Let God be your Defender.

 

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Psalm 23:5 (NIV)

Our civilization is losing its civility. The world is getting ruder! The internet plays a part in this, because it allows people to hide behind the screen and say things online that they would never have the courage to say to others face-to-face. As a pastor, you’re likely on the other end of some of these attacks.

People who do this reveal the smallness of their hearts. Great people make people feel great, but small people belittle people. People who belittle others have a little knot for a heart, and they make fun of others because they think it will make them feel better.

So how do you handle rude people? You don’t. You let God handle them. 

You let God be your defender.

King David was a pro at this. He knew what it meant to be attacked emotionally, verbally, and physically. As a young man, he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel, but spent two years running from his predecessor, King Saul, who wanted to kill him. He hid in caves while being criticized constantly behind his back.

Yet David never said a bad word against the king. He never retaliated, because God was preparing him to be the king after God’s own heart.

David says in Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (NIV).

David recognized God’s goodness to him. God anointed his head with oil, which says to the world, “This is my guy! Back off! He is going to be the next leader.” David’s cup overflowed, which meant God kept blessing him and blessing him, even when others attacked him.

Does it sound like David was stressed out? No! He didn’t have to use up all of his energy defending himself because he trusted God to be his defender.

It takes a lot of faith and humility to rest and trust God when you’re under attack, when you’re misunderstood, when rumors are spreading about you, and when people are saying untrue things about you online. When that happens, everything in you wants to rise up and do something about it.

But you are most like Christ when you remain silent under attack. Jesus was constantly attacked, yet he never retaliated, even on his way to the cross. He remained silent before his accusers because he had entrusted himself to the care of the Father.

If you are currently under attack, take comfort in this verse:

“So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” (1 Peter 4:19 NLT).

Rick's Recipes: Easy Oven Baked Chicken

 

This oven-baked chicken dish evolved over the years, and I can’t tell you where I got it from originally.  I like this recipe because it goes well with any type of chicken: leg quarters, breasts, thighs, drumsticks, or nugget-sized pieces.  Bone-in or boneless works for me.

 

Melt some butter in the bottom of the casserole dish you will be using – and the size of your dish will depend on how large a crowd you’re feeding. Likewise, the amount of butter will vary depending on how much you need to cover the bottom of the pan.

 

While the butter is melting, get your chicken ready.  You can remove the skin or leave it on.  If you’re using boneless chicken, slice it into the sizes you want.  When I’m feeding kids, I use smaller nugget-sized pieces.  If I’m serving adults,   I slice the breasts long and thin. ( As pictured above.)

 

Then, mix up your flour and seasonings.  You’ll need flour, salt and pepper, paprika, and onion and garlic powder (optional).

 

 

Dip the chicken pieces in the flour, turning to cover; then place in the melted butter, also turning the chicken to cover it.

 

Two ways to bake this oven-baked chicken:

 

Put into a 400-degree oven and bake for one hour, turning half-way through baking.  If you want to do this ahead, you can bake it for 40 minutes and then refrigerate.  A day or two later just put your pan back into the oven and finish the 20 minutes baking time.  

 

Here’s the recipe:

 

 

Author: MyWindowsill

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: American

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  60 mins

Total time:  1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 6

 

An easy oven-baked chicken dish that is enjoyed by kids as well as adults. Season according to your taste, and you're good to go.

 

Ingredients:

 

• ¾ cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 4 chicken breasts, sliced thin (or leg quarters or chicken thighs)
• ½ cup butter
• Optional: onion and/or garlic powder - 1 Tbsp. of each

 

Instructions:

 

1.  If using chicken breasts, cut into thin slices or bite-sized pieces

2.  Melt butter in casserole dish

3.  Mix flour, salt, pepper, paprika and (optional) onion and garlic powder

4.  Dip chicken pieces into flour mixture, covering all sides

5.  Place chicken pieces into melted butter and turn, coating

6.  Bake at 400 for 60 minutes or until done, turning half-way through.

 

Friday Funnies: Merritt Heaton, Illinois Oldest Farmer Steals The Show

Merritt Heaton, Illinois Oldest Farmer Steals The Show | Carson Tonight Show Original airdate: 02/03/1988

 

The “way of a ship” from Proverbs.

 

There are three things, the writer of Proverbs says, that are amazing to him – four that he does not understand. Then he lists them, one by one. The first one is “the way of an eagle in the air.” The second one is “the way of a snake on a rock.”

 

A ship’s power

 

A ship sails into storms with the bow facing forward. It is designed for give and take as it wrestles through billows and storms. Cargo ships  try to stay well offshore when there is a major storm at sea. If the ship is too close to land, the storm can drive the ship onto the land.  Brian Anderson says:

If your ship is built correctly, . . . it’ll take the beating not by force, but by a calculated give and take.

