The year we had no tree, Mother planted within me a seed of discontent with all cultural displays of religion.
Eugene H. Peterson | posted 12/20/2006 08:08AM
This article originally appeared in the December 11, 1987 issue of Christianity Today.
Related articles and links
Two years ago at Christmas I was living in Montana in the Rocky Mountains where I grew up. The National Forest Service there allows people to cut their own Christmas tree. So Jan, my wife, and I went out one day with an axe into the snow-filled forest to get ours. We spotted what looked like the right tree-it was 200 yards up a hillside, and we had to tramp through snow to get to it. In that forest and on that hillside it was a spectacularly beautiful tree. But after we got it back to our home on the lake and set it up in our wood-fired and carpeted living room, we realized that a considerable amount of its charm had been lost in transit.
It was an Engleman spruce, a tree with character, having lived a hard life on the mountain, and we had hiked through 16 inches of snow to get it. It still looked handsome enough to me, but when our three children, all adults now, arrived to celebrate the holiday with us, they took one look and mocked. They were used to coifed Scotch pines, bought from the Lions Club in the Safeway parking lot in Maryland. If those were too picked over, we patronized the Boy Scouts selling from the Methodist parking lot. Buying a tree was a family affair, with arguments about size and thickness and symmetry. This was our first tree chosen without benefit of children.
In Montana, with an entire forest of trees to pick from, they thought we could have done better. We reminisced about the Christmas trees we had bought and set up and decorated. The more we talked, the more scrawny this Engleman spruce appeared. But finally we all agreed it was a tree, after all, and the moment it was designated Christmas tree it was suitable.
People worry these days about keeping Christ in Christmas; no one has any anxiety about keeping the tree in Christmas. Nobody I know discusses the pros and cons of the matter; it is simply done. There must be numerous households in America where no prayers are offered at Christmas, no carols sung, and no nativity story told. But there can be few households where there is no Christmas tree. The tree is required. We always had a tree, and always will. It is as much a part of Christmas as the crèche and "Silent Night."
But I do remember a Christmas when there was no tree. I was eight years old. My mother, an intense woman capable of fierce convictions, was reading the prophecy of Jeremiah and came upon words she had never noticed before:
Thus says the Lord:
"Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens
because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are false.
A tree from the forest is cut down, and worked with an axe by the hands
of a craftsman. Men deck it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move" (Jer. 10:2- 4)
There was no doubt in her mind that the Holy Spirit, through the prophet Jeremiah, had targeted our American Christmas in his warning satire. Every detail fit our practice.
A couple of weeks before Christmas, on a Sunday afternoon, my father would get the axe and check its edge. He was a butcher, used to working with sharp tools, and he did not tolerate dull edges. When I heard the whetstone applied to the axe, I knew that the time was near. We bundled into our Model A Ford pickup, my parents and baby sister and I.
If it was not too cold, I rode in the open truck bed with our springer spaniel, Brownie, and held the axe. It was a bouncy ride of ten miles to Lake Blaine, where the Swan Range of the Rocky Mountains took its precipitous rise from the valley floor. There had been a major forest fire in this region a few years before, so the trees were young-the right size to fit into our living room. I always got to pick the tree; it was a ritual I stretched out as long as parental patience and winter temperatures would accommodate.
My father then took over, swinging the axe. Four or five brisk cuts, and the green-needled spire was horizontal in the snow: A tree from the forest is cut down.
He then squared the base of the trunk so it would be easy to mount when we got it back home: Worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. My father was deft with the axe-the wood chips from the whittling released the fragrance of resin in the winter air.
When we arrived home, I climbed into the attic and handed down the box of decorations. We had multicolored lights on our tree, and lots of tinsel. Across the street, my best friends had all blue lights, and I felt sorry for them, stuck with a monochrome Christmas.
My father took slats from packing boxes that our sausage and lunch meats were shipped in-there was always a pile of these boxes in the alley behind our butcher shop-and cut them into four 18-inch supports and nailed them to the tree trunk: They fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.
By now it was late afternoon and dark. Our Douglas fir—it was always a Douglas fir for us, no other evergreen was a Christmas tree—was secure and steady before our living room window, facing the street. We strung the lights, hung the silver and gold ornaments, and draped the tinsel: Men deck it with silver and gold.
When we were done, I ran out onto the gravel road (the paving on Fourth Street West fell short by about 400 yards of reaching our house) and looked at it from the outside, the way passers-by would see it, the framed picture of our Christmas ritual adventure into and out of the woods. I imagined strangers looking at it and wishing they could be inside with us, part of the axe/ Model A pickup/Lake Blaine/tree-choosing/tree-cutting/tree-mounting/tree-decorating liturgy that I loved so much.
And I would look across the street at the tree with blue lights where the Mitchell twins, Alva and Alan, lived—so cold and monotonous. They never went to church, and at times like this it showed. I couldn't help feeling privileged and superior, but also a little sorry for them: Christian pride modified by Christian compassion.
And then, in the winter of 1940, when I was eight years old, we didn't have a tree: For the customs of the peoples are false. It wasn't just the tree that was absent, the richly nuanced ritual was abolished. A noun, "tree," was deleted from December, but along with it an adjective, "Christmas." Or so I felt.
And it was all because Jeremiah had preached his Christmas Tree Sermon. Because Jeremiah had looked through his prophetic telescope, his spirit-magnified vision reaching across 12,000 miles and 2,600 years saw in detailed focus what we did every December, and denounced it as idolatry. And it was because my mother cared far more about Scripture than culture.
I was embarrassed—humiliated was more like it—humiliated as only eight-year-olds can be humiliated. Abased. Mortified. I was terrified of what my friends in the neighborhood would think: They would think we were too poor to have a tree. They would think I was being punished for some unspeakable sin and so deprived of a tree. They would think we didn't care about each other and didn't have any fun in our house. They would feel sorry for us. They would feel superior to us.
As a regular feature of the child-world holiday socializing in our neighborhood, we went to each other's houses, looked at the presents under the trees, wondering what we would get. Every house was so different-I marveled at the odd ways people arranged their furniture. I was uneasy with the vaguely repellent odors in houses where the parents smoked and drank beer. At the Zacharys, three houses down, there was a big pot of moose-meat chili simmering on the back of the wood stove for most of the winter—it was easily the best-smelling house among those of my friends.
But that year, I kept everyone out of our house. I was ashamed to have them come in and see the bare, treeless room. I was terrified of the questions they would ask. I made up excuses to keep them out. I lied: "My sister has a contagious disease"; "My mother is really mad and I can't bring anybody in." But the fact of no-Christmas-tree could not be hidden. After all, it was always in our front window.
Alva and Alan, the twins who never went to church, asked the most questions, sensing something wrong, an edge of taunting now in their voices. I made excuses: "My dad is too busy right now; we're planning on going out next week." And on and on.
I was mostly terrified that they would discover the real reason we didn't have a tree: that God had commanded it (at least we thought so at the time)—a religious reason! But religion was the one thing that made us better than our neighbors; and now, if they were to find out our secret, it would make us worse!
My mother read Jeremiah to me and my little sister that year and talked about Jesus. She opened the Bible to the story of the nativity and placed it on the table where the Christmas tree always stood. I never told her how I felt, or what I knew everyone in the neighborhood was saying. I carried my humiliation secretly, as children often do, stoical in the uncomprehending adult world.
It is odd when I think back on it now, but we never went to church on Christmas. Every detail of our lives was permeated with an awareness of God. There was a rigorous determination to let Scripture and Christ shape not only our morals and worship, but also the way we used language and wore our clothes. Going to church was the act that pivoted the week. But there was no church-going on Christmas.
On Christmas Eve we exchanged and opened presents; on Christmas Day we had a dinner at our house with a lot of relatives in attendance, plus any loose people in the neighborhood-bachelors, widows, runaways.
Christmas dinner was full of Norwegian talk. It was the only day in the year I heard Norwegian spoken. My uncles and aunts reminisced over their Norway Christmases, and savored the sounds of their cradle tongue. The Christmas menu was always the same: lutefisk, fish with all the taste and nutrients leached out of it by weeks of baptism in barrels of brine, and lefsa, an unleavened, pliable flat bread with the texture (and taste) of a chamois cloth.
There was a stout but unsuccessful attempt to restore flavor by providing great bowls of melted butter, salt cellars, and much sugar. It was a meal I never learned to like. But I loved the festivities-the stories in Norwegian that I couldn't understand, the laughter, the fun, the banter.
