So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Judges 6:6.
Alas, that in the history of God’s chosen people the sorrowful story of apostasy and its punishment must be so oft repeated! …
Because of their sins, the protecting hand of God was withdrawn from Israel, and they were left to the mercies of their enemies. The wild, fierce inhabitants of the desert [the Midianites and Amalekites], “as grasshoppers for multitude,” came swarming into the land with their flocks and herds and pitched their tents in plain and valley. They came as soon as the harvests began to ripen and remained until the last fruits of the earth had been gathered. They stripped the fields of their increase and robbed and maltreated the inhabitants, and then returned to the deserts….
or seven years this oppression continued, and then in their distress the people remembered Him who had so often delivered them; and they cried unto the Lord for help….
Their prayers were heard, and again the Lord sent forth the man of His choice to act as deliverer for Israel. The one thus selected was Gideon, of the tribe of Manasseh…. It was only with the greatest difficulty that the Hebrews could secrete sufficient food to save them from actual starvation. Gideon had, however, retained possession of a small quantity of wheat, and fearing to beat it out in the threshing floor, he had taken it to the vineyard, near the winepress. The time of ripe grapes being far off, the attention of the Midianites would not be directed to that place…. Gideon almost despaired of inspiring the people with faith or courage, but he knew that the Lord would work mightily for Israel as He had done in the past….
While Gideon’s mind was absorbed in meditations like these, suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to him and addressed him with the words, “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”
The melancholy nature of Gideon’s thoughts is revealed by his answer, “Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us?” … With a sense of his own unfitness for so important a work, Gideon exclaimed, “Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” … Then the angel gave him the gracious assurance, “Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.”—Signs of the Times, June 23, 1881.
From the Heart p. 267
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Gean who is having serious surgery the 14th and Ronnie Jay who is having a heart ablation on the 16th. Please pray that God will guide the doctors’ hands. Rose
—-I’m asking for prayers for my husband please.
He is having lower abdominal pain for several weeks now and has had scans which showed nothing. So now his gastro doctor will do a colonoscopy. I’m very concerned about him. Edie
—-Please pray for a broken-hearted man that I accidently met online. He is very suicidal because his wife and a son have left him and he has no way to contact them. He has no idea where they are. He is devastated and he is drinking and doing drugs to help ease his emotional pain. Thank you for your prayers for him. Connie
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Dear Friends,
Last month my granddaughter had her fifteenth birthday. We had a little party for her. She was dressed in a lovely white dress and looked so grown up. As I was looking at the pictures that we took, I began to think about my eleventh birthday party so many years ago. My mother had invited several of my classmates over for cake and ice cream and games. She had even made me a pretty blue dress for the party. It was fun and I was so happy.
After a while, my mother was beginning to tire of the party and us kids and sent us outside for a walk around the neighborhood. We walked for a while, but that became boring for us all. We looked around for something more interesting to do. As we passed Craig’s yard, he suggested that we climb his trees. They had branches very close to the ground, so even I thought it was a good idea. We were having a great time, but each of the children had been told what time to be home, and one by one they said good-bye.
After they left Craig’s yard, I walked back up the hill to my apartment and opened the door. My mother’s welcoming smile turned to a frown. My dress, which was not made for climbing trees, was torn and dirty. I was in BIG TROUBLE!
As we go through life, our lives become soiled and torn just as surely as was my dress in those long ago days. We look at ourselves and realize that we are in big trouble. We have spent our life climbing worthless “trees” in the enemy’s “yard” that has soiled us through and though. We look back and see that we have wasted so much of our life on the non-essential. How true the words of Isaiah, “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isa 64:6 We want to change, but even though we try, soon we fall back into old patterns and habits. We become even more soiled, even more torn.
