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ARCHIVE OF PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS
Newsletters from the past year in chronological
order by the most recent month:
RAMBLINGS FROM RON MINISTRIES
November-December 2008
It has once
again been two months since I sent the last issue your way. I am
happy to report that I am feeling a little better and hope that I can
soon be on a regular schedule of monthly RAMBLINGS and regular
postings of THOUGHTS and DEVOTIONS on the web site..............Now,
as usual, I am happy to share with you these............
....RAMBLINGS FROM RON
A QUOTE FOR THE DAY...
"Love people and use things - not love
things and use people." (Thanks to Roberta in Ohio)
A JOKE FOR THE DAY...
“It is said
that a pig ran away from the butcher because he had heard that
prevention is better than cure.”
LET’S MAKE A CHILD HAPPY...
Younger
children like to tell jokes and are usually ready to listen to a new
joke. To adults, some of these jokes just don’t make sense; yet, the
kids enjoy them. So each month I will share one of these jokes and
hope that you will share them with a child and make that child happy.
If you know a child who would like to share a joke, send it to me
along with the name, age and State of residence of the child.
Q - When is an ocean friendly?
A - When it waves.
ONCE
A-PUN A TIME -- ONE LINERS...
“Police were
called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.”
(Thank to Karen in Iowa)
KIDS
PROVERBS...
I have
received a series of “KID'S PROVERBS” from Karen in Iowa. A first
grade teacher gave her class the first part of a well known Proverb,
and the students were to respond with what they thought was the second
line. I hope you enjoy these KID'S PROVERBS.
A miss is as good as a................Mr.
A BOOK FOR YOU TO CONSIDER...
The book
suggestion for this month was sent to me by Lynn in Ohio. She wrote,
“I just finished reading this book. Thought you might enjoy it if you
haven't already read it. "Heaven Has Blue Carpet: A Sheep Story" by
Sharon Stark Niedzinski.”
Please continue to send to me any suggestions of books that I can
share in this space.
DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY...
DO
YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT YOU ARE?
Micah 5:2-4
2 " But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among
the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One
to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From
everlasting." 3 Therefore He shall give them up. Until the time that
she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren
Shall return to the children of Israel. 4 And He shall stand and feed
His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of
the LORD His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To
the ends of the earth; Micah 5:2-4 (NKJV)
The people who heard the prophecy spoken through Micah may have
wondered why God would choose the little town of Bethlehem for the
appearance of the Messiah. Many looked for the Messiah to come as a
rich and powerful person in one of the major cities. Read these verses
of this prophecy again and this time take notes of how important this
baby is, where He came from, and what He is going to do. Now if you
did take some notes, it would be a good idea to stop right here. Take
a day and think about where this baby came from and what He is going
to do. You might even want to look up some New Testament Passages
where these prophecies were fulfilled.
Now we continue. If you thought and prayed and studied about the
first part, did you find it extra meaningful? We now know how
important this baby was, but do you know how important you are? As
you consider this, you first have to ask the question, Important to
who? The people of Micah’s day did not think
Bethlehem
was important; God did. Now, who do you want to think you are
important, God or man? If you answer, man, then I fear your chances
of being important are not very good. On the other hand, if you
chose, God, you are important NOW. Maybe you are not sure. May I
suggest that you read a devotional each day, that you commit yourself
to a "Read the Bible in a Year" program, and that you not just read
the devotion, but that you seek to live it each day?
We pray:
Lord, help us to shout "He Is Born" with the same joy and enthusiasm
that we shout "He Is Risen" at Easter. Lord, help us to understand
that this is not just another baby, born in a manger in a little town.
Help us to feel the sense of relief and the sense of joy that the
prophecy has been fulfilled. Thank you Lord that He was Born, that our
Savior is Born that we might be set free from the captivity of sin.
Help us to shout, "HE IS BORN." Amen.
A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION
We are important because God created us in His own image. If we
recognize our importance to God, then we must be challenged to be
important to those, as Jesus calls them, “the least of these my
brethren.”
When you pass someone who needs a wave or a smile, will you be
important to that person? When you think of some ill or lonely person
who needs a phone call, a letter, a card or a visit, will you be
important to that person? When someone needs a helping hand with
repairs or house or yard work, will you be important to that person?
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
If you
want to sing along with the words, go to http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/d/e/s/desirena.htm
When you go to the web site, as you scroll down to the words, the
music will begin, so sing along.
“The desire
of all nations.” Haggai 2:7
Words: Anna B. Hoppe, 1921.
Music: St. Christopher, Frederick C. Maker, in the Bristol Tune Book,
1881
Desire of every nation,
Light of the Gentiles, Thou!
In fervent adoration
Before Thy throne we bow;
Our hearts and tongues adore Thee,
Blest Dayspring from the skies.
Like incense sweet before Thee,
Permit our songs to rise.
Thou Herald of the morning,
They who in darkness dwell
Behold Thy brightness dawning
O’er realms of Israel.
With glorious beams unclouded,
Thy all-transcendent light
Dispels the gloom that shrouded
Earth’s dark and dismal night.
Arise and shine in splendor,
Thou bright and morning Star!
The Gentiles come to render
Their gifts from realms afar.
The word by prophets spoken
In truth is now fulfilled.
And yearning hearts, once broken,
With sweetest hope are filled.
Arise and bring salvation
To all who dwell below,
Let earth in jubilation
Reflect Thy radiant glow.
O long expected Savior,
Thou Hope of Israel,
Let Gentiles gain Thy favor,
And of Thy glory tell.
Our Life and Resurrection,
Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art;
O shed Thy light’s reflection
To earth’s remotest part;
Let Gentile tongues confess Thee,
Rejoicing in Thy light,
The ransomed thousands bless Thee,
Thou hast dispelled the night.
RAMBLING
THOUGHT
This
RAMBLING THOUGHT was written for my Web page,
ramblingsfromron.com. Most of the
Thoughts are found on the
THOUGHTS page, while earlier ones are
in the
THOUGHTS ARCHIVES where they have
been placed in categories.
THE
FRUITCAKE AND THE BIBLE
No, this is
not one of those far out thoughts where someone tries to show that a
fruitcake reveals something about the Bible. It is simply that I love
fruitcakes and I think that there is something we can learn about some
relationships with the Bible as we think about fruitcakes.
As I said, I love fruitcakes. I am just about to finish eating my
first two-pound fruitcake of the season. They are SO GOOD and I don’t
understand why so many people don’t like them. I suppose that some
don’t like the fruit pieces and others may be allergic to the nuts. I
am sure that some don't like the taste, but I have a feeling that a
large number who say they don’t like fruitcake have never tried them,
or they tried a taste many years ago and never tried any again. I
understand about those with allergies, but for the others it is a
shame that you are missing out on something so good.
Thinking about why people don’t like fruitcakes led me to this
comparison with the Bible. There are probably more unused, untouched,
and untasted Bibles in our homes than there are fruitcakes. Why are
they unused? The words of Scripture are SO GOOD and I don’t
understand why so many people don’t like them. Some are probably
allergic to the Bible. No they don’t break out in a rash; they don’t
become ill. The allergic reaction seems to be in the guilt that comes
from reading about what Jesus would have them do. Some don’t like the
taste. When they read of God calling them to His Love, they don’t
like the taste of turning their backs on the alluring and exciting
temptations of their world. Some say that they read it many years
ago and did not enjoy it enough to try it again. Or they could not
understand it, so why keep on trying something that you don’t
understand and therefore don’t like?
Yes, there are those who truly love to spend time reading the Bible
and meditating on the words they have read. Maybe you are like me and
can’t understand why people reject the reading of the Bible on a daily
basis. I hope you can see the comparison that I see between the Bible
and the fruitcake.
Now, I
have just one question for you. If you enjoy eating fruitcake and
reading the Bible and if you don’t understand why people don’t like
fruitcake and/or don’t read the Bible on a daily basis, what is easier
for you: to offer a friend a piece of fruitcake or to offer to them
your help in reading and understanding the Bible?
GOD’S PEACE. SEE YOU AT THE HOUSE.
A
WEBSITE
The web site
for this time is http://www.textweek.com/epiphany.htm.
We observe the Festival of Epiphany on January 6 as we enter the
Epiphany Season. This site contains many links and resources if you
wish to learn more about this Holy Season.
A COMMENT OR TWO OR THREE...
COMMENT 1 -
It has been some time since I have mentioned the PRAYER CARDS that are
on my web site. There are prayers for many different occasions and
for special needs. More visitors go to this section than any other
area of the web site. These Cards are available at no cost to copy
and use to send to others or for your own personal use.
http://www.ramblingsfromron.com/prayer_new.htm
COMMENT 2 - HANNAH’S
SOCKS - Hanna was 5 or 6 years old when she went with her parents to
help at a Homeless Shelter at Thanksgiving. It was a cold day, but
not unusual in Toledo. Hannah was observing everything that was
happening. When she sat down and started to take off her shoes and
socks, her parents ask what she was doing. She pointed at one of the
homeless men and said, “Look, he doesn’t have any socks. It is cold
out; I want to give him mine.” Her parents explained that her socks
would not fit him, but they would bring some socks at Christmas.
Hannah started collecting socks and brought many pairs that she and
her parents handed out to the homeless that Christmas. The media
picked up the story and now at the third Christmas, Hannah's Socks
numbered many thousands. Is this, or something similar, something
that God might want you to do?
COMMENT 3 - EPIPHANY
is a celebration of JESUS CHRIST THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. What extra
can you do to allow the light of His Love to flow through you and into
the lives of others?
THAT’S ALL FOR THIS TIME
At present I
have 266 (225 email, 41 regular mail) names on my mailing list and
would like to have more. If you would rather not receive this email,
please let me know. If you have a friend you would like to share this
with, please do so. If there is someone who you think might like to
receive this, send it on to them, have them look at it, and, then if
they want me to send it their way, just send me their name and email
address. Remember to keep sending those quotes, jokes, titles of
books that you have enjoyed, and questions as well as any suggestions
of things you would like to have me write about.....and now
MAY THE ROAD RISE
UP TO MEET YOU
MAY THE WIND ALWAYS
BE AT YOUR BACK
MAY BE SUN SHINE
WARM UPON YOUR FACE
AND THE RAIN FALL
SOFT UPON YOUR LAND
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN
THE HOLLOW OF HIS HAND.
..........See You
At The House ..........God's Peace,
RON CLAUSSEN
24544 KAMMEYER ROAD
DEFIANCE, OH 43512
Website:
www.ramblingsfromron.com
Email:
ron@ramblingsfromron.com
Count It All Joy!!
Devotional CD by Pastor Ron Claussen
An Audio CD with 17 Devotions from the Epistle
of James
For Mail Orders send $15.00 to the
above address.
Ohio residents add
the Sales Tax at the rate for your county. Thank you.
Click
here to read more
about the new
CD
Click here to listen
to a sample devotion:
Don't Worry, Be Happy;
James 1:1-8
CD'S ARE NOW
AVAILABLE AT THESE LOCATIONS:
OHIO:
CHATFIELD:
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DEFIANCE:
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DELTA:
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Calaway's
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GRAND RAPIDS:
Village
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NAPOLEON:
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Mohrings
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Rodenberger
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Village
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OKOLONA:
Willeman’s Flowers
and
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PAULDING:
Village
Apothecary
RIDGEVILLE CORNERS: -
Ridgeville Barber
Shop
Click here for CD
order form.
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What? God.......You Want Me To Do Something?
A DEVOTIONAL BOOK by Pastor Ron Claussen
For Mail Orders send $12.00 to the above
address.
Ohio residents add the
Sales Tax at the rate for your county. Thank you.
Click
here to see sample pages from the book:
BOOKS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN:..
NEBRASKA - LINCOLN
-
Lemstone Christian
Store
- Mohrings Cash
and Carry
WAUSEON -
Christian Books ‘N Such
ON THE WEB -
Amazon.com
RAMBLINGS FROM RON
MINISTRIES
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008
It has been a time of beautiful Fall
October weather here in Northwest Ohio What a gift God has given to
us as He created the trees in such a way that we can enjoy the vivid
colors as the leaves prepare to fall from the trees..
...............Now, as usual, I am happy to share with you these............
A QUOTE FOR THE DAY...
"Good
judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad
judgment."
(Thanks to Jerry
and Marty in Ohio)
A JOKE FOR THE DAY...
"A little girl asked her mother, 'How did the
human race appear?'
The mother answered, 'God made Adam and Eve and
they had children and then all mankind was made.'
Two days later the girl asked her father the same
question.
The father answered, 'Many years ago there were
monkeys from which the human race evolved.'
The confused girl returned to her mother and said,
'Mom, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created
by God, and Dad said they developed from monkeys?'
The mother answered, 'Well, dear, it is very
simple. I told you about my side of the family and your father told
you about his.”
(Thanks to Lowell in Colorado)
LET’S MAKE A CHILD HAPPY...
Younger children like to tell jokes and are usually ready to
listen to a new joke. To adults, some of these jokes just don’t make
sense; yet, the kids enjoy them. So each month I will share one of
these jokes and hope that you will share them with a child and make
that child happy. If you know a child who would like to share a
joke, send it to me along with the name, age and state of residence
of the child.
Q - Why did the golfer wear a second pair of pants?
A - In case he got a hole in one!
ONCE
A-PUN A TIME -- ONE LINERS...
This advice may come in handy the end of
November: “You
really need to get spruced up to sell Christmas trees.” (Thank to Karen in Ohio)
KIDS' PROVERBS...
I have received a series of “KID'S PROVERBS” from Karen in
Iowa. A first grade teacher gave her class the first part of a well
known Proverb, and the students were to respond with what they
thought was the second line. I hope you enjoy these KID'S PROVERBS.
Don't bite the hand that
.........................................................................................looks
dirty.
A BOOK FOR YOU TO CONSIDER...
The book for this month is
HERE I STAND by
Roland H. Bainton. This is probably the best known book detailing
the Life of Martin Luther.
This book might be found in Church, home and Public Libraries and
is available online. Reformation Day is October 31, so this would
be a good time to read this book again or for the first time.
Please continue to send to me the title and author of any
meaningful and inspirational biographies that you have read. I still
need suggestions of additional books for future RAMBLINGS and your
comments on the books.
DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY...
LIVING IN THE JOY OF FORGIVENESS
1 CORINTHIANS 9:26
16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of,
for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach
the gospel! 1 Corinthians 9:16 (NKJV)
One of the real joys for those who seek to live their lives In
Christ is the daily opportunity to confess their sins. It might
be in a private prayer time with God, it can be with the gathering
of others in the confessional part of a Worship service, or it
could be the sinner confessing his or her sins before another
person. The joy comes not in the confessing, but in hearing the
words of Jesus that are still spoken in so many different ways:
“Your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.”