The primary source of the banter was my favorite uncle. He was the best storyteller and always seemed to have the most fun. He also posed as an atheist (I think it was a pose), which provoked my mother, on alternate days, to prayer and indignation. On the Christmas we had no tree, he surpassed himself in banter.
He was the first to remark its absence, and his remark was a roar: "Evelyn [my mother's name], where the hell is the Christmas tree? How the hell are we going to celebrate a Norwegian Christmas without a tree?" (He was also the only person I ever heard use profanity in our home, which set him apart in my child mind on a sort of craggy eminence.) My mother's reply, a nice fusion of prayer and indignation, was a match to his raillery: "Brother, we are not celebrating a Norwegian Christmas this year; we are celebrating a Christian' Christmas." Then she got out Jeremiah and read it to him. He was astonished. He had no idea that anything that tellingly contemporary could come out of an old-fashioned Bible. He was silenced, if only briefly.
The next year we had a Christmas tree. The entire ritual was back in place without explanation.. Our gray and rust Model A was replaced by a red Dodge half-ton, but that was the only change. I never learned what authority preempted Jeremiah in the matter of the Christmas tree. Years later my mother occasionally said, "Eugene, do you remember that silliness about the Christmas tree when you were eight years old?" I didn't want to remember, and we didn't discuss it.
But now I want to remember. And I want to discuss it. It doesn't seem at all silly now. My mother died four years ago, and so I am not going to find out the details that interest me-the turns and twists of pilgrimage during those years when she was so passionate in pursuit of a holy life. She may have been wise in restoring the tree to our Christmas celebrations, but I am quite sure that it was not silliness that banned it that single year.
The feelings I had that Christmas when I was eight years old may have been the most authentically Christmas feelings I have ever had, or will have: the experience of humiliation, of being misunderstood, of being an outsider. Mary was pregnant out of wedlock. Joseph was an apparent cuckold. Jesus was born in poverty. God had commanded a strange word; the people in the story were aware, deeply and awesomely aware, that the event they were living was counter to the culture and issued from the Spirit's power.
They certainly experienced considerable embarrassment and inconvenience—did they also clumsily lie to their friends and make excuses at the same time they persisted in faith? All the joy and celebration and gift-receiving in the gospel nativity story took place in a context of incomprehension and absurdity. Great love was given and received and celebrated, a glorious festivity, but the neighborhood was not in on it, and the taunts and banter must have cut cruelly into their spirits.
So, Mother, thank you. And don't apologize for the silliness. Thank you for providing me with a taste of the humiliation that comes from pursuing a passionate conviction in Christ. Thank you for introducing into my spirit a seed of discontent with all cultural displays of religion, a seed that has since grown tree-sized. Thank you for being relaxed in grace and reckless enough to risk a mistake. Thank you for being scornful of caution and careless of opinion. Thank you for training me in discernments that in adult years have been a shield against the seduction of culture-religion. Thank you for the courage to give me Jesus without tinsel, embarrassing as it was for me (and also for you?).
Thank you for taking away the Christmas tree the winter I was eight years old. And thank you for giving it back the next year.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Sunday, December 17, 2006
detachment
Patience----keep at it until it works!
Great post from a sober.com web site for families in recovery--may give some insight into why I choose to be where I am for now:
One of the most important terms in Alanon is detachment. For me it was the hardest one to grasp, the most elusive to pin down a real understanding of. I had a fuzzy idea of what it was supposed to mean, but when it came right down to it, I didn' t really know what I was supposed to do at all. Detach? Be aloof? That didn' t sound very kind. Detach? Separate? That wasn' t what I wanted. Is detaching giving up on the person? Is detaching not caring?
I looked the word up in the dictionary...some of you know about me and dictionaries...lol Gotta get to the very core of the meaning of a word I don' t understand so I go to my friend Webster!
One of the definitions Webster gives for the word detach is: To separate from a larger mass without violence or damage. In this case, the larger mass being the disease of alcoholism. Hmmm...so I can separate from the disease and still love the person? Yes! Because detachment is all about realizing that the actions of the individual are caused by the disease, and not by the person with the disease! Detachment is about being objective, being able to stop before we react to behaviors and ask, is this the person intentionally trying to hurt me or is the disease creating this? If this person were sober and rational, would he/she be acting like this? The anger, the irrational behaviors are to alcoholism what confusion and thirst are to diabetes, what vomiting and diarrhea are to the flu.
When we are able to realize it is the disease, and not the person, we can truly understand our own powerlessness over it. We can stop trying to bring reasonableness to something that is not reasonable. How can you reason with a disease? Can you reason with diabetes to make it go away? Can you reason with the flu so that the symptoms will disappear? Of course not. By detaching we are loving ourselves enough to go about living DESPITE the fact that our partner is ill. We are saying, I hope you choose to get better and while you make that decision, I' m going to go to an alanon meeting, or shopping, or coffee with a friend or take the kids to the park. We are saying, I love you, but I cannot cure you. We are saying yes to life and no to being chained to someone else' s illness. Alcoholism is a disease that has a course of treatment to put it into remission. If our partners do not choose to get themselves well by taking that course of treatment, we cannot force them to. But we are not loving ourselves if we take it upon ourselves to try to play " nurse" to the disease until they do.
Detaching is not giving up on the person. Detaching is not being uncaring or unfeeling. Detaching is simply separating ourselves emotionally and spiritually, possibly even physically from another person' s actions. The same as you would if the person were sick and needed to cancel a dinner date. You would understand that it was the illness, not the person, causing the cancellation. Detachment is a choice to not allow ourselves to be sucked into another person' s situation. We still care, but we also refuse to get our blood boiling or possibly give up on our own plans over something we have no control over. It is not our fault that the alcoholic doen' t take the medicine that will help him recover. But we don' t help him or her by allowing ourselves to get wrapped up in the drama. By detaching we are giving them the opportunity to think for themselves and make choices for themselves and that is actually very loving. We are doing the same for ourselves at the same time.
I remember once seeing a nature program on a creature - I can' t remember for sure but I think it was a lizard - who when being attacked by something that was attempting to consume it, could detach the back end of it' s body or it' s tail and leave it behind in the mouth of the attacker and head off to safety.
We detach from the alcoholic so that we don' t get consumed by the disease! When we get consumed by the other person' s disease, we are no good to either the alcoholic or to ourselves. Our lives become unmanagable, angry, insane. We are wasting precious energy spinning our wheels in the sand. To detach from another person allows us to accept them exactly as they are, while we work on our own issues and goals. By detaching, we can hate the disease but still love the person and continue to wish the highest good for that person even though we no longer allow ourselves to be manipulated by the symptoms of the disease.
Great post from a sober.com web site for families in recovery--may give some insight into why I choose to be where I am for now:
One of the most important terms in Alanon is detachment. For me it was the hardest one to grasp, the most elusive to pin down a real understanding of. I had a fuzzy idea of what it was supposed to mean, but when it came right down to it, I didn' t really know what I was supposed to do at all. Detach? Be aloof? That didn' t sound very kind. Detach? Separate? That wasn' t what I wanted. Is detaching giving up on the person? Is detaching not caring?
I looked the word up in the dictionary...some of you know about me and dictionaries...lol Gotta get to the very core of the meaning of a word I don' t understand so I go to my friend Webster!
One of the definitions Webster gives for the word detach is: To separate from a larger mass without violence or damage. In this case, the larger mass being the disease of alcoholism. Hmmm...so I can separate from the disease and still love the person? Yes! Because detachment is all about realizing that the actions of the individual are caused by the disease, and not by the person with the disease! Detachment is about being objective, being able to stop before we react to behaviors and ask, is this the person intentionally trying to hurt me or is the disease creating this? If this person were sober and rational, would he/she be acting like this? The anger, the irrational behaviors are to alcoholism what confusion and thirst are to diabetes, what vomiting and diarrhea are to the flu.
When we are able to realize it is the disease, and not the person, we can truly understand our own powerlessness over it. We can stop trying to bring reasonableness to something that is not reasonable. How can you reason with a disease? Can you reason with diabetes to make it go away? Can you reason with the flu so that the symptoms will disappear? Of course not. By detaching we are loving ourselves enough to go about living DESPITE the fact that our partner is ill. We are saying, I hope you choose to get better and while you make that decision, I' m going to go to an alanon meeting, or shopping, or coffee with a friend or take the kids to the park. We are saying, I love you, but I cannot cure you. We are saying yes to life and no to being chained to someone else' s illness. Alcoholism is a disease that has a course of treatment to put it into remission. If our partners do not choose to get themselves well by taking that course of treatment, we cannot force them to. But we are not loving ourselves if we take it upon ourselves to try to play " nurse" to the disease until they do.
