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| Christmas Picture taken at the Gaylord Texan |
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
April 2012 - Daily Bible Verses
2 Samuel 5:10 (NET) "David's power grew steadily, for the LORD God was with him."
2 Samuel 22:4,7 (NET) "I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I was delivered...In my distress I called to the LORD; I called to my God. He listened to my cry for help."
Right before David's death, he gave the following guidance to Solomon, "Do the job the LORD your God has assigned you by following his instructions and obeying his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws...Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish." 1 Kings 2:3 (NET)
In 1 Kings 12, we see that Rehoboam was made king of Israel after Solomon died. He had a choice to follow the wise counsel of the "older men" which would result in the Israelites supporting him. However, he ignored their wise counsel and listened to the advice from his peers. This ultimately resulted in Rehoboam losing the majority of his kingdom and power. Before we make decisions, let's seek advice from people who are wiser than us - not our peers.
In 1 Kings 18, we see the account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah began his test with prayer in verses 36-37 (NET) "O LORD God prove today that you are God and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know you are the true God."
Psalm 27:14 (NET) "Rely on the LORD! Be strong and confident! Rely on the LORD!"
King Rehoboam was not a good king at all; however, he did humble himself and repent a few times - which benefited him and his country. 2 Chronicles 12:12 (NET) "So when Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD relented from his anger and did not annihilate him; Judah experienced some good things."
King Hezekiah was a good king and the Lord blessed him. "He trusted in the LORD God of Israel...he was loyal to the LORD and did not abandon him. He obeyed the commandments which the LORD had given to Moses. The LORD was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors." 2 Kings 18:5-7 (NET)
1 Chronicles begins with lots of names, genealogies, etc. Within this information, there are some descriptions of people.
- Judah had a son Er - he "displeased the LORD, so the LORD killed him." (2:3)
- Achan "brought the disaster on Israel when he stole what was devoted to God." (2:7)
- The Gadites "cried out to God during the battle; he responded to their prayers because they trusted him. (5:20)
Sadly, the final words about King Saul are these: "So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD and did not obey the LORD's instructions...he did not seek the LORD's guidance, so the LORD killed him and transferred the kingdom to David." 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 (NET)
King David was a very good example of someone who took time to thank and praise the Lord. A few examples of this show up in 1 Chronicles 16. "Give thanks to the LORD!...make known his accomplishments...tell about all his miraculous deeds...recall the miraculous deeds he performed, his mighty acts" (vs. 8-12 NET). In 17:20 he also acknowledges "O LORD, there is none like you."
King David was a very good example of someone who took time to thank and praise the Lord. A few examples of this show up in 1 Chronicles 16. "Give thanks to the LORD!...make known his accomplishments...tell about all his miraculous deeds...recall the miraculous deeds he performed, his mighty acts" (vs. 8-12 NET). In 17:20 he also acknowledges "O LORD, there is none like you."
Saturday, April 28, 2012
March 2012 - Daily Verses
In the book of Esther, we see that Haman was ultimately hung on the same gallows that he was planning to use for Mordecai. The sad thing is that his ten sons were also hung on those gallows because of his wickedness (Esther 9:14). Sin does not only impact the one person sinning - it also impacts others (including family).
When Daniel was in a position where his circumstances were in conflict with his faith, he "made up his mind that he would not defile himself" (Daniel 1:8 NET). When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were having their faith challenged with death, they responded to the king, "If our God whom we are serving exists, he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don't serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected." (Daniel 3:17-18 NET)
Ecclesiastes 7:1 (NET) "A good reputation is better that precious perfume." We all need to make sure that we always are doing what is right to make sure that our testimony/reputation is a positive one. One way to do this is to "Fear God and keep his commandments." (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NET)
After the decree was signed that no one should pray to another god but the king, Daniel did not waver in his faithfulness to God. Daniel 6:10 (NET) "When Daniel realized that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times daily he was kneeling and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously."
