O Come Let Us Adore Him

Dear Readers,

We have decided to give ‘Gramps’ the month of December as a time for recharging and getting ahead, since we will be returning to Voice of the Martyrs soon.  Soo, these will be from Gma. When we do things together I am the ‘facts person’, ie play by play, and Gramps the’ color commentator’ – I don’t do stories very well but I so enjoy books and stories.  Jesus used stories to inscribe His truths on our hearts.

Those of you who know us personally know that you will find “Christmas’ all year long at our house; there are nativity sets upstairs and downstairs we have over 400 square feet of lighted platforms  - mostly ceramic and wooden things we have made.  For years this was our Christmas card to our community, now it is up year round.  You are welcome to call and come and see,  if you are in the area.

We plan to share Christmas thoughts in these next few weeks.  During all the years at the Village I endeavored to share with each one the real meaning of Christmas – in Scripture, songs/carols, drama, and stories. (I have book shelves and file drawers of materials.)  One year I made Advent Calendars for each of our Homes and a Devotional Booklet to be used daily, as they moved the star across the dates. (If you are interested you can purchase Advent calendars in many stores.)  I plan to share some of these with you as they relate to the weekly themes.  But, keeping these short will be a task.

Sooo, to keep us on the same page, we will begin with the word ‘Advent’, and I hope you will do some research on your own. ‘Advent’ is a Latin derivative meaning ‘coming’ or ‘coming in’. Through the Old Testament and still today Jews look for their promised Messiah,  as recorded by the prophets.    As Christians, we use this time to refocus our hearts on Jesus and His birth that brought the Kingdom of Heaven to us.   .

 

Many Churches designate the four weeks before Christmas as ‘Advent Season’.  Churches and families have wreaths of greens with candles and light one each of the four Sunday’s. Often a theme is chosen for the week.  Themes vary, candle colors vary, (usually 4, but I use a 5^th a white candle in the middle representing Christ and light it on Christmas Day) but the symbolism is quite standard:

Wreath /circle - represents God and His love, without beginning or end.

Evergreens - represent on-going growth and learning, new life

Candles - represent light,  and various other things in Scripture.  JESUS is the Light of the world.

Purple is for Royalty – Baby Jesus is coming King.

Red -represents the blood Jesus would shed for your sin penalty and mine.

White is for purity – Jesus, Son of God without sin came to take away the sins of the world.

“He left His place to come to my place to die in my place to take me to His place!”

For our purposes here we will designate a theme for each week and select devotionals for each one.

                Week I –Anticipation to the coming of Messiah; Cleansing was important when coming into the Tabernacle or Temple, thus forgiveness for selves and others is important. 

                Week II –Caring for others with symbols of peace, joy and love.

                Week III – We will look at the lights.

                Week IV –Gifts to Jesus and conclude with God’s greatest gift to us, His Son.

               

JESUS, the light of the world Has come with love and hope and glory…

He came to show us how much God cares, And that’s the Christmas Story.   --Roy Lessin

Soooo, family and friends , young and not so young… be blessed this Advent Season as you anticipate celebrating the earthly birth of Jesus.  It is a good time to reflect on your relationship with others  and 

     JESUS as Savior.  Is your heart clean??

                JESUS as Lord.  Are you in His word?  Do you know Him and follow his teaching?

                JESUS as King.  Does he rule and reign in your words and actions? Are you a bond-servant of the King?  Is your life a place of welcoming for the Holy Spirit of God??

Blessings,

Gma

In The Midst of Miracles

“Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand , and how many baskets full you picked up?  Or the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets full you picked up”  (Matt. 16:9-10)

Hey Gang, warriors of the Branch,  I came across this devotion last night and sensed God would have me send it along to you.  It was written and archived by David Wilkerson and dated June 23, 2011, but David had been killed in an auto accident a month before that date. 

David was a dynamic minister of God, writer of The Cross and the Switchblade and founder of Teen Challenge.    One might think that God would have placed a mantel of protection around him and his family but such was not the case.  David suffered with cancer at an earlier age as did his wife.  Both were victorious in their battle.  At present his grandson is battling fourth stage pancreatic cancer. 

