Weathering the Hard Stuff

  For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  Isaiah 55:10,11

A seed dropped into the ground does not sprout without water. We sing a song about showers of blessings. We want revival. We want to see people come to know the Lord, to be saved. We want to see the "seeds" we plant in witnessing bring forth fruit, but what about the rain? What about the snow? 

Dark clouds bring rain. Often there is thunder and lightning. Rainy days are dreary and hard to get through. We usually don't like rainy days, but that's what it takes for seeds to sprout and grow and produce food. 

Dark cold clouds bring snow. Here in the south, we love snow but farther north it may not be so much fun. People say they have "cabin fever". They're tired of being inside. But snow also brings a time of quiet and peace over the land. The seeds in the ground are growing roots. Though no sprouts are yet surfacing things are happening. 

So what does all that have to do with revival and seeing people come to the Lord? It may be that we are too comfortable in the sunshine of our lives to really be willing to allow the storm clouds and the cold snow. Our roots are shallow and it may be showing in our witness. When cabin fever takes over, our family and friends often get the brunt of our frustrations. We could allow the time to be better spent finding ways for our spiritual roots to grow. When the storm clouds of life gather we are often frustrated by politics, jobs, or sickness. We may be praying for the storm to pass, failing to see that it may water the seeds of witness. Weathering life's storms can be hard, but if it causes the seed of witness to sprout and grow will it not be worth it? 

Heavenly Father, help me not to be frustrated by circumstances. Help me rather see how I can use those circumstances to be a demonstration of your peace to others around me. Help me weather the storms with grace so that others may know there is comfort in Christ. For it is in Christ Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

Just What Is Horton Trying to Say?

 

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[fn]

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

~Psalms 139:13,14

STOP! Hurry to your nearest bookshelf, library, or store. Get a copy before there is no more. Then slowly, carefully read each line. Is there anything vaguely familiar in the rhyme? 

Horton, whose elephant ears are very sharp, hears the tiniest voice calling for help. He can't see the person whose voice he hears. Some poor little person who resides on a speck of dust is crying out shaking in fear "that he'll be blown in the pool. He has no way to steer." 

That speck is as small as the head of a pin. But you know "a person's a person no matter how small."

Horton imagines who might be living on that speck of dust, "a family with children just starting to grow." The baby kangaroo agrees with everything his mother says. She's training her baby to have the same misconstrued values as she. But Horton keeps repeating "A person's a person, no matter how small." Even when everyone is making fun of him, he still stands for what he knows is right. 

Three monkeys jump on Horton's back. they could have been his friends, the government, or just pushy people trying to help. So they take the speck on the flower and give it to the vulture. Who is to "kindly get rid of the thing." What? Kindly get rid? of the thing? Others say nothing is there, but now there is an admittance that there is something there.

So the vulture "hides" it in a field of other flowers. Horton feels more dead than alive. Think about that. Horton didn't agree to throw the flower away but it's affecting him anyway. Finally he discovers the flower with Whoville still alive though shattered. 

The kangaroo says they live in a peaceable jungle. How can the world in which they live be peaceable when they destroy the smallest among them? How can Horton show them the truth? By getting everyone in Whoville to make a noise, shout, play music, just make noise, but the kangaroo still can't hear.

But not everyone who lives in Whoville is doing their part. When the mayor searches for the person, he finds him innocently playing with his yoyo at home. He's the one who is keeping the town from being heard. His shout "Yopp!" is the needed extra sound to bring the message to the kangaroo. She changes her mind and her little roo does too. 

The Supreme Court has heard the case and sent it to the states. Many states are waiting for their own supreme court to make a decision while thousands of children die. Others have already decided to allow abortion and even infanticide. Our state leaders need to hear our voices now. Who is the last one to let our voice be heard? 

A person's a person, no matter how small!

Heavenly Father, please let the voices of your people arise and be heard by all the land so that the killing of our innocents will cease and healing can begin. In Jesus's name. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

Have you read Horton Hears a Who? Just who is a Who? I think you probably know the story of the Grinch. Little Cindy Lou Who lives in Whoville, the same Whoville Horton saves on the speck of dust. 

Many of Dr. Seuss's stories have important messages with a Christian worldview. What other books by Dr. Seuss have you read? What were some of the messages? 

Every book has an underlying message.  I like to go back and reread books that I enjoy to make sure I got the author's meaning. What other books have you read with a Christian worldview?

The Stranger

 

 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ~Deuteronomy 6:6,7 (NIV)

Some of my favorite books are illustrated with photographs. Nature is my favorite subject. Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick do a great job of capturing nature and children in both story and photography.  Sharing books with our children is a great opportunity for prime time and to teach lessons in easy almost unexpected ways.  

Stranger in the Woods was my first introduction to Sams and Stoick's books.The animals discover a stranger in their woods one morning. When did he come? How did he get there? Two children built the snowman to provide for the animals in the cold snow of winter. The animals are afraid. Who would approach the stranger first? Would the others follow? 

