The Bible Is Still Number 1!

It has been a really really busy couple of weeks.  But, I couldn't resist taking the time today to post on this:

Today Brother Steve's sermon was titled "Be Encouraged - You are Family!" teaching on 1 Peter 1:22-2:3.  One of the points he made is that scripture is a believer's food and we should feed on it regularly.  He talked about the Bible being #1 on a list of favorite books.  I searched and found the poll he was speaking about.  Here is what CompuServe What's New had to say (highlighting is mine):

Top 10 Favorite Books of All Time

When it comes to books, we are very old-fashioned. Our favorite book in the United States--across all demographic groups--is the Bible, undoubtedly the same book our great-grandparents favored, too.
That's the word from a Harris Poll that asked 2,413 U.S. adults to name their favorite books. While Margaret Mitchell's Civil War classic, "Gone With the Wind" came in No. 2, much of the top 10 list is dominated by fantasy fiction and mystery.
The top 10 favorite books of all time:
1. The Bible
2. "Gone With the Wind," by Margaret Mitchell
3. "Lord of the Rings," by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. "Harry Potter" series, by J.K. Rowling
5. "The Stand," by Stephen King
6. "The Da Vinci Code," by Dan Brown
7. "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee
8. "Angels and Demons," by Dan Brown
9. "Atlas Shrugged," by Ayn Rand
10. "Catcher in the Rye," by J.D. Salinger
While the Bible is number one among each of the different demographic groups, there is a big difference in the choice for the No. 2 favorite book:

• Men chose "Lord of the Rings."
• Women chose "Gone With the Wind."-
• Those 18 to 31 chose the "Harry Potter" series.
• Those 32 to 43 were split between "The Stand" and "Angels and Demons."
• Those 44 to 62 and those 63 and over both chose "Gone With the Wind."

By geographical area, the No. 2 favorite book is:

• East: "Lord of the Rings"
• South: "Gone With the Wind"
• Midwest: "Gone With the Wind"
• West: "The Stand"

--From the Editors at Netscape

Given the secularism running rampant in the U.S. today, this is quite encouraging.

That brings me to one of the reasons I have been so remiss at posting to this blog:  I am juggling 3 bible studies and the resultant 8 to 10 hours of homework a week while filling in teaching more defensive driving classes after one of our instructors had unexpected open heart surgery.  Phew!  It has been a rough couple of weeks (for both me and the other instructor) but there is light at the end of the tunnel as the other instructor should be able to start taking back some of his classes little by little within the next 4 or 5 weeks and things should settle down a bit.

A friend sent me an email of "God's little notes." Of course, they aren't really notes from God but they are cute and several of them are thought provoking and good reminders.  The one I especially like today said:

Don't let your worries get the best of you; 

Remember, 

Moses started out as a basket case.

This caught my attention because one of my bible studies is just starting a study of the Book of Exodus which features Moses prominently in a very excellent role in the history of God's chosen people, Israel.  We're just starting so I don't have much to say from the study itself at this point but perhaps at a later date . . .

Blessings,

Mary  

Don't Wrestle, Just Nestle

Sometimes discerning what God wants us to do requires much prayer, study of His Word and patience.  Other times His will is totally obvious.  Personally, I tend to get quite frustrated when I am having difficulty discerning His direction for me.  Then I have to pray for patience!  And, sometimes we think we know God's will and we start off down the path we think he wants us to take only to discover that wasn't His path at all.

I once asked one of my favorite pastors how you can know what God's will is.  He told me we need to validate that it is consistent with His word and perhaps discuss it with a couple of Christian friends to make sure we are not fooling ourselves.  Sometimes, even when we do those things and start down the path, we find out it wasn't God's will at all.  I asked what we should do then.  The answer was to back up to the point where we knew we were in God's will and start the process over.  That may involve cleaning up some things along the way as we backtrack but we need and want to be in God's will.  Wouldn't it be nice if God would just send us an email?  :-)  I think he really just wants us to be in His Word and in Prayer; email would not accomplish that.      

Has God ever made it very clear to you what direction He wishes you to take but it differs from the direction you want to take?  I'm guessing most of us have been in that situation.  I particularly liked Greg Laurie's Daily Devotion today.  I liked it so much that I'm posting the entire thing here.  If you have an interest in subscribing or just learning more about his organization, you can find out more here. 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2011 From Resisting to Resting And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." — Genesis 32:28 Jacob, the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham, was a conniver. He just couldn't wait on God's timing. On the day that Jacob and his twin brother Esau were born, Esau came first, with Jacob holding on to his brother's foot. That is how Jacob earned his name, which means "heel-catcher." When they were older, Jacob not only convinced Esau to sell him his birthright for some stew, but he also tricked their father into giving him the blessing that was intended for Esau. Esau wanted to kill him, so Jacob went into exile and ended up working for a guy he really deserved: Laban, who was as much of a conniver as Jacob was. Eventually Jacob made the journey back home again, and on the way, the Bible tells us in Genesis 32 that "Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day" (verse 24). It was as though God said, "You are always struggling and fighting with me, so let's go for it." Now Jacob was one tough guy, and he wouldn't give up. Consequently, God touched the socket of his hip so that it was out of joint. That made Jacob cling to this messenger from heaven, and he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" (verse 26). Jacob went from resisting to resting. Instead of fighting with God, he was surrendering to God, so God gave him a new name. Are you wrestling with God? We wrestle with Him when He reveals His will to us and we say we want our will instead. How much better it is when we surrender to Him. Corrie ten Boom said, "Don't wrestle, just nestle." Don't fight with the One who has your best interests in mind. Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him!Greg@harvest.org Mary's Notes:   For those who are not familiar with this particular part of God's word, I thought it would be instructive to note that the man Jacob wrestled with was God Himself (most likely the Son).  Jacob would not have asked Him to bless him otherwise.  The name God gave to Jacob is Israel and from Jacob/Israel, God created the nation of Israel.  So, you see, the nation of Israel was not established in 1948 as most non-Christians believe; it actually began almost 4,000 years ago in the same location as today but the original Israel had a lot more land. I especially like Corrie ten Boom's quote "Don't wrestle, just nestle" which, of course, is why I chose it as the title for this post.  While we worship the one true God who created all that has been created, who is all powerful, all knowing and all loving (among other things), when I die I picture myself running and jumping up into my Heavenly Father's lap and nestling. Blessings, Mary

