Category Archives: Prayer

Old and New, Past and Present

On Thursday, reading along through the Bible using Paul Tripp’s, Everyday Gospel, A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life, we came to Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament. This year the Bible that I’m using for my daily morning reading is the Church History Study Bible, Voices from the Past ~ Wisdom for the Present.

Unlike in other study Bibles, the notes in the ESV Church History Study Bible have not been written by editors. Instead, the notes have been compiled by a team of biblical scholars and church historians. The actual contributors of the notes are a varied group, stretching back from the first and second centuries and reaching forward to the twentieth century. These are theologians, pastors, poets, laity, all offering their perspective on God’s Word. In the ESV Church History Bible we escape the tyranny of the present to see the wisdom from the past. 

In the introduction to Malachi this prayer by John Calvin (1509-1564) from his conclusion to his final lecture on Malachi was printed:

Grant, Almighty God, to help us onward in the course of faith, that we may strive to profit more from the helps that you have provided for us, so that the Law, the prophets, the voice of John the Baptist, and especially the doctrine of your only-begotten Son may more fully awaken us, that we may not hasten to him but also proceed constantly in our course and persevere in it until we shall at length obtain the victory and the crown of our calling, as you have promised us an eternal inheritance in heaven to all who faint not but wait for the coming of the great Redeemer. Amen. 

I wanted to mark this significant day of completing the Old Testament and moving forward into the New Testament with Calvin’s meaningful prayer and another quote by R.C. Sproul.

Have you read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation? It is a good journey to take.

After posting, we heard of Voddie Baucham being called up to heaven yesterday. Another heralder of the truth is absent from our midst. Absent from earth but present with Our LORD.

Have a great Friday and last weekend of September!

Crown Creek Fire

Update on the Crown Creek Fire north of us.

This is a map of the Crown Creek Fire that is 0% contained in our area. Green means be ready, yellow means get set, red means GO!

Our home’s approximate location is the blue dot. We are not in eminent danger at this time.

For those of you who pray, please do add our firefighters and community to your prayer list. The work is exhausting, the air is unhealthy and the anxiety is high. Families from our church have been evacuated. Thank you for your prayers!

This isn’t the only fire burning in our state. The Katy Fire is another active fire across the Columbia river from us, in our neighboring county. The evacuation map for that fire has gotten larger this week, too.

I’m adding this map above to give you perspective of where Colville is located in the state of Washington. Canada is above the state. We are in the Northeast corner of the state.

Thank you friends for your prayers and concern. Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

From Spurgeon on Isaiah 43:2

Isaiah 43:2
I will be with you.
Fear not I am with you, O be not dismayed,
For I am your God, I will still give you aid:
I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters I call you to go,
The rivers of sorrow will not overflow,
for I will be with you, your trials to bless,
And sanctify to you your deepest distress.
When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be your supply
The flames shall not hurt you, I only design
Your dross to consume and your gold to refine.

Truth for Today #159

Thursday August 28th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

This week I’m sharing 10 verses to prompt you for prayer for your kids and teachers as they go back to school.

Ephesians 4:32 ~Be kind to one another; tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Joshua 1:9 ~Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Proverbs 10:9 ~Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

Psalms 56:3-4 ~When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Philippians 4:6-7 ~do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Peter 3:18 ~But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Proverbs 17:17 ~A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Colossians 3:23-24 ~Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.

James 1:5 ~If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

I Timothy 6:6-7 ~But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

From Vera:

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Cindy:

Psalm 27. Verse 1 reads, The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?

A Prayer on the Fourth

A prayer from President George Washington’s Prayer Journal:

“O eternal and everlasting God, I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine majesty, beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks, that it hath pleased thy great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to, and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep, whereby I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day, in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul.

Direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb, and purge my heart by thy Holy Spirit, from the dross of my natural corruption, that I may with more freedom of mind and liberty of will serve thee, the ever lasting God, in righteousness and holiness this day, and all the days of my life.

Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the Gospel. Give me repentance from dead works. Pardon my wanderings, & direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation. Teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments. Make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber. But daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life. Bless my family, friends & kindred unite us all in praising & glorifying thee in all our works begun, continued, and ended, when we shall come to make our last account before thee blessed Saviour, who hath taught us thus to pray, our Father.”

I’m humbled by this prayer from the first president of the United States. I pray along with it as I ready this post.

