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preacher31
Psalm 8 - Subscribe
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A psalm of David. 1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [c] and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! |
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preacher31
This will touch your heart..... 3/05/2008 08:27 - Subscribe
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The pickle jar as far back as I can remember sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents' bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his coins into the jar. As a small boy I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they were dropped into the jar . They landed with a merry jingle when the jar was almost empty. Then the tones gradually muted to a dull thud as the jar was filled. I used to squat on the floor in front of the jar and admire the copper and silver circles that glinted like a pirate's treasure when the sun poured through the bedroom window. When the jar was filled, Dad would sit at the kitchen table and roll the coins before taking them to the bank. Taking the coins to the bank was always a big production . Stacked neatly in a small cardboard box, the coins were placed between Dad and me on the seat of his old truck. Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me hopefully. 'Those coins are going to keep you out of the textile mill, son. You're going to do better than me. This old mill town's not going to hold you back.' Also, each and every time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the cashier, he would grin proudly 'These are for my son's college fund. He'll never work at the mill all his life like me.' We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream cone. I always got chocolate. Dad always got vanilla. When the clerk at the ice cream parlor handed Dad his change, he would show me the few coins nestled in his palm. 'When we get home, we'll start filling the jar again.' He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar. As they rattled around with a brief, happy jingle, we grinned at each other. 'You'll get to college on pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters,' he said. 'But you'll get there; I'll see to that.' No matter how rough things got at home, Dad continued to doggedly drop his coins into the jar. Even the summer when Dad got laid off from the mill, and Mama had to serve dried beans several times a week, not a single dime was taken from the jar. To the contrary, as Dad looked across the table at me, pouring catsup over my beans to make them more palatable, he became more determined than ever to make a way out for me. 'When you finish college, Son,' he told me, his eyes glistening, 'You'll never have to eat beans again - unless you want to.' The years passed, and I finished college and took a job in another town. Once, while visiting my parents, I used the phone in their bedroom, and noticed that the pickle jar was gone. It had served its purpose and had been removed. A lump rose in my throat as I stared at the spot beside the dresser where the jar had always stood. My dad was a man of few words, and never lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance, and faith. The pickle jar had taught me all these virtues far more eloquently than the most flowery of words could have done. When I married, I told my wife Susan about the significant part the lowly pickle jar had played in my life as a boy. In my mind, it defined, more than anything else, how much my dad had loved me. The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born, we spent the holiday with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each other on the sofa, taking turns cuddling their first grandchild. Jessica began to whimper softly, and Susan took her from Dad's arms. 'She probably needs to be changed,' she said, carrying the baby into my parents' bedroom to diaper her. When Susan came back into the living room, there was a strange mist in her eyes. She handed Jessica back to Dad before taking my hand and leading me into the room. 'Look,' she said softly, her eyes directing me to a spot on the floor beside the dresser. To my amazement, there, as if it had never been removed, stood the old pickle jar, the bottom already covered with coins. I walked over to the pickle jar, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out a fistful of coins. With a gamut of emotions choking me, I dropped the coins into the jar. I looked up and saw that Dad, carrying Jessica, had slipped quietly into the room. Our eyes locked, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I felt. Neither one of us could speak. This truly touched my heart. I know it has yours as well. Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our blessings. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life, for better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for Good in others. The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched - they must be felt with the heart ~ Helen Keller - Happy moments, praise God. - Difficult moments, seek God. - Quiet moments, worship God. - Painful moments, trust God. - Every moment, thank God. |
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preacher31
You Hypocrite! 3/10/2008 08:35 - Subscribe
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Scripture: "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:5) Have you ever noticed this: If you ask a question, or if someone asks you a question to describe someone else, you almost always begin with negative characteristics about that person. It really uncanny how often that happens. It happened to me not long ago. I was asked to write a recommendation for someone I knew. This as a personal recommendation specifically asking about this persons characteristics. I noticed, as I was writing, I was beginning, right off, to speak negative about this person. This Matthew 7:5 verse immediately flashed in my mind. I thought, "Kim you hypocrite, do you honestly think with all the logs in your eyes, you need to show the few specks in his eyes!" It was time to take a second look at what I was doing. My question is this: Don't you think it's time to take a second look at your relationships and the logs in your own eyes? Prayer: Oh Lord help me to take care of the logs in my own eyes, there are many. God help me to always leave judgment to you. THANK YOU GOD FOR BEING GOD. Quote: The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity” |
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preacher31
MAUNDY THURSDAY 3/15/2008 01:59 - Subscribe
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Scripture: Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Maundy Thursday Meditation.... He gathered around the table for a festive meal with his friends. Suddenly without warning, he got up from the table, wrapped a towel around his waist, took a basin of water and assumed the role of a servant washing the guest's dusty feet. His friends could barely stand it and protested loudly. Could it be that the man with wet hands and a damp towel did not understand the meaning of the Passover meal? Or could it be that he understood better than anyone else? Could it have been that he was telling them he would empty himself and take on the role of a servant even unto death for them, for us? Could it be that he was announcing that this meal, the water and the wine, would all too soon become a symbol of salvation, celebration, and call to servant ministry in his name? From 'Table Talk' |
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preacher31
PALM SUNDAY 3/16/2008 08:04 - Subscribe
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Scripture: The next day the great that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord- the King of Israel!" Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt" His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. 'The Pharisees then said to one another. "You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him! What Does Palm Sunday Mean? "Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey a colt. There is no doubt it was a deliberate symbol. Was it to poke fun at the pretentions of the powerful? Would they be expecting the Messiah to ride a white horse into the city? But it is the donkey that speaks most powerfully of the ministry of Jesus. He always seemed to choose the weak and the lowly as the symbols of his calling. The lamb and the sheep, the dove and the donkey are all weak and powerless creatures. By his action, Jesus was saying something about power and powerlessness. The humility of his action stands in contrast to the crowd's expectation of him as a conqueror. In the entry to Jerusalem, God is identified with the poor rather than the rich, with the humble against the proud, with those who love against those who hate, with peace against war. All the virtues which we tend to see as weak are the ones which he claims to be strong. He gives up power and in his powerlessness shows the greater strength. In many Bible commentaries, this event is described as "the triumphal entry". This statement is a complete misnomer. It arose in medieval times when the church was obsessed with temporal power. The truth is lost if we associate this event with triumphalism. Jesus entered Jerusalem with all the symbols of simple humility. His actions were a mockery of the things the world associates with power. But it is in his humility that real strength resides. In his weakness is our strength." Ron O'Grady Aotearoa/New Zealand From: The Bible Through Asian Eyes |