During the time of Hosea, the Israelites had gotten away from the Lord. As a result, their lives were full of misery and problems. When they submitted to the Lord, they again received his blessings. Hosea 3:5 (NET) "Then they will submit to the LORD in fear and receive his blessings in the future."
Hosea 14:9 (NET) "For the ways of the LORD are right, the godly walk in them." 9:9 states, "He will remember their wrongdoing. He will repay them for their sins." There are blessings to following the Lord, and difficulties when we do not.
In Joshua 6, Rahab's family was saved because of her. In Joshua 7, Achan's family was killed because of him. Decisions we make impact the lives of others. Let's make sure that those decisions result in blessings!
In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites tricked Joshua in order to save their own lives. After they told their story to Joshua, "The men examined some of their provisions, but they failed to ask the LORD's advice (verse 14 NET). We need to always seek God's guidance in all we do.
Joshua 23:14 (NET) "You know with all your heart and being that not even one of all the faithful promises the LORD your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized - not one promise is unfulfilled." Thank the Lord for his faithfulness to us!
Judges 2:13-15 (NET) " They abandoned the LORD and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths. The LORD was furious with Israel and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. He turned them over to their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies' attacks. Whenever they went out to fight, the LORD did them harm, just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. They suffered greatly."
Psalm 19:14 (KJV) "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer."
After Gideon had great success defeating the Midianites, he created an altar of false worship. Judges 8:27 (NET) states that "it became a snare to Gideon and his family." We must make sure that nothing gets in the way of worshiping the Lord!
After Samson finally gave in to Delilah and shared his secret of strength "She said, 'The Philistines are here Samson!' He woke up and thought, 'I will do as I did before and shake myself free.' But he did not realize that the LORD had left him." (Judges 16:20 NET) Let's never get to the place where the Lord would not be there to help us!
1 Samuel 18:14 (NET) "Now David achieved success in all he did, for the LORD was with him."
In 1 Samuel 26:23 (NET), David states, "The LORD rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty."
When Daniel was in a position where his circumstances were in conflict with his faith, he "made up his mind that he would not defile himself" (Daniel 1:8 NET). When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were having their faith challenged with death, they responded to the king, "If our God whom we are serving exists, he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don't serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected." (Daniel 3:17-18 NET)
Ecclesiastes 7:1 (NET) "A good reputation is better that precious perfume." We all need to make sure that we always are doing what is right to make sure that our testimony/reputation is a positive one. One way to do this is to "Fear God and keep his commandments." (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NET)
After the decree was signed that no one should pray to another god but the king, Daniel did not waver in his faithfulness to God. Daniel 6:10 (NET) "When Daniel realized that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times daily he was kneeling and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously."
During the time of Hosea, the Israelites had gotten away from the Lord. As a result, their lives were full of misery and problems. When they submitted to the Lord, they again received his blessings. Hosea 3:5 (NET) "Then they will submit to the LORD in fear and receive his blessings in the future."
Hosea 14:9 (NET) "For the ways of the LORD are right, the godly walk in them." 9:9 states, "He will remember their wrongdoing. He will repay them for their sins." There are blessings to following the Lord, and difficulties when we do not.
In Joshua 6, Rahab's family was saved because of her. In Joshua 7, Achan's family was killed because of him. Decisions we make impact the lives of others. Let's make sure that those decisions result in blessings!
In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites tricked Joshua in order to save their own lives. After they told their story to Joshua, "The men examined some of their provisions, but they failed to ask the LORD's advice (verse 14 NET). We need to always seek God's guidance in all we do.
Joshua 23:14 (NET) "You know with all your heart and being that not even one of all the faithful promises the LORD your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized - not one promise is unfulfilled." Thank the Lord for his faithfulness to us!
Judges 2:13-15 (NET) " They abandoned the LORD and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths. The LORD was furious with Israel and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. He turned them over to their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies' attacks. Whenever they went out to fight, the LORD did them harm, just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. They suffered greatly."
