Learning, Teaching, Growing in Faith

Fusing myself

2009-04-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I am going to fuse my blogs into one and post solely on the Just Call Me Woman Blog. Please come join me there. You may have to search a little more for the specific information that you are looking for, but I will be able to post more often.

Confirmation

2009-03-31T20:15:00.001-07:00

This week is a big week for my DD. She will be confirmed at our church. For the past six months or so, she has been taking classes with the minister and several other kids her age. This was especially important to her. Since we were moving, she asked our minister special permission to participate in confirmation a year early. Fortunately, he obliged. Interestingly, our house sat on the market for far longer than we expected and she will now finish and be confirmed less than two weeks before we move - - -God works in mysterious ways.

Children's Sermon - John the Baptist

2009-01-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

Did you all have a good Christmas? How many of you saw family? Had aunts, uncles, cousins in?
In the Bible we are introduced to Jesus’ cousin. . .does anyone know who that is? (Note: if you aren't giving this near a holiday, you could show them a genealogy chart and talk about members of your family and then segway to members of Jesus' family.)

That’s right John the Baptist.

We have two stories of Jesus and John the Baptist in the Bible. The first time they meet is actually before they are even born. Jesus’ mother, Mary, goes to stay with her cousin, Elizabeth, who is also pregnant.

"At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" (Luke 1: 39-45, NIV)

We do not hear about the two being together again until Jesus is a grown man and is being baptized. John had been preaching about the coming of Savior. He is telling people to repent for their sins and is performing baptisms.

As people began to wonder if he may be the Messiah or Savior, John the Baptist told them, “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mark 1: 7-8, NIV)

Finally, one day as he baptized people, his cousin came to him to baptized.
Can you imagine if Jesus came to you and asked you to pray with him, or teach him, or introduce him to your friends? How would you react?

Well, like you, John thought, I can’t do this, I can’t baptize the Savior and he said to Jesus, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me” (Matthew 3:14, NIV)

Jesus asked him to continue and to baptize him. And so in the river, Jesus walked. John baptized him and as he came up, “a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3: 16-17, NIV)

And with this action, the public ministry of Jesus that we read about in the New Testament began.

I will tell you a secret that there is more to the ministry of John the Baptist in the Bible. I would encourage you to read more when you go home today . . .as he also gives his life for Christianity.
Before I my words of prayer are said, I fold my hands and bow my head:

Dear God, There are many times in my life that I may feel insignificant and small. A minister or President or a great sportsman may seem so able. My part may seem lost or unneeded. Please help me know how important my life is in Your plan. That without a congregation a minister need not speak, without a country, a President need not lead, without a team, one great sportsman can do nothing. Remind me of John the Baptist and his calling to make the ways straight for the coming of Jesus.
Amen

Did you know there is Godtube?

2009-01-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

I found out like YouTube, TeacherTube, there is also Godtube.com. This is the number 1 video from 2008. I suggest that you get the tissues out.

Parable of the Ten Virgins - Children's Sermon

2008-12-31T12:28:00.000-08:00

How many of you are Cub or Boy Scouts? How many of you are Girl Scouts?

Who can tell me one thing that both programs have in common?

Who can tell me something that is different about them?

Well , I have a trivia question for you. Did you know that both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have the same motto? Does anyone know what it is?

That’s right, “Be Prepared”

What does it mean to “be prepared”?

My daughter loves to watch Survivor and we are always amazed by the number of contestants that don’t know how to build a fire or swim or some other crucial outdoor survival skill. The host, Jeff, even said in the reunion show that he is amazed how many contestants get caught off guard with fire starting skills. This year, this skill may have cost one of the contestants the win. Jeff asked them why they don’t practice these skills once they hear that they have been selected.

In the Bible, there is a story of 5 women who were not prepared. This story is told in Matthew 25: 1-13

1"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

9" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

12"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Remember, this story is a parable: a story, like a fable, with a hidden purpose or idea in it. Did you guys bring your thinking caps?

Ok, Question 1: This is a story about a wedding. But what do you think the wedding is supposed to be? What special place do you think these people are trying to go to? (Try to get one of the kids to say “heaven”)

You guys are very smart. If they are trying to get into heaven, who do you think the bridegroom is? (God or Jesus)

Why were some let into heaven and others not? (they were ready)

Ok, here is the biggie – How do we “prepare” for heaven? (Read the Bible, Pray, Go To church)

Doesn’t that make sense? Just like if you got invited to go on the next Survivor you would learn how to start a fire, swim, balance on a stick, when you are trying to join God in heaven, you would prepare by talking to him, learning about his ways, and by following those ways?

In this way, we are prepared. . .just like the scouts and just like the well-trained survivor contestants.

Before my words of prayer are said, I fold my hands and bow my head:

Dear God, Please help me prepare for the day that I enter heaven. Let me learn all that I can. Help me to be prepared for your call. Let your grace fill me and your love feed me. Amen.

A Good Question for the New Year

2008-12-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

Evangalize - Be a Witness to the Word

2008-12-26T14:02:00.000-08:00

According to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary, evangelism is defined as:
Pronunciation: \i-ˈvan-jə-ˌli-zəm\
Function: noun
Date: circa 1626

1 : the winning or revival of personal commitments to Christ
2 : militant or crusading zeal

Interestingly, the use of such a word in mainstream Christianity often brings thoughts of Tammy Faye Baker with her Eyelashes caked together

and the constant request for money from a televised mega-church. But evangelism is the call of all Christians; “go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19).

I was thinking about this command again the other day as I was watching the Duggars (the family with 18 children).

They are truly espousing the word of the Lord. They are not standing on a pulpit or “teaching” in any standard way that we think about it. Instead, they are just sharing their experience. In sharing, they are spreading the word. I thought this was a good example for all of us. We need not be ministers or deacons or Sunday School teachers (although it is certainly wonderful if you are), you can fulfill this commission by sharing your experience. You may never know who you reach or how or when the words that you speak will take root, but you have met the command if you speak the word.

“Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Matthew 13:9 (KJV)

“Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.” Isaiah 42:18 (KJV)

Being at Church Fully

2008-12-13T15:58:00.000-08:00

As our program at work finished up this weekend, I noticed that well before the speaker finished, several of the students were already standing, putting on their coats and placing up their chairs. This was especially painful since the students are becoming teachers and will soon face this same issue from the other side. I mentioned this to them in closing, somewhat scolding them for their behavior. This, however, is not the only time that I have seen such behavior: People already preparing for their next activity before they have completed the last.

Like many church services, our Sunday worship has a predictable structure. Prayers, readings, and hymns may change but they are always placed in the same place. Traditionally, just before the benediction, we sing "Go Ye Now in Peace". As we begin to sing, the rusling starts: coats are put on, handbags are put over shoulders, hymn books are put away. As I watch this behavior, I am often left wondering When did the clock out from church? How long have they been waitng to put their coat on?

Worship is about connecting with God. Can't we release teh outside world long enough to be fully present during worship? Wouln't it be interesting if there was a pause after worship while we absorbed the fullness of the service before we got our coats and left.

Proclaiming Your Faith Under Duress

2008-12-10T18:03:00.000-08:00

I was looking for information on Today in history to post some information on Homeschool with Heart when I found this little tidbit for today.

"In 1520, Martin Luther publicly burned the papal edict demanding that he recant, or face excommunication."

Can you imagine feeling so confident in your beliefs that you would face excommunication from the all powerful church? What do you believe? Have you ever taken the time to write it down? Have you ever reviewed your beliefs, thought about why you feel the way you do? Have you ever shared your thoughts with others?

As, we talked about in my DD's God & Life class this week, do people know that you are a Christian? Can they read it in your behavior? Do you stand as a visible witness to His Word? Have you inspired someone through your behavior and beliefs? We do not have to face excommunication like Martin Luther, nor do we need to found a new denomination, but we do have an obligation to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28 19-20 NIV) Have you followed this commission today? yesterday? everyday? Would you do so under pressure? Under the threat of excommunication, physical harm, death?

Christmas Cantata

2008-12-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

As Christmas comes closer, we begin to prepare for our Christmas celebrations. Our choir is performing Candles & Carols.

This is such a beautiful arrangement, I can't wait to perform it. It is made even more beautiful by the fact that the choir is joined by anyone in the congregation that would like to join us. If you want to hear small sections of this piece performed by a much more professional group than ours, check out this site and listen to the segments. Perhaps you may be inspired to sing it with your choir next Christmas.

The Living Word - The Parable of the Ten Virgins - Children's Sermon

2008-12-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

This week we had a guest minister who spoke of the parable of the bridegroom / Ten Virgins. This is another parable that appeared to go against what I thought of God’s love and forgiveness, but for some reason as I listened to it being read this week, I heard . . .I was looking at it backwards again. It was not about sharing or the lack thereof. It was about filling our life with God. It was about listening, learning, and growing our faith now, so that when the call is made, we will be ready. You cannot wait for the call and then decide to believe. You have to live a good and righteous life today, now, always and the door will be opened. You cannot wait until the call has been made to proclaim your love and dedication.

I thought about how you might teach children about this parable. Children understand getting prepared. They have slept over Grandma’s house or gone camping.

Props: sleeping bag, tooth brush, hair brush, change of clothes, pjs, pillow

Hello everybody. How are you today?

Today, we are going on a trip and we need to pack. If we really were going on a camping trip, what items might you bring with you? (as they mention the items that you have out, move them from one side to the other on stage)

What if I told you that we were going to go on a trip after Sunday School next week, when would you pack? How many would pack when you get home today? How many would pack during the week? Who would wait until the very last minute and would be finished just in time to get in the car to head to church?

Now what if I did not tell you when we were going but told you that you needed to be ready whenever I came by. I may not come by today, this week, or even this year. Would you go home and pack right away? Would you keep your bag packed?

This is what Jesus is talking about in the parable of the Bridegroom. This can be found in Matthew 25: 1-13 :

1"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

9" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

12"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour".

Jesus is also talking about preparing about a journey, he is talking about preparing spiritually, not physically. He is speaking of the call to heaven. Are you ready? Have you packed?

What do you think Jesus wants us to pack in our heart?

When do you think he wants us to get ready? Should we be asking him to wait while we get our last few things together? Or should we have packed and been ready for whenever he may come?

You all are already packing to be ready for the call. You have come to church. You go to Sunday School. I’m sure you pray and are beginning to read your Bibles. When the call comes you will be ready and welcomed. The doors to the banquet will remain open for you.

Lets fold our hands and bow our head – Dear God, Thank you for the gift of your word. We continue to read it and to try to understand it. We will continue to fill our spiritual lamps and try to light the way for others. So that all may be ready for your call, so that we can all enter the banquet of heaven. AMEN

Advent - Preparing for the Coming

2008-11-28T06:17:00.000-08:00

Growing up Advent was not a part of our family’s Christmas celebration. But in my family, we have found Advent to be the cornerstone to our Christmas celebration. This decision has helped us to keep Jesus as the focus of the holiday and not the commercial secular holiday that many people complain about.

Advent, if you are not familiar with it, is literally “the coming”. It begins four weeks prior to Christmas. Each week in advent is focused around one ideal: Faith, hope, love, peace, and culminates with the birth of Christ.

Our church makes Advent the focus of each Sundays’ service. One family shares their holiday traditions with the congregation and then lights the Advent candle as we all sing the Advent Song. This tradition has helped our family keep Jesus as the center of our celebration. All of our energies are spent thinking about the coming.

Actually, our Advent starts in early November when we participate in Operation Christmas Child. Operation Christmas Child teaches us to focus on other’s needs as opposed to our own. But the traditional Advent begins this year on Sunday, November 30th and is the beginning of the church calendar.

If you are interested in celebrating advent with your family, you may want to get advent candles, plan readings, or use an advent calendar. Advent candles can be as simple as votive candles and calendars can be as unique as the Advent calendar sold by Lego.

Advent can be an interesting and unique as you wish to make it as long as you keep the focus on Jesus’ birth. One family I know adds hay straws in their cresh for each good deed that their children do with the anticipation of making a comfortable bed for Jesus while at the same time doing his work on earth.

Taking Back Sundays

2008-11-18T19:44:00.000-08:00

As a child, I remember lazy Sundays. They were lazy because there was nothing else to do – church, home, and lots of football. It wasn’t just my family, it was everyone’s. Sunday was a day apart from the rest of the week. Nothing happened on Sunday. There was nowhere to go on Sunday. Sundays were long and luxurious.

Then things changed. I think we thought it was a good idea to repeal the Blue Laws. They were annoying. You couldn’t go to the market on Sunday. The pharmacy wasn’t open on Sunday. Monday through Saturday had gotten so busy. It seemed only practical to add another day of business to get all of it done. We wondered why were adhering to some silly old Puritanical laws anyway. Some in the state weren’t even Christian, why should they “remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”. Sunday had potential. It was an unused resource.

At first it was kind of exciting, being able to transact business on Sunday. Suddenly there was more time to get things done. You didn’t have to get everything done Monday through Saturday, because now there was Sunday. Sunday soon became just another day for many of us. Sure it was part of the weekend, but you could now fill it in with kids’ sports games, grocery shopping, picking up birthday presents. . . Down time was a thing of the past.

In that change, we began and / or amplified a much larger change. Sunday family dinners became a relic of the past. Big dinners are now relegated to holidays and the occasional birthday. Sunday services at church started to become optional. If you could fit it into your busy schedule, you might go. There were now better things to do on Sunday; chores to be done or perhaps working yourself at the market, department store, or pharmacy.

Sunday no longer was a day of respite and rejuvenation. We were now fully plugged into the 24/7 society. These days, I have even found that you can bank on Sunday (What happened to good old banker’s hours?).

I ask is 24/6 ok? Can we turn back the clock and take back Sundays? We still have some vestiges of the Blue Laws i.e. no alcohol sales and no mail on Sundays, but there is even talk of changing those. Before we do, we better think not of what we are getting (the ability to get mail on Sundays or buy beer that you forgot to get the rest of the week), but what are we losing.

Sundays are days of family, fellowship, respite. For many, it is a day of prayer. Sunday should not just be another day in our hectic lives but a day to celebrate all that we have, a day to come back together with family, a day of peace in an otherwise crazy world. And if we disserve that, so to do the people working at the pharmacy, the market, and the department store. Let’s rebuild the family by giving it time to be together. Let’s regain our sanity by giving ourselves a little vacation every week. Let’s take back Sundays – for our community, for our families, for ourselves.

Perhaps we could all reply as my friend Lisa does when clients ask to meet her on Sunday, “I’m sorry. I reserve Sundays for my family.”

Dedication Sunday for Operation Christmas Child - Children's Sermon

2008-11-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

Please join me today in praying over the 1,000's of shoeboxes that are being sent around the world in the name of Jesus Christ.

I will be giving the children's sermon today for the dedication. If you are interested, here is what I will be saying:

Welcome. I am so happy to see you all again. I want to read a story to you today based on Luke18:35-43. It is about a blind man who gets his sight back

“35As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."

38He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

39Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

40Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41"What do you want me to do for you?"

"Lord, I want to see," he replied.

42Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." 43Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.”

How many of you think that this was a miracle?
How many think that God has worked through you to achieve a similar miracle?

Well, today you are in the process of making a miracle. You are about to make, not one blind man see, but many people see. I believe that many of you brought in items for Operation Christmas Child and almost all of you made notes or pictures to pack with our boxes. Today we are going to bless them and send them on their way.

You are probably saying that is not a miracle. We can’t make someone see with a Christmas present. But I am here to tell you that you are part of God’s miracle and indeed you are opening eyes.

If there was a solid wood wall with a door between you and I, would you be able to see me? If then I opened the door, could you see me then? Doesn’t that mean that you couldn’t see me, but now you can? It is kind of like be blind but then having site.