St. Paul is a perfect example of one who was Living in the
Joy of Forgiveness. The joy was not from the one dramatic
experience on the Road to Damascus, but from time after time of
going before His Lord to seek forgiveness. Doing what he should
not do and not doing what he should do bothered Paul. For this he
also sought forgiveness.
Unfortunately, most people do not know the joy of living
in forgiveness because they do not understand the importance and
prevalence of sin in their lives. At the same time, they have the
false assumption that all they do for their Church certainly must
cancel out the few sins they admit that they do commit.
We turn to St. Paul to see how he experiences this joy of
living in forgiveness. First we look at the last half of our
verse: “yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” We don’t
use the phrase “Woe is me” much anymore. It carries meanings such
as, How miserable I am, or What agony I suffer, or in more
familiar words, How down and depressed I become. Sometimes I
wonder if we are in misery, agony or depression simply because we
are not doing what God wants us to do. Paul believed this. No
matter how much he preached the Gospel, no matter what hardships
and harms he faced, the only thing that mattered was that he
continue to preach the Gospel. If Paul would say that he had
taught Sunday School long enough, someone else can do it now, or
he had served on enough committees or had done enough volunteer
work, when he realized what he had said, he would say, “Woe is
me.”
This brings us to the first part of the verse: “For if
I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is
laid upon me;” How many people do you know who do things for the
Church or the Community or some charitable cause and then become
very upset because they did not get publicly thanked or their name
was either omitted or misspelled in the Church bulletin or in an
article in the paper. Many have left the Church because of this
and are miserable because they were not honored. From St. Paul we
see just the opposite. He said that he had nothing to boast about
because he did it out of a necessity that was laid upon him.
From my viewpoint, St. Paul knew the joy of living in
forgiveness. It was such an overwhelming joy that he had no
choice but to proclaim Jesus and His Love over and over again,
wherever he could. He continued do this even knowing that his
life was in danger from those who sought to destroy the lives of
those who were teaching the forgiving love of Jesus.
Do you feel God’s forgiving love when you confess your
sins? If you do, then you, like St. Paul, will not boast but
will be inspired by God to do all that you can so others might
know the Joy of Living in the Forgiveness of God.
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, I come to you to confess my sins and to
seek your forgiveness. Lead me to discover those times where I
have sinned and have not known that I have. Help me to identify
those things that I should have done and did not do. As you lift
this burden of sin from me, let me hear the words, go and sin no
more, and then help me to see the joy that can be mine when I live
in Your forgiveness.
A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION
I remember,
as a young boy, playing baseball in our back yard. We could not
find our softball, so we were using a golf ball. I hit the first
ball pitched to me. It was a fly ball that never came back to the
ground. It went through a second story window of our neighbors'
house. I trembled as I went to their door to confess and tell
them that we would repair the window. When they forgave me, how
relieved, how happy I was. Think of a similar event in your
life. The joy of being forgiven by God is even greater.
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
JESUS, I COME
“Out of the depths I cry to Thee, O Lord.” Psalm 130:1
Words: William T. Sleeper, in Gospel Hymns No. 5,
1887.
Music: George C. Stebbins
Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of my sickness, into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessèd will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy throne,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
RAMBLING THOUGHT
THE SILVER DOLLAR COIN AND CHRISTIANS
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the Silver
Dollar was a common coin. They were just as much a part of the cash
that people carried with them as the paper dollars of today. Many
people today have never seen a Silver Dollar, and those who have would
wonder how a person could carry enough of them to the store to pay for
their purchases. Here we have to try to realize how many items could
be paid for with a dollar and even get some change back. As prices
rose, my guess is that these dollars became too heavy for people to
carry the number they would need to make their purchases.
Several years ago the United States Treasury began to issue new one
dollar coins. After the first new coins were circulated and were not
well received by the public, I thought that would be the end of these
dollar coins. I was wrong. Since then, additional dollar coins
honoring different people have been minted and circulated. It is my
opinion that the only people interested in these coins are the coin
collectors and people who want one just to have one and not for
spending. Each person who collects one or more of these coins is in
effect loaning the government one dollar per coin. In reality it is a
non-interest loan and has a high percentage of never being cashed in.
What does the Silver Dollar have to do with a Christian? I believe
there is a strong similarity and a lesson for Living the Christian
Life. In the day when the Silver Dollar stood out from other coins
because of its size and the purchase power that it had, so also the
Christian stood out. The Christian stood out, not because of what he
or she could buy, but for what he or she could give. The Pastors were
respected, the lay leaders of the Church were intent on fulfilling the
Mission of God right where they were. In those days it was the Church,
that is the Pastors, the lay leaders and all of the members, who were
the providers of hospitals, nursing homes, homes of Mercy, care of the
needy, the orphans, the widows, and the elderly. In many cases, it was
also the Church, the Christians, who were the founders of many of the
important and prestigious colleges and universities of today as well
as a multitude of smaller educational institutions that continue to
educate many. More important than the dollars provided for these
ministries were the hours and hours of Christian Service freely and
gladly given by many individuals.
Unfortunately the same thing happened to the Christian that happened
to the Silver Dollar.
As the Dollar purchased less and less and more dollars were needed,
they became too heavy. As fewer and fewer people kept up the
commitment to fulfill their ministry, the burden became too heavy.
The Government provided the paper dollar to relieve the burden and the
government slowly but surely took over many of the ministries of
Christians, supposedly to relieve their burden.
After several years the Silver Dollar evolved into new dollar coins
that were smaller in size. The problem was that at a casual glance you
could not tell the difference between the dollar and the quarter. So
many Christians also evolved to the point that they are so similar in
their actions that you can’t tell the difference between a church
member and a non believer.
Businesses did not like the new dollars because of
the similarity to the quarters and the fact that their new cash
drawers had no place for the additional denomination of coins. The
world of greed and service to self has no place for the Christian who
is not liked because they stand on God’s Word and are opposed to so
many things that others have made their god.
Probably the saddest comparison is that both the Dollar coin and the
Christian are seldom seen in public. The dollar coins that are owned
by people are hidden in drawers and far too often the glimmer of faith
in the lives of some people is also hidden so that others might not
see it.
THERE IS HOPE. The dollar coins are still worth a dollar and can be
used to make a purchase. The faith in your life can still be used to
make a positive difference in your life and the lives of others. We
dare not worry about what others do, we are responsible to God for
what we do for Him. May we do like Jesus. In St. Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV),
He read these words from Isaiah. “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me.
Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has
sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are
oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
Before you say, Yes, Lord, this is what I want to do in my life as a
Christian, take time to turn to St. Luke 4 and read the verses that
follow. It is my prayer that after you have read the remainder of
Chapter 4 that you will still want to be the Christian that God has
called you to be and no longer the Christian that seems to be no
different than any other person.
GOD’S PEACE. SEE YOU AT THE HOUSE
A WEBSITE
The web site for this time
was sent to me by K.M. in Ohio.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2.
This is a website where your clicks provide free mammograms for
women who can't afford them. It is coordinated with the
National Breast Cancer Foundation. You can click daily and the
sponsors on the website will donate free mammograms. On this
same page, there are tabs for: Hunger, Child Health, Literacy,
Rainforest, and Animal Rescue that work the same way. Each of
them also has a link that you can click daily to provide donation
of free items that match up with each of the tabs; For
example: 1.1 cup food, free healthcare, books, 11.4 sq. ft. of
rainforest, or .6 bowl of food to rescued animals. You can set
it up so that you receive a reminder email daily with the link to
click. It costs you nothing -- It's a simple way and an
economical way (FREE) to help the less
fortunate.
A COMMENT OR TWO OR THREE...
COMMENT 1 -
I am happy to report that at the end of September I received my new
power wheel chair. I am still learning new things about driving it.
In the process, I have bumped against many walls, doors and pieces of
furniture. The greatest feature of the chair is the Elevator Seat.
This makes it possible to have the seat at various heights up to
seven inches above the lowest point. This chair is much safer for
transferring to the bed, to the car, and in the bathroom. The more I
use the chair, the more comfortable I find it to be. Thanks for the
words of encouragement I received as I waited for Medicare to make
their positive decision.
COMMENT 2 - Here
is a safety tip that I think is worth sharing. Thanks to Roberta in
Ohio for sending this to me.
PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT
Tell your spouse, your
children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr.'s Office, the check
out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys
beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or
someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for
your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to
sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.
This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you
come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of
this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and
requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most
everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery
runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain.
It works if you park in your driveway or garage.
If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your
house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around... After a few
seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who
is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that!
And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking
lot. The alarm can work the same way there. It is also suggested
that the elderly carry their car keys with them when they are outside
in case of a fall and no one can hear them. They can activate the car
alarm and then others will know there's a problem.
THAT’S ALL FOR THIS TIME
At present I have 264 (223 email, 41 regular
mail) names on my mailing list and would like to have more. If you
would rather not receive this email, please let me know. If you have a
friend you would like to share this with, please do so. If there is
someone who you think might like to receive this, send it on to them,
have them look at it, and, then if they want me to send it their way,
just send me their name and email address. Remember to keep sending
those quotes, jokes, titles of books that you have enjoyed, and
questions as well as any suggestions of things you would like to have
me write about.....and now
MAY THE ROAD RISE UP TO MEET YOU
MAY THE WIND ALWAYS BE AT YOUR BACK
MAY BE SUN SHINE WARM UPON YOUR FACE
AND THE RAIN FALL SOFT UPON YOUR LAND
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN THE HOLLOW OF HIS
HAND.
..........See You At The House
..........God's Peace,
RON CLAUSSEN
24544 KAMMEYER ROAD
DEFIANCE, OH 43512
Website:
www.ramblingsfromron.com
Email:
ron@ramblingsfromron.com
June-July-August, 2008
It has been over
three months since I have sent these RAMBLINGS your way. In the
COMMENTS section I will talk about the delay, as well as about what I
plan to do in the future. ...............Now, as usual, I am happy to
share with you these............
....RAMBLINGS FROM RON
A QUOTE FOR THE DAY...
"Do not ask the Lord to
guide your footsteps if you're not willing to move your feet."
(Thanks to Roberta in Ohio)
A JOKE FOR THE DAY...
A Sunday School teacher began
her lesson with a question, "Boys and girls, what do we know about
God?"
A hand shot up in the air.
"He is an artist!" said the kindergarten boy.
"Really? How do you! know?"
the teacher asked.
"You know -- Our
Father, who does art in Heaven... "
(Thanks to Larry and Judy in Ohio)
LET’S MAKE A CHILD HAPPY...
Younger children like to tell jokes
and are usually ready to listen to a new joke. To adults, some of
these jokes just don’t make sense; yet, the kids enjoy them. So each
month I will share one of these jokes and hope that you will share
them with a child and make that child happy. If you know a child who
would like to share a joke, send it to me along with the name, age
and State of residence of the child.
Q. How do you send a letter to a
fish?
A. You drop him a line.
ONCE A-PUN A TIME -- ONE
LINERS...
I wondered why the baseball
was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
KIDS ARE QUICK...
I have received a series of “KID'S
PROVERBS” from Karen in Iowa. A first grade teacher gave her class
the first part of a well known Proverb, and the students were to
respond with what they thought was the second line. I hope you
enjoy these KID'S PROVERBS.
Strike
while..................................................................
the bug is close.
A BOOK FOR YOU TO
CONSIDER...
I am happy to encourage you to read a
book suggested to me by Peg in Ohio. It is SAVING LEVI by Lisa
Bently. Peg wrote: “A book I would like to suggest to your readers is
an extremely inspirational book, and is an easy-read of only 140
pages. It is written by
Lisa Bentley, who with her husband,
manages Harmony Outreach, an orphanage in China. You can find info.
about the author and the book, Saving Levi, at her website
Harmony Outreach,
or
search by her name.
The true story is of special interest to me because I have a
4-year-old granddaughter, adopted from China, and we are expecting to
get permission to travel to China about September to get the second
little girl. Levi is found in a field in China at the age of about 6
weeks, severely burned, and left to die. This sounds like it could be
a depressing read, but it is actually an inspiring story because it
tells of the selfless devotion to saving Levi by many, many people,
and the “coincidences” can only be understood as God’s miracles.
Everyone who has reported back to me after reading this story, has
said, “Once I began to read it, I could not put it down.”
Please continue to send to me the title and author of any meaningful
and inspirational biographies that you have read. I still need
suggestions of additional books for future RAMBLINGS and your comments
on the books.
DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY...
“HOW SOON WE FORGET!”
DEUTERONOMY 10:12-14
12 “And now, Israel, what
does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God,
to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God
with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the
commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today
for your good? 14 Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the
LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it. Deuteronomy
10:12-14 (NKJV)
When meditating on Words from Scripture, it is always helpful to have
read the verses and sometimes chapters that have come before. To have
read the previous chapters for this Devotion is almost a necessity in
understanding what Moses is saying and why.
When I was planning this Devotion in my mind, I began with the title,
IF WE BELIEVE IT, WHY DON’T WE LIVE IT? As my thinking progressed, I
changed to the present title, HOW SOON WE FORGET! It is possible that
one of the reasons we don’t live our faith is that we soon forget how
much God has blessed us in the past.
The previous verses and chapters of Deuteronomy are a recap of the
events following the Exodus of the Children of Israel from their
captivity under Pharaoh in Egypt. One of the most famous of these is
the parting of the Red Sea.
As you recall, after Pharaoh let God’s People go, he changed his mind
and sent his armies to bring them back into captivity. When the
Children of Israel arrived at the Red Sea, they did not know what to
do. How were they going to cross that body of water? Pharaoh's army
was getting nearer and nearer to them. There is no doubt that many
wished they were still back in Egypt, even if they were in captivity.
Why would God give them this freedom only to be captured, returned to
slavery, or even possibly be killed?
God told Moses what to do. Moses did it. The people crossed and were
safe. Then as the Egyptians started to follow, the sea came back
together. The army was destroyed. The people were safe. The people
gave thanks and praised God.
In these verses for this Devotion, Moses could well be saying, How
Soon We Forget. For all of the wonderful things that God has done for
us, why do we forget that He also requires something of us. The
requirements were:
To fear and love God and
serve Him with all of your heart and soul.
To keep His commandments and statutes which were given for our own
good.
To remember that the heavens and the earth and all that are in it
belong to God.
I believe that these words
of Moses to the Children of Israel are words that are also spoken to
us today. It s important to remember that there are two Red Seas.
As the Children of Israel were in captivity to Pharaoh, we find
ourselves in the captivity of sin.
As the children of Israel arrived at the Red Sea, they could see no
escape, no hope. As we wander deeper and deeper into sin, we can see
no hope to be free from this horrible captivity in which we find
ourselves.
