Daily Devotional; formerly Chaplains Corner

[permafrost]

Good Morning Terry,
My children come first .Yes, they will move on(and have) but i will strife to keep the bond, even though I was required to change my way of thinking towards them. It is still good, only different.
My reward is some great grandchildren to teach and love ! Frosty

[Woodnut]

AMEN ! Thanks Terry. My children have always been near the center of my life. Now it is my children and grandchildren. My 3 girls are adults now and have children of their own, they still have time for Daddy and Daddy still has time for them. A perfect Bond, I'm proud to say. But you are correct in saying that I became completely dumb when they were teens. Then in their late 20's I kinda got smart again. LOL.

[ampaterry]

It has been said that everyone wants a preacher that preaches over their head – and hits the person sitting in the pew behind them.
How often have you sat in the pew at church, and wished the pastor would quit stepping on your toes? Does it seem like he has privileged information about you, your home life, your work life, your internet access, your mail, your business dealings, even your very THOUGHTS, and is AIMING those messages to hit you where it hurts the most?
Listen to what Charles Spurgeon had to say on this, as recorded in The Quotable Spurgeon:
“A very skillful bowman went to the mountains in search of game. All the beasts of the forest fled at his approach. The lion alone challenged him to combat. The bowman immediately let fly an arrow and said to the lion, "I send you my messenger, that from him you might learn what I myself will be when I assail you." The lion thus wounded rushed away in great fear, and when a fox exhorted him to be of good courage and not to run away at the first attack, he said, "You counsel me in vain, for if he sends so fearful a messenger, how shall I abide the attack of the man himself?"
If the warning admonitions of God's ministers fill the conscience with terror, what must it be to face the Lord himself? If one bolt of judgment brings a man into a cold sweat, what will it be to stand before an angry God in the last great day?”

Brother Spurgeon makes an excellent point here – if your PREACHER makes things hot for you - - just wait!

The Word of God tells us:
Romans 5:9-10 (KJV);
"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

And allow me to state VERY clearly that I have NEVER ‘aimed’ a point at any member of my congregation. In fact, I have several times had members tell me that I hit them exactly where they needed to be hit, when I was not aware that I had even made the point they spoke of.

May God bless each one of you -

[Woodnut]

AMEN !!!

[Marlin T]

You guys have to see this Pastor Going Mad before the NASCAR race!
He thanks God for everything including his Smoking Hot Wife

Best prayer EVER! Pastor Joe Nelms - Nascar Nationwide - Nashville, TN

[ampaterry]

Boogedy boogedy??

Man, this guy has been into the communion wine, IMHO.

FUNNY, though!!

[ampaterry]

St. Augustine wrote in City of God:
“At times one hesitates to reprove or admonish evil-doers, either because one seeks a more favorable moment or fears his rebuke might make them worse, and further, discourage weak brethren from seeking to lead a good and holy life, or turn them aside from the faith. In such circumstances forbearance is not prompted by selfish considerations but by well advised charity.
“What is reprehensible, however, is that while leading good lives themselves and abhorring those of wicked men, some, fearing to offend, shut their eyes to evil deeds instead of condemning them and pointing out their malice. To be sure, the motive behind their malice is that they may suffer no hurt in the possession of those temporal goods which virtuous and blameless men may lawfully enjoy; still there is more self-seeking here than becomes men who are mere sojourners in this world and who profess the hope of a home in heaven.”

St Augustine makes a good point here. Do YOU give admonishment in those times when you should? Judy and I were just talking about the handicapped parking spaces, and how many people park there that have no reason to. When you see this, do you point it out to the person that is breaking the law? If someone you know is living together without the benefit of marriage, do you tell them that they are committing a sin? If your married co-worker is hitting on someone, do you tell them what they are doing is wrong? It is HARD, but we are to do it.

The Word of God tells us to give such warnings:
1 Thessalonians 5:14 (KJV);
"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men."

And it also tells us that our warnings are not to be repeated endlessly, but only twice before we shun the person that is sinning:
Titus 3:10 (KJV);
"A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."

