Seeing our Blessings

“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”—Numbers 11:5–6

The Torah portion for this week is Behaalotecha, from Numbers 8:1–12:16 and the Haftorah from Zechariah 2:14–4:7.

The manna that fell from heaven was miraculous. It fell daily, with the exception of the Sabbath, when no work was permitted. There was exactly enough, even on Friday, when two times the amount needed fell so that there would be enough for the Sabbath. The Sages teach that the manna tasted exactly like the person eating it wanted it to taste.
Pretty amazing! So how is it possible that the Israelites complained about it?

The Touch of the Master's Hand

"Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp." Psalm 147:7

My favorite classical guitar piece is called "Recuerdos del Alhambra." And nobody plays it like Christopher Parkening, probably the greatest classical guitarist in the world. My husband, Ken, is friends with Christopher. They both like to fish; so whenever we're together, the subject is trout and tuna.

Recently, the three of us were at our home, and Ken left the room to get an fishing rod to show Christopher. I said, "Chris, I'm sorry to sound like such a fan, but one day I would love it if you would play for me 'Recuerdos del Alhambra.'" Then Ken was back in the room, and the subject turned to fish.

Later that night, as Christopher was about to leave, Ken said, "Hey, I want to show you my high school guitar and see what you think of it." Ken brought out that old, beat-up clunker that had never played much more than "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore." It was cracked, and its strings, fossilized.

Our Daily Bread -- Spiritual Sight

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Ephesians 1:15-21

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. —Ephesians 1:7

A prisoner who survived 14 years in a Cuban jail told how he kept his spirits up and his hope alive: “I had no window in my cell, and so I mentally constructed one on the door. I ‘saw’ in my mind a beautiful scene from the mountains, with water tumbling down a ravine over rocks. It became so real to me that I would visualize it without effort every time I looked at the cell door.”

Created to Praise

"Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." (Psalm 150:6)
We're created to praise God. Some people don't know that. When the praise service starts, they sit back and say, "I'm not comfortable with all that singing and shouting. I guess praise is just not my thing."

Yes it is! According to the Bible, if you breathe, you were meant to praise.

And don't try to slip by with saying, "Well, I have praise in my heart." That's not enough. The Word says you need to have it in your mouth as well! (Ps. 34:1) Psalm 132:9 says, "Let thy saints shout for joy." You can't shout and be quiet at the same time.

Is There Such a Thing As Coincidence?

Jon Walker

“Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon. A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, ‘Would you give me a drink of water?’” (John 4:6-7 MSG)

During this week of Thanksgiving, give some thought to this question: Is there such a thing as coincidence?

In Kingdom reality, there simply cannot be. Random doesn’t happen in God’s Kingdom. Oswald Chambers says God is the Great Engineer, creating circumstances to bring about moments in our lives of divine importance, leading us to divine appointments.

Was it a coincidence that Jesus came upon the woman at the well? Was she just a random woman who walked into a discussion of God’s grace and omnipotence and then told a whole village about God’s forgiveness? Would God have left that all to chance?

Would he do any less in the details of your life?

TEACHING KIDS TO PRAY: THE FIVE FINGER METHOD

By Sheila

When Katie was two, we were teaching her how to say grace. She had just finished up when Keith leaned over and whispered to her, “tell Mommy she’s pretty.” Katie promptly put both hands together again, closed her eyes, and said, “Dear God, please make Mommy pretty. Amen.”

But most of my girls’ prayers tend towards this: “Thank you that we had a good day today. Please help us to have fun tomorrow! Amen.”

Granted, it’s not that bad, but you know what I mean.

And I have decided this isn’t good enough. So here is our plan to really teach them to pray:

God Is a Positive God; He Wants to 'Supersize' Your Peace, Joy

Joel Osteen at Night of Hope DC: 

By Michelle A. Vu , Christian Post Reporter

(Photo: Joel Osteen Ministries/Brad Person)

Joel Osteen delivers a message to tens of thousands of people at the Nationals Park baseball stadium for the Night of Hope event on April, 29, 2012, in Washington, D.C.

Joel Osteen didn't disappoint the tens of thousands of people that filled the Nationals Park baseball stadium Sunday evening expecting him to "plant the seed of hope" in them. He not only delivered a potent dose of hope, but also rolled out an American Idol star and his own mother to share their uplifting stories of survival in the face of death at the "Night of Hope" event in Washington, D.C.