In both cases there seemed to be nothing but doom because all too soon
the Goodness of God has been forgotten, and we forget that God is more
powerful than any force we might face.
For the children of Israel, the Red Sea opened and they were saved.
For us today, Jesus died on the Cross that the Red Sea of His flowing
Blood could wash over us and cleanse us from our sins.
If the children of Israel believed that God freed them from their
captivity, then they needed to live their life in that belief. If we
believe that Jesus died and shed His Body and Blood for us that we
might be free, then we need to live that belief.
HOW SOON WE FORGET! If we seek to live a life that says, “THANK YOU,
LORD” by fearing, loving and serving Him, you can’t imagine what a
wonderful life you and I can live.
WE PRAY: HEAVENLY FATHER, so often I want to live my life my way.
Yes, I believe in you, but it is so hard for me to understand that the
joys of the world pale in comparison to the joys that can be found in
living Your way. Help me to remember that You did shed Your Body and
Blood for me, and now, Lord, give me the strength to put aside the
lures of the world so that I can live what I believe, that You are the
Way, the Truth and the Light. AMEN.
A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION
Often we make Living For Jesus to be such a hard task that we give up
before we get started. If we try to do one small thing for God and
keep it up, it will soon become a natural way of life. Each day we can
add something else. Here are some easy examples and I am sure you can
find many of your own:
Language:
Eliminate the phrase “O
My God.”
Include the phrase “May God Bless you.”
Develop a time of Bible
Reading, meditating and prayer.
Caring:
Make a weekly or monthly
visit to person in a Nursing Home or to a shut in who is not a
family member.
Send at least one get well or thinking of you card each week. Always
try to include a hand written note.
If you like to bake, each time you bake a pie or a cake, take one or
two pieces to someone who no longer bakes. Those of you who don’t
bake because it is too much for you to eat: by sharing, you can have
your cake an eat it too.
Inviting:
It is easy to invite
someone to worship with you. The worse they can do is give you an
excuse and say no, but what a joy if they would say yes.
Living for God is not
hard, it just takes you to make the decision to begin.
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
LIVING FOR JESUS (Chisholm)
“In Him we live and
move and have our being.” Acts 17:28
Words:
Thomas O. Chisholm, 1917.
Music: Lowden, Carl H. Lowden, 1915
Living for Jesus, a life that
is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
Refrain
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.
Living for Jesus Who died in my place,
Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.
Refrain
Living for Jesus, wherever I am,
Doing each duty in His holy Name;
Willing to suffer affliction and loss,
Deeming each trial a part of my cross.
Refrain
Living for Jesus through earth’s little while,
My dearest treasure, the light of His smile;
Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,
Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.
Refrain
RAMBLING THOUGHT
MY COFFEE POT DID NOT WORK
It may seem odd, but we have two coffee pots on the counter at all
times. There is a reason for this and it is not because my wife drinks
Decaf and I prefer regular. Years ago we needed a new coffee pot as
ours suddenly quit working. The store where we made the purchase did
not have many in stock as they were awaiting a new shipment. The one
we purchased was, and is, a good coffee pot but it did not have the
timer to automatically turn on in the morning. This was not a problem,
but we often said that it would have been nice on those mornings when
things became rushed as we were preparing to leave for the work of the
day.
The next Christmas we received an automatic pot from one of the kids
and it was great. As wonderful as it was, there was still one
problem. The gauge that indicated how much water you put in the
reservoir was inside the reservoir. Now that is fine unless you are in
a wheelchair and can’t see inside. Therefore, when Jane is home we use
the automatic and she fills it with the water.
The first time I made coffee after Jane left on a recent trip, I had
the water in and turned the switch to ON. Nothing happened. I checked
the water level. I checked to see if the the coffee basket was in
correctly and I even gave the unit a tap. Nothing. Now what would I
do? I even checked to make sure that it was plugged in. Yes, the
white cord was plugged in. I was about to give up and make some
Instant Coffee and then I remembered there should be two white cords
plugged in. Sure enough, the end of the cord to the coffee pot was in
a place where I could not see it. The air purifier was running fine. I
plugged the pot in and instantly the fresh brewed coffee began to flow
into the pot.
My life is sometimes like that and maybe yours is also. Does it seem
like things are always going wrong? Do you feel like you can’t
accomplish anything? Maybe you want to give up and just not do
anything.
I have had those feelings many times and each time the same problem
existed. I was not plugged in to God. Once I plugged in through prayer
or just what I call God thinking or God talking, immediately His fresh
brewed and freely given strength began to flow into me. Sometimes I
wonder why it takes me so long to check the plug.
Make it a point to check several times a day to be sure you are
plugged in to God and are nourished by the tremendous flow of His Love
that enters your life.
GOD’S PEACE. SEE YOU AT THE HOUSE
A WEBSITE
The web site for this
time is
http://www.spinheartbeat.com.
In the past I have mentioned the tremendous work of my friends and
members of a Congregation that I have served, Bob and Jan Burnside.
This is the website of an organization they founded, SPIN, Suicide
Prevention Intervention Network. I encourage you to visit this
website, to learn about Bob and Jan and their ministry. Maybe, just
maybe, something that you read and learn will help you to intervene
before a suicide takes place.
A COMMENT OR TWO OR
THREE...
COMMENT 1 -
The past three months have flown by so swiftly
for me, yet I could point to very little that might be called an
accomplishment. It has been more of a time of adjustment as the Post
Polio Syndrome has been progressing a little more rapidly than in the
previous years. When I had polio in 1952 many nerve cells were
destroyed. During those years medical science discovered that other
nerve cells seemed to try to take over the work of the cells that
were destroyed. Many years later a study was undertaken to discover
why people who had polio were now becoming weaker and losing some of
their abilities. Now it is known that the nerve cells that took over
became weak and in some cases destroyed themselves. This affects each
person in different ways. While I am still able to totally take care
of myself, I tire much easier and find there are some minor things
that are now much harder to do.
During these past months I have not accomplished much because
I have tired easily and have tried to find the kind of routine that is
best for my health and will still allow me to proclaim God and His
Love through the written word. At present , in April I submitted an
application to Medicare for a full power wheel chair. The final stages
of the application are near, and I hope that by the time I send out
the next RAMBLINGS, I will be able to give you their response. Thanks
to those who have written asking why they had not been receiving these
RAMBLINGS.
COMMENT 2 -
Now, what do
I plan to do? I plan to continue to do what I have been doing and
hope to add a couple of other things. However, I will do this at a
much slower pace. The RAMBLINGS may come every month, but there might
also be times when some months are skipped. The same applies to the
postings of the DEVOTION and THOUGHT on the website. There may be
times when there will be new postings daily, but most of the time they
will be less frequent.
As to the new things, I still have the beginnings written for a
Devotional Series on the Ten Commandments and another on familiar
Bible Stories. If this will happen or not, I don’t know.
There is one other thing that I have been thinking about
doing. I will share that with you in the next RAMBLINGS.
THAT’S ALL FOR
THIS TIME...
At present I have 263 (222
email, 41 regular mail) names on my mailing list and would like to
have more. If you would rather not receive this email, please let me
know. If you have a friend you would like to share this with, please
do so. If there is someone who you think might like to receive this,
send it on to them, have them look at it, and, then if they want me to
send it their way, just send me their name and email address.
Remember to keep sending those quotes, jokes, titles of books that you
have enjoyed, and questions as well as any suggestions of things you
would like to have me write about.....and now
MAY THE ROAD RISE UP TO
MEET YOU
MAY THE WIND ALWAYS BE AT
YOUR BACK
MAY BE SUN SHINE WARM UPON
YOUR FACE
AND THE RAIN FALL SOFT
UPON YOUR LAND
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN THE
HOLLOW OF HIS HAND.
..........See You At The
House ..........God's Peace,
RON CLAUSSEN
24544 KAMMEYER ROAD
DEFIANCE, OH 43512
Website:
www.ramblingsfromron.com
Email:
ron@ramblingsfromron.com
Count It All Joy!!
Devotional CD by Pastor
Ron Claussen
An Audio CD with 17
Devotions from the Epistle of James
For
Mail Orders send $15.00 to the above address.
Ohio residents add the Sales Tax at the
rate for your county. Thank you.
Click
here to read more
about the
CD
Click here to listen to a sample devotion:
Don't Worry, Be Happy;
James 1:1-8
CD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT THESE
LOCATIONS:
OHIO:
CHATFIELD:
Nazareth Lutheran Church
DEFIANCE:
Zion's
Lutheran Church
DELTA:
Trinity Lutheran Church
Calaway's
Flowers & Antiques
GRAND RAPIDS:
Village Apothecary
NAPOLEON:
Divine Inspirations
Mohrings Cash and Carry
Rodenberger Funeral Home
Village Apothecary
OKOLONA:
Willeman’s Flowers
and Decorators
PAULDING:
Village Apothecary
RIDGEVILLE CORNERS: -
Ridgeville Barber Shop
Click here for CD order form.
WHAT? GOD.......YOU
WANT ME TO DO SOMETHING?
A DEVOTIONAL BOOK
by Pastor Ron Claussen
For
Mail Orders send $12.00 to the above address.
Ohio residents add the Sales Tax at the
rate for your county. Thank you.
Click
here to see sample pages from the book:
BOOKS ARE
NOW AVAILABLE IN:..
NEBRASKA - LINCOLN
- Lemstone Christian Store
-
Mohrings Cash and Carry
WAUSEON -
Christian Books ‘N Such
ON THE WEB -
Amazon.com
RAMBLINGS FROM RON MINISTRIES
– May 2008
Even
though it is mid May, the temperatures where I live have not discovered
that. The farmers know well what it is to wait for the good weather.
Around here only a small percentage of the crops have been planted, yet
each day the farmer looks to the skies thinking, is this the day we get
into the field? They know that the day will come. Let us face each day
in this same manner no matter what our struggle or concern might be. We
lift our eyes and our hearts in prayer. We know that the answer will
come................Now, as usual, I am happy to share with you
these............
....RAMBLINGS
FROM RON
A QUOTE FOR THE DAY...
”Remember, God doesn't seem to call the equipped, rather, He equips the
called.” (Thanks to Bill, Don and Jerry in Ohio)
A JOKE FOR THE DAY...
A little
girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying
not to be late for Sunday School. As she ran she prayed "Dear Lord,
please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!"
While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell getting
her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off,
and started running again! As she ran she once again began to pray, "Dear
Lord, please don't let me be late...But please don't shove me either!'
(Thanks to Roberta in Ohio)
LET’S MAKE A CHILD HAPPY...
Younger
children like to tell jokes and are usually ready to listen to a new joke.
To adults, some of these jokes just don’t make sense; yet, the kids enjoy
them. So each month I will share one of these jokes and hope that you will
share them with a child and make that child happy. If you know a child who
would like to share a joke, send it to me along with the name, age and
State of residence of the child.
Q. What is more interesting than a talking dog?
A. A spelling bee.
ONCE A-PUN A TIME -- ONE LINERS...
"Reading
while sunbathing makes you well red.”
KID'S PROVERBS...
I have
received a series of “KID'S PROVERBS” from Karen in Iowa. A first grade
teacher gave her class the first part of a well known Proverb, and the
students were to respond with what they thought was the second line. I
hope you enjoy these KID'S PROVERBS.
Don't change horses........until they stop running.
A BOOK FOR YOU TO CONSIDER...
Karen, in Ohio, sent to
me the following information concerning a book she highly suggests. "The
Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow. Randy Pausch is a
professor dying of pancreatic cancer. It was customary at Carnegie Mellon
for professors to give what they called their "last lecture," only in
Randy's case, it really was his last lecture. It is interesting to see
what he decided was important enough to include in this lecture. This
book tells about giving that last lecture and also about how he is living
his final days as positively as possible. He has been on Oprah,
interviewed by Diane Sawyer, etc., so you may have heard him before."
Please continue to send
to me the title and author of any meaningful and inspirational biographies
that you have read. I still need suggestions of additional books for
future RAMBLINGS and your comments on the books.
DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY...
LORD, REMEMBER ME.
JEREMIAH 15:15-21
15 O LORD, You know; Remember me and visit me, And take vengeance for me
on my persecutors. In Your enduring patience, do not take me away. Know
that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke. 16 Your words were found, and I
ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I
am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.17 I did not sit in the
assembly of the mockers, Nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because of Your
hand, For You have filled me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain
perpetual And my wound incurable, Which refuses to be healed? Will You
surely be to me like an unreliable stream, As waters that fail? 19
Therefore thus says the LORD: “ If you return, Then I will bring you back;
You shall stand before Me; If you take out the precious from the vile, You
shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, But you must not return to
them. 20 And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; And
they will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you; For
I am with you to save you And deliver you,” says the LORD. 21 “ I will
deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the
grip of the terrible.” Jeremiah 15:15-21 (NKJV)
STOP! Before you begin to read the following, turn to
your Bible and read the first 14 verses of this Chapter. If you don’t have
a Bible handy, just click
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2015;&version=50;
and it will take you there.
Now that you have read those verses, it is kind of threatening isn’t it?
These words were given by the Prophet to those who chose not to follow
God. The hearers had been told of God and possibly at one time believed.
Now they had rejected God and chosen to go their own way.
In our text, Jeremiah is praying for deliverance from those unbelievers
who are persecuting him. Even though Jeremiah has suffered rebuke by the
people, he still returns to the God he has proclaimed. Not only does he
return, but he recalls Words from God that he says he eats. By that he
means that he takes those words inside of him so that they become a very
part of him. Because of this he can say, Lord, remember me.
Jeremiah was isolated. The people did not want to hear his message so they
left him alone. Now the Lord tells Jeremiah that if he will quit being
impatient and return to being the Prophet that he was called to be, that
He, God, will be with him. Here God gives two important directives. When
you go to the people, don’t allow yourself to become one of them, but help
them to become one with you. God promises help and support to those who
are persecuted for proclaiming His Word, He does NOT promise freedom from
it.
The world has not changed since the days of Jeremiah. The world is still
filled with those who reject God and seek to lure others away from the
Love of Christ. Jeremiah had the Hope that came from the promise of a
Messiah. In Holy Week, we were reminded again and again that the Promise
was fulfilled in the death of Jesus on the Cross.
Your mission and my mission is still the same as the mission of Jeremiah
-- To proclaim God’s Word to those who have not heard or have heard and
walked away. The persecution is still there as Satan will do anything he
can to draw people away from Christ. The promise of help and support from
God is still there, all we need do is pray, LORD, REMEMBER ME!
