Book Review

      "The Speckled Beauty: A Dog And His People" is the story of a stray dog that Rick Bragg adopted when the dog started hanging around his family's farm in Alabama. "Speck" the dog had a rough life. He probably belonged to some people who for some reason decided to dump him out in the country when they didn't want him anymore. As someone who lives in a rural area I am sadly aware of how often this happens. While living as a stray, Speck was involved in dog fights and didn't get the right kinds of food. 

      Even though he wasn't the most well-behaved dog, Rick Bragg cared about the dog who strongly resembles an Australian Shepherd. While Speck might chase the cats and drag stinking deer carcasses near the house, Rick thinks the world of Speck. Rick's family isn't all that thrilled about Speck being around, but they come around in time. 

     This book relates the things that Rick and Speck did during the first years that they were together. However, the book isn't just about a dog. It is a book about the people who are in the dog's life and how they are changed because Speck came. For instance, Rick was going through a lot of health issues both mentally and physically when Speck came. Having a friend like Speck helped him to heal as he stayed to help his mom on the farm during the Covid quarantines. 

     This is a very well-written book, and I would expect nothing less as Rick Bragg is a Pulitzer Prize winning author. I remember watching an interview with him on Charlie Rose's program several years ago now. Mr. Bragg has written several books about his family as well as stories about the South that he calls his home. I read this book quickly, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's been a long time since I've read a really good dog book, and this is a really good one. Speck reminds me of the farm dogs that I've encountered in my part of rural America. They are good old dogs who love their people, they love adventure, and they fill their owners' lives with happiness. They might not be that well-behaved, but you wouldn't want them any other way. 

Verses For The Week

 I John 4:7 -- "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

I John 4:19 -- "We love because He first loved us."

Weekend Sermon -- Favorite Verses -- I John 4:10

       Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I hope that all is going well for you. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to post the sermon this week. 

     Before I get into the sermon for this week, I just want to let you know again what we will be doing on the blog for the next few weeks. Beginning on October 1, I will be posting each day through the month. We will be going through 31 Days in Proverbs. This series will be similar to 30 Days 30 Psalms that we did last year. Each day we will look at what one or more of the Proverbs have to teach us. I will not post verses or sermons during October. We will resume the sermons, verses and other posts in November. 

     The verse that I want us to focus on today is I John 4:10 that tells us, "This is love: not that we loved God, but He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."  

     This verse makes it clear that we did not decide to love God and come to Him on our own accord. In fact, the Bible is quite clear that before the Lord sought us out in His mercy and love, we were actually God's enemies. Romans 5:10 says it this way, "For while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."

     Most don't consider the fact that they are enemies of God. However, those who do not accept Jesus as Lord are living in rebellion against God and against the values of the Kingdom of Heaven as given to us by the Lord Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, and in other places throughout the Gospels. Those who have not come to Jesus for forgiveness of sins are part of the kingdom of darkness. They need to be transported from darkness to light by the saving power of the Lord Jesus. 

     The reason that I John 4:10 is so important to me is that it really shows me how much God loved us. Even when we were in rebellion against Him. Even when we were His enemies, He still loved us. He loved us so much that He was willing to send His Son to this earth to redeem us. He sent Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 

     John 3:16 expresses to us the love of God as well. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but will have everlasting life." God loves us with an everlasting love. Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to leave the glories of Heaven. He came and was born in a manager. He lived a holy and sinless life in order that He might be the spotless Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. Jesus loved us so much that even while we were His enemies, He allowed Himself to be crucified and mocked. Praise God, Jesus did not stay in the grave. He rose bodily from the grave on the third day that we might have the victory over sin, death, hell and the grave. 

     You may have never given your life over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You may still be lost in the land of darkness. Jesus loves you, and He wants you to come to Him. His love is available to all who call upon Him. I urge you today to give your life to Jesus Christ. He has shown His love for you. You can come to Him today. Amen.

 Prayer Requests

     Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Where I live, fewer people are now getting sick, and I thank the Lord for that. Let us all continue to pray that vaccines will reach those who need them. Pray that the sick will recover. 

     Please pray for those who have been affected by storms and natural disasters around the world. Pray that people will receive the aid that they need. 

     Continue to pray for peace on earth. This week, let us really focus our prayers for peace on the nation of Yemen. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of  Mauritius and Nepal. Pray that many will come to know that Jesus loves them. 

     This Monday, I will post the verses. I will have a review on Wednesday. Beginning October 1, 31 Days in Proverbs begins. May God bless you all. 

