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Our Daily Thread 8-8-14

Good Morning!

It’s Friday!!!

On this day in 1588 the Spanish Armada was defeated by the English fleet ending an invasion attempt. 

In 1876 Thomas Edison received a patent for the mimeograph. The mimeograph was a “method of preparing autographic stencils for printing.”

In 1940 the German Luftwaffe began a series of daylight air raids on Great Britain. 

In 1953 the U.S. and South Korea initiated a mutual security pact. 

And in 1990 American forces began positioning in Saudia Arabia to repel Iraqi forces in Kuwait.

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Quote of the Day

“I think I’m the first man to sit on top of the world.”

Matthew Henson

Henson, along with Robert Peary and their Eskimo guide, were the first people to reach the North Pole.                

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 Today is Mel Tillis’ birthday.

And it’s Scott Stapps’ too.

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Anyone have a QoD?

46 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 8-8-14”

  1. Morning all. Feeling tired here, so appreciate anyone who is sleeping in.
    Praises that the issue with my student is resolved and I am very relieved.
    The bridge situation is quite complex in this culture. Prayers appreciated.

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  2. It’s Friday!
    You know what that means?
    Busy day. I tested the eyes of an eighty four year old lady yesterday. It was her birthday.
    Hi Jo, but you must be racked out in bed by how. I hope so.
    Where is everyone else?

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  4. Ah, Friday! and the not-so-funnies.

    My last Friday at the cave for the summer. Mrs L and I are taking a short trip next week to see friends and perhaps visit a couple of other caves. Our only “vacation” this year.

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  5. We often talk about our Gifts of the Spirit around here and we have several who have been called to the mission field. Growing up in Christian school we often had missionaries come to chapel or to our classrooms and tell us about what they were doing and show us photos. It never failed that somewhere in one of the photos was a pot of monkey stew (you could tell). I was always afraid to give myself completely over to Christ because I SURE didn’t want to be called as a missionary (I would starve to death).
    I have often wondered what my gifts are. This morning I searched for one of those online tests to find out.
    It seems that my top three are serving, mercy, and wisdom. The description of Wisdom disturbs me.

    This is the spiritual gift where the Spirit empowers particular Christians with a supernatural understanding of God’s Word and the will to apply it to life situations.
    Insightful
    Guides with Scripture and experience

    It scares me anytime anyone has a “supernatural” ability to interpret the scripture. Perhaps I can just spot a con artist trying to feed me a line?

    All this leads to the past few days about prayer and mission. What do you feel is your gift or calling?

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  6. Kim, I have childhood memories of missionaries visiting our Sunday school classes and telling horror stories about things that had happened to people who stood up for their faith. I’m not sure that was such a good idea for young children, either.

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  8. I think you can learn a lot about what your spiritual gift are by looking backwards to the things you’ve innocently (as in not deliberately) said and done that have meant a lot to people in need.

    I’d say, based on what I know, those three are true of you. 🙂

    Good old Oswald Chambers is always warning, however, that we not lean on our own understanding or sense of who we are, but be continually open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and then rejoice when His work is displayed in you.

    OK, maybe OC didn’t say the second part quite like that, but the first was him . . . . we’ve discovered I’ve spent so much time with them, I sometimes sound like them (without the Holy Spirit leading, I think)! 🙂

    (Indeed, I spent 20 minutes trying to track down the direct quote of a letter I “wrote” for Biddy, only to discover I actually DID write the letter, with a short bit from My Utmost for His Highest. Honestly, I think I’m becoming a total bore on this subject . . . )

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  9. I’ve been busy in the kitchen making mushroom, spinach and cheese omlets for for son and myself this morning and yesterday. Also picked up some of the good coffee from Chick-fil-A to enjoy aling with O J.

    Once when son was young my brother asked if he knew who Sampson was, and son told him, “Yes; I’ve heard of O. J. Simpson.”

    Bosley just did her Merry-Go-Round chair routine. Since son has been home, she runs up behind us and momentarily wraps her legs around one of our legs and quickly lets go and runs away. It is an ambush from behind that she thinks she can get away with. This morning I gave her a slight back kick so she knows she is not entirely immune from retribution for her behavior. She was surprised. I think she started this because she did not trust if she could “attack” son from the front and get away fast enough.

    Last night we had dinner out with my brother. I found out coons had killed all of his chickens that were like pets to him. 😦 I think that made him more empathetic toward us in regards to Bosley. I was actually able to show him pictures and see him smile, and he did not make negative comments. Maybe it helped that son was there, too.