Detaching is not giving up on the person. Detaching is not being uncaring or unfeeling. Detaching is simply separating ourselves emotionally and spiritually, possibly even physically from another person' s actions. The same as you would if the person were sick and needed to cancel a dinner date. You would understand that it was the illness, not the person, causing the cancellation. Detachment is a choice to not allow ourselves to be sucked into another person' s situation. We still care, but we also refuse to get our blood boiling or possibly give up on our own plans over something we have no control over. It is not our fault that the alcoholic doen' t take the medicine that will help him recover. But we don' t help him or her by allowing ourselves to get wrapped up in the drama. By detaching we are giving them the opportunity to think for themselves and make choices for themselves and that is actually very loving. We are doing the same for ourselves at the same time.
I remember once seeing a nature program on a creature - I can' t remember for sure but I think it was a lizard - who when being attacked by something that was attempting to consume it, could detach the back end of it' s body or it' s tail and leave it behind in the mouth of the attacker and head off to safety.
We detach from the alcoholic so that we don' t get consumed by the disease! When we get consumed by the other person' s disease, we are no good to either the alcoholic or to ourselves. Our lives become unmanagable, angry, insane. We are wasting precious energy spinning our wheels in the sand. To detach from another person allows us to accept them exactly as they are, while we work on our own issues and goals. By detaching, we can hate the disease but still love the person and continue to wish the highest good for that person even though we no longer allow ourselves to be manipulated by the symptoms of the disease.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
2 Peter 3:10-11
The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives.
Thoughts on today's verse
Holiness is that forgotten character virtue that is the Christian's reflection of God, his or her holy and righteous Father. In a day of cheap grace, when anything goes just as long as we want to be buddies with Jesus, Peter's words should shock us into reverence - the commitment in life to set our lives apart from the evil and sludge that defiles our hearts and to offer our bodies, hearts, and minds to do his will and reflect his character.
Prayer:
Holy and Righteous Father, teach me to do your will and reflect your character while offering your grace. May the movements of my heart, the thoughts of my mind, and the actions ! of my life be pleasing to you and reflect your holiness and grace. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.'
The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives.
Thoughts on today's verse
Holiness is that forgotten character virtue that is the Christian's reflection of God, his or her holy and righteous Father. In a day of cheap grace, when anything goes just as long as we want to be buddies with Jesus, Peter's words should shock us into reverence - the commitment in life to set our lives apart from the evil and sludge that defiles our hearts and to offer our bodies, hearts, and minds to do his will and reflect his character.
Prayer:
Holy and Righteous Father, teach me to do your will and reflect your character while offering your grace. May the movements of my heart, the thoughts of my mind, and the actions ! of my life be pleasing to you and reflect your holiness and grace. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.'
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Beautifully Stated
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.
Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.
anonymous
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.
Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.
anonymous
Thursday, November 23, 2006
"I Believe"
Have a seat....relax...and read this slowly.
I Believe
I believe-
That we don't have to change
friends if we understand that friends change.
I believe-
That no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a
while and, you must forgive them for that.
I believe-
That true friendship continues
to grow, even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I believe-
That you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I believe-
That it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I believe-
That you should always leave loved ones with
loving words. It may be the last time you see them
I believe-
That you can keep going long after you can't.
I believe-
That we are responsible for
what we do, no matter how we feel.
I believe-
That either you control your attitude
or it controls you.
I believe-
That regardless of how hot and steamy a
relationship is at first, the passion fades and there
had better be something else to take its place.
I believe-
That heroes are the people who do what
has to be done when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.
I believe-
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe-
That my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time!
I believe-
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when
you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe-
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to
be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I believe-
That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want
them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I believe-
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences
you've had and what you've learned from them and less to
do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I believe-
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe-
That no matter how bad your heart is
broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I believe-
That our background and circumstances may have influenced
who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I believe-
That just because two people argue, it
doesn't mean they don't love each other, And just
because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
I believe-
That you shouldn't be so eager to find
out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I believe-
That two people can look at the exact
same thing and see something totally different.
I believe-
That your life can be changed in a matter
of hours by people who don't even know you.
I believe-
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a
friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I believe-
That credentials on the wall do not make
you a decent human being.
I believe-
That the people you care about most in
life are taken from you too soon.
I Believe
I believe-
That we don't have to change
friends if we understand that friends change.
I believe-
That no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a
while and, you must forgive them for that.
I believe-
That true friendship continues
to grow, even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I believe-
That you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I believe-
That it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I believe-
That you should always leave loved ones with
loving words. It may be the last time you see them
I believe-
That you can keep going long after you can't.
I believe-
That we are responsible for
what we do, no matter how we feel.
I believe-
That either you control your attitude
or it controls you.
I believe-
That regardless of how hot and steamy a
relationship is at first, the passion fades and there
had better be something else to take its place.
I believe-
That heroes are the people who do what
has to be done when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.
I believe-
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe-
That my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time!
I believe-
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when
you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe-
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to
be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I believe-
That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want
them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I believe-
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences
you've had and what you've learned from them and less to
do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I believe-
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe-
That no matter how bad your heart is
broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I believe-
That our background and circumstances may have influenced
who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I believe-
That just because two people argue, it
doesn't mean they don't love each other, And just
because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
I believe-
That you shouldn't be so eager to find
out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I believe-
That two people can look at the exact
same thing and see something totally different.
I believe-
That your life can be changed in a matter
of hours by people who don't even know you.
I believe-
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a
friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I believe-
That credentials on the wall do not make
you a decent human being.
I believe-
That the people you care about most in
life are taken from you too soon.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Nothing that we despise in the other man is entirely absent from ourselves," wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer while awaiting execution in a Nazi prison. "We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer."
Related articles and links
I read Bonhoeffer while touring the three tiny Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. As I was exploring country roads and cobblestone streets, hostilities broke out between Israel and Hezbollah, giving me much opportunity to practice Bonhoeffer's principle on how to regard people.
Israel. You cannot understand the Israeli mindset unless you visit a scene from the Holocaust: Auschwitz, Dachau, or perhaps the Paneriai forest on the outskirts of Lithuania's capital. There, Nazis converted storage pits designed for oil tanks into open graves. As trains full of Lithuania's Jews arrived daily at the tiny Paneriai station, ss guards marched the Jews to the pits and systematically shot them. The practice continued for two years, and corpse burners reduced the bodies to bones and ashes to make room for more bodies. At least 70,000 Jews perished in the pits.
I visited Paneriai on a cloudless summer day. Located amid a pine forest, its dark green background was interrupted by an occasional white birch tree. Although butterflies flitted among the wildflowers, the forest seemed oddly void of birds, as if nature itself recognized a place of haunting. I walked from pit to pit, each labeled with the exact number of people massacred: 7,898 here, 5,423 there. In a small museum, the recovered diaries of neighbors report matter-of-factly how many trains arrived each day, how many died, how long the shooting lasted. Blood had seeped into the ground I walked on; human ashes had blended with the soil.
One photo imprinted itself on my mind, and to this day I cannot erase it. Bored Nazis had forced five women to strip to their old-fashioned bloomers underwear and pose. They stand at the edge of a burial pit, and the foreground shows the pile of corpses they will join as soon as the guards put down cameras and take up guns. The women seem like ghosts staring, with a look at once haunted and helpless, victims of an evil beyond comprehension.
Every Israeli citizen knows that look. They read about it in schoolbooks, honor the victims in their own museums, and visit the hallowed sites in Europe. When terrorists and the president of Iran vow to wipe Israel off the map, they take the threat seriously. Israelis have a Masada complex because they have a Masada history.
Related articles and links
I read Bonhoeffer while touring the three tiny Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. As I was exploring country roads and cobblestone streets, hostilities broke out between Israel and Hezbollah, giving me much opportunity to practice Bonhoeffer's principle on how to regard people.
Israel. You cannot understand the Israeli mindset unless you visit a scene from the Holocaust: Auschwitz, Dachau, or perhaps the Paneriai forest on the outskirts of Lithuania's capital. There, Nazis converted storage pits designed for oil tanks into open graves. As trains full of Lithuania's Jews arrived daily at the tiny Paneriai station, ss guards marched the Jews to the pits and systematically shot them. The practice continued for two years, and corpse burners reduced the bodies to bones and ashes to make room for more bodies. At least 70,000 Jews perished in the pits.
