Today In Church History

Happy Birthday Alexander Cruden

(May 31, 1699 - November 1, 1770)

Alexander Cruden's place in Church history is his contribution to Bible scholarship. A Bible concordance is a dictionary that lists the words that appear in the Bible and shows in what verses they can be found. When you consider how long the Bible is, you can easily see how useful such a dictionary must be.

The best concordance of Cruden's day listed the words with the verse numbers under them. As many as five hundred men had worked at preparing it. Cruden saw that he could make a much more useful version. Working all alone with scarcely a break for eighteen months, he wrote a new concordance. His great innovation was to quote a bit of verse around each word.

The first edition did not sell well. Cruden became depressed. Later editions of the concordance did much better. The famous preacher Charles Spurgeon said that the concordance was as necessary to a preacher "as a plane to the carpenter, or a plough to the husbandman."

Cruden died at 71. He was found kneeling by his bed with a Bible open in front of him.

Do any of you use a Cruden’s Concordance?

Is so, is your version software or the good ole book form?

When I was in Bible College, the joke was:

Strong’s (Concordance) for the strong…

Young’s (Concordance) for the young…

Cruden’s (Concordance) for the crude…

The Word for Today!

Longsuffering

Makrothumia (μακροθυμεω) – Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy, and is used of God.

The verb means: “to be patient, to bear with,” literally “to be long-tempered.”

Luke 18:7; I Thessalonians 5:4, James 5:7; II Peter 3:9

Too God Not To Share With My Friends

10 Reasons NOT To Ask Jesus Into Your Heart

By Todd Friel

The music weeps, the preacher pleads, “Give your heart to Jesus. You have a God shaped hole in your heart and only Jesus can fill it.” Dozens, hundreds or thousands of people who want to get their spiritual life on track make their way to the altar. They ask Jesus into their heart.

Cut to three months later. Nobody has seen our new convert in church. The follow up committee calls him and encourages him to attend a Bible study, but to no avail. We label him a backslider and get ready for the next outreach event.

Our beloved child lies in her snuggly warm bed and says, “Yes, Daddy. I want to ask Jesus into my heart.” You lead her in “the prayer” and hope that it sticks. You spend the next ten years questioning if she really, really meant it. Puberty hits and the answer reveals itself. She backslides. We spend the next ten years praying that she will come to her senses.

Telling someone to ask Jesus into their hearts has a very typical result, backsliding. the Bible says that a person who is soundly saved puts his hand to the plow and does not look back because he is fit for service. In other words, a true convert cannot backslide. If a person backslides, he never slid forward in the first place. “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) No backsliding there.

Brace yourself for this one: with very few if any exceptions, anyone who asked Jesus into their hearts to be saved…is not. If you asked Jesus into your heart because you were told that is what you have to do to become a Christian, you were mis-informed.

If you have ever told someone to ask Jesus into their heart (like I have), you produced a false convert. Here is why.

1. It is not in the Bible.

There is not a single verse that even hints we should say a prayer inviting Jesus into our hearts. Some use Rev. 3:20. To tell us that Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts begging to come in.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” There are two reasons that interpretation is wrong.

The context tells us that the door Jesus is knocking on is the door of the church, not the human heart. Jesus is not knocking to enter someone’s heart but to have fellowship with His church.

Even if the context didn’t tell us this, we would be forcing a meaning into the text (eisegesis). How do we know it is our heart he is knocking at? Why not our car door? How do we know he isn’t knocking on our foot? To suggest that he is knocking on the door of our heart is superimposing a meaning on the text that simply does not exist.

The Bible does not instruct us to ask Jesus into our heart. This alone should resolve the issue, nevertheless, here are nine more reasons.

