Not needed: a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope!

Spiritually hungry? 

                                Looking for reality? 

                                                                  Seeking for God? 

Here is what you DON'T need:

a telescope, 

a microscope,

 

                 

                                                                          or a horoscope!

Here is some good advice:

"Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings.

But that's not the way of Christ.

Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly.

You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him.

When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything." (Colossians 2:8-10 The Message)

Peace! Find it from something other than Sleeping Pills

Need some peace? 

 Take a few verses of God's Word tonight instead of those sleeping pills! For example, Psalm 46:

1 "God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

10 'Cease striving (or "Let go, relax") and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold."

After you have read these verses, go back and change all of the pronouns to "my" or "I." Make it personal.

Then, you can do as the Psalmist says in Psalm 127:2:  The Lord "....grants sleep to those he loves."

  God loves YOU! So, have a good sleep! Good night!

"Songs For Unusual Creatures"

My friend, Paul Neeley, is always coming up with the most interesting stories and links!  Here is one he just shared about Songs For Unusual Creatures.

Paul writes:  "Songs For Unusual Creatures.is a family-friendly album of instrumental
songs inspired by some of the Earth's strangest animals, such as the aye-aye, the blue-footed booby, the magnapinna squid, the blobfish, the elephant shrew, the anglerfish, the solenodon, and the tardigrade.

Songs For Unusual Creatures features many amazing guest musicians, including the Kronos Quartet, The Microscopic Septet, Margaret Leng Tan, Wade Schuman (of Hazmat Modine) and Cecilia Brauer.

Songs For Unusual Creaturesincorporates some of the most unusual instruments on the planet (to compliment the unusual animals) such as a daxophone, the glass armonica, the theremin, the stylophone, the claviola, and the League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots.

Chronicle Books will be releasing a companion book in October.

To hear samples, go to the Amazon webpage above.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VR4ZHE/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_asp_g92yD.04W2VKQ 

To see interesting videos of these unusual creatures, google the creature and click on "videos."

God has created some amazing creatures!

  

The elephant shrew

Aye-aye

The blue-footed booby

Solenodon

In Memorium

Six years ago today, my father, Arne T. Thomassen, went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He was 85 years old.  Although we were saddened with his passing, we rejoiced that he no longer had to suffer in the prison of his body.  He could now talk, sing, walk, move around without any difficulty.

One of his favorite passages of Scripture was Psalm 91,  in particular verses 1 and 2:

(1)  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
(2) I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

Under His Wings was one of his favorite hymns.

Words by Will­iam O. Cush­ing, 1896, and music by Ira D. Sank­ey.  Cushing faced a series of trials in his life time.  After his wife passed away, “…..   ‘creeping paralysis’ stole his voice and prevented him from preaching any longer. He pleaded with the Lord to allow him to continue to serve in some capacity.”

His prayer was granted. He wrote over 300 hymns. Some of these are still beloved by the church. "Follow on" was written in 1878 to a tune by Robert Lowry. "Follow, follow, I will follow Jesus; anywhere, everywhere..." it promises. "Under His Wings," printed and sung by Ira Sankey, sprang out of Cushing's personal suffering and was suggested by Psalm 17:8, "Hide me under the shadow of your wings."  http://www.christianity.com/ChurchHistory/11630395/

Enjoy this wonderful hymn text:






Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Refrain:

     Under His wings, under His wings,
     Who from His love can sever?
     Under His wings my soul shall abide,
     Safely abide forever.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

Refrain

Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

Refrain

Love takes posession

"There is no need to plead that the love of God shall fill our heart as though He were unwilling to fill us.  He is willing as light is willing to flood a room that is opened to its brightness; willing as water is willing to flow into an emptied channel.  Love is pressing round us on all sides like air.  Cease to resist, and instantly love takes possession."  --Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Your Love Never Fails

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_2qG22SPwU

So, you may have given up, but as the words of the above song say:  "You love never fails, never gives up; never runs out on me."

Happy 91st Birthday, Dad!