In the midst of all of these wilderness experiences, David WIlkerson shared the good news that he was living ‘ In the Midst of Miracles’.  As I read of his many trials, I asked myself the question, Would I have had the strength and courage to write such an article? You may be in the midst of a miracle right now and simply do not see it.  It may be that you are waiting for a miracle. You’re discouraged because things seem to be at a standstill. You do not see any evidence of God’s supernatural work on your behalf.

Consider what King David says in Psalm 18: “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help;  He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help before Him came to his ears.  Then the earth shook and quacked; and the foundations of the mountains were trembling and were shaken…Smoke went up from His nostrils and fire from His mouth devoured…He bowed the heavens also, and came down…The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice…He sent out his arrows, and lightning flashes in abundance” (Psalms 18:6-9, 13-14).   

Keep in mind, none of these things literally happened.  It was something that David saw in his spiritual eyes and that, my friends, is faith.  It’s when you believe God has heard your cry and that he hasn’t delayed or isn’t ignoring your petition.  Instead, He quietly began your miracle immediately when you prayed, and even now He’s doing supernatural work on your behalf.  This is truly believing in miracles, His marvelous progressive work in our lives.

King David understood the foundational truth beneath it all: “He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19)).  He also declared: “I know why the Lord is doing all this for me.  It’s because he delights in me.”

Sooooo, I truly believe in instantaneous miracles because I have seen them with my own eyes.  God is still working glorious, instant wonders in the world today.   In Matthew 16:9-11 and Mark 8:19-21, Jesus reminds the disciples of the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000.  He is asking them and us to take note of  His progressive miracles and their role in our own lives today. 

Blessings, 

Gramps

The Antidote for Anguish

"Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your loving kindness, According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions." (Psa. 51:1).

Hey Gang:   As I read and reread these words of David I sense the depth of his anguish for I have been there.  Times when I know I have sinned against Abba Father and poured out my heart as David does in this Psalm, only to go out and grieve the Holy Spirit all over again. 

I confess I have struggled with the question, “Does God withdraw from us when we are in sin?”

When I shared this question with a pastor friend of mine, he seemed to be appalled that I would make such a suggestion.  But Psalm 51 happens to be a Psalm I frequently return too, especially when the waters seem to be up around my 'snoz' and creeping higher.  I like to be in good company when going through the wilderness and David is one I retreat to often.

God did say that David is a man after His heart, didn't he.  Of course my first line of defense is Jesus, the perfect Son of God who knew no sin, but there are times when I need to hear from one of God's anointed saints, who certainly had his times of walking in the darkness of this world, to see how he handled those times when he chose to go his own way.

Now back to the question, “Does withdraws from us when we are walking contrary to His will and His ways?”  Nathan had just rattled the King’s chain when he took him to task for the Bathsheba incident.  A rattling that hit David where he/we need to be hit when we are walking contrary to what we know is God's mandate for our lives. 

He cried out to God, "Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your loving kindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions." (v.1).  I confess I have prayed that prayer many times and keep it close at hand for those times when  I fail in my walk with the Lord.  He went on and cried ou,t "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me" 

 (v. 2-3) 

Now notice the reason for the question.  In verse 10 and 11 we read his plea, "Create in me a clean heart O God,  And renew a steadfast spirit with me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me".   

Have I resolved this very important issue in my mind and heart?  I believe I have.  Notice the reassurance that we find in John's words in I John 1:6-7, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and yet walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin". 

Soooo, "Listen, listen up!"  Can you hear it, "Your ears will hear a word behind you,  "This is the way, walk in it". (Isa. 30:21).   

Blessings,

Gramps 

TO Continue or Not to Continue. That is the Question!

"The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.  When Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, "You must die!" (Jer. 26:7-8).

Hey Gang:   If I were to make a list of all the really tough dudes of the Bible, I would place Jeremiah at, or near the top of the list.  If you want to get a handle of what true faith is, read the book of Jeremiah and note the times he placed his head on the block for His God.

He had warned the King a zillion times that he had best shape up or pay the piper. The King chose to pay the pipe.   Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after conquering Israel gave orders that Jeremiah was to be spared and not a hair on his head harmed. (Jer. 39:11-12).

I wonder how many times, when he found himself up to his armpits in alligators, that Jeremiah said to himself "There has to be a better way to live life!"  Do you think maybe he got a wee bit discouraged when, every time he went to the King with a word from the Lord that would spared his people from the coming scourge of Babylon, he got clobbered?  But, the bottom line is, Jeremiah took it right between the eyes on many occasions but "HE KEPT ON TRUCKIN".  

I certainly cannot identify with the "right between the eyes bit” but I can identify with the ‘checking periodically to see if I have purified the vessel and remained on the potter wheel’.  We are nearing the three century mark with Gramps Morning Thoughts and there is always a concern that repetition tends to dull the air. So I asked God if it would be okay to send out a questionnaire and check out the temperature of you readers.  His reply was quick and very blunt, "Forget it dude!"

.   

He did not leave it there. He reminded me that it was not me doing the creating of the thoughts. only the recording them.  So as long as I had fingers and a computer I should just be obedient and leave the driving up to Him.   He also reminded me, as He has done so many times in the past, that I am only a seed planter.   I plant, cultivate, water but He alone does the growing and the harvesting. 

Soooo, young folks, We will quietly pass by the three hundred mark and continue down the road until God says, You have "completed the race".  

My prayer for the New Year for each of you:  "Thank you Lord for giving me the spirit to continue to plant your seeds.  I pray, Lord that each might find encouragement, solace and even growth in these epistles from You.  Use them Lord for Your glory.

Blessings 

Gramps

Are You Blessed?

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him, bless his name  For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

Hey Gang:  In the first year of Eagle Village we were 'fixen' to sit down to a magnificent feast of turkey, tatters, yams, greens and topped off with pumpkin pie and whipped cream.   It was a feast to behold until one of the younger members of our adopted family spoke up and ask the following question, "Mr. H.  What is thanksgiving and why do we make such a big deal out of it?"

Now I must admit I was really taken back, not because the lad asked the question, but because I did not have a clue how to answer him.  The things I remembered as a little twerp growing up at 324 Beech Avenue, Altoona, Pennsylvania, was - it was a day off  school, I did not have to sweep the walks and porches and best of all, I did not have to clean the cellar. It was also the one day of the year that we were allowed to eat our fill of Gramma's famous more apple dumplings.

Since the question was asked before we said the blessing and passed the first tray of goodies around, the subject passed by without any further discussion but I did make a vow to do some research in case they reminded me feast of the question tomorrow.

I learned that the first Thanksgiving was held in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and celebrated with a feast of thanksgiving for the good harvest.   In the early years Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England and by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution.

Proclamations were made by royal governors, John Hancock, General George Washington, and the Continental Congress, each giving thanks to God for events favorable to their causes.  As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God.  We need our President to do that this year.

Was that the end of the discussion on Thanksgiving at Starr House that year? No, the same young man, who I felt had wisdom beyond is twelve years, asked yet another question that I could not answer.  He asked, "Mr. H. Why can't we have thanksgiving 364 days each year and be grumpy just one day?"  Again, I stood in a dumbfounded state not knowing how to answer this young lad. 

I believe, if I could sit this youngster on my lap today, I would first give him a warm hug and let him know how much I loved him.  I recommend you do that with those around you.  I would say to him, God loves him so much that He sent His only Son to die on a hideous cross so that we could be freed from the bondage of sin.  I would tell him no matter what has happened in our lives, we can be so very thankful that He, Abba Father will never leave us or forsake us.

Soooo, my friends and neighbors, there are many verses in the Bible that I could share with him but keep in mind the main part of the conversation about Thanksgiving that night was based on a love relationship that I had for that child, and has been repeated down through the years thousands of times with other children who are crying out for a warmth of someone's love.

Blessings,

Gramps.    

Fruit or Bangles and Beads

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal”  I Cor. 13:1).

Hey Gang: I am 79 years of age and have lived my three score and ten.  In other words I am living on borrowed time, thanks to God’s blessing; but, I must admit, I have become very interested in what is happening prophetically in our world today and what is awaiting for me when the Roll is called up yonder’ and my name is on the list.

