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Building on Sand, the beach, sandcastles, waves and Jesus
(181 Reads)
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It was a perfect beach day. The sun was warming our skin just enough to make us feel like melted butter dripping down corn on the cob. The cool ocean wind unfurled our hair, now raised flags wildly whipping in the salty air. Seagulls soared against the blue canvas, screeching out their melancholy song to remind us that we were buffeted from the chaos of the civilized world. I closed my eyes and sank deeper into my relaxing bath of sand. And then the screaming began. No, it wasn't a swimmer in jeopardy, calling out desperate pleas for help to the shore. It was my children.
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Not-So-Silent-Night: Rom. 14:19 make every effort to do what leads to peace
(262 Reads)
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I was giving my two sons a bath, happily humming a tune as I scrubbed away the dirt and grime that could only be accumulated by young boys. As I neared the chorus, three-year-old Luke piped up, "Mommy, what we really need right now is some peace and quiet." It's a miracle that I did not fall into the bathtub after being hit between the eyes by the Mack truck of irony. THEY needed peace and quiet? My mind did a quick montage of the past few years, a phantasmagoria of all the times my head slammed down on the table as my three young children took turns whining, crying, and screaming and I anxiously watched for our neighbors' houses to go up for sale. Even with the imprint of the table fresh on my forehead, it never occurred to me that our children desired peace as much as I did.
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Clothe Yourselves: Galatians 3:26, 27 clothed yourselves with Christ, Bible
(239 Reads)
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Getting three small children dressed in the morning is no small feat. If I let them do it all themselves, it would take hours, and they would probably have to start getting dressed the night before. There are too many potential mishaps, including the "elephant" (getting the arm stuck in the sleeve over the head), the "potato sack" (putting two legs into one hole), and the "superhero" (putting underwear on the outside of the pants). I've survived missions to rescue heads trapped in sleeves, hair stuck on Velcro, and skin caught in zippers. I keep laboring in love, knowing that one day, hopefully before college, they will all get dressed on their own.
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Hello, My Name is…Lord: Luke 6:46 call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what
(223 Reads)
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When my five year old daughter recently tested my authority, I suggested that perhaps we should all start wearing nametags. "My nametag will say ' THE MOMMY,'" I quipped. "What do you think yours will say?" Expecting her to simply answer, "Grace," I was shocked when she responded with, "NOT the Mommy?" Her answer transported me back a couple of thousand years, where I imagined Jesus, frustrated by his disciples and possibly even inventing the very first nametags.
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Daily Bread: Matthew 4:4 every word that comes from the mouth of God, Bible
(225 Reads)
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When I enter the Kingdom, I'll be expecting a "welcome" buffet table with a dazzling array of all of the tempting and decadent foods we're not supposed to be eating now. Every sumptuous dessert that I ever avoided for fear of clogging my arteries would be waiting for me as a reward. (Oh, look! There's the Ten Layer Chocolate Death on a Plate that I always wanted to try! You saved a piece for me? Thank you, Lord!) Even if this fantasy never materializes, there is just one humble request for Kingdom food that I have for my merciful Lord: Please let it be cut into bite size pieces.
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Life in the Slow Lane: Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble & gentle; patient
(266 Reads)
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If only everyone could be born with a remote control. Sitting in a traffic jam or waiting in line at the store, we could simply press "FAST FORWARD," and be on our merry way. We could relive a favorite moment with "REWIND." Someone could be standing right in front of us hurling insults, and…oops! Did I just hit "DELETE?" Or I could just learn to be patient. Patience is, after all, a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).
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Bath Time: The Full Extent of Love - The Passover, cleansed by Jesus' blood
(196 Reads)
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The first time I gave all three of our kids a bath, I thought, "No wonder my mother was always exhausted!" Bath time is a huge effort, and the process can be grueling: scrubbing bodies, washing hair, lifting kids in and out of the tub, and drying them off. Not to mention the fact that dressing damp children, a miraculous feat similar to covering an eel in shrink-wrap, takes the strength of Samson and the patience of Job. I could suddenly relate to the record of Naaman in 2 Kings Chapter 5, when he was told by the prophet Elisha to go wash in the Jordan seven times to cleanse his leprosy. Some days instead of bathing my kids, I just want to tell them, "Oh, just go dunk in the river seven times!" But sometimes love means getting down and dirty.
