Have you ever noticed how many feasts God originated?  How many times were His people told to remember God through a feast and exchanging of food as well as gifts for the poor?  I love it!  Jesus said to His disciples at the last supper that He would not eat with them again until they ate together in the Kingdom.  Have you thought about what that means?  It means we will eat food in Heaven with Jesus (and ladies – not get fat!!).  Now that is super cool!

Through this season Ken and I have remarked how much we have enjoyed it.  We have had Christmas instrumental music quietly playing softly in the background and we have decorated and made simple plans.  But the quiet sitting and thinking about the goodness of God has blessed us immensely.  The sweetness of the Presence of God is awesome!

Tonight is Christmas Eve.  Let’s spend time remembering and celebrating the day when Christ was born as a human being.  Whether this is His actual birthday is immaterial!  This is the day we celebrate His birth!  Oh let’s spend some time this night in worship of our Wonderful God!

O Holy Night

O Holy Night, The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till He appeared, gift of infinite worth!

Behold the Babe in yonder manger lowly,

‘Tis God’s own Son come down in human form:

[REFRAIN]

Fall . . . on your knees . . . !

O, hear . . . the angel voices . . . !

O night . . . divine . . . !

O night . . . when Christ was born,

O night . . . divine!

O night, O . . . night divine!

O day of joy, when in eternal splendor

He shall return in His glory to reign,

When every tongue due praise to Him shall render,

His power and might to all nations proclaim!

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn,

Let’s thrill to the name of Jesus this night!  God became man so He could redeem a sinful people.  What a God! What a King!  What a Savior!

THE NAME OF JESUS

By A. B. Simpson, D.D.

GLORY to the Name of Jesus!

Once it stood for sin and shame;

Now the songs of earth and Heaven

Join to bless that glorious Name.

PARDON through the Name of Jesus!

Free from guilt, and fault, and blame,

We may stand beloved, accepted

As we come in Jesus Name.

VICTORY through the Name of Jesus!

Once for us He overcame,

And we conquer sin and Satan

Only in our Captain’s Name.

POWER through the Name of Jesus!

All His power our faith may claim,

God will work His wonders through us

When we use that mighty Name.

HEALING in the Name of Jesus!

How it thrills our suffering frame

When we learn to take from Jesus

Life and healing in His Name.

TELL abroad the Name of Jesus,

‘Round the world His love proclaim

Till earth’s saved and ransomed millions

Join to praise the Savior’s Name.

GLORY to the Name of Jesus!

Once it stood for sin and shame.

Now let all in earth and Heaven

Join to bless His glorious Name!

Have you ever thought about what you could give Jesus for a present on His birthday celebration?  The following poem was written by Romana Waller as a very young girl and found its way into GRANDMA GRIER’S SCRAPBOOK.  She gave permission for Charlie Grier to put it in his book of poems.

A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR HIM

By Romana Olson Waller

Tonight I am thinking of Jesus,

As I look at this beautiful tree,

And wonder just what I can give Him

Who has given so freely to me.

I’m counting my treasures all over,

And am wondering what He can use;

In loving a Person so dearly

It is really a problem to choose.

I wonder what really would please Him

And just what should my gift for Him be?

God gave HIM to us – oh! – I wonder,

Do you think He would like to have ME?

I’ve hands that will work for Him gladly,

I have feet to run errands of love,

And lips that can tell of a Savior,

Who came down from His home up above!

My heart – it will love Him forever!

There are souls I can help Him to win!

Tonight I am giving – yes, giving myself

As a Christmas present for Him!

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the

mercies of God, that you present your

bodies a living sacrifice…” Rom 12:1

-Homespun Poems by Charlie Grier, Family & Friends (1973) p.28

I have also wondered what I should give Jesus for His Christmas Gift.  Here’s my poem.

A CHRISTMAS GIFT

By Marvine Scott

What can I give You, my Wonderful Lord;

Once a small baby so sweet and adored,

God of all Universe, Creator and King.

This is Your Birthday – Oh, what can I bring?

I give you myself, Lord – every last bit.

I give you my home and all that is in it.

I give you my husband and family to start

But I wish for a present to give joy to Your Heart!

TO give money to others – You must first give to me.

The sky is the limit, Lord, what do we see?

There are missions and missionaries, churches and staff

Or we could give to a child so that child could laugh.

Dear Jesus, I wish You a Happy Birthday.

May others find You is what I really pray.

May Christians draw close and grow in your grace sublime.

I know what I’ll do, Lord.  I give You my time.

I love this poem by Annie Flint.  How well she describes the normal problems in our everyday life.  Statistics tell us that this is one of the worst times of year for depression and the temptation to return to unhealthy methods of relieving our problems.  How do we deal with life especially during this busy Season?  Let’s take a look at how Annie does.

I LOOK NOT BACK

By Annie Johnson Flint

I look not back; God knows the fruitless efforts,

The wasted hours, the sinning, the regrets.

I leave them all with Him who blots the record,

And graciously forgives, and then forgets.

I look not forward; God sees all the future,

The road that short or long, will lead me home.

And He will face with me its every trial,

And bear for me the burdens that may come.

I look not round me; then would fears assail me,

So wild the tumult of earth’s restless seas,

So dark the world, so filled with woe and evil,

So vain the hope of comfort and of ease.

