November 12, 2003 V2N1
Welcome to the first birthday edition of R4A! As you should notice this issue is bigger than normal. Thanks to everyone who contributed!
Following are two articles--the first one (as you can deduce from the title) is about being single--which most of us are at this time of our lives. The article is geared toward girls but I suggest you guys should read it anyway. It should prove a real blessing.
The second article--What's Love? is a refreshing view from a younger viewpoint. And then we also have two very good poems and other items in this issue. Enjoy!
Singleness is a Blessing
Singleness is a blessing and not a curse. As your Father I am longing to show you My heart and watch you grow in Me and become more like your brother Jesus. I planned this time just for us to be together. I have called you away from all your crutches and I have separated you unto Myself, away from home, the past and even your family. You see I want to develop our relationship. I want so badly to show you My love and let you get caught up in My presence. How I wish you would wake up happy and rejoicing in each new day that I have given you and just wondering what adventures or expectations I have planned for today. I wish you could understand that everything I have I would give to you. You and I have the whole world as our playground. But the one thing I wish most of all is that you cherished these moments alone with Me as much as I cherish them. Because, you see, I know one day I will have to release part of you to another man. Yes, this man will be the one I chose and set apart for you, because I want to bless you. But also to give you a small example of love, commitment and the relationship I want to have with all of My children. Yes, My child, that day is coming as I promised you, but oh, can’t we cherish these last short moments that I have prepared just for us! Yes, marriage is wonderful and it is a gift from Me, but so is singleness. Singleness is a time of separation, but also a time of learning to be strengthened and fulfilled only in Me. I have longed for these days when we would be alone together and I could each you the meaning of true love and intimacy. But as much as I would like to keep you all to Myself, I am not being selfish in this period, because you have to be fulfilled in Me alone and see Me as the one to meet your every need. I love you too much to give you a blessing too early because I know it will then become a curse. I wish you could see how precious these moments are. I don’t want you to look back at this time with regret. That is why I am revealing, even now, a part of My heart to you. I want you to treasure each moment we have alone, so in the future you won’t have to grieve over the lost days of joy and happiness I wanted us to have. Yes, your particular husband is out there and it won’t be long before I bring the promises to pass, but I want us to delight in and cherish every minute I made just for us. You see, I know the day is coming when I will have to face the hurt of every father. When he walks the woman that he recalls as a helpless little girl down the long church aisle to five away the hand that grew so quickly from child to the woman now by his side. As a father and daughter be in hand in hand down that aisle, they will always treasure those last special moments when the father gives away his little girl’s hand to become the wife of another man. That is the road we are on, we are on the aisle to the alter, but oh I cling to every last moment that I have you completely by My side! I am that father, and I see the alter approaching ever so quickly. I just with these moments were as special to you. My heart is grieved for it seems you are running towards the altar, content to let Me creep slowly behind. Don’t run away from this time. I could have given you a husband a long time ago, but I wanted to get to know this young woman that its seems you became overnight. Won’t you rejoice in these moments with Me. My child, I am your father and I love you with a love beyond what you can believe. I would love to keep you in My lap here forever, but I know that wouldn’t be best for you. You see, it was even My love that birthed this desire for marriage in you. I loved you so much that I wanted to give you an example of that in the flesh (someone that would physically be there to hug you, because you longed to feel My loving arms but they weren’t there in the flesh. I wiped away the tears when you wanted so badly to audibly here My voice whisper, “I love you”. I felt the pain when you needed a loving smile to Melt all those fears away.). I am the answer and solution to every one of those needs, but My love is strong enough to send you someone in the flesh that I can also love you through. So don’t be sad or discouraged when you see others getting married. Don’t think that I am making you wait because you are a hopeless case. I am trying to straighten you out, maybe I just wanted you all to Myself a little longer. Maybe I wanted to birth more of My heart in you and draw you closer to Myself. Just remember I see the future and I know the day is coming when I will share you with another, so please don’t run away from these days in search of greener grass. I planned this time just for us. Oh, how I want you to enjoy My company!