The stained glass window with the sun streaming through casting it’s light and color onto the statue of George Washington was taken at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. in May of 2011. Dear had a conference in D.C. and I was able to tag along. The National Cathedral is a must see if you ever travel to D.C.

Here are some wise words from our first ‘first lady’;

“The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about us in our minds wherever we go.” ~ Martha Washington

It is folly to say our nation was not founded on Christian principles. Some would like to blot out this part of our history and remove all evidence of our Founding Father’s faith in the one true God.

Have you ever seen or read the third verse of “The Star Spangled Banner”, our National Anthem?

 O thus be it ever when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto, “In God is our trust.”
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Praising God this morning for preserving our nation to this point in history.

Give me this day almighty God the Spirit filled mind to serve thee in the righteousness of your dear Son, Jesus my Lord, Christ’s sacrifice covers my sin repented of and gives me the strength to live in your holiness.  God bless America and keep our land free to worship you in righteousness and truth.

Have a safe and sane 4th of July everyone! We are celebrating with gratefulness and joy!

Hodgepodge and N is for…

This is the latest puzzle I completed just in time for Easter week. It was a gift from Josh and Laura.

Another Wednesday Hodgepodge in the middle of this very special week.

1. Do you complete your own taxes?

No we let someone else complete the forms and shuffle through the details.

Besides actual taxes, what’s something you’ve found taxing lately?

Taxes don’t tax us at this time of life. Something that has been taxing me is my Plantar Fasciitis. It makes walking and standing a pain.

2.  What are three values you treasure most in a friendship? 

The kind of love that bears up with the good and bad, forgives and stays connected.

Love~Forgiveness~Loyalty

3. Do you meal plan or do you mostly wing it?

These days if there is any planning it happens the morning of and winging it is a fair description. There is planning if we are having company.

Share your dinner menus for this week. 

We just had a big family weekend celebrating JJ’s 6th birthday and Andrew’s 36th birthday. We had Greg’s famous Tomato Rice Soup with Fresh Bread for a meal on Thursday evening which turned into lunch the next day. Swedish pancakes for breakfast on Friday morning. Hamburgers on Friday evening. Egg Scramble Saturday morning. Pizza fresh vegetables and fruit for JJ’s birthday party. Steak and Roasted Veggies plus salad for Andrew’s birthday dinner. Birthday Cake at JJ’s party. Birthday Pecan Pie for Andrew. Butterscotch Peanut butter Rice Krispy bars for snacks. Oatmeal Sunday morning before church.

After all of that this last weekend, there is nothing specific planned for this week.

4. Thomas Sowell is credited as saying, ‘‘There are no solutions, only trade-offs.’ Agree or disagree? Discuss.

Since this is the middle of Easter Week, I choose to respond to this question with this prayer from The Valley of Vision showing the amazing transfer (trade-offs) from God to me…

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy, cast off that I might be brought in, trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend, surrendered to hell’s worst that I might attain heaven’s best, stripped that I might be clothed, wounded that I might be healed, athirst that I might drink, tormented that I might be comforted, made a shame that I might inherit glory, entered darkness that I might have eternal life.

My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes, groaned that I might have endless song, endured all pain that I might have unfading health, bore a thorny crown that I might have a glory-diadem, bowed his head that I might uplift min, experienced reproach that I might receive welcome, closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness, expired that I might for ever live.

O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou mightest spare me, All this transfer thy love designed and accomplished; Help me to adore thee by lips and life.

5. What’s the best perk you’ve enjoyed at a job?

The jobs I had over the years never really had built in perks. I liked the fact that I had summers off and Easter and Christmas breaks when I was a teacher. I suppose you could count that as being a perk.

When it comes to Greg’s jobs, I enjoyed traveling with him on his conference trips to enjoy a free hotel room. Of course we had to pay for my flights and all the other expenses but a free room motivated me to travel with him on some great trips to Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., San Diego, and Milan, Italy.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

For April I’m challenging myself to an A-Z photo a day excluding Sundays and in addition to any regular posts that come to be.

Today we are on the letter N and since JJ’s birthday is today and I’ve published his Birthday post besides this hodgepodge post,  I’ll just add the letter N photo for my random thought here.

N is for Nature, specifically nature right here in my neighborhood in the here and now and very near.

The daffodils right now and…

…this neighborhood visitor craning it’s neck and then hopping up on the deck to nose around.

