MINDSET -- BEING TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND

he Bible tells us that one of the highest, ultimate goals that God has in store for each one of us is our transformation in Him – and this transformation is accomplished by the renewing of our mind. The Bible tells us that God wants to sanctify us and transform us into the express image of His Son Jesus Christ. He wants to make us into a better and more holy people, both on the inside and the outside.

Here is the specific verse from Scripture that will tell us that this kind of transformation is actually done by the renewing of our minds in the Lord:


“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

I believe this transformation process has 3 major steps to it. They are as follows:

1. Knowledge From The Word

The first thing each Christian must know is exactly what it is that God wants to change about us. If you do not know exactly what it is God wants to do with you in this sanctification-transformation process, then you will have a very hard time in being able to fully cooperate with Him once He does try to start the renewal and transformation process on the inside of you.

There are a million and one self-help books on the market, but there is only one Book that will tell you exactly what it is God wants to do with you on the inside to change you for the better – and that Book is the Holy Bible. There are no other books out there that will tell you the specific and exact points that God is looking to target to make this transformation occur in the way that He would really like.

The Bible tells us that this sanctification-transformation process is actually done by the Holy Spirit. However, the Holy Spirit will not start this transformation process in you until He has something to work with – and that something is knowledge – and that knowledge can only be obtained from the Bible.

God expects you to play a direct part in this transformation process if He is going to start to work it in you. In the three steps that will get this transformation process going for you – you will be responsible for doing the first two steps. If you are willing to put some quality time and effort in doing these first two steps, then God will do His part, and He will then actually do all of step 3 for you in order to make this kind of transformation really possible to achieve in this lifetime.

The first step will be to study the Bible for the specific points that God will be looking to target to change you into the kind of person He really wants you to become in Him. Since many of these verses pertaining to all of this are scattered throughout the entire Bible, I am going to list, in subsequent articles, some of the most powerful verses in all of Scripture – showing you exactly what godly and saintly qualities God will want to work and impart into the very core of your personality.

King David tells us in the Old Testament that we are to meditate on the Word of God. To meditate means to think about, to chew on, to try and figure out what God is trying to tell us in His Word – and then to try and see how these divine truths can be applied in our daily life, and how we can get some of these positive qualities worked and imparted into our personalities.

If you will spend some good, quality time really studying and meditating on what is in these specific verses I will be listing in these other articles in this Sanctification section of our site, you will then have right at your fingertips exactly what it is that God wants to start working into your personality. And once you have the basic knowledge of what these positive and godly qualities are going to be that God will be looking to impart into you – then you will be ready for step two.

The reason I have the word “mindset” listed in the title of this article is because you have to know exactly what it is that you have to “set your mind on” before God can really kick this transformation process into full gear – hence the word “mindset.”

You have to learn how to develop “right thinking” in the Lord, but you cannot develop right thinking in the Lord unless you first know exactly what it is that you should be thinking right about. The Scripture verses that will be listed in these subsequent articles will show you all the things that God will want you to think right about in order to help you with this renewing of your mind.

2. Put On Positive Qualities – Put Away Negative Qualities

You will find two key words that will be repeated several times in many of the Scripture verses that will follow in these other articles. These two key words are “putting on” and “putting away.”

The Bible tells us that we are the ones who are to try and “put on” the good and godly qualities that God will want us to have operating in our personalities, and to “put away” all of the bad and negative qualities that He will not want us to have operating in our personalities.

This step right here is where many Christians are missing the boat. They have been walking with the Lord for years and they wonder why there has not been many changes in the very cores of their personalities. Where is the love, joy, peace, sound mind, and self-control that the Bible promises me once I fully commit my life to the Lord? Why is it that I still have a problem in controlling my temper, my cussing, and my critical and judgmental spirit?

Once you know the Bible tells you to have self-control over your bad temper and over your condescending and critical attitudes – then it will be your job at this point to make some kind of concerted effort to actually “put away” these kinds of negative and destructive qualities from your personality.

Example – say you have a problem with a bad temper. The least little thing will set you off. The first step, as described above, is to find the specific verses from the Bible on this topic so you can see exactly what God’s Word has to say about having bad and quick tempers. Once you know what God’s opinion really is on the matter through His Word – then you will have the appropriate knowledge to work with in order to try and tackle this problem.

Once you see in God’s Word that He does not want His people having bad and quick tempers – then you will now be ready for step 2. Now here is where your part will really come into play.

Now that you know God wants your bad temper removed from your personality – He will now expect you to try and put away this bad and negative quality when it does want to erupt. You will now have to start to engage with your quick and bad temper every single time you find yourself in a situation that will start to trigger its release. You will now have to make some kind of attempt on your end to “put away” your bad temper and “put on” the quality of self-control.

Say someone has just cut you off in traffic. Your normal response may be to start cussing at this person and try to flip him off if you can get close enough to him to do it. Your bad temper has now been fully triggered like it does every time someone cuts you off in traffic.

At this point, you have to make the best effort you can to try and control the release of your bad temper. You may have to literally bite your tongue to keep all the cuss words from flying out of your mouth. When your bad temper releases on you, it is like a fire that explodes out of your belly. Once this fire starts to explode, you have to make a very strong and concerted effort to neutralize it before the fire hits your mouth and causes you to start cussing.

You will have to try and put on the godly quality of self-control in order to try and douse the fire – like pouring cold water on a hot fire. You will have to tell yourself, and give yourself a pep talk that you will directly engage with your bad temper every single time you find yourself in a situation that will trigger its release.

At first, you may not have much success, because the release of your bad temper has become such an automatic bad habit. It has become an automatic response to certain situations. But if you keep at it, over the course of time you will start to get more self-control over it, and you will then be able to dramatically reduce the number of times that you will actually go off.

The reason your bad temper triggers so easily is because you are weak in the quality of self-control. Self-control is one of the qualities that God wants to impart and work into your personality. You will see this positive quality mentioned numerous times in the verses to follow in these other articles.

By attempting to put on this very positive quality into your personality, you will have the live ammunition you will need to not only be able to overcome a bad and nasty temper, but other bad and negative qualities such as too much of a critical and judgmental spirit, an unforgiving spirit, and too much pride, arrogance, and haughtiness. The quality of self-control can really help you “put away” many of these bad and toxic qualities that the Lord really does not want operating in your personality.

The same approach goes for trying to incorporate positive qualities into your personality. The Bible tells us that God wants us to be loving, kind, generous, and gentle people.

Some people do not have many of these positive qualities operating in them due to all of the bad things that may have happened to them in this life. What God wants you to do anyway is to try and “put on” some of these positive and godly qualities. Try to the best of your abilities to become more loving, more patient, more kind – even if you do not feel like it. If you will make some kind of decent and concerted effort to do this on your end, then God will start to do His part – which will now lead us into step 3.

Each one of us only has a certain amount of mental and emotional strength in our own personal makeups. We can only go so far with step 2. We can only get ourselves to a certain point in being able to become more loving, more kind, and more patient. Our best is obviously not going to be good enough to get this transformation process properly completed to the degree that the Lord would really like in this lifetime.

God wants to make us more loving, patient, kind, and peaceful than we could ever get ourselves to be by using our own natural strength. So how can the Lord do this?

If we have spent good, quality time studying the Bible in reference to the changes God wants to make into our personalities – and we have tried to the best of our abilities to put on the good, godly, and saintly qualities that He would really like to have operating in our personalities – then how can God get us up to the level that He is really looking for as you will see in the Scripture verses to follow?

Since our best is obviously not going to be good enough – how can God complete this transformation process to the degree that would really please Him in this lifetime? This will now lead us into step 3.

PLEASE CONTINUE READING IT JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER

http://www.bible-knowledge.com/renewing-of-your-mind/

-Mike

PEACE OH SWEET PEACE

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

Years ago, I was engaged to be married. However, the engagement ended badly and I called it off. I remember lying in my bed, crying my heart out. All of sudden, this deep peace overcame me. I couldn’t understand it. Here I was, suffering from the biggest heartbreak of my life up to that point, yet, I had peace.

At the moment that I felt peace overtake my heart and mind, I couldn’t cry anymore. My tears instantly dried up. I tried to cry. I tried to remember what had just happened, but I couldn’t produce any tears. The peace I felt was a sign that I was in the center of God‘s will.

The peace of God. I have to say, of all the wonderful benefits that come with salvation, the peace of God is my favorite. When Jesus was preparing to depart from this world, He told His disciples (as He says to believers today)

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27)

Jesus gives us His peace, which is different from the type of peace that comes from the world. The world tells us, “things will get better” but that is not always the case. Sometimes, a situation may go from bad to worse. But in Christ, we can have peace no matter what happens. The peace of God is not “absence of trouble” because we have been told that we will have trouble in this life. God’s peace is a quiet inner peace that says, “Even though the world around me is full of trouble and heartache, everything is alright with me and my God.” It is a type of peace that let’s us know, whatever may happen, God will carry us through.

