NASA & THE BIBLE

Thought this was pretty amazing and interesting!

For all the scientists out there, and for all the students who have a hard time convincing these people regarding the truth of the Bible, here's something that shows God's awesome creation, and that He is still in control.

Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been called 'myth' in the Bible is true?

Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore, Maryland, and a consultant in the space program, relates the following development.

'I think one of the most amazing things that God has done for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland.

They were checking out where the positions of the sun, moon, and planets would be 100 years and 1,000 years from now. We have to know this so we won't send up a satellite and have it bump into something later on in its orbits.

We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite and where the planets will be so the whole thing will not bog down.

They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries, and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was something wrong with either the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards.

They called in the service department to check it out, and they said, 'What's wrong?' Well, they found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time.

They scratched their heads and tore their hair out. There was no answer.

Finally a Christian man on the team said, 'You know, one time I was in Sunday School, and they talked about the sun standing still.' While they didn't believe him, they didn't have an answer either, so they said, 'Show us, '

He got a Bible and went to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for any one with 'common sense.'

There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, 'Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before Thee.'

Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy! And if darkness fell, they would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That's right.... 'The sun stood still and the moon stayed and lasted not to go down about a whole day!' (Joshua 10:12-13)

The astronauts and scientists said, there is the missing day! They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes.. Not a whole day.

They read the Bible, and there it was about [approximately] a day. These little words in the Bible are important, but they were still in trouble because if you cannot account for 40 minutes, you'll still be in trouble 1000 years from now.

Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits. As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went BACKWARDS.

The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but they got out the Book and read these words in 2 Kings that told of the following story: Hezekiah, on his death bed, was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for a sign as proof. Isaiah said 'Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?'

Hezekiah said, 'It is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the shadow return backward 10 degrees.' Isaiah spoke to the Lord, and the Lord brought the shadow ten degrees BACKWARD! Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes!'

Twenty-three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe! Isn't it amazing?

References: Joshua 10:8, 12-13 and 2 Kings 20:9-11.

If God could do this then; how much more can he do for us today, if we only believe in His word.

ALL I HAVE AND ALL THAT I AM IS BY THE GRACE OF GOD!

Reflections on Father's Day and Fatherhood

Today is Father's Day. My dad passed away in 1994. I have many happy memories of him. Some are not as happy. I would say in a zero to ten rating he would receive an eight in my books. I have memories of lots of fun and activities when I was a child. My father was mostly a happy person. He worked hard to support me and my mother. People liked him, and I remember thanking God for the parents that I had. I always felt loved and the center of their lives. 

I cannot say that my father was perfect...but then what person is perfect? Only God is perfect. We are expected to do our best and to grow and learn from what live gives us. The main thing I remember about my dad that was a challenge to me was his habit of sarcasm. Some synonyms for sarcasm are irony, mockery, cynicism, mockery, disdain, and scorn. When I think of sarcasm I feel that all of the synonyms are included in that word. My dad thought he was being funny, but sometimes he was not funny.

The trouble with sarcasm is that most of the time it has some truth in it. That can be painful to hear when it is spoken in the way that sarcasm is spoken. It can be hurtful and cause harm that remains with a person for a long time...even a lifetime. My dad had a good heart, and I believe he had no idea of the reality of the effect his "jokes" sometimes had on me and also on others. All of this said I still look on my dad as my hero and someone who always had a goal of doing the best for me and my mother.

Overall I have memories to be treasured. I had a happy childhood.

Fast forward to my family. I have three adult children and three grandchildren. When my oldest son thinks or speaks of my Dad it is not happy memories. He remembers the sarcasm and his wounds from it. And when he finally tried to deal with it with his father and me his final assessment was not favorable. He did not like it that we left him and his siblings with a person who he felt to be abusive. I can see his point, but it is heartbreaking to me. I feel like my husband and I failed our children in this regard. My son carries damage in adulthood from this. I also have a hard time adjusting to the idea that it is not acceptable to my son to talk about him since my evaluation of my Dad is not his. I feel robbed in a way to have this constraint on me even though I know that my son's claims have reality in them.

Still I think of Dad and remember the happy times. They override the times that were not so great. My son is locked into the paradigm that his grandfather was not who he thought he should be.In church today Pastor gave a message about fathers. His thought was that some fathers were all they needed to be to raise happy and healthy future adults. Some were not bad but there were cracks in the perfection mirror. Some fell short completely and provided no role model for their children. They were not the protector that a parent is supposed to be. They were abusive to their children. They just were not Godly fathers.

