Eleven weeks ago I had surgery on my right thumb.  Well, actually, the surgeon made two incisions—one in my forearm and one where my thumb connects to my wrist.  I never realized that arthritis could get so bad that they would actually take a bone out.  This one is called the trapezium.  "There was severe degenerative arthrosis and sequelae of severe degenerative joint disease as surrounds the trapezium," the report says, and who am I to disagree.  It certainly hurt more and more, and I was unable to use that hand more and more.  I couldn't peel anything; I couldn't button anything; I couldn't open anything, even the non-childproof caps; I couldn't write more than a word or two before the pain became too much to bear; more and more often I dropped what I picked up because it hurt too much to hang on to it.  The rheumatologist had tried everything else and this was the last resort.  A bone was removed and a tendon harvested from the forearm to put in the empty spot where a hole had also been drilled to thread it through and fasten it in.

     So after time in a bandage and splint and more time in a cast, I am back to a splint/brace and doing physical therapy.  I am a pianist and writer who types constantly.  Surely this will be a cinch for my strong hands, I thought.  Oh, if only.  All you need to do is look at my two hands side by side with the brace removed to see what has happened in these past weeks.  My right hand now looks like a skeleton's hand with loose skin draped over it.  The musculature is simply gone.  Touch your thumb to the tip of each finger on the same hand.  Easy, huh?  My affected thumb couldn't even begin to do that, especially not to the little finger, which shook like someone with the palsy.  This also took a toll on the surrounding body parts.  My entire hand and arm were swollen twice their size and I could no longer bend my wrist in any direction at all.  After four weeks in therapy and diligently going through the ten exercises sent home with me twice a day, I am beginning to make some progress—but no one has actually promised that I will get it all back.  Disuse, even if it was necessary while I heal, has done a real number on me, and if I refuse therapy because it hurts, I will never get it back.

     For every one that partakes of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But solid food is for fullgrown men, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil  Heb 5:14.

     Too many of us think that sitting on the pew four hours a week is the same thing as "exercising our senses."  We don't want to do anything we consider "extra."  Well, guess what?  If you are to grow and become stronger and more knowledgeable, you have to work at it every day, not just at your therapy appointment on Sundays.  You can't get away with ignoring God's Word because "who needs to know anything about these obsolete old books anyway?" as one brother said, complaining about a study of the minor prophets.  Just look at what the Hebrew writer tells us we will no longer be able to do if we don't exercise:  we will no longer be able to tell good from evil.  If you cannot see that influence in our society now, your soul is at risk, something far more important than your physical health, because eventually, that same disability will infest the church.  In fact, I have heard some of it already.  Even if you had a great amount of knowledge and ability in the past, disuse will steal it from you just as I have lost my hand and finger dexterity.  If you don't use it, you lose it, a maxim that applies in all things.

     Work hard, today and every day.  You don't want to wind up in a spiritual cast for eternity.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; so that you may approve the things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and void of offence unto the day of Christ  Phil1:10.

Dene Ward

            When our boys were small, on summer days when a soft, warm rain fell, they often asked if they could go outside and play in it.  I was reminded of those sweet days last spring when our grandson Silas did the same thing. 

            He put on his swimming trunks and headed outside, first just running a few steps out, then racing back in under the carport.  Gradually he ran further and further, eventually out to the old water oak stump some thirty feet from the house, stood there a minute hopping up and down, holding his arms out to present the most skin to the sky, and laughing uproariously. 

            He must have gone at it for ten minutes, running back to the carport and excitedly jabbering, “It’s wet!  It’s cold!  It’s fun!” then running back out into the rain even further, eventually to the swing hanging from the live oak limb out past the well.         

            But it was still spring and his little chin began to quiver, and all too soon we had to take him in and dry him off.

            Do you know what started all this?  Pure, unadulterated joy.  He and his little brother had been with us for five days while Mommy and Daddy were out of town, and although we had a great time, when they drove up that afternoon, it was clear who were most important in his young life.  They were back and before long they would take him in his own car seat in his own “blue car” to his own home and his own room where he could sleep in his own bed.  I know the feeling.

