Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace. “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously. “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes.Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”
Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
His money, her money, your money....wrong
If our perspective is that or stewardship (of looking after something that isn't ours) how do we go about spending our money?
If delayed gratification isn't something you regularly practice, if money burns a whole in you pocket, then I would recommend looking at the Bible.
Deuteronomy 10:14 says : "To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it."
Nehemiah 9:6 says: "You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you."
There is none of take care of your money, it is everything is the Lord's. Boy have I been a terrible steward in years past. Spending money in a selfish style. I can even say the same thing with my time. Everything is the Lord's. I am so grateful I have included him in the discussion of buying things. Now I still look at Consumer Reports to buy the most reliable at the most affordable price, but now I wait, I wait because the Lord may provide the item in a different way.
Heavenly Father, one day all this will be taken away, I will leave this earth and return to you. May I continue to store treasures in Heaven, may I follow you all the days of my life. Amen.
If delayed gratification isn't something you regularly practice, if money burns a whole in you pocket, then I would recommend looking at the Bible.
Deuteronomy 10:14 says : "To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it."
Nehemiah 9:6 says: "You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you."
There is none of take care of your money, it is everything is the Lord's. Boy have I been a terrible steward in years past. Spending money in a selfish style. I can even say the same thing with my time. Everything is the Lord's. I am so grateful I have included him in the discussion of buying things. Now I still look at Consumer Reports to buy the most reliable at the most affordable price, but now I wait, I wait because the Lord may provide the item in a different way.
Heavenly Father, one day all this will be taken away, I will leave this earth and return to you. May I continue to store treasures in Heaven, may I follow you all the days of my life. Amen.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Preliminary announcement on Teaching assistantship
I received my letter from Park University saying that I was approved for a teaching assisantship. I am hoping to teach Personal Finance. I am thinking I would probably be teaching micro/marco economics and maybe managerial accounting. This is exciting news for me and my family. I am still praying for God to reveal his role he has for me with Crown. I am run the gamut of emotions in regards to this. It is clear that I am weak, and this is possible the training I need to be more a servant to him. I am also battling my concept of success also. What I grew up with is not what I am ready to the Bible.
Classes are crazy mad with reading, although I am loving it!
Classes are crazy mad with reading, although I am loving it!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Garage Sale this Weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Jennifer is having here St. Joe famous garage sale this weekend. Today went awesome. Tomorrow the weather will challenge her.
While I was doing some research for my Bible study I came across this nice little prayer in Betty Miller's daily devotional book.
"Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your favor in my life. I do not ever want to take it for granted. You have provided abundantly and I am thankful for all of my blessings. Lord, I desire to keep a "child-like" attitude so that I can learn more about You and Your kingdom. Thank You for love and strength for each new day. I know that You will make a way for me to walk in victory this day. I do appreciate Your goodness and grace toward me and those that I am praying for. Bless my friends, family and all of my loved ones. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
While I was doing some research for my Bible study I came across this nice little prayer in Betty Miller's daily devotional book.
"Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your favor in my life. I do not ever want to take it for granted. You have provided abundantly and I am thankful for all of my blessings. Lord, I desire to keep a "child-like" attitude so that I can learn more about You and Your kingdom. Thank You for love and strength for each new day. I know that You will make a way for me to walk in victory this day. I do appreciate Your goodness and grace toward me and those that I am praying for. Bless my friends, family and all of my loved ones. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit
Today Norma (Jennifer's Grandma) and I went to see the exhibit. All I can say is wow is the Bible old. The exhibit really hit home that the word of God that is recorded is unremarkably consistent. For me it was amazing because it is hard to concieve one hundred years let alone 2000 years old.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Aubrey's Easter Pictures
Let us celebrate for the is Alive! Revelation 3:20 tells us how to invite him into our lives, I hope you have done so this Easter season. Rev 3:20-21 (NKJV) says "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."
Be safe.
Be safe.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Status is Good
Spring is here and things could not be better. We are visiting with neighbors and with others. Easter week is upon us creates even more reasons to celebrate.
This weekend I took much needed time from my normal activities to go to McCarthy Baptist Church to participate in a trivia challenge. Invited by our neighbors, I really enjoyed myself. While I think the categories were hard, I was impressed that even one on the team contributed something. When you are gathered in such an enviroment it really made me think about how much I don't know and how impossible it would be to know it all. Regardless of my random rambling, I love the environment and the fellowship.
This weekend I took much needed time from my normal activities to go to McCarthy Baptist Church to participate in a trivia challenge. Invited by our neighbors, I really enjoyed myself. While I think the categories were hard, I was impressed that even one on the team contributed something. When you are gathered in such an enviroment it really made me think about how much I don't know and how impossible it would be to know it all. Regardless of my random rambling, I love the environment and the fellowship.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Mid Semester Break
Although I have many things to catch up on, I am excited about the semester break. Taking 9 hours is a lot of work, fortunately I have very interesting course material and 24 hours in a day. I am working on staying focused, although sometimes I am wondering if I am focused correctly. I have been asking God to continue to reveal his plan to me. I have become aware that I must master being more patient, and he has been seeking many opportunities to teach me about that! This summer I am probably going to take 6 hours, rather than 9 again. We will see.
