That Printer of Udell's

Has someone crossed your path recently that might have needed your help? Were you paying attention closely enough to have noticed? This wonderful book from Harold Bell Wright is just as alive and relevant in this century as it was to those to whom he was writing over 100 years ago. That tramp printer that ends up working for George Udell has so much to teach us about living by an honor code. In the words of President Ronald Reagan, “That Printer of Udell’s had an impact I shall always remember… The term “role model” was not a familiar term in that time and place. But I realize I found a role model in that traveling printer whom Harold Bell Wright had brought to life. He set me on a course I’ve tried to follow even unto this day. I shall always be grateful.” - Ronald Reagan 

This is a book that every Christian and non-Christian should read.  And if you love reading That Printer, you won’t be able to put down Ishmael, The Hidden Hand and Sir Knight of the Splendid Way.

 

Where is God?

"For thus says the high and lofty One
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy;
I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.'"
Isaiah 57:15

In Psalm 34 David writes:
"The LORD is near to them who are of a broken heart and saves such as be of a contrite spirit."

Both of these passages reveal that God who dwells in such high and unreachable places, is most near to those who are so low. This is beautiful irony. The word "near" in Psalm 34 is a word that carries the idea of "family" or "neighbor." We experience God as "Father" when we are of a "broken heart." The word "broken" carries the idea of "bringing forth in birth" or to "burst." I am sure that many of you have experienced the depth of this emotional pain. Though pain of this magnitude is unbearable, it is what allows us to experience the presence of God. Elijah in I Kings 19 understood this "bursting" of a "broken heart," so much so that he no longer wanted to live. Depression, divorce, despair, and death are all a part of God's grand design to bring us into an intimate relationship with Him. God does not cause these things...he does not cause divorce for example, but allows us to experience these difficulties because he knows they are necessary. An eight year old is raped by her father. Could God have prevented this? Without question. Why didn't He? In Glenda's Story, you will find an answer from a woman who experienced being raped by her father for eight years...it was during her darkest night that she found God. I have never read a more insightful story on why God allows suffering than from Glenda's perspective. I even called her to talk to her to verify that what she wrote years ago was still true today. And it was...during a time when her heart had burst and her soul had been crushed, she found God....and till this very day she lives with a forgiving spirit and a heart that is filled with the presence of God.

If you were to read the rest of Isaiah 57, you would find that God allows such despairing experiences in order to cleanse us from our own wicked heart. In verse 17 God says, "I was wroth, and smote him: I hid myself, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart." But thanks be to God he doesn't hide Himself forever. The text in verse 18 concludes, "I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto to him and to his lamentors."

Oh the restoration and comforts of God! They will come...wait upon the Lord and He will renew your strength; you shall mount up with wings as eagles, you shall run and not be weary, and walk and not faint...teach me Lord to wait.

(update on my dad: for a week he had experienced a complete system failure...heart, kidneys, lungs, and brain. They immediately placed dad into an induced coma while placing him on life support. The doctor gave little hope. Less than three days ago, dad awoke and began communicating. They removed the ventalor and dad was still breathing. His first word to me was "Pray." He needs oxygen for support presently, but each day he is getting stronger. I ask for your prayers...i would love to see my dad, as a new baby believer, experience the "restoration of comforts" that Isaiah describes. Not so much to be comfortable in his latter years, but to bear fruit for God and experience the joys of serving Him. This has been an incredible journey for all of us...God is truly near to those who are of a broken heart and rescues those who are of a crushed spirit. thank you for your prayers. Mark

Stay in the Word...

"Now you are clean through the Word which is spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing." Jn 15:3-5

Abundance of All Things

“Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies…”

Deut. 28:47

The test of whether we are serving the Lord and others with the right heart attitude is found in the measurement of our joy and gladness of heart. Circumstances were not easy for the children of Israel. They had been uprooted from their homes and were wandering in a desert, at times without food or water, and with enemies behind and in front. However, God had shown Himself faithful. He fed them with manna from the dew, gave them water to drink out of a rock, and meat to eat from the sky. God had abundantly blessed them. They didn't even have to work for their keep—He gave them "an abundance of all things." But because they forgot God’s blessings and began to murmur and complain, they would serve their enemies.

