You Never Know

You know, we truly never know when our last day here on earth will be. We all acknowledge that verbally, but I think sometimes we don't really accept it mentally.

Last evening, as I arrived at a weekly Bible study I have with two young ladies on Tues. evenings, I was greeted by one of them who was, I think, still in a bit of shock. She had arrived at her job extra early that morning for a supervisor's meeting and one of their key "players" in the group was late. This lady worked in the office next to the young lady and had reminded her the day before to be sure and not be late for the meeting. The girl I study with said she had told some of her other co-workers that when the other one got there she was going to really rib her about telling her not to be late.

They waited and waited and the other co-worker never showed. I believe she said it was around 9:30 or 10:00 that they received news that the woman had been found dead in her bed. She had died in her sleep. She was 42. We truly never know.

Jesus tells us that we know not the day nor the hour of His coming--we also know not the day nor the hour of our leaving. We must be ready at all times to meet our God because, you never know.

Dana Burk

Becoming Spiritual

"We never become truly spiritual by sitting down and wishing to become so. You must under take something so great that you cannot accomplish it unaided." Phillips Brooks

Sobering Words

"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever." (1 Chronicles 28:9)

What sobering words David had for his beloved son Solomon. We too should take heed of their warning. Our God is a loving and merciful God who desires each of us to return back home to live with Him. He has paid the ultimate ransom for our souls and waits patiently while we seek to come to know Him and His will. His longsuffering is immeasurable and His kindness to us is unsurpassed. Peter tells us, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward, us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Pet. 3:9)

But, we cannot allow ourselves to be lulled into complacency by this forbearing display of mercy. David reminds his son, that if he forsakes seeking after God, that He will be cast off forever. So often, because we see no physical signs of God's displeasure in this life, we forget He will judge us and is coming without warning. We tend to believe we have a "lifetime" to repent and get ourselves right with God. Peter continues by saying, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." (2 Pet. 3:10)

When our Lord returns and ALL that is in this world is burned up, what is it you will have left that will have been worth going to Hell for--going into eternal fire and torment where there remains NO hope? Job reminds us that we came into this world with nothing and we will leave it in the same way--only our souls will remain to be judged by our Great and Just God.

David warned Solomon: if you seek God, you will find Him, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off! What are you busy doing? Seeking or forsaking?

Dana Burk

I Feel Better

I just got back from a stretching and exercise class I am taking on Saturday mornings. It starts at 7:45am--that's the only problem with it--but I feel so much better when I get out and go to it. The class is with ladies from church where I attend and so the camaraderie is also good.

In our Wednesday evening ladies study, we discussed dealing with depression and our well being and one of the things we talked about is how we need to get out of the house and even participate in mild exercise. I want to be an alive, alert and energetic Christian for the Lord and being with other women who have the same goal certainly pushes me forward. I encourage you to get involved in something similar. Maybe start your own group. We even start ours with prayer which is inspiring.

As a said at the end of the Wed. evening study that I teach--open the curtains, turn off the tube, get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine!

Have a really great day.

Dana Burk

Assembly Required

I saw a maxim on a building's sign today that read:

• The church is God's greatest gift;
• Assembly required!

Well said!!!!! It is amazing to me how many Christians believe they can be a part of the church that our Lord and Savior suffered and died for so He could purchase it with His own blood and then feel they are not obligated to assemble with the assembly. The Greek word ekklesia which is translated "church" means "assembly". We are the "assembly of Christ". How is it we don't have to assemble?

Hebrews 10:25 words it so succinctly: "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some". Could you put it any plainer? But nonetheless, there are those who have decided that does not include them. There also are those who have decided that the Hebrews writer said: "not forsaking the assembling on Sunday morning for worship only", but that is not what it says, is it? It says, "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together". Where I attend worship, we assemble on Sunday morning for a Bible study, then for a worship service; we then reassemble for a Sunday evening worship service and also assemble for a Wednesday evening Bible study and then meet for a Wednesday evening worship service.

