Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.
Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
Psalm 116:5-7
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
For those who read my blogs regularly, you know that there are times when the Lord speaks to my heart through experiences that I feel led to write about in place of my daily walk through the scriptures. Today is one of those days.
I am currently in Sasebo, Japan…my fourth stop on a five stop Japan swing through command media detachments. I’m here to visit my Sailors but have the weekend off before doing so.
This morning, I went out for a walk to pick up a few items from the mini-mart. It was a rather hot, overcast and muggy morning but the rain had stopped at least for the moment and for that, I was grateful given that it rained the whole first day I was here.
As I was walking past the base exchange, I heard a bit of a commotion ahead…two very large black birds (looked like crows) loudly squawking as they were on the ground in the grass ahead. At first glance, it looked like the birds may have been mating. Often, nature isn’t very prudent about these actions. But as I drew nearer, I looked with immediate concern as the real actions revealed themselves.
For one of the black birds jumped as I approached, spooked by a large human coming and I could see that there was a smaller bird underneath it. Just then, the other bird struck out at the smaller bird with its long sharp beak. It was then that I quickly figured out what was happening. The smaller bird was injured and the larger birds were taking advantage of it, attacking the helpless bird on the ground. I picked up my step and scared the larger birds away, coming onto the little, injured bird who was still alive but looking very scared as it sat still right where the attacking birds had left it. Meanwhile, the attackers weren’t about to give up. They flew only a short distance and perched, still looking toward where I now stood, squawking and, I assume, waiting for me to pass so they could return and finish the injured bird off.
Well, I just couldn’t allow that to happen so I went toward the larger birds and spooked them some more. They flew a little further away and it was then that I returned to the bird in need of help. As I approached the bird, it suddenly flapped its wings and flew, albeit not far off the ground. It then landed and was able to walk. I felt the bird was weak and needed to find a safe place to recover so I walked behind it and coaxed it around the corner of the building. And then the attacking birds returned.
They sat and looked to see if they could get their bearings back on the injured bird now that I had helped him move from where he was prior. I quickly spooked them twice more and once again they flew off. It was then that I quickly coaxed the smaller bird to run underneath a group of dumpsters where he would be concealed and would be able to rest and hopefully recover.
As I left the area of the dumpsters and crossed the street, once again the foreboding, black birds returned. There were three of them now. I stood across the street and watched to see if the black birds would be able to find the smaller bird now that it was safely hidden. They didn’t. Unable to see him, they gave up and flew off. The little bird was safe.
As I walked back to my room after the experience, I couldn’t help but think about myself…about all of us…about how vulnerable we are and how Satan often swoops in like the big, attacking black birds and attacks us…not letting up unless we are rescued by someone bigger and more powerful that him…like the Lord. I then felt saddened as I thought about the many people in the world who don’t know the Lord…and thus don’t know who to turn to as they are being assaulted. It only underscored the critical importance of the ministry…and how each believer needs to be exhausting their energy to help others discover the Lord in their own lives…and in doing so, finding their source of protection and salvation. And when we discover this, we too can echo the words of the Psalmist:
“The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.”
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
http://www.faithhopeandlove.info/
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
FATHER'S DAY...EVERY DAY
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Well, Father’s Day is upon us once again. I was blessed to be able to spend the last several days with my parents in Pennsylvania and celebrate Father’s Day with my Dad a few days early. I also was in my hometown to participate in my 30 year high school reunion. It was these two events that collided and began to conjure up memories in me…memories of times past when I was home and under the nurture and mentorship of my father and mother.
The day after Grace and I arrived in Pennsylvania, we went to a baseball game in Pittsburgh to watch the Pirates play the Nationals. As I drove down to the game with my father sitting next to me, I couldn’t help but reminisce about my younger days when he would drive me to games…first at Forbes Field and then to Three Rivers Stadium. It was always great to watch the games and listen to Dad not only teach me the basic intricacies of the game but also tell me about the games he used to go to when he was my age. Oh how I cherish those memories.
I also cherish the memories of a father who taught me the importance of hard work and an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay (my mother did as well…smile). I cherish a father who wouldn’t hesitate to correct me when I needed it, especially if I would become disrespectful either to him of my mom. I cherish a father who would bend over backwards to help anyone in need…a father who was a cheerful giver. And I cherish a father who never ceased to love me…a father who has bragged about me as I have become an adult and embodied much of what he was…and even more. I only pray my own daughters cherish me half as much as I do my own father.
