Days of the Week Theme, Day V: Friday Favorites!

It’s Friday Favorites!!!!!

Today we meet Chris Rice, read his favorite verse, and listen to a silly song he wrote. 🙂

First, the song.  Get ready to join in.  Come on! It’s Friday!!!

He doesn’t look like someone who’d write a silly song like that, does he.  At least not in this picture. 

Here’s another one…

He wrote this beautiful song also.  It’s signed in ASL (American Sign Language) in this video, one of my favorite languages…

And here’s Chris Rice’s favorite verse:

 Psalm 71:17-18 “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.  Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”    That’s a beautiful prayer, I think.

So, let’s pray it together —  The Chris Rice Psalm 71 Cowabunga-luyah Prayer (come on, it’s Friday!):

 Oh, Father, You have performed soooo many marvelous deeds for me, my family, for sooo many people in the world.  Open my mouth to declare your praise!  Scooby-dooby-doo-yah!  In Jesus’ name, amen!”

Tha-that, tha-that, tha-that’s all folks!

Days of the Week Theme, Day IV: Thankful Thursday

It’s Fall!!!! I’m sooooo thankful that the sun coming out this morning so I could appreciate  all the colors.  So, cell phone camera in hand, I shot up the town:

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known…

His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden.”  Habakkuk 3:2-3

“…and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord..” Exodus 16:7

“Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” Exodus 33:18

“Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you– majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? Exodus 15:11

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”  Mark 1:35

“In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus..” Fernando Ortega

  Pray the Thankful Thursday Prayer (you can click on highlighted words/phrases to read Bible verses reflected in prayer):

 “ Oh, Father, Who created all this beauty? You and only You. 

Just as the stars in the heaven shout your glory  so do the fallen leaves on the ground.

 Create in me a clean heart, a heart of thankfulness to my God for all your creation and ALL you do for me.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Do you know the One who paints the trees, who made all these, for you and me?  Click on the picture to get a better “view” of Him.   

Days of the Week Theme, Day III: Wailing Wall Wednesday

Where’s my hair?!  Got it cut today. The smile’s a fake ’cause inside I feel more like this man. 

 He’s at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.***

 And did you notice all my graying hair?  Another reason to join him there.  😦

But, I’ll take comfort in this verse: ” Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”  Isaiah 46:4

I’ve heard Jews believe the Wailing Wall is the “shortest route to God’s ear“** 

 I know a shorter one: “Come to me [Jesus], all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Maybe you have more serious things to wail about than old age and gray hairs.  Maybe you have cancer to deal with, or a broken marriage, or you’ve lost someone you love.  Well, go to the wall.  Go to Jesus:

** The Western Wall

***TommyImages.com

Days of the Week Theme, Day II: Tuesday Testimonies

Jacob Deshazer with Mitsuo Fushida

Remember a few weeks ago I posted about Jacob Deshazer, the WWII bombadier who survived almost 4 years of torture and isolation at the hands of  the Japanese?  The best part of the story is how he became a Chrsitian, was able to forgive his captors, and led thousands of Japanese souls to Christ, including the  pilot who led the aerial attack on Pearl Harbor with the infamous words, “Tora! Tora! Tora!”  

You can read more about it by clicking on his name above, but today, for “Tuesday Testimonies”, I’d like to focus on his sweet mother.

You see, she prayed for her son when he couldn’t and wouldn’t pray for himself. So, Mitsuo Fushida, and all the thousands who’s lives were saved and blessed by Jacob  really have his mother to thank.  

 Here’s her story:  I am the Praying Mother of Jacob Deshazer (It gets a 10 out of 10 on the sweet scale 🙂 )

Are you praying for someone?

Days of the Week Theme, Day I: Musical Monday!

It’s raining here in the Midwest, raining and raining and raining.  Well fine, let it rain…

The Lord reigns, too….

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. 

Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 

 Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.  His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles.  The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. 

The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. Psalm 97:1

 

Click on the leaf to meet the One who reigns in the rain and storms of life: 

Grrrr-ammar Lessons: Pronouns!

 

Ready to learn about PRONOUNS, class?   Pay attention!  And NO PAPERWAD THROWING when I turn out the lights!

 

Pronouns are so handy in a sentence, aren’t they?

 

Take this sentence, for instance.  It’s about the Holy Spirit…

“…the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be  in you.”  John 14:7

 

Do you see all those him’s and that he in there?  Those pronouns show that the Holy Spirit is a person, not a thing, or a “force” like in Star Wars.

 “Use the force, Luke!”

 

He is a “He“, not an “It“. Get it?

 Why is that so important?

 

Because He is Someone… 

  

Actually three Someone’s!  God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit.

See?!  Watch the pronouns in this verse:

 

 “Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

John 14:23

 

It’s complicated, the Trinity, but here’s the simple truth — God is Someone who wants to fill your life with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, and self-control.  Galatians 5:22

 

Someone who loves you and me.

 

Do you know Him?

Click on the chalkboard to be introduced:

 

 

Grrrr-ammar Lessons: Interjections!

The leaves are falling, which means my “Lady-planter” is beginning to have her annual bad-hair-day.

lady bugs on the screen

And it also means our home is being over-run again by wasps, spiders, wood roaches, lady bugs and even an occasional walking stick all  looking for a warm place to spend the winter.

So, fall is a time to hear a wide variety of interjections at our house.  Like these, when looking out the windows, “Beautiful!  Lovely!”  or these, when looking at the floor and walls inside, “Ick! Ugh! and you’ll see a lot of these: Stomp! Splat!”

Which reminds me of this Schoolhouse Rock video:

Can I interject some handy interjections for today’s busy Christian?  They are — STOP!, DROP! and PRAY!!!

They will keep you from exclaiming, DARN! RATS! or Oh, MAN!! when things get  tough.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  Ephesians 6:18 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  ”  Philippians 4:6-7

Do you know The Teacher?  If not, click on the chalkboard for a quick introduction.  Hope you’ll soon be saying, “WOW!! 🙂