This girl could preach the sermon every week and I'd be happy :)

The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church

Happy Sabbath

Happy Sabbath

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every week.

"I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting their time. "

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the e ditor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

" When you are DOWN to nothing...... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!"

From an e-mail forward from my dad

"In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble puposes and some for ignoble.  If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."

2 Timothy 2:20,21

...become the kind of container that God can use to serve his guests in the house of the Lord...

Of all people, Ben Stein

These are a few quotes from an e-mail that my dad forwarded me a while back.  It's not the entire e-mail, just the parts that I thought said the most.

"The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?' "

Matthew 1:25

"But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.  And he gave him the name Jesus."

Merry Christmas!

Matthew 1:24

"When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife."

Ah, sweet marital bliss :)

Matthew 1:23

" 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' -- which means, 'God with us'."

Don't you think that is one of the most beautiful verses in the bible?  I love it.

I'm sorry if you noticed the unfinished version of this post.  My week has been just a wreck and somehow in the midst I let it slip to type in the verse today.  I won't get into it, but I'll just say, this week I scratched my car, tore up a screen door on our house, hurt my knee when I stepped (unexpectantly) directly off a ledge, locked my mom and I out of the house during a snow storm, and...goodness, I really truly could go on.  But let's just say...sometimes I can be a disaster, but I'm glad my family loves me regardless!

Matthew 1:22

"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:"


(what a cliffhanger, eh?)

Matthew 1:21

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

My bible says that the name Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, meaning "The Lord saves."

People used to really think about the meaning of what they named their child, rather than just what sounds good with their last name.  And what the kids at school will have the most trouble turning into an insulting name. 

I've often wondered if our names actually do have a part in shaping what we become.  Have you ever thought of this?  And do you think there is any validity to it?

Matthew 1:20

"But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit'."

(barely got this one in today!)

Matthew 1:19

"Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly."

Matthew 1:18

"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit."

Well, this verse just sums it all up, doesn't it?  Haha, I like the matter-of-factness of this verse. 

As you may have noticed, I did not get this verse out in the A.M. like I have been doing so well up until now.  I'm just...tired.  I think tired might just be my middle name.  Which is unfortunate if it is true, but at least I don't have to wake up before the sunshine tomorrow!  I know, I'm totally off topic.

Happy Sabbath!

Matthew 1:17

"Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon and fourteen from the exile to the Christ."


Can you believe that?  42 generations.  42 generations in just 16 days.  Didn't seem like that many, did it?  I'm really bummed that I wasn't able to type up some more for yesterdays post, and I'm almost as bummed that I don't have the time to type up anything more for this one.  I should be alot better after today.  Hopefully the work stress will calm down a little and I can breathe and sleep and think.  Haha.  Until then, I hope you still are enjoying the verses, even if they are just one simple verse day to day!

Matthew 1:16

"And Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ."

Matthew 1:15

"Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,"


Because family trees can sometimes be a little monotonous, let's add a little christmas spirit to the mix.

Here are (in no particular order), my 10 favorite Christmas movies!
----------------------


The Christmas Toy

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Elf

Frosty the Snowman

Funny Farm

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Love Actually

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Prancer

The Grinch

What are your favorites?

Matthew 1:13

"Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor,"

Matthew 1:12

"After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,"

Matthew 1:11

"and Josiah the father of Jeconiah [aka Jehoiachin] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon."

Josiah, what an awesome little nugget he was!  Only 8 years old when he became king.  Let me think, when I was 8...I was homeschooled and living in Missourri.  I spent my days playing with barbies, animals, making mud pies and fighting with my brother.  Yup, don't think I was ready to rule a nation quite yet.

Josiah (a bit older at this point) decided to renovate the temple of the Lord, make it nice again after Manasseh's reign.  He took money from the temple of the Lord and gave it to the workers.  He said that he didn't need to "account for the money entrusted to them, because they are acting faithfully."

While this went on, Hilkiah, the high priest, told Josiah's secretary that the Book of the Law had been found in the temple of the Lord.  (boy, that place must have been a complete mess if even that was lost).  Shaphan, Josiah's secretary brought it to Josiah and started reading from it.  Josiah immediately tore his robes (this is a good sign that something didn't settle right with him at this point).  He was furious that his forefathers had neglected to obey this important book. 

The Lord gave word through a prophet that he will destroy this place and all of its people, but because Josiah was obviously not a supporter of such sin, he would be spared.  He would be able to die in peace and "you're eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place."

I so so so wish I had the time to write the rest of this story, but again I will have to leave it up to you if you are interested.  The story continues in 2 Kings 23.

Have a great Friday!!

Matthew 1:10

"Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,"

Manasseh.  Became king at 12 years old.  Not a good seed.

Let's just bullet point this and make all our lives easier.

• Rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah had destroyed. 
  I looked up 'high places' in my concordance appendix and I found this interesting:
  The high places are places of idolatrous worship and child sacrifices.
  They were built by --> Solomon, Jeroboam, Jehoram, Ahaz, Manasseh, people of Judah, Israil and the Sepharvites
  They were destroyed by --> Asa, Jehosaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah
  
• Built altars to Baal (the most popular false god with the Canaanites)
• Made an Asherah pole (a sacred tree or pole that stood near shrines to honor the mother-goddess Asherah, per Wikipedia)
• Bowed down to and worshiped the starry hosts
• Built altars to all the starry hosts in the temple of the Lord
• Sacrificed his own son in a fire
• Practiced sorcery (defintion via merriam-webster dictionary: the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits)
• Practiced divination (definition: the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers)
• Practiced witchcraft (definition: the use of sorcery or magic; communication with the devil)
• Consulted mediums and spiritists
• Shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem end to end with that blood

Can you just imagine what God was thinking?  I just picture him shaking His head, almost in disbelief (ignore the fact that He already knew it would happen, haha).  But I do like when he says, "I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down."

It saddens me that he is in Jesus's family tree because I wouldn't wish that great great... grandfather on anyone.  But yet it is a little inspiring to.  If Jesus came from those bloodlines, then it gives hope to those who feel like they can't overcome their family's shortcomings.  And it also makes Jesus more human, because even though I know he was full human, it's just hard to believe sometimes.  I mean, I'm human, and sometimes, if I compare myself to what Jesus was... I just suck!

I'm very thankful for patience and understanding and love and grace and all of these wonderful gifts that God gives to us, ALL THE TIME!