            But life may have made me forget that feeling of pure joy. 

            Despite the troubles of life we always have real reason for joy, and God expects us to show it.  David had that joy, and he expressed it before the people of Israel as they brought the Ark of the Covenant to his newly captured capital city. But he was married to someone who didn’t have it, and who did not understand.  She scolded him and received this reply:

            [It was] before Jehovah, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of Jehovah, over Israel: therefore will I play before Jehovah, 2 Sam 6:21.

            .Do you see the word “play?”  David was out there “leaping and dancing before Jehovah.”  That’s how he was playing.  That Hebrew word is found in Job 40:20, “the beasts play in the field.”  You will find it in Prov 8:30 and 31 where it is translated “rejoicing,” and in Job 5:12 where it is “laugh.”  The same attitude that had Silas laughing and playing in the rain had David playing before Jehovah--joy.             

            When was the last time you felt that way about God and your relationship with Him?  I think we are a little like Michal—too embarrassed to act like God means that much to us.  We are too conscious of ourselves and how we look, and far too worried about what other people think.

            If I am too embarrassed to show the Lord how much He means to me, I wonder, on the day He comes to pick us up and take us home, if He might be too embarrassed to act like we mean that much to Him.

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, I Pet 1:8.

When my mother raised us, she always said, “I’m not running a restaurant.  You get what I serve,” and what she served was always fine with me.  I don’t recall a single bad meal.  Even recently I heard a television cook reminisce about coming to dinner as a child and eating what was put in front of her, so my family wasn’t weird, and neither was I when I followed suit as an adult.  It was as much about finances as anything else, but it certainly helped teach a few things, like, you don’t always get what you want in life and be grateful for whatever there is.

            But once in awhile I tried to please everyone as much as possible.  If the main dish was one boy’s favorite, then dessert was the other boy’s favorite.  It was the best of both worlds for them—a favorite entrée and a favorite dessert.

            Recently I have come up with a dessert that has to be the best of both worlds.  I haven’t decided whether to call it a cheesecake brownie or a brownie cheesecake.  It has two layers: a brownie bottom, and a cheesecake top.

            So, if you like chocolate and cheesecake, you can have both in one piece.  If you want chewy and smooth and creamy this is the dessert for you.  If you like chocolate and vanilla, this is even better than Neapolitan ice cream.  It’s even part convenience food and part “from scratch.”  The brownie layer is a mix and the cheesecake layer is all homemade.  A friend told me it’s perfect for her and her husband.  He has celiac disease, so he eats the gluten-free cheesecake layer and she eats the brownie layer.  Like I said, the best of both worlds.

            Now try to convince your neighbors that as a Christian you have the best of both worlds.  All they can see is what you can’t do and how much you sacrifice in time, energy, and types of entertainment.  Especially if all you do is complain about what you can’t do, ruing the messed up weekends, the missed ball games and picnics, what else do you expect?  You are supposed to make your life look like something they will want, not something they will hate.

            So perhaps we should start by convincing ourselves.  We don’t have to go to church; we get to assemble with our spiritual family.  We don’t have to dress differently; we get to look like decent, classy people instead of prostitutes.  We don’t have to give up drinking and smoking and drugs; we get to keep our dignity, breathe clearly, and preserve as many brain cells as possible.  We don’t have to give up revenge and gossip; we get to get along with people and stay out of trouble.  We don’t have to watch our language; we get to look like intelligent people with a real vocabulary.  We don’t have to give up status and money and things; we find our joy wherever we are in any situation—we have learned in whatever circumstances we are “to be content,” Phil 4:12, and contentment equals happiness.

            God does not expect us to be miserable in order to earn Heaven.  Being a Christian is not a horrible life.  It is a life of joy, a life of fulfillment, a life of health, a life of spiritual wealth.  I have more family than any of my neighbors.  One of them was amazed at the food brought during my surgeries, at the women who cleaned my house and the teenagers who raked the yard after Keith had a serious illness.  If I ever need help, I don’t have just one person to call, I have a whole list. 

