jewish Passover Feast was near.)
Jesus saw the crowds. He figured they'd
probably be hungry so he asked Phillip, "Where are we going to buy bread and fish for these people to eat?" (verse
5)
Truth is, Jesus already knew what he was about to do, according to verse 6. He just wanted to see what Phillip's
response would be. Like a test.
Then Andrew offered this solution: He said a little boy offered to give them five
barley loaves and two small fish. Andrew thought they ought to see how far that would go. Now this was in response to what
Phillip had just said about needing eight months wages to buy enough fish and bread for the crowd to get just one bite each.
There's an interesting point to be made here that we don't want to overlook. Jesus wasn't just trying
to be a good host by making sure his guests got to eat. Rather, I think Jesus was ever-conscious of the physical needs of
the crowds.
Satisfying these physical needs paved the way for an analogy that might be used later on about Jesus'
supplying everything needful, including earth-food and, more importantly, heavenly food. Jesus wanted the crowds to view him
as the supplier of both.
So we've got these two little fishes. They could have been musht, a fish that's
native to the Sea of Galilee. It grows to be about two pounds -- about the same size as a trout or a bass. The musht is also
known by the name of Tilapia, a delicious fresh water fish that's enjoyed by millions around the world today. (It's
also known as St. Peter's fish nowadays.)
So let's call the two fishes Tilapia and figure they weighed
about two pounds. They'd need more than a 10,000 pounds of Tilapia to feed 5,000 people, assuming that
people were limited to just one fish per person. Where in the world would they get five tons of Tilapia on such short notice?
And if they ended up close to the port village of Ramot, can you imagine getting that order for loaves of bread
phoned in? Let's say one fish and two little round loaves of bread per person. That would be 10,000 loaves of bread. Even
a commercial bakery couldn't deliver that kind of an order.
But then, there was Jesus. If the crowds were impressed
by Jesus healing a couple of sick people, can you just imagine the surprise that was waiting for them? So Jesus had his disciples find a comfortable spot to sit down. There was grass in this area. Maybe even some shade.
Then Jesus blessed the bread and fishes and had his disciples start to distribute them to the people. And get this,
in verse 11, we learn that everybody could have as much as they wanted. So they weren't limited to just a little 2-pound
fish.
But that's not the end of this story. After everybody got their tummies filled, Jesus told his disciples
to go around and collect all the food that was left over, being sure not to waste any of the food.
Do you think
there could possibly be any leftovers? And what started out as a measly little couple of fishes and five loaves of bread,
they now had twelve big baskets filled with leftovers.
Now the crowd was buzzing. They started talking among themselves
that this man was surely the prophet that had been promised down through the ages.
But Jesus, knowing what was
in their hearts and minds, figured they were going to force him to be their king even if they had to do it by force. Kind
of like what we would call a ""Draft Jesus" in our day and age.
But this wasn't what Jesus
was sent to earth for. So he left them sitting there on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and went off by himself.
He wouldn't have had to go far to get into wilderness area so that he could meditate and commune with his Father either.
4:46 pm
Thursday, September 25, 2008
John 5:31-47 (adapted from KJV)
The second half of this
sermon seems -- at least to me -- that Jesus is talking to the multitudes about their crisis of faith.
They ought
to be listening to him. They ought to realize that God had endorsed Jesus as his only Son.
Jesus wondered out loud
in verse 37 whether or not the crowds believed God when he spoke out about Jesus being his Son. Remember Jesus at his baptism
when the voice of the Father said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased? Matthew 3:17.
Even so, the crowds were not easily convinced -- even by Jesus. Jesus must have thought they were too wrapped up in Old
Testament stories to believe that he had, indeed, come from his Heavenly Father. So Jesus goes back to the Old Testament times
to help build a bridge in between his sermon and the thinking of the crowds when he reminds them that Moses had even written
about Jesus. But if they weren't going to believe Moses and if they weren't going to believe God, then Jesus said
they didn't have the love of God in their hearts.
Given that, Jesus chides them for studying the Scriptures
and not coming to him for eternal life. After all, the Scriptures testify about Jesus and there he was standing in front
of them and they still didn't believe he was who he said he was.
Okay then, Jesus says to them in
verse 40, you are refusing to come to me for eternal life.
Remember that only a few verses ago,
Jesus told the crowd that he had been given the authority under heaven to make judgments about the people on earth. But Jesus
said he wasn't going to be their accuser (in verse 45) Instead, Moses would be their accuser if they were setting all
their hopes on Moses.
Moses wrote this about Jesus (from The Jerusalem Bible):
Genesis
49:10 -- The scepter shall not pass from Judah, nor the mace from between his feet, until he come to whom it belongs,
to whom the peoples shall render obedience.
Exodus 12:21 -- (about the Passover) -- Moses summoned all
the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and choose animals from the flock on behalf of your families, and kill the
Passover victim.
Leviticus 16:5 -- He is to receive two goats for a sacrifice for sin and a ram for a
holocaust from the community of the sons of Israel.
Numbers 24:17 -- I see him -- but not in the present,
I behold him -- but not close at hand: a star from Jacob takes the leadership, a scepter arises from Israel. It crushes the
brows of Moab -- the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.
Deuteronomy 17:15 -- I will appoint a king over
me like all the surrounding nations. It must be a king of Yahweh's choosing whom you appoint over you; it must be one
from among your brothers that is appointed king over you; you are not to give yourself a foreign king who is no brother
of yours.
It's not a coincidence that Jesus preached this sermon about the importance of the Passover
and the sacrifices that Moses admonished. After all, in 1 Corinthians 5:7, ...Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed
...
Jesus ends his sermon to the crowds with the note that if they weren't going to believe what Moses
said, they wouldn't believe him either.
But you can be sure that he gave them a lot to think about for they
returned to their homes. No doubt there were many discussions about this man who preached on the hillsides.
Maybe
he really was the Son of God.
Maybe we ought to search him out and hear more from this man from Galilee.
Maybe maybe maybe. And then maybe became too late.
The crowds and multitudes that followed Jesus from place to
place toyed with the idea that perhaps he might be the Son of God.
But we know different and yet there are those
who still toy with their faith lives and faith practices. They live out their lives as if there would always be time to accept
Jesus as Lord. They live out their lives under the assumption that there will always be a time to make a course correction,
as if they will be conscious during their last moments of breath.
Better to reckon with all that now while we still
have our wits about us and we can make the choice to bring Jesus into our hearts and dedicate our lives to this simple Godly
truth.
It is through Jesus and only through Jesus that we will ever know life eternal.
Even -- and
especially -- if Oprah makes the claim that there are "many ways" to get to heaven. Oh no there isn't. There
is only one way and that way is through Jesus Christ.
11:19 am
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
John 5:19-30 (adapted from KJV)
The rest of this chapter
is a sermon from Jesus. And it has a wealth of thought for all of us as believers in Christ.
For instance, Jesus
defines an interdependent relationship between him and his heavenly father. In verse 19, Jesus says he doesn't do anything
by himself. That's an important distinction. Jesus wasn't walking up and down the length of the countryside doing
whatever pleased him.
Oh no. He was well aware of his allegiance to his father. And he was also more than aware
of his limitations. He knew, in his own words in verse 19, that whatever his father did, he would do.
Clear enough
so far.
Now comes a deeper moment in Jesus' thinking. In verse 20, Jesus says that his father shows Jesus
all that he does. And wonder of wonders, the father would even show the people in the crowds that had gathered that Jesus
would be doing even greater things.
And what is the one thing that God, and only God, can do that no other miracle
worker or prophet of old could do? And believe me, these prophets back in the Old Testament could do some mighty things, with
God's help.
But there was one thing that God has reserved for himself alone and that is bestowing the gift
of life, and specifically raising a dead person back to life.
No matter how many times we watch the movie Frankenstein,
it remains a mystery as to how life miraculously flows from God's hands to ignite life within a human being. And
Jesus does what the father does.
But now listen to what Jesus says in verse 22. Jesus tells the crowds that the
father doesn't judge them. Judgment is something that Jesus does. Did you think that it was God the Father waiting at
the Pearly Gates who would judge you and decide whether you get into heaven or not?
Not so. Not according to John
5:22.
So if you've been worried about whether God the Father was going to keep you out of heaven and that his
son, Jesus, was some minor character in the heavenly drama of who gets eternal life or not, think again. It's Jesus who
decides what judgment befalls you.
The Bible says so. And Jesus shares this vital truth with the multitudes who
had gathered to hear him. In verse 23, John says that if you want to honor the Father, you'd better honor the Son, because
it's this Son -- Jesus Christ -- who requires that each of us believe what he has to say. If you don't believe Jesus,
then you don't honor him. And if you don't honor Jesus, you dishonor the Father who sent him.
End of discussion.
Then Jesus tells the crowd that the time has come when the dead will raise up from their graves when he calls them
forth. The dead will hear Jesus' voice. And the people who are dead and hear Jesus' voice will live because they recognized
him as the Savior.
Life is a gift. Life is in the Father. We need to understand this against the history of the
Old Testament because God the Father has given this gift-giving life to the Son also. You see, in the Old Testament, the gift
of life came from God the Father. That did not change when Jesus was born because the Father gave his Son this gift-giving
life also.
Now, there is a key passage in this sermon that may seem contradictory to you. That is, in verse 28,
Jesus says that the people who come from their graves will be given life if they have done good. Some of you, perhaps contrarians,
will think, "Aha, I thought you said we are given life through God's grace."
And that's a true
statement too, because if we are believers in Christ, we take in all his goodness. He erases the sins from our hearts through
his death on the cross and we do good because we become redeemed by Christ's blood.
Those who do evil things,
who bear rotten fruit as James would say, will rise up from their graves as condemned persons who suffer the judgment of Jesus
Christ. But in verse 30 Jesus again points to the interdependence with his Father when he says that by himself he can do nothing,
but he makes his judgments to please his Father. And he closes this part of the sermon by saying that his judgments are just
because his Father makes them so.
It is through Divine origin, then, that all good things come to life within us.
And we need to pray for the protection of that good life within us daily. It's that divine grace that brings to us the
only way we can live a life of faith in the Son of God.
Our temperament and personality and services here on earth
follow out of that divine faith and belief in Jesus. It is his voice that we always want to listen for. It whispers to us
in the still, quiet soul that lives within us.
It is Jesus who wants to hear from us each night before we go to
bed. It is Jesus who washes our sins away every day as we sleep.
3:25 pm
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
John 5:1-17(adapted from KJV)
With these early verses in
Chapter 5, we read about some timing. To scholars, this is important because we want to place a time span on the length of
Jesus' ministry.
Verse 1 says that Jesus went to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews.
These festivals
were Passover, Pentecost or the Feast of Tabernacles. John mentions the Passover in 2:13, 23; 6:4; and the third time is mentioned
more than once: in 11:55 and 12:1. The point is, if there were three Passovers, then we could say that Jesus' ministry
lasted three years. But if this feast in 5:1 is a Passover feast, then that would extend Jesus' ministry to four years.
These three feasts were known as pilgrimage feasts and Jewish males were expected to make these pilgrimages.
So this is why Jesus was hurrying through Samaria on his pilgramage to Jerusalem.
When he arrived at Jerusalem,
he went over to the Sheep Gate, which is also known as Bethzatha in Hebrew, or Bethesda in Aramaic. This was an important
gate. And if it had five porticoes, it must have been big.
What was exciting about Bethesda is that the angel of
the Lord come to the pool and stir the water. Then, the first person who got into the water would be healed. It didn't
matter whether the person had been blind from birth, was crippled, or paralyzed. The important thing was to get into the water
as soon as the angel had stirred the waters.
So now here is Jesus. And here is a man who had been an invalid for
thirty-eight years.
Jesus knew this. It was a kind of little secret that they shared for that moment in time.
Jesus walked over to the man and asked him why he didn't get into the pool and be healed. "Don't you
want to get well," Jesus asked him.
Well, of course the man wanted desperately to be healed. So he told Jesus
that. And then he added, "But I don't have anybody to help me into the pool."
Jesus had a better
cure for this man than anything the angel of the Lord could have done for him. All Jesus had to do was say, "Get up and
walk, then."
Well, okay then. The guy got up, rolled up his mat and walked away! Just like that.
All's well that ends well, right?
Not so. There was troublemakers hanging around. It almost seems like they
were just waiting to catch Jesus doing something. Anything.
Jesus hurried into the crowd. But this man didn't
particularly know who had healed him. Later, Jesus ran into the man again. He must have still been carrying his mat because
Jesus told him to stop sinning.
That was the rule -- no working on the Sabbath. Carrying his mat was a sin because
it was considered toil. Not so much because the man was carrying his mat, but the rule was not to carry a load of any kind.
This wasn't one of Moses' laws. It was a Jewish interpretation of the law.
Now we don't
know whether Jesus introduced himself or if the man learned who Jesus was from someone else, or if he figured that if Jesus
told him to stop sinning, then Jesus must have been a Rabbi of some sort. And there was word around town that Jesus was a
Rabbi.
The man went and told the Jews who had healed him. Then, in verse 16, we read that the Jews began persecuting
Jesus. We don't know what they did to persecute Jesus at that point but they could have done a lot of things to make a
complete nuisance out of themselves.
Jesus even reminded them that his Father continued to work all the time even
on the Sabbath, and Jesus said, "I work too."
And we'll see in our continuing lessons how the murderous
plots against Jesus began.
5:48 pm
Monday, September 22, 2008
John 4:27-54 (adapted from King James Version)
Jesus was
still talking with the Samarian woman when his disciples returned with food for them to eat. The woman left and headed back
to the town she had come from. In essence, she told the men, "You're just not going to believe who I ran into at
the well."
They were curious, to say the least. "First of all, I met a man who was somehow able to tell
me everything I've ever done. And I think he's the Christ that we've been waiting for."
They all
hurried back to the well. These men really wanted to meet Jesus and see for themselves whether or not he was the promised
Christ. When they all got back to the well, sure enough Jesus was still sitting there with his disciples.
The disciples,
being the over-protective sorts, tried to get Jesus to eat. After all, they had travelled some distance to get to this point.
And walking through the desert over the hill country wasn't the easiest thing to do. They weren't barefoot but sandals
are the next step up from barefoot.
They certainly didn't have nice Nike walking shoes in those days. Or boots
to keep the dust out. Jesus was tired. And he must have been hungry if he had sent his disciplines out to get some food.
So now they came back with food and they wanted him to eat something to keep his strength up.
But Jesus
turned them down.
Well, that was a curious thing for Jesus to do. The disciples wondered if someone had brought
Jesus something to eat while he was sitting there at the well.
"Oh no," Jesus said. "I have food
you don't know about."
Well, that was a strange thing to say, they must have thought. And what food might
that be?
Jesus told his disciples that his nourishment came from doing the will of his Father, and completing the
job that God had sent him to do. That gave him all the sustenance he needed. Jesus said.
But then the Samaritans
wanted to know if Jesus had a place to stay and since he didn't, it was settled. He'd stay with them as long as he
wanted. Two days was the length of time Jesus that settled down for a rest. And while Jesus was among them, he talked and
talked and told them things they needed to hear.
Many new believers joined with Jesus while he was in their little
village. Then Jesus and his disciples were on their way. Headed off toward Galilee again.
They came to Cana. This
is where Jesus went to the wedding feast and turned the water into wine, but the Apostle John doesn't spend as much time
on the details as the other gospel writers do.
But John does tell us about the nobleman whose son was sick at
Capernaum. When this gentleman heard that Jesus was in the area, he hurried to see him, hoping that Jesus could heal his son
who was at the point of death.
"Of course, I'll heal your son. It's because of these signs and miracles
that I am able to bless you with that makes you believe my message. If you believe that I am able to heal your son, then your
son will live."
So Jesus didn't actually need to go to the nobleman's son and see him lying in bed.
All he had to do was look into the man's heart and see that wonderful miracle of faith and he knew then that the nobleman
believed in him.
Then everybody in the nobleman's house also came to believe in Jesus.
And this
was the second miracle that Jesus performed in his ministry here on earth.
3:56 pm
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
John 4:1-26 (adapted from King James Version, public domain)
In
the early verses of this chapter, we see that the Pharisees continue to take a near-microscopic interest in what Jesus is
doing. We aren't sure what it is exactly that they were looking for. But you can be sure that if something turned up,
they'd know that was it.
So the rumors started flying. One of those rumors that got back to the
Pharisees was that Jesus was baptizing more than John was. In truth, it was Jesus' disciples who were doing all this baptizing,
not Jesus.
In response to this rumor mongering, Jesus thought he'd better head north back to Galilee.
Galilee was about a 75 mile hike north to Galilee from Judea. (see these notes: http://sermons.messiahks.com/2008/02/07/crossroads-1-from-galilee-to-judea/) -- see verses 1-3
But before Jesus got back to Galilee, he first had to go through Samaria. The Jews didn't
like going through the region of Samaria. In fact, according to a footnote I have in my Concordia Study Bible, page 1609,
the Jews would often cross over the Jordan River for the journey north on the east side of the river. They would avoid
going through Samaria by taking the east side.
But Jesus did not cross over the Jordan; instead his travels
took him through a small hamlet called Sychar (verse 5), about ten miles west of the Jordan River. see map of the area
at: http://www.bible-history.com/geography/ancient-israel/jordan-river.html Jesus was tired from his travels by the time he got to Sychar. He was in a hurry because he wanted to get
to Sychar by the sixth hour which is noon in Jewish time.
And Sychar is important to Jesus because this is the
site where Jacob's well was. This well was on the ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. (see verses 5-6)
Jesus was sitting there beside the well, kind of resting and minding his own business. His disciples had gone into town
to buy some food, according to verse 7. So here comes this woman on a mission to draw water from Jacob's well.
Jesus asked her if she'd give him a drink.
This request took the woman by surprise because she recognized
that Jesus was a Jew. She was a Samaritan and the two didn't associate with each other. (verse 9)
And then
Jesus said something even more puzzling to her. He told her that if she had any idea who she was talking to, she'd be
the one asking for water because Jesus could give her living water. (verse 10)
Well, being the observant woman
that she was, she reminded Jesus that it was a very deep well and he didn't have a thing to draw water with. After all,
she wanted Jesus to know that this was Jacob's well and Jacob had given the well to her countrymen. In fact, Jacob himself
had drunk from that very well. And his sons and daughters had also. (verses 11-12)
Then Jesus out-answered her
when he said that everybody who drinks from Jacob's well gets thirst again, but Jesus could supply a living water and
whoever drank that water would never get thirsty again. In fact, that special water would well up inside anyone who had a
drink of it and bring eternal life. (verses 13-14)
So now she wants some of this water so that she wouldn't
ever get thirsty again. Instead of giving her the living water, Jesus tells her to go get her husband. The woman tells Jesus
that she doesn't have a husband.
Actually, he already knew that without her having told him. He told her that
she'd already had five husbands and was living with someone right then who wasn't married to her. (verses 15-18)
Well, okay then. She figured out right away that this man had to be a prophet if he knew these secrets about her.
Then they got into a conversation about where the Samaritans were supposed to worship. The woman said that the Jews were always
telling them that they were supposed to worship in Jerusalem even though the Samaritans were worshiping on the mountain where
they were standing. (verses 19-20)
Jesus reminded her that the time was coming when she'd be worshiping his
Father, but it wouldn't be from some little mountain in Samaria and it wouldn't even be from Jerusalem. Jesus told
her that salvation was coming from the Jews and the time was coming when everyone would worship his Father in spirit
and truth, not from a physical location. (verses 21-24)
Then the woman said she knew the Messiah was coming.
And Jesus told her, in verse 26, that he was the person the woman was talking about.
4:57 pm
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
John 3:22-36, from King James Version (public domain)
We
have a change of scenes after Jesus and Nicodemus had their discussion about being born again.
Now we see Jesus
out in the Judean countryside with his disciples. Jesus was baptizing people who came to him.
John was also baptizing
in a river near Aenon near Salim. There was plenty of water available to him there. (verses 22-24)
We don't
know who the man was who posed a question to John about purification but a discussion followed between him and John about
this and baptizing and ceremonial cleansing.
This Jew told John, Hey, remember that man that you were with over
there on the other side of the Jordan? He's the one that you told us about.Well, he's over there baptizing people
too. And lots of people are going up to him asking to be baptized.
This did not pose any difficulty for John. In
fact, he told the Jew that a person can't receive anything unless it's given to him.
He assured the Jew
that he, John, was not the Christ. But Jesus was and because Jesus was sent by God, John's joy was now complete. (see
verses 25-30)
John wanted it clearly understand that he was a mortal man and he talked in an earthly way. But this
other man, the one who came from heaven brings a message from God, even though there were some people who didn't believe
Jesus' message. No matter, John says, whoever does receive Jesus' message receives the seal of God and that seal is
the profound belief that God is true. (verses 26-33)
Keep in mind that as you read this chapter, when you believe
the message that God sends through his Word, God will then give you his Spirit without measure.
John then
tells the Jew that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life and whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but
the wrath of God remains on him. In the final analysis, then, everlasting life could only be had by faith in Jesus Christ
because Jesus' words were the word of God. (From Matthew Henry's commentary)
Discussion: Do
you have difficulty taking in the Word of God, as if you were blocked from receiving such a joyful experience?
If
you do, pray right now at this very moment that God our Heavenly Father will send his Holy Spirit to minister to you in your
spiritual needs. Remember that our Heavenly Father has promised to give us the Holy Spirit without any limits.
I thank you all for your kind thoughts as you have touched me with your gentle spirits as I have mourned the loss of
my dear sister in these past few months. I am comforted just in knowing that she joins our mother and so many other
loved ones in heaven where they worship and praise God.
5:53 pm
Monday, June 2, 2008
John 3:1-21 (adapted from KJV-- in public domain)
In the
early verses of this chapter, we hear the old, familiar story from Sunday School about Nicodemus and the conversation that
he had with Jesus.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and in verse 1, John says that he was a member of the Jewish ruling
council. We can take that to mean that he was also a member of the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus was more than aware of the miracles
that Jesus was performing and he figured that these miracles must mean that Jesus had come from God.
