Book Review -- "Bears of the World"

     I have been reading a lot of books lately, and I will have some reviews in the coming weeks.  This week, I wanted to recommend a couple of wildlife books that I think you might enjoy.  "Bears of the World" by Terry Domico gives an excellent overview of bear species from around the world.  It is a good introduction, and after reading this book, I am sure you will want to know more about the particular bear species that captured your interest.
     "Birds of Prey" by Floyd Scholz  has good photos and information regarding the birds of prey located in North America.  It too is a good source to stimulate further interest in learning more about hawks and eagles.
     Both of these books are out of print, but there are several used copies available online, and these books are available in a good number of local libraries.

Verses For the Week -- Verses About Commitment

     Here are the verses to memorize for this week.

Proverbs 16:3 -- "Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established."

Joshua 23:11 -- "So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God."

Weekend Sermon -- Ten Commandments -- "Thou Shalt Not Steal"

     Thank you for stopping by to read the Weekend Sermon this week.  I am very happy to be able to post the sermon, and I hope that all is going well with everyone this week.
     This week has been a week of ups and down.  I am getting more engaged with my writing work, and I am happy about that.  I also found a good dog program from Germany to watch on the Internet, and I have been enjoying that.  It has been kind of a sad week though.  I feel terrible about what has happened in Italy, I would ask that you all continue to pray regarding that situation.  I also found out this week that Toby's veterinarian retired after 37 years of practice.  It brought back a lot of memories.
     I have one thing that I would like for you all to pray on my behalf this week.  We have been having on and off storms all week.  Please pray that these storms won't be too bad and cause damage or flooding. Thank you.
    As I mentioned, please be in prayer for Italy.  Also, please continue to pray for the people in Louisiana who have suffered so much with the floods.  I heard that there were some bad storms in Japan as well, so pray for those folks too.
      Continue to pray for peace in Syria.  Things just keep getting worse there.  Let us pray for the people of Mali and Cambodia this week that many people there will hear the message of the love of Jesus.
     As I am sure that you are aware by now, we have been going through two different sermon series this summer.  Last week, we had a message from the lessons from the animals series.  This week, we return to our series on the Ten Commandments focusing on the commandment that says, "Thou shalt not steal."  Now, I do realize that I am going out of order by writing about this commandment today, but I am still formulating in my mind what I want to say about the commandment against adultery.  We will tackle that when we come back to the Ten Commandments series the week after next.
     Like most of the commandments, our commandment for this week has a very obvious meaning on the surface, but I think that we can dig down and find some deeper meaning in this commandment as well.
     On the surface, this is a straightforward command against taking something that does not belong to us but belongs to someone else.  Every culture that I am aware of has some kind of law against theft.  A society could not last for very long if people were taking other peoples things.  Society would soon descend into complete chaos if rampant theft were to begin to take place.
     I think that there are some other ways that we can apply this commandment to some of the situations that we find ourselves in today.  First of all, we see a vast amount of exploitation of the rich over the poor.  One way that this manifests itself is by corporations paying unfair wages to workers so that the rich corporate elites can make more for themselves off the backs of the poor.
     Many people around the world work hard and are not even paid a living wage while the richest 1 or 2 percent just keep getting richer and richer.  The Bible actually speaks about this type of unjust situation.  James 5:4 speaks about the rich keeping back the wages of those who work in their fields.  James makes it very clear that this type of behavior is not pleasing to the Lord.
     No Christian who is in business should pay their workers less than a living wage.  They should provide safe working conditions and good benefits.  Anything less is stealing from workers.
     Another type of theft that occurs is when corporations charge exorbitant prices for items that are essential for human life just so that executives can make big bonuses and salaries.  There has been a case profiled in the news recently about a pharmaceutical company that raised the price on one of its products over 300 percent while the CEO raised her salary to some astronomical amount.  This is just one example of rampant corporate greed at the expense of the poor and vulnerable.  Surely, it is a type of theft against the poor, and surely it is a violation of the commandment in question.
     I think that there is another application of this commandment as well.  Those who are workers have the responsibility to not take from their employers.  We should give a fair days work for a fair days pay.  If we go to work and play around and don't do a good job, we are taking our employers money for nothing, and that is not good either.
     As I was analyzing this commandment, I thought of the fact that sometimes we steal from ourselves.  By that I mean that when we don't do our best and try to be all that we can be we are taking away from what our lives could be.  Sometimes, I feel that I am doing that.  I would just urge you to be all that you can be.  Follow God's will and let your talents and abilities take you as far as you can go.
    Finally, I would like to talk about how we can rob God.  The Bible actually says in Malachi 3:8 that we rob God when we don't give our tithes unto the Lord.  Some will say that the tithe is not for today, but I don't see any Biblical justification for this.  Jesus Himself in Matthew 23:23 speaks about giving the tithe while not neglecting the more important matters of the law.
     Some believe that you should only give the tithe to the local church.  I personally believe that it is OK to give the tithe to any charitable organization.  That is a matter that each individual needs to decide between them and the Lord Jesus.
     These are just a few of my thoughts about the commandment "Thou shalt not steal."  I hope that you will study the matter and let the Lord speak to you about it.
     Next week, we will continue in our lessons from the animals series.  I will post the verses on Monday.  I hope to have a review on Wednesday.  My God bless you all. Amen.