Sometimes the more we have, the less thankful we are. May we make a decided effort to use our God-given resources to bless others. "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God concerning you."

Recommended Reading:

Enoch Roden's Training

You will never forget the lesson that Enoch learned from his grandmother about how the word manna reveals the unthankful hearts of the children of Israel. This compelling story is a gentle reminder that we have much for which to be thankful. How often we take for granted the small blessings we receive every day. You just can’t help being more appreciative of life’s smallest blessings after reading Enoch Roden’s Training.

Making of an Expert

The Making of an Expert

I read a great article in the Harvard Business Review (July-Aug issue, 2007) about what it takes to become an expert. The information for the article came from The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance, a 900-page-plus handbook, with contributions from more than 100 leading scientists.
 
The conclusion of the study, based on decades of rigorous research using verifiable and reproducible scientific methods, prove with overwhelming results that experts are always made, not born.

That doesn’t mean that the development of genuine expertise happens overnight. It typically takes 10 years of struggle, sacrifice, and honest, often painful self-assessment. 

And there are no shortcuts. Research shows that in order to become an expert, one must: practice intensively, study with devoted teachers, and have enthusiastic support throughout their development.

What is an expert?

Real expertise has three requirements: 

• First, it must lead to performance that is consistently superior to ones peers. 
• Second, real expertise produces concrete results. 
• And third, expertise can be replicated and measured in a lab…  Because, if a skill can’t be measured, it can’t be improved.

Practice Deliberately

Not all practice makes perfect.  When most people practice, they focus on things that they’re already good at. But if you want to be an expert in your field, you can’t just practice, you have to practice deliberately. Deliberate practice involves making a considerable, specific, and sustained effort to improve upon the things that you can’t do, instead of simply focusing on the things that you can.      

Biblical Principle

    "Show me a man diligent in a his work and he will stand before kings, not before mean men."  Proverbs 22:29

Far too easily pleased: Eldgridge

Too Easily Pleased
11/25/2007

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We usually think of the middle years of the Christian life as a time of acquiring better habits and their accompanying virtues. But inviting Jesus into the “aching abyss” of our heart, perhaps has more to do with holding our heart hopefully in partial emptiness in a way that allows desire to be rekindled. “Discipline imposed from the outside eventually defeats when it is not matched by desire from within,” said Dawson Trotman. There comes a place on our spiritual journey where renewed religious activity is of no use whatsoever. It is the place where God holds out his hand and asks us to give up our lovers and come and live with him in a much more personal way. It is the place of relational intimacy that Satan lured Adam and Eve away from so long ago in the Garden of Eden. We are both drawn to it and fear it. Part of us would rather return to Scripture memorization, or Bible study, or service—anything that would save us from the unknowns of walking with God. We are partly convinced our life is elsewhere. We are deceived.

“We are half-hearted creatures,” says Lewis in The Weight of Glory, “fooling about with drink and sex and ambition [and religious effort] when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

(The Sacred Romance , 137)

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From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 329
Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com

 

David Whiting

While I have been here at the hospital in Rochester NY, I am hoping that my dad will be stable enough tomorrow so that I can attend North Baptist Church where David Whiting is the pastor. Why is this so significant?  Throughout the years, I have been able to speak in many churches and also have been able to hear many others speak.  I would place Pastor Whiting at the top of the heap of my articulate communicators.  He knows the Word and is able to draw out the meaning of the text—and not just what it says, but how is says it.  If you have an opportunity to go to his web site I would highly recommend listening to his sermons.  If you would like a good laugh, listen to David’s new album, It’s All About Me.  http://www.northbaptistchurch.org/  If you are searching for the meat of the Word, listen to his sermons…his preaching is better than his singing!

Kings and Chronicles: The rest of the story

            The book of I Kings is a story about the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judah and their sons.  It is a story about treachery, evil, and evil that increases with the next generation.  The sins of the fathers and mothers in Kings is like a map that leads to destruction and further despair for this divided Kingdom.  Only a few times will a son “do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord.”  Most often the theme is, “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father’s sin which he made Israel to sin, and did more evil than all that were before him.”

