Being Grateful

This morning, but I'm feeling very grateful. I look around me, and I see that God showers His love and blessings on me each day - no matter if I thank Him or not.

Sometimes, I don't feel "happy" - I'm not dancing around with Charlie Brown and Snoopy, instead I have a calm feeling of comfort and contentment. I have a joy that my God loves me and is taking good care of me. I can keep going and know that He will help me through whatever I may face this day.

Lord Jesus, thank you for being always there, for loving me and giving me what You know is best for me. Thank you for inner peace and strength. Amen

J is for Jesus and the Children

It saddens me when I see children

that have never heard about Jesus.

Never!

I taught in our VBS last summer. One lesson was on the Crucifixion. I prayed that I would explain the Gospel clearly to my class of 4 and 5 year olds. We had a newcomer that day, so I had to give a bit of a review for them. The five year old girl said she had not heard any stories about Jesus, and she didn't think her big sister (in another class) had either.

"Have you heard the story about Baby Jesus at Christmas - of the angels singing to the shepherds, of the wisemen following a star to find Baby Jesus?"

She shook her head.

Sigh . . .I thought, 'Where do I begin?' How can teach about the Crucifixion to a little child who doesn't have ANY idea who Jesus is - in only a half hour? I had to start at the beginning.

"Jesus is God's Son. God made this earth. He made the sun and stars, the animals and trees. He made people, but the people didn't obey him. We call that sin. God lives in Heaven and wants people to live there with Him when they die, but there's a problem.

"God can't let any sin in Heaven, not any sin at all. He hates sin. Everyone has done bad things - getting angry, telling a lie, not obeying their parents. Nobody is good enough to go to Heaven. God said the punishment for sin is death, or to be separated from God in an awful place called hell.

"God doesn't want people to go to Hell, so He made a way for us to go to Heaven. He sent His Son Jesus to earth. Jesus came as a little baby, but He grew and grew to be a man. He told us all about God. He told us that God loves us. Jesus told us that He loves us, too. Jesus never sinned. He never did anything bad. He obeyed God all the time.

"Remember, the punishment for sin is death. Jesus loved us so much that He took our punishment for us. Some people didn't like Jesus. They were angry because He said He was the Son of God, but He was telling the truth. They were so angry that they nailed him on a cross to die. Jesus didn't do anything wrong, but He died instead of us. He took the punishment for our sins, so that we can go to Heaven.

"Jesus didn't stay dead. He is God. He came alive again and went back up to Heaven. If we are sorry for our sins, if we believe that Jesus is God and wants to forgive us, then someday we will go to Heaven with Him."

It was a lot for a little one to understand all at once, but it's a beginning. Maybe the next time she hears the name of Jesus, she'll remember what I've told her.

It's sad that in our country of the United States, a nation that was established on Christian principles, has gotten so far from the Bible. Our country, which once sent thousands of missionaries to foreign lands, is now in need of missionaries itself.

It must sadden Jesus to see that the children are being turned away from Him, just as they were when He was on earth. How it must grieve Him!

Are there children in your neighborhood who have never heard about Jesus?

(♪♫ Jesus Loves the Little Children ♪♫ )

~ ~ ~

For more A2Z posts

go to

Peej's Blog

What I Learned at the Town Meeting

Last Saturday, I went to our Searsport town meeting. It was interesting, exciting, and emotional for me. Even though our town hall is quite large, they held it in the high school gymnasium because they expected quite a turn-out this year. . . and they were right.

(On a side note, I scolded myself for not bringing a notebook. What an opportunity to write some character sketches! With about 500 people gathered in one place, a writer sees quite a range of mannerisms and descriptions. I tried to take mental notes to retrieve later.)

A town meeting is democracy in action. Each registered voter is marked with a stamp, and given a voting bundle: a copy of the agenda, a bright voting card, and several colored ballots. A moderator called the meeting to order (and kept it flowing in a controlled manner). As different articles were read to approve the budget and adopt policies, any citizen of the town was given the opportunity to ask questions or comment. Sometimes we voted by lifting our voting cards, or we were asked to mark a ballot and put it into a monitored ballot box - showing our mark as a registered voter.

As the day progressed, the tension and excitement rose over the final proposal - a new business to be built in our town. When it arrived on the agenda, a debate was called for. Opposing sides of the issue were given 10 minutes. Each speaker could only speak a maximum of 2 minutes. Any citizen could let his voice be heard if he chose to stand up to the microphone.

The whole scene overwhelmed me. This is MY country where we have the freedom to speak. No, we don't always agree, but we can voice our opinion. We can vote for what we believe in.

When one elderly gentleman hobbled with his cane to the microphone, the whole room respectfully waited (and stopped the clock for him to reach the microphone). He slowly talked of what the town was like when he arrived as a young man, how it grew and survived many changes. He reminded us that our selectmen and committees (which we chose) care for our welfare and that we should trust their judgment. He quoted, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." The moderator had asked us not to clap for the speakers, but when this man finished, the room erupted into an applause in their love for this long time resident and friend.

The events of the day replayed in my mind. I thought of the different words and actions which symbolized our culture, the attitudes of our society and mankind in general. It also made me think of my own spiritual life.

Why do I oppose the changes my Lord has for me?

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,

so walk ye in Him."

(Colossians 2:6 KJV)

Just as I have been saved from the penalty of sin by faith in God, I should walk in that faith. He has cared for me over the years. He continues to look out for my welfare. He patiently lets me speak, but wants me to submit willingly without fighting and debates. Why should I fear the changes He has planned for the growth of my life?