Faithful to my descendants

0-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-MediumJehovah God, your Master Plan of saving us from Satan and hell is perfect and grand.  It will continue, no matter how much we humans and Satan fight it. It will be carried out to the glorious end. Your will shall be carried out because you have the strongest will of all ~ love, justice, mercy. You shall win over Satan and hell and take me safely home to heaven. I am overwhelmed. I worship at your feet.

Thank you, Lord, for all those who have gone before me in the faith. People like Abraham and Joseph and Elijah who stood alone to believe in and follow you. Thank you for the apostles, their hard work, and enduring terrible pain when they were slowly killed rather than deny you.  Thank you for Christians around the world who believed in you, even when the other people in their countries ~ China, India, Africa, Europe ~ did not. Thank you for those who stood up against changing your rules, even though it meant being burned at the stake. Thank you for my own ancestors, some of whom were loyal to you to the very end. May I follow their example and be a faithful Christian ancestor to my descendants.

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00-Stephen-Cover-Kindle-ThumbnailSTEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR had always loved God and wanted to show Him to unbelievers. He tried everything he knew to do, but everything seemed to backfire.  Then he met Jesus. He escorted desperate widows in Cyrene to live in Jerusalem.  There he was made a deacon.  His messages were powerful, his miracles unbelievable.  The church grew.  He had everything to live for.  How could he have given it all up?  He knew when he entered their chambers he would not come out alive. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/StephenUnlikelyMartyr

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The God of Second Chances

00-PAUL COVER-Medium-God, you love every one of your children and we love you in return. But sometimes someone wanders away. You need to leave the rest of us behind to find the lost one and that is fine with me. I will be okay while you’re gone. Oh, me? You mean me? You want me to go for you, and find your missing child? Ah, let me think a moment. Are you sure?  Ummm…  Yes, yes! If you will fill my spirit with your kind of love, then I must go. I will not be able to resist the search. Help me find the lost soul in time. Give me courage to go where ever I must go. And, Lord, help that lost one keep praising you until I arrive.  Me too. I will keep praising you.

Ah, my Lord, I grow so impatient sometimes, waiting for my time to join you ~ impatient over days and months and years. How you must laugh because you work in decades and centuries and millenniums.  Thank you for time.  All things change and all things will eventually pass away.  With time, the consequences of my sins eventually pass away. You give me an opportunity to try again. You are the God of second chances. I will forever bend my knee to you in the shimmering gratitude that permeates my soul.

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00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE.  He had to change sides to obey God.  He’s been wrong.  He had to admit it. It took sudden blindness and a voice out of heaven to stop him and make him turn around.  He spent the rest of his life doing the same for others. Constantly stopping people, making them think of what they are doing with their lives, then turning them around to march in victory toward the gates of heaven.  Was it convenient?  They beat him, starved him, imprisoned him, lashed him, stoned him ~ but nothing stopped him.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/UnstoppablePaul

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Then it is dawn again.

OldOldTunes-mediumAh, Lord God, my heart burns within me for you. Burning with the rays of your sun that grace my day. At night it breaks through the darkness from each star firelit with your majesty. Then dawn again. In a blink, your sun is back. But it never really leaves me. For your love keeps my heart warm and bright with the flame of your grace. Someday I will ride one of those sunbeams to you and, in your presence, I shall see your throne ablaze with glory.

I thank you for your love that will not let me go. Though I sometimes wander from you, carelessly, letting Satan have his way, you run after me calling out, “No! Do not go with him. He is dangerous. He will hurt you. His smiles mean nothing but treachery. Let go of Satan and come back to me! Run! Run away from him! Come back!”  When I am blind, you send me your light so I can find my way back to you. Thank you for loving me that much.

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OldOldTunes-ThumbnailTHE OLD OLD STORY SET TO OLD OLD TUNES.  40 songs on the Old Testament and 40 on the New Testament.  Folk tunes make these songs fun to sing.  You will often laugh with them and sometimes cry.  Great for grandparents to entertain grandchildren on  visits. Also fun for classes and as ice breakers.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/OldStoryOldTunes

 

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Enduring Honor

Applied ChristianityThe scripture for today, December 26 (12/26), is John 12:26 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Ah, Lord Jesus. We claim we understand how humble you were, then build great cathedrals which we claim are to your glory but which are really to our glory. We organize great musical performances which we claim are to your glory, but which are really to our glory.

Just where was Jesus when he was on earth saying this?  In a posh hotel in Jerusalem? Did he have great musicians performing in the background? Did he stand on a podium and declare this to multitudes? Who are you fooling when you declare you are his servant.