Therefore, we don’t have to worry. We don’t have to be afraid. We can be ruled by the peace of God. We can abide in the shadow of His wing and in the center of will. No matter what happens in this life, God has promised us a home in heaven and an eternity of joy. He has promised to one day wipe all the tears from our eyes and to take away evil and death and sickness and sin. The enemy of our souls will not exist forever. But we who have believed in Christ shall live forever with Him. In the end, we will gain victory. People who do not know Christ cannot understand this. It seems foolish, but we are glad to be fools for Christ. No matter what people may say, the peace within our hearts lets us know that we are alright with God.

http://shilohtemplecogic.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/peace-o-sweet-peace/

THE BELL

THE BELL

I KNOW WHO I AM I

am God's child (John 1:12)

I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )

I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)

I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)

I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)

I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)

I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)

I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)

I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)

I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)

I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)

I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)

I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)

I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)

I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )

I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )

I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )

I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)

I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)

I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)

I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)

I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1).

I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)

I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)

I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)

I belong to God

Do you know Who you are?

SISTERDOT

http://www.myspace.com/sistercotton56/blog

FEELING A LITTLE LACKING TODAY? {I AM SO GUILTY )

Romans 1:7c

…from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

In our passage today, Paul goes on to say that “grace and peace” come from both “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. “Peace” with God is positional and offered unconditionally (“grace”) because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us upon the cross. Why is it then that so many of us feel that God is disappointed in us because we haven’t been attending church regularly, or reading our Bibles often enough, or any of a host of other reasons we feel may have disqualified us for the prize? Here Paul says, “There is grace and peace for all because of what Christ has already done.” In other words, not what you did or didn’t do, but what Christ has already done.

My wife is such an amazing prayer warrior. She can literally pray for hours little intimidating and an area I can certainly improve upon in my Christian walk. My prayers are a little more simple and direct. I don’t waste many words because I believe the Lord knows best, knows my heart, and He alone is in control. I don’t worry a lot about anything because none of the things we usually agonize over really mean all that much from an eternal perspective. But that doesn’t stop me — when I see my wife praying so intently — from thinking God must be disappointed that I don’t pray a little more. Then I remind myself once again, it is not what I did or didn’t do (or how long I prayed this morning) that matters, but what Christ has already done. From this position of “grace” I once again find “peace” with God.


Have you been feeling a little out of touch with God lately? Perhaps disconnected — a stranger in the Kingdom of God? Don’t worry — we all feel that way from time to time. It’s not God who separates Himself from us, but we who disconnect ourselves from God. He is waiting like a patient, loving Father. His Son has already paid the price for our disobedience — will you call upon Him?

PTL.ORG

WELLSPRINGS OF DEVOTION

By Chana Weisberg


The conversation had repeated itself so many times, Sara could almost predict the exact dialogue.

She and Barry would be having a difference of opinion, each seeing the matter from their own perspective. He would explain to her the rational merits of his position. She would counter by elaborating on why, from her experience, he erred and it should be done her way.

Please, do it just for me!

Whether it was a repair project, a special favor, or a purchase for their home, the particulars didn't matter. Nor was it relevant whether it was something big or something small; the pattern consistently repeated itself.

Eventually the couple's difference of opinion would escalate into a full blown disagreement, with Barry adamantly refusing Sara's request and even dismissing it as trivial or pointless.

Invariably, Sara would end up sulking, Barry would put on a cold, indifferent demeanor, and the task that Sara had requested would remain undone.

Then one day, Sara tried a different approach.

This time, Sara didn't debate the merits of her perspective. She didn't even explain why she wanted or needed the particular thing done "her way."

Instead, Sara stated her request and then simply said: "Honey, I know you this isn't the way you see it. But please, do it just for me!"

Barry's reaction astonished her. He gazed at her rather intently and then agreeably acquiesced.

While watching Barry wordlessly doing what she had asked, Sara had time to think about her new approach.

It dawned on her that while she did not explain the logic of her request, it underlined why in fact she was expecting something of Barry to begin with. By asking Barry to "do it for me", Sara brought to light the very core of their relationship, irrespective of any specific issue. It brought to the surface a far greater bond between her and Barry than any logical discussion could ever have--their essential connection. A connection so deep it surpassed reason and logic.

Though we need to live lives of reason, priorities and understanding, chukim remind us that we also need those moments and situations that help us reach an underlying truth. While the rational is limited to each individual's experience and conception of reality, there is a deeper, fundamental bond, an infinite bond that unites us with our Creator and His will.

And that is a bond that is not something that any circumstances--any challenges, speculations or taunts (such as described in the above-quoted commentary by Rashi)-- can ever interfere with. By performing the chukim we are showing that our connection with G-d goes beyond the constructs of logic, meaning or purpose. It is an attachment that reaches the very core of our relationship--the part of us that feels so united with G-d that we do the chukim simply because He asks us to do them.

In a spiritual sense, when we recognize how much our soul thirsts for G-d, simply performing His will for no reason other than it is His will is the most gratifying experience. When we are not motivated by our personal sense of spiritual fulfillment, nor our intellectual enjoyment, but simply because we want to be attached to something greater than ourselves--we have revealed our absolute connection and bond with G-d.

Miriam demonstrated this absolute negation of reason in order to perform G-d's will from the youngest age, even while in the bitter Egyptian exile. Her heroism came to light as a youngster when she defied King Pharaoh's decree of killing the newborn boys. She and her mother risked their lives because they "feared G-d and did not act as the King of Egypt commanded them" (Exodus 1:8).

The Midrash explains that Miriam courageously confronted her own father who had separated from her mother as a result of Pharaoh's wicked decree. She convinced him that he must follow G-d's command unquestioningly, including the precept of "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 9:1).

The basis of her argument was that even if it didn't make sense, we must do G-d's will because it is His will, irrespective of logic or consequences.

Miriam's father recognized the truth and sincerity of his young daughter's words and the result of her actions was ultimately the birth of Moses.

Within the deep bitterness of the Egyptian exile, Miriam intuitively understood the simple truth--that our relationship with G-d is not dependent on our circumstances, personal likes or logical comprehension.

The message of Miriam's life, as reflected in the miraculous well of water that was provided for the nation in her merit, contains the same message as the chukim of the Torah. We are not in this relationship with G-d only during the good times of our lives, when we discern personal gain, growth or gratification.

Our relationship with G-d is one that can even surface in the depths of the Egyptian exile, in the depths of our personal darkness and incomprehension. Because as basic and crucial as water is for our survival, this, too, is a relationship that touches the very core of our being--the very essence of who and what we are.

By Chana Weisberg More articles... |

Chana Weisberg is a writer, editor and lecturer. She authored several books, including her latest, Tending the Garden: The Unique Gifts of the Jewish Woman. She has served as the dean of several women’s educational institutes, and lectures internationally on issues relating to women, faith, relationships and the Jewish soul.


http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/397470/jewish/Wellsprings-of-Devotion.htm

A GAME IMPROVEMENT PLAN

Acts 28:25-27



They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: " 'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them."' "


A few years ago I took golf lessons. The instructor told me in order to make the necessary swing changes to improve my game: I would need to play less actual golf, practice more, slow my swing down (to allow the changes to take hold), and generally focus on what needed to be corrected. With the appropriate amount of effort, practice, and time, my reward would be a significantly improved swing and golf game. I heard what he said and I saw what was wrong with my swing. So I went to work. I practiced in front of the mirror, with a video camera recording, and at the driving range. Change was slow and difficult. Then one day the light went on and I understood -- I perceived -- through my mind's eye what the golf swing was supposed to look and feel like.
I wanted to apply a sports analogy to our passage today because so many of us can relate to how practice (the right kind) pays off in improved physical performance. So why don't we apply this in our spiritual lives? We listen to our pastor on Sunday mornings, perhaps even discuss some of the finer points of the sermon over lunch with friends, but by Monday we're back to our same old habits. By Tuesday most of us would be hard pressed to remember even one of the sermon points. How can we expect permanent change to take hold if we don't practice what was preached? An "understanding" of what we've heard, and "perceiving" what we've seen, only comes from focus, repetition and application. Otherwise the information comes in (hearing and seeing), and goes out, but doesn't have any lasting effect upon us or our lives.


Do you remember any of the points from last Sunday's sermon? What was the Lord communicating to you personally through the pastor's words? Write it down. What scripture verses were referenced? Write those down as well. This week, read your scripture verses and meditate on those sermon points as soon as you get up each morning. Change will come slowly at first then more rapidly as the Lord heals you.

PTL.ORG

HOT DOG REBELLION

By Judy Gruen


A lot of people talk about “going green,” but I am living a true green lifestyle. After my indiscretion involving two recently departed cinnamon buns, I am back on the wagon. And my wagon is filled to overflowing with farm-fresh spinach, collard greens, asparagus, sugar snap peas, green beans and other dark, leafy comestibles. I’m chomping so many of these greens that I hope my arteries won’t beg for mercy, claiming they just can’t store any more vitamin A. I am chewing so many raw carrots, I fear the whites of my eyes will turn orange.

While I am eager to go green, my family is seeing redUnfortunately, while I am eager to go green, my family is seeing red. “Brown rice and vegetables again?” one of my four kids asked accusingly. As an adolescent, he considers it his job not to like anything.

“Sure, why not? Chinese people eat this type of food every day, and they have almost no heart disease,” I said. “Don’t you want me to cook healthfully for you?”

That might have qualified for the most stupid rhetorical question ever asked in the history of stupid rhetorical questions. Children would eat their socks if they were dipped in chocolate and stuck in the freezer for an hour.