I visited Paneriai on a cloudless summer day. Located amid a pine forest, its dark green background was interrupted by an occasional white birch tree. Although butterflies flitted among the wildflowers, the forest seemed oddly void of birds, as if nature itself recognized a place of haunting. I walked from pit to pit, each labeled with the exact number of people massacred: 7,898 here, 5,423 there. In a small museum, the recovered diaries of neighbors report matter-of-factly how many trains arrived each day, how many died, how long the shooting lasted. Blood had seeped into the ground I walked on; human ashes had blended with the soil.
One photo imprinted itself on my mind, and to this day I cannot erase it. Bored Nazis had forced five women to strip to their old-fashioned bloomers underwear and pose. They stand at the edge of a burial pit, and the foreground shows the pile of corpses they will join as soon as the guards put down cameras and take up guns. The women seem like ghosts staring, with a look at once haunted and helpless, victims of an evil beyond comprehension.
Every Israeli citizen knows that look. They read about it in schoolbooks, honor the victims in their own museums, and visit the hallowed sites in Europe. When terrorists and the president of Iran vow to wipe Israel off the map, they take the threat seriously. Israelis have a Masada complex because they have a Masada history.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Plastic
Aronofsky: I buy it. I think we live in a very critical time. Every plastic bottle of drinking water that we've produced is going to be around for 10,000 years, at the minimum.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
elections
Whether we agree with our leaders or not we have an obligation to participate in the privilege we have in this country--voting. If we don't vote then we have lost the opportunity we have in this country to influence who will make decisions that effect us in the future. Is it a perfect system--by no means--but if we don't utilize what our ancestors put in place I don't believe that we should complain about how the system works.
Romans 13:6
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Thoughts on today's verse
Ouch! I hate taxes. But I have to admit, I enjoy many of the privileges and blessings that those taxes afford. Paul keeps reminding us in Romans 13 that civil authorities are God's tools to hold back anarchy, chaos, and lawlessness. As a Christian, I'm immune to most laws because my faith in Jesus is going to regulate my behavior far more strictly than a legal code. But I do have a responsibility (I owe it, Paul says) to be a good citizen, a good financial manager, a nice respectful neighbor, and a person who willingly honors those who have merited it.
Prayer:
Almighty God, I pledge allegiance to you. You alone are Sovereign, Ruler, and King. But because you call me to honor my government, because you have so richly blessed me to be in a land such as this, because you have lavished your grace on me so richly, I will live today in a way that honors my allegiance to you, my citizenship in my country, and my respect toward those whom I meet this day. In Jesus I pray. Amen.
Romans 13:6
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Thoughts on today's verse
Ouch! I hate taxes. But I have to admit, I enjoy many of the privileges and blessings that those taxes afford. Paul keeps reminding us in Romans 13 that civil authorities are God's tools to hold back anarchy, chaos, and lawlessness. As a Christian, I'm immune to most laws because my faith in Jesus is going to regulate my behavior far more strictly than a legal code. But I do have a responsibility (I owe it, Paul says) to be a good citizen, a good financial manager, a nice respectful neighbor, and a person who willingly honors those who have merited it.
Prayer:
Almighty God, I pledge allegiance to you. You alone are Sovereign, Ruler, and King. But because you call me to honor my government, because you have so richly blessed me to be in a land such as this, because you have lavished your grace on me so richly, I will live today in a way that honors my allegiance to you, my citizenship in my country, and my respect toward those whom I meet this day. In Jesus I pray. Amen.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Let’s amaze the world by telling them about a God who still has the power to amaze!
My Prayer for Today:
Precious Lord, You are amazing in all Your ways. You are clothed in majesty and worthy of all our praise. Thank you for the record of Jesus’ life and for His promise that we can do greater things. Help my unbelief. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
My Prayer for Today:
Precious Lord, You are amazing in all Your ways. You are clothed in majesty and worthy of all our praise. Thank you for the record of Jesus’ life and for His promise that we can do greater things. Help my unbelief. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Vacation is coming up soon. Then Thanksgiving & Christmas--this time of year always goes by quickly for me. It is also the time of year that the most trumatic events happened in my past--October 31 is a milestone as it is the anniversary date of when I was first told by my spouse that he was leaving-that was in 1990 and then in 1993 I was in the midst of being diagnosed with colon cancer. But here it is 2006 and I am still here and there is much left that is to be fulfulled in my journey. God is faithful.
From Breaking Point by Chuck Colson
The Amish Shine Their Light
Two stories have dominated the news in the past week: the Foley scandal and the shooting of Amish schoolchildren in Pennsylvania. One of these stories is depressing. The other is a vivid example of what it means to be the Light of the world.
On October 2, Charles Carl Roberts entered a one-room Amish schoolhouse and took ten girls hostage. An hour later, Roberts killed five of his hostages and then killed himself.
From the start, these school killings stood out from other such attacks: The killer, first of all, was an adult, not a student; and then there was the irony of the Amish, a pacifist community that resists what it regards as the contagions of modernity, falling victim to a very modern kind of violence.
Most remarkable is what happened in the schoolhouse itself. Thirteen-year-old Marian Fisher, one of the Amish girls held captive, displayed Christ-like love: She offered to lay her life down for her friends, reportedly telling her would-be killer, "Shoot me and leave the other ones loose!"
And even in the painful aftermath of the shootings, the Amish continued their witness to the love of Christ, reaching out to Roberts's family, attending Roberts's funeral, comforting his wife and children, and providing for them through a fund established for Roberts's victims and their families. One victim's family even invited the Roberts to their daughter's funeral. In the most dramatic way, they forgave Roberts.
As I watched the news, it was clear that the media had trouble understanding the kindness and forgiveness extended to Roberts and his family. It wasn't the first time that Christian grace and charity confused people.
Early Christians, unlike their pagan neighbors, cared for the sick during the periodic epidemics that afflicted the late Roman Empire. The sight of Christians staying while everyone else fled confounded their critics and confused their neighbors.
Many but not all: In its first centuries, Christianity grew at 40 percent per decade. By the time of Constantine, at least 10 percent of the empire was Christian-a remarkable statistic when you recall that to be a Christian at that time was to live with a target painted on your back.
What fueled this explosive growth was the way the early Christians loved one another, were concerned for the weak and marginalized, and were willing to die, if necessary, for their faith. These living epistles were the ultimate witness to the truth of the Gospel and its transformative power.
What was true of Rome is still true today. People can dispute our words, but they have no answer to a demonstration of forgiveness, reconciliation, and charity. Before the shootings, the Amish seemed quaint. Now, they're extraordinary.
Ironically, they inspire us yet another way. In classrooms across America, students are force-fed Darwinism. They are taught that we are the products of random processes and natural selection-that is, the survival of the fittest. But in the Amish classroom, that thesis is demolished by self-sacrificing love, the one thing Darwin could never explain.
So the Amish have given us a powerful demonstration of the truth of the Biblical worldview and, indeed, of the Light of the world.
From Breaking Point by Chuck Colson
The Amish Shine Their Light
Two stories have dominated the news in the past week: the Foley scandal and the shooting of Amish schoolchildren in Pennsylvania. One of these stories is depressing. The other is a vivid example of what it means to be the Light of the world.
On October 2, Charles Carl Roberts entered a one-room Amish schoolhouse and took ten girls hostage. An hour later, Roberts killed five of his hostages and then killed himself.
From the start, these school killings stood out from other such attacks: The killer, first of all, was an adult, not a student; and then there was the irony of the Amish, a pacifist community that resists what it regards as the contagions of modernity, falling victim to a very modern kind of violence.
Most remarkable is what happened in the schoolhouse itself. Thirteen-year-old Marian Fisher, one of the Amish girls held captive, displayed Christ-like love: She offered to lay her life down for her friends, reportedly telling her would-be killer, "Shoot me and leave the other ones loose!"
And even in the painful aftermath of the shootings, the Amish continued their witness to the love of Christ, reaching out to Roberts's family, attending Roberts's funeral, comforting his wife and children, and providing for them through a fund established for Roberts's victims and their families. One victim's family even invited the Roberts to their daughter's funeral. In the most dramatic way, they forgave Roberts.
As I watched the news, it was clear that the media had trouble understanding the kindness and forgiveness extended to Roberts and his family. It wasn't the first time that Christian grace and charity confused people.
Early Christians, unlike their pagan neighbors, cared for the sick during the periodic epidemics that afflicted the late Roman Empire. The sight of Christians staying while everyone else fled confounded their critics and confused their neighbors.