We'll
meet Nicodemus again in John 7:45-51 when Jesus is brought before the Pharisees, and again in John 19:39-42 when Nicodemus
went with Joseph of Arimathea to claim the body of Jesus for burial. But on a dark night, Nicodemus came
to meet Jesus. It was a meeting in secret. It was a meeting with Jesus away from the crowds that followed him.
Nicodemus
wanted to know more.
It was in that conversation that Jesus' metaphor met the literal language of a man searching
for truth within his soul.
Jesus said, in verse 3: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus was perplexed. Did Jesus mean,
you know, born again? How could a person do that? You mean, somehow get back in the womb and be born again?
Then
Jesus clarified in verses 5-6: ...Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto
you, "You must be born again."
Nicodemus persisted and asked how this could be.
Then
Jesus said that for a smart man, he didn't know much. Well, Jesus didn't say those exact words, but he did say that
since Nicodemus was a master of Israel, he ought to know these things.
And then in verse 12, Jesus said, I
have told you earthly things, and you believe not. How shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?
Matthew
Henry says this about these "heavenly things" -- ...Christ was God's Holy One, sanctified and set apart
to his service in the work of redemption. His death and sufferings should be, not to him only, but to all his, the entrance
to a blessed life for evermore. This event had taken place as foretold, and the apostles were witnesses. Nor did the resurrection
rest upon this alone; Christ had poured upon his disciples the miraculous gifts and Divine influences, of which they witnessed
the effects. Through the Saviour, the ways of life are made know; and we are encouraged to expect God's presence, and
his favour for evermore. All this springs from assured belief that Jesus is the Lord, and the anointed Saviour.
Then Jesus brings the great promise from his Father to Nicodemus in verses 16-17: For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
In verses 19-21,
Jesus tells Nicodemus that evil men condemn themselves. Their evil deeds run through the darkness of night. They won't
come into the light because their misbehavior would become more and more obvious.
And in verse 21, Jesus says:
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Discussion:
What have you done today that would make God proud of you? Hopefully, that
would be a long discussion.
Who have you met today that you think God sent to cross your path? What did you do
with this person?
We pray: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending your Son to die for my
sins. I am not worthy. I can't repay the gift of salvation. All I can do is accept the gift of life everlasting and say
thank you for your love.
And I bring my prayerful concerns before you and ask that you would bless me with these
concerns in Jesus' name. Amen.
##
5:06 pm
Sunday, June 1, 2008
John 2:1-25 (adapted from KJV, in public domain, except as noted)
This is the chapter where John tells us about Jesus' first miracle. He changed water into wine at a wedding
feast in Cana. This was an important miracle for a couple of reasons. Not so much because of the appearance of alchemy --
that is, making one thing out of something else, but rather because of the importance of showing good hospitality. It would
have been quite an affront for the host of a wedding feast to run out of wine. And back in those days, wedding feasts could
go on for days. It was a big deal!
So it was Jesus' mother who came to him with the alert that the wine was
gone.
Jesus then asked his mother why he ought to have anything to do with that; after all, he said, "My hour
has not yet come."
My Concordia Study Bible says (on page 1607) that Jesus makes other similar references
in this gospel:
In John 7:6-8 -- (When he has gone to the temple for the Feast of Tabernacles) Therefore Jesus
told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates
me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the
right time has not yet come." NIV
John 7:30 -- Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried
out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not
know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me." At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand
on him, because his time had not yet come. NIV
and John 8:20 -- He spoke these words while teaching in
the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come. NIV
Even though we have no recorded miracles up to this point in Jesus' life, perhaps his mother's concern
about the host's hospitality was enough to change his mind about drawing attention to himself.
At any rate,
there were 6 large clay pots nearby -- they held 20-30 gallons of water each. They were actually used to hold water for foot-washing.
So he had servants fill the clay pots and then had the pots taken to the host.
Well, you know the wine was a recipe
of perfection! Even one of the guests commented about the superb quality of the wine. They were surprised that the host was
serving the good wine after everyone had had wine.
So when the disciples saw what Jesus did, they believed on
him. (verse 11)
After they left the wedding feast, Jesus and his entourage went down to Capernaum. They stayed
there for quite a few days until the Passover time came.
It was time for Jesus to go to Jerusalem. But what does
he see when he gets into the temple area? There are sheep and oxen and someone selling doves as well for sacrifices on the
altars.
Jesus did not want retail trade going on in the temple. He made a whip out of some cords and threw the
retailers out. Then he turned over tables where they had set up shop and said, "Get this out of here and don't make
my Father's house a house of merchandise."
The Jews then asked Jesus just exactly what authority he had
to throw the merchandisers out and Jesus told them in verse 19-21: Jesus answered and said unto them, "Destroy this
temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
Then said the Jews, "Forty and six years as this temple
in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?"
But he spake of the temple of his body. KJV
The disciples heard all this but it would not be until after Jesus was resurrected from the dead that they would recall
what Jesus said this day in the temple.
From this point, Jesus began to perform miracles and draw believers unto
him.
Discussion: This particular area where the merchandisers, or money changers, were selling
animals for altar sacrifices just happened to be the one place in the temple where gentiles could go to pray.
Since
there are no coincidences where God is concerned, what do you make of Jesus' anger at the merchandisers who had set up
shop in this part of the temple? Or do you think it mattered where in the temple they put their tables out for business?
Keep in mind that this had been the way things were for many years. People often traveled a great distance to come
to Jerusalem for feast days and it was a convenience for them to be able to buy their sacrificial animals in Jerusalem rather
than bringing the animals with them.
What strikes you about Jesus' first miracle of making about 180 gallons
of wine for the wedding feast?
He told his mother, "My time has not yet come." Do you think he is contemplating
his fate, for he knew the task he had been sent to earth to accomplish.
We pray: Dear Heavenly
Father, I thank you for the gift of your son who died for my sins and for the salvation of all mankind. As we read and study
the gospel message of salvation again, I pray that you would send your Holy Spirit into my heart to rekindle my love and desire
to serve you with everything I do in life. Amen.
##
5:16 pm
Thursday, May 29, 2008
John 1:35-51
Interesting verses, 35 and 36 -- ...the
next day John stood and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"
What I find interesting here is the mention of John the Baptist's two disciples. One is Andrew (see verse
40) and from the earliest of times, the second disciple of the Baptist has been considered to be John, the writer of this
gospel.
I say interesting because I don't usually think of John the Baptist as having disciples, do you? And
yet, in this chapter, we see that Jesus starts to draw his group of disciples together.
Do you recall that when
John opened his gospel, he said that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The
same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
Well, because so many of you have written that you enjoyed the musical pieces from the Bible Study in the last week or so
regarding doxologies, I have found a most interesting piece entitled Praise to the Lord, the Almighty played on a
carillon. But not just any carillon. This one is played with ropes. You have to see is to believe it. Naturally, it predates
keyboards for those years long ago when there was no electricity.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TNy8UOvdyNM
Here'e a beautiful version of this timeless hymn with some restful, peaceful photography: http://youtube.com/watch?v=c9zHn4QSH-8&feature=related
Matthew Henry brings us a deep understanding of what John the Baptist meant when he said that he baptized with
water, but one who comes after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit (verse 33): ...Our corrupt hearts cannot be made
to produce good fruit, unless the regenerating Spirit of Christ graft the good word of God upon them.
And every
tree, however high in gifts and honors, however green in outward professions and performances, if it bring not forth good
fruit, the fruits meet for repentance, is hewn down and cast into the fire of God's wrath, the fittest place for barren
trees: what else are they good for? If not fit for fruit, they are fit for fuel.
John shows the design and intention
of Christ's appearing, which they were now speedily to expect.
No outward forms can make us clean. No ordinances,
by whomsoever administered, or after whatever mode, can supply the want of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire. The
purifying and cleansing power of the Holy Spirit alone can product that purity of heart, and those holy affections, which
accompany salvation. It is Christ who baptizes with the Holy Ghost. read more: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/?action=getCommentaryText&cid=48&source=2&seq=i.47.3.2
Jesus then begins to call his disciples to follow him:
1 and 2. So Peter was the first
disciple called by Jesus. We also learn that his brother Andrew was called at the same time from our reading
of Matthew 4:18-19 -- As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his
brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and
I will make you fishers of men."
3. In John 1:45, as Jesus was going into Galilee, he found Philip
and said, "Follow me."
4. Then Philip saw Nathaniel and very excitedly said that he
had found the Messiah that Moses had talked about, Jesus of Nazareth. Nathaniel apparently was not impressed because he asked,
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (see verse 46) Philip was not about to be put off all that easily so he
said, "Come and see."
Then, when Jesus met Nathaniel, he said to him, "Behold an Israelite indeed,
in whom is no guile." Nathaniel wanted to know how Jesus knew him. Jesus told him, "Before Philip called
you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." (see verse 48)
Nathaniel was
convinced. He acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and said, "Thou art the King of Israel." (see verse 49)
It was as if Jesus said, "You just wait," when he answered Nathaniel in verses 50-51: Jesus answered and said
unto him, "Because I said unto thee, 'I saw thee under the fig tree?' believest thou? Thou shalt see greater
things than these." And he said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, 'Hereafter you shall see heaven open,
and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
5 and 6. Again, from Matthew 4:21,
we learn that Jesus calls James the son of Zebedee and his brother John (who is the writer
of this gospel).
The full list of the disciples can be found in Matthew 10:2-4: These are the names of the
twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip
and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot,
who betrayed him.
Discussion:
As we close this first chapter, what have you learned
about John the Baptist and his ministry on earth? How did it differ from Jesus' ministry?
Question for you
to think about and talk about if you are using these Bible Studies for your groups: Can you imagine Jesus walking up to these
disciples and telling them he wanted them to walk away from their jobs and come along with him as he walked through the villages
and countryside?
Would you go with him? In retrospect, all of us certainly would. But what if you were alive back
then -- before Jesus' preaching, before you saw any of the miracles (especially his raising people from death), and his
crucifixion and then the resurrection. Sure, we'd all do it now. But what about in the beginning of Jesus' ministry?
Would you?
A beautiful hymn to close our study for today is performed by the Celtic Women, "You Raise Me Up."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-17NWRddUk&feature=related
Keep this hymn in mind as you go through the next day or so and remember that God does not call the equipped --
rather, he equips the called. He will put people in your path that he wants to be there for some purpose. He will raise you
up with strength for the tasks he brings to you.
Listen to the incredible Josh Groban deliver this song wih
his powerful voice alongside The African Children's Choir: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OOhd6R2EiY&feature=related
Keep in mind that whenever you are doing the Lord's work, he will let you stand on his shoulders. He will
keep you strong. He will guide you. He loves you. He prays for you before his father in heaven.
We pray:
Oh Lord, our heavenly father, as we close this chapter of our study, I pray that you will send your Holy Spirit to
be with me in those moments of peaceful quiet with you. I pray that you would restore me, make my faith stronger, and
dictate the order of all my days so that I will serve you better with my whole heart.
I pray that you would
protect me from Satan and all that is evil. Amen.
##
5:46 pm
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
John 1:19-34
John the Baptist was baptizing new converts
in the River Jordan. Word got back to the synagogue that there was a new teacher baptizing people so some priests and Levites
were sent from the temple to check out this baptizer.
The Levites would have been more than just a little curious
since spiritual instruction was within their purview. In 2 Chronicles 35:3, we read -- He said to the Levites, who instructed
all Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord ...
This entourage approached John and asked him who he
was. Right away, John said he wasn't the Christ.
Well, okay then. But was he Elijah? The Levites knew about
Elijah and the fact that he hadn't died. So if this man who was giving instructions of faith and baptizing people was
really Elijah, then they could surmise that Elijah had come back to issue in the end of the age. Right? Well, John said he
wasn't Elijah. So that was that.
Well, then, was he a prophet? Nope. Not one of those either.
Well,
just exactly who are you, they wanted to know. And why was he baptizing people if he wasn't the Christ, or Elijah, or
even a prophet?
And here comes the big difference. We heard Paul's sermons and letters peppered with this difference
that John makes. He says, in verse 26: I baptize with water; but there standeth one among you, whom you know not. He it
is, who cometh after me...whose shoe laces I am not worthy to untie."
That was a humbling expression
of servanthood on John's part. Since men walked everywhere they went, their feet got tired and dusty. So when they arrived
at whatever place they were visiting, it was not unusual at all for a foot washer to refresh them with a foot bath. This would,
most likely, have been a job delegated to servants.
The next day John saw Jesus walking toward him and said, in
verse 29b, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
This is the man John had been
talking about when he said someone would come after him who would be the preferred person. Then in verse 31, John says that
he didn't know Jesus.
But they were cousins. John's mother was Elizabeth, remember? Elizabeth was Jesus'
mother's aunt, so that would make John and Jesus second cousins. However, John had been out in the desert all this
time with his own ministry of getting people to convert and be ready for the coming of the Messiah. He lived out there
until he appeared publicly to Israel (Luke 1:80). So it's possible that he didn't recognize Jesus if they hadn't
been in proximity to each other.
More likely, says my Concordia Study Bible on page 1604, ...the words probably
mean only that he did not know that Jesus was the Messiah until he saw the sign mentioned in verses 32-33.
This
sign, John says: I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
John continued,
And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit
descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
Then John says, in
verse 34: ...this is the Son of God.
John is with two men who are his disciples. Tomorrow, we'll pick
up at this point.
##
5:06 pm
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
John 1:1-18 (adapted from KJV--in public domain)
If we
want to learn why John penned this gospel message, we have only to look at his own words in 20:13 -- But these are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. NIV
So John says, in verses 1-2: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The
same was in the beginning with God. KJV
Similar words at a later date come to us like this -- Revelation 19:13
-- He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. ESV
And
in Hebrews 4:12, we read: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the
division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ESV
Pheme Perkins puts it this way: Jesus is the Word of God sent into the world to summon people to faith and salvation.
Jesus' death expresses God's love for the world in sending the Son. But even though Jesus represents God the mystery
of human freedom remains....John 20:30-31 says that the point of the gospel is to bring its reader to faith in Jesus as messiah,
Son of God. (Reading the New Testament, p. 253)
Matthew Henry has this to say: ...Christ executed
one part of his priesthood on earth, in dying for us; the other he executes in heaven, pleading the cause, and presenting
the offerings of his people. In the sight of Infinite Wisdom, it was needful that the Saviour of men should be one who has
the fellow-feeling which no being but a fellow-creature could possible have; and therefore it was necessary he should actually
experience of all the effects of sin that could be separated from its actual guilt.
God sent his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, Romans 8:3, but the more holy and pure he was, the more he must have been unwilling in his
nature to sin, and must have had deeper impression of its evil; consequently the more must he be concerned to deliver
his people from its guilt and power.
We should encourage ourselves by the excellence of our High Priest, to come
boldly to the throne of grace. Mercy and grace are the things we want; mercy to pardon all our sins, and grace to purify our
souls. Besides our daily dependence upon God for present supplies, there are seasons for which we should provide in our prayers;
times of temptation, either by adversity or prosperity, and especially our dying time. We are to come with reverence and godly
fear, yet not as if dragged to the seat of justice, but as kindly invited to the mercy-seat, where grace reigns.
We have boldness to enter into the holiest only by the blood of Jesus; he is our Advocate, and has purchased all our souls
want or can desire. http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/?action=getCommentaryText&cid=66&source=2&seq=i.65.4.2
In verse 6, John introduces us to the forerunner of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist.
This man, John
says in verses 6-7, came to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. KJV
John cautions
the reader, in verses 7-8 that this forerunner was not the messiah: The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the
Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. KJV
John the Baptist's ministry fulfilled the Scripture according to the prophet Isaiah's message of 40:3
-- A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway
for our God..."
Henry says this: ...When way is made for the gospel into the heart, by taking down
high thoughts, and bringing them into obedience to Christ, by leveling the soul, and removing all that hinders us in the way
of Christ and his grace, then preparation is made to welcome the salvation of God.
Here are general warnings
and exhortations which John gave. The guilty, corrupted race of mankind is become a generation of vipers; hateful to God,
and hating one another.
There is no way of fleeing from the wrath to come, but by repentance; and by
the change of our way the change of our mind must be shown.
...John the Baptist gave instructions to several
sorts of persons. Those that profess and promise repentance, must show it by reformation, according to their places and conditions.
The gospel requires mercy, not sacrifice; and its design is to engage us to do all the good we can, and to
be just to all men. And the same principle which leads men to forego unjust gain, leads to restore that which is gained by
wrong. http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/?action=getCommentaryText&cid=50&source=2&seq=i.49.3.1
John the Baptist makes an interesting note in verse 15 about Jesus: This was he of whom I spake, He that
cometh after me is preferred before me; for he was before me. Ordinarily older people are ranked ahead of younger people
and John the Baptist was older than Jesus. However, he says in this verse that Jesus is preferred -- that Jesus outranks John
the Baptist because Jesus is older since he existed since the beginning.
Then in verse 18, John the Baptist reminds
the reader that no one has ever seen God and lived. They may have seen God in a burning bush, as Moses did. But here
is God, incarnate in Jesus Christ, walking among human beings in the flesh:No man hath seen God at any time, the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Well, it didn't take very long
before the people over at the synagogue wanted to talk to this John the Baptist and find out what he was all about.
So we'll pick up here tomorrow.
##
5:58 pm
Monday, May 26, 2008
Who is John, the disciple whom Jesus loved?
John wrote
several books of the New Testament: his Gospel, three epistles -- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd; and Revelation.
His is
the only one of the twelve disciples of Jesus who was not martyred. In fact, he lived to be in his late eighties, according
to most Biblical biographers.
I'd like for us to get acquainted with him before we read his works.
He was the son of Zebedee, and the brother of James the Great. They were fishermen, and with their father, fished in the
Lake of Genesareth. Tradition says that John's mother's name was Salome, the daughter of a priest.
At first
he was a disciple of John the Baptist and later became a disciple of Jesus.
John was one of the three disciples
who were members of Jesus' inner circle. For some reason, Jesus had these three with him at Mt. Tabor for the Transfiguration. Matthew 17:1 -- After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high
mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. NIV
Peter, James and John were the only witnesses
of the raising of Jairus' daughter: Mark 5:37-41 -- He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John
the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing
loudly. He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." But
they laughed at him...."Little girl, I say to you, get up!" Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she
was twelve years old). NIV
And again, in the Garden of Gethsemane, it was Peter, James and John. Matthew 26:37
-- Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over
there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
NIV
And at the Last Supper, it was John who was leaning against Jesus: John 13:23-25 -- One of them, the
disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which
one he means." Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" NIV
And it was
John who was at the foot of the cross when Jesus made sure that his mother was to be cared for: John 19:25-27 -- Near
the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus saw his
mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"
and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. NIV
The reference as to John being the disciple whom Jesus loved is found in the Gospel of John. It appears to be a reference
that John takes for himself.
John and Peter were together in the temple when Peter healed the man who had been
lame from birth: Acts 3:1-8 -- One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer -- at three in
the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every
day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ... Then Peter said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."
Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his
feet and began to walk. NIV
He and Peter were missionary companions too. They traveled to Samaria (Acts 8:14)
and were also arrested together (Acts 3:1)
And from what we read in John's letters and his Gospel, as well
as the Revelation, we can see that John was an eyewitness to the many things that Jesus did in his ministry.
One
source has this interesting note about John (from Wikipedia source): John was banished (presumably to Patmos) after being
plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering nothing from it. It is said that the entire colosseum were converted to Christianity
upon witnessing this miracle.
Some say this fulfills the words of Christ in Matthew 16:28-- "I tell
you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
And there is a similar reference in John 21:20-23 -- Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved
was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going
to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
Jesus answered, "If
I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." Because of this, the rumor spread
among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I
want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" NIV
So you see, when John was imprisoned
on Patmos, he was entrusted with a vision which he reported in the Revelation. In Revelation 1:1-2 -- The revelation of
Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to
his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw -- that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
In one of the references, I believe Wikipedia, John is said to have trained Polycarp, who was later the Bishop of Smyrna.
"This was important because Polycarp was able to carry John's message to another age." Polycarp was martyred.
He was run through with a sword after burning at the stake didn't work.
As far as Mary, the mother of Jesus
is concerned, we don't have Biblical references to her death or any details of her life after the crucifixion. However,
Roman Catholic tradition says that she and John moved to Ephesus and that she died about ten years after the death of Jesus.
However, there is some dispute among Christians who hold that she died in Jerusalem. Some say she died in Gethsemane.
Others say she died in Jerusalem and is buried at Gethsemane.
The truth is, we don't have any Biblical references
to Mary the mother of Jesus after the meeting in Jerusalem when Matthias was elected to fill the vacancy of Judas Iscariot:
Acts 1:12-14 -- Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from
the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James
and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
NIV
So her last days reflect what is traditionally believed. Some traditions hold that she was taken to heaven.
Some say the reference to a heavenly woman in Revelation 12:1 is a reference to Mary.
We don't know. Traditional
beliefs of various religions and suppositions are the stuff of which doctoral theses are made. Surely someone will search
for clues that will settle some of these mysteries.
For tomorrow, we begin our study of the writings of John
with his Gospel. His Gospel text is different from Matthew, Mark and Luke -- also known as the Synoptic Gospels.
We'll conclude our New Testament studies with the Synoptic Gospels.
## http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Apostle
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08279b.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~shtyetz_john/life-of-st-john-evangelist.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(mother_of_Jesus)
6:01 pm
Thursday, May 22, 2008
New Testament Doxologies (KJV - public domain)
A doxology
is a short hymn of praise. Before you begin reading the doxologies that are in the New Testament, I'd like you to capture
the praise mood by watching these videos. Perhaps the most easily recognized doxology that you may be familiar with is "Praise
God from whom all blessings flow..." This first video is beautifully illustrated and sung in Hawaiian.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uec-x1OSAc0
These next videos are also exquisitely illustrated; the first is beautifully sung. It will help deepen
your mood as we get ready to go through the doxologies in the Word of God. I pray that as you listen and watch the videos,
you will feel the quiet going into places deep in your soul. "Be still and know that I am Lord..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gbrqW0eJmE&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KsaaZsFtkE&feature=related
So the doxologies, then:
1. Matthew 6:13 -- And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
2. Luke 2:14 -- Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
3. Romans 11:36 -- For of him, and through
him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
4. Romans 16:27 -- To God only wise, be glory through
Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
5. Galatians 1:5 -- To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
6. Ephesians 3:21 -- Unto him
be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
7. Philippians 4:20 --
Now unto God and our Father by glory for ever and ever. Amen.