Who or what are you really a servant to? Power in a workplace, club, congregation, neighborhood? Prestige in a community, an occupation, an organization? Self-indulgence of money, music, entertainment?

While you are pursuing things in life, is Jesus there with you? Are you doing what he would be busy doing?  Are you where he was when he said this?

Dare to be a servant to the power of Jesus’ love, prestige in the eyes of God, self-indulgence in the joy of worshiping Him. In this only is there true and enduring honor.

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A Few Minutes of Star Glow

The scripture for today, December 25 (12/25), is Proverbs 12:25 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

03-Naaman'sMaid-MediumCover“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

Yesterday, did you see anyone sitting alone looking downcast? Go back there today. S/he may not be there, but someone else may be. It may be a gathering place for the lonely, the discouraged. Smile at them and whisper, “Jesus loves you.” Have a lengthy conversation with them and show them they are worthy of your time.   Spend time with them. Listen to them. Share with them.

Do you periodically see “beggars” at a certain location? They may squander donations or use them to buy food. Either way, being a beggar isn’t people’s life’s goal. You do not know their story. Everyone has a story. Their hearts are anxious about something.

Give them a little change, maybe wrap it in a verse from the Bible.  Ask them if they have family and if their family would accept them back. If so, encourage them to “go home.” Perhaps pay for a bus ticket back home. If they say they can’t go home, try anyway. Tell them you will pray for them. Smile at them, and whisper, “Jesus loves you.”

Today, do you know of a place where travelers usually stay or gather? Sometimes at truck stops there are drivers who could not get home. Go to one of these places prepared to give each of them something special, or even invite them to your home for a Christmas feast.

Jesus encouraged and helped the downhearted. Is it uncomfortable being in their world? Yes.  Dare to disturb your happiness to enter their world and show Jesus to the downhearted. Dare to be a star shining on them in their darkness.  Give them a few minutes of star glow.

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03-Naaman'sMaid-ThumbnailCoverA CHILD’S BIBLE KIDS:  NAAMAN’S MAID.  She had been stolen away from her family and turned into the maid of a foreign man and his wife.  She was so lonely for home.  But, instead of crying all the time and being mad at everyone, she smiled.  One day her master’s face became horrible to look at. Then she remembered back home.  A miracle-worker named Elias used to visit her home.  Her new master needed Elias now.  but he was so far away.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/38OR4qT

 

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Give yourself for Christmas

The scripture for today, December 24 (12/24), is Luke 12:24 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0000-BK 1-StarSong-Cover-new-Medium“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!”

In many nations right now, things are financially strained. Luxuries? No. To be able to live until tomorrow? Yes.

Which is more valuable? To impress men or impress God? A life dedicated to things impresses men. A life dedicated to doing good things impresses God.

I know of a group of believers in Jesus recently in an African country who had to flee soldiers who were after Christians. They had to run immediately upon sight of the soldiers. No time to pack anything. Just run.  Escape. Run. Escape. 

To get to true safety, they had to walk a hundred miles. What did they eat?  Grass. Leaves from bushes. Tree roots. But they made it. They made it to safety and the loving, protective arms of other Christians.

Today, instead of a luxury, can you send that money to people in parts of the world who are struggling to stay alive? Struggling to stay safe because they are Christians?

Consider the ravens.


PS ~ Those of you with children, and you cannot get them much for Christmas: Write IOU’s to them and put each one in a box. Wrap each with typing paper if you don’t have Christmas paper. And with a red or green crayon, draw a ribbon on top. What’s on the IOU’s? “One hour of coloring with you.” “One hour of playing ball with you.” “Three hours of hiking with you.” “Two hours of baking cookies with you.” Give yourself for Christmas!

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0000-BK 1-StarSong-Cover-new-ThumbnailSTAR SONG is novel one in the THEY MET JESUS series.  Meet ten people involved in the birth of Jesus. Mary was too young, Elizabeth too old, Joseph too gullible, the shepherds too smelly, Anna too senile, Simeon too idealistic, The wise men should have minded their own business, Zachariah should have accepted he’d never have children. King Herod dared control God, The Bible scholars dared interpret God.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:   https://bit.ly/Star-Song

 

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Then stand back and be astounded.

05-Joseph-KindleMediumThe scripture for today, December 23 (12/23), is 1st Samuel 12:23 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.”

It’s actually a sin not to pray for others?

Do your prayers get bogged down in the mire of me and mine? Do you wonder why you can’t pray for more than a couple minutes ~ five on a good day? Satan gets you to do this; he is the enemy of prayer because he knows how powerful it is.

