Happy New Year - by Kim Bos

It was 2015, and my husband and I were supposed to be flying home New Year’s Eve day. But our morning started with a 4 am text message from the airline telling us that our flights had been cancelled due to fog. At 6 we sprung into action, rescheduling, rerouting, and doing everything in our power to still make it to the party with our sweet community of friends by midnight. Despite our best efforts, we rang in the New Year cold and hungry on the floor of the Los Angeles airport.

I have a special affinity for New Years Eve. There’s something beautifully hopeful about a night where we all think that things could be different, that people could change, where we admit that our lives are always in the process of being redeemed. But I also really love late night hours. There is a holiness that comes with being awake when the whole world seems asleep, peaceful, and still. And so I found myself sitting on the floor, at 3:30 in the morning, in the LAX airport, with my beautiful husband snoring away beside me. I was reading my Bible and thinking about the coming year, and what I would do different, and how I had come up spiritually short in the previous year, and this year I’d be more righteous, more spiritual, more in love with God- when a older woman came by sweeping.

She called over to me, softly, “Hey honey, what are you doing?”

I quickly whispered back, “Oh, nothing, just thinking about the universe.”

With out missing a beat, she responded, “The universe is thinking about you too.”

Then she tossed a bag of trail mix to me and went back to cleaning. It was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment. Not an in-depth conversation about souls, obligations, guilt, heaven, hell, worship or prayer. Just a quick reassurance, possibly even an accidental one, that the God I think about and long for, thinks about and longs for me too, that we are not alone in this world.       

She probably didn’t give much thought to her comment, or the small gift of snacks on a long night, and there’s no way she knew how much it meant to me, but I treasured that odd conversation. Every time I think of that night, I try to remember to be kind to strangers and present in every moment. We never know when the small acts or quick conversations we have,  will be Holy Spirit inspired or will matter most. We never know when we will be called to be messengers of God, so we must always be ready to respond generously to the world as we meet it.


“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” - Hebrews 13:2

"I Can Tell You What Christmas is All About Charlie Brown" - by Greg Arnold

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

- Luke 2:9-11 (KJV)

Raise your hand if you require a tally sheet to count the number of times you’ve watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas” during the Christmas season. Some of us have never missed a year. The Arnold compound has it recorded just in case we miss the airing.

Added to the television line-up of Christmas specials in 1965, Charlie Brown delivered a simple message of unity, tolerance, and hope through Christ. When the special was released, it is estimated that only 9% of the Christmas specials in the 1960’s had any reference to religion (Wikipedia). This religiously arid landscape caused the producers to question the creator of Charlie Brown, Charles Schultz, insistence to share the good news of Christ on television. It was risky. Schultz told them, “If we don't do it, who will?” The producers nervously agreed to proceed.

Like our current culture’s harried holiday pace, often neglecting Christ’s role through the rush of Christmas, Charlie Brown finds himself in the same pace. He becomes frustrated with living out the wrong version of Christmas. The story turns when Charlie Brown desperately screams out, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!”

Linus then calmly, confidently answers, “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.” He then drags his blanket to center stage, the spotlight hits him, and he begins to quote directly from Luke 2 in the King James version.

While the viewers sit still and listen to Linus, Charles Schultz takes his own moment in the spotlight to to subtly and intentionally preach a sermon to every eye.  It’s a sermon delivered in what isn’t said, but what is seen. With one small gesture in the course of Linus’ reciting of the Annunciation of Christ, Mr. Schultz drew Linus to drop his security blanket just as Linus recites the angel’s words “fear not” in verse 10.  Linus concludes his soliloquy, picks up his security blanket, and quietly exits from the spotlight.

I am encouraged by the the message of hope which Linus recites from Luke 2.  More so, I am emboldened by the bold sermon on the security of Christ Mr. Schultz preached through one simple, intentional gesture by Linus’ dropping of the blanket.

Maybe this is why I cling so tightly to Linus’ little “blanket drop”. Even though Linus knows about the good news of Christ, he demonstrates his security in God by swapping his blanket for something greater, life in Christ. Yes, he does return to the temporary blanket when the spotlight is off… but isn’t that what we tend to do in times of darkness?

This Christmas, may we each pray for the courage and boldness to shine the spotlight of hope and unity in Christ with our family, our friends, and our community.  And may we also pray to remain secure in what Christ has done for us when we leave the spotlight and enter those dark and stormy nights.

