This morning's devotional thought was I Cor. 16:14 "Let all your things be done with charity." This word "charity" is the Greek word agape, which means love, as in affection or benevolence. It's thinking and acting toward a person with kindly affection, and giving willingly of oneself for their sake, desiring to promote their prosperity and happiness. Some things are easy to do with love, but ALL things? Not so easy..

When it comes to performing certain tasks, doing them with love comes almost naturally. Things like making a gift for someone, or fixing up a surprise for a spouse. But what about the daily, mundane things, like washing dishes? picking up after someone? changing a stinky diaper? It's not always easy to conjure up affection while doing some of those! But the verse above says ALL things.

Agape love simply does not come naturally to any son of Adam or daughter of Eve. It takes effort, on purpose. Most of the times it takes denial of self and feelings. It's just not possible to feel affectionate and benevolent toward others, while having a mental pity party for yourself! ..But I'm finding out that that is one of the beauties of doing all things with agape. Once "self" is out of the way, there is real joy in doing those mundane tasks!

This will be short and sweet!

I've been thinking about the burning bush that Moses saw in the wilderness (Exodus chapter three). It was brought up in the book I was reading, "The Saving Life of Christ," by Major Ian Thomas. What about that bush? What was special about it? Why wasn't it consumed? Moses was wondering the same things when he turned aside to see about it. That's when God spoke to him, and turned his whole wilderness existence around.


All too early in Moses' career, he had blown it by jumping the gun. He was to be God's chosen leader to guide His people out of the bondage of Egypt. When he went out and saw an Egyptian mistreating a Hebrew man, he decided to do things his way, killed the Egyptian, and hid his body in the sand. God had another, better plan to redeem his people!

Then Moses drifted for forty years of uselessness in the dessert, far from his calling. He was all burned up, a heap of useless ashes. When he saw that burning bush that was not consumed... what a wonderful thing! So what was it about the bush that kept it burning, yet never consumed?

The answer is that GOD was in that bush! If the bush had sustained the flame with its own resources, it would have turned to ashes within a minute. But it was God who sustained the flame, not the bush. The bush was just available.

Do you see what I'm seeing here? Are you a Christian who wants to be used by God? Are you trying to do it in your own power? You will only burn yourself out. We are to be still, await our orders, and be ready and available for His use every day. What does God want me to do today?

...And by the way, God can use a short bush, a full bush, a scraggly bush, and even a dry bush. Any available bush will do!

Have a blessed day!

Photo is of the beautiful artwork of Arnold Friberg, prints of which are available HERE.

Last night during the church meeting in La Esperanza we had a stranger come in during the singing. He asked our pardon for interrupting, but said he and his wife (and their two little ones with them) needed some assistance.

He said that they had been pulled over in Alaska (about two hours' drive from us), and their truck was stolen. They had hitched rides this far, he said, and still needed to get to San Marcos, which is another hour down the road.

My husband talked with him about that for a minute, and then proceeded to share the gospel with him. He listened intently, and Daniel did his best to show the man that his need for Jesus was greater than any other need. The man said he wanted to be saved, but his wife didn't.

Well, my husband offered to drive his family to San Marcos, and the man refused. There were also some inconsistencies with his story and what his wife said while I chatted with her. So we were pretty sure the story was completely fabricated.

So, do you think we gave the couple some money, or not? What would you have done?

UPDATED:

Actually, we did give them some money. We didn't have much, but what we gave them would have paid their bus fare to San Marcos. Call us fools, but we just can't get around, "Give to him that asketh thee." And who knows if there really was a need, even if the story was fabricated? Only the Lord knows, and it's in His hands.

The "holiday season" is now over, and I always breathe a sigh of relief when it is! At Christmas time, traffic is horrible in town, the stores are overcrowded (as are the parking lots), people are pushy, children are greedy, and the parties are raucous. Well, not for Christians. Their parties aren't quite as raucous. We just try to stock up on groceries and hunker down at home until the two weeks have passed, only venturing out for ministry-related stuff.

All the busy-ness of the season has got me thinking: Is this really what Jesus would have people do? Did he ever ask his disciples to remember his birth? Did his disciples even know his birthdate? I doubt it, and if it were important to remember it, I believe it would have been recorded in Scripture for us.