With his signature smile even wider yesterday, Osteen declared that believers of Jesus Christ are "not victims but victors" and that "before anyone put a curse on you, God put a blessing on you." The pastor of America's largest and fastest growing church often paraphrased Bible stories or verses as he taught the massive crowd – also watching online via live webcast – how to have a more positive attitude about life and have faith that God is for, not against them.

"The Scripture says that you got to take off the coat of heaviness, and put on a coat of praise. Put on a coat of thanksgiving. In other words this: don't focus on what is wrong, thank God for what is right," said Osteen. "Don't look at all you don't have, thank God for what you do have. Don't look at how far you got to go, sometimes you got to look back and thank God for how far He has already brought you. Have a grateful attitude today! Let's say like David, 'It is another day the Lord has made.' We are going to choose to rejoice!"

The Night of Hope event is a combination of praise and worship music, encouragement from Victoria Osteen, a special testimony from Dodie Osteen (Joel's mother), prayer, and an inspirational message from Joel Osteen. Unlike many other large-scale Christian events, the main speaker – Joel Osteen – and worship music alternate throughout the event, rather than having a separate worship block and a message segment, although Osteen does deliver a longer message at the end.

"Some people say, well Joel, you're just real positive, you're just hopeful," said the pastor of the 40,000-strong Lakewood Church in Houston. "But let me tell you this, God is a positive God. If you are going to get into agreement with God, you got to get your mind going in the right direction."

"David said 'my cup runs over.' God doesn't want you to have just enough peace for yourself, enough joy for yourself, God is a running over God. He wants you to have so much peace that you can give peace wherever you go … He wants to supersize anything in your life. He wants to give you more joy, more peace, more victory."

While Osteen is adored by millions of people worldwide, has penned several New York Times bestsellers, and was named by Barbara Walters as one of the "10 Most Fascinating People of 2006," some people – including his own fellow evangelical Christians – criticize him for preaching what they consider a watered-down Gospel and for his weaktheology. Osteen did not attend seminary, but succeeded his father to be pastor of Lakewood Church after he died. A common criticism is that Osteen teaches prosperity gospel, given his common references to health and finances in his messages, and that he teaches more self-help than Christian faith.

But those criticisms didn't bother his fans, who came out to the ballpark Sunday and filled the stadium, hoping to get an injection of hope.

American Idol star Danny Gokey shared during Night of Hope in D.C. his personal story of losing his first wife Sophia Martinez just weeks before auditioning for American Idol. Martinez died from complications during a routine surgery for congenital heart disease. Not only did Gokey become a third place finalist on Season 8 of the popular singing contest show despite losing his high school sweetheart, he has also since started a foundation in her name, Sophia's Heart Foundation, to help children and families struggling with poverty and diseases. In January of this year, Gokey also became a husband again, to Leyicet Peralta.

And Joel Osteen's mother, Dodie, shared that 31 years ago she was given a prognosis that she had weeks left to live because she had cancer. At that time she weighed only 89 pounds and her skin was "yellow" as could be. But despite the grave prognosis, the family prayed and kept hope alive. Her husband and her laid face down on the floor to pray for her health, and every day she read scripture verses about healing that she compiled. She would drive across town to pray for others even despite her illness because she believed that when she prays for others, her health would improve. During her battle with cancer, Dodie wrote letters to everyone she thought she might have offended to ask for forgiveness, including to her children, which made her feel "clean" inside.

"I think unforgiveness in your heart is like poison in your body," she said. "You might say 'I can't forgive,' you can with God's help."

"They couldn't treat me with chemo, because they didn't know where the primary tumor was," said Dodie Osteen, who advised people to get medical treatment any way they can if they have cancer. "But I found the place where it was written, and I read all those Scriptures and I still read them because they are like my medication every day I take."

Despite given a prognosis of only weeks to live in 1981, Dodie Osteen has exceeded everyone's expectation and has lived another 31 years so far.

At the end of the event, after Osteen gave a message about God's positive destiny for everyone's life, he prayed with those who wanted to dedicate their lives to Jesus and told them to pray that they repent of their sins. He also encouraged people who watch his weekly church service broadcast to find a local church to attend so they can get "plugged in" to the Christian body.

