A Good Question

To Have And To Hold

Yesterday a granddaughter was married. It was a very meaningful, spiritually rich ceremony in which this dear couple clearly demonstrated their priority for building a home devoted first to the Lord and then to each other. Our hearts were blessed with the beautiful, yet powerful message that Emily and Jeffery shared with all of us.

Last night another granddaughter, Amber, asked her mother if God recognizes a wedding as a marriage if it is not done as a covenant before Him. The challenge that came to us was, "what do you and Dad think?"

That question tells me that Amber must have been very moved by her cousin's ceremony. I wish more of our Christian young people would be concerned about God's view of marriage and sexuality. My response to that question was brief last night, but a bit uncertain: "I don't know what to say about that for sure. . . But the Bible speaks of God's people taking wives from among the pagans and it being against His will. Surely believers are to marry believers in order to be within the will of God. But it seems you can wrongfully marry an unbeliever."

Since the question was asked last night, I have been thinking about it and have come up with some thoughts and have chosen some selections from the Bible for consideration.

First, we know that God established marriage in the Garden of Eden: "God said, 'It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.'. . . God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man. The Man said, '. . . Name her Woman for she was made from Man.' Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh. . . " (From Genesis 2 - The Message) God was actively involved in that first marriage ceremony. It was done totally God's way.

In the New Testament there are clear requirements for a Christian marriage. He has instructions for the man and for the woman and their relationship is to be a picture of the kind of love and unity that exists between Christ and His Church. That teaching is seen here in a paraphrase from the fifth chapter of Ephesians:

"Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another. . . The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands. Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already 'one' in marriage. No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become 'one flesh.' This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband."

As I was thinking of that passage, my conclusion was that it is simply not possible for a man who does not know the Lord and His word to even understand what it means to love his wife as Christ loves the Church. And the idea of a woman submitting to her husband and honoring him in the way the Church relates to Christ is a totally foreign idea to women who do not know Jesus. In fact it is often repulsive to them.

So Amber, honey, I am thinking that people who are not believers in Christ can be married in a civil ceremony and be recognized as husband and wife in the eyes of our culture. But is their marriage recognized by God? The Bible says of marriage that what God has joined together, "let no man put asunder".  But it seems to me that GOD has not joined unbelieving spouses together. I believe that people who are not joined to Christ do not have the capacity to live in the kind of union that God designed for marriage in the beginning. It is taught in the Bible that it is impossible to do anything of value except with God's help to live in obedience to Him. This is possible only through His work of grace in our lives and by His mercy toward us.

The Bible does speak of the marriages of unbelieving people (Potiphar's wife, for example). Would you agree that God sees unbelieving spouses as husband and wife but that their marriage cannot be "Holy Matrimony" unless it is between a believing man and woman in covenant relationship with God and each other?

  




 

When A Child Stumbles

And God Loves You So Much MORE!

One of the greatest joys that we experience in our lives is the birth of our precious children and grandchildren. And even greater than that is the rejoicing that we have in our hearts when they commit their lives to the LORD who created them and provided redemption for them.

It is our deep desire for those children that they will know Christ early and that they would walk hand in hand with him all their lives. We want so much to see them live pure and holy lives and avoid the dangers and pitfalls of the world around them.

While I truly believe it is not inevitable that children take dangerous detours in their lives, I also know that some of them will do just that. So many times we have said, "if only they could learn from the mistakes (the actions and consequences) of others." But all too often children, teenagers, and adults will fall on our faces and find ourselves mired in the results of our foolish decisions and in need of repentance and forgiveness.

Are you a child who has wandered from the safe walk with Christ? Have you stumbled? Have you fallen? If so, I would like to talk with you for just a few minutes. IF you were in our family, this is what I would like to say to you (and if you aren't, I care JUST as much):

"Honey, I remember when you were born. Oh, you were so precious to us and you still are. I wish I could pick you up and hold you in my arms again, just as you see me holding Matthew in this picture. I would look into your face and hug you and smile. I would thank the Lord that He brought you into our family to love and to cherish. What a joy it is to know you, to care for you, and to teach you. You have done some things that have displeased the Lord and have disappointed us. We have shed tears over the choices that you have made. But it is important for you to know that GOD has not given up on you. And WE haven't given up on you, either. Our love for you doesn't depend on how you have behaved. We love you because we love you. You may choose to continue on the wrong path, but there will never be anything in your life that will cause us to stop loving you.

