Flight Paths

 On June 22, 1953, a newsboy in Brooklyn named Jimmy Bozart, dropped a nickel from the money he had made selling newspapers.  It broke in two which exposed the fact that the nickel was hollow.  Inside sat a tiny piece of microfilm.  I am assuming he contacted an authority of some sort because it eventually wound up in the hands of the FBI.  On the microfilm they found a coded numeric message containing 207 sets of five digit numbers. ”Mental Floss” tells me the case foundered after that.  Evidently there was no way to know who had paid for his paper with the hollow nickel, though everyone assumed it was a mistake. 

 Finally in May 1957, a Soviet KGB agent named Reino Hayhanen defected and provided the cipher key.  He also identified his “handler” (case manager/recruiter), Colonel Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, known by the alias “Mark”. He was arrested on June 21, 1957, and served four years of a 45 year sentence before being traded back to the Soviets in exchange for Francis Gary Powers, an American U2 pilot in1962.

 There was a time when spies were all the rage.  John LeCarre made a mint writing books about espionage.  Sean Connery and his subsequent brethren made the English spy James Bond come to life in film.  Even television went the route of shows about spies.  In the sixties and seventies we had Mission: Impossible, The Avengers, I Spy, The Man from UNCLE, and Secret Agent, the latter introduced with a song by the same name sung by Johnny Rivers.  We even had a comedic spoof of the genre in Get Smart and a Western version in the Wild, Wild West.

 Even the Bible has a few spies in it, though they had a decidedly different mission.  God’s spies were all about going to look and find out.  In Numbers 13 Moses sent 12 spies, one from each tribe, “to spy out the land.”  For forty days they traveled up and down the Promised Land and brought back the report of a beautiful and fruitful land.  But, they also brought back the report of a people who were large and strong and cities well fortified, and they lacked the faith to encourage the people to take it.

 Then, forty years later, we have the two spies who went into the city of Jericho.  Joshua charged them to “go view the land, especially Jericho” (Josh 2:1).  In both of these cases, God wanted the people to see the wealth and beauty of the land He had promised them, to become excited about taking that land and living there.  That was the result in only the second case.

 We have a Promised Land” in our future too, a city “whose builder and maker is God” (Heb 11:10).  God won’t be sending us there to “spy out the land” but He has certainly given us glimpses of that place in a life full of blessings sent because of His grace and mercy.

 We experience a little piece of Heaven when our marriages match His plan—when the two halves of His image become one.

 We see a piece of Heaven in a family that lives according to His plan, a home full of laughter and love.

  We have a view of Heaven in a garden that occasionally produces far more than the hundredfold one might expect, and feeds us with healthy and nourishing food.  We see it in a riot of color as the flowers bloom so much that they bend and nearly break the boughs they cover.  In those things we see the Garden we left and the one to which we hope to return.

  We get a little peek into Heaven in a church full of brothers and sisters who get along with one another, “each counting the other as better than himself.” 

 We hear a bit of Heaven when our brothers and sisters sing praises to God, not with a man-made instrument, but with the one God made, the one He most wants to hear, our voices blending in a harmony that matches the sincerity of our hearts and the harmony of our thoughts and goals.

 All these things and more give us just a small taste of what Heaven will be like, but only if they match God’s perfect design for them all.  Keep your eyes open to “spy out the land” God has in store for us, and encourage yourself to get there, not by your own might, but with the help and grace of the God who keeps it in store for us.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever Psalm 23:6

Dene Ward

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name…

Most of the people I know begin their prayers addressing God as Father.  If you think about what you pray, that word “Father” should color your whole life.  To a Jew the father was the authority figure in the home.  His word was law, and the family obeyed.

For I have chosen [Abraham], that he may command his children and his household after him…Gen 18:19.

He said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law, Deut 32:46.

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the  discipline and instruction of the Lord, Eph 6:4.

One who manages his own household competently, having his children under control with all dignity, 1Tim 3:4.