Today would have been my father, Arne T. Thomassen’s, 91^st birthday.  He was a man who was proud of many things:  his family (wife, Alice, and their three sons, Roger, George and Curtis; then his 3 daughters-in-law Karen, Muriel and Andrea; his grandchildren:  Krista, Ronald, Matthew, Alicia, Joshua, David; as well as his brother Berner and wife Harriet and cousins, nephews, nieces); his ministry in the states of Wisconsin, Iowa, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Minnesota; the years in the U.S. Army as part of the 99^th Battalion; and so many more things.

Above all, Dad was passionate about ministering to people.  People were his priority.  He unselfishly shared his life and desired for people to come to know Jesus in a personal way.  

When he pastored in Granada, Minnesota, he had a daily devotional on radio station KSUM in Fairmont, Minnesota. (See: http://www.ksum.com/ )

For today’s blog I have chosen one of his broadcasts from his birthday in 1978.

This devotional will tell you a lot about his personal priorities.  This is what he believed and what he lived.  Although he never had very much money, he passed on the true riches to his sons and his family.

Radio Broadcast (KSUM)                                                     Program #45

June 9, 1978 (Friday)

On Wednesday I spoke about some of the things which mean a lot to us such as the various freedoms.  I said that we had to pay a price for them.  The price is not always in dollars and cents.  Today I would like to share some thoughts about things that money can’t buy.  I have a few pages of cartoons called “Ching Chow.”  [Here is an example:  http://www.art4comics.com/cc16.jpg ]

They are brief sayings of common sense wisdom.  I’ll share a few with you and then I’ll concentrate on one for this morning’s meditation.  There is one that says, “Strive always to be like a good watch.  Open face, busy hands, pure gold, well-regulated, full of good works.”  Another says, “there are no directions pointing to the road of success.  You must find your own way.”  Then, “It’s not your position that makes you happy or unhappy, it’s your disposition.”  And “This commonplace person believes that unless you can digest your own advice, don’t feed it to others.”  But the one I would like to speak on is – “Who can deny, it is good to have money, but better to have the things it (that is money) can’t buy.”

Things that money can’t buy!  Can’t money buy anything and everything?  The answer is “no.” There are many important intangibles such as inward peace, true happiness, contentment, salvation, heaven, happiness in the home.  Inward peace means the end of conflict.  Hostilities have ceased.  The most beautiful peace is the peace which Jesus gives.  He said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you:  not as the world gives, do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubles, nor let it be fearful.”  (John 14:27).  This kind of peace comes when the heart has been cleansed from sin, when there is peace with God.  Then there is happiness.  Our theme songs says, “Happiness is to know the Savior, living a life within His favor, having a change in my behavior happiness is the Lord.”  Everyone seeks happiness, but not everyone finds it.  They will only find true happiness in Jesus Christ.  

Contentment speaks of being satisfied.  No need to chase around looking for something or someone else.  I quote a few lines from a song:  “All that I want is in Jesus, He satisfies, Joy He supplies.  Life would be worthless without Him, all things in Jesus I find.”

I will share with you two verses of scripture form the Old Testament.  From the book of Isaiah 55:1 and 2 (from the Living Bible):  

 “Say there!  Is anyone thirsty?
    Come and drink—
    even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
    it’s all free!
Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
    Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
    You will enjoy the finest food.”

God invites mankind to come to Him for the things he needs for the inner man.  We might ask, “What does man need that he cannot purchase with dollars and cents?”  For one thing, salvation.  We read in I Peter 1:18 “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver and gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.  If it too money to obtain salvation, many would be left out.  We read in another place in the New Testament:  “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.” 

I recall hearing a man speak to a men’s meeting back in Massachusetts.  He was a millionaire.  He told of the time when his wife lay close to death as a result of an accident.  He felt so hopeless.  He said for the first time in his life he faced a situation where he could not write a check to get what he wanted.  During this time, he turned to asking God for His help.  There are things money can’t buy.  God is ready to supply your need for salvation, happiness, contentment, and all the other things which will bring true happiness.”  

