Flexible

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2

To be flexible is to be open to others plans and ideas and willing to be instructed and challenged to change for the better. Jesus was certainly flexible when it came to doing what God wanted Him to do. How many of us would be willing to go out into the desert for 40 days…and fast and pray (Luke 4:1-14)? How many of us would be willing to give up our comfortable homes (Luke 9:58) to go wander around a countryside telling people how to live to please His Father? How many of us would be obedient to death—beginning with an arrest by Roman soldiers (Luke 22:39-54)?  Jesus did. 

Training Tip – During a family discussion take a green twig and a thin piece of dry wood or dowel about the same size as the green twig. Bend the twig and talk about flexibility. Then bend the dry wooden dowel, or have one of your kids try to bend it. It will likely break demonstrating inflexibility. Tell your children about the flexibility that Jesus showed, and discuss how we need to be like Jesus. Focused on heavenly things…not on earthly things. Doing what God wants us to do…not on our own selfish desires. 

Lord Jesus, help us to be focused on what God wants us to do—to be flexible to change from our own rigid ways.

 

Please keep praying for Michelle in the Virginia Mason hospital in Seattle. God be merciful and give her a healing touch.

 

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Fearless Obedience

In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation….Hebrews 5:7-9

 

Jesus had no fear in going to the cross…for us, as directed by His Father. Fearless obedience. His prayer time in the Garden of Gethsemane at the Mount of Olives was agonizing, but He remained obedient to His Father. And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. When He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Luke 22:39-42. I’ve been spending a fair amount of time with four year olds and life is all about them. Then I look at my own life and consider that life is pretty much the same for me most of the time. It’s all about me. Jesus was such a good example for us all. His obedience was exemplary.  He truly did put others—us first. That was His Father’s will and He listened and obeyed. I keep telling my granddaughter now that she is four, she’s not a baby anymore and she must listen and obey. I’m trying to encourage her to obey God, as well as her parents…and me. How are you doing with your obedience to God? Is it fearless obedience? The reward for obeying Jesus, according to this passage, is eternal salvation. How much do you want that?

Training Tip – Consistent parenting is the best way to teach appropriate behavior, like obedience. Children have to listen to be obedient. It would be great if you could just speak once to them and they would do what you request…but that likely won’t happen with a toddler or even a pre-schooler. When they do listen and obey, reward them positively and it will reinforce their good behavior. The reward should be in keeping with the task—not monetary or food—just verbal praise, a smile and a high five, if it is something you’ve been working on for a while. They will be pleased because you are pleased with their appropriate actions. When they don’t listen and obey…try the old standby of “time out” and give the child 1 minute for each year of age, i.e. 4 minutes for a four year old. Then discuss with them, eye to eye, why they got the time out. Don’t lose your cool if they throw a fit—just ignore it. Keep on being consistent. It will pay off.

Lord God, You gave us such good advice in Psalms 34:11… Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. So please, Lord, help us to listen to You and do teach us to respect and fear You—for You are worthy of our love, our attention, and our respect. Our obedience. We praise You above all.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

No Fear of Rejection

The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more. In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: "Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts—they came from you, O Zion; the reproach of exile is a burden on them. Behold, I am going to deal at that time with all your oppressors, I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth…." Zephaniah 3:15-19  

God rejected the Israelites…and then draws them close again. Again and again. Here in Zephaniah He again promises to take away the judgments and enemies. This promise could be seen as one to the Israelites, God’s chosen people, and to the Christians as well. It could be a spiritual promise—God dealing with spiritual oppression—saving, encouraging, and ending the distress of those who believe in Him. It should be very encouraging to read that “He will rejoice, or exult, over you with joy.” God will rejoice over us…how wonderful is that?! Do you feel like God is rejecting you or rejoicing over you? The choice is ours…as we rejoice over Him…or reject Him. How have you treated Jesus today?

