Thoughts from a life time church goer

This fellow has some good points. Good on him for speaking out.
Church could be the equivalent of united devotions, or fulfilling your 90 mins of daily word time.

What have I done today?

As I type this my recovering-from-sickness-daughters are coming to me with their dolls, begging me to play a game with them, help them change the dolls clothes, etc. and although I have "better" things to do, I will leave those things for later and play with them.

"Come on mummy, come and plllaaaaay with us!"

We shall do so much in the years to come,
But what have we done today?
We shall give our gold in a princely sum,
But what did we give today?
We shall lift the heart and shall dry the tear,
We shall plant a hope in the place of fear,
We shall speak the words of love and cheer;
But what did we speak today?

We shall be so kind in the afterwhile,
But what have we done today?
We shall bring to each lonely life a smile,
But what have we brought today?
We shall give the truth a far grander birth,
And to steadfast faith a much deeper worth,
We shall feed the hung’ring souls of earth;
But whom have we fed today?

We shall reap such joys in the by and by,
But what have we sown today?
We shall build us mansions up in the sky,
But what have we built today?
Oh, how sweet it is in fond dreams to bask,
But right here and now we must do our task,
Yes, this is the thing our souls must ask,
“Just what have we done today?”

“I don’t believe in colleges and universities,” Ray Bradbury, 88, said. “I believe in libraries.”

Read more here.

Fear came knocking at the door and faith answered it

In 1856, David Livingstone faced a grave peril in Africa. He was passing through the wild country of the native chief Mburuma. The chief was hostile & had been seeking to rouse the countryside against the man's expedition. Reports had been that he was seen creeping toward the camp!
Alone in his tent, Livingstone opened his Bible & read the Promise on which he had staked his life so often. Then he wrote in his diary,
"January 14, 1856. Evening. Felt much turmoil of spirit in prospect of having all my plans for welfare of this great region knocked on the head by savages tomorrow. But Jesus said, 'All power is given unto Me in Heaven & in Earth. Go ye therefore & teach all nations ... & lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.'
"This is the word of a Gentleman of the most strict & sacred honour, so that's the end of fear. I will not cross furtively tonight as I intended. Nay, verily, I shall take observations for latitude & longitude tonight, though they may be the last, I feel quiet & calm now, thank God!"

****

When Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary, first went to China, it was in a sailing vessel. Very close to the shore of cannibal islands the ship was becalmed, & it was slowly drifting shoreward unable to go about & the savages were eagerly anticipating a feast.

The captain came to Mr. Taylor & besought him to pray for the help of God. "I will," said Taylor, "provided you set your sails to catch the breeze." The captain declined to make himself a laughing stock by unfurling in a dead calm. Taylor said, "I will not undertake to pray for the vessel unless you will prepare the sails." And it was done.
While engaged in prayer, there was a knock at the door of his stateroom. "Who is there?"
The captain's voice responded, "Are you still praying for wind?"
"Yes."
"Well," said the captain, "you'd better stop praying, for we have more wind than we can manage."

****

Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.

****



He does not lead me year by year
Nor even day by day,
But step by step my path unfolds;
My Lord directs my way.

Tomorrow's plans I do not know,
I only know this minute;
But He will say, "This is the way,
By faith now walk in it."

And I am glad that it is so,
Today's enough to bear;
And when tomorrow comes, His grace
Shall far exceed its care.

What need to worry then, or fret?
The God Who gave His Son
Holds all my moments in His hand
And gives them, one by one.
--Barbara C. Ryberg

For more of her poems

Can you overthrow your thoughts?

I live with someone who is as ornery as can be. There are days when I try to avoid being in the same room, to avoid their sharp tongue.

This is a good reminder for me to "Think on these things"

Thoughts
Virginia Brandt Berg
"I just cannot overcome my bad thoughts," a woman wrote me, asking for advice. "As you may remember, I wrote you before about someone near to me who is very spiteful and says such unkind things, and I told you that I had overcome my urge to say anything back. I have been able to control my tongue, but I haven't changed my thinking any. I may have self-control outwardly, but I'm seething on the inside."

Click here to read more.

Getting Out of the Hole

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule braying and, after carefully assessing the situation, sympathized with the mule. He decided, however, that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical. But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up! This he did, blow after blow.
“Shake it off and step up. Shake it off and step up. Shake it off and step up!” No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought against panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up. It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly out of the well.
-Author unknown

* * *
Do you sometimes feel that you are in a deep hole? And what’s more, do you feel that somebody just keeps throwing dirt on you? You can turn the bad to good by looking up and seeing that the Lord is there through it all. Take His hand. Ask Him to pull you up and to help you see His purpose in it all. He can help you see the events around you from His perspective. He can give you His calm and stop the panic. And then He can help you find solutions that will enable you to step triumphantly out of that deep well and onto the path of a brighter tomorrow.
-Chloe West

* * *
Answers from God

For all the negative things we say to ourselves, God has given us His positive responses in the Bible.