     

Book Recommendation

      Pen Farthing and his Nowzad animal rescue charity have been in the news lately, especially in the UK. Mr. Farthing and Nowzad until recently operated a center in Afghanistan that took in stray animals and helped them to find good homes. Many animals were reunited with those who served in the armed services in Afghanistan. When the US decided to withdraw from Afghanistan, many who operated charities and NGOs had to get out of the country. Mr. Farthing was able to get the animals out of the country, and the staff have now made it out of Afghanistan as well. 

      Before the events that have been in the news recently, I knew a little about Pen Farthing and Nowzad, but not that much. I decided to read the book that tells about how Pen Farthing started helping the strays of Afghanistan. Pen was a Royal Marine who served in Afghanistan. While there, he rescued a stray dog that was being used in dog fighting. He was determined to take this dog, and others, back with him to the UK. "One Dog At A Time" tells the story of how Pen Farthing started helping strays in Afghanistan, and it details his efforts to get some of them back home with him. 

      I highly recommend this book. It is a great story, and it is well-written. There is a lot of information about what the soldiers did while serving. Mr. Farthing has written some other books, and I hope to read those in the future. 

Verses For The Week

 I Corinthians 10:31 -- "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Colossians 3:23 -- "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."

Hebrews 13:16 -- "And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."

Weekend Sermon -- Favorite Verses -- I John 1:9

      Welcome to this week's posting of the sermon. I hope that everyone has had a very good week, and I hope that everyone is in good health. 

     Today, we will continue with sermons that are taken from some of my favorite verses and passages in the Bible. I just want to remind everyone that starting on October 1 and going each day through October 31, I will be posting 31 Days in Proverbs. After that we will have a few more favorite verses sermons before the Advent season is upon us. 

      The verse that I would like us to focus our attention on today is I John 1:9 that states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

     I don't know about you, but I am far from perfect. I try my best to live according to the commandments and teachings of Jesus, but there are times when I fail to do the things that I am called to do by the Lord Jesus. Sometimes I say something hurtful to someone, or I get angry. At times, I believe all of us fall into some type of  sin. It should be our aim and goal to become more and more like Jesus each day, but it is a difficult process. 

      Just because we have received Jesus as Savior and Lord doesn't mean that we have arrived at spiritual perfection. Growing in grace is a process. 

      When Jesus comes into our lives when we receive Him initially, He forgives us of our sins and we receive the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. The Bible says that our sins are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. 

      After becoming a Christian, we can fall into sin and fall out of a proper relationship with the Lord. We still belong to Him, but our relationship with Him is hindered. It is not all that it is supposed to be. 

     I John 1:9 lets me know that even when I commit a sin after becoming a Christian, I can receive the ongoing forgiveness of the Lord. This verse tells me that I need to confess whatever sin that I have committed to the Lord. I believe that it is important for us to confess our sins to the Lord as soon as we are made aware of them by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When we know that we have done something that is not pleasing to the Lord, we need to confess that sin. We need to ask forgiveness, and we need to ask the Lord to empower us by His Spirit so that we might walk in the path of righteousness and holiness. 

     This verse tells us that when we truly confess our sins, the Lord forgives us, and He cleanses us. He doesn't withhold His love and forgiveness. We are cleansed, and we are restored to fellowship with the Lord Jesus. 

     I believe that it is important for churches to have a time of confession of sin during the service. This is a chance to remind people to come to terms with what is wrong in their walk with the Lord and put it right. I John 1:9 is often used as an assurance of pardon after the public prayer of confession so that people know that they have been forgiven, and the Lord still loves us and wants to be in fellowship with us. 

     If some sin in your life is hindering your fellowship with the Lord and your spiritual growth, confess your sin to the Lord and allow Him to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that vaccines with reach those who want to take them. Pray for those who are sick that they may recover. 

     Continue to pray for Afghanistan during the difficult time that the people are facing in that nation. 

     Pray for peace. Let us focus our prayers for peace this week on Syria and Chad. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let's pray for those who live in Sudan and Turkey. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue in our current series with the sermon. I will post the verses on Monday. I hope to have a book review midweek. May God bless you all.

Book Recommendation

      A few months ago, I recommended a book by Jonathan Wittenberg entitled "Walking With The Light". This book tells of how Rabbi Wittenberg, accompanied by his dog Mitzpah, walked from Frankfurt, Germany to the Rabbi's congregation in England carrying the light from the Frankfurt synagogue to the new synagogue in London. I enjoyed reading that book a lot, and I would still recommend it to you. 

