Memory Verse 2017 -- Week 18

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Abiding in Christ

 

Give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Notice this verse doesn't say to be thankful in MOST situations but in ALL. Good, bad, rainy, sunny, healthy, sick, safe, perilous, free, enslaved -- ALL. 

Does it imply that God is the one putting you in those circumstances -- especially the difficult ones? No. Now sometimes God puts us in tough places to teach us important lessons. But the whole Bible indicates that He can make good come from things that Satan intends for evil. 

Much of the New Testament encourages believers to be content in all things. We are to trust Him to lead, guide, teach, and be with us. That is something to be thankful for. 

Enjoy your week. Give thanks in all things -- like memorizing this verse!

Spend the week focusing on this scripture: 

• Read the verse in your Bible. 
• Read the passage before and after it. 
• Write it in your journal. 
• Ask the Lord to show you how it applies to your life. 
• Put it on a piece of paper and post it in a prominent place in your home so that you can see it often. 
• Put the words to music. Make up a tune or use one you already know. Singing always helps in the memory process. It's a left brain / right brain thing. 
• Always memorize the scripture reference with the verse so you can remember where to find it in the Bible. 

The First Saturday in May

May 6, 2017

The closer you live to Lexington and Louisville, the more aware you are of the fact that the first Saturday in May is always Derby Day. Every year I pay absolutely no attention to the contenders until, oh, about now. Then on the afternoon of the race, I like to watch the television coverage so I can learn about all the entries. Those few minutes of the race are so much fun to watch!

I've never been to the Kentucky Derby. In fact when we lived in Louisville, we would always leave town on Derby weekend so we didn't have to contend with it. But I do love to watch the race.

So who is running this year? I don't know a thing about them, but here is the list.

1. Lookin At Lee
2. Thunder Snow
3. Fast and Accurate
4. Untrapped
5. Always Dreaming
6. State of Honor
7. Girvin
8. Hence
9. Irap
10. Gunnevera
11. Battle of Midway
12. Sonneteer
13. J Boys Echo
14. Clasic Empire
15. McCraken
16. Tapwrit
17. Irish War Cry
18. Gormley
19. Practical Joke
20. Patch

Let's take a look at one very special horse who has captured the hearts of many fans across the world -- Patch.

 

Patch will spring from the 20th position, far from the rail. Although he will be extremely aware of their presence, he will not see any of his competitors directly out of the gate. He has no left eye.

Last summer Patch developed a severe problem with his left eye and the equine vets couldn't heal it. So in June 2016 it was removed.

At the time, no one really knew how losing half of his vision would affect this beautiful animal. But fairly quickly his trainers realized that he was adapting quite well. He qualified for the Kentucky Derby this spring and has enjoyed a lot of attention in the process.

Is this the first horse with just one eye to run in the Kentucky Derby? Actually, no.

• 1982 -- Casseleria finished 13th
• 2004 -- Pollard's Vision finished 17th
• 2007 -- Storm in May finished 16th

And several one-eyed horses have raced throughout the years at other tracks. In fact, I found a few steeplechase horses that only had one eye. That seems like it would be a lot harder without the depth of field that two eyes provide. It didn't seem to impede them, though.

I don't know about you, but tonight I plan to be with a bunch of my friends hanging out in front of a television at post-time. And although I don't really think Patch has much of a chance of winning the Derby, my heart will be pulling for him nevertheless.

The Story of the Baseball

Friday, May 5, 2017

The 2017 MLB season is underway and the boys and I are headed to Cincinnati to see the Giants tonight. It looks like it will be a "lovely" evening for baseball -- I've got my raincoat, hat, waterproof boots, longjohns, and poncho ready to go!

 

I started thinking this week about the actual baseball and how it has changed over the years. 

Did you know that some of the original baseballs had sturgeon eyes as their cores? Nasty!

Then they went to a type of rubber which was a little too easily fractured. 

Then came the precursor to what is used in today's balls -- cork. 

In the old days, we had no standard for the size, weight, or color of the baseball. And teams made their own balls! As a result, there were periods of really "dead" balls and others of really "live" ones. Eventually we settled on the iconic figure-eight cowhide with red stitching -- 5 ounces with a 9-inch circumference. 

 

There was this one pitcher for the Red Sox who, like many pitchers, made his own baseballs -- and he had a pretty good pitching record, too. Once he retired he convinced the league to use only his balls and thus an empire was born. A.G. Spalding was his name. Baseball was his game. 

Things have changed regarding the number of balls used in a game, as well. Back in the day, baseballs were used until they started to come unraveled. Now MLB gets less than 6 pitches per ball. That's over 100 balls per game. 

So tonight as we freeze to death under the lights, maybe we'll catch a foul ball. And maybe we'll get an autograph!

Go Giants! Beat those Reds!

Invasion, Identity Theft, and Murder in North America

Thursday, May 4, 2017

I've never heard of a cowbird. 

And I've never heard of a brood parasite. 

Get ready to learn about a dastardly little bird. 

 

These birds are common in the plains of North America but they can be found in other places as well. They tend to travel around with large herds of cattle, eating insects that the cows stir up. Because the cattle cover large portions of land and are constantly on the move, cowbirds don't build nests. So what do they do when it's time to lay their eggs?

The female watches the nests of other birds. When the nesting female flies away, the cowbird swoops in and lays an egg in the "host" nest. Now she may lay several eggs but many times she will only lay one at a time in several host nests. 

