The God of Blessings.

     It seems like lately everything has been going wrong.  It isn't just one major thing, but it has been lots of things, some minor, and some not-so-minor.  I have been feeling sad, frustrated, overwhelmed, exhausted, worried and scared.  Some would think that a person who claims to be a Bible-believing, born again Christian would not be going through something like this.  Well, yes.  Actually they do.  And I can imagine that most of you know exactly what I am talking about.

      During this time of testing, we have been contending in prayer, and have seems some things begin to change.  However, what I want to talk about today is the many small blessings from God that I might have overlooked, had I not been feeling a little desperate to see God in my life.

     Yesterday I had to go up to the clinic before work to do labs.  As I went outside into the dark, cold morning,  I glanced up at the black velvet winter sky and noticed how brightly the stars were shining. I paused for a brief moment and allowed The Lord to show off  his heavens for me.  

     I arrived at the clinic right at 7, but there were still several people ahead of me.  I had to be at work at 7:30, and I hate to be late.  But before I even had time to get annoyed about having to wait, a gentleman said to me, "You can go ahead of me if you want.  I'm not in any hurry."  Another small blessing, and this time The Lord used another person to show his love.

     My doctor walked into the examining room dressed in his red Santa Claus sweater with the flashing lights.  Cheered me right up!  Yet another small blessing.

     Backtrack to the day before.  I have been overwhelmed by all I have yet to do for Christmas.  I had to go to Hy-Vee on my lunch break.  As soon as I got through the front door, there was the WHS chorus, singing "Joy to the World!"  Suddenly, I was overwhelmed BY Christmas.  Tears filled my eyes, and this time they were the happy kind.

     So, I am sure that you understand what I am trying to say here.   Our God loves you and me, and he cares enough to take us through our difficult times.   In those times when you are struggling and feel alone, pay attention!  Otherwise you might miss the small blessings he has in store for you!  

How much diffrence can a person make?

  The year 1956, the location Ecuador. January 20, 1669 London England.  What can we learn from these dates and people?
   It was the 20th of January 1669, and Dr.Annsly, and his wife Mary were awaiting the birth of their daughter Susanna, the last of 25 children.  On the 11th of November,1688 she and Samuel Wesley were united in marriage, they had 19 children, 10 died as infants, and of the 9 that lived came, John , and Charles, better known as the Wesley Brothers.  Samuel, their father had disagreements, and conflicts with Susanna, and would leave the family for long periods of time.  Susanna asked God what to do to be of service to Him and the only reply that she received was, " Raise your children" and so she did.  According to the account that I read, she would spend time with each child every evening, Monday with Molly, Tue with Hetty, and the days went on untill she would have talked to each of the 9 children.   Then  she would start over.  She knew the importance of quality time.   Because of her call to raise her children, and how she did it, she is referred to as the Mother of Methodism.  It wasn't a easy task to raise 9 children on her own, but it produced John and Charles Wesley, who where the great revival ministers of the eighteen hundreds in the U.S. known as the Holiness movement.  There are millions who have benefited from her work, and her faithfulness to the call.
  The next call to faithfulness are five men in Ecuador, and the Huaorani tribe (aka Auca).  Jim, Nate, Ed, Peter, and Roger, had a call on their lives.  In 1955 they started to fly over Auca villages and drop gifts out of their airplane,  and they continued to do this for several months.
  Then, on January 3rd of 1956, the men set up a camp on a sand bar, by the  Curaray river.  It was  referred to as "Palm Beach".  On the 8th of January, the Huaorani tribesmen attacked and killed the five men.
  As a result of these men, and their being martyred.  there was a galvanized effort in the U.S. for world evangelism.  A few years later,  the wife of Jim Elliot, (Elizabeth) and the sister of Nate Saint, (Rachel) returned to Ecuador, and lived among the Huaorani tribes, sharing  the gospel. Many became followers of Christ.  The man who killed Jim Elliot  had become a Auca pastor in the village close to where Jim had been killed.  He answered the call.  According to Elizabeth's testimony, her l4 year-old son asked his father's murderer, who by then was a brother in Christ, to baptize him.
  I believe answering the call is doing what God has given you to do.  A parent could be raising the next President of the United States, or possibly the person who will find the cure for cancer, or maybe the next world Evangelist, or a mom, or dad, or a worker at Wal-Mart.  The point we are trying to make here is this:  what God gives you to do, do it unto The Lord.  There is no insignificant person in his service.  You could be Billy Graham and lead thousands to Christ, or you could be the mom who leads her children to Christ.
You could be an author and witness to millions by your words, or you could be a neighbor who, by showing love and kindness to those in your neighborhood,  ministers God's love to them, and brings him glory.    Will you answer the call The Lord has put on your life?     