Which "assembly" can I forsake? Anyone that I choose? Many have said they can forsake all except the one on Sunday morning. Why do you HAVE to assemble at that one? They will say because it is then that we take the Lord's Supper and so they cannot forsake that one. Let's look at what Heb. 10:25 says again--"not forsaking the assembling of ourselves"--where does it say "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves when the Lord's Supper is taken"? As members of the Lord's body, we often quote the passages that teach we are not to add to nor take from the word and yet isn't that what we do all the time with this passage when we want to justify our neglecting a direct command from God to NOT FORSAKE THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER?

In His word, God says what He means and means what He says and He says in Heb. 10:25, "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some..." I will assume that He meant what He said and I will be at Bible study on Sunday morning, at worship on Sunday morning, at worship on Sunday evening, at Bible study on Wednesday evening and I will also be at the short worship service we have on Wednesday after our Bible study because I can't decide which one it is that is not an "assembly".

Dana Burk

As Summer Approaches

Today was one our first really hot days where I live. As we are approaching the "hot" season, many of us begin to shed our clothes--some shed "all" there clothes or, at least they might as well. Christians need to think very seriously about how they dress and appear. Do we blend in with the world at the beach--unclothed and immodest? Are our shorts just like those of the world or do they cover us as the Bible clearly directs? Below are some scriptures and comments borrowed from a church bulletin article I received. The comments are not mine but I commend them to your reading.


1) Matt. 5:13-15--Our aim in life should be to bring glory and honor to God.

2) Matt. 5:28--Lusting in the heart for one who is not your spouse is sinful. We should not participate in it either by lusting or dressing for others to look and lust at.

3) 1 Pet. 3:3-4--Make sure you dress in such a way to reflect who you are serving on the inside.

4) Luke 17:1--I do not want to be a stumbling block in any way.

Think about how you appear before the world, but more importantly, how you appear before the Lord.

Dana Burk

Wretched Man that I Am!

We have been studying in Romans 7 & 8 in our ladies Bible class and discussing Paul's frustrations with the war between his spirit and his flesh. I believe this is a battle that each of us daily engage in or, should engage in as Christians. In Rom. 7:18, Paul makes the statement that in his flesh nothing good dwells. I understand his point to be that if we allow our fleshly side to rule, then nothing good will be produced, but only evil. It is our spiritual side that is responsible for controlling our fleshly desires.

After discussing that fact in class today, I'm afraid there are some of us as Christians who have difficulty admitting that we have an evil or wicked side to us as Paul states in Rom. 7. I believe that is the whole point of his diatribe here in Rom. 5, 6, 7, & 8. We must die to ourselves and live to Christ. My concern is, if we do not see how sinful sin is and that no matter how "small" my sin may be in my eyes, it is sin nonetheless and it can send me to eternal damnation, then we are deceiving ourselves. Thus, Paul's conclusion in 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" The comment may be made, "Paul wasn't really that bad. He was a good Christian." The only reason to come to such a conclusion is to justify our own shortcomings and not have to call ourselves "wretched".

1 John 1:10 says if we say we have not sinned then we make Him a liar. Rom. 3:23 says we have all sinned and fall short. Both of these are written to Christians. God recognizes that each of us are sinners and we need to recognize it as well. If we do not see ourselves as we really are--wretched-- then why would we bother to change? But, thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord we will be delivered from the curse of death and damnation--if we recognize our condition and repent, calling on our God for forgiveness.

We must be very careful to not think better of ourselves than we really are. After God rebukes Job for questioning what had happened to him, Job replies to God, "Behold I am vile...I lay my hand over my mouth." Just a few verses later, God commends Job for his righteousness. Which was he; vile or righteous? I suggest to you he was righteous because he recognized he was vile and that recognition caused him to humble himself before God, continuously repenting of his sins.

Paul, who suffered so much for the cause of Christ, calls himself the chief of sinners. He understood that it wasn't "how good you were or how much you did for the Lord" that would save you, but were you forgiven of your sins. We all can say with Paul, "O wretched man that I am!" We all need salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dana Burk

Curt or Rude?

I dropped off two watches at the jewelry store today to have them repaired (I thought they just needed batteries) and when I returned, the gentleman who was the owner of the store (he wasn't very gentle) got my watches for me and proceeded to tell me that one of them needed to have the mechanism cleaned at a cost of $70--replacing the battery did not fix it. I expressed to him that it was only a few months old and I was surprised that it would need such extensive work already.

