Strange Coincidences

Death of Twins
On the obituary page of a newspaper was the story of the deaths of two sisters who were twins. They lived in Ohio 30 miles apart, and they both died of natural causes on Mother’s Day. Ruth and Rachel were born two hours apart 74 years ago. They each died of heart failure on the same day, only three hours apart.
What a strange coincidence! What are the odds of that happening?

U.S. Open

At the U.S. Open Golf Tournament, in 1989 (Rochester, NY), four golfers shot holes-in-one on the same hole (par-3 # 6), in the same round, and all four used a number 7-iron.
One spectator who saw all four aces remarked, “I don’t think I will ever see that again as long as I live!” I would say that is a safe bet! The National Hole-In-One Foundation put the odds of that happening at more than 8 million to 1.

Photograph

A mother in Germany photographed her infant son in 1914 and left the film to be developed at a store in Strasbourg. It was a single “film plate” and before the time of “rolls of film.” World War I broke out, and she was unable to return to Strasbourg. So she gave up the picture for lost.

Two years later in Frankfurt, over 100 miles away, she bought a film plate to take a picture of her newborn daughter. When developed, the film turned out to be double exposure—with the picture of her daughter superimposed on the earlier picture of her son. Through an incredible twist of fate, her original film, which had never developed, had been mislabeled as unused, and was eventually resold to her two years later and 100 miles away!

Wow! What are the changes of that happening by chance???

The Deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy

Kennedy was elected President exactly 100 years to the week after Lincoln.

Both were deeply involved in civil rights for blacks.

Both were assassinated on a Friday in the presence of their wives.

Each lost a son while living in the White House.

Lincoln’s secretary was named Kennedy. Kennedy’s secretary was named Lincoln.

Lincoln was shot in Ford’s Theater. Kennedy was shot in a Lincoln convertible made by the Ford Motor Co.

Lincoln’s assassin ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse. Kennedy’s assassin ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.

Both assassins were themselves assassinated before their trials.

Both Presidents were succeeded by Vice Presidents named Johnson who were born 100 years apart (1808 and 1908).

Coincidence or Providence?

THE PEACE OF GOD

Col 3:15 NIV Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Phil 4:6 NIV Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Look around you and you will see much turmoil, unrest, and a lack of peace in individuals. It is evidenced in the lifestyles, in the culture, and manifests itself in the form of many illnesses. There is one way to tell the difference between the voice of God and a counterfeit—it is the sense of peace. The voice which speaks peace is of God, the voice which speaks panic and urgency is either of Satan or comes from your own human nature. God leads! Satan pushes. When we come to know the abiding peace of God, deep within our spirit, we have reached a balance and stability that cannot be upset by circumstances or urgent voices speaking to our mind or emotions. Nor will we be fooled by counterfeit guidance, because we have learned to recognize the voice of God. Listen to the words of Jesus as he promised us His presence.

John 14:27 NIV Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The peace of God is a function of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is on an equal footing with the voice of God. Peace is a word that is thrown around as if those who are using it know what it means. It is used in banners and signs, carried in marches, put on bumper stickers. World leaders continually call for peace.

But the peace of God functions according to the principle outlined in Colossians 3:15:

“Let the peace of God rule in your hearts”.

The amplified version says it this way: “Let the peace of Christ rule (act as an umpire continually) in your hearts…deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds.”

We know better than to argue with the umpire. He has the last word. We are either safe or we are out!. If you argue with the umpire, you can be thrown out of the game. The peace of God is the umpire who calls the strikes and causes us to know whether we are on safe ground or not.

A Teachable Spirit

These words from the Old Testament have a message for you and I in our relationship with God.

1 Samuel 26:8-11 (NIV)

8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear; I won’t strike him twice.”
9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?
10 As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.
11 But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”

Abishai couched his comment in spiritual language:

“Today, God has delivered your enemy into your hand…”

I call this spiritual manipulation. Manipulating the Scriptures for a desired result. I think that is a danger we all must be careful of. That’s how cults are formed and false doctrines begin.

Abishai could withstand and accept correction. He had a teachable spirit. It is a requirement of those who would be serious followers of Christ.

Beware the Christian who thinks they have an inside track on spirituality and knowledge from God. Sometimes, in an effort to find acceptance, I have watched some as they tried to establish themselves as “the” spokesperson that God wants to use.

If God has told you something or directed you, then that word can stand challenge or correction from leadership. I am a little wary of those who constantly say, “God told me this, God told me that, I know what God wants.” Sometimes, God will speak to us for our own needs—not to show the world how spiritual and how close to God we are—or to set the church straight.