Rich on Earth poor in Hell.

  This is a question that needs to be answered.  Have you ever heard someone say,"I want to go to hell because all my friends will be there."  They say it in jest, but can't possibly mean it.  Hell isn't talked about much; it's too negative. It's not positive, but it's real. I have a saying "If the hereafter, isn't what your here after, what are you here after?"  The problem, some are here after the wrong hereafter.
   I believe that when a soul goes to hell, immediately he or she will be a believer, but too late.  The word says every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is The Lord.
  I want to go to the book of Luke chapter 16: 19-31.  This is the account that Jesus gave of the rich man, and Lazarus.  There was a rich man, and Lazarus (a beggar) was laid at his door every day, wanting crumbs from his table.  Lazarus was also sick, the dogs licked his wounds.  And it came to pass, that Lazarus died, "and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosom:" the rich man died, and was buried, (notice that he was not carried away by Angels).  And in hell he(the rich man) lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his (Abraham's) bosom, cried and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to me with a drop of water on his finger to cool my lips!"  Doesn't sound like a party to me.  Who's the beggar now?
  It's true God is loving, and kind, but he is also just. If you live by the law, you die by the law. If you accept Jesus, then you live by His Grace and Mercy.  God didn't leave us hopeless;  He sent Jesus,  who died in our place.  As negative as hell is, we can be saved by His Shed Blood.  If this blog has spoken to you, there is a solution. That if you shall confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto Righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation. Romans 10; 9-10 (KJV).  A true step of Faith.         

The Most Powerful thing on Eartth.

   There are some things that are worth knowing, and some that don't make much difference  I believe that first and foremost is a personal relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ.  If you don't have that the second will not have the power that we so need.  What can change my life and help me to have power?
  I love personal testimonies: stories about real people in a real world.  I recently listened to the testimony of a man named Jim Wolsey, who was a missionary in Peru.
  It was early in the morning, and one of the townspeople was coming home from a night of drinking. As he was walking along he found a piece of paper laying on the ground.  He picked it up and put it into his pocket.  The people of this town were garden farmers. They would take the produce to the city and sell it, come home and get drunk.  The whole town was suffering the effects of alcoholism.  They didn't have food to eat, clothes, shoes, everything that people need to live, because they spent their money on alcohol.  Wives and children were getting abused, murders were being committed; it was a Godless town.
  The next day as the man was digging through his pocket, he found the piece of paper, it wasn't a whole sheet just a scrap.  He later said that he almost threw it away, but he noticed that there was something written on it.  Through his hungover eyes he read,   "If My people, which are called by My Name (Believers), shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and forgive their sin, and will heal their land." He had never heard this before so he read it again.  So he decided to do what it said!  That evening when it was time to go drinking, he decided to stay home with his family.  The next day one of his friends came over wondering what had happened to him the previous night.  So he took the scrap of paper out of his pocket, and gave it to his friend to read.  After his friend read the scrap, the man said, " I did that! I prayed to God for help and he answered!"
  Now this man who found the scrap of paper wasn't just a regular guy. He was the meanest person in town.  He had influence, bad influence, and for him to miss a night of drinking was a big deal.  The men of the town started to watch him and wondered what had happened. And his friend that had read the scrap, was more than happy to share, " Oh, he found God!"  and they would laugh and drink  some more.  " It will only be a short time and he'll be back."  Time went on and he didn't come back. Soon others came to him and he would read the scrap to them, and they would pray with him.  It only took a matter of time and the whole town found God.
  As I had mentioned they were garden farmers and they used to take cart loads of produce to the city. Now they were taking truck loads!  The local church that previously had only women and children, was now filled with families, all because a man found a scrap of paper.  They had food, clothing, and the abuses stopped.
  Where did it come from, and what was that scrap?  It came from II CHRONICLES 7:14 a book in the Bible.  If a scrap of paper that has a Scripture on it has that kind of power, how much more power does the whole Bible have.  I have always said if the sermon doesn't preach to the preacher first it's probably not from God, and this has spoken to my heart. First I challenge myself to read the Bible from cover to cover. I have read a lot of it but some books aren't as interesting as others.  As God has been working in my life, it will be interesting to see how that has changed.  The word never changes, but how it ministers changes as we mature in The Lord.  The Bible: it's a challenge you might want to consider.                                               