  

 Written by Arne Thomassen, June 9, 1978 for KSUM

Blessings on the Home of the God-Fearing (Psalm 128)

"Songs of Ascent" = ("Degrees") steps, stages, gradations, or ascending up a mountain, climbing"

The spiritual life is one of progress.

 The ninth step in the progress of the spiritual life is to have a God-fearing home:  “Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.”

Psalm 128 is tied in with Psalm 127.  They are joined by the word “blessed.”

“Psalm 128 follows Psalm 127 for the same reason as Psalm 2 follows Psalm 1. In both instances they are Psalms placed together, of which one begins with ashre (happy, very happy), and the other ends with ashre. In other respects Psalm 128 and 127 supplement one another. They are related to one another much as the New Testament parables of the treasure in the field and the one pearl are related. That which makes man happy is represented in Psalm 127 as a gift coming as a blessing, and in Psalm 128 as a reward coming as a blessing, that which is briefly indicated in the word rks, saka, reward, in Ps 127:3 being here expanded and unfolded. There it appears as a gift of grace in contrast to the God estranged self activity of man; here as a fruit of the ora et labora.—Franz Delitzsch.

Psalm 127

 ¹ Unless the LORD builds the house,
   its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
   the watchmen stand guard in vain.
² In vain you rise early
   and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
   for he grants sleep to^[a] those he loves.

 ³ Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
   children a reward from him.
⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
   are sons born in one’s youth.
⁵ Blessed is the man
   whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
   when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 128

 ¹ Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
   who walk in his ways.
² You will eat the fruit of your labor;
   blessings and prosperity will be yours.
³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
   within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots
   around your table.
⁴ Thus is the man blessed
   who fears the LORD.

 ⁵ May the LORD bless you from Zion
   all the days of your life;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,
 ⁶ and may you live to see your children’s children.

   Peace be upon Israel.

Theme:  Blessings on the Home of the God-Fearing

Key thought:  All (male and female, every age, status, situation in life) who fear the Lord are blessed.

Key verse:  (:1) “Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.”

How is God revealed?  He blesses those who fear Him by enabling them to eat the fruit of their work; spouse will be prosperous, as will the children; he will be blessed all his days and will see his grandchildren. 

Fear-of-God Expands Your Life:  “God's blessing makes life rich;
   nothing we do can improve on God.”  (Proverbs 10:22 The Message)

“It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.”  (Proverbs 10:22  NASB)

I am reminded of Joseph working for Potiphar.  The Scriptures say in Genesis 39:5  “ Cross references:

1. Proverbs 10:22 : Gen 24:35; 26:12; Deut 8:18; Prov 8:21

 “From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.”

 Barnes gives the following summary of Psalm 128:

(:1) “The blessedness of those who fear the Lord.

This blessedness is seen in:

(a) their success in life;

(b) a numerous, happy family (:3)

(c) being permitted to see children's children (:6)

(d) being permitted to see the prosperity of holy religion (:5)

(e) seeing the prosperity of Jerusalem; and (f) peace upon Israel” (:5-6)

Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the 1878 edition), Vol. III, p. 252.

Verse 2 says:  “You will eat the fruit of your labor.”  Labor is not a bad word!  As James Montgomery (1771-1854) said: 

Labour, the symbol of man's punishment;
Labour, the secret of man's happiness.

Verse 3:  “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.”  Here is a complete family picture:  husband, wife, children in the house and around the table.

Pastor Steven J. Cole shared a wonderful outline:

Psalms 127 & 128 show us

God’s blueprint for building a satisfying home.

Taken together, the two psalms may be seen as

Four stages in the development of a family:

127:1-2, Inception of home—“Foundation.”

127:3-5, Expansion of home—“Building on foundation.”

128:1-4, Child-rearing years—“Building material.”

128:5-6, Empty nest years—“Finished product.”

Psalm 127 says: A satisfying home is based on God’s blessing.

Psalm 128 goes a step further:

God’s blessing in the family is based on the fear of the Lord.

Thus, a satisfying home is based upon the fear of the Lord.

http://www.fcfonline.org/content/1/sermons/101793.pdf