John 3:16

Focus on the Family had done it again.  This great commercial ran last night during the Broncos vs. Patriots game.  My guess is Tim Tebow had a little something to do with it!

Happy Sunday!

Until next time,

Becca

Luke 12: 27-31

"Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!  And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.  For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.  But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."

Lord, may I grow to understand what it means to seek Your kingdom only, to bring before Your throne prayers reflective of my faith in Your care for the things You know I need, and to not chase after things pagan.

Amen

Sunday Prayers

Isaiah 61:11

"For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."

Before the earth springs forth new growth, there is winter - the season of death.  This week, one of our fellow chaplains was killed in Afghanistan.  He was the first chaplain to die on the battlefield since 1970.  As our spouses group rallies around our friend and new widow, I see her struggle to allow this death to bring "righteousness and praise" to all nations.  If you are reading this today, I ask you to please pray for her and her 3 young boys.  Any comments you wish to leave to bring encouragement to her heart will be passed along.

If you wish to encourage her in a more tangible way, contributions can be made to the memorial fund.  Please make checks payable to "Dale A. Goetz Memorial Fund" and mail them to:  155 Lake Ave., Colorado Springs, CO  80906.  The money will be used to supply Army chaplains with up-to-date, meaningful books and materials to help them minister to soldiers.

Thanks for praying,
Becca

Sunday Psalm

Yesterday I kissed my husband of 25+ years good-bye for the next year.  This morning, I decided to read a Psalm a day to help me get through.  Ps. 1: 1-3 says, "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water which yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers."

That spoke volumes to me today.  I'm certainly stretching the literal interpretation, but God seemed to whisper to my heart that Nathan and I are firmly planted by His stream and we will, when the season comes back around, have the same bloom of love and full, leafy growth together.  What a comfort to hear the God of both fact and feeling is letting me know all will be well in time!

And if ever there was a righteous man, it's my Nathan...and God will prosper his ministry

Amen...and AMEN!

Sunday Prayers

1Thes. 3:12-13

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does fro you.  May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."

Amen

Sunday Prayers

It is my prayer that this fourth stanza of the Star Spangled Banner will be sung and lived out in our nation.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Amen

Reunion

Last night my husband and I attended his high school reunion.  It was a small school, so they had classes which graduated between 1978-1983 in attendence.  For all intents and purposes, it was his 30th.  I was shocked at how many people hugged me...a woman they'd never even met but felt a warm connection to because they cared so much about my husband and had such fond memories of him.  And because it was a Christian school, there was that connection you automatically feel when you're in a room with "extended family."

Prior to attending the reunion, we visited my husband's "second family."  When he was in high school, he met their son at this Christian high school and they folded him into their home by adopting him with their love.  (I was much, much more nervous to pass inspection with them than with Nathan's parents when we were dating.  Luckily, they now love me as much as they love Nathan!) 

And we are currently staying with Nathan's sister.  His other sister is here, too, in order to spend some great quality time as a family before he deploys.  Amazingly enough, I consider my sisters-in-law as two of my closest friends, and I even like their husbands and kids!

All of this to say, watching the news and how our sin and rebellion is tearing the world apart juxtaposed against the joy of being with all our various forms of family makes me repeat over and over in my head this prayer, "The one who has spoken these things says, 'I am coming soon!'  So, Lord Jesus, please come soon!" (Rev. 22:20, CEV)

Amen

Sunday Prayers

I Thes. 3:11-13

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for everyone else, just as ours does for you.  May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Fater when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."

Amen

Sunday Prayers

Eph. 6:19

"...that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel."

Amen

Sunday Prayers

2 Cor. 13:7-9

"Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong...For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.  We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong, and our prayer is for your perfection."

Until next time,
Becca

Sunday Prayers

Eph. 1:15-23

"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way,"

Amen

A Lesson on Prayer

Instead of an actual prayer today, I thought I would go to a passage which talks about prayer.

In Luke 18: 1-8, Jesus uses a parable to "show that at all times they ought to pray and not lose heart."  The parable is about an unrighteous judge who does not fear God nor respect men who is worn down by the persistence of a widow (the most vulnerable and least respected of humanity in that culture) who kept coming and kept coming and kept coming to beg his protection from her opponents.  The Greek implies her constant appearing and request for justice was both annoying and beginning to damage his reputation or "give a black eye" to his name.

Jesus then compares the unwilling, unrighteous judge who was slow to come to the aid of the widow to God, the willing and righteous judge.  He says, "now shall not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?  I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily."

Great!  I'll just pray day and night for justice over those who oppose me and God will make everything better, right?  Then how come Jesus ends the parable like this, "However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Lord, protect me from those who would oppose me when I am acting righteously for Your sake.  Come to my aid quickly.  But, most of all, do not let me lose faith because I want quicker more vengeful justice.  Amen.

Spring Forward Sunday

I was reminded today to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ every day; when necessary, use words.

Today's prayer comes from Col 1: 9-11

"...asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding...pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."

Amen

Sunday Prayers

Phil. 1: 9-11

"...that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God."

Amen

Sunday Prayers

After last week's post on the prayers of the Bible, I received several comments from friends and family about how it touched them.  I decided to make Sunday a day to post prayers direct from scripture.  Listen to Jesus' prayer for his followers from Luke 17: 15-19:

"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.  For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."

As you head to church today and study God's word during the week, may you be sanctified by truth.  Amen.

Until next time,
Becca

The Prayers of a Righteous Woman

I have just moved from the Pacific Northwest (where I've spent my entire life) to Colorado. I am separated from friends who are going through difficult struggles and I can't do anything but send little encouraging notes and pray. I know the Bible says the prayers of a righteous man affect much although I'm not sure how. I can't say I am altogether righteous...well, perhaps I am since Jesus has covered all my sins and can present me to the Father holy and acceptable. But still, there is some mystery to prayer. How does it work; how do we make it work? If we just get the words right, have enough of our spiritual house in order, or come with the proper attitude, does God listen then? Is God simply a big "vending machine in the sky" where, as long as we put the proper things in, we can push His buttons to get what we want? Uh...no!

We know the Holy Spirit intervenes on our behalf so, when we do not know how to pray, he takes our prayers before the throne of God and presents them. Does that mean I should not pray specifically and only pray, "Holy Spirit, you know the concerns, please take them to God for me. Amen"?  That doesn't seem right either.

Several years ago I began a study on Biblical prayers. I had just come from a Bible study where it seemed every prayer was for health issues, travel mercies, employment problems, and school concerns. I was suddenly fed up with the lack of spiritual depth in our corporate prayer times. I determined to do a word study on prayer to see what Jesus, Paul, and other New Testament authors prayed. Now, please don't get me wrong. I don't think God wants us to stop praying for upcoming surgeries, trips, job interviews, and exams, but we would be wise to see what prayers are recorded in the Bible as examples.

Take this one from Col. 1:10-11. "...pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."

Wow! Now there's a prayer. I'm not sure about you, but I wish someone would pray that for me.

And so, to close, here is my prayer for my precious friends who are struggling right now...you know who you are.

Eph. 3: 14-20

"...I bow my knees before the Father...that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God, beyond all we ask or think, according to the power that works within us."

Amen.