Daily Devotions and More for Wednesday, July 15, 2020
MerkV814
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
* ... we could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world. -- Helen Keller (1880-1968) American Writer
* An artist never really finishes his work, he merely abandons it. -- Paul Valery
* The day I see a leaf is a marvel of a day. -- Kenneth Patton
* First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. -- Epictetus
* Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in. -- Leonardo da Vinci
* Let us not be surprised when we have to face difficulties. When the wind blows hard on a tree, the roots stretch and grow the stronger. Let it be so with us. Let us not be weaklings, yielding to every wind that blows, but strong in spirit to resist. -- Amy Carmichael
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Gideon and Baal
Scripture Reading — Judges 6:25-32
“Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing?” — Isaiah 44:10
The saviors God sent his people often got into trouble with their neighbors for listening to God. The townspeople were so committed to Baal and Asherah that they wanted to kill Gideon for destroying Baal’s altar and the Asherah pole.
This reveals an uncomfortable truth: God’s people didn’t worship other gods now and then. Rather, according to Judges and the Prophets, it happened regularly. It was almost normal. Because Gideon had disturbed their comfortable religion, the townspeople were eager to sacrifice him.
Would Baal avenge the destruction of his altar? The people thought so. But their false gods did not and could not do anything. What could wood, stone, precious metal, or even animals do? The prophets scorned false religions, but that didn’t stop Israel from putting their hope in good-for-nothing idols.
What do we do today? Are there any false gods and altars of sacrifice in our lives? We know that prosperity, positions of authority in church and community, good schools, and a healthy family are all gifts of the Lord. But have we worshiped or sacrificed to them in place of God?
There is only one God worthy of our worship: the Lord Jesus Christ, who shed his own blood on a cross, the final altar, as the sacrifice for our sin. Worship him today and every day. All other gods and their altars are good for nothing.
Prayer: Lord and Savior, thank you for sacrificing yourself willingly for us on the cruel cross. Help us to worship you only, we pray. Amen.
Arie Leder
email: to...@thisistoday.net
TODAY is copyright © 2017, the BTGH
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Saving South Africa's Penguins
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Humane Heroes Vol. III
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work with zoo or aquarium animals? Meet Kylene, an animal care specialist from SeaWorld in San Diego. She cared for the African penguins at SeaWorld for many years.
These penguins live on the southern tip of Africa. Most people think that penguins live in very cold places, but only a few kinds of penguins live in extreme cold. Most penguins live in more moderate temperatures and some even live close to the equator off the coast of South America. (Keep reading)
Reprinted by permission of Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved.
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Beautiful to God
What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:4
Scripture Reading: Psalm 8:4–9
When Denise began dating her boyfriend, she attempted to maintain a slim figure and dress stylishly, believing she would be more attractive to him in that way. After all, it was what all the women’s magazines advised. It was only much later that she discovered what he really thought: “I liked you just as much when you were heavier and didn’t worry about what you wore.”
Denise realized then how subjective “beauty” was. Our view of beauty is so easily influenced by others. It’s often focused on the external, forgetting the value of inner beauty. But God sees us in only one way—as His beautiful, beloved children. I’d like to think that when God created the world, He left the best for last—us! Everything He created was good, but we’re extra special because we’re made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).
God considers us beautiful! No wonder the psalmist was filled with awe as he compared the greatness of nature with humans. “What is mankind,” he asked, “that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:4). Yet God chose to give mortals a glory and honor that nothing else had (v. 5).
This truth gives us an assurance and reason to praise Him (v. 9). No matter what others think of us—or what we think of ourselves—know this: We are beautiful to God.
By Leslie Koh
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REFLECT & PRAY
Father, You know how insecure we can feel about ourselves. Thank You for the assurance that You love us!
How do you see yourself? How do you think God sees you?
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
It’s interesting to note how the writers of the Bible reference other Scriptures. Psalm 8 includes David’s poetic echoes of what’s recorded in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” Centuries later, the writer of the book of Hebrews quoted Psalm 8:4-6 to note mankind’s failure to fully realize the dominion mandate and to note the ultimate fulfillment of it in Jesus. Speaking of Christ, Hebrews 2:9 says, “But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” -- Arthur Jackson
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Today’s Video: The Oak Ridge Boys, Gaither Vocal Band - Loving God, Loving Each Other
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Today’s Verse: Psalm 119:45 ... 45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
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Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 25:19 ... 19 Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.
Our Daily Bread
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Wings over the Mountains of Life
A MountainWings Moment
Where You Go Or When You Go?