2. Asking Jesus into your heart is a saying that makes no sense.

What does it mean to ask Jesus into your heart? If I say the right incantation will He somehow enter my heart? Is it literal? Does He reside in the upper or lower ventricle? Is this a metaphysical experience? Is it figurative? If it is, what exactly does it mean? While I am certain that most adults cannot articulate its meaning, I am certain that no child can explain it. Pastor Dennis Rokser reminds us that little children think literally and can easily be confused (or frightened) at the prospect of asking Jesus into their heart.

3. In order to be saved, a man must repent (Acts 2:38).

Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of repentance.

4. In order to be saved, a man must trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).

Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of faith.

5. The person who wrongly believes they are saved will have a false sense of security. 

Millions of people who sincerely, but wrongly, asked Jesus into their hearts think they are saved but struggle to feel secure. They live in doubt and fear because they do not have the Holy Spirit giving them assurance of salvation.

6. The person who asks Jesus into his heart will likely end up inoculated, bitter and backslidden. 

Because he did not get saved by reciting a formulaic prayer, he will grow disillusioned with Jesus, the Bible, church and fellow believers. His latter end will be worse than the first.

7. It presents God as a beggar just hoping you will let Him into your busy life.

This presentation of God robs Him of His sovereignty.

8. The cause of Christ is ridiculed. Visit an atheist web-site and read the pagans who scoff, “How dare those Christians tell us how to live when they get divorced more than we do? Who are they to say homosexuals shouldn’t adopt kids when tens of thousands of orphans don’t get adopted by Christians?” Born again believers adopt kids and don’t get divorced.

People who ask Jesus into their hearts do. Jesus gets mocked when false converts give Him a bad name.

9. The cause of evangelism is hindered. 

While it is certainly easier to get church members by telling them to ask Jesus into their hearts, try pleading with someone to make today the day of their salvation. Get ready for a painful response. “Why should I become a Christian when I have seen so called Christians act worse than a pagan?” People who ask Jesus into their hearts give pagans an excuse for not repenting.

10. Here is the scary one. People who ask Jesus into their hearts are not saved and they will perish on the Day of Judgment. 

How tragic that millions of people think they are right with God when they are not. How many people who will cry out, “Lord, Lord” on judgment day will be “Christians” who asked Jesus into their hearts?

So, what must one do to be saved? Repent and trust. (Heb.6:1) The Bible makes it clear that all men must repent and place their trust in Jesus Christ. Every man does have a “God shaped hole in their hearts,” but that hole is not contentment, fulfillment and peace. Every man’s heart problem is righteousness. Instead of preaching that Jesus fulfills, we must preach that God judges and Jesus satisfies God’s judgment…if a man will repent and place his trust in Him.

If you are reading this and you asked Jesus into your heart, chances are good you had a spiritual buzz for a while, but now you struggle to read your Bible, tithe, attend church and pray. Perhaps you were told you would have contentment, purpose and a better life if you just ask Jesus into your heart. I am sorry, that was a lie.

Copied from Raising Godly Children dated May 23, 2012

Remember Those Who Serve and Served

Thank You!

More on the Necessity of Regeneration

The Necessity of Regeneration

"…therefore he cannot favorably look upon an unrighteous person, so that this necessity is not founded only in the command of God that we be renewed, but in the very nature of the thing, because God, in regard of his holiness, cannot converse with an impure creature. God must change his nature, or the sinner’s nature must be changed. There can be no friendly communion between the two of different natures without the change of one into the likeness of the other. Wolves and sheep, darkness and light, can never agree. God cannot love a sinner as a sinner, because he hates impurity by a necessity of nature as well as a choice of will. It is impossible for him to love it as to cease to be holy.

This change cannot be then on God’s part; it therefore must be on man’s part. It must therefore be by grace, whereby the sinner may be made fit for converse with God, since God cannot embrace a sinner in his dearest affections without a quality in the sinner suitable to himself. All converse is founded upon a likeness in nature and disposition; it is by grace only that the sinner in made capable of converse with God."

~~Stephen Charnock

The Works of Stephen Charnock,

Volume 3, p. 23

Think about it:  Be sure to budget!