Training Tip – Sing “This Little Light of Mine” with your family. Then talk about how showing your “light” –your love of the Lord—should be done with no fear, but with respect for the Lord. We need to speak out, sing out, for Jesus, because we love Him—because we love God and know that He loves us. Jesus explained to His disciples…For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26. Don’t be ashamed of Jesus, or of your relationship to Him. Have no fear, no shame, in expressing that love to Him and about Him to others. 

Lord God, help us to have no fear of disaster or of expressing our love and respect for You. May we boldly share You with others.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

It is Good to Fear God

Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. Psalms 36:1

Fear of God is related to respect for God. Those who have no respect for God—have no fear of Him and of what He can do. God is powerful. There will be a judgment someday…and people who don’t fear or respect God—who have no relationship with Jesus—with God will find themselves in hell for eternity. "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:18.  

Training Tip – We don’t want little children to shake and tremble at the thought of God—but through love come to respect the awesome and magnificent God that we know and love. Once again, our children learn by example. If we show fear of something—they will also be afraid. Show love, honor, and respect for God and they will do the same. It may be more challenging as they become teenagers and may go through a rebellious stage, but bringing them up in the love of the Lord, and having Christian friends with the same values will give them strength to continue to seek to know and serve the Lord. Continue to pray for wisdom for yourself and knowledge for all of your family as you continue to train up your children in the way they should go. 

Lord God, help us to instill a deep respect for You within our children and grandchildren’s hearts.  

Friday’s Feast at the Lord’s Table

Liberty’s favorite pizza – so we’re going for an easy dessert-snack pizza today at the Lord's Table. 

Apple Pizza

Modified from William-Sonoma Cooking Together by Erin and Tatum Quon

2 large apples—our favorite are Honey Crisp and Fugi, but also good with Golden Delicious

Sticky goo – such as peanut butter, almond butter, cream cheese or cheddar cheese spread

Toppings – flaked coconut, dried cranberries, raisins, sunflower seeds, chopped nuts, granola, or goat cheese. Other choices may not be as healthy, but fun, like mini chocolate chips. 

Core the apple, using an apple corer. Cut each apple crosswise into 6 or 7 rounds.

Using a small spatula spread about 1 tablespoon of sticky goo onto each apple slice.

Sprinkle the slices with the toppings of choice and serve.

Enjoy.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Fearless –Don’t Be Shy With God’s Gifts

2 Timothy 1:7 – In four translations:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. NKJV

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. NIV

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. NASB

God doesn’t want us to be shy with His gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. The Message 

Be bold for God—and with the gifts He has given you. Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? If not take a short gifts survey. 

http://www.thevinerc.com/files/lwcF_wmn_SpiritualGifts_Survey.pdf

or for a longer version…

http://www.willowcreek.org/media/chicago/documents/spiritual_gifts_assessment.pdf       

Training Tip – Depending on your children’s ages you may want to consider their spiritual gifts but this is an assessment that you do, not a quiz that the child must complete. http://www.giveyourkidsthekeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DYKSG-Questionnaire-TX.pdf

This is part of a program on discipling your children, but there could be individual value in just assessing their spiritual gifts. This is not an endorsement of this program. 

Lord God, it is exciting to know what spiritual gifts You have given each of us…and how those gifts work together with the gifts of others around us—to meet Your needs within our community.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Fearless

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 1 John 4:18  

Fearless—NO FEAR! When a person can face disaster or peril with a sound mind and boldness from God—that is “fearless.” Just not doing something stupid in the face of danger or a serious threat is a fearless reaction that could be attributed to the hand of God. With God all things are possible. In the Bible there is a story of a rich young man who wanted to be assured of eternal life. When told that he would have to give up his riches, he rejected Jesus and salvation. Jesus continued His discussion of the Kingdom of God—heaven and salvation—with His disciples… Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 NIV. Have no fear. Knowing Jesus as your personal savior and having a relationship with Him and God the Father will assure you of a place in heaven. Perfect love of Jesus takes away all fear—there’ll be no punishment. Just love—pure, simple and fearless.

