"Curse your neighbor?"

It sure took him by surprise!  My husband Germán was invited to preach at a church in El Paso.  After the meeting, people came up to talk to him and ask for prayer, etc.  One man's request was totally unexpected.  "I'd like you to put a curse on my neighbor!"  Oh my!

The poor fellow obviously had the wrong idea...about a lot of things!  Germán did his best to straighten him out.  The curse this guy was thinking of was the kind associated with black magic.  And those curses can be very real.  But there is another aspect to the whole scenario of "cursing", one which has nothing to do with witchcraft...and everything to do with being fallen human beings!

A curse is also defined as rude or offensive words directed in anger, or wishing something evil or unpleasant to happen to someone with whom you're angry.  Most of us would never dream of contacting a real witch and asking for a magic curse.  But many of us have trouble keeping unloving, injurious words from slipping out when we're mad!
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Describing the problem:
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers, this should not be."  (James 3:9,10)

"With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse."  (Proverbs 62:4)

What to do:
"Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse."   (Romans 12:14)

"We work hard with our own hands.  When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly."   (I Corinthians 4:12,13)
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Examples:
Jesus: "When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threat.  Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly."   (I Peter 2:23)

Angels: "Yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations...in the presence of the Lord."  (II Peter 2:11)     (So who are we to try it?!)
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  God's challenge:

"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse - the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God... the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you..."   (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)

That's the kind of curse to really do something about!  God handles all that kind of stuff so much better than we do!  Let's leave it to Him.


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If we're careful about this...there's even a reward!  "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."   (I Peter 3:9)

And don't worry if others "curse" you, in any form.  Here's a verse I hadn't really noticed before:  "Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest."  (Proverbs 26:2)

All we have to do is live in such a way that ANY curse, insult, etc. directed our way would be undeserved!

                                                         Help us, Lord!
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No need to rent Lichtenstein...

Did you know that one can rent the whole of Lichtenstein?  Only $70,000 a night, and it sleeps 900.  Now, that's what's on the Internet, but I don't know for sure if it's true.

Thankfully, when our family is all together (as in November 2015, when we took this picture), we fit just right into Dan and KC's house in San  Antonio.  No need to rent a country!

For those who aren't familiar with us, here's who's-who:  Germán and I are sitting in the middle of the group.  Behind me are Debbie and Steve, and behind Germán are Dan and KC.  The grandkids, in front, are (left-to-right): Noe (10), Eli (5), Liliana (7), Miriam (5, almost 6) and Micah (8).
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Imagine what it will be like to gather together with family and friends...in Heaven!!  Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you."  (John 14:2)

But we don't have to wait to die to live with Him.  "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty...if you make the Most High your dwelling, even the Lord, who is my refuge..."  (Psalm 91:1,9)
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Do you ever wonder if God has "room service"?  Well, He offers something much, much better while we're waiting to go to His House:

"Because he loves Me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him, I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver and honor him."   (Psalm 91:14,15)
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We all have relatives who have gone to occupy their rooms in Heaven. No rent to pay, because all expenses were covered by Jesus on the Cross!

                                 My room is reserved.  How about yours?   
                                        Will I see YOU up there?

 

Earworm...nomophobia...lachanophobia...squishop...batology...know what they mean? You don't? (After reading this, you will!)

Can you define any of these without looking them up?  Don't worry if you don't know what these words mean.  I didn't!  Some give you no clue, some look like one thing but really mean another.  I'll save you a trip to the dictionary:


 ---earworm: a song or ditty that stays stuck in your mind  (also called a brainworm)
---nomophobia:  the fear of being out of cell phone contact
---lachanophobia:  the fear of vegetables!
---squishop:  a squire who is also a bishop
---batology:  the study of "brambles" - (which is the family to which  blackberries  belong)        (not bats!)
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I really enjoy finding out the meaning of weird words!  Some of them are unbelievable, and make me wonder why in the world we even needed such words!  We've gotten by without them just fine for centuries!
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Those words are optional...but there are Words that are essential to Life.  And it's of utmost importance that we know how to use Them. It doesn't come naturally, so we have to make a point of learning about Them.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."  (II Timothy 2:15)

Although our human minds can't grasp everything about Almighty God, His Words are readily available to us and He wants Them to be part of the very fiber of our spiritual being.  