I look not inward; that would make me wretched;

For I have naught on which to stay my trust.

Nothing I see save failures and shortcomings,

And weak endeavors, crumbling into dust.

But I look up – into the face of Jesus,

For there my heart can rest, my fears are stilled;

And there is joy, and love, and light for darkness,

And perfect peace, and every hope fulfilled.

This is all fine and good but Who Is the Christ of Christmas?  How can we do what Annie does?  Let’s listen for a minute to our beloved Charlie Grier as He describes to us the answer to this very question.

Knowing Who He Really Was

By Charlie Grier

In a distant land, on a bygone day,

A little BABE in a manger lay.

But who could tell, as He nestled there,

While Mary and Joseph bowed in prayer,

That here on the hay, with His infant cry,

Lay the Master of ocean, earth, and sky?

And then as He taller and fairer grew –

This lad that all of His neighbors knew

To be pleasant and courteous, brave and strong,

With a cheery smile and a hearty song –

Touched their hearts and troubled their minds,

“Who was this lad so gentle and kind?”

They liked His frank, straightforward ways,

His wisdom and words were beyond His days,

And they paused to watch Him fashion wood

In a manner no other craftsman could –

He impressed them much, as a good boy does

But they never dreamed who He really was!

At last a lock is upon the door –

The Carpenter of Nazareth is no more,

But now, a Man with a “ONE-WAY” sign

Is telling the Truth to all mankind.

He is pointing to that “narrow way”

That leads, at last, to Eternal Day;

And they listen just as they did before

Back in His humble work-shop door.

“Never man spake as he,” they cry –

With new hope gleaming in their eye.

“The strength of Elijah he displays,

But he is unlike him in some ways –

Like Jeremiah, he weeps and warns

While favor from the rich he scorns.

Messiah? – No, he cannot be –

No prophet comes from Galilee!”

And so they turned from Him because

They didn’t know who He really was!

Then He showed His love through mighty deeds:

He healed their sick and supplied their needs –

He cleansed the leper and raised the dead –

The hungry multitudes were fed.

He stilled the storm – the poor He blessed –

He offered pardon, peace, and rest!

His critics cried, “He is too meek –

He tries too hard the lost to seek!

We want a leader strong as steel –

Full of courage, strength, and zeal

To rule the world with an iron rod –

Yet, never once claiming to be God.”

At last united, in Pilate’s Hall

A verdict of “death” was agreed by all.

“Envy” brought charges of trumped-up sin.

“Hatred” shouted “Away with Him!”

God’s angry earthquake shook the sod!

Honesty acknowledged, “This was the Son of God!”

At Christmastide, when men of good will

Seek to worship the Christ child still,

Have you stayed too long in Bethlehem town?

Or, have you followed His steps around

To Jerusalem, and Galilee,

And this angry throng at Calvary?

Have you stood amazed beneath the Cross

And cried, “For ME He suffered loss –

It was for ME He bore disgrace –

Bearing MY sin – taking MY place?”

The message of Christmas is more, by far,

Than the angels’ song, or the Wise Men’s star.

Have you stood at the Tomb in ecstasy,

Where nature responded to Deity

And shouted, “Christ is the Victor now

For He conquered DEATH on Calvary’s brow!”

If YOU are not saved, is it not because

You too, haven’t learned who He really was?

“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, The Son of the living God.  And Jesus answered and said… Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father…”  Matt. 16:16

-End quote

Someone once said, “The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much!”  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we call all fall in love with Jesus this year and spend not only the next few weeks spreading the Love of God to all around us but have it become a life pattern for the years to come?  When we get to know who Jesus really is, we can let Him fill our lives with meaning and joy!  Let’s let the Christ of Christmas fill us and become contagious so that everyone will come to know that same Wonderful Peace, Joy and Love.

THINK BEFORE YOU WEEP

By Dorothy Metcalf, MN

If your arteries have hardened

And arthritis slows your gait,

If your tired blood is stubborn,

Not inclined to circulate;

If your aerobic days are over

And you cannot do the “twist,”

If your time is spent in brooding

O’er the many things you’ve missed;

If you’re constantly complaining

On your rocker or your couch,

If you’re ornery and cranky

And becoming quite a grouch;

Well, if this is your condition

And you get no sympathy,

Then it’s time you started trying

A new kind of therapy.

Though you have your share of trouble,

Think of others with more pain,

Like that fellow in his wheelchair

Who will never walk again.

Take time to write a letter

And while pen is in your palm,

Thank the good Lord up above you

For the use of that right arm.

Try relaxing in the sunshine,

Note each flower, bird and tree,

Then appreciate your eyesight –

There are many who can’t see.

When you tune in television

And each sound is loud and clear

Just think of those who’d give a lot

If only they could hear.

Yes, I’ve practiced what I’m preaching

And I’ve learned there’s joy to reap

If you stop and count your blessings

And just “think before you weep.”

-The Bible Friend (Vol. 106, No 6, July 2009) p.4

One of the things I have discovered in life is that there are always people around me who have it worse than I do.  It really works to ‘count your blessings!’  When we do, we find we truly are blessed people and have much for which to be grateful.  Even if we have had hardship and pain, we can worship our God because He is there to help us through these difficult times.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

By Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922)

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings; name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the LORD has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly,

And you will be singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;

Count your many blessings, money cannot buy

Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Count your blessings, Name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God has done.