No one stands alone and no one person has a patent on the Word of Knowledge or the prophetic Word. God sets these gifts in the church “as He wills.” The gifts are not necessarily resident in the person—they are resident in the Body—the Church.

One author pointed out that “every heresy has its beginning in the heart of an unteachable believer.” Because God anoints them for a special purpose, spiritual pride can enter their heart and they feel they have ownership of that gift in the Body. The Abishai anointing is willing to receive teaching and correction.

A teachable spirit inhabits those who walk in humility and Godliness. As Paul admonished Timothy, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them.” He seems to indicate that it can mean the difference between being saved and reaching others as well.

King Saul in the Old Testament is an example of an unteachable spirit. It started long before our story in this book. It started when he was a young king and began to feel the power of his position. The first indication was when he became impatient and disobedient and stepped into the role of Priest and offered the sacrifice. On top of that, when he fought against the Amalakites, God told him to destroy them all—every living thing. Pride taught him that he knew better—so he spared the best of the flock and also King Agag. This led to Samuel’s challenge: “Does God delight as much in burnt offerings and sacrifice as much as he does in obedience?”

If Saul had possessed a teachable spirit he would not have found himself in this predicament of being told “Your kingdom will not continue.” “To obey is better than sacrifice and to listen is better than the fat of rams.”

May God help us each to always have a "teachable spirit".

Hymns VS Choruses

OK--Let's have a little humor with this.

Hymns vs. Choruses

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

"Well," said the farmer, "it was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns."

"Praise choruses?" said his wife. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're OK. They are sort of like hymns, only different," said the farmer.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his wife.

The farmer said, "Well, it's like this - If I were to say to you "Martha, the cows are in the corn"' - well, that would be a hymn. If on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Martha, Martha, Martha,

Oh Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,

the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows

the white cows,

the black and white cows,

the COWS, COWS, COWS

are in the corn,

are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,

the CORN, CORN, CORN.

Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well, that would be a praise chorus."

The next weekend, his nephew, a young, new Christian from the city came to visit and attended the local church of the small town. He went home and his mother asked him how it was.

"Well," said the young man, "it was good. They did something different however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs."

"Hymns?" asked his mother. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're OK. They are sort of like regular songs, only different," said the young man.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his mother.

The young man said, "Well, it's like this - If I were to say to you 'Martha, the cows are in the corn' - well, that would be a regular song. If on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry

Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth

Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by

To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain

There in their heads is no shadow of sense

Hearkenest they in God's sun or His rain

Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight

Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed

Then goaded by minions of darkness and night

They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

So look to the bright shining day by and by

Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn

Where no vicious animals make my soul cry

And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.'

Then if I were to do only verses one, three and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn.

Hymns or Choruses?

There is and has been an interesting debate among many denominations and churches regarding music styles; i.e., should we sing choruses? or should we go back to the old hymns from the hymn books that sit unused in the pews? Some would argue, that those old hymns teach theology as well as worship and praise to the Almighty.

I came into the church around 40 years ago and a chorus was the exception, mostly hymns from the books were sung. We even had teachers come and teach a "singing school" to teach the congregation how to read shape notes, sing in harmony and teach new songs from the gospel hymn books. I can tell you, with the congregation singing in 4 part harmony was a beautiful sound to hear and behold. I miss that harmony today in the congregation.

Here is a sample piece written by Dan Betzer, prominent Assembles of God Minister.

-------------------------------------------------------
"ByLine with Dan Betzer" Program #2751
Monday, April 19, 2004
"The issue of balance"
-------------------------------------------------------

I have been deluged with responses to my ByLines concerning hymns in the church. They have run about ten to one in favor of singing at least one hymn in every service. It is interesting that the no’s have come from young worship leaders who have protested that their church would lose its young people if hymns were sung.

None of the protesters mentioned the older adults they are losing in the meantime. Why is it so hard to understand that this is not a “one or the other” situation. I love the chorus, “Like a rose trampled on the ground He took the fall and thought of me above all.”

Wonderful song! But then so is “The Old Rugged Cross.” The detractors tell me that attendance declines if hymns are sung. Not so. Our church is filled with thousands of people, over half of whom are under the age of 30. Only 15% of them are my age.

The issue, it seems to me, is balance. As a pastor, it is my responsibility to reach as many of our area’s half million residents as possible. That means our approach has to be varied, anointed, interesting and relevant.

