Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.
With six to eight members of Pilgrim Church, I spend an hour Monday morning with residents at Burroughs Manor, a retirement home next door to the Church. We call our gathering Monday at Ten. It is a wonderful hour - a "happy hour" - spent in good conversation, singing, a brief message and a closing prayer.
My present intent is to encourage those attending to write their life story. We have unique fingerprints and DNA, but they don't identify us completely. We also have our own soul print. By writing "my story" one shapes ones soul print with loved ones, and it will be cherished for years to come.
Have you written your own story? If you have not, try doing it. Ask yourself "where the meaning of your life lies"? By answering that question I believe you'll remember small things as well as big events.
Here are some tips to get you started: Who were your early childhood friends? What games did you play? Did you take music lessons? What books did you enjoy reading? What school did you attend - rural, town or city?
Did your family have a car? What make? What year? Do you have an idea of the cost of the car? Comparing costs in the past with costs today will be interesting. What did an ice cream cone cost? How much did it take to get into a double feature movie?
What were your favorite radio programs before TV? What's new in the world since your youth? Computers? Cell phones? What else?
Your story will be interesting because it is unique. What a treasure it will be to your descendants. It will be well worth your efforts. Try it!
Richard
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
2010.04.19 Monday Morning!
Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma. Come visit us if you are in the area. Our Sunday service begins at 10 a.m.
From the four pen-sketches in the Bible (Genesis 2 - 11:9) we learn that human beings rebel against the sovereignty of God and want to do things "our own way". It reminds me of the song, "I'll do it my way!"
False pride, in contrast to legitimate pride, is our downfall!
Am I right or wrong in my diagnosis of our human situation? That is something for you to make up your own mind. Clearly, however, the Bible teaches that we'll not have purpose or meaning in life unless we accept the authority of God.
It is not always easy to accept that when we make moral and ethical decisions. Perhaps you'll find those decisions easier to make if you ask yourself, "Could I tell my parents, or my son or daughter, about my choice?" If you know that your decision will likely need a cover-up if discovered, you probably need to review your decision.
Cheers,
Richard
PS: Have you been listing your favorite Bible verses as a part of our "to know" the Bible program? Topping my list are: Micah 6:6-8 and Luke 10:27-28. For me, they are the high water marks of all religions. R.
From the four pen-sketches in the Bible (Genesis 2 - 11:9) we learn that human beings rebel against the sovereignty of God and want to do things "our own way". It reminds me of the song, "I'll do it my way!"
False pride, in contrast to legitimate pride, is our downfall!
Am I right or wrong in my diagnosis of our human situation? That is something for you to make up your own mind. Clearly, however, the Bible teaches that we'll not have purpose or meaning in life unless we accept the authority of God.
It is not always easy to accept that when we make moral and ethical decisions. Perhaps you'll find those decisions easier to make if you ask yourself, "Could I tell my parents, or my son or daughter, about my choice?" If you know that your decision will likely need a cover-up if discovered, you probably need to review your decision.
Cheers,
Richard
PS: Have you been listing your favorite Bible verses as a part of our "to know" the Bible program? Topping my list are: Micah 6:6-8 and Luke 10:27-28. For me, they are the high water marks of all religions. R.
Monday, April 12, 2010
2010.04.12 Monday Morning!
Greetings and best wishes for Good Reading from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma. At last spring has sprung! The town is decked with beautiful colors. Flower beds and flowering bushes and trees make me want to sing "Morning Has Broken" in the shower.
I began with best wishes for GOOD READING. If you are ready to start the second exercise "to know" your Bible, Genesis is the place to begin. It is a book full of marvelous stories. Don't copy the stories verbatim! Instead, identify the stories in your notebook for your own reference. Example: 4 pen sketches of every person: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Ark, Tower of Babel - Genesis 2 - 11:9.
This exercise will keep us busy for a long while, but it will be a worthwhile effort. From time to time, I'll mention the stories I've found, but don't count on that every week. We all have to do our own homework!
This second exercise will make the third one easy: "Biography" - to know characters in the Bible. I'll keep the fourth exercise secret for now.
You'll be teaching the development of Bible ideas before you know it! Count on this!
Richard
This exercise will keep us busy for a long while, but it will be a worthwhile effort. From time to time, I'll mention the stories I've found, but don't count on that every week. We all have to do our own homework!
This second exercise will make the third one easy: "Biography" - to know characters in the Bible. I'll keep the fourth exercise secret for now.
You'll be teaching the development of Bible ideas before you know it! Count on this!
Richard
Monday, April 5, 2010
2010.04.05 Monday Morning!
Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.
"The Lord takes pleasure in his people" - Psalm 149:4. That God delights in us is a neglected Bible insight. Whatever our gifts, great or small, when we exercise them to the full, God delights in us.
Sometimes we think our gifts are too little to be responsible for great things. Not true! in our personal lives little things play a greater role than we realize.
I have known single mothers who cared for their children, year after year, with inexhaustible love. I knew a delightful lady in my parish near Albany, NY who was stricken with polio. For years she had the 24/7 care and love of her husband and two teenage sons.
You know busy people with the capacity to bring cheer to the lonely and, who without being asked, reach out to help those in need.
Our little gifts give us an opportunity to do great things.
Cheers to you who are doing little things well. God delights in you!
Richard
"The Lord takes pleasure in his people" - Psalm 149:4. That God delights in us is a neglected Bible insight. Whatever our gifts, great or small, when we exercise them to the full, God delights in us.
Sometimes we think our gifts are too little to be responsible for great things. Not true! in our personal lives little things play a greater role than we realize.
I have known single mothers who cared for their children, year after year, with inexhaustible love. I knew a delightful lady in my parish near Albany, NY who was stricken with polio. For years she had the 24/7 care and love of her husband and two teenage sons.
You know busy people with the capacity to bring cheer to the lonely and, who without being asked, reach out to help those in need.
Our little gifts give us an opportunity to do great things.
Cheers to you who are doing little things well. God delights in you!
Richard
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