Daily Devotional; formerly Chaplains Corner

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks Terry!

[ampaterry]

Originally Posted by reflex1

Good thoughts again Terry - but 1825 - typo right?

No, the date is correct -
The exact date that Erikson came here is unknown, so the Norwegians picked the date of the docking of the Restauration in 1825 to celebrate Leif Erikson day on, since they consider that the first emmigration from Norway that succeeded.

An interesting sidenote; The Restauration was a sloop, and docked with 52 passengers - which was far too many for a ship her size, according to US law. The ship was seized, the captain arrested, and a hefty fine was levied against Capt Helland. Five weeks later, president Grover Cleveland pardoned the captain, rescinded the fine, and released the ship.

[reflex1]

Uhhhhhhh ok on the date of 1825 - but Grover Cleveland wasn't president in 1830.

[ampaterry]

Originally Posted by reflex1

Uhhhhhhh ok on the date of 1825 - but Grover Cleveland wasn't president in 1830.

Correct.
He was president from 1825 to 1829.

And the actions were taken in his first year of presidency, five WEEKS after the incident.

[reflex1]

OK Terry - I misread the weeks thinking it said years - you caught me on that one!

[reflex1]

Originally Posted by ampaterry

Correct.
He was president from 1825 to 1829.

And the actions were taken in his first year of presidency, five WEEKS after the incident.

Oops Terry - caught ya this time - Grover Cleveland was president from 1885 - 1889 and 1893 - 1897. John Quincy Adams was President from 1825 - 1829.

I knew it was too early for Cleveland - he wasn't born until 1837. Not trying to be a smart - er - well - I'm not!

[ampaterry]

Originally Posted by reflex1

Oops Terry - caught ya this time - Grover Cleveland was president from 1885 - 1889 and 1893 - 1897. John Quincy Adams was President from 1825 - 1829.

I knew it was too early for Cleveland - he wasn't born until 1837. Not trying to be a smart - er - well - I'm not!

You are correct; caught me on that one!! My mistake indeed; it was Adams.

For today:

Today is Columbus day.
The simple days of my youth when we were taught that Columbus discovered America are long gone now. We now know the vikings were ahead of Columbus, and led by Leif Eriksson set up a colony in the new world. We are positive of that.

But there are indications in the North East that the Phoenicians were here ahead of even the vikings. And there is other evidence that there was a Hebrew influence here prior to Columbus as well, in places like the Bat Creek find in TN. And long before all of these, there was a land bridge from Siberia, and there were several expeditions into the Americas from that avenue, with the Eskimo's being the most obvious examples.

So, why do we continue to celebrate Columbus Day?
Because Columbus led the first European incursion into the new world that survived with their culture intact, and became the dominant people on this continent.
Not to mention the fact that what Columbus sought was a shorter trade route to the Orient, which means his arrival in the new world was an accident.

We read about the guy that accidentally discovered Ivory Soap by letting his soap mixing machine run too long. We hear about the one that accidentally invented the Slinky when he made a bunch of springs to the wrong specification. We are told that the Post-it note inventor was initially chastised for making a paper glue that did not hold very well. But the settlement of the New World through Columbus accidentally stumbling on it is a far greater discovery than any of these.

You might even think this was God's will, wouldn't you?

And the quote for today is from one of the Apocryphal books:
Wisdom of Solomon 14:2-3 (NRSV);
2 For it was desire for gain that planned that vessel, and wisdom was the artisan who built it;
3 but it is your providence, O Father, that steers its course, because you have given it a path in the sea, and a safe way through the waves,

God bless you, guys!