Stressed Much at Christmas? - by Robin Boswell

           

Be honest. Who else fantasizes about Skipping Christmas just like in the John Grisham book and the movie Christmas with the Kranks?  How wonderful it sounds to avoid all of the things that make the holidays a great big busy stressor- frantic shopping for meaningful-yet-affordable gifts, endless gift-wrapping, pressured decorating to somehow make it look magical, attending parties for every classroom/group/organization, forcing family photoshoots for the perfect holiday card, trying to cook when you stink at it, and if that isn’t enough- taking the whole show on the road to Grandma’s.

Just as I suspected, I am not alone in my stressful state. In a 2015 study, 62% of people said their stress levels were “very or somewhat elevated” during the holidays. It turns out that most of us are experiencing distress at a time when we think we should be full of joy. 

This realization has led me to question myself. Is there any time during the Christmas season that I feel at peace? The answer comes quickly and reveals itself to me. I feel perfect peace and overwhelming joy when I am at CHURCH! Joy to the World, The Lord Is Come, Silent Night, Holy Night, The Little Lord Jesus Asleep On the Hay, Fall On Your Knees - these are the words and melodies that fill the air and our hearts with the true meaning of Christmas! I don’t care how many times we hear it; we never tire of the Bible story about the birth of the Christ who has come to save the world.

That takes care of me and my stress, but aren’t we called to share the Good News? It occurs to me that the very best gift that we could offer is a slice of that Peace and Joy. We don’t even have to shop, cook or decorate to give this extraordinary gift. We can invite friends, co-workers, or whole families to join us at church and to hear about this Savior who we follow. It is a simple as that, and yet it can have an eternal impact.  

The odds are on our side, too. A majority (57%) of people who do not normally attend church at Christmastime say that they are likely to attend if invited by someone they know. So let’s go for it! Invite a bunch of people! Offer to pick them up if you can, or offer to meet them when they arrive. Then introduce them to some other people at church. Tell them to bring more friends. The Peace and Joy that we all desperately need is found in Jesus Christ!

The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people.’’ Luke 2:10 (Common English Bible)

Prayer: Help me to share your Good News with others and to invite them to worship alongside of me. Make me bold.               

Through the Eyes of a Child - by Kevan Jenner Brown

            

During Advent, when my children were small, their dad and I would take them to view a live outdoor re-enactment of the nativity.  One year, more than 25 years ago now, while we were attending this event, my daughter, age four, quietly and intently watched the poignant scene unfold before us, with living, breathing humans playing all the key roles—including a real infant as the newborn Jesus.  As soon as the performance was over, she begged us to take her to the “manger,” shouting, “I want to see the Baby Jesus!  I want to TOUCH the Baby Jesus!”  

My heart was so moved by her insistent plea that not an Advent season has passed since that I do not still hear her voice crying out that same message in my heart, soul, and mind.  That night, at that moment, she wasn’t concerned about any of the commercial trappings of Christmas, like Santa Claus or toys or flashy decorations.  Instead, she was focused only on the Baby Jesus.  

During this special season, with its often stressful, distracting demands on our time and finances, shouldn’t we remember to seek the Baby Jesus first, to reach out and touch Him in humility and love, knowing why He came here to Earth, to be our Savior?   

PRAYER:  Dearest Heavenly Father, thank you for the first—and best—Christmas gift of all.  Help us to remember your precious son Jesus, not only during Advent but always.  In His name we pray.  Amen.

The Holy Way - by Rev. Tom East

Read: Isaiah 35:1-10

“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it shall be for God's people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray” (Isa. 35:8)

Can you believe Christmas is almost here? Last weekend Pat and I went to the mall. While there I heard some young people walking around cheerfully chanting, “SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP! SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP!” I don't know what got into me, I guess it was the preacher in me. But all I could think of what about those who don't have the funds to shop....what about those who have lost a loved one and can't seem to get motivated to shop...what about those who have gone through a terrible divorce...what about the lonely residents in care home or those who are home bound?

“SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP!” Isn't something those who are in a wilderness want to hear. Some don't even want to get out of the house much less go to a mall and hear “SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP!” What they want to hear is, WHAT IS THE WAY OUT...how do I get out of this mess?

When one is in a wilderness time we can even feel abandoned by God.