Count your blessings, Name them one by one;

Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

The month of December is one of the most difficult months for many people.  There is massive depression and disappointment.  People are striving to please their family or are having enormous expectations that are unfulfilled.  It seems to be a time of extremes in indulgence and emotions.   Dad has a wonderful slant on this ‘Strange Season’.

THIS STRANGE SEASON

By Charlie Grier

Christmas is the strangest season

People just forget to reason;

Everyone is buying – spending –

Doing up their gifts and sending

To their friends, both far and wide,

Just because it’s Christmastide.

There is something in the air

Just makes people want to share;

I’ve seen folks accused of hoarding

Buying, giving, and according

To the spirit of the year

Helping to spread Christmas cheer.

What’s the meaning of this season?

Have men really lost their reason?

Or, is it that on this day

In a manger far away

God’s best GIFT to man was given,

Hope of earth, and joy of Heaven!

-Homespun Poems (Charlie Grier 1973) p.29

We have already plunged into this month of frenzy but let’s take time to worship God for Who He is and what He’s done for mankind.  The next few weeks will fly by but we need to see what’s important.  It would be good to emulate Evy Reis’s way of bringing warmth into her life!

CHRISTMAS RECEIPE

By Evy Reis

Take a bit of cheerfulness,

A pinch of laughter, too,

Next take a cup of thoughtfulness

And stir them through and through.

Add to this tranquility,

A verse of “Silent Night,”

That ever quiet we may be

When God sends His holy light.

Gently fold in some tenderness,

A handclasp or smile will do.

Perhaps it could be a fond caress,

Or a rose with a drop of dew.

Set aside a moment while you go

For spices, herbs, a scent of pine . . .

For music and fun, a candle’s glow,

And a star that was the sign.

Now mix and stir and fold again,

Then add some mistletoe,

A bit of faith, and love, and then

Into the oven your cake must go.

Where warmth and affection will combine

To make this cake come true.

Garnish with happiness, truth so fine,

Enough for you and you!

Cut a piece, but save some too

For every day of the year.

Serve with a prayer for peace on earth,

And a heavenly kingdom near.

Christmas Ideals 1966

I find it enjoyable to deliberately be kind to clerks waiting on a frantic public in December.  A smile of appreciation brings joy to their faces and warmth to our hearts.  Praising God each day gives us the peace and joy we need to encourage others.

An unknown author gives us a thought to ponder.

Praising God for blessings

Extends them.

Praising God for troubles

Ends them.

As we once again celebrate Thanksgiving, our hearts well up with gratefulness for our Creator who provides all things for His children.  I thought perhaps this year we should take a few moments and reflect on the beginning of this great holiday.  Let’s start with an awesome poem on the subject!

The Twenty-Fourth Psalm

By Margaret Rorke

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,”

Sang the psalmist in worship of old.

And the pilgrims used this as their paean of love

On Thanksgiving, so we have been told.

They were thankful for life.  They were thankful for food.

They were thankful for finding this sod.

Here their people could be where the worship was free;

For all this they were thankful to God.

On this day when we pause, when we gather to feast,

When we’re counting our labor’s rewards,

It is well we recall what’s oft lost with the least:

That the earth and its gifts are the Lord’s.

-Ideals Vol 58, No.5 p.52

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

“The First New England Thanksgiving. The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated less than a year after the Plymouth colonists had settled in the new land.  The first dreadful winter in Massachusetts had killed nearly half of the members of the colony.  But new hope grew up in the summer of 1621.  The corn harvest brought rejoicing.  Governor William Bradford decreed that a three-day feast be held.

“The first Thanksgiving Day, set aside for the special purpose of prayer as well as celebration, was decreed by Governor Bradford for July 30, 1623.

“The women of the colony spent many days preparing for the feast.  The children helped by turning roasts on spits in front of open fires.  Native Americans brought wild turkeys and venison (Deer meat).  The men of the colony brought geese, ducks and fish.  The women served the meat and fish with journey cake, corn bread with nuts, and succotash.  Everyone ate outdoors at big tables.”

-World Book Encyclopedia 1962  p.180

“Although Thanksgiving did not become an official national holiday until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared that it be celebrated on the last Thursday of each November, it was President George Washington who first realized a need for the nation to set aside a day dedicated to prayer, supplication, and gratitude for our country’s and our families’ blessings.  Washington’s proclamation was made in 1789, more than 160 years after the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in the New World.

GEORGE WASHINGTON’S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION

Oct 3, 1789

“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God…

“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26^th of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be….”

-          Condensed from Ideals Magazine Vol 56 No. 5  p.44

The Greater Wealth

By Mary E. Linton

With humble gratitude and pride I lift

My eyes to heaven, thankful for the gift

Of this broad land, my country, and my home.

No other place beneath blue heaven’s dome

Holds in its lap such riches and such power.

It is so good to be alive this hour!

Dear God, let this sink deep into my soul.

In this one moment let the years unroll,

Throbbing their full significance; my part

Outlined in glorious pattern on my heart.