Book Review -- :"The Minor Prophets"

     Before I get into the book review today, I would like to ask you to be in prayer for the people of Italy who went through a terrible earthquake last night.  The last report that I heard, there were over 70 people who were killed, and many more were injured.  Pray that the rescuers will be able to find those who are trapped.  Pray that the hurt will recover, and that the Lord will be with those who grieve at this time.  Also continue to pray for the people effected by the flooding in Louisiana.

     At the church I attend, the pastor has been preaching a series this summer on the minor prophets.  When I was in Bible college, my two favorite classes were Minor Prophets of Judah and Minor Prophets of Israel.  I've always loved to study the minor prophets.

     One of the text books that we used in those two courses was a book called "Minor Prophets" written by Charles L. Feinberg.  This book is concise, yet it gives a lot of great information on these often overlooked books of the Bible.  This book is still in print, and it is available in paperback at a reasonable price.

     I would encourage everyone to read and study the minor prophets.  Over the course of this blog's lifetime, we have studied a few of the minor prophets including Obadiah, Haggai, and Nahum.  I have plans for us to study Zephaniah, Malachi and Micah during the next couple of years if the Lord is willing and I am still around.  

     If you decide to study the minor prophets, Feinberg's book is great.  Also, The Nelson Study Bible and the Wycliffe Bible Commentary are great resources.  

     I am currently reading the Cambridge Commentary series on the books of Amos, Hosea and Micah.  I am just getting into it, so I will have to report back on that later.

     I hope that everyone has a good day.  Thank you for reading the blog. 

Verses For the Week -- Verses About Endurance

    I just wanted to thank you for your prayers.  I thank the Lord that the storm predicted for my area wasn't too bad.  Please continue to pray for those in Louisiana who are recovering from the flooding.

Hebrews 10:36 -- "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."

Romans 2:7 -- "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life."

Weekend Sermon -- "A Lesson From My Friend Toby Part 4"

