2009

This letter below is from our office director at Lamplighter. I think you will enjoy reading this!

To All,
First of all, we did not know that Prime Time America was re-airing the interview with Mark, yesterday. I have had a number of calls as a result of that.
But this one beats them all:

A gentleman that just called is 88 years old and he told me his story through his tears - he was in a foster home as a young boy in southern Ireland. They only had 3 books in the house - the Bible, Pilgrim's Progress and Christie's Old Organ. When he heard Mark's story about meeting Charlie and him giving Mark Christie's Old Organ, this gentleman was amazed - he has not heard the title of that book for many, many years and did not even know that it was in print any longer. He said that Christie's Old Organ was the very first book that he had ever read. From the foster home he went to an orphanage in England and then came to Canada as a young man with a work crew from the orphanage to work on a farm (a program that they regularly did). He is now retired in Florida. He was so overwhelmed by Mark's story of how he got Christie and how VERY special that book is to him - he could hardly speak to me a few times !!! What a great way to end this year of 2009 in LP's ministry !!!
So glad to be a part of this ministry with you all,
Cheryl

Stand Firm and Fight

While audiences long for reality in their media that is filled with aggressive & violent behavior, their own lives are becoming less real and more complacent. Now this may surprise some of you, but I don't think this propensity toward violence is entirely bad. Let me explain: Men are warriors are heart. That is why they love their football teams, they love to watch the ball hit out of the park, or that diving save at the goal. Men in the 21st century have been tamed and reduced to mere spectators.

I love what John Eldredge wrote in his book, Wild at Heart, a must read for every man: "A man must have a battle to fight, a great mission to his life that involves and yet transcends even home and family. He must have a cause to which he is devoted even unto death, for this is written into the fabric of his being. That is why God created you—to be his intimate ally, to join him in the Great Battle." The Apostle Paul wrote in 1Co 16, "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." It is noteworthy to mention that this quote comes from a Philistine out of the book of 1st Samuel where he is challenging his comrades to step up to the plate and act like men so they don't become enslaved to others. It is time for us to do the same…it is time to join the King of kings and Lord of lords in this Great Battle that requires our complete devotion.

hacker

Someone did hack into our Lamplighter blog site and face book but this has been corrected. We apologize for this and we hope and pray that it will not happen again.

 

 

On the front lines

King and Closest Friend

Greater love hath no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his
friends.
John 15:13
Recommended Reading
John 13:13-16

In the historically-based movie 300, King Leonidas leads his 300-man army to
fight the Persians. His men are in awe of his leadership, character, and
bravery and do not hesitate for even a moment to go to battle with him
though they know it means certain death. This is because he not only guides
them through the fight, but he is also on the front lines with them as a
fellow soldier. As one of his men is dying, he says to King Leonidas, "It's
an honor to die at your side," to which the King responds, "It's an honor to
have lived at yours." King Leonidas was not only King of Sparta; he was a
brother to its citizens.

Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, exalted and esteemed above
all others. Yet, our King hung on a cross and gave up His life to save us
from our sins. So as we praise our Lord for His majesty and power, let us
also remember to thank Him for being on the front lines with us, fighting by
our side, as our King and also as our closest friend.

Dr. David Jeremiah

No Room in the Inn

No Room in the Inn.
This morning I was once again blessed at North Ridge Church in Rochester NY. Pastor David Whiting spoke on the myth of the donkey, the mean Inn Keeper, the Inn, the manger, and the wise men. What a message! If you read the two gospel accounts in Matthew and Luke you will find that it does not say that Mary rode on a donkey. Have you ever rode on a donkey for a few miles? If you have, you would know that you certainly wouldn't ride one sixty miles in your ninth month of pregnancy! If she did, she was probably only in her sixth month and then had the baby after that kind of ride! Not really.