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  10. Everybody has a gift. But I’ve gone 84 years (almost) without knowing what it is.
    I have been a successful teacher for many years. (I think)
    I once thought I was called to the ministry. Even went to seminary.
    But the pulpit committees were wiser than I.
    But it worked out well for me.
    Probably for them too.
    Off to Lions.

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  12. We had a Bible study not too long ago that involved scoring in categories of gifting. I scored high in a few categories so it is hard for me to say one area in particular is my gifting. I tend to think because God is so perceptive with His timing, that He allows people to excel in one area or another as needs arise in His timing. That is, at least, for those who make themselves available for His use. If we box ourselves into one category, we may not think we can do something we can do through His empowerment at the time of His choosing. The difference is in having faith in our own ability to do what we are good at or faith in God to do something new in us. IMHO.

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  13. Along those lines, have you ever worked with someone who is totally committed to working in what is clearly outside of their area of gifting? How would you handle that?

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  14. Happy Friday! That Bosley … Never a dull moment. 🙂

    I’ve got two things I’m working on today — adding to a story about coyotes in the area and another story on the world’s largest rubber duck coming to our tall ships festival. This duck apparently is iconic in some way, made by an artist in the Netherlands. I can’t determine whether it’s 40 feet or 66 feet tall, I’ve seen both dimensions online. But this will be its West Coast debut (it was in Pittsburgh, the only other US visit) when it arrives in a couple weeks.

    I need coffee.

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  16. I feel like I’ve lost any and every gift I may have ever had. Maybe it was all just an illusion.

    Or maybe I’m gifted at attracting spiritual warfare. 😦

    Sorry for dumping…things have been kind of hard lately, and a difficult morning with special-needs son today has not helped a great deal.

    (This probably should have gone on the prayer thread.)

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  17. Kim, Cheryl, Mumsee, and Chas, thank you for all your helpful comments on my Wednesday question about high school dating and boyfriends/girlfriends. Cheryl, I was thinking along the same lines as you, but you put it into words better.

    Kim, it’s too bad BG thinks boys only want one thing. I hope she doesn’t have to wait until 30 to find out otherwise. But it’s good that she knows her own goals and is determined not to get sidetracked.

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  18. I was going to say something about the Ann Coulter piece discussed in yesterday’s thread, but everything useful that I can think of has already been said. Anything I add now would merely be venting my ire. I will never pay her any attention again.

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  19. Janice @ 11:02. That often happens when a minister tries to run the business of a church. I know most churches can’t afford an administrative minister (such as we have), but pastors need to know they are working outside their gift when managing money and business.
    The pastor we had in Falls Church was such a man. He had such a tender heart that he could have put the church in financial trouble several times, except for Ralph Ball.

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  20. 6 arrows, praying for you. I’ve felt like that too. 😮 Very hard, but God is faithful to bring us out of it. It’s a fight sometimes, though. Definitely a spiritual fight.

    Here’s an update from the doctor with ebola:

    “My wife Amber and I, along with our two children, did not move to Liberia for the specific purpose of fighting Ebola. We went to Liberia because we believe God called us to serve Him at ELWA Hospital.

    “One thing I have learned is that following God often leads us to unexpected places. When Ebola spread into Liberia, my usual hospital work turned more and more toward treating the increasing number of Ebola patients. I held the hands of countless individuals as this terrible disease took their lives away from them. I witnessed the horror firsthand, and I can still remember every face and name. … ”

    http://www.religionnews.com/2014/08/08/ebola-patient-dr-kent-brantly-releases-statement-work-liberia/

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  22. michelle, great minds think alike. Or something.

    I think of “for such a time as this” in these callings that God provides for some of His people to follow the roads less traveled. .

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  23. Thank you, Chas, for your comment. That was not the situation I had in mind, but it is relevant in that we use to have an admin minister, but that oosition got deleted and now I believe the choir director shares that function with the pastor. So I can see what you mentioned as some things get delayed in being addressed. But that was not what I was thinking of. I was thinking of a lesser position in which someone obviously lacks skill and for whatever reason will not pursue training to develop skill. What do you do about someone who drags things down, but does not see or acknowledge that they are totally unqualified to do what they have managed to get themselves involved with in ministry?

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  26. Kim, in reply to your questions, I am still not sure what my gifts and calling are. Oh, I am sure I should be in missions, probably with a medical component, but right now, beyond that – the where, how, when, and wherefore – I haven’t got a clue. Every avenue I’ve tried to pursue has landed me at a dead end and I have finally just sat down to wait for God to come along and point out the way. All that I have done so far seems to have been preparation, but I don’t know for what.