"You need to know that there is NO sin that is too bad for God to forgive. He has promised that if we 'confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness'. You also need to know that God cannot lie and that He always keeps His promises. Maybe you are convinced that the ways of the world are more fun and you don't want to live for Jesus. If that is the way you feel, you are wrong. If you are a Christian and following the path of the world, you are going to be hurt sooner or later. You may think none of the bad things out there will ever touch you. You may think you are too smart to mess around with drugs, be robbed, be kidnapped, be hurt or killed in an alcohol or speed related accident, become a parent too soon in an unplanned event, or be physically abused. That kind of thinking is common, but it is a pathway to a lot of grief.

"I want you to know that I love you. I pray for you all the time that you will listen to the Lord and follow Him all of your life. THAT is the path to true and lasting happiness. We are here and willing to talk with you and pray with you at any time. Come over if you can. eMail us, call us on the phone. We are here for you. Remember this: the things of this earth are temporary and we must set our sights on something that is 'far better'. You know what that is!"

The Unruly Member

Granddaughters
 

The prayer in Psalm 19:14 is one that all of us should repeat on a regular basis: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."

Have you ever wondered if you had "Hoof IN Mouth Disease"? That is a question that I do not wonder about. I am certain that my tongue is, as the Bible says, an unruly member.

Has someone said something to you that just keeps coming back and adding hurt time and time again? That has probably happened to everyone. What a terrible weapon the tongue is! Let's take a look at what the Bible says:

JESUS: ". . .Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person. . . . what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

Someone has said that Jesus was indicating that "verbal sins such as lies, gossip, or insults are condemned as severely as adultery and murder." (The Reformation Bible: pg 1381) That is a very sobering thought. Our slander, gossip, and unkind words are offensive to God and they are sin in His sight. That is one of the reasons that we should repeat Psalm 19:14 from our hearts frequently before the Lord.

James chapter 3 speaks of what a terrible weapon the tongue (our words) really is. It tells us that we use our tongues to bless the Lord, but use the same tongue to curse people who are created in the image of God. And he writes, "these things ought not to be so."

Are we really more concerned about keeping our hands washed than controlling our words, as Jesus implied in those verses? It is a vain thing to clean up the outside when God actually looks on the heart. We might please people, but GOD knows the difference.

 In Proverbs it speaks of our well-spoken words being more precious than gold or silver. Sadly, the damage we do with our words cuts deeply into the hearts of people that we abuse in that way. The advice of my third grade teacher was good. When you are angry, "count to ten". Then someone else has said, "if that doesn't work, count to ten again!" Better advice is found in Scripture where we are told to "speak the truth in love". We need the power of God to do that.

He Will Be Faithful To Complete It

We Broke Ground After Clearing Land

In the fall of 2011, some of us began a project that is still in the works. My mother gave us a piece of forest on the banks of a small lake  and we began to build a family retreat there. It is our dream to have a place where loved ones and friends can relax in the every-changing beauty of "The County".

Wayne, our son Jonathan, and sometimes my brother Brian felled innumerable trees -- some sixty feet high or more. I participated in loading and hauling the firewood, and several helped with tending the daily fires to burn the brush that accumulated. We worked hard, but it was with an eye on the goal -- a "CAMP" -- nothing fancy, but a dream that I had in my heart from the time I was about fourteen years old. The building is up and finished on the outside, now, with very little outside help. This has been a family project. We have no water or electricity yet, but we and some grandchildren spent a few very cold nights last fall sleeping there on air mattresses.

As I thought about our dream retreat, I wondered how much will be realized in our life time. We don't know. We both turn seventy this year, and we don't have as much energy as we did last year, even. Our frail, human bodies and minds are limited. So are our resources, and time will tell how much of the dream becomes a reality wihile we are still here!

With God, things are so different! God is all powerful and totally free. He has no limit of resources. Time is not a factor. Whatever He chooses to do, He finishes it -- completely and perfectly. That gives us cause for great rejoicing and thankfulness, for He is still working on those of us who have been born anew into His family. He is building us as individuals -- sanctifying us, making us more like Jesus as we walk with Him day by day. And He is building His Church -- not with wood, cement, and glass. But He is building a living organism, composed of transformed people. . . He is the corner stone and we are the bricks and mortar of HIS CHURCH, His people!

