Safety for Firefighters

Posted on November 17, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Our eyes see the images, and our hearts turn to those fighting the wildfires.

 

 

Lord, honor their dedication. Protect them as they protect others. Keep them safe.

On the capitol grounds in Sacramento, there’s a lasting tribute to firefighters who didn’t make it safely home:

“The centerpiece of the California Firefighters Memorial is a stunning brushed limestone Memorial Wall with the names of more than 1,300 California firefighters who have died in the line of duty since 1850.”

More than 1,300 lives. We need to pray.

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Simply Remember

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Psalm 106:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

 

 

Thanksgiving: a day to remember.

 

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Don’t Get Too Attached

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

 

“The past is a guidepost,
not a hitching post.”
Thomas Holdcroft (1745-1809)

 

Remembrance, yes. Dead weight, no.

 

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Jacob’s Memorial Stone

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

Jacob had an unforgettable dream (read about in Genesis 28). 

Genesis 28:18 (NIV)
Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.

 

Interesting, God, how Jacob made a pillar out of a pillow. He met you, and it changed everything. The ordinary became an altar. Meet me, Lord, and change me. Turn ordinary me into an altar of praise. 

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Memory Stone

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Once upon a time, there was a battle. The victory came through God’s intervention, not military might.

 

1 Samuel 7:12 (ERV)
After this Samuel set up a special stone to help people remember what God did. Samuel put the stone between Mizpah and Shen and named the stone “Stone of Help.” Samuel said, “The Lord helped us all the way to this place.”

What’s your Stone of Help? An unexpected check, an appliance working well past its end date, a mysterious bag of groceries on your doorstep? Don’t forget to give God the credit.

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Don’t Forget to Remember

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

 

 

What did you do to honor Armistice Day?

 

  • Went to a memorial service
  • Thanked a Vet
  • Prayed for peace
  • I forgot

God knows how easily we forget. That’s why Scripture includes repeated messages, specific holy days and memorial stones. God knows, we forget.

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Safe from War

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Armistice: arma (weapons) sistere (come to a stop).

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. An armistice was signed, ending the “Great War,” the “war to end all war.”

Only it didn’t. There have been more wars.

Matthew 24:6 (NIV)
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Armageddon (Revelation 16) will be the war that ends all war. When the Prince of Peace comes to establish his kingdom, weapons will come to a stop.

Even so, Lord Jesus, come.

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Too Many Words

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

Campaign commercials. Reporters with questions. Chanting protesters. Endless news stories. Round-the-clock coverage.

Elections come wrapped in too many words. We’re sick and tired of all those words.

People who struggle to read are sick and tired of too many words. For their sakes, keep it simple.

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The Winning Prayer

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (MSG)
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well …

 

Note: It doesn’t say to pray only for the winning candidates you like. It doesn’t say to pray that something bad happens to the winning candidates you don’t like. It says to pray that they “rule well.”

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Next-Day Grace

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

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