WE PRAY: LORD, when I feel alone, frustrated and
confused, give my heart a gentle tug to remind me that you are always with
me. When I begin to stray from your Word, get my attention so that I will
return to you. I am weak, even so, LORD, REMEMBER ME. AMEN
A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION: Are you worried
about someone because the words they use or the activities they take part
in are not pleasing to God? If so, pray daily that God would give you the
right words and opportunity to help that person lead a more God pleasing
life.
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
If
you want to sing along with the words, go to
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/p/u/purewith.htm.
When you go to the web site, as you scroll down to the words, the
music will begin, so sing along.
PURE WITHIN
“Create in me a pure heart, O God.” Psalm 51:10
Words: Fanny Crosby
Music: W. Howard Doane
Lord, on Thee my strength relies,
O, hear me when I call;
Up to Thee I lift mine eyes,
My Life, my Help, my All.
Refrain:
Source of comfort, Spring of grace,
Cleanse my heart from every sin,
Now reveal Thy smiling face,
And make me pure within.
Rock on which my soul would rest,
From storm and tempest wild,
Gently pillowed on Thy breast,
Protect Thy weary child.
Refrain
Let
Thy Spirit be my Guide,
To endless joys above;
Grant I may never turn aside,
Or once forget Thy love.
Refrain
Soon my bark will speed its flight,
To yonder portals fair,
Soon’t will reach the haven bright,
And drop its anchor there.
Refrain
RAMBLING THOUGHT
This
RAMBLING THOUGHT was written for my Web page,
ramblingsfromron.com. Most of the
Thoughts are found on the THOUGHTS page, while earlier ones are in the
THOUGHTS ARCHIVES where they have been placed in categories.
FORGOT IT - WHERE DID I PUT IT?
For as
long as I can remember I have carried several pens in my pocket. One of
those pens is always my favorite at the time. When a person wants to
borrow a pen, I never give them the special one. I always try to put
the pen back in my pocket when I am finished with it. Every so often I
forget, put it on the writing surface and walk away. Later I reach for
my pen, it isn’t there, and I waste a lot of time looking for it. I
could use another pen, but I think I need that special one.
We carry three other pens with us. These pens do not write, as they
have no ink. Yet they are filled and used at various times. One would
be God’s pen. It is filled with His gifts to us of love, forgiveness,
mercy and compassion among many others. Then there is the World’s pen.
It contains the gifts of opportunity, freedom, friendships and
equality, along with other things that people dream about and reach for.
The third pen is Satan’s. Of course, it is filled with greed, deceit,
false promises, evil, and temptations to every kind of sin imaginable.
People probably use the pens of the World and Satan most often. We
adjust the World’s pen so that opportunity begins to flow. At many
levels of society we seek the opportunity for more, more, more. As we
seek more and more, we see people as we pass by; people that have not
received the world’s gift of opportunity. They may be poor, they may
be people who have used Satan's pen and are now recovering alcoholics or
recovering drug users, or they may have been rehabilitated and released
from prison. The World’s pen taunts these people that Satan’s pen tried
to destroy.
As you walk by, you know that you need to do something, but what? Maybe
you write to your elected officials, but they say there is not enough
money. Maybe you say something to your Pastor, he says the church does
not have the resources. You go to well respected people in your
community or church. They say that these people can pick themselves up
and earn a living, there is no time and money to waste on them.
You know that there must be something that you can do, that there must
be a reason why you should do it, but you can’t remember what it is.
You reach into your pocket and there is that third pen, God’s pen. You
adjust it and God’s gifts to you come flowing out. When you see mercy
and compassion, you realize that those were what you were looking for,
and they were in your heart all the time. All of a sudden those words
from Jesus come racing into your mind, “Inasmuch as you have done it
unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me.”
Think of the time we waste by waiting for government or committees to
show compassion and mercy. While they are looking for what is lost,
concern for the least of these, we know that mercy and compassion are
found in the Love that Jesus brings into our hearts. Look around you,
see who needs a helping hand, not money, not well wishes, not letters to
important people, just a hand of mercy and compassion to help the on
their way.
God’s pen, filled with His marvelous gifts is called LOVE. Keep it
central in your heart so you will not lose it. You can act NOW because
you don’t have to waste time looking for it.
GOD’S PEACE SEE YOU AT THE HOUSE.
A WEBSITE
The
web site for this time is
http://www.dottierambo.net/bio.htm In
the media there was a recent news report of the death of Dottie Rambo.
Death came in a traffic accident as she was traveling to another
performance. Some of you may not know of this giant in the field of
Gospel Music, both as a prolific song writer and as a major performer.
I have chosen this web site to give you the opportunity to read her
biography as it can be an inspiration for your life. Because her death
has been so recent, at the time I wrote this, her bio has not been
updated to tell of her death. However if you go to the HOME page, you
will find the Information and Tribute
A COMMENT OR TWO OR THREE...
COMMENT 1 -
FOR MEMORIAL DAY - We have different ways of remembering
our loved ones on Memorial Day. There are ways to remember in addition
going to decorate the graves
.1.
Spend a few minutes telling others of stories that you Loved One enjoyed
telling. Maybe also funny things they said or did.
2. How many times have you thought about a food that a Loved one used
to make. Why not try to find a way to make that almost forgotten food
that was so good. Sometimes this is not possible as I know my
grandmothers recipe for “fudgins” was not found after she passed away.
3. Spend some time looking at and talking about scrapbook items of
those who have passed away. Also talk about furniture, glassware,
nicknacks and other things that have been handed down through the
generations.
COMMENT 2 - -
It is that time of year when we are outside more and have the opportunity
to be in conversation with friends, neighbors, and people we meet for the
first time. Don’t make it awkward, but be sure that by the words you use,
the activities you are involved in that people might know that you are a
Christian. Don’t push it, but don’t be afraid to invite them to worship
with you.
THAT’S ALL FOR THIS
TIME
At present I have 263 (222
email, 41 regular mail) names on my mailing list and would like to have
more. If you would rather not receive this email, please let me know. If
you have a friend you would like to share this with, please do so. If
there is someone who you think might like to receive this, send it on to
them, have them look at it, and, then if they want me to send it their
way, just send me their name and email address. Remember to keep sending
those quotes, jokes, titles of books that you have enjoyed, and questions
as well as any suggestions of things you would like to have me write
about.....and now
MAY THE ROAD RISE UP TO MEET
YOU
MAY THE WIND ALWAYS BE AT YOUR
BACK
MAY BE SUN SHINE WARM UPON
YOUR FACE
AND THE RAIN FALL SOFT UPON
YOUR LAND
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN THE HOLLOW
OF HIS HAND.
..........See You At The
House ..........God's Peace,
RON CLAUSSEN
24544 KAMMEYER ROAD
DEFIANCE, OH 43512
Website:
www.ramblingsfromron.com
Email:
ron@ramblingsfromron.com
Count It All Joy!!
Devotional CD by Pastor Ron
Claussen
An Audio CD with 17 Devotions from the Epistle of James
For Mail
Orders send $15.00 to the above address.
Ohio residents add the Sales Tax at the
rate for your county. Thank you.
Click
here to read more
about the new CD
Click here to listen to a sample devotion:
Don't Worry, Be Happy;
James 1:1-8
CD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT THESE LOCATIONS:
OHIO:
CHATFIELD:
Nazareth Lutheran Church
DEFIANCE:
Zion's Lutheran
Church
DELTA:
Trinity
Lutheran Church
Calaway's
Flowers & Antiques
GRAND RAPIDS:
Village Apothecary
NAPOLEON:
Divine Inspirations
Mohrings Cash and Carry
Rodenberger Funeral Home
Village Apothecary
OKOLONA:
Willeman’s Flowers
and Decorators
PAULDING:
Village Apothecary
RIDGEVILLE CORNERS: -
Ridgeville Barber Shop
Click here for CD order form.
WHAT? GOD.......YOU WANT ME TO DO SOMETHING?
A
DEVOTIONAL BOOK by Pastor Ron Claussen
For Mail Orders send
$12.00 to the above address.
Ohio residents add the Sales Tax at the rate for
your county. Thank you.
Click
here to see sample pages from the book:
BOOKS ARE
NOW AVAILABLE IN:..
NEBRASKA - LINCOLN
- Lemstone Christian Store
- Mohrings Cash and Carry
WAUSEON -
Christian Books
‘N Such
ON THE WEB -
Amazon.com
RAMBLINGS FROM RON MINISTRIES
April 2008
Time has been
flying by so quickly this Spring. In one way, this is good for me as it
means that with more to do than I can keep up with, there is no boredom in
retirement. On the other hand, it does bother me that I am not more
timely in sending out these RAMBLINGS and in responding to your e-mails.
One important new venture has happened during this past month. Be sure to
read about it in the COMMENTS Section.............. Now, as usual, I am
happy to share with you these............
....RAMBLINGS FROM RON
A QUOTE FOR THE DAY...
“The Will of
God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect
you.”
(Thanks to Karen in Iowa)
A JOKE FOR THE DAY...
Bubba walked
into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had. Bubba
said, “Shingles.” So she wrote down his name, address, medical
insurance number and told him to have a seat.
Fifteen
minutes later a nurse came out and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said,
“Shingles.” So she wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical
history and told Bubba to wait in the examining room.
A half hour
later a nurse came in and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said,
“Shingles.” So the nurse gave Bubba a blood test, a blood pressure test,
an electrocardiogram, and told Bubba to take off all of his clothes and
wait for the doctor.
An hour later
the doctor came in and found Bubba sitting patiently in the nude and
asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said, “Shingles.”
The doctor
asked, “Where?” Bubba said, ”Outside on the truck. Where do you want
me to unload them?”
(Thanks to Morey in Ohio)
LET’S MAKE A CHILD HAPPY...
Younger
children like to tell jokes and are usually ready to listen to a new
joke. To adults, some of these jokes just don’t make sense; yet, the
kids enjoy them. So each month I will share one of these jokes and hope
that you will share them with a child and make that child happy. If you
know a child who would like to share a joke, send it to me along with
the name, age and State of residence of the child.
Q. What fish
tastes best with peanut butter?
A. Jellyfish.
ONCE
A-PUN A TIME -- ONE LINERS...
"To
write with a broken pencil is pointless.”
(Thanks to Roberta in Ohio.)
KIDS ARE QUICK...
An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting
into mischief, finally asked him: "How do you expect to get into
Heaven?"
The boy thought it over and said, "Well, I'll run in and out and in
and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, "For heaven's
sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!" (“Thanks to several of you who
have sent this joke to me.)
A BOOK FOR YOU TO CONSIDER...
For this month I highly suggest these
books. I may have mentioned these books to you before; if so I still
want to mention them again. I feel that it is important to read sermons
along with our devotions. Two of my favorite sermon books are MR. JONES
MEETS THE MASTER and THE BEST OF PETER MARSHALL. Both of these contain
the writings of Peter Marshall. Often times these books can be found in
older church libraries.
Please continue to send to me the title and author of any meaningful and
inspirational biographies that you have read. I still need suggestions
of additional books for future RAMBLINGS and your comments on the books.
DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY...
GIVE YOUR BURDENS TO GOD! IT CAN BE HARD TO DO.
Psalm 55:22
“Cast
your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit
the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22 (NKJV)
We all carry burdens; many of them are heavy. We want to get rid of them,
but often do not know what to do. We go to others with our burdens and
others bring theirs to us, but often we don’t know how to respond and
neither do they. Pastors have many people come to them with their
burdens, but often fail in their response. I know that in the early days
of my ministry, I struggled when people came to me. Sometimes I tried to
help them but failed miserably. Other times I used phrases such as “Cast
your burden on the Lord” or “Take it to the Lord in prayer” or even Jesus
said, “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden” and I failed
miserably.
The
problem is that we don’t know how to cast, we don’t know what to do when
we take it to God, and we don’t know how to leave our burdens with the
Lord.
This
passage from Psalm 55 can be a big help if we know how to cast. First of
all we have to make sure we think in terms of “to cast” and not “cast
away.” A castaway is either something that is thrown out because it is
unwanted, or becomes separated from where it belongs, such as the people
in Gilligan's Island, who were castaways from where they had been with
others. Both of these types of castaways are either lost or forsaken or
both. When Psalm 55 uses the word “Cast” it is not in the sense of cast
away.
The best
way to understand how to cast your burdens is to imitate a person
fishing. Here there are different types of casting. The type that is
helpful here is when you cast out and allow the line to sink to the bottom
and then LEAVE IT THERE. During my College years, I would sometimes go to
the Elkhorn or Papio Rivers (Better described sometimes as creeks). I
would cast my bait, let it sink to the bottom, and LEAVE IT THERE. While I
would be holding on to the line, waiting for a bite, I would take one of
the textbooks and read the material for the class the next day.
When I
cast the line into the river, I had no idea where it was if a bobber was
not attached. I did not know if it landed in weeds, near a sunken log, if
it was very deep, and most of all, if there were any fish near by. What I
did know is that there were fish in the river. I still had control of the
line, I had NOT cast it away. Many times hours might go by and no bites
on the line. Often I would go home without a single fish. But did I give
up? No, I kept casting the line and I kept going back with the faith that
one day I would catch a fish.
This is
what “Cast your burden on the Lord” is all about. Here you use a prayer
line to God. You don’t know where it will land, but you do know that God
is there. This is called FAITH. When fishing, the fish wants the bait.
When casting burdens, God wants faith. This faith will lead you to cast
it out in prayer, time after time, day after day, with the assurance that
God will receive it, just as the fish will take the bait. While the fish
will tug on your line and you might have to struggle to get the fish to
shore, God will tug on your heart and you will sense the strong pull of
the love of God as He leads you and helps you to be free of that burden or
care.
The
angler has a strong faith that when the hook and bait are cast into the
water, a fish will take it sooner or later. if we only had that same
faith as we cast our burdens upon the Lord. The angler takes great pride
in telling others of the catch. if only we would dare to take such pride
in telling others of how God took our burden upon Himself when Jesus went
to the Cross.
GIVE YOUR
BURDEN TO GOD -- IT CAN BE HARD TO DO! Just put them on a prayer line,
cast them out and
LEAVE IT
THERE.
WE PRAY: LORD GOD, HEAVENLY FATHER, I come to you with many burdens that
are getting heavy to carry. You have invited me to bring them to You.
Lord, I lay them before you. Lord, I believe that you will lift these
burdens from me and will lead me in the way to overcome them. Amen.
A SUGGESTION FOR
LIVING THE DEVOTION
Don’t wait for tomorrow. Take one burden to God today and tomorrow and
each day after that. Then, in faith, wait until you feel God’s tug on
your heart as He begins to lead you to the release of your burden. Pray
about it daily, Leave it there, He will hear you and you will feel the
tug that will call you to respond in Faith in Him and and Love for Him.
