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.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Monday, August 29, 2016
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."
Friday, August 26, 2016
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
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.
Monday, August 22, 2016
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."
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."
Friday, August 19, 2016
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
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.
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.
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