Psalm 19:14 (KJV) "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer."
After Gideon had great success defeating the Midianites, he created an altar of false worship. Judges 8:27 (NET) states that "it became a snare to Gideon and his family." We must make sure that nothing gets in the way of worshiping the Lord!
After Samson finally gave in to Delilah and shared his secret of strength "She said, 'The Philistines are here Samson!' He woke up and thought, 'I will do as I did before and shake myself free.' But he did not realize that the LORD had left him." (Judges 16:20 NET) Let's never get to the place where the Lord would not be there to help us!
1 Samuel 18:14 (NET) "Now David achieved success in all he did, for the LORD was with him."
In 1 Samuel 26:23 (NET), David states, "The LORD rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty."
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Spring Break - Tubing and Downtown Durango
After a relaxing morning, we headed up to the mountains to spend some time on the tubing hill.
After a tiring 90 minutes of walking up the hill, we decided to call it a day. For dinner, we headed to downtown Durango and ate at Diorios South Pizza restaurant. http://dioriospizza.com/ The slices were some of the biggest we have ever seen.
We ended the evening at Starbucks (SBUX) where the older ones were able to benefit from free wi-fi.
After a tiring 90 minutes of walking up the hill, we decided to call it a day. For dinner, we headed to downtown Durango and ate at Diorios South Pizza restaurant. http://dioriospizza.com/ The slices were some of the biggest we have ever seen.
We ended the evening at Starbucks (SBUX) where the older ones were able to benefit from free wi-fi.
Spring Break 2012 - The Drive to Durango
On Friday the 9th, we began our two day trek to Durango, Colorado for our annual ski trip. After about 7 hours of driving, we made it to Tucumcari, New Mexico. http://www.tucumcarinm.com/visitors_guide/index.php?subnavnum=2A&posted=yes where we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express:
We left the hotel on Saturday morning and made our way through some snowy weather. We did break for lunch in the small city of Cuba, NM at El Brunos - a pretty upscale Mexican Restaurant. http://www.elbrunos.com/
We arrived at our location in Dalton Ranch right around dinner time. http://www.vrbo.com/36341
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Super Bowl Weekend - On the Slopes
Reagan and I may have started a new traditional on Super Bowl Sunday - skiing in Colorado. We joined up with 10 other guys (Kurt Heinold and 9 from central Illinois) and skied for 4 days.
On Saturday, we skied at Keystone. http://www.keystoneresort.com/
On Sunday, we skied at Breckenridge. http://www.breckenridge.com/
On Monday and Tuesday, we skied at Copper Mountain. http://www.coppercolorado.com/winter/index.html
February Bible Reading Verses
Here are the verses that were shared with my family in the month of February:
Proverbs 20:11 (NET) "even a young person is known by his/her actions whether his/her activity is pure and whether it is right."
Proverbs 28:20+25 (NET) "a faithful person will have an abundance of blessings...the one who trusts in the LORD will prosper."
Philippians 2:3-5 (NET) "Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ had."
Philippians 4:6-7 (NET) "Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 3:13 (NET) We need to "exhort one another each day...that none of you may become hardened by sin's deception."
James 1:22+25 (NET) "But be sure you love out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves...(the) one who lives it out - he will be blessed in what he does."
When we go through trials, we do have the Lord to help us through them, Jonah realized this when he was in the great fish. Jonah 2:8-9 (NET) says, "Those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs... Salvation belongs to the LORD."
3 John verse 4 (NET) states, "I have no greater joy that this; to hear that my children are living according to the truth." This is the desire that mom and I have for all of you in life!!!
In Jude verse 3, Jude is encouraging us to be vigilant in our faith. He writes, "I now feel compelled instead to write to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith." (NET)
How about a few familiar verses that Paul wrote to Timothy. Because Timothy was a younger person, he challenged him in 1 Timothy 4:12 (NET) "Let no man look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity." 2 Timothy 2:15 (NET) "Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately."
