Wednesday, March 21, 2012
A Verse For The Day
John 11:25--"I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
Friday, March 16, 2012
Update
Unfortunately, I've had a serious redevelopment of my respiratory illness. I'm going to take the week off and see if I can once and for all get over this stuff. May God bless you.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Bear
I watched my favorite movie last night. The Bear is a wonderful movie about an orphaned bear cub who befriends a giant male bear. During the film, the pair try to elude hunters and live in peace. The scenery in The Bear is absolutely beautiful. The Bear is based on the book The Grizzly King by James Oliver Curwood. At the end of the movie there is a quote from the book that says, "The greatest thrill is not to kill but to let live." Watch the movie, and you will know what that means.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Weekend Sermon--Luke 17:11-19
I've been feeling better this last week. It's been a slow road to recovery, but I'm thankful that I'm doing a bit better with every passing day. I was even able to work on writing quite a bit this week which is something that I always enjoy. However, since I'm still not 100 percent, this week's sermon will be a little shorter than usual as was last week's.
In today's Scripture reading, we see the account of Jesus' encounter with the ten lepers. Ten lepers see Jesus from far away and they call out to Jesus asking that He heal them of their leprosy.
This was the custom in Bible times. Those who had leprosy were commanded to stay away from people. They also had to live outside of the cities. To be a leper was a terrible predicament.
Although these men were following the law and calling out from a far, Jesus wasn't unwilling to touch or be in contact with lepers. Jesus often touched and healed those who were afflicted with this dreaded disease. He loved these people that so many others rejected. In Jesus' day, those who had leprosy were considered to be great sinners who were being punished by God. But, Jesus showed that they were not outcasts from God's love. Jesus didn't rejected anyone.
When Jesus heard the lepers cry, He told the men to go and show themselves to the priest. This was the requirement according to the Old Testament law. If a leper believed himself to be cleansed, he was to go to the priest who would determine if the leprosy truly was cured. If cured, the priest would declare the individual clean, and he would be allowed back into society.
What Jesus was asking these men to do was to believe that they were healed. They would demonstrate their faith by going to the priest to show that they were cleansed. As the men were traveling to see the priest, they were completely healed by the miracle working power of Jesus.
When the ten men realized they were healed, nine of the men continued on their way. But, one man cried out glorifying God. He ran back to Jesus, fell at Jesus' feet, and gave thanks for his healing.
Jesus wondered where the other nine were. Why had only one man come back to give thanks for the good thing that had been done for him? Jesus told the man to get up. His faith had made him well.
I've often wondered why the other nine men didn't come back to give thanks. I don't think we can really say with any certainty. What I do know is that sometimes I'm not as thankful as I should be. I know that I make requests of the Lord, but sometimes I forget to say thank you. For instance, I've been praying a long time for peace in North Korea. Recently, North Korea agreed to curb its nuclear program. This was an answer to prayer. However, I realized that I forgot to give thanks.
This last week, I've been thinking of things to be thankful for. The past 8 weeks have been particularly hard. They've been some of the hardest times in the last 2 years, and the last 2 years haven't been a cake walk. I know that I've done my fair share of complaining. I needed to try to focus on the good things to be thankful for.
One simple thing I found to grateful for this week was the discovery of an author who writes dog stories. I've had a lot of fun this week researching the life of Albert Payson Terhune and reading his books about collies. I'm thankful that the Lord allowed me to find out about this.
I'm also thankful for the fact that yesterday was a beautiful day, and it felt great just to be out in the sunshine.
Another thing I've been thinking about lately and I'm thankful for is the fact that I live in a country that is free. When I see the religious turmoil, wars, and tension in other nations around the world, I'm thankful that I live in a land where I can go to any church I want to, I can travel anywhere I want to, and I have the freedom to write whatever I want to. These are things many in my country take for granted.
This week, I urge you in the midst of any difficulty you might be facing to think of things to be thankful to God for. Tell Him that you are thankful for what He had provided.
As always, we should express our thanksgiving to Jesus for dying on the cross to save us from our sins. We should be thankful that Jesus left His home in glory to be our Savior. We should be thankful for His love. Amen.
In today's Scripture reading, we see the account of Jesus' encounter with the ten lepers. Ten lepers see Jesus from far away and they call out to Jesus asking that He heal them of their leprosy.
This was the custom in Bible times. Those who had leprosy were commanded to stay away from people. They also had to live outside of the cities. To be a leper was a terrible predicament.
Although these men were following the law and calling out from a far, Jesus wasn't unwilling to touch or be in contact with lepers. Jesus often touched and healed those who were afflicted with this dreaded disease. He loved these people that so many others rejected. In Jesus' day, those who had leprosy were considered to be great sinners who were being punished by God. But, Jesus showed that they were not outcasts from God's love. Jesus didn't rejected anyone.