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks Terry

[ampaterry]

You have to be careful how you ask questions of children; they may answer exactly what you asked rather than what you thought you asked. Did you hear about the youngster that was at the doctor's receiving his pre-school physical? The nurse, filling out his medical history form, asked for his birth date. The boy proudly replied "February 25th."
The nurse than asked "What year?"
To which the lad replied "Every year!"
You have to watch for embarrassing responses to your requests, too. A lady had several dinner guests, and asked your young daughter to ask the blessing before the meal. The girl said “what should I say?”, and the mother told her to just say what she has heard her mother say. The girl bowed her head and loudly prayed “Oh God, why did I invite all these people?”
You also have to be very precise in your language when speaking to children. I read about a beginner Sunday School class on Sointula Island, British Columbia, in which the subject of fairies came up. The teacher began to assure the young class that fairies are not real, but only make-believe. Suddenly, one little guy stood up and stated emphatically, "Fairies are too real! My daddy rides a ferry to Port McNeil every day!"
Some people are simply not comfortable talking to children because of this extremely direct way they communicate. If you want to know how your new outfit REALLY looks, don't ask your husband, ask a young child. But be prepared for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!
The word of god tells us of the joy and precious nature of children to Jesus on one occasion when their presence was questioned.

Matthew 10:13-16 (KJV);
"And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them."

May God bless all the children, and all the grown ups here, too.

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks Terry! May God bless us all.

[ampaterry]

One perfect summer day several years ago, Judy and I took a nice relaxing motorcycle ride. We had been given directions to a specific place which we were interested in, and were following them as we got into areas which we were not familiar with. We cruised along on roads we had not been on before, enjoying the new sites.

At the last turn in the instructions, we made a left onto a nice asphalt road which gently curved through trees and pastureland. As we passed a herd of cows, we saw something we had never seen before; Every cow in the herd stopped grazing and, raising their heads, stood staring at us. We remarked about it, because livestock along roads have seen lots of motorcycles, but these acted as if this was something brand new to them. As I rounded a gentle curve to the right, the nice road disappeared into the double entrance doors to a huge barn. We had missed a turn somewhere, and had been driving up driveway of a VERY wealthy farmer, instead of a public road.

That incident got me to thinking, though. These cows undoubtedly would not bat an eyelash at the farmers car, his truck, his tractors, his farm machinery – they would continue grazing and pay no attention to them because they were USED to them. When two people came by on a motorcycle, though, they ALL took notice. They stopped eating, they concentrated everything upon this brand new phenomenon which appeared before them for the first time.

This must be the way the people reacted in Jesus time when this Rabbi came along preaching a new gospel to them. They had to have been shocked by one who spoke of the fulfillment of the law, and of forgiveness of sins without animal sacrifices being required. His message immediately got attention because it was DIFFERENT!

His message is unchanged, but it is our job to continue to spread it in new and different ways that will get peoples attention.

The Word of God tells us:
Mark 16:15-16 (KJV);
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

May God bless you, guys - -

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks Terry!

[ampaterry]

Today, the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, is the first day of Sukkot (Sue Coat'). Called the Feast of Tabernacles in several translations, a more accurate translation is Feast of Booths.
Sukkot is based on this passage:
Leviticus 23:33-34 (Darby);
“And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of booths seven days to Jehovah.”

This is one of the most joyous of Jewish holidays, being both historical and agricultural in significance, yet it falls just five days after one of the most solemn observations, Yom Kippur.
The Agricultural side of this is the fall harvest, and this period is sometimes called The Festival of In-gathering.

The historical side of this period is a commemoration of the 40 years that the Jews spent wandering in the wilderness. During this period they had no permanent dwelling places, but instead lived in temporary shelters – or booths.

God directed how they were to celebrate this period:
Leviticus 23:40-43 (KJV);
“And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”

So notice, over the next week, that our Jewish friends will have a little temporary shelter built in their yard, and there they will eat all of their meals during this entire period. Weather and health permitting, they will sleep in this shelter as well. The children especially enjoy this festival, looking at it as a combination of building a fort in the yard and camping out.

Have a most blessed Sukkot, my Jewish brothers and sisters -

And may God bless each of us Gentiles as well -

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks for sharing your knowledge Terry.