You say, “It’s impossible.”
God says, “All things are possible with Me” (Luke 18:27).

You say, “I’m too tired.”
God says, “I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-20).

You say, “Nobody really loves me.”
God says, “I love you” (John 3:16 and John 13:34).

You say, “I can’t go on.”
God says, “My grace is sufficient and I will always be there to help you” (2 Corinthians 12:9 and Psalm 91:15).

You say, “I can’t figure things out.”
God says, “I will direct your steps” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

You say, “I can’t do it.”
God says, “You can do all things through My strength” (Philippians 4:13).

You say, “I’m not able.”
God says, “I am able” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

You say, “It’s not worth it.”
God says, “It will be worth it” (Romans 8:28).

You say, “I can’t forgive myself.”
God says, “I forgive you” (1 John 1:9 and Romans 8:1).

You say, “I can’t manage.”
God says, “I will supply all your needs” (Philippians 4:19).

You say, “I’m afraid.”
God says, “I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

You say, “I’m always worried and frustrated.”
God says, “Cast all your cares on Me” (1 Peter 5:7).

You say, “I don’t have enough faith.”
God says, “I’ve given everyone a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3b).

You say, “I’m not smart enough.”
God says, “I give you wisdom” (James 1:5 and “1 Corinthians 1:30).

You say, “I feel all alone.”
God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Topics: Perseverance and fight, positiveness, God’s help, His love.

(Getting Out of the Hole)

Good reading

I read this blog occasionally and these posts stood out to me:

Thank God for surprises 1

Thank God for surprises 2

Motherhood

An exciting life

These gave me food for thought, others were encouraging, some reminded me why I do what I do.

The Ultimate Extreme Sport

I’d like to tell you about a fabulous guy I know, so sit back and read on.

Today I watched as he put training wheels on a bike so Miss 3 could ride it. After sitting still for a long time she decided it wasn’t worth the effort (later we discovered she had a fever). Little miss 18 mths saw her chance for a go and was delighted when daddy interpreted her grunts and squeals, lifted her up and pushed her up and down the street for a few minutes.

This what memories are made of and I wish I had brought the camera, yet I don’t think I’ll easily forget the sight of him bent over almost double pushing a size 16 bike bearing the littlest tyke (who, with feet dangling high above the peddles, was wearing an oversized raincoat) while carrying an umbrella over her. He walked at just the right speed, continually guiding her little hands to the handlebars lest she let go of both at once and come in contact with the wet asphalt.

I had it easy, keeping an eye on Miss 6 & Miss 3 as they walked with their umbrellas. It was drizzling so we headed off to a second hand store just down the road, a short enough walk to get home easily if the drizzle became rain & just long enough to feel like we had been out & about. Halfway there the Heaven’s opened and I was brought back to the monsoons of my early childhood.

We sped on, splashing through puddles, clutching umbrellas tightly, and laughing all the while.

My hero was devoted to his little charge. The rain beat down; soaking him to the bone, but not a drop was to be found on the little tyke.

Unexpectedly, the store was empty of people, the doors were closed, yet the insides were strewn about outside. With many apologies and much bowing one of the workers brought out popsicles for the princesses and explained that they were closed for the day to rearrange the store. The princesses were delighted and thought it great fun to wait it out under the overhanging roof in hopes of the downpour easing up. Super Daddy decided to brave the floods, dash home and rescue us with a van. Off he went, a too-small-umbrella held high, looking like a streak of lightning in his grey shirt and white sneakers.

A short time later he drove up, dashed out (umbrella-less) and proceeded to whisk the princesses off to the awaiting carriage… err van.

At home he helped dry them off, dress, & feed them, tucked little Miss 3 into bed for a nap, and insisted that I join the sleeping beauties for a few winks.

Later this evening I came across this article which I thought summed it up quite nicely. He really is a hero, our hero, participating in the ultimate of extreme sports.

Fatherhood: The ultimate extreme sport

By Glenn Stanton, Senior Research Analyst for Marriage Studies at Focus on the Family

Fatherhood and family life are popularly perceived as mundane, but experience says otherwise.

Spend any time watching television and you will see a commercial promoting some soft drink, SUV, or dandruff shampoo product via images of extreme sporting activities. Gusto-filled 20-somethings are seen jumping off cliffs that are scary just to look at, with nothing more than shorts, T-shirt and a parachute. Others ride mountain bikes at literal breakneck speeds over rocky terrain or snowboard down vertical mountain faces of virgin snow. The message is clear: these young men are fully engaged and living life to the fullest.