Any massive seafaring ship worth its weight in salt is designed to flex through rough waters—. . . maritime engineers and architects who build these things  . . . [do so by] . . . calculations to allow big ships to twist slowly side to side like a sea snake on Ativan, and also bow up and down (this is what’s known as hog and sag.) If not for these applied mathematicals, the vessels would literally snap apart.

A ship is built to withstand the tempests it meets. It is built to transport passengers and cargo from one shore to another. Sometimes a ship is built for the purpose of defense or protection. No matter its purpose, it must be built to withstand the waves on the oceans. When it glides across smooth waters or moves in rhythm with turbulence, it is a sight of beauty.

 

The way of a ship on high seas

High seas are international bodies of salt water without jurisdiction of specific countries and shores. The water is open, free, and continually moving with the ebb and flow of the tides. The way of a ship on high seas is to slice through oceans of depth, moving from one continent or country to another. It involves transfer and time. The way of a ship on high seas is to bend and move with the waves, whether they be turbulent or calm. The ship is not changed by the storms or the calm; it merely responds without flexing resistance, riding out the storms. This is how it is sustained.

Learning from a ship on high seas

Ships are designed and built to charter waters, no matter how soft or strong the gale. Ships are designed to flex through turbulence, remaining unbroken. There is power in the way the ship is built – and even more power in the way it handles itself during turbulence, using its design to move in sync with the storm instead of against the storm. We are designed to withstand turbulence because our Maker is our sustainer.

Our purpose is to continue to move through chartered or unchartered waters without breaking because we bend with the wind and come out strong. By keeping the bow facing forward into the storm, we remain strong. Our course is set by the Word of God. When we follow that course, we remain safe.

Originally Posted HERE 

 

You don’t just lose someone once.

 

You lose them when you close your eyes each night.

And as you open them each morning.

You lose them throughout the day.

An unused coffee cup.

An empty chair.

A pair of boots no longer there.

You lose them as the sun sets.

And darkness closes in.

 

You lose them as you wonder why.

Staring at a star lit sky.

You lose them on the big days.

Anniversaries.

Birthdays.

Graduations.

Holidays.

Weddings.

And the regular days too.

You lose them in the ordinary.

Paperwork.

Household chores.

Routines taken for granted.

You lose them in the familiar.

A song they used to sing.

The scent of their cologne.

A slice of their favorite pie.

You lose them in conversations you will never have.

And all the words unsaid.

You lose them in all the places they’ve been.

And all the places they longed to go.

You lose them in what could have been.

And all the dreams you shared.

You lose them as you pick up the broken pieces.

And begin your life anew.

You lose them when you realize.

This is your new reality.

They are never coming back.

No matter how much 

You miss them or

Need them.

No matter how hard you pray.

They are gone.

And you must go on.

Alone.

You lose them as the seasons change.

The snow blows.

The flowers blossom.

The grass grows.

The leaves fall.

You lose them again and again.

Day after day.

Month after month.

Year after year.

Time marches on, carrying them further and further way.

You lose them as your hair whitens and your body bends with age.

Your memory fades.

And the details begin to blur.

Their face stares back at you from a faded photograph.

Someone you used to know.

You think you might have loved them once.

Long ago.

Back then.

When you were whole.

You don’t just lose someone once.

You lose them every day.

Over and over again.

For the rest of your life. 

Source:   Monica Bobbitt

24 Quotes on Practicing Compassion

The words "sympathy," "empathy," and "compassion" are often used interchangeably, but each has a distinct meaning. Sympathy is feeling sorry that someone is going through a hard time, or sending a card to show them they’re in our thoughts.

 

Empathy takes us a step closer to our fellow humans by allowing us to understand and share in their emotions: to flinch at a skinned knee or sniffle at a sentimental commercial.

 

Compassion, meanwhile, is that sense of shared experience coupled with the desire to do something to help alleviate the pain. Compassion doesn’t just flinch at a child’s skinned knee; it rushes to find a SpongeBob Squarepants Band-Aid.

 

 

Taking action to help others is the heart of compassion, and if you keep an eye out, you’ll find plenty of ways to offer kindness to those around you. Hold the door for someone. Surrender the last jar of pickles at the grocery store. Lend an ear to someone who needs to talk. These discrete acts of kindness can change a person’s whole day — which can, in turn, inspire them to be a little kinder to those around them.

 

 

Compassion not only makes us happier as individuals, but also has a tendency to get passed along, making the world just a little bit brighter for all of us who live here.