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
LEAVE IT THERE
If you want to sing along with the words, go to http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/e/leaveitt.htm. When you go to the web site, as you scroll
down to the words, the music will begin, so sing along.
“Cast your cares
upon the Lord and He will sustain you.” Psalm 55:22
Words & Music:
Charles A. Tindley, 1916
If the world
from you withhold of its silver and its gold,
And you have to get along with meager fare,
Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the little bird;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
Refrain
Leave it there, leave it there,
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
If your body
suffers pain and your health you can’t regain,
And your soul is almost sinking in despair,
Jesus knows the pain you feel, He can save and He can heal;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
When your
enemies assail and your heart begins to fail,
Don’t forget that God in Heaven answers prayer;
He will make a way for you and will lead you safely through.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
When your
youthful days are gone and old age is stealing on,
And your body bends beneath the weight of care;
He will never leave you then, He’ll go with you to the end.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
RAMBLING THOUGHT
WHY DO YOUNG
PEOPLE DIE?
After my retirement from the active ministry in 2001, I accepted a part
time position with the Rodenberger Funeral Home in Napoleon, Ohio. My
duties center around the Visitation time when friends and relatives come
to share in the grief of the bereaved family. Visitation times are
different from community to community and range from two days of
visitation to none. Here, an average visitation would be from 2 -9 on
the day before the Funeral. The numbers of people who will come to pay
their respects can range from 50 to 500, and occasionally, a little
lower or higher.
I am there to assist
the grieving family in any way that I can and to greet those who
come for the visitation. I have many opportunities for
conversation as the people come and as they leave. If there is a
long line of visitors, as the line passes me, there are additional
opportunities for discussion and questions.
The question that I am asked most frequently is, “Why do young
people die?” The meaning of the word “young” in this question does
not have a precise definition. It is asked when a child or a teen
passes away. It is a normal question when death comes to those
from 20 -60. I have even had people ask me this about persons in
their 70’s and early 80’s. In each case, following the question
will come the comment, “That’s too young to die.”
Of course, the easy answer is that we all have to die and that we
have not been given a guarantee as to how long we shall live.
That answer does not satisfy anyone. Possibly the better question
is Why do some people die younger than others?
The Bible tells us that we are conceived in sin, and I believe
that life begins at the time of conception. I believe that sin
became a part of me from the very first second of my life. The
Bible also speaks of “the wages of sin are death.” Sometimes it is
obvious that sin causes some “young” people to die. Examples are
accidental deaths where alcohol, drugs. speeding, ignoring stop
signs or lights, or improper use of cell phones is the cause.
Certainly murder would also be another example.
We like to talk about children inheriting talents and abilities
from their parents, but tend to ignore the fact that children can
inherit weaknesses in the body or tendencies to acquire diseases
that cause the young to die. Even though people know many families
where death regularly comes at an early age, all too often life
styles do not change and preventive medicine is not sought. When
we either abuse or neglect the body that God has given to us, that
is also sin, for we are then neglecting or harming a precious gift
that God has given to us.
The sins of those who release pollutants into the air, water or
soil lead to deaths of those that are too young. Deaths that come
from unnecessary activities such as auto racing, athletics,
dangerous stunts, etc. also lead to death of the young. Far too
many die young because of malnutrition or starvation because in a
world of over production, a world of having all the money needed
to send space crafts soaring into space, there is not enough money
to move food from where it rots and spoils to where it could save
lives AND that is sin.
Each death certificate states the cause of death unless there is
no forensic way to determine it. Even so, sometimes we cannot say
with certainty that inheritance, carelessness, abuse of the body,
or anything else is the basic cause.
The important thing is not to determine what sin caused a death.
The importance is for each of us to know that death can and will
come at any time. As children of God we do not need to fear death.
We can proudly state with St. Paul, O Death where is thy sting, O
grave, where is thy victory? But thanks be to God who has given us
the victory over death and the grave. From the little that has
been revealed to us about Eternity with God, I strongly believe
that when a person enters into Eternity with Christ, that person
WILL NOT ASK, “Lord, why did I have to die so young?” but instead
WILL ASK “Lord, why did you wait so long to call me home?”
WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE DIE?
NOT because they sin, we all sin.
BECAUSE they can, and we all will.
Watch therefore, for you know not the day nor the hour when the
Son of God will return.
GOD’S PEACE -- SEE
YOU AT THE HOUSE.
A WEBSITE
The website for this time is
http://www.mothersdaycelebration.com/ . I
have chosen this site for this month as we celebrate Mothers Day.
While it is a site that offers items for sale, it also contains
interesting history and activities. It might be worth your time to
take a look at it.
A COMMENT OR TWO OR THREE...
COMMENT 1 -
A NEW
VENTURE - Over the past few days we have made some changes on
the website which we hope will be helpful to you. Some time ago, I made
the request for specific types of prayers that you might like to use if
they were written and posted on the Site. We received some excellent
suggestions.
As a result, the PRAYERS are now on their own page and no longer on the
Devotion Page. To get the Prayer Page started I have written several
Prayers, and Karen, who does the formatting, printing, graphics and
technical work for me, places the prayer on a card that has a background
that helps to give meaning to the prayer. Many of these backgrounds are
pictures that she has taken. These Prayer Cards are posted in such a way
that you can print them if you wish to send a Prayer along with a note or
a card. Brief instructions are given in the Introductory remarks on the
Prayer Page. If you need help in understanding what to do, send and
e-mail request to us and we will guide your through the process.
There is no charge for downloading these Prayer Cards for your personal
use or to send to someone; they are free with no obligation. If a Church
Group or a Non Profit organization, that operates under Biblical
principles, would like to print some and offer them for sale at a
reasonable price as a Fund Raiser, all you need do is send me an e-mail
request and I will send you an email permission to print them. You may
need this letter if you would choose to have them printed by a commercial
printer.
In the coming weeks and months we will be adding many more Prayers to this
page. If you wish to have a Prayer written for a specific subject, please
let us know.
Click on this link to take you to the
Prayer Page .
Please click
Prayers in the left column once you get there.
COMMENT 2 - IT
IS NOT TOO LATE to make a difference in this world in which we
live. We are all troubled by the many things that are wrong in our world
today. The main problem might be that we are troubled because some of them
are starting to affect us and cause us to worry. Many people blame
government and big business and say there is graft, waste and excessive
salaries. That may or may not be. Would you be willing to try this to
seek a solution? Search the Web for the names of the Executives and Board
Members of companies that are involved with products where prices are
rising so fast. Since petroleum products are the hot topic now, that
might be a good place to start. Then pray daily for a few of those
Executives and Board Members asking God to lead them to use their talents
and products for His Glory and for the benefit of God’s people rather than
for the riches and profits of a few. We can’t change the prices, but what
a difference we can make if we ask God to change the hearts of those who
can.
THAT’S ALL FOR THIS TIME
At present I have 263 (222 email, 41 regular mail)
names on my mailing list and would like to have more. If you would rather
not receive this email, please let me know. If you have a friend you would
like to share this with, please do so. If there is someone who you think
might like to receive this, send it on to them, have them look at it, and,
then if they want me to send it their way, just send me their name
and email address. Remember to keep sending those quotes, jokes, titles
of books that you have enjoyed, and questions as well as any suggestions
of things you would like to have me write about.....and now
MAY THE ROAD RISE UP TO MEET YOU
MAY THE WIND ALWAYS BE AT YOUR BACK
MAY BE SUN SHINE WARM UPON YOUR FACE
AND THE RAIN FALL SOFT UPON YOUR LAND
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN THE HOLLOW OF HIS HAND.
..........See You At The House
..........God's Peace,
RON CLAUSSEN
24544 KAMMEYER ROAD
DEFIANCE, OH 43512
Website:
www.ramblingsfromron.com
Email:
ron@ramblingsfromron.com
Count It All Joy!!
Devotional CD by Pastor Ron Claussen
An Audio CD with 17 Devotions from the Epistle
of James
For Mail Orders send $15.00 to the above
address.
Ohio residents add
the Sales Tax at the rate for your county. Thank you.
Click
here to read more
about the new
CD
Click here to listen to a sample devotion:
Don't Worry, Be Happy;
James 1:1-8
CD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT THESE
LOCATIONS:
OHIO:
CHATFIELD:
Nazareth Lutheran Church
DEFIANCE:
Zion's
Lutheran Church
DELTA:
Trinity
Lutheran Church
Calaway's
Flowers & Antiques
GRAND RAPIDS:
Village Apothecary
NAPOLEON:
Divine
Inspirations
Mohrings Cash and Carry
Rodenberger Funeral Home
Village Apothecary
OKOLONA:
Willeman’s Flowers and Decorators
PAULDING:
Village Apothecary
RIDGEVILLE CORNERS:
-
Ridgeville Barber Shop
WHAT? GOD.......YOU WANT ME TO DO SOMETHING?
A
DEVOTIONAL BOOK by Pastor Ron Claussen
For Mail Orders send
$12.00 to the above address.
Ohio
residents add the Sales Tax at the rate for your county. Thank you.
Click
here to see sample pages from the book:
BOOKS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN:..
NEBRASKA - LINCOLN -
Lemstone Christian Store
OHIO:
ARCHBOLD -
Carol Ann’s City Cafe
-
Sauder Village
Gift Shop
ATHENS
-
Athens Book Center
BRYAN
-
Inspirations By God
CHATFIELD -
Nazareth Lutheran Church
CONTINENTAL -
Christ Lutheran Church
DELTA -
Trinity Lutheran Church
DEFIANCE -
Flowers and Friends
- The Old Red Barn
HOLLAND (Toledo area - Spring
Meadows) -
Family Christian
Bookstore #227
NAPOLEON -
Divine Inspirations
- Mohrings Cash
and Carry
-
Rodenberger
Funeral Home
-
Village Apothecary
OKOLONA -
Willeman’s Flowers
PAULDING -
Village Apothecary
RIDGEVILLE CORNERS -
Ridgeville Barber Shop
WAUSEON -
Christian Books ‘N Such
ON THE WEB -
Amazon.com
RAMBLINGS FROM RON MINISTRIES
March 2008
As I begin to type this issue of these
RAMBLINGS for March, the calendar has reminded me it is April. Once again
I apologize for being late in sending these to you. It is my intention to
do better as the month of April moves ahead day by day. Isn’t that the
way we are with God? We mean to do something in His service, but we just
don’t get it done. Then we say we will try to do better next time. You
have been patient with me. God is patient with us. Join me in trying to
reach a “get it done when the opportunity is there” attitude.
................ Now, as usual, I am happy to share with you
these............
....RAMBLINGS
FROM RON
A QUOTE FOR THE DAY...
“He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.” (Thanks to
Karen in Iowa)
A JOKE FOR THE DAY...
Ralph and Janice were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary,
and Pastor Jones decided to take advantage of their longevity by using
their story as a sermon illustration. He asked Ralph to come on stage and
share some insight into how he managed to live with the
same woman all those years.
Ralph turned to the congregation and said, "Well, I treated her
with respect and spent money on her—but mostly I took her traveling on
special occasions."
The pastor asked, "Trips to where?"
"For our 25th anniversary," Ralph answered, "I took her to Beijing,
China."
The crowd nodded and murmured in appreciation. When things quieted down,
the pastor winked and said: "What a terrific example you are to husbands,
Ralph. So, tell us where you're going now for your 50th anniversary?"
Ralph replied, "I'm going to go back and get her.
(Thanks to Bill and Jane in Ohio)
LET’S MAKE A CHILD HAPPY...
Younger children like to tell jokes and
are usually ready to listen to a new joke. To adults, some of these jokes
just don’t make sense; yet, the kids enjoy them. So each month I will
share one of these jokes and hope that you will share them with a child
and make that child happy. If you know a child who would like to share a
joke, send it to me along with the name, age and State of residence of the
child.
Q. - How do you keep from getting a disease from biting insects?
A. - Don’t bite any.
ONCE
A-PUN A TIME -- ONE LINERS...
"An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to
look at either.”
(Thanks to Carol in Ohio.)
KIDS ARE QUICK...
“On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a
Little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my home.
As I sat down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the
boys what the score was.
"We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile.
"Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look very discouraged."
"Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face... "Why
should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet."
“Thanks to Karen in Iowa)
A BOOK FOR YOU TO CONSIDER...
For this month I want to share with you a book
that Karen in Ohio loaned to me to read. The book is SECOND ROW, PIANO
SIDE by Chonda Pierce, Published by Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City,
Missouri. Chonda is a nationally known Christian comedienne and has
written many humorous books. Possibly she has appeared at a County Fair
or Church or theater near you. While most of her books are written to
bring joy and laughter to the reader, this one is different. In this book
she tells much of the story of her life, and there you find humor, joy and
victory among the sadness, the misfortunes and disappointments.
On the cover of the book, Gloria Gaither writes
these words, “With wit and wisdom, Chonda Pierce reveals the humor and
pain of real life.”
I highly suggest this book. Please send me the
title and author of any meaningful and inspirational biographies that you
have read. I still need suggestions of additional books for future
RAMBLINGS and your comments on the books.
DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY...
The devotion each month is
one that is found on my web site, ramblingsfromron.com I hope that if
you are looking for a devotion for your own use, to be presented at a
meeting or to share with a friend, you will find something that might be
of help in your walk with God. The most recent are found on the Prayer
and Devotion Page. All others are in the Devotion Archive and are
indexed by Book, Chapter and Verses.
HEBREWS 11:11-12
IS THE IMPOSSIBLE,
POSSIBLE?
11 By faith Sarah
herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child
when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had
promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born
as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, innumerable as the sand
which is by the seashore. HEBREWS 11:11-12 (NKJV)
There are many
situations in life that we consider impossible to overcome. Often, we
have well meaning friends who attempt to tell us how to deal with those
occurrences. Rather than listening to the advice of friends, it is well
to turn to God’s Word to read of two different outcomes of Impossible
events.
First is the story
of Sarah. God had made a promise to Abraham and Sarah -- "Then God said
to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai,
but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a
son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations;
kings of peoples shall be from her." Genesis 17:15-16 (NKJV) At this
point, both Abraham and Sarah were beyond the childbearing age. In fact,
at one point we read that Sarah laughed at the possibility of her giving
birth to a son.
IMPOSSIBLE
- For Sarah to give birth to a child at her age.
FAITH
- That God could give her the strength to conceive and bear a
child.
RESULT
- The Impossible became Possible and the son was born.
Second is the
account of Jesus as He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew
that His arrest, trial, conviction, and crucifixion were only moments
ahead of Him. In the Garden, He fell to the ground and prayed with such
intensity that sweat as if drops of Blood fell from His Face. His prayer
was, Father, if it be Thy Will, let this cup pass from Me; Nevertheless,
not My will but Thy will be done."