We had a very dear friend who had a sense of humor and told stories of her child hood.  I took a tape recorder to her – you do remember what a tape recorder is, don’t you? I  asked her to record some of those wonderful humorous stories that I could used in my writings and speeches.  A week later I stopped and picked up the recorder with great anticipation, excitedly waiting to hear what she said.

As I headed the car for home, I turned on the recorder and was greeted by Grannie’s voice telling her ritual of the day.  She said, “I get up and immediately get the paper, turn to the obit’s and if my name is there. If not I get dressed and starts my day” (Matt have you heard this before?).  And then tape went silent and the remaining time was invested in “snoring”. Since I do not get the paper so my ritual does not include checking the obits!!

The greatest fringe benefit of writing ‘Gramps Morning thoughts’ is it keeps me in the Word and keeps my mind in tune with the things God wants to share with me for that day.  I confess to you that there have been times when I have just opened the Bible at random and He has never failed to show me a bold print subject that He wanted to make known that day.    

But, in my travels through the Word, I have gained a deeper interest in what awaits me at the point Paul described as “the end of the race”.  His prayer was that he ran the race well That, too, is my prayer.  When I read that I wanted to know what Paul meant as a success race. After some study I came to the conclusion that his criteria for success was based on “fruits”.  Adonai (Jesus, Yeshua) made it clear that we will be judged by our fruits.  (Matt. 7:16).

As we travel around Michigan  we see many kinds of fruit, cherries, apples, blueberries, pears to name a few, but I do not but I do not believe that is what Jesus was talking about in Luke 31:27.  We remember the challenge the lawyer addressed to Jesus, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life”. Note that Jesus did

 not say, go out and pick some bananas or strawberries, but rather “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. And your neighbor as yourself”    

Soooo, in our years of working with hurting children, we often found it was easier for the kids to love God and their neighbor than to love themselves.  I know, because I, Kermit, had the same malady.

Blessings,

Gramps

HOPE

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).

Hey Gang,  As I read the Daily Guidepost Devotional for November 9^{th ,}  it struck me as one that needed to be shared.   We have been blessed to be in Branson, Missouri, for Veterans Week and have literally been blown away with the number of Vets and spouses here and with the beautiful lights and Christmas decorations.  The lights glitter continuous from   early morning to late at night.  

We spent a day at Silver City, an amusement park.  Again, we were blessed, not only with the magnificent decorations but also the quality of the play productions.  They boast of having more than four million lights through- out the park.  Over one hundred thousand lights are built into the parade floats and folks who parade through the park.

It was a truly beautiful experienced but as we enjoyed the many sights we could not help but think of the many people, including family members who are dealing with very serious issues.  There are many on our prayer list who are dealing with spiritual, physical, emotional and financial issues.  Many who need Hope.

Carol, the writer of today’s devotional, went with her husband for an on- going cancer check up and shared with the Doc that he was using the word ‘hopeless’ more often.  Her husband had been on maintenance chemo for over a year.  (We personally know a bit about cancer issues. We have learned new phrases as chemo-brain, as well as old ones ‘very tired’, and ‘not able to do things I once could’.

 .

The Doctor asked him,  “What feels hopeless?  Lynn’s response, “I don’t think I’ll ever feel any better than I do right now.”

The chemo goes on – for you it may be one of many other issues or diseases.  This couple now challenges each other each evening with the question “Why are you glad you lived thru this day? As

 you can imagine the answers vary  - a birthday of a family member, beautiful colors we saw recently, accomplishing a task, etc.  The important thing the writer said was that for both of them  the question seems to open their eyes to all the possible answers.

Yes, young friends, there are so many things to be thankful for.  Many of you are sharing them daily on face book.   But the only way to change ‘hopeless to hope’ is knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord, Get your concordance and look up “hope”.  Here’s a couple for you to get started with:  I Tim. 4:10,  “ Put your hope in the Living God”;  Col 1:27 God’s mystery “Christ in you the hope of Glory”; Rom. 15:13 “May God of all hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust Him”; Heb. 6:19 “”Hope as an anchor for the soul – firm – secure.

