Celebrating Veterans Day 2023

One of the best days of my life was when my husband surprised me with a trip to Charleston, South Carolina.

The highlight of the trip was our visit to the USS Yorktown, (CV-10), also known as World War II’s “Fighting Lady.”

My father served on this ship and the growing excitement to see the inside was off the charts.

USS Yorktown

I am so grateful for my father’s military service to our country and also for all military veterans who dedicate (and dedicated) their lives to keeping our country safe.

We are flying our flag to honor veterans, and we hope you do too.

Veterans Day 2023 is our Nation’s “thank you” for their selfless service.

Veterans Day 2023

Thank you Veterans!

Not just today, but every day.

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Our Exceptional God

A Witness For Christ Every Day

Not that long ago, my car was in desperate need of gas.

My husband and I pulled into the local gas station and he got out to fill the tank.

I was looking down at my phone when all of a sudden, I heard a lot of shouting right next to us.

It was loud cursing that went on and on.

Unwholesome talk = terrible witness

Curious and also horrified, I looked over at the fill-up lane next to us.

It was two teenagers – a boy and a girl.

As I looked closer, a highly-visible cross was hanging around the young man’s neck.

Are you kidding me?

My heart sank.

I hoped no other kids were around to hear them.

If I had been “on the fence” about my faith and had heard all of that, I would have been completely turned off.

If that’s how Christians treat each other, well then . . .

Our witness for Christ is for every single day.

We should all be more cognizant of how we treat others because the world is watching.

Our talk . . . our walk.

Think about it.

All of us outside that gas station got to hear the verbal beat down.

A Witness For Christ – That Means Every Day of the Week

Are you a different person on Sunday than you are the rest of the week?

Do you profess your faith on social media and yet throw out a string of obscenities in front of family when someone cuts you off in traffic?

The fact is, we’re all sinners in a fallen world.

And by the grace of God, when we truly repent, our Heavenly Father forgives us.

He deserves our reverence, praise, and worship.

Our mouths that lovingly praise God at church can easily tear someone else apart with our words.

With that in mind, our witness for Christ should be on our minds as soon as we walk out the door every morning.

Recently, I came across an interesting little poem.

Although short in length, the message it contained spoke volumes.

Check this out . . .

Unless my talk about my faith
Is mirrored in my walk,
The faith that glibly I profess
Is merely empty talk. – Anonymous.

Convicting, right?

I would much rather be around people who lift each other up, wouldn’t you?

Instead, a godly person will use words to build up others and show them grace: encouragement, praise, appreciation, gratefulness, cheerfulness, understanding, sympathy, testimony, truth, caring correction and warning, and helpful counsel. – Stephen J. Cole, author and theologian.¹

Witness for Christ

I think D.L. Moody is right on point with the following perspective. He doesn’t mince words.

Words are very empty, if there is nothing back of them. Your testimony is poor and worthless, if there is not a record back of that testimony consistent with what you profess. What we need is to pray to God to lift us up out of this low, cold, formal state that we live in, that we may dwell in the atmosphere of God continually, and that the Lord may lift upon us the light of His countenance, and that we may shine in this world, reflecting His grace and glory. – Evangelist D. L. Moody²

Pray that we always be cognizant of our witness and shine our light to a world of lost sinners.

Shine your light, Christian!

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¹ Steven J. Cole quotation is courtesy of bible.org. from “Lesson 14: Your Walk And Your Work For Christ (1 Timothy 4:11-16).” April 12, 2013. Web. Accessed November 5, 2023. Retrieved from https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-14-your-walk-and-your-work-christ-1-timothy-411-16

² As quoted from influential American evangelist, Dwight L. Moody. From “Hypocrisy-Hypocrites” [2018] Courtesy of Precept Austin, Subheading, “Quotes, Illustrations, Devotionals” Web. Accessed 5 November, 2023.

Our Exceptional God

Why Did God Make Scorpions?

October 31, 2023 Gracie

Why Did God Make Scorpions?

Several days ago I was sitting out on the porch with our Siberian huskies, Shimmer and Cayenne.

Shimmer is our new three-year-old.

We love her so much!

She’s one of the most observant dogs we’ve ever owned.

I noticed her ears had perked up at one point and she was intently staring at the big brown ornamental rock right beyond our porch.

What in the world is she looking at?

A few minutes later I saw it too.

Ohhhhh noooooooooo.

A scorpion.

The hideously-disgusting creature was scurrying along that rock, way too close for my comfort.

I’m pretty sure it was about twelve inches long (okay, probably closer to two inches.)