The next myth concerns the mean Inn Keeper who sent Mary and Joseph out in the back stable because his Inn was at full occupancy. There is no where in the Scripture where an Inn Keeper is mentioned. The text in Luke 2 states simply that Mary "laid him in a manager because there was no room for them in the inn." The word "inn" may be better translated "guest room." Jesus for example, during the Passover, says to his disciples to "go and find a man carrying water and follow him. When he comes to the house ask the master of the house where the "guest room" is so that I can eat the Passover with my disciples." The word "guest room" here in Luke 22 is the same word in Luke 2. You see, most people in the land of Judea would have had a guest room attached to their homes. Because they are so hospitable, they built this additional room on top of their house or as an extension on the ground floor.

There was also a third room that peasants or the lower class would have had that would have been about three feet or so below the living quarters. This room was used to bring in their animals at night to avoid theft and to help keep the home warm in the winter. Both this additional room and the one main living room where they also slept and ate would have been entirely open. The reason it would have been open is because a trough or manager would have been dug into the floor of the living room near the short wall so that the larger animals would be able to stick their heads over to drink and eat. Jesus would have then been placed in this dug out section of the floor for protection. Since there was no room in the "guest room" they were welcomed to stay in the living room of this family. To turn away a pregnant woman who was about to give birth would have been unthinkable during that time as well as today in the middle east. Well, I think I have shared enough myth busting for today, thanks to Pastor Whiting. I can always be sure that when I attend there, I will come away quite full! If you would like to listen to this message, go to www. http://www.northridgerochester.org/dnn/

Oh, the reason for the message was this: Jesus the baby was not turned away. He was welcomed with open arms. A peasant family even opened their "living room" for them because their guest room was occupied. This time of year is a time of taking care of others and opening our homes. It is a time of celebration and worship because a baby 2009 years ago came into this world to save us from our sins. This is a time of celebration like no other and the world needs to see why we are so thankful.

Shortcut to be Happy!

Boomerang Love

Love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 19:19
Recommended Reading
Romans 13:8-10

Many peoples in antiquity had throwing sticks, special weighted sticks that
were designed to be thrown in a whirling motion as a weapon or as an
implement for hunting game. The Australian Aborigines were apparently the
ones who found that flattened, curved sticks could be thrown in an
elliptical path so as to return to their point of origin.

There's one boomerang even older. It's LOVE. It always has a way of
returning to its sender; and in this way it protects us from discouragement
and defeat.

At the Music Hall in Royal Surrey Gardens in London on August 9, 1857,
Reverend Charles H. Spurgeon preached a sermon about "Loving Thy Neighbor."
He said, "The shortcut to be happy yourself is to try to make others
happy... If I would wish to be happy, I would not ask to have the wealth of
this world, nor the things that men call comforts. The best comforts that I
should desire would be loving ones round about me, and a sense that where I
went I scattered happiness, and made men glad. That is the way to be
happy... Love thy neighbour."


David Jeremiah

My kids Won't Help! ~ Help!

A frustrated mom wrote to me asking what to do with her messy teens who don't help around the house. She has punished, threatened, confiscated toys, and nothing works. She was about to self destruct. So I wrote the following:

Dear mom, it is all about getting your children's attention. So how did Jesus get our attention? 10 commandments or outstretched arms on a cross? Did he get our attention by threats or kneeling down washing feet with a towel?

It sounds like you are overbalanced on law. Remember God's mercy is to a 1000 generations; his judgment is to the 3rd and 4th. His mercy is 1000 times greater than his judgment! Also, it is the goodness of God that leads to repentance. This doesn't mean that your children get away with sin. It does mean that we as parents model how God treats us. His compassion is new every morning! Are your children seeing this or are they seeing a pointed finger for what they haven't done yet?

Our frustrations come from the issues of our heart. Therefore, I recommend focusing on those issues first, before you try correcting issues of a neatness. We must first set boundaries for ourselves before we can set them for others. Over the past 32 years I have found that there are three words that have helped me more than anything in this world; those words are: "Lord help me!" I would start there. Then, lastly, I have found that people don't change unless they begin to understand. I have an assignment for you. I would like you to read three books: Families where Grace is in Place, Education of a Child, and Let Go by Fenelon. Change doesn't occur overnight…it is a process and takes time. But it will occur with diligent study and humility. Are you in?