These boxes that we are shipping all over the world are going to people that may know nothing about Jesus Christ or God. They can’t see him. They’ve never been introduced to Him. It is as if no one has opened the door to let him in, but now you are. You are opening the door and introducing these children to God. You are opening their eyes. You are letting them see God for the very first time. You are creating a miracle.

I want to thank all of you that brought in items, all of you that wrote notes, all of you that will help me after coffee hour wrap our boxes. Because of your efforts, we will be sending at least 20 boxes with the word of God. With your help now, I would like to add the most important ingredient to those boxes:

Before my words of prayer are said, I fold my hands and bow my head:

Dear God: Thank you for working through us to create a miracle. We pray that these boxes travel safely around the world and find just the right hands that you mean to receive each box. We pray that that child might receive the gift of your word and open their heart to all the wonders of Your love. We pray that you comfort them in their pain, support them in their troubles, and that through You they may find Everlasting Life and Love.
Amen

Amazing Grace - Il Divo

2008-11-16T05:46:00.000-08:00

Sometimes nothing else need be said:

I think I will be stopping to pick up this CD.

Scouting Religious Awards

2008-11-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

Do you know about the God and Me Program? PRAY publications puts out a curriculum for scouts and other youth organizations to earn their religious awards. In the Protestant faith, there are four levels: God and Me, God and Family, God and Church, and God and Community. Participants range from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Adults can particpate as councelors or can take their own faith journey as an adult mentor. The length of the programs depend on the ages.

We ran this program 4 or 5 years ago under the auspices of the Board of Christian Education and DH is running it again as part of his Wood Badge for Scouts. Ideally, children would participate at all four levels so they receive the most complete overview of their religion. Our children will be participating for the second time. DD at the God and Community level and DS, at the God and Church level.

Although this program can be time consuming, I have found it very useful in assisting children along their faith journey. Your minister has to oversee the program, but does not have to run or teach it. I encourage you all to look into it and see if it is a program that you may wish to offer at your church. There are actually religious awards in both Girl and Boy Scouts for almost every conceivable faith, PRAY only covers a portion of what is available. Check with your local councils for more information.

Be Inspired by Jesus' Ministry

2008-11-13T15:20:00.001-08:00

Did you know that Jesus' ministry was between 2-4 years long (depending on scholarly opinions & interpretation). I have to admit that I did not. I had never really thought about it and certainly had never timed it out. I always assumed that it was much longer than that. Take a minute to think about that, Jesus' ministry - 2-4 years.

For me, this idea has huge implication: Two to four years of Jesus' life have reverberated and impacted people for more than 2,000 years around this entire earth. While clearly none of us are the Messiah, we are God's wonderous creations. What can we accomplish if we devote ourselves to a cause? What impact may we have?

This idea of micro & macro effect struck me. Jesus, one man in a very small area of our vast world, preached for a relatively short time and he changed the world. What seed did God plant in your heart? What gifts? How can your actions inspire others?

2 years, 2,000 years ago changed the world
What can you do with 1 hour a month?
a week?
a day?

Man Arrested for Stealing Communion Wafers

2008-11-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

Last night, I saw the most disturbing news story on the news. It was reported that a man in Florida was arrested for stealing communion wafers in a church. He was actually physically held down by parishioners until the authorities came.

I guess I may have a warped view of this, as I have thought it before when I have heard about church robberies, so forgive me for spouting, but I figure that if someone has the gaul to come into a sanctuary and take something that they know is for the worship of God then perhaps they need it more than the church does. Specifically I think to several scriptures:

Matthew 12: 1-8

"1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."
3He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,'you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." (NIV)

1 Samuel 21

1 David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?"
2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, "The king charged me with a certain matter and said to me, 'No one is to know anything about your mission and your instructions.' As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find."
4 But the priest answered David, "I don't have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women."
5 David replied, "Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men's things are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!" 6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the LORD and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away. (NIV)

Matthew 25: 31-46
31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (KJV)

I am sure that I could go on and on, but you get the point. I am also sure that there is more to this story than the briefing in the news, but if a man has to steal wafers, should we not hand him the whole bowl?

Parable of the Mustard Seed and Leaven Lesson Plan

2008-11-07T07:49:00.000-08:00

Grade: 3-5

Pray: Dear God, Thank you for bringing us all together today to study Your Word. As we read, let our mind and hearts be open to hear. Amen

Activity: Create dough for bread using yeast. Leave some yeast in warm water with sugar aside to view shortly. Put some prepared dough in the oven to cook and enjoy later in the lesson.

Find: Matthew 13:31

Read: Matthew 13:31-33 (NIV version below)

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
"31He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."
33He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Discuss: Show the students a mustard seed & a picture of a mustard plant.
Discuss what this comparison might imply?

Look at yeast mixture and the dough that you put aside. What has happened? What might Jesus be saying about heaven?

Explain and Create: Review the idea of a simile (comparisons using the words like or as). Have students make a few silly similes. Then reorder and brainstorm a list of similes about heaven. Record on large sheet or chalkboard.

(Extra activity if time: Have students illustrate one simile and post around room)

Discuss -why do you think Jesus spoke in parables. (Fulfilling prophecy, illustrative ideas to help people understand difficult concepts, intrigue people into asking more questions)

Enjoy fresh baked bread.

Close with Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for feeding us today both in Your word and with substance. Watch over each of us this week as we return to our daily lives. AMEN

Homework: Have students look through New Testament to find another parable that they can share with class next time.

Having Faith to Walk Across Water

2008-11-06T04:51:00.000-08:00

“Time Warp”on discovery Channel reviewd the physical elements of oobleck, technically a non-newtonian liquid. It was cool to watch as they made an entire cement mixer of the substance. They batted it with a bat, rolled a blowling ball on it, and then walked on water. As I watched I thought of Jesus and Peter. Jesus walked across the water with ease and then Peter sunk. “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:31KJV)

Here too on the oobleck, if you did not keep the faith and the action, you would sink into the muck. Maybe the lake was a large non-Newtonian material to which Jesus knew the secret. Others could have followed if they believed with their heart and not their head. But even one moment of hesitation would cause you to sink.

Obviously I don’t believe that Jesus walked across a sea of oobleck, but even if they found a scientific explination would it lessen the impact of the lesson. Would the need for faith be any less?

This video is not the Time Warp version, I could not find it to share with you, but it is the same idea. You can also find a similar version from Mythbusters.

If you are interested in making oobleck with your children and studying its properties, check out this

Be Careful Where You Sit in Church

2008-11-02T15:05:00.001-08:00

If you are not careful where you sit in church, you may get drafted into doing things that you don’t expect. Of course, I’m sure that most people will not sit less than 4 ft from their minister during a service, but in our church that is where the choir sits. I sit in the closest seat toward him as I am the tallest soprano. As we are taking communion this morning, suddenly I am being handed the tops to the bread baskets. He whispers, “Please put these somewhere” and then as the offertory comes in, I can see that there is no where to put that either. Communion is spread across the table. I again help out. However, trying to take the plates from him is easier said than done, as his fingers were getting caught between the plates. We did manage though.

Last week, we had a comical go round within the choir about when we should begin our recess. Usually we recess on the last verse of the last hymn, but one of the tenors always signals the number at the beginning of the hymn. The particular hymn last week was short and only had three verses. Murray coded two to which one of the other sopranos coded back three. He coded back three in confirmation / realization of the error to which the minister caught funny, coded “5”. This led to a flurry of hidden finger signals which ended with a very stern three signal. Then all I could think of was 3.1459 . . . which I thought would be a unique place to stop. Of course, I’m not sure how I would have signaled this, but it had me giggling inside all the way through the recession.

So as you choose your seat next week, you better choose wisely ; ) You never know what may be in store.

Apologetic - What do you believe? Why?

2008-10-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

DD is working on her faith paper for Confirmation class. Our minister asks the students to write a paper to explain why they are part of our church and part of the confirmation class. He explained to all of us that he has them do this in the style of the Apologetics. Confirmation is the time for the students to decide their religious fate. Their parents can make them attend confirmation classes, but we cannot force them to be confirmed. We can dole out bribes or punishments, but the choice is ultimately the students both if they choose to join the church and to which denomination they choose to join. This faith paper is just one step toward making some of these decisions.

"Apologists are authors, writers, editors of scientific logs or academic journals, and leaders known for taking on the points in arguments, conflicts or positions that are either placed under popular scrutinies or viewed under persecutory examinations. The term comes from the Greek word apologia (απολογία), meaning a speaking in defense.
The term Apologist applies especially to early Christian writers (c 120-220) who took on the task of recommending their faith to outsiders." (definition from Wikpedia)

I thought that this was a great idea not just for her but all of to do. Why do we believe? What do we believe? I think that I may do this activity myself and read some other appologetics.

Have any of you written such a statement? Perhaps you could add a tag for us to read your statement.

Devotional - God's Gifts

2008-10-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

Read Romans 12: 1-8

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
-Romans 8:28 (KJV)

As with many women these days, my days can be crazy - - -between work and the kids, there hardly seems any time. Yet, somehow I find a way to work in volunteerism, book clubs, and homeschooling our children. Although to outsiders, it looks like I am always organized and prepared, inside I’m terrified that I have forgotten something or wondering what I will do if something goes wrong. On one of these particular days, I was particularly harried I ran into my minister. He simply said, “You know, Dawn, Romans 8:28 that is what I always say.” I think the blank stare in my eyes told him that I did not understand the reference. “All things work together for good to those who love God,”(NKJV) he winked and walked away. Immediately I felt better. He was right. I was working for God. I had done all that I could to prepare. It was in God’s hands. I could relax.
“Romans 8:28” is now my mantra whenever I feel unsure or overwhelmed. It even has become a bit of a reassuring chuckle, when as I make brownies for coffee hour, I have just enough flour or when someone comes to volunteer when I haven’t even voiced my need. I have even reminder our minister of this scripture when I’ve seen our minister a bit harried or overwhelmed.

Prayer: Dear God, Help us to find our Godly gifts so that we can better serve you. Help us to improve those gifts so that we show your glory throughout our church, community, and the world. Remind us that that when we do Your work, You stand beside us and carry us when needed. Amen

Thought for the Day
How can you use God’s gifts today?

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fish except with apples and pasta

2008-10-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

This morning I was trying to figure out what to make for breakfast. We are out of milk so choices were a little limited. I opted to make Apple Oatmeal Muffins as we have a bag of apples that was given to us after helping out at the crop walk (note: I know it takes milk, fortunately dry milk saves practically forever). As I was cooking away, it dawned on me that in the past two week’s several of our meal had come by the grace of God. I’m sure like many of you out there; we are starting to feel a pinch in this economic time and have been downscaling and being careful. One of the few discretionary expenses is food. The question becomes how far can you stretch a dollar.

Lately, especially after my car died this week, I have been feeling very depressed about the situation. I’ll be honest. I was losing hope. This morning though as I was stirring the muffin mix I realized that I was in the middle of my own loaves and fishes story. In the past week and a half or so, God had truly provided. Whenever we have done something for others or for the church, we have been rewarded. DH helped a friend at a Spaghetti dinner. He came home with extra ziti, sauce, apple cider, bread, and parmesan cheese. DH helped with our church auction, he and the kids were fed and we received a very helpful gift which allowed he and DS to get breakfast and lunch. We all partook in the Church pot luck for which DH made Chili using some of the meat sauce that we got from the spaghetti dinner. Then as I said from the crop walk DD and I received a bag of apples which have now served us apple crisp and now apple oatmeal muffins. Thanks be to God.

Sometimes you just need a reality check. As I worry, in my warm house with tv and internet, there are so many in worse shape. I could be serving my children mud pies like in Haiti to quell their hunger.

God, Thank you for all that you provide for me and my family. I am truly grateful. I am sorry for those times that I seem like an ungrateful, selfish child. Please forgive me. Thank you for reminding me of your presence today when I needed it. Please show my family how we can best use our talents to help in your service.
Amen

Children's Sermon - Reformation Sunday

2008-10-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you that are protestant, you know what an important day today is. It is Reformation Sunday: the day to celebrate the posting of Martin Luther’s questions of the church. This reform eventually produced the Protestant religion. The actual date was October 31st, but it is celebrated in the church today.

It was my day to give the children’s sermon so I opted for this topic. It wasn’t biblical per se, but definitively historical to our religion. I wasn’t sure if the subject matter would go too far over the kids’ heads, but it went off very well. One of the kids even came up with the invention of the printing press to one of my questions.

I was so nervous and this weekend had not been going well. I even joked with the other choir members that if I seemed to get lost in thought that they should break into “Jesus Loves Me” to save me. And just before I went down to the give the meditation, I actually gave a quiet prayer asking God to help me through and getting his message across.

The general mediation went basically like this:
Welcome everyone. How are you today? Today we are celebrating a very special day in the Protestant religion. Way back on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther began the reformation. Some of you may have heard that word earlier when mentioned that today was “Reformation Sunday”.
Sometimes when you are part of the church there are words or terms that go over your head. Today, I am going to try to let you know what this special day is about. The reformation was started by Martin Luther (Not Martin Luther King Jr. that many of you may be familiar with, but Martin Luther). Martin Luther actually set out to ask some questions about the Holy Roman Catholic church. He did not set out to beginning a new church, but just to reform the Catholic Church. Reform – thus we call “Reformation”. He began a protest that became our protestant church.

Interestingly, part of what happened Marin Luther never intended. Have you ever done something that you haven’t thought something all the way through. For example, if I had a pile of books next to me and asked one of the kids to take out the bottom one. If he pulled the bottom one out, what would happen? (the books would fall over) This is kind of what happened to Martin Luther. He was troubled by some of the things going on in the church and so he got his quill out and wrote down 100 questions and thoughts which he posted out on the door to be discussed. But there was a little invention that had just come out. Does anyone know what that might be? (the printing press)

Exactly, very good. So the note that Martin Luther had posted on the door was taken down and copied. Copies spread throughout the town, Germany, and even to other parts of Europe. The for a series of political, social, and religious reasons, a protest was begun: A protest that would lead to the reform of the church and the founding of the church.

And one of the important parts of our church is the questioning and learning. That is why our minister is Dr. Reverend so that he can help us learn and understand. So keep questioning and keep learning and this Friday take a few minutes to say thank you to God for the special man, Martin Luther.

Before my words of prayer our said, I fold my hands and bow my head.

Dear God,
We have so much to be thankful for. Specifically, we thank you for Martin Luther. We thank you for giving him the insight and courage to begin the reformation that led to the Protestant church.
Amen

Sing Unto the Lord

2008-10-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

“Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, even I, will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel." - Judges 5:3 (KJV)

"Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!" -1 Chronicles 16:9 (KJV)

"Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.' - Psalm 9:11 (KJV)

Singing was one of my favorite things as a teenager, but just as many other activities and interests; it had gotten pushed aside by the responsibilities of work and family. I could, however, be heard singing song in the shower or as I did my chores. DD picked up on this and started to encourage me to join the choir at church, which I finally did last year.

I hate to report that my range has diminished and I’ve forgotten so much about technique it is truly sad., but it feels so good to sing in church. There are times I actually get the chills (and that’s not just when I hit some horrible dissonant note).. Singing and making a joyful noise makes me think of the way some worshippers transcend space and time and feel one with the spirit. While I am not quite at that point, it is a spiritual experience.

So I encourage all of you, no matter your voice or talent to make a regular joyful noise unto the Lord. It will add another dimension to your worship.