Note that when they ignore the admonition twice we are to REJECT them.
It is not possible to reject a stranger; we did not know them in the first place. It is only possible to shun someone we already KNOW. That means that we are not to run around like the morals police, pronouncing damnation on complete strangers that are committing obvious sins; what we are to do is be completely honest with the people we know, advising them in LOVE when they are in error.

God bless you, guys -

And by the way, Marlin; I thank God for my smokin hot wife every day too!

[jack404]

Christian are the shock absorbers of the world

they tell the truth and accept the resulting shocks to avoid larger shocks that could cause damage to the vehicle if they where not there

or that how it was taught to me Terry , i think i was 17 , but i remember it well , cause it made sense , tough sense , but sense.. and The good lord aint dumb

cheers to you mate

[Woodnut]

Amen ! Terry

I think we are all in the same boat when it comes to the handicap parking places. I know I notice it all the time, and never say anything, oh I want to because it makes me mad to see someone abuse the spaces that could be used by someone that really needs it. But like most people, I keep my mouth shut, except to my wife, I always tell her my thoughts. Maybe after your teaching, I will say something to a few of them.

Have a great day Terry

[jack404]

Carl , i have a reputation as a cranky SOB , and got it in a very short time too . started when i started to speak up , funny that , its just inspired me to do more , cause you can make a difference , especially when others see you do so , it empowers then i think ..
but you open the door for others , that too is important , we can turn back the clock on morals and behaviour , we just gotta start ..

[ampaterry]

Most people are not armed, so the pushy self-centered ones feel safe shoving their way around this world.
I seem to remember reading Bill Jordan in "No Second Place Winner" saying people treated each other with more respect when everyone had a gun on their hip.

The easy solution is to return to those times -
But that will require a lot of changes in a lot of government bodies -

[jabionsann]

i spammed Chaplains Corner

I am filth , I respect nothing and would sell my mother if strong enough

please contact my employer at http://www.renta-yate.com/ and let them know you are disgusted and will tell everyone you know to never ever use these peoples business

thank you

[ampaterry]

Jabionsann;
Spam anywhere on TFF is rather ill-advised, because you will ALWAYS be found, post deleted, and you will be banned from the group.

But the Chaplains Corner is an even worse infraction!
Spam here and your post will be edited into a joke, and you will not only be banned, but your soul condemned to eternity in the lower regions!!

[ampaterry]

Exhorting the spammer brings Just ONE MORE talk on Exhortation. We all understand what it is, and how we are commanded to do it. We all also know that there are many who will reject it, and continue to sin. In fact, it may seem at times that there are more people that ignore it than take it to heart and change their ways.
But we must remember that not EVERYONE rejects these exhortations. Some take them to heart, and profit greatly from them. Consider this story from Leadership Magazine written by Jawanza Kunjufu:
“When I was a 14-year-old high school freshman, school was dismissed early for a teachers' meeting. I conveniently neglected to tell my parents about the change and arranged to bring my girlfriend over to my house. We weren't planning to study.
“As we were going up the steps, my neighbor, Mrs. Nolan, poked her head out of a window and said, "You're home awfully early, Jerome."
“"Yes, Ma'am," I said, improvising a lame story about how we planned to review algebra problems.
“"Does your mother know you're home this early," Mrs. Nolan persisted, "and do you want me to call her?"
“I gave up. "No, Ma'am. I'll go inside and call her while Kathy sits on the porch."
"Mrs. Nolan saved our careers that day. If Kathy had gotten pregnant, she might not have become the doctor she is today. And my father had warned me that if I made a baby, the mutual fund he set up for me to go to college or start a business would have gone to the child. I'm glad Mrs. Nolan was at her window, looking out for me."

Brother Kunjufu was grateful for the admonishment which he had been given. He understood that it was not given to cause hurt, but to HELP.
The Word of God tells us:
1 Corinthians 4:14 (KJV);
"I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you."

May the Good Lord strengthen each one of us to receive exhortation well, to give it with love, and bring positive results in both cases.

[jack404]

My grand father was a bushman , not educated but smart in many things , his saying was

a kick in the backside when young
may save that backside in later life

i got lots of kicks in the backside when young ...