Some of you are old enough to remember the hymn “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame – but holy trust in Jesus name. (chous) On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand…

S ooooo my Christian bothers and sisters,  ”Fix your eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”  (Hebrews 12:2).

Blessings,

Gma

Words I Never Want To Hear

 Words I Never Want to Hear!  14th

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.  So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16).   

 Hey Gang, I promised you I wouldn’t deal with politics in the ‘morningthoughts’  but I sense the need to deviate from that restriction a tiny bit on this particular issue.  The Bible is filled with very frightening verses for those who turn their backs on God and go their own way,  But I find none that are any more frightening than these (above) words of Jesus through John.

As I read these verses once again a question popped into my mind, “As Believers, are we accountable for how we vote?  And, even if we do not vote?  Are we held accountable, if God gives us the opportunity to witness to a person who needs to know Yeshua as Lord and neglect to open the door of salvation to that person?

I ask these questions with the following information at hand from Joel Rosenburg of The Joshua Fund – a trusted researcher.  I quote the following facts from the election in his blog:

1.     If Romney had been able to win over significantly more evangelicals – and or dramatically increase evangelical turnout in the right states – he would have won the election handily.

2.    It is stunning to think that more than 6 million self-described evangelical Christians would vote for a President who supports abortion on demand, supported the same sex marriage ballot initiative  that passed in Maryland, Main and Washington, and was on the cover of Newsweek as America’s first “gay president’.  Did these self-professed believers surrender their Biblical convictions in the voting booth, or did they never really have deep Biblical convictions on the critical issues to begin with? Or uninformed?

3.    Whatever their reasons, these so-called evangelicals doomed Romney and a number of down-ballot candidates for the House and Senate.

4.    This is what happens when the Church is weak and fails to disciple believers to turn Biblical faith into action.

5.    Given the enormous number of evangelical Christians in the U. S., this bloc could still affect enormous positive change for their issues, if they were to unify and vote for the pro-life, pro-marriage candidate as a bloc.

I recently made a mercy run to the hospital to transport an elderly gentleman home who had been there for tests.  In the course of conversation, which I admit was very one sided, he informed me that he was going to vote for President Obama.  When asked why, he said he did not trust Romney and thought he had lied to the people.  He also stated that CNN has been very adamant in surfacing the really bad things that Romney has done in his political career. (As if Obama never lied to us)

Later, I learned that this gentlemen was a retired minister from a Bible believing evangelical local church.  Unfortunately, I arrived as his domicile before I could ask him if Romney advocated for gay rights, same sex marriage and mass mutilation of babies before they drew their first breath.

Sooooo, I return to the question, are we accountable to God for what we do in the polling place? or choosing not even to enter the polling place?  Something to ponder.             

Blessings,

Gramps

Have You ever Found Yourself In the Midst of a Conundrum?

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!  (Isaiah 5:20-21).

Hey Gang:  You do know what a conundrum is, don’t you?   I confess my hillbilly education did not consist of words that were more than four letters.   But in my latter years, with the help of my bride of fifty-five plus years, I learned there were wonderful helps, including dictionaries.  I learned that conundrum, according to the Thesaurus on my computer, ‘requires values and choices’ that will determine if I will feed the black dog or the white dog that day.

Now that I have confused you with my lack of knowledge on the meaning of words, let me get to the conundrum that hit me right between the eyes on election night.  As I mentioned we are currently in Branson celebrating Veterans Week and on R & R preparing to return to Voice of Martyrs for a final week of volunteering, prior to returning home.

We have been truly blessed by the many opportunities to hear wonderful Christian singing groups and can attest to the fact that this is “pig out” oasis of the world.  If you cannot find something that truly hits your eating ‘hot button’ you are just too picky.

But the high light of our time here was the trip to the Sight and Sound Theater to see their presentation of  Joseph.  We have been blessed in past years to see other wonderful presentations such as Noah, Daniel, Abraham and Sarah and “Behold the Lamb”. But, if I was forced with gun at head to choose my very favorite, I believe it would be Joseph.  Why?  Because it is based on the theme of forgiveness and, Oh how we need forgiveness in our country today.

