Musings and Nuggets

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.   1 John 1:9 (NKJV)  In Nehemiah 1, Israel was in exile and Nehemiah served as butler to the King of Persia.  He had an opportunity to inquire of a visitor about the wellbeing of his fellow Jews who had escaped exile.  He was heartbroken to learn that the wall around Jerusalem was in disrepair with the gate to the city was burned making them vulnerable to attack by enemies.    Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash He immediately turned to fasting and praying.  He first "came clean" to God by confessing ( Nehemiah 1:6-7 ) that both he and his father's house had sinned by being unfaithful to God.   Confession  is required for us to be forgiven and cleansed as well.   1 John 1:10 reads If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.  Nehemiah did not stop there.   Then he put God in * remembrance of His promise to redeem the Je

 Do you believe that the Lord has a sense of humor?  I once heard someone jokingly respond, "Of course, He does!  He made us, didn't He!"  Anyway, I certainly hope that He does. Dennis HeHaan made the following statement in a * devotional called  "Praying On Target".  It reads, "The more specific our request, the more definite His response".  It triggered a memory of the  day the Lord taught me that very lesson years ago.                                                                                                 Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash Our car at the time was sometimes temperamental and was slow to crank.   I had an errand to run.   I tried to crank the car, it would not.  I waited a while, then asked the Lord to intervene by getting the car to crank.  He answered that request and the car cranked up!  Yay,  but it immediately cut off.  I thought about it, smiled and said "Ok"  to the Lord, You've got jokes!" Finally, my

Look here, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.   James 4:13 , NLT If you are of a certain age, you can readily remember exactly where you were when you heard the news of the 911 Terrorist Attacks on this country.                    Photo by Jonas Brief on Unsplash This week, we paused to commemorate & reflect on that horrible day, and to remember those whose lives were needlessly ended;  Also remembering the many first responders who lost their lives, the ones who lived but had (and some still have) all kinds of health and emotional issues, as well as, their families.  I'm sure that not one of them got up that day 22 years ago planning to die. How do you know what your life is like * tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog ... Verse 14a A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the 911 Memorial in lower Manhattan.  As I stood at the Reflecting Pool,   I was

  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord.    Psalm 20:7 (ESV) You may have seen this catchy phrase on the wall in an establishment that read "In God We Trust.  All others pay cash"!  😊   That, however, is not what this installment is about.    Here is a little background.                                                             In God We Trust was first put on US coins during Abe Lincoln's presidency (1861-1865).  In 1955, during Dwight Eisenhower's presidency, it was decided that it would be on all US currency and  was implimented in 1956.  It's intent was to serve as a constant reminder of founding fathers'  belief that this country was founded on their religious belief in God.    There was a time when I would bypass a penny on the ground just because it just didn't seem to be worth the effort.  I know. Pennies add up!  Then I read a story where the writer shared that when he saw a penny on the ground, he p