Friday Funny - SNOW!

Oldie, but goodie...Happy Friday!

A blonde got lost in her car in a snow storm. She remembered what her dad had once told her. "If you ever get stuck in a snow storm, wait for a snow plow and follow it". Pretty soon a snow plow came by, and she started to follow it. She followed the plow for about forty-five minutes.Finally the driver of the truck got out and asked her what she was doing.

She explained that her dad had told her if she ever got stuck in the snow, to follow a plow.The driver nodded and said, "Well, I'm done with Wal-Mart; now you can follow me over to K-Mart."

I love this weather....Keep Laughing and enjoy the snow! - Don

Waiting is Hard!

Most of the devotionals I've heard on Waiting on the LORD have been about a passive "waiting". There are MANY verses that mention waiting that do sound very passive, but look with me now at God's Word...at the Hebrew & Greek meaning of Wait, Waited, & WAITING.

I truly believe you'll see that waiting is meant to be a VERY ACTIVE process, not the "lah dee dah", twiddling-your-thumbs, biding-your-time type waiting the term itself brings to mind...

Wait.... Sounds simple, doesn't it? Think about it though...how many of us ENJOY "waiting"? Waiting for someone's plane to arrive at the airport. Waiting for that all-important letter to arrive in the mail. Waiting for Mr. Wonderful (or MRS. Wonderful, guys!) to come into your life. Waiting for your baby's DUE DATE to roll around...while you...ahem...roll around....or a phone call.....

No, waiting is neither simple nor NATURAL for the INSTA-MATIC, DRIVE-THRU mentality of today. So, how exactly are we SUPPOSED to "wait" according to Scripture?

Psalm 37:7 "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him...."...hope, trust, wait carefully (patiently) PATIENTLY...oh dear! We all want PATIENCE...NOW...

Psalm 62:1 "Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation." quiet, trust:--silence, silent, waiteth.

Psalm 62:5 "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." to be astonished, to stop; to forbear, hold peace, quiet self, rest, be silent, keep silence, be (stand) still, tarry QUIETLY, CALMLY, even SILENTLY. And I just love this next verse...our precious Heavenly Father is waiting for us.

Isaiah 30:18 "And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him." to adhere to, hence to await:--long, tarry, wait.

I find it interesting that one of the most often seen uses of "wait" in the Bible is used as "lie in wait", as in an ambush, ready to POUNCE! (35x!) To lurk.... Obviously, that is not what is meant by waiting on the LORD. Many of the uses of wait were in verses referring to the priests who waited on God in the temple (Numbers 3:10, 8:24; II Chronicles 13:10). To attend...serve.... Now we're getting somewhere! Do you remember all the particular things the priests had to do in the temple? THEY had to remember...or in some cases, they were struck dead for doing it wrong, with the wrong spirit!! WOW...makes you think.... They had to prepare themselves both physically, in their special priestly garments, and spiritually for waiting on God.

Micah 7:7 "Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me." to wait...to be patient, hope....With His Word giving us HOPE: Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope." Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." That when we look back, we will be GLAD we waited on Him.

So, I am waiting on the Lord today…If you are waiting on God, know you are not alone. There are several of us in the preparation waiting room. So, we will wait together. You know I love ya - Don

Happy New Year - What Really Matters?

This is a quote from Christopher J. Klicka (1961-2009) in one of his final interviews before he passed into the arms of Jesus after fighting M.S. for years.

He (God) enables you to fulfill what He's called you to do. He's called me to be a father of seven and a husband, and work for the homeschoolers and to share His gospel. Charles Spurgeon once said that there will be no crownbearers in heaven who weren't crossbearers on earth. I got the cross of MS. Some people are going to have the cross of cancer, some are going to have the cross of losing a loved one, or some marriages will break up, or struggles that bring hurt and growth...for there are little crosses we all must bear; damage to cars, finances aren't doing well, or we loose a job...It's not a question of whether you are going to suffer or not. It's just a matter of how you deal with it...God is sovereign and we still must glorify Him...heaven's going to be sweeter than anything this world offers. I know it's going to be sweeter. I can't wait.

These are good words to ponder on a new year. May each of us face life with such power and grace. It is God's gift to each of us. I declare the gift of power and grace in 2010.