A Man and a Bible.

    I was serving at a local nursing home, and I met the resident pastor. I introduced myself and asked him his name.  "The people call me Hungry!", he replied.   He is of small stature, and I thought he couldn't get enough to eat.  What kind of hunger did he have?
    The time was after the 6th of August, 1945 the day Hiroshima was bombed.  Hungry was walking the streets of a city in Japan and he was looking for food.  He wasn't able to find any, because  everything was destroyed.  The next day he went  looking for something to eat, and had the same result he had the day before, nothing.  This went on for 13 days, and no food.  On the 14th day he was going through a pile of rubble, and found a yellow New Testament. It was written in Japanese, and he began to read it.  As he was telling me his story you could tell he was still excited about finding The Word of God.  He stated that he was so into his new found treasure, that he read it and didn't even think about how hungry he was for food.  He said he found God's Word about mid- morning, and read late into the night!  Then he couldn't wait till morning to read some more.  "The Word of God satisfied my hunger!" He was only 12 years old when he found the book, and he has been saved and serving The Lord 67 years now!  Did he ever find food?  
     Hungry continued to tell his story.   There was a missionary's house in the city where he lived, and shortly after he found his treasure, he went there because they had food to eat.  
   When Hungry was 18 he decided to come to the US, to attend bible college.  After his education he went to Brazil as a missionary.  While he was there he met his wife who also was a Japanese missionary, and now he is still a missionary in the US.  I asked Hungry if his parents accepted The Lord?  He sadly replied,  "No.  My father was a Shinto priest, and after I became a Christian, he put me out of our house.  I lived at the mission until The Lord led me to go to Bible college.  I went back to see my father to tell him about Jesus, and the difference He has made in my life, but He refused to listen."   "Did he ever change his mind?,"  I asked.  "No, he died and went to Hell."
    I asked Hungry what frustrated him the most.  This is what he answered:  "When I found the little yellow Bible, I knew that it was true, but when I shared it with others,  they didn't believe me. The best that The Lord has for them, and they will not believe that it is true.  It's hard to be a minister, because you want everyone to become Christian, but few do.  This Christianity is not a religion; it's a relationship with the only Living God!"
          

A day with Del.