Many but not all: In its first centuries, Christianity grew at 40 percent per decade. By the time of Constantine, at least 10 percent of the empire was Christian-a remarkable statistic when you recall that to be a Christian at that time was to live with a target painted on your back.
What fueled this explosive growth was the way the early Christians loved one another, were concerned for the weak and marginalized, and were willing to die, if necessary, for their faith. These living epistles were the ultimate witness to the truth of the Gospel and its transformative power.
What was true of Rome is still true today. People can dispute our words, but they have no answer to a demonstration of forgiveness, reconciliation, and charity. Before the shootings, the Amish seemed quaint. Now, they're extraordinary.
Ironically, they inspire us yet another way. In classrooms across America, students are force-fed Darwinism. They are taught that we are the products of random processes and natural selection-that is, the survival of the fittest. But in the Amish classroom, that thesis is demolished by self-sacrificing love, the one thing Darwin could never explain.
So the Amish have given us a powerful demonstration of the truth of the Biblical worldview and, indeed, of the Light of the world.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Rest is not just sleep, not just relaxation, not just a fun time, but a deep sense of hope and peace that will only abide in us to the degree that we abide in Christ and the grace He provides. Rest is not just punching out the time-clock and putting up your feet, it is resting in the fact that grace covers you, that mercy and protection are extended to you, and that your days are numbered and ordered of the Lord. That’s not something we typically find remembrance of while napping or knitting, but while tuning out the world long enough to plug into God’s amazing perspective.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
"Sometimes it feels as if God isn’t listening to me.” Those words, from a woman who tried to stay strong in her walk with God while coping with an alcoholic husband, echo the heartcry of many believers. For 18 years, she asked God to change her husband. Yet it never happened.
What are we to think when we repeatedly ask God for something good—something that could easily glorify Him—but the answer doesn’t come? Is He listening or not?
Let’s look at the life of the Savior. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He agonized for hours in prayer, pouring out His heart and pleading, “Let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). But the Father’s answer was clearly “No.” To provide salvation, God had to send Jesus to die on the cross. Even though Jesus felt as if His Father had forsaken Him, He prayed intensely and passionately because He trusted that God was listening.
When we pray, we may not see how God is working or understand how He will bring good through it all. So we have to trust Him. We relinquish our rights and let God do what is best.
We must leave the unknowable to the all-knowing One. He is listening and working things out His way. —Dave Branon
Not ours to know the reason why
Unanswered is our prayer,
But ours to wait for God’s own time
To lift the cross we bear. —Anon.
When we bend our knees to pray, God bends His ear to listen.
What are we to think when we repeatedly ask God for something good—something that could easily glorify Him—but the answer doesn’t come? Is He listening or not?
Let’s look at the life of the Savior. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He agonized for hours in prayer, pouring out His heart and pleading, “Let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). But the Father’s answer was clearly “No.” To provide salvation, God had to send Jesus to die on the cross. Even though Jesus felt as if His Father had forsaken Him, He prayed intensely and passionately because He trusted that God was listening.
When we pray, we may not see how God is working or understand how He will bring good through it all. So we have to trust Him. We relinquish our rights and let God do what is best.
We must leave the unknowable to the all-knowing One. He is listening and working things out His way. —Dave Branon
Not ours to know the reason why
Unanswered is our prayer,
But ours to wait for God’s own time
To lift the cross we bear. —Anon.
When we bend our knees to pray, God bends His ear to listen.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Life with Midge
Well, Midge decided to take a stroll this morning. Thankfully I had some clothes on and not just my pj's as I was up and down my block trying to convince her to come home. She missed being hit by a car twice and finally went into my neighbor's yard where I was able to corner her. We need to work on the command "come".
Well I delivered Jen's package to the post office and when they asked me if there was anything liquid, etc in the box I said "I have no idea". He just looked at me and I said I am just returning it to my daughter--she sent it to me and said don't open it so I didn't. Luckily-he let me send it.
Work is kind of interesting--the dynamics between everyone constantly changes--sometimes it makes for tension. My doctors appt was rescheduled again but at least they faxed me my blood work so I could see what my cholesterol was. Still a bit high but not much more than last time.
The state fair starts Thursday and we will be going Saturday night. They have some free concerts and I will just kind of look around. Last year my sister was up and we saw a rooster crowing contest-it was fun! A bunch of people stand around a group of roosters and encourage them to crow....
Vacation is coming up the end of October. Rented the car on line the other night.
Looking forward to fall.
Well I delivered Jen's package to the post office and when they asked me if there was anything liquid, etc in the box I said "I have no idea". He just looked at me and I said I am just returning it to my daughter--she sent it to me and said don't open it so I didn't. Luckily-he let me send it.
Work is kind of interesting--the dynamics between everyone constantly changes--sometimes it makes for tension. My doctors appt was rescheduled again but at least they faxed me my blood work so I could see what my cholesterol was. Still a bit high but not much more than last time.
The state fair starts Thursday and we will be going Saturday night. They have some free concerts and I will just kind of look around. Last year my sister was up and we saw a rooster crowing contest-it was fun! A bunch of people stand around a group of roosters and encourage them to crow....
Vacation is coming up the end of October. Rented the car on line the other night.
Looking forward to fall.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
MY Space
My Space--how addicting--four hours have gone by--better get to bed. But it was great to see and read about the kids from Trinity and where they are now.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
We can't just play any old music that comes into our heads, we can't just wing it and hope that it will work. We owe God better than that. We owe God the discipline, the mature and wise imagination, to recognize God's glory and reflect it. And worship in such a way that is yearning toward the day when the world will be full of the Glory of God as the waters cover the sea.
This is from an article from a post on Molly's blog. So often we just go through the motions without doing any preparation--without giving our best to what we are doing and when things don't go well we wonder why the "spirit didn't move".
There is an awesome picture of the tree of life made from turned in weapons that can be accessed through the Wharton's blog. I wonder if Mark had seen it.
Lord help us to seek more of you.
This is from an article from a post on Molly's blog. So often we just go through the motions without doing any preparation--without giving our best to what we are doing and when things don't go well we wonder why the "spirit didn't move".
There is an awesome picture of the tree of life made from turned in weapons that can be accessed through the Wharton's blog. I wonder if Mark had seen it.
Lord help us to seek more of you.
Monday, July 03, 2006
God, you are not only the Almighty, you are holy! Holy, Holy, Holy are you, the LORD God Almighty. May the whole earth be filled with your glory and may that glory be shown in what I do and say. Forgive me for my own sin and hypocrisy. Bless me with purity and holiness as I pledge my life to your glory. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Instead of verbalizing your frustrations, discouragement, and anxiety to the Lord or others, practice verbalizing pleasure about the blessings of God in your life.
In moments where harsh words and/or actions seem to fit the scenario, practice the discipline of asking the Holy Spirit for His gentle touch so you can portray a gentle response.
Instead of becoming bitter and cynical toward God because of unpleasant circumstances, press into Him, trusting that He is near, available, and ready to help you.
Press into God through prayer. Instead of getting anxious and stressed, let His peace sweep over you by laying your need before Him with a thankful heart that rejoices in all He is capable of doing.
In moments where harsh words and/or actions seem to fit the scenario, practice the discipline of asking the Holy Spirit for His gentle touch so you can portray a gentle response.
Instead of becoming bitter and cynical toward God because of unpleasant circumstances, press into Him, trusting that He is near, available, and ready to help you.
Press into God through prayer. Instead of getting anxious and stressed, let His peace sweep over you by laying your need before Him with a thankful heart that rejoices in all He is capable of doing.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Thoughts on today's verse
How good it is to be as close to God as his shadow and share in the comfort of his shelter. He is not far if our hearts choose to draw near him.
Prayer:
O great Almighty God, tender Shepherd and Abba Father, make known to me your nearness. I long to live in your presence and reflect your holiness and grace. By Jesus' blood I draw near to you in full assurance of your love and grace. Amen.'
Would you like your own copy of this devotional?
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Thoughts on today's verse
How good it is to be as close to God as his shadow and share in the comfort of his shelter. He is not far if our hearts choose to draw near him.
Prayer:
O great Almighty God, tender Shepherd and Abba Father, make known to me your nearness. I long to live in your presence and reflect your holiness and grace. By Jesus' blood I draw near to you in full assurance of your love and grace. Amen.'
Would you like your own copy of this devotional?
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Hot Hot Hot ......June 18 and very hot. Went to see The Break Up today. Is a good movie and we can learn from it. Should have done the lawn when I got home but decided it was too hot. Maybe tomorrow after work.