 

I watched a video on the Internet where a mama cowbird laid an egg in a nest with two existing host eggs. When she was finished she grabbed one of the host eggs and threw it out of the nest. Then she flew away. When the unsuspecting mom returned to the nest, she snuggled down to roost on her precious babies, none the wiser. 

There was another nest cam which showed a cowbird fly away after laying her egg. When the "real" mom came back, she sensed what had happened. So she snatched up the parasitic egg, broke it with her beak, and flew it away. 

I've also learned that once the invading cowbird hatches, it wants to be the one and only baby. So with all the strength and leverage it can muster, it pushes other eggs out of the nest. 

 

Isn't that sad! And selfish! And down-right mean. But poor "mama" has no idea what has happened so she proceeds to nurture her dear solitary survivor -- even when there is absolutely no family resemblance. 

 

And the unlikely relationship between a host mama and a brood parasitic cuckoo is even more stark than that of the cowbird. 

 

So how is a brood parasite born with such strong instincts? When it grows up how does it know to forsake its "foster parents" and hang out with others of its own kind? And how does it know to repeat the sinister cycle of invasion, murder, and espionage? 

Lord, your world is so fascinating! Genesis merely mentions your creation of the birds of the air. Yet their complexity is so great that we have spent thousands of years trying to figure out their behavior and still don't quite understand it. Your imagination is beyond comprehension! We are in awe!

The American Chestnut Tree

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Once upon a time, back in the 1800's, the American Chestnut grew tall and strong in the Appalachian Mountain Range of North America. It could grow to be 100 feet tall and its trunk could be 10 feet in diameter. It was a very important tree and was considered to be superior to its relatives from Europe, China, and Japan.

Mr. Chestnut prided himself in providing nuts for many of the critters in the forest: deer, turkey, pigeons, and black bears were among those that thrived on them. And the forest floor loved his nutrient-rich leaves.

 

He also gave his life for the building of many items because people loved his straight-grained, strong hardwood.

• furniture
• split-rail fences
• shingles
• home construction
• flooring
• piers
• plywood
• paper pulp
• telephone poles

People even used the chemicals in his bark for tanning leather.
He was a useful guy to have around!

Then one day in 1906, a terrible thing happened. A blight. Mr. Chestnut's whole family began to die. Within 40 years, up to 3 billion American Chestnut trees were destroyed leaving only a few pockets of survivors.

But we can still see Mr. Chestnut in our homes today. Many beautiful pieces of furniture remain.

One of my favorite pieces of furniture that my daddy created was a beautiful hutch made from "wormy" chestnut. This lumber is a defective grade of blighted wood with obvious insect damage. But it is gorgeous once in the hands of a master craftsman.

 

And so, Mr. Chestnut's memory lives on in homes and communities across the country even though his family is almost gone.

 

  

Lord, thank you for creating something beautiful out of each of us your children. We were broken and dead and you gave us new life and purpose!

The Rain

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
Deuteronomy 32:2 NIV

When I was a girl I wrote a paper about the cycle of water on the earth and how it benefits the plants and ecosystem as a whole. Rain falls, is absorbed by plants, is consumed by animals, flows down rivers to the oceans, evaporates, condenses in the clouds, and falls again.

As an adult I learned about the nurturing of spiritual “plants” – young believers. Just like regular seedlings, spiritual babies need water – living water.

 

How do spiritual “plants” get this living water?

• Scripture
• Sermons
• Love and tenderness from other believers

Have you ever been in the checkout line in the grocery store behind a young woman and her small child? It can get pretty ugly, can’t it? Have you ever distracted the child while mom took care of the task at hand? If so, that’s pretty nice. But is that all that it is? When she thanks you for helping her out, do you put any words to your actions? Here’s something you could say. “You’re very welcome. God bless you all today. I’ll be praying for you and your family.”

Now that is sprinkling living water on little plants as you go along your way.
But don’t forget to pray as you promised that you would.

If we sprinkle living water on those around us as we go through our lives, we are helping provide the rain for little seedlings. At some point, when they are ready to harvest, they will accept Christ into their lives. And your act of love and tenderness combined with a few simple words will have helped them reach eternal life.

LORD, thank you for providing our earth with the nourishing rain that it needs. And thank you for your Holy Spirit who nurtures us from infancy to spiritual maturity. Help us to be your vessels of living water, spilling over onto those around us for your glory.

The Wind

Monday, May 1, 2017

What does it look like?

Does it really have a sound? Or is what I hear just its effect on the things it touches?

How far can it go?

Where does it come from?

I've never personally seen the wind. 

But does that mean it doesn't exist?

Of course not. 

I've seen it move things around. Like yesterday, for instance. 

Bill and I ate lunch outside and the wind was really active. It whipped all through the trees and made lots of racket. 

I spent some time at the dog park in the afternoon and enjoyed seeing little Zoey's ears get blown back by the wind. 

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
‭‭John‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I've never seen the Holy Spirit. 

Does that mean he doesn't exist?

Of course not. 

He is absolutely everywhere. 

He moves quietly, subtly, and with calm.

He moves with power and decisiveness. 

He is the One who directed me in Sunday School yesterday when I was trying to decide how to explain something to my class. I considered using an illustration but He stopped me. I don't know why. But for some reason it was not the best thing to say at that time. So I moved past it and went on with the lesson. 

He is trustworthy. He will not lead us astray. 

Lord, thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit. We would be powerless without Him.