 Have you ever walked down the street, and wondered how many that you have met are redeemed?  Or as you are driving along, how many lost souls have you gone by?
  One day I was sitting in front of the house, and two men approached me, and asked if I would take a ten question survey.  I agreed, at the end of the last question was; between 1-10 ten being the most sure; how sure are you that you will go to heaven?  I answered 10.  Then I asked them:  what kind of answers do you get to that question?  They replied, "We hardly ever get 10 for a answer.  Some say, I'm a good person oh at least a 50-50 chance.  I thought that is so sad.  Then I asked "Well do they go to church?" I was surprised when they said most of them had claimed to belong to a church.
  I had a nursing home ministry, and one day the nurses asked Jimmy if he would like to go to church.   They were surprised that he said yes. The nurse told me "He never wants to go to church!"  As the service went along I said, "If you ask Jesus into your heart, when you die you will go to heaven."  Jimmy had been in a accident 25 years earlier, and was brain damaged.  As soon as I said those words, Jimmy threw up his hands and started to say Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, as tears were streaming down his cheeks.  Even though, after a short time he went back into his former state,  I expect to see Jimmy in heaven.  I believe he accepted Jesus as his savior that day!
  Another time, Marge a lady we knew, was also in a service.  When the I asked the question, " Do you want Jesus in your heart?", she responded with raisied hands, and tear filled cheeks.  Shortly after that time, Marge passed, and I expect to see her in heaven.
     Jimmy and Marge each had an appointment to know Jesus.

     In the first situation, with the survey takers, the people who thought they had a 50-50 chance of going to heaven, and had gone to church, SHOULD have known whether or not they were going to heaven.
     Jimmy, the man who was brain-damaged, most people would think that he COULDN'T know.
     Marge, because of the life she had lived, and her age, most would assume she didn't WANT
to know.
     So , the next time you come across one of these lonely people, don't be afraid to share The Lord with them--ask them if they want to know Jesus.  It could be their appointed time!

A few moments in my day...

     I had an interesting conversation with a customer this morning.  Ted called to discuss a billing change.  Now, I will admit that I didn't always enjoy talking to Ted.  He always sounded so down, unlike his co-worker, Rich--who is always cheerful and friendly.  This morning the conversation went something like this:
     Ted:  "How are you doing today?"
     Me:  "Oh, pretty well!  How about you?"
   He kind of hemmed and hawed a little, and I thought that he was probably going to complain about something.   Finally, he spoke again:  "Do you know what to do so you never have a bad day again?"
I figured he would say "kill yourself" or something.
     But instead he said this:  "Well, it's a long story, and I'm sure you don't have time to listen to it, so I'll give you the short version.   You get cancer.  You have surgery.  You have chemo.  Then the doctor tells you  the cancer is gone.  After that, any day is a good day!"
     I said, "Wow!"
     Ted continued:  "Now I wake up each morning about 4 a.m.  I lie there and talk to God.  I thank him for my health.  I thank him for my wife.  I thank him for my kids and grandchildren,  Then when I have given thanks, I go back to sleep again.  It's all about thankfulness!"
************
    Another morning at work, I got into a brief conversation with a co-worker, George.  Now, I knew that George loves The Lord with all his heart.  This is what he told me, and it really was a blessing to me.
   I had been telling the boys about my granddaughter being on a school field trip, when a car crashed into the restaurant where the kids were eating.  I also mentioned, mainly to George, about a family I know of, who were seriously injured when that same thing happened, killing their 3 year old daughter, injuring their infant daughter permanently, injuring their son, and both of the parents.  I told George that the couple had gone to court and publicly declared their forgiveness for the driver of the car.
   George said, "Because of Jesus!  You can't do that in your own strength!"  Then he went on to say, "Jesus is my hero!  I don't have a sports hero, or a tv hero;  Jesus is my hero!  My boys know that!" (he is the daddy of 4 little boys.)
    I don't have any real reason for telling you all this, except that these two little experiences were encouraging to me, and I want to encourage you!
   Have a great day!

No man is an island.