Devotional - Let All Blessings Flow

2008-10-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

Read Psalm 100

“And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessings.”
-Ezekiel 35:26 (KJV)

I had hit a dark time. It seemed that I could not escape a sadness that had taken over. I had spent so much of the past months helping with my mother’s care that when she died, I did not know how to go back to my “regular” life. Everything became a chore – something to get done so that I could get to the next thing. I knew I didn’t like being this way, but I could not seem to break the gloom. I decided that I needed to change my perspective, to start seeing God’s blessings again. I started to literally count my blessings. Each night before I went to bed, I listed at least five blessings that had occurred in my day. At first it seemed hard. One and two usually came quickly, but I really had to think of three, four, and five. But then as I continued, I could almost feel the Holy Spirit fill me. He hadn’t left me before. He had carried me or I most surely would have collapsed, but now He took a new role. As I asked for Him to fill me up, he did. As I took one step forward, He took two toward me. It wasn’t long until I could not only list 5 blessings a day, but could often fill full pages. God’s blessings were simple things like the flutter of a butterfly. They were concrete like cuddling with my children. They were spiritual like the feeling when singing hymns in church. I was awake again and in God’s light. It had always been there, but now I could see it.

Prayer: Dear God, You are always with us in dark days and joyous. Thank you for always being there. Please help me to continue to see the many blessings that you pour onto us. Amen

Thought for the Day:
Blessings are all around us, if we would just stop to look.

Mission Monday - Knit One, Save One

2008-10-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a terrific opportunity to help the world with a small action. Knit One, Save One is run by Save the Children. The program is requesting us to knit or crochet hats for infants (plans are in their booklet) and to send a note to our new President to make sure that he knows infant health care is our priority and should be his. I encourage all of us to participate in this program. I think DD and I will try to crochet at least one hat. I hope that you will too.

Book Club - The Year of Living Biblically

2008-10-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

A.J. Jacobs is insane. Trying to live a year following the all the rules in the Bible literally, is the definition of ab absurdum. His wife Julie deserves all of our respect. She not only endured this year but did it while carrying twins. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed his experience from the safe distance of my couch.

I was intrigued by this book, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possibly, as soon as I heard about it. It seemed like an interesting way to learn more about religion and to hear another opinion about God’s word without having to endure the slog through another dry read. This book is witty, insightful, and a joy to read. There were some areas that I wish he developed more, but he does a good job covering a huge range of Biblical topics from the wearing of tassels to snake handling.

I would not recommend this book to people who believe that the Bible IS the word of God as they will call it heretical and dismiss it outright, but for those who believe that it contains the word of God, this is a worthwhile read. This book will make you consider areas of the Bible that you had not before. It may give you insight as to why the Bible calls us to do things that we don’t fully understand.

As for A.J., a self-proclaimed agnostic, it is interesting to read his own personal transformation: from purposeful prayer to inspired prayer; from A.J. to Jacob and back to A.J.?; from Jewish by genealogy to Jewish by life choice. One of my favorite scenes was his time locked in his bathroom – did the handle fall off or perhaps a greater hand in his lesson? A.J.’s voice is friendly and interesting and though most of us probably would have given him wide berth in his white un-mixed fiber costume, you will want to continue to hear from him. In fact, I plan to try to get his other book The Know It All out of the library today.

,

(Oh wait - I have to read Suite Francaise for the Book Club - see how this becomes a problem?)

Bible Study - Jesus birth through baptism

2008-10-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned, in Bible study we are reading “A Harmony of the Gospels” by Ralph Heim, which is a parallel way of looking at the gospels. Each gospel is lined up so that you can see what they have in common and what they don’t. For this week’s assignment we read the first section (basically, the birth of Jesus through his baptism and temptation by the devil).

The most interesting part is the volume of words. The book of John is mute. There is no writing in this section at all. Mark is second, keeping his words to a minimum. Mathew and Luke however have a great deal to say.

It is also interesting to note the phrasings that are identical between some of the books: John the Baptist “making the path straight”; John saying “After me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry”, and they all seem to concur that the heavens were opened and a dove came down (although there seems to be some semantic disagreement about who / what the dove is) along with a voice that was heard saying, “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased”. They also all seem to agree that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Luke and Matthew give much more detail to this, while Mark’s explanation is rather brief.

I also found differences as interesting as similarities. For example, neither Mark nor John speaks of Jesus’ lineage in this section; however, Matthew and Luke do. Interestingly too, differences arise. One, the lineages don’t match until both reach King David. Two, it is interesting that Matthew only extends the line back to Abraham while Luke finds importance in extending the line back to Adam and therefore God. Of course I find it rather interesting that this paternal genealogy is so pertinent when just a few verses later they make a point that Joseph is not the father of Jesus, but that Jesus is God’s son and he has no earthly father.

I look forward to a lively conversation on this section and can barely wait to read on and see what else I notice due to the different format. How I wish I knew and understood more. I will pray for God to continue to direct my learning and understanding of this miraculous book, the Bible.

If you read the Gospels in parallel form, I would love to hear about some of your insights.

Mission Mondays - The Hunger Site

2008-10-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Apparently, I should not have called this post Mission Mondays because I don't seem to make the posts on Mondays and when I find something I want to share, I don't want to wait.

Another way to help without spending a penny. It costs you just the time it takes you to go to this site and click. While you are there check out their other click to help sites.

Devotional - God Endures

2008-10-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Read Peter 1: 23-25

“And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Isaiah 58:11 (KJV)

When we bought our new house, we were so excited to have land of our own that we could plant and till. Due to the costs of actually buying the house, we had little extra to expend on purchasing more, but yardwork could easily be done with little expense. We were often out raking and planting. I took advantage of the many perennials that were already in the yard, splitting them and moving them to new areas. During this time, we came across many interesting things: more golf balls than could fill three coffee cans, old rusted tools still stuck in the soil, two stones that had etched in them Mom and Dad, an old wooden swing discarded in the woods. We could only guess where these things were from and why they were left here.
Inside, however, sat our Bible, a book filled with stories thousands of years old and a word that is just as true today as the day it was first written: A simple, but visible reminder of the fleetingness of this life and a promise of the everlasting life to come. A reminder of where our focus should be as we set about making our new home. Paint would make the house look pretty. Flowers would bring a sweet aroma. But without the foundation of our family in the Good Book, all our work would be for naught.

Prayer: Dear God, It is so easy to dream of more: to always wish for newer cars, bigger houses, and fancier clothes. Please forgive us for these earthly desires and remind us where the true treasure lies. Amen

Thought for the Day:
Center your life around God.

Confession Time

2008-10-12T20:16:00.001-07:00

I did not go to church today. I have not missed in quite a while and today, there really was no excuse. My stomach was bothering me, but I’m sure I could have made it through. DH and DS were camping, but DD and I could have gone. I feel guilty for the choice not to go. We used to skip all the time. We didn’t really even go to church between the time we got married and the time we had children, but now it has become a very central part of our lives. This week though, I skipped. It was a pretty selfish choice and today hasn’t seemed right since. If I could rewind, I would get my lazy but out of bed this morning and get to church on time.

How important do you think going to church is to your faith?

mission Monday - HELO, Inc

2008-10-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

At our Girl Scouts meeting last night, one of the girls invited Elisabeth Kennedy to speak to our girls about her mission. The girls have been working on their Global Girls interest project and have been learning about many of the issues that affect women and children around the world. After doing several other activities, the girls created a display about women and children's at our local library. This reminded one of the girls about a speaker that she had heard and so she asked if we would be interested in having her speak to us, thus last night Elisabeth spoke to us about her experiences. After 9/11, Elisabeth began her trips to Haiti. She was so touched and tortured by what she found, she has committed herself to making a change. Through a series of unexpected events and a bit of grace, last year she opened an orphanage in les Cayes, Haiti. Her orphanage currently cares for 13 children, who without her intervention would be left to their own devices and possibly not survive. Her orphanage brings hope and opportunity to these children and hopefully many more to come. She named her program HELO, Inc. HELO stands for Home, Education, Love, and Opportunity. Elisabeth says that she has learned to take small steps but in the course of a year, she has already rented a house for the children, hired caretaker, and begun the kid’s education, but her dreams are larger. She would like to care for my children. She would like to own a campus where a church, school, and home can all be developed for the children. It is important to her that the children have a skill that can carry them on after they leave the care of the Centre Fe Formation Juvenil Bethestda.

We can help in this mission by:
-Becoming more educated about the situation in Haiti and educating others.
-Praying for this mission.
-Donating money (If you are interested in this option, HELO is a non-profit agency. The address for donations is HELO, Inc, 43 Lake Shore Dr., Middlefield, CT 06455. If you would like to specify usage for your money, please choose one of the following categories: Shelter, Food, Education, School Supplies, Clothing, Building Fund, or you can sponsor an individual child for $75 per month. Include your name and address so that a receipt can be returned to you).

The entire meeting left me thinking of the amazing power of One. Elisabeth had felt the calling and she acted. It is quite an amazing story.

PS. I know that it is not Monday, but this infomation couldn't wait.

New Sunday School Ideas

2008-10-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

We did the Operation Christmas Child all church activity today. It was a little chaotic and I missed the beginning of church because I was setting up, but 45 minutes into the program all the kids were seated and still working on their respective projects. I figured this alone made the program a success. Afterward, the superintendent of the Sunday School, myself, and a mutual friend were talking. We started by talking about the fact that Bible Quest has ceased publication and now the Board of Christian Education has to find a new curriculum, but we digressed to a discussion of the number of students. We didn’t have 60 students in the program today. This is down from registration in previous years of up over 100 – not a good sign. Our conversation developed into a conversation about how important is was to keep a strong Sunday School. It is easy to say that our numbers are down, the economy is tight, perhaps we should scrimp, but I think that if we scrimp we will loose the battle. Loose the children: Loose the parents.

So, does anyone have any good Sunday School Curriculum that they can recommend (we are a Congregationalist / Methodist church)? Or any innovation Sunday School ideas that we might incorporate to spice up the Sunday School?

Operation Christmas Child - All Sunday School Program - Final Plan

2008-10-05T20:26:00.001-07:00

Whole Group –
Prayer:

Dear God:
Thank you for bringing us all here today.
Please assist us as we undertake Operation Christmas Child again this year.
You have given to us and we understand our obligation to give to others.
We look forward to passing on our blessings like clothes, toys, and school supplies, but most importantly passing on your love and your word.
Please be with us as we fill our shoeboxes and shower your love on those who receive them.
Amen

We have participated in Operation Christmas Child for several years now. Can anyone explain about this project to someone who is new?

Here is a quick quiz for everyone:
How many different countries received gifts through Operation Christmas Child in 2007? 10, 50, or 100
How many shoe boxes were sent in 2007? 700,000; 1,000,000; 7.6 million

The journey of these boxes is very much like the delivery of gifts many years ago. Can anyone think of gifts that were delivered a long time ago?

You know, I think those bearers of gifts are here today (in walk three kings).
King 1: We are the three Kings
King 2: We have traveled a long way to worship the king of the kings.
King 3: We come bearing gifts.
King 1: I have gold fit for a king.
King 2: I have frankincense for a priest.
King 3: I have myrrh to symbolize that his death will be as important as his birth.

(kings will stand frozen while the scripture is read)

Matthew 2:1-12 (New International Version)
The Visit of the Magi
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magifrom the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"
7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Today we are going to begin thinking about our gifts. Gifts that will not be going to Jesus, but instead going in his name. From now until November 9th, we ask that you bring donations for us to fill shoeboxes. I will pass out fliers with information to each of you, but don’t feel that you have to put together a whole box yourself. If you bring in items we will combine them into boxes from all of us. To that end, we are going to begin our journey today with a few fun activities. I’m going to break you up into three groups pre-K -2nd; 3-5; 6-8.

Break kids into smaller groups as described below:

Group 1: PRE-K to 2nd (four older children to facilitate)
Create the star that the Magi saw – Have star cutouts available. Let kids use glue and glitter to decorate. Let the kids know that they should take this star home to remind them to bring their gifts in, just like the Wise Men did when they saw the star.
Take picture of group.
Have kids decorate Gingerbread Cookies to serve at coffee hour. Explain to them that this is how we are going to let the adults know that we are kicking off Operation Christmas Child.

Group 2: 3 to 5(Two older kids)
Take picture of group.
Brainstorm and write down ideas on a board about what God expects of us and why we do missions. After several ideas are written down, ask kids how do these ideas fit into how they behave and act. Do they need to change to better reflect these ideas?
Decorate wrapping paper. Explain that we would like to wrap the gifts with their love. Ask them to use symbols of God and Christmas to decorate the paper.
When they are done, fill in “about me” paper.

Group 3: 6-8 (2 adult)
Explain that part of the mission of these boxes is to convert people to Christianity. Many of the people that get these boxes may never have heard about God’s love. This box may be their first contact with God.

Ask them to write a letter / note to the recipients about how Jesus & God has affected their lives and why they should received God into their lives.
Challenge them to think about how we could expand this program to include our community.
Give them materials to create posters for town wide collection or pen and paper for a letter to the editor.

Dismiss as needed.

If extra time, come back together as group and do Pass the Prayer Parcel(copied from http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/files/file/OCCCelebrationGuide.pdf ).
Hand out boxes to groups. Explain that, in the manner of ‘Pass the Parcel’, you will play some music during which each small group passes the box round. When the music stops, the person holding the box takes out a slip of paper containing a prayer and reads it out. When the room goes quiet, start the music again and continue.

[Picture: Exercise booksandpens]
God, our maker,
Everyone needs to learn.
We pray that our gifts will help children to
enjoy learning at school.

[Picture: Woollyhat]
God, our maker,
Everyone needs clothes.
We pray that our gifts will help children to
keep warm, day and night.

[Picture: Toothbrush]
God, our maker,
Everyone needs to keep clean,
We pray that our gifts will help children to
enjoy looking after themselves.

[Picture: Teddybear]
God, our maker,
Everyone needs to be loved.
We pray that our gifts will help children to
know that someone cares for them.

When you think everyone is finished, bring the music to an end and conclude with the following prayer:

Leader: God, our maker,
we are all your children,
and we all need your help.
We thank you for giving us Jesus,
because he shows us
how much you want to help us in our lives.
Amen
(copied from http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/files/file/OCCCelebrationGuide.pdf )

Incredible Church Photography

2008-10-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

In researching the development of churches for the confirmation class I can by these beautiful pictures by Paul Wainwright:

You have to visit this photographer's site, go visit the exhibition, or buy his upcoming book or prints. His photographs reminds us how special our meeting houses are. These are only two of the many, many on his site.

Bible Study Begins

2008-10-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of the new year of Bible Study. In the past we have worked through Karen Armstrong’s History of God & Our Religions. This year we are going to focus more on Christianity and are going to be working through A Harmony of the Gospels by Ralph D. Heim. It is a parallel gospel so that we can compare the similarities and differences in each book. As our minister noted, too often we blend similar stories into one and forget the differences. I look forward to really delving into the gospels.

In today’s conversation, I was intrigued by the idea of scripture. As we discussed the writing of the gospels we contemplated the audience to which the texts were written. At that time there was no New Testament, nor a consideration of one. While each may have known of the other’s writings, they were not originally intended to be together. When they were talking of scriptures, they were speaking of their religious scripture, i.e. the Old Testament. This may seem like a silly point but it really struck me as profound. It is hard to imagine that they originally saw themselves as a sect of Judaism and not as the beginning of a new religion called Christianity!

Confirmation into Our Church

2008-10-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

Well, DD has entered a new phase of life. She has begun confirmation classes at our church. Tonight, parents and children were required to attend. This is the beginning of 20 classes until Confirmation Sunday in April. As those of you who read DD’s entry on A Cup of Tea with Mom and Me, being confirmed at our church means a great deal to her.

