Sovereign God

            Another Thanksgiving Day has passed here in the United States.  I hope that you had a great day, possibly sharing with family and friends.

            I also hope that you took time to thank the Lord for His many blessings upon you.  During the year we faced many challenges as a country and as families.  2022 will be a year most of us will never forget, but God was there and He provided what we needed.  We serve a great God.  All praise to Him!

            For those of us over 60 I am thankful that advertising for Medicare will soon stop for a few months.  Each day our mailbox is filled with sales pitches and our tv is filled with advertisements pitching Medicare plans.  I am tired of all of these and am thankful that they will soon stop – at least for another year.

           But I am even more thankful that the election ads are finally over – at least for another year.  To me the ads were obnoxious and full of half-truths and lies.  They were nasty and cruel.  And to many of us the results were the same.

           But, let's thank God that He's still in control!

            In a November 11 devotional produced by David Jeremiah there is a prayer entitled "Our Sovereign God". that I think is worth sharing with you.

          "Dear Lord, the times are in Your hands and so are we. You warned that perilous times would come in the Last Days, but You also told us the Last Days would prepare for the return of Christ.  We're apt to be troubled by politics, upset by elections, and wary of rulers.  But You, O Lord, direct the affairs of history; and if the prophet Daniel could praise You in Babylon, we can praise You in our modern world.  Thank You for being on Your throne.  The rulers of this world with their power and pride are no match for Your sovereign rule!"

            Amen and amen!

             And  here are a few extra thoughts on the subject of thanksgiving.

BE THANKFUL...

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.

  If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,

  for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. 

  During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,

  because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,

  because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. 

  They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,

  because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

He who is grateful is never truly poor, and he who isn't is never truly rich.

        

Holiday Riddles

TURKEY RIDDLES

So bad, they're good...

 

What did the mother turkey say to her disobedient children?

If your father could see you now, he'd turn over in his gravy!

 

Why do Pilgrims have trouble keeping their pants up?

'Cause they wear their belts on their hats!

 

What is the difference between a chicken and a turkey?

Chickens celebrate Thanksgiving!!

 

What is the Turkey's favorite black tie celebration?

The Butter Ball

 

What do you get when you cross a turkey, the beach, and Broomhilda?

A turkey sand-witch

 

What kind of music did Pilgrims listen to?

Plymouth Rock

 

Which side of the turkey has the most feathers? 

The outside

 

Why do turkeys eat so little?

Because they are always stuffed

 

Why did the turkey cross the road?

It was the chicken's day off.

 

What key has legs and can't open doors?

Tur-key.

 

What sound does a space turkey make?

Hubble, hubble, hubble.

 

How do you keep a turkey in suspense?

I'll tell you at Christmas.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  And make sure that you have a thankful spirit for all that the Lord has done for you.  God is so good - all the time!

To Blog Or Not To Blog?

          It was the late 1990's when I decided, as I began to approach retirement, that I wanted to use technology to enrich my life.  I also decided that maybe the Lord would have a new ministry for me using technology during retirement.

          My niece's husband helped me purchase an expensive software program called Dreamweaver which enabled me to create websites.  Soon I created a site called fbfawana.com which allowed me to post news and pictures about the Awana program at our church which I directed.  This site turned out to be very successful with many using it weekly to follow this special program for children. 

          Over the years I added many features to it including our church history, writings for my grandchildren, writings by my son about his hunting trips and eventually even my first blog.  The problem with the blog was that it was hard for people to locate.  I soon realized that it should not be part of this website.

          In 2008 I found a free online program to create blogs that were easy for folks to access.  In September of 2008 I created Barry's Blog which eventually I began to update weekly.  This blog included stories of my experiences, jokes, puzzles and a variety of really relatively "unimportant" items.  It was really just a hobby for me and chance to use and develop my love of writing.

          The following month I decided to try another blog, "Hymns With A Message".  Each week I feature a hymn with a story about its author and its message.  I post a link to the audio of the hymn.  It has been fun to create and unexpectantly my readership grew with folks from all over the world.  I was amazed at the messages that I received.  This blog became a real ministry and a help to many.

          Over the years things have changed.  The company who hosted my website changed its operating system and my software could no longer communicate with it.  About that time I retired as Awana Commander and the cost of new software and the challenge of learning new software was just too much for me.  So, unfortunately, a few years ago, fbfawana.com was retired.