The First Snow-Fall

Last night was the first snowfall of more than 6 flurries that I have seen since I moved near Austin, Texas four and a half years ago.  It has been very cold here the past few days - below freezing all that time and very windy.  That is also unusual for this location.

As I was on my doorstep taking this picture this morning, I thought back to when I was a pup - probably no more than 7 or 8 years old.  My parents were members of the Oak Grove Grange in Poughkeepsie, NY back then.  I remember at one Christmas program I was given the task of standing on the big stage all by myself and reciting the following:

The snow had begun in the gloaming, 

And busily all the night 

Had been heaping field and highway 

With a silence deep and white. 

Every pine and fir and hemlock 

Wore ermine too dear for an earl, 

And the poorest twig on the elm-tree 

Was ridged inch deep with pearl.

From sheds new-roofed with Carrara 

Came Chanticleer's muffled crow, 

The stiff rails were softened to swan's-down, 

And still fluttered down the snow. 

Side Notes:  

1. The city of Carrara is in the Tuscany area of Italy and is famous for some of the world's finest marble, called Carrara, taken from nearby quarries and used by sculptors from Michelangelo to Henry Moore. 
   
2. Chanticleer is a rooster: used as a proper name in medieval fables.

Back when I recited this snippet of poetry, I new that Chanticleer was a rooster but I was not aware that Carrara referred to marble from Carrara.  I could most likely be forgiven for that since I was just a child - LOL!

What I did not know at that time, perhaps purposely designed by my parents is that this snippet of poetry was only about the first third of the poem "The First Snow-Fall" by James Russell Lowell.  I learned this bit of  information when I inherited my mother's school book of poetry titled Magic Casements which was published in 1928.  It is a wonderful compilation of poetry.  In fact, that's where I found The Deacon's Masterpiece, or The Wonderful "One-Hoss Shay."  

The remainder of "The First Snow-Fall" follows:  

I stood and watched by the window 

The noiseless work of the sky, 

And the sudden flurries of snow-birds, 

Like brown leaves whirling by. 

I thought of a mound in sweet Auburn 

Where a little headstone stood; 

How the flakes were folding it gently, 

As did robins the babes in the wood. 

Up spoke our own little Mabel, 

Saying, 'Father, who makes it snow?' 

And I told of the good All-father 

Who cares for us here below. 

Again I looked at the snowfall, 

And thought of the leaden sky 

That arched o'er our first great sorrow, 

When that mound was heaped so high. 

I remembered the gradual patience 

That fell from that cloud like snow, 

Flake by flake, healing and hiding 

The scar of our deep-plunged woe. 

And again to the child I whispered, 

'The snow that husheth all, 

Darling, the merciful Father 

Alone can make it fall! ' 

Then, with eyes that saw not, I kissed her; 

And she, kissing back, could not know 

That my kiss was given to her sister, 

Folded close under deepening snow. 


--James Russell Lowell   

God is always in control.  That is especially comforting in these days.

Blessings,

Mary

The Yoke of Jesus

After being without a computer for a couple of days, one of the first things I saw in my email tonight was a daily devotional from Greg Laurie Harvest Ministries that grabbed me so I thought I'd share part of it.  The short devotional began with a verse from the bible as always:


For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
— 1 John 5:3


The devotional went on to quote Jesus:


Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light -- Matthew 11:29-30.


And, for me, the whole think was brought home by the the last 3 paragraphs:


Some people think of the Christian life as a hindrance, as merely a bunch of rules and regulations. But I am wondering which of God's commandments they are struggling with. Does the fact that God forbids stealing, lying, and murdering people actually bother them?

Once I found a brightly colored little bird nestled in the grass of our backyard that looked like someone's pet. When my son borrowed a cage from a neighbor, the little bird hopped in, jumped on the perch, and started swinging away. He didn't see the bars of that cage as a prison that kept him in, but as walls of protection that kept predators out.

In the same way, we can either look at God's commandments as constraining, or we can see them for what they really are: a barrier of protection.


What a great comparison!  Does this change your view of the Christian Life?  If you don't know Jesus, I hope this little story makes you want to learn more about our Loving Jesus.


Blessings,


Mary