Prayer is that beautiful English word – the Biblical word that offers us spiritual nourishment: “In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief and oft escaped the tempter’s snare, By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.”

A February 8th newspaper article took me back to Ethiopia and a desert road across the Great Rift Valley. Millions of years ago, the earth was torn here and had left a deep canyon. In the 1940s, Italian engineers built this road that breached the canyon wall, crossed the floor, and ascended the opposite wall. They had placed prayer shrines on either side of the canyon walls, a place to cool the brakes, have a drink of water, and thank God for your very life!

Dennis McConaty, a recovering alcoholic, had the vision to build a prayer stop near one of the metro area’s busiest traffic corners, where more than 19,000 cars pass each day.  This came to fulfillment, and passersby left notes, “Cancer spreading, please pray.” “Help me off heroin addiction,” “I am homeless, pray that I find a job.” The 8′ by 12′ shack became a fixture for prayer to those in distress; people entered and prayed silently for help and comfort from God and then, refreshed, went on with their daily lives.

Anything out of the ordinary in today’s world seems to have a short shelf life. Five days after the prayer stop opened, McConaty’s church received phone calls from people familiar with his past. He failed to reveal that he was listed in the county’s sex offender registry. The county detective and the church agreed that Dennis, 62, had made a clean break with his past, but the detective said that he worked on the premise that “once a sex offender, always a sex offender.” So now, the prayer stop will be closed for some undetermined date in the future.

At a church we once attended, it became known that one of our returning visitors was a homosexual. Imagine this! We who represent the church exist for the purpose of reaching sinners, and one walks in off the street. He had AIDS, and members were concerned. But not for long; he was found murdered in his apartment, probably for a small lottery winning.

Saul of Tarsus persecuted Christians to the point that they were delivered in chains and suffered unto death for believing that Jesus was the Christ, the son of God. Saul (Paul) was converted and baptized, but fellow Christians were anxious about his past. (Acts 9:26)

The Scriptures abound with help and encouragement for us to leave behind our old nature and look forward to our wealth in our God. He is our everything! Martin Luther summed it up by writing, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

In I Peter 5:7-8: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Let’s close with a verse from #922 (Songs of FAITH and PRAISE)

I HEAR THE SAVIOR SAY, “THY STRENGTH INDEED IS SMALL; CHILD OF WEAKNESS, WATCH AND PRAY, FIND IN ME, THINE ALL IN ALL. JESUS PAID IT ALL, ALL TO HIM I OWE; SIN HAD LEFT A CRIMSON STAIN, HE WASHED IT WHITE AS SNOW.

The day had been busy and very rewarding.  Uriel’s talent with wood had finally begun to pay off with work that took several days to complete.  The latest was to start repairs on one of the Jerusalem city gates.  The advance of money for materials had enabled him to hire an extra man to help with hewing the rough wood before placement.  Sunup till sundown was about all the body could stand.  Uriel smiled when he saw his young son and daughter run to meet him.  Ezra and Naomi liked to be around the shop but were never allowed inside during the busy hours of the day.

There was always plenty of wood chips and bits of leftover lumber to grace the home fire.  Days were very hot but could be chilly after dark.  Yes, they were having fun hurrying about the shop, sweeping and tossing cedar bits at each other.  Life was good.  Uriel’s wife, Mary, had never felt better.  She had overcome her illness of several months.  She was near collapse one day, and the next day, she was humming about the house.  Busy with the shop’s work, he had never asked and was never told if the doctors had found a cure for her mysterious sickness.  Yes, God was good to his family, and Uriel thought that he should offer up the proper sacrifices at the temple to express his thanks for all their blessings, but why, at the moment, are soldiers at the door?

“Uriel, the carpenter?” asked the soldier in charge.

“Yes, I am he. ”

“I have been sent to ask you to prepare three crosses to be used on the morrow to crucify two thieves and a condemned man.” The soldier’s stare told Uriel it would be done without question.

Uriel did not know why his shop had been singled out for this odious task, a waste of energy and time.  “Yes, I will do my best. I think I have some rough timbers that can be sawed and nailed together within a few hours.” He would have contributed to ridding the area of criminals.

“Sergeant, may I ask who the third man is?”

“Carpenter Uriel, the man is the Nazarene who preaches that he is the son of the Jew’s God, known as Jesus by his followers.”  The soldiers left.

“Ezra, would you help your father bring back one of the workers?  We may have to burn the oil lamps into the night to finish this extra work.”  The son was glad to help his father with the important task.

Uriel felt a tug on his arm. It was tiny Naomi, upset and close to tears.

“Father, the man Jesus is the one who helped mother.  She got through the crowd at the market and pulled on his robe.  Jesus turned and saw her and healed her.”

“Naomi, are you sure ?”  Uriel had never known his daughter to bend the truth.

“I am sure I was right behind Mother and saw him.  The touch of his clothing healed her.  Isn’t there anything we can do?”

