God and God Alone

Steve Green

Nothing more can be added.

Prayer for Our Country

God our Father,
Giver of life,
We trust the United States of America
to Your Loving Care.

You are the Rock on which this nation
was founded.
You alone are the true source
of our cherished right to life,
Liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Reclaim this land for Your Glory,
and dwell among Your people.

Send Your Spirit to touch the hearts
Of our nation's leaders.

Open their minds to the great worth of
Human life,
And the responsibilities that
accompany human freedom.
Remind Your people that true happiness
Is rooted
in seeking and doing Your will.

Grant us the courage to reject
the "culture of death."
Lead us in to a new millennium
of life.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Prayer for our Nation Since this was copied from a site, the words are highlighted in white. And my computer choose to highlight my own words. It also, it seems, has free will.

God has given so much and He has taken away. He is in charge. We are not.

We are responsible for our choices. When an opportunity to help or influence a needy person, that is through our own will. When there is a time to help and we ignore that time, that is through our own will.

Free will, that is a gift from God. We may implement that gift or we may abuse that gift: our choice.

Think of that as these days and years go by. Complain or don't complain. Support newly elected leaders or don't, your choice.

The Big Questions

There are many timeless questions that each person asks of himself:

Who am I?

Why am I here?

Who is God?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

How was the world created?

What happened to the dinosaurs?

What I do if there is a catastrophic event?

Why does money exist?

Who really is in charge of this _____?

Obviously this list could get pretty long.  I once considered these questions vital and important.  Once I turned my life over to God, the big questions became small and unimportant.

However, I am concerned about other things, and have created a new list:

Where did I park the car?

By the way, where are the car keys?

Did I close the garage door?

What is the expiration date on _____?

What is that person’s name—the one approaching me with a big smile?

Where is the next exit off the freeway?

Where is the closest bathroom?

I mean it, where is the closest bathroom?

What is the price of this___?  The print is too small.

These are pretty basic questions, I’ll give you that.

But, they matter to me.

I suspect there are many readers who could add to this list.

Any other questions you would suggest?

Go to See*Photo*Write   

Sipping her tea as she watched Cameron with his friends, Sharon remembered every word she and her teenage son had exchanged that morning.  They were bitter words, angry words.

Sharon watched her son laugh with boys just like him, and wondered if they had also fought with their mothers that morning.  The boys erupted into an impromptu football game, showing off their prowess.  ‘Almost men, still little boys,’ Sharon grimaced as one boy hit the ground with a loud grunt.

Jake came into the kitchen from the garage, and wrapped his arms around her.  “Whatcha doin’?” he growled into her ear.  Then he looked out the window.  Jake laughed when Cameron leaped high to catch a bad throw, and landed gracefully.

“Oh, just watching our son.  You hear the fight this morning?”  Sharon walked to the range where a big pot of chili was simmering.  The cornbread in the oven was almost done.

“Oh, yeah, I heard it.  The neighbors probably heard it, too.”

Sharon sighed.  “Oh, Jake.  I am just so scared for him.  He is too young for this football camp…and I know, I know.  It’s his chance for a college scholarship.  But he is so young, so impressionable.”  She stirred the chili, and pulled the steaming hot cornbread from the oven.  “How do we know he will be okay?  That he won’t be pulled into…bad habits.  Ya’ know?”

Jake heard her.  Without a word, he took down a framed photo from the wall.  “I know, because of this.”  He held out the photo.  “This was taken when we were at a Father/Son Church Camp.  He found Christ that year, and hasn’t taken his eyes off God since then.”

Sharon took the photo, and looked at her two men.  Both loved God, and were loved by God.  “God will keep Cameron in His Hands…”  She hummed the old tune.  “Hey, call the boys in for supper.  They must be starved by now.” 

Sharon set the photo on the table, right in front of Cameron’s place.  ‘It’s a great conversation piece’ she thought, as the boys rumbled into the kitchen.

H is for...

 

Hope.  Of all the emotional constructs, HOPE is one of the few things that we can NOT live without. 

Hope means the difference in living another day, another week, or whatever when it would be so much easier to give up and let life slip away.

Hope is an intangible veil that wraps around those who are barely able to continue, and holds them together.

Hope is a promise that there is a treatment out there which will extend life by a few more months, a year, or more.

Hope is the job waiting for a jobless person.

Hope is a teacher’s eyes looking into a student’s eyes, saying silently, “I believe in you.”

Hope is love from God, who says, “I know the plans I have for you…plans to give you a future and a hope…”

Hope.  It is so many things.   

 Without hope, I wouldn't be here.  The glory and credit belongs to God, and God alone.

Many thanks to Arlee Bird and his friends.  Follow the link below to connect with other blogs!

http://tossingitout.blogspot.com