Who is on your prayer list? Pray for people by name. Your neighbors. People you work with. Your government officials ~ both good and bad. People in nursing homes. People in your congregation. People in the military. People being persecuted, imprisoned, and even killed because they are Christians. Missionaries. Children in an orphan home. Salespeople at the store. Local school teachers. People in your newspaper.

Pray for 15 minutes a day. Half an hour each day. An hour every day. It’s oh so easy when you stop praying only for you and yours and pray for others.

Pray for them by name. And tell them that you do. Some people have never been told, “I am praying for you.”  God loves to answer prayer.

Do not sin by praying only for yourself and your family.  Take the time to take others soaring with you when you pray. Then stand back and watch God respond to your prayers with power that will astound you.

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05-Joseph-KindleThumbnailA CHILD’S BIBLE HEROES:  JOSEPH went to Egypt as a boy slave and rose to be the most powerful man along with Pharaoh in all of Egypt.  What a turnaround God made in this boy’s life.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/2KxVtGe

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My soul is overwhelmed

The scripture for today, December 22 (12/22), is 1st Samuel 12:22 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

00-PAUL COVER-Medium-“For the sake of his great name, the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.”

Among all the pretend gods that people have worshiped, there has never been one who made people because he wanted someone to love and wanted them to be his children. Islam, for example, teaches Allah made man to have someone to worship him. Allah has 99 names, but none of them is Love. It is the same with other purported gods. Buddhism and Hinduism have gods with no personalities at all; they are just the essence of the universe. So sad.

Oh, how much mankind misses by not opening up to the one and only God.  He wants you to be his child! He wants to lavish you with his love.

God made you because God is Love.  Love must have someone to love. That’s you, dear friend. That’s you!

Amazing love of God. It pleases him to make you his own. It pleases him! You the lowly. You the weak. You the inconsistent. You the sinner.

Let your soul be elevated by the God of Love. Let your heart be warmed. Let your spirit be touched with eternity. Then lift up your voice and shout, “My soul is overwhelmed!”

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00-PAUL COVER-Thumbnail-PAUL: THE UNSTOPPABLE.  He imprisoned, tortured, and killed Christians. He hated Christians and he hated Jesus.  Then it happened.  He switched sides and spent the rest of his life trying to make it up to Jesus for treating his people as he had  Walk with Paul for 45 years as he endures the imprisonments and tortures he used to dish out on others.  Listen as he is beaten yet again and cries lout amidst the burning pain, “Jesus!  This is for you!” To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….  https://bit.ly/UnstoppablePaul

 

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And lift the fog of time

0-Cover-MediumJehovah God, you transcend space and time. I do not. I sometimes think back about the clouded past and wonder how many wrong decisions I made. I think, too, about the future and how my decisions of today will influence it. At other times I wonder why unethical people often get rich at the expense of the poor.  As I slide uneasily through time step by step and wonder with uneasy mind, I just do not know what the future will bring. But you do. You have already been to the future. So, I rest in you knowing you will guide me through the unknown and someday will lift the fog of time.

Father, forgive my ingratitude. I want more hours in the day to do more, then I want more hours in the night so I can sleep more. When it is winter, I want it to be summer, then when it is summer, I want it to be winter. When I have an interesting job with low pay, I want a boring job with high pay. And on and on I go. Never content and grateful for what you have given me. I am so sorry.

My Jesus, when I am lonely, I remember how your heart must have ached when the world went after you only for your miracles, only to use you. When I feel nearly broken by my burdens, I remember how you suffered and died to free an ungrateful world from Satan’s clutches.  You understand everything I go through because you have been there. You have been tempted as I have, you have been heavy ladened as I have, you have laughed and wept as I have. You understand. And for this, I thank you, my Lord.

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You lean my head on your shoulder

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-MediumNo matter what corner of the world I occupy, you are there.  Though clouds encompass my corner, you look through them and whisk away the shadows.  Though mountains rumble in my corner, you whisper, “Peace!  Be still!” and they obey. Though I am sinking in watery mire in my corner, you reach down and pull me out, wash me, and make my soul as white as snow. I can never escape you, nor do I wish to. You are my God and love me fiercely.

Sometimes, Lord, I face something I cannot face. I feel bewildered and weak. I feel broken. Paralyzed. It is then that you come to my rescue while I rest.  You take care of the problem in your own way. Sometimes I have fears that haunt me and I cannot get rid of them. I dread falling asleep at night because those fears fallow me even there. It is then that you come to me and protect me under your wings. Sometimes I am just so tired, I can hardly move. It is then that you sit beside me, lean my head on your shoulder, and wipe away my listless tears. You are my Friend, my Helper, my Father.

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