     This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Thank you for reading the blog this week.  I hope that everyone has had a good week.
     I am still looking for a different job that won't make me so nervous.  Please keep praying for me in that regard.  I got really nervous on Monday and I had to leave work early.  Please pray that I won't get nervous like that again.
     The book is coming along very well.  I hope to have that ready in the not too distant future.  I think that it will be good.  I know that I have worked very hard in preparing it.
     I would like to ask everyone who reads the blog to please pray for those in Louisiana who are facing the terrible flooding.  Pray that they will receive the aid and the help that they need.  Also pray for those whose lives have been damaged as a result of the fires in California.  Pray that these fires might be extinguished and people will get the help that they need.
     In my part of the country, they are predicting some very bad storms once again.  Please pray that these storms won't cause any damage.  We need a little rain, but we don't need any damaging winds.
     Please continue to pray for the safety of  the Olympics.  Also, continue to pray for peace in the world.  Let's focus our prayers on Syria this week.
     For our prayer focus countries, pray for the nations of Indonesia and Jordan that many people in these nations might hear the message of Jesus.
     As you probably know, we have been going through two different series of messages over the course of the Summer.  One of our series is focusing on the Ten Commandments, and we will return to that series next week.  Our other series focuses on some of the lessons that the Lord taught me through the animals that He brought into my life.
     Today, we will continue with our lessons from the animals series.  During the course of this particular series, I've brought three previous messages on what I learned through my best friend Toby.  I would like to focus on one final lesson that Toby taught me in this series.  Of course, there is a lot more that the Lord taught me through Toby, but I am going to save that for another time.
     One thing that you need to know about my friend Toby is that he had very poor health.  In that regard, the two of us were very much alike.  Toby had a number of health problems the most serious of which was his lifelong battle against ulcerative colitis.  He would get so sick from this before we got him on the right treatments.  I had to stay up with him several nights.
     In addition to colitis, Toby also had some problems with his immune system that caused him to have problems in various parts of his body. This was so strange because we found out that Toby had the exact same immune problem that I have.   He often had problems with his kidneys.
     Thanks to the Lord providing us with a great veterinarian, and with a lot of prayer, (Thank you Lord) Toby lived to be 13 and one-half years old.  No one,except me, thought that he would live anywhere near that long.
     One lesson that I learned from Toby through his many health concerns was that you can't let things get you down.  I certainly haven't learned this lesson to the full yet.  Sometimes when I face hard times, I do feel like giving up.  However, I can look at how my old friend reacted, and it helps me to keep going.
     No matter how sick he became, Toby never let it get him down.  He was always a great dog and a good friend to me even when he didn't feel good.  Even when he was really sick with a kidney problem, he was on guard warning us when some people on drugs were messing around in the backyard.  He lived life to the fullest right up until the day before he passed away. He always found something to be happy about.
     Life can be hard to handle at times.  I know that from first hand experience.  It is easy to get depressed.
     The Bible tells us that whatever circumstance we might find ourselves in, we can still be thankful and we can still find contentment.  Verses for this include Philippians 4:11 and I Thessalonians 5:18.
     For me, being able to give thanks and being able to find contentment even in the midst of hard times comes through focusing on Jesus.  Looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith is the key to making it through this life.
     No matter what we are facing, we always have something to be thankful for and we always have something to find contentment in.  We can rejoice in the fact that Jesus is Lord.  We can recall the good things the Lord has done for us.  We can be happy in the knowledge that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us.
     I haven't had very good health during my life.  I've experienced some other times of great difficulty.  The only way that I've made it through is because I have the ultimate hope in Jesus.  I know that He is with me, and I know that He will help me to make it through.  I know that one day I will be with Him for all eternity.
     Love also helps you make it through the hard times.  If you have friends and family that you love and care about, that will help you even in the hardest times.  The love of family and friends is the most important thing that you can have in this world next to a relationship with the Lord Jesus.
     I think that Toby was able to keep going all those years in spite of what others thought  because he cared a lot about me and he knew that I cared about him.  That made me want to be there for others to help them in hard times.
     Try not to let life and bad things get you down.  I know that it is hard.  Keep your focus on Jesus.  Pray that He will give you a special awareness of his presence when you are facing times of great difficulty.  Also, rely on the love of family and friends when facing hardship.  Also, when you are facing difficulties, find someone else who is experiencing difficulty and try to help them.  By helping others, you will often find that you are helping yourself as well.
    I am so thankful that the Lord gave me my friend Toby to help me through some very hard times in my life.  I learned a lot from him.  A couple of years ago, I posted many excerpts from a book I wrote about Toby here on the blog.  You can go back and read those posts if you would like.  They are not of a religious nature, they just tell about some of the good times that we had, some of the fun things that we used to do and some of the trips we went on.  You may enjoy reading some of those stories.
     Next week, I will post two more memory verses on Monday.  I will try to have a review on Wednesday, but I am not sure about that yet.  For the sermon next week, we will continue with our series on the Ten Commandments.  May God bless you all.  Amen.

Book Review -- "Atticus Claw Breaks the Law"

     For today's review, I've chosen a book for younger readers called "Atticus Claw Breaks the Law" written by Jennifer Gray.  This is the first book in a series of books that features a Cat named Atticus Grammaticus Cattypuss Claw.
     In this first book, Atticus Claw has the reputation of being the greatest cat burglar around.  His burglary services are requested by a group of Magpies who want to steal valuable objects from the residents of Littleton-On-Sea.
     Atticus accepts their deal, and he moves in with the family of the local policeman by the name of Inspector Cheddar.  At first, all is going well as far as Atticus is concerned.  However, living with the Cheddar family is changing Atticus.
     Will Atticus continue his life of crime and keep helping the Magpies, or will he change his ways and help the Inspector and settle down with a family?  You'll have to read the book to find out.
     I really enjoyed reading this book, and I am sure that younger readers will find it very humorous and easy to read.  They will want to read the other books in the series and learn more about the adventures of a cat named Atticus Claw.