The class started with a quiz:
1. In the Book of Genesis there are how many creation stories?
2. God asks Abraham to leave Ur and travel to what land?
3. Even before he had 12 sons God changes Jacob’s name to?
4. King David conquered what city and made it his capital?
5. King Solomon built the first one of these buildings?
6. The first five books of the Bible, also known as the Torah, are:
-Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Joshua, and Deuteronomy
-Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
-Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Judges and Deuteronomy
7. What two Sacraments are celebrated by Protestants
- Holy communion and Baptism
-Holy communion and Confirmation
-Holy Communion and Holy Orders

There is more but I will not bore you. They then made us compare our scores with our children.

Fortunately, I beat dd. Not all parents did.

Over the next 20 weeks, DD will have to write an apology, do research on an important religious figure, attend a retreat, read a book on the history of Christianity, and pass periodic quizzes. And worst of all, I have been tapped to teach next week’s class. DD is not too thrilled with this and I just hope that I can do it justice. I have to instruct ,with the help of one of the dad’s thank goodness, on the architecture of the church and on how our church works. When she has survived all this, she will be a full member of our church.

Book Club - Suite Francaise

2008-09-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

We have decided on a book Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. Barnes and Noble describes it as:

"Beginning in Paris on the eve of the Nazi occupation in 1940. Suite Française tells the remarkable story of men and women thrown together in circumstances beyond their control. As Parisians flee the city, human folly surfaces in every imaginable way: a wealthy mother searches for sweets in a town without food; a couple is terrified at the thought of losing their jobs, even as their world begins to fall apart. Moving on to a provincial village now occupied by German soldiers, the locals must learn to coexist with the enemy—in their town, their homes, even in their hearts.

When Irène Némirovsky began working on Suite Française, she was already a highly successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she died. For sixty-four years, this novel remained hidden and unknown."

A couple of women in the church have read it and recommended it. It certainly sounds interesting. If anyone wants to discuss it once I've read it, I'd love to. I have also reserved The Year of Living Biblically at the library. It just looks to good to pass up.

Church Book Club - November Reading

2008-09-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Has anyone read this book?

We left our book club last month without picking a new book and frankly I’m a little nervous about attendance. A couple people recommended books that other book clubs are doing, but I’m not sure that it is worthwhile doing books that other groups are currently doing. It may reduce the possibility of people coming. As we are a church group, I thought this book might bring up some very interesting conversations.

These are the other books that I was considering.

Let me know if you have any insight on any of these. I welcome your help.

All Church Activity - Kick Off Operation Christmas Child

2008-09-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

I have to do an all Sunday School activity next Sunday as we kick off our Operation Christmas Child Collection. I am thinking of trying to do a rotational system. The OCC facilitator’s package comes with a great DVD full of videos about the program, but we have watched the video every year. Usually I have all the kids come together, watch a section of the video and then do some sort of note making that we include in the boxes. Last year, we also took a picture of all the kids to include in the boxes too. The problem is that there are so many kids, I’m not sure that they all stay focused. This year I’m thinking of breaking them into four groups maybe pre-k –k, 1- 2, 3-5, 6-8 and then having four stations.

STATION ONE can watch the DVD – there are plenty of different levels so we can choose to watch sections appropriate to their age instead of boring the older children or being too advanced for the younger ones.

STATION TWO can create wrapping paper. Instead of buying wrapping paper, it might be a great idea to have the kids create the paper. I will have to check on prices of butcher paper. We can supply stamps, markers, and stickers to decorate the paper. Note to self: I will need a lot of extra hands in this station.

STATION THREE can create the note cards. The OCC site has a PDF note card that some of the younger kids can do, but I’ll have to think about what the older kids can do.

STATION FOUR - HMMM? Here I may need some assistance – Maybe we can do a verse memorization or a group prayer. Maybe a relay. Perhaps they could decorate some Christmas cookies to serve at coffee hour. I am really open to ideas.

I have a week and a half to get it all pulled together. If anyone else does Operation Christmas Child and does related activities with their Sunday school, I would love to hear about it. We aren’t doing the Children’s Sermon related to OCC until Dedication Sunday in November, so I have barely even begun to think about that.

Children's Sermon - You Mouth is Your Rudder

2008-09-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to see you all here today.

One of the last times that I talked to you, I mentioned that you should think and pray about scriptures. To show you that I was serious about this fact, I would like to show you one way that I do this. I read a devotional. I have found I really like the Upper Room Devotional, but there are all kinds of other devotionals: Devotionals for kids, for moms, for men, for teens, for girls. Devotionals usually have you read scripture and then have some commentary about it. Some devotionals include prayers, related scriptures or quotes, or sometimes even a game or comic. When I was reading mine the other day, September 24th actually, I thought of you all. The topic was “A Gentle Answer” and the reading was James 3:2-12.

First, I thought that the book of James may be one of the lesser known of the 66 books so you may find that interesting. Actually, I thought it might be interesting if you challenged your parents or older brothers and sisters tonight to list as many books of the Bible as they could and then you could check to see how close they were to 66.

Secondly, I thought this would be appropriate because it speaks to my comment about the Bible that although it is an old book, it relates to our life today. The Bible gives us direct instruction about how we are to live our lives. The particular reading for today relates to our mouths.

I assume you all have a mouth. How many of you have a brother or sister? How many of you have parents? Well, then this scripture speaks to you directly.

James 3:2-12 (New International Version)

“2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

Have you ever yelled at your brother or sister? Or gotten mad at your parents and said something mean? That is exactly what this scripture is about. If we say that we are trying to be Godly and therefore praise God, should we use the same mouth to be mean or hurtful. If we use our mouth to say prayers, should we use the same mouth to use bad words? When we use our tongue for evil or bad, we aim our entire life in that direction. If you want to do well, then speak well.

The devotional actually goes on to tells a story about a woman who was quite upset. She called to complain about service on her computer. She was really angry and ready to scream at whoever answered the phone, but when the woman answered the phone she was very pleasant, “Hello, how can I help you?” With a little of her thunder stole, she told her complaint to which the woman replied apologetically, “I am so sorry, we will be right over to take care of your problem.” By being nice to the complainer, everyone’s mood changed. Bad was made good.

So I encourage you to live as you believe and to let your tongue direct your body toward goodness.

Let me finally share with you from the devotional, the prayer for that day. Before my words of prayer are said, I fold my hands and bow my head.

“Father, help us to mirror the character of your son, Jesus, not only in good times but also when we are tired, frustrated, and upset. Amen”

A Prayer - - -

2008-09-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

I’m asking for a small prayer for a small child. Our friend’s daughter was placed in the hospital to help her fight off an infection. She has Cystic Fibrosis. I encourage you to go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s website to learn more about this disease. In the meantime, please send a prayer for a small child who is not sleeping her own bed tonight but in a hospital and for her parents and brother, who are watching over her.

Favorite Sermons?

2008-09-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend as I mentioned I did the Children’s Sermon again, due to the illness of the regular lady. I felt very badly about the situation since the regular woman is still not feeling well. I asked her sons how she was doing. The boys, who are adults, both have special needs. They related how badly their mother felt about not being present at church to give her “favorite” sermon. This favorite sermon has become a bit of insider joke in the church. I cannot tell you how many years she has given the same sermon. The sermon has no scriptural basis, but is related to the children of the church listening to their parents as we all set you for our local fair. Most people were thrilled not to hear this same sermon again. It made me realize that I better be wary of creating a “favorite” sermon. Being able to refer to the sermon as “favorite” may imply that I have told the sermon one too many times.

Mission Mondays - Box Tops for Education

2008-09-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

In these tough economic times, it is always helpful to find ways to help that don’t cost you more money. Certainly you can always offer sweat equity, but here are two related ideas that build on actions you already take. Most people are already familiar with the traditional Box Tops for Education: clip, collect and send in those little boxtop coupons found on our food packages . However, some people may not realize that if your school is not already listed, you can add it in. This is not just true for public schools but also for private schools and homeschool organizations. Also, the program does not end with boxtops. Since all of us need to shop, if you do so through their online corridor, you will not only buy what you need, but also will be adding a donation to your chosen school without spending a cent yourself. BoxTops has partnered up with companies like JcPenney, Staples, Barnes & Nobles, and many, many more. Donations for your purchases range from .5 - 22.5% depending on the store's particular arrangements. Both of these programs are terrific opportunities to help out, without cutting into your already tight budget.

God's Plan - I am his pawn

2008-09-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today, I gave one of the Children’s Sermons. I cannot say that I felt that the spirit within me. I felt rushed and skipped key parts that I wanted to get across. I was complemented by those that heard it, but I did not feel I had gotten across what I had wanted, what I felt I was supposed to get across. I sat back down in the choir pew after finishing. Fortunately, one of the other choir members hugged me from behind and complemented me in my ear. I tried again to release my vanity into the air. If there was a message to heard, God would be sure that it was heard. It was not for me to worry. I had done the best I could for that day, that moment. It amazes me how this journey of faith continues. I thought that I had come so far and now I am realizing that I haven’t even put my shoes on to start the journey.

Children's Sermon - Parable of the Wheat

2008-09-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

As we talked about last time, this book, the Bible, is full of stories. Some of the stories that you will find are called parables. Jesus actually tells many parables in the New Testament. Does anyone know any parables? (if you get them to respond and get a good list of them, you do not need to continue with the next line)

Some parables that you may be familiar with are the Mustard Seed, the Lost Sheep, Laborers in the Vineyard, the Talents, the Good Samaritans, the Prodigal Son, but there are also many, many more.

I looked the word up parable online; this is the definition that I found: "1. A short moral story 2. Any of the stories told by Jesus to convey his religious message." A synonymous word is fable. See the unique thing about a parable is you are hearing one story, but if you think about what you are hearing you will realize that there is another story hidden inside it. The hidden story often carries with it a moral.

Today, I am going to read you the parable of the Wheat in Matthew 13:24-30.
“Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

" 'An enemy did this,' he replied.

"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' “(NIV)

In this particular case, Jesus helps us along in our understanding by explaining the parable a few verses later in Matthew 13:36-43, but I think that if we really put our thinking caps on, we can figure it out for ourselves.

Have any of you gardened?

Have you planted seeds? What did you plant?

Did you have to weed after that? Was it hard sometimes to tell the difference between the weed & the plant?

Which is good, the weed or the plant?

Which is bad?

What if we imagine that this garden was full of people instead of plants? Are there good and bad people?

Ok, what if the garden wasn’t a garden but the whole world? Who do you think the gardener of the world might be? (make sure that they come to the conclusion that the Gardener is God).

You guys are very smart! So when we hear the parable of the wheat we are to understand that Jesus is talking about us. That at the end of times God will separate the good from the evil. The good will be rewarded in the Kingdom of heaven.

Some of Jesus’ parables are easy to understand and other times they take a lot of thought and consideration, but I encourage you to read more of them by yourself or with your parents. If you ever want additional help understanding them or you are not sure if you have discovered the real secret message – I’m sure that (insert your minister's name) will happily discuss your thoughts.

Before my words of prayer are said, I fold my hands and bow my head:
Dear God, Please be with us as we explore your words. Help us to uncover the meanings in your world and to lead our life in the way your word directs.
Amen

Am I Mary or Martha?

2008-09-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

I have been mulling over the devotional that I read the other day. It spoke to working for the church, but not working with the spirit. This devotional spoke directly to me. I tend to get so caught up in plans and activities that I forget what I am there for. Church can become a chore and not a joy. It made me think of the story of Mary and Martha:

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:38-42 (New International Version)

I need to take a breath and focus on my real purpose. This certainly does not mean that I cannot help out at church. It just means that I need to remember what I am really there for.

Pentecostalism - Feeling the Holy Spirit

2008-09-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today, our minister spoke of the Holy Spirit. He equated the Holy Spirit with the third rail that can be found on a subway. He spoke of the Father and the Son being the two main rails, but the Holy Spirit being the energizer. As he spoke a different visualization came to my mind. I thought of a canister of helium getting blown into a balloon. God being the canister, the balloon being Jesus, and the helium being the Holy Spirit. Thinking on it a little more, perhaps the balloon should be us, but I’m not exactly sure how I would carry out the analogy from there. I think the reverend was right in one aspect, we, our Methodist / Congregational – united mix, does not think on the Holy Spirit much. We associate being moved by the Holy Spirit as being too radical. There is no jumping up in my church or calling out as the Spirit fills you. We are fairly orderly and reserved. Certainly, we could all think more on our relationship with this part of the trinity. As he spoke, I had to contain myself from jumping up and saying “Amen, Brother!”. And there are times when I feel moved to do something like that, but I reserve myself. I can count the number of times I have experienced people getting physically moved by the Spirit. I have always felt slightly uncomfortable when it has happened, but also I have looked on the people a bit admiringly because clearly they had allowed God into both their mind and body.

Pentecostalism is now the largest growing segment of Christianity, according to the book Our Religions.

I thought it rather interesting that when I came home Pentecostalism came up again when I got home as the news was abuzz with vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin’s religious background. You guessed it – Pentecostalism. I was certainly glad that I had already been introduced to this segment of Christianity, so that I didn’t see it quite as differently as I once did.

The Parable of the Vineyard Understood

2008-09-13T18:11:00.001-07:00

Matthew 20:1-16 (King James Version)

“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.”

The parable of the vineyard is so antithetical to our American morals. We are told, “Work hard and you will earn your reward,”, “The early bird gets the worm”, “First come, first serve”. We practically invented the theory of survival of the fittest. So it seems foreign to us that Jesus could tell a story where people that work all day in the vineyard are rewarded the same as those who only worked an hour.

I had never heard this parable as a child. When I can across it in my Sunday school curriculum for the first time, I could not process the story myself, let alone teach it. I was very lucky that we were using a curriculum that told me exactly what to say. I couldn’t quite grasp unequal work, equal pay. I understood that it was the wine maker’s prerogative, but why would he do such a thing.

As I recommend to others and to my students at the time: I though on the scripture, I prayed on the scripture, I read and talked to others about the scripture.

I realized that I was looking at the parable backwards; I was focusing on what we could do to receive the reward instead of focusing on the winemaker giving the reward. The reward, eternal life with God, is given by God to all whom ask. It is wonderful that some live a good long Christian life. It is good that some come to God in the middle of their life. But, it is also good to come to God at the end of your life. Even if it takes your entire life to come to him, the reward is the same.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (King James Version)

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

There is no reason to be jealous or angry at another’s reward for we are all receiving the finest reward. No longer is there a beginning or an end of the line. No first and no last, but an eternity in heaven for all that believe in the Lord.

Tax collecting - Righting the Wrongs of Government

2008-09-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Tax collectors are not exactly shown in a good light in the Bible. Not per say because Jesus was against the idea of taxes that needed to support government, in fact Jesus says:

“And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.” (KJV) Luke 20:25

He was against corruption and usury that came along with this job. Tonight and tomorrow morning, I have the unique blessing to right the government wrongs just a bit. I sit on the board of assessment appeals: A unique board where people can come to complain that their taxes were set too high and if they can provide proof, this board can adjust their taxes as deemed reasonable. While this is not exactly throwing over the tax collector’s table, it is trying to make the tax assessment fairer.

One of the disciples was actually a tax collector. Matthew 9:9 describes his transformation from tax collector to disciple:

“And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.” (KJV)

I don’t expect to have such an experience tonight, but I hope that I would have the faith the Matthew had. How scary and difficult to walk away from a sure job to follow a man that many of the priests were speaking against? Matthew’s choice reminds us all to keep our priorities straight. Nothing should take precedence above the call of God, least of all money or other earthly assets.

“And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (KJV) Matthew 19:24

Matthew’s choice is an example to all of us how simple the choice should be. Let us all pray to have the strength that Matthew had.

