Memories
Category: Uncategorized
A Prayer Tip
A “Prayer Tip” from E. M. Bounds:
Much time spent with God is the secret of all successful praying.
While many private prayers, in the nature of things, must be short; while public prayers, as a rule, ought to be short and condensed; while there is ample room for and value put on ejaculatory prayer — yet in our private communions with God time is a feature essential to its value. Much time spent with God is the secret of all successful praying. Prayer which is felt as a mighty force is the mediate or immediate product of much time spent with God. Our short prayers owe their point and efficiency to the long ones that have preceded them.
The short prevailing prayer cannot be prayed by one who has not prevailed with God in a mightier struggle of long continuance. Jacob’s victory of faith could not have been gained without that all-night wrestling. God’s acquaintance is not made by pop calls. God does not bestow his gifts on the casual or hasty comers and goers. Much time with God alone is the secret of knowing him and of influence with him. He yields to the persistency of a faith that knows him. He bestows his richest gifts upon those who declare their desire for and appreciation of those gifts by the constancy as well as earnestness of their importunity.
The Grief Process is longer than I expected
June 22 230am – Leisa and I learned our lives would change forever. We learned that our son Joshua was dead, killed in a head on automobile accident at 1250am. That was 2002. It was something neither Leisa nor I thought we could survive. Somehow through God’s grace we survived and thrived, it was not easy, it was hard. It was rough. People are great, family, friends, Emmaus, Chrysalis communities gave us love and support.
God provided the means of grace, the love directly from Him, and through other people.
One person was Jarod Eli Barclay. Joshua’s cousin – same age, older by one day….more like a brother than a cousin. about 2 to 3 days after the funeral…Eli gave Leisa and I a gift that never ends. He told us that Joshua could not tell us bye or that he loved us. He wrote and sang a song that spoke to us from Joshua’s perspective, in the song Joshua through Eli – says “I love you mom and I love you dad…”. We can listen to it anytime we want to. He had worked for almost 24 hours on creating the song.
The part of the story that only Leisa knew until Eli played the song for us – for two days Leisa had cried out to God in private pleading prayers – petitioning God to find some way to allow her to hear Joshua say I love you mom one more time. God and the Holy Spirit moved Eli to do this for Leisa and added in extra features to include me and provide it in a recording that both of us can hear anytime we want to.
One of the unexpected things that happened as a result of God using people and the circumstances of Joshua’s death to move people along their journey of faith. Leisa and I continued the Bible study Joshua started in early 2002. We served as youth directors at the FUMC Buna for 3 years. We entered into licensed and then ordained ministry. We work Chrysalis events almost every year even though Joshua never attended a weekend. We give talks at Emmaus and Chrysalis weekends where we each share the story of Joshua and how God walked with us every step of the grief process and continues to this day. Friday night 1/18 Leisa is previewing her Emmaus talk and we listened to part of Eli’s song again. It brings tears and hope…reminder of how much God loves us that He would move Eli to create the song in answer to a prayer.
God’s mercy and grace is indeed great!
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust! For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.” (Psalm 91:1-4)
Joshua’s song from Eli to Leisa and I can be downloaded (mp3) here
Thank you God, for this day and for your rich mercy and love! In Jesus name. Amen.
What about Walls
Proverbs 25:28 English Standard Version (ESV)
28 A man without self-control
is like a city broken into and left without walls.
….the behavior of the Vatican. …. immigration policy to Vatican City is highly restrictive; so is security. Historically, the Vatican hasn’t been anti-wall…the giant wall surrounding Vatican City, originally erected in 852 C.E. in order to prevent another attack like the one by Muslim pirates who damaged St. Peter’s Cathedral in 846. Those walls were expanded under Pope Paul III (1534-1549), Pope Pius IV (1559-1565) and Pope Urban VIII (1623-1644). Paul III’s and Pius IV’s expansions were directed toward preventing another Muslim sack of Rome. the Old Testament – the Tanach – is replete with references to the usefulness of walls. God allowing enemies to breach the walls of Jewish cities is seen as a brutal punishment in Deuteronomy 28:52; similarly, in Nehemiah 2:13, the prophet laments “the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down”; Isaiah, too, laments the “day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains”; the same holds for Psalms 80 and 89, as well as several chapters in Lamentations, as well as the warnings of Ezekiel.
In 2 Chronicles 14, we learn of the good king Asa, who did “what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord; he “built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace…’Let us build up these towns,’ he said to Judah, ‘and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.’ So they built and prospered.”
In Psalms 51, David specifically prays that God “do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion; build thou the walls of Jerusalem.” In Psalm 122, David prays, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; ‘May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.’” In Psalm 144, David prophesies that “There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.”
In Proverbs, Solomon writes, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, without walls.”
Isaiah repeatedly references walls: in chapter 26 (“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts”); chapter 49 (“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me”); chapter 54 (“I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones”); chapter 58 (“Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings”); chapter 60 (“Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you” and “you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise”); chapter 62 (I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night”). Amos says the same: “In that day ‘I will restore David’s fallen shelter – I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins – an d will rebuild it as it used to be.’” So too says Micah: “The day for building walls will come, the day for extending your boundaries.”
God doesn’t seem particularly perturbed by the idea of walls in the Bible. They’re necessary for defense, and they’re often necessary to draw boundaries between people who live by the Living Word, and people who do not.
Obama Used Walls To Shut Out Veterans, Opposes Walls To Stop Illegal Aliens
During Obama’s infamous 2013 government shutdown, he apparently not only found walls to be highly effective, but he deployed them against our nation’s veterans, in order to deny them access from paying their respects to their brothers and sisters in arms at our nation’s war memorials.
What Walls
What wall? “Obama does not have one wall. He has many. He has barricades. He has armed guards entirely blocking the suburban road where he lives. Multiple cement and iron barricades block the road leading up to the Obama mansion. A Secret Service car and agent keep people from entering the stretch of road on both ends approximately 1,000 feet in both directions.” It’s almost funny.
The Daily Caller’s Benny Johnson undertook a mission to fact check the Post’s fact-check in “IS THERE A 10-FOOT WALL OUTSIDE OBAMA’S HOUSE? WE WENT THERE TO FIND OUT.” It turned out to be mission impossible (video below). Johnson reports: “We tried to find out. We even brought a tape measure. But we were stopped by all of Obama’s other walls from even finding out.”
Jesus is the reason for the season
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: .
Loving God
worship of idols.
| synonyms: | idolization, fetishization, fetishism, idol worship, adulation, adoration, reverence, veneration, glorification, lionization, hero-worshiping |
Loving anyone or anything more than God is idolatry. It shows a lack of trust that God can take care of your emotions better than you can. Our emotions (hearts) can and do deceive us, God does not. God wants to lead our hearts and guide our emotions into a true loving communion with Him, ourselves, and others.
This can bless our spouses, friends, family, and in the process us.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
…26“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?” 27He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with allyour soul and with all your strength and with allyour mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”…
Jesus is 4 me and you
Cimate Change and Global Warming or Looking for Al Gore’s Man-Bear-Pig
Time Magazine’s article on the 4th US Climate assessment which purports to confirm all the dire warnings of Al Gore and his global crew of climate alarmism myth makers.
Since 2000 (the first climate assessment report), the global temp average has changes by zero degrees celsius. all the models are not in agreement, most show no cause for alarm much less can point to anything driving climate except for solar changes.
A couple of articles that present facts instead of ‘the sky is falling’ hype
John Hargrove Seeking Truth and Reality 