IMPOSSIBLE
- For Jesus to escape Death on the Cross.
FAITH
- That His Father had the Power to spare Him from the arrest,
trial, conviction and death.
RESULT
- An innocent man was crucified.
When faced with
the IMPOSSIBILITIES of life, don’t despair. Pray to God for strength,
wisdom, and courage, and that if it should be His Will, allow the
IMPOSSIBLE to become Possible.
If the Impossible
becomes possible for you, then be about the business of seeking to
follow as He leads you in life.
If the impossible
remains impossible, remember that God gave Jesus the strength and will
to go on to Death on the cross; likewise if you seek it, you also will
receive God’s power as you travel through the IMPOSSIBLE. In Eternity
you will find that the Possible is there.
WE PRAY: Lord, as
I face this burden and hurdle in life (You name the particular
Impossible situation), I pray that you might let me be the victor in
this seemingly Impossible situation, nevertheless, not my will but Thy
will be done. Amen.
A SUGGESTION FOR
LIVING THE DEVOTION
If you are facing
an impossible situation, DON’T GIVE UP! In faith, take it to the Lord in
prayer.
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
If you want to sing along with
the words, go to
http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/l/i/mlidna2s.htm.
When you go to the web site, as you scroll down to the words, the music
will begin, so sing along.
MY LORD, I DO NOT ASK TO STAND
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And
these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart, and
thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7
Words:
Norman E. Richardson
(1878-1945) and Florence
I. Judson-Bradley.
Music: Hesperus, Henry Baker,
1854; first published in A Hymnal for Use in the English Church,
by J. Grey, 1866.
My Lord, I do not ask to stand
As king or prince of high degree;
I only pray that hand in hand
A child and I may come to Thee.
To teach a tender voice to
pray,
Two childish eyes Thy face to see—
Two feet to guide in Thy straight
way;
This fervently I ask of Thee.
O grant Thy patience to impart
Thy holy law, Thy words of truth;
Give, Lord, Thy grace, that my whole
heart
May overflow with love for youth.
As step by step we tread the way,
Trusting, and confident, and free
A child and I shall, day by day,
Find sweet companionship with Thee.
RAMBLING THOUGHT
This RAMBLING THOUGHT was
written for my Web page, ramblingsfromron.com. Most of the Thoughts are
found on the THOUGHTS page, while earlier ones are in the THOUGHTS
ARCHIVES where they have been placed in categories.
KIND WORDS ARE
PRICELESS
“A word of
kindness is seldom spoken in vain, while witty sayings are easily lost
as the pearls slipping from a broken string. -- George D. Prentice.
Above are the words that
greet you as you open the web page of THE RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
FOUNDATION.
These words are
also important to me as they speak to a concern that I have about
relationships with others. I fear that we are fast losing the ability
to communicate with others through writing. In your Inbox each month,
what percentage of the e-mails that you receive are actually letters
that are written specifically to you? Now, how many of those are not
business letters and are not letters from a close relative? I suspect
that the percentage would be quite low. Most of the things that we
receive are a part of a group mailing. Some of these FORWARDS are
interesting, some are witty, some are educational, some are offensive,
and some certainly are not pleasing to God as they seek to defraud, as
they seek to cast a bad light on people, events and causes. I look at
each one, but I do not forward them in a group mailing. If there
should be something that I think a particular person would appreciate,
I cut and paste and send to that person along with a note telling them
that I thought of them as I read the item and that encouraged me to
send them a hello. There are times when I will save one in my files
for future use here on the web site or in my RAMBLINGS newsletter.
When I delete them, they scatter into cyberspace like pearls slipping
from a broken string. While you might find all of the pearls, these
forwards have scattered and are beyond recovery in my mind.
The written word in
letters and e-mails I receive, the spoken words that I hear on the
phone or in person to person conversation remain with me. Sometimes I
will print these emails and read them again days or weeks later as I
do with letters I receive through the mail. The conversations seem to
remain in my mind to play over and over again. They are important
because they were written to ME, for ME. The words that people say or
write to me are never done in vain; they can lift me up, they can
challenge my thinking, they can bring a smile to my face or a tear
from my eye. They SHOUT LOUDLY. “I CARE ABOUT YOU.” KIND WORDS ARE
PRICELESS.
There are more than names
and address in your ADDRESS BOOK; there are people. People who would
love to get a letter, hold it in their hands, read it, set it aside in
a special place and read it over and over again.
There are people
whose names are on your Christmas Card list that wish they could hear
from you more than just once a year.
There are people in
Retirement Homes or Nursing Homes that you may not even know who would
love to hear about the snow, rains and sunshine where you live, the
birds in the trees outside your window, and the rabbit that bounces
along and then stops long enough to eat from your flower or vegetable
garden.
The KIND WORDS
that you can share with another are PRICELESS.
Just one more thing. I
admit to sending my Newsletters out in a group mailing. I did not like
it when I had to change to the group mailing from sending them
individually, but I had no choice. God had blessed me by the numbers
of people who requested the free newsletter. What happened was that I
was no longer typing those names on a monthly basis. As I would type
the name, I would think about him, her or them and offer a brief
prayer. and felt closer to them. Now I feel that i am beginning to
lose much of that closeness and I don’t like it.
I must also admit that I
don’t send as many personal letters as I want to. I should send at
least six a week, yet I have many waiting to be answered because I do
not reach that number.
Would you join with me in
the following:
Try to send at least
one personal letter to someone each week and each week make that a
different person? -- YOUR KIND WORDS ARE PRICELESS!
When something is
forwarded to you in a group mailing, after you read it, would you
delete it, unless you know of one person that would find it
meaningful. Then, cut and paste and send along with a personal note
-- YOUR KIND WORDS ARE PRICELESS!
I believe that this would
be a RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS that would be most pleasing to God.
GOD’S PEACE. SEE YOU AT THE HOUSE.
A WEBSITE
The web
site for this time is
http://llerrah.com/becausehelives.htm.
I have chosen this site for this month just because it is one of my
favorite hymns. The entire web page also includes some other hymns, you
might enjoy it.
A COMMENT OR TWO OR THREE...
COMMENT 1 - BE
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR and
also what you tell others. Many e-mails are forwarded that are critical
of people, products, beliefs and ideas. Maybe there are so many right now
because of the long political season. It has not been that long ago that
we heard and saw Dan Rather state his strong belief in a story that he
featured on the Evening News. Even when he was challenged, he stood firm
on the information that he had been given. We all are aware of what
happened when his sources were proven wrong. A brilliant career in news
broadcasting was shattered.
It Is evident from
the e-mails that I receive that we did not learn anything from that. We
all receive some statements that could damage the reputation of a
person, a product, a business or a belief. We too often read the
statement and if it fits our belief, we forward it on or tell others
about it without checking to see if it has truth. There are two reasons
we should not pass such information on. If it is not true, because we
sent it to others, we could be he liable for damaging the character of
the person, the product, the business or the belief. Chances are pretty
good that we would never face legal charges for passing false
information. The second reason is THE MOST IMPORTANT. God gave to us
the Commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbor.” Chances are excellent that we will be charged and found
guilty.
To me it is
interesting that when I receive e-mails concerning candidates of the
opposite party, I never hear anything good, only the bad and the
degrading. Often included is the statement, I am sending this to you
because you need to know. I wonder why the sender doesn’t think I also
need to know the good things.
When you forward
or tell others, will God be pleased with what you are saying? or will He
again be hurt because you have sinned as you have ignored another of His
Commandments?
If we can’t
remember what God has said, maybe we need to again watch that classic
movie, SONG OF THE SOUTH with Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit and others and
hear those words, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t
say anything at all.”
COMMENT 2 - THE
WEATHER IS GETTING NICER and now is a good time to remember if you are
talking to a neighbor while taking a walk or working outside, talking to
someone on the golf course or in the stands at a Little League ball game,
why not take time to invite them to church with you, or if you know they
go to church, learn about their church and how they reach out to share the
Gospel with others. Don’t be afraid, God will be with you as He wants you
to invite others to His House.
COMMENT 3 - I
CONTINUE TO APPRECIATE all that you do to tell others about this ministry
of mine. The Web site, this RAMBLINGS Newsletter, the book or the CD all
have potential of touching someone’s life. It is possible that they might
stumble upon it, but it is my hope that you might share this ministry with
them. It is not my purpose to take the place of their church, but to add
some resources that can help in their daily Walk With God.
THAT’S ALL FOR THIS TIME
At present I have 263 (222 email, 41
regular mail) names on my mailing list and would like to have more. If
you would rather not receive this email, please let me know. If you have a
friend you would like to share this with, please do so. If there is
someone who you think might like to receive this, send it on to them, have
them look at it, and, then if they want me to send it their way, just send
me their name and email address. Remember to keep sending those quotes,
jokes, titles of books that you have enjoyed, and questions as well as any
suggestions of things you would like to have me write about.....and now
MAY THE ROAD RISE UP TO
MEET YOU
MAY THE WIND ALWAYS BE
AT YOUR BACK
MAY BE SUN SHINE WARM
UPON YOUR FACE
AND THE RAIN FALL SOFT
UPON YOUR LAND
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN THE
HOLLOW OF HIS HAND.
..........See You At
The House ..........God's Peace,
RON CLAUSSEN
24544 KAMMEYER ROAD
DEFIANCE, OH 43512
Website:
www.ramblingsfromron.com
Email:
ron@ramblingsfromron.com
Count It All Joy!!
Devotional CD by Pastor Ron Claussen
An Audio CD with 17 Devotions from the Epistle of
James
For Mail Orders send $15.00 to the
above address.
Ohio residents
add the Sales Tax at the rate for your county. Thank you.
Click
here to read more
about the new
CD
Click here to listen to a sample devotion:
Don't Worry, Be Happy;
James 1:1-8
CD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT THESE LOCATIONS:
OHIO:
CHATFIELD:
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DEFIANCE:
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GRAND RAPIDS:
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NAPOLEON:
Divine Inspirations
Mohrings Cash and Carry
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Village Apothecary
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PAULDING:
Village Apothecary
RIDGEVILLE CORNERS:
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Click here for CD order form.
WHAT? GOD.......YOU WANT ME TO DO SOMETHING?
A
DEVOTIONAL BOOK by Pastor Ron Claussen
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address.
Ohio residents add the
Sales Tax at the rate for your county. Thank you.
Click
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BOOKS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
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RAMBLINGS FROM RON MINISTRIES
February 2008
During this month
here in Northwest Ohio, many, many people have been complaining about
the snow, wind, rain, ice and cold. When I am working at the funeral
home and greeting those who come for the visitation, it is common to
hear them say, “This has been a terrible winter.” I always like to
remind them of what they said a few weeks earlier about how mild and
pleasant the winter was at that time. Think about this the next time you
have a bad day. A day when you don’t feel well. A day of disagreements
with others. A day when economic, social, work or family issues seem to
be overwhelming. Then think back a few days, weeks or months and
remember how richly God’s Blessings have been in your life.
Now, as usual, I am
happy to share with you these............
....RAMBLINGS FROM RON
A QUOTE FOR THE DAY...
“Prayer - Don't give
God instructions - just report for duty!”
(Thanks to Karen in Iowa)
A JOKE FOR THE DAY...
Arthur is 90 years
old. He's played golf every day since his retirement 25 years ago.
One day he arrives home looking downcast. "That's it," he tells his
wife. I'm giving up golf. My eyesight has gotten so bad...once
I've hit the ball, I can't see where it went."
His wife sympathizes. As they sit down she says, "Why don't you take my
brother with you, and give it one more try."
"That's no good," sighs Arthur. "Your brother is a hundred and three.
He can't help." "He may be a hundred and three," says the wife, "but his
eyesight is perfect."
So the next day Arthur heads off to the golf course with his
brother-in-law. He tees up, takes an almighty swing and squints down the
fairway. He turns to the brother-in-law. "Did you see the ball"?
"Of course I did!", says the brother-in-law. "I have perfect eyesight."
"Where did it go?", says Arthur.
"I can't remember."
(Thanks to Taylor in Ohio)
LET’S MAKE A CHILD HAPPY...
Younger children like
to tell jokes and are usually ready to listen to a new joke. To adults,
some of these jokes just don’t make sense; yet, the kids enjoy them. So
each month I will share one of these jokes and hope that you will share
them with a child and make that child happy. If you know a child who
would like to share a joke, send it to me along with the name, age and
State of residence of the child.
Q. - What is better
than a talking dog?
A. - A spelling bee.
ONCE A-PUN A TIME -- ONE LINERS...
Two cannibals are
eating a clown. One says to the other: "Does this taste funny to you?"
(Thanks to Carol in Ohio.)
KIDS ARE QUICK...
The math teacher saw
that little Johnny wasn't paying attention in class. She called on him
and said, "Johnny! What are 2 and 4 and 28 and 44?" Little Johnny
quickly replied, "NBC, FOX, ESPN and the Cartoon Network!"
A BOOK FOR YOU TO CONSIDER...
I have two book suggestions for you
this month. Both of these books deal with the subject of Polio and that
is of great interest to me. I have read these books because of the
kindness of Karen and Stacy, both of whom are from Ohio.
SMALL STEPS: THE YEAR I GOT POLIO was written by Peg Kehret
and published in 1996 by Albert Whitman & Company. The author relates
the events of the year that she was 12 and became ill with polio.
WARM SPRINGS, TRACES OF A CHILDHOOD AT FDR’S POLIO HAVEN
was written by Susan Richards Shreve and published in 2007 by Houghton
Mifflin Company. The author relates the problems of being a polio
patient living in the years before the vaccine of Drs. Sabin and Saulk.
She shares information about her polio life before and then during her
long stay at Warm Springs, Georgia. While every polio patient
experienced different things, these two stories can shed valuable light
on this illness that I hope will never again run wild in our nation.
Please send me the title and author of any meaningful and inspirational
biographies that you have read. I still need suggestions of additional
books for future RAMBLINGS and your comments on the books.
DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY...
The devotion
each month is one that is found on my web site,
ramblingsfromron.com
I hope that if you are looking for a
devotion for your own use, to be presented at a meeting or to share with
a friend, you will find something that might be of help in your walk
with God. The most recent are found on the Prayer and Devotion Page.
All others are in the Devotion Archive and are indexed by Book, Chapter
and Verses. Click buttons on the left side off the website to find these
locations.
JONAH 2:1-10
HOLD ON TO YOUR HOPE!
1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly.
2 And he said:“ I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, And He
answered me. “ Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my
voice.
3 For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the
floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.
4 Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look
again toward Your holy temple.’
5 The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me;
Weeds were wrapped around my head.
6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars
closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit,
O LORD, my God.
7 “ When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer
went up to You, Into Your holy temple.