Thank God there is a way out of our situation! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 Just as in Zachariah’s vision of Joshua the high priest, so He has promised to take away our filthy garments and clothe us with His robe of righteousness. “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” Zech 3:4 How much we need that change of raiment! Jesus says, “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Rev 3:18
Praise God! He does not leave us forsaken. He has provided a way of escape! Therefore we can say, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” Isa 61:10
May we come to our Dear Saviour now and receive His spotless garment and from henceforth walk in with Him all the way to the Heavenly Kingdom is my prayer.
Rose

Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. 1 Kings 19:19.
We would do well to consider the case of Elisha when chosen for his work. The prophet Elijah was about to close his earthly labors. Another was to be called to carry forward the work for that time. In his course of travel, Elijah was directed northward. How changed the scene before him now from that which the country had presented a little while before. Then the farming districts were unworked; the ground was parched, for neither dew nor rain had fallen for three years. Now everything seems to be springing up as if to redeem the time of famine and dearth. The plenteous rains had done more for the earth than for the hearts of humanity; the fields were better prepared for labor than were the hearts of apostate Israel.
Wherever Elijah looked, the land he saw was owned by one man—a man who had not bowed the knee to Baal, whose heart had remained undivided in the service of God. Even during the captivity there were souls who had not gone into apostasy, and this family was included in the seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal. The owner of the land was Shaphat. Busy activity was seen among the workers. While the flocks were enjoying the green pastures, the busy hands of his servants were sowing the seed for a harvest.
The attention of Elijah was attracted to Elisha, the son of Shaphat, who with the servants was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen…. Far from city and court dissipation, Elisha had received his education. He had been trained in habits of simplicity, of obedience to his parents and to God….
Elisha waited contentedly, doing his work with fidelity. Day by day, through practical obedience and the divine grace in which he trusted, he obtained rectitude and strength of purpose. While doing all that he possibly could in cooperating with his father in the home firm, he was doing God’s service. He was learning how to cooperate with God.—Youth’s Instructor, April 14, 1898.
When the prophet saw Elisha with his servants plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, he came to the field of labor, and while passing by, he unfastened his mantle and threw it upon the shoulders of Elisha. He then passed on as if that were the end of the matter. But he knew that Elisha understood the significance of the action; and he left him, without speaking a word, to decide whether he would accept or reject the call.—Youth’s Instructor, April 21, 1898.
From the Heart p. 260
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Prayer Requests
—-Asking for prayers for a friend and her spouse who are traveling for several weeks. David
—-Please pray for my niece, Nancy, in pain. Many health issues. Pam
—-Please continue to pray for Sherry who has now been moved to rehab. Pray also for Carl and his family as his sister has passed. Also please pray for Diane who has been put on hospice. Rose
—-Please keep James in your prayers. His neurologist called today to let us know that he recently suffered another stroke without realizing it. Mary
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Dear Friends,
When my grandfather, Edwin Harmon, was ten, he ran away from home and lived in the fields and forests eating wild edibles and catching fish with a hook and line he always kept in his pocket. He grew strong and wiry from that hard life. Often he caught a ride on a freight train to distant places. At other times, he just walked along the tracks to get wherever he was going. One time as he was following the tracks, he came to a long trestle. He hesitated for a moment. It was very long and he knew that if a train were to come while he was somewhere in the middle of that trestle, he would be in serious danger. He could never get the rest of the way across before the train overtook him. The only other option would be to climb down the side of the mountain, cross the river that lay below, and then climb back up the other side. He decided to chance using the trestle.
When he was about halfway across, his greatest concern became a reality. He began to feel some familiar vibrations. A tinge of fear crept up his spine. He put his ear down on the track and could hear a train coming. Fear engulfed him. He knew that he did not have enough time to get across that trestle. Moreover, he could not jump, as it was too far down and even if he tried it, the many sharp rocks in the shallow river beneath him would have made this his last experience. He was in grave danger, and he knew it.
A plan began to form in his mind. As quickly as he could, he let himself down to a huge wooden log that was part of the trestle. He shinnied down to a “v” where two giant logs crossed one another. By now, the vibration caused by the train was so bad that he nearly lost his grip. He knew that he could climb no further. Wedging himself in that “v” and holding on with all his strength, he waited. Within moments the trestle was shaking violently. He felt like he was being shaken to pieces. He prayed for strength to hold on. The train was overhead now, and those huge supporting logs were swaying. He was sure that he was going to die.