            My marriage is intact and happy.  My children are happy, productive citizens, and servants of the Lord to boot.  We don’t have money problems because we don’t love things and don’t need luxury to be satisfied.  We don’t have legal problems because we are honest and law abiding.  We don’t lose our faith over our illnesses and disabilities because we have something far better in store for us.

            Which leads us to the next world.  If this life has been good—not perfect, for how could it be in a cursed world—the next one will be nothing short of amazing, an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you,1 Pet 1:4.

            God promises us a “best of both worlds” life, far better than a “best of both worlds” dessert.  But He doesn’t make you eat it.  He gives you a choice.  You can have this world and the next if you do it His way.  Otherwise, this one is all you get.

For bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come, 1 Tim 4:8.

Dene Ward

If you want them mentioned recipe, click on "Dene's Recipes."

Today I have a short observation to share with you.  We all know that “it is more blessed to give than to receive,” but no one is going to be blessed if there is no one out there ready to receive!  It should go without saying that I am not talking about people who go around with their hands held out, but I learned a long time ago that anything that should go without saying probably needs to be said anyway, so consider it said.  Now to today’s point…

            I know a lot of older folks who have given and given and given their entire lives.  They have served their sick, hurting, sorrowing brethren in every capacity you can imagine.  That person may very well be you. 

And now I hear people ask you, “Is there anything I can do for you?”  I know what you are going to say because I have said it too:  “No.  We’re fine.”  A lot of times we aren’t fine, we’re just too proud to accept help, or we have the mistaken notion that patience and humility involve sitting quietly in the background without complaint, even when we are in desperate need.  If we do ask for something it’s only, “If it isn’t any trouble.”

            Brothers and sisters!  God expects us to sacrifice for one another.  He expects us to generously give to those in need and serve those who are afflicted.  Indeed, He expects me to go to a lot of trouble for you—it doesn’t count as serving and sacrifice if it isn’t trouble.  I can’t do that if you won’t let me.  You can’t do that if I won’t let you.

            When people ask what they can do for you, tell them!  It may go against your grain to accept help, but you need to get off your high horse and let God bless those givers by your willingness to receive.  In fact, it may be more than your physical needs they are meeting.  It may be exactly what you need spiritually—a recognition that you actually need someone else’s help.

            Your turn to help will come again.  It has already come, again and again for years, which may be the reason you find it so hard to turn the tables and accept it now that you need the help.  Accept it, not just gratefully, but graciously too.  This is, in fact, another way you can give to others—both the pleasure of helping someone and the blessing God promises to the givers.  You are denying them a blessing with your stubborn refusal to admit you need help.

            May I just paraphrase 1 Cor 12?  “If all the world were givers, where would the receivers be?  If all the world were receivers, where would the givers be?”  It happens to us all sooner or later.  When your turn comes, be generous enough to allow others the same blessings you have been receiving as a giver for years.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith, Gal 6:9,10.

Dene Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Joanne Beckley.

May the following help you in reaching out to the lost with the gospel.

What does mankind have that can help him gain knowledge? Only through his ability to reason and learn from

what he does – experience. but it is not enough. We cannot look inside ourselves and learn the answers to questions like: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Is there any reason for my being here? Unless there is a third source of knowledge these very important questions cannot be answered!  We can look around us and see our world and know there is an all-powerful Being who created the world and that He is eternal. (He was never born and He never died – He has always been!) Romans 1:20" For since the creation

of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being

understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

Just looking at His power around us cannot answer our all questions, but we can know that this powerful Being

(God) CAN choose to answer our necessary questions. Without God there is nothing. With God there is everything

