Category: living by faith

Why Do Parents Worry?

“Story from our church service February 7, 2021”

Letter From Camp

Dear Mom,

Our scoutmaster told us all to write to our parents in case you saw the flood on TV and worried. We are OK. Only 1 of our tents and 2 sleeping bags got washed away. Luckily, none of us got drowned because we were all up on the mountain looking for Chad when it happened. Oh yes, please call Chad’s mother and tell her he is OK. He can’t write because of the cast on his arm. I got to ride in one of the search and rescue jeeps. It was neat. We never would have found him in the dark if it hadn’t been for the lightning storm. Scoutmaster Webb got mad at Chad for going on a hike alone without telling anyone. Chad said he did tell him, but it was during the fire so he probably didn’t hear him. Did you know that if you put gas on a fire, the gas can will blow up? The wet wood still didn’t burn, but one of our tents did. Also some of our clothes. John is going to look really weird until his hair grows back.

We will be home on Saturday if Scoutmaster Webb gets the car fixed. It wasn’t his fault about the wreck. The brakes worked OK when we left. Scoutmaster Webb said that with a car that old you have to expect something to break down; that’s probably why he can’t get insurance on it. We think it’s a neat car. He doesn’t care if we get it dirty, and if it’s hot, sometimes he lets us ride on the tailgate. It gets pretty hot with 10 people in a car. He let us take turns riding in the trailer until the highway patrolman stopped and talked to us.

Scoutmaster Webb is a neat guy. Don’t worry, he is a good driver. In fact, he is teaching Terry how to drive. But he only lets him drive on the mountain roads where there isn’t any traffic. All we ever see up there are logging trucks.

This morning all of the guys were diving off the rocks and swimming out in the lake. Scoutmaster Webb wouldn’t let me because I can’t swim and Chad was afraid he would sink because of his cast, so he let us take the canoe across the lake. It was great. You can still see some of the trees under the water from the flood. Scoutmaster Webb isn’t crabby like some scoutmasters. He didn’t even get mad about us not wearing the life jackets. He has to spend a lot of time working on the car so we are trying not to cause him any trouble.

Guess what? We have all passed our first aid merit badges. When Dave dove in the lake and cut his arm, we got to see how a tourniquet works. Also Wade and I threw up. Scoutmaster Webb said it probably was just food poisoning from the leftover chicken. He said they got sick that way with the food they ate in prison. I’m so glad he got out of prison and became our scoutmaster. He said he sure figured out how to get things done better without getting caught while he was doing his time. I have to go now. We are going into town to mail our letters and buy bullets. Don’t worry about anything. We are fine.

Love,
Jimmy

P.S. How long has it been since I had a tetanus shot?

A good investment…

Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor. 
– Ecclesiastes 7:12 NIV

We can try to insure our future through many things. Wisdom, however, is always a better investment than finances because it not only shelters us from our uncertain future, but Godly wisdom can also keep us out of the unnecessary consequences for dumb and ungodly behaviors. Most of all, God’s wisdom teaches us that there’s no solid future without our lives centered on God.

Father God, I want to be wise in your ways and innocent in the ways of evil. Forgive my foolish and sometimes rebellious behaviors. Lead me with your Spirit in the ways of truth, justice, and righteousness. In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.

Grace to Share

I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

– Acts 20:24

How important is grace? Paul said that God’s grace and telling others about that grace were more important than his own life! In fact, sharing God’s grace with others no matter the cost was Paul’s life!

Almighty God, Holy Father, thank you for your lavish grace demonstrated and fully expressed in sending Jesus to die for me. As your child, and in thanks to your sacrificial gift, I pledge to you my life, my love, and my all. Through Jesus. Amen.

Wow Factor!

O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. – Isaiah 25:1

How did you start your day? Have you taken time to thank God for His faithfullness to provide all of our needs? While there are many things for which we can praise God, one of the most significant is his faithfulness to do what he has planned and promised. While many of us are big dreamers and schemers, only God can accomplish the marvelous plans that he alone can make and His plans are big!