A Culture of Life / A Culture of Death

2008-09-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

Why in our country do we have to make every issue a political issue? What exactly is a culture of death. Today, we had to put our dog down. He has been our trusty dog for 12 years. We took him in when he needed a home, but as with other times that you help others, we got back 100 fold what we gave to this adorable dog. Certainly, I don’t believe that I belong to a culture of death for euthanizing a dog whose quality of life had evaporated over the last few days. Why do we have to use such politically charged terms, when what we are talking about choice that pain people on a very deep level. We get so caught up in the black and white, we fail to appreciate the shade of grey that lead to the choice which we so easily condemn. What if instead of standing on either periphery, we leapt into the middle and tried to help the people that have to make these choices? What if we could preempt these choices from ever having to be made? Perhaps if we stopped being so high and mighty, we could leave the judgment to God and instead be his hands on earth to comfort his children in their time of crisis.

I can tell you I personally have struggled with the choice to euthanize James. I could not come to terms with making a choice that I believed was God’s. I prayed for his intercession, but He left the situation in my hands and I could not continue to see him suffer. Fortunately, the Veterinary Hospital staff was wonderfully supportive and helpful. Their compassion was much appreciated at such a difficult time. As the doctor said, it is his job to help animals live a happy and healthy life, but this is also a part of his job, assisting animals out of suffering. It is not a part of his job that he enjoys, but he is glad that he is able to help them in their time of suffering.

I think we could all learn from that philosophy. Instead of being a culture of life or a culture of death, let’s have a culture of compassion.

In loving memory of James
1-5-96 to 9-11-08

Creationism vs Evolution - The Report

2008-09-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

I thought you might like to see Jacob's (age 11) response to his Sunday School Homework. I hope no one is offended by the use of their picture for something other than their expected use. This is the opinion of ds. He does not believe that a belief in creationism nor evolution precludes the belief in the other.

Genesis 1

1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 2
1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
(KJV)

Creationism vs Evolution

2008-09-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ds has started 7th grade in our church Sunday school. This is a big deal because the 7th grade teacher is very serious and very literal in his biblical teachings. Ds is very nervous about this teacher. Teachers before Mr. R have been smiley and helpful. Mr. R. (although I personally know him to be very friendly) come across very conservative. He almost always has a suit on with a bow tie. His posture is perfect and he is often known to crrect the students’ English.

“Can I go to the bathroom, Mr. R?”

“I don’t know. Can you? May you is a whole other question.”

DS survived his first class with Mr. R without any complaints but with homework. Ready for this . . . This could either be your 7th grade Sunday school homework or a Nobel Prize winning thesis. “Which do you believe to be true: creationism or evolution? Bring in proof to support your choice.”

So I asked DS his opinion so that we could start working on his project. Without batting an eye, he replied, “I believe in both. I think they are both right.” I figure with a response like that next Sunday may be very interesting. Maybe I can talk DH into staying at the campsite just a little longer.

Children's Sermon update

2008-09-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

FYI – The Children’s Sermon went well. As I anticipated, I received many comments about doing them all the time which made me very uncomfortable especially since the reason I was doing it was because the other person wasn’t feeling well. Even as I walked down the aisle after church, Mrs. P gave me a hug, “That was fantastic. It even had to do with the Bible.” She chuckled. I cringed. I really don’t want Mrs. N to feel like she is being pushed out - - -especially since I am moving and won’t be able to continue. Of course, I wouldn’t mind if she was inspired to frame her sermons, probably more correctly currently called stories, with a scriptural base. Anyway another woman in the congregation and I will be rotating until Mrs. N feels well enough to return, so I am open to any Children sermon ideas.

Missions Mondays – CROP walk

2008-09-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever participated in a CROP walk? Our family has done many. I actually walked with the children before they could walk themselves. Our church works with three other nearby church to host the annual walk which is usually in late October. We have walked in shorts, raincoats, and parkas. One year it actually snowed. CROP walks are a great way to get exercise, spend time with the family, and raise money to end hunger around the world. Fortunately our organizers usually plan a long and short route in an attempt to be as inclusive as possible. I am posting about this now in case you are so inspired that you wish to set up a walk for your local community. To see a listing of walks that are already scheduled, go here.

CROP walks are one of the many great works performed by Church World Services. Checkout their website to find out more about their programs.

Prayer Cards

2008-09-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

As another portion of DH’s Woodbadge, he has created prayer cards for the Boy Scout patrol boxes. Each grouping has 9 or 10 different prayers for the scouts to choose from when they are counting. Often Scouts and people in general are hesitant to lead grace because they are unsure of exactly what to say. So DH found a couple quick prayers and printed them off on a business card templet. We cut them apart and laminated them. I was so taken by his idea, I asked for a set for our house and a couple extras for Christmas gifts.

If you are interested in his templet, just email me and I will have him forward it.

Children’s Sermon – Threefold cord – Ecclesiastics 4:12

2008-09-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Do you know what this special book is I have with me today? (show the Bible) It is a best seller. It is better seller than the Magic Tree House. It is a bigger seller than Harry Potter.

This book is not actually a book but a library. It is a collection of 66 books put together in two major sections or testaments.

The Bible contains stories that are very old. Stories that talk about the beginning of the Earth itself. It has stories about families like yours. It tell of Jesus and the people that spread Christianity after Jesus was crucified. It has action and intrigue, birth / death. It even speaks to us today.

Now I don’t mean that the book itself talks, but if you read it or have it read to you, it will give you advice and tell you how to be Godly children.

Today Reverend Riggles is going to talk to your parents about one scripture in particular, Ecclesiastics 4:12. ______________________, would you read us the scripture.

(let the child read the scripture)

When we read scripture, we should think on what we have read. We can talk to others about it. We can even read book’s about what we’ve read. And then we are to apply it to our own life.

Does anyone have any idea of what this scripture means?

Let me ask you some questions.

_____________, I need you to paint one of the classrooms. Is that a big job? Would you like some help? How about if ________________ could help you? What if _________________ helped you too? How does this job look now?

How about if instead of sending 70 plus people to Kentucky (you can replace this with any of your missions projects), we sent only one? Could we accomplish the same amount? Even if it were just Mr. Davenport?

We all know the fair is coming. If you could go by yourself, would it be fun? How about if you could go with one very best friend? What if you could go with a bunch of friends?

If you had a very big job and needed a rope, which one would you like to have with you (show several different diameter ropes).

“9Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

You are strong when you stand by yourself, even stronger when you stand with one friend and stronger still when we all stand together.

Today we stand united under God, getting ready for a great Sunday school year. Before my words of prayer are said, I fold my hands and bow my head:

“Dear God,
Thank you for bringing us all back safely. We are happy to see all our old friends and look forward to meeting new friends. We hope that you will look over our entire congregation and teach us all that we can rely on one another. Help our congregation to be a threefold cord.
Amen”

Children's Sermon

2008-09-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

Being asked to perform the Children’s Sermon is a double edge sword. There is a dear sweet lady that usually does our children’s sermon, but she is unable to do it this week. The problem is that Mrs. N, although very well meaning, tends to give kindergarten lessons instead of a sermon that has any relationship to God and the Bible. She gives us stories of cows, rare plants, and snowmen. Sometimes she even reads children’s books directly. As a fellow bibliophile, I appreciate good books, especially children’s books, but I just don’t get the connection. She is great at telling stories. I, and several of the other congregants would just appreciate it if she would somehow tie her stories into the Bible, the commandments, Jesus’ life – something. Sometimes she comes so close, I can hear the scripture in my mind, but it never comes out of her mouth.

A few times, I have done the children’s sermon and received many compliments. Some people even asking that I would do the children’s sermon always; all of them ending their comments with an appreciation of the use of scripture. They say that we should take the job away from Mrs. N, but I don’t want to do that. I appreciate all that she has done for our church and her family is an inspiration. I want to do a good job tomorrow, but I don’t want to cause anymore chatter.

Children's Sermon - Need a Topic

2008-09-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

The minister just called and the person who regularly does the Children’s Sermon cannot do it this weekend, and he asked if I would do it. So, well, I am open to any ideas.

Our children’s sermons are fairly short especially on a communion Sunday. It is Rally Sunday i.e. the kickoff for the new Sunday School year. Our minister said that he is speaking on working together using the Ecclesiastics scripture

“And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12

He said that he is going to focus working together.

As he spoke, I was thinking:

“1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6: 1-4 (NIV)

Help! What are your thoughts?

Bible Gateway

2008-09-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those times when you think you know a scripture, but you can’t quite remember how it goes? This is the site that I go to. Search by keyword, by subject, or by Chapter and verse. On their home page is posted a verse of the day. And you can search scripture in more Bibles than I knew existed. They even have audio versions. There are reading plans, commentaries, dictionaries, and study tools. I have only touched the surface of what is available. It has been so important to me that I have put it on my favorites and probably refer to it daily. I highly recommend that you add it to your favorites too.

Dear God, Please Show Mercy

2008-09-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

There is twice in my life that I have prayed to God for death. I know that we are supposed to cherish life and I do, but there is a point that the question becomes what is life. I also however have learned that I don’t have it in me to be God and instead rely on Him to be merciful.

The first time I remember praying for death was when my mother was diagnosed with stage 3 / 4 esophageal cancer. She had contracted pneumonia and had thrown blot clots in her body. She was in surgery and my father and I were sitting on the bench outside the hospital. I sat and began to pray, but I realized that I wasn’t sure what I wanted. Certainly, it would make sense to pray for her recovery. I paused and looked to heaven. Was that indeed the best course? Should she recover to die a painful prolonged death? I prayed to God for Him to do what was best even if that brought sadness to those of us left behind. I asked him to keep her from suffering as much as possible. She did come out of that surgery, and unfortunately went through many more surgeries before dying a few months later.

I am faced with this same thought now, but this time for a dog. Our dear dog, James, is 12 years old and decaying practically before our eyes. We have had him to the vet several times and we are told that it is just age. He has lost much of his fur and his ribs ripple through his skin. When he was laying down the other day, I thought there was a growth coming from his side, but it turned out to be his shoulder blade. He is having accidents around the house and is taking medicine for that. A sweet nurse there keeps telling me that I’ll know when I need to take the next step, but I don’t have it in me. He is having a hard time getting up and often needs help, but he also nuzzles up to those he loves. He is eating and drinking. The term puppy eyes can even apply to geriatric cataract clouded eyes. How can I let go of this dog that has been a part of the family for so long? He would guard the kids and I when my husband traveled and curl up on my feet when I was reading. In the yard, we have never had to leash him as he always stays around. So again I find myself praying to God for mercy. The God of Life and Birth, I am calling to for mercy in death, to assuage suffering, and to call our James home. Amen

UPS Brough Packages of Hope

2008-09-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have gotten two deliveries this week: one, my package from Operation Christmas Child with all the materials for our church’s kickoff and two, a package from PRAY publication for my husband’s program on God & Me.

Operation Christmas Child as I mentioned on August 26th is a program run by Samaritans’ Purse that delivers the word of God with shoeboxes filled with toys for children around the world. In an effort to assist those spearheading the program at their church, Operation Christmas Child provides organizations with prayer cards, DVD’s, bulletin inserts, and more. This will help me put the program together properly for a great kickoff and continued reminders during the weeks of the collection. Our final collection day (shh! Don’t tell anyone. It is a collection day only for those that “forget” the week before. Experience has taught me well) and wrapping day, November 16th is also OCC’s Shoebox Dedication Day so I will be giving the Children’s Sermon. As I’ve been mulling over how I may do the sermon this year, I have decided that I may work with the children to create a Mad Libs type prayer - not to be funny, but to include their ideas in the final prayer. Our church is familiar with the program and knows the concept from my previous year’s presentations.

The PRAY publication box held the God & Church and God & Life student workbooks, mentor workbooks, and counselor workbooks. As part of my husband’s wood badge, he made it a goal to plan, promote, and execute a God & ME Protestant program through our church. As Boy Scouts only affects the two oldest segments, those are the segments we are going to make sure are run. If others want to include the younger two segments, we will happily assist them, but it is not absolutely necessary to run this lower section of the program. I worked on this program 4 or 5 years ago when our children were in the younger levels and was very impressed. And for those of you that know my husband’s propensity to assign me extra work, as you expect, I will be running one of the levels. Fortunately, the break will allow DS to take one level and DD to take the other. We will be promoting the Protestant version, but there are religious awards for almost every religion under the son. I’m sure as I work through teaching this program you will hear more about it.

These two boxes will certainly bring us plenty of work but also the joy that the work of the Lord can bring.

Mission Mondays - Free Rice

2008-09-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

What if feeding the world was as easy as playing a game? I am always looking for ways to help that allow me to do more with what I have i.e. boxtops for education, ink cartridge and bottle recycling for a cause. My family gives finacial and physically. Those areas are tapped, but sometimes helping can be as simple as doing things we do anyway but in a new way. Today I found Free Rice. I have added a widget below so that you can play any day. The interesting thing about free rice is that you can advance your vocabulary or try one of there other subjects grammar, foriegn language, world capitals, art. I encourage you all to try it. Certainly this is an easy and fun way to help the world.

As always, if you have a mission that you would like to have promoted, please email me.

Singing to the Lord

2008-08-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn— shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
Psalm 98:4-6

My husband has always complained that my church does not have a church service but that we sing too much. For me the songs are the great binding thread that runs through each service. Apparently, the woman that gave the sermon today agreed as she spoke of the importance of our church’s hymnal. Tracey spoke of the history of the hymnals in our pews. Our church has been so attached to these hymnals that we have chosen to rebind our hymnals as opposed to changing. Our congregation loves our old traditional songs.

One of the best parts of the sermon was actually a reading which she made directly from the hymnal itself. I have repeated it below for your interest:

Directions for Singing
From John Wesley's Select Hymns, 1761

I. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.

II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

III. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a single degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.

IV. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, then when you sung the songs of Satan.

V. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

VI. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can; and take care not to sing to slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

What are your favorite hymns? Here is a site with music and words to Methodist Hymns that you might find helpful, if your recall is a little weak.

Faith or Knowledge

2008-08-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

Are there times and places in your life when you have no faith, by that I mean you don’t need faith because you know without even a hint of doubt that God is there. You have seen or felt proof of His existence.

The word faith is a tricky word, because to have faith you must believe but it is a belief without knowing. It is not a belief without knowing. It is not a belief like “I believe the mailman came already” Knowing that the mailman comes everyday at 11:00 am and now it is quarter past 12 and certainly there will be proof of his arrival in the form of notes in your mailbox. You can know for sure 99.9% but there must be an tiniest bit of questioning, because there is no proof. This isn’t like questioning the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus, where you wish it to be true but know that it is not. It is a deep abiding belief – a belief in tradition that has been handed down age after age, a belief of the feeling in your own heart, a belief in the miracles that you have seen and heard that no one but a God in Heaven could produce. But all that belief ends in a question mark because there is no absolute proof before you. Some believers say they know 100%, but this is not faith. It is knowledge. I admire them for their certainty but I am still just faithful.

There are times when I am certain, like right now sitting on the beach and then there are other times when question arise. It is those times that I have to rely on my faith. The strength that I have built up in the knowing carries me through the times when I am unsure.

American Heritage Dictionary
faith (fāth) n.
1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief, trust.
3. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one's supporters.
4. often Faith Christianity The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will.
5. The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith.
6. A set of principles or beliefs.

Mission Mondays - Operation Christmas Child

2008-08-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, I realize it is not Monday today but Tuesday, but I have decided to add a new weekly entry: Mission Mondays. If you have any mission ideas that you would like me to add, please let me know.

Let me introduce you to a mission project that I have been involved with for the past couple of years – Operation Christmas Child. Our church has collected boxes for several years, but it wasn’t until about three years ago when I took over facilitating the program at our church did I fully understand the focus of the program. OCC had always been promoted in our church as a collection of toys for those at need during the Christmas season. And while this is indeed the action of what you are doing, it is not the purpose.

"Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.” " Matthew 19: 13-15

But how can the children know of Jesus, if they are never introduced. This is the true mission of operation Christmas Child. Although giving to those in need is worthy, this additional insight for me made this program even more worthwhile. Now in our church, we have included a children’s sermon about OCC, we pray over the boxes that we send, and have whole church activities to emphasize the sending of God’s message.

OCC was founded by Samaritan’s Purse and is run by Rev. Billy Graham’s son, Franklin Graham. I encourage you to checkout their website and if your church is not already involved in a collection for this program to start. There are plenty of materials on the website and that can be ordered to help you along the way. Collection week this year is November 17-24. Our plan will be to kick off the collection on October 5th, announce that collection will end on November 9th (we’ve learned that you get a lot of “oh, I left it at home by mistake” and this gives them an extra week to get it in), and plan a packing party on November 16th. The completed boxes are then delivered to a local coordination office (there is more information on this on the website. As collecting time comes closer they will post collection sites in each state). If you are lucky enough to live near one of their regional offices you may want to sign up to volunteer there.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28: 19-20

The Naked Archeologist

2008-08-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of watching people try to debunk your Biblical Beliefs? Are you sick of people scraping away at the very foundation of your religion? Are people constantly ignoring The Word and doing everything in their power to deny the Truth that it presents? Then, you may enjoy The Naked Archeologist on the History Channel.

Simcha Jacobovici explores the Bible and its stories in a way that will interest you, challenge the naysayers, and really make you think. On a website for the show, Jacobovici says “My goal is to demystify the Bible in general, and archaeology in particular, to brush away the cobwebs and burst academic bubbles.” And this he does. Jacobovici is to Archeology documentaries as Bill Nye is to Science teachers. The style will appeal to adults and children alike. He not only discusses the issues, but talks to leading experts and travels with you to the places that these stories took place. Some of his episodes include: Who invented the Alphabet?, Jesus, the Early Years, Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. I encourage you to check it out. You can check out the History International Channel’s upcoming episodes to see when The Naked Archeologist is next airing.

Redemption of the Apple

2008-08-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

I am again serving coffee hour tomorrow. I have decided to serve canteloup melon, strawberries, deviled eggs, and apple muffins. I made apple pies for Friday's Church Baked Bean supper so I had some extra apples to work with. I must say that the idea of serving apples at church got me laughing a little bit, so I decided that I should replace my vision of Eve and the serpent with a more positive vision of apples. So here are some apple scriptures that I found:

"Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about." Psalms 17:7-9

"Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye." Proverbs 7:2

There are also several scriptures in Songs of Solomon, but I'll leave those for you to find.

Now interestingly, here comes the learning part of my blog. As I used the concordence to find apple scriptures, I learned that yet again I have been influenced by outside forces. Genesis did not come up. There is no apple in the Adam and Eve story. I had to google this question. I found that apparently in the Latin translation, the word malum means both evil and apple. People clung to this idea and started to use apples in pictures of this scene, thus our idea of the apple. What was actually eaten? fruit taken from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There is no other mention of what kind of fruit it was. I'll bet you it was one of those spiky looking fruits in the produce section of the grocery store.

Does this remind you of the question of the blonde haired, blue eyed Jesus?

The Bible - A book of Real Stories about Real People

2008-08-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

Genealogy is not just a great way to look into your personal history. It is a great way to make the Bible real to children. So much of what children read is fiction, I’m not sure that they fully understand the truth in the Bible. Also, children can be very disconnected from the stories of the Bible as the stories occurred so long ago. When I taught 3rd grade, I liked to put up a family tree in the corner which we continued to add to as we read the Old Testament. The tree helped the kids to see that the Bible was a historical book. It helped them to see the chronological development and put one story in perspective to the next. It also helped to make the characters in the Bible personal to them.

I also found having maps and relating stories back to them helped achieve “realism” to the stories. Maps are real and concrete to children. To realize that these characters from so long ago walked in areas that still exist today, made the people more real and in some cases more understandable. Honestly, it wasn’t until I read “The Secret Magdalene” as an adult that I realized that when Jesus went into the wilderness that it wasn’t a wilderness of trees as I would think of it, but a desert wasteland. The more that we can connect the Bible to the children’s lives, the more they will be willing to continue to delve through the book looking for ways to apply The Word in their lives.

A Word about Faith

2008-08-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

"Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things." Philippians 4:8 NIV

I was following this verse and thinking on all things good as I came up with the following:

First
Act,
Incline
Toward
Him

Forever
Accept Him
In
Thy
Heart

Focus
Attention
Intently
Toward
Heaven

Finally
Admit
Internally
Thy need for
Help

Father
Almighty,
I
Thank You and
Honor You.

Amen

Can you create a faith statement? Or find another way to live the Philippians’ commandment. Share it with us.

Snippet Verses

2008-08-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Did you notice the new snippets in the left hand column of the blog? I saw these on another blog and had to click the "would you like to add snippets to your blog". The Christian Women Online website has HTML codes to add all sorts of snippets. You can add a daily verse or a snippet that may relate to a particular blog.

Their site also has wonderful articles and interviews. There is blog roll to find blogs of interest for spiritual women. I encourage you to check the CWO site out, to read the snippets on my blog daily, and to try some of these add ons on your site.

Death with a Coffin Nearby

2008-08-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

In the series of books that I am reading by Pearl S. Buck, a coffin is purchased and placed near a dying man’s bed to reassure him that all thing are prepared for his death (this happens more than once in the series):

"Beside his bed stood his coffin wish his sons had bought for him and placed there for his comfort” pg 7 Sons

I can’t imagine that my father would be too reassured if I did that. I think that he would think that I was pushing him toward death. In American culture, death has become a fearful part of life. I personally have always wondered why this is so. The Bible says:

John 5:24 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."

And

John 11:25-26 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: [26] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

Yet, death is still feared. Now I am not saying that we should rush toward death, but instead, we should accept it, perhaps even be honored to be invited into God’s plan.

When my mother passed away in 2001, my father and I planned her memorial service as a celebration of life as opposed to a somber gathering. This idea always befuddled me as a child. Why would you celebrate the loss of someone you love. Now as an adult I understand that we celebrate that the person has fulfilled God’s plan on earth and are now taken to heaven. If someone had explained this to me then, I may have better accepted the losses that I faced as a child.

Also, given that the death of our own physical form is just the shedding of a layer that allows us to enter the kingdom heaven, perhaps Pearl Buck and the early Chinese had the right idea, by leaving the casket nearby we can be reminded of the heavenly journey we are about to take. This will allow us to be less fearful and our loved ones to be less sad.

Leading by Example

2008-08-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

My husband has subscribed to Harvey MacKay’s column for about two years. This past week’s was particularly interesting. It spoke of living your example. He shared a particularly pertinent story:

Actor Martin Sheen told this story: "One day a young mother brought her young child to the famous Indian leader Gandhi and said, 'Please, Gandhi, you must tell my son to stop eating sweets.'
"Gandhi thought for a moment, then replied, 'Well, all right, can you come back in two days?'
"The mother agreed and came back with her child in exactly two days. Gandhi took the child aside and said, 'Don't eat sweets.'
"'Is that all?' said the puzzled mother, and Gandhi said, 'Yes.'
"'But why couldn't you have said that two days ago?' asked the mother.
"'Because,' replied Gandhi, 'two days ago I was still eating sweets.'"

I thought this was a great reminder for all of that if we are going to espouse following Christ then we better step in his footsteps ourselves. We are to lead as example and not just by words.

A Map of Your Life Available

2008-08-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

DD and I were discussing God's oversight in our life. She is very sure that God oversees our every move and indeed has our life mapped out before we are even born. With that in mind, she posed the question to me, "If everything is indeed mapped out would you like to know what the map says or would you like to live as you do now, blindly."

Without hesitation I replied, "No, I would not want to know." I think that I would miss so many moments as I waited for the "big" events, and I think that I am noticing that it is those little moments that make life interesting and beautiful. I am happy to live life, and not to know what is coming.

How would you have answered her question?

I hear you, God

2008-08-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is a bit of a continuation from yesterday's post. This morning I read my Upper Room devotional. What was the scripture reading? Romans 8:28. I just looked up, laughed, and said, "I hear you, God".

And what is the snippet verse today, "The Lord hath heard my supplication, the Lord will receive my prayer. (Psalm 6:9)"

It is funny how God can cause certain messages to reach you if you are open to hear them.

Moving Under God's Direction

2008-08-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

One of the houses that we have been looking at has dropped by 50k. Now you would think that I would be excited about this, instead my heart sunk. Without our house selling, there is no way that we can purchase the house. What does this have to do with faith? DD saw my response and wrote a blog about faith on our joint blog acupofteawithmomandme.blogspot.com about Having faith as it regarded to the home sale. She reminded me of Romans 8:28

"all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

and of Psalm 139. On the other hand, a joke that I once heard came to mind:

There was a man who lived by a river as the rains came. An announcement came over the radio for all residents to move from the area because torrential floods were on there way, but the man said, “I have my Bible and I pray to God. He will protect me. I am going nowhere.”

The rains came and the water rose on his house. He had to move to the second floor to avoid the waters. A boat of rescuers came around, “Come with us, sir. We are evacuating. It is bad now, but the rains are going to continue. Your house may be swept away”
The man responded shaking his Bible out the window, “I have my Bible and I pray to God. He will protect me. I am going nowhere!”

As the rescuers had predicted, the rains continued. The man was forced out on his roof. Fortunately, the rescuers had not forgotten him. They came by in a helicopter. “Sir, you must come now. You have nowhere left to go. More waters are coming. Please come with us.”
“You don’t understand. I have my Bible and I pray to God. He will protect me. I am going nowhere.” He flagged the helicopter away. The rains continued, eventually overtaking his roof. He was washed away and died.

When he reached heaven and standing face to face with God, he asked, “I don’t understand. I believed. I had faith. Why am I dead? I waited for you to save me.”
God replied, “Who do you think made sure that you were warned and sent the rescuers not just once but twice?”

* * * Would you believe while I was writing this a car just drove down my driveway, checked out the house, and drove away. We have a 200 foot driveway and live on a dead end. You don’t drive down our driveway by mistake!

So please join me in a prayer:

Dear God, It seems to me that my family and I are supposed to move. We asked for your guidance and You provided us with a job, when we weren’t sure that there would be one. Not only did you provide us with it, we were truly blessed with it. Thank you for providing. Now we are trying to follow and resettle, but our home has yet to sell. We have taken our steps, but still we are caught between these two places. We know that You have a plan and that we must learn to relax and trust. And so, I ask you to watch over us and help us to continue to have faith. Do not give me what I necessarily wish, but instead what You know is right. Help us to be faithful and understand your bidding. Amen

Life Lessons from the Titanic

2008-08-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Two things struck me as my dd, my father, and I toured the Titanic exhibit today:

-Small Actions Can Make a Difference
-Things that seem bad at the time can be a blessing

Small Action Can Make a Difference. This idea struck me twice during the exhibit. Once, we read about the band playing even as ship sank. Apparently, without concern for their own life they continued to play to comfort and entertain others. This seems so selfless. And I’m sure to people that realized that they were not getting onto those final lifeboats, the music they played offered some kind of consolation. The second small action was a priest that stayed behind and prayed with the passengers that had been consigned to death after the last lifeboat was launched. Compare this action with president and Chairmen of White Star Lines (the manufacturer of the Titanic) J. Brue Ismay, who bore some responsibility for the sinking and yet ensured his own survival by taking one of the few seats available in the life boats, while so many others were set to die.

What use is it,my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
James 2:14 (KJV)

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:20 (KJV)

Things that seem bad at the time can be a blessing. There were so many stories about people not getting aboard because of sprained ankles, colds, a change in plans, or, the most interesting to me, getting kidnapped. Harold Irwin was kidnapped the night before the sailing and forced to labor on a ship heading to Egypt to pay his gambling debt. I’m sure at the time, it seemed that the worst thing possible had occurred in his life. If he was a religious man, he may have prayed to be saved and not realized that God had already answered his prayer. This made me think of the many times that I may pray for specific intercession by God instead of asking for courage to accept HIS will.

Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us.
~Socrates

Lessons can be found everywhere, if we are open to see them.

Praying for Other People

2008-08-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

When you attend other churches, sometimes you are introduced to doing things a little differently than you currently do. One of those things which I found different last month at the church we had switched with is that when the prayed for others, they only used their first name. At our church, we normally use the whole name. I found this odd. I thought maybe the HIPPA privacy laws had even reached the church. I felt strangely disconnected from the prayer. Certainly, I don’t know all the people we pray for, but at least John Doe seemed like a specific person. Who was Sam? Cindy? Frank? Or Rob?

A friend had once mentioned that he thought the whole concept of naming people in prayers was odd. Although he might know someone in need, he would hesitate to mention their name as perhaps they preferred to be private in their need. Certainly if that was their wish, perhaps that is a time to use just a first name, but the specificity of a whole name seems so powerful to me.

What do you think?

The Seven Deadly Sins

2008-08-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

What is your weakness? 2nd Cup of Coffee turned me onto a quiz that is supposed to identify your fault. Apparently, wrath is my greatest weakness. I think those that know me would find this kind of funny, but I guess the results are not just action but also intent. And there I must admit, smiting those that hurt / harm myself or my family seems to be a reasonable response. Anyway, I have posted my results below. Why don’t you take the quiz and let us know your results. Do you think it is an accurate assessment of your character?

Greed:	Very Low
Gluttony:	Low
Wrath:	Medium
Sloth:	Low
Envy:	Very Low
Lust:	Very Low
Pride:	Medium

The Seven Deadly Sins Quiz on 4degreez.com

I did a little extra research about the 7 deadly sins and found that there is no direct scriptural reference. The ideals are repeated throughout the Bible, but there is no specific place that says “And though shall avoid the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, lust.” These 7 are not the original list, but have been refined and ordered throughout the ages. Coming to the form that we currently know when they adapted by Pope Gregory. It is actually many Medieval stories that engrained the idea into our minds.

A very interesting article on the Seven deadly sins can be found at http://sjmc.cla.umn.edu/stupro/virgil2001/sevendead.pdf

I think that I will need to pick up the Canterbury Tales again.

The Secret to Long Life & Happiness

2008-08-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

People have searched high and low for the secret to long life and happiness. Ponce De Leon thought he found long life in the springs of Florida. Will Smith was Oscar nominated for his Pursuit of Happyness. But both still seem elusive to the masses until now. Apparently, the secret has been in front of us all along. The secret according to a couple of studies is religion.

In a study published in the March-April 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, a study at the University of Pittsburg found that people who attended religious services could add 1.8 to 3.1 years to their life. The study compared the affect religious attendance, exercise, and statins (a specific kind of medication) on life expectancy both in time and in cost. The study concluded that, “The real-world, practical significance of regular religious attendance is comparable to commonly recommended therapies, and rough estimates even suggest that religious attendance may be more cost-effective than statins.” It is important to note that the study does say that “there is no evidence that changing attendance causes a change in health outcomes. Furthermore, even if a patient did start attending church to get well, there are ethical, theological, and methodological problems with this instrumental approach to the associations between faith and health.” However, the study goes on to explain that if people made a life change of their own accord for non-health reasons, the authors could not asses if such a change would accrue the positive results over time.

Futhermore though, religion does not just increase your life expectancy, it makes your life happier. According to an article by Michael E. Nielsen, PhD, Religion and Happiness, “people who are involved in religion also report greater levels of happiness than do those who are not religious.” This seemed to be true universally, except for cases of mysticism and times of religious conflict. Nielsen synthesizes studies on religion and happiness reporting that the “extra” happiness may be a result of social support, firm beliefs, and religious experiences themselves.