“All this healthy food is making us sick. And Mom, we’re not Chinese! We like Chinese food, especially with MSG!”

“Yeah!”

“Yeah!” They were having a fit, but at least they were united in a cause, instead of fighting with each other. For a brief moment I wondered what it is in the Jewish DNA that requires us all, even children, to love Chinese food. Do Chinese people love pastrami on rye?

I foolishly tried to defend myself for having served them a healthy meal that included miso soup, whole-grain bread, baked salmon and sautéed peppers, and even potatoes! When that effort failed, I made things worse by asking, “Don’t you realize there are starving children in Africa? They wouldn’t complain about a dinner like this! They would be grateful!”

They were having a fit, but at least they were united in a cause, instead of fighting with each other“Why are you concerned about strange children starving in Africa, when you have your own children starving right here in the kitchen?” my daughter cried.

“If you’re that concerned about starving African children, overnight this meal to them,” piled on a sibling. Why did all four of my kids have to be wise guys? Was donating their dinner to foreign children their idea of tzedakah? Naturally, my husband was not home yet to bail me out.

“We were healthy! We were strong! Now we’re weak, since you haven’t bought any ice cream in ten billion bazillion years!” exclaimed my daughter, who boasts that she never exaggerates.

“That’s not true!” I said. “I bought two cartons of chocolate-flavored ‘Soy Good!’ frozen dessert product. No one touched it.”

“I tasted it, and it made me throw up!” insisted the adolescent, who was suddenly distracted by the sensation of his feet growing another full shoe size.

“Why can’t we have real ice cream? Why did you give it to us before if it’s so bad?”

“It’s not that it’s so bad, it’s just that . . . it’s better if it’s not in the house, that’s all,” I stammered.

“Just because you needed to lose weight, why are you taking it out on us? What did we do?” another son repined. They continued their assault by reminding me that this was Thursday, and Thursday used to be hot dog night.

“We want hot dogs!”

“Hot dogs! Hot dogs!”

“Just because you needed to lose weight, why are you taking it out on us? What did we do?”“We’ll even clean up the kitchen afterwards!”

It all became too much. I promised to break open a package of hot dogs if they each ate at least two spoonfuls of vegetables and a serving of brown rice. Even my son who hates all vegetables other than potatoes complied when his three siblings threatened bodily harm unless he swallowed his green medicine too.

Eating the hot dogs improved their state of mind, if not their bodies, but that was enough for me. I even promised them ice cream the next day. Trying to look at the bright side, I realized that with all these leftovers I wouldn’t have to cook anything else for myself until it was time to cook for Shabbat. Clearly, I need to introduce more greenery into the family dinner, in more bite-sized portions.


By Judy Gruen More articles... |




Judy Gruen’s latest award-winning book is Till We Eat Again: A Second Helping. Read more of her work on her website.

MOUNTAINS OF EVIDENCE

Acts 28:23

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.


Paul probably started with Genesis 22, when Abraham took his only son Isaac up one of the mountains of Moriah. Isaac asked his father, "The fire and wood are here, but where is the sacrifice?" Abraham spoke prophetically when he answered, "God will provide Himself a lamb." Not "God will provide a lamb," but "God Himself will be the lamb." [King James translation used.]
Paul might have taken them to Exodus 12 where each family was instructed to place blood on the top of their doorway and on each side -- depicting a cross.
He probably took them to Psalm 22:1, which quotes Jesus' very words from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And verse 18 which describes what happened to His possessions, "They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."
Paul spent from morning until evening explaining in great detail how the Old Testament pictured and prophesized about Jesus. I would have loved to attend that study! What are the odds that 300 plus prophesies about the Messiah would be fulfilled in one man? After listening to Paul and reviewing all the facts, it would take more faith to not believe in Jesus than to recognize Him as the Messiah.

Google "Old Testament prophesies fulfilled by Jesus". The mountain of evidence is simply overwhelming. The odds of one man's life fulfilling every prophesy is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. That's pretty convincing. Are you living a life fully convinced Jesus is Lord? Are you telling your friends and loved ones about Him with absolute confidence?

ptl.org

STRAIGHT TO GOD THY FATHER HASTENING (HURRY)

•Written by Kevin Nunez



Hey everyone! How are you? I hope all is well!


strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations [hardships] we must enter the kingdom of God.

Acts 14:22 ESV

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And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 ESV

I feel as if I have to constantly keep reminding myself of this truth found in God’s word.

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Christian, when thy way seems darkest,

When thine eyes with tears are dim,

Straight to God thy Father hastening [hurry],

Tell thy troubles all to him.

.

Not to human ear confiding

Thy sad tale of grief and care,

But before thy Father kneeling,

Pour out all thy sorrows there.

.

Symphony of friends may cheer thee,

When the fierce, wild storms have burst,

But God only can console thee,

When it breaks upon thee first.

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God with words or tears of silence,

Only lay thee at His feet;

Thou shalt prove how great His pity,

And His tenderness how sweet.

.

Far too well thy Savior loves thee

To allow thy life to be

One long, calm, unbroken summer,

One unruffled, storm-less sea.

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He would have thee fondly nestling

Closer to His loving breast;

He would have that world seem brighter,

Where alone is perfect rest.

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Through His wise an loving purpose

Clearly yet thou may’st not see,

Still believe with faith unshaken,

All will work for good to thee.

.

Therefore, when thy way is gloomy

And thine eyes with tears are dim,

Straight to God thy Father hastening [hurry],

Tell thy sorrows all to Him.

.

-Anonymous

Be encouraged brother/sister in Christ let us go to God he is faithful and loving to us!

I leave your with this question that brings much encouragement to my soul in the midst of troubles,


He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:32 ESV

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Picture source: http://wallpaper4god.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/prayer-on-my-knees4.jpg

—

Always, for God’s glory and our joy in Him!

Kevin Nunez

MORE THAN JUST A CAMPING TRIP

Read this powerful meditation on the importance of giving God control in your life. Of not allowing your own selfish desires to get in the way of His plan. Of being called to something bigger. This piece was written by friend of Jesus-Loves-You.org, Danny Wiebe. The Wiebe family is about to begin a life changing adventure, following God’s plan for them to minister to some of the least evangelized people in the world, in the African nation of Chad. In just a few weeks the family will start their new life as missionaries when they move to France to begin intensive language training. Following that training they will move to Chad. To learn more about their mission, click here. More Than Just A Camping Trip was originally posted on the Weibe’s blogand reposted with permission.

More Than Just A Camping Trip.

We bought our tent almost nine years ago.

As in “back-when-we-only-had-two-kids” nine years ago.

As our family started to grow, we had big plans for how we’d spend our free time. We both LOVE the outdoors & imagined spending many a summer’s day “roughing it” & making many a memory at various campgrounds as a family.

And, we did. Every year, usually three or more times each year, we’d break out the tent (nick-named “The Taj” for it’s massiveness!) & camp with friends & family & we LOVED every second of it.

Last year our beloved Taj started showing her age. Zippers started pulling away & holes became visible in her otherwise stoic frame. But, we held on. We duct taped the heck out of any of her imperfections, hoping we’d be able to get just one more year out of her.

This past weekend, we found ourselves going out for what would be our last camping trip before we leave for France this August. And, quite possibly, the last time we’d camp. We knew this day would come & we were so glad to get to spend this last trip with our best friends.

We had a blast (as always). The ol’ Taj even survived the biggest windstorm we’d ever experienced in “the outdoors”.

On the last morning, the last zipper on the last remaining working door gave way & forced our decision for us: our beloved tent breathed it’s last.

After breakfast that morning, the men sent the women & children off to the beach so that packing could be done with a bit more efficiency. I cleaned out the tent & got everything in order & began taking down the Taj for the last time.

That’s when it happened. My mind was overwhelmed with the memories & the plans that we’d started out with as we bought the biggest tent around. We were going to raise our kids with a love for the outdoors with this tent. We were going to camp every year & do so many things with this tent.

The end of our tent’s life meant more to me in that moment than simply throwing away an old, worn-out tent. This possession was not going to be replaced. It was marking the death of another one of our dreams. The death of what we thought our life was going to be like. The death of our plans.

I had to take a moment & gather my thoughts as tears were coming. For the millionth time, I was having to say, “You’re worth it, Lord.” The words of David Platt began playing in my head, “We do not have time to waste our lives living out a christian spin on the American Dream.”

We are certainly called to more than the American Dream. And, by “we” I’m DEFINITELY NOT talking about our family – isn’t EVERY believer called to something bigger? Something more than family vacations & camping trips? More than the perfect, catalogue-inspired house? More than kids sports? Something of eternal significance?

Another funeral passed on this trip. Dawn felt it too & we talked about it on the drive home. We cried as another reminder of what we thought our life would be like laid crumpled up in a dumpster behind us in Sun Lakes State Park. The days of our tent’s life had been numbered – God gave us EXACTLY how many days we needed & gave us the grace of denying our plans and following Him. We are constantly amazed by His mercy to our family.

The funeral didn’t last very long. We remembered fondly all the good years & the fun we had doing what we thought was best at the time. Now, we’re so grateful to be pursuing a mission so much bigger than any camping trip with memories so much more meaningful than anything the American Dream has to offer.




