Of course, the verse referenced in the prayer reminder refers to the sacrifice of our Lord. However, we are just past the celebration of Memorial Day which is set aside for remembering those who have given of themselves to give us the freedoms we have in our wonderful country, the United States of America! For all of its flaws and all of the things that are not right, we still live in the greatest country ever, in this world! And we need to remember that there are many who have laid down their lives for us so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today! My dad didn’t give his life, but he gave several years of his early married life during World War II in order to help in that cause. So I have some first hand reminders of what is cost for the men and women who have fought for us! Just because I am so very proud of him and what he did, I am just going to let you know that he was on the island of Iwo Jima when the flag was raised there. I often praise the Lord for giving him safety during those days or I wouldn’t be here! I was one of the “baby boomers” in the truest sense of the phrase! Here are some praises and prayer requests for us to remember this week.
1. Praise for the men and women who fought and gave their lives for our freedoms!
2. Praise for those who are fighting today in order to maintain those freedoms!
3. Pray for those who are far away from home and needing Christian friends. Pray that the Christians will find each other for the purpose of encouragement and fellowship.
4. Pray for this whole election process as we know that some of our freedoms are being gravely attacked.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Prayer Requests for May 22
Isn’t it comforting to remember that “the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord”, that God has the power to turn that heart wherever He wishes?! We have some people running for President who think that they are pretty much able to accomplish anything they want to do and who think that you and I and everyone else will believe everything they say and trust them with our lives! How sad for them to overlook the power that God wields in this world! How sad for them to think that they have control of anything! Let us rest in the joy of knowing that our Heavenly Father not only watches over us, but He is in full charge of His Creation and will move His plan forward with or without the help of any particular human being!
1. Praise for the safe trip of President Bush to the Middle East and back.
2. Pray for the ongoing results of the Primaries. There are three more, so keep praying.
3. Pray for the safety of the candidates as they travel around the country.
4. Pray that righteousness and truth will prevail!
5. Pray that those who speak falsely will be held to God’s standards of Truth.
1. Praise for the safe trip of President Bush to the Middle East and back.
2. Pray for the ongoing results of the Primaries. There are three more, so keep praying.
3. Pray for the safety of the candidates as they travel around the country.
4. Pray that righteousness and truth will prevail!
5. Pray that those who speak falsely will be held to God’s standards of Truth.
Summary of Deuteronomy 6
I hope you all had a happy Mother’s Day with your mother or with your children! All of my children and grandchildren were home and it was a terrific day! There were 13 of us in church on Mother’s Day morning and we needed TWO rows! That was the fulfillment of one of my prayers and hopes!
I thought I was finished with Deuteronomy 6, but I have one more thought that I would like to insert before I go on to another topic. I was talking with one of my daughters over the past couple of weeks and it gave me a thought concerning something that has been on my mind for a time now. There is a verse in James 4:14 which says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Now that verse could come across as a bit fatalistic or depressing if we don’t catch the thoughts behind the message. I have been thinking about it for a time and this is what I have come up with from the perspective of family issues. Some of you may have thought this through long ago, but as a math person, it takes me time to think through things that are a bit more abstract in nature!
In the discussion of Deuteronomy 6, I discussed the importance of putting reminders around your home that would remind your children of their heritage, both their family heritage and their ‘spiritual’ heritage. After thinking about James 4:14 and the concept of the “vapor”, I have come to the conclusion that in reality all we have is this present moment! Everything else we have in our minds to think about is either a memory or an anticipation of some future event. We can hold something in our hand that is with us for this one moment, but the future or past for that item is only in our minds as a memory or an anticipation! So how does this relate to Deut. 6? I think it means that it is more important than ever that we make sure that our children grow up with LOTS of memories and it is even more important that we make those memories meaningful! If a huge percentage of their mind is full of memories, wouldn’t we want those memories to be good and wholesome and something they can grow with? Hence we see the idea that we as parents are responsible to see to it that there are things around our homes and also events that will bring good memories to their minds! God forbid that when they think about growing up they would remember the television, or the computer or the video games more than they remember Mom or Dad reading them some stories or playing games with them or having family devotions at a scheduled time. God forbid that they would remember everyone scurrying around getting ready to go off in all different directions every morning more than they would remember family outings or “family devotions” or “family game night”!
So what do we do to make sure that the memories that our children remember are the right memories? Some of that was discussed in a previous entry, but you should start right now and determine each and every day that you will do one thing that you would like your children to remember and that would give them some warm memories of their growing up years. Do one thing that would help them remember the spiritual emphasis you displayed in your home. It takes a lifetime to live a life, so don’t assume anything is too late! Start where you are and take little steps and you will be surprised how things will grow and become what you would like them to be.