Kids - As Paul was providing guidance to the folks at Thessalonika, we are also "exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:12 NET) and that you "hold fast to what is good (and) stay away from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NET).
Colossians 3:23 (NET) "Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people."
Ephesians 4:29+32 (NET) "You must let no unwholesome word come our of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need...be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you." Let's make sure that our words are building each other up!
Galatians 6:10 (NET) "So, then whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith." We should always be alert to the needs of fellow Christians - and help them when we can.
Psalm 11:7 (NET) - "Certainly the LORD is just; he rewards godly deeds; the upright will experience his favor."
Before Nehemiah asked permission of the king to begin his project to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, he prayed, "Please, O Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this man." (Nehemiah 1:11 NET) Let's always pray that the Lord would grant us success today!
After the wall project was completed, the people of Israel rededicated themselves - beginning with daily Bible reading, Nehemiah 8:18 (NET) "Ezra read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last." Verse 3 states, "he read it from dawn till noon before the men and women and those children who could understand. All the people were eager to hear the book of the law." Are we eager to spend a few minutes every day in God's Word?
As Ezra was trying to rebuild Jerusalem, many of the people in the land had sinned - and they were reaping the consequences. Ezra 9:13 (NET) "Everything that has happened to us had come about because of our wicked actions and our guilt." Let's make sure that we always do what is right to make sure we don't receive negative consequences!
Proverbs 20:11 (NET) "even a young person is known by his/her actions whether his/her activity is pure and whether it is right."
Proverbs 28:20+25 (NET) "a faithful person will have an abundance of blessings...the one who trusts in the LORD will prosper."
Philippians 2:3-5 (NET) "Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ had."
Philippians 4:6-7 (NET) "Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 3:13 (NET) We need to "exhort one another each day...that none of you may become hardened by sin's deception."
James 1:22+25 (NET) "But be sure you love out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves...(the) one who lives it out - he will be blessed in what he does."
When we go through trials, we do have the Lord to help us through them, Jonah realized this when he was in the great fish. Jonah 2:8-9 (NET) says, "Those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs... Salvation belongs to the LORD."
3 John verse 4 (NET) states, "I have no greater joy that this; to hear that my children are living according to the truth." This is the desire that mom and I have for all of you in life!!!
In Jude verse 3, Jude is encouraging us to be vigilant in our faith. He writes, "I now feel compelled instead to write to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith." (NET)
How about a few familiar verses that Paul wrote to Timothy. Because Timothy was a younger person, he challenged him in 1 Timothy 4:12 (NET) "Let no man look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity." 2 Timothy 2:15 (NET) "Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately."
Kids - As Paul was providing guidance to the folks at Thessalonika, we are also "exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:12 NET) and that you "hold fast to what is good (and) stay away from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NET).
Colossians 3:23 (NET) "Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people."
Ephesians 4:29+32 (NET) "You must let no unwholesome word come our of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need...be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you." Let's make sure that our words are building each other up!
Galatians 6:10 (NET) "So, then whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith." We should always be alert to the needs of fellow Christians - and help them when we can.
Psalm 11:7 (NET) - "Certainly the LORD is just; he rewards godly deeds; the upright will experience his favor."
Before Nehemiah asked permission of the king to begin his project to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, he prayed, "Please, O Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this man." (Nehemiah 1:11 NET) Let's always pray that the Lord would grant us success today!
After the wall project was completed, the people of Israel rededicated themselves - beginning with daily Bible reading, Nehemiah 8:18 (NET) "Ezra read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last." Verse 3 states, "he read it from dawn till noon before the men and women and those children who could understand. All the people were eager to hear the book of the law." Are we eager to spend a few minutes every day in God's Word?
As Ezra was trying to rebuild Jerusalem, many of the people in the land had sinned - and they were reaping the consequences. Ezra 9:13 (NET) "Everything that has happened to us had come about because of our wicked actions and our guilt." Let's make sure that we always do what is right to make sure we don't receive negative consequences!
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