Yes, a father is more than an authority figure, but these passages show us that is an important part of his role.  This is what bothers me:  our culture is doing its best to remove that part of the job from the father.  How many strong fathers do you see depicted on television?  Most of them, if any, are on the classic channels or old movies.  Today’s TV father is hardly more than an incompetent buffoon.

Understanding authority is basic to understanding submission, a hallmark of discipleship.  Even more important, understanding authority means you will be less likely to err in your relationship with God.  God meant that the father in the family be one way the children were to learn about that Ultimate Authority.  Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you, Deut 8:5.  Fathers, when you do not live up to the role God has put you in, acting as the authority figure who must be obeyed, who controls and disciplines, who raises up his children, you are responsible for any misunderstanding your child may have about what he can get away with in his relationship to God.

When you tell him to do something and then do not punish him for disobeying you, you are telling him he can get away with disobeying God.

When you allow her to wrap you around her finger and get whatever she wants, you are teaching her that God will let her do it her way too, even if it isn’t His way.

When you allow them to sass you, to talk back or otherwise disrespect you, you are telling them it’s just fine to treat God that way.

When your children get older, they will disregard plain commands in the Bible.  They will say things like, “But God wouldn’t mind if I…”  They will believe they can finagle their way out of Hell on Judgment Day because they finagled their way out of any orders you gave them, or because you were too weak to make a stand, or because you were afraid they wouldn’t love you, or any number of other excuses you might make. 

They can blame it all on you and what you taught them about a Father’s role, and they will be right, but it won’t help either of you in the end.

Maybe it even says a little bit about how YOU perceive your Father in Heaven.

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it, Heb 12:7-11.

Dene Ward

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel! Ps 128.

Nearly every commentator believes the Psalms of Ascents (120-134) were psalms sung by families as they made their way up the hill (ascending) to Jerusalem to worship on the feast days, especially the agricultural feast days of Passover, Tabernacles, and Weeks.  As such you see in your mind’s eye the extended family of parents, children, grandparents, and perhaps maiden aunts or other singles stepping out to the tune of these psalms, year after year, a tradition kept by every generation.  This particular psalm is a picture of the life that family leads the rest of the year, another routine that some might even consider dull but which God calls blessed.

The father works, but the implication is not one of a career-minded workaholic.  This man labors for his family, to provide those meals they meet around the table to eat together and the sacrifices they are able to make on their annual pilgrimages. 

The mother is “a fruitful vine within the house.”  That does not mean she never steps outside the door—it means she, too, is family-oriented.  Like the ideal woman of Proverbs 31, caring for her family may force her to leave the home occasionally, but she is the direct opposite of that other woman in Proverbs:  She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait, Prov 7:11-12.

This blessed family meets at the table every evening and has their meal together.  And several times a year they make that journey to Jerusalem, to God’s Temple, to the assembled worship prescribed by the Law.  When I think about this family, I think of my childhood.  Every Sunday we had a routine.  We rose, ate breakfast together, and then dressed to go meet with the saints.  No one ever asked where we would be or what we would do on Sunday.  We all knew exactly where we would be and what we would be doing.

When I raised my family, the same thing happened.  Maybe the routine was a little different, but it was a routine.  My boys never had to ask what or where.  They knew.

And now I watch my son and his family doing the same thing.  It may be a different routine, but it leads them to the same place—a meeting with the people of God.

A lot of people think that routine is useless, that since it is so much routine it no longer has any meaning.  But consider this for one minute.  What if we had to do this in secret?  What if the church had been bankrupted because of its beliefs, its leaders fined or even jailed, and our only recourse was to go “underground?”  This country is fast moving in that direction.  These things may not happen in our lifetimes, but our children or grandchildren will almost certainly face them.  I know God has a plan, but His plans have not always meant that none of His people suffered or even died.