[ampaterry]

Lewis Smedes wrote: “The "credibility gap" that once alienated the public from people in high places now seems to separate us from one another in all walks of life. Americans lie on their income tax returns to the tune of millions of dollars a year. Doctors fake reports in order to profit from Medicare patients. Prize athletes at great universities are kept eligible for competition through bogus credits and forged transcripts of academic records. Children soon acquire the cynical assumption that lying is the normal tack for TV advertisers. In the words of a Time magazine essay, ours is "a huckstering, show-bizzy world, jangling with hype, hullabaloo, and hooey, bull, baloney, and bamboozlement." After a while, people tend to expect not to hear the truth anymore.”

In 1976, a national poll showed that 69 percent of Americans believed that the country's leaders had, over the last decade, consistently lied to the people. I feel sure that figure has not decreased recently!

According to a study done by James Patterson and Peter Kim, 74 percent of Americans will steal from those who won't miss it, and 64 percent will lie for convenience as long as no one is hurt.

Most Americans (93 percent) say they alone decide moral issues, basing their decisions on their own experience or whims. Eighty-four percent say they would break the rules of their own religion. And 81 percent have violated a law they felt to be inappropriate.

Exodus 20:14-16 (KJV);
"Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

That same study showed that only 30 percent of the people asked say they would be willing to die for their religious beliefs or for God.
Revelation 20:4 (KJV);
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

What will you do, and where will you stand?

God bless each one of you -

[ampaterry]

In addition to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Football Hall of Fame, and Cowboy Hall of Fame, there is an Inventor's Hall of Fame, a Miner's Hall of Fame, an Exotic Dancer's Hall of Fame, a Bowler's Hall of Fame, and a Pickle Packer's Hall of Fame.
Robert C. Shannon wrote that in '1000 Windows'.
When you heard me read that, you might be thinking 'how foolish these things are'! You might think that I am going to go into a message concerning the silliness that the world gets involved in; a Pickle Packer's Hall of Fame??

Several years ago, our septic tank developed a problem, and I thought it might just need pumping. We called a man whose name escapes me who lived on Barber Highway here in Houston County who did septic tank pumping, and he came out and pumped it out for us. This gentleman really knew what he was doing. He did a good job, he worked hard at it, and he charged a fair price. He took PRIDE in his work. Some folks would have a problem understanding that, and would denigrate anyone in such a 'nasty' business as that.

A few years later, I had dealings with some car salesmen on behalf of our oldest grandson. They misrepresented things, they lied, they pushed. They all had nice clean clothes on, and drove nice new vehicles. Their language skills were very well developed, and they were obviously intelligent.

Given my 'druthers, I would 'druther deal with the septic tank cleaner than these guys. When I shook hands with them, I felt like I needed to go wash.
I didn't feel that way when I shook hands with the septic tank cleaner.

We are commanded to work:
II Thessalonians 3:10-12 (KJV);
"For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread."

And we are to take pride in our work:
Proverbs 22:29 (KJV);
"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."

Your occupation in life does not mean NEARLY as much as the morality with which you do it.

God bless each one of you -

[jack404]

Cheers Terry

[njretcop]

Terry,

I hope that this is not considered selfish, but I would ask you to send up a prayer for me. I have been a member of this forum for a long time.

A week before Christmas last year, I was diagnosed with cancer. I am now on chemo, but I am growing weaker. I have been fighting this illness and will continue to do so until our Lord calls me home.

Thank you..........

[jack404]

Prayers from here mate , If i may the Chemo will weaken you , chemo works by poisoning the area around the cancer and hoping it kills the cancer before you cant take any more, that said they are able to focus the doses way better now even compared to a few years ago when i started ,

I'm over the chemo but i still have not put the weight back on , my strength came back slowly and through God's good grace i'm here today , its slow its not pleasant in any way , but doable

So you concentrate on doing all you can to stay well , the stronger you are the more chemo you can take and them more it can do ..

I'll be praying for peace , for strength , for determination and for wisedom ( and for the physical side effects to be as minimal as possible )

need someone to chat with while your going through this, just sing out eh , it aint a good time and awful lonely at times

Cheers to you Charlie

I Ask The Good Lords Blessing for you and your at this time

[ampaterry]

Charlie, we are SUPPOSED to pray for one another. And since our contact is through cyberspace, I have no way of knowing you have a need unless you tell me. Absolutely nothing selfish about it.