Verses For the Week -- Verses About the Kingdom of God

Zechariah 14:9 --  "And the Lord will be king over all the earth, in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one."

Matthew 13:33 -- "The kingdom of heaven in like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three packets of flour unto it was all leavened."

Weekend Sermon -- "Thou Shalt Not Kill"

     Hello and welcome to this week's edition of the sermon.  I hope all of you are doing well.  I truly enjoy being able to post these messages each week, and I hope that you are getting some benefit from reading them.
     I am working diligently on the book I am writing on the smallest books of the Bible.  I got behind schedule, but things are going quite well now.  Please pray that I will be able to complete this project and get it out to the public in the not too distant future.
     In prayer this week, please pray for the safety of all those involved with the Olympics in Brazil.  Also, please pray for an end to the Zika virus.  I would also ask you to pray for those suffering as a result of the fires in the western United States and the flooding in the southern United States.
     Let us also be in prayer for peace around the world.  Pray for peace in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Afghanistan.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for the nations of Israel and Mongolia.  May the message of Jesus reach people around the world.  I pray that the Lord Jesus will use these sermons for His honor and glory.
     During the course of this summer, we have been rotating between two different sermon series.  We have been progressing through a lessons from the animals series as well as a series on the Ten Commandments.  Today, we return our focus to the Ten Commandments looking at the commandment that states, "Thou Shalt Not Kill."
     This commandment at first glance seems quite self explanatory, but I want to look a little more deeply into it and its implications for our lives today.
     First of all, this commandment translated correctly should read, "thou shalt not murder."  It is a commandment prohibiting the unlawful taking of another person's life.  In the Old Testament, capital punishment was the penalty for those who committed murder.  It is the most serious of offenses against God and against humanity.
     In the United States where I live, there are some cities where the murder rate is at extraordinary levels.  It's not safe to walk the streets for fear of being harmed in some places.  This is so sad, and I pray every night for an end to the violence on the streets of some of our major cities.  It seems to me that there is little value attached to human life by many people.   In my country, we have had a large number of mass casualty shootings where people have caused death, destruction and heartache.
     I don't think that there is a nation on earth that is not touched by the evil of violence and murder.  We must all work towards fostering an environment of respect for one another.  We must work toward presenting a message that values life.
     Some people have taken this commandment to mean that one should never kill under any circumstances.  There are Christian groups who use this commandment as one of the Scriptural evidences for their pacifist beliefs.
     I have written on the blog on previous occasions about my feelings regarding pacifism and whether absolute pacifism is taught in the Bible.  I have great respect for those groups who practice pacifism.
     I believe that the Bible teaches that war should be an absolute last resort and that it should only be engaged in for the purpose of self-defense.  War is not something to glory in.  It is a sad thing.  However, in some cases such as World War II, it is necessary to stop a great evil.  Even in that case, war may have been avoided if certain decisions had been made differently after World War I.
     I believe that Christians should always pray for peace and seek the ways of peace.  The Bible calls upon us to seek peace and pursue it.  We serve the one known as the Prince of Peace, and the objective of Christians should be to try to bring peace and avoid war.
     One of the events that finally caused me to break permanently with the church of my youth was what happened during the first Gulf War.  The church I was attending would not pray for peace.  They actually applauded the war.  I could not go along with this.
     I believe that one way that all believers in Jesus can work for peace and life is by promoting a consistent pro-life ethic.  This means not only not committing murder or avoiding warfare.  We need to promote non-violence whenever possible and the sanctity of life.
     Some of the things I am going to present in the remainder of this message some will certainly disagree with.  That is OK.  I just ask that you will think about what I am going to say in the light of the fact that we are to look to Jesus in all things as our ultimate example.
     I believe that one way that Christians can work toward promoting a consistent pro-life ethic is by advocating against abortion.  There are some times when it may be necessary to safe the life of the mother.  However, this is not the cause of most abortions.  Abortion is the taking of a human life, and Christians should lovingly work to offer alternatives to abortion.
     Christians can also present a consistent pro-life ethic by opposing capital punishment.  While capital punishment was absolutely allowed in the Old Testament, in the light of the teachings of Jesus I believe that we should not practice it now.  We have the ability to place offenders under lifetime sentences where they can no longer harm the general public.  Hopefully, they will repent of their sins and come to salvation.
     So many people around the world are dying each day because they don't have enough to eat or they lack medical attention.  Christians can work to end poverty and injustice.  We can feed the hungry and clothe the naked.  We can seek to get medical care to those in need of it.
     In my nation, guns are everywhere.  Unfortunately, many Christians promote the gun culture, and I know of many churches that now have raffles where guns are given as prizes.  I really don't understand this.  I don't know why many Christians do not support reasonable gun control laws.  If we can keep guns out of the hands of criminals and irresponsible people, we can definitely cut down on the level of violence.
     I'd like to focus for just a moment on another way to be pro-life and to help end violence.  There is terrible cruelty that occurs against animals around the world.  This ought not to be.  I decided a few years ago to become a vegetarian because I just didn't want to contribute to the death of animals anymore.  When we live with Jesus in the world to come we will not kill and eat meat, so why not start on that path now.
     As believers in Jesus, we need to practice love and promote goodness, kindness and non-violence in the world.  If we promote a consistent pro-life view, we can see the level of warfare and violence in the world come down.
     The greatest way that a Christian can promote peace and non-violence in the world is to spread the message of Jesus.  Those who know Jesus as Savior and Lord will find true peace in their troubled hearts.  If many, many people would follow in the path of the Lord Jesus, this world could be such a better place.
     If you have never trusted in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, I urge you to trust Him today and find in Him the peace that passes all understanding.
     These are just a few ways in which Christians can promote life and peace.  I have only been able to scratch the very surface on some of these issues.  I hope that you will study the teachings of Jesus and let Him show you how you can promote peace and life.
     Next week, we will continue with our sermon on the animals series.  I will post the verses on Monday, and I will have a review of a  really good book on Wednesday.  May God bless you all.  Amen.