Eating Crow

Have you ever eaten crow?
I have, many times, and they taste terrible! No not the bird, but the humiliation you bring on yourself when you hold firm to your pride and stubbornness.
The phrase, “eat crow,” was birthed during the War of 1812 when a British officer gained control of the musket of an American hunter. He made the hunter eat the crow he had just shot. After taking a few bites, the hunter regained control of his musket and then made the soldier eat the remainder of the crow.

The concept of eating or not eating crow really goes back to the time of Jesus. He said, “Agree with your adversary quickly.” This is never easy, but it is God's prescribed way to end conflicts, which opens the door of your heart to be free again. To be shackled in conflict is a burden that is avoidable if we would just follow this simple step: "Agree with your adversary quickly. Listen to the whole text from Matthew 5:25:

Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are with him in the way, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison."

You don't have to have full-blown legal action against you to respond quickly with your adversary. And this principle of agreeing with your adversary quickly, applies in marriage, resolving conflict with children, at work, with your neighbors, and at church. Agreeing quickly will help you avoid the bitter taste of crow, and allow you to enjoy the savory taste of God’s grace. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

You can Choose your Sin, but you Can't choose your Consequences.

http://vimeo.com/5526290

RE: Join the Lord's Army: Teddy's Button

I just heard one of the cutest stories about a little girl who came to know Jesus after reading our Lamplighter story, Teddy's Button. She was so moved by the story that she asked all of her Pre-K friends if they were ready to join God's army. She told them that it was a lifelong commitment and a very serious matter.... She had the children sign their name on a list where they had to choose a side to write their name: joining God's army / not joining God's army. Now that's evangelism at its best

Stimulus Package of Malachi 2: 16-17

Did you know that in the United States the average divorce costs between $30,000 and $50,000, totaling over 33 billion dollars per year? If you add the cost of litigation, this figure reaches over $175 billion. Can you imagine what would happen to the economy if we just strengthened our marriages? The deficit would be eliminated and the budget balanced in just a few years! Can there be a better stimulus package?!

There is! There is a stimulus package for marriage. In Malachi chapter 2 God promises to unite with marriages that enable the raising of godly children. IF…IF…we as men remain faithful to our wives. Unfaithfulness brings violence and generational upheaval but faithfulness releases God’s Spirit to bring peace and redemption. Here is the text from Malachi 2: 16-17:

Did God not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD..., covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.

Twice we are admonished us to guard ourselves in our spirit. The warning is given three times: “Do not be faithless to the wife of your youth.” Men, do we seek to nurture our wives with the same tenacity with which we care for ourselves? We spend time (and money) building our bodies, our careers, our hobbies, and our passions. What would our marriages be like if we loved our wives as much as did our golf league, or Monday night football, racquetball, basketball, hunting or fishing? In the New Testament Paul writes that men ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies.

Our culture is seeking a stimulus that will boost our employment rate and the health of our economy. A strong, God-honoring marriage is the foundation for a healthy, stable culture and economy. A strong marriage is a catalyst for increased creativity and productivity. It is really quite simple—rather than looking to government packages to stimulate the economy, take stock in your marriage!

Romans 12 Outdo one another

Romans 12 is one of the most practical and comprehensive chapters in the Bible when it comes to Christian worldview.  The statement that speaks to me the most is: "Outdo one another in showing honor." Can you imagine what would happen in our marriages, our parenting, our neighborhoods, and our relationships at work if this was practiced? Another statement that stirs my heart is: "Do not be slothful in zeal…" We are to serve the Lord with a fervent zeal! This doesn't mean that we live fanatically as a loose cannon without a sense of tact, composure, elegance, and self discipline. But with a zealous speed, we are to serve the Lord. I say "speed" because the word for "zeal" in Greek is "spoudē," meaning "speed." We are to redeem our time seizing every opportunity with a sense of urgency. Maybe today we can speedily seize every opportunity to outdo one another in showing honor, loving with a brotherly affection. As the Apostle Paul wrote:

 

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

Let's not wait until tomorrow to start…let's start with the next person that crosses our path…without delay!  Well for me, it's time to take the garbage out!

 

 

Here's the rest of the text in Romans 12:

 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."

To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."