I heard a scream (actually it was from me) and the three of us ran inside so I could get my husband to kill it.

Chivalry is not dead.

Why did God make scorpions in the first place?

Even the pictures gross me out

Cringe-Worthy Arachnids: Why Did God Make Scorpions?

Why did God make scorpions?

I’m glad you asked.

We don’t fully know, as God is our Sovereign Creator.

However, some of the things we do know from a human standpoint is that scorpions eat other creepy crawlies like silverfish and spiders – that’s a good thing.

Even better, did you know that scientists are studying the scorpion’s venom for its possible health benefits?

Researchers isolated compounds of the scorpion’s poison indicating potential for treating certain illnesses and infections.¹

Yet, despite these redeeming qualities, it’s also hard to forget that, depending on the species, scorpions can also be dangerous.

Their painful stings are mentioned in the Bible.

Here’s one example:

First the context, hordes of locust-like creatures will be unleashed for a short period of time during the Final Judgment (the Tribulation) “to torment” unrepentant souls.

And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. – Revelation 9:5, (NASB).²

The horror to come for those Tribulation souls is yet another reminder for unbelievers to repent and put their trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation.

Cringe-Worthy Scorpions: Were They Ever Good?

Scorpions weren’t always the feared insects that we know them as today.

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. – Genesis 1:24-25, (NASB).³

Did you see that?

Scorpions were good.

I wanted to share Dr. Gordon Wilson’s perspective from Answers in Genesis:

A world where animals didn’t eat other animals is almost impossible to imagine. Though we don’t know how everything worked in a perfect world, we do know that scorpions didn’t harm human beings. That came after Adam’s sin brought death and suffering into the world. – Dr. Gordon Wilson, Answers in Genesis.⁴

Further, he writes . . .

The scorpion is a vivid reminder of the Curse and the deadly consequences of our sin against a holy and just God. Adam’s one sin in the Garden of Eden brought all this pain and suffering into the world. But because of God’s love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to experience death’s sting in our place and redeem sinful mankind (Acts 2:22–24; John 3:16). Someday God will redeem His fallen creation, as well. Then He will take away all predator-prey relationships— the poison and the pain, the fangs and the fears—and the scorpion will be restored to its original diet (Isaiah 11:6–9). – Dr. Gordon Wilson,Answers in Genesis.⁵

Another One?

Okay, so we know there’s both good and bad about present-day scorpions.

Even with the good, they’re still not my favorite creature in God’s Kingdom.

Meanwhile, we spotted a second scorpion at our house – this one was inside our house!

Oh heck no – we need to move.

Remind me to look down before I walk into a dark room.

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¹Source Credit, [2019] Stanford University. By Stanford News. From “Stanford researchers synthesize healing compounds in scorpion venom”, June 11, 2019. Web. Accessed 27th October, 2023. Retrieved from https://chemistry.stanford.edu/news/stanford-researchers-synthesize-healing-compounds-scorpion-venom

⁴ Quotation from Dr. Gordon Wilson (PhD, Environmental Science and Public Policy, MS in Entomology) – teacher, writer for Answers in Genesis. “Scorpions — Armed and Dangerous.” Courtesy of Answersingenesis.org. para.4. Web. Accessed 26th, October, 2023. Retrieved from: https://answersingenesis.org/creepy-crawlies/scorpions-armed-and-dangerous/

⁵ Quotation from Dr. Gordon Wilson (PhD, Environmental Science and Public Policy, MS in Entomology) – teacher, writer for Answers in Genesis. “Scorpions — Armed and Dangerous.” Courtesy of Answersingenesis.org. para.11. Web. Accessed 26th, October, 2023. Retrieved from: https://answersingenesis.org/creepy-crawlies/scorpions-armed-and-dangerous/

Our Exceptional God

One Day Closer

October 24, 2023 Gracie

We Are One Day Closer

Israel-Hamas War

No doubt, you’ve seen the awful headlines, but does the Israel-Hamas war signal that our generation is living in the End Times?

The disturbing images and reports on the news are horrific, including the mass murder of women, children, and the elderly.

We are witnessing blatant evil and depravity.

Reading the words of our Savior, we learn that Jesus taught His disciples about birth pains and the end times events to come.

It’s hard to miss the fact that countries are lining up against Israel, as prophesied.

But, there’s a big problem when people engage in date-setting and, in some cases, write books about specific dates.

Jesus said to His followers in Mark 13:

³²But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

³³“Watch out, stay alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. – Mark 13:32-33, (NASB).¹

“No one knows” means exactly that – “no one knows!”