After what seemed like an eternity, the shaking and vibration lessened as the train passed by. My grandfather was still alive, but very sore. He felt as weak as a baby. He knew that if he tried to move right then, he could fall because his strength was gone. He stayed wedged in that “v” for about an hour. Then, he climbed painfully back up to the trestle and walked shakily to the other side.
How often we feel like we are being shaken to pieces by troubles, trials, and temptations, just as violently as my grandfather was shaken by that train passing overhead. How many times we become overwhelmed with circumstances that are too difficult for us. The evil one leads us into these situations where we are just as trapped as my grandfather was. Many times, we don’t even realize our danger until we become so entangled in circumstances that we cannot extricate ourselves.
God’s Holy Word reminds us that “the devil is come down unto [us], having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Rev 12:12 In light of this, Peter urges, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” 1 Peter 5:8 We are helpless to free ourselves from his snares, but we have a Strong Deliverer, Who is waiting for us to ask for the help that He is so eager to give.
Other times our troubles are of our own making. The “pleasures” of sin allure us. We decide to take the easy way, to try it just this once—a “just once” that changes our life forever. Even in this, our Dear Saviour does not forsake us but chastens us to bring us back to the right path, to His Great Arms of Love. Paul explains, ” despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. ” Heb 12:5-11
May we take the “way of escape” that our Loving Saviour has provided and cling to our Great Redeemer just as tightly as my grandfather clung to that wooden trestle is my prayer. (1 Cor 10:13)
Rose

Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” Mark 14:32.
As Christ left the disciples, bidding them pray for themselves and for Him, He selected three, Peter, James, and John, and went still farther into the seclusion of the garden. These three disciples had been with Him at His transfiguration; they had seen the heavenly visitors, Moses and Elias, talking with Jesus, and Christ desired their presence on this occasion also….
Christ expressed His desire for human sympathy and then withdrew Himself from them about a stone’s cast. Falling upon His face He prayed, saying, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
At the end of an hour, Jesus, feeling the need of human sympathy, rose from the ground and staggered to the place where He had left His three disciples…. He longed to hear from them words that would bring Him some relief in His suffering. But He was disappointed. They did not bring to Him the help He craved. Instead, He “findeth them sleeping.”
Just before He bent His footsteps to the garden, Jesus had said to His disciples, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night”; and they had given Christ the strongest assurances that they would never forsake their Lord, that they would go to prison with Him, and if need be would suffer and die with Him. And poor, self-sufficient Peter had added, “Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.” But the disciples trusted in their own strength; they did not look to the mighty Helper, as Christ had counseled them to do…. Even the ardent Peter, who only a few hours before had declared that he would die with his Lord, was sleeping….
Again the Son of God was seized with superhuman agony, and, fainting and exhausted, He staggered back to the place of His former struggle…. Only a short time before, Christ had poured out His soul in songs of praise in unfaltering accents, as one who was conscious of His Sonship to God…. Now His voice came to them on the still evening air, not in tones of triumph but full of human anguish. So lately He had been serene in His majesty; He had been like a mighty cedar. Now He was as a broken reed….
Although sin was the awful thing that had opened the floodgates of woe upon the world, He would become the propitiation of a race that had willed to sin.—Signs of the Times, December 2, 1897.
From the Heart p. 253
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Sherry. Also Mrs. T’s family need prayer as her mother has passed. Rose
—-I have two important unspoken prayer requests. Buck
—-Needing prayer for my daughter Anna the Dr that did her lung surgery 2 years ago when she had cancer he was sending her for blood work every 6 months to catch I guess any cancer cells and this time it showed positive she’s having a CT scan then she will see her oncologist on the 4th for results. Judy
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Dear Friends,
Today when church got out, I was talking with one of the other pianists. We got to talking about how much we love hymns but do not like most of the praise songs that some churches sing. I made the comment that most of them just do not follow the normal rules and are difficult for me to play.
