Daily Devotional; formerly Chaplains Corner

[Juker]

Amen, amen!

[ampaterry]

A sea captain and his chief engineer were arguing over who was most important to the ship. To prove their point to each other, they decided to swap places. The chief engineer ascended to the bridge, and the captain went to the engine room. Several hours later, the captain suddenly appeared on deck covered with oil and dirt. "Chief!" he yelled, waving aloft a monkey wrench. "You have to get down there: I can't make her go!" "Of course you can't," replied the chief. "She's aground!"

How often have you heard people express the opinion that THEY were the REALLY important one, and others were just dead weight?

At France, I heard such sentiments expressed virtually on a daily basis. I heard line workers talk about themselves being the only REAL workers there – and engineers speak of the fact that without their designs, there would be no product – and salesmen say that with no sales to customers there would be no company – and have seen the President act in such a way that indicates he believed himself to be the only indispensable one there.

France's president was stopped by the Fairview police for speeding on his way to work one morning. When the officer came up to his window, the president said:
“Do you know who I am? I am the President of France!”

The officer calmly said “Do you know who I am? I am a Fairview City Policeman.” And he wrote him a ticket.

Every one of these people was wrong. Even that president has been replaced! Although each of them was a vital part of the team, none was irreplaceable.

The Word of God explains about how we each have separate jobs:
Nehemiah 4:16-17 (GWT);
"From that day on, half of my men worked on the wall, and the other half were wearing body armor and holding spears, shields, and bows. The leaders stood behind all the Judeans who were rebuilding the wall. The workers who were carrying loads did the work with one hand and held their weapons with the other,"

But also explains that we are all on the same team!
Romans 12:5 (KJV);
"So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

May God bless each one of you, guys - -

[jack404]

Cheers Terry

[01brian]

Thanks for that Terry!
Brian

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys, for the support!!

When I had surgery last month, I received a prescription for some very potent pain killers. I take them only when it was absolutely unbearable, and then only enough to just take the edge off the pain. Judy always asks "Do you enjoy hurting? Why don't you take something?" I probably do go a little overboard in that area, but I feel it is better to err on the side of too little medication than too much.
It is not that I worry about addiction: Shoot, I kicked a lifelong habit of smoking, with the help of Jesus Christ, and I have no doubt that he could remove me from any addiction after that! No, my reasoning is more basic that that. Pain has a purpose! Do you think God made you capable of experiencing pain because He enjoys watching you suffer? Not at all!
When you grab something hot, the pain makes you release it before serious damage is done to you. If there were no pain from the heat, you could damage your hand so badly you would lose the use of it, without even knowing you were being damaged. When you overdo any physical activity, pain makes you realize it is time to back off! If you did not feel this pain, you might continue and damage muscles and tendons. With my healing incisions, it is the pain that constantly reminded me to ease off my activity. Without that pain, I might rip stitches and cause myself to require more surgery.

Just as God gave us pain to protect us from injury, he gives us afflictions for the same reason:
Deuteronomy 8:5 (KJV);
"Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee."

And tells us that, although we do not enjoy it, it is good for us:
Hebrews 12:11 (KJV);
"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

May God bless each one of you with only the pain that is necessary to keep you safe.

[jack404]

Amen Amen Amen Cheers Terry

[pipeman525]

Amen to that, but I find that living over 50 comes with it's own amount of pain.

[ampaterry]

Thank you for the support, guys -

Indeed, Pipeman, age has it's aches and pains.
But it also has it's own special rewards, too - -
30% discount at our favorite restaurant comes to mind - -

Today is the first day of the Jewish observance of Chanukah, an eight day festival.

For the origins of this holiday, we must go back to the reign of Alexander the Great, when he conquered Syria, Egypt and Judea. Alexander allowed the people in these areas to continue to practice their own religion, and gave them a certain degree of autonomy.

A century later, however, Antiochus the 4th came into power, and was a cruel and despotic ruler. He oppressed the Jewish people and desecrated the temple by having pigs sacrificed on the altar there.

The people, who had to a large degree assimilated into Alexanders culture, now went into revolt and threw off their Greek rulers, regaining control of their land. They immediately cleansed the temple and re-dedicated it.

There was a problem, though, The temple lamp, called the Menorah, was supposed to burn day and night, but the Greeks had defiled the oil for the lamp. There was only enough pure oil to burn it for one day. They lit it, then dispatched people to secure more oil. It took them seven more days before pure oil could be secured, and during that period the Menorah continued to burn. This was a miracle, and is the reason for this celebration.

The Jewish people do not celebrate the success of the revolution, because Jews do not glorify war, but they do celebrate the miracle of the lamp. This is the reason this eight day period is known as the Festival of Lights.

Due to the proximity of this holiday to the Christian Christmas, the Jews have adopted many of our customs in relation to this, which is actually a rather minor holiday of theirs. They exchange gifts, decorate, and generally celebrate their holiday during the same period that we celebrate ours.

And where did the Jewish people get such odd practices as an eternally burning lamp in the temple?
From the book we call the Bible:
Exodus 27:20-21 (KJV);
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Happy Chanukah to my Jewish brothers and sisters -
And Shaloam - Peace - to all of us.

