|
|
ARCHIVE OF PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS
Newsletters from the past year in chronological
order by the most recent month:
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............
A QUOTE FOR THE DAY...
“He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.” (Thanks to
Karen in Iowa)
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."
Ralph replied, "I'm going to go back and get her.
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.
ONCE A-PUN A TIME -- ONE LINERS...
"An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to
look at either.”
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.
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.
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:
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
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:..
Click here for book order form.
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!”
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."
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?
ONCE A-PUN A TIME -- ONE LINERS...
Two cannibals are
eating a clown. One says to the other: "Does this taste funny to you?"
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.
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.
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
I sought the Lord,
and afterward I knew
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.
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.
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.
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
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
GRAND RAPIDS: Village Apothecary NAPOLEON: Divine Inspirations Mohrings Cash and Carry
Rodenberger Funeral Home RIDGEVILLE CORNERS: - |
.jpg)