Well, you would have thought that I called him a liar or something. He very curtly slapped his hand on the counter and said, "Well, what do you want me to do!" I was a little taken back by his demeanor and told him I would take it and send it back where I bought it from. He then asked where I had purchased it and I told him in the Virgin Islands--they have a factory where they make watches. Once again, he bristled like I didn't know what I was talking about and I then told him I had lived there for 8 years and had bought a number of watches at that factory.

After I left the store, I thought to myself--maybe he has had a bad day or maybe he thought I was too cheap and would never be a good customer. (I have bought two rings, a pair of earrings and a crystal pendant in the last year from that store, not to mention taken two other pieces to them to do repairs.) I began to think about how we sometimes react to people because we have had a bad day or worse yet, how we judge people that we don't even know.

Are you rude to people because someone has been rude to you? Do you prejudge people and decide how you will treat them based on how you assess them? God tells us we are not to show partiality or be respectors of persons but how difficult it is at times not to do that. This man was having a difficult time or, maybe he is just an ugly person--now I'm judging. How important it is for us, as Christians, to keep our feelings in check and remember we can not judge nor should we be curt and rude--then we become like the world and are not shining our lights.

As he put my watch in a small envelope and handed it to me, with a kind and inducing tone, he invited me to come back if he could ever help me with anything in the future. You know what I thought. If I ever do go back, I'll make sure to get one of his employees and not him as I always have in the past. I'm sure they would be fired if they ever treated any of his customers that way. (Oh, the second watch I had repaired quit working about an hour after I left the store.)

Now, I have to work on my attitude and reactions toward him. I know I must be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he had had a bad day, but oh, that can be hard. I will try to "practice what I preach."

Dana Burk

Your Mother is With You

Your Mother is always with you...She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street. She's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks. She's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. She's crystallized in every tear drop. She's the place you came from, your first home; and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She is your first love, your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you.

Not time, not space...not even death!
(borrowed)

VBS

We are getting geared up for VBS in June. I have spent the bigger part of my day ordering supplies and making lesson plans. Our's begins June 19th and our theme this year is King of Kings. This is always an exciting time for the children; one week of Bible studies geared toward them. Between our local congregation and the group we will go down to teach in the Caribbean in July, we are expecting about 150 children. We are blessed to have a large number of adults who volunteer to help make the preparations so that all of the materials are prepared and ready when the big day arrives.

The memories that are created for these kids will last a lifetime and hopefully will be a significant part of their spiritual lives. Please pray for our efforts as we will pray for yours and remember, if you are one of the lucky ones who gets to teach a VBS class, do a bang-up job so the children will learn to love God's word.

Dana Burk

Give Me Hope

"Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances which we know to be desperate." (G K Chesterton 1846-1936)

Paul tells us in Eph. 2:12 that if we are not in Christ, then we have no hope and are without God in this world. That is a very frightening thing to me. As the quote above says, because of hope we can be cheerful even in desperate circumstances. If we live with no hope, is it any wonder that people commit suicide.

Because of the hope I have in Jesus Christ and the promises I have in an eternal home, it really doesn't matter what happens to me in this life. Certainly I wish for comfort, good health, peace, etc., but if I do not have these or am lacking some of them, I can still be "cheerful" knowing that I shall have it all someday in my home in Heaven. I have hope.

If you are not a Christian, I encourage you to turn to God and His word that you too might share in this hope. If you need someone to study with or some guidance to know what you need to do to be saved and find this hope, write me in the comment section below and I will put you in touch with someone who can help you. We all need hope.

Dana Burk

Definition of a Christian

He has a mind and knows it.

He has a will and shows it.

He sees the way and goes it.

He draws the line and toes it.

He has a chance and takes it.

A friendly hand, he shakes it.

A rule. He never breaks it.

If there's not time, he makes it.

He loves the truth, stands by it.

Never, ever tries to show it.

Whoever may deny it,

Or openly defy it.

He hears a lie and slays it.

