Mercy and Grace

 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.       ~Genesis 9:13

What do you do when you see a rainbow? Do you show it to others? Do you take a picture? Do you ask if anyone else saw the rainbow? Sounds like rainbows can be pretty exciting. They also create a sense of peace and calm. Why?

Once when I was up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I was above a storm cloud. I could look down through the cloud and see a complete rainbow, a circle. That's a once-in-a-lifetime event for me, but God says He looks on the bow and remembers the covenant between Him and every living creature.

So what is that covenant? It's a promise not to destroy the earth again by water but I think there's more to it than that. I did some research and found some interesting thoughts,

Grace - The rainbow is seen again in the book of Ezekiel chapter 1:26-28. Jesus is at the center or clothed in the rainbow. He is our sacrifice so we can be given grace.

Mercy - There is a covenant of mercy that we will not be destroyed. Think of how the rainbow is formed. The seven colors are always topped by the red bow. It is pointed upward so if an arrow were shot by this bow it would go upward showing us mercy and covering us by the sacrificial blood of Christ.

Mediator - We need Jesus to be our mediator between us and the Father. He is between us and the Father and we can only come to the Father through Him. In Revelation 4: 3 there is a rainbow around the throne. We can't get to God except by the One (Jesus Christ) who sits on the throne. 

Trinity - Think of how the rainbow is formed. It's after a storm. The light of the sun shines through the water and creates the separation of colors, a glimpse of heaven. The Father (sun), Jesus the Light of the world (sunshine), and the Holy Spirit (water) work together to show us the plan of salvation.

Rainbows are used in lots of ways in our culture. Wherever we see them they are a great opportunity to open up a conversation about God's love, grace, and mercy. It is God's love, God's grace, and God's mercy, God's goodness that leads us to repentance. May we always remember to temper our conversations with love and kindness even when we may disagree with the use of the rainbows we find.

Father God, we thank you that you have supplied grace and mercy for us, that you gave your Son, Jesus to die on the cross and be our mediator. We thank you for using your creation to remind us of your promise of grace and mercy. In Jesus's name, we pray. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

The fall rains have produced a lot of rainbows. Have you captured any on your camera?

What other ways have you seen rainbows? Here are some experiments you might want to try.

• On a sunny day turn the spray on the garden hose so the sun shines through the water.
• Use a magnifying glass, turning it at angles to catch a "rainbow."
• You may have a prism (a triangular piece of glass) in your classroom. Turn it so the sunshine creates a rainbow on a piece of paper or the floor. 

Have you noticed that every time you create a rainbow, the light is needed? The Light is needed in our lives as well.

Blessings,

Gail

Truth and Love

 

And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.  ~John 8:11KJV

Do you remember reading The Scarlet Letter? The other day I picked up my granddaughter from school.  She asked me if I had read it. She said her teacher played a song for them by Casting Crowns that talked about it in some of the lyrics. Yes, I remembered the song. I remembered the part about "under the shadow of our steeple." There was a tragedy in the shadow of our steeple just about the time the song was released. It was a case of domestic violence.  I remember thinking I hadn't gone to visit or invite the family to church before the tragedy. 

The name of the song was "Can Anybody Hear Her?" It was more about a girl with an unexpected pregnancy. It was about how the church looks down on these girls. In the past year I have become a volunteer mentor at the Carolina Pregnancy Center. Part of the training is Life Issues which includes Biblical Sexuality. Our God is a God of second chances. Remember the woman at the well? No one in her town wanted to openly have anything to do with her. Neither did the disciples — but Jesus. There's always the — but Jesus. Remember the woman taken in adultery? There were many accusers but because of Jesus, there was no one to cast the first stone. Neither did He cast a stone but told her to go and sin no more. Jesus spoke truth and love to both women. It made all the difference in both their lives. In the Samaritan town of Sychar, love and truth made a difference in the whole town in two days (John 4).  

Our God is a God of second chances. 

How are we as Christians helping others see the truth in love? How are we meeting the lost and lonely people we meet every day? How do we show unwed mothers we care about them and their unborn baby? Abortion in the US is used in over 95% of the cases for social and economic factors, "my boyfriend will leave me", "I have to go to school", "I've got a scholarship", and the list goes on. Less then 5% are for rape, incest, life of the mother, health of the mother, or health of the baby (produced by Lisa Van Riper, President of SC Citizens for Life. www.sclife.org).

Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see her? She needs support from Christians, from the church, and from her family. She needs to know Jesus will forgive her. She needs to know He wants to change her life and lifestyle, even if her pregnancy test is negative. The only way she can know Jesus loves her is if Christians love her, support her emotionally, spiritually, and physically, giving her a hand up. 

Girls who are post-abortion need exactly the same love and truth. Probably no one told them the truth about their baby. Jesus still stands ready to forgive and renew their hearts as well. 

Friends, she is running in all the wrong directions. Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see her? There is a Crisis Pregnancy Center near you. There are lots of lost and lonely people in the shadow of our steeple. Will you and your church find out how you can help? 

Father God, please give us a heart for the lost and lonely people we come in contact with every day. Please help us know how to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their lives, restoring hope for their tomorrow and all eternity. In Jesus's name. Amen. 

Hey Kids: 

Have you noticed children in your classroom or neighborhood who seem sad or lonely?

In what ways can you encourage those children? 

Here are a few ideas that might open doors to new friendships and possibilities. 

• ask to sit with them at lunch.
• ask them to join in a game at recess.
• give a smile across the classroom or a hi-five in the hallway.

Blessings,

Gail

Giving God Glory

 

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

~Psalms 29:9 ESV

On my way to town I drive through fields and small patches of woods near creeks. This morning I caught sight of a deer just at the edge of a wooded area. I slowed down because I know deer will jump out in front of you and cause damage to the car and herself. But that's not the only reason I slowed. Deer and other wildlife are very common in our area but most people can't help gazing when wildlife makes itself visible. 

I slowed down to catch a few seconds of God's amazing creation and catch a breath of peace and calm. No one has to sustain the deer, or the turkey, or the bear, like farm animals. The Lord takes care of the wild things. He provides their shelter, food, and water. Without these, the deer would die or have to find a new area that provided these necessities. As I started on toward town, I thought about other things I see every day, the trees now turning autumn colors, the fog rising amidst the trees and farmland and barns, the sun rising higher and burning away the fog. Then I realized how great God is to surround us with the beauty of His creation and provide all that we ever need -- food, water, shelter. It may not be a mansion with a grand spread or gallons of sweet tea but those things are not necessary. Those may do us more harm than good. But the necessities along with the peace we find in pausing to wonder; these should cause us to cry, "Glory!" even if we're not yet in His sanctuary. 

I want to praise Him even on my way each day.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your glorious creation that is so insync that it provides all the wildlife need and all we need. Help me pause and give you glory in the midst of your creation every day. In Jesus's name. Amen

Hey Kids:

There is a game our class used to play that helped us realize how important it is for everything in the environment to be insync and how great God is to have planned the creation to be a provider for us all. The game is called "Oh, Deer!"

First we divided the class into four groups. We discussed the need for deer and all animals to have food, water and shelter

Each person was assigned a motion for their group.

• hands over stomach for food
• hands over mouth for water
• hands over head for shelter.

The last group were deer. Two lines were made across the area. The deer stood behind one line, the rest behind the second line. All the students had their backs turned to the other group.

The teacher asked the students to make their sign. The deer made the sign for one of the three things they would need. On the count of three, the deer ran across the area and chose the item that matched their sign. 

As the game progressed the deer will depleted the provision. When a deer couldn't find their need, that deer "died" as all things do when needs are not met. He became part of the habitat and became either food, water, or shelter. 

The teacher kept a graph of how the population of deer increases or decreases. At the end of 15 rounds the teacher and students discussed the results of the activity. Students could see how the ecosystem affects wildlife population.

Have fun and give God the glory for His amazing creation. 

Gail

Fishers of Men

 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. Mark 1:17

My son is a flyfishing guide. He studies the weather, the hatch of the insects, the water levels in the rivers and streams and notices what type of insects the fish are biting on this week. 

He ties his own flies. They have to look as near the same color and size as the actual insect as possible. He also has to hike miles through rough terrain and wade slick rocky rivers to give the best guides in natural waters. This is a lot of hard work but he absolutely loves the studying and hard work. 

When Jesus called his disciples he told them to follow him and he would make them fishers of men. It wasn't an instant transformation any more than my son became an instant expert on flyfishing. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 and following, Jesus took his disciples up on the mountain away from the crowds and began to instruct them. They followed him and just like my son guiding on a trip, Jesus showed the disciples how to fish for men. They began to practice "fishing" before Jesus ascended so they would know how when they had to go "alone". 