    As to the wider questions of how did I determine God’s will for me – there is no one answer. Guidance comes from little and big things, from my financial status to the sudden feeling that I should get on that bus now (that really happened once). My decision to do medical work came from a deep burning desire to help people with their health problems; my pursuit missions came from an intense love and interest in Islamic peoples – both were influenced by things I read and heard, but neither came from any clear outside source, they seemed rather to be just part of me.

    For day to day guidance, I read the Bible and pray and listen for the Spirit’s guidance. Sometimes, I seem to get direct answers, usually intense feeling that I should do this or say that, but I never assume I have received the answer from that alone. I know my feelings can be led astray – I used to feel terribly guilty for spending so much time on the World blog. I would sometimes tell myself I should not go on there ever again. I am so glad that my interest overcame my false guilt! Advice from others is important too. However, my mother also used to question my spending so much time on World. She is now glad that I persisted. So sometimes, the leading seems to happen in spite of my own better judgement 😉 😀

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  29. In the Albert Mohler post in response to Ann Coulter’s post, he wrote something that, as a budding Libertarian, puzzled me…

    “Coulter has written a very sad and infuriating article–an article that should lead to outrage in Christian circles. It reveals a radical nationalistic and libertarian worldview that is fundamentally incompatible with evangelical Christianity, with the Scripture, and with the command of Christ.”

    On Facebook, I asked former WMBer Kyle, from whom I am learning a lot about Libertarianism, about that. He wrote…

    “I think Mohler totally blew it when he wrote that.

    “I think he refers to the fact that libertarians are non-interventionist. But what that means to a libertarian is that states should not interfere in the affairs of other states. It doesn’t mean that individuals are not to help people in other countries.”

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  30. Roz ( auto correct keeps changing it). I often remind myself that we have to bloom where we are planted.

    What does it mean when a lot of red and blue shoes up on a black and whit sonogram?

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  31. Re the question of whether we can be a “missionary” locally: I’ve come to think that the concept of “missionary” is an extrabiblical distinction. We do have evangelists and pastors, but beyond that, we have people being faithful or unfaithful. And they might make shoes or physically build churches, or they might preach or they might write books. And they might raise funds or they might earn a living by what income they bring in doing a job, and they might do it locally or they might move to do it. The distinction of missionary/non-missionary isn’t necessarily helpful.

    A friend of mine (a pastor’s wife) once was wrestling with this concept when missionaries that they support came home on furlough. And as they talked about what they did all week, basically they did the same things we Americans do at home (work secular jobs, raise kids), only at some point during the week they taught a program like AWANA, which most of us do as volunteers and not as missionaries. Why, then, were they raising support? She wondered.

    If they were doing work for the poor, such as working in a hospital or building homes, where is the distinction of whether its “missions” or nonprofit work? Or where the people themselves can afford to pay for the service without American money at all? And why is it “missions” to live in an impoverished community in Africa, work a regular job, and interact with your neighbors in the evenings and weekends, but isn’t missions if you do that in America . . . unless you move to a different city?

    I think the distinction is a false one. I think all who are living faithful lives are working for Christ, but how or where they do it is secondary. And whether they raise funds, do it as a volunteer from their own resources, or charge those they help is also a secondary consideration and might vary depending on the situation. (Was I being a “tentmaker missionary” when I lived in inner-city Chicago and devoted up to 15 or 20 hours a week working with poor children, some of it officially through my church a block away and some of it simply being available to my neighbors? Does it matter what it was called? I was blessed as much as anyone by my years there, but no one “sent” me and my roommate into that neighborhood. We just saw that we could get to know the children better if we moved in among them, and she liked the idea of having a home within walking distance of the teenagers among whom she was doing an internship for church.)

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  32. A former pastor said that the word “missionary” is the Latin version of the word “apostle”- one sent out. So anyone whom God sends to do His work is an “apostle/missionary”, whether that work is overseas or in an inner city in the US. Or even at the next door neighbor’s house.

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  34. Libertarianism (and this remains my main sticking point with the philosophy) is generally a hands-off approach when it comes both to involvement in the affairs of other nations but also takes more of a “live-and-let-live” approach to our own government with regard to social issues.

    As I’ve said, that may be the best we can hope for in this political climate (in terms of domestic governing) since we seem to have lost all consensus of what is good and what is not (for us and our neighbors).

