Archive for Spiritual Growth
Beware the idleness of March
Posted by: | CommentsRev. James L. Snyder
I find it hard to believe March is here already. There was January with nothing much to do and then February with too much to do, now what do we do with March?
March is not winter and it is not spring. It is not cold and it is not hot, so there is really nothing to complain about. The grass has not yet grown so there is no mowing to do. And it is too early to put in the garden.
The danger for the month of March is that it cultivates a certain sense of aimlessness in Yours Truly. I cannot help it, but something about the month inspires idleness, as if I needed any inspiration along this line.
Staring out the window one lazy afternoon the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage snuck up on me and said, “Do you have any plans for today?”
Every husband knows when he is being set up with a trick question. I am not sure where women learn this kind of subterfuge or if they are born thusly equipped. I knew if I said no, she would impose on me plans of her own. If I said yes, she would ask the all-embarrassing question, “What?” At the time, I had no answer in my mind. I was reveling in nothingness.
Making plans has a very nasty conclusion to it. Work. The more plans you make the more work you end up doing. And I knew my wife of almost 40 years is a celebrated master in the art of planology. I believe she has a PhD in this discipline. She can plan at the drop of a hat, which is why I have refused to wear a hat for the last 20 years. Her favorite saying is, “Plan your work and then work your plan.” She always recites it with the biggest of smiles flashed in my direction.
Down through the years she has made an art out of planning. She gets everything down she needs to do and then begins working on prioritizing everything. She even knows how long it will take to do each particular job.
My contention is this. A job that would take me three hours to do she insists it can be done in 39 minutes. Where she gets this is beyond me, but I sometimes think she is guessing at it. It takes me 37 minutes just to get in the mood to do anything.
My thought is simply, if I abstain from planning my work, I have no work to do. I go by the simple rule that if it is not on my personal to-do-list than I have nothing to do, which is A-OK with me.
“Do you have any plans for today?” my wife repeated.
Right on the spot, I tried to think up of something to do. But as is normally the case with me, my “thinking-up-machine” was not plugged in. My mind just went blank. I could not even think of my name at the time.
“Well, if you don’t have anything to do this afternoon I was thinking…”
My trouble always begins when my wife says, “I was thinking.” She is a dangerous person to be around when she is thinking. This is the reason why I keep my thinking to a bare minimum. I do not want to inflict any danger on people around me. I wish she would take more of that same attitude.
At the time, I was not in the mood to do any kind of physical work. My physicality mode was at a minimum. What I wanted to say to her was, “I was planning to go down the street and have a hot fudge sundae.” I almost said it but then bit my tongue because I knew if I would say it, I would be the recipient of her ire. And her ire does not go well with a hot fudge sundae.
It was the kind of day that a nice hot fudge sundae was on my mind. Of course, you name the day and the time and I am ready for a hot fudge sundae.
Depleted of ideas I replied, “No, my dear, I have no plans for the day.”
Smiling at me she said, “I was thinking it would be a nice afternoon to go out for a nice hot fudge sundae. What you think of that?”
I did not have to think about that, believe me. It is so nice when two minds merge into one blessed thought. It does not happen often, but when it does, it is a wonderful thing to experience.
Thirty-nine minutes later, we were sitting across from each other enjoying a most delicious hot fudge sundae. I finally looked over at her, smiled and said, “You know, this was the best thought you’ve had in a long time.”
She smiled and continued enjoying her hot fudge sundae.
I could not help thinking about a verse in the Bible. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV).
Sometimes people have the idea that God’s thoughts about them are harsh and judgmental. The reality is, God has good thoughts toward us, thoughts of peace. We underestimate the grace and love of God available to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.
The Amazing Grace of “Do-Over,” The Art of Second Chance
Posted by: | CommentsRev. James L. Snyder
If anybody believes in “do-over,” it is Yours Truly. This stems back to my pre-adult days littered with carefreeness and fun of all sizes and shapes. At that time, my whole life revolved around games. I was part of that unfortunate generation that had to make up their own games, as we were not privileged to have video games, iPods and Blueberries. Although I did enjoy a freshly baked blueberry pie with two scoops of ice cream whenever the opportunity presented itself.
One rule we had in our made-to-order games was quite simple and practical. If anybody fouled up in some way, he had 3 seconds to yell “Do-over.” If the person was able to yell this before anybody else discovered the foul, they had the privilege of doing it all over again. I always thought this a very nice rule and used it quite generously.
Unfortunately, when I became a man (whenever that sad day happened, and my wife is still trying to find out when) I did not put away all of my boyish pranks. The one I carried over into adulthood was this attitude of “do-over.”