Happy Easter to all my Hodgepodge friends!

St. Patrick’s Day 2025

“May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.”

An Old Celtic Blessing

May the blessing of light be on you –
light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you
and warm your heart
till it glows like a great peat fire.

IMGP7563

I love Celtic Crosses. This one above is from Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

“My name is Patrick. I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many. My father was Calpornius. He was a deacon; his father was Potitus, a priest, who lived at Bannavem Taburniae. His home was near there, and that is where I was taken prisoner. I was about sixteen at the time.”

“St. Patrick’s Lorica points beyond himself and his adventurous life. It points to Christ, the one he proclaimed to the people who had taken him captive:”

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

God bless you all, dear friends, with the saving knowledge of Christ’s redemptive work on your behalf. May God lead you to repentance and new life in Christ!

St. Pat's 025

 

Are you wearing green today?

Do you make a special Irish dish to serve for dinner on this day?

Do you have a favorite Irish saying?

Have you ever been to Ireland?

Do you have any Irish relatives?

Collage from a St. Patrick’s day meal Russian style with Golubtzi in 2011.

Sunday Prayer ~Knox

You Only Give Us What We Need

We give you thanks, Lord God, for all the benefits we continue to receive from your generous hand.

You not only give us what we need in this life, but in your free mercy you have fashioned us anew into an assured hope of a far better life —declared to us in the gospel.

So we humbly ask, heavenly Father, do not let our affections be so entangled or rooted in these earthly things that will not last.

Instead may we always have our minds directed to you on high, always watching for the coming of our Lord and Savior, when he will appear for our full redemption.

To whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, forever and ever. So be it.

(John Knox in Grace from Heaven)

Soft and Quick

Our soft quiet snow was nice while it lasted. The 5 inches we got has quickly melted. Some people just 5 miles from us only got an inch. Our kids on the other side of town got 3 inches. Now we are in the drip drip drip melting stage.

It’s always fun to scientifically document the snowfall. 🙂

Praying for our friend who used to blog, Pam. She is having brain surgery today.

I’ve prayed for many friends who I have met through blogging.

Philippians 2:4: “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Common Book of Prayer

“God,
you see your children growing up
in an unsteady and confusing world;
Show them that your ways
give more life than the ways of the world,
and that following you is better
than chasing after selfish goals.
Help them to take failure,
not as a measure of their worth,
but as a chance for a new start.
Give them strength to hold their faith in you,
and to keep alive their joy in your creation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.”
(from the Common Book of Prayer)

60th Birthday Part 1

This will be the 2nd of a few posts covering our time in Texas the last weekend of July.

We started with photos at the hotel before our drive to the party at Circle R Ranch in Flower Mound.

Josh and Laura above.

My sister Kathy with her daughters and granddaughter.

 

The twins with their nieces (and my niece’s, too). One of Lana’s nieces is twin Leonard’s daughter. She’s in the white boots. For the record the twins had many nieces and nephews from their other sides of the family at the party, too, along with brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and Lana’s Mother-in-law. Friends of Steve and Lana’s from Washington and friends from Leonard and Mandy’s church were also in attendance.

Our son, Josh, with his cousin Andrew. Andrew is Leonard and Mandy’s son, one of our nephews.

More niece photos!

Moisi and Nadia would be thrilled to see so many of their people together.

The siblings in order of birth starting with Kathy on the left and ending with twin Leonard who is the youngest by a few minutes. Two of our brothers were not at the party. Our brother Steve planned on being there but got sick at the last minute. Steve would have stood between our brother Tim and our sister Lana. Our other brother would be between me and Vera.

All the sisters with our dear friend Heidi. We all grew up in the same Russian Baptist church. Heidi has been a dear friend for years! She was also the twins Sunday School teacher about 55 years ago!!

My younger brothers, so dear to me.

The youngest and the oldest!

Nephew David and our son Josh, friends since they were toddlers!

Josh, nephews Lenny and David.

Our son with Nikki who is the daughter of Ken and Heidi. Our kids have been friends from birth! Nikki and her brother lived across the street from us in Huntington Beach back in the 80’s.

Our brother Tim and his dear wife Letty.

Dear and me with our forever friends, Ken and Heidi.

A huge thanks to Josh for being our ride the whole weekend and to Laura for so many great photos.

Next post will be as full of more photos including line dancing.