Trust this makes sense to you. It has been mulling around in my mind and I trust God has enabled me to give you the gist of what I am trying to share! We are all on this journey called life and just as I like it when someone gives me clues as to where the best campgrounds are and best places to eat when we go on vacation, I trust we are that desirous to know some of the road signs on this journey called “parenting”!
I thought I was finished with Deuteronomy 6, but I have one more thought that I would like to insert before I go on to another topic. I was talking with one of my daughters over the past couple of weeks and it gave me a thought concerning something that has been on my mind for a time now. There is a verse in James 4:14 which says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Now that verse could come across as a bit fatalistic or depressing if we don’t catch the thoughts behind the message. I have been thinking about it for a time and this is what I have come up with from the perspective of family issues. Some of you may have thought this through long ago, but as a math person, it takes me time to think through things that are a bit more abstract in nature!
In the discussion of Deuteronomy 6, I discussed the importance of putting reminders around your home that would remind your children of their heritage, both their family heritage and their ‘spiritual’ heritage. After thinking about James 4:14 and the concept of the “vapor”, I have come to the conclusion that in reality all we have is this present moment! Everything else we have in our minds to think about is either a memory or an anticipation of some future event. We can hold something in our hand that is with us for this one moment, but the future or past for that item is only in our minds as a memory or an anticipation! So how does this relate to Deut. 6? I think it means that it is more important than ever that we make sure that our children grow up with LOTS of memories and it is even more important that we make those memories meaningful! If a huge percentage of their mind is full of memories, wouldn’t we want those memories to be good and wholesome and something they can grow with? Hence we see the idea that we as parents are responsible to see to it that there are things around our homes and also events that will bring good memories to their minds! God forbid that when they think about growing up they would remember the television, or the computer or the video games more than they remember Mom or Dad reading them some stories or playing games with them or having family devotions at a scheduled time. God forbid that they would remember everyone scurrying around getting ready to go off in all different directions every morning more than they would remember family outings or “family devotions” or “family game night”!
So what do we do to make sure that the memories that our children remember are the right memories? Some of that was discussed in a previous entry, but you should start right now and determine each and every day that you will do one thing that you would like your children to remember and that would give them some warm memories of their growing up years. Do one thing that would help them remember the spiritual emphasis you displayed in your home. It takes a lifetime to live a life, so don’t assume anything is too late! Start where you are and take little steps and you will be surprised how things will grow and become what you would like them to be.
Trust this makes sense to you. It has been mulling around in my mind and I trust God has enabled me to give you the gist of what I am trying to share! We are all on this journey called life and just as I like it when someone gives me clues as to where the best campgrounds are and best places to eat when we go on vacation, I trust we are that desirous to know some of the road signs on this journey called “parenting”!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Prayer Requests for May 15
Last week I admitted a certain uneasiness in my heart over this election, but I am so thankful for verses such as Psalm 75:5&6 which remind us that God is in control and that He alone is in charge of those who rise to leadership in our nation and in all of the nations of the world! This verse reminds us that God “puts one down and exalts another”. No matter what is said, no matter how much money the candidates raise and no matter who supports whom, God rules and overrules in these affairs and His will WILL NOT be thwarted! Praise the Lord for the peace that can bring to our hearts if we can grasp that Truth!
1. Pray that we CAN comprehend the Truth of God’s Word and that we can live above the confusion and rhetoric that is all around us.
2. Pray for unity among believers as we work with each other to accomplish God’s plan in this election and in the world.
3. Pray that God’s choice for our President will choose a Vice President who will be God’s choice as well.
4. Pray that all of God’s people will remember that this is a spiritual battle and that we need to be armed with the armor of God in order to fight and win the battles that lie before us.
1. Pray that we CAN comprehend the Truth of God’s Word and that we can live above the confusion and rhetoric that is all around us.
2. Pray for unity among believers as we work with each other to accomplish God’s plan in this election and in the world.
3. Pray that God’s choice for our President will choose a Vice President who will be God’s choice as well.
4. Pray that all of God’s people will remember that this is a spiritual battle and that we need to be armed with the armor of God in order to fight and win the battles that lie before us.
Friday, May 9, 2008
A Challenge to Mothers
We are coming to another Mother’s Day and I am going to take a break and post a special tribute/challenge to mothers. There will also be a couple of special recipes from among my own mother’s favorites, so keep reading!