 

 

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

                                                       — Dalai Lama

 

 

You cannot do kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.     — Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.     — Maya Angelou

 

 

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.                                      — Lao Tzu

 

 

Having compassion starts and ends with having compassion for all those unwanted parts of ourselves.
                                                       — Pema Chödrön

 

 

Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty.       — Albert Einstein

 

 

I’ve been searching for ways to heal myself, and I’ve found that kindness is the best way.  — Lady Gaga

 

 

Practice kindness all day to everybody and you will realize you’re already in heaven now.  — Jack Kerouac

 

 

All I'm saying is, kindness don't have no boundaries.
                  ― Kathryn Stockett, author of “The Help”

 

 

A kind and compassionate act is often its own reward.
                                               — William John Bennett

 

 

I prefer you to make mistakes in kindness than work miracles in unkindness.                 ― Mother Teresa

 

 

Kindness is the only service that will stand the storm of life and not wash out. It will wear well and will be remembered long after the prism of politeness or the complexion of courtesy has faded away.
                                                      — Abraham Lincoln

 

 

The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.
                                                       ― Mahatma Gandhi

 

 

Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.              — Jackie Chan

 

 

Compassion is about giving all the love that you’ve got.
                                                            — Cheryl Strayed

 

 

Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
                                                            — Desmond Tutu 

 

 

Kindness is the light that dissolves all walls between souls, families, and nations.
                 — Paramahansa Yogananda, Hindu monk

 

 

Kindness, I’ve discovered, is everything in life.
         ― Isaac Bashevis Singer, writer and Nobel laureate

 

 

If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.                                          — Dolly Parton

 

 

In compassion, when we feel with the other, we dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and we put another person there.      — Karen Armstrong, author

 

 

Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle.                      — Charles Glassman, author

 

 

Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.                   — Jackie Chan

 

 

The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion.
                                    — Richard Feynman, physicist

 

 

Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.                — Princess Diana

 

Here I am Send Me

 

God called to him….And he said, "Here I am." --Exodus 3:4

"Moses’ reply to God revealed that he knew where he was and that he was ready.  Readiness means having a right relationship to God and having the knowledge of where we are.  We are so busy telling God where we would like to go.  Yet the man or woman who is ready for God and His work is the one who receives the prize when the summons comes." --Oswald Chambers, 'My Utmost for His Highest'

To quickly lay out the life of Moses, he was born in Egypt to Hebrew slaves, adopted by Pharaoh's daughter and raised as a prince of Egypt, Then he committed murder and was exiled, either self-imposed as if running for his life or sent into the wilderness by Pharaoh as a sentence.  Scholars estimate Moses was about 40 years in Egypt, 40 years in Midian tending the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro and 40 years leading the tribes of Israel out of bondage and through the wilderness.  Moses did not live to see the Promised Land, as was the original goal.

So Moses is an old man of around 80 when God appears to him on the "back side of the desert" in the form of a burning bush.  Was he ready for the task to which God was about to call him?  Well, yes AND no.  Yes, Moses was ready to listen and, despite some specific objections, willing to act on God's instructions.  And no, he wasn't ready at all,; he was a diamond-in-the-rough and, like a moving car is easier to steer than one sitting still, God began to work miracles through this flawed and sort-of-willing man.

It was a little over thirty years ago when God began appearing to me with some regularity.  The idea of going into ministry was not even something I would have considered, in fact I'm sure I'd have laughed in their face if someone had suggested anything like that.  I was a detective and struggling in a failing marriage--my own version of the back side of some desert.

Trying to improve my relationship with my first wife, I would periodically attend mass with her and interested myself in things that interested her.  She inquired about a youth program called "Teens Encounter Christ," or TEC, that she had attended as a youth in New York state, whether that program or something similar existed locally.  The closest one was operated within the diocese in Kansas City, MO and we involved ourselves in it.

I was not Catholic, but they weren't so awash in volunteers so as to exclude me from participation.  Like Moses, I was ready, but not, and God drew me near to this burning bush, not to ordain me in His service, but to deepen my curiosity and willingness to respond to Him.  And, like Moses, I had objections, I had flaws, I had issues.  I don't know if I was a diamond, but I was certainly in the rough.

TEC, obviously, was not the panacea for my marital problems and the marriage dissolved a year or so later, but that didn't undo what God had started in me, AND He was not done with me.  And, before you ask, my appetite for God was not consistent throughout that time, but THAT did not dissuade Him either.

As Chambers suggests above, I knew where I was and, when I was ready, God appeared to me as a different sort of burning bush.  Whether or not you FEEL like you know where you are, you do--know, that is.  You know in your gut where you are even if your heart is all over the place, twisting in the shifting winds of life.  What's more, in spite of your fickle emotions, GOD knows exactly where you are and when you're ready to take notice of a burning bush, to peak your curiosity, to draw you nearer and make you evermore into what He created you to be from the beginning.

You are NOT too far gone.  You are NOT too old, or too broken, or too stubborn, or too . . . anything.  Wherever you are, God comes to YOU.  He meets you where you are and He will invite you, over and over, as many times as it takes, to trust Him to give you the life you've always wanted.  You can refuse His offer, but that doesn't mean He'll go away.  The road to Him is ALWAYS open and HE is the one who travels it to get to YOU.

You might think God is concealing something from you, or denying you something you want.  He's not telling you "No" necessarily.  More likely He's saying, "Come closer, I want to show you something."  When your burning bush appears, be ready, because it may appear at first to be uninviting, but it might well be the change you've been hoping for.