A Simple Prayer

Sticking with Monday's theme of prayer, I pray with each of you the following simple prayer to God.

Dear God,

In Jesus Name, AMEN!

Scott

A Monday Morning Prayer

God our Father,

In our world wars begin and wars end.
In our world economies strengthen and economies weaken.
But You, O Lord are steadfast; unchanging.
Help us to depend on You.

In Jesus' name, Amen!

My Little Corner

Today's thoughts come from the activities in my little corner of the world this week:

Sunday: A busy day of worship and fellowship. People responded well to the messages from God's word this Lord's day. Our lessons were on the Body of Christ (Sun AM) and God's Concept of the Church (Sun PM). One sister responded Sunday saying she felt "stuck in the valley" and could not find her way out. She knew she needed the Lord's help and the help of her fellow members of the Body. Please pray for Winonna. Sunday evening culminated with devotionals for our young people as they studied and spent extra time together.

Monday: A good day with a local Jr. High / High School group. Oakman High School, where my son, Andrew, attends is a small school of approximately 450 students in 7th - 12th grade. Since their football season is over the coaches decided to see who wanted to play next year. Those that signed up to play (80 students from grades 7-11) took a field trip to Bryant Denny Stadium, The Bear Bryant Museum, and the Crimson Tide indoor practice facility in Tuscaloosa. They also heard from the Athletic Academic Director, who encouraged them to work hard off the field and in the books!

Tuesday: Back to a regular work day. Spent time preparing early research for two sermons and two Bible classes.

Now on to two special events that both revolve around volunteer work. I am a volunteer Basketball Coach for the Boys 7th Grade and 8th Grade teams at Oakman High. We had games both Monday and Tuesday afternoon.

Event one concerns Monday's game and loss. One of our teams were way behind the opponent when Coach Mullinax sent in "John." That was when something amazing happened. The other team, who easily outmatched us, saw that John was a special needs student. They gave John the opportunity to shoot every time he got the ball. They would back off, just enough to give him the chance. He missed, but one of our other players rebounded and scored every time John shot. Oakman still lost the game, but John won, and so did every player on both teams.

Event two comes after Tuesday's game against Valley. After the coaches and players shook hands, one of the volunteers with Valley's team called all the players and coaches to mid-court. There he mentioned one of their players who was attending his grandfather's funeral a few states away. Then he asked if someone would lead a prayer. One of Valley's players volunteered and lead a prayer not only for his friend but for the great sportsmanship that both teams displayed on the court that night.

No matter what courts may rule, as long as there are Christians and Christian minded people involved in our schools, people will pray and right will prevail. We will look out for the hurting and lift up those who need our special attention.

Have I said before, that I love small towns and small schools.

Scott

Up!

The original version of this came to my computer via email. I do not know who sat down to think through this, but I appreciate this observation about our American English language. If you appreciate the nuances of language you will enjoy this post on: How do non-natives ever learn all the nuances of American English?

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is "UP." It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends and we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers, and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning, but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets UP the earth. When it doesn't rain for a while, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so ... Time to hush UP, pull my chair UP to my desk, open UP my Bible and study.

But first, you might want to recall when the disciples witnessed Jesus' ascension into heaven - "And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (Act 1:9-11 - ESV).

Keep looking UP to God; Send your prayers UP before Him; Keep UP your faithful service; and when He returns you will join UP with Him to be with Him always (1 Thess 4:13-18.)

Where Do You Come From?

Last week, we took a vacation as a family. We traveled to different parts of Kentucky and Tennessee but took an excursion into Southern Ohio to show my wife and son where my dad's family is from. The grave stone above is my great-grandfather Sylvester McCown. We also took a picture of his father's stone. I think the house below belonged to one set of my great-grandparents. My son (age 12) and my cousin's daughter (age 11) thought this trip to see cemeteries was "boring." Both of them kept asking why we wanted to see all these "dead people's graves." We tried to explain the importance of knowing who your ancestors were. Yet, I remember feeling the same way my son did when I was his age and we took vacations in Ohio. I wanted to explore the mountains, hills, old barns, the Ohio River banks, etc. Riding for an hour or so going from graveyard to graveyard was not fun then.