I encourage you not to keep this information to yourself but to share it. Certainly, one should not come to faith for personal benefit. But if you come because you believe that there is benefit to religion, then perhaps as you look for the benefits, you may find the Truth. For those of you that are already reaping the benefits, albeit as a side effect of your natural behavior, isn’t this better than sit ups?

Great Expectations

2008-08-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

Luke 12: 47 -48 "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (NIV)

What does this scripture say to us? It calls us to action. I assume as you are reading faith filled blogs and I am writing them, we both fall more into the first group than the last. We are working to better understand the Master’s will and therefore there are great expectations on our shoulders.

This scripture is like the Biblical equivalent of “ignorance is bliss”. While those that are ignorant are not completely cleared. They will not be treated as harshly as those who know the right path but choose to ignore it. This is why confession has its limits. God appreciates that we are sorry for our actions and that we want forgiveness, but like any parent, there is a point where sorry isn’t good enough. I find myself saying this to my children frequently when they continue to harass each other. God must want to say the same to us as well. And while in the long run we both will forgive our children, we are frustrated by their repeated errors. We certainly know that they will err, but to err in the same way over and over leads to the question about the genuineness of the remorse.

What do you think God is demanding of you? As you have been graced by forgiveness, what have you promised to never do again? Have you been able to hold up this promise? How do you plan to hold it up in the future?

Listening to the New Testament

2008-08-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

My husband is not a reader like me. One, he just is not a reader by nature, but two,he doesn't have time to. However, he has made a goal of reading the Bible. So as a gift I purchased him this audio version of the New Testament. The nice thing about this version is that many famous people read the parts including Richard Dreyfus, Lou Gosset, and Stacy Keach. This diversity and fine reading makes it interesting for him to listen to during his commute to Mass. It has even intregued the kids and they enjoy listening in the truck. I like listening, reading, and talking about scripture as each time it seems I learn a little more and yet know almost nothing.

"Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready." 1 Corinthians 3:1-2

And my family and I admit that we still have a lot of preparation to do and we are willing to work on it.

Do any of you have suggestions for a good audio version of the Old Testament?

Giving All You Can

2008-08-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when the kids and I went to the hairdresser, I parked next to Lexus. The owner must have been a dealer as the sticker was still in the window, $61,000. I can’t even fathom driving around in it. I would have to drive it, bring it home, park it in the driveway, and never ever move it . . .wait our yard has trees. I would need a bubble. All I thought was – such excess! In the hairdresser, the owner of the car wasn’t there for a haircut, but a tan. The scripture that is repeated in three of the gospels (Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25, Luke 18: 25), “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” came to my mind. Do people hear this? Do they understand? Or is the pull of riches too great? We hear of golden toilets and stars that have more cars than they can drive in a week. But do you know that this is not just a plague of the super rich? We, the middle class, are just as guilty. Do we give our firsts? Or do we withhold and give what is leftover?

It is certainly difficult in this economic time to consider giving anything, let alone giving the best. But comparing our lifestyle to those of the biblical times, it should be easier for us. We are not living in huts. In fact, the square footage of a home has more than doubled since the 1950’s. We are not in a time or place of famine. Yes, our economy is tight and many of us are feeling a pinch that we have never felt before, but do we feel the pinch in our fat or against our ribs?

Malachi 3:8 says, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings.” How do we reconcile eating out when people are starving in the world? How do we rest when our children carry cell phones and there are children in the world that don’t have a roof over their head? Can we give just a little more? What can we find in our life that we could forgo in order to make someone else’s better?

If you have ideas of how we can do this, please share them with us? What do you scrimp? How do you help?

Growing Your Church or Closing It

2008-08-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

What is the responsibility of a church? I have mentioned previously that my church closes for the month of July. We actually exchange with another church; we go there in July, they come to us in August. Along with this being a strange ritual for the continuity of worship, it is a cash flow problem for the church. In my opinion to correct both of these issues, we should not close at all.

The other day though, I was talking to another member of the church about this issue. She is actually working on an auction to help finance the upkeep of our historic church. So she certainly understands the financial issues, but her next comment led me to wonder about the spiritual side. Her solution to the summer money crunch was to close for the entire summer. I almost choked, “We’re a C-H-UR-CH!” This argument was lost on her though as she felt the non-use of the facilities would be a more cost efficient option – like the four day work week many companies are going to to save money. I personally think that this is a very slippery slope that we are already seeing the results of. Church attendance falls off as soon as spring sun shines and doesn’t really revive until the chill of October. Should we close those days too? How about during February and April vacation? Is this a business or a church?

I think of the work of Rick Warren of the Purpose Driven Church. Speaking from the top of a drive-in roof until his congregation was large enough to need a building. When building the Saddleback church, he always thought about how to develop and grow the church. I don’t think, in fact I know, having read several of his books, he would never close down for a month a year. His plan has built his church to include four campuses and a worldwide sensation. While I don’t believe that we have to do that, I think that we could learn a lot from his ministry. In doing so I think that we could better serve the congregation and would not need to worry about covering payroll either.

How does your church deal with the summer doldrums? What unique and helpful services does your church offer its congregation?

Premarital Relations

2008-08-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of promise rings? A ring given by the father to the daughter when she pledges to remain a virgin until getting married. I think the whole concept is a little strange, especially when they are presented in a large ceremony, but on the positive side at least it brings up the conversation of premarital sex. This conversation has been brought up twice today in our teenage household. Once because Tuesday night is the airing of The Secret Life of an American Teenager and two, due to very inappropriate IM’s from her friend’s boyfriend.

Having seen the previews of The Secret Life of an American Teenager, dd has only watched the show with me sitting beside her. The show is based on a teenager getting pregnant. I have now seen 3 or 4 episodes which have entered dd into many delicate discussions, but at least we are talking about it. It certainly doesn’t glamorize teenage relations as it is obviously how the main character, Amy, got into such a crisis. On the other hand, it seems like all the teens are physically involved except for one. The one, of course, is the religious girl, the goody, goody. Although I find this character very stereotypical, I must admit that I hope that over the course of the show she doesn’t relent just for the sake of plot.

The question arises – does being religious really reduce teen pregnancy? I did see in our other situation, inappropriate emails, that the answer to this question may be “yes”. Ok, it may be well too early to say that it will, but at least when bugged by this boy on the IM, my daughter came back with some pretty good retorts. He said something about her wanting it. She said that she wasn’t doing anything until she got married. He tried another tactic, “Well, what if you die before you get married?” “Then I’ll die a virgin.” While I was appalled by this conversation and it let to yet another conversation between my daughter and I, I was thrilled at her insistence of no premarital sex. She was very clear that as a Christian this was her obligation. I’m sure, unfortunately, she will face this question many more times before she is actually married. I think that our influence and openness will help her make the right decision, but I believe her strong belief in chastity as a requirement of her religion will be the real guidepost along her path.

Confess our Sins

2008-08-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

O God, you teach us compassion, and yet we practice bigotry. You implore us to trust you while we create idols. You send Christ as a witness that you will not forsake us; yet we fret over matter as though you cared not at all. Forgive our compulsion to control our own destiny. Look kindly upon us when we fear for our future. Have mercy upon us when we mismanage your grace. We are your people; help us to dwell in your promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen

Tears welled in my eyes as we read this Prayer of Confession. I tried to wipe them away at first but then they flowed freely from my eyes. I never think of confession as a big part of my relationship to the church. As a Congregationalist, we don’t have confessionals or a requirement to confess our sins to our priest. Confession is left between you and God, except for during the once a month communion where a joint prayer of confession is read. This one hit me hard. . .”Control our own destiny”, “fear for our future”, “mismanage your grace”. Here lay my greatest faults.

We often think of sin as murder, adultery, lying, cheating, but sin also lies in these much simpler faults: putting our needs before God’s, believing that we are in control of our destiny, silence. It is easier to think of ourselves as good people when we think of the first list and equate sinners with “bad guys”. It is much more difficult to realize that we are all sinners that need forgiveness. We are all sinners that can walk a straighter path. We need prayers of confession and supplication. Step one according to www.allaboutprayer.org is to “recognize that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness.”

Fortunately, after the “prayer of confession” comes the “words of assurance” and then the “invitation of the Lord’s Table”. Sinners as we are, Jesus loved us. God sent him to this earth to wipe away our sin. We do not have to be perfect to come to his table. We just have to believe.

Can You outgrow your Church?

2008-08-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

My church has been my church since as long as I can remember. I grew in the congregation and returned to marry and raise my own children within its fold. But lately there is an uncomfortable ache, like a sore tooth that draws your hand to rub your jaw, but not so strong that you call the dentist for help or take a pill to sooth it. An ache that makes me wonder if our church is the place to continue on our journey or is it a comfortable hut along the way that welcomes a weary traveler, but then tricks him into abandoning the journey altogether.

The church has a wonder minister who speaks well and a friendly congregation. The music director teaches us beautiful songs. But where is the substance? Protestants by virtue of the very first protest published by Martin Luther are full of questions. We believe in questioning the very foundations of our religion. But like Martin Luther we must also question if we are crumbling the strength of the whole structure.

The wine is not blood (actually it is not even wine). There may be books excluded from the Bible that we should consider. Jesus’ bones may have been found. The Nicene Creed is a creation of arguing men. Why must our sermons even reflect scripture? We can speak as we wish. Don’t forget to make a donation. All religions speak of truth and can lead us on The Way.

I yearn for something more. I want to converse with the power of God behind me. I want to know His book intimately. I want to understand what He requires so that I may follow in His way. I want to hear His words. I want to speak of the truth as easily as I speak my native tongue.

I don’t want to suppose or guess. I want to know The Way. On the other hand, I cannot follow blindly as men proclaim dinosaurs never existed or that we cannot dance and sing because of the interpretation of one passage. My life is open to God’s direction. My family is ready to move at His whim. We want to be used for His glory.

I think that it is time to get up from the comforts of our shelter and move onward on the path to salvation.

Where are you on your path? Have you ever settled down comfortably and then felt that it was time to grown and move on? What did you do?

Saint Teresa

2008-08-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

I have always been fascinated by Mother Teresa. As a Congregationalist, we don’t believe in saints, but if there ever where one, I believe Mother Teresa should be she. Currently, Mother Teresa is on the track toward sainthood, but now apparently a second miracle must be ascribed to her. A second miracle? How about the millionth miracle? Her miracles are the bringing of a thousand hearts to God. Few else could match her record of conversion. Mind you, I don’t mean the people of Calcutta or the nuns of her diocese. I mean the people of the word. So rarely has a person with such good intention touched so many in the world and inspired them along their path God. Even now when her private notes are published and we hear of her own doubts, this does not weaken her case, but strengthens it. She has shown that she is us and that we can be her. What greater miracle can a mortal offer? Mother Teresa’s miracle of conversion is far more spectacular and far reaching that curing a stomach tumor or a crying statue.

As I think on this more, maybe it is right that the Catholic church does not canonize her. Their sainting a person is just an earthly symbol of an eternal truth anyway. Perhaps if we all personally see her as a saint, this is more a truth than sainthood being bestowed upon her. As for now in the Church, she is considered Beatified. She is the Blessed Mother Teresa. But for me, she will be the best example of a saint. She will not be corrupted by statutes or trivialized with prayer to locate lost items. She will be a beacon, showing us what humanity can be if it chooses. She was and continues even after her death to help us toward walking in Christ’s footsteps. She is a Sherpa, who has walked the path and can help us along our way.

picture from http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9709/mother.teresa/impact/index.html

Dear Pope Benedict, Please consider Mother Teresa’s miracle her impact on others. As this impact has lasted past her death and as she continues to inspire and move people toward Christ, this miracle should be her second miracle and therefore move her forward to be canonized as Saint Teresa.

Sincerely,
A non-Catholic but a fellow Christian, who was deeply inspired,
Dawn

Fellowship in Need of Recipes

2008-07-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Fellowship is an important part of growing in faith. At our church and important component of that is Coffee Hour as I’m sure it is at many churches. For the next month, I am in charge of serving snacks for it. This is where I need your help. I need some recipe ideas. They should be easy, finger foods, quick to make and something that most people will enjoy, and also, for my pocketbook, not too expensive. Usually there are three or four items out so I welcome as many ideas as possible.

Putting on a good Coffee Hour has encouraged people to stay around after church to discuss the service and their lives. It has helped to make our church a community rather than a chore stop. It has certainly helped me to get to know others in our congregation better. It is hard to support each other in Christian ministry when you are not even sure what their first name is. You would be amazed what you can learn about people in just an hour a week.

We’ve had conversations in the church that putting on too much may seem overwhelming to some people and therefore it is difficult to get people to sign up, but from my perspective having only coffee greatly reduces the number of people that come and the time that they spend. So for now, I will continue to put on welcoming spread. With your help, hopefully it will be the best yet.

What recipe ideas do you have? What other activities does your church have for fellowship?

Being A Living Witness

2008-07-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”- Matthew 5:14,16

Have you noticed that Christmas is being de-Christianed. I realize that it is a little early to think about Christmas, but it is very pertinent to this scripture. First, Santa and presents replaced the real gift of Jesus Christ. Now, people are even afraid to say, “Merry Christmas”. We say, “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings”. We don’t want to offend anyone, but I think we are offending someone. We are denying our belief in Jesus Christ. We are denying our own personal beliefs. We are denying God. We should shout “Merry Christmas” from the mountain tops.

This scripture calls us to show the world the power of God though our life. If we are afraid to attribute our life to God’s glory then how are people going to see the connection. This doesn’t mean that you have to wear a t-shirt saying, “I work for God” and it doesn’t mean that you really have to shout your beliefs to others. It just means being proud, sharing your beliefs, voicing your calling. If you are growing in God, then He is a natural part of your life. So let people know. If you are going to Bible Study, mention it. You don’t know who may be inspired to join. If the sermon was particularly moving, talk about it. Perhaps others will be moved as well as you. If you are planning to pray for someone, tell them. They may appreciate it and maybe they do the same for someone else.

When people realize through your conversation that you are a Christian, they will look deeper into your life to see how else you proclaim your beliefs. Unfortunately, as humans, we have a terrible habit of stereotyping people and assuming when we know 1 person, we know an entire group. In this case, you can use this idea with positive results. You can demonstrate love, patience, kindness, self-control, faithfulness. In you, non-believers can begin to see the light and those that do believe can be inspired to grow.

So I encourage you to start looking for your Christmas cards now and let them proclaim you love and belief in God and the birth of His son, Jesus Christ.

All this day, O Lord,
Let me touch as many lives as possible for thee;
And every life I touch, do thou by thy spirit quicken,
Whether through the word I speak,
The prayer I breathe, or the life I live.
-Mary Summer

FYI – Do not fall into the group who faults those who use “Merry X-mas”. Some people claim that this is taking the Christ out of Christmas, but actually there is historical significance to the X. Unfortunately, there was a time when proclaiming your Christianity was dangerous and so many believer used the “X” as a secret symbol to let others know that they were believers too. Check out Wikipedia for more information and background on this idea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas

Worship Thee for Thine Own Sake

2008-07-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

I came by a wonderful prayer today as I was reading “Women Pray: Voices through the Ages, from Many Faiths, Culture, and Traditions”

God! If I worship Thee in fear of Hell, burn me in Hell:
And if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise;
But if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, withhold not Thine everlasting beauty.
- Rabi’a the Mystic

It is very easy to bend religion to our own ends out of fear or promise, or even desire. But while we may bend religion, we cannot bend God. Early Christianity focused on Hellfire and Brimestone, God’s wrath and anger. Later some became focused on the hereafter. Earthly matters were only of concern as they related to getting to Heaven. The truth, I believe, lies somewhere in between. There are things to fear and truths to be upheld. There is a heaven to work toward. But today, we must focus on the here and now. We must appreciate God’s gifts and also be thankful for our trials.

