Happy Anniversary

Hard to believe it has been seven years since my niece Ginger and I started a blog called Spiritual Sundays. Through the years many people have been blessed by not only reading what others have shared, but by sharing an inspirational post on their own blog. Ten years ago I didn't even know what a blog was. Amazing how many people still have no idea what you're talking about when you say you have a blog.  Well, if you're here, you know what a blog is. This is a blog. LOL

I wanted to take this opportunity on this blog to say Happy 7th Anniversary Spiritual Sundays. If you are not familiar with that blog, you can go there by clicking right HERE.

The Truth About the Bible

I recently received an e-mail from an old friend and I thought it was so good I decided to share it here on my blog. Evidently it was written originally by Jason Carlson and Ron Carlson in 2011. I've known all these things for a long time but I like the way it is all "put together" in this article.

During a question and answer session at a recent speaking engagement, a university student asked me, "Why do you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God?"

Now this is a very interesting question, and probably one of the most important questions any Christian could ask themselves.  What is so special, so unique about the Bible that Christians believe it is literally the inspired word of God?

In answering this student's question, I encouraged him to consider the following facts about the Bible.  First, the Bible is not just one single book.  This is a more common misconception than many people realize, especially with people who do not come from a Judeo-Christian background.  Rather than being a single book, the Bible is actually a collection of 66 books, which is called the canon of scriptures.  These 66 books contain a variety of genres:  history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, letters, and apocalyptic, just to name a few.

Second, these 66 books were written by 40 different authors.  These authors came from a variety of backgrounds: shepherds, fishermen, doctors, kings, prophets, and others.  And most of these authors never knew one another personally.

Third, these 66 books were written over a period of 1,500 years.  Yet again, this is another reminder that many of these authors never knew or collaborated with one another in writing these books.

Fourth, the 66 books of the Bible were written in 3 different languages.  In the Bible we have books that were written in the ancient languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic; a reflection of the historical and cultural circumstances in which each of these books were written.

And finally, these 66 books were written on 3 different continents:  Africa, Asia, and Europe.  Once again, this is a testament to the varied historical  and cultural circumstances of God's people.

Think about the above realities:  66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1,500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents.  What's more, this collection of books shares a common storyline - the creation, fall, and redemption of God's people; a common theme - God's universal love for all of humanity; and a common message - salvation is available to all who repent of their sins and commit to following God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength.

In addition to sharing these commonalities, these 66 books contain no historical errors or contradictions.  God's word truly is an amazing collection of writings!

After I had shared the above facts with this student, I offered him the following challenge.  "If you do not believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, if you do not believe that the Bible is of a supernatural origin, then I challenge you to a test, I challenge you to go to any library in the world, you can choose any library you like, and find 66 books which match the characteristics of the 66 books in the Bible.  You must choose 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1,500 years, in 3 different languages, written on 3 different continents.  However, they must share a common storyline, a common theme, and a common message, with no historical errors or contradictions."  I went on to say, "If you can produce such a collection of books, I will admit that the Bible is not the inspired word.

The student's reply was almost instantaneous, he emphatically stated, "But that's impossible!"

It truly is impossible, for any collection of human writings.  However, the Bible passes this test.  The Bible contains 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1,500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents, with no historical errors or contradictions.  The entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, bears the mark of Divine inspiration.
The next time you encounter someone who asks you why you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, try sharing this challenge with them.  Better yet, don't wait until you're asked, just go ahead and share this challenge with a friend today.  You don't even have to mention the Bible up front, just ask them if they think it would be realistic to assemble such a collection of books.  After they say, "But that's impossible!" you've got a ready-made opportunity for sharing the truth of God's word with somebody!

In God We Trust!

I hope you find this as helpful as I have.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day will come around again in a couple of days. Since I haven't posted anything on this blog for a long time, I decided to repost what I said about St. Patrick's Day three years ago. Where did the time go? I did add this delicious cupcake for your enjoyment. It was not included in the previous post. (Smile) So here is that 2012 post.

Since Saturday is St. Patrick's Day, I decided to see what information I could find about it online. Here's a portion of what I found. Some of it was contradictory. This is not surprising since he lived so long ago.