I love you,
Your Father, God
In His time, in His time, He makes all things beautiful, in His time.
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What's Love?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4
"Love is when a puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other. " Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen," Bobby - age 7
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you ," Nikka - age 6
"There are two kinds of love. Our love and God's love. But God makes both kinds of them." Jenny - age 8
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7
"Love is like when a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore," Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget," Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."
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Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree
The tree of life my soul hath seen,
Laden with fruit and always green:
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree.
I'm weary with my former toil,
Here I will sit and rest awhile:
Under the shadow I will be,
Of Jesus Christ the apple tree.
His beauty doth all things excel:
By faith I know, but ne'er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.
This fruit doth make my soul to thrive,
It keeps my dying faith alive;
Which makes my soul in haste to be
With Jesus Christ the apple tree.
For happiness I long have sought,
And pleasure dearly I have bought:
I missed of all; but now I see
'Tis found in Christ the apple tree.
Anonymous
collection of Joshua Smith
New Hampshire
1784
~submitted by Dakota Saukel
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On Nov. 3, 2003, Lorraine, my mother, left this world behind.
ETERNITY
By Sara Anne Kane
The "passing on" of a loved one
Is never easy to see
But how wonderful it is to know
When we talk on bended knees
That the Lord doeth All things well!
He is perfect
And all His ways are just,--
To follow Him,--
This is an absolute Must
And nothing else will satisfy.
From beginning to end
Our life is brief,--
When our journey's done,--
There is relief
As our bodies return to dust.
Let us believe and trust
And be assured
That our souls will live on
In the realms of eternity,--
Whether in heaven or hell.
The Lord Jesus is our Redeemer and King
And because of this
We shall forever sing.
In the halls of heaven,--
Down the corridors of time
I am His and He is mine.
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Verse of the Week
The church our family attends has been studying the book of James together. This book contains many promises concerning faith. One of them that stood out to me was in James 1:3,4. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
~Joshua Champagne
" Enter ye in at the strait gate : for wide is the gate and broad is the way , that leadeth to destruction , and many there be which go in thereat : because strait is the gate , and narrow is the way , which leadeth unto life , and few there be which find it ." Matthew 7 :13-14
A wise evangelist once stated " there are few that choose the narrow way , and even fewer that choose it with their whole heart " . I used to think that this verse referred to salvation , but as I have studied it this week , I think it also refers to making it a part of our thoughts and decisions . It is a temptation to borrow the world's mindset of a broad way , and think that freedom is when we are the one in charge , rejecting the narrow way where Christ is on the throne . Freedom is when we are no longer slaves to ourselves . It is really hard to condense all I've discovered about this verse into a small space (!) , but the more I've thought on it the more I have realized that choosing the narrow way is a decision we need to make each day we live in the world , to not be of it .
~Megan Bousfield
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Prayer & Praise
My Dad works for the Post Office, he is Postmaster of an office 40 miles awas. We have been praying that he could get into the Post Office of Arriba ( where we live) for several years. Last friday, we found out the Arriba office was ' opening' in other words it needs a postmaster. My dad called the guy who runs things and was able to get appointed as OIC( or Officer In Charge). This will give him a very high chance of getting the this office as Postmaster. We are still amazed at how quickly God moved this and how it worked out. Also if you could all pray that my dad would get this position. Thanks!
April Rose Pilgrim, Arriba, CO.
And I would like to thank God for seeing R4A through its first year and the blessing it's been to you readers. May He be glorified! --Jamie Scharf
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Word Study
by AprilRose Pilgrim
Wherefore, come out from among them , and be ye seperate, saith the Lord....
Ye are a Chosen Generation, a Royal Priesthood, an Holy Nation, a Peculiar People; that ye sould show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. 2 Corinthians 6:17a & 1Peter 2:9
A Chosen Generation;
Chosen: elect, favorite, to select, an elect person.
Generation: kin, kindred, nation, offspring, ones own kind.