Some years ago, when we went to a different church, I went to the church one evening to practice with the praise team. One of the songs I had not seen before. I sightread hymns fairly well, but not some of the praise songs. Try as I might, I just could not play it. Even if I had practiced for hours, I knew I would never be able to play it as fast as they were singing it anyway. My inadequacy as a musician was very frustrating not only to me but to the three ladies on the team. Finally, I threw up my hands and told them that I just couldn’t do it. They weren’t too happy with me, but I know my limits.
David, who composed many of the psalms, speaks of the part music plays in worship, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.” “I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.” “I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.” Ps 92:1-5;7:17;104:33,34
Music whether in church or in our home is not to be for entertainment or to bring glory to the performers. It should have a calming, uplifting effect upon the worshipers drawing their soul to the very throne of God. Good music leads us closer to God and fills us with love and joy for Him. When we really think about the words as we sing them, our heart swells with love for our Great Redeemer and His Great Sacrifice for us. As we listen to the melody, our very being is lifted above the things of this world, to the throne room above where thousand thousands minister unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before Him. (Dan 7:10) Nothing in our music or the performance of it should detract from this goal. Indeed, this world is a training-ground for the world above where we will continually praise God with music. Moreover, Zephaniah tells us that God will sing back to us. “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zeph 3:17 Think of it! What will it be like to hear the Great King of the Universe sing? How glorious that will be.
May we guard carefully the music that we choose for both listening and singing, that our thoughts may be continually uplifted to our Redeemer Who will someday sing to us of His love for us. May we all be there is my prayer.
Rose

Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. John 9:3.
“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” …
In the question the disciples asked Jesus, they showed that they thought all disease and suffering the result of sin. This is indeed truth, but Jesus showed that it was an error to suppose that everyone who was a great sufferer was also a great sinner. While He corrected their errors, He spat upon the ground and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay and said unto him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent),” and he went his way, and came seeing. Jesus answered the question the disciples put to Him in a practical way, and in the way He usually answered questions put to Him from curiosity. The disciples were not called upon to discuss the question of who had sinned or not sinned but to understand the power of God, His mercy and compassion, in giving sight to the blind. It was that all might be convinced that there was no healing virtue in the clay or in the pool wherein he was sent to wash, but that virtue was in Christ….
The friends and neighbors of the young man who had been healed looked upon him with doubt, for when his eyes were opened, his countenance had been changed and brightened, and made him appear like another man. From one to another the question was passed, “Is it he?” And some said, “It is like him,” but he who had received the great blessing settled the controversy by saying, “I am he.” He then told them of Jesus and by what means Jesus had healed him, and they inquired, “Where is he? He said, I know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes…. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.” …
They knew not that it was He who had made the Sabbath, who knew all its obligations, who had healed the man.—Signs of the Times, October 23, 1893.
From the Heart p. 246
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Sherry who had an cerebral aneurysm burst and is in ICU. Rose
—-Please pray for Bruce. He has lost another family member. Ron
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Dear Friends,
Mr. Vanderlindy was my fourth-grade teacher. It was the first time we had had a man for a teacher, and we were all a bit intimidated by him at first. Eventually we realized that he was not scary at all. His enthusiasm and pleasant manner won our hearts.
About 3:00 one afternoon when it was the usual time to go home, our usually pleasant teacher stood up in front of the class with a stern look upon his face. Instantly fear crossed our faces. He announced that one of the students was missing his money. It was obvious to Mr. Vanderlindy that someone in that room had taken it. “No one will leave this room until the thief confesses and returns the money.” he declared.