Direct link: www.CoachB.tv/0726
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Running for Love
If every step I ran was a resemblance of how much I love you, I would be running forever.
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Wants
It's not having what you want, but yet wanting what you have.
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No Reason to Worry
Though there will always be things to worry about, there is never any good reason to worry. For worry accomplishes nothing positive. Not only does worry waste your time and drain your energy. It also keeps you focused on the negative aspects of life, and gives those negative things more power.
Sure, there are things that trouble you, things that need to be changed. Rather than worrying about them, go to work on them. You’ll never completely eliminate all the possible things about which to worry. Yet you can completely eliminate worry itself.
Try thinking of something that troubles you, and then let yourself peacefully accept it in the moment. Know that your positive thoughts and actions are the best way to make it better.
Stop worrying about life and start living it with power and positive purpose. You’ll be amazed at the difference it can make.
Copyright Ralph S. Marston, Jr. Used by permission. From The Daily Motivator® at www.dailymotivator.com
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Living with Flair
Heather Hollema from Hnnah Whitall Smith
As I catch up on some of my devotional reading today, I find myself once again so encouraged by Hannah Whitall Smith. She writes three things that strengthen my heart and I pray yours as well:
#1: God will manage everything concerning us. “Trusting, therefore, simply means that when we have yielded, or given, ourselves to the Lord, we then have perfect confidence that He will manage us and everything concerning us exactly right, and we consequently leave the whole care and managing in His hands.”
#2. If I knew what God knew, I would choose what He has chosen for me. “The deliverance may not always come in your own way, but it will surely come in God’s way; and God’s way is always the best way, the way we ourselves would choose if we knew all that He knows.”
#3. God can make even evil carry a blessing for us. “All things serve God. . . While the Lord does not inaugurate the evil, when that evil is directed against His children, He makes it His ‘servant’ to carry them a blessing. All things are yours not to trouble you and not you harm but to bless you and do you good.”
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FREEDOM FLIES
by John Otto
Blowing in the wind is her 13 stripes
dark blue cloth behind stars that are white,
In Arlington cemetery over a fallen hero's grave
look from a distance and you will see her colors wave,
On a working man's porch in the mid-summer heat
on a highway to Wisconsin on the back of a jeep,
Down in south Texas she flies high on the farm
to terrorists and tyrants she's a frightening alarm,
In the corner of a classroom she hangs on the wall
where we fold her up tightly and don't let her fall,
In a 3rd world country she's a sign of hope
like watching a soldier with food sliding down on a rope,
A light shines upon her on a ship out to sea
as she makes her way back to the place men are free,
The statue of liberty was built in her name
but that is not the only monument that has earned her fame,
Like a trumpets call early morning on a base
or her colors held up after a tough Olympic race,
Like a kid in the summer jumping into a lake
or the smell of apple pie just freshly baked,
Back to back champs her colors never ran
like a Friday night feel good in a Budweiser can,
Like sparklers and fireworks on the 4th of July
or six flags great America on a roller coaster ride,
Like lightening bugs and stars on a hot summer night
like a soldier in uniform running back to the fight,
From her wide skies to her rolling plains
to the monument of men who all signed their names,
Their is nothing to hate she's a beauty I swear
the land of opportunity where all are treated fair,
We the people a democracy of men
so stand up and salute cause this we'll defend,
And when I die and I am taken above
I pray I see this land this nation that I love,
And when I grow old no matter what I do
I'll never be afraid to fly that red, white, and blue.
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Dear Father God,
Today I am thinking about how people try so hard to be independent.
We want to be individuals, to “do it ourselves.”
It starts when we are children.
We are children in Your eyes, no matter what our age.
I realize that people really do need You and each other.
We need to support one another emotionally and spiritually ... and sometimes physically.
We need accountability, and a true friend or loving family member.
Help me to be willing to help and to be helped.
May I be a loving member of the family of God ... and a team player in my home, church, workplace, school, ministry and community.
In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen
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Care of the Land
Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-11
And you shall rejoice in all the good that the LORD your God has given to you. (v. 11)
The ritual of thanksgiving in Deuteronomy 26 helped God’s people remember all that God had done for them. They gave a portion of their harvest back to God and told the story, once more, of their deliverance from Egypt. This spiritual practice had two components: the people gave because of all they had received, and they verbalized God’s goodness to them.
The day I learned to compost was magical. We began with old broccoli plants—a sad pile representing a spent season.