            The pattern is consistent; the sons sin more than their fathers—except for Asa.  “And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done.”  It is noteworthy that Asa’s father is not mentioned but his great, great, grandfather King David. The question is, how did Asa do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord when his father was so wicked? One explanation is that his father did not have too much time to influence his son because he only reigned three years.  If anything he had to be more concerned about the evil influence of his grandmother Maacah. 

            First there seems to be a discrepancy over the spelling of Asa’s father’s name.  In I Kings 15:1, his name is Abijam.  He is the son of the Maaca (really his grandmother), daughter of Abishalom.  In 2^nd Chronicles 13:1 his name is spelled Abijah, and his mother’s name was Micaiah, daughter of Absalom (11:20).  Notice that the spelling of Maacah is also different in Chronicles, as well as Absalom, from Abishalom.  In is interesting that this Queen Mother is mentioned each time with emphasis.  As the daughter of Absalom, she already had the genes of rebellion in her blood as Absalom demonstrated when he tried to kill his own father, King David.

            The question remains, “How did Asa do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord” when his father was listed walking in all the sins that his fathers did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as David his father.” I Kings 15:3  Well I believe there are two factors.  The first is found in 2^nd Chronicles 13.  An entire chapter describes Abijah’s passion to keep the Word of the Lord.  Note his words: “For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him.  Behold, God is with us at our head…”  This doesn’t seem to fit the description of a man who walked in all the sins of his father.  I am thankful that the record of I Kings is not the last word.  The books of Chronicles is like reading the “rest of the story.”  In a sense, the two records of the same lives found in Kings and Chronicles, may suggest that the story of our lives can have added chapters, and a different ending.

            In I Kings 15 we have the second factor that contributed to Asa doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  “Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”  It appears that God is preserving for Himself a “Lamp” because of the relationship that he had with righteous David (even though his adultery and murder is not to be forgotten).  Our relationship with the Lord today may be the greatest influence upon generations to come.  We must overcome sin at all cost.  Our relationship with the Lord does make a difference for generations to come.

Laid the Foundation at the cost of his sons

In I Kings 16:34 it states:

            “In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho.  He laid the foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the Word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.”

 

In Joshua 6:26 he states:

            “Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, ‘Cursed before the LORD be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.”  

 

            It is possible that Hiel did not know of Joshua’s curse but this did not absolve him of the consequences.  If he didn’t know, he should have…it was written in the Word and would have been passed down orally from generation to generation.  It seems that all of the sins that are occurring in the book of Kings were the result of the father’s neglect of their knowledge of, and obedience to, the Word.  If only we would heed this curse…we must not raise the foundations of past sinful strongholds…they must remain destroyed.  Our children’s futures are influenced by our choices.

forgiveness is a choice--Eldgridge

Forgive
11/24/2007

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We must forgive those who hurt us. The reason is simple: Bitterness and unforgiveness are claws that set their hooks deep in our hearts; they are chains that keep us held captive to the wounds and the messages of those wounds. Until you forgive, you remain their prisoner. Paul warns us that unforgiveness and bitterness can wreck our lives and the lives of others (Eph. 4:31; Heb. 12:15). We have to let them go.

Forgive as Christ has forgiven you. (Col 3:13)

Now – listen carefully. Forgiveness is a choice. It is not a feeling – don’t try and feel forgiving. It is an act of the will. “Don’t wait to forgive until you feel like forgiving,” wrote Neil Anderson. “You will never get there. Feelings take time to heal after the choice to forgive is made . . .” We allow God to bring the hurt up from our past, for “if your forgiveness doesn’t visit the emotional core of your life, it will be incomplete.” We acknowledge that it hurt, that it mattered, and we choose to extend forgiveness to our father, our mother, those who hurt us. This is not saying, “It didn’t really matter”; it is not saying, “I probably deserved part of it anyway.” Forgiveness says, “It was wrong. Very wrong. It mattered, hurt me deeply. And I release you. I give you to God.”