When I look at myself, I see the blemishes, the warts, the scars. But GOD sees me as His finished project! What He intends to do in my life (and yours, if you are a Christian) is as good as DONE.
Philippians 1:6-7a says, "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace. . ."

God never quits, never neglects, never forgets. He ALWAYS does what He sets out to do -- not in our time frame, but in His. I look forward to an amazing future with Him.

Delighting in The Bible

The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
    making wise the simple;
 the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
    enlightening the eyes;
 the fear of the Lord is clean,
    enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
    and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
From Psalm 19 (ESV)

I remember an old preacher talking about the danger of neglecting the Bible, warning us of the risky possibility of allowing our Bibles to gather dust from Sunday to Sunday. It was his point that Christians need to be reading our Bibles regularly -- every day, when possible. Some of the reasons for that are listed in these verses from Psalm 19. Psalm 119 -- the longest chapter in the Bible -- has MUCH to say about the importance of God's law, His precepts, His commands. And where are they found? In the Bible! There are many references to the Scriptures and the Word in the New Testament. Ephesians speaks of the Christian's defense against the powers of darkness when it calls God's Word "the sword of the Spirit".

Good Christian books can bless us and help us in this journey we call life. But those books -- as good as many of them are -- contain the opinions of the authors. Second and third hand information is great, if accurate, but when we go to the Bible, we go to the source. We nourish our souls with its truth and beauty. And we hear directly from God. Some have said that in praying we talk to God and in reading the Bible, God talks to us.

Christian reader, do not allow your spirit to languish from malnutrition. Be fed from the Bible. Grow in grace and knowledge, as Peter said in his New Testament writing. Don't allow the devil to make you think you cannot understand the Bible and use that as an excuse to let yours "gather dust".
You are reading online, so if you don't own a Bible you can go to a site such as BibleGateway.com. They feature a verse of the day on their main page. You could read that verse every day and ask the Lord to show you something from it.


Note:
This blog will be sporadic from now on because of time away from home. I pray my time in the Bible will not suffer, but will even grow.  The Bible is, to me, "more to be desired" than gold, sweeter than honey!







 

When Things Go Wrong

What Great Fellowship We Enjoyed In Our Years Downeast

Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.  Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.  From Psalm 37 (NKJV)

There are times in everyone's lives when we are tempted to look at our circumstances and forget the standing that we have as Christians. Probably one of the things that has hurt us the most was when we found it necessary to leave our home where we lived from 1965 to 2004. We were only twenty-one when we moved to Marshfield. Our roots were deep. Our friendships were cherished. And though a house is just a building, the memories those four walls represented were precious to us. That is where we lived with our six children. We loved our Church and the broader Christian community downeast. We did not want to leave our comfortable life and go into the unknown.

But God had different plans. At the age of sixty, change is difficult. We have often said that the Lord dragged us away from our familiar surroundings and beloved people "kicking and screaming". We really were frightened about the process of moving, settling down, finding friends and seeking a new Church. But we found that  even amid the pain and uncertainty that kept trying to overcome us, there was a deep-seated knowledge that GOD loves us; He never makes a mistake; we can trust Him when all else seems to fail; and He gave us His peace.

We have called Psalm 37 "The Buza Psalm" because we have turned to it over and over again when we begin to doubt and fear. It serves to remind us that God has always been generous to us. He has never failed us one time and we know that He isn't about to start failing us now. God always has our best interest at heart as He continues to work in our lives with the goal of changing us into the people that He created us to be. At times we have not rested in the Lord. We have resisted Him. We have questioned Him. We have not waited patiently at times, but we have depended on our own self effort.

We talk about our experience over the last nine years and we have decided that formerly we were happy with our circumstances. We were pleased in our selves, our good profession, and a reasonable income. Our plan was to live, die, and be buried right where we were planted. In other words we think we were too comfortable. We think we were trusting too much in ourselves and too little on God. We were forgetting that "we are weak, but He is strong."