     Have you ever been in a room alone, but you just knew you were not alone?  Have you ever been in a situation, and felt like no one even cared? Have you ever done something, and thought you got by with it?
      I have been in all these situations,  and too often I felt that I was alone.  As I was thinking about this blog, I  remembered something I heard once:  "When you accept Christ, You are never alone again."  It's one of those truths I hear, but often forget.
       Have you ever heard the expression, "No man is an island"?  My interpretation of that saying is that whatever we do affects others around us, for good or bad.  What our children or other family members do, affects us, causing us to feel pride or shame, joy or sorrow.  What our employers, or co workers do affects the rest of the organization.  What a team member or coach does affects the whole team.  But, what God has shown me is that when, as Christians we do something that is sinful, and harmful,  and that affect others, it also affects how others view God.  We are not an island, and we are not alone.
     When we are tempted to sin, we don't have to battle that temptation alone.  The Holy Spirit works on our behalf.  We need to yield to him and not to the tempter.  When  a friend is involved in sin, we have no control, and that sometimes makes us feel frustrated and alone.  That is when we can pray
" God grant me the serenity, to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can , and the wisdom to know the difference."
     I am a very sensitive person, take too many things personally, and it causes problems.  I have strong beliefs, and I feel that everybody needs to see it my way.  I never understood why some would say, "It's not all about you"!  I am starting to have a better understanding as I grow in Christ.  A key to my understanding is that Christ endures all that I go through, whether it is good or bad,  because He is there all the time, not just when I choose to invite Him.  His word says,  "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Hebrews 13: 5-6 (KJV).          
    We are all the same to a degree, but very different as to how we choose to let God work in our lives.  We all have a free will, and can use it to our advantage, or disadvantage.   He let's us make our own  choice.   But the truth that He is making evident to me is this:  He is there all the time, and if the choices I make are wrong, he won't interfere.  He will patiently wait until I see my error.  He is always willing, and wanting to help, but He will not force the issue.
     Regarding the three questions that I asked, the answer is: The Lord is with us through all of them, and I need to ask for His help in a time of need.  Would you do this for yourselves also.   

"O wretched man!"

    This past summer we took a vacation to the mountains.  We have been to the mountains many times, and now I understand my mother better.  We went to the mountains with my parents, and mom said, "I like the flat country better".  So do I!  Can we do something so much, that we overlook what we have?
    The highlight of our trips anymore, are the audio books that Pat picks from the library.  This last trip we had  The Walk To Grace.  It was an excellent listen.  Just a short synopsis:  After the subject had lost his wife, and business, he started to walk from Seattle to Key West.  Along his journey he met, and spent time with different people, joining them on their walk to grace.  What is grace?
    Isaiah 9:6 says  "and the government shall be upon His shoulder."  Until Jesus went to the Cross, the government of Israel ( the church then) ; was the Law, but when He died on the Cross, and fulfilled the law, then Grace became the government of the church.  How do we learn about Grace?
    If you have noticed  I haven't been writing as much as I have in the past.  I've been on a walk to grace.  Have I arrived?  No, it's a journey, and we all are on it.  Knowing grace can only be experienced, when I am struggling with sin!
    Yesterday morning the song in my heart was "At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burdens of my heart rolled away."  Hmm... and the burdens of my heart rolled away?  If the burdens of my heart rolled away, why such a struggle with a sin I had victory over for many years of my life. I asked The Lord why.  "You were living in law, not grace.  Remember my yoke is easy".
    We hear songs and sermons, titled It's all about you Jesus, and the majority of us pull our boots up to our thighs, and get ready to "GO TO WORK FOR JESUS"!  God only knows He can't possibly do it on his own!  It's exactly where I found myself, and the harder I tried, the worse the sin became.  When it gets so bad the we cry out "HELP", only then, will He help.  Just like Paul, we also have to go through a Romans 7 experience:  "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Romans 7:24 (KJV)  The instant he cries "Who" he is calling upon the person, Jesus, and is seeking His help for his situation, and doing it in faith.  For The Word says how can you cry to God, if you don't believe there is a God.
    Just like going to the mountains, so is our journey of Grace, all of the ups and downs, all of the hard work we think He wants us to do, but the solution is still the same "Faith"!
    So next time you feel like a comedian and you want to  "Get-r-done"!  it would be better to take off your spiritual boots and rest in Jesus, He already "Did it all";  because when we get-r-done, in a matter of time, it will become undone.

The arrow.