Please consider supporting the Wiebe Family on this incredible mission of love. Direct donations are the only source of funding the family must rely on. Everything else will come from the family’s savings.

http://jesus-loves-you.org/?p=7551&utm_source=jly&utm_medium=email&utm_term=video&utm_content=camping&utm_campaign=7-3-12-2am

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU THINK YOU DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER

There are moments in our life when someone asks us a question and we don't have the answer. This moment could be frustrating as much as the time when we have a question and the answer is not found. In the Hebrew Bible there are moments like the one above and today we are going to speak about one of them. The days were the days of the first king of the Israelites- King Saul. As a Biblical Hebrew teacher, I always teach my students that this king is characterized to have a tragic life. Let's see what happened to him in the last days of his life, as written in 1 Samuel 28:3-7-

"Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists. So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together and they camped in Gilboa. When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who is a medium that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.”

When Samuel died, King Saul was lacking a prophet that could help him to speak with G-d. Saul was occupied with chasing David in those days. He decided to remove the mediums from the land of Israel, as a King that should have made the commandment of G-d as written in the next passage:

"Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God."(Leviticus 19:31)

If there is only one G-d, he should give us answers if we don’t find them. There were prophets and priests in those days that could have helped the King and his people to get ready for the wars. Saul was so afraid of the Philistines that he needed an answer. When there was no answer there, after he didn’t do what The Lord had commanded him with the Amaleites, he forgot also these commandments:

"As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people"(Leviticus 20:6)

"Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood guiltiness is upon them.’”(Leviticus 20:27)

For that reason he used that medium and brought Samuel up from the dead. He was so stresses that his life ended literally and physically on that night. Another King that was probably the greatest sinner of all was the one who reigned 55 years he was Manasseh as written in 2 Kings 21:1-7-

"Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. He built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My name.” For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. He made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD provoking Him to anger. Then he set the carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the LORD said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever."

One of his sins was the use of mediums as Saul did. However, this king was saved by the book of Chronicles who showed us how he repented and looked for the answer with the help of G-d and not with a ritual he forbade! (See 2 Chronicles 33:11-13)

When we don't have an answer for a difficulty, it doesn’t mean that the answer is not there. We need to look for it, even if it takes time. This is one of the meanings of our life- looking for answers and asking questions.

Have a great week, Eli

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THE REAL CURE

“…The Christian life is simply a process of having your natural self changed into a Christ self, and that process goes on very far in time.
One’s most private wishes, one’s point of view, are the things that have to be changed…As long as the old self is there it’s taint will be over all we do.
We try to be religious and become pharisees. We try to be kind and become patronizing. Social service ends in red tape of officialdome.
Unselfishness becomes a form of showing off. I don’t mean of course that we’re to stop trying to be good. We’ve got to do the best we can…The real cure lies far deeper. Out of our self and into Christ we must go.”- C.S.Lewis



“Man! Seems like it’s something different with each kid you have doesn’t it?”

This is what one individual replied lately when she heard about Job’s kidney and the fact that we may be looking at surgery in the next few months. Her statement got me thinking. It really is something with each kid. (Job at 4 weeks old – top left photo) With Moses it was the “possibly cancerous” tumor that we had to have him taken to Singapore for. We received the results after the biopsy that it was in fact non-cancerous (Praise God!) but that we needed to begin praying that the tumor would shrink so that it would not impair the use of his finger. We prayed and prayed and asked you to pray too! And now when we are finally seeing some leeway made and the tumor shrunken down to probably a tenth of its previous size and barely visible anymore, we find that our second son Job has an abnormal kidney and may need a surgery before we return to Indonesia. Over the past few weeks we have had a number of tests run on little Job from multiple ultrasounds to specialized renal ultrasounds and pediatric urologist appointments. It wasn’t until just recently however, as he is finishing up his 6th week of life outside the womb, that the doctors were able to clearly identify the problem. They say that Job’s right kidney is swollen and likely causing him a good deal of pain. The reason it is swollen is because most people only have a single collecting chamber in each kidney but Job on the other hand was born with a double collecting chamber in his right kidney. In addition to the double collecting chamber he has two ureters emptying fluid into his kidney instead of just one like most people. And that’s not all! The emptying tube coming out of the kidney has an obstruction that is causing a good amount of the urine to shoot back up into the kidney when his body tries to expel it. The urine shooting back up into the kidney and not being correctly emptied has a high likely hood of causing serious infections which will give him a high fever, blood in the urine, and could even cause the kidney itself to eventually die.
So we can’t help but ask ourselves the question “Why is it often one thing after another?” Why does it seem that the seasons of peace and perfection are few and far in between and the seasons with reasons to fear and to worry are many?” As we have been thinking about all this God turned my attention to James 1:2-4. These verses say “Rejoice when you experience trials, because the trying of your faith works patience. And let patience have her perfect work so that you yourself will be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”We have thought and thought about this verse. We have looked over the past years and contemplated the fact that in 2013, our tenth year of living and serving primarily in Indonesia will begin. And as we look back we realize that trials aren’t a new thing. It seems to have always been the case, since we began following Jesus at all in fact, that the times of peace and tranquility have been few and the times of trials have been many. It was the same way for Jesus Himself, the same way for his disciples, the same way for Paul and for Jesus’ saints throughout the ages. The book of James in a simple way tells us why. God has it this way for a reason, and the reason is that it “Tries our faith”… it “Works Patience in us”…it even “brings us ourselves to perfection”. A “perfection” that will leave us so satisfied in Jesus Himself that even in the midst of trials, we will “be perfect and entire, wanting nothing”! In other words, it will teach us how to say along with the tried and true saints over the ages, “Jesus is enough. He is my satisfaction.” We look around us in light of this verse during this few months stateside and begin to notice as we come into contact with friends from the past, some of which we haven’t seen or heard from since we moved overseas years ago, that to our surprise many of our oldest friends have turned their back on their faith and on God. People we went to Bible college with and used to even serve alongside are now mediocre at best and are so overrun with “the cares of this world” as Mark 4 puts it, that they don’t even care to talk about God’s Word anymore. It is not a coincidence that the very same friends that have had a comfortable life and minimal trials, and have taken it easy over the years, are the same ones that haven’t grown in their faith and seem to shrug God off all together now years later. On the other hand, the friends that are still passionate about God and just can’t seem to quit talking about him after all these years are the ones that have been been through hard circumstances from deaths to surgeries. Those that have been spending their time in places like Afghanistan, and South America and have been even shunned by family and friends for sharing their faith. Those that have been through storms and trials in their own lives but have held to God in the midst of it seem to be the ones standing the strongest and closest to our King. This is exactly what God is teaching us in our own personal lives through James. He wants our family to see and know and hold on to the fact – that He knows what He is doing. When He puts trials into our lives He just wants us to draw closer to him though it. He loves us that much. So what else can we do except for pray for God’s healing and ask you to pray with us for little Job. What else can we do except for have faith and in faith ask God to work in us patience and bring us to perfection through this concern. What else can we do except for turn towards Jesus and run into Him. It seems that is exactly what He wants us to do in the first place. Please pray together with us for the healing of Job’s kidney. His next appointment is on October 2nd as the doctors say “there is a fifty fifty chance the kidney could correct itself in the first few months of life”. At that time the doctors will do more tests and specialized ultrasounds and discuss more with us whether or not he needs surgery in the next few months before we head back to Indonesia and to the Dao Tribe. In the meantime while we are waiting for that doctors appointment we will spend time speaking at some of our supporting churches in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. Please pray that those are profitable time that are encouraging to the listeners and if you have time, come out and hear firsthand what has been going on in Dao recently. Also, with these unforseen problems with Jobs kidney have also come a lot of unforseen doctors bills. Pray with us that God will provide everything needed for those unexpected bills and even perhaps raise up people to play a part in that need.Finally,please continue to pray for our co-workers, the Dao teachers,(Top center picture is Kogipiyaa-one of the Dao bible teachers we have trained to teach in our absence) and the believers there in Dao as they continue to teach and study in our absence. Pray that they will stay faithful and grow in their walk with Christ. Pray that they will make wise decisions concerning the various trials that they also are facing on the other side of the world.


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Because He said “GO!” – Scott, Jennie ,Moses & Job Phillips – Luke 9:60/17:10 Our website: sjphillips.org has videos, pictures, and info on the ministry God has allowed us a part in among the Dao tribe. Feel free to check it out if you get some time. And now, you can follow us on Twitter@sjphillipsorg

COUNTING OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

Parshat Balak

By Rochel Holzkenner


"Modesty is one of my more outstanding qualities"—Anonymous.

Growing up, there was a song I'd enjoy from an album called "Journeys." It was a parody about wedding extravagance. In the song a man tells his friend about the wedding he's planning for his daughter. Flowers would be imported from overseas, a hundred-person band would entertain the guests with their symphony, and an outlandish Viennese table would culminate the meal. Finally, each guest would receive a token gift before leaving: an entire set of the Talmud.

"But what about modesty?" asks his friend after hearing of the lavish plans.

"But of course!" the father of the bride responds. "On the invitation I will write that all guests should come to the wedding in modest attire."

Apparently, there are many facets to this trait we call modesty. While the way you dress may be the most obvious, modesty is certainly not limited to appearance.

