Promises for Obedience

Recently I began a study of the book of Proverbs. I have been looking at Chapter three. What rich promises we see that will come to us if we listen to "wisdom" (the Lord) and do what His "law" (the Bible) says. Just think about this for a few moments...vs. 1..."length of days and long life and peace they will add to you...find favor and high esteem with God and man...He shall direct your paths...it will be health to your flesh and strength (drink or refreshment) to your bones...your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine." I don't believe in a "prosperity gospel," but there is something to the idea of living honestly and carefully before God and man.
How often when a crime is committed, it is very clear that had the people involved been living a careful life before God, they might not have lost their life or received the ill will of another. Yes, we live in a wicked world and the affects of sin fall on all the righteous and the wicked, yet, I believe these promises give us some general expectation of what our lives may be like if we listen to the Lord and obey His Word!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! A new year is a blank slate, just ready for us to write on. We have a choice as to what we will write, and how we will tell the story of our lives this year. While we can't control all of the circumstances which happen to us, we can certainly control our attitude and responses with the help of the Lord. One thing I plan to do Monday morning, is to get back on track with Weight Watchers. I really like the leader of the Monday morning meeting. She is very entertaining and fun. She told us several weeks ago about an apron that she was given at a past Christmas before she had lost weight. The apron would not fit to tie around her! She was appalled at herself. Now, she is an attractive women who is in control of her food choices. That's where I need to be headed...in control. The holiday season makes "being in control," so hard!!! What do you plan to change in this new year?

Christmas Happenings...

A belated Merry Christmas to everyone! A Happy New Year, as well. It has been a very busy month, but filled with many fun and lovely events. I was happy to be able to attend the annual Kansas City Brass Concert which is held each year at the Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City, MO. In 2003, my family and I attended this, and it has become a tradition. They are all members of the Symphony, and so funny!!! The Christmas party at the assisted living where I work, was a neat event! Our director, Phyllis and her husband Frank, were Mr. and Mrs. Claus. The residents loved it! A very nice gift is given to all of the residents, and they sang Christmas songs and carols together as well as enjoyed sweets. Our annual Wright family Christmas gathering is always so nice. My Uncle Nathan and his wife, Renee, always organize this, and it's a great way for us all to take time to be together. This year, instead of going to a restaurant, we met at the Gregory Hills Church Family Life Center, and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast buffet cooked by my brother Jonathan, cousin Darric and others. It was the best buffet in town!!!! There's still more Christmas to come, as my immediate family will not have our celebration until January 2! So, I have a few more things to purchase, and hope to get some after Christmas bargains!!!!

God's Providence

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways

Do you believe in God's providence? I do, and after you read this, I hope you will! I have been using a SunCloud infrared, electrical heater for several years in the basement apartment that I rent from my Grandmother. The house is more than 50 years old, and was not wired for our modern appliances. I have been using a converter to plug the three-pronged heater into a two-pronged wall outlet. For several days prior to Saturday, December 5, I had been smelling a "hot" smell when the electrical heater would run. Then, it was Saturday. My mom and dad were coming over to help me do some things, and while they were there, I asked my dad about the heater and the hot smell. He took the filter off of the back of it to check and see if it was dirty. It was okay. Around this time, the heater cycled on and the hot smell started. At first, it wasn't so strong and he didn't smell it too much if any. Then, it got stronger. A short time later, fire began coming out of the area where it was plugged into the wall! You talk about action! I, stupidly, ran into the kitchen and started getting water to put on it and was hollering around about it being on fire. My dad, thankfully, went to the outlet where the fire and smoke were coming out of, and began hitting at it with his hand. He managed to yank the cords that were plugged into the wall out and the fire stopped! Thank God! The smoke alarm did not go off. We were left with a melted and burned converter and a cloud of soot and smoke. It was a miracle. Had this happened when I was sleeping, or my Grandma and I were gone, we would not have a house standing today. My Christmas tree was very close to the outlet and it would've probably caught on fire very soon, or at least some of the ornaments. The wooden window seal just about the outlet had a black area on it, and it would've most likely caught on fire eventually. I'm grateful that it happened just at the time my parents were there. Had it happened while I was home alone, I would've possibly thrown that water on it, and might have electrocuted myself! So, God worked it all out to happen just at the "right" time! It's as if He thought, "Okay, this fire is going to happen, the laws of nature tell that. If this happens at the time when she is asleep, or gone, it will be tragic. I will arrange for her parents to come by at just the right time. I'll keep it from catching on fire until that moment. Her dad will know what to do." He was looking out for me. When I doubt His loving care, I should recall this near tragedy and remember His faithfulness to me! When I feel alone and discouraged, I should remember that all my days are numbered by Him and they aren't up yet! He still has work for me to do. He is so good. There is a lovely chorus which goes along with this very well.
"He is good, He is good, His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.
He is good, He is good, His love endures forever.
Give thanks, for He is good..."

Yes, God was very good to me that day and I give Him glory and honor!

With a Grateful Heart...

Psalms 103:1 "Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits."


