A Prayer for Our Country

 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 

~ Timothy 2:1-4 NIV

I'm tired. I'm weary of all the anger and arguments about everything. Everyone is offended. Everyone is angry yet no one seems to know the answer. We don't have answers but I know the One who does. Shouldn't we be asking Him and seeking His answers?

My friend recently introduced me to the picture book A Prayer for Our Country written by our senate Chaplin Rear Admiral Barry Black (Ret.) I immediately fell in love. I kept thinking this is exactly how we need to teach our children to not only love our country but to pray for our country. It’s also a good model for us as adults.

Chaplin Black helps children see how to put feet to their prayers by:

·         showing love to others around us.

·         giving praise and thanks to the Lord for the day.

·         Giving thanks for the strength within us, our family, and our friends.

The prayer acknowledges God as our Creator and encourages us to be thankful for His creation which shows us evidence of God’s love. The prayer also acknowledges our blessings of food, clothes, and shelter. The illustrations show children how to share those blessings with those less fortunate.

The prayer asks that the Lord show us how to use every part of us to bring joy to others.

·         We recognize God as the Good Shepherd.

·         We ask to be taught to use words wisely, words that heal, not hurt.

·         We ask to recognize that every person is made in the image of God.

·         We are reminded that God is not a respecter of persons which helps us understand the need for unity.

·         We recognize we have problems that sometimes cause us to feel lost and overwhelmed.

The illustrations challenge children to care for each other, and to show love and respect because of the word of God.

We know God is in control. He chose us. With God’s help, we do our best even when no one else is looking.

Chaplin Black ends the prayer by letting children know God is close and chases away the darkness. He ends the prayer by saying, “in Your loving name.” There is no mention of Jesus but here’s one of the many opportunities we as parents have to teach our children about God’s love.

·         What is the loving name of God?

·         What verses could be used with this book to encourage children to memorize scripture?

·         What talents do our children have to share?

·         How can we be the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities?

Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.

President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address

Chaplin Black and his illustrator Kim Holt give us the perfect example of what we can do for our country. May we enter into the celebration of our country’s birthday this Fourth of July with prayers and supplications.

Hey Kids:

I always looked forward to the Fourth of July. Dad would grill hamburgers for us. We had fresh tomatoes from the garden and watermelon from a nearby stand. We would turn on the sprinkler and spend the afternoon dripping with water and juice. We often ended the day with a churn of peach ice cream. Have you ever sat on a churn of ice cream while you turned the handle until wouldn't turn any more? Then the sparklers and firecrackers came out after dark. 

Do you know why we celebrate with fireworks? Do you know the words to The Star Spangled Banner? 

Have you learned about the struggles of men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison as they and others came together to write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with its Bill of Rights? 

Prayer was always a part of their time together as they planned for our new nation. May we also make prayer for our nation a part of our daily lives. 

 

 

Things Dad Taught Us

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. ~Ephesians 6:4 NKJV

Teaching has been my profession for about thirty years but whether we get paid or not we are all teachers. We teach our children how to be our mini-me. We are proud to see our children improve on who we are as they grow up. Though he wasn't a teacher by profession, my dad intentionally taught me and my two brothers. 

My dad taught us how to be a part of a family:

• how to catch a ball with a glove and throw a curve ball
• how to tie on a leed and bait a hook
• how to shoot a gun and hunt
• how to skin the game we shot: "If you kill it, you eat it." 

These were things that made us part of the Wofford family. Things his dad had taught him and his dad before. Skills the family had always passed down.

My dad was a hands-on type of guy. He built a workshop and tore down motors under shade trees. We were always a part of those activities whether we wanted to be or not. Those types of things taught us skills as well.

• how to use a hammer to drive nails in and pull them out
• the relationship of fractions by handing him tools
• doing math in our heads
• adding figures from left to right in a column

My dad loved to sit on the porch at night and tell family stories.