It might help to remember that those who hurt you were also deeply wounded themselves. They were broken hearts, broken when they were young, and they fell captive to the Enemy. They were in fact pawns in his hands. This doesn’t absolve them of the choices they made, the things they did. It just helps us to let them go – to realize that they were shattered souls themselves, used by our true Enemy in his war against femininity.

(Captivating, 102-103)

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From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 328
Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com

 

Orchestrated Redemption

If Only We Understood His Heart More Clearly
11/21/2007

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We feel that God is not only unconcerned with our plight, but that he is actually working against us. And sometimes, we are right… Indeed, in the seventeenth chapter of Acts, Paul gives the Athenians the stunning news that every single thing in the lives of both nations and individuals is orchestrated with this sole objective that they might seek God (vv. 26–28). This revelation requires some reflection. We are used to thinking of the great movements of history, even the movements in our immediate relationships, as being impersonal, if not arbitrary. But with God, who notes the fall of every sparrow, the events of our lives are thoughtfully and thoroughly orchestrated to bring about our redemption. The days of our lives were ordered and numbered before there was one of them, says the psalmist (139:16). And yet, the ways of his redemption often leave us trembling and fearful.

“Do you really care for me, God?”
Can we trust this stranger who leaps out upon us? Could it be that his glory and our well-
being really are part of the same script?

If only we understood his heart more clearly. . . .

(The Sacred Romance, 58, 59)

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From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 325
Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com

 

Thankfull & Mercifull

            Today I have much to be thankfull for.   Yes I know I used an extra “L.”  Early this morning while sitting here in the ICU waiting for a miracle, the dialysis machine started to malfunction. I hate when stuff like this happens.  First they close the curtains so I can no longer see what is going on…my son Jonathan was with me during this one.  Then you hear the voices…the beeps…the urgent calls for other staff.  Your mind begins to think the worst and your heart begins to race and you pray like you’ve never prayed before…you try to make God listen…you beg, you plead…you bargain.  Why does God allow so much suffering and trauma into our lives?  I think this question was already answered by the Lord’s half brother James  *James 5:11, I will paraphrase) “Because when you endure suffering, you will experience the compassion of the Lord and His tender mercies.”  Being here in the ICU with my entire family, waiting and praying for my dad, we have experienced the abundance of God’s tender mercies, just when we’ve needed them.  We have also experienced the roller coaster of troubling experiences that just takes our breath away. 

            “I can’t get his blood back in!”  That was what I heard while waiting and praying behind the curtain.  When you are on dialysis you have a portion of your blood on the outside of your body while it is going through the machine to be filtered.  If the machine stops working, the blood will clot within minutes and you will not be able to get the blood back in.  When this occurs a blood transfusion is essential and time is of the essence, especially when your heart rate and blood pressure is falling.  Tension filled the room.  Then silence…the beeps stopped.  I couldn’t sit silent any longer.  “Kathy,” I said. (she is my dad’s nurse), is everything ok?  “Yes” she said.  “Everything is ok, I was able to get his blood back in.”   Unless you’ve been in this situation, you can’t imagine the relief…the release of tension…of energy…you’re exhausted. 

            An hour later, the doctor walks in…he looks at me with a smile and says, “your dad is doing much better.  He seems to be filtering out some of the impurities in his body on his own without the dialysis. So we are going to keep him off of it until tomorrow and then recheck his levels.  If he continues to improve, we may not need the dialysis after all.”  God’s compassions and tender mercies, experienced, again!  Please keep praying for my dad…oh, I would love to see him breathing on his own so they can remove his breathing tube.  He is getting better…but I’ve been here before…things can change so quickly when you are in ICU…may our Great and wonderful God be with him….may we continue to experience His compassion and tender mercies…especially for my mom.  This has taken quite a toll on her…but God is changing us all through this experience.  I wish you could see my sons and daughter as they sleep here in his room every night…dad’s room looks more like a fraternity.  God is good.

From ALL our troubles.

Psalm 34 is one of my favorite Psalms in the Scriptures. Over the years these words have given me the most hope, especially when I couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Notice first the introduction:

“A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.”