"'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart', that is the word of faith that we are proclaiming."  (Romans 10:8) 

"The entrance of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple."  (Psalm 119: 130)

"Your statutes...are my counselors."  (Psalm 119:24)

"...I find comfort in them."  (Psalm 119: 53)

"Give me understanding...for I trust your word."  (Psalm 119:34, 42)
 
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Human languages constantly evolve with time, some words becoming obsolete, or changing their original definition.  Words are added and words disappear.  God's words never vary, never become unnecessary, never lose vitality and power, never need anything added.  They are complete.

"Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens."  (Psalm 119: 89)

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                                           Thank You, Father!

Re-defining students' babies as...CATS???

Talk about loopholes!  In the 1950's, babies of students could not enter Trinity Hall, Cambridge.  In order to make it possible for them to be allowed in, babies were re-defined as...cats!!

It sounds absurd, doesn't it?  Rather demeaning, too, it seems to me.  But how very human! We re-interpret, re-define, re-adjust rules, looking for a way to make it OK to do something, knowing it may not be quite in line with the "spirit of the law"...as long as we can make the "letter of the law" justify us.  Or the other way around: "it may be against the letter of the law, but it's in keeping with the spirit of the law." Sneaky. We're really good at that "loophole" stuff!!
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I like Jesus' answer to an expert in the law who asked him a question.  Jesus said, "What is written in the Law?  How do you read it?"  (Luke 10:26)  I can just  imagine Him emphasizing "you".

James warns us:  "When you judge the law, you are not keeping it."  (James 4:11)  Oh...oops!  There go the rationalizations like "nobody else obeys it" or "it's unfair" or "it's out-dated" or "does it really apply to me?"

It's true that we're not under the Law of the Old Testament, but we still must live within God's rules and requirements for His children.  "Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;  live as servants of God."  (I Peter 2:16)

"...he who respects a command is rewarded."  (Proverbs 13:13)

We all know of "Christian" leaders who twist things around, sometimes terribly,  gaining a wider following and a wider wallet!  Some may just be mistaken and foolish, as it says in II Peter 3:16:  "...which ignorant people distort, as they do other Scriptures, to their own destruction."  Others do it on purpose.  They're masters of loopholes and re-definitions.  Speaking of false teachers:  "They secretly introduce destructive heresies...bringing swift destruction to themselves."  (II Peter 2:1)  I could name some names, but most of you know the kind of person I'm talking about.
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Let's just try to remember that God's way of doing things is so much better than our own, that it's rather foolish to try doing them any other way.   Psalm 19 tells us that God's law revives the soul, makes us wise, gives us joy, gives light to our eyes..."By them is your servant warned, in keeping them there is great reward."  (Psalm 19:11)

Father, give us the strength to resist accommodating your precepts to suit our own purposes!  After all, your purposes are aimed at our well-being, springing from your unlimited wisdom and love.  Nothing we might try to twist around for our benefit is really worth it in the long run.

"You are good, and what You do is good; teach me your decrees."  (Psalm 119: 68)

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We know He CAN...but...will He? Here's His answer...(woven into a poem)

There are times when we wonder.  We know that God is able and  that He cares.  But what is He doing about our problems?  What is He doing?  We can't always see.  We know He CAN do what we need...but has He?...does He?...will He? 

                                                      I'll Answer You

                       "Did you think I'd leave you when the storms swept through?
                       Let Me hear you, Child, and I'll answer you."

                       I thirsted so when the sandstorms blew!
                       "I can make it rain in the desert, too."

                       I thought I'd starve when the crops were few.
                       "I can feed your soul in the famine, too."

                       I feared the danger that darkness drew.
                       "I can shine Life's Light into shadows, too."

                       I reeled, confused; doubts around me flew.
                       "I can make Truth find you in the chaos, too."

                       I bent...and I bled!  for my griefs were new.
                       "I can turn fresh scars into blessings, too."

                       I hid my tears so that no one knew.
                       "I can hear your cries when they're silent, too."

                       I stumbled as the pain of my sorrows grew.
                       "I can help you walk when you're wounded, too."

                       I have fought!...and anguish has pierced me through.
                       "Yes, you have...and each moment I stayed with you.
                       I 'had your back', never once withdrew.
                       keen to bring you peace in your battles, too."

                        I fell to my knees, reaching up to You,
                        awed by all that your kindness and mercy do.
                        Love spoke to my needs, timely words and true,
                        and Grace raised me up...heart and hope renewed!
                                                                                                               --Becky Rhon
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"I will turn the desert into pools of water."  (Isaiah 41:18)

"Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light."  (Micah 7:8)

"Even in the darkness light dawns for the upright..."  (Psalm 112:4)

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."  (Hebrews 6:19)

"Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows."   (Isaiah 53:4)

"The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."  (Psalm 34:10)

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 "The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth.  The Lord has spoken."   (Isaiah 25:8)

                                                And He always will.

Sending children by parcel post?

Did you know this?  The book says, "Until 1913, children in America could legally be sent by parcel post."*  I wonder if anybody ever actually did it.  If so, how did they manage to get the kids from A to B unharmed? (Maybe they didn't!)  There must have been some who wished to avail themselves of the service, or else there wouldn't have been a law allowing it.  Just the same, I'm glad we live post-1913.  On the other hand,  if it were still in force,  maybe  we could have Dan and KC, and Steve and Debbie mail our grandchildren down to Ecuador several times a year...so we could see them more often than we do now!

However, we are so very thankful to God for our precious grandkids and for being able to spend time with them...even if only once or twice a year. 

Germán and I sitting at back, kids from left to right:  Micah (8), Miriam (5 - almost 6), Eli (5), Liliana (7) and Noe (10).

Like I, many of you grandparents agree with Proverbs 17:6:  "Children's children are a crown to the aged."

And the promises in the Bible are so heartening:

"But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear Him, and his righteousness with their children's children - with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts." (Psalm 103:17)

 We should let this beautiful passage be a life-long prayer for our beloved offspring:

"My Spirit...and my words...will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever, says the Lord."  (Isaiah 59:21)
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                                 THANK YOU, LORD, FOR GRANDCHILDREN!

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*1,227 Quite Interesting FACTS to Blow Your Socks Off

Unbelievable statistics on un-used gift cards! (Also some family pictures.)

Here's what this book says:  "The U.S. retail industry makes $6.8 billion a year from gift cards that no one redeems."*  Can you imagine?  Almost seven billion dollars!!  Gift cards are given...but not all are claimed and used.  (What a waste!)
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We might say that God has given us hundreds of gift cards, as He is lavish with his promises,  "vouchers" on the basis of which we can ask for so many things...things He wants to give us.  (We don't always take advantage of them, do we?) 

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who has called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these He has given us his very great and precious promises."  (II Peter 1:3,4)
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One thing we consider an enormous gift is our family.  We had the joy of being with Dan and his family in November, then flying to Indiana to be with Debbie and Steve and their girls for Christmas.  We spent almost a month there, and thoroughly enjoyed the time with our kids and precious grandchildren.  Here are some December pictures:

We went to Steve's folks' house  Christmas Eve, and watched The Muppets' Christmas Carol. Miriam snuggled between her two grandmothers...and namesakes.  (Becky, Miriam Rebecca, and Becky)

Abuelito with Liliana (right) and Miriam (left)

A closer-up view of our granddaughters: Miriam (far left) then Liliana (with their cousins to the right).

Miriam reads a story to Abuelito.  Liliana looks on.  (Miriam is in kindergarten, but reads at a 2nd or 3rd grade level.)

God said:  "I will make a covenant of peace with them...I will bless them...I will send down showers in season, there will be showers of blessing."  (Ezekiel 34:25,26)
                                     
                                    Lord, how can we ever thank You?

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(*1,227 Quite Interesting Facts to Blow Your Socks Off)