I suspect that if many of the young worship leaders would lead the singing worship with their eyes open, they would see many folks not singing, not responding, some even leaving. One other question: is there some scriptural admonition demanding that we sing the choruses six or seven times in a row?

If we are really singing them to God, do you not think He understood the lyric the first time around? Oh, by the way, it is possible to sing sitting down. "

Dan pastors in Ft Meyers FL

No one with rational thought would deny that the music of a younger generation would not set well with the older folks.

Our church, North West Family Church, is implementing two distinct styles of service beginning in September, 2007. The Classic (More traditional) will be held at 9:00 AM and the more contemporary with drums, guitars and sound much louder will perhaps appeal to the younger generations. Our honest attempt is to meet people where they are and provide a place where they can come and enjoy the worship experience.

Tomorrow, I will tell you about the farmer who went to town and learned the difference between an Hymn and a chorus.

Storm Clouds Rising

The approaching and gathering storm named Dean, causes me to reflect on childhood experiences dealing with storms on the Texas Gulf Coast.

When I was about 6 years of age, (hmmm. that would be 62 years ago), our family moved to the Gulf Coast of Texas, from the neighboring state of Louisiana. There was a large shipyard in the coastal town of Orange, Texas, and dad found work as a ship fitter (carpenter) building warships to support our nation during World War II. Because there were 7 children in the family, dad was given deferment from the draft. After the War ended in 1945, we transitioned to Houston about 100 miles west.

I spent my growing-up years, 6- 22, living in and around the Houston-Galveston area. We became familiar with the annual ritual of watching for Hurricanes. I can remember many of them; Debbie, Donna, and in 1961, a really big one, Carla, a category 4 or 5, set it's sights on Galveston and Texas City where we then lived. This was before political correctness caused them to use men's names for the storms, as well as females.

In earlier years, I can remember Mom gathering blankets, pillows, etc and the family would go to a local shelter, usually a school gym or class room, where we would bed down and wait out the coming storm. But this one was different.

Milbre and I had been married for one year and living in Texas City, across the bay from Galveston. All the weather statements were very grim and foreboding, advising everyone to leave, evacuate inland, away from the coast. "This one was different", they said. After some intense coaxing from my father-in-law, Harvey, we decided to evacuate. I remember the long lines of bumper-to-bumper traffic, streaming away from the area, but we finally made it to Milbre's parents home, safely inland, in De Ridder, LA.

All they said about Carla was true, and more. She was a really, big storm. It was a week or two before residents could get in to check on the damage. Our little rental home was flooded, but many homes in our neighborhood were flattened. When all was said and done, it was one of the costliest storms to that date.

On June 27, 1957, a hurricane named Audrey hurled a deadly raging ocean of water over quaint Cameron Parish, Louisiana. It was a Category 4 Hurricane and in a matter of hours, wiped out every movable object in her path, forever changing the lives and souls of Cameron Parish residents. Hurricane Audrey killed 425 people, 154 of whom were under the age of 9.

Coastal residents had learned their lesson. After Audrey, residents began to take the warnings more seriously. During Carla, they felt that several thousand lives were saved because people heeded the warnings.

HOWARDTOWN

While browsing the Web recently, looking for connections to my roots, I googled "Howardtown" and received some interesting hits. One was a newspaper article from Jackson, Alabama. It turned out to be an interesting insight into my family's history. The reporter had interviewed my father's half-brother, Charlie, who had given her detailed information on the Howard family and its roots in Howardtown, Alabama. I e-mailed the reporter and told her I was a relative of the Howard family and did not think too much more of it.

A few days ago, I received a call from Charlie Howard, my father's half-brother. What a surprise! We were able to relate information to each other about the family. It was almost like a time-warp. But in a good sense, I was able to connect with my roots.

Today, I received an e-mail from my cousin, Darlene Tortorici, who is Charlie's daughter. She sent along recent photographs of her family. How refreshing to receive information about your family, and those you didn't even know existed.

What does this have to do with anything? I think that in a world that is increasingly isolated from friends and relatives, it is important that we maintain our sense of being and belonging. I have preached a few funerals that were so sad, because hardly anyone came who knew the person. How could you live for 80 years on this earth and not have more than ten friends who came to your funeral? And yet, there are many people who have slipped into that place of loneliness and abandonment. Maybe not intentionally, but it just happened!

Don't let it happen to you and your family. Keep in touch. I have attempted with my siblings to do a little part by sending each of them a card on their birthday. In some small way, I hope that we will remain a part of each other.

FINALLY--GOOD GROUND!