Uriah was not sure what he could do. “Jacob, do we still have the extra cedar logs we smoothed for my house? Please bring those out and make sure that there is not one splinter or rough edge to be found on them. I don’t wish to add to this man’s pain by making a small, wide footrest. (This may have happened.)

“And when they had mocked Him, they took off the purple from Him and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. And they compel one Simon, a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross.” (Mark 15:20,21)

It’s a Wednesday 5 o’clock morning, I am a few miles into the 35 miles drive to sort historic maps at the U.S. Geological Survey at Reston, Virginia.  A pit stop was necessary to purchase a muffin and a newspaper because the bumper-to-bumper traffic was doing over 75 mph downhill when I pulled to the outside lane and into the 7-11 parking lot.  I jumped out of the car, made the selections, and then waited to pay.  I said to the man in front of me, “I wish this line would hurry up; I’m running third.”This drew a few chuckles.

Meanwhile, the world’s largest optical telescope in South Africa’s Great Karoo desert is searching beyond the galaxies to the edge of the Big Bang.  A project, the GIANT EAR, powered by the world’s largest EVEREDDY battery, is to come online at any moment now.  If there is life out there, this will surely do the trick and can be picked up on the FM dial at 93.35 Megahertz.

Yes!! Yes!! we are receiving a signal from the Crab Nebula! (Our connection to the optical Karoo scope will give us pictures and sound. Let’s Listen in!

KKROCK HAD ORBITED INTO THE LOCAL CRAB WAWA.  HE HAS PARKED A PINK 2050 UGO WITH FINNED TWIN TURBOS. (The speed of light has put the UGO factory years ahead of us.) KKROCK RUSHES INSIDE TO GRAB A CHOCOYUM-COVERED CARBON BAR AND SNATCHES A LARGE STELLERBUCKS WITH TRIPLE SIPS. “COULD YOU HURRY IT UP A LIGHT YEAR OR SO? I’M RUNNING THIRD. I AM LATE FOR MY JOB AT THE SIRRUS RED DWARF WALMART!”

“NOT TO WORRY, ” SAYS THE MANAGER, “BUT I NOTICED THAT ONE OF YOUR TURBOS IS ACTING SLUGGISHLY.  HAVE YOU TRIED OUR NEW FUEL?”

“NO, FOR MILLENIUMS, I HAVE USED ONLY XREG,” REPLIED KKROCK.

“WELL! WELL! DO I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR ALL YOU XREG USERS?  SWITCH TO A FULL CHARGE OF XLAX FOR A SHOOTING START AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY ORBIT.  SOME OF OUR CUSTOMERS ARE NOW CONVINCED THAT ONLY XLAX WILL DO THE TRICK TO PUT THEM AHEAD OF THE CRAB NEBULA GRIDLOCKS. OLDER TURBOS MAY REQUIRE XLAXLITE.  MY! MY! WHEN WILL ALL THIS RUSHING END!!” THE MANAGER HAD A SMILE ON ALL OF HIS THREE HEADS BECAUSE HE HAD MADE ANOTHER CUSTOMER HAPPY!

(Stay tuned for what happens when the Karoo Scope & GIANT EAR finds KKROCK filling the wife’s UGO with ……losing contact….must get new EVEREDDY battery…)

Why are we in such a hurry?  Even the microwave oven is too slow!!!

 I’m in a hurry to get things done
Oh, I rush and rush until life’s no fun
 All I really gotta do is live and die
But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why
(from the ALABAMA group)

An Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn and follow me.” So the watchman reported, saying, “He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!” (2 Kings 9:19, 20)

Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

The U.S. military is faced with low supplies of ammunition.  New small arms require shells of various sizes, along with the popular WWII 50-caliber.  During the Vietnam War, we needed over 500,000 million rounds.  Present-day training needs, peacekeeper efforts, and the ongoing Iraq war now demand at least 2 billion rounds to maintain strict military standards. (ARMS TRADE, TIME.COM)

One of the main factories located in Missouri is running three shifts.  Bullets are being purchased from Canada, South Korea, and Israel (these are used for training and not in Iraq).  These purchases are aimed to head off a shortfall for the frontline troops and the Iraq army.

Who would have guessed that terrorism would be our next war?  After Vietnam, most major munitions factories were closed.  It was thought that supply depots would answer all our needs at various world points.  These have turned out to be too small and far from the trouble spots.  Politicians are partly to blame for saying that it was peacetime and small wars did not count. Comedians blame it on Hillary.  Building new plants takes years, and a short war could be over before these factories are ready.

Man has come a long way from the days of stone axes and slingshots.  The arm was the power of ancient armies.  Metal weapons and catapults were major inventions.  When gunpowder was invented, a new arms race began.  We now require warplanes, aircraft carriers, bombs of all sizes, and smart guided missiles.  When this fails, the nuclear-headed monster rises with its total annihilation threat.

When will it all end?