It is my personal belief that this philosophy of “do-over” should be incorporated in adult life. I have found many times when I messed up that I wanted to yell “do-over” and fix a problem. If only this could be used in practical everyday living, what a difference it would make.
I remember as a child that whenever this “do-over” was applied to a situation at hand it solved a multitude of problems. Everyone agreed to the terms of “do-over,” which made things go rather smoothly and everybody was happy.
Personally, I think this would solve many problems in our world today. Whoever came up with the idea that you should have just one shot at something? It just does not seem fair to me. As soon as a person knows he has done something wrong, he should be able to yell “do-over,” and correct the problem right there on the spot.
Just the other day I was driving down a very busy street when I happened to get in the wrong lane. It would have been wonderful if I could have just said loudly enough for everybody to hear, “do-over,” then correct the problem. That was an option I did not have at the time.
What actually happened was, the offended driver shouted at me and it was not, “do-over.” For a moment, we were coming at each other head on. Then in all the excitement, he got a little befuddled. He must have been a very religious man because with both hands he pointed towards heaven. In the excitement and the confusion of the moment, he used the wrong fingers. He could have used a “do-over.”
An incident happened to me not too long ago at the grocery store having a large sale on cans of soft drink. There was a pyramid pile up front with the advertised soda. The can I wanted was about halfway up the pyramid and without thinking, which is my modus operandi, I pulled several cans from the middle. As soon as I pulled the cans from the middle it dawned on me what I had done and, more importantly, what was about to happen. If only I could have cried, “do-over,” I could have saved the day.
Needless to say, the day was not saved, and for that matter, neither was I.
One afternoon I came home and much to my delight, I found a freshly baked apple pie on the counter. I have many weaknesses, not the least is a freshly baked apple pie. I am not quite sure what happens when I see a freshly baked pie, but something sinister takes over the reins of my body and I am not responsible for my actions.
The next conscious thing I knew I had just eaten a slice of the marvelously delicious pie topped with two scoops of ice cream. No sooner had I finished that scrumptious slice then who should walk in but the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. One look at her giving me one of her looks and all I wanted to say was, “do-over.”
“You did not eat a piece of that apple pie, did you?”
All I could think of at the moment was, “Do-over.”
“I baked that pie for our neighbor who is sick.”
“Do-over.”
I tried explaining to her that not everything was my fault. If she, so my reasoning mind raved, would not make such delicious apple pies I would not be tempted to eat them.
It was then that she looked at me quite sternly and said, “do-over.”
I was invited to go to my room and think things over. As I turned this over in my mind, it finally dawned on me that God is the creator of the “do-over.” I should have known anything as good as this originated with God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 KJV).
As I gave further thought on this, I begin to realize how wonderful a “do-over” is when God is at the center of it. No matter how big my problem or mistake might be it is never bigger than God’s ability to call out for me “do-over.”
The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.
Adoption: God’s Eternal Choice
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November is National Adoption month. My wife and I became parents through the process of adoption 24 and 21 years ago. So, we know the expectations and disappointments; the laughter and the tears. We have weathered the kind and sometimes misinformed comments by others. We understand the home studies, the legal maze and finally the unspeakable joy of taking a child into our arms as a wonderful gift from God. And we know well the assuring message of the Lord from Psalm 127:3 “Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.” One of the beautiful truths that we understand is that God places children in the home of His choosing. All along, He had a plan for our children to be in our home; they just came into the world through a different birth canal. And not only do we understand this but our children do too. It has always been a source of blessing to see how secure our children are in knowing that we love them and that we are their parents.
As I have thought through the difficult process of adoption and the resulting joy, it has always taken me to the Scriptures that teach us about how we were adopted into God’s family, and the security that He offers us.
Romans 8:14-16 says:
“ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
(Please go to http://www.biblebb.com/files/mac/sg45-59.htm for an excellent study on Biblical Adoption )
Here are some truths that help us understand our security in Christ that comes through adoption:
- If we are following the leading of the Holy Spirit (2nd Person of the God-Head), that is evidence in our lives that the Holy Spirit is in us and we have been adopted by God. He only indwells the lives of God’s adopted Children. (All of God’s children are adopted) Read More→
God was with Joseph
Posted by: | CommentsGenesis 39:21-22
“But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” NKJV
Since Joseph was a young boy God had a special plan for his life. God confirmed these plans through dreams given to Joseph about his future. These dreams told him that people would bow down to him including his own family. This of course did not go well with his family and shortly there after the trials for Joseph began.
Joseph was rejected by his own brothers, thrown in a cistern, sold into slavery, falsely accused and falsely imprisoned. Now imagine for a moment yourself being put in Joseph’s position or perhaps you could relate to some of the trials he went through. Some might think God was not with him or maybe he did not have enough faith to endure such tribulations but that is not what the bible says. It says in a number of passages that the Lord was with Joseph and in this particular passage it says God showed him mercy and favor.