• how his grandpa shot a panther off the roof of the house by the light of the moon.
• how he himself shot a mad-dog to keep children playing in the yard from being bitten.
• how his grandpa accidentally shot himself and came to Jesus
• how thirty years later Dad knew his grandpa had been saved like the thief on the cross

My dad loved music though he would often say the only thing he played was the radio.

• he had favorite country songs and had visited the Grand Ol' Opry
• he recited poems he learned in school like Two Dead Boys. 
• he sang kids' songs like There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
• his favorite hymn was I'm a Child of the King.

 My dad never finished high school but you wouldn't know it. He read hunting and fishing magazines, the newspaper, and his Bible. He taught us to read by example.

• we read the scriptures together as a family every night.
• we got down on our knees as a family and prayed together every night.
• we saw his personal study time and he often shared his discoveries with us.

God gave us dads as physical pictures of what our heavenly Father is like. He likes to show us how to be part of his family by trusting in His Son as our Savior. Then he teaches us to be fishers of men. Hunters of the lost sheep and how to deal with life when it throws us a curve ball. 

God shows us how to build his kingdom by using the tools of witnessing and going into all the world and making disciples. He shows us that he will add to the kingdom those that want to be saved.

God will remind us of his history of faithfulness with the stories of Daniel in the lions' den, Moses in the wilderness, and David the conquering king.

God puts a song in our hearts, the memory verses from Psalms, the songs of our childhood like Jesus Loves Me, the songs in our hymnals, and the worship songs that ramble in our minds day and night to remind us of God's love and faithfulness.

Now it's our turn to train up our children in the way they should go, reading scripture with them as a family every night. Praying together as a family and sharing those things we have discovered in our personal study time. 

Father, may we carefully and thoughtfully train our children, not purposefully provoking them to be angry but lovingly showing them your way. Showing our children that they were created for a purpose that only they can fulfill with the Lord's help.  In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

Today is a special day to honor our dads but it doesn't just have to be today. We are to honor our parents every day by obeying them. The Bible says this is well-pleasing to the Lord. 

Do you have special memories or times spent with your dad? 

What are the ways you can honor your dad today? Here are a few hints.

• Make a card with a picture of something you like to do with dad.
• Fix a special dessert with mom's help.
• Thank him for something he has taught you.
• Sometimes just a smile and a handshake that turns into a hug mean more than anything else.

 

Trying Something Different

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ~ II Timothy 2:15 NIV

I was ready to try something different. I had read the Bible through several times but I felt like most of the time I was reading the words without hearing what I was reading. I felt as though I was reading a chapter just to say I had read a chapter for the day. What was I missing? Then I saw a post by a cousin. He was demonstrating how a Sunday School group was using a method of journaling to help them better understand and apply the scriptures. Hmm. Maybe I need to give this a try. At least it wouldn't be the same thing over and over expecting different results (see last week's blog).

I bought a pretty journal, spiral bound with pretty flowers and lined pages. I found gel pens I liked. Now it was time to get down to business. I needed to choose a book. The Sunday School class was working through the book of St. John. The instructions were to pray and read the chapter letting the Lord speak to you, pointing out a particular verse. I don't remember what the verse was. I don't have the journal since it was several years ago but this was the best possible change I could have made. I had to pay attention to what I read to find the verse. I copied the scripture and labeled it with an S for Scripture. 

The next instruction was to summarize what I observed about the verse. What was the scene, the characters, and why was the verse given? So I wrote my observation beside an O for Observation.

Now to understand why this verse had jumped out at me. How did it apply to me and my life? This was a little more difficult. Some verses are convicting but more often the verse is one to encourage and lift me up. So I wrote an A for Application and discovered why the verse was mine. I needed lifting up. Life can beat you down. 