I really don’t need to write to you about how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters.  2)For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 3)When people are saying, “All is well; everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman’s birth pains begin when her child is about to be born. And there will be no escape. ( I Thessalonians 5:1-3)

King David’s great sin was to find out the number of those in his army. (II Samuel chapter 24)

The Lord told Gideon that with 300 hundred men, the mighty Midianite army would be defeated. (Judges chapter 8)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  (Proverbs  3:5,6 – )

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children… This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.- Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in a speech on April 16, 1953

YOU ARE MY HIDING PLACE, YOU ALWAYS FILL MY HEART WITH SONGS OF DELIVERANCE;  WHEN EVER I AM AFRAID, I WILL TRUST IN YOU. LET THE WEAK SAY, “I AM STRONG IN THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD.” (#441, Songs of FAITH and PRAISE)

You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble. (Psalm 32:7)

It can happen again. Before you can turn around, the year is half gone. We’ve braved the snows of a different winter and survived the abundance of God-blessed rains. When you think there’s nothing new, along comes windy, gusty days that test the roof shingles and shake the trees. I finally gave up the thought of roto-tilling a muddy garden and went to my Claude Davis cotton hoe to set out the tomato plants. Brother Claude was in his nineties when I last saw him at the family garage sale – they were moving farther south. He could still be called on at a minute’s notice to pray and draw us closer to God. He had served as an elder.  I may have to call on the cotton hoe with its homemade cedar handle to finish the rest of my backyard flower bed.

Upon first examination, I found that my hoe is not the most attractive implement in my outdoor tool shed. Yet, it has faithfully served a basic function for many years. Its early life helped to provide food and clothing for Brother Davis’s family. It is well-balanced and easy on the hands and arms. Its narrow width easily finds and strikes weeds and grass around your precious vegetables. I have bought an imitation in a local hardware store, but I always go back to my time-tested servant with its sweat-stained wooden handle. The new hardware model only likes well-tilled soil and is very good at raising a blister on your hand.

We hear so much about  “What the world needs…!!”. Well, maybe it needs more of these excellent little hoes I found on a hot summer day at a fellow brethren’s garage sale and someone to say, “Let’s go work in the garden till dark.”

“The Lord bless thee (Brother Claude), and keep thee: The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Number 6:24-26)

Song: I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds
hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” (Isaiah 43:18)

Our world moves very fast, and gardens have mostly disappeared. Shopping at grocery stores and avoiding sweat and strain on the back seems easy. Farms have changed, and those who know animals and grains are very few. Industrial farming uses big machines. Through prayer and spiritual growth, we can more easily put our past behind us and move forward to achieve the great things God has planned for us. ANON

Soap operas live on strifes, medical problems, deaths and accidents; real living mimics of these human difficulties.

Beck Weathers, 49, joined an expedition to climb Mt. Everest. A freak storm hit Everest catching dozens on the south face, eight died. Weathers almost made it back, collapsing in the snow. A Canadian climber found him half-buried in the snow, breaking the ice off his face. He Lives!

Kris Thompson was celebrating a wedding anniversary in the Grand Bahama Island. Kris was swimming 200 feet out in the ocean when something grabbed his left leg. He yelled and beat on the shark that just had attacked him. Released, he swam to shore and woke up in a Miami hospital, minus his entire left leg. He lives!

Joan Murray, a skydiver, leaped from the plane at 4,500 feet. The parachute never opened. At 80 miles per hour, she hit a fire ant hill. By the time paramedics arrived, she had been stung more than 200 times. Doctors think that the stings kept her heart beating. She is now limping back to work. She lives!

In past farm days, my father used horses and mules to work the fields. He advised me to always be cautious of animals, which may try to kill you for some reason or other. Peter Beard, an animal photographer, should have known about these words of wisdom. He saw it as his mission to document the ongoing starvation of thousands of African elephants. His work went well. Elephants usually trumpet a warning to stay back. A matriarch elephant chose to charge while Beard was clicking away. The crushed pelvis and ribs are now a part of his medical history. He lives.

PEOPLE Magazine: compiled AMAZING STORIES OF SURVIVAL (Tales of Hope, Heroism & Astounding Luck). These individuals survived imaginable unprogrammed accidents, tragedies ever to happen on planet earth. Their lives were interrupted. Many think it was for a larger purpose or maybe just the time to stop and “smell the roses”; Others decided it was time for a change in the game of life. A small number picked up where their lives had stopped; they went back to skydiving, boat trips, and mountain climbing. All felt that life was sweeter. They live!

At about noon, darkness fell across the entire land. Lasting until three o’clock that afternoon. Then Jesus called out with a loud voice. “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” Some thought that He was calling for the prophet Elijah. So one man ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and held it up to Him on a stick. “Let’s see if Elijah will come and take Him down!” he said. Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and dismissed His spirit. (Mark 15:33-37)

I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today; I know that He is living, whatever man may say; I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, And just the time I need Him He’s always near.

HE LIVES, HE LIVES, CHRIST JESUS LIVES TODAY, HE WALKS WITH ME AND TALKS WITH ME ALONG LIFE’S NARROW WAY.

HE LIVES, SALVATION TO IMPART! YOU ASK ME HOW I KNOW HE LIVES. HE LIVES WITHIN MY HEART. (Sacred Hymn Selections)