The final kind of Father...the One who could give us all that we need, protects us, and loves us so much that He considers us His children. That FATHER is God. We can fully rely on Him. He brings us a divine influence that is irreplaceable. It is well to remember that when Jesus was giving us a template of how to pray, He spoke a prayer that began with "Our Father." (See Matt 6:9) In this we God identified Himself as our Father. That means that in spite of whatever influences of our Dads, we have a perfect Father in God.

In Psalms 44:1-3 we read what God our Father has done for us through the ages...the gifts of our Heavenly Father...

    All our lives.
Our fathers told us the stories
    their fathers told them,
How single-handedly you weeded out the godless
    from the fields and planted us,
How you sent those people packing
    but gave us a fresh start.
We didn’t fight for this land;
    we didn’t work for it—it was a gift!
You gave it, smiling as you gave it,
    delighting as you gave it.

                                         The Message

The following is a link to our Father's Day devotional by Jan Andersen. I think you will find it interesting...
             http://paintgodintoyourday.blogspot.com/2013/06/heavenly-father.html 

Hi God

This is a keeper, and do we ever need His blessings right now.

This will just take a couple of seconds.....

He's with you for a life time.

Hi God, it's me. We're getting older and things are getting bad here. Energy, healthcare and food costs are too high, and the future doesn't look good. 

I know some have taken you out of our schools, government, veteran's funerals, and even Christmas.  

But God I'm asking you to come back and re-bless America .  We really need you! As you know, there are more of us who want you than those who don't!

 

Thank You God, I Love you.

Some of the "Places" that we stumble into.

Good Sunday morning all! 

I am sharing something that I think is a cool...though not spiritual...list of the places we may go. It is interesting and kind of reminds me of the Dr Seuss book. In our lives we travel many roads including ones that come from our own psyche. What we need to do is to cry our "CANCEL, CANCEL" to stop the meandering down such convoluted paths.

Here is the list...

We All Go to Many of These Places From Time to Time I have been many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone. I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there. I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to friends, family and work. I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore. I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm. Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older. One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!  I may have been in Continent, and I don't remember what country I was in. It's an age thing. Life is too short for negative drama and petty things. So laugh a lot, love truly, and forgive quickly! Heavenly Father, When I stray from the path you have put me on, I ask you to put something in my life that helps me to get a grip and that will call me back to Your "yellow brick road." Keep me from the snares that cause me to become distracted from my beliefs and the purposes that you have given me. May I never be caught walking around in circles that take me farther and father from where I should and want to be. Thank you, Lord!

This is an amazing video of the things that people can achieve. It does
not mention God but you and I know it is through God that such
achievements are made. God is there directing their talent and their
spirits.

Please click on this link to watch this amazing video and pray for the
people of this landfill village...especially the children.

The video is entitled...

The Landfill Harmonic Orchestra

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=UJrSUHK9Luw

Ten Commandments of Common Wisdom

Someone has written these beautiful words. It's a must read. Try to understand the deep meaning of the words. They are like the ten commandments of common sense to follow in life all the time. They are ten guidelines that are filled with wisdom.

           

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout the journey.

2] So why is a Car's WINDSHIELD so large & the Rear View Mirror so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes a few minutes to burn, but it takes years to write.

4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, dear heart, it's just a bend, not the end!

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.                

8] A blind person asked God: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"                

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES, it takes away today's PEACE.

Shared by Corinne

We All Need Somebody

Here is a quote that I have always loved...

“To the whole world you might be just one person, 

but to one person you might just be the whole world.

 Pablo Casals

This is so well stated!

                                        Please take a look at this video from YouTube.
                                         It will give you a good illustration of my topic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK9Xj7eY0UU

Once a turtle is on its back

 it is almost impossible for it 

to roll itself back over...to right itself. 
It needs help.

Very often we find ourselves in this same position.

Only God can set us upright again,
and we know we can depend on Him do do this.  
Sometimes there is a miraculous move of God t
hat we know can only be His blessing. 
Other times He uses different means 
to  save us from being upside down in our lives. 

Sometimes God uses you or me to do His work to aid a person to stand when their life has made standing nearly impossible.

Casting Crowns has song with lyrics to address this thought that we are God's hands and feet on earth to further His purposes. The lyrics go like this...

If We Are The Body

by Casting Crowns

It's crowded in worship today

As she slips in trying to fade into the faces

The girl's teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know

Farther than they know

But if we are the body

Why aren't His arms reaching?

Why aren't His hands healing?

Why aren't His words teaching?

And if we are the body

Why aren't His feet going?

Why is His love not showing them there is a way?

There is a way?

God is the major One that we need to "lean on." Still, when we see someone figuratively on their back and feel that God is calling us to partner with Him, we need to step up to the plate and be His instrument.