Joel Osteen's children performed together several times during the Night of Hope event, with his son Jonathan playing the electric guitar and his daughter Alexandra singing. Several D.C. pastors also took the stage to pray for the city, including Mark Batterson of National Community Church and Dennis Pisani of Capitol City Church of D.C.

(Photo: Joel Osteen Ministries/Brad Person)

(l-r) Joel Osteen, his daughter Alexandra, his son Jonathan, and wife Victoria Osteen at the Night of Hope event at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, April, 29, 2012.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/joel-osteen-at-night-of-hope-dc-god-is-a-positive-god-he-wants-to-supersize-your-peace-joy

Praise That Fits

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.
Psalm 33:1

Praise and the upright person go together. It is absolutely impossible to think of one apart from the other. The Lord delights in the praises of His people, and there is a distinct beauty, not only in the form of worship and praise, but also in its transforming qualities in the worshiper's life. Praise with thanksgiving and worship from the heart provide a garment visible on the outside and beauty seen on the inside of a person.

The psalmist declares he has been clothed with gladness (Ps. 30:11). In Isaiah 61:3 we are instructed to put on "the garment of praise." Praise is the customary apparel of the upright! If we stop praising, it is as if we are unclothed.

The King James Version of Psalm 33:1 declares "praise is comely for the upright." Maybe it will just make us a little better looking! That is certainly true in our attitudes and relationships. Praisers do not make good complainers. So continue growing as a praising saint. God loves it and it looks good on you!

http://www.jackhayford.org/articles/devotional.sd

A Letter From God

As you got up I watched and hoped you would talk
to me. Just a few words, such as thanking me for
something good in your life yesterday or last
week, would do.

But I noticed you were busy selecting the right
clothes for work. I waited again to hear from you.
When you ran around the house collecting papers,
I knew there would be a few minutes to stop and
say hello, but you never slowed down.

I wanted to tell you that I could help you
accomplish more than you ever dreamed possible
if you would just spend some of each day with me.
At one point you waited fifteen minutes in a chair
with nothing to do. I waited to hear from you.

Keeping the Faith: Goats and Gratitude

A man went to his rabbi and complained, “There are ten of us living in one room. Life is unbearable! What can I do?” The rabbi answered, “Go home and take your goat into the room with you.” The man was incredulous; but the rabbi was insistent. “Do as I say. Come back in a week.”

A week later the man returned looking even more distraught than before. ”Rabbi, please, we cannot stand it. The goat is so filthy!” The rabbi then told him, “Very well, go home and let the goat out. Come back in a week.”

A radiant man returned to the rabbi a week later. His perspective had been astonishingly altered. “Life is beautiful,” he cried. “We enjoy every minute of living together without the goat – and there’s only the ten of us!”

Jesus once encountered a group of ten, living together, with little for which to be thankful. These ten had more than a stinking goat in the room. They had leprosy. From a distance they shout to the rabbi Jesus to have mercy on them – life was unbearable.

Making Miracles

As the Passover meal progresses, we go from recounting the Passover story to expressing our gratitude for the great miracles that God did on behalf of the Nation of Israel. What better text to read from than Psalms of thanksgiving written by King David? In Psalm 114 we read about the Exodus from Egypt. The Psalmist reveals that when the Israelites approached the Red Sea, it “looked and fled.” But what exactly did the sea look at that made it split?

Jewish tradition teaches us that the sea saw the bones of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who had requested that the Israelites take his remains with them when they left Egypt. Something about the bones of Joseph caused the sea to react. What? For the answer, we turn to Joseph’s greatest moment.

Joseph’s greatest achievement was not becoming the second-in-command of Egypt. It wasn’t even his willingness to help out his brothers even though they hadn’t exactly treated him with the same kindness that he would later bestow upon them.


Joseph’s greatest moment came when he refused the advances of the wife of his master. After being sold into slavery in Egypt, Joseph found himself working in the home of Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife took a liking to him and tried daily to ensnare Joseph in sin.

Against his grain and natural desires, Joseph was able to refuse her offers: “…‘How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’ And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her” (Genesis 39: 9–10). Tradition teaches that when the sea saw the remains of Joseph it said, “If Joseph can go against his nature, I too can go against my own.” And it split.