Everyone looked surprised. Each student looked at his fellow classmates. Who could the thief be? A half an hour went by; no one said a word. Four o’clock came. Still, no one came forward to confess. Our teacher was getting more and more upset. He began to shout at us about the fact that no one was leaving that classroom for any reason until someone returned the money. We were getting more and more distressed. Each person looked at all of the others. Who was the thief? Why wouldn’t they confess? We wanted to go home. I began to think about what they must be thinking at home. I lived right across the street from the school. Surely, they must think that I had been kidnapped.
Indeed, that was exactly what they thought. My grandmother told my mother that I was missing. They were both frightened and greatly distressed. Had the thing that they had always feared come true? She went walking around the neighborhood calling my name. No answer. My mother decided that she would see if anyone in the school had seen anything suspicious. The school was deserted but still unlocked. Up to the third floor she climbed to my classroom to see if my teacher just happened to still be there. It was 4:45 PM by this time, almost two hours after I should have been home. She peeked through the long, narrow window that was in the classroom door. There, to her surprise, was a classroom full of students, looking very frightened and distressed.
My mother’s fear, turned to anger and my mother could get very, very angry. She knocked on the door and Mr. Vanderlindy stepped outside. By the time my mother was through “explaining” a few things to my teacher (which we could hear through that thick, wooden door), he meekly told the class that we could go home. We were so relieved. Everyone rushed for the door. I walked home with my mother, telling her all about how scared we had been.
Just as my mother delivered us from a distressing situation, so our Dear Saviour will soon deliver us from the evil one who tries in every way to capture us. Our “adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 In our own strength, we cannot resist him, but by taking hold of our Deliverer’s Powerful Hand, we can escape the snare of the enemy. If we refuse to take hold of the promises of God, we will still be sitting in the devil’s classroom unable to go home. Paul asks, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” Heb 2:3 To do so would be as foolish as it would have been if I had decided to stay in my classroom when my mother came to rescue me. May we allow our Great Rescuer to save us from the devil who wants to keep us captive is my prayer.
Rose

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15.
As Christ’s ministry was about to begin, He received baptism at the hands of John. Coming up out of the water, He bowed on the banks of the Jordan and offered to the Father such a prayer as heaven had never before listened to…. The heavens were opened, and a dove, in appearance like burnished gold, rested upon Jesus; and from the lips of the infinite God were heard the words, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
This visible answer to the prayer of God’s Son is of deep significance to us….
All may find rest and peace and assurance in sending their prayers to God in the name of His dear Son. As the heavens were open to Christ’s prayer, so they will be opened to our prayers….
From the Jordan, Jesus was led into the wilderness of temptation. “And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” …
Adam had failed on the point of appetite, and Christ must conquer here. The power that rested upon Him came directly from the Father, and He must not exercise it in His own behalf…. He met and resisted the enemy in the strength of a “Thus saith the Lord.” “Man shall not live by bread alone,” He said, “but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” …
Christ’s experience is for our benefit. His example in overcoming appetite points out the way for those to overcome who would be His followers.
Christ was suffering as the members of the human family suffer under temptation, but it was not the will of God that He should exercise His divine power in His own behalf. Had He not stood as our representative, Christ’s innocence would have exempted Him from all this anguish; but it was because of His innocence that He felt so keenly the assaults of Satan. All the suffering that is the result of sin was poured into the bosom of the sinless Son of God. Satan was bruising the heel of Christ, but every pang endured by Christ, every grief, every disquietude, was fulfilling the great plan of our redemption. Every blow inflicted by the enemy was rebounding on himself. Christ was bruising the serpent’s head.—Youth’s Instructor, December 21, 1899.
From the Heart p. 239
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for our family as Aunt Billie passed away last Monday. Mike
—-I have a private prayer request. Buck
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Dear Friends,
As I was going through things the other day, I found a book my great-great-aunt, Aletha Phillips Spoor had written. She had been an elementary teacher/composer/poet. I had cherished the songbook that she had written but it was destroyed when our house burned to the ground forty-seven years ago. By searching on the Internet some years ago, I was hoping to find a copy but was able to find a book of poems that she had written and bought it. I’d like to share one of her poems called “Making a Garden” with you today.