Mountain Musings

Let Us Break Bread Together

"The local church has been described as a laboratory where believers learn to love one another regardless of color, nationality, or financial status. Our common heavenly citizenship is the one dominant tie that binds our hearts together.

One of the basic results of our weekly corporate worship should be the growing bond of love and unity that develops between believers. This bond of fellowship should result in God's family members learning to care, honor, and serve one another in love. We should treat others with the same tenderness and understanding that we have experienced from God Himself. This determination to live in a love relationship with fellow believers is infinitely more important than the differences that may separate us."

 ~taken from Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth Osbeck

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer...All the believers were together and had everything in common." ~ Acts 2:42, 44

We're looking forward to a great time with our church fellowship today and hope you're doing the same. My mom is here visiting this week and will be with us for church. The chili is in the crockpot, and the potatoes are baking in the oven. Come on over and join us!

~Deb

If My People...

"...which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

~2 Chronicles 7:15

A Sunday Thought

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Psalm 103:1-2

 

Just a Bowl of Soup

"Remember that first time I stopped by your house? We were on our way someplace together and I had a bowl of soup with you and your family. As I sat there observing you, your wife, your children, and how you related to each other, I asked myself, When will I have a relationship like this with my fiancee? When I realized the answer was "never," I concluded I had to become a Christian for the sake of my own survival."  ~taken from Evangelism as a Lifestyle by Jim Peterson.

"No one can ever predict what eternal reward will be awaiting us for Christian hospitality. But even now there is a compensation in store for us. Hospitality is a thrilling adventure and brings wonderful returns. Looking back over my boyhood days, I praise God for the enrichment that came into my life through godly men and women who passed through our home. Impressions made in formative years stand a child in good stead in maturity." ~ Stephen F. Olford, reflecting on his childhood impressions of his missionary parents' generous hospitality.

Sharing our homes is one of the most loving, memorable things we can do to help communicate the message of Christ's love!  ~ The Hospitality Commands by Alexander Strauch.

Now that we're home from the weekend of the big yard sale (praise the Lord we survived and the sale was successful) and the calendar is somewhat empty for the time being, our family needs to take the advice of the authors above. I have some ideas in mind for practicing hospitality...but with the temps still excessive, I just may change that bowl of hot soup for a juicy cold watermelon for our guests!

~Deb

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I LOVE about God's LOVE.

1. God's love never changes--it's always the same.  Malachi 3:6

2. Nothing can separate me from the love of God. Romans 8:37-39

3. God loved me so much that He gave His only Son to die for me. John 3:16

4. While I was yet a sinner, He loved me. Romans 5:8

5. His banner over me is love. Song of Solomon 2:4

6. The Bible tells me He loves me. I John 4:10

7. God's love is eternal. Psalm 90:2, Psalm 93:2

8. Because He loves me, if I delight myself in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart.  Psalms 37:4

9. He loves me with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

10. His spirit bears witness with my spirit that I am His child. Romans 8:16

11. God's love helps me love others.  I John 4:11

12. He loved me first. I John 4:19

13. He laid down His life for me. I John 3:16

The Love of God

"Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Tho' stretched from sky to sky.

Oh love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure, The saints' and angels' song."  ~ Frederick Lehman

How could I not love Him?

~Deb

Will you Join us?

Sherrin in Australia, on her blog "A Deeper Love," writes:

"When it comes to evangelism, I feel inadequate. Most Christians I speak to are the same. Well, there is one thing that we can all do fairly easily. We can pray. This week, please join with me in praying each day for a different person you know who does not know Christ. At the end of the week, we'll each have prayed for six people, and in the years ahead we may see our prayers answered."

I already have a name picked out for tomorrow. Will you join us?

~Deb

30 Days Hath November

We're doing something a little bit different these next 30 days. Would you like to join us for the month of November? We're praying daily specific focused prayer for specific people all month long.

Here's the link to the Revive Our Hearts website where you can download your own copies of prayer suggestions for husbands, pastors, children, and friends.

I'll be praying the daily suggestions from 31 Days of Praying for Your Husband for Tom and for the husbands that God sends my daughters. Hannah and Sarah will be praying the same list for their future husbands.

Here's a sample from Day 1: Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord. Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines--Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc. (2 Peter 3:18; Proverbs 4:23)

I also tweaked the download for 31 Days of Praying for Your Pastor's Wife and changed the words throughout to read 31 Days of Praying for Your Friend. Then I sent an email to three friends with the link and asked if they would like to exchange prayer with me. I'll pray specifically for each of them for the 30 days of November, and they'll do the same for me. I'm looking forward to praying for my friends and seeing what the Lord will do this month in all of our lives.

Here's a sample from Day 1: Pray that my friend will love God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength. Pray that God's Spirit will work in her heart in power and that she will value and follow biblical priorities. (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 6:33)

I'm sure husbands could tweak the same list and change it to 31 Days of Praying for My Wife (or future wife). I think I'm going to run an extra copy now and place it right by Tom and Jonathan's Bible.

Let us know if you're interested in joining us, or if you've ever taken this challenge before, tell us what happened as a result. Thanks!

~Deb

Pray for the Wilhoite Family

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." ~ Psalms 116:15

If you've been following Amy's Living with Leukemia blog, you've read that Amy is now in the presence of her dear Saviour. I know this family would appreciate all your prayers.

~Deb

Want to be Wise?

"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."

~ Proverbs 2: 1-6

~Deb

A Little Lift

"Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad."   ~ Proverbs 12:25

"Our coffeemaker one morning produced considerably more than was expected. With no big demands screaming at me from either the calendar or the clock, I was enjoying a rare, rather easy-going morning. First to be done was exercise, second to prepare and eat breakfast, and then to spend my private time with the Lord. In the second activity I encountered an annoying slow-down caused by the coffeemaker.

Coffeemakers are a wonderful modern convenience. I appreciate ours because it takes some hassle out of breakfast preparation. Although our appliance generally has been faithful and effective, it occasionally fails to perform properly due to a stubborn coffee basket. It's as if the latch on the basket locks its jaw and refuses to open.

On the morning mentioned, the coffeemaker and I had an extended contest, and it seemed to be winning. I had pushed, pulled, and fussed--all to no avail. Then I inadvertently gave a tiny lift; it freed the arm mechanism, enabling me to open the basket. Our coffee tasted especially good to me that day. But the flavor that really lingered was connected not to the coffee, but to the coffee basket.

Just a little lift. That's a lesson appropriate to personal relationships in my daily life. For instance, when I need to "fill" someone with advice, instead of either tugging or pushing, mightn't a little lift of kind attitude and patient words make that person receptive? When I need to "empty" someone of a wrong direction or wrong spirit, mightn't a "lift" of commendation or encouragement predispose her to the necessary emptying?

Second Timothy 2:24-25a is a passage that can be applied to this situation: "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves." In other words, let's remember to give just a little lift."

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."   ~ Proverbs 31:28

(Devotional taken from Lights on Main Street--A Journal by Beneth Peters Jones.)

~Deb