A Verse

John 15:15--"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."

Favorite TV Shows

My Favorite TV Programs

All Creatures Great and Small
Inspector Morse
Magnum PI
Simon and Simon
As Time Goes By
Poirot
Quincy
Happy Days

Obadiah--Conclusion

     The final lesson I'd like to draw out of Obadiah comes from verses 15-16.  God tells the people of Edom that  because of the wrong they've done, justice will be served upon them.  I quote part of verse 15, "as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee...".
     This idea of God's justice brings comfort to me.  It tells me that even though the world is unjust and often its seems as if evil triumphs at the expense of the good, it will not always be this way.
     As Christians, we believe that when Jesus returns, He will make all things right.  He will execute perfect judgment.  As Jesus said He will reward everyone according to what they have done.--next up III John.

Favorite Books

Here is a list of a few of my favorite books and authors:

Call of the Wild--Jack London
All of the books by James Herriot
Chet & Bernie mysteries by Spencer Quinn
Joe Grey mysteries by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
My Dog Skip--Willie Morris
Maya's First Rose--Martin Scot Kosins
The Dog's Who Came To Stay--George Pitcher
The Art of Racing in the Rain--Garth Stein
Somerset Maugham novels
Graham Greene novels
Herman Hesse novels
Timbuktu--Paul Auster
The writings of Soren Kierkegaard
History of Wales--John Davies
The Metaphysical Club--Louis Menaud

Verse For the Day

John 11:25-26--"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever believeth in me shall never die."

Obadiah--Part 2

     Earlier, I began a discussion about Obadiah and wrote about there being a couple of pertinent applications for Christians today.  Obadiah talks about pride.  The pride in the hearts of the Edomites lifted them up in their own eyes making them boastful and confident in their own abilities and resources.  Pride comes before a fall.
     Pride is a sin and a roadblock in the life of the believer.  Our confidence,hope, and strength should be in Jesus Christ.  We should rid ourselves of our own thoughts of grandeur and realize our sin and inadequacies.  Only in Him and through Him are we able to do anything profitable in this world and in the age to come.

A List

Favorite Films--(not in order)

Dances With Wolves
The Bear
White Fang
Gandhi
Iron Will
The Accidental Tourist
Planet of the Apes (original version)

Dogs I've Known--Part 2

     My Mom always wanted a dog like Lassie.  Her dream came true when she bought a beautiful collie named Blazer.  Blazer was  sable and white and the most gorgeous dog I've ever seen.  He was a champion winning Best in Show at a specialty as well as numerous other awards.  Mom enjoyed many years with her dream dog.

The Little Books--Obadiah

     Obadiah was most likely written by a prophet of the same name.  This book was the result of a vision that God gave the prophet Obadiah.  It was most likely written after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians therefore it was written in the period of exile.
     The entire book deals with God promising future judgment upon the nation of Edom because of the way they treated the nation of Israel when Israel was under siege by the Babylonians.
     At first glance, it doesn't appear that this book has much relevance to Christians today.  However, I think there are at least a couple of applications which can be made.  I will post more on this later.

Verse Of The Day

   John 3:16--"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

II John--Conclusion

     John finishes his letter by stating that he wants to come and visit the church face to face and not just write more in a letter.
     This reminds me of going to church.  There's just something special about being in church with other believers that seems to put me more in touch with God.  It's something I don't experience listening to a sermon on radio or television.  Keep reading the little books.  Obadiah is next.

Dogs I Have Known

     I've already posted about the greatest dog, Toby.  Really he was more than a dog; he was more like a brother.  I've known some good dogs in my life.  Colm was my yellow Labrador.  He was a kind dog who wouldn't hurt anything.  He even shared his dog treats with other dogs.  Colm loved to play soccer and rugby.  He'd be 15 this week if still living.---I miss him.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

     There is much that is legend surrounding St. Patrick.  However, the St. Patrick of history was a great man.  What a blessing to introduce Christianity to an entire nation.

     Pray for Japan.

II John Part 3

     In II John 7-11, the apostle comes down hard on any belief system which doesn't recognize the truth about Jesus Christ.  In John's day, and today, some denied that Jesus had come in the flesh.  Others denied the divinity of Jesus Christ and made Him out to be just a man.  But, Jesus did come in the flesh.  He did rise bodily from the grave.  He is fully God and fully human.  He will come again. As believers, we should not be part of any teaching which denies these essentials of the faith

Book Recommendation

     I recently finished Nick Trout's book "Ever By My Side".  This is an excellent book recounting the author's various pets throughout his life.  I heartily recommend it.