God in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty had a plan for Joseph and part of that plan was to allow Joseph to go through hardship. It is a hard concept for us to accept or even agree with but the scriptures are clear that God was with him in the cistern, He was with him when he was enslaved and God was also with him when He was in prison.
God could have released Joseph at anytime from his troubles but he allowed him to stay for a time for God’s own divine purpose and plan. There are a few instances mentioned in the bible where we see God allowing godly men to go through hardships. For example; when Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego were thrown into the fire when the soldiers looked in they saw four walking around the fire not three and they were not burned. Also, when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den over night the bible says that God shut the mouths of the lions and when Daniel was released the next morning it also says in Daniel 6:23 that he suffered no injuries at all because Daniel believed in His God. God was with them all.
The Apostle Paul spoke of a thorn in his flesh and shares insight to why He believed God was allowing the thorn,
“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-8-NKJV
In spite of the trials and hardship these men went through they believed in God and trusted in His sovereign will and God showed Himself faithful and was with them through it all.
I hope reading this you are encouraged to know that though trials may come and tribulation knocks on your door that just as God was with these men; God will be with you also and see you through it as you put your trust in Him. God is faithful and He will do it.
“And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 – NKJV
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 – NKJV
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 – NKJV
Overstuffed and No One to Blame
Posted by: | CommentsI am sitting in my overstuffed chair and if I never get up it will be a day too soon. Even if I did, I do not know what I would do. Right now, breathing is zapping me of any energy I have left. It is so bad I have to coordinate thinking between breathing.
Thanksgiving dinner at the Parsonage was a tremendous success. If by success, you mean stuffing yourself so much that you can barely move.
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage outdid herself with the cooking and I outdid myself in the fine art of consumption. That is why we are such a great team. We complement ourselves so very well. She is good in one thing and I am equally good in the thing related to that one thing.
As I sit here in my chair alternating between breathing and thinking, I am thinking on how much energy leads up to that one spectacular Thanksgiving Day dinner. And the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage spared no energy in the production of this year’s extravaganza. In the middle of the table was a finely roasted turkey surrounded by all the condiments. If anything was missing on the table, nobody missed it.
Being the marital partner in this food frenzy, I spared no energy in consuming as much of the dinner fare as I possibly could. I must admit, even after sufficiently filled, my eating momentum carried me on to several more rounds of turkey. I know that third piece of pumpkin pie was not absolutely necessary. But oh, was it delicious.
Not one of those store bought pies that tastes more like cardboard then anything else, this was one of those homemade pies. Therefore, as not to insult the chef, I indulged in that third piece of pumpkin pie with as much relish as the first piece.
I really don’t know how she does it, but the third piece tasted just as delicious as the first piece.
For 364 days out of the year, my wife oversees the diet program she thinks I’m on. It does me no harm for her to think so, and so I let her. She does not need to know how many Apple fritters I eat. But on this one day of the year, all dietary restrictions and oversight are thrown out the kitchen window. This is why they call it Thanksgiving day.
Some people refer to it as Turkey Day. I certainly do not give thanks to any old Tom Turkey and I’m suspicious of people who talk to turkeys anyway.
Getting back to my overstuffed condition, I’m trying to find someone to blame. I sure would like to blame my wife for being such the terrific cook she is. I made such a suggestion and she retorted with, “Well, you didn’t have to eat everything on the table.”
In a way, there is a small bit of truth in what she says. I did not have to eat everything on the table. In my own defense, I herewith confess that I did not eat everything on the table. What I did eat, however, I did so with exceptional gusto. Like the old saying, you only go around once in life. And after Thanksgiving dinner, I am more round than I was before.
Since I cannot blame my good wife for my overindulgence on Thanksgiving Day, I have decided the blame rests upon the other family members around the table. They certainly share a certain culpability. If we were not having so much fun around the table, I might have paid more attention to how much I was eating.
Also, and this is no small matter, someone either to my right or to my left was always asking to pass the turkey. Since I am such a man of manners, it would be bad manners on my part not to take a piece of turkey as it passed my way. If only they would not have passed it so much I may not have eaten so much.
I mumbled something like this to my wife who said, “Didn’t you ever hear of self-discipline?”
I have heard of it but have never really applied it to the dinner table. Her inference, if I understood her correctly, was I need to use a little more self-discipline when it came to eating.
In going my rounds of blaming people for my present condition, I have struck out in every area. There does not seem to be any person for me to blame.
It was at this point when my wife came to my aid.