There's a pattern to become a fisher of men. Mark 1:15 says repent and believe the gospel. The first part of learning to fish for men is to know that we ourselves are sinners in need of repentance (a change of heart about ourselves) and we need to believe the gospel (Jesus is the sinless son of God who died for our sins and was resurrected again). 

Jesus then called the disciples to follow Him. Following is probably the hardest part. That's the study, the understanding of scripture, the talking with the Master. Along with all the study comes the practice, the little by little learning to talk to others, teach others and go into all the world with the gospel (Matthew 28:19,20).

The transformation into a fisher of men doesn't happen overnight. It happens over time. If my son were not a continual learner and follower of flyfishing he wouldn't have his own business today. If we are not faithful and continue in our study of God's word, faithful in prayer, and faithful to reach out to others we will not be effective fishers of men reaching all nations. 

Heavenly Father, help us be faithful followers who study your word daily and pray for guidance in reaching others. Help us practice lives of dedication to your calling. In Jesus's name. Amen.  

Hey Kids:

Do you like to fish? 

Who taught you? How often do you get to practice?

Can you bait your own hook? What type of bait do you use?

Can you take a fish off?

Is fishing your passion? 

Maybe fishing isn't your thing but God has given you interest and talents that He wants you to use for His glory. 

How can you go into all the world? Do you speak another language? Can you draw or write? Do you contribute to kids' magazines? In our day of technology, going into all the world can mean reaching them at home, but it doesn't mean it's easy.

How can you improve your talents so you can use them to be "fishers of men"?

Blessings,

Gail

A Nation in Crisis

 

             

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  II Chronicles 7:14

 Sometimes choices are hard. Sometimes we make the wrong choice. Sometimes we don't fully understand the choice until it's too late to change the choice. But God is the Great Forgiver and Lover of our souls. 

When I began to keep chickens, I wanted to raise my own flock. I didn't know how to keep my hens from laying with my setting hen. I hated wasting eggs, so I attempted to sort them without candling them (looking inside with a light through the shell.) One day I cracked an egg into a bowl and there lay a yolk with a few arteries stretching across it with a tiny heart beating.

Oh no. What had I done? I couldn't put it back in the shell. I couldn't keep it warm, and I couldn't throw it in the trash. It was alive and dying before my eyes. Over the next 20 minutes, I watched the heartbeat slow as the egg cooled down to room temperature. I tried to walk away but I always returned to check on it, wishing it to live, knowing it would die. I had made the wrong choice. Finally, the little heart beat no longer. I slid it into the trash, my heart broken.

Read the verse again, please. If my people, that's Christians. Aren't we God's people?

Shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face. Why? 

It sounds like there must be something there that needs repentance. What have we done? What are we allowing? Are we sitting idly by while children are being murdered in the womb? Maybe they are being murdered before they even make it to their mother's womb.

When does life begin? My friend had trouble conceiving so she and her husband turned to in-vitro fertilization. The fertilized egg was implanted in her womb. Was the fertilized egg alive? Sure, or it would not have embedded itself in the womb. It would not have grown into a beautiful little girl. There had to have been life there. How many people today would never think of going to an abortion clinic but they prevent the embedding of a fertilized live baby from implanting itself in his/her mother's womb? 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, this is hard to write but it is necessary if we want to see our families, our churches, and our nation healed. We can't pretend this is not happening even in our own churches. I know it is. But what does the Lord say?

and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

 We are not without hope only if we choose to be.

This Sunday our local crisis pregnancy center is sponsoring a Life Chain on Reidville Rd. 

Would you be willing to research your Crisis Pregnancy Center to find out what you can do to help families? 

Heavenly Father, help us see the opportunities to serve others in crisis and find ways to serve. Help us see the opportunities to share the gospel with others and seize those opportunities to plant the seeds of salvation. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

Are you looking for ways to serve others? 

It really isn't that hard if our eyes and ears are open. 

Many schools have a special friend bench on their playground. When a student doesn't have someone to play with, they sit on the bench. Then someone can invite them to play. 

Learning to see the needs of others is important in our walk with the Lord. 

How can you watch for opportunities to serve others and make them feel welcomed and wanted?