Lessons for Living

Thank You!

You’re not entitled, so be thankful!

Who has encouraged you throughout your life?

Be grateful to each and every person who has said things to you that have given you the inner strength to do what you might not have done without that encouragement.

There are projects and courses of action that we might not have followed through on. We might have been ready to give up. We were feeling discouraged. We might have thought that we were wasting our time and effort. We might not have realized that we had the necessary skills, talents and intelligence. Someone believed in our abilities. Someone was willing to tell us that we should continue going further. Be grateful for what those people have done for you.

There’s too much ungratefulness goin’ on out there.

Because there’s too much unthankfulness goin’ on in here.

So develop a thankful heart.

Building With Sand

I would like to see some sand sculptures like the ones photographed on July 12 at Weston-Super-Mare (Somerset, England) beach. On that beach “the sand has the right consistency for perfect sculpting.”

In the first image is a North American sand sculpture — consisting of totem poles, bears, a hockey player, fir trees and buildings sculpted by Jill and Thomas from Florida.

North American sand sculpture

Next check out this lion and “Sand Rover” (built by I don’t know who).

Another sand sculpture

Aren’t those amazing?! And neat?! Those folks are quite the artists!

But doesn’t it seem kinda dumb to invest that kind of time and talent and effort into something as short-lasting as a monument of sand?

Jesus warned against building on sand. These folks build with sand on sand.

There are good life lessons in that, no?

“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand” (Matthew 7:26).

On what you building your life?

And with what are you building?

Matthew 16

Here is part of what I wrote yesterday morning in another of my blogs:

Confessing Jesus as Lord

That’s the title of today’s Sunday School lesson (at least in Christian Light Publication’s quarterlies).

Here are some of my miscellaneous thoughts on the passage this morning.

“…Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (17).

What I correctly discern in the Scriptures does not come from my own brain, mind, or thumb. God alone can show His ways to me. (Important note: He frequently uses other people in that process!)

“…The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (18).

God intends the Church to be triumphant! But not merely in a defensive way (”We held off another attack from the enemy.”) but also in a take-the-initiative way (”We took the battle to the enemy and won!”).

Though my family isn’t the Church, it is part of it. Somehow, that thought in the context of this verse gave me assurance and hope this morning.

“…Thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (23).

Just that quickly, Peter went from correct discernment to flawed discernment. Let that be a lesson to me!

Another lesson: Is my appetite set for the things of God or the things of me(n)? Let me learn to taste and savor the things of God!

There’s more, but that’s enough for here.

EMP (Then) and Famine (Now)

Two stories for your weekend consideration:

A report from the federal Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack has painted a bleak picture for America under such attack: Electricity grids down, uncontrolled fires from exploding gas transport systems, no communication to summon firefighters and if they could come, no water to battle fires. All in city after city after city.

The 200-page report says Americans should look to past incidents, then multiply those impacts by the number of cities that could be hit by such an attack. For example:

To read the rest: Surviving EMP to depend on preparation.

That’s the future and that’s the theoretical. How about a look at the present?

Africa food crisis worsens

“It is actually getting worse.” That’s Jacob Kramer with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee talking about the global food crisis.

The crisis is hitting east Africa particularly hard. War, drought and poverty have put an estimated 9 to 13 million people in the region in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Kramer says Ethiopia is just one example. “In Ethiopia, the people depending on food aid has increased from 2.2 to about 4.5 million people, and those are staggering numbers.”

Kramer says a number of factors are to blame for the crisis. “The missed planting season in the Rift Vally in Kenya because of the political difficulties and flooding in Uganda–this, combined with higher food prices on the world market which make food prices out of reach for a lot of people.”

In Somalia, the cost of imported rice increased by up to 350% between the beginning of 2007 and May 2008. In areas of Ethiopia, the price of wheat has more than doubled over a six-month period, and food prices are expected to remain high until the next harvest in October. According to reports, the cost of food has increased 500-percent in some places. Some families have started eating animal food just to survive. Kramer says many poor families are now going from two meals a day, to just one meal a day, if that.

Target: Samir Kuntar

Samir Kuntar

Sure, this fellow is a target of various Israeli forces.

But I have him in mind as a prayer target.

Is this the kind of person Christians should pray for?

Kuntar was serving multiple life sentences in an Israeli prison for murdering three Israelis, including smashing to death a 4-year-old girl with the butt of his rifle.

Among his yet-living victims who make good prayer targets: the mother to the above girl.

Smadar Haran Kaiser

As I lay there, I remembered my mother telling me how she had hidden from the Nazis during the Holocaust. "This is just like what happened to my mother," I thought.

Cancer chief sees cell phone risks

Look, I know I keep bringing up this subject. If you get tired of it, just skip over it this time.

Cancer chief sees cell phone risks

The director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Cancer Centers plans to issue an advisory to about 3,000 faculty and staff today about the possible health risks associated with cellular phone use.

"Recently I have become aware of the growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including cancer," Dr. Ronald Herberman said in the memorandum. "Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use."

The advisory suggests certain measures to limit exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted by the devices, such as shortening the length of conversations or keeping the phones away from the head by text messaging or using headsets or speaker phone options. It also recommends that children not use cell phones except in emergencies.

A child's developing organs "are the most likely to be sensitive to any possible effects of exposure," according to the document.
Above all, love God!