 It is always better to know where your money is suppose to go rather than asking where it went.

Great News! It's Portage Park!

After nearly a year of having resigned the pulpit of Creekside Baptist Church of Scappoose, OR, and moving to Chicago, Illinois, my good friend, fellow pastor, and fellow blogger has narrowed the field down to a probable area of missionary work as he seeks to plant a disciple-making oriented body of believers!

After nearly a year of praying, researching, boots on the ground, conversing with other pastors, congregants, and Chicago citizens Josh and Erin have tentatively selected the Portage Park area of northwest Chicago. Please continue to pray for them as they prepare to move to this area and as they put together an intentional, relationship oriented, and strategic plan to plant a work that will first, magnify the glorious character of our Lord Jesus Christ, and second, be a tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit to apply the finished work of the cross in the lives of numerous Chicagoans to the glory of God, and may they be an example of God’s handiwork to the churches that currently exist.

By the way, they are expecting their first baby! Erin is due in January of 2013. Visit Josh’s blog at http://www.joshlittonblog.blogspot.com, or his web site at www.christforchicago.org and visit his Face Book page at www.facebook.com/jsh.litton

Please add them to your prayer list and seriously consider adding them to your personal missionary support. Would one of my readers begin supporting them? You can give to God’s extension of His church in Chicago via Josh’s website.

What Do You Think?

Equipping Program

Once again, I ask you for help and information. How would you answer the following questions. Your thoughtful, insightful, and meaningful help will be greatly appreciated!

What are the competencies that make believer’s effective? 

• What necessary knowledge must believers memorize?

• What necessary attitudes must believers maintain?

• What necessary skills must believers master?

I Need Your Help! Please!

Curriculum


Joe Ellis wrote, "In education, the curriculum is the means by which students are helped to move toward the objectives of knowledge, attitude, skills, and conduct. It is a combination of information and experiences that will assist the learner to move from where he is toward the objectives." (The Church on Purpose, p. 62)


I am writing a training curriculum that will serve as a tool to designed to move believers toward objectives of knowledge, attitude, skills, and conduct within the local church body. I would like enlist your input and suggestions as I develop the outline for this curriculum.


Let me ask you to respond to the following question:


What would a mature, fully developed and effective Christian:

• Know
• Understand
• Believe
• Value
• Be able to do

Please think through these things and respond freely to each category. I would love to hear your ideas and be able to include them in this curriculum.

Christ Formed in You

A classic must-read for every believer

The Power of the Gospel for Personal Change

"This is a book about spiritual formation, the “grace-driven developmental process in which the soul grows in conformity to the image of Christ." The acid test of all spiritual formation is this: Are you becoming more like Jesus? Are the contours of your character being shaped by his image, formed in his likeness? This ongoing transformation is possible for you. You can become more and more like Jesus Christ. But there is only one way: through your increasing understanding and application of the gospel. That is what this book is about.”

(Copied from the back cover of Christ Formed in You)

With these words, Pastor Brian Hedges brings a beautiful clarity to our understanding of the gospel and then develops the power of the gospel in the daily lives of believers. Here is a sound, sensible guide for all who are seeking an intellectually satisfying presentation of the process of sanctification, or personal change.

"Brian Hedges has done the church a great service in writing this book, which reveals the God-intended path of sanctification. The ultimate goal in spiritual maturity is to transform believers into the image of Christ. Those who apply the message of this insightful book will, by God’s grace, find themselves growing into authentic Christlikeness" –Steven J. Lawson, Senior Pastor, Christ Fellowship Baptist Church, Mobile, AL

Paperback; 260 pages

Pat Robertson's Weak Endorsement

Pat Robertson: Romney Isn't Jesus, but he'll do!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Too bad Jesus isn’t running for President! It seems televangelist Pat Robertson would prefer Jesus, or at least a candidate who claims to “have” the same Jesus as he does. Robertson told his 700 Club audience that he is “basically” siding with the apparent and soon to be GOP presidential nominee. This is being viewed as a very weak endorsement of Romney.