Sweet and Powerful Moments of Prayer

Lucy Neeley Adams


Before I left church Sunday, my friend Linda asked if she could come to my house later that day and talk with me about prayer. Since she was a very busy person, I was glad for the opportunity to listen to her and share what I had learned about that all important subject.

I knew that for some Christians, prayer comes easily. It depends on one's relationship with Jesus since childhood. Heartfelt prayers can be a natural part of growing in the faith. For others, their life of prayer needs to have a definite beginning.

That afternoon Linda and I sat at our cozy kitchen table as we sipped from our mugs of coffee. She got right to the point. "Lucy, I am ashamed to tell you this since I am so active in our church. But I do not know how to pray! If I am asked to pray in a group, I read a prayer, but I can't say the words that will form my own prayer."

I told her about the time I too discovered I did not know how to pray. I was the wife of a minister and was often expected to lead a group in prayer. So I read the closest one at hand. The day I discovered a booklet entitled Adventures in Prayer by Catherine Marshall, I discovered the reason I could not pray: I had no relationship with God the way that Marhsall did. That is always the turning point of one's prayer life. First, develop a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and then talk with Him as if talking with your best friend.

Linda laughed as she replied, "Yes, I imagine you see me talking with many people. But how can I talk to God like that?" I opened the Bible to the Psalms. We discussed the psalmist's conversations about everything from heartache to praise and thanksgiving. His love for God and his reliance on Him was straight from his heart.

We discussed coming to God with a clean heart free of any trash of the past. "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened, but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer" (Psalm 66:18-19). Sometimes we forget to pray first for ourselves so that God knows we desire to be pure vessels through which His power will flow.

Turning to the window, I said, "Look at that sparrow slowly hopping along the rock wall." We smiled as we noticed the leaf in its mouth was almost the size of its small brown body. The nest hidden among the ivy was probably its destination. But during the short flight there, the bird sank to the ground and dropped the leaf.

"Linda, sometimes I am like that bird," I said. "I stumble under the weight of worries and thoughts that I am not able to carry. Prayer is always the answer to that heaviness, as I call on God's wisdom and ask for His will to be done in the situation. Then I try to let it go," I sighed.

The remainder of our time together was joyful and filled with excitement about a new life of prayer. Before she left, Linda prayed a prayer of thanksgiving because her burden was gone. She talked to God straight from her heart not from a book of prayers.

After she left, I continued to think about our visit, and realized we did not discuss the hymns that we sing. Many of them are actually prayers put to music and they feed the deep needs of my soul. The well-known hymn, "Sweet Hour of Prayer" is a perfect example. I am encouraged as I sing its powerful invitation:

Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care.
And bids me at my Father's throne make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief.
And oft' escaped the tempter's snare, by thy return, sweet hour of prayer.

My burdens are not so heavy when I know that this hymn writer found relief from his distress and grief through prayer. An English lay person, William Walford, was the author of these beautiful words. He showed his work to a visiting clergyman from America and asked that he take the poem with him when he returned to his country.

So it was that Rev. Thomas Salmon returned to his home in New York and immediately sent the lyrics to the editor of a newspaper. It was printed in The New York Observer in September 1845. There is no doubt that many readers were touched by its simple but profound message.

However, it was a musician who made the difference in the poem's travels through the church worldwide. The lovely tune was composed by one of the most outstanding musicians of his day, William B. Bradbury.

Oh God, we thank You for wanting to express Your love to us from our birth. We come in humble adoration that You make this possible with the living presence of Jesus Christ our Lord. It is an honor to talk to You in prayer and to sing to You in prayer. It is too marvelous for words, so we softly sing a loving "Hallelujah." We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Lucy Neeley Adams has always loved music. She began telling the story of hymns on Christian radio WWGM in Nashville, TN, in the '80s. She then wrote a newspaper column titled "Song Stories" for five years. During that time Lucy's book, 52 Hymn Story Devotions, was published by Abingdon Press in Nashville. Each of the 52 stories contained in the book is written in a devotional format, with the words of the hymn concluding each devotion. Lucy lives at Lake Junaluska, NC, with her minister husband, Woody. They have four children and fourteen grandchildren. She may be reached for comment at lucya424@aol.com. Visit her at 52hymns.com

http://www.crosswalk.com/church/worship/sweet-and-powerful-moments-of-prayer-11541259.html