Recently, an old friend and I were discussing difficulties in our own past. Both of us have come to the conclusion that without these difficulties we would not be who we are and that even for these horrors we must thank God. We must thank him not for putting us through the trials, but for seeing us through the trials. It is not for us to judge why, but to accept our lives both good and bad and grow from it.

Job 1:21 “. . . "Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart. [c]
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

Children at Church

2008-07-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

Today was our last Sunday to switch churches. Fortunately, it was a bit cooler out. Unfortunately, the devil wasn’t whispering this week, he was sitting behind us playing with toys on the seat of the pew. Despite their mother’s continued requests to be quiet and behave, the children were unruly. When the mother threatened to leave the church, the child was thrilled, “Then let’s go.” Of course the mother did not follow through on the threat and I don’t think I or my family got the full substance of the sermon. I felt for this mother, but I also really wanted to hear the sermon.

Some hints for trying to keep control of your children during the church service:

o Bring food – small bits of cheerios or goldfish that they can eat slowly (Please just be careful to clean up after yourself)
o Bring books or coloring books – some churches like ours have a child’s bulletin that can keep the children busy during service
o Layout expectations - perhaps in the beginning a reward for good behavior may even be helpful
o Bring a stuffed animal or some other quiet toy for them to play with – hot wheels are not the best choice, especially if you sit in the balcony. I tell you this from first hand experience. Don’t ever let them put a toy or book on the balcony railing. Thank goodness our church is laid out so that the isle runs below the railing and not the seats.
o Involve the child in the service – have them stand and sit as required. Help them find the proper pages in the hymnal.
o Sit close enough that they can easily see the minister and know that he / she can see them too.
o Don’t be afraid to leave- Unfortunately, kids can have a bad day. If a warning does not keep them in control, don’t be afraid to remove them. If they calm down, perhaps you can sneak back into the service. If not, there is always next week.
o Keep trying - Reverence takes time to develop.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

Making Pies for Jesus

2008-07-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

The Bible says that we should do things for the LORD with a grateful heart, but I was not of a grateful heart as I was making pies for my church’s baked bean dinner. Six dinners a year. Two pies per dinner. It certainly doesn’t seem like too much to ask for. But my heart was not in it this week. So the questions become, am I not giving fully to the LORD or are pies not the request of my God, but of my church? Unfortunately, this is a simple form of a much larger question that we all face every day.

As we work to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we can easily fall into thinking that we are doing good, but in fact just be doing. Imagine if instead of outright evil, evil was more insidious. Outright evil we would see coming and fortify our defenses. Insidious evil comes in the form of distractions. First of all, the noises that these distractions produce don’t allow us to hear God’s whispers to us. Secondly, these distractions, keep us from our true calling. We get busy making pies, planning bazaars, and attending events. Instead of following our calling and doing our part, we get caught up.

For me the question becomes, how can you tell the difference between what is right and what is just static?

A PATH for Prayer

2008-07-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

Praying is not always an easy thing. We worry about what we should say. We worry that we are in proper stance. Are we being selfish in our requests? Bothering God with minor issues? What exactly do you say to the most powerful entity in existence? Do you recite a prayer written by someone else that has received acclaim? Do you just speak your mind? What if you start to babel? Should you just cut and run – a quick amen? If you don’t say amen, is the prayer over? If you get interrupted, by the phone or the kids are you in essence putting God on hold?

One of my favorite hints for praying, which I came across when I was teaching Sunday school, is the word PATH.

P – Praise
A - Apologize
T – Thank
H - Ask for Help

In the BibleQuest curriculum that we were using, this idea was presented in a game. I don’t remember the whole game, but I remember putting out pieces of paper on the floor. Each piece was marked with one of the PATH letters. When a contestant rolled the die and ended up on one of the letters they had to give a prayer line that would be applicable to the letter. I thought that this was a great idea to help children become comfortable praying and useful for adults too.

How do you decide what to say to God? Do you have a favorite prayer? Have you come across a prayer that has touched you? Share with us and let us know.

Sinner or Saint

2008-07-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Recently an old friend came by. It was so good to see him. Back in high school, we would talk for hours on the phone discussing all the problems of the world or at least the world as we knew it back then. Many years have passed and we both now have families of our own. As we sat at the table reminiscing, I caught myself staring at a tattoo on his arm. It was he that brought it up, “What do you think it says?”

“Saint”

“Now?” He turned his arm the other way.

I could not make it out at first. “What is the opposite of saint?” he hinted.

“Sinner?”

How easy it would be in life to change so simply. How simple if it was always a clear as choosing which to be. Most of us are probably not purely saint or purely sinner, but more in the middle. We affectionately call this condition “human”. Perhaps after confessing our sins and asking forgiveness, we tilt a little closer to saint, but most of the time we are probably closer to the sinner side. None of us want to admit that. We like to believe that we are living right and certainly most of us strive to live as Jesus, but few of us can actually accomplish it.

Irronically, his arm is more naturally in the sinner position, which perhaps he may think he is more likely to be (I know better though). But maybe it is a reminder to us all that we have to work at doing what it right. It is very easy to sin and fall away. 13". . . For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

Each day we need to think about what message we want our life to project. Do we want our sign to say “sinner” or “saint”? What would someone reading your life say that your life says? Is this in line with what you want it to say? How can you change your life so that these two things are in alignment? Remember there will come a day when the sheep are separated from goats. Which group do you want to be in?

Philippians 1:9-11, “I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand 10how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, 11Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.”

Son of God or God Himself?

2008-07-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

“But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”- Matthew 16:15-16

I never thought of this as a question. It seemed very clear to me. Jesus IS the son of God. I never questioned this UNTIL I attended Bible study and then I had to learn that not all Christians believed that Jesus is the son of God, but that he was God incarnate. Homoi- vs. Homo-ousius. Is he the same as God or similar to God? This thought process ranked up there with the time my minister told me that the flood did not really cover the entire earth during my confirmation class. I was able to comes to terms with this fact, because I realized that a flood that covered all of the Middle East would surely seem like the planet was engulfed to people of that time. The relationship of Jesus to God, however, was a much larger question and part of the core of my faith. Maybe I am just very simple, but, as I was taught the Bible and read the Bible myself, I never questioned this basic precept. I believed God created Jesus his son and had him birthed on this earth through Mary.

In fact this question, I learned was one of the basic premises that set to be resolved during the reign of Constantine at the Council of Nicea (more information on the Council). Apparently there was great discussion about how there could be a trinity within a monotheistic religion. I had never considered that Jesus not being God himself called this into question, but apparently it caused quite an argument during the council’s meeting. Resulting in Arius, who believed as I do that Jesus was begotten by God and not God himself, leaving the council, being exiled from the church, and having his works describing his position “consigned to flames” (Socrates Church History Chapter IX) . It also led to the creation of the Nicene Creed, which outlined the relationship of Jesus and God for all Christians to come.

It t is this meeting, where men came together to discuss the forming doctrine of Christianity, that is the foundation of my questioning of religion on earth. What is directly from God and what is man’s corruption of that message for his own desires? If something like this can be decided by vote, what other points were bent to meet people’s needs and desires. On the other hand, I have a friend who would argue that if God is all powerful, don’t you think that he can ensure that the Bible and the church would be formed as He wanted it. I guess I believe that God blessed us with free will. As we are people of free will and therefore a society made up of such people, we have the ability to follow God or not. How am I to determine where the men of the Council of Nicea were on this spectrum? As it is said that the idea of homoousius was actually a belief held by the minority, but ended up being voted in by the majority, it seems to me perhaps the majority were persuaded by man and not inspired by God.

I wonder whether others of you consider these issues? Do you think Jesus and God are one or Father and Son? How did you come to this belief? Do you think considering such issues is helpful in developing your beliefs or harmful?

10 Hints for Overcoming Distractions at Church

2008-07-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am convinced that the devil speaks at church too – not out of people’s mouths, but in little distractions. Ok, this weekend, one big distraction –HEAT. As our church visits another church for the month of July, we must endure services with no air conditioning. So as Mother Beth gave a wonderful sermon on the parable of the sower, I noticed a drip of sweat slowly trickling down my right leg. I made sure that the window was really open. I felt pity for women from the 1800’s that probably attended services in long gowns with petticoats and stockings. I longed to be back in my own church. . . . Oh, oh I’m supposed to be listening. I must have had to remind myself 100 times to focus.

Now I will admit that this is not the first time that I have been distracted in church and it doesn’t just happen in other churches. It happens in my own church too. It certainly helps to keep Satan at bay if the speaker has written a good sermon and can deliver it well, but truthfully the onus of paying attention is on me. Sometimes I am distracted by others; sometimes by something physical like a tickle in the throat, and sometimes by things left undone – notes to write, groceries to buy, bills to pay. This is definitely an area that I need to work on. And I have begun adapting some strategies to help me, as I think it is very important to my growth to learn and listen to what is being said.

1. Consciously focus – Make the sermon your focus and actively tell yourself to listen. Engage. This should not be a passive exercise.

2. Change your Body posture – Sit upright. Lean in a little. Keep your back straight. Make not just your ears listen, but your whole body.

3. Box away distracting thoughts – If a thought comes into mind, visualize packing it away in a box and refocus yourself. You may find yourself doing this one more than once.

4. Write it down – As an absolute last resort, jot a quick note to yourself. This will allow you to put away the idea, secure that you will not forget it. Caveat: Notice the word “quick”. Don’t write out your grocery list or pen the Declaration of Independence just write one or two words that will job your memory.

5. Change your seat – Clearly this should be done before the service begins. If you notice that part of the reason that you get distracted is because you can’t hear or some people in the pews near you are not making the sermon their priority, find a new area to sit.

6. Join a committee – If some of your distractions do come from being unable to hear or from uncomfortable seats, join a church committee to make a change. Can you put in a sound system? Get new cushions?

7. Talk about it – Talk about the sermon when you get home. If you know that you are going to face questions about what you’ve heard, you are more likely to pay attention to what you hear.

8. Take notes – Look at the sermon like a college lecture. People may wonder what you’re doing at first, but if it helps you to focus, then it is worth it. Be discreet, but jot down notes. This is another way to make your listening change from passive to active.

9. Practice – Active listening is a skill. It needs to be practiced. You will find that as you employ some of these ideas, you will become a better listener and be able to focus at church better.

10. Change churches – If despite using all of these ideas, you still cannot focus. Perhaps the problem is not with you but with the speaker. The Lord has blessed us all with talents that we should us to glorify Him and perhaps the person speaking is not using his or her real calling. Don’t think that you are at fault for not understanding or being able to focus on God’s word. I will garuntee you that if you try other churches, you will find a preacher that will appeal to you and keep your interest.

By following these 10 strategies, you should be able to focus on the message. As for me, I’m on step #9 practice. I’m definitely much more attentive than I was, but every once in a while the devil whispers in my ear.

Read Matthew 13: 3-8 & 18-23

Would You Pass the Test?

2008-07-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

I happen to be reading Max Lucado’s Cure for the Common Life,

when I came by this scripture, “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.” (Matthew 15:25 NLT – pg 86). Lucado uses these words from Jesus to ask us if we are willing to follow God WHEREVER he leads. Would we, like Joseph, give up our social standing to wed Mary and claim Jesus as our own?

Wow, that is a powerful question. I would love to say “Yes” without a doubt and certainly I strive to reach that point. Truthfully though, I don’t know. Lucado brings up three examples of similar callings for us to ponder:

You are a photographer for an ad agency and are asked to work for an adult magazine. Do you agree to the shoot?
To me, this one doesn’t see too difficult - of course that is until they offer you some ridiculous amount of money to do it and you need to put oil in your tank to heat your house this winter.

You’re taking a college philosophy course and the teacher is railing against God and Christianity itself. Do you speak up?
It is easy to say you would, but this person holds your future in his / her hands. What if it was your boss? How about at a party where everyone is speaking again God? Would you be the lone voice. Now if you knew me, I can be a loud mouth and often have a hard time keeping my opinions to myself so it is likely that I would speak up, but trying to fit in is also one of my faults especially for the sake of my children or my husband. If we were at a business dinner with clients, I’m not sure that I would have the guts. I guess this is definitely an area I need to work on. Sadly, the one time I have actually experienced this and worked on speaking up is in Bible Study. Although I grew up in the church where I am taking this course and I respect all the members and especially my minister, I take issue with some of their beliefs. I think it is very easy to think that God is all Love and Kindness. While I believe that He contains those qualities and has unending love for His children, I also think that He calls us to do right and when we continually deny Him, He gets angry (Does the book of Exodus sound familiar?). I also greatly question the idea that all paths lead to God and Salvation. While I think that it makes us happy to believe that, please explain, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6 KJV). And so despite great fear of admonishment from my own priest, I continue to ask questions focusing on this idea. Now please don’t applaud me, because I am still unable to out rightly challenge the beliefs of the larger group, but I have at least questioned. Would you?

You completely change your life from being a Christmas Christian, or as I have also heard them referred a “C & E Christian” (translation- a person who only attends church on Christmas & Easter) to becoming a fully participatory person in your church and its missions. Your friends are scared of this change in you and pressure you to return to your old role. Do you?

We have made this change and frankly, we just make new friends. We still see most of the old friends, but it is awkward when they don’t share in the same deep faith and hesitate to discuss God’s work. People tend to hang around with others that share common goals and ideals. To us, our faith and our family are central. If you don’t share that then we probably don’t have a lot of time to hang out anyway.

As always, it is easy to speak (or in this case write) your beliefs.; It is much harder to live them. And even if you pass these tests today, what about tomorrow? Next Tuesday? What if what was asked of you put you at odds with your family? Your husband? Would you be able to pass or would you have to fall to our knees and ask forgiveness.

Later in the book, Lucado briefly discusses Psalm 51, King David’s apology after he had sinned with Bath-sheba. I picked up my Bible to read it. I am going to share it with you below. I figure we both may need it when we fail the test. I have given you the King James Version and also the Contemporary English Version both have been copied from http://www.biblegateway.com/.

Psalm 51 - KJV

1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Psalm 51 (Contemporary English Version)

A Prayer for Forgiveness

1You are kind, God!
Please have pity on me.
You are always merciful!
Please wipe away my sins.
2Wash me clean from all
of my sin and guilt.
3I know about my sins,
and I cannot forget
my terrible guilt.
4You are really the one
I have sinned against;
I have disobeyed you
and have done wrong.
So it is right and fair for you
to correct and punish me.
5I have sinned and done wrong
since the day I was born.
6But you want complete honesty,
so teach me true wisdom.
7Wash me with hyssop [a] until I am clean
and whiter than snow.
8Let me be happy and joyful!
You crushed my bones,
now let them celebrate.
9Turn your eyes from my sin
and cover my guilt.
10Create pure thoughts in me
and make me faithful again.
11Don't chase me away from you
or take your Holy Spirit
away from me.
12Make me as happy as you did
when you saved me;
make me want to obey!
13I will teach sinners your Law,
and they will return to you.
14Keep me from any deadly sin.
Only you can save me!
Then I will shout and sing
about your power to save.
15Help me to speak,
and I will praise you, Lord.
16Offerings and sacrifices
are not what you want.
17The way to please you
is to feel sorrow
deep in our hearts.
This is the kind of sacrifice
you won't refuse.
18Please be willing, Lord,
to help the city of Zion
and to rebuild its walls.
19Then you will be pleased
with the proper sacrifices,
and we will offer bulls
on your altar once again.