Balaam tried to weaken the Jews at their source, by mitigating their spiritual connectivityIn biblical times, modesty played a pivotal role in thwarting Balaam's evil intent. Balaam was a non-Jewish prophet employed by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Jewish people. Now Balaam knew that a military attack would be futile; the Jews had a track record of supernatural and forceful victories in war. So Balaam tried to weaken them at their source, by mitigating their spiritual connectivity. As a spiritual guru, he felt he had the skills needed to undermine their connection to G‑d.

Ironically, whenever Balaam opened his mouth to curse the Jewish people, out flowed the most magnificent blessings. Finally, after his second fruitless attempt to lash out words of destruction, he said something very telling; telling since it exposed the reason for his inability to curse them.

"How goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your dwelling places, O Israel!" (Numbers 24:5)

The Midrash explains that Balaam was noting the modest way in which the tents of Israel were aligned. They were staggered so the windows of one tent had no visual access to the windows of its neighboring tent. At each of their stops over their forty-year trek, the people made sure to erect their tents in this modest arrangement. Apparently it was this exceptionally sensitive quality amongst them that made it impossible for Balaam to harm them.

Modesty means having healthy boundaries. Today modesty is underrated. As Americans, we're hooked on TV shows that dig into the most personal parts of peoples' lives and display them to millions of viewers. Conversely, many teens (and adults) are misled to believe that if they don't expose what is meant to be sacred and private they are prudish.

People who are careful not to speak lashon hara, gossip, are merely expressing their appreciation for healthy boundaries. Who gave you permission to analyze another's life? You shouldn't be looking in their window. And if you are exposed to a private bit of information about your friend, be sensitive. Gossiping is violating the sacred space of another person.

The Jews were in transit, and yet they still made sure to uphold this subtle expression of modesty as they assembled their tents. Preserving strong and healthy boundaries was high on their priority list. Mirroring their efforts G‑d shielded them from harm with a protective barrier, and Balaam was just unable to mitigate their prowess.

"How goodly are your tents, O Jacob!"


By Rochel Holzkenner More articles... |




Rochel is a mother of two children and the co-director of Chabad of Las Olas, Fla., heading its educational department. She is also a freelance writer—and a frequent contributor to Chabad.org—and lectures on topics of Kabbalah and feminism, and their application to everyday life. Rochel holds an MS in Brain Research from Nova SE University.




http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/1215606/jewish/Counting-Other-Peoples-Money.htm

WHAT ARE YOU VIEWS

Acts 28:22

"...But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect."


If someone was curious about Christianity, would they ask you about it? Are you approachable? Does your life demonstrate the fruit, joy, and abundance (not necessarily material) that God promises? Would someone want to know your views? Think about that for a bit.
Consider 1 Peter 3:15, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks." I think the Book of Job is a really great account of faithfulness in all circumstances. It also demonstrates being prepared to give an answer -- after all it is not always when things are going well that we will be asked about our faith. But also realize -- just like Job -- we won't always give the right answer. Sometimes we're going to say the wrong thing, incorrectly quote Scripture, or make some other blunder. Having done all of the above in public and private, I can say unequivocally: "Don't worry about it, because God's in control." Our words don't matter as much as our willingness to be a witness.
I have given very educated presentations of the Gospel (filled with facts, justifications, and proofs), only to have someone walk away -- completely rejecting the idea of a Savior or even the existence of God. On the other hand I have stuttered, bumbled and fumbled -- and then had a man I witnessed to fall on his knees, with tears streaming down his face, begging to have Jesus. It's the Holy Spirit not our words; it is only God who calls someone into a relationship with Himself -- we are just the messengers.


If you were asked today to express your views on Christianity, what would you say? What would you say if someone asked you why you followed Christ? How would you answer someone who wanted to know if Christ had made a difference in your life? Take a moment right now and write down five things you believe. Can you support what you would say with Scriptural references? Write those down as well. Now you are prepared.

PTL.ORG

THE GODHEAD: TEAM PLAYERS

“That they all maybe one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me.” (John 17:21).

In John 10:30, Jesus says, “I and my Father are one”. This, contrary to what some teach, does not mean that they are one in number, because 1 John 5:7 says they are three: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, The Father, The Word, and The Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Both scriptures therefore speak of oneness in terms of unity. This is a lesson for us today. If there were any individuals who could do all things all by themselves, it is the members of the Godhead. God The father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit are individually self-sufficient enough to work independently. Philippians 2:5-6 says when Jesus Christ existed as God the Son, He was co-equal with God The Father and God the Holy Spirit. Each could have decided to go His own way and have His own creations and universes, operating alone. Yet, despite all their powers and individuality, they decided to work together as one. Looking at the Godhead, you will find the unity and cooperation inherent simply incomparable

God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit work together as team players. Each steps down for the other. For instance, God The Son took the form of a man and waited on God The Father’s instructions every step of the way. He also could not do anything without the backing of the Holy Spirit. Each of them shared out a period in which they would rule, and agreed that later will jointly rule as God in all eternity. If Godhead can be so united, being so powerful, why are we finding it difficult to be united, or to work together as a team? Unity and team work are hallmarks of humility. If you find it difficult to work with others, it is because you are proud. If you always want to do it alone, you have a haughty spirit. No man is an island! We need one another!

Even in the heavenly planet today, there is so much of team-play going on. God is interested in team-players, not individual stars. True leaders, like the Godhead, will have no problem working with others. It is because God wants to encourage team-spirit that is why He distributed His gifts in such a way that the hands will need the eyes, and the eyes will need the legs. You are not self-sufficient! You need others!

Prayer Point: Thank God for what He has invested in others. Ask God for the grace to see what others have and work with them to achieve God-glorifying Kingdom and secular goals.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

BUMMYLA

http://bummyla.wordpress.com/

IN THE HABIT OF BEING THIRSTY

When I am hot and thirsty, somehow over the years I have programmed myself to think that a nice glass of soda with ice will satisfy me. My thirst will be quenched. Unfortunately, the result isn’t always as good as I hoped. The soda helps, but doesn’t really do the trick. My habit of reaching for a soda is not really wise, when I am thirsty. When I was young I should have trained myself to drink water, even if I didn’t prefer its taste in the beginning over soda. Drinking water regularly may have been difficult, but it would have been better for me in the end. My body would have been a whole lot healthier.

It is the same with our spiritual life. Most humans have a tendency to reach for items that bring us pleasure. We enjoy our hobbies and our friends, more than we enjoy spending time with God. We enjoy a good adventure movie more than we enjoy reading our Bibles. We enjoy our accomplishments in our careers more than our accomplishments in our work for the Lord. In the end those choices will not be the best for us. They are temporary pleasures that make us spiritually unhealthy.

David was running from King Saul and had ended up in the wilderness. A place that was very dry and desolate. While he was there he took the opportunity to pen Psalm 63. His life was difficult and he had no clue how it would all end. Yet, in this Psalm we see David’s wise heart. He declared to us his habit of being thirsty for the Lord:

“1 God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory.”

What do you thirst for in this life? Are you in the habit of wisely thirsting for the Lord? Are you pleased by just seeing His strength and glory as you spend time looking at Him through His Word or His Spirit’s eyes? You are in a dry, spiritually desolate place in this world. This alone should cause you to thirst after the Lord.

Wisdom, Instruction, Sense & Encouragement (W.I.S.E)

http://wisejunction.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/in-the-habit-of-being-thirsty-2/

IN THE HABIT OF REMEMBERING

We all have good memories and bad memories. Sometimes we dwell on those memories for the wrong reasons. We think over and over again on the bad memories and drive ourselves insane with what we could have done differently to make the outcome better. We focus on good memories to pump ourselves emotionally. Remembering things is important. God expects us to remember. However in Psalm 63:6 – 8 God gives us instructions on the best way to use our time to remember things:

“6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. 7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.”

David was on the run from King Saul when he wrote this Psalm. He was hiding in the wilderness. His life was in shambles. His family’s lives were at risk. He spent his time thinking about what God had done. He realized that God had been his help all that time and that He should stay faithful and rejoice in what God is doing.

Like David when we have free time, we are to focus on God. For example, many of us have trouble falling to sleep. We are consumed with the stresses of our day at work or in our family. That’s a great time to think on the character of God. We can spend time remembering the stories we have read or learned out of the Bible about God and His people, we learn about how God thinks and works. We see fellow believers struggling with issues and learning to hear God and obey. We see God responding to needs and providing. We realize that we are not alone and God is there for us. We, too, can rejoice in what God will do in our lives knowing that He love us.

So, start changing some of your thinking habits. Get in the habit of remembering what God has done for those in the Bible and what God has done for you and your family during your lifetime.

Wisdom, Instruction, Sense & Encouragement (W.I.S.E)

http://wisejunction.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/in-the-habit-of-remembering-2/

IN THE HABIT OF TRUSTING

Sometimes we can feel like everything is going wrong, or nothing is working out, or our plans and hopes will not come to pass, or our service to the Lord is not being blessed. We may be being chased down by physical enemies or spiritual enemies in this life, but we always have God covering our back. Unfortunately the circumstances can wear on our emotions. Our heart becomes saddened and we might even become angry at God. We just cannot understand what is going on. We may even say, “Why isn’t God helping us?”