[ampaterry]

While waiting for Judy at the dentists office earlier this week, I browsed through a stack of National Geographic magazines which Dr. Melody Robinson keeps in her office waiting room. I came upon a fascinating article about a place called Gobekli Tepe. It is a temple site that is still being excavated, and is already a tourist attraction. There are four very notable things about this site:

1. It was rebuilt several times, but each time it was more poorly done than the previous construction.
This is backward of most archaeological sites.

2. The stones are rich with carvings of all kinds of animals.
The earliest ones are very good, obviously the work of skilled craftsmen.

3. It is the world's oldest structure, 6000 years older than Stonehinge.
We know that Carbon Dating is unreliable for absolute dating, but it is very good for relative dating, so although the claimed AGE of this site (over 11,000 years) may be incorrect, the claim that it is the oldest structure on the planet is very likely to be true.

This temple was built, we are told, by hunter-gatherers who had not yet taken up agriculture, and had yet to form any trace of civilization.

It is as if some very skilled craftsmen found themselves placed in the middle of a completely barren world, with no trace of previous habitation, and the first thing they did is build a temple with many references to animals, then proceed to set up agriculture, form a civilization, build cities, etc.

Does that sound familiar?

Genesis 8:18-20 (KJV);
And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; . . .

Lets see now – where was Noah? The mountains of Ararat, located in present day Turkey.

And where is Gobekli Tepe?
That is the fourth notable thing about it.
Turkey.

Kind makes you go “Hmm!”, doesn't it?

God bless you, guys -

[Airdale]

Hmm indeed!

Merry Christmas Terry.

[ampaterry]

In both science and industry, as well as in our everyday lives, vacuums are very important. We have all heard that ‘nature abhors a vacuum’, and this expression proves true. In order to OBTAIN a vacuum, we must use powerful pumps to remove the air from the object in which we want the vacuum, and then we must SEAL it up air tight, or the vacuum will be filled instantly by air attempting to get back into it.

The expression "moral vacuum" has been tossed around in the media as an attempt to describe the apparent refusal of some sections of society to recognize, let alone live by, basic moral standards. In light of the above description of a Vacuum, that phrase is exactly correct. It means much more than the simple absence of morality.

The whole point about a vacuum is that it does not just happen, as we all know. Vacuums have to be created. You get a vacuum when you deliberately suck out the air inside an object. It has to be pumped out and sealed out.

The same practice has been systematically used against our Western culture for the past 200 years! Those operating within our own system have been deliberately sucking out the spiritual from our culture’s public heart and core, and working very hard to keep it out.

The Word of God tells us that people reject God and His ways:
Job 21:14 (KJV);
"Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways."

And it tells us that our hearts are cold and hard:
Zechariah 7:12 (KJV);
"Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts."

And it tells us that such become reprobate:
Romans 1:28 (KJV);
"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"

May God bless each one of you as we work to FILL this vacuum - -

[pipeman525]

This is so true in all aspects of our politically correct society. It's ok to have freedom of religion as long as we keep it to ourselves.

Happy Non-Denominational Winter Holiday

[cutter]

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!!!!! This is what I say and do not care about being PC!!! Let us remember what Christmas is about !!! Thanks to Chist being born and then giving his life so we can be forgiven our sins. Greatest gift I can think of. MERRY CHRISTMAS to alll and a Happy New Year!!!!

[Juker]

Amen, amen!

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11, KJV)

[ampaterry]

Thank you for your support, guys - and Merry Christmas to each one of you!

For this day:


This evening after sundown, I will go outside and listen to the silence.

I will look up at the sky, and if there are no clouds, I will see the fantastic panorama of stars overhead as they move in selent spendor.

I will feel the crisp coolness of the air as it sits quietly upon the earth.

I will will let my mind escape the here and now, and travel back in time to the first Christmas eve, over two millennia ago.

I will visit the Shepherds as they watch their flocks by night in the quiet hills, marveling at the total silence around them.

I will enter the stable where a young Jewish couple have found shelter during a time when all the Dotels are filled. (Now, we have Motor Hotels called Motels, so back then they must have had Donkey Hotels called Dotels, right?)

I will watch the animals as they puzzle over the people that have come to share their shelter with them on this night, and marvel at the silence.

I will visit the two people there who are strangely silent as they experience this period of time.

The entire world, on this night for thousands of years, is silent.
It holds its breath, anticipating the wonder that will be celebrated tomorrow.

Luke 1:26-33 (KJV);
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

May God bless each one of you -

[reflex1]

Thanks Terry and AMEN! Borrowed! Merry Christmas to everyone and may God continue to Bless each of us throughout this wonderful Christmas season and throughout the coming New Year!

[BlackEagle]

Thanks, Terry
That makes me think of Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.

Up north here under the right conditions, add what the Shetlanders call "The Merry Dancers", the Northern Lights, to what you can see in the sky at night.