Training Tip – Do the “trust” exercise with your children. Stand behind one child and let him or her fall back into your arms. Encourage them not to be afraid—but to trust you. The perfect love that you have for them and that they have for you will help them not to be afraid. Talk to them about trusting God in the same way…we don’t need to be afraid of God, if we love and obey Him. Just love from God to us and from us to God…no fear.  

Lord God, we praise You and thank you for loving us so perfectly. Help us in our unbelief—that we would feel no fear, knowing that You love us and will keep us safe from all harm. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET LIBERTY!

©©©©

We Love You!

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Faith or Works?

But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." James 2:18  

Actions speak louder than words. You can tell your kids to “be kind” a zillion times, but if you are not kind to them…how will they learn. The same with faith. Yackity-yak. Show your faith by what you do, as well as by what you say. See 1 John 3:18…Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.  

Training Tip – Be that shining example that your kids need. Take them to church…don’t just send them off on Sunday morning. Jesus said…“Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.” Luke 18:16 NLT. So go with your kids to church next Sunday…then let them see your faith in action as you help others during the week…and read your Bible. Get to know God…and take your family along with you as you seek to know and serve the Lord. 

Lord God, we love you and want to serve You by serving others.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Do You Have Little Faith?

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Matthew 6:30  

... He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. Matthew 8:10, 26 

But Jesus, aware of this, said, "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?” Matthew 16:8 

 

And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” Matthew 17:20

Do you have a little faith…or a lot of faith? These scriptures are examples of Jesus trying to teach His disciples about faith. We have such an advantage over the disciples of Jesus day. We have the Bible and history that backs up the fact that Jesus did live and we can believe that He did the things that are written in the Bible. Things like calming the storm…or providing food for several thousand people, as well as being aware of the self-righteous doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees, are examples of Jesus’ power and strength. Our faith in Jesus can be strong because we can see the big picture of what He did…and what He can do.  

Training Tip – Alvin Vandergriend wrote in his book Love to Pray, “If you want to grow strong in faith, get to know God better.” How do you get to know God better? First pray and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Read your Bible, systematically and consistently. Then in faith, trust Him. Children have faith on their own…they just believe. Follow their lead sometimes, but always follow the Lord’s leading. You are always an example to your children. If you are weak in some area…they will likely be weak in that same area. If you lack self-esteem, then work on that to improve your own value…and thus they will grow in  their self-esteem, too. Ask God to help you…accept the things you cannot change, change the things you can, and if you ask, He will give you the wisdom to know the difference. You can be useful to the Lord, even your weaknesses, to help others. Develop a plan for yourself and for each of your children, setting achievable goals. Then set out day by day, week by week to reach your goals. Remember that God is not finished with you yet. 

Lord God, we need You to open our eyes that we can see ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren as You see us. Please give us wisdom and faith to use what You show us to accept ourselves and change as You would mold us to be more like Jesus.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

 

Testing Your Faith

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. James 1:2-8 NLT 

Notice that this scripture doesn’t say “trouble”—but “troubles.” That is not encouraging. There have been lots of young adults lately that have been dealt heavy, testing trials. It doesn’t seem fair—but that is life. Problems, sickness and hard times don’t just fall on the elderly—but on everyone. What can we do? Rely on the Lord to see us through…to help us—and to use us to encourage those who are in trials, or are going into a time of trials, or are coming out of a time of trials. Everyone is in one of those stages. We can trust the Lord…we must trust the Lord—no wavering. As this passage says…be sure that your faith is in God alone. Trust Him to help you…to cure or heal you…to give you His peace, strength, and joy no matter what the circumstances. Relax and leave your prayers at the foot of the throne. It may be hard to do—but you can claim God’s promise. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:14-15. Trust Him.

 

Training Tip – Once again—if you want a Christian value for your children, you have to model it for them. If you want their faith to grow—then first pray for wisdom. Then pray for them, and with them that God would give them faith. Read to them about the faith of a mustard seed. He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32. Get some mustard seeds or some other seeds and plant them together with your children. Watch them grow. Be aware that the mustard seed that Jesus spoke of was not the mustard seed we have here, but a very tiny black mustard seed. Those seeds grew into a taller plant than the regular yellow mustard seeds we grind to make mustard. Jesus was also possibly referring to divine growth—something beyond the normal growth. Watching any plants grow from seeds that they themselves planted will be miraculous to most children. As the plants grow and the children water and care for them they can be encouraged that like that seed, they personally can grow in their faith and love of Jesus. Childlike faith, with the wonder and awe of what Christ did for us is described in Matthew 18:2-4… And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-4.  