8 “ Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy.
9 But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay
what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”
10 So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah 2:1-10 (NKJV)
Almost everyone who has ever attended Church or Sunday School knows the
story of Jonah and the Whale. Many discussions have been held and many
articles written about if this is a true story. My personal opinion is
that if it is in the Bible, it is true. Probably the greatest reason
some people do not accept this as a true story is that from the human
viewpoint, it is impossible for it to take place. My response is that
this is not a human’s story, it is God’s, and with God all things are
possible.
The important thought for this devotion is found in the fourth verse, “I
will look again.” When we are reading and thinking about Jonah being in
the belly of the whale those days, we have a tendency to slide right
past these words without seeing their importance. In this chapter Jonah
is separated from God, he feels that he has been cast out of the
presence of God. I encourage you to read this chapter again and as you
do, make notes of the troubles that Jonah lists. It is almost as if he
cries out, “Where are you God? I am in so much trouble; where are you?”
In the midst of all of this he speaks those words that are often not
noticed, “I will look again.” How often have you spent far too much time
looking for something that is not where you remember putting it? You
look and look, but you can’t find it. Do you give up? No, even if you
don’t have time right then, it won’t be long before you are looking
again. You know that even if someone else moved it or the dog or cat
took it to play with, you know that it has to be someplace, so you keep
looking. This is exactly what Jonah is doing. God, I can’t see you,
where are you? Jonah does not give up; he will look again and again and
again. This is a sign of faith, a sign of belief just as real as knowing
that you will find the object that disappeared.
When you find the lost object, you feel relief and go on with daily
life. When Jonah realized that God was still there, everything changed,
and we have the graphic description of the whale vomiting Jonah out of
his mouth and onto the dry land.
Keep this part of the story of Jonah in your mind. The next time that
everything seems to be going wrong, when you have no place to turn, when
nobody understands you, remember Jonah and remember God is still there.
No matter how bad things seem to be, never forget that God is still
there, HOLD ON TO YOUR HOPE. Your HOPE is in Jesus.
WE PRAY: Dear Lord, when troubles surround me
and press me down, when I have lost sight of You, help me to know that
you are still there patiently waiting for me to turn to you. AMEN.
A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION
The next time you ask God for something and you feel He does not answer
your prayer, remember the last time you lost your car keys. Did you give
up looking and just let the car sit?
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
I SOUGHT THE LORD
If you want to
sing along with the words, go to
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/s/isought.htm.
When you go to the web site, as you
scroll down to the words, the music will begin, so sing along.
“We love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
Words: Anonymous, circa 1880.
Music: Peace, George W. Chadwick, 1890
I sought the Lord,
and afterward I knew
He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me.
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
No, I was found of Thee.
Thou didst reach forth Thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm vexed sea.
’Twas not so much that I on Thee took hold,
As Thou, dear Lord, on me.
I find, I walk, I love, but oh, the whole
Of love is but my answer, Lord, to Thee!
For Thou were long beforehand with my soul,
Always Thou lovest me.
RAMBLING THOUGHT
This RAMBLING
THOUGHT was written for my Web page,
ramblingsfromron.com.
Most of the Thoughts are found on the THOUGHTS page, while earlier ones
are in the THOUGHTS ARCHIVES where they have been placed in categories.
FORGOT IT -- WHERE DID I PUT IT?
For as long as I can
remember I have carried several pens in my pocket. One of those pens is
always my favorite at the time. When a person wants to borrow a pen, I
never give them the special one. I always try to put the pen back in my
pocket when I am finished with it. Every so often I forget, put it on
the writing surface and walk away. Later I reach for my pen, it isn’t
there, and I waste a lot of time looking for it. I could use another
pen, but I think I need that special one.
We carry three other pens with us. These pens do not write, as they have
no ink. Yet they are filled and used at various times. One would be
God’s pen. It is filled with His gifts to us of love, forgiveness, mercy
and compassion, among many others. Then there is the World’s pen. It
contains the gifts of opportunity, freedom, friendships and equality,
along with other things that people dream about and reach for. The third
pen is Satan’s. Of course it is filled with greed, deceit, false
promises, evil, and temptations to every kind of sin imaginable.
Most people probably use the pens of the World and Satan most often. We
adjust the World’s pen so that opportunity begins to flow. At many
levels of society we seek the opportunity for more, more, more. As we
seek more and more, we see people as we pass by; people that have not
received the world’s gift of opportunity. They may be poor. They may be
people who have used Satan's pen and are now recovering alcoholics or
recovering drug users. They may have been rehabilitated and released
from prison. The World’s pen taunts these people that Satan’s pen tried
to destroy.
As you walk by you know that you need to do something, but what? Maybe
you write to your elected officials, but they say there is not enough
money. Maybe you say something to your Pastor, he says the church does
not have the resources. You go to well respected people in your
community or church. They say that these people can pick themselves up
and earn a living; there is no time and money to waste on them.
You know that there must be something that you can do, that there must
be a reason why you should do it, but you can’t remember what it is. You
reach into your pocket and there is that third pen, God’s pen. You
adjust it and God’s gifts to you come flowing out. When you see mercy
and compassion, you realize that those were what you were looking for,
and they were in your heart all the time. All of a sudden those words
from Jesus come racing into your mind, "Inasmuch as you have done it
unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me."
Think of the time we waste by waiting for government or committees to
show compassion and mercy. While they are looking for what is lost,
concern for the least of these, we know that mercy and compassion are
found in the Love that Jesus brings into our hearts. Look around you,
see who needs a helping hand, not money, not well wishes, not letters to
important people, just a hand of mercy and compassion to help the on
their way.
God’s pen, filled with His marvelous gifts, is called LOVE. Keep it
central in your heart so you will not lose it. You can act NOW because
you don’t have to waste time looking for it.
GOD’S PEACE. SEE YOU AT THE HOUSE.
A WEBSITE
The web site for this time is..http://wilstar.net/holidays/
This site leads you to
Holiday,History,
Customs,Traditions and Games of many different Holidays. You might want
to check out St. Patrick's Day.
A
COMMENT OR TWO OR THREE...
COMMENT 1 -
I AM
SLOWING DOWN a little and have been cutting back on some things that I
have been doing, If you are a regular visitor to the web site, you will
know that I have not been posting as many THOUGHTS and DEVOTIONS as I
had been several months ago,. I would like to return to that schedule,
but it will depend on how my strength is when the long awaited warming
sun returns. I have also cut my hours at the Funeral Home and now am
only there from 1-5 when there are afternoon visitations.
COMMENT 2 - THE
DAILY AMERICAN LIFESTYLE is of continuing concern to me. I would like
to do some writing on this subject and would like your assistance. I
have a strong belief that many things that people do today and are
considered acceptable by society are in fact in opposition to what God
would have us do. I also believe that many of these actions are the
underlying cause of some of the economic, social and environmental
crises that community, the nation and the world face. If you would like
to help me, I would ask you to think about this. If you can identify
daily, socially acceptable activities that you believe God would not and
does not approve of, would you send them to me either by regular mail or
e-mail?
COMMENT 3 -
YOUR
SUPPORT IS STILL NEEDED to help me carry out this ministry. Almost
every month we are able to add one or more names to the RAMBLINGS
mailing list because some of you have taken time to share these
RAMBLINGS with others. Would anyone consider sharing the RAMBLINGS with
the same people that you forward other items that you receive? If you
do, please include a note with the FORWARD asking them to let you know
if they would like to receive these FREE Newsletters.
Please also tell people about the book and the CD. It is the only way
that they will find their way into the lives of people who might just
need one of these messages at this time in their Spiritual life.
Encourage people to go to the
web site.
There are many, many THOUGHTS and DEVOTIONS found there. If you ever
see one that is meaningful to you, please copy it and send it to as many
people as you wish. All I ask is that you tell them where it came from
so they have the opportunity to read more if they wish,.
THAT’S ALL FOR THIS TIME
At present I have 266 (224 email, 42 regular mail) names on
my mailing list and would like to have more. If you would rather not
receive this email, please let me know. If you have a friend you would
like to share this with, please do so. If there is someone who you think
might like to receive this, send it on to them, have them look at it,
and, then if they want me to send it their way, just send me their name
and email address. Remember to keep sending those quotes, jokes, titles
of books that you have enjoyed, and questions as well as any suggestions
of things you would like to have me write about.....and now
MAY THE ROAD RISE
UP TO MEET YOU
MAY THE WIND
ALWAYS BE AT YOUR BACK
MAY BE SUN SHINE
WARM UPON YOUR FACE
AND THE RAIN FALL
SOFT UPON YOUR LAND
UNTIL WE MEET
AGAIN
MAY GOD HOLD YOU
IN THE HOLLOW OF HIS HAND.
..........See You
At The House ..........God's Peace,
RON CLAUSSEN
24544 KAMMEYER
ROAD
DEFIANCE, OH
43512
Website:
www.ramblingsfromron.com
Email:
ron@ramblingsfromron.com
NEBRASKA - LINCOLN
- Lemstone Christian Store
HOLLAND (Toledo area - Spring Meadows) -
- Mohrings Cash and Carry
WAUSEON -
Christian Books
‘N Such
ON THE WEB -
Amazon.com
RAMBLINGS FROM RON
January 2008
January certainly has been
filled with many weather changes. As I type this, my favorite
meteorologist has been saying that sometime this evening, the
temperature will drop nearly 20 degrees within an hour. As weather
changes, we automatically adjust our clothing selection and our
thermostats to keep pace. When we have our ups and downs in life, some
of them dramatic and sudden, do we automatically make the
adjustments?. To make these adjustments, we need the power that comes
from God.......
Now, as usual, I am happy to
share with you these............
....RAMBLINGS
FROM RON
A QUOTE FOR THE DAY...
"Plan for your future ... you’re
going to spend the rest of your life there." (Thanks to Shorty in Ohio)
A JOKE FOR THE DAY...
During
these serious times, people of all faiths should remember these four (4)
religious truths:
1 Muslims do not recognize
Jews as God's chosen people.
2 Jews do not recognize Jesus
as the Messiah.
3 Protestants do not
recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian world.
4 Faithful church members do
not recognize each other at Hooters. (Thanks to Bill in Ohio)
LET’S MAKE A CHILD HAPPY...
Younger children like to tell
jokes and are usually ready to listen to a new joke. To adults, some of
these jokes just don’t make sense; yet, the kids enjoy them. So each
month I will share one of these jokes and hope that you will share them
with a child and make that child happy. If you know a child who would
like to share a joke, send it to me along with the name, age and State
of residence of the child. For this month I share with you a joke that
was sent to me by Taylor, an eighth grader in Ohio, Thanks, Taylor.
Bubba went to a psychiatrist.
"I've got problems. Every time I go to bed I think there's somebody
under it. I'm scared. I think I'm going crazy."
"Just put yourself in my hands
for one year," said the shrink. "Come talk to me three times a week, and
we should be able to get rid of those fears."
"How much do you charge?"
"Eighty dollars per visit,
replied the doctor."
"I'll sleep on it," said Bubba.
Six months later the doctor met
Bubba on the street. "Why didn't you ever come to see me about those
fears you were having?" asked the psychiatrist.
"Well, Eighty bucks a visit
three times a week for a year is an awful lot of money! A bartender
cured me for $10.00. I was so happy to have saved all that money that I
went and bought me a new pickup!"
"Is that so! And how, may I
ask, did a bartender cure you?"
"He told me to cut the legs off
the bed! -- Ain't nobody under there now!!!"
ONCE A-PUN A TIME --
ONE LINERS...
What do you call two Mexicans
playing basketball?
Juan on Juan (Thanks to Karen
in Iowa.)
KIDS ARE QUICK...
Little Johnny watched,
fascinated, as his mother smoothed cold cream on her face. "Why do you
do that, mommy?" he asked. "To make myself beautiful," said his mother,
who then began removing the cream with a tissue. "What's the matter?"
asked Little Johnny. Giving up?"
A BOOK FOR YOU TO CONSIDER...
Once again this month I have to admit
that I have not read a book that I would choose to suggest to you. I
have several on the desk that are pleading to be read, so maybe next
month. Please send me the title and author of any meaningful and
inspirational biographies that you have read. I still need suggestions
of additional books for future RAMBLINGS and your comments on the books.
DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY...
The devotion each month is
one that is found on my web site, ramblingsfromron.com I hope that if
you are looking for a devotion for your own use, to be presented at a
meeting or to share with a friend, you will find something that might be
of help in your walk with God. The most recent are found on the
Prayer and Devotion Page.
All others are in the
Devotion Archive
and are indexed by Book, Chapter and
Verses.
HOSEA 8:1-4
SCARED TO
DEATH OR LOVED TO LIFE?
"Set the trumpet to your
mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD,
Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.
2 Israel will cry to Me, ‘ My God, we know You!’ 3 Israel has rejected
the good; The enemy will pursue him. 4 They set up kings, but not by Me;
They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them, From their
silver and gold They made idols for themselves— That they might be cut
off." Hosea 8:1-4 (NKJV)
A famous Preacher of many years
ago preached a sermon for which he is famous, "Sinners In The Hands of
an Angry God." It is probably one of the best known "Hellfire and
Brimstone" sermons. Many people, after hearing it, became disenchanted
with this preacher. The sad thing is, that of all of the sermons he
preached and was loved for, this was the only "Hellfire and Brimstone"
sermon he preached. It was not his intention to scare them to death.
The Prophet Hosea relays to the
people these words of an Angry God. Hear the trumpet blow, God wants
your attention. The enemy is coming against you because you have broken
my covenant, you have rebelled against me.
The Children of Israel
react the same way a person might today if brought before a Judge whom
they knew from the neighborhood, the church or the golf club. Judge, you
know me and I know you, you surely would not rule against me.
The Prophet responds with words
from God: Children of Israel, you have rejected the good; you will find
that what you have chosen are your enemies, and they will chase you. You
have selected Kings but you did not come to me to ask whom I had chosen.
Those Kings who do not know me and do not do my will have selected
princes, but I do not accept them as such. The kings and princes that
you follow make idols for themselves from the silver and the gold and
just as the enemy will come against you, I will come again and cut them
off. I pray that I have paraphrased these verses according to God’s
will. It is my belief that it was not God’s intention to scare the
Children of Israel to death.
When you read a passage like
this, does it make you feel uncomfortable? When you come to a passage
like this, do you just skip over it? Do you think that since it is in
the Old Testament that it does not apply today?
Always remember that the Old
Testament and the New Testament do not stand alone. They are both
entirely God’s Word to us. You have to have the God of Love of St. John
3:15 along with the Angry God of Hosea 8. The Angry God points to your
destruction and SCARES YOU TO DEATH. The God of Love points to your
Salvation and LOVES YOU TO LIFE. The wonder of it all is that this
Awesome God does not make the decision. He lets you make your own
choice: SCARED TO DEATH or LOVED TO LIFE?