I want to give part of myself, my own

Soul’s fiber for this land that I have known.

For I was hungry and it gave me meat,

The deeper hunger in my heart’s white heat

Found music, art, and laughter, yes, and tears,

With which to march triumphant down the years.

Great God and Master of our noble land,

I stand alert with courage in my hand.

Help me with liberty from life’s rich store

To “lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

“A thoughtful mind . . . sees not the flag only, but the nation itself . . . the principles, the truths, the history.”  Henry Ward Beecher

-ibid p.47

History relates how the Pilgrims had gone through many hardships.  They had lost countless loved ones: they had almost starved but God had seen them through.  They survived!  Not only that but they had an abundant harvest.  The natives joined them in this heartfelt celebration.  All of their hearts were filled with gratefulness to Almighty God.

There are a lot of hardships going on right now in America.  Many people have lost their jobs.  Others have lost their homes.  Some have lost their loved ones.  Heartache for so many of our brothers and sisters are all around us.  However, America was founded on thankfulness to Almighty God!  The Bible tells us that if we stop worrying but go to God in prayer with thanksgiving in our hearts, we will have God’s peace encompass us!

The Peace of God is so precious.  Have you ever tried to be truly thankful and entertain anger, despair or anxiety at the same time? It is not possible!  When we thank God during every crisis as well as the good times, His Peace fills us.

“…but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Phil. 4:6-7

“Our favorite attitude should be gratitude.”  (Author unknown)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I think one of the most uplifting topics to dwell upon is the topic of Heaven!  So as we prepare our hearts for the most delightful holiday of Thanksgiving, I thought we would take a few moments and think about Heaven.  My mother wrote a wonderful poem called ‘Heaven’ that I am going to share.  All of her precious questions have long been answered as she has been enjoying the wonders of that marvelous place now for almost 15 years.

HEAVEN

By Dora Grier

I’ve just been a wondering what Heaven will be like,

When we have washed and cooked all day and nothing went just right.

We are so very tired and we ache in every joint –

Will it be the same as this, or have we missed a point?

Will we remember all the things that irritate us so?

Or will it be all peace and joy – our faces all aglow

With all the love and thankfulness which wells up in our hearts,

To know we’ll be with Him in Heaven and never more depart?

The Good Book tells us of the things we really need to know

By putting all our trust in Him, it will truly help us grow

In grace and in the love of God, so generously given

By Him who gave His life for us and builds our home in Heaven.

The tears will all be washed away, with ne’er a trace to find.

The aches and pains will all be gone and health will be sublime.

Our mortal bodies will then know the Resurrection power

Of Him who lived and died for us ‘mid Heaven’s darkest hour.

So, if you do not understand nor fully comprehend,

The riches of the grace of God – a taste which Heaven sends –

Just trust Him with the future and rest in Him complete,

For up in Heaven we’ll all rejoice and worship at His feet!

My brothers along with my sister and I spent many hours contemplating what Heaven was going to be like.  These are some of my most precious memories.  There are several conclusions we came to back there, shared with my parents who confirmed their truth.  I know for certain that our parents started us on the topic and encouraged us in it.  But nevertheless, it was a glorious exploration.

We discovered the verse in Phil 3:20-21 where we learn that we will have bodies like Christ’s glorious body.  Ooh, how exciting!  We really became excited as we started to delve into what the Bible said about what Jesus could do in His Glorified Body after He rose from the dead.

We discovered that He could walk through walls, yet His body was a physical body that you could touch and handle.  You read about when He did this in John 20:19-27.  In this situation, Jesus walked through the wall and challenged Thomas to touch Him and to believe the Truth!  Therefore, we were excited!  We will be able to do things that the movies do plus more.

We will be able to stroll leisurely down the road or through the park yet travel at the speed of thought.  Jesus, when He saw Mary Magdalene after He had risen from the dead told her not to touch Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father.  Notice, He made this instant trip to Heaven and back to walk with the disciples in short order.  He has a glorious resurrected body!  Ours will be like His.  Do not mistake me – we will not ever be God, but we will have a wonderful body like His one day.

We will be able to actually eat food in Heaven.  Jesus ate food following His resurrection when He prepared fish and bread for His disciples by the sea.  He also told them at the last supper that He would not be eating and drinking again with them until they were together in the Kingdom of God.  Also, we will not have allergies nor get fat when we get to Heaven.  I think that’s pretty cool too!

He has a plan for our future that is more glorious than anything we can dream up.  He says that in His Word.  He says that eye has not seen nor ear heard neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things that the Lord has in store for us.  That is pretty inclusive.  Not even our great writers of movies or fiction stories can dream up the wonderful things that are in store for His children.

Does that mean we shouldn’t think about it because we can’t understand it all?  Not at all for the Bible tells us to think about these things when we are seeing problems everywhere.  Luke 21:28 talks about things going on around us and we are to look up because Jesus is coming soon.  Plus 1 Thess. 4:18 says that we should think about and comfort one another with the things that God has revealed that are coming to pass.  We kids reveled in these scriptures and let our imaginations run wild.  It was fun!

I like what H.K. Downie has to say about Heaven.

