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Showing posts from October, 2012

The Bible Challenge

I am the eternal Junior’s Sunday school teacher. Or at least that is the way it seems. After forty years of teaching Juniors you might think that I have it all down pat. I don’t. It is always a challenge. So In my recent quest to help my Juniors realize the importance of God’s Word I proposed that they memorize the names of the sixty-six books. It seems such a daunting task to a Junior. All of those STRANGE names like Deuteronomy, Habakkuk, Zephaniah and Hezekiah! That last one was a test to see if you were really paying attention. Sixty-six book are definitely a challenge whether or not you are a Junior. However, I have tossed a tad bit of an incentive into the mind busting equasion. “Say the books and get The Book!” If you have never said them from memory, reciting the books will get you a brand spanking new, great smelling, Bible. I love the smell of a new Bible. Even an imitation leather one. So the interest is picking up. Just two weeks ago Larissa was the first to break the bibli

Noel

Not the real Noel In Portuguese Noel means Christmas! I had never met a man named Noel, until the other day that is. A couple of friends were visiting and wanted to see the falls of Foz do Iguaçu. In our site seeing we found ourselves at the bus station downtown. We were chatting about the day when a vendor came by selling homemade candy.  I usually don't like vendors so I politely told him that we didn't want to buy anything today. However, when I noticed the type of candy he was selling, I told my friend Paul about how good it was. At that point the vendor got really close to me and said, "I need to ask you a favor". I thought, "Oh, brother, here it comes! He's gonna ask for money! This scraggly beard Santa Claus type always does!"  What actually came out of Noel's five week white shadow was quite a weird but simple request. "I need the recipe for pancakes". I stood there for a split second before I understood what he had stammered

Where do you turn for help?

I  am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word! Psalm 119:107 Where do you turn for help? Maybe where you turn is indicative of where your confidence lies. Assuming that David wrote this the longest psalm, his brief statement in verse 107 was at first puzzling to me. Our teens are memorizing this text and it has been a good challenge. However, during the six months there have been several verses that arrested my attention. This was one. David cries out, I  am severely afflicted ! He is in severe trouble. There seems to be no escape. Where should he turn? The answer comes with his next breath, give me life, O LORD, according to your word! David's trust was not in his great wealth. It wasn’t in his position. It wasn’t in the fact that his army was powerful. His trust was in God and His Word. They were his first recourse. David didn't have as much of the Word as you and I have. At best he had the Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy), some of the Jewish history (