He owes a debt and pays it.

And as I have heard him praise it.

He knows the game and plays it.

He sees the path Christ trod,

And grips the hand of God.

(borrowed)

Preacher Goes Hunting

A country preacher decided to skip services one Sunday and head to the hills to do some bear hunting. As he rounded the corner on a perilous twist in the trail, he and a bear collided, sending him and his rifle tumbling down the mountainside. Before he knew it, his rifle went one way and he went the other, landing on a rock and breaking both legs.

That was the good news. The bad news was the ferocious bear charging at him from a distance, and he couldn't move. "Oh, Lord," the preacher prayed, "I'm so sorry for skipping services today to come out here and hunt. Please forgive me and grant me just one wish...please make a Christian out of that bear that's coming at me. Please, Lord!"

That very instant, the bear skidded to a halt, fell to its knees, clasped its paws together and began to pray aloud right at the preacher's feet. "Dear God, bless this food I am about to receive." (borrowed)

What a hilarious story--and yet, how many times do people choose to miss services to do other things just like this preacher? I have often wondered if I chose to miss church and go camping, go on vacation, watch the Super Bowl, go to the prom,........and Jesus returned at that moment, how would He judge me?

Someone once said that if it was time for the saints to be gathered together when the Lord returned that He would go to where His church was assembled and take them all home with Him. What if I had chosen to not be there at that service?

Going back to our story--one thing that makes it so funny is that it is the preacher that has skipped the services, but members do that all the time for a myriad of reasons and we seem to think that is OK. What would we think if the preacher really did decide to not come to services one week because he wanted to go hunting or camping or whatever? How would we all react to that? Is he more accountable to God for his whereabouts on the Lord's Day and Wednesday nights than we are? I rather doubt it.

I think I will just make certain that I am at ALL the services of the church so I don't run into a bear praying for his dinner.

Dana Burk

Don't Throw Out the Baby

I was visiting with an acquaintance of mine today who left the church apparently 25 or so years ago. She is a very kind and gracious woman who would do anything for you. As we talked about our weekends, she told me she went to church yesterday with her parents at the congregation in which she grew up. She began to reminisce about different ones and old memories over the years.

Finally, I asked her where she went to church now. She replied that she didn't, to which I inquired what she believed (we both agreed this was a rather broad question). She told me she still believed in the Bible and in God. After discussing our need to do what the Bible says for a few moments and the imperfections of any given local congregation (she quit attending church apparently because of the inconsistent behaviors of some members and what she viewed as a lack of love on some members parts), I said to her, "You can't throw the baby out with the bath-water and that is what you are doing." I then invited her to come and visit with us where I attend. I don't know if she will but I am praying for her. I hope you will pray for her also.

I have reflected throughout the day on our conversation this morning. How often we do what my friend has done--if things aren't perfect, we just throw out the baby with the bath-water rather than work on the imperfections--it is the easier way. Jesus said broad is the way that leads to destruction and many will go in by it. It is the path of least resistance--it requires nothing from me. If we are to be pleasing to our Heavenly Father, it will require that we "WORK out our own salvation with fear and trembling"--notice it is WORK. It will require effort and yes, some emotions and pain. Being a Christian is not for the cowardly. In fact, we are told in Rev. 21:8 that the cowardly and unbelieving along with the murderers, the sexual immoral, idol worshipers, etc. will have their place in Hell that burns with fire and brimstone. We must be willing to put real effort into our walk with God and that means putting effort into a relationship with His church.

I believe my friend has just been living a life of least resistance and yet, I could tell that as she is growing older her life is lacking something. I'm not sure she realizes yet that it is Jesus she is lacking, but I'm am hoping and praying she will soon see that. When adversity arises in the church, don't be like my friend and throw out the baby; just throw out the bath-water and then work on developing the baby into a mature and whole Christian. In eternity, it will have been worth all the effort.

Dana Burk

Happy Mother's Day

Hope you have had a good Mother's Day. If your a mom I hope your children honored you well and if not, I hope you honored your mom.

My daughter came and spent the weekend with me which is always a pleasure and a treat. We shopped together which we don't do too often and that was fun. We had dinner with one or our sons and his family and the other son called and I got to talk to him. It has been a very pleasant weekend for me.