David had many bad things happen to him during his life. When he wrote Psalm 63 he was on the run from King Saul and was hiding in the desert/wilderness. What a difficult place to be. He was in an ugly and uncomfortable environment. He, his men and their families were at risk of death from Saul or lack of supplies. They were tired and probably could have begun feeling that being faithful to God had not been worth it. After all they could have eliminated King Saul and taken over the throne back when they were holding Saul’s own spear and were standing over him while he slept or when Saul had come in to the cave and they were hiding in the back of it. Yet David did not raise up his hand against the King and honored God. Read what David wrote in Psalm 63: 9-11,

“9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 10 They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.”

All throughout David’s life we see an underlying theme. David trusted in the Lord to take care of situations like he was in over and over again. He was in the habit of trusting the Lord. He trusted God so much that he didn’t even worry about if God took care of the person in this life or after the person had died. Yes, as you can see by his writing, he hoped God would take care of his enemy now, but he also wrote about the person going down to the lower parts of the earth. He knew God would be the person’s judge and would take care of it. He knew one way or another that God will stop the mouths of the ones who lie. He also stated, “Everyone who swears by Him shall glory.” What an interesting perspective. Here David is in a bad situation and he knows that if he trusts in God that he shall still receive glory. In other words, God will honor us for our faithfulness, whether it is now or in our life to come. Our problem is that we just naturally want to receive physical blessings now or see our enemies taken care of now. We have to accept that the physical blessings might not happen right now. Just like when a parent knows when to reward their child for their behavior, we have to trust that God will reward us when the time is right.

It just makes common sense to be in the habit of trusting the Lord. Remember trust the Lord no matter what is going on in your life.

Wisdom, Instruction, Sense & Encouragement (W.I.S.E)

http://wisejunction.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/in-the-habit-of-trusting-2/

IN THE HABIT OF PRAISING

As human beings we have so many habits. Most of the habits are not good. We are in the habit of cussing, when we are mad. We are in the habit of shopping, when we are depressed. We are in the habit of going to church, when it is Easter, but not the rest of the year. We are in the habit of reading a good book before bed, but not the habit of reading the Bible. We are in the habit of sharing the latest juicy bit of information about someone to our friends, but not about sharing about Jesus. We are in the habit of worrying, complaining and stressing about our trials and tribulations, but not in the habit of praising God for all the many things He does for us. The habit of praising God is one great habit that David had. When everything was looking so dismal in his life, he turned to God. Even when he was on the run in the wilderness from King Saul, David took time to realize that no matter what was going on, God still was his almighty God. Read these words he wrote in Psalm 63 verses 3 through 5 -

“3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”

His life wasn’t very good at this point and yet he praised God. He said he was satisfied with whatever God allowed. He even praised God “joyfully”. He didn’t let the threat of death, lack of a home, or wilderness location control his view of God. He understood that God still loved him and would take care of things His way.

It is a hard concept to grasp, but when God allows the bad times to come in to our lives it is for our best. This concept should be an encouragement to us. We should therefore praise God even for those bad times and circumstances. Are you in the habit of praising God?

http://wisejunction.wordpress.com/

INSPIRED IN THE HOSPITAL

By Devorah Levine


After finishing my phlebotomy course, I was placed in Richford Hospital for two weeks of clinical work. During my second week, Emma, one of the phlebotomists, approached me and my proctor, Stacey.

“I need blood drawn from a few patients on the pediatric floor. Do you mind coming up and helping me?” Emma asked.

To draw on the pediatric floor you must be specially trained, and neither Stacey nor I had that certification. I had never even been on the floor.

But we figured we could assist Emma, who was trained, and headed upstairs.

Watching the labels come out of the small printer, I frozeWhen we had finished with the first patient, Emma said she had two more rooms on that floor: Room 35 and Room 13. “Which room do you want to go to, Stacey? Neither of them are little children, so you can draw on them.”

“Either one,” Stacey said. “It doesn’t really matter; I guess we’ll go to Room 35.”

Emma thanked us, and we walked down the hall.

Standing outside the room with our cart, I proceeded to print out the labels for the tubes of blood. Watching the labels come out of the small printer, I froze. I recognized this name. Ahava. I knew this girl from my community. A few weeks ago I had received her full Hebrew name, with a request that I pray for her health.

Thinking quickly, I decided not to enter the room. I didn’t want to compromise her privacy. Maybe she didn’t want anyone to know she was in the hospital. I didn’t say anything to Stacey, but I waited outside while she went in to draw the blood.

“This is so strange,” I thought to myself. “Of all the floors in the hospital, of all the rooms on this floor, we were given this room? This patient?”

Standing right in the doorway, I peeked through the curtains to make sure I was right. There she was, a beautiful, 16-year-old girl looking pale, weak and frail. I quickly turned away. How could it be? My heart went out to her.

Suddenly I heard Stacey calling me from inside the room. “Devorah, can you bring me a transfer device?”

I became numb. What could I do? I didn’t have a choice. I had to go inside.

Holding the transfer device tightly in my hand, I slowly entered the room and pulled the curtain aside. Our eyes met, and Ahava’s face burst into the biggest smile I have ever seen.

“Oh my goodness, it’s so good to see you!” she said.

Handing the transfer device to Stacey, I walked over to the side of her bed, and we began to talk.

Before I left, I promised I would visit, and told her I would continue to pray for her.

The next day I was in the local kosher supermarket when I heard someone call my name.

“You should just know how you made her day.”“Devorah,” my friend said, running over to me, “You should just know how you made her day.”

At first I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. Then I realized that she was good friends with Ahava.

“As soon as you left she texted me, ‘You’ll never believe who was just in my room!’ You really made her day, Devorah.”

My friend told me that Ahava would be in the hospital over Passover, and we decided that we would walk over to visit her on Sunday, the second day of the holiday..

The next day, I found myself looking forward to my lunch break. Instead of spending the hour with my colleagues, I headed upstairs to visit her, as I had promised. We took a walk down the hall together and found a bench near a large window.

Sitting in the sunlight, she mentioned that she was going to be in the hospital over Passover.

“Oh,” I said, trying to look like this was news to me.

“Yes, and we’re hosting a Passover Seder for the whole floor. The hospital has never had a Seder before, and they are all very excited. I sent out invitations to all the rooms. Everyone is invited.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!” I said.

Just then her father came by. “Hi, sweetie,” he said. “I just got off the phone with Jerry Cohen from Superb Kosher Catering. He heard you’re in the hospital, and how you’re running a Seder for the whole floor. He called me up to say he wants to donate all the food for the Seder, and any food we’re going to need over Pesach.” ( the Jewish holiday of Passover, known to Jews as Pesach. Includes an outline of the seder (the family holiday ritual meal).

Ahava’s smile of joy spread through her whole body. Her happiness was contagious, and all of us felt our moods lifted.

Looking at my watch, I saw my lunch break was almost over. I said goodbye, and promised I would visit again.

As arranged, on the second day of Passover my friend and I made the hour-long walk to the hospital.

We found a security guard at the front desk and asked him how we could get upstairs without using the elevator. He explained that we could only take the staircase up to the fourth floor. Because there are infants on the fifth floor, the door is kept locked.

We were stuck. But we weren’t about to give up. We explained that we had come to visit a friend, and that we had walked an hour just to get there.

“You girls are Jewish, is that right? Orthodox, hmm, yeah, I know,” he said. “Hold on, let me make one quick phone call.”

My friend and I exchanged smiles as he picked up the phone and began dialing. “All right, girls,” he said, hanging up. “Come with me. I’m gonna walk you up and unlock the doors for you.”

“Thank you, Hashem,” ( Hashem is a word used to refer to God in the Jewish faith.) we whispered.

“Actually, my name is John, but you’re welcome,” he said. “You Jews are amazing; I can’t believe you walked all this way.”

When we saw her radiant face, we knew the walk had been worth it.

“Tell us about the Seder!” we said in unison. We sat down and she began recounting the highlights. The patients sat together, sang, told stories and shared a delicious meal. A wonderful time was had by all.

Being in the hospital can be lonely and depressing, but this 16-year-old girl took the opportunity to bring light and joy to others. We never know why we are placed in certain situations. I don’t know why G‑d wanted me to see Ahava in the hospital. But I do know that I was touched and inspired by her courage and optimism. I am truly grateful that I was given this opportunity to learn from her.

A few days after Passover, we learned her diagnosis. A once young and carefree Jewish teenager is slowly losing her eyesight and her whmobility. I tremble en I think about her. I can’t even imagine what she’s going through. It’s with our prayers that we can make a difference.

Please pray for Ahava Leah bas Esther Gila. She can use it.



By Devorah Levine More articles... |




Devorah Levine lives in Detroit and collects stories of Divine Providence

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/1882433/jewish/Inspired-in-the-Hospital.htm

DAVID EMBODIES GOD'S JUSTICE

A few words on the Bible Truth from todays Sunday School Lesson, “David Embodies God’s Justice” (Scripture Reference: 2Samuel 23:1-7).


God is faithful to His Covenant, even when we are not.

We are all subject to fall. We are all subject to go astray and drift. As the Sunday School Lesson Commentary says, “No matter how powerful, wealthy, or talented a person becomes…none of us ever escapes the reality that ‘sin is crouching at the door, it desires to have you’ ” (Genesis 4:7, NIV). We must, therefore, be watchful because the Devil is seeking any and all occassions to get us caught up in sin. And if we are not careful, we can get so caught up in the Devil’s web of deceit that we end up losing all that we have gained in Christ: peace, joy, a good name, etc.