“In heaven above, Marys and Marthas will weep no more because a brother dies.  There will be no Rachels weeping for their children because they are not.  Broken ties will be reknit; lost links will be found again; all hearts will be bound together and no heart will break, for we shall be where there is fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore.”

Uncle Ben’s Quotebook (Harvest House Publishers c1976) .p.186

In this dark world of sin and pain

We only meet to part again;

But when we reach the heavenly shore,

We there shall meet to part no more;

The joy that we shall see that day

Shall chase our present griefs away

Ibid 187

Dear reader, I am so excited about what I have to share with you today!  But before I get to what I am sharing I need to give you a little background to our story.

About 20 years ago, God gave me an assignment!  He said He wanted me to study Isaiah Chapter 59!  Oooh was I excited!  Wow!  God gave ME an assignment – how cool is that!  I hurriedly got out my bible and read the chapter.  “Hum,” I thought.  “Did I hear Him wrong?  He can’t possibly mean chapter 59 – it doesn’t make a bit of sense!” I asked Him and again that chapter was confirmed.

I began to read it.  I read it over and over and over.  About 20 times later, the message was suddenly revealed.  Then every few years, God would open up more about this incredible chapter to me.  Well, this morning, dear reader, He showed me something new about the chapter.  I am going to tell you its story first.

God starts by answering a question.  Perhaps the question was, “God where are you?  Why don’t you answer my prayer?  Don’t you know what kind of trouble I’m in?” Whatever the question, God begins by saying, “Don’t you know that there’s nothing wrong with my arm that would make it impossible for me to save you?  Don’t you know that my ears are fine!  My hearing is great!  I can hear you just fine.  The problem is, you are walking in sin and that is what is separating us.”

Then we begin.  First we find that the Dude or Dudette is walking in sin.  It is getting worse and worse.  He is hanging with the wrong crowd.  Then he gets in deeper — stealing, lying, drugs, abuse and more.  The deeper he gets into this stuff, the more the enemy intrudes.  He finds icky stuff surrounding him.  He is in bondage.  He is caught in a web of horrible evil.  Sound familiar?

Finally, he decides he’s had enough and he is going to live for God.  He tries to walk away.  He puts the past behind.  Then God explains how He looks down on Dude or Dudette and sees that whenever anyone leaves evil, he becomes a prey.  Wow is he under attack.  Everything possible seems to come against him to drag him down.  Everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong.  God sees that he doesn’t have anyone to intercede for him and help him and that makes God angry.

He puts on Salvation for a Helmet and Righteousness for a breastplate.  He then puts on zeal and clothes Himself with Vengeance (the one piece of armor He doesn’t allow us to wear!).  He comes down in fury and deals with the enemy.

It also tucks this wonderful verse so familiar to many of us right in here.  “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him.” Do you get it?  God is fighting against the enemies of Dude or Dudette and the Holy Spirit of God lifts up a standard.  This is a banner at the beginning of an army leading them to war.  The Spirit leads the armies of heaven to fight against those who are hurting poor Dude or Dudette.

After the victory is totally won, we get to the part I want to share with you.  Oh, how I wish you were sitting across the table from me right now as I share this exciting part!  Can you picture God getting the attention of Dude or Dudette?  Perhaps He puts a hand on each cheek and raises their faces to behold Him.  He says, “Look at me.  I have an important message to tell you.  Have I got your attention?” Whatever He does, we read in Isaiah 59 that He says, “I am making a covenant with you today.  I am putting My Words in your mouth.  These words will never depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your children, nor from the mouth of your children’s children forever.”

What a promise!  No matter how much we have messed up our lives and maybe even the lives of our beloved children, when we turn everything over to God, He promises to also help our children!  Oh, how thrilling is this revelation to me and I trust to you as well.

OH, MAKE MY GARDEN GROW!

Eccl. 4:16

By Charlie Grier

A fruitful field – a garden of choice spices

My life would be filled with Thyself alone.

Those blighted years the cancer worm hath taken

Restore O God and make me all Thine own.

Oh, come south wind and blow upon my garden.

Oh, warm my heart with Thy sweet love divine.

Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation.

And fill my life with tenderness sublime.

It is the little weeds that choke my garden –

The little foxes that destroy the vine!

It’s not great crimes that make my life unfruitful –

Those little sins!  Oh, make me wholly Thine!

Oh, wash me now, O Christ, my Lord and Savior.

Purge me from sin and make me all Thine own.

Take from my life that stony heart of coldness!

Fill me with love and make my garden grow!

How marvelous to have the promise from God’s Word that when we turn our lives over to Him, He will not only forgive us and heal our lives but He will also help our children.

GOOD SAMARITAN

A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan.  She asked the class, “If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?” A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, “I think I’d throw up.”

I love the current study many ladies from this area are taking in Grand Rapids.  It is a study on the book of Esther, by Beth Moore.  In week three she makes the following statement:  “Let’s learn to be thankful every time we feel sorry for even our smallest offense toward someone.”

Have you ever thought about your conscience as a gift from God?  The uncomfortable feelings we get when we have maligned someone or told a ‘white lie’ or angrily spoke out of turn is the very thing we are talking about.  If we didn’t feel bad, our conscience would be seared and we would be in trouble.