This Psalm opens with information about one of the most humiliating times in David’s life. David was willing to write about an painful event that would become public record--for the whole world to read. He was so real, so vulnerable. I can identify with him…so many mistakes, so many times saying the wrong thing, missing an opportunity to do and say the right thing…looking back and wishing he could have done it differently. Let’s keep reading this Psalm:

“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear [thereof], and be glad. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

David realized that his recent victory over Goliath had blinded him to the Source of his real power, as he now flees in humiliation and fear. Fear is always an indicator that we have taken our eyes off the Lord. But now David has “sought” the Lord, and in the next verse he is “looking” to God, and the shame is dispelled. The beauty of our God is that He can change our feelings with the blink of His grace. I have heard it said, “actions first, then feelings will follow.” More of Psalm 34: “They looked unto him, and were lightened: their faces were not ashamed.” Fear and shame always go hand in hand. This was first introduced into the human race with Adam and Eve. They were afraid so they hid, then covered their shame with fig leaves. Mankind continues to hide and cover their sins and insecurities…the result is fear and bondage. What can be done? More of Psalm 34: “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard, and saved him out of all his troubles.” I love this verse…saved from ALL his troubles. I have experienced this time and again over these last thirty years of knowing the Lord. But it takes crying out to the Lord. Maybe Jesus was thinking of this Psalm when he was preaching his sermon on the mountain: “Blessed are those who cry, for they shall be comforted.” More of Psalm 34: “The angel of the LORD encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him. O fear the LORD, you his saints: for there is no lack to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” So far the word “fear” has appear four times. The first word for fear when referring to our fears carries the idea of being frightened. It is that fear that puts a pit in your stomach. The remedy is to cry out to the Lord while seeking Him. The next three times the word fear is used is in reference to our fear of God. This is a entirely different Hebrew word which carries the idea of reverential and moral fear. This is a fear that is pure; it is a fear that one would exercise before a King, when fear and respect for a Monarch was not tainted with so much distrust and political dishonesty. This kind of fear can be cultivated when we heed the answer to he following question: “What man desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good, seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against then that do evil…The righteous cry and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” Recently a family member did something that was very offensive to me, though they did not see things from my perspective…their hurtful words and actions came at time when I had just heard that my father was taken to the emergency room with a possible heart attack. Usually I do not hold a grudge for more than a few minutes…I tend to forgive easily. But this was different. Someone was not being considerate of me in connection to my dad…my love for him cannot be described with words. And then I read Psalm 37 the other day: “Cease from anger and forsake wrath, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.” When I am offended I can bounce back rather easily. When someone offends me and it hurts someone I love, I can become very bitter. God knows what we need in order for us to see the wickedness of our heart…we so want to hold on to our hurt so we can hurt those who hurt us. Remember, actions of obedience first, then feelings will follow. Note in this section of Psalm 34, that we are to seek peace and pursue it…THEN THE LORD CAN HEAR OUR CRY. THEN THE LORD CAN DELIVER US FROM ALL OUR TROUBLES. More of Psalm 34: “The LORD is near to them that are of a broken heart; and delivers such as be of a contrite spirit.” I have quoted this verse for years but never really understood the meaning of contrite. It means “crushed.” This week I have had a broken heart as I have sat praying and waiting for my dad to show some sign of recovery. I have been here at the hospital now for a week. It has been a heart breaking week. I felt as if my spirit was crushed. But if one’s spirit possesses bitterness, then it is not truly crushed. It is still filled with bitterness and resentment. So how does one empty their spirit of resentment when they have been so hurt? More of Psalm 34: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken.

In this world we will have tribulation and offenses will come. They are for our benefit. They rid us of ourselves. They teach us that God is ultimately in control and that He will redeem us, if we will follow His ways. And one reason we can trust Him is because of the fact that not one of His bones was broken. Whose bones? This is a reference to the Lord Jesus and his death on the cross. The soldiers did not break his legs like they did to the two thieves; this was a practice used to bring about death after crucifixion. God had written in His Word that none of his bones would be broken. And none were. God can be trusted. He keeps His promises. We will be severely tested—we must be crucified with Christ; many are the afflictions of the righteous—seek peace, keep your tongue from guile, depart from evil, and do good, cry out to the LORD and he will hear, and deliver us out of all our troubles. Recommended Reading: Dialogues of Fenelon ; Let Go by Fenelon; True Faced by McNikol

Many [are] the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Not Return Void

A dear friend of mine shared this quote with me recently.  

