I John 5:13-15 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (6/21/2016)...

"If God can bring blessing from the broken body of Jesus and glory from something that's as obscene as the cross, He can bring blessing from my problems and my pain and my unanswered prayer. I just have to trust Him."

- Anne Graham Lotz

1 John 5:13-15 (NLT) I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

James 4:1-3 (NLT) What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

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Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (6/17/2016)...

FATHER'S DAY THOUGHT...

One night a father overheard his son pray: Dear God, "Make me the kind of  man my Daddy is." Later that night, the Father prayed, "Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son thinks I am."

- Unknown

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NLT) And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

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Exodus 20:12 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (6/16/2016)...

FATHER'S DAY THOUGHT...

The tradition of celebrating Father's Day as seen today originated in the last century. Though there are several people who are credited for furthering the cause of Father's Day, there is far greater acceptance for Ms Sonora Louise Smart Dodd's contribution. A doting daughter from Spokane, Washington, Ms Dodd is recognized as the Founder or Mother of the Father's Day Festival. 

Many people laughed and joked at Sonora's idea. But her will did not droop. She began a sincere campaign lobbying for the cause of Father's Day. Her hard work began to show signs of success when Spokane celebrated its first Father's Day on June 19, 1910 with the support of Spokane Ministerial Association and the local Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). To pay tribute to her affectionate father, Sonora wished that Father's Day be celebrated on her father's birthday on June 5, but it so happened that there was not enough time for preparation and the day came to be celebrated on third Sunday in the month of June. 

The noble idea of celebrating Father's Day became quite popular in US so much so that President Woodrow Wilson approved of the festival in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge too supported the idea but it was President Lyndon Johnson who signed a Presidential Proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father's Day in 1966. Then in 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. 

Inception of the Father's Day took place in Sonora's mind when she happened to hear a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Sonora, who was 27 then, had begun to recognize the hardships her father must have gone through while bringing up his six children alone. When Sonora was 16, her mother had died during childbirth. Sonora's father a Civil War veteran by the name of William Jackson Smart raised six children including the newborn on his own. Sonora questioned that if there is a day to recognize mothers then why is not there a day to honor fathers? 

Exodus 20:12 (NIV) Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

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Proverbs 23:22-24 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (6/15/2016)...

FATHER'S DAY THOUGHT...

Back by popular demand...

4 years: My Daddy can do anything! 

7 years: My Dad knows a lot…a whole lot.

8 years: My father does not know quite everything.

12 years: Oh well, naturally Father does not know that either.

14 years: Oh, Father? He is hopelessly old-fashioned.

21 years: Oh, that man-he is out of date!

25 years: He knows a little bit about it, but not much.

30 years: I must find out what Dad thinks about it.

35 years: Before we decide, we will get Dad's idea first.

50 years: What would Dad have thought about that?

60 years: My Dad knew literally everything!

65 years: I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more.

- Unknown

Proverbs 23:22-24 (NIV) Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it— wisdom, instruction and insight as well. The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.

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Psalm 103:13 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (6/14/2016)...

FATHER'S DAY THOUGHT...

"Spread the diaper in the position of the diamond with you at bat. Then fold second base down to home and set the baby on the pitcher's mound. Put first base and third together, bring up home plate and pin the three together. Of course, in case of rain, you gotta call the game and start all over again."

- Jimmy Piersal 

Psalm 103:13 (NIV) As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him...

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Psalm 127:3-5 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (6/13/2016)...

FATHER'S DAY THOUGHT...

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich."

- Colonel Potter (*M*A*S*H)

Psalms 127:3-5 (NLT) Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!...

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Romans 12:11-12 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (6/10/2016)...

The common conception is that motivation leads to action, but the reverse is true -- action precedes motivation. You have to ''prime the pump'' and get the juice flowing, which motivates you to work on your goals. Getting momentum going is the most difficult part of the job, and often taking the first step is enough to prompt you to make the best of your day.

- Robert McKain 

Romans 12:11-12 (NLT) Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

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