Lord God, please give us wisdom to teach our children and grandchildren about faith in You. May our faith grow and mature so that we be good examples of You to others around us.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Faith has Made You Well

And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Mark 2:2-5 

This is one of my favorite stories of Jesus healing people. His friends had such a strong faith in Jesus that they climbed up on the roof of the home where Jesus was teaching and healing, took out a section of the roof right above Jesus, and lowered their friend on his mat right down into the room. Now there probably were stairs up to the rooftop, since that is the way homes were designed during those days. The rooftop was a good place for drying laundry and food, like herbs. So there the friends were climbing up those stairs with their buddy on his mat, then they opened up a section of the roof—taking the palm branches away. As they lowered him down, people below had to make room for him. Jesus must have looked up and smiled. The faith of those friends! The paralyzed young man’s sins were forgiven, because of his friends’ faith. Jesus was so generous with His healings. Faith made that young man well—can our faith do the same? Yes. Yes, it can…and it does. With my prayers for friends and family members I’ve seen people regain their sight, instantly have upset stomachs healed, regained strength in hands, arm, legs and backs, and have renewed relationships. But there are other times that the answer must be, “No” because there was no healing. That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care. It just means that the trial must continue a while longer—that God has another plan. We just don’t know. We can only ask and trust Him to hear and answer our prayers. There is no “formula” for getting what we want from God—we merely need to have a clean heart (confess our sins), be obedient to follow His commandments, have faith that God will hear and answer our prayers, and persistently pray in Jesus’ name. When we pray in Jesus’ name, as He told us to do (see John 16:24), we come before God the Father’s throne as representatives of Jesus—on His merit, not our own.

 

Jesus healed so many people…But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." At once the woman was made well. ...Then He touched their eyes, saying, "It shall be done to you according to your faith." Matthew 9:22, 29 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:31 Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once. Matthew 15:28. Faith comes from our hearts—as a gift from God. If you need more faith, ask—knowing that Jesus will give you more faith.

Training Tip –…the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5. Teach your children FAITH by your example. Pray believing—and keep a record of your prayers. Share with your family the joys of answered prayers. That will encourage your children to pray, too. There is power in prayers—even for small children.

Lord God, please continue to teach us to pray—and give us the faith to believe in You and the miraculous answers that You provide. Thank you for hearing and answering. You alone are worthy of all the praise and glory. Be glorified, Lord. Be glorified.

 

Continued prayers for Michelle--heal her pancreas...and gallbladder. Blessings, Sweetie!

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Faith

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 

Faith is found 250 times in the NASB translation. That is a lot of faith! Hebrews 11 is known as the “faith” chapter because it illustrates the faith of so many of God’s chosen people. Read it for yourself sometime soon. Faith is something we have in our hearts—where belief is in our heads. If we need more faith—we just need to ask, like the disciples. The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" Luke 17:5 

Training Tip – Read through Hebrews 11 and pick out a couple of Biblical characters that your children can admire and emulate. Then read them the stories—found in various books of the Bible and help them to act out those stories. So put on your bathrobe and take part in a story or two. Remind your children of the faith that these Bible people had in God. They sometimes did things that seemed impossible. Mission Impossible—building a big boat to save people and animals—even though they never before even saw an ocean. A million people crossing the Red Sea—on dry ground. The Walls of Jericho falling down! Spark their imagination and creativity—they may already know the stories and will love acting them out. Put their faith into action.

Lord Jesus, create in each of us more faith—faith that can show others how much we do believe in You. 

