TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017
Rye Valley Oregon
“It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.”
Isaiah 45:12
Hi Men:
“We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Beginning last Friday, we were vividly reminded of that verse as we reflected on our Savior’s journey from the Cross to the grave. And now……. “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10) I think sometimes we don’t reflect enough on that verse. Are we pleading with God to show us those works He has prepared before the foundations of the world for us to do, by who we are in Jesus Christ?
PHOTO ABOVE
All of you know there will be a Total Solar Eclipse this Monday, April 8th. To name just (2) of the cities: It will be at totality across Dallas, Texas at 1:40pm CDT and Cleveland, Ohio at 3:13pm EDT. If you want to know more, here’s a very detailed website with a great animation of the moving eclipse from Mazatlán to Newfoundland.
Interesting fact: There is probably no place in the universe that can duplicate our Total Solar Eclipse. WHY?
THE SIZE The Sun is 400 times farther away from us than the Moon is. The Sun is also 400 times bigger than the Moon. This situation creates a 1 to 1 ratio of size over distance. Viewed from Earth, the two objects now appear to be the same size. So, when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and a point on Earth, the Moon appears to completely cover the Sun and the Sun is said to be eclipsed by the Moon. If the Moon were smaller or even farther away, there would be no total solar eclipses. Pretty amazing that God gave us the ability to view one of His jaw-dropping wonders! There are more cool facts, but I will leave that for another time!
The photo at the top was taken by Lori Rowlan during the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017.
IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD – Well, how about the front yard
Upon our return from seeing our family in Charlotte, my wife and I took a cab home instead of an UBER (we were tired and didn’t want to head to the UBER pickup area). Our driver was a nice guy from Ethiopia. We had a pleasant conversation. He was married and had no children yet. When we got to our house, he took the bags out as I paid with the device in the back seat. He gave me the receipt and I gave him an additional tip in the Million Dollar Gospel of John. I explained it all and told him about “Steps To Peace With God.” I believe he was Muslim, but gave an interesting response. He said, “It never hurts to look at new things.” I pointed out my email address if he had any questions. He thanked us and headed back for another fare.
When we boarded our American Airlines flight back to Las Vegas, there was this young gal sitting in the middle seat. She said she is claustrophobic and susceptible to vertigo if she sits by the window. No problem! My wife and I surrounded her😊. She was super pleasant and had lived all over the world (her dad was a big executive with St. Regis Hotels – currently in Kuala Lumpur). She is a marketing executive with the Step App and was headed to a digital app convention at the MGM. She had stuff to do, so we didn’t bend her ear anymore. At about 30 minutes prior to landing, she put her earbuds away and we started talking again. She has a boyfriend and a Shih Tzu dog. We showed her our Shih Tzu we had several years back and also Jane’s horses. All that got her attention. Then I threw out the question about having a church on every corner in that area in North Carolina and if she was a Christian. She said no because of all the traveling she did with her dad. Her mom is a Catholic in name only and she doesn’t see her much (parents divorced). I pulled out the Gospel of John and Steps to Peace and again explained all of it to her. She was super gracious and readily accepted all of it. She was so impressed that Jane and I had such strong convictions about sharing our faith. I gave her an additional Steps To Peace With God for her boyfriend and again pointed out my email address on the back of it. She appeared to be truly thankful for our concern for her spiritual condition.
NOTE: Men, we just have to be faithful. With the scriptures, we don’t have to defend them, anymore that you have to defend a lion. Just let him out of the cage and he will defend himself!
Much Love in Christ,
Dan
(Galatians 2:20)
Jane and I had such a grand time with our grandkids! A photo after Easter Sunday Service. Only by God’s Grace!
Men: Is this statement a concern?
“Wisdom – Power – Wealth: The more a man has of these, the less teachable he becomes, and this translates into stubbornness.”
The Destruction of Egypt – Day 96 Red Book
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
1 – Jeremiah 9:23-24
2 – Isaiah 50:8
3 – 1 Corinthians 10:11
Great Lakes Men’s Retreat @ Beulah Beach
April 25 to April 27, 2024
Please pray for the men and speakers
for this upcoming conference
How Should the Believer Relate to Smart Phones
and Social Media? (Part 2)
The Mind and Heart Influenced
* Delayed Gratification
* Concentration
* Sleep
Men: We continue with Part Two of Dr. Scott Bangert’s article. I encourage all of you to carefully read this article (and not with your smart phone nearby). Share it with your kids and others.
Preachers, Aspire to Be Relentlessly Interesting
by TREVIN WAX
“The most moving experience a preacher can ever have is when, in the middle of the sermon, a strange hush descends upon the congregation. The sleepers have woken up, the coughers have stopped coughing, and the fidgeters are sitting still. No eyes or minds are wandering. Everybody is listening, but not to the preacher. The preacher is forgotten, and the people are face to face with the living God, listening to his still, small voice.”
~~ John Stott
Men: When I read this recent article, I could totally relate to a sermon I heard at my son’s church last week on Good Friday by Kevin DeYoung. He was preaching from Matthew 27:15-26. As you know the crowd wanted Barabbas released and Jesus crucified.
In the article Tim Keller said this about a sermon: “A sermon should be full of insights worth writing down, but by the end, the sermon will have failed if there’s not a point at which the pen and notepad are set aside and the hearer is left in awe of God and his accomplishment of our salvation.”
That happened to me when I saw that I was Barabbas and should have been the man on the middle cross. But Jesus took that spot for me! My pen was set aside and I was left in awe!
Long boring sermons need to dropped and replaced where we encounter Christ!
If interested, go to The Gospel Coalition Website to read this article……..
Men: This 3 minute video was sent to me by my friend and pastor buddy ministering in Pakistan. I couldn’t agree more with the statements made in the video. The “Root of Terrorism” is the Qur’an.
You will find this interesting. When I bought my first Qur’an almost 30 years ago (see below), I had to call Darussalam Publishing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They asked me if they were sending it to a correctional institution. Why? Because the only people buying these books at the time were the guys in prison tied to the Nation of Islam (Louis Farrakhan). The Qur’an is a warriors manual.
Pray that God would place some Muslims in your path to share the love of Christ.