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys!
Those verses run through my mind every time I look up at the stars, Blackeagle -


For today:


Yesterday we all waited in hushed silence, experiencing the world itself holding it's breath in anticipation -
And today, we realize what the anticipation was all about.
Today a child was born!
And not just any child, but the Christ child!
On this day, we celebrate God's gift to all mankind.
Today, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Son of the Living God.
We celebrate by buying gifts for each other on this day to demonstrate the love of giving, but He gave us the greatest gift the world has ever known; the gift of himself.
He left Glory to be born a human being, to experience our experience.
He came to be tempted as we are tempted.
He came to feel the pain that we feel.
He came to redeem all of mankind from the punishment it had earned.
He came to teach us how to live.
He came to show us how to love.

Luke 2:10-20 (KJV);
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Have a very merry and blessed Christmas, everyone!

[pipeman525]

Merry Christmas to everyone

[nany3315]

Have a very merry and blessed Christmas, everyone!

[Woodnut]

Thanks and Amen Terry.
Since you have moved to another corner of the forum, I am guilty of not switching over each day to read your writings, and I know I should. But like everyone else in this fast paced world. I neglect the things that means a lot to me. When you were on the General Discussions I would read the post each and every day, I guess because that is where I hang out the most. I will try and do better this coming year and jump over and read more often. Your post mean a lot to me.
You are very much appreciated on the TFF Terry, never think that you don't make a difference, because you do.
You and yours have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.
God Bless.

Woodnut

[ampaterry]

I appreciate those kind words, Karl!
Your 'amen's are missed, to be sure, but I sure understand -

And thanks to all of you for the Christmas wishes -

But today, Christmas is past.
The presents have all been opened.
The Christmas meal is now reduced to that vague feeling of having eaten too much yesterday, but knowing that today you will be eating the same thing reheated in various containers of left-overs. Here in our house, Korban is laying at my feet this early morning hour, having also overindulged yesterday – a fact attested to by an occasional audible burp that escapes his white body that is a bit more round than usual.
Every garbage container you own is now stuffed to the brim with wrapping paper and cardboard, and perhaps with a few already broken toys.
Here in Tennessee, the cloud cover that has given us several moderate days left yesterday afternoon, which gave a beautiful sunny end to the Christmas day, but the clear skies last night have brought the temperature into the low 20's this morning. We don't have snow yet, but we know it won't be long until we are sliding around on a layer of the white stuff in an area that is simply not equipped to handle it.
The tree and lights are still up, but their days are now numbered; Soon, the tree will be tossed out and the various decorations packed away in storage until next Christmas. We have gone to artificial trees here, so they will also be packed away for the year.
A trip through the kitchen reveals boxes, tins, sacks and dishes laden with cookies and candies, all far to good to walk past without sampling.
Christmas eve is a memory, Christmas day is over, and the Christmas season is waning fast. It is a time of let-down and depression for many people. But my heart is light this morning, as I hand yet another treat to Korban – and sample a couple myself. The Christmas celebrations are over, but the Christ of Christmas is eternal! He rose on Easter Sunday, and lives today! The Babe whose birth we celebrated yesterday, today rules the universe in power and glory. And always will -

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV);
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

May the Christ of Christmas richly bless each and every one of you -

[Woodnut]

How True, Thanks Terry, Amen.

[Juker]

Amen, Terry, and continued blessings on your work here.

[ampaterry]

Several years ago, I had to go to Las Vegas on business. I HATE going away overnight, so to make the best of a bad situation, we decided that Judy would go also, we would rent a car there, and make a mini-vacation out of it. We enjoyed Hoover Dam, we enjoyed driving through Death Valley, we enjoyed the high desert of Parumph, and we even ate at the Little Allie Inn in Rachael and then drove back to the entrance of the famed Area 51. The public is banned there, and the perimeter surveillance includes high-tech listening devices on tripods at regular intervals along the barbed wire topped fence, and security guards in white Bronco’s on the top of a hill watching all who approach.

We had fun, but Las Vegas itself was a bad experience. The spiritual oppression of this city had me depressed for the entire time of our visit. One of the worst things was all the ads for prostitutes. Prostitution is legal outside of the city limits, and the the yellow pages devoted to prostitutes was larger than the entire Erin phone book.

If I had to live there, there is something I believe I would do – and something I encourage anyone living in such an area to do; follow the example of Pat Collins of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She had become completely disgusted with column after column of sex ads in the classifieds of her local newspaper, and decided to fight back. She ran an ad in the personals that said “Bring home flowers, not STD’s” and gave her phone number. "One caller said, 'I thought a condom was safe.' Another asked, 'What's a person like me supposed to do?,' " Pat said. "I tried to encourage them to talk about their situation. Surprisingly, most were willing to honestly open up, to talk about how hard it was to have self-control." Pat's conversations would end with prayer and the names of support groups the callers could contact.
"Even if they never responded to my ad, I may have made someone think twice about escort services. Making people think twice is important, too."

The Word of God tells us:
Exodus 20:14 (KJV);
"Thou shalt not commit adultery."

And even if the act is NOT committed, Jesus said
Matthew 5:28 (KJV);
"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Words to live by.

May God bless each and every one of you -