Red Rock Canyon 4/20/24
I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from?
Psalm 121
Hi Men:
Psalm 121 is such a familiar verse. It is attributed to when David was penned in and assured himself in help from God. Question: Do we rest on the Christ that resides “in” us for all our help throughout the day? Or are we still relying on our own limited strength?
PHOTO ABOVE
If you have been following the Friday Letters, you know I’ll take a shot of Red Rock from time-to-time. Red Rock Canyon is about 25 minutes from my house. If interested, these map coordinates, are near the location where I pulled my phone out to take the photo last Saturday. Actually I was headed to Cactus Joe’s to by a larger pot for one of my growing cacti. I was talking on my car’s speaker with a brother who lives in Birmingham and missed my exit, which turned out to be a major blessing. Since I was so close to Red Rock, I drove up, parked and walked to a remote area.
To reflect on God’s creation and praise Him in moments like this, I have no words. [Note: I could relate to Joni Eareckson Tada’s similar comments in her messages below]. Seeing the numerous wildflowers growing, was stunning. Here is just one of the flowers that stopped me in my tracks, a Desert Primrose….
Like Ken Boa stated, even when we are sitting in our car at a stop light, are we noticing the trees, the clouds, the sky in such a way that we can give glory to God for His amazing creation all around us? Or are we a prisoner to our own negative thoughts? (See article below). We have so many opportunities to give God the glory. Let’s not miss out…….!!
IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD AND DOWN THE STREET
This week I take a departure from my usual message. Although I did give the cashier at Cactus Joe’s, “Steps To Peace With God.” I had a great conversation with her (Cynthia) and she received the gospel I gave her quite willingly and thanked me. I would say that she’s about 10 years younger than me. Again, no one was behind me as we spoke, even though it was Saturday and the parking lot pretty full. Thank you Lord!
The following is an email I received last Friday afternoon from a brother in Texas. Here is what he said (edited slightly to keep it private)
Dan, I took a page out of your book this past week. I am a Gideon and pass out a lot of Pocket New Testaments (we call them Personal Worker’s Testaments). I often point them to the Plan of Salvation pages in the back (we call that our GPS…God’s Plan of Salvation…as it gives them direction on how to get to Heaven. I also point out the Help section on the front, as everybody has a bad day and it can give them help from God’s word. Too often, time doesn’t allow a deeper time of witness.
This past Monday however, I remembered your witnessing to the workers that come by your place, and thought to myself, this worker has time and I have time, so I started questioning him and asked him if he had a personal relationship with Christ?, to which he said no, that he was not into church. I took him through the GPS, he admitted he was a sinner and that he sincerely wanted a relationship with Christ. He prayed with me. He said that up until recently, he was living in his sedan car with his wife and infant, but they recently got a small apartment. I took him to Matthew 6:33 and told him that God had an awesome deal for him, that if he would continue to seek His Kingdom and HIs righteous that God promised to provide for His family. He really liked that and said he would read Matthew 6. His name was Marcos, spoke fluent English. Hope he returns to my neighbor for further conversations.
Marcos did return and this is what our brother said in his email this week:
I did speak to Marcos yesterday and encouraged him and gifted him some funds to help his struggling family. It IS amazing how God uses the likes of us, with feet of clay, to participate with Him in making an eternal difference in the lives of others!!
Men: Is that email encouraging or what!!
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In closing, I came across this verse from Isaiah 66:2. We discuss often that the church today has lost the “Fear of the Lord.” But what about this verse?
“For My hand made all these things,
Thus all these things came into being,” declares the Lord.
“But to this one I will look,
To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”
When I read God’s Word, do I take it so serious that at times I tremble?
Your grateful doulos,
Dan
(Gal 2:20)
As Walt states below, “When you discipline, it must be out of love, seeking the best for the recipient – always corrective, and never punitive.”
Justice and Love – Red Book Day 117
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he
GREAT LAKES MEN’S RETREAT
Beulah Beach, Ohio
The conference started last night.