     I read on Rabbi Wittenberg's Twitter feed this week that Mitzpah passed away. That is what got me to thinking about the book again. Whenever someone's special dog passes, I think of my old friend Toby and the good times that we had together. 

     Rabbi Wittenberg has written a book that I've intended to read, but I've had difficulty getting it through interlibrary loan here in the United States. The book is called, "Things My Dog Has Taught Me: About Being A Better Human." I saw today that it is available on Amazon here in the US now, so I will be ordering that and reading it in the near future. 

Verses For The Week

 John 14:23 -- "Anyone who loves Me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them, and make Our home with them."

Romans 12:11 -- "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."

Weekend Sermon -- Favorite Verses -- Matthew 11:28-30

      Thank you for joining me for this week's edition of the sermon. I hope that you are all doing well and are in good health. I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post the message today. 

     Last week, we began a short series of messages on what I call my favorite verses in the Bible. These are verses or short passages that have had a lot of meaning for me in my life. The passage that I would like us to focus on today is Matthew 11:28-30. Here is what Jesus says, "Come to Me. all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

     This verse speaks to me for a number of different reasons. First of all, this verse tells me that Jesus will accept anyone who comes to Him. Come to me all who are weary. That is about everyone that I know. Jesus wants people to come to Him and find new life. He wants people to come to Him and find release and forgiveness from the burdens of sin and guilt. Whoever is willing to come to Jesus in repentance and faith, Jesus will accept them. He will not cast them out. 

     I find comfort in this verse because it speaks to me of the fact that Jesus is there for me when I am facing difficulties in life. Throughout my life, I have faced some difficult times. At these times, I have been able to make it through because Jesus is with me. When I am troubled and in distress, I can go to Jesus and find rest from all of the trouble that is in the world. We told us that He will never leave us or forsake us. He will be with us always throughout eternity. 

     Matthew 11:28-30 tells us that we can be free from the baggage of sin and the baggage of this world that besets us. It is a heavy load that pushes us down. With Jesus as our Savior, Lord and Friend, we can be freed from the burdens of sin and the burdens of this world. We can take up His yoke. That means that He leads us and He guides in the way and in the path of love. He is gentle and humble. He leads us in such a way that we become more like Him each day so that we can show others the path of the Lord and how it can be of benefit to their lives. 

     One thing that I want to emphasize in this passage that is important to me is that Jesus wants us to learn from Him. He wants to be our teacher. He wants to show us the way that we can have an abundant life. Jesus said that He came to bring life and life that is more abundant. 

     One of the ways that we learn from Jesus is by studying what He said and what He did while He was on this earth. I encourage everyone to thoroughly study Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Here, you will find what Jesus wants us to do. Here, we will see how Jesus acted while in this world as an example of how we should also act. In the Gospels, we have the answer to the question, what would Jesus do?

     We also learn from Jesus when we spend time with Him in prayer and meditation. When we are still in the presence of the Lord, we can allow Him to speak to our hearts so that we will know His will for the situations that we are facing in this life. It is at these times in particular that I feel the great comfort and the presence of the Lord Jesus within my life. 

     I want to close the message today by reiterating the fact that Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. He wants to have a relationship with everyone. His love is available to all. I invite you to come to Jesus and find rest for your soul today. You will find that knowing Jesus and having Jesus as Lord is the best thing that ever happened to you in your life. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I want to thank the Lord that the heavy rain that we had last week did not cause any problems in my area. We need to continue to pray for those in Louisiana and throughout other parts of the US that were affected by the storms. Please pray that those who are in need will receive the help that they need. Please reach out to help others as you are able. 

     Continue to pray for Afghanistan. There are many still in that country that would like to get out. Pray that they can leave soon. Pray for the refugees as they are seeking a new life. 

     Pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Libya, Yemen, Syria and Ethiopia all need our prayers. 

     Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. In my state, many have not taken the vaccine. Please pray that people will get vaccinated in order to help themselves and others. Pray for those who are sick that they may recover. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Bangladesh and Jordan. Pray that many will come to Jesus and find rest. 

     Next week, I will post a message about another of my favorite verses. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will have a midweek post. May God bless you all. 

Book Review

      The book that I am reviewing today is "Mason Versus The Tornado". This is a graphic novel that is for younger readers. It is part of a larger series about animal and pet rescue. 