A Royal Priesthood;
Royal: sovereign, a kingly ancestry.
Priesthood: to be a priest, to perform his functions, one authorized ot perform the holy rite as a mediatory agent between man and God.
An Holy Nation:
A people that are; sacred, pure, blameless, consecrated, set apart, to the service of God,( spiritually & physically pure, morally blameless).
A Pecualiar People:
Peculiar: purachased, possession, saving, preservation, acquisition, acquire, special, belonging to one person or group, different from the usual or norm.
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldy s, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify Himself unto a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:11-14
missrosepetal84@yahoo.com please email with any suggestion, ideas or comments.
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One Liners
The good Lord didn't create anything w/out a
purpose, but mosquitoes come close.
When you get to your wit's end,
you'll find God lives there.
People are funny, they want the front of the bus,
the middle of the road, and the back of the church.
It is easier to preach 10 sermons than it is to live one.
~submitted by April Pilgrim
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Points2Ponder
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered--forgive them anyway!
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives--be kind anyway!
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies--succeed anyway!
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you--be honest and frank anyway!
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight--build anyway!
If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous--be happy anyway!
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow--do good anyway!
In the final analysis, it is between you and God--it never was between you and them anyway!
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A real Christian is an odd number, anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to Someone he cannot see, expects to go to Heaven on the virtue of another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when he feels worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passes knowledge.
~A. W. Tozer
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Selected Sayings
1. Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter. --Spurgeon
2. God writes with a pen that never blots, speaks with a tongue that never slips, and acts with a hand that never fails.
3. When it comes time to die, make sure all you have to do is die. --Jim Elliot
4. In the New Testament, faith is not contrasted with reason, but with sight.
5. Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes servicable--and most of all, fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life, while faith rejoices in God. --Henry Emerson Fosdick
6. An old writer said that some books are to be tasted, some to be swallowed, some to be chewed and digested. --D. L. Moody
7. Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company. --George Gordon Bryon
8. Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves and under a just God cannot retain it. --Lincoln
9. In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.
10. Unless you make the time to take the time, you won't have time.
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Proofreading Humor
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
~sbuttmied by Kiley Smith
(Tihs was a pian to tpye! --Jamie)
Small Town Justice
A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street. "But officer," the man said, "I can explain."
"Just be quiet!!!" snapped the officer. "...or I'm going to let you cool off in jail until the chief gets back."
"But officer, I just wanted to say...."
"And I said KEEP QUIET! Now you're going to jail!"
A few hours later, the officer checked up on his prisoner and said, "Lucky for you that the chief's at his daughter's wedding. He'll be in a good mood when he gets back."
"Don't count on it," said the man in the cell. "I'm the groom!"
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Well, thanks for reading this issue! I would like to make an announcement: The first year of R4A (issues #1 through #26) will be available on CD-ROM soon, Lord willing! Not only will you get all the issues on one CD, there will be separate catagories for articles, poems, word studies, selected sayings, and more! Price is subject to change but will most likely be $4.00 per CD (includes shipping). If you would like this handy resource or know a friend that doesn't have internet but has a computer, these will come in handy. Please send your request to: R4A, Jamie Scharf, 37953 Rio Vista Road, Springville, CA 93265.
As always, we can use more submissions for any of the catagories: articles, poems, prayer & praise, point to ponder, selected sayings, smileys, and also we've received a request that those of us that went to Youth Bible School this year could share some testimonies. Think about it! ready4anything_2003@yahoo.com.
The website is at www.oocities.org/ready4anything_2003 and hopefully will be updated soon.
God bless all of you as you continue to follow Him!
Staff: Editor in Chief: Jesus Christ
Assistant Editors: Jamie Scharf & April Pilgrim
Website Coodinator: Joshua Champagne
Columist: April Pilgrim
Contributers: April Pilgrim
Joshua Champagne
Megan Bousfield
Jamie Scharf
Dakota Saukel
Sara Anne Kane
Kiley Smith