Matthew 13:23 (NIV)
23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Notice the qualities of this soil. Here is a heart that is neither hard and narrow nor flippant. He understands the word, i.e., he thinks about it, ponders over it. He receives it gladly but his life is not shallow. He bears fruit. The seed remains long enough to sprout and grow and to come to fruition.

Finally, his fruit is not lost in a jumble of things, the thorns and thistles of life, but he brings forth varying amounts—thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. This three-fold division, which Jesus gives, is amplified in other parts of the Scriptures to illustrate the stages or the phases of the Christian life.

Romans 12:2 (NIV)
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The key point of this whole parable is that the only one of these four hearts, which is genuinely Christian, is the fourth one. The sowing is not salvation. Nor is the hearing of the word. Many hear, but they are not Christians. Even the sprouting of the seed is not salvation. Salvation is seen when the fruit comes. Fruit appears when the will is genuinely yielded to the lordship of Christ, when the Word is welcomed and nourished and acted on and allowed to grow to fruition.

What Jesus is asking us :

"What is your heart like when it hears the word?

What are you like when the word of the kingdom, with its promise of power and of righteousness, falls on your heart?

What is your heart like then?"

It is possible, if it is in any of these unsatisfactory conditions—hard or shallow or distracted or resistant in any way—for your heart to be brought to God because God is able to change it, whatever its condition. He is the Creator. He is able to break up the hard heart.

As the word of God falls upon us, the question each of us must ask is, “What is my heart like now?”

And with that, Jesus leaves this parable with us, for us to answer that question in the depths of our hearts.

The Third Soil--Thorny Ground

Matthew 13:22 (NIV)
22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

Here is the typical American—and his wife. What is the trouble? Busy-ness, that's all.

It is not that he is uninterested; he is interested in the gospel. It is not that he is shallow; he isn't. He is very capable of thinking in depth, of analysis of issues and long meditation. He does it in business; she does it in her social life. The trouble is that he wants it all. He wants the fruitfulness of life that comes from the gospel, but with it, he also wants everything else. He wants the so-called "finer things" of life. We describe him as trying to keep up with the Joneses.

(That means buying things you don't need with money you don't have to impress people you don't even like.)

He wants a color TV set and a swimming pool and a fine home and two beautiful cars and a wide social life. The result is that he has no time to think about the Word, no time to receive it and meditate. He is too wrapped up with the cares of this world and the pursuit of things.

That is what is happening with so many people today. They want it all. They want everything that the world can offer and everything God can offer.

However, the remarkable thing about the Word is that God will never settle on those terms.

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 16:26 (NIV)
26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Stop a moment and think about this.

The Second Soil--Rocky Places

Matthew 13:20-21 (NIV)
20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

What is the matter with this heart? It is rocky. But don't think of it as soil containing a lot of rocks. The idea here is that there are a few inches of earth on top of a broad shelf of bedrock.

The key our Lord gives us here is that "he has no root in himself." This is what we would call a shallow life, one that is flitting from this to that, from one experience to another, never content with anything for very long.

The word Jesus uses to describe this kind of person is, literally, "seasonal." There are many people like that. Let there be a crisis, another 9/11, or some major catastrophe that startles them into reality—they will come running to God. When the season changes they will drop right back. They will not continue; they are seasonal. They live on the surface, they are emotional. There is no depth in their life; nothing goes deep into their heart.

Jesus illustrates the terrible danger of a shallow heart, a heart that does not want to evaluate and go deeper but is always living on the surface, it is always relating to the event of the moment and concerned only with that.

The emotional seasons of life will make it very difficult for him to receive the word of God, which changes his heart.

Is your heart “rocky’?

The First Soil

Matthew 13:18-19 (NIV)
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:
19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

This first kind of individual has a heart that is hard and narrow like a path beaten across a field. A path is trodden down and hardened and narrowed by the traffic of human feet as they cross the field. The problem with this heart is that it has grown hard and narrow.

Jesus focuses upon that which causes it. The word comes, he says, but they do not understand it. The idea is not that they could not understand, but that they do not try. They do not take the time to understand.

What kind of a heart is this?

You can see that this is what we might call the materialistic heart, the kind that does not want to be bothered with thinking about anything beyond what you can see and hear and smell and touch and taste.

This is the humanistic heart, the liberal heart, or the atheistic.

Here is a man who has been rendered momentarily thoughtful by the word of the kingdom. Something has challenged him for the moment to think about God, and about life. And for a moment he wonders, "Maybe there is something to this." He has received a passing impression—but it requires more thought, more self-evaluation—and he does not want to be bothered. Therefore, he shrugs it off. And, immediately, the Lord says, the enemy comes, i.e. Satan, the evil one, and snatches away the thought out of his heart, and it never comes back again.