At first a few animals followed the chickadee to the stranger. They found food from the snowman's head to his toes. Their joy in finding food encouraged others to follow. They were filled and went away thankful for the stranger.

How had the stranger provided the food for the animals? From his red hat and outstretched arms. Even his nose was edible. Food at the base also provided for those willing to dig deeper. The children know the snowman will melt as the weather warms but they plan to provide for the animals until then. 

So how can we use this story to help our children understand more about the way we can recognize the Lord in our everyday lives? 

Jesus is the visible part of the trinity sent as our "stranger". He came to give himself for us with outstretched arms and a crown of thorns. He is the very breath of Life, the bread of Life and the Water of Life for all who will come to HIm.  

One of the children asked how long they would feed the animals. The other replied with visions of springtime when the earth would be renewed. Jesus promises us a time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth. A place where there will be no more tears. Until then He will provide for us. 

“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. ~Isaiah 65:10 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, thank you for providing salvation for us and supplying our every need. Thank you for your promise of eternal life in the new heaven and new earth. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

What stories have you read that you can relate to a Bible story? Some are easier to do than others. Other stories by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick would be good starters. Fairy Tales and poems are also easy to work with. Give it a try and let us know what you discover this week.

Finding Purpose

 

Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 1:5

January is Sanctity of Life Month. We wanted to honor life in some way at our church, so the ladies decided to make these little bunny washcloths for the Mommy Store at the pregnancy crisis center in our area. We thought, brunch, devotion, begin the project, should take about an hour and a half to two hours. Well... lol.

A great time was had by all! And we will be doing this again!

I felt the most important thought was how God knows us before we are even conceived. He has a plan for us. Though we may go against that plan for years, He is always taking us into places and situations that will lead us to Him if we stop long enough to pay attention. The women at the crisis pregnancy center have a child they did not intend, but God still has a plan for that child and that woman and the father too. Crisis pregnancy centers don't just take care of physical needs. They minister to the women's and men's spiritual needs as well. The whole point is to save a life and help each family seek God's plan for them all. 

I wonder how many of us know God's plan for our own lives. We may have been a Christian for years, but still haven't been able to discern God's purpose for our lives. God is a trinity. He works in threes. Think about the sun. From the sun ball itself comes heat and light, three things. Many things in nature come in threes. So do families, father, mother, child. But how do we know our purpose?

Many people tell us to pray about it. That's a start, but how do you know you are discerning the correct answer? Let's see, there's you, prayer and what would the third thing be? What about God's Word, the Bible? If the answers we think we get from God don't line up with His Word, then - wrong answer. 

Every teachable moment is multi-faceted. When a school teacher plans a lesson around just one standard she misses many standards and teachable moments. Part of the purpose of our Sanctity of Life project was mentoring our girls, in the Word and in deed.

Heavenly Father, help us search your word and listen as we pray for your purpose in our lives. Help us keep our eyes open for opportunities to serve others as we demonstrate your love through our lives. In Jesus's name, Amen. 

Hey Kids:

Have you ever taught someone younger than you how to play a game or build with legos? 

Never think you are too young to teach or too old to learn. 

Is mom trying to teach you to cook?

Is dad trying to teach you to build? 

Have you asked them to show you? 

God wants us to ask Him to show us the special purpose He has for each of us. If you will ask and then study His word, you'll find the answer. 

Mom reads the recipes and Dad looks at blueprints. Mom and Dad are our pictures of the way God's purposes work. 

 

With God

 

For with God nothing shall be impossible. ~Luke 1:37

It's a new year and I've started a new thing - Bible Doodle Journaling. I have a separate journal for my doodles. I mark in my Bible but I don't doodle over its words. I want to make sure the word is still readable.  As you can see from the messy page picture, I'm a true beginner. However, I am finding that doodling my thoughts for the day is calming. It's helping me focus on the day at hand and prepare my heart and mind to walk with God. I really hadn't researched others' thoughts on what doodling does but I knew my students said doodling helped them concentrate. 

So why is doodle journaling helpful? Googling about doodling found these results. 

• helps me meditate on the word of God. Ps 1:2
• keeps me focused and concentrating II Tim 2:15
• relieves stress Ps 119:165
• helps memory retention Ps 119:11

My intention for the first few months of 2023 is to focus on the life of Christ beginning with his conception. I began in Luke 1:26 with the angel Gabriel's conversation with Mary. I read through verse 38. My attention focused on verse 37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible." I remembered another verse when Jesus spoke. He said "With God all things are possible." 

Possible seems to be the operable word. Nothing is impossible. All things are possible. The operator behind the operable word is always God. 

So how do I journal? 

• Pray before reading.
• Listen for God's focus in the passage
• Meditate on the passage or word
• Then doodle, have fun, relieve the stress and let God, the focus of every scripture, direct your path.
• Prayer of thanks.

Heavenly Father, help me begin this new year in your word, with prayer, meditation, and focus. May it be the lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.