Free Valentine's Day Gift: Kindle Download--Jeanette Levellie

Happy Valentine's Day:



Jeanette Levellie has a special valentines gift for you today- a free download of her new book on kindle.


Need a sweet reminder of God's heart for you? #Free today on #Kindle Two Scoops of Grace w/Chuckles on Top http://ow.ly/cUQqX

Touch the World Media

Howdy

Someone once said that those who sleep like a baby probably don't have one!  Well, there is some truth to that but I have stumbled upon a work that will calm the hearts of both mom and baby.

Just wanted to let you guys know about a great ministry I have connected with--Touch the World Media.  It's a DVD and CD series created for kids where all the proceeds go to ministries around the world like World Vision, Blood-Water Mission and 1040 Connections. I got one for little Charlie!  Sounds like great music to  meditate on in those wee hours of the morning.

Check out their songs--they are awesome.


www.babyworship.com

Cancel Christmas?

Christmas, the time for comfort and joy, has become clouded in grief as our nation considers the tragedy surrounding the school shooting in Conneticut.  As mourning families bury their young children, many ask where was God?  If He is a loving God, then why didn't He intervene?  As one grieving resident in the small town said, "Christmas has been cancelled."

Every talking head seems to have an answer for the problems that plague our nation:

What about increasing funding for mental institutions?  More surviellance, programs,and medications could potentially keep lunatics from shooting children in schools. 

Others advocate gun control. Will a law prevent guns from getting into the hands of the evil, deranged people?   Or is better to put the guns in the hands of every teacher?

What about prayer in schools?  Is Huckabee right?  How dare we, ask where is God in the school tragedy when America has shut God out of everything in the classroom.  Although Huckabee's response should cause introspection, it is still incomplete.  Legislation cannot keep God out of schools--He's already there.

Here's another issue to ponder?  What about the silent death of over 3500 innocent unborn children in our country every day that many call an American holocaust?  We seldom hear anyone in the media mention the abortion crisis in our nation.

Christmas day twenty years ago, our surgical team labored to save the lives of five innocent children killed in a drive by shooting. Several weeks ago I had to tell a mother suffering with metastatic gastric cancer, that she would be leaving her husband and three teenage boys this Christmas. It's hard to understand why such tragedies occur. I have concluded that we will never understand on this side of heaven exactly why evil and suffering are allowed to exist.

Centuries ago, Herod the great tried to cancel the first Christmas.  He decieved, lied and ultimately murdered many innocent children trying to suppress God's will.  Motivated by pride and power, Herod ordered a massacre of all the boy toddlers in Bethlehem, attempting to stop the coming of the Christ.  Yet even Herod's schemes could not cancel Christmas.

God knew in eternity past the events surrounding the first Christmas,  prophecying six hundred years earlier that the massacre would occur.  He could have given us a political answer.  He could have stopped Herod's mass murdering of innocent children just as easily as He could have prevented the school tragedy in Conneticut.  Yet, He didn't!   Why?

God had a solution far more comprehensive than any remedy mankind could imagine.  God's solution did not involve politics, policies or programs. His answer was a Person, wrapped in swaddling clothes, sleeping in a manger.

Despite opposition, God brought the remedy to our world--personally.  The plan, materialized at the birth of Jesus, would ultimately deal with all evil and sin in the the human heart.  True reform must begin with a change of heart.  Through the suffering and death of his innocent Son, God provided a remedy for evil, giving purpose to suffering, meaning for life, and hope for the future. 

Like watching the scenes unfold in a movie, we must remember that we are somewhere in the middle of this eternal drama. When the curtain of history closes, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of God, all evil will we squelched and peace on earth will be established.  Everyone will confess that history was "His story."  For believers--when the roll is called up yonder--We win!

Although it's been tried many times, many ways over the past two millenia, Christmas cannot be canceled.  Nothing can suppress God's plan to defeat evil, bring hope, offer forgiveness, provide purpose and establish real peace in our world.  There is nothing that can cancel Christmas.

O come Emmanuel.

Free Book

Howdy
If you are interested Deborah Bateman is giving away a free bible study of Ezra on Amazon that can be downloaded on you Kindle.

The Book of Ezra: A Story of Provision and Protection

 Kevin Smith a Kansas lawyer also has a fiction legal thriller that can be downloaded onto Kindle as well-- free on 12/6 and 12/7
.Broken: A Story of Hope and Forgiveness



Thanks

Life is about Living

Want to really know what will help you sleep better tonight?  One of the best strategies for getting a good night's sleep begins the moment you wake up in the morning.  When the things of eternal value are pursued during wakefulness, sleep is easy. The conscience is clear--no regrets. No worries.
 
In the dogged pursuit of things that matter sometimes we fail to recognize the obvious.  Those moments of time to be embraced before they quickly vanish into the past.  Sometimes we stumble upon the signficant serendipitously, like finding the pearl of great price.  It was there all the time.  But the treasure was found only after recognizing it's presence.  Capturing the moment.  Life is about living for eternity--one precious moment at a time.  Sometimes those "things" crawl into your lap.
 
This morning I was hit over the head with this principle. Instead of lightning rounds in the hospital before the crack of dawn, I had the priveledge of staying home to help the kids prepare for school.  Hoping to catch a quick devotion while my five children were jockeying for a place in the bathroom, I sat down for a quick study of the Psalms.

Out of nowhere, Charlie my four year old crawled into my lap with his morning devotional--a lego dinosaur comic book.  God spoke volumes to both Dad and Charlie through that "lego" devotional. 