What you look at with disdain today may sometime in the future be a distant memory of how well we had it.  Of families that could meet every Sunday in a place they had pooled their resources to buy, with a sign on the side of the road that proclaimed who we are and what we were doing:  Christians meet here.

Suddenly, the routine you consider boring and unmeaningful will be the thing you wish you had appreciated far more when you had it.  Think about that and appreciate it like you ought to today.

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem— built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good, Psalm 122

Dene Ward

 At the beginning of my piano teaching career, I taught mainly beginners.  After a few years those beginners had either advanced or decided to spend their time elsewhere, and I had replaced them with more beginners.  By the time I had been teaching for twenty years I had students who covered the spectrum—very young beginners, middle schoolers who were competent and growing more so by the month, and then some advanced students who had begun studying concerti and the solo masterworks of Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and others.

 The practice assignments for each group was different and the difference had little to do with the amount of time they practiced.  For very young beginners simply getting them to play a piece again and again taught them hand-eye coordination and the basics of music reading.  If I could get them to play each of their three or four 8 bar pieces four or five times a day, I knew it would be perfect when they came back the next week and they would be ready to add a new note or two on the staff and new keys on the piano.  In addition, the practice offered its own reward as they gained proficiency and what had taken them 20 minutes the first day took only 10 by the end of the week.  For middle schoolers the trick was to get them to just sit there and play for a certain amount of time.  I gave them a section or page of a piece and calculated how long it would take for them to play it through once and then multiplied the minutes into a time frame I was certain would give them enough repetitions to gain the proficiency to move on.

 Now we get to the advanced students.  At this level they were expected to not only perform more difficult pieces but to interpret them.  How do you assign practice with that?  I gave them a chart made of squares, one square for each piece, each day.  I told them that time was not the issue, and playing it a certain number of times didn't matter either if they just kept playing it the same way again and again.  The point now was to become an artist, to decide what you wanted the audience to feel when you played the piece and how you would go about doing that.  They were to put an objective in the square by the piece they were working on and write in it what they intended to accomplish, then work until they had accomplished that goal.  At first it might be "Play the Rondo section without error."  After all, if you kept making the same mistakes you would never reach the point of interpretation.  Once you accomplished the "easy" objectives, you were to move on to something deeper.  "Figure out which hand is the melody and make the accompanying hand sound like it is in another room so it won't drown out the melody."  "Find the focus of each phrase and make the music move to and away from that focus."  "Decide on and create a mood that you wish to project with this piece."  Now we are becoming pianists, artists instead of simply piano players.  That kind of practice keeps you working on the same piece for several months—without getting bored.

 I thought of all that when I heard Keith give a young man some prayer advice he has given others for years.  If you really want to learn to pray like the men in the Bible—like Jesus and Paul and the apostles, like Daniel and the other prophets who prayed long and hard—get yourself a cheap kitchen timer.  Set it for 15 minutes.  Then start praying.  Do you know what will happen?  At first you will pray the way you normally do, about the same things you normally pray about.  You will repeat phrases you have heard at church, some of them all your life because you are desperate to fill up the time.  When you completely run out of things to say, you will look at the timer and find out it has been a walloping 5 minutes—if you're lucky.  It might just be two or three.  But don't stop.  Now you will find out what it really means to pray as you open your heart and really start talking to God, telling Him things you only tell your best friend, if that.  You will examine yourself far more closely and see where you need to change. You will ask for God's help and really mean it.  You might even cry, and your determination to be better will sweep over you like a tidal wave.  And when that timer goes off, you might just ignore it and keep going.  The purpose of the timer was to help you reach that point.  You might not need it again, but if you do, use it.

 Do you know how I know all this?  Because that is the way it worked for me.  Try it yourself.  Your prayer life will suddenly become a means of survival, something you cannot live without, instead of a pesky chore you save till the end of the day and often forget.  Guess which one God is happier with?