Verse Of The Day

     Hebrews 12:1-2--"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every wight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."---My Mom, Dad, and many relatives are now a part of the great cloud of witnesses.  Because Jesus lives they live and I will be reunited with them someday.  Come quickly Lord Jesus.

A Verse For The Day

     John 10:11--"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

II John part 2

     Later in II John, John speaks of loving one another.  This is the way the Bible says that others will know that we are Christians.  So often in the church there is a lack of love.  How unfortunate as this division in churches often drives people away.
     Love for God is expressed by keeping His commandments. When we do what the Lord requires, it demonstrates that we really love Him.  Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.  This is the goal of the Christian life.  This is what all who follow Jesus should strive for every day.

A Favorite Passage

     Mark 1:40-42-- "And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.  And Jesus moved with compassion put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will, be thou clean.  And, as soon as he had spoken, immediately, the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed."---I love this passage because I once had a skin condition called vitiligo and Jesus healed me.

II John

    A few days ago, I wrote about the little books.  Today let's look at II John.  Most Bible scholars believe that this epistle was written by the Apostle John the writer of the gospel and Revelation.  In II John, the writer refers to himself as the elder.  In other words, he was the leader of a particular church.  He addresses this book to the elect lady and her children. I believe this is a figure of speech referring to the church and the members in that particular body of believers. 
     John expresses gladness that the members of the church are still walking in the truth.  They had not deviated from the solid truth of the gospel John originally preached to them.  I can't think of any greater joy for a minister than to find years later that a church he/she founded was still on the right track and going strong for Jesus.  More on II John later.

A Good Sunday

      Yesterday, I had a great day in church.  The music was exceptional especially in the evening service.  We had a demonstration of shofar playing and a band of 14 trumpeters.  The message, preached by the pastor to seniors brought up several things I'd never considered before.  All in all it was an uplifting day.

Don't Overlook Them

     There are several books of the Bible that get a great deal of attention.  The Gospels do.  I've heard many sermons on Romans, Hebrews and Revelation.  In the Old Testament, Psalms, Genesis, and Daniel are popular.  But, we shouldn't overlook the little books of the Bible.  Obadiah, Haggai, Philemon, I & II John, and Jude have only one or two chapters, however; these little books contain important messages for us today.  On and off I'll talk about these books.  In the meantime, I hope you read them and see what God has to say.

A Recommendation

     I love tigers.  What a magnificent creature.  I heartily recommend the Nature on PBS program "Brokentail: A Tiger's Last Journey".  The program can be viewed on their website. 

Mysterious Ways

     The old saying "God works in mysterious ways" certainly is true.  One instance in my life involved getting the best dog I ever had, Toby.  I'd been looking for a dog who was older and already house trained.  My mom insisted on that.  One Sunday afternoon, after the the Chiefs game I looked in the KC Star and saw an ad for a dog that seemed to be the perfect fit.  He was a little over one year old and already house trained.  He was a Welsh Corgi.  My parents didn't like Corgi's.  In fact, they were one of my folks least favorite breeds.  It took a lot of work to convince them that we should go and take a look at Toby.
     I liked Toby the moment I saw him, and there was no question that he would be coming home with me.  He turned out to be the most fantastic dog and friend that anyone could ever ask for.  My parents became ardent Corgi lovers.
     What I could never understand is how I was so blessed to find him.  Two other families looked at Toby that day before us.  Why didn't they take him?  I believe that Jesus knew that the two of us would be perfect together and worked all things out for the good.  Toby helped me get out of my depression, and I helped him through some serious health problems.  Jesus knew that we needed each other.  Thank you Lord for a great blessing.

New Creation

   It's been a little over one year since my Dad passed away.  Every time I think about him I think about the power of Jesus to transform someone's life.  Before Jesus came into my father's life, he was a different man.  My Dad drank heavily at one time and often found himself in bar room brawls.  Everyone said he wasn't someone you wanted to make angry.
     But one Sunday when I was two years old, my Mom decided to start going back to church.  The next Saturday, the pastor came to visit.  My Mom and I were gone, but the pastor talked to my Dad and shared with him the gospel of Jesus Christ.  At the age of forty, my Dad was born again.  His life was transformed.  All of the old passed away and everything became new.
     At my Dad's funeral, my half-brother said to me, "Garry, the Dad you grew up with and the one I grew up with were two different men."  He was right.  What made the difference.  Jesus made the difference.

Beginning

     Welcome.  In this blog, I will share my thoughts regarding faith, nature, and sometimes just whatever comes to mind.  There is more coming soon.