Yet, all is not loss. So long as we are living, we have a chance to “get it right.” As long as their is breath in our mortal bodies, we can turn to God in repentance. The Lesson Commentary says it this way


…Despite the seriousness of our sins, God can speak and work through our lives to bring an enrichment to individuals and society as a whole and bring honor to Himself. For that to happen, a person must be willing to return to God in repentance as David did (Psalm 51).

No matter what we have done, so long as we have not committed the unpardonable sin, we can come to God and receive His forgiveness and restoration. We don’t have to spend out lives in the pig’s pen. We can return to the Father with a broken and contrite heart… He will not turn away the heart that comes to him humbled and full of brokeness. He is faithful to His Word. He is faithful to His promises. “Even if we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13)

http://shilohtemplecogic.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/david-embodies-gods-justice/

SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT THIS MORNING

The Interview With God


What would you ask God if you could have a face to face talk? What do you think He'd say?
Click here http://momsfirstscreenn.wordpress.com/something-a-little-different-this-morning/ to see this interview with the Lord.

TOO BUSY TO HEAR GOD'S WORD?

Acts 28:15a

The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us.


The Forum of Appius was 43 miles from Rome; and the Three Taverns was 33 miles -- all of which had to be traveled on foot. Some even traveled greater distances to greet and meet the Apostle who had written the Epistle to the Romans. Many years before, Magi from the east traveled for almost two years following a star to worship the one who was born king of the Jews (Matthew 2:1-2). Yet at the same time religious leaders in Jerusalem couldn't travel five miles to see what was happening in Bethlehem.
The next time you attend a special event at your church, count the number of people in attendance versus the number on a typical Sunday morning. I am always amazed at how small the church body becomes for non-Sunday events. For example, at my church we have probably 450 plus men who regularly attend services, yet we are always hard pressed to get 20% of those men to enroll in one of the Men's Ministry events. Why is that? How has it become inconvenient for us to hear the Word taught more than one hour a week? Are we too busy to listen to God's appointed messengers?


I am grateful the Lord spoke to me on this topic today. You see my church has a Men's Ministry event planned for this coming Friday evening. We have a really great speaker lined up and I'm sure it will be terrific. However, despite all of the above I was planning to not attend. My excuse -- I've just been too busy lately. Not busy with the Lord's work, but busy with all the stuff that doesn't matter eternally. I'm sure you all know what I mean. What about you? Are you at church every time the Word is being preached or taught? Or are you in front of the television watching baseball or American Idol? Have you lost that yearning to hear the Word? I'll be there on Friday -- will you?

PTL.ORG

TOO BUSY TO HEAR GOD'S WORD?

Acts 28:15a

The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us.


The Forum of Appius was 43 miles from Rome; and the Three Taverns was 33 miles -- all of which had to be traveled on foot. Some even traveled greater distances to greet and meet the Apostle who had written the Epistle to the Romans. Many years before, Magi from the east traveled for almost two years following a star to worship the one who was born king of the Jews (Matthew 2:1-2). Yet at the same time religious leaders in Jerusalem couldn't travel five miles to see what was happening in Bethlehem.
The next time you attend a special event at your church, count the number of people in attendance versus the number on a typical Sunday morning. I am always amazed at how small the church body becomes for non-Sunday events. For example, at my church we have probably 450 plus men who regularly attend services, yet we are always hard pressed to get 20% of those men to enroll in one of the Men's Ministry events. Why is that? How has it become inconvenient for us to hear the Word taught more than one hour a week? Are we too busy to listen to God's appointed messengers?


I am grateful the Lord spoke to me on this topic today. You see my church has a Men's Ministry event planned for this coming Friday evening. We have a really great speaker lined up and I'm sure it will be terrific. However, despite all of the above I was planning to not attend. My excuse -- I've just been too busy lately. Not busy with the Lord's work, but busy with all the stuff that doesn't matter eternally. I'm sure you all know what I mean. What about you? Are you at church every time the Word is being preached or taught? Or are you in front of the television watching baseball or American Idol? Have you lost that yearning to hear the Word? I'll be there on Friday -- will you?

PTL.ORG

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

By Elana Mizrahi







My son came home with a miserable look on his face. I knew what had happened even before he opened his mouth. I had warned him earlier in the morning when I saw the toy in his hand, “Don’t bring your new toy to school. It could easily get broken or lost.” Of course, he didn’t listen. So when I saw the look on his face, I knew. The toy was either lost or broken.

His story of woe spilled out like a gushing river. I was right. He had lost the toy.

I knew what had happened even before he opened his mouthWhat were the words on the tip of my tongue? What was the phrase I so much wanted to say? “I told you so!” I looked again at the sorrow on his face, at the tears in his eyes, and I kept my mouth shut.

“Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Do not appease your fellow at the time of his anger; do not console him while his dead lies before him; do not question him about his vow at the time he makes it; nor attempt to see him at the time of his degradation.” (Ethics of Our Fathers 4:18)

In this teaching we have the secret to marital harmony; peace in the home; and happy, nurturing relationships. What is the secret? Timing. Timing is everything.

When a person is angry, rebuking him will only make him angrier. When a person is upset, giving her advice will only aggravate her further. With the timing of our words, we have the power to raise our loved ones up, or push them down still lower. As King Solomon teaches, “Everything has its season, and there is a time for everything under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Timing is everything.

Your husband comes home from a terrible day at work. You have all the utility bills in your hand, armed and ready to pounce on him as soon as he walks in the door. You see the defeated look on his face, and put the bills down. They can wait until the morning.

When a person is angry, rebuking him will only make him angrierYour teenager comes home with a failed test. She was unorganized and waited until the last minute to study. You fold your arms and give her a glare. “I told you weeks ago that you needed to start studying!” Before the words leave your mouth, before you fold your arms, stop. Think. Is this the right time for discipline? “Do not attempt to see him at the time of his degradation.” It is our job as parents to teach, to transmit, and yes, to discipline. But if your child is angry or upset, then it’s not the right time. At such a time, nothing will penetrate the heart.

A friend received another rejection. “Cheer up,” you want to tell her. “It’s not so bad. Another opportunity will come along.” Stop. Wait. Is this the right time? There are times when encouragement is not appropriate. “Do not console him while his dead lies before him.” Instead of talking, just hold her hand, or maybe leave her alone. Follow her cues, and let her guide you.

Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar is certainly not telling us that we should not appease, not rebuke, not console. In fact, the Torah teaches us that we are obligated to do so, but at the right time and under the right conditions. Timing is everything.

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/1879212/jewish/Timing-Is-Everything.htm

PLEOPLE ARE PROJECTS

Sometimes I miss the days I was in sales. Life seemed simple and quantifiable. At the end of each work day I could easily look up how much I sold and how much money I made. I’d drive home every day either proud of my accomplishments or disappointed by my failure. Either way, there was a sense of completeness after a long work day.

Unfortunately, we don’t get this luxury with people.

People are not projects we just solve and then move on to the next. We all know life is messier than that. See, the problem with treating people like projects from a spiritual perspective is that we reduce them to a list of problems to be solved. If people are projects, we care more about results than relationship. It’s simpler that way. Less messy. After all, compassion takes its toll. That’s why we go oversees on a mission trip for a week to evangelize but don’t know our neighbor’s name. Taken to an extreme, it’s the spiritual head hunter just looking for the next mark on his evangelism belt. It’s the cheapskate customer that leaves a spiritual laws tract instead of a tip for the hard working waitress.

People are not projects.

And neither are you.


When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. -John 5:6-9

At first glance, this story seems typical. Jesus heals yet another one in need. A grand miracle occurs and it looks like the only prerequisite was willingness. Project complete. Or so I thought. See, after the healed paralytic is walking around, he is questioned by some religious types:


So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. -John 5:12, 13

Did you catch that? The healed man doesn’t have a clue who Jesus was. He doesn’t even know Jesus’ name and he certainly doesn’t know He is God. But that’s not the crazy part. The crazy part of the story is that Jesus is okay with that. Jesus heals the man for the sake of healing him. He addresses the need and that was enough for now. Perhaps the man wasn’t quite ready for a leap of faith. Maybe a jog down the street was on the forefront of his mind for now. Faith is left incomplete. God is patient with the process.

See, this is important to me because I used to think when I messed up God was rolling his eyes, sighing loudly, and thinking, “Jeeze, is this guy ever gonna figure it out?!” I thought of my prayers as a nuisance to Him. My requests were an interruption to someone very busy.

I now understand God is not in a hurry to move on to the next project. Rather, He patiently walks with us. He graciously enters our mess and addresses one need at a time. He is recklessly hopeful, abundantly loving, and extravagantly compassionate. He is not a project manager. He is your Father.


he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6

And all God’s people said… “Amen.”




Kyle Reynolds is the director of young adults at Crossroads Bible Church in Bellevue, Washington. He graduated from Northwest University with a degree in youth ministry and is slowly getting his Masters of Divinity from Multnomah Seminary. He has been a full-time vocational minister for the past 12 years within various denominations. He even started and stopped a church a few years back but that’s a whole other story. Kyle is married to a sassy girl named, Laura and they have two boys, Lincoln and Sawyer.

http://jesus-loves-you.org/?p=7462&utm_source=jly&utm_medium=email&utm_term=story&utm_content=projects&utm_campaign=6-21-12-2am

FINDING WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR

Acts 28:14a

There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with them.