Heavenly Father, I come before you today lifting up Charlie.
He has Cancer, lord, and the doctors are dealing with that to the best of their ability.
But Lord, we know that all healing comes from you, as you are the source of all good things.
We ask, Father, that you would give Charlie a touch.
We ask that you would allow strength to flow into him.
We ask that you would bring a complete and total healing from this condition.
And Lord, we do not pray about the tools you may - or may not - choose to use to bring this about; we only pray for the healing, not for the method of it.

Be with him, Lord, and keep his faith strong.
Be with his family and friends,and let each one know that YOU are in charge.
We place this man in your hands, Lord, and we trust you for his care.

And we ask these things in the Holy name of Jesus, the Christ - the Great Physician.

[cutter]

Amen!! Prayers be with you.

[njretcop]

Thank you very much Terry, it is very comforting to me..........

[ampaterry]

In Boston a minister noticed a group of boys standing around a small stray dog.
"What are you doing, boys?"

"Telling lies," said one of the boys. "The one who tells the biggest lie gets the dog."

"Why, when I was your age," the shocked minister said, "I never ever thought of telling a lie."

The boys looked at one another, a little crestfallen. Finally one of them shrugged and said, "I guess he wins the dog."

The point of that little story is to emphasize the truth of the words in
1 John 1:8-10 (KJV);
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

Because somehow, somewhere, sometime - we have ALL lied. Perhaps to spare someone's feelings, perhaps as the lesser of two sins, but nonetheless, we have lied at some time in our lives.

A man once went to his attorney and said, "I am going into a business deal with a man I do not trust. I want you to frame an airtight contract that he can't break, which will protect me from any sort of mischief he may have on his mind." The attorney replied, "My dear sir, there is no group of words in the English language that will take the place of plain honesty between men, which will fully protect either of you if you plan to deceive each other."

To lie is in our basic nature, the old man, the flesh. It is one more sin which we must daily battle against. We may never conquer it completely, but we can overcome it when dealing with the things of God:

1 Timothy 2:7 (KJV);
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity."

There are people on this planet that claim they have conquered sin completely.
To them, I pose the problem of the overweight lady who has tried on a dress that looks like it was made by Nashville Tent and Awning company. She looks in the mirror, smiles, and then turns to you and says "How does this look?"

God bless you, guys - and may he intervene in our lives in such a way that our sins are minimized.

[ampaterry]

Barry Gibson from Lansing, Michigan, drove to Beverly Hills, California, with a shovel in his car. At the homes of the stars, he jumped out, dug dirt from their gardens and fled. Back home he packed it in tiny vials labeled "Celebrity Dirt" and sold the vials for $5.96 each.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that story. This shows the ignorance of a people who will buy little bottles of dirt, and are probably the same people who will pay money for a small stone that has been packaged as a "pet rock".
I just read about a well known exotic dancer who at the end of her dancing 'career' had her silicone breast implants surgically removed, and placed one of them on e-bay for auction. And people were actually bidding on it!
These incidents show the extremely elevated status which many accord to some public figures. Personally, I look at how often they get divorced and re-married and how often they get arrested in SPITE of their status which gets them out of most scrapes with the law. I look at their extreme surface level politics, I look at their actual educational backgrounds, I look at their rampant drug and alcohol abuse, and I conclude that I have much more respect for the lady that collects our garbage each week, the lady who brings our mail, the young couple that built a nice home next door to us several years ago, the young lady who we do our banking with at the Traditions First drive up window, and the hundreds of other people I interface with that DESERVE my respect. I do not accord respect based upon ones ability to pretend to be someone other than who they really are, which is the principal attribute of a Hollywood actor, in the final analysis, isn't it?
The Word of God deals with this idea that some people are "better" than others based upon their social status;
Acts 10:34 (KJV);
"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:"

We will all be judged, indeed, but we will be judged by what we have DONE, not by our social status, race, income level, or relative success in our occupations. Pay attention to what you DO, not to what you supposedly ARE.

May God bless each and every one of you -