I knew a lot of folks are lazy, but this takes the cake—-

Too Busy To Pray? For a Fee, a Computer Will Do It For You
Bruce Tomaso at Dallas Morning News blogs about a new ‘service’ for busy Christians. If you dont have time to pray, Information Age Prayer service will do it for you, for a mere $3.95 per month. They offer prayers for Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, and Unaffiliated believers. Here is part of their message: Information Age Prayer is a subscription service utilizing a compu- ter with text-to-speech capability to incant your prayers each day. It gives you the satisfaction of knowing that your prayers will always be said even if you wake up late, or forget.

It gets crazier all the time! THINK ABOUT IT!

“Are you ready to rumble?” I recall hearing those words booming from the TV as the announcer introduced the contestants in a wrestling match. No-I don’t watch wrestling, but when you have as many kids and grandkids as I do you will hear a lot of things that you aren’t really interested in. I have no idea why those words came to my mind this morning, but I will tell you what I was thinking.

 

Yesterday I made this statement-” All this makes me wish I was 20 years younger.” The context for that statement had to do with the way God is blessing. I don’t have time to tell you all about it, but our church family knows what I mean. Let me sum it up like this. For no earthly reason, and certainly not because of any exceptional qualities to be found in us, God has richly blessed our church family in an unusual way this past year. The only explanation I have is grace!

 

But I have been preaching long enough to know that, when God is blessing , Satan will be fighting-that is for certain. So, “Are you ready to rumble?” I don’t mean to discourage you. I’m not looking for a fight and I’m not saying things are going to get worse. I’m simply saying that anytime there is progress there will be resistance. Opportunities bring opposition and obstacles. We must be prepared. Satan doesn’t give ground, we must take it. He doesn’t give up without a fight. Neither should we.

 

What God has in store for us is well worth whatever price we must pay to get it. God set the Promised Land before the Israelites and assured them of victory, but they had to enter the fray to gain the blessing. So it is with us. In light of all this I want to give you these words of advice:

 

Expect opposition and prepare for it. Don’t be surprised by it and don’t be fearful of it. Be thankful for what God has done, giving Him alone all of the glory, and get excited about what He is doing. Trust Him when the going gets tough and never forget this—we are fighting from victory, not for victory. Jesus Christ has already defeated the devil and through Him “we are more than conquerors”(Romans 8:37). Clothe yourself in “the whole armour of God” and you will “be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”(Ephesians 6:11). So, “Are you ready to rumble?”—THINK ABOUT IT!

I just happened to notice that, what is in all likelihood, the two most famous sermons ever preached on American soil are posted on the web-site www.newsforchristians.com. Do yourself a favor—set aside some time and read both of these messages. They will be a blessing. You may access this site by going to the “USEFUL LINKS” on our home page. Drop me a line and let me know what you think. If you have some additional time you might research the role that Jonathan Edwards played in the Great Awakening that took place in America. We need another such revival today!

Dale Carnegie tells of a visit to Yellowstone Park in earlier days when tourists could watch the rangers feed the grizzly bears. One night the ranger brought garbage to attract the huge creatures, which, it is said, can whip any animal in the West except perhaps the buffalo and the Kodiak bear. But Carnegie noticed that while eating, the bears would growl and send other little animals scurrying, but they would allow one little creature to eat with them-the skunk! Though it was obvious that the grizzlies resented the skunk for its brazen impudence and would have loved to have their revenge, they didn’t. And you can guess why. The cost of getting even was just too high!(copied) We live in corrupt world and it’s easy to get obsessed with try to fix all the problems. Sadly, we end up expending all our time and energy fighting against things that are not of primary importance. As believers we have received a commission to make disciples around the world—that takes every bit of time and strength we have. Don’t get sidetracked with things of lesser importance. Remember–a bulldog can whip a skunk anytime, but it’s just not worth the effort! THINK ABOUT IT. (HDS)

If you will pardon the illustration, there is an old bar-room song that says, “No help needed. I can handle this job all by myself.” That is the attitude most parents take today when it comes to raising their children. According to a just-released study by Life Way Research, most parents say they are trying to improve their parenting skills but few look to the Bible and only 15% look to the church as a source of guidance for parenting. The vast majority of parents (96%) agree that they consistently try to be better parents but more than 60% ignore parenting seminars and over half don’t read religious books on parenting. Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research offers his insight: “Parents claim they are trying hard to be better parents but they are not welcoming outside guidance or advice…Christians are routinely neglecting biblical guidance and encouragement in their parenting today, relying instead on their own personal experience.” Is it any wonder that families are in such a mess today?All families have problems, but this is inviting disaster! God’s Word is the perfect guide book for parents and if it is ignored the outcome won’t be good. Every parent is obligated to raise their children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”(Ephesians 6:4). You can’t do that without the guidance of the Bible. Think about it!