One lesson that we have learned is that "when things go wrong", they may actually be going right. We have seen time and time again why it is right for us to be here. We have probably learned more compassion for others -- I hope so. We have definitely learned not to put our roots too deeply. We have this moment, but we do not know what may happen in the next one. Only the Lord knows what tomorrow will bring. It may be great joy or great sorrow. But His plan is perfect. It is always for our good. We can trust Him with a great deal of confidence. We must remind ourselves and each other of that from time to time because we forget too easily.  

 

 

 

 

Pray For Our Children

Psalm 127

"Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

² It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
³ Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
⁴ As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
⁵ Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

Nobody is more important in our family or in our Church than the children that God has entrusted to our care. But this generation is living in a very difficult world that is becoming more and more hostile to our traditional values, toward our God, and toward those of us who love Him. Our children are being inundated with the vain philosophies of the world and they are being lured to licentious lifestyles.  

As Christians, we must champion the truth. We have the privilege and the responsibility to love our children, keep them safe, and teach them what they need to know about life in order for them to grow to be decent and responsible members of their communities. Beyond that, it is our greatest joy -- and duty -- to share the Gospel with them. 

I believe the very best thing Christian parents and grandparents can do for our children is to follow the commands of Jesus to love the Lord with our whole being and to love our neighbors as ourselves. When children see that Jesus is at the very center of our home, they know they are secure there. When they see their parents love each other and know they are also cherished, they will learn to be thankful people. They will learn to respect others and to care about their needs. When parents pray with their children at home and pray for their children, they are teaching their children to trust the Lord and develop compassionate hearts for other people. When children experience the unconditional love of their parents, they are more able to trust in the character of God and to understand the love of God for them.

We have often said that prayer is the least we can do. But it is also the best we can do. Let us never forget to engage in earnest prayer for our children and young adults. Let us not sin by failing to hold them up in prayer. This generation -- as all generations -- needs Jesus more than anything.

 

Who Do We Thank?

 

Our Old Gathering Place in Machias 

Jesus said  

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6 (ESV)

I love this passage from the Sermon on the Mount. Here we have the very words of Jesus warning us against doing something RIGHT for the WRONG reasons. It is obvious that He wants us to bless the needy with our gifts. He said "when you give," not "IF you give". But Jesus -- who looks on our hearts and knows our motives -- wants us to exercise caution that we are not doing good deeds just to make everyone admire us. There is something beautiful about receiving an anonymous gift. Who do we thank then? We thank and glorify our Lord God who is, indeed, the One who supplies all our needs (Philippians 4:19) 

Have you ever received a gift and had no idea who was the generous person who sent it to you? Let me tell you about one that was given to us. It was sometime in the 1970s that I looked out the window and saw a fuel truck from the "wrong company" backing into our yard. Our oil supply was very low and we didn't have the money to buy any. I went to the door and called to the driver, who was pulling the hose from his truck, "sir," I said. "You have the wrong house." The driver assured me this was the right house. Then I said, "we don't buy our fuel from you." He acknowledged that fact and then said, "all I know is that I was told to come to this house and fill your tank." I was stunned and grateful all at once. Who would DO this? We never found out. Someone was simply acting in obedience to the Lord to love a neighbor as himself.

Most of us cannot afford to fill people's oil tanks. But everyone can do something. For example, we were in Machias on Tuesday and discovered a wonderful way to care for others. At Helen's Restaurant there is a container where patrons and others can place the price of "a cup of coffee" in a container. The money collected will be used to provide food or drink to someone in need. Almost everyone can spare a dollar or two. Whether we use this method or another to help the needy, let's be in prayer that the receiver of the gifts will recognize the goodness of God.

There are so many ways to give. And when we give of our money, our time, or some other resource we find that indeed, "it is more blessed to give than to receive."

 

Representing the King of Kings

Our Friends in Ministry,  Don and Cindy Currin

The Bible says, ". . . we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Probably everyone understands that pastors, evangelists, Christian musicians, youth workers, Sunday School teachers, deacons, elders, and other Church officers have great responsibilities to preach the Gospel and teach the Bible in churches and missions around the world. They are ambassadors for Christ.