Now the last part. Prayer - a prayer to thank God for what He had shown me. How He was encouraging me. How He was calling me to draw closer to Him. After writing P for Prayer and writing down what I prayed in my heart, I felt encouraged, lifted up, ready to face a new day with a new vision. Of course, in a day or two, I wanted to go back to my old habit but to create a new habit I had to press on. I became fascinated with the things I was learning that in over forty years of regular Bible study and church attendance I had never seen. How had I missed so much? This trying a new thing was really working.

Let me encourage you to try the S.O.A.P. method. I usually get the whole devotion on one page and it usually doesn't take any longer than the time I spend drinking my cup of coffee. 

Heavenly Father, help us be willing to try something different. We all love going on adventures to new places. Help us realize You want to take us on a new adventure through your word. In Jesus's name. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

Maybe you'd like a new adventure with Jesus as well. Ask Mom and Dad to start a family Bible study.

May I suggest starting with Genesis. If you can't read yet, be sure to listen closely. In the first chapter before anyone shares, draw a picture of your favorite day. (Parents even if the picture is just scribbles with a red crayon, let it be their journal and share its meaning.) 

You older kids may want to draw and write. 

Once everyone has a chance to journal, share your favorite part of the first day. 

Encourage one another in the Lord. 

Pray about what the Lord is teaching you. 

Most importantly, enjoy this time with your family and with the Lord. 

How's the Fishing?

 

And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.   ~John 21:6 NKJV

My dad took my brothers and me night fishing a lot in the hot summertime. We tried to arrive before dark, and load the boat with our tackle and lanterns. We usually tied up to the bridge if we wanted to catch white bass. If we wanted crappies, we anchored at the best looking fishy spot. I always sat at the front of the boat. I'm not sure why unless it was because I was older and bigger than the boys. With Dad in the back, I balanced the boat. When we got settled Dad would break out the Vienna sausages, potted meat, and soda crackers. Dad would share stories about fishing, hunting, and shooting mad dogs. Long about three o'clock in the morning we would start back to shore. It was my job to keep the front lantern from dipping in the water and watch for stumps or sandbars as Dad maneuvered the boat back to the landing. The funny thing was, I almost always caught the most fish. I'm not sure if it was the location of the lanterns or my patience or lack thereof.  Dad and the boys would try fresh bait, changing sides of the boat, checking the depth of their lines, but I still came out the winner. Regardless of the amount of fish we caught we came in tired and wondering why we would sit up all night to have Dad tell us scary old family tales. 

The disciples fished for a living. After Jesus's resurrection, they seemed unsure just what to do. Peter announced he was going fishing and the rest decided to go with him. They fished all night, were exhausted, and had caught nothing. It was then that Jesus called to them from the shore, "Have you caught anything?" When his disciples answered no, he told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. 

They probably figured why not. Just one more cast. To their surprise, the net was so full of fish they couldn't draw it up. It was then they realized the man on the shore was Jesus. He already had breakfast on the fire for them. 

So what can we learn from this fishing trip? Many of us feel exhausted from trying to invite people to church or witness without seeing the results we expected. We become cynical thinking it's not our fault. The world is just getting worse and worse. 

Have we considered that we are doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? I often hear well-meaning people condemn the churches that are growing because they have modern music and maybe the preacher wears jeans or they use a different translation than we grew up on. 

Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.

But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”

~Luke 9:49-50 NKJV

Maybe it's time to try something different. We aren't living in the 1st Century or the 1600s or the 20th century. The point is to be fishers of men, to catch fish, not stay stuck in traditions that aren't giving results. 

Heavenly Father, please give us the wisdom to know how to be fishers of men in the 21st Century. For we know you are not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance. In Jesus's name. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

I learned how to fish from my dad. I also learned about storytelling and family history. All of these were important but the most important thing I learned from my dad was a love for the Lord. 

Have you thought about what you are learning from your parents? 

Are you asking questions about family hobbies like fishing or hunting or building things or fixing things? 

Most importantly, are you asking questions about your parents' relationship with the Lord? 

This week take a technology break and spend a few minutes finding out things you may not know from your parents and grandparents.