  Pat and I were having coffee one Saturday morning, and she started to tell me about the Scripture that she read that day.   It was so good that I asked her to get the Bible and read it to me, and the question came to mind this morning: Does God have His way, and does He use people?
  Jehoshaphat, Ahab, 400 Prophets, Michiah, and the young warrior.  Four hundred and four and only one right? And one used by God?  The stage is set and I will tell a modified, but true account that The Lord showed us.
   Ahab, the king of Israel asked Jehosophat of Judah to ally with him against the enemy.  Jehosophat replied, "Of course!  But first, let's ask God."  So Ahab called his 400 heathen prophets and asked them if they should go to war.  They replied, "Go ahead.  God will give you a great victory!"
But Jehosaphat insisted on hearing from a prophet of The Lord, of which there was only one, Michiah.  The heathen prophets went to Michiah and told him what they had said and asked him to agree with them.  (Ahab hated Michiah because he always told him the truth,  not what Ahab wanted him to say.)  Michiah replied, "I vow by God that whatever God says is what I will say."  But when he went before the two kings he said, "Sure, go ahead!  It will be a glorious victory!"  Ahab said, "How many times do I have to tell you to speak only what The Lord tells you to?"
     This was Michaiah's answer:  "In my vision I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountain as sheep without a shepherd.  And The Lord said, 'Their master has been killed.  Send them home.'"  This, of course, really angered Ahab.  Then Michiah continued, "I saw him upon his throne surrounded by vast throngs of angels.  And The Lord said 'Who can get King Ahab to go to battle and be killed there?'  Finally, a spirit stepped forward and said 'I can do it! I will be a lying spirit in the mouths of the king's prophets!'  ' It will work,' The Lord said.  'Go and do it.'
     The king ordered Michiah to prison on bread and water until such time as he (Ahab) returned safely from battle.  Michaiah replied, "If you return safely, The Lord is not speaking through me."  Then, turning to the others around him,  remarked, "Take note of what I have said."
   So, Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, " I will disguise myself, but you put on your royal robes."
    Now the king of Syria had commanded his troops to ignore everyone except the king of Israel.  So when the Syrian charioteers saw King Jehoshaphat of Judah in his royal robes, they went for him, thinking he was Ahab.  But Jehoshaphat cried out for The Lord to save him and The Lord caused them to realize it was not Ahab, and they stopped chasing him.
    Here comes the hero of the story...
    One of the Syrian charioteers shot an arrow haphazardly and it struck King Ahab at the opening where the lower armor and the breastplate meet.  "Get me out of here'" he groaned to his chariot driver, "for I am badly wounded."  The battle grew hotter and hotter all that day, and King Ahab went back in, propped in his chariot, to fight.  But as the sun went down, he died.
    When Jehoshaphat returned home, uninjured, he was met by the prophet of God, Jehu.  Jehu asked, "Should you be helping the wicked, and loving those who hate The Lord?  Because of what you have done, God's wrath is upon you."
    What happened to Jehoshaphat?  You can read the rest in 2Chronicles chapter 19.

  