The circumstances under which Christ was born were humble. The loud crowds were in the inns, and there had been no room for him there. Instead, he was born in a smelly stable among the animals. Glorious angels announced the birth...to whom? Humble shepherds.

What was Mary's response to the wonder of all that had happened? She "kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." I think Mary had the right idea about the whole thing.

I think what Christ would have believers do is just ponder the wonder of his miraculous birth, and thank God for sending a Saviour! The only thing he tells us to remember is his death, which we do every time we observe the Lord's Supper.

"This do ye...in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." I Cor 11:25,26

This presidential election has raised some charged issues, some of which I have already discussed here. Should a woman be VP of the United States, leaving her home and family behind? Well, no. But Palin has chosen a career other than homemaker, and even if she doesn't go to Washington, she will no doubt continue to pursue her political career anyway. So should Christians vote to put her into office? Wellll, that's debatable.

What is NOT debatable is that the alternative to McCain/Palin is a socialist who will do everything in his power to wipe out everything that remains of the godly principles America was founded upon.

A friend of ours, Bro. Ben Smith, recently made some comments about Barak Obama's "threefold attack on the book of Genesis". The book of Genesis is Truth 101, if you will, and provides the very foundation on which the rest of the Bible stands. While calling himself a Christian, Obama rejects three important foundational Christian principles, as quoted here:

1. [His] belief in evolution:

Barak Obama said: “I’m a Christian, and I believe in parents being able to provide children with religious instruction without interference from the state.

But I also believe our schools are there to teach worldly knowledge and science. I believe in evolution, and I believe there’s a difference between science and faith. That doesn’t make faith any less important than science. It just means they’re two different things. And I think it’s a mistake to try to cloud the teaching of science with theories that frankly don’t hold up to scientific inquiry.“

God said:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2. The support of gay marriage.

Barak Obama said:

In a carefully hedged statement, Obama said he “respects the decision of the California Supreme Court.” He respects a decision that disregarded the will of the people in California, as expressed by a 2000 referendum that defined marriage as between a man and a woman; he respects a decision that excoriated his own position of support for civil unions and (theoretical) opposition to same-sex marriage; he respects a decision that rejects the sort of political compromise he extols. It’s like a professed abolitionist in 1857 saying he “respects” the Dred Scott ruling.

God said:

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Matthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made [them] at the beginning made them male and female,
Matthew 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

3. The support of abortion.

Barak Obama said:

"I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby,"

God said:

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

So what should we conclude?

Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

There are several things that Christians can do to be salt and light in this world. We must pray for those in authority. We must witness to others about Jesus. We must live godly lives, separated unto the Lord. And when the opportunity arises, I believe we must do what good citizens do, and that is vote. Even if it means voting for a "lesser evil".


Our absentee ballots just arrived in the mail. We intend to use them to cast our votes against the man who hates God and rejects God's Word. And may the Lord have mercy on America for a little longer. We love her.

The season is changing here, and the skies are starting to cloud up in the afternoons. The rainy season does not officially begin until May, but we've had sporadic sprinkles here and there since late March. One woman told me these little rains in the beginning are "for the planters". I guess it cools them off as they labor into the warmer afternoon hours!

One of the neighbor boys came by this afternoon, asking to borrow a bike to run to the store up the road. He has asked to borrow the bike before, and I was faced with a dilemma then that had vaguely been in the back of my mind. I had to decide - do I loan things to the neighbor children? If I do, they will surely be back again and again, perhaps bringing more friends with them each time. Things might wear out or get broken, or "lost"... I found a passage of Scripture that removed all doubts for me. "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." (Matthew 5:42)

When he brought the bike back, I had some colorful tracts for him to take back to his mama. I hope she can read Spanish!

Daniel's mom, Wanda, called me today and told me about something very thought-provoking. Last week she and Daniel were working out at her back fence. Daniel had some good, godly music playing in the vehicle as they loaded it with some stuff to haul off. An elderly neighbor lady came out of her house, and approached them. They struck up a conversation, and Daniel started talking to her about the Lord, and showed her the truth about what happens after we die. Before long, he held her little hands in his, and prayed with her. She thanked him, and went back inside. Later that week, Daniel left Texas.

The reason that Wanda called us is that this morning, that lady was found in her home. She had passed away sometime during the night. I am so thankful for to have a husband who takes the time to talk to a lonely old woman, and especially for a God who extends His grace to everyone!