You know I love ya - Don

Remember these....???

Matthew and Challenger Baseball last spring...Trophy Day!

Cousins Domanic and Dillon with Matthew watching something impressive on T.V.

Alice and Baby "B"...they are twin dolls and the male is "Billy Bob" - Dad was teasing and she liked the names.

Preschool graduation and Miss Trisch...

Buddy Walk and the Indianapolis Super Bowl Trophy!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Nativity!

Victor Knowles wrote this in the Christian Standard this week. I want share it with you.

When I was a little boy my parents bought a Christmas manger set. On the box were these words: “The Christmas story in beautiful cutout scenes and lifelike figures . . . It tells the Christmas story . . . Fascinates young and old.” I remember how special it was to assemble the cardboard set on Christmas Eve. I would lie on the living room floor, face in hands, and gaze at those familiar figures for hours.

In the background was the little town of Bethlehem. To the left were the shepherds, with one little “adoring child” kneeling in reverence before the Christ child in the manger. To the right were the richly dressed and multicultural wise men, bearing their gifts. Behind Joseph and Mary stood a cow and a donkey, suspending their grazing in favor of gazing. Above the little wooden shelter was the star of Bethlehem. You could insert a Christmas tree bulb in the opening of the stable roof to add a lighting effect.

My favorite figures were not the camels, impressive though they were. Nor were they the gazing donkey and cow. There were also two grown sheep and one little lamb. And that lamb was my favorite of all. I loved that little lamb.

As I grew older I learned just how appropriate it was for that lamb to be included in the Christmas manger set. In Scripture, Jesus is described as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)! In fact, the Bible declares Jesus is “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). God’s divine plan of salvation, from the very beginning of time, included our sins being covered by the blood of the Lamb—Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.

I never realized, as a little boy, how significant it was when I got to help assemble the Christmas manger set. The printed instructions on the flat portion of the landscape read, “Insert sheep and lamb here.” That is precisely what God did at Bethlehem when the little lamb, the Son of God, was born; and that is what God did at Calvary when the grown-up Lamb of God died on the cross for our sins.

I still have Christmas manger set (No. 743), box included, and I still set it up every Christmas. The cardboard little lamb, now more than 50 years old, is still my favorite—because of its messianic meaning.

Pray for Christmas miracles and Christmas dreams to touch all our lives. You know I love ya and Merry Christmas! Don

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary Answered, "May it be to me as you have said." - Luke 1:38

The messages of Gabriel's announcement was this: "Mary, even though you have never been with a man, you are going to have a baby." WHAT!!!!!

How does a young Jewish bride-to-be explain that fact to her mother and father and her Fiancee'...not to mention in-laws, friends, and neighbors? No matter what Mary said, she had to know that people would talk. Her pregnancy was scandalous. The religious community would condemn her. The story would spread like wildfire. Gossips would have a field day.

How unfair! Both Joseph and Mary were devoted followers of God. They knew and God knew that they had been morally pure. But the world that loves to whisper didn't know and probably didn't care. How ironic! To God, Mary was chosen; to the world, Mary was cheap. She might have protested. Instead, she humbly submitted to the plan and purpose of God.

Mary's response to the surprising will of God is a great example for us. When we are confronted by situations that seem crazy or unfair, do we balk and complain? Or do we say, "God, I trust that you are in control, that you are good, and that you know what is best. If this is your plan for my life, then I accept it willingly"? I am asking God today to help me develop confidence in his faithfulness in every situation in the year 2010.

How we respond to unexpected events is a good measure of our faith. You know I love ya and looking forward to Christmas. - Don

Friday Funny - A Lousy Tree

Signs You Bought a Lousy Tree

8. Two feet tall, forty feet wide

7. Salesman's opening line: "You're not a cop, are you?"

6. It looks suspiciously like a broom handle with a lot of coat hangers

5. While you sleep, it gets liquored up and takes the family caravan for a joy ride.

4. Each branch has "Duraflame" printed on it.

3. It's very small and says "air freshener" on it.

2. Rabbis have better Christmas trees than yours.

1. You are constantly bragging about its "trunk size"

Drink a cup of Hot Cocoa and admire your tree this year. You are loved...happy Friday! -Don