8. 1 Timothy 1:17 -- Now unto the King
eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
9. 2 Timothy
4:18 -- And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be
glory for ever and ever. Amen.
10. Hebrews 13:21 -- Make you perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
11. 1 Peter 4:11 -- If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do
it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12. 1 Peter 5:11 -- To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
13. 2 Peter 3:18 -- But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
14. Jude 24, 25 -- Now unto him that is able to keep you
from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior,
be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen.
15. Revelation 1:6 -- And hath
made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
16.
Revelation 4:8 -- And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they
rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
17.
Revelation 5:13 -- And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the
sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
18. Revelation 7:12 -- Saying Amen: Blessing, and glory,
and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
These next two hymns are apt in light of the praise offered in the doxologies listed above. I pray that each will bring
you to a quiet, reverent place within you. And I pray that you will have a safe and happy holiday. We, here in the United
States, celebrate Memorial Day on Monday, May 26. Please remember to pray for all our soldiers and sailors in the armed services
and also gratefully remember the service in years past of all our esteemed veterans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F0SKbRZvWc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q8ESzK5pCw&feature=related
I will return on Tuesday, May 27 after a weekend of refreshment and digging in the dirt.
##
5:52 pm
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Jude (is one chapter long) adapted from KJV -- public domain
Jude
is a shortened version of the Hebrew name "Judah," or the Greek name "Judas." There are not too many men
thus named in the New Testament, so when it comes to identifying which Jude is this reference, Judas Iscariot is quickly ruled
out by Biblical scholars.
There are five men named Jude or Judas in the New Testament: Mark 6:3; Luke 6:16; John
14:22, Acts 9:11; 15:22, 27 and 32). (Serendipity New Testament for Groups -- NIV, note on p. 489)
We don't know much about Jude. He is one of four brothers (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3). And it was only after the Resurrection
that Jude became a believer (Acts 1:14).
Jude identifies himself as the brother of James in verse 1. Most footnotes
to this reference find this curious since, in the ordinary course, it is more common to identify yourself as the "son
of..." Jude may have pointed to his being the brother of James because of James' high position in the high position
at the synagogue.
So here is the book of Jude, one chapter long, and historically dated to have been written about
65 A.D. And recall, please, that I noted earlier that 2 Peter 2 is quite similar to Jude except for a couple of major differences.
One of those differences, if Jude is an earlier writing that 2nd Peter, is that Peter removed references to apocryphal
writings and references to Enoch. Of the twenty-five verses in Jude, fifteen verses appear in 2 Peter.
Without
getting too far afield here, the apocryphal writings are not canonical. In fact, owing to negative connotations in the 16th
century, apocryphal writings have had authenticity questioned. You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocryphal#New_Testament_apocryphal_literature
Jude came to be accepted in the canon. And whether it was written prior to 2nd Peter and served as reference points
for Peter, or the other way around, does not matter. Both Jude and 2nd Peter are divinely inspired and that's the end
of what I know about that. That doesn't mean there isn't more material on the matter; rather, I just haven't read
other materials or studied them.
The point of this letter is similar to that of Peter. False teachers were infiltrating
the early churches. These false teachers were heretical and were stirring up troubles.
But notice that Jude doesn't
counter their arguments. He does not engage them in any form of debate and then threatens them with punishments if they don't
change their ways.
And Jude especially warns his readers to be wary of them, lest these false teachers lead the
new Christians down a path that will lead to their destruction. So let's see what Jude says about these false teachers.
It certainly is not a new problem among early churches, though.
Jude reminds the readers in verse 5 that God had
rescued the children of Israel from Egypt. But then, the Israelites started their grumbling campaign out there in
the desert. They didn't really believe God was going to give them the vast lands of Canaan. Because of their unbelief,
all the unbelieving adults died out there in the desert. They were not allowed to go into the promised land.
So
Jude is saying to his readers, "Do you remember that? If not, then let me remind you."
Then Jude reminds
his readers about the angels who had abandoned their posts (from Daniel 10:20-21). They weren't destroyed but instead,
are being kept in chains in the dark until Judgment Day! (verse 6)
A third example of the need to stay true to
the word of God is Jude's reference to what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. Pure and total destruction. God does have
a permanent way of dealing with unbelievers. (see verse 7)
Jude brings in a reference to a dispute between the
archangel Michael and the devil about what happened to Moses' body when he died. Michael would not engage the devil in
an argument. Instead, he told the devil that the Lord would set him straight.
So even if there are false teachers
spreading their lies among the new churches, Jude says "Woe be to them!" (see verse 11) That's a very serious
warning for all of us to stay on the path that leads to God. Jude didn't just nonchalantly pick these Old Testament stories
to scare people. He was, instead, trying to keep the Christians in a safe spiritual place. Besides, it was God who was inspiring
these written words that came from Jude's pen.
It was God who was issuing the warning.
Interesting,
too, that Jude quotes Enoch, a man referenced in Genesis 5. This quote says that the Lord would come with ten thousands of
his saints to execute judgment because of their ungodly deeds.
Jude then says to the believers that they should
keep themselves in the love of God and look to Jesus Christ for eternal life.
And Jude closes with his beautiful
doxology in verses 24-25: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the
presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both
now and ever. Amen.
Discussion:
Jude packs a one-chapter book that has only 25
verses in it full of profound statements and warnings.
What do you make of his reference to Enoch?
And
to the reference to Daniel's reference to Michael?
Certainly these Old Testament writings were available to
Jude, as they were to the other disciples and apostles so there was a familiarity to those books that were in the synagogue.
And Jude closes with a beautiful doxology. We will take a look at the other 18 doxologies from the New Testament in
tomorrow's lesson.
We pray: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for making your Word so accessible
in this day and age. I pray that because of missionaries who are spreading the truth of the gospel message that more and more
unchurched people will find your message of salvation. I pray that you would keep all believers safe from Satan and all that
is evil. Amen.
##
4:58 pm
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We welcome July readers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, India, Latvia, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden,
Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam and United
States
This video is the most beautiful depiction of what happens
in the womb when the baby is developing and growing. The video was developed by Yale professor Alexander Tsiaras. Just beautiful.
Warning, though. Some of the images are graphic. But nothing gross. It is just a reminder to me that life is a beautiful baby
and life is absolutely precious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKyljukBE70&feature=player_embedded#!
July 29, 2012
Update on Quint: He
is making an incredible recovery. The skin cancer is essentially gone. When we met with the surgeon for a post-op appointment
on Friday, we learned that the biopsy of the frozen section shows all the cancer was removed. The incision is healing nicely.
It's about a 6" incision down the side of his face in front of the left ear. The doctor put so many stitches in that
any scar is hardly visible. Thanks to all for prayers you have been lifting up for his health. The surgeon says there are
dissolving stitches in three levels of tissue. We also met with our oncologist last week and he says the lymphocitic/leukemia
will continue to make Quint vulnerable to skin cancers. Please keep him in your prayers so that all his cancers, and mine
as well, will remain in remission.
I received the following about a child's reason for why he believes in God
from our friends, John and Sherre, in Wichita, KS:
Little Boy's Explanation of God
He wrote it for his third grade homework assignment,
to 'explain God.'
I wonder if any of us
could have done as well?
'One of God's main jobs is making people.
He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't
make grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't have to take up
his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.'
'God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers
and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because
he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.'
'God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting
his time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.'
'Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista [California]. At least there
aren't any who come to our church.'
'Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach
the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him.
But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive
them and God said O.K.'
'His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he didn't have to
go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers
and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having
to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.'
'You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty
all the time.'
'You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy,
it's God!
Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the
sun doesn't come out at the beach untilnoon anyway.'
'If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere
with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared, in the dark or when you can't
swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.'
'But. . .you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back
anytime he pleases.
And...that's why I believe in God.'
July 13, 2012
Quint is recuperating
from surgery on July 11, 2012. Surgeon removed a growth on left cheek that turned out to be squamous cell cancer. Prognosis
is good because doctor says he got good margins. Please continue to pray for him. He has a 4" incision on left cheek
from about the corner of his eye all the way down to jawbone. Looks worse than it is.
In another matter, this
link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2172551/Art-genius-Nine-year-old-painter-tipped-greatness-buyers-world-snap-work.html shows some incredible artwork that a young, 9-year old in England, artist has painted and his work is beginning to sell
handsomely.
July 1, 2012
I'm a Lutheran
and I sure wish the Lutheran Church had authored this video or one like it: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=D9vQt6IXXaM&hd
No matter, it's a message that needs saying so hats off to the Catholic church!
On another subject,
the temperature here in Middle Illinois at 6 p.m. as 102.8 degrees. That's really hot.
Stay safe out there. If
you do not have air conditioning, or if your AC goes out in this heat, sit in a tub of cool water. It will do wonders pulling
heat out of your body. And let's remember in prayers all those folks on the eastern seaboard who don't have electricity. They
don't even have fans to plug in.
Kind of reminds me of going to church when I was a kid. Oh, was that hot. And
remember those hand fans that funeral homes gave out free to churches? We wore ours out.
June 24, 2012
The heat is
the story here in the Midwest part of the United States. I can't tell you when the last time there was rain, but the corn
stalks are starting to look pretty wilted. The word "parched" comes to mind. The beans don't look any better either.
So the big conclusion that some people have arrived at is that God is punishing the United States because so many
people have turned away from Him?
Oh really?
Who said.
And how many?
These gloom
and doomers pontificate about how we're all going to die and go to hell can't give any numbers. Can't offer any hope.
Well, folks, don't you believe it. God is a God of love. He wants all of us to be saved.
And to those people
who think they can define the reasoning of God are being sacrilegious. They are talking when they should be listing to God.
My God is a God of love. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die for our sins. Because of that, we are
assured of salvation and life eternal.
But there are those who are going through these crises of faith. They're
noisy. When God talks to you, listen to Him. It's that still, small voice inside you. And don't believe the naysayers who
think they have he last word on what means and what God intends to do. They don't know. They just don't know.
Your
faith is what will bring you closer to God. Let Him into your hearts and listen to Him.
June 6, 2012
We don't laugh enough.
We are not light hearted enough. Way too serious. Oh, there are times when serious is good for you, but there are many more
days when we just are not enjoying a good laugh.
So someone sent me a link to Mark Lowry. He's a Christian comedian
and good for a real belly laugh, I can guarantee you.
Here's the link: http://jesus-loves-you.org/?p=6641
I'm going to You Tube and search for him and see if he's got other material. He's really funny.
May 15, 2012
Our U.S. Constitution
is not flawed. It's not dead. It's not irrelevant!
Those who think it's out of touch with today's "modern
thought" fail to realize that the U.S. Constitution is modernized each time the United States Supreme Court reviews a
law or an incident and decides whether the rights of our citizens are abridged or impeached.
The language of the
U.S. Constitution does, in fact, reside in a little book small enough to fit inside a man's jacket pocket or in a lady's handbag.
However, volumes and volumes of interpretive material fills libraries. Interpretation by the sitting Justices keeps our Constitution
up-to-date.
May 12, 2012
Our God is awesome!
God controls the waters and the seas. Take a look at this video of the angry sea. http://www.dump.com/angryseas/
May 10, 2012
http://www.civilwar.org/maps/
I am in the process of researching the involvement and the role that the National Road (U.S. 40) played in military
activities -- specifically troop movements. If you know of any such movements, please email me at jane@janereinheimer.com and put "National Road info" in the subject line. I'd be ever so grateful. If you do not want your name used, be
sure to tell me. Otherwise, I'd like to share that you found the information. This is for a funding opportunity for Effingham
County and it will focus on the role that the National Road has played in the significance of Effingham.
April 27, 2012
Well, that was
a nice little rest.
Since I've last posted, I've fretted that frost would get my lovely irises. It didn't. Nor
did the frost chip away at my roses. I have never had roses blooming in April before. They have exploded into full bloom.
Bright red blooms against our white house. Wow!
And the irises are just as beautiful. I have some really deep purple
irises, light lavender, some two-toned purple and white, bright yellow, a lighter lemon chiffon color, a pink iris and a peach
colored one that is a double.
The spirea finally decided it would bloom too.
All in all, considering
that I did absolutely nothing last year in the flower bed, it's amazing that my little troopers have done as well as they
have. The irises apparently are no longer upset with me for snipping them back at the end of January and early February. Again
in March when they started sending up things that looked like they'd bloom.
We've still had frost tucked in between
80 degree days but nothing serious enough to hurt my darling little flowers.
Quint and I are doing well. We continue
to see our oncologist every three months and get blood work to check markers for cancer that might have decided to invade
us again. So far, so good. Platelet counts are coming back to normal and we're working on our stamina.
I do have
to take some medication for five years -- well, four years now -- that inhibits estrogen. It will keep breast cancer from
recurring. Problem is, it makes the long bones in my legs and muscles in the thighs really ache. Nothing that can't be tolerated
though. Compared to the benefits of what the medicine does for me, I'd say I came out the winner at this point.
Quint's
lymphoma is still in remission too, so we're pretty health for the shape we're in.
And now I'm going to fix us
a snack of yogurt, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas and walnuts. Then we're going to watch some spy thrillers on Netflix
streaming.
Nice to be back and thank you for not giving up on me.
April 10, 2012
I am getting
over the grandaddy of all colds. I expect to be better by morning, after having laid around all day today. Finally just gave
it up and stayed in bed.
Until now, that is.
And you know how I love kids and their entrepreneural spirit.
Well, here's a video of a young lad in east LA who build an arcade out of cardboard boxes in his dad's auto parts store. His
name is Caine and he's 9 years old. It's just precious! http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/unplugged/nine-old-cardboard-arcade-launches-college-fund-182844242.html
Oh, and one other thing before I head back to my comfy easy chair. We have frost warnings for tonight. 30 degrees!
My irises and roses are blooming. Wonder how that's going to set with them.
I just thought I'd mention something
about all those spam emails and telemarketer calls you may be getting. Even if you're signed up for "do not call"
lists, you still can get calls. Here's how. If you take part in an online voting request, or if you call to participate in
a TV vote, you are setting up what is known as a "special relationship." Special relationships with a state allows
any advertiser of that station of promo outfit to put you on their callers who are exempt from the "do not call"
status.
If you live in Illinois and you get a telemarketer call, just tell the caller that Illinois is a "do
not call" state and you do not want to be on their lists. They are required to hang up at that point. I've tried it and
it works.
Also, here's a tip for getting rid of all those preapproved gimmicks that find their way into your mailbox.
When I get the offers, the first thing I do is draw a big diagnonal line through the offer and write VOID on it. Then I stuff
the document back into the self-addressed postage paid envelope that they provide. The advertisers are going to stop sending
you stuff pretty quick rather than pay postage twice.
April 5, 2012
It's Maundy
Thursday - the first part of the Easter trilogy.
Maundy Thursday was the night when Jesus shared bread and wine
with his disciples and commemorated the event that we've followed in the Lutheran Church for ages since that time.
When I was confirmed on Palm Sunday many years ago, Maundy Thursday was the first opportunity I was given as a new confirmant
to take my first communion. It was an awesome experience then, and it continues to be every chance I get.
I hope
that it is the same for you as you draw near to the Easter story. Tomorrow is Good
Friday. Part 2 with the significance of Christ dying on the cross for our sins.
And then, of course, there's Easter
Sunday when we celebrate Christ's resurrection.
Sin and death no longer have a hold on us because Christ died for
our sins.
April 4, 2012
Ready to watch
a miracle? Here's a video showing a woman in an SUV sinking. She couldn't swim. The SUV sank. But the miracle is not that
she was somehow pulled from the SUV but the after-story: http://salesianity.blogspot.com/2012/04/woman-drowning-in-her-suv-is.html --
May the blessings of Easter catch you up in the miracles going around you every day. Life is a miracle.
God brings miracles to us today just as He did thousands of years ago when Jesus died and rose again. I pray that you will
get caught up in the miracle of the Easter story all over again. Christ died for our sins and rose again, and because He rose
again, we have eternal life guaranteed to us by our Heavenly Father.
April 2, 2012
Want to know what
video of a couple of famous dancers has gotten more than 118 million hits? None other than the big routine from Dirty
Dancing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpmILPAcRQo&feature=related
Another trivia question that some of you may know the answer to has to do with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's
failure at sea. April 15 is the date of this tragedy. If you thought most of the folks on board perished in the icy waters,
you'll be surprised to learn that only half died. Well, maybe "only" is not a good word. One would be too many on
a ship that was touted as unsinkable. There were 2,223 passengers and crew. 1,517 died. A little more than half.
April 1, 2012
If you haven't
heard this song by the Barn Again Gang -- On My Father's side -- am sure you'll enjoy it. And thanks to you, Joyce
from Frankfort, IL for sending: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5ddoyfn6g4
And here's Kaitlyn Maher, a 4-year old, singing in America's Got Talent. Mind you, she's had 26,585,501 hits on
her debut on the national stage. She is absolutely adorable! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwAbtizFCzo&feature=related
Kaitlyn Maher again, this time singing Ave Maria - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR0AXNtwqZE&feature=related
And she got to sing for President and First Lady Laura Bush: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpt_UU96EG8&feature=related
Here she is singing the National Anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhD9kKb3hSM&feature=related
I have not ever heard the story about the "Praying Hands" so I am especially thankful to
Cody in Warrensburg, MO for sending Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household,
a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his tradeand any other paying chore he could find in
the neighborhood.
Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of the elder children, Albrecht and Albert, had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would
never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
After many long discussions
at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down
into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that
brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either
with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.
They tossed a coin on a Sunday
morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg.
Albert went down into the dangerous
mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation.
Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the
time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.
When the young
artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant
homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position
at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht
to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn.
Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream,and I will take care of you."
All heads turned in eager
expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head
from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no....no ..no."
Finally,
Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding
his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me.
Look ... Look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at
least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly In my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass
to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ....for
me it is too late."
More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits,
pen and silver-point sketches, water colors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in
the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.
One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's
abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands,"
but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of
love "The Praying Hands."
March 30, 2012
I have to
share with you that the operators of this web site have become increasingly frustration to work with. The way I see it, I
have two choices: (1) shut down the site altogether and discontinue the blogs, or (2) find a site that is more responsive
to what I want from a web site.
In the meantime, one of the questions that Jesus asked is #80 -- If you do not
believe Moses' writings, how will you believe me? (John 5:47)
Old Testament writings often come under fire as being
"irrelevant" or "out of date" or just "too old."
All of those excuses are flawed,
in my view.
In the first place, the Word of God is eternal.
Because the Word is eternal, it transcends
time and space.
For that reason, when you read the Bible, the breath of God is still on the paper; still on the
words. The Bible is the Word of God. It will never get "too old" or "out of date."
Get into
the Word. Absorb it; take it in. If you find any challenge whatsoever about understanding what some passages mean, then the
Counselor will be sent to you, just for the asking. Just pray that Jesus will send you His Counselor to assist you in your
readings.
Blessings to you in your spiritual journey through the Word of God.
March 27, 2012
Here is one
of the most precious tapes I've ever heard of a child: http://www.maniacworld.com/stay-calm-dad.html From my friend Shirley in Arizona. It's just precious!
This is a video I found on my own. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rtt-TmReaw&feature=related I love the innocence of this little girl. I pray that she will hold onto her dreams all her life and never let anyone
snatch them away from her.
God keeps the dreams of children in his right hand pocket. And woe be to those who
steal the dreams of a child.
Today I am going to discuss Question #66 from Luke 18:7 -- Will not God then
secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?
In the first place, I consider myself
one of God's chosen ones because I claim the inheritance of being a child of God.
And how did I get to
be a child of God? Simple. I believe that Jesus Christ, God's only Son, died for my sins and offered me salvation. By doing
this, He names says that I share in the inheritance of God's richest blessings.
And you most certainly can enjoy
this same inheritance and become a Child of God by believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins too.
It's just
that simple. You have only to believe.
This is my right, in God's own words. He says: Will not God then secure
the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? I believe that because I know that God does not lie.
He's good for His promises and when He says He's going to secure my rights, what do I have to fear?
And do I call
out to God day and night? Yes. In my car when I head out to work. I pray that some idiot does not plow into me head-on. I
pray that I don't get tee-boned by someone running a red light or a stop sign.
I pray that when I enter that miraculous
place of empty thoughts of what seems to be unconsciousness, that the veil will be lifted in the morning and I will re-awaken
to a new day. Sleep itself is a miracle. We fall into a mindless abyss every night and awaken refreshed to a new day. Is that
a miracle or what? How does God do that?
I remember reading or hearing this "what if" thought that when
you awaken in the morning, what if the only things you had in your life were the things you thanked God for yesterday! Kind
of put a new perspective on things for me. Instead of just nagging and nagging -- which I can be pretty good at -- for things
I think I want, or things I think I need -- I stop every day and thank God for what He gives me. The gifts are enormous and
I only get them because He is a gracious God. I certainly deserve nothing.
But all day and all night I talk to
God. We have an ongoing conversation. Help me with this, please. Oh, and thank you for that. Or how about all those problems
that you just can't seem to solve. Then He says, "I can help you with that." Or, after the problem is solved and
I nod a quiet thank you, He says "All you had to do was ask."
God is my friend. This King of the Universe
took notice of me when I was about four years old. That's when I started talking to Him in my head. I knew it was God because
I learned about Him in Sunday School. My Sunday School teacher told me I could just talk to God simply like he was an ordinary
person. I took her at her word and have never thought of God as anything but.