One of our young men made a statement during the announcements this morning at worship that I thought was well put. He stated that sometimes the world "gets it right" and Mother's Day is one of those times. He added that the Bible teaches us to honor our mothers and that is one time the world and the Bible agree. How profound. Truly the world doesn't get it right very often. How important it is that we honor our parents for all they have done for us.

This past week has been a full one for me. We have just completed an uplifting gospel meeting and had company over every evening after the meeting. It has afforded me the opportunity to grow closer not only to my God but to my brothers and sisters in Christ. What a great way to end the week by spending time with my family. Hope God has blessed you as well.

Dana Burk

Only One

Helen Keller once said, "I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something." What a marvelous attitude this remarkable woman had. Despite her myriad of disabilities, she accomplished more than most "normal" people do. She pushed herself and overcame numerous battles that many of us would have melted before. Truly she was an optimist.

As individual Christians, we are only one, but still we are ONE. We cannot do everything, but still there is plenty that we can do (if we will just do it). Reflecting on the tremendous roadblocks that Helen had, we should be reminded that there are probably many more things we could do if we would simply apply ourselves.

What if we employed the energy to studying and learning the scriptures that she did to learning sign language, Braille and eventually even speaking? What kinds of things could we then accomplish? What if we honed our skills so that we might teach others about the gospel, the way she honed hers and eventually taught countless others to overcome their disabilities? What if we made it our mission in life to be an encourager of people as it obviously was hers?

I do not know what Helen Keller's religious views and convictions were, but her attitude toward life can certainly be an example to each of us in our walk in our Christian life.

Dana Burk

Humble People

Humble people don't think less of themselves--they just think of themselves less. (borrowed)

I have to really work on this one. It is difficult when I hurt or am tired, when I am stressed or angry, to not think of me and what I want. These are the times I struggle in thinking of others.

But not only is the difficulty in thinking of others, we sometimes struggle in thinking about the things of God because we are so focused on ourselves. We are having a Gospel Meeting this week and I have been amazed at the number of calls we have received with people's reasons (excuses) for not being able to attend. Certainly some of them are genuine, but I am afraid many are simply because their focus is not on God. They can go to work or shopping or whatever else they do all day, but by the time it comes to worship, they just don't feel like it. "Humble people just think of themselves less."

Jesus said in Matt. 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." We must learn to take our focus off of "us" and put it on others and especially on the things of God. When we do, not only will we inherit the kingdom of Heaven, but we will probably find we feel a lot better too.

Dana Burk

Heaven--How Do You View It?

I've been doing some research and reading recently about Heaven while working on a chapter for a book I am writing and I am amazed at the very prevalent attitude and perceptions among the "Christian" world of what Heaven will be like. I have read a number of quotes from people who have the erroneous idea that all we will do in Heaven is sit around on clouds playing harps and being bored in some vapor state of being (since we are spirits). Where do people come up with such absurd ideas?

Scriptures very plainly teach that we will have resurrected bodies, though it does not say exactly what the bodies will be like, they will be bodies nonetheless--we will not be vapor like beings. The rich man in Luke 16 had no difficulty recognizing Lazarus in Abraham's bosom. Obviously, Lazarus was familiar looking to the rich man--he wasn't a vapor. (I know there are some who say this was a parable, but Jesus never calls it one nor does He approach the story as fictional in any way.)

In Matt. 29:28-30, Jesus tells His apostles that they will sit on 12 thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. That sounds like work to me. Later in these verses He states that we will inherit eternal "life" not eternal boredom. In 2 Tim. 2:12 we are told that if we endure, we shall also reign with Him. I intend on being very busy in Heaven, reigning in the bustling city of God, walking the streets of gold, crossing the river, and going in and out of the gates that are never closed. Rev. 22 says we will not need a lamp or the sun because the Lord God is all the light we will need. If we have no body and no eyes, why do we need light to see with? We are also told we will be eating from the tree of life. There will be plenty to do and see. Heaven is a real place with a real life! I can hardly wait to get there and experience it all.

Dana Burk

What Disturbs You Most?