O Jehovah, the God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you. Let my prayer enter into your presence; Incline your ear unto my cry Ps88:1,2

Dene Ward

Seems like every August one of the morning network shows will have a spot on what to do with all those tomatoes.  Unfortunately, those shows usually air from New York City where they seem to think that everyone thinks like they do and lives like they do, and that even the weather follows suit.  New York City must be the center of the universe. 

Down here in Florida our tomatoes are 1 to 2 months gone by the time those shows air, depending upon the year.  We eat and give away those perfectly formed, unblemished firstfruits from the last week of May till halfway through June.  Then I spend a week canning tomatoes with the plum varieties, and a few days on specialty items like salsa and tomato jam.  Another week using up the end of the year uglies on sauce, and that’s that.  It’s a rare year that I have tomatoes after the Fourth of July.

And guess what?  In the south part of this long state, things are different still.  Tomato season Is different for every location and climate.

It’s like that for Christians too.  Not only do different spiritual ages have differing levels of understanding, but even different locations fight different battles.  A long time ago, we moved north.  Talk about culture shock.  Not only did I see my first snow, we had to fight heresies that had been fought down south ten years earlier.  You can see those things happen in the New Testament too, as trouble travels from city to city. 

We can also discover exactly how patient—or impatient—we are with our brothers and sisters.  I forget how long it took me to reach this point but expect it of them in a few short weeks.  I become annoyed with their failures and with their lack of understanding.  Somehow I expect them to leapfrog a few decades and catch up.

That is not how it works, and we must make allowances.  It may mean we are more careful in our decision making, and it may mean we give up our liberties.  It’s one thing to be held hostage by the views of the stubborn who claim they are “offended;” it’s quite another to trample on the fragile souls of those new in the faith, who are still grappling with the baggage they have not quite left behind. 

And let us not deter, or even discourage completely, their salvation with some manmade list of things they should know before we accept them into our congregations.  Smacks a little of catechism class, doesn’t it?  Just how much do you think that Philippian jailor knew when Paul baptized him “in the same hour of the night?”  Enough to understand his need for a Savior and how to contact that redeeming blood.  He had a lifetime to learn the rest.

Tomato season for me is not tomato season for you, and my Christian age is not the same as yours.  If you expect a green tomato to taste like one that has been vine-ripened in a home garden, you are not as wise as you think you are.

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me,  Rom 15:1-3.

Dene Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

I don't like change.  Mom says I've been that way since I was a baby.  I liked the same books read, the same routines, the same songs sung; I found comfort in the normal.  That continued as I grew up.  I had opportunities to move to nicer apartments when I lived in Gainesville as my career moved forward, but I was comfortable where I was.  Honestly, a big reason I never married is because that would be too big a change.  It is not commitment that is scary, it is change.  When Mom and Dad moved from the home I grew up in, that they lived in for nearly 40 years, to a newer, better, bigger home nearer to their grand-kids and to medical care and with other benefits to them as well, it really shook me.  This big, tough man who won't admit when he is hurt or sick, riding a bike twelve miles with a fever or swimming with a shoulder so bad I can't lift my arm, this guy sat down and cried for over an hour.  In some ways, I still haven't forgiven them for leaving home, despite being happy for them for all the ways the new place is better.  I don't like change. 

This extends, of course, to church services and practices.  I have always preferred the two songs, prayer, song, Lord's Supper, song, sermon, song order of worship, twice on Sundays with Bible class beforehand in the morning.  Then the church I grew up in changed its service order.  Two worship services back to back in the morning, with Bible class crunched between and the services were ordered differently to boot.  No evening worship.  There is nothing scripturally wrong with such a thing.  The elders believed it would better serve the majority of the members.  I didn't like it; it was different.  Now my brother's family and my parents worship at a congregation that has a mid-afternoon service with none in the morning or evening.  Heresy!  And yet it is not, it is just different. (And I don't like it.)