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.

Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people. In the centuries following Patrick's death (believed to have been on March 17, 461), the mythology surrounding his life became ever more ingrained in the Irish culture: Perhaps the most well known legend is that he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.Since around the ninth or 10th century, people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast day of on March 17.

Patrick Guided by Visions:
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.

To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.)

The beautiful prayer of St. Patrick, popularly known as "St. Patrick's Breast-Plate", is supposed to have been composed by him in preparation for this victory over Paganism. The following is a literal translation from the old Irish text:

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort,
Christ in the chariot seat,
Christ in the poop [deck],
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I'm always inspired by people like St. Patrick. He made such an impact on Ireland and Christianity that we're still celebrating his life after all these years. Wow 461 was a long long time ago. I like the explanation of the meaning of the shamrock. Thank you St. Patrick for your faithfulness. I will be wearing green in your honor even though green is not my color.

Please visit our Spiritual Sundays blog for links to lots of inspirational posts. Just click HERE to go there.

Last Days?

Following is a post I did over a year ago. It is even more relevant today than it was then. Such terrible things are going on all over the world. More evidence that these truly are the "last days". How long will they last and how much worse will they get? No one knows. I hope they won't last much longer.The scripture quoted indicates that there is a certain number of "brothers and sisters" who will be killed for their faith. This is happening more and more, but how many more will be martyred? Something to ponder and pray about for sure.

REVELATION 6

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,[e] were killed just as they had been.

When I read this scripture years ago, I thought "Yes, two thousand years ago many Christians were losing their lives for their faith." Then I thought that this doesn't seem that relevant today because this is not happening. Now when I hear of Christians being tortured and murdered in many lands around the world, I see that it is very very relevant. I have no doubt that we are living in the last days. I wonder, "how long." Yes, this is very relevant in the 21st century. I hope it doesn't come to this in America, but it would not surprise me the way things are going right now. The truth is we should be ready because the Bible says no one knows the hour except the Father. But there will be signs. So many of those signs have occurred in my lifetime.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BLOGGERS GONE?

I suspect the reason many people don't post on their blogs as often as they used to is because they spend so much time on Facebook and other sites like it. I have a long list of links to blogs on my sidebar that I had not visited in a long time. Yesterday I decided to click on a few of them. I was not surprised that some were closed completely and almost all of them had not posted anything recently. Most had not posted anything in a year or longer. One said they were taking a little break from blogging and would be back soon. That was posted a year ago.

I am happy to say that there are a lot of bloggers who have started blogging more recently who do post on their blogs and many of these share with us on Spiritual Sundays. And then there are some, like Beverly at How Sweet the Sound, who hosts Pink Saturday, who have been sharing on Spiritual Sundays for five years. 

I have four other blogs besides this one. The only one I post on regularly is Spiritual Sundays. I occasionally post one one or two of the other ones. Like other people, I get involved in other things and the first thing you know the blogs are all but forgotten. Does it matter?  Not really. I just thought it was an interesting observation.

Thanks for taking the time to let me share these thoughts with you. Blogging is still something I enjoy after doing it for about 6 years.

WHAT GOD CAN DO IN PRISON

I found this on Facebook and was so impressed I wanted to share it with everyone so I decided to share it here on my blog. 



Here is the link to her Facebook page. I just discovered it. https://www.facebook.com/isikablatv
And here is her web page: http://www.isikabla.com/en/

I'm sharing this on Spiritual Sundays, http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/

REMEMBER

I am borrowing a page out of the Daily Devotionals for Our 50th Year at Scottsdale Bible Church. I think it is always good to remember, especially what God wants us to remember. I think this expresses it well.

DON'T FORGET

"Remember this, keep it in mind..." (Isaiah 46:8a)

When the scripture says "Remember..." it's prudent to do so.! As a student is expected to master key concepts in a class, God sometimes spells out key things to remember. When it also says "fix in mind, take to heart," God is clearly giving a foundational thought meant to anchor the essence of who we are. Such an imperative comes in Isaiah 46:8-9. "Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago: I am God, and there is no other. I am God and there is none like Me."