For all those who are lonely, frustrated, anxious, and bewildered by the wildernesses in their lives, they don't want to hear “SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP!” But what they and us need to hear is:

GOD CHANGES THE WILDERNESS IN OUR LIVES BY REVEALING

HIS PRESENCE TO US ….AND BY CHANGING THE WAY WE SEE

THE WILDERNESS.

It is a pool of water in the desert; it is the blossom on the desert cactus; it is the way, the truth, and the life. It's what really makes it a Merry Christmas...NOT SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP.

For in Christ, we travel God's Holy Way through any wilderness journey! Christ has come! Christ is coming! Christ will come again!

Prayer: Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which his presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Mother Like Mary - by Heather Church

1 John 4:4  You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 

The world was taking her. Daughter was slipping through my fingers and I couldn’t hold on to her. She was funny and fearless. She flipped and she fiddled. But she lost herself and let it all go. Her fierce flame wasn’t burning like it used to. Daughter was removed and introverted. Her faith was questioned and broken.   I prayed. I stood bold. I cried in the night and loved hard in the day. Keep guiding her. Be her beacon. Be the wall she swims to and when she swims away still be the strong wall for when she decides to swim back. It will hurt and a mother’s heart will break. Look forward to the day she hugs you and mends your heart. I will overcome. We will overcome.  

Daughter began walking her new path that was revealed to her. She found art. She found music. She found a reason to go against the world and be her own beautiful true self. We shared devotionals. We shared prayers. We shared disappointments, anger, let downs, and tears.   Now, here we stand mother and daughter. Sharing a new love. Sharing a mended heart and hugs. Sharing a stronger faith and our true colors shining. The world did not win this time. A mother’s love for daughter won.   

Mother like Mary. Mary is a beautiful role model for mothers. Mary was humble, faithful, strong, and gave great love. What a gift from God to be a faithful, sacrificing mother. To give your best every day for your child. Mary has a lot to teach mothers as we reflect on her unshakable faith. Just like a braided cord, we weave three strands: 1 our child’s faith, our faith, and God’s love. The braided cord will not easily break.

Lost But Found - By Rev. Dr. Rick Brooks

Jesus told stories about what was once lost being found. Just check out the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, and his stories of a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son/brother. In every case, whenever what was lost is found, it is cause for great celebration and rejoicing. This is the way of God’s kingdom, Jesus says. This is the way of God’s heart toward his wayward children.

When you think about it, most of the stories of the season that we love so much, A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life . . . and even The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, pick up on this theme of something lost or missing that is found. More often than not the thing “gone missing” is something in the heart that prevents the person (or Grinch) from seeing the miracle of life right before his eyes.

All of these stories seem to tell us: It isn’t necessary to lose something of value before we begin to value, appreciate, and even treasure it. And beginning to value the gift of  “ordinary life” right before us is the pathway to “being found” – that place where celebration and rejoicing are waiting to begin.

Prayer:

Lord, open my eyes this day that I may see your fingerprints in everything and everyone around me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Letting God Handle It - by John Bush

Deuteronomy 4:12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.

In late January of 2001 I tore the rotator cuff in my right shoulder. A week or so later as the physicians were putting me to sleep my heart quit. When I opened my eyes after this encounter, I was startled that a nurse was holding a respirator tightly over my mouth and the rest of the staff there in the operating room were all white as sheep and appeared to be very upset about something. It was then explained to me that as they were administering the anesthesia my heart had quit.

Three days later after extensive testing it was determined that there were no heart problems and the reason for my heart stopping was due to a slow heart rate, which I’ve had all my life. This was not adjusted when putting me to sleep. The surgery was then performed and all went well.

Fast forward four days, it’s Monday morning and my wife goes to work. I have not been by myself since the heart stopping and now here I am all alone. It hit me, what if my heart stops, what will happen; I could die all alone and no one would know. I couldn’t sit still, I was simply terrified and spent several hours going from inside the house to wandering around out in the yard.

On one of the trips inside the telephone rang. I answered and it was Linda, a devout Christian lady, that I worked with. She was calling to just to check on how I was doing.  I will never forget her response when I told her about my fear of being alone. It will be ok she said, stop and talk to God and let Him handle your fear.

I vividly remember after she hung up, I lay down on the couch and prayed to God to take away the fear and anxiety. And then it happened, an unseen voice but a voice as clear as it could be said “it’s o.k.” Instantly the fear and anxiety was gone. I had heard the voice of God telling me that “it’s o.k.”

Prayer: Father thank you for your understanding and guidance that you provide if only we ask.  Amen!

The Goodness of God - by Judy Brehm

Deuteronomy 1:31  Common English Bible

³¹ and as you saw him do in the desert. Throughout your entire journey, until you reached this very place, the Lord your God has carried you just as a parent carries a child.

We all know the poem, Footprints in the Sand, where a woman has a dream of walking on the beach with Jesus.  Then she notices that during the darkest times in her life there is only one set of footprints.  She asks, “How could you desert me at the times I needed you most?”  Our Lord responded, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.” 

It really happened to me!  When my daughter was only 6 months old she was hospitalized for more than a month with life threatening illness.  We were a thousand miles from the nearest relative, we didn’t have a church, we had very little money.  I was with my sick child in the hospital 24 hours a day.  I was scared and lonely.  I didn’t know how I would make it.  It was only years later that I realized it was my dormant faith in the Goodness of God that got me through those times.   Realizing how important it had been me to have been brought up in the church is what brought me and my family to St Paul so that they might have the same benefits of knowing the Goodness of God.

The Serenity Prayer –  God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. AMEN.

Thought for the day  –  “Keep trusting God. He will lead you in every step of the journey.”  ― Lailah Gifty Akita

A Good Thing - by Walt Brehm

Scripture for today – John 3:16-18 The Living Bible

     ¹⁶ For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.  ¹⁸ “There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust him to save them. But those who don’t trust him have already been tried and condemned for not believing in the only Son of God.

     I spent some time in the Army.  After nearly a year of training I learned that soldiers do many things other than fight.  As a mechanized infantry platoon leader I was ready to fight but was never called upon to do so.  As the Chemical School security officer I sat in an office and shuffled papers.  One of those papers was to prepare a response to the Army Suggestion Program.   I read the suggestion, thought about it for a minute or two, wrote a short paragraph of rejection and forwarded it to my boss.  The next day the colonel came to my office with the paper in his hand.  He said, “Lieutenant, you took the easy way out, anyone can say ‘no.’ This is a good thing, think about it and find a way to say ‘Yes.’ ”

     What God has offered us is a good thing, eternal life.  All we need to do is think about it, believe and say “YES!”  And then the most amazing things will happen.

     Prayer – Our Father in Heaven, we praise Your holy name and seek Your forgiveness for the times our thoughts and actions have failed to meet Your approval.  We pray that You will open our eyes and hearts to the opportunity of eternal life with You that You have offered through Your Son.  In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ we pray.   AMEN

God's Mercy Endures Forever - by Jude Williams Howell

"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." Exodus 33:19  NIV

I  read this Bible verse many years ago, and I thought, doesn't God have mercy on everyone?

The Bible says, "But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children." Ps. 103: 17 NKJV

My Father, Morris C. Williams, was selected for service in the Air Force and trained as a fighter pilot under the Southeastern Training Command. Because he had spent his junior and senior years at the Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, Tennessee, he was advanced to the rank of Cadet Officer and then to Platoon Lieutenant during his nine-month training period.

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In April 1943, he was assigned to the 36th squadron of the 361^st fighter group at Bottisham, England. After flying 45 combat missions between October and May of 1944 and 150 combat hours, he was shot down on May 24,1944 while flying over a German airport near Munster, Germany. He bailed out of his P51 Mustang after the plane burst into flames.

Following his capture by civilians, he was taken to a Dulag POW Camp for interrogation. He was then moved to Stalag 3 at Sagan, Germany. Next, he was moved to Moosberg for the remainder of his captivity. The camp was liberated by George C. Patton on April 29, 1945.

The Williams family were recipients of God's mercy and compassion! Not only did my father survive the crash, but he survived captivity as well. Soon after he arrived at the POW camp, he saw his childhood friend, Joe Covington, who was also from Meridian, and they both rejoiced in this Blessing from God.

My dad was presumed dead, and the word got back to Meridian that he had perished in the mission.  Imagine the joy and thankfulness they shared when they learned he was alive!

In the Bible, the virtues of mercy and compassion are mentioned in various forms hundreds of times, especially in describing God's nature. Instead of giving us what we deserve, God has shown mercy again and again to give us a chance to repent and be saved. What a Mighty God we serve!

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for not giving us what we deserve!

Being a Good Neighbor - By Steve Rusk

Read: Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? 37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37

I was going home from work the other day when I shifted into fifth gear in my standard truck and my clutch went to the floor. I was on the access road almost to the interstate, the traffic was heavy, and it had to be one of the hottest days of the summer.

Frustrated and focused on the task at hand, I hopped out of my truck, and I heard someone call my name. I turned around and looked, and here comes the pastor of my church. I glanced at my watch and looked back at him, and it occurred to me that he was heading to the church to preach the Monday Night service… he should be in a hurry. 

He took me to a service station to get brake fluid to see if that might fix the clutch and naturally, it did not work. With my options running slim, I asked him to give me a lift to the church and I would simply call someone to pick me up there. I really didn’t want to leave my truck on the side of the access road, but it was the only alternative at the time.

His daughter gave me the number for a wrecker service,and I called them. Frazzled from the experience and concerned that my pastor was now cutting it close on time, I pocketed my keys and hopped in their car.. A call comes in from the tow truck with a simple
question, “where’s the keys?” I shook my head and requested a U turn. After plowing through unusually heavy traffic for five of the longest miles in existence, we arrive at the truck and transfer the keys. In the face of short time and prior commitments, my pastor did not even hesitate to take me back. That’s what I call being the Good Samaritan.

Many times we get in a hurry and we fail to look at the needs of our neighbors. Why do you think the Samaritan stopped to help? I think the Samaritan exercised a righteous behavior.

q  He saw the need and took pity, indicating that his heart was involved.

q  He had a high quality of service, sparing no expense.

q  He made sure to complete the job, meeting all the man’s needs, and not just some of them. 

I watched a Network News Story and they had conducted an experiment about how people react to their neighbors needs. They sent out an ad that said, “we are looking for people to participate in an ‘on-camera tryout’ for ABC News.” The topic listed on all
those cards was the same: The Good Samaritan story from the Bible.

Following the directions the volunteers walked through a small park. Two men took turns playing a person in distress. The actors were told to play men clearly in need of help, and both cried, moaned and rocked back and forth. Who better to come to their aid than the volunteers, who approached with the Biblical story of helping one’s fellow man echoing in their ears?

Would the participants stop to help? Each volunteer was told the Good Samaritan story but only half of the volunteers got an additional variable - time pressure. Time pressure made a big difference in their behavior.

Only about 35 percent of the volunteers in a hurry stopped to help the actors. But almost 80 percent of those who were not rushed stopped to help.. Time pressure was the only significant factor the producers found that they concluded would determine if a particular volunteer would stop to help a stranger.

In an interview afterwards, one of the volunteers confessed that he did not stop because he thought the distressed man appeared crazy and it made him uncomfortable.

Being broken down on the side of road can bring about a certain distressed demeanor in all of us. Being Jolly wasn’t on my mind when my Good Samaritan showed up. I think that time pressure did not affect my pastor’s desire to help a neighbor in need. With him
it was the love of Christ that motivated him to help.

Think about this the next time you see one of your neighbors in need. Practice the Jesus Creed in all you do. A neighbor is anyone that is in need of help. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” That is the command that Jesus taught us.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for people that act as good neighbors when we are in need. Help us to be the good neighbor even when it is not convenient for us because of time, recourses or feelings. Amen 

The Bayou - by Brenda Freeman

I have a long front porch that faces Bayou Castille.  It is an amazing place.  You can come up the steps, walk the length, enter my house and think you’ve passed a totally still and quiet place, where nothing at all is going on.  From the quick, initial appearance, that’s true. But the reality is something quite different.  It is only when you are willing to give your time and yourself to the bayou that she will open herself up to you and give to you.

When you sit still and quiet before her looking, day after day, you learn exactly what her trees, far and near, look like.  Then, and only then, will your eyes quickly detect when something is different: there’s an Osprey in a Cyprus across the bayou, a Blue Heron stands perfectly still in the water waiting for breakfast to swim near, a limb blew off in last night’s rainstorm, the King birds are back nesting at the water’s edge, a gator glides silently by.