Please pray for the men and speakers
57 Years in a Wheel Chair
Joni Eareckson Tada
Men: If anyone understands affliction, it’s Joni Eareckson Tada. I recently came across this quote by J.C. Ryle:
Let us beware of murmuring under affliction. Every cross is meant to call us nearer God. Bereavements have proven mercies. Losses have proved real gains. Sicknesses have led many to the great Physician of souls, sent them to the Bible, shut out the world, shown them their foolishness and taught them to pray. Thousands echo David’s words:
(Psalm 119:71)
When my wife sent me these (2) interviews w/ Joni Eareckson Tada, they truly humbled me. In the photo above, Joni is walking out of the hospital with her husband Ken after spending several weeks with double pneumonia. When you have a quiet moment, watch these interviews. You will see what I mean……
Watch on YouTube (34 minutes)
Watch on YouTube (34 minutes)
[And don’t forget, forward them to family and friends]
Pain and opposition detract you from your natural inclination to pursue autonomy. God has created you in such a way that you will seek to avoid pain, but God will bring into your life that measure of pain He deems necessary to “conform you into the image of His Son.” (Rom 8:29) For this reason your worldly comfort will always be negotiable to your Heavenly Father, as He does His work in you.
[Day 114 – Blue Book]
The Path to Contentment
“If I only had more money I would be content. If I only had more followers, more possessions, more beauty, then at last I would consider myself successful. If only my house was bigger, my influence wider, my sales higher. Then, at last, I would achieve the contentment that has been so elusive.”
Men:
This is a great article. Take some to reflect on it, take a few notes and possibly discuss it with a buddy.
Men: What caught my attention from this article in Crosswalk.com were the statistics from the National Science Foundation that the “average person thinks anywhere from 12,000 – 60,000 thoughts a day.” And most are negative!
A Prayer to Stop Being a Prisoner to My Own Thoughts
by A. Headly
“…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” – 2 Corinthians 10:5
It’s been said through research that the average person thinks anywhere from 12,000-60,000 thoughts a day. Eighty percent of those thoughts are negative, and 95% of our thoughts are repetitive, meaning they are the same things we thought about the day before. It’s as if we are stuck in the cycle of negative thinking since most of our thoughts are shown to be negative. And to take it further, how many times have you thought of something negative, only to realize that one negative thought has sent you down a spiral of a hundred other negative thoughts, and before you know it, you’re in a state of worry, fear, or insecurity that started from just one thought.
As believers, we know that there is an enemy, and he roams this earth daily, “prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,” as we are told in 1 Peter 5:8. One of his main tactics is whispering negative thoughts to us. We must be aware of our thoughts so that we no longer live as prisoners to our own negative thinking.
Today’s scripture talks about casting down all the arguments, which include all the lies, all the thoughts, and anything that puts itself against the truth of God’s Word. When Paul wrote this, he knew the Corinthians were in grave danger of being led astray from the gospel. We, too, are in danger of being led astray from the truth if we are not careful with our tendency to have a downward spiral of negative thoughts. This is they Paul urges us to pull down and cast out these thoughts that have been established in our minds. We do this by making every thought obedient to Christ. In other words, if there are any thoughts that are not in sync with the truth of the Bible, they should be destroyed and cast out of our minds.
If we are not careful, our negative thoughts can turn into actions; as Proverbs 23:7 states, “As a man thinks in his heart, so he is.” In other words, your thoughts can dictate your actions. So, ask yourself, what is it that you always think about? Are you thinking thoughts that are obedient to God, that honor God, and are truths of God? Or are you thinking and focused on lies that lead you spiraling? It’s time to take inventory of what it is we are thinking about so we can stop being a prisoner to our thoughts.
We Are Slaves for Jesus
Men: This is a great article from the Voice of the Martyrs. Take a few minutes to read it and pass it to a buddy. I have a link to the PDF to maybe read it easier
Fish Story (Part 2)
Ok Men: Here is Part 2 of the newly released video by the John 10:10 Project. This second part it mind boggling.
God’s miraculous creation. (YouTube 9 minutes)
Men: What do you think of this verse?
“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29)
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