So we're to remember, fix it in our minds and take it to heart...the former things of long ago. These are the miraculous interventions God did, such as delivering Israel from bondage in Egypt parting the Red Sea, providing water and manna in the wilderness and delivering their enemies into their hands as they entered the Promised Land. God doesn't seem to do the same miracle twice. In other words we're not to learn a formula of how God works, rather we're to learn to depend directly on Him as we learn to walk with Him. We're also to remember the times we've seen God work directly in our lives, answering prayer, leading or speaking to us, sustaining us and transforming us. Finally, and above all, we're to remember there is no other God than Him or like Him.....daily Remember!

- John Milligan

Reading these words caused me to remember the many times God has answered my prayers and how He has worked in my life. I hope it does the same for you who are reading this right now. 

I hope you will visit our Spiritual Sundays blog if you did not come here from a link found there. You will find links to lots of inspirational posts. Click HERE to go to that Blog.

CARL

I recently received an e-mail with an incredible story in it. I don't know if it is true, but the message is the same even if it is not. I like to think it actually happened. It is rather long, but definitely worth taking the time to read. It is about a man named Carl, how he was treated, and how he responded.

CARL

Carl was a quiet man. He didn't talk much. He would always greet you with a big smile and a firm handshake.

Even after living in our neighborhood for over 50 years, no one could really say they knew him very well.

Before his retirement, he took the bus to work each morning. The lone sight of him walking down the street often worried us.

He had a slight limp from a bullet wound received in WWII.

Watching him, we worried that although he had survived WWII, he may not make it through our changing uptown neighborhood with its ever-increasing random violence, gangs, and drug activity.

When he saw the flyer at our local church asking for volunteers for caring for the gardens behind the minister's residence, he responded in his characteristically unassuming manner. Without fanfare, he just signed up.

He was well into his 87th year when the very thing we had always feared finally happened.

He was just finishing his watering for the day when three gang members approached him. Ignoring their attempt to intimidate him, he simply asked, "Would you like a drink from the hose?"

The tallest and toughest-looking of the three said, "Yeah, sure," with a malevolent little smile.

As Carl offered the hose to him, the other two grabbed Carl's arm, throwing him down. As the hose snaked crazily over the ground, dousing everything in its way, Carl's assailants stole his retirement watch and his wallet, and then fled.

Carl tried to get himself up, but he had been thrown down on his bad leg. He lay there trying to gather himself as the minister came running to help him.

Although the minister had witnessed the attack from his window, he couldn't get there fast enough to stop it.

"Carl, are you okay? Are you hurt?" the minister kept asking as he helped Carl to his feet.

Carl just passed a hand over his brow and sighed, shaking his head. "Just some punk kids. I hope they'll wise-up someday."

His wet clothes clung to his slight frame as he bent to pick up the hose. He adjusted the nozzle again and started to water.

Confused and a little concerned, the minister asked, "Carl, what are you doing?"

"I've got to finish my watering. It's been very dry lately," came the calm reply.

Satisfying himself that Carl really was all right, the minister could only marvel. Carl was a man from a different time and place.

A few weeks later the three returned. Just as before their threat was unchallenged. Carl again offered them a drink from his hose.

This time they didn't rob him. They wrenched the hose from his hand and drenched him head to foot in the icy water.

When they had finished their humiliation of him, they sauntered off down the street, throwing catcalls and curses, falling over one another laughing at the hilarity of what they had just done.

Carl just watched them. Then he turned toward the warmth giving sun, picked up his hose and went on with his watering.

The summer was quickly fading into fall. Carl was doing some tilling when he was startled by the sudden approach of someone behind him. He stumbled and fell into some evergreen branches.

As he struggled to regain his footing, he turned to see the tall leader of his summer tormentors reaching down for him. He braced himself for the expected attack.

"Don't worry old man, I'm not gonna hurt you this time."

The young man spoke softly, still offering the tattooed and scarred hand to Carl. As he helped Carl get up, the man pulled a crumpled bag from his pocket and handed it to Carl.

"What's this?" Carl asked. "It's your stuff," the man explained. "It's your stuff back. Even the money in your wallet." "I don't understand," Carl said. "Why would you help me now?"

