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WITandWISDOM(tm) – October 17, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another. - Katherine Paterson Source: Molly's Quotes of the Day, mailto:molly.rhea@gmail.com?subject=Subscribe_Quotes_of_the_Day ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Jim Moon had one of those seasons when you are uncertain where God is taking your life. Jim serves God in an area of Colorado just a couple hours' drive from Wyoming. Out of his quest for clarity, and craving uninterrupted time with God, he hit the open road one morning heading toward Wyoming. As he crossed the state line, off into the distance he spotted a field of windmills, the kind used to generate electricity. For no apparent reason, Jim felt impressed to get a bit closer to the windmills. He exited the highway and was soon driving down an old logging road. He planned to walk among the mills while talking to God about his life and purpose. Unable to find a path to get closer to the windmills, because of the fencing surrounding the site, Jim decided to sit in his car on the side of the road and pray. As he waited in silence before God, a pickup truck pulled up beside him. The man in the truck stuck his head out the window and inquired whether Jim was lost. He explained that he wasn't lost, just a pastor spending time with God in prayer. They engaged in conversation, and Jim discovered that the man was president of the local ranchers' association. He shared with Jim that he had been going through some difficult times with the association and was troubled by what he was up against. In fact, life in general wasn't going that well for him. As Jim listened, he was impressed to ask the man if he could pray with him. Right there on that logging road, in a seemingly chance meeting, Jim prayed into this rancher's life. The prayer over, the rancher asked Jim about his church affiliation. Jim shared what denomination he belonged to. Surprised, the rancher shared that he knew an older woman in town of the same denomination who had had a major spiritual impact on his life some years earlier. The rancher had felt impressed for weeks to seek her out, and this meeting with Jim only solidified what he needed to do. A chance meeting? Not on your life. Jim Moon drove away from that "appointment" convinced that God had set it all up for His own purposes. By Fredrick A. Russell, Baltimore, Maryland Submitted by Mary ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Parental Advice By Lynn Austin "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching" (Prov. 1:8). When children in the Bible followed their parents' directions, the results were sometimes favorable, sometimes disastrous. Can you match these parents (and children) with their words of advice? Parents: Abraham, Manoah, David, Mordecai, Hosea, Naomi, Paul, Jacob, Rebekah, Jesse, Solomon Children: Timothy, Solomon, David, Ruth, Samson, Jezreel, Esther, Isaac, Rehoboam, Reuben, Joseph, Jacob (More names are listed than needed) 1. The advice ____________ gave his son ______________ is still worth heeding today: "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." 2. ___________ told his spiritual son _____________, "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." 3. _________________ told her son _________ to "Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it." 4. ____________ should have listened to his father __________ as well as his mother when they inquired about their son's love interests, "Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people?" 5. Before he died, _____________ gave these final instructions to his son ____________: " … observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go." 6. ____________ didn't know the results would be disastrous when he told his son ____________, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks." 7. ______________'s stepfather ____________ told her to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and plead for her people. Answers: 1. King Solomon, Rehoboam (Prov. 3:11-12). Solomon understood that a righteous man's suffering may be evidence of God's love, not his displeasure. The author of Hebrews quoted Solomon's words to encourage persecuted believers (Heb. 12:7). 2. Paul, Timothy (2 Tim. 2:15). Paul considered Timothy his son "because … he has served with me in the work of the gospel" (Phil. 2:22). Imprisoned in Rome, Paul offered Timothy this advice during Emperor Nero's persecution of Christians. 3. Rebekah, Jacob (Gen. 27:9). In plotting to win God's blessing for Jacob, Rebekah deceived Isaac, caused Jacob to lie, and ignited Esau's hatred. Her scheme was unnecessary since God had already promised that "the older [son] will serve the younger" (Gen. 25:23). 4. Samson, Manoah (Judges 14:3). Like Manoah, God also warned his children not to marry unbelievers (Ex. 34:16). Samson's refusal led to the loss of his anointing and later, his life. Christians today are to heed the same warning (see 2 Cor. 6:14). 5. King David, Solomon (1 Kings 2:3). The failure of Solomon and his sons to take David's advice led to the nation's captivity. It was only through their descendant Jesus Christ, who perfectly fulfilled all that God's law required, that David's dynasty was restored. 6. Jacob, Joseph (Gen. 37:14). When Joseph found his brothers, they plotted to kill him, then sold him into slavery. Later he became the means of their salvation. Jesus, the beloved son of his Father, was also sent to his brothers the Jews, "but they did not receive him. Yet … to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:11-12). 7. Queen Esther, Mordecai (Esther 4:8). Esther would risk her life to plead for her people because entering the king's presence unbidden meant certain death unless pardoned. Likewise, none of us dare enter the presence of a Holy God and plead for mercy on the basis of our own merit. Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader) Source: Today's Christian, http://tinyurl.com/oqyrc ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: The first time I met my wife, she was an intense aerobics instructor at my health club and I was an out-of-shape new member. After one grueling workout, I gasped, "This is really helping me get toned." She looked me up and down. Feeling self-conscious, I added, "Big men run in my family." She raised an eyebrow and said, "Apparently not enough." Contributed to "Life in These United States" by John Parkerz Source: Laughter for a Saturday mailto:ed548@yahoo.com?subject=Subscribe_to_Laughter_for_a_Saturday ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: 'First' Baby Boomer Seeks Social Security Benefits The Nation's "FIRST" baby boomer applied for Social Security benefits Monday, part of an expected avalanche of applications from the post-World War II war generation. Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, a former teacher from New Jersey, applied for benefits over the Internet. Casey-Kirschling, who now lives in Maryland, was born one second after midnight on Jan. 1, 1946, making her the first baby boomer — a generation of nearly 80 million born from 1946 to 1964, Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue said. An estimated 10,000 people a day will become eligible for Social Security benefits over the next two decades, Astrue said. Source: Peninsula Daily News, October 16, 2007, http://peninsuladailynews.com