As I am sure most of you know, mothers have a very important and unique job. You have either had a mother or you are a mother or both! I would like to highlight some of the most important responsibilities that I think fall into the job description of a mother.
First of all, is the job of ‘being there’ for your children. There are many other people who can change your baby’s diaper, provide food for your children, play games with your children, teach them to brush their teeth, etc., but there is no one who will just plain love your children like you do! The others can accomplish the tasks, but it is just that, a task! No one else includes the loving touches, the pats on the head, the warm kisses etc. that you as their mother will provide!
The next responsibility of a mother is to support your husband (if possible) in teaching your children about spiritual things. Children need to know at an early age that they are accountable to God for their behavior and for their goals and purpose in life. That should be a high priority of the mother, for you see, as a child ages, he is more and more influenced by our culture and he is more and more distracted by the things that the culture offers and he will be harder and harder to reach as he grows through his childhood and life. And since in most homes, it is the mother who spends the most time with her children, then a great deal of this responsibility falls to her.
Another important responsibility of the mother is to teach your children how to be tender and gentle. You are probably going to be the first person from whom your child will receive unconditional love and you are the one who will be there when he hurts, either physically or emotionally. You are the one who will wipe his tears, so do it gently and carefully. Children have to grow up in a tough world, but from their mother they need to learn how to be tender and the “tough” will come when it is time.
There are many other things that children should learn from their mothers, but the last one I would like to touch on is that children should learn to serve others from you. You see, God has given to women the responsibility of ministering to the “poor and needy” (Proverbs 31 20). And ideally, all of us should participate in this task. As we all know, children are not born with the desire to minister to other people. It is something that needs to be learned, so who is the best person to teach them that art? Well, I believe it is their mother as she is the one who gives the most time to rearing the children and making sure they are equipped to do their part in the family, the church and the society.
And how do we successfully accomplish all of these tasks? Prayer should be a top priority for moms! No matter how busy you are, never let your schedule squeeze out your time to pray for your children! And let them know you are praying for them. Let them hear you pray and let them know that it is one of your highest priorities!
So what is in this for the mother? Well, I believe that next to hearing the words, “Well done”, from my Savior, would be the honor of hearing my children “rise up and call me blessed”! (Proverbs 31:28) That will be reward enough for me!
My own mother has been in Heaven for almost sixteen years, and I miss her every day! She was one of the very best friends I have ever had and I have many good memories of our times together! Those of you who still have your moms, cherish the time you have to spend with them. Never take them for granted! Let them know you appreciate them! In honor and tribute to my mother (Who never even touched a computer as far as I know and who would be totally overwhelmed if she even knew I have the capability of sharing her recipes with people all over the world), I would like to share with you a couple of her favorite recipes!
Mountain Pie
1 stick butter (melt in a 9 by 13 glass casserole pan)
Mix the following and pour over melted butter - pour all the way to the edges
1 cup flour
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
Pour one quart of your favorite canned fruit, or equivalent sugared fresh fruit, over the batter
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. (We like to use part peaches and part blueberries)
Pecan Slices (bars)
1 stick butter (melt in a 9 by 13 cake pan)
Mix the following and pour over melted butter – all the way to the edges
4 eggs
1 pound brown sugar
1 ½ cup flour
1 – 1 ½ cup pecans or walnuts
Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.
GLAZE: Mix the following and drizzle over warm bars
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
As I am sure most of you know, mothers have a very important and unique job. You have either had a mother or you are a mother or both! I would like to highlight some of the most important responsibilities that I think fall into the job description of a mother.
First of all, is the job of ‘being there’ for your children. There are many other people who can change your baby’s diaper, provide food for your children, play games with your children, teach them to brush their teeth, etc., but there is no one who will just plain love your children like you do! The others can accomplish the tasks, but it is just that, a task! No one else includes the loving touches, the pats on the head, the warm kisses etc. that you as their mother will provide!
The next responsibility of a mother is to support your husband (if possible) in teaching your children about spiritual things. Children need to know at an early age that they are accountable to God for their behavior and for their goals and purpose in life. That should be a high priority of the mother, for you see, as a child ages, he is more and more influenced by our culture and he is more and more distracted by the things that the culture offers and he will be harder and harder to reach as he grows through his childhood and life. And since in most homes, it is the mother who spends the most time with her children, then a great deal of this responsibility falls to her.
Another important responsibility of the mother is to teach your children how to be tender and gentle. You are probably going to be the first person from whom your child will receive unconditional love and you are the one who will be there when he hurts, either physically or emotionally. You are the one who will wipe his tears, so do it gently and carefully. Children have to grow up in a tough world, but from their mother they need to learn how to be tender and the “tough” will come when it is time.