The dogs are chewing away on their raw hide donuts. Time to go watch a little TV, finish the paper and then to bed. Monday morning comes quickly.
The dogs are chewing away on their raw hide donuts. Time to go watch a little TV, finish the paper and then to bed. Monday morning comes quickly.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
It is so hot.......I am not a summer person--much prefer the cold.
Had a nice weekend visit with Jen in Ohio. The only negative was the heat. So why are we going to Orlando in October???? Hopefully they will have a cold spell. When we went back in 1990 we went in December and the weather was perfect for me. Needed to wear a coat in the mornings--there were no lines at Disney. Much has happened since that trip some good some bad. I just read something that said that everything that has happened in the past was a building stone to what is happening now. God was building a foundation for what He wanted to do at this time. And what is happening now is a building stone for what will happen in the future.
Well this weekend I am dog sitting in PA. The weather is supposed to cool down which will be nice.
The following weekend is Claudia's shower in NJ.
The following weekend John is going to Michigan and then to see Jen. We are just ships passing in the night for now.
Had a nice weekend visit with Jen in Ohio. The only negative was the heat. So why are we going to Orlando in October???? Hopefully they will have a cold spell. When we went back in 1990 we went in December and the weather was perfect for me. Needed to wear a coat in the mornings--there were no lines at Disney. Much has happened since that trip some good some bad. I just read something that said that everything that has happened in the past was a building stone to what is happening now. God was building a foundation for what He wanted to do at this time. And what is happening now is a building stone for what will happen in the future.
Well this weekend I am dog sitting in PA. The weather is supposed to cool down which will be nice.
The following weekend is Claudia's shower in NJ.
The following weekend John is going to Michigan and then to see Jen. We are just ships passing in the night for now.
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Thoughts on today's verse
We are not alone. God has given us each other to live our lives for him and get us back home to him. Along the way, we want to share each others' burdens, soar on each others joys, and love each others' hurts. There is no such thing as a solo Christian.
Prayer:
Loving Father, lead me to the people today who need their burdens lifted and their joys shared. Let me be your presence in the world of your children today. This I ask in Jesus name. Amen.
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Thoughts on today's verse
We are not alone. God has given us each other to live our lives for him and get us back home to him. Along the way, we want to share each others' burdens, soar on each others joys, and love each others' hurts. There is no such thing as a solo Christian.
Prayer:
Loving Father, lead me to the people today who need their burdens lifted and their joys shared. Let me be your presence in the world of your children today. This I ask in Jesus name. Amen.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
A New Day
It is a new day. Work is starting to pick up which is good. The mix of employees has changed since I've started there and it is interesting to see how people inter act over time. The weather is starting to get nice and I am happy to say that Midge is starting to go outside--but can I trust her??? Not yet. But she brings me joy.
I miss dancing with the Stars.
I miss dancing with the Stars.
Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
--Luke 9:23-24
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
"I've just got to find myself." Won't ever happen. We do not "find ourselves, our life" by pursuing it. We find it by losing it to something or someone greater than ourselves. We find our life be losing it to Jesus and the work of his Kingdom.
MY PRAYER...
Master and Maker of all that lives and breathes, take my life and every breath and use it for your glory. May my words and actions this day be pleasing to you. Through Jesus I offer you this prayer and praise. Amen.
--Luke 9:23-24
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
"I've just got to find myself." Won't ever happen. We do not "find ourselves, our life" by pursuing it. We find it by losing it to something or someone greater than ourselves. We find our life be losing it to Jesus and the work of his Kingdom.
MY PRAYER...
Master and Maker of all that lives and breathes, take my life and every breath and use it for your glory. May my words and actions this day be pleasing to you. Through Jesus I offer you this prayer and praise. Amen.
Henri Nouwen said, "Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the 'Beloved.' Being beloved constitutes the truth of our existence." How different could our lives be if we agreed with the Sacred voice, rather than the condemning voice? We have to choose each day, sometimes hour by hour or minute by minute, which voice we will listen to: the Sacred Voice of God, or the lying, condemning voice of Satan. Romans 8:1 assures, "There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." (NLT)
Paul says in Romans 8:38, "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love." (NLT) You, my friend, are beloved - highly thought of and adored. Rejoice today, beloved, because you will always hold that status in your Heavenly Father's heart.
My Prayer for Today:
Thank You, Lord, for Your love. May I listen to Your sacred Voice today and always. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Paul says in Romans 8:38, "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love." (NLT) You, my friend, are beloved - highly thought of and adored. Rejoice today, beloved, because you will always hold that status in your Heavenly Father's heart.
My Prayer for Today:
Thank You, Lord, for Your love. May I listen to Your sacred Voice today and always. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Strength & Comfort
Today's reading from Our Daily Bread:
March 27, 2006
Strength & Support
Read:
Job 4:1-11
Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees. —Job 4:4
Bible In One Year: Judges 1-3; Luke 4:1-30
The local newspaper reported that a mother is devastated because her 21-year-old son, who had always seemed like an upright young man, had been arrested for dealing drugs.
Also in our community, the parents and siblings of a 15-year-old are grieving because he was killed in a gun accident.
An aged friend is heartbroken because her only daughter, the person she depended on more than all others, died from cancer.
People who are hurting have a common need: the comfort that comes from trusting God. They need to be assured that tragedy and grief are not a mark of God's disfavor but that He weeps with them, He loves them, and He will never leave those who are His.
Eliphaz said to Job: "Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened feeble knees" (Job 4:4). Job earned this tribute despite his own deep suffering. And when we offer comfort to sorrowing and suffering people, we not only emulate Job—we emulate Jesus.
In the midst of a host of hurting people, each one of us can reach out to become a comforter like Job. Let's ask God to make our hearts tender enough to support and strengthen those who are hurting. —Herb Vander Lugt
Reach out and give your love to the loveless,
Reach out and make a home for the homeless;
Reach out and shed God's light in the darkness—
Reach out and let the smile of God touch through you. —Brown
© 1971 Word, Inc
God doesn't comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.
God knew I would need this today. He is in control.
God, please have mercy on Amy & Micah and all of the LP people. They need you to carry them for now.
Thank you God for allowing me to have known Mark and for allowing him to have touched so many lives in the short time he was on this earth.
March 27, 2006
Strength & Support
Read:
Job 4:1-11
Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees. —Job 4:4
Bible In One Year: Judges 1-3; Luke 4:1-30
The local newspaper reported that a mother is devastated because her 21-year-old son, who had always seemed like an upright young man, had been arrested for dealing drugs.
Also in our community, the parents and siblings of a 15-year-old are grieving because he was killed in a gun accident.
An aged friend is heartbroken because her only daughter, the person she depended on more than all others, died from cancer.
People who are hurting have a common need: the comfort that comes from trusting God. They need to be assured that tragedy and grief are not a mark of God's disfavor but that He weeps with them, He loves them, and He will never leave those who are His.
Eliphaz said to Job: "Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened feeble knees" (Job 4:4). Job earned this tribute despite his own deep suffering. And when we offer comfort to sorrowing and suffering people, we not only emulate Job—we emulate Jesus.
In the midst of a host of hurting people, each one of us can reach out to become a comforter like Job. Let's ask God to make our hearts tender enough to support and strengthen those who are hurting. —Herb Vander Lugt
Reach out and give your love to the loveless,
Reach out and make a home for the homeless;
Reach out and shed God's light in the darkness—
Reach out and let the smile of God touch through you. —Brown
© 1971 Word, Inc
God doesn't comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.
God knew I would need this today. He is in control.
God, please have mercy on Amy & Micah and all of the LP people. They need you to carry them for now.
Thank you God for allowing me to have known Mark and for allowing him to have touched so many lives in the short time he was on this earth.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Psalm 126:6, "He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." (NIV)
Devotion:
In yesterday's devotion, we learned about my friend, Monika, and the troubles she experienced within a short period of time - a move to a new state, the loss of her faithful dog, the death of her beloved husband. Unbelievably, yet another crisis lurked around the corner. Within a year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The destructive cancer dictated aggressive treatments: surgery, chemo and radiation.
She struggled with physical pain. However, in her heart she knew her God, Jehovah-Jireh, provided and cared for her. The pain in her body could not dampen the comfort in her soul. She no longer questioned God's trustworthiness in her life. Her heart now cried out to Him, "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (Job 23:10, NIV)
Even though she felt like Job in the Old Testament, who lost everything including her health, Monika also knew that in the end God blessed him. For Scriptures states, "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys." (Job 42:12, NIV)
Now Monika didn't receive fourteen thousand sheep. (Of which she is very grateful!) But the Jehovah-Jireh did pour out a few surprise blessings.