Even though I know for sure, now
that I have a few more years on me, that God is nothing ordinary at all. But I also know that He is never too busy to secure
my rights as one of His chosen ones.
Enjoy your day and rest easy in your sleep, dear friends. God is watching
out for you.
March 26, 2012
Question
#32 that Jesus asked was, "Could you not watch for me one brief hour?" -- Matt. 26:40
There are lots
and lots of ways to travel through the Lenten season on the way to Calvary. And the reasons for doing things differently are
many and varied.
People offer up the thought that they can worship anywhere. They feel just as close to God, they
say, when they are listening to a beautiful piece of music, or walking through the woods in the late afternoon.
Those
things are true.
But it seems to me that if you want to go down that path to Calvary, you ought to do it the way
that Jesus wants you to do it. Not the way you think, in your not-so-infinite pseudo-wisdom of coming up with these cute
little excuses. Cute, you think.
Truth is, Jesus wants you to go to your church, or your temple and watch
with him there, in that place.
This question that Jesus asks from Matthew sounds like a plea to me. Couldn't
you watch with me one hour?
Well, sure you could, if you thought it was important enough.
Quint
and I go to Lenten services and the church is not even half full. Where is everybody? Working? Playing? Doing homework? Driving
around? Out to dinner? Where are you? Those who couldn't come to this worshiping place to watch with Jesus one hour.
What if I told you that I had learned that Jesus was going to make one of those rare earthly appearances for one week only.
He was actually going to come to church because He wanted to talk to me.
I'd move heaven and earth to get there
on time. I want to meet this man while He's still alive. You bet I'd watch with him an hour. In fact, I'll stay up all night
if he stuck around to talk to me.
And talks to me He does. When I'm sitting in that pew, I can almost feel his
eyes burning a hole in my skin. Kind of at the back of my neck. I can almost feel his hand on my shoulder while he bends around
to look at me and whispers to me, "I'm so glad you came tonight. I'm doing this all for you, you know."
He's my Savior. We're connected. It must break His heart to see so many empty pews when they should be overflowing with
people who are willing to give Him one hour of their busy schedules.
"Why couldn't you watch with me one
hour?" He asks. It's a question you'll have all of eternity to answer Him one day.
March 25, 2012
Now this is precious!
It's a two year old dancing to Jailhouse Rock. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wt824D1Bqg He's got some good moves too.
March 24, 2012
At this time
of year, one of my favorite places on earth is Kentucky when the dogwood and redbud are in full bloom -- and nowhere are they
more beautiful than my home town -- Paducah, Kentucky.
Just look at these gorgeous photos and you'll see what I
mean: http://www.terragalleria.com/america/south-east/kentucky/
These quips come from my cousin who lives in a small town not too far from Houston -- well, in Texas, 200 miles
is a "small distance" I think: THE POSITIVE SIDE OF LIFE:
Living on Earth is expensive,
but it does include a free trip
around the sun every year.
How long a minute is
depends on what side of the
bathroom door you're on.
Birthdays are good for you;
the more you have,
the longer you live.
Happiness comes through doors you
didn't even know you left open.
Ever notice that the people who are late
are often much jollier
than the people who have to wait for them?
Most of us go to our grave
with our music still inside of us.
If WalMart is lowering prices every day,
how come nothing is free yet?
You may be only one person in the world,
but you may also be the world to one person.
Some mistakes are too much fun
to only make once.
Don't cry because it's over;
smile because it happened.
We could learn a lot from crayons:
some are sharp, some are pretty,
some are dull, some have weird names,
and all are different colors....but
they all exist very nicely in the same box.
A truly happy person is one who
can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Have an awesome day, and
know that someone
who thinks you're great
has thought about you today!..
"And that person was me.".....
Please don't keep this message
to yourself.....send it to those
who mean so much to you.... "NOW".
Thank you, Frances. I love the one about some mistakes. Hope you don't have too many people
out there who are all to eager to point each and every little mistake you make. Those, I think, are the ones who go to
their graves with the music still living inside them. It's just too much "vinegar energy" to look for flaws in people.
And God knows I have more than my share, it seems. But here's the thing: I don't make mistakes on purpose and I never
make mistakes with the idea of making someone's misery index go up. I just thank God that I am surrounded by true
friends who cut me some slack. You know the ones. They really care about you. I like the idea that we are all living in a
big crayon box. That has to be one of those lessons learned in kindergarten. But then, I'm old enough to realize that
we didn't have kindergarten when I started school.
I celebrated kicking off my educational pursuits by going down
the big slide on the playground with a somersault from the top. I was grounded from recess for the rest of the week.
These beautiful thoughts also come from Frances: JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT IT IS CHRISTIAN
PERSON WEEK AND YOU SHOULD SEND THIS TO ALL BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN PEOPLE
When I say that 'I am
a Christian', I am not shouting that 'I am clean living. I'm whispering 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ
to be my guide.
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and
need His strength to carry on.
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect. My flaws
are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.
When I say 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting
of pain. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier
than thou, I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!
Today is Beautiful Christian Person's
Day. Pretty is as Pretty does but, Beautiful is just plain Beautiful..
I'm supposed to send this to Beautiful
People, and you are one of them!!!
March 21, 2012
From the
sermon text at our 5th Midweek Lenten Service in Matthew 28:16-20 comes the command of Jesus that we are to go into all the
world and make disciples of all men.
Well, I don't know about you but I can't go to the airport and get a ticket
to go to some faraway place and work in a mission field. But those very words are the marching orders of the church.
What I can do is partner with the Lutheran Women's Missionary League and be a supplier of stuff that missionaries
can use. Quilts, for instance. Quilts are made in Lutheran churches all across this country. They find their way into orphanages.
In hospitals. In remote villages where they are placed over a low branch and become the roof of a home. If the villager is
lucky, a second quilt could be a floor. We need more quilts -- more than the 355,000 that have been made this winter. That
means there will be an unmet need.
Our church is going to put baby kits together. These baby kits will have a few
diapers in them. Some tee shirts. Some tiny little caps. Diaper pins and little sleepers. We're making the receiving blankets
and it will have a bunch of baby supplies in it, then pinned with the diaper pins. Missionaries can take these baby kits and
go into villages and give them to new mothers who often don't have clothes for newborn babies. And if they have a receiving
blanket at all, it was made from their old clothes that were too worn out to use anymore. Imagine the joy when a new mom gets
a bright, colorful receiving blanket that has been made with so much love and joy and prayers!
Yes, the women of
the Lutheran Women's Missionary League can partner with missionaries who are in a position to tell others first-hand what
Jesus has done for them. They can ground others by bringing them the Word of God.
And how long are we supposed
to do all this?
Jesus says "Until the end of the age." That is, we're supposed to keep on keeping on
until Jesus comes back for us.
In the meantime, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of ways that
I can reach out to people around the world and spread the wonderful message that Jesus Christ died for our sins and because
of his death on the cross, we can claim salvation as a child of God.
So this is the reason I write this blog. It's
my way of going around the world to talk to people about what Christ has done for each one of us. That would be you. And it
would be me. My computer is my magic carpet and on it, I can ride through cyberspace to reach you in 23 countries so far this
month.
God bless each and every one of you.
March 20, 2012
Election
results in Illinois: http://www.wthitv.com/subindex/elections/results Not all results are in at this writing.
If you are anywhere near middle Illinois on March 23, you could do
yourself a favor and go to the Effingham Performance Center at 8:00 p.m. and catch the show headlined by Scott Wattles of
Blue Suede Crew. Tickets are $5. He's an incredible performer for those of us who wax nostalgia over Elvis, Roy Orbison, Marty
Robbins, and a host of others. What a voice!
We had an opportunity to hear him for the first time on Sunday evening.
All Gospel songs. And a standing ovation for How Great Thou Art!
If I tried that it would come under the
category of making a joyful noise, but I am filled with appreciation for anyone who can sing really well. We are fortunate
because own Pastor Rensner is also a wonderful vocalist. I love listening to someone who loves to sing. And both these gentlemen
do!
Earthquake near Acapulco registers 7.6! That's a really hefty earthquake even if it is about 200 miles
from Acapulco. God is sure rattling the earth these days. Two hundred miles is nothing when an earthquake ripples its way
through the earth.
It is still 78 degrees in the house. And Quint mowed the grass -- or part of it -- yesterday
afternoon. Don't remember that happening in March. Ever. We sure do enjoy having the windows open and soft warm breezes blowing
across us when we're sleeping though. We pray for God's blessings to all of you. Some of you are living in dangerous area and you are especially in our prayers.
And we thank you for prayers too.
March 19, 2012
An anonymous
quote: PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM
FEEL.
It's time for a patriotic song and this just arrived from Shirley, my favorite snow bird who has not
returned from Arizona yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TPgJSZf5Vw&feature=youtu.be
And here's a cute little story sent by our friends John and Sherre in Wichita: Subject: A New Pet
The Talking
Centipede
A single guy decided life would be more fun if he had a pet.
So he went to the pet store and told the owner
That he wanted to buy an unusual pet.
After some discussion, he finally bought a talking centipede,
(100-legged bug), which came in a little white box
To use for his house.
He took the box back home, found a good spot for the box,
And decided he would start off by taking his new pet
To church with him.
So he asked the centipede in the box,
"Would you like to go
To church with me today?
We will have a good time."
But there was no answer from his new pet.
This bothered him a bit, but he waited a few minutes
And then asked again,
"How about going
To church with me
And receive blessings?"
But again,there was no answer
From his new friend and pet.
So he waited a few minutes more,
Thinking about the situation.
The guy decided to invite the centipede one last time.
This time he put his face up against
The centipede ' s house and shouted,
"Hey, in there!
Would you like to go
To Church with
me And learn
about God?"
......
YOU
ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS ......
This time, A
little voice
Came out of the box,
"I heard you the first time!
I ' m putting my shoes on!"
March 17, 2012
Today is
the day when the whole world is Irish. That includes my cousin, Mark, who sends this blessing. It's beautiful poetry by Phil
Coulter and narrated by Roma Downey. I thank you Mark for this beautiful blessing and, in turn, send it along to all my friends:
http://www.andiesisle.com/ThisBlessingIsForYou.html Looking at the beautiful photos, I am reminded of a wonderful vacation that Quint and I took to Ireland a few years
ago. It's a beautiful country and I got an answer to why the green grass is so vibrant and emerald colored. Supposedly it's
because of the high level of minerals in the soil, most particularly calcium. And that's one of the reasons why Queen Elizabeth
sends here pregnant horses to Ireland to deliver. Munching on good Irish green grass makes for healthy bones for the baby
horse in the mom's womb, and also when the little baby horse starts to grow and develop. The grass really is emerald colored.
They aren't just kididng.
Ready for a little humor? This comes from my friend Cody in Warrensburg, MO:
Billy Graham was returning to Charlotte after a speaking engagement and when his Plane arrived there was a limousine
there to transport him to his home.
As he prepared to get into the limo, he stopped and spoke to the driver.
'You know' he said, 'I am 87 years old and I have never
Driven a limousine. Would you mind if I drove
it for a while?'
The driver said,
'No problem. Have at it.'
Billy gets into the driver's
seat and they head off Down the highway. A short distance away Sat a rookie State Trooper operating his
first speed trap.
The long black limo went by him doing 70 in a 55 mph zone.
The trooper pulled out
And easily caught the limo And he got out of his patrol car to begin the procedure. The young trooper walked
up to the driver's door And when the glass Was rolled down, He was surprised to see Who was driving.
He immediately excused himself and went back to his car And called his supervisor.
He told
the supervisor, 'I know we are supposed To enforce the law.... But I also know that Important people
are Given certain courtesies. I need to know what I should do because I have stopped a Very
important person.'
The supervisor asked, 'Is it the governor?'
The young trooper said, 'No,
he's more important Than that.'
The supervisor said, 'Oh, so it's the president.'
The young
trooper said, 'No, he's even more Important than that.'
The supervisor finally asked,
'Well
then, who is it?'
The young trooper said,
'I think it's Jesus, Because he's got Billy Graham
for a chauffeur!'
Smile - God loves you! I ask the Lord to bless you, as I pray for you today; To guide you
and protect you, as you go along your way God's love is always with you, God's promises are true.
And when
you give God all your cares, believe with all your might that God will see you through.
March 16, 2012
I see a lot
of anxious people who come for counseling. And even though anxious people want very much to not be anxious anymore, they resist
doing the very thing that un-anxious people know all about. That is, un-anxious people live their lives on a foundation of
faith. Christ lives in their hearts. The Holy Spirit is used as a daily ever-ready counselor.
In going down the
list of 100 Questions That Jesus Asked, I come to Luke 12:26 which asks: If even the smallest things
are beyond your control, why are you anxious about the rest?
It's a humbling thought that we don't
have all that much control over the external events of our lives. For instance, there's that old Liar, Satan, who likes to
poke his nose into every facet of our business. He'd like to think we're easy pickings for his nasty little harvest. And beware
that you say such things as, "I'd give anything ..." Satan is the one who will seize that opportunity and yes, he
can grant your wishes, too. Many times he does. Then he comes back for payment from you a nickel at a time.
You
want wealth? Satan will give it to you. Then what? How many lives have been ruined by winning the lottery? But you say you'd
like to just try it? Don't bother. Satan doesn't play fair. He wants to own you, lock stock and barrel.
The Lord,
on the other hand, says, Do my work and I will prosper you. God is not against prosperity. It's not money that gets
people in trouble. Rather, it's the love of moneythat leads to sin. The love of money leads to greed and corruption.
People who are thousandaires strive to become millionaires. Millionaires strive to become billionaires. No matter how weather
they are, they are never satisfied with what they have. Prosperity, on the other hand, comes with contentment.
When
we are prosperous we thank the Lord that we have enough to spare and some left to share.
Lots of people are anxious
about money because they have this idea that they want more and more and more, and never realizing that they don't have enough,
and probably will never have enough to suit them.
But money isn't the only thing that causes so much anxiety. It's
the fear that we're never going to be in control of situations or events in our lives.
When you look at your life,
what is it that you think you do have control over? Your children? Your addicted spouse? Your job? Your ability to drive down
the street and not have an accident? Your shopping for food and making the assumption that the food hasn't been tampered with
by an idiot who has figured out a way to slip a poison into your food without it being detected until you get sick and are
rushed to a hospital? Or you order and egg at a restaurant and get a dose of salmonella.
How's that control thing
working out for you?
But here's what you do. First of all, get down on your knees and pray to God. Pray to Jesus
Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to come into your heart and help you figure things out better. God likes our prayers better when
we are reverent, I've found. That's why kneeling is best; it's humbling.
Don't want to do that? Well, you don't
have to. Life can continue the way it's been going for you if you are filled with fears and anxieties. But if you want your
life to change, let Jesus Christ into your heart. He has solutions for you that you can't even imagine.
He's the
Master of the universe and it's Jesus Christ who is the agent of change in your life, not you.
March 15, 2012
Oh my, what
a beautiful day we had today. It warmed up to a perfect 74 degrees. Soft, gentle breezes. Then there was this dark, ugly row
of clouds that I had my eye on as I drove to work. It was about twenty miles away. Never did get a drop of rain. The clouds
scooted east and stayed out of my way. The storm must have hit Detroit. I saw some pretty ugly video of tornadoes over there
late this afternoon. Lots of damage and rubble. Hope there were no casualties.
On another subject, I have been
thinking about compassion a lot these days. The people who are able to express and share it with others are so welcome in
my world. Here's the deal. We all have to fashion our responses to other people similarly to what our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, would do.
Compassion and gentle tenderness. And love and kindness. And helping one another.
This
comes from good friend Shirley all the way from Arizona:
This is SIMPLY AWESOME!I’ve never seen this
before! Whoever put “The Resume of Jesus Christ” together is surelya blessing to us all! Please share
it! The last sentence says it all... The Resume of Jesus Christ Address:
Ephesians 1:20 Phone: Romans 10:13 Website: The Bible . Keywords: Christ, Lord, Savior
and Jesus _____________________________________________________ Objective My name is Jesus -The
Christ. Many call me Lord! I've sent you my resume because I'm seeking the top management position in your
heart. Please consider my accomplishments as set forth in my resume. _____________________________________________________________________
Qualifications I founded the earth and established the heavens, (See Proverbs 3:19) I
formed man from the dust of the ground, (See Genesis 2:7) I breathed into man the breath of life,
(See Genesis 2:7) I redeemed man from the curse of the law, (See Galatians 3:13)
The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant comes upon your life through me, (See Galatians 3:14)
_____________________________________________________________________ Occupational
Background I've only had one employer, (See Luke 2:49 ). I've
never been tardy, absent, disobedient, slothful or disrespectful. My employer has nothing
but rave reviews for me, (See Matthew 3:15 -17) _____________________________________________________________________
Skills Work Experiences Some of my skills and work experiences include: empowering
the poor to be poor no more, healing the broken hearted, setting the captives free, healing the sick, restoring
sight to the blind and setting at liberty them that are bruised, (See Luke 4:18). I
am a Wonderful Counselor, (See Isaiah 9:6). People who listen to me shall dwell safely and shall not fear evil,
(See Proverbs 1:33 ). Most importantly, I have the authority, ability and power to
cleanse you of your sins, (See I John 1:7-9) _____________________________________________________________________
Educational Background I encompass the entire breadth and length of knowledge,
wisdom and understanding, (See Proverbs 2:6). In me are hid all of the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge, (See Colossians 2:3). My Word is so powerful; it has been
described as being a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path, (See Psalms 119:105).
I can even tell you all of the secrets of your heart, (See Psalms 44:21). _____________________________________________________________________
Major Accomplishments I was an active participant in the greatest Summit Meeting
of all times, (See Genesis 1:26 ). I laid down my life so that you may live, (See
II Corinthians 5:15 ). I defeated the arch enemy of God and mankind and made a
show of them openly, (See Colossians 2:15 ). I've miraculously fed the poor, healed
the sick and raised the dead! There are many more major accomplishments, too many
to mention here. You can read them on my website, which is located at: www dot - the BIBLE. You don't need
an Internet connection or computer to access my website. _____________________________________________________________________
References Believers and followers worldwide will testify to my divine healing, salvation, deliverance, miracles, restoration and supernatural guidance. _____________________________________________________________________
In Summation Now that you've read my resume, I'm confident that I'm the only candidate
uniquely qualified to fill this vital position in your heart. In summation, I will properly direct your paths,
(See Proverbs 3:5-6), and lead you into everlasting life, (See John 6:47 ). When can I start? Time is of
the essence, (See Hebrews 3:15 ). Send this resume to everyone you know, you never know
who may have an opening! Thanks for your help.
'Nuff said.
March 14, 2012
I just got
this link from my friend in the Quad Cities area in northern Illinois. It's an eagle mom sitting on her nest. And the article
points out that the nest if seven feet in diameter! http://www.alcoa.com/locations/usa_davenport/en/info_page/eaglecam.asp
Got this from Mary, a friend who lives in Springfield. It comes to her from an attorney. And just an aside, when
your credit card is stolen, you do know that you have to file the report in the police department where the fraud/theft took
place, don't you? There's lot of good advice here and I thank you, Mary, for sending this. I'm going to write "photo
ID required" on each card as I receive new ones. That's a great idea!
All Credit Card Users Advice -
Tel Numbers
Advice for all credit card users posted by Bluwolf at Caps Corner Sunday morning 03/11/2012 bluwolf] Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe
we should all take some of his advice! A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his
company:
1.Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put 'PHOTO ID REQUIRED.'
2. When
you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the 'For'
line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone
who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.
3.Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead
of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks.
(DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have It printed, anyone can get it.
4. Place
the contents of your wallet on photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what
you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror
stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a Name, address,Social Security number, credit cards.. Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the
thieves ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved
to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.
But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know: 5.We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and
your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them. 6.. File a police
report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you
were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). But here's what is perhaps
most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)
7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations
immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. I had never
heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet
in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have
to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
By the time I was advised to do this, almost two
weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves'
purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done,
and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their
tracks. Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been
stolen:
1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-62851-800-525-6285
2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
1-888-397-3742
3.) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289 1-800-680 7289
4.) Social Security Administration
(fraud line): 1-800-269-0271 1-800-269-0271 We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about everything. If you are willing to pass this information along, it could really help someone that you care
about.
March 13, 2012
It has been
a really long day at an all day board meeting for Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML). The location of the meeting is
some 95 miles from home. We passed a resolution for mission grants in the amount of $75,000.
The women of the LWML
are amazing. They collect small amounts of change on a regular basis and add them all together and pretty soon, there are
thousands of dollars in our district, and almost two million at the national level. Then the money is sent all around the
world to help feed hungry children, start new churches, help church workers go to school, and a wide variety of projects that
we receive.
One of the member groups, called Societies, is finishing up some 170 quilts they have been making
this winter. Another group, from my zone, has made 127 quilts. These quilts will be sent to Lutheran World Relief and shipped
to people around the world wherever they are needed.
It's a long day to meet for quarterly board meetings but
it's refreshing to partner with so many other women of faith who share a single commitment to help make the world a better
place to live in.
We had a mission pastor speak at our church last Sunday and he tells of the horrible poverty
in Central America. Did you know that there are children who do not have clothes to wear. And they eat maybe once every two
or three days?
Why aren't more people on fire with a passion to join in a partnership with churches that are working
hard in these poverty-stricken countries? These are the groups that make sure almost 100% of any money that's collected goes
right where it's needed. And much of that money is spent distributing the goods that are collected.
Pray for the
hungry and the naked children who live in squalor and poverty.
God bless you, each and every one.
March 11, 2012
Today is
the day when it feels like we've moved into another time zone -- one just to the west of us because the sun stays up longer.
ha ha
My dear friend Joyce sent me this link to a video that is nothing short of adorable. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vJRDpTUIrJI&vq=medium
It's about a mother black bear and her three newborn cubs getting tagged in the wilds of Ontario. The commentator
is pretty funny too. Thank you, Joyce.