      This book tells about a family dog in Alabama who survived being in a tornado. The book provides information for younger readers about what tornados are and the destructive potential of tornados. In addition to the information provided in the main story, there is also a presentation in the back of the book about how animals were affected by tornados in other locations. 

     This is a very short book, but it it interesting. Younger readers are sure to enjoy it. 

Verses For The Week

 I Corinthians 15:58 -- "Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

Philippians 2:16 -- "Hold firmly to the word of life; then on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work is not useless."

Weekend Sermon -- Hebrews 13:8

      Last week, we finished our series on the book of James. It has taken us almost the entire year to finish, but I believe that we learned a lot. Here is what I want to do with the sermons through the end of the year, Lord willing. Through the month of September, I will post a sermon each week on one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Starting in October, I plan to do something different. Last year, we had 30 days 30 Psalms. For the month of October, I want to do 31 days in Proverbs. I will pick a couple of Proverbs to write about each day in lieu of other posts and the sermon. Then in November, I will post sermons about some of my favorite verses again until it is time for Advent sermons. That will carry us through this year. I hope that you will be part of the journey to learn more about what the Lord has to teach us. 

     Today, I want to share with you why Hebrews 13:8 is one of the most meaningful verses in the Bible to me. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." It is a short verse packed with a lot of meaning. 

     The main reason why this verse is so important to me is that it reminds me of the fact that I can always count on Jesus being just as He was in the Bible, and I can always count on Him to keep His promises. He did in the past, and He will keep on doing it. Let's look at this a little deeper.

     In the Gospels, we are presented with a picture of Jesus who always acts with compassion and mercy. On several different occasions, the Bible tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion. He felt compassion on those who were sick and on those who were hungry. He had compassion for those who were being led astray by the religious leaders of His day. Jesus cared about people, and He went about doing good and helping as many people as He could. 

     Since Jesus was that way while He was on this earth, I know according to Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus is that way now and will be in the future. He still is compassionate, caring and merciful. He cares that people are hurting in this world, and He wants those of us who claim to follow Him to to all that we can to help people and to make this world a better place. Jesus wants us to work for peace and for the alleviation of suffering. 

     Jesus also cared about the fact that people needed salvation and forgiveness of sins. And He certainly still does. That is why He gave His followers the Great Commission that tells us to go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Jesus forgave people while He was on earth. He even did it while He was on the cross. Jesus wants us now and in the future to share His message of love and forgiveness so that they can know Him and the peace and love that He will bring to their lives. 

     Hebrews 13:8 speaks to me because it lets me know that I can trust Jesus into the future. Jesus said that He would not cast out anyone who would come to Him. He said that He would give new life and and an abundant life to those who would trust in Him. I have put my faith and trust in Jesus believing that since I have come to Him, He has forgiven me and saved me from my sins. 

     Jesus said that He would not leave us. Hebrews 13:8 helps me to hold on that promise. Jesus was trustworthy in the past, so I can trust Him now to be with me in every circumstance that I face. He will not forsake me. 

     Jesus told us clearly that He has gone to prepare a place for us so that we would be with Him forever. I am counting on this. I believe that my family and friends are with Jesus in Heaven right now. One day, I will be with Him. I can count on Him keeping His word because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

     Jesus also told us that He would come to this earth one day and establish His eternal kingdom. We can have confidence that this will happen just as He said because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Amen.

Prayer Requests

      There is a lot to pray for this week. The US has been devastated by the hurricane. Please pray for those in need in Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey and the many other places affected by the storm. 

     Please pray for my area. We are supposed to have a lot of heavy rain starting tonight through tomorrow. Please pray that the rain is not that heavy. We don't need a lot of rain right now. Thank you. 

     Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the sick will recover. Please get vaccinated if you have not been already. 

     Continue to pray for Afghanistan. That whole situation is truly depressing. 

     Pray for peace in this world. Let us focus our prayers for peace on Yemen this week. 

     For our prayer focus countries, let us pray for those in Japan and Egypt. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Please keeping praying that those in Haiti affected by the earthquake will receive the aid that they need. 

     Next week, I will post the sermon on Friday. I will post the verses on Monday. I will really try to have a book review midweek. I am not reading as much as usual because I haven't been feeling well at all. When I get home from work, I often just feel too tired to do much. May God bless you all. 

Two Short Poems

 Flowering Spring tress

through morning's lifting fog

wax before the wane.

Crimson petunias

struggle as frost settles ...

clouds cover the moon