Ask God to show you his plan

We will soon be in a new year with new opportunities and new challenges. James gives us great advice.
"People like to make plans. They say, 'Today I am going on a trip. I am going to another town. I will do my work there. I will get some money. Then I will come back later.' Be careful! You do not know what is going to happen. Life goes by really fast. Our life is like a bubble. Bubbles pop soon, and then they are gone. We are like that. We live for a time. Then we are gone. Here is what you should say: 'I have a plan. I will see if God thinks it is a good idea. I will see if God wants me to do that.' You do not know what is going to happen. So do not talk about your own plans. That is not good. Ask God to show you his plan" (James 4:13-16, The B-I-B-L-E).

Let's talk about how great God is

O come let us adore him,

O come let us adore him,

O come let us adore him,

Christ the Lord.

"I will praise God all the time. I will always tell how great he is. God is awesome. He is the only one I will praise. Are you feeling sad? Now you can be happy. Come on! Let’s talk about how great God is. We can praise him together" (Psalm 34:1-3, The B-I-B-L-E).

"Stop and think. Be quiet."

In these tumultous times, we need the peace that only God can give!

"God is the place where we can be safe. He is super strong. He makes us strong too. He is always ready to help us. We should never be scared. Maybe the earth will shake. Maybe the mountains will fall down. But we can trust in God....God says, 'Stop and think. Be quiet. You need to see that I am God. Everyone will respect me. Everyone around the world will respect me.' God is super strong. He is here with us. He is like a strong fort" (Psalm 46:1-2, 10-11, The B-I-B-L-E).

Who can come close to God?

"The earth is God’s. Everything on the earth is God’s. The whole world and all the people are God’s. God made the earth. He made the seas. Who can come close to God? Who can be in the special place where God is? People who do what is right. People who do not hide bad ideas in their hearts. People who do not love anything more than God. People who do not tell lies" (Psalm 24:1-4, The B-I-B-L-E).

Young again

I have been substitute teaching lately in second grade. One of the boys in my class frequently comes to give me a hug. Today he said to me, "I wish you were young again." Isn't that great! Kids are precious, and I long to make God's Word available to them in language and style they can understand.

Jesus is the Faithful One

We received a Christmas card with this beautiful message:

Jesus--the Faithful One

The confidence we have...

the trust we hold...
the hope we carry...

rest in His faithfulness.

Every promise He has made

He purposes to fulfill.

He has the authority to

accomplish all He has spoken.

His power is limitless...

His character changeless...

His love endless!

"This is just what I've been looking for."

I sent copies of my books to the president of a prominent Christian organization. He had the books at home in his study. His daughter, who has five children aged 10 and under, picked up the books and said, "Hey, where did you get these? This is just what I've been looking for." It encourages me every time I hear that parents and children are blessed by this Bible for children and early readers.

Don't be selfish

I was substitute teaching in second grade today. We had to have a little talk about caring about others and not being selfish.

"Do not be selfish. You need to really care about others. Do what is right. Do not try to make others think you are really great. No way! Think about others. Think about the good things others do. Make them feel special. Do not just think about yourself. Do not just think about what you are doing. Think about others. Think about what others are doing. Think about how they are special. Care about them" (Philippians 2:3-4, The B-I-B-L-E).

Sometimes bad things look fun

It is my passion to give children God's Word in language they can understand. They are bombarded every day with temptations to get involved in wrong things.

"Sometimes bad things look fun. Some people want to do bad things. Oh-oh! Do not say, 'God makes me want to do bad things.' No way! God does not do any bad things. And he does not want us to do bad things. God does not make bad things look fun. Our own heart wants to do bad things. That is why bad things look fun" (James 1:13-14, The B-I-B-L-E).

Happy Birthday, Jesus

This afternoon two of my granddaughters sang me a sweet song:

Happy Birthday, Jesus,

I'm so glad it's Christmas,

All the tinsel and lights

And the presents are nice,

But the real gift is You.

Happy Birthday, Jesus,

I'm so glad it's Christmas,

All the carols and bells

Make the holiday swell,

And it's all about You

We need to keep that perspective at this wonderful time of year!

Loving is giving

For me, Christmas is a really special time of year. Something really fun for me is to help my grandchildren make Christmas gifts for their parents. My grandchildren are 5, 4, 3, and 2, and each one is making a present for Daddy and one for Mommy. The children love to make things, and they get very excited to wrap the presents and then give them to their parents. I think it is really important to teach children that loving is giving. Too often people selfishly concentrate on receiving.

Be like Daddy!

I love the cute things my two-year-old grandson says. For so many things he says, "Me be like Daddy!" He adores his Daddy and wants to use Daddy's tools, help Daddy, and do things the way Daddy does. It's easy to understand why God said we must become like little children to enter the Kingdom of God. Wouldn't it be great if we would adore our Heavenly Father as much as my grandson adores his Daddy! Wouldn't it be great if we would try to be more like our Heavenly Father as my grandson tries to imitate his Daddy! Wouldn't it be great if we would intensely thrill to spend time with our Heavenly Father as my grandson does with his Daddy!