 

“No sinner around you will be saved except by the knowledge of the great truths contained in the Word of God.  No man will ever be brought to repentance, to faith and life in Christ, apart from the constant application of the Truth through the Spirit.”  1891  Charles Spurgeon

 

While pondering the miracle of my seventy-six year old dad coming to the Savior recently, I was reminded that he was surrounded by the Word for the past thirty years.  I had almost forgotten of my zeal when I was a baby Christian back in 1977.  But rummaging through his workshop in the basement, I found several wooden plaques that I had engraved with Scripture.  My dad kept those Scriptures on his work table all these years. I can’t begin to describe the surge of emotions that surfaced this morning. We must never give up on our loved ones.

 

In Isaiah 55:11, God Himself declares: “So shall my Word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Never give up sowing the good seed…the Apostle Paul also understood this principle when he stated: ”But this I say, He which sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and he which sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”   2Co 9:6  

Little Bit

The following email was sent to me by a fourteen year old who has been a blessing in my life. She and her entire family helped me a few weeks ago at a conference in Chicago where I was speaking. I was very blessed by their servant spirit and professional manner in which they represented Lamplighter. The letter that you are about to read was written in light of my dad who is in critical condition. We are praying and hoping. Esther’s letter, revives our hope just a little more…

Dear Mr. Hamby,

I want to tell you a story, it may seem strange, but it really did happen.

When I was about eight, my family hatched some chickens that a farmer gave us from eggs. We had so much fun with those chickens, feeding them, playing with them, watching them grow, we had named them all. But one day my little sister, who was about three or four, was holding the smallest one, Little Bit, and squeezed him too hard, it broke his neck...that chicken died, he was really dead, I mean it. We all started crying hysterically, which brought Mom running. She took the chicken in her hand and prayed for it, I don't remember much of what she said, but it was something like this, "Lord, you gave me these chickens and I did not take care of them, now this little one is dead. Would you forgive me and raise this little chicken back up?" Even before she finished praying, that chicken picked his little head up and started squirming. It was dead, but God brought it to life.

This morning I was reading Psalm 92 and I came across verses 12-15 and thought of you all. "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him."

God bless you Mr. Hamby we're praying for you.

Esther

Dear Esther, you made me cry…thank you very much…your letter was very meaningful to me…very precious...very beautiful…thank you…please keep praying…my dad is still not doing very well, but I still have hope….

God bless you my friend,

Mr. Hamby

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving..."It is not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. - W T Purkiser

need a miracle

I am sorry that I am spending so much time blogging for personal reasons, but I am compelled to ask for your prayers for my dad.  For those who are new, my dad just recently came to know Jesus as his savior.  A week later he experienced extreme pain from a bile duct infection or obstruction which then precipitated a heart attack. On Saturday we had so much hope…he was sitting up in a chair talking to us, eating soup, black tea, ginger ale, and apple juice…this was his liquid four course dinner…this was his second time to have liquids since last Wednesday, so you can imagine how hungry he was.  Just a few hours after this wonderful breakthrough, and after receiving medication that may have caused some complications, his health began to rapidly deteriorate.  As I sit here in his room on the ICU floor, my dad is in critical condition.  His kidney’s have stopped functioning, there is fluid on his lungs, and he is on a ventilator in order to breathe. Please pray for him.  I believe that God can mightily use him for His glory in His Kingdom service.  We are praying for God’s will to be done and a miracle.  Thank you my friends.  There is just no one like my dad.

Mark

fellowship of his sufferings

Dad took a downward turn…critical but stable…he is now on a respirator and in an induced coma. We will learn more tomorrow…last night was the most difficult night of my life…but filled with God’s presence…learned a little more of what it means to be conformable to his death through the fellowship of his sufferings. Still have hope.  My dad and I were truly comrades of the cross last night…we suffered together...Thank you Lord for your presence.