Here's another one from Joyce. It's about a young woman who's talking to
her grandpa about the ipad she gave him. He assures her that he's using it and knows all about the apps, etc. Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0FVm_H_D18
-- See, don't tell fibs.
And this comes from my cousin, Frances, in southern Texas:
How children perceive their Grandparents......
1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under
the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and
started to leave, the little one said, "But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will
probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye....
2. My young
grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 80. My grandson was
quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"
3. After putting her grandchildren
to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the
children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed
into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old
say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"
4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter
what her own childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung
from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl
was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"
5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally
polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.
6. A little
girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's
it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."
7. I didn't know
if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color
it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the
door, saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these colors yourself!"
8.
When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting
pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no
use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."
9. When my grandson asked me how
old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised "Mine
says I'm 4 to 6."
10.. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma,
guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting." she said... "How do you make babies?" "It's simple,"
replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."
11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence
about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant."
The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure,"
said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child."
12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren
to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian
dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child. "No," said another. "He's just for good luck.." A third child brought the argument to a close."They
use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."
13. A 6-year-old was asked where
his grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."
14. Grandpa is the smartest
man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!
15. My
Grandparents are funny, when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dog.
March 7, 2012
Got this earnest
prayer from a dear friend, Diane, who lives in Hidalgo:
Hi Lord, its me.* *We are getting older and
things are getting bad here.* *Gas prices are too high, no jobs, food and heating costs too high.* *I know some
have taken you out of our schools, government and even* *Christmas, but Lord I'm asking you to come back* *and re-bless
America .* *We really need you!* *There are more of us who want you than those who don't!* *Thank You
Lord,* *I Love you.* *If you agree, send it on---if not just delete.* *Only you & the Lord will know.* *"Life without God is** **like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point."*
As a side note, there
is a prayer group that stops to pray at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. The prayer is for America to return to its Christian
roots and rid Washington, D. C. of all corrupt politicians. People all over the country are joining together in this common
prayer. Join in if you can.
Last night was Ladies Aid at church. What a privilege it is to meet with other women
of like Christian values and to share God's word in a Bible Study, then our hostess for the evening, Melissa, made a wonderful
spread of fresh fruit. She also made cookies but I didn't have any. It seems that sugar has become my enemy since learning
that I have gout that settled in my lower back and my right thumb. The medicine that I now take is for people who specifically
took Cytoxan as a chemo treatment for breast cancer. So, no sugary desserts. But then, since Quint is diabetic,
Splenda has become my friend. And I can also get chocolate covered cherries from Figi's and have them shipped to me. Yummmmmmy!
It's really windy here. So bad that the windmill has blown over twice in the last day or so. I also heard that
there were 90 mph gusts in Las Vegas. Not that anybody who goes to Las Vegas goes outside to stand on the sidewalks to enjoy
the weather. I mean, they don't even have clocks in the casinos. They'd probably like it if people took their watches off,
but that's not happening much either.
Got this from both cousins, Mark and Alan, so you know it's serious
stuff:
Seems Reasonable
Can't eat pork,
Swine flu...
Can't eat chicken,
Bird flu.
Can't eat Beef, Mad cow
.....
Can't eat eggs, Salmonella.
Can't
eat fish, heavy metal poisons in their waters.
Can't eat fruits and veggies E coli, insecticides and herbicides.
Hmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
I believe that leaves Chocolate
and ice cream!!!!!!!!
Remember - - - 'STRESSED'
spelled backwards!
is
'DESSERTS'
March 5, 2012
Got this poignant
story from cousin Mark. Enjoy! Gratitude is a acquired pleasure.Have a great day full of love and happiness.
Change Your Thinking
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed
to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.
His bed was next
to the room's only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked
for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the
military service, where they had been on vacation..
Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could
sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened
by all the activity and colour of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst
flowers of every colour and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by
the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine
this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although
the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it
with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring
water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.
She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate,
the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making
sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to
take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.
It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not
even see the wall.
She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'
Epilogue:
There
is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but
happiness when shared, is doubled.
And these quips from "kids in church" comes from dear friend,
Cody, in Warrensburg, MO:
A little boy was in a relative's wedding. As he was coming down the aisle, he would
take two steps, stop, and turn to the crowd. While facing the crowd, he would put his hands
up like claws and roar. So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR, all the way down the
aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the pulpit. When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, "I was being the Ring Bear."
One
Sunday in a Midwest City , a young child was "acting up" during the morning worship hour. The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew but were losing the battle.
Finally, the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly up the aisle on his way out.
Just before reaching the safety of the foyer, the little one called loudly to the congregation, "Pray for
me! Pray for me!"
One particular four-year old prayed, "And forgive us our trash baskets
as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."
A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord,
if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."
A Sunday
School teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to
be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping." A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, looking
at the old pages as he turned them. Then something fell out of the Bible. He picked it
up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that has been pressed in between the pages. "Mama,
look what I found," the boy called out. "What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked.
With astonishment in the young boy's voice he answered, "I think it's Adam 's suit".
The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking
the mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and
nearly tripping before jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl
in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, "If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"
Six-year
old Angie , and her four-year old brother, Joel , were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang
and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church."
"Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See
those two men standing by the door? They're hushers."
My grandson was visiting one day when he
asked , "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally
polished my halo, while I asked, "No, how are we alike?" "You're both old," he replied.
A ten-year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible. Then, one day, she floored her grandmother by asking, "Which Virgin was the mother
of Jesus ? The virgin Mary or the King James Virgin ?"
A Sunday school class was studying the
Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The
teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and
quoted, "Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbor's wife."
March 3, 2012
Please lift
your hearts in prayer for the victims of this horrible rash of tornados today. These are killer winds. In addition to fatalities
reported, there's dangers with houses being lifted off their foundations. It's a good night to stay in, be safe, and
pray that God will embrace all those people who are suffering with heavy losses. Harrisburg, in southern Illinois, was particularly
hit, it seems to me. But there are other areas, with just as deadly outbreaks. I heard on one of the news channels that this
year would be as bad as the tornado season in 1978.
We pray steadfastly, also, that our nation will return to
its Christian roots on which it was founded.
I look forward to going to church on Sunday and hearing a message
from the Gospel lesson that, at least in part, says For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and
sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
March 8:38
I think there are a whole bunch of people out there who have kind of postponed thinking about what
they're going to do with all this Christianity stuff. "I'll worry about all that when I get older," they seem to
think.
Oh yeah?
Well, think of Andrew Breitbart, who now lays cold and quiet at the tender age of 43.
He was one of my favorite reads. He was the kind of journalist that Pulitzer hoped to reward for courage through the printed
word. I pray that he was okay with God before he took his last breath. I have a feeling that he was.
But what about
all the other people out there? You know the ones -- they don't want the children to pray in school. They don't want to say
the word "God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. They don't want to hear anything that sounds like Christian talk. Woe
be to those who turn their backs on God. This verse in Mark tells them exactly what God will do in retaliation. And don't
think for one minute that they can appease God with some half-witted excuse like, "I didn't mean it. You know I wasn't
serious, don't you?"
It's time to pray like you mean it. It's time to spend your days thinking about God.
Oh, you don't have to jump up out of your chair screaming "Hallalujah." But you can think about the Great and Wonderful
Creator of the Universe who allows you to take each breath throughout every day of your life. Be thankful for that.
I have always wondered about the people who want to go to heaven. Don't they realize that they will spend their time praising
and worshiping God? If they are looking forward to the time when they are able to do that, wouldn't you think they could spend
more time worshiping and praising God every day, in some way?
There are so many things a person can do to worship
God. He sees us when we are kind to others. He sees us when we are compassionate and generous. He sees us when we try with
all our heart to lead a life as free as sin as we possibly can - not that we'll ever be totally sin-free, what being human
and all. But we ought to try as best as we can to avoid temptation and sin in our lives.
God likes it when we strive
to do that.
February 29, 2012
Questions
to ask yourself --
Can you tell the difference between being tested and being tempted?
Easy answer.
When you're tempted, it involved a sin of some sort.
Being tested is a form of discipline. Discipline makes
you grow in faith. It enriches you and tempers your faith into a tool as strong as steel.
The passage that started
all this thinking about being tempted was from the Epistle lesson a week or so ago. It's from the Book of James, and
says: Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and
he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. -- James 1:13-14
So if you feel like you're being tempted, who do you think might be the culprit?
Another easy answer
-- Satan himself.
Satan is the author of evil. Not God. God does not tempt us, Satan does. Temptations involve
sins. Testing involves love through discipline.
This notion that there is a person named Satan reared its head
out on the campaign trail a few weeks back. Santorum made the comment that "...Satan had his eye on Washington."
What a firestorm that set off. Here came the spindoctors who tried to make Santorum look like a religious kook. Until some
organization did a survey and found that 70% of Americans believe -- truly believe -- that Satan really does exist.
Remember way back in Sunday School days hearing that the best trick Satan has going for him is that he convinces people
that he does not exist. Well, that doesn't happen in the United States.
We're a Christian nation and we know he's
real. And his favorite game is Gotcha!
If you want an inkling about who Satan is, take a look at the Book of Job.
In the very first chapter, in verse 6, we read: One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord,
and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the
Lord, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."
Then follows a conversation
recorded between the Lord and Satan. So if the Lord recognizes Satan and calls him by name, who are we to even think that
he does not exist?
Rest safely in the arms of the Lord, my friends, and pray fervently for his protection from
Satan and all that is evil.
February 28, 2012
Before
I go off in a different direction, you have to watch this video of the Daytona 500. Talk about races, burning cars, fast bumps,
and one big brewhaha. One spill took out six cars: http://news.yahoo.com/video/turnerweekendtop5-20497430/weekend-top-5-daytona-28446636.html#crsl=%252Fvideo%252Fturnerweekendtop5-20497430%252Fweekend-top-five-homestead-27337497.html
Here's a video that is precious. It's about Pastor Ed Dobson, who developed ALS. He talks about his new role as
a different kind of pastor now that he no longer has an active church. http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/18/tending-the-garden-one-person-at-a-time/
Pastor Rensner talked about how come God, who has the power to stop the storms in our lives, doesn't do that.
Pastor said that sometimes God calms the person going through the storm rather than calming the storm. And why would He do
that? His reasons are his own and they are not my ways.
I am working on a thesis of the difference between being
tested and being tempted. I hope to have it finished by this time tomorrow, so I hope you'll come back to read it.
Blessings, prayers and hugs, Jane
February 27, 2012
This story comes from
Connie today. She says it will give you the chills....... GOOD chills. See if you agree.
A young man had been
to Wednesday Night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice
The young man couldn't help but wonder, 'Does God still speak to people?'
After service, he went out with
some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had
led them in different ways.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in
his car, he just began to pray, 'God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to
obey.'
As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon
of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, 'God is that you?' He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But
again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk.
The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice
of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. 'Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.' It didn't seem
like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and
started off toward home.
As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, 'Turn Down that street.' This
is crazy he thought, and drove on past the intersection.
Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street
.
At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh.
Half jokingly, he said out loud, 'Okay,
God, I will.'
He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop He pulled over to the curb
and looked around. He was in a semi- commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods
either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something, 'Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.' The young man looked
at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open
the door and then sat back in the car seat.
'Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake
them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.' Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.
Finally, he opened the door, 'Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk.
If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if
they don't answer right away, I am out of here.'
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could
hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, 'Who is it? What do you want?' Then the door opened before the
young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got
out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his
doorstep. 'What is it?'
The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, 'Here, I brought this to you.' The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.
Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen.
The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.
The man began speaking and half crying, 'We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of
money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk.'
His wife in the kitchen yelled out, 'I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?'
The
young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and
walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew that God still answers prayers.
This is so true. Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us to do that cause us, if we are obedient
to what He's asking, to be able to hear His voice more clear than ever. Please listen, and obey ! He will bless you (and
the world). Phil 4:13
February 25 -- 26, 2012
I'm
adding this video at the front. It's from my cousin Mark and it's a video showing an owl coming in for a landing on a security
tower. http://www.dogwork.com/owfo8/ It's unbelievable footage showing the owl "putting on the brakes," so to speak. And look at those wing maneuvers!
It's only a minute long, but fascinating.
Beautiful photograph by Paul Bunyard, set to music -- called Chasing
the Light. It's a four and a half minute respite! http://www.dogwork.com/bnpcduk8/
One of my favorite videos -- this is a dog in a contest -- apparently the judges don't give him very high marks
because he can't seem to get it right. But then, just wait until the amazing end! http://www.dogwork.com/tconmv8/
This is a video (1:40) of cranes flying over Venice, Italy. Fascinating photography of the landscape below, but
also of the cranes communicating with one another while flying: http://www.dogwork.com/crafly9/
Here's a video, also from dogworld.com that shows a little bird coming into a bluegrass festival and sitting on
the lead singer's guitar. Too funny! http://www.dogwork.com/blugrs9/
Now, before you watch this next one, please realize that dogs are not supposed to stand upright and walk, much
less dance. But here's a cute little dog doing a Paso Doble. Yes, dancing: http://www.dogwork.com/psdqwk8/
Danica Patrick crashed intot he wall at Daytona today: http://www.breitbart.tv/danica-patrick-crashes-at-daytona/
Oh dear. This video shows someone getting creamed by an oncoming traffic. Just another reason why I don't do any
road ranging during ice and snow and black ice weather: http://www.breitbart.tv/nissan-frontier-shattered-into-bits-by-oncoming-semi/
Here's a recently discovered amateur video of the shuttle that exploded. After watching it, the videographers
didn't really understand what had happened. It seemed like they thought the crash was the booster rocket separating. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2012/02/24/vo-challenger-amateur-video.newscientist
And this final video is about a man named Omar and his seeing eye dog Salty. Omar was working on the 71st floor
of the World Trade Center when the building was hit. Watch this video of this remarkable dog rescuing and saving his best
friend, Omar: http://www.dogwork.com/arfp8/
February 24, 2012
You do
know that 2012 is a leap year, don't you? Just thought I'd bring that up, in case you overlooked the fact that February has
29 days in it this year.
So it's Friday night here at home. It's cold outside with the wind whipping around the
corner of the house. And we're about ready to settle down to a good old mystery on Netflix streaming and Quint asks from the
kitchen, "You want popcorn with that?" Who could say no? Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks.
I made
3-2-1 cakes for dessert. If you remember, I have a big plastic bag into which I mixed together a sugar-free yellow cake mix
and an angel food cake mix. Really mix them well. Then, whenever you want a quick little cake, you mix 3 tablespoons of this
cake mix and 2 tablespoons of water. Microwave that for 1 minute and you have this unbelievable little cake.
Well,
I got fancy, I did. I put about 1/2 tablespoon of margarine and 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar blend (with Splenda). Microwave
that for about 5 seconds until the butter is melted. Stir that up and put in 1/2 tablespoon of crushed pineapple. Then add
the mixed up 32-1 cake mix and microwave that for 1 minute. Yummmy!
I'm going to see if sliced strawberries in
the bottom of my little dish (which is about the size of a ramekin), then put the 3-2-1 mixed up cake mix and see if it passes
for a strawberry short cake. It might. Or it might be close enough to pass for a suitable substitute.
Changing
the subject, the weather here has taken a dive down to 36 degrees. This time yesterday it was almost 60 degrees. For those
of you who just joined us from the United Arab Emirates, it probably doesn't matter that much. You have heat all year round.
But you also have sand. I don't know if I could really get used to living on a sand hill. It just looks - well, dry.
But since readers are from all over the world, it's probably a curiosity for some who never experience snow. (You're not
missing much at all.)
And as a side note, I'm so glad that you liked the blog from a few days ago about the man
praying the Lord's Prayer. It's unbelievable how many emails I've gotten in favor of this prayer. And how it's made you pause
and think about what you're saying when you pray. You know, God really is right around you every minute of the day. And he
cares about you, so keep on praying.
My prayer for you is that you will be blessed with many wonderful people
and opportunities that God will put in your life today. Enjoy each and every one of them.
February 23, 2012
Last night
was Ash Wednesday service at church. It marks a time when we begin a remembrance of the death of Jesus Christ and his resurrection
three days later at Easter. It's a somber time and as I sat in church and looked around me, I saw the usual faithful worshipers.
I felt closer to them than I do at other times of the year. The imposition of ashes reminds us that we came from dust and
it is to dust that we will return. In the meantime, we are to live our lives as Christians and walk through life behaving
as if --
...as if Christ were right beside us, visibly point out pitfalls,
... as if Christ were steering
us around the misdeeds we might otherwise get ourselves into,
... as if we remember that we are never alone,
... as if we realize consciously that Christ is watching us,
... as if we remember that it is Christ who
sits at the right hand of God interceding for us on our behalf,
... as if we remember, also, that it is Christ
who will judge us when we catch up with eternity,
... as if we always remember that we are to pray to God, our
heavenly father, and we can only get there through Jesus Christ,
... as if we want more than anything to please
God and Jesus Christ,
and finally, as if we are truly sorry for all our sins.
This isn't one of the
questions that is listed as having been asked by Jesus, but sometimes, when I do really silly stuff, I have this vision of
Jesus asking, "What in the world did you do that for?" It helps me not to do things anymore that I really don't
want to do and know that I shouldn't do.
February 21, 2012
Did you
feel the earthquake this morning? It registered 4.0 on the Richter Scale. I'll have to tell Quint that it wasn't the wind
that was rattling the windows that woke him at 4:00 am, but rather, the temblor shifting around close to the New Madrid fault
line. Here's a map that shows exactly where the earthquake was: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Maps/US10/32.42.-95.-85.php
But if you really want to see something, take a look see at this map of the United States -- 806 earthquakes in
the last 24 hours. California and Alaska are always feeling a lot of shaking going on.
Stay safe out there, my
friends.
Changing the subject, back to the List of 100 Questions that Jesus Asked:
Question #79 -- How
is it that you seek praise from one another and not seek the praise that comes from God? John 5:44
Walk through
this question with me for a moment. Remember the last time you went to get a new outfit? You found something that you thought
would look good on you. You looked in the 3-way mirror to make sure the outfit draped across your body just the way you wanted
it to. And why is that?
Simple. When we buy something new to wear, we're thinking of what others will think of
it. Then they'll tell us how nice it looks.
We'll get praise.
But hold on here for a moment. The question
that Jesus is asking is how come you're thinking about what others think?
How come you aren't all that concerned
about what God thinks of you?
I think there might be a couple of answers to this question.
One of the
thoughts I have is that because we don't physically see God, it's sometimes hard to imagine that he's right here, right now,
in this very room, reading over your shoulder. Maybe watching you curiously to see how you get through your day. But, our
humanness sometimes fails us spiritually because we aren't always consciously thinking that God is present everywhere
at the same time.
How can that be? I don't know the answer to that. My brain can't get wrapped around that possibility,
but I know it's true because the Bible says so.
I know that after Quint and I finish our breakfast and we join
hands for our daily prayers, God is in the room with us. And I also know that it pleases God when his children talk to him.
That's what we do. We let him know what we're thankful for because he does so much for us. We wouldn't have a thread to wear
if it weren't for God's grace. Oh, I don't mean that he puts a hanger with clothes on it in our closet. But he makes provisions
for us to get the things we need as we go through our lives. And it's been like that since the day we were born.
God has always been a stellar provider. He has never failed to provide us with what we need.
By the same token,
he puts situations in our paths to see what we're going to do about them. He brings people to us to see how we're going to
react to them.
We need to always think about what we are doing so that we live our lives in ways that please God.
To me, that's a lot more important than whether someone else likes a dress I bought.
I care what God
thinks. I most definitely care what he thinks. And I hope that anything and everything I do in life tickles him. He is
not a person I ever want to be displeased with at me!
February 20, 2012
And who
couldn't use a bit of humor in these harried political days? Got this one from my cousin Al in Virginia Beach:
A
female journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Western Wall to pray, twice a day,
every day, for a long, long time.
So she went to check it out. She went to the
Western Wall and there he was, walking slowly up to the holy site.
She watched
him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, using a cane and moving very slowly, she approached him
for an interview.
"Pardon me, sir, I'm Rebecca Smith. What's your name?
"Morris Feinberg," he replied.
"Sir, how long have you been coming to the Western Wall and praying?"
"For about 60 years."
"60 years! That's amazing! What do you pray
for?"
"I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims."
"I pray for all the wars and all the hatred to stop."
"I pray for all our children to grow up safely as responsible adults and to love their fellow man."
"I pray that politicians tell us the truth and put the interests of the people ahead
of their own interests."
The reporter then asked, "How do you feel after
doing this for 60 years?"
"Like I'm talking to a wall."
And our good friend Joyce sends us this cost analysis of how much it costs to run a
Volt. Can you tell that Joyce is a banker by trade?
Subject: Cost to operate a Chevy Volt
Take a few
minutes to read thru this analysis. This is truly an economic failure, until technology improves to change these costs!
This is what the Obama Administration is pushing in his new budget! Just another "cash sink hole", from our taxes, and huge debt! Eric Bolling (Fox Business Channel's Follow the Money) test drove the Chevy Volt
at the invitation of General Motors.
For four days in a row, the fully charged battery lasted only 25 miles
before the Volt switched to the reserve gasoline engine.
Eric calculated the car got 30 mpg including the
25 miles it ran on the battery.
So, the range including the 9 gallon gas tank and the 16 kwh battery is approximately
270 miles.
It will take you 4 1/2 hours to drive 270 miles at 60 mph. Then add 10 hours to charge the battery
and you have a total trip time of 14.5 hours.
In a typical road trip your average speed (including charging time)
would be 20 mph.
According to General Motors, the Volt battery hold 16 kwh of electricity. It takes
a full 10 hours to charge a drained battery.
The cost for the electricity to charge the Volt is never mentioned
so I looked up what I pay for electricity.
I pay approximately (it varies with amount used and the seasons)
$1.16 per kwh.
16 kwh x $1.16 per kwh = $18.56 to charge the battery.
$18.56 per charge
divided by 25 miles = $0.74 per mile to operate the Volt using the battery.
Compare this to a similar
size car with a gasoline engine only that gets 32 mpg.