When Jesus heard the lepers cry, He told the men to go and show themselves to the priest. This was the requirement according to the Old Testament law. If a leper believed himself to be cleansed, he was to go to the priest who would determine if the leprosy truly was cured. If cured, the priest would declare the individual clean, and he would be allowed back into society.
What Jesus was asking these men to do was to believe that they were healed. They would demonstrate their faith by going to the priest to show that they were cleansed. As the men were traveling to see the priest, they were completely healed by the miracle working power of Jesus.
When the ten men realized they were healed, nine of the men continued on their way. But, one man cried out glorifying God. He ran back to Jesus, fell at Jesus' feet, and gave thanks for his healing.
Jesus wondered where the other nine were. Why had only one man come back to give thanks for the good thing that had been done for him? Jesus told the man to get up. His faith had made him well.
I've often wondered why the other nine men didn't come back to give thanks. I don't think we can really say with any certainty. What I do know is that sometimes I'm not as thankful as I should be. I know that I make requests of the Lord, but sometimes I forget to say thank you. For instance, I've been praying a long time for peace in North Korea. Recently, North Korea agreed to curb its nuclear program. This was an answer to prayer. However, I realized that I forgot to give thanks.
This last week, I've been thinking of things to be thankful for. The past 8 weeks have been particularly hard. They've been some of the hardest times in the last 2 years, and the last 2 years haven't been a cake walk. I know that I've done my fair share of complaining. I needed to try to focus on the good things to be thankful for.
One simple thing I found to grateful for this week was the discovery of an author who writes dog stories. I've had a lot of fun this week researching the life of Albert Payson Terhune and reading his books about collies. I'm thankful that the Lord allowed me to find out about this.
I'm also thankful for the fact that yesterday was a beautiful day, and it felt great just to be out in the sunshine.
Another thing I've been thinking about lately and I'm thankful for is the fact that I live in a country that is free. When I see the religious turmoil, wars, and tension in other nations around the world, I'm thankful that I live in a land where I can go to any church I want to, I can travel anywhere I want to, and I have the freedom to write whatever I want to. These are things many in my country take for granted.
This week, I urge you in the midst of any difficulty you might be facing to think of things to be thankful to God for. Tell Him that you are thankful for what He had provided.
As always, we should express our thanksgiving to Jesus for dying on the cross to save us from our sins. We should be thankful that Jesus left His home in glory to be our Savior. We should be thankful for His love. Amen.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
An Old Dog Book
I found one of my Mom's old dog books last week. It is called Lad: A Dog by Albert Payson Terhune. I'd never read this book, so I decided to give it a chance. I loved it. What a great story about collies. Since reading this book, I've done quite a bit of research into Terhune and his Sunnybank collies. I am definitely going to read more of his stories.
My Mom read these books when she was a girl back in the 1930's. I remember her telling me that she loved collies so much because of reading Terhune's books. My Mom always wanted to have collies, and her dream came true. She had some nice collie dogs, and I had a lot of fun playing with them when I was a boy.
Most of Terhune's books are now out of print, but some are available through Project Gutenberg.
My Mom read these books when she was a girl back in the 1930's. I remember her telling me that she loved collies so much because of reading Terhune's books. My Mom always wanted to have collies, and her dream came true. She had some nice collie dogs, and I had a lot of fun playing with them when I was a boy.
Most of Terhune's books are now out of print, but some are available through Project Gutenberg.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Weekend Sermon--Genesis 1, Job 38-41
I'm back posting. Thank God, I am getting over my illness. But, I'm not fully recovered yet. With that in mind, this Weekend Sermon won't be quite as long as usual.
This week, I'd like to talk about the beginning. Specifically, I'd like to focus on creation and humanity's assignment from God to take care of the world God has made.
This past week while I've not been feeling the best, I've thought a lot about nature and some of the many animals I've had the pleasure to know over the years. I'm truly grateful for all of the creatures God has brought into my life to make it better. I also had the privilege last week to watch two great nature programs. The first program was about the wildlife of the Himalayas. I'm always pleased to see anything about snow leopards and watch them run along the craggy rocks without a care of falling. The other program was a three hour show about ocean mammals. This program was tremendously good. The scientist and filmmakers were able to capture images never seen before.
Whenever I reflect on all of the animals that God has made, I think of God's awesome majesty and power. What a wonderful and creative God we serve who can bring to life all of the abundance and variety of creation.
In Genesis chapter one, we have the account of the creation of the world. God made everything perfect and declared everything that He made to be good. God then placed people in charge of taking care of that which He had made. Sadly, humans have not kept this first commandment given by God.
Instead of being good stewards of the creation, we have destroyed so much of what God created. Just think of all of the animals that have gone extinct. A couple of months ago, I saw some old grainy footage of a Tasmanian Tiger. But, they have all been hunted out and killed. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could see a creature like that today. Unfortunately, it won't be possible until Jesus returns.