God bless...
Corinne

The Roaring Wind and the Fire

The Roaring Wind and the Fire 

I am an old woman now, but I will never forget what happened in the Upper Room so many years ago. I was but a girl who had just moved into womanhood. My father owned this house. He had added a second floor. It was one huge room that he rented to people who needed a place to meet together. Father had me attend to the people who rented the Upper Room. I served them food that Mother had prepared, and I kept the room clean. I just did what Father and Mother told me to do.

I had come up into the room frequently while the people I am going to tell you about were using it. As I worked I watched the people gathered there and listened to what they were saying. 

These people were always praying, talking, and waiting. They talked about and prayed to their dead friend, Jesus. I thought that praying to a dead person was bizarre. I knew that Jesus was that character who had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey. I thought that was absurd. Entering Jerusalem on a donkey of all things! On top of it, all the people were shouting welcome and waving palm branches to Him. How peculiar was that?

He was actually a criminal teaching things that the Rabbis did not approve of. It was said that they feared that the people would no longer support the temple. He was crucified for His bad behavior. These are the things that I thought at first. Later I heard His followers say He had risen from the dead. They talked about how He had been with them for forty days. Then they said He had ascended into heaven. The followers had rented the Upper Room because they were going to stay there as they were waiting for something. Jesus had told them to wait.

At first I thought it was all nonsense, but, as I listened to their stories and memories, I felt something stirring in my heart. I soon realized that what I was feeling were the first stirrings of my faith in Jesus. It was not long before I totally admitted to myself that I believed Jesus was who they said He was, the Son of God.

At that time, I also noticed that all the people in the room were fearful. They were afraid that those who had hated Jesus and crucified Him would come looking for His followers. The only thing that gave them some hope was His promise to them before He died. He had told them, “… If you love me, obey my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” 

          

I could see that the apostles and disciples did not totally understand, but because He had told them they believed. I also believed because I had listened to the stories. They waited, and I also waited.

One day we heard a loud wind above us and around us. I ran to the corner, and, while crouching down, I watched. The wind blew but nothing was blown around. Then, to my amazement, I saw what looked like candle flames above the heads of all the apostles and disciples. The flames were later called Tongues of Fire. Peter was the first one to speak. He was no longer afraid. He told everyone not to fear that this was the Holy Spirit whom Jesus had promised.

There was a loud noise down in the street. Masses of people were in Jerusalem from many countries to celebrate Passover in the temple. They had run to find out why they heard such a loud wind. They were shouting questions and comments in the languages that they spoke. Peter and the disciples went down into the street, and I followed them. They talked to the crowd about Jesus, and how he had come to offer then salvation. I was really surprised to hear them speaking.. They each were speaking in languages that I did not understand, and the pilgrims seemed to understand what they were saying. I was standing by the door watching when a young woman came up to me. She started asking me questions. She was not speaking Hebrew. Still, I could understand her, and I could answer her in her native tongue. Because I had believed, I also was blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. I knew it was a miracle. About three thousand people were converted and baptized that day in Jerusalem.

That was many years ago. Ever since that day I traveled with his followers, and brought the good news of the salvation to people in the way we were told. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
  

Written by

Corinne Mustafa                                                               
May, 2013

Two Seconds

We all believe in the eternity that we will enter when our life is finished and we go home. We think about the unspeakable joys that we will receive when we are finally with God in heaven. We rejoice in knowing that we have salvation if we believe in Jesus Christ.  The Bible promises that if we go to the Father through Christ he will accept us.

That is all good.

However when someone we love dies it is harder to be happy about his death. Even though we know where the person is we still cry and grieve. We cry for ourselves and the open empty space in our world that occurs when a loved one dies. Our world changes when that happens. For a mother who thought her children would live beyond her lifetime, the loss of a child puts an indelible pall of sadness over her life that continues long after she has come back to living her life and has worked out a way to go on in spite of her loss.

My friend, Luana, sent me this poem she had written. It is very poignant...but beautiful.

Two Seconds

Sleep, sleep

If only to sleep

Awake me slowly, Lord

Anticipating the first two seconds

Two seconds of consciousness

The first two seconds of my day

The only relief

My time of normalcy

The two seconds it takes me

The time it takes me to remember

I now remember

I remember that Kevin is dead

I look forward to tomorrow morning's two seconds

Written by
Luana Layton

I was very touched by her poem and I wrote to Luana 

to ask about Kevin and if I could publish her poem in Women's Focus Ministries. 

Here is what she wrote...