Amazing and awesome God, thank you for planning a world so full of variety and beauty. Thank you for your amazing and wonderful works. Thank you for having a plan of salvation for us even before the creation of the world. Please help me be more diligent and disciplined in the plans I make to honor you and bring you glory. In Jesus’ name I praise you. Amen.

The power of grace is overwhelming.

I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
– Acts 20:24 (NIV)

How important is grace? Paul said that God’s grace and telling others about that grace were more important than his own life! In fact, sharing God’s grace with others no matter the cost was Paul’s life!

Almighty God, Holy Father, thank you for your lavish grace demonstrated and fully expressed in sending Jesus to die for me. As your child, and in thanks to your sacrificial gift, I pledge to you my life, my love, and my all. Through Jesus. Amen.

We can only mimic perfection…

O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
– Isaiah 25:1 (NIV)

While there are many things for which we can praise God, one of the most significant is his faithfulness to do what he has planned and promised. He is the master planner of every detail in creation. From the largest galaxies to the smallest of particles, everything is perfection. While many of us are big dreamers and planners, only God can accomplish the marvelous works that he alone can make!

Amazing and awesome God, thank you for planning a world so full of variety and beauty. Thank you for your amazing and wonderful works. Thank you for having a plan of salvation for us even before the creation of the world. Please help me be more diligent and disciplined in the plans I make to honor you and bring you glory. In Jesus’ name I praise you. Amen.

Team Effort!

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
– 1 Corinthians 1:10

You have heard it said, “Can’t we just get along?” If people in our congregations are ever going to get along, the leaders of those churches must remind us of how important it is. Jesus’ dying prayer was that we would be one. Why? So the world would know that the Father had sent him. Unity is not important, it is essential; not just as a theory or theology, but as a daily practice among the people who claim Jesus as Lord.

Lord Jesus, you have presented all of my prayers to our Father and I thank you for this grace. I promise that I will do all I can to bring glory of our Father, to live at peace and to serve in unity with those who belong to you. Please bless our church family with more passion for the unity that you desire. In Jesus’ name and through the blessed Holy Spirit I pray. Amen.

Set Free!

For you have been called
to live in freedom,
my brothers and sisters.
But don’t use your freedom
to satisfy your sinful nature.
Instead, use your freedom
to serve one another in love.

Galatians 5:13 NLT

Our deliverance from bondage was won at great cost. It is impossible to win for ourselves… it can only be gifted to us by God.  This freedom is a wonderful gift when it is handled with responsibility. Not being under law is such a sweet grace, but we want to pass that sweetness on to each other through service, kindness, and care.

God of Deliverance, thank you for rescuing Israel from Pharaoh’s grasp, David from the sword of Goliath, and Daniel from the lion’s den. But  thank you most of all for the triumph of Jesus over sin at Calvary and his victory over death at the empty tomb. I long to see you face to face and thank you for my freedom. Until that day, guide me as I use this gift of liberation to serve you children and live for you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Lost People Have a Face…

For the Son of Man came to
seek and to save what was lost.
Luke 19:10 (NIV)

Jesus came so that the last could be first, the sick could be healed, the sinners could be saved, and the lost could be found. That was his purpose: to fix that which was broken — not just us, but our world, our humanity, and all that goes with it. So how can we wear the name of Jesus and not live with his passion and purpose toward what we see lost in our world?

Father and Almighty God, please stir a holy passion in your people, and especially in me, so that we may more nearly reflect Jesus’ purpose in our lives, our families, and our churches. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Time is Precious

Man is like a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow.
Psalm 144:4 (NIV)

Time is so precious — time with our families, our children, our parents, our friends, as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ. How do you invest your time? Where do you invest it? You know, it’s really more valuable than the money we invest. Once it’s gone, it can’t be reclaimed. So as you begin each day, ask God that you will be able to “know the time,” to see it for what it is and to use it for its greatest good. Time passes quickly, and like the shadows of early evening, it’s not long before it is absorbed into the gathering darkness of night.

Eternal God, please give me the wisdom to use the time given me today to do what is best, right, good, and profitable. I want to invest my time in what is truly enduring. Please help me use my time to influence and to bless all those with whom I interact so that they are brought closer to you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.