Carefully, we arranged some of the plants into a circle, and then covered them with a few mounds of straw. A couple shovels full of dirt and a dose of water finished the first layer, and then we repeated the pattern again and again. While working, we wondered at our world, in which something so healing can come out of death. Within a year, the pile was good dirt. We added it to the beds we were about to plant, and the compost fed the new plants. Death to life: a picture of resurrection.
The practice of composting could be a type of spiritual practice, reminiscent of the ritual in Deuteronomy. Done mindfully, composting can be a way to remember the grace and beauty of resurrection, while also participating in the process of healing the earth. By something as simple as composting our table scraps, we can work for God’s new creation through the healing of the soil.
As you pray, thank God for the beauty of resurrection.
— Amy Curran; Words of Hope
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Here’s to Your Health
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Getting high lowers sperm count and blocks ovulation
By Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
From 1993's "Dazed and Confused" to 2012's "Ted," getting stoned has long been a favorite Hollywood shortcut to dumbed-down, cheap-shot humor. But for couples struggling with conception, smoking weed isn't a joke; it sends their chances of having a baby up in smoke!
In an article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers say they want docs and patients trying to conceive to be aware that smoking marijuana may make it more difficult. How?
1. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, acts on receptors in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and reproductive organs, making it more difficult to conceive.
In women, the hypothalamus produces gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which leads to a cascade of other hormones needed for ovulation and to prepare the uterus for a fertilized egg. Pituitary problems can contribute to erectile dysfunction in men and infertility in women.
2. Another problem: decreased sperm count. A Danish study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that smoking marijuana more than once a week reduced sperm count by 29% in guys 18 to 28 years old!
3. Marijuana may delay or prevent ovulation if smoked more than three times in the past three months.
One more caution: Authors of a study called "Not Your Mother's Marijuana," published in Clinical Perinatology, point out that if you're pregnant and smoke today's superpowered weed, prenatal exposure to marijuana can result in problems with your child's executive functioning skills, attention, behavior and school achievement later on.
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Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic and Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and. To live your healthiest, visit www.sharecare.com.
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Today’s Recipe …
Diabetic Delight...PORK WITH GREEN CHILE SAUCE
(Puerco con Salsa de Chile Verde)
Source: Light and Easy Diabetes Cuisine
Ingredients:
3 pounds lean boneless pork shoulder
OR butt, well-trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon canola or corn oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
Three 4-ounce cans green chilies,
OR one 10-ounce can jalapeno pepper
OR 6-7 large fresh Anaheim
OR California peppers, seeded and chopped
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro,
OR 2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
OR 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
To Prepare:
Brown the pork in the oil in small batches in a large nonstick skillet or Dutch oven. Remove and set aside. Sauté the onion and garlic in the pan about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the pork and all remaining ingredients, plus 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer on top of the stove, or bake in a 325 degree
oven, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until the pork is tender. Skim any fat from the surface before serving. Yield: Makes about 7 cups (7 servings)
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 257; Protein: 33 g; Sodium: 624 mg; Sugars: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 8 g; Cholesterol: 92 mg; Fiber: 2 g Exchanges: 2 Vegetable, 4 Lean Meat
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What’s on the Web?
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iMom Espresso Minute … 5 Mom Bod Features to Love
Like many women, I have not always had a
good relationship with my body. At times, I’ve really hated it, and throughout
my adolescence and early adulthood, I often felt at war with it. To be entirely
honest, I still dislike my body sometimes, but having experienced the thrills
and challenges of childbirth and motherhood, I find it much more difficult to
be angry with my body now. It has endured too much, survived too much, given
too much, and loved too much.
The term "Dad Bod" is mostly associated with laziness, whether dads
deserve that or not. But a "Mom Bod" is different. It comes from a
lot of hard work, yet we don't see it that way. When I look in the mirror now,
I still feel the temptation to catalog my faults. But I know that each flaw is
actually a witness to the lives I’ve created and care for every day. Have you
considered the gifts behind these 5 mom bod
"flaws?"
Pillow Talk: Ask your kids, “Would you like to hear about the day you were born?”
Word of the Day: kitsch
[kich]
Part of speech: noun
meaning: something of tawdry design, appearance, or content created to appeal to popular or undiscriminating taste.
How is kitsch used?