However, these young daredevils only fool themselves, for they have not even approached the envelope of extreme. This vaunted territory is exclusively the domain of the family man. He alone lives life on the edge of what G. K. Chesterton called "the wildness of domesticity." The home, he says, "is the one wild place in the world of rules and set tasks."

French poet Charles Peguy describes the life of the family man the same way: "Family life is the most 'engaged' life in the world. There is only one adventurer in the world, as can be seen very clearly in the modern world: the father of a family. Even the most desperate adventurers are nothing compared with him. Everything in the modern world … is organized against that fool, that imprudent, daring fool … against the man who is daring enough to found a family."

Indeed. But what makes family life so adventurous? Well, the same thing that makes extreme sports so fun to do or watch. The possibility of failure is sky high-the reality that the whole pursuit could turn into tragedy.

Raising a family will give you a far greater rush than anything you see on these commercials. It is frightening work to develop and protect the little human beings entrusted to your care and nurturing. It is a challenge to grow a marriage, because you must hold yourself out, vulnerable and open before another person, day in and day out. The risk is great because you could really get hurt, or you could hurt others. But the payoff is great, like nothing else in life!

Family life is riddled with paradox. It is intoxicating, yet sobering. Confining, yet freeing. Demanding, yet rewarding. Fulfilling, yet depleting. Dangerous, yet safe. Unsettling, yet comforting.

I am a man fully engaged in the ultimate extreme sport, yet no other life could coax me from it. It is substantial and it is the pulse of being fully alive. It is the kind of adventure we were all created for.

(Glenn Stanton is a home-schooling father with five little ones age 7 and under.)

PS -Congratulations to this lovely couple on the newest addition to their family.

Reading

Interesting things I read today:

Blog post on Ben Affleck: thoughts on the Book of Matthew and Christianity

News articles:

Children have lost touch with the natural world

Diary of a Primary School Mum: 'School reports are not what they used to be'

Good reading

God's Plan -written by a friend

Meditation: Lighting Candles -soothing listening

On reading

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love to read.
Mum taught me to read from an early age & from 2 years old I was reading the King James Version of the Bible. At age 11 I was reading the daily paper & anything else I could get my hands on. My friends began hiding books when I was due for a visit as I would spend all my time reading instead of interacting with them. At age 12 I read the unabridged version of "Les Miserables" in several hours.

I have learnt to control my passion for reading yet every day I make time to read Christian writings and the news. Today I listened to some of the wittings of Virginia Brandt which were written in the 1900's, but could have been written today as there is more information available than ever before, I was convicted.

Usually I mean to just read the news headlines, but one story leads to another and so often I end up spending way too long reading trivial articles that mean little in the overall scheme of life. This is a good reminder that as a disciple of Jesus, this world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through.

Meditation Moments 61: "HEAVENLY CITIZENSHIP"

Some time ago I found myself one night paying a real price and sacrifice to sit up and hear through a late program. It was regarding one of our national crises, I think at that time it was in Africa.

I wanted to be well-informed, and more and more I found myself trying to keep up with as many phases of that situation in Africa, not realizing until this particular night that it was telling on me spiritually!

I was getting so entangled with the affairs of this world that it was taking the keen edge off my spiritual life! Though I wasn't doing anything worldly, except just trying to keep up with the news, to be well-informed so I could converse intelligently with other people.

But I found myself trying to keep up with so many phases of the mess this old world is in, and I couldn't do it without worrying and feeling almost in bitterness sometimes, and in some frustration because of the world condition! So it was on this particular night, of this late program, I just had it out with my soul.

I'm not saying anything against being well-informed! But with information that is needful and can be used for God's Glory, that's different! I want to be a good citizen and do all I can to help my country, but first of all, let's remember this passage, that our citizenship is in Heaven!

As the song says, "we're here on business for the King," and our real citizenship isn't here! You cannot be true to that Heavenly Citizenship and have so much time absorbed with the affairs of this world, even with the present world crises!

If we really believe our citizenship is in Heaven we'll not become so attached to this world, nor absorbed in every little news about each tragic condition! Because its fears drive us to tension, its troubles cause us loss of time and sleep, and time that we could spend in prayer.

...

Men are not facing up to eternal facts with moral issue like they did, they have no sense of values, their comparisons of values are forgotten today! I don't know just how to express it the way I long to, but eternal things call so earnestly today because the Lord is needing every soldier, and that soldier cannot entangle himself in the things of this world.