Book Review -- "The True Tails of Baker and Taylor"

     The book that I am reviewing today is the best book that I've read for awhile.  "The True Tails of Baker and Taylor" by Jan Louch tells the story of how two Scottish fold cats made a great difference in the lives of many people in their community and around the nation.
     Jan Louch was working as a librarian at the Douglas County Library in the town of Minden, NV.  She and the head librarian decided to get a cat for the library.  They had both seen Scottish fold cats at some of the cat shows that they had attended, so they decided to get one for the library.  They named him Baker after the Baker and Taylor book distribution company.  Later, they decided to add a companion cat for Baker, and of course, they named him Taylor.
     Baker loved to spend time at the circulation desk greeting the patrons while Taylor spent more of his time with the staff.  The people in the community loved playing with the cats and spending time with them.  Once the cats became more well-known, people from across the country would come to visit them.
     The thing that brought fame to the cats was the fact that they were used for promotional purposes by the Baker and Taylor company.  The company would arrange photo shoots and use the pictures of the cats on posters, shopping bags and other items that they would give away at book conventions.  Libraries all over the country would have Baker and Taylor posters on the walls.
     One of the most interesting aspects of the book was how the cats influenced a class of second graders.  A second grade teacher in Ohio got the idea of creating a fan club for the cats as a means of helping her students to learn writing skills.  The classes over the years sent cards and letters to the cats and Jan Louch would reply to each of them.
     As a said, I really enjoyed this book.  It is a great book about cats, but it also tells the story of the author as well.  She had many interesting experiences.  The book also tells about the community and several of the interesting patrons of the library including Mr. Figini who came to the library every day and was a good friend to both of the cats.
     I highly recommend this book for cat lovers and those who like a good animal story.

