These trees have been bent over for many years and weighed down by the snow every winter. I’m waiting for them to crash down on the telephone lines below.
Here is a path into and through the tall trees. It’s adventurous to walk in here.
Here is a narrow path leading out to the creek. The path is barely visible because of all the snow, yet it beckons us forward.
This bridge takes us over the creek if we desire to go there.
I was really inspired by a sports article I read in my newspaper today—all about how our quarterback, Kirk Cousins plans on using his comeback victory to share his Christian faith. Ya, in case you weren’t aware, our Minnesota Vikings got the all-time NFL record for a comeback victory. They were down 33 to 0 against the Colts at the half, but in the second half they somewhat miraculously got 39 points and held the Colts to just three points. The final score was Viking 39, Colts 36.
It turns out that the last comeback victory was led by Buffalo’s quarterback Frank Reich, against the Houston Oilers in 1993, and he is a Christian just as Kirk Cousins is! Well, the article tells how he has encouraged Cousins to use his comeback victory to share his faith just as he has been doing in the last thirty years.
I pray that Kirk will really take the opportunity to do it. God has given him a tremendous platform in the sports world. It is up to him to use it to glorify God—no pressure, ha ha.
God has given me a platform too—my painting business. Through my business I have found many opportunities to give a witness.
My son, let them [wisdom and understanding] not vanish from your sight;
Keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 So they will be life to your soul
And adornment to your neck.
23 Then you will walk in your way securely
And your foot will not stumble (Prov. 3:21-23).
Sound wisdom and discretion are tightly tied together. If you walk with discretion you will be secure and not stumble.
Here is the petition that is the most needed to maintain our relationship with God. It is the petition that helps to keep our mind and soul pure so that we can commune with Him in prayer. Hence this petition for daily forgiveness makes it possible to be satisfied with our daily bread, and also makes it probable that He will guide us and deliver us from evil when we ask Him.
The forgiveness that we ask for is according to our debts to God. For God has given us His laws and we have not obeyed them, we have not been righteous as He requires. Thus, because of our sin against God, we owe Him a huge debt of consequence. How can we pay this debt? It is so immense, so gigantic that we will never be able to pay it back. Therefore, all we can do is…
View original post 307 more words
This is an excerpt from my book Purpose of Prayer.
Here is the first of three petitions that describe our own personal needs. The first three petitions are for God’s desires. The next three are for our needs. And we must always remember to pray for His requirements first; then He will show us what our real needs are, and He will lead us to pray for those things. Moreover, when we concentrate on His priorities first, He gives us a true and right perspective on things; hence, He shows us what our priorities should be, and He puts us in a better mind to pray for ourselves and for our friends.
This first of these personal petitions is for our daily bread, and is normally thought of as a petition for all our daily, physical needs—for our food and shelter, etc. For the most part, I think this…
View original post 722 more words
I’ll start with a few complaints. Aside from an aggravating health situation, the weather here in Minnesota is most unpleasant. It’s dark, cloudy, humid, cold, and dreary. I don’t mind it being cold, but I like a sunny day. God, please give me a sunny day!
Respect for Marriage Act
Is that an oxymoron? If I didn’t know what it was I would praise it. Marriage is a beautiful thing. And though I am divorced, I still believe it is good—as is all of God’s creation. But this Respect for Marriage Act is a farce. It is telling us that we have to respect the so-called marriage between people of the same gender. Well, I don’t! True marriage is only between a man and a woman. Anything else is a perversion and is dishonoring of their bodies; they are changing the truth into a lie, and are changing what is natural into that which is against nature. Consequently, they do not like to retain God in their thoughts and they have given themselves over to a reprobate mind (from Romans 1:24-28). But marriage between a man and a woman is good and honoring to God. It is what God designed from the beginning—the two shall be one flesh.
My Reading
For some reason I have gotten into reading about African American history, and recently about Booker T. Washington. Wow! He was such a great man. He has done so much for his race and also for the poor whites and all people in the south after the civil war. He was a great educator. His emphasis in his college was to get his students working in a trade as well as into books. And so many from his college became great leaders and moral people, as they were trained also biblically and morally. And it was a hard task, because blacks coming out of slavery then were kept from any kind of education. Most did not know how to read or write or how to keep themselves clean or in good health. Hence when they came to school, Booker T. trained them in the art of bathing and brushing their teeth, etc., as well as how to read and write. And they were also expected to learn farming and building. All of their school buildings were built by the students. And they even made their own bricks!
Retirement
Retirement is a big change for me. Sometimes I feel that I am getting lazy. I think I need to force myself to walk more and work more—even though I am retired. I do like to keep up with my customers and paint for them when they ask me for work. Lately, I have been asking myself, what is retirement? What should I be doing? How should I be winding down? I don’t want to be like some who spend all of their time in front of a TV.
Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who hold her fast (Prov. 3:16-18).
Here are some of the blessings of wisdom:
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright (Prov. 2:6-7).
Seek knowledge and understanding, and be upright; and He will give you wisdom.
My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,
2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding (Prov. 2:1-2).
If you want wisdom you will seek to understand God’s words.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).
Fools give no thought to God’s will and to wisdom. They despise it.
Stephen Nielsen 