There are many other things that children should learn from their mothers, but the last one I would like to touch on is that children should learn to serve others from you. You see, God has given to women the responsibility of ministering to the “poor and needy” (Proverbs 31 20). And ideally, all of us should participate in this task. As we all know, children are not born with the desire to minister to other people. It is something that needs to be learned, so who is the best person to teach them that art? Well, I believe it is their mother as she is the one who gives the most time to rearing the children and making sure they are equipped to do their part in the family, the church and the society.
And how do we successfully accomplish all of these tasks? Prayer should be a top priority for moms! No matter how busy you are, never let your schedule squeeze out your time to pray for your children! And let them know you are praying for them. Let them hear you pray and let them know that it is one of your highest priorities!
So what is in this for the mother? Well, I believe that next to hearing the words, “Well done”, from my Savior, would be the honor of hearing my children “rise up and call me blessed”! (Proverbs 31:28) That will be reward enough for me!
My own mother has been in Heaven for almost sixteen years, and I miss her every day! She was one of the very best friends I have ever had and I have many good memories of our times together! Those of you who still have your moms, cherish the time you have to spend with them. Never take them for granted! Let them know you appreciate them! In honor and tribute to my mother (Who never even touched a computer as far as I know and who would be totally overwhelmed if she even knew I have the capability of sharing her recipes with people all over the world), I would like to share with you a couple of her favorite recipes!
Mountain Pie
1 stick butter (melt in a 9 by 13 glass casserole pan)
Mix the following and pour over melted butter - pour all the way to the edges
1 cup flour
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
Pour one quart of your favorite canned fruit, or equivalent sugared fresh fruit, over the batter
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. (We like to use part peaches and part blueberries)
Pecan Slices (bars)
1 stick butter (melt in a 9 by 13 cake pan)
Mix the following and pour over melted butter – all the way to the edges
4 eggs
1 pound brown sugar
1 ½ cup flour
1 – 1 ½ cup pecans or walnuts
Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.
GLAZE: Mix the following and drizzle over warm bars
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Prayer Requests - May 8
I am going to admit to you this evening, that at times I carry some fear for the future of our country. I am especially concerned about my grandkids growing up and what they might have to face as they walk through their lives. I am grateful for the Truth of the promises and principles in God’s Word that remind us that we are not fighting this battle on our own! Just as God reminded the Children of Israel on many occasions, “The Battle Is the Lord’s”!!! He is totally in control and we need not fear the outcomes of any of the primaries or the general election! Our part is to do what we can to be sure we are aware of the issues and then to pray! That is what this endeavor is all about! I pray that as we pray together that we will all be reminded that there are many praying with us and God WILL have His way!
1. Pray for the results of the primaries that were held this week.
2. Pray that all of us will live above the events going on around us and be able to maintain our joy.
3. Pray that God will receive the Glory as we let our lights shine in the places where we live.
4. Pray for the testimony of our God as some are saying things that bring shame on the name of God.
5. Praise that God is over all and above all and He WILL accomplish his will!
1. Pray for the results of the primaries that were held this week.
2. Pray that all of us will live above the events going on around us and be able to maintain our joy.
3. Pray that God will receive the Glory as we let our lights shine in the places where we live.
4. Pray for the testimony of our God as some are saying things that bring shame on the name of God.
5. Praise that God is over all and above all and He WILL accomplish his will!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Thou Shalt Fear the Lord Thy God
Deuteronomy 6:13 a.) “Thou shalt fear the Lord Thy God…”
There is one more concept in Deuteronomy 6 that I would like to cover as it pertains to teaching your children. The concept to which I am referring is the one above from
verse 13. I truly believe that the idea that we should have a healthy fear of God has been lost in our culture. I know there were times in the past when there was a very serious fear of God to the point that people almost lost the fact that God loves us, but I think now we have come too far the other way and talked about God’s love to the exclusion of the need to fear Him.
Proverbs 9:10 states that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” I am not a language scholar of any kind, but I am going to deduce from this verse that it is very hard for one to be wise without fearing the Lord! Now a person could possibly be very smart and be very logical, but to be wise requires “the fear of the Lord”.
Now, let me use an example from my home where I grew up to show you how I think this plays out. My dad was the disciplinarian in our home and I knew it and had a very healthy fear of him, especially if I had made decisions that I knew he wouldn’t consider to be very “wise”. He had very large hands and besides that, he had a leather strap that he left hanging behind his bedroom door. Now my dad and mom had generally taught us how they thought things should be done, and we learned that if we veered from their desires for how things should be done without good reason or without consulting them, we would reap the results either by hand or with the strap. This cultivated a certain amount of fear in our hearts for my dad!