Now that I am in my 40's there is a desire to know more about these people. Seeing their tombstones, and some of their former homes brought up the following questions in my mind: What were they like? What did they do? How did they survive? When the first of them ventured into Ohio and West Virginia that area was frontier land. Some literally had to push back the wilderness so they could settle.

There was also a great reminder in viewing homes and graves. I began to consider my own humanity and my own "appointment" with death (Heb 9:27). The last of my great-grandparents died in 1967 the year I was born. I am fortunate to have one grandparent still living. People who live eventually die. Am I ready? Are you ready? When I am no longer here, and my descendants visit my grave, what will they know about me? What legacy will I leave them? Sylvester was a hard-working timber man, his son (my grandfather) Herbert worked the locks and barges on the Ohio River. Will my grandchildren, great-grandchildren know me as an honest worker, will they know my passion for the Lord?

I think I will take a moment today and pray for the generations that will follow me, starting with my son (and your children / grandchildren). I ask you to do the same.

Scott

Who Cares?

Depression hurts. Currently in the US pharmaceutical companies are running advertisements for different medications for the treatment of depression. When one suffers from any level of depression they need encouragement. They need to know someone cares. Even if you are simply feeling "down" or "blue" you need reassurance that someone cares. If you have your moments of self-doubt or if you ever feel alone know the following:

1. Your real friends care - Prov 27:9, "Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel."

2. Your family cares - Matt 7:9-10, "Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?"

3. The Creator cares - Rom 8:31-32, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"

4. The Savior cares - John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

BTW -- I care too, even if I do not know you personally. I daily pray for you as a reader of this blog.

Scott

If Ever You're in Trouble

Growing up atttending Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, as well as attending a small private Christian school songs about God, Jesus, Church, and daily Christian living were very commom. Maybe you remember this one.

It isn't any trouble just to S-M-I-L-E,

It isn't any trouble just to S-M-I-L-E.

If ever you're in trouble,

It will vanish like a bubble;

If you only take the trouble,

Just to S-M-I-L-E. :-)

A second verse went this way:

It isn't any trouble just to P-R-A-Y-pray . . .

Prayer is a wonderful priviledge that we have as Children of God. The Hebrew writer says, "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:14-16 - ESV).

Because of our relationship with the Father through Jesus the Christ we can confindently draw near to God's throne in prayer when we are in trouble. We need no man to stand between us and God other than the man Jesus the Christ.

I do not recall where I first saw the following accrostic of pray; but I wanted to share it with you as I add a few thoughts of my own.

P= Prepare time with God - Do you remember Daniel? Even when he was fully aware of the king's ordinance regarding prayer, Daniel made a praying a regular part of his day. He pre-determined to set aside prepared time with God. Jesus, God in the flesh, was no differening. We read in Mark's account of the gospel, "And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." (Mar 1:35). Jesus seemed to make this a regular part of His ministry. Setting aside time to pray. What does that suggest to us? We should make preparations to pray every day.

R= Request of God with Faith - Paul says, " . . . do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Php 4:6). James echoes, ". . . You do not have because you do not ask." (Jas 4:2). Although God knows what we need before we ask, He also desires us to realize our need and to recognize our dependence upon Him. He is still able to do more than we can ask or imagine (Eph 3:21), we just do not ask enough. We must ask though in faith that He knows more about our true needs than we do. (I'll save this for another post, but realize that "yes" is not the only answer to prayer.)

A= Attribute goodness to God - James reminds us that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (Jas 1:17). Take time to count your blessings of life, or health, of family, of friends, of you name it. God is the giver of good. Especially the good that comes from being "in Christ." Take time to read Ephesians 1:3ff concerning our spiritual blessings that are only when we are in Christ.

Y= Yeild to God's sovreignty - Again I refer to James who says, "Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." (Jas 4:15). If the Lord wills . . . I do not hold the pure Calvanistic doctrine that all of life is predermined by God -- even the bad. What James is teaching is not to boast of our own accomplishments and plans. James is reminding us that God is sovreign over all creation. He rules and the world continues because of His steadfast, never ending, merciful love (cf. Lamentations 3:22). We can make plans, we can pray for success, but realize the world is on God's timetable not ours. This also implies that we trust God's answer to always be the right answer, even when He says no.

Take time right now to PRAY.