"It looks like the people who were worried about his Mormonism ... at least that crowd is diminishing somewhat. The question is, if you have two candidates, you don't have Jesus running against someone else. You have Obama running against Romney," Robertson said.


When will the so called “evangelical” world realize that anything less than a theocracy will never give them the type of government they want? No candidate or elected president for that matter could ever thwart the plans and purposes of God, nor can any elected official make this nation into something that only a supernatural work of God could do. America is not a Christian nation, has never been a Christian nation and it is fairly safe to say that it will never be a Christian nation until the entire creation is liberated and recreated.


Whether it is Kennedy and Catholicism in 1960 or Romney and Mormonism in 2012 or fill in the blank and Christianity, a single leader over a period of eight years will not rewrite the tenants of your faith. Of course an Islamic Obama can certainly have world-wide ramifications.


Let me say two things while you are possibly sitting there sputtering like an arc lamp; first, I have nothing against, nor do I advocate that anyone not utilize every means constitutionally provided us as citizens to express our opinions and select candidates that we think are of the character, morality, and distinction that we desire. Second, when we allow ourselves as believers to be side-tracked to non-essential issues such as what a man’s faith maybe, we are destined to lose sight of the issues that matter more.
For myself personally I will not be voting for Romney this fall. It is not because he is a Mormon. It is because I believe the GOP has abandoned us conservatives and therefore I have abandoned the party. I do fear for our country. I do believe that this next presidential election will be absolutely critical. I do believe that we need to everything that is legally permitted to seek the best man for the job. I don’t think grimacing over whether a man is a Catholic, Mormon, Christian, or even atheist is a huge priority when we are facing moral and financial bankruptcy as a nation.
I am well aware that Solomon once wrote, 


“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Prov 14:34, ESV)


Morally righteous behavior does have definite effects, especially in the area of justice and the compassionate care of people. I guess I would like to ask Robertson, what is actually the worse; the Mormonism of Mitt Romney or the national and foreign policy of Barrack Obama?

Davy Crockett on the Bible

"One whole book in the Bible—the book of Proverbs—is filled with memorable sayings, many of which have become our colloquial expressions. They give us wonderful instruction about timely physical matters as well as timeless spiritual principles—and many priceless insights on gumption, grit and gratitude."

~Davy Crockett,

Commentary on Gumption, Grit and Gratitude 

(August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836)

Global Shortage of Prayer Creates Panic and Pandemonium

Church Leaders Urge Christians to Reduce Their Prayer Footprints

Experts warn of a looming shortage of "supernatural resources"

An unprecedented summit of Christian leaders convened earlier this month to take part in a summit to address what many fear could be the greatest spiritual crisis of our time — a shortage of prayer.

“With the global economic crisis touching more and more lives around the world, we have just one question,” said The Very Right and Rich Reverend A. Dollar Moore. “Where is all of the extra prayer that these people need going to come from?”

A portion of the summit, which included both evangelical and non-denominational leaders from around the world, was focused on finding alternative sources of prayer to solve the looming prayer gap over the long term, but the vast majority of the sessions targeted ways to get Christians to reduce their need for prayer and become good stewards of what leaders are calling “supernatural resources.” All of these discussions culminated in a loud and clear message to Christians: reduce your prayer footprint.

While no formal definition of a prayer footprint exists, it is generally understood to be a rough calculation of the total amount of prayer used to address the requests and needs of a given Christian. Leaders are suggesting a number of simple steps for believers to reduce their contribution to the expected prayer shortage.

“All available data points to Christians praying less and less while requiring more and more prayer,” the statement reads. “Eliminating obvious waste in the prayer process will alleviate prayer problems in the short term, but the long term solution will have to include both a significant reduction in the prayer footprint of the average Christian and a vigorous search for alternative sources of prayer.”