But did you know that God has other ambassadors? Some people may be surprised that every Christian is called to be an ambassador for the King of Kings. The Bible says that our citizenship is in Heaven. The country where we live on earth is just our temporary dwelling place. But while we are here, we have jobs to do. Whether we are mothers, nurses, teachers, store clerks, cooks, taxi drivers, or work at any other skill or profession, we are here to represent the Lord. The Bible shows us that we are to do our very best work -- and that we should realize that we are really doing it for God. What a thought!

Please let me share my story: As a child, it was my deep desire to be a missionary and I wanted to go to India. A missionary to India visited the fifth grade at our public school and as a result of his presentation, I was heavily burdened with the needs of the women in that country. I convinced myself that is what God was going to do with my life. The plan was for me to be a nurse and go to the women of India and tell them about Jesus. That passion for India stirred my heart all through high school. In my junior year, I applied to a school of nursing. Twice I missed the entrance test because of illness serious enough for a hospital admission. Only then did I begin to seriously seek God's will.

Grandchildren Hearing God's Word At Our House

He called me to be married and in ministry with Wayne to our six children. The Bible instructs us to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. God was gracious to us and we are so thankful for our family and their desire to see their children living for Jesus. We will be married fifty years in August. At this time we have twenty six grandchildren and one great grandson. It is a joy to love them, sing with them, pray with them, and to tell them about Jesus.

It is a privilege to share with others as God opens doors of opportunity.


 

Real Christians Are Different

"Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too." (From Philippians 2 in the New Living Translation)

Did you ever see the bumper sticker that says, "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." That is a true statement, but I wonder if it gives the wrong impression to some people? It is possible that such a statement could leave someone with the attitude, "I am not perfect but I am forgiven and on my way to Heaven so it doesn't matter how I live."

It is true that if we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead we will be saved (Romans 10). But Jesus said that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Christians were wicked sinners who heard the Gospel and realized there was nothing they could ever do to make themselves right with God. They became God's children by grace through faith and God forgave their sin. God brought them alive. They were born again. He created them anew, spiritually, and gave them a new, second nature.

If people are truly Christians -- or Christ followers -- they begin to think differently than they used to think. They feel differently than they used to feel. Their behavior changes, too. Yet, while we are still on this earth, we will also keep the old, sinful nature. (See Romans 7) We will be tempted to behave in our old ways, and there will be times when we yield to temptation and sin against God. We will find ourselves needing to repent of our wrong thoughts, feelings and actions. And God WILL forgive, just as He promised.

When I used to work in the laboratory, there were a lot of warning labels there for our protection: "CAUTION FLAMMABLE", "POISON", "ACID".  We knew what those labels meant and what needed to be done in order to handle them safely. There were other labels that simply identified what was inside the container: "DISTILLED WATER", for example. Christians wear an invisible label of sorts that identifies them as "NEW CREATURE".

Christians make mistakes and we will sin. We will "blow it"!  But if we are truly followers of Christ, God is making us more and more like Jesus. In our hearts we will not want to live the old way. It will be our desire to live for Christ and be obedient to what He expects of us. We will be different. We need to take a look at ourselves and ask, "am I for real?

What Am I Doing Here?

Brenda Schors and Me In 2008

Women's ministries have been my passion for many years. Some of the most joyful times of my life have been spent studying the Bible and praying with other women.

It must have been in the 1970s when the first few women came to our home and began a weekly prayer group that continued for many years, meeting from house to house. After awhile, our meetings were almost always held at Greg and Brenda Schors' home in Machias. At the time, Greg was pastoring in Cutler and Wayne was pastor at Holmes Bay Baptist in Machiasport.

Most weeks I shared a devotional and facilitated a conversation around the Word of God, but from time to time we had missionaries and other visitors to local Churches come and share with us. Most of our time was devoted to prayer.

In those early years, I used to think of the instructions in Titus 2 for older women. "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."

I used to think, "when I get old, I want to BE a Titus 2 woman". I prayed for compassion and wisdom, thinking that if I should be a Titus 2 woman as I aged then I needed to be the YOUNG woman that God created me to be. What I didn't realize is that the years would pass so quickly and I would hit my 60s and 70s with a great deal left to learn. I also didn't realize that some of my very best mentoring was to be from people much younger than I -- some of them my very own children.

So what am I doing here? Just this: blogging from time to time to anyone who is interested in reading it. I will just be sharing what God is teaching me, praying that readers will be encouraged to love the Lord more and more.