Archive for July, 2009
Family Devotions
I found a great article on family devotions. I want to share a snippet with you in order to entice you to read the entire article. It is well worth your time! You might want to leave a comment over there but please head back here when your finished reading the article and let me know your thoughts!
Teach These Words Diligently
A father may be committed to Christ himself and see that his wife and children are fully committed and therefore think a regular family devotion time is unnecessary. Some fathers see these instructions in Deuteronomy 6:6-7:
“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”
…and rightly conclude that this is a lifestyle and therefore setting aside a family devotion time is unnecessary. I agree that if someone is teaching each child throughout the day, it may be unnecessary to come together for a dedicated time of formal teaching. But surely such a family would relish the opportunity to come together and sing praise to God, to lift their voice to Him in prayer, and to joyfully list for all family members the wonderful things the Lord had done that day. Such a family would delight in a dedicated time of reading scripture and prayer, making daily family devotion a necessity driven by their shared joy.
If your family is like most I know, you can only fulfill the command to “diligently teach” if you diligently dedicate time each day for a regular family devotion. The key is diligence – family devotion cannot be a simple convenience or of a low priority that is easily displaced by other trivial activities.
Finish the article over on Every Good Path.
Favorite Bible Verse
Here you go–something to make you laugh this morning!
Tim Hawkins-My Favorite Bible Verse
Apollo 11
July 16
Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy JULY 16, 1969, being the first mission to walk on the moon.
In Proclamation 3919, President Richard Nixon stated:
“Apollo 11 is on its way to the moon.
It carries three brave astronauts; it also carries the hopes and prayers of hundreds of millions of people…
That moment when man first sets foot on a body other than earth will stand through the centuries as one supreme in human experience…
I call upon all of our people…to join in prayer for the successful conclusion of Apollo 11′s mission.”
President Richard Nixon spoke to the astronauts on the moon, July 20,1969:
“This certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made from the White House…
The heavens have become a part of man’s world…
For one priceless moment in the whole history of man all the people on this earth are truly one…one in our prayers that you will return safely to earth.”
President Nixon greeted the astronauts on the U.S.S. Hornet, July 24, 1969:
“The millions who are seeing us on television now…feel as I do, that…our prayers have been answered…
I think it would be very appropriate if Chaplain Piirto, the Chaplain of this ship, were to offer a prayer of thanksgiving.”
FROM: American Minute with Bill Federer
Wednesday Hero
35 years old from Weidman, Michigan
K-9 unit of the 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade
September 2, 2008
“I asked Greg if anything ever happened to him where he’d prefer to be buried,” Sgt. Rodriguez’s wife, Laura, told the Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant, “and he told me Arlington, as he wanted to be among the best and the brave.”
“Rod,” as he was known to his Army buddies, was a Red Wings fan who loved to hassle fans of other hockey teams he met during his military career, said Laura. “Greg loved to push everyone’s buttons and get people going with his rare, unique sense of sarcasm,” she said. At the same time, her husband, a military police dog handler whose dog, Jacko, survived the fatal ambush, was “a very committed, loyal individual and could be counted on whenever needed.”
Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez died of wounds suffered in Ana Kalay, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol came under small-arms fire.
“My brother liked to be the law,” said Lisa Dombrowski. “He liked justice. If it wasn’t right, he made it right.”
He is survived by his sister, wife and three children.
All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Whose Strength?
“The human heart is a factory of idols…Everyone of us is, from his mother’s womb, expert in inventing idols.” John Calvin
This is one of my favorite quotes. It seems an odd quote to be a favorite. There is nothing “feel good” about it. The reason I like it though is because it is a constant reminder to me to be ever aware and more vigilant to try an keep my heart in check. Only God can reveal to me the idols I have invented and cleanse me from them.
I have been thinking on a particular subject over the weekend. It is one that I think (maybe incorrectly) many do not even consider let alone ponder. I have in the past seen Satan use even Christians to accomplish his plans. We must be ever vigilant. Sometimes no matter how well intended even as Christians we fall and stumble. Sometimes we even do so with out realizing it. This is why we must always be in prayer that the Lord will reveal those areas of sin in our lives.
Back to the idol factory quote. When most think of inventing idols we think of things such as money, position, jobs, relationships, etc. One big one is SELF. Humanism is rampant in our culture and our churches. Humanism is so ingrained we do not always see it. We always want to see the glimmer of good in mankind. We would rather have a little pride than humility.
What came to me this weekend was that even in clinging to Scripture we can begin to form idols. Before you think I have gone off the deep end, please hear me out. Most know the following verse….
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
This verse is so often quoted and it is used to spur oneself on when they are in a situation that seems a little daunting. One thing I notice is that the verse is often taken out of context. It is used in regard to God’s provision for us and in the context of having already learned to be content. When this verse is quoted it is usually not from the vantage point of contentment or provision.
Another thing I notice is that many approach this with the emphasis on “I”. Here is where that idol factory comes in. Humanism has once again reared its ugly head. I-I-I can do all things…..oh yeah Christ gives me the strength…but I-I-I can do all things. When we focus on the I we are relying on our own strength and not that of the Lord. That is humanism! Rather than focusing on the I and what the I can do and tacking on the end the endorsement of God maybe we should approach this from a more humble position. Maybe we should say I can do nothing good apart from God. We should cry out to the Lord to accomplish the task set before us. We should still be diligent in all we do but rather than encouraging ourselves with the false notion of I CAN maybe we should learn to be content and be encouraged by what GOD CAN! We can do NOTHING apart from Christ. Our focus should be on the one who truly CAN.
If you stuck with me this far please share your thoughts.
Another Day Another Birthday Party
Our birthdays tend to fall very close together in our family. We have a spring season and a fall season with a few others here and there. June and July are a couple of our free months. It seems that everyone else we know has their birthdays during those months! I thought I was going to have a bit of a breather during the early months of summer but that was not to be. In fact, we had two birthday parties to attend this week.
It doesn’t bother me really. It is fun to share in the celebration of those we care about. One party this week was a princess/fairy party. The other is one where the children are going on a mountain hike. There is such a big difference. We have done many different things. After all it is important to make the day special for the children, we are celebrating their life. We have done simple family birthdays with the homemade cake, a song, and gifts. Then finish up with their favorite dinner. We have done elaborate like swimming with the beluga whales. We have had years with little fanfare and years with BIG birthdays. However, I have really failed when it comes to the themes, games, and decorations.
I wonder what you all do to celebrate those lives the Lord has placed into your homes. How do you all celebrate birthdays???