Accomplishing those goals, said summit attendees, will require a fundamental paradigm shift in the Christian community.

“We know that the average Christian prays just five to ten minutes a day, and that the number of Christians is finite,” said Focus on the Material Founder Rich Mann. “This is going to lead to some tough questions. Does your sister’s ankle sprain really need to use up supernatural resources in these times? Do we need to pray for every single person who has a non-life-threatening illness, or can we lump them all together into a single line item? As Christians, we need start thinking seriously about shepherding this resource in a responsible way.”

Summit attendees also began the process of establishing guidelines to help Christians calculate their prayer footprint, as well as details of a Supplication Mitigation system that allows Christians to offset an overuse of supernatural resources by purchasing prayer credits. Proceeds from the sale of these credits will go to fund research into alternative sources of prayer.

“We’ve been looking into the possibility of prayer centers in India to handle some of the anticipated prayer load,” Mann said. “This is the kind of creative, out-of-the-box solution that we need at a time like this.”

(Adapted and Adopted from The Holy Observer for Satirical Saturday) 

Joel Osteen Exposed

Memorable Moments in My Ministry

"May Daddy has been in jail!"

One Sunday Irene was teaching Sunday School in our church in the Puget Sound. She was telling the story of how Peter and John (Acts 4:1-31) had been arrested and put into jail. She emphasized that they had been placed in jail because of Jesus. More specifically it was because they were preaching about Jesus and the Pharisees wanted them to stop preaching in Jesus’ name.

One beautiful little 5 year old girl jumped up and with the cutest lisp exclaimed rather freely and loudly that her daddy had been in jail too. Then she furrowed her brow and got a serious look on her face and said, “But I don’t think it was for Jesus.”

Irene almost couldn’t finish the class. She was trying so hard not to laugh and yet explain that sometimes daddies to go to jail for reasons other than preaching about Jesus. Needless to say that was one memorable moment in ministry.

The Necessity of Regeneration

“Jesus answered him (Nicodemus), “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” (John 3:3, NRSV)

These words contain the foundation of all practical religion here, and happiness hereafter. It is the principal doctrine Christ, as a prophet, came to teach, and as a King to work in the heart… You must become a new man, if you would have acquaintance with evangelical mysterious…Man in his natural generation is but mere nature, and cannot apprehend, cannot enjoy that which is only apprehensible and enjoyable by a spiritual nature; but man regenerated by the Spirit is spiritual, and is advanced above mere flesh, for he is made partaker of the divine nature. So that Christ’s argument runs thus: No flesh can enter into the kingdom of God; but every man naturally is flesh, unless born again of the Spirit; therefore no man, unless born again of the Spirit can enter into the kingdom of God. (Stephen Charnock)

The Works of Stephen Charnock,

Volume Three, pages 7, 9, 11)

The Week-End in Review

What a great and glorious weekend it was here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest! Sunshine, hot temperatures and blue skies! You should have been here. 

Saturday

Began with a 2 hour discipleship session with a dear friend

 

Breakfast followed:

Two over easy eggs

Two strips of thick sliced pepper bacon

One hash brown patty

8 oz. of Orange Juice

Next, Irene and I took a stroll (in my power chair) to the Saturday Farmer’s Market about 5 or 6 blocks away. It should have been called the Saturday Plant Market – no vegetables and farm products in sight, but numerous flats of annuals and such.

We then loaded up the power chair and drove down to NE Portland (Broadway Avenue) and met our daughter Sonja for lunch. We then walked Broadway for a number of blocks going into the various stores.

We got home about 6:00 PM and began watching The Iron Lady with Meryl Streep. I fell asleep in the recliner about 20 minutes in. Irene woke me up at 830 to go to bed. Ya, I know, I couldn’t believe it either

Sunday

Up for devotions around 5:00 AM.