All of this leads to 1 Cor. 9:19-22  "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some."  When Paul mentions Jews and then those under the Law he is speaking of the same group, but it is best understood as cultural and religious.  When with Jews, Paul followed typical Jewish protocol and went through the motions of keeping the Mosaic Law. In Acts 21:18-26, Paul participates in offering a sacrifice at the Temple to placate Jewish Christians.  This is the same Paul who wrote in Galatians 5:4  "You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace."  But remember "not being myself under the law".  Paul never tried to be justified by the Law, but if he could reach more by going through the motions, he did. 

Then Paul discusses life among the Gentiles, "those outside the law".  Paul, who declared himself a Hebrew of Hebrews and a Pharisee (Phil. 3:5), would live as a Gentile.  He ate things sacrificed to idols (1 Cor. 10:27) in the homes of Gentiles, which Peter said was against Jewish law (Acts 10:28)  Do you think he kept the Sabbath while teaching in the school of Tyrannus?  There is no way to know for sure, but since he was teaching Gentiles in the school building of a Gentile I doubt it, especially in the light of 1 Cor. 9.  Can you imagine how hard this would have been for Paul?  Being raised to look down upon and scorn Gentiles, to keep the Law  above all other considerations except perhaps to keep the traditions of the elders which were held even higher than the law in the mind of some Pharisees.  For that man to live as though without law would have probably hurt, literally, in some psychological fashion.  Yet he lived that way, so he could teach more about Christ.  The key here is that he never left the law of Christ.  He gave up the Law of Moses and all Jewish traditions and customs, many of which must have been dear to him, to reach more people.  "That by all means I might save some." 

The Restoration mythos in the United States was "Where the Bible speaks, we speak.  Where the Bible is silent, we are silent."  As a whole what has become known as the Church of Christ is very good at speaking where the Bible speaks.  We teach the truth of the Lord's Gospel well.  What we fail at miserably is being silent where the Bible is silent. If the Bible says nothing at all about a topic, for or against, then we shouldn't be making rules about that topic.  We can have opinions, personal likes and dislikes, but we need to take care not to enforce personal preferences on others (Romans 14:1-10).  Ultimately, if Paul was willing to make himself very uncomfortable to have a better chance at preaching the Gospel to lost souls, shouldn't we be willing to change how-we've-always-done-it to have a better chance at preaching to lost souls?  (1 Cor. 11:1) 

The bottom line is most people you meet everyday are lost souls who will be damned to hell for eternity if we don't teach them the Gospel.  Are we willing to make ourselves uncomfortable to reach those souls?  Go to a religious Christmas party, without participating in erroneous worship, because it opens the door to speak of the Gospel.  Be willing to sing newer, more up beat hymns while also teaching why the old standards became old standards.  Be willing to change the order of worship/time of worship/types of services if it helps bring in sinners to hear the Gospel and better edifies the church, all while maintaining an orderly worship (1 Cor. 14:40).  I don't like change, but Jesus died to save these people.  Are we willing to be a little uncomfortable to teach them the Gospel?

 1 Cor. 9:22 ". . . that by all means I might save some."

 Lucas Ward

This is one of our favorite times of the year—the garden is booming and dinner will always be a treat of things we can only enjoy now, when the vegetables are truly “vine-ripened” and the price is perfect—just a lot of sweat.

 One night we will have stuffed bell peppers in a fresh tomato sauce with green beans on the side.  The next we will have eggplant parmigiana with a squash casserole on the side.  Later in the week it will be a country veggie plate of butterbeans, sliced tomatoes, roasted corn, fried okra, and a big wedge of cornbread.  Pasta night will feature a fresh tomato sauce with fresh oregano and feta cheese or a simple cherry tomato sauce with fresh basil.  Then there will be the times we try something new, like today’s grilled eggplant and red onion sandwich on a toasted multi-grain bun with lemon aioli and a big slice of tomato plus pita chips and baba ghanoush (a dip of grilled eggplant and tahini) on the side.  As the rest of the vegetables die off, we will still have the Italian plum tomatoes and enjoy a pizza with homemade crust and homemade tomato sauce, plus a few late season peppers and some Italian sausage.  A few nights later, we will do the same thing, but fold it over and make a calzone out of it with the sauce on the side.  Yes, this is one of our favorite times of the year.