         For many years my hymn blog flourished.  Some weeks I had 900 -1000 viewers each week. I have written about 800 hymns.  But then, during the pandemic, for some reason my readership began to decline.  Now I have about 600 who visit it each week.  While the decline has been rather disappointing, there still appears to be a need and an interest.  Comments I often receive are encouraging.  

          In recent weeks I have had readers in Australia, Philippians, Canada, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Jamaica, Ghana, India, South Korea, South Afria, and many other countries. So, as long as the Lord gives me the direction ideas and motivation, I hope to continue this blog as a hobby and a ministry.

         But then that brings me to my other blog.  I admit that I have been very discouraged with this one.  You might be one of just about 20 readers who are visiting this one this week.  I am not surprised because my content has not been very interesting.

          I am considering stopping this one the end of this year but then I noticed where my readers are really from …  Brazil, Australia, South Korea, Russia, France, Ireland, India, and several other countries.

          Then, in a time of discouragement, last week, after my blog, "I'll Pray For You!", I received this comment from a reader in Brazil. "Indeed prayers are desperately needed today.  Please remember also my family and my country in your prayers, Mr. Kauffman. 🙏. Sara Santos, from Brazil."

          So, should I stop?

I'll Pray For You

          The pandemic changed so many things for most of us.  We still haven't gone back to church or out to eat at a restaurant.  We've spent less time with friends and we order all our groceries online.

          The one good change has been the fact that I have had more time to pray.  But I wish that I could say that my prayers were more effective than they used to be.  However, my prayer list has gotten much longer.

          It is no secret that people have serious problems that only the Lord can solve.  This past week I have been stunned by the new problems that I have learned about.

          A longtime friend has cancer and now his wife has decided that she wants a separation. What a disappointment and shock.

          A friend has a daughter with special needs who lives in a home for those with special needs.  This week the daughter was found on the floor where she apparently had been for three hours with a broken foot. She needed surgery.

          The daughter of a close friend is going through a difficult divorce and has been forced to move, with her children, home with her parents.  Her parents both have very serious physical problems themselves.

          A friend who is self employed had emergency surgery on his foot.  And while he recovers, they have no income.

           A young man with a special ministry has been diagnosed with kidney cancer – the same type that his mother died of a few years ago. 

          Another friend involved in ministry with several young children has cancer and has been going through various surgeries and difficult treatments. 

           A young lady has serious muscular disorders and has trouble scheduling appointments with specialists.       

           And I could add many more situations – friends who are ill, friends who are out of work, friends with family problems, friends with financial needs, friends with spiritual needs. 

          Serious needs are everywhere.  And what can I do?  Encouragement and faithful, fervent prayer are the only real solutions.

          Now I think most of us could learn more about faithfulness in prayer.  This week I recalled an old hymn penned in 1925 that I can remember singing years ago. Now I don't know much about Albert S. Reitz (1879-1966) and I know nothing about his prayer life.  Quite possibly you may never have heard it.  But in it, Reitz shares several practical issues about prayer.

 

1.     Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray;

This is my heart-cry day unto day;

I long to know Thy will and Thy way;

Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.

Living in Thee, Lord, and Thou in me,

Constant abiding, this is my plea;

Grant me Thy power, boundless and free,

Power with men and power with Thee.

 

2.     Power in prayer, Lord, power in prayer!

Here 'mid earth's sin and sorrow and care,

Men lost and dying, souls in despair;

O give me power, power in prayer!

Living in Thee, Lord, and Thou in me,

Constant abiding, this is my plea;

Grant me Thy power, boundless and free,

Power with men and power with Thee.

 

3.     My weakened will, Lord, Thou canst renew;

My sinful nature Thou canst subdue;

Fill me just now with power anew;

Power to pray and power to do!

Living in Thee, Lord, and Thou in me,

Constant abiding, this is my plea;

Grant me Thy power, boundless and free,

Power with men and power with Thee.

 

4.     Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray;

Thou art my pattern day unto day;

Thou art my surety, now and for aye;

Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.

Living in Thee, Lord, and Thou in me,

Constant abiding, this is my plea;

Grant me Thy power, boundless and free,

Power with men and power with Thee.

          Prayer is as important to our spiritual life as is breathing to our human life.  May these words be a reminder to us of our need to spend time alone with the Lord.   May we have the discipline and desire to be prayer warriors for our own spiritual growth and for the many needs of those all around us.  

         And may I never be guilty of saying "I'll pray for you" and then not faithfully doing it.