No book author, Christian preacher, false teacher, or church knows exactly when the glorious return of Jesus Christ (His Second Coming) will happen.

If God wanted us as His creation to know, He would have told us.

The Rapture hasn’t even happened yet.

The Church is still here.

Here’s what we do know for sure about God’s timing . . . we are 100% guaranteed, no question, absolutely sure that we are one day closer.

That’s it.

We are one day closer, and Jesus’ return is near – er.

Until His return, the horrific events we are witnessing in the headlines (and more to come) are the result of living in a fallen world.

The world needs Jesus!

Photo by Elianna Gill on Unsplash

One Day Closer, But Why Don’t We Know the Date?

Why didn’t God tell us the date?

God is sovereign.

Only He knows the big picture of events – the beginning and the end.

Since we don’t know the time or date, we should always be ready.

The verse quoted above from Mark 13 is clear – in essence, “stay alert.”

On the one hand, it serves as a vivid reminder that the things of this world are temporary (cf. 2 Peter 3:11–13; 1 John 2:15–17; 3:2–3), and that the redeemed are citizens of an eternal kingdom that is yet to be revealed on earth when the Lord comes in glory (Phil. 3:20–21; Heb. 11:16). On the other hand, it provides a compelling motivation for believers to proclaim the glorious gospel of Christ to those who are perishing, so that they might be saved from the impending judgment of God (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20–21; 2 Peter 3:14–15). – as quoted in preceptaustin.org.²

In the meantime, please pray for the release of the hostages in this brutal war.

We should also continue to pray for God’s will to be done, and that what we’re seeing on the world stage will bring the unsaved around the world to Christ.

It’s only through Jesus Christ, as His Elect, we will have eternal security and safety.

³⁵Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶Just as it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:35-39, (NASB).³

Come, Lord Jesus.

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²Precept Austin quotation is from the Mark 13 Commentary, [2023] Courtesy of Precept Austin, Subheading, “Watch For Him” Web. Accessed 21 October, 2023.

Our Exceptional God

Too Stressed To Feel Blessed?

October 17, 2023 Gracie

Are You Too Stressed To Feel Blessed?

Do you remember those pop quizzes we used to have in high school?

You know the ones.

too stressed to feel blessed We would sit in class ready for a lesson and then the teacher would tell us to close our books and get ready for a pop quiz.

Those quizzes weren’t “open book” either.

Yikes.

We could see the stress levels rising on each other’s faces.

Considering the way things are going in today’s world, on a national and global level, you’d think everything is a pop quiz.

What are the answers? How are we to respond?

Disturbing situations we’d never think would happen . . . are happening.

Stress levels are high, and depression rates are soaring.¹

Are we too stressed to feel blessed?

All the more reason to bend our knees.

God has a sovereign plan for all of history. He is working all times and epochs, as well as our times, after the counsel of His will, for our ultimate good (Eph. 1:11; Rom. 8:28). We can know that when tragedy hits us, God was not asleep or on vacation. His sovereignty is a great comfort in a time of trial. We can know that He has designed our distressing situation to teach us more about what it means to take refuge in Him. – Stephen J. Cole, author and theologian.²

Too Stressed to Feel Blessed? Pray!

Prayer is our opportunity to fellowship with God.

He hears you and me.

In fact, Proverbs 15:29 reminds us, “The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.³

If you are alive, (and obviously you are because you’re reading this), God has a purpose for your life.

Our reason for living . . . is to glorify Him with our hearts, minds, and actions, even as the world around us is seemingly falling apart.

He wants to bless us.

When stressful times come into your life, trust Him to give you the strength that you need to withstand the challenge.

He loves you that much!

¹⁴For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:14-19, (NASB).⁴

God is the God of our past, present, and future.

We honor God by trusting Him through all of it – no matter what the stresses are that we face.

To sum up, this is great food for thought from the late Christian missionary, Hudson Taylor:

I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me. It does not matter where He places me, or how. That is for Him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions He will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones His grace is sufficient. – Hudson Taylor, Christian missionary to China.⁵

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¹Source Credit, [2023] Courtesy of news.gallup.com. By Dan Witters, from “U.S Depression rates Reach New Highs. ” Web. Accessed 13 October, 2023.

^{2 Steven J. Cole quotation is courtesy of bible.org. from “Psalm 31: The Remedy For Stress.” April 18, 2013. Web. Accessed October 15, 2023. Retrieved from https://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-31-remedy-stress}

⁵ Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) quotation. From AZquotes.com. Accessed October 13, 2023. Web. Retrieved October 14, 2023.

Our Exceptional God

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