God has given us an instruction book and it is called the Bible. In that book, He tells us how we should conduct ourselves and how we should live our lives. Now, one difference with God is that His discipline isn’t always immediate, so we can get lulled into thinking that maybe we got away with something. However, God’s Word does promise consequences of sin and they will come! Galatians 6:7 says that, “Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap”. I heard one preacher say that “We reap what we sow, later than we sow, and more than we sow.” In this present culture, children have learned that most often they can get by with sin because they are often not called to account for their actions! How often do you hear a child being told to do something and threatened if he doesn’t comply and he just ignores his parent and continues on his own way? He gets another “warning” and continues to ignore and maybe another “warning” and finally the parent gives up and forgets the request and the consequence. When that sort of thing happens, that child learns that if he ignores his parent long enough, his parent will sooner or later just drop the whole thing and he, the child, is off the hook. In school, children are taught that they can have a number of chances to get something right and still receive the reward that was promised to the one who completed the assignment correctly the first time. In other words, children are taught that they never really have to give account and they will soon transfer all of this kind of thinking over into their view of God. The reason God said that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom is so that it would be a deterrent for us as we make decisions in our lives about things we should or should not do. Just as the strap behind my dad’s door was a reminder to me that I needed to obey my dad, God’s Word is our reminder that God has set the standards and we need to follow them! And it is not OUR choice! When we disobey, that is sin! (James 4:17) We desperately need to teach this concept to our kids in our homes as they WILL NOT learn it from the culture! And a healthy fear of God will give them great wisdom as they make the decisions that will come for them throughout their lives!
Have a great weekend and next week I will move on to some other material.
There is one more concept in Deuteronomy 6 that I would like to cover as it pertains to teaching your children. The concept to which I am referring is the one above from
verse 13. I truly believe that the idea that we should have a healthy fear of God has been lost in our culture. I know there were times in the past when there was a very serious fear of God to the point that people almost lost the fact that God loves us, but I think now we have come too far the other way and talked about God’s love to the exclusion of the need to fear Him.
Proverbs 9:10 states that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” I am not a language scholar of any kind, but I am going to deduce from this verse that it is very hard for one to be wise without fearing the Lord! Now a person could possibly be very smart and be very logical, but to be wise requires “the fear of the Lord”.
Now, let me use an example from my home where I grew up to show you how I think this plays out. My dad was the disciplinarian in our home and I knew it and had a very healthy fear of him, especially if I had made decisions that I knew he wouldn’t consider to be very “wise”. He had very large hands and besides that, he had a leather strap that he left hanging behind his bedroom door. Now my dad and mom had generally taught us how they thought things should be done, and we learned that if we veered from their desires for how things should be done without good reason or without consulting them, we would reap the results either by hand or with the strap. This cultivated a certain amount of fear in our hearts for my dad!
God has given us an instruction book and it is called the Bible. In that book, He tells us how we should conduct ourselves and how we should live our lives. Now, one difference with God is that His discipline isn’t always immediate, so we can get lulled into thinking that maybe we got away with something. However, God’s Word does promise consequences of sin and they will come! Galatians 6:7 says that, “Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap”. I heard one preacher say that “We reap what we sow, later than we sow, and more than we sow.” In this present culture, children have learned that most often they can get by with sin because they are often not called to account for their actions! How often do you hear a child being told to do something and threatened if he doesn’t comply and he just ignores his parent and continues on his own way? He gets another “warning” and continues to ignore and maybe another “warning” and finally the parent gives up and forgets the request and the consequence. When that sort of thing happens, that child learns that if he ignores his parent long enough, his parent will sooner or later just drop the whole thing and he, the child, is off the hook. In school, children are taught that they can have a number of chances to get something right and still receive the reward that was promised to the one who completed the assignment correctly the first time. In other words, children are taught that they never really have to give account and they will soon transfer all of this kind of thinking over into their view of God. The reason God said that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom is so that it would be a deterrent for us as we make decisions in our lives about things we should or should not do. Just as the strap behind my dad’s door was a reminder to me that I needed to obey my dad, God’s Word is our reminder that God has set the standards and we need to follow them! And it is not OUR choice! When we disobey, that is sin! (James 4:17) We desperately need to teach this concept to our kids in our homes as they WILL NOT learn it from the culture! And a healthy fear of God will give them great wisdom as they make the decisions that will come for them throughout their lives!
Have a great weekend and next week I will move on to some other material.
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