I did it for you Del. Part III

  This blog has three parts.  I think that this will be the last part, but if The Lord gives more I will write more.
  I started with three men: two biblical characters, and Lester.  So, now about me.  After the encounter  with Lester we came home, and I started to pray.  "Lord how can I help my friend to have a better understanding of you."  Should I tell him how much You love him?  What can I do to help?
  A little time past, and these words came to me.  " I did it for you Lester."  "I asked what do you mean?"  The Lord started to take me through the day of His Crucifixion.  I didn't understand to begin with, but there is a very personal touch that I experienced, and I pray you will to.
  It was after we ate the Passover Meal, that we went to the garden to pray.  On the way I began to feel a heaviness.  I knew that all I was sent to do was about to start, and the burden was great, but the reward was greater.  The word says take my yoke, so your burden will be light.  The reason for my earthly journey had come of time.
  I asked my Disciples to pray with me, but they were tired, and I loved them so much finally I let them sleep.  By now I was in deep agony, because I would experience something I had never experienced, and I did it for you,  Lester.
  I heard the crowd coming to the garden, and saw Judas with them.  The people in the crowd were church members that I spent time with everyday.  They could have talked to Me anytime, why were they treating me like a thief?  Did they need swords, and staffs?  No,  I would go with them peacefully.   The agony of what I would experience caused My human body to sweat blood, but I did it for you, Lester.
  They took Me to the church, and asked for two witnesses that would condemn me, and when the two stepped forward they said that I had declared that I would destroy the Temple, and rebuild it in three days.  But that wasn't enough to put Me to Death.  Then Caiaphas asked,  are you the son of God?  Then I told him that he would see Me The Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God at his judgment.  Then Caiaphas tore his clothes, and accused Me falsely of blasphemy.  He asked the church what they wanted to do with me.   They demanded my death.  I did it for you, Lester.
  After they decided that death was the right punishment for Me, they spit on My face, punched Me, slapped My face, and said "If You are a prophet which one of us hit You?"  I did it for you, Lester.
  When they were done assaulting Me they took Me to Pilate' palace, and told him that I needed to be Crucified.  Pilate and his wife didn't want to punish me.  Pilate asked the people if they wanted Me or Barabbas.  The crowd was becoming riotous,  so Pilate washed his hands, and ordered Me to be Crucified.  But first, I was to be scourged with a cat of nine tails.  I did it for you,  Lester.
  After the scourging as I was being prepared for My Crucifixion, solders mocked Me, placed a crown of thorns on My head, and a robe to make me look like a King. I did it all for you,  Lester.
  I arrived at Golgotha with two thieves, every step that I took, every blow of the hammer to drive the nail's into my hands and feet, every time I raised  Myself to take a breath of air, I did it for you, Lester.  But the worst was yet to come.
  When I was hanging on The Cross I had to be sacrificed for all sin.  If you remember there came a time when I said;  "MY GOD MY GOD WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME."    I had never been out of the presence of My Father, and I did it for you,  Lester.  When I said it is finished I was back in the presence of My Father.  In life you only make two choices that count.  One will you accept Me and let me be your Savior, or will you reject Me and be separated from My Father for eternity ?  Remember I did it for you, Lester!
 After The Lord shared this with me I started a blog, when I finished it He said no to publishing it.  I asked why, and was going to publish anyway, but I didn't.  The next day I understood why The Lord showed me that I could take out Lester, and put in Del, so I did.  It made the event much more personal.  You too can take out Lester and use your name in place of his.  If you have never accepted what Jesus did for you, now would be a great time to say, You did it for me (use your name) would you be my Savior.


















       












                        

"I did it for you Del" part II

   I stopped yesterday with this question:  "What will David do?"
  The decision that David made was to have an affair with Bathsheba.  He then arranged for her husband, Uriah, to die in battle.  He was very remorseful after Nathan the Prophet pointed out his sin.   Bathsheba conceived a child, and the baby died. David was grief stricken, and his servants were scared to ask what was wrong.  David was grieving about his sin more than the loss of their child, and to try to make things better he went to war, and defeated the city that took Uriah's life.  After the loss of their first child, they had a second child, Solomon, who became the King of Israel, and built the first temple, where sacrifices were made to God.  The first house of Worship.  Oh,  by the way King Solomon had 500 wives.
  Even though David committed adultery, and murder, God still used his bloodline to bring the Savior of the world to us, through Bathsheba, the one with whom his sin was committed.
     Recently Pat and I went to dinner at a local restaurant.  When we walked in, we noticed Lester, and his wife Edie.   We said hi, and asked the usual friend questions.  When they were ready to leave Lester stopped at our table and asked,  "Why don't you guys stop over some time?"  The conversation went on, and Lester always ends by saying,  "Well, I'm an old sinner, and probably will end up in hell. But I won't be the only one."  As soon as that statement came out of his mouth,  I replied, "What if when you go to hell, you find yourself all alone, in solitary confinement for all of eternity?"  All of a sudden he had a very serious look on his face, instead of that silly little smirk.
  Lester reads the Bible at least once a year; I know one year he read it twice.  The word says,   If you shall confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.  For with the heart man believes unto Righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation. Romans 10: 9-10 (KJV)
  Apparently Lester missed that one;  maybe I need to point it out to him.  It seems terrible to me that he could read The Word of God, and still miss going to heaven.
  I've written about three men.  Two were called Godly, and one does Godly things, but believes that he is going to Hell.  This is what led me to write this blog.  What did The Lord show me to share with Lester that might change his mind?            
                

