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Coffee Break – 06.18.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1621, the first duel in America took place in the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. In 1861, the first American fly-casting tournament was held in Utica, NY. In 1863, J. J. Richardson received a patent for the ratchet wrench. And in 1923, Checker Cab produced their first taxi at their manufacturing factory in Kalamazoo.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Go Fishing Day!
It’s time for a family outing, and then a fish fry!

The 5 Best Coffee Websites – Want more info about coffee, and the coffee industry? Here are five great websites to check out.

10 Ways To Increase Your Confidence In 10 Minutes – Here are ten simple things you can do as a man to improve your confidence. And they work. They may be subtle, but the do make a difference.

The Amazing Dinosaur Found (Accidentally) By Miners In Canada – This was a very interesting article about a fossil found in Canada, in spite of the old earth viewpoint. “Known as a nodosaur, this armored plant-eater is the best preserved fossil of its kind ever found.”

The Grand Canyon – I love the Grand Canyon. I have been there numerous times, and one day hope to hike down into it. Until then, videos like this one will have to suffice. This one is exceptionally beautiful. I love the shots that show a fog-filled canyon.

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Memorize Scripture: Psalm 119:61-64

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

In the previous verses, the psalmist has been seeking God’s presence in his life, so that he may understand and know God as fully as he can. He listed three ways to do this. In the remainder of this stanza, he lists three more ways. Take a look at these verses in Psalm 119:61-64:

Psalm 119:61-64

In the four verses that began this stanza, the psalmist showed three ways that he had discovered to help him understand God better, and he found these, and God himself, by searching the Word of God. He committed to seek God face (verse 58), follow God’s statutes (verse 59), and obey God’s commands (verse 60).

These three things, and the additional three we will see in this passage, show us how we can get to know the author of Scripture in a very close and personal way. After all, this is what the psalmist is pursuing, and it is what we should be pursuing as well. I stated this before, and it is worth repeating: The main purpose for a careful study of God’s Word is to get to know God himself. One can know everything there is to know about God and about his Word, but if he does not know God himself, he has missed the point. Scripture was given to us so that we can know its author, the author of life itself, as intimately as we can.

As the psalmist is seeking his portion, his “share” of God, he has realized that nothing short of God himself will suffice. What he wants from God… is God. And the place to which he turns to find God is Scripture. In the remainder of this stanza, he shares three more ways that he seeks and pursues the Father. This is what we ought to do as well.

Summer Madness

Summer vacation has arrived, the kids are out of school, and things just got pretty crazy.

This summer, my daughter has the opportunity to serve as an intern at American Indian Christian Mission, serving the White River Apache Nation in Arizona. Our plans originally were for her to drive out with a couple of very close friends of our family, who would get her settled in and then they would return home. They know AICM as well as we do, having gone with us more than once on short term mission trips there.

However, do to a tragic loss in their family, they are unable to go as planned. So today, I am headed out to Arizona with my daughter and then flying back home later this week. I’m hesitant to let her travel all that way alone, and I feel like it would be safer for her to have someone traveling with her.

I return home on Saturday, only to reload my suitcase and head to high school week at our church camp. That will also be a great week, but I wasn’t quite ready to have two busy weeks back to back.

So, for the next couple of weeks, things will be pretty quiet around here. Saturday’s quote posts are scheduled and ready to go, but most of the rest of what I do will be on hold until after I get back home. I hope to post an update or two in the meantime, much like this one, but I’m not sure just how possible even that will be.

Thanks for understanding, and for hanging out with me on this wild ride we are taking together. I appreciate you more than you know!

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Coffee Break – 05.28.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration - Memorial Day Edition

Each year, in the United States, the last Monday of May is celebrated as Memorial Day, a day to remember the sacrifice of those who have given all for the sake of our country. Originally called Decoration Day, this observance began in 1868 as a day to decorate the graves of those who were killed in the Civil War. After World War I ended, these remembrances were expanded to include all those who fell in any American war.

Coffee Break - Memorial Day Edition

Memorial Day was officially declared a national holiday by Congress in 1971, and placed on the last Monday in May each year. It is a day that many use to visit cemeteries and graveyards, honoring those who have served. Since it includes an additional day off for many Americans, other traditions have grown up around the weekend, including cookouts, float trips, and much more.

It is good to be reminded of the sacrifice that many have given to ensure our freedom. In honor of Memorial Day, here are a couple of statements made by past Presidents of the United States.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy

“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

“For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.” — James A. Garfield

“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.” — Abraham Lincoln

“Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives.” — John Adams

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who have lost loved ones defending the American Way.

If you are interested in finding out more about Memorial Day, here are a few resources: