February 18, 2004 V2N8
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I missed two library days and so was driving here today with nothing on board for R4A. I would have to start from scratch wasn't real cheery on the chances something would be in the Inbox I could use.
I picked up my snail mail en route here and wouldn't you know...a big fat envelope with all sorts of stuff in it. No return address. Thank U Lord and please drop a special blessing on the anonymous contributer.
The rest of you, enjoy this issue.
A Perfect Mistake
Mother's father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some crates for the clothers his church was sending to some orphanage in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. When he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what happened--the glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China!
The Great Depression was at its height and Grandpa had six children. He had spent $20 for those glasses that very morning. He was upset by the thought of having to buy another pair. "It's not fair," he told God as he drove home in frusteration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to Your work, and now this."
Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him in China, so he came to speak one Sunday at my grandfather's small church in Chicago. The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting the orphanage. "But most of all," he said, "I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I was experiencing headaches every day. So my coworkers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on top."
The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued, "Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that." The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they thought, for there were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas. But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
--Anonymous
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What I Ask
I do not ask for mighty words to leave the crowd impressed,
But grant my life may ring so true my neighbor shall be blessed.
I do not ask for influence to sway the multitude;
Give me a 'word in season' for the one in solitude.
I do not ask to win the great--God grant they may be saved!
Give me the broken sinner, Lord, by Satan long enslaved.
Though words of wisdom and power rise easily to some,
Give me a simple message, Lord, that bids the sinner come.
~Unknown
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Prayer & Praise Update on Krystal Yoder
Just a note to let you know that the Yoders are making plans to head for Minneapolis and our next appointment with Dr. Boyle on Tuesday. We are planning to leave the Bemidji area around 9:00 a.m. in order to arrive in the Cities with plenty of time to find the "hard to find" University Hospital which has numerous buildings on both sides of the Mississippi River. If the doctor feels that Krystal is strong enough to take the trip to PA and in OK with her having her next blood check in PA, then we will probably head on east the next morning. If he doesn't, then ????? Those plans are very arbitrary yet.
We continue to be blessed by your love, prayers and concern. Words cannot express our deep gratitude for how the Body of Christ has upheld us before the Lord during these days. Psalm 37 has spoken so clearly to us for the immediate future. Fret Not. Our Abba Father is in control. We trust His judgement and love as we look to the future.
Your prayers while we meet with the doctors and while traveling would be greatly appreciated. We continue to call out to the Father for Krystal's complete healing.
God bless you all,
Val (forward by Doug Mast)
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Word Study
Cross; 4716: stauros; a stake or post (as set upright) i.e. (spec.) a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment); fig. exposure to death, i.e. self denial by impl. the atonement of Christ:--cross
Appears 28 times in the Bible, all in the NT. 6 times in reference to man’s cross (Matt. 10:38, 16:24; Mark 8:34, 10:21; Luke 9:23, 14:27), 22 times in reference to Christ’s cross—which He carried (Matt. 27:32, Luke 23:26, John 19:17), which another man carried (Mark 15:21), where He was taunted (Matt. 27:40, 42; Mark 15:30, 32), where our sins were nailed (Col. 2:14), where a title was nailed (John 19:19), where His mother stood by (John 19:25), where a man could not be left overnight (John 19:31), which can be made of no effect by wisdom of words (1 Cor. 1:17), the preaching of it is considered foolishness by some (1 Cor. 1:18), we can expect persecution for it (Gal. 5:11, 6:12), the only thing worth glorying in (Gal. 6:14), which unifies the body of God (Eph. 2:16), where Jesus went willingly (Phil. 2:8, Heb.12:2), which has enemies (Phil. 3:18), and which reconciles all things unto Him through His blood (Col. 1:20).
Wow, The Cross does a lot of things I haven’t noticed before. From the ultimate death sentence it gives ultimate life. Only Jesus can do something like that—life-taker to life-giver. Does it every day. Thank You, Lord.
Due to illness in the Pilgrim family, this issue’s word study was written by Jamie Scharf.
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Church Signs
1. There was a church that had problems with outsiders parking in its parking lots, so they put up a sign:
CHURCH CAR PARK - FOR MEMBERS ONLY
Trespassers will be baptized!
2. "No God - No Peace. Know God - Know Peace."
3. "Free Trip to heaven. Details Inside!"
4. "Try our Sundays. They are better than
Baskin Robbins."
~submitted by April Pilgrim
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Point2Ponder
In a mountain village in Europe a long time ago, a nobleman wondered what gift he could present to his townspeople. At last he decided to build them a church. No one saw the complete plans for the church until it was finished. When the people gathered, they marvelled at it's beauty. Then someone asked,"But where are the lamps? How will it be lighted?" The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls. then he gave them each family a lamp, asking them to bring these with them each time they came to worship.
"Each time you are in church, the area where you are seated will be lighted," the nobleman said. "Each time you are not here, that area will be dark. this is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God's house will be dark."
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Selected Sayings
1. There's plenty of room at the top, but there's no place to sit down.
2. The Christian life is not an imitation but a reproduction of Christ's. -VanDyke
3. What right have I to make everyone in the house miserable because I am miserable? Troubles must come to all, but troubles need not be wicked, and it is wicked to be a destroyer of happiness. -Amelia E. Barr
4. The devil has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all.
Smiley
A collector of rare books ran into an acquaintance who told him he had just thrown away an old Bible that he found in a dusty, old box. He happened to mention that Guten-somebody-or-other had printed it.
"Not Gutenberg?" gasped the collector.
"Yes, that was it!"
"You idiot! You've thrown away one of the first books ever printed. A copy recently sold at auction for half a million dollars!"
"Oh, I don't think this book would have been worth anything close to that much," replied the man. "It was scribbled all over in the margins by some guy named Martin Luther."
Thanks to all of you who read and contributed to this issue! If you have anything that might be of interest to R4A, please email it to ready4anything_2003@yahoo.com. Right now I especially need more participation in the Verse of the Week section. And anything else you have, I'd love to see.
The website is at www.oocities.org/ready4anything_2003. If you have thoughts or comments on how it can be improved, let me know.
God bless your day, and have a great 2004!
Staff: Editor in Chief: Jesus Christ
Assistant editors: Jamie Scharf & April Pilgrim
Website Coodinator: Joshua Champagne
Columninst: April Pilgrim
Contributers: Jamie Scharf
April Pilgrim
Douglas Mast