Category: FreedomLifeLight

On this Thanksgiving Day 2024, let’s remember how much God loves us in sending His Son to show us how to live. What are God’s orders for us each day?

You might trust the words of a friend who had true, experiential understanding of a subject. Peter’s first letter to the church is written by a man who lived with Jesus and understood how to be spiritually one with the Father, as Jesus prayed he would be. Peter understood the rest and refreshing we have when God’s glorious spirit lives within us. We can trust his advice on how to live.

I Peter 4:14:
If you are reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

Visiting Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota was a long-awaited adventure. Sherry had visited with her family when she was young, but it had always been a dream of mine, ever since I saw a ViewMaster slide of it as a young boy. But what about these faces on a cliff?

Hebrews 12:1:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

Seeing the witness of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln can be inspiring. Washington the “father our country”; Jefferson the “father of the Declaration of Independence” that set the foundation for our constitution and laws; Roosevelt whose “Bully pulpit” preached American values; and Lincoln who often quoted the Bible and fought to keep our nation together. Lincoln, whose image stands to the side of the other three, spoke the words of Jesus that a “house divided cannot stand.”

If I were to carve faces on a cliff, I might choose four others. Just as Washington, Jefferson, and Roosevelt are in a group in chronological order. I would put Abraham, Moses, and the Apostle Paul in a chronological group. Abraham is the “father of all who believe.” Moses declared independence from the evils around him and provided a law for a godly lifestyle. Paul used every opportunity to preach the risen Christ and the power of the holy spirit.

Just as Lincoln fought to bring all Americans together, so Jesus Christ fought to conquer sin and bring all nations together in one new body. I would put Jesus Christ off to the right like Lincoln. He deserves the greatest place of honor as God’s only-begotten Son who always did the Father’s will. But unlike all others, God raised him from the dead, and he is now Lord of all.

Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

It is nice to see the Washington-Jefferson-Roosevelt-Lincoln images to help us remember their accomplishments to bless our nation. And maybe we’ll never see the Abraham-Moses-Paul-Jesus Christ images on a cliff. But their example and accomplishments will bless all nations for eternity!

I just finished running 26.2 miles in the CDA [Coeur D’Alene, Idaho] marathon. I sure had a lot of help. Mostly from old friends who were praying for me. The weather was perfect, and I know their prayers helped. And I met several new friends during the run. Also, I had 25 other “friends” to help me along the way—one for each mile of the run.

I used to care a lot about what people thought of me. In fact, in high school I tried to be everybody’s friend. I was eventually class president and had made a name for myself, but I really didn’t have that many close friends. Even worse, I would change my opinions based upon who I was with in order to please them. This chameleon lifestyle was hard to keep, because it would change with each social environment.

I am thankful to announce the release of “Birdland,” a children’s book with 275 bird illustrations, thousands of fun facts, original poems, and scientific information. I recommend it for children of all ages and adults. It would make a wonderful holiday gift.

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