[ampaterry]

Thank you, Lonewolf - I appreciate the support -

Did you remember the movie Jurassic Park? That was a fun movie, in spite of it being thoroughly steeped in evolutionary hogwash. In one of the opening scenes, Jeff Goldbloom is explaining Chaos theory. He demonstrates it by placing a single drop of water on the back of a lady’s hand, while he explains the intricacies involved in determining which way the drop will travel as it runs off.

Tiny things, almost unnoticeable things, can have a major influence on outcomes.

There is a Midwestern state that has a most unusual courthouse. It is not the architecture that is noteworthy, but rather the location. It sits on the top of a hill which is so situated that raindrops falling on one side of the roof travel by way of the Great Lakes into the Atlantic, while drops landing on the opposite side find their way through the Ohio and Mississippi to the Gulf. Just a breath of wind one way or the other may determine whether a single raindrop will end up either in the Gulf or in the Atlantic ocean.

Tiny things, almost unnoticeable things, can have a major influence on outcomes.

A person is slightly irritated because they feel something inside their shoe. At that exact moment, someone witnesses to them about the necessity of accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Due to their minor irritation, they are too impatient to hear the message being delivered to them, and they ignore the plea being made. They die before they have another opportunity, and lose out on eternal life with Jesus Christ.

Tiny things, almost unnoticeable things, can have a major influence on outcomes.

How do we deal with this? By never giving up on anyone. Their refusal to listen to us THIS time should not be taken as an indication that they will not listen to us NEXT time, so we pursue the race which we have been set upon.

John 3:16 (KJV);
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God bless you, guys -

[jack404]

good on you Terry

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks Terry!

[ampaterry]

Thanks, guys!

Today is a special day - and one that is not marked on most calendars.

George Bonham of the Lions Club International, watched a blind man try to cross the street in Peoria, IL using a dark cane common at that time. The problem was obvious; the cane blended in with the pavement, and the motorists did not see it, not recognizing that this man was blind. Bonham came up with the idea that if the cane was white, drivers could see it more easily.
The Lions Club painted this cane white, and immediately started promoting the use of white canes by the visually impaired.

The first ordinance giving the right-of-way to people using a white cane was passed in Peoria IL in December of 1930.

The United States Congress, on October 6th of 1964, passed legislation recognizing October 15th as White Cane Safety day.

The white cane, with the red painted tip or stripe, has become such a universally recognized symbol that virtually no one fails to realize that the person using it is visually impaired and should be granted the right-of-way. These tools are a great asset to the visually impaired, as they give them a degree of mobility that was simply not available to them prior to the universal recognition they afford.

I was born and raised in Pekin, IL, just a few minutes South of Peoria, and I did not hear a thing about that area being the one that saw the origination of the white cane as such a wonderful tool. The official recognition of this day should serve to ensure that everyone is aware of the meaning of the white cane, and cause them to ensure that these members of our society are given every chance to lead as normal a life as possible.

There will come a time when these tools are no longer needed, though.

Psalm 146:5-8 (KJV);
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners: The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:

May God bless each one of you, guys -

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks Terry!

[ampaterry]

Patricia Bays Haroski was an employee of State Farm Insurance in Deerfield, IL in 1958, when I was a Sophomore in High School in Pekin, IL. Patricia felt that younger employees in particular did not understand the challenges that supervisors face in the daily operation of a business, so she set out to do something about it. She petitioned the Chamber of Commerce of the US to designate October 16th, today, as National Boss Day. She chose this day because it was her fathers birthday. It was her hope through this recognition to improve relationships between employees and supervisors.