So he goes on untroubled, thinking that the world remains the way he has conceived it to be. There are many people like this, who live on these terms.

There are many people like that, They have settled for a world bounded on the north by their work, on the south by their family, on the east by taxes, and on the west by death.

That is their entire life to them.

When the word of the kingdom falls upon that kind of heart, it causes a momentary impression. However, it is immediately shrugged off because it is different, it is challenging, and it awakens the possibility of an entire world he has never thought of. Therefore, he divests himself of it, and the enemy comes and takes it away and it is gone.

What kind of heart do you have? Is it soft and receptive to God and His Word?

Ref: Post of August 6, 2007

Don Howard
Auburn WA

The Parable of the Sower

In the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, there is the Sermon on the Sea, which our Lord preached from a boat on the Sea of Galilee. A great crowd was assembled on the beach listening to him as he delivered eight parables, which he called the secrets, or mysteries, of the kingdom of heaven. These seven parables constitute a view of the age following our Lord's appearance on earth, the present age in which we live.

Matt 13 is hinge in the literary structure of the book. It is a turning point in the ministry of Jesus. In Matt 13 Jesus begins talking about the mystery form of the kingdom by telling parables. We know that because in 13:10 the disciples asked Jesus why he was speaking in parables. He answers that he is revealing the mysteries of the kingdom.

In Matt 13 we have eight parables. Six begin with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like...” The first one doesn’t begin that way, but we know it is about the kingdom from its explanation in 13:19. The last one doesn’t begin that way, but it talks about a disciple of the kingdom.
Each parable is like a mystery novel with certain clues given to guide us to the meaning. In this lesson, I want us to look at the first one. Like any good teacher, the Lord began by interpreting the first two parables for us so that we would understand them. By helping the disciples with the first two, Jesus gave them the pattern of interpretation, the process to follow in discovering what the other parables mean. Then he left them on their own, as he does us, with a little additional help on the last parable. This story is about a farmer who broadcasts his seed. (Matthew 13:3-9).

Each of the elements of the story has an explanation and a corresponding truth connected with it. Jesus begins to explain it section by section, which is the way he wants us to study these parables.

He begins with the seed. You notice that he does not say anything specific about who the sower is, though in the next parable he does. However, here it can be anyone who sows the seed.

The important thing to notice is what the seed is. Jesus says it is "the word of the kingdom," i.e., the word about the existence of an invisible spiritual kingdom all around us which is very essential to us, and from which all our lives are governed, and to which they all must relate.

The word of the kingdom, then, is the gospel.

Tomorrow, I will write about the soil.

When You Have To Say Goodbye

There is something about those moments when it comes to releasing someone from your circle of friends or life. Goodbyes can seem so final. As a Christian believer, we have the hope that we will meet our friends and loved ones again, someday.

Josh and Julie Gerbracht our good friends and co-workers on Staff at NW Family Church in Auburn, have been called to another post in Victorville, CA. Tonight was a farewell service for them. Josh spoke from the Book of Numbers on a character by the name of Korah. It was a great message. Josh, Julie and their three girls have been true friends and a real blessing to our faith community. We have grown to love them and appreciate their sweet and humble spirit. So tonight was "Goodbye Friends", but not forever. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers for a successful future and ministry in your new assignment.

Don Howard
Auburn WA

Signs Of The Times

The terrible tragedy of the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis is a wake-up call to all the States in the U. S. that we have an aging infrastructure that needs much repair and replacement. I can only imagine what was going through the minds of those motorists in stop and go rush-hour traffic as the pavement suddenly gave way under them and there was a free-fall into the mighty Mississippi. The "why?" is a difficult question to answer, but they will search through the rubble and piece the puzzle together and come up with the solution to the mystery.

In our Bible Class, this Sunday, Wayne Clark and I will be discussing "Signs of the Times" in relationship to Bible prophecy. I recall that the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy and said, "In the last days, perilous times would come..." Jesus, Himself, foretold a period of trouble, earthquakes, disasters, difficulties, wars and rumors of wars and many other things that would come to pass in the period just prior to His second coming. It was He who said, "When you see all these things coming to pass, look up, for your redemption is drawing near."

This would be a good time for each of us to purpose in our heart that we will read the Bible more often, that we will pray and seek God's face for His mercy on our nation. Our leaders need our prayers for wisdom and direction from God. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..."

Don Howard
Auburn WA