Verses For the Week -- More Verses About Sanctification

Hebrews 10:10 -- "By that which we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Galatians 2:20 -- "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life that I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Weekend Sermon -- "A Lesson From My Friend Toby Part 3"

     Welcome once again to the posting of the Weekend Sermon.  I am very glad that you have taken the time to read the sermon this week.  I hope and pray that everyone is having a really good week.
     This hasn't been a very eventful week in my part of the world.  I am still trying to find work that will be more in line with what I want to do.  The job I have now makes me very nervous.  Each day I ask the Lord to help me make it through.  I am now asking the Lord to help me with each encounter I have with a client.  The Lord is helping me, and I am thankful.  I am making good progress on my book and writing projects.  Please pray that I will be able to finish up the book and be able to get it out on schedule.
     In your prayer time this week, please pray for those suffering with the bad fires out in the the western part of the United States.  Also, pray for those affected by the storm in Central America.  Pray for an end to the Zika virus.
     There is something that I think we should give thanks to the Lord for this week.  I heard a report that the level of homelessness among veterans in the United States has dropped by almost 50 percent.  This is good news. This is an issue I care deeply about.
     Let us continue to pray for peace in this world.  Pray for peace in Libya, South Sudan, Syria and Iraq.  Pray for and end to terrorism and violence
     For our prayer focus countries, pray for the nations of Eritrea and Oman.
     Throughout this summer, we have been switching back and forth each week between two different sermon series.  We have been studying what the Ten Commandments have to teach us, and we have been looking at lessons I have learned from the animals that I have had in my life.  Contrary to what I thought when I began the sermon on the animals series, it has not proved to be very well read here on the blog.  However, I do feel that it is something that the Lord placed upon my heart to share, and I am going to finish with the sermons that I had planned on the series.  I hope that you will continue to read them and try to gain understanding and insight from them.
    So, this week, I would like us to focus on another lesson that the Lord taught me by using my friend Toby.  It is a lesson about learning to trust and move on in life in spite of what may have happened in the past.
     As I mentioned previously, my friend Toby came to live with me when he was about one and half years old.  It took awhile for us to form the very close friendship that we came to share.  I have written about that already in this sermon series.
     Shortly after Toby decided that he wanted to be friends with me, we discovered that he had a very bad ailment known as ulcerative colitis.  It took a lot of work and good veterinary care for Toby to get to the point that he was stable.
     One thing that my vet pointed out was that Toby had to have been sick with this prior to having come to live me.  When the veterinarian took x-rays of Toby's colon, he found evidence of past scarring in the colon that had to have been from previous episodes.
     Also, when Toby first came to live with me, I noticed that he would become frightened and go run and hide if someone picked up a magazine or a newspaper.  Whenever, he had problems with the colitis and couldn't make it outside he would go and hide under the table.
     I told my veterinarian about this, and he told me that he thought that the people that had Toby before me probably got angry with Toby when he was sick and hit him with a rolled up newspaper or magazine or kicked him.  He said that it would take a lot of work and patience so that Toby would realize that I wasn't like the people he had lived with before.  I wasn't going to throw him out because he was sick, and I wasn't ever going to hit him.
     Thanks be to God, we were able to find a way to control Toby's colitis, and he had little problem with this through the rest of his life as long as he stayed on his medication.
     It took awhile, but eventually Toby realized that I would never hurt him in any way.  He got over his fear of newspapers and people's feet being too close to him.  In fact, in later years, he liked me to scratch his back with my foot.
     I never faced anyone being physically abusive to me like Toby did.  I did face what I consider to be emotional abuse when I was growing up.  This was not from my parents, but from the religious institutions that they were affiliated with.  I became very depressed and withdrawn.  At one point when I was in seventh grade, I was so stressed out that I was getting sick all of the time.
     In the situation that I was in, I also felt what I consider to be spiritual abuse because I was presented with a picture of the Lord Jesus that is not accurate.  I was afraid that the Lord would punish me for everything I did.  I was constantly afraid that if I stepped out of line even a little that dire consequences would ensue.
     Just like it took Toby some time to overcome the bad things in the past and move into a better future, it took me some time and some important experiences.
     One of the things that helped me to overcome the past was to have Toby become my friend.  I've said here on the blog before that I firmly believe that the Lord gave him to me to help me.  And he certainly did help me.
     I know many people who have been in a bad way who were helped when an animal came into their lives and made it better.  Dogs don't judge.  They accept you and love you for who you are.  They can really make a big difference in someone's life.  I am not a Lutheran, but I think that the Lutheran church has a great idea going with their comfort dog ministry.  This team of volunteers and their golden retrievers go to places where there has been a tragic situation.  The dogs bring peace and comfort in a very hard situation.  They help people make it through.
     Toby helped me make it through.  We helped each other.
     Something that really helped me to heal the spiritual abuse from the past was my study of the life and ministry of Jesus.  I had been a Christian since my earliest remembrance, but I didn't have the kind of relationship with Jesus that I wanted to have.
     I decided to read all that I could about Jesus.  It took a lot of study, but through my study, I came to realize the true depths of Jesus' love for me.  I learned about who He really was and about how much He cared for me as an individual.  This truly changed my life.
     Everything in my life isn't perfect by any means.  I still fight depression.  Sometimes the old thinking creeps in and I feel that the Lord is mad at me and doesn't love me because I must have done something wrong somewhere.  However, most of the bad times of the past have been healed in my spirit.
     There were times when I wanted to give up on life and give up on the Lord.  But the Lord brought things into my life to keep me going.  He kept me going so that I could overcome the past and live into a better future.
     That is a lesson the Lord helped me to learn through my friend Toby.  He had a bad past.  It took work to overcome, but overcoming is possible.  We can live into a better future and enjoy the future that the Lord has prepared for us.
     You may have faced many hard times in the past, and you may be facing hard times right now.  You don't feel like things can ever get any better.  They can get better.  Not everyone is a horrible person who will hurt you.  There are good people in the world. Not every church is abusive.  Jesus is not mad at you, and He does not want to bring pain into your life.  Jesus loves you and cares about you.  That is what I want everyone who reads this blog to really and truly understand.
     One of the reasons I started these sermons was so that I could tell people about the love of Jesus.  I hope that I have been able to get that across over these last five and a half years of writing these sermons.
     No matter how hard life has been.  No matter what you have faced and are facing.  Jesus loves you.  He wants to help you and be with you through every circumstance of your life.  Look to Him.  Trust in Him.  He will help you and be right along side of you wherever life takes you.  And one day, you will be with Him for all of eternity.
     For those facing hard times right now, I urge you to find a friend who will help you.  If you need counseling seek that out.  Maybe an animal companion will help.
     If you have faced spiritual abuse in your past, I would encourage you to look to Jesus and not His followers.  Read the words of Jesus in the Gospels.  Read good books about Jesus.  Many of these I have mentioned in other posts.
     Thank you for taking the time to read the blog this week.  Next week, we will be back in our series on the Ten Commandments.  We have five more sermons in that series, and we have two more sermons in this series.  I have one more sermon about a lesson from my friend Toby and a sermon about a lesson I learned from my friend Colm.  On Monday, I will post the verses.  I am currently reading some good animal books.  I hope to have a review a Wednesday.  May God bless you all.  May you all realize how much Jesus loves you.  Amen.
   