Breakfast at 7:30 AM:

 

Sausage biscuit – Jimmy Dean sausage patty, cheese, ham on toasted bread

8 oz. of OJ

Gathered with the body at Grace Bible Fellowship – our 3^rd visit there. Not crazy about it, but nowhere to go in Kelso.

Message from Colossians 2:8-15 – The Sufficiency of Christ

Daughter Shannon and granddaughter Madilynn drove over from Vancouver, WA and we went to Lake Sacajawea in the heart of Longivew. There we had a picnic of Subway, BBQ Chips, and Soda. Walked (power-chaired) around the Lake on beautiful walkways, enjoying the hottest day of the year in SW Washington. It hit 90 degrees, too hot for me!

Drove back home about 4:00 pm where we visited for a bit. Shannon and Madilynn took off.

Popped Moneyball in to VCR – loved the movie, very good! (3 or 4 BAD words) Then because we paid for two days now via Redbox, we watched Iron Lady. I actually stayed awake. It was a good movie also. Thank you Red Box.

All and all great weekend here in the 

gorgeous Pacific Northwest!

_______________________________________

Happy 56th Birthday  to my sister Donna Glynn (Metcalf) Fitzpatrick of Austin, TX!

My Greatest Love - Preaching the Word!

“We see that God, who might perfect his people in a moment, chooses not to bring them to manhood in any other way than by the education of the church. We see the mode of doing it expressed: the preaching of celestial doctrine is committed to pastors.”

John Calvin 

Institutes of the Christian Religion, (4.1.5)

“Christian preaching is an immense tool. No reader of the Bible can fail to be impressed by its place in the forwarding of God’s purposes and the coming of His kingdom. It has changed the face of world history. Anyone who has sat under authentic preaching must long for it to be the norm; and it can be.

The fact is that the preached word is the chief evangelist and pastor in a church. There is no experience quite like that encounter with God when he makes the Scripture, reverently and rigorously unleashed, his life-giving agent. By it he imparts Christian salvation, rips up the conscience, comforts the trembling, enlightens our understanding and empowers our obedience; yet how rare is such a living voice, week by week!”

Peter White

The Effective Pastor

How Do You Know If Your Claim to Christ Is Real?

The Doctor is In…

The most vital question to ask about all who claim to be Christian is this: Have they a soul thirst for God? Do they long for this? Is there something about them that tells you that they are always waiting for His next manifestation of Himself? Is their life centred on Him? Can they say with Paul that they forget everything in the past? Do they press forward more and more that they might know Him and that the knowledge might increase, until eventually beyond death and the grave they may bask eternally in 'the sunshine of His face?' That I might know him!

--Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones

(20 December 1899 – 1 March 1981)

How Well Do You Know Your Bible Answers

Thanks everyone for playing!

1.       In what two books of the Bible is God’s name not mentioned?

            a.       Esther

          b.      Song of Solomon

2.       What did Jesus have in His right hand when He first appeared in the book of Revelation?

            Stars

3.       Which book has "Behold how good it is for brethren to dwell together in unity"?

            Psalms

4.       To whom did the Apostle Paul write the following:  “Show yourself in     all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned so that an opponent maybe put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us”?

            Titus

5.       Where is the following phrase found: “Which book says: "the voice of the turtle is heard in our land?"

            Song of Solomon

6.       Who was the father of John, the writer of the Gospel according to John?

            Zebedee

7.       What miracle of Jesus is mentioned only by John in his Gospel account?

            Turning the water into wine

8.       Which book starts with: “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land.”

            Ruth

9.       What was "the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from    generations, but now is made manifest to his saints?"

            Christ in you, the hope of glory

10.     How many of Paul's letters to the Corinthians are included in the New     Testament?

2 out of a possible 4 letters

Bonus Question:  This man's letter has many well-known Bible verses in it (e.g. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you…”, “The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much before God…”, and “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.”)

James

How Well Do You Know Your Bible?