The man shifted his feet, seeming embarrassed and ill at ease. "I learned something from you," he said. "I ran with that gang and hurt people like you. We picked you because you were old and we knew we could do it. But every time we came and did something to you, instead of yelling and fighting back, you tried to give us a drink. You didn't hate us for hating you. You kept showing love against our hate."

He stopped for a moment. "I couldn't sleep after we stole your stuff, so here it is back."

He paused for another awkward moment, not knowing what more there was to say. "That bag's my way of saying thanks for straightening me out, I guess." And with that, he walked off down the street.

Carl looked down at the sack in his hands and gingerly opened it. He took out his retirement watch and put it back on his wrist. Opening his wallet, he checked for his wedding photo. He gazed for a moment at the young bride that still smiled back at him from all those years ago.

He died one cold day after Christmas that winter. Many people attended his funeral in spite of the weather.

In particular, the minister noticed a tall young man that he didn't know sitting quietly in a distant corner of the church.

The minister spoke of Carl's garden as a lesson in life.

In a voice made thick with unshed tears, he said, "Do your best and make your garden as beautiful as you can. We will never forget Carl and his garden."

The following spring another flyer went up. It read: "Person needed to care for Carl's garden."

The flyer went unnoticed by the busy parishioners until one day when a knock was heard at the minister's office door.

Opening the door, the minister saw a pair of scarred and tattooed hands holding the flyer. "I believe this is my job, if you'll have me," the young man said.

The minister recognized him as the same young man who had returned the stolen watch and wallet to Carl.

He knew that Carl's kindness had turned this man's life around. As the minister handed him the keys to the garden shed, he said, "Yes, go take care of Carl's garden and honor him."

The man went to work and, over the next several years, he tended the flowers and vegetables just as Carl had done.

During that time, he went to college, got married, and became a prominent member of the community. But he never forgot his promise to Carl's memory and kept the garden as beautiful as he thought Carl would have kept it.

One day he approached the new minister and told him that he couldn't care for the garden any longer. He explained with a shy and happy smile, "My wife just had a baby boy last night, and she's bringing him home on Saturday."

"Well, congratulations!" said the minister, as he was handed the garden shed keys. "That's wonderful! What's the baby's name?"

"Carl," he replied.

Prayers Can't Be Answered Unless They Are Prayed

I go again to one of the many little books of poetry by Helen Steiner Rice. This one was especially meaningful as I read it today so I'm sharing it with you. It's called Prayers Can't Be Answered Unless They Are Prayed. Of course God knows what we need and want before we ask him, but He wants us to ask. We know what our children need and want but many times we wait for them to ask. I guess maybe God looks at it the same way. Here's the poem:

Life without purpose is barren indeed―
There can't be a harvest unless you plant seed,
There can't be attainment unless there's a goal,
And man's but a robot unless there's a soul . . .
If we send no ships out, no ships will come in,
And unless there's a contest, nobody can win. . .
For games can't be won unless they are played,
And prayers can't be answered unless they are prayed . . .
So whatever is wrong with your life today,
You'll find a solution if you kneel down and pray
Not just for pleasure, enjoyment, and health,
Not just for honors and prestige and wealth . . .
But Pray for a Purpose to make life worth living.
And Pray for the Joy of unselfish giving,
For great is your gladness and Rich your Reward
When you make your Life's Purpose the choice of the Lord.

People are very busy this time of year. I hope you will take some time out of your busy schedule to visit Spiritual Sundays and visit some of the links there. You will be blessed.

MY ROCK AND COMFORTER

I opened the Kindle app on my iPad this morning. I had not looked at it in awhile. It opened to this:

DAY 7 - 40 DAYS WITH JESUS: CELEBRATING HIS PRESENCE.

WOW, this was just what I needed to read today. I wanted to share it with you.

DAY 7

I AM IMMANUEL―GOD WITH YOU―an ever-present Help in trouble. No matter what may happen, I am sufficient to provide whatever you need. Instead of imagining how you might respond to terrible things that could happen, draw your mind back to the present and take refuge in My Presence, I am much like a mother hen, eager to cover you with my protective pinions. As you snuggle under My wings, you will not only find refuge; you will also discover a growing ability to trust Me. It is in closeness to Me that you realize how trustworthy I am.