She fully recovered physically. No trace of cancer lingers in her body after four years. She feels wonderful physically, mentally and spiritually. Monika bubbles enthusiasm for life and boasts in the trustworthy hand of Jehovah-Jireh.
But wait there is more. Her youngest son, unbeknownst to her, entered her name in a national horse food contest. Can you guess who won the grand prize of a two-week equestrian vacation to the countryside of France? Monika!
Then she wrote an essay about cancer survivors, which won her a three-day trip to an ultra exclusive spa in Arizona. (Oprah visits there.) The list goes on and on of God's faithfulness in her life. Sometimes with a grin across her face, she calls Him, Jehovah-Surpriso. For her life truly reflects our key verse, Psalm 126:6, "He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. (NIV)
You see, despite the trouble and crisis that hit Monika's life, God never left her. He stood beside her in the darkest of moments. Then He changed her tears of sorrow, to the joy of laughter.
And now, she wants to share that joyful knowledge with other people whose lives are hit with a tidal wave of despair. She is the living fulfillment of 2 Corinthians 1:3-5:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (NIV)
Take heart my friend, Jehovah-Jireh, our God, is there to provide for you no matter how dark your days may be. Take heart joy will come again. Take heart and share with other's how God' provides for you.
My Prayer for Today:
Lord, I thank You that You are always by my side to comfort me. Allow me the privilege to share Your goodness with others. Give me the correct words to comfort the hurting people that I meet. Thank You for the joy that comes after the weeping. I love You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Devotion:
In yesterday's devotion, we learned about my friend, Monika, and the troubles she experienced within a short period of time - a move to a new state, the loss of her faithful dog, the death of her beloved husband. Unbelievably, yet another crisis lurked around the corner. Within a year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The destructive cancer dictated aggressive treatments: surgery, chemo and radiation.
She struggled with physical pain. However, in her heart she knew her God, Jehovah-Jireh, provided and cared for her. The pain in her body could not dampen the comfort in her soul. She no longer questioned God's trustworthiness in her life. Her heart now cried out to Him, "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (Job 23:10, NIV)
Even though she felt like Job in the Old Testament, who lost everything including her health, Monika also knew that in the end God blessed him. For Scriptures states, "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys." (Job 42:12, NIV)
Now Monika didn't receive fourteen thousand sheep. (Of which she is very grateful!) But the Jehovah-Jireh did pour out a few surprise blessings.
She fully recovered physically. No trace of cancer lingers in her body after four years. She feels wonderful physically, mentally and spiritually. Monika bubbles enthusiasm for life and boasts in the trustworthy hand of Jehovah-Jireh.
But wait there is more. Her youngest son, unbeknownst to her, entered her name in a national horse food contest. Can you guess who won the grand prize of a two-week equestrian vacation to the countryside of France? Monika!
Then she wrote an essay about cancer survivors, which won her a three-day trip to an ultra exclusive spa in Arizona. (Oprah visits there.) The list goes on and on of God's faithfulness in her life. Sometimes with a grin across her face, she calls Him, Jehovah-Surpriso. For her life truly reflects our key verse, Psalm 126:6, "He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. (NIV)
You see, despite the trouble and crisis that hit Monika's life, God never left her. He stood beside her in the darkest of moments. Then He changed her tears of sorrow, to the joy of laughter.
And now, she wants to share that joyful knowledge with other people whose lives are hit with a tidal wave of despair. She is the living fulfillment of 2 Corinthians 1:3-5:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (NIV)
Take heart my friend, Jehovah-Jireh, our God, is there to provide for you no matter how dark your days may be. Take heart joy will come again. Take heart and share with other's how God' provides for you.
My Prayer for Today:
Lord, I thank You that You are always by my side to comfort me. Allow me the privilege to share Your goodness with others. Give me the correct words to comfort the hurting people that I meet. Thank You for the joy that comes after the weeping. I love You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
from one of my devotionals:
Death, doom and depression stalked my friend, Monika. She had just moved to Las Vegas. (Not many women really want to move here.) She knew no one. Her children were scattered across the United States. The desert landscape depressed her. The summer heat of 110 degrees moved her to tears. Her faithful dog died of cancer shortly after the move. It seemed like things couldn't get much worse.
Yet, they did. Her beloved husband of forty years developed terminal cancer. Monika felt like Job. Although, a Christian for most of her life, she felt completely abandoned by God. She questioned God's trustworthiness in her life. Her heart cried out to Him,
My face is red with weeping,
deep shadows ring my eyes. (Job 16:16, NIV)
Why do you hide your face
and
consider me your enemy? (Job 13:24, NIV)
Even as her faith stumbled, God heard her and the answers were on the way. Just as Scripture assures us, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear (Isaiah 65:24, NIV)," the Lord responded.
Monika dropped by a Bible study I was teaching on the Names of God. The day's lesson happened to be on Jehovah-Jireh - God will provide. I read "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen" (Genesis 22:13-14, KJV).
Although familiar with the Bible, Monika listened carefully as I taught on the Lord as our Provider. God whispered comfort to her aching heart, "Monika, I will be Jehovah-Jireh to you. I will provide for you."
After that, God confirmed His message to my friend. Within a week, Monika received a postcard from a local card store inviting her to come and select a gift. As she strolled over to the designated table, she could tell most of the offerings were junk. Left over broken candles, mismatched cups and saucers. Her eyes swept the table expecting to find nothing she would bother to take home and then her eyes landed on a small devotional book, titled Jehovah-Jireh. Ah ha! A token of love sent straight from heaven through a retailer's promotional event. On that day, Monika realized that although her troubles abounded God knew all the details and He cared for her. She acknowledged she needed to rest in His love and His plan for her life.
Indeed, sometimes it is hard to trust God, especially when everything seems to go wrong. But God is faithful even when we feel otherwise. Babbie Mason sings a beautiful song titled, "When You Can't Trust His Hand, Trust His Heart." The song explains even when we can't understand all the problems of life, we can trust in the goodness of God-our Jehovah-Jireh.
My dear friend, Monika, soon learned that God would not only provide for her every need, but would surpass her greatest expectation for provision with bountiful blessings. Tomorrow we'll see just how Jehovah-Jireh blessed her.
My Prayer for Today:
My Jehovah-Jireh, help me to trust Your heart when I do not understand my circumstances. Open my eyes to Your love and care even in the small details of life such as a store promotion. Reveal Yourself to me as my personal Jehovah-Jireh. In Jesus' Sweet Name, Amen.
Death, doom and depression stalked my friend, Monika. She had just moved to Las Vegas. (Not many women really want to move here.) She knew no one. Her children were scattered across the United States. The desert landscape depressed her. The summer heat of 110 degrees moved her to tears. Her faithful dog died of cancer shortly after the move. It seemed like things couldn't get much worse.
Yet, they did. Her beloved husband of forty years developed terminal cancer. Monika felt like Job. Although, a Christian for most of her life, she felt completely abandoned by God. She questioned God's trustworthiness in her life. Her heart cried out to Him,
My face is red with weeping,
deep shadows ring my eyes. (Job 16:16, NIV)
Why do you hide your face
and
consider me your enemy? (Job 13:24, NIV)
Even as her faith stumbled, God heard her and the answers were on the way. Just as Scripture assures us, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear (Isaiah 65:24, NIV)," the Lord responded.
Monika dropped by a Bible study I was teaching on the Names of God. The day's lesson happened to be on Jehovah-Jireh - God will provide. I read "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen" (Genesis 22:13-14, KJV).
Although familiar with the Bible, Monika listened carefully as I taught on the Lord as our Provider. God whispered comfort to her aching heart, "Monika, I will be Jehovah-Jireh to you. I will provide for you."
After that, God confirmed His message to my friend. Within a week, Monika received a postcard from a local card store inviting her to come and select a gift. As she strolled over to the designated table, she could tell most of the offerings were junk. Left over broken candles, mismatched cups and saucers. Her eyes swept the table expecting to find nothing she would bother to take home and then her eyes landed on a small devotional book, titled Jehovah-Jireh. Ah ha! A token of love sent straight from heaven through a retailer's promotional event. On that day, Monika realized that although her troubles abounded God knew all the details and He cared for her. She acknowledged she needed to rest in His love and His plan for her life.