When you sit still and quiet before her listening, day after day, you begin to know her symphony of sounds: the rustle of tiny birds flitting about in the underbrush, the gentle plop……plop…..plop of a squirrel discarding the unwanted parts of his pine cone, the frantic scratches of a game of squirrel chase, the movement in the pathways of the trees that the animals regularly use, each bird’s unique song and alarm sound, frogs calling to each other, mullet splashes, two owls hooting back and forth at sunset.

Just as I thought the bayou was silent, you can believe God is silent unless you purposefully pursue Him.  To begin to hear God you must sit still and quiet before Him, where He is your sole focus.  Read His Word so you get to know what He looks like, what He sounds like.  Talk to Him.  Listen to Him.  Breathe Him.

The bayou was always making noise.  It was my inattention that let me miss it.  God is always speaking to you.  Not purposefully pursuing Him and His Word will let you miss it.  Just like it took time for me to know my bayou, it takes time to begin to hear with your heart the voice of God.  And, just like the bayou came alive when I gave myself to it, God will come alive to you when you give of yourself to Him.

I want to challenge you to make time each day where God is your sole focus.  When you are willing to come before the Lord, giving your time and yourself to Him, He will reveal Himself to you in personal, intimate ways.

He is speaking.  Sh-h-h-h-h.  Do you hear Him?

Be Mindful - by Keri Peresich

Read Psalm 8.*

What joy it brings to my soul when someone says that she/he has been thinking of me! Sometimes I wonder how “little ole me” could be taking up space in the mind of anyone. The really good news is that we can all be assured our awesome God always has us on His mind. Isn’t that an amazing thought? 

Psalm 8 reminds us that not only is God mindful of us, but He also has honored us with glory and made us caregivers of His beautiful creations.  In our role as caregivers, I feel that God is calling each of us to make more space in our minds to think of and care for others. In our busy lives, we can sometimes forget that caring for each other and our world is not just desired, but expected of us. I will admit that I am often guilty of falling asleep without having said my prayers or written in my thankful journal. I need to do better!  Maybe you would like to join me in trying harder to make sure my time for God and others doesn’t disappear in those hectic times of life.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Just as you are ever mindful of us, help us to be mindful of each other. Help us to share your never-ending love by our thoughts, words, and actions. May we be good caregivers of all of your creations. Thank you for all our many blessings!!  Amen

*In your quiet time, you may want to listen to Tom Fettke’s beautiful choral arrangement of Psalm 8, “The Majesty and Glory of Your Name.” (There are many options on YouTube.)  You will be blessed!

Baseball - by George Murphy

         

      

        The World Series of baseball is raging as I write. The Astros and the Dodgers are in quite a battle. They are both extraordinary teams.

I love Baseball. Players come in all sizes and from different backgrounds. The best player may be 5’5” tall or nearly 7’ or any size in between, overweight or painfully thin.  He may be well educated, or not at all.  He may come from an extremely privileged background, or a severely under privileged background.  He may be from a wide variety of nations and ethnicities. Each team member’s success depends on everyone doing their job and playing as a team.

Each player, in the Series, has to play both offense and defense.  Each defensive position has a unique job. Each offensive player has a similar job, i.e. batting and running the bases.  The team’s success depends on each player doing his job. Hitters are considered "great" if they only fail 70% of the time.  Success depends on the individual and the group playing in concert.  When both teams play to their potential the results can be riveting. This year’s Series is such.

The apostle Paul didn’t have the privilege of experiencing Baseball, but he was acutely aware of the need for teamwork. In First Corinthians Chapter 12, he likened members of the body of Christ to members of the human body. As members of Christ’s body, we are joined together, regardless of size, education, background or ethnicity. We may have different talents or functions, but together we are one. We owe it to God and to each other to work together to make His Kingdom come. 

How Jesus Personally Prayed - by Joan Simpson

Matthew 25:41 Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation:  the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, believed in prayer.  Christ showed Himself to be a person of persistant prayer.  Prayer was his mission.

JESUS LED THE WORLD IN PRAYER:

     At His baptism (Matthew 4)

     At the transfiguration (Matthew 17)

     The Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26)

     The Cross (Luke 23)

JESUS PRAYED BEFORE DAYBREAK:

Mark 1:35, And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

JESUS SPENT ENTIRE NIGHTS IN PRAYER:

Luke 6:12, And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

PRAYER WAS JESUS’ COMMUNION, INISPIRATION & STRENGTH:

Matthew 26:41, Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation:  the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Luke 18:1 .  . . men ought always to pray, and not to faint.