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For the Birds: Crows, Robins Genesis 1:21, 22 God created, every winged bird
(192 Reads)
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When I was young, a certain bird who lived outside my window loved to torment me in the wee hours of the morning. It wasn't a songbird gently chirping a faint melody into the dawn, or a mourning dove plaintively cooing his love song. No, it was a cacophonous crow, daily piercing my sweet dreams with his grating "CAW! CAW! CAW!"
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Rewards: Stickers at the Bema, Heb. 6:10 God is not unjust; he will not forget
(219 Reads)
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No one likes to go unrewarded for their efforts. Some of the things we do now will not be acknowledged until the Judgment, but that does not render them meaningless. God gave us the hope of Christ's return as a motivation for us to keep working diligently. He promises that He is a just God who will not forget all that we do for Him
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Blanket of Snow: biology class, microscopes, God's creation of snowflakes
(203 Reads)
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I think I lost my appreciation for science while dissecting a cow's eyeball in biology class. As I examined the bovine remains under a microscope, I saw my loathing for science magnified somewhere underneath the vitreous humor, the jelly-like substance of the eye. My teacher tried to tell me that it was just like grape jelly, but he really just ruined my ability to eat PB&J sandwiches for years. It wasn’t until I had children that I could get excited again about studying science. Their infectious curiosity has me back in the lab again, although this time, I'm studying in the laboratory of God. After a recent snowstorm, I gained more understanding and wisdom from observing His creation than I ever could behind the microscope in my high school.
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It’s Just a Stage: toddlerhood, temper tantrums, accepting forgiveness, Bible
(192 Reads)
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I'm trying not to panic, but all of the greatest songs from my high school years are now featured on the "classics" radio station. My first sign of aging was when "U Can't Touch This" went from a great dance mix to my children's fighting theme song from the back seat of the car. When I was pregnant with my third baby, my doctor wisely hid behind a chair as he informed me that I was now considered a "mature" mother. I'm not in Abraham's category, because his age description was as "one as good as dead." What's happening to me? I'm pushing forty, and I'm entering yet another "stage" of my life.
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Hope in the Clouds: 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 the Lord will come from heaven
(257 Reads)
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For Christians, the Rapture of the Church will be dramatic and unmistakable. To keep The Hope alive in our hearts, we should take the time to visualize this impending event. Our reality stems from the Word of God, as The Rapture will not be a Hollywood production with Frankie Avalon singing a “Rapture theme song” as he descends a spiral staircase. Jesus doesn't need props; he will shout with an authoritative voice and raise dead Christians up from the grave.
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Movie Night With Jesus: Mathew 18:3 become like little children, humble, pure
(242 Reads)
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Why did Jesus say, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3)? I don't think this means that there is going to be a sign at the kingdom entrance stating the height requirements to "get on this ride." Jesus was asking us to become like children, not by choosing ice cream as our favorite food group and refusing to go to bed every night, but by keeping our hearts humble and pure.
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This Time It’s Personal: 2 Corinthians 6:18 you will be my sons and daughters
(214 Reads)
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When God decided to make us his children, He crossed the line. The good line, that is–the one that transformed Him from a distant Creator to an involved Father. How many of us would survive if we had to approach an untouchable mountain that was "burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm," as the children of Israel did? Even stouthearted Moses was shaking in his biblical boots when he said, "I am trembling with fear" (Heb. 12:18-21). Nowadays people can barely survive if their cable television goes out. Yes, God knows the heart of man, and He has been truly merciful in His desire to have a relationship with us.
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The Lookout: Hebrews 4:13 all things are naked, opened, uncovered, laid bare
(207 Reads)
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The New International Version of Hebrews 4:13 is much easier to swallow than the King James translation, since "uncovered" implies that if I get caught sinning, I can quickly pull a covering over me for safety. When you're naked, however, that's it; you're nude, exposed, in the raw. Like the great Motown song says, "Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide." Nudity makes people squirm, which is exactly what this verse does to the reader.
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Dinner with Zacchaeus, a tax collector in a sycamore tree, Luke 19:5, Bible
(364 Reads)
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If you could have dinner with anyone from biblical times–besides Jesus–whom would you choose? I don't really care for seafood, so Peter, Andrew, and any other fishermen are out. A recent study of the record of Zacchaeus assured me that at the very least, his house would be clean.