 But now we are seeing that it will have to end sometime in the near future.  Maybe it’s the heat, maybe it’s our age, maybe it’s a combination of the two, but all this good food isn’t worth sacrificing our health for, much less our lives.  Someday soon we will have to buy canned and frozen foods at the store like everyone else instead of using the preserved items we have labored over for three months every year. 

 Which all serves to remind us of what we have lost and why. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” Gen 3:19. 

 We sweat a lot over this garden.  Some days I think it is watered more by us than the rain.  That is as it should be, for sin deserves far worse punishment than that and every one of us has participated in it.  It is by God’s mercy that we plant in the spring when we have a cool breeze and a sun that is not directly over us.  That same mercy grants us a salvation we do not deserve, and the help to make it through a life we have all but ruined from the beginning.  Why should we expect a perfect life now?  Why should we expect that things will always turn out right?  Someone has not been reading the same Bible I have.  It is grace that promises us that there is a perfect place in the future.  Don’t look upon that hope with ingratitude because you cannot have it now.  We have only ourselves to blame.

 But in the midst of the toil, the sweat, the thorns and thistles and weeds, we enjoy a few weeks of some of the best meals in the world—not gourmet feasts, not something concocted by a celebrity chef—but the plain and simple fare that comes straight from the ground and reminds us of the provision God has made “for the just and the unjust,” not because He had to, but because He wanted to.  It also reminds us of the garden we will return to someday, and never have to leave again.  If you don’t have your own garden, head to the farmers’ market this week and remind yourselves that God still loves us.  This is the way it is supposed to be, and it can be again.  It’s up to you whether you get to enjoy it.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many…For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ, Rom 5:12,15,17.

Dene Ward

Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the LORD, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.’” Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is righteous.” When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless, they shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries,.” 2Chr 12:5-8.

 It’s easy, when you find yourself in a trying situation, to make excuses for your behavior; to say, “Woe is me,” and expect everyone to sympathize with you and pat you on the back, not just occasionally or even often, but almost as if it were a daily penance on their part because you have to deal with the difficult and they don’t—at least in your mind.

 “Why is this happening to me?” can become a mantra if you aren’t careful.  Maybe God, in the passage above, answers that question.

 Judah repented when they learned the consequences of their disobedience and God repented their destruction.  But He did not stop their servitude to the king of Egypt.  “This way they will learn how to serve me,” he told the prophet.

 Did you ever think that maybe that “unjust” master (boss) was there to teach you service?  Or that difficult spouse? 

  Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly, 1Pet 2:18-19.

 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct, 1Pet 3:1-2.

 Did you ever think that maybe that obnoxious neighbor or ornery brother in the Lord might be there to teach you patience and forbearance?

 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing, 1Pet 3:9.

 In fact, doesn’t God expect us to use every situation, whether blessing or trial to improve as His servant?  The sufferings we endure are meant to be opportunities for growth, not merit badges on a boastful sash.

 Suffering does not make us exempt to the call to service.  People in all situations of life have been serving God as hard as they can for as long as they can, whether rich or poor, sick or healthy, hungry or full, old or young, even in slavery, for thousands of years.  The place God puts us is the test of our faith.  Will you pass the test? 

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you, 1Pet 5:10.

Dene Ward

You may not be in this blessed situation, but I am confident you know someone who is. Please read through the following written by a godly grandmother and a dear friend of mine. Perhaps you will have occasion to share some of her information with someone who is in pain and feeling lost and alone. Joanne Beckley

------------------

I know parenting my grandchildren is the hardest thing I have ever done! It is harder than raising my own children. I have had to raise my grandchildren with both parents in the home, with just my husband and myself and then with just me and my son. Each phase had challenges. In living through our situations and in talking to others who have had to raise their grandkids, I have learned a few things.