– including His words, the Bible. God is spirit – so how did He write the Bible? He told certain men what words to

speak to the people and these words were written down.  2Peter 1:20 “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of one's own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”  We have the Bible because God, the creator, loves us, his creation. In His own words, God tells us how we came into being. He tells us why we were created. He tells us what He wants us to do with our lives. He tells us what is going to happen in the future. He tells us He is not controlled by his creation. He tells us WE NEED HIM!  We learn in the Bible of THE PLAN God had in His mind before He created the heavens and the earth. His plan was made in order to keep us close to Him. Therefore, we learn of God’s justice and God’s everlasting kindness. By reading the Bible we can learn that God is our Creator and our Redeemer through Jesus Christ, His son. Hebrews 1:1 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in [His] Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

The Bible is not just a collection of stories, letters, and poems. They are all tied together perfectly. There is

agreement between them all – even though they were written throughout 1,500 years! Most of the time each writer didn’t even know what another writer had already written.and sometimes they didn’t even understand all of what they were writing! These forty writers were kings, prophets, teachers, musicians, farmers, a tax collector, a doctor, a tentmaker, two fishermen and two carpenters! Some of the writers had a lot of education, some had very little.  The book from God is a divine library that is tightly woven and it is complete.

Acts 20:26 "Therefore I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I did not shrink

from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”  Jude 1:3 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” The Bible is still the same book today that it was 2000 years ago! The words have not been changed. We still have the Bible, even though evil men have tried to keep everyone from reading the Bible. Some have even burned all the Bibles they could find! Through God’s providence the Bible is forever. It is the only book that STILL has theanswers to all our questions. Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” But the Bible is a book that demands we LISTEN to it. Not only must we listen, but God’s words demands we DO what God wants us to do. It will change our lives but not by ways we might devise. Jer 10:23 “I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.”

When we first read the Bible we do not learn right away all about God and his plan for mankind. God chose to

reveal Himself gradually and we see truth unfolding more and more as we read and study the Bible. It is an exciting journey to discover why we existence and the mystery of how we can be saved from ourselves and walk with God.  There are many ways to study the Bible. One of the best ways to study the Bible is to prepare a foundation for future study. We want to try and understand what each section in the Bible is about and then tie the section together with other sections of the Bible. In this way we can understand why the Bible is so important to us. It will also help us to see that the Bible is the living Word of God. We want to see God in a way that will cause us to love Him, and trust Him, and OBEY Him–all that He expects from us.

The Old Testament

LAW - The first 5 books were written by Moses, the man God chose to lead a special group of people out of

bondage to become God’s chosen nation, Israel. This nation would bring all men to God.

HISTORY - The next 12 books that were written about God’s chosen nation, how they served him and how they

tried to ignore God. It didn’t work, because God punished the Israelite nation by letting other countries conquer

them. After 70 years God allowed them to return to their land.

POETRY - The 5 books of poetry are of a personal nature and they deal with problems of the heart.

PROPHECY - The last 12 books of the Old Testament are prophecies which were first spoken in warning to

God’s special nation and to nations around them. These prophecies were then written down so that everyone could

know there was hope. A perfect man (God in the flesh) was going to come from heaven to save all men and rule a

kingdom that will never end.

The New Testament

GOSPELS - Again, there is order and unity in the books of the New Testament. The first four books tell about the

perfect man. These four books are the foundation for knowing Jesus Christ and how he was crucified without

cause, and then resurrected for all mankind.

ACTS OF APOSTLES - The book of Acts tells the history of how the kingdom of God (the church) began and

what the men did who were sent by Jesus Christ to preach the good news. They were called Apostles. This book

tells us how you and I can enter the kingdom of God.

LETTERS TO CHRISTIANS - Next comes a group of letters (books) that were written by men guided by the

Holy Spirit. Some of these letters were addressed to different churches and some were written to certain preachers.

There are 21 letters in the New Testament.

PROPHECY - The last letter (book) in the New Testament was written by the apostle John. The Holy Spirit

guided him to tell the Christians not to give up hope. God is still in control of nations and events. His hand is upon

His own people. We live in hope of eternal life with Him.

Colossians 1:10 “so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please [Him] in all respects, bearing

fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously.”