Today, as I drove first from Pennsylvania to Virginia Beach and then turned around and drove from Virginia Beach to my rental in MD in advance of my two week trip to Japan (leave tomorrow AM), I had a lot of time to think about my dad and my own experience as a father. And as I thought about it, I was drawn to one conclusion: we both knew how to be blessed fathers because of our Divine Blessed Father in Heaven. It was because He first Fathered us that we could ever father the children He entrusted to our care.
Indeed, our (my father and my) Heavenly Father is the Father of us all. No one is void of the greatest Father known. We are all His children and thus no one is fatherless. For I understand that not everyone has a great testimony to tell about their worldly father. Many dads have shirked the responsibility placed upon them by the Lord. But this doesn’t mean that one is without a Father. We only need turn to the heavens and find the Father who will never leave us nor forsake us…the Father who will never cease to love us. Truly, how great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called children of God! Friends, is this not good news for us all…not just on Father’s Day but on every day.
For when we recognize and acknowledge our Father in Heaven as being our one true Father, every day becomes a celebration of Him and what He has done for us, what He is presently doing for us and what He is yet to do for us. Every day becomes a day of praise and rejoicing…another day that He has blessed us with so we only need to be glad in it.
So as we go through each day of life, let us take a moment to pause and thank our Father for His goodness, grace, mercy and love. For every day should be Father’s Day because our Father gives us each day we live. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
http://www.faithhopeandlove.info/
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Well, Father’s Day is upon us once again. I was blessed to be able to spend the last several days with my parents in Pennsylvania and celebrate Father’s Day with my Dad a few days early. I also was in my hometown to participate in my 30 year high school reunion. It was these two events that collided and began to conjure up memories in me…memories of times past when I was home and under the nurture and mentorship of my father and mother.
The day after Grace and I arrived in Pennsylvania, we went to a baseball game in Pittsburgh to watch the Pirates play the Nationals. As I drove down to the game with my father sitting next to me, I couldn’t help but reminisce about my younger days when he would drive me to games…first at Forbes Field and then to Three Rivers Stadium. It was always great to watch the games and listen to Dad not only teach me the basic intricacies of the game but also tell me about the games he used to go to when he was my age. Oh how I cherish those memories.
I also cherish the memories of a father who taught me the importance of hard work and an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay (my mother did as well…smile). I cherish a father who wouldn’t hesitate to correct me when I needed it, especially if I would become disrespectful either to him of my mom. I cherish a father who would bend over backwards to help anyone in need…a father who was a cheerful giver. And I cherish a father who never ceased to love me…a father who has bragged about me as I have become an adult and embodied much of what he was…and even more. I only pray my own daughters cherish me half as much as I do my own father.
Today, as I drove first from Pennsylvania to Virginia Beach and then turned around and drove from Virginia Beach to my rental in MD in advance of my two week trip to Japan (leave tomorrow AM), I had a lot of time to think about my dad and my own experience as a father. And as I thought about it, I was drawn to one conclusion: we both knew how to be blessed fathers because of our Divine Blessed Father in Heaven. It was because He first Fathered us that we could ever father the children He entrusted to our care.
Indeed, our (my father and my) Heavenly Father is the Father of us all. No one is void of the greatest Father known. We are all His children and thus no one is fatherless. For I understand that not everyone has a great testimony to tell about their worldly father. Many dads have shirked the responsibility placed upon them by the Lord. But this doesn’t mean that one is without a Father. We only need turn to the heavens and find the Father who will never leave us nor forsake us…the Father who will never cease to love us. Truly, how great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called children of God! Friends, is this not good news for us all…not just on Father’s Day but on every day.
For when we recognize and acknowledge our Father in Heaven as being our one true Father, every day becomes a celebration of Him and what He has done for us, what He is presently doing for us and what He is yet to do for us. Every day becomes a day of praise and rejoicing…another day that He has blessed us with so we only need to be glad in it.
So as we go through each day of life, let us take a moment to pause and thank our Father for His goodness, grace, mercy and love. For every day should be Father’s Day because our Father gives us each day we live. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
http://www.faithhopeandlove.info/
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
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