Friday’s Feast at the Lord’s Table

When I was in High School I spent a couple of weeks with my Auntie Merc—who was actually my Dad’s cousin’s wife then. Long story. While her husband was off hunting elk, we had a great time cooking, laughing and just talking. She was amazed that I was studying WWII when she had lived through it. As we chatted she fixed the most wonderful cabbage rolls. This is her recipe, which was actually my grandmother’s, too.

Cabbage Rolls

Head of Cabbage – Use 8-10 outer leaves whole, then finely chop about 2 cups cabbage.

1 pound ground beef, browned

1 cup cooked white rice, or brown rice (start with ¼ cup uncooked)

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dry parsley, optional

Salt and pepper, as desired (about ¾ tsp salt and a dash of pepper) 

Be sure to steam the outer cabbage leaves, or at least pour boiling water over the leaves to wilt them—or microwave for a minute. Mix beef, rice, onion, garlic and seasonings. Then wrap the mixture into the wilted outer cabbage leaves, place on the chopped cabbage in a pan, add about 1 cup of water, cover and cook on low heat for about 1½ hours.  

Praying for you, Aunt Mercedes. Blessings.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Take the Iniative to Pray with the Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalms 23:1-6  

Take the initiative and pray scripture to God—He likes to hear us use His words to glorify and worship Him. Here’s my version of the most favorite of all Psalms—Psalm 23—as a prayer.

The Lord is my shepherd...Lord you are my shepherd--I trust you to take care of me, keep me safe and show me where to go. 

I shall not want--I'm relying on You Lord to provide for my needs--spiritual & physical--including my health. 

He makes me to lay down in green pastures—You provide a safe place for me where there is plenty of food. 

He leads me beside still waters--again providing for my safety--I won't fall into swift currents and drown. 

He restores my soul--He gives me hope and makes my life have meaning. 

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake...He shows me how to live for Him--the right way. 

Ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For Thou are with me. Even in the really tough times I don't have to be afraid of anything--seen or unseen. That includes aches and pains--no evil attacking me can keep me from God--He is always with me. 

Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. I don't have to be afraid of being beaten by you, God--you use those shepherd tools to rescue me, keep me safe, and protect me from harm. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You provide nourishment for me--even when I'm being attacked, accused, or watched by my enemies--those I'd be afraid of if You weren't close beside me. 

You anoint my head with oil. In a dry and dusty climate oil is needed for our heads and feet--You not only provide that Lord--You take the servant attitude and pour it on yourself. What an example of a true servant's heart!

My cup overflows. You are so generous to me--I can't even contain all that You bless me with--it just flows out of my heart and life--hopefully blessing those around me. 

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. God, You are so good--blessing me so generously with all that is good and showering me with Your mercy--which I don't deserve--but you give it to me anyway--always and forever. 

And I will dwell in the house of The Lord forever. Jesus, You've a place for me in heaven--and I long to be there with You through eternity. I praise You!

Training Tip – If you haven’t taught your children to know Psalm 23 yet—help them begin to memorize it today. Pray scripture with your family regularly so that becomes a habit for them. 

Lord God, You are my shepherd and I depend on You. Please continue to guide my children and grandchildren, too, in Your loving way—protecting them from evil and giving them the assurance of your loving presence in their lives.

Our God is awesome--and powerful--and merciful. Pray that He will touch and heal my niece Michelle as she is stricken with gallstones AND pancreatitis. Her pancreas must be healed before there can be any gallbladder surgery--and we are trusting that God will miraculously do just that. He can heal her gallbladder, too! He has wonderfully made us--and hasn't thrown away His diagram or design for perfection. Let it be Lord--a pure and perfect healing of Michelle's pancreas AND gallbladder. Thank You, Lord God. We give You the praise and glory and honor.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Goal – Score for the Lord

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:14 

Goal! Score one for the Lord! Just like in soccer or football—the goal is made by a team. In this case the team is the Christian and Jesus. Paul said that he presses on to the goal. The prize of that goal is heaven. Is that like a trophy prize from a football or soccer tournament? Heaven is better than any prize that we can imagine from any sporting event—and it will last forever. Set that as your goal. Have some initiative—go for the goal. 