$3.19 per gallon divided by 32 mpg = $0.10 per mile.
The gasoline powered car cost about $15,000 while the Volt costs $46,000.........
So Government wants
us to pay 3 times as much, for a car that costs more that 7 times as much to run, and takes 3 times longer to drive across
country..... REALLY ?????
- I have a question. After the battery just up and dies, how much will it cost to
destroy it? I doubt if the batteries will be allowed in landfill. I mean, if you can't even put an old, dead cell phone in
the landfill, what are you going to do with the Volt battery?
But what if you keep the Volt and decide to replace
the battery. I read somewhere a couple of years ago that the battery alone cost $25,000. Can that be right? Does anybody know?
If you do could you shoot me an email. Please.
And
this from my dear cousin Frances in Broaddus, Texas:
We need to show more sympathy for these people.
* They travel miles in the heat.
* They risk their lives crossing a border.
* They don't get paid enough wages.
* They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.
* They live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language.
* They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day ~ every day..
I'm not talking about illegal Mexicans ~
I'm talking about our troops!
Doesn't it seem strange that so many are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegals, but don't support
our troops?
Wouldn't it be great if we took the $360,000,000,000 (that's billion) we spend on illegals every year, and spend it on
our troops!!!
February 17, 2012
This is
one of the best versions of an interactive Lord's Prayer that I've ever read. It's sent to us from my dear friend
Cody in Warrensburg, MO. I do pray that it will enrich your life today and that you will think about this when you pray the
Lord's Prayer:
THE LORD'S PRAYER- Rather cleverly done. This is in two parts, The prayer(in blue
type) and GOD(in red type)-in response. It is very, very good. ********* "Our
Father Who Art In Heaven. Yes? Don't interrupt me. I'm
praying. But -- you called ME! Called you? No, I didn't call you.. I'm praying. Our Father who art in Heaven.
There -- you did it again! Did what? Called
ME. You said, "Our Father who art in Heaven" Well, here I am.. What's on your mind? But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day. I always
say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel good, Kind of like fulfilling a duty. Well,
all right. Go on. Okay, Hallowed be thy name . Hold
it right there. What do you mean by that? By what? By
"Hallowed be thy name"? It means, it means .. . Good grief, I don't know what it means. How
in the world should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean? It
means honored, holy, wonderful. Hey, that makes sense.. I never thought about
what 'hallowed' meant before. Thanks. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven. Do you really mean that? Sure, why not? What are you doing about it? Doing?
Why, nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you got Control,
of everything down here like you have up There. We're kinda in a mess down here you know. Yes, I know; But, have I got control of you? Well, I go to church.. That isn't what I asked you. What about your bad temper? You've really
got a problem there, you know. And then there's the way you spend Your money -- all on yourself. And what about
the kind of books you read ? Now hold on just a minute! Stop picking on me! I'm
just as good as some of the rest Of those People at church! Excuse ME.. I thought
you were praying For my will to be done.. If that is to happen, It will have to start with the ones Who
are praying for it. Like you -- for example .... Oh, all right. I guess I do have some
hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I could probably name some others. So could
I. I haven't thought about it very much until now, But I really would like to cut out
some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really free. Good. Now we're
getting somewhere. We'll work together -- You and ME. I'm proud of You. Look,
Lord, if you don't mind, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. Give us
this day, our daily bread. You need to cut out the bread.. You're overweight as it
is. Hey, wait a minute! What is this? Here I was doing my religious duty, And
all of a sudden you break in And remind me of all my hang-ups. Praying is a dangerous
thing. You just might get what you ask for. Remember, you called ME -- and here I am. It's
too late to stop now. Keep praying. ( pause .. . ) Well, go on. I'm scared
to. Scared? Of what? I know what you'll say. Try ME. Forgive us our sins, As we forgive those who sin against us. What
about Ann? See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why, Lord, she's told
lies about me, spread stories. She never paid back the money she owes me.. I've sworn to get even with her! But -- your prayer -- What about your prayer? I didn't
-- mean it.. Well, at least you're honest. But, it's quite a load carrying around all
that bitterness and resentment isn't it? Yes, but I'll feel better as soon as I get
even with her. Boy, have I got some plans for her. She'll wish she had never been born. No,
you won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet. You know how unhappy you are -- Well,
I can change that. You can? How? Forgive Ann. Then,
I'll forgive you; And the hate and the sin, will be Ann's problem -- not yours. You will have settled the problem as far as you are concerned. Oh, you know, you're right. You always are. And more than I want revenge, I want to be right with You . . (sigh). All right, all right . . I forgive her. There now! Wonderful! How do you feel? Hmmmm.
Well, not bad. Not bad at all! In fact, I feel pretty great! You know, I don't think I'll go to bed uptight
tonight. I haven't been getting much rest, you know. Yeah, I know. But, you're
not through with your prayer, are you? Go on. Oh, all right. And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't
put yourself in a place where you can be tempted. What do you mean by that? You know what I mean. Yeah. I know.. Okay. Go ahead. Finish your prayer. For Thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Do you know what would
bring me glory? What would really make me happy? No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you now... I've really made a mess of things. I want to truly behave like Christ I can see now how great that would be. So, tell me .. . . How do I make you happy? YOU
just did".
February 15, 2012
Taking
a break from the questions that Jesus asked, I have to share with you that Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) took Secretary (Health
and Human Services) Sebelius to task today about whether or not she had consulting with any bishops before drafting the contraceptive
order for the White House. Her response was that she had not, but assumed that the folks over at the White House must have.
Well, that wasn't quite good enough to Hatch who then made the statement that he believed all religious organizations
should be exempted from the contraception demand. (See article at: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/02/15/sebelius-didnt-consult-bishops-on-contraception-deal/)
There are several layers to this argument, if you ask me. One is that of whether you believe women ought to be
able to buy contraceptives.
The other is a question of honoring all religions who are opposed to abortion and believe
that abortion is about killing an unborn child. In that event, then the "morning after pill" would make the trip
down that slippery slope.
Then there is the constitutional camp which is inhabited by people who believe that the
government has no right in tampering with freedom of religion. Forcing organizations, whether directly with religious
organizations, or imposing on the insurance companies who insure employees of religious organizations makes no difference.
The question isn't about who pays for the contraceptives -- the religious organization or its insurance company. It's about
whether the government has the right to mandate any such behavior.
Clearly there is not a lot of wiggle room with
folks who believe strongly that they have a right to hold onto their religious beliefs without interference from the government.
And yes, of course, the fed have overstepped its constitutional boundaries.
Bet this one makes it to the Supreme
Court.
February 14, 2012
The next
question that Jesus asked is in Mark 8:12 -- Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign?
This
was when Jesus was meeting with the Pharisees and they wanted to test him. Guess they wanted to see if he could really perform
some good magic tricks. They asked him in verse 11 for a sign from heaven. You know that Jesus must have been a bit perturbed
because verse 12 starts out with Jesus sighing deeply.
Well, if you were the Son of God and you knew you could
move a mountain if you just wanted to, wouldn't you get just a bit exasperated with people trying to put you on the spot all
the time?
Why couldn't people just believe that Jesus was the Son of God? Would you? If you were expecting the
promised Messiah to be more, well, kingly, would you still believe a person who arrived on the scene dressed in something
that looked like a homespun robe? So he went around doing miracles. These were real miracles. They weren't magic signs that
could be explained by a slight of hand.
No, no. Jesus healed the sick. He made the lame walk. He even touched the
leper and made him clean. And he saved his best miracle to last when he raised a dead man back to life.
Was that
sign enough?
Not really. Because the very idea that he had brought a man back to life was used to prosecute him.
If you were reading the Galilean Daily Chronicles and there was this banner headline about a dead man walking again,
wouldn't you call to get a ticket to this man's next event?
Of course you would. And you'd probably try to get
a front row seat so that when this guy Jesus asked if anyone in the audience would like to come down to the front and ask
for anything they wanted, you'd hop on down there. What would you want? Win the lottery? Cure for your arthritis? A baby for
your barren womb? A fairy tale, drop dead gorgeous superman for a husband? A shiny new Corvette to tool around the Galilean
countryside? A big fancy yacht to troll around the Sea of Galilee, catching fish and stuff?
If you could have anything
you wanted, what kind of a sign would satisfy you that Jesus is the true Son of God. In fact, he's the only Son of God.
Jesus must have grown weary of people who had to have this proof that he was who he said he was.
Do you
think it's any different now -- 2,000+ years later? Aren't people still looking for a sign?
Can you just accept
in your hearts that Jesus is Lord? No signs are needed for those who believe.
And for those who do not believe,
there aren't enough signs in the whole world to bring the proof that they require.
It's all about faith. And believing.
February 13, 2012
I have
my hands on a wonderful list called 100 Questions that Jesus Asked.
What a wonderful
springboard for our conversations here on this thread.
Eventually I want to go all the way through the questions
that Jesus asked. And the first one is from Matthew 6:27 -- Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan?
My recent - and I call the last two years of my life as recent -- bout with breast cancer jumps up and out of
the depths of that rusty barrel that houses my brain.
I will say that never during that entire ordeal did
I feel desperate and anxious about living or dying. That was because of a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the
verse quoted above. I know that somewhere in Jeremiah, there's a reference to the fact that God said he knew me when I was
still in my mother's womb. In another verse way back there in the Old Testament, probably from a psalm, there's a reference
to God knowing how many hairs I have on my head, and also how many days I will spend here on earth.
Some might
view those cancers for both Quint and me as God specifically not answering our prayers. I take a counter view because we have
both gone through that long, black tunnel of chemo. Radiation added for me. When we talked it through, all the way to the
core, we came to understand that God had, in fact, answered our prayer. You see, at our age, if there was to be cancer, it
was far better to get it out of the way, so to speak, before we got really old. Advanced age puts severe limitations on what
chemo you can get and what you can't tolerate. We are blessed to have gone through all that and are now in remission. In fact,
we just may be in better shape now than a lot of people who are incubating cancerous cells and don't know about it.
So, knowing that God knows all those details about my life, I have little to fear because I also know that he walks with
me through all my days.
Besides, God doesn't seem to put the same sense of desperation on dying that we humans
do. Perhaps that's because God thinks of death as the death of a soul. I figure that he's elated when a person's body dies
because those persons get to come back home to be with him in heaven. Who could cry about that?
It doesn't mean
we don't go through a grieving process when we lose our loved ones. And there might even be a few people who will be said
when my creaky old bones end up in the fiery pits of a crematorium. But I hope they will be overjoyed when death finds me
skipping through that tunnel that near-deathers describe.
After all, as Pastor Rensner says, "What are you
going to do, threaten me with heaven?"
So, no worries. Enjoy each and every little sunbeam as you travel down
the road of life. And get down on your knees and thank the good Lord above for all the blessings he has given you in this
life, right now.
February 12, 2011
Navy Seal quote
of the week
Dana Perrino ( Fox News) describing an interview she recently had with a Navy SEAL . After discussing
all the countries he had been sent to, she asked if they had to learn several languages?
His reply:
"No ma'am, we don't go there to talk."
February 9, 2012
I almost
ran over a hawk on the way home from work this afternoon. How could I ever explain how I could kill a bird on the wing! But
sure enough, the silly thing flew right in front of me about a foot higher than the hood of the car. He got real close to
the edge of the air.
That's Quint's reason for airline crashes. Planes crash when they go past the edge of the
air.
Changing the subject, I'm making cookies for little kiddos at church. We have an after school program and
offer the kiddos a snack when they get off the bus and come into the play area with tummies that have caved in from hunger.
They get a half sandwich, a cookie and a piece of fruit. Then they go charging around the gym and burn it all off and go home
starved for supped.
I'm making cookies from a cake mix. To do that, you out two eggs into 1/3 cup oil and mix well.
Then, mix that into the dry cake mix. Makes a bit more than 2 dozen little cookies. The cookies are baked at 375 degrees for
6 - 8 minutes.
I got a confetti cake mix since little darlings adore confetti and sprinkles.
And
I got this beautiful story from my cousin Mark:
Tell me this one doesn't put life in perspective.
In Phoenix , Arizona , a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was Dying of
terminal leukemia.
Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination.
Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible.
The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dream to come true.
She took
her son's hand and asked,
'Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up
?
Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life ?'
Mommy, 'I always wanted to be a
fireman when I grew up.'
Mom smiled back and said, 'Let's see if we can make your wish come true.'
Later that day she went to her local fire Department in Phoenix , Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob,
who had a heart as big as Phoenix .
She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible
to give her 6 year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.
Fireman Bob said, 'Look, we can do better
than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary
Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls,
the whole nine yards !
And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real
fire hat - not a toy one with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker
like we wear and rubber boots.'
'They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix , so we can get them fast.'
Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck.
Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back
to the fire station. He was in heaven.
There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to
go out on all three calls.
He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic's' van, and even
the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.
Having his dream come true, with
all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months longer than
any doctor thought possible.
One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse,
who believed in the hospice concept - that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital.
Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would
be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition..
The
chief replied, 'We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor ?
When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that
there is not a fire? 'It's the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open
the window to his room?
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the
hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window --------
16 fire-fighters
climbed up the ladder into Billy's room!
With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told
him how much they LOVED him.
With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said,
'Chief, am I really a fireman now?'
'Billy, you are, and The Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand,' the chief
said.
With those words, Billy smiled and said, 'I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and the angels
have been singing.'
He closed his eyes one last time.
February 8, 2012
So there's
this mountain of mud sitting at the edge of the yard. It's the residue from the sewer line repair the other day. Rather than
spread it out flat with the rest of the yard, we were told that the spring rains would pound it down so that the trench would
eventually be filled in. Sounds reasonable to me, but I think I'll get out there with a rake one of these days, all of the
same. Otherwise, I'm going to go out there in the next day or so and find a ski lift with very little people using the little
mound for their winter fun.
It got cold in the last day or so. Even had a dusting of snow. We are woefully behind
with our snowfall. According to the old wives' tale, since we had our first snowfall on the 27th of December, we can expect
27 snowfalls in total. Last night's dusting was only #4. Now, mind you, I don't mind not having 27 snowfalls. It's not like
it's a goal or something.
Oh, another thing. Changing the subject, NASA says that the oceans are not rising, but
rather, the level of water went down a bit. According to the weather/climate change/global warming gurus, weren't we told
that because of global warming, the ice sheets would be melting and we'd have so much more water in the oceans that our eastern
coast would be flooded. So how come the water level is going down? Faulty theory = flawed results. But then, just maybe because
the Russians drilled a hole in the ice sheet in Antarctica to get to an underground lake, maybe water is draining down into
the hole. Hey, it could happen!
Quint took me to lunch at Cracker Barrel today. When we were coming out to go back
to the car, we noticed that there had been a bunch of pansies in bloom before they got frosted. Now, who would plant blooming
pansies in the middle of winter? Sure enough, they got frostbit last night. I love the meatloaf at Cracker Barrel. If I close
my eyes, I can imagine that I'm back at Grandma Stubbe's boarding house in Paducah. Cracker Barrel's meatloaf tastes just
like hers. Maybe they found her recipe somewhere. It's delicious. So is their Cream of Potato Soup which is my favorite soup
anywhere.
And now my client has arrived for a session. I see her pulling into the driveway now.
February 6, 2012
Want the
world to be a better place? Then do something. Think about joining the huge group of volunteers in America.
I know
this is old data, but it's the source I found when I went looking. It's a research article on volunteerism in America written
by Richard D. Young. He cited a Bureau of Labor Statistics report that says 59% of people in the United States who are 16
years old or older volunteered for an organization in some capacity. And that was for the year way back in 2001 to 2002.
that was 27.6% of the American population.
Volunteers
most often donate their time to religious organizations (33.9%). Second on the list is educational organizations who get 27.2%
of the volunteers. But it's the old folks who are 65 and older who donate the most time to churches -- 45.2%.
Further, the Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies several
activities in which volunteers engage in consistently. The list below shows which activities are most predominate. ● Teaching
or coaching (24.4 %). ●
Canvassing, campaigning, or fundraising (22.9 %). ● Collecting,
making, serving, or delivering goods (22.2 %). ● Serving on a board, committee, or
neighborhood association (16.3 %). ●
Providing care or transportation (12.3 %). ● Consulting or
administrative work (14.0 %). So this ties in with the Gospel lesson at church yesterday.
It's from Mark 1:29-39 and tells the story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law from a fever. What's the first thing she
did when her fever went away? She got up and began to serve them.
Not because she had to, as Pastor Gillet said.
But because she wanted to.
When it comes to serving in the Kingdom of God, it's something we get to do.
We don't have to, but rather, we are allowed to serve.
In another article, again pulling data
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we read that ... nearly 63 million Americans, slightly more than a quarter of the
population, volunteered for charities last year, providing services valued at nearly $173-billion. That’s down from
2009, when 63.4 million adults, or nearly 27 percent of the population, donated their time. The volunteer rate has not changed
significantly since 2006, hovering around 26 percent. Volunteerism reached nearly 29 percent from 2003 to 2005 and has been
as low as 20.4 percent in 1989, says a report by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which is based on annual
and monthly surveys of roughly 100,000 Americans age 16 or older, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
What's neat about this article is an interactive map of the United States that compares the percentage
of volunteers in a state and compares it to the national average when you move your cursor over the state. http://philanthropy.com/article/Volunteerism-Holds-Steady-in/128565/
So get out there and be a good neighbor. While you're at it, volunteer to help out at your church too.
February 4, 2012
Quint
and I headed over to Culvers after closing up the junior quilting shop at church. When we started looking for a spot to sit
down at, I heard a familiar voice say, "Jane." It was the vice president of the Effingham/Shelby Zone and she invited
us to sit with her and her husband. They were just finishing up the flavor of the month (chocolate eclair) ice cream, so we
sat down.
After talking about a dizzying list of favorite subjects, Chris and I then started talking about cake
recipes. I told her I was going to start visiting churches in the Zone. Tomorrow is my first outing. It's at a church where
the church council is making soup for lunch. I told her I was going to make a yellow cake with a peach pie filling and after
sharing that quick recipe with her (it's on the recipe page over there on the left), she said, "I'll tell you how to
make a cake."
She explained, first you mix a cake mix with an angel food cake mix. It can be any kind of cake
mix you want, but it has to be with an angel food cake mix.
Then, when you get those two cake mixes mixed well,
mix 3 tablespoons of the dry mix with 2 tablespoons of water and microwave for 1 minute.
She says it's easy to
remember because it's 3-2-1.
When I got home I mixed a sugar free yellow cake mix with an angel food mix that I
picked up on the way home.
Sure enough, it works! So I have this cake mix in a ziploc bag ready to make a cake
in a minute.
I even bought one of those new cans of frosting mix that Pillsbury has. It looks like a whipped cream
container where you kind of bend a plastic tip a bit and out comes the frosting.
What an amazing age we live in!
I remember when I was a little girl my grandmother would send me to the bakery to buy two layers of a yellow cake
if she didn't have time to bake a cake for a church event. And she thought that was cheating. But no one ever knew. She always
covered it with her famous 7 Minute Frosting so who would have ever been able to tell.
One of my other favorite
memories of my grandmother was her little forest of African Violet leaves. She had a big pan of sand which she kept wet. Then
she would take leaves from her African Violets and stick them in the sand. After some mysterious length of time, she'd know
when to take the leaves out because they'd have roots developed. She'd plant them in little pots and after a while, little
baby African Violets would pop their little faces up through the dirt. Eventually, she'd cut the big leaf off and put it back
in the sand to make a new generation.
I got up enough nerve to try that this year. A nurse at the oncology center
assured me that this method would work so I gave it a try. I now have a beautiful purple and another pink African Violet and
when I get a little new plant, I give them to clients who want them.
Except that I only use African Plant Food
water. That makes them bloom like happy little campers. Pretty much all the time too.
February 2, 2012
If the
groundhog can be believed, we don't have to worry about winter weather so much. We had fog as thick as pea soup. Not only
could the rat not see his shadow, I doubt if he could see his cute little paw in front of his face. Yay! Go groundhog.
I received this from my friend Cody in Warrensburg, MO:
One of the best I've seen lately........
Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we
carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What
if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?
What
if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make
you go....hmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing.
Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to
worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
Makes you stop and think 'where
are my priorities? And no dropped calls!
When Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you!
I read another article today on the web warning about yet another scam. This one has to do with jury duty. Supposedly someone
sends you an email or calls you to let you know there's a warrant for your arrest because you didn't show up for jury duty.
After you pick yourself up off the floor and start to explain that you never got a summons to appear for jury
duty, then the most helpful scam artist at the other end of the phone asks you for your social security number and birthday
so it can be double checked against the list of warrants. Now, we aren't going to give anybody that kind of information, are
we?
Please say you won't.
Scam artists are mean. They're usually crooks who need to go where other criminals
live.
If you live in Illinois, you need to know that Illinois is a "do not call" state. That means if
you get an annoying telemarketing call, immediately tell the caller that you are aware that you live in a "do not call"
state and want your name taken off the list he/she is calling from. The caller has to stop the conversation immediately.
Also, there's a link on the Links page on this website to put your phones on the "Do not call list." I probably
need to do that again because I'm starting to get calls again. Putting your phone numbers on the list is not a permanent solution
but when you start to get calls again, just go back in and renew your numbers.
February 1, 2012
We're zipping
through the Bible at an accelerated pace in our Sunday morning adult discussion class. It's an ambitious undertaking because
we're actually going to go from Genesis to Revelation in a 10-week segment. Oh, for sure, we aren't going to do any really
in depth stopping over points. We can always go back and focus on aspects of the textbook we're using individually at a later
date.
One of the quick points that was made in an early chapter was that Genesis 15:1 was the first time that
the term "the word of the Lord came to..."
In this particular instance, the reference was to Abraham.
He was the first man to whom the word of the Lord came. Abraham was a prophet. In this particular instanc, the word prophet
means one who receives the word of the Lord.
Don't you think it would be exciting to pick up the Bible and get
into the Word? Page after page after page of the Word brings us richness and depth to our soul. It's a blessed journey to
walk every day with the Lord.