“Instead of trying to find someone to blame for overeating, why not go to the bathroom and look in the mirror.”
Ha, there was something I did not think of. The mirror is responsible for all my overeating. What a relief to find someone, or something, to blame for my present condition. I never would have thought of the mirror, myself. But then, my wife should know.
I then thought of some Scripture. “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:8 (KJV).
A little thought nudged me, if I was as indulgent in my spiritual life as I was in my physical life, I probably would be a much better person.
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The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.
Dealing with Discouragement
Posted by: | Comments“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV
Do you want to hear something funny? I started writing this article, “Dealing with Discouragement”, several months ago and every time I began working on it, I would get discouraged and want to quit. Oh the irony. Well, I thought it was funny but now I wonder if it was spiritual warfare.
Discouragement comes in many forms; through trials, tribulations, burn-out, loss, grief, depression, weariness, illness, stress, finances, spiritual warfare, negative thoughts…the list can go on and on. With that said it also means it is universal and being universal you are not alone in your discouragement and you are not abnormal.
I have said this many times and I will say it again, “Trials and tribulations are part of life and life does happen.” In fact Jesus himself said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 NKJV
I love that God’s Word still applies to us today and because He has overcome the world we are more than conquerors through Him by faith. We can also find God’s comfort and His solutions through the scriptures, if we would take the time to look. In this article we are going to take a deeper look at what discouragement is and find the biblical solution for this common but difficult situation.
The definition for discourage (dis + courage) means to deprive of courage or confidence. To be disheartened; which also means to lose spirit or morale. What’s interesting is the word “deprived”. Deprive means the lack of what is needed. So discouragement is the “lack of”, “in need of” or “loss of” courage, spirit, morale and/or confidence.
In light of these definitions it gives us a whole new perspective to the word discouragement from a description of how a person is feeling to an explanation of what a person is missing, has lost, or in need of. Yes, one does experience the feelings and emotions of being discouraged but when we can understand what a person is missing or in need of, then finding the biblical solution becomes more attainable. It may not change us over night but it can certainly change our point of view from feeling hopeless to hopeful and that is encouraging.
So how does one make the transition from feeling discouraged to having courage? Also, is courage the answer or solution to discouragement?
Let’s take a look at one biblical example in Deuteronomy chapter 31 to help answer these questions. In this chapter Moses is speaking to the people of Israel and tells them that He can not cross over the Jordan with them and then hands over His leadership authority to his assistant Joshua as the Lord had said for Joshua to cross over before them. Now Moses understood that the people would be disheartened by this announcement so he then shares these words of encouragement. “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV
It is understandable that Joshua might have felt discouraged and perhaps fearful at the learning of this news but Moses was confident and wanted Joshua to be confident but not in himself nor in Moses but his confidence was to be in the Lord. Notice again in verse 6 of Deuteronomy 31, “for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you.” Moses was re-assuring him that God, Who is greater than himself was with him. The Lord God was going with them and if God was with them they had nothing to fear. It’s unfortunate that we as people naturally look to men for our strength or guidance rather than God. God was going with them and because He was with them who could be against them?
We also learn in the book of Joshua how God Himself spoke these same words of encouragement in order to build Joshua’s confidence in Him. Moses had just died and God knew exactly what he needed to hear in order to lead the people by faith into the promise land as God had promised.
“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:5-9 NKJV
So how did God and Moses build up Joshua? Simply put, they encouraged him. The definition for encourage is “to inspire with courage, spirit or hope”. The word, “inspire” means to influence, move or guide by the divine or supernatural. Encouragement divinely inspires us to have courage and that courage comes from knowing God is with us and goes before us.
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10-NKJV
Often times we need to be reminded of these precious promises and when we look at God’s Word we are comforted to know that He is with us wherever we go. God now speaks to us through His Word that is living and active and speaks to the soul and the spirit and as it says in Joshua 1:8 that if we meditate on it day and night then we will be prosperous and successful.
Finally, the definition for “courage” is a mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear or difficulty. Notice that courage is not only a moral strength but a mental strength which involves our thought life. The bible says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” – Proverbs 23:7 NKJV
Joshua was first encouraged by Moses and then God Himself to be strong and courageous. Is there a situation in your life right now where you may be feeling discouraged or inadequate?
Do not be afraid and be of good courage, just as Moses turned Joshua’s thoughts toward God by reminding him that God was with Him; those same thoughts ring true in our lives. Understanding that God is with us and for us, enables us to persevere through and to withstand danger, fear or difficulty with great courage because we know that it is God who defends us and goes before us and no matter how difficult a situation may seem. nothing is too hard for Him. God is faithful; He loves us and cares for us deeply.