When the art critics call me “cornball” and my work “kitsch,” which I’m told is a derogatory term for popular art, I begin to worry. But I always pick up my brushes and go back to work. For better or for worse, I’ll never be a fine arts painter or a modern artist. I’m an illustrator, which is very different. -- Norman Rockwell, My Adventures as an Illustrator, 1960
Allee Willis … lives in a light-pink house north of Hollywood with a bowling-ball garden and a heaving collection of kitsch. -- Matthew Schneier, "A Queen of Kitsch Who Made the Whole World Sing," New York Times, June 7, 2018
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All-Pro Dad Play of the Day … 10 Things Dads and Kids Should Experience Together
Being a dad is a rewarding, challenging,
and fun job. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Being a father is filled with
many experiences, some better than others. As we all desire to be the best dads
we can be, to be All Pro Dads, we do our best to create experiences for our
kids to enjoy.
If we are honest, some of these experiences are intended for both father and
child. I think that is the reason we, as dads, often get labeled as adult kids.
Because we seem to have just as much fun as our kids. Here are 10 things every dad and kid
should experience together.
Huddle up with your kids and ask, “If we could drive anywhere as a family, where would you want to go?”
'MY PARENT'S MONEY PROBLEMS BECAME MINE'
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Dog wants to hold hands when he rides in a car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po8IlsIlG9M&feature=player_embedded
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Are You Game for Some Word Games?
Rob Kyff
What is the only letter that does not appear in the name of any U.S. state? What do the city of Paris and the letter "F" have in common? What familiar phrase is represented by the sequence "tu(singing)ne"?
If you answered "Q," "they're both the capital of France" and "singing in tune," you have a knack for word puzzles. Let's try two more types of games.
Four Share:
Can you select the one noun that, when placed either before or after each of these four words, forms a familiar two-word phrase or compound word: bus, magnet, high, board?
The answer is "school," as in "school bus," "magnet school," "high school" and "school board."
Now try some more Four Shares (answers at end):
1) Cat, peeping, foolery, turkey.
2) Rabbit, hammer, knife, pot.
3) Holder, luck, shot, roast.
4) Fee, ton, Simon, minded.
5) Smarty, suit, hot, pocket.
6) School, mobile, store, burning.
7) Christmas, house, family, hugger.
8) Show, cable, dinner, reality.
9) Calls, dog, fun, hold.
10) Couch, baked, sweet, pancake.
Answers:
1) Tom. 2) Jack. 3) Pot. 4) Simple. 5) Pants. 6) Book. 7) Tree. 8) TV. 9) House. 10) Potato.
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Last Words:
See whether you can think of a noun for each clue, knowing that the clue hints at a word formed by the answer's last three letters. For instance, "a part of the arm bent in archery" would be "elBOW," "a portent for males only" would be "oMEN," and "a final bonus payment" would be "dividEND."
Now try some more Last Words (answers at end):
1) An old composite picture.
2) A valley that produces a beerlike beverage.
3) A big wooden boat for dangerous fish.
4) A rodent climbing the tower of an ancient Mesopotamian tower.
5) A favorite brass instrument.
6) A smooth, soft fabric to cure a sick dog.
7) A naval commander who seeks rocks containing precious metals.
8) A boat for loquacious paddlers.
9) A legal document permitting the arrest of a common insect.
10) A baseball official who's a sourpuss.
Answers:
1) montAGE. 2) dALE (or vALE). 3) shARK. 4) zigguRAT. 5) trumPET. 6) velVET. 7) commodORE. 8) kayYAK. 9) warrANT. 10) grUMP.
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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to Wor...@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.
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English
Which Book Holds the Record for Most Onscreen Adaptations?
There have been nearly 40 adaptations of this classic book so far, and more may be coming. How familiar are you with this beloved work of children's literature?
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Do We Have Freedom or Responsibility to Wear Face Masks during COVID-19? … Wow! What an Important Article
Amanda Idleman
Opting to do what brings the most comfort to your community is a worthwhile sacrifice. Especially if it leads to you being able to be a testimony to someone in desperate need of encouragement in this very isolating season.
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6 Must-Read Books for Building Bridges toward Racial Reconciliation
Lisa Samra
America’s collective attention has been focused in recent months on issues of police brutality and racial inequality affecting people of color in our country.
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Climb Every Mountain
What mountains are you facing in your life today? Jesus had some wise words for His disciples in Matthew 21 about moving mountains, faith without doubt, and how to pray. Watch today’s devotional video to see how you can conquer all with God at your side.
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What defines a Rescuer?—Capetown City Hall, South Africa-----
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Listening Practice:
The Chicken Soup for the Soul Podcast with Amy Newmark:
Miracles, Money, and Divine Intervention
Listen Now or Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
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Compiled by Marilyn L. Van Driesen
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