It is that time of year again...the time to reflect on God's great blessings. I am very grateful for many things, but I wanted to especially reflect on an area that I can't always say I appreciated as much as I do now.
When I was a child, growing up here in Kansas City, my life revolved, primarily around three things: my father's family, the Overland Park Church, and Kansas City College and Bible School. On Sundays, we would awaken and get ready for church, accompanied by such music as Rex Bullock, Rudy Atwood, Richard Beckham and others. We loved music! We would eat lunch at home ourselves, or with Kenny and Darlene, my dad's brother or some other family. Then, back to church in the evening. Monday morning would start another week of walking or riding up to "the school." There, we would be privileged to receive an education in a Christian environment. We not only learned the three R's, but we also attended chapel and studied the Bible. I still remember learning I Corinthians 13 in Third grade when my teacher was Arlene McGehee!
On Friday evenings and Saturday evenings, there was sometimes an activity at "the school," such as a 16 millimeter film, a ball game, a concert, or a revival service at the church which adjoined the school campus. We often spent time on the weekends with my dad's family and at other times throughout the week! It wasn't just limited to the weekends. Five of my dad's siblings lived within walking distance of our house for a number of years while I was growing up. We enjoyed many, many hours together at one of our homes and many times in my family's back yard! There are many photos in many photo albums chronicling our wonderful family times!
The church had two revivals each year, and these were times of God's presence drawing near. My family was extremely faithful to these meetings and all other services. We rarely missed a service!
And, I can't forget the friendships I enjoyed as a part of this trio of areas which my life revolved around! These relationships involved not only other students at school, but some of my own cousins! My cousin Kendra and I shared many laughs and secrets through the years!
There were so many other things I could share...the various music groups I was a part of at "the school,"...the field trips...the choir services...the fun times we had in class...on and on I could go...I am so blessed to have such a lovely childhood and growing up years...I am a very blessed woman.
Thank you, Jesus, for parents who desired to bring me up in Your admonition...thank you for those who sacrificed so that I could attend a Christian school from Kindergarten through twelfth grade...thank you for a loving extended family with which I have so many wonderful memories...I am very blessed...thank you for the friendships...thank you for all the great spiritual influences that I was privileged to be immersed in...thank you that I never had to go to public school all those years! I am very blessed...Thank You, Jesus!

Ladies' Retreat 2009

Ladies' Retreat was October 17, 2009! We had such a lovely day! The Lord's presence was real, and many hearts were touched. Mrs. Sheila Wolf from Cincinnati, OH was our featured speaker. Mrs. Marsha Potteiger from Marion, OH was our featured soloist and also spoke in one of the afternoon sessions. Mrs. Wolf spoke very practically about our relationship with God, bringing our "to do list" to the Lord each day and about how we could reach out to touch others with the love of God. Marsha, who was also my best friend from college days, sang beautifully. I was privileged to accompany her again as I had done many years ago! She gave her personal testimony of how God has done marvelous things for her, her husband and their marriage. She spoke openly of her husbands' struggle with Pornography and best of all, his complete deliverance from this sin by the power of God! It was very moving. We enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by Gloria Meyers, and desserts made by various ladies. There was a great craft time where we could make a notebook which could be used for many different things including a sermon notebook, recipe book, etc. There were 8 tables set up by various ones for shopping and browsing. All in all, it was a very worthwhile day! All the glory goes to Jesus who died that we might have fullness of joy in Him!

To Charge or not to Charge...that is the question!

I've been thinking about a subject that is probably somewhat controversial, but most people are not really talking about it. The subject I propose to discuss in this blog post is this; should churches and Christian organizations charge for events such as conferences, Ladies' Retreats, Vacation Bible Schools, youth camps, etc.? The next question would be; what does the Bible say about it? How does the Bible teach us to fund God's work?
In Matthew 14:14-21 we read

¹⁴And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. ¹⁵When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”

¹⁶But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”

¹⁸He said, “Bring them here to Me.” ¹⁹Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. ²⁰So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. ²¹Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

What was Jesus' solution to the problem of food? Did He ask them to pay money to be fed? Did He ask them to pay money for hearing Him preach and for healing them? The answers to all of these questions is a clear "no." An interesting note in this passage is that when the disciples suggested that the people go into a neighboring village and buy food, Jesus, instead, instructed them to feed the people! Surely, Jesus was hoping against hope that the disciples would have faith in Him! After all, He was God! He must've been thinking, "C'mon, guys! Can't you see that I'm God! I can supply any need!"

How many times do we begin a new ministry, only to expect people to pay to partake of the gospel! How can we do this? The gospel was given to us freely. Can't we trust God to supply the funds for ministry? Of course, that is assuming that He is behind the ministry in the first place. I believe that God will supply the need for any ministry if it is His will for that ministry to exist. If the funds are not available after praying and trusting the Lord to provide, we need to ask ourselves if that particular ministry is His will.

But, back to our passage in Matthew. The disciples had a desire to do something good. They saw that the hour was late, and the people were certainly tired and hungry. Why not dismiss them and have them go and buy some refreshment. Sounds reasonable, right? William Burkitt addressed this quite well. "The motion which the disciples make on behalf of the multitude, Send them away that they may buy victuals. Here was a strong charity, but a weak faith. A strong charity in that they desire the people's relief: but a weak faith, in that they suppose that they could not be otherwise relieved, but by sending them away to buy victuals; forgetting that Christ, who had healed the multitude miraculously, could as easily feed them miraculously, if he pleased: all things being equally easy to omnipotency."

The disciples would've missed this wonderful opportunity for a miracle except that the Lord stepped in and saved the day! How many times have we been of such little faith that we didn't trust God to provide in a wonderful and miraculous way? We just assume that this is a day of small things and so, in order to fund God's work, we must rely on admission charges, courting secular corporations, bake sales and garage sales. This is a sad commentary on our faith! We serve the Creator of the universe, people! He can provide any need we have!

Malachi 3:10-12 "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house..." If we would give as God has asked us to, there will be plenty to fund His work!

I Timothy 6:17-10 "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. ¹⁸Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, ¹⁹storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." We should trust in the living God to supply all funds to cause His work to go forward. We should be willing to share as we are able so those who cannot give or share will still be able to participate in various events and endeavors.

(to be continued)