While the Tasmanian Tiger wasn't a real tiger, it was more of a dog-like creature, the real tiger is a critically endangered species. Because of poaching and habitat destruction, the number of tigers in the wild continues to dwindle.
And look at what happened ,and is starting to happen again, with whales. These great creatures of the deep were hunted almost to the very brink of extinction. Now, some countries continue to hunt whales in the name of research.
These are just a few instances of how people have failed to be good stewards of God's creation. Let me give you a couple of more examples. Last year, I wrote an article on the practice of shark fining. This involves catching a shark, cutting off its fins, and while it is still alive, dumping it back into the ocean to die. This horrible cruelty is conducted so that people can eat shark fin soup.
Look at what happens to so many pets in America. Tens of thousands are euthanized every year because people didn't care about them anymore. What a shame.
Unfortunately, there isn't much attention paid to these things in conservative theological circles. Growing up as a boy, I heard countless times how that animals were placed here for man, and we could do with them whatever we wanted to do. One thing I've never understood though. Why is it justified to destroy one of the masterworks of God's creation, yet if someone destroys the work of a human artist it's considered a crime? Apparently, what God makes isn't as important in some people's opinion.
In Job 38-41, God tells Job about some of the magnificent creatures God created. God describes His creation in wonderful poetic detail. I urge you to read it.
In this message, I want to urge Christians to stop and think about the commandment that we have been given by God to be good stewards of creation. Be an environmentally responsible person doing whatever is in your power to make this world a better place. Speak out against animal cruelty.
Also, take care of the animals God has allowed to be in your care. Make sure they have proper food, water, shelter, and veterinary care.
God had made a beautiful world with wonderful creatures in it. Let's take care of God's good earth. Amen.
This week, I'd like to talk about the beginning. Specifically, I'd like to focus on creation and humanity's assignment from God to take care of the world God has made.
This past week while I've not been feeling the best, I've thought a lot about nature and some of the many animals I've had the pleasure to know over the years. I'm truly grateful for all of the creatures God has brought into my life to make it better. I also had the privilege last week to watch two great nature programs. The first program was about the wildlife of the Himalayas. I'm always pleased to see anything about snow leopards and watch them run along the craggy rocks without a care of falling. The other program was a three hour show about ocean mammals. This program was tremendously good. The scientist and filmmakers were able to capture images never seen before.
Whenever I reflect on all of the animals that God has made, I think of God's awesome majesty and power. What a wonderful and creative God we serve who can bring to life all of the abundance and variety of creation.
In Genesis chapter one, we have the account of the creation of the world. God made everything perfect and declared everything that He made to be good. God then placed people in charge of taking care of that which He had made. Sadly, humans have not kept this first commandment given by God.
Instead of being good stewards of the creation, we have destroyed so much of what God created. Just think of all of the animals that have gone extinct. A couple of months ago, I saw some old grainy footage of a Tasmanian Tiger. But, they have all been hunted out and killed. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could see a creature like that today. Unfortunately, it won't be possible until Jesus returns.
While the Tasmanian Tiger wasn't a real tiger, it was more of a dog-like creature, the real tiger is a critically endangered species. Because of poaching and habitat destruction, the number of tigers in the wild continues to dwindle.
And look at what happened ,and is starting to happen again, with whales. These great creatures of the deep were hunted almost to the very brink of extinction. Now, some countries continue to hunt whales in the name of research.
These are just a few instances of how people have failed to be good stewards of God's creation. Let me give you a couple of more examples. Last year, I wrote an article on the practice of shark fining. This involves catching a shark, cutting off its fins, and while it is still alive, dumping it back into the ocean to die. This horrible cruelty is conducted so that people can eat shark fin soup.
Look at what happens to so many pets in America. Tens of thousands are euthanized every year because people didn't care about them anymore. What a shame.
Unfortunately, there isn't much attention paid to these things in conservative theological circles. Growing up as a boy, I heard countless times how that animals were placed here for man, and we could do with them whatever we wanted to do. One thing I've never understood though. Why is it justified to destroy one of the masterworks of God's creation, yet if someone destroys the work of a human artist it's considered a crime? Apparently, what God makes isn't as important in some people's opinion.
In Job 38-41, God tells Job about some of the magnificent creatures God created. God describes His creation in wonderful poetic detail. I urge you to read it.
In this message, I want to urge Christians to stop and think about the commandment that we have been given by God to be good stewards of creation. Be an environmentally responsible person doing whatever is in your power to make this world a better place. Speak out against animal cruelty.
Also, take care of the animals God has allowed to be in your care. Make sure they have proper food, water, shelter, and veterinary care.
God had made a beautiful world with wonderful creatures in it. Let's take care of God's good earth. Amen.
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