Devils Tower & The Milky Way
“Each of us is under a
divine mandate to become an amateur astronomer,
to peer into the incalculable depths of sky and space to behold the handiwork of our omnipotent Creator”
Sam Storms
Hi Men:
I hope you have had a great week “in” Christ. A dear brother sent this prayer yesterday morning:
Lord Jesus, it is a marvel that I have died with You and that I will also live with You in the ages to come. May I experience a growing realization that since I am now alive to God “in” Christ Jesus, I have died to the dominion of sin in my life. Amen.
His prayer is tied into Romans 6:8-11 because we are now alive to Christ and no longer under the dominion of sin:
“If I died with Christ, I believe that I will also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, I must consider myself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 6:8-11)
Talk about “Good News!”
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DEVILS TOWER & THE MILKY WAY
Not much more to be said about Devils Tower, other than it’s located in the north-east corner of Wyoming and where they filmed “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” The above photo on the other hand was outstanding, especially tying it into the quote by Christian author, Sam Storms. I think he is spot on……. We need to look at astronomy as a “divine mandate.” I second the motion!
On left: Check out what Tim Challies said regarding Sam Storms quote………
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PHONE A FRIEND
Question: When you are praying to be faithful in doing God’s will, do people pop into your mind throughout the week? If so, then phone them. Let me share one story that happened to me last Saturday. A gal that was a classmate in our Catholic HS came to mind after my good buddy mentioned he had some “sent” emails that were never opened by her. Note: Last year my buddy and I, with our wives, invited (2) of classmates over for an afternoon lunch in our backyard. It was a delightful day with some tender conversation (one gal lost her son in a motorcycle accident and the other had recently lost her husband). For the most part, all of us just let the two gals talk. Everyone left encouraged.
Fast forward to Saturday the 11th. About mid-morning, the gal my buddy mentioned came to mind. I called her and left a message. No more than 5 minutes passed and as my wife and I were talking, she called me back. God orchestrated the entire conversation for the next hour. In the latter half we were talking about our families of origin and growing up in these homes. When the doors closed at night, no one had a clue what was REALLY going on. God gave me the opportunity to talk about our religion and I said, “You know, we were born Catholics. We had no choice.” She was quiet for a bit and then said, “You’re right.” I asked her if the Catholic Church would exist without Bible. She agreed the answer was no, and said we were never encouraged to read it. She knew little about the Bible other than some devotional verses that a friend has recently started sending her……… isn’t that exciting! We talked about other aspects of our faith and I could tell she is very interested. She would like to come over to the house again in the days ahead.
What’s my point? ……. “Wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.”
WATCH THESE TWO CATHOLICS AWAKEN TO THE GOSPEL
Please watch this short 7 minute video. Ray Comfort does such a great job hitting on the major issues that most all Catholics do not understand or have never been confronted with.
The things Ray brings up are for the most part exactly the same things I encounter.
Watch on YouTube (7:14 Mins)
And remember, Steps To Peace With God ….. is the Gospel…..!
His Grace is Sufficient
Dan
(Gal 2:20)
Men: “You boast only in the fact that you are a slave of the Lord.” We play to a party on One! Get that crystal clear in your mind………
If you ever think that what you have, you earned by your hard work………..you are not only prideful, but stupid!
I love the 3rd stanza of the hymn, How Deep the Father’s Love for Us (Click Here)
I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom.
Worth of the Individual & God’s Will Executed by Man’s Stupidity – Red Book Day 76-77
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
☘️ St. Patrick’s Day ☘️
Oops, I almost forgot…… today I should be reflecting on my ancestors that traveled from Ireland over the Atlantic to land in America. I’m grateful for their courage, but I have a better idea. For those interested, let’s read “The Real Story
The words at the left are the famous prayer from Saint Patrick. A modern adaptation of Saint Patrick’s Breastplate is sung in the 8th century Irish hymn “Be Thou my Vision”, which begins, “Be Thou my vision, O, Lord of my heart. Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day or by night, waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.” Someone was inspired to take those words by Patrick and write that hymn. The third verse of that modern adaptation is a very interesting one, which is “Be Thou my battle shield, sword for the fight. Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight, Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower. Raise me to heavenward, O, Power of my Power.” The 2nd to the last verse is a great one to meditate on: “Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, Thou mine Inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.” [ Listen to the hymn, (YouTube 3:35)
To read “The Real Story of St. Patrick” See Attached PDF
Men: A new article from one of the men.
A short read but powerful. If you have kids or grandkids, this is something you can do and have that great discussion!
A NEW CREATION
“Conforming to this world is easy. It is passive and requires no effort. Simply put, unless we are thinking intentionally, we will naturally conform to the thoughts, beliefs, and actions of the world.”
See attached PDF
or go to: MIMworldwide.com/A-New-Creation
Pass it on to your buddies……….
Movie Alert:
His Only Son – coming this March 31st.
Official Trailer (YouTube 2 mins)
See Blue Book – Day 75
A Time of Testing
Men:
I thought you may like to read a few last words from famous people….. truly eye-opening!
To read more of these, see attached PDF
Last Words of Famous People
From the Evidence Bible
Cardinal Borgia: “I have provided in the course of my life for everything except death, and now, alas, I am to die unprepared.”
Ludwig van Beethoven: “Too bad, too bad! It’s too late!”
Socrates: “All of the wisdom of this world is but a tiny raft upon which we must set sail when we leave this earth. If only there was a firmer foundation upon which to sail, perhaps some divine word.”
Karl Marx: “Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough!”
Benjamin Franklin: “A dying man can do nothing easy.”
Bing Crosby: “That was a great game of golf.”
Sal Mineo: (stabbed through the heart): “Oh God! No! Help! Someone help!”
Those that had the Assurance of Salvation:
Jonathan Edwards: “Trust in God and you shall have nothing to fear.”
John Owen: “I am going to Him whom my soul loveth, or rather who has loved me with an everlasting love, which is the sole ground of all my consolation.”
Alexander Hamilton: “I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy.”
William Shakespeare: “I commend my soul into the hands of God my Creator, hoping and assuredly believing, through the only merits of Jesus Christ my Savior, to be made partaker of life everlasting; and my body to the earth, whereof it was made.”
Charles Dickens: “I commit my soul to the mercy of God, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and I exhort my dear children humbly to try and guide themselves by the teaching of the New Testament.”
Yup…… I went to church on Sunday! I’m all set….. right God?
And Jesus could very well say….. “I never knew you!” Matt 7:21-23
And this quote fits nicely with those “check the box” Christians
