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NEWSLETTERS 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.
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.
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.
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
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.
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
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
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 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 OKOLONA - Willeman’s Flowers PAULDING - Village Apothecary RIDGEVILLE CORNERS - Ridgeville Barber Shop WAUSEON - Christian Books ‘N Such ON THE WEB - Amazon.com Click here for book order form.
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 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
FROM CYBERHYMNAL.ORG...
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
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?”
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:
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:
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