Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 11.24- I have had a time of testing this week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was off work at home. My friends say, "Larry your retired from work and always home." Good point but I was sick, sneezing, wheezing, dripping, coughing, sleepless and discomfort was a test. In my family were taught to celebrate weeks like this as character builders. If we frame life as being a gift from the father of lights then what about a week of misery? I was taught to "put on your big boy pants and quitchbellyakin" Do what you can to be healed and do not infect or burden others unnecessarily. They had come to that belief because such times can cause the wisdom to appreciate how much more blessed we are than others. I saw a news story last night on cizens from Haiti. No food, no clean water, no medical care and no hope for change and gangs without laws ruling their streets. Yes, Lord thank you for my blessings and these reminders. By the way I seem to be on the mend today....

 11.23- God. Peace. Joy. Pleasure Animals. Pictures of God's peace include a lion lying done with a lamb in perfect peace. A lion, ox and eagle are mentioned in John's vision of heaven. Have you seen two kittens wrestle with each other playfully and joyfully. The perfect picture of God's plan for loving creation. I heard a vet who loved God talk about his love for God and for animals and his thoughts and reverence at their death. My squirrels playing in the sunshine this morning reminded of the kind of life followers of Jesus have. Promises Since the Lord is our shepherd and we are his sheep we are promised that we have a very different kind of life. It's eternal and we are promised by the chief Shepard that we never perish. Symbols given by God to communicate with humans mean something good in the direction of our understanding and even beyond and better than we can imagine. Our life includes love for God and the animals whom we have loved and loved us back. Yes it se...

 1.22- Last words and things worth dying for. Stephen was an early Christian martyr. His last words as people were stoning him to death. "Lord don't hold this sin against them." The teacher said, "Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." Nathan Hale was a revolutionary war hero. He was caught by the British and convicted of being a spy. Asked if he had any regrets before he died. "I only regret that t have one life to give for my country." In 1500s a man stood up for his belief that marriage was a good thing, not bad thing. It was heresy in his religion for him to teach this. He was to be executed. A man who loved came to him asking to recant his words. "Life is sweet and death is bitter. Won't you back away from your words." John Hooper said, "The life to come is more sweet and death is bitter." Moses was a man of faith who choose to be mistreated with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures...

1.21 Hebrews 11 23  By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.   24  By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,   25  choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin,   26  considering the  [ r ] reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.   To choose to stand with God and with the truth regardless of the cost is a good thing. And now, the martyrdom of John Hooper: Edward VI died on July, 1553; and as soon as his Popish sister Mary was fairly seated on her throne, John Hooper's troubles began.  The sword of persecution having been once unsheathed, the famous Protestant Bishop of Gloucester was almost the first person who was struck at...

 11.20- The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth. - African Proverb There are very few things as painful and destructive to our psyche as being rejected from a community we depend on.Dec 26, 2022" People are drawn to people who love and affirm them. If it is the family who is constantly there for the love of God and the love of family then the child who gets tired of life in the pig pen will think of coming home. If the home is not anchored in proper hope the child will know there is more disorder there than out on the streets. We must give our children roots and wings. Roots in what is a human created in the image of God. How do we treat our enemies. What is the guide for our life? These provide the guard rails for safety in a dangerours world. We must try to keep listening to our children to learn what are the obstacles they are facing for their own moral and spiritual growth. We can and should keep listening and using language that...