After completing the April’s A-Z Challenge, I decided to keep the Month of May nice and light. I didn’t want to suspend posting for a short blog-cation – can’t risk losing readers. I thought to make May easy-peasy.

The last Bible quiz seemed to go over well. I received comments along the lines of “let’s do it again.” So, it is time to play “How Well Do You Know Your Bible?” The answers will be given in tomorrow’s post. Here we go…

1.       In what two books of the Bible is God’s name not mentioned?

2.       What did Jesus have in His right hand when He first appeared in the book of Revelation?

3.       Which book has "Behold how good it is for brethren to dwell together  in unity"?

4.       To whom did the Apostle Paul write the following:  “Show yourself in     all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned so that an opponent maybe put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us”?

5.       Where is the following phrase found: “Which book says: "the voice of the turtle is heard in our land?"

6.       Who was the father of John, the writer of the Gospel according to John?

7.       What miracle of Jesus is mentioned only by John in his Gospel account?

8.       Which book starts with: “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land.”

9.       What was "the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from    generations, but now is made manifest to his saints?"

10.     How many of Paul's letters to the Corinthians are included in the New     Testament?

Bonus Question:  This man's letter has many well-known Bible verses in it (e.g. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you…”, “The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much before God…”, and “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.”)

Remember no googling, bible programs, concordances, etc. until you say Uncle, or Aunt, or whatever you say when you give up. (Unless it can’t appear in a PG blog)

Bonus Bonus Awards – Extra points awarded if you research and discover all the answers you didn’t know!

I Bet You Didn't Know...

Dogs are mentioned 42 times in the Bible, and lions 100 times, but domestic cats are not mentioned at all.

The word “grandmother” appears in the Bible only once: 2 Timothy 1:5.

The word “eternity” is mentioned only once: Isaiah 57:15.

Seven suicides are recorded in the Bible.

Almonds and pistachios are the only nuts mentioned in the Bible.

The word “Christian” appears only three times in the Bible: Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16.

The longest word in the Bible is Maher-shalal-hash-baz: Isaiah 8:1.

Thank You Ana M. Jarvis!

May 9, 1914

Woodrow Wilson Proclaimed Mothers Day

There was no doubt that Ana M. Jarvis loved her mother. Her mother, Mrs. Ana Reese Jarvis had been the daughter of a pastor and had taught Sunday school in a Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia.

Ana’s mother died in 1905. In 1907 the Sunday School Superintendent asked Ana to help him put together a memorial for Ana’s mother. Mrs. Jarvis had been a very influential member of the congregation in Grafton. This event caused Ana to think about all the mothers who were never recognized for their contributions for one reason or another.

The Grafton Church held a special service on Sunday, May 9^th, 1907 on the anniversary of Mrs. Jarvis’s death. In 1908 Ana helped her own church in Philadelphia to hold a special service calling attention to Mothers.

Ana then began a campaign by writing thousands of letters and held meetings to promote a day of recognition for Mothers in the United States. Six years later she succeeded. May 8^th, 1914 both houses of the United States Congress passed a resolution that established a Mother’s Day Memorial. On May 9^th, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation establishing Mother’s Day.

“Now, Therefore, I Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the said Joint resolution, do hereby direct the government officials to display the United States Flag on all government buildings and do invite the people of the United States to display the flag at their homes or other suitable places on the second Sunday in May as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.”

Today, with the American Flag falling in favor and the love of money, we don’t raise many flags in honor of our late mothers. Today, big business has entered the picture with an emphasis on cards, flowers, and candy. Thanks to the thoughtfulness of a congregation in West Virginia who desired to honor a dearly departed mother and her daughter’s herculean efforts, we now celebrate Mother’s Day in America and around the world in countries like Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, parts of Africa and South America.

Thank you Ana M. Jarvis! Thank you for your faithful service Mrs. Ana Reese Jarvis.

Thank you Mom for all you did for me! I love you Mom! (Mrs. Evelyn Leona Reed Metcalf)