Jennifer and the kids are doing awesome. It is so exciting, Dylan is putting together words!
Jennifer and the kids are doing awesome. It is so exciting, Dylan is putting together words!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
1st Quarter Newsletter
Feeling overwhelmed about paying your bills; celebrate for there is hope!
You might be one of those many Americans feeling overwhelmed by paying your bills. I assure you that this is quite common and for that reason we should be alarmed. We live in a consumer nation that markets itself to consumers by saying if we buy that new car, that new boat, or eat out at the newest restaurant we will feel happy. The question is, are you happy? In 2006, the Federal Reserve reported that record levels of home refinancing occurred [1] . My question is why are so many people are taking money out of their homes when they are so close to being free from that debt? That answer could be as simple as most people are drowning in consumer debt. One side of me seems to feel that we are immersed by sin. That sin has taken over our lives as we begin to blur the lines of being a responsible steward and a successful worldly person. One thing is for sure and that is, sin is shackling us; we are becoming servants to the credit card and mortgage companies.
I remember eight or nine years ago making excuses for carrying so much debt. The major ones were “I don’t make enough” and “debt is the American way.” Since that time I have been convicted of my selfish nature. See: I Chronicles 29:11 [2] for more on this topic. In fact, review the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9 [3] and ask for repentance and to be rescued from the “evil one.” I would like to point out that it is not my intent, nor should it be, to judge anyone for the reasons they are in debt. Everyone’s situation is different and they are the ones that must face the truth. I want to point out that there is a place to look for principles to becoming a wise steward of the resources you have been given. All I want to do is assure people that there is hope!
While we may be only two or three paychecks away from bankruptcy, the word of God gives us that hope. A gift from God has been given to us and that gift is grace, mercy and Salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 “God saved you by his grace when you believed. …. it is a gift from God.” It is a gift and all we have to do is accept this and, by faith, accept Jesus Christ as your savior. I know when I acted as a fool in the past I battled in accepting this truth and now I must battle only with my sinful and selfish nature.
In Deuteronomy 10:14 Moses says “Look, the highest Heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God.” If we accept this, we must accept that everything we are given isn’t ours but it is God’s. This would also imply that we are merely stewards of these possessions, in addition to our skills and our time on Earth. While the 10% we tithe is important, the other 90% is just as or more important.
If you feel so led to begin life as a new steward or you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I invite you to take those steps today, for one day our Savior will return.
In Christ,
BobHughs
_____________________________________________________________________
Bible passages and references are from the New Living Translation (NLT), the translation that speaks to me. I encourage you to use the Bible translation that speaks to you.
Hyperlink for Bible passages will take your to www.biblegateway.com.
You might be one of those many Americans feeling overwhelmed by paying your bills. I assure you that this is quite common and for that reason we should be alarmed. We live in a consumer nation that markets itself to consumers by saying if we buy that new car, that new boat, or eat out at the newest restaurant we will feel happy. The question is, are you happy? In 2006, the Federal Reserve reported that record levels of home refinancing occurred [1] . My question is why are so many people are taking money out of their homes when they are so close to being free from that debt? That answer could be as simple as most people are drowning in consumer debt. One side of me seems to feel that we are immersed by sin. That sin has taken over our lives as we begin to blur the lines of being a responsible steward and a successful worldly person. One thing is for sure and that is, sin is shackling us; we are becoming servants to the credit card and mortgage companies.
I remember eight or nine years ago making excuses for carrying so much debt. The major ones were “I don’t make enough” and “debt is the American way.” Since that time I have been convicted of my selfish nature. See: I Chronicles 29:11 [2] for more on this topic. In fact, review the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9 [3] and ask for repentance and to be rescued from the “evil one.” I would like to point out that it is not my intent, nor should it be, to judge anyone for the reasons they are in debt. Everyone’s situation is different and they are the ones that must face the truth. I want to point out that there is a place to look for principles to becoming a wise steward of the resources you have been given. All I want to do is assure people that there is hope!
While we may be only two or three paychecks away from bankruptcy, the word of God gives us that hope. A gift from God has been given to us and that gift is grace, mercy and Salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 “God saved you by his grace when you believed. …. it is a gift from God.” It is a gift and all we have to do is accept this and, by faith, accept Jesus Christ as your savior. I know when I acted as a fool in the past I battled in accepting this truth and now I must battle only with my sinful and selfish nature.
In Deuteronomy 10:14 Moses says “Look, the highest Heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God.” If we accept this, we must accept that everything we are given isn’t ours but it is God’s. This would also imply that we are merely stewards of these possessions, in addition to our skills and our time on Earth. While the 10% we tithe is important, the other 90% is just as or more important.
If you feel so led to begin life as a new steward or you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I invite you to take those steps today, for one day our Savior will return.
In Christ,
BobHughs
_____________________________________________________________________
Bible passages and references are from the New Living Translation (NLT), the translation that speaks to me. I encourage you to use the Bible translation that speaks to you.
Hyperlink for Bible passages will take your to www.biblegateway.com.
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