Indeed, sometimes it is hard to trust God, especially when everything seems to go wrong. But God is faithful even when we feel otherwise. Babbie Mason sings a beautiful song titled, "When You Can't Trust His Hand, Trust His Heart." The song explains even when we can't understand all the problems of life, we can trust in the goodness of God-our Jehovah-Jireh.
My dear friend, Monika, soon learned that God would not only provide for her every need, but would surpass her greatest expectation for provision with bountiful blessings. Tomorrow we'll see just how Jehovah-Jireh blessed her.
My Prayer for Today:
My Jehovah-Jireh, help me to trust Your heart when I do not understand my circumstances. Open my eyes to Your love and care even in the small details of life such as a store promotion. Reveal Yourself to me as my personal Jehovah-Jireh. In Jesus' Sweet Name, Amen.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
cloak of Love
UpWords from Max Lucado
A Cloak Of Love
Do you own a cloak of love? Do you know anyone who needs one? When you cover someone with concern, you are fulfilling what Paul had in mind when he wrote the phrase "love ... always protects" (1 Cor. 13:4-7 NIV).
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament is known for its word study, not its poetry. But the scholar sounds poetic as he explains the meaning of protect as used in 1 Corinthians 13:7. The word conveys, he says, "the idea of covering with a cloak of love."
Know anyone in need of a cloak of love?
A few years back I offered one to my daughters. The whirlwind of adolescence was making regular runs through our house, bringing with it more than our share of doubts, pimples, and peer pressure. I couldn't protect the girls from the winds, but I could give them an anchor to hold in the midst. On Valentine's Day, 1997, I wrote the following and had it framed for each daughter:
I have a special gift for you. My gift is warmth at night and sunlit afternoons, chuckles and giggles and happy Saturdays.
But how do I give this gift? Is there a store which sells laughter? A catalog that offers kisses? No. Such a treasure can't be bought. But it can be given. And here is how I give it to you.
Your Valentine's Day gift is a promise, a promise that I will always love your mother. With God as my helper, I will never leave her. You'll never come home to find me gone. You'll never wake up and find that I have run away. You'll always have two parents. I will love your mother. I will honor your mother. I will cherish your mother. That is my promise. That is my gift.
Love, Dad
Know anyone who could use some protection? Of course you do. Then give some.
A Cloak Of Love
Do you own a cloak of love? Do you know anyone who needs one? When you cover someone with concern, you are fulfilling what Paul had in mind when he wrote the phrase "love ... always protects" (1 Cor. 13:4-7 NIV).
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament is known for its word study, not its poetry. But the scholar sounds poetic as he explains the meaning of protect as used in 1 Corinthians 13:7. The word conveys, he says, "the idea of covering with a cloak of love."
Know anyone in need of a cloak of love?
A few years back I offered one to my daughters. The whirlwind of adolescence was making regular runs through our house, bringing with it more than our share of doubts, pimples, and peer pressure. I couldn't protect the girls from the winds, but I could give them an anchor to hold in the midst. On Valentine's Day, 1997, I wrote the following and had it framed for each daughter:
I have a special gift for you. My gift is warmth at night and sunlit afternoons, chuckles and giggles and happy Saturdays.
But how do I give this gift? Is there a store which sells laughter? A catalog that offers kisses? No. Such a treasure can't be bought. But it can be given. And here is how I give it to you.
Your Valentine's Day gift is a promise, a promise that I will always love your mother. With God as my helper, I will never leave her. You'll never come home to find me gone. You'll never wake up and find that I have run away. You'll always have two parents. I will love your mother. I will honor your mother. I will cherish your mother. That is my promise. That is my gift.
Love, Dad
Know anyone who could use some protection? Of course you do. Then give some.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Well back from the weekend in Middletown. It was nice to visit and have no preplanned agenda. Went to Walmart with my Mom and spent a few hours there. It is not easy to go from store to store with my mom as she doesn't get around too quickly these days. Also it was very cold and icy outside so we spent our time out in one place. As we were browsing around who do we run into but Stephanie & Michael and Katie! I had thought of going to PA to visit them but decided against the trip so now we got to visit for awhile anyway. Katie made student of the month. They went back to my mom's to play with Midge for awhile but we finished up shopping and then went to Denny's to eat. Once we got home we relaxed and waited for 24 to come on. Slept in Sunday and Monday.My sister Anne came over on MOnday AM to go over some things and then I packed up and drove home. Wish I wasn't always feeling like I am going to fall asleep when I drive. It doesn't matter if I am tired or have just gotten up but after I am on the road for awhile I just start to nod out.
Back to work today. Day was a little hectic as Ryann is no longer with us and Natalie who is suppose to fill in for her was out sick. Doris had to do all the runs so she was really tired. I tried to pick up some of her work so it was a bit busy.
Friday and Saturday I am going to a class at church for small group leaders. Let's see where this leads. I still feel like I am floating and not grounded anywhere.
Time to pay some bills....
Back to work today. Day was a little hectic as Ryann is no longer with us and Natalie who is suppose to fill in for her was out sick. Doris had to do all the runs so she was really tired. I tried to pick up some of her work so it was a bit busy.
Friday and Saturday I am going to a class at church for small group leaders. Let's see where this leads. I still feel like I am floating and not grounded anywhere.
Time to pay some bills....
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
--Psalm 118:5-6
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
The beginning of the year has been a trying time for people I care about. Maybe it's been that way for you or those you love. My prayer for you, and for them, is that they may know the comfort of God's presence. Whether it's the popular little poem "Footprints" or the familiar "Yea though I walk through the shadow of death, thou art with me," the presence of the Lord is absolutely vital to standing up against our anguish! The Lord does long to be with us, especially at those moments when we feel most alone. He told us that by experiencing it himself at the cross.
MY PRAYER...
I am thankful, O God, that you refused to be God from a safe distance. Because you came and felt what it was like to be abandoned, forsaken, and alone, I know I can trust that I will never be forsaken by you. Please give me a clearer sense of your presence with me in my life today, I pray through Jesus. Amen.
-----------
--Psalm 118:5-6
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
The beginning of the year has been a trying time for people I care about. Maybe it's been that way for you or those you love. My prayer for you, and for them, is that they may know the comfort of God's presence. Whether it's the popular little poem "Footprints" or the familiar "Yea though I walk through the shadow of death, thou art with me," the presence of the Lord is absolutely vital to standing up against our anguish! The Lord does long to be with us, especially at those moments when we feel most alone. He told us that by experiencing it himself at the cross.
MY PRAYER...
I am thankful, O God, that you refused to be God from a safe distance. Because you came and felt what it was like to be abandoned, forsaken, and alone, I know I can trust that I will never be forsaken by you. Please give me a clearer sense of your presence with me in my life today, I pray through Jesus. Amen.
-----------
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) was gifted with a brilliant mind. He learned to read at age 3, could translate Greek at 12, and enrolled in Brown University when he was 16. While there he was befriended by Jacob Eames, a man who rejected the miracles of the Bible. When Judson graduated as valedictorian in 1807, he had been so influenced by Eames that he denied his Christian faith.
One night, when Judson was staying at a village inn, he was disturbed by a man moaning in the next room. The following morning he asked the innkeeper about the ailing man. He was told that the man had died and that his name was Jacob Eames.
The startling coincidence of being near his friend at the point of his death stunned Judson. He felt compelled to search his own soul and to seek God's pardon for denying his faith. From that point on, he began to live for the Lord. God led him to pioneer missionary work in Burma. At the end of his life, Adoniram could look back on his ministry that had planted dozens of churches and influenced thousands to become believers.
What kind of influence are we having on others? Do our lives encourage faith in the Savior, or do we cause others to doubt? —Dennis Fisher
We cannot live our lives alone,
For other lives we touch
Are either strengthened by our own
Or weakened just as much. —Anon.
Your life either sheds light or casts a shadow.
One night, when Judson was staying at a village inn, he was disturbed by a man moaning in the next room. The following morning he asked the innkeeper about the ailing man. He was told that the man had died and that his name was Jacob Eames.
The startling coincidence of being near his friend at the point of his death stunned Judson. He felt compelled to search his own soul and to seek God's pardon for denying his faith. From that point on, he began to live for the Lord. God led him to pioneer missionary work in Burma. At the end of his life, Adoniram could look back on his ministry that had planted dozens of churches and influenced thousands to become believers.
What kind of influence are we having on others? Do our lives encourage faith in the Savior, or do we cause others to doubt? —Dennis Fisher
We cannot live our lives alone,
For other lives we touch
Are either strengthened by our own
Or weakened just as much. —Anon.
Your life either sheds light or casts a shadow.
Monday, January 02, 2006
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