I like the Lord's Messengers; maybe you will too.

A Prayer of Moses the man of God
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting,
You are God.
You turn man to destruction, And say, "Return, O children of men."
For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past,
And like a watch in the night.
You carry them away like a flood;
They are like a sleep.
In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
In the evening it is cut down and withers.
For we have been consumed by Your anger,
And by Your wrath we are terrified.
You have set our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
For all our days have passed away in Your wrath;
We finish our years like a sigh.
The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off,
and we fly away.
Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You,
so is Your wrath.
So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Return, O Lord!
How long?
And have compassion on Your servants.
Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice
and be glad all our days!
Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,
The years in which we have seen evil.
Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
(Psalms 90:1-17)

Things may be difficult for us today, tomorrow, or next year, but we can trust God completely.

Being Thankful

I can't find too many studies about the use of "Thank you" for something someone has done.

The "Thank You Study" done in 2002 showed 15.9 % of people returned a thank you to librarians for helping out e-mail inquiries.

That is not very much.

What is the worth of a thank you?

Sure makes me feel good. It makes me feel that the effort I put into helping someone was appreciated.

I don't know all the feelings someone feels, but I imagine most people appreciate people saying, "Thank you".

I wonder how God feels when He does so much.

The Lord Jesus was thankful: Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. [66] And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. (John 11:41)

The holy, elect angels are thankful: And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, [67] Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. (Revelation 11:16-17)

Some of the good things God does:

1. Sends rain and sunshine: For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.
(Matthew 5:45)

2. Food (I do realize people go hungry, but it is rarely necessary. Someone might be hoarding food or selfishly not sharing it, etc): But he has always given evidence of his existence by the good things he does: he gives you rain from heaven and crops at the right times; he gives you food and fills your hearts with happiness." (Acts 14:17)

3. Forgiveness of sins: Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned.
(Psalms 32:1)

Things that get in the way

1. Pride: But Hezekiah was too proud to show gratitude for what the LORD had done for him, and Judah and Jerusalem suffered for it. (2 Chronicles 32:25)
2. Being evil: They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. (Romans 1:21)

Fighting like cats and dogs? Not always.

A little old perhaps, but it is new to me. Cats and dogs don't always fight.

Scientists Who Doubt Darwin

Often you read that there are NO scientists who believe anything except evolution--that every scientist in the world believes in evolution.

But is it true. Look at this site Dissent from Darwin and look at some of the scientists who question Darwin.

How about this quote:

"Darwinian evolutionary theory was my field of specialization in biology. Among other things, I wrote a textbook on the subject thirty years ago. Meanwhile, however I have become an apostate from Darwinian theory and have described it as part of modernism’s origination myth. Consequently, I certainly agree that biology students at least should have the opportunity to learn about the flaws and limits of Darwin’s theory while they are learning about the theory’s strongest claims."
Dr. Stanley Salthe, Professor Emeritus, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.

While not believing in creation per se, it shows that there are scientists who see problems in evolution. They are somewhat related to the Discovery Institute.

Christian Divorce?

All too many Christian (?) marriages are unhealthy and are headed to or have already divorced. This ia horrible situation. I get tired of the cheap excuse, "It's best for the children." No, it isn't. You need help.

An article from the Christian Post has this to say: The Barna Group found in its latest study that born again Christians who are not evangelical were indistinguishable from the national average on the matter of divorce with 33 percent having married and divorced at least once. Among all born again Christians, which includes evangelicals, the divorce figure is 32 percent, which is statistically identical to the 33 percent figure among non-born again adults, the research group noted.

This is the pits; it is evil. What is wrong? Selfishness, unforgiveness, an attitude of "I have my rights", etc?

Even though it is not Christian, you can find a postive attitude that you can stay married, happily from Divorce Busting, a web site by Michele Weiner-Davis. Her header reads: "It's never too late to save your marriage!"

Don't fall for the Christian counselor who steers you into divorce. Check out her site.

It does hurt the children. Read this poem.

LORD, TEACH MY PARENTS (Category: Forgiveness)

Dear Lord, the parents that gave me life
Now hate each other and live in strife.
They act as if I were not there;
They scream and yell and do not care
That by them breaking our family apart,
It makes me cry and breaks my heart.

Lord, tell them not to make me choose,
Who to love and who to lose.
I pray that You will make them see,
That parents are supposed to be
Teachers of how we are to act …
Not showing anger, violence, or getting others back.

Remind them that seeds of kindness and love
Grow children with strong roots, blessed from above.
Jesus, I ask You on bended knee,
Teach them love and forgiveness, like You have taught me.



“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you that you may be the children of your Father
who is in heaven.” Matt. 5:44-45 KJV

Valerie Bauer Rousseau
USA

Let us Pray for Orissa

Christians are still dying in Orissa, India.

They have done nothing evil; they have not hurt their neighbors. What they have done is become Christians, so the Hindu extremists burn and kill the innocent.

Let's remember to pray for them.

Go to Gospel for Asia for an update.