We watch television programs where someone has committed a terrible atrocity but when caught and convicted, they sneer and are angrily plotting revenge.  There is no remorse.  What about the men who killed thousands such as Hitler in the 40’s?  There was simple glee for every life destroyed – no sorrow evident.  This is appalling to us and we would never want to be like that!

How can we protect and nurture this tender conscience that God placed in each of His children?   If we want to protect our conscience, to begin with, we need to thank God for giving it to us.  We need to ask Him to keep it tender – if it has been damaged, ask Him to restore it.

“People are like stained-glass windows.

They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,

but when the darkness sets in

their true beauty is revealed

only if there is light from within.”

-by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

If we want true inner beauty to shine out from within us, we must know that God of Love and have him within.  As we walk with Him, our conscience is restored and developed.  I received this poem through the e-mail.  I don’t know the title or author for the poem, but it has quite a message for us to give us hope.

Whatever your cross,
Whatever your pain,
There will always be sunshine,
After the rain….

Perhaps you may stumble,
Perhaps even fall,
But God’s always ready,
To answer your call…

He knows every heartache,
Sees every tear,
A word from His lips,
Can calm every fear…

Your sorrows may linger,
Throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish,
In dawn’s early light…

The Savior is waiting,
Somewhere above,
To give you His grace,
And send you His love…

Whatever your cross,
Whatever your pain,
“God always sends rainbows ….
After the rain…”

I think one of the things that can really help us keep our conscience alive is to purposely strive to be a blessing to those around us.  If we can work at serving and blessing, we will become more aware of the needs and pains of people and our conscience will become more increasingly tender.

CHANGED LIVES

By Tim Kimmel

“In 1921, Lewis Lawes became the warden at Sing Sing Prison.  No prison was tougher than Sing Sing during that time.  But when Warden Lawes retired some 20 years later that prison had become a humanitarian institution.  Those who studied the system said credit for the change belonged to Lawes.  But when he was asked about the transformation, here’s what he said:  ‘I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried outside the prison walls.’

“Catherine Lawes was a young mother with three small children when her husband became the warden.  Everybody warned her from the beginning that she should never set foot inside the prison walls, but that didn’t stop Catherine!  When the first prison basketball game was held, she went . . . walking into the gym with her three beautiful kids and she sat in the stands with the inmates.

“Her attitude was: ‘My husband and I are going to take care of these men and I believe they will take care of me!  I don’t have to worry!’

“She insisted on getting acquainted with them and their records.  She discovered one convicted murderer was blind so she paid him a visit.  Holding his hand in hers she said, ‘Do you read Braille?’

“’What’s Braille?’ he asked.  Then she taught him how to read.  Years later he would weep in love for her.

“Later, Catherine found a deaf-mute in prison.  She went to school to learn how to use sign language.  Many said that Catherine Lawes was the body of Jesus that came alive again in Sing Sing from 1921 to 1937.

“Then, she was killed in a car accident.  The next morning Lewis Lawes didn’t come to work, so the acting warden took his place.  It seemed almost instantly that the prison knew something was wrong.

“The following day, her body was resting in a casket in her home, three-quarters of a mile from the prison.  As the acting warden took his early morning walk, he was shocked to see a large crowd of the toughest, hardest-looking criminals gathered like a herd of animals at the main gate.  He came closer and noted tears of grief and sadness.  He knew how much they loved Catherine.  He turned and faced the men, ‘All right, men, you can go.  Just be sure and check in tonight!’ Then he opened the gate and a parade of criminals walked, without a guard, the three-quarters of a mile to stand in line to pay their final respects to Catherine Lawes.  And every one of them checked back in.  Every one!

-Chicken soup for the Soul (Health Communications c1997) p.60-61

In the past few months it seems that there have been a lot of tragedies.  Many friends are suffering the loss of their loved ones; some were young and some had been married 52 years.  Others have a broken heart for one reason or another.  It seems that there is a lot of sadness going on in our land.  I think the words ‘Precious Lord Take My Hand’ is what gets many of God’s people through these trying times.

PRECIOUS LORD, TAKE MY HAND

By Thomas A. Dorsey, 1938

Precious Lord, take my hand,

Lead me on, help me stand.

I am tired, I am weak I am worn.

Through the storm, through the night,

Lead me on in the light.

Take my hand, precious Lord; lead me home.

When my way grows drear,

Precious Lord, linger near –

When life is almost gone.

Hear my cry, hear my call.

Hold my hand lest I fall.

Take my hand, precious Lord; lead me home

When the darkness appears

And the night draws near,

And the day is past and gone,

At the river I stand; Guide my feet, hold my hand.

Take my hand, precious Lord; lead me home.

THE BIRTH OF THE SONG ‘PRECIOUS LORD’

“Back in 1932, I was a fairly new husband.  My wife, Nettie and I were living in a little apartment on Chicago’s south side.  One hot August afternoon I had to go to St. Louis where I was to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting.  I didn’t want to go.  Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with our first child.  But a lot of people were expecting me in St. Louis.  I kissed Nettie good-bye, clattered downstairs to our Model A and, in a fresh Lake Michigan breeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66.

