Psalm 127:3 (KJV)
³ Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Proverbs 31:28-31 (ESV)
²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ²⁹ “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”³⁰ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

Ruth 1:3-22 (NLT)
3 Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. 4 The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.
6 Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah.

A TRIBUTE TO DAD’S

 Psalm 127:3(NKJV)
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Proverbs 17:6 (NKJV)
6 Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NKJV)
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Just as God loved us so much that He sacrificed His Son, and His Son willingly sacrificed His life for us, so our dads express their love for us through sacrifice each and every day.

Matthew 25:35-45 (ESV)
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’
Galatians 6:10(NIV)
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
1 John 4:11 (NIV)
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Acts 9:36 (ESV)
36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas.[a] She was full of good works and acts of charity.
Hebrews 6:10 (NIV)
10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

 April 14, 2017

Philippians 4:19 (NLT)
19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 7:11 (NLT)
11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
March 30,2017

In 1974 I moved 6 hours away from home to attend College.  At the end of my freshman year I decided that I would not return home for summer break. I took the brave step of calling home to inform my parents, that I had made the decision to stay in town and find a job for the summer. My plan was to work until school started back again in the fall. Quite frankly, the thought of going back to the farm and working in the cotton fields was not appealing to me at all. I knew I would miss my family, but I was eighteen almost nineteen, and I was ready to make my own decisions.

March 6, 2017
 Exodus 20:7 (NLT)
7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
Psalm 139:20-22 (NLT)
20 They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name.
21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?  Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.
Philippians 2:6-11 (NLT)
6 Though he was God, [a] he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges[b]; he took the humble position of a slave[c] and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, [d] 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Deuteronomy 5:11 
11 No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; God won’t put up with the irreverent use of his name.

When our daughter was about three years old, our family was out shopping one Saturday and just having some fun family time. After making our selections we made our way to the cash register to check out. Our daughter was doing her favorite thing which was riding in the shopping buggy.  As we stood there patiently waiting to be checked out, it was obvious that the cashier was having an issue with her register. Out of sheer frustration she blurted out God’s name.

February 1, 2017

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)
10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Mark 6:49-50(NKJV)
49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
Joshua 1:9(NKJV)
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 (NET Bible)
8 The Lord is indeed going before you—he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”ed.”
Psalm 23:4 (NLT)
4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley,[a] I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff  protect and comfort me.

Several years ago one of my nephews married a really sweet young lady from New York. When we heard that her family would be coming for theJuly 4th weekend, my entire family got excited to finally get to meet her side of the family, and to have the joy of celebrating the July 4th weekend together.Everyone was on board with this.

September 4, 2015

Jeremiah 7:23-24 (NIV)
23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV)
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
WHEN GOD SAYS NO
I once heard someone say that the only thing worse than waiting, is wishing you had waited. Sometimes God’s protection comes beautifully wrapped in the word No, or even the words Not Now.  When we are clear that He has answered no or not now, and we willfully disobey His voice we will face grave consequences, and possibly years of regret.