Remember that I am both your Rock and your Redeemer. Though I am impregnable in My vast strength, I became a vulnerable Man so I could redeem you from your sins. The more you take refuge in Me, the more aware you become of My overflowing Love. In Me you are utterly safe, for I am your Rock of everlasting Love!

FOR REFLECTION: PSALM 46:1-2;

MATTHEW 23:37 (NKJV0; PSALM 91:4 (AMP)

I have been lamenting the outcome of our election ever since Tuesday night. The above thoughts helped to cheer me up. I am still terribly worried about my country but I do take refuge in these words of Jesus. It is a good reminder that people will make mistakes, terrible mistakes, let you down, in general just make you miserable but God is ever faithful and I need to look even more than I have in the past to His promises that He will be with me no matter how bad things get ― and they will continue to get a while lot worse. What He has in store for those who love Him and trust Him will totally outweigh any problems we have now. I see so many of the prophecies of the Bible being fulfilled that I am really convinced that we are living in the last days. If you have been "bummed out" over the election as I have been perhaps these thoughts will uplift you as well. I hope so. So many of you have made encouraging comments to me on the latest Spiritual Sundays post. Thank you for that.

So Many Reasons to Love the Lord

Helen Steiner Rice has so many great poems and I have so many books containing her poetry that very often I like to share one of them on my blog. This one really spoke to my heart today so it is the one I'm sharing. It's called "So Many Reasons to Love the Lord." I hope it speaks to your heart as it does to mine.

Thank You, God, for little things

that come unexpectedly

To brighten up a dreary day

that dawned so dismally―

Thank You, God, for sending

a happy thought my way

to blot out my depression

on a disappointing day―

Thank You, God, for brushing

the dark clouds from my mind

And leaving only sunshine

and joy of heart behind.

Oh, God, the list is endless

of things to thank You for

But I take them all for granted 

and unconsciously ignore

that everything I think or do,

each movement that I make,

each measured rhythmic heartbeat

each breath of life I take

Is something you have given me

for which there is no way

for me in all my smallness

to in any way repay.

           - Helen Steiner Rice

I'm sharing on Spiritual Sundays. I hope you will want to do that too.

Light of the World

Light of the world you stepped down into darkness 

Opened my eyes let me see 

Beauty that makes this heart adore You 

Hope of a life spent with You 

These are the opening lines of a song I always enjoy singing. Jesus said He was the light of the world. We are also to be lights in our dark world. How can we be lights in our dark world if our government or any government is determined to take God out of the world. Oh, they think it's OK to talk about God, but only in churches. Any mention of God might offend someone if it is uttered in our schools, or anywhere else except church. I just hate the way the left has changed the concept of freedom of religion to freedom from religion. The founding fathers intended for us to have freedom to practice our religion without government interference. 

I thought it was so sad when the Democratic National Convention left all mention of God out of their platform. This is the first year this has happened. There was such a backlash about this that they decided they had better put it back in along with the acknowledgement that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. So, they had a vote on it. The no's were as loud or louder than the yes's when they took the vote. So, the guy in charge says "Let's try this again." He tried it three times and evidently decided it wasn't going to change. The no's were still as loud or louder than the yes's so he declared it "passed" in spite of the opposition. It was supposed to be passed on a 2/3 majority vote which obviously was not the case. 

I have a hard time understanding why the left is so concerned about offending a few atheists but are willing to offend millions of Christians. We need to pray that this trend will be reversed and that once again God is welcome in our schools and everywhere else in society. Let's not try to keep Him locked up in our churches. Of course that is preposterous to think we can do that anyway. It would be funny if it weren't so sad. 

I hope we will all try to shine our light every day. Many are doing just that by sharing their faith and inspiration by linking to the Spiritual Sundays blog. I hope you go there and visit as many links as you can and you may also want to link a post on your blog, if you have a blog. Just click HERE to go there.

P.S. After I posted this, I realized that it is precisely because of the problems I stated above that we can be lights in this world. The darker it gets, the more light "shows up". Did you ever turn the lights on in your house in the daytime and hardly tell the difference, but if you turn them on at night, they shine brightly. As our world gets darker, let's let our lights shine more brightly.