“However, outside the city, I discovered that in my anxiety at leaving, I had forgotten my music case.  I wheeled around and headed back.  I found Nettie sleeping peacefully.  I hesitated by her bed; something was strongly telling me to stay.  But eager to get on my way, and not wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off the feeling and quietly slipped out of the room with my music.  The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called on me to sing again and again.  When I finally sat down, a messenger boy ran up with a Western Union telegram.  I ripped open the envelope.  Pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: YOUR WIFE JUST DIED.

“People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out.  I rushed to a phone and called home.  All I could hear on the other end was ‘Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead.’  When I got back, I learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy.  I swung between grief and joy. Yet that same night, the baby died.  I buried Nettie and our little boy together, in the same casket.  Then I fell apart.

“For days I closeted myself.  I felt that God had done me an injustice.  I didn’t want to serve Him anymore or write gospel songs.  I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well.  But then, as I hunched alone in that dark apartment those first sad days, I thought back to the afternoon I went to St. Louis.  Something kept telling me to stay with Nettie.  Was that something God?  Oh, if I had paid more attention to Him that day, I would have stayed and been with Nettie when she died.

“From that moment on I vowed to listen more closely to Him.  But still I was lost in grief. Everyone was kind to me, especially one friend.  The following Saturday evening he took me up to Maloney’s Poro College, a neighborhood music school.  It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows.

“I sat down at the piano, and my hands began to browse over the keys.  Something happened to me then.  I felt at peace.  I felt as though I could reach out and touch God.  I found myself playing a melody, once into my head they just seemed to fall into place: ‘Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn, through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light, take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.’

“The Lord gave me these words and melody, He also healed my spirit.  I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power.

“And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when He will take me and gently lead me home.

-Tommy Dorsey-

“For those too young to know who he is, Tommy Dorsey was a band leader in the Thirties and Forties.”

-email

Treasured Voices

By Horatius Bonar

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Come unto me and rest;

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down

Thy head upon My breast.”

I came to Jesus as I was,

Weary, and worn, and sad;

I found in Him a resting-place

And He has made me glad.

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”  Psalm 127:3

THE PENCIL BOX

By Doris Sanford

“I was deep in thought at my office, preparing a lecture to be given that evening at a college across town, when the phone rang.  A woman I had never met introduced herself and said that she was the mother of a seven-year-old and that she was dying.  She said that her therapist had advised her that discussing her pending death with her son would be too traumatic for him, but somehow that didn’t feel right to her.

“Knowing that I worked with grieving children, she asked my advice.  I told her that our heart is often smarter than our brain and that I thought she knew what would be best for her son.  I also invited her to attend the lecture that night since I was speaking about how children cope with death.  She said she would be there.

“I wondered later if I would recognize her at the lecture, but my question was answered when I saw a frail woman being half carried into the room by two adults.  I talked about the fact that children usually sense the truth long before they are told and that they often wait until they feel adults are ready to talk about it before sharing their concerns and questions.  I said that children usually can handle truth better than denial, even though the denial is intended to protect them from pain.  I said that respecting children meant including them in the family sadness, not shutting them out.

“She had heard enough.  At the break, she hobbled to the podium and through her tears she said, ‘I knew it in my heart.  I just knew I should tell him.” She said that she would tell him that night.

“The next morning I received another phone call from her.  She could hardly talk but I managed to hear the story through her choked voice.  She awakened him when they got home the night before and quietly said, “Derek, I have something to tell you.”  He quickly interrupted her saying, “Oh, Mommy, is it now that you are going to tell me that you are dying?” She held him close and they both sobbed while she said, “Yes.”

After a few minutes the little boy wanted down.  He said that he had something for her that he had been saving.  In the back of one of his drawers was a dirty pencil box.  Inside the box was a letter written in simple scrawl.  It said, “Good-bye, Mom.  I will always love you.”

“How long he had been waiting to hear the truth, I don’t know.  I do know that two days later Mom died.  In her casket was placed a dirty pencil box and a letter.

“Measure wealth not by the things you have, but by the things

You have for which you would not take money.”  Anonymous

More Stories for the Heart (Billy Graham Association c1997) p.119-120

Jesus said that we have to have faith like a little child if we want to go to heaven.  Did you ever notice how much Jesus loved children?  When the disciples scolded the mothers for bothering Jesus with their children, Jesus gently rebuked them and said for them to bring the children to Him.  He sat down and held them, prayed with them and probably laughed with them.  He loved them and they loved Jesus!  Once Jesus took a child and brought him into the middle of His disciples and told them, they had to become like this child.  The faith of children is spectacular!

A CHILD’S FAITH

-Helen Steiner Rice

“Jesus loves me, this I know,

For the BIBLE tells me so” –

Little children ask no more,

For love is all they’re looking for,

And in a small child’s shining eyes

The FAITH of all the ages lies –

And tiny hands and tousled heads

That kneel in prayer by little beds

Are closer to the dear Lord’s heart

And of His Kingdom more a part

Than we who search, and never find,

The answers to our questioning mind

For FAITH in things we cannot see

Requires a child’s simplicity

For, lost in life’s complexities,

We drift upon uncharted seas

And slowly FAITH disintegrates

While wealth and power accumulates –

And the more man learns, the less he knows,

And the more involved his thinking grows

And, in his arrogance and pride,

No longer is man satisfied

To place his confidence and love

With childlike FAITH in God above –

Oh, Father, grant once more to men

A simple childlike FAITH again

And, with a small child’s trusting eyes,

May all men come to realize

That FAITH alone can save man’s soul

And lead him to a HIGHER GOAL.