Each situation is different. Pretty basic but true. There isn't going to be a road map. We are living in a time when the number of grandparents raising grandkids is growing. It could be as simple as both parents having to work and needing free daycare, or as complicated as the heartbreak of sin crushing the family, but parents are being called upon to play the role of parents, round two. Satan knows our weaknesses and will have PLENTY of opportunities to test our faith no matter what the situation. Remember, whatever we are called upon to do, God will be with us IF we put Him first with any situation we are presented, and if the solution is based on the principles of God's word.

The first step is to PRAY! If you find yourself raising grandkids you need to pray often and pray specifically. Talking to God allows you to be honest and put order to your situation. If the home has been torn apart by sin there may be things happening behind the doors of your home you don't want to share with others, but God not only can carry the burden,  He wants to. Let your grandkids see you in quiet, personal prayer and let them hear you pray. Let them know you are praying for them and their situation and for strength from God to do good toward EVERYONE involved. (Not always easy when sin is involved, but possible, plus right doesn't always equal easy.)

REST... This is certainly harder than it seems. You are approximately twice the age you were when your kids were the age of your grandkids! You are probably under stress. You have other stresses in your life than you did when raising your children. Sometimes rest is more of a nightmare than a pleasure. But whether you have the children part of the day or they live in your home, you need REST. Simplify other areas of your life as you can. Find outside help if it is available. I know it is easier to write this than it is to actually get the rest.

What you can OFFER... As I said before, each situation is different. Are the children babies, toddlers, school age? Why are they in your home? Is it permanent or temporary? What kind of stability are they coming from? Remember, no matter what the situation you have something to offer them–GOD. Teach, teach, teach. Let the children know GOD LOVES THEM. Let them know the security and love you have for them comes from a source that is overflowing with love. All children need to know and feel God's love for them but children who are outside the family structure God created have a greater need to fill. If their parents are in and out of their lives, the children can carry a misplaced burden of responsibility and feel less than secure. It has become your job to fill their bucket but to also let them know God is the source of all love.

Structure... It is up to you to give structure and routine to their lives. This includes day-to-day but also includes preparing them for changes. If you have been made a guardian or if one parent has custody, there may be visitation. If courts are involved, there may be visits by governmental agencies. If sin is involved that includes illegal activity, it may even mean visitation to jails or prisons. Each one of these and more presents challenges of explaining the situation to the child, making sure the child understands it is NOT their fault, and dealing with the emotional stresses the child is going to have. Children hurt, are embarrassed, or as one 4 year old said, "I just want my old life back!" They are dealing with adult situations and don't have the wisdom and knowledge to order their emotions. DO NOT, however, let the situation rule - don't let the situation take the blame for bad behavior. Use the time you have to talk about why the child is with you and that CHOICES were made by their parents (without laying blame) and their choices have consequences. Good choices - good consequences, bad choices – bad consequences. Choices affect those around us in good and bad ways.

Attitude... One of the hardest parts of raising the grandchildren in my situation is MY attitude. Much of my prayer life is in trying to adjust my attitude. I slide in and out of emotions: anger at the situation, guilt that I didn't do a better job with my children and that's why I'm where I am today, embarrassment at the choices that created the situation in the first place, anger that I don't get to spend my time as I would like, worry I'm doing the right thing or in some situations whether the kids are safe, frustration toward various and sundry, etc. The apostle Paul called on us to be content but when we are doing what we know is the God given role of another we struggle with how and why we are to do it. Satan is a master of twisting our emotions and wasting our energy on emotions rather than solutions. It's not that we aren't to have emotions, just don't let them paralyze you, but instead, spur you to prayerful, godly action.