    😦

    But libertarianism, in my mind, is like saying that every man is now free to do what is right in his own eyes. Drugs are all legal. Gay marriage certainly isn’t an issue. I do think government still has a role in caring for and providing a “good” and moral society. Just and good laws can still be a benefit to human behavior.

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  35. And abortion as well.

    All of the social issues are up for grabs under Libertarianism in it’s pure form.

    I’m guessing libertarians aren’t particularly in favor of what we’re now doing in Iraq on behalf of the persecuted minorities, either.

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  37. I think I may have gotten a few pics of some type of eagle, or a really big hawk. It’s from a distance, but it’s not too bad. I don’t recognize it and never seen one in my neck of the woods. It was in it’s nest in the middle of the, I’m gonna totally murder the spelling, Occquan River in Virginia. Pretty cool.

    Tomorrow, hopefully a snakehead. 🙂

    I’ll be heading out early so I may just post tomorrows threads tonight. Should make the race to First! interesting.

    Or maybe I won’t. 🙂

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  40. Johnson Ferry Baptist in Marietta, GA has a sign as you leave the parking lot, “You are now entering the mission field.” That is true.

    I’ve read a relevant book, Live Like a Missionary. Aren’t we all in some way called to do that?

    Libertarianism cuts out a lot of laws that are on the books based on Christian values. In doing that it removes a lot of need for governmental control over society. I do not know how that would play out. But our current government is not enforcing or is abandoning the more Christian laws anyway so government is no longer respected except as an agent to hurt those it chooses to pick on Christians in particular). 😦

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  41. I wish Kyle had followed us over to Wandering Views, because he can explain about Libertarianism very well, much better than I can.

    One thing I will say, from what I’ve read about Christian Libertarians, is that Jesus didn’t force anyone to follow Him, & God wants us to obey Him willingly. Laws against same-sex marriage or drug use are forcing people to act in a righteous manner. (And drug laws are very unfairly enforced.)

    I’ve been told that Libertarians are split on the issue of abortion.

    That is a very simplistic explanation, I know, & I wish I could explain it better. I will admit that the idea of allowing same-sex marriage (or rather, as Libertarians would think of it, not disallowing it) makes me uncomfortable. But the actual Libertarian view on marriage is that government shouldn’t be involved in it at all, & I do agree with that. Marriage should be a religious or civil matter, without the government having to issue a license for it.

    G’night all. I’m tired.

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  42. I think civil government’s role is to be a force of good. No, you can’t “force” anyone to be good. But laws that reflect good (vs. evil or bad) do have a beneficial and even a godly influence on a society. Remember, national also are answerable to God.

    That said, good laws also must come from the bottom up, they must reflect (rather than impose) good morals that are embraced by the people themselves (at least in theory, if not always in personal practice, of course). There was a time when the people of the U.S. agreed to a general consensus of what our values were and should be. Our country also has strived to be (and often has succeeded in being) a moral force for good (supporting freedom and defending the oppressed) in the world.

    No more, of course.

    Once a society abandons its collective idea of what is good and right, it all pretty much unravels and that’s where we are now.

    That’s why I say libertarianism (as opposed to “liberal” tyranny) might be the “best” option at this stage of our nation’s development (or destruction, depending on your view of whether the country’s still viable or is simply in a downward spiral).

    But it’s not a good option in my view.

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  43. And I would argue also that laws against drugs, for example, reflect a concern and a love for our neighbor. They protect people. Frankly, many people are deterred from behaviors if those behaviors are against the civil law and hold penalties.

    I’d argue that drug use, abortions and gay behavior will increase (and have already in many cases) under an every-person-for-himself rule of law.

    A good government reflects all that is good and stems from the moral laws in the Bible.

    But again, we’ve clearly moved beyond all of that, so arguing in favor of it is probably futile.

    It’s better than dictatorship. But it’s not particularly “good” in the true sense.

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  45. Drug laws help some, hurt others. For example, they allow people to be locked up for possession of marijuana, and they allow personal property to be confiscated if drugs are found on it, even if the drugs weren’t the possession of the person who owned the property . . . and even if the drugs were planted by police. So there’s reasonable debate that the laws do more harm than good. And realistically we don’t know. I know I actually considered drug laws when I rented out a bedroom–what if I rent to someone who has drugs in her bedroom? What, realistically, is my chance of losing my house if I have other people living in it? That sort of stuff is wrong.

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  46. “… there’s reasonable debate that the laws do more harm than good. And realistically we don’t know.”

    Well, we’ll find out soon enough, I suppose.

    But I still say the intent of these laws is good (even though they may need tweaking and changing).

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