-By Helen Steiner Rice, In The Vineyard of the Lord (Fleming H. Revell Co. c.1979) p.22

I couldn’t help but think about some of the times that God used a child in the bible to accomplish His will.  The first one that comes to mind is Samuel.  He was the miracle child that God gave Hanna in response to prayer.  She gave him back to Eli the Priest so he could serve God.  God spoke to Samuel (this little child) and gave him a message for the Priest.  Samuel was frightened but bravely delivered the message after the Priest encouraged him and every word came true.

I like this humorous quote:  “Maybe children could keep on the straight and narrow path if they could get information from someone who’s been over the route.” Let’s try to remember, these children are precious in the sight of God.  We should be careful to try to raise them God’s way!

-          Quote from 14,000 Quips & Quotes  (Baker c. 1980) p. 71

-

Many of us believe in God and have heard that He loves us but have a very nebulous idea of just who He is. Some believe He is a stern Judge just waiting for us to misstep so He can pound on our heads. Others believe He is a ‘Big Daddy in the Sky’ to grant their every whim. Some choose not to believe in God at all. Then there are those of us who believe what the Bible teaches; that He is The One and Only God, the Creator, Master Builder, Savior and Lord of all who choose to believe in His Son, Jesus.

Even those of us who know Him might still have trouble imagining just Who He is. We are so like the familiar story of the little girl who was drawing a picture. Her mother asked, “Honey, who are you drawing?” The little girl promptly responded, “God.” Her mother said, “But, my dear, no one knows what He looks like!” She immediately said, “They will pretty soon.”

I received the following child’s image of God from an e-mail: “My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, ‘Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?’ I mentally polished my halo while I asked, ‘No, how are we alike?’ ‘You’re both old,’ he replied.”

Let’s take a minute and think about just Who He is? I love to ponder what God is like. When I was a child, my siblings and our parents talked a great deal about just what God was like. Jesus was the topic of many dinner meals as well as other times. We did not fear death because we would go to Heaven where we would begin to live. I love studying the names of God since they reveal to us different aspects of His personality.

God is big enough to have a personal conversation with millions of people on earth at the same time, giving each one personal, loving attention, without missing a beat at holding the universe together and loving and caring for everyone in heaven. That’s really big!

There are many clues in the Bible that help us understand. Jesus, first of all, is God. Jesus, once He rose from the dead and had His glorified body, ate food and shared beverages with His disciples before His Ascension. Jesus walked through walls and traveled at the speed of thought and yet walked casually with two disciples on their way to a local city in Israel. Jesus cried over the city of Jerusalem. Can you see Him holding the children, loving them and making them laugh? He had compassion on the sick and healed them. He had compassion on the hungry and fed them.

We were created in God’s image and that means that He had a tremendous sense of humor. It says in Psalm 2 that God sits in the heaven and laughs at the efforts mankind has in trying to defeat Him. Yet, He loves mankind enough to become man so He could take our place and give us life! How big is that?

He Knows
by E. Margaret Clarkson

He knows it all – the winding path,
Thy sky o’ercast and grey,
The steepness of the mountainside,
The roughness of the way.

He knows it all – the haunting fear,
The doubtings that distress,
The wond’rings and perplexities,
And all the strain and stress.

He knows it all – each troubled thought,
Each anxious wave of care,
And every burden, every grief,
Or cross that thou dost bear.

He knows it all – thy weight of woe,
Thine often tear-dimmed eye,
The stabbing pain, the slow, dull ache,
And sorrow’s broken cry.

He knows it all – but His to choose,
And thine to take His choice!
He knows it all! He planned it so!
Then trust Him, and Rejoice!

Many times my father joyfully expressed to me the thought that God is so big, we will spend eternity getting to know our awesome, magnificent, loving God. When we realize that we can trust Him, we will find joy in our lives.
“And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy the 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 58:10-11

Your Christ and Mine
Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations

To the artist He is the One Altogether Lovely,
To the architect He is the Chief Cornerstone.
To the baker He is the Living Bread.
To the banker He is the Hidden Treasure.
To the builder He is the Sure Foundation.
To the doctor He is the Great Physician.
To the educator He is the Great Teacher.
To the farmer He is the Sower and Lord of Harvest.
To the florist He is the Lily of the Valley and the Rose of Sharon.
To the geologist He is the Rock of Ages.
To the judge He is the Righteous Judge.
To the lawyer He is the Counselor, the Lawgiver, the Advocate.
To the newspaperman He is the Good Tidings of great Joy.
To the philanthropist He is the Unspeakable Gift.
To the philosopher He is the Wisdom of God.
To the preacher He is the Word of God.
To the lonely He is the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
To the servant He is the Good Master.
To the toiler He is the Giver of Rest.

I like what J. Danson Smith once wrote:

He will not fail, nor mock, nor disappoint thee;
His consolations change not with the years;
With oil of joy He surely will anoint thee,
And wipe away thy tears.

Don’t you think a God as big as this would be one worth knowing?