I did not have to start the car to return to the Comfort Inn; the adrenalin in my soul was sufficient to power us home.  But, at the end of the journey the second part of the conundrum hit me like turning on a cold shower on a very cold day – the election results were far enough down the road to tell me we were in the process of re- electing the current President to another four years. 

You see, I made a serious mistake.  I had listened to the so- called political prognosticators who assured me there was a huge change coming in the Belt Way and it was going to be a brand new day.  I will not try to give you the facts on how it feels when you are sky-ing and suddenly reality sets in, and the world crumbles beneath your feet.  I felt a knot about the size of Ohio in my gut.  I needed a quick transfusion - and that is only found in God’s Holy Writ.

Sooooo, I got out my well weather worn Word, where I have found refuge in my many other trips through disappointment-,ville and retreated to a passage that has been a source of strength.   I believe Habakkuk felt very much like I felt at that moment.  If you are hurting inside today, I would suggest you do as I did and pay special attention to verse five of chapter one “Look among the nations!  Observe!  Be astonished !  wonder! Because I am doing something in your days you would not believe if you were told.”.

Your choice today, you can let the conundrum defeat you or cry out as Habakkuk did ,“Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God my salvation.  The Lord is my strength, And he has made my feet like hinds’ feet and makes me walk on my high places.”  (3:18-19) You might also want to turn to Psalm 118:8 and 9 and look up!!

     

Blessings,

Gramps

Bonus - Thanks to our Military-

 

We thank you, veterans and your families for your willingness to be in harm's way and stand in the gap to protect our country.  We KNOW FREEDOM is not FREE.  

Father, we pray your blessings and protection on those in active service and their families; Give them eyes to see the area around them and hide them from enemy attacks. 

We pray for  those who are wounded and recovering (and their families) and medical teams who care for them and the research teams who develop methods and technology

 to for quality of life. Father, we pray for those families who are grieving the loss of loved ones. Comfort them all with your presence and peace.

Father, we pray for our Nation - one nation under God - That as a nation we would bless you, "repent, seek your forgiveness and heal our land"...II Chronicles 7:14

 

Knobs

*`By wisdom a house is built,  And by understanding at is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant things” (Proverbs 24:3-4).

Hey Gang:  In the last blog I shared my experience with “scar tissue” and how it affected my life.   Several weeks ago I also wrote several morning messages on ‘Don’t get to comfortable. This morning I would like add the third leg to the stool, namely what I refer to as ‘knobs’ on the inside of your forehead. You may think my analogy here is a little weird, but after more than 40 years of working with the most unpredictable animal in the world, the dysfunctional teenager, I have earned the right to be a little weird.

Before you commit me to the nearest loony bin hear me out.    In Genesis 2:7 we read these words, Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being”.  You do believe you were created by God and that God breathed life into you, don’t you?

If you are not sure, turn to page 897 of the New American Standard Bible and read verses 13 through 18. (Psalm 139:13-18).  In other words, at birth we have all the wiring we need to take us through this life on earth……however…. When we are born we have a smooth data bank in our heads.  It is kind of like a computer that has had no data input.  It has the ability to do some things but, it is only as we add programs to the hard drive, that it becomes a functional and usable convenience.

Now, back to the ‘knobs’. I learned very early in my tenure of working with young folks that I had to find something that not only penetrated their ‘domes of intellect’/ hard drives, but prepared the way for me to hang additional knowledge on.  That, my friends is ‘knobs’.  They could understand it when I said,”Yyou lack understanding in new things because you have no frame of reference in your head on which to hang that new knowledge.

One of the common denominators in the children we worked with is they had no knobs on which to hang the things we were trying to teach them.  That required meeting them on the level of their knob development.  I had to come up with a vocabulary that not only penetrated but stuck like glue to the inside of their forehead. 

Are you still with me for I am about to make a point that could make your parenting oh so much easier.  If you do not prepare your child to receive a new revelation or piece of knowledge by doing some preliminary knob development, do not expect the new information to penetrate and stick like glue.   

Soooo, the key to knob development, read Deuteronomy 6:5-9 and pay special attention to these words, “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals (knobs) on your forehead.” 

Blessings,

Gramps