There's mending to be done when we weep from heavy grief. Our soul yearns for healing
and it's right there, in between the covers of the Book.
There's learning that jumps off the pages with so much
history. The Bible is not a complete history of what was going on in the world. For instance, from 1250 to 1190 BC the Greeks
and Trojans were fighting the famous Trojan War. It happened. We know that from recorded history. But it's not a Bible story.
And did you know that from 1750 - 1040 BC, China's Shang Dynasty had a system of writing. They organized a bunch
of armies too.
There were earthquakes too. From 1150-950 BC, earthquakes rattled the area around Cyprus.
Accupuncture was first introduced during the Chou dynasty at 1030 BC.
For sure, there were people in other places
doing other things. Their stories were not captured in the Bible.
What the Bible does bring us is the bloodline
of Jesus all the way back to Adam and Eve. The Bible traces this lineage through the House of David, through his line of history
to a little town of Bethlehem.
There's much in the Word to sift through and think about. Absolutely no other book
in the history of mankind has had the impact as the Word of God. Nor has any one single individual, save Jesus Christ, had
as much of an impact on civilization than the Son of God who came from heaven to become flesh and blood and to live among
us. Then he died as a sacrifice on the cross for the sins of each one of us.
This month we recognize Ash Wednesday
as the beginning of the season of Lent. It's a time when we stop what we're doing and ponder the miracle of God's great love
which he so graciously gifts us with.
Let the Word of God come to you. Pick up the Bible and just hold it in your
hands. Then open it and start to read.
Prepare to be amazed.
January 31, 2012
It's hard to
believe that here in Middle Illinois, it's 58.1 degrees. Highly unusual for January 31. Only two days 'til Ground Hogs Day
and this year, do I dare say, "Who cares?"
Actually, when you think about it, it doesn't matter whether
the rat sees his shadow or not. Spring is six weeks away no matter what. Just count the days on the calendar.
When
I left you last night I was talking about the bad rap that controlling and manipulating people have gotten over the years.
We've put a negative connotation onto those two words when, in fact, they can be life-saving.
I mentioned that
the reason people are controlling is because they want life to be predictable. And who doesn't want that?
But maybe
we're asking for trouble in trying to control people, places and events that we don't have any business messing with. There's
all kinds of attempts at controlling that could even land you in jail. For instance, if you forged someone's signature because
you wanted to control your ability to get out of debt so you think stealing someone's identity and/or money is acceptable.
Not.
That's not even close to be included in this discussion.
What you can control, though, is your
behavior. How you react to events and people in your life can be a healthy way to control your environment.
Babies,
for instance, who smile and giggle at you make it awfully easy and heartwarming to pick them up and cuddle them. They've learned
at a very early age that positive behaviors get more favorable attention from the big people in their lives. In a small way,
they've figured out how to control someone to come over and pick them up.
I remember when my daughter and her husband
were trying to get back to Los Angeles when, for some reason, their flight was abruptly cancelled. No new flights were
scheduled at that airline. So she went over to another airline and said to an already overstressed service attendant that
she realized the burden that this lady was under and she certainly didn't want to push her for help, but she was hoping ever
so much if there was anything that she could do to get them on a plane. She engaged the lady in a few light moments and the
next thing you know, she and her husband were on a flight, with a "Thank you so much. You are a lifesaver." And
off the went to the other end of the airport where the other airline's terminal was.
She learned when she was
a little girl that when you're reasonable, you're more able to operate on your environment and more often than not, get the
results you want.
Call it whatever you want, but being pleasant will get you farther along than being pushy and
ignorant and belligerent and demanding.
When you wake up in the morning, look at the daylight and say, "Today
is going to be a great day. I'm going to have some adventures and come in contact with people I enjoy being with." Then
get up, get dressed, and put your very best smile on your face as you out to operate on your environment. Make things happen.
But in a pleasant way that shows people you care about them.
January 30, 2012
I'm actually
in between clients right now, so this will be a bit brief. I'll finish my thought tomorrow in a bit more detail.
What I want to discuss before the thought goes too far away is this whole idea that controllingness and manipulation is
a bad thing. I say -- not necessarily.
The reason we need to control or manipulate things is to make life more
predictable. We all need predictability in our lives. So the question really wraps itself around why we feel insecure when
our lives are not predictable.
Jean Piaget, the psychological guru who developed the school of cognitive development,
says we all learn how to "operate" on our environment and the people in it.
It does not make you a bad
person.
More about this after I've had a good night's rest.
About the time I think there's not
much new under the sun, this comes to my email. It's from Linda over in Lawrenceville. Thank you, Linda!
Subject:
Monday Morning Message
This is SIMPLY AWESOME! I've never seen this
before! Whoever put The Resume of Jesus Christ together is surely a blessing to us all! Please share it! The last
sentence says it all... Send this resume to everyone you know, you never know who may have an opening! Powerful! Have a blessed day! The Resume
of Jesus Christ Address: Ephesians 1:20
Phone: Romans 10:13 Website: The Bible . Keywords: Christ, Lord, Savior and
Jesus _____________________________________________________
Objective My name is Jesus -The Christ. Many call me Lord! I've sent you my
resume because I'm seeking the top management position in your heart. Please consider my accomplishments as set
forth in my resume. _____________________________________________________________________ Qualifications I founded the
earth and established the heavens, (See Proverbs 3:19 ) I formed man from
the dust of the ground, (See Genesis 2:7 ) I breathed into man the breath
of life, (See Genesis 2:7 ) I redeemed man from the curse of the law, (See
Gal at ians 3:13 ) The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant comes upon your
life through me, (See Galatians 3:14 ) _____________________________________________________________________ Occupational Background I've
only had one employer, (See Luke 2:49 ) . I've never been tardy, absent, disobedient,
slothful or disrespectful. My employer has nothing but rave reviews for me,
(See Matthew 3:15 -17 ) _____________________________________________________________________ Skills Work Experiences Some
of my skills and work experiences include: empowering the poor to be poor no more, healing the brokenhearted, setting
the captives free, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and setting at liberty them that are bruised,
(See Luke 4:18 ) . I am a Wonderful Counselor, (See Isaiah 9:6 ) . People
who listen to me shall dwell safely and shall not fear evil, (See Proverbs 1:33 ) .
Most importantly, I have the authority, ability and power to cleanse you of your sins, (See I John 1:7-9 )
_____________________________________________________________________ Educational
Background I encompass the entire breadth and length of knowledge, wisdom
and understanding, (See Proverbs 2:6 ) . In me are hid all of the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge, (See Colossians 2:3 ) . My Word is so powerful;
it has been described as being a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path, (See Psalms 119:105 ) .
I can even tell you all of the secrets of your heart, (See Psalms 44:21 ) .
_____________________________________________________________________ Major
Accomplishments I was an active participant in the greatest Summit Meeting
of all times, (See Genesis 1:26 ) . I laid down my life so that you may
live, (See II Corinthians 5:15 ) . I defeated the arch enemy of God and mankind
and made a show of them openly, (See Colossians 2:15 ) . I've miraculously
fed the poor, healed the sick and raised the dead! There are many more major
accomplishments, too many to mention here. You can read them on my website, which is located at : www dot - the BIBLE.
You don't need an Internet connection or computer to access my website.
_____________________________________________________________________ References Believers and followers worldwide will testify to my divine healing, salvation,
deliverance, miracles, restoration and supernatural guidance. _____________________________________________________________________ In Summ at ion Now that you've
read my resume, I'm confident that I'm the only candidate uniquely qualified to fill this vital position in your heart.
In summation, I will properly direct your paths, (See Proverbs 3:5-6 ) , and lead you into everlasting life, (See
John 6:47 ) . When can I start? Time is of the essence, (See Hebrews 3:15 ) .
Send this resume to everyone you know, you never know who may have an opening!
Thanks for your help.
September 26, 2012
Got these
one-liners from friend Cody in Warrensburg, Missouri:
Don't let your worries get the best of you; Remember,
Moses started out as a basket case. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited Until
you try to sit in their pews.. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Many folks want to serve God, But only as
advisers. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* It is easier to preach ten sermons Than it is to live one. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, But mosquitoes come close. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* When you get to your wit's end, You'll find God lives there. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* People are funny;
They want the Front of the bus, the Middle of the road, And Back of the church. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Opportunity may knock once, But temptation bangs on the front door forever. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Quit griping about your church; If it was perfect, you couldn't belong. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
If a church wants a better pastor, It only needs to pray for the one it has .. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* God Himself doesn't propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you? *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Some minds are like concrete Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Peace
starts with a smile. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* don't know why some people change churches; What difference
does it make which one you stay home from? *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* A lot of church members singing 'Standing
on the Promises' Are just sitting on the premises. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Be ye fishers of men.
You catch 'em - He'll clean 'em. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Don't put a question mark where God put a period. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Forbidden
fruits create many jams. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* God grades on the cross, not the curve. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* God loves
everyone, But probably prefers 'fruits of the spirit' over 'religious nuts!' *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* He who angers you, controls
you! *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats! *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Prayer: Don't give God instructions, just report for duty! *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* The task ahead
of us is never as great as the Power behind us. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* The Will of God never takes
you to where the Grace of God will not protect you. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* We don't change
the message, The message changes us. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* You can tell how big a person is By what
it takes to discourage him. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross
+ 3 nails = 4 given .
Do you think the US Navy would ever name a ship after an army guy, even if he
is a Green Beret? Well, if your name is Roy Benavidez, it would. Benavidez got the Medal of Honor too. You have to see his
story to believe it. This comes from cousin Mark: http://biggeekdad.com/2010/01/tango-mike-mike/
Oh my goodness - what fun! This letter from a New Orleans attorney provides, in addition to a good
argument, a bit of history at the same time. Thank you, Mark:
You have to love this lawyer.......
Part of rebuilding New Orleans caused residents often to be challenged with the task of tracing home titles
back potentially hundreds of years. With a community rich with history stretching back over two centuries, houses have
been passed along through generations of family, sometimes making it quite difficult to establish ownership. Here's
a great letter an attorney wrote to the FHA on behalf of a client:
A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for
a client. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the lawyer three months to track down. After
sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply:
(Actual reply from FHA):
"Upon
review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract
of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point
out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can
be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin."
Annoyed, the lawyer responded
as follows:
(Actual response):
"Your letter regarding title in Case No.189156 has been received.
I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 206 years covered by the present application. I was
unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working in the property area, would not know that
Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France, in 1803 the year of origin identified in our application.
For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the land prior to U.S. ownership was obtained from France,
which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain. The land came into the possession of Spain by Right of Discovery
made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new
route to India by the Spanish monarch, Queen Isabella.
The good Queen Isabella, being a pious woman and almost
as careful about titles as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her
jewels to finance Columbus's expedition...Now the Pope, as I'm sure you may know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, and God, it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume that God also made that part of the world called Louisiana. God, therefore, would be the owner of origin and His origins date
back to before the beginning of time, the world as we know it, and the FHA. I hope you find God's original claim to be
satisfactory. Now, may we have our loan?"
The loan was immediately approved.
September 24, 2012
Before
I do another thing, I want to share a link with you from a friend of mine. It's an outstanding vocalist, a ten year old young
lady named Jackie Evancho. You know how I love to watch and hear people who excel at anything, regardless of their age. Just
listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foUrBztgzZA She was on America's Got Talent, and boy does she!
Changing the subject, today was the day when one of those
mega-mega-zoom-zooms arrived from our sun to lay havoc with the Earth's magnetic fields. Even Delta Airlines re-routed some
of its flights to dodge the solar winds from the Coronal Mass Eruption. http://www.space.com/12581-stunning-photos-solar-storms-flares-sun-weather.html
Wow! The northern lights must have danced quite a little Texas Two Step.
Now, on to other matters of
some import. It's all about retraining your communications ability so that you don't fall victim to people who want to get
and keep you on the defense.
In the first place, don't think you have to jump in and answer someone who demands
an immediate answer. No no no. Take a deep breath and give yourself a bit of time to send a response back over the fence,
so to speak.
Yes, it's more than okay to answer a question with a question. In fact, it's how you get out of all
those defense-intended maneuvers that are being shot at you. You simply do not have to answer with all that immediacy.
For instance, when someone says to you, "Why don't you want to talk to me?"
Your response could
be, "About what?"
Or, "Why didn't you call me?"
"Was I supposed to?"
"Yes."
"Who said that?"
Slow down a bit and give yourself time to frame
your response.
Try it. It will take some time to get in the habit of allowing yourself to proceed slowly. In the
long-run, it will help you set your boundaries and maintaining them. Especially if you get the inkling that someone is trying
to invade your peace of mind by demanding that you defend yourself.
And how can you recognize defense maneuvers?
Aside from your gut reaction, densive maneuvers usually start with the word "Why."
"Why" questions
are not part of polite conversation. The intent is for one person to try to get and keep the upper hand over someone else.
September 23, 2010
This
is one of those off the beaten path pieces of information that you may not have known. I didn't either until today's issue
of American Profile arrived.
The there it was on Page 12. Yet another reason that Chicago can claim to
be a winner at something.
The Field Museum in Chicago has won the 2011 America's Best Restroom Award.
So what, you may ask, does a "best restroom" have going for it that would beat out other competitors? Well, for
starters, it has little people potties. And there's a nursing room complete with a sofa in it.
So congrats, Chicago.
'Nuff said about that.
Now it's official. Quint is in remission from his chronic lymphocytic/leukemia. We
made our trip to the oncologist today and learned that the results of the CT scan he had a couple of weeks ago show that the
lymph nodes have returned to normal. Thank you for answered prayers. We're both now on the once-in-three-months regimen. I
did have a new medication to the list of what the doctor has in my file. That's Allupurinol. So when I told him, he said,
"Oh, you've got gouty athritis."
Yep. That's me. The medication is specifically for people who has been
given Cytoxa for chemo with breast cancer.
But then I found out that eating cherries -- only 6 a day -- will help
out a lot. Sure enough, we found cherries in the produce aisle. Fresh from Chile. They are delicious. After only a week of
cherry snacks, I've seen an improvement. I can now bend my thumb with no pain at all. That's the only place, plus my back,
that seems to be bothered. Oh, it's just a nuisance. Nothing fatal. I'll take nuisances.
January 20, 2012
We are
just jumping up and down for joy watching those pink icy, wintry mix patches float by on the weather map. And up north, oh
my goodness. I remember those days when a six inch snowfall was kind of sort of ordinary.
We do not miss it.
Here is a link to a beautiful young girl who is a prodigy -- Akiane Kramarik. She has been painting since
she was very young, age 4. Her paintings are incredible. And thanks to friends in Wichita, John and Sherre for the link: http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/prodigy.html
Here's a link to Gene Simmons of KISS performing for the troops: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=5MtdIO23MKM Makes me want to stand up and march around the dining room. Thanks, Mark, for sharing.
January 20, 2012
We are
just jumping up and down for joy watching those pink icy, wintry mix patches float by on the weather map. And up north, oh
my goodness. I remember those days when a six inch snowfall was kind of sort of ordinary.
We do not miss it.
Here is a link to a beautiful young girl who is a prodigy -- Akiane Kramarik. She has been painting since
she was very young, age 4. Her paintings are incredible. And thanks to friends in Wichita, John and Sherre for the link: http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/prodigy.html
January 18, 2012
Okay,
so here's my ignorance showing. I don't know where either of these teams are from -- Trinity and Millsap -- but this link
that my cousins Al and Mark sent to me shows one of the most phenomenal football plays I have ever seen in all my born
days: http://www.dump.com/2011/02/22/end-zone-angle-of-the-final-football-play-of-trinity-vs-millsaps-video/
Talk about teamwork! This one play won the game. Wow!
And Mark sends these tips too:
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be toimmediately clear your computer history if you die.
2.
Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take
back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
I especially like #7.
As for the second point, I'll have to see if Quint can even remember a time when
he was wrong. About anything. ha ha
Me? I try to keep my mouth shut unless I know pretty much what the answer is.
Reminds me of a fella in grad school who had a most unique form of discipline. He says it's more effective than time
outs and has been using it since his kiddos were real little. He makes them sit down so that he can tell them the entire
history of slavery. All total, it takes about 45 minutes.
January 17, 2012
We went
from 61 degrees this morning to a cool 28 now. There's a raw wind blowing that makes it feel like 2 zillion below zero.
Thank goodness Ground Hogs Day is only weeks away. That's the day I first celebrate spring.
I remember
when I was a little girl the teacher would pass around those mimeographed pictures for our class to color. After I became
an adult, I realized that the ground hog is nothing but a big rodent and the whole thing used up all my brown color crayons.
Big deal.
My irises did die back again though. Poor little things. I can hear them shivering under their little
dirt shoes. I have a huge variety of colors. Some are yellow, a peach color that's really a double. Looks pretty and
frilly. Various shades of purple, one almost black. And finally a pink iris. I like irises. They remind me of Vincent Van
Gogh. He painted irises for the whole year that he was in the asylum. People sometimes comment about how they must have been
Van Gogh's favorite flower. The truth is, they were the only flower planted at the asylum. So of course he painted irises.
What else were there? Besides, by that time he was probably tired of doing self-portraits, being one ear shy of having a full
face and all.
Thank you for all your "as if" comments. It was very interesting to hear about how you
are using the same concept. Actually it's little more than positive thinking. But it works. People who are negative get dumped
on a lot. They aren't any fun and they suck all the air out of relationships, out of the sky and out of their hearts. So lighten
up everybody and live your lives as if you are the successful person you want to be!
January 16, 2012
Live your life as
if --
It's a Biblical concept. Believe you will get what you pray for, and it is yours, we are promised.
It's the underlying principle of the best-seller The Secret.
So let's all put a whole bunch of
positive energy out there. The idea is that if you send positive energy out from yourself, it will come back to you.
That's where you embrace the idea that you'll do better in life if you live your life as if.
For instance,
married couples who live their lives as if can somehow keep a vibrancy alive in their relationship. Remember
those days when you tried to do all the thoughtful, courteous things you could to attract this handsome guy, or gorgeous lady,
into your life? If you're going to be late, do you call and let somebody know you're being detained? If you're living your
life as if, then you're going to do such thoughtful things like making a call.
Or how about getting that
dream job? What happens when you are sitting in your cubicle doing some grunt project and wishing the clock would advance
a few hours so you could get out of there? Well, if you're living your life as if you'd just gotten into an interview
and were trying to convince a prospective boss that you really wanted the job, you'd go ahead and do the best you could do,
even if every day isn't always exciting and creatively challenging.
Or how about parenting. Remember those days
when you couldn't wait for Little Baby Ten Toes to arrive? Live your life as if those days beckon you and you back
to the days when you promised yourself that you'd be the best parent you possibly could be to the new baby yet to be born.
Living as if will help you get through long, fright-filled nights when you're waiting for an errant teenage to wander
on back home.
And most of all, live your life as if Christ were headed this way from the other side of
the universe and he is just about ready to come down out of the clouds. Living your life as if he were just about
here just may change your life choices.
Good luck with that. Think about ways you could live your life as if.
January 13, 2012
Yes, we got the snow. Not
much. Just a couple of inches. Then it stopped for a few hours. I reminded Quint that when the snow started up again, it counted
as a new snow. At least for my reckoning. He doesn't have to count the snows separately if he doesn't want to. It's just that
if you don't, you end up with some extra snowfalls anticipated by the end of the season.
Yesterday I saw a red
fox loping along across the neighbor's yard across the street. At first I thought it was a dog, but then, that tail is a giveaway.
Red fox it was. Pretty good sized one too. We have some woods behind our house. Figure he lives back in there with the deer
who come out every once in a while looking for good chow, like when the neighbor's beans are about ready to pick. I told her
to get a bottle of Liquid Fence at the hardware store, last year. It works. It's kept deer, squirrels and rabbits away from
my garden goodies ever since I planted a garden down here. Not too cheap, but it does the trick. You spray around the perimeter
of the garden, not on the veggies. A quart bottle lasts most of the season.
It even works on those naughty dogs
who like to hike up their legs and take a leak on my rose bush out front. Actually they're probably marking their territory.
Doesn't matter, me and my Liquid Fence go out there and give the bush a squirt where the dogs squirted. They don't come back
so much. Nothing to reclaim if they can't get a whiff of their aroma.
Tomorrow I'm going to my first meeting of
the Christian Writers Group here in town. Looking forward to meeting others who are plying their craft too.
I'm
anxious to see if anyone else uses what I call the Ernest Hemingway approach -- you know, three to four word sentences. He
was a master at it and I figured if he made it work, so could I. Problem is, my spell checker does not like fragmented sentences.
But hey, that's the way people talk. So I say I write "conversationally." ha!
Oh, changing the subject.
What do you think the stock markets are going to do on Monday morning, now that Standard and Poors has downgraded the financial
houses of Yerp? France and Austria lost their AAA ratings. A total of 15 European nations' ratings were cutting in the
S&P slash and burn come-uppance move. One of these days, the US is going to get downgraded again if we don't get a grip
on spending.
You can't spend all your money!
I watched one of those news interview programs, maybe
a Jay Leno man on the street. Not sure. Anyway, the commentator was asking the people where they thought money came from.
One lady said she thought the president printed the money in the basement of the White House. Unfortunately, she was serious.
She even knew who the president was.
God said something about wasting the blessings He gives us. We'd better all
listen up and pay attention, folks.
January 11, 2011
I'm so
glad that Netflix survived the stupidest marketing debacle yet -- raising money on top of money by doing a double tier charge
system. Never could figure out what they were going to charge so we canceled everything but the streatming, which we used
mostly anyway. We do get one video still, though. What we have both come to really like is the video of a fireplace burning.
That's all it is. Just a fireplace burning. It makes the living room seem warm and cozy. Okay, so it doesn't make the room
actually warm, but the crackling fire and licking flames do okay by me.
Just in time, too, for a winter storm heading
our way. I fear that this one isn't going to miss us. We might get several inches out of it. It's heading SSE out of Iowa
and looks to cut a big swath across Illinois as it heads east. I guess that's the end of our 40 degree winters.