   

Book Review: First to Fly: The Story of the Lafayette Escadrille

    Today, I am reviewing a history book about a subject I knew almost nothing about until I read this book.  The book is "First to Fly:  The Story of the Lafayette Escadrille"  written by Charles Bracelen Flood.
    This book deals with the stories of the American pilots who flew for the French during the early period of World War I.  As you probably know, the United States was late entering World War I.  However, there were those in the United States who looked favorably upon the cause of the the British and the French and who sought to help them in the war effort against the Germans.  Many of these Americans would join the French Foreign Legion, and several formed a squadron to fly for the French.  This American flight group was known as the Lafayette Escadrille.
    The author presents his topic by letting the reader get to know the history of the individuals who made up this flying unit.  This presentation works in some ways and not in others.
     It was interesting to learn upon the individual pilots and their motivation for fighting for the French.  However, I believe that the book lacked in presenting how the Lafayette Escadrille truly impacted the various battles in which they were engaged.
     The book is well-written and interesting.  It did give me information on a topic that I didn't know much about.  I wish it would have been a little more detailed.  This would be a good book to read for those who are interested in the early period of military aviation.
     This will be the last book that I will review that does not have something to do with animals, has a significant animal character or is not religious or theological in nature.  I feel that my reviews and recommendations have gotten away from the original intent that I had, so I am going to go back to the original focus.  Also, I am not going to review any more books about animals involved in warfare.
    Reviewing the book for this week, it just brought home to me the true horror and futility of war.  I have a degree in history, I studied a lot of military history, and I've written published articles about military history.  I just don't want to read about it anymore.

Verses For the Week - Verses About Sanctification

II Thessalonians  2:13 -- "But we are bound always to give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth."

John 17;17 --  "Sanctify them by your truth.  Your word is truth."