Training Tip – During a quiet moment, share the Philippians 3:14 verse with them. Talk about how we have goals in life—sports goals and spiritual goals. Then take your children to play soccer or flag football at a sport field where goals are set up, or set up a goal line in your backyard. Call the goal line “Heaven” and have a scrimmage with your kids. It should be fun for them to play some soccer or football. Cheer on your family’s team.  

Lord God, give us wisdom to know You better, to clearly see the goal and to press on to that goal.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Good Workers

Observe people who are good at their work—skilled workers are always in demand and admired; they don’t take a backseat to anyone. Proverbs 22:29 The Message

 

Those good workers take the initiative to start their work—and finish it. Jesus started and finished important work—explaining about and leading people to His Father Kingdom. What more important work is there? Skilled workers in that area are still needed—mostly they are considered missionaries. Personally I know several missionaries—and admire them for their commitment and work. Linda Cole has been teaching English, as well as living for the Lord, for many years in Thailand. Steve and Annette Morley, with Sarah and Ted Voigt working alongside of them, are reaching out to people in Ireland. Crystal Loeber is starting a coffee house, literally to be serving coffee on the mission field in Portugal. What exciting places to live and work! These people are good at their work—and they don’t take a backseat to anyone. They work hard for the Lord—fulfilling His great commission. Jesus said...Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20. He was speaking to all of us…not just to His disciples gathered around Him at Galilee. Work hard. If that is what it takes to go and make disciples of all the nations…then that is what we must do. This is further explained in Acts, before Jesus ascension into Heaven. …you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Acts 1:8. So we need to start in our own community, our region or county, our state—and then our nation and the whole world. How are you doing with that? I’m still getting outside my comfort zone reaching my neighbors. I’m much more comfortable blogging, knowing that I’m talking to people around the world…in several different countries every day. Hello out there world!  

Training Tip – Sing the song “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” with your family. Talk about the workers around the world who are hard at work serving the Lord—telling others about Jesus. They may not be moving dirt, building building—or they may be doing just that, but they are working for the Lord. 

Lord God, we acknowledge that You do have the whole world in Your hands, from the babies to the elderly people. Give us wisdom and boldness that we all may serve You in ways that are pleasing to You, encouraging to others and always seeking to grow Your Kingdom.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

I Can Do All Things

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 NASB

Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. Philippians 4:13 The Message 

With the initiative that Jesus provides in our lives…we CAN do anything—because He gives us the strength. Strength is needed. Physical, sometimes. Mental, sometimes. Emotional, sometimes. Spiritual—always. And He has promised to never leave us or forsake us—so we have Him with us always—providing that needed strength, encouragement and support. 

Training Tip – Help your children to memorize this verse in Philippians 4:13. There are ten words. Have them count out the words on their fingers and move each finger as they say the verse over and over. Soon they’ll have memorized it—moving their fingers as they say the words. 

Lord Jesus—thank you that just as You promised—You will never leave us or forsake us…and that we can do all things through You who gives us strength. You are awesome. We praise You.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

 

Initiative

I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 5:30 

People with initiative will run to the front of a task, recognizing what needs to be done and do it before being asked to do it. Jesus said that He didn’t do things on His own initiative, but He always was obedient to do whatever His Father asked of Him—seeking the Father’s will. We should do the same. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. John 6:40. Believe. Have faith in Jesus, in God. It may seem like a simple thing to do. Believe. But some people just can’t seem to do that. We have to surrender our will…like Jesus, not seeking our own will…and do the will of the Father. Believe. Have faith that Jesus IS the Son of God—He IS God.  

Training Tip – How do you instill in your children the “I wanna…” so that they want to do something before they are asked to do it? First and probably foremost is your own example. Good work ethics must be encouraged…possibly rewarded so that they will develop the habit of doing something when asked, and then eventually do it because it is expected…and then because it is their responsibility. Start with a task like setting the table every evening for dinner…soon they know that that is expected and ask them to do it every day, rewarding them if they do it without being asked. Rewards can be an extra hug or time doing something together—not always money or a treat. Help them to believe in Jesus, the same way… searching for the truth—and finding it in Jesus, our creator, savior, and friend.

