September is here. School has started. Summer has slowly come to an end. New growth for each of us has begun. Unlike the farmer we seem to plant in fall and not the spring. No matter, we concentrate on growth. Growth by education and experiences and spiritual growth. We never stop growing it is sign of life.

(Parts of this devotional came to me via email I don't remember by whom) Some of us are news junkies, so if you hand us a TV remote, we're a happy camper. We can flip the news channels back and forth to our hearts content, and we hang on to that bit of power we hold so thightly in our hand! Now not everyone in my family has the same internsity of interest in the news and weather, as I do, which makes for an interesting struggle of that precious remote, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.

Sunday is the Fourth of July and for Americans everywhere, it's a time of celebration, so much so that it is easy to forget why we are even AT the party! Picnics, parades, fireworks are fun but it WASN'T fun for the men, women and families who fought for our freedom and Independence in 1776. It also isn't much fun for the men, women and families of today's Armed Forces who fought and still fight and in many cases die for the freedom we now enjoy. I can understand if some don't feel the way we as American Citizens feel if you are not part of this nation.

When you and I pray we often are praying from our "old nature." I can hear you say now "just hold on pastor, I'm a Christian and my old nature is dead, so how can I pray from my old human nature?" Before we answer that excellent question let us look at a passage of Scripture found in John 17. We see Jesus offering a prayer that reveals something about Jesus we might have missed.

Galatians 2:20 "I have been cricified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." We're off to the circus. We'll have popcorn and cotton candy, two tickets or more, and two hours of wonderful fun. The jugglers juggled, the clowns clowned, the poodles performed, and everybody applauded. Why? Because that is what you are supposed to do, applauded the ferformances. 

February is known as the month of the heart. It is known for Valentine's Day. A day of expressing love and loving thoughts to those we care deeply about. We sometimes use the expression of a "burning heart" to express emotions of love. Sometimes we use the expression "Heart Burn" to express a feeling of stress or overindulgence in spicy foods. But for a moment let us consider the Bible's view of "Heart Burn."

I found this medical article extremely interesting and helpful. I believe it has a spiritual message for us as we venture into the New Year of 2010 and everyday of it. Part of our brain is known as the Reticular Activating System  or RAS. Our RAS plays a vital part in our ability to achieve goals. What is RAS? How does it work? Read on.

An older lady calls the hospital and says, "Hello, dahling, I'd like to talk with the person who gives the informaiton regarding your patients. I want to know if the patient is getting better, or doing like expected, or is getting worse. And will she be home for the holidays?" The woman is transferred to Patient Information and asked, "What is the patient's name and room number?" The woman says, "Shoore, dahling! She's Sarah Jones, in room 302." 

When we think of warfare we think of soldiers, weapons of great power and distance, an enemy we may recognize or not, and fear of those who would destroy or subdue us. We are a people of freedom and democracy that cannot be made submit to slavery of any type. This is also true of our relationship with God. Through Jesus Christ we have recieved a freedom that surpasses even our nations freedoms. We live under a God who knows what we need because He created us.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 it states "Pray continually." This is the key to faith and answered prayer.