I spoke with a young man recently who had been unfaithful to his wife. Full of sorrow and regret he asked me how it had happened. I asked him to tell me honestly what he had been thinking about in the days/weeks/months before his infidelity.
You see, within our thoughts lie the beginning point of every sinful action. Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 5:27-28, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." In other words, there is no such thing as an innocent fantasy or thought -- within the fertile ground of our sinful nature -- all will eventually manifest into their physical equivalency. That is why it is so important to take captive our every thought (2 Corinthians 10:5, "...we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.").
In our passage today, Paul and his companions found some Christian brothers. This was no accident. They found what and who they were seeking -- fellowship with other Christians. Just as this worked in a positive way for Paul, this same principle, when used with sinful intentions, will lead to destructive results. Just ask my young friend.

What are you thinking about these days? What topic dominates your thoughts? When you're bored, in what direction do your thoughts drift? Are your thoughts obedient to Christ? Many people believe we have no control over our thoughts, yet the Bible tells us we find what we're seeking -- or rather what we're thinking about. What are you looking for? What should it be?

PTL.ORG

THE GRANDMOTHER THEY NEVER KNEW

By Rea Bochner


Dear Yonah and Akiva,

I’m writing you this letter in honor of your grandmother’s 58th birthday. Three years ago today, your “Bubbles” was in Jerusalem, praying at the Western Wall. She could have asked for anything she wanted: lots of money, a big house, fancy trips, a new car. But she didn’t ask for any of those things. That year, she had only one birthday wish: to live.

That year, she had only one birthday wish: to liveBy then, Bubbles had been sick for almost a year. She had spent a lot of that time in bed, because the medicine they gave her made it hard for her to do very much. Many nights she would get fevers, and Zadie would take her in a black car straight across New York City to get to the hospital. She had surgeries on her kidney and her arm, which the doctors hoped would help make her better. But after all that, they still weren’t sure what would happen.

So Bubbles asked Zadie to take her to Israel, where she could talk to G‑d about it herself. She went to the Kotel, where G‑d is closest to us, and she cried, begging Him to help her. She wanted to watch her children finish growing up, get married and make families of their own. She wanted to play and sing with you, and to walk with you on the beach.

But G‑d decided that this birthday would be her last. Bubbles died a few months later.

You might think it was unfair of G‑d not to give Bubbles what she wanted. Would it have been so hard for Him to let her stay with us? Why should we have to be sad from missing her for all these years? I asked myself these questions for a long time after she died; but the truth is, my little souls, there is no answer. I don’t know why G‑d decided it was time for Bubbles to go, just when her children were almost done growing up, and you, Yonah, were not even a year old. I wish I could give you a story with a happy ending, but in this life, not every story ends that way.

I wish you could have known your BubblesOne night, after a visit to the doctor, Bubbles crawled into her bed, pulled the covers around her lap and told me what the doctor had said: She didn’t have much time left.

“Are you scared?” I asked her.

“I’m angry,” she replied. “But G‑d has a plan.”

That, my boys, is what faith is. We don’t always have to like what G‑d is doing; we can even be angry at Him if we need to be (don’t worry; He can take it). But underneath all of that, we can believe that G‑d loves us and knows what is best for us—even if it hurts, even if it makes us cry for a long time, and even if we never understand why He did it.

I wish you could have known your Bubbles. I wish you could have seen how much fun she was, the way she threw her head back when she laughed or pursed her lips when she danced, like she was kissing the air. I wish you could have watched her bake challah, kneading and braiding with artful hands as the house filled with the smell of yeast and cinnamon. I wish you could have felt her gaze on you, full of wonder and love, making you feel protected and cherished, as I did throughout my life. She would have thought you were little miracles, just like I do.

It is customary on your birthday to give a blessing to those who celebrate with you. Bubbles isn’t here to give you her blessings today, but I think she wouldn’t mind if I did it for her. Yonah and Akiva, you should be blessed with long, healthy and happy lives. You should know how much you are loved, and you should always love yourself. May you always be willing to learn and grow from your mistakes, and to ask G‑d for help when you are unsure. In the end, she did get to live: in youMay this life be a joyful journey for you, and may you walk knowing that you are protected and guided always, and that everything that comes in your path is for the good.

Your Bubbles liked to say that her legacy is her children. Perhaps G‑d answered her prayers in a way she didn’t expect. In the end, she did get to live: in you. You, my precious ones, are her birthday gifts.

Happy Birthday, Bubbles.

With Love, Mommy

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/1879223/jewish/The-Grandmother-They-Never-Knew.htm

WHAT WE NEED TO GIVE OUR CHILDREN

“Life is difficult.” This is the first sentence of a very important book by M. Scott Peck, M.D. Though the phrase is short, it is packed with meaning and portent. As adults we read that sentence and nod our heads with a knowing agreement. We’ve been there, we’ve done that. Maybe, we are even in the midst of that reality. It will always be so, of course. As parents, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to give our children the tools to be able to confront life’s difficulties with both dignity and effect. What are the things we need to encourage and promote in our children? They are the very things we need to encourage and promote in our selves.

The first gift we need to give to our children is a healthy family. This is not rocket science. It is a matter of both pure logic and of common sense that children deserve the environment of a healthy family home. The healthy family is possessed of parents who love each other first and, as a result of that love, bring children into their home and into the world. The best way for a father to love his children is to love their mother, and vice versa.

The second thing children need to receive from us is an education. By this I mean the opportunities for a good school education, but not that alone. We need to be their first teachers. We need to teach them not just how to read, but to ignite a love of reading in them. Turn off the T.V. and read to them, or when they get old enough, have them read to you and show them how enjoyable that experience is. We need to not just teach them the basics of simple math, but how those basics apply to the real world, like the family’s spending and saving habits.

We need to teach them some even more important things too. We need to teach them that hospitality, and fairness, and duty towards others are the habits of a good life. They need to see us modeling these virtues with each other, with neighbors and even with strangers. They need to see us acting in these ways cheerfully. They also need to see that the suffering of others ought not be ignored, or worse, denied, but rather that it ought to be entered into with compassion, a real, visible, tangible concern for the other, along with a commitment to work together to bring about real and just change.

Another thing that we can give our children, that follows directly from the above paragraph, is a love of work, hard work. It is this love of work that will enable them and empower them to live meaningful and purposeful lives. We need to engage them in it early, in the household. The home is the whole world to a young child, it needs to be a safe place for them to learn the skills they will need to live properly, and to live well in the larger world. We must teach them the love of hard work, that it is that which gives us dignity and meaning. Ever since the beginning human beings have worked by the sweat of their brows and the agility of their minds to live more safely and productively in the world. We must teach them that work is normal and has its rewards.

Another gift we need to give to our children is the gift of self-discipline. This is freedom in the truest sense of the word. If we give this to our children, they will be able to manage the vagaries and surprises that life will throw at them. They will be able to meet life’s difficulties with real skills like the ability to delay gratification, to take responsibility for their own failures and successes, to deal with others and the world out of a clear sense of reality, and they will be able to find balance, the golden mean, the narrow path in life that is the only way to greater happiness in life.

For our children to be able to do this, we need to give them well-formed consciences. We need to teach them that truth that there is such a thing as right and wrong, good and evil, and that it can be identified and known. It is a well-formed conscience that is the real and true guide to happiness. A well-formed conscience will guide their decisions toward the good, the true and the beautiful with greater accuracy than an ill-formed conscience, or a conscience that is numbed by self-centered rationalizations and the demands of immediate gratification.

The most important thing that we need to give our children is a deep and abiding faith, a love for God, for it is out of this that all good things come and can be known. Without a love of God loving another becomes a matter of chance, of being blown about by the winds of temptation, selfish desires, and immediate gratification. It will have no roots to put down and no rich soil to be planted in. On the other hand, with a belief in a loving God all things good are possible. For example, out of anger and hurt can come forgiveness and reconciliation. We can raise our children with the time-tested guidance that comes to us through the Scriptures. It is true, too, that the family that prays together, stays together. We can also find comfort and support in the company of other families who are struggling to do the same when we gather together in Jesus’ name at weekly services in our churches. It is there that we are challenged by truth that is common to all, not particular to one. This is the source of healthy family and of healthy society.

As parents, we have a great opportunity to make the world a better place. Indeed, it is our duty to attempt this. If we make room for God in our lives. our children will grow into the kind of adults the world needs. If they see that we love learning, that we practice hospitality, fairness and duty toward others, that we love hard work for its natural good, that we are self-disciplined in our actions toward each other, toward them and toward others, that we continue to form our consciences in an effort to become better parents and citizens, and if they see that all of this arises out of our love for God, they will learn to live out of that model themselves. It is out of this that the world has the hope of becoming better.

This is not, of course, the full list of things we owe our children. There are many more things too. But these are some of the basics and they are a good place to start.

Dan Doyle is a retired professor of English and Humanities. He taught 13 years at the high school level and 22 years at the university level. He spends his time now babysitting his granddaughter. He is a poet and a blogger as well. Dan holds an AA degree in English Literature, a BA in Comparative Literature, and an MA in Theology. To read more of Dan’s work, click here.

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