If you have one parent (or both) living with you, make THEM responsible for the decisions involving the children. It is easy to answer by default but it is not right. You may be a caregiver but you are not the parent. It is the parents’ decision as to whether or not the child gets the flu shot, goes to a sleepover, takes a class, participates in an activity - not yours. They should consult you if it involves you, but the decision is theirs and the responsibility is theirs to pay for, transport them to, or do what ever is required to fulfill that decision. Make them responsible for the care of the children and the belongings of the children. Yes, they may work all day but if they didn't live with you, how much more would they be called on to do. Allowing them the opportunity to succeed and fail is a gift you give them. You are saying to your child, "I see you as an adult and believe in you and your abilities. I know you will succeed and fail and in both you will learn and grow to be a better person and a better parent." If you have the children living in your home, keep pictures of their parents in their room. Don't talk about the family, legal, or medical situations in front of them. Avoid saying anything against either parent in front of the children. At the same time don't feel you have to "create" good parents for the child. Their parents are who they are. They probably have both good and bad traits. We all do. Creating a totally good parent by not discussing bad behavior gives the child a false picture as does focusing only on bad traits.

Be honest in conversations. One hard thing for me is to keep your business, your business. Family and friends mean well but not all of them want to know everything. Most of the time if they ask how things are going they just want to know degrees--good, better, best-- not details. That being said, have a friend you can bare your soul to. Let children know they can talk to you but don't try and force conversations. Often at bed time when lights are out kids will open up with questions and comments. Try to keep time open in the evening to sit with the children as they go to bed and listen to them. 

I don't know if these are helpful. They are what I have learned and observed. I am sure there are a thousand more things that could be said, but basically it is just be godly, be there for the children involved and for the parents, and be open to God to lead you through.

Courtesy of Joanne Beckley

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, Matt 6:10.

 All my life I have thought of this in a passive sense.  I pray for something, just as the Lord did in Matt 26:39, 42, and then add, “But thy will be done,” as if God is the only one who is expected to do His will.  Then suddenly one day I thought, “Doing God’s will is the simple definition for obedience.”  If I am praying for His will to be done, I have an obligation to do that will myself.

 I cannot pray, “Thy will be done” if I look at one of his commands and say, “But God wouldn’t mind if…”  I can’t expect an answer to my prayers if my answer to His will is, “I do well at everything else and this is such a small thing.”  If I do not obey in even one instance I am not doing His will.

 So I did a quick little study.  I may have thought that “God’s will” had more to do with what He does, but I was wrong.  Notice the following.

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven, Matt 7:21.  A lot of people out there go around doing “good deeds,” but if doing God’s will doesn’t come first, it isn’t worth a thing.

  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother, Matt 12:50.  You are not in the Lord’s family if you are finding excuses for your disobedience.

 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work, John 4:34    If you want to follow in his footsteps, doing the Father’s will must become an essential of life, every bit as much as food.

  If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority, John 7:17.  You can’t go around claiming to know and teach about Jesus if you are not obeying the Father.

  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect, Rom 12:2.  The only way to know God’s will is to change your life.

 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, 1Thess 4:3.  You are not doing the Father’s will if you are engaging in sexual sins of any kind.

 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you, 1Thess 5:18. You are not doing God’s will if you are whining and complaining about your station in life, about your trials, about the suffering you must deal with, especially those due to your faith.

   For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised, Heb 10:36.  It isn’t always easy to do the Father’s will and the task is never completed.  One good deed doesn’t mean your work is finished.

 [God will] equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen, Heb 13:21.  No matter how hard it seems, he will see that you have whatever you need to do His will.  If you didn’t manage to do it, it was your fault, not His.

 The next time you end a prayer, “Thy will be done,” remember that you are as much responsible for that as He is.  If you aren’t willing to do His will in every aspect of your life, why should He believe you mean it when you pray?  And why should He do what YOU want, when you won’t do what HE wants?

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God, 1Pet 4:1-2.

Dene Ward