Pastor’s Corner

Well, blessings on you Brenda, we all are praying for your recovery to good health& John's ultimate recovery, & James & Mary as they convalesce these next few days. Every once in a while our bodies remind us that they are just human. May the Lord be with you all in these recovering days.

Well you all made good guesses, Jingle Bells was written for Thanksgiving rather than as is usually celebrated on Christmas. But, I must admit either holiday is a good time to sing this jovial song. We as a family usually think to sing it on Christmas as here in this countryside; snow is very infrequent even for Christmas.

Well here is another brain teaser; Which condiment was originally created for its medical benefit? Mustard; Mayo; Hot Sauce; or Ketchup. Make a guess and we'll fill you in on the scoop tomorrow.

Thursday 7/20

Eccl. 2:4 "I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards."

In order to recognize the extent of Solomon's homes we can look at 1 Kings 4:22 and be reminded of just how vast Solomon's royal home was; "The daily food requirements for Solomon's palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal; also 10 oxen from fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry."

We may ask just why was Solomon busied by building homes, etc. but we are reminded that many of his feats at building were his hobby, as well as, experimentation on the building needs for Israel. Also they established for the nations around Israel a visible reminder of their great strength & many times it was this gradeure that squelched visiting rulers from attempting to war against Israel.

1 Kings 4:24, 25 "Solomon's dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders. During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah & Israel lived in peace and safety. ... each family had its own home and garden."

David, Solomons father had spent the majority of his time in the unifying & protection of Israel & Judah and the establishing of effective law & order to the extent that he wasn't able to mentor his son in some of the peacetime efforts. So Solomon was on his own in developing the necessary needs for peace time. (thus the need for wisdom from God)

David had become the ruler of a fractured, as well as, corrupted & weakened, divided nation. His feat had been to fight off all of the rogue armies surrounding Israel. Then to educate the nation on proper obedience to God's laws.

So now Solomon had the role of leading the nation in providing proper peace time order. Just think he spent 13 years in building his house. (1 Kin. 9:10) He then built his house of the "Forest of Lebonon" equivalent to a hillside lodge. (1 Kin. 10)

In order to comprehend these words in verse 4 we need to read this book of first Kings to fathom just what he was talking about. The extent of the magnitude of his projects of buildings that he was working on.

He was warning us mostly of all of the importance of our basic values (integrity, justness, fairness and freedom for all) and their greatest of importance over lands, parks, gardens and fields.

As the oldest boy I sometimes resented the necessity of shouldering the needs of the household when Dad was gone from our home. When he was away on family or commercial business I must work to care for our family. (Shoveling the snow, mopping up water in the basement when rain storms flooded the house, heardng the livestock in when cold weather could cause risk to their health, riding the fields if any of the livestock were missing, scooping up the manure after the fact, killing the random snake or rat that appeared. ha, etc.) Yes even shooting into the sky the shotgun to scare off the visiting bear from the trash cans.

I must admit that these times brought appreciation to my mind when Dad was home. Hah! However. it was these times when I faced this responsibility that prepared me for life and the many future challenges that this prepared me for.

So Go With God for He knows the challenges we face in the future, and how best to prepare us for them. Remember, that "He cares for you" you are never alone in the endeavors of life. Stop and look about you, for it is in these times of uncertainty that He faithfully stands guard.

Eph. 6:10 "Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might ..."

If you haven't had the time to view this movie be sure to take the effort to view the movie "Sound of Freedom." This is the greatest way to voice our support for the innocence that should be protected for our children. All of the powers that be, are looking at this the strongest voice of our nation in the present day. Political, academic, media, even governmental influences are standing by & listening to this "money where your mouth is" statement. It is shaking the movie industry today because the attendance has been so much greater than any present day movie being aired today, lets continue our voice loud & clear.