I hope you are greatly encouraged as I am to be strong and courageous not in our own strength but in the power of His might who dwells in our hearts by faith and is with us wherever we go. May God bless you richly through His Son, Jesus Christ. Remember, If God is for us who can be against us?
About the Author:
Filoiann Wiedenhoff is a pastor’s wife, women’s biblical counselor, writer and columnist. You can visit her website at www.filoiannwiedenhoff.com.
Guest Post: What do you expect from God?
Posted by: | Commentsby Marybeth Elliott
Job 21:11: They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.
Parenthood is a funny thing. It is chock full of purpose and meaning, and we are plunged into it from day one. And yet, God allows the richness and fullness to be revealed over time, much like our relationship with Him. The longer I walk with the Lord, the deeper the love I find with Him. The deeper the love goes, the more I realize how little I know of our magnificent Creator. In my quest to know Him better, I see reflected back, my children’s quest to know their parents better.
Through the years as my own mother has aged, I have found it fascinating to hear stories of her in various situations. Old college friends have shared with me special memories of their friendship with my mom, antics they participated in, special and fun times. Conversely, they have shared fascinating and intense stories of coming of age and being married during World War II.
I’ve learned my mom is multi-faceted, much like a beautiful gem. She was a brilliant and carefree girl, a young woman who was on her college archery team, and an accomplished horsewoman.
Further, although she was a college graduate at twenty years of age, she had a curfew of midnight, and was strictly forbidden to have a radio installed in her car. This was the norm for many young women in this era. When her closest friend’s husband was deployed, her friend, although married and running her own home, returned to her parents’ home until her husband came back. And while this may sound severe or foreign to us, it was a dear and caring love, on the part of the parents, that drove them to be so protective of their children.
My mother recalls a story of her grandfather, who came of age in the mid-eighteen-hundreds. At that time it was quite common and accepted, for children to eat dinner at a separate table from their parents. My great grandfather, who wasn’t married at the time, declared if he ever married and had a family, HIS children would sit at the same dinner table as the adults, and he ruffled more than a few feathers by insisting that children should be seen AND heard! During that time, this was not common.
Our Heavenly Father offers us this same opportunity. His position is, and remains, that His children are precious. We are to be seen and heard, and He delights in offering us a seat at His table. In our quest to grow closer to God, we remember to bring our children along on our journey. To gather them to us, and engage them, pray with them, and share with them His love, allows them to know us more completely, and to love Him more fully.
Summertime offers us ample opportunities for this very thing. There are chances everywhere to bring God and His love into our everyday teachings, even when we are on schedules and working. Most people have laptops, so they can carry work with them. The outdoors beckons children in the summer (and us too!) and laptops give us the freedom to be on the move, while still accomplishing our assignments. If we do have to be tied to the home, that is okay, as our kids can be doing other things while we work. But when it is time to go outdoors, whether morning or afternoon, we can find a multitude of ways to bring God and our children together, and allow our kids the luxury of getting to know us better, on a more carefree timetable.
Love the beach? If so, bring along a couple of sticks and you can play a fun game in the sand with your kids. Assign them a Bible verse to memorize a few days ahead of your beach trip. When at the beach, take your stick and begin writing it in the sand. Allow each child the chance to continue adding to the verse, until all kids have had a chance, and the verse is complete. This encourages cooperation and the kids working together to help one another. You can make it a race, too if each child has a different (but comparable) verse. If desired, bury a prize for each in the sand for them to find.
A great chance for exercise and fun, is having a child jump rope, hop, or jump in the water, the number of times that corresponds with a verse they’re memorizing. For example, John 3:16. An older child could jump rope, hop, etc. 316 times while reciting the verse. (They can stop during it for a break!) Of course some verses have much lower numbers, to include the younger children as well. A cool slice of watermelon or a bowl of fresh fruit and yogurt wraps this fun up nicely.
How about rounding up the crew and bringing a huge picnic, frisbees, the works, to the park or nearby lake or swimming hole? Invite friends and make a day of it. Bringing enough small treats, such as freeze pops, to offer to passersby is a great chance to reach out to others, teach your children the joy of giving, and provides hours of fun and fresh air.
Make up a game of twenty questions with your kids. Allow them to ask you, and each other, questions to get to know one another better. Even though you’re family and know each other basically well, this affords the chance to talk together, dream with each other, and enjoy each other. It allows your children the chance to get to know you! What were you like when you were a kid, what were your dreams, when did you come to know the Lord, what are your goals now, have your dreams changed over time? What dreams have been fulfilled, what do you hope for your children, how do you pray? Ask them to tell you how they think God sees our goals, hopes and dreams. Are they important to God? Does He really listen to every prayer, every whispered hope, and every word of thanks and gratitude? When children come to know you better, in turn they come to know their Lord better.
Blindfolded Game, so you can really SEE. Take turns being blindfolded, and touch each other’s faces, listen closely to the sound of each other’s voices, and listen to each other’s hearts. Have each person say something meaningful to the one blindfolded. Something that expresses their love, gratitude, appreciation, admiration. Allow just a moment for the meaning to sink into their hearts, and find a home there. Our senses are heightened when compensating for one sense (in this case the eyes), and hearing the love in another’s voice is a great way to validate and affirm a person. Teach your children after this game, how Jesus sees us. He sees us as we are, not with human eyes, but with a heart full of love. The lesson can be basic and simple, but it carries lasting meaning.
Play a game of Man Hunt. (Hide and seek in the dark with flashlights.) If you have an outdoor fire pit, or something similar, afterward you can roast marshmallows and laugh about how hard it was to find each other in the dark. A great lesson is how, during the game, you all had parameters of how far you could go to hide, and it was STILL difficult. Imagine how much harder it is for people to find God if we don’t share His love with them? It is like they are in the dark, and are looking for God everywhere they go, and yet they don’t know how to find Him.
Sing and play with your children. Let them hear you sing off-key, perhaps! Tell them about the time(s) you’ve burned the cookies! Or what about the time you backed your car into a pole? Remember when you threw a rock through the neighbor’s window? Tell them the wonderful things too. How about the time you rescued a kitten, or helped a child who had fallen.
One of the greatest tools I’ve found in relating to our children is sharing with them what I did, as a kid. Mistakes I made, blunders and errors, and things I did right. Like the time I was proud of making myself eat coleslaw, even though my mom wasn’t around and I could have “gotten away with it.” It was the first time I remember doing something solely because I felt it was the right thing to do. No reward, no prize, no accolades. Just me and God. My kids have related well to the understanding that I am fallible, I make mistakes alot of the time (!) and I am forgiven by God when I tell him I’m sorry, and the slate is wiped clean. Each day is a new day, and we move on.
Even though we still have to work in the summer, the more relaxed schedule for our children gives us snatches of time, and teachable moments, that teach US as much as them. In our quest to know our Creator more fully, we can allow our children the same privilege. We are the gatekeepers for our children, and it is up to us to swing the gate open to invite our children in to their Heavenly Father’s table. If we are creative with our time, and offer them opportunities for growth and closeness with us, we will be modeling for them a relationship with God that includes growth and closeness. If we allow our children to know us, they will understand that we are human, with all of the strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments and mistakes that go along with being human. This will allow them the important and potentially life-altering viewpoint that they can come to us with anything, at any time. They will not be harshly judged, but will be cared for and helped, in their time of need. All because of a Love called Jesus, and an ability to sing off-key.
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Marybeth Elliott is an author of two books, with two more in the series to go, a stay-at-home-mom to three sons, and wife of 23 years. Her sons, Mark, Daniel and David, are 21, 15 and 12. Her primary goal is raising her sons, and spending time with her family. Marybeth is a voice and a strong advocate for abuse survivors. Her youngest son, David is a survivor of an offender in the area. David has chosen to write a children’s book (David’s Sword) to encourage other children it IS safe to tell. David uses his real name and his real picture-a first for a children’s book. Endorsed by Chip Ingram, a detective, a doctor, counselor, pastor and others, this book has been a tremendous tool for encouraging children they can be set free. The second book in the series is David’s Shield. This is written for the siblings of survivors, as they too, deal with a myriad of challenges. Written from Dan and Mark’s perspective, this is a first of its kind. Endorsed by award-winning singer/songwriter Natalie Grant, New England Patriots former Linebacker/Coach/Chaplain Don Davis, school principal and others, this book has the potential to help multiple millions of siblings. Please visit www.davidssword.com to read an article, listen to a radio interview or two, and perhaps say a prayer for all victims of abuse. Marybeth can be contacted at david@davidssword.com for interest in the books, speaking engagements, and to offer a word of encouragement and prayer for anyone who may wish.
The ABC’s of Thankfulness
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The Single Parent Journey
Joy Jochems
CWAHM Devotional Coordinator
What are you thankful for? It seems the age-old question, grammatically incorrect as it may be, comfortably finds its place in the traditions of November. We dutifully give our responses and speed walk into the Christmas season. I find it ironic that we like to launch straight from Halloween into the Christmas season and skip altogether the season of gratitude. I wonder how different our Christmas season would be if we prepared our hearts with thankfulness (I Thessalonians 5:18).