ANGELS UNAWARES

I don't know about you, but I have often pondered the above scripture and wondered exactly what it meant. I've heard explanations but I still don't really know. It is an intriguing thought though and so I decided to share a poem on the subject by Helen Steiner Rice. 

UNAWARE, WE PASS HIM BY

On life's busy thoroughfares
We meet with angels unawares―
But we are too busy to listen or hear,
Too busy to sense that God is near,
Too busy to stop and recognize
The grief that lies in another's eyes,
Too busy to help or share,
Too busy to sympathize or care
Too busy to do the good things we should,
Telling ourselves we would if we could.
But life is too swift and the pace is too great
And we dare not pause for we might be late
For our next appointment which means so much.
We are willing to brush off the Savior's touch.
And we tell ourselves there will come a day
We will have more time to pause on our way.
But before we know it "life's sun has set"
And we passed the Savior but never met.
For hurrying along life's thoroughfare
We passed Him by and remained unaware
That within the very sight of our eye, Unnoticed, the Son of God passed by.

                                              Helen Steiner Rice 

I was hungry - a Christian perspective
Jesus taught that when we do good deeds for the weak and downtrodden, it's as if we are helping Jesus himself. Here, he makes it clear that he values kindness done to stranger and to those who struggle to make ends meet.
http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:35&version=NIV
"The Least of These" in the Bible: Matthew 25:35-41
One of Jesus' most interesting teachings is that our commitment to him can be measured by how we treat other people, especially people who have been rejected by society for one reason or another. If we say we love Jesus but can't be bothered to show love to those in need, how genuine can our love for Jesus really be?
http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.25.35-Matt.25.41&version=NIV

Click HERE to go to the Spiritual Sundays blog for links to many inspiring posts.

SUNSHINE OF JOY

I was wondering what I should post on my blog so I was looking at the books in our bookcase and one of them caught my eye. It was a little Helen Steiner Rice book called Sunshine of Joy. We have so much sunshine here where we live ― not only in the summer but year around. So I took the book down and opened it. I know I have seen this book before because we've had it for years, but we have so many books that I have not looked at it in a long time. It was almost as if I'd never seen it before. Could be my age I guess. I do forget a few things. LOL
Any way, back to the book. My goodness ― so many wonderful poems. The one I chose to share today is called Warm Our Hearts With Thy Love.

Warm Our Hearts With Thy Love

                    Oh God, who made the summer

                              and warmed the earth with beauty,

                    Warm our hearts with gratitude

                              and devotion to our duty.

                    For in this age of violence,

                              rebellion and defiance

                    We've forgotten the true meaning

                              of "dependable reliance."

                    We have lost our sense of duty

                              and our sense of values, too,

                    and what was once unsanctioned

                              no longer is taboo.

                    Our standards have been lowered

                              and we resist all discipline

                    And our vision has been narrowed

                              and blinded to all sin.

                    Oh, put the summer brightness

                              in our closed, unseeing eyes

                    So in the careworn faces

                              that we pass we'll recognize

                    The heartbreak and the loneliness,

                              the trouble and despair

                    That a word of understanding 

                              would make easier to bear.

                    Oh, God, look down on our cold hearts

                              and warm them with Your love,

                    And grant us Your forgiveness

                              which we're so unworthy of.

                                            -Helen Steiner Rice

It is my prayer that God will warm all our hearts with His love. For links to lots of inspirational posts, please click HERE to go to the Spiritual Sundays blog.

54 YEARS

Here we are — 54 years ago. Of course there have been ups and downs as in any marriage or in any relationship for that matter. But we are growing old together and I think we're just about there (old).  Thank you, God, and thank you Clif for a great 54 years. Our kids took us to Hawaii to celebrate our 50th. Our daughter says they are talking about taking us back for our 60th. Wow, I like that idea. Besides blessing us with each other, God has blessed us with a wonderful daughter and  a wonderful son. In fact, we have been blessed in so many ways that I couldn't even begin to count them.

I'm glad God instituted marriage. Here are a few scriptures on that subject. 