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, help us to
understand that you do not confront us with our sinfulness just to scare
us, to condemn us. Help us to understand that you confront us so that we
might return to you in repentance and to live in your Love. Amen.
A
SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION
Picture in your mind a parent
disciplining a child and then another picture of the child receiving
love and forgiveness from the parent. These two pictures are common to
everyday life.
Now use the same two pictures
but remove the little child and insert yourself there and then remove
the parent and place God there.
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
SOFTLY AND TENDERLY
JESUS IS CALLING
If you want to sing
along with the words, go to
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/o/softlyat.htm.
When you go to the web site, as you
scroll down to the words, the music will begin, so sing along.
“He’s calling you!”
Mark 10:49
Words & Music:
Will L. Thompson
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.
Refrain
Come home, come
home,
You who are weary,
come home;
Earnestly, tenderly,
Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner,
come home!
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?
Refrain
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.
Refrain
O
for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.
Refrain
RAMBLING THOUGHT
This RAMBLING THOUGHT was written for my Web page
ramblingsfromron.com. Most
of the Thoughts are found on the
THOUGHTS page,
while earlier ones are in the
THOUGHTS ARCHIVES
where they have been placed in categories.
A SOMETHING - IF YOU ARE GOING TO PRAY,
YOU HAVE TO PLAY
We all know that one of the major SOMETHINGS that
God wants us to do is to PRAY. Unfortunately, many people feel that when
they have offered a prayer, the task is complete; they can forget about
it and go on to other things. The mistake here is that when you have
prayed, you are not finished, you have just begun.
An athlete can practice all of the plays, learn
all of the rules, can keep in top physical condition but if the athlete
does not actually play, all of the preparation is in vain. Likewise, a
cook can read the recipe and have all of the ingredients on hand, but if
the cooking is not done there are no positive results.
Prayer is the same way. As an example, if we pray
for peace, we must also play, that is take part in whatever SOMETHING
that God would have us do to make peace a reality rather than just a
hope. When we pray for peace, we must also include the words of that
meaningful song, Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
What are the SOMETHINGS that God might want you to
do as you play, do your part in bringing the Angels song, of peace on
earth and goodwill to all mankind, to reality.
A C.A.R.E. package or some other gift to a relief
agency serving the needy in all parts of the world.
Sending items to a military person that they can
distribute to children and others who live in war torn areas.
Volunteering your time and talents in Soup
Kitchens, Food Pantries and other ways in which your community seeks to
help those who are struggling and just need a little boost and your
love.
Identify movies, TV programs and other media where
violence is portrayed. Then write to the TV Station, the theater, the
vendor and the advertisers and let them know that they are contributing
to violence in the world. As far as I am concerned, individual letters,
written from the heart, are more effective than petitions that are
signed. If you need addresses, let me know what you need and I will
attempt to get them for you.
Working among the youth as a mentor, a coach, a
chaperone, a Big Brother or Big Sister.
There are so many ways that we can PLAY our part
in seeking the peace that we pray for. You are only limited by your
imagination.
If you have some suggestions of how you have
brought peace to this troubled world, or even to one person, please let
me know. As I share your response with others it is yet another way of
doing a SOMETHING that God wants you to do.
Let us not just be prayers, let us be Star Players
on God’s team and do those SOMETHINGS He has for us to do.
God’s Peace. See You At The House
A WEBSITE
The web site for this time is...http://biblestorytelling.blogspot.com. This site carries the title, Bible Story
Telling. The part that I have looked at seems to be helpful. It might
be worth your time to take a look.
A COMMENT OR TWO OR THREE...
COMMENT 1 -
My book and CD continue to be purchased
in our local area and I have received several mail orders for both the
CD and the book. Thanks to you who have shared information about them
with others. Anytime you need additional information, please feel free
to contact me or to see the information that is posted on the Web site.
The first devotion from the CD is available for people to play on the
web page.
COMMENT 2 -
Lent begins February 6. This
would be a good time to give up a period of time for Lent and use it to
begin a Read the Bible in a Year Program. I would suggest that you do a
Google Search for "Read the Bible In A Year Program" and you'll find
many choices, Among them is "read through the bible in one year You may
start this program at any time you wish: just begin with Week 1; you
will finish at the same time next year that you begin this year. ...
www.elca.org/bible/obeyer/index.
COMMENT 3 - Don’t forget to PRAY. There are so many needs
to pray for, so many people who need your prayers. How many people have
you prayed for this week? If we can’t take time to talk to God in prayer
now, how will we ever be ready to hear him as He speaks to us?
THAT’S ALL FOR THIS
TIME
At present I have 268 (225 email, 43
regular mail) names on my mailing list and would like to have more. If
you would rather not receive this email, please let me know. If you have
a friend you would like to share this with, please do so. If there is
someone who you think might like to receive this, send it on to them,
have them look at it, and, then if they want me to send it their way,
just send me their name and email address. Remember to keep sending
those quotes, jokes, titles of books that you have enjoyed, and
questions as well as any suggestions of things you would like to have me
write about.....and now
MAY THE ROAD RISE UP TO MEET
YOU
MAY THE WIND ALWAYS BE AT
YOUR BACK
MAY BE SUN SHINE WARM UPON
YOUR FACE
AND THE RAIN FALL SOFT UPON
YOUR LAND
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN THE
HOLLOW OF HIS HAND.
..........See You At The
House ..........God's Peace,
RON CLAUSSEN
24544 KAMMEYER ROAD
DEFIANCE, OH 43512
Website:
www.ramblingsfromron.com
Email:
ron@ramblingsfromron.com
NEW PROJECT: Count
It All Joy!!
Devotional CD by Pastor Ron Claussen
An Audio CD with 17
Devotions from the Epistle of James
For Mail Orders send $15.00 to the above
address. Ohio residents add the Sales Tax at the rate for your
county. Thank you.
Click
here to read more
about the new CD
Click here to listen to a sample devotion:
Don't
Worry, Be Happy; James 1:1-8
CD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT THESE LOCATIONS :
OHIO:
CHATFIELD:
Nazareth Lutheran Church
DEFIANCE:
Zion's Lutheran Church
DELTA:
Trinity
Lutheran Church
Calaway's
Flowers & Antiques
GRAND RAPIDS:
Village Apothecary
NAPOLEON:
Divine Inspirations
Mohrings Cash and Carry
Rodenberger Funeral Home
Village Apothecary
OKOLONA:
Willeman’s Flowers
and Decorators
PAULDING:
Village Apothecary
RIDGEVILLE CORNERS: -
Ridgeville Barber Shop
Click here for CD order form.
WHAT? GOD.......YOU
WANT ME TO DO SOMETHING?
A DEVOTIONAL BOOK by
Pastor Ron Claussen
For Mail Orders send
$12.00 to the above address.
Ohio residents add the Sales Tax at the rate for
your county. Thank you.
Click here to see sample pages from the book:
BOOKS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN:..
NEBRASKA - LINCOLN
- Lemstone Christian Store
-
Mohrings Cash and Carry
WAUSEON -
Christian Books ‘N Such
ON THE WEB -
Amazon.com
RAMBLINGS FROM RON
December 2007
The calendar has
already turned to 2008 as I write these words. The last few weeks have
been filled with the normal Christmas activities, even though we did not
have a family gathering until the 29th. As so often happens, we were
quite busy at the Funeral Home during this time. In addition, after too
many days without writing a DEVOTION or a THOUGHT for ramblingsfromron.com,
I began a series of DEVOTIONS for the 12 Days of Christmas. The clock
kept ticking and the calendar page kept turning, as late as it may be
................Now, as usual, I am happy to share with you
these............
....RAMBLINGS
FROM RON
A QUOTE FOR THE DAY...
“Give Satan
an inch and he'll be a ruler. ” (Thanks to Karen in Iowa)
A JOKE FOR THE DAY...
It has been told that
one of President Harry S. Truman’s favorite campaign stories is from a
speech at an Indian Reservation. During the speech, the crowd would
shout, “Oompah!” After the speech, as his Indian guide led him across a
field that had been filled with horses; the guide said to Mr. Truman,
“Be careful, don’t step in the oompah!”
LET’S MAKE A CHILD HAPPY...
Younger children like
to tell jokes and are usually ready to listen to a new joke. To adults,
some of these jokes just don’t make sense; yet, the kids enjoy them. So
each month I will share one of these jokes and hope that you will share
them with a child and make that child happy. If you know a child who
would like to share a joke, send it to me along with the name, age and
State of residence of the child.
Q. How do you catch
a squirrel?
A. Run up a tree
and act like a nut.
ONCE
A-PUN A TIME -- ONE LINERS...
A group of chess
enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby
discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the
manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.
"But why," they
asked, as they moved off. "Because", he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts
boasting in an open foyer." (Thanks to Carol in Ohio.)
KIDS ARE QUICK...
A new teacher was
trying to make use of her psychology courses.
She
started her class by saying, "Everyone who thinks they're stupid, stand
up!"
After a few
seconds, Little Johnny stood up. The teacher said, "Do you think you're
stupid, Little Johnny?" "No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing
there all by yourself!"
A BOOK FOR YOU TO CONSIDER...
This time I
have a suggestion of a book that I have read only a few pages. The book
was a gift and I look forward to reading more each day. This is one
of those books that is designed to read all at one time, or a section
now and then. “I WISH I’D BEEN THERE” is a
book in which twenty Historians bring to life Dramatic Events that
Changed History. The book was edited by Byron Hollinshead
and Published by Anchor Books.
Please send me the
title and author of any meaningful and inspirational biographies that
you have read. I still need suggestions of additional books for future
RAMBLINGS and your comments on the books.
DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY...
(I mentioned that I have been working on a series
of Devotions for the Twelve Days of Christmas. The Devotion below is
what I have written for the First Day of Christmas. The other eleven
are, or will be found on the
Prayer and Devotion Page of
the web site,
ramblingsfromron.com)
THE FIRST DAY OF
CHRISTMAS
ST.
LUKE 2:8-14
DOES THE GLORY STILL
SHINE?
8 Now
there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the
Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and
they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be
afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be
to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to
you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a
manger.”
13
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying: 14 “ Glory to God in the highest, And on
earth peace, goodwill toward men!” ST. LUKE 2:8-14 (NKJV)
For
some people this is the day after Christmas, while for others it is the
First Day of Christmas. For some people today is the day to take the
Christmas Tree down and put all of the decorations away, while for
others the Christmas Tree was not put up and decorated until Christmas
Eve and it will be the center of attention until January 6th. For some
the glory of Christmas is gone, replaced by worry about how to pay the
Christmas bills and getting on with life. For some people there is more
peace in their hearts, their lives and their relationships with others,
while for other people there is hurt, and there is disappointment
because the material part of today's Christmas did not provide them all
that they wanted and felt they deserved.
In
year past, the four weeks of Advent were times of preparation for the
coming of the Lord, not only when He came at His Birth, but equally
important when He will come again, descending on the clouds to take with
Him to Heaven those who have prepared for and anxiously await His return
for them. During the Advent Season, the Hymns of Christmas were not
sung; only the Hymns of His Coming. Christmas was so important that
people would attend a Christmas Eve Service, return the next morning for
a Christmas Service and then return again the next day for a Second
Christmas Day Service. The glory was shining there.
Today, the glory still shines on Christmas Eve and in some places on
Christmas Day. Sadly, in all too many places the doors of the church are
locked and the lights are out on Christmas morning, unless Christmas
happens to fall on a Sunday. A few years ago, when Christmas was on
Sunday, there was even discussion in many places concerning not having a
Worship Service on Sunday. Was this because the people did not want to
go to church two days in a row or because the pastor did not want to
prepare two sermons? The shining glory is beginning to fade. Is there
any place that anyone knows of where they still have a Worship Service
on Second Christmas Day, with the exception of when Christmas falls on a
Saturday? The glow of the glory gets dimmer and dimmer.
The
Shepherds on the hillside just outside of Bethlehem on that quiet night
were suddenly filled with the Glory of the Lord as it shown around them.
That Glory continued to shine as it led them to the manger in Bethlehem
where they worshiped the New Born King. This was not like the Star that
led the Wise Men. This was a Glory that filled them, that moved them,
that led them.
Today, the Twelve Days of Christmas begin. Don’t allow the glory of
Christmas to dim, fade, or go out. Instead do what you can to keep that
glory burning not only in your life, but also in the lives of others.
Don’t be afraid of that glory, but welcome it, keep it, fuel it so that
the glory will lead you to that great day when this same One who came
will come again and call you unto His own.
WE PRAY:
Angels,
sing your sweet refrain—
Glory
in the highest, glory!
Tell
the waiting earth your story
Of the
Christ Who came to reign.
Sing—sing that sweet song again,
Earth
and sky repeat the story—
Glory
in the highest, glory!
On
earth peace, good will to men. Amen.
The Angels Sweet Refrain from cyberhymnal.org
A SUGGESTION
FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION
Usually we receive something for Christmas that we don’t need, don’t
want or does not fit. Maybe it is too much food that does not fit our
diet. Maybe it is a book that either we have read or does not fit our
reading selections. Maybe it is a piece of clothing that does not fit
our style, size or color choice. If you can do it without offending the
person who gave it to you, consider giving it to someone who would
really appreciate the gift. The food to a neighbor who because of age or
health no longer bakes those good things or because of budget problems
cannot afford those candies they used to enjoy so much. The book for
someone who enjoys reading and then encourage that person to pass it on
to someone else. The clothes to someone in a care facility who would
just appreciate something nice, regardless of the style or color. One
last thing. Include a note telling of the importance of celebrating the
birth of Christ and that you are doing this as a way of sharing your
gifts with others, Don’t forget to tell them that the greatest gift that
you will give them is your promise to pray for them.
You
can also come up with your own way of keeping the GLORY SHINING.
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
If you want to sing along with the words, go to
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/n/g/angswere.htm
When you go to the web site, as you
scroll down to the words, the music will begin, so sing along.
“Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:14
Words:
Grant C. Tullar
Music:
Isaac H. Meredith
THE
ANGELS’ SWEET REFRAIN
As the shepherds
watched at midnight
On the hills so far
away,
Suddenly a light
shone ’round them,
Turning midnight
into day.
Then each heart was
filled with wonder,
For they could not
understand
Why the angel host
that gathered
Brought to them
such music grand.
Refrain
Angels, sing your
sweet refrain—
Glory in the
highest, glory!
Tell the waiting
earth your story
Of the Christ Who
came to reign.
Sing—sing that
sweet song again,
Earth and sky
repeat the story—
Glory in the
highes |