I did not celebrate Boss day that year, because before I had my drivers license, I only worked for myself at a variety of ventures. Dad gave me the use of one rather isolated field and his equipment to raise a corn crop that year, on the provision that I would pay for the seed and the gas I used. I planted it with a one row corn planter, weeded it with a two row cultivator, and picked it by hand, shucking each ear with a husking hook and tossing it into a trailer attached to the tractor. I had done all this before, but this was the first time it was MINE. We attached that trailer to dad's car, and he drove it to town and sold the crop at the grain elevator.

Now, in retrospect, I see that Dad was actually my boss; it was his equipment, his land, his stipulations. And the way he set this up, he was a GREAT boss. He taught me a lot about the rewards of hard work and the effect that uncontrollable elements in farming like weather can have on income.

Over the rest of my life, I have never earned so little for so much labor, but I have also found few incomes more satisfying than that one was in the summer of 1958.

Thanks, Dad – you were a great boss.

Thank your boss today, or the nearest work-day to today.

This scripture speaks of slaves, but look at it in the context of Wage slaves, which is what we always spoke of ourselves as being:
1 Timothy 6:1 (TLB);
Christian slaves should work hard for their owners and respect them; never let it be said that Christ’s people are poor workers. Don’t let the name of God or his teaching be laughed at because of this.

God bless all the workers and all the Bosses out there today -

[jack404]

I'll pat my back later cheers Terry

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks Terry!

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys!!

I love the sunshine. Many people who work outdoors prefer cloudy days, because it is more pleasant to work when the sun is not causing you to overheat, or burning your skin. I can't help it, though. While I relish the passing of a cloud now and then to give me shade, I still love the looks of a bright sunny day!
On the other hand, I don't like rainy days. I love rain at night, and sleep much better when it is raining, but I hate the idea that I cannot get outside and enjoy myself when it is raining. I LOVE the rain, I KNOW it is essential to all life, I KNOW that it is a blessing from God - but I cannot change the fact that when I look out the window at noon and it is coming down in buckets from a dark gray sky, I feel depressed.
I finally have some scientific backing for my feelings, though. Ake Daun, a professor of ethnology at Stockholm University, says that people are like plants. They are phototropic, blooming in the sunlight. He says people feel stronger psychologically and are happier in summer, and that seasonal changes in light and dark affect psychological health. It will not make me feel better when there is no sun, but at least I know there is some basis for my feelings.

This desire for sunlight is addressed in scripture, where we learn that Jesus is the Light of the world. When we "walk in the light," we are spiritually healthy and strong.

John 8:12 (KJV);
"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

John 9:5 (KJV);
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

1 John 1:7 (KJV);
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

Have a great day, guys, in either blessed needed rain or in glorious beautiful sunshine

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks Terry!

[ampaterry]

I don't do genealogical research. Scripture tells us in
1 Timothy 1:3-4 (KJV);
"As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do."

And again in
Titus 3:9 (KJV);
"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain."

It has been my experience that far more people are HURT by genealogical research than have been HELPED by it. You must consider that there might have been some REASON that you were not told about all your ancestors - there may be information there which will not serve to lift you up, but rather to burden you down.

In spite of these beliefs, I have knowledge of one ancestor, facts which have been passed down in my family since their arrival here in the Americas.
Relatives of Oliver Cromwell came to this country at a time when he was greatly hated in England for his actions against the activities of their king. Due to this, his relatives wanted to rid themselves of the Cromwell name, and they had a ceremony aboard the ship in which they formally cut the "M" from the family name and committed it to the deep; forever more, they would be known as "Crowell", my mothers maiden name.

And I told all that to tell this: Oliver Cromwell was most know for one statement, which he repeated often. That there be "No king but Jesus!"

A hundred years later, the American colonies split from England - and the people asked George Washington to be king of the new country. Fortunately, he remembered what they had forgotten; No King but Jesus!

2 Peter 1:10-11 (KJV);
"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

No don't mis-understand me, guys.
I don't think Geneological research is a SIN, any more than alcohol consumption is a sin.
I am only saying that I, for myself, avoid both.

May God bless each and every one of you - -