Oh
well, it was nice while it lasted.
Now, on to Groundhog's Day which is February 2. Somehow I don't think the little
groundhog is going to be a harbinger of spring. This is going to be one of those winters where it's going to be snowing for
Easter, I'll bet. When the girls were little tykes I remember them hopping through snow on the way to the church on Easter
Sunday. Didn't do their little patent leather slippers any good.
Not much news going on except politics, in case
you haven't noticed. Politics in the US has become a mult-billion dollar business. So the ads and speeches and debates and
spin doctoring are going to continue until November.
One good thing did come out of the Supreme Court today. Believe
it or not, the justices reaches a unanimous decision that says churches can hire people of their own choice - whether it's
a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam. The supremes said the government had to "butt out" in so many words.
Well, it's about time.
And my cousin Frances in Texas says the jonquils are sprouting and the bluebells are really
thick, though not blooming just yet.
I will add that my irises are totally confused. I have cut them back twice
now and could cut them back again but I'm not gonna. If they decide to bloom when it snows, I'll take a photo for posterity.
And with that, no matter where you are, please drive carefully. I know that some parts of the midwest are supposed
to get 10" of snow or more, but the rest of us can expect 1 to 2 inches of the white stuff. I don't care if we only get
one inch of snow. If it's sitting on icy pavement, it can still be deadly.
Prayers for safety for all of you.
January 9, 2012
Had he lived,
today would have been my brother, Allison's, 67th birthday. His middle name was Wallace, probably named for some long lost
relative I've never heard of. So we called him A.W. because that's what people in the south do. There's usually at least one
first degree relative identified only by initials. So wherever you are, A.W., I hope you're enjoying the choirs of angels
and that at the last moments on your deathbed you begged forgiveness for a life filled with sins. I suspect that you did get
that idea as you lay dying of lung cancer. But I don't know that. I just pray that you did because I would love to see you
in heaven.
Changing the subject, I have received more than quite a few emails about this Mayan thing and what's
going to happen at the end of 2012.
In the first place, the Bible reference to the end of the world is very clear
about who knows what. I believe it's in Revelation where the verse says that no one knows when the world will end except the
Father. Even His Son, Jesus Christ, does not have that information.
Yep. It says so in the Bible. Look it up.
Or if you don't have a Bible with a good commentary that can point you to the verse, go to www.ask..com and type in a question like, "Where in the Bible does it say ............................................"
You'll get a reference.
That's exactly what I did this evening before I started this writing. I knew that somewhere
in the Bible, there was an answer to some prophet who asked God how he would end the world the "next time" since
he'd promised in a covenant after the flood that he would never destroy the population with a flood again. Then he put a rainbow
in the sky. To this day, when I see a rainbow, I am reminded of God's promise not to send a flood again.
But what
about this point that the Mayans supposedly thought the world was going to end? Did they actually say that? Not really, unless
you interpret their writings to fit into that concept. But what if it'd the Mayan calendar, not the world, that is supposed
to end in December 2012? After all, we have Bible texts that say only the Father knows. If He didn't get around to telling
His much beloved Son, Jesus Christ, do you really believe He would have told some Indians out there on the Yucatan Peninsula.
So what did God tell the prophet?
In the New International Reader's Version, in Hebrews 12, we
find:
25 Be sure that you don't say no to the One who speaks. People did not escape when they said
no to the One who warned them on earth. And what if we turn away from the One who warns us from heaven? How much less will
we escape! 26 At that time his voice shook the earth. But now
he has promised, "Once more I will shake the earth. I will also shake the heavens."—(Haggai 2:6)
27 The words "once more" point out that what can be shaken can be taken away. I'm talking
about created things. Then what can't be shaken will remain. 28
We are receiving a kingdom that can't be shaken. So let us be thankful. Then we can worship God in a way that pleases him.
We will worship him with deep respect and wonder. 29 Our "God is like a fire that burns everything
up."—(Deuteronomy 4:24)
There are also references to
God shaking the earth in Psalm 115:3 and Haggai 2:6.
I am reminded of the reference in Verse 28 that "...we
can worship God in a way that pleases him." That pretty much takes care of people who say they don't go to church because
they believe they can worship God in a forest, or somewhere else. In fact, God tells us that he wants us to meet in assembly
with fellow believers.
So get up on the Sabbath, get dressed and make your way to church where you can "assemble"
with "fellow believers." Just do it. Don't say "no" to God.
And then there's
this Tebow guy. Don't you love him?! Over the weekend he rushed 316 yards. That was the accumulated passes he threw and I
think he ran the ball some too. When he heard the stats broadcast with his last winning throw of the day that he was responsible
for 316 yards that won the game for the Denver Broncos, what does he do? Did he swell up and sing, "How great I am?"
Not on your life. He dropped to his knee and thanked God for his blessings. He later explained that when he heard that,
all he could think of was John 3:16.
January 7, 2012
I'm stuck at the weight
where I've plateaued so Quint and I headed for the gym today. That's how you get off those plateaus - either drastically cut
back on calories or step up the exercise.
Well, since our life is pretty sedentary as it is, just walking out
the door to get intot he car is an improvement on the sedentary lifestyle. So, since we're Silver Sneakers on our Humana insurance,
we headed for the gym where we used to go faithfully before all this cancer nonsense started. We walked on the treadmill for
a big fat 20 minutes. We got all the way up to a 27 minute mile. Then we did some work on the strength training machines.
I got on the machine that works the hamstrings. I personally think my hamstrings have completely atrophied, but that could
be just a bit hyperbolic. Truth is, I don't like needing to hang onto something just to stand up, for crying out loud.
Okay, so I don't expect to jump up out of my seat, but I would like to look less like an invalid. I'll work up to
walking for an hour, or get up to five miles. I remember when I was a Girl Scout leader I used to go on five mile hikes with
frequency. But then, those were called "all day hikes" for Brownies.
Oh well, we're expecting it to
take some little while to get some semblance of stamina back.
On our way home, we stopped at Walgreens where I
got my flu shot. The doctor only had one left when we were there for our last checkup, so Quint got it.
We also
stocked up on sugar free candy. Russell Stover is my friend!
Changing the subject, I can always rely on my cousin
Mark to send the Darwin Awards for the previous year. And here they are:
THE 2011 DARWIN AWARDS
You've been waiting for them with bated breath, so without further ado, here are the 2011 Darwin Awards:
Eighth Place
In Detroit , a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing
head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys.
Seventh Place
A 49-year-old
San Francisco stockbroker, who "totally zoned when he ran", accidentally jogged off a 100-foot high cliff on
his daily run.
Sixth Place
While at the beach, Daniel Jones, 21, dug an 8 foot hole for protection
from the wind and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom, when it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet
of sand. People on the beach used their hands and shovels trying to get him out but could not reach him. It took rescue
workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Fifth
Place
Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed as he fell through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing.
Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth to keep his hands free rammed into the base of his
skull as he hit the floor.
Fourth Place
Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed as he won a
bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger.
Third Place
After stepping around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door, a man walked into H&J Leather & Firearms intent on robbing the store. The shop was full of customers and a uniformed
officer was standing at the counter. Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up and fired a few
wild shots from a target pistol.
The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, and several customers also
drew their guns and fired. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by Paramedics. Crime scene investigators
located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified
rounds from 7 different weapons. No one else was hurt.
HONORABLE MENTION
Paul Stiller,
47, and his wife Bonnie were bored just driving around at 2 A.M. so they lit a quarter stick of dynamite to toss out
the window to see what would happen. Apparently they failed to notice that the window was closed.
RUNNER
UP
Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had
bungee-jumped from a local bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more excited, and at least 10 men trooped
along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge, they discovered that no
one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of lineman's
cable lay nearby. They secured one end around Bingham's leg and then tied the other to the bridge. His fall lasted 40
feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy
water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. Bingham's foot was never located.
AND THE WINNER IS....
Zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt ( Paderborn , Germany ) fed his constipated elephant 22 doses of animal laxative
and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally got relief. Investigators
say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast
unloaded.
The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr Riesfeldt to the ground where
he struck his head on a rock as the elephant continued to evacuate 200 pounds of dung on top of him. It seems to be just
one of those freak accidents.
January 9, 2012
Had he
lived, today would have been my brother, Allison's, 67th birthday. His middle name was Wallace, probably named for some long
lost relative I've never heard of. So we called him A.W. because that's what people in the south do. There's usually at least
one first degree relative identified only by initials. So wherever you are, A.W., I hope you're enjoying the choirs of angels
and that at the last moments on your deathbed you begged forgiveness for a life filled with sins. I suspect that you did get
that idea as you lay dying of lung cancer. But I don't know that. I just pray that you did because I would love to see you
in heaven.
Changing the subject, I have received more than quite a few emails about this Mayan thing and what's
going to happen at the end of 2012.
In the first place, the Bible reference to the end of the world is very clear
about who knows what. I believe it's in Revelation where the verse says that no one knows when the world will end except the
Father. Even His Son, Jesus Christ, does not have that information.
Yep. It says so in the Bible. Look it up.
Or if you don't have a Bible with a good commentary that can point you to the verse, go to www.ask..com and type in a question like, "Where in the Bible does it say ............................................"
You'll get a reference.
That's exactly what I did this evening before I started this writing. I knew that somewhere
in the Bible, there was an answer to some prophet who asked God how he would end the world the "next time" since
he'd promised in a covenant after the flood that he would never destroy the population with a flood again. Then he put
a rainbow in the sky. To this day, when I see a rainbow, I am reminded of God's promise not to send a flood again.
So what did God tell the prophet?
In the New International Reader's Version, we find:
25
Be sure that you don't say no to the One who speaks. People did not escape when they said no to the One who warned them on
earth. And what if we turn away from the One who warns us from heaven? How much less will we escape! 26 At that time his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised, "Once more I will shake the
earth. I will also shake the heavens."—(Haggai 2:6) 27 The words "once
more" point out that what can be shaken can be taken away. I'm talking about created things. Then what can't be shaken
will remain. 28 We are receiving a kingdom that can't be shaken.
So let us be thankful. Then we can worship God in a way that pleases him. We will worship him with deep respect and wonder.
29 Our "God is like a fire that burns everything up."—(Deuteronomy 4:24)
January 4, 2011
Warning:
this could be the beginning of a developing article about recognizing saboteurs within an organization. You know -- they're
the ones we refer to as alligators. Every organization has them. And they show their true colors more prominently than you
might think.
Here's an old maxim as you start your new year: If you want people to like you, you have to make yourself
likable.
That takes care of the bossy ones. People run from these guys. They sit in their chairs and issue edicts
and "fetch orders." "Get me this," or "get me that" seems to be their motto. You don't see these
people surrounded by a big crowd of people, do you? Organizations are full of these little chiefs.
So what can
you do to make people like you? Easy. If you want something, go get it yourself. That's for starters. The world does not raise
citizens who wait for you to beckon them.
That is, unless you're a politician or a monarch, or something that
gives your blue-blooded attitude the self-imposed right to sit on a chair and make demands.
Tied to likability
is another maxim: Good leaders make good followers. You can spot the good leaders in your organization by looking around to
see who the workers are. They're the ones who make the good leaders. The people who don't want to do any real work in a group
are the same ones who will keep the organization at the status quo. No growth. They say, "I liked it better when we were
smaller." All too often, these little-minded people have a secret agenda of their own. They seldom do anything to help
the organization grow. Does the definition of passive aggressive come to mind?
Just remember, aggression
is always a hostile act.
And passive aggression is disguised as sabotage. Each and every time. Passive aggressive
people are on a perpetual search for power. And what do they want the most? Whatever strength you've got. They're
trying to run a little micro counter-culture in your organization. But there's good news. You reward (reinforce)
the behavior you want to continue. That's behavior modification rule #1. If you find yourself surrounded by people who
don't share your values, then for your own sense of well-being, find another venue. There are plenty of organizations and
opportunities out there in this big, wide wonderful world that welcome hard workers.
It's even Biblical to shake
the dust from your sandals and walk away. Whatever happened between the "shake the dust from your sandals" theory
and the "turn the other cheek motto?"
Well, that thesis can be bridged with a good sermon. I'm
not a pastor so I'll leave that one for theologians to wrestle with.
January 2, 2012
Therefore,
be it resolved -----
I don't ordinarily make New Years resolutions. But this year is an exception.
I
can trace my weight gain all the way back to 1985 when my thyroid was removed. I had what's known as a "thyroid storm"
at work and was taken by ambulance to Northwest Memorial Hospital from the law firm where I worked. An endocrinologist diagnosed
Graves Disease, an autoimmune nuisance. Problem was I had my daughter's wedding gown about half done and was looking down
the barrel of her wedding in about two weeks. I finished the gown, had the thyroid ablated with a radioactive iodine. Quint
said I glowed in the dark. The doctor released me much earlier than he would have ordinarily because I promised to return
post haste after the wedding for quick checkups. That only entailed a quick cab ride over to his office from the law firm
where I was back at work.
The problem was, my weight started to slowly rise. At about a 60 degree slope upward.
I put on seventy pounds in a year!
I tried lots of diets. All the wrong ones. Low carb diets, for instance, are
never any good. I don't care who recommends them, they are not good for your body's chemistry. The human being is meant to
eat grains and grain products. Problem was, I wasn't eating anything differently than my pre-ablation days.
Then,
in 2006 Quint and I moved. We bought a Cape Cod. People thought I was nuts to move into a house that had three levels when
we had lived in a condominium that was all on one level. Not to mention that my knees were giving me fits. But after we moved
I started to lose weight. Slowly. Ever so slowly. After about six months my knees were not giving me any problems at all.
I wasn't doing anything much different except I was out from under the sedentary lifestyle that came with my counseling practice.
I was walking around more. I enjoyed the physical activity. At the end of a year I was 49 pounds lighter.
But now
is the year I'm going to take off the rest of the 25 pounds that I packed on. And how am I going to do this? Simple. Give
up most of the flour products I eat.
Following a gout diet is not that difficult. Sugar is my enemy. Yeast products
are also my enemy. Meat is my enemy too. No more bacon with my eggs. No more smoky links that are stuffed with cheddar cheese
and jalapeno peppers.
No more cookies. At least not more than two at one sitting. Ice cream is okay so it's a
good thing that I really like Eskimo Pies -- sugar free that is. This afternoon I'm going to make a cookie that has a chocolate
turtle stuffed inside. The cookie dough is a Pillsbury sugar free cake mix and the chocolate turtles are sugar free from Russell
Stove. I'll cut the turtles into quarters to make them go farther. Does it cost more to make them? You bet. But it's cheaper
than all the medicines that you have to take if you're diabetic. I can have a couple of cookies with impunity.
Low-fat
cheeses and cottage cheese are also very good for me. And for some reason, tart cherries are also good for the gout diet.
They are low in purines. The lower the purines in the bloodstream, the lower the risk of too much uric acid in the blood.
Fresh apples and oranges and bananas are good for the low purine diet too. But I seldom eat bananas. Once in a while we'll
put them on cereal for breakfast. (Did you know that a serving of banana is only 1/2 of the banana?) It has too much sugar
in it. I learned that from Quint's diabetic diet.
Two weeks ago I started a lifestyle change that will allow me
to get control of the gout. I've now lost 5 and a half pounds.
I'm looking forward to being at least ten pounds
lighter by the end of January. That's the only resolution that I've made so far.
I'm thinking about slowing down
a bit. Especially now that I'm working at a job that I really enjoy in the afternoons. It's working for a dual parish church
office. Fortunately, the pastor I work with was a friend of mine before I started working with him.
I'm not willing
to give that up. But I am willing to give up my "over-do" list. It's too easy for people to mistake my generosity
with my time and energy. So I'm going to step back this year and let other people do some of the things that I used to
do. In the meantime, I have joined a Christian Writers Group that meets here in Effingham County. It's a group of about ten
people who are writing for publication.
And I have a couple of grants that I promised to write for some business
people here in the county. I like writing grants. It keeps my paralegal skills honed. And I like helping business people get
their enterprises off the ground.
I also want to continue with my own writing projects.
And that should
keep me busy and productive in the new year.
That's only two resolutions. They're two that I can commit to that
I know I will follow faithfully. That's the key to success when it comes to re-inventing yourself. Pick a re-invention project
that you are willing to commit to completely. And don't take on too many projects at the same time. You'll only frustrate
yourself. Pick a project that you are motivated to work on. For me, it was the dreaded fear that if I kept on gobbling away,
I'd hit 300 pounds. That's just something that I'm not willing to embrace. Besides, losing weight is all about math. If you
eat more calories than you use up, you'll gain weight.
I've watched people who claim that they "just can't
lose weight." They'd have you believe that they have tried everything. Yet, when you look at their plates, there's potatoes,
noodles, and bread and butter. Then there's the entree and maybe, just maybe a little bit of green vegetable. Never ever eat
potatoes and bread in the same meal. And I don't know what they think they're doing by dumping noodles or dressing onto the
plate. After all, you're not required to eat everything on the menu. So, if you're an adult, make a fist. That's about a cup.
Half of that amount would be a serving. If you're eating a closed fist size of mashed potatoes, you're eating too much. Oh,
you could have that much in green beans. That's for sure. But not if the beans are highly seasoned with butter and bacon bits,
silly.
I figure you've probably seen this letter that my cousins Mark and Al sent to me, but
it's worth another read through:
Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she
passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if
we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought
we could so, and she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss
her very much. I ' m happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will
play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will
know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith
We put the letter in an envelope with a
picture of Abbey & Meredith , addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Meredith pasted
several stamps on the front of the envelope cause she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way
to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if
God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped
in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside
was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to
God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:
Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right
away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey
loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in
so I ' m sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What
a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that
I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love.
Love,
God
January 1, 2012
What a beautiful
message I've received from my cousins, Mark and Al:
WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN
WE PRAY? > > This is one of the nicest e-mails
I have seen : > > I dreamt that I went to Heaven
and an angel was showing me around. We > walked side-by-side inside a large workroom
filled with angels. My angel > guide stopped in front of the first section and said,
'This is the > Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.
> > I looked around in this area, and it was terribly
busy with so many angels > sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets
and scraps from > people all over the world. >
> Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section. > > The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging
and Delivery Section. > Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed
and > delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how
> busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, > since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged >
> for delivery to Earth. > > Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of >
a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated > there, idly
doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel > friend quietly admitted
to me. He seemed embarrassed. > > "How is
it that there is no work going on here? I asked." > >
"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they >
asked for, very few send back acknowledgments." > >
"How does one acknowledge God's blessings? "I asked. > > "Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord." >
> "What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked. >
> "If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof > overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. >
> If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, > you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy, and if you get this on >
your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that > opportunity."
> > "If you woke up this morning with more
health than illness.. You are more > blessed than the many who will not even survive
this day." > > "If you have never experienced
the fear in battle, the loneliness of > imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs
of starvation... You are > ahead of 700 million people in the world." > > "If you can attend a church without the fear of
harassment, arrest, > torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three
billion > people in the world." > > "If your parents are still alive and still married.... you are very rare." > > "If you can hold your head up and smile, you are
not the norm, you're > unique to all those in doubt and despair......." > > "Ok," I said. "What now? How can I start?"
> > The Angel said, "If you can read this
message, you just received a double > blessing in that someone was thinking of you as
very special and you are > more blessed than over two billion people in the world who
cannot read at > all." > > Have a good day, count your blessings , and if you care to, pass this >
along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.......... > > ATTN: Acknowledge Dept . > >
"Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for > giving
me so many wonderful people with whom to share it." > >
If you have read this far, and are thankful for all that you have been > blessed with,
how can you not send it on? > > I
thank God for everything, especially all my family and friends. >
(And
do you know how many pearly gates there are? -- If you guessed 12, you'd be correct. See Revelation 21.)
And
here's a profound story from my friend Linda, in Lawrenceville:
Read it before but just as powerful the second or third time. GOD BLESS. Please do not forget the real reason for the Christmas season!
This is so beautiful!
John 3:16
A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of the cold.
The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers.
He walked up to a policeman and said, 'Mister,
you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could
find a warm place to sleep tonight would you?
You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there for tonight. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay.'
The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, 'You go down the street to that big white house and you knock
on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16, and they will let you in.'
So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked
on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, 'John 3:16 .' The lady said, 'Come on in, Son.'
She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went off..
The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself:
John 3:16 ....I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.
Later she came back and asked him 'Are you hungry? 'He said, 'Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food,'
The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't
eat anymore. Then he thought to himself: John 3:16...
Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure makes a hungry boy full.
She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub
filled with warm water, and he sat there
and soaked for a
while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16 ...
I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy
clean... You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out.
The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room,
tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the
window at the snow coming down on that cold night,
he thought to himself: John 3:16 .....I don't understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rested.
The next morning the lady came back up and took him
down again to that same big table full of food. After he
ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom
rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible.
She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face..
'Do you understand John 3:16 ? ' she asked gently. He replied,
'No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it,'
She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain
to him about Jesus . Right there, in front of that big old fireplace, he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John 3:16,“I
don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.
You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either,
how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus suffer
and die. I don't understand the intense love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end. I don't understand it,
but it sure does make life worth living.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life....
If you aren't ashamed to do this, please follow the directions .
Jesus said, 'If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father.' Pass this on only if you mean it.
I do Love God . He is my source of existence... .. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Phil 4:13 If you love
God and are not ashamed of all the marvelous things he has done for you, send this on..
Take 60 seconds & give this a shot ! Let's just see if Satan stops this one.
All you do is:
1) Simply say a small prayer for the person who sent you this, 'Father, God bless this person in whatever it is that You know he or she may be needing this day. In Jesus' Name, Amen ! '
2) Then send it on to other people. Within hours many people have prayed for you, and you caused a multitude of
people to pray to God for other people. Then sit back and watch the power of God work in your life for doing the
thing that you know He loves.
(This is a good example of what I call Network Prayers. It really makes me feel
great to know that people are praying for me, and I love to pray for others too. Thank you, Linda, for sending.)
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