Lord God, You are awesome and we praise You for being our God, our Creator, and our Savior. Instill in us that “I wanna…” to live to please You in all that we do. Like the man whose son was demon possessed and healed by Jesus…"I do believe; help my unbelief." Mark 9:24.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Excellence in Life

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:2-8 

This is sort of a long passage—and the important point today is to apply diligence—to work hard at being faithful to God—to His righteousness.  We can see that there is a progression in this passage from hard work (diligence), to good morals, to knowledge, to self-control, to perseverance, to godliness, to kindness and then to love. The ultimate goal with God is always love. We can see this again in 1 Corinthians 13:13…But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13.  And God has shown the depth of His love for us in His Son, Jesus. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:16-17. So if we need to work diligently to keep ourselves focused on God and develop a relationship with Him—it is worth it to know His love, to know His Son and to have eternal life with Him. The “work” mentioned in Colossians 3:23 says it all—for the Lord, not for men…Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…. Colossians 3:23 NIV.

Training Tip – This passage is a step-by-step guide to character development. Every child needs these qualities—diligent faith, good morals, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love. Erik Erickson has developed stages of psychosocial development that covers these very characteristics. His view is that children develop these as they go through life, beginning with faith or trust from birth to about age two. You can check out his stages of development at Wikipedia or just by googling his name and psychosocial development. These stages progress throughout life culminating with wisdom after age 65.  I would like to think that we get wisdom along the way…before we get to 65! At any rate, this should be encouraging that you don’t need to tackle all the basic characteristics in a short time—but that your child will develop them as they grow. You will still need to actively teach and encourage your children in healthy moral and virtue training. Life goes on—but to have quality, we need to diligently and actively pursue the best. God’s best.  

Lord God, help us to seek Your will and Your way for our lives and for that of our children and grandchildren. May we not be satisfied with just growing up and growing old, but want the best—Your best—for our families. Excellence in live and love.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

It is Finished

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19:28-30  

Jesus Last Words from the Cross. It is finished. He was the worker—approved by His Heavenly Father. He did what He came to do—and it was over. Job completed. He had diligently responded to all that His Father had asked Him to do—and now it was over. Are we like Jesus in completing tasks that are given to us? Do we finish what we start? As a child and teenager I was active in 4-H. One of their mottos is “Finish What You Start.” That was very important. The timeframe for projects may have been nine or ten months long—the whole school year, so it was easy to put things off until the last minute and then have to rush to complete the projects in time for the county fair. Jesus didn’t have to rush to complete His Father’s mission. He did spend a lot of time in prayer. Maybe if I’d prayed about my 4-H projects I wouldn’t have been so rushed to complete them. Where do you stand with God? Do you have spiritual goals and projects that you are doing? If not, why not consider a spiritual goal for yourself for the next few months. Can you challenge yourself to have one month of personal daily devotions, or read a Book of the Bible every week? How about attending or starting a Bible study with friends or family? You choose your own spiritual goal and go for it! 

Training Tip – As you set a spiritual goal for yourself, challenge your children to have a spiritual goal too. For them it could be reading a Book of the Bible, memorizing scripture, or telling a friend about what Jesus has done in their life. 

It is finished—the Lord has helped my husband and me to finish a great backyard project. It was a physical and spiritual accomplishment. We laid heavy flagstones into a patio, and God allowed us to complete the project without injuries—that was a prayer request every day that we worked on that patio. It is finished! 

Lord God, Thank You for Your plan and for willingly giving up Your Son to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus was a diligent worker—serving not only You Heavenly Father—but all of us who know Him as Savior.

Friday’s Feast at the Lord’s Table

Last Sunday a dear Christian man, Tom Harves, went home to be with the Lord. I’m sure he’s had a heavenly meal with the Lord! As a tribute to his family—here is a cookie they all love. Comfort food. 

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts 1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool just enough for the chocolate to set. Serve with a large glass of milk and enjoy!

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.