"Kevin died in January, 1991 in a traffic accident on Pacheco Pass.
He was living with us at the time. Kevin was 23 years old.

You may publish it.
It always helps when you know  that someone else
went through a trauma and had a strange experience because of it."   
-----Luana

Shared by
Corinne Mustafa

   

God Puzzles

 I found this graphic in one of  my picture searches...and loved it!

What God does with our disparate personal puzzles is truly amazing. All we have to do is put ourselves into His care and be willing to be rearranged. Enjoy the graphic, and please think about what is taught in it.

God bless
Corinne

Four Candles

  

                

http://www.openmyeyeslord.net/thefourcandles.htm

My Salvation...How About Yours

Salvation

Some may think me weak
Or needy of some guarantees
What they think does not matter to me.

My beliefs give me peace
No need to worry
About what happens next.

I believe in everlasting life
That nothingness of death will not be
The end of my existence.

It makes me glad
And it brings me peace and joy
No need to worry about what happens next.

If I am wrong it does not matter
I live in comfort and not in fear
I will not know the difference in the end.

But if I am right I will live
Forever in the reflected glory of God
If I am right…what about you?

©Corinne Mustafa
       

A Simple Prayer Accomplishes Much

Dear Beloved God in Heaven

Please help our president love this
country and everything it stands for.

Please give help our president
respect you as the one true God.

         Please help our president who, with your help,
     will restore this nation to its former glory,
the way you created her.

 Please help us to respect what you have given to us
      and not take anything for granted ever again.

              Please God weaken the evil and strengthen

                  the good both without and within.

         May our eyes be opened.

  In Jesus’ name,

                                                      Amen

THAT WAS US

HEY, WASN'T THIS US?
            What do you think...
                     Whicb is better...technology or simplicity?
                              You be the judge!

A little house with three bedrooms,
one bathroom and one car on the street
A mower that you had to push
to make the grass look neat.

In the kitchen on the wall
we only had one phone,
And no need for recording things,
someone was always home.

We only had a living room
where we would congregate,
unless it was at mealtime
in the kitchen where we ate.

We had no need for family rooms
or extra rooms to dine.
When meeting as a family
those two rooms would work out fine.

We only had one TV set
and channels maybe two,
But always there was one of them
with something worth the view.

For snacks we had potato chips
that tasted like a chip.
And if you wanted flavor
there was Lipton's onion dip.

Store-bought snacks were rare because
my mother liked to cook
and nothing can compare to snacks
in Betty Crocker's book.

Weekends were for family trips
or staying home to play.
We all did things together --
even go to church to pray.

When we did our weekend trips
depending on the weather,
no one stayed at home because
we liked to be together.

Sometimes we would separate
to do things on our own,
but we knew where the others were
without our own cell phone.

Then there were the movies
with your favorite movie star,
and nothing can compare
to watching movies in your car.

Then there were the picnics
at the peak of summer season,
pack a lunch and find some trees
and never need a reason.

Get a baseball game together
with all the friends you know,
have real action playing ball --
and no game video.

Remember when the doctor
used to be the family friend,
and didn't need insurance
or a lawyer to defend?

The way that he took care of you
or what he had to do,
because he took an oath and strived
to do the best for you.

Remember going to the store
and shopping casually,
and when you went to pay for it
you used your own money?

Nothing that you had to swipe
or punch in some amount,
and remember when the cashier person
had to really count?

The milkman used to go
from door to door,
And it was just a few cents more
than going to the store.

There was a time when mailed letters
came right to your door,
without a lot of junk mail ads
sent out by every store.

The mailman knew each house by name
and knew where it was sent;
there were not loads of mail addressed
to "present occupant."

There was a time when just one glance
was all that it would take,
and you would know the kind of car,
the model and the make.

They didn't look like turtles
trying to squeeze out every mile;
they were streamlined, white walls, fins
and really had some style.

One time the music that you played
whenever you would jive,
was from a vinyl, big-holed record
called a forty-five.

The record player had a post
to keep them all in line
and then the records would drop down
and play one at a time.

Oh sure, we had our problems then,
just like we do today
and always we were striving,
trying for a better way.

Oh, the simple life we lived
still seems like so much fun,
how can you explain a game,
just kick the can and run?

And why would boys put baseball cards
between bicycle spokes
and for a nickel, red machines
had little bottled Cokes?

This life seemed so much easier
and slower in some ways.
I love the new technology
but I sure do miss those days.

So time moves on and so do we
and nothing stays the same,
but I sure love to reminisce
and walk down memory lane.

With all today's technology
we grant that it's a plus!
But it's fun to look way back and say,
Hey look, guys, THAT WAS US!