• A soul lost in hell - or a scratch on your new car?
• Missing the worship service - or missing a day's work?
• A sermon 10 minutes too long - or a lunch a half hour late?
• A church not growing - or a garden not growing?
• Your Bible being unopened - or your newspaper unread?
• Your contribution decreasing - or your income decreasing?
• Your children late for Bible class - or your children late for school?
• The church work being neglected - or your work being neglected?
• Missing a good Bible class - or missing a favorite TV program?
• Low attendance at worship - or low attendance at the club meeting? (borrowed)

These are some areas we really need to be honest with ourselves about. I am afraid we are often worried about the last things rather than the first. Jesus said if we do not put Him first then we have no part with Him. Ask yourself each of these and make any necessary changes to save your soul. I'm working on several myself.

Dana Burk

Thought for the Day

Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody. --Longfellow

We should apply this to evangelism. If we keep preaching and keep teaching, we are sure to wake somebody up to the truth sooner or later. Hang in there.

Dana Burk

A Refiner of Silver

I received this story in an E-mail the other day and think it worth sharing with you. Dana

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it." If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. (borrowed)

Resentment

Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. --Carrie Fisher

How true this is. When we harbor resentment toward someone, truly we are the only ones affected--most of the time the other person is not even aware of our resentment. All we have managed to do is poison ourselves and allowed it to literally eat away at our very souls.

Forgiveness is the only antidote for such poison. We must forgive the wrong and get on with life. Sometimes we choose not forgive because the other person has not asked for that forgiveness; they have not apologize or admitted wrong. We need to forgive them anyway because we need to move on and rid ourselves of the poison of resentment. We only have control over our own actions--not theirs. We can forgive regardless of their attitude and be free from resentment's hold over us. We will be happier and healthier for doing so.

Jesus taught us to pray that the Lord would forgive us of our sins as we forgave those who have sinned against us. We each need His forgiveness and can have it if we will rid ourselves of the poison.

Dana Burk

Questioning God's Word

I was just studying the Bible with a friend who has lots of questions; what does the Bible have to say about dinosaurs, did God only "create" Adam and Eve and we all descended from them or did He create others, how does the Bible say we are to dress when we go to worship, is a woman to wear a covering, etc? On my drive home I began to think about how glad I was that she not only had questions but that she was willing to ask them. That opened up opportunities for us to search the scriptures together and see what it had to say.

Sometimes we think if we question the things of God it shows our weakness or lack of faith, but I rather think it shows our desire to learn more and dig deeper. How can I come to be more like Him if I do not really know Him and His will. As the Ethiopian treasurer queried Philip about the words of Isaiah in Acts 8, he said how could he understand unless someone guide him. Truly it can be a good thing when we have questions about the word of God because it will cause us to dig, search and study, only solidifying His truths in our minds more thoroughly.

When you have a question about God, His word or His will, don't shy away from it; ask it. Find someone who has a good knowledge of God's word and sit down with them and your Bible and search the scriptures to see what they say. You will be richer and fuller of faith for it.

Dana Burk

My Cousin

I recently saw a cousin that I have not seen in about 16 years and we have been e-mailing one another and renewing our acquaintance. She and I were extremely close all the time we were growing up and simply drifted apart as adults. I don't think I have ever slowed down long enough in my life to realize how desperately I have missed her until the last week or so and I find myself becoming extremely sentimental every time the thought of her crosses my mind.

My daughter just recently visited with her while she was on a business trip near where my cousin works and they were able to spend some quality time together and get acquainted. Family is so important to all of us and I guess it does not matter how long or how far apart we are, truly blood is thicker than water. I plan to find the means and the time to go in the next few months and spend several days with her--she and I both need that.

But just as important as our "blood" relatives are to us, even so are the brothers and sisters we have in Christ Jesus. Through the years, as I have lived thousands of miles from my family, it has been the family of God that has been so terribly important in my life. I am so thankful to our Lord and Father above for providing us with family (through Jesus Christ) wherever we may be.

Be thankful for both of the faimilies that God has given you. Call someone today in your family who you have not talked to recently and make it a special day for both of you.

Dana Burk