I did it for you "Del."

  I want to start this blog with some interesting people of the Bible, and a friend, then myself.  The  Bible  people that I want to write about are Noah and David.  Then I will talk about  my friend Lester, then myself.
  I have often wondered why the faults of great men of God were written about in Scripture.  Noah was a man of God.  His family were the only ones to escape death in the great flood.  God gave him instructions how to build the ark, and I heard a engineer tell that if Noah hadn't followed God's directions to the letter, the ark couldn't have withstood the pressures of the water.  After Noah was a builder he became a husbandman;  he grew grapes, and having more then enough to eat, he decided to make some wine.  One night he decided to taste the fruit of his labors,  drank too much and became drunk, and took off his clothes. " And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent." Genesis 9: 20-21  (KJV).  Noah's son Ham went into the tent, and when he saw Noah's nakedness, he preceded to expose the first drunk to his brothers.  They did the honorable thing, and covered him.  This is the first time in Scripture that drunkenness is mentioned.  A fault of a Godly man.
  The second person I want to touch on is David.  David was the son of Jessie, a ruddy red head, fair complected, not real Kingly looking, compared to his brothers.  Samuel the prophet went to Jessie's house as directed by The Lord.  Looked over all the brother's, but The Lord said no to all of the prospects.  Samuel asked Jessie "Do you have any more sons?"  Jessie said, "Just David.  He's out tending the sheep."  A shepherd watching his father's flock, not real King material.  While he was tending sheep he became bored, and took up music, flutes, and the harp.  He stood guard over the sheep, and learned how to kill lions and bears.  And I forgot, he also became good with the sling shot, just a boy doing boy things.
  When Samuel heard about David,  he told Jessie to bring him to him.  As soon as Samuel saw him The Lord said "This is the one" Samuel asked are you sure?  "  The Lord replied  "Yes."  Samuel took a horn of oil, and anointed David as King.  David didn't become King David immediately he had some things to do.  I won't go into the complete story of David, but he was a man after God's Heart, another Godly man.
  When David was 52 he decided to take the spring off, and not go to war, as all King's did.  It was early evening, and David decided to take some time on the top of the palace.  He looked to the east, then, the south, the north, but when he looked west he saw more than he should have:  Bathsheba.  He asked his servant,  "Who is that beautiful lady next door?"  The servant told him it was wife of Uriah the Hittite.  David knew that Uriah was at war.  Uriah was one of David's commanders.  What will David do?  







                             

Happy Birthday, Daina!

     This is a special day to me and Del, because today we celebrate the birthday of our precious daughter, Daina!  Admittedly, she has been the child who has tested us the most, both as a little girl, and sometimes even as an adult.  But, nevertheless, she holds a special place in our hearts.  There are no two Dainas in the world, only one.
   One special memory I have of Daina is when she came to the hospital to visit right after her baby sister was born.  She asked me, "You're still my mom, right?"  It made me cry to think she would think we were replacing her!  Then, a few months later, when Daina asked Jesus to come into her heart, she prayed and asked him to come into her baby sister's heart, as well.
     I know, my dear daughter, that God has good things in store for you!  You have a tender heart,  a strong personality, and somehow with Him, you will find the strength you need to accomplish his purpose for your life!

"A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, until he sends forth judgement unto victory." Mt. 12:20

From your daddy:  Many times we have sat and talked to each other.  Sometimes we cried and sometimes we laughed.  Those are precious times to me.  You have meant a lot to me, and I have meant a lot to you!  You are still my little "A, B, C  girl."