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Static Cling: Rom. 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what
(515 Reads)
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God must really believe in us to give us three commands in one verse. As much as I have confidence in my children, I would never tell them in one breath to clean their rooms, brush their teeth, and wax the kitchen floor. I would half expect them to wax their teeth, brush their rooms, and clean the kitchen floor with toothpaste. Yet, God created us and thus knows our limitations and capabilities. He believes in us more than we do, and He expects us to carry out all three parts of Romans 12 verse 9.
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Let There Be Light: Genesis 1:3-5 And God said, Christians, Shine your lights
(249 Reads)
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When God wanted light, He didn't flip on a light switch. Unlike man, there was no bulb to replace, no muttering under his breath, no trip to the hardware store to buy more bulbs, along with a new power tool that he would never use but was on sale for a limited time only. No, when God wanted light, He spoke it into being. That's why He is such an awesome God! Even Thomas Edison, the lighting Wizard (genius) of Menlo Park, could not achieve such a feat.
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You're No Lady, Bug: Genesis 6:18-20 Every creeping thing of the earth, Bible
(271 Reads)
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Anyone who has ever planned a huge party understands the importance of keeping the guest list to a minimum. Yet when God was planning his biggest catering event to date–the cruise aboard the ark–He did not seem to be concerned about the capacity of the ship. He invited every kind of creature indiscriminately. No offense to creepy crawlers, but I think I would have crossed them off the list.
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Rise and Shine: Pray like Jesus, early in the morning, before dawn, Bible
(291 Reads)
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If I had to guess, I would say that Jesus never hit SNOOZE. Okay, even if they had alarm clocks back then, he still wouldn't have done it. Scripture tells us that Jesus got up before the sun to pray by himself. Jesus also said that he came to do God's will and that he always did what pleased God (John 6:38 & 8:29). Logically speaking, it cannot be God's will for us to fritter away our days by lounging around in bed or even to start out our day without prayer.
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Life in Noah's Ark: What did they do? How did they sleep? Genesis 7:17-23
(305 Reads)
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With all due respect to Barnum and Bailey, the circus is NOT the greatest show on Earth. That award goes to…God–for His amazing collection of animals on the ark. You may think I'm crazy, but I've never been a fan of the circus. Besides the fact that I'm not fond of clowns, contortionists, or fire-eaters, who wants to be in an enclosed area with giant, smelly animals? Which makes me wonder what poor Noah was thinking when he was trapped in close quarters with all of those animals on the ark.
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God’s Variety Show: Creation, Wobbegongs and all the animals, Bible study
(355 Reads)
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On the fifth day, God created the Wobbegong. Fast forward several thousand years, and most humans have never even heard of this strange species of shark. While I was making dinner one night, my five-year-old voracious reader, Grace, entered the kitchen and announced that Wobbegongs do not eat humans. I breathed a sigh of relief. Even though I had no clue what animal she was talking about, I was thankful not to be featured as the main entrée on its dinner menu. I noted with irony that I had spent the morning teaching her kindergarten math, and now she was teaching me high school biology. She held up her marine life book and showed me a picture of this bizarre creature that looked like a rug from the 1970s. “Isn’t it funny that God made Wobbegongs, Mommy?” she giggled.
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Babies: The Miracles, Isaiah 49:15 and 16, 1 John 3:1 We Are God's Children
(512 Reads)
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Any pain or fear that Mary experienced during labor and delivery was undoubtedly replaced by joy as she held the baby Jesus in her arms. The gospel of Luke informs us that Mary swaddled her newborn and laid him in a manger (Luke 2:7), but the Word is deafeningly silent about her emotions during this time. It is as though a privacy curtain was closed out of respect and reverence for this new family sharing a sacred moment.
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The Truth Seekers: Lessons from my children
(683 Reads)
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If I ever hit my head and develop amnesia, I will not have to go a long time without knowing my name. In fact, thanks to my children, I am reminded of my name several hundred times on a daily basis. (“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! MOM! Mommmmmmeeeeeeee!”) Repetition is the name of the game that children play, and it forces parents to learn very quickly the meaning of patience. Many adults have been pushed to the brink of insanity just by having to hear the “Barney Theme Song” one too many times. You can take a survey to verify this, but I believe that the number one repeated word of choice for youngsters is “Why?”
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