 

Shunned--A Stranger at Home

To be shunned has to be one of the worst feelings for a child to go through. Shunning is a practice that is found in some religious groups and is even found in the Bible for a sinning brother or sister who refuses to listen to correction. But shunning a child should never be practiced and should be the last resort for a sinning brother or sister. In the book Stranger at Home, there is a story of an eight year old child who refuses to have her parents tell her what to do. She lets them know that she is old enough to make her own decisions and if she wants their advice she would ask for it. Now what would you do if this were your child? I know some of you would spank her and that would be the end of it--hopefully. And this might indeed be appropriate in some cases. But most often, children respond defiantly because of one of four reasons: Power, revenge, inadequacy, or attention. Sadly to say, a parent who shuns their child in order to teach them a lesson may also be influenced by these same four motivations.

Francois Fenelon in his book The Education of Child writes: “Be not too severe with the behavior that is not disguised from you. Do not appear astonished or irritated at their bad dispositions; on the contrary, be compassionate to their weaknesses…approachable confidence and genuineness are more useful to them, than to exercise a rigorous authority over them;” In the book Stranger at Home, the parents of the defiant eight year old, do the unthinkable to draw their child back to be subject to their authority. They kindly allow the child to rule her own life while living under their roof, but under one condition: she will not be allowed to ask them for any advice. Her parents also inform her that they will feed her, protect her, cloth her and care for her but they will no longer tell her what to do. At first, her new found freedom is liberating. But as the days roll by, she begins to feel isolated even though her parents are living right beside her. And even though they are kind and caring to their child, the need to be governed becomes a young eight year olds most earnest desire. It isn’t long before she will do anything to have her parents tell her what to do. God has created in each of us a desire to live within boundaries. There is no one who demonstrates this better than my friend Lew Sterrett. I have seen him many times calm and prepare an unbroken horse for riding by first setting boundaries for himself. In other words, how will he respond when the horse resists his authority? Once this occurs, the horse willingly follows.

Shunning a child, spouse, or friend, only exacerbates the problem by cultivating more ill will. Personally, it would be very difficult for me to shun my child, my wife, or a friend for any length of time; it just isn’t in me. And even when I have tried this method (in the flesh), I have always been the one most miserable. As God’s children we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. 2^nd Corinthians 5:18 It is when the offended refuses to be reconciled with the offender that shunning is most hurtful and difficult to endure. What can be done? Wait patiently, while God works in the heart of the other party…Jesus said, “But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” David in Psalm 37 writes: Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not yourself…Cease from anger, forsake wrath: fret not yourself in any wise to do evil…but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.” We can’t change the heart of others…but we can accept the circumstances that God has ordained by fretting not and doing good and above all, placing the needs of others higher than our own. Phil 2:3 When we live within these boundaries, we open the door for reconciliation…for eight year olds as well as fifty year olds.

[jana, fyi..mrktg]

Pray for my dad

            I am sitting here with my dad in ICU at Strong Hospital and it has been a very intense night so far.  Please pray for my dad…I desire that he might be well enough to enjoy the remainder of his life in the service of the Lord…with me!  Our whole family has flown in from all sides of the country…we are all fairly spent…but tonight, on my shift, it has been quite unnerving. We are trusting in the Lord…my dad has been calling out to the Lord for help…may He hear our prayer and bring calm to this stormy tempest of a night and deliver my dad…His will be done.  Your prayers are so appreciated. 

            I really don’t like to use this blog for personal reasons, but if there was a time I could use the prayers of my friends it is now…please pray for my children who are also witnessing this very difficult experience of their papa going through so much…this is all a part of God’s great design of releasing our grip of this world and holding on to eternal life.

abundant love

To be misunderstood is always painful. The Apostle Paul understood this pain when he said, “The more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.” True love is tested when we are misunderstood. Whether our spouse our children, or our friends, loving others always carries risk; a risk that uncovers the real depth of our love. If real it will be demonstrated in forgiveness, mercy, grace, and humility.

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