The past couple of years, I have taken “being thankful” to a more challenging level. Beginning November 1st with the letter “A”, I work my way through the alphabet one day and one letter at a time, dwelling on things that springboard my gratefulness. Some days I have an exhaustive list. Other days only one or two items fill the space. Either way, by Thanksgiving Day (November 26th), I’ve done more than just said “I am thankful for…” I have cultivated an attitude of gratitude.
Sometimes it’s easy to go day-to-day and miss those little blessings with which God saturates our lives. Sometimes as a single parent I get into the habit of “just doing enough to get by”, and I forget to be thankful. Today, I’m going to do a little cultivating. Join me?
I am thankful for…
A – adequate ammo against the adversary
B – baths and blankies and bedtime hugs
C – chatter of children in my care
D – dirty dishes mean we dined
E – energy for each day supplied by Emmanuel
F – faith that fills my fissures and fastens me firmly to the Father
G – God, who gives graciously and generously and guilt-free
H – heat in our home and hope in our hearts
I – interesting insights that impact individuals
J – joy in the journey
K – kids who connect with the King
L – loads of laundry as a labor of love
M – my mom, me=mom, you moms J
N – no needs unmet
O – opportunities and open doors
P – purpose and passion in the Lord’s plans
Q – quiet …
R – redeemed, righteous, remembered – Thank You, Lord!
S – sandwiches that suffice for supper sometimes
T – truth that triumphs over the tempter’s tactics
U – undeniable utterances from the Spirit
V – value of the voice of God
W – words of wisdom from women who walk with the Holy One
X – X-tradordinary X-amples of X-cellence
Y – yearning to yell, “Yes, Yahweh, Yes!”
Z – zzzzzz…
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Joy Jochems has been in ministry literally her whole life. While Joy is actively involved with her local church as youth ministry coordinator and lends a hand at CWAHM as devotional coordinator and guest contributor, she recognizes that her primary ministry is in her home, to her children. You can contact Joy at joy@cwahm.com.
Thanksgiving Quandary: Roast Turkey or Lame Duck
Posted by: | CommentsRev. James L. Snyder
My father used to tell me that anything worth doing was worth doing right the first time. If you have time to do it the second time, you should have time to do it right the first time.
As fathers go, he was right. It seems most people have not learned this lesson, least of all politicians who are supposedly serving the interests of their constituency. I know there are good politicians in America today. Nobody seems to know who they are, though.
The reason I have been thinking about this is, I’m sitting here indulging in the delicate scent floating in from the kitchen where the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has begun her ritual of roasting the Thanksgiving turkey. I say turkey but really, she is roasting three turkeys. One is for our family Thanksgiving dinner and the other two are for the church Thanksgiving dinner.
Somewhere along the line, probably years before she met me, she learned the magnificent secret of doing things right the first time. Not like some people we hear of these days who don’t have time to do it right the first time but seem to have plenty of time to do it over and over again, sometimes four times.
Anything worth doing right the first time demands planning. If anyone knows planning, it certainly is my wife. If things were left up to me, nothing would ever get done. I plan to learn how to plan someday but my plans seem to have fallen apart.
At our home, it begins about the middle of October when my wife says rather pensively, “Let’s see. Thanksgiving is about five weeks away. Should we have a turkey this year?”
I could not tell if this was a real question, a rhetorical question or if she is trying to set me up for something. Believe me; I’ve been set up so many times I have a hard time lying down. For the first hundred years of our marriage I always said, turkey. After all, what else do you have at Thanksgiving time?
However, this year was a little different. When I responded with my usual answer she said, “But we’ve had turkey for years. Aren’t you getting tired of turkey?”
If there’s one thing I don’t ever get tired of it’s turkey. You can do so many things with turkey. There is roast turkey, sliced turkey sandwiches, turkey salad and turkey soup just to name a few.
The only problem at our house is, the turkey rarely survives the first day, which is a tribute, not so much to our consumption as a family as to the genius of the family chef. I have often wondered what turkey soup really tastes like.
This expertise in the direction of the Thanksgiving roast turkey did not come without cost. It took years for my wife to master the art of roasting a turkey. Unfortunately, much of this practice was on Yours Truly. She has been roasting me for years and still complains that I’m not quite done yet. That really burns me up.
Only last week she complained I was a little hard on the outside and rather soft on the inside. I was tempted to shift the blame on her but when it comes to this area; I am more of a lame duck then a finely roasted turkey. My philosophy is along these lines, I’d rather let things happen and then try to adjust to the consequences.
My good wife is of the opinion that you create your own consequences. Moreover, when she says this she is usually looking at me a little askew.
“Don’t you know that the Thanksgiving Turkey does not roast itself?”