Life is about living, nuturing relationships with eternity in mind, knowing that we have captured those moments prepared for us to invest in the lives of others.

Speaking of psalms, this one reminds us of the futility of our own self sufficiency and the need to focus on a lasting legacy--those little ones entrusted to us.  If  you want to sleep better, think about putting a priority on those relationships God has given you.

¹ Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
² In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to^[a] those he loves.

³ Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
⁵ Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.

 

 

Sleep on it!

Your sleep posture: Does it Matter?

  Probably the last thing that crosses your mind as you lie down to sleep is the significance of your sleep position. Recently there has been a lot of buzz about how your sleep posture may be affecting the quality of your sleep. Instead of blaming your bed it may be your posture that is the culprit for your sleeplessness. Although sleeping flat on your back may be good for your neck, back and joints this position can worsen snoring and sleep apnea by causing your tongue to close off the airway. Sleeping on your stomach worsens gastroesophageal reflux, diminishes the depth of your breathing and hyperextends your neck. Probably the best position is dozing on your side. The side position complements the natural curvature of your spine and allows your airway to stay open as you rest. But sleeping beauties—beware. Sleeping on your side may worsen your wrinkles as you press your face upon your pillow. You should choose a sleep posture tailored to your individual needs—one size does not fit all.

Dr. Idzidkowski, a sleep specialist, maintains that your sleeping position is also linked to a specific personality type. Wherever you go—there you are—even as you sleep. For example, the “freefall” types, those that lie on their tummies with their arms out, like they’re jumping out of an airplane, are often the gregarious, brash and sensitive types. On the other extreme those who rest on their backs with the arms out—the “starfish” stance—tend to be more friendly, helpful and receptive to others. Apparently the most common is the fetal position—almost 41% sleep in a ball. These personalities are often tough on the outside but tender on the inside.

I don’t think sleep specialists are ready to describe my sleeping habits. If “Extreme Sleep” was a TV reality show, I would win hands down at putting sleep to the test. In medical school I was so exhausted that I once slept standing up during surgery while holding retractors. I’m not proud to admit that! I’ve fallen asleep at the steering wheel of my car after staying up for three days during surgical residency. I’ve been so sleep deprived that I’ve fallen asleep eating soup. I’ve even slept on the floor of an African bus with pigs and chickens—probably infested with some rare deadly type of ebola virus.

Has it ever occurred to you that God is also interested in your sleep posture? The most important position that you can embrace is not a physical one—it’s a position of surrendering control of our lives over to the Shepherd of sleep.

You can rest assured:

1. Knowing that God has removed your sins “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
2. Trusting that God is watching over you and working for you as you rest (Psalm 34:15; Psalm 121:4).
3. Understanding that your future is secure in His providential care (Jeremiah 29:12). You have nothing to fear or worry about—whatever you face tomorrow God has planned it for His glory and for your good.

Tonight as you prepare for rest make sure you get into the proper “spiritual” position. Resting in a clean conscious before God and man is the softest pillow that you can experience. Fall to sleep in His arms.

Got Earplugs?

Call me obsessive, but I took extra precautions to get some shut-eye on my first trip to New York City. I brought my earplugs! Police sirens, airplanes, taxicab horns, shrill screams from the alley are peculiar and unfamiliar sounds for one accustomed to slumbering “deep in the heart of Texas.” Although I was prepared for the city that never sleeps, later I was totally blindsided by the bizarre experiences of sleeping in Africa. Note to self: when trekking in Africa remember to bring your earplugs.

   

I turned a deaf ear to my pastor’s warnings about bringing earplugs. What could possibly keep one awake in the middle of a barren desert? There were no signs of modern civilization—only grass huts, Fulani nomads and lots of dirt. No screens, no electricity, no roads, no cars, no lights—none of the typical things that disturb our sleep in “civilized” countries. After an exhausting day of ministry in the desert country of Niger, nothing could deter my eyes from closing—or so I thought.

First, the dogged winds of the Hamarttan filled my ears with a low monotonous groan as the sun set over the Sahara. What followed was the bleating of goats, the cackling of hens and the most peculiar sound I’ve ever heard—roars from camels. But the greatest deterrence to rest was the nearby voices of the Fulani as they watched us toss and turn on our beds. It’s an eerie feeling to know that curious eyes are watching you try to sleep.

There are many voices that whisper to us in the still of the night. Voices of guilt, fear, anger, regret and loneliness can plague us on our pillows. Spiritually speaking, God has provided us with the most effective pair of earplugs imaginable. As believers, we can learn to tune out those voices that threaten to steal, kill and destroy our lives (and our sleep) through the power of God’s Word.

For example, how can the scriptures drown out the voice of regret? Many times the “What ifs” and the “Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda’s” can cripple our ability to rest. Yes, we really do make the bed we sleep on, but we must remember that God’s forgiveness is always available. Start by memorizing 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Then begin to meditate upon different aspects of this truth (Psalm 119:148). Begin by considering the significance of the words “if” or “all”—what if they were omitted? Maybe you need to meditate on His faithfulness to you through the activities of the day. Or ponder how a Holy God could be just in forgiving you of every mistake that you have made. A clean conscious before God is the most comfortable pillow that one can have to prepare for rest.

Whether you are in New York, Niger or Nacogdoches, TX remember God’s earplugs. When those destructive voices whisper in the night, memorize, meditate and appropriate God’s promises. Like earplugs—God’s promises are ineffective till you use them.