1. Genesis 2:24
   That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
   Genesis 2:23-25 (in Context) Genesis 2 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2. Matthew 19:5
   and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ ?
   Matthew 19:4-6 (in Context) Matthew 19 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
3. Mark 10:7
   ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
   Mark 10:6-8 (in Context) Mark 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
4. Ephesians 5:31
   “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
   Ephesians 5:30-32 (in Context) Ephesians 5 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

You really cannot improve on God's plan although people do keep trying to change it. 

I posted the following video/book a couple of years ago but thought I'd share it again. 

God Bless America?

Patriotism is being displayed in the United States this week as flags will be flying all over the place in celebration of our independence. Americans have been celebrating since way back in 1776. There are some in our country now though, who think we should not honor this day, or the flag. Seems it is getting more popular with the PC crowd (and I don't mean personal computer) to want to do away with any displays of allegiance to America. Who would have ever thought that saying the Pledge of Allegiance in our schools would ever be challenged? They managed to take the Bible and God out of our public schools. Next it will probably be against the law to display the American flag in our classrooms. After all, it might offend somebody. Well, I know someone who is terribly offended, and the liberal left couldn't care less. That someone is me. I am offended that in order to keep from offending one person that thousands, and probably millions, like me are offended.

Back to the title of this post. My opinion is that God has blessed America like He has blessed no other country in the history of the world. He has blessed America because it was founded on the principles found in His book. He was acknowledged in our government. He was acknowledged in our schools, in our homes and in our churches and synagogues. In God We Trust has been our national motto. Now I'm wondering, "Is God withdrawing his blessings from America?" I was impressed with the response that Billy Graham's daughter Anne Lotz made after 9/11. When asked why she thinks God would allow something like this to happen, Lotz replied, "I say God is also angry when he sees something like this. I would say also for several years now Americans in a sense have shaken their fist at God and said, God, we want you out of our schools, our government, our business, we want you out of our marketplace. And God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life. Removing his hand of blessing and protection. We need to turn to God first of all and say, God, we're sorry we have treated you this way and we invite you now to come into our national life. We put our trust in you. We have our trust in God on our coins, we need to practice it." I certainly agree with her. I hope America wakes up before it's too late. If we want God to bless America, America had better start blessing God.

Father's Are Wonderful People

Happy Father's Day to all father's who read this post. A special Happy Father's Day to the father of my two children. I'm sure they both would tell you they couldn't have asked for a better dad. We will be so blessed to spend this special day with them.

Clif always smiles and even laughs a little when I share a Helen Steiner Rice poem, because back when he was the pastor of our last church and I was secretary we often needed "filler" for our newsletter. He would many times come up with one of her poems. One day I told him I thought we shared too many Helen Steiner Rice poems. Now I'm thinking "maybe not." LOL I think I appreciate her poems more now than I did then. That was over 12 years ago. Anyway, now I find myself sharing many of her poems on my blog. Here's one about fathers.

Fathers Are Wonderful People

                              Fathers are wonderful people
                                   too little understood,
                              And we do not sing their praises
                                   as often as we should . . .
                              And fathers struggle daily
                                   to live up to "his image"
                              As protector and provider  
                                   and "hero of the scrimmage" . . .
                              And perhaps that is the reason
                                   we sometimes get the notion
                              That fathers are not subject
                                   to the thing we call emotion,
                              But if you look inside Dad's heart,
                                   where no one else can see,
                              You'll find he's sentimental
                                   and as "soft" as he can be. . .
                              Fathers are just wonderful
                                   in a million different ways,
                              And they merit loving compliments
                                   and accolades of praise,
                              For the only reason Dad aspires
                                   to fortune and success
                              Is to make the family proud of him
                                   and to bring them happiness.
                              And like Our Heavenly Father,
                                   he's a guardian and a guide,
                              Someone that we can count on
                                   to be always on our side.
                                               - Helen Steiner Rice

Spiritual Sundays is a place where many people go each week to share a spiritual/inspirational post on their blogs by linking there. If you are not familiar with Spiritual Sundays I hope you will go there now by clicking right HERE. You might want to leave a comment first, and then go there.