Being the lame duck I am, that thought never played with my mind. I have always enjoyed the results of the roasted turkey without a thought about how it got to my table.
While I was enjoying the aroma of the turkey roasting in the kitchen, I came up with several suggestions along these lines.
First, I need to find things that are worth doing in the first place. How much time I have wasted on things not really worth my time or effort is beyond my computation. Like my wife, I need to be a little more picky about the things I choose to do. Not everything is worth my time.
Second, those things worth doing certainly deserve my best efforts. If I have to redo something, it means I’m not putting my best effort into the project. And at my age, I don’t have time to waste on things that are not worth my best effort.
Third, there is no finer satisfaction than a job well done.
I never understood this until recently. In the middle of our Thanksgiving dinner when everybody is enjoying the food and complementing the chef, my wife is sitting in her chair smiling. I never knew why until now.
This must be how our heavenly Father felt with Jesus at his baptism. “And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22 KJV).
The best way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to recognize the wonderful work God has done for our salvation, which did not come without the ultimate cost, the sacrifice of His Son.
The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.
Something Old and Something Deliciously New
Posted by: | CommentsNobody hates change more than Yours Truly. I do not even like change jingling in my trouser pocket. After all, I lived long enough and have seen enough change that I do not care to see anymore. Some may accuse me of living in a rut, but it is my rut and I am quite comfortable, thank you.
Well, most of the time.
Even though I am on a strict diet, I still find on occasion that I must eat my words. And such is the case of the aforementioned statement. However, there is some change that I, even I, can believe in.
For weeks, or has it been years, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has been complaining about her stove. I did not enter in to this complaining about the stove, even though it was a very delicious temptation. After all, she is the one who bought this stove in the first place. And, it took her months to quit raving about how wonderful her new stove was.
But things have a way of changing.
Every now and then, I would hear, “This stove drives me crazy. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it.”
Being the astute professional husband that I am, I declined entering into this banter about the stove. After all, the less I have to do with the kitchen area of our domicile the happier I am.
Then it happened, as all things are wont to happen. For some reason my wife could not turn off the stove. Common courtesy prevents me from repeating the lively conversation my wife had with the stove in question. What I can repeat is, she had run out of patience with this old stove. Consequently, she threatened the stove that if it did not shape up and work properly, she would replace it with something newer and better. She emphasized the word “better.”
Now, I was concerned. Changing out the old stove with a new stove represented a lot of work and inconvenience on all parties. Not to mention lots of dough. I convinced her to give the stove one more chance.
Scowling at the stove she said, “OK, but this is the last straw.”
A few days later, I came home and things had changed… for the worst. Contrary to the abovementioned warning, the stove did no such thing as shaping up. It still sat there refusing to turn itself off or allowing someone else to turn it off. In fact, my wife had pulled the stove completely out of its place and unplugged it.
“I’m done with the old stove and I’m getting a new one,” she said with a tone of finality.
There is a time and place to discuss everything but this was neither the time nor the place to discuss a new stove. In fact, the new stove had already been ordered and was on its way. Discussion ended.
Later that week the new stove had arrived and my wife was trying it out. I was in my chair reading a book when I smelled something from the kitchen. Then my wife appeared with a cookie on a napkin and said to me, “Here, try this cookie to see if it’s all right.”
You are familiar with looking a gift horse in the mouth? I eagerly consumed the cookie and remarked that it tasted quite delicious.
“I burned that batch of cookies. I’m trying to find out how this convection oven works.”
A few minutes later she came in with another cookie and requested, “Try this one and see if it’s any better.”
I do not mean to brag, and I sure do not want to pat myself on the back, but I could see a theme developing. I knew that my wife would not stop making cookies until she had it just right.
“This cookie,” I said rather thoughtfully, “is a little better than the last one.”
She whirled around and headed back to the kitchen and her new convection oven to try out a new batch of cookies.
“This is okay but there does seem to be something missing,” I mused with the next batch of cookies.
All afternoon the cookies flowed in my direction and I, being the cookie aficionado that I am, gave her my best advice. I curiously enough, detected the least little problem with each one. She was getting so close to perfection.
My wife being so interested and committed to mastering her brand-new convection oven had forgotten the house rules, the one that she made up namely, one cookie per month for me. I had just consumed enough cookies for the next 10 years. I was willing to break the rules just to help her in her new project. That’s the kind of guy I am.
Later that evening, I am glad to say, she had mastered her new convection oven as well as her cookie recipe. I, on the other hand, had a new appreciation of all things new. Sometimes change can be beneficial.
The Bible speaks of change. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).
Many people like to hang on to the old, even though it is not working and is actually dragging them down. Christ offers change. Real change. Change you can really believe in.
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The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.