September 20, 2010

Note: As stated at the beginning of this ministry, these devotions are a mixture of my readings, musings and observations of life. Very little is original. So, I want to share some of my favorite copied devotions over the next few weeks.

“Who is among you that feareth Jehovah, that obeyeth the voice of his servant? He that walketh in darkness and hath no light, let him trust in the name of Jehovah and rely upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10 (RV)

“What shall the believer do in times of darkness – the darkness of perplexity and confusion, not of heart but of the mind? Times of darkness come to the faithful and believing disciple who is walking obediently in the will of God; seasons when he does not know what to do, nor which way to turn. The sky is overcast with clouds. The clear light of heaven does not shine upon his pathway. One feels as if he were groping his way in darkness. Beloved, is this you? What shall the believer do in times of darkness? Listen! ‘Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and rely upon his God.’ The first thing to do is NOTHING. This is hard for poor human nature to do. When you run into a spiritual fog bank, don’t tear ahead; slow down the machinery of your life. If necessary, anchor your boat or let it swing at its moorings. We are simply to trust God. While we trust, God can work. Worry prevents Him from doing anything for us. If the darkness that overshadows us strikes terror to us; if we run hither and yon in a vain effort to find some way of escape out of a dark place of trial, where divine providence has put us, the Lord can do nothing for us. The peace of God must quiet our minds and rest our hearts. We must put our hand in the hand of God like a little child, and let Him lead us out into the bright sunshine of His love. He knows the way out of the woods. Let us climb up into His arms, and trust Him to take us out by the shortest and surest road. Remember, we are never without a pilot when we know not how to steer.” Streams in the Desert pp.309-320

Thought for the week: A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices. -- William James

Funny for the week: Baptist Cowboy

A cowboy, who just moved to Wyoming from Texas, walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud. He sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.

The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy, "You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time."

The cowboy replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Arizona, the other is in Colorado. When we all left our home in Texas, we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I'm drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself."

The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there.

The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way. He orders three mugs and drinks them in turn.

One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss."

The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns in his eyes and he laughs.

"Oh, no, everybody's just fine," he explains, "It's just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking."

"Hasn't affected my brothers though."

Ooo kay……..Chaplain Barnes

Last week’s answer:

2. How did Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem?

a. Camel

b. Donkey

c. Walked

d. Volkswagen

e. Joseph walked , Mary rode a donkey

f. Who knows? The Bible does not say

This week’s question:

3. What did the Innkeeper tell Mary and Joseph?

a. “